Title: A Darker Shade of Love
Author: Jordan Herbert

Rating: M throughout the entire fic.
Genre: Angst/Slash/Drama
Pairing: Past Sladin with RobinRed X
Chapter Summary: Robin is finally starting to move on.

Author's Note: And with this chapter, we move away from the Teen Titans show and all of it's wonderful seasons to the real story. For all Sladin fans, don't worry, there will be more Sladin, of course. But the main focus will be on Robin and Red X for the next few chapters

Moving Forward

It was the end of the world. Literally and for everyone, not just for Robin because Slade was back, for real this time. Everyone could see him now; the dastardly man was truly back. And he had a message which, for once, wasn't for Robin.

In fact, Slade seemed fine with avoiding Robin. He didn't taunt him, didn't try to talk to him outside of battles, Slade barely did more than cast snide remarks and look at Robin when he had no other choice to. Slade even avoided real fights with him. Instead he used his newly gifted powers of flame from Trigon.

Robin was fine with that. Really. It seemed like his rapist was over him finally. Good, that was great. He was sick of being in the spotlight every time Slade came to town. Besides, Robin was over Slade too, thanks to Raven.

In fact, once everything was figured out, Robin wanted to laugh in Slade's face. He seemed to have a master now and that irony made Robin grin.

If that master hadn't currently knocked him and the rest of his teammates, aside from Raven, away and into an old building, he probably would have laughed when Slade arrived seeking a truce for once. Instead, Robin agreed to travel with Slade to the fiery underworld to find Raven.

Robin took his time hugging Starfire goodbye and was glad that Slade was annoyed at the public display of affection. He wanted the bastard to be jealous, even though he had no interest in Starfire other than friendship. Slade didn't know that.

"Before we continue, a warning," Slade offered sullenly. "If we succeed, I can't guarantee you'll like what you find."

"I'll take my chances," Robin decided and the two pushed open the large doors and started their trip. The long corridor glowed with an orange light and the ravens, that seemed to be carved from the walls, watched them with orange eyes. They stepped onto a ledge overlooking vast ravine with lava flowing through it. A small rowboat seemed to be waiting for them.

Robin glanced at Slade as they climbed down the ledge. It seemed almost romantic, if the lava was water instead. Still, Slade probably would have thought it was romantic and for a split moment Robin thought that Slade was perhaps somehow behind this setup. Then he remembered that they were going to hell and that didn't really seem like a romantic setup no matter how you looked at it.

"You work the rudder," Slade ordered briefly as he untied the boat and jumped it. Robin frowned but sat in the back and worked the steering device. Slade used the pole and pushed off from the edge.

They rode in silence for a moment until Robin finally decided to speak up. "So why did you do it; for money, status, those dark powers?" He asked, generally curious as to what Slade would betray the entire world for.

"Not everything is so cut and dry, Robin." Slade growled and glanced over his shoulder briefly.

"Selling out our world for your own personal gain seems pretty cut and dry to me." Robin argued. For a moment, the thought that maybe Slade was doing it for him passed through his mind but he hurriedly pushed it aside. Slade wasn't stupid enough to sell out the entire world to try and get Robin back.

"With or without me, there was no stopping this." Slade stated matter of factly and continued to paddle.

"But you played a part and just like everything else you've ever done, it's made people suffer." Robin accused bitterly, reminding Slade of all his past mistakes.

"It's what I do best." Slade retorted. Robin felt like the man wanted to say more but instead he remained quiet for a few moments.

Then they were forced to battle against giant magma monsters. Robin hated to admit it, but what Slade had said during the battle was true. Old habits did seem to die hard. He had matched Slade move for move, he was entirely synced with the man for every kick and punch. He had even offered his arms to Slade to grab and sling him around; he had permitted Slade's touch.

After the battle was up, something happened that Robin thought would never happen, not even if the world ended. Slade's mask had fallen off.

