Archive of Our Own ^beta

Damian was not ready for this. 

Six-year-old Richard’s baby blues blinked up at him. 

He was not ready but he would have to do this. 

–

Okay, taking care of a child was much more difficult than Damian could have ever imagined. Especially when they were as inquisitive and…. energetic as Richard.  

He was a barrel of questions - rolling and loud and oblivious to the havoc he was creating. 

Damian considered calling his Akhi, he was good with children. And he suspected Richard would appreciate it. But no one except their mother was ever really sure where his big brother was with his obnoxious habit of dropping off the radar. 

Drake wouldn’t know what to do with a child, that he was sure of. 

Cassandra could probably handle having a child around but would encourage the acrobat’s tomfoolery which would give Damian premature grey hair at the tender age of twelve. He shuddered to think of all the places they would dare each other to climb to. His aunt Kate would referee them rather than trying to stop them. Possibly call out points. (Both the Rows too.)

Brown would most likely be a good choice but he did not want to disturb her when she had important exams coming up. Fox was busy. Pennyworth and Father were abroad. Maybe he could call Duke?

He sighed and looked to the child- 

Who was not on the couch.

That little shit. 

“Get down from the railing right this instant. Use the stairs!”

Richard’s little mouth pushed up into a pout that Damian did not want to coo over. Nope. 

“But I can fly! I even started training on trapezes! Why-”

“That does not mean you will be endangering yourself for no reason,” he said in a sterner tone than he had intended to. The child’s (and wasn’t that weird, calling his older brother/father figure a child ) lip wobbled and Damian frantically wracked his brain for something to distract him. 

Alright. This should work. 

He extended his arms, beckoning him closer, “How about you come down here, using the stairs and raid the kitchen with me?”

He had learnt that six-year-old Richard apparently loved dramatic words and hyperbolic phrases in the one hour and fifteen minutes they had spent together. Getting food was a mundane task but raiding the kitchen to scavenge for cookies? Delightful. 

The kid practically flew down the stairs and clung to Damian’s legs, “Yes! Can I get the choco-chip cookies again? Please?”

Damian couldn’t help but pat his head and smooth his hair back affectionately. 

“Sure,” he said gently, unlatching the hands around his legs and steering them both towards the kitchen. 

While Richard happily munched on the cookies with his little cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk, Damian gave in and called Duke. 

On the third ring, his brother’s cheerful, smooth voice cut through, “Good Morning.”

“Good morning, Duke. Would you mind coming down to the kitchen please?”

“Trying to steal a few brownies, buddy?” came the amused reply, “You know Alfred hid them well.” A pause. “Is, uh, everything okay though? You sound a little strained.”

“The predicament is unusual and I was hoping you would have some advice hence the early call,” Damian paused. Saturdays were off days for Duke. “I know it’s Saturday and you would have wanted to sleep in -”

“Naw, I just finished working out, it’s a habit to wake up early. It’s okay. Just gimme ten minutes, gotta shower.”

“I will set tea in the meanwhile.”

“Cool.”

“What is predica-mam-nament?” asked Richard’s tiny voice as soon as Damian pocketed his phone, stumbling over the word. 

Damian turned to him and brushed off the crumbs from his cheeks with a tissue just like his mother always had so lovingly done for him. 

“Pre-di-ca-ment. It means a situation that is difficult to handle or unpleasant to deal with.”

“So what is the pre-di-ca-ment? Is it very bad?” While Richard’s voice was curious, it was tinged with worry. Fear. 

Taking a page from his Akhi’s book, he simply patted his head and said, “Don’t worry your tiny, little head. The situation will be taken care of.”

It had the same effect on Richard’s de-aged self that it had on Damian whenever he heard those words from his older brother - relaxed shoulders, every worry wifting away like smoke, fear no longer lingering. 

He went to set the tea and after a few minutes Richard spoke up again, “Who were you talking to?”

Duke strode in and bent down to ruffle his hair, “Me.” 

“Hi!” Richard greeted him cheerily and turned to Damian. “Who is he?”

Damian turned around, “That was quick.”

