A/N: Merry Christmas! Here's a little treat for you. I split it up in three parts to make it a bit more manageable, and I will most likely post one part per day for the coming days.
This Belongs to the "Control" universe, meaning you have to read:
In Perfect Control
and
Control your Pets (Delightful Drabbles number 233 if you're reading this on Fanfiction)
before starting this!
Control Your Kids
Part 1
It was a Friday night in late December and outside a snow storm was roaring. Inside, a fire was doing the same in the small sitting room, which Albert called 'the snug'. Robin was sprawled out on the sofa with his head in Slade's lap, reading through a contract. Slade was reading a book he had found in the house's library, a biography on Winston Churchill.
"This man should be really grateful for the war," the man muttered. "Or people would have realized how awful he was at economics…"
Robin grinned. He had learned that Slade sometimes uttered little comments about what he was reading, like he was having a conversation with the book. The teen didn't think it really was meant for him; he was pretty sure he had heard the man mumble to himself even when he was alone in the room.
"What-?" Robin began to ask but was interrupted by the door opening, revealing Alfred. The old butler had had a long talk with the teen after he discovered that he was occasionally seeing Slade, and then an even longer one when Robin had returned home from his supposed vacation with Lex a few months earlier with the man in more permanent tow. After making sure all was well, the old man had accepted the situation, however, and now had adopted the position that Robin simply had 'snared' Slade and that the man was, all things considered, a decent catch. The teen agreed.
"Mister Wilson, there's a visitor to see you. A Major Wintergreen."
Slade stood up so quickly that Robin was pushed to the floor with a grunt.
"The hell?" the teen asked but then shot to his feet. "Enemy?" he asked tensely, his eyes on the door and body in fighting position.
"No. Old friend. But he could be the carrier of bad news."
It turned out that Wintergreen was indeed carrying something. Something wrapped in a big blanket, and which appeared quite heavy in his arms.
Robin watched the man enter. He was around Alfred's age and very much reminded Robin of the butler. The grey-white hair, the small moustache, and when he opened his mouth it became clear that he was even British.
"Slade, sorry to barge in on the domestic bliss… I have a bit of an issue here."
"Better be a pretty big issue…" Slade replied, although not unfriendly.
"Well, it's a little over a year old… and I gather it weighs about 19 pounds or so…" the man said and carefully folded back the blanket. Reveled was the face of a sleeping child. With white hair.
"Holy…!" Robin said, staring. "You have a kid?!" he asked Slade, but as soon as he laid eyes on the man, he realized that he had had no idea himself. Robin had never seen him looking so shocked. The mercenary even took a small step back as if to steady himself.
"Who… the mother?" Slade eventually asked.
"Remember a certain 'Sweet Lili' in the jungles of Cambodia?" the man asked.
"Is she-?"
"Dead? Yes. Ran a brothel in New York, ticked off the wrong people. She left Rose here behind. I had to take her."
"Of course!" The voice didn't belong to Slade but to Alfred. "Albert and I will go get some things together, there should be some stored away in the attic. Will she be hungry when she wakes up?"
"Most likely."
"I'll have some food prepared first, then," the old man said.
Slade was still staring at the bundle.
"My arms are getting tired, are you going to take her?" Wintergreen asked dryly.
Slade didn't move.
"Are you insane? What am I going to do with a kid?" he asked. The eyes of his old friend darted to Robin and a smirk curled Wintergreen's lip. "Don't." Slade warned him, knowing where the man's mind had gone.
"I couldn't leave her. She would end up in the system, most likely go 'missing' and end up god knows where," Wintergreen told him. "It wouldn't be right."
"How do you even know about her?" Slade growled.
"Found out when she just had been born. I contacted Lili to help me check up on a lead for a job for you. Was sworn to secrecy. She didn't want you around."
"Clever woman," Slade muttered.
At that moment the child stirred. Blue eyes slowly opened and blinked in the light.
"Mama?" asked a small voice.
"She's not here, pumpkin, but your daddy is," Wintergreen answered.
"Da?" the girl asked and looked around. Her eyes landed on Slade. There was a moment of silence. "MAMA! MAMA!" she yelled, and started to cry.
"She's been… upset. She saw it happen. Found her next to Lili's body, trying to wake her."
