Into the Depths – Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine
Tact

May 4th, 2009. Monday, 9:15 am.

Dick was exhausted.

Not physically, of course. He’d had plenty of sleep and it was a lovely morning at that. No, he was mentally exhausted. He was almost dreading going back to the Tower today and spending the night there. He had greatly enjoyed being back home where everything was pretty peaceful. On the nights he was supposed to spend at home, he always left the Tower around five o’clock, although yesterday, he had spent the day with Slade and Wintergreen.

But that still left plenty of hours in the day.

He groaned, dropping his head onto the surface of the kitchen table and rubbing his forehead against the soft texture of the tablecloth.

It’d been a slow week. There hadn’t been any trouble whatsoever and Dick supposed that was a good thing. It meant that criminals knew to keep their noses clean or else the Teen Titans would kick their butts and throw them into jail.

But it also meant there was more time for his friends to spend together and for some reason lately that was not a good thing. In fact, it was a terrible thing. No, now Dick was officially dreading going to the Tower today. But he had no choice. The Tower would probably blow up in emotional explosions if he weren’t there to calm the storm.

And why was that?

Because there was an intense amount of friction between three members of the Tower; namely Raven, Beast Boy, and Terra. Dick hadn’t ever believed in the term ‘teen angst’ before. Teen angst? What the heck was that? What kind of nonsense was that?! He could understand angst, having experienced quite a bit in his life, but the kind of teen angst that was going on in the Tower made him want to roll on the floor in frustration.

He hated it.

And the shocking thing about it all? No one was really noticing what was going on. It was small enough to go under the radar, but Dick did his best to notice the little things. After all, he could read Slade pretty well and trying to read that man was a near unattainable feat.

But the growing tension between the three culprits was literally crawling over Dick’s skin. You could cut the tension with a butter knife. It was driving Dick crazy. He just didn’t like that level of simmering contention.

Thus, Beast Boy was a lovesick puppy, Terra was either oblivious or purposely not noticing the green changeling’s sickness, and Raven was irritable.

The other three Titans – namely Dick, Cyborg, and Starfire – were not included in this mess. It was a nightmare. Dick always hated romance triangles in media, whether it be in graphic novels, books, or movies. To see and experience it in person was the most painful thing he’d ever experienced – and he’d had his hide walloped by Slade before! More often than he’d care to admit, actually, but that was another story.

He was only an observer, on top of it all. He couldn’t imagine what it was like for Raven or Beast Boy. Although, the younger boy was probably oblivious, too – in his case – to Raven’s feelings. But Beast Boy was naturally unobservant; thus, trying to figure out Raven, who was naturally impassive and unreadable, would be a nigh impossible task for the young thirteen year old.

Besides, the only thing – or person, in this case – that Beast Boy was paying attention to was Terra. The overactive changeling couldn’t figure out Raven on a good day, let alone in his current condition.

Of course, Beast Boy was a kid who didn’t know the definition of tact – in more ways than one. That was why he was downright obvious about his affections for Terra. Even a bright, green neon sign flashing, “I LIKE TERRA!” fifty million times above his head wouldn’t have been as obvious as his actions attested to so perfectly.

Dick couldn’t say that Beast Boy loved the girl, though. He knew that saying “I love you” to someone was special. Dick liked Starfire, as a girl, and loved her as a friend, but time was needed to go beyond the gentle, innocent like that was inside his heart. He did want to develop that part of his heart, though.

One day, he wanted to love Starfire with all the energies of his soul. With his current crush, he could say that if there was any girl that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with it was Starfire – but he was only fifteen. There were years to travel before such a time and decision could be made.

But…

It was fun to think about.

It was fun thinking about the future. It was fun thinking about Slade as a grandfather. How many munchkins could Dick have underfoot before Slade would go insane? Probably two would be the man’s max. He’d gruff and huff over the first, but would be completely won over. That first grandchild would totally own Slade; heart, mind, and soul, the man would be so fallen for him or her.

The second grandchild, Slade would love, too. Well, of course, he’d love all his grandchildren. But that first one would be the apple of his eye, more than likely.

However, what would happen if the man found himself surrounded by quite a few grandchildren? At such a thought, Dick couldn’t help but snicker under his breath. Slade would probably kill him. No doubt about it. Slade would strangle Dick for having too many grandchildren – or in the very least, attempt to tan his hide.

But, by that point, Dick would obviously be an adult. And while Dick didn’t ever plan on leaving Slade – he would definitely bring his wife home – that didn’t mean Slade could tell him what to do any more; not to mention, the man couldn’t wallop him any more at that point.

At least, that’s what Dick thought. Knowing Slade, anything was possible, if the man was ticked off enough.

But Slade certainly couldn’t control nature. The man was many things, but Mother Nature he was not. If, somehow, by some odd freak of nature, Dick’s wife was going to have yet another child, well, there wasn’t anything Slade could do about it.

It was certainly an amusing thought process, to say the least. Not to mention, it briefly cleared Dick’s mind of the nonsense that was going on at the Tower. It cheered him up to think about such a fun future – a future where he was still Slade’s son and one where he was continuing with the way of life.

Would he still do hero work during then? Or would he retire for a time to help raise a family? Perhaps he would take small jobs on the side. Or maybe he’d be so busy with his small, yet ever growing family, he wouldn’t even have time to sleep at night.

Wouldn’t that be nice? Now that was a good reason to miss sleep. Not these nightmare filled nights that were still plaguing his sleep. He had been lucky, however. Extremely lucky. That night Dick had related part of his nightmare to Slade and had been tucked in bed by the man – even in his sleep deprived mind, it still brought a warm glow into Dick’s heart – had been one of the best nights he’d had in over a week.

That night had been a nightmare free night.

Perhaps, it had been the sheer peace and safety Dick had felt after being tucked in by his father that had chased away all dark feelings inside his heart. It had been so beautiful, that feeling that had flowed through his entire soul as his father took such gentle and special care of him.

There was no way a being of evil could withstand the purity of such things.

But it had only lasted that one night.

