Forgotten Bonds – Interlude

Interlude
Fluff, Kitten, and Silkie

April 18th, 2009. Saturday, 1:17 am.

It was freezing.

Dick Grayson shivered slightly as he tightened his jacket around himself more. The rain mercilessly lashed against his body, sending even more chills throughout his skin. He wrapped his arms around the bundle that was safely tucked in his jacket near his chest. It was late and he had to get home – and he had to get there quickly before the little orphaned creature in his arms died from the cold rain. It was barely halfway through April and he couldn’t believe the freezing rain. This was California, for crying out loud. It felt like the rain was going to freeze his butt off.

But he made it, finally; typing into the keypad to gain entrance into what he fully and completely considered his home. He was welcomed by the grinding sounds of gears overhead – back at Slade’s haunt.

His father’s home.

Making it his home, too.

On February the twenty-sixth of that year, Dick had signed a piece of paper that made him a son again and that gained him a father. Of course, that father had been none other than Slade Wilson, also known as the former mercenary, Deathstroke the Terminator – yes, he was retired now to be a fulltime father.

Yes, it was indeed a long, strange, amazing story of how Dick Grayson – Robin, the Boy Wonder – had become the happy son of his arch enemy. But enemies they were no more. The two of them were now father and son.

Still, they were both adjusting to it.

After all, it had only been two months since Slade had retired; opening the door to both worlds for Dick. He could have the father he wanted and be the hero he wanted. It was strange dealing with the restrictions that Slade placed over him, but in all honesty, it was a small price to pay for the peace, safety, and pure joy that Dick always felt around the man.

He had someone watching over him again and that was worth everything in the world to Dick.

Dick also couldn’t wait for his new siblings to come visit in June. But he was thankful that they weren’t coming right away. He was glad for the time to adjust with just him and Slade. In some ways, he worried that once Slade’s other children arrived that Dick wouldn’t be Slade’s son so much anymore. Perhaps Slade would favor his real son and daughter over him, with Dick falling into the background.

But Dick tried his hardest to keep such insecure feelings at bay. There were so many things that Slade did that showed Dick that those feelings were simply silly and foolish.

Still… Dick’s heart wavered in its worry at times. Luckily, it calmed with every hug and touch that he gained from the man. Every moment of casual, caring touch to his chin to inspect his face for any injuries from Dick’s hero work was merely an excuse to offer reassuring kindness in affection.

Slade didn’t have to say it for Dick to understand and know.

But what he truly craved were those gentle, soft times where it would just be Dick and Slade, where his father would lean closer to him and whisper in the most tender of all voices: “I love you, son.”

Slade had done that twice now and Dick soaked it up happily. There were constant moments that reminded Dick that there was no better choice alive for his long empty position of Father.

But, of course, there were moments that reminded Dick of the side that made Slade the strict military man that he was.

He had gotten into some serious, serious trouble just not two weeks ago. For some reason, Starfire had been acting strange and dressing up in weird clothing. Dick couldn’t get her to talk to him – she avoided him completely. Raven mentioned something about a giant zit, but Dick couldn’t honestly believe that was all that had been going on with his friend.

But then, Starfire ended up leaving the planet and going into space. Worried about her safety, Dick and the other three Titans went after Starfire. They barely managed to save her in time before she was eaten by some spider alien. Dick never really figured out what had been going on with Starfire as she refused to tell him.

However, once back on earth, Dick had come home to an extremely irate and livid Slade – not to mention one very worried Wintergreen. Dick honestly didn’t see what the problem was with being in space for three days, but when his father reminded him – rather loudly – that Dick should’ve told him beforehand in the very least, even though he was supposed to ask for permission before gallivanting across the galaxy.

It was then that Dick relearned a very important fact: Slade still had a very hard hand.

But he also learned something else.

Slade had been worried about him; in fact, the man had been frantic with worry. Despite the painful, unpleasant, and childish punishment the man insisted on utilizing, Dick’s heart glowed in warmth that he had someone who worried about him. It made Dick promise himself to avoid causing any more worry to Slade – well, worry that he had control over. He didn’t want the man to fret over him and he was truly repentant over forgetting to tell Slade where he had gone.

The only downside to all this was Beast Boy had taken to asking Dick what happened anytime Slade was ever angry with Dick – specifically if Slade had… walloped him. It was beginning to cause a never ending amount of embarrassing moments and blushing faces for Dick. He was about ready to strangle his green little friend, especially when he once asked in front of Starfire.

Well, life was certainly interesting, exciting, and trying for the young Boy Wonder, but he wasn’t about to trade it for anything.

