Summary: Robin died saving Slade. Slade goes to the past because in the years that Robin has been dead, he's become even more obsessed with the acrobat than ever before. Now the other Teen Titans are acting weird, and Robin is determined to figure out why everybody is acting so strange in his presence. Imagine his surprise when he learns the truth. Now he has to figure out if Slade is a friend or a foe. And it's not going to be easy when dangerous enemies make themselves known in Jump City.
Disclaimer: I didn't do it, but I thought about it. Does that make me an accomplice?
AN: I don't think this story will be slash, but you never know. Could happen. If it does, there will be a warning. If not, well...there will be a warning for that too.
Flight Of The Robin
It shouldn't have happened. As he stares at the broken body of his foe, still considered a child by most, he can't help but feel...lost. And strangely enough...sad.
Sad and alone.
Like his life was over. Like he had lost everything dear to him. It wasn't a new feeling, but it was one that Slade hadn't felt in quite sometime. He remembered now why he didn't get close to people or get attached to anything. Not like he had before. Because this feeling...of emptiness and sorrow was not what Slade had ever wanted to feel again. He had hoped...but no. Slade took a deep breath and continued to stare at the lifeless body of Robin as he tried to come to terms with things.
It shouldn't have happened. This was not how things were to supposed to go! Robin was not supposed to die goddamn it! And yet...he had.
Slade wanted to hit something. Wanted to feel something break beneath his hands. He wanted to scream his rage and despair to the skies above. He wanted to smash everything in his path. He wanted the world to know how utterly broken he felt. He settled instead for pummeling his hands through the broken concrete underneath his feet until he couldn't feel his hands anymore. He ignored the blood that welled inside his gloves and traveled down to his fingertips. It wasn't anything new that he hadn't felt before.
Robin had saved him. Saved him! And he had paid the ultimate price for it: his life.
Slade knelt down next to the leader of the Titans.
He found himself drawn to the mask on the boy's face. His hands hesitated as he gripped the edges like a lifeline.
Should he? Should he look? "What does it matter now anyway? The boy is dead." he said harshly to himself.
He took off the mask with one solid tug. He stared at Robin's youthful features for a very long time; memorizing each contour of the face that would never reach adulthood.
Wait. He recognized the boy's face. Images flew through his brain. Richard Grayson. That was the boy's name. And he was the ward of the richest man in Gotham, Bruce Wayne.
Slade let out a low gravelly laugh. Robin was Dick Grayson. Dick Grayson was Robin. Not even he had seen that one coming. To think that his greatest enemy had been an orphaned circus brat with a rich father. He laughed again, but it quickly subsided.
He took off his glove and hesitantly touched Robin's lukewarm cheek. He was sorry. He didn't want to be but he couldn't help it. The boy...no Robin...was never even supposed to be here.
It had been his fault that Robin had even showed up anyway. Or so he liked to believe.
Robin had more than likely received an alert on his communicator telling him that Slade was active in Jump City.
Like the little hero he was, he had shown up with the rest of the Teen Titans, intent on taking him down. What nobody had realized, was that Slade had more far more enemies than anyone had thought.
Several of his previous "acquaintances" had been there as well. Mercs like he used to be. They had tracked him down and tried to kill him. But Robin had stopped that from happening by giving his life to save Slade.
But what Slade didn't understand was WHY Robin would willingly give his life to save...him.
Surely the boy understood the fact that they were enemies? Surely, Robin understood that if their positions had been reversed, Slade would've let fate decide if the boy lived or not? Slade knew that Robin was an intelligent boy; so much so that he tried on more than one occasion to make the him his apprentice.
But that one question ate at him: WHY? WHY would Robin choose to die for him? It didn't compute in his brain. Robin was the stereotypical hero; he was the bad guy. Was Robin so much of a hero that he would sacrifice his life for just anyone? Or was there another reason for what he had done?
Slade's head snapped up as he heard the remnants of the Teen Titans getting closer to his position. Fading into the shadows, Slade felt his triumph here today was bittersweet. His enemies, the mercs who had tracked him down lay slain, their blood splattered throughout the grungy area. But deep down, Slade knew he had won. Robin was dead and the Teen Titans would be no more. Not without their leader. Not without their heart.
Somehow, it didn't feel like a victory. Feeling hollow inside, Slade gave Robin's dead face one last glance before he disappeared, Robin's black and white mask gripped tightly within his human hand. No one would ever hear from Slade again.
AN: And there is Chapter One folks! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it! :D
The idea just suddenly came to me.
I mean, I always wondered what Slade's reaction would be if Robin got hurt saving him or something like that...and then, well this happened and I killed off the Boy Wonder. Don't worry though! He won't stay dead for very long! *evil laugh* Tune into the next installment of Flight of the Robin to see how everything works out! Till next time folks! Goodnight!