dick grayson ยป ROBIN (
performance) wrote in
gingercupboards2014-08-06 12:58 pm
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[ The audience goes wild as Haly's Traveling Circus begins its three-ring opening act extravaganza. The performers swarm the floor in a choreographed riot of colors and music, and Dick just knows he's gonna get lost in the crowd.
When's Jack gonna give in and let him have his own aerial act? The accident was five years ago. He's ready. He's got a routine worked out and everything. All he needs is a chance.
Not that he's ever gonna get one as long as he's stuck doing boring old handsprings through boring old flaming hoops all the way over in the third ring. Total baby stuff. He could do this in his sleep. He catches two juggling clubs mid-double-backflip, spins once more in midair, sticks the landing, and the crowd goes nuts. Okay, that felt pretty cool, maybe it was more impressive than he'd —
... Or maybe the elephant's stealing the show. Aw, come on, Zitka... ]
When's Jack gonna give in and let him have his own aerial act? The accident was five years ago. He's ready. He's got a routine worked out and everything. All he needs is a chance.
Not that he's ever gonna get one as long as he's stuck doing boring old handsprings through boring old flaming hoops all the way over in the third ring. Total baby stuff. He could do this in his sleep. He catches two juggling clubs mid-double-backflip, spins once more in midair, sticks the landing, and the crowd goes nuts. Okay, that felt pretty cool, maybe it was more impressive than he'd —
... Or maybe the elephant's stealing the show. Aw, come on, Zitka... ]
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Wally finishes off the call with,] Okay. Kid Flash out, [and pushes himself up to his feet. He's fine, he can walk, he's just...yeugh. Feels sick in a way he hasn't since he got his powers.] Parasite's probably long gone. C'mon, let's go make sure everybody made it out. [Okay, not trying to chase off his impromptu partner anymore, then.]
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[ He doesn't ask about the powers again. Feels a little silly now, because if it had been permanent, he'd be taking it a lot more seriously, right? Right.
So he gets lightly to his feet, and his hands — which have finally stopped shaking, yay — move to untie the turquoise sash from around his waist. He offers it up to Kid Flash, a hint of a smile on his face. ]
Here. Tie this around your mouth and nose. You won't inhale so much smoke.
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KF grabs one end of the scarf and brings it up to his mouth, but gestures to Dick to take the other. You too, buddy. At least he's not telling you that you can't come.
He and Dick circle the tents, checking for anyone trapped in the smoke. Sirens wail in the distance but most of the circus workers operating in concert with the sprinklers have already smothered the fire in the third tent. KF spots his parents and nods to them as discreetly as he can, and they nod back, Rudy's expression grim and Mary gripping his hand tight. They'd been worried.
KF hands Dick's sash back to him, glancing in the direction of the police.] I gotta go talk to the cops. [Gives Dick an appraising look. Not really concern just...curiosity.] You good?
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[ Dick grins, biting his lip and rocking from his heels to his toes a few times. He wants to ask for an autograph, or a photo, or something to prove that he actually met Kid Flash (and something he can keep on his dresser, too). But he shouldn't keep him. He has important hero stuff to do, and Dick has people he should check in with, and Kid Flash probably gets people asking him for that kind of stuff all the time, and he doesn't wanna be that guy.
But an impulsive whim comes over him, and before he can think twice, he presses the sash right back into Kid Flash's hands with a grin. ]
Here. Souvenir!
[ He can feel the blush crawling up the back of his neck, and he turns on his heel to go. Better to leave on a high note, no matter how much he wants more. ]
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He realizes on the way home, the sash around his neck and a blanket around his shoulders to hide his costume, that he never got the other kid's name.
A Google search on his phone is all he needs to find out, and from there he reads up on the story about the tragedy with his parents and Batman's intervention and he thinks, oh, right, I heard about this. It's weird to remember the story as a stranger to it, and to remember it again knowing that the little boy in the picture is the same one that ran back into the smoke to rescue a bear and then, later, Wally.
It was...kind of cool.
Richard Grayson.
Wally spends the next day in bed shaking off the effects of Parasite's powers, and he hears second-hand from Barry that the League had managed to trap and contain him, thanks to the drawback of Wally's powers where he gets really really hungry. It's good for something, at least. And when they finally put Parasite away and Wally feels himself on the mend, he looks up the Haly Circus and their tour schedule. There's been a slight delay due to the damage the fire caused and the police investigation, but the tentative pickup date is three weeks later, in Texas.
Three weeks later, Kid Flash is in Texas, and he's snooping around -probably where he shouldn't be- in stealth mode, trying to find the acrobat after his show. It's late and everyone is packing up, so that means he has to be somewhere, right?
...except that he gets caught.]
Uh- no no, no! Not a thief! I'm just looking for someone, um, Richard Grayson?
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Hey, Dickie! Some ginger kid over here dressed like a cartoon ninja says he's lookin' for you.
[ He shoots Wally the universal symbol for I've got my eye on you, followed by something less clear that still conveys and I'll remove your balls if you try anything funny. His gigantic illustrated biceps flex as he picks up a crate in one arm and heads off.
Only seconds later, Dick pokes his head out of a train car, blue eyes wide — and beams, darting over and skidding to a stop in front of Kid Flash, looking for all the world like he's about to hug him. He doesn't, but it's touch and go there for a minute. ]
You came back! Whoa, costume change. I like it! Very mysterious.
