I've had my thyroid out and has a few weeks of sick leave, so I thought I'd start posting this story, though it's not quite finished yet…

Hope you enjoy this little adventure…

Love Boat

Chapter 1: Exciting and New

"Of course I will, Batman!" Robin beamed. The man on the screen had just asked him to assist with a case and the young man was eager to prove himself. He had been leading the Teen Titans for a few years and didn't feel he had gotten quite enough kudos from his mentor. Although the fact that Batman hadn't shut them down and stayed out of their business was probably all the proof he needed of the man's trust in him. Still, a pat on the shoulder now and then is always nice.

"Maybe wait until I've introduced the case until you agree." There was a tiny smile on the man's lips like he knew why the teen was this eager. "It is not uncomplicated and you might prefer not to do it."

They were speaking via a private link and Robin was by his computer in his room, wondering whether or not to call in the Titans, but Bruce had asked for him, not his team, so he decided against it for now.

"Sure, go on then," he snorted, feeling a bit silly.

"I've been tracking a very dangerous duo, two men with strong Russian links, leaving behind a path of bodies, all belonging to current or former Russian citizens or associates to the same. They are using Novitjok, I assume you are familiar with the substance?"

"Of course. Russian. It's actually a group of substances, nerve poisons, developed in the seventies and eighties. Even a few milligrams can kill. Lately used in the UK on former Russian military intelligence officer and double agent Sergej Skripal and his daughter… but I'm assuming your cases has been kept out of the media?"

"Yes, with some difficulty. My people might not be connected to the Skripal case, but there is a possibility. Either way they need to be stopped and the source of their orders has to be exposed… and it might be a very high-up source indeed."

"Alright. What do you want me to do?" Robin asked.

"They managed to slip through my fingers. I had ears to the ground but a tip arrived just a moment too late. I haven't even been able to get a clear description of them and they seem to constantly change their appearance."

"So you don't know what they look like and you don't know where they are?" Robin clarified. There was a small, very small, part of him who enjoyed that. Very small. Barely there.

"Correct, unfortunately, but I do know where they will be. They have a very specific M.O; they hide among tourists, and I managed to piece together enough information from papers they had tried to burn when they fled Gotham, to know that their next target is on, or connected to, a cruise."

"… Okay…?" Robin wasn't sure what the man wanted him to do about that.

"It's a seven day Caribbean cruise and I can't leave Gotham to go undercover. That's where you come in."

"You want me to go on a cruise?"

"Yes."

"To find two people with no descriptions, who are carrying around insanely dangerous nerve poison?"

"Yes."

"No problem."

"Well, there's one more thing." The man seemed to hesitate, and that could mean trouble the teen knew. "It's a romantic cruise for couples."

"Oh." Robin thought about his options as his heart sank. "I guess I could take Raven or Starfire but neither of them does the whole 'under cover' thing well…"

"You couldn't anyway… it's a gay cruise."

Robin felt his jaw drop before he could form any vocal reply. "What?!" he ended up with.

"As I understand it that won't be a problem?"

"I… I… I… who…?" Robin stuttered.

"A colleague of mine saw you on a… date… a year or so ago. Honestly Robin, I'm a bit hurt you haven't told me. I have no problems with you being gay."

"Bi!"

"Or bi," Bruce amended smoothly.

"And it was just a couple of dates. Leading nowhere!"

"My condolences?" Batman offered. "There's really no need to be defensive, if you don't feel comfortable in the role then I'll find someone else, I just prefer to have someone with your skill who doesn't have to act… at least not pretend to have another sexuality."

"No, I'll do it!" Robin hastily offered. He didn't want to lose the chance to prove himself after all. "But there's still the problem with my… umm… 'partner'. BB and Cy are all for the girls and they really don't blend in well."

"I was thinking that Speedy-"

"No."

"Why? He was the one you were on a date with, after all?"

"Exactly why. I don't want-"

Suddenly the screen flickered and the image on it split in two. One still showed Batman, scowling, and the other-

"Slade?" Robin exclaimed.

"Deathstroke?" Batman said at the same time.

"Wait, who? Deathstroke?" Robin asked before the man in the two-toned mask had the opportunity to speak.

"You can compare notes later," the mercenary drawled. "I couldn't help but overhear-" the man started.

"You have hacked our line and you "couldn't help" it?" Robin snorted.

"Purely accidental, I assure you," the villain deadpanned. "Anyway, I offer my services."

"Oh, really now?" the teen laughed, deciding that the man must be mental.

"Explain," Batman added, much too acceptingly, Robin thought.

"I happen to have a job involving those men, and it, if it all goes smoothly, won't affect your case. I am also a better body guard for Robin than the archer is and I am capable of both surviving an attack with the poison as well as having the knowledge to treat Robin, giving him at least a slim chance to survive if our cover is blown."

