agoodyarn | for Dick: A different sort of meeting

Dick hadn't been back with the circus very long. Sure, he'd gone off to get a business degree, but the circus was his home and his first love. So when he'd finished at Gotham University, Dick had come home and rejoined the family act.

He'd just finished practice for the morning, heading past the elephants to his own trailer. His ears pricked at the sound of a curious elephant, making him pause to look in. Dick noted the dark-haired man, picking up on what he was saying and putting it together with the fact that Mr. Haly had said that there would be vet students coming to get some experience with the animals.

Grinning, Dick leaned against the fence, still in his spandex with a towel around his shoulders. "You'll have an easier time of it if you tap her behind the knee and say 'up'," he said conversationally.

...getting startled is not something that happens to him often and yet.

Because he'd been focused on the elephant and on her pain and reading her vitals and not spooking her and trying to look at her foot and then there was a voice and it took every ounce of self control he had not to accidentally toss the elephant.

Things he never thought would be a problem for 1000, Alex.

As it is, he pulls his hands back and plops back on his ass in front of the massive creature before glancing over at the owner of said voice -wow. That was... a smile. A totally unfairly hot smile. What even was his life?

He breathed in deep (mistake, this close to an elephant, but he'd had worse) before pushing himself up and dusting himself off.

"Thanks. I'll-" he holds up a finger, "lemme try that. One sec."

Then his attention was back on the elephant.

"Up."

And of course it worked which was when he got a proper look at the abscess that was starting to expand near the edge of the elephant's nail. Ugh, yeah, he was glad he'd gotten a look. This was definitely going to need some treatment.

He looked to the guy.

"Can you, uh, go get my teacher? She's going to want to take a look at this."

"She should be with Haly, right?" He figured the guy had gotten that much, at least. "I know that Jacques was going to ask to have somebody look at her. She's been limping a bit the past couple of days and it had him worried." Dick looked at the guy again, then nodded. "Be back in a few."

The professor was with the head of the circus, just like Dick figured she would be. Jacques had needed to go into town to get some supplies, so Dick went back with Haly and the professor to keep the elephants calm.

Of course, actually getting INTO the pen meant he was dodging the trunk of another elephant with a laugh. "Calm down, Zitka. Let's get Elinor looked over first, you'll have your turn in a few minutes, I'm sure."

Which meant he was still grinning when he turned back to the vet student. "You okay if I stay?"

And Clark has no answer for that because he's kind of staring? A little? Um.

"Yeah," finally finds it's way out. "Sure, yeah. I mean. It's your home. I'm just- I didn't-"

He shrugs again.

"Whatever you wanna do."

"Sure, but you're the one doing the medical stuff. If it would be easier without me here, just say the word." He steps up to Elinor, rubbing his hand along her trunk. "Go ahead and show your professor what you found. I'll just keep the ladies calm."

He glances over at Dick for a moment before going to the teacher and pulling her over to look at the elephant foot, which had her smiling proudly at him before digging into the issue. There was some discussion with Haley, but it left Clark with nothing to do, so he walks over to Dick, scratching his hair.

"Well, that's my grade for the day."

Dick's been watching the vet student, not bothering to disguise his general curiosity about the man. Curiosity had always been of great use to him, after all.

He flashes a quick smile his direction. "And a good grade it should be. An abscess like that one could have had pretty dire consequences if it wasn't caught and treated quickly."

"That's mostly what I was worried about," he admits as he walks over to lean up against something near Dick.

"It's painful. And there's nothing she can do about it." He shakes his head. "I'm just glad it sounds like they'll be able to treat it."

"We're lucky it started showing just before we got here." Dick rubs his hand over Elinor's trunk, adding a pat to help keep her calm. "I mean, we do work with a lot of vet schools around the country just because things like this can show up. And we don't have a vet to travel with us."

That... sounds amazing. That would be perfect. He could travel around, he could help people... it would totally work! And he could still be a vet!

"Is there any reason why you don't have a vet on hand?"

"Just not a lot of vets specializing in exotic animals." Dick shrugs, glancing over at the other man. "We had one for a while, when I was a kid. But he got to be too old for traveling around the way we do. So he retired without a replacement." Dick smiles up at Elinor. "Guess the circus life isn't for everybody, is it, Elinor?"

"Do you think they'd want another one?" Clark ventures as he leans in a little. "You know, if someone wanted to specialize in that? Do the traveling thing?"

Oh-ho, now that is interesting.

Dick tilts his head, considering the other young man. "I can't see why not," he says after a moment. "It makes a lot of sense, after all. We might not be so lucky, next time something comes up."

"Do you... think I could talk to Mr. Haley about it? Maybe... see if he'd be interested in taking me after I take my exam and get certified?"

Dick smiles at him. "That's probably the best place to start. If it helps, I think it makes good business sense. I mean, we're probably not going to entirely stop working with vet schools, just because it's good for the students, but having a vet with us? Definitely a good idea."

That just makes him grin. He looks about ready to zoom off and do just that before he pauses and offers his hand.

"I'm Clark. By the way. Since I know the elephant's names but you don't know mine."

"Clark." Rolling the name around in his mouth, just to see how it feels. Dick smiles, offering his hand as well. "I'm Dick." Not going to mention the last name just yet. Not that being good on the trapeze means much to those outside of the circus.

He nods and he's definitely planning on doing something else, aka, talk to Haley, but he lingers for a moment before peeking out from under his own hand to smile over at Dick.

"Iiiiif I ask if you've got plans tonight after the show, will that be weird?"

That gets a laugh, though not a mean one. Dick probably couldn't laugh at somebody meanly even if he wanted to. No, this is a sound of startled but unrestrained joy.

Which is why his eyes sparkle as he grins at Clark. "Give me half an hour after the curtain to get a shower and change. Then I'll meet you by the entrance of the big top."

He tilts his head, a crooked grin on his face, because yes. Awesome. Date and lifeplans are go.

"Cool. I'll be there."

He starts to head off before he pauses and looks over at Dick.

"Do you guys eat before or after performing? Just... for planning stuff."

"I promise you, there isn't a performer in the circus who isn't ready to eat after we finish," Dick replies. "But, I tend to eat fairly lightly ahead of the performance."

He nods easily enough before making a plan in his head.

"So I'll use the half an hour to go grab a pizza for us. Sound good?"

...he's a college student. He likes Dick but it's going to be a pizza or something equivalent. He's not made of money. And if he's hungry, might as well get him the food immediately.

"Pizza's great. And as long as you don't get anchovies, I pretty much eat anything." And probably had a few things in his trailer he could supplement the meal with. And anything he didn't have, he could go ask his mother for.

He makes a shooing motion to Clark. "Go talk to CC. He'll be glad to hear of your interest, I can almost guarantee."

Once he gets the okay, Dick doesn't have to tell him twice. He's running off towards the front office to find the ringmaster ASAP.

And maybe he'll spend a little time before the show neatening up so he looks good for after the show.

For his part, Dick spends the intervening time mostly not thinking about the date. It's not that he's not interested. Far from it. But he long ago learned to keep his head where it's needed, especially when going up on the trapeze without a net below them.

He doesn't look for Clark when the performance starts. It's a full house tonight and it would be too much to try to pick one person out of the crowd. Better for him to concentrate.

And, if he's a little more showy when the introductions for the trapeze are done? Well, nobody will likely notice.

Except his parents, who will probably grill him afterward.

But that's fine. Because, for the moment, he's where he loves to be: as close to flying as a man can get under his own power.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject