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Dick groans as he slowly regains awareness. He blinks a few times before finally focusing his gaze. The Watchtower. Dick sits up with a small groan that alerts Black Canary to the fact that he is awake. “What am I doing on the Watchtower?” Dick mutters.
“Who are you?” Black Canary asks, “Because you don’t look like Robin despite the outfit you’re wearing.”
“But I am Robin,” Dick gives Black Canary a confused look.
Black Canary speaks into her commlink, “Our little visitor is awake.”
Dick stares at Black Canary in silence while they wait for the other Leaguers to arrive. Superman, Flash, and Green Arrow walk into the room and Dick frowns, “Where’s Batman?”
“He’ll be here shortly,” Superman tells Dick, “Now, why don’t you tell us who you are.”
Dick’s frown deepens and he insists, “You know me! I’m Robin.”
“Kid, Robin’s a head taller than you. How did you get on the Watchtower?” Green Arrow gruffly asks. “How do you even know about the Watchtower?”
Dick shrugs, “I don’t know how I got here. The last thing I remember was helping Superboy pick out a name that he liked.” Before they could ask him any more questions, Batman stalks into the room with his cape swishing dramatically behind him. “Dad!” Dick cries before jumping off the table and rushing over to hug his father.
Batman surprises the others when he lets the boy embrace him. Batman pats Dick’s hair before stooping down to his level, “Richard?”
“Yeah?” Dick looks confused, “Of course it’s me, Dad. Did the League have a run-in with someone who steals memories or something because they act like they’ve never met me before.”
“He’s smaller than I remember him being,” Green Arrow comments, dodging Black Canary’s elbow jab.
“I didn’t know he called you dad either,” Flash comments.
“Dad, what’s going on?” Dick shrinks back into Batman’s space.
Batman sighs, “I believe that you’ve accidentally traveled dimensions. This universe’s Richard Grayson is 23.”
“And right behind you,” an amused voice chimes, “This is what you called me here for, B?” Dick flails and pushes himself away from Batman and the new arrival. He huddles close to the wall and clutches at his cape. Nightwing softens his stance and slowly approaches Dick, “Hey, you’re alright. Why don’t you come with me back to the Batcave and we’ll figure this out.”
“No!” Dick screeches, halfway to hysterics, “You’re lying! You’re just an illusion! You’ll take me back to the Court!”
“Nobody is going to take you back to the Court of Owls,” Nightwing coos, “I promise, little wing.”
“ No, no no! ” Dick strikes at Nightwing’s hand when he reaches out. Nightwing pulls back his arm and the League stares at the scratches in shock and then they look to find Dick sporting sharp, claw-like nails. Dick whimpers, “I want my Dad!”
Thinking quickly, Nightwing stands and steals Batman’s cowl, ignoring the scowl he earns from Batman. “Do that thing you did to comfort me whenever I had nightmares as a child,” Nightwing pushes him toward Dick.
Batman softens his stance as he peels off his gloves, “Dickie, you’re alright.”
“ No! You’re just an illusion!” Dick lashes out again when Batman attempts to touch his arm and only his quick reflexes keep him from gaining a new set of gouges.
“Sweetie, Dickiebird, you’re fine,” Batman promises, “The Court won’t take you away from me.”
“You said you weren’t my Batman!” Dick screams, “How can I know you’re telling the truth and you’re not just an illusion made by the Court?”
Batman unhooks his cape and sweeps it around Dick’s shoulders, a little amazed that the boy allowed the action. “I may not be your Batman but I’m a Batman and I promise to keep you safe from the Court. Not even Superman could pry you from my arms.”
Dick stops struggling and looks at Batman, the lenses of his domino mask widening. He asks in a small voice, “Not even Superman?”
Batman shakes his head and confirms, “Not even Superman.”
Wailing, Dick throws himself at Batman and the man picks him up, rocking and making soothing noises. Nightwing makes a wounded noise in the back of his throat at the sight. Superman moves closer and clasps a hand on Nightwing’s shoulder. Nightwing gives him a grateful smile before he whispers, “The Court of Owls got to him. Dammit, he’s only a child.”
