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NOTICE: I am humbled by the awesome reviews you guys have left and I would like to reward you! But... I'm not quite sure how... I was thinking about sending my reviewers the first page or so of the next chapter BEFORE I publish it. What do you guys think? Is that something you would enjoy? Or would it be annoying to only have a peak?(I would send the whole thing, but FanFiction does not allow PMs over 8000 characters and formatting multiple messages to multiple people is more than my attention-span can muster).
It would have to be in a PM through FanFiction and I wouldn't be able to send it to you if you don't have an account (Sorry!).
Please tell me what you think! And thank you!!!
- A week and a half later…
Robin stood in front of the widescreen and cleared his throat while the Titans stared with curiosity at their leader. He was more disheveled than usual, something Raven found suspicious considering that he had told the team he'd been resting for the past week and a half.
"I wanted to apologize for working you all too hard. It was my fault we were too exhausted to stop Slade."
"'Bout time he said sorry," Cyborg muttered but no one seemed to notice.
"But I want to make it up to you. It's Saturday night and I think we've earned a break." He studied them from behind his mask but no one dared to interrupt him- not with how he'd been acting lately. "The Lunar Carnival is in town and I have tickets."
Starfire's squeal was enough to rouse them out of their grumpy stupor.
"Dude, really?!"
"Awesome!"
"I wish to consume the sticks of colored non-cotton!"
Raven was the only member who did not seem thrilled at the prospect. "Lunar Carnival?" She seemed to be thinking something over in her mind. "If they're celebrating the moon, why have the carnival on a night without one?"
"Aww, don't be such a spoil-sport!" Cyborg flashed the empath a wide grin and slung his arm around her shoulder, "Let's just go and pig out on carnival food!"
"Thrilling."
"That reminds me! I want to ride the 'Thrillmachinatrono'doom!'" Beast Boy's eyes seemed to glitter at the very idea of a night free of duty. Robin almost felt bad for tricking them… Almost. But morale had been low following his month of intensive training. What was the harm in letting them think they were going to have fun? If anything, it would just make them fight harder when Slade showed up to ruin their night.
Or at least that's what Robin kept telling himself.
*
The Titans wandered through the carnival blissfully- all except for Robin, who seemed to have disappeared completely. Beast Boy had whined until someone (Starfire) agreed to ride the Thrillmachinatrono'doom- and then he promptly threw up his tofu-dog afterwards. Cyborg was pointing and laughing while Raven looked away in annoyance (though she was actually hiding a small smile) as Best Boy was busy leaning over the trash barrel.
"Perhaps mustard will help you?" Starfire offered him a small packet but Beast Boy shook his head wearily.
"No way, I-"
"Titans," Robin's voice echoed through their communicators, "I just scored tickets to the main attraction. Meet me at the expo tent in five minutes."
*
"Oh, Raven!" Starfire grabbed the girls arm and dragged her into the gigantic circus tent. "Are you not excited to see the magic?!"
"Oh yes, because it's so rare that I get to see magic," Raven replied with her usual stoic voice but the sarcasm eluded the Tamaranian.
"Come on, Rae, lighten up!" Beast Boy gave her a nudge. "This is the best carnival ever! Tons of awesome rides, bad-for-you foods, and no animals being forced to perform! This place rocks!"
"I'm glad you like it," Robin smiled and brushed his hair out of his face. He looked at a nearby clock and his chest tightened. Ten minutes and counting. "Come on, I managed to get front row seats."
"Oh, joyous!"
"Man, this show is gonna' rock!" Cyborg put the changeling in a head lock and ruffled his hair.
They made their way to the front row and quickly took their seats. Robin kept constant watch over the stage and the audience. He knew Slade was there, somewhere… probably watching him.
There was a sudden flash of light and a cloud of purple smoke that erupted from the stage and spread quickly through the tent in a thin haze.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen! To this evening's act!" Another cloud of smoke burst from the center of the stage and a man dressed in deep purple bowed to the audience as they cheered. "My name, if you don't know, is Haze and I will be your entertainer."
Robin's eyes darted more heavily. Haze, as he already knew, was an alias for a man by the name of Jarrod Jupiter- he was also Slade's latest target. He had spent the entire night watching the man from afar, guarding him incase Slade tried to act before the show began.
"For my first act, I shall need a lovely assistant!" Raven slapped Beast Boy when he grabbed her arm to hold it in the air. This caught the man's attention and he wandered over to the group. "Perhaps this lovely lady would assist?"
He held out his hand to Raven and, with a glare at the changeling, she accepted it.
"Perfect, perfect!" The man's smile nearly became cruel, "I know for certain that tonight will be an exciting night! I first ask that you kindly seat yourself here." He pointed to an empty portion of the stage and very suddenly a tall stool appeared. The audience gasped and cheered as Raven took her seat with a scowl that she couldn't keep hidden. "Now, young lady, please close your eyes and relax. Yes, that's right. Good, take a deep breath and allow yourself to relax completely."