Dick had tried to bring up all those feelings he had felt, trying anything to protect his nights from that horrible nightmare. But it had been in vain. Whether his mind had already slipped from the reoccurring nightmare, or it had been a onetime deal, Dick didn’t know.

All he knew was that he was eternally grateful for that one night. For multiple reasons, actually. In the back of his mind, there was this tiny voice that kept picking at him. He was constantly trying to push it back, but it was a persistent little punk.

Every time that voice whispered its scolding message, Dick felt a small wave of guilt rise inside his stomach. That voice was correct. Of course, it was correct. There was nothing good about lying to the man. Oh, yes, this is what that little, persistent voice was constantly whispering to Dick.

You lied to Slade.

You lied to your father.

Thus, he was thankful that he didn’t have a nightmare that one evening, because the very next morning, Slade had posed the question, “Did you have a nightmare last night?”

And Dick could happily, honestly, and with a bright smile, reply, “No, sir.”

And Slade didn’t ask again. That was because Dick was becoming a good actor. He wasn’t sure if that really was a good thing; but, for now, self preservation for the present time was kicking in and hiding his nightmares seemed all too easy compared to the alternative of relating the last horrible part of his dreams.

It was pretty foolish, to be honest. But Dick was a teenager and bound to make stupid decisions once in awhile, even with that smart head on his shoulders. Unfortunately, this was one of those really stupid choices he could’ve made in his life.

That voice was whispering to him again, telling him to come clean once and for all.

He ignored it, again.

With a loud sigh, Dick collapsed his arms onto the surface of the table – pushing his plate towards the middle – and rested his chin onto the folded arms. He let out another long sigh, mixed with a groan.

From his horrible nightmares in his sleep, to his stupid lying about it, to the freaking ‘teen angst’ at the Tower, he just wasn’t going to have a moment’s rest, now was he?

And all through his moaning and groaning, Slade was keeping his eye on the boy; becoming perturbed and worried over what was causing such lamenting noise from his son.

“Dick, what on earth is the matter with you?” asked Slade finally, watching the boy roll his face against the table for the third time in a row. Even Wintergreen was looking over his paper to glance at the boy. Slade raised an eyebrow as there was yet another long sigh from the child.

Slade certainly felt concern for his son – more than usual. Something just didn’t seem right. This level of histrionics was a bit too early in the morning. Not to mention, the boy’s nightmares weren’t really normal. But from what he had observed the past few days, everything seemed just fine. Dick looked well and happy, like the joyful child he was supposed to be. It appeared that the nightmares had gone away completely.

But a part of Slade still worried for the boy.

There was a despondent grumble from Dick.

Slade placed a hand onto Dick’s forehead, testing to see if the boy had gotten sick. He seriously hoped that this wasn’t the case; in fact, it would be the only thing he would actually pray for – the world was a better, happier place without the Boy Wonder of Holy Terror. Dick sighed softly, his eyes closing. This reaction made Slade only worry further, now truly wondering if the boy really was ill. He moved his hand from Dick’s forehead to clasp his cheek, his other hand encasing the other cheek. There was a soft, contented expression that filled Dick’s face. A low, almost inaudible giggle lifted into the air.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

“Trying to ascertain whether or not you’re sick.”

The giggle grew in volume.

“I’m not sick.”

Slade frowned. Well, the boy didn’t feel overly warm. He seemed perfectly healthy. Even though he was somewhat lethargic at the moment. Dick’s eyes opened, revealing bright, crystal blue orbs. They lifted upward until they settled their gaze onto Slade. Once again, Slade could see the healthy look inside them; though, there was fatigue within them.

A nightmare?

Had Dick been plagued with another one of those blasted nightmares? Was that why he was acting so strange? But Slade expected the boy to be forthright with him. He shouldn’t have to ask every day. Dick should be fully honest, especially after their discussion about it.

“Did you have another nightmare?”

The boy stilled slightly. It was barely noticeable, since he had already been unmoving. There was a short pause. A glimmer of light flashed through Dick’s eyes.

“No, sir. I didn’t have a nightmare.”

Those tired, yet bright eyes glanced downward, effectively avoided straight on eye contact with Slade. It almost seemed that Dick was lying. Months ago, Slade would’ve been suspicious and confronted the boy. But… lying? That couldn’t be right. Slade knew the boy wouldn’t lie to him. Dick knew better than that and he had promised, after all. Not to mention, the boy was fully aware of what the consequence would be should Slade ever find out that he had lied to him.

Lying was not to be tolerated, no matter what, no matter the reasoning; especially since Slade had recently let the boy off the hook for doing something foolish – dangerously foolish. Two stupid choices in a row going uncorrected? Not a chance. Dick knew that and he did have a pretty high mode of self preservation with Slade.

Thus, the thought was pushed out of Slade’s mind. His son couldn’t be lying to him. Of course, not. Slade trusted the boy. If his hunch was wrong, Dick would be offended. It would hurt him to know that his father didn’t trust his words alone. No. No, there was no way Dick was lying to him, especially over something so simple as nightmares.

Surely not.

Slade remained blissfully unaware just how much his gut feeling was absolutely correct. Of course, such bliss never lasted long.

“Then, what is going on with you?” asked Slade, becoming exasperated that he wasn’t able to find the answers he was seeking.

“I don’t wanna go to the Tower,” complained Dick, his chin lifting his head as he spoke from the table. Slade raised his eyebrows in surprise. He withdrew his hands from the boy’s face, keeping a light smile hidden when there was a sound of discontentment at their removal – the boy truly loved affection, didn’t he?

“And just why, might I ask?” said Slade, highly amused now. This was a new one. Since when wasn’t Dick chomping at the bit to get to the Tower as early as possible – even before those ragamuffins woke up?

There was a low groan and Dick hid his face into the table’s surface, rolling his head side to side slightly.

“That bad?”

There was a nod.

“Good grief, what could be that bad?”

Dick lifted his head, flopped back to sit in his seat properly, and bemoaned loudly, almost wailing like, “Teenage angst!” There was an elaborate huff, before his face became personal with the table’s surface once more.

