A/N: just a reminder from yesterday: this chapter mentions something that happened in Delightful Drabble 165: Party of Three, in case you haven't read it and want to check it out. Oh, and it starts a bit after midnight and continues in the morning, so don't confuse that with two days… I kinda did that when editing and went "OH SHIT!" until I realized that… For a second I thought I had messed up all the dates from now on... Gave myself a heart attack there…;)

Monday, 10th of December 2012

Robin woke up a little bit after midnight. Just hanging around in a hotel room all day hadn't exactly made him tired, and now he was restless. He decided to take some fresh air and went out on the suite's large patio which overlooked downtown L.A. He admired the view for a while and then looked around. The patio had several big urns with grown orange and lemon trees, and a little off to the side there was something covered with a tarp. Robin, curious by nature as well as upbringing, checked it out. A hot tub, filled and ready to be used. Well, it was December and even in a Subtropical climate that meant that the nights, at least, were on the chilly side, especially with the wind now sweeping in from the sea. Robin chuckled as he discovered how he tried to rectify taking a dip. Truth was that taking a hot-tub bath in peace without having someone trying to do a canon ball into it really appealed to him. They would be going back tomorrow, after all, so this was his only chance. Grinning, the turned the jets on and turned the temperature up a little, although the water was already steaming a little.

Robin snuck inside to take off his clothes and get into one of the bathrobes the hotel provided. He also got a towel, but couldn't find a bathing suit. He considered bathing in his underwear but then decided to man up and skinny dip.

"What are you trying to be quiet about now?" Slade asked from the bed.

"I didn't want to wake you," Robin whispered. "But I found a hot tub."

"Ah-ha," the man mumbled and rolled over. "Wait, what?" he then asked and sat up.

"A hot tub. I'm trying it out. But you can go back to sleep…?" the teen suggested.

"I don't think so. Seems like a too good opportunity to miss," the man said, and Robin could see his teeth flash in the darkness.

"Exactly," he grinned back.

The young hero sighed happily as he let the jet streams massage his whole body, the hot water seemingly washing away his worries, at least for now. Slade seemed to be in a similar state of mind next to him. The teen stretched and moved a little bit.

"Oh!"

"Hm?" Slade asked, not even looking up.

"One of the jets got a bit too friendly," Robin grinned.

"Do I have to kill it?"

"Considering what it did? Yeah," the teen chuckled.

They relaxed again, watching the twinkling lights of the city.

After some time just sitting together in silence, Robin glanced over at the man. Slade had leaned his head back against the rounded edge and almost looked like he was sleeping, even though the hero knew better. The steam from the water had formed little glittering droplets on his chest, clinging to every hair. The water reached just high enough to lap at the man's nipples, and suddenly Robin was overcome by a desire to do that himself.

"Is there an octopus in here or is that your hand?" Slade asked, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards.

"Damn animal life, don't mind it," Robin grinned and slowly slid onto the man's lap, straddling it.

"Seriously? You didn't want to do it in the bedroom behind closed doors, but now? Out in the open?"

"Well, she's asleep now…" Robin defended himself. "And we don't have to 'do it' we could just… make out?"

"You make me feel like a teenager when you say that…" the man muttered.

"And? Isn't that good?" the de facto teenager asked.

"I remember pimples and coming in two minutes flat, whether I wanted to or not."

"Pfftt… I last longer than two minutes…" Robin snorted.

"Now you do, yes. Because I've trained you. You're my Sexprentice."

"I kinda want a business card saying that."

"Only if I get one saying Sex Master," the man leered.

"Yes, Master, of course you do…"

"Fine. You've convinced me. Let's make sure they will have to fill this thing with pure chlorine when we're done."

"Like you had to be convinced in the first place," the teen muttered.

"Are you calling me easy?"

"I've felt your hard cock against my ass this whole time."

"Ah. Busted."