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[But- hey, there he is, the kid he'd been looking up articles and videos about for the past three weeks. Kind of cool. For a second he thought...Dickie? Really? He'd thought he was going to hug him, but then he didn't and KF was equal parts relieved and disappointed. It would've been weird, right? Totally weird. Probably.] -so, hey! Place looks good. Doesn't even look like there was fire and stuff all over the place a couple weeks ago. Was the turnout for tonight okay?
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[ His smile flags, just a little. He knows this stuff from experience. ]
Some people come hoping for a repeat, too. But hey, a ticket's a ticket.
[ Is he babbling? He thinks he might be babbling. Dick's always chatty, but for some reason this feels different. He'd never, ever, in a million years thought he'd run into Kid Flash again. ]
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I saw a bunch of conspiracy theorists doing their thing on a forum. They were like, "It was rigged for publicity" and all that, and then G. Gordon got ahold of it and was super convinced that the League was involved somehow. It was intense.
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[ He's mostly incredulous, but a little bit offended on behalf of the circus, too. He tries not to care about gossip, but... it's his family.
Dick hops up onto the crate next to Kid Flash, dropping into a cross-legged sit. ]
So what are you doing all the way out in Texas? I heard the case was closed. Do you need a statement or something?
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But the question takes Kid by surprise, because he hadn't been expecting it and now that he thinks about it, he should have. Why did he run all the way out to Texas?] Uh, no. No, I just...y'know, I was going running anyway. And I wanted to check up on you. Y'know, make sure everything was cool. [And he feels kind of stupid for it now. Just checking up on the kid you met once? Wow.]
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[ No way, he'd thought, no way would Kid Flash run all the way out here just to talk to him. There has to be some important Justice League reason, something to do with the fire, or maybe Parasite had escaped again.
... but he's here for him? Dick grins, awestruck, and he almost forgets that usually, dignity would mandate that he be a little offended by the idea that he needs someone to check in on him. It'd be embarrassing, but — superhero. ]
Yeah. Everything's very cool.
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He sniffs and rubs at his nose, looking somewhere past Dick's shoulder. Maybe at that empty cage over there.]
So uh...everyone else is good? Bear's okay?
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[ Dick grins, running a hand through his hair. His palms are still chalky, and there's stray glitter from his costume on his arms. He must look like a mess. ]
... I just realized I never thanked you. You know, for saving my life, and... for helping out. And everything else.
So, thanks.
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Yeah, dunno if you noticed but you kind of saved my life too. Got me out of the tent so I wouldn't, y'know, asphyxiate. So that was cool of you. Thanks.
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[ "I like how you're not dead." Very smooth, Grayson. Very impressive. ]
... Hey, so I don't know if you're hungry, but I figure if you ran all the way here from Central you could maybe use a snack. And I'm pretty sure there's extra food left, and it's one of the last things we take care of because someone's always hungry after the show, so... do you want to get a corndog or something?
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[ Dick hops lightly down, taking Wally by the elbow and leading the way. They get a few strange looks, and people whisper questions to each other as they pass by, but people usually know better than to ask what Dick's doing, if only because it means they won't have to get involved with it. ]
So it's like a metabolism thing? Is that how you run so fast? Are you on a special diet for it? Or is that a secret?
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Nnno, not a secret. My secret is to eat a ton of crap, that's my secret. And yeah, it's a metabolism thing. [...should he go into more detail? Barry probably wouldn't want him to. But who cares, it's just Dick, it's not like it's going anywhere from here.] Uh, rest of this is a secret though so...no tweeting it. Or whatever. But like, it's a hyper-accelerated metabolism, so it's not just that I burn calories fast. It occurs all the way down on a cellular level, so I heal really fast and I can replace blood really fast. Um, poisons and sedatives and stuff only hit me for a minute instead of five hours. I don't really get sick anymore, 'cause my immune system is accelerated too. [Jesus, why is he talking about this? Dick doesn't want to know the particulars. Or maybe because it's impressive, it really makes him sound cool and...powerful? Someone to admire. Geez.
He just wants Dick to think he's cool, that's not awful, right?]
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That's gotta be the coolest power. Except maybe flying, I guess, but flying's flying. But man, never getting sick or hurt, running halfway across the country in minutes, and eating all the funnel cakes you want? Unbelievably awesome! Speaking of which...
[ Unsupervised funnel cake cart. ]
Hey, you don't mind if they're a little cold, right? Cause if you don't, have at 'em.
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Holy crap, this is so good. It's really okay if we just eat these, seriously? [KF sucks sugar off his gloved fingers.]
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It's fine! We make them fresh every day, and most of the leftovers get thrown out, and anyway, you're a superhero! [ Like that's explanation enough. ]
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[ He grins teasingly, elbowing Kid Flash lightly in the ribs... and hoping that it isn't too familiar. It's just, well, he's so easy to talk to. Approachable. Someone Dick could actually be friends with.
Dick's a performer. He knows what it's like to have a stage persona, and this is probably Kid Flash's. Putting people at ease has gotta be par for the course for a superhero, right? He's probably like this with everyone.
Still feels nice, though. ]
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Oh crap, it's eleven. I was supposed to be home half an hour ago.
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