So I headcanon that Dick's mind is still muddled up from going from forgetting, remembering, forgetting, remembering so sometimes he gets caught in those memories and doesn't understand why he's now suddenly in a mid-twenties body 

I've decided he's 24 because fuck DC timelines 

TW: PANIC ATTACKS

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stop-a-panic-attack

https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/mental-wellbeing/anxiety-and-panic/how-to-deal-with-panic-attacks

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/panic-attacks/

Dick opened his eyes and found himself sitting in an apartment that he most certainly hadn't been in before he closed his eyes. He jumped at the sudden change of scenery and felt a moment of pure panic. Luckily, his training allowed him to suppress it as soon as he acknowledged it but it didn't make him feel much better. The full-blown panic was just constant unease rather than a feeling of contentment. He'd just been sitting with Barbara not five minutes ago on a rooftop. They were seeing who could do the better Batman impression and he was obviously winning. How could he get from a rooftop to the inside of an apartment in a blink of an eye? Weird things happened in Gotham but this felt a little too weird. He'd have to have time travelled too because it was bright outside. When he was with Barbara, it was nearly one in the morning. He looked down and found he wasn't in his Robin uniform. He was wearing pyjamas? Were his hands always this big? He really didn't like any of this. Dick shot up and studied the apartment. 

On the other side of the room, he could see a mobile phone sitting on the countertop. He'd never seen the model before but he didn't really care about that. To him, it was a way to work out what the hell was going on. When he picked it up and turned it on, it came up with a face ID. Weird. Presumably, the person who owned this apartment owned the phone. Surely if he found photos of them he could unlock the phone and call for help. There were a few photo frames on top of a cabinet which he quickly seized for his plan. The one that he'd grabbed made him pause. It was a picture of a man and woman in a park but that wasn't what disturbed him. The man in the picture looked like him. Older than him but definitely similar to him. The same eyes, the same hair and the same scar on his jawline. He quirked an eyebrow as he looked at the woman. Barbara. It looked like Barbara but older. A sick feeling grew in his stomach and he felt himself lose the calm composure he'd been taught to put on. Why on Earth would this person who presumably took him have pictures like these? Did he time travel to the future? If he did then how? When to?  

As he spiralled, he felt the phone buzz in his hand. A ringtone played but he'd never heard the song before. He shakily brought the phone up as he set the picture frame back down. The caller ID made that sick feeling even worse. He felt like he could throw up right then and there. Barbara. He gulped and slid the phone icon across to answer the call. 

"Hey Dick, I've sent over those reports for the Benson case. I was wondering if you wanna meet up tonight since I have a potential lead on that murder," she greeted. That was her voice alright. It sounded a little more grown-up but that was definitely her. He'd place her voice anywhere. His breathing got quicker as the panic he'd pushed through began to rise. "Dick?"

"I think I time travelled," he blurted out. His voice? He sounded different. Older. That seemed to be the common theme today. Everything was the same but older and unfortunately that included him. Barbara was smart when he knew her and she must've gotten even smarter as she got older. She was probably a genius now. 

"What do you mean?"

"I was just talking to you on a rooftop and now I'm in some apartment and there are pictures of us but we're older now and I'm totally ripped but also what the fuck why do they exist?" he rambled.

"Dick, how old are you?"

"Fourteen." There was a sigh at the other end of the phone followed by some rustling. "Babs?"

"You're not fourteen. You're twenty-four. The apartment you're in is yours. I'll explain more when I get there but keep calm okay? I can stay on the phone if you want?" He shook his head. How could he be twenty-four? There was no way. The man in the photo was him but how? Why was this happening? How could he blank out ten years? "Deep breaths Dick. You're gonna be okay."

"I don't like this." He felt his chest get tighter and tighter as more questions flooded his mind. His mouth was as dry as a desert and his erratic breathing wasn't helping. Things his mind hadn't really thought of before were now sticking out like a sore thumb. His arms had more scars, his feet were bigger, his body ached, he was further off the ground, and hair was tickling his neck. He squeezed his eyes closed so he could stop it all from going in. 

"I know it's hard. You've gone through this before and you've always gotten through it." He didn't reply but she didn't hang up on him. "Take a deep breath with me. Can you do that?"

"I think," he whimpered.