Robin watched the man with curiosity. Why did Slade plan to kidnap him? What use was he to the villain?
"Excellent, Raven." The man smiled and Raven's eyes shot open.
"How do you know my name?"
She didn't receive an answer, only a cruel smile as the stage suddenly erupted into bright flames.
The audience screamed and clapped and Raven brought her hand out to touch one of the flames. The light danced around her fingers but she felt nothing. There was no heat from the flames.
"It's an illusion," she whispered and Haze nodded back with a grin.
"Just wait, we'll give them a show like never before." He waved his hands at a flame and suddenly it began to take form, growing arms, dark eyes, and a long torso that tapered into nothing. The thing began to move, dancing in a circle around the girl.
Robin and the rest of the titans tensed. They had seen fire sprites before… But only once… when they fought Trigon.
Raven kept very still as two more sprites appeared and began to dance. Meanwhile, Haze turned to the audience and bowed as more cheering took place. He looked happy. And when Haze looked happy, it was not a good thing. The cheering was interrupted by a loud and a terrifying roar. Raven grasped the stool she sat upon and a look of pure terror swept over her features.
"Say hello to daddy," Haze chuckled darkly as the stage seemed to rip in two and a gigantic red hand clawed up.
"NO!" Raven screamed, closing her eyes and cramming her hands over her ears, "It's not real! Not real!"
Very suddenly, the audience began to scream. Haze assumed it was his show until a gust of cool, fresh air rushed by his cheeks. His dark eyes scanned the heights of the tent only to find long, large gaps in the thick canvas. The purple smoke was quickly escaping out into the night and with it went the illusion- but the excitement was far from over. The large metal supports creaked ominously and very soon after they began to snap.
"TITANS, GO!" Robin yelled as he himself jumped to the stage where a frightened Raven sat upon the stool, eyes and ears closed to the world as she desperately whispered her mantra.
He shook her once; hard enough to force her eyes open and show her that the illusion had disappeared. She nodded at the realization, though her eyes clouded with fear, and moved quickly to assist the other Titans in holding up the tent and evacuating civilians.
Robin turned to Haze and grabbed the man's arm, "Come with me, Jarrod."
"I don't think so," Slade landed on the wooden stage, creating a loud crack and nice little hole that he stepped away from before his legs sunk. "Mr. Jupiter will certainly be coming with me."
"I'm afraid that, under the circumstances, I prefer to be alone." He laughed and a large plume of smoke burst up from his feet. Robin had seen the trick enough times to know the man was gone.
He looked over toward his team and smiled when he saw they had everything under control; he then turned his head back just in time to see Slade's foot disappearing under the canvas of the tent. Robin chuckled and followed suit, the man was obviously going after Jupiter and there was no way in hell Robin would let him win so easily.
He crawled out from under the tent and quickly looked up to find Slade climbing the thick fabric. Two could play at that game- and with his lighter body, Robin might be able to win this one. He scurried up the canvas and laughed as he passed the bulky man, reaching the top and coming face to face with Jarrod Jupiter.
"I'm trying to save you!" he insisted, grabbing the man's wrist and dragging him over the scaffolding that was still quite unsteady, despite the support from the Titan's below. When they ran to the other side, Slade was just breeching the top. Robin looked down and decided it was worth the risk. He jumped down, letting his body slide over the canvas while he continued to hold on to the man's wrist.
The landing was less than graceful, especially for Robin, but he quickly scrambled to his feet and continued dragging the man through the maze of people. The hero had never been so glad to have run into a group of running, panicking idiots. They provided the perfect getaway.
"This way!" Robin jerked the man behind a haunted house and used the back entrance. He closed the door and paused, not daring to breathe in the darkness. After what could have been a minute or an hour, he finally let out a long breath and let go of the wrist. "I'm sorry Mr. Jupiter. But that man is after you."
"I see," he was calm, calmer than a hunted man should be.
Robin's stomach tensed, "Can you tell me why he was after you?"
"Probably because of this…"
Robin blinked… Impossible…. Impossible.
"Hello, son." His father said and his mother flashed him a warm smile.
Robin looked around. It was daylight, outside… that wasn't right… wasn't he just?
"Don't be so sad, Richard." His mother smiled and held out her hand. "My little robin."
"M..mom… Dad…" Robin could feel his eyes stinging. It couldn't be a dream… it was too real. That was his mother's smile, his father's gaze. He stepped closer and flinched. Something was wrong. He could feel it… something was hurting… he wanted to ignore it, though. There were more important things to focus on.
"It's your fault, you know." His father's voice was suddenly very cold and Robin froze. "You could have stopped them. It's your fault we're dead."
