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If you asked Robin what he thought he would be doing on a Thursday afternoon, the answers would range from working out to eating to preparing for his patrol. He did not expect to be sitting in the Watchtower's interrogation room getting questioned by his uncles and his aunt.
Okay, sure, maybe he should have been a little more cautious when Dr Fate offered to teleport him into the Watchtower. The magician didn't deal with the League often, especially not after the whole Zatara took over the mantle of Dr Fate so the helmet would release his daughter incident. The only reason the man was anywhere nearby was because there was the potential threat of Klarion with their most recent mission. But Batman wanted some files from the Watchtower, Robin had volunteered to go, and Dr Fate had opened the portal. He didn't think twice before stepping into the glowing golden wormhole. After all, Fate was on their side. Literally!
Stepping out of the portal into the Watchtower's lounge was expected. What was unexpected were the League members already sitting in their headquarters, heroes that Robin knew were still on the ground with Batman. What was unexpected were the shocked looks Robin was receiving. What was unexpected was the arrow already nocked on Green Arrow's bow, pointing directly at Robin's chest. The Green Lantern ring glowing was suddenly much more threatening when it was clear his Uncle had no reservations about utilizing his entire imaginary arsenal against his nephew. Even the familiar Batarang being held in his father's hand was so much more terrifying.
Robin sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "Damn you, Fate. Okay, I'm assuming by your expressions you have no idea who I am."
Hal Jordan sneered. "Great guess. So, who the fuck are you? And how the hell did you get here?"
"First off, I'm not a threat, so you can put your weapons down." Robin glanced towards the arrow still directed at his heart. Green Arrow didn't make a move to put the projectile away. Great. "Second off, I'm pretty sure I've either been thrown into an alternate dimension or I've been sent to the wrong spot in the timeline. I'm never trusting Fate with another portal again."
Batman stared in his usual pissed off manner that indicated he didn't believe a word Robin had said. "You just show up and give us no indication of who you actually are. You don't give us a name. You say fate brought you here. You say you're no threat to us, but you're carrying weapons and you're clearly dressed up like you participate in our job somehow. It's hard to believe anything you say."
Robin groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "You're still the same paranoid bat, no matter where I am. Okay, how about you just get Diana up here with her magic Lasso of Truth and ask me some questions?"
"How do you know her name?" Green Arrow hissed. Right. The other billionaire vigilante was just as paranoid as the man who trained him.
"Because we work together, Oliver. Granted, not as much as me and Batsy over here, but-hey!" Robin barely dodged the arrow in time, thanking his flexibility and his time playing limbo for the quick reaction. "Dude! Chill out. I definitely see where Roy gets his impulsiveness from." Just his luck. He would go to a dimension/timeline where they didn't know him yet.
"There is no way in hell you work with Batman. He barely works with us! Why are you really here?" Oliver already had another arrow in place, ready to loose at any moment.
Robin resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Clearly you're not listening to me. Just...take me to a holding cell or an interrogation room. We're getting nowhere like this. Or would you like me to walk myself there?"
Hal scoffed. "Please. The Watchtower is under lock and key. Only those who are supposed to be here can navigate the place."
Robin suppressed another groan. Normally he would just laugh at Hal's antics. Normally, they weren't directed at him. Instead, he turned towards the door, cleared his throat, and put on the best Batman impersonation he could. "Watchtower override BW2."
The metal door slides open at his words. Robin can't help but grin as he turned back around, facing the three shocked heroes. He always knew his impersonations were good, especially after spending so much time around Bruce. "Well? Are you coming?"
Oliver shook his head. "Did you just add identity theft to your list of poor decisions?"
"It's not identity theft, it's identity appreciation. I worked hard to get that impersonation down. Now, I'm going to the interrogation room to wait for Diana. You're more than free to follow me. I'm sure you'll have questions." Robin walked out of the room, heading through familiar hallways. It was kind of satisfying to hear the other heroes scramble after him.
---
It was official: this was the weirdest break-in Batman had ever experienced. Sure, they'd had a couple of villains attempt to breach the tower and steal their information before. But this was...odd. For starters, the figure who had walked through the portal was a child. He couldn't have been older than twelve yet there he was, cape and mask and a colorful uniform that rivaled some members of the Justice League. However, instead of panicking that he'd been discovered like most intruders, he had simply sighed and entered a rather calm conversation with the three heroes who were all bracing for a fight. He navigated around Green Arrow and Green Lantern's antagonization expertly, like he did it on a daily basis. He even brought himself to an interrogation room, walking the Watchtower's halls as if it were second nature.
The strangest part of it all was that he claimed to know them, and based on his nicknames and (rather impressive) impersonation of Bruce's voice, it all added to his claim that he and Batman...worked together. Somewhere, whether in another world or another time, a version of him had allowed a child into their extremely dangerous career. His reflexes were top notch, dodging the arrow launched at him like it was no sweat off his back. He knew Bruce intimately enough to use his own voice to trigger one of the codes instilled in the doorways. He made no move to fight them, yet he also didn't seem to really help them. The boy was an enigma, a direct contradiction to himself.
Even now, hidden behind the two way mirror, Batman can't seem to make heads or tails of the young vigilante. Green Arrow and Green Lantern had both walked into the room behind the kid and had started asking their own questions. The boy had made no argument as they put his hands behind his back in cuffs, he even gave up his belt, and he was answering most of the questions he was being asked. None truthfully, from what Batman could tell, but he was answering. But why? Why was the boy here in the first place? Why was he leading them on a wild goose chase that seemed it would never end? And what had he meant by fate brought him here?
The door to the observation room opened, revealing the Big Blue Boy Scout himself. Superman was as tall and imposing as ever, eyes glancing at the dark figure and then immediately locking onto the brightly colored form in the next room. "So, this is our intruder." He hummed softly, moving to stand next to Batman.
