Edit-message: When I uploaded this I noticed that some words in italics had lost the spaces between them likethis... only SOME italic words, though, and I can't find any explanation for this... I eyed quickly through the document but there's probably more left. Sorry for this. If/when you spot any I'd appriciate it if you tell me so I can fix it... If this bug remains, though, I have no idea how I'm going to edit future drabbles... it will take loads of time to find all THAT stuff too! Arrrgh!
A/N: This is for Kawaii-Kuro, the first prize for winning the Halloween competition in the "Wynja's Tiny Ducklings"-group on dA. Congratulations!
This takes place directly after "The End III" but ignores the last scene. You don't have to re-watch the episodes to understand what's going on, but if you never watched them, you might want to… ;) Some of the dialogue is from the episode, but I've taken a few liberties. Slade said I could.
After The End
Robin felt the light from Raven engulf them all for a moment before it drew back to her. All his bruises and burns, all the pain in his body, instantly disappeared.
"…and you are not welcome here!" the young woman yelled at her father as she soared up into the air. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Robin had to close his eyes for a second as the bright beam hit Trigon. When he opened them again there was no sign of the demon and a pillar of light was spreading out from the place he had stood, amazingly, impossibly, leaving unharmed people and undamaged buildings in its wake. When it was gone everything looked like it once had…
Their friend, clad in pure white and her long hair falling around her shoulders, slowly floated down to the ground again.
"Raven...that was..." Starfire began.
"...unbelievable," Cyborg continued.
"No," Raven smiled. "It wasn't." She turned to an approaching Robin and gave him a long, warm hug. "Somebody believed."
Of course the smiling and hugging made Beast Boy a bit suspicious, but Raven soon confirmed that she, indeed, was her old self again.
Robin smiled widely at his friends but then frowned slightly and turned his head, searching the area for any sign of-
"What is wrong, Robin?" Starfire asked looking worried herself.
"Nothing. Guys, I'm just going to take a quick look around… why don't you go back to the Tower and make sure everything is fine there?"
"Sure, Robin, but don't be late!" Cyborg grinned.
"Late? For what?" his leader asked, puzzled.
"For the party! After this, we really have to have a party!"
Robin grinned and nodded, waving them off and then turning in the direction he had seen Slade been flung by the blast from Trigon's eyes, after cutting off his second antler. He found the place where the man had smashed into a large piece of concrete, but the boulder was gone now, the street repaired. A large bloodstain and a piece of ragged, rusty pipe, also covered in blood, made Robin's frown deepen, however.
It was easy to follow the trail, far too easy. Still, the man had managed to go quite a long way, into an small abandoned apartment building which was about to be renovated, judging by the signs outside.
When Robin entered the building however, by picking the lock with far more skill than a hero should have, it didn't look like a renovation object at all. In fact it looked new, pristine… Robin spotted a camera but it didn't seem to be online, in fact, all the security panels he saw seemed to be deactivated, perhaps by the still bleeding man. Robin followed the droplets which were very close together, until he found a bedroom at the end of a long hallway. He heard a noise from inside the on suite bathroom, something crashing against a tiled floor and a growled curse.
"Slade?" Robin called out as he pushed the door opened wider. The man twisted around, a guttural growl, half pain, half anger escaping his masked lips. "You're hurt…" the teen gasped. He had known it, of course, but seeing it was another matter.
"I can still fight you…" the man snarled, and Robin immediately thought of a hurt animal, crazy with pain and rage.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Slade, but I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help," the hero said, echoing the man's own words just before they started their trek into the underworld together. The villain seemed to relax, but only a little bit.
"I don't need any help. I have healing abilities… they will kick in any moment."
"Seems like pretty crappy healing abilities to me," Robin snorted. The man's side, from high up on his hip, down to his lower thigh, had been ripped open, probably by the pipe Robin had seen. Where his armor was gone and the black cloth ripped, Robin could see other wounds, blisters and bruises, too. Slade had clamped a hand to his leg, but blood was pulsing through his fingers.
"We have to stop that," the hero said and looked around. "Do you have clean towels or sheets somewhere?"
The man nodded to a small wardrobe and Robin rushed over, quickly finding some sheets still wrapped in plastic and ripping them out. Slade had by then seeming accepted that he needed help and would receive it whether or not he wanted to, because he had hobbled out of the bathroom and over to the bed.
"Don't lie down before I've gotten your pants off," Robin warned him and hurried towards the bed and a slightly swaying Slade.
"So eager, Robin?" the man drawled. "Tohelp, I mean…"
"Shut up, Slade," the teen muttered, fighting a faint blush, which only deepened as he found himself undressing his enemy. As he started to pull the cloth from the wound, the man hissed. "Be a big boy now… this will only sting for a little while," Robin said, and he knew it made him a bad person but he couldn't help but feel a tiny sense of glee.
"…said the priest to the choir boy…" Slade muttered. "Ngh!"
"…'well at least it was over quickly', the choir boy replied," Robin smirked, having pulled the man's pants down with one hard tug, fibers still stuck in the wound. "We'll have to clean this when the blood flow has stopped," he muttered and quickly pressed the folded up sheet to the gash. "Can you hold it there while I rip up another one?" he asked the villain, who just grunted and took over for him, keeping a firm pressure on the wound. Robin found another sheet, ripped it in shreds using a sharp bird-a-rang, and started wrapping the leg up.
"There. That will do for now. You can lie down," the teen said and held out his hands in an attempt to help the man down on the bed. Slade only snorted and pushed him aside, before slumping down on the mattress.
"Fine, be that way. Do you have any medical tools around? Some disinfectant? Even a first aid kit?"
"I told you, my body heals on its own… why would I need those things?" the man sounded a bit grumpy.
Robin looked down on Slade and suddenly felt a bit dizzy, because he out of the blue realized how unreal this situation was. He had seen the man, just hours before, as a living corpse, but somehow flesh and blood was more horrifying, because it was more… human. It was not only the wounds though, but the man's state of undress. His pants were down by his knees and he was only wearing what looked like, and probably was, a black jockstrap. He had fallen awkwardly on the bed and looked rather uncomfortable, both legs still over the side.
"Fine," Robin sighed and lifted the legs up, ignoring the man's muttered protests and placed them on the bed. "I'll get some equipment from the Tower. Maybe I should just bring you to our sick-bay-"
"No." The man didn't shout the word, but it was close. "Bring your little friends here, Robin, and you'll regret it."
"All right, but you'll feel stupid if you die," the teen said, unbuckling Slade's leg-armor and pulling his boots off.
