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“Ar- are you taller than me?” Dick asked, looking at Damian reaching up to grab something from the cabinet that Dick could not reach. He blinked at Damian who did in fact look taller than him. He was fifteen now, much older and apparently much taller.
“Yes Richard,” Damian said with an exasperated sigh, grabbing the mug from the top shelf. “I have been taller than you for a while now. It does not happen overnight.” Dick squinted at him, he wasn’t sure that was true. He does not remember Damian being taller than him! Damian was his baby brother! Jason was already taller than him, but Jason was taller than Bruce. Damian was his baby! He was so little and young and he was just a teenager! He shouldn’t be taller than Dick! That wasn’t fair at all! Curse Bruce and his genes, this wasn’t fair at all. Dick was the oldest brother, he should be taller than his little brothers! They were his little brothers after all they’re supposed to be little.
Jason he could understand, he was influenced by the pit, chances are he wouldn’t have grown taller than Dick if he hadn’t been dipped into the green waters, but Damian and at only fifteen?! That was just unfair! He was the baby, he shouldn't be taller than Dick! He had to be like six feet tall at this point, he was just a baby! How could he be that tall?
Jason slung an arm around Damian who grimaced but didn’t push him away, Jason ruffled his hair which did prompt him to shove Jason off of him.
“Still not taller than me, though.” Jason smirked, standing up straight and showing off their impressive two inch height difference. Both Dick and Damian scoffed.
“I am not done growing yet, Todd.” Damian said, “I have the superior genetics and will surpass you soon enough.”
“Careful Jaybird,” Dick said with a smirk, “You’ll wake up one day and be just like me, left behind, shorter than a teenager.”
“Not likely.” Jason dismissed with a wave of his hand. Damian’s eyes narrowed at him but he didn’t argue with him.
“No but it is unfair! You’re still a baby Dams! It’s not fair you’re so much taller than me!” Dick whined, measuring their height difference with his hand.
“I’m not a child, Richard.”
“You’re fifteen, you’re practically still in the cradle.” Jason said through a mouthful of his breakfast.
“You are an animal, Todd.” Damian said, his nose scrunched up.
“And you’re a teenager,” Jason said with a shrug. “You are freakishly taller for a fifteen year old.”
“I am simply better.” Damian huffed.
“Height does not equal quality.” Dick scoffed, he wasn’t short, standing a 5’10 but he wasn’t bragging about his height.
Both Damian and Jason looked at him with a near identical look, both of them looking far too much like Bruce with that expression than he was comfortable with.
“Ew stop, you both look like Bruce.”
“No we don’t!” They both immediately exclaimed and then looked at each other. Dick couldn’t help but laugh.
“I don’t know, dickface.” Jason started as Dick caught his breath. “I think we’re taller than you and we’re clearly better than you. I think height might equal quality.” Damian smirked, not saying anything but clearly in silent support of Jason. Dick’s eyes narrowed at the two of them and then smirked himself and crossed his arms.
“Cass.” He said they both froze and then scowled at him.
“Yeah whatever,” Jason huffed but didn’t argue with him.
“In any case,” Damian said with an eye roll. “I have been taller than you for a while, Richard. It did not happen overnight.” He repeated.
“I dunno about that,” Jason said, “You’re at that stage in puberty where you could grow over night.” He looked at him suspiciously.
“I did not grow overnight.”
“I dunno, I definitely remember you being a little shrimp yesterday.” Dick teased.
“I was not.” Damian protested, his teeth gritted.
“Yeah well, it doesn't matter how old you get, I can still do this!” And Dick lunged forward and caught Damian around his legs and lifted him up, tossing him over his shoulder.
“Wha- Richard!” Damian yelled struggling in his hold and DIck bounced around, almost effortlessly with Damian’s weight. “Put me down!”
“Ah come on, you were raised by assassins, you can break the hold of someone shorter than you.” Dick teased, as he kept jostling Damian.
“I will dislocate your shoulder, Richard! Don’t test me!” Damian threatened. Dick only laughed and tossed him up further. Damian might’ve been taller but he was still fifteen, even if he had muscle mass from being Robin he wasn’t too heavy for Dick. Jason laughed at them, leaning back against the counter.
