Son of Deathstroke

Five Years Later

Wally West slowly approached the ragged figure in the alley. It appeared to be that of a boy not much younger than himself, and he was quietly crying, shaking as he gasped and tried to stop the flow of tears.

The boy flinched and looked up at Wally's approach.

"Hey. It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The boy chuckled darkly. "I doubt you could."

"All right if I sit here?" He shrugged indifferently. Taking that as a yes, Wally sat down. "What's wrong?"

"Just... stuff with my... figure patria."

"Dad issues? You could have just said that. But yeah, I can relate. That's rough, man."

"You have no idea." He ran his hands through his ebony hair and drew in a shaky breath.

"D'you want to talk about it?"

The teen just looked at him for a moment. Wally wondered why he was wearing sunglasses.

He looked away. "Nah."

"It helps."

The black-haired boy seemed to consider the offer for a moment. With a heavy sigh, he started to share.

"He... pushes me to be my very best at everything. Hard. I mean, he gives me what I NEED. But not anything more. But nothing less, either. He gives me EXACTLY what I need. He gives me support when I'm about to give up, food when I'm hungry, clothes when I'm cold, and... motivation when he deems necessary. But he's kinda distant. I dunno, he just isn't ideal. And I feel bad, because I feel like I'm asking him to be perfect. He can't be. No one can."

Wally wasn't listening past the part about motivation. "Does he hurt you?"

"Nah, not really. Not anymore. I'm better than I used to be."

The redhead's mind was buzzing with questions.

"Not anymore? And better at what?"

"Aaaaaaand that's all we have the time for today, folks! Tune in tomorrow, same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel!" he said in an announcer's voice, standing up quickly and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Wally asked, running after him.

"Home. De-- Dad'll be wondering where I am. Don't worry your pretty little head." He turned to the stranger that he had, for some reason, decided to trust. Terrible idea, by the way. "And I didn't have to tell you anything. Don't push your luck."

"But--"

"See ya never, Blaze!"

xXx

Deathstroke was waiting for him when he got back to their present abode, an apartment in the worst part of town.

He always was.

"How was your walk?"

"It was great. I met this hot girl, and now I've got a date tonight!" He grabbed an apple and sat on the kitchen counter.

"Who's the lucky girl?" He knew not a word of it was true, but wanted to see what tale his apprentice would weave this time.

"She's this awesome brunette. She gets my jokes and she's a total babe! Like, drop-dead gorgeous. Her eyes, man-- they just suck you right in. She just blows me away! She's short, but not on cash, though. She is filthy rich. That's a plus."

"When's the date?"

"Eight o'clock tonight. We're going to the carnival."

"The carnival, eh? What do you plan on doing there?"

The teen took a bite of the fruit, not bothering to swallow before he spoke. "The usual. Ride a giant wheel in circles, play rigged games that are impossible to win, eat expensive packaged fat and sugar, and then--" He leaned toward his mentor as if to tell him a secret-- "We're going in the Tunnel of Love!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yabsolutely!"

"Even though the carnival is closed this time of year?"

The younger's face fell. "Oh, YEAH! I knew there was SOMETHING I was forgetting. I'll just postpone until it opens."

"Did you also forget about our meeting tonight?"

"Of course not."

"Mmm-hm."

Suddenly, Deathstroke lunged forward with his katana, aiming for the apple in the teen's hand.

In response, the apprentice just somersaulted backwards off the counter and out of reach, munching on the fruit.

"Tsk tsk. Did you really think my guard was that far down? Around you, no less. Psh, I'm not THAT bad." He lifted it over his head for a moment as a dagger flew past where it had been, then took another bite. "Are we playing keep-away now?" he asked around his mouthful of apple. "Because I can play keep-away, if that's what you want."

Thus that day's round of keep-away ensued.