The freak show actually wasn't as crowded as Red had thought it was going to be. He had been to a few, but they were usually small and not very exciting. They were also pretty fake. Not this one. He and Robin stood side by side, cringing as a man sucked in a steel ball and dropped into his stomach before chasing it down with a sword. The group they were in of about fifteen people all let out a cry as he turned to give them a side view and Robin grinned. He wouldn't admit it, but this had been the most fun he'd had in a while. Having grown up amongst sword swallowers, contortionists and fire eaters, it gave him a strange feeling of warmth and recognition. It was like being amongst his own people. A strong sense of homesickness washed through him and he almost choked on a sob, but he quickly put a stop to that. These people weren't his family. He knew that. Mr. Haley and all of the other performers were probably halfway across the country performing in some large population town. They probably had a new acrobatic act. One that used nets. He was ripped out of his thoughts when the group moved into the next room, which was filled with paraphernalia of different acts and freaks throughout the ages.

"We have a treat for you. We received these very special artifacts several nights ago. Worn by the performers the night they died, may I present the actual costumes of the world famous Flying Graysons, known for performing death-defying feats without the safety of a net!" The man announced, yanking on a golden cord. A curtain opened and Robin actually felt himself heave forward when he saw the two mannequins wearing his parents' uniforms. His mother's: red and long sleeved with the glittery golden skirt and his fathers': completely red with the golden wings embroidered onto the chest and the large G in the center. Behind them, a large poster was nailed to the wall. It showed him and his parents in a close up of one of their acts. Across the top, "The Flying Graysons" was spelled out in large, circus-style letters and Robin thought he was going to cry. Not even thinking, he shoved his way to the front of the crowd.

"Excuse me? Excuse me, but where did you get these?" He asked the Carny, gesturing to the uniforms. "I demand that you tell me." Robin felt a hand on his shoulder but he didn't relax one bit.

"In an auction." Was all the man said.

"Is there more? Are there other things?" Robin asked urgently and Red had to tighten the grip on his shoulder to keep the teen from crawling onto the man.

The large man shook his head. "Nope. This is the only thing left behind after their death."

"Let me buy them." Robin immediately asked. "How much do you want?"

The man looked at Robin and laughed. "Silly boy. These are not for sale! They are priceless!"

"Make a price. Please, I will give you anything you want for them." Robin said in a tone that was completely serious. "The poster, too."

"The answer is no, boy." The man stated firmly before leading the crowd to the next room. Red started to follow, but when Robin didn't go with him, he stopped and rejoined him. The way Robin was staring at the uniforms scared him a little. He was completely still and his eyes were shining. Not once did he blink and slowly, he lifted a hand to touch the sleeve of his mother's uniform.

"Robin, I don't think you're allowed to touch the stuff." Red muttered, but it was as if the teen hadn't even heard him. He took a step forward and rested his other hand over the golden G on the chest of his father's costume. He ran his fingertips delicately over the embroidery, feeling every bump and dip, every snag and every mistake, not that there were many. His other hand moved down to grip the fabric of his mother's golden skirt in his fist and he took a short breath before pulling his hands away from the costumes completely and turning to face Red.

"We need to steal them." Robin stated.

Red looked at him in surprise. "I'm sorry? I'm usually all for that, but what's the big deal? They're just cheap circus costumes."

SMACK!

Red stumbled back and stared at Robin in surprise, bringing a hand up to the place he had been smacked. "What the hell?"

"They aren't cheap, you fucking bastard!" Robin snapped and Red was shocked to see that the boy looked ready to cry. "They're handmade! She spent weeks on those costumes!"

Red held his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright, then what's the big deal? What makes them so special?"

"They just are." Robin said, turning back to the mannequins. "Please."

Red shifted uneasily. "What if we get caught? Haven't you ever seen the movie Carny?"

Robin turned to him in disbelief. "I thought you were the world's greatest theif."

Red sighed. "I just don't understand why you want them so badly."

"Because they don't belong to him! These aren't museum exhibits! These costumes have love and soul and memories!" Robin cried out, quickly wiping his eyes. "Please, Red. I need them."

Red sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Let me talk to the guy first. I can be very persuasive."

