Just some fluff to make up for this little hiatus. This isn't intended to be Traught, but if you want it to be, consider it that way. I just wanted to have a little dancing Grayson in my archive.
Disclaimer: I don't own the mentioned characters or locations.
The night was as cold as any other, if not colder, as the two silhouettes hurried across the old parking lot in the pale light of the crescent moon with hushed whispers to one another beneath the roar of the infamous autumn winds.
"How much farther?" the taller of the two gave a reluctant sigh, ignoring the overwhelming urge to just turn back and join the others in watching whatever chick flick they had picked for the evening.
Her companion couldn't offer her an answer, or maybe he just chose to ignore her, as he gave the flicker of a smirk and came down in front of a seemingly endless chain link fence. Fingers fumbled through the darkness, curling around sections of the fence and giving a little pull before moving onto the next section. It kept like this, him moving a few feet aside each time, until the girl gave an impatient whine.
"Robin, come on. If you don't know where you're going, we can just head back," she crouched beside him, resting her forearms on her thighs.
The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes, moving over and tugging on the fence to have the section pull away into a gap just big enough for a person. He stared at her over his sunglasses smugly.
"Shut up," she sighed, dropping to her hands and knees crawling through the gap, head shaking softly. "Eyes front, soldier."
"They're as front as they get, captain," he chuckled, waiting until her heels were through before crawling in after her and letting the fence shut behind him.
When they got to their feet, a little more light available now that only a building stood between them and the sky compared to the trees that stood beyond the fence, Robin gave a jerk of his head towards the small warehouse ahead of them.
"In there. Might be locked," he encouraged her, pushing his sunglasses up before jogging lazily across the rest of the old pavement to the sturdy-looking door, giving the knob a twist to have the door open without protest, "I stand corrected. Go on in, lights are on that back wall."
Artemis stared inside doubtfully, a little furrow in her brow, but she gave a nod nonetheless and walked in with her hands out in front of her to keep from bumping into something.
"We couldn't have brought a flashlight?" she found something new to complain about, thankful in the least that she hadn't been met with any furniture in the darkness.
The smallest of a snicker ghosted through the room.
"Flashlights are for weenies, Arty."
"Of course they are," the blonde sighed, tensing as her hands met with a solid form.
A little touching and feeling assured her it was a wall, a bit of relief creeping over her features as she now roamed for a light switch.
"Why are we here anyway?" she asked after a bit of fumbling to occupy the quiet.
The silence held. Artemis hadn't honestly expected less, so she set back to feeling until she thought she found it, flipping the lights on. There was a soft hum, a kick of protest, and then there was a flood of light. After blinking past the spots in her vision, she took the room in.
The walls were, as she had felt, a feeble looking wood with the floor to match, complete with spray paint markings presumably for the use of those constructing the room. There was a window to the far corner, the edges taped down by a thick blue tape, the one beside it just a section cut from the wall. Besides that, there was nothing in the room. Not even Robin.
"Robin?" she called, voice hollowed by the walls, slowly starting for the door. "Where'd you-?"
Her question was answered before it had been asked as the ebony crawled in through a section cut from the wall, a small radio in his hand. Artemis stared, arms crossing over her chest.
"I don't see what you're getting at," she said, eyes following him dutifully.
He set the radio down off to the side of the room, fumbling with the pole to get a good signal until a soft and slow kind of music was slowly crooning out from the speakers. Once he had secured it, sliding the tip under part of the tape on the window, he got up from his knees and gave her a smile that matched the music.
"Alright, I'm going to make this plain and simple. I know you're missing Homecoming right now—I overheard you talking to M'Gann about it. You even got a dress. Well, I can't offer you all the glamour of Homecoming, but…" he rubbed at his neck, a little shrug on his shoulders.
The blonde's face softened entirely, the ghost of a smile sliding over her lips.
"You snuck me out here… to dance?" she asked slowly, arms uncrossing at the same speed.
Robin exhausted the shrug on his shoulders, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and looking to her over his sunglasses again.
"That was the intent," he murmured, smile going sheepish as he smudged his shoes against the floor.
Artemis looked at him, taking him in slowly before she gave a little laugh, turning away from him and hiding her face in her hands.
"You're impossible," she laughed into her hands, pressing her eyes hard into her palms before turning back, "Alright, so, say I accept. What are we going to do? I can't dance."
The sidekick's eyes lit up and he gave a grin, swaying in place.
