Forgotten Bonds – Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One
Titans Together

March 16th, 2009. Monday, 11:00 am.

“Sure you don’t want me to come along?” asked Slade in his sly, teasing tone. Dick rolled his eyes as he jumped down from the plank of the large boat. His feet touched soil and he was blasted with a wave of nostalgia. He took a deep breath; smelling the salty air of the bay.

“Naw, I’m good,” said Dick softly. He put on a smirk as he turned back to look up at Slade. “`Sides, it’s not like you’re quite welcome yet. You might ruin everything.”

“My, you sure know how to make a man feel welcome,” drawled Slade with a smirk. Dick only smiled. It was nice to see the man without his mask outside of the haunt – or really their house; their home. And the man was never going to wear it again – or at least not while Dick was still living. No, Slade was just a man now – a man who was the father of the Boy Wonder.

“Maybe next time,” said Dick with a genuine smile. “Maybe you can help Cyborg beef up the security sometime. Especially since you’re able to pass it.”

“I’m able to get through any security,” smirked Slade with a dark, suggestive light in his eye.

“Yeah, but you won’t, right?” asked Dick with a raised eyebrow. Slade chuckled, shaking his head.

“Do you doubt my word? I told you before: Deathstroke the Terminator is no more.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t Deathstroke to the Teen Titans,” argued Dick with a pointed grin. “You were Slade.”

“Still am,” smirked Slade with a double lift of his eyebrows.

“Slade—”

“Go on now. Quit stalling.”

Dick opened his mouth slightly, taken aback. He stared up in surprise at the man who was evenly staring down at him with a soft, knowing expression.

“I’m not stalling,” protested Dick.

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”

Dick turned his head away; biting his lip nervously. How did Slade seem to know everything? So what if he was stalling? He was getting more and more anxious by the second. He really didn’t want the Titans to be angry with him. He really hoped they would still be his friends after all this.

But he still couldn’t help but worry – especially after their attitudes from before.

“Go on, I’ll stick around in the bay. I won’t be far,” said Slade, nodding his head once in the direction to the Tower. Dick felt his face flush and he set a soft glare onto Slade.

“I don’t need you to stick around,” snapped Dick, the heat creeping upwards to his ears. “I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”

“I think I’ll go fishing…” said Slade vaguely, turning his gaze out over the bay. “Nice day. Fish might be biting. This seems like a good spot. Seems like a nice day to have fish for dinner.”

“Slade!”

Slade amiably tilted his head towards Dick, his features completely lifted in a knowing, wry smirk; yet there was a gentle light in his eye. Dick whirled around, trying very hard not to blush any more. A part of him didn’t like being treated like a little kid, but the child inside of him was actually really thankful. If he admitted it, he just might be feeling a little clingy to the man now. But this was a whole new experience for him and there were times he felt a little insecure; sometimes wondering if this whole thing was just a blissful dream.

And besides, he could be as clingy as he wanted to be. There was nothing wrong with that, especially since he hadn’t had a father in almost eight years.

It was nice to have one looking out for him, finally.

“Thanks,” murmured Dick, before continuing along the pathway upward towards the enormous tower. As he walked along the path, the tension in his stomach began to squirm and flutter nervously. He had decided to face the Titans without a mask again. He hadn’t been Robin in over six months. Even when going out on those two missions, he hadn’t felt like Robin. No, he was Dick Grayson and that’s who he wanted to face his friends. After all, it was Dick who had been adopted, not really Robin.

‘No, this is about Slade Wilson and Richard Grayson.’

And that was fully true – the adoption had nothing to do with Slade and Robin, but everything to do with Slade Wilson and Dick Grayson. Even for Slade now, the outward identities that they both had built for themselves had now fallen to the wayside for their true and far better identities.

Father and son.

And there was no better identity than that for Dick.

Finally, Dick stood outside the large door of Titans Tower, far more nervous than he’d ever been in his entire life. This was going to be sooo awkward. Yup, there was no doubt about that. But he had good news – the best news in the entire world.

Slade wasn’t going to be a mercenary any more. Slade wasn’t going to be an assassin any more. His father wasn’t going to be a criminal. It was the best and strangest thing to think that, but Dick put on a smile. It made him all the more happy in the world to be able to think that.

Dick placed his hand over the security pad. The systems scanned his hand print and the giant door opened. Setting a nervous smile on his face, he walked inside. Passing by the lines of soft arm chairs and walking up the red carpeted stairs, he swallowed nervously as he pressed the elevator button. This wasn’t going to be easy. Finally, the elevator arrived and Dick waited with belly flops as it rose to the floor with the main room. He was pretty sure the belly flops weren’t caused by the elevator.

As the elevator doors opened, Dick walked down the familiar corridor. He took deep calming breaths. Being in the Tower after such a long time was getting to him. There was a powerful amount of emotion rising up inside his chest; twisting and constricting his heart ever so tenderly and firmly in contrasting waves.