"Feel free to leave. Very free in fact," the man snorted. "I thought you said that me helping you on the path to finding Raven wouldn't change anything?"
"It didn't. But then you came back," Robin shrugged. "You didn't have to do that. Trigon was about to kill us and you attacked him. Saving us."
"I had a grudge."
"Sure… but you could have waited a few seconds and we would have been out of your way," the hero smirked.
"Poor judgment. And I have a feeling I'll live to regret it," the man muttered.
"Oh, cheer up, you might still die!" Robin chuckled, and pulled a blanket up to the villain's waist so his eyes wouldn't wander curiously to that large, black bulge again.
"Don't give me false hope," the man snorted.
"Well, just count this as that gratitude you wanted," Robin said, referring to their parting conversation down in the underworld. "And don't worry, there's no pity mixed in this time either."
"Good."
"So, what else hurts?" Robin asked and reached out towards a tear across the man's rib-cage. Slade flinched away before he could touch it, however.
"I'll be fine! I told you, I-"
"Yes, yes, healing powers… you didn't consider the fact that those might be gone since you got a new body?" Robin snapped.
The man seemed to stiffen, his eye widening behind his mask for a few seconds. He looked like Robin had just told him that his puppy died.
"No," Slade finally said, after seemingly thinking it over. "My body was returned to me as it was. My eye is still missing… the healing-ability is in my genes, it's part of me… it should have been regenerated with my flesh and blood."
"And if not?"
"It has. It's just slowed down. It's done that before."
"Hope you kept your receipt…" Robin muttered. "Fine, it has slowed down, but that means that if it's really slow you might still be in danger. I'm going to help," Robin said decisively.
"I want you to go home," the man growled.
"Sorry. You helped save the world, Slade. You're getting the hero treatment. First we need to get all this metal and Kevlar off you…" the teen said and began with the man's neck-plate. When the armor was gone Robin sliced the top off, piece by piece, as that was the easiest way to do it. Slade had settled for just glaring at him sullenly, but when Robin reached for the man's mask, his hand was caught in a steel grip.
"No."
"I've already seen your face, Slade," Robin tried.
"You've seen my skull, boy, not my face."
"Are you saying the real thing looks worse? Because in that case, yuck, keep it on," Robin smirked.
"My face isn't hurt. The mask stays," the man growled.
"Fine, but you will regret that in a little while," Robin snorted.
"Really?" the man asked dryly, clearly not believing him.
"Really," Robin grinned evilly. "But first, let's see what else hell and a bit of concrete does to an evil bastard, shall we?" the teen said and ran his fingers over a particularly nasty bruise. "You have a few broken ribs, at the very least…" he muttered.
"How about you? I know you took a few hits…" the man muttered.
"Yeah, it was bad for a while… but Raven's energy healed all of us… you should have stayed close, maybe you would have felt better now."
"That light passed over me to. Didn't even tingle…" the man pointed out.
"Don't think it was the same kind of magic… Raven called us family as her magic engulfed us, I think that magic healed us, but the strike she sent at Trigon sure as hell wasn't any healing powers…" Robin frowned as he poked at a cut on the man's upper arm. "When Trigon's power took over the world, it looked destroyed, the people turned to some sort of stone… but in fact that saved them… Raven's powers turned everything back-"
"-but didn't affect what had happened since the demon's magic took over…" Slade finished. "So if someone had died in the battle…"
"...he or she would still be dead, yes," Robin said solemnly. "The whole world was kept in a sort of stasis, except us." He then blinked and then gave up a short laugh.
"What's so funny?" the man grumbled.
"Can't tell you. It will hurt your feelings…" Robin smirked as he continued to chuckle quietly.
"Can't hurt what I don't have. Try me," the man snorted.
"Well… so it was just us in the world… seven beings all in all… and you still weren't the number one baddie…"
Slade's eye narrowed for a moment and then he made a small groan. "Seems I have some feelings after all…"
"Don't worry about it, I won't tell anyone… like they would believe me…" the teen chuckled as he moved to the bathroom. "I'll clean you up a bit and then I'll leave for a while. That wound, unless your abilities comes back really soon, needs to be stitched up."
"You don't have to come back. Really," Slade told him through the wall as Robin soaked a few towels in hot water. "I helped you, you helped me. We're even."
"Look, I'll leave you alone as soon as I know you're going to be fine, alright?" Robin told the man sternly as he came out of the bathroom. "You're pale as a sheet, for starters. You lost a lot of blood. I'm not going to mother you and kiss every little boo-boo of yours better, but I won't just leave you here like this either. Deal with it."
"Does that mean you'll kiss some of my boo-boos?" the man asked innocently.
"Yes, that will happen when Trigon needs to wear long-johns…" the teen snorted, slapped a wet, hot towel down on the man's chest, and started rubbing it over his skin, a bit harder than he probably had to. "There, now I can at least see what is bruising and what's not… I thought most of those were dirt…" he said after a few moments.
"I think you just cracked a few more of my ribs," the man muttered as Robin went on to wipe up the drying blood that had been running down the man's leg.
"Oh, what's a few more?" Robin shrugged.
"I can tell you're not a nurse."
"Really? What gave it away?" Robin snorted.
"You're not wearing stockings and a very short white outfit," the man purred.
"Man, now I believe you have healing powers, because you clearly have never been to a real hospital…" the teen scoffed but blushed a bit again. Slade shouldn't really say those kinds of things to him… so why did he? "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"
"I'm sure."
"Okay… if you say so…" Robin frowned suspiciously. "Now, don't you move. I'll be back in a little while, half an hour, tops."
"Lucky me."
"Yeah, very lucky you!" the teen huffed and walked out the door.
There was a small medical clinic nearby and Robin, being who he was, had no problem borrowing what he needed. He also called the Titans and told them not to worry, but that he would be gone for another hour or two. Then he went to a store and then straight back to Slade's place. He took the time to study the warning-signs now, saying that the building was unsafe, contained asbestos and was guarded by dogs at night. That should put most people off. None of it was true, of course, but Robin didn't think anyone could get inside if the security system was activated.
Slade was still on the bed, something that told Robin the man really was in pain or was really weak, probably both.
"Missed me?" the teen smirked.
"Like another pipe in my thigh," the man muttered.
"How sweet. Now, I brought you a protein-shake," Robin said and held it up. "And, because you refuse to take your mask off…" he fished around in the bag and, grinning, picked up a straw.
"And it had to be pink, I assume?" Slade muttered.
"I asked for it especially," Robin grinned back.
