Pt 1 [You are here !] pt2
Dick Grayson never thought he'd see you again.
You had been his best friend, your family's close friends and business partners at Haly's Circus. While your family was known for their fire performances, his were best known for aerobatics, as many had known.
When Dick's parents had been killed, you had been there. Of course you were, you'd been in the middle of tossing flaming rods to your father and had heard the trapeze ropes snap.
Dick remembers how you screamed, remembers you trying to comfort him as your parents had tried to bring his back to life while awaiting the ambulance.
The flying Grayson's died that day, and Dick hadn't seen you again. Until now.
He'd been patrolling Blüdhaven, crouched on top of a building and watching the streets silently when he heard the sound of a struggle taking place in an alleyway a few buildings down.
When he dropped into the alleyway, he sighed at the sight of a mugger holding a knife to a woman's throat. Dick pulled one of his escrima sticks from his back and took a calm step closer, blue eyes stern and voice firm, "I think it'd be smart if you dropped the knife."
The man's head had snapped to him, the woman, to his shock, took the opportunity to knee the man in the groin. Dick watched, stunned for a moment as the man crumbled to the ground before he regained his composure and took a few long steps to the criminal and jabbed his escrima stick into the guy's neck, watching as he convulsed from the electric shocks running through his body.
Finally, when the man was down for the count, Dick stuck his escrima stick back with the other and shifted to comfort the woman, "Are you alright ma'am-"
And there you were. Same eyes, same hair, same bright glint in your eyes that attracted him to you when you were kids, his jaw dropped.
You picked your purse up from the ground, relieved and a little pale from the near death experience and you lifted your gaze to him, unable to recognize him from his mask. "I'm alright, thank you." You murmured, eyes trailing to the mugger for a moment before returning to him.
Dick swallowed roughly, your voice, it still held that familiar soft and pleasant tone that he'd known to associate with you and he runs a hand through his hair for a moment, the silence makes you a little uneasy so you point with your thumb towards the end of the alleyway with a smile, "I uh, better get going."
He blinks, coming out of his reverie and he nods, shifting for a moment to tie the guys hands and feet together so he can't escape. "I'll walk you home, it's dangerous out on the streets this late."
You scoffed at that, crossing your arms. You didn't mind him walking you home so much as him saying it's dangerous, you know that, you've been living here for years! Still, as you watch him tie the criminal up, you can't shake the feeling that you've seen him before, outside of newspaper clippings, anyway.
As you both walk in silence towards your building, Dick tries to find a way to tell you who he is, he wants to talk to you, catch up, all these old feelings he had when he was a kid come whirling back and he about stumbles when your shoulder brushes his.
"Thanks again for showing up back there, I thought for sure I was a goner. It's a little funny, I saw my life flashing before my eyes and it honestly was a lot of this friend of mine I used to be around everyday, we worked in a circus together actually- fuck I'm rambling aren't I? Sorry." You rambled when you were nervous, hands running up and down your arms and you breathed out a shaky laugh.
Dick's heart just about beats out of his chest, his eyes train on you and he clenches his jaw. He felt his ribs squeeze tightly as he remembered how you used to go on long tangents before performances, he loved listening to you.
"You don't have to be sorry, I like listening to you." He'd said without thinking and only realized what he said after, silently cursing himself in the process. You were staring at him with parted lips and wide eyes, ears slowly flushing red and he can't help but crack a smile.
You clear your throat, eyes turning back to the street and you huff out a laugh. "You say that to all the girls?" You mused, eyebrows raised in amusement.
'No, only you.' he wants to say, still, he just grins. "Is it working?"
It was so easy to fall into banter with you, the minutes passing by so fast and Dick just wants to stop the clock and live in this moment forever, seeing you smile, cheeks stretching and revealing that dimple he loved so much.
But time doesn't stop, and soon, you come to a stop in front of your apartment complex.
"I'd say I had a lot of fun, but the circumstances we met under are less than fun." You sighed, running a hand through your hair and resting it on the back of your nape, turning to gaze at Nightwing with a smile.
His lips tilt up into a small smirk, heart beating hard in his chest and he lets out a quiet laugh. "Hopefully the next time we see each other you won't be held at knifepoint."
You raise an eyebrow, amusement shining in your eyes, "The next time we see each other, huh?"
Dick just grinned at you, dimples denting his cheeks and your heart flutters at the sight, beating a staccato you hadn't experienced since your best friend disappeared.
You take a step back, unable to hide the smile spreading on your face nor the flush coaxing up your chest and throat as you send Nightwing a little wave. "Well, I guess I'll see you next time." You said with a bright gleam in your eyes and Dick waved back, heart thudding heavily in his chest.
"Next time." He agreed easily, because there would be a next time. He swore to himself.
And next time, he'd tell you who he is. A promise he swears to keep, for your sake and his.
a/n - guys don't fret, there will be a part 2 !! I got this idea in bed last night and raw dogged the first half of this in 30 minutes. Part 2 should be out by Sunday so keep an eye out for that ♡
c. @.mrbusinessman, 2026. Do not steal, edit or repost my work.
Divider by - @.cursed-carmine
