Traumatised

The Deal

His head was throbbing when he finally came too. He was cold, damp and tired but he was also led down on something soft and there was something covering his shoulders. Dick reached his fingers up and touched the fabric that was covering him, after a few seconds of staring he realised it was a heavy jacket. Curiously, he took in the rest of his surroundings. He was led in the back of a car, it was still night and the car wasn't moving.

'It's about time.' A voice said from the front seat.

Dick sat up and then groaned when his head throbbed harder and nausea threatened to wash over him. He glared through the darkness at the man in the front seat. As his vision adjusted, he could see the man was behind the wheel, but he was sat at an angle, so he could look back into the back seat.

Dick pushed himself into the door when he recognised the man before him.

'Deathstroke.' He breathed, a hand clawing at the door for the handle.

'The doors locked so don't bother.' Said Deathstroke calmly, his eyes looking bored behind his orange mask.

'Why am I here?' asked Dick.

'Because I don't know what to do with you.' The man confessed.

'If you're going to kill me, why didn't you when I was asleep?' said Dick, glaring.

'Richard, if I had wanted you dead, I wouldn't have stopped you jumping in front of a train.'

Suddenly the memory came flooding back. He had done that. He had tried to walk in front of a train.

'Why did you stop me?'

'That's a good question.' Said the mercenary. 'Why did you want to end your life?'

Dick's glare deepened, and Slade chuckled.

'I'll tell you my reasons when you tell me yours.'

'You know my name?' said Dick.

'Of course, I know. I've known yours and Bruce Wayne's identity for many years. It really isn't that hard to work out.' He sighed, 'I'm not here to fight with you. I have no reason to fight with you right now.'

'Then why am I in your car?'

'I didn't want to take you back to the Titans unconscious. I doubt they would have believed I hadn't harmed you. It would ruin my night having to deal with them.'

Dick frowned, very confused.

'Now that you're awake, I'll take you back.'

'No!'

The desperation in the boy's voice halted Slade's hand as he reached for the keys.

'You don't want to go back to the Titans?'

Dick shook his head and Slade sighed.

'I can contact the Bat to collect you, but I'd rather not have a confrontation, so I'll have to drop you half way.'

'No,' Dick whispered. 'Just leave me here. Please.'

'I am not leaving you here. You just tried to kill yourself!' said Slade a little harshly.

'Why do you care?'

Slade's eyes narrowed as he glared at the boy. He didn't answer the question.

'Grayson, you are drenched through, you have a fever and are clearly mentally unstable. The Titans or the Batman, which is it?'

'Neither. Why won't you just leave me here?'

'Because I am not having the death of a teenager on my conscience!' Slade shouted. He pulled his temper back, considering his options. When he looked back again, Dick was rubbing at his face like a tired child. Even in the limited lighting of the car, Slade could see the flush that had appeared on the boy's cheeks. If he didn't get the kid out of those wet clothes and into something warm soon, his mental health wasn't going to be the only thing to concern about.