Into the Depths – Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six
Title of Endearment

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 7:05 am.

“You,” snarled Dick, the fury rising up above all the other emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. He scrambled backwards again, before bolting to his feet. He glared at Slade. “How dare you show your face here!”

“Uh… He’s still wearing the mask,” said Beast Boy in a tentative voice. A second later, he appeared to regret those words. Dick threw the younger member of the team the darkest glare yet. Beast Boy’s ears drooped slightly and he scampered behind Starfire, hiding like a frightened puppy. Dick whirled his glare back onto Slade, slicing a hand through the air.

“Get away from me, you traitor.”

“Dick, I have no time for your childish—”

“No time?!” screamed Dick, so loudly that his throat broke his voice. “No time!? We have all the time in the world because of you!”

“Dick, listen to me—”

“No!” shouted Dick, curling his arms around his waist and continuing to glare at Slade. The panic rose in his throat, his breathing catching. But he forced the attack back. “Stay away from us. You stay away from me. You betrayed me. You promised—you promised! You said you wouldn’t do this kind of stuff any more. You said you were a man of your word. But… it was all a lie, wasn’t it?” The tears were now flowing down Dick’s face. He let them. He didn’t bother to wipe them away. He wanted this man to know just how much he had torn his heart out. But… Maybe… Slade didn’t even care; further tears fell. “You went back on your word, when that was the only thing I could depend on. It’s gone now; I can’t trust you.” His breath caught in his throat as words flew out. “You’re no longer my father!”

There was a wave of pain that washed over Slade. Pure agony whirled inside the only human feature visible to their gaze – that single grey blue eye. A part of Dick’s heart cried out for hurting Slade’s feelings, but the more dominate side screamed in anguish and torment because of the overwhelming betrayal. This was far worse than Terra’s betrayal. Even though that one had hurt, it didn’t compare to this.

After all they had been through together – he, Dick and Slade – after those hard months of feeling like the man’s captive, after all those tumultuous feelings; after all the laughter, after all the tears, after all the pain, after all the newfound hope – after all that, the pain of this betrayal was too much for Dick’s heart. The man whom he had placed all his hope and all his trust upon had turned his back on him. Slade had once passed that test of trust; the man had passed – this shouldn’t be happening.

This shouldn’t be happening!

The tears were flowing faster down Dick’s cheeks as he looked at the man whom he had considered a father, a strength, an anchor; one whom he had gained so much comfort and love from, one whom he had loved in return. It was all a lie. The anger threatened to destroy all he ever knew. On top of everything – on top of the end of the world – Dick’s own tiny, special world had been destroyed, the remnants of that world burning to ashes of what had been.

The world of having a father at his side.

Slade let out a low sigh, putting a hand to the forehead of his mask and shaking his head lightly.

“All children get mad at their parents, Dick. It’s only natural—”

“No!” cried Dick. “You, Slade—” A flash of pain and anger lighted inside Slade’s grey blue eye. “—are no longer my parent. You lost that right!”

Then, the pent up remaining fury bubbled through Dick’s core. With a fierce cry, he rushed forward, wishing with all his might to land just a single hit on this man. He wanted his fist to shatter that mask. He wanted to give the man a well deserved black eye – even if the man healed far too fast. But Slade dodged each blow that came at him, moving on the defense. Dick’s vision was blurry as he threw each punch with muted screams in his throat. Finally, one of his punches was caught in the man’s hand. He responded automatically by swinging his leg towards the man’s face.

It was caught as well. A sob broke Dick’s lips briefly as memories of the past flooded through his mind – reminded of the very first fight he had in the haunt with the man. This time, however, Slade didn’t let go nor did he retaliate.

“Fight back, Slade!” screamed Dick, trying to wrench his fist free. He was in an awkward position, with his fist and ankle captured.

“You will stop this immediately,” said Slade in a low voice, one that only Dick could hear. “You will show me respect.”

“As if!” shouted Dick. He threw his body backwards, drawing his free leg upward to kick. His fist and ankle were released as Slade blocked the blow. Dick flipped back and continued the fight, thrusting every punch he could without stopping.

“You will stop calling me by name,” snapped Slade, his grey blue eye flashing with anger and pain. “You will show me some respect or face the consequences.”