"Yes. Green Arrow and Green Lantern have been in there with him for some time now asking questions. From what I can tell, he's giving them false answers. Like it's a game." Batman growled. The most humiliating thing about that was that somehow, someway, both of the older heroes were actually believing some of the responses they were getting. The latest topic they'd started on was whether or not Green Lantern's ring was considered a ring pop, and it seemed clear that the child was running circles around them.
"Interesting. Diana's on the way now. She's a little curious why we've got a kid locked up and getting interrogated when she's en route."
Batman grunts in response. The only answer he could give to that question was that he, quite frankly, didn't feel like babysitting the two green heroes.
"I have to admit, I'm surprised you're not in there now. You're usually the one who gets the criminals to crack." Clark raised an eyebrow at Batman. Damn his reporter prying.
"He claims that wherever or whenever he comes from, we work together. The evidence I have says that it's true. He knows my codes. He can impersonate my voice almost perfectly. He has nicknames for me. But he won't tell us his name. No defining characteristics. Nothing that can identify him and by proxy help him. And that's what has me perplexed." Batman explained. This boy had clearly been displaced. He wasn't where he belonged. Yet he wasn't making any obvious strides to return to his home. Did he have that much faith in the people that sent him here? Or was he waiting for something? Was he here to cause trouble after all?
Clark nodded, leaning his shoulder against the wall. "I see why that bothers you. Although for a potential partner, I didn't expect yours to be so...brightly colored." The alien grinned at Bruce. Of course he was enjoying this.
"I don't understand it either. I also don't understand what the hell made the other me bring a child into this business. This is deadly." Bruce tried not to grind his teeth. He had been a child himself when he lost his parents. What would he do if he ended up being this child's cause of death? He would never forgive himself.
In the interrogation room, the kid sat straight up suddenly, eyes staring through the mirror at Batman. "Okay, not to interrupt our conversation, but I can feel that one of you just called me a child. I am not a child, I am a teenager. Besides, I've been doing this for years now, so I can handle myself, thank you very much. Anyway," He turned back to the green heroes. "You can try to quote some magic mumbo jumbo at me all you want, that is a ring pop. Or, if you prefer, it's a mood ring. Which, one could argue that a person's selection of ring pop flavors indicates their current mood."
Batman growled. "Then there's that. The Watchtower's scan didn't detect any powers of his own, but he just...does things. Things that a normal person wouldn't do. He barely blinked when Green Arrow had him in his sights. He's skilled at mimicry. He's fast and flexible, but we haven't actually seen him fight. There's too many variables here, and that's without him throwing all the equations out the window."
The door to the interrogation room opened, revealing Wonder Woman in all her glory. Good. Now they could finally put this all to rest.
The boy grinned at the sight of the woman. "Diana! Man, it's good to see you. Don't worry, I saved all the good stuff for you."
She raised an eyebrow, turning to the two adults. "The good stuff?"
Hal groaned, slamming his head into the table. "What he hopefully means is that he'll finally tell us something about his identity. He just keeps going on and on about my ring."
"See, I tried explaining my side of this very confusing story to them and they didn't believe me, so I suggested they bring you up here and have you use your Lasso of Truth on me so they could know for sure I wasn't lying. Anyway, whenever you're ready, I'll grab the lasso and we'll get this party started!" The boy held his left hand out to Diana.
Oliver's jaw dropped. "How long have you been out of the cuffs?!" He exclaimed.
The kid shrugged. "I picked the lock about two minutes after you put them on me. I was just keeping my arms in place because I kinda felt bad for you."
"Time to add lock-picking to his skills." Batman pulled up a holo-screen, typing the latest discovery about this ch-teenager into his notes.
"I thought you took his belt." Clark whispered.
"I did. He clearly has more supplies hidden somewhere." Bruce took a deep breath, trying to will his blood pressure to stop rising.
Wonder Woman pulled her lasso off her belt, placing it in the boy's open hand. It began glowing immediately, the promise of its magic influencing its willing victim visible to everyone.
"Who are you?" She asked, her striking eyes watching the boy closely.
"Name's Robin. Partner to Batman where I come from. Or when. I don't think we've exactly figured that part out yet. Just know I'm not supposed to be here."
Clark huffed out a laugh. "Any chance that's his real name?"
"Unlikely. If he really was trained by me, he's not going to give up his civilian name." Batman updated the name of the file. Robin. An interesting name choice. Bruce had chosen his hero persona because of his fear. It was unlikely, based off both the animal and the nature of this boy, that he followed the same ideology. Then again, Robin had already proven to be rather unpredictable.
"Is that an ounce of pride I hear in your voice?" Superman smirked at Batman. The man was having far too much fun in this serious situation.
"Perhaps you need to get your ears checked." Batman replied curtly. Him? Pride? For someone he didn't even know? It was even more unlikely than Robin being scared of a small species of birds.
"Do you mean any harm to the Justice League?" Diana moved past the whole name tidbit. They had something to call the boy. Now they needed to know his motivations.
"Nope." Robin shook his head. Man, the stories he would have when he got back. He would get to tell Aunt Diana that she interrogated him in another world/timeline! He had always been her little golden nephew, a boy who could do no wrong in her eyes. Of course, it helped that he was the first and youngest sidekick ever.
"How did you get here?" Wonder Woman leaned against the table. How curious. This strange child had no fear of her at all. No fear of any of them. He clearly carried bravery in his heart.
"Ah. That. Well, back in my universe, timeline, whatever, my Batman sent me to the Watchtower to pull some files on a Lord of Chaos named Klarion. Don't know if you've met him yet, but he's a pain in the ass. A warlock by the name of Dr Fate volunteered to teleport me there, but now I'm suspecting that he never intended for me to reach my destination. I stepped through the portal, found GL, GA, and Batman all pointing weapons at me and realized something was fucky. By the time I tried to go back, the portal had closed. If time still flows the same way here as it does there, I suspect my Batman will probably start looking for me soon."
