Who:Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne What:Revisiting the place where it all started When:Tonight Where:Haly's Circus Warnings:annngst
Considering their current predicament, Haly's Circus was a place Dick never thought he would see again. A place he thought he'd avoided dealing with emotionally. Then the seal saw fit to drop a bomb on him bringing it to Kansas. It re-opened that old wound. Dealing with Dark only helped to push open the emotional flood gates even further. He never thought after everything he and Bruce had been through that he would have wanted him there when he visited the place where it all began the night his parents were murdered. For years he had been so angry. Bruce taught him to always look forward and never back, never to dwell on the pain because pain and fear would lead to their downfall. Batman and Robin were forged from darkness made into Gotham's hope.
Very few knew the real reasons for their existence. The lives of Batman and Robin were lonely ones shrouded in darkness and tragedy. That tragedy was all Dick could focus on as he stood in that very ring where his parents were murdered infront of him. Over head a single spot light from the distance lit the arena. The grand stands were empty but the smells remained the same, the memories and pain hadn't faded only dulled in time. He could remember it like it was yesterday as he padded across the soft surface of the arena toward the trapeze and began to climb the tiny orange stairs one by one. The lights went low and the Ring Master's voice rang through the air. The show was about to begin and they were the headliner.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls of all ages Haly's Circus proudly presents the Flying Graysons! John and Mary Grayson and their young son Dickie Grayson flying hundreds of feet over head without a net. Last week they were everyone's favorite, this week nobody knows! Sit back and let us entertain you!Even the air crackled with excitement as he climbed higher and higher until he was at the top of the tall trapeze. Staring down into the air at a phantom show infront of his eyes. Being that high again he could see his parents as clear as day, and if he focused enough he could swear he saw the trapeze moving. If he squinted just right he could see his parents flying through the air like birds.
Up high was the only place Dick really felt like his namesake. A light wind touched his cheeks and tossed his dark hair. There was even still a bit of chalk on the platform he stood on. He wondered briefly who the last person was to touch it. Picking it up in his hands he clapped them off and sat at the edge of said platform. He thought he was ready to take the dive again. He thought the whole point of going up was to soar like he had with his parents. It wasn't the first time he'd been back to the circus since they'd died but it was the first time he was Ring Master. He wanted them to be there. Would they be proud? Their little Robin was Ring Master of Haly's Circus just like he'd always pretended to be in their camper in the privacy of their traveling home.
Could they be proud of all the things he'd done even after he'd taken the mantle? His feet dangled over the platform edge. He wasn't even supposed to be alive anymore. Four near death experiences had nearly claimed him the last few years. How were those things to be proud of? All he wanted was one more day with them. He never even really got to say goodbye.