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[One day, Damian will get the hang of this secret identity crap. One day he will be able to come up with explanations for his presence that don’t involve the words 'None of your damned business.' One glorious day, he’ll be able to put up the front of an average child and easily slip out of awkward situations with childish finesse.
Today is not that day, as evidenced by the tight grip a large dark haired woman has on the back of his shirt collar. It would be easy enough to break the hold of course, but there are people staring and that would cast even more suspicion on him at this point. He seethes at her in silence, answers to her demands failing to present themselves.]
I said, [she repeats with a deepening frown] Exactly what are you doing out of class without a pass and what is your name?
[Damian’s mouth works open and closed again and for a second he imagines answering her truthfully about the second part. It would be interesting to see the look of shock on her face at his surname, but then again she’d probably just call him a liar.
In hindsight, trying to locate a much younger Grayson while he was in school may possibly have been a mistake. He had thought it might be less jarring to acquaint himself with the boy outside of costume (and outside of Father’s presence.) There’s a small chance that he’s landed at a time after the boy’s stay in Haven and that his Haven memories have stayed intact, but knowing his own luck Damian doubts it very much. Hence attempting to contact him this way.
Time travel is the worst.
The last thing he had been expecting was to be snatched up by some tyrant of an instructor who believed he was a student cutting class. Which is why he is now standing (sort of) restrained in the mostly empty hall of Grayson’s school and attempting to come up with any answer that will get this obnoxious woman out of his hair.
A loud ringing pierces through the hallways and he feels the woman’s grip tighten, clearly anticipating and hoping to curb any escape attempts as the bell signaling the changing of classes continues to ring. Damian glares harder at her, feeling the eyes of dozens begin to land on him as the students head to their next class.]
I am not a student here, I have private tutors. I was merely attempting to locate a friend.
[His captor rolls her eyes in clear disbelief.] Of course you’re not, sure. Alright, young man, I’m taking you straight to the principal.
[Damian makes a face akin to a cat being dunked into a pool of water, bristling with annoyance and planting his feet to keep her from moving him.
Whatever happens next, she has only herself to blame.]
[ Principal Browning means well, so Dick’s listening to her with half an ear, hands in pockets, nodding while she explains codes of conduct and expectations and why it’s alright to miss his mother and father but never alright to take out his frustration on other boys. She folds him an extra Kleenex for his split lip while he waits patiently by the open door, and then she reminds him again that he can talk to her any time and sends him to the bathroom to clean the blood off his tie. Dick heads obediently in that direction, head down, trying not to picture in his mind what she’s about to say on the phone to Bruce right now. What Alfred’ll say when he’s due to pick him up tonight.
He has an hour to think it over.
It’s with that gloomy thought that he pushes the bathroom door open, and just as it’s swinging shut behind him he hears it. One voice, one impossible voice coming from down the hall, rising above all the others.
He pushes at the door again with his hands, hard enough that it bumps back and nearly smacks him in the face as he listens. There it is again. That voice. ]
Hey! [ The word bursts out of him, and then he’s running, something wild and disbelieving rising in his chest. He shoves aside two boys and nearly crashes headlong into a smaller girl as he rounds the corner and spots him, so close and so far away, looking both absurdly small and absurdly angry. Absurdly ensnared in Mrs. Donnel’s grasp. Damian. It’s Damian. Dick’s forgotten how to breathe. ]
Wait, Mrs. Donnel! [ He starts running again, trying his hardest to wipe the sheer joy and surprise off his face in time as she turns her attention on him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. It’s her class he’s late for, after all. ] You don’t want to do that.
[ And he skids to a stop, panting for breath more out of excitement than exertion. Damian. ]
So you haven’t met Damian, huh? [ He moves to touch Damian’s shoulder, both to attempt to edge him out from under Mrs. Donnel’s grasp and to reassure himself that this- that this is really happening. That this is Damian, standing in the hall just outside Dick’s sixth grade algebra class.
He’ll worry about the somehow later. ] He’s visiting. From uh, Kravakia. [ The lie comes all too easily. ]
You know Bruce, he probably forgot to put in the right form. But he can sit in with me, right? [ He turns the shining glow in his face onto her at last, all hopeful, blue-eyed innocence. ]
[Whatever invective Damian is about to let loose on the woman holding him—a Mrs. Donnel it would seem—is immediately forgotten at the sight of Grayson approaching, calling his name and looking like. Like he remembers. The anger rushes out of him in a soft breath of air and he moves away from Mrs. Donnel's suddenly loosened grip, drawn to the other boy like a magnet.