Duke shrugged while retrieving cups for them both, “Didn’t want to keep you waiting especially since you said there was an issue.” He leaned closer, keeping his voice low enough for only Damian to hear, “Did we adopt another one?”

Damian snorted, almost spilling the tea while he poured it, “No.” Duke must have not looked close enough or else he would have immediately known who the child was.

He handed a cup to him and went to their eldest/youngest-for-now brother, “To answer your question, this is Duke.” Looking over his shoulder, he added, “And Duke? Meet Richard.”

Duke choked on his tea as Richard gave him a blinding smile. 

—

Friday nights were no-patrol nights for Damian and he was to spend this one catching up with Richard. 

However, both of them had been tired - the eldest batkid with non-stop missions and Damian from tolerating school and exhaustive patrols. They had both gone to sleep around ten. 

Six o’clock Oracle’s computerised voice chimed in and told them there was a disturbance near Robbinsville. They suited up and went to check on it. 

He really wished Duke or Akhi had been with them because magical maniacs had decided upon never leaving them the hell alone. 

Six-thirty they reached the Manor. At least it was quiet. Richard soon remedied that, however. 

Seven forty-five Damian called Duke. 

Ten o’clock - they were ringing the bell of Jason’s penthouse, after a panicky call to Talia to confirm his presence in Gotham and another to the man himself to let them in. His security was not something Damian or Duke were focused (or equipped) enough to get through. Not yet. 

—

His akhi opened the door in a ‘Black Canary World Tour’ tank top (which Damian was at least a ninety-nine percent sure was Roy Harper’s) and grey sweatpants with mussed hair and sleepy eyes. 

Damian was suddenly immensely thankful that they had called beforehand, not only due to the security but also because Jason was less likely to be on-guard that way. His brother was tall and broad-shouldered. He had a lean build but anyone who properly looked could see the sturdy muscles and sharpness on him. 

His aura was imposing and he always seemed in control of a room when he stepped in. While Damian admired those qualities (wanted to be like him, in all honesty) they didn’t need that at that moment. They just needed their big brother. 

Richard had chattered away throughout the duration of their drive but now blinked up slowly at Jason and put his hands up. 

What is he doing? 

His akhi, even in his groggy state, understood better and picked him up and balanced him on his side. 

Richard’s little hands went up to card through Jason’s hair while he stepped aside to usher Damian and Duke inside. 

“Your hair is very soft. Fluffy. It’s nice,” Richard informed Jason with an approving nod, still running his hands through it. 

Jason huffed, “Thank you.”

“Oh! Wait, wait!”

Jason raised a brow. “What?”

“We didn’t introduce ourselves!” Richard exclaimed as if it were a grievous offence. 

His akhi played along, gasping, “Unacceptable! I’m Jason. What’s your name?”

“My name is Dickie. Why do you have white hair here?”

“It’s because my siblings stress me out,” Jason replied in a theatrical whisper. 

Richard whipped his face to them. “Stop stressing him out!” He turned back to Jason and patted his head, “Don’t worry it looks great, Jay.”

“Oh?” His akhi was visibly trying to stifle his laughter. “Thank you.”

Damian sniffed and crossed his arms. Duke patted his back gently, chuckling. 

“Are you hungry, Dickie?”

“No. Dami just gave me cookies.”

“Hmm. Would you like to watch something?” he offered, gesturing to the television. 

“Does it have Ben 10?”

“We will have to check for that.”

While Richard happily flipped through channels, Jason shepherded them to the kitchen. 

“Care to explain, habibi?”

Damian sighed and ran him through the details of the mishap. Jason looked like he had aged five years by the end of it. 

Rubbing a hand across his face, he sighed, “I’ll call up John.”

Damian frowned, “What does the Green Lant- wait, did you mean Constantine?!” His voice had turned shrill by the end of the sentence and Richard jumped, startled. 

He rushed to them, “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Please continue watching….”

“Ben 10.”

“Watching Ben 10.”

He eyed him suspiciously and turned to Jason, “Jay, where are mama and tata?”