"Holy shit…" Robin whispered. That hit way too close to home, and he couldn't help himself. He rushed forward and relieved Wintergreen of his burden by pulling the crying child to his chest.
"There, there, sweetie," he mumbled, bouncing her slightly. "Who's a big girl, Rose? I'm uncle Robin. Oh, you're chilly, let's go warm up by the fire, ok?" he said and then started humming as he bounced the baby and rubbed her back. The hysterical crying soon died down to blubbering, especially when Robin sat down in the sofa and pulled a plush warm blanket around them.
Slade still hadn't moved. Wintergreen just chuckled and ambled over to a drinks tray where a bottle of whisky stood, mainly for Slade's benefit. Wintergreen filled a tumbler and pushed it into his old friend's hand.
"Here. You look like you need it."
Slade nodded stiffly and drained the glass, holding it out for a refill. He got it.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?" he muttered. His friend scoffed.
"Take care of her!"
"Impossible. I have to find someone to adopt her," Slade claimed, shaking his head. Robin glanced up at him and gave him a glare.
"Old friend," Wintergreen said. "See the white hair? Who knows what else she might have inherited from you? You can't let her grow up knowing nothing of her origins, she will need you to guide her."
Slade scoffed. "Yes, let's have her inherit the family business, shall we? How good will she be at sniping, you think?"
"At least she will be able to use either eye for the scope if she needs to," his friend smirked.
"Maybe I should get her a Baby's First Kill set?" Slade chuckled, with a hint of hysteria to his voice.
"Hey, idiot," Robin said softly from his corner. "Get the hell over yourself. This is about Rose. We need to make her feel safe for now, ok? We'll figure something out."
"You'd want to keep her. She's not a puppy," Slade told him. "Can we exchange her for a puppy?" he asked his friend.
"Yes, probably. Some guy in a white van might be willing to make a trade," Wintergreen shrugged.
"Slade, why don't you go give Albert and Alfred a hand with carrying things?" Robin suggested with a sigh. The man nodded, seemingly relived to leave, and left the room.
"How big is the risk that he just leaves the house and never comes back?" the teen asked dryly.
"Pretty big for leaving, but I'd bet on returning within a week… if only because you're here," Wintergreen chuckled.
"I seem to be at a disadvantage here, I'm afraid Slade hasn't mentioned you," Robin said apologetically.
"I'm not surprised," the man smiled, and came over. "Major William Wintergreen, retired, at your service," he said as they shook hands.
"Richard Wayne. Call me Robin, though, if you want."
"And I'm Will. So… I've heard a lot about you. Mainly complaints."
Robin's mood immediately plummeted and he felt hurt. "Complaints?" he asked carefully.
"Oh, don't worry, if Slade was a man that was actually able to express his emotions more than about once a year, he'd be gushing about you. Instead he complains. That's how he works. But you had him in quite a spin when Luthor was involved."
Robin grinned a little. "He tried very hard to act like he didn't care."
"And failed miserably," the older man chuckled.
Alfred walked in at that point with a tray. It held tea and sandwiches for Wintergreen and porridge, crackers and mashed fruit for the toddler.
"As I didn't know what she is used to eating I thought we'd take the safe route," he explained. "Would you like me to take her, Master Richard?" he asked.
"No, we'll manage, won't we, Rose?" Robin said and the child was gently coaxed to turn a bit so she could see the food.
"Nana!" she said and reached for the fruit bowl.
"Yes, banana, do you want some?" Robin cooed and then proceeded to feed her. In the mean while Wintergreen sighed happily.
"Proper English tea… it feels like it's been a life time!" he said, making the old butler preen a bit. Robin grinned, knowing that the major had just made a friend, even though he might not realize it himself.
"Is Slade… did he show up to help?" the teen asked, half expecting to get a no.
"Yes, he and Albert is setting up the cot in the nursery. That is, the blue guestroom."
"But shouldn't she sleep in our room? Just for tonight? What if she wakes up?" the teen asked worriedly.
"I packed as many of her things as I could find," Wintergreen let them know. "There were baby monitors among the things, I believe."
"Very good," Alfred said. "Perhaps we should go through what you brought. I imagine there might be some laundry that needs to be done as well."
"Of course. Robin, are you in control here?" the major asked.
"We're just fine," the teen grinned, having moved the child onto the porridge with no problems. "But Alfred?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Move the cot into our bedroom. For tonight. She shouldn't be alone."