“Come on, you little gremlin, surely you can take down Dickwing, it’s basically a family tradition to take him down.” Jason called. “Can’t get down?” Damian growled, struggling but Dick had trained Damian, trained him as Robin but also headed most of his more recent training, he taught him everything he knows, not everything Dick knows, he managed to keep a pretty firm hold on Damian. Damian, for his part, probably could get out of the hold pretty easily, if he was willing to hurt Dick, which he really wasn’t.
“Richard! I demand you put me down!” He yelled and Dick took pity on him and set him down, his hair rumbled and his clothes slightly skewed. Both Dick and Jason laughed at him and the expression on his face.
“You look like a disgruntled kitten.” Jason cackled. Damian sneered at him as he fixed his shirt and used the tea kettle Alfred kept on the stove. Dick only smirked at him, pleased with his ability to pick up and toss around his little brother despite his height.
Damian turned around, his narrowed gaze trained on Jason. Slowly his face untensed and he crossed his arms, a smirk finding its way to his face.
“Todd was your first little brother, surely the ‘no matter how old you get’ applies to him as well.” Jason gave him a warning look.
“Absolutely not.” Jason said, warning rising in his voice, but Dick was already smiling. “No, no Dick, you cannot possibly pick me up- no wait!”
Dick didn’t let him finish before rushing forward to grab Jason and pick him up. Jason was, in fact, much heavier than Damian. Damian gave himself a strict diet, fit for a warrior as he said, and was a vegetarian, while Jason was a brick wall of muscle mass, take out food and carbs, not to mention the pit did not just affect his height but also gave him an incredible amount of strengthen and therefore even more muscle mass. But Dick, while made more for agility than brute strength, wasn’t lacking in strength, he was able to support his entire body weight while twisting and contorting himself, not to mention supporting the weight of others as well. Richard Grayson was not weak by any means, and he also understood proper heavy lifting protocols.
He practically dove for Jason, bending his knees and keeping his back straight to avoid strain, and wrapped his arms around Jason’s hips to better gather his center of mass and lifted with his legs.
“No stop! Dick you’re gonna hurt your back and then B will bench you!” Jason yelled despite being lifted into the air.
“I know how to lift people, Jay. And I’m my own superhero, B can’t bench me!” Dick said, spinning in a tight circle while holding Jason. Jason, for his part, didn’t squirm as much as Damian, he wasn’t compliant in Dick picking him up but he wasn’t struggling too hard to avoid hurting either of them. Damian smirked from where he stood at the counter.
“Put me down!” Jason exclaimed. Dick was about to, he really was, he had bent his knees to avoid back strain and then Tim walked in, an energy drink can in his hand. He looked tired but not exhausted and a bit confused as he walked in on Dick holding Jason.
And there was something about little old Timothy that had Dick lighting up with joy.
“Timmy!” Dick exclaimed, dropping Jason in his excitement. Jason hit the floor with a loud thud and groan.
“Ow, Dickie what the fuck!” He yelled, rubbing his head.
“Shit, sorry Jay!” Dick said, sheepishly. Jason grumbled as he stood up.
“Fuck you.”
“Sorry! I just got excited because guess who is properly little brother sized!” Dick exclaimed, rushing over to Tim and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “My perfect little brother.” Dick sighed dreamily.
“Uh, what?” Tim asked, Dick stood a couple of inches taller than Tim, four to be exact, the most noticeable height difference between them, Damian was two inches taller than Dick and Jason was two inches taller than Damian.
“Hey, babybird is shorter than you. See you get your little brother after all.” Jason snorted.
“Wha- hey! I am not short!” Tim protested, but was severely undermined by the fact that Dick’s chin was resting on his head.
“You are.”
“Ehhh,”
“You’re shorter than me! And that’s what matters!” Dick cheered, nuzzling his cheek against Tim’s hair. “Just as a little brother should, unlike these traitors.” Dick stuck his tongue out at Damian and Jason.
“What Damian isn’t-” Tim looked over at Damian and stopped “No fucking way, when did that happen?!”
“I know right?!”
“I’m telling you, it actually did happen overnight.” Jason laughed.