Of course. Batman had thought Robin was talking about their union being that of fate. He didn't realize the boy was talking about being sent by a man named Fate. Slowly but surely, things were becoming more clear about this kid. Perhaps he wasn't an enigma but a Rubik's cube, all the scrambled pieces merely needing to be set back into place.
Hal looked like he was quickly gaining the world's worst migraine. "Kid, if you weren't holding onto that lasso right now, I would think you were insane."
Robin grinned, turning his attention back to the Lantern. "If it's of any comfort to you, I'm pretty sure the Green Lantern from my world agrees. He, however, saw the wisdom of my ring pop argument."
"Oh for fuck's sake, not this again." Hal wailed, slamming his head down on the table once more.
Diana looked at the brown-haired hero. "Are you okay?"
Robin grinned. "He's okay. I've been feeding them bullshit for the past thirty minutes. Now that we're clear on the fact I'm not here to kill you, any chance I can raid the cafeteria? I tell ya, going through a portal gets your appetite going."
Diana took back her lasso, clipping it back in place. "Well, since we've had you in this room for so long, I think it only fair. From what I've heard, you've been very cooperative." She smiled at Robin, opening the door.
"Great! I wonder if the chips I like are here." Robin hopped up, following Diana closely. Maybe things between this world and his weren't so different after all.
Superman turned to Batman. "So, what did you take from that conversation?"
Batman grunted. "He's skilled at controlling a discussion. He knows how to make allies and he knows how to push buttons to entertain himself. Diana was right about one thing: he's been cooperative. Maliciously cooperative, but cooperative nonetheless. He's too calm to not have experience with similar situations. I think there's a lot more to learn about Robin, but he's not going to make it easy for us."
"Let's go get started then."
---
Luckily for Robin, the cafeteria does indeed have his chips. It also houses the Flash, who's digging into his third box of pizza. He doesn't seem to pay much attention to the Amazon warrior or the teenager next to her.
"Wow. Light day?" Robin asked, crunching into a chip.
Flash looked up from his meal, swallowing a bite. "Oh. Hey. Uh, didn't see you there. Hey W, who's this?"
Diana smiled. "This is Robin. He got sent here by a magician. He is of no harm to us."
"What she said. I think I'm either from an alternate dimension or from the future. I'm still not really sure. How's Wally?" Dick shoved another chip into his mouth. Man, it was weird being around Barry without Wally around. Ever since the older speedster had convinced Bruce to let the two young heroes meet, they'd taken every opportunity to hang out together. Now the equation was off. Robin didn't really have his Batman, and Flash didn't really have his Kid Flash.
Flash looked at him strangely. "He's fine. How do you know about my nephew?"
"Where I come from, we work together. Wally and I are actually good friends." Really good friends, actually. So close together that they helped jailbreak each other during groundings, much to the chagrin of Batman. He and Alfred could wax the Manor floors as many times as they wanted, Dick was going to keep finding news ways to meet up with Wally.
"Well, welcome to our world. Or...time. If this is a time travel thing, I promise you it's as weird as it seems. I've accidentally run through the Speed Force a time or two."
"Believe me, I know." Wasn't that an understatement? Dick was very familiar with what happened when speedsters tried to fuck with the timeline.
"So, is this a permanent thing? Do you have a plan on how to get back to your home? I could probably try to get you there, but I cannot guarantee any results." Flash downed the last slice of pizza, speeding the empty boxes to the trash can before speeding back to the table.
"My guess is that by now, my Batman is aware that I am no longer in universe and is searching for me. He's just as hardheaded as this Batman, so hopefully within the next few days I'll be back home. Not sure though." Robin shrugged. Whatever the case, Batman had it handled. Hopefully this would be a sooner rather than later situation. Robin could disappear for some time, but Dick Grayson could not.
"I believe it is best not to remove Robin from where he was transported. Perhaps your Batman can convince this Dr Fate to bring you back home." Diana hummed, sending a stern look Flash's way.
"Please, just call him Fate. The man behind the helmet is smart but he never got a doctorate, and there's no way that helmet made it through any university recognized with a doctorate program either." Robin can't help but smirk. Hey, Fate was the one who put him in this stupid situation to begin with, and if annoying him gets him to open another portal back to wherever Dick actually belongs, he was willing to try annoying him.
"I'll let you pick fights with the warlock. Have you tried letting Batman scan you? He's always got some sort of high-tech gizmo that can usually fix the problem. You work together in your world, so what's the issue here?" Barry leaned his head on his hand.
Robin tried not to look so...malcontented. "I'm pretty sure he was in the observation room while I was in interrogation, but besides that I haven't seen him since I first got here. My Batman was pretty hesitant to let me start, and that was after months of training. This Batman doesn't know me, doesn't know what training I received, and at first glance he thought I was an enemy. The last thing I need to do is piss off my future partner enough that he decides to never let me start."
Flash nods as if Robin is the wisest man on Earth. "Good point. Bats is pretty easy to piss off."
"Is that so?"
Batman stands behind Flash, eyes looking down at the speedster scrutinizingly. The man's patience is as thin as Robin's Bruce, so that's good. More evidence that this is probably not an alternate dimension and is probably just the past. Alex, I'll take unsettling Batman characteristics for 1000 please.
Flash turns his attention to his left arm. "Oh! Would you look at that! It's, um, time to go meet Hal for our weekly debrief. Bye!" And with that, the speedster is gone.
"As for you," Batman doesn't waste any time before turning his attention back to the young acrobat. "We need to talk. Privately."
Oh goodie. Double Jeopardy.
