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Slade’s thought it before and he will again: taking on targets in Gotham is irritating. There’s Batman and the various costumed freaks popping up all the time to deal with. The police usually know better than to mess with him. Any who try either get a bullet or a bribe and they’re content to go on their way. Slade’s never one to give up a challenge so he takes the job. The money’s too good to refuse anyway. The target is Angelo Luciano. A high-ranking member of the mafia and a rival to the Falcone family. It isn’t like Falcone to go outside of Gotham to hire a hitman, but Slade doesn’t care. If he wants to avoid attracting Batman’s attention that’s fine by him. All that matters is his paycheck.
He enters Luciano’s apartment and steps in blood. Has someone beaten him here? He activates the night vision in his helmet. A blood trail leads across the floor to the living room wall. Slumped against it is Luciano. Dead. His killers, two men dressed in black, stand near the body.
“Well this is awkward,” the taller one deadpans in a deep voice.
Slade narrows his eye. “You took out my target before I could.” He doesn’t like when people infringe on his work.
“Don’t let it stop you from getting payment.” The smaller man steps forward. Slade’s eye widens. He’d know that face anywhere, even if it is bone white with pronounced veins now. There’s something different about his eyes too.
“Grayson?”
Grayson stills. “Slade.”
Slade deactivates the night vision and turns on the lamp to see the change for himself. Grayson doesn’t have blue eyes anymore. They’re golden. His eyes narrow as if the light pains him while Todd’s don’t. interesting. Both of them share the same white skin and black veins as all Talons do. Todd lacks the golden Talon eyes though. His are blue-green. “I thought Batman defeated the Court of Owls. What are you two doing in Gotham still?”
“We no longer serve the Court,” Grayson says coolly. “We’re in Gotham trying to rebuild our lives. Now what do you want? To fight me? I could beat you as Robin. I’m even stronger now. With Jason at my side, you don’t stand a chance of defeating us if that’s what you’re after.”
Slade snorts. “Don’t let your ego get to your head, boy. You working for the Bat again? His two little lost Robins back in the nest?”
Todd steps forward to grip Grayson’s shoulder. “That’s enough questions, Slade. Make your point or leave.” He angles his body closer to Grayson’s in a protective stance. It’s one Slade has seen plenty of lovers take up before. Interesting. So the two former Robins and former Talons are partners in more ways than one now.
Slade smirks at them. “Have I touched a nerve? Are you jealous I’ll steal Grayson away from you?”
“That’s enough,” Grayson snaps. “And stop calling me ‘Grayson’. That’s no longer my name. I’m Dick Grayson-Todd now.” He yanks off one of his black gloves to show a gold band around his ring finger. He leans against his husband’s side as he replaces the glove.
Well. That’s another surprise. Time to forget about his one-sided interest in the first Robin. Slade knew nothing would ever come of it anyway. “Well. Congratulations to the happy couple.”
“Feel free to claim Luciano’s death as your doing. Jason and I didn’t come here for money. Angelo had his hands in human trafficking. We’re working to stop trafficking in Gotham through any means necessary.”
Slade studies the pair, intrigued by the changes in them. He hasn’t seen Grayson since the boy was sixteen. Same with Todd. It seems to be the age that Robins vanish. Batman should be careful with his current one. Kid’s about fourteen. “What happened to no killing?”
Grayson’s laugh is short and holds no humor at all. “Non-violent methods were beaten out of me a long time ago, Slade. There’s a reason I don’t look like the Dick Grayson you’re familiar with. After the Court’s enforcers took me, they broke me down. Modified my body,” he gestures to his skin and eyes, “and made me into a new person entirely. Jason and I had to remake ourselves again after the Court of Owls fell. Bruce would see our tormentors jailed. That solves nothing. They have to be dead for the problem to truly end. I kill, but not for pleasure or for a paycheck.” He looks to Todd. “Come on, Jay. We’ve wasted enough time here. Let’s go home.”
“Will I see you around Gotham again?” Slade asks before he can stop the ridiculous, sentimental words. “I always found you to be an admirable opponent. So full of conviction. I did some digging after you disappeared. Tried to pull up some leads of my own to figure out where you went.”
Grayson raises an eyebrow. “That almost sounds like you cared about me.”
“Maybe I did.” Slade glances at an increasingly hostile Todd. “That was in the past. I have no intention of competing with your newlywed bliss.”
“You wouldn’t be able to,” Todd growls. He pulls his husband closer. The pair leave via the window without a backwards glance.
Slade turns off the lamp to bathe the apartment in darkness once more. There’s no need to linger. The target is dead, the mission complete. All he needs to do now is collect his paycheck and put Gotham City in his rearview mirror.
Unless he wants to encounter the two Robins again.