Dick let out a scream of hate as he rushed forward once more. He was stopped as Slade grabbed him by the wrists, halting him from his attack. Dick struggled fiercely in the hold, the tears flowing down his cheeks once again. They burned his eyes.

“Let me go, Slade!”

“Stop calling me that.”

“You don’t deserve to be called anything else, you traitor! You have no right to demand anything from me!”

“Stop struggling and listen to me!”

Dick’s ferocity and fury came to its climax. The pressure in his chest threatened to explode. He bared his teeth at the man, feeling all the terror and pain that had been placed on his soul because of recent events. He stopped struggling in Slade’s grasp and glared up at the man. Before he could hold himself back, before he could remember that his friends could hear him, he let forth a number of derogatory terms in Slade’s honor. The expletives fell from his mouth like sludge as he spat them out.

The shock which entered that grey blue eye would’ve been comical if Dick hadn’t been so furious.

However, the moment for comedy was extremely short as that very same grey blue eye narrowed dangerously, a level of frightening, yet controlled irritation billowing there. There wasn’t even a second to blink away the angry tears. The man released his wrists, but there was no time to dash to freedom, as a second later, Dick suddenly found himself bent over and tucked into Slade’s side.

Then, it was in that moment Dick figured out what Slade was about to do.

There was a chorus of gasps from his friends, causing Dick’s fury flamed face to be replaced with a brief flush of embarrassment. A second later, a very hard hand connected with his posed backside, the all too familiar sting blossoming there and the solitary sound echoing in the stillness of the air. He squeezed his eyes shut, the tears of his rage and agony of heart dropping to dead earth below.

As a second hard swat landed on his seat, Dick began to struggle against Slade’s side. There was no way on this destroyed earth he was going to allow Slade to do this to him – in front of his friends no less. No! However – and he obviously didn’t know it – Starfire had forced the two boys to turn their backs on this event to give father and son a private moment, even to the point of forcibly struggling against Cyborg, even threatening bodily harm to the older teen, from interfering on Dick’s behalf. Of course, it certainly didn’t shield them from the sound that was created by the third swat.

“Stop it!” demanded Dick, pushing against Slade’s unyielding torso with both his hands. The man’s arm was made of iron as always, however. It tightened its hold around his waist.

“How dare you speak to me in such a way!” shouted Slade, his voice filled with a dark tone that would’ve normally stilled Dick. “Now stop it; you have two more. You better hold still and stop this nonsense or there will be additional swats.”

“You can’t do this to me!” snapped Dick, beginning to hit Slade’s back with clenched fists. “You can’t! You have no right! You have no right to parent me!”

“Oh, I most certainly can and I most certainly will,” said Slade with a snap of his own, his tone thoroughly severe and stern. That hand connected once more to Dick’s backside as he spoke. Pain flared up again, countering the pain within his heart. “I am your father. I have every right to discipline such unruly behavior and uncouth language. You will stop this or be subjected to further punishment. We don’t have time to deal with your childish tantrums!”

“You’re not my father any more!”

Dick’s body was shaken once.

“I have adoption papers stating otherwise,” hissed Slade in a quick breath. “You can’t drop me when it suits you. You are the child. I am the adult.”

“Look around you!” screamed Dick, forgetting they had an audience. “Everything’s destroyed. Nothing matters any more, because you helped Trigon return. Even Will—” Dick’s voice broke briefly. He gasped a shuddering breath,  before he found his voice again. “You could’ve stopped him—you could’ve helped us! Instead, you had to be the enemy! Why?!”

There was a pause, but Slade didn’t release his hold.

“There was no stopping this.”

The man’s answer was hoarse.

“What kind of bull crap is that?” cried Dick, his chest heaving once. “We could’ve stopped this! We’re heroes, it’s what we do!”

There was an exasperated huff from Slade. His arm tightened again around Dick’s waist. It quickly became apparent that Slade wasn’t going to only deliver two more swats like he had said. Instead, there was now a constant sound which echoed in the air as Slade’s hand continued to rain down on Dick’s seat.

The pain that allocated there was nowhere near as painful as what had collected inside Dick’s heart.

