A/N: WOW. I wanted to thank you guys for all you support; seriously every review, favourite and follow means the world to me and gives me the inspiration to carry on writing, so thanks so much! I never thought I would get so much support XD
I apologise for the update time, I've been kinda busy lately, first I had work experience and then I went on holiday for a week so couldn't type it up. Any outstanding mistakes let me know and I will correct them.
Awkward introductions
000-William Wintergreen-000
Location: Haunt-Jump city
Date: 8th July 2013
Time: 9:00 AM
It would be an understatement to say that he had been shocked when Slade sauntered into the living area of the haunt at five in the morning, carrying a small, raven haired boy in his arms. Of course, Wintergreen had questioned Slade, though he knew all too well that Slade had an annoying tendency to be vague; only saying that the boy would be staying with them as he had potential. Did he tell him who the boy was or where he found him? Of course not.
He had then placed the boy on the sofa; pulling the blanket from the top of it and depositing it on the sleeping boy's frame, before proceeding to leave the room, asking Will to watch the boy while he did some research on him.
That was what he was currently doing. The boy had been sleeping soundly for the past few hours-no doubt due to whatever Slade had given him, but was now becoming increasingly unsettled.
"Mommy, Daddy… no! Don't go. Please "the boy mumbled in his sleep-his breathing rapid.
Wintergreen didn't like where that was going. It once again begged the question-where did Slade find the boy and what happened to him?
He hurried out of the room and down the hall until he reached Slade's room. Not bothering to knock; he swung the door open and barged in.
"Will, what are you doing?" Slade asked curiously, not steering his sight on the computer screen for even a second.
"There is a young boy in the other room, did you know that?" Slade finally turned around at this; giving Wintergreen a look that just screamed-Have you gone mad?
"I am well aware of that fact Will, thank you." Slade said with a frown evident on his face, Wintergreen sighed; for someone who could supposedly use up to 90% of his brain power, sometimes Slade could be unbelievably slow.
"Well then, perhaps you should go and wake him up, he isn't sleeping too well." Will suggested in a tone that made it clear that it wasn't just a suggestion.
"Nightmares?" Slade asked with a heavy sigh.
"You sound like you were expecting this." wintergreen stated.
"Well, I'm not surprised." Slade said, in an almost remorseful tone; as he turned the computer monitor around to face Will.
He was shocked at what he saw, on the screen there were two images; one of the well-known family of acrobats mid performance and another one of the youngest member of the family with a bright smile. Underneath the pictures was an article, he scanned through it.
Gotham… The flying Grayson's… Tragic death… in front of their young son…Seven year old Richard Grayson missing…Zucco disappeared…
"Oh my, so the boy out there is-"
"Richard Grayson. I found him in an alley in Gotham; he impressed me, besides if I had left him he would probably be dead by now." Slade finished, looking at him carefully "He's an Orphan now; no one will miss him. The GPD were going to send him to a juvenile delinquent centre."
"The Poor boy. How could they even comprehend sending him there?" Will just couldn't understand, surely they would be a support network for situations like that- emergency fostering?
"It's Gotham city Will; one of the few places on earth where the police are just corrupt as the criminals they convict. The whole system is in shambles, run by a bunch of hypocrites who don't give a damn about anyone else but themselves. As long as they are rich and happy they find it almost too easy to overlook the rest of the population."
"You are a real man of the people, Slade." Will said dryly, sending the man in front of him a cynical look "Are you going to stand around here conversing with me, or are you going to go and talk to him?"
Slade looked up at him and reached out for his mask, lying on the side of his Desk. Wintergreen snatched it, leaving Slade grasping thin air. Slade growled and glowered at him, only causing him to smirk triumphantly. Yes, this old man still has it, not that I need to prove that to Slade-oh no, he knows all too well.
"I don't advise you go in with your mask-"
"Will, don't –"
"-he's scared enough as it is, wearing that will only make him dislike you." Wintergreen finished, completely ignoring Slade's interruption entirely.
"I am not going to coddle him." Slade said, sounding rather exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood up and left the room.
Honestly-that man sometimes…
000-Slade Willson-000
Location: Haunt-Jump city
Date: 8th July 2013
Time: 9:07 AM
Blasted Will-Couldn't he have sorted this out?
Of course he could have, he just chose not to; to Slade's immense displeasure. Sure he could train the kid- no problem there, but emotional needs? That was not Slade's forte. He had done it before of course, with his own kids, but he hadn't exactly excelled then.
What made Will think that he, Slade Wilson; the infamous deathstroke the terminator could possibly nurture any emotional needs?
