BRUGES
December 22, 20:08 CET
"Dames en heren! Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Haly International Traveling Circus! Where the world of the center ring is your oyster! And these are our latest pearls… The Daring Dangers!"
The tent erupted into applause, the crowd not holding back their cheers as various spotlights illuminated the five members of the Daring Dangers. Crystalline blue eyes shined brightly as a hand reached out, tugging a curtain back slightly so she could peer out at the newest act, who was opening that night.
"Dan Danger! Dawn Danger! Diane Danger! Dane Danger! And Dean Danger!"
Two of the group's members- a young teen boy with black hair and a slightly older girl with auburn hair- flew through the air, angling their bodies as they soared gracefully threw two barrels another- older- raven had tossed into the air. More applause erupted as two archers- another auburn teen, male this time, and a blonde female- each released their arrows, the arrows quick to burst into fireworks behind the two trapeze artists.
Kayanna beamed, admiring the show as the crowd went wild. It had been a few years since Haly's Circus had had a decent trapeze act. It was hard to replace the Flying Grayson's- who had been the best trapeze act around.
Suddenly there was an audible gasp from the crowd and she felt panic settle in her being as one of the trapeze artists- the younger raven teen- began to fall. The crowd was in slight panic, and Kayanna glanced over her shoulder to see Haly with a look of concern on his face.
When she glanced back, a barrel had been launched into the air. The boy then used the barrel to propel himself back into the air, the auburn hair teen quick to catch her brother. Kayanna let out a sigh of relief- one that was mimicked by the crowd as even more applause filled the tents.
Haly reached out, giving Kayanna's shoulder a quick squeeze before he swept back into the center ring and the Daring Dangers gathered together behind him. They waved at the cheering crowd, smiles on all of their faces but one.
The raven haired teen that had almost fallen didn't look too good, and rightfully so. He had almost fallen to his potential death. But still, he didn't seem all that fazed by the fall. The boy just more so looked worn out.
And familiar. Very familiar.
"Put your hands together for The Daring Dangers!" Haly announced proudly, gesturing to the brightly colored family behind him. They waved for a few more seconds before making their way backstage, the raven haired teen being helped along by his sisters.
The moment they crossed paths, blue eyes met blue and Kayanna faltered. Those blue eyes were so… familiar. She just couldn't place them and it was frustrating her to no end. She had half a mind to pause and ask him if they knew each other, but she heard Haly call her name from the center ring once more and she knew she had to go.
With a slight shake of her head and a click of her batons, Kayanna briskly walked out from backstage and immediately into the spotlight, the sequins on her costume sparkling brightly in the light. She stuck a hand in the hair, the other one settling on her hip, as she smiled and waved at the crowd before chasseing towards the tightrope- her act- and preparing to climb up.
Just before she stepped out onto the thin wire, she spared a glance in the direction she entered from. And there he was, the raven haired teen that was oh so familiar, staring at her from behind the curtain.
They made eye contact once more, and Kayanna could've sworn she felt time stop. The audience's cheers were dull background noise, the individual people a blur and it was then that it clicked.
Dick Grayson.
The name echoed in her head and Kayanna swallowed hard as visions of their past friendship swirled through her mind. The familiar moves as he flew through the air on the trapeze made more sense to her now. After all, one would never forget the sight of a Flying Grayson on the trapeze. They were a one of a kind act, with one of a kind moves. Not many people could match their aerial expertise.
"Wait up, Dick!"
The small raven haired child laughed, turning his head to beam at his slower companion, "Come on, 'Anna. I don't want to miss the show!"
Being the naturally curious children they were, the two of them had wandered off a bit- but not too far- to explore the German countryside. They had almost lost track of time, but just almost. After catching their sixth butterfly, Dick had realized what time it was and it led to the two of them racing back towards the big top.
The seven year old huffed, panting slightly as she came to a stop next to a smiling Dick, "We're not going to miss th-"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Dames en heren! Welcome to Haly's Internation-"
"You were saying?" Dick frowned and reached out, grabbing Kayanna's hand before dragging her further into the big top. The two small children wiggled their way between the strongman and the contortionist. The elder circus performers shared a look and laughed while the two children just beamed.
"The Flying Graysons!"