Dick tightened his hold around the bulge inside his jacket. He could feel the soft, yet wet fur against his bare skin. He glanced around the main room, the gears clinking consistently above, and he wondered if Slade was still awake.

Knowing the man, probably.

Which meant… Dick was probably in trouble… again.

Dick bit his lower lip nervously as he shivered once; droplets of water dripping to the floor. He hadn’t meant to be late, but things always seemed to happen. Not to mention, he couldn’t believe that a kitten had jumped onto his head on his way home. Just thinking about it was comical. He had been so startled by it at first, that he hadn’t noticed that it looked a little sick.

Dick tightened his hold on the bundle in his chest once again and seriously hoped it was all right. He quietly walked through the main room, the gears endlessly grinding above, to the door of the kitchen. He slowly opened the door to the pristine kitchen only to meet head on to a very infuriated Slade.

Mmm, not good.

“Dick, where on earth have you been?—Good grief, boy; you’re soaked to the skin.”

“Sorry I’m late, sir,” said Dick in the most polite tone he could muster, praying that Slade wouldn’t notice the bundle in his arms.

“Late doesn’t even begin to tell the time here,” drawled Slade, grabbing the nearest kitchen towel and draping it over Dick’s shoulders. Well, that was good – least the kitten was hidden now. “We made a deal, did we not, Dick? You agreed that you’d stay here on the weekends and Wednesdays, while the other days you could stay at the Tower. Can’t really stay here if it’s past one o`clock in the morning, boy.”

Dick winced at the stern tone from the man. Yeah, it was one o`clock in the morning. But something had come up with the Titans and then there was some trouble and then—

Well, there were a lot of excuses, but no real good ones. Dick felt the kitten wiggle in his arms somewhat before he felt a wet paw brush against his skin. He tightened his hold on his precious bundle and looked up at the man, taking in the young appearance even through the pure white hair. The man’s black eye patch was covering his right eye, while his left grey blue eye was giving Dick that look that meant the man was meaning business here.

“Sorry, sir,” said Dick, pulling on his only line of defense – his crystal blue eyes. He recently discovered – for some odd reason – that Slade was weak to them. If he blinked them a few times and pulled his most submissive pout, Slade seemed to respond positively to that. There was a twitch of the man’s eyebrow before he averted his unbending gaze from Dick.

It seemed to be working every time now. It didn’t get him out of big trouble, but it did save him from some minor swatting reprimands.

“Go get dried up,” said Slade with a sigh, placing a hand on Dick’s shoulder and pushing him towards the hallway. “Before you catch your death of cold.”

There was a soft wriggle and a nip to Dick’s stomach, before a barbed tongue dragged over his skin.

“Ouch!” cried Dick, startled. It didn’t really hurt, but it definitely surprised him. The kitten was a feisty little thing, wasn’t she?—or was it a she? He’d have to check for that.

“Dick? What’s wrong?” asked Slade, his voice sounding a mixture of suspicion and hidden worry.

“N–nothing!” cried Dick, fleeing down the hallway to his bedroom. “I’ll see you tomorrow—good night!”

There was a soft slam as Dick leaned against the closed door of his bedroom for a moment. He didn’t want Slade to find out about the kitten and he definitely didn’t think the little thing could survive Titans Tower – Silkie would probably eat it, since he did eat half the freaking tower. Quickly, Dick went to his bathroom and slowly extracted the shivering furball from underneath his shirt and jacket; immediately putting it into a fluffy, warm towel.

The little kitten mewled pitifully before burrowing and rolling around in the warm towel. Dick smiled at seeing its energy. The kitten was going to be all right it seemed. Dick could see that it wasn’t a baby kitten, perhaps a young teen. There was a moment where it curled up; the towel around the kitten like a nest. A moment later, the kitten’s bright blue eyes peeked up at him; a tiny yawn spreading its mouth before a contented purring began to emanate from the small creature.

Then, Dick was startled when the kitten suddenly jumped onto his shoulder; rubbing up against his neck and sending its purring tremors into him.

Dick giggled as the kitten’s wet nose tickled his cheek. He lifted a hand and stroked the kitten’s halfway dried fur, who continued to purr contently, lifting its little bottom up in the air as he stroked it. Dick smiled and clasped the kitten in his hands; holding it out in front of him. The kitten’s legs dangled and wiggled as he held it underneath its upper legs.

“Well, it looks like you’re a girl,” said Dick with a small giggle after he inspected the kitten. The kitten mewled in protest for a moment; those legs wiggling again. “Mmm, I think you need a name. How about… Kuroi? That means black in Japanese and it seems to suit you. You’re all black and everything – and your nickname can be Kuro.”