"Yeah," Robin grinned and leaned in for a kiss. He then did what he had planned and licked the man's nipples, tugging on them a bit with his teeth as Slade's hands roamed his body and then ended up in his hair.

"How about going lower?"

"You're under water, Tiger. I'm not Aqualad. Oh… that was an interesting thought… I wonder if that's what Flame meant?"

"Not a great time to mention that emo-haired little twerp's name," the man snorted. "But what did he say?"

"Emo is not… well it doesn't matter," Robin shrugged, not feeling like he was the right guy to explain teen fashion. "Anyway, it was the day after the wedding and we met in the kitchen… he said something about having done something that I hadn't… or couldn't… can't remember. I got curious, though, but he refuses to tell me about it."

"Well, he has two boyfriends…" Slade pointed out.

"Yeah?" Robin blinked. "Oh! You mean… like sucking one and…?"

" I don't think he'd consider that a new thing, I'm sure they did that their first time."

"But what then? If it has nothing to do with their powers, I don't see-"

At this point Slade leaned forward and whispered something in the teen's ear.

"What?! No?" Robin gasped staring at the man with wide eyes. "At the same time? How can that even… how is… why would…?"

"We can try it with a dildo if you're curious," the man offered.

"HELL no! I mean Speedy and Aqualad obviously have to be tiny for that to even… god…" Robin was shocked but he still squirmed a bit, which Slade noticed as the teens bottom massaged his cock really nicely. "I remember you putting your finger up there at the same time and that was enough!"

"You loved that, though."

"That's because you trained me so well, Master," Robin leered.

"Of course I did. Now hold your breath and suck my cock."

"Well…" Robin said looking down through the water. "I'll try anything once."

"Apparently not," the man reminded him.

"Anything that won't land me in the hospital having a very embarrassing conversation with a doctor," Robin amended.

"Well, let's hope this ends up differently, then," the man smirked.

The teen snorted, scooted down a bit on the man's legs so he could bend over, took a deep breath and disappeared under the water.

It was… weird… and rather interesting, Robin had just decided that he must ask Slade to pay him back the same way when-

"So a bit of night air was a bad idea."

"Good evening Addie," Slade said calmly.

"I'm not even going to ask."

"Do you really have to? We were married once, after all, and I remember that you were quite good at-"

"Enough! I'm going back to bed."

"Very nice of you."

"Just one thing," the woman said and hesitated a moment, "Is he ever going to come up for air?"

"I don't think so. If you stay here much longer I'm pretty sure he'll drown," the man let her know.

"I'll leave then."

"Thank you."

"Tell him he has a cute ass."

"I'm pretty sure he can hear you through the water."

"Good night."

"Night." Slade peered down at the teen who seemed to have decided to be a fish instead of a bird. Batman and Codboy, perhaps. "Robin, you need oxygen. She's gone."

The hero surfaced, gasping for breath.

"That… was… that…"

"Aw," Slade leered and pulled the teen close. "Let me make you feel all better…"

"Do you plan to ever look me in the eye again?" Adeline asked Robin over breakfast in the morning.

"No," the teen muttered. "I'm really sorry! I thought you were asleep and it was my fault and-"

"Wait, you suggested the hot tub?" the woman asked. "And… what took place in it too?"

"Yes…" Robin admitted, staring at the piece of toast on his plate.

"Excuse me for a moment," Addie said and, when she came back to the table in their hotel room she handed Slade fifty dollars.

"Told you so," the man smirked.

"You… made a bet?"

"Yes and no, Addie just didn't believe you were the one behind that wonderful idea," the man chuckled. "Which isn't that strange as most wonderful ideas are mine."

"I'm getting a wonderful idea right now…" Robin muttered.

"Fifty bucks says Slade won't like it," Addie smirked. Robin chuckled. This woman might be human after all.

Robin was leaning back in his seat as the plane took off, heading back to Jump.

"So his violin wasn't in the box then… so he must have brought it?"