“I hate you, Slade!” screamed Dick, his heart twisting so hard that it felt like a knife stabbing him. The tears continued to fall unobstructed. “Go join Trigon’s little army since you’re so happy the world has been destroyed.”

There was one final almighty slap to his seat before he was righted. In that instant, Dick attempted to get away from the man, wanting nothing more than to run away from everything, him especially – but large hands clasped his shoulders before he could escape. He tried to wrench himself free, thrashing wildly in the man’s hands. His chest heaved in his heavy breaths, the pain in his heart felt as if it would burst the very organ – it was hurting so much, he barely noticed the sting the impromptu wallops had created. With a satisfied glow of triumph, Dick managed to kick the man in the shin. There was a low growling groan, but that was all. Then, Dick was given a tremendous shake, causing his head to snap back slightly.

“Enough!” shouted Slade, his terrifying tone stilling Dick. He whipped his head upward to glare at the man. Those hands squeezed Dick’s flesh and Slade’s chest rose in a few angry breaths.

“Three things,” began Slade sternly, his grey blue eye flashing dangerously through his mask—and that was one of the things that bugged Dick about this whole crap that Slade was pulling. Couldn’t the man do him the simple courtesy of being glared at to his face? Dick wanted to see the man’s reactions to his full blown anger and rage. “The first, you will never use such language ever again – to me or to anyone else. I never want to hear such horrific profanity from your lips again or – so help me! – you won’t sit down for a week and your tongue will be scrubbed down with Will’s strongest detergent. Am I understood?”

Dick clamped his mouth shut, glowering up at the man through glistening eyes. No way he was going to answer; no way he was going to give this man power over him. This was far different than before. This wasn’t just a simple power struggle between the Hero and the Villain as it was in the beginning. Dick was not going to let this man win.

He was sharply shaken once.

“Answer me!”

Dick sucked in his breath at the frightening tone the man was taking. He squeezed his eyes shut. No, he wasn’t going to allow the man get away with this. He couldn’t betray him, help destroy the world, and go back to being a father to him. It just didn’t work that way.

Dick’s eyes popped open as he was roughly turned to the side and rewarded with a sharp clout against his already stinging backside. A moment later, he was facing Slade once more.

“Well?”

Automatically, Dick nodded jerkily, his locked jaw trembling as he gave into this man – like he always did. Yet, he still refused a verbal answer and glared with renewed vigor.

“Second,” continued Slade, his eye flaring once. “Just because you’re heroes – as you say – doesn’t make you all powerful. Especially you! There will just be some things you cannot do. Stopping a bodiless interdimensional demon, who is the devil himself, just happens to be one of them.”

Dick’s face scrunched up in anger and disgust – but Slade continued before he could interject his protests.

“And third,” said Slade, his chest lifting once in a deep breath. Then, like a switch, the tension in his body relaxed. It caused a ripple effect and Dick calmed against his will. He’d seen this before, this body language: as if Slade were about to reveal some vulnerability inside of himself. When Slade continued, his low voice cracked slightly with emotion, “And third… I would have never required a title of endearment from you, not after your first parents, not after your first father.”

Dick’s left shoulder was released as Slade put a hand to his masked forehead. The man’s voice became even lower, hoarse with emotion.

“But since you have given me one, since you have begun to use one, I’ve grown rather attached to it,” whispered Slade, the emotions of his heart fully prevalent throughout his tone. His voice rose as he continued, “So, you’ll have to forgive me for not indulging you in this childish behavior. I will accept nothing less than the position of being your father.”

Dick’s heart broke into countless pieces, the shattered shards collapsing within the chasm of his soul. He bit his lower lip, hard. He hated the fact that Slade had betrayed his trust. He hated the fact that Slade could wallop him as if nothing had happened. But what he really hated was the fact that the man acted as if he truly loved Dick still – even after the betrayal, even after everything that had happened.

And why—why did Dick’s heart melt because of it?!

Perhaps, it wasn’t all a lie…

“I’ve never broke my word with you,” whispered Slade, his words only for Dick’s ears. “I said that I would never…” There was a soft exhale of breath. “…never beat you again; I haven’t. I said that I wouldn’t be Deathstroke any more; I haven’t – no, even now I’m not. I said I would never lie to you – and I haven’t.”

