From Bruce's perspective it's Damien. From old hero's perspective it's Robin. Richard thinks of himself as Dick or sometimes when he's being sneaky Robin.
The Other Character was in response to a request from the bosses. I was ordered to add him. He's modelled loosely after someone from another fandom. He'll stay in a minor role.
Every day Damien tried to take Bear with him. Bruce said Bear couldn't go to school, that Bear would get ruined there. He would get lost or stolen or broken. You didn't take toys you loved to preschool.
Bruce wasn't sure why Damien started to hyperventilate when he told him that. It took Bruce an hour and a half to get Damien calmed down again. If he'd been an outside observer to his own conversation he would have growled at himself that he was an idiot that had just told his own son that he was banished to preschool where he was going to get ruined: lost, stolen or broken and that he was sending him because he didn't love him.
"Please just try to learn sign language at least," encouraged Bruce wearily. Bruce wasn't sure if Damien's issues with the preschool had to do with abandonment anxiety caused by the death of his parents and the interdimensional incident, actually confronting the possibility of staying deaf, the isolation of strange environment where he didn't speak the language or all of the above. He just knew it wasn't going well.
"I can come home when I can speak sign language?" pleaded Damien.
Bruce gently ran his fingers though Damien's hair and tucked his blankets around him more snugly. "It's past bedtime Damien. Go to sleep."
"You forgot to turn the stars on."
Bruce turned on the nightlight that sent stars slowly swirling across Damien's bedroom. Bruce, at his wits end, had researched soothing aids to help settle a hearing impaired child for bedtime. His poor little guy was barely sleeping.
Damien didn't do what Bruce wanted but he did what Bruce asked. He shut out all the potential friends and the teachers and started memorizing sign language with an obsessive focus.
The Brahm's centre was okay. Bear was allowed to come. Doctor Graham said so.
Week two Bruce walked in and almost kissed the psychologist.
"Hi Damien, who's this?"
"This is Cat. He plays violin too but he's actually good! He plays in the Gotham symphony and he plays piano too! Did you know he speaks five differnent languages including Rom!"
The little boy with a fluff ball of blond curls on his head, a tan complexion and cherub cheeks, self consciously started tugging on Damien's sleeve. "Dami, Dami, I only know four. I can only say a few words in Romani."
"I'm counting it anyway," insisted Damien dismissively.
"I told you, my uncle just sings me bed time songs and tells me old stories with little bits of Romani mixed in."
"Do you know any naughty words in Rom?" asked Damien with a mischievous monkey grin.
Cat blushed shyly which was an obvious yes in Damien's book but looked nervously at Damien's dad and shrugged self consciously neither confirming nor denying anything.
Damien giggled.
Bruce swatted him playfully. "Should have named you mischief."
"It's fun trying to lip read in different languages! Cat builds robots for fun! Hey Cat, how complicated can you make the programming?"
"S..S..Sorry, I don't know how to do that yet," Cat apologized. "That's why my robots aren't very good."
Bruce smiled. The little guy obviously had self confindence isssues despite almost certainly being highly gifted. He was here for the same assessment as Damien.
"No Cat! You don't understand. I'm rubbish at robots but awesome at programming! I could help you with your robots!" Damien explained excitedly.
Cat smiled shyly.
Cat backed up nervously when Damien did an excited flip. Cat, shy but intrigued tried a tentative awkward somersault flop.
Damien laughed happily and glomped Cat in an enthusiastic hug. Cat giggled and whispered shyly. "I'm sorry. I'm not good enough for what you did."
Damien face palmed. "Stop apologizing Cat!"
"Sorry."
"That's still apologizing!" pointed out Damien grinning playfully. "Don't be good enough. Just be yourself," Damien encouraged.
Dick wasn't sure why Bruce sat and started chatting with Cat's uncle, neither Bruce nor Cat's Uncle seemed in a hurry to leave. They just let them play for like an hour! They were even late for dinner. Dick had no idea what Bruce said to Alfred about it but Alfred actually smiled when they were late! Weird.
Jason hadn't heard anything from Robin for a while. It worried him. Neither Roy nor Harper knew anything about it. "Maybe you could sneak him a burner phone with text? Things can get dark real fast in that house."
Harper laughed but took the challenge. He stopped by Gotham Academy and flagged down Tim at lunch. He wasn't sure if this would work. The Bat family was so freaking suspicious. If he just stuffed the phone in a toy and gave it to Tim the phone would be found before it ever got to Robin. Tim was a scary detective and he noticed everything.
"Hey Tim, I've got this new tracker chip. I was hoping you could work your magic and find a way to detect it? I don't think it's still active but I've put it in lead just in case." Harper passed off the tech to Tim.
Of course, Harper got an angry call from Batman on his communicator later that evening because the tracker was live and there was no way lead would have shielded the signal.
"I am so sorry," Harper apologized. "Can you shield against it or detect it." Harper's computer showed where Tim and Bruce had gone. There had been a 15 min stop at a preschool. Harper smiled.
