"I think you're hiding something from me," Dylan chuckled at the teen sitting across from him on the ferris wheel.
Dick sighed and shook his head.
"C'mon, you can tell me," the blonde teen said.
"No, I just..."
There was no way Dick was going to tell him about what happened between him and Bruce. He didn't want to worry him. Instead, he decided to change the subject.
"Hey, how long did you say this carnival would be in town?" He asked resting his elbow on the edge of the ride and looking out to see the world shrink and they were lifted into the air.
"This is it's last night," Dylan replied. "Why?"
"Just wondering...so..."
"So..."
"Nothing."
He turned his attention back to the ground. Looking down at the people below him he sighed. Seeing all of those couples so happy together bothered him. Is this really what love felt like?
"Dick," Dylan whispered.
He was sitinng next to him now. The teen's lips met his in a soft, passionate kiss. Dick quicky pulled back, shocked. Dylan looked hurt.
He could almost feel Batman's gloved hand running up and down his thigh, toughing him, teasing him.
"No! No!" he said shaking his head, trying to shake the thought out of his mind.
"Dick?" Dylan asked, concerned. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing...nothing...nothing is wrong. Everything's alright."
Dick had to forget about that night. He didn't want to think about it ever again. He had to do something to wash it away. And he didn't want to do or say anything that would make Dylan suspicious.
"Dick, please, you can tru-"
Dylan was silenced by th younger teen's tongue. Dick pressed his hand deep between the older teen's legs and moaned into the kiss. Without protesting, Dylan put his hand on the back of the younger teen's neck to deepen the kiss. His hand's traveled up the acrobat's shirt, tracing out random lines and circles with his shaking fingers.
Dick pulled back and smiled. "See, I'm okay."
"No you're not," Dylan chuckled.
Dick felt a bulge in the teen's jeans and gave it a squeeze.
"Mmmh! You...you're okay."
Dick laughed and kissed his cheek. The ride stopped and he quickly exited, looking for another place to go.
"Photobooth?" he asked his blonde friend.
"Race you there!" he yelled taking of in a fast jog.
Dick followed behind him feeling happier than he'd ever been that week.
They sat in the back of Dylan's picup truck entangled in each other's arms. They had spent the entire night together and waisted nearly all of the money they had brought with them.
Dylan looked at the raven-haired who was staring intentely and that velvet, starry, sky.
"Hey, um," he began nervously. "What does this make us exactly? I mean, what am I to you, really?"
Dick snorted loudly, almost as if the answer was so obvious. "Well, duh, you're my boyfriend."
"Is...is that really how you want it to be?"
"Why are you acting so random now?" Dick asked sitting up. "I thought you wanted this. Wait...is his about earlier today?"
"Well, duh! You were acting all distant and I was worried. Look, I know something is wrong. You can't hide these things from me."
He starting to seem more like Batman, Dick thought.
Dylan ran his hand up and down his lover's back. "Please, I think this is about Bruce. I just want to know okay."
Dick bit his lip wonderng how to tell him. Everytime he opened his mouth, nothing came out. How as he supposed to say it "Because he doesn't want us to be together, he raped me and threatened to do it again." Dick had to sugan coat it somehow, but he didn't know how to do it.
"Um...Bruce found out about us. He...well, basically, he doesn't approve."
Dylan nodded. "Okay."
"He...he says that...he told me he would..."
I want you to remember this everytime you see that boy! Remember that everytime you see him, this will happen. Do you understand?
"He...um..."
"Dick?"
Look at me Dick...
"Dick, look at me," Dylan whisperd.
"N-no! Please."
"Dick?"
Dick jumped out of the tailgate and started to run.
"I've got to go," he yelled.
His eyes filled with tears a he made his way back to the manor. Never in his life would he have ever thougt that something like that could ever happen to him.
Dick Grayson; a victim of rape? Ha! That was insane!
He slowly climbed the ladder back to his room and crept inside the window, wiping his eyes and crawling back into bed. No one had noticed that he'd left. That was a relief.
There was a knock at the door and Dick nearly jumped five feet from his bed.
"Master Richard, are you still there?"
"Yeah Alf," he replied.
"Master Bruce wanted me to inform you that he would be out late this evening."
"Yeah, cool."
Dick rolled over in bed, wrapping his arms around his torso. Somehow, it felt more peaceful without Bruce in the house with him. But he knew he would still have to face him the next morning.
Bruce would know that he was out with Dylan that night. He always knew.