Maybe he should’ve worn the mask after all…

He reached the main room doors and it opened automatically as he got close to it. So much for calming his nerves…

“Robin!” cried a happy, blithe voice. A strong body suddenly collided with Dick – nearly knocking him over – and arms wrapped around him. Dick was frozen for a moment, shocked by the sudden hug; but soon, with a smile, he lifted his hands and managed to return Starfire’s warm and slightly crushing hug. It had been so long since he’d had one of these. They really did make everything just a little better.

“Hey, Star,” said Dick softly; feeling a small bit of heat creep into his cheeks. He allowed himself to tighten his hold around her, breathing in softly. How he had missed her. After a moment, Starfire pulled back and smiled at him.

“It is glorious that you have come back home,” said Starfire.

“Thanks, Star,” said Dick; his face flushing even more. He wasn’t sure why that was happening – why the heck would he be feeling this way now? He tried to smile. The warmth in his face grew as Starfire kindly smiled back. What the heck was going on?

“Ho—how’s everything going?” asked Dick, rubbing the back of his neck and wishing he could rub away the incessant warmth. He was seriously praying his cheeks weren’t completely beet red.

“Everything is well, Robin,” said Starfire with a bright smile. Then, her expression softened slightly. “But mostly, I am worried about you.”

Dick smiled at her. It was a genuine smile, although he was pretty sure some pink crept into his cheeks.

“I’m doing great, Starfire. Really, really great, actually.”

Starfire’s smile to this was overwhelming; sweet, soft, kind, understanding – thoroughly intoxicating and Dick found himself blushing again at her gentle beauty. He couldn’t think now – completely forgetting the reason he had come to Titans Tower in the first place.

“Your letters…” whispered Starfire after a moment, her monochromatic eyes glittering once. “They came this morning.”

“Oh,” mouthed Dick quietly, swallowing once. “Did–did everyone read them?”

“We did.” Starfire put a hand on Dick’s arm, her smile gentle. Dick’s skin chilled from her touch, sending fiery electric sensations through his arm. “I was never angry with you, Robin. And I am happy for you; truly happy for you. I am also happy that you were completely open and honest in your letter to me.”

Dick blushed and ducked his head. Oh, why was this happening now? Why were there butterflies fluttering in his stomach right now? Why did it feel like his skin was on fire just from her gentle touch? Why did it feel like he was going to melt underneath her beautiful smile? It seemed as if anything she would say could either lift his spirits or destroy him; teetering on a dangerous edge of the heart.

What the heck was going on here?!

“I can also tell that… Slade truly cares for you.”

Dick’s head popped up, his eyes wide in surprise by this.

“How do you know?”

“At that moment he helped you when you were… not well,” said Starfire, her voice turning soft. “That was not the Slade we once fought so many times. That Slade seemed like a concerned man who cared about you very, very much.”

Emotion filled Dick’s chest; twisting in a soft, gentle motion. He had to swallow again, his throat becoming dry. It was one thing to see it for himself, but another for others to see it as well. That meant it really was true – Slade really did care about him. There was no hiding it any more beneath that impassive stance the man tried to hide behind so much.

Slade truly did love him, didn’t he?

“Your name… Your real name is Richard?” asked Starfire, those emerald green eyes ever so soft as they gazed at him. He nodded lightly. “I heard Slade call you… Dick, though. Why is this if your name is Richard?”

“Oh, Dick’s a nickname for Richard,” said Dick, the heat still in his cheeks. At her confused look, he chuckled. “Not sure why, though. It’s just the way it’s always been for me, I guess.”

“Why do you go by Robin, then?”

Those inquiring eyes were too dazzling to deny.

“My… Mama…” whispered Dick, allowing himself to call her affectionately – in front of Starfire, he was safe. “She’d always call me her little robin. I chose it in memory of her.”

Starfire’s hand still hadn’t left his arm. As he spoke, it squeezed tenderly once.

“Koriand’r.”

“Huh?”

There was a gentle laughing giggle from Starfire as her hand slid down Dick’s arm and clasped his hand. Somehow, that movement sent pleasant little chills down his skin with it.

“My Tamaran name. Koriand’r means Starfire.”

“Koriand’r,” murmured Dick, letting the melodic sounds of Starfire’s name lace over his tongue. He smiled at her. “It’s pretty. It really suits you, Kori.”

The smile that responded was far prettier than the rising sun in the grandest of all sunrises. Dick tried his best to formulate a proper sentence through the stunning light that seemed to emanate from that smile.

“I–I kinda wanted to talk to everyone. I’ve got something to tell you guys.”

There was another responding smile as Starfire nodded, lifting into the air easily and flying over to the main computer; their hands disconnecting. Dick slowly walked after her, wiping his now sweaty palms against his blue jeans. He was getting more and more nervous. He was really thankful that Starfire had been the first to see him. If it had been anyone else, he probably would’ve gotten a bit discouraged. Thank goodness it had been Starfire, even though he felt like a complete mess of nerves for some odd reason. His heart was fluttering oddly around Starfire at that moment; the butterflies dancing around in his stomach. But he was still glad. Starfire had such a kind and forgiving heart.

“Friends, please come to the main room,” said Starfire, her voice going over the sound system that ran throughout the entire tower.