A few minutes elapse before Dick is passed out in Batman’s arms. “We’ll take him back to the Manor. We can start figuring out how to get him home tomorrow.”
Nightwing picks up the cowl and puts it back on for Batman so he didn’t have to put Dick down. After grabbing Batman’s gauntlets, Nightwing leads the way through the Watchtower toward the Zeta tubes. He punches in the coordinates for the Batcave and ushers Batman through, following a few seconds later.
“Who’s the brat?” Jason asks as soon as Batman walks in sight and spots the child passed out in his arms. Batman grunts and keeps walking toward the changing room. Jason makes a face at the older man’s back. “Who’s the brat?” Jason repeats his question when his older brother appears.
“A younger version of me from another universe,” Nightwing replies.
“So,” Tim asks, “what’s his deal and why aren’t we questioning him about his universe for details to send him back?”
“He had a panic attack when he learned he was sent to another universe,” Nightwing replies in a curt tone as he peels off his domino mask and practically flings it onto a nearby table.
Jason raises an eyebrow, “That doesn’t sound like you. The first time you accidentally traveled universes you were sixteen and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I remember because you told me all about it.”
Nightwing’s jaw ticks, “He was taken in by the Court of Owls and he thought this was all an illusion to get him back to the Court.”
Jason and Tim stared at him in shock. “I’m sorry,” Jason sounds angry, “did you just fucking say that the pipsqueak version of you was taken by the Court of fucking Owls?”
“I know!” Nightwing shouts back, “How do you think I feel?!”
“Hey, hey!” Tim rushes to calm his brothers down, “Why don’t we take a few seconds and calm down?”
Before Jason could try to punch Nightwing, Batman and a now awake Dick walk out of the changing room. Tim catches himself before he could coo at the sight of Dick drowning in Damian’s clothes. “How’re you feeling?” Nightwing asks Dick.
“You’re me?” Dick asks instead of answering.
Nightwing nods and grins, “This universe’s Dick Grayson.”
“Did the Court take you too?”
Dick yelps when Nightwing scoops him up in a hug but he eagerly returns the gesture. Nightwing pets Dick’s hair, “No. I was lucky. Bruce knew about the Court and had dismantled them about a year before I ever stepped foot into Gotham for the first time. He told me about them when I got a little older and I’ve been able to avoid them so far.”
“You’re lucky. They had me but Dad saved me again and he promised Superman wouldn’t be able to take me away from him. But I’m here and-”
“Shh, little wing. We’ll get you back to your Bruce!” Nightwing pulls away from Dick to look him in the eyes, “You trust Batman, right?” After Dick nods, Nightwing continues, “Then trust that this one can get you back to yours. Now, c’mon, let’s get you up to the kitchen. We have freshly made plăcintă cu mere and I can fetch Zitka for you. ”
Dick nods his agreement, “But first I wanna know who they are.”
“Sure. These are two of my little brothers: Jason and Tim,” Nightwing points to the boys as he introduces them. “You’re wearing Damian’s clothes and I’m sure you’ll meet him tomorrow; he’s hanging out with Superboy tonight.”
Dick nods again and latches onto Nightwing’s leg. He looks up at the other man and asks in a small voice, “Food?”
Nightwing smiles warmly at his younger self, “Of course. But I can’t walk with you acting like a koala and I need to go change first. Alfie has a no costumes in the Manor rule.” Dick grumbles but detaches himself. Nightwing hurries into the changing room while Dick waits with Batman by the computer banks and stares awkwardly down at the ground.
“So…” Jason starts, “How old are you?”
Dick looks up at the other boy, “Thirteen.”
“Pretty small, arencha?” Jason grins.
Dick hisses and Tim flinches back, causing Dick to look down at the ground once more. Dick makes a small wounded noise in the back of his throat. Batman fidgets in place awkwardly, unsure of how to handle the situation. Much to everyone’s relief, Nightwing appears once more before Batman can come to a decision. “Ready?” Nightwing asks. Dick nods, grabs Nightwing’s hand and allows himself to be led to the stairs and up into the Manor.
