CrimsonGeist: This chapter, while short, was well worth the wait. Grant finally got rapped up from last "season", and we got a good setup for next chapter.
Re: Yeah. Grant Wilson seemed like an interesting character, and since his apartment got destroyed when his apartment got destroyed by the Teen Titans' altercation with the Gordanians (inspired by the history of an alternating continuity), that's why I put Grant in, before finding a good way to kill him off.
*TEEN TITANS*
The rest of the day following Grant Wilson's death, daily crime rates were at an all-time low. Normally with so many cops killed in one day, run-of-the-mill thugs would be emboldened to act, but the death of a perceived "supervillain" was enough to make them think twice, since anyone who gave the cops a hard time might get gunned down "to prevent further losses".
Ventus stayed in his room for most of the day to follow, and his time as Slade's apprentice showed because despite Cyborg's best efforts, he couldn't hack the locks on his door when the others started to get really worried. He'd even put up the lockdown shutters on his windows sealing himself in.
Raven could have made a portal into the room since there weren't any magical defenses, but as one who liked her own space, she was unwilling to infringe upon another's.
Beast boy, for once, was smart enough not to try anything like try to become a fly on the wall. He'd seen the electric flyswatter Ventus kept in his room, and he did not want to know what something the size of a fat grain of rice felt.
You only have to put your hand on a hot stove once to learn your lesson.
Starfire, Terra, and Kitten growing especially worried when he wouldn't come out, had asked Robin for his input.
The Boy Wonder's answer? Climb in through the air ducts.
The problem? He'd replaced the airducts going in and out of his room with something significantly smaller none of them could climb through.
When'd he even had the time to do that?
Fortunately, it seemed the teen still had an appetite, because when Raven warped the evening's dinner into his room, she'd been able to retrieve clean dishes an hour later.
*TEEN TITANS*
"I'm walking on sunshine~ Wooow! I'm walking on sunshine~ Wooow! I'm walking on sunshine~ Wooow! And don't it feel good!" Ventus sung the following morning, bright and early as he made breakfast in the kitchen, this being among the last things the Titans expected.
"Well… He certainly has a nice singing voice~" Kitten purred as the white-haired teen danced like no-one was watching, her eyes following his derriere as he moved from side to side. "Wonder what a duet with him would sound like~?" she purred, her tongue ghosting across her lips.
"Keep it in your panties," Raven huffed as she shoved her way past the lovestruck girl, floating across the room before coming to rest on one of the stools.
"Oh, hey Raven! You're looking nice today!" Ventus greeted with a bright smile. "Green tea? Your favorite~"
" . . . Thank you," Raven hummed, gratefully taking the cup and sipping from it. "That's good tea."
"Thank you~"
"You… don't seem overly concerned… With what happened yesterday," Terra hummed as she joined Raven at the counter, a little caught off-guard when a cup of orange juice was set out before her. "Oh, uh… Thanks," she said sipping from it, since that was exactly what she'd wanted to start the day with.
"You have something for me~?" Kitten asked.
"Soy milk, low-fat."
"A boy after my own heart~" Kitten cooed gratefully.
"Ventus…" Cyborg said standing at the opposite counter. "If you're repressing, you need to come out with it."
"I don't regret not being able to save him," Ventus said flatly, turning away from the girls before they could see his ugly side. "In order to save someone, you have to not save someone else, or you'll save no-one. That over-inflated fanboy killed those cops, good men and women with families; husbands, wives, children. He died with hate in his heart and got exactly what he deserved. We gave him his warning, he didn't take it. Him burning himself out isn't on either of our heads."
"Maybe, but some would argue that yours and Starfire's tag-team was what killed him in the end," Robin stated.
"Whatever he was hopped up on changed his metabolic rate, and that's the dumbed-down version. He'd been getting wrinkles well before our fight ended. It was only a matter of time until he got a case of The Olds and keeled over," Ventus stated curtly. "Or are you going to be so anal-retentive about details that I can begin harvesting diamonds after I start shoving lumps of coal up your ass."