Starfire turned around as Dick walked up to stand beside her. She gave him an encouraging smile and it took all of Dick’s composure to return it. His mouth was going drier by the second. Starfire studied him for a moment and then her hand lifted to his face. Dick gently flinched when she touched right below an eye. She quickly withdrew her hand.

“Oh, I am sorry. It is just… different… seeing you without your mask,” said Starfire, looking apologetic. “It will take time to get accustomed to this.”

“Yeah, I know. I never took it off around you guys,” said Dick in a low undertone. There was a pause inside his chest, before he continued. “I should’ve, though.”

“Yes, I agree,” nodded Starfire with a bright, yet reverent smile. “I have never seen such eyes before. For certain, they do not even compare to all the jewels of Centauri.”

The deepest of all blushes flushed all throughout Dick’s face before he could glance away and mumble a ‘thanks’ for the compliment. Maybe seeing Starfire first wasn’t the best idea after all – his face felt like fire. Honestly, what was going on here? It was just Starfire.

After a few short minutes of awkward waiting, the main door slid open and Beast Boy walked in first. He blinked in surprised at the sight of Dick.

“Dude! What are you doing here? Did you escape or something?” asked Beast Boy, coming around the half circle couch to plop onto it.

“There’s no need to escape my home, Beast Boy,” said Dick with a slight raised eyebrow. “Remember, Slade adopted me. So, his house is now my house.”

“Oh… yeah…” said Beast Boy, his ears drooping slightly.

“Doesn’t mean this isn’t still my home, too,” whispered Dick. Beast Boy gave him a small nod; looking a little more hopeful now. Then, a slightly sheepish expression entered his face.

“Um… I got your letter.”

Dick could only nod, unsure of what to say. Beast Boy seemed to feel the same, one of his fangs showing through as he bit his lower lip.

“Slade really been good to you?”

Dick quickly nodded, seeing the look of Beast Boy trying to understand.

“He’s been great, actually.”

There was another awkward moment between them. Then, Beast Boy tilted his head slightly. The look that filled his face was one of questioning and not of teasing. Somehow, Dick got the fleeting impression that he wasn’t really going to like what the changeling was going to say next.

“Does Slade really… spank you?”

Oh, there it was again: that terrible heat flooding through Dick’s face. It stretched to the very tips of his ears and he glanced nervously at Starfire, who was looking over at him curiously and with a twinge of sympathy. This would’ve been far easier if she weren’t in the room. He wasn’t sure how he could pull off dismissive confidence with her standing so near. Well, at least she hadn’t laughed at him, but had been concerned about it.

Dick wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, actually.

“Um… yeah,” said Dick, only looking at Beast Boy as his face flushed more. Then, he pulled out his strongest nonchalant manner and he shrugged dismissively. “You know, couple wallops to the backside to set me straight. The usual. Not a big deal, really. Better than getting a punch to the gut, to be honest.”

“I think I rather get the punch.”

“Don’t knock it until it’s happened to you,” said Dick with a raised eyebrow, folding his arms. He noticed that the young changeling was squirming slightly on the couch. A dawning realization flooded through Dick and he smirked. “What, you experience anything like that while on the Doom Patrol? I do know Mento was a pretty strict guy. Just how strict was he?”

Beast Boy’s skin color resembled that of a Christmas tree; his green skin mixing with the deep red blush on his cheeks. Dick chuckled lightly; the smirk that was spreading throughout his features rivaling one of Slade’s trademark smirks.

“Looks like I’m not the only one around here on the receiving end of ‘firm’ parenting.”

Beast Boy muttered something under his breath, his cheeks still brightly contrasted against his green skin. Dick just smiled, glad to know he wasn’t the only one around here with the embarrassing heat in his cheeks. After a few moments, Beast Boy’s blush started to fade and he looked back up at Dick, before pointing to his face.

“Hey, I didn’t really realize, but you’re not wearing your mask,” said Beast Boy. Dick automatically lifted a hand to touch two fingers to the skin just below an eye, just like Starfire had done.

“Yeah, I thought it’d be better that way,” said Dick, his hand slowly curling away. “I’m not really Robin any more. I’m just Dick Grayson.”

The main door slid open before Beast Boy could reply and Raven walked in. She glanced at Dick, but didn’t say anything as she slowly walked to the couch and sat down next to Beast Boy. Dick bit the inner of his lower lip. Raven was looking at anything but him. This was going to be way harder than he thought. However, he could tell her stance was much softer than it had been at the haunt. She had obviously read his letter and had been affected by it.

Last nut to crack would be Cyborg.

Finally, the main door opened once again and Cyborg stepped through. Although, his face scowled slightly at the sight of Dick.

“Oh, so the jerk finally let you out of the house, now did he?” snapped Cyborg. The older teen still looked angry, yet there was an unsettled look in his human eye, as if he were unsure how to act. Dick tried not to sigh. He understood that his friends might still be angry and unhappy with the whole thing, but he seriously hoped that they would at least consider his feelings about it. He hoped his news might cheer them up a bit. It was kind of startling, to say the least – there was no doubt about that.

