Sunday, 13 December ~* Who *~

"We've been here a week today," Robin pointed out during Sunday breakfast. "What's the plan here? You two were busy in the cave planning all day yesterday."

"Jealous?" Slade smirked. Bruce gave him a dark look.

"With Wilson a bit… under the weather-"

"I'm getting better every day," Slade objected.

"Yes, but you need to regain what you lost in muscle mass and stamina, and your powers won't help much with that. Only training and time will," Bruce snapped. "Anyway, if we also include this man's complete disrespect for human life – don't roll your eye at me – we need to plan this so it's as safe as possible for everyone involved."

"What can I do?" Robin asked.

The men looked at each other in a way the teen didn't like.

"Dick," Bruce started, using his 'reasonable' voice. "You left this life behind, at least for now. I know you have assignments due, and you're not in peak condition to do this."

"I'm better off than him," the teen snorted and pointed his thumb at Slade.

"Yes, but I don't care about him," the billionaire replied with a sigh.

"I feel rather unloved right now," Slade muttered. Alfred came in through the door with a plate of freshly baked scones. "But that helped," the man added and grabbed one. He was still eating a bit more than Robin remembered him doing, but it seemed to do him good.

"It's only one mission. I'll train with Slade, and I'll spend the rest of the time studying, I won't fall behind. Besides, aren't we in a hurry?"

"Well, corona is helping us out there. We've managed to hack some of their correspondence, and they are taking this to China and /or Russia, but for now everyone is pretty stuck where they are, so they have decided to lay low until at least after New Year. So, we have time, although we'd like to take care of things as soon as we can, of course. And what about your job?" Bruce reminded him. "Will you be able to juggle that too?"

Robin hesitated. He needed the money after all. He knew Bruce would agree if he just asked him for it, but he didn't want to do that. Then he had an idea.

"Slade, you've gotten your stuff now, right?"

"Yes. Finally," the man confirmed. A courier had arrived yesterday with a box which Slade had put away somewhere.

"Good. Then congrats, you just hired me as your personal trainer."

"I did?" the man looked very amused.

"Yes. You're lucky. We'll get to work close together. Getting all sweaty and out of breath. Needing showers…"

"Alright, you're hired," the man agreed while both Bruce and Alfred seemed to have swallowed something the wrong way.

"He knows how to play you," Bruce told the mercenary warningly.

"Only when I let him," Slade answered with a confident smirk. Robin smirked back. The man shouldn't be so sure of himself. He took a sip of his tea, before remembering that it was black tea with liquorish and vanilla, and the liquorish was strong. He put it down again, hoping the one tomorrow would be better.

"Push! Push! One more time!"

"I'm not giving birth, Robin. Nor taking a shit," Slade pointed out sarcastically.

"Yeah well… lift, then!" the teen said.

"Was this how Batman trained you?" Slade asked.

"Um… no? He just told me the amount of reps and I did them," Robin explained.

"Let's try that, shall we?" Slade suggested sweetly.

"I just want to make sure I earn my pay," Robin shrugged.

"Oh, you will," the man leered.

"This wasn't what I had in mind," Robin grunted an hour later.

"A good PT knows that muscles need to be worked on in different ways," Slade's muffled voice said. "Use those hands of yours."

The man was naked under a towel, face down on a massage table. Robin knew the basics of massaging, something he had regrettably mentioned to Slade during their salary discussion.

"Alfred is really good at this, he has even taken classes," Robin pointed out.

"I should fire you and hire him, then?"

"No. No, fine, I'll try," the teen whined. He had to use all of his weight to make much difference, but according to the grunts the man made, he seemed to be enjoying the attention. Robin was frustrated though, because he couldn't reach properly.

"Is it ok if I straddle you?" he asked.

"I'm almost always okay with that," Slade chuckled. "I'd love to turn around before you do though. Will make things a bit more interesting."

"No." Robin simply said, and climbed on top of the man, basically sitting on his ass while kneading his back.