And his face was that of a skeleton. It took all of Robin's self control not to scream and recoil away from Slade right there and then. His nightmare hit him and his breath caught in his throat. But one question really made him shudder; was it all just a bad dream, or had some of it been real? Had Slade with his skeleton face really appear in Robin's room that night?

The truth came out then. At least, some of the truth did. Slade had really died and Raven's father had offered him a trade; deliver a message and Raven herself to Trigon in exchange for his flesh and blood back. Trigon apparently was a fan of loop holes though and when Raven came willingly it meant that Slade hadn't done his job which meant he didn't earn his part of the bargain.

What really stung Robin was that he wasn't just helping Raven, he was helping Slade as well. He was going to hell and back with someone who had put him through hell and it was helping him. Robin's emotions were eating him up from the inside. He wanted to scream bloody murder, he wanted to refuse to help Slade, and he wanted to break all of the man's bones since that was all he consisted of.

But he couldn't do anything. Raven was depending on him. His teammates were depending on him. The world was depending on him to work with Slade.

They had remained silent for most of the trip until they parted. Robin wondered if he would ever see Slade after everything was done. He had tried to tell the man that he never wanted to see him again and Slade had said he wouldn't expect anything less. That didn't mean that he would stay away from Robin and Robin was well aware of that. But he had more important things to tend to.

Robin had seen Slade later, to finish Trigon off. Some would say Slade was trying to redeem himself. Robin knew differently. Slade really did just want to make Trigon suffer for going back on his part of their deal. There was nothing more to it. Slade had disappeared instantly after the demon lord was defeated.

Robin ignored the part of him that wondered if Slade was only distant from him during his return due to the fact that he was nothing but bones. Now that Slade was human, or close to it, once again, would he return to bothering him? 'Two old friends;' is that what Slade really thought? Or was Slade still in delusion that they were a couple or did he understand that Robin hadn't mourned him?

Only time could honestly tell.

Luckily for Robin, he didn't see Slade again for some time. He had other villains to deal with. Like all of the villains currently cheering for the fact that he was about to be frozen. Things were looking pretty well for the Brotherhood of Evil.

All the villains cheered loudly, all but two. One was an old man who joined the Brotherhood because of his friend's orders to keep a close watch over the exact boy who was about to be frozen. But Robin wasn't aware of that. He didn't even know the old man.

The old man, though, certainly knew him. And Wintergreen also knew that Slade wasn't going to be happy when he contacted him with the news that his interest was about to be a Popsicle.

The other villain that just stood and watched was carefully trying to calculate how he could get out of the secret base with a frozen Boy Wonder, and how long it would take to defrost the kid. Red X couldn't possibly use the machine; he had no idea how to. And it wasn't like Professor Chang was going to help Red X by doing it for him. The Professor made it perfectly clear how much he hated Red X, and that simply ate Red X up on the inside. Really.

It was odd too. Robin wasn't aware of the old man at all. But he had noticed Red X. Ever since their few incidents together; fighting against Chang and Ding Dong Daddy, Robin had always been interested in the thief. Honestly, Red X wasn't a bad villain. For one thing, he was very good at stealing so he wasn't bad in the sense of horrible at doing his job. But he also wasn't a very mean, evil-doing villain since he was constantly fighting alongside Robin and beating other villains. That was why most of the Brotherhood was wary of him.

Robin had looked right at Red X before he was frozen. He saw that Red X had his arms crossed and, even though he couldn't see through the mask, looked pretty ticked off. The other villains were jumping up and down, clapping, and screaming. Then Robin's world froze.

Robin and Red X had been living their normal lives ever since they had gotten back from the Brotherhood of Evil. Slade hadn't made any attempt to contact Robin and Red X had gone back to stealing the moment he was aware that the large group of fighting teenagers was back down to five members. Nothing had changed between them or for their lives.

Except during the final battle, Red X had turned sides at the last minute and Robin had watched as the thief had taken down one of their own. Robin got an alert that Red X had broken into a jewelry store and went alone to catch the thief. He stood behind Red X, in the shadows, and quietly watched the thief work for a moment before he decided to speak up. "So, why'd you help us?" Red X jumped and quickly turned around, a weapon aimed and up in the air.