It wasn't in his nature; he wasn't one for giving hugs or any real emotionalcomfort to people, but Will was right- the boy needed it. The question was-Could he provide it?
Oh boy, he was way out of his comfort zone.
He could hear the boy before he could see him; his screams were echoing around the halls of the haunt. Slade sighed and increased his speed, quickly reaching the living room.
The boy was tossing and turning on the sofa, looking increasingly distressed, his small frame getting tangled in the blanket.
"Mom…Dad…No!-mm sorry…" Richard trailed off with a sob, burying his head into his arms. Slade felt sorry for the boy. Well almost. He walked over to the couch and was instantly aware of the sweat causing his raven locks to cling to his head.
"Richard?" Slade asked awkwardly. The boy only grumbled in response so Slade walked over and shook the boy gently causing his eyes to snap open as he shot into a sitting position. Upon seeing Slade the boy jump, resulting in a loud thud as he fell to the floor.
"Oww…where…who…you!" Dick grumbled, as his eyes caught sight of Slade's insignia. Ah, so he recognised him. Dick looked around frantically, he leapt up and ran to the first door he saw; Slade was faster though, once again grabbing him by his hood.
"Stupid hood!" Dick exclaimed in frustration" Leave me alone! I want to go home!" Dick yelled emphasising each syllable with great urgency as he punched and kicked Slade; Flailing endlessly in his grasp.
Little brat.
Slade had had enough. He turned Dick around and marched him to the nearest corner; pushing him in so that his face was touching the cool wall. He couldn't lose it with the boy-he would most likely end up with a few broken bones. Slade Wilson was many things, but he could safely say that he didn't beat children. He could not lose it-he would not lose it.
"Hey wattaya doing? Lemme go!" Dick cried, Slade had only listened to the boy speak a few times, but he could already tell that the boy slurred his words together when he was angry, Maybe it was an age thing but either way they would have to work on that. While it was partially cute it was also incredibly annoying.
"Not until you calm down and apologise for-"
"I don't wanna apologise! I didn't do anything wrong!" Dick cut in
"–your rudeness," Slade continued before adding "and don't interrupt me again." His tone turning dark. Dick seemed to catch the unspoken threat and thankfully ceased his struggles, trying to calm himself down; though it seemed that he had already gotten into such a state that he couldn't bring himself back.
Slade reached out to Dick, placing a hand on the boy's back as he began to rub in a small circular motion. The boy instantly went rigid for a moment but then the strangest thing happened; the boy relaxed and seemed to almost melt into the touch.
Strange.
Taking a few deep breaths Dick turned his head slightly to rest his cheek on the wall, hopefully that would be the last of the disputes out of the way; he didn't want to start this mentor/student relationship to start off rocky.
"I'm…I'm sorry for being rude and interrupting you; I…I won't do it again." Dick sputtered breathing slowly. Slade was satisfied- so the boy could be polite.
"Good boy," Slade said approvingly" are you ready to talk now?
The boy nodded sullenly, causing Slade to gently grip his shoulders then lead him to the sofa. He pushed Dick down then took the seat next to him.
"Umm… what's your name?" Dick's eyes were sparkling with innocence and curiosity, there was something about those eyes that enabled them to bore into ones soul; they were so pure.
"I guess it is a bit unfair that I know your name but you don't know mine," Slade drawled "my name is Slade Wilson" Dick nodded
"Why am I here?"
Ah. He had been waiting for that question; he had honestly been expecting it earlier, but no he received a heated outburst from the boy.
"I have been looking for an apprentice for quite some time now and Richard, I've chosen you. Congratulations." He said silkily with a smirk, awaiting the boy's reaction.
A spark of defiance lit up in Dick's eyes; He crossed his arms and huffed. Slade knew he had chosen the right one- Dick was just too much like him
"What If I don't wanna be your app-app-prentice?" Slade had to stop himself chuckling at the boy's difficulty pronouncing the word. It was almost cute.
"You see dick, you don't have a choice in the matter." The boy's cerulean eyes widened briefly before narrowing into a glare- well it seemed his apprentice had trouble recognising authority; that would have to be corrected.
Dick made to stand up but Slade grabbed his wrist at a speed that could make the Flash jealous, twisting it slightly, effectively making the boy sit down with a wince.
When the boy was back in a sitting position, Slade relieved the pressure but didn't let go; he needed the kid's attention, after all.
"You can't keep me here," The boy said in a slightly defeated tone "the cops will come looking for me"
Well he walked right into that one.
