You can see the Mummy he threw the gun at wince and I love thinking about it as a mummy who was undead but still doesn't want their face to get hurt

Aromantic_Satan suggested I return to this series so thank them for that

They hadn't gone too far from the manor so the walk wasn't very long but they still needed something to fill up the time and dead air. It was just plain awkward to walk in silence. "How'd you get your suit? Surely that wasn't under your Nightwing uniform," Damian inquired. He very much doubted that Dick kept a replica of his suit under his already skin-tight suit in case something like this happened. Maybe he could change this version of his brother's mind to stray away from skin-tight to something more useful. He'd keep that in the back pocket but the first Robin suit made him think there was something intrinsic about Dick's sense of style.

"That would explain the clothes around me. I had to walk like three blocks in my underwear to find one of the suits I hid around town. You never know when you need to jump into action but I had hoped I'd be clothed already before needing them," he explained. "Three mums tried to give me money for clothes and everyone else thought I was dressed up like a caveman." He showed the twenty dollars he'd gotten from the mothers then quickly pocketed it before they could take it off him. Jason gave him a smug look, one that told him he hadn't done a good thing by Batman's book but a good thing by him. "Oh come on! I woke up in my underwear without sight of Bats or even a police officer, I could've used it for bus money," he defended. He tried to think further back but it just gave him a headache. That happened every time but he'd elected to ignore that.

"Sure you would've," Jason responded. "Didn't you think it was slightly suspicious when you saw those Fortnite costumes?" Robin shrugged, not knowing what in the world that was. He decided not to question it for now. 

"I thought all the things I didn't recognise were just American things I didn't know about yet. Travelling all over the place sort of makes pop culture blend together in one big blob." He looked over at Damian and frowned. "Aren't kids supposed to be happy on Halloween? You look like you could shoot lasers out of your eyes," he commented with a cheeky grin. 

"I'm not a kid!" he snapped. Robin hummed, raising an eyebrow.

"Then you must be a teenager since you're so grumpy," he said. Damian shot him a glare and the child stuck his tongue out at him, growing in confidence. The older squinted his eyes and looked away. 

"Can't wait till you're back to normal," he mumbled bitterly.

 Once home, Robin jumped down from Jason's arms and ran straight to the Batcave with a grin on his face. He couldn't wait to see a familiar face again after being surrounded by the unknown for the past few hours. It felt like years since he'd last seen his mentor and he could really do with some of his cureall hugs. "Someone's excited," Jason mumbled, running after him. They probably should've warned Bruce of what was going to greet him that night but it had slipped their minds. Surprisingly, calling your dad up isn't the first thing you think of when your eldest brother is now your youngest with no perceivable explanation. 

"I already hate this," Damian complained, walking behind him. He dropped his bag by the entrance and locked the heavy door behind him. The last thing they needed was a robbery to go along with the nine-year-old who was bound to be running amok in the manor for however long it took to fix him. 

Robin ran into the cave and saw Bruce typing at the Batcomputer. Beside him was his usual cup of black coffee and unusually beside him was a dark-haired teenager. He looked younger than Jason and older than Damian. That wasn't what concerned him, however. Bruce looked tired and worn out through years of stress and work. He hadn't seen him like that ever. Not even on the long gruelling nights they worked together sitting on the roof in winter with little more than a thin blanket and binoculars. "Bruce?" he asked, not sure if this was really his parental guardian.  

"What is it?" Bruce snapped. He seemed annoyed by the interruption but he never got annoyed when he called for him. He'd either answer with a loving "What's up?" or a light hum prompting him to continue. Sometimes if he was really engrossed in work he'd put one finger up before eventually giving his full attention. Had that much really changed since Dick was little? Jason had said that he was twenty-six in this era but what happened to his Bruce to turn him into this in those years? The malice in his voice sent a sharp pain right through Dick's chest. He didn't know what to do with what he was given. This man looked like Bruce but Bruce never talked to him like that so how could he ever seek comfort from this stranger parading as his mentor?

"Doesn't matter," he choked out. His throat was suddenly dry and he could feel the familiar prickle of unshed tears in his eyes. He didn't know why he was getting so upset at something so little but the response was so sharp. Someone who he didn't even know was nicer to him than the man he thought of as a father. 

"Then don't say my name I'm busy," he snapped back. This couldn't be his home, his guardian. It wasn't right. It couldn't be right. He couldn't be trapped here.

"What's the matter Dickie-bird?" Jason asked, seeing the boy slowly backing out towards the elevator. 

"What happened to him? Why does he not like me anymore?" Robin replied fretfully. His breath was leaving too quickly for him to suck enough in and he could feel his heart beating out a samba in his chest.

Tim and Bruce turned around when they heard the sound of someone hyperventilating. Their jaws dropped when the exact replica of the first Robin stood there with Jason trying to desperately catch his breath. "What happened to him?" Tim shrieked, making the poor boy flinch. He mouthed an apology to him but he doubted he saw it. Dick seemed too panicked to realise he was being plucked off the ground and back into Jason's arms let alone notice a silent apology. When he did realise, he rested his head on his shoulder and tried to copy the older's breathing so he could even out his own. 

"He got turned into a kid duh. He had no idea who we were and I bet he doesn't remember Replacement either. The only person he does know for sure is Bruce and I'm guessing Alfred too," Jason explained. He glanced down at the boy in his arms and gave him a comforting squeeze as his breathing slowed down. "Did you say something to him?" he added. Dick was really excited to come home so why was he suddenly so upset? 

"Only the usual. I don't know why he's so upset." Bruce answered. Robin stared at him like a kicked puppy. Had he really forgotten how he used to be? What happened between then and now?

"You snapped at me!" Robin corrected tearfully. "If that's what you're like to me when I'm older I don't see why I'd keep in touch," he added. Seeing his upset, Bruce cringed and took him off Jason. Looking back, he probably was a little crabbier than usual and this version of his ward wasn't even used to the usual. He wiped the stray tears off the younger's cheeks and felt guilt infest him at being the one to cause them. 

"I'm sorry chum, I didn't mean to snap at you. I was just very busy. You know I'd never mean to upset you," Bruce said. Robin nodded with a shrug.

"Guess so." Bruce frowned and kissed him on the forehead, getting a little lighthearted giggle from him. "Alright, I know so." He looked over to Tim with a peculiar look. "Are you starting a circus or something? How many other kids do I need to meet?" 

"Depends," Tim replied, following it with an awkward laugh. "So, what do we do now?"