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Take your Medicine	By : Imaginary Category: DC Verse Cartoons - Teen Titans > Slash - Male/Male > Robin/Slade Views: 8215 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, nor the characters of the series, nor do I make any money or profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 13
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AN: I seriously do not have anything to say about this chapter... and Just for your entertainment I will make sure that I will say this only once, and you will never hear this again: Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. Robin belongs to... Slade, I can live with that.

It didn't take Robin long to reach the base. He even had some time to spare, which he decided to use for his own use by looking at the windows of Titans Tower. The building was enlightening and he could see the lights from the windows as dusk was falling. He could even see the silhouettes of his friends as they passed the large, main room window. He didn't want to say that he was a Peeping Tom, but he had to use binoculars to see all the way to the island the tower was built on. He could see Starfire hovering around the living room and kitchen area, going back and forth to talk to Raven. Robin bet she was missing him terribly. He could even see Beast Boy rising up from the couch to participate in the conversation they were having. Cyborg seemed to be the one that stepped in between if things got too heated. His team was probably really worried about him and the feeling of betrayal and apology crept into every vein in Robin. It felt like small bugs were worming around his body and eating him away. He wished that he could at least send them a message, to tell them that he was okay. He knew that they were all really worried. The last time they had seen him, he had been terribly ill and could barely hold onto himself. And, now, he was at Slade's, completely okay, more or less, but they didn't know that. He wished that he could tell them that he was okay.

Robin sighed as he stood. He hit his pants with his hands in order to get rid of the small pebbles and sand that was stuck on his clothes. He had set a small timer to tell him when it was time to enter Slade's base so that he could be there on time. And that time was minutes away. Robin laid a second longing gaze at the tower before finally retreating inside of the base. It didn't take him more than five minutes max to reach the room where the storage was located. He walked to the white automatic doors and, as he got to it, opened to reveal the room within. Next to the storage stood Slade, already waiting for him.

"Good job Robin. May I have the USB reader back?"

Slade held his palm to Robin, tilting his chin downwards so he could look at Robin from under his brow, making an impression that he was either expecting something from him, scolding him, or he knew something. Hell, maybe all three. Robin noted the look, but didn't know if he should say anything. He had done nothing against the rules, he was on time, and as far as he knew, he was safe. Robin noted something else too: a small shine in the upper corner of Slade's eye, which seemed to be in a discord with the look. He couldn't place it, but it gave him the impression that Slade was smiling, that he was glad about something, but he couldn't say what. The man was too hard for him to read. Unable to place it, he kept looking, kept searching for anything that could give him away. Only when Slade blinked did he realize that he had just been staring at him, being mesmerized by the look enough to forget the time. He hoped that he hadn't been staring at him for too long. Robin was mentally shaken by the fact that he had been so close to giving himself up once again. What was it with Slade that always got Robin to his weakest point when around him?

Robin tore his gaze away and tried to look at anything else to save his skin. He couldn't really place his vision to anything exactly. In actuality, he looked at anything and everything; Slade's chest, abdomen, his legs, back to his shoulders and neck, and finally to the open palm. Seeing Slade waiting for him brought Robin back in the moment and he quickly passed the USB reader over. What was it with him and his weird feelings? This was at least the second time he had found himself staring.

"Mind telling me about the mission?" Slade asked, with a tone that clearly stated that it was more like an order than a question.

Robin also took notice that Slade didn't seem tense in any way, nor was he sounding too precise, so maybe he was trying to start a genuine conversation. Robin wasn't quite sure if he wanted to take the bait or not though.

"The mission wasn't difficult. The security was rather low."

Robin was still somewhat mistrustful of Slade. Slade, on the other hand, was back to the center of the room, near the monitor, plugging in the USB reader so he could analyze the file in it. Slade had his back turned to Robin. Usually having one's back turned immediately made Robin consider it as rude, but, for some reason, he was grateful that Slade trusted him enough not to face him. It would be nicer to speak to his face though.

"I knew as much. I couldn't give you anything too hard for your first mission," Slade said, moving slightly to the right, so Robin could see some of the files open on screen. "Besides, I needed to make sure that you would return for a second mission." Robin discreetly tried to hover slightly to the left to see more. "Would you like to look at these files as I go through them?"

Robin was caught off guard. Slade was offering to share his information? Well that was new. But he sure as hell wouldn't refuse.

