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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
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When Robin woke up in the morning, he felt like he hadn't slept at all. It felt like it was pretty early in the morning, but he couldn't really tell. The room had no windows or clocks. It felt awkward to spread his arm out so that he could reach a nonexistent alarm clock to check the time, but after swinging it aimlessly over the nightstand, even Robin had to give up the hopes of finding one. Sighing, he forced himself in a sitting position, curling up in the covers to hide from the chill. The room was dark and shady and the only light was a dim, disoriented light that shone from the screen of the monitor. The room was completely silent except for the silent hum of the computer.

Robin moved his eyes to take a better look of the room. A small punch of loneliness hit him. He was once again in Slade's room with no Slade around and certainly with no friends around. Robin was missing them. Living with Slade was so far not so fun. He was, however, slightly surprised that when living under the same roof with Slade, it hadn't been that bad so far. It was certainly not something Robin would have expected. He thought, that once Slade had him, he would take him by force and bend him to be his apprentice, not afraid to use even the most fatal kind of way to achieve that goal. But so far it was nothing like it. Yeah, Slade had made a schedule for him and he demanded that he do his best and even better, but that was part of the deal. The villain was like a coach, nothing that Robin had prepared for, and this made him nervous. Slade never acted without a plan and he certainly wouldn't act this half-assed about anything. This just had to be a plan, which would explain Slade's (false?) act of 'you-are-free-to-go-after-a-week' thing.

All this thinking made Robin feel confused. He just hoped he could be with his friends once the deal was done. It was weird; the more civilized Slade acted, the more confusing and difficult it became. During his entire spare time, Robin had wasted on thinking about Slade or his friends. He felt really pathetic when the best conclusion about Slade and his plans were that he just simply had skipped the bending part and was now treating him as an apprentice candidate, who would join him any minute. But that just didn't match. Slade would not be that stupid.

Sighing, Robin let go of the matter and decided to let all the thinking and plotting go, deciding to come back to it later, when he had more abiding proof. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and flinched slightly as his toes met the ice cold floor. He ignored the chill however. Robin sluggishly rubbed his eyes and, after getting used to the dark, he noticed that his clothes were set on the far end of the nightstand, folded up nicely, placed far enough so he couldn't even accidentally swing them on the floor.

'Must be a Slade-bot's work.'

Secretly feeling thankful, Robin took the clean clothes and started to dress. Feeling the fabric against his cold skin felt remotely nice, but he didn't want to acknowledge that. Robin then started to stretch out of a habit. He then remembered that it was on his schedule anyway, so he took more of that into account. The stretches really came in handy; his muscles were really stiff from yesterday. Well what else did he expect? First he slept a couple of days almost nonstop, then took a sudden start to train again and…yeah, no wonder he was stiff.

After finishing his stretches, Robin walked around the room, shaking his legs after every step to get the blood going. Walking around the room was a good stimulus and Robin could feel the tiredness slowly drifting away, leaving more space for some actual thinking and observing. Soon he checked every table and surface for a hidden note from Slade, but found none this time. It was like he allowed him to be on his own.

Taking in the fact that he was on his own for a change, Robin let his curiosity get the better of him. He slowly made his way to Slade's computer, almost holding his breath from excitement. What if the villain left some really important files open? With his glove-covered hands, he tugged the mouse to turn the screen saver off. Since it was an old box alike monitor, it took a couple of seconds for the screen to adjust.

'Slade really should get a new computer down here.' When the screen was finally clear enough to view, he noted that it was pretty much in use. Slade had left three files and one internet explorer window open. 'Yep, totally a trap.' Robin held his breath as he shorted out his plan. He could see what Slade had been up to, hopefully answering a lot of questions. Or maybe it was a trap or a test. A test of loyalty or trust perhaps? Maybe he would search the whole computer to see anything that Slade would have been doing on it. 'The last option it is, consequences be damned! There's way too many juicy opportunities here. And who knows what kind of dirty things he has saved up on here.'

Shaking his head to get the dirty thoughts out and the more sober thoughts in, Robin tried to relax so that he didn't make any stupid mistakes while innocently taking his share of Slade's business. Feeling calm enough, he decided to take a look at the open web page first.

Harm Caused in a Science Research Lab on a Farm Not Far from Jump City

That was a screaming headline for a top article. There was a picture of a shredded building and lot of bemoans after the lab thing. The journalist had talked about the farm, a little about the science group and their goals, and the rest was the bemoan of the animals, the farm, and the failed experiment. The article had several quotes from the researchers, who all seemed to be upset about the failed attempts at capturing a very fatal virus. There were even some complaints of meddling little know-it-alls. Namely, the Titans. Even the researcher seemed to think that Slade should be captured and put to an end and they hoped that in the near future, someone would take the lead and clean the world from the villains. That was a two page article in a nutshell.