Dick’s face lifted to protest, but Slade’s voice overrode him.

“I haven’t—I haven’t lied to you,” said Slade, his tone filled with an almost desperation. “I have withheld certain information because I had to – you’ve known that I would – but I haven’t lied to you. I swear it.”

There was such pain, such agony, such love in that grey blue eye – that eye which Dick had depended his entire soul upon. This man was his anchor. This man was his comfort. He understood this man better than his first father – or so he thought. He had grown to love this man, had grown to care about him, had grown through everything that their impossible journey had played out before them. There was nothing more that Dick wanted at that moment than to be back home, and around that kitchen table, and eating dinner with the two men that had become his inseparable family.

That eye was telling him the truth. Dick knew that much, could read that much in the man’s movements. Slade hadn’t lied to him. He had done something horrible, had helped a terrible demon destroy the world, but he hadn’t lied. There was some reason why; Slade would have a reason.

In some ways, Slade had done better than he had in that regard.

Maybe… It wasn’t a lie. Maybe Cyborg was wrong. What we had… It wasn’t a lie.

Dick looked down at the ground, his chest lifting in his deep breaths. He had questions. He was angry—furious even, but somehow it was beginning to fade. The relief was replacing it far too quickly for his liking. Why couldn’t he hold onto his anger longer? It wasn’t fair. Slade deserved his anger, after all he had done – including walloping him in front of his friends. The jerk. He refused to contemplate on the fact that maybe shouting such profanity at the man wasn’t exactly proper behavior and that maybe – just maybe! – he deserved a little – just a little! –  of what the man had handed him.

As that thought rose inside his mind, his cheeks and all the way to his ears flushed a bright heated crimson. He couldn’t turn around to see his friends’ expressions as they had, no doubt, witnessed this whole fiasco. Oh, lovely. Oh, joy. His friends had seen Slade wallop him. They had seen. Ugh, he was never going to live this down. It was the most humiliating thing ever. If the end of the world didn’t kill him first, this would.

But Dick’s thoughts disappeared as his cheeks became encased with the man’s gloved hands, forcing his head to look upward. The man’s hands were so tender on his cheeks, Dick couldn’t stop the tears that began to flood his eyes again. His lips trembled as he looked up into Slade’s only visible feature. Gloved thumbs laced beneath his eyes, wiping the tears away.

“Listen to me, Dick,” whispered Slade, gently squeezing the flesh beneath his fingers. The man’s hands, though, weren’t warm. “There’s a chance Raven is still alive. You might still be able to save her, but every moment we waste here, her chance for survival weakens.”

Raven… is alive?

It was so hard to go back to his earlier feelings. The man was making it so difficult. Maybe it really was true. Could someone truly fake such softness? The world was gone now; was there any reason to play the game any more if that was all it had been?

That meant he was still loved. That meant his own love was not in vain. That meant what they’d had was truth. And while Dick wasn’t sure about the man’s recent choice of siding with Trigon, in the very least the past was not some horrific manipulation, as Cyborg had made it seem to be.

Those hands squeezed ever so tenderly once more.

“Dick, are you listening to me?”

Crystal blue eyes glanced upward, staring deep inside grey blue. The mask was a hindrance for Dick’s understanding. He lifted a hand to the man’s face, intent on removing it, when the man grabbed him by the wrist. There was a subtle shake of the head.

“You attacked my team,” whispered Dick. “You acted like the enemy. You took Raven and now she’s gone. It’s your fault. You helped Trigon. Now, you’re saying you want to save Raven? You need to explain yourself. You owe me that, don’t you think?”

“We don’t have time,” said Slade, whispering as well. “The longer we wait, the more powerful Trigon grows. If you want to save her, we have to go, now. And quickly.”

Dick’s fingers curled. The man didn’t release his wrist. Dick’s hand hovered in the air, an inch away from brushing against the duel colored metal. Why couldn’t the mask come off? Why wouldn’t the man let him take it off?

“You need to tell me – no, all of us – why you did this.”

“I had a number of reasons, none of which we have time to go into—”

“Name one—Name one and I’ll go.”

There was a low, exasperated sigh.