"Sure."

Robin walked over, straining his voice and the urge to just leap over to the monitor. He didn't want to reveal how eager he actually was at seeing the profit of his small crusade for himself. He was very interested about the security.

"So, Robin, how are your friends doing?" Slade asked, not turning his head from the screen as he talked.

Robin, however, spared a nervous glance at him, not wanting any trouble. "They're fine. They seem to miss me though."

To be honest, Robin didn't want to reveal anything about his friends to Slade. Why had he even asked?

"I bet they do." Slade shuffled the files and opened the main one, opening up multiple files at the same time. Within seconds, the screen filled up with blueprints and other text files. "To be quite honest, I doubted that you would actually come back. At least not within the time limit." Slade turned to face him. "Well done. You made a good choice when you decided to play by the rules."

Slade patted Robin on the shoulder. The act itself was something that caught him completely off guard. He would have wanted to smack his hand off normally, but, for some weird reason, he didn't. Slade didn't let the hand linger on too long, merely just patted it, and Robin could feel the warm fingers caressing his neck and shoulders even in that short amount of time. Slade let his shoulder go and cleared his throat.

"Well, congratulations then. As I said when you left, if you could complete the small mission, you'd get a prize."

Robin had been staring at Slade's arm that had been on his shoulder just moments ago, but his comment made him redirect his gaze at his face, to detect if he was either joking or having ill thoughts. As far as Robin could tell, Slade was completely legitimate. That or he just had the best poker face.

"What did you have in mind?" Robin asked, not really daring to put his hopes up. Slade probably had some weird definition of a prize anyway.

"The question is, what do you want? I might just make this interesting for us. As long as you don't have any stupid wishes like 'go into retirement forever' or something, I will grant one small wish for you every time you complete a mission. Nothing too big though. Remember, even my generosity has its limits."

Was Robin hearing right? He could wish for almost anything and if Slade agreed, he would, in theory, get whatever he wanted? What was the catch? Robin had to turn around to hide his face from Slade as he thought this over. Should he really try and ask something? Was this a test too? Maybe he really should go small at first and see how Slade reacted to it and then try for something bigger? But still, the thought of one wish per mission sounded way too good to be true. What were the limits for this anyways? How much could he ask for? Robin lifted his right hand to scratch his chin while he thought the deal over. It seemed like a good one on his part all in all, except for one question, the hardest question: what should he ask for?

There really wasn't much that he needed, other than his freedom of course. So Robin decided to ask something; something small enough to see what he could get. Maybe he should ask something personal, something that was slightly bordering on the deal, to see if Slade would bend the rules for things that weren't really too serious or that would interfere with the deal they had made. But what did he want? All he wanted was to be with his friends, but obviously he couldn't have that. Robin sighed as he let his hand fall back to his side. His shoulders slumped slightly as he turned around to face Slade, but he straightened his posture to look more secure. He should just give it a shot, right? What was the worst that could happen?

"I would like to tell my friends that I'm okay, at least. They are really worried. The last time they saw me, I was feverish and ill, and, on the mission we received, they really wished for me to stay back. But then I disappeared on them. I don't want them to blame each other for what's going on. So could I just…send a letter or something? I won't tell them anything with what's going on, I'll just tell them that I'm okay. I'll even come up with some kind of cover up story. You can read it through yourself if you want. You can even deliver it yourself. I trust you to take it there safely. If you don't, I will know once I get back when this deal is over. If that's the case, I promise you this: you will pay."

Robin didn't even care if he was babbling. He was bargaining for his friends here. Slade didn't react at all, at first. He just stood there, pondering, noticing that Robin was trying to tell him by his looks that he really wanted this. He had the look in his eyes that said he had already made up his mind and it was final. Robin wasn't sure if Slade saw it thanks to his mask, so he tried to add body language too. He had his chest puffed and his shoulders drawn back. His back was arched near the small of his back and his hands were balled into fists.

Slade stood tall and lifted his right hand to hold his chin. At first, Robin was glad that he was even considering this, but soon returned to his posture, not letting any linger of hope creep into his eyes.

Slade seemed to be thinking it over really well. Right now, even Robin could tell that he was weighing his options in his head. He could see it in his eye. Slade's eye switched only so slightly every time he changed his train of thought and Robin bet his face wore a matching look. But, of course, he couldn't see if that were really true. Robin didn't even know that Slade had such a habit. It seemed that all of his observations had grown some fruit. Then Slade started pacing. It couldn't really be called pacing since he walked back and forth twice, almost looking like he couldn't decide which way to go. Eventually, he walked back to the storage. Slade activated the wall and looked inside it for half a minute.