"As you wish, sir," the man said with a smile and a small bow.
Robin wasn't crazy about kids; he didn't feel the need to run up to prams and coo at the content or felt that he was a natural around children. He had grown up as an only child, after all. He had been a sort of parental figure from a very young age, however, as the leader of the Teen Titans. Besides Raven, he had probably been the most mature one of the bunch at the time, and he made most of the serious decisions. Still, he hadn't pictured himself sitting feeding a toddler any time soon, if at all. Yet, when seeing Rose and hearing what she had been through… there had been an instant attachment. He didn't know what would happen to the girl, but he knew he would make damn sure she would be as okay as she possibly could.
"Nuugh!" the girl suddenly made a weird noise. "Nuugh!"
"What is it, Rose? What is-" he then smelled what was going on. Robin paled. There were some things he didn't feel quite mature enough to do yet. "Alfred?!" he called. "Albert?! SLADE?! Will?! Anyone?!"
"Master Wayne?" Albert came in through the door in that strange way both he and Alfred had of moving quickly without seeming to rush.
"I… um… she's… She needs a new diaper," the teen said. "Urgently."
"Certainly. Come here little lady. Let's see if we can locate any clean nappies, shall we?" the young man said and held out his arms. Rose was having none of it, though, and held on to Robin for dear life. "It seems there will be quite a scene if I take her. Maybe you can escort us, sir?" the under-butler suggested.
"You know how to change a diaper?"
"Of course. Though not traditionally part of a butler's assignments, it helps to always be ready, so I took a child care class, including child CPR."
"Let's hope we won't need that knowledge," Robin joked as he stood up.
"Indeed, sir."
Robin carried the little girl, following Albert who seemed to know where things were. They entered his bedroom, well, his and Slade's now, and found complete chaos. It looked like a vintage children's store had exploded in there.
"Hello, sir, we are merely going through what Mr. Wintergreen here brought and what we managed to find in the attic," Alfred explained. "It will be set straight in a jiffy."
Robin had never heard the man say "jiffy" before, but then again, he looked quite animated and had maybe felt inspired.
"It seems we need a clean nappy, Uncle Alfred," Albert said. In the beginning they had addressed each other by last name, but Robin had eventually put his foot down. He had had to accept that he was 'Master Wayne' to Albert, although he felt grateful that Alfred had stuck to 'Master Richard".
"They are around here… somewhere…" the old man said, suddenly sounding a bit lost.
"Found them!" his great nephew announced. "Master Wayne, if you would come with me?"
"Huh? Yeah… sure…" the teen said. He had been watching Slade tightening screws on a very dated looking baby cot with an almost scary focus, like he wanted to shut everything else out. He probably did. He hadn't even reacted to them entering the room.
Robin followed Albert into the bathroom and watched the man look around before shrugging and laying down a bunch of towels on the floor.
"I'm afraid these will have to do for now. If you would put her down, please, sir?"
The teen did. Rose didn't like it, but she seemed to understand what was about to happen and maybe also wanted a clean diaper.
Robin watched but took half a step away when the diaper was finally open.
"Holy…" he groaned.
Albert hesitated as well.
"Oh, my," he said faintly.
"Worse than you've done before?" Robin asked.
"Well, to tell you the truth, sir… we practiced on dolls," the under-butler admitted. "But… let's get to it…"
Robin stepped out of the bathroom ten minutes later, carrying both a happier Rose and very unwanted memories. Slade had finished with the bed and was now at least looking over at them from where he was talking to William.
"Your daughter takes dumps like a full-grown man," Robin grunted at him. "I don't know what you have been feeding her, Will, but please tell me, because she's never having that again."
The old man chuckled. "French fries. No time to stop and she could feed herself."
"We're not going to talk to uncle Wintergreen for a while, are we princess?" Robin asked the girl, who just yawned.
"She is, you know," the old major grinned.
"Talking to you?" Robin blinked.
"No. A princess."
"What?"
Slade snorted. "Lili's grandfather was the brother to the king in a country that got invaded. Third brother at that I believe. She's hardly royalty."
"Don't listen to you daddy, of course you're a princess!" Robin grinned. The child was not interested in the crown, however, she just yawned again. "It's late, should we put her to bed? William, you're staying at least overnight, aren't you?"