He had almost gone over the whole back twice when there was a polite cough from the doorway.

"I'm assuming nothing improper is going on, Master Richard?" Alfred asked.

"Of course not!" Robin said with all the indignity someone who was now slightly sweaty and sitting on top of a practically naked man, both covered in oil, could muster.

"Very well. I came to remind you to prepare for lunch."

"Oh, of course. We'll be there," Robin promised. "I'm done now."

"What, no happy ending? What am I paying you for?" Slade asked.

"Behave, Mr. Wilson," Alfred told him, sounding scandalous, but they could both hear him chuckling as he walked away.

During lunch, discussions about the case caused an argument. Well, it was Sunday lunch so no arguments allowed, Alfred reminded the gentlemen by clearing his throat. Robin remained quiet as he didn't want to take sides unless asked. And the he would, he was afraid, side with Bruce.
"I understand you wanting revenge on the actual people behind this, but no. I will not allow you to go after anyone," Bruce growled.

"They need to pay."
"Then we'll make sure to provide the government with what we know. They will be arrested and sentenced."

Slade burst out in a short sarcastic laugh. "What's more likely to happen is that they buy themselves free. Possibly with what they know about me or any other meta humans they have experimented on."

Here Robin had to cut in, because Slade hadn't been very forthcoming with information, and with him having been sick the teen hadn't wanted to question him, but he was curious. "Speaking of others, did you free anyone else back at that base?"

"I tried. I'd figured the more of us out for blood the better. But I found no one alive. I found abandoned cells and… freezes. Full freezes. With at least twenty bodies. One of which a girl, couldn't have been more than ten. And these people Wayne wants to hand over to the justice system." Slade said the last part with unconcealed disdain. He also looked at Robin in a way that clearly demanded a statement from the teen. Robin inwardly groaned.

"Slade… they are clearly monsters, but… you know I can't tell you that it's okay to kill them. Isn't there any other way to destroy them? Something that absolutely would get them locked up?"

Slade's shoulders lowered a bit and he grunted, reaching for another portion of roast beef. He accepted defeat, though, and was clearly considering what Robin had just asked.

"Kiddie-porn," he suddenly said, possibly the more offensive thing ever uttered as the Wayne lunch table.

"What?!" Robin said, almost choking on his bite.

"He's right," Bruce chimed in. "A hideous crime, that would put them away, no questions asked, and they… won't have a good time in prison, if word gets out."
"Can word get out?" Slade asked the man, a challenge in his voice.

"For that little girl's sake… it can," Bruce told him, between clenched teeth. "Can it be done, though? Framing them?"

"I have contacts. Once I've tracked them down, I'll make it happen."

"Very well, I'm ok with that," Bruce said, and Slade smirked.

"Heroes have the most questionable and twisted morals imaginable."

Bruce just snorted, which Robin smirked right back at the man. "And isn't that lucky for you?" he grinned.

Robin had to do school work in the afternoon, but he did so in the sitting room where Slade found him. The man joined him on the couch for some reading. The teen, who had been curled up on the couch, making notes while reading, somehow ended up with his feet in Slade's lap. The man absentmindedly rubbed one of his feet with his hand while reading, like one would stroke a cat. It was nice. Robin wished he had his head on the man's lap instead, though, but didn't dare move.

When he was done with the chapter and needed to properly write the assignment on his computer, he sighed wistfully and pulled his feet away.

"I need my laptop," he explained to the man, who looked up, and nodded before returning to his book. "Slade?" Robin added, nervously.

"Yes?"

"I was thinking… if you want to… Tonight, I could… maybe…?"

The tone of his voice got Slade's full attention, and he put his book down.

"You sound so nervous that I'm getting my hopes up," he commented.

"Well… could I come to your room, and… talk?"

"Of course," Slade replied, quite quickly.

"Thanks. I think we have a few things to… talk about," Robin said. "And I'd rather do it when no one else is around."

To be Continued…