"Return your equipment to the storage. In the future, once you return from your mission, you'll need to get by this room to deactivate the timer. I'll think this over as you do."

Slade turned his back on Robin. He himself finally dared to drop his pose and slowly went towards the room in the wall. It was confusing to see how Slade really placed his thoughts together in this and, if he was lucky, he just might get his wish. He might actually have to thank the man if he allowed him to be in contact with his friends. Slowly, Robin started to strip off his equipment and the faint metal-hitting-on-metal sound was heard as he put the tools away. Now and then, Robin chanced a glance at Slade, but he never moved. Once he finally put everything back where they came, even the small knife that he would have loved to have as his plan B, he closed the storage door. The sound that was created seemed to bring Slade back to the present. That, or he had just sealed his deal and made up his mind. It did seem that way anyway.

"I thought this over and made my decision. I will grant this for you and, as you said, I will read it and take it there myself. I will take it there this evening even." Robin had to resist pumping his fist in the air. There was so much he wanted to tell his friends, but he knew that he couldn't fit in too much. "You can write it in our quarters so that I may supervise you as you write. Just to make sure you don't try anything funny."

Robin could swear he heard a small sigh or a voice of surrender escaping from behind Slade's black and orange mask, but he knew that not many would believe him if he ever confessed. Not that Robin minded. Right now, it felt as if he had a bunch of butterflies in his stomach. He seriously felt like flying straight to the room to write his small letter. In fact, to be honest, he felt better than he ever had when opening Christmas presents. Not that he dared to show it too much; he didn't want to look like a child in Slade's eyes.

Once Slade had secured the room behind them, they both made their way to the bedroom. Slade let Robin use his desk and even let him decide between using a computer or just writing it by hand. The option of using a computer was tempting, but Robin turned it down. This might as well be his only letter to his friends, so he wanted them to feel secure about the letter. His handwriting would be proof of his personality. His carefree way of writing would also assure them that he wasn't in any stress or danger whatsoever. Robin decided to write the letter on normal paper with a black ink pen to indicate that he was firm and positive in his situation. Maybe the lack of spelling errors or shaky handwriting would assure them that he was really being honest with his letter. Only when he had an empty sheet of paper and a pen with a full container of ink at his disposal did he realize he hadn't a clue on where to start. He had so much to tell, yet he couldn't mention even half of it. Besides, how could he ever explain to his fellow Titans a reason for his disappearance? He couldn't just tell them that he was off visiting a cousin, or Batman, or anyone, really. If that were the case, they would assume that Robin would have at least informed them about the situation before it took place. Somehow, he hoped that he could just tell them the truth. But he knew that, if nothing else, it would only make things worse; much worse.

As Robin sat in the chair—shoulders slumped and fingers playing nervously with his pen—he noticed that his mind wandered. Maybe he should at least be somewhat honest. He had been running after Slade once he had seen the man, but had only gotten so far before he fainted and got picked up by an old friend who was visiting and just happened to pass by. It probably wasn't the best of excuses, but it sure was better than just randomly deciding to go on a holiday without notice. He could always explain that his friend had been nursing him into better shape and, thus, couldn't make contact sooner. Once ready, he could say he stayed around to catch up with them and repay them for the favor. The story wasn't too far off from the truth, which made Robin feel slightly better, seeing as he hated lying to his friends. It was amusing how his subconscious had turned Slade into an old time friend, who tended to an ill friend, like a good host should. That was more or less a half truth. Slade hadn't been one of the kindest or fairest host; not by a long shot. However, Robin had to give him some credit. He had been a far better host than he had ever imagined he could be. Only then did Robin notice that he was treated even more and more like a guest, rather than someone who was forced to stay. Even now he had free time and freedom to wander around. He even had access to the outside world now and again. It may not have been much, but it was more than he had ever dared to ask.

