Sunday, 6 December ~* Isn't *~

Waking up at six on a Sunday morning, when you didn't have any specific plans, should be against the law. Robin, however, had a good reason. He smelled food. And coffee. He sat up in bed, confused, and then realized what must be going on. He stormed into the kitchen.

"The hell, Slade?!" he roared.

"Good morning, sunshine," the man, who was frying eggs, drawled.

"Why didn't you ring the doorbell like a normal person?" the teen demanded to know.

Slade gave him a look that said that the man was disgusted by the very thought of being considered a 'normal person', and then shrugged. "I owed you a breakfast. And, honestly, this is a better one. The original was just coffee and doughnuts."

Robin wrapped his arms around himself while looking down at the floor. "I still wish I had gotten that one," he mumbled.

"Me too," Slade answered seriously.

"I'm… gonna get dressed," the teen, who was just in his pajama pants, said.

"Pity."

"Slade…" Robin said warningly.

The man just raised a hand in defeat as he flipped the eggs in the pan with the other one. "Breakfast in two minutes."

They ate in relative silence. Robin noticed that Slade was eating a lot, and quite quickly too. There was breakfast here for at least five people, and it didn't seem like there would be any leftovers. He still could barely look at the man without a plethora of negative feelings welling up inside him. He tried to combat them, though, and started by asking the man some questions.

"So… busy yesterday?" he asked while sipping this morning's tea. Mint. He was trying very hard not to be snappy with the man. His basic reaction around him was still anger, even though he knew that being angry with Slade like this was like being angry with someone because of what they did to you in a dream. It made no sense, but the emotion was still there, and had to be smothered.

"A bit, yes. And then a house fell on top of me."

Robin spluttered. Almost choking on a piece of bacon. "What?"

"The house I was living in. I knew it was about to be torn down, just now how soon. But I got out in time, I was exaggerating," he said with a small smile.

"So… where are you staying now?" Robin asked, because he wanted to keep tabs on the man.

"Nowhere. I was hoping I could stay here," Slade told him, a bit guardedly, like he knew that the teen would say no.

"W-why don't… you just… get a hotel room?" Robin asked.

"No money," Slade shrugged.

"Um… you offered to tip me forty bucks the other day," he reminded the man. "And you have been ordering take out every day."

"Not my money. Hotels often have a bit better security, and I don't have enough cash. Or ID."

"But… I mean… in Jump…?"

"Yes, yes, I have funds, I just can't access them without a phone or a computer. And public ones are not safe enough."

"You don't have a phone? You called for food…?"

"Borrowed a phone at a store in the area," the man shrugged.

Robin now really looked at the man. He looked… worn. Thinner. His skin was white and red all over his wrists from healing wounds. He also seemed to really need a shower, and definitely a shave, he was beginning to resemble a pirate Santa. His clothes were in a desperate need of a wash too. All this helped the teen to finally feel something a little more positive for the man; sympathy.

"Eat up," he said with a bit more warmth in his voice. "Then take a long hot shower. Use my washing machine and dryer. You can borrow something of mine to wear in the meanwhile."

"Thank you. Although I suspect that the only thing you have that fits me is a towel," the man chuckled.

"Yeah, it won't be a big selection," Robin grinned. "But if you use the quick cycle and then the dryer, it won't take too long. And if my connection is safe enough, you can use my computer?"

"I'd appreciate that. It will still take a day or two to have everything taken care of. I have an emergency kit of sorts, with ID, credit card and cash, in Jump, but I need someone trustworthy to ship it to me."

"Well, that's easy, one of the Titans could-" Robin started.

"I think I'm going to reach out to some of my contacts first," Slade told him.

"Ok?" Robin replied, a little bit hurt. He wasn't too surprised, though; even when they had been together, Slade had always kept the rest of the heroes at arm's length.

"It's better that way, trust me," Slade said, in passing asking Robin to do something the teen now, unfairly, found very hard to do.

Robin just nodded and finished what was on his plate.

"I'll find you some towels and some clothes," he said and stood up, leaving the man to finish his huge breakfast.

Slade spent almost thirty minutes in the shower. Robin had found him a razor and had run down to the corner shop to get him a toothbrush. He could have bought the man some clothes nearby too, if it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't easily afford it, not without asking Bruce for some extra pocket money, which he didn't really want to do. Besides, the man would have his own money soon enough, it would have to do for now.