"Yes, thank you. Alfred has already set me up in a guest room," the old man nodded. "And yes, she can't have gotten that much sleep in the car."
"Did you even have a car seat?" Robin asked.
"Is he going to call the cops on me?" Will asked Slade.
The mercenary smirked. "He very well could."
"In that case: yes," the major claimed.
Robin rolled his eyes.
The old man snorted and shrugged. "I grabbed what I could, even her birth certificate, but there was a limit. I didn't want to risk anyone coming for her."
"How did you know about the birth certificate?" Slade asked sharply.
"Well, I'm… kind of her godfather, and I … might just have faked your signature on it. She made sure I knew where it was kept, and to empty the safe if something happened to her."
"Well… she always made sure to have a way out…" Slade sighed.
Rose yawned again.
"Let's put you to bed," Robin said. "When I figure out how to do that," he added. He got her into the cot, a bit awkwardly, but she immediately started to cry again. Eventually he ended up on his own bed with the girl in his arms.
"You shouldn't spoil her," Slade grunted. "Put her in her cot, she'll fall asleep eventually."
"She lost har mom, she's been ripped from the life she knows and her dad is frankly a bit of a jerk. She's not going to have to cry herself to sleep too," Robin hissed.
The man grunted in the way he always did when he knew he had lost an argument.
"I have found a teddy, would she like that, you think?" Alfred said and held up a plushie in the shape of a yellow rubber duck. It looked awful to Robin and he was about to say no, when Rosie spotted it and held out her hands for it.
"Ucki! Ucki!" she insisted.
"Yes, here's your duckie," Alfred said and handed it to her. She clutched it hard and settled against Robin's chest.
"Wait…" the mercenary suddenly said. "You said she's a year old? That doesn't add up, I'm not the father!"
"Really?" Robin snorted, gesturing to the white hair on the girl's head and to Slade's.
"Well, she's actually around 18 months, sorry, old chap," William said.
"Damn!" Slade muttered.
"What do we do now? I mean… legally?" Robin said. "We haven't kidnapped her, have we?"
"Not with Slade's name on the birth certificate, but there might be some questions," William admitted. "If you have any contacts within the police-"
Slade snorted. "Try being on a first name basis with most of them and actually remembering their names," he said, but there was a bit of humble bragging about Robin in his tone that made the teen smile warmly at him.
"Well, you might want to get in contact with them, see if they have any questions… You don't want them to come knocking."
"Damn right," Slade muttered.
"We can call my lawyer too, if needed?" Robin said.
"I'd recommend that we go with the story that I, a close family friend, happened to come by for a visit, discovered what had happened and, being the child's godfather, of course immediately took her to har father, who naturally knew about her and unofficially shared custody," Will said, giving Slade a stern look. "And now we just want to make sure that everyone knows she's safe."
"Sounds plausible," Robin nodded. "Should we do it now?"
"No, in the morning is fine. They would most likely understand. Child to take care of, grief, and so on," Will shrugged.
"Oh, damn, Slade!" Robin exclaimed, suddenly turning to the man with big eyes. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry, I didn't consider that you… I mean… you… loved her?"
The man snorted. "Hardly. Two weeks in the jungle, being hunted, lots of adrenaline, lots of testosterone… we fucked like bunnies, but there was nothing more. Well… I liked her, she was a spunky young woman, but I haven't thought of her since, in any romantic way. She was a contact, nothing more."
"Ah… ok. Just… if you need to talk…?"
"If you throw in pity fucking I'm sure I could cry a bit?" the man said hopefully, making Robin laugh.
"I think the princess has nodded off, should I take her?" Will offered.
"Please," Robin accepted, as he was afraid to move.
The baby was put in her cot with no issue, still clutching her duck, and the major excused himself to go to bed. Alfred and Albert were still quietly fluttering around, but by now most things seemed to be in order.
"I think it's time to call it a night," Robin told them. "As long as she has clean clothes for tomorrow and something to eat…"
"Right you are, Master Richard," Alfred nodded. "Call for me if you need assistance during the night."
"I will," Robin promised, because even though he wanted to say that he'd be fine, he knew he was out of his depth here. And Slade didn't seem to be much help.
Then they were left alone. He, Slade and the sleeping little girl. It was a bit awkward.
