Last Ditch Effort
Fandom: DC
Title: Last Ditch Effort
Characters: Tim Drake, Slade Wilson
Rating: PG-13
Word Count:636
Prompt: 10 - Approach-Avoidance
Disclaimer: Not mine. Granted, this is the route DC seems to be going, but I can always hope that they won’t.
Summary: Tim’s run out of options, and turns to the very last thing he can think of.
Author’s Note: Character Death Mentioned. Post Crisis, slightly AU but not really. Cross-posted to psych_30 and titans_together
He was imposing from a distance, clad simply in blue and orange. Up close, it was impossible not to feel small. Always in the past, he had run from this man when faced with him alone, taking the earliest possible route out of a confrontation in order to return with a better chance of taking him down - of winning.
Now, with no-one to stand at his back, Tim had no reason to run. Nor anywhere to go.
“Tell me again, kid.”
Kon’s dead. Bart’s dead. My Team is falling apart. They killed Dick and Batman won’t do anything.
“I want the serum, Wilson. I need to be able to do more.”
“What about your Titans? Or Batman. Doesn’t Batman need a Robin?” That pale blue eye is staring straight at Tim, right through him, and Tim doesn’t flinch.
“Batman needs more than Robin can give him.” He might as well be dead for all the good he’s doing. “And the Titans will survive without me, or they won’t.”
Slade’s single eye narrowed, but Tim just waited. If this didn’t work… he’d find other options.
“And what are you going to do when you get revenge for Grayson’s death? Going to go back to Daddy-Bat and beg his forgiveness?”
“No.”
A slight widening of that single eye before it narrows again, and those broad shoulders relax a little. Not enough for most people to notice, but Tim is a Bat - he notices too much, sometimes.
“What about Rose?” The lax pose is still there, but only an idiot would believe that Slade does not care about Tim’s answer.
“She doesn’t need me any more than the Titans do. She’s more than capable of standing on her own now.” If it was Slade’s last attempt to keep Tim from walking the path he’d chosen, it had failed.
“Still doesn’t tell me what you plan to do once you’ve gone after Grayson’s killer.”
Now he winces, because he’s thought about it, and he knows Dick wouldn’t approve, but Dick is dead so it doesn’t matter. He looks up at Slade, and takes a slow breath.
“Whatever I need to.”
“Then why the serum? You’re more than talented enough to avenge Grayson’s death without the serum.”
“I can’t guarantee that.”
“And do you just expect to take the serum and walk away?”
“No. I expect you to teach me.”
“Ballsy, kid. What makes you think that?”
“You’ll do it for Dick.”
“You know he wouldn’t want you going this route.”
“But he’s dead. The Hero community can’t lose anyone else.”
“So you’re just going to become… what? My apprentice? Do you really think they’re going to let you just disappear?”
“No, I don’t. I’ll deal with that when I have to; because nobody else will do it, and you don’t know who killed him.”
“But you do. Why not just tell me? I’ll do it for free.”
“I can’t guarantee you won’t be bought off.” I won’t believe that bastard is dead until I snap his neck with my bare hands.
It’s a wonder Slade doesn’t snap his neck right then and there. He’s pushing. Hard. He has to, though. He’ll either push Slade into giving him the serum and making him better, or he’ll push Slade into killing him so that he’s no longer alone. Either way, he gets what he wants.
“You’re crazy.”
Slade eyes him for a moment, and then turns to walk away. Tim’s ready to jump at his back, to try and break the mercenary’s neck - if just to provoke him into killing to defend himself. He stops when Slade’s voice drifts back to reach his ears.
“Meet me at the warehouse on West 108th and Oceanview, 10 am tomorrow. Don’t bother to bring anything with you. As of 10 am, Timothy Drake is dead.”
Title: Last Ditch Effort
Characters: Tim Drake, Slade Wilson
Rating: PG-13
Word Count:636
Prompt: 10 - Approach-Avoidance
Disclaimer: Not mine. Granted, this is the route DC seems to be going, but I can always hope that they won’t.
Summary: Tim’s run out of options, and turns to the very last thing he can think of.
Author’s Note: Character Death Mentioned. Post Crisis, slightly AU but not really. Cross-posted to psych_30 and titans_together
He was imposing from a distance, clad simply in blue and orange. Up close, it was impossible not to feel small. Always in the past, he had run from this man when faced with him alone, taking the earliest possible route out of a confrontation in order to return with a better chance of taking him down - of winning.
Now, with no-one to stand at his back, Tim had no reason to run. Nor anywhere to go.
“Tell me again, kid.”
Kon’s dead. Bart’s dead. My Team is falling apart. They killed Dick and Batman won’t do anything.
“I want the serum, Wilson. I need to be able to do more.”
“What about your Titans? Or Batman. Doesn’t Batman need a Robin?” That pale blue eye is staring straight at Tim, right through him, and Tim doesn’t flinch.
“Batman needs more than Robin can give him.” He might as well be dead for all the good he’s doing. “And the Titans will survive without me, or they won’t.”
Slade’s single eye narrowed, but Tim just waited. If this didn’t work… he’d find other options.
“And what are you going to do when you get revenge for Grayson’s death? Going to go back to Daddy-Bat and beg his forgiveness?”
“No.”
A slight widening of that single eye before it narrows again, and those broad shoulders relax a little. Not enough for most people to notice, but Tim is a Bat - he notices too much, sometimes.
“What about Rose?” The lax pose is still there, but only an idiot would believe that Slade does not care about Tim’s answer.
“She doesn’t need me any more than the Titans do. She’s more than capable of standing on her own now.” If it was Slade’s last attempt to keep Tim from walking the path he’d chosen, it had failed.
“Still doesn’t tell me what you plan to do once you’ve gone after Grayson’s killer.”
Now he winces, because he’s thought about it, and he knows Dick wouldn’t approve, but Dick is dead so it doesn’t matter. He looks up at Slade, and takes a slow breath.
“Whatever I need to.”
“Then why the serum? You’re more than talented enough to avenge Grayson’s death without the serum.”
“I can’t guarantee that.”
“And do you just expect to take the serum and walk away?”
“No. I expect you to teach me.”
“Ballsy, kid. What makes you think that?”
“You’ll do it for Dick.”
“You know he wouldn’t want you going this route.”
“But he’s dead. The Hero community can’t lose anyone else.”
“So you’re just going to become… what? My apprentice? Do you really think they’re going to let you just disappear?”
“No, I don’t. I’ll deal with that when I have to; because nobody else will do it, and you don’t know who killed him.”
“But you do. Why not just tell me? I’ll do it for free.”
“I can’t guarantee you won’t be bought off.” I won’t believe that bastard is dead until I snap his neck with my bare hands.
It’s a wonder Slade doesn’t snap his neck right then and there. He’s pushing. Hard. He has to, though. He’ll either push Slade into giving him the serum and making him better, or he’ll push Slade into killing him so that he’s no longer alone. Either way, he gets what he wants.
“You’re crazy.”
Slade eyes him for a moment, and then turns to walk away. Tim’s ready to jump at his back, to try and break the mercenary’s neck - if just to provoke him into killing to defend himself. He stops when Slade’s voice drifts back to reach his ears.
“Meet me at the warehouse on West 108th and Oceanview, 10 am tomorrow. Don’t bother to bring anything with you. As of 10 am, Timothy Drake is dead.”