AU, where Bruce accidentally gets de-aged (physically and mentally), and the first person he bumps in is... Red Hood.
To Jason's defence, he didn't connect the dots at first. He was just patrolling around his usual turf, thinking of nothing in particular, when he saw a small child in a ridiculously serious suit, sulking around Crime Alley. He looks distraught, and considering that he looks rich, it is no surprise - that is not a place for him. So, he is either lost or something happened, right?
He takes the helmet off, as he usually does when he is dealing with kids (they got scared easily) and carefully approaches a brooding baby.
'Hey, shrimp. Where are your parents at?'
That said shrimp turns around, his big blue eyes looking confused and lost, and Jason thinks he looks awfully familiar.
'I am not shrimp,' he protests instantly, pouting at him. 'And they are somewhere... here. We just left the movie theatre together!'
Jason glances at the abandoned movie theatre, back at the little rich boy with a familiar frown, and it clicks. This is his fucking dad. Suddenly, a kid - but it is fucking Bruce Wayne, for sure.
'Was watching Zorro by any chance?' Jason still asks, just to be sure that he is not going insane.
Bruce - and it must be him - beams at him.
'Yes! This is a great movie, by the way.'
Oh, hell. At least, he didn't witness his parents' death just yet. Jason wasn't sure he would be able to deal with his father being so small, and mourning his mom and dad. He would probably cry himself at some point.
'Hey,' Jason calls out for him slowly, squatting down; God, who would've thought that this little shrimp would become so tall and big in the future. 'Aren't you... You must be Thomas's kid, right?'
Okay, yeah, Jason is going to lie to this kid. Because there is no way he manages just to steal Bruce as a stranger to bring him back home; it is still a kid, even if it is his father. Right?
'You know my dad?' Bruce tilts his head, little fingers tugging on the hem of his jacket; suspicious.
'You could say that,' Jason nods. 'Alfie... I mean, Alfred called me. Asked me to pick up a kid, since Thomas and Martha got an urgent call.'
Fuck his life and stupid life choices. What the hell he was even doing? He looked like a mugger; or like a psycho. But Alfred was his best bet - he could call him, after all; ask, well, support his idiotic made-up story.
'No one calls Alfred Alfie but my dad,' Bruce pouts in a very, very spoiled manner.
'Well... I do. We served together in the army,' he blurts out.
His armour, apparently, is enough a proof for the kid to nod slowly.
'Okay. But you gotta take off your strange mask first,' Bruce folds arms on his chest.
...???
Did this kid just agree for an unknown man to take him home? Like this? Who could've thought that this pouty child would become the most paranoid man alive in the future?
'Uh, why?'
'So I can remember your face and do an identikit, if you turn out to be a bad guy,' Bruce smirks stupidly. 'Duh.'
Jason is going to cry. This kid is so cute.
'Yeah, duh,' Jason huffs, but despite his better judgment takes the domino mask off as well. 'Go on, take your time. My identikit should be the prettiest, shrimp.'
Bruce... gawks at him. His eyes are comically wide now, mouth open, and then, he jumps a little closer to him - oh, God, he is jumping when excited? - putting his hellishly cold hands on Jason's cheeks.
'Woah. You look like dad.'
'Uh,' Jason nods awkwardly, and because he is an idiot, adds a joke: 'We are brothers, actually. Just don't talk much.'
...Apparently, little Bruce can't take jokes. Because he lets out an adorable gasp, and throws himself on Jason as if they knew each other for ages now.
'Uncle? That's so cool. You look like Zorro!'
Damn this little kid, and this stupid family. Damn Joe Chill and the night he killed this kid's parents. Damn it all. Bruce might be an asshole sometimes, but he was so... cute and innocent.
'Thanks, shrimp,' Jason slides a domino mask back on, picks up little Bruce with one arm, and grips a helmet with another. 'Come on, let's go home. Alfred will make your favourite tiramisu.'
'You know my favourites?!'
Jason sniffles.
'Yeah. Yeah, I do, kid.'
If he gets so emotional over this kid, he has no idea how worse Dick is going to be once he finds out.
Oh, this is going to be one hell of a night.
And done! :D I really like the idea of Damian experimenting more artistic skills, like body painting- But first he gotta start with something small, so- Makeup!
And I wanted to put Tim in this because of the Caroline Hills thing, he must be more comfortable with makeup đđ»đđ»
Bruce:Â Okay, let me get this straight-
Tim: More like let me get this bi you.Â
Jason: Let us ace-ess the situation.Â
Dick: Letâs see how this pans out.