Dick cheered loudly alongside the crowd as his family stepped up to platforms. John and Mary sported large smiles, the two holding hands as they waved with their other ones. Across on the other platform stood Dick's Aunt Karla and Uncle Richard as well as his cousin, John. They were also waving with brilliant smiles that seemed to almost glow stretched across their faces.
With final waves, the act began. John had hooked his knees around the trapeze and held onto Mary's hands. The couple smiled at each other before John let go, allowing Mary to flip through the air, passing Karla before she grabbed Richard's hands, Karla doing the same to John.
The crowd immediately erupted into applause, Kayanna clapping vigorously while Dick just smiled knowingly. The move his family just pulled was nothing compared to what they could do.
"That'll be you up there one day, huh Dick?" She breathed out and stopped clapping, glancing over at the raven.
"One day," Dick nodded, his voice barely a whisper as his eyes remained glued to his family as they continued to fly through the air as graceful as can be. The crowd was in awe, soaking in The Flying Graysons spectacular performance.
And one day, hopefully soon, Dick would join them in the air.
Kayanna peered around the corner, blue eyes twinkling as she studied the scene before her skeptically. Jack Haly was talking to a man who was decked out in a suit and a fedora, a toothpick sticking out of his mouth. He wore a sinister smile, and she felt shivers go up her spine.
"My word is final, Zucco," Haly snapped, arms crossed, "I am not paying you a single penny. This circus certainly doesn't need you corrupt sense of protection."
Zucco frowned darkly before his sinister smile reappeared. He tipped his hat almost mockingly, "And that's all good, Haly. I just hope your circus doesn't have any… accidents." He laughed to himself, tipping his hat once more in farewell before turning around and walking off.
Kayanna came out from her hiding place and ran up to Haly, "What was that all about?" She questioned.
Haly shook his head and placed his top hat on, "It's nothing to concern yourself with, Kayanna. Now go run along and find Dick. It's almost show time!"
The nine year old brunette nodded, a smile settling on her lips, "Okay!" She chirped before darting off.
Tonight was the first time Dick was joining his family on the trapeze. Her best friend had been practicing and practicing- and begging a little bit- and now was his shining moment. She had to see him before he went on.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Put your hands together for The Flying Graysons!"
Kayanna cheered loudly alongside the crowd. Her father stood behind her and she flinched slightly as he whistled loudly, but that didn't stop the young girl from cheering to the best of her abilities.
She had managed to find Dick before he went on. They didn't have much time to chat, but she wished him good luck and gave him a quick hug before waving goodbye as he headed out into the center ring with his family for the very first time.
Kayanna couldn't have been more proud of her friend than in that moment. Dick's chest swelled with pride as he stood beside his family, waving happily to the crowd before they made their ascent up to the trapeze.
The anticipation was killing her. The Flying Graysons were going onto their final stunt of the night, the stunt that anyone and everyone came to see. It was incredibly dangerous, and Kayanna could see from her position on the ground that Dick was sitting on the platform. She knew very well that his dad had refused to let him perform the final stunt with them.
It made sense why.
The net was dropped, landing with a soft thud on the ground below. The audience gasped, causing Kayanna to smirk as she stared up The Flying Graysons. Their final- and best- move was about to begin.
John, Richard, John and Karla positioned themselves on a trapeze, each balancing each other out as Mary awaited her cue. She smiled down at Dick, giving him a loving pat on the head before leaping into the air. She flipped gracefully, hands a few inches away from her husband's when all of a sudden…
SNAP.
One minute The Flying Grayson's were in the air and the next, they were on the ground. Kayanna felt like all the air left the tent as she stared at the broken, mangled bodies. There was a moment of silence, but it was quickly broken by a scream, followed by another until Kayanna realized she was screaming herself.
She choked for a moment as she was suddenly lifted up, the gruesome scene before her disappearing from her vision as she was taken further backstage. Tears streaked down her cheeks and the brunette found it hard to breathe as she was set down.
A pair of warm, calloused hands cupped her cheek and Kayanna glanced up into her father's eyes, "W-what just h-happened?" She managed to blubber out.
She didn't want to believe what she saw. The Flying Graysons… they couldn't be…
"An accident," Koda answered softly, sadness lacing his voice. The screams of the audience didn't cease and the bustling about backstage increased as performers began to panic. He turned back to his daughter, "Stay here," He said, tone firm.