"Yes… and I wonder why?" Slade muttered as he stared blankly into space, obviously running numerous theories through his mind.

"Okay, as I see it…" Robin began, "he wasn't kidnapped from here, he left town on his own, planning to be gone for a few days. He brought his instrument, which means he intended to use it, to perform or practice. He most likely went to Gotham, and that means he was invited there. I say he was brought there under the rouse that he would perform… Gotham is a big city and during December the classical music business is booming, Say he got an offer to cover for someone who had fallen ill… Joey seems to be good, sure, but he's not well known, really, and if the money was good, I'd say he'd go for it… maybe just to get the chance at play in a more famous orchestra? So he was sent instructions and the tickets through the mail, and he brought that letter with him, of course, so we didn't find it… He shows up in Gotham and- well. The hugs-and-kisses guy kidnaps him or whatever."

"He didn't call me about any job, though," Addie said from across the aisle.

"Maybe it happened so quickly that he had to more or less just pack and go… he probably decided to call you from Gotham… anyway, he's a grown man, he can't call his mummy about everything…" Robin said.

"Well your ideas fit pretty well with mine," Slade nodded appreciatively. "The card worries me, though… did the kidnapper intend for us to see it or not? He can't know for sure that we have, but why send it at all? Seems like a really stupid move."

"Sending them to me was stupid too… but it reminds me of the Riddler… this guy wants us to be confused, I guess… or scared, I don't know…"

"Yes, I'm very scared of pictures of Christmas trees…" Slade snorted.

"I think he has two game strategies. The first one involves us being clueless and the second one is us barging into Gotham guns firing. Not literally, now, mind you," Robin mused.

"What does he have against guns?" Addie asked Slade, indicating the hero with a nod.

"He's weird like that," the man shrugged.

"You know why," Robin muttered darkly and Slade gave him an apologetic shrug this time. Robin was amazed that he could actually tell the difference.

"So our plan is still to act like we don't know a thing?" the woman asked.

"I think that's still the safest way, yes," Slade nodded.

"Fine. Now that we think we know where he left to and around what date, I'll see if I can dig up anything from the airports… passenger lists, tickets booked in his name, anything just to confirm that he went to Gotham," the woman decided.

"Good, you'll do that… anything to keep you busy enough not to run off to Gotham on your own," Slade smirked.

"We have a few things to do too… the Christmas party for one, " Robin said, which made the man make a sound like a groan.

"Isn't it a bit early?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, but we'll be gone for both Christmas and New Years, and my team wanted to celebrate with us as well… so we're doing the whole thing on Thursday… which reminds me that we have to go shopping again! I still haven't got my gift…"

"We're doing secret Santa," Slade explained to his ex, his voice tortured.

"That's sweet… Who are you again, and what have you done to Slade?"

"Slade never did this sort of thing when you were married?" Robin blinked.

"He once threw half a deer on the table, apologizing for not wrapping it," the woman deadpanned.

"I wasn't quite that bad," the man muttered in his defense. "Although the thing about the deer is true."

"No, you had your moments. And you loved shopping for the kids," Addie admitted and her eyes softened as she remembered happier days.

"No, no, go back to Slade's-an-asshole," Robin told her hurriedly. "Because, lady, if I find you and him under a mistletoe, I will hurt you both."

"Which is the reason I'm going along with the secret Santa thing," the man chuckled.

"Because Robin will hurt you if you don't?" the woman asked.

"No, because moments like this makes it worth it."

"Awww!" Robin grinned. "Oh, who are you buying for, by the way?"

"It's secret Santa, Robin. I'm not going to tell you whose name I pulled out of that jar, and neither will you."

"Don't buy anything stupid."

"I won't."

"Or dangerous."

"Damn."

"I almost want to see this…" the teen heard the woman mumble to herself.

A/N: Shorter today! Well, you didn't think it would be all long chapters from now on, did you? Most of them are short or short-ish… but that gives you a chance to keep up, anyway… ;)