"Okay, deep breath in 1...2...3...4...5 and now we'll hold it for 1...2...3...4...5...6 and now we'll let it all go 1...2...3....4...5...6...7." He did as instructed, his breath hitching and his body involuntarily gasping. "It's okay. Just do that ten times. You'll feel much better." He kept working through it and honed in on everything coming through Barbara's side. There was a car door slam and something muffled. There wasn't much going on but he didn't mind that. It was nice just focusing on that. Like when he played music quietly to take his mind off things. He could concentrate on the beat, on the lyrics, pretty much everything and anything that made it a song. "There you go, great job. I'm almost there." He hummed and just listened. That was all he really could do.

It didn't take long for Barbara to arrive at his apartment and she stayed on the phone with him right until she opened his door with her spare key. He almost wondered if she'd gotten the key for when this situation happened. How many times had it happened? Barbara smiled at him sympathetically as she closed the door behind her. Dick had made his way to the couch where he'd pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them. 

"Hey Dickie," she greeted, locking the door before going to sit beside him. "How're you feeling?"

"Aside from everything going on, fine. I mean, I'm not dying at least. Just freaking out a little. A lot," he replied, his voice shaky. She hummed and put a hand on his arm for comfort. "How could this happen?"

"Two big-league baddies decided to fiddle with your inner workings. They messed with your head and made you forget everything then manipulated you. Happened twice back to back," she explained.

"Typical Grayson luck, eh?" She laughed hollowly and nodded.

"Something like that." He ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. He didn't know what to do since there wasn't much he could do. All he could do was wait for him to go back to normal. 

"How long does this last?"

"Hard to say. Sometimes it's a few minutes, sometimes it's a few hours." He nodded with a frown. Although he knew he'd go back to normal now, he didn't like just waiting around for it to happen. He didn't like having a blank spot whilst in a body that was his but not entirely. He hadn't grown into this body, he'd just appeared in it. The only thing he could compare it to was waking up from surgery knowing something was suddenly different. Even that had hardly anything on this feeling because you almost always knew you were going to have surgery. 

"Suppose it's good to know I'm still alive right?" 

"You always say that," she commented with a smirk. 

"Sorry for being relieved," he replied sarcastically. "I'm glad you are too."

"Oh, you thought I wouldn't make it eh?" She gave him a light punch in the arm as he cackled. 

"I yield!" he exclaimed as he put his arms up in defence. "Still a fiery redhead."

"You bet, pixie boots."

They bickered back and forth playfully until Dick started getting quiet. She didn't bring attention to it, knowing that he was going back to normal. She put her hand on his arm and waited patiently as a blank look washed over his face. She'd seen it enough times and every time it broke her heart. No one knew how long this would last and they didn't have enough information to even take a guess. It was hard enough for her to witness, she couldn't imagine experiencing it. Reaching out to hold onto something that wasn't there and getting lost in memory but staying in your current body. Without his training, he'd probably be even more panicked than he usually was. Sometimes it wasn't so bad or at least she thought so. He'd experienced it alone, she knew that for a fact so he must be able to get a handle on it if the jump wasn't too far. Ten years was a big jump. Rapid blinking caught her attention and pulled her out of her thoughts. Dick's face relaxed then turned into a confused expression when he took in what he was looking at. 

"Babs? When did you get here?" he asked.

"You slipped again," she answered. His confusion turned to a frown. "You were fourteen this time. Cheeky as ever."

"You sound so disappointed," he taunted. She tutted at him. 

"You're still sassy, don't worry. Haven't lost that yet." He hummed and turned so he could plant both of his feet on the floor. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he tried to come to terms with coming back. It never felt great to change like that. Sometimes he could get right back to it and sometimes he just couldn't. His mind always felt at least a little muddled. His memories splicing and fading together making messes in his brain. 

"I don't know how many more times I can do this," he admitted. Barbara put her arm around him and he leaned into her touch. "I've lost Alfred, Bea, Damian and now I have this. Migraines so bad I can't stand, regressing and as a cherry on top the nightmares. Babs, I don't know what more I can lose." 

"You've gotten through worse."

"No, I haven't. I knew Alfred would be gone one day so at least I was prepared for that but everything else? How could I have even predicted it? Prepared for it no less?" She shook her head, not knowing what to say. What could you say? He sniffled and broke away from her, standing up. "Sorry, I can't just dump all this on you. You're dealing with just as much right now."

"Don't do that. You're not pushing me or any of us for that matter away. You've done it before and we let you but I won't let it happen again. Not now or ever," she told him sternly. She wouldn't let another Ric situation happen. Not when it meant there was so much more going on at that time and she almost lost him completely. She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You're not losing me."

"Thanks, Babs."

"Anytime."