Dick smiled again and curled the kitten in his arms, stroking her softly. She mewled again, this time sounding happy, before she continued to purr. But Kuroi seemed to get bored after a moment. Thus, she climbed up to Dick’s shoulder again with her little claws; jumping up to the top of his head and mewled as if in ownership. Then, she began to knead his scalp playfully.

“Ah!” cried Dick with a small giggle, as little Kuroi played with his hair. He could feel her soft weight on his head and he smiled. He’d never really had a pet before. It was kind of nice. Well, Silkie certainly didn’t count, even though he was sort of cute – in a squishy, oversized, mutant larvae moth way. He let the kitten play with his wet hair while he grabbed a towel for himself, beginning to strip his soaking pants off. But he stopped as he shivered once; his nose tickling.

Then, he sneezed.

The little kitten flew off his head and, in the moment, Dick managed to catch Kuroi in his hands. Dick sniffled once; running a finger under his nose.

“Ugh, sorry, Kuro. I hope I don’t get sick now. Dad’ll kill me,” said Dick with another sniffle, setting the kitten onto the sink countertop. She began to mewl constantly, watching him with bright blue eyes. He began to strip out of his wet, freezing clothing; throwing the articles into the bathtub.

After toweling off, Dick quickly ran into his room to dress into some warm pajamas; sighing softly as the warmth began to fill him. He heard the kitten mewling cutely in the bathroom. Once he was fully dressed, he went back to the bathroom to see little Kuroi curled up on the sink; her eyes closed in sleepiness, still mewling for him.

Gently, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her with him. A moment later, he slipped under the heavy comforter of his bed, letting out a soft sigh of content as the warmth spread over him. He kept the kitten to his chest.

“You can sleep with me,” said Dick, closing his eyes; exhaustion suddenly beginning to set in. As he slipped into sleep, his hand softly stroked the kitten’s fur. He was feeling that same tiredness he had months ago when he’d gotten that cold.

However, it wasn’t sickness that would plague his night, but a nightmare.

ooOOOOOoo

April 18th, 2009. Saturday, 2:29 am.

Exhaustion wasn’t something Slade was used to experiencing. It just wasn’t in his current physical makeup. Sure, he got tired and sleepy, needing sleep like any other mortal. But general deep exhaustion hadn’t been something he had felt in years.

But it seemed that dealing with an overactive son who was the hero of a large and dangerous city was something that exhausted Slade’s very core. Thus, he had fallen right asleep once his son was safely behind these walls. He was planning on having a long talk with Dick in the morning about his negligence in coming home before his curfew. Yes, Slade understood that many of the crimes that the Teen Titans stopped occurred after hours, but Slade still wanted the boy at home, safe, and out of harm’s way.

Slade just wasn’t used to this new constant parental worry that he lived with daily. It was certainly disconcerting for him. It was so strange, to say the least. Ever since that day where he and Dick had gone on a mission together, Slade found that he worried and cared about the boy’s safety on a whole different level than ever before. He felt so overly protective that he hourly had to reel it back before he suffocated the boy.

And himself.

Change was strange.

After so many years of being stagnant, these new changes and adjustments in his life were certainly… interesting. It was a struggle, though. Slade felt at a loss some days, unsure as what to do with his time when it wasn’t devoted to Dick. But he tried not to think about it too much at the moment. Slade could see that the boy relied on him heavily. He knew that Dick craved any and all affection that was offered to him, so Slade did his best to fulfill that need without seeming like a smothering mother.

Those bright blue eyes always did light up when he did so.

And that was more than enough to keep Slade going every day. He wasn’t too worried about finding something to fill his free time. For now, he was going to enjoy his vacation time. Soon, he would go stir crazy, but for now he could enjoy his time with Dick, his son.

They needed time to fully adjust to their roles.

Unfortunately, Slade wasn’t adjusting as well as Dick seemed to be. The boy had acted like a boy, running off into space without a care in the world; leaving Slade behind to wonder if his son had been kidnapped or killed or some other horrific thing that Slade’s mind could concoct. Three days! That stupid boy had gone off into space for three whole days without so much as a note or otherwise. Slade would’ve have been merely furious over the blasted child if he’d had the decency to leave a note; instead he had been frantic with worry and later, livid.

But no, the boy left without any thought to his fretting, worrying, dying father, who was extremely unused to such feelings.

It had taken all of Slade’s self control not to shake that boy until his brain rattled once he came home and was safe. He nearly took that boy over his knee right then and there – in front of his friends, no doubt – due to the worry that had eaten away at his heart. He couldn’t believe that Dick had been so thoughtless.

But, of course, Dick was just unused to having a parent watch over his every move during his time as a hero, just like Slade was rusty at being a father. So, it seemed as if both had much to learn with this new phase of life.