“Yeah, and I wanted to come see you guys,” said Dick, keeping his tone pleasant to not start a fight. That’s not how he wanted this to go down.

“Why?” demanded Cyborg. Dick’s chest constricted. He felt the unhappy anger rise up inside.

“Because I still consider you guys my friends even if you don’t,” said Dick curtly. There was a flash of injury that crossed Cyborg’s face before the anger weakened to be less hostile. “Look, I’ve got something to tell you guys and you’re gonna wanna sit down for this.”

Cyborg merely raised an eyebrow at him. Dick let a mischievous smirk spread through his face.

“You’ll fall over otherwise,” said Dick; confidently folding his arms and staring at Cyborg. There were a few grumbles from Cyborg as he sat down next to Beast Boy. He leaned an elbow on the couch arm and set his chin in his hand; obviously trying to look extremely bored. Starfire took a seat next to Raven and once again gave Dick another encouraging smile.

He was heartened by that.

The group was quiet as they waited. Cyborg and Raven still wouldn’t look at him and Beast Boy looked a bit nervous. Somehow, Dick could tell that the youngest of the group really wanted to forgive him like Starfire seemed to, but since he kept glancing at Cyborg nervously, it was clear he was trying to remain loyal to their other friend.

“Well, what’s this big ‘something’ you wanna tell us?” asked Cyborg finally; still not looking at him. Dick sobered slightly, feeling a little annoyed by his friend’s attitude. He took a deep breath; folding his arms as he set a stern look on his face.

“First of all, I want to say that I think some of you are being a little selfish here.”

Shock slammed into each of the Titans’ face. Cyborg whipped his head up to stare at Dick; anger slowly rising through his features.

“What?” breathed Cyborg, the shock completely prevalent through his tone.

“You heard me. I think that you’re being selfish here.”

Cyborg’s jaw dropped. Before the older teen could retort, Dick continued.

“Some of you haven’t once considered how I feel about this whole thing. You haven’t really asked why I would want to be adopted in the first place, let alone why I chose Slade for the role.”

“Selfish?!” cried Cyborg, thoroughly incredulous. “Dude, you disappeared from off the face of the planet! We were worried sick to death about you. How can you say that we’re being selfish!”

“I was the one who was kidnapped,” retorted Dick. “I understand that you guys struggled with the worry, but you never considered what it was like for me being isolated from you guys. For a long while, I was terribly lonely without you. Did you ever think to ask how I survived?”

At these words, Cyborg seemed to settle down; his countenance softening greatly. He glanced away, looking pensive as he breathed deeply.

“You only thought that I had changed sides,” continued Dick, his voice going quieter. “But what if I had? Would you still be my friends? Would you hate me then because of my choices?”

At this, Raven glanced at Dick briefly, before looking over at Cyborg uneasily. Beast Boy turned his head to look at Cyborg as well. For a moment, Cyborg nervously glanced between the two of them. Dick’s eyes settled on each of his friends briefly.

“Are we saying that our friendship is only tied together by what we do?” asked Dick, gazing into each of his friends’ eyes. “We’re only friends because we fight crime together? If one of us does something wrong, do we then turn our back on that friend? If one of us falls, would we abandon that friend?”

Cyborg shifted uneasily on the couch, while Beast Boy’s green eyes softened into a small, gentle pout. Raven was looking unsettled completely, something Dick had never seen in her. Her violet eyes glanced over at each of them; a deep worry flickering through her eyes. Starfire looked sympathetically at each of them.

“Is this true?” whispered Dick. “We’re only bonded by our job?”

“Of course not!” cried Cyborg finally, deep injury flashing throughout his human eye.

“Then, why do you resent me?” asked Dick, his voice strong, yet soft; looking directly at Cyborg now. “You completely resent the fact that I’ve accepted Slade as a part of my life.”

It was obvious that the conversation was truly just between Dick and Cyborg at that point. Starfire had forgiven him and had even given her blessing. Beast Boy was an easy going kid and it had been obvious through their talk that he was going to be okay with it. Raven hadn’t spoken much, but through her body language, Dick could easily read that she had just been worried for him. She too would accept this in time.

But Cyborg seemed to be taking it harder than the rest.

“I don’t—” There was an exhausted sigh from Cyborg, before his tone dropped. “I don’t resent you, okay? It’s just… It’s like you said, we don’t know everything you had to go through, just like you don’t know what we had to go through. We had to keep going. We had to act like you didn’t exist any more. Every day, we couldn’t help but wonder if you were even alive, but we still had to keep going and protect this city like you’d have wanted.”

“You had each other, though,” whispered Dick, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “You still had each other to lean on. Who did I have?”

There was a terrible, unsettling silence that lifted between the group. Starfire’s eyes glistened slightly as she looked at Dick sadly. Cyborg merely dropped his head, looking down at his hands in his lap.

“I had no one,” whispered Dick, continuing in his soft tone. “The first month was terrible in the loneliness. Each day was hard, but I tried to ignore it; I tried to survive. I had to train every day, I had to study every day – all the while, if I did something wrong or if something simply irritated Slade, I was slapped or beaten for it.”