He had asked Damian and Duke a few times but it turned out that both of them were horrendous liars. Damian had given the excuse that his parents had left him with Damian while they worked, only then had Richard stopped looking like he would run away the second they looked away. 

Jason only smiled and brushed his hair back, “Your mama and tata are with Uncle Jimmy. They are discussing new moves to teach you.” 

Uncle Jimmy? Would Richard not realise a fabricated name? 

Or maybe Akhi knows more about Richard’s history than I do.

A quick glance shared with Duke told him he was thinking along the same lines because Richard soaked the explanation up with a grin and skipped back to watch T.V.

Of course he knows more. 

Duke raised a brow at Jason but he only shook his head. Changing tactics, Duke asked, “So about Constantine?” 

Their older brother just turned to the kettle and muttered something about ‘stupid team-ups’ and ‘pretentious bastards’ and told them not to worry about it. 

The younger boys exchanged another glance but shrugged it off. Damian wasn’t the sort to just leave things be but there was no way to get information out of his Akhi if he didn’t want to share it. Duke, on the other hand, simply knew when to focus on the pertinent issue. 

He stepped aside with a burner phone and came a while later, informing them that he had told John to come over and have a look at Richard.

“But it’s gonna be one or two more days.”

Damian breathed in and breathed out so he didn’t shout and startle Richard again. 

Duke just looked done at this point. He steeled his nerves though, “Okay, even if we go for the worst case scenario, two days isn’t that bad. It’s the weekend and we are free except for patrol times. When you both leave for patrol tomorrow, I’ll look after him. Today when I go, it’s up to you both to look after him.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good plan. If there is any other emergency I can just call up my manager. They are good with kids.”

“Sounds good.”

Damian took a deep breath and nodded, “Kids are quite the intriguing species.”

His akhi let out a startled burst of laughter, “Species?”

“They might as well be.”

“What is ‘species’?” asked a small voice. 

—

Jason turned around and picked Dick up, settling him on his hip. 

He explained as he carried him to the couch again. “A species is a group of plants and animals who have similar features.” It wasn’t even near the exact definition but they weren’t going for exact. Basics came first. Also, he did not want his brother’s six-year-old version learning about breeding being a part of the whole thing. He had been through enough already. 

“Oh. Okay. We have the same noses and hair and feet and hands. Even the same eyes! Matching!” Hmm, not quite. Dick’s were a deeper blue as compared to Jason’s green-dotted blue. He couldn’t say that when Dick looked so happy about it though. “How are we not the same species then?”    

“We are the same species, Dickie.” 

“Damian said kids are a different species. And people always call me a kid,” he lowered his voice to a whisper then, “Even though I am a big boy.” He paused then and stared at Jason, “Okay, maybe not as big as you. Anyways, how are we not the same species then?” 

Jason chuckled and placed him on the couch, “Damian was kidding.”

“Hmm, okay. You have a nice smile. I like it.” Younger Dick couldn’t stick to a topic apparently.  

“Thank you.” Jason thought it usually looked menacing but if Dick’s pure, not-annoying six-year-old self thought that, who was he to refute it? “Wanna know something?”

Dick perked up, “Yes!”

Jason booped his nose, helplessly charmed by how Dick went cross-eyed trying to look at it, “I like your smile better.”

Dick looked away from his own nose and beamed up at him with flushed cheeks, “Thank you!” 

He spent the rest of the morning and a good part of the afternoon learning about how annoying Kevin was (Jason personally thought he was funny) and how pretty Gwen was (Jason personally thought her purple constructs were prettier).

Overall not a bad way to spend his time. 

—

Jason could hear his door's handle being turned open. He opened his eyes to slits. 

Dick stood there with snot on his face and red cheeks. Jason was up in an instant, “What happened, Dickie?” He kept his voice calm, internally planning to eviscerate whoever had made him sad. 

Only for his half-asleep brain to catch up to the fact that there was no one else here except the two of them. Duke and Damian had left after dinner. Besides, the likelihood of them making Dick cry was low. 

“I had a bad dream,” Dick said through hiccuping sobs. 

Jason took a tissue from the box on his nightstand and wiped Dick’s face, “Can I hug you?”