“Fine. One, because a bullet could not penetrate Trigon’s skull,” said Slade, his tone dark. His eye moved slightly, as if he had lifted an eyebrow behind the mask. “Trust me, I attempted to do so. It was ineffective.” There was an inhale of breath. The man’s voice turned dangerously silky. “But now it is very possible and I intend to return the favor against my family. My aim will be absolute. But first, I believe you have a friend to save.”

Dick waited, watching that grey blue eye. His fingers uncurled. They brushed against the cool metal. He reached a little harder; the man stiffened, his hold on Dick’s wrist stopping those fingers from grabbing the mask.

“Stop it,” said Slade.

“I want to see your face. I need to see if you’re telling me the truth.”

“I just said I wanted to shoot Trigon. You doubt my sincerity in that?”

“Take off the mask.”

“Stop it—”

“Take it off!” demanded Dick, his voice instantly rising.

The man’s eye widened in anger. His grip tightened on Dick’s wrist. “Do not push me on this. You are already on thin ice as it is.”

“I’m on thin ice?” repeated Dick incredulously, jerking his hand out of Slade’s grasp. He jabbed the man in the chest. “Excuse me, you’re the one who sided with Trigon; you’re the one who betrayed us; you’re the one who took Raven away to become some portal for destruction. I think you fell through that ‘thin ice’ and drowned. Maybe things could’ve been a little better if you had freaking talked to me in the first place!”

“And what would you have done, then, hm?” said Slade, growling slightly. “Would you have agreed with allowing Raven to become the portal? Would you have agreed with letting the world become ruined? Would you have listened and obeyed my judgment? Don’t even pretend that you would’ve obeyed me. You and I both know you would’ve gone off on your own thinking to assert your childish wisdom.”

“Oh, yeah,” drawled Dick. “Because your—” He used air quotes. “—’adult wisdom’ is going brilliantly so far!”

“You being angry with me does not give you a free pass with the disrespect,” snapped Slade. “You’re getting a bit too big for your britches here.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you sided with Trigon!”

“Enough of this foolishness!”

Starfire’s clear voice silenced all argument; all attention turned to her.

“I have heard far too much fighting,” said Starfire, putting her hands onto her hips. Her eyes nearly glowed with green, and her voice rang strong and powerful. “I will no longer allow it. We cannot be divided, not now, not ever. We are family. We are friends. I am tired of the fighting. I am tired of the mean talking. Stop hurting each other. No more. It does us no good. And, Dick—” Her monochromatic eyes focused on him. He straightened nervously, as if he were about to be rebuked. “You must remember what I told you, yes?”

Dick nodded.

“Good. Do not forget it again, please.”

Dick nodded obediently, before ducking his head, the vague thought that Starfire would be a powerfully frightening mother one day crossing his mind. A second thought mentioned something that she’d have to if they were to have a lot of kids. And there was no holding back the blush that graced Dick’s face. The silence following became awkward. After a few moments, Dick secretly glanced his eyes around. Cyborg looked positively murderous towards Slade.

For once, Dick didn’t blame him.

Then, without warning, Cyborg powered up his cannon. A second later, a blast shattered a wall, which happened to be behind Slade. With a rage of fury, Cyborg threw himself at Slade what appeared with every segment of energy and power he possessed.

“Cyborg, no!” cried Starfire.

“Dude!”

But the eldest Teen Titan didn’t listen to her. He fought fiercely against Slade, who, like before with Dick, didn’t lay a hand on Cyborg. The man dodged the blows, never once retaliating – however, as the punches became more intense, Slade seemed to slow down.

Starfire tried to interfere, but she couldn’t get into the fight without harming either party. Beast Boy shouted at the older teen, trying to make him see sense in the situation. But Dick could only watch in silence. He wasn’t sure what to do any more. Was he going to stop Cyborg? Was he going to listen to Slade? Was he going to trust this man once more?

Then, a blast caught Slade in the chest; he slammed against a wall, which crumbled and collapsed over his body. Dick’s breath caught in his chest. Slade became covered in the rubble. A moment later, the rubble moved with a muffled groan. Slade pushed himself out of the debris, before he was faced with the barrel of Cyborg’s cannon.

“Why is it you?” whispered Cyborg. “Why, out of so many better men in the world, why did it have to be you?”