Batman, Jason, and Tim follow behind a few minutes later. When they arrive in the kitchen, Dick and Nightwing are happily munching on the dessert while Alfred frets over a plastic container of old clothes, trying to find some suitable clothes for the new arrival. Alfred distractedly gestures for the boys to serve themselves some dessert and they eagerly dig in.
The group eats in silence and soon enough they’ve washed the dishes and cleaned up the island. The group heads up the stairs and walk down the hallway toward the family bedrooms. “Mini-me, you can bunk with me,” Nightwing offers.
Dick pouts and turns toward Batman, “Can I sleep with you, please?” Dick looks pleadingly up at Batman. “I know you’re not my Bruce but…” Dick trails off and looks at his feet as his face flushes a light pink.
“Of course you can,” Batman confirms. Jason and Tim share a disbelieving look with each other while Nightwing looks on at the scene fondly.
Nightwing darts into his bedroom and comes out holding Zitka out to Dick, who grabs her and happily cuddles the plush to his chest. Dick darts forward and wraps his arms around Nightwing’s waist, “Thank you!”
Nightwing pets Dick’s hair for a few seconds and softly smiles down at the top of his head, “Of course. I know you’ll take good care of her until we can get you back home.” Dick nods into Nightwing’s stomach before releasing the older man.
Batman’s face softens marginally as Dick appears at his side and slips his hand into the other man’s larger one. “Bed?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Batman replies before leading the boy down the hallway after sending his boys a ‘good night.’
The next morning Jason and Tim are seated at the island, gossiping about Dick. “It’s so fucking weird seeing B acting all fatherly and shit,” Jason grumbles around a spoonful of oatmeal.
Nightwing plops down next to his brothers and shrugs, “It’s how B acted when I was Dick’s age. A little stiffer and out of practice but pretty much the same.”
Tim nods thoughtfully, “I kinda remember him before…”
“Before I up and died?” Jason snaps irritably.
“You died?” a small voice asks from behind them. The older boys whip around to see Dick in the doorway, plucking at the hem of his shirt.
“You’re a Talon?” Jason sharply retorts.
“Jason!” Nightwing roars as Dick flees the room. “Why the hell would you ask that?!”
Tim shakes his head at his dumbass brother, “That was mean, even for you.”
“Well, fuck you both,” Jason stands and storms out of the kitchen.
Tim looks at Nightwing in concern, “So, where would little Dick hide?”
“A Robin’s Nest,” Nightwing shrugs, “Wherever he’s made a Robin’s Nest in his Manor is where he’s likely fled. I have a couple of them that I can check.”
“Can I help?”
Nightwing shakes his head, “No. I think it’d be better if I go after him. Finish up your breakfast, little brother.”
“Dick-” Tim starts, his face betraying how concerned he is for his older brother.
Nightwing shakes his head again, “No, trust me. It needs to be me. He’ll probably freak out on anyone else who tries to approach him.”
“It’s really messed up that the Court would turn a little kid into a Talon,” Tim’s lip curls in disgust.
“I’ve read the files on Talons. He’s probably not fully turned; he’s too little for that yet. They turned him just enough so that they could train him to kill and when he grew into a fully grown adult, they were going to finish the transformation.”
“That’s even more fucked up,” Tim swears.
Nightwing scoffs, “The Court is pretty fucked up in the first place,” he sighs, “I’ll go find him so we can both eat something. If Damian comes in can you tell him about Dick?”
“Nope,” Tim shakes his head, “Not happening. I don’t care how you try to bribe me, I am not playing nice with the little demon.”
Nightwing scratches at the back of his head and lets out a puff of frustrated air, “Okay, I don’t have the time to even get into that with you. Fine, don’t tell Damian. Direct him to Bruce?”
“Maybe,” Tim allows, “If he listens to me long enough for me to deliver the message.”
