Familiar People
More DCU Dick/Tim fic. R. It's... interesting. Well, I like it.
Familiar People
The Joker chuckled, staring at Batman.
"Well, it looks like you've got me, again. But what are you going to do about your little birds?" he asked with a cackle, and then threw two small marbles towards where Nightwing and Robin were standing.
"Robin!" shouted Batman, and the boy moved, pushing Nightwing away and down, covering them both with his cape. There was a flash of green light, and they both disappeared. "Robin! Nightwing! What have you done with them?"
"Oh don't worry, your little birdies aren't dead. I'm sure they'll find their way back from whatever dimension they landed in eventually." The Joker cackled, and Batman watched in horror as the police came and dragged him away. Batman quickly disappeared into the shadows, and got up onto the rooftop before he let himself worry. He was going to have to contact Oracle. They'd find them again. They would.
~
Tim woke up coughing, and went over to Dick, quickly checking to make sure the older man was alive. Strong pulse, breathing fine, okay.
"Robin?" groaned Dick, sitting up. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. It looks like we're in the Tower, but that makes no sense." The door opened, and Tim came face to face with himself.
"Whoa."
"Yes," said Tim Two, "that's what I said when we found you."
"This is too weird," said Dick, looking between the two Tims, the only difference between them being one's costume was in decidedly worse shape.
"So, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt for a moment, and assume you're not impostors. Mind explaining what happened?" asked Tim Two. Tim One narrowed his eyes.
"That's rather stupid. You'd better have backup waiting outside this room."
"Of course," said Tim Two.
"Right, well we had just captured the Joker, and were waiting for the police to arrive to take him to Arkham."
"Alright, what happened then?"
"He went into the regular monologue, with all the threats and crazy talk and I'll-get-you-next-time's, but then did something unusual. He sent these marbles towards us, and they exploded in a flash of green light. Next thing I knew, we were here."
"Hmm. So he sent you to a different dimension."
"Apparently."
"I'm not sure how we can verify what you're saying is true. We took DNA samples, but you could always be clones."
"You could get Cass. Cass can always tell when I, er, we lie."
"For the moment, I'm going to assume you're me," said Tim Two, "because you're too me-like not to be."
"Of course, you won't be allowing us access to any weapons," said Tim One. Dick was beginning to get very confused.
"Of course. Not that you'd need them to do damage."
"Naturally. What are we going to tell your Batman and Nightwing?"
"Batman will have to know eventually, of course. Nightwing's already here. He's waiting outside the door."
"I didn't want to see me? Wait, what am I talking about, I wanted to see me, but you convinced me it would be better if you came and talked to us first because two mes would be more confusing then two yous."
"Exactly," said Tim Two. He glanced back at the door. "Dick, love, you can stop fidgeting and come in now." Tim One and Dick looked at each other in confused surprise, and then to Dick Two who was standing in the door way.
"Wow. Two mes. Isn't this just your dream come true, Tim?"
"Oh God," said the Tims in unison, making the Dicks laugh.
"We're going to have to do something to make sure people can tell us apart," said Tim One. Tim Two grinned.
"Well, you two are going to have to change into different uniforms, since those ones are wrecked. And you know, I'm pretty sure there are quiet a few of our old suits hanging around here."
"Oh God," said Tim One, "Dick is going to wear the old Nightwing costume?"
"What's wrong with the costume?" asked the Dicks. The Tims raised their eyebrows.
"Dick," began Tim Two.
"The collar went above your head," finished Tim One. The Dicks glared. And then Dick Two smirked.
"I have an idea," he said.
"Oh no," said the Tims.
"Oh yay," said Dick One.
"None of the other Titans know about this yet, so we can play a nice practical joke on them!"
"Dick," said the Tims warningly.
"Please?" asked the Dicks.
"Oh fine," grumbled Tim Two. Tim One raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I guess I might as well."
~
Batman couldn't bring himself to tell Oracle the news over the comm, and instead actually came to the Clocktower to tell her, calling to say he was coming.
"Batman?" asked Oracle when he got there. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's. It's Dick and Tim. They're. They're gone."
~
Tim fidgeted about in the old Robin suit, feeling quite awkward. Dick looked right at home in his old Nightwing suit, however, and was admiring himself from various angles.
"Only you, Dick."
"Hey, not only me, this world's Dick wore this costume too."
"Yes, well he's still you."
"So, apparently in this world we're lovers?" asked Dick.
"Yes, well, I'm rather trying not to think about it."
"Well, you might not want to complain, and just wear that costume, or this world's me might mistake you for, er, you, and start making out with you."
"I'm wearing the costume, aren't I?"
"You know, it's funny how different you look in that costume."
"Yes, well take a look at yourself."
"I have. I think I can admit to this costume being a bad idea."
"Yes, a victory! Though you still won't admit to the panties being a bad idea."
"Well, I'm not the one wearing them, am I?" Dick looked at Tim's legs and made an appreciative noise. Tim glared.
"I agree, Tim does look fine in that," said Dick Two who had entered the room.
"Don't even think about it," said Tim Two who was standing beside him. "There's no way you're getting me into that."
"Except he kind of already did," sighed Tim One.
"Yes, but he just wants me in it so he can get me out of it," snickered Tim Two. Tim One raised and eyebrow, and Dick One shifted awkwardly.
"What were you thinking when you designed that atrocity?" asked Tim Two, indicating the old Nightwing suit.
"Hey!" exclaimed Dick Two, "It's cool."
"No," said Dick One, "It really, really, isn't." Tim Two smiled.
"See even you agree."
"This isn't fair. You're getting me to team up against myself."
"Come on," said Dick One, "let's get going. I can't wait to see the expressions on the Titan's faces."
~
It took Barbara a moment for the words to sink in.
"Gone?" she asked.
"The Joker. He threw some sort of bomb. I couldn't get to them. When I got to where they were, there was nothing left."
"Oh my God."
"He said - he said they weren't dead, just trapped in an alternate dimension. But. I don't know if I can believe him. I want to believe him, but I saw - I saw the explosion."
"Oh, Bruce, come here." Bruce leaned down and let Barbara hug him, holding him tight. "Right," she said when he pulled away, and she was all Oracle again. "I'll contact the Titans and the Outsiders. You go back to your lab and start researching everything you can on alternate dimensions." Batman nodded, and left the Clocktower. If he had glanced back, he would have noticed the tears trickling down Oracle's cheeks.
~
Dick Two and Tim Two walked through the room, quietly chatting together. A few people nodded their heads in greeting. As soon as they had exited the room, and could still be seen through the door walking down the hallway, Dick One and Tim One entered the room, quietly chatting with each other. The Titans were immediately on their feet, glancing from Tim and Dick Two in the hall to Tim and Dick One in the room. There was a brief commotion as everyone began talking at once, and then stopped.
"What the fuck," said Bart finally, "is going on here?"
"What's wrong, guys?" asked Dick One.
"X'hal," said Kory, "there's two of them. Nightwing! Robin!" she shouted. Dick and Tim Two came running, and stopped short in the door.
"Oh," said Dick Two cheekily, "did I forget to tell you all that the alternate dimension versions of me and Tim accidentally got sent to our dimension after an unfortunate run-in with the Joker? Silly me."