"You are an evil little son of a bitch, you know that?" the man let him know, but took the shake when Robin handed it to him.
"Oh, it get's worse. I'm going to stitch your leg up," Robin said lightly and put the bag with medical supplies on the bed.
"Do you even know how to do that?" the man asked suspiciously.
"Sure. I've watched House M.D," the teen shrugged.
"Tell me you're joking," Slade begged.
"I was. Not about House M.D, I love that show… about knowing how to stitch a wound… they don't really show that…" the hero deadpanned and then made the mistake of looking up at Slade, who was just taking a sip of the shake.
Two minutes later Slade barked at him to stop laughing.
"But… but… laughter is the best medicine…" Robin gasped and tried to wipe at his eyes without taking his mask off.
"You are not the one who's injured…" Slade pointed out.
"Oh, right, that's the way it works…" Robin smirked. "Okay, let's look at that wound…" he slowly took the pressure bandage off and blanched. "Wow… that's bad… Slade you really should let me take you to a doctor, at least…"
"No."
"I know someone who can come here. I can blindfold him and take him here and back, he'll never know where this is, and-"
"No."
The teen sighed and unscrewed the lid of a bottle of disinfectant.
"Fine… but don't come crying to me if you lose your leg," he said and poured half the bottle over the wound.
A bit later Robin was half way through the cleaning process. The leg had started bleeding a bit again, and he had to hurry.
"Keep still, alright? I know it must hurt, but you can scream or something you know…" he told the man.
"I don't AARGH!"
"Bet you didn't know you had a pebble stuck in there, did you?" Robin asked innocently.
"No. I. Didn't," Slade growled through clenched teeth. "Didn't you say you got some anesthesia?"
"Yes, but I didn't think it was this bad, so I only got enough for the stitches, I'm saving the shots for then, alright?"
"I don't know whether to thank you or kill you," the man growled.
"Be a good boy and when it's all done you'll get a lollypop," Robin grinned.
"I'd like to tell you what you can suck, but your innocent mind might shut down…" the man muttered.
"I'm not that innocent!" Robin snorted and then felt himself turn bright red.
"Oh, now that was interesting…" Robin could hear the man's leer.
"I just meant that I know what you meant!" Robin hissed and bent closer over the wound so the man wouldn't be able to see his face
"Oh? And what did I mean, Robin? Please explain?"
"I'm going to stitch this up now and if you don't shut up I'm giving myself the pain-relievers!" Robin growled.
The man just chuckled and laid his masked head down on the pillow.
"Are you sure you don't want to take that off?" Robin asked again. "It will make it easier to breathe."
"I'm sure. Unless you take yours off first," Slade said, clearly not expecting a 'yes'.
Robin only snorted and prepared the first injection.
"This will probably sting," he warned.
Slade's only reaction was a hissed breath as the needle pushed in. Robin gave him several shots , all the way down along the wound, and when he was done he touched the place of the first injection.
"Is it numb yet?"
"I little. Let it work for a bit longer," the man said.
"Just while I prepare the needle and thread. I'm sorry, but it's bleeding more now, we can't afford to wait."
"You just enjoy seeing me in pain," the man snorted.
"Yes, you got me. You're not in danger of bleeding to death at all, I'm just doing this for fun," Robin muttered. "Now hold fucking still!"
"You are clearly no good with a needle," Slade said ten minutes later.
"Watch it or I'm going to embroider 'Hello Kitty' on your leg," Robin warned. "I'm doing the best I can, alright?"
"Do it better."
"Shut up and drink your shake. There. That's the last one. I'm going to redress it now," Robin told the man and got some gauze out. As he wound the material around Slade's leg, the man chuckled.
"Do you have to brush my balls with your knuckles?"
"I did not! Besides, if you can't lift your leg up enough…" Robin snorted.
"Yes, poor you," the man deadpanned. "I'm blaming you for the involuntary reaction, though."
"What reac-" Robin almost dropped the roll of gauze on the floor as he saw what the man was taking about; something, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what, was straining against Slade's jockstrap.
"I guarantee that it is involuntary," the man told him calmly. "The pain and then the anesthetic… my body is probably confused."
"Yeah, it can be as confused as it wants, as long as it's covered up," Robin muttered and quickly finished, so he could pull the blankets back up.
"You're not going ask me if I need any help with it?"
"NO."
"You're a terrible nurse."
"You've already said." Robin muttered. "Is there a kitchen here? Some food?"
"Kitchen yes… about food, I haven't been here since before Terra… might be some cans…"
"I'm getting you some water at least," Robin said. "Which way?"
"Second door to the left when you come out into the hallway," the man answered. Robin nodded and fled.
He returned fifteen minutes later with a large pitcher of water, a glass, and a mug with canned soup he had found and heated in the microwave.
"Here you go. You probably need lots of fluids and nutrition… A blood transfusion would probably be a good idea too, but you probably still don't want to go to the-"
"No."
"Thought not," Robin sighed. "Oh, just one moment…" he came back with a plastic jug with a lid on it. "Here… it's for… well, I don't think you should get out of bed for a while, so…"
"Very considerate," the man droned.
"Just don't pick the wrong one…" Robin grinned. "Is there anything else you need?"
"No. Go party with your friends, little bird," Slade told him. He sounded tired, Robin noted.
"I'll check in on you again early tomorrow morning…" the teen said, feeling a bit unsure about leaving his patient at all. He got an idea and dug around in his belt. "Here, an extra communicator. Just press 'R' if you need me, alright?"
"What if I call Raven?" the man asked.
"She's 'Rae'", the teen pointed out. "And I mean it… don't be so proud that you become stupid, alright? And if those healing powers kick in, just call and I'm not gonna come by to bother you."
"Sounds like a dream…" the man mumbled, like he was about to fall asleep.
"I agree," Robin snorted and left.
Robin went back to the Tower to be met by a French toast party and then caught a few hours of sleep, but worry was gnawing in his stomach the whole time. It wasn't so much about Slade, but the fact that he was responsible for the man now, and he felt in over his head.
Just moments after waking up his communicator beeped.
"The healing kicked in. I'm fine," he heard Slade say, the small monitor showing the man's masked face.
"Oh, great…" Robin sighed in relief, but something then made him hesitate. "Wait, show me your thigh."
"Oh, kinky, Robin? I could show you something else?"
"Your voice sounds raspy, just show me that the wound has healed!" Robin snapped.
"Well, maybe I just took care of the little problem you left me with?" the man purred.
"I don't care about that little problem, Slade I care about the big one, the injury!"
"Fine." The picture blurred a bit and then a thigh appeared.