Eventually, Slade came out from the bathroom.

"Well, I tried," he said. The man had a towel around his waist and was wearing the largest T-shirt Robin had been able to find; one for Gotham University that had turned out to be a large instead of a medium. On Slade, however, it looked more like a crop top. The man had tried, and how he had gotten it on at all was a mystery, judging by the straining seams. It only reached down to just above his belly button, though, giving him the appearance of a male stripper or exotic dancer.

Robin burst out laughing, but the laugh stuck in his throat when the man, with difficulty, pulled the shirt off.

"Holy…" the former hero gasped, staring at the man in horror. It was even more obvious not that the man had lost weight and muscle mass. Not that you would know if you didn't know what he looked like before, but to Robin, who had loved taking in every inch of the man's body with his eyes -and lips and tongue- it was a shocking discovery. The most obvious things were the scars, however, golf ball sized hollows into the man's muscle tissues, sometimes bone had been harvested too, it looked like. Red, angry-looking skin were covering the wounds now, and it was very clear that no ordinary human would have survived that kind of treatment. Robin had left his chair and practically rushed up to the man. His hands now hovered over his skin. "This… this is… does it hurt?"

"It's manageable," Slade told him, which, in Slade language, meant 'like hell'. "And it will heal. My body is working on it, burning through energy like crazy."

"Hence the large breakfast?" Robin asked, with a little smile.

"I'm already hungry again."

"I'll get you something!" Robin hurriedly said and turned towards the kitchen. His arm was caught.

"I don't need you to take care of me," the man told him, not unkindly but a bit defensively.

"You obviously do!" There was a beep from the bathroom. "That's the washing machine, I'll put your clothes in the dryer and then I'll fix you something to eat."

"Robin-"

"Sit down!" the teen ordered and pointed to the small sofa that he barely used.

"Well, as it was an order…" the man half chuckled, half sighed, and sat down.

Robin returned ten minutes later with two microwave dinners. It was the quickest thing he could find, as he wasn't much of a cook. As he came into the room, he almost dropped the plates.

"Close your legs!" he spluttered to the man on the sofa.

"Just airing out the goods," Slade chuckled and reached for a plate. Robin watched the man eat as he set up his computer. He created a user account for Slade so the man couldn't access his files. Not that he had anything much to hide, even his browsing history was kinda boring right now, he had to admit, but it still felt better.

"Here. You can use my phone too."

"You have a VPN, I assume?"

"Of course. And other stuff, not on the market, curtesy of Batman. The phone is safe too, and can't be traced."

"Good boy," the man grinned at him. "I have obviously come to the right place."

Robin felt his cheeks redden a little bit, and huffed in annoyance.

"Just… get it done. I need to study," he claimed, grabbed a book more or less at random, and sat down in his favorite chair. He curled up in it, as he tended to do, and tried to read while the mercenary was tapping away at the computer. After a while, Slade reached for the phone.

"I'm going to make the calls in the bedroom, ok?" he half asked, half informed him.

"Oh?" Robin said, feeling a bit wounded. Of course the man would have some secrets to protect, he assumed, although he thought they had gotten pretty close before… well, all this. Still, as Slade obviously didn't want him to overhear… "Yes. Of course. No problem."

Slade got up and headed towards the bedroom. He then stopped and turned around.

"I'm taking the call in here so I don't disturb your studies. I hope you know that?"

"Oh." Robin said again, but much happier this time. "Yes. Thank you."

"I might not want the rest of the Titans sniffing around my secret stashes, but I wouldn't mind you sniffing around… anywhere…" the man added with a leer.

"Noted," Robin muttered but stared down into his book, his cheeks heating up again.

A few hours later Robin's phone made a sound announcing that a reminder had been set. Robin was still studying, Slade was at the computer. The teen glanced at his phone and then shot to his feet.

"Fuck!"

"Was that an invitation?" Slade asked, an eyebrow raised.

"It's Sunday! I forgot it was Sunday!" the teen said, not really explaining things.

"Don't tell me you started to go to church?"

"No, but lunch! At the manor! In an hour!" Robin said, rushing into the bathroom.