"Hi," said Tim One, "sorry about Dick being an idiot. Again."
"Hi," said Bart weakly. "This is too weird for words."
"Right," said Tim Two, "so are we going to help them get back to their dimension or not?"
~
Bruce was currently back in the warehouse where he'd battled the Joker, recording everything he could about the frequencies of sound and light and anything he could possibly assess there. He would get the boys back. He would.
~
Tim One and Tim Two looked at Tim Three.
"Well shoot," said Tim One. "That didn't work."
"Um, what the fuck?" asked Tim Three, who was wearing Tim's red on black costume, but was really quite young. Dick Three was still unconscious. His Nightwing costume was slightly different, the stylized blue stripe replaced with an actual drawing of a bird. He also had a ponytail.
"Well," said Tim Two, "It looks like your dimension is really different from ours. Do you think we should cut Dick's hair while he's still unconscious?"
"Could you please?" asked Tim Three, "I've been itching to, but now I can do it without him actually being mad at me. Because it'll still be me, but not me, me."
"Alright guys, let's just wake him up," said Tim One, "and get the other Dicks in here and tell them that we weren't able to open the portal to send a message through quite the right way yet."
"You go," said Tim Two, "I'm going to have a chat with mini me." Tim One turned and left. As he exited the room, Tim Three started chuckling.
"Dude," he said, "why am I wearing panties?"
~
Oracle had just gotten offline with the Outsiders, and took a few deep breaths in preparation with calling the Titans. She would not cry again. She wouldn't. She couldn't help it. She may have broken it off with Dick, and this time it was probably for good, but she still cared, dammit. She took another few breaths, and hit the button that would patch her through to the Titans.
"Hello?" it was Cassie.
"Hi Wondergirl," said Oracle weakly.
"Oracle? Oh my God, what's wrong, what's happened?"
"I'm calling about Tim, and," she breathed, "and Dick. I'm so sorry. I'm afraid. I'm afraid." she burst into sobs.
"Oh my God," sobbed Wondergirl.
"Cassie?" said someone in the background. It was Kon. Oracle couldn't stop crying, and Cassie was now too. "Cassie, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," said Oracle.
"I'm sorry too," sobbed Wondergirl, "I'm going to go. Call back later."
~
Dick Three stared at Dick One.
"What is with the costume?"
"What's with your costume?" Dick One shot back.
"There's nothing wrong with this costume!" said Dick Three. Dick Two looked on with amusement.
"Right. I definitely win the best costume contest among us."
"I guess we win among the Robins," said Tim Two and Three in amusement.
"No," said all three Dicks.
"What?" said Tim One, shocked. "You think this one's best? Why?"
"Legs," said all three Dicks in unison.
~
"Cassie?" asked Kon, "Cassie what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry too," Cassie sobbed into the phone, "I'm going to go. Call back later." She hung up, and let herself collapse onto Kon in large, body-wracking sobs. The rest of the Titans gathered around, confused.
"Cassie?" asked Kon gently.
"It's Dick and Tim," she sobbed finally, "they're dead."
~
Tim One had convinced Tim Two to trade capes, and was currently holding it around himself tightly as he worked with the other Tims to put together a dimension travelling portal. Dick Three helped as well, while Dicks One and Two handed parts and tried to stay out of the way. Tim was concerned by the fact that Dick One and Two spent far too much time laughing together. He was also concerned that Tim Two was wiggling his ass invitingly whenever Dick Two stared too long that way. Tim pulled the long cape tighter around himself, and was glad that it hid his otherwise far too visible thighs.
~
Kon held Cassie tighter after she said this, and began crying too. The other Titans joined into a group hug, and they collapsed in on each other, holding and sobbing. Suddenly, the screen came on, showing not one, but three Tims of various ages and costumes. Kon gasped, and drew the others’ attention to the screen.
"Is it working?" asked the youngest Tim. "It should be working."
"I'm not sure," said Tim in the panties.
"Hello?" asked oldest Tim. Something went bang in the background.
"Oh good," said Nightwing with the high collar, stepping into the screen with two other Nightwings.
"What the fuck," said Kon, "Tim! You had us worried sick! We were told you died!"
"Yah," said Tim in the panties, "Sorry about that. We had a little run in with the Joker, and the explosion sent us into another dimension."
"Wait a second," demanded Cassie, "you're our Tim? What's with the costume?"
"It was so we could tell each other apart while we were here."
"How long have you been there?" inquired Kory.
"Almost a day," said Dick with the high collar. "How long has it been since we disappeared?"
"I'd guess at almost an hour," said Kory.
"Whoa," said Dick with the bird logo, "talk about a time difference."
"We're working on making a portal back," said young Tim, "If my calculations are correct, and everything goes smoothly, we should all be back in our proper dimensions in about a week, this time, so seven hours your time, and seven minutes my time."
"I'm so glad you're not dead," said Cassie, and everyone stared at her. "What? I am."
"Er, thanks," said Tim in the panties. "Just, um, hold down the fort there, guys. This connection isn't going to last much longer, but I wanted to make sure you guys knew I was okay."
"Send this message to Oracle and Batman and the Outsiders, okay?" asked Dick in the high collar. In the background of the screen, the Dick that hadn't talked yet could be seen goosing older Tim.
"Who's Oracle and the Outsiders?" asked Dick with the bird logo. The other Dicks stared at him, along with older Tim and Tim in panties. "What?"
"Never mind," said Tim in panties firmly. "So, we're working on getting back guys, just sit tight, and tell everyone not to worry."
"Okay Tim. Take care of yourselves."
"We will. We're going to have to cut the connection. Bye guys. Love you all." The screen shut off.
"Well," said Kon, "That was weird. Good weird though."
"I'm going to forward this to Oracle right away," said Cassie.
~
"Come on," said Dick Two finally as it got very late. "We should all go to bed, you're just going to damage something if you keep working when you're that sleepy."
"Where are we going to sleep?" asked Dick One, who was in the process of dragging Dick Three away from his work. Tim One and Tim Two were working furiously to finish just a little more while Tim Three slept soundly over a large book. Dick Three relented, and picked up Tim Three, careful not to wake him. Dick Two coaxed Tim Two away with promises of rewards for being good. Tim One stared, and then shook his head. Dick Three looked at Tim Three in his arms with a funny expression.
"You know the way to the temp dorms," said Tim Two, tossing Tim One a key. Tim One nodded, and tried not to watch as Tim Two dragged Dick Two eagerly away. He marched out of the room, and down the hallway, followed by the others. He opened the door that matched the number on the key to reveal the expected set of two bunk beds. Tim quickly launched himself into one of the top bunks. Dick One grinned, and just slipped into the bottom bunk. Dick Three slid Tim Three into the bottom bunk, and tucked him in before climbing into the top one.
"So," said Dick One. "Is this world weird or what?"
"Definitely," agreed Dick Three quietly.
"I want my costume back," complained Tim One.
"Oh, shush. At least you don't have to sleep with this stupid collar on."
"I'm going to wake up early tomorrow and go clothes hunting. I'm sure if there are extras of this costume, there must be some of the one in between somewhere. And I always keep civilian clothes around too."
"You do that," said Dick Three with a yawn, and pretty soon his breathing slowed to sleep patterns. Dick One sighed underneath him.
"You do look good in the panties," he said.
