Hello my friends! Ima do this in order of asked, so like if you asked first Ima answer first.

(I tried tagging ppl who asked questions to let them know their questions were answered but not all of them worked so sorry if you didn't get a tag notif, I did answer A L L questions)

Here we go!

From AyzBraiker :

Do you ever have this one scene in mind that you just so badly want to write? When you do, do you jot it down right away or wait for it to come up in the story?

Well, it depends really, if it's a sUuper good idea and I won't forget, I'll hold onto it in my mind for a bit so I can refine it a little more before fully writing it. But it also depends on how soon it comes up in the story, like if I have a scene for the next chapter that I'm dying to write then heck yeah I'm gonna write it right away. But if it's like a few chapters away I won't, but I might write a little synopsis of it in my 'plot' chapter. I actually do this a lot with dialogue, I'll get a really good dialogue idea (I forget those really easily if I don't write em down) and write it in its 'chapter'.

Little side question answer here- if you're wondering if I have every chapter planned, it's a yes. The 'plot' chapter literally has everything in it. but I do have to move stuff around a bit like when chapters get halved or moved back.

From -skymightfall and NicoStark14:

What is the ending of this book going to be about? Is it going to be a dramatic ending or very soft and make us happy?

Haha, that's a great question, and I'll answer as vaguely as possible.

Yes.

Does he (Dick) end up with Deathstroke in the end?

this one is a bit more direct and honestly I really shouldn't tell you anything, but I did promise some sort of answer. So here goes...

Yes... aaaand no.

This slew of questions is from Another_chapter , I'll answer them in order as well.

-What inspired you to write this story?

Tbh it was a total whim, a shower thought basically. It started out really small, just a simple scene of Dick and Slade actually being friends. It really started with the back story, how they met, how they lived together, how one reacted to the other. The Court Of Owls part of it all was there too, it wasn't thrown in last minute, but I will admit Wintergreen kinda was. From there it just kinda grew and grew, and I just made sure there were no plot holes along the way and that everything made sense. It helps when you know beginning, middle, and end. Three 'acts' as it were.

-Whats your fav fandom?

Haha, Danny Phantom, not gonna lie, friggin love it. Although I do find DC and whatnot more user friendly in the fanfic making department. But oh boy does Danny Phantom have just that perfect touch of angst.

-Do any of your irl family and friends know about your fanfics?

None, save but a few. I gained a new friend who just moved in near me who writes fics and we chat occasionally when we can, but she uses AO3 and is in much different fandoms than I. My sister knows, she's on Wattpad as well, she writes amazing stuff you guys, mostly reader inserts for Star Trek, Lord of The Rings, and a few other stuffs I can't remember off the top of my head.

My parents... know? Like they are aware I write but I don't think they actually understand that I w r i t e. Like actually take time and write. They don't exactly approve but they don't disapprove either, so I kinda just hang in the middle there and try not to get caught writing, it's very uncomfortable for me.

-Do you like to read lots of published books? If so, which ones are your favorite?

Yeah, at least I used to. Not so much anymore, I haven't had the time nor found anything interesting enough recently. But oh boi was I the Percy Jackson fan, also Rangers Apprentice, I even read the Warrior cat series back in the day. More recently tho it's been the Lunar Chronicles. Heckin LOVE IT. (This is of course already assuming PJO is either on top or near the top of the list)

-Who's your favorite character other than Slade/Dick?

Wally. I feel like I'm terrible at writing him but I love him so much. I also have a fondness for Artemis. (This, again, is assuming the entire Batfam isn't on top) (Tim needs more appreciation and Damian is just a smol bean who needs love) (Jason is just mmmmmm) (and I think we all already know how I feel about Dick)

-If you could choose to be any character for a day, who would you be?

Mmm tuff one... well as much as it pains me to say, it wouldn't be any of the Batfam. If we're talking 'be any character for a day including the whole kit and kaboodle of their problems' then it would be a pass on literally most heroes.

Any character tho huh?

The first one that comes to mind is Clint Barton, he's chill, I love him. Being Percy would be cool as heck, but if I'm being completely 100% honest, I would be either Beast Boy or Thor. I wanna wield a hammer, I'm Miss Twig Arms, I can barely lift a textbook. But heck yeah I've always wanted to be a bird and fly, and a cat and leap off of things and be super stealthy.

But if we're talking about infusing skills and powers of a person into me for a day... definitely Percy Jackson. I love the water but I'm so friggin scared of drowning, at least when I've got Percy Powers I don't have to worry about that.

-Why do you like angst so much?

Interesting question, one I haven't really thought about or really had an answer to until recently. Now this is going to be the extremely shortened version cuz the reason is actually kinda personal, but basically it's less the bad stuff that I like writing and more of the resolution. Bad things can happen in a snap, rebuilding and recovering takes time and effort. It's that commitment of love (weather romantic or platonic) that I wish for myself but never really got so I make sure the Beans get it. If someone hurts, I'm going to comfort them with every atom in my being. This extends to the Beans I write about, they get hurt, I make sure they find someone who loves them because I can't stand someone else feeling this way. (even if they are fictional)

Let's get to the next question shall we?

-What advice do you have for getting better at writing?

(this is going to be a long answer)

Read. Read some published books, ones with good grammar, because that is literally the only reason I write as well as I do, that and practice of course. And in no way am I perfect either. Pay attention to how it is written, if you like how certain things are written put it in your own writing.

That's literally what I did, John Flanagan, Author of the Ranger's Apprentice series, is really heckin good at concise but detailed descriptions of movement and fighting, so I implemented that into my writing. But I also put a sense of thought and self into what I write to give more character and more feeling (more me basically).

A common mistake I find is actually really small, but it will really help anybody's writing.

Please.

For the love of all that is holy on this planet.

Be specific when you have multiple characters in a scene. You put in enough 'He did this' and 'He did that' without description to discern who is who and then everyone is all twisted around and the readers are completely lost, losing all significance of the scene.

Don't get the readers lost.

Unless it's on purpose.

"Because like,"

"Who's talking?"

"I don't know,"

"It could be anyone."

"Every line could be a different person."

"Or two people going back and forth."

"Oh what's this?"

"Another person?"

"I guess once the descriptive paragraphs come back we'll find out!"

Ahh sorry had to throw a little shade, but this is the readers point of view when someone writes like that.