---
Frankly, Batman is surprised that Wonder Woman let him put the small vigilante away from her watchful eyes. Diana was protective of those she liked and loved, and it was clear she was already fond of the kid. It was hard enough getting Superman off his back, sending the alien on some bogus call out in the middle of Greenland. Despite what his coworkers may have thought, this was a conversation he needed to have with the boy alone. Robin knew the Leaguer's identities. It could be assumed that he knew Bruce's identity as well. That was a liability, and it was one that needed to be addressed just in case this kid was now here permanently.
Batman brought Robin into his room, one of the few spaces on the Watchtower that was completely impenetrable. Soundproof, even to meta ears, unable to be viewed by x-ray or heat vision, made of a metal that was incredibly difficult to phase through. In other words, the only room where his nosy coworkers couldn't hear the information being discussed.
"Sit." Batman motioned to the chair at his desk, watching the boy plop down into it without much argument.
"You know, if you were speaking to anyone else the way you are to me, they would think you have no manners. I know Agent A taught you better." Robin leans back in the seat, curling his legs up under his body.
Well, that confirmed it for sure. If Robin knew about Alfred, then he had to know Batman was Bruce Wayne. "I'm giving you an opportunity to be completely truthful with me here. Answer my questions honestly or I will steal the Lasso of Truth and force you to use it again."
Robin lifted his right hand. "On Alfred's cookies, I solemnly swear to tell the truth."
Alfred baked for this child. Who was he to this other Batman? How did he gain a level of trust that the other Justice League members hadn't achieved? "Hn. Do you know my identity?"
Robin nods. "Yeah. I don't know if this really is the past or if it's another dimension so I don't want to cause anything super weird with the timeline, but I swear we do work together. My Batman didn't want to let me start originally. He wanted to keep me away from the danger of the chaos. I...did not let him. We cover for each other a lot with our identities."
So Batman was doomed to let a child dance around on rooftops. "Have you shared any details with any of the other Justice Leaguers?"
Robin smirked. "No. In fact, that was part of what pissed off GA and GL so much earlier. They were asking me questions about who you were before the door even closed. I told them that you were a vampire who had to feed on a specific blood type, but it was so rare that you had to manufacture it in a lab. I also told them that when you do have to interact with the public, you keep your head down and make sure you never end up in any magazines or newspapers. So no. Like I told Diana, I fed them a bunch of bullshit. If they believed it, that's their fault."
Bruce had always been a straight-forward man. No was no and that was final. But Robin...he knew how to work people. How to leave their brains spinning, how to completely draw them away from the truth without trying. He had a natural charm to him that made people want to trust him, even when they shouldn't. But he was also loyal. So loyal to a version of Batman that Bruce doesn't know that he protects his secret identity. It's possible that Robin is doing it to protect his own identity, but it's also possible that he's not thinking about himself at all. Even now, as the boy explains his mischievous exploits, Bruce can see the kid underneath it who's just as dedicated to their cause.
He's starting to understand why this other Batman eventually caved.
"You speak of Alfred fondly. Is he still living well where you come from?" Of course, Bruce hoped the man was doing well. The only person left for him once his parents died, the man who eventually took over as his father figure. If Robin was from the future, then he would surely know.
Robin's smile turns more...genuine. "Yeah. He's doing great. Healthy as a horse and still full of sardonic commentary. I think that man is going to outlast us all."
Something in Bruce relaxes at that. One of his worst fears is someone targeting the butler in order to get at Bruce Wayne or as Batman. One part of his brain says he shouldn't worry. The man is MI6, the only person on his property allowed to own or fire a gun, someone whose stubbornness rivals his own. Knowing that his future partner not only knows Alfred but reports he's alive and healthy is like a breath of fresh air.
"I wouldn't be surprised. Are you done antagonizing the rest of the League?"
Robin's smile turned mischievous again. "Probably not."
Damn it.
---
Once it becomes clear that Batman is not going to boot him into the far expanses of space, Robin is given mostly free reign of the Watchtower (unfortunately, his belt is still in Batman's possession). He's also given one of the spare rooms to sleep in should the need arise. It's quite clear that Fate was in no hurry to rescue him from this predicament, something that Robin is ready to rip into the man for. It's also clear that for whatever reason, his Batman has not been able to force the sorcerer to bring him back either. There were a couple likely reasons for that. One, if time did move slower between the two places, it could be as simple as the fact he hadn't discovered Robin was missing yet. Two, Batman could be currently ripping into the golden warrior, which would mean his rescue would hopefully be by soon (Dick was going to be pissed if there wasn't anything left for him). The third and, frankly the most likely explanation, was that Fate had done his stupid disappearing act again and was now outside of the Caped Crusader's hands.
Whatever the case, Robin just has to keep holding on. It was like getting separated from a group in a crowded environment. Stay where you are, try to get someone nearby to help, and wait for your group to find you again. Except unlike normal, half of the group that would be looking for him was currently with him and had no memories of him before he stepped out through the portal. Most of his friends didn't know he existed. Hell, Alfred probably didn't even know about his adopted grandchild! If he could, Robin would go down to Earth right now and find all of them again. Just to check in on them and see how they were doing. But Batman had confined him to the Watchtower, desperate to keep this strange anomaly under wraps until it could be resolved. A fair judgement call, but not one that made Robin happy.
It's pure instinct that brings him to the garden, the grass real and solid under his feet. All the plants here are smaller than he remembers, clearly still growing into their future forms. Even when he was just starting out as Robin, when Bruce would begrudgingly bring him here when he needed a babysitter, this was Dick's favorite place. A slice of home here in the beginnings of outer space, a reminder that anything could grow as long as it was given some help. Little Robin used to sneak in here all the time, hiding in the larger bushes or climbing into the trees and hiding his giggles as a frazzled Hal or Barry would come searching for him.
