Plunging out an exploding skyscraper with Deathstroke’s rough, large hand over your mouth, paired with the damage you’d taken from said fulmination, was not how you expected your patrol to pan out.

Really, as a Robin, flying out a burning building constrained by Deathstroke the Terminator with your weapons forgotten in the now imploded structure was almost the worst you could get. Besides maybe being with a crowbar wielding Joker.

Corpses, screams, and rubble defile the street of Gotham below you both, strident bursts of red detonating unpredictability on every crumbling floor. The whole scene is blurred into a kaleidoscope of mayhem.

And to make matters much worse— if you thought being stolen by the deadliest merc was bad enough, the emergency call in your belt, a small button given to you by Bruce, is burnt to a crisp.

It seems you had stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time like an idiot kitten crawling to milk, or the right place at the right time for him. In hindsight, he figured you should've known nothing good ever came out of being a vigilante, especially in the Batfamily. Not when he's always lurking.

Eventually getting you to shut up and settle down like a damn horse is going to be a pain in his royal ass.

Slade shoves off the leg you punted at him with his thigh, his low, derisive chuckles practically echoing through the explosions as he digs his gloved fingers into your cheek. He chooses not to reveal why he saved you from that explosion. He'll save that bit for later.

"Look on the bright side." Slade grips you tighter, using the momentum of the grappling hook to soar you both to a safe rooftop the hook connected to.

"At least you ain’t dead," he snarks, grunting softly as he manhandles your protesting body against his—one armed and midair.

Slade was dangerous — you knew that. Being a bat, you’d been targeted by the merc and fought plenty of times. Ever since you donned the Robin mask, Bruce, Jason, Dick, especially Damian- all told you the same thing. He was deadly.

Ever since you started vigilantism Slade and you were constantly at each others throats, Slade ‘coincidentally’ showing up during your little bat patrols. Near-misses, interference, showing up where you shouldn’t be. Getting in his way. Ruining contracts.

And now he has you without weapon or communication—and exploded a building as a distraction to get you alone.