It's a good thing Dick has found the words to explain the situation now because Damian is struggling to come up with anything for a completely different reason now.
The hand on his shoulder is what finally has him gathering himself and turning back to Mrs. Donnel to nod in confirmation.]
I am here to visit—[He catches himself at the last second, thinking that using his surname might be received poorly]—Dick. I apologize for the confusion. [And it's a testament to how much he wants to make this woman go away so that he may speak with Grayson alone that he's willing to apologize for a fault not his own in the slightest.
Mrs. Donnel fixes them both with a measuring look, one eyebrow raised as she apparently attempts to discern the truth of their words. It helps of course that the two seem to know each other and that Mr. Wayne forgetting to go through the proper channels is believable enough.]
Fine, but to class. Now. No more dawdling in the halls!
[ Mrs. Donnel's eyes are on them a few moments longer, and it's a testament only to the power of years of grueling circus routines and batcave training sessions that Dick manages the sedate pace a walk back to algebra class warrants on a Friday afternoon. While a dozen frantic why's whirl through his head, while he has to check himself again and again against glancing to his left, half-afraid of taking his eyes off him even for a second. As if that's all it'll take for him to vanish into nothing again.
Just as they turn the corner a nervous glance behind him confirms his suspicions: she's back in her classroom, the halls are deserted. Class is in session. ]
In here! [ He whispers it with a little more force than he knows is probably necessary, then abruptly changes direction to grab Damian's arm and shove him towards the bathroom door. As soon as they're inside he's quick to lock the door, then rush from stall to stall in a surge of frantic motion, checking each to make sure the room is unoccupied. ]
Okay, tell me- [ And the last stall is checked. He presses his back against it, face caught between fierce hope and sudden wariness. ] -ask me something. Something only I'd know.
[Damian waits for him to finish checking the stalls, his eyes following the boy's every move, unwilling to remove his gaze. The question gives him pause for a second before he nods, finding the wisdom in it.]
What was the name of the girl we roomed with in Haven? [Because he has Haven memories. There is no other explanation to how Dick recognizes him and Damian is already convinced of this, but the proof in the question is really for Grayson anyway.]
Rue. [ It's been months since he's said her name. It feels soft and strange in his mouth, the way he knows saying it never should.
He'd imagined so much. A dozen terrible fates for her, a dozen more for Damian. So many ways he'd let them down by not knowing, but not being sure they were safe before their time was up in Haven. Bruce is all that's saved him, knowing he made it out even if he doesn't remember it now. He'd thought it was finally alright, that no one else does. That he could leave Haven where it has to stay now; a fever dream for all his darkest, loneliest thoughts.
His eyes are stinging suddenly, but he grins anyway; more tentative, almost shy. ]
[Damian lets out a quiet breath of air that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and a pleased smile comes unbidden to his lips as he finally allows himself to absorb the full gravity of the fact that Grayson is here in front of him and he remembers everything.
One of his hands come up to land on Grayson's shoulder, not unlike how Grayson had done for him moments ago in the hall, and he squeezes, smile breaking out into a full on grin.]
You remember. [There are explanations to give as to his presence in the past, questions to be asked, and logistics to cover, but for the moment Damian forgets all of that. Instead he feels strangely light as he stares at a boy he never thought he'd see again outside of picture frames.]
Yeah. [ And then he’s afraid to say anything else. He throws his arms around Damian instead and hugs him fiercely, glad for the few seconds it gives him to hide his face. ] I remember.
[ He hasn’t been able to explain it, not even to himself. When he knows how little sense it makes, when he knows just how selfish it is to miss someone who hasn’t even been born yet. Someone he never should have met in the first place, who’s better off with someone else (he’d hoped against hope), to look after him. ]
[Damian is frozen for a half a second before he lifts his arms to hug Grayson back, burying an affectionate smile into the older boy's shoulder that he doesn't quite succeed at hiding away once Grayson has pulled away.
'Me too' he doesn't say.]
I'm fine. We're all where we should be. [All of those from their universe at least.] I'm sure Drake will be pleased to learn that this goes for you as well.
Aw, is that why you’re here? Just checking up on me? [ It’s a nice thought, even as he has to bite back on the reflexive little pang of loss that comes with it. It means he’d come intentionally, and that he knows the way back. That he won’t be staying. Which-
That’s better for him all around. Dick knows that.