So what did it mean? Slade had suddenly become an anti-animal cruelty activist, but didn't care about human cruelty? Not very likely. And what exactly was the experiment of theirs? Test a virus? Create an anti-virus? Was the goal to make something that cured or that would kill? The only thing mentioned was that it was supposed to affect the human immune system, but no one mentioned how.

Observing the page one last time, Robin then checked if there was a possibility to browse the previous page. He smiled widely when there was. Clicking the back button, he found out that the last page was about the very same topic. Even the one previous from that and the next one and the next… They were all about the same farm. What was it with this farm anyway. Slade really seemed to have something against that organization. Maybe this was the "clan" Slade mentioned when Robin woke up from nausea.

'Yep, it has to be that. What else could it possibly be?' Feeling slightly happy at Slade's misfortune to find any real leads according to the science researchers, Robin clicked his way back to the page that had been when he first got to the computer. 'Next, the open files.'

The first file was about the very same "clan" but these were Slade's own notes about the matter. The text was pretty much the same as the one he already knew, but there was also a small note that they would soon be expanding, having some more material transported via trucks and ships. The new base was supposed to be the headquarters located in Jump. Robin absorbed the information quickly, knowing a lot more about the details: The clan also had headquarters in Metropolis, Gotham, Keystone City, New York, and a few all over the world. It may not have been much useful information, but to say the least, Robin thought that he had gotten enough on the subject. He then moved on to the next file.

This next file was tricky. Robin didn't really know if he should be happy, mad, or even slightly mortified as he found that the subject of the entire thing was of him. Every detail was there. He felt something heavy move in his stomach, making him feel exposed. There was a horrible amount of pages about him, his everyday routines, his friends and activities, his physical shape, and his mental and physical capabilities. It had everything.

Gulping down a lump that had risen in his throat, Robin tried to stay calm. But how could he when the bastard had been observing-no spying-on him? Or it looked like Slade was obsessed about him. The villain even knew the times he usually used the bathroom! Even his favorite food and color was listed. Every little detail was there. Everything from small habits to usual beliefs (Robin did not rub imaginary dust off his shoulder when he was uncertain!).

Feeling anger building inside him as he looked at the file, Robin fought the urge to erase everything that was written there. He couldn't do that though. He couldn't get caught. Hell he shouldn't have been looking at the computer in the first place. Trying to control his anger, Robin clicked the file down, then quickly checked the last one (the inventory that Slade told him about yesterday). He left the computer, hoping that the screen saver would come back before Slade did.

Stomping angrily out of the room while looking at the floor, Robin sighed and made his way toward the training area. He was rudely knocked down onto the floor about half way there. Since he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings, he collided with Slade's broad chest. Robin hit the floor rather hard and he could hear his spine crack. Ignoring it, he glared up at the man.

"Has the wind changed? Why so jumpy all of a sudden?" Slade asked mockingly, pulling Robin up by the neck, not minding him when he winced in slight pain that lasted for about two seconds. "Mind to enlighten me as to why you're so clouded up this morning?"

"No," was Robin's strict answer, which left no room for any kind of persuasion. "Where were you anyway?"

"Missed me already? To be honest, I was refilling the stock, and I must say that I didn't expect you to wake up before I was back," Slade said as he stared at Robin disapprovingly. He probably would have preferred if he stayed in the room and not go wandering off on his own, but he ignored it for now, pushing the matter for later day. "But now that you are here, we'll tend to some more important business and start with today's training."

Slade guided Robin to the training room to take his course. They were soon standing in the middle of the giant room and, after they both completed their warm-ups, Slade had called over some Slade-bot's to bring some targets. They were some regular paper targets, shaped like a man, showing fatal spots to aim for; head, heart, and so on.

"Today, Robin, I will teach you to shoot. I know you have never shot anything before, and I think it's high time for you to learn this. And no, that grapple of yours doesn't count. I'm referring to real weapons. I have a pistol, silenced Uzi, a machine gun, shotgun, rifle, sniper, rocket launcher, and a bazooka for you to try. This lesson's point is for you to have a feel for guns, and hopefully, identify the best one for you. I want you to take note on the many aspects of a gun. The sound; assassins have to have a weapon that won't make much noise to avoid bringing attention to themselves. Also focus on how easy or fast it is to load and how many bullets it can contain at the same time. The weight; I do not suggest anything heavier than you can run with. Also note which of them is more comfortable and how hard the kickback is after the shot. And don't forget to think on which would be more useful and practical in use."

Slade continued his little lecture about guns, how to use them, where the parts were located, and, before he was even allowed to shoot, he had to learn to take it completely apart and then to put it back together. That part wasn't hard. Robin knew how to do it. He didn't really think he'd be that bad of a shooter, but the fact of the matter was that he just didn't like the act of killing. He didn't have anything against guns really, but he didn't like what people did with them. Robin could never actually kill anyone; he was still under oath after all.