"Are you hitting on me?" asked Tim.
"Yes," said Dick.
"Okay, just making sure.” Tim paused. “May I ask why?"
"I had a chance to have a good chat with other me about how we ended up together. You should talk to other you about it."
"Okay, then. Goodnight, Dick."
"Night Tim."
~
Oracle and Batman sat in the Clocktower, watching the message again.
"Did Dick just goose Tim?" asked Oracle finally.
"Yes," said Batman, bewildered.
"Right. And there are three Dicks and Tims?"
"Apparently."
"And one of the Dicks has never heard of Oracle, or the Outsiders?"
"It seems so. And Dick goosed Tim."
"And Tim let him."
"Yes."
"They landed in some screwy dimension."
"It appears so. And that other Tim is so young, younger than when our Tim even began training."
"And the other Dick still has that hair."
"And they're going to be back in seven hours?"
"Apparently."
"Dick goosed Tim."
~
It took Tim a few days before he finally got up the nerve to ask Tim Two about him and Dick.
"Well," said Tim Two, "there was a time when we felt like brothers towards each other too. Except it just sort of grew, without us realising it. And then I got captured and tortured."
"I get tortured?"
"It isn't actually that bad, we get rescued before they can get to anything serious, they put us through the 'softening up' stages first."
"Okay."
"Anyhow, I got rescued, and Dick and Cass and Bruce brought me back to the Cave, got me patched up, yadda yadda. Then, I wake up in the middle of the night, and Dick's sitting by my bed, just watching me, and then I realised he was crying."
"Oh."
"So I asked him what was wrong, and he told me he was just so scared for me, that he couldn't stop thinking about what might happen to me, and he wanted to make sure I was okay. So I told him I was fine, really, but he just sort of gave me this funny look. And then he kissed me. He apologized afterwards and it was kind of awkward for a few seconds, and then he got up to leave, and I found I didn't want him to go. I meant to ask him to stay, but then 'I love you' just kind of slipped out, and once I'd said it, I realised it was true, that it had been true for - God, months. And then Dick was all shocked, so I said it again. And then he kissed me again, and climbed into bed with me, and he just held me for the rest of the night. It was really just - nice. Perfect. Being with him is just - it makes me happy, y'know? And then things just kind of progressed from there."
"Wow," said Tim, finally.
"Yeah," shrugged Tim Two, "so, come on, let's finish eating and get to work on the portal some more."
~
The Outsiders and the Titans had all gathered at the Tower, and were waiting in the room they had seen in the message. A clock chimed.
"Four more hours," said Kon.
~
"There," said Tim Two with a grin, "now it should take the next four days to charge, and then we'll have a fully working portal that will send people to whatever dimension they belong in."
"Great. Now what do we do until then?" asked Dick Three.
"I say it's time to pay Gotham a little visit. Batman's going to be horrified. Three of both of us!" exclaimed Tim Two.
"Excellent," said Dick Two, "and we can scare the criminal element shitless while we're at it too!"
"Great," muttered Tim One, "more running around rooftops in panties. You know, there was a reason I changed the costume."
"Hey," said the Dicks.
"If we could do it," started Dick Three,
"Our entire time as Robin," continued Dick Two,
"You can put up with it for three days," concluded Dick One. Tim sighed, and shook his head.
"Yes, yes, fine, let's go to Gotham," sighed Tim One, and then glanced over to Tim Three, who hadn't said anything. "Whoa. You've got to teach me how to do that!"
"Me too!" said Tim Two, watching Tim Three juggle the Batarangs. Tim Three shrugged.
"Sure," he said catching them, "I'll show you when we get to Gotham. It's fairly easy."
"Wait a second," said Dick Two, "how exactly are we getting to Gotham?"
"Oh," said Tim Two, "remember that bus we confiscated from that crazy cow-worshipping cult?"
"Oh God," said Dick One, "I'm so glad that didn't happen in our reality. Is it safe to ride in?"
"Perfectly," assured Tim Two.
A few moments later, everyone but Tims Two and Three were holding on for dear life.
"He's worse than you and your bikes," said Tim One to Dick One, who was sitting beside him in the seat, and holding onto the back on the seat in front of him. Tim Three was standing on top of the back of one of the seats, balancing and jumping about as they bounced. They hit a bump, and the back of the bus rose about a foot off the ground. Tim Two had the petal to the floor.
"Oh God," said Dick Three, then, "Tim get down from there before you break something." Tim Three sighed, but stopped doing his handstand and sat at the very back of the bus.
"How do I do that without throwing up?" asked Tim One, looking at Tims Two and Three. All Three Dicks shrugged.
"Beats me. You're doing better than any of us still. You're don't look ill, and you aren't even holding on to anything."
"Yes, well, I'm too busy being scared that alternate versions of me seem to have suicidal tendencies."
"Oh, and you don't? I seem to remember a stunt involving grapple lines that nearly made someone part of a wall."
"Oh, look who's talking mister let's play tag with gravity."
Batman was most surprised to see a bus pull into the Batcave. He recognized Tim driving on the camera, and came down to meet Tim and Dick and demand explanations. He expected it when Tim and Dick piled out of the vehicle, but he did not expect another Dick to pile out as well. And then another Dick. And then another Tim. Bruce blinked, and saw one final Tim pile out, this one ridiculously young.
"Hi," said the Dick who was wearing a normal costume, and Bruce presumed it to be the real Dick. "We had a bit of an accident at the Tower."
"Resulting in accidental time travel, I presume?" he asked, noticing the differences in costume.
"Actually, no, these are just alternate dimension versions of us. We've figured out a way to send them back, but we have to wait another four days, so we figured we'd come back to Gotham for three of them. Give the local criminals a good scare."
"You're all going out on patrol together tonight?" he questioned.
"Yes," answered what he presumed to be his world's Tim.
"All of you," Bruce said again with a glance towards young Tim, who couldn't be older than ten.
"Yes," said young Tim firmly.
"Well, I suppose I have trained all of you, haven't I?" The group nodded. "Very well. I think I might take the night off, for once. Try not to give Batgirl and the Huntress heart attacks." The Dicks grinned, and the Tims elbowed them. Bruce made sure not to think too hard on the possibilities of setting multiple Dicks and Tims lose on Gotham, as it would only give him a headache.
"Right. I'm going to go inform Alfred we'll be having a few unusual guests over."
Nightwing One grinned as he watched chaos ensue as they busted up a crime ring. Nightwing Two took care of a room full of gangsters and Dick Three waited calmly in the hall to catch those escaping and scare them half to death. A few fainted as soon as they saw him. They had all donned matching uniforms for the occasion of their first night, for which his Tim was very thankful, although he’d had to promise to wear the panties the other two nights. They had been unable to convince Nightwing Three to cut his hair, but the criminals were too busy being scared to notice that much. Dick looked down into the other room he could see through the glass ceiling his was sitting on. All three Robins were having way too much fun with the criminals in their room, and the littlest Robin appeared to be flirting with the women they were rescuing while the other two double teamed the criminals. Little Robin jumped up to pull on of the women out of the way of a stray knife, and then continued to flirt shamelessly. Within a few more minutes, the criminals were all zip stripped. Robin Three led the women out of the building while he juggled batarangs for them. The other two Robins walked in front, checking for danger. Robin Three remained with the girls as he called the police, and the other two Robins, as well as the other two Nightwings, met Nightwing One up on the roof. Nightwing One gave a small bow and flourish towards the mob boss who he had tied up.