The point of writing is not for the author, the author knows everything all ready, the author knows who's talking, and the significance behind stuff, but if the readers don't know then what's the point? Storytelling is exactly that, story-telling, there's a big difference between 'my dog died.' and 'my loving brother didn't see our dog running across the street while backing out and accidentally ran him over, he felt so guilty he made a cake and I was crying for hours.'

A lot more impactful isn't it?

Writers don't write just to put words on a page, all writers goals are to make the reader f e e l something. Stories often manipulate a readers feelings, and that's why they are so successful. Just look at Uncle Rick, throw everyone's favorite ship into Tartarus and no one will ever forget the story that made them scream and tear their hair out in horror and frustration.

(Tbh when I get comments of people screaming and keyboard smashing, I absolutely g l o w with pride because 'yES I did it! I made them feel something!')

Plot wise? I kinda said it earlier, but it's really easy to make a story when you figure out your beginning, middle, and end. All great stories have three 'acts', that's why trilogies are a thing. Act one sets the stage, introduces characters and the problems. Act two worsens the problems and maybe sets up the resolution, but mostly just makes things worse. Act three is the climax, the dukey hits the fan and everyone is screaming their brains out. But with that comes the resolution, the fix, and the calming down.

Y'all know that graph? As stupid as it is, it's exactly what stories are.

Also note that the 'Denouement' (aka resolution) is still high compared to the beginning. Things have changed by the end, things might not be fully resolved (hence sequels)(at least that's how it should be), but they are better.

For BT, we are in act two, but we have not hit the 'midpoint' of act two yet. There is a lot more dukey to hit the fan before we can clean stuff up.

Along with plot progression there needs to be character development. Even as minor as it is, none of the characters at the beginning of Blood Ties are exactly the same as they are right now, and you can bet your bottom dollar they won't be exactly the same by the time the end of this book comes around. But they are still themselves- if that makes any sense.

Act one is where you set the foundations of your character, who are they, what motivates them to do what they do, and what causes them to react. Know your character. I cannot stress this enough. Use. Logic. I know it's fanfiction, but the greatest lies told are the ones closest to the truth. (jeez I find myself saying that phrase a lot)

When you write a character do not think 'oh this is what I would do' you have to think 'what would Dick do if this happened?' It's all about how the character reacts, that's the difference between a character driven story and a plot driven story. It keeps the story realistic, like yes, this is logical, this is exactly how Percy would react to Annabeth being stabbed. And any resulting actions must be the characters direct reaction from the stimulus.

Wow I feel science-y. I used the word stimulus!

Anywho, for example;

I know Dick Grayson, at least I know the one I created in Blood Ties, he is different from the canon Dick Grayson but that's totally alright because it makes sense because of what's happened to him.

A quick little side note; make your own logic, that's what building an AU means, and making a plot means making something 'impossible' happen in that world's logic, but then eventually have a perfectly explainable logical reason. (i.e. sending Dick off to the heroes) (seems pretty impossible to Dick- even if you guys figured it would happen)

I give Dick a problem. Let's say he can't reach the top shelf, what's he gonna do? Is he gonna go find Slade to help him get it? Is he going to find a ladder of some sort? Is he gonna just jump up there?

If it were me, I'd get a ladder.

But no, this is Dick Grayson, he is going to flip his way up there.

I did kinda cheat a little tho because I'm writing a broken character (Dick), those are so easy to write because it's easy to be broken. This sort of clashes with the 'three act' plot, considering usually the main character starts out strong, then continually gets more broken as the story progresses before being forced to make a decision, to either rise up and fight back with little chance of winning (but they win) or flat out give up. (Or a mix of both, Infinity War anyone?) (seriously this is story crafting, as long as it makes sense in the end a n y t h i n g goes.)

(Actually, one could argue (considering all plot points and such) that Blood Ties really Slade's story and not Dick's) (but I'll let you guys decide that)

So yeah, this already broken Dick has had a Slade band-aid. His story is literally the band-aid being ripped off and having to heal a different way while the wound keeps getting reopened. And let's say Batman and co. are stitches, being able to heal the wound correctly and solidly. If- that is- Dick will let himself bear the pain of the needle sewing him together to help him, when a much easier band-aid would hurt less at the moment, but in the long run ruin him.

Wow that was an awesome analogy.

Anywho, this 'three act' plot line is a guideline really, you can totally deviate. I personally like to think this book has two climaxes, but one has much more impact on the characters.

(Think HTTYD- climax should be Hiccup in the kill ring and Toothless coming to his aid and ultimately getting captured right? Wrong! That was a mini climax! But still held a lot of weight didn't it? Stoick and Hiccup sure felt it, even Astrid! (This is of course assuming Toothless's feelings on the event are obvious) The real climax was fighting the Red Death! And that was epic and tied everything together in a neat little bow, while the mini climax shoved the plot mercilessly into the chasm of chaos)

NEXT QUESTION before I accidentally give a writing seminar.

From miagirl33:

So when will you let these two (Dick and Slade) have their peace and be happy together?

Mmm, good question, one I cannot answer outright, but what I can tell you is eventually. Nothing too soon at least, cuz hey, the show must go on! Does this mean a happy ending tho? Maybe, maybe not. Peace between Dick and Slade is an interesting wording for this wish, I quite like it.

From Aravax :

Ok. So apart from weird yellow eye possession/control thing, does Dick have any other potentially on-going electrum side-affects? (This next part is a clarification of the question) My question is based off the assumption Dick has at least started the procedure into becoming a full Talon in body. Basically, if the yellow-eyed control thing was caused by the court using Electrum, does Dick have any other side affects? Or is there a possibility that there will eventually be side affects?

Great great great question, just to make sure everyone is on the same page here I'm gunna list the side-effects of Electrum.

Big ol' number one: ya die. Technically they kill you and the serum brings you back, after a few months you get the black veins/scars and zombie-like white skin. Minor things include the yellow eyes, lack of necessity for food and water, taste, feelings in general (as in physical touch not emotions- but those might go too, cuz who know how ur feeling after you die.)

Two; Very very susceptible to cold. The serum makes it easier for the Talons to go into stasis until the next mission.

Three: Accelerated healing and durability, among other superhuman enhancements. This includes immortality.

I actually found a 'definition' of sorts for Electrum; a chemical compound that can reanimate dead tissue and heal living tissue over and over again. The compound is fueled by body heat.

Now we're all a bit smarter than we were before, at least most of us, you smerty pants can go be smert somewhere else. Lol jk, plz if I'm getting any of this wrong P L E A S E tell me cuz I do not wanna mess this up.

