A/N: Hey so I was re reading this just out of curiosity the other day and I hated it. I know some of you enjoyed it but my writing was honestly embarrassing. So what did I do? Fix it of course. I'm a few years older than when I first wrote this and I was being incredibly lazy before so I thought I'd give it another shot. Hopefully this is more digestible lmao, but I'm still lazy as all hell so I'm sorry in advance
Dick's POV:
Richard "Dick" Grayson had a pretty exciting life. He and his parents worked in Haly's Circus as trapeze artists, traveling around the country and performing for people of all ages. They were known as The Flying Graysons, most notably known because they didn't use a net.
Dick always used a net because he was eight – almost nine - years old, but there was a portion of their act that his parents performed alone and that's when they took it away.
He had been begging his parents for weeks to let him on stage without a net, but thus far his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. They said it was too dangerous, that he was too young. But he knew that he had the skills, and finally after months of persistence, they agreed to let him on stage as part of their specialty act.
Tonight they were performing in Gotham city – a notoriously infamous place, but Dick wasn't afraid. He knew his parents and Mr. Haly would protect him if anything happened.
The crowd went wild as they stepped up on the mount, his father John gripping the trapeze. He, John, and his mother Mary smiled at the audience and waved as a greeting.
Then the act began.
John stepped off the mount and swung away, grabbing the other trapeze and pushing the first one back to his wife. She grabbed it and backed up to jump off the mount, wrapping her legs on the bar and swinging upside down.
Mary reached out her arms and grabbed her husband. Gravity pulled them back after he let go of his own bar, and she flung him onto the mount. He performed a double back flip and landed right next to Dick.
Finally. It was his turn.
His mother swung back and reached for him, so he grabbed her arms and let momentum pull them away from John. She flipped him towards the other bar and he spun backwards, gripping the other trapeze once he rotated far enough. He then replicated the move his father did previously and planted his feet on the other mount.
This was just the teaser to show off to the audience, now it was time for the real performance.
Mary grabbed John and flung him upwards so he could grip onto the ropes of the trapeze and stand on the bar in between her knees. Dick was watching his father's hands wrap around the ropes
when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked more closely and realized the ropes were breaking.
This had never happened before. Their equipment was always high quality and was inspected before every show to insure safety. The only reason most trapeze artists used a safety net was in case they messed up, not in case the equipment failed.
His parents didn't have that luxury. If they fell, they would die.
"Mami! Tati! Cele cabluri se vor rupe!" Mommy! Daddy! The ropes are going to break!
Mary looked up at him, curiosity shining in her eyes. She clearly didn't hear what her son had said. She smiled, unaware of the danger she and her husband were in.
All of a sudden, the ropes snapped.
"Dick!" His mother screamed as she fell, reaching her arms out for him. Dick got on his knees and stuck out his hands to try and grab hers, but his small eight-year-old arms weren't long enough to reach that far.
His parents fell fifty feet, and hit the ground with a soul-crushing thud as the life left their eyes. Blood was splattered on the stage and pooled around them, painting the circus a beautiful red.
Dick immediately ran down off the mount and bee-lined for his parents' bodies. He couldn't believe what he saw; the faces that once held so much love for him were now completely emotionless. He cradled his father's head in his lap and held his mother's hand as he cried over their corpses.
Bruce's POV:
Bruce was shocked to say the least. He had sat there and watched as John and Mary fell to their deaths right before their son's eyes. It was like all of the nightmares of his parents that he's had over the years came to life and haunted his reality.
Aside from the emotions, Bruce noticed something as they fell.
They were still holding onto the trapeze when they fell. Those ropes were connected tightly to the stands, there was no way they could've broken on their own. This was no accident.
He decided that he would come back to the circus tent later that night as Batman to inspect the area. This was foul play and he was determined to uncover the truth of their murder.
Batman sneaked around the tent, watching as Commissioner Jim Gorgon walked around with a clipboard as he inspected the area. The broken trapeze laid on the ground next to the two lifeless bodies. Batman jumped down from his perched hiding place as Gordon analyzed the breakage.
"Any news, Commissioner?" Batman stayed absolutely still as Gordon visibly flinched, frightened by his sudden appearance.