Just then there’s noise on the other side of the door; a faint scuffle, then a loud, indignant voice. Dick rolls his eyes at Damian, then quickly moves to the window, retrieving a small, hidden knife from his sneaker. ]
Time to blow this popsicle stand. Keep talking, I’ll get us out of here.
Actually-[But before Damian can correct Grayson's theory, the noise reaches him as well and he moves after the other boy, waiting patiently for him to jimmy the window open. A few seconds later has them climbing up and out of the building, Damian following after and landing soundlessly beside Grayson. Only when they're both out of earshot does Damian begin speaking again.]
My coming here was not deliberate, however...fortuitous it was. There was an incident while I was out on patrol. I sought you out because...[And he trails off, not knowing how to finish that thought. He'd sought Grayson out because it would be more difficult to have this conversation with Batman. (And there was also perhaps a more sentimental motivation.) He is not inclined to share either of those reasons.]
[ Dick listens to him in silence, leaving the space empty for an extra beat. The answering ache in his chest is an old one. ]
I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. [ Not for years. Maybe not ever.
And suddenly he’s afraid of what Damian will say to that. That he'll look at him and see it all written there, the months of struggle, the nightmares, the agony of retraining on atrophied muscles. A loneliness he can’t put into words. Something far from the triumphant return he’d believed in. That had kept him alive in Haven.
When they're far enough away from the school Dick tugs his bloody tie off and tosses it over his shoulder, then does a triumphant little handstand on impulse. When he’s facing Damian again his grin is back, with no hint of the shadow showing in his eyes. ]
But hey, you came to the right place after all. Batman’s got business in Japan. [ Without Robin, he doesn’t say. ]
Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together, pal.
[Damian raises an eyebrow at the clear change of subject though he allows it to pass without comment. The news of Batman's absence is both relieving and worrying. He had been counting on Batman knowing how to get him home, but then he trusts that the two of them can figure it out together.
Once they're away from the school, he rolls his eyes at Grayson's acrobatic antics, muttering 'showoff' under his breath. Some things really never changed.]
Obviously. We are the superior 'dynamic duo' after all. [He grins at Grayson, challenge in his eyes. The words are less about claiming superiority to Father and Grayson's partnership than they are about reassuring the boy that they are indeed a team capable of greatness.]
Of course it's only a matter of years before you see that for yourself. [Because if he honestly thought that he was going to get away entirely without Damian calling him out on his doubt that they'd meet again, he was very wrong.]
[ That’s a compliment he’s not quite prepared for, and the surprise shows in his face for a moment. Then he breaks into a broad grin, reaching out impulsively to punch Damian in the shoulder. ]
Well, that’s the rub, isn’t it? [ Whoops, he’d definitely meant that to come out a little more cool and flip than it does. He coughs and drops his hand. ]
...So we should probably have a story ready for Alfie when he shows. But we’ve got time to catch up until then.
[ Or maybe he just wants Damian to himself for a bit. His hand rustles his pocket and comes up with the reassuring jangle of change. ]
[It's okay Grayson, Damian knows your future self. There is literally no way to preserve any attempt at being cool so nothing of value was lost.
He gives a sharp nod of agreement though he isn't sure what lie they can possibly tell Pennyworth that he won't see through. Grayson is right though, they can figure that out later. Right now, catching up doesn't exactly sound awful.]
It has been some time since I have eaten. Did you have something in mind?
What do you say to a hotdog? [ Ice cream was the obvious choice, but the hotdog vender on the corner is the one he spots first, serving a few older (likely truant) teens. Dick eyes his bored expression, following his eyes down to the relish as he slops it messily onto the waiting girl’s bun. Not likely to make a fuss over two kids out of class, a few blocks away from a school. ]
Come on, I’ll treat you. Then you can tell me all about your problem.
[Damian snorts.] As long as it's not canned, I suppose that's acceptable. [It's a good thing Pennyworth rarely used canned anything because after Haven Damian isn't sure he'd ever be willing to eat anything from a can again. Not that he was exactly big on it before.
Damian follows Dick to the vendor and doesn't reach for the wallet in his pocket. He's lucky that it came with him, but he hardly feels obligated not to allow Grayson to treat. It's not as though either of them can't afford it.]
Perhaps we can head somewhere higher after we have our food. [It'll be way easier to avoid unwanted attention on the rooftops.]