"He seems reluctant to talk, boys," he declared.
"Hmm," said one of the Robins, and gave a smirk that Nightwing knew could only be his Tim's. "We've learned some new tricks lately, haven't we Robin?"
"Yes," said Robin Two, "And this seems like an excellent opportunity to try them, don't you think? Double your fun."
"Wait! I'll tell you everything!" Nightwing grinned. This was going to be a fun night.
~
The clock ticked.
"Three and a half hours," said Roy nervously.
~
"Hi," said Nightwing Two, dropping down beside the Huntress.
"Hi Nightwing, what's up?"
"Not much," said Nightwing One, stepping out of the shadows on the other side of her.
"Eep!" she exclaimed.
"What?" asked Nightwing Three, swinging in to stand in front of her. She stumbled back, bumping into Robin Two.
"Am I hallucinating?" she asked him.
"I'm afraid not," said Robin One, holding out his hand to help her stand.
"Oh my God," she said.
"Hey, anyone seen where I left that explosive chewing gum?" asked Robin Three. The Huntress fainted dead away. Cass stepped out of the shadows, and shook her head at the boys.
"Whoa," said Tim Three. "What happened to the other Batgirl?"
When they got in from patrol, Alfred was waiting with the largest batch of cookies Dick had ever seen, and a first aid kit. When Alfred saw the youngest Robin, Tim Three was immediately checked over with an expert eye for any cuts or bruises. The others took a moment to be grateful that Tim Three had been able to last the night without getting hurt at all, or they'd all have been in for it. Alfred then proceeded to give each of them a look, and was able to determine who had been injured in a single glance. Tims One and Three, and Dick One glanced at each other with amused grins as the others were forced to submit to Alfred's care. Tim Three munched happily on a cookie, and casually bounced a batarang around like a hacky sack. Tim One grinned, and took out three batarangs and began juggling them. Dick gave a sigh as Tim Two came over, and the Robins all joined into a giant game of batarang toss, juggling them and swapping them about.
"Master Tims! Put those away before you injure yourselves!"
"Sorry Alfred," chorused the Tims, and put the batarangs away with grins, before heading straight for the cookies. Dick Three came over and sat down by Dick one, and snatched a cookie quickly before they were all gone. Dick Two was still protesting he was fine as Alfred tended to a rather nasty cut on his back. Alfred was soon ushering them all upstairs, leading them to the hallway that contained Dick and Tim Two's bedroom.
"Master Bruce was unable to inform me what everyone's sleeping arrangements were, so I readied all the rooms in this hall. Please make yourselves comfortable."
"Thanks Alfred," they chorused, and Alfred nodded, leaving them to choose their rooms. Tim Two pulled Dick Two into what was presumably their room, and could be heard fussing over the injury on Dick's back. Tim Three immediately went about opening doors to decide on the best room, and Dick Three settled into the room across from it. This left Dick and Tim One standing in the hallway.
"Well," said Dick, "Goodnight, Tim."
"Dick?"
"Yes?"
"Do you... um."
"Sure."
"Okay, yah," Tim smiled, and opened the door behind him revealing a king sized bed.
~
The Titans and Outsiders paced about the edges of the large room, waiting for the last hour to be up.
~
"It was great to meet myself," laughed Dick Three, before stepping through the portal.
"Keep in practice with those batarangs, if I see either of you again I'm going to challenge you to a juggling contest," threatened Tim Three, and then followed Dick Three through the portal.
"Well," said Dick One, "I guess I'd better get ready to get hugged within an inch of my life. Take care of yourselves." He gave himself and Tim Two a hug, and then slipped through the portal. Tim laughed.
"He'd also better be ready to be bugged about that costume. Though I suppose I will be too." He turned to go through the portal, and then glanced back.
"Hey Tim, thanks."
"No problem. Have fun explaining the panties."
"Bye guys." Tim stepped through the portal.
~
Tim stepped through the portal, and landed in a room full of excited superheroes. He was immediately pulled into a hug by Cassie, who made him promise not to die, and then was swung around by Bart and Kon, and then pulled away from them by Kory, and pretty soon he couldn't keep track of who was hugging him. After a while, he was able to disentangle himself from the hugs enough to breathe properly, and was soon accosted for stories about what had happened. He let Dick take over the story telling, filling in bits and pieces and making comments every now and then.
"And Tim has to show you what miniTim taught him to do," said Dick eventually, drawing the attention away from himself. Tim glared, but took out his batarangs and casually began juggling them, to the delight of onlookers. Finally, though, the question Tim had been dreading came up.
"Tim, you realise you're wearing panties, right?"
~
"What just happened?" asked Batman, who stared as Nightwing and Robin had disappeared into thin air a little under seven minutes ago, and had suddenly reappeared.
"It's kind of a long story," said Nightwing, "and parts of it you wouldn't believe if we told you."
~
Tim sighed.
"I'm going to miss having two extra mes," he said.
"What, you won't miss having two extra mes?" asked Dick.
"Oh I'll miss them later, right now I'm going to be far too busy with you."
"I like the sound of that."
~
Dick called Oracle up on the way back to Gotham. They were riding on Tim's bike, which Tim had insisted on driving, saying he had enough insane rides in the past week.
"Oh Thank God," she said as soon as she heard his voice, "you got back okay then. We've all been so worried."
"Just checking in, wanted to make sure you knew Tim and I were okay."
"Great. How close are you?"
"We've just pasted the halfway point."
"Okay, well get back safe."
"We will. Nightwing out." Dick switched the comm off, and settled his arms back around Tim's waist, leaning his head into the crook of his neck. It was a comfortable ride home.
~
"Okay," said Batman, "let me get this straight. There were three of each of you, and the other Tims were older, but the other Dicks weren't. One set of you two were dating each other, and the other set might have been dating each other but you're not sure, and one of the alternate Tims ran around wearing panties, and an alternate Dick had a Nightwing suit who's collar came above his head?"
"Yep," said Tim.
"Those are some weird dimensions."
~
"Oh God," moaned Tim.
~
Dick slid off the bike, and was, to his surprise, immediately engulfed in a hug from Bruce. Tim got off and Bruce let go of him to hug Tim. Alfred, who had made it his mission to make sure Dick was not hurt in anyway, then accosted him. When he finally convinced the man he was fine, Tim got the same treatment.
"What happened?" asked Bruce finally.
"A lot of stuff, actually," said Dick, fidgeting, "I met two other mes, as you probably saw. Took down about seven gangs in three days, because you'd be amazed how quickly criminals surrender when they think you can make as many copies of yourself as you like. Went back to my old costume, because it was hard to tell us all apart otherwise. Learned how to open a portal between dimensions. Tim taught, erm, himself, how to juggle batarangs. MiniTim, because he couldn't have been older then ten. It was kind of creepy."
"Well, I think we should hear the rest of the story another night. You two must be exhausted, get to bed."
Dick raised a discreet eyebrow at Tim, who gave him a small smile back. They went upstairs together, and into Dick's room, since it was closer.
"Home sweet home," sighed Tim, and leaned into Dick's gentle kiss.
