Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, and I don't own Slade either.
---
Kids These Days
---
If the night Robin came to Jeremy's bar was unusually quiet, the night Slade dropped by had been reminiscent of a funeral. Patrons took one look at the masked man and scurried out of the bar. Jeremy sadly watched them go, unable to blame them for their cowardice. Unfortunately, it didn't look like he was going to be able to make a profit tonight. After all, he only had one customer, and after taking up the entire bar all evening, the supervillian appeared to be about to leave without paying.
As Slade began to get to his feet, Jeremy was between him and the door in a flash, an instinctive reaction. Just as the dark figure's solitary eye met his, it occurred to Jeremy that asking for money would probably be a very bad idea.
Hastily, he blurted out, "Would you like to talk about it?"
This was the time-honored line that Jeremy had used on many difficult customers, so it slipped out of his mouth before his brain could remind him that psychopaths weren't just "difficult customers".
Slade paused. Jeremy wondered if he was about to die. After ten heart-stopping seconds the armored man demanded, "Talk about what?"
"Umm…err…whatever it is that has you here, now. In a bar."
"That's none of your business."
"Then…complaining about your love life or your family is another popular one."
"I have no such personal connections. They only make you weak."
"Sounds like that's a story in and of itself."
"You think I have 'family issues'?" Surprisingly, the villain sounded rather amused.
Jeremy shrugged dismissively. "Oh, everyone has issues of some sort or another. In fact, everyone would probably be considered insane according to at least one other person on the planet. That's what keeps life interesting, even if it does create problems sometimes. But problems are part of life."
"Would you consider five annoying teenagers to be an inevitable 'part of life'?"
"Ah, the younger generation. Another old problem. I know all about that one."
"I doubt you know anything about my obstacles and dilemmas."
"You'd be surprised. Everyone has been on the wrong side of the generation gap at one time or another. Me, I always have kids coming in here trying to buy drinks, with fake IDs or without. Some of them are really clever, and twice as persistent as they'd be if it wasn't illegal. So what can I do? I have to try to stop them, even though I know the challenge just eggs them on."
"I've found psychological tricks and physical damage to be quite effective."
"Really? You don't want to go too far, you know. They're just kids. In fact, I kind of find the whole thing rather amusing. There's something refreshing about a bunch of spirited teenagers, and I enjoy the challenge of matching wits with them. You win some, you lose some, but don't let it get you down. When it comes to teenagers, all adults can hope to do is survive them."
Jeremy paused, no longer sure what they were talking about anyway. He managed a weak smile. "Well, good luck mister," he said, stepping out of way so he no longer blocked the door.
Again, the single eye turned its gaze on him, seeming to sear his skin. "You're certainly an interesting person," a raspy voice stated. Then between one blink and another Slade was gone.
Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief, then went to clean up. But to his surprise, he saw on the table something that hadn't been there before.
Eighty five dollars and seventy two cents was resting on the counter. Exactly the amount of Slade's bill.
---
P.S. Since then, Slade has not made another visit to Jeremy's bar. However, if he ever does come back, Jeremy plans on trying to persuade him to leave a tip too.
Note: This is technically supposed to take place before Chapter One, even though I wrote it second. I didn't originally plan this, but after the end of part one, I couldn't stop wondering what exactly had happened the night Slade visited the bar. Next time, I'll get back to the Teen Titans.