"I'm going to bed," Slade announced and started to change.
"Agreed," Robin nodded and started to undress too, while heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Slade joined him and they went through their normal nightly routines before ending up on the bed.
"It's been… strange." Robin began.
"A bit of a surprise, yes," the man muttered.
"How do you feel?"
"Again, is there pity sex in this for me?"
Robin snorted. "It's ok to be shocked. You just found out that you're a dad-"
"I'm not a 'dad', I'm a sperm donor at best," the man objected.
"Biological father," the teen insisted. "I'm sure you'll get used to the thought."
"I might not want to."
"Do you really want her gone, just out there, with anyone?" Robin asked quietly.
To his credit, Slade didn't answer immediately. "No. Of course not. I'm not a monster," he said. "But I'm not ready to be a father ether. I can't, Robin. I travel, I'm in a dangerous business, and maybe even more than even now, when the government has decided to put me on their payroll. If I accepted her, I'd have to ask you if you were ready to be a dad, because I can't bring her with me, after all."
"Me?" Robin said, sounding a bit taken aback.
"Not such an easy decision, is it?" Slade smirked at him.
He had, however, completely misjudged the tone of Robin's voice. The teen pulled him down for very heated kiss, silently thanking the man for, in a way, including him in his family like it was natural.
They made love, very, very quietly, which actually turned out to be a bit of a rush, and the teen fell sleep with a satisfied smile on his lips.
He woke up to a screeching cry, that had him vault out of bed. He remembered, just before his feet hit the cold floor, what was going on.
Rose was standing in her cot, shaking the bars like she was a prisoner in an old western movie, and letting the world know that she was not happy. At all.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong, little princ- oh, shit, I'm naked!" Robin yelped and covered himself with the comforter from the bed. Yanking that away, however, revealed that Slade, who was grumpily getting up himself, was equally naked. When that made the teen yelp, the man scoffed.
"She's one for fucks sake," he snorted and walked past the crying child and into the bathroom. Robin found his pajama pants, pulled them on and lifted the girl out of the cot. Her diaper seemed heavy. Robin took the coward's way out and called on Alfred. A moment later the butler was at the door and took the toddler away for a change and some breakfast.
"Get your workout gear on, we're going to the gym," Slade told him from the bathroom door.
"But Rose-"
"Is being cared for. There's no reason to break our routine."
Robin shrugged. The man was right, after all.
After an hour at the gym they arrived at the breakfast table where a newly bathed Rose was sitting, dressed very prettily, and playing with pieces of banana. Her Duckie was next to her on the table and she fed it too, now and again, making nom-nom-noises.
"She has already had breakfast, but I'd figured she could join you for your breakfast, Mr. Wilson," Alfred told them.
"Great," the mercenary muttered, but sat down. William had also just joined them, and cooed at Rose for a bit.
"She seems happier today, right?" Robin asked carefully.
"She does. I'm sure she'll forget this whole ordeal soon enough," the major said.
"We should be looking for parents, then," Slade said.
"Will is right, Slade. She could have inherited some sort of meta powers from you, who the hell would you trust with that?" Robin said.
"So you're ready to be a dad, then?" Slade sneered at him. The teen closed his mouth and he man snorted. "Thought not. Besides, I'm her father. I make the decisions here."
The rest of the people in the room exchanged glances, but there was nothing they really could say.
"What are your plans today, sirs?" Alfred asked.
"I might have to head into the office for a bit," Robin sighed.
"I would advise against that, at least in the morning, Sir. We've had quite a bit of snow and it keeps coming. According to the news, several roads are closed and they urge people to stay indoors if possible."
"Really?" the teen got up and walked up to a window to look out. "Wow. Yeah, you're right. We have a snow day!" he said and grinned over his shoulder at Slade. "Oh, Will, I hope you didn't have anywhere to be, because it looks like you're staying for a few days."
"If you are able to house me, I'd be grateful," the old man said looking over at Alfred.
"Of course," the butler said. "We have plenty of supplies to see us through weeks of bad weather if necessary."
"Al is a bit of a prepper," Robin grinned.
"It never hurts to be prepared, young master," the butler sniffed, but he had a smile on his lips.
"I guess we should contact the authorities about Rose, then," Robin said and looked over at Slade. The man reluctantly nodded.