His body began to shiver and the pain became worse. It was then he realized the tightness in his chest. He couldn't breathe.
"Haze…" he choked, "stop it."
The illusion ended when Robin felt a fast slice across his chest. He could feel his own warm blood leaking down the stinging gash and suddenly he was in darkness yet again.
"No hard feelings, boy." He said with a smugly before his footsteps pattered off into the darkness.
Robin coughed and made his way for the exit, one had grasping the bleeding cut on his chest while the other hand blindly felt the wall, searching for the door. The illusions had stopped, but the smoke was even thicker now than before. There was hardly any air left. Worse yet, in the confusion of it all, he'd lost his way around. He tried to hold his breath as he searched more frantically, but the door seemed to have disappeared completely. His body began to fail him. He dragged in ragged, painful breaths as he sank to his knees and his eyes lost focus.
*
Robin moaned gently when he felt something warm sliding over his cut. His eyes flickered open but he was still in total darkness.
"Lie still," Slade warned. In the brief moment he'd spoken, the warmth had left the wound. Robin understood.
"He poisoned me?"
A grunt was his only reply. The teen shifted uncomfortably, the aching in his body felt terrible but it was nothing compared to what was coming next. He let out a scream and twisted when he felt the hot tongue slide into his cut. Slade grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down before straddling his legs to keep him from kicking.
"Lie still, boy," he hissed. "The more you move, the faster the poison spreads. Be grateful, I'm taking the time to clean it for you."
Robin made a muffled hiss through his teeth as Slade moved back over the wound, sucking lightly before spitting out the hero's blood. Robin tried to stay still. He didn't like it, though.
"I'm surprised you didn't go after him," Robin said as Slade took another mouthful of blood and spit it to the side.
"I did," Slade huffed. "He got away."
"Hmm. Too bad." Robin didn't try to hide his satisfaction at those words. "I bet you regret telling me who you were going after."
"Not particularly." Slade breathed after spitting. He leaned back down but paused before sucking the poisoned wound again. "Do you regret your decision to get the information?"
Robin thought about it, "Not particularly."
Slade let out a small chuckle and Robin tried to ignore the warm breath as it rushed against his blood covered skin. He suddenly became very thankful they were surrounded in darkness because his cheeks had turned very red. And his face was not the only thing that was feeling heated. He held his breath as Slade kept sucking and licking, letting his tongue sooth over the cut but occasionally press harder for no other reason than to feel the smaller body flinch.
"Are you cleaning or just playing?" Robin asked, slightly annoyed at having to hold back his erection. He was even more annoyed that he was getting one in the first place. He was poisoned, wounded, trapped with a psychopath… those things should not be a turn on.
"Why do you ask?" Slade grinned, "Are you getting hard?"
"No…" Robin lied and grit his teeth as Slade moved his hand down to check. The teen glared through the darkness as he felt himself being fondled. He fought the urge to swear when his body responded to the touch. Robin waited for the villain to say something but the man remained unmercifully silent. "Shut up." he spat, knowing full well it that Slade was waiting for just such an outburst.
"I'm just enjoying the moment," Slade replied airily.
"Yeah, well, don't get too flattered. I'm a teenager. These things just happen."
"And you're sure I have nothing to do with it?" His hand rubbed gently and Robin's breath hitched in his throat. "And still no cup? Honestly. I left mine for you."
"I didn't have time to check it for sabotage." Robin grunted but admitted to himself that, aside from the lack of time to check for tracking or listening devices, the cup was also a rather poor fit. After all, it was designed for Slade's body.
Slade hummed out a small laugh and Robin stiffened when he the larger body shifted down and the hand on his crotch was suddenly replaced with a warmer, wetter sensation.
"Tell me, Robin." Slade said after a few well-placed licks. "There was poison that spread through your body before I saved you… How does it feel?"
The hero felt thumbs slide under his shirt and roll languidly over the distinct hip bones. He fought a shiver at the contact. Every touch and movement tingled, like sharp needles just playing over the surface.
"Does it hurt?" there was too much amusement in his voice for him to be concerned.
"A little," Robin replied.
"I see," Slade could feel a small wet bead of precum working its way through Robin's pants. He smirked and, though the answer was obvious, he asked, "But, do you like it?"
"I," Robin started but gasped as Slade pulled the tight green trousers down. "…. A little…" His eyes widened under the mask and he let out a small whimper as he felt a slow, wet heat rolling over the tip of his penis. He began to breathe a bit harder, ignoring the stinging from his chest as it rose and fell with his trembling panting.
He expected Slade to take everything into his mouth right away- it did seem his style; however, with one last swirl of his tongue over the tip, he moved down. He let his hot breath brush down the underside of Robin's member before he reached the base and he slowly put his mouth over Robin's testicles, earning a twitch and a moan.