~
End.
Familiar People
The Joker chuckled, staring at Batman.
"Well, it looks like you've got me, again. But what are you going to do about your little birds?" he asked with a cackle, and then threw two small marbles towards where Nightwing and Robin were standing.
"Robin!" shouted Batman, and the boy moved, pushing Nightwing away and down, covering them both with his cape. There was a flash of green light, and they both disappeared. "Robin! Nightwing! What have you done with them?"
"Oh don't worry, your little birdies aren't dead. I'm sure they'll find their way back from whatever dimension they landed in eventually." The Joker cackled, and Batman watched in horror as the police came and dragged him away. Batman quickly disappeared into the shadows, and got up onto the rooftop before he let himself worry. He was going to have to contact Oracle. They'd find them again. They would.
~
Tim woke up coughing, and went over to Dick, quickly checking to make sure the older man was alive. Strong pulse, breathing fine, okay.
"Robin?" groaned Dick, sitting up. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. It looks like we're in the Tower, but that makes no sense." The door opened, and Tim came face to face with himself.
"Whoa."
"Yes," said Tim Two, "that's what I said when we found you."
"This is too weird," said Dick, looking between the two Tims, the only difference between them being one's costume was in decidedly worse shape.
"So, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt for a moment, and assume you're not impostors. Mind explaining what happened?" asked Tim Two. Tim One narrowed his eyes.
"That's rather stupid. You'd better have backup waiting outside this room."
"Of course," said Tim Two.
"Right, well we had just captured the Joker, and were waiting for the police to arrive to take him to Arkham."
"Alright, what happened then?"
"He went into the regular monologue, with all the threats and crazy talk and I'll-get-you-next-time's, but then did something unusual. He sent these marbles towards us, and they exploded in a flash of green light. Next thing I knew, we were here."
"Hmm. So he sent you to a different dimension."
"Apparently."
"I'm not sure how we can verify what you're saying is true. We took DNA samples, but you could always be clones."
"You could get Cass. Cass can always tell when I, er, we lie."
"For the moment, I'm going to assume you're me," said Tim Two, "because you're too me-like not to be."
"Of course, you won't be allowing us access to any weapons," said Tim One. Dick was beginning to get very confused.
"Of course. Not that you'd need them to do damage."
"Naturally. What are we going to tell your Batman and Nightwing?"
"Batman will have to know eventually, of course. Nightwing's already here. He's waiting outside the door."
"I didn't want to see me? Wait, what am I talking about, I wanted to see me, but you convinced me it would be better if you came and talked to us first because two mes would be more confusing then two yous."
"Exactly," said Tim Two. He glanced back at the door. "Dick, love, you can stop fidgeting and come in now." Tim One and Dick looked at each other in confused surprise, and then to Dick Two who was standing in the door way.
"Wow. Two mes. Isn't this just your dream come true, Tim?"
"Oh God," said the Tims in unison, making the Dicks laugh.
"We're going to have to do something to make sure people can tell us apart," said Tim One. Tim Two grinned.
"Well, you two are going to have to change into different uniforms, since those ones are wrecked. And you know, I'm pretty sure there are quiet a few of our old suits hanging around here."
"Oh God," said Tim One, "Dick is going to wear the old Nightwing costume?"
"What's wrong with the costume?" asked the Dicks. The Tims raised their eyebrows.
"Dick," began Tim Two.
"The collar went above your head," finished Tim One. The Dicks glared. And then Dick Two smirked.
"I have an idea," he said.
"Oh no," said the Tims.
"Oh yay," said Dick One.
"None of the other Titans know about this yet, so we can play a nice practical joke on them!"
"Dick," said the Tims warningly.
"Please?" asked the Dicks.
"Oh fine," grumbled Tim Two. Tim One raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I guess I might as well."
~
Batman couldn't bring himself to tell Oracle the news over the comm, and instead actually came to the Clocktower to tell her, calling to say he was coming.
"Batman?" asked Oracle when he got there. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's. It's Dick and Tim. They're. They're gone."
~
Tim fidgeted about in the old Robin suit, feeling quite awkward. Dick looked right at home in his old Nightwing suit, however, and was admiring himself from various angles.
"Only you, Dick."
"Hey, not only me, this world's Dick wore this costume too."
"Yes, well he's still you."
"So, apparently in this world we're lovers?" asked Dick.
"Yes, well, I'm rather trying not to think about it."
"Well, you might not want to complain, and just wear that costume, or this world's me might mistake you for, er, you, and start making out with you."
"I'm wearing the costume, aren't I?"
"You know, it's funny how different you look in that costume."
"Yes, well take a look at yourself."
"I have. I think I can admit to this costume being a bad idea."
"Yes, a victory! Though you still won't admit to the panties being a bad idea."
"Well, I'm not the one wearing them, am I?" Dick looked at Tim's legs and made an appreciative noise. Tim glared.
"I agree, Tim does look fine in that," said Dick Two who had entered the room.
"Don't even think about it," said Tim Two who was standing beside him. "There's no way you're getting me into that."
"Except he kind of already did," sighed Tim One.
"Yes, but he just wants me in it so he can get me out of it," snickered Tim Two. Tim One raised and eyebrow, and Dick One shifted awkwardly.
"What were you thinking when you designed that atrocity?" asked Tim Two, indicating the old Nightwing suit.
"Hey!" exclaimed Dick Two, "It's cool."
"No," said Dick One, "It really, really, isn't." Tim Two smiled.
"See even you agree."
"This isn't fair. You're getting me to team up against myself."
"Come on," said Dick One, "let's get going. I can't wait to see the expressions on the Titan's faces."
~
It took Barbara a moment for the words to sink in.
"Gone?" she asked.
"The Joker. He threw some sort of bomb. I couldn't get to them. When I got to where they were, there was nothing left."
"Oh my God."
"He said - he said they weren't dead, just trapped in an alternate dimension. But. I don't know if I can believe him. I want to believe him, but I saw - I saw the explosion."
"Oh, Bruce, come here." Bruce leaned down and let Barbara hug him, holding him tight. "Right," she said when he pulled away, and she was all Oracle again. "I'll contact the Titans and the Outsiders. You go back to your lab and start researching everything you can on alternate dimensions." Batman nodded, and left the Clocktower. If he had glanced back, he would have noticed the tears trickling down Oracle's cheeks.
~
Dick Two and Tim Two walked through the room, quietly chatting together. A few people nodded their heads in greeting. As soon as they had exited the room, and could still be seen through the door walking down the hallway, Dick One and Tim One entered the room, quietly chatting with each other. The Titans were immediately on their feet, glancing from Tim and Dick Two in the hall to Tim and Dick One in the room. There was a brief commotion as everyone began talking at once, and then stopped.
"What the fuck," said Bart finally, "is going on here?"
"What's wrong, guys?" asked Dick One.
"X'hal," said Kory, "there's two of them. Nightwing! Robin!" she shouted. Dick and Tim Two came running, and stopped short in the door.
"Oh," said Dick Two cheekily, "did I forget to tell you all that the alternate dimension versions of me and Tim accidentally got sent to our dimension after an unfortunate run-in with the Joker? Silly me."
"Hi," said Tim One, "sorry about Dick being an idiot. Again."