"That's the wrong thigh," Robin said dryly.
"Noticed that, did you?"
"I'm coming over."
"No- "
Robin had already snapped his communicator shut, though, and, after grabbing some food in the kitchen, and emptying a medicine cabinet, he left a note for his team and sped off on his bike.
When he arrived at the apartment house he found a Slade flushed with fever.
"Fuck…" he hissed as he saw the sweaty, shivering body on the bed.
"Not… really in the mood…" the villain mumbled.
"Funny… I have a thermometer here somewhere…" he muttered and dug through the medical bag.
"Why? I have a fever, why do you need to know a number?" the man growled.
"Because f it's really high, I'm dragging your ass to the hospital," Robin sneered. "Now," he continued, opened a container and pulled out a thermometer. "This can go in two places, and since you have a mask on…"
"Don't you dare!"
"Dare what? Taking your mask off or turning you on your side?" Robin smirked.
"Leave the room. I'll call you back."
"God, you're so…" Robin sighed.
"As I said, take off your own mask, and we'll discuss it," Slade said stubbornly.
"No. All right. Push this button, put it in your mouth or wherever and call me when it beeps," Robin told his patient. "And if I don't believe the number, I'm staying for the next measurement, is that understood?"
"What I understand is how you became leader… you're bossy," the man chuckled weakly.
"Yeah… prepared to be bossed around like you never have been before," the teen smirked.
"I was in the military."
"Consider that kindergarten. Five minutes," Robin said and left.
"It's high."
"Not that high."
"Fine. Take two of these pills."
"You-"
"Yes, I'll leave the room again!" Robin said throwing his hands up. "Oh, do you have anything that needs… emptying?"
"I could take that offer up in a way you wouldn't expect…" the man chuckled.
"I'm not falling for that one," Robin growled. "Well? Jug?"
"Here," the man muttered and pulled the jug out from under the covers, lidded but sloshing with something.
Was he hiding it? Robin wondered. He suddenly realized that he himself would be close to traumatized in Slade's situation… it wasn't really so strange for Slade to be embarrassed… apart from the fact that he was Slade.
"I'll go into the bathroom and empty this. Call me when I can come back in here…" he said, making his voice as soft as he could. He didn't get a reply so he just closed the door.
After flushing the contents and rinsing the jug, Slade barked at him to get back into the room.
Robin did, placing the jug on the bed.
"Right. I'm getting you something to eat… and you should drink lots of water," Robin mumbled. "Do you have a few extra pillows somewhere? So you can be more comfortable?"
"Wow, you went right from badass to mummy…" the man muttered. "No pity, remember?"
"Right," Robin nodded. "I'll get you some really bad food and make you eat it."
"Better."
"Be right back…"
Robin picked up the now almost empty water-pitcher and went into the kitchen to unload the food he had brought from home, just some basics really, mostly cans. He sighed as he refilled the pitcher. What the hell was he going to do? If the leg was infected… then again, a fever maybe could be expected after losing blood and having injuries like that?
"I need to Google this…" Robin sighed as he started to prepare something that would hopefully be easy for Slade to eat… although that would mean he had to leave the room again, of course. Sandwiches, Robin decided, were safe enough, so he made a stack of those and a big glass of milk. He had to pick up some more on his way home for his team… He made his way back, balancing the sandwiches on the milk-glass in one hand and the water-pitcher in the other.
"Here you go, I want you eating this, and yes I'll leave… I'll just get you those pillows, did you say where they were?"
"I didn't. I don't have any… I seldom have guests, you see…" the man said dryly.
"That's sad. Well, I'll bring some from home then… are you feeling any better? Worse? How's your leg? When you lost your powers before, did you have a fever?"
"Fine. No. The same. Throbbing. No."
"Huh?" Robin blinked.
"If you can't handle asking one question at a time…" the man snorted.
Robin sighed and tried to remember what he had asked and in which order. He was pretty sure he sorted it out. What worried him most was the fever, though, and he tentatively reached out and touched the man. As he couldn't reach his forehead because of the mask, he settled for his chest, just to get an idea about if the fever had gone up since he had gotten there. Again he had the feeling of it all being surreal. Slade lay there, practically naked, his chest bare, and Robin was touching it… he felt like a mouse who had decided to pet a snake… not that he wanted to pet Slade's snake… the thought made him swallow a nervous chuckle. He still had to force his hand to stay still and not run over the coarse, light hairs that covered the man's chest and disappeared in a trail down his stomach… or touch the dark pink nipples, which had peaked as the man shivered in his fever.
"I'm not a pet," Slade said dryly.
"Hm? Oh, um… you're hot."
"I know."
"I didn't mean your chest!" Robin spluttered.
"Me neither. I have a fever. Of course I'm hot," the man rasped. "But, thank you."
"Eat your sandwiches and drink the milk and water. I'll be back in an hour or so… will you be okay?"
"I keep telling you I will…" the man muttered.
"Yes, and you keep lying," Robin smirked. He went to the wardrobe where the sheets had been, because he remembered seeing something, and found an extra blanket which he threw over the bed. "Keep warm. I'll call before I come in, so keep that stupid mask off until then, alright? It can't be good for the fever…"
After letting the Titans know that he had promised to volunteer for a bit, Robin headed back, now with pillows and more extra blankets as well as a full bag of groceries.
He couldn't really explain to himself why he didn't just tell his team about Slade… he didn't have to tell them where the man was, after all, so he wouldn't be breaking any trusts… besides, Slade had saved theirlives as well, and, even though they had been through a lot in the past, he thought that maybe even Beast Boy, who still grieved Terra, would understand.
Robin made a face. Maybe not BB.If he was honest about it all, Slade had always felt like his table, though… it was his job to deal with him, his responsibility. And even though he wanted his team there as back-up, if only to consult them, he couldn't bring himself to it. He had seen Raven the day before and even though she was happy, her powers were also very drained, so he couldn't count on magic to help here, if everything went south… on the other hand… how much fight could a half-dead Slade put up, really?
He called out as he promised and waited for an affirmative grunt before he entered the bedroom.
"I'm back!"
"I'm delirious with happiness…" Slade growled.
"No, that would be the fever," the teen smirked. "Any better? Any worse?"
"Same I think," the man shrugged faintly.
"Alright…" Robin put the large bag with pillows and blankets down on the side of the bed Slade wasn't occupying. "I'm just going to put some food in the fridge… are you hungry? Thirsty? Did you finish the sandwiches?"
"I did, so no," Slade said. Robin paused in case the man would say anything more, but he didn't.