It's in the middle of the garden that he finds J'onn J'onzz meditating, facing towards Mars with his eyes closed. It's also instinctual, the way Robin immediately closes his mind before the Martian can ever get close. "Nice try, but you're not getting in my head that easily." Robin hums, sitting down next to the alien.
"It was worth an attempt. You are Robin. Superman informed me of your arrival." J'onn says casually, as if listing items off a menu.
"Yep. No offense, but I'll hopefully be going home soon. It's weird seeing all you guys and knowing you don't have a single recollection of me."
"I can imagine. You humans seem to have a finicky relationship with memories. Some memory loss is normal or to be expected, but there comes a certain point where it becomes concerning. Some people have incredibly powerful memories. They remember everything they read or everything they experience." The alien finally opens his eyes, turning down to the acrobat with dark red eyes. Dick could feel J'onn prodding at his mental walls, trying to see if there are any weak spots to be found.
"And you seem to have a strange relationship with boundaries. I do believe I said I didn't want you in my mind." Robin can't help but smile. No matter what the universe or timeline, he was still a badass.
Luckily, the Martian smiles at him. "Yes, you did. You do not seem to have an issue with your memories or your mind. In fact, you are quite strong for one so young. If I recall correctly, the Watchtower did not detect any super abilities of your own."
"That's because it's not a superpower. It's just training. Back home, my Batman trained me initially on how to avoid or prevent telepathic attacks. The version of you from back there helped me strengthen my mind. You taught me the tricks of the trade, even though you knew I could never use it myself. You told me you wanted to be prepared. The worst monsters the galaxy created wouldn't hold back and I needed to be ready to meet them blow for blow." Robin still remembered those days well. Hard hours of building walls from absolutely nothing, multiple attempts by the Martian to break past his defenses and glance into his mind, multiple days where he'd collapsed in his bed so exhausted that Bruce didn't have the heart to wake him for patrols.
"It sounds like this J'onn and I share many characteristics. Do you believe us to be similar?" J'onn tilted his head.
"Yeah. The longer I've been here, the more I'm convinced that this is just the past. I know some alternate universes are extremely similar, maybe one or two minor differences, but...I just get a gut feeling. Besides, the lack of gray hairs on Hal's head is a good indicator." That, and the suits. He can't believe it took him this long to realize just how outdated some of those uniforms were.
"The lack of aging would be a good clue. In truth, I do not age quite like humans. I am able to change my form to whatever I wish it to be. Even in this form, I have no hairs to naturally turn gray and my skin naturally possesses some wrinkles."
"Then consider yourself lucky, big guy. I know some humans who would spend every dime in their pocket if it meant they could look young forever. Of course, I also know some people who would do the same if it meant seeing someone they loved grow old." Robin considers himself in the second category. What would his mother look like? Hair gray or white, frail and happy? She had always loved teaching Dick the art of their craft. She would have loved to pass that knowledge on to others that wanted to learn. Would his father have crow's feet from smiling so much? Would he carry himself with the weight of a man who had experienced many great things in his life? Being one of the best acrobats in the world must have been a wonderful adventure. Doing it with his wife and child? That would make it all the better.
"I suppose when you only have one form, you have no choice but to put pride in it. Even if you despise it, even if you wish it were different, it is still your form. It must be a great honor to cherish it."
"If only it were that easy."
---
Dinner with the Justice League. In Robin's time, it's not a completely unusual thing. Many of the League members liked to celebrate after a successful mission and Robin had been the thing that finally convinced Batman to start joining in. Nobody could say no to a whole team of Aunts and Uncles who wanted to hang out with their favorite nephew, not even the Dark Knight. They would usually retreat back to the Watchtower with take-out and then they would just exist together. Bask in the fading adrenaline that came from saving the world. Stories would be traded, usually with someone calling bullshit if it was Hal, Oliver, or Barry, and they would all enjoy it until everyone got tired and started to go home.
It's mostly the same here, including the missing Bat. The trio of boisterous heroes is up to their usual shenanigans, Superman is keeping the peace in his Midwestern way, Diana will occasionally interject with a stern word or a harsh glare when she believes they're approaching a subject not meant for young ears (not that Dick hadn't heard it all before), and J'onn is observing it all like a nature documentary. Even the food, manufactured by the technology in the Watchtower, tastes exactly the same.
The main difference comes from the fact that none of them really...know him like he knows them. He can (and has) finish several of Hal's sentences when he's telling a story. He already knows which rogue Flash faced by the first three words. He knows exactly where in their situationship Oliver and Dinah are by the way Oliver's face shifts at any mention of love or romance. It's disconcerting. He would really love to just be concerted again. He's traught and whelmed, but definitely not feeling the aster.
He's listening to Hal recount his most recent escapade when a wonderful idea pops into his brain. A truly marvelous idea. "Hey, Hal. You wanna play hide and seek?"
The space cop looked at him suspiciously. This was the first time the boy had seemed so...earnest. "Why?"
"Because I think we'd have fun! Barry, you're free to join too. We do it all the time where I come from." Robin put on his most convincing smile. It wasn't exactly a lie. He did end up playing hide and seek often. It was usually just more along the lines of him sneaking off and his temporary babysitters scrambling to find him before his overprotective mentor found out.
Barry grinned. "Why not? Come on, Hal. Consider it practice in case he is from the future."
"You know what? Fine. I'm sure I could scope you out quick." Hal huffed.
No matter the world, Hal Jordan will still fall into the same trap. "Good. Basic rules: I have thirty seconds to start hiding. You two will have full use of your powers. No consulting with other heroes, no looking at the cameras. If you haven't found me within thirty minutes, I win."
"Deal." Hal turned his back on the young hero, closing his eyes and starting to obnoxiously count to 30. This would be the easiest game ever.
