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Slade had found himself staring dumbly towards the one thing that he wasn't expecting to find in his apprentice bedroom. The Talon he'd unexpectedly taken in, dangerously so when the court of owls still live among the shadows and wouldn't be pleased over losing their Gray Son to someone like him. 

Though Slade's attention was caught by Talon's abilities, powers and odd personality. He'd knew over Talon's, wasn't meant to know and knew that no one else had figured he knew the truth since he never had a Talon sent for his head. But maybe that's why he ended up taking in an Talon. He'd been leaving clues and messages for the dark knight to investigate, was in Gotham for an job and messing with the Bat helped to pass time sometimes, more so when half the stuff in Gotham is normally closed down due to regular attacks by the rogues. 

But instead of an Bat appearing, a tiny Talon did. 

THE Gray Son. 

And he followed Slade out of Gotham like an lost duckling, no, Talon wasn't an duck. He wasn't an owl either. He was an bird. He just wasn't what others had tried to make him to be. 

Dick, Talon named himself, as he decided he deserved his own name. Dick had decided he deserved to be a person, not an weapon. Dick had chosen to live his own life and demanded that Slade took him under his wing. 

Slade wasn't a fool, of course he refused. He didn't want the court coming for him. To be slaughtered by the Talon's at any second as they came for the most wanted and desired Talon ever created. The Gray Son. 

But Dick was stubborn and stalked Slade until finally, Slade gave in and made him as his new apprentice. 

Dick was more Talon than human. 

The boy held golden orbs, eyes that glowed and yet, the boy could still vanish in pitch darkness. 

Stood with deathly pale skin, looking the part of corpse as he was created to be. 

He held black veins, electrum filling them and giving the boy the curse of being an underaged Talon. 

But he wasn't a complete Talon just yet, his cells that held the Talon compound filled his body but he had yet to finish the complete Talon transition, leaving him still able to age as the caught at least knew that a child soldier would grow useless if it lasted forever. 

Though Dick's expressions were stiff, barely seen as he's fought to show his feelings. To hold his own personality and be someone more then Gray Son that he'd been brainwashed to be for years already.  

And maybe that's why Slade was as stunned as he first was when entering his apprentice's room. It was slowly growing to be cluttered as the boy tries gathering his own belongings. Collecting and keeping things he found himself liking and wanting. 

But one thing that Slade knew shouldn't be in his apprentice's bedroom was a younger boy tucked in the barely used bed. An new stuffed animal shoved in the boy's arms and a book left on the book's lap, opened as he was reading to himself. 

Said boy who held no relations to Slade and had no right being in his main safe house that he called home. Heck, his own children barely visited and now he had a strangers child in his home. 

"Return it" Slade ordered as he turned his head, finding Dick appearing in the hallway, leaning an shoulder against the doorframe. 

"I like him. Keep him" Dick stated simply, now the full age of ten and deciding what he likes and dislikes in life. Assuming that if he likes something, he gets to keep it now. 

"Not allowed. We're not keeping it" Slade told him firmly, stepping back and letting Dick slither inside his bedroom without using Slade like an climbing frame, again. 

"He no home. Robin nest empty. Share nest" Dick explains, still growing use to speaking and using the correct words. Staying basic and simple when talking, knowing he could at least say what he wants to say even if it wasn't a full sentence right now. 

"We're not taking in that stray. And give up with that name. You can't use it. It's not intimidating at all. We've talked about rogue names, they need to be intimidating or realistic. Not childish" Slade sternly replies with an disapproving expression as he scolds his apprentice over his name choosing again. 

"I keep him" Dick announced with an happy nod. 

"No" Slade barks back. 

"You keep children" Dick argued back, pointing an accusing finger towards his mentor. 

"They're MY children. And I only have them during holidays due to the co-parenting agreement. What you've done is kidnapping" Slade snaps back in frustration and knowing that the kid had no real argument here. 

"Free" Dick urgently explained, trying to pull on the mercenary and assassin's heart string to let them keep the lost bird he'd found. 

"Was he imprisoned?" Slade simply asked, staring at the kidnapped child with his good one working eye. 

"No home" Dick answers quickly. 

"How long have you been keeping him here behind my back?" Slade asks, filling with dread as he knew it had to be longer then the one day with how comfortable the random kid seemed in the bedroom. 

"A week" The unknown boy answered before Dick had the chance. 

"Two months, three weeks and six days" Dick thought to himself truthfully, deciding it was best to allow his little wing to lie to his strange adopted uncle. 

"We're not keeping him. You get rid of him by tomorrow or I'll be the one to depose of him. And he won't get no chance of an happy ending if I have to step in" Slade sternly says as he looks straight at his apprentice and making it final that the boy wasn't staying. 

"I kept you" Dick argued back in frustration, hating how he wasn't allowed to keep his little wing in the safety of their home. 

"You forced yourself in my life. You didn't adopt me. In fact, If I could return you, I would" Slade snapped back as he walked off, not wanting to deal with this anymore and expecting the boy to be gone when he checks the ex Talon's room tomorrow. 