I have culminated this information from FandomWiki, specifically Talons and William Cobb, But this did not give me any of the physical side effects other than the physical advancements. Is it bad to say I got my other info from fanfictions? Tbh I got into other fandoms via fanfics so.... anywho, I got the vain stuff and cold stuff from that. There's this fantastic fanfiction all about Talon!Dick on AO3 and that's basically where I got most of my info.

Ok but now that we're all on the same page I can answer this.

As far as you guys know, at one point Dick was with the Court, being tortured no less. Later with Slade his eyes turned yellow and he slaughtered a bunch of people.

The best explanation I can give without spoiling too much is that yes, Dick was given the serum, but something happened (you'll find out as the story progresses) and Dick doesn't have many of the big side effects.

He is more susceptible to cold now tho, it's kinda been stated here and there but if you look for it you'll find it. For example when Wally was holding Dick during his panic attack (chapter 14) he noted he could feel how cold Dick was through his suit. which hints to the fact the serum was 'acting up', since its fueled on heat and Dick was losing heat, one can assume the serum was taking that heat leaving him cold.

It's the little things you guys.

Let's just say the serum is dormant, I can't tell you why and I can't tell you how, but it's dormant.

From PDucky0;

When will we see Jason again?

Very soon, I know Dick and Slade are kinda the main characters in this book but if it were anyone else it would be Jason and Bruce. His presence in the story starts out slow but trust me, you'll see a lot more of him.

Alright, I think I hit everything.

Now before we get to the bonus scene I would like to share a few drawings of mine. There's three, and tbh none of them really have a 'scene' in the book, just like random stuff these characters would do.

Oh also two of them are the characters in cat form cuz that's so much easier than humans, also it's a lot easier making Dick smol and adorable.

Also I've made 'cat' names for them all, ready for....

Batcat (Batman)
Catstroke (Deathstroke)
Catergreen (Wintergreen)
Dickie-kittie (Dick)
Cat-Flash (Wally) (I couldn't find a way to put 'cat' into Wallace West so I just put it in Kid Flash) (Wallcat West?)

This is a protective Cat-Flash, and yeah the coloring and the line work are super sloppy cuz I was being lazy but I still wanted to show you guys. (I'll probably clean it up later) (I also just now realized I forgot whiskers) (oops)

Hehe I like this one, have some angry kitties. This is how I imagine an argument between Catstroke and Batcat would go, and Dickie-kittie would just kinda be in between like 'crap'.

(Also yeah I know Catergreen wasn't in any of these but I totally plan on it happening) (he'd be a big ol' white fluffy cat)

Ok this next one is humans, and it took f o r e v e r, but I'm quite happy with it, just Dick and Slade being totally casual.

The cover of the book Dick is reading is actually maroon if you can't tell, and yes it's Mark of Athena. Sue me I'm a nerd. Actually don't sue me I don't have any money.

(Also really funny detail, I had to get a reference for drawing Slade but I had n o issue drawing Dick, what the heck brain.)

(Also if you look really closely you can see all the scars)

Ok, bonus scene time!!

This is when Wintergreen meets Dick for the first time and it doesn't go exactly as planned. I had this scene planned (but not exactly written) for awhile but I never really got a place to put it in the story, but I didn't exactly want to scrap it so here it is!

-Miscommunication-

William Wintergreen rubbed his face, dragging his hand over his eyes and down his chin and up again, trying to rid himself of all evidence of tiredness. He really should have slept in when he had the chance, now he was running on less than three hours of sleep that he got two days ago.

But he finally made it, Slade's hideout. He had been messaged (coded of course) the address and burned the paper afterwards. He and Slade had known how to deal with sensitive information for years now, they had learned together after all. When ones friendship starts in the army its bound to linger afterwards, especially if the two save each other. Well... Slade had saved him more than he saved Slade. William felt indebted, but of course Slade was his friend too. They were friends before Slade barged in guns blazing (quite literally) to save his hide from the enemy base. He was there when Deathstroke the Terminator was born, and he was going to stay there for however long he could. Slade may be immortal now, but William wasn't going to let that stop him, if anything he felt even more pressed to help his war buddy.

The harried old man shifted over to the door and raised his hand to the rusty bronze door knob. He stilled for a moment, letting the hidden scanner identify his fingerprints before a satisfying 'shink' sounded and the handle became loose.

He swung the door open, his dark forest green coat draped over one arm and he shimmied in tiredly with a sigh. He hoped Slade was here, it wasn't always easy to catch each other when one was a mercenary and the other a retired soldier. Retired might be stretching it, he refused to be idle, but his aching bones demanded respite, and the period of rest only seemed to get longer and longer. Okay so he might be a little old, but his white hair had nothing to do with his capability to bust some heads when needed.

As William continued farther into the apartment he softened his steps and payed more attention to his surroundings. Something felt off.

Everything seemed to be in order, the counter was clear of clutter, the small table tucked next to the closed window was clean. It may have been awhile since he'd visited this hideout but he knew how Slade liked to keep his place clean, clutter was a hinderance and being in the army definitely refined that aspect of his friend. Only one thing set off the warnings in his head, his eyes narrowing as he continued to observe. The lights were on.

If Slade was here he would have come to greet him by now, unless Slade was injured, which he would be alerted to by Slade if it was serious, even if it was just a small noise. Or Slade could be away and there was someone rifling through his stuff, but everything was fine, nothing was thrown to the side in a rage or ripped or ravaged. That came to his other option, if it was not a pillager then it must be someone trained to pillage without looking like anything had been moved, but what trained professional would leave the lights on? That's not something a professional would let slip, even amateur crooks know to leave the lights off.

William grew a frown and slipped his hand behind his back to the small gun in its hidden holster. He inched forwards, taking to creep along the wall and step quietly. He heard shuffling, cloth moving and a thud as bare(?) feet hit the carpeted ground. Then he heard rapid footsteps, small and lethal.

Whoever it was wasn't too big, which could either make this confrontation easier or harder. William backed up and slid his gun around to fire. In a last minute decision he jumped out from behind the wall and pointed the barrel of his gun at the infiltrator.

He was met with a mop of raven black hair and giant startled blue eyes. It was a small boy, frozen in place and staring wide eyed at the gun pointed right at him.

William lowered his gun a little, it was just a child, then his brows furrowed. What was a kid doing in here?

"Y-your not-" The child was clearly frightened, taking a step back as the tiny shoulders curled in.

"How'd you get in here kid?" William asked as he eased his glare up and lowered the gun more. It wouldn't help to threaten the boy, not yet at least, he needed to know more.