Tears overflowed in Starfire’s eyes; slipping down her cheeks. She didn’t remove her gaze, however; staring straight at Dick with sadness, yet with strength in her glistening, glittering eyes.

“It was hard,” continued Dick in a softer whisper. “I was… always scared. There was no safety, no security, no happiness.”

Beast Boy now was starting to break down; quickly wiping away a stray tear that betrayed his defenses.

“I can tell you right now, that if Slade hadn’t made the effort to change, I wouldn’t be here right now,” said Dick, his voice a little stronger. He locked his jaw slightly, trying to avoid from choking up. “I’d still be locked away; miserable, trapped, forever alone and hurting.”

Raven lifted her hood; hiding within the darkness that it provided.

“But because he changed, it opened a door,” continued Dick, trying to keep going on bravely as he watched each of his friends begin to break down. “Not even Slade knew it’d lead to what it did. Because he did change, I started to see that he was really going to keep his word with me. And I started to see Slade as the person he was. The terrible fear that I had started to slip away. It didn’t happen overnight, though. It took months for me to really trust him. It wasn’t until three months afterwards that I tested his word.”

Beast Boy’s mouth dropped, while Cyborg’s human eye widened.

“You tested Slade?” asked Cyborg, shock and disbelief throughout his tone.

The emotions of that climactic moment replayed inside Dick’s heart. He could still remember vividly the hopeless emotions that had run through him like a two edged sword. They had been so powerful; so unimaginably powerful in their fury as they poured through him. At first, the despair had nearly destroyed him. He hadn’t even realized how much his soul truly wanted to rely on Slade for security, for safety, for trust.

Even more, Dick realized that he had always wanted an adult to rely on, to trust. He had spent five years with Batman. Bruce was definitely a reliable adult, so why hadn’t Dick been able to rely on him? Dick certainly trusted Bruce with his safety, but for some reason, he just didn’t trust him to protect his heart and emotional feelings.

So, why had Slade been the better choice? What had drawn Dick’s heart to the man in such a way? Behind the darkness, there had been a light like no other. Once released, it shone brighter than anything in the world.

Then, that relief; that overwhelming relief – it had been so beautiful and wonderful to feel that pour through his entire being. Being able to trust in some sort of stability in his life had been completely healing to his soul. But it there was something more. Somehow then, Dick had been able to erase everything. All the terrible feelings of pain and loneliness had so easily been washed away.

He began to see Slade in a whole new light at that moment.

“I did,” nodded Dick, unclenching his fists. “He was furious with me, too. But he didn’t strike me – he almost did, he was so mad; but he held his temper. He proved his word. He proved his trust. He also promised never to lie to me and since he had proven that he was a man of his word, I fully believed him. I trusted his word. He had gained my complete trust.”

Dick looked down at the ground, his voice going softer.

“You can’t even begin to imagine the range of feelings and emotions I went through that day,” whispered Dick, his chest twisting slightly. Then, Dick lifted his head to look into the glistening eyes of his friends. “Ever since then, everything felt lighter in my heart and it just seemed natural to become closer to him. I forgave him for everything, then. It came easy to me. The terrible loneliness I had felt for so long got better because I had someone I could trust. You can’t even begin to imagine how important that is until you lose it.”

Now even Cyborg was beginning to show signs of breaking down. He wasn’t one to break down emotionally, usually. But at that moment, his human eye showed the signs of emotions whirling about in his heart.

“But…” whispered Cyborg, his voice dangerously on the verge of cracking. “How could you forgive him after all that?”

Dick bit his lip; swallowing once and shrugging lightly.

“I don’t really know,” said Dick, his voice gentle and soft. “It just happened. But I’m glad I did. I guess it’s weird to say that I trusted my ‘kidnapper’, but to be honest with you, he was changing. He didn’t realize it, but he was. He became more patient, he became softer, he became kinder. He was even protective over me.”

The memories of that first mission flooded over Dick’s consciousness. He had been trying so hard to push away his feelings. He had begun so quickly to associate Slade as a parent figure after his trust had been proven. But he had been too afraid of what it would mean if he accepted such feelings. Never had he imagined the terrible feelings of loss he’d feel when he saw Slade fall from those bullets.

After that, there had been so many times that he had wished that everything could be different. He so wished that he could have both Slade and his old life. He wanted both, but it seemed as if that would be impossible. Surely he’d have to choose between light and Slade; between his friends and a father.

But it always seemed as if Slade were constantly making the right choices; opening doors that would’ve been impossible months ago. Every time. Dick had no power to change the possible future, no matter how much he wished for it – only Slade had held that power.

And it seemed that he had chosen the future that Dick had been begging for – wishing beyond anything for so many months.

Years even.

His friends were quiet, only occasionally lifting a hand to a face to wipe away a tear – those hands belonging to Starfire and Beast Boy. Cyborg only showed his emotion through his deep breathing and Raven hadn’t emerged from her hood yet, so there was no proof of her feelings.

“You know,” continued Dick softly. “I always thought there was good and there was evil; those who committed crimes and those who stopped them – the two sides opposite like day and night. The line separating them was meant to be perfectly clear.”