Slade blinked, thoroughly thrown off by that answer. It was such a ridiculous answer that Slade couldn’t help but snort into low, chuckling laughter. There was a groan from Dick as he lifted his head.

“Dad, it’s not funny,” whined Dick, drawing out his syllables.

“No,” managed Slade through his chuckles, shaking his head. “No, it’s hilarious.”

Slade was joined by the old man in the medley of low chuckling. Dick sighed, putting his face into his hands. These two old men were totally laughing at him. Even more laughter flooded through the kitchen; smooth low mixed with aged tenor.

“Could you two not laugh? This is serious!”

Slade snorted as he continued to chuckle deeply.

“Yes, because the woes of teenager angst affects the very universe,” drawled Slade. Dick’s lips twitched at that. He had to admit, it did sound funny. Even though it was just as annoying as trying to open a pickle jar – no, definitely worse. Dick let out another sigh, almost forlorn like this time. Slade shook his head, obviously trying to get rid of his chuckles. Finally, he asked, “All right, joking aside, what is truly making you not want to go to the Tower?”

“That’s the thing,” said Dick, his deadpan tone rivaling Raven at her best. “I wasn’t joking.”

Slade raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I’m dead serious, Dad. There’s some obnoxiously annoying angst going down at the Tower. And I am the lucky guy who gets to deal with it.”

Dick sighed and slumped his arms onto the table; resting his chin on top of them. He supposed he deserved the laughter and the teasing. Now, on top of the prospect of going to the Tower and enduring a day full of ‘fun’ with his friends, he also had a stomach full of guilt for lying a second time to Slade.

Yay him.

“Well, I don’t know why I never thought it possible – teen angst in a tower filled with teens,” said Slade, his sarcastic drawl filled with a teasing tone. “Who would have ever thought?”

“Dad, be serious. It’s really crazy at the Tower,” said Dick, sighing again, ignoring his father’s amusement. “Beast Boy got himself bit by the love bug. And he’s bit real bad.”

“Oh? And just who is the lucky young lady?” asked Wintergreen, putting his paper down slightly. “Although, thirteen is much too young for love beyond that of little crushes.”

“It’s the new girl, Terra,” said Dick, sitting up and settling back against the chair. “He’s head over heels for her, but she’s not really noticing it. I have no idea how she’s not noticing – he’s totally obvious about it, not that he’s trying to be.”

“Beast Boy is that green boy, correct?” asked Slade. When Dick nodded and the man chuckled. “He’s a funny lad, that’s for sure.”

“Oh?”

“Remember training?” When Dick nodded, he continued, “He asked me about – and I quote – hitting you for every wrong doing.” A wry smirk lifted Slade’s features. The heat flushed through Dick’s cheeks. Beast Boy, you idiot! Oh, gosh, why did that excitable changeling have to ask that same question every single time? And now he was asking Slade! Ugh, Dick was gonna strangle the kid.

“He didn’t!”

“Oh, he did indeed,” said Slade with that same smirk. But then, his expression softened. “He seemed very concerned over that fact. He was worried about whether or not I am fair with you. I had to reassure him that I was. You have good friends who worry over you.”

“Ugh! But he’s always asking about this,” snapped Dick, grouchily biting out his words. “He doesn’t think for one minute that it’s not any of his business.” Then, with a lower mutter, “It’s embarrassing enough as it is…”

Slade chuckled.

“Stay out of mischief and trouble, and there won’t be any need for it, hm?” drawled Slade, giving him a teasing pat on the cheek, before sending his hand through Dick’s black hair once again. Dick gave him a smile, appreciating the touch. However, his stomach flopped nervously.

Liar.

“It’s like he’s trying to do this to me,” said Dick, continuing to complain and ignoring his flopping stomach. “It’s embarrassing for Beast Boy to run his mouth in front of the others – the girls, too!”

There was further chuckling.

“That would be unfortunate.”

“Dad!”

“Richard, I don’t think Garfield is trying to be malicious in this,” interjected Wintergreen. Dick blinked, looking over at the old man. Even Slade looked confused by this statement.

“Who?” asked Dick.

“Garfield, the changeling.”

“You mean Beast Boy? Why are you calling him Garfield?”

“Because that is his name and I would prefer to address him as such,” said Wintergreen, taking a sip from his juice with an air that suggested this was a perfectly normal statement. “And as I was saying, I’m sure there’s a reason why he always asks. You should consider what that might be, you know.”

“Garfield?!” cried Dick incredulously. “That’s his name? How’d you know that?”

“Honestly, Slade isn’t the only one who has a vast knowledge of things. In fact, there just might be things that I know that he doesn’t.”

Slade snorted.

“I seriously doubt that.”

“You would.”

“Whoa, hey, I’m still on the subject of Beast Boy’s real name being Garfield,” cried Dick, stopping the two men before they could go back and forth.

“You best watch what you say, since yours is not much better,” said Wintergreen with a playful quip to his tone. Dick flushed deeply and folded his arms, huffing lightly as he flopped against the back of his chair again.

“My name is just fine.”

“Of course, it is,” said Wintergreen, although he looked extremely amused all the same.

“It takes a real man to be named Dick,” drawled Slade, heavy mischief oozing from his tone.

Dick groaned and placed his face into his hands, feeling the heat radiate from his skin. There was more amused chuckling and laughing, which only made Dick flush even more. Maybe leaving for the Tower wasn’t so bad after all. There he could save the world from an all out battle between Titans. Here, he was just stuck getting teased all day.

Then again, dealing with the Tower nonsense didn’t sound all that fun. Oh, choices, choices, what was a young teen hero to do, hm?

“Well, since you seem to have such a difficult time with your friends, why not ditch the overly dramatic teens for a day with your father, hm?” suggested Slade. Dick lifted his face to see that he was giving him a rare, genuine smile. At that, a warmth flooded over Dick’s skin in a gentle, glowing swell of the heart. He liked hearing that. He loved seeing that expression, rare as it was, on the man’s face.

