Teen Titans- Renegade's Last Resort- Finding Pandora = Hope

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Chapter 15: Finding Comfort Under The Night Air; Disguised as Sin

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His boots itched badly, but he didn't have to cope with dressing any higher than moon style platform. Slade had said that Roy would be in town looking for his dealer; a woman by the name of Rat Catcher Junior.

She was an underbelly killer, and sge used….well, rats. She'd been the daughter to a man employed under the mad scientist "Dr. Animosity," yet her title had been crushed when her father had been torn apart by his employer's creations to test a behemoth they'd captured a few months ago. Roy apparently had been helping her out, while she used her rats to not go completely broke under the Gotham sewer and metro lines. She knew a lot, and wasn't a true monster with a reputation. She had to only send rats to do her bidding from a device oft to her by her dead dad.

Richard grimaced as one rat raced by, on its way to a night club with the scent of sex and dopamine rising to bite his buns. Rarely would he had suggested to wearing a black trench, yet the fun way in was not to look feisty.

Vixen, indeed.

Dick sniffed as he remembered the look in Slade's one eye. How he needed to get to Roy, hoping that no robots knew how to pass of as humans to watch him work. Slade was everywhere on the globe. Through every lens, every satellite.

Dick wiped a bit of sweat from his brow as he took out his I.D and was let into the club. Perhaps….he should have played the eye candy tonight.

/

Pounding sounds and dancing sexes; the boy wonder knew this part of Gotham barely as the BDSM section. He cussed through his teeth as the boy's damned captor must have known. Was this a trick, a bad prank?

But, no. In the back, a red shirt wearing teen and someone in icy shades, white hair and a fur stole with light blue platforms and a matching skin tight dress were in the booths.

Collecting.

Dock was that he could get over, yet two guards were not to be given a second thought. Dick looked at the bar and slipped over to throw his name around.

"Looking for an 'arrow.' Seen anyone with?"

The bar keep threw a side of his buzz cut scalp to the VIP lounge.

Damn. Dick bobbed his head as they held out their palm.

Dick pulled out a few bucks he'd gotten for this exact scenario.

"If you want is' attention, ask about the Titans."

Dick waved off as he went with his hands in his pockets to where Roy was leaving the booth. He had something tucked away, yet the teen ex hero clearly saw a data drive being stuck in the others best pocket of his leather jacket. "Like ice as use, pretty boy. Call me if that suits the case ye' got."

Dick moved behind Roy as their steps matched to an interesting key. The kid took the back exit as Grayson made his way across the dance floor. The cat walk was full of barely clad dancers as the moved past him.

Roy didn't look back so Dick still had to tread quietly.

/

The red head finally got to the exit and it itched. He'd not gotten everything on the list, but had one more stop to make. He had the file on Slade Wilson. Now? He needed to get out of his skin a bit, and that place had shit "blow." Roy went round the corner in hurried steps as Dick held his part up as the "shadow" in this situation.

It took them to the seedless of the Narrows, a drug barn for those that sought some culture. Dick waited as he tossed on his shades, his eyes going off to mirror Roy's movements before I froze up.

Waiting, it was about fifteen minutes when Roy decided to come out of the drug trafficked shop with a joyful grin mishandled and a wave, and a paper bloody bag. Dick's heart sunk.

This….it could be something, maybe a cover? Roy wasn't that dumb to get drugs in a shop?? That was not even Gotham etiquette on how to get smack, or what some here called "zang – pop." It was due to the gangster shots fired on throughout the city for decades. Some believed that the star of Wayne Enterprises was to blame. Others, the founders of Gotham being hoisted to their posts to keep the city as It was. Slum on one end, and royalty on the other. Dick had left Gotham for Jump and it baffled him as to why in the hell Bruce had failed to stop this corruption.

Maybe it was mutant rat councils that organized order between the districts? Or….owls.

/

Roy took to a dirty looking door as his safe house and beyond it was on the scope. Dick saw low security and made himself cozy in the back room before Roy had even undone the many locks to get in out and away from those breezy street corners.