"Okay, be right back."
When the hero returned he felt silly just standing around, so he sat down next to the man on the bed. His patient glared at him.
"Soo… Slade, help me out here. Tell me what you need, or what you think you need, alright? I'm worried, and I am going to call a doctor soon if you don't get better… is there any way to know if your powers are gone or not?"
"They're not," Slade claimed stubbornly.
"Fine, but how do we deal with the fever until they come back?" Robin asked, hoping for some ideas.
"Beats me. Beside a bout of weakness when my powers left last time, I haven't been sick since I got them. Hurt, yes. Sick, no. I'm not liking to be reminded."
"Well, we mere mortals do get sick from time to time… I can relate…" Robin said with a small, friendly smile. "I want to look at the wound, though…"
"Do you think that would help? Did you go to med-school while you were away?" the man snorted. A glance at the hero's annoyed expression made him sigh, though. "Fine. Go ahead. You just want to get your hands under my blanket."
"Yes, you got me there…" Robin muttered and pushed the blankets aside. He unwrapped the leg as carefully as he could, without trying to touch anything more of Slade's this time, and looked at the stitched up wound. "Well, it… it actually doesn't look worse than yesterday… no more redness, it's not swollen…"
"Well, that' just one part of me… try finding one that is…" the man said in an almost light, joking way.
"You obviously still have a fever, though…" Robin muttered and wrapped the leg up again. "I'll ask you one more time… is there anything you need?"
"Since you don't seem to appreciate my sense of humor; no," Slade said.
"Alright… You can reach the extra pillows if you need them, right? I'll just refill your water and let you rest for a while."
"Thank god."
"Don't be rude."
Robin got up but had not taken many steps out of the room before he heard a crash and ran back in to find a cursing Slade on the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" Robin yelled.
"Don't you mind!" the man hissed, and, for a second, Robin felt a cold rush of fear rush through him. His darkest memories of the man recognized that tone of voice. A split second was all it took to compose himself, however.
"I do mind! You shouldn't be out of bed, not without help! What were you thinking?"
"That I needed to go to the bathroom. Care to help with that too?" the man growled snidely.
Robin understood that this was something the jug couldn't be used for and cursed himself for not thinking of it.
"Yes, in fact I do," he said instead, steeling himself.
"Huh… you are dirtier than I imagined… might be out of my league, there…" the man muttered and then cursed out loudly as Robin grabbed his arm to try to help him up. "Remember the ribs I used to have?" Slade asked ironically.
"Sorry…" Robin mumbled and, after a few tries, managed to get the man on his feet. Slade had kept a blanket around himself, but as it slipped Robin was reminded that the man was only wearing a jockstrap. He made a point of keeping his eyes forwards as he let the man lean on him, slowly making their way into the bathroom.
"Can you….? Err… I mean…?"
"Yes, I can manage from here," Slade said as they reached the toilet itself. "I'm weak, but I think I can handle sitting down."
Slade was weak, Robin knew, because he had leaned so heavily on him that the teen's knees had almost buckled.
"Good… oh, before you do… umm…"
"If you keep stuttering, boy, I'm either going to faint or soil myself. Out with it!"
"Do you have any underwear or… or… pajamas or something I could bring you? So you can change?"
"Pajamas? Really? With pink polka-dots on them?" Slade snorted.
"Yes you can have any pair you want, as long as you tell me where they are…" Robin smirked.
"Funny. There's underwear in the closet next to the one with the towels. I'd appreciate if you hurried."
"I will," Robin promised and left Slade to lean against the wall. A moment later he was back with a pair of black boxers and then he was told to leave.
Robin closed the bathroom door and hurried to refill Slade's water, which he had been on his way to do when the man had fallen. Not long after there was a gruff call from the bathroom and Robin went in, half afraid of what he was going to find. It was not bad, though, Slade was on his feet again, but leaning against the sink, sweat drops covered his neck and chest and his arms were shaking from the strain of holding himself up. Robin hurried to his side and, somehow, they managed to get back to the bed.
Robin quietly rearranged the pillows, adding some of the new ones so Slade could sleep comfortably while half sitting up, making it easier for him to breathe, the teen hoped. He soaked a towel in cold water again and wiped the man off quickly. He then got another one and placed it by the bed.
"Keep that on your forehead when I leave, alright? I think it will feel good."
"Are you leaving soon?" the man asked, sounding hopeful.
"I'm not sure I should…" the teen said, but then his decision was made for him, as his communicator beeped.
"Robin, trouble!" Cyborg called out as the teen answered. "The alarms at the centre malls have gone off… all of them!"
"I'll be right there!" Robin said. "I'm ten minutes away. See you there."
"Guess I was saved by the bell…" Slade chuckled quietly to himself.
"If you feel worse, call me," Robin shouted over his shoulder. "I'll be back as soon as I can!"
He wasn't able to until almost three hours later, however. As he entered the hallway where the bedroom was he called out.
"Slade! I'm back! Put your mask back on if it's not!"
He waited for a moment.
"Slade?"
He waited for a bit more.
"Slade! I'm going to come in there in ten seconds! Ten! Nine!"
When he reached 'one' he still hadn't gotten an answer, so he took a deep breath and opened the door.
Slade was still on the bed, under the covers. The first thing Robin noticed was that the man was unmasked. The front half of the mask was instead laying on his stomach, one of the man's hands resting on it like getting ready to put it back on. The other hand was loosely curled around an empty water glass.
"Slade?" Robin called out again, worriedly, but the man didn't stir. "Slade?" Robin touched the man's uninjured leg and shook him a little, but he still didn't react. The man's face was pale, almost white, with only two splotches of red on his cheeks from the fever.
Robin was surprised at seeing the white hair, damp with sweat, and the unshaven face with the goatee-like short beard. The eye-patch was, strangely enough, less surprising. He already knew that the man was missing an eye, although who the hell wore an eye patch now-a-days? Slade, obviously.
The hero came up to the headboard and shook the man's shoulder.
"Slade… wake up. You're freaking me out…" He grabbed the still damp towel and wiped the man's face with it. He pressed his fingers to the man's neck and panicked when he at first couldn't find a pulse. He pulled his gloves off and tried again. This time he felt a beat, and, seconds later, another one. He put his other hand in front of the villain's mouth to feel if he was breathing, but wasn't sure, so he lowered his face down instead. Now he could hear a very slow, but steady, breathing, feeling the air against his cheek, and, keeping his fingers on the man's pulse point he tried to estimate the man's breathing and heart-rate. Both were much slower than normal… Robin wasn't an expert, but he didn't think an average human being could live like this, but, on the other hand, Slade wasn't exactly average.
