Surprise Beach, here's a new chapter… and it's a time skip. But yeah no, like I said before, as much as I want to write everything down, there's only so much I could write and not make things a bit tedious for the reader. I know this chapter isn't a lot, but sometimes you just gotta go and say "fuck it" and post a fic. Or in this case, a chapter.

Oh! For those reading this on Wattpad and , I have a oneshot from this series over on Archive Of Our Own and only there. It's not canon to this main fic as it's a possible route that I wanted to explore. Another thing I wanted to talk about is that I do not plan on putting up anymore works from this series up on Wattpad and FF.N. It will all be only on AO3. This is mainly due to my main preferences for AO3 as a platform. But yeah. If you like this work here, then I highly suggest going over to AO3 for anymore content.

But yeah no I definitely need to work on the next chapter (chapter 13) and figure out how much time I should skip and whatnot. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

Terry knew for a fact that he came to the park too early. He and Jason agreed to meet at a later time than usual, but at this point it's basically a habit. He was over in a more secluded area, but he was positive Jason could find him if he went and searched.

(As much as he likes helping Jason out, he hates the fact that his stay in this Gotham was long enough that he has a routine. Just how much longer was he going to stay here? When will he find Matt? Or even his body? He doesn't know.

But it's hard to search for so long without Bruce or Alfred getting suspicious. He wouldn't be surprised if they were suspicious already. At least Terry's lone patrols gave him more of a chance than not searching at all.)

Two days ago, Terry had broken the news and told Jason while they were doing yoga. Sure, Terry didn't know much other than the basics, but Dick promised he would teach him more of the acrobatic stretches that would go under 'yoga' to help Jason out. Then yesterday Dick went on a whole spiel about treating a cut or cut like wound.

"We gotta make sure nothing gets infected!" He had said. And then he had Jason practice sewing on a cloth doll. Terry had a feeling that he himself would soon be subjected to the same cloth doll.

Honestly Terry guessed he just wanted to see how the park was doing before he met Jason though; since he was probably a good hour or so early. All the ice left by Mr. Freeze was officially gone. So there were a lot more families around. It was nice to see them having a good time. If there was one thing he was expecting, it was the sight of far away smiles and the sound of faint laughter.

If there was one thing that Terry wasn't expecting, however, it was the camera kid. Said kid was true to their word and hadn't gone out at night like he told them. Or at least to his and Dick's knowledge. But they haven't seen them on patrol so the duo only hoped that the kid actually did what they were told.

But here they were. Making a beeline over to him. In the daytime. They wore a different set of clothes yet it looked nearly the same as the last one. Not to mention the same camera was around their neck. It didn't take even a second for Terry to recognize them. They didn't even bother to hide themself!

They walked right up to him, and just stood there. In their expression was the same nervousness as before. However this time Terry saw something like determination hidden within.

"Uhh, hi?" Terry said, confused, and falling back on that fake accent of his. (The one Jason had deemed 'fake as hell'. Terry, however, thinks it was quite the convincing Boston accent.)

Instantly the kid drowned their nerves and a steel determination took its place. "I need to talk to you."

That… didn't really bode well.

"I know who you are."

That definitely didn't bode well at all.

Quickly, he held up 'his' hands. He then thickened his accent, silently hoping it would help. "Look kid, I dunno what ya talking about-"

"You're Robin." They interrupted. "Or at least you're using Robin's body."

There must've been a record scratching. Because everything stopped. His mind froze. Because… because what?

'Hoooooly shit.'He didn't know who thought that. His mind was too caught up in the fact that a nine year old knows that he's practically possessing Robin's body.

What the fuck?!

HOW?

"I-"

"I know I'm right."

Terry heavily sighed. Because seriously. What? He needs to process this, but there's hardly time for that.

'This kid can't be serious? Are they?' Dick asked, worriedly.

"Listen, kid, I don't know what you're talking about. If this is a game, I sure as heck would like to know all about it." Terry tried. Because seriously. Why the fuck- scratch that, how the fuck did a nine year old find out about… all this?

"I have proof." They had to be bluffing.

Terry scoffed. "Sure kid."

But then the craziest thing happened. The kid pulls out an envelope. He opens it to show pictures. Of Robin.

What the absolute fuck?!

"Robin was last sighted in Gotham on July 4th, helping Batman fight against Mr. Freeze who was wreaking havoc on this park. Later that day he was seen going into the Hall of Justice with fellow young heroes such as Speedy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad with their mentors. Even later that day it was said that Robin, along with only Kid Flash and Aqualad as Speedy had left earlier in a fury, responded to a call about a fire. Robin hadn't been seen until July 7th, on patrol by himself."

The child was showing said pictures as they talked. Some looked like they were pulled from the internet. Around the time they pulled out a photo for July 7th, the photos looked more… close, somehow. They were from a distance, but they were clear. Crisp. The one taking these knew what they were doing.

It looked like the same quality Terry saw when the child let him look at their photos, when they had first crossed paths. And in those set of photos was a very familiar one.

One where Robin was dropping down onto a criminal.

