When their taxi pulled up in front of the circus area, Dick felt his nerves spark with renewed nervousness.
"Stop fidgeting." Damian grumbled, eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
Wally had bought them both civilian clothes, giving them two pairs of jeans and three t-shirts each. Damian complained about how pedestrian the items were, but Dick knew that he was just as grateful as he was. Along with the clothes, they each carried backpacks carrying their hero costumes along with a few bathroom necessities. They had all of this, plus sunglasses. Damian refused to go anywhere without the two of them having something covering their eyes. Paranoid brat, just like his father.
Dick felt a pang of homesickness thinking about Bruce.
"Sorry." Dick handed the driver a handful of bills before shoving the door open and practically threw himself out. He was immediately greeted with the familiar scent of fresh hay, the sound of mindless chattering, and a massive colorful tent. A smile graced his face; it looked like this circus wasn't too different from the one he grew up in.
Damian appeared next to him as the taxi took off. "Is it always so loud?"
"It's a circus, little D. It's supposed to be loud."
"Hm." He didn't use any insults, which Dick was extremely grateful for.
"Ah, newcomers!" The two of them were greeted by Mr. Haley himself, who stuck a hand out towards Dick.
Dick grinned and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Dick, and this is Damian."
Damian scowled at the use of their civilian names. He didn't like how they were giving away their real names in such a dangerous situation, but Dick couldn't bring himself to lie to anyone in his circus. It just wouldn't be right. Besides, no one would see them after they went back home. No harm done.
"It's nice to meet you both." Haley smiled down at Damian, ignoring the scowl. "So, are you here to join the circus, or-"
"West sent us." Damian interrupted, looking offended by the idea of being in a circus.
"West?"
"Wallace West." Dick clarified. "He said we could stay with you until we, uh, figure things out."
"Ah." The man nodded briskly. "Good, then we have nothing to hide from you two. Come, I'll show you where you can sleep." He gestured towards the train and began to walk towards it. Dick didn't think before following, Damian close behind.
"So is everyone aware of what you do?" Dick asked curiously.
"Ah, no. We have a few new workers here that have no idea what we do. But there are quite a few of our members that help out with our other operations." He chuckled. "You'll find that we're quite a friendly bunch, Resistance or not."
"That's a relief." Dick smiled brightly. "It seems as though everyone we meet is negative. I understand that you are going through tough times, but..."
"Yes, it's common for everyone to be unhappy with how things are, but we at Haley's Circus try to see the bright side of everything. That's why I still run this place. Everyone needs a smile in such dark times, and a circus is the perfect way to make it happen."
Dick tilted his head. "But aren't you a world-wide circus? How do you get around with all of the ports closed?"
"I'm not going to ask how you know that." He looked curious. "But yes we used to be a traveling circus. We were performing in America when all the ports closed. So now we're stuck." He stopped in front of a train car. "Here you go. It's not much, but we have extra blankets and pillows coming your way."
"Thanks Mr. Haley." Dick said, elbowing Damian.
"Yeah. Thanks." The boy muttered.
"No problem." He grinned at Dick. "We hope to see you in the crowd tonight. It might not be your thing, but trust me when I say that our performers are magnificent!"
Dick beamed. "Don't worry, we'll be there." He confirmed. Haley nodded cheerfully and left. "Some things never change."
"Like your need to make endless chatter with everyone you see?" Damian asked with a scowl.
"Come on, don't be that way." Dick sat down on one of the benches. "You know this place is like home to me. Mr. Haley is the only person I know that didn't completely change in this universe."
"-tt-"
Dick smiled and laid down on the cushioned bench. "Come on, let's get some shut eye before the performance. We've been through a lot in the last couple of hours. You're probably exhausted."
"Don't be ridiculous. I am in no need of rest."
"Suit yourself." Dick shrugged and closed his eyes. He heard Damian shuffle around for a minute before finally laying down on the other bench. A few minutes later, he heard light snoring. "Pfft. Not tired, huh?" Dick muttered to himself before falling asleep.
xXx
"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to Haley's Circus!"
Dick cheered with the other audience members, clapping enthusiastically.
"For our first act, please welcome Terry!"
"So circuses are full of people who can perform unnecessary acts?" Damian asked him. Dick nearly reprimanded him for being rude, but saw that he was genuinely curious to what the circus was like.
"I guess you could say that." Dick smiled and handed him a bag of popcorn. "Yeah, we have people that can perform a lot of cool tricks, but that isn't the point. Everyone here has a story, a reason why they don't want to be part of the social world. All sorts of people have different pasts, genders, races, and personalities, but the circus lets them all come together to form a family. We find joy in our family, and we try to spread that joy to everyone else through our performances."