Damian:Â Iâm gay.Â
Bruce:Â
Bruce:Â Thatâs all great and all, but WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KITCHEN FIRE?!Â
Part 3 to this
Eddie was completely willing to let bygones be what they were.
He did a shitty thing unintentionally. Steve has been doing shitty things for years with zero consequences. Theyâre even, right?
Itâs not like heâs ever going to see Steve again anyways. He doesnât throw parties anymore and Eddie doesnât even have a VCR to warrant going into Family Videos.
So, bygones. As in, bye, gone to the stabbing feeling in his chest when he thinks about what happened for too long.
âRobin Buckleyâs being weird.â
Eddie blinks back into the chaotic mess of the art room, âIsnât she always weird?â
âI mean,â Jeff shrugs. âShe been glaring at you the entire class. Did the same thing yesterday, too. I donât even think sheâs blinking.â
Eddie looked over his canvas and, yeah. Sheâs glaring at him. He turns his frown upside down and gives her a little wave which - âOh. Oh no.â
âDude,â Jeff hisses. âSheâs coming over here.â
The nervous energy that typically hovers around a Robin is strangely absent when she stops next to his table. Itâs a little intimidating. As is her cryptic ass greeting, âItâs been four days. You need to apologize.â
âFor what?â He asks and then realizes what this is. âDid Steve Harrington really send his coworker to bully me?â
âIâm more than his coworker,â She scoffs. âAnd thatâs not the point. You need to apologize to him. For-.â
âApologize for what, not watering my club down to make him comfortable?â
Thats not what happened and Eddie knows it. He knows he crossed a line but he doesnât understand it and it makes him defensive. He canât make himself shut up, âYou can tell him Iâm sorry he canât take a joke.â
Robinâs eyes narrow and then she turns around, calling across the room, âMrs Keller, does this paint stain?â
âItâs washable.â
Robin nods once to the teacher and then immediately turns around and flips Eddieâs paint tray into his lap. She grabs the bottle of paint he was using and coats him in blue paint before dropping the bottle on the floor.
Her voice is low and unapologetic even as she grabs a handful of napkins for him, âHe doesnât even want an apology. Do it anyways.â
Eddie is left stunned, as is their deathly quiet class, but Robin just turns to the teacher and declares, âI will accept my detention now.â
Tim is typing furiously at his laptop when Damian walks in, holding a katana.
Damian: Drake, do you know what time it is?
Tim: not looking up Uh, noon?
Damian: Wrong. Itâs time for you to perish.
Tim: still typing Can it wait until I finish this report for Bruce?
Damian: pauses âŠVery well. But know that your doom is imminent.
Five minutes later, Damian returns with snacks and silently places them next to Tim.
Tim: smirks Thanks for the snacks, future executioner.
Damian: huffs I refuse to let you die of starvation before I defeat you.
Itâs not just Batman. All of Gotham hates magicians. Because they pull shit like this.
Some out-of-towner decides the best way to keep the Bats distracted while they kick up trouble would be to turn the family into children, thereby making them harmless without the associated alarms if they were to disappear.
Unfortunately, theyâre not very good at this.
Alfred is greeted at the Batcave by the normal Batfamily, plus their pint-sized doubles. Every single person is struggling to handle their younger version.
Dick is frantically trying to keep an eye on the most adventurous nine year old. Jason is freaking out trying to responsible parent his eight year old self whoâs screaming his head off about stranger danger. Tim and his eight year old double have not broken eye contact, and Tim is refusing to touch âitâ except with a bow staff. Steph is bribing hers with ice cream to keep her quiet and to stop her from attacking the other children again. Cass is attached to hers by child reins. Dukeâs mini has already tried to escape explore three times and is over Dukeâs shoulder to prevent any further attempts. Damian (in his mid teens) is trying to get his toddler self to stop grabbing everything, and failing.
Bruce had called Zatanna, but sheâs on a JL mission at the moment. Itâs going to be a long week.
Hey bestie, the ship is cute, but maybe it's time to give our eyes a rest and close ao3, okay? Your friends are starting to worry.
bruce letting duke learn how to drive on the way to school:
bruce: signal.
duke: hm?
bruce: duke, signal.
duke: uh⊠yeah?
bruce (raising his voice): signal!
duke (gripping the steering wheel): WHAT??
bruce (bracing himself): SIGNAL!!
damian (triple buckled in the backseat): your TURN SIGNAL, imbecile!
later, bruce: i need to start calling it a blinker.