Fly With Me

She really appreciates what he's doing. She loves him so dearly. He's often times too selfless for his own good.

It has been five grueling years since her father put on the helm of Fate. Five years since she unknowingly locked her father in a cruel prison with the sentence of protecting the known universe. She dreads this day every single year. But every single time, Dick freakin' Grayson, ever the doting lover, practically begs her to go and do something with him. He never mentions her father. He just plucks her for a kidnapping away from the world, away from trapped fathers, away from hero duties. Just him and her. A cliché beau would take her to the most expensive restaurant in town and flaunt the fact that he can afford caviar and foie gras. Not her Boy Wonder. He takes her bowling and their dinner comprised of cardboard pizza and plastic nachos. He just knows her. He knows that her competitiveness would get the best of her as they play at least six rounds. Ultimately, their little tourney ends in a draw, but a few of his slip-ups doesn't look that accidental to her.

So now here they were, walking arm-in-arm along the streets of Gotham. She rests her head on his shoulders and closes her eyes before he abruptly stops. She's irked forward a bit and then looks back at him.

"Dick?" she asks worriedly.

He stands frozen gazing at a sight to the side. She looks over and understands his uneasiness. Out in the distance is a clearing with a bright red and white swirled circus tent. She reaches out and grabs his hand.

"You ok?" she whispers.

"Hmm? Yea yea, uh, I'm fine really," he answers but wipes some tears onto his sleeve.

She looks back and forth between her somber boyfriend and the circus tent. She's reminded of the many nights in bed together when he'd toss and turn and sometimes mumble his parents' names. He'd wake up in a sweat and she'd have to hold him to ease his fears. Finding some resolve, she tugs at his sleeve and pulls him towards the tent.

"Wahh. Zee!"

"Keep up, Dick! I wanna check it out!"

Never one to say no to his girlfriend, Dick picks up his feet and runs with her to the tent. The colors have faded, and the fabric has torn here and there. Yet, the Big Top still stands tall and somewhat proud. He places a hand on the fabric wall looking up at the little flag flapping at the tip of the tent. Zatanna tugs his sleeve again urging him to come with her inside.

"Huh. It's a little dark. This place is old too. Wonder how long it's been here," she ponders.

"I dunno. Been here a while probably."

"Hey, Dick, is there any way you could get the lights."

"Uhh sure. Hopefully the generator still works."

Sure enough a few kicks later, the generator hums and the bright lights shine after their long hiatus. Despite the shoddy appearance outside of the tent, the inside has aged much better. The seats and bleachers still look pretty solid with minimal rust. The barriers stand tall and intact. The sand in the middle of the ring lay smooth and untouched. Dick ignores all of that though. Instead, he's look high above at the trapeze platforms and columns. The wood strong and sturdy. The cables taught and sure. He smiles as the bittersweet memories of his childhood flood his mind. Seeing the tears fall from his face, Zatanna quickly intervenes.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" she announces from the middle of the ring, "For tonight and tonight only, may I present the most dashing, the most handsome, the sexiest acrobat in this universe! He's got blue eyes that make diamonds blush, a smile so bright satellites can pick up the blip from space, bedroom skills so fantastic I, his lovely girlfriend, am never able to walk afterwards. Folks, I give you our headlining act, Dick Grayson! Rahh Rahh Woo hooo!"

After her raucous introduction to the empty crowd, Dick cracks just a hint of a smile.

"What are you doing, Zee?"

"Just peeking into your world a little bit. I'm no stranger to crowds but being center stage like this must have been thrilling."

"Yea, it was something," he says putting his hands in his pockets, "They would've loved you y'know."

"Hmm?"

"My parents. I wish you could've met them. My dad would welcome you with open arms. Mom would too, but then she'd think you were a little too thick and tell you to lose some weight."

"Hey!" she scolds smacking him on the arm, "You're one to talk. You love this ass."

"Hehe, yea."

He looks up at the trapeze one more time as an idea hits him. He takes off his jacket and leaves it on a nearby bench.

"Hey, Zee. You ever fly before?"

"Huh? Well duh, levitating spell, remember?"

"No, I mean, really fly. Soaring through the air."

"Uhh I guess by your criteria no. Why?"

"What do you enjoy most about floating with your spell? What's the one thing you remember the most about using it?"

"I like that I feel like wings have sprouted on my back. I like the feeling of being weightless."

"Take of your jacket."

"H-huh? H-here? Uh Dick, I mean while we've done it in weirder spots like that Ferris wheel a while ago, but the ground's kinda sandy here. I don't think either of us would be comfortable."

"No, silly," he says climbing the ladder partway up the trapeze tower.

"Dick?"

"Do you trust me?" he asks extending a hand out to her.

"Always," she smiles placing her jacket next to his.

They climb to the top of the platform. A bucket of chalk sits in the corner. Dick grabs a handful and rubs it all over his palm. He takes her hands and coats them in the powder. She gives him an uneasy look not entirely sure what he is planning.

"Y'know, my mother used to tell me the story of Peter Pan and Wendy before every performance. We'd climb up to the platform just like this and look up at the sky. On clear nights, Mr. Haly had a fancy tent with a hole in the ceiling. He said that he made the tent like that so all our loved ones could watch us perform from heaven."

Luckily in this particular tent, there is a ripped hole in the ceiling giving Dick and Zee a perfect view of the starry night.

"Everyone always said that Peter used faith, trust, and pixie dust to fly. My mom said they always missed the most important part. Peter flew with purpose. He wanted to chase the stars. He'd fly so fast and so far while chasing these stars that he'd lose his shadow. And that's how he ended up in Wendy's room. So, before every performance, she'd tell me to look at the stars, particularly the second star to the right. To give my best performance, to fly, I'd have to focus on that star and chase it until I lose my shadow."