"Not the ass!" Robin yelped leaping back, his hands going protectively to his derriere.
He'd known Ventus long-enough to know he would go there.
Like that time with the Vietnam-era flamethrower and that episode with the tofu pops.
'God my teammate is weird.'
"Um… Guys?" Beast Boy spoke up.
"Regular soy milk for you, Beast Boy."
"I appreciate the gesture, but that's not why I'm trying to get your attention," the changeling said from one of the monitors. "Who called in the butler?"
" . . . What?" Robin asked confusedly.
*TEEN TITANS*
The Teen Titans, postponing their morning breakfast, made their way down to the main foyer at the base of the tower to see what was going on. Of course, after the way Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo ambushed them, the Titans had made a new policy never to all be in one place when greeting a potential guest; hence Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were at the door while the other "more squishy" members of the team stood in the back.
The sub-door opening since the hydraulics for the true doors ate up a ton of electricity, the gathered Titans were greeted by a tall Caucasian man with combed-back white hair, a fantastic handlebar mustache, and well-developed muscles clad in a dark green suit atypical of a domestic servant.
"Um… Hi," Robin began awkwardly, wondering not only if this was going to turn violent, but how the man with the fantastic mustache managed to get past all their perimeter defenses.
"Good morning," the man replied amicably.
"Sooo… Uhhh… What's your name?"
"My name is Willian Randolph Wintergreen, A-22 Squadron of her Majesty's Special Air Service; retired of course," the man greeted courteously. "At the moment I am the executor and trustee of Slade Wilson's last will and testament, and am here to distribute his property to his remaining beneficiary."
" . . . "
" . . . "
" . . . "
"WHAT?!" the gathered Titans summarily gawped after several moments' silence.
"Wintergreen? Is that really you?" Terra asked poking her head out.
"It is I, Miss 'Terra'," the well-groomed man replied as the girl stepped forward.
"Why're you here to read out a will? Wouldn't I be the last person Slade would make a beneficiary?"
"To answer that question, it is not you that Slade bequeathed his estate onto," the man answered, all eyes turning to Ventus who had in fact also been Slade's apprentice for a time.
"Wait… ME?!"
*TEEN TITANS*
The Titans, deciding it was relatively more courteous to receive their guest up in the main room, guided Wintergreen up the Tower. Despite being a mere butler, Robin and Cyborg weren't taking any chances. Robin hadn't known about any "Wintergreen" until this very moment, so if the man truly was involved with Slade, then it was purely in the capacity of a civil servant, and thus had committed no crimes that could be prosecuted over.
Wintergreen, upon entering the living room and seeing the mess left over at the front of the den from the previous night, had an expression on his face that said- "Ugh. Teenagers." -, before schooling it once again and taking a seat at the table that Terra pulled out for him.
"So… You're really Slade's butler?" Robin started, sitting across from the man.
"Indeed I am."
"And you used to be part of her Majesty's Special Air Service?"
"I'm long-since retired from that role."
"Huh… And here I thought Slade only had robot butlers," Beast Boy hummed.
"And you're really here to eke out Slade's will?" Raven asked.
"That is my stated reason for being here, yes," Wintergreen nodded.
"What about Rose?" Ventus asked. "What happened to her?"
"Rose was… less than pleased about how Slade's wealth was distributed," Wintergreen answered. "What she received was in no ways a small monetary sum, but that the majority of Slade's will was bequeathed unto you…"
"That… I'm not really sure what to make of that…"
"So Mr. Green."
"Are you referring to me or yourself?" Wintergreen asked wryly.
"What exactly was that Grant guy's deal? Was he part of Slade's fanclub? The president maybe?"
One explanation later…
"Say what?!" the Titans gawped.
"Grant Wilson was Slade's son but didn't know it because his parents were separated," Wintergreen repeated.
"And he didn't even know? All the way until the end?" Robin asked.
