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Addie was waiting for them, in the loft apartment turned temporary base. So Slade enters, Talia at his heels. He had informed Addie of Talia’s surprise visit on the way over, but she’s still not all too happy with him about his plus one. She’s glaring at him from the second he steps in the room.
“Slade.”
“Addie.”
There’s a beat of tense silence, before Talia sees fit to break it.
“Talia.” She states, matter of factly.
“How much time have you been spending with Grayson?” Slade asks.
“Oh, lighten up.” Talia rolls her eyes, joking like a teenager. Slade is trying very hard to not find it funny.
“This is a job, and I’m not sure what you seek to gain from getting involved.” Addie glares at the other woman, clearly less than endeared by Talia’s input.
“Entertainment?” Talia offers in place of an explanation.
She may not say it, but Slade can hazard a guess as to why Talia would want to follow him on a job just to pass time. “He’s mad at you, isn’t he?”
“Oh shut up. Like you’ve never been left in the proverbial doghouse.” Talia jabs, both with her words and with her elbow in his side.
Slade huffs, hiding his amusement. He likes to tease her about it, but she truly has lightened up after spending so much time with Dick. It’s strange, seeing a woman who was so no nonsense with him let her hair down like this. He’s used to her being more domineering than cute. He’s not sure which he prefers, but he wouldn’t say he dislikes either side of her. Not by a long shot.
She’s also not wrong about the doghouse. Unfortunately. The proof of that stands right in front of them.
“Get serious, both of you.” And unfortunately for both of them, said proof isn’t going to take kindly to them fooling around when there’s a job to be done. It has been a long time since he and Addie have met on friendly terms, but they’ve still managed to continue to work together in a professional capacity in spite of that. She finds him jobs, pilots him through missions, and takes her cut. It’s clean, simple. He’s not sure how Talia is going to factor into that, but he’s damn curious.
“It’s my paycheck on the line too here, so I’m not letting you fuck this up.” Not factoring in very well, so far. At least it’ll be entertaining.
“I’m at your beck and call, commander.” Talia gives a mock salute. It feels like she’s looking for trouble, acting like that.
To Slade’s surprise and bemusement, Addie seems to let it slide, turning to him instead.
“She fucks this up and it’s your ass. Got that?” Ah. So that’s how it is.
“Aye-aye, and all that. I’ve gone over the file with her on the way here, it seems easy enough. Might even be helpful to have an extra set of blades on board.” Slade gives his own lazy salute, and hides his excitement at the way her eye twitches.
“Get in, cause some chaos, get out. I’m not sure it’s possible for me to fuck it up.” Talia adds.
“Amateurs always find some way to screw it up.”
“Hey! I’ve got quite the body count, I’ll have you know. Assassin princess, and all that.” ...She really misses Dick. Slade might have to talk to him about that. Out of concern for his… friend. His sometimes-friend, sometimes-enemy, and sometimes-lover.
That descriptor applies to a few too many of Slade’s relationships, now that he thinks about it. His relationships with both the women in this room probably fall under that umbrella.
...Clean thoughts, Wilson. Mission first, sexual tension later.
“Report back once you’re done. Now get out.” No time wasted, not with her.
And like that, they’ve been dismissed.
“She’s very… unyielding. I can’t say I see the appeal.” Talia tells him, as they make their way out of the building.
“Fair. You love her, or you don’t. That part’s pretty simple even if the rest ain’t.” God, he misses when things with Addie were simple. When they just loved each other, before the fights, before he screwed it all up.
Talia interrupts his thoughts with some moping of her own. “Love, you’re such a fool.” Bold words, from her. Most of her problems in life stem from need to love. The rest are caused by a lack of common sense. She’s a genius, and yet she has as much a capacity for foolishness as anyone. It’s charming.
“Seriously though, she’s such an ass. Commander stick-up-the-ass, more like.” Talia continues.
“What’s the saying? Thou doth protests too much?” Slade teases.
“You-! Just- just shut up. You’re a moron.” She says, but she can’t hide the way she flusters. Not… entirely what he expected, but it’s for from unwelcome.
He’s not sure if the two would get along well enough for anything to come of that, but it’s an appealing fantasy. Something to mull over later, perhaps...