"Dada! Nana? Dada?" the girl suddenly said and held out a mushy piece of banana for Slade. It seemed that the room held their breath, and then the mercenary took the unappetizing piece from his daughter's grimy hand.
"Thank you, Rose," he muttered, and the girl beamed.
"Bin-bin! Nana?" She then said and offered Robin a piece.
"I'm Bin-bin?" the teen groaned as he accepted it the room chuckled. "Thank you, sweetie."
"Ill!" she then said, and William got a share to.
"Al-ed!"
"Thank you, Miss Wilson," the old man said.
"I believe it's Miss Worth," Slade told him.
"I think Rose is better," Robin piped up.
"Miss Rose, then," the old man smiled, having surreptitiously gotten rid of the banana slice.
"Allet? Allet?" the girls said, looking around,
"Albert is doing some laundry, Miss Rose. Shall we go look for him?" the butler suggested.
The girl seemed to agree and off they went, leaving the three adults to the rest of their breakfast.
"Maybe I should chop some wood for the fires in case the electricity cuts out." Slade suggested. "The generators should be used sparingly if that happens. No one knows how long it will take to fix in weather like this."
"I'll join you, old friend," the major said, just before Robin was about to say that he'd like to help. The teen watched the men and decided to let them have some quality time alone.
"I'll call Commissioner Gordon and then I have some paperwork," he said. "I'll be in the sitting room, I think… that bay window is perfect to curl up in on days like this."
When the men came in from the big shed outside, which remained from when the whole house once had been heated by fireplaces, they found the teen on the floor, on a thick blanket, playing with Rose.
"Yes!" Robin said. "You are such a clever girl! I asked for the green block and she gave it to me," he explained to the men.
"Positively Einstein," Slade drawled.
"Yes, you're going to be as clever as your daddy!" Robin grinned teasingly at the child. She turned around at people entering the room.
"Mommy?" she asked, and the teen's heart broke a little. "Dada," she then proclaimed, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Yeah, I know, princess, he's not all that, but we keep him around because he has nowhere else to go," Robin smirked.
"Did you call Gordon?" Slade asked flatly.
"Yeah, he has his hands full with this storm, but he didn't think there would be a problem. He'd contact New York for us. If you want to put her up for adoption, there will be a lot of stuff to go through, though, but he said to keep her put for now."
"As long as we don't get police barging in on us," the man shrugged and went to sit down in an armchair. Robin was glad that he stuck around at all, to be honest.
He and Rose continued to play, and, more and more, the child started to babble. Often long sentences that the teen had no idea what they could possibly mean, with a single real word here and there. The teen reached for the duck at that point to take a closer look at it, as it seemed to be needing a good cleaning.
"No!" the toddler told him and took it back. "No. Mine. Mine uckie," she said and settled the toy in her lap, giving Robin such a reproachful look that the teen started to laugh.
"I'm sorry, Rose, I just wanted to look at your duckie."
"No." The child said firmly.
"Your child is not a sharer," Robin told the mercenary, who smirked.
"She might have inherited something from me after all," he admitted. "Thank you," he added to William who had handed him a glass of whiskey.
"Something to warm us up after the storm," the major claimed.
"It's still bad out there?" the teen said and looked out the window.
"Very. I'm sure this snow storm will go down in the books," Slade answered.
"Well," Robin grinned, stood up and walked over to the man, plopping himself down in his lap. "I think it's pretty cozy…"
"Really, now?" the man leered at him and pulled him in for a kiss. A moment later Robin felt something tug on his trousers, though, and it wasn't Slade.
"Bin-bin! Dada! Up!" the little girl demanded.
"Of course, princess, your daddy is strong, he can handle the both of us," Robin said and turned to lift her up as well. He could feel Slade tense a bit and knew the man wasn't comfortable, but Robin, for one, couldn't find a single fuck to give. The man was going to spend time with his daughter even if he had to duct-tape them together.
"Dada, Bin-bin aah dah de ba," a very happy Rose proclaimed.
"I'm sure that's right," Robin, who had no idea what the kid had said, agreed.
Albert came in to quietly prepare a fire and soon it was smattering away. Rose was rubbing at her eyes, and then curling up on top of Robin, who in turn was resting his head on Slade's shoulder.
