Chapter Text
41: Replaced Worlds I~
Prime Earth - New 52
"His real name is Richard Grayson."
With just 6 words-
There goes Dick's entire life!
The JLA was apparently defeated, the Teen Titans had done the crazy thing and attacked.
Red Hood? No idea.
Owlman had tried to beat him over to his side, claiming that he was all that crazy man had left.
Honestly he'd rather die than end up as his Talon!
Dick glanced down at the Murder Machine and sighed. There was no way he was getting out of this trap, he was pretty sure Batman hadn't trained him to get out of something like this but he had trained him to never get captured!
The station shook a little, making him look around for a bit, trying to figure out what was going on.
After a while and some more tremors three people entered the room and gasped at him.
"Well Luthor, we found Nightwing! Now how are we going to get him out of that thing? Batman might show up soon and lose his mind." Catwoman turned to the villain.
Luthor was still in mild shock when the door behind them slammed shut and Bizarro started to hit it.
Dick sighed. "It's no use, this room was designed to hold Doomsday."
Luthor opened up a part of the timer and tried to disconnect it but he cursed when the relays repaired themselves.
Bizarro was watching him before he tilted his head. "Can't... Be... Hero..."
Dick shook his head. "Not when the world knows who I am... Luthor, the only way to stop this is to stop my heart!"
The villain gaped at him. "Are you trying to give Batman a reason to rip my head off?!"
"I'm not safe anymore! This whole goddamn world knows I'm Nightwing! Stop my heart and don't bring me back!"
The station shook again and objects from the ceiling fell on the ground, for once Lex was at a loss of what to do. Bizarro placed his hand on Lex's shoulder and pointed at Dick.
"New... World... Safe... To be... Hero."
"Good idea Bizarro, Lex probably has a motherbox and-" Catwoman said.
Lex froze. "I do have one! Grayson, this cardioplegia pill is going to paralyze the surrounding muscles around your heart. It will make you flat line and that is all we need to get you out of this machine! I will give you an adrenaline shot once you're free and we can use the mother box to send you somewhere safe!"
The determination in those blue eyes was breathtaking.
"Do it."
Lex covered Dick's nose and mouth, felt the pill disappear and then they waited until they heard the flatline. "Alright! Catwoman, get this box going!" He tossed it to her and while she activated it he gave the adrenaline shot and had Bizarro help Dick to the portal.
"Don't tell Batman..."
"And risk being gutted? These mouths are sealed, kid."
¤.¤.¤
New Earth - Batman Reborn
Dead Robin: Richard Grayson - Nightwing
Cause of death: Sword to the heart while protecting 5th Robin - Damian Wayne
Killer: The Heretic - Damian Clone
¤.¤.¤
A brightly lit portal opened up in thin air above a roof top and Dick stumbled out before hitting the ground, rolling onto his back as the portal closed.
He blinked up at the star lit sky and sigh.
*Let's see if I can start a new life here. Try to avoid the Bats the best I can if there's another version of me running around. Hope my tracker doesn't-*
"NIGHTWING!"
*-Work! Are you kidding me?!*
Dick noticed that he couldn't move but his whole brain wouldn't work when something small, yellow with a dark hood fell on his chest. The smaller body shook in tears as he lifted his face, smiling down at him and laughed in joy as the tears fell.
Damian?!
No... Not mine... Another.
"HOW THE FUCK DID HE-?!"
"THAT SWORD WENT THROUGH HIM!"
Jason… Tim...
Heretic?!
His version had been killed by The Heretic instead of Damian?!
"Y-You're a-alive." Damian sniffed and placed his head back on Dick's chest, gloved fingers digging into his bare upper body.
Dick coughed a few times when R.H carefully sat him up. "Easy there, whoa... Look at you! What have you been through?"
"Don't... Remember..." Dick remembered, but with his identity out on his Earth...
Maybe he had a chance here?
"B... On the warpath?"
R.R grinned, taking off that funny looking cowl (pre-reboot look) and wiped his tears. "Course he is! Dick you... You died!" Tim laughed when Dick's eyes almost left their sockets in shock. R.H hugged him close while Robin buried his face deeper into Dick's chest, pressing his ear against his 'brother's' heart.
Dick sighed. "Full explanation when I wake up."
"Got it."
000
2 days later Batman sighed when the tests came back.
Richard Grayson - Sure
Their Richard? - Nope
Another one? - Positive
"I was sent here because my identity was revealed to the world."
Batman jumped when Dick appeared out of nowhere, looking at the screens before sighed again. "I hear places were reversed here during the Heretic fight." Batman frowned before taking off the cowl, feeling it might be better to talk human to human instead of human to bat.
"Reversed?"
"My version of Damian was killed... Here it's me. Don't tell them about this (he points at the screen), just let them think I pulled the impossible and survived or came back to life with a slight amnesia. I want to save people and I want to be Nightwing... Or Batman if needed."
