-BIGG thank you to carina_52 for the awesome request, it was so much fun to work on!-
Damian - 17
Tim - 14
Jason - 11
Dick - 5
Dick - 25
"Nice one, Dickie!" Tim was teaching his little brother to play soccer on the grass outside the manor. He hoped it would help Dick make friends when he was ready to start school. "Nice!" He sent a gentle kick back at his brother and reached down to check his phone. "Oh, Dick, I left my phone inside, I'll be right back, I promise!"
Dick gave a little nod and watched his brother go. He sat down on the grass to wait...
Tim was taking a long time
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Dick started awake, blinking several times. He rolled over on the concrete. His back fucking hurt, not to mention his head...
LAST TIME he was letting Bruce talk him into doing some undercover work back in Gotham! The last thing he remembered was realizing something was slipped in his drink at the bar, and running out into the alleyway to avoid his potential kidnappers.
God, it does not pay to be a pretty boy in Gotham.
He dragged himself up and looked for his car. He couldn't remember where he left it. Deciding to try the bus, he pulled himself to the nearest stop, slowly waking up. He was heading straight to the manor for a shower. At least he was in Gotham, which meant Alfred's cooking.
He dragged himself to the manor's side gate and strode through the manicured green lawns. He turned towards the manor's front and almost tripped over something. He took several steps back and saw that it wasn't so much something as someone. A child, about five or so, sitting cross-legged in the grass. They had black hair and wore a sweater and those jeans for little kids that have elastic waistbands. The kid looked up at Dick, revealing their tear-streaked face.
"Hey... who're you?" Dick asked, stooping to the child's height. The kid drew back a little, looking distressed. "Why're you crying?"
The child shied away, drying an eye with the sleeve of their sweater.
"Do you know Bruce?" Dick asked. The kid nodded a little, lips trembling. "Hey! I'm going inside to find Bruce, why don't you come?" The kid nodded again, but didn't get up. As the child started to cry again, Dick picked them up off the grass, and headed for the manor door. Child weighing down one arm, he lay on the bell.
After few seconds, Bruce opened the door. Dick blinked several times. It was clearly Bruce, but ...not. He had significantly fewer silver hairs, and looked so well rested. He stood straighter too, that made him look taller. All this considered, he was still clearly Bruce.
"Dick!" Bruce exclaimed, lunging forwards and grabbing the child from Dick's arms. He held the child carefully.
"'Morning, Bruce." Dick said tiredly.
Bruce ignored him for a second, adjusting his grip on the child, and shushing them gently. "What happened out there, Dick?"
"I was in the bar like you told me-" Dick started, but was cut off.
There were fast, thundering footfalls as a teenage boy sprinted down the stairs. "Sorry! Sorry Bruce! I left him alone outside to grab my phone!" The boy reached up to take the child, but Bruce turned away, holding the kid securely.
"It's fine, he's inside now." Bruce continued to calm the boy as Dick stood there awkwardly in the doorway.
"Soo... a lot's happened since last night..." Dick observed.
"I'm sorry." Bruce finally passed the child into the teenager's outstretched arms. "What brings you up here?"
"I don't know? I just want breakfast, but that's starting to seem like a non-possibility."
"Name?" Bruce asked.
Dick frowned a little. "Dick. Grayson?"
"Dick Grayson?" Bruce asked.
"What happened here?" Dick asked. "Who where those kids? Did you guys get Deaged or something? You look great by the way." He chuckled. "But that might be because you look thirty again..."
"Again?" Bruce stared back at him. "You're Dick Grayson?" He asked again.
"Yeah... You know... your youngest son." Dick replied. "Maybe, I don't know if you adopted those two."
Bruce humored him. "What can I do for you, Dick Grayson?"
"I just want to shower. That mission you sent me on last night sucked! Someone slipped something in my drink and tried to force me into a car. I passed out in an alley, and didn't even get a lead on the weapons depot."
"Weapons depot?" Bruce asked, still blocking the doorway.
"Yeah, look, it's fine if you don't want me around the manor, you've clearly had a Wild twelve hours. But can I at least get changed and Zeta back home from the cave?"