There was a muffled, yet audible exhale of breath from Slade. “I don’t know,” he whispered hoarsely. There was a pause. The cannon powered up; Slade didn’t move.

‘You cannot give up on him.’

‘He said he was sorry.’

‘He’s the worst thing to ever happen to you.’

‘Don’t forget: he loves you.’

Voices folded through Dick’s head, each battling the other to rise to the top of his heart. Then, a clear voice echoed inside, reminding him of the words Slade had spoken before.

‘You know that through my actions, I destroyed my first family… Then, you should know, I will make any decision, any choice, to protect the one I have now – no matter what.’

Dick’s legs were moving of their own accord. His mother’s voice rose above all the others, her gentle words ringing stronger than ever before.

‘I was assigned to a man… your Mama saw the great potential of his heart… He wanted companionship; oh, but not the companionship of a woman. No, he wanted a son – a son that he could cherish, raise, and love.’

As Dick skidded to a stop in between the cannon and Slade, more words flooded through his mind, spoken with the voice he could never forget – yet, they weren’t of an old, faded memory. The presence flowed over him, the familiar lilting, trilling voice gentle and warm beyond measure. They rose with chiding clarity.

“Now you listen here, your Mama did not make a mistake. If you cannot trust him any more, then trust my decision for you. He was my choice for my little robin.”

With barely a moment to spare, the cannon stopped powering up and lowered. That voice, one which Dick never stopped longing to hear, faded away. Though he had felt drained of all willpower, somehow Dick stood between Cyborg and Slade with his arms outstretched.

Even without her words, Dick found himself thinking, I’ll try, Mama.

He took a deep breath as he met Cyborg’s gaze. The older teen stared with deep bitterness in his eyes. Dick’s fingers curled into his palms. He slowly pulled his hands to his chest, before lowering them to his sides. His hands clenched tightly.

“You still defend him,” whispered Cyborg. “Even after everything he’s done, you still choose him over your friends.”

“I haven’t chosen anyone over the other,” said Dick.

Cyborg’s nose wrinkled in anger. The cannon powered up once again, pointing at him. Something caught inside Dick’s chest. Cries of shocked protest from the remaining Titans fell on deaf ears. Dick did not flinch.

“Are you really going to trust him again?” asked Cyborg, his tone flinty. “Are you going to make the same mistake again?”

“He’s not a mistake,” said Dick sternly, but his gaze was soft. “I want to save Raven. If he says she’s still alive, then I have to save her. I have to bring her back. And I trust that… he had a reason for what he did. I will find out why. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Dick was aware the man could hear him. He wanted Slade to hear. He wanted the man to know that there was no way he was going to get away with the standard, “Because I said so.” answer here.

There was a long moment where Dick met Cyborg’s gaze; all the while, he ignored the weapon pointed at his face. Then, finally, Cyborg’s expression crumpled. His arm dropped to his side, the cannon instantly powering back down once again.

“Why him?” asked Cyborg; his voice was soft and now void of hostility.

“Because.”

He didn’t elaborate, though the words, Because, Mama approves of him, lifted through his mind. A smile touched his lips; he schooled his features afterward. Dick turned around and held out a hand to Slade. The man accepted it and was pulled to his feet a moment later.

“I’ll go with you, for Raven’s sake.”

And you’ll answer every last one of my questions, whether you like it or not.

“Oi!” shouted a voice. “Now, as much as I wanna grab a bag of popcorn to enjoy the drama show going on here, don’t ya’ll think it’s bad timing to be having heated ‘discussions’ right now when there’s a giant red demon thingy planting his oversized butt on Titans Tower?”

Dick glanced towards the voice to see two familiar faces. Rose had her hands on her hips, while Joey was grinning from ear to ear. His hair, which had once been blond, was now a matching pure white – down to his eyebrows and eyelashes.

Relief poured through Dick. They were alive. They were alive. They hadn’t been hurt, nor had they died. They weren’t stone, like Wintergreen. Oh, they were still alive!

Dick bolted to them before he could stop himself. However, he came to an abrupt stop. He shifted his weight on his feet, as he stood in front of them. He knew what he wanted, but he suddenly felt unsure. A gentle smile spread across Joey’s face. Rose rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips as well. Together, they pulled Dick into a group hug.