Red X physically relaxed when he saw that it was Robin and only Robin. The weapon melted back into his glove. "Come on, kid, I know you're Batman's child and all, but pull that stunt on me again and you'll have to take me to the emergency room." Red X patted his chest as he held tightly onto his bag of stolen jewels. "Talk about a sneaky heart attack."

"You took down one of the Brotherhood members, why?" Robin asked again, more specifically, as he ignored the sarcastic boy's first statement. "Were you trying to redeem yourself again?" Robin knew that Red X had a conscious, unlike certain villains that Robin didn't want to think about.

"Did you ever consider that he just owed me money?" Red X asked and Robin looked at him pointedly. The thief sighed and placed his hands on his hips, the bag of jewels jingling against him. "Look, I didn't even want into that stupid club in the first place, truthfully. They threatened most of the people into either joining or being destroyed and I really didn't like option two. Besides, all I did for them was steal a bit here and there, and I never mind that." Even with the mask on, Robin could tell that Red X was smirking.

"You'd rather be on the winning side even if you know that they're wrong and immoral?" Robin asked as he finally stopped leaning on the glass display case and stood up straight.

Red X shook his head. "I knew you and your team would be able to stop them so I wasn't too worried. Though I was surprised to see all your new recruits, I didn't even know that you were taking on anymore goodie-two-shoes."

"Interested in joining?" Robin asked in all seriousness. "You've done some bad things, Red X, but you could easily make up for them."

"I've done what I have to in order to survive and I'm not interested in being on any team if I have to play by society's rules." Red X paused for a moment. "Though you could give me a couple of those new Titan's phone numbers, I'd appreciate that, kid." Red X growled seductively and Robin couldn't help himself as he smiled and softly chuckled.

"I don't think you're their type, Red X." Robin pulled out his staff and released it to its full length. Just because they were talking like they were friends didn't mean that Red X could expect Robin to just let him walk out of there with those jewels.

Red X seemed to think differently though as he ignored the boy's weapon and kept right on talking. "Alright, then how about you just give me your number, Boy Wonder? I know a nice place downtown that I'm sure you'd appreciate." Red X slid back into a defensive position and Robin smirked. The Joker often used that technique on Batman; he knew how to deal with a foe suddenly hitting on him.

"Sorry, X, it would never work out between us. We're just too different. Though I'd love to hear about this place you're thinking of." Batman had told Robin of two different ways to deal with a villain when they started to try to use the tactic of distracting you with different pet names and acting like they wanted to date you; either just play along or answer with fists. Batman always chose to ignore them, which was an option Robin didn't get, but he figured Red X would appreciate the acting role more than the fists anyway.

"I was thinking of my apartment; I'd make it so you'd love it there and feel right at home. Besides, I've thought this all out before and we could make it work if you're willing to give it a shot." Robin wasn't expecting that, though it was a very good line.

"You've really thought this all out?" Robin blinked in confusion for a moment but shook his head. He slid into an attacking stance and figured that Red X just had to be a really good actor.

"Of course, I'm a thief, kid, and to pull off a job you have to think everything through beforehand. Stealing your heart has got to be the biggest job of the century and worth every working minute." Red X tied the bag of jewels onto his new belt and Robin blushed as he realized that Red X couldn't be that good of an actor or else he'd be on stages instead of in stores after hours.

"I…I don't know what to say, Red X, I really never had this happen to me before." Robin stood up from his positioned and Red X loosened as well. Robin rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "Listen, are you kidding around with me or what? Because if you are just kidding with me then you really should try out for the city's plays; you'd be a really convincing actor."

"No thanks, kid, I have no pleasure in memorizing lines. Besides, I'm not kidding." Red X folded his arms over his chest. "Haven't you ever thought about why I took your costume, kid? It's because I knew it was the only way to get closer to you." Robin's blush increased as his heart pounded quickly in his chest. He thanked the moon for not lighting the dark sky that night to reveal his startled face. "Well," Red X continued, "That and because it makes stealing things so much easier."