Slade had just been thankful that Dick had been all right. No one knew that Slade Wilson was Deathstroke, but that didn’t mean no one could find out. Slade was constantly on his guard for enemies that would try to tear his fledgling family apart. His previous family had been destroyed. But this time Slade would do his all to protect the fragile shards he had gathered.

His other son, Joey, would be arriving in June, along with Slade’s daughter, Rose. He didn’t want anything to destroy the small ray of renewal that had been bestowed upon the remaining members of his children. Time had been lost, but perhaps Slade could rebuild.

Rebuild he most certainly would do so – starting with Dick.

His youngest desperately needed him. Slade was glad for the time where just the two of them could acclimate. No matter what, Slade felt the responsibility of caring for Dick in everything that he needed – and Slade knew full well that the area that Dick needed him most was within the emotional realm. Dick could take care of himself, but he truly was a special, sensitive child and he greatly benefitted from emotional security.

Slade truly hoped that whatever the future held, he could continue to be that emotional security.

A muffled scream tore through Slade’s sleep. Having fallen asleep a mere hour ago, Slade’s mind was exceptionally groggy. A deep groan rumbled his throat as his eye flitted open.

Tired…

Middle of the night.

Scream.

Dick…

Dick!

Slade’s eye snapped open. It took his remaining energy to drag his dead weight body out of bed. He didn’t bother to grab his robe, wearing only his pajama pants. He was just too tired to even think any more. That child was giving him far too many sleepless nights.

Slade slowly walked to his door. Once there, he opened it. An instant later, something collided into his chest; arms wrapping around his waist tightly. The wind had been knocked out of Slade briefly and he had nearly lost his balance by the force.

He glanced down to see the trembling mop of raven black hair that was the head of his son. Slade sighed, placing a hand on the hair and stroking it gently.

“Dick?” questioned Slade. His voice was hoarse and he coughed once to clear it. In a smoother sound, he whispered, “Another nightmare?”

There was a soft nod inside Slade’s chest; thin arms tightening once again. There came another sigh from Slade. He wondered what kind of nightmare plagued Dick tonight that could’ve caused such a clingy reaction. He normally wasn’t like this after a nightmare, but Slade knew that Dick was still getting used to having a father again in his life. The child was taking every opportunity for Slade to show affection.

Yet another sigh escaped before Slade tried to extract the child away from his chest. There was a whimpering resistance to this. Slade slid his hands underneath Dick’s arms and hoisted him up; gathering the small teen within his arms. The boy instantly responded by wrapping his arms around Slade’s neck and burying his head in the nape there; his legs curling around Slade’s waist. Slade’s hand supported the boy’s seat, as his other hand patted him on the back gently.

Slade had a deep feeling the boy wasn’t going back to his room.

Slade glanced over at his bed. It had been a long time since a child had slept with him in the night. Grant hadn’t done it often, but Joey and Rose had been regular visitors to Slade and Addie’s bed. Joey, because he suffered from nightmares often as a child; and Rose, because she thought she owned the bed. It had actually been a problem for Slade and Addie that six days out of the week, they had a visitor in their bedroom.

It had been quite a few years since then…

Resigned to his fate, Slade let out yet another tired sigh and patted Dick’s back again.

“Do you want to stay with me?”

There was a fast, frightened nod in Slade’s neck. It seemed that Slade was plagued by exhaling a lot tonight. With a loving pat on the pajama clad bottom, Slade walked to the bed and lowered Dick down.

Except, the boy wouldn’t let go.

“Dick, unhand me, if you please. I’m not going anywhere,” said Slade, his tone tired. It took a minute, but very slowly, Dick began to release his hold around Slade’s neck. Slade took that moment to set the boy onto the edge of the bed. He motioned for Dick to scoot over.

“Go on, get in,” instructed Slade. The boy scooted backwards. Slade noticed that the boy’s eyes were wide with worry and fear, but glazed over as if they weren’t fully awake. Well, it was no wonder that Dick was clinging to him so much. Surely if Dick were fully awake, he’d think he was being too childish, would he not?”

But in some ways, Slade knew that after so many years of missing these soft moments, that Dick needed them more than ever.

And in a way… Slade wasn’t begrudging them; perhaps even grateful for them – having lost time himself with his previous children.

As Slade settled beneath the covers, he felt Dick sidle next to him; curling beneath Slade’s arm, which soon draped itself over the boy and pulled him closer.

“Dick, want to talk about it?”

There was a small shake of the head.

“Horrible,” whispered Dick, before he seemed to burrow more deeply into the comforting side of Slade.

“What was?”

“…Everything.”