"Oh." Damian frowned. "Do you wish that you remained with the circus? It was your first family, after all."
Dick blinked. "Yes, and no. I miss my first family, but I wouldn't trade my second one for anything." He smiled sadly. "That's like asking if I wish my parents raised me instead of Bruce. While I love my parents and miss them terribly, I don't regret meeting Bruce. If there was a way to have them both in my life, I'd do anything for it." *
"Hm."
Dick returned to watching the performances, now distracted by the previous question. Why did Damian care if he wanted to stay with the circus or not? Dick was suspicious that Damian was deeply affected by the switching universes thing, more than he was showing. It could have made him open his eyes and see his relationships in a new light, and cause him to be more open to another's feelings.
But now he had questions of his own. What would they do if they were stuck there? How would Damian react? Would he be okay with staying with the circus? Would he try to run off to this world's Bruce?
"And now, ladies and gents, it is time for our final act!"
Dick snapped out of his thoughts immediately, blinking. Did he really zone out through the entire thing? Man, he was really looking forward to seeing some of the acts. He sighed in disappointment, picking up his soda and taking a long sip of it.
"I bring to you, the Flying Graysons!"
Dick froze.
Damian sent him a startled look, but he didn't react to it. His eyes were fixed on the four figures standing on the trapeze. There stood his mother, Mary Grayson, waving at the crowd with a bright smile on her face. Next to her was his father, John Grayson, who was getting ready to leap off. Across from them was a blonde boy and a dark haired girl, both unrecognizable. Dick's heart thumped faster as he looked down towards the ground. There was a safety net, thank God.
But those were his parents. His parents. The two people whose deaths inspired him to join the superhero community. The reason why he became the ward of Bruce Wayne, why he ended up as a charity case for one of the world's richest men.
His parents were right in front of him. Not dead. Very much alive. And performing. Like nothing ever happened. As if they never left.
John and the blonde boy jumped.
Dick watched the four do flips in the air, moving around as graceful as a human could. He remained frozen in his seat even as Damian repeatedly called his name. How could he care when his parents were right there, right in front of him?
They were alive, but in a different universe. Fate was twisted and cruel.
"I'm afraid that's it, folks!" Mr. Haley declared when the Graysons finished, spotlight landing on him. "Want to see more? Join us at our next performance in Gotham City!"
The crowd stood up and applauded the circus members. The performers now stood side to side in the main ring, arms locked together and adoring smiles on their faces. Dick stared at his parents the entire time, mind reeling with what-
BANG!
Several members of the crowd screamed, and everyone scrambled to duck under the seats. The members of the circus cautiously threw their hands up, nervously looking around for the shooter.
Several masked men jumped down from the stands and aimed their guns at the performers. "Tell us where they are." One of them commanded.
"Who?" Haley asked in confusion.
"Don't act stupid!" The man roared. "The ones who don't belong here."
They were talking about him and Damian, Dick realized with a jolt.
"I don't have anyone here who doesn't belong!"
"Then I guess we'll have to kill all of you." He pointed his gun at the dark haired girl who performed with the Graysons. "Starting with you."
"No!" John suddenly tackled the main guy. The reaction was instantaneous: the other masked men all grabbed the back of his uniform and yanked him away.
"Idiot." The main dude hissed, dusting off his clothes. "You'll pay for that." He nodded to one of his men, and they landed a punch square on his nose.
CRACK.
Dick stood in an instant, eyes blazing with fury.
The boss smirked at John. "Got an owie? Good. I'll give you another." He pointed the gun at his head. "Any last words?"
"How about: traught and turbed." Dick called out as he launched himself out of the audience and landed on the man's shoulders, throwing him to the ground. "Both of which you are not." Dick grabbed him by the collar and slammed his head back onto the ground, knocking him out.
"Open fire!" Someone ordered.
Dick did a couple of backhand springs to avoid the onslaught of bullets, eyes narrowed. "Watch it, someone could get hurt."
"That's the point." One of them sneered.
Damian finally sprung down from the strands and landed in a crouch next to the speaker. Seconds later, he sprang back up and delivered a powerful punch to the man's jaw. "Did that hurt? That's the point though, isn't it?"
"Ack! Shoot them!"
Damian and Dick fell into a familiar pattern, one of them attacking while the other defended, and switching off when needed. Dick used his acrobats to his advantage, flipping and rolling out of the reach of his enemies and attacking them from behind. Damian had more force behind his attacks, though they weren't quite strong enough to break bones.