Harper sat at the bus stop just outside the fence of the preschool playground for Saint Agnes School for the Deaf. Robin saw him and conveniently kicked a ball over the fence so it landed right beside him. Harper picked it up and handed the ball and the phone to Rob then when the bus came he hopped on board.
"Hey Jay, you owe me a case of beer," Harper reported.
Rob looked at the phone which had a Snuffleupagus sticker on it. He crawled under the climber and opened it. He grinned and texted, "Hi Big Bird."
"Baby Bird, you ok? You've been quiet."
Jason texted back and forth to Robin for a good half hour. Jason was working with his hands so he was using voice to text. His computer showed video of the small bird looking down towards the camera in the phone as he typed. There were deep dark circles under the little guy's eyes but as he texted some of the tension eased out of his shoulders.
"Tuck the phone in your pocket Baby bird," encouraged Jason who could see sleep settling in. If there was anyone around to bet with Jason would have put money on the little guy falling asleep under the climber he was hidden under. "Idiot Bat," muttered Jason, "talk to him and really listen how hard is it." Unnoticed to Jason, his last muttered words texted through to Robin who read them and gave them a lot of thought.
"So how's Rob?" asked Harper later that night.
"I forgot to tell him we busted up the human trafficking ring."
Roy was there too. He was playing with Liam, Harper's baby girl, while they wrapped up details. He just started laughing.
"What gives dirt face?!" Jason demanded of Roy.
"You're excited to tell your five year old brother about the human trafficking ring you busted up. It's ridiculous."
"He's not my brother," protested Jason weakly.
Harper started snickering at which point Liam started giggling.
"Bruver, bruver," Liam clapped and giggled.
"Next thing you'll be saying the replacement's my brother," snarked Jason scowling.
"The replacement doesn't know you exist," answered Roy.
"The five year old has decided he's the eldest so he's going to take care of you," teased Harper.
"And beat up the bullies that pick on you," added Roy.
"And help you with your homework," added Harper.
"And never miss your death day, birthday or feezle day," added Roy.
"And share his cookies. Don't forget the cookies!" added Harper.
"Coookies," shreiked Liam cheerfully still clapping.
Jason huffed. He used to be a lone wolf. Now his apartement was all cluttered up with friends and a baby. He didn't even have a gun in reach, just a few knives. What was the world coming to?
Dick looked at the list of ASL words he knew. He'd been memorizing as fast as he could, 2510. According to the computer the average five year old had an expressive vocabulary of 2100 to 2200 words. 2510 words should count. He would try to actually understand the teacher and kids today and see how he did. ASL was mostly a language of substitution. He only had to memorise words.
Dick looked in his old piggy bank there was about ten dollars in small change. He grabbed it. Most of his savings had always been kept in the real bank and he didn't have access to any of his old bank accounts. Technically with him legally dead all his old money belonged to Bruce. Hmmm... He thought hard. There was an old emergency stash or two in the streets of Gotham hidden where even Batman didn't know just in case of emergency. Was this an emergency?
"Big Bird? Are you busy tomorrow from from 11 to 12?" he texted. Dick had been all through Jason's files on the bat computer. Even the triple encrypted ones. Jason was dangerous but Dick didn't think he was dangerous to him.
The preschool teachers had no idea what was going on when the next morning Damien actually started talking to them and to other children. His father said he didn't know ASL. He was nearly fluent.
As snack time approached Dick slipped out of the bathroom window. The teachers wouldn't do a head count till outdoor time in about 2 hours.
Jason was waiting across the street on his motorcycle in the shade of a tree. Robin nodded to him but other than that ignored him. He felt the phone vibrate and looked down.
"You're gonna be in deep with B, Baby Bird. You sure about this?"
"B needs this." Robin got on the city bus discretely, pretending to be with a mom and her baby. He sat at the back of the bus and watched Jason on his bike. "Awesome bike," he signed to Jason.
Jason saluted him.
Robin got off in a really rough part of Gotham and removed a maintenance panel off of an old air conditioner when no one was looking. He took out two hundred dollars and sealed the rest back up.
Jason kept his distance but he was watching.
"You can have the rest if you really need it some day. There should be 10K there," he texted Jason.
"It's your stash. B's world is crazy. You might need it. I won't touch it," typed Jay.
When Robin went to head into a convience store Jay signaled him. Jason crossed the street and approached.
"Let me. You're too short for this much cash to be safe Baby Bird. You want anything but the tickets?"
Robin shook his head no. "Thanks Jason!"
Jason staggered under the unexpected weight of a hug. It made his throat feel all tight and weird and his eyes sting.
"Short stuff, I'm glad you called," spoke Jay softly when the little guy was looking back up at him again. "Scare B all you want but stay safe okay."
"I am safe."
"With me... I got half a dozen warrants on my head," protested Jason.
"Yeah I know."
Jason made the convience store purchases then went back to tailing Bruce's little bird from a distance. He watched following a second bus to Wayne Enterprises. He pulled away and headed back toward Bludhaven when Robin was in the building.