"What is your mission? Who are you working for?" Batman asked.

"Classified," the other man answered in an almost bored tone.

Batman didn't look like he had expected an answer either, he mainly looked thoughtful.

"You can't even be considering this, can you?" Robin asked his mentor, gaping.

"Deathstroke, that is Slade, and I have a history," the man explained. "He can be trusted. Mostly."

"Oh, really? I haven't noticed that!" Robin drawled.

"Don't be a sore loser, boy. I've kept my part of every bargain we've struck."

Robin thought back and had to agree with the man. They had had a few 'deals' of sort after taking down Trigon together, mainly consisting of short truces when circumstances made those necessary, and he hated to admit it but most of those circumstances had been a favor to his team.

"Fine, sure," Robin ground out like it pained him, which is physically did. "But no way."

"Do you have any other candidates?" Bruce wanted to know.

"How about Superman?" Robin asked hopefully.

"Not gay," Batman pointed out.

"Neither is Slade!" Robin countered.

"I've been known to dabble," the man shrugged, causing Robin's jaw to drop yet again. Any more of this and he would have to have surgery.

"Wait… what? You're… gay?"

"Would the label 'mostly, but not completely, straight' be enough?"

"We still wouldn't make a believable couple!" the teen objected, feeling like he was losing ground, which was, of course, ridiculous. He would not go on a cruise with the villain and that was final. It was up to him, after all.

"Our cover could be that of a successful businessman on a cruise with his secret new boy toy," the villain stated. Slade had a mask on, so Robin couldn't see his expression, but the young man was sure it was a smirk.

"No," Bruce finally said, and Robin felt himself relax. The dark knight would put a stop to this insanity. "You're newlyweds. I've booked you into one of the wedding suites. If Robin should be recognized and the media come snooping around with questions there can always be information 'leaked' about a divorce in a few months."

"You're worried about his reputation?" Slade chuckled.

"This is my ward, my son. He's nobody's 'boy toy' least of all yours," Bruce retorted. Robin could hear that the man wasn't fond of the mercenary, so why did he seem to agree to this madness?

The teen heard himself asking exactly that question.

"Slade is a good option for the job, especially with his healing powers and experience," Bruce explained. "If I had thought about it, I might have hired him for this mission."

"Are you under the impression I will do this for free?" Slade asked smoothly.

"You're already on a job, you're getting paid," Bruce objected.

"Not enough not to just take someone else along," Slade let them know.

As they stared at each other Robin's hope rose that the deal would fall apart, but no such luck.

"Your usual fee for surveillance, bodyguard, no kill?" Bruce sighed.

"I'll even give you a discount. Tell Will you're on my nice-list," the man said.

"Who's Will?" Robin piped up, but the older men both ignored him.

"I will personally skin you if you fail in protecting Robin," Bruce let the villain know. "I'll do it slowly so you heal before bleeding to death. That way I can keep going forever. Might even build a machine. Some sort of scaled up apple peeler."

"Understood," the mercenary nodded.

"You both need to be ready to leave from Fort Lauderdale in three days"

"Doable." The mercenary confirmed.

"Three days? How were you able to book us on a ship leaving that soon?" Robin asked.

"There is always a way," Batman said vaguely.

Slade snorted. "Contact me with further details tomorrow."

Then, suddenly, the screen only contained Bruce again.

"What the actual f-"

"Robin!"

"-uck!" Robin, who thought a good, decent swearword was in order here, continued. "How could you just-?!"

"I know you don't personally like him, but do you dislike him enough to want to abandon the mission?"

"I just don't understand why?" Robin groaned. He did want this mission, he did want to do this favor for the man, but his current 'partner' didn't exactly sweeten the deal.

"He can get sprayed in the face with Novitjok and actually keep fighting, at least in theory," Bruce said. "Only a handful people on this planet could do that. But he lacks in the socializing department, he won't be able to interact with the other passengers in a fruitful enough way, looking for clues, fishing for information. His normal approach is much more brutal. Which is why I need you there, and that's why he needs you there."

"Oh." It hadn't occurred to Robin that the villain might actually be dependent on him. "So… I'm doing him a favor too?"

"Undoubtably."

"I'm going to have to remind him of that. Repeatedly."

"I'm sure you will," Batman smirked. "So, you're taking the mission?"

"I've just realized that I have to act lovey-dovey with Slade in public for a week," Robin groaned.

"Yes, but see it like this; he has to act lovey-dovey with you as well. Imagine what you will be able to get him to do."

"…. Like… shuffle board? Pose for silly pictures?"

"The possibilities are endless."

"I might end up enjoying myself after all," Robin grinned.