As he was about to withdraw, the man's lips moved against his skin, only a fraction, but Robin gasped and jumped back.
"Can't… sleep… without… you…. molesting… me?" the man breathed weakly.
"I was checking your breathing," Robin snorted softly, just so glad to hear the man's voice.
"… mask…"
"I didn't take it off, you did… and you didn't answer when I called out…" Robin explained. For some reason he really didn't want the man to think that he had tricked him.
Slade seemed to sense the truth in Robin's words, and gave a single, slow nod.
The teen then noticed that the back part of the mask was still cradling the man's head. He carefully pulled it away.
"Better?" he asked, but didn't get more than an unreadable look. "I'll… I'll go cool this down…" he mumbled and fled to the bathroom to re-wet the towel.
Judging by the sigh, Slade at least appreciated the feeling of something cool on his forehead, and Robin was soon back, with a new towel, to give him another wipe-down. He then helped the man to take a few more fever-reducers and drink some water, all in silence.
"… you… go…" Slade muttered after Robin had been sitting on the other side of the bed for a while.
"No, I'm staying," the teen said firmly. "I won't leave you like this unless I really have to… please let me call a doctor?"
"No."
"But…"
"No."
"I still will if you get worse…" Robin muttered sullenly. "I won't allow you to die on my watch, you bastard…"
The man made a noise which could have been a weak chuckle.
Robin stayed all night, forcing the man to drink regularly and changing the cool towel. As dawn drew near Robin's head started to sink down on his chest, where he sat on the bed. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since before Raven's birthday, with all the trouble that had caused, and it was starting to really take its toll. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
Robin woke up in a very compromising position; tight against Slade's side, with a hand on the man's lower stomach, his fingertips more than brushing the waistband of his enemy's underwear, and Slade's arm curled around him, the man's hand on his hip. When Robin opened his eyes that hand slid down and cupped his ass.
"Wha-!" Robin yelped and more or less jumped away from the man. "Don't!" he hissed, before calming down when he saw the man's sleepy expression. "Oh… well…"
"What?" Slade asked in a raspy voice.
"Um… nothing… I … I fell asleep, and… and… you were asleep and… things…. things were touched."
"If you don't want you things touched, don't get into bed with me," the man smirked.
"I hear you are feeling better?" Robin asked dryly.
"I'm fine. Get out now," the man growled.
"Ah, so you are in horrible pain and close to death, because that's what 'fine' obviously means in your language…" the teen snorted, not one to be fooled twice.
"Whatever. I'm taking a shower," the man said, swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and then sat down again just as fast.
"I think that's your body's way of telling you that you need more rest," Robin said, trying to hide a smirk, even though he was facing the man's back. He saw Slade's shoulder tense and then, uncharacteristically, slump a little.
"I want a shower."
Robin swallowed. Without actually doing so, of course, he thought the man had just asked him for help.
"Well, maybe it will make you feel better…" the teen said hesitantly, not quite sure what to do next.
"Just help me into the bathroom…" Slade suggested, and Robin got on his feet immediately, letting the man use him as a crutch.
Slade had sounded much better, but he was still leaning on him heavily and could just barely walk.
"You don't feel so ho- warm anymore… seems like the fever have gone down," Robin said enthusiastically. "Now you probably just need to build your strength up!"
"Yes, nurse Robin…" the man snorted.
"But your leg…. Better not get that wet… do you think you can manage to stand here for a while?" the teen asked, having led the man to the wall by the shower.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," Slade drawled.
"Maybe you should sit dow-"
"I'm fine!"
"Alright, but don't blame me if you fall and crack your head open on the tiles…" Robin muttered. "I'll just go and look for some things…"
He returned a few minutes later, to see that Slade had managed to stay standing.
"I'll tape this piece of plastic bag over the wound, that should keep it dry," Robin explained and sank down on his knees in front of the man. He kept busy with the plastic and a roll of surgical tape he had brought medical cabinet in the Tower, and when he was done he looked up proudly. The smirk on Slade's face, though, told hem the man cared little about the hero's ingenuity. Robin interpreted it in a whole other way.
"Don't grin like that!" he said and shot to his feet.
"Like what?" the man said innocently.
"Don't act like you don't know!" Robin hissed.
"I really have no clue…" the man claimed. "Because… oh, you didn't think about that, did you, Robin? You little pervert… now get back down on the floor and help me step out of these…" the man said and began to pull down his underwear.
"Wait! Don't-" Robin began, feeling panic rise again.
"You didn't expect me to take a shower dressed, did you?" the man chuckled. "Besides, I have nothing to be ashamed about," he said and made the underwear drop to the ground.
"Wrong. You have plenty to be ashamed about, Slade," Robin growled.
"Well, that's one way to see it, I suppose… now, are you going to get down and help me or are you going to stare at my cock?"
Robin quickly dropped to one knee and freed Slade's feet from his only piece of clothing.
"For your information," the teen said between his teeth, "I was talking about your deeds, not your body."
"Oh… and here I thought you had forgotten all about me being a villain…" the man smirked and then wobbled. Cursing Slade steadied himself against the wall with one hand.
"I think you better take that shower now before you pass out…" Robin said seriously. "I'll be right outside if-"
"No."
"Huh?" Robin blinked behind his mask. The man was never happier than when he left, after all.
"You will stay. With me. In the shower," the man ordered more than asked.
"Don't think so. Let's go back to bed," Robin said firmly.
"Lovely words… but not just yet…" Slade snorted softly, reached out with a hand and turned on the water, before, slowly, shuffling under the spray, sighing in bliss as the hot stream met his skin. Robin saw the muscles in the man's legs shaking with the effort of keeping himself up, and with the water the walls started to get too slippery for any real support. It was only a matter of time before the man would fall and probably hurt himself even more in the process.
"Damn you!" Robin growled and pulled his tunic over his head. After kicking his boots off, he hesitated about his tights, but then decided that he had seen Slade in his underwear, so it shouldn't give the man any ammo. Besides, if he needed to leave fast, he could go commando. He stepped into the shower at the moment Slade slipped, and Robin winced as the man's weight suddenly rested on him.
"You're… heavy…" the hero groaned.
"Get used to it…"
"Huh? Just… hold onto the shower for a while, okay?" Robin said, his hands, which were trying to find a way to support Slade without hurting him, slipped on the man's wet skin. Robin realized that this was not the clinical hospital-shower assistance he had hoped for, and that it was getting obscenely out of hand quickly. Slade, however, thankfully managed to find his footing a moment later, and Robin glared up at him.