"Hi," said Bart weakly. "This is too weird for words."
"Right," said Tim Two, "so are we going to help them get back to their dimension or not?"
~
Bruce was currently back in the warehouse where he'd battled the Joker, recording everything he could about the frequencies of sound and light and anything he could possibly assess there. He would get the boys back. He would.
~
Tim One and Tim Two looked at Tim Three.
"Well shoot," said Tim One. "That didn't work."
"Um, what the fuck?" asked Tim Three, who was wearing Tim's red on black costume, but was really quite young. Dick Three was still unconscious. His Nightwing costume was slightly different, the stylized blue stripe replaced with an actual drawing of a bird. He also had a ponytail.
"Well," said Tim Two, "It looks like your dimension is really different from ours. Do you think we should cut Dick's hair while he's still unconscious?"
"Could you please?" asked Tim Three, "I've been itching to, but now I can do it without him actually being mad at me. Because it'll still be me, but not me, me."
"Alright guys, let's just wake him up," said Tim One, "and get the other Dicks in here and tell them that we weren't able to open the portal to send a message through quite the right way yet."
"You go," said Tim Two, "I'm going to have a chat with mini me." Tim One turned and left. As he exited the room, Tim Three started chuckling.
"Dude," he said, "why am I wearing panties?"
~
Oracle had just gotten offline with the Outsiders, and took a few deep breaths in preparation with calling the Titans. She would not cry again. She wouldn't. She couldn't help it. She may have broken it off with Dick, and this time it was probably for good, but she still cared, dammit. She took another few breaths, and hit the button that would patch her through to the Titans.
"Hello?" it was Cassie.
"Hi Wondergirl," said Oracle weakly.
"Oracle? Oh my God, what's wrong, what's happened?"
"I'm calling about Tim, and," she breathed, "and Dick. I'm so sorry. I'm afraid. I'm afraid." she burst into sobs.
"Oh my God," sobbed Wondergirl.
"Cassie?" said someone in the background. It was Kon. Oracle couldn't stop crying, and Cassie was now too. "Cassie, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," said Oracle.
"I'm sorry too," sobbed Wondergirl, "I'm going to go. Call back later."
~
Dick Three stared at Dick One.
"What is with the costume?"
"What's with your costume?" Dick One shot back.
"There's nothing wrong with this costume!" said Dick Three. Dick Two looked on with amusement.
"Right. I definitely win the best costume contest among us."
"I guess we win among the Robins," said Tim Two and Three in amusement.
"No," said all three Dicks.
"What?" said Tim One, shocked. "You think this one's best? Why?"
"Legs," said all three Dicks in unison.
~
"Cassie?" asked Kon, "Cassie what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry too," Cassie sobbed into the phone, "I'm going to go. Call back later." She hung up, and let herself collapse onto Kon in large, body-wracking sobs. The rest of the Titans gathered around, confused.
"Cassie?" asked Kon gently.
"It's Dick and Tim," she sobbed finally, "they're dead."
~
Tim One had convinced Tim Two to trade capes, and was currently holding it around himself tightly as he worked with the other Tims to put together a dimension travelling portal. Dick Three helped as well, while Dicks One and Two handed parts and tried to stay out of the way. Tim was concerned by the fact that Dick One and Two spent far too much time laughing together. He was also concerned that Tim Two was wiggling his ass invitingly whenever Dick Two stared too long that way. Tim pulled the long cape tighter around himself, and was glad that it hid his otherwise far too visible thighs.
~
Kon held Cassie tighter after she said this, and began crying too. The other Titans joined into a group hug, and they collapsed in on each other, holding and sobbing. Suddenly, the screen came on, showing not one, but three Tims of various ages and costumes. Kon gasped, and drew the others’ attention to the screen.
"Is it working?" asked the youngest Tim. "It should be working."
"I'm not sure," said Tim in the panties.
"Hello?" asked oldest Tim. Something went bang in the background.
"Oh good," said Nightwing with the high collar, stepping into the screen with two other Nightwings.
"What the fuck," said Kon, "Tim! You had us worried sick! We were told you died!"
"Yah," said Tim in the panties, "Sorry about that. We had a little run in with the Joker, and the explosion sent us into another dimension."
"Wait a second," demanded Cassie, "you're our Tim? What's with the costume?"
"It was so we could tell each other apart while we were here."
"How long have you been there?" inquired Kory.
"Almost a day," said Dick with the high collar. "How long has it been since we disappeared?"
"I'd guess at almost an hour," said Kory.
"Whoa," said Dick with the bird logo, "talk about a time difference."
"We're working on making a portal back," said young Tim, "If my calculations are correct, and everything goes smoothly, we should all be back in our proper dimensions in about a week, this time, so seven hours your time, and seven minutes my time."
"I'm so glad you're not dead," said Cassie, and everyone stared at her. "What? I am."
"Er, thanks," said Tim in the panties. "Just, um, hold down the fort there, guys. This connection isn't going to last much longer, but I wanted to make sure you guys knew I was okay."
"Send this message to Oracle and Batman and the Outsiders, okay?" asked Dick in the high collar. In the background of the screen, the Dick that hadn't talked yet could be seen goosing older Tim.
"Who's Oracle and the Outsiders?" asked Dick with the bird logo. The other Dicks stared at him, along with older Tim and Tim in panties. "What?"
"Never mind," said Tim in panties firmly. "So, we're working on getting back guys, just sit tight, and tell everyone not to worry."
"Okay Tim. Take care of yourselves."
"We will. We're going to have to cut the connection. Bye guys. Love you all." The screen shut off.
"Well," said Kon, "That was weird. Good weird though."
"I'm going to forward this to Oracle right away," said Cassie.
~
"Come on," said Dick Two finally as it got very late. "We should all go to bed, you're just going to damage something if you keep working when you're that sleepy."
"Where are we going to sleep?" asked Dick One, who was in the process of dragging Dick Three away from his work. Tim One and Tim Two were working furiously to finish just a little more while Tim Three slept soundly over a large book. Dick Three relented, and picked up Tim Three, careful not to wake him. Dick Two coaxed Tim Two away with promises of rewards for being good. Tim One stared, and then shook his head. Dick Three looked at Tim Three in his arms with a funny expression.
"You know the way to the temp dorms," said Tim Two, tossing Tim One a key. Tim One nodded, and tried not to watch as Tim Two dragged Dick Two eagerly away. He marched out of the room, and down the hallway, followed by the others. He opened the door that matched the number on the key to reveal the expected set of two bunk beds. Tim quickly launched himself into one of the top bunks. Dick One grinned, and just slipped into the bottom bunk. Dick Three slid Tim Three into the bottom bunk, and tucked him in before climbing into the top one.
"So," said Dick One. "Is this world weird or what?"
"Definitely," agreed Dick Three quietly.
"I want my costume back," complained Tim One.
"Oh, shush. At least you don't have to sleep with this stupid collar on."
"I'm going to wake up early tomorrow and go clothes hunting. I'm sure if there are extras of this costume, there must be some of the one in between somewhere. And I always keep civilian clothes around too."
"You do that," said Dick Three with a yawn, and pretty soon his breathing slowed to sleep patterns. Dick One sighed underneath him.
"You do look good in the panties," he said.
"Are you hitting on me?" asked Tim.
