Dick smiled as he loaded the least present into the trunk of their car, excitement shaking through his body. It was Christmas Eve, and Bruce had agreed to give the whole family the day off. Maximus was in the back seat, curled in a little ball as he slept. It had been three months since the two had adopted him, and Dick had taken to training him immediately. Maximus could sit, lay down, roll over, shake his paw, speak, and-most importantly-was potty trained.
Dick slid into the passenger seat, hands shaking at the idea of everyone being there. It had been forever since the family had been brought together without an emergency. Wally was excited as well, but scared that one of Dick's brothers would end up killing him by the end of the night.
Dick couldn't stop thinking about it. Getting Steph, Cass, Jason, Tim, Damian, Bruce, all together with him and his new family. Maximus had crawled into his lap and fallen asleep, so Dick pet him to keep from getting overly excited.
At the Manor, Dick brought Maximus inside. Maximus was curious about everything, sniffing and roaming around. Dick chuckled, carrying a few presents to the tree. It was surprisingly quiet, which made Wally curious. It was never this quiet with all the bats around.
Dick quickly found Alfred, and smiled. "Hey, Alfred. How are you?" "I'm doing quite well, Master Dick. I see you have bright Maximus with you." "Yeah. Thought it was time to introduce him to the family. Speaking of them, where are they?" "I'm afraid I've only seen Master Bruce so far, and he is out on patrol."
Dick's smile faltered. "O-Oh. Do you know if they're coming?" "I know Master Tim, Master Jason, and Mistress Stephanie said they were coming. Mistress Cassandra is visiting the local shelter, but will join us soon. Master Jason said he may be spending some time with the outlaws, but will attempt to make it. Master Bruce and Master Damian will be here." Alfred said.
"Where is Damian? And Bruce?" "It appears that while the rest of you took the night off, they did not. They are on patrol at the moment, but have talked about retiring early." Dick sighed. "So, we'll have at least most of us, if not all of us." Alfred nodded.
Maximus started sniffing at Alfred's shoe. "Maximus! C'mon, now." Dick chuckled, picking the little dog up. Alfred smiled and pet behind Maximus' ears. "He is rather adorable. I know he is no Pongo, but he is cute." Alfred said. "I know. I like to think that Pongo would have loved Maximus. Pongo was always so calm, and would have been patient with his shenanigans." Dick smiled sadly.
"They would have been the best of friends. Now, I have your room made up. I believe Maximus might need to be familiarized with the new surroundings. Master Wallace will need to be watched, lest the cookies be eaten before tomorrow." Alfred said, directing Dick towards his room. Wally scoffed. "I can control myself until tomorrow." "Really?" Dick raised an eyebrow. "Somewhat."
By the end of the night, only Bruce, Cass, and Damian had showed up. Dick had gone to bed a little sad, as he'd hoped the whole family would be there for Christmas Eve. Wally and Maximus had cuddled with him, lulling him to sleep. Dick was hoping that everyone would be there tomorrow.
He was woken when someone started shaking his shoulders. "C'mon, Dick. It's Christmas!" Steph laughed, pulling him to his feet. Tim and Jason grabbed his arms, pulling him forward. "You and West are the only ones we're waiting on. Let's go!" Jason said, making Dick laugh.
Dick sat in a chair, still half asleep. Bruce smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, Dick." "Merry Christmas, Bruce. But next year I want a warning before I get attacked." "I had no idea. They got me the same way. Looks like Wally was the other victim." Bruce chuckled as Wally was sat next to Dick. "You're siblings are going to kill me one day." Wally said, rubbing his eyes. Maximus came up and sat in Dick's lap.
Once the present unwrapping was done, Dick and Wally decided to get his siblings back. They brought them outside, telling them to close their eyes. Once they were all lined up, the two husbands threw snowballs at the unsuspecting victims. It ended in a snowball fight, with Dick and Wally being victorious. At the end of the day, it was one of the best Christmases Dick had ever had.