"Just so you'll know; no five-minute conditioner for you today. Just wash already so we can get out of here."
"It will go faster if you help," the man told him and handed him a bottle of liquid soap.
"Trigon must have won…" Robin mumbled, "…because this is not my idea of victory…"
"Well, in that case you have a rather limited mind… let's work on that," the man chuckled and started to shampoo his own hair.
The hero sighed and began to rub in the soap into the man's skin. He had to admit that it was needed: the rub-downs had only taken care of some of the grime from the fight and the man had been drenched in sweat since before Robin had found him. There was even blood left on his skin. Robin moved around the man and found that his back, which the teen had been unable to reach with his cloth, was even worse off. With all rights the man should stink up the place, but, to Robin, he didn't. There was a musk in the air, clearly, but comparing to the smell or Beast Boy's socks for example, Slade was smelling of roses.
"Tell me if it hurts anywhere," he said as he started to scrub with his bare hands. Apparently Slade wasn't a man who enjoyed sponges, at least Robin hadn't been able to find one.
"It's quite the opposite, trust me," the man said. He had been rinsing his hair under the spray and now just stood still, hands on the wall. Slade turned a little towards him, so Robin got a glimpse of what he meant. "Again, it's involuntary. Mostly."
"Fully," Robin snapped. "Fully, or I'm out of here." He kept his eyes firmly on the wide back, which wasn't hard as it rather filled his field of vision completely. He had made the mistake of glancing down on the firm, tight ass, watching soapsuds slid over it and, some, into the crack, but had snapped his attention back as soon as he had noticed what he was doing… because it was not okay. He could admit that Slade was a handsome man… well built, even attractive, but he could not have any sexual feelings for his worst enemy! It just wasn't done.
"Ah, that limited mind again…" Slade turned around to face him, quicker than Robin expected, knowing his condition. "You seem to have an involuntary situation going on yourself…"
Robin gasped and looked down. He wasn't fully hard, thank god, but there was clear interest there, and the water had made his white briefs cling to his skin, mostly transparent and leaving very little to the imagination. He was so busy being mortified that he didn't notice the man's hand coming up to his face, his thumb brushing at something. When he felt the touch, Robin thought it was a lock of hair, his wet tresses were plastered to his head coming down over his eyes, after all, but then something slipped off his face. Robin gasped and clamped his hands to his eyes. His mask! He hadn't exchanged it in too long, and the glue must have started to give. A good soak of hot water was all it needed to slip and now, with the help of Slade, it was gone, somewhere on the floor.
The villain took hold of his wrists as to pry away the hands shielding Robin's identity, but only held still for now, demonstrating that he could do it, if he wanted to.
"Why did you decide to save me if I'm so vile to you?" Slade then asked, almost softly.
"You saved-"
"Yes, but you could have called an ambulance… or the police… or at least your team…" the man pointed out.
"I… I guess it's about what we learned… the lesson…"
"The lesson? The only moral I seem to remember is me telling you to never make a deal with an inter-dimensional demon without a little protection…"
"The lesson I learned," Robin snorted, "was hope. To keep hoping. When you didn't trick me down there, and especially when you came back and fought Trigon with us…. I felt hopeful that… that maybe you were more than an evil shell… that you were human."
"I knew you liked to see me vulnerable…" the man growled, and Robin almost peeked up from his hands in fright.
"No. I didn't enjoy seeing you hurt, I don't enjoy seeing anyone hurt! …Unless I'm fighting them at the moment…" Robin amended. "But, yeah, it was nice to see that you were human and not some… robot."
"You thought I was a robot?"
"Yeah, well, I knew that slade-bot-look-alike wasn't you, but you didn't exactly seem very human."
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment. I want my mask back."
"No." Slade's grip around his wrists tightened and only now did Robin realize that the man wasn't leaning on him, or had stumbled, since he had turned around.
"How… how much better do you really feel?" he asked.
"I told you. I'm fine," the man purred.
"But… no… for how long?"
"Since I woke up."
"You… you tricked me?"
"No, no, that's something a bad person would do," Slade mockingly gasped. "Oh, right. Yes, I tricked you."
"Let me go," Robin said coldly.
"No. I really was sick, Robin. Badly hurt. If not for you, I might not have made it, at least not recovered this quickly… it forced me to trust you, though, and I don't like that sort of thing… so it's your turn to trust me."
"I don't!"
"There's not even a little glimmer of that hope left? That I won't betray you?" the man asked. His voice wasn't teasing; it was dark and serious, sending visible shivers through the teen's body.
"I…"
"Trust me, Robin… look at me."
"You're not giving me a choice!" the teen hissed.
"Neither were you."
Robin knew that the man could pull away his hands at any moment, He could still keep his eyes closed, of course, but that wouldn't do much good. If the man decided not to make a move they would still stand here under the slowly cooling water for god knew how long. Slade was stubborn to a fault, Robin knew, and so, of course, was he.
He took a deep breath.
"It's not… it's not only about me…"
"I know who you are protecting. I guess you have to trust me with their lives as well," the man said.
"I… I don't know if I can…" the teen said between clenched teeth.
Slade's grip around his wrists changed as he let one hand go. Robin almost made the mistake of raising his head in surprise, but then he gasped as the free hand curled around his back, pulling them flush against each other.
"It's a pity… because I had planned to ask for your trust in a lot of things…" The man's hand traveled lower, cupping his ass, reminding Robin that the first time probably hadn't been the accident Slade had claimed. Robin felt the man's length pressing against his lower stomach, still firm and growing harder. He felt his own body responding, but kept his hands over his face still.
"We… we can't…" he mumbled, feeling his cheeks color and his heart race.
"Just ask yourself… do you want me to kiss you?" the man purred. His other hand had let go of the firm grip now as well, the fingers travelling up and down the teen's arm leisurely.
"…"
"What was that?" Slade asked, a hint of teasing back in his voice.
"… es." Robin swallowed. "Yes. Yes I do."
"Your hands are in the way..."
Robin's body shuddered in something half way between a sob and a chuckle as he finally gave in and, leaning into the man, lowered his hands.
The smile on the man's face was triumphant, Robin saw, before meeting his single, grey eye. The teen tried to draw himself up a little, matching the stare, acting assertive, but the hand on his neck made his steely resolve crack and a small gasp escape.
One moment the man was smirking, and the next those lips covered his own. Robin had never been kissed before, not in passion, and he tried to pull back a little, regain some sort of control. Instead he was pushed against the tiled wall while the man plundered his mouth, stealing every ounce of breath away.