Many compared Gotham to Chicago due to those gusts, being Wayne lived on a fucking hill like Frankenstein's castle. Or Blackwater was poised over a cliff above a steep drop to intimidating its patrons from years of brain-dead escalation of the architecture that was "Gotham's" second, only to Arkham, while was in the woods and would not fall into the waves.

Dick wondered if Blackgate could be spared, or swapped at that idea.

Roy would be in soon, so he shoved himself up onto the hand me down sofa and took to being as laid back and off putting as Roy might see.

He "dropped the bag, while made a strange "huff" sound when it hit the ground.

A container.

Dick stayed, not backing his eyes as they evaluated Roy's reaction. "You on my case, traitor?"

"I'm looking to be, maybe. But not where you'd think."

"Out , or in?"

Dick didn't answer as Roy huffed through his nose and bent down to pick up the paper bag. "I get fucking good xiaolong bag in that place. Problem is that they can't keep a store sign because the rent ain't cheap. You want?"

/

In was, communal bread, and Dick took that as winning his old friend over for the moment. Roy had out in a bit his syringes and a small vial of what Dick could imagine –

"It's to reject this stupid disease. I lied. I found a guy who said you had to pay way too much to not be addicted, so I found a guy who makes his own in Gotham. Wouldn't have stayed if …"

"You're…trying to change."

"I did, not like you." Snoryed Roy as he put down his oversized meat bun. "You aren't squatting, buddy. I want your promise that my ass is safe. Besides. I'm gone by tonight. No use since you're just playing kid spy for your stupid –

"It's not what you –

"It is." Roy said indignantly as he tightened up his tourniquet. "It so does, and you never had the balls to come to Bruce. Why not? Then again, you come to me."

"I thought you did that, and I wanted in." Dick pressed at the needle with an eye as Roy sneered back. "I had my time, but you know what? I don't get cheap on changing myself. You? You and I had a short time to be daddy's favorite and they tricked us. Threw us out the door when we got too independent. You know, so…why Robin?" Roy put down the needle as he rubbed his arm, the urge coming back.

Dick bit his lip and put down his food. "Here, idiot. Hold still."

Dick had failed, right? But…Roy was sobbing as he let the needle fall wgere it was intended as he burst into a frustrated howl. "Fuck me! You ….you literally are the worst!"

"You wanted to get better, right? You deserve to . Let me, deal with –

"You think I'd do that." Roy gripped the side if Dick's face as they touched. Those hands had been through so much on their own, shaking. Sweating. "I always envied you, Dick…I wanted to be at your level, but you didn't care about my face, I….you don't care about them, do you? Kori is sick…"

"J…" Dick pulled back, yet he was shoved into the sofa as Roy lay over him, hands caging him in. "Show me you ever wanted to stay. I mean that…" Roy sobbed over his face. "Dick…it's so hard…." He wept around Dick's shoulders as the depression and withdrawal showed. "He came after me to do what…he can't. No wonder you hated that dude, I mean…I'm here! I get it. Side kicked. We…we don't-

"Roy!" Dick felt the man smother him and Roy was taller by far. Dick could catch his breath as a tickle. His skin turned to fire as the sweat pooled to his arms and the tight uniform underneath. "You can change, you didn't want to…but I gotta do it? Please?"

It…

"You, wanna get high…. with me? Save… me for once, boy wonder?"

/

Dick wasn't sure about bongs. It was a joke item on sets with lovers in California in their mom's basements. Today, he'd see just how wrong that had sounded.

"Ass! Not that fast!" Roy was giddy and no sopping like fountain down onto his face anymore as they both sat on the sofa. The bad was eaten as Dick was handed the thing to get himself started. Roy gave it a light as the younger teen coughed profusely at his first try.

"Damn, you really are a golden child, kiddo. My god." Roy didn't flinch, as if he'd been high all his life to get away from Ollie's bull shit. "Your owner dude mess you up as much as me? I really don't wanna help anybody, ya know?" Roy leaned back his head as another puff earned him a smoke circle. "Damn…every hookah shop has to be in the next town. You know, I brought my shit halfway and sold it. Said "fuck it." Gotta eat. You gotta grovel with the metallic maniac you run into all.the time, especially cause he goes all medieval on his lairs. Right?"