Such a difference.

Dick sighed. “I’d really like that, Dad. But I don’t think I can do that today. Yesterday, it felt like Raven was gonna blow at any moment because of Beast Boy and I really need to be there to play mediator.”

He hoped Slade wouldn’t be too disappointed. He really rather had spent some more time with Slade, instead of dealing with the nonsense that was seeping through the Tower. Of course, on a good day, he really enjoyed being with his friends and fighting crime.

Dick just didn’t like playing peacemaker and mediator, because that meant there wasn’t peace in the first place.

Somehow, he earned himself a playful, yet gentle ruffle of the hair, fingers carding their way through his ungelled raven black locks. The genuine smile on Slade’s face hadn’t faded and now his grey blue eye was shining with a pleased light.

“Good luck, then,” said Slade, his hand rearranging the locks of hair that came near Dick’s ear – obviously in the effort to continue to offer the gentle affection. “You’re a good friend.”

Dick flushed slightly; the praise was not unwelcome, however.

“Will you be home for dinner?” asked Wintergreen.

“No, I’ll stay at the Tower tonight,” answered Dick, grabbing his half filled cup of juice and downing it. Once finished, he took a deep breath as he set the glass down onto the table. “Not sure about tomorrow, even though it’s my night to stay. It just depends how much I want to bash my head against the wall.”

Slade’s lips quirked upward at that, since Dick had delivered the line with perfect clarity and in all seriousness. Dick gave his father a smirk that he had gleaned from the man, only to receive one in return, along with another ruffle of the hair.

“Off with you, imp,” said Slade, amusement leaking into his tone. A moment later, Dick had gotten out of his seat and gave the two men a wave of the hand.

“See ya tomorrow!”

ooOOOOOoo

May 4th, 2009. Monday, 10:23 am.

It wasn’t all that early, really. After ten o’clock in the morning truly wasn’t obnoxiously early. Really. Thus, no one should’ve been this cranky. There had been plenty of time for everyone to get enough sleep. But for some reason, some certain persons of the Teen Titans were just that – cranky.

Namely Raven.

Dick was still considering jumping ship altogether and fleeing back home to the safety and refuge that was the haunt. Being the leader was extremely difficult at times. He had left on Saturday with the Tower relatively in good working order.

Something had happened between Saturday and Monday – what that was, Dick wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. As he entered the long hallway of the first floor, he could hear the yelling that was happening on an upper level – it was that loud. Groaning, Dick darted forward, taking the small stairs two by two, and willed the elevator to go faster than what was actually possible. The doors slowly closed shut as Dick abused the button for the main floor.

Why was it when you needed to be somewhere quickly that time seemed to slow down just to be cruel to you?

That’s how it felt for Dick at that very moment. He impatiently watched the dial that changed the floor numbers. He tapped his foot and bounced his leg nervously. The shouting was getting louder. Finally, the elevator stopped, the doors slowly opening. Dick crammed his way through the partially opened doors and bolted down the hallway. He nearly smashed into the main room doors as they slid open.

He instantly ducked.

The object in question missed his head and as the rank, rancid smell assaulted his senses, he was suddenly thankful for all the training he’d endured through the years. He gagged as it caught his breath even harder. It was a mixture of century old dirty socks and bread mold, with just a hint of bathroom and used kitty litter.

“Hold still.”

“Rae, calm down! Ca–can’t we talk about this?”

“Beast Boy! Hold still!”

Dick straightened and took in the scene before himself. Yup, he should’ve stayed home today.

Raven was royally infuriated. It was no wonder, honestly. Dick was aware of the game that Beast Boy and Cyborg just loved to play. He wasn’t exactly a fan of it. After a game of stank ball, the entire Tower needed airing out. It was fun for about five minutes before the Tower smelled like gym locker that was once an old bathroom that had never gotten cleaned. Not a pleasant combination at all.

Somehow, it seemed, that someone – that someone probably being Beast Boy – had managed to land a stank ball right in Raven’s face. Dick could see the remnants of whatever those two boys put into it dripping down her face. Her eyes were flared with pure fury. Raven was downright terrifying. Not to mention, she was wielding three stank balls and was attempting to nail Beast Boy with them.

Dick held up his hands.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, freeze everyone!”

And that was what everyone did. Starfire froze, midflight, while Cyborg looked both alarmed and relieved that Dick had arrived. Beast Boy rushed to Dick’s side and hid behind him. Terra had a tired, frustrated expression as she watched the chaos.

“Robin! Raven’s gonna kill me!” whimpered Beast Boy, his voice loud from behind Dick.

“Can someone explain what is going on around here?” said Dick, honestly not caring who answered the question, so long as he got an answer. He glanced over at Raven, who appeared to be having an emotional breakdown – something Dick had never seen the girl go through before. Finally, he saw her snap, almost hearing the cord of her sanity snapping with an echoing sound.

“Just leave me alone!” cried Raven, the stank balls exploding. Their horrid smell flooded through the air instantly, just as Raven fled the room, the sliding doors shutting closed. Stunned silence met the remaining members. Starfire slowly lowered to the ground, looking saddened. Dick sighed, putting a hand to his forehead and shaking his head. After a moment, he lifted his face.

“What on earth is going on around here?” demanded Dick, feeling exasperated now and feeling angry that Raven had been pushed to such a point.

“We were trying to convince Raven to play with us!” said Beast Boy, sounding indignant and whiny at the same time. “But she wouldn’t, so I nailed her with a stank ball.”

“How are you still alive?” asked Dick incredulously. At Beast Boy’s indifferent shrug, Dick felt the annoyance rise inside his chest. “Look, you guys can’t push Raven like this. She obviously didn’t want to play. You shouldn’t have forced her.”

“But—”

“This isn’t an option, you know,” snapped Dick with firmness. “Forcing her to do stuff will only drive her away and make her angry. You should respect what she wants.”