"Good, I'll come. I should get started anyway," Slade told him through the bathroom door.

"Come? You can't come! I haven't told Bruce yet! I haven't asked him about letting you borrow the computer!" Robin said, frantically trying to decide if he needed a shower or not. In the end a quick wash just had to do.

"Well, this is a good opportunity to ask, then," Slade told him. "This really can't wait, Robin."

The teen just made a frustrated sound, as he wrapped a towel around himself.

"Fine!" he said, rushing out of the bedroom. "But it's your funeral. Bruce doesn't like surprises! I gotta get dressed!"

Just half a minute later, he was dressed in a nice pair of dark grey slacks, a white dress shirt and a blue sweater. He was still fixing his cuffs and collar in the elevator down to the garage. He had a car, one of Bruce's more subtle ones which was just a small but perky hatchback, nothing which would raise any eyebrows in this neighborhood.

"Call Alfred," Robin ordered his phone as soon as they got into the car.

"Wayne residence, Alfred Pennyworth speaking."

"Al, you can see who it is before you answer, you can just say hi," Robin half laughed, half sighed.

"There is a proper way to answer the telephone, young man, no matter who's calling," the butler reprimanded him back. "I do hope you haven't called to cancel lunch?"

"No, no, quite the… opposite… in a way," Robin said. "I'm bringing... a guest… is that ok? I'm afraid he might be a bit… hungry." Slade had raided his meagerly stocked kitchen several times since the morning.

"That is quite alright, there's plenty," Alfred answered. "May I ask who the guest is?"

"Um… I'll… I'll introduce you when we get there. Could you tell Bruce I need a word with him before we eat?"

"Of course. I'll go set another plate."

"Thanks, Al, bye!" Robin said and ended the call.

"Why didn't you just say it was me? They know about me, don't they?" Slade asked.

"Yes. Which is the problem," Robin said. "Because they know what you did- what I thought you did, that is, and if you thought I hated you… well…"

"Ah. Too complicated to explain on the phone?"

"A bit," Robin snorted.

When Alfred opened the door a bit later the teen had gone over in his head what to say. He knew he had to be quick, and saw the moment the butler's eyes turned to ice.

"Al, this is Slade, the thing that happened was a misunderstanding, it wasn't his fault, and he needs our help," he blurted out.

"Oh, my," the old man said, a bit guardedly. Then his eyes travelled up and down the unexpected visitor. "Oh, my," he added. "Well, I'm sure Master Richard will provide a more in-depth explanation later. In the meantime, let's see if we can't find you something more suitable to wear. Would you follow me, please?" He then turned and walked away, obviously expecting to be obeyed. Slade turned to Robin and opened his mouth, but the teen just shook his head and pointed after the butler. Slade snorted and did as told.

Robin snickered. Alfred would probably have made sure Slade changed even if he hadn't been innocent. There were some standards in this household, after all, and everyone should dress up for Sunday lunch, even guests you intended to poison.

The teen then went to find Bruce to make sure he explained the situation to him before the two men happened to meet in the hallway, which would lead to bloodshed. The billionaire was in his office, and, after letting the news sink in for a bit, was somewhat open to the idea of helping. Robin just had to hope Slade wouldn't ruin it.

Alfred arrived in the sitting room with Slade in tow a bit later. Robin and Bruce had gone down there, because that was simply the room where you gathered before lunch. Traditionally it had probably been for drinks, now it was just a strange tradition that they did automatically. Slade was now dressed in a suit, no tie, and Robin's heart beat a little bit faster for a moment. The man looked good. The shirt, however, would have normally strained a bit, as it was Bruce's, but now fit worryingly well, it might even be a bit big.

The men greeted each other civilly enough.

"I took the liberty of packing a small bag for Mr. Wilson with some extra clothes, to borrow until he is able to retrieve his own," Alfred informed them. "I hope that is acceptable?"

"Of course," Bruce said. "Wilson, you need to tell me everything you know about this organization. According to Robin they need to be stopped."

Slade nodded, and the conversation during lunch mainly focused on that topic.

"Well, I can't release a killer in Gotham," Bruce said at the end. "But," he hurriedly said and raised a hand to stop any objection, "it's clear they need to be stopped. And I'