"Oh…cough!" Dick wiped his lip as Roy got up to grab a bag of half eaten chips and dip from the fridge. "Have electric. I Hella love this shit." Her was grinning, making Dock feel nervous despite the mild buzz effect.

"How long…have you been doing this solo gig?"

"Few months, a month before ass hat got in your friends' faces about….Wilson."

Dick coughed again. "Who?"

"Your "master." Roy put up in air quote as he dug after a dip into the onion dip container. "No double dips, Dick head. I gotta have this last by tomorrow."

"You said you'd be out of the city by –

"I fucking can do whatever I want. No nay – sayers or you get the boot." Frowned Roy with red blazed eyes as he took the bong from between them to get another shot. "Ah…all, week I needed that. It ain't crack. Just skunk weed, Goldie." Grinned the quirky anti-hero.

"You had better use an air freshener before you high tail it." Dick held his nose as he coughed again, the next puff not as smooth. "Fuck! You're right, I suck with this…" Dick groaned like a kid, so he was. They both basics were minors, making what of their lives that had become….

"Never get a lighter, stick to the bottle." Roy smirked as he grabbed another chip from the bag.

"Or the gym, knowing Slade." Snorted Dick, with a sigh.

"Is he gonna force feed you laxatives for my feeding you crap he hates?"

"Worse. He'd make me throw it up into the toilet. His way of "control." Dick frowned, knowing it wasn't a first.

Maybe the laxatives were worse.

Roy actually laughed at that one, getting another puff before his went near boneless. "Uh…can…can we, just stop doing this? I mean, you hate your life. I lost the right to be a fucking "good" hero, so?"

"So?" Dick had snagged a chip before Roy's hand was over his wrist, eyes meeting past the masks. "Let's go. Get out, I can get the Titans outta this you know why I didn't acknowledge you in the club, lil man?"

Dick flushed, pulling back his hand as he held onto the oily treat between his fingers. "I literally know how to stop it. All of it. And I won't say shit until Bruce does the rest to save Kori and the Titans. I fucking know he executed Livewire. You know she was a meta, she had a life before she was axed-

"He…he didn't-

"He's Deathstroke. You know that, right by now?" Roy stood up and predictions, his mood swapping to a restless bungle of energy. Frustration bubbling, Dick rose to try and gather what he could before he'd be forced to fall back. "Roy, if you do that…he will kill them."

"How can you not tell what he'd do? Ollie fought him longer than anyone in the JLA. He pissed off Diana. Tried to weasel with his plans at Bruce's office. You were a kid, but it was a shifty piece if info. Maybe…"

Dick's eyes got a bit brighter as he had no idea that Slade had a face outside of the one, he'd come to know. "He likes to win, Dick. Don't let him. Get tough, don't fuck up. He wanted you home hours ago? No curfew?"

"Roy, you…you don't-

Dick shook his head. He'd never felt free like this in a while. Why would he cling to this pain over….he had to. It made things feel hopeful. Going back, he'd be punished for being a human being and not a cold-blooded monster.

Roy put his hands up in denial. "No. Don't. You got what you needed out of me. We got to chat, but I see what a damned disease you are in my life. Go." He pointed at the door. "Next time I see you, Renegade is toast."

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Dick hung his head to the door as it shut on him. It was raining in a drizzle as he felt too cold. His ears rang as he looked for his comm Slade had handed the kid. He spoke into ut, his body shivering. His tears not yet dry as he walked a few blocks before falling to lean and skilled down into an alley wall under an outdated awning. He huffed, coughing out the rest of what he'd inhaled before sending his S.O.S.

"Come find me…"

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What felt like feverish hours, Slade recovered the location and walked in his civilian attire to see the spot where Dick had…

The broken comm unit and no body present.

Slade's fists clenched before he had the nerve to activate the trackers in Dick's suit.

"Batman." Slade growled before heading back to recoup. He had an apprentice to punish for letting down his guard, as well as bat mobile tire tracks to catch up to.

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