Bruce frowned. "Stubborn?"
"Every damn cell in this body."
"Welcome home, Richard."
000
"How could you forget us?!" Stephanie pouted at Dick, who honestly had no idea who the two girls in front of him were.
So he just played half amnesiac.
"Sorry, I don't remember anything but being stabbed through the chest... And I should be dead!" He pulled up his shirt over his head and looked at the scars. Hoping this world Richard had had the scars on the same places.
The batkids gaped.
"Where are your scars?"
Dick looked again.
Nothing.
"...Jason, shirt off."
"What?"
"I died with my whole freaking body full of scars, I came back without a single one. Shirt. Off.”
Jason shrugged and pulled his shirt off, the Y was the one that made everyone cringe. Dick noticed a few other scars... Some looked fresh.
"How long have I been gone?"
"3 months."
Dick put his shirt back on and rubbed his forehead as he sat down and suddenly Damian was attached to him again. He actually didn't mind that. "Well someone's become a cuddlaholic while I've been gone." He chuckled.
Tim sat down on his left and wiggled under his arm. Dick smirked.
"And you're still a work aholic aren't you?"
Tim's blush was almost the same shade as Robin's tunic.
000
Bruce called Dick to the study on the 5th day.
"How are you settling here?" He asked. The house was empty save for them. Alfred was out grocery shopping and the Batkids had left for a day out, Dick had stayed behind claiming to need some more rest.
It wasn't really a lie.
Dick sat down and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees, interlacing his fingers together and pressed his palms against each other taking his time to gather his thoughts and think of the best way to explain it to a man who wasn't really his father.
But he was sure the man would love to try.
"I'm getting there, going through every home video and albums that this world’s Richard had. Hoping it'd help me get in character here... But those girls are unfamiliar to me."
Bruce's eyes widened a little. "The blonde girl's name is Stephanie Brown, 4th Robin and current Batgirl."
"4th?! And Damian's is- Holy god how many Robin's are going to hatch?" Dick gaped and leaned back in the chair.
Bruce smirked. "She stole the Robin uniform."
"Pulled a Jason?"
"And she died, killed by Black Mask."
"Is she stubborn?"
Bruce actually cackled. "Her level of stubbornness rivals mine! Both her arms were broken and she was still fighting!"
Dick was impressed.
"Please tell me you let her be Robin for a time, I've noticed that it's a great beginners ID and then after a few years and experience that Robin makes its own ID, hanging up the costume for someone else in line."
"I did, and that's what got her killed."
Dick frowned for a moment.
"What happened... To Richard? Was it Talia? Did she try to take Damian?"
Bruce nodded and capped his pen, feeling that paperwork could wait.
This Richard Grayson understandably had questions that he needed answered if he was going to stay here.
"Richard didn't like that, he made sure Damian hit a case of armor that made him black out for a moment and during that, Richard gave his life for us and took Heretic with him. Talia was shocked when Nightwing killed him so brutally without hesitation, just clean and utter hatred and anger. She gave up easily knowing she'd end up the same if she tried getting Damian... We haven't heard from her after that."
"Did you bury him?"
"I couldn't find him, I was still looking when Red Hood radioed in that they had found you... Alive and no trace of a stab wound in the chest."
At that Dick stood up. "Yeah about that- When I was in that machine I had scars all over my body and here... Not a trace." Bruce stood up and examined himself, nodded a few times before leaning against the desk.
"I'm not all that familiar with alternate universes but it could be that the energy from the portal did that."
"Maybe... Is there something about this world I should know?"
"I think acting amnesiac is safest for now, having other people explain it for you and then act as if it rings a bell or two." Bruce suggested before he grew quiet. Dick saw something in those blue eyes that made the shy little boy in him resurface after years.
"You never got a chance to adopt Richard, did you?"
"You're as good at reading people as Cassandra, the Chinese looking girl. She's the second Batgirl but now Black Bat. And- yes, I never did get to adopt him... Laws had changed over the years so when I took in Jason I had to adopt him. It hurt to see the look of betrayal in Richard's eyes... I'll never forget that look of hatred he had for me... He didn't like any of the kids at first but he warmed up to them after some time. He was the first to trust Damian when he came."
Dick smiled. "Yeah, that little rascal doesn't need encouragement anymore, he's clinging to me all on his own. The second I come into a room he's suddenly glued on me." Bruce's jaw fell and then snapped close.
He wasn't complaining.
"Do you have the adoption papers?" Dick asked. He couldn't go back to his world, he wasn't safe there. He always wanted to be adopted by Bruce but it never happened.
This Bruce was different.
The billionaire nodded and went through his drawers until he found them.
"I don't think Richard will mind... Just being happy that someone is taking care of you all." Dick said as he stood up and grabbed a pen. Bruce nodded and sat down feeling lightheaded as Dick sighed the papers.
Fulfilling both their wishes.