Celestial_Midnight

And maybe sometimes Dick and Bruce even forget. Like Dick knows Bruce isn’t his biological dad, but maybe he thinks of his parents as like “mom and first dad” and Bruce is “second dad” and he sort of forgets that he’s not actually related to Bruce.

Bruce knows that most of kids are adopted. But the others were all older when Bruce first took them in (maybe they were all at least 13, so already in their teens) but Dick was an itty bitty little thing. He was only 8. And he didn’t go to school at first when Bruce took him in, because he had been home schooled and he’d been nervous about going to a normal school, so Bruce didn’t make him start going to Gotham Academy until the following Fall, and even then he was only in the third grade. Practically a baby.

Maybe when Dick is in his 20s, he and his siblings are being interviewed before a gala. And something comes up about being adopted, and the others all say their bits, but then when the interviewer turns to Dick, he’s just chilling with his arm around Damian, and he looks at the interviewer like he’s waiting for the next question. And maybe the interviewer is looking at his notes, looking for the next question, and Jason elbows Dick in the ribs and just says, “Dickface, don’t you have anything to add?”

And Dick hisses and swats Jason’s arm in retaliation, but he looks confused. And then he just, “Oh, I’m adopted too! I forgot lmao” and all of his siblings are so confused at how he can forget that, but Dick just smiles and chats with the interviewer (who’s looking very sheepish bc he also forgot). The only one who doesn’t look baffled is Damian, because Damian firmly believes that if any of his siblings turn out to secretly be his blood sibling, it will be Dick. He maybe sort of hopes it will happen sometimes.

Maybe when they’re around the Justice League as Batman and Nightwing, a newer member might ask how old Batman was when Nightwing was born. And they both sort of blue screen for a minute before Dick laughs and says, “oh, that’s right, I’m adopted! He’s only like 15 years older than me, give or take.”

“Don’t you dare age me,” Bruce hisses. “I’m only 14 years older than you.”

tim: hey bruce i need to tell you something

bruce, already having a migraine: ...yes?

tim, fucking vibrating out of nervousness: dad i'm gay

bruce, face going completely blank:

tim, already making a plan to establish a vigilante identity separated from the bats and to move to costa rica:

Red Hood: and I wish I was dead again..

Nightwing *looks at him*

Red Hood *preparing to be scolded*

Nightwing:

Red hood:

Nightwing:

Nightwing *quietly*: damn never mind forgot I had more siblings *walks away*

Red Hood:

Bruce fucking founded the club

Jaybin thinks dick grayson is the most perfect person ever, the first member if you will

Tim… you guys already know about Tim

That’s Damian’s Batman.

Clark borderline loves him more than his own kids

The titans think he is the actual goat

Barbara always knew he was a baddie

I don’t think there is a person that Alfred respects more than dick

The JLA fuck with Nightwing heavy fr

Instead:

Imagine Tim who accidently gets a witches familiar.

It starts when he’s six and his parents flight was delayed so he decides to use the extra time to go find some wild flowers in the backyard forest to bring them. He doesn’t know the space very well but he knows enough to make sure he can always see the manner he lives in and keeps a torch and a few snacks with him just in case.

When he first sees the shadow like figure in the corner of his eye the little boy freaks out but manages to calm down enough to take the dozen flowers he had and start heading back. He feels something watching him all the way home and that night when he looks out his window Dow he swears he see more movement.

He swears to leave it be because lords knows he’s too young to be dealing with ghost and monsters.

But there’s one problem that will never change in regards to Tim Drake: he’s too curious.

Once his parents leave again Tim is back on the border of the forest and calls out a cautious ‘hello?’ Into the small kingdom of trees.

Nothing happens and so the next time he brings an offering in the form of a pile of nuts, a pair of his mums earrings she had thrown in the bin because they were apparently unsightly after the turn of the century, as well as a marshmallow from his very secret and special stash.

The next day he found a four holed button the colour of one of the Aster flowers he had given his parents when he first felt the presence.

He made it into a bracelet and wore it proudly for the next few days before his dad made him take it off before a gala.

Luckily the thing in the forest didn’t seem to take offence and instead he found the charm he had left on his desk safely hanging from his window sill without his input.

Tim brought several gifts for his new mysterious friend, mainly marshmallows and bits of his mums jewlery she was didn’t wear anymore.

Whenever he left nuts or any other kind of food it was never moved, even other sweets and treats stayed where he left them.

It’s a year after this little tradition starts that Tim actually sees the presence that he had been calling ‘Curious’.

It’s from a distance as he’s going through photos of Batman on his window sill, legs tucked up and back pressed against the wooden frame that brackets the window. He looks up periodically to the small pile of marshmallows he’s left on a plate just where the woods start, waiting for them to suddenly vanish before he goes to bed, when he looks up and sees it.

It’s tall, as tall as the trees and cloaked in shadows and darkness, so much so it’d be impossible to miss even if the light of his room wasn’t shining out towards it.

Tim gasps silently but doesn’t look away or feel fear, because something in him just knows that this is his friend. This is Curious.

Instead he finds himself smiling, possibly beaming at the animated dark before him.

Curious doesn’t smile back or wave or anything and yet Tim can feel a relief and happiness that’s second to his own and yet feels like it’s his.

When Tim blinks the shadows have reached out to lift the marshmallows into its veil like form, long fingers that seem twice the amount of a humans curl like spider legs around the surgery sweets and then they are lost in the dark of its form.