The way Dick whispered that sent an unusual chill down Slade’s spine – something he rarely ever experienced. He could feel the boy shivering next to him. Slade tucked the covers around Dick and continued to keep his arm curled over the boy’s back. With his other hand, he gently stroked the messy mop of black hair.

“Everything will be all right, you’ll see.”

There was a soft exhale from the boy as the shivering slowly began to cease. Thus, it wasn’t long before the two of them drifted to sleep; Dick in the protective arms of his father.

ooOOOOOoo

April 18th, 2009. Saturday, 7:11 am.

“Richard Jonathan Grayson!”

Slade groaned as yet another voice tore through his sleep, again. He growled deeply as he lifted a tired hand to his face and rubbed the fur that was growing slightly unruly on his chin – he would need to clean it up today. His arm dropped to the side to land on Dick’s sleeping form that was still curled up into Slade’s side. There was a brief moment where Slade had a private smile at his sleeping son.

“Richard!”

“Oh, for the love of all that is holy…” growled Slade, slowly sitting up. Dick moaned in his sleep and mumbled something about five more minutes; turning to the side. Slade gave the boy a swift swat to his seat, which caused him to yelp awake and turn back at Slade; giving him a petulant pout.

“What was that for? I was sleeping.”

“As was I, but Will’s going on about something and it has your name written all over it.”

“Huh?—”

“Richard Grayson, where on this holy planet are you? You better show yourself, young man, before you’re in real trouble!”

Dick’s eyes were now wide as he sat up.

“I didn’t do it,” said Dick automatically; looking thoroughly guilty.

“That remains to be seen, whatever it is,” smirked Slade.

“Richard!”

“Oh, for—He’s in here, Will!” shouted Slade gruffly, standing up with an irritable, grumpy air. Dick crawled to the edge of the bed and let his legs dangle over the ledge.

He could remember bits and pieces of last night. He had come to Slade’s room, seeking his father’s comforting embrace. He had been so frightened by the nightmare. It had been his most terrible one yet.

Dick blushed after a moment, remembering what he had done.

He had clung to the man like a little baby! Dick rubbed his heated cheeks with his hands. He felt embarrassed, but there was another part of his heart that wished he could do it more often. How kind Slade had been to lift him up like a child and hold him close; as if saying, “No one can hurt you while you’re safe in my arms.”

And Slade had even let Dick sleep in his bed. It wasn’t like the last nightmare either – Slade hadn’t gone to bed that night. No, this time Slade actually let Dick sleep with him, cuddled at his side like any other father would when his child was frightened. It must have been a sacrifice, but luckily Dick wasn’t a restless sleeper.

How many nights had Dick longed to do that after his parents had died? There had been too many nights where he had cried himself to sleep in loneliness and fear. As Dick watched Slade slowly walk to the door, he felt an urge to express his gratitude.

“Uh, Dad?”

Slade stopped and looked back at him; appearing slightly grumpy. But the man’s expression softened as he watched the uncertainty that Dick couldn’t help but display. He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to word what he wanted to say to the man.

“Um… thanks for last night,” said Dick shyly, dropping his arm back into his lap as he glanced at the man with thankful eyes. Slade’s lips thinned slightly in a tiny, soft lift of a smile. He gave Dick a nod before he continued to the bedroom door; his body language appearing a little strengthened.

“Rich—”

The bedroom door swung open and Slade let out a feral growl.

“Would you please stop your infernal braying, Will? Some of us are trying to get some sleep after a wearisome night.”

Wintergreen drew up on his full height, which was merely a few inches shorter than Slade; but because of Slade’s current slouching, the old man came to be the same height.

“I apologize, but this cannot wait,” said Wintergreen, his aged hazel eyes flashing dangerously. Dick couldn’t help but know that wasn’t a good sign. Slade mad at him was one thing. But it was a whole other frightening possibility when the old man was angry and Dick had this sinking feeling said anger was going to be directed towards him.

He was right.

The old man looked over Slade’s shoulder and caught sight of Dick. He pointed at him and curled his finger towards himself in a stern beckon.

“Come here, young man.”

“I didn’t do it,” said Dick again quickly, extremely wary now.

“Get over here, now.”

Dick visibly gulped and slowly stood up. Even Slade looked a little wary at Wintergreen; appearing to be surprised by the old man’s dangerous tone. Dick dragged his feet as he came to stand next to Slade; pressing himself against the man’s side in case the old man decided to grab at him.

“Will, what on earth has you all worked up?”

“Come and see,” answered Wintergreen. He turned away to walk down the hallway, but he paused for a brief second. A moment later, he sneezed spectacularly. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pant pocket and wiped his nose.

“Will?”