"Da-da…" Rose yawned and clumsily patted the man's beard. "Bib-bin," she added and practically slapped Robin's face, though she of course didn't mean to. The teen chuckled and stroked her hair, which was even more shining white now when it was freshly cleaned and brushed. The child nodded off. There was an electronic camera noise, and the teen turned his head to see William taking a photo of them with his phone, grinning.
"That's the Christmas card taken care of," the old man said.
"You'd better delete that thing," Slade rumbled.
"You'd better send it to me," Robin grinned. The then turned his head back into the crook of the man's neck and breathed in his scent. He loved it, and it only got better as he had just come from outside, having spent an hour chopping wood. Robin closed his eyes, listened to the fire and nodded off himself.
He wasn't woken up to crying this time, but to happy laughter.
"Again! Again!" Rose shrieked.
Robin blinked the sleep out of his eyes and turned his head. Albert was currently hoisting the child into the air, never really letting go of her.
"I fell asleep?" the teem mumbled.
"For almost an hour, Rose just woke up too," Slade told him.
"Sorry, I hope I wasn't too heavy," Robin said, and smiled when the man snorted like he was talking nonsense.
"Well, I wasn't able to enjoy your ass rubbing against my crotch with the girl sleeping on top of you," he let him know.
"I'm actually kinda glad," Robin snickered. "She's not here now, though…?" he added naughtily and shifted a bit.
"You're a naughty little-"
There was a cough from William and Slade sighed.
"Et tu, Brute? Isn't the kid enough of a cock-blocker?"
"I just wanted to remind you I'm still here," the man said.
"Master Wayne and Mr. Wilson seldom seem to care," Albert admitted. "No, Miss Rose, I'm afraid that's all the flying my body can handle at the moment. I need to go see if Uncle Alfred needs help with lunch. Should I take her?" he asked.
They girl had started crying at not being hoisted into the air anymore. "Bin-bin!" she cried and ran ever to him. Clambering onto the teen and her father again.
"I think Miss Rose just complained about the staff," Robin said haughtily, with a teasing grin at Albert who just smiled back, knowing it was a joke. "She can sit here with us, right Slade?"
"I don't think I get a vote."
"And I think you're sulking a bit," Robin grinned at him but leaned up to kiss him. They were just about to, when their facies were forced apart by strong toddler hands.
"No! No dada! Bin-bin mine!" Rose told her father and patted Robin's face in that rather violent way.
"Oh-oh, that's not the best move you could have made," Robin told her. From Will's direction he could hear a strange strangled huffing noise.
"We have a wood shed to keep you in, girl," the mercenary rumbled.
"Oh, be nice, she's just a baby," the teen snickered. "Look, Rose, I want to kiss your daddy, ok?"
"No," Rose decided.
"But I want to, I think he's very handsome and I really like him and I want to show him that," Robin tried to explain.
"Ucki?" Rose suggested, pushing the mangy thing into Robin's face.
"No, Duckie is yours. Your daddy Slade is my duckie. You can kiss your duckie and I kiss mine, ok?" The huffing noise from Will increased.
Rose looked suspicious, like she knew something was up, but eventually nodded.
"Thank you, dear," Robin grinned and kissed Slade.
"Our love life will be very weird from now on…" the man muttered.
Robin grinned, though, because it seemed the man's barriers were slowly breaking down.
"I now have a video worth millions…" the major claimed in a very strangled voice and then broke down in laughter.
"It's sad how old friendships die when you kill the other person…" Slade sighed.
Rose soon lost interest in them and climbed down to continue to play with her toys. Robin stood up and stretched, which earned him a grope from Slade. He turned around to grin down at him.
"What is it, daddy… was I a bad boy?"
Slade was just about to answer when Alfred came in to announce that lunch was served.
The mercenary groaned and muttered something about a house full of cock blockers.
"Eat your veggies, Rose," Robin told the child a little later. She had been very suspicious towards the small pieces of broccoli on her plate.
"No!" she decided.
"Do as you're told, girl, eat your broccoli," Slade rumbled.
Robin saw those blue eyes grow big and was afraid she would start to cry, but instead she just seemed to think things over. She then picked up a piece and put on Slade's plate.
"Dada eat!" she ordered.
Slade sighed but put the piece in his mouth. The girl watched him like he had lifted the whole house. Robin had never seen anyone looking more impressed. She then looked down on the rest of the green twigs and, slowly, put one in her own mouth. It seemed they all held their breath as she chewed. She then reached for another.