There was a small burning sensation that began to build up inside Dick’s eyes.

“But I was wrong; or really, I didn’t have the full picture. It’s true – there is good and there is evil. But that doesn’t mean that by people’s actions, they’re perfectly divided by the line that separates good from evil. People are defined by their choices; collected and gathered to create the picture of who we truly are; a mixture of both good and poor choices – because nobody is perfect. I want to think that I’m a good person, but what has made me that way? How can I prove my goodness to others?”

That question itself seemed endless in the answers.

Did he want to be nice or good for the sake of it? Was he only trying to prove his worth to others?

Or did he really want to bring a smile to someone else? Did he really want to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves? Was his desire to help others truly selfless? Or was there some other underlying desire?

No, Dick fully believed that the glowing sensation that he experienced when he helped others was just a special gift. Was it selfish to want to feel that feeling? Not at all; not when his true desire was to protect the innocents from experiencing the tragedies of life that were caused by those who made a cruel choice.

Like the man who had murdered Dick’s parents.

Dick did realize that after so many poor choices, a person’s heart could turn dark – there was no way that Tony Zucco ever felt remorse for his actions. He laughed when Dick’s parents had fallen. There was no twinge in his heart telling him that the choice he had just made was a terrible one.

But that was the amazing thing – Slade had changed, had felt remorse for his dealings with Dick, had grown in stunning ways for a man that could’ve been considered hardened by life. Dick couldn’t help but wonder what had caused the change. Had it been his influence? Was there something about him that softened Slade’s heart so much that the man could grow to love him? So much so that he’d even give up the occupation he’d worked so hard to create over the past years?

Perhaps there was something special about Slade, too.

Dick succumbed to the burning in his eyes; tears building up around the edges there to quickly slip down his cheeks.

Maybe Dick just got lucky that out of all the people in the world he could’ve been kidnapped by, it was by a man who turned around his life for him. Maybe it was truly luck that had created such a stunning situation.

But to be honest…

Luck had nothing to do with it.

Dick rubbed a rough palm at his wet cheeks, sniffling once. Starfire was freely crying now herself and Beast Boy was battling a losing fight with his tears. Cyborg’s jaw was locked, obviously trying his hardest to stay the stoic one around here. The only sign from Raven were her trembling shoulders.

“All I know is that I want to look for the good in others,” whispered Dick, still trying to stop the flow of tears. “Just because someone commits a crime that doesn’t make them a evil person – they just made a bad choice. It’s up to us to protect people from other peoples’ bad choices. I think it’s also up to us to try to convince others to stop making so many bad choices. Perhaps convince them that there’s something a little better.”

He laughed once through those pesky tears.

“Just like what happened with Slade.”

“So… Slade’s good choices are now overshadowing his bad ones?” asked Cyborg in a low tone; the sound of his voice feeling strained slightly. “Somehow… I just can’t see it. Slade’s a criminal. He’s the world’s most famous assassin. It’s not like that’s gonna change with a few good choices.”

Dick smirked widely, sniffing once and feeling excited to now tell his amazing news. With one final swipe over his tears, he clasped his hands behind his back.

“Well, about that. It’s pretty simple,” said Dick, speaking slowly to build it up. He paused for a moment before continuing with a wide smile, “Slade’s not going to be a criminal any more.”

All four of the Titans’ mouths dropped in various degrees. Raven’s hands slowly reached up to her hood before she lowered it down. Dick could see that her eyes were slightly reddened from her strain against the tears. She then raised an eyebrow.

“What?” asked Raven.

Dick smirked even wider. “Slade’s not going to be Deathstroke any more.”

“Whoa!” cried Beast Boy, his glistening green eyes completely wide. “Wait, what? How’d that happen?”

“He said he’s no longer going to be a mercenary or a criminal any more,” said Dick; nearly bouncing with his happiness. Cyborg’s human eye narrowed.

“But why?’

Dick ducked his head slightly; feeling extremely embarrassed. It was so strange to say that Slade gave up his old way of life to raise him – made it totally sound like he was a little kid and he wasn’t. He was almost fifteen now, after all.

But his heart glowed over the thought, too.

“Why?” insisted Cyborg again. Dick tried very hard not to blush, but the heat in his face was telling him that he wasn’t doing a very good job at it.

“Um… He said—he said to raise… me,” mumbled Dick, his head still lowered.

“Huh?”

Dick groaned internally and lifted his head. They weren’t making this any easier, were they?

“He said so that he can raise me.”

The group was silent for a long moment as they all watched Dick. He had to wonder if the heater was on too high. Was it getting hot in here? First Starfire, now this? Break out the marshmallows already – his cheeks would toast them perfectly. Golden brown, anyone?

Raven lifted another eyebrow finally. In her deadpan voice – which sounded hoarse slightly – she said, “You’re that difficult to handle, then.”

Now Dick really blushed.

“I am not!” cried Dick hotly.

Beast Boy snickered softly into his hands. Dick folded his arms and looked away; wishing he could stop flushing so much.