It takes Robin no time at all to find the nearest vent, slipping inside and closing the grate. Unfortunately for the two seekers, Robin was just as familiar with the vent system as he was with the hallways. He knew where every intersection was, how to get from one side of the Watchtower to the other, and how to avoid everybody in the process. Now to find his gear. It wasn't in Batman's room whenever he pulled Robin in for their little heart to heart. So it was either in the armory or the lab, places where Batman could theoretically store it. He'd more than likely already changed the password to both locations, so the front door would not be an option. Hence the vents. It was also the last place Flash and Hal would go looking for him.
Where to go first? The armory was the obvious choice. Batman would be familiar enough with the equipment in his belt that he wouldn't necessarily need to test it. Hopefully. He didn't seem to know that Robin had his lock picks embedded in his gloves and he obviously wasn't aware of Robin's hacking capabilities. Batman could also ensure more privacy in the armory, using his own locker that none of the others could access. It was also another place Barry and Hal wouldn't look. After all, why would a young hero choose the armory when the arcade was much more fun?
It was decided then. Slowly but surely he made his way to the secured room, pausing whenever he heard footsteps or voices. It was always exciting keeping the Justice League on their toes. The greatest heroes from across the galaxy (admittedly only a small team compared to what it would become) were getting outsmarted by a thirteen year old. He could hear Hal and Barry slowly getting more frantic, running/flying through the hallways and rechecking rooms they'd already checked.
"Where the hell is he? There's no way he got off this station." Hal exclaims at one point. Robin is getting closer to the armory, hiding out in the vents above the monitor room. The older heroes are five minutes into their thirty minute timer, only a sixth of the way through, and they're already getting frazzled.
"Well, he is a bat after all. Hey, that's it! We just have to think more like Spooky! Okay, he likes dark environments and he likes places we don't go to often. He's also tiny, so he could probably fit in cabinets." Robin tries not to be offended by the tiny comment. Okay, fine, he's smaller than most of the people he works with, but that just makes him all the sneakier.
"Maybe the med-bay? Lots of equipment he could hide in or behind." Hal scratched his head.
"Not a bad idea. Let's go!"
The two heroes disappeared again. Amateurs. The med-bay was one of the first places anyone would look. It leaves his path clear again, so he keeps moving. His Batman would kill him if he returned to his time without his belt or his escrima sticks. The man worried more for the timeline than Robin bothered too, and leaving evidence from the future would certainly do that. Of course, whenever this time's Dick Grayson entered Bruce Wayne's life, the older man was surely going to piece together that they were the same person. There were only so many young heroes on the planet that dressed up like him.
Ten minutes into the timer (official a third of the way to Dick's victory) and he's hiding in the vents above the armory. Batman and Green Arrow are both in the room, the latter trying-unsuccessfully-to get into Robin's belt. Batman was attending to a holo-screen, filling out more information of Robin's file. Good old Bruce, keeping information for years down the line. He was nothing if not consistent.
Oliver sighed, setting the belt down on the metal table. "None of the pockets will open for me. There are some that are definitely heavier than others, but I have no earthy clue what's in any of them. If it's anything like your utility belt, it's either coded to his gloves or his DNA."
"DNA is most likely. Gloves can be stolen, especially since his are not connected to sleeves. What about the locking mechanism for the buckle?" Batman hummed.
"There's no audible clicks, so probably not anything spring-loaded. Once the ends are together," Oliver tried with all his might to separate the two ends. He got nowhere, and he wouldn't make any progress either. Robin's belt was locked magnetically. Only he and Batman could deactivate it. "I can't pry them apart. So that's probably DNA coded as well."
"Magnetic." Batman corrected, typing that information into the file.
"Magnetic? If it were magnetic, why doesn't it stick to the table?" Oliver let the belt drop before picking it up.
"It's something I've been testing. Conceptually, there would be a magnet in each side of the buckle surrounded by steel. The casing would have one side open on each side of the magnet, allowing it to connect only to the other one. I haven't been able to figure out how to properly work the release mechanism yet. It appears wherever he came from, i eventually found a solution."
"Sounds like you may need to consult this kid before he leaves, then. If you two are partners, you should be able to get into this belt as well. Your DNA would be coded into it just like his. We might even be able to get his DNA signature."
Okay, that was official too far. As wonderful as Batman and Robin were, it wasn't time for Bruce to know his secret identity yet. Thank god for modern day technology in an era of the past. It's easy to plug his holo-glove into the Watchtower's systems (kudos to Batman for including so many access ports in the ventilation system). It's also easy to send a signal to both Bruce and Oliver, their Justice League issued comms summoning them to the cafeteria on Superman's behalf. Surely the Kryptonian was back from his bogus mission.
"Oh, boy. I wonder what Robin's done to piss off Lantern now." Oliver sighed, setting the belt on the table again.
"Green Lantern is a grown man. If he allows himself to be antagonized by a teenager this much, he's got nobody to blame but himself." Batman sighed, closing Robin's file and following Green Arrow out of the armory. The door shuts, the lights automatically turn off, and Robin's belt is left unattended. Score!
Of course, he's not done yet. There's still...eighteen minutes until his victory. Plus, if this armory is anything like the current day armory, there will be security protocols out the wazoo. Time for his next move. He starts hacking into the system, a task that is made infinitely more simple thanks to how advanced his technology is. "Wow. And here I thought this was supposed to be secure." He muttered to himself, turning off every piece of security in or around the armory. Motion detectors off, heat sensors off, locker doors are all unlocked, cameras are on a feedback loop to make it look like everything is empty.