It seemed that Slade had given him even more freedom as time went by. Also, at some point, this had started to feel more like a sleepover than anything else. Yes, he was still pretty much kept like a sardine in a can and he still had high expectations, but even he had noticed the freedom he was given. He could train whenever he felt like it, could ask for things—in some cases be permitted to have them—could eat what he wished, and, now that he thought about it, could choose if he wanted to be around the host himself or not. Slade had left him by himself between simulators and practices and missions even. Robin felt rather certain that the man wouldn't mind his company too much if he was willing to ask for it. They may have their disagreements, but at most times they got along just fine. Like right now, for instance. Robin was doing his thing and Slade was doing his thing: laying on the bed with his back resting against the wall while marking on a handful of papers. For some reason, Robin didn't feel out-of-place when Slade was silently resting behind him, making a glance in his general direction, to make sure he was still on the right path. Usually this kind of behavior would make Robin nervous, edgy, and jumpy, but now it was as if Slade belonged there. For some reason, Robin didn't feel like he was turning his back on his enemy, even if that was exactly what he was doing. The room was silent, but not unnervingly so. It seemed that they both were comfortable in the quiet and neither felt like talking.

Robin took another look at the white paper, which was slowly eating away at him, mocking him, and daring him to write something on it, but, for the love of god, he didn't know what, nor did he know how. He was slowly forming a fear towards the blank piece of paper. It felt as if he was supposed to write something important, but the moment he tried to press the ballpoint pen to the paper, he changed his mind and was unsure of how to continue. He should probably start with the fake situation, explaining what was going on, but he was nervous. He wasn't sure if the excuse was believable enough.

Every once in a while, Robin heard a rustle of papers and a small squeak as Slade's marker scratched the surface of the paper. Slade was doing his own project and, seeing him so off guard, showed a whole different side to him. Not much time later, Robin once again found himself far from his thoughts and, instead, was noting how Slade held him only by loose chains, so to speak, and how he received even more privileges as time went by. Who knew how close he could get to the man if he let himself get on with it. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad plan if he tried to get along with him and earn his place and then see how he could profit. It was always better being on Slade's good side. He held the strings, even if Robin hated to admit it. So maybe he should at least try to worm his way inside the man's defenses. If he couldn't tear him down from the inside, then he would try from the outside. At the same time he would extinguish his thirst for answers. He wanted to know how deep Slade was willing to let Robin go. He already had all the small freedoms, so who knew what else he could gain. As the saying went, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Now if only he could just try getting along with Slade…

At first, the feeling of having to break the silence to start conversation was greatly offsetting. It felt like he knew well what he had to say, but the words got caught in his mouth. It felt like he was, once again, that small child who was forced to apologize after a mischief he clearly knew was wrong and hurtful, but still the words didn't leave his mouth. Robin didn't know why he felt like making such a huge deal out of this. It was only a simple conversation. Robin coughed to fill in the silence, from which after he proceeded to say the first thing that came to mind.

"You won't mind if I stay somewhat truthful to the story about the fact I fainted on the outskirts of the city? That an old friend of mine picked me up? I know that my friends won't believe me if I said that I decided to just suddenly wander off."

Slade finished the last line that he was writing and then laid the paper stack on the night table. He took a good look at Robin, who had twisted his body to face him.

"Who is this friend of yours?"

Slade corrected his position so he could sit straighter.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, turning the chair slightly so he could look at Slade with better ease.

"You will need a decoy. Someone who your friends won't know personally, to avoid letting them check up on them for facts, but someone they know does exist, so it won't seem too suspicious," Slade explained.

Robin agreed. It did make sense. He couldn't just say that it was someone from Titans East or they'd simply call and ask.

"I haven't thought of anyone yet. Maybe Batgirl? Might as well say we have some catching up to do. It probably wouldn't even be too suspicious for her to be in Jump."

Slade lifted his right knee, resting his arm on it. "But can she be tracked down? I wouldn't recommend her. But so far, she might just be your best shot. You better hope that they can't track her back."

"I'll make it seem believable," Robin said, already starting to form the letter in his head. The plan didn't change much from the original. "I'm planning on telling them that she nursed me back to health and that I was going to repay her by staying with her for a while. I think I will also mention that I should be back next week." Robin turned to his piece of paper.

"Just try to keep it short."

Robin nodded for confirmation, even if Slade could only see his neck.