"You've come to the right place, little darling," he drawled, sliding off his shades and setting them down by the radio, adjusting his hoodie over his hips, "You're looking at the best dancer in the whole Justice League."
He strolled over to her side, thumbs hooked in his hoodie pocket as he took to circling her with a little smirk, seizing her up. The archer gave a little laugh, eyes gleaming lightly until he extended a hand.
"May I?" he gave a little bow with it, near in time as the song changed to something with a little step in it.
Artemis stared at his hand, shaking her head in disbelief before sliding her hand into it.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," she grinned absently, following him as he led her to the center of the room. "Robin—…"
The ebony bat his blue eyes and she found herself shutting up, watching him expectantly. Once Robin was sure he had her attention, he raised his hand so his fingers pointed skyward, curling slightly in towards his palm. Artemis copied it with her matching hand until she got a little tut, using the opposite.
"Walk in a circle," he instructed first, setting their arms so the backs of their hands barely grazed.
The blonde raised her jaw when she saw he did, matching her step with the beat of the song, walking in a single circle before Robin turned on heel and raised his other hand. She copied and they walked the opposite direction, almost regally. It kept like this, small circles with softly held gazes, until the ebony took a step back, evaluating the song tempo before giving a nod.
He extended his hand again and she took it, watching before following his lead and giving a slow twirl, eventually curling back so he was at her back, her arms crossed over her middle with a pale hand in each of her own. They swayed with the music, each step well taken, and then she was twirled out again, meeting Robin's soft smile with her own.
"I never would've guessed," she murmured gently, allowing his hand to her waist as they stepped, fingers soft around his hand.
He raised an eyebrow, interested.
"That you'd be the dancing type," she continued, earning a little chuckle, "What?"
Robin twirled her away again, returning her to where he was to her back.
"Neither did I, to be honest. I used to be a little circus kid—all the dancing we did was up in the air," a slight of nostalgia was to his tongue, fingers giving a twitch.
"You were in the circus?" Artemis caught the snippet with surprise, a furrow in her brow.
Robin was always so closed-lip about this kind of stuff, to the point he had to wear sunglasses at night and wound up looking like one of those guys at the club that you always stray to avoid. The fact that he had let this slip surprised her.
"Up until I was nine," he admitted without a pause, a sad little smile caught in Artemis' peripheral, "I was an acrobat with my family; the Flying Graysons, they called us."
This news was like dumping a puzzle box in front of the blonde, her eyes widening as she thumbed through the scattered pieces. Immediately, she was torn between a 'what happened' and 'why the name'. Robin caught onto this by some magic it seemed, twirling her out again and urging her hand to his shoulder as they moved.
"The trapeze wire was cut on the night of our big performance and they fell," his lips drew in and he set his eyes to her throat, fingers pressing a little tighter to her hip than they needed too. "Batman was in the crowd. Together, we got the man responsible behind bars and I eventually became Robin."
Artemis' brow knitted, an apology strong on her lips, but the ebony silenced it with a look and she gave a knowing nod, sliding her arms around his neck in the one slow dance form she knew, just an excuse to hug him.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked once he caught on and the two were just slowly stepping together to a song that was long over.
Robin shrugged his shoulders under her arms.
"I'm not sure, actually," he admitted, lips drawing to the side, "Just… seemed right. I know all about you from the computer in the Bat Cave…. Wasn't fair, I guess. You'll forgive me if I keep my first name to myself though."
The two danced in the quiet to the voice talking on the radio, neither seeming to notice.
"Grayson," the ebony said slowly, drawing in her curious gaze, "My last name."
Artemis' eyebrows rose and she gave the softest of a smile, a little nod.
"I know. You're that little bratty freshman that ran up to me on that first day. Still have that picture?"
It was Robin's turn to be surprised, eyes widening. He stared, brow knotting tight before giving a little laugh, nodding softly.
"Let me guess—the eyes?" he cocked his head, a smirk on his lips as she gave a nod, "That's how Wally recognized it too."
The two slowly drew apart and they both looked everywhere but at each other, Dick going over and sliding his sunglasses back on.
"Well, let's head back. The others are probably wondering where we are," he shut the radio off, folding the pole back and sliding it into his pocket.
With the smallest of a smile on her lips, Artemis crossed over to the light switch and paused with her hand over it.
"Robin?" she stopped him in the doorway, his gaze turning back to meet hers. "Thank you."
Then the room was once again drenched in darkness.
When I said Wally recognized him from his eyes, I'm implying that Bruce Wayne's ward has been on TV before. Didn't want to get that mixed up.
-F.J. III