[ Dick says, flashing him a grin as he passes over the money. It's far from the last of his allowance, which has started to accumulate more in the months that he's been home. He's tried a few times, mostly for Bruce's sake, paging through the comics and baseball cards that he'd kept him stocked with long after Dick stopped buying them for himself. But the excitement is gone, just like so much else, and the money, by itself, is empty. There's only one place left where he always knows how to find it. ]
Come on. [ He motions Damian to follow him, cradling the hotdog gently as he makes for a hidden alley. A broken piece of fire escape and a few loose bricks make it doable climb even without a line. ]
[His own hotdog in hand, Damian follows along, curious to see where the teenage Grayson might have spent some of his time away from Bruce. It was one thing to know him in Haven, but to see him at home in Gotham is strange in a completely different way. For the first time, Damian really feels like he is the one out of place.]
Will you get in trouble with Bruce for missing class? [Will Bruce even find out? Damian isn't exactly sure on how this 'school' thing works. Surely Grayson has his ways around the system.]
[ Dick’s hand slips abruptly, a railing crumbling away just as he starts to test it with his weight. ]
It’s, uh- it’s a possibility. [ He recovers his balance like nothing happened, switching hands and then cartwheeling past an overhang and onto the roof. He’s picturing Bruce half a world away, coming in from patrol right about now. A dozen cases on his mind, not one of them shared with Robin. ]
But he’s pretty busy these days. Alfie won’t want to mention it. [ And today that’s a good thing. He glances at Damian, and then he can’t help but break into a grin again. ]
And I figure if anything’s gonna earn me a pass, a time displaced kid Robin of the future is going to be it.
[It occurs to Damian that he doesn't have any idea what Grayson getting in trouble would even look like. Grounded from patrol? Grounded from spending time with his friends? Grayson must have friends from school. He picked up friends everywhere he went after all.
Damian takes his time following Grayson's path, careful of the area where the railing is falling apart.]
Perhaps...we should seek assistance from someone outside of Gotham. I'm not sure how making my presence known to him may affect the timeline. [It's a lie. Or perhaps not a lie, but not the real reason he fears showing himself to Bruce. Grayson may not see it, but Pennyworth will surely pick up on the resemblance he bears to Bruce Wayne. If he mentioned it to Father or if Father himself found out, he'd likely demand a blood test and that would reveal knowledge that no one was ready for yet.
Even if the idea of Father knowing before...the idea that he would come to find him far before his tenth birthday is one that he has to tear from his mind.]
Yeah... been thinking about that. [ It's an excuse to turn his face away, pretending to observe the skyline. He's thought about it too much. ]
...He doesn't remember. I tried-
We tried everything. Every test. He believes me, which... I mean, I guess that's kind of amazing.
[ He knows that it is. That it isn't Bruce's fault, that he's only doing now what he'd promised Dick he'd always do for him.
But he doesn't know. He can't know what it was like there, how it felt to be ripped from home with no warning only to be toppled back with no time lost. What it felt like to starve and then have to come home filthy and emaciated and beaten. A living crime scene for Batman to solve. Grounded for months while the answer never came, fighting his own weakened body's slow recovery, his fears for Damian and Rue. For everyone he would never have willingly left behind.
[Damian drops his gaze and he's glad Dick isn't looking at him because it's a pretty big tell. The truth is it had been shocking enough to figure out on his own in Haven and he had never gotten around to talking to any of the others about his discovery. Now he regrets that. Now, he realizes that was a mistake.]
I...Grayson...[He feels nervously suddenly, remembers how there had been squabbles about what information had been tossed around and what hadn't, with all of them. There's a surge of guilt that wells in his chest. He hadn't meant to keep this from him, but he hadn't figured it out until late in the game and then it had never seemed like the right time. It was too jarring for him to wrap his mind around let alone voice it to anyone else.
But it sure as hell might have saved Dick a lot of trouble from the sounds of it.]
Thomas—Bruce and I—we had a conversation once that, well. It led me to believe that it was possible he wasn't our Bruce. [Beat.] It would explain him not remembering.
[He's not upset yet and that's a good sign. It doesn't make Damian feel any better about never having disclosed the information to him while they'd been in Haven considering Grayson's confusion and probable frustration with Bruce's lack of memories, but it does make some of his tension drop away.]