It didn't seem to matter that he was trying to be less-than-threatening-but-still-threatening, the child was shaking and taking a few steps more backwards. The kid bumped into a chair and promptly sidestepped behind it, wide scared eyes peeking out from his hiding place.

"You get in here by yourself kid?" William asked, then he snapped his head up, the boy could be a distraction. "Anyone else in here?!" He raised his voice as he continued to look around, all the crevices and corners.

Once satisfied of his own safety he zeroed in on the boy again. "Kid, answer me."

The child flinched back slightly, disappearing completely from view for a moment before edging around the corner with his mouth opened, but half choked sobbs came out instead of words. The boy's bright blue eyes were rimmed red and tears streamed down his face, the rest of his frail body trembling in place. William had no clue what to do, children weren't exactly his place of expertise.

"Look, kid, I'm not sure how you got in here but-" He took a step forward but stopped when the child cried out.

The ebody haired boy jumped backwards deeper into the corner behind the chair, the only indication of his presence a soft sobbing and muttering about... punishment?

This time it was worry that wrinkled William's brow (if it wasn't already wrinkled enough from old age). He might not know much about kids, but he knew how to identify abused ones.

Slade better not have-

He didn't even want to finish that thought.

William internally sighed.

"Hey, kid, it's ok," He said softly, slowly lowering himself to the floor in a crouch a few feet away from the cowering child. "I'm putting the gun away, please don't scream." The old soldier slid his gun behind him, holstering it in his waist pocket. He would have placed it on the ground for the kid to see but he wasn't quite convinced he wouldn't need his gun, the kid was still a mystery. Those blue eyes were watching him warily from behind black hair and he had a white grip on the side of the chair, his small frame shaking with near silent sobbing.

Now crouched on the balls of his feet, William sidled forward a bit, trying not to come off as mean or threatening. His hand came out with his palm facing up, trying to lure the boy from the corner, or maybe more like an offering. "It's ok, I won't hurt you. How about you tell me how you got in here eh?"

No way Slade knew about this kid, and as far as he knew (and he knew a LOT) Slade was definitely not a family guy. Street kid perhaps? But the kid looked pretty cared for, even if just a bit scruffy and thin, his clothes weren't in too bad of a condition either.

The older man moved as slow as molasses, trying to get closer to the kid without sending him into hysterics, or even more hysterics in this case. But the child was having none of it, he scrambled away again and Wintergreen dropped his hands in defeat.

"Alright, kid, I'm sorry I scared you but you really shouldn't be here." William definitely did not have the patience to deal with a scared child at the moment, he even felt a headache coming from the back of his eyes.

Said headache spiked as the child's reply was to cry harder.

Wintergreen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes to attempt to ignore the pain blistering his mind. Then his eyes opened as a thought came to him, maybe the kid was a met- the sound of the door opening caught his attention and his thought died off.

The old soldier bristled, that had to be Slade, if he saw a crying child in his house who knows how he'll react. Hopefully not violently.

William stood up, eyes going between the entryway and the corner where the kid huddled, debating on meeting whoever was there or keeping the kid in check, if he left the kid might bolt.

To Williams's relief Slade rounded the corner, probably drawn by the cries, and stopped to survey the scene. The single eye widened, eyebrow raising just a titch upwards, but the older man knew it wasn't from surprise. In the mercenary's hands were walmart sacks, a curious phenomenon in William's opinion, Slade didn't usually 'shop'.

"Now Slade," Wintergreen raised a hand in a calming gesture, he might know his friend well but he still had to accept the fact that Slade might be the reason the kid was afraid of getting hit. "You know anything about this? He was here when I got here and he's been afraid that I am going to hit him."

William eyed the man, trying to figure out by body language if Slade was the culprit, abusers usually feel some sort of pride when their victims show their fear in their presence. And while Wintergreen wasn't his abuser, it was obvious someone had done so to the point that anyone was an abuser to the kid. It was a whole new level of messed up, one he didn't think Slade participated in, but he couldn't rule it out considering Slade wasn't far from the line. But child abuse seemed too random for him, there was no lead up, no reason, unless it was for a contract, but he honestly couldn't think of someone who would pay a mercenary to traumatize a child, there would be no satisfaction for the buyer.

William trepidatiously watched the grizzled man set down his sacks and stomp forward, his face seemingly made of stone. His boots thudded against the carpet and the child whimpered against the wall, the boy huddling his limbs to make himself smaller.

"Slade..." William said in warning, hoping his words at least had given the man pause to his abrupt mannerisms, but clearly Slade was intent on making contact. Children and Deathstroke the Terminator don't usually mix. Slade normally ignored kids, but now one of them had invaded his house and had his undivided attention, Will wasn't even sure the mercenary saw him standing there.

The old soldier was surprised to find Slade crouching down in front of the kid and murmuring soft words Wintergreen couldn't hear. He couldn't see the child either, as he was now hidden from view by the bulky form of Slade. Curious, he teetered to the side to see if he could find out what was going on, his mouth opening to voice his confusion. "Sla-"

A fist came up, solid and stiff.

"SLADE!" William's heart leapt into his throat at the movement, his shout of alarm tearing through the air louder than the child's screams, but then he silenced himself as he fully recognized the signal.

Wintergreen had thought the man was revving up to strike the kid, then felt a wave of shame as he recognized the silent order. Slade wasn't going to hit the kid, who was he kidding? Slade had only lifted his hand to make HIM silent, so obviously Slade knew what he was doing, clearly this was a delicate matter.

William stood back, folding his arms as both relief and anxiety flooded his mind. Slade wasn't going to beat the kid, and now he was beat red for thinking he ever would.

Wintergreen frowned and wrinkled his nose, his white mustache coming up with his lip in a type of sneer. He wasn't angry at the kid, no, he wasn't angry at all actually. He knew Slade would never let him live this down now. Slade would be cross with him for thinking he could have been the abuser. It made no sense, why did he ever let himself think it was true? He was glad he had recognized Slade's order in time. Truth be told he could silence Slade too, they had such a mutual trust that whenever the other would order something the order would be carried out. With their type of business, hesitancy was the true enemy and their trust had to be rock solid.

Which made his assumption of Slade being the kid's abuser look immature and rather stupid.

The signaling fist lowered and Wintergreen rolled his eyes and folded his arms, waiting until Slade decided to do something. The old man was honestly worried for the kid, Slade might not hit him, but clearly someone had and that's not good. There were too many unknowns as well, it was really bad if a mere child was able to break into Deathstroke's hideout. While Wintergreen was speculating, Slade was busy calming the terrified child, eventually speaking loud enough for all people present to hear.