A sigh rippled through Dick’s body. They felt alive. They felt warm.

“I’m so glad you’re both okay,” whispered Dick, tightening his hold on them.

Rose nuzzled his cheek. “I dunno about Joey, but I can’t die yet, little brother. I have way too many plans to test out on you.”

Dick laughed softly. “Why does that sound ominous?”

“Knowing her, it is.”

They pulled apart. Joey ruffled Dick’s hair, while Rose linked arms with him.

As they walked up to the group, Joey waved. Then, he opened his mouth and with an unmistakable voice, said, “I died.” Joey’s voice was clear, unlike as he had spoken before. Dick’s eyes widened, his mouth slowly dropping.

Slade inhaled softly. After a moment, he drawled, “Oh, yes, that’s what every father wants to hear from his son.”

Joey grinned brightly. “What, is this better, then?”

There was an annoyed groan. “Joey, please stop that now.”

“Immortality definitely has some perks here,” said Joey. He smiled mischievously. “I look forward to many future pranks with some of my college mates.”

Slade responded, but it wasn’t heard by Dick. His mind was processing what Joey had just said.

Then, Dick laughed. He couldn’t help it. His shoulders shook as the laughter grew even more. He slapped a hand over his eyes, just as his head lifted upward.

“Ah! Oi! I think Dickiebird has finally cracked!”

Everything had been so horrible and yet, Joey seemed to find the silver lining to it. He expected to get out of this. He expected to come out of this unscathed to prank his college mates. How absurd was that? Dick barely had it together, barely had anything holding his soul together, and here Joey could easily say that.

Dick had to be stronger.

“I’m okay,” said Dick, breathing heavily. Another chuckle broke through; he stifled it. “I’m okay.”

“As much as this reunion sets me at ease, we still have the larger problem on our hands,” said Slade. He brushed off some of the debris on his shoulder. “Raven is still alive. Trigon has descended – or ascended, however your view – to become mortal. Right now, Trigon is gathering strength. Now would be the time to strike. But rescuing Raven is also a priority. The longer we leave her, the more likely she’ll disappear. Even with defeating Trigon, we could still lose her.”

“Oh, and Trigon told you all this?” demanded Cyborg. “Exchanged stories, did you?”

Slade didn’t rise to the bait. “No, I gleaned this information while under his contract. I learned some interesting things, including where her location may be.”

He let out a low sigh.

“However, someone needs to distract him while we rescue Raven. Even while gathering his energy and forces, his powers are still far reaching. If he knew what we were doing, he may kill her. As much as we need to regroup, Dick and I need to go after her now. We cannot waste any more time.”

Then, Slade took a ring off his finger. He motioned to Starfire, who obediently stepped forward. Cyborg glared at her; she ignored him. Slade placed the ring in her hand.

“This should protect you while you fight, but don’t lose it. It… was a gift from a friend.”

Starfire nodded, just as Dick whipped his head towards Slade. The man didn’t meet his gaze.

“Trigon may be all powerful, but he isn’t invincible,” continued Slade. He still wouldn’t meet Dick’s stare. “Find his weak points and drive him insane. I don’t expect you to win, but you need to endure. We’ll come back as soon as we can – and when we do, I’ll finish him off.”

“Dad, you can’t defeat Trigon by yourself,” said Joey, incredulous. “Have you seen his size? He’s huge.”

“He’s mine,” hissed Slade. “I want his head rotting on a mountaintop when I’m through with him.”

“No.”

Slade’s head lifted slightly, before meeting Dick’s defiant gaze.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” said Dick, folding his arms. “This is a team based attack. You don’t get to finish this alone.”

“You don’t have a say in the matter,” said Slade, his grey blue eye flashing with anger. “You—”

“Oh, yes, I do. I am the leader of the Teen Titans. Trigon is our enemy. This isn’t your fight alone. This is our fight. Accept it or else I’m not going anywhere with you.”

There was an exasperated growl as Slade put a hand to his forehead, his fingers brushing against the metal of his mask.

“Fine. We can’t waste any more time. We need to go.”