They waited in the room with the costumes until the show had ended and the man returned to make sure there wasn't anybody left. When he caught sight of Red and Robin, he scowled. "What are you still doing in here? Show's over."

"Sorry, but, my friend and I wanted to make an offer for the costumes and the poster." Red told the man, who crossed his arms in irritation.

"What do have to offer?" The man asked.

"Say, ten thousand?" Red asked and Robin looked over at him in surprise.

The man only laughed. "I paid ten thousand for the one costume!"

"Fine. Fifty." Red replied.

"I already told you it is not for sale. Many people come to see it." The man replied.

"One hundred." Red replied.

The man laughed again and smirked down at Red. "I'll tell you what. You get a Flying Grayson to perform in my show and I'll sell them for five thousand!" Then the man laughed harder and started to walk off.

"Deal." Robin said quickly, making the man turn around and Red look at him in astonishment.

"Oh really?" The man asked mockingly.

"Robin, they're dead." Red frowned. "How the hell are we going to get a dead person to perform for this guy."

Robin turned and looked at the man straight in the eyes. "Give me a costume and show me where to perform."

Red stood outside and watched as Robin performed flips and displayed his almost super human flexibility on the gymnast bars that had been set up for him. He was in some ridiculous, glittery red get-up that he had been given and for the past hour, the boy had done a number of different routines that even involved a little tight rope walking. Red didn't mind though. It had been pretty satisfying to see the look on the Carny's face when he'd discovered that Robin was a Flying Grayson. It had shocked Red as well. Not because of who he was, but because Robin had told him. Perhaps not directly, but he was there and that had to count for something. As he watched the boy, he couldn't help noticing the way Robin's eyes shone as people clapped and gasped as he performed. He had definitely missed the spotlight. Robin stole a glance over at Red and grinned.

It was seven by the time Red and Robin got to go on any rides. The carnies were determined to get the most out of Robin's talent and they had arranged with the two the pick it up after the carnival closed. He snuck a peek over at Robin. "Rollercoasters first, then Ferris wheel last."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He spotted the biggest one and turned away from it. "Let's work our way up."

"Scared?" Red teased.

Robin scowled at him. "Of course not. This is my domain." He smirked.

"Oh yea." Red chuckled. "I forgot you're a carny. One of them." He said teasingly.

"They may seem weird but they stick together. Circus freaks and carnies are like cousins in a really tight family." Robin replied.

"Still. Explains why you asked for a possum." Red snickered.

Robin shoved him gently. "Oh shut up, you thought it was good."

"Still creepy." Red shrugged. Before Robin could retort, he yanked him over to one of the rides. "Come on."

Red and Robin spent the next two hours working their way up to the largest roller coaster. Much to Red's amusement, Robin was quite the screamer, no pun intended, and laughed gleefully as they were twirled and lifted and tossed upside down. At one point he almost lost his scarf, but Red caught it at the last moment. After they had stumbled off of the last roller coaster while falling over themselves with laughter, Red led Robin over to the Ferris wheel. It had just gotten dark, but it had done so quickly and in the distance Red could see the men setting up for the fireworks. The line started to move and while Robin got on, Red took a stop at the operator booth. "I'd really hate to get stuck at the top during the fireworks, if you know what I'm saying." Red told him discreetly as he slipped the man a twenty dollar bill. "The longer we're up, the bigger the tip." He stated and the man nodded, slipping the money into his pocket once Red had joined his younger date on the ride.

"Feeling better?" Red asked. "And look, not one villain attacked us." He grinned.

Robin smiled and nodded, then looked down. "I want to thank you for helping me today." He said as they slowly began to move up.

Red shrugged. "It was important to you."

Robin looked over at him. "Still. You didn't have to, but you did."

Red smiled at him. "You can pay me back later." His grin disappeared and he looked at Robin carefully. "Did they really die in those outfits?" He asked.

Robin stared at his lap and nodded. "I was nine. We were just doing our act like any other night and the wire broke. My mom-." His voice broke off and Red waited patiently. "My mom reached out for me and called my name…but I couldn't save her and they hit the ground."