He mentioned having met Kyle already. Others too, like Gordon. People he shouldn't have met—didn't meet in our universe until he was already wearing the cowl. [So when Damian said 'possibly not their Bruce' what he meant was '100% without a doubt not their Bruce.']
I found out shortly before we left Haven behind and I never found a way to bring it up. [With anyone.]
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Today is not that day, as evidenced by the tight grip a large dark haired woman has on the back of his shirt collar. It would be easy enough to break the hold of course, but there are people staring and that would cast even more suspicion on him at this point. He seethes at her in silence, answers to her demands failing to present themselves.]
I said, [she repeats with a deepening frown] Exactly what are you doing out of class without a pass and what is your name?
[Damian’s mouth works open and closed again and for a second he imagines answering her truthfully about the second part. It would be interesting to see the look of shock on her face at his surname, but then again she’d probably just call him a liar.
In hindsight, trying to locate a much younger Grayson while he was in school may possibly have been a mistake. He had thought it might be less jarring to acquaint himself with the boy outside of costume (and outside of Father’s presence.) There’s a small chance that he’s landed at a time after the boy’s stay in Haven and that his Haven memories have stayed intact, but knowing his own luck Damian doubts it very much. Hence attempting to contact him this way.
Time travel is the worst.
The last thing he had been expecting was to be snatched up by some tyrant of an instructor who believed he was a student cutting class. Which is why he is now standing (sort of) restrained in the mostly empty hall of Grayson’s school and attempting to come up with any answer that will get this obnoxious woman out of his hair.
A loud ringing pierces through the hallways and he feels the woman’s grip tighten, clearly anticipating and hoping to curb any escape attempts as the bell signaling the changing of classes continues to ring. Damian glares harder at her, feeling the eyes of dozens begin to land on him as the students head to their next class.]
I am not a student here, I have private tutors. I was merely attempting to locate a friend.
[His captor rolls her eyes in clear disbelief.] Of course you’re not, sure. Alright, young man, I’m taking you straight to the principal.
[Damian makes a face akin to a cat being dunked into a pool of water, bristling with annoyance and planting his feet to keep her from moving him.
Whatever happens next, she has only herself to blame.]
yells
He has an hour to think it over.
It’s with that gloomy thought that he pushes the bathroom door open, and just as it’s swinging shut behind him he hears it. One voice, one impossible voice coming from down the hall, rising above all the others.
He pushes at the door again with his hands, hard enough that it bumps back and nearly smacks him in the face as he listens. There it is again. That voice. ]
Hey! [ The word bursts out of him, and then he’s running, something wild and disbelieving rising in his chest. He shoves aside two boys and nearly crashes headlong into a smaller girl as he rounds the corner and spots him, so close and so far away, looking both absurdly small and absurdly angry. Absurdly ensnared in Mrs. Donnel’s grasp. Damian. It’s Damian. Dick’s forgotten how to breathe. ]
Wait, Mrs. Donnel! [ He starts running again, trying his hardest to wipe the sheer joy and surprise off his face in time as she turns her attention on him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. It’s her class he’s late for, after all. ] You don’t want to do that.
[ And he skids to a stop, panting for breath more out of excitement than exertion. Damian. ]
So you haven’t met Damian, huh? [ He moves to touch Damian’s shoulder, both to attempt to edge him out from under Mrs. Donnel’s grasp and to reassure himself that this- that this is really happening. That this is Damian, standing in the hall just outside Dick’s sixth grade algebra class.
He’ll worry about the somehow later. ] He’s visiting. From uh, Kravakia. [ The lie comes all too easily. ]
You know Bruce, he probably forgot to put in the right form. But he can sit in with me, right? [ He turns the shining glow in his face onto her at last, all hopeful, blue-eyed innocence. ]
Just for the one class.
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It's a good thing Dick has found the words to explain the situation now because Damian is struggling to come up with anything for a completely different reason now.
The hand on his shoulder is what finally has him gathering himself and turning back to Mrs. Donnel to nod in confirmation.]
I am here to visit—[He catches himself at the last second, thinking that using his surname might be received poorly]—Dick. I apologize for the confusion. [And it's a testament to how much he wants to make this woman go away so that he may speak with Grayson alone that he's willing to apologize for a fault not his own in the slightest.
Mrs. Donnel fixes them both with a measuring look, one eyebrow raised as she apparently attempts to discern the truth of their words. It helps of course that the two seem to know each other and that Mr. Wayne forgetting to go through the proper channels is believable enough.]