Once he's sure everything is taken care of, he finally opens the vent and allows himself to drop down. "There we go. Back where we belong." Robin secures the belt back around his waist, throwing the tracker Batman put between two pockets onto the table. "Nice try, old man. I've seen that trick before. Now, where are...yes!" He also grabs his escrima from Batman's locker, letting them minimize before pocketing them. "All taken care of." And with...thirteen minutes left! Over halfway now. He's starting to feel asterous again.
He leaps back up into the vents, connecting his glove and reactivating all the security measures for the room. He really loved sneaking around. It was made even better by the bright colors he wore. One would think he'd be the center of attention in every room he entered, unable to be missed. But he's just as good, if not better than Batman at it. Batman's suit was designed to blend in, to hide from the human eyes and ears. Dick had to really hone his skills, learning exactly how to shift his weight and how to utilize the art of distraction.
What to do now? He had twelve minutes left to fuck with the two heroes before anyone else could assist them. They probably wouldn't think to look in the vent system until time was up, so he was relatively safe from their prying eyes. What would cause the most chaos? What would make him a memorable face? What would make them look at a young Dick Grayson several years down the line and think: holy shit, this kid is back?
Ah ah! It was the perfect plan.
---
"What the hell do you mean, you lost Robin?" Green Arrow yelled. Out of all the stupid, idiotic things these two could pull off, they had to go and lose the fucking time traveling sidekick who worked with Batman.
"We didn't lose him," Barry countered, crossing his arms at supersonic speeds. "We're playing hide and seek. He's just, unfortunately, winning."
"How long?" Batman growled. Robin was now completely unaccounted for somewhere within the bounds of the Watchtower. He had already proven to be a handful when he was looking for entertainment, and now he was missing. The Caped Crusader was also starting to suspect that Robin was the one who sent them the request under Superman's name, considering the alien had no idea what he or Green Arrow was talking about. Which meant that Robin had either accessed the system with an impression of Superman or he had hacked into the system.
"...Twenty six minutes." Hal pouted. How was he supposed to know the kid was a wizard at hide and seek? He and Barry and covered every inch-every inch-of the Watchtower with no luck. Even with Barry's suggestion of thinking like Batman, they couldn't locate the avian at all. He wasn't in any of the rooms or the cabinets or the ships or the crates or under any beds or hiding in any closets or hanging upside down from any rafters! When the kid disappeared, he really fucking vanished.
"So where all have you looked?" Oliver sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Barry started waving his arms. "Ah buh buh! Shush! We're not allowed to consult with other heroes until the timer runs out."
"It's part of the rules. We have thirty minutes in total to find him. We have full use of our powers, but we can't look at any cameras and nobody else can help us. It sounded like a better idea at the time, admittedly." Could this day get any more embarrassing?
Oliver's eyes lit up. "Fine. We'll just talk very loudly in your vicinity." He turned his attention to the Dark Knight. "Alright Batman, this kid was trained by you. An alternate version of you, perhaps, but a version of you. If you were in his position, a powerless being stripped of your gear against two superhumans who had a time limit tracking you down, what would you do and where would you go? Tactically."
This was the most foolish thing Batman had ever done. "Tactically, I'm at a disadvantage. No weapons to defend myself and my knowledge of my surroundings is just as adequate as my enemies. I need to get to a place where they can't reach. Based on his size, my guess is the ventilation system. From there, I would attempt to retrieve my belongings and them find a method of escape."
"Hey, and what do you know? About ten to fifteen minutes into the timer, the armory guards get a call leading them away. Your possessions are in there. That's not a likely coincidence."
Hal sighed. "Guys, we have three minutes left to find this guy. So if we could get to the part about where he goes next?"
"So, Batman, you've got your supplies. What do you do now?" Oliver grinned. Why was everyone around here having so much fun with a potentially timeline ending, hypertension inducing event?
Fine. The least he can do is be as unhelpful as possible, just like everyone besides Diana seemed to be doing. "My best move is to wait until I've got an opportune time to strike. Get my targets separated if I can, use the element of surprise if I can't. If I have no natural advantage, I have to make one." He speaks slowly, so slowly he knows it must be killing Flash and Green Lantern.
Barry suddenly groaned, tipping his head back. "If he's been waiting for an opportunity, that means he's been following us. For nearly twenty minutes! Hal, I hate to say it man, but I think we've lost."
"No! We've still got two minutes. Besides, that's what Batman would do in a potentially life-threatening situation. This is hide and seek! We're not trying to kill the kid." Hal protests. There's no way he's losing a round when he's had thirty minutes to search the Watchtower with the Fastest Man Alive.
"Hal, I do believe you were threatening him with the full might of a Green Lantern Ring within two seconds of the kid stepping foot on this station. That's about as life-threatening as it gets!"
Green Lantern turned to Barry, crossing his arms over his chest. "So? GA had an arrow pointed at his chest and I don't see you bashing him about it. And what about Batman? He had a deadly weapon pointed at his future partner? Could have torn the timeline apart himself by doing that. But I'm the one you have an issue with?"
"Uh, for the record, I never said I didn't have an issue with that, nor did I ever say that they didn't help contribute to the potentially life-threatening bit. You are the one who assumed that. You know what happens when you assume? You make an ass out of you and me. You assumed you could find Robin when the he's most likely from the future and absolutely knows more about all of us than we do him. Now you're getting pissy about it."
A voice echoes around the cafeteria from above. "Ladies, ladies, you're both beautiful. Now, I do believe thirty minutes has passed, which means I win."
Four heads turn towards the ceiling to find Robin, hanging from the rafters by his knees. It's very clearly a nod to the man who mentored him, including the fingers he's holding next to his head to imitate Batman's cowl. The wide grin on his face is a clear indication that he's very pleased with his handiwork. If it weren't for the fact that the roof was nearly two stories away from the ground, this scene would be a lot funnier.
"What the hell?! How long have you been there?!" Hal pointed an accusing finger at Robin.