Red stared at him sadly. "Is that why you got so upset?" Then he rolled his eyes. "Obviously, sorry."

Robin let out a watery laugh and wiped his eyes. "Yea, but then Batman adopted me and he taught me a lot."

Red whistled. "Batman was crazy enough to enlist the help of a nine year old for crime fighting?"

Robin smiled. "I sort of insisted. I didn't take no for an answer."

Red smirked. "Neither do I." Suddenly the Ferris wheel halted to a stop and Red smirked to see that they were at the very top.

"Oh boy." Robin sighed. "Please don't tell me we're stuck up here."

Red sighed and stretched out, putting an arm around Robin's shoulders.

"Really? You're really trying to make a move? We could be stuck up here all night!" Robin huffed.

Red chuckled. "Stop worrying and enjoy the view of the fireworks." He said as the first one went up with a whistle and exploded into a falling frenzy of blues and pinks. Robin sighed and leaned back to watch, and after a few minutes he was slumped against Red.

"You know what?" Red asked suddenly. "I think I know how you can repay me for those five thousand dollars."

Robin looked at him skeptically. "And what would that be?"

Red pretended to think about it. "Close your eyes." He ordered.

Robin huffed in annoyance and closed his eyes shut. Almost immediately, Red swooped down and pressed his lips against Robins. The teen let out a startled squeal and his eyes flew open. Red felt some resistance at first but then, slowly, Robin melted against him and began to kiss back. Fireworks exploded in front of them and in Red's mind, another went off with the success of the situation. Red brought a hand up to cradle Robin's face and he responded by wrapping his arms around Red's neck and pulling him closer. Red's lips felt perfect against his, like the way Legos snapped together immaculately. Only when the ride began to move again did they pull apart and Red noticed with great amusement that Robin couldn't make eye contact. He was bright red and trying to fight back a grin that was threatening to dominate his face. As they got off, he wasn't sure, but Robin could have sworn he'd seen Red slip a few bills to the ride operator. Without warning, Red took his hand and led him over to the pier to watch the fireworks. He hugged the boy to his chest and his heart sped up a little.

The carnival closed down at ten and once the fireworks had ended, Red led Robin back over to the freak show to find two securely shut boxes and a tube that was used for carrying paintings set on the front desk. "Do you have the money?" The man asked and Red nodded, pulling a small stack of one hundred dollar bills out of the inner pocket of his leather jacket and laying it on the counter.

He ignored Robin's look of disbelief and smiled at the man. "Pleasure doing business with you." He said and grabbed the boxes while Robin took the poster. They then walked out and Red actually looked up in surprise. "That's it? No traitorous scheme to trick us and steal the stuff back?"

Robin shrugged and walked past him. "Carnies are pretty honest people. A deal's a deal."

Red sighed and shook his head with a smile before catching up with Robin. Once they had located the motorcycle they had come on, Red secured their winnings to the bike and rode back to his apartment. He stored the bike in his storage unit and the two headed inside and took the elevator up the stairs. Red would have kissed him again, but he could see that Robin was too eager and emotional about finally having that missing piece of his parents back. He knew when to back off.

The elevator opened and Red let Robin step off first. He opened the door for the boy and let him go ahead while he locked up the door. Then he went into the bedroom to find Robin looked down at the costumes with a sad smile on his face. He had his mother's costume in his lap and was slowly running his fingers over the fabric. It even smelled faintly like her. Part nurturing and love mixed with the smell of the circus: hay, popcorn, and a perfume that he couldn't quite identify.

Red leaned against the doorframe and watched from a distance, not wanting to impose. Suddenly, he remembered something and gasped, facepalming. "Damn! I never won you a stuffed animal!"

Robin looked up at him in surprise and laughed. "I think this makes up for it." He said, putting the costumes away and stashing them underneath the bed.

"You can put the poster on the wall, if you want." Red told him.

Robin considered it. "Maybe once I get some protective glass for it." He said. "If that's okay?"

Red nodded. "Sure. This place needs some decoration."

And then everything was silent and the two didn't look at each other. Robin bit his lip at the awkwardness of the situation and played with his scarf. He searched his mind for the right thing to say but it was like his brain had wiped itself clean of all intelligent thought.