“It did not! I have been taller than Richard for months now.” Damian rolled his eyes.
“There’s no fucking way, since when are you six foot?!” Tim yelled.
“That was a surprisingly accurate guess, Drake.” Damian narrowed his eyes at him and Tim shrugged.
“I’m good at height estimates.”
“Probably left over from his stalker days.” Jason rolled his eyes, as if he didn’t ask about Tim’s pictures the most.
“Laugh all you want, that’s exactly where it came from.” Tim said, taking a sip from his energy drink and then making a face. “I think this is expired.”
“I lied, Todd. You are not an animal, Drake is.” Damian said, looking just as disgusted. Dick took the drink from Tim’s hand and sniffed it before gagging.
“Oh Tim, that is rank what the fuck. I think this fermented or something.” Dick said, immediately going to throw it out.
“Oh what, you're gonna pass on free alcohol?” Tim asked, but didn’t try and stop Dick from tossing it.
“No, I'm passing on a biohazard. How are you still alive?” Tim shrugged.
“I needed the extra boost.”
“Drink coffee like a normal person.” Dick huffed.
“Ew.”
“You get used to it.” Jason said with a shrug. “All those energy drinks are stunting your growth, or else you would’ve been taller than Dickie too.”
“That is not how it works.” Tim huffed, heading over to the cabinets to find his own breakfast, or maybe dinner considering how he hadn’t seemed to go to bed yet.
“Pretty sure it is.” Jason teased.
“Besides,” Tim continued, ignoring Jason. “I’m not even short, I’m well within average,”
“Is that what we’re calling it now?”
“Just because you’re all freaks doesn’t mean I am. I am a normal height.” Tim’s cereal was far higher than he could reach. A problem since he just called everyone taller than him a freak and he was not about to ask for help reaching it.
“Freaks?”
“I am a perfectly normal height for my genetics.”
“I’m not even that tall.”
The three protested in unison and Tim leveled them all with a look.
“Dipped in the lazarus pit, otherwise your malnutrition would’ve stunted your growth and you probably would be my height.” Tim said, pointing at Jason. “Microdosed with the lazarus pit and has B’s freaking genes not to mention all the genetic processing that probably happened to you, you are literally a GMO.” Tim moved his finger to Damian. “And raised to be the assassin thing of a cult and therefore physically considered the best build for a Talon.” Tim said, pointing at Dick. “Freaks.”
“And you’re normal?” Jason asked, recovering first. Tim shrugged, not even flinching when a fork was thrown at him, it missed but it wasn’t supposed to hit him anyway, Damian didn’t unintentionally miss.
“Physically, pretty much. I wasn’t malnourished, I wasn’t raised to be an assassin or peak physical condition, I don’t have freaky genes. I have a younger complexion, mostly my mom’s genes and asplenia is associated with reduced growth and considering I had a late puberty chances are my height was stunted.” Tim said as a matter-of-factly. “So you all genetically modified freaks are making fun of a disabled kid. Shame on you.”
“Do you want help grabbing your cereal?” Jason asked, his arms crossed, looking from the open cabinet to where Tim was standing in front of the counter, not grabbing his favorite cereal.
“Yes, please.” He sighed. Dick whooped, and duck down, grabbing Tim by his legs and lifting him up.
“Hey! Dick! You could’ve just let Jason grab it!” Tim said, wobbling in Dick’s grip.
“Jesus you’re light! Gotta eat more, baby bird!” Dick exclaimed instead of answering Tim. He jostled Tim, hopping up and down with even less of an issue.
“I am a good weight for my height!” Tim exclaimed.
“You have muscle mass, Drake, not body fat.” Damian said, eyeing him.
“How would you even know that! I’m wearing baggy clothes.” He grumbled.
“We wear spandex, Timmy.” Dick laughed, holding him steady just enough for him to grab his cereal with muttered complaints. Damian grabbed the cereal box from his hands.
“Wha- hey!” Tim exclaimed, unable to do anything but struggle in Dick’s arms.
“Careful, that’s how he dropped me.” Jason rolled his eyes.
“You told me to eat more! And now you take my food?” Tim said, almost whining.