"As long as you get the job done," Bruce reminded him.

"Of course. Work comes first," the teen confirmed.

His team didn't like the idea any more than Robin did, and the teen had to deal with both their worries, his own, planning the trip and planning his own absence in the next few days. He had several planning sessions with Bruce and for a few Slade joined in. It hadn't occurred to Robin, at first, that the man of course would be unmasked for the mission, and therefore his poor jaw got another trip downwards when the mercenary appeared on the screen in civilian clothes.

"Close your mouth, boy, or you're going to make me blush," the man drawled.

The teen almost bit his own tongue as his teeth clicked shut. The villain had a very strong face, wide, angled, with a short, well-kept, white beard and hair that was just a smidge too long to pass a military inspection. His hair was mostly swept back, but with no products, which let strands of it slightly curl around his temples and over his forehead. He was handsome, very handsome, Robin reluctantly admitted, but he immediately saw a problem.

"No offence, but that eyepatch isn't exactly low key," he pointed out.

"I'll be wearing a prosthetic eye and sun glasses during the trip," the man informed him dryly and Robin furtively scratched down 'sunglasses' on the list next to his keyboard of things to pack.

"Let's continue with the plans," Bruce interrupted. "The trip offers three opportunities to leave the ship. The Princess Cays on day one, St. Thomas on day three and Philipsburg on day four. It is possible this trip is just a holiday for the suspects but I very much doubt it. Their next victim is either on the ship or in one of those ports."

"We can't be expected to protect everyone from people we can't even identify," Slade objected.

"No. But you can try. If a death should occur your main focus is still to identify and apprehend the suspects, however."

"Any means available?" the villain asked.

The Dark Knight hesitated. "Yes."

"Batman!" Robin exclaimed. "You can't mean-?"

"They are extremely dangerous. If they feel threatened, don't let them get close," Bruce interrupted. "They won't be carrying the poison around, of course, it's far too dangerous. They will have it when they intend to use it, but that can be at any time. They don't need to be close to their victim, just leave a miniscule amount where they are prone to stumble upon it."

"They might be too careful for that," Slade said, shaking his head. "I've read the reports you've sent me. They don't want to leave an unnecessarily large trail of dead bodies around, they will make as sure as they can that no one but the target is killed, and the poison itself is the message. If they put something in the shampoo, they might kill some of the staff as well."

"You're not wrong." Batman didn't look happy to admit this, but he did anyway. "The ship is a more enclosed space, they would have to be careful."

"I'm not sure whether that will make things easier or more difficult for us, but it's good to realize," Robin nodded. "One thing, though, Slade. Your job… you don't have anymore information from your own employer? Nothing that can help us identify them?"

"No, unfortunately not. The identities are part of the mission."

"And you still won't tell us the rest?" the teen prompted.

"No."

"I don't like it," the young hero said, addressing Batman this time. "If not all the cards are on the table…"

"You'll get the results you want either way," Slade snorted. "Let's discuss our aliases, what did you have in mind, Bruce?"

It was surreal to hear the man he had considered his personal nemesis address his mentor in such a casual, familiar way, Robin thought. It was even more so to hear Bruce reply correspondingly.

"I've booked you under the names Slade and Robin Wilson. I don't think it's likely that anyone would recognize Robin as Richard, and if they do it's not unusual to use fake names for people who want to be incognito. Your name is uncommon, but I was hoping Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts might deter anyone from connecting a two-eyed gay man to a lethal mercenary."

"You flatter me," Slade snorted. "I like it," he then added with a grin. "The amount of people even knowing of Deathstroke, much less Slade Wilson-"

"Wait, you gave us his last name?" Robin asked his mentor. "You couldn't just have made one up?"

"It's a common name, and as I think Slade was about to say, anyone recognizing it would have to have to be very shady indeed. I've of course obtained the passenger lists for the trip and, among the people I've been able to identify, there are no obvious such threats."

"Fashion designers and interior decorators don't need assassins very often," Slade agreed. "Well," he added, "not enough to actually hire one."

"Prejudice much?" Robin muttered. "Just because it's a gay cruise-"

"I've studied the passenger list as well," Slade interrupted him. "Blame it, not me. And do your homework."

"I'm very busy making sure Jump won't fall apart or run out of pizza!" Robin objected. "I still have time!"

"You do," Bruce confirmed. "But about your cover, you need to be careful. Stay in character unless you are completely alone. Even be careful with what you say and do when the balcony door is open."

"Our suite has a balcony?" Robin asked.

"Yes. Not the point."

"Sure, sorry. Yes, we'll stay in character. We don't have to fly there together, though, right?"

"No, as per Slade's request you're meeting at the airport, but as soon as you leave the car at the port…"

"Yes, sir," Robin nodded. "We'll be careful."