One of the men grew lucky and managed to swipe at Dick's torso with a blade. Ignoring the sharp pain, the acrobat twisted out of the man's reach and somersaulted behind him. Before the thug could think, he sprung back up and delivered a powerful kick to the back of his head.
The fight ended almost as soon as it started.
With the last man finally unconscious, the two heroes fell out of their fighting stances. Dick's eyes swept over the crowd for any more criminals. Finding none, he beamed. "Ta-da!" he said in triumph, bowing slightly.
The audience members took another moment of silence before standing back up, applauding once again. The circus members soon joined in, clapping enthusiastically. Damian scowled and muttered something under his breath as he stepped behind his former mentor to avoid the attention.
"I must say, I did not know you two could move like that!" Mr. Haley exclaimed. "Dick, you looked like a true acrobat!"
Dick rubbed his neck with a meek chuckle. "I guess so." His eyes trailed over to John Grayson, who was holding the black haired girl in his arms and speaking in a hushed tone. Dick forced himself to look away from them, anchoring himself to the world by putting a hand on Damian's shoulder. The boy didn't shrug him off, thankfully. "I hope everyone is okay."
Haley looked around and nodded. "Everyone is fine, thanks to you two."
Mary, John, and the two kids came together in a group hug. The girl, looking to be around five, clung to John while crying hysterically. The teenage boy did not cry, though his expression was troubled, and he stared at the two heroes with open distrust.
Damian finally spoke. "Who do we contact to take these idiots away?"
"No one." Haley answered. "Unless you want the Court coming here." He gave Dick a meaningful look. "And with your skills, I'm afraid that Court would be more interested in you than these brutes."
"It's best if we just tie them up and leave them here." John said, prying himself away from his family. He and Mary walked towards Dick and Damian, each smiling gratefully. Their warm smiles had the opposite affect that it should on Dick, they only tore at his insides. "We can't thank you enough for what you did. That was brave of you."
"We would all be dead if you weren't here!" Mary exclaimed.
Dick felt his face heat up at the praise, and fought to control the urge to hug them. 'alternate universe,' he reminded himself, 'they aren't your parents.'
But the way they spoke, how his mother gestured with every word, his father's protective stance, their brilliant smiles and compassionate auras, those all belonged to his parents. Just being in their proximity made him feel disoriented, and it was only a matter of time before he broke and told them everything.
Haley gestured to a couple of performers. "Find some rope and tie them up. Everyone else, go do what you must. Dinner will be served in two hours."
Everyone then split into small groups as they left, speaking in joyful tones as they went, apparently unaffected by the events that just went down. A few members of the group stopped to thank Dick and Damian, but it didn't take long for the area to be nearly empty. Dick, Damian, the Graysons, and the two children were the last ones available.
"We just wanted to welcome you to our circus." John said kindly. "We could use a couple of good hearted people like you two here."
"We won't be staying." Damian said defensively, crossing his arms over his chest before Dick could speak. "We are only staying until we find a way back to where we are from."
"Not from this country?" Mary inquired.
"You could say that." Dick said quickly.
"Oh. That's a shame." Mary looked towards the two kids behind her. "My kids could really use another trainer. John and I do our best, but your skills obviously outshine ours."
Dick's brain frantically tried to process that information, but it was starting to become too much. "They're your kids?"
John nodded. "This is Mari." He said, pointing to the girl. "And Robin." He pointed to the boy.
Robin? But, that was Dick's nickname. His chest tightened with newfound grief. "That's cool." He choked out, forcing a smile. "They certainly seem to have your gift for the trapeze..." he fidgeted uncomfortably.
Mary smiled and bowed her head. "Thank you." She inclined her head. "And what are your names?"
"This is Damian." The boy nodded in response to his name, but he seemed slightly uncomfortable. "And I'm Richard, though I'd prefer it if you called me Dick."
An air of uneasiness fell filled Dick's lungs as he studied his parents' reaction to his name. Was it just him, or did they flinch?
Damian squinted in suspicion. "Is there a problem?"
"No problem. Sorry, but there's a bit of family history with that name..." John trailed off, a strange look on his face.
"Another kid, perhaps?" Dick couldn't help but ask.
"How did you-" Mary's eyes suddenly widened. "Dick, you're injured!"
Everyone followed her gaze to the wide gash on Dick's torso. Dick himself blinked in surprise. He was so occupied by his parents that he forgot about the battle. "Just a scratch." He gave everyone a reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about."
"Nonsense." Damian argued unhappily. "You are bleeding. What if it gets infected?" He scowled. "That blade could have been laced with poison!"
"I would have noticed if it was poisoned." Dick tilted his head. "You're oddly protective today." He mused out loud.
