Chapter 21

Damian kept Tiny Grayson between himself and Drake. Despite Todd's confusing emotions toward Tiny Grayson, Damian was not ready to entrust him with the child's safety. In some way the man was benefiting from having kept Tiny Grayson well so far, or he simply had nothing else to do here. In any case, Damian kept Drake on the other side of Tiny Grayson, and Drake made no move to change his position.

Damian wondered how much Tiny Grayson had understood about the premise of the movie. Moving forward, he leaned over Tiny Grayson's shoulder. Drew breath. "Tiny Gra-" a sharp movement from behind him, Todd's baritone voice-

"Damian, don't!"

"-son.."

Damian was shoved to the side at the same time as Tiny Grayson crumpled to the ground.

Drake was on high alert, weight on the balls of his feet, ready to run either with Tiny Grayson or to get proper medicine.

"You're okay, Dick. You're okay, buddy. Deep breaths."

Damian was unsure of what to do. Todd was not the appropriate caretaker for any form of Grayson. At the same time, he was the most familiar with him. Damian would never express it to anyone, but in that moment he decided he would follow Drake's lead.

Tiny Grayson shuddered in Todd's arms, and Damian recalled what Todd had said about 'blasted with pain'. Tiny Grayson looked up and smiled, and though his eyes watered no tears fell.

"What am I doing down here, Jason? Did I trip?"

"Yeah, kid. You did. But it's s'okay. We got you."

Tiny Grayson continued to smile even as the tiniest tear possible consolidated in the corner of his eye. He pushed his palms into his eyes, and the tear never fell.

Todd pulled the shaking form against his side and hefted it onto his hip, renewing their trek down the hallway. Drake fell in beside and Damian behind and when they reached the living room Todd sent Tiny Grayson to put in the movie.

Todd turned around, holding their eyes, and began mouthing words at Damian and Drake. They could lip read. Tiny Grayson would not hear their conversation.

"You can't use his name. Grayson. 'Daddy' has some kinda thing on him where if he hears it he has one of those… pain attacks."

"Why would Bruce do that?" Drake's eyes were stern and hard.

"To keep Dick from knowing who he is and wanting to leave his 'daddy'. Don't bring up the circus, and never mention the trapeze." Todd's frown deepened and Damian wondered how it was possible that Father could do something that horrible to his beloved oldest son. To Grayson .

Tiny Grayson reappeared at Todd's side (Damian realized with a jolt that he would have to find a new name for him) and glanced hesitantly up at everyone. "Is everybody ready for the movie?"

"Of course we are," Damian informed him. "As youngest you may choose your seat of preference."

"Um, wherever you want!"

"Well then," Drake interrupted, "If you don't mind, Dickie; Damian and I would like to cuddle with our new little bro!"

It had, evidently, been the correct thing to say. Tiny Grayson (... Richard?) beamed happily and fairly bounced over to the two, grinning his fool head off. "Okay, Tim! This movie is about a superhero family! A superhero is a nice person who saves people from evil people! Did you know that, Tim? That's silly, I bet you did!"

Drake laughed, and though Damian could see through his pathetic charade, he felt safe to assume that (Richard?) would assume the laugh genuine.

Damian turned to the child, nudging him to gain his attention. "I have a question for you. By which name do you prefer to be called?"

"Well," he began to answer, "you can call me whatever you want. Daddy says my name is Dick, though."

While Damian did not object to 'Daddy' saying Grayson's name was what Grayson really preferred it to be, he had no wish to use that demeaning nickname. He was bound to contract secondhand embarrassment and die, which was no fate worthy of an Al Ghul.

"Are you familiar with the unshortened version of your name?"

Head tilted to the side, blue eyes searched the ceiling for an answer. "No, Damian."

"It is Richard, the name of several kings, meaning 'powerful' and 'strong ruler'. It is highly superior to… the name you currently go by. I understand your predisposition to use it, as the version of you in our world does as well. However, I shall be addressing you as Richard."

"Okay!"

The previews started flashing and Richard turned to Drake. "Tim, did you know my name means powerful strong ruler? It does! And it was the name of a bunch of kings!"

Drake's mouth drew into an O of surprise in Damian's peripheral vision. "What a great name!"

Richard puffed up with pride. "Damian said so, and I think he knows everything but wait, so do you…"

"Nobody knows everything, I just know almost everything. More almost everything than Damian."

Damian made a noise of indignation and was about to launch into a discourse defending his honor, when Jason plopped down beside him, a hurricane of air whisking from his mouth.

"Alriiight! Movie's starting!"

Dick perked up at this news, watching as the Incredible's logo spun across the screen and burst into running shadows. Shaking with excitement, he pressed back into the couch back, planting his feet in the ground.