Robin felt his wet, heavy underwear being pushed down over his hips and then fall to his feet.
"Mmmhhh… Slade… Slade… wait…" he gasped, turning his face away. The man just started kissing his neck instead, not giving any sign that he was listening. Quite the opposite, Robin found himself being half carried, half pulled, out of the shower and then out of the bathroom.
"Stop… stop it… I… I didn't even know you… you liked me…!" the teen tried to explain.
"Yes, you've always been a bit thick. On some level, even your team knew I was flirting with you, and you never noticed?" the man chuckled.
Robin gave the man a glare, his eyes sliding over his body by accident and then he frowned.
"No, and further more I can't believe I didn't notice that the bruises were gone…" he muttered.
"I think you were too occupied with the bandaging…" Slade smirked, "And speaking about that…" the man stood up and ripped the plastic off, before unwinding the gauze. The leg was perfectly unblemished underneath, even the sutures were falling away, pushed out by the body. "There… where were we…?" the man asked, leering down at the teen who was still on the bed, gaping at the healed leg.
"I think I was on my way home," Robin said, sitting up.
"Then change your mind…" the man pushed him back, not violently, Robin still felt like he could get away if he wanted to, but something told him that was a foolish illusion. Slade hovered above him, on his hands and knees, and lowered himself down even further to kiss the teen again.
Robin pushed at Slade's chest.
"We don't even really know each other! I'm not going to have sex with you, not now!" he couldn't stop the man from kissing his neck again, however, or half crushing him under two hundred and twenty-five pounds of muscle.
"Have you never just wanted to celebrate that you were alive?" the man chuckled against his ear, and Robin gasped, his hips jerking up a little. "Mmm…. yes, you do…. I can feel it. Stay, Robin… stay…"
"It's…. just wrong…" the teen half growled, half moaned, because the man was doing some amazing things to his ear.
"What's so wrong about a little wrong…?" the man smirked. "We're not hurting anyone, are we? We're just… enjoying… ourselves…" with every word the man kissed lower on the teen's body and then reached a painfully taut nipple.
"Slade!" Robin cried out in a rather incredulous tone of voice, like the man had slapped his ass in public. "I… I… ahhhh… I want this to mean something…" he objected, trying to make the man understand.
"It does. It literally means the world. Remember that place? We saved it a few days ago?"
"But-"
"What are you so afraid off?" Slade taunted him. "You're not a fair maiden, facing the risk of being shunned by society… and I'm not going to knock you up," the man promised sincerely.
"Well, maybe I think it's a big deal, alright?" Robin growled.
"Ah… you are a fair maiden… it's your first time."
"Of course it is!" the teen snorted.
"Oh, come on, how could I be sure? Five teens living together? You being the idol of the entire city…" Slade said calmly. He didn't pull away and between words he still teased the teen's skin with kisses and licks.
"Yeah, well…" Robin lowered his eyes a little. "…I haven't…. so…."
"I'd love to do the honors."
"I'm sure you would!" the Titan snorted, but the man seemed strangely sincere.
"I'll take good care of you… I owe you that much…"
"I… I don't know…" the teen was balancing on a fence between what his mind and his body wanted.
"Then stop me," the man challenged him and kissed him again.
But Robin couldn't.
His nails dug into the man's shoulder as Slade entered him. There was pain, but more a pinch than the tearing one Robin had expected, and, as soon as he realized this, he relaxed more and the pain was gone altogether.
The man really had taken it slow, driving the teen half mad with desire along the way, making this feeling of being stretched and filled seem like an amazing goal after a long journey. Slade let him get used to it all for a while, still moving slowly, but then Robin's body somehow signaled to the man that is was ready, and he sped up.
"Good…. God…." Robin gasped, clinging to the man with both legs and arms, like he was afraid of being thrown off the ride of his life… which was a rather fitting analogy, he had to admit. Slade's hand was stroking him, matching the thrusts, and if Trigon had repapered at that moment, in that very room, Robin wouldn't have noticed it.
It was early in the evening when they both finally had to admit that they had had enough, and Robin fell asleep again, for the second night in the row, in Slade's bed.
He woke up much like he had the day before and slowly extracted himself from the arm that was curled half way around him.
"… where are you going?" a gruff, sleep ridden voice asked.
"Bathroom." The answer was apparently acceptable, because there were no objections.
Robin did his business and then spotted his clothes on the counter where he had put them the day before. His underwear was still in a pile on the shower floor and more than a little damp. Robin wrung them out and then spotted his mask. He picked it up and sighed.
When he walked out of the bathroom he was fully dressed, sans underwear, the mask clinging to his face by a prayer.
"You're leaving?" Slade asked, sitting up on the edge of the bed.
"My team must be frantic by now…" Robin said apologetically.
"You still think this was a bad idea, don't you?" The man's voice wasn't accusing, only stating a fact.
Robin stopped for a moment on the way to the door and then turned to the man.
"Yes. I do."
"I guess my charm has limits," the man shrugged.
Robin chuckled and shook his head.
"A few days ago, I hated you. Feared you. Didn't trust you enough to even blink around you… and now we're lovers? I didn't think straight last night, no pun intended, but… we both know this is insane, right?"
"Would you like me to leave the city?" the man asked, standing up in all his glory, still apparently thinking, rightly so, Robin had to admit, that he had nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing physical.
"That depends… would you like to get to know me?" Robin asked straightforwardly. "Not in bed, but out of it?"
"I'm going to counter with the same question," the man said stubbornly.
Robin smirked a little.
"I think I have been obsessing over you for too long to say no," he admitted.
"Good."
"You won't hurt my friends or commit any crimes," Robin warned the man.
"I'll see what I can do."
"I mean it."
"Me too."
"Fine." Robin took a few more steps towards the bedroom door. "I need some time to think… a few days…"
"I don't mind. Are you planning to tell your team?"
"No. Not yet."
"Then I have a suggestion for you…" the man told him, and Robin looked back over his shoulder again.
"What?"
"Try to hide that limp."
Robin knew that he was glad that Slade had survived, but at that moment he just didn't feel it that strongly.
The End.
A/N: Kawaii-Kuro wanted a story where one of them was wounded and saved by the other, and I don't know where "The End" came from, but… just a random plot-bunny bite, I assume…
And wow, this really ran away with me… aimed for 8-10 pages and it is almost 19… Hope they were ENJOYABLE 19 pages, at least, so I didn't make you suffer longer than necessary… ;)