Bruce's eyes widened. "You want to Zeta home?"
"Yeah! I only brought one change of clothes, and Alfred has probably stolen them to wash because he doesn't trust me to be competent adult."
Bruce looked him up-and-down, taking in his wavy black hair, blue eyes, and slightly upturned nose. "What did you say your name was again?"
"Bruce? It's me, Dick! Just because you look twenty years younger-"
And then Dick knew.
and then Bruce knew that Dick knew.
"Why don't you step inside."
"Yeah, sure thing." Dick followed his father into the manor. Man, it was like stepping into a memory, the tiles hadn't been replaced yet, the creepy photo of that one Wayne ancestor was intact, and the chandelier hadn't received too much abuse yet.
"In here, please." Dick followed him to his father's office and settled in a chair. Bruce sat opposite. Neither said anything for a while.
Dick kicked his legs back and forth a little, biting his lips a little. He looked Bruce up and down a few times, he really looked different, by far younger and healthier. Bruce just stared back, scrutinizing him. Dick shifted little. "I like your shoes." He said awkwardly.
"So, Dick, how many brothers do you have?"
"Three: Damian, Tim, Jason." Dick answered. "Why?"
"Just checking." Bruce replied. "What were your parents names?"
"John and Mary Grayson." Dick said quietly.
Bruce nodded silently, eyes wandering around the room. They caught on the chair by his desk. "What's that?" He gestured at the stuffed animal that sat atop it.
Dick followed his gaze. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Peanuts!"
Bruce looked across at him seriously. "Okay, I'll need to run some tests to be sure, but so far I can't deny that you are Dick Grayson."
Dick nodded a little and gave a double-thumbs up. "Swell. So, how old am I? I mean, right now? I'm clearly from the future or something, so how old are we all right now?"
"Damian is seventeen, Timothy is fourteen, Jason is eleven, and Dick, you, are five years old."
Dick realized. "Oh, so that was me outside."
"Yes."
"Wow." Dick muttered. The crying child he'd picked up was himself. That was weird. "So do we run these tests down in the cave?"
Bruce nodded sharply. "This way, please." He lead the way to the grandfather clock, Dick following him shyly.
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"Tim?" Dick staggered towards his brother and grabbed his hand.
"Shh." Tim pressed his eye against the door of Bruce's office, listening in. He let Dick hold his hand.
Bruce was speaking. "Okay, I'll need to run some tests to be sure, but so far I can't deny that you are Dick Grayson."
Tim's jaw set in place as he watched, eyes wide. He felt Dick squeeze his hand a little.
The man across from their father gave a double-thumbs up. "Swell. So, how old am I? I mean, right now? I'm clearly from the future or something, so how old are we all right now?"
"No way..." Tim whispered under his breath.
"Damian is seventeen, Timothy is fourteen, Jason is eleven, and Dick, you, are five years old." his father reported, looking into the photo on his desk.
"Oh, so that was me outside." The man exclaimed.
"No way." Tim repeated, eyes growing to the size of saucers.
"Yes." Bruce affirmed, with the sort of distressed and confused look Tim saw whenever Bruce remembered that Jason knew where the knives were kept.
The man... Dick... blinked wildly. "Wow. So do we run these tests down in the cave?"
"What's that?" Dick asked, gripping Tim's hand.
"Shh!" Tim reminded. Dick immediately shut up. He slowly let go of his big brother's hand and pulled his arm back, regretful tears forming at the corners of his eyes again. "No, I didn't mean it-" Tim hissed. He noticed the two figures inside heading towards the door. Tim quickly swept his littlest brother off the ground and whipped around the corner as the door opened.
"This way, please." Tim watched Bruce escort the man... Dick... towards the clock. Dick continued to hold himself back in Tim's arms.
"Sorry, Dickie, I didn't mean to be mean, but we had to be quiet. Like spies."
Dick nodded a little and Tim put him down again, peaking around the corner in time to see the Clock closing. He was actually glad Dick didn't see that, he didn't know about the cave yet.