"Alright lets try this again." Slade said softly. Wintergreen rose an eyebrow, he'd never heard Slade speak so kindly before, at least not to some random kid.

The old man watched as Slade swiveled around, cradling the child in one arm as he did so. The poor boy was still trembling, but he was no longer crying, although he seemed on the verge. Slade looked up to WIlliam and the elder of the two rose an eyebrow in question, Slade simply turned his attention back to the child.

"Dick, this is William Wintergreen," The mercenary rose a hand to gesture to the elder, whom smiled and tried to look more friendly. "He's my friend and he won't hurt you."

The child- Dick- took one look at Wintergreen with those diamond blue eyes and promptly buried his face into the mercenary's shirt. His small delicate hands were reaching up to grab the fabric too, as if he'd be ripped away at any moment. Wintergreen felt a little disappointed the child didn't like him, no one liked seeing a child cry because of you. (Except for the really crazy people but that was irrelevant)

Slade sighed, rising a hand to rub the boy's shuddering back. "Don't take it personally, he's not a big fan of people."

Wintergreen blinked in surprise, still trying to comprehend, he needed an explanation and he needed it now before he had an aneurysm. "But he seems to be just fine with you. How on Earth did this happen anyway? Please don't tell me you adopted him." He pinched his nose again. Darn headache, darn sleep deprivation, darn child that somehow is inexplicably attached to his mercenary friend. Did he not realize that if he adopted the child he'd have to take care of him? Like... forever? Not to mention there would be a child on Slade Wilson's record, and that's not something you can fix with a new identity.

"Don't worry, he's not adopted, as far as the public know hes dead."

Wintergreen slapped his hand over his face. That was almost worse.

"You didn't steal him did you." Wintergreen practically growled with the hand still over his face. It wasn't a question, it was a warning.

Slade huffed, "Of course not, he came to me."

"He came to you." William's tone said he didn't believe him, but the proof was in the pudding, the kid was here. William sighed and he took his hand off his face and onto his hip, looking sadly down at the boy in Slade's arms. "Alright. Spill it. Who hurt him and where -if they're still alive- can I find them so I can fix that?"

Slade seemed affronted, but not surprised, and William had the sneaking suspicion he was only offended because he implied the boy's tormentors were still alive. The thought almost made him grin.

"I'll tell you my side of the story, but you're going to have to ask him for any specifics." Slade moved to a stand, holding the boy with one arm as he grabbed the chair the boy had previously hid behind and sat in it. Dick was still clinging onto the mercenary, his legs even curled up on the man's lap, clearly he was still afraid.

"Fine." William huffed as he stood a good few feet away, he figured the boy would still be sensitive to his presence even with the bigger man there comforting him. The idea made him smirk. "Tell me how Deathstroke the Terminator became a child protective service."

Then it occurred to him that someone might have hired Slade to protect the boy, but that didn't usually entail physical comfort, and usually the buyers were pretty wealthy and the kid wasn't so sketchy looking.

The child jerked at his words and Slade gave him a glare. William sighed and just rolled his hand to get his old friend talking, he really shouldn't try to be sincere while heavily sleep deprived. He pulled at another chair and sat it in across from the mercenary, feeling his tired bones sink into the final position and he knew he wasn't getting up again until his body had rested.

Perfect for story time.

"I had found him alone and sleeping on the streets on a rainy night, I'll be honest Will I don't know why I took him home but I did. He got some rest and when he woke up I introduced myself, he reacted as badly as he did to you. Eventually he calmed down enough for me to explain things, he had a hot shower while I went to get him some clothes and he left soon after."

"He just left? You let him leave?" William asked, actually bewildered by this, Slade doesn't just let people know his hideouts.

Slade only nodded as Dick shifted in his lap, continuing his story as he helped the child get into a more comfortable position. "A few days later he comes to me while I'm on a job, asked me to kill his parents murderer."

William almost physically gasped, instead only his head jerked back in surprise, only to lean forward even more as he couldn't imagine the small child asking for someone to be killed, no matter who that person was. "Who?"

"When Dick feels ready he can tell you that." Slade said and Wintergreen noticed the boy had tensed again. "I told him I could help him, but I wouldn't kill for him."

"You don't mean..." William trailed off, implying that the kid himself had killed his parents murderer.

"No, of course not. Dick just needed a solid place to live to get some stability in his life, so I offered him my house. He didn't accept at first, but eventually he dropped by more and more often that he basically moved in."

"And he knows what you do for a living?" Wintergreen asked with an arched eyebrow, must be some kid to make Deathstroke of all people trust him.

The mercenary nodded, "I don't know when he pieced it together, but I am always honest with him when he asks about my work."

Wintergreen folded his arms and set them on the table, having to lean forward a little to do so. "And I assume he doesn't have any family. How old is he?"

Slade gave a sharp nod, but his eye flashed a warning as the child in his arms cuddled a little closer. "Nine."

William sat back and let out a bark of laughter, causing a slight whimper from the boy. The old soldier apologised but his smile never left his face. "Sorry, but I leave you alone for what? A few months? And this is what happens? Must be Christmas, because the Grinch just grew a heart!"

Another laugh exited the older man and was cut off from a kick under the table from Slade. Wintergreen's laughter was stifled but he couldn't help the mirth in his eyes.

"As far as first impressions go you did pretty poorly."

"Do you really think I came here expecting to meet an abused child you decided to take in?"
Wintergreen retorted, "For as smart as you are Slade I think you might have skipped the logic on this one."

Slade threw his old friend a glare. "And you thought I was going to beat him."

Wintergreen's gut sank but he knew it had been coming, and he totally deserved it. "In my defense," He said anyway, "You had ample time to explain enough so I at least knew you weren't at fault. Also I'm on three hours of sleep that I got two days ago, you'll have to forgive my jumping to conclusions."

Something in Slade's eye softened, but had it been anyone else they wouldn't have been able to tell. "Use the bed and get some rest Will."

The old soldier scoffed and fidgeted in his seat. "No, I'm the guest, Dick looks tired-"

"Go get some rest Wintergreen." Slade interrupted, glaring a bit harder. "This wouldn't be the first time I've slept in a chair, nor Dick's."

William stayed for a few moments, actually sinking deeper into the chair in retaliation. Slade kept his stare, and when it was obvious the mercenary wasn't going to move Wintergreen ruefully got up.

