Here's the newest Batman oriented fic. This was the winner of a poll that I had done about a month or so ago. I thought it would be fun to create a story where Dick was a child again. One thing that I want to put out there in regards to Dick's predicament is that while he is a child, he does have will have all of his memories. I know with some de-aged fics, the character in question may not remember their present self's life. For mine, he will remember everything (which will be stated in the next chapter), but he can only comprehend it on the grounds of being a child. With that he may comprehend it from his own experience and personality at that age as compared to say Damian at that age if that makes sense. Also, with the Joker, I kind of bounce between 'the Joker' and 'Joker' the latter only for when he's talking. I wan't sure which to go with, because in some cases people might use 'Joker' while others use "the Joker". If you think I should go with one or the other, let me know which one and I'll go with that.
Now regardless of whether or not you've read my previous piece Breaking You I'm going to approach Damian's character a little differently than I did in that story. If you have read it than you know how I approached Damian's reaction to the situation, but for those who haven't I focused on Damian being his serious and adult (I think that's the word I'm looking for) like nature, but aggressively protective of his family, specifically Dick, as the story went on. In this fic, I'm still gone to have Damian serious nature, but I'm also going to look into him more annoyed (and potentially jealous) approach to the situation. I know there are a number of qualities that Damian has, but I'm focusing on certain ones given the situation.
With that said, I hope enjoy the first chapter.
It was meant to be a simple visit to Gotham. Having finally gotten some time off for the first time in over a month, Dick wanted to see Bruce and Damian. Unfortunately, arriving after the Joker made another Arkham escape, wasn't what he had in mind for a welcoming party. He now found himself joining Batman and Robin in their chase.
"You're early." Batman noted. "You said you'd be here in the morning."
"Got off work early." Dick replied. "Don't tell me you want me gone already."
"Please, you've always been a nuisance Nightwing." Damian bluntly stated, rolling his eyes. "No matter when you show up or how long you stay around."
"I missed you too Robin."
Florescent lights would stop their arguing as the colorful, yet vacant carnival grounds greeted them. Not wanting to immediately split up, Batman had Robin and Nightwing tag along for the initial scan. As they approached the hall of mirrors, a crazed laugh erupted through the air.
"Don't you just love carnivals?" Joker spontaneously inquired, waltzing out of the tent. "The sights, the sounds, the children running around having fun. Though that's not why you're here, now is it?"
"You robbed a pharmacy and blew up a neighboring party store," Damian sarcastically snapped, "what do you think?"
Another amused cackle escaped from the Joker, not surprised by his response.
"Always to the point, aren't we? But what if I told you I'm not ready to go back?"
With the snap of a finger, several of his goons began to emerge from the shadows. Taking a few steps back, the Joker watched as they ambushed the vigilante trio.
Finally deciding to split up, Batman, Robin, and Nightwing each went after several of the goons. Robin took on three to four men at once, seeing it as not much of a problem. Nightwing would have just as much ease as his successor. Making his way in the Joker's general direction, Batman plowed through a few of his men. However, with each goon he disarmed there were two more waiting to take their turn.
As he knocked a goon out, the silhouette of the Joker caught Nightwing's eye. Noticing the clown reach for something in his coat, Nightwing was suspicious of the Joker's focused attention on Batman. When a small gun shaped weapon was brought out, Nightwing instantly took the initiative, decking the goon between him and his target.
"Move!" Nightwing shouted, shoving Batman aside the crisp sound of a gun erupted.
"Nightwing!" Batman called out, as he regained his footing.
There was no response as Nightwing was lying on the ground, gas dissipating. He was breathing, but he didn't appear to be conscious. Batman's attention immediately shifted to the one responsible for it.
"And that's my cue." Joker playfully announced, throwing his toy aside and running off.
Batman bolted after the Joker, leaving Robin to deal with the Joker's remaining henchmen.
Returning to the scene, Batman would hand the Joker over to the authorities. He would then make his way over to his companions. Robin would approach his father, a puzzled frown contemplating some form of issue.
"Father, we have a bit of a situation." Robin admitted, revealing what should have been an unconscious body.
Hazy surroundings began to form as Dick began to wake up. The dim lighting of the Batcave graced his line of sight. A deep sigh escaped, alerting Bruce and Damian that he was conscious.
"Take it easy." Bruce calmly whispered, one hand keeping Dick down until he was completely alert. "You go hit by a small gas pelt. The newest of the Joker's experiments." A sigh left Bruce. "I want to thank you for what you did, but that was a bit reckless on your part."
"I know," Dick dryly replied, "but I didn't want to take any chances."
It didn't take long for Dick to create a puzzled expression. Blinking a few times, he noticed that something was wrong. Slowly sitting up, he looked to Bruce for answers.
"What happened to my voice?" He asked, a hand hovering over his throat.
"About that," Bruce began, "I'm not sure how to put this without startling you, but that wasn't his usual venom cocktail."
Bruce took in a deep breath, knowing that he should just spit it out. All the while, Dick intently stared at him, anxious to know what was wrong.
"You're a kid Dick. Eight years old to be exact."
Confusion fluttered through Dick's frame, not knowing how to respond to it. It was soon replaced by panicked denial. Studying himself, he realized that he was no longer in uniform, but rather clothes that hadn't fit him in years. He soon noticed that his leaner frame as he tried to find a mirror or something to clarify Bruce's declaration.
Hopping off the metallic furniture, he approached the first thing he could think of, not paying attention to the unusual size change of his environment. The glass frame protecting his old uniform reflected the truth. He was shocked by the image he saw, regardless of the truth Bruce's diagnosis.
The build of a toned and flexible child stood in front of him, terrified by its reflection.
I know the beginning may not be entirely perfect, but it does get get across what I wanted to do, which was to introduce the problem. I've got quite a few things (ranging from serious to fluff) planned for this story and this chapter is really meant to get the ball rolling.
Now I plan to update this story every few days (similarly to Breaking You), however, I may not jump right into that for the first week or two. I plan on finishing at least one of my in progress pieces (because I have two fics that aren't complete yet). Once I get that one done though, I should be uploading pretty regularly, with two chapters being uploaded a week.