“Ugh, just allergies,” replied Wintergreen, sounding congested; sniffling a few times. “Come on now.”

The two of them followed the old man down the hallway. Wintergreen stopped in front of Dick’s room. He turned a very stern glare onto Dick, making him squirm under the look. He tried to look as innocent as he possibly could.

“This is what has me ‘all worked up’, as you say, Slade,” said Wintergreen, his tone suggestive. The old man opened the door and Dick paused, his jaw dropping.

“Whoa…”

Feathers.

Everywhere.

There were white, fluffy feathers floating everywhere in the room. It looked like snow had freshly fallen inside Dick’s room. Dick’s eyes quickly shot towards his bed; trying to see if the kitten was still there. His pillow had been torn open; the feathers pawed out by a – no doubt – very mischievous kitten.

But said kitten wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“Good—grief, what on earth happened in here?” asked Slade, his jaw dropping in astonishment. Wintergreen folded his arms and stared down at Dick.

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

Dick glanced between the two men who were staring at him for answers.

“Hey, don’t look at me!” protested Dick. “I didn’t do this. I was with Dad last night.”

Wintergreen opened his mouth to speak, but only another deep sneeze escaped from the old man. Seconds later, he was plagued with another right after. He blew his nose; sighing a deep, complaining moan afterwards. There was another sniffle.

“Is it allergy season already?” asked Slade; placing a hand on the old man’s back and rubbing it slightly.

“Ugh, but I took something for that. Not sure what is causing this.”

“Is it the feathers?”

“No, not at all.”

Wintergreen blew his nose again after he sneezed once more; wiping it afterwards. He put the handkerchief away into his back pocket when he paused for a moment; looking over Slade’s appearance.

“Slade, put a shirt on,” admonished Wintergreen, putting his hands on his hips. Slade glowered at the old man.

“I was sleeping before I was rudely awakened by your screeching, old man!”

“You’re lucky I just finished your laundry.”

“I’m going back to bed,” growled Slade, inhaling with a deeply annoyed air as he glared at the old man. He motioned to the feather filled room. “Dick, clean this up.”

“Yes, sir,” nodded Dick, his eyes searching frantically for a small furball of black in the midst of all the white.

“Good night. Do not disturb me.”

There was a moment where Wintergreen watched Slade walk back to his room. Then, he turned his aged, stern stare onto Dick and pointed towards the messy room.

“You’re to clean this up and I don’t want to see one feather out of place. Am I clear?”

Dick nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He received a gentle pat on the cheek before the old man left the room. There was another responding sneeze just as the door closed behind him. Immediately, Dick glanced around the room as he bit his lip; trying to find little Kuroi in the puff of feathers. He walked to his bathroom and stopped, shocked, to see the toilet paper completely unrolled and shredded into pieces. Dick groaned. That kitten sure was a mischievous little thing. Dick crouched and began to clean up the mess created by the little missing furball. She couldn’t have left his room, right?

Unbidden, his mind flashed back to the images that haunted his dreams last night. He gasped suddenly and clasped a hand over his mouth as he began to dry heave. Nothing came up, but for a moment, Dick kept his head bent over the bowl of the toilet just in case. He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to escape the horrific images that viciously assaulted his mind.

He couldn’t imagine ever having such a nightmare before. It wasn’t like the usual ones that afflicted him in the night. This wasn’t a nightmare about his parents nor was it a nightmare about the Joker. It wasn’t a nightmare about past injuries nor was it a nightmare manifesting his fears.

No, it was way worse.

There was no way he had ever seen something like it before. He avoided such movies. He didn’t like those types of horror movies nor did he ever play those kinds of video games like this before – even though he knew they existed. He loved action and adventure, but never horror.

And that’s exactly what his nightmare entailed.

But it was more than that. It felt so much worse than just a little nightmare; something more than just a cruel night terror to rob him of his sleep and mental safety. Even his dreams about his parents dying didn’t even touch the surface of reality that this dream held. It felt so real. He could feel the terrible fire burning across the landscape. He could feel its intensity. It was like a war field; the most awful landscape of devastation and carnage – just like the ones that Slade had described while in the service during the Vietnam War. The sky was an ominous red; a fiery red of death and destruction beyond anything Dick had ever seen.

And the most terrifying thing about it all – he was alone.

He tried his best. He tried ever so hard to push those horrific thoughts away, but it just seemed so terrible. It was too real and that’s what frightened him. His dream seemed so much like…

Like an apocalypse.

Like the end of the world.

But that was stupid. The world wasn’t going to end. Surely his mother wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble to watch over him, only for the world to end mere months after he finally had someone to rely on. That would seem like the cruelest thing that could ever happen; the cruelest of all jokes.