"We didn't really have anything for dinner." Red finally said. "Do you want anything? I could order a pizza."

Robin nodded. "Sure. I'm going to take a shower."

Red grinned. "Then I'll get your clothes."

Robin sighed. He had forgotten about that. "Alright, fine. But no nudity." He said warningly before getting up and disappearing into the bathroom.

Red chuckled and went over to his suitcase, fishing through the costumes before spotting something he hadn't noticed before. He pulled it out and held it up in front of him, grinning contently. It was perfect. He located the matching panties and carried the skimpy outfit over to the bathroom. "Robin? Is it safe for me to come in?" He called.

"Uh," He heard Robin call back and then the sound of the shower curtain being yanked shut, "yea!"

Red slowly opened the door and he was immediately hit in the face with a wall of humidity. He could hear Robin moving around in the shower and he quickly set the clothing on the closed toilet seat.

"Red?" Robin called out. "I forgot to get a towel can you get me one?" He asked.

"Sure thing." Red replied and grabbed one from under the sink before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind him. When he walked into the living room, he was slightly surprised to see Kyd and Seemore waiting for him. "What did I tell you about teleporting into my apartment?" Red snapped angrily.

"Sorry, it was an emergency." Seemore shrugged. He looked up at Red and grinned slyly. "How was your date with boy wonder?"

Red rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out to start dialing the pizza place. "I'd say it's none of your business, but I'm pretty sure you saw just how wonderful it was." He replied before starting to order a pizza.

"A kiss on the Ferris wheel? How original." Seemore said sarcastically. "I can't believe you wasted fifty five dollars for a kiss."

Red chuckled. "You would have done the same for a hot girl."

"What? I thought Robin was a girl." Seemore gasped in mock surprise and Red threw a pillow at him.

"It's a job, asshole." He retorted and glanced over towards the bathroom when he heard the shower go off. "You guys need to leave."

"Why? You and Robin gonna have sex?" Seemore asked and pretended to gag while Kyd wore a rather disturbed expression on his face.

Red scoffed. "Yea right. I'm still surprised he didn't sucker punch me for kissing him."

Seemore shrugged. "It's your own fault. That's what you get for going after a prissy princess."

Red glared at him. "Seriously? Robin is not a girl! He's not even remotely girly! He's kicked your ass a number of times."

Seemore laughed and held his hands up in defense. "Calm down, dude! I'm just teasing you! But seriously, Robin's got his feminine side."

Red brought his hand down his face. "No he is not."

"Red?" Red stiffened when he heard Robin's voice and the sound of his bare feet padding down the hall. "Is the pizza here?"

"Uh, no, Robin maybe you should stay in the bedroom for a second…" Red called, cringing when Robin appeared at the entrance of the room wearing a baby blue see-through nightie that reached his hips and matching silk panties. Seemore turned to Red and raised an eyebrow as if asking you were saying?

"Red!" Robin snapped, his face turning red in embarrassment as he quickly backed up into the hall again. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Sorry, Robin. They teleported here and are going to leave now." Red said, glaring at Seemore. "Thanks a lot." He hissed. "Get out before you undo all of the progress I made today."

Seemore chuckled and nodded. "Alright, alright, we're outta here." He promised and walked over to Kyd. With a flash of black cape, the two were gone.

"You can come out now, Rob. They left." Red called.

Robin glared at him. "A warning would have been nice."

"I tried! You walk too fast." Red replied. "But hey, look on the bright side." He grinned slyly.

"What?" Robin asked.

"You look hot and adorable in that." Red replied, scooping the boy up over his shoulder.

Robin let out a squeal of "Red!" And kicked his legs, giggling as Red carried him over to the couch and dropped him down on it. The man braced himself against the back of the couch on either side of Robin's head and leaned down so that he was eye level with the smiling teenager.

"Am I allowed to kiss you again?" Red asked.

Robin blushed and nodded, smiling as Red leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss that only lasted a few seconds but for them, seemed like hours. Red pulled away and grinned at him before giving Robin a peck on the cheek. He stood back up and walked over to his jacket to go get his wallet.