Tim goes to sleep that night with excitement and hope in his heart, a burning curiosity in his heart as hundreds of questions and theories rattle his brain, but it’s all unimportant compared to the fact that he has a friend at home.

He has someone to, in a way, live with.

The next morning he wakes to his alarm and a heavy weight on his chest.

Tim opens his eyes to see a fluffy monstrosity of a cat, big golden eyes hidden in light brown and grey fur staring at him with so much knowing and understanding. It’s more than even Ives shows him when Tim brushes off questions about his parents.

He knows just as he did the night before that this is Curious.

His Curious.

He cautiously reached a hand to pat the fur and watches his hand disappear into the soft fur like its quicksand. When a loud purr, slightly echoing like its not quite real, rumbles through the little body Tim beams again and squeezes the feline shape as close as he can.

Curious doesn’t leave Tim’s side very often, only when Tim goes bathroom does he give him space. When Tim starts training to be Robin Curious shifts his body into Tim’s shadow so he can follow without having to deal with Batman’s security rules.

Curious follows Tim when he goes to train with Shiva, when he goes to space with his team, when he goes on his trip around the world to save Bruce, but it’s painful for the little familiar because Tim isn’t actually a witch.

Which means there is no power for Curious to draw from and so it’s unable to help at all.

It can change its form but the only physical contact it can make is with its master, it can’t fight with Tim or defend him when he needs it.

And yet Tim doesn’t mind.

While Curious feels like a failure for being unable to do anything for his master, Tim rewards it all the time. Constantly is he giving it new necklaces for its cat shape and marshmallows when they stay guard all night while he sleeps.

In the face of such powerlessness, Curious vows to find ways to help its Tim.

So, it’s a sentry of a sort. No one can sneak up on Tim Drake or Red Robin, because he will always just know that someone is there. No one ever suspects that it’s his weirdly attached cat or his own shadow alerting him with a soul like connection.

Everyone in the family knows that Tim has a cat, because one time Damian got all mopey at dinner and complained that the stray cat he found around the manner lawns wasn’t being his friend no matter what he did.

He ranted about how he brought it food and water and toys but the unnaturally fluffy cat would just stare at him before running off.

When Tim realises that he means Curious he snorts, making Damian glare at him and demand to know what he finds so funny.

Tim simply makes a ‘sst’ like sound twice and suddenly the big cat his waltzing out from under the table and into Tim’s lap.

Damian is furious but mostly embarrassed, acting like he’s upset that Tim didn’t tell him he had a cat when instead he’s upset that he befriended a cat Damian couldn’t.

Tim explains that Curious has been his cat for years and doesn’t like anyone else, so not to take it personally, and when they ask what the gender is Tim reply’s cryptically, “it doesn’t like gender.”

No one knows what to say to that as Tim leaves the room with the cat in his arms, but they all witness the cat lean over his shoulder and lick a long black tendril over his own face.

Drama queens on a roof

Jason, looks him up and down: gol-LY what happened to you

Dick: *rolls his eyes*

Future Dick, absolutely delighted: oh my god little LITTLE wing

Tim, fiddling with Future Dick’s equipment, stars in his eyes: this is genius! why haven’t we thought of this before i need to-

Damian: richard. you have not aged well.

Jason, throwing his head back, wheezing: im pissing myself. holy shit im gonna piss myself

Dick: *rolls his eyes harder*

Cass, signing: ‘don’t listen to them, you look good’

Future Dick, hugging her: this is why you’re my favorite

Cass: 😇

Cass, discreetly signing behind her back: ‘he is going bald’

Jason, on the floor, clutching his stomach, crying: im dying. death by laughter. here laughs jason todd-wayne

Dick: that’s. it.

Dick, inhaling:

Dick, screeching: DAAAAD!!!

*heavy footsteps*

*a crash*

*vase breaks*

*alfred shouts*

Bruce, running in the room, panicked: what happened?

Dick, huffing: they’re bullyi-!

Future Dick, quietly: …dad?

Bruce, blinking: dick?

Future Dick, tearing up: dad!

Bruce, utterly baffled: dick???

Future Dick crashes into Bruce, desperately clinging to him. Dick’s heart sinks to the pit of his stomach.

Damian, fearfully, instantly understanding what the reaction meant: richard, get up. stop bothering baba.

Future Dick, clinging harder: dad…tati…

Jason, all amusement gone: stop playing around, dickhead.

Tim, teary-eyed: it’s not true…

Cass, shaking her head: no. no!

Bruce, slowly realizing what was happening, hugs Future Dick back: oh, sweetheart

Future Dick, sniffling: …dn’t you…

Bruce, rubbing his back while smiling reassuringly at his mourning children: im sorry baby, what was that?

Future Dick, lifting his head, sobbing: WHY DIDN’T YOU LET ME BUY MY OWN CIRCUS?!?!

Bruce:

Dick:

Jason:

Tim:

Cass:

Damian:

Future Dick, wailing, shaking Bruce: you’re rich! i’m rich! timmy’s richer! do you just nOT LOVE ME

Jason, hiccuping: im going to kill him

Damian, wiping his tears: i shall do it first.

Cass, eyes red: bald-head deserves death

Dick, about to commit suicide:

Tim, under Bruce’s arms, kicking a weeping Future Dick away:

Bruce, so done: death is my mercy

Damian: Father, I am retiring Robin, I am halting vigilante activities completely

Bruce: oh thank god, I approve So Much you have NO idea-

Damian: instead I'm becoming a doctor

Damian: nice, officially a doctor

Damian:

Damian:

Damian: what if I became a Rogue