Finally, after going through all the theory lessons, Robin was allowed to try shooting the targets. Slade had put the guns in a line on a table, not far away from him. The mission was to shoot at least five strikes with each gun. After the rounds had been fired, he was to decide which gun was the one he would prefer to use in the future. He would need to use them all, Slade had said, but the one he would choose as the best one, would be the one he would be using the most.

Robin was now wearing earplugs and was somewhat happy that he didn't have to use any eye protectors, seeing as his mask was protection enough. It felt weird to be up and ready to shoot. Feeling slightly nervous of the idea of having to use a gun at all, out of habit, his right hand began to brush off imaginary dust. Once he noticed it, he tried to stop the act with semi-disgust, but thought otherwise. Robin hoped Slade had not seen his hand stop momentarily or he would get caught for spying on his computer.

'Well that's not good.'

Sighing miserably, Robin took the first gun, the pistol, took a firm stand, and aimed. The gun felt heavy and cold against his skin and he could feel his hands become clammy against it. Then, taking one last relaxing breath before closing his other eye to take better aim, Robin shot at the target. The pistol did not kickback that badly and the noise wasn't that bad either. The size was good, was easy to hide and move around, and wouldn't get in the way.

"Robin, misses don't count. You still have five strikes," Slade informed from behind, standing out of his range if anything went wrong.

Somehow after that first and most unnerving shot had passed, Robin felt himself relaxing. His hand didn't even shake that badly anymore. Taking a better hold on the gun handle and ignoring the slight dampness of his palm, he closed his eye again and, taking a slightly sturdier and wider footing, Robin prepared to shoot a second shot. With the barrel aimed slightly too much toward the upper left, he moved it in its proper position and then pulled the trigger. The bang was heard again. This time, Robin hit the target right between the eyes.

"Good job, Robin. Maybe it's true when they say you learn fast," Slade said.

Robin could only nod and grin at this, even if the later gesture went unnoticed to the man behind him. Shooting targets wasn't that bad. It was rather…distracting, as one would say. When he aimed, he had to clear his head from every distraction and concentrate on the task at hand. Seeing the bullet hit the target made him feel really proud. It made him feel like he was good at something and being told so felt good too. Batman had hardly ever praised him and so far being praised wasn't so bad, even if it was for shooting. Smiling again, this time truly, he took a new aim. He could now feel all of his anxiety flying away with every bullet.

Taking aim again, Robin shot four in a row, having one worry leave him during each shot.

BANG! There went Slade and his stupid files. At least now he could add something significant to it; Robin could shoot pretty well. BANG! At this moment, he had no longing to be around his friends; he would meet them again when the time came. BANG! Now he didn't have to worry about tomorrow or the upcoming week or Slade. He could just shoot without a care in the world. BANG! It was actually nice to see the head of the target fall almost completely off. This way no one could see where the targets' middle point was.

Blowing off the smoke that was oozing from the gun just for the show, Robin switched his weapon as the robot switched the target. Shooting targets was rather entertaining. It was fun to see the differences of the guns in terms of sound and power. The Sniper made a nice hole at the exact place where you aimed whereas the shotgun almost blew the entire head off. The kickback was so strong that it felt like Robin's shoulder would call it quits. The silenced Uzi was boring; it didn't have much of a noise and the damage it made wasn't that special. He preferred the normal pistol way better. The rocket launcher and bazooka were way out of scale with the others and he could almost feel the damage where he stood, even if the target was far away. Not to mention the force of the shot and the noise wasn't something he preferred.

Once Robin was finally done with all of the guns, Slade approached him, clapping his hands a couple of times.

"Bravo. You will make a good shooter, but I must disappoint you by saying that I think we'll stick with the more compact ones," Slade said. "But tell me, which one do you prefer the most?" Ignoring the sarcasm, Robin told him that he liked the sniper the best, but that it was good to have a pistol with him just in case. It may be small, but it was handy. Nodding approvingly, Slade had the bots clean the area and take the guns away. "I will let you rest for a while. In the evening, I'll see you in the kitchen. I have another kind of training for you after dinner. You may eat lunch and rest your hands while you wait. But take this as a warning; I believe you'll need to collect your thoughts and strength, or you'll be wishing to shoot something much more lively by the end of the day."

Slade sounded really malicious by the end of his sentence. He knew that whatever it was that Robin had to face later would not be anything he could face with a big smile.

"I will see you later this evening then," Slade said before disappearing around the corner to go somewhere.

Robin, on the other hand, was left speechless in the middle of the training room, his hands shaking from the numerous gun shots and kickbacks and having to hold the bazooka. The day had started out weird, ended up nice, but somehow he got the feeling that a negative change would be coming pretty fast. Squeezing his hands into fists to prevent them from shaking, he went to the kitchen to have a well deserved meal.
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Take your Medicine