"You mean the cops that you ran away from-in Gotham city no less- the first place they'll look for you is in the bottom of the nearest river," Slade pause to let the message sink in. He leaned forward and whispered "besides, we are not in Gotham city anymore"
Dick took on a pained expression; he pulled his free hand up to clutch his head and began shaking it frantically
"No, no, no, no, why is this happening? Did I do something wrong?" He burst out into tears "I want my mom and Dad"
"I can't bring your parents back, Dick," Slade began carefully "But I can take care of you. Here is better than a detention centre, right? If you become my Student, You'll have a home and I can make you strong enough to make Zucco pay. You'll be the best, Dick"
"Why do you wanna help me?
"I said before; I want an apprentice. You impressed me back in that alley"
"How?" Dick asked "I lost. That's why I'm here, right? Because I wasn't strong enough to get away"
The boy honestly expected too much from himself; he had no training, no experience and yet still expected to beat him.
"I'm older, bigger and stronger than you." Slade smirked; Oh yes, the mighty Slade Wilson could proudly boast that he had, in fact, bested a seven year old.
"What would you teach me?"
Slade smirked; so the boy was interested.
"How to fight, steal and inevitably kill." Slade trailed off as if those were completely normal things for a seven year old boy to learn.
"Wait-what?" Dick asked in a startled tone "No, I can't-only bad guys do that"
How precious Slade thought he has a sense of morality; and here I thought I could fill his head with my morals. Oh well; they shouldn't be too hard to replace-should they?
"The world is not so cut and dry Richard; people only see in black and white, completely neglecting the vast grey area. The people I kill are criminals," He paused "people like Zucco" He added in a soft undertone.
Dick's eye's turned dark. His whole body started to tremble in anger, his fists clenched. Slade hadn't expected quite as hostile a reaction out of the boy as he received.
"Shut up! I don't-you don't know anything about me, I'm not a killer-"Dick's voice became almost inaudible "I'm not like him"
"No, you're not" Slade assured the boy "If you don't approve of killing, what do you suggest?"
"Jail-"
"So they can break out again? If you kill them, they are gone for good; they can't hurt anyone ever again." His voice turned soft "This wasn't Zucco's first murder, you know. Don't you wish someone had wiped him from the face of the earth? If someone had done so-"
"My parents would still be alive." Dick finished sullenly as he ducked his head in an attempt to hide his tears. Slade saw though (of course he saw; he wasn't the world's best tactician for no reason); he reached forward and wiped his tears away, then lowered his hand to Dick's chin, finally releasing the boy's wrist.
He wasn't going anywhere.
He placed his now free hand on Dick's shoulder and tilted the boy's chin to look up at him.
"If you don't channel your grief, it will overwhelm you. Destroy you."
"How do I control it?"
Slade held back a smirk.
Perfect.
"You need to focus on something. Something worth fighting for; your parent's memory perhaps."
The boy nodded meekly, looking slightly defeated yet by no means broken.
Yes. The boy has spirit no doubt about that Slade thought. It was one of the things he liked about the boy; that and his bravado.
Enough of that-he would have plenty of time to change the boy's point of view later. Now he had better introduce him to will before the old man got in a huff about not being included.
"Well, we will work on that later, but now breakfast; you must be hungry."
The boy's stomach growled on cue, causing his cheeks to flush bright pink. Slade smirked and began to walk away. He turned his head back to see the boy still sitting.
"Well come on." he said in a slightly exasperated tone.
The boy hesitated for a moment before jumping up (unnaturally high in Slade's opinion) and running over to Slade.
Slade smiled; so far, so good.
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter and the lack of Dick's POV; it was originally longer-a lot longer with Dick's POV being the longest part, but I wanted to get this up and it would have taken longer to update going with the original chapter. This being the case I split it into two (the next one being longer) hopefully it will be up soon.
I know; not a lot of action that will change though so don't worry XD the first few chapters will be setting the scene.
Sorry if Dick seems a little OOC, but in his position I felt I would be kinda confused too but I can assure you he will be back to his smart mouthed self soon enough XD
By the way this is sort of a father/son fic (I love them as a family) so probably will contain fluff (sorry if you don't like that stuff and there will be NO major Richard beating. I just can't do that to the poor guy, especially when he is 8.
Life as an apprentice can be lonely (even with someone as epic as Slade as a mentor) so Dickie needs a friend. I'm thinking of Damian Al Ghul/ Wayne as Slade probably gets on with the Al Ghul's so Could introduce him and Dick. Jason Todd is another option. I will be judging on the number of votes so leave me a review with your ideas. XD
So yeah review; tell me what you liked, disliked, any improvements, I love your input.
~Ven~