Dear Titans,

I'm sorry that I disappeared on you, but I have a reason for this. I went after Slade as he escaped the warehouse, but in my condition, I couldn't get far before I lost consciousness on the outskirts of town. To my luck, it was Batgirl who found me. She said that she was only on a drive-through-trip through the city on her way back to Gotham from a mission. She found me near a gas station in the suburbs, where she was supposed to get a refill, and, seeing my condition, she decided to nurse me back to health. I have been on bed rest for the last few days and we have been catching up a lot since then. The good news is that I'm now fully recovered and ready to go. On the other hand, though, she asked me a favor. Batgirl is supposed to make a contract trade further to the north, on her way to Gotham, and asked me to guide her there to help her convince the trader. This is a quick trip, though, and shouldn't take more than a few days, half a week tops. I should be back by next week and I promise you that I will tell you all about it once I get back. Please don't worry about me, I'm totally fine and healthy. I just wanted to let you know that I haven't fallen more ill, fainted, died, or anything.

I miss you guys, but I will see you in less than a week,

Robin

"You think this is good?" Robin asked as he handed the letter over to Slade.

To be honest, Robin would have wanted to say way more than what he had in the letter, but there was no way to do it without looking suspicious. At least he could sleep his nights away without the weight of his friends worrying over him on his shoulders.

"It isn't the best, but it will have to do," Slade said, pocketing it in his belt.

Slade stood up, taking the stack of papers he had previously been marking and placing them on his table for safekeeping. The table wasn't too wide because it was created for just one person. The file holder was located on the corner of the desk, right next to Robin, so Slade had to reach over him to throw the file where it belonged. This caused Robin to get a good whiff of Slade as he reached over. He had a unique smell on him; a mixture of oil, sweat, perhaps some cologne, and something that was Slade himself. The cologne didn't smell half bad.

"So when are you taking the letter over?" Robin asked.

"I'll take it before dusk. Usually your friends are out, eating that trash you call food," Slade commented, sneering at the very thought of eating greasy food with non-existing healthy substances on a daily basis.

Robin didn't fully approve of Slade's opinion, but kept it to himself. Instead, he stood up and stretched. "So what do I do until then?"

"I have another simulator program ready for you if you want to give it a go."

Slade walked over to the door, allowing Robin to have some stretching room. He stood by and waited for him to crack his back and come over.

"Do you have to ask? Of course I want to give it a go! I hope that it won't include killing this time, though. I wouldn't like that very much," Robin mumbled, following him.

"Well, if that makes you happy, there aren't many human targets," Slade said as he went.

Robin answered with a simple, "Good."

The two walked to the simulator, while idly conversing as they went. Robin tried to keep the conversation up, as he was determined to try to get past Slade's shields. The man was almost interesting, now that he knew there were other things to him than the sadist bastard he was used to. He also learned that Slade never lied. The man took time to answer and, if he decided that the question was too personal, he would leave it unanswered. Or, at least, Robin had never detected a lie from him. It was an interesting observation to make. It almost made him want to ask some stupid questions, like his favorite color and food and probably some of his history, but he knew that if he started to interrogate him, Slade might just shut up for the night. Usually he would be more than delighted to get him to shut up, but now he wanted to keep him talking.

It didn't take long for them to reach the simulator room. Slade went over to the controls and indicated that Robin needed to step inside the room itself. Robin watched for a while as Slade set up the program and registered the difficulty settings and details. It was interesting to see Slade's fingers fly over the buttons and program the whole room he was about to enter with code language Robin had yet to fully understand. He soon took a couple of steps closer to the room, but stopped by the door to look at Slade. He just had a better idea. A suggestion, actually. Slade had given him small freedoms, so he may as well try his luck once again. Not that it was a bad idea, actually. No, it was a brilliant one.

"Want to do it with me?"

Slade lifted his head to look directly at his younger companion, who was half in the room, half in the simulator. He seemed surprised that he would even ask such a question.

"You actually want me to come with you?"

For once Robin could honestly say that he saw the slightly confused doubt in Slade's eye. "Yeah, why not? It could be cool. Or are you scared that I will break your high score?"

Robin grinned and dared the man to come along. Hell, this might actually be fun. Slade laughed at this, he really did. He stood.

"You wish."

Slade hit the start button. The room breathed to life, but before it started to move, Slade pressed a small button at the edge of the controller table, which summoned a robot to control the room on autopilot. Taking a hold of Robin's shoulder, he pressed him against his side, stepped into the room, dragging him, and then closed the door behind them. As the room started to move, it ate away Slade's words, but Robin could still hear his voice as clear as rain.

"The game is on."
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