Tybalt's Revenge
Shooting Star

RJ sat on one of the benches, watching the young lady he rescued sleep. He told the woman she needn't worry about telling him why the men were after her, trying to kill her, and yet he knew whatever secret she withheld would come out eventually. Even in the circus, they always did, which festered in the back of his head. "If I had any secrets, I'd know them by now. That's just how it works. My life was boring."

At least his current life wasn't. He found himself constantly flying, whether on the trapeze, or by taking to the streets as a vigilante. A few times he'd thought of giving himself a name, yet no costume or name ever sprung to mind. His fingers drummed the top of the windowsill. "As if I'd ever be able to live up to any of the greats."

After all, the standards of the Justice League heroes were just as out of reach as the Flying Grayson standard was. Sure, his solo-act seemed dazzling to those unfamiliar with the past, yet in his mind whatever he did paled in comparison. Pushing this aside, he stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. He needed to inform pops of his guest.

He knocked on the office trailer, glad pops came hurrying. "Oh good. You're back kiddo. You were careful."

"Yes. I brought back a stray, though."

"Oh." The man smiled. "See. Heart of gold like always Dick."

RJ flinched. He said nothing, being that pops was the only person able to call him by that old name which created a painful feeling in his chest, but then again the feeling felt far less painful. Thankfully, most of the circus joined after the Flying Grayson time, and those he knew from the time before – there was enough disconnect it didn't matter. "If anyone asks, she's my cousin."

Pops raised an eyebrow.

RJ sucked in his breath. "Please don't tell me to pretend she's one of my latest flings. I'm not like that."

The man chuckled. "No, no. But you know how everyone else thinks. Girls go nuts for you boy, just like they did your father, uncle and cousin. I'm guessing mother's side."

"Yeah, but she doesn't really speak English."

"Italian? Simply say your uncle married an Italian girl, he passed away, that kind of thing."

"Thanks. I'd be best getting to bed myself. Night pops."

Stepping out of the trailer, he looked up at the sky, spotting a shooting star. "I wish I may, I wish I might, find my past again tonight."

"Your past is right here, Dick."

RJ's bright blue eyes widened, his head jerking down. They narrowed, his entire body tensing. "Raya, I asked you not call me that."

"Are you going to let him take that from you?"

"You know I have no clue what you're talking about. Between the time my parents died, and I came back to the circus for the first time, I don't remember anything."

Her lips pushed together, her hands jamming into her pockets. "You really don't get it."

"I get the fact you and I would be married, had your parents not died. Everyone knows that. Everyone except you, yet you push me away, as if our childhood friendship meant nothing. You prefer keeping the Flying Grayson act a solo act yet complain you can't match their skill level. If you…"

"Don't. We always seem to have this exact same argument every time I come back from one of my attempts to find myself, yet this time I've not yet left and come back."

"Because I'm tired of waiting. Ten years Dick Grayson, I've been waiting for you to ask me to marry you. More than that, considering I expected you to come back once you were done with that stupid playboy millionaire and realize he wasn't your family. That we were. Everything was planned, and that day everything was ruined."

"We tried the dating thing. More than once."

"I tried, you did not."

"Raya." RJ turned, snapping at her. "This isn't some fairy tale, where some kind of knight in shining armor appears and sweeps you off your feet and you get a happily ever after. Real life isn't like that."

"The Dick Grayson I knew would look for the positive in everything around him."

"Yes, well, I've told you I wasn't the same person many, many different times. I don't get why you don't see that." Except, in the back of his mind there was a persistent nagging thought. "The problem is, you still do look for the positive in everything." His eyes narrowed. "Or maybe I'm just more realistic than my child self, and realize that there's a difference between looking for the positive, and pretending the world is made up of only positive experiences."

The woman's lip trembled, but tears welled in her eyes. "Why? Why do you have to…"

RJ sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Good grief. I didn't mean to upset you. Why are you even bringing all of this baggage up?"

"Because he took everything from you. Your future, even your nickname. He took you away from us!"

"Stop blaming this on the man kind enough to take me in! What's the real reason!" RJ watched her eyes drift over to his trailer, making him rub the back of his neck. "You saw me arrive with her, didn't you? Are you telling me you're jealous?"

"You don't have to bed down with a complete stranger to make yourself feel whole."

RJ cursed under his breath. "I'm not having sex with her. She's my cousin, on my mom's side and here because she needed a place to stay for the time being. Can we leave it at that?"

"For now."

Closing his eyes, he mentally cursed himself. He had enough troubles maintaining any form of steady relationship without his childhood friend becoming jealous and overbearing, yet he also didn't have the heart to purposefully hurt her feelings, let alone any girls for that matter.