Fine, but to class. Now. No more dawdling in the halls!
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Just as they turn the corner a nervous glance behind him confirms his suspicions: she's back in her classroom, the halls are deserted. Class is in session. ]
In here! [ He whispers it with a little more force than he knows is probably necessary, then abruptly changes direction to grab Damian's arm and shove him towards the bathroom door. As soon as they're inside he's quick to lock the door, then rush from stall to stall in a surge of frantic motion, checking each to make sure the room is unoccupied. ]
Okay, tell me- [ And the last stall is checked. He presses his back against it, face caught between fierce hope and sudden wariness. ] -ask me something. Something only I'd know.
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What was the name of the girl we roomed with in Haven? [Because he has Haven memories. There is no other explanation to how Dick recognizes him and Damian is already convinced of this, but the proof in the question is really for Grayson anyway.]
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He'd imagined so much. A dozen terrible fates for her, a dozen more for Damian. So many ways he'd let them down by not knowing, but not being sure they were safe before their time was up in Haven. Bruce is all that's saved him, knowing he made it out even if he doesn't remember it now. He'd thought it was finally alright, that no one else does. That he could leave Haven where it has to stay now; a fever dream for all his darkest, loneliest thoughts.
His eyes are stinging suddenly, but he grins anyway; more tentative, almost shy. ]
Her name was Rue.
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One of his hands come up to land on Grayson's shoulder, not unlike how Grayson had done for him moments ago in the hall, and he squeezes, smile breaking out into a full on grin.]
You remember. [There are explanations to give as to his presence in the past, questions to be asked, and logistics to cover, but for the moment Damian forgets all of that. Instead he feels strangely light as he stares at a boy he never thought he'd see again outside of picture frames.]
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[ He hasn’t been able to explain it, not even to himself. When he knows how little sense it makes, when he knows just how selfish it is to miss someone who hasn’t even been born yet. Someone he never should have met in the first place, who’s better off with someone else (he’d hoped against hope), to look after him. ]
I thought- I mean, I wondered if-
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'Me too' he doesn't say.]
I'm fine. We're all where we should be. [All of those from their universe at least.] I'm sure Drake will be pleased to learn that this goes for you as well.
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That’s better for him all around. Dick knows that.
Just then there’s noise on the other side of the door; a faint scuffle, then a loud, indignant voice. Dick rolls his eyes at Damian, then quickly moves to the window, retrieving a small, hidden knife from his sneaker. ]
Time to blow this popsicle stand. Keep talking, I’ll get us out of here.
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My coming here was not deliberate, however...fortuitous it was. There was an incident while I was out on patrol. I sought you out because...[And he trails off, not knowing how to finish that thought. He'd sought Grayson out because it would be more difficult to have this conversation with Batman. (And there was also perhaps a more sentimental motivation.) He is not inclined to share either of those reasons.]
...[Quietly.] I did not expect you to know me.
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I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. [ Not for years. Maybe not ever.
And suddenly he’s afraid of what Damian will say to that. That he'll look at him and see it all written there, the months of struggle, the nightmares, the agony of retraining on atrophied muscles. A loneliness he can’t put into words. Something far from the triumphant return he’d believed in. That had kept him alive in Haven.
When they're far enough away from the school Dick tugs his bloody tie off and tosses it over his shoulder, then does a triumphant little handstand on impulse. When he’s facing Damian again his grin is back, with no hint of the shadow showing in his eyes. ]
But hey, you came to the right place after all. Batman’s got business in Japan. [ Without Robin, he doesn’t say. ]
Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together, pal.
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Once they're away from the school, he rolls his eyes at Grayson's acrobatic antics, muttering 'showoff' under his breath. Some things really never changed.]
Obviously. We are the superior 'dynamic duo' after all. [He grins at Grayson, challenge in his eyes. The words are less about claiming superiority to Father and Grayson's partnership than they are about reassuring the boy that they are indeed a team capable of greatness.]
Of course it's only a matter of years before you see that for yourself. [Because if he honestly thought that he was going to get away entirely without Damian calling him out on his doubt that they'd meet again, he was very wrong.]
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Well, that’s the rub, isn’t it? [ Whoops, he’d definitely meant that to come out a little more cool and flip than it does. He coughs and drops his hand. ]
...So we should probably have a story ready for Alfie when he shows. But we’ve got time to catch up until then.