"Dick, that's really pretty. Your mom sounds like a wonderful person."

"She really was," he pauses, "Zee, would you like to chase some stars with me?"

"Huh? What? Y-you you mean trapeze? Off here?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Dick, but c'mon, there's no net!'

"I've got you. I'd never let you go," he tells her holding her waist.

She looks at him with a slightly terrified look. He rubs her back to quell her fears and presses his forehead against hers.

"It'll be ok," he whispers, "If we chase the stars and lose our shadows, Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine."

Smiling at his sweet voice, she kisses him and nods.

"Emitwohs!" (Showtime).

In a puff of smoke, Dick is changed into his family's old performance leotard with the white leggings and the red sleeveless top and gold wings spread out on his chest. Zatanna opted for a simpler purple leotard with a black belt and see-through stockings showing off her smooth legs. He takes a hanging trapeze bar and backs up a little.

"Here, lemme show you how it works," he says.

With a slight run, he pushes off the platform and swings high above the circus ring. Zatanna stares in awe as he reaches the apex of the swing, turns around on the bar, and swings his feet forward gaining momentum to reach the platform again.

"There! Easy!"

"For you!"

"We'll do it together. I've got you."

Nervously, she places both hands on the bar.

"Scootch over. And keep your hands together. Hold on tight."

She slides to her left giving Dick enough room to put one hand on the right side of the bar. His left hand grasps her waist tightly.

"You ready?" he asks.

"Nope. But I have faith in you. I trust you."

"Then here's the pixie dust," he kisses her cheek.

In sync, they run off the platform and push off to chase the stars. She closes her eyes at first, but once they reach the bottom of the swing and fly upwards, she opens them. The rush of the air, the thrill of being weightless finally hits her. He tells her to bring her legs forward and then swing them back to increase the speed. She follows him and they glide through the air. On the third swing upward, she looks up at the hole in the ceiling and reaches out a hand to grab the second star to the right. She giggles all the way back to the platform.

"Wow, I mean, wow," she exclaims.

"That's nothing. Want to really fly?"

"Dick….what are you planning?"

This time he backs up all the way to the column and sprints full speed. He swings higher than she's ever seen before reaching nearly to the top of the tent. At the peak, he lets go of the bar and flips through the air.

"DICK!"

Effortlessly he grabs the faraway bar as the first one makes its way back to Zee. He sits on his new perch and lays back with his legs grasping the bar.

"Haha, now come here. I'll catch you," he cackles.

"Are you crazy!? I can't make that jump!"

"It's a leap of faith, Zee. It's just you and me. I'll catch you. I promise. Just focus on me. Let me be your star to chase."

She looks down and then back up at him. Just like he can't say no to her, she can't resist that boyish smile of his. Shaking her head, she backs up to the column.

"That's it, Wendy! Don't forget to flap your arms!" he yells.

"I swear to God, Peter Pan, if you drop me, Captain Hook will be the least of your worries."

She sprints off the platform and feels the air brushing her face.

"When I give the signal, let go. Until then, rock back and forth to gain momentum."

She nods as she swings her legs forcing the swing higher and higher. The wind becomes a little too much and she closes her eyes again. By about the fifth swing, she's approaching the apex.

"Now, Zee! Let go!"

She releases the bar and is shot upwards. She opens her eyes as she feels her body cutting through the air up towards the hole in the ceiling. Her arms extend and stretch out right in front of her. Once again, she's grasping at the stars in front of her as if she's collecting coins. For a brief moment in time, just a split second, she's floating in midair. She just stops. There's no weight to her body. Nothing is pulling her down, but nothing is keeping her up either. She's just in the air enjoying the short moment of calmness. Gravity hits again and now she falls. The air now blows her hair upwards, and the rush causes her to close her eyes again. Almost out of blue, a pair of strong hands clasp onto her wrists. Instinctively, she grabs his wrists too. Her eyes open to see a pair of bright blue stars. She's beaming with glee to see her upside-down boyfriend laughing and cackling as they swing through the air together. When their momentum dies down and their swing slows, he pulls her up and puts her hands on the bar. He rotates and flips around the bar so that he's facing her. He holds onto the bar with one hand and caresses her cheek with the other. For her own peace of mind, she wraps her legs around his waist. He kisses her midair

"See, I told you I'd catch you. I'll always catch you."

"Thank you, Dick. Thank you for today. You always know what do you around this time of year. You give me meaning. You give me a reason to give it my all so that one day, I can free my father."

"I didn't do much. I should be thanking you."

"Oh really now?" she answers sarcastically.

"Don't think I wasn't onto your plan to give me cathartic closure. But thank you. It feels really good to look this place again without so much sorrow and pain. It feels good to fly happily again. All thanks to you. You give me reason, to believe once again."

"Y'know. I think they'd enjoy this performance, your parents," she tells him using her eyes to gesture towards the starry sky.

"I'd like to think so too."

He moves closer to tease her a little. His lips are so close she can feel the wetness and breeze of his breath.

"I love you, Zee. If it's you and me forever, if it's you and me right now, that'd be alright. Everything would be alright."

"I love you, Dick. There's no one else I'd rather chase the stars and lose my shadow with."

"After all, Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine."

"Wendy grew up and Peter stayed eternally young in Neverland…"

"Then fly with me, Zee. Second star to the right and straight on till morning."

This was a request by Lover of Romance246 on the Chalant discord. This is such a sweet scene between Dick and Barbara in the comics that a lot of us wanted to translate over to Chalant. Hope yall enjoy!