"Fine. But I'm sleeping in." He huffed and went to the bedroom doorway.

"Good, I'll be leaving again tomorrow for a mission." Slade threw over his shoulder.

William paused and turned, reading between the lines and knowing exactly what his old friend was doing. "Do you really think it's a good idea for me and Dick to be alone together?"

"You'll figure it out." Slade said. "Now go to sleep before I bash your head in to make you sleep."

With one last 'humph' Wintergreen was gone.

Slade took a deep breath, making the child on his chest rise a little. The mercenary beant his head down and tried to move Dick whom was limply asleep in his lap, or at least seemed to be. "Dick I know you're awake, and I know you're trying to avoid talking to me."

The corner of his mouth twitched up when the child tensed, caught red handed. Dick sad up but still hunched over, eyes averted and head lowered sheepishly.

"Dick we've talked about what to do when intruders come in." Slade dug in his pocket and pulled out a small black box. "You push your half of this alert signal and I will drop whatever I'm doing and come. Why didn't you use it?"

Dick was playing with his hands now, extending each finger and probing at his joints before moving on to the next finger.

"Dick?" Slade added some warning to his voice, "You know I don't ask twice."

The child flinched a little and Slade placed a hand on one of the boy's small thighs. "I'm honest with you Dick, and you are honest with me, that was the deal. Now why didn't you use the alert?"

Dick squeezed his hands together and finally his tiny chest expanded to answer. "I-I thought... I thought he was someone else." The ebony head lowered even more in shame and Slade rose his hand to rub the boy's upper arm. "...S-someone really bad... I-I nu think..."

"Does he still remind you of that person?" Slade knew he wasn't going to get any more specifics, Dick was very adamant his abusers at the Detention Center remained unnamed and pressuring for it would get him nowhere but a sobbing mess.

Dick shook his head, sending his raven locks dancing, giving Slade a chance to see those bright blue eyes that were still locked to the ground.

"William is definitely not someone you need to be afraid of, he is kinder than I am." Slade sighed.

Dick felt the weight come off his chest when Slade didn't press. Even if Slade felt like he wasn't kind, Dick thought Slade was the nicest man in the world. The little acrobat hugged the mercenary, again curling on his lap and swallowing down his gathered tears.

Dick really was sorry for not pressing the button, he had seen the man point the gun at him and all logic had been thrown out the window. He thought Mr. Wintergreen was someone else entirely. Even if he didn't look like one of them, he had thought the old soldier was a Talon, coming to collect him for the Court. They probably realized his death had been faked by now, they would be looking for him, and Dick never wanted to see the day Slade was hurt because of the blood than ran through his veins.

-0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0-

"Blast it Slade!" Wintergreen grumbled and gripped as he yanked and tugged on an endless mound of wires and cameras. "All this security and not a single cable for the TV?"

William would have been using a lot more profanities but Dick was watching from bed he was nestled into.

The morning, well more like early afternoon, had been slow and rather uneventful. Dick was quiet most of the time and Wintergreen felt like he was walking around a land mine. Actually a land mine would have been preferable, he knew how to handle a bomb, he did not know how to handle a kid. He didn't exactly know what to do with the boy so he suggested a few things to do, most of Dick's answers definitely surprised him.

William suggested they go outside after observing the extremely pale, yet somehow exotic looking, skin of the younger boy. The overhanging clouds weren't too low, a positively stunning day for Gotham. Dick had promptly shook his head and ran to the bedroom. Wintergreen thought he had scared him off when the boy came back carrying a few children's books.

"Reading is safer." He had said simply, jumping up on the counter and opening one of the books. He had found the little boy liked high places, or at least places he could feel taller or come to eye level. He held one of Dr. Seuss's children's books among others, it confused him because those types of books were for very beginning readers, Dick was eight reading books for four year olds.

Dick had taken to reading those books out loud and that's when Will realized Dick did not originate from America. He had an accent and the words he used were small, occasionally he would say something oddly. As he read he would sound out words he stumbled on slowly, staring at the book with such intensity that William almost joked the boy would figure it out through osmosis. But he refrained in an effort to let the boy do what he pleased without being teased, learning a language was no easy feat. He absentmindedly wondered what language Dick originally knew, he couldn't quite place that accent.

"O-over...well, mm..?" Dick stared at the word and twisted the book to a different angle to see if that made any difference in his contemplation. He recognized the smaller words inside, but all together it was really weird, he re-read the word a few times just to make sure if he saw a space between the words or not. "Mr. Wintergreen? What is 'over, well, mm'?"

Will had been on his phone, and when he heard the boy speak in confusion he looked up. "It's pronounced 'overwhelm' Dick, and you can just call me Will. It basically means too much."

"Over is a.. a.. pre-fik?" Dick asked again and William smiled.

"Prefix, and in this case yes." He corrected, idly wondering where Dick was going with this.

"Does that mean ...wellmm means just right?" The boy asked, head quirked to the side.

The old soldier laughed lightly and shook his head. "No, it's one of those tricky words that just mean exactly what they mean."

"But what about pre-fix dis-? Like dis-aster. Dis- makes aster bad, so without dis-, aster means good."

Wintergreen set down his phone and turned to look at the child with both fascination and caution. "Where on Earth did you come from?"

Dick shrunk a little and his book raised a bit to cover his face. "R-Romania..."

William blinked for a seconds, he didn't actually think the boy would answer him, much less answer with a LOCATION. And now Dick was scared of him again, this time for an entirely different reason.

"Oh, so that's what that accent is." Is what he said aloud. Dick hummed sheepishly and his feet drew up to disappear behind the book as well. Dang that kid was small, did he seriously just hide himself behind a children's book? Granted most children's books are large, but usually not large enough to hide an eight year old behind them.

"If I may Dick, how long have you been in the States?"

The ebony head appeared as the book was lowered, a look of thoughtfulness came over the child's face as a hand came up with random fingers flinging out while he counted in his head. "One... year and... ate moonths." His face twisted as he spoke, knowing something was wrong with what he had said but not knowing what.

"Months?" William offered with raised eyebrows.

Dick huddled behind his book again, "English is hard..." he said defensively.

"Oh I don't doubt it, English is by far the weirdest language out there. Trust me Dick, you're doing great, you speak very good English for one so young." William consoled, this child knew English better than some of his war buddies, but he had also known their language in return, William knew absolutely nothing about the Romanian language.

"Mami and Tati taught a little, later I l-learned throo voce, But I never learned reading entil now." He said bashfully, a light dusting of pink on his ivory cheeks.

