Forgotten Bonds

Thirty-Three - Change in Destiny

February 23rd, 2009. Monday, 7:57 am. 

Dick sat down on the edge of his bed, his thoughts racing wildly – still unable to wipe the smile from off his face. 

He couldn't believe it. He had hugged Slade – he had actually hugged the man. It had been totally impulsive, too. If he'd given himself a second to think, he probably wouldn't have allowed himself to do that. 

But he was glad he did. It had been so long since he had hugged anyone. There was something special about hugs and Dick had always loved them; craved them more than anything in the world. The warmth of another human being in his arms always brought the ultimate of comforts to Dick. But living with Bruce, he had never received anything like that from the man – not once. It wasn't until he met his friends, the Teen Titans, that he started to experience hugs again. 

They had been long missed. 

Everything had been so overpowering – Slade's words had shaken him so much that he couldn't help but wrap his arms around the man and show him the only way Dick knew to offer his thanks – his gratitude for those soft, kind words; for the reassurances the man gave him. No one had told him those things in nearly eight years. His mother and father had always said those kinds of things to him when he was a child, but after their deaths, such praise hadn't come easily – if at all. 

'You are unique.'

Those words brought a deep stirring inside Dick's heart. Slade had really said that; the man thought Dick was unique. It had been the beginning of the man's complimentary line of phrases and it had completely grabbed Dick's attention. And Slade wasn't lying to him – Dick knew that much. The man told him he wouldn't lie to him. He might withhold information, but no lying. 

'You are special.' 

It was rare to hear such a compliment. That one had brought tears to his eyes. That one had stirred his heart so much he had wanted to cry until he dried up. He wasn't sure why the tears came so easily to him now after so many dry years, but it was okay – he was safe with Slade; safe with his tears. And he had a pretty good self esteem and understood his worth, but to hear it out loud from someone else – especially that someone being Slade – was just something amazing. His mother had always told him he was special; to hear it again after so many years had brought the tears. 

'You are extraordinary.' 

Dick couldn't help, but glow inside at that. It made him remember when he had first been brought here – the way the man had said that he was like a rare gemstone. That first compliment had been big to him, even if he had pushed it down inside at the time. 

'You are a prodigy.' 

When Dick had lived and trained with Bruce, almost all the time the man would point out every failure and make him redo it until he got it right. But when he did, there was never a comment of 'well done' or an acknowledgement. But to be told that he was a prodigy was one of the best things Dick had heard in a long time. It was like Slade was acknowledging all the hard work Dick had ever accomplished in his life. 

'You are strong.' 

Dick was strong – he could admit that to himself. He was powerful in fights and could dominate his enemies very well. That much wasn't new. Still, to hear the compliment was reassuring. It just added to the entire effect of how much Slade valued his worth. 

'You are intelligent.' 

Slade had told Dick that he was intelligent all the time while he taught him his studies. But, once again, it just added and completed the entire set of compliments. It wasn't like Slade had never complimented Dick before – it was just the whole effect of his words. It was like the man expected Dick to know all these things, as if they had been obvious all along.