It was just a bad dream; a nightmare of the mind.

That was all.

That’s all it had to be.

Dick stood up and walked back into his bedroom. He set himself to the difficult task of gathering up all the loose feathers that were scattered throughout the floor. Dick kept his mind clear, trying everything to keep the dream away from his thoughts. He wasn’t going to dwell on it. Ignoring it was the only way to retain his sanity. He wasn’t going to tell Slade about it. There was no reason to do so.

“Dick!”

The owner of said name winced at the frightening tone of his father. He looked up at his closed door. A moment later, Slade strode into the room; the door clattering to the wall in the man’s stern hurry.

“What is this?” demanded Slade in a dangerously soft tone; holding up the little black kitten by the scruff of the neck. There was a protesting mewl and the wiggle of hind legs.

Uh, oh… busted…

“That’s a kitten, sir,” tried Dick. There was another mewl.

“Apparently,” drawled Slade, his grey blue eye flashing once with a stern light. “What was it doing in my room, in my bed?”

“Um… sleeping?”

Slade growled and lowered his hand; still holding onto the kitten, who continued to mewl in protest.

“How did it get into my home? Explain yourself, now.”

Dick gulped slightly and nodded in agreement. Slade didn’t look too happy at the moment. It was sort of comical if it hadn’t been a tad scary as well. The man obviously didn’t realize he was still without his shirt – only in his pajama pants – nor the fact that his hair was disheveled. He truly looked exhausted, something Dick hadn’t ever seen to this extreme from the man. It was enlightening to see such a human side to the man who, much of the time, appeared immaculate.

It also worried Dick.

“I brought the kitten here last night, sir,” said Dick. “She actually fell on top of my head. So, I brought Kuroi home.”

“Coo… Roy?”

“That’s her name.”

“Oh…” groaned Slade, swiping his free hand over his face. “Dick, you named this thing? Don’t name it… You can’t keep it. Will’s allergic. Hence, his nonstop sneezing.”

Dick stood up and took the kitten away from Slade. She mewled again loudly as Dick held her up to his face and blinked his bright blue eyes at the man; giving his best pout yet. There was another mewl.

“But how can you resist this face?” asked Dick, his crystal eyes wide as the kitten pawed his cheek. Slade’s eyebrow twitched before he sent a stern glower on him.

“Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t you dare do that to me.”

“Do what?” blinked Dick innocently.

“That,” growled Slade. “Don’t you dare start with those blasted eyes.”

“So, you are weak against them,” smirked Dick in triumph, lowering the kitten from his face and cuddling her in his arms. Slade’s grey blue eye widened briefly before it narrowed at Dick. There wasn’t a moment to consider because a mere second passed before Dick was held in Slade’s grasp by the ear. He winced as Slade pulled him closer. The man bent down to Dick’s other ear. The dark whisper that left Slade’s voice fluttered over his skin; sending a chill down his spine.

“If I discover that you’ve taken advantage of this little… limitation of mine, no amount of blinking those pretty eyes of yours will save you from certain… retribution.”

Dick was released and he tried his best to look innocent and sheepish at the same time.

“Now, get rid of that thing,” said Slade, waving a hand at the kitten. “Keep it at the tower if you must.”

“Aw, but Silkie will probably eat her,” pouted Dick, stroking the mewling kitten’s fur.

“Silkie? What’s a Silkie?”

“Not what, who,” chided Dick with a smirk. “It’s a mutant larvae moth that Beast Boy kept, but who’s now Starfire’s… Bumgorf, I believe she calls it.”

“Mutant… larvae… moth…” repeated Slade, his eye narrowing as he mulled over those words. Then, his eye widened as he glared down at Dick with a raised eyebrow. “You have one of those mutant moths in the tower?! One of those nasty things that nearly ate the entire city in one night!?”

“Uh…” began Dick uncertainly, seeing the obvious new anger coming from Slade. “Maybe…?”

There was an exaggerated groan.

“Dick, how on earth am I supposed to protect you when you allow the enemy to come into your very home?” scolded Slade, putting his hands on his hips as he glared at Dick.

“But Silkie isn’t the enemy!” protested Dick. The kitten mewled again, wiggling inside Dick’s arms.

“Oh, please.”

“Honestly!” cried Dick. “Okay, yeah, he did kind of, sort of, eat half the tower, but that was only because Starfire just had to feed him some of her alien berries.”

Slade’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m not sure I even want to ask…”

“Silkie is very tame. I was just worried that since he ate everything else, he might try to eat a kitten.”

“Obviously,” drawled Slade. “Since that’s the most common food there is on the planet.”

“Dad.”