The cave? Tim should be glad Dick didn't see that! That guy claiming to be him from the future! The second oldest Wayne child looked down at the little boy, timidly clutching his leg. No way. NO WAY. His little baby brother who cried when someone raised their voice slightly? His baby brother who was clinically short and underweight? His baby brother who couldn't sleep without being tucked in with his stuffed Elephant?
There was NO WAY this guy was their little Richard Grayson.
"Who's that?" Dick murmured, still clutching Tim's sweatpants leg.
"I'm not sure yet..." Tim muttered. "Let's go see Jason, huh?"
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Jason was pestering Damian when they found him. Tim hurried in, carrying Dick on his hip. "Jay, babysitting." Tim said, passing their youngest brother off to him.
"Awe come on!" Jason whined, stumbling back from the five year old's weight. He set Dick down on the carpet of Damian's room. "Did Tim teach you any soccer?"
"Yeah!" Dick smiled.
"Awesome! Soon you'll be good enough to play with me!" Jason encouraged, letting Dick climb over him a little. Dick liked to climb things, and Jason didn't mind being a playground.
"Hey." Tim poked his older brother in the back. "Listen up, this is crazy!"
"I don't think I have a choice." Damian grunted.
"No." Tim agreed. "Seriously. This guy showed up at the front door, and Bruce took him into his office, and they keep saying that he's Dickie, From the Future!"
"What?" Jason asked, Dick had climbed onto his shoulders and had both his hands buried in Jason's hair. "Dickie from the future?"
"Hmm?" Dick used Jason's head to push himself upright.
"The future?" Damian asked. "How far?"
"Like twenty-ish years I think."
"What?" Jason exclaimed, pausing to do the math in his head. "That means he's seen an almost FORTY year old Damian Wayne!"
"Future me?" Dick asked, going ignored.
"Where is he?" Jason asked.
"In the basement for DNA tests." Tim reported.
Damian stood up quickly, grabbing his sweater and headed downstairs.
Jason fought to his feet and hurried after his brothers. "Wait up!"
"Hold on," Tim turned around. "Dickie isn't allowed in the basement."
"Oh, right." Jason pulled his baby brother off him and began following Tim from the room. "Sorry, Dickie, we'll play later."
"Here, you can sit with Alfred in the kitchen." Tim invited, beckoning the child after him. He scooped the child up and hurried to the kitchen to put the little boy out of the way.
The three oldest brothers met by the clock and scurried into the batcave.
Bruce had a guy in his mid-twenties sitting atop a gurney as his blood was taken. Okay, the guy kind of looked like Dick, but that was inconclusive at best.
"WOW! Look at the old keyboard!" The man exclaimed, pointing at the batcomputer. "That gets replaced cause Tim puked on it!" He laughed. "He was like eighteen and decided that the flu couldn't keep him down. But that's Tim." He kicked his legs a little, lazily.
Bruce looked up at him and stared for a few seconds. He nodded. "Yes, that does sound like Tim."
Tim was positively offended.
The man continued looking around him. "Man, this place is so empty."
"Empty?" Bruce asked, emptying the syringe into a vile and sticking it in the machine.
"Yeah, when I was Robin, this place was crowded like every day."
"When you were Robin?" Jason blurted before he could stop himself. His brothers didn't even glare at him for giving them away, they were also preoccupied by what the man had said. I mean, it shouldn't be so surprising that Dick would take on the Robin title, but still, there was a lot to unpack.
The guy looked up and grinned. "Jason! Oh my god he's a baby!" He gasped as he noticed the other two. "Oh my god Tiny Damian! and Timmy! He's so small!" The man put his hands over his mouth, still clearly grinning. He looked at Bruce excitedly, as though looking for someone to share the excitement with.
"Richard?" Damian asked in a stern, suspicious tone.
"Yeah!" He shouted. God, you're all so young! The Damian I know is thirty-seven!" He laughed.
Bruce set his hands on his hips and stared up at his kids. "Can we help you?"
"Oh Tim was spying on y'all and said that future Dickie was down here." Jason snitched.
"JAY!" Tim spat.
"Now that sounds like Tim." Future-Dick laughed.
-Part 25-