“Wow, that’s kinda… That’s kinda really amazing, if you think about it,” said Cyborg. Dick could tell his friend was beginning to soften now by all of his words. Dick looked directly at him; grabbing the edges of the bottom of his shirt somewhat nervously.

“Yeah, I know. It’s remarkable, really,” said Dick. “I mean, he’s giving up who he was to raise me. But I think it’s more than that. I really think he wants to spend time with me – you know, not miss a second of it. He really does care.”

“Who’da thought that Slade would turn out to be a pretty good father, huh?” said Beast Boy with a soft smile. “It’s like attack of the crazies, you know.”

“You guys don’t know this, but he actually was a father before all this. Three kids,” said Dick, hoping that this was okay to share, but plowing forward anyway. All four pairs of eyes widened slightly. Dick nodded with a sad smile. “Yeah, but because of his choices in life things happened. His eldest ended up getting killed and his second lost his voice. The third was his daughter. She was supposed to have died in an explosion, but she ended up surviving it. But her vision of the world became warped. For eight years, Slade thought she was dead, too.”

“So, Slade’s trying to make up for past mistakes as well?” asked Raven.

“Would seem so,” answered Dick with a shrug. But he also knew that Slade really cared about him. With or without the past, Slade would’ve grown to care about Dick every time.

“Wow, that’s like intense,” said Beast Boy in awe. “Who’da thought Slade was actually… I dunno, normal. I mean, total family guy and everything.”

“I think I’ve learned from this experience that everyone is normal,” said Dick. “Sometimes, though, people hide it behind a persona. I mean, I do it. When I was Robin, I was pretty different than when I’m Dick Grayson. A lot different, actually. I created someone who could fight crime, who didn’t have a tragic past. It’s kind of weird and hard to explain, since none of you really have secret identities.”

The group fell silent for a moment.

“So,” began Raven. “Is everything really okay between the two of you? It’s… normal?”

Dick smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s amazing actually. It’s also really hard to explain – and somewhat special. I can’t really put into words my feelings about it all. All I can really say is it’s perfect. It’s so amazingly perfect, I can’t even tell you.”

Dick ducked his head slightly; his mouth going dry. His tone went quieter and softer as he continued.

“You guys heard about my past, right? Well, this is the first time since then that I’ve felt like everything was all right – that I was going to be all right. I know it’s weird that Slade, of all people, was the one to make me feel that way, but he was. And the best part of it all is he isn’t going to be a criminal any more.”

Dick got a sheepish expression and grinned sardonically. “So, I’d appreciate it if you guys didn’t press charges against him. It’s kind of hard to have any quality time with my new father if he’s in jail, you know.”

That got him some grins.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing,” said Dick, smirking happily. “He said that I don’t have to be a mercenary. In fact, he said that if I ever was—wait, never mind; you don’t need to know that.” There were a few raised eyebrows before Dick continued hurriedly, trying to ignore the oncoming blush from his slipup. “He said that if I wanna be a Teen Titan, then he won’t stop me. So, is there room for another Titan on this team?”

Dick was instantly ‘glomped’ by three people. It took all of Dick’s strength not to collapse backwards from the weight of the three bodies. Starfire’s arms were clamped around his waist, while Cyborg was incessantly ruffling his hair, while Beast Boy somehow managed to wrap his arms and legs around Dick’s neck – all in all, a very heavy group hug. Dick laughed through it all. It had been so long since he had felt this. While he was thankful for the new father in his life, it was bittersweet in some ways since it had stolen time away from his friends. But it seemed that the time would soon be made up.

It was like he had never left.

As he got detangled from the group, Dick walked over to Raven and forced her into a hug. At first, his friend tensed from the contact, but soon he felt her arms wrap around his waist. He heard a soft whisper in his ear that he knew only he could hear.

“Welcome back.”

He smiled widely once he withdrew from her. She gave him a soft smile in return. Then, Dick looked over at Cyborg.

“So, Cy. You’ve been the leader around here, right? Need an assistant? I know you might wanna stay the leader since—”

Cyborg handed him a communicator instantly. Dick accepted it with a tilt of his head.

“You can have the job. Take it back. You can be the leader. Please be the leader. I beg of you,” said Cyborg seriously. Dick raised an eyebrow.

“Wh—what?”

“I do not know how you did it, man,” said Cyborg, sounding thoroughly exasperated. “How the heck can you stand it? I’ve never seen so much paperwork in my life. I’m done. You can have your old job back. Please, take your old job back!”

“The paperwork’s not so bad,” said Dick lightly. Cyborg nearly drowned him in an incredulous glare. Dick tried to look sheepish after getting that. He shrugged somewhat. “Well, it’s not too bad for me. I’m used to it, anyway.”

“Good, you can do it, then,” said Cyborg with a smirk. “That way, I don’t have to.”

Dick chuckled lightly. He couldn’t believe that everything was so amazingly falling back into place. It was like nothing had changed – well, one important thing had changed. Dick now had a father to rely on. He could have both – father and friends. It was okay to have both. He was allowed to have both. Such things brought a bright glow to Dick’s heart.

He was truly blessed at that moment, wasn’t he?

