Chapter Text
New city, new people, new spectators. Every morning at the circus was exciting: gathering things, preparing the stage, feeding the animals, training, washing clothes... Hey, that last one wasn't exciting... "Why do I have to wash clothes that aren't even mine?" he grumbled to himself, scrubbing the laundry forcefully to vent his frustration. In his opinion, that was the most boring task. Couldn't they just let him feed the animals? Besides, the lions adored him. It was obvious he did a better job than their regular caretakers...
The youngest of the Graysons sighed. He stopped scrubbing for a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow. As he straightened his shoulders to maintain his posture, he looked around and noticed, somewhat confused, that he was completely alone... That was weird. Usually, there were always people running back and forth getting things ready... Plus, today was supposed to be the first show in this city. Normally, everyone should be running around like crazy.
So... either there was a party without him, or something was going on. Looking at the wet laundry... Richard decided that, in his opinion, it was clean enough. Besides... wasn't it just going to get dirty again anyway? Surely no one would notice... With that thought, he grabbed the pile of clothes, wrung them out forcefully, and hastily hung them up to dry. Worry about wrinkles? Well, that wasn't his problem anymore. He wasn't on ironing duty that day anyway; that would be Bryan's concern.
He quickly ran towards the entrance of the camp, where the trailers were parked, and his intuition didn't fail him. Most of the circus members were gathered there... which could only mean one thing: either someone was arriving, or someone was leaving...
"DICK! OVER HERE!" a girl called him. A boy was also watching the commotion with curiosity. He approached the crowd. "Guys, why is everyone gathered? Did someone arrive?" he asked his friends while standing on his tiptoes. He could only make out what looked like the top of a cage. There were a lot of people, way too many. Well, it seemed it wasn't about a person. The cage also looked different from all the others in the circus. Maybe a new animal?
"Well, not exactly. I wouldn't call that a person..." An awkward silence fell for a moment. Ray seemed quite cautious as he spoke. "Is it a mutant?" Dick asked with a furrowed brow... Usually, Ray only referred to mutants or metahumans that way. It was one of his friend's small flaws; he always seemed wary of things he didn't know. Dick didn't blame him for it; after all, he knew mutants could be a bit scary... But they were people, in the end... Just then, he felt a slap on his back and turned around.
"Bryan," he said, surprised at the boy, who just smiled and waved at the others while continuing the conversation, clearing up the doubts. "We're not sure what it is, actually. From what I heard, some guys found out a circus was coming to town and offered it to my grandpa for the side show. My grandpa said it's around our age and that he couldn't stand seeing it like that, so he ended up buying it..." That relaxed Dick a little.
"Mr. Haly is too kind, always helping them out..." Raya sighed, and the rest nodded in agreement. Still, Dick couldn't help but stare at the cage... He wasn't sure what Mr. Haly had done was entirely right. Wouldn't it have been better to call the police? Besides, did Bryan say it was their age? Did it have a family? He was a bit worried about that. He sighed. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Usually, the mutants and metahumans who came to the circus arrived because Mr. Haly offered them a helping hand. However, they all left sooner or later, maybe because they found a better life, or because they didn't feel safe in the circus. They'd disappear from one day to the next without a word...
Ray stepped aside and picked up a bucket with a sponge and a rag that was nearby. Apparently, he had also been in the middle of his chores when he arrived. In fact, he didn't seem to be the only one. Raya was holding a broom, and Bryan was carrying a folder with several sheets... Looks like Dick was the only one who left his work half-done... Should he go back and finish it?... Nah, better to leave it like that. "Where are you going?" he asked his friend curiously, who clearly had no intention of staying there. "Well, to finish my chores. I hope they don't make me interact with the new one. I don't have time for that; I still need to practice my act for tonight," he sighed, truly not seeming interested in the circus's new member.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great. No one our age besides Dick is better than you," Raya reassured her friend, who just made a face. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Yeah, take it as a compliment from me. I'm being humble; otherwise, I would have said there's no one better our age besides Dick and me." Before Ray could retort, a voice sounded through a megaphone.
"Alright, SHOW'S OVER! EVERYONE BACK TO WORK!" Mr. Haly appeared suddenly to shoo the crowd away. As people finally began to disperse, Bryan startled. "Shoot, bye guys. I'm supposed to be doing inventory. If my grandpa sees me here, he'll dock my allowance," he muttered, quickening his pace, simply saying goodbye and running off quickly before Mr. Haly noticed him...
"Yeah, bye. See you later, guys," Dick said, watching as his friends also left. Taking advantage of the dispersing crowd, he hurried over to approach the cage...
He could only see a hunched figure, long pink hair, and slightly pointed ears... Definitely not a normal person just from that... Was it a girl? He tried to lean in closer. He put his hand on one of the bars, wondering why it was still in there and hadn't been released yet... He was about to speak to the figure when a hand on his shoulder startled him.
"Richard, what are you doing here? Did you finish your chores?" It was Mr. Haly, looking at him with a furrowed brow. "Yes," he lied without even blinking, because technically he had finished (by his standards) the task assigned to him. "I finished washing and hanging the laundry. I'm just taking a break, Grandpa Haly. Who is she?" he asked, pointing at the person in the cage. "Her? Oh, no, not a girl. It's a boy. From now on, he'll be part of the circus too."
As if to corroborate Mr. Haly's words, the person lifted his head and looked at him. Dick felt a shiver run down his spine at that gaze. It was like two overflowing rubies... He felt they could see right through his soul, and the sensation was like a bloodthirsty animal... Were those things protruding from his lower lip fangs?...
"Poor boy. He's really frightened. They had him in a terrible state," Dick diverted his attention to Mr. Haly, who was speaking quietly, probably to avoid being heard by the person in the cage, though Dick swore he saw the boy's ears twitch in the direction of his boss's voice. "Worse than now?" He didn't think it was possible. The boy was covered in old rags stained a suspicious red color... And... he had many visible scars... "Yes, you should have seen him when they handed him over. He seemed on the brink of death, poor kid." "Did you call the police?" Dick asked, unable to help himself. The kind of people who trafficked others like cattle were disgusting. "Of course. They're already investigating the case. But from what I understand, the poor thing has no one to take care of him. So, for the time being, he'll stay with us for his own good."
"Why is he still in the cage? I don't think he's very comfortable in there..." he murmured, unable to stop himself. He wouldn't want to be in a cage on display... It seemed like an animal. No, not even their animals were treated like that... "That's because he's scared. And when some people are scared, they do foolish things and hurt themselves or others. He's in there for his own good. Once he calms down, he can come out." That seemed to make sense, he supposed... But... still, wasn't it really uncomfortable to be locked in a cage?
"Actually, Richard, I wanted to ask you something. A super important task that I know you can handle." Mr. Haly looked serious... Dick swallowed hard. Please don't let it be handing out flyers again. Please don't let it be handing out flyers. "I want you to take charge of our new member until he gains enough confidence to know he's safe. Okay?" Dick was surprised by that. "Me? Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully. The person in the cage seemed to have been through a lot. He didn't know if he would be careful enough to calm him down. He didn't think he gave off that sense of security to people...
"Of course, kid. I don't know anyone better at dealing with wild animals." What an ugly way to put it. "I know you can do it." Dick fell silent... Could he do it? He shifted his gaze back to the person in the cage. He was also looking at him. His red eyes were a lot like those of a Snail Kite, as red as blood... He was looking at him coldly... But he didn't seem to be really paying attention... Or maybe he was... Surely he was scared. Dick didn't want to imagine what it must be like to be in his situation, to be treated like merchandise, locked in a cage in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people...
"Yes, I can do it," he said with confidence. Mr. Haly laughed and patted his shoulder, apparently satisfied with the answer. "I knew you'd accept. Well, in that case, I'll leave you to it. I have to go make sure everything's in order for tonight." Dick watched silently as Mr. Haly walked away with calm steps. He sighed and shifted his gaze back to the person in the cage... He clenched his fists, psyching himself up. He approached and sat down at a prudent distance. Mr. Haly's words reminded him that the other party could hurt him, not because he really wanted to or was bad, but because he was scared. Dick knew about that. It was like when Bryan tried to scare him that day in the dressing rooms; he hit him as soon as the other jumped out to startle him, not because he wanted to, but because he was scared. So, he decided to keep his distance for the moment.
"So.... what's your name?"
"..." Silence. Absolute silence. Dick sighed. The other was looking at him as if he were an ant... "You don't have a name? Alright, then. I'll call you Pink. Or Pinky. Which do you prefer?" he asked with a smile, hoping to get a reaction. And luckily, he did, because the other one snorted, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow as if pondering which option was worse.
"....Technoblade." What a weird name, Dick thought to himself. However, he'd heard worse names. So, who was he to judge?
"Nice to meet you, Techno. I'm Richard, but they call me Dick." He put his hand into the cage... The other just looked at it, with no intention of approaching. Dick sighed. There was still a long road ahead.