“We just wanted her to play with us!” cried Beast Boy, folding his arms childishly. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes, it is,” said Dick, grinding out the words through his irritation. Why couldn’t Beast Boy show more respect to Raven? Yeah, it was more than apparent that he was trying to show off in front of Terra, but she didn’t seem interested at all. “Dad tells me all the time that respect is needed. It should be the same with us as well. We should show each other the same level of respect we would want in return.”

“Yeah, but with Slade—”

Dick could already see where this train of thought was going as the changeling opened his mouth. His young, excitable friend was about to say something that would cause no end of embarrassment in front of his friends – in front of Starfire no less. He could just see it. He’d had done this last week, after Slade had taken him home; asked him about how Slade had punished him, since the man had obviously been upset with him. But on top of it all, the boy was about to talk about it in front of the one person in the room who wasn’t exactly aware of the situation he had with his father.

All sense of self preservation kicked in as Dick grabbed Beast Boy around the neck, effectively covering his wayward mouth just in time. There was an oomph as all sound was cut off.

“Will you excuse us for a few minutes?” said Dick through smiling, yet gritted teeth.

Without even waiting for a reply from the others, Dick half pulled, half dragged Beast Boy away from the group. The sliding doors of the main room opened as Dick continued to drag the younger boy along. Finally, when they reached the hallway, Beast Boy began to protest.

“Robin, what’s going on? Why are you—”

“Be silent,” hissed Dick, transferring his hold onto Beast Boy’s thin upper arm. The younger boy seemed to freeze at his voice. “You and I are gonna have a discussion in my room about this.”

Immediately, Beast Boy dug his heels into the carpet of the flooring. As Dick looked back, he saw pure horror cross the younger boy’s face.

“B–b–b–but what did I do? I didn’t—you can’t!”

Dick could only look at the younger boy, his eyebrow raised. If he had seen the scene outside of himself, he would’ve been vividly reminded of Slade and a certain son of his. Luckily, he didn’t need to do so to realize what had Beast Boy in such a horror. Dick snorted at the irony of it all.

“Trust me, Beast Boy. It’s not that kind of discussion,” said Dick, trying to keep his expression stern, instead of the smirking one that was threatening to break out all over his face. “Although, after the umpteenth time of you doing this to me – and now Raven –  I honestly thought about sending you to Dad or even Will for that sort of discussion, trust me.”

“D–doing what to you?” stammered Beast Boy nervously.

“Oh, that’s what the discussion is gonna be about.”

With that, Dick continued to pull the changeling along. He wasn’t met with much resistance now, but he could feel the other boy’s worry. Well, he should be worried. Dick was about to blow a gasket. First, the crazy tension in the Tower, now this – he was seriously done with the changeling’s inconsiderate ways. And especially on this topic. Honestly, didn’t he have any decorum at all? Didn’t he realize that talking about getting your butt walloped by your father was embarrassing to no end?!

He didn’t need the whole freaking world to know and at this rate, he’d be the laughing stock of Jump City.

“And now in Hero news, Robin, the spunky Boy Wonder, had better toe the line just perfectly, because according to this inside reporter, his father is the type to take him in hand. Watch out, villains, Robin’s pop might tan your hide as well.”

That would be Dick’s obituary announcement.

And probably Beast Boy’s as well.

There were a few whimpers of nervousness coming from the boy behind Dick, but he ignored it. First, he was going to teach Beast Boy what he was doing to him, then he would be soft. It was, after all, the way Slade dealt with him and it actually worked.

Shocker.

Within a few moments, Dick had reached his room. The door slid open and Dick walked through instantly, still dragging the reluctant Beast Boy with him.

“Sit down on the couch,” instructed Dick, fully unaware of how much he sounded like his father at that moment as he pointed at the couch at the back of the first section of his room. Beast Boy’s eyes were wide with worry as he slowly walked to his destination, tentatively sitting down on the edge of his seat. He swallowed once, watching Dick like a hawk as he walked to a shelf – actually, more like a deer in headlights.

Dick grabbed a large book from his shelf – a heavy weight dictionary – and walked over to the young boy that was sitting on the couch.

“Beast Boy, do you know what tact is?”

“Y–you mean that sticky stuff that can hold up pictures on the wall?”

“Not tack, I’m talking about tact.”

Beast Boy ducked his head, biting his lower lip while twisting his hands nervously in his lap. He glanced up at Dick and slowly shook his head.

“I figured as much, since you have none.”

The heavy book was dropped a foot above Beast Boy’s legs, causing him to flinch backwards against the couch. Dick instantly knelt down in front of the book and flipped through the pages, coming to the entry he wanted. He turned the book over and pointed at it.

“Read it.”

“But—”

“Out loud.”

Beast Boy bit his lip again, glancing between Dick’s firm stare and the page of the book in his lap. With a light sigh, he looked down to read.

“A–a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense… Uh… skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations…”

Beast Boy’s lips began to trembled as he looked at the book in his lap, pausing for a few moments. His hands tensed against the edges of the pages. Dick could tell that, already, the words were beginning to affect the younger boy.

“Keep going,” pressed Dick. Beast Boy swallowed once, biting his lower lip for another moment, before he continued.

“Uhm, a keen sense of what is appropriate, tasteful, or–or asth… ess… uhm—”

“Aesthetically.”

“R–right, aes–aesthetically pleasing—” He still struggled over the word. Those dark green eyes were beginning to glisten. “—Uh… The ability to do or say things without offending or upsetting other people…”

There was a sniffle from the boy as he looked down at the words on the paper. He drew his hand up, the palm rising to wipe away a stray tear that had fallen, his wrist sliding across the bottom of his nose. Dick’s sternness softened as he stood up, grabbing some tissues from off the table and handing them to Beast Boy. He sat down next to his young friend.

“This is what you’ve lacked recently,” whispered Dick, keeping his tone gentle. “Whether with me or with Raven. – you shouldn’t push her. And whenever you talk about Dad punishing me, it’s really embarrassing for me – especially in front of the girls. If you’re really curious, if you really have to know, then ask me privately.”

