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He was falling. In times like these, there would only be about a few seconds delay before he was levitating or in the arms of a green Pterodactyl. Not this time, though. He was alone, and there was no one around to save him from falling to his death. He desperately reached his arm towards the top of the building; his grappling hook abandoned on the ledge. If only he could just reach-- but no. He was too far down. In only a few sparse moments, he would be meeting his doom.
At least, that’s what would’ve happened, if he wasn’t whisked away into the open window of an abandoned two-story building. His heart spiked as adrenaline, fear, and shock all collided within him at once. Silenced by the blood rushing in his ears, he could only stare forward, stuck stock-still, as his body was maneuvered into a sitting position. All signs pointed to him being safe, but there was still something that made his gut twist in fear. Something unknown until… “That was quite a stunt you pulled there… Robin.” Slade. Slade was holding him captive, breathing down his neck, pressing his chest against his own… Wait. Slade was… Slade was holding him? Keeping him close enough to hear his heartbeat? That’s… This isn’t like Slade. Slade kills people. He’s tried to kill Robin. This must be a trick.
“Whatever you want from me, Slade…” He could barely hear his words; they seemed so quiet that the wind could’ve blown them away. “You won’t get. Not from me.”
Slade squeezed his shoulders, and Robin could only hope that he wouldn’t move his hands to Robin’s neck. “You misunderstand my actions, my boy. The only thing I want from you is that you stay alive.”
What kind of game is Slade playing? “Why? So you can kidnap me? Torture me? I won’t fall for your lies, Slade. I know what you are.”
“Oh? And what’s that?” Robin’s heart stuttered-- he knew that if he could see Slade looking at him right now, it would’ve stopped entirely.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down before replying: “A murderer.”
A few seconds passed before Slade spoke again, but to Robin, it felt like hours. “This is it,” he thought, “This is where I die. He’s going to kill me right now. My time is up.” Then, strangely, Slade released his hold. Robin made no move to get up-- he saw no point of standing when he was just going to be beaten down to the ground anyway. “Robin.” His breath hitched-- this really was it. What a way to go… Saved from plummeting to his death only to be killed moments after. How poetic. “You’re right. I am a murderer. But,” he paused, Robin guessed it was for dramatic effect-- only someone like Slade would give their victim a moment of respite-- “I have morals.” Doubtful. “I am not going to kill you.” Robin started, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in surprise. “If I wanted you dead I would’ve let you fall completely.”
Robin found his voice, but unable to mask the rage mixed with fear that he was feeling. “What if you want to be the only one to kill me? What if this is all a trick? Why should I trust you when you’ve done nothing but lie to me in the past?!”
“Keeping secrets isn’t lying. I’ve only ever been truthful with you, my boy. And what would I gain from being the one to kill you? Fame? Glory? These are all things I already have. Do you want to know why you can’t find any information on me? Because you’ve been searching under the wrong name. I’m not a mysterious murderer who’s just started his career-- I’m Deathstroke the Terminator, an assassin who’s been working under contracts for much longer than you’ve been alive. Believe me, boy, if I wanted you dead, you would be already.”
Robin was silenced. Slade was… Slade was an assassin? That… Now that he thought about it, that made sense, but there was still one question floating around his head. “Why?”
“I have seen how you fight. Your vigor, your determination… that is not easy to come by. Even though you are outmatched in every one of our fights, you still believe you can beat me. But where most others get their confidence from naivety, you get yours from practice. You may be foolish, but you are also brave. I, for one, refuse to be the thing that gets rid of your arrogant spark of a life.”
Finally, Robin was finding his courage again, and asked, “Then why did you save me? You could’ve just let me fall. It wouldn’t have been your fault.”
“But then I would’ve gained a guilty conscience, and that’s something I never want to have.” He squeezed Robin’s shoulders for a moment, the feeling comparable to a father reassuring his kid that everything would turn out fine. “Though we are on opposite sides and have taken up an eternal game of cat and mouse, I have no interest in seeing your life end. Therefore, no matter the circumstance, I will make sure that you do not perish.” He squeezed harder, the paternal feeling disappearing in an instant as Slade’s breath traveled closer to his skin. “Do I make myself clear?”
He could only nod, his voice stolen yet again by fear and confusion. “Good.” Slade released his shoulders once again, and then pulled Robin up to stand in front of him. His legs felt like jelly, yet he still couldn’t even fall over, what with Slade’s piercing gaze from his single eye turning Robin to stone. “While this was a lovely chat, I still have things to do tonight. We can continue playing our game another time.” And with that, he was gone. Robin’s eyes never once tore away from the open window, hearing Slade’s boots echo in his stone-walled haven.
Once he could no longer sense Slade’s presence, he shook himself, suddenly feeling very tired. “Of course I’m tired… The adrenaline from the fall, coupled with Slade’s… visit… It was enough to keep me going then, but…” He raised his hand to press against his face, recalling the events of the night, though recent, gave him a bit of a headache. That, and sleep deprivation, for sure. It wasn’t like he had been getting a lot of sleep recently. That’s why he had gone on patrol alone… To get a calming and relaxing night. Well, guess like that’s never going to happen.
He climbed out of the windowsill, looking down to the pavement in disgust. He could’ve been lying there, limbs spread out and twisted, life seeping out of him in the form of a blood-filled puddle… No, there was no use in thinking of that. It didn’t happen. He was okay. But… The reason that it didn’t happen… He shook his head again. He can think of this all he wants later, once he’s gotten rid of his headache and maybe gotten a bit of sleep. But for right now, there’s just one thing on his mind: going home. Robin looked up from the quiet street and up towards the tops of the surrounding buildings, where the Sun’s rays were starting to be visible. Okay… so maybe he was out patrolling for longer than he thought. No matter; it’s not like he had a good sleeping schedule to begin with. He carefully climbed up the walls of the buildings and retrieved his grappling hook from the roof. He took a running start to jump onto the building across the street to head for the Tower, leaving the abandoned building-- and Slade-- behind.