Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. I only own the naughty thoughts of Slade and Red X ganging up on Robin for the sole purpose of torturing him -grins-.

Pairing: Sladin X

Warning: Rated M!

A/N: -grins- I like this chapter. PLEASE read the AN at the bottom, it is very important.

Chapter 3: Fatigue

"What do you mean that the only available room has only two beds?" Robin said crankily.

"I'm sorry sir, but this is peak season for tourists and most of the cities hotels are booked up. I shouldn't even be allowing a walk-in but since you are Robin, well, exceptions can be made, but that is only what I have available." the petite blonde woman said quietly, she seemed to blush a lot.

"Great! Just great! I can't catch a break, can I?" Robin sneered.

"Just take the room kid." Red X piped up.

"Oh Red is that you offering to sleep on the floor? Goody, we'll take it then." the Titan grinned evilly, ignoring the protesting klepto.

"Uh…right…" the woman hesitantly laughed. She put the order in and took Robin's secured credit card and billed the room for an entire week at the request of the teen. He didn't know how long he was going to need the room, so he had thought ahead. He made it very clear that absolutely no one was to know that Robin, Slade, nor Red X were to be staying in the room, and that if anyone asked who the occupant were, is was a Steven Cowell, a fake alias.

"Don't normal people have to be nineteen to have a credit card?" the thief asked while they began their trek into the elevator and towards the eighth floor once they have been given their key-cards.

"I'm normal?" Robin said smugly. "Besides, you have no idea what my age is, anyways." he scoffed, pressing the number eight when they were inside the elevator.

"Pfft, with how short you are I wouldn't be surprised if you were twelve." Red grinned.

Slade could only mentally shake his head, the thief was digging his own grave, it was only a matter of time before the Titan lost his temper.

Surprisingly, Robin ignored the comment in favour of exiting the elevator and making his way down the corridor, coming to a stop in front of their room. He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. Allow himself, willingly, to be in the same room as Slade and Red X, for at least one night, if not more. He knew he was just asking for it…

"Whoa! It might only have two beds, but this place is huge!" the rather happy klepto said, running around and taking in the room. There were two single beds laying side-by-side with a nightstand set in the middle, with a panoramic window with red curtains hanging from the window off to the left side. There was a white door a little off from the window that housed the bathroom and wooden dresser next to that. Off to the right side there was a rather large wooden desk complete with computer and chair. On the nightstand there was a telephone and a small lamp.

"Quaint." Slade hummed.

Robin slowly nodded his head, before shutting the door and locking it.

There were strange, scrambled giggles coming from the bed closest to the window, and a springy sound accompanying the laughter. Robin's eyes behind the mask followed the up-and-down movement of Red X as he jumped, rather childishly, on the bed, as if he didn't have a care in the world. He wondered how someone like Red X managed to elude him time-and-time again…it just didn't seem right, almost sick.

"What are you doing?" Robin sighed. He was too tired to deal with the energetic idiot. At least Slade had taken up residence at the computer and was being quiet.

"What does it look like Kid?" the thief giggled once more, bouncing again.

"I can't believe that I am stuck in here with you. Before this night is out I know that I will be begging Slade to slit my throat." Robin moaned, sitting on the other bed and rubbing his arms. The man snorted.

"Oh, don't worry Kid, you'll be begging by the end of the night, but it won't be for that." the klepto kindly informed him.

Robin sent a nasty glare at the other teen, before removing his bo-staff, extending it and smacking the thief in the head, effectively knocking him off the bed in mid-jump.

"HEY!"

"If I wanted to deal with that bullshit, I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble, you idiot!" Robin hissed, retracting the staff and placing it away. There was, however, a small blush on his features.

"Language." Slade teased.

Both boys turned to the man who was more-or-less occupied with the computer screen. Red had just relocated to the bed again, only this time wasn't jumping on it, merely sitting. Thankfully.

"And just what are you doing?" Robin huffed, not liking to be reprimanded.

"Checking my security cameras."

"For what?" The Titan asked curiously, titling his head to the side. Red and Slade both leered at the innocence of such an action.

"I would like to see what exactly it is that was stolen from my base." the man said simply.

Robin nodded and jumped from the bed, sauntering over and behind the mercenary, studying the screen.

"Oooh, look at all the high-techy things." the thief grinned when he bounded over behind the desk to see for himself as well.

