me and my family we're wonderful folks

[callipygous]

[Great, Dick hates when random dimensional travel happens. But at least he managed to shove Damian out of the way of the ray gun. Which is good because he still has no idea when he is and Gotham won't be unprotected, but bad because Damian in charge of Gotham? Not a good thing. Hopefully Tim will come and visit home, or Steph will take charge, or something.

Meanwhile, Dick has to figure out how to get home.

The streets are configured like Gotham, though the technology levels are a lot higher than what Dick's used to. But if there's Gotham, there's likely a Wayne Manor, and under it, probably a Batcave. It's worth checking out anyway.

The secret entrance is where it usually is, so he bypasses Wayne Manor entirely, but once he gets inside....

He has to stop and look around. Everything's so different. He draws to a stop in front of the display cases. He's used to just the one, for Jason. This is... more.

He pulls off the cowl as he looks, the cape weighing heavy on his shoulders, deep in thought.]

Comments

Actually, this is Bruce

[whaticallmyself]

[Ace's growl is the first sign to Bruce that the new arrival in the Cave isn't Clark or Barbara stopping by for one of their occasional attempts to force him to socialize. It can't be Terry either--the monitors he's watching show that Batman is halfway across Gotham, dealing with a bunch of the idiots who called themselves 'Jokerz.' Someone else, then.

He stands, grabbing his cane with one hand, and Ace's collar with the other. Whoever it is, they're not welcome.

He makes his way through the Cave, looking for the intruder. Ace's renewed growls tell him he's found him, and he stops dead when he sees... Batman. It's wrong, but it's clearly something he could design.]

Who are you. [It's not a question. It's a demand.]

Oh hey, that looks more like Bruce than the first one! Also I don't have enough Batdick icons.

[callipygous]

[Oh, he has company. Should've known better than to pull off the cowl, but it gets really sweaty under there. It makes him miss his domino mask. He shoves it back over his head before whirling around to see...

An old man. But definitely not Alfred.]

Thought the cape and cowl gave it away. I'm Batman.

[He steps closer, looking wary. No one except the Batfamily and their allies are supposed to know about this place. It takes him a moment, but he does recognize the man. How can he not? Bruce was his father in every way but through birth.

But he didn't live long enough to reach this age. He's dead. Though, okay, that doesn't always stop people.]

...Bruce?

Funny how that works! And use whatever icons you want, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

[whaticallmyself]

[Bruce is doing a little staring of his own, because even with the cowl up, he recognizes that face. The stance, the body language. This is Dick. This is Dick almost fifty years ago. His hand tightened around his cane, and he glanced down at Ace.] Down, boy. [The dog settles--mostly--but he's still watching Dick warily.]

You're not Batman. Why are you wearing that?

GASP BUT MY SECRET ID!

[callipygous]

[Definitely Bruce. Dick smiles in a way that makes him look even less like Batman. Relief. Happiness. Basically looking a lot more like Dick than he had seconds ago.]

It's good to see you. [Not addressing the question for the moment, just crossing the room in a few paces and wrapping his arms around Bruce in a big hug. Yeah. This is happening. No, Bruce, you sure don't get a say. You're alive and that's awesome.]

I KNOW. I KNOW ALL.

[whaticallmyself]

[He stiffens. Hug. Dick is... hugging him and not hitting him. This doesn't happen. He doesn't even see Dick anymore. He doesn't see anyone from the old days except for Barbara and Clark.]

That's not what you usually say.

GODDAMMIT BATMAN

[callipygous]

[Dick wouldn't hit an old man! That's just cruel. Anyway he's not really surprised that Bruce is being... Bruce about it. Still, he pulls back after a moment and pulls his cowl off again.]

Right. About that. I think I... time traveled. Possibly more than just time travel. Got hit with a mysterious ray. You know how it is.

I AM THE NIGHT.

[whaticallmyself]

...Yes. [He makes a face, leaning on his cane and watching Dick for a long moment.] I'd say about fifty years time difference. and... I have no idea what else. The Dick I know would never wear that costume.

DANANANANANANANANANANANANANA BATMAN

[callipygous]

[Dick smiles a little, but now it's less happy and more bitter.]

Once, I thought I'd never wear this costume. But... [...Well. No reason to sugarcoat it.] The Bruce I know is dead. Someone had to take up the cowl. [And he didn't want any of his brothers to bear that burden.]

......

[whaticallmyself]

[He snorts quietly, though without any humor.] I never expected to live this long. [So it doesn't surprise him at all that a Bruce in another world hadn't. He glances at Dick.] When I retired there wasn't a Batman for another twenty years. You didn't have to. You chose to. Interesting.

[callipygous]

You retired? [He didn't think Bruce would ever do that. Dick assumed he'd work until he died on the job. It's surprisingly... healthy, actually. How weird.]

[whaticallmyself]

[He scowled. He'd retired because he was too slow. Because he'd had to resort to methods he hated in order to stop a gang of kidnappers. Because his damned heart had started to give out.] I don't want to talk about it.

[callipygous]

[That sure isn't surprising.] Not talking about it doesn't make the issues go away, Bruce.

[whaticallmyself]

[Bruce eyes him. The Dick he knows never advocated 'talking things out' at this age. They'd made an art of not talking about things.

It had been part of the problem in the end.]

I'm aware.

[callipygous]

[Different dimension, same old Bruce.]

Look, I know this isn't where I'm from, and we really should start working on a way to get me home before Damian forgets the no killing rule, but if you change your mind? You can tell me.

[whaticallmyself]

[The more things change...

Bruce nods once--there is some precedent for interdimensional travel. The disaster with the Justice Lords comes to mind. He's sure that the technical specs are still somewhere...

He pauses.]

Damian?

[callipygous]

Robin. He's... he's a good kid. He's just had a rough childhood. [Putting it lightly.]

[whaticallmyself]

[An unreadable expression crosses Bruce's face.]

You still have a Robin.

[callipygous]

...I've only been Batman for a few weeks. Still doesn't seem the right word for it, but... yeah.

[whaticallmyself]

[He represses a shudder, remembering.]

You should make him stop. You're better off working alone.

[callipygous]

[Dick wonders what exactly happened to Bruce to make him this solitary and anti-allies. He's seen Bruce like this before. It's never a good sign, and it makes him a little sad that there's no one around to snap him out of it.]

No. I'm really not. And neither are you, Bruce. Family's important.

Besides, Damian wouldn't stop just because I told him to. He's too much like his father for that.

[whaticallmyself]

And who's that? [Bruce's tone is a little absent--he'll hear Dick's answer, but he doesn't really think it matters that much. Even the most stubborn can eventually be put off by repeated refusals. It had worked with his 'family.']

[callipygous]

You. [Or the Bruce from Dick's universe, but he doesn't feel like he needs to explain that.]

[whaticallmyself]

[Flat stare.] That's impossible. I don't have any children. [Well. There were Terry and Matt, but that was... extremely complicated, and didn't really count.]

[callipygous]

Talia Al Ghul said otherwise. And the DNA tests proved it.

[whaticallmyself]

...Of course it would be Talia. [He supposes Ra's finally got what he'd wanted in that other universe--though not quite, apparently, if the boy is Robin.]