William just nodded along, his mind elsewhere. Was Slade actually teaching the boy? "Do you just sit around and read all day?"

Dick shook his head, relaxing a bit more and almost closing the book altogether. "Slade nu-nut-... Mmph... not gone all times. We math and stii-scyins."

"Science?" William frowned, teaching him was great and all, but what does Dick actually enjoy? "Well what do you do for fun?"

"Fly!" Dick spouted, so fast and so energetically that William was convinced the boy would actually rise up into the air at that very moment.

Then Dick shrunk up again and his big doe blue eyes looked at him apologetically. "Sorry..."

Wintergreen waved him off and quickly reassured the child. "No no, I want to hear about this flying. Never be sorry about something you're passionate about."

Dick was revamped, a big smile spreading across his face as he spoke quickly (his English being almost completely abandoned) "Mami and Tati fly! familia noastră zboară prin aer, Mami ma numit Robin, suntem acrobats!"

And just like that William was utterly and completely lost.

"You're an acrobat? Where'd you learn?" He hoped that was a safe question, he was currently pretending he understood everything the boy had just said.

"Mami and Tati!" Dick said happily, "Circus!"

"Ah, you enjoy the theatrics then," William said nodding, now he knew how Dick and Slade got along so well. "You and Slade both. W-" he was about to ask another question when he cut himself off, clearly something was wrong and not the time for his next question.

Dick was staring at the floor with wide eyes, completely frozen.

"Dick?" William asked cautiously, leaning forward in his seat a bit, planning to get up should he need to make any fast decisions.

The little acrobat drew a shuddering breath and his entire body trembled before those blue eyes were squeezed shut. His knuckles were white with the intensity of his grip, his lips parted but his teeth clenched together tightly. He was huffing and shaking, his head and body slowly curling inward.

William stood sharply, "Dick?" He walked over quickly, then rethought and paused just outside of personal space. "Dick what's wrong?"

"s-au dus..." his little chest jerked and William saw bright shiny tears fall down the little boy's cheeks.

"Dick how can I help? What's wrong?" William tried again, reaching forward this time to lay a gentle hand on a bicep.

To his surprise Dick leaned into it, he would have thought Dick would flinch because of his past abuse.

"Th-th-the-they a-ar-are g-gon-gone..." He stuttered out through his hyperventilating. "Mami... Tati..." This time he tried to hold it in, his chest expanding and tightening until he bursted into violent sobs.

William mentally screamed 'to heck with it' and hugged the boy. He might not know a lot about kids, but he knew about loss, his parents must have died somewhat recently.

The small body latched onto his own and William held him tightly, rubbing his back and his hair while he whispered kind comforts and false promises. He said it would be alright, but it would never be alright. He said he was going to be ok, but Dick would never be the same.

Parents are huge parts of life, to have them up and vanish one day is going to affect the child for years if not their entire life.

William eventually dragged the kid off the counter and started walking around aimlessly while he gently shushed the poor boy's cries. Dick did grow quieter after a something like 30 minutes, now he would just sniff in and hiccup on the old soldier's shoulder.

"How about we watch a movie hmm? We'll watch something nice and simple, one of those... those incessantly singing Disney movies." William said with a slight playful hiss to his voice, heading to the bedroom where the TV was housed.

William had been shocked when the eight-year old meekly professed he had never seen any movies with a small, "Mooviz?"

They soon found out that the TV in the apartment didn't work because of all of Slade's security technology.

This led to the current predicament of Will trying to make sense of all these wires and gadgets. Don't get him wrong, he was great with technology. Give him an active bomb and he could disable it in two seconds flat, but this... thing... was impossible.

Dick was helpful with his skinny arms being able to reach in places William couldn't, and it amused and slightly worried him that the boy would never address him below 'Mister Wintergreen'.

By the time William figured it all out Dick was still in his funk but it was much less depressed. He simply kept more quiet than usual and waited in bed as Wintergreen finished up with the TV.

The old soldier took a step back and slapped his hands together like dusting off his hands. "Finally," He drawled, looking back and giving the kid a wink. "Now let's just remember to put back all of Slade's security when we're done."

Dick wore a small smile and nodded, picking at the blanket with one hand while his legs were buried under them. Wintergreen held a remote and sank into the bed as well, sitting against the headboard and tiredly clicking away as the screen flicked to life.

Dick was instantly enamored.

True to his word William found some Disney movies on Netflix, he picked on the one that looked the least musical damaging and prayed Disney would go easy on the parental death.

Just his luck would make him pick Frozen.

Dick seemed to like it, he huddled closer to William when the parents died in a storm but other than that William thought it was a success.

Until Slade walked in.

"William?" His voice was raised to get to the room and both Dick and Wintergreen looked at eachother with pale faces. The security system, they forgot to put it back.

Slade practically busted down the door and his unmasked face was a sheen of cold stone anger. He took one look around the room and paused on the TV, he stepped in and to the side, giving the two movie-watchers clear view of the 'living room' where the pile of wires still laid.

"Did you uproot all of my security? To watch... Frozen?" The mercenary asked softly, which only made the delivery more scary.

Dick shrank and his wide eyes flicked between the two adults, someone was going to get in trouble and he really didn't want it to be him. William could tell Slade wanted to be angry, and he probably was, and had every right to be so, but the mercenary held a soft look when he saw Dick so scared.

"Why yes, yes we did." William said strongly, "We were having trouble passing the time."

Slade's eye narrowed. "So I'm guessing you were so busy making yourselves vulnerable that neither of you realize it's almost midnight?"

Wintergreen blinked in surprise as he stood up, "Goodness gracious it really is that late isn't it?"

Slade turned and left, his hand raising and his fingers motioning for the duo to follow. "Come on, me and Dick can have dinner while you replace everything."

Dick grinned and shoved off the bed, racing up to the mercenary and grabbing at his swaying hand. William cried out in anguish but followed them out, he knew he was going to do it and he was going to do it anyway, but now he could complain about it.

While Wintergreen was busy complaining as he went about his task, Dick was busy shoving chicken nuggets into his mouth. Slade only watched, concluding Dick had skipped on a meal again. Darn that boy, he was trying to get him eating regularly again.

The mercenary huffed where he sat, continuing to watch Dick and deciding to ask about his day. "Did you like Frozen?"

Dick nodded, pushing a fry in his mouth along with a nugget.

"Did you tell William anything about yourself?" Slade asked, raising his eyebrow in a competitive manner. Before Slade left he made sure Dick promised to tell the old soldier SOMETHING about himself.