Dick nodded and looked back at his friends. Cyborg had a hard, harsh expression on his face, while Beast Boy and Starfire looked extremely concerned. Tears flooded in her eyes. She flew to him and threw her arms around his neck; Dick’s arms instantly responded, wrapping themselves around her waist. He could feel her face buried into his neck. He did the same, his face being engulfed by her scented hair.

“Starfire?” whispered Dick ever so softly; he wanted only her to hear his voice.

“Yes, Dick?”

“I have something to tell you. Only you,” said Dick in that same, soft whisper. He felt her cheek slide against his neck. At any other time, Dick would’ve blushed up a storm at her touch, but now his mind was clear with only one thing. Thus, he was filled with the desire to express to her, just in case.

Just in case, he never came back.

Just in case, he never saw her again.

Just in case, they couldn’t overcome this horrible, horrible trial.

“Star… Kori, I want you to know one thing,” continued Dick, his arms tightening around her waist. Even with the intense closeness, he drew her as close as possible. He felt her still in his arms, slightly waiting for his words. With a fiery peace washing over him, he whispered in Starfire’s ear, his lips brushing against her skin, the long desire of his heart, “I love you.”

There was a sharp intake of breath near his ear.

“Not just a best friend. More than that. More than anything. I… I can’t leave without saying it.”

There was great reluctance in his movements when Dick pulled away. To his relief, he felt the same thing from Starfire. Everything was forgotten as Dick looked inside her glimmering eyes. They were overflowing with large tears, which slid down her tanned cheeks. He gave her a smile.

But then, Starfire pulled him back into another hug. Dick flushed when he felt her lips brush against his ear. There was a soft, warm exhale of breath that sent a chill into Dick’s heart. A gentle whisper laced into his ear, five words filled with special meaning entering there. Then, before Dick could comprehend its meaning, something soft pressed against his cheek.

It was over in a moment, but it was branded inside Dick’s memory. Starfire had withdrawn, leaving Dick stunned to the spot.

‘I love you as well.’

“Come back alive, please,” said Starfire, squeezing his hands. Dick nodded, still rooted to the spot.

“Yes,” whispered Dick, blinking in a daze for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and nodded again. “We’ll come back for sure and we’ll bring Raven back with us – no matter what.”

“And while you do that, we’ll give Trigon a run for his money,” said Rose, slamming her fist into her hand. Her grin turned feral. “I wonder how long the beast will last.”

“Yeah! We’ll make Trigon regret ever messing with the Teen Titans,” said Beast Boy. He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“This is the biggest adventure I’ve ever had in my life,” said Joey with a bright smile. “This is going to be fun.”

Rose rolled her eyes. A smile touched Dick’s mouth. He knew what Rose and Joey were doing, and he appreciated their effort. Dick glanced at his friends. The weight of their situation sank onto his shoulders. Starfire looked determined, but there were tears in her eyes. Beast Boy put on a brave front, but the cloud in his eyes spoke of uncertainty. And Cyborg… Well, he wouldn’t look at him. Dick stepped forward and placed a hand onto the older teen’s arm.

“Cyborg, I don’t know why you hate me—”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Well…” began Dick. He bit his lips, wondering if Cyborg was telling the truth. “Whatever reason you’re mad at me, I want us to be friends.”

Cyborg looked at him. “We are friends.”

“Are we?” asked Dick.

Pain entered the older teen’s human eye.

“I have never stopped being your friend, Cy,” whispered Dick. “Whether I was Robin or Dick, I am your friend. Please don’t forget that.”

Cyborg stood still for a moment, before he finally nodded. Dick smiled, which seemed to generate a similar response from Cyborg.

“Dick, we need to go.”

Dick turned his head to the side and gave an acknowledging nod. He glanced at Beast Boy and tapped the younger boy on the chin, giving him a reassuring smile. Then, with one final, longing gaze at Starfire – which was returned in full – he turned away from the group and walked towards Slade. When Dick came to his side, the man rested a hand onto his middle back.

The touch was of old welcomed warmth.

“Wear the ring, Starfire,” said Slade. “Stick together and protect one another.”

Starfire nodded, slipping the ring onto her finger. “We will,” she said with strength. “We will keep Trigon occupied.” Her monochromatic eyes burned with determination.

And with that, Dick and Slade began their descent into the depths.

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