[ Or maybe he just wants Damian to himself for a bit. His hand rustles his pocket and comes up with the reassuring jangle of change. ]
Hey- you hungry at all?
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He gives a sharp nod of agreement though he isn't sure what lie they can possibly tell Pennyworth that he won't see through. Grayson is right though, they can figure that out later. Right now, catching up doesn't exactly sound awful.]
It has been some time since I have eaten. Did you have something in mind?
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Come on, I’ll treat you. Then you can tell me all about your problem.
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Damian follows Dick to the vendor and doesn't reach for the wallet in his pocket. He's lucky that it came with him, but he hardly feels obligated not to allow Grayson to treat. It's not as though either of them can't afford it.]
Perhaps we can head somewhere higher after we have our food. [It'll be way easier to avoid unwanted attention on the rooftops.]
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[ Dick says, flashing him a grin as he passes over the money. It's far from the last of his allowance, which has started to accumulate more in the months that he's been home. He's tried a few times, mostly for Bruce's sake, paging through the comics and baseball cards that he'd kept him stocked with long after Dick stopped buying them for himself. But the excitement is gone, just like so much else, and the money, by itself, is empty. There's only one place left where he always knows how to find it. ]
Come on. [ He motions Damian to follow him, cradling the hotdog gently as he makes for a hidden alley. A broken piece of fire escape and a few loose bricks make it doable climb even without a line. ]
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Will you get in trouble with Bruce for missing class? [Will Bruce even find out? Damian isn't exactly sure on how this 'school' thing works. Surely Grayson has his ways around the system.]
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It’s, uh- it’s a possibility. [ He recovers his balance like nothing happened, switching hands and then cartwheeling past an overhang and onto the roof. He’s picturing Bruce half a world away, coming in from patrol right about now. A dozen cases on his mind, not one of them shared with Robin. ]
But he’s pretty busy these days. Alfie won’t want to mention it. [ And today that’s a good thing. He glances at Damian, and then he can’t help but break into a grin again. ]
And I figure if anything’s gonna earn me a pass, a time displaced kid Robin of the future is going to be it.
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Damian takes his time following Grayson's path, careful of the area where the railing is falling apart.]
Perhaps...we should seek assistance from someone outside of Gotham. I'm not sure how making my presence known to him may affect the timeline. [It's a lie. Or perhaps not a lie, but not the real reason he fears showing himself to Bruce. Grayson may not see it, but Pennyworth will surely pick up on the resemblance he bears to Bruce Wayne. If he mentioned it to Father or if Father himself found out, he'd likely demand a blood test and that would reveal knowledge that no one was ready for yet.
Even if the idea of Father knowing before...the idea that he would come to find him far before his tenth birthday is one that he has to tear from his mind.]
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...He doesn't remember. I tried-
We tried everything. Every test. He believes me, which... I mean, I guess that's kind of amazing.
[ He knows that it is. That it isn't Bruce's fault, that he's only doing now what he'd promised Dick he'd always do for him.
But he doesn't know. He can't know what it was like there, how it felt to be ripped from home with no warning only to be toppled back with no time lost. What it felt like to starve and then have to come home filthy and emaciated and beaten. A living crime scene for Batman to solve. Grounded for months while the answer never came, fighting his own weakened body's slow recovery, his fears for Damian and Rue. For everyone he would never have willingly left behind.
His head tips down at last. ]
I remember. But he doesn't.
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I...Grayson...[He feels nervously suddenly, remembers how there had been squabbles about what information had been tossed around and what hadn't, with all of them. There's a surge of guilt that wells in his chest. He hadn't meant to keep this from him, but he hadn't figured it out until late in the game and then it had never seemed like the right time. It was too jarring for him to wrap his mind around let alone voice it to anyone else.
But it sure as hell might have saved Dick a lot of trouble from the sounds of it.]
Thomas—Bruce and I—we had a conversation once that, well. It led me to believe that it was possible he wasn't our Bruce. [Beat.] It would explain him not remembering.
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[ That's enough to tip his head back up. His gaze zeroes in on Damian, blue eyes wide. ]
Well don't keep it to yourself, pal, share with the class.
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He mentioned having met Kyle already. Others too, like Gordon. People he shouldn't have met—didn't meet in our universe until he was already wearing the cowl. [So when Damian said 'possibly not their Bruce' what he meant was '100% without a doubt not their Bruce.']
I found out shortly before we left Haven behind and I never found a way to bring it up. [With anyone.]
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