“I wasn’t—I wasn’t trying to—”

Beast Boy’s voice cracked and he ducked his head more. Dick slowly wrapped an arm the younger boy’s waist and brought him close into a hug at his side. Beast Boy responded to it, leaning against Dick’s shoulder and resting his head there.

“BB, why do you always ask?” said Dick, his voice a low whisper. “You’re obviously not trying to embarrass me, right?” There was a shake of the head. “So, why do you do it?”

There was a shrug of the shoulders and another sniffle. Dick nudged Beast Boy in the ribs gently, causing him to squirm and give out a small giggle.

“Well?”

Beast Boy let out a low sigh, but he remained quiet. A few moments passed, until there was a low mewling sound. Dick glanced over to see Kuroi coming up to them, mewling and purring for attention. Beast Boy seemed to brighten by her arrival and when she leapt into Dick’s lap without any encouragement, he moved her to Beast Boy’s lap. Kuroi purred deeply as the younger boy began to stroke her fur.

Her softness and Dick’s gentleness seemed to open the young boy up.

“I was just… I was just worried about you, okay?”

“Worried?”

“Yeah, everything seemed normal, but I couldn’t know for sure, you know? You seemed all right with Slade… you know… But you could just be covering up for what he’s really doing to you, because you grew to like him. He could be really cruel to you. He could be really unfair to you. But I don’t know…”

He continued to stroke the black fur that purred beneath his fingers.

“BB, but why are you so worried about me? I’ve said that everything was all right before.” Dick let out a sharp sigh, thinking about Cyborg. “Why does no one believe me?”

Beast Boy bit his lower lip again and looked away, shrugging slightly. The gentle purring of Kuroi was the only thing that could be heard. Dick couldn’t understand why the boy always asked and why he was worried. There was nothing to worry about. Well, okay, there was, especially now with Dick lying to Slade, but it wasn’t like the man would beat him for it – his hide would certainly feel walloped, though.

“I’m sure there’s a reason why he always asks. You should consider what that might be, you know.”

The old man’s words lifted into Dick’s mind. He hadn’t been paying attention to what he’d been saying, since Dick had been too caught up in the moment of Beast Boy’s real name. What had Wintergreen meant by that?

“Beast Boy…” began Dick slowly, questions and thoughts forming; a deep realization coming to the foremost of his mind. “Have you experienced a less than healthy relationship with a father?”

Beast Boy stiffened. Even Kuroi became quiet. Alarm flooded through Dick’s heart. Was that what Wintergreen had been alluding to? If he had known Beast Boy’s real name, who knew what more he had knowledge of – that old man was surprising.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes. Who was it?”

Beast Boy only shook his head, his lips tightening. He stopped petting the kitten and clasped his hands together. Kuroi didn’t like this new development and tried to butt her head against those hands, but to no avail. She continued, undaunted, however.

“Come on, Beast Boy, talk to me.” Dick wrapped his arm around the younger boy again and brought him close for a hug. “I’m not going to tell anyone, okay? Just between you and me. Sound good?”

There was a long moment of silence where Beast Boy didn’t move at all. The only sign of life came from the twisting motions that he was making with his hands inside his lap. The kitten purred deeply, rubbing against his hands. He swallowed once more, his lips trembling harder. Finally, Beast Boy gave him a small nod. But he didn’t speak up right away. He appeared to be having trouble voicing anything.

Dick only tightened his hold around the younger boy, leaning against the back of the couch and letting Beast Boy rest at his side. At first, he was stiff within the hug, but slowly he began to loosen up; thus, as did his tongue. Kuroi won her placing beneath Beast Boy hands once again, the stroking of her fur resuming. Dick was thankful for her presence, because she added kindness to the moment. In a soft whisper, the softest Dick had ever heard Beast Boy speak, words formed in the air.

“Mento… he wasn’t exactly…”

Dick felt his body stiffen slightly and, in turn, the boy at his side stiffened as well. Dick tried to loosen himself up, releasing part of his hold to card a hand through green hair.

It was just how Dick would’ve responded if Slade had done the same thing to him in a moment of tenseness. Beast Boy seemed to melt from the gentle touch, his body slackening against Dick’s side and deeper into the hug. There was some more sniffling and a few shuddering breaths.

Dick had teased Beast Boy about being on the end of ‘firm parenting’ when the younger boy had been so inquisitive about it. But now Dick wasn’t so sure if it had been all that good for Beast Boy. Sure, with Slade, it wasn’t pleasant – wasn’t supposed to be, obviously – but in the end, Dick knew where he stood with the man and why he chose such a punishment. Not that he liked it at all. Nope. Couldn’t the man just ground him instead now?

But Slade was Slade, not to mention an ex-military man. Couldn’t exactly change the fact that he required high discipline and high respect.

“Mento… always expected perfection,” whispered Beast Boy, his voice higher than normal. “And I could never give it to him. I could never follow his orders exactly. I failed him a lot. So… he…”

Beast Boy trailed off, shivering slightly. Dick calmly continued to offer his support in the only way he could, simply running his fingers through the small bangs that were near the boy’s forehead. It was a moment of softness that rarely occurred between the male members of the team.

But Dick could see that even Beast Boy needed such kindness. Everyone needed some affection. Dick understood this all too well, needing more than the average boy, he supposed – well, he had missed years of it. He was bound to be thirsty for it. Before, if Dick had been ‘Robin’, such a moment would’ve been missed, because ‘Robin’ wouldn’t have been able to notice something so delicate and tender.

“What did Mento do when you didn’t follow orders?” asked Dick, his voice soft and barely above a whisper.

“He’d…” There was a swallow. “He’d punish me. Rita, or Elasti-Girl, she didn’t like the way Mento went about it, but she couldn’t really stop him. She’d always comfort me afterwards. But…”

There was the trembling of lips again and the bottom lip was tucked beneath teeth.

“He was never nice about it. He always told me that if I don’t do better, I’ll never be good enough for the team. He was always… harsh with me, no matter what.”