"I'd say I'm not gay to end this, but my first boyfriend would beg to differ." Robin stated as he awkwardly rubbed his arm. He didn't know why he just mentioned his first boyfriend. No one knew about that except for Raven and, well, Slade.

"Just give me a shot then. Let me explain how we can work this all out so I can continue to steal and you can continue to try and stop me." Red X offered and Robin shook his head.

"I don't know about this, Red X, the last guy I dated…" Robin drifted off and when it became clear to Red X that he wasn't going to pick up where he stopped, he filled the silence.

"Date me for a month, just one month, and if I'm not your type then you can dump my ass right back out on the streets." Red X strode forward and Robin tensed as he gripped his bo-staff tightly, expecting any type of attack. Red X held his hands up in front of himself to show the Boy Wonder that he meant no harm. "I'd make the month worth it." Red X whispered promisingly as he leaned close to Robin's ear.

Robin shivered as the hot breath hit his cold skin. "Let me hear your offer first, and then we'll go from there."

"It's simple really," Red X backed a step away to give Robin some space and not make him feel uncomfortable. A crowded bird sometimes felt the need to flee and he finally had the little birdie that he'd been chasing after exactly where he wanted it.

"We'll keep it a secret, as I'm sure you're not totally out of the closet to your team," Robin nodded, for Red X was correct. None of the Titans, aside from Raven, knew that he had ever had a boyfriend or that he was even into guys. Starfire was still trying to get him to be her boyfriend and he didn't know why he flirted back but he felt bad since he was truly just not interested in her. "And when I steal something you have ten blocks to catch me. If you do catch me, then I return the items, but if not, then I get to keep the items.

"After our little chase down, then we can just hang out afterwards. You can come back to my apartment, we can go to the docks, or we could even spar if that's your idea of a date." Red X suggested and Robin smiled.

"That actually doesn't sound too bad." Robin bit his lower lip as he began to think deeply. Red X smiled behind his mask and decided to kick the deal up.

"And if after a month of dating me, if you decide to keep dating me, then we can move into kissing and other things." Robin blushed again and at that close of a distance Red X actually saw it. "I only kiss when I'm in an official couple; those are my morals."

"Those are good morals and my morals are to not force people into anything that they don't want to do. I promise that I won't pressure you into anything." Robin swore and Red X chuckled.

"It's only for the first month, then, if you decide that you want to make it official, I'll be all over you, kid. But don't worry; I can wait for all that big stuff and I won't rush you into it either, unless you want me to." Robin blushed some more and Red X decided that Robin was cute when he blushed. "You're even cuter when you blush. And once we get really comfortable with each other, then we'll change the rules a bit."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked as he shrunk his bo-staff again. He was going to be chasing Red X from now on, it seemed, and chasing meant speed and hand-to-hand fights. Besides, the bo-staff wasn't really helpful for leaping from building to building or fighting in a fragile jewelry store anyways.

"I mean that after some time, we can change it so when you catch me I return the goods and you can get top that night. Then on the nights that I win, I get to keep whatever and I get to top you." Red X held out his hand as Robin grew bright red. "So, do we have a deal with all of this?"

"I don't feel right about this." Robin admitted and Red X frowned behind his mask. "I mean, it's not right for me to let you keep those stolen items."

Red X chuckled, "You would be concerned about that little detail. Think of it this way, I would be able to escape from you because I always do anyway, but now we have a restriction to how far before we stop our little cat and mouse game so you have more of a chance to catch me. Besides, I would be taking the items, not you. So don't worry about that, just tell me if you're in or out."

Robin bit his lower lip one more time and then nodded his head as he shook Red's offered hand. "It's a deal; one month." He released Red's hand and smirked. "Now start running because I want to go to the beach before I have to get back to the tower."

"I think I'm in love." And then Red X jumped up through the same air vent he had sneaked into and the chase was on.

A.N. And so begins a new era for our little bird with his theif.