"He's just worried about his dad." Mary said knowingly. Dick stared at her for a moment, completely baffled by that statement. "In any case, come with us to our hotel room. We have a first aid kit."
"Uh, I'll be fine. We have a couple of bandag-"
"Sorry, didn't hear you." Mary grabbed his forearm and pulled him towards the exit. "But I think you said yes, right?"
Dick couldn't help but chuckle as he was manhandled out of the tent. He was still shocked to see his parents completely not dead, but he decided not to dwell on it. Chances are, he and Damian would be going home soon. If that was the case, he would have to spend as much time as possible with his parents, and grieving those who left him would only distract him.
He suddenly wasn't against the idea of being stuck there.
xXx
"Nice place." Dick commented as he stepped into the hotel suite. "Better than my old apartment, that's for sure."
Mary laughed. "It's not much, but it's only temporary. We'll be checking out tomorrow morning before the train is scheduled to leave." She looked at her two younger kids. "Clean yourselves up before we leave for dinner."
"Okay Mommy." The girl chirped as she cartwheeled into another room, Robin and John following. Dick felt his smile fade away as he watched them interact. It was one thing for Bruce to replace him as a son, but he felt oddly betrayed by his parents having any kids besides himself.
When did he become so selfish?
"Here Dick, sit on the couch. I'll be right back with the first-aid kit."
"Yes ma'am." Dick sat himself down at the indicated seat, Damian sitting down next to him.
The boy leaned closer to him. "Are they your...?" He trailed off, but it was clear what he was asking.
"Yeah. There's no mistaking it." Dick responded in a quiet volume.
"They reacted strangely to your name."
Before the older could reply, Mary and John returned. "I'll need you to take your shirt off." She laughed. "But don't worry, I promise that I'm not checking you out."
"I sure hope not." John said teasingly, kissing her cheek.
Dick felt his face burn. "Uh, right. Okay." He tugged his shirt off over his head, mindful of the sunglasses that Damian forced him to wear. As the fabric came off, he heard a small gasp of surprise.
"Oh dear... What happened?"
"What?" Dick looked down and caught sight of the many scars littering his upper body. Criss-crossed lines belonging to a whip were on his back, an assortment of stab and bullet wounds on his front, burn marks randomly falling everywhere, and a J shaped laceration right above his heart.
The Joker was not his favorite villain.
"Oh, battle wounds. Nothing too bad."
Mary pursed her lips but didn't respond, focusing on the only open wound. "You're in luck, no stitches this time. But I'm going to clean it." She produced a few disinfectant wipes from her kit and dabbed at the cut. Dick hissed at the contact and squirmed until she finally put a bandaid on. "All done."
"Thanks." He quickly pulled his shirt back on, thoroughly uncomfortable with the disturbed looks that he received from the two.
Damian cleared his throat. "I could not help but notice that you two had a bad reaction to Gr-" he stopped for a split second, eyes narrowed with indecision. Dick rose a brow, waiting to hear what the kid would call him. He was against using his first name, so what would he do, create a new last name? "Ahem. I noticed that you two had a bad reaction to my father's name."
Dick would have been a lot more surprised if he didn't know that Damian was only using what his mother said earlier. Brat.
"Oh." John sighed. "We're sorry if we caused you discomfort."
"It's okay." Dick reassured. "But can I ask what the problem is? You said that there was a family history with that name."
Mary suddenly stood. "Oh, look at the time! Dinner will be served shortly, and you really don't want to be late for your first one! John sweetie, will you grab my purse? I need to get Rob and Mari." She hurriedly left, calling out to her kids.
John stood up too, and led them towards the exit. "We'll meet you there, okay? I'm sure you two know your way back." Dick and Damian were then ushered out the door, which almost immediately closed behind them.
Dick had never been kicked out of a hotel room in such a polite fashion.
"They're hiding something." Damian said sourly. "Something happened to their version of you."
"I probably just died, and they don't want to talk about it." Dick said calmly.
Damian frowned at this statement. "That's unfortunate."
A grin. "Why? I didn't know that you cared about your father so much."
"Shut up."
xXx
AN: Please don't kill me. I've been meaning to update, I swear I have, but I encountered one of my oldest foes... That's right, Writer's Block nearly defeated me once again. It wasn't satisfied with killing off my Teen Titans fic, it was still bloodthirsty. With my mediocre writing skills I barely managed to defeat it, but I had to sacrifice a character or two in order to win. Oops.
Getting back on topic, I kind of hinted at a few things here. You can try to be a detective and figure it out yourselves, or wait until I reveal it later. Your choice. :)