Dick could tell that the discipline exacted against Beast Boy had been done poorly. At least when it came to the way Slade dealt with Dick, he always knew what to expect and why such a punishment was happening. Slade scolded the action, disciplined firmly, and then when it was over and done with, forgave the infraction. Dick always knew he could do better and that he was still loved.

Everything was laid out with exactness. It was through this that Dick found security in Slade’s words. He trusted the man to be fair, no matter what.

It seemed that Mento hadn’t been fair at all.

Slowly, Beast Boy continued. Every word hurt Dick’s heart, just as they had Beast Boy. He felt so bad for the boy. There were so many little things that picked at the boy’s self esteem; eating away at it like acid.

“You’ll never learn.”

“Why can’t you listen?”

“Why can’t you obey a simple order?”

“You’ll never be a part of this team at this rate.”

“You’re a disappointment.”

Why try? After all those cruel words, why would Beast Boy even want to try? Dick certainly didn’t want to. As Beast Boy continued to unveil a number of things, Dick found that he wanted to punch this man in the face. He’d definitely do him that favor the first time he saw Mento. Sure, Beast Boy was a bit rambunctious – okay, a lot – but that didn’t mean that he deserved to have such cruel strictness.

The things Beast Boy revealed were border lining on emotional abuse. While, yes, Beast Boy had experienced harsh corporal punishment with the man, it hadn’t been abusive. But the emotional abuse was more than apparent. Thank goodness for Elasti-Girl and the other members of the Doom Patrol. If it hadn’t been for their gentle and comforting ways, Beast Boy might not have turned out like he had.

It might’ve been worse for him.

It was unrealistic of Mento to have required so much of the young boy. To expect a certain standard was one thing. Dick knew what Slade wanted and expected of him. It was a reachable position as well. But to set the bar so high and then cruelly scold, berate, and criticize when that bar wasn’t reached was too much for a child. And Beast Boy was the youngest – only thirteen. That meant he had to be much younger when with Mento. That was at a sensitive and tender age.

Dick knew how he felt in some ways. Bruce had been similar, but he never outright scolded him for failing. He just continued to train him until he reached the height Bruce expected of him.

“I’m sorry, Beast Boy,” whispered Dick. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”

“It wasn’t all bad,” said Beast Boy, his voice slowly returning to normal. “You experienced worse at the beginning with Slade, didn’t you? This was nothing like that.”

“BB, don’t dismiss what Mento did,” said Dick, firmly tapping Beast Boy on the shoulder. “There was no reason for him to be so harsh with a young kid. At least Slade was remorseful and even apologized for what he did. He swore never to harm me in such a way again and I trust him.”

There was a soft sigh.

“I just… I guess I was just worried that he’d be like Mento,” whispered Beast Boy. “He’s got that scary look about him, you know? And I didn’t want that to happen to you.”

Dick smiled gently. That was true. When Slade was mad, the man was frightening. He could certainly be intimidating, there was no doubt about that. There had been many times Dick had felt that fear. But now, it was a different fear – a fear of disappointing the man.

A twinge of guilt assaulted Dick’s stomach. He felt ill for a moment, remembering his current sin against his father. Dick pushed it back as far as he could, trying his best to ignore it.

“You know,” began Dick, hoping to comfort Beast Boy a little more. “I can count on one hand the amount of times Dad’s really walloped my backside.”

Beast Boy sucked in his breath and glanced upward at Dick, his eyes wide in surprise.

“What? Really? That’s all?”

“Yup. Five times. And really only once since he’s adopted me – and I really deserved that one. Do you remember when we went out into space? I scared the man to death by not telling him where I was going, so that was fair – no matter how much I’d rather be grounded.” Dick lifted a spare hand to the back of his neck and scratched nervously as he continued, “And, well, uh… I’ve lost count how many times he’s single swatted me for disrespect or in warning for bad behavior, but that’s definitely different than a full trip.”

“But—”

Dick lifted his hand to place on top of Beast Boy’s head, ruffling the green hair there.

“Listen, Dad’s really fair. Trust me on this. Ever since the adoption, he’s been different. Like he acknowledges the fact that I’m his son – even before he gave up being Deathstroke.”

“Yeah, but…” Beast Boy trailed off again. Dick vaguely wondered if the boy would chew his bottom lip off. He was certainly biting it enough. There was a moment of silence as Beast Boy tried to speak up again. After a couple of bounces of the knee – much to Kuroi’s mewling displeasure – he looked up. “You swear Slade doesn’t hurt you, hurt you? Like, he’s not rough with you?”

“Beast Boy,” started Dick, his tone completely deadpanned. “A walloping hurts. Of course, it’s not pleasant. But… he’s soft afterwards and I always know I’m forgiven, that I can do better. Is that what you mean?”

Beast Boy only nodded his response. There was a soft sigh and Dick could feel all the strength leave the boy’s body. He leaned into Dick more, resting his head against the shoulder provided.

“Beast Boy… was Mento rough with you?” asked Dick, hating the question. Now he could understand Cyborg’s feelings when it came to Slade. But, at least, Slade had sworn never to harm Dick in such a way ever again. There had been no repentance from Mento for his harshness.

Beast Boy shrugged.

“Not exactly rough… Maybe he was harder than normal? I’m not really sure what’s normal, though. My… parents… they never were harsh with me. They never…”

The unspoken was clear.

“Do you love Mento as a second father? Did you want him to be that for you?”

Beast Boy bit his lower lip. Dick could see the struggle that the younger boy was going through. It was so similar to his own struggle that he’d had with Bruce, it was uncanny. A soft light entered Beast Boy’s eyes.

“I just wanted his approval,” whispered Beast Boy, his voice trembling, as if he didn’t want to say it out loud. But he continued on, never stopping, “But I was never good enough for him. That’s why I ran away. I kept in touch with Elasti-Girl, so she wouldn’t worry about me. She was a really good second Mom. But it’s obvious Mento doesn’t care about me. Not really. And I couldn’t stay because of it. If he did care, he would’ve come and taken me back. But he didn’t. So, he doesn’t care.”

