Work Text:
Dick walked into the kitchen, post-workout, and sipping from his water bottle. He had just placed it down on the counter so he could open the fridge when he spotted a stranger sitting at the dining table a few feet away from him. He froze.
One on hand, it could be one of his siblings' friends. On the other, it could be an intruder.
On the third, desperately unwanted hand, it could be a new sibling. Which was fine, of course. Not like Dick or any of the family had any right to know if someone new was coming.
"Hey, kid." Dick flashed an awkward smile at the newcomer and cautiously approached.
The kid was black, probably in teens (maybe 15-17?), and looked nervous as hell. He also had a slight aura around him, as if he was glowing.
Dick wasn't sure how much he could trust his eyes, but he was also pretty sure that normal people didn't just? Do that.
The kid's fingers twitched, and he tugged on his own shirt sleeve. "Hi." He said. Not exactly confident, but not scared entirely. "I was told to wait here?"
"Wait?" Dick blinked. He hadn't seen anyone on the way over here, and he wasn't informed of anyone coming over today either. "Who told you to?"
"Um, my dad?" The kid winced, folding his hands into his lap and staring down hard at them. "He said he'd be back."
Oh. Son of a business partner?
"Who's your dad, kid?" Dick asked as he wandered back to the fridge, looking for his usual post-workout yogurt. "Businessman or something like that?"
The kid muttered a name, stealing a glance up at Dick before looking back down. Dick stopped, eyeing the kid weirdly. "What'd you say?"
"Bruce Wayne."
He froze, dropping his yogurt, which exploded on the ground. His socks were now covered, and he really should do something about that, but he was still processing.
"Your dad is . . . Bruce Wayne." Dick said seriously, walking to choose a seat next to the kid. "And who are you?"
"Duke Thomas." Duke stuck a hand out to Dick, but quickly dropped it after only receiving a cold glare in response. "M–my other dad dropped me off and left."
"Your . . . other dad?" Dick squinted at him. "You have two dads? What, your mom couldn't stay faithful to one?"
Duke scowled at him before answering. "No. I lived with foster parents before now. And then, this guy shows up in my dreams one day. Says he's my dad."
"So you think a fever dream you had once makes you Bruce Wayne's son?" Dick sat back and crossed his arms. "I'm not seeing the connection here."
"No, it wasn't Bruce Wayne. It was . . . another guy. He was blond, and he had long hair. He was wearing a white chiton, and he told me his name was Apollo, like the sun god." Duke sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I thought it was just that, a silly dream I had one time. I wrote it off, but then. One day I was walking back from school and then this giant . . . dog thing came out of nowhere."
"Okay, so a random guy tells you you're his son and you get attacked by a dog." Dick gestured with his hand. "Keep going."
"I don't know how else to describe it. It was if I . . . knew it was going to happen. I just saw a dog jumping out at me and I stumbled back. And then the second I did it, an actual dog came out of . . . nowhere.
"It wasn't even a dog. I mean, dog is the best way to describe it but, like, it wasn't a dog. It was huge, dude. Like, twice my size. And it was pitch black, with razor sharp teeth. I panicked, whipping my head back and forth seeing if anyone else saw this monster of a dog but it was if it wasn't there. I even had one of my neighbors tell me that a stray poodle shouldn't scare me so bad. That's when I knew that it was there for me. And it was out for blood.
"I ran. Like a coward, I ran. I thought, maybe if I could get home, it would go away. I was stressed so bad that at some point, I took a wrong turn. The dog backed me into an alley, and I was cornered.
"I was so scared I was shaking. I swear I almost shit my pants. But just went I thought, this is it, I'm a goner, there was this . . . light. I thought maybe, someone heard something, shone a flashlight down here, but it was . . . It was off, somehow. Like, like it was brighter than a flashlight should be. And purer, if that makes any sense.
"I closed my eyes, and I looked away. I thought I was accepting my fate, that I'd never open my eyes again, but next thing I know, I hear this monster let out a pitched whine and I open my eyes again, there's a pile of golden dust that's just blowing away and some scorch marks. I had no idea what I just witnessed. I thought that dog just got raptured, or something.
"But then, I feel his hand on my shoulder, and I look up. And the same guy, Apollo, standing there next to me, all serious and stuff, and he turns to me and says something like 'I should've known it would put you in danger' and I'm just. Blown away. My first reaction was to get the hell away from him." Duke shifted in his seat, Dick's scrutiny obviously unnerving him.
"But he promised he would explain, just not then. He told me to go home and act normal, and he would visit me in my dreams. Then he just disappeared. I went home. I didn't say anything. I mean, what would I have said? A big dog chased me and this blond guy killed it light. My parents would have thought I was going crazy. So whatever, I went to bed like normal that night. And Apollo shows up.
"He tells me again, that his name was Apollo and that he was my father. I still think I'm going crazy until he just starts pointing out shit. How I knew the dog was coming, how I see really well in the dark, why I glow sometimes. And at this point, I'm starting to believe him. He seemed to know so much about me, more than I know about myself. And then he tells me that I need to go find my real father." Duke leaned against the table, lightly tracing the designs with his fingers. Dick puts his elbows on his knees, leaning in closer to Duke.
"And that's how you ended up here? Apollo said you were Bruce Wayne's son?" Dick's eyebrows furrowed.