When he landed in Miami a couple of days later, he was nervous. Very nervous. He was dressed in upscale leisurewear consisting of a pair of very nicely fitted jeans and slim fit t-shirt, both expensive but understated labels, looking his part of a rich young man on vacation. It was just after noon and Robin's stomach grumbled with more than butterflies. He wanted to look around for something to eat but Slade was supposed to meet him here so he didn't have time. The ship was due to leave at four in the afternoon, but Robin figured that there still would be time for a quick lunch and hoped the mercenary would agree.

At that moment he spotted the man, wearing a pale yellow polo shirt and light grey slacks, looking completely relaxed and ready for vacation.

"Hi," Robin greeted him, and was very annoyed that most of his conscious mind was busy wondering if he still looked presentable after the flight and dragging his substantial luggage from the pick-up point.

"Hello," Slade said and then simply took over Robin's luggage. "The car is waiting. I was thinking we should have lunch in Fort Lauderdale, and then we should still have plenty of time to board."

"I- yes," Robin agreed, a bit stunned.

When they reached the car it had a chauffeur, a grey-haired man with a moustache, who helped Robin load his bags into the trunk which Slade held the back door open for the young hero. It was a bit dizzying in the twilight zone, but Robin tried to play along, knowing it would only get 'worse', so to speak.

They had only been driving for a little while and Robin was busy looking through his bag making sure everything was there, when Slade turned to him, holding something up.

"Give me your hand," he said, as he actually reached out for it.

"Huh?" was all the hero could say as he just watched as the man put a wide gold ring on his finger. "What?" he added, blinking up at him.

"Your wedding ring," the man clarified, his tone hinting that he thought he was talking to an idiot, "Bruce sent them as part of our alibi." The man held up his own hand where a similar ring gleamed.

"He knew my ring size?" Robin mumbled, fiddling with his own ring which fitted perfectly.

"I'm more worried that he knew mine," Slade snorted, and they shared a little bit of a grin. After that the teed felt the tension between them diminish and he could finally relax a little.

"Will, how does the traffic look?" Slade asked the chauffeur, making Robin's ears perk.

"No worse than expected," the man up front answered calmly.

"So you're Will?" Robin asked.

"William Wintergreen at your service, young Mr. Wilson," the man said, grinning at him in the rear-view mirror.

"How do you know Slade?"

"We go way back."

"Any embarrassing stories?"

"Plenty."

"Will," Slade said warningly.

"Available at a cost," William grinned at Robin.

The teen grinned back. "I'll save up my allowance," he promised.

"I think I've made a mistake," the mercenary growled.

"Oh, you've made many, many mistakes," his friend let him know airily. "I don't think a marriage, although faked, to this young man is one of them, though. Have fun."

Slade merely snorted and Robin laughed, his cheeks coloring a little. He liked this man, but he could see a hint of steel under the jovial exterior. If he had been an actual threat to Slade Robin didn't doubt which side the man would be on.

Wintergreen joined them for lunch and to Slade's obvious dismay kept dropping hints about situations where the mercenary might not have ended up smelling like roses. Robin enjoyed that immensely and was in a very good mood when they finally headed to the harbor. When they arrived, Wintergreen were again in the role of manservant and made sure their luggage was taken care of. Slade, on the other hand, slipped comfortably into the role of besotted new husband. Robin was held close at all times and, in the very line waiting to board, Slade kissed him until the people behind them started mumbling and coughing as they were holding things up.

Robin pulled away and smiled apologetically at the other passengers.

"Sorry," he said, his face beet red but it fitted the situation, he assumed.

He got a few chuckles as reply, no one looked irritated. Robin grabbed his 'husband's' arm and dragged him forward to catch up with the line. Slade responded by letting his hand rest on the teen's ass until they were checked in. Robin hoped the mercenary would get backpain as he actually had to lean sideways a bit to reach.

While acting like newlyweds of the worst kind they were also working. Robin knew Slade's main focus was on the other passengers, and so was his. It was a very colorful mix. The cruise was aimed at the LGBT-community in general, so there weren't just gay men in line; there were all kinds of couples, but all of them seemed excited and slightly impatient to get onboard. Robin groaned as he realized that just because they were looking for two men didn't mean the two women in front of them couldn't be their targets, or what seemed to be a heterosexual couple a bit behind them. The targets could be really bad at dressing up and still fit in here perfectly. Somewhere, among all these people, two murderers were hiding… They had their work cut out for them.

To be Continued...

A/N: Please review! First impressions? Expectations? I intend to update each Saturday. I'm currently on chapter seven. I might update quicker if I manage to finish the story, but I need some energy to do so... comments always helps!