Nightwing throws his hands in the air, “That’s good enough for me.” Nightwing stalks out of the kitchen to find Dick. After several minutes of searching, Nightwing finally finds him tucked away in a corner of the library. Nightwing pulls himself up next to Dick and softly greets him, “Hey.” Dick turns away from Nightwing and curls further into the blanket he had found.
Nightwing allows Dick to sit in silence for a few minutes longer before he starts talking. “One day I was hanging out with Wally and we were completely bored. It was summer and he was fifteen, I was fourteen. We were here at the Manor and Bruce was on a business trip to Italy for WE. I don’t remember why exactly but we thought it would be a good idea to play a prank on Roy,” Nightwing grins and continues to talk when he notices that Dick starts to slowly uncurl, “So we got our supplies: eggs, flour, syrup, and glitter. I don’t remember exactly what we did with that mixture but I do know it made a spectacular mess when it fell on top of Roy. He was finding glitter on himself months after we had pranked him. Of course, Roy got us back for it and I’d rather not talk about it because it’s even more embarrassing than the story of me meeting Superman for the first time.”
Dick giggles, “I was thrilled to meet Superman.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I was too,” Nightwing beams at Dick, “but I made a complete fool out of myself.”
“We’re good at making ourselves look foolish,” Dick smiles, “But at least we do it with flair!”
Nightwing nods his agreement, “You’re completely right, little wing!”
“Why do you call me little wing?” Dick cocks his head thoughtfully in an oddly bird-like gesture.
“Oh, my callsign is Nightwing. So, little wing,” Dick shrugs, “It’s a thing I called Jason when he first came to the Manor.”
“Why not Robin?” Dick shifts closer to Nightwing and cuddles into his side.
Nightwing sighs, “To make a long story short, B and I argued a lot when I was in my late teens and I left Gotham. I created my own name and got out from under the shadow of the Bat.”
“But it’s safe there,” Dick points out as he shudders, “I work with Young Justice but I can’t imagine being completely on my own yet. The Court would come for me in a heartbeat.”
Nightwing gently cards his hand through Dick’s hair and Dick leans into the touch eagerly. Nightwing hums for a few seconds before replying, “You’ll get older and even better at fighting. Nothing’s set in stone so I’m sure you won’t follow in my footsteps and fight with Bruce as much as I did.”
“Your Bruce seems a lot more distant than mine,” Dick confesses.
“Losing a child does that, even if it was only temporarily,” Nightwing tells him. “Now, c’mon! Are you ready for breakfast?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Dick shrugs and follows when Nightwing jumps back down to the ground.
After that, Dick grows more confident that he’s safe at the Manor. Despite Damian’s cold reception, Dick nips at the heels of anyone who was foolish enough to get within eyesight of Dick. Jason, Tim, and Damian all reluctantly allowed Dick to shadow them after Nightwing pinned them with a look. Alfred and Nightwing happily allowed Dick to follow them around whenever he felt the desire to do so. Nightwing even went out of his way to practice acrobatics with Dick. Bruce didn’t say anything but Nightwing could tell that Bruce enjoyed having Dick shadow him on occasion.
About three weeks later, Dick is sitting in the Cave while the other males work on various tasks. Dick idly kicks at the legs of the chair he’s sitting in, bored out of his mind as Batman and Tim work on isolating his dimension. He’d already been sent away from the training area where Jason and Nightwing were attempting to kick each other’s ass. Dick knew without even trying that Damian wouldn’t let him within ten feet of whatever science project he was fiddling with in the corner of the Cave. Before he could get up to harass Batman again, a bright light flashed and a rift in the center of the Cave opened before it spit out a cowled man. The owners of the Cave immediately went on the defensive. However, Dick perked up and stared intently at the man.
The new arrival glanced around the Cave before his gaze landed on Dick, “Richard,” he sighs in relief.