He had barely finished his question when Dick threw hands around him and started crying again, “I saw them falling, Jay. They fell .” His voice sounded wrecked and Jason felt a chill go through him. 

It was still two years till The Incident would happen. For it to appear in his dreams in such a way… 

Well, Jason would figure that out later. For now, he had a scared, little child in his arms and he wasn’t about to ignore that. 

He gently rubbed his back and pulled him closer, leaning back into the bed, Dick lying on his chest. 

“It was just a bad dream, Dickie,” filthy liar, “They are safe,” for now , “Just one more day and you’ll be back with them,” for two glorious years . 

“Promise?” and he sounded so small in that moment that Jason wanted to shield him from everything and everyone. 

“Yes.”

He kept murmuring reassurances till Dick stopped choking on sobs and tired himself off to sleep. 

Jason cocooned both of them and blankets and followed him into slumber. 

—

Jason was making breakfast when Constantine materialised in his kitchen and leaned against the counter. 

“Jason.”

Jason tilted his head in acknowledgement, “Constantine, you are early.” 

He slid a cigarette pack out of his pocket, “Finished the job early. Lighter?”

Jason gave him a look, “You know I don’t smoke anymore.”

“But I am well aware that you still keep the lighter,” came the reply with that trademark infuriating smirk. 

He sighed, frustrated, “You won’t smoke here.”

“You have had no such problems before,” John asked with a raised brow. 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have a kid here before.”

“Ah, young Richard. Kids are impressionable but you don’t have to worry-”

“You offered Billy beer-”

“Because I don’t know what to do with a ten-year-old, okay?”

Jason sighed again, “I will tell you this - don’t offer them alcohol, cigarettes or drugs.”

“I know about drugs,” John said, sounding almost offended.

“Suuuure.”

“I do!”

“Okay!”

“I won’t offer any to Richard though-”

“Nope. You said it will be quick, get done with it and be on your way.”

“You know I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't owe you a favour right?”

“You know you should be thankful that this is the favour I’m asking for?”

John squinted, “If I won’t offer him any, what's the problem?”

“Just. Don’t.”

John leaned back further like he was considering something and hummed, “Fine. Bring the child.”

Jason glared at him, “Stop making it sound like you are about to do some occult sacrifice ritual, John.”

“So it’s John now?”

Jason rolled his eyes and called out, “Dickie! Come here, buddy.”

Dick came rushing in with big excited eyes, “Are the sandwiches- oh. Hello. Who are you?”

Jason pulled him closer with a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, “Dick, this is John,” moved his eyes to Constantine, “John, this is Dick.”  

“Hi, John,” Dick said with a light curve of lips and waved. 

John returned the gesture, “Hello.”

“John, here has a surprise for you, could you close your eyes for a second?”

Dick fisted his hands in Jason’s shirt, looking suspicious, and asked, “What surprise?”

“I’ll stay right here with you, it’s a surprise for both of us.” 

Dick relaxed at that, “Okay.” 

And it was quick. John cast a spell and it was all of thirty seconds for a fully grown Nightwing to be standing in the kitchen, clutching his head.  

“What just happened?”

John and Jason exchanged a look and after a moment of conversing with their eyes, John disappeared in thin air with a salute. 

“You were a six year old for the past, uh, thirty-two hours?” Jason told Dick as he moved to stabilise him.  

“I- a six year old?”

“Yup.”

“Huh.”

"Yup."

"What happened?"

"I just told you-"

“ Jason. ”

“Okay, okay, it was basically some magic dude that hit you with a de-aging spell while you were with-”

“-Damian, yeah, I remember now. Oh gods, did I do anything embarrassing? Be honest.”

“You told me you like my hair.”

Dick’s cheeks turned red but he said, “Clearly younger-me was only trying to make you feel better.”

Jason wasn’t done teasing his brother just yet though, “You told me I have a pretty smile.”

“I didn’t-”

“You told me my hair was soft-”

“I thought we covered this.”

Jason laughed. 

—

“I do like your smile, though. It makes me happy when you smile.” 

“SHUT UP.”