Forgotten Bonds

Forty-One - Titans Together

March 16th, 2009. Monday, 11:00 am. 

"Sure you don't want me to come along?" asked Slade in his sly, teasing tone. Dick rolled his eyes as he jumped down from the plank of the large boat. His feet touched soil and he was blasted with a wave of nostalgia. He took a deep breath; smelling the salty air of the bay. 

"Naw, I'm good," said Dick softly. He put on a smirk as he turned back to look up at Slade. "'Sides, it's not like you're quite welcome yet. You might ruin everything." 

"My, you sure know how to make a man feel welcome," drawled Slade with a smirk. Dick only smiled. It was nice to see the man without his mask outside of the haunt – or really their house; their home. And the man was never going to wear it again – or at least not while Dick was still living. No, Slade was just a man now – a man who was the father of the Boy Wonder. 

"Maybe next time," said Dick with a genuine smile. "Maybe you can help Cyborg beef up the security sometime. Especially since you're able to pass it." 

"I'm able to get through any security," smirked Slade with a dark, suggestive light in his eye. 

"Yeah, but you won't, right?" asked Dick with a raised eyebrow. Slade chuckled, shaking his head. 

"Do you doubt my word? I told you before: Deathstroke the Terminator is no more." 

"Yeah, but you weren't Deathstroke to the Teen Titans," argued Dick with a pointed grin. "You were Slade." 

"Still am," smirked Slade with a double lift of his eyebrows. 

"Slade—" 

"Go on now. Quit stalling." 

Dick opened his mouth slightly, taken aback. He stared up in surprise at the man that was evenly staring down at him with a soft, knowing expression. 

"I'm not stalling," protested Dick. 

"Really? Could've fooled me." 

Dick turned his head away; biting his lip nervously. How did Slade seem to know everything? So what if he was stalling? He was getting more and more anxious by the second. He really didn't want the Titans to be angry with him. He really hoped they would still be his friends after all this. 

But he still couldn't help but worry – especially after their attitudes from before. 

"Go on, I'll stick around in the bay. I won't be far," said Slade, nodding his head once in the direction to the Tower. Dick felt his face flush and he set a soft glare onto Slade. 

"I don't need you to stick around," snapped Dick, the heat creeping upwards to his ears. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much." 

"I think I'll go fishing..." said Slade vaguely, turning his gaze out over the bay. "Nice day. Fish might be biting. This seems like a good spot. Seems like a nice day to have fish for dinner." 

"Slade!" 

Slade amiably tilted his head towards Dick, his features completely lifted in a knowing, wry smirk; yet there was a gentle light in his eye. Dick whirled around, trying very hard not to blush any more. A part of him didn't like being treated like a little kid, but the child inside of him was actually really thankful. If he admitted it, he just might be feeling a little clingy to the man now. But this was a whole new experience for him and there were times he felt a little insecure; sometimes wondering if this whole thing was just a blissful dream. 

And besides, he could be as clingy as he wanted to be. There was nothing wrong with that, especially since he hadn't had a father in almost eight years.