"Good," Slade nodded and the girl smiled widely at him with green residue stuck on every tooth.
"Dada!" she said, and ate another piece happily.
"I ate all my broccoli without being told," Robin fake-sulked.
"I'll reward you later," Slade promised with a leer.
"Should we move her into the nursery for tonight, Master Richard?" Alfred wanted to know.
Robin glanced at Slade. He didn't feel all that happy with the baby in a completely different room, but he didn't want to put any more pressure on the man either.
"Yes, I guess so," he sighed in the end. "But we need to check the batteries on the monitors and make sure they work."
"Of course, sir," Alfred let him know.
"We need to talk," Slade told Robin. "Will, you and the others are on kid-duty. Should you lose her… well… no need to look too hard."
"Stop being mean!" Robin snorted. He was a bit nervous about what Slade would have to say, but he followed him to the upstairs office because the man was right; they did need to talk.
Once inside Slade went to stand by the window.
"Tell me what you want to do," he said.
"I… what? Me?" Robin gaped.
"You're eighteen. If you take her in, even as an 'uncle', you would be a parent figure, Robin. You're young. Too young."
"I'm always too young for the stuff I do," the teen quipped with a leer on his lips.
"Have you even considered it? Rationally instead of emotionally?" Slade asked him sharply, showing that this was no time for jokes.
The teen sighed. "I… I don't know. She saw her mom die, Slade… that kinda strike a chord with me, you know?"
"I'd imagine."
"But if you're asking if I would want a kid at eighteen… no. But you know I've been thinking of adopting eventually, and she's here. And she's yours. And we don't know anyone to take her… do we?"
"The requirement for being a contact in my network doesn't really include 'good parenting skills'…" Slade admitted.
"And I don't know anyone close enough… well… actually…"
"Yes?"
"How about Clark and Louis?"
"What?!" Slade did not look happy, but Robin hid a grin.
"They are good people, they are planning to get married, they have a solid economy and a great home… I know they want kids down the line… and who better than Clark to deal with any little… 'surprises' of hers? I mean, even if she has super strength, he'd be able to handle that."
"They are a no."
"For fuck's sake, Slade! You don't want her, but the nicest couple on the planet can't have her?" Robin snapped. "Make up your damn mind!"
"I can't put that burden on you-" the man started.
"We have plenty of help and we can even get more if we need to, she's not going to be a 'burden'!"
"I want to record that and play it back to you when she turns thirteen," Slade smirked.
The teen sighed again. "Ok, I know it's not gonna be easy, I know it's going to be a responsibility, but you know you might create another Batman if you abandon her, right?" he claimed, half seriously.
"Oh, no, the humanity…" Slade drawled. Then he straightened up. "If we're going to keep her-"
"Yes?" the teen interrupted eagerly. "What? Anything!"
"Then you have to marry me."
Robin took a step back out of surprise.
"Wh-what?"
Slade walked up to his desk, opened a drawer and took something out.
"I could die on a mission next month. The government might decide to get rid of me. They might decide they'd rather see me in prison than on their payroll. I can't offer her much security, Robin… and if I die, they won't let her just keep her. Bruce needed to fight very hard for you, and he was much older. You were even old enough to say where you wanted to be. She's just a baby and social services will snatch her up in a second." The man then suddenly kneeled in front of the teen. "This is not how I planned to do this, and I hate involving Rose, but it's urgent. Marry me and you are able to adopt her."
"I… I…" Robin stuttered. Slade had opened the box to reveal a smooth gold band, a man's wedding ring.
"You think taking in a child is alright but marrying me is too big of a step?" the man joked, but the teen could hear the worry deep underneath.
"No… I mean… yes… no… wait… let me restart. I… Yes. Yes, I'll marry you!" Robin finally got out and then grinned like a mad man down at the mercenary. "You idiot! Of course I'll marry you, I was just- when had you planned to do this?!"
"New Year's Eve, of course," the man smirked as he stood up and then carefully put the ring on the teen's finger. It fitted perfectly. "Cheesy, but still classic, I thought," the man shrugged. At this point Robin just jumped the man and kissed him silly.
To be Continued…
A/N: so that was part one of three. Yes, it's a domestic fluff story, but hey, it's Christmas! 😉