The boy shrugged. "About five minutes. It's been fun watching you two go postal over little ol' me. Also, Ollie? Very clever get-around for the rule. I'll have to remember that next time we do this."
"Thanks, I guess. Kid, can you do us all a favor and get down from there? I think we'll all feel much better once you're on the ground and not dangling upside down from the roof." Oliver tried his best to negotiate. Sure, he'll go galivanting around on rooftops every night, but he's got his arrows and he knows for sure he can catch himself in a fall. They still have no idea exactly what Robin is capable of.
Robin's grin turned downright Cheshire-ish. "If you want."
And with that, he let go of the beam.
Every hero in that room suddenly developed the paternal instincts that naturally arose when a toddler decided to do something stupid. Green Lantern's ring was activating to catch the bird, Flash was two milliseconds away from running up the wall, Batman and Green Arrow were both pulling out grappling lines to throw. Then, somehow, Robin twists in midair, avoiding the helpful pillow GL made and landing on his feet without so much as a sound.
"Tada!" Robin smiled, raising his hands above his head. A teenager with intimate knowledge not just on their reaction time but on their flexibility. A flair for the dramatic. The ability to fit into tight spaces. The technique with which he used to land without injuring himself.
Batman squints at the boy. "You're an acrobat."
"Good guess, B! Yep, I'm an acrobat. And that's all I'm telling you about my secret identity. Trust me, you'll know what do to when the time comes." Robin clapped.
"Oh god, you sound like one of those old wise men in all the cheesy movies. Guys, I think I'm actually having heart palpitations. This has never happened to me before." Hal huffed, holding his chest tightly.
"Oh don't worry, Uncle Hal. When you get all your nephews together, we turn your hair gray before anyone else." Robin smirked.
"Nephews?" Barry's eyes went wide.
"Gray?!" Hal yelped, hands going to clutch his precious brown hair.
It's at that moment in time that another portal opens up into the Watchtower Cafeteria, a light blue border opening up to reveal Zatanna on the other side standing in what appears to be the Mountain. Her face instantly lit up at the right of the acrobat. "Robin! There you are!"
"Hey, Z! Well, it looks like my ride is here, so I'm going to go. Bye guys!" Robin hurried into the portal before any of the adults could complain, waving as it closed behind him.
Hal blinked several times. "I'm not hallucinating...right?"
Oliver shuddered. "If you are, we all are."
---
"Rob!"
Robin has barely stepped through the portal when he's body-slammed, tackled to the floor by his best friend in the world Wally West. He can't help but laugh (once he catches his breath), thankful the speedster had the foresight to cushion his head. "KF! Good to see you, dude."
"Dude, you had us worried sick! You weren't responding to our comms at all and all Fate would tell us is that you were where you needed to be when you needed to be and he wouldn't bring you back even though Batman threatened and then he disappeared and then we had to go to Zatanna and then she had to do like six spells to find where you were and then she still had to make the portal because apparently Fate left some sort of like magical lock and she had to break it and-"
Barry (Uncle Barry. Familiar Barry.) put a hand on Wally's shoulder. "Why don't we let him stand up and then we can explain at a speed that most humans can understand?"
"Oh. Whoops. Sorry, Rob." Wally grinned, standing up and offering a hand to the acrobat.
"So, how much of Baywatch's explanation did you actually catch?" Artemis elbowed the speedster in the side.
Robin brushed the dust off his shoulders. "All of it. It was kind of what I was expecting anyway," He turned to the original Justice League members who were all looking at him with various expressions of relief. "Side note, do you guys remember me crashing in way back when or was I in an alternate universe?"
Oliver chuckled. "I still remember it like it was yesterday. You left quite an impression."
"I'm pretty sure if I tried, I could still recite that ring pop argument word for word." Hal shuddered. "You also failed to mention that I temporarily get possessed by the Parallax, which is half of what turned my hair gray."
"And you failed to mention that the nephews he was getting were not all from me. I kept waiting on edge for years for Iris' sister or for Iris herself to announce she was pregnant." Barry smirked.
Wally looked at Robin was an equally perplexed and impressed look. "What exactly were you up to over there?"
Robin shrugged. "Mischief and mayhem. My specialties."
---
By the time Robin is finally back in the Batcave with Bruce (his Bruce), he's ready to hit the sack and sleep for a week. Time traveling is weirdly exhausting (something he should have believed Barry about more) and he's had enough emotional whiplash for the day, thank you very much. He's so tired once he changes from his Robin uniform into a set of very comfortable pajamas that he almost missed Bruce clearing his throat, the Batman cowl falling to rest on his back. Almost
"I think we need to talk." Bruce says. His tone is light and the smile on his face tells Dick that he's not necessarily in trouble. He's getting an odd sense of deja vu, though.
Oh. Final Jeopardy time.
"Uh, sure. What about?" Dick asks, pausing his path to the stairs. If this conversation starts turning into something heavy, he's got half a mind to book it for the elevators. He's probably fast enough to make it before Bruce can stop the elevator doors.
"Did you need to cause absolute chaos the entire time you were at the Watchtower?"
Dick feigns shock. "Bruce, I thought you knew me by now. That's what I excel at! Besides, I was just giving you guys a taste of what was to come. And think: you only had me there. Do you know how much worse it would have been if both me and Wally were sent back? Side note again, if we ever run across Fate, I'm smacking him upside the face. I don't care what he'll do to me, I'm getting retribution for everything he put me through."
"So tell me: what were you doing those ten minutes you were unaccounted for?"
Dick grinned manically. "So you know that little bug you guys had with the comm system where anytime Uncle Hal or Uncle Barry said anything stupid it would do the little whomp whomp sound? It wasn't actually a bug. That was me."
He'll never admit it, but the laugh he pulls from Bruce is one of Dick's proudest moments.