“Quiet your whining, Drake. You need food of more sustenance, you will not gain anything useful out of eating this.” He shook the colorful box.
“I will gain the relief of hunger.” Tim shot back.
“You will eat real food. Breakfast is-”
“The most important meal of the day, be lucky I’m eating breakfast at all.”
“Jason, will you make us breakfast?” Dick asked, turning his pleading eyes to little brother.
“After you drop me on my head? Absolutely not.” Jason scoffed. Tim looked at him this time, pleading eyes.
“I’m literally so hungry, Jay. Please? They’ve taken my cereal from me.” Tim asked, giving him the eyes that Dick taught him well. Jason glared at him but relented.
“Fine.” He huffed.
Dick whooped once more, jumping for joy, twisting Tim in his arms. Tim turned with a yelp, now half bent over Dick’s shoulder as Dick moved him around more.
“Come on! Dick! Let me go!” Tim protested as Dick spun around in circles in celebration.
“No can do! You’re so light! So easy to toss around! We should do a trapeze act, I can toss and catch you so easily! And you’re more flexible than Jason and Damian!”
“I am plenty flexible.” Damian huffed.
“I hate to break it to you, kid, but with your muscle mass and height, you’ve sacrificed a lot of your flexibility.” Jason huffed as he grabbed the ingredients for making breakfast, despite having already eaten his own meal. “Besides, Timmy doesn’t pack as much as a punch, in true Robin fashion he has to make up for it in flexibility.”
“Oh I’ll show you how much of a punch I pack, just wait until I have my bo staff.” Tim huffed, Jason just lightly hit him on the head with the pan.
“Hush.”
“Dick! Let me down!” Tim yelled, struggling in earnest to get his hands as Jason as he just cackled, putting the pan on the stove and turning it on. Dick only laughed, not struggling to keep his hold on Tim. As capable as he was, Dick had taught him and had a couple of years of training on him as well. A lifetime of acrobatics, nearly a decade more of vigilante training. Tim might have mentors like Lady Shiva and even Ra’s if he could be considered a mentor but Dick knew exactly how to hold his little brother.
Dick shifted so that he was holding Tim in his arms, Tim was capable of touching the floor now, mostly standing on his own, as Dick’s arms were wrapped around his middle, half leaning Tim’s back on Dick’s chest. Dick rested his head on Tim’s head as Damian and Jason argued about what should go in the breakfast. Jason was insisting on cutting up bacon and adding bits of it in it, Damian said he couldn’t eat it then, Jason said he should just make his own breakfast then, and Damian shot back that Jason had already eaten so why should he care what was in it, Jason insisted he was still hungry and that if he was making it he was going to eat it, Damian called him fat, Jason hit his hand with a wooden spoon.
Dick just chuckled at the two of them. Stupid little brothers being taller than him, arguing about breakfast. Damian being taller than him just reminded him of how grown they all were. Jason wasn’t so little anymore, he hadn’t been small in a long time but he was so grown up these days, he wasn’t the angry teenager anymore. And Damian, well he had physically grown but he also grew so much in his character. He had found his calling, following his mother’s dream, and in his grandfather’s footsteps. (Talia had nearly cried when she heard that Damian was looking into medical school, Dick would’ve made fun of her for it if it wasn’t so sweet) Damian was using his skills and his knowledge to help people, to heal them instead of hurt them, he had come a long way too.
Dick nuzzled his check against Tim’s hair again, Tim responded with an indignant squawk. Timmy had grown too, not as much physically as Jason and Damian had but more than Dick had seen. Robin had been Tim’s whole identity for a while, something he clung to, and now Tim was so much more than that. He had learned how to be Tim Drake-Wayne and that was so much cooler than Robin. Dick was proud of him.
"Thanks for being my little brother, Timmy." Dick said, holding him tighter. Tim squirmed in a last ditch attempt to get away from Dick.
"I'm not even that short, asshole!" Tim huffed as he exhausted himself and stopped resisting, slumping most of his weight back on Dick. "Fuck you."
"I know." Dick hummed. "But you're little-er than me, just how you're supposed to be." Tim rolled his eyes but didn't try to get away again.
"Whatever."