Drake slipped his hand over Dick's smaller one, and Dick glanced to the side, held Drake's gaze for a second, smiled, and relaxed. Mr Incredible took the screen.

Jason hadn't been sure about The Incredibles. He didn't know what could happen. Dick had had a pain attack just for learning to defend himself: who knew what onscreen violence would do? On the other hand, it was animated, no one from this movie was exactly a martial artist, and, since so far as Jason knew, no one from Daddy's world had superpowers, Jason didn't think anything would go wrong.

A current list of things from The Incredibles that had not caused pain attacks

Car chases

Tree smashing

Attempted suicide

Bombs

Children disobeying orders from adults

Police

So far, Jason's gamble was paying off. Yay. He was still deciding when to leave Replacement, Spawn, and Dickie Bird by themselves so he could take off. He'd need to stay the day, obviously, so he could brief the Robins on what not to do to Dick: after that he didn't know.

But he couldn't stay; that was obvious. Even after sending Dick into a completely unnecessary pain attack they'd rather block Jason from sitting next to Dick than let the psycho, murderous, epitome of villainy anywhere near their precious Golden Boy. It made Jason sick.

He'd go to Tibet, he'd go to the League of Shadows, he'd see if anyone was still here: if there was anything to be gained from this stupid world so he could get back to his own world and find someone to shoot in the face. He didn't know if he'd be free tomorrow, and he didn't want Dick to think he was just ditching him as soon as he could (Jason ignored the annoying voice that whispered he was doing exactly that), so he might need to extend his stay a little.

But if there was anything Jason had learned under Bruce's tutelage and Dick's absence, it was that there was always something to leave 'family' for.

"Those people are REAL where you're from?" Dick's head dashed back and forth between brothers so fast he was sure to get whiplash. "Not those exactly," Tim replied, as he leaned grinning into the couch. "But we have superheroes."

"And the greatest superhero of all is The Batman!" Damian butted in. Tim scoffed inwardly. Damian would immediately start trying to convert Dick to the vigilante business.

"He's not really a superhero, Damian, he's a vigilante." Well. Damian wasn't allowed to attack him so he might as well enjoy it.

"Useless interjections such as these are why no one likes you, Drake."

Tim decided that they really needed to calm down before Dick saw something he shouldn't. Clasping a dramatic hand over his heart, Tim tumbled into the armrest, pulling Dick on top of him. Damian started but clearly restrained himself from going after Dick.

"Dick, I've been mortally wounded by our unkind brother."

"Oh!" Dick looked down worriedly into Tim's eyes. "Uh oh! Umm… I'll help!"

"We're just playing a game," Tim whispered to Dick. Dick's face lit up.

"Oh! You like to whisper too! I like whispering! Jason and I whisper together and it's really fun!"

Speaking of Jason (who had, of course, been watching everything amusedly), the annoying zombie stood up, stretched (displaying vulnerability as a human to appeal to Dick's sense of sympathy and camaraderie) and leaned his weight onto his toes (displaying himself as unthreatening and playful) and began to speak.

"Dickie, we have three and a half hours before supper. You want to show 'em what we have planned?"

Dick nodded exuberantly and wrapped his legs around Tim's waist, apparently expecting to be carried. Leading reasons for that expectation included: being spoiled, being comfortable enough with Tim to expect that the assumption wouldn't be an intrusion, and not knowing if he was allowed to leave Tim's arms to comply with Jason.

If what Jason was claiming was true it was probably the last option. Tim was hoping it was the second, but life had long taught him to never assume the better. Tim pushed to his feet, shifting Dick to his hip and grinned down at him, brushing Dick's eyes with his bangs. Dick giggled and squirmed. "Which way, valiant leader?" While Jason might really have good intentions Tim hoped that he wouldn't try anything if Tim was holding Dick in his arms. Dick was an innocent kid: that should be enough for Jason to want to protect him. But Jason was insane. So you never knew.

"That way!" Dick pointed down the hallway, and Tim dutifully moved forward. Damian was directly behind them, close enough that no one could come between them, and Jason moved ahead, long legs quickly pulling him ahead of Tim and Damian. Tim reminded himself that as long as Jason was in sight he probably wasn't planning an ambush. Probably. The chances were not that good.

Damian picked up a conversation with Dick over Tim's shoulder, inquiring into Dick's experience with drawing. Dick's reply that he didn't have much hardly registered as Tim realized they were going outside. He began to speed up but Jason ducked out the door first, a demented grin spreading over his face. Tim reached out to pull the heavy door open, Dick and Damian's voice a ringing in his ears.

The sound of a gun firing filled his ears and Tim's head snapped backward, a spray of liquid slipping down his face.