Duke shrugged. "That's not the only thing he told me. He said that he was a Greek god, and that there was a place where people like me could go and be safe and train and stuff. But he said that I was closer to my dad, and that he would also take care of me and keep me safe. I was pretty hesitant to go at first, but then he told me that if I stayed it would put my parents at risk. So, I agreed to go."
"Uh-huh." Dick nodded, taking in this information. "So how did you connect with Bruce?"
"Well, Apollo told me that when I woke up I should pack my belongings into a bag. Said clothes weren't necessary because I could get new ones, but that I could bring personal items. Told me to pretend to go to school but then hide and wait 'til my parents left the house. Then he'd arrange transport to take me to my dad's house, and that he'd meet me there. I thought about everyone I'd never see again, my friends, my parents, but I knew their safety was so much more important than I was.
"So, when I woke up, I packed a bag and hid. Just like Apollo said, when my parents left, this gray taxi that looks like it was made of clouds arrives at my house. I get in, sure that it was my ride and there were these three old ladies. Man, they were weird as hell, but I don't wanna get into it.
"They take me here, and when I get out I'm at this giant mansion and Apollo is right next to me. He's not wearing the chiton anymore, just a normal casual outfit and sunglasses. He tells me this is where I'm supposed to be. I just nod and play along, 'Cause I'm sure that when I ring the doorbell some fancy butler will just turn me away at the sight of us.
"But when the door opens, the old guy, Alfred, just looks at us and then says he's calling for 'Master Bruce' and that we should wait here." Dick runs a hand down his face, and then through his hair, and then down his face again.
He squeezed his eyes shut. "Please tell me this is where the story ends."
Duke gives him a grin. "Close to it.
"Bruce comes in a little later and he just stops and stares at us and he's all 'Apollo?' and doesn't really say anything else. But Apollo just tells him I'm his son and that they need to talk somewhere private. I was told to wait here and that he would come talk to me later. After a few minutes sitting alone, you came in." Duke shrugged. "I really don't know what to make of it, but I just hope no more monster dogs attack me again."
Dick stands up, and paces the room. "And you're, what, Bruce's biological son? How does that even make sense?"
Duke shrugged again.
"Okay, you're really not helping." Dick pauses and frowns at Duke, who stared back up at him with a blank expression. "But I guess you don't know much either. Do you even know who I am?"
Duke shakes his head. "I honestly don't know much about any of you, other than you're filthy rich."
Dick rolled his eyes. "My name's Dick. Dick Grayson. And don't say anything about it, I've already heard all the jokes." The small smirk that landed on Duke's face grew slightly, and the kid shrugged once more.
"Stop doing that." Dick huffed and stuck his head out into the hall, checking if anyone was approaching them. "So you said the Greek god, Apollo himself, is here, right now?"
"Yup. And I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing right now."
Dick sighed. "I'll figure something out for you. Come on." He grabbed Duke by the arm, pulling him up. The kid tensed, but didn't say anything in protest.
Just then, Tim walked into the kitchen, absent-mindedly scrolling on his phone. He stepped in the yogurt mess and stopped to inspect his foot. He looked up to meet Dick's eyes with a disgusted look on his face. "Dick, what the f—" He locked eyes with Duke. "Dick. Who is that? Actually, no, more important, why the hell is there yogurt on the ground."
The corners of Dick's lips managed to drop even lower than they were right now. Not only did he now have to deal with a potential new sibling and all of Bruce's bullshit that he, once again, failed to tell anyone about, but now he also had to deal with the stupid yogurt that he dropped. Before he could even open to mouth to say something, which could have ranged from 'Hey, this is Duke, your new sibling' to 'Shut the fuck up, Tim I'm dealing with something a little more serious right now', Bruce walked in behind Tim, face more serious than he'd ever seen in last year or so.
"Dick, I see you've already met Duke. Tim, this is Duke Thomas. He's your new sibling." Bruce's eyes flashed as they met Dick's, and he knew that they would have another epic screaming match later. "Duke, can I talk to you? Privately."
Duke's head swivelled between Bruce and Dick, and he was reluctant to agree and move away from Dick's grip. Bruce placed a gentle hand on Duke's shoulder and his voice softened as he spoke to the boy. "We have a lot to discuss." And that was that.
In the silence of the kitchen, Tim and Dick stood watching the empty doorway and Bruce's retreating back. Dick clenched his fist. Tim sighed, and unlocked his phone.
"I might as well tell everyone." Tim glanced down at the yogurt mess and looked back up at Dick. "And clean this up." He left the kitchen too.
Dick glared at the floor and grit his teeth. He tore a sheet of paper towel and bent down to wipe it up.
"Don't worry about it, Master Dick." Alfred placed a hand on his shoulder and Dick looked up at him, eyes glistening with barely concealed tears. "It might frustrate you now, but we will deal with it appropriately."
Dick laughed wetly. "It's hard to think that you're just talking about the yogurt here, Alf."
"Of course I am." Alfred's eyes twinkled. "But nonetheless, this is not your burden alone to deal with." Dick stood up, and wrapped his arms around the butler.
"Thanks, Alfred." Dick wiped his eyes. "I might as well introduce him to the family anyways, huh?"
"You do as you please." Alfred stepped away to take over the cleaning. "I'll be here, as always."
"As always." Dick murmured, echoing Alfred's words. He stood and watched for a second before leaving as well. He has a new brother, after all. Might as well make the best out of it.