"In as few words, yes," Wintergreen answered. "Slade wanted better for his son, but it didn't happen. Rose found her way into the fold and wouldn't leave so Slade took her on when he wasn't trying to indoctrinate either of you," he said glancing at Robin and Terra. "All that's left of the Wilson bloodline that isn't 'evil' is Jericho, and he's the farthest thing from a super-soldier, so I doubt you'll have to worry about him coming after you in a fit of revenge."
"Moving back to the point at hand…" Robin grumbled. "You're telling me that Slade left his legitimate will toward Ventus?"
"Not toward his superhero alias, but yes."
"Okay, but whyyyyy?"
"Whatever reason Slade had to make this decision, he carried with him to his grave I'm afraid," Wintergreen said with a shrug. "Of course, you won't be receiving his estate and assets right-away, that'll be distributed once you come of age."
"That's fair…" Ventus hummed, going over the paperwork. "Hmmm… I guess my secret identity doesn't really matter so much, since all my friends are superheroes…"
"Yeah, I was curious how that'd play out," Terra hummed his way before turning to Wintergreen. "Sooo… What will you do now?"
"Are you finally going to retire?" Ventus asked.
"Oh… I'm not that old just yet," the man replied. "Seeing as how Ms. Wilson wants nothing to do with me anymore and Slade is deceased, I am presently out of a job."
"You're going to keep working? At your age?" Raven asked with a raised brow.
"I can still twist the lot of you like pretzels, so don't test me," the man said testily, the more-squeamish of those present flinching back.
"Do you… want to live here?" Terra groused, rousing surprised looks from the others. "I mean, it's no 5-Star hotel or anything, but it's rent-free, and if sitting around and doing retired-person stuff all day isn't your thing, I'd be happy to continue learning under you."
"Hmmm… Well, I am currently unemployed after Slade took a hot lava bath. Sure, why not," he shrugged.
"Hold on, Terra, that isn't up to you," Robin protested.
"He's right, Terra."
"Thank you."
"It's up to me, and I say 'yes'."
"Ventus!"
"What? It's literally in my job description, or do the words 'Head of Domestic Affairs' mean nothing to you? And it's not like I'm asking to let him join the Titans, all I'm saying is, you guys could stand to learn some practical skills. How else do you think Slade kept running circles around you?"
"Well, sure, but… He's old, no offense," Cyborg stated.
"And yet, I'm still offended," Wintergreen said plainly.
"What part of 'her Majesty's Special Air Service' did you guys miss?" Terra asked incredulously. "In case you didn't know, Wintergreen helped train Slade."
"Truly?" Starfire asked.
"Yes, 'truly'," Terra said plainly. "He might be getting on in years, but so's Wildcat, and he's still kicking ass and chewing bubblegum."
"I would've gone with 'taking names', but the bubblegum thing works too," Beast Boy hummed.
"And besides, are you really going to put this old man out on the street after we indirectly killed his boss and put him out of a job?" Ventus asked throwing an arm around Wintergreen's shoulder.
"Ventus, the reason we don't rent out all the extra space in this tower is because anyone living here could become a target. If people found out he was living here, they might-"
*TEEN TITANS*
"AGH! MY KIDNEYS!" Robin squealed from down in the danger room as Wintergreen proceeded to twist him into a pretzel.
"Sooo… What did we all learn today?" Ventus asked as Robin continued to wail in agony.
"Just because a Human man is old does not mean he is infirmed?" Starfire asked quizzically.
" . . . Eh, close enough," he shrugged. "So, Wintergreen, you wanna stay?"
"Well, it's not like I have many options," Wintergreen shrugged. "Not a lot of people want to hire a butler that worked for a super-villain."
"So what do butlers do anyway?" Beast Boy asked into the intercom.
"We 'buttle', sir."
" . . . I like this guy. He's a good guy."
"I have just one question for you," Raven cut in.
"Yes, Raven?"
"Do you know how to make tea?"
"To the point that the fare of five-star establishments tastes like stagnant swill."
" . . . Alright. He can stay."
"IS SOMEONE GOING TO HELP ME?!" Robin squealed as he was bent more and more into an irregular shape.
*TEEN TITANS*
Going even more off-the-rails than before, is me!