Dick sighed, feeling the same pain that had attacked his own heart mere months ago. Slade had filled that part and had filled that role. Every child needed a parent, someone to love them and guide them. The entire Teen Titans were just a bunch of misfit children who were without the guidance of parents. It was pretty sad, to be honest. Somehow, Dick was extremely lucky.

“I thought the same about Bruce,” said Dick softly. Beast Boy looked up and Dick could see the glimmer of tears shining inside those dark green eyes. They latched onto him, soaking up whatever comfort was to be given – thus, Dick made sure he did just that. With a tighter squeeze, he continued, “I left Gotham and I waited for him to show up and drag my butt back. But he never came. I’m still not sure why he never came back for me. In some ways, I resent him for that; but, for the most part, I’m glad that he didn’t. Because then, I wouldn’t have ever met Slade and he would have never became my father. It’s a crazy twist of fate, but the best kind.”

Dick smiled down at the younger boy.

“It’s the same for you. We’re your family now. Dad and Will included.” Beast Boy looked surprised by this, making Dick laugh lightly. “I bet in a month, Dad’ll totally be a surrogate father to all the Teen Titans. Cy, too, even if he doesn’t like it at first.”

Heh, I’m sure Dad will just love that.

“Do you really mean that? A family?” asked Beast Boy, his eyes bright with longing. Dick gave him another hug, this time throwing his other arm around the boy and effectively squishing him. Kuroi mewled in protest about being in the middle.

“Of course! You act like an annoying, but adorable little brother already,” said Dick teasingly. This was met with laughter and giggles. There were a few more tender moments of this, before Beast Boy stilled. He grew somber, making Dick stop and watch him. Then, a soft voice lifted into the air.

“Dick…”

Beast Boy fidgeted for a moment, glancing down at the floor. Dick sucked in his breath softly, a little surprised that the younger boy had used his name. None of the other Titans had gotten used to his real name yet. Only Starfire ever used it. In fact, she mostly used it over Robin, preferring to call him by name now. Dick found that he still called her Starfire – Koriand’r or Kori meant the same thing anyway. Then, Beast Boy looked up at him, his green eyes glimmering with a gentleness rarely seen in the younger, excitable boy.

“Do you love Slade? Like… really love him?”

There was no need to hesitate.

“Yeah, I love him,” said Dick with a soft smile. “A whole lot at that, too.”

“Even after… what he did to you?” asked Beast Boy. His tone sounded filled with longing and the need to understand, but there was also a hint of wanting the same thing for himself. “You forgave him and everything?”

“Sure, because that’s what family does.”

“But he wasn’t your family. He was even your enemy beforehand.”

“But he slowly became more than that,” said Dick, shrugging slightly. “At first, yeah, he was my kidnapper and my abuser. But then, slowly – and especially after he changed his tactic, much to my annoyance,” he added dryly. “—he became something different, more like a mentor. He became an adult I could rely on. I could trust his word in everything that he said. And then, somehow, he became like a father, even before he suggested the adoption. In my mind, I had accepted this fact.”

Beast Boy sighed and looked away.

“Forgiveness is something that you have to do. It rarely affects the other person. I forgave Slade because he proved that he could change and I needed that. But what if he hadn’t ever changed and I managed to get away from him? It would’ve taken me some time, but I would’ve eventually forgiven him, not because it helps him in any way, but because I have to release the bad feelings to move on.”

There was silence to this at first. Then, Beast Boy sighed deeply.

“I want to forgive Mento… But he doesn’t even care. It doesn’t matter, really. I just wanted…”

Dick’s heart broke. He could hear the unsaid words, because he had thought them himself. He had only wanted love and approval from Bruce, just like Beast Boy wanted that from Mento. What was so hard about giving that? It didn’t cost anything to offer such things. No one’s arm would fall off, nor even a leg. It wasn’t hard to be kind.

“I wanted the same,” whispered Dick. “And I found it and you can, too.”

Beast Boy smiled at him.

“Thanks… Dick. You know, when you told us that Robin was someone different, I couldn’t understand it. I was sad that my old friend was gone. But now I understand and I think ‘Dick’ is a really nice person. I’m glad he’s here for me. Thanks for listening and talking with me.”

Dick laughed and ruffled the younger boy’s hair affectionately. Beast Boy made complaining noises, but he looked pleased anyway.

“You can talk to me anytime and I’ll listen. You’re my friend and surrogate brother. We’re family – all of us.”

Beast Boy beamed at him and nodded, “Mhm!”

With another laugh, Dick gave Beast Boy another hearty hug; the air was then filled with plenty of childlike giggles – probably due to the fact that someone’s fingers were tickling a purple clad waist. Within a few moments, the two boys left the room – after saying goodbye to the crying kitten – with Dick’s arm around Beast Boy’s shoulders. By the time they had reached the main room of the Tower, Dick had withdrawn his arm, however. He didn’t want Beast Boy to feel awkward if any of the others saw.

The moment the doors slid open and they walked inside, they were confronted by Cyborg. He had been standing at the door, as if he had waited there the entire time.

“Did Rob murder you?” asked Cyborg, almost instantly. Beast Boy got a confused look on his face, while Dick secretly snorted at the question. Why did everyone assume the worst? He had only wanted to talk to Beast Boy, not kill him.

Well…

“Do I look dead to you?” asked Beast Boy, his tone incredulous. Cyborg looked between the two of them, obviously trying to gauge just what exactly went on. When there seemed to be nothing wrong with Beast Boy, he visibly relaxed and smirked at the youngest member. Soon, there was a ruffle of dark green hair, along with the protests to that action.

“What did Robin tell you, anyway?” asked Cyborg, completely ignoring the protests.

“He just told me to stop being, uh… tactless. That’s all. Now stop with my hair!”

“That is an impossible feat,” deadpanned Cyborg playfully. Dick groaned as now the air was flooded with arguing between Beast Boy and Cyborg. He could feel a headache coming on already. Dick put a hand to his forehead, shaking it slightly.

Maybe he really should have stayed home today.

ooOOOOOoo

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