"Surkuz." Dick said through his food, in which somehow Slade managed to translate into 'circus.'

Slade nodded, "Good, did you read at all today?"

The boy nodded, this time taking the time to swallow before speaking. "Overwhelm is like disaster, aster and whelm are good, overwhelm and disaster are bad."

Slade couldn't help the smile twitching at the end of his lips, William must have loved Dick's word play. "Did you know there's also an underwhelm? That's when things you expect to be great are actually mediocre or worse."

Dick was intreagued by this new version of whlem but Slade tended to define words he didn't understand with other big words he didn't understand.

"Oh goodness Slade don't encourage him, and I thought you would know by now to use small words to describe words he doesn't know." William said from the living room.

Indeed, Dick pleaded with his eyes for clarification as his mouth was still full of chicken.

Slade huffed a chuckle and shook his head. "You know Goldilocks and the Three Bears right?" Dick nodded and Slade continued. "If overwhelm is too much, whelm is just right, then underwhelm is too little."

Understanding dawned on the child's face and he continued to contently eat his food. After taking a big drink from his kids meal chocolate milk Slade grew a merciless grin. "Did William sing?"

Dick adopted the smile and loudly proclaimed of Wintergreens 'beautiful' voice singing 'Let It Go.' "He did! He did! He sang all of them but the first one!"

"Ridiculous, that is utterly preposterous Dick." William said, brushing into the kitchen to defend himself, but he couldn't help but smile. Dick was giggling, soon laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair. Slade was also having a hard time keeping it in, almost wheezing with the effort of stifling his own laughter. Even Wintergreen started chuckling, Dick's laugh was so contagious.

No wonder Slade kept him around, the kid was a walking cute generator, even if he was sad most of the time (and had valid reasons to be) his laugh could brighten anyone's day.

The Grinch really did find his Cindy Lu.

Wait. Did that make him the Grinch's dog?

HAH YOU WERE FOOLED! You thought this was over? SURPRISE. THE BONUS SCENE HAS A BONUS SCENE.

I'll just slide this in here quickly and quietly.

-Picture Perfect-

Dick was grinning widely as his mouth twisted and bent to create the hard English sounds, but he was doing it! He was reading without tripping up! He was making all the correct sounds and at the right times, he wasn't skipping hard words and he was going pretty fast too!

Dick could barely contain his excitement as he scanned and spoke the last page. He slammed the book closed and jumped up from the floor that he had been sitting on. "Slade! Slade! Slade!" He bolted around the bed to the kitchen, lifting the book above his head like a trophy with the biggest grin on his face.

He wanted to show Slade how good he was reading! He read the WHOLE book with no help and no trip ups!

When Dick entered the kitchen he bounded up to his big mercenary friend, still shouting his name and positively glowing in accomplishment.

"Sla-!" He stopped himself mid-shout, he quietly tip toed closer, crouching down a little to be more stealthy. (He had seen Slade do it plenty of times) He observed that Slade was limp in the chair, his chin down on his chest and legs slightly sprawled.

Light snores exited the sleeping mercenary's nose, his gray eye closed.

Dick didn't notice his excitement leave him as wonder took over. Slade was asleep! Usually Slade was terrible at sleeping, he woke up when Dick sneezed once! In the bathroom!

The little acrobat walked quietly around his friend, coming up to one side and bending over to get a better look at the man's face.

His mouth was twisted in a frown, his eyebrow kept twitching, every now and then the head would jerk a little and a hand would tense before relaxing again.

Dick's eyes went wide as he realized what was happening, Slade was having a nightmare! Dick rocked back on his heels and bit his lip as his mind whirled with what to do. Slade always helped him with his nightmares, he could help Slade!

Slade always hugged him when he was sad, maybe Slade needed a hug.

Dick took one last look at the fitful sleeping of his friend and determination screwed over his face. Dick grabbed the side of the chair and heaved himself up, he balanced on the small arm of the spiny chair before he gently lowered himself onto Slade's lap.

Slade would definitely be awake by this time, but he was still twitching and snoring, it must be a bad nightmare. The small acrobat then realized he still held the book, he placed it on the table and curled up on the mercenary's lap. His head rested against the man's chest, he could feel his body warmth through his shirt and the thudding of his heart. Dick's face twisted oddly, it was a really weird sound, like he could hear the blood pumping. He almost laughed when he heard a squirty noise, that must be Slade's stomach.

Dick sighed and settled into the rhythm, his head rose each time the mercenary breathed in, then lowered as his chest deflated. Dick found his eyes slowly closing, keeping them open was getting harder. His body was all numb with sleepiness, and try as he might, he couldn't fight back the wave of sleep that washed over him.

Slade's eye peaked open, finding a familiar weight on his chest and lap. He took a deeper breath than normal and sling and arm over the boy's back to keep him from falling. One of Dick's arms and legs were dangling from the chair, his head of raven hair sticking up amusingly.

Slade didn't have the energy to wake him, so his eye just closed again and a deeper calmer sleep overtook him.

-0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0-

William opened the apartment door and sidled in, one hand carried a Walmart sack and the other a half eaten sandwich from  Subway. He looked up when no pitter patter of small feet greeted his ears, Dick liked to meet at the door where he would bombard him or Slade with whatever he did or was doing that day.

His eyes quickly caught the sleeping form of his war buddy, and a smirk replaced his smile when he found Dick on top of him. William took special care to set his things down lightly, blasted Walmart sacks are not good for stealth. He fished in his pocket for his phone, grinning as he found it and brought it out.

He quickly took a picture of the scene, almost laughing at how cute it was. It was definitely going to be printed out and definitely going in his wallet. For both blackmail and adorableness. Dick probably wouldn't understand the blackmail part, but it was still a great picture of the two, Dick had very little amount of belongings, William just wanted to give Dick a little something physical to keep them close should they ever have to part. Slade was a mercenary after all, and immortal or not, Slade might have to leave him one day and that day would be a very sad one.

But for now they were sleeping, so William let them sleep.

Ok, that's all folks, BEGONE UNTIL THE NEXT UPDATE. Which idk when will be cuz life is crazy. I'm moving soon and I gotta 'de-humanize' the house basically, and I'm the only other competent person in this house besides my mom who is usually busy at school. So yeah. That's super fun.

Trust me guys you do NOT want to know how many words are in this chapter, and I ain't gunna count it cuz I already know -Miscommunication- was around 6,000 and the rest is just me blabbering about stuff.

See y'all around!!