"Your grasp on the English language astounds me." Slade said dryly. Robin snorted out a laugh.

"Not all of us can be ancient." Red huffed, missing being punched in the head by a hairsbreadth. "Hey, don't be nasty Slade!"

"Remember your betters, thief."

"Yeah right like-" the klepto cut himself off when he received a death glare that could have frozen hell itself over, twice, from the mercenary. Red kindly refrained from making any more comments on the man's status. He did have use for his balls.

"So, what was stolen?" Robin asked, easing the conversation away from bloodshed. He didn't want to be trapped in the room with an explosive Slade.

"As the idiot here kindly informed me earlier, a rather high-tech chip. One of my own design."

"Really?" Robin snickered. "You actually didn't steal this one?"

"No. I did not." The man gave him a look. "I don't appreciate it being stolen either."

"See? Now you know how it feels." the Titan grinned despite himself. Slade looked amused as well.

"Hey look!" Red shouted suddenly, pointing to the screen where video footage was replaying over from a few days ago of Vince's theft. "Isn't that your belt, Kid?"

"My belt?" Robin said slowly, glancing at the screen, trying to see such a thing.

Indeed, Vince, in the process of stealing the chip from Slade had also managed to steal Robin's yellow utility belt, that had been wrapped snugly around a computer chair in the mercenaries lair. That most startling thing however, was why it was even there in the first place.

"What?" Robin said incredulously, turning confused features towards Slade.

Slade seemed to pay him no mind. Red was looking on curiously. This was a rather strange new development. He didn't know much about the time when Robin had been the man's supposed apprentice. Only that he'd been blackmailed by Slade for his friends lives to steal for him. It had only been a month, but it was one of those things that was "hush hush". The event was rather tight lipped. It reminded him of the Harry Potter movies when someone would speak about Voldemort, as "he who shall not be named."

"Is that my belt from two years ago?" Robin almost shouted.

"It is."

"But, what?"

"Are you saying that you did not keep the apprentice uniform, or many of my gadgets, or perhaps one of my masks, in your work room?" Slade asked carefully.

"No! Well, yes, but that is different and-how do you know about my work room?" the Titan glared, crossing his arms over his chest.

The two villains gave the bird a look, as if to say 'are you stupid?'. Robin growled under his breath and tried to think of something else, other than banging the two bastards heads together. He was unfairly outmatched in this equation.

"Seriously though, is that some kind of kinky fetish or what?" Red grinned out, despite the tension.

"I did not need to hear that." Robin was clearly in denial.

Red X snickered. "Aw! You don't find the thoughts of Slade here wankin' off to images of you using your utility belt on him?"

"What?" both males responded.

"God, you two are so deprived! I think you should just come out and say you want to fuck each other. Everyone, in the hero and villain community already knows you wanna, and besides, once you do that, I'll be able to join in, and then we'll all be happy." Red X continued with his twisted logic. Robin was sputtering and turning red-faced, while Slade had a mixture of emotions in his steal eye, ranging from a leer, to outrage, and then to a glare.

"Slade?" Robin said in a cheerful, fake way.

"Yes?"

"You know how I'm supposed to be a hero, and be against any type of permit injury, or murder?" the teen asked nicely.

"Yes."

"I changed my mind." the temperature in the hero's tone dropped below freezing and he sent a death glare to the klepto who seemed to understand that he'd gone too far. "Stab him." he added, like he was completely serious.

"Hey! It was just a joke. No need to get your panties in a knot." he tried to defend himself.

"Do I look like I'm in a joking mood?" the Titan glowered.

"I was trying to lighten the mood. Besides, it wasn't me who kept your belt around all these years." the thief said, not adverse to getting Slade back into the spotlight. Especially if it took the lime-light off of him. Robin was very cranky at the moment, and he kind of feared for his life.

"Yes. But your annoying me, and I have half a mind to throw you out." the hero scowled, but its effect was lost when the sentence came out with a tired sound.

"Hey! No! I'm a part of this too. No way is the ancient bastard staying in a room with you alone!" the klepto really didn't know when to stop digging his own grave. He thought of that saying now, while he was pinned to the wall, by a very scary hand, compliments of Slade himself.

"One more idiotic word out of your mouth and I'll make sure you never talk again."