"Robin's movements during this time were… different. The way he would flip and land during and between jumps were clunky, as if he hadn't practiced in a while. If at all. And the way he would fight was less about dogging and more hitting." The child continued. "Then the next day Robin was patrolling with Batman, and his movements were normal. But then the next he was alone again. However it was showing that he was getting better. A pattern came to show that every other day Robin would switch between going alone or with Batman. Whenever he's alone, Robin isn't really Robin…"

He couldn't move. Heart was pounding. Sweat was dripping. He didn't even know if he was breathing or not.

"Either Robin got replaced, or somehow, you're switching places with him."

If a child figured this out, does this mean Bruce…?

'Terry.' A whisper filled his mind. 'You're panicking.'

He absolutely has every right to be panicking right then and there.

"Why are you telling me this? You have no proof that I'm Robin." He felt like he wasn't even there. It was… it was almost like he wasn't in control again. He couldn't tell if he kept up the accent, but he knew he was still 'behind the wheel'.

"Because I know who Robin is. I know who you are."

The child's voice seemed to pop whatever strange bubble he was in. 'His' head jumped up from the pictures. The fires of determination was still strong, in the child's eyes, but he could see something else. Worry.

"What happened between July 4th and July 7th Dick?" They asked, the worry truly shining through. "I want to help."

What…?

"What?" The word just slipped out.

A blush appeared on their face. "Well, I mean. You're not Dick since today marks one of the days with the other person is out and stuff. But like… if you're good I wanna help figure out why you're here… and stuff." Any conference they had dwindled by the time they finished.

Terry very much didn't know what to do. Actually he did know what he needed to do. Breathe.

Inhale.

Exhale.

That… felt better.

"Okay." He started. Then he rubbed the bridge of 'his' nose, moving the sunglasses a bit. "How did you come to the conclusion about the… whole… identity thing."

He wasn't even looking at the kid when they said, "there were only three people in the whole world who could do a quadruple flip. Robin can do a quadruple flip."

Something within him froze.

'My family…' Dick breathed.

This whole thing was a mess.

'What should we do?' Terry asked. Because seriously. What the fuck.

'I don't know!'

They were both panicking.

So Terry just. Let 'his' face fall into 'his' hands. He didn't actually care if the slagging sunglasses were getting smudge. He just held everything in place.

And he breathed.

"Why." He finally said.

He could hear the child startle. "…why what?"

Terry looked back up. "Why were you taking pictures? If what you're saying is right, then why bother going out at night to take pictures? You're a child, you can get seriously hurt. Not to mention that your pictures can get into the wrong hands."

How was it possible for the kid to simultaneously pale and blush? He was pretty sure that was physically impossible.

"I know and I'm sorry!" They shouted, face all scrunched up with guilt, eyes squeezed shut. "At first it was just to make sure it was all real! And it just sort of spiraled from there! I develop all my pictures at home, and no one knows about them. I hide them away in a place I know no one would find them. I just…"

Terry could see tears trying to leak out of those closed eyes. This… was getting complicated.

"Do you parents know where you're going out at night?" He had to know. He could feel the same nagging worry from Dick.

The child froze. "No one knows what I do. Well, other than you."

Well. Hm.

At least neither he or Dick were panicking anymore. Terry… needed to think.

'… okay so.' Dick said.

'So.' Terry repeated.

'What do we do?!'

Terry internally winced at that. 'First of all we gotta stop screaming since that hurts. Second of all… keep an eye on the kid I guess.'

'And what? Tell 'em what we're doing?'

Outwardly, he huffed a sigh. 'I think I technically already told them that they're right.'

Terry… Terry sat down. The grass cushioned him. It tried to tickle and scratch at 'his' hands. He plucked a single strand to fiddle with.

'Is that a good idea?'

'Dick, I don't know. We were planning on asking them if they saw Matt or my body if we met them again.'

'… ask them if they know who Batman is.'

He rubbed 'his' forehead. "Okay. Fine. But tell me. Do you know who Batman is?" Terry asked, looking up to the child's face.

A hesitant, but determined, gleam shine in their blue eyes. "Yes." They said.

Terry groaned.

"Kid," he began, "you do realize that there is a chance that if I'm not Robin, but possibly a bad guy , you could possibly be in huge trouble. Like, kidnapped and possibly tortured kind of trouble."

He could not afford to feel guilty about what he had said. A literal nine year old could be in serious danger with such knowledge. But this did not stop the sting when the child's skin tone settled on being pale.

"I know this. I took that risk." The child spoke up. That hidden determination grew tenfold, appearing on their face. "And you're not a bad guy."

They spoke with such certainty. Such conviction.

God Terry was going to regret this, if he wasn't already.

"Yeah." He said, ignoring how Dick's voice was cracking with his emotions. But he finally realized that the fake accent wasn't even there anymore. He didn't know when he lost it. "I'm just trying to find my way back home."

Everyone was silent. A small breeze caressed both parties' hair, as well as the trees, bushes, and the grass itself.

"Where is home?" The child whispered.

"Would you believe me if I said it's in another universe?"