"Good lord Batman, you don't always need to scare me like that. Between you and my job, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm completely grey by next year," he sighed, exasperated. He turned around to face the masked vigilante.
"You see the ropes? They didn't break on their own, someone had to have tampered with them." Obviously, thought Batman. "They were cut and frayed before the act. Someone took a knife to them and made sure that they would break in the middle of their performance – they sabotaged the show."
Batman growled under his breath. What a monster. He crouched down to get a better look at the scene, and took his camera out to take a picture of the severed ropes. He would look over the evidence later and search for anyone who might have a grudge against either Haly or the Graysons. He moved to take pictures of the bodies and as he was inspecting Mary's body he came to a realization.
"Commissioner, were did Richard end up?" His tone was clipped. He knew how Richard must be feeling right now, and was hoping he was somewhere safe.
"Right now he is being questioned over at the police station. Unfortunately there is a little bit of a legal battle concerning what's going to happen to him in the long term. His parents naturally were his guardians but he doesn't have godparents, and the Circus doesn't have legal custody over him. For now after he's done at the police station they're moving him to the orphanage."
Batman nodded his understanding. He continued gathering his evidence then swiftly turned to leave the tent. He decided he was going to pay Richard a visit to see if the child knew anything about who would possibly want to sabotage them.
Dick's POV:
Dick was absolutely exhausted. Not only had he partially completed a trapeze performance, but he watched his parents die and then was questioned by the police for an hour after that. All he wanted to do was lay down and not be bothered.
"Richard?" He looked up at the sound of his name to see a police woman standing at the door. "There is someone here to see you."
She stepped aside and the Batman walked through the doors. What a scary looking guy. He stood at a little over six feet tall and was extremely muscular, not to mention that suit was incredibly imposing. The police woman walked out and shut the door to give them privacy.
"Hello, Richard. I know the last thing you want right now is to answer more questions but there are some things I need to ask you." His voice was gravelly and deep, almost scaring Dick in its intensity. Dick nodded.
"Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt your parents or the circus?"
Dick looked down at his feet at the question. The police had asked the same question but he didn't trust them. He knew that police everywhere were corrupt, but they were especially messed up here in Gotham. He looked back up at Batman to see the man standing in front of him, waiting patiently for his answer.
I think I can trust him. At least, more than I can trust the cops anyways.
"Well, Mr. Batman sir, I don't know of anyone specifically but I think I saw something before the show. A man that I hadn't seen before was setting up the trapeze set and I thought he was just a new worker but I saw him pull out something shiny. I think he cut the ropes," Dick's voice trembled with anger as he explained his observations and suspicions.
Batman nodded. "What did this man look like, Richard?"
Dick cocked his head as he tried to remember. "Uh, I think he was about average height. A little shorter than my dad. He had short and dark hair and tan skin. I only saw his face for a little bit but his eyes were small and wide and he had a big mouth too. I'm sorry, that's all I can remember."
Dick looked down at his feet again, ashamed at his lack of knowledge. If I had told someone, if I looked better, my parents could be alive right now. Tears began to well in his eyes at the emotions swelling within him, but he refused to let them fall.
He slightly jumped when he saw movement in front of him. Batman crouched down so he was at Dick's level and he stared at the man's cowl.
"It's alright, Richard. You gave me more than enough information. Thank you."
Dick nodded, a little surprised. He had heard the Batman was a rough person but he seems nice.
"Actually, all my friends call me Dick. You can call me Dick too Mr. Batman," he smiled at the caped vigilante.
"Alright, Dick. Thank you for answering my questions. If you need help with anything, Commissioner Jim Gordon is a good person. Tell him I sent you."
Before Batman could leave, Dick opened his mouth to speak. "There's one more thing. I heard that man talking to himself as he was messing with the ropes. He said something about 'coming back later once they're gone'. I bet you he's coming back tonight."
Batman eyed him cautiously as Dick stared bashfully.
"I'll take care of it, Dick."
And with that, the Batman stood up, turned around and left the room, cape flowing behind him as he walked through the doorway.
Dick sighed once he was alone again. What's going to happen to me now? I hope I can still travel with the circus.
He thought on his conversation with the masked hero. Determination set in his eyes as he realized what he had to do.
I'm going to go back to the tent tonight. That jerk who murdered my parents is going to be there and I'm going to give him what he deserves.