"Yes," said Dick.
"Okay, just making sure.” Tim paused. “May I ask why?"
"I had a chance to have a good chat with other me about how we ended up together. You should talk to other you about it."
"Okay, then. Goodnight, Dick."
"Night Tim."
~
Oracle and Batman sat in the Clocktower, watching the message again.
"Did Dick just goose Tim?" asked Oracle finally.
"Yes," said Batman, bewildered.
"Right. And there are three Dicks and Tims?"
"Apparently."
"And one of the Dicks has never heard of Oracle, or the Outsiders?"
"It seems so. And Dick goosed Tim."
"And Tim let him."
"Yes."
"They landed in some screwy dimension."
"It appears so. And that other Tim is so young, younger than when our Tim even began training."
"And the other Dick still has that hair."
"And they're going to be back in seven hours?"
"Apparently."
"Dick goosed Tim."
~
It took Tim a few days before he finally got up the nerve to ask Tim Two about him and Dick.
"Well," said Tim Two, "there was a time when we felt like brothers towards each other too. Except it just sort of grew, without us realising it. And then I got captured and tortured."
"I get tortured?"
"It isn't actually that bad, we get rescued before they can get to anything serious, they put us through the 'softening up' stages first."
"Okay."
"Anyhow, I got rescued, and Dick and Cass and Bruce brought me back to the Cave, got me patched up, yadda yadda. Then, I wake up in the middle of the night, and Dick's sitting by my bed, just watching me, and then I realised he was crying."
"Oh."
"So I asked him what was wrong, and he told me he was just so scared for me, that he couldn't stop thinking about what might happen to me, and he wanted to make sure I was okay. So I told him I was fine, really, but he just sort of gave me this funny look. And then he kissed me. He apologized afterwards and it was kind of awkward for a few seconds, and then he got up to leave, and I found I didn't want him to go. I meant to ask him to stay, but then 'I love you' just kind of slipped out, and once I'd said it, I realised it was true, that it had been true for - God, months. And then Dick was all shocked, so I said it again. And then he kissed me again, and climbed into bed with me, and he just held me for the rest of the night. It was really just - nice. Perfect. Being with him is just - it makes me happy, y'know? And then things just kind of progressed from there."
"Wow," said Tim, finally.
"Yeah," shrugged Tim Two, "so, come on, let's finish eating and get to work on the portal some more."
~
The Outsiders and the Titans had all gathered at the Tower, and were waiting in the room they had seen in the message. A clock chimed.
"Four more hours," said Kon.
~
"There," said Tim Two with a grin, "now it should take the next four days to charge, and then we'll have a fully working portal that will send people to whatever dimension they belong in."
"Great. Now what do we do until then?" asked Dick Three.
"I say it's time to pay Gotham a little visit. Batman's going to be horrified. Three of both of us!" exclaimed Tim Two.
"Excellent," said Dick Two, "and we can scare the criminal element shitless while we're at it too!"
"Great," muttered Tim One, "more running around rooftops in panties. You know, there was a reason I changed the costume."
"Hey," said the Dicks.
"If we could do it," started Dick Three,
"Our entire time as Robin," continued Dick Two,
"You can put up with it for three days," concluded Dick One. Tim sighed, and shook his head.
"Yes, yes, fine, let's go to Gotham," sighed Tim One, and then glanced over to Tim Three, who hadn't said anything. "Whoa. You've got to teach me how to do that!"
"Me too!" said Tim Two, watching Tim Three juggle the Batarangs. Tim Three shrugged.
"Sure," he said catching them, "I'll show you when we get to Gotham. It's fairly easy."
"Wait a second," said Dick Two, "how exactly are we getting to Gotham?"
"Oh," said Tim Two, "remember that bus we confiscated from that crazy cow-worshipping cult?"
"Oh God," said Dick One, "I'm so glad that didn't happen in our reality. Is it safe to ride in?"
"Perfectly," assured Tim Two.
A few moments later, everyone but Tims Two and Three were holding on for dear life.
"He's worse than you and your bikes," said Tim One to Dick One, who was sitting beside him in the seat, and holding onto the back on the seat in front of him. Tim Three was standing on top of the back of one of the seats, balancing and jumping about as they bounced. They hit a bump, and the back of the bus rose about a foot off the ground. Tim Two had the petal to the floor.
"Oh God," said Dick Three, then, "Tim get down from there before you break something." Tim Three sighed, but stopped doing his handstand and sat at the very back of the bus.
"How do I do that without throwing up?" asked Tim One, looking at Tims Two and Three. All Three Dicks shrugged.
"Beats me. You're doing better than any of us still. You're don't look ill, and you aren't even holding on to anything."
"Yes, well, I'm too busy being scared that alternate versions of me seem to have suicidal tendencies."
"Oh, and you don't? I seem to remember a stunt involving grapple lines that nearly made someone part of a wall."
"Oh, look who's talking mister let's play tag with gravity."
Batman was most surprised to see a bus pull into the Batcave. He recognized Tim driving on the camera, and came down to meet Tim and Dick and demand explanations. He expected it when Tim and Dick piled out of the vehicle, but he did not expect another Dick to pile out as well. And then another Dick. And then another Tim. Bruce blinked, and saw one final Tim pile out, this one ridiculously young.
"Hi," said the Dick who was wearing a normal costume, and Bruce presumed it to be the real Dick. "We had a bit of an accident at the Tower."
"Resulting in accidental time travel, I presume?" he asked, noticing the differences in costume.
"Actually, no, these are just alternate dimension versions of us. We've figured out a way to send them back, but we have to wait another four days, so we figured we'd come back to Gotham for three of them. Give the local criminals a good scare."
"You're all going out on patrol together tonight?" he questioned.
"Yes," answered what he presumed to be his world's Tim.
"All of you," Bruce said again with a glance towards young Tim, who couldn't be older than ten.
"Yes," said young Tim firmly.
"Well, I suppose I have trained all of you, haven't I?" The group nodded. "Very well. I think I might take the night off, for once. Try not to give Batgirl and the Huntress heart attacks." The Dicks grinned, and the Tims elbowed them. Bruce made sure not to think too hard on the possibilities of setting multiple Dicks and Tims lose on Gotham, as it would only give him a headache.
"Right. I'm going to go inform Alfred we'll be having a few unusual guests over."
Nightwing One grinned as he watched chaos ensue as they busted up a crime ring. Nightwing Two took care of a room full of gangsters and Dick Three waited calmly in the hall to catch those escaping and scare them half to death. A few fainted as soon as they saw him. They had all donned matching uniforms for the occasion of their first night, for which his Tim was very thankful, although he’d had to promise to wear the panties the other two nights. They had been unable to convince Nightwing Three to cut his hair, but the criminals were too busy being scared to notice that much. Dick looked down into the other room he could see through the glass ceiling his was sitting on. All three Robins were having way too much fun with the criminals in their room, and the littlest Robin appeared to be flirting with the women they were rescuing while the other two double teamed the criminals. Little Robin jumped up to pull on of the women out of the way of a stray knife, and then continued to flirt shamelessly. Within a few more minutes, the criminals were all zip stripped. Robin Three led the women out of the building while he juggled batarangs for them. The other two Robins walked in front, checking for danger. Robin Three remained with the girls as he called the police, and the other two Robins, as well as the other two Nightwings, met Nightwing One up on the roof. Nightwing One gave a small bow and flourish towards the mob boss who he had tied up.