Robin/Dick/Damien, knew exactly how young he looked. He tailed someone with dark hair into the building making it look as if he was along with a parent and the security guards didn't even look twice. He'd hacked the building last night remotely and programmed a code for himself so he entered the elevator and keyed in the code for the executive floor.
He got all the way to the top before security even challenged him.
"Excuse me young man but this area is off limits."
Mr. Greg Weirson's name tag was duly noted. "I'm here visiting Daddy."
"What is your Daddy's name?"
A moment of thought was given to recalling disbelief in response to who his guardian was. "...Daddy. We're going to the zoo today. I'm waiting for him."
"Where were you supposed to wait?"
Dick pointed towards a small sitting area outside of Bruce's office. He was so close. He didn't want to make a huge scene.
The guard took him by the hand and led him over. "Cheryl is anyone in with Mr. Wayne right now? This little guy..."
"DADDY!" called Dick excitedly.
"DAMIEN?!" Bruce froze on the spot trying to process what was going on.
"I did it. I memorized 2510 words. That exceeds the vocabulary of the average five year old so I'm done preschool and we're going to the zoo. I bought tickets." Dick signed reaching into his pocket with a big smile and pulling out the tickets.
"... Cheryl, hold my calls, appointments, meetings." Bruce got down on one knee. "Chum, you decided you were done with preschool so you just left? How did you get here?"
"I took the bus."
Bruce pulled Damien into his office and closed the door thanking Cheryl and Greg. "By yourself?"
Dick/Damien nodded doing his best to look ignorant although he knew full well what was going through Bruce's head.
Bruce pulled up the preschool's number on his phone, "If you are looking for Damien he just showed up at my office." He spoke waiting for the TTY phone to be read at the school
"Students must be signed out by a parent or guardian before leaving school property," a computer voice replied.
A frustrating five minute call revealed no one had yet noticed Damien missing. Bruce had every intention of going down there and chewing them out. It was really unsatisfying text messaging someone with harsh words.
"Daddy?" called Dick/Damien signing and speaking. "I like Uncle Clark, Conner, Tim, Papa Alfred and Papa Gordon and Mommy Babs but they aren't you. I thought you liked the zoo."
Bruce paused his rampage, though he was by no means done with this whole thing. "I like the zoo because you like the zoo Damien." Bruce replied in speech and sign although he signed Dick rather than Damien.
"There's a short sign for my name. Cat came up with it. He says I'm bouncy." Damien signed a bouncing letter D.
Bruce smiled and echoed back the sign.
"Please talk to me. Tell me stuff. My world is silent enough right now. Am I really going to be able to hear again?" asked Damien.
Manipulative little bugger,... Bruce pushed the button on his intercom. "Cheryl. Mark me out for the rest of the day." He let go the button. "Damien let's go to the zoo." A long while later Bruce answered that they really wouldn't know until after the surgery. J'onn had plans to try some micro repair up on the Watchtower.
Dick/Robin narrowed his eyes at Bruce suspiciously. He knew Bruce very well.
Bruce finally admitted that Leslie kept saying everything would definitely improve but that there might be some hearing loss.
"Some is not the same as deaf. Do you feel better now that I know sign language again?"
Bruce still frowned and Dick laughed. "You need more ice cream in your life."
Dick ran to the nearby vendor getting one vanilla cone with sprinkles and one pistachio cone. He offered Bruce "the blended alien brain" cone.
"It's just as well I had two ice cream cones in my hands just then I don't know how to sign blended or alien," admitted Dick.
"Where'd you get this money?" asked Bruce. Dick's expression was his 'I've been up to something naughty' tell. It made Bruce want to smile just to see it.
"One of the old emergency stashes," admitted Dick guiltily.
"We're at the zoo and I'm talking but you are in big trouble Mister," explained Bruce.
"I'll happily wash all your cars and scrub the basement with a toothbrush if you just start really talking to me again and spending time with me. You could have come with me to the farm you know."
Bruce scowled.
"If you burned those bridges build new ones. I'll help," encouraged Dick.
They talked and talked and talked...
Batman and Robin came to the next JLA meeting. Red Robin had added a speech to text display in Robin's mask.
"I'm so proud of you. You are an awesome Robin," Red Robin mouthed silently to Robin. "Go straighten those block heads out."
Robin acted as a translator.
"What are you doing here?" an astonished Superman sputtered.
"Superman said I'm so surprised and happy to see you."
"That's not what he said," growled Batman.
"Batman said I recognize the JLA is important and I'm here to help do my part."
"What do we need him for?" demanded Green Lantern.
"Green Lantern said that really makes me think. I wonder how our different skill sets can compliment each other?"
"What's a kid doing on the Watchtower," demanded someone Robin didn't recognize.
"Kicking your butt if you're not careful," answered Robin cheekily.
That first meeting was surreal but productive. The master detective knew things, he made connections and he was needed.
It exceeded Robin's attention span though. It exceeded Barry's attention span too. Only Batman noticed that in addition to the ghost image of Barry sitting watching the meeting attentively another Barry was zipping back and forth under the table playing checkers with Robin who occasionally giggled in response.