Before he could do or think anything else, the same police woman from earlier opened the door and walked in.
"Hello Richard, we've finished questioning you here at the station and we've found somewhere for you to go," she smiled lightly as she spoke.
Dick's eyes shot up and instantly met hers. "Somewhere for me to go? What do you mean? I'm not going back to Haly's?"
His eyes widened in shock as she shook her head. "I'm sorry Richard, they don't have legal custody over you. The City of Gotham has to take you in now. I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. Now, follow me, I'm going to take you to your new home."
He couldn't think or feel anything as he followed after the woman, understanding that his life was about to undergo some major changes.
The Gotham Orphanage was a tiny building that barely took up any space. Dick looked at the house in disgust, and if he was honest with himself he was a little scared. Gotham didn't have the best reputation, after all.
The police woman had taken him back to Haly's Circus first so he could get all of his belongings and say his goodbyes. Dick didn't know how hard that was going to be but saying goodbye to Papa Haly was heartbreaking. He lost all of his family in one day, blood related or not.
She led him up the sidewalk after he grabbed his suitcase and knocked on the door. A tall and skinny elderly lady greeted them, and smiled at Dick.
"Oh, hello! Are you the newest member in our family? What's your name son?"
He stared back at her, gaze unrelenting as he responded. "My name is Dick Grayson."
Her face twitched slightly but she recovered fast. She bent down to hug him. "It's so nice to meet you, Dick. My name is Miss Kathy!" She stood up.
"Now, let's take your things inside and show you to your room, okay?" Dick nodded and stepped through the door, leaving the police woman behind.
Kathy talked to the police woman for a few minutes as Dick looked around inside the house. There were a couple of kids around his age chasing each other across the living room. To the right there was a flight of stairs that lead to a second floor, and to his left was the dining room. Straight ahead was a hallway that presumably had a couple of bedrooms or bathrooms.
Kathy bid the woman goodbye and shut the door. The smile immediately slid off her face as she turned towards Dick.
"The first thing you need to know about this place is that you listen to us, and us only. We are the people that run this place and we are your legal guardians. Our word is law, get it?" Her voice was sharp as she scolded him.
He gulped and nodded. This can't be good.
She grabbed his arm and dragged him up the stairs, then opened the second door on the right and threw him in there.
"This is your room. Stay here until one of us tells you otherwise. Don't make a mess, don't bother anyone, and don't get into any trouble. I shouldn't have to tell you what happens if you do."
She scowled at him and slammed the door shut. Dick sighed. I miss my parents.
Bruce POV:
Batman wasn't done investigating after he left the police station. He got in the Batmobile and made his way to the circus. He figured if anyone had information on the man that had tampered with the ropes it would be Haly himself.
He to the back of the tent to where all the performers who weren't on stage got ready for their act. No one was around; he presumed that they had all retreated to their rooms after the incident, too shocked to hang around one another.
Haly's room wasn't hard to find; it was the biggest one, which makes sense since he's the one who runs everything.
Batman knocked on the door and Haly answered it almost immediately. His body was tense and his eyes were bouncing around erratically; he was clearly on edge. Batman couldn't blame him.
"Uh, hi. Can I help you?" Haly nervously asked, body blocking the entryway to his room.
"Hello Haly. I'm trying to find out if you know anything about the man who sabotaged the ropes and murdered John and Mary Grayson."
Haly stared at him in disbelief, clearly not processing what Batman meant by those words.
"I just talked to Dick. He told me he saw a man posing as maintenance cutting the rope before the show. He was average height, ran with dark hair, and large features. Ring a bell?"
"You talked to Dick? Is he doing okay?" Haly questioned vigorously.
"Yes he's fine. Do you know anything about that man?"
His eyes shifted downward, contemplating whether he trusted the masked man. "Sounds like Tony Zucco. He's had it out for me and my troupe for years now, I wouldn't put it past the monster to attack."
Batman nodded. He turned to leave but Haly stopped him. "Can you make sure Dick is okay? After losing his parents...I don't have custody. I can't take care of him."
The vigilante looked at the circus leader in the eyes, understanding the sincerity in his eyes. "I'll do what I can." Without waiting for Haly to say anything else Batman left the circus.