He watched as those bright eyes slowly widened at the easily given knowledge.

"This isn't even my body," Terry continued to say, "and no, I don't know where it is either. I don't even remember how we got like this."

The child gulped. "We?"

"You were right. Robin's sharing his body with me. He's still here. He can see what I can see, hear what I can hear. He can even feel and taste."

The child began to tremble. A red blush rose to their face.

Terry sighed. "Kid, please sit down. You look like you're about to faint."

They did as they were told.

It was quiet, as they sat in the grass. There was the background noise of families playing together, having quality time together… birds were singing as the wind made the plant life rustle.

Suddenly the child spoke up. "Did you come here all by yourself?" They asked.

The teen paused. Should he tell them? He felt like he should think it through. Even though he reminded Dick of their conversation about it… He was having second thoughts. He might as well, since he already admitted to the fact that he's a stranger in Robin's body.

He thought about it for a moment longer and then… "It's more than likely that a young civilian boy around your age came with me. I don't know if he's in the same situation as I am. I also don't know if he and my body are even together."

He hopes Matt's not in the same boat he's in. He hopes that Matt was with his body, and that maybe his body still has something in it that recognizes Matt as someone to protect. If that's even possible.

The child nodded. They were quiet for another moment. And then suddenly, "Tim."

Furrowing 'his' eyebrows, Terry perked up curiously at the name.

"My name's Tim." The child, Tim, explained.

That… was also familiar. Familiar face, and now familiar name. But it was something that was just out of reach. Something he just can't grasp. He'll figure it out later, he supposes, but he knew it was going to bug him.

"Alright Tim. Call me Terry." With nothing better to do, he held 'his' hand out to shake.

Tim hesitated for a moment. But in the end took it, and shook it. After letting go, it became awkward again.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Tim asked, hesitantly.

Terry blew out some air. "Well, given your history of going out at night, I want to know if you had seen that civilian boy I was talking about. He's roughly the same height as you, has black hair and blue eyes, and the clothing he was last seen in were a green shirt, black pants, and black shoes. He probably has mud and dirt on him, as that's what I was able to see the last time I saw him."

Tim was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I saw anyone with that description."

Inwardly, Terry wilted. "I understand."

"But maybe I could-"

"You're not going out at night anymore." Terry interrupted. He already knew what Tim was thinking of, and he had to put an end to it. "Listen Tim, it's dangerous out there at night, and I will not let you get hurt. I appreciate the offer to help, but no. Due to your previous history of going out, I just wanted to see if you managed to see him before."

"But-"

"No, Tim." Terry sternly told the child. "And that's final."

They stared at each other for probably a good two minutes. Within that time frame, something awfully familiar began to grow within those blue eyes. Rebellion.

Sounds of footsteps alerted the two to a newcomer. Whipping their heads over, Terry saw that Jason was walking over to them and oh shit he forgot about Jason.

Jason froze at the sudden attention. "Uhhh, am I interrupting something?" He asked, eyes shifting between the teen and the child.

"Nope!" Terry said, Boston accent in place as if it never left, as he swiftly stood up. "Tim here is just leaving!"

Jason gave him a look. "You know this kid?"

"Not really, just met 'em today." Terry shrugged before turning back to Tim. "And you're almost late for something right? Better leave before you'll get scolded or something."

Tim stood up. Walked over to Jason, and said, "hello, my name is Tim. I notice that Terry's been teaching you how to fight and I wanna learn too."

OH HELL NO!

Jason was rightly bewildered. But before anyone can butt in, Tim continued.

"I can be your opponent, and it would be a great opportunity for us to learn how to fight people of different sizes." Tim then turned to Terry and looked straight at him. "After all, Gotham is a dangerous place to live in, so I might as well learn how to defend myself."

They just stared at each other. 'That little twip.' Terry thought.

"Holy shit Terry, what did you do to piss him off?" Jason asked, impressed with the situation Terry buried himself in.

"Nothing!" Terry was an innocent man.

'Well…' Dick just had to butt in. 'Wouldn't this be a good way to keep an eye on him? Better to know what he's doing rather than have him go out without us knowing?'

'We have no way of knowing whether or not he's going out at night. Unless, ya know, we stalk him and set up a bunch of cameras.' Terry pointed out.

'Yeah, but only some part of the day is better than no part of the day.'

Slagg it all. Slagg his life and slagg him.

Throwing up 'his' arms into the air Terry exclaimed, "fine! Okay fine I can train ya!"

He did not miss the not-so-subtle smirk.

The little twip .

Jason just snorted. "If I had known you were such a pushover, I would have learned to keep that puppy eye look."

Terry sputtered at that. "I am not!" He yelled.

"Psh, yeah you are." Jason then turned back to Tim. "I like you, kid."

He watched as Tim blushed. "Oh. Um. Thank you?"

'I can't believe that we're in this situation.' Dick thought over to him. 'How did we get into this situation?'

'I have no clue.' Terry thought back, fighting the urge to rub 'his' temples. "Let's just get this over and done with." Terry muttered to himself.