Catch Me If I Fall || R.Grayson ||

Nothing Could Ruin That Night:

Most people loved the circus. 

Less people loved watching the clowns. To this day, no one really understood why clowns were always the face of the attraction. Clowns were straight up freaky. You never knew if the person under the makeup was fully sane or not, but everyone collectively decides not to question it in fear of awakening some long suppressed desire to kill.

Little Richard Grayson had nothing against Barnaby, though. Barnaby Ross had travelled with the circus for little more than a year or so before Dick was born. He was a nice man, but awfully quiet and more reserved. Little Dick didn't have a problem with him on most days, but whenever he put on the makeup, the six year old couldn't help but feel weirdly cautious around him, even though he had known the man since he was a baby.

Performance nights were both stressful, and exciting, but nothing could ruin that night, of all nights. Mary and John Grayson were hesitant to let their son start joining them on the trapeze so early, but he had the talent, and that couldn't go unnoticed. After his sixth birthday, they decided to let him join the act.

Mary Grayson had to make sure her little son didn't get in the way too much, and sat him down on the burlap sacks outside the trailer as she did some last minute touch ups on her sparkly red and yellow leotard. It was a normal performance night so far, in little Dick's limited opinion. He watched casually as the rest of the troop hurried between tents and trailers, gathering last minute props and yelling hasty inquiries across the fairgrounds.

The sun was already beginning to dip toward the horizon, glaring harshly across the distant harbour where they were set up for the weekend. After this, they would be on the road again, to an unknown destination, and another unfamiliar scene. Dick didn't mind the travel. He had been born in the circus, and wherever it went, so did he. It was all he knew. And for now, that was all he needed.

Mary noticed how her son's leg bounced relentlessly with pent up energy. Dick was never one to sit still for longer than a few minutes, and he was now reaching his limit. Mary laughed, and tousled his raven hair.

"Why don't you go find your father," she said, "Tell him that I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay!" Dick jumped to his feet, glad to be off the burlap sacks by their trailer. They were itchy, and he would rather be running around in the open area between the residential trailers and the storage units.

"Stay out of the way, Richard!" Mary called after him, "You know how busy we are!"

"Yes Mami!"

And with that, he raced toward the second biggest tent, dodging and ducking between and around the other performers and circus hands until he was able to rip through the heavy fabric door. Dick had been told many times to watch where he was going, and made waste with the warning time and time again; he slammed right into a tall man with a scowl and a receding hairline.

"Watch where you're going!" The man snapped, flicking Dick's forehead as he stumbled to regain his balance.

The little boy mumbled an apology, aware that his English wasn't the best, and dipped his head politely.

The man glowered down at him, but didn't have the chance to do or say anything more before Jack Haley came around the corner.

"Zucco!" He said, not at all happy. A frown pulled at his lips as his gaze shifted between the tall man and little Dick. "I thought I told you to scram."

The man, Zucco, apparently, patted Dick's head rather forcefully, and pushed him aside. Haley looked relieved for the most part, but moved towards them.

"Run along, Grayson," He said, shifting into broken Romanian, and shooing him away. "Hurry up now,"

Dick listed his head, curious, but didn't dare disobey. He hurried into the tent, and soon forgot all about the Zucco man once he saw his father. John Grayson saw him coming, and stepped back into a crouch with his arms outstretched to catch Dick in a tight hug.