“Go on, boy.”

“Well, I had to bring her here. I didn’t want to leave her at the tower and abandon her. Can’t Kuroi stay?” Dick widened his eyes and pulled another pout. “Please? Pretty please?”

“Dick—” Slade broke off into a deep, weary exhale; dropping his face into his hands briefly. Then, he lifted his face. “Dick, you can’t keep that kitten here. Will is allergic to cats, dander especially. I’m sure you can figure out where to keep the kitten in the tower without it getting eaten by mutant larvaes. But it can’t stay here. I’m sorry; it just can’t.”

Dick bit his lip and nodded sadly; stroking the purring, mewling kitten for a moment. Slade seemed a little relieved that he didn’t argue the subject anymore. The man just looked tired at him; a stern tired, but it was more than obvious that the man was exhausted. But Dick couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t like he was doing more – he wasn’t; he no longer had any contracts. His fulltime job was being a father.

Did that mean…

An icy wave settled in the pit of Dick’s stomach. He carefully observed Slade for a moment, who was running a hand through his hair and trying to fix it. The man looked down and sighed once he saw his shirtless chest. His hand ran over his face as another sigh left him.

“Dad…” began Dick in a soft whisper. The hand lifted away to reveal Slade’s drained, questioning expression.

“Yes, Dick?”

“Are you… Are you all right? You look kind of… ragged; exhausted even.”

There was another sigh.

“I am… a bit tired, yes,” admitted Slade with a light nod. Dick hugged the kitten closer to his chest and lowered his head.

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?”

“…What?”

“I’m exhausting you. This never happened before when you didn’t have to be a father to me. When you were just Slade… things were easier, weren’t they?”

Dick refused to look up at the man. It seemed as if his heart could never fully settle, could it? Why did it seem as if the fragile lifestyle that he currently had could shatter away in an instant? He definitely felt secure, but there sometimes was a nagging little voice in the back of his mind that whispered darkly, “It didn’t last before, what makes you think it’ll last now?”

Why did it seem as if everything could come crashing down in a single swift moment?

“Oh, Dick,” murmured Slade. A hand touched Dick’s shoulder before he was pulled into a crushing hug. “You silly child.”

The kitten mewled in protest at being squished between them. She wiggled out of Dick’s arms and jumped to the floor, where she continued to mewl at them; rubbing up against Dick’s legs. With his arms free, Dick wrapped them around Slade’s waist and held onto the man tightly.

Warm… so warm…

“Yes, it’s true,” whispered Slade. “You do cause me some exhaustion that I wasn’t counting on.”

Dick stiffened in the man’s arms.

“Let me finish,” chided Slade as Dick tried to remove himself from the hug, but couldn’t as the man held him tight. “I wasn’t counting on worrying about you all the time. I always think about you, wondering if you’re all right, wondering if you’re okay, wondering if you need anything. Let’s just say, I’m out of practice; but even then, I wasn’t this involved with my first children.”

Slade withdrew from the hug and enveloped Dick’s cheeks with his hands; forcing him to look up at the man.

“I promised myself I would do better this time around with you. I am unused to it, but I will learn.” Dick’s lips trembled slightly as his eyes began to burn. “So, I might get a little tired worrying about you, but that’s my job now. And I want that.”

A single tear slipped over Dick’s cheek. Slade smiled gently at him; wiping away the tear with his thumb.

“You are loved too much to be thought of as a mere troublesome thing in my life. You are my son.”

“You’ll love me no matter what?” whispered Dick.

“Of course.”

“Even if I exhaust you?”

“Even then,” answered Slade with another smile.

“Even if I am the most disobedient and troublesome kid?”

There was a wry lift of an eyebrow; an almost mischievous smirk filling the man’s face.

“Even then, but you know I can rectify that kind of trouble.”

“What if… what if…” Dick trailed off as the imagery of his past dream flashed before his vision. “What if… the world ended? Even then?” asked Dick, biting his lower lip and looking up at Slade with soft eyes; needing every drop of reassurance; soaking up every word that Slade, his father, offered him – even though a part of his heart trusted and believed without such things. But sometimes words were powerful creatures to bring the most comforting of all hopes and assurances.

And those horrible images were still plaguing him; haunting him in their taunts.

There was a gentle chuckle. Dick was pulled into another soft, enveloping embrace; the man’s strong arms wrapping themselves around his small frame. Dick returned the hug, clinging to the man’s skin with every fiber of his soul; thankful that he wasn’t alone any more; thankful that he once again had a father to rely on.

And then, everything seemed all right.

“Even if the world ended, I’ll still love you, you silly child.”

 Want to keep reading? Click here to read the sequel! –>