Dick barrels into Bruce and latches onto him like a limpet, “ Dad! ” Bruce clings back just as tightly, holding him close with one arm while the other hand pets Dick’s hair. “I missed you! I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” Bruce places a kiss into Dick’s hair. Eventually, the pair break apart and Bruce stands up. As soon as he does so, Dick disappears under the cape and latches onto Bruce’s leg. Bruce smiles fondly down at the hidden boy and walks forward to talk with the others. “Thank you for taking care of him,” Bruce smiles at them.
Nightwing grins, “It’s always fun meeting another version of myself.”
Bruce hums and teases his son, “Dickie, if you keep eating vegetables then maybe you’ll grow as tall as this universe’s Dick Grayson.”
“Bleh! But at what cost? Though I don’t mind corn and carrots and peas,” Dick grumbles from under the cape.
Nightwing snickers, “I still don’t really like vegetables.”
“You eat cereal ninety percent of the time when you’re left to fend for yourself,” Jason points out with a good-natured eye roll.
Bruce smiles at the good-natured ribbing. Pushing Dick out from under his cape, Bruce tells his son, “Go put your uniform back on, the device only needs a few minutes to charge before I can use it again.”
“10-4,” Dick chirps before he rushes off to the Cave’s changing rooms.
Bruce looks over Nightwing, “You grow up well,” he comments.
Nightwing beams at Bruce, “I’m sure mini-me will, too, despite the shit that the Court put him through.”
“Did you…?”
Nightwing shakes his head, “No. No tips to help you, sorry. But it seems that you’re doing a pretty good job anyway.”
Bruce’s lips twitch into a small smile, “I try.”
Dick comes bounding out of the changing room in his suit and mask. Dick beams at his father, “Is it ready?” When Bruce nods his confirmation, Dick darts forward and gives Batman a quick hug that was over before Batman could respond, “Cool meeting you!” He also gives Jason and Tim hugs, which both reluctantly return. Dick smiles at Nightwing, who returns it and eagerly pulls his younger counterpart into a bone-crushing hug.
“You keep your head high,” Nightwing tells him, “Graysons are made of tough stuff. We always get back up and fly again.”
“It’s been really cool meeting you,” Dick confesses, “It’s helped me work through a few fears I’ve had. And now I really wanna try escrima sticks!”
“I’m glad to have corrupted you,” Nightwing laughs as he breaks the hug. Nightwing gently pushes Dick toward Bruce, “Take care of him, huh?”
Dick gives him a sloppy salute, “It’s what Robin does!” Dick waves at them all once more before he disappears under Bruce’s cape and latches onto his father’s leg. Bruce gives Nightwing an approving nod before he pushes the button that takes them home.
Bruce and Dick materialize in their Cave and are instantly greeted by Alfred, Clark, and Superboy. Alfred is the first to pull Dick into a hug, “Oh, my boy, it is good to see you again.”
“I missed you, Alfie,” Dick sniffs and shuffles closer to the older man.
“And I, you,” Alfred confirms. He pets the boy’s hair once more before releasing him.
Superboy grins at Dick and gives him a quick hug before passing him over to Clark. Clark swoops Dick up in his arms and squeezes him close, “Oh, don’t you scare us like that again!”
“I’m sorry!” Dick cries, “I don’t mean to get into these types of situations, they just kinda happen to me!”
Superboy laughs, “Only you could get sent to another dimension while sitting in your own living room.”
“Shut up, Conner,” Dick snaps.
“Conner?” Superboy looks at Dick in confusion.
Dick nods and pushes at Clark to let him down, which he does reluctantly. Dick smiles at the older boy, “Yeah! I thought of it while I was in the other dimension. What do you think of that for your name? Conner Kent.”
Conner nods, “Huh, yeah, I like it. What do you think, Dad?”
Clark smiles, “If you like it, then I like it.”
“It suits you,” Bruce confirms.
Conner grins, “Conner Kent it is!”
“Can we get ice cream to celebrate my homecoming and Con’s new name?” Dick gives Bruce puppy eyes and he easily caves. Dick cheers. He grabs Conner’s arm and drags the other boy up into the Manor. Clark and Bruce share a smile before following their boys.