Kayanna tried to jump up, only to have her father push her back down, "But… but what a-about D-Dick?"
"I'm going to go get him. Just please, 'Anna, stay here."
She didn't listen to him.
And to this day, the sight of her best friend, broken and defeated, haunted her dreams.
"So this is goodbye?"
She wasn't going to cry. She couldn't cry.
Dick rubbed the back of his neck, "Y-yeah…"
"Oh," Kayanna glanced down, digging her foot into the dirt below.
"I promise I'll come visit?" He offered sadly, reaching out and pulling her into a tight hug. Blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears, she sniffled.
"I'll hold you to that."
She never saw him again.
There was a gasp as she zoned back in, the realization of where she was dawning on her.
She was supposed to be performing.
Well shit.
Kayanna snapped her head to the side, a little too violently as she wobbled on the thin wire for a moment, and towards the location of the voice that had called her name.
Haly was staring at her, flashing her a concerned look while simultaneously gesturing for her to go one with her act. She took in a deep breathe, nodding her head towards the ringmaster. It was her intention to zone out, or even let the realization the new member of a circus group was her old best friend bother her. As a tightrope walker it was key for her to balance her emotions. It helped well… to keep her balanced.
The audience probably hates me.
With a silent groan, she threw her arms in the air and twirled the baton between her fingers. Kayanna flashed the audience a dazzling smile before taking a step forward. She wobbled for a moment, but quickly regained her balance before completing a twirl followed by a quick flip.
The audience clapped as she landed the flip almost flawlessly and the brunette took a small bow before spinning down the tightrope and falling backwards into a back walkover. She fidgeted for a moment, gathering her bearings before kicking her feet into the air and balancing herself into a handstand.
This time the audience clapped louder, a few members whistling loudly. Kayanna smiled, enjoying the sound of the applause as she held the handstand for a few more seconds. Just before she disbanded the move, she swept her blue eyes over the audience, taking in their smiling faces and clapping hands.
Once again, however, her eyes landed on Dick. He was still standing in the entryway to the center stage, one hand holding back the curtain as he watched her performance. And once again she made the mistake of making eye contact with him.
A wave of emotions hit her full force, and Kayanna found herself falling over prematurely. She attempted to correct her movement, but just as her feet hit the thin wire, the rest of her balance went out the window.
The world felt like it was suddenly pulled out from beneath her and the familiar sensation of falling settled in the pit of her stomach. A startle gasp escaped her lips while the audience collectively gasped as she fell.
Kayanna landed with an 'oof' in the net that laid below the tightrope. She groaned and dragged her hands down her face while Haly rushed to her side. She rolled over to the edge, gladly accepting the ringmaster's hand as he helped her down from the net.
"Are you feeling alright?" Haly whispered to her. Kayanna just shook her head, gaze flickering over to where Dick was once standing, but he had disappeared backstage. Haly followed her gaze before giving her a knowing look, "Talk to him."
With a soft squeeze of her shoulder, he nudged her forward before turning back to the crowd and throwing his arms in the air, "It's seems young Kayanna is feeling under the weather! Give her a round of applause as we bring out our next act, Dragon's Breath!"
The aforementioned firebreather tossed the young teen a sympathetic smile as she passed him. She nodded at him and continued on walking by, chewing her lower lip all the while.
This honestly wasn't like her. Kayanna never fell during a performance. Sure she had fallen during training, but that was to be expected. Training was one thing, but a performance was another.
But for one reason or another, she couldn't focus.
Okay she could admit that reason was Dick Grayson.
It hurt to see him back, she wasn't going to lie. Five years after the fall of the Grayson's and not a single word from Dick. That left a girl feeling wounded. But in retrospect, how were you supposed to feel when your so called best friend showed up out of the blue? And even more so, how was she supposed to feel knowing that he wasn't here for a friendly visit and rather seemingly undercover or something along those lines?
Like crap.
That's how.
With a shake of her head, Kayanna wiped away the tears that had sprung up without her noticing. Haly had told her to talk to him. It seemed even the old ringmaster had come to the conclusion that Dick was back.
But there was no way she was going to talk to him.