A moment later, Beast Boy sidled up to him and snickered, jabbing an elbow into Dick’s side; a wry, playful smirk lifting his mischievous face.

“I forgot to mention, but you’ve got the prettiest baby blue eyes, you know that, right?”

Dick flushed at the teasing tone and glanced away. First Starfire compliments them and now Beast Boy teases him about them – what next?

“You’re green, Beast Boy; complete with pointed ears and fangs,” said Raven, her voice completely flat. “You should really keep your mouth shut.”

It was now Beast Boy’s turn to flush. He had the good conscious to look repentant after a moment. Dick smiled at the effort from Raven. Cyborg snickered at this, looking down at the young changeling with a smirk on his face.

“Rae’s got you there, BB.”

Beast Boy grumbled something, his face verging on those complimentary Christmas colors again.

“Um…” started Raven’s monotone voice. She looked a little uncomfortable. “I know this isn’t my style… But… don’t you think this calls for a celebration or something…”

She looked even more uncomfortable at the end, looking completely at unease. Dick raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by Raven’s request. It definitely wasn’t her style at all to suggest such a thing. There was a shout of excitement from Beast Boy as he jumped onto Cyborg’s back, his feet on his friend’s shoulders.

“Yeea–aah! All you can eat—”

“—free form—”

“Breakfast explosion!”

Raven groaned. “I shouldn’t have asked…”

The two of them snatched Raven up before she could complain any further and darted to the kitchen area. The fridge was opened and ingredients were piled onto the countertop as quickly as possible. Eggs, butter, milk, waffles, fresh bacon – plus flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar made it onto the countertop as well. Raven sat on a seat, leaning an elbow against the countertop. She looked extremely irritated and tired through the commotion.

“Rob—Dick,” called Starfire’s soft voice next to him. Dick turned slightly towards the source.

“Hm?—”

Dick was enveloped by Starfire’s arms; those arms wrapping around his neck tenderly and softly. His face was completely engulfed by the delicate strands of her hair; the unfamiliar sweet scent of her shampoo wafting over his senses. Dick was stilled completely; frozen to the spot in his shock.

“I knew you would come back one day.”

Dick’s face flushed with fire. He slowly raised his arms to attempt some sort of coherent action; curling them around Starfire’s waist in a hug. Then, his brain slowly caught up to him and he tightened his hold; dipping his head into her neck in a full embrace. His heart fluttered and twisted in multiple emotions; gratitude for everything, happiness, and now this new emotion that seemed to only be associated with Starfire solely.

Life might’ve just got a little harder for poor Dick.

Or maybe it was only the beginning of beautiful times.

A moment later, Starfire withdrew from him; her smile flooding throughout her features. She took him by the hand for a moment to lead him towards the group. Their hands parted once she lifted into the air to join in the festivities.

Dick could still feel the sensation of her warmth in his hand and he clenched it slowly; keeping the soft moment close to his heart.

He smiled.

“Who wants tofu waffles!” cried Beast Boy excitedly as he suddenly popped up from behind the countertop, holding the frozen confederate waffles in his hands.

“Man, nobody wants tofu waffles,” snapped Cyborg, bearing down on him with distaste in his expression. Beast Boy looked greatly offended by this.

“Well, I do. Pass me the soy milk.”

“Dude, I’m telling you – you ain’t getting anywhere near that soy milk.”

“Maaaan! Pass me the soy milk!”

Cyborg ignored him and pointed at the waffles. “If there any meat in the tofu?”

Beast Boy looked affronted. “No, there’s no meat in the tofu. It’s tofu!”

“Then, nobody wants it,” said Cyborg smugly. He turned to Raven and smiled to her. “You like normal waffles, don’tcha, Rae?”

Raven rolled her head slightly to look at Cyborg; appearing thoroughly bored with all of this. Her deadpan voice floated over the group, “More than life itself.” She picked up one of the waffles and waved it wanly. “Evil beware: we have waffles.”

Dick held back a snort as Beast Boy giggled. He turned his gaze towards the large window of the main room. He walked over to it as the group continued to babble and argue over the breakfast celebration – Starfire was jumping in with a bottle of her favorite topping at the ready: mustard.

Dick looked out over the bay and smiled as he caught sight of Slade’s boat. The man looked so small from the distance, but Dick could make him out perfectly – even his face. The man was leisurely throwing a line into the ocean and reeling it back in every now and then – he really was fishing. Dick pulled out the small communicator that Slade specifically made for him. It had a texting feature and Dick sent him a text of, “All is well. All is perfect.”

Dick folded the communicator closed and watched as the man received it. Slade smiled at it and then continued his fishing. It was only a moment later that the line jerked and pulled. Slade expertly began to reel his catch in. Dick turned around to join his friends in the celebration. The two boys were still heavily arguing about the type of waffles – the ingredients still hadn’t been prepared yet – while Raven looked like she was about to blow a fuse, and Starfire was happily decorating her stack of frozen – meaning uncooked – waffles in bright yellow.

Well, it looked like that they’d be having fish for dinner.

ooOOOOOoo

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