"He seems reluctant to talk, boys," he declared.
"Hmm," said one of the Robins, and gave a smirk that Nightwing knew could only be his Tim's. "We've learned some new tricks lately, haven't we Robin?"
"Yes," said Robin Two, "And this seems like an excellent opportunity to try them, don't you think? Double your fun."
"Wait! I'll tell you everything!" Nightwing grinned. This was going to be a fun night.
~
The clock ticked.
"Three and a half hours," said Roy nervously.
~
"Hi," said Nightwing Two, dropping down beside the Huntress.
"Hi Nightwing, what's up?"
"Not much," said Nightwing One, stepping out of the shadows on the other side of her.
"Eep!" she exclaimed.
"What?" asked Nightwing Three, swinging in to stand in front of her. She stumbled back, bumping into Robin Two.
"Am I hallucinating?" she asked him.
"I'm afraid not," said Robin One, holding out his hand to help her stand.
"Oh my God," she said.
"Hey, anyone seen where I left that explosive chewing gum?" asked Robin Three. The Huntress fainted dead away. Cass stepped out of the shadows, and shook her head at the boys.
"Whoa," said Tim Three. "What happened to the other Batgirl?"
When they got in from patrol, Alfred was waiting with the largest batch of cookies Dick had ever seen, and a first aid kit. When Alfred saw the youngest Robin, Tim Three was immediately checked over with an expert eye for any cuts or bruises. The others took a moment to be grateful that Tim Three had been able to last the night without getting hurt at all, or they'd all have been in for it. Alfred then proceeded to give each of them a look, and was able to determine who had been injured in a single glance. Tims One and Three, and Dick One glanced at each other with amused grins as the others were forced to submit to Alfred's care. Tim Three munched happily on a cookie, and casually bounced a batarang around like a hacky sack. Tim One grinned, and took out three batarangs and began juggling them. Dick gave a sigh as Tim Two came over, and the Robins all joined into a giant game of batarang toss, juggling them and swapping them about.
"Master Tims! Put those away before you injure yourselves!"
"Sorry Alfred," chorused the Tims, and put the batarangs away with grins, before heading straight for the cookies. Dick Three came over and sat down by Dick one, and snatched a cookie quickly before they were all gone. Dick Two was still protesting he was fine as Alfred tended to a rather nasty cut on his back. Alfred was soon ushering them all upstairs, leading them to the hallway that contained Dick and Tim Two's bedroom.
"Master Bruce was unable to inform me what everyone's sleeping arrangements were, so I readied all the rooms in this hall. Please make yourselves comfortable."
"Thanks Alfred," they chorused, and Alfred nodded, leaving them to choose their rooms. Tim Two pulled Dick Two into what was presumably their room, and could be heard fussing over the injury on Dick's back. Tim Three immediately went about opening doors to decide on the best room, and Dick Three settled into the room across from it. This left Dick and Tim One standing in the hallway.
"Well," said Dick, "Goodnight, Tim."
"Dick?"
"Yes?"
"Do you... um."
"Sure."
"Okay, yah," Tim smiled, and opened the door behind him revealing a king sized bed.
~
The Titans and Outsiders paced about the edges of the large room, waiting for the last hour to be up.
~
"It was great to meet myself," laughed Dick Three, before stepping through the portal.
"Keep in practice with those batarangs, if I see either of you again I'm going to challenge you to a juggling contest," threatened Tim Three, and then followed Dick Three through the portal.
"Well," said Dick One, "I guess I'd better get ready to get hugged within an inch of my life. Take care of yourselves." He gave himself and Tim Two a hug, and then slipped through the portal. Tim laughed.
"He'd also better be ready to be bugged about that costume. Though I suppose I will be too." He turned to go through the portal, and then glanced back.
"Hey Tim, thanks."
"No problem. Have fun explaining the panties."
"Bye guys." Tim stepped through the portal.
~
Tim stepped through the portal, and landed in a room full of excited superheroes. He was immediately pulled into a hug by Cassie, who made him promise not to die, and then was swung around by Bart and Kon, and then pulled away from them by Kory, and pretty soon he couldn't keep track of who was hugging him. After a while, he was able to disentangle himself from the hugs enough to breathe properly, and was soon accosted for stories about what had happened. He let Dick take over the story telling, filling in bits and pieces and making comments every now and then.
"And Tim has to show you what miniTim taught him to do," said Dick eventually, drawing the attention away from himself. Tim glared, but took out his batarangs and casually began juggling them, to the delight of onlookers. Finally, though, the question Tim had been dreading came up.
"Tim, you realise you're wearing panties, right?"
~
"What just happened?" asked Batman, who stared as Nightwing and Robin had disappeared into thin air a little under seven minutes ago, and had suddenly reappeared.
"It's kind of a long story," said Nightwing, "and parts of it you wouldn't believe if we told you."
~
Tim sighed.
"I'm going to miss having two extra mes," he said.
"What, you won't miss having two extra mes?" asked Dick.
"Oh I'll miss them later, right now I'm going to be far too busy with you."
"I like the sound of that."
~
Dick called Oracle up on the way back to Gotham. They were riding on Tim's bike, which Tim had insisted on driving, saying he had enough insane rides in the past week.
"Oh Thank God," she said as soon as she heard his voice, "you got back okay then. We've all been so worried."
"Just checking in, wanted to make sure you knew Tim and I were okay."
"Great. How close are you?"
"We've just pasted the halfway point."
"Okay, well get back safe."
"We will. Nightwing out." Dick switched the comm off, and settled his arms back around Tim's waist, leaning his head into the crook of his neck. It was a comfortable ride home.
~
"Okay," said Batman, "let me get this straight. There were three of each of you, and the other Tims were older, but the other Dicks weren't. One set of you two were dating each other, and the other set might have been dating each other but you're not sure, and one of the alternate Tims ran around wearing panties, and an alternate Dick had a Nightwing suit who's collar came above his head?"
"Yep," said Tim.
"Those are some weird dimensions."
~
"Oh God," moaned Tim.
~
Dick slid off the bike, and was, to his surprise, immediately engulfed in a hug from Bruce. Tim got off and Bruce let go of him to hug Tim. Alfred, who had made it his mission to make sure Dick was not hurt in anyway, then accosted him. When he finally convinced the man he was fine, Tim got the same treatment.
"What happened?" asked Bruce finally.
"A lot of stuff, actually," said Dick, fidgeting, "I met two other mes, as you probably saw. Took down about seven gangs in three days, because you'd be amazed how quickly criminals surrender when they think you can make as many copies of yourself as you like. Went back to my old costume, because it was hard to tell us all apart otherwise. Learned how to open a portal between dimensions. Tim taught, erm, himself, how to juggle batarangs. MiniTim, because he couldn't have been older then ten. It was kind of creepy."
"Well, I think we should hear the rest of the story another night. You two must be exhausted, get to bed."
Dick raised a discreet eyebrow at Tim, who gave him a small smile back. They went upstairs together, and into Dick's room, since it was closer.
"Home sweet home," sighed Tim, and leaned into Dick's gentle kiss.
~
End.