At least not tonight… she had to work on getting her thoughts together.
And her courage of course.
Kayanna walked past, head hung low and arms wrapped around herself protectively. Dick could see she was mumbling something to herself, but seeing as he lacked superhearing, he didn't know what.
With slight hesitation, he glanced back at his teammates, who were all chit-chatting conversationally, before glancing back at Kayanna. He sighed to himself and sprung into a quick walk.
Dick paused just behind the girl, hand outstretched slightly. He wasn't sure whether he should say anything or not. After all, he was here as Dan Danger not Dick Grayson. He had the slightest suspicion Kayanna recognized him. After all, he had instantly recognized her.
And admit-ably, a part of him had kind of forgotten she was a part of Haly's Circus. He hadn't counted on her being here when he set up this mission.
…but it was worth a shot, wasn't it? They grew up together. They least he could do was make sure she was okay.
The raven took a deep breath and reached out to grab her shoulder once he was close enough. She startled slightly before turning to face him. Once she realized who it was, she flinched away from his touch and Dick had to admit, it stung slightly.
Clearing his throat, he pulled his hand back before rubbing the back of his neck. Was it supposed to be this hard to talk to his old friend?
He was finding himself getting lost in her blue eyes.
"I uh… uhm… a-are you okay?" He finally managed to stutter out, cursing himself slightly. Kayanna blinked and he clarified, "I uh… saw you fall out there and uh… just wanted to make sure you were okay?"
She nodded, brown locks shaking with the motion, "Uh yeah. Fine. Guess I caught that flu that's going around?" She joked lightly and Dick frowned. Her voice was off, distant even.
'Robin?' M'gann's voice sounded in his head. Dick turned slightly and glanced at his teammates, who were all looking at him, 'Who are you talking to?'
Dick turned back to Kayanna as he answered M'gann, 'Kayanna. The act after us.'
'Oh. The girl that fell.' Artemis replied, making the simple connection.
'Yeah.' Dick subtly rolled his eyes, 'Her. I'm just making sure she's okay is all.'
Kayanna cocked her head to the side as Dick just stared at her. She rubbed the back of her neck and cleared her throat, regaining the raven's attention, "I uh… better go lay down or something."
"Oh yeah uh right…" Dick nodded his head and she did the same.
Pointing towards the train cars, Kayanna began to walk backwards a bit, "Welcome to the troupe, Di-" She cut herself off and Dick's frown deepened as she racked her memory for the cover name, "Uh… Dan?" She tried again, face scrunched up.
Dick nodded and attempted a smile, "Yeah it's uh Dan. Dan Danger."
"Right… well, see you later… Dan."
And with that, Kayanna turned and walked off, not bothering to spare him another glance.
Dick's shoulders slumped, his suspicions having been confirmed.
Kayanna recognized him.
A/N: *waves* Hey guys! Random one-shot, I know. The OC used- Kayanna- is the OC that's going to be popping up in Strike. However, this is an AU version of Kayanna where she grew up in the circus with Dick instead of having powers and becoming a superhero. If you couldn't tell, this takes place during the episode 'Performance' (which is my all time favorite episode).
Oh and uh, you can look at this as Dick/Kayanna or just Dick/Kayanna friendship. Whatever you interpret this as works for me. I just don't want people flipping out on me about another Dick/OC or whatever. Kayanna is paired with him (as you can tell if you've been on my dA), but I didn't really write this to be romantic. It was more so a plot bunny and me wanting to explore AU's and friendships~
I decided to post this here (it's on my dA as well) because I kind of wanted to see what feedback I'd get and if it's good, then maybe I'll post my other one-shots with Kayanna here?
I know this probably isn't what you guys wanted to see from me, but it honestly took me a good three weeks just to write this. My other stories are on hiatus still because well, I don't have much time or motivation to write. I'm kind of stressed (and a bit depressed tbh) so putting my stories on hiatus was the best thing to do so you guys know that they won't be updated for a while and so I don't have to necessarily worry about them. I WILL finish them. Have no fear!
Side note: If this gets good feedback, I plan on writing a second part to this (more confrontation, yay!) so yeah, if I get good feedback I will post the second part on dA as well as here!
Reviews please! I'd love to hear your thoughts~! ^^
3 SnowWolf22