"Robin! He's threatening me!" said the childish thief.

"Good." the teen said, sitting in the computer chair that Slade had just flew from.

There was a small whine and the hero had to sigh.

"Slade …let him go." Robin decided, and neither villain missed the hesitant pause.

Slade narrowed his eye, but released Red.

"Man, I didn't think this through all the way…" Robin said, ten minutes later. Red X had kept quiet while Slade had continued searching through his base, and apparently checking out some other things. "I don't even have any clothing…let alone the basic necessities."

"Like lube?" Red piped up from the opposite bed. "I didn't know you swung that way baby."

Robin felt the heat rise to his face.

"Shut up X! That is not what I meant!"

"I still say we should pop some cherries." the thief persisted. "We'd have so much fun, wouldn't we Slade?"

Slade merely grunted, but there was an amused twinkle in his eye.

"What?" Robin screeched. "Pop some what? Are you nuts? Besides, who says I'm a virgin!"

"Are you?" came the serious question from Red. Slade seemed to perk up at the statement as well.

God, they are looking at me like I'm a piece of meat…Like, I'm the little lamb and they're the lions. Robin tried to forget how real that sentence felt at the moment. The leers on both villains faces were just evil.

"I…well…I mean…" the hero felt the burn on his face. There was a squeal from the bed next to the Titans.

"You are a virgin!" grinned the klepto.

"I can't believe we are having this conversation." Robin whined, resting his head in his hands.

"Come now Robin, we are both merely curious." said the bastard at the computer.

Robin felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Its none of your business." he glared.

"Aw! That's no fun!" X snickered. "Hey! How about a deal then?"

"A deal?" the Titan said, sounding curious. Slade chuckled.

"Yeah. A deal. Since I am the greatest thief in the history of thieves…" he began, receiving a snort from the mercenary as he clearly didn't think the same. "I'll sneak in the tower, get some of your things, bring them here, and you'll tell us if you're a virgin or not, sound good?"

"You are not getting anywhere near my room!" was the immediate response from the Titan.

"I've already seen everything already, when I stole the suit. Besides, I'm sure nothing has changed that much in three years." Red said, although a lot could change in three years, he was a little crazy.

"I…" he stopped himself. It was a reasonable solution, well at least the only option that he had at the moment. If he left the room, there was a chance that Vince would see him. Besides, he really didn't want to sleep in his uniform. He was already in an uncomfortable situation, why make it worse? "Fine."

"Fine?" the thief said like he didn't believe him.

"Yes. But, if I find that you touched anything other than what I tell you, I'll personally make sure that you have no balls." Robin glared.

"Fine! Fine!" Red agreed. "I'll make sure that I pick up those cute bunny undies too." he added, just for the hell of it. The flush that spread on to the hero's face was worth the punch.

A/N: Gah! Another short chapter! I'm sorry. I promise that the next one will be longer. I've actually revamped this story, because I thought of a few things that I wanted to add, scenes that I wanted to happen. So, I have to re-write some things…well, a lot of things. Therefore, the story is going to be longer than I anticipated. Just so you know. I don't think anyone is going to have an issue with that, however.

PLEASE READ: I took a break for a few weeks, because I lost the will to write. I avoided fan fiction, unless there was an update from someone. No, I have not lost the will to write permanently, or don't want to write Sladin anymore, because that is a sack of crap. However, I did notice my lack of updating, not that I wasn't writing (this was before I took the small break). I have come to a conclusion on why I wasn't updating as much as I used to. I think I have lost inspiration to write Almeria Man. Unless I absolutely LOVE a story…I won't update that much. That isn't saying that I have given up on the story…NO! I am not someone who leaves hundreds of stories incomplete. I know how that feels to find a story that you love, and its never finished.

I WILL finish it. I just want to take a small break from it. Maybe a month? Just to see how I feel after that. I'll be writing this story, as I am having so much fun with it. Plus, I have a few drabbles that I'm almost finished that I want to post. So, I'm sorry to those of you who liked that story and have been waiting for updates. I just don't have an inspiration to continued it RIGHT NOW. But, it will be finished. I'm a firm believer of absolute love for a project. If you don't love it to pieces, it makes for a bad fic. I would hate to continue Almeria Man while I feel like this, because it would hurt the story.

Much love

Cookies for corrections!

/Jayto