Prompt: Dick has a romantic surprise for you...
Key: (Y/N) = Your Name
Dick Grayson pushes you forward slowly by the shoulders. You cover your eyes with your hands and grin as wide as the Cheshire cat. You love all of his little surprises, no matter how small they may seem. A single rose waiting for you on the kitchen counter when you come home from work could make you swoon in a heartbeat.
"Dick, where are you taking me?" you ask while giggling like a teenager.
"You'll see...we're almost there," he replies with equal enthusiasm.
You have no idea where you are, which piques your interest even further. You smell fresh green grass, red dirt, and a slight hint of burning plastic. The ground beneath your feet is soft, no doubt the dirt you smell.
Dick releases your shoulders and you hear the flap of a tarp coming from behind. Suddenly the fragile warmth of the Gotham sun disappears and the air becomes colder. Thankfully, Dick's Gotham University jacket is buttoned snuggly around you to keep you warm.
"Can I look now?" you beg, growing more impatient.
"Almost! Take a few steps forward and lift up your head."
You follow his instructions and he comes to stand behind you. He places his hands over yours and rests his chin on top of your head.
"Okay...now!" he whispers, moving your hands away from your eyes. Your jaw drops and you gasp as you look around. You're inside a vibrant yellow and red tent that stands at least five stories tall. Encircling the walls of the tent are several rows of metal bleachers. Standing in the center of the big top is an elaborate system of cables and wires that you recognize as a trapeze set.
"We're at the Newton Fairgrounds, aren't we?" you ask with an animated smile.
"We sure are! This is where the Haley Circus used to perform..."
You turn to face your boyfriend and see a flash of sorrow in his ordinarily cheerful eyes. You're standing in the tent in which his parents were killed.
"Dick, why are we here? I don't want to cause you any more pain."
He waves his hand dismissively. "It's okay, don't worry about me. I miss them every time I see this place, but they would want me to share this part of me with you. On our first date, you told me you loved going to the circus with your parents when you were a kid. How would you like to be a part of it this time?"
"Dick...you don't mean..."
"Oh yes, I do! We're gonna go up there," he says pointing to the top of the platform.
"I don't know if I can," you reply uncertainly. "I'm terrified of heights."
Dick takes you into his arms and kisses your forehead. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall. You trust me, don't you?"
"Of course...but I'm not a trained acrobat like you."
"That's fine, we don't have to go crazy! We'll just grab the bar, leap from the first tower, do a simple transfer to the second bar, then land on the other platform. I brought the line from my grapple gun just in case and I checked the ropes here last night. C'mon, don't you want to know what it's like to fly with one of the famed 'Flying Graysons'?"
You gaze once more at the metal contraption and grimace, but Dick's cheeky grin is irresistible. You take hold of his hand and he helps you onto the latter. As you ascend, your stomach does a somersault and your head whirls from the onset of vertigo. You know Dick would never let you fall, yet the thought horrifies you nonetheless. After all, his parents didn't believe they would fall either...
The two of you reach the platform and Dick unspools the sturdy grapple line. He ties your left wrist and ankle to his opposite. You look at him curiously and he laughs.
"When I move, you move. We jump together. Believe in me, okay?"
"Okay..." you reply nervously.
The two of you step onto the ledge and you feel the sudden urge to faint as you look down. Dick looks at your petrified expression and lifts your chin with his thumb so that you're looking ahead.
"Rule number one of being an acrobat--don't look down."
He pulls the suspended bar towards you and places your joined hands on the rod.
"On three, we step off the ledge. You with me?"
"I-"
"One...two..."
"DICK, NO!"
"THREE!"
You both step off the end and swing on the wire. You scream at the top of your lungs as the wind rushes against your face and the walls of the tent shift in your vision. You desperately want to shut your eyes but the gust of air is forcing them open.
"Now grab the bar with your right hand!" Dick instructs, "then take our tied hands and grab! You've got this, (Y/N)!"
You nod with what little control you have of your head and grasp the second bar tightly in your right hand. The grapple line has you secure, so you cannot fall.
"Just enjoy it, (Y/N)," you tell yourself.
You and Dick grasp the second bar with your other hands and you sail through the air once more. You laugh at your success and feel as though you abandoned your fear on the previous wire.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Dick cheers.
All too soon, your feet approach the second platform. Together, you release the bar and tumble gently onto the floor. Dick loosens the grapple line and rolls over onto his back, joining you in laughter.
"Congratulations! You're officially an acrobat of Haley's circus," he jokes.
"That...was so...much fun!" you say panting and giggling.
"See, what did I tell you? Nothing to be afraid of!"
The two of you sit upright with your feet dangling off the ledge. He slips his hand in yours as you rest your head on his shoulder.
"I guess there's one perk to being an acrobat," you state serenely.
"Oh yeah, what's that?"
"You get one heck of a view."
Dick looks around the tent and smiles to himself. "I don't know about that..." he replies.
"Why not?"
"Because I've got a much better view of something else right here," he says lovingly as he pulls you in for a gentle kiss.