The hero clenched his hands into tight fists and held back his moan- until, that is, Slade nibbled very lightly on one of the sacs and all hell broke loose in the boy's self control. This was new, maybe a first. Robin never would have expected the man to be anything but ruthless in all aspects of life. The fact that he was capable of lightly touching (let alone biting) anything completely took him off guard.
Slade knew the boy was dumbfounded but didn't seem to mind. A confused Robin was occasionally a compliant one. He smiled and let his tongue reach up and stroke the very base of Robin's length, wriggling at the small bend in the skin and smirking when the teen gasped.
The gasp melted into a whimper when the hero tried to spread his legs wider but was stopped by his green pants that still covered most of his legs. Slade chuckled and started to pull them off but stopped when Robin's communicator sounded.
"Hey Robin, everyone's safe and the tent is stabilized." The boy had never been so disappointed to hear good news. Cyborg's voice continued via the walkie-talkie still attached to Robin's belt. "How are things on your end?"
The hero grumbled when Slade pulled back with a chuckle. Robin could hear him adjusting his mask in the darkness, preparing to leave.
"Everything's fine…" Robin flipped open his communicator and blinked back at the harsh light.
"Did you get Slade?" Beast Boy peaked over the robot shoulder and smiled.
"N… no… he got away."
"Don't let it get you down; the guy is great at pulling creepy disappearing tricks." A small huff sounded off in the darkness around Robin.
"But the carnival is closing down early. Too much excitement for 'em." Cyborg smiled but he looked disappointed, the leader of the Titans could not help but feel a bit guilty.
"Okay, good job, team. I'll meet you by the T car soon." Robin closed the communicator but used the light from the external screen to look around.
"You didn't tell them I was planning to kidnap Haze?" Slade asked, sounding mildly interested. Robin directed his light to the tall man and raised an eyebrow.
"Seems like Haze did more than get away," Robin smirked and made a gesture to the cracked faceplate of the orange and black mask. Only a small portion had managed to crumble away, revealing nothing that Robin hadn't already seen and committed to memory.
"How else could he escape but break my mask and use the smoke against me? It was a lucky shot, but it managed to damage the filter."
"I see…" the hero took a moment to adjust himself. He'd nearly forgotten that part of him was very naked. He began to pull up his pants but stopped and hesitated. He was still very hard.
Slade noticed the half-expectant glance from Robin before the light from the communicator turned itself off and they were left in darkness once again. He listened as Robin let out a sigh, giving a low chuckle in response.
"Were you expecting me to finish?" Slade asked, walking closer to the boy.
"Hardly." Robin scowled and pulled his pants up to their proper position. He didn't expect it… but he'd rather hoped for it. He tugged at a loose bit of fabric around his chest and realized that his shirt had been torn in two. "Do you have a personal grudge against my wardrobe?"
"I do happen to think you look better in black," Slade's voice could be heard towering above Robin, making the boy uneasy as he gathered what he could of his clothing and stood to his feet.
"And orange, I'm sure," Robin scowled.
"I'm not opposed to the idea," Slade drawled. "Is that an offer?"
"No."
"Pity."
"What about you?" Robin asked as he pressed a button on the communicator and it once again lit up but no call was put through. "Care to tell me what you plan on taking next?"
"I thought that much would be obvious," Slade moved forward with a predatory grin and Robin suddenly found himself pressed against the door that he was just about to open. Two strong hands flossed around his shoulders while a knee very skillfully lifted itself and rubbed between Robin's legs.
The hero moaned slightly and moved against the pressure, letting himself grind against the villain's knee. He didn't care if it was slutty, he was still hard and it felt good. His mouth opened slightly to breath but Slade spotted the vulnerability and crashed his lips against Robin's. The jagged bit of mask scrapped against the hero's chin and cheeks but he didn't care. Slade's tongue was hot, skillful, and his kiss carried the hint of blood.
"More," Robin whimpered when Slade pulled away.
"Later." Slade promised; though from him, a promise only managed to sound like a threat. He thrust something into the boy's hands before brushing the boy aside and walking out.
Robin's chuckled softly and looked at the simple piece of paper in his hands.
"0300 35 25.546 -127 34.42"
He laughed and tucked the paper into his belt, briefly wondering if Slade was trying to subtly keep him thinking as a form of training or if he was simply having fun teasing him. Either way, he knew what he would be doing at 3 A.M. on the roof of Jump's biggest bank.
AN: For those who are curious, the numbers above are time and directions. 0300 is military time for 3AM and 25.546 -127 34.42 are handy little directions that will actually put you in the ocean, so don't really go there. Next chapter includes a FULL LEMON
For those who care, Jarrod Jupiter is not an OC. He is one of the Titan's enemies but did not (to my knowledge) appear in the series. He was a mind reader and used a purple haze to create illusions. Said illusions often featured authoritative figures from an individual's past- oppressive father figures were the most common. If you want to know more, Google him.