It wasn't until years later that Slade found himself standing in his apprentice bedroom and staring at an little girl that held an knife and pointing it towards him without a single inch of fear to be seen. This tiny girl was fully prepared to stab him and seemed to think she'd win fighting against him. 

Looking himself over in his Deathstroke gear, making sure he looked the part of mercenary and assassin before returning his stare towards the unwelcomed guest in his apprentice even more messy and clustered up bedroom. 

"Have you at least eaten yet?" Slade asked the girl with an raised eyebrow, not really wanting his apartment to smell like a dead body if the child starves. He'll never get the smell out of his new rug. 

The girl didn't talk, merely shook her head and placed her free hand over her stomach. 

"Birdy won't be back from his mission for another two hours. Might as well feed you and once he's home, he can get rid of you for me. You're not staying, stray. I'm not collecting birds here" Slade tells her as he points his thumb over his shoulder, hinting they'd be heading to the kitchen to eat. 

Slade raised an eyebrow as he noticed the girl sat with confused furrow eyebrows. Clearly lost over something he had said and it took Slade a few seconds to catch on over what might have grown the young girl confused. 

"Robin will be home within two hours. Best feed you so he doesn't return to a starved stray. Still not keeping you but it's bothersome work hiding a dead body of a kid. Adults bodies are a lot easier to deal with" Slade explains with a small frown, knowing Dick's been using his old nickname again when he shouldn't be. 

And when Dick did return, he found the girl sitting at the kitchen table. Slade returning to sharpening his knifes in the other room and a silent request that the girl would be gone time he's done. Leaving Dick to merely roll his eyes before scooping the black haired girl up in his arms and taking her somewhere he knew she'd be safe. As as safe as he could promise her at least, someone who could protect her and stop her from being taken back by her mother in the future. 

Slade merely sighed tiredly as he closed his eyes. Not even daring to open his eyes as he stayed sloughed ungentlemanly like on the couch. Their newest couch after the last one ended up stained too bad to really call it as fake art design anymore. 

He wasn't going to deal with this again. 

He's purposely started throwing in tear gas into his apprentice's bedroom to have any unwanted stay's forced out without him having to find them. Thankfully, his apprentice has been very behaved since the second stray he's snuck home.

Well, behaved enough to not bring them home. He knew over a young meta, a speeder who was a red head. Came from an abusive home, Dick had scooped him up and taken him to somewhere safe not linked to them. Got the boy's uncle to find him days later, taken him in with a bag full of gathered evidence to keep the boy's parents never stepping near him ever again in this lifetime. 

As well as a few other strays that were older then him. Coming across them and taking them in, finding them an home or shelter until they're able to gain a better life for themselves. A few clearly standing as heroes years later.

Slade knew over Robin. 

Knew a Robin flew in Gotham's skies at night, has been for years now.

But the first Robin, he was a rumour, assumed to be a dream that a bunch of lost and hurting kids have made up. That he was a hero they had invented to help themselves survivor whatever cruel fate they were forced to live upon. 

And Slade grew to not mind Robin as long as he held no link to them. That Robin never stepped into their home and Dick was ever known as either an Talon or Renegade. 

Until now.

Apparently Robin had slipped back into Dick's life and involved Slade yet again. 

"No" Slade merely said, only now daring to peek open one eyelid to see what type of stray his apprentice had brought home this time. 

Dick only gave an sulking pout as he glanced down to the barely month old baby with emerald green eyes and an grumpy frown set on his face at all times. 

Slade merely frowned at the sight, knowing he was never being on nappy duty ever again. All his kids were old enough to never need a nappy again, knowing to die in battle than need to be cared for. Or they were already dead. He wasn't going to sign up for nappy duty ever again for an unknown brat. 

"Bad home" Dick tells him, his golden eyes soft as he stares towards the grumpy baby happily content being held by him. 

"Just like the girl?" Slade questioned, knowing the little girl apparently came from a bad home. And not just the basic bad home story either, something that those raised wrongly would understand. 

"She trained to kill. Like an Talon without being an Talon. Baby Bat will also be forced to kill like Talon but be no Talon" Dick explains over the girl, himself and the baby held carefully in his arms. Knowing what fate would have awaited the children if he didn't take them away from their fate. 

"Sad sob story. Still not keeping him. Find him a new home somewhere else" Slade huffed back as he closed his eye again, enjoying whatever peace he could still have before the fourteen year old caused anymore distress for him. 

Dick glared towards Slade before storming towards his bedroom, both knowing the aging man wouldn't try to be rid of the baby until tomorrow. Leaving the ex Talon the night to rest up and find the baby somewhere safe to live in the early morning. 

And Slade was truly left praying that his apprentice wouldn't try bringing home anymore stays. That he'd finally give up after seeing him reject taking in an baby needing a good home. In truth, Slade was starting to fear that maybe all from Gotham grew the adoption addiction genes.

He knew both Batman and Bruce had an child collecting problem and he was truly hoping his apprentice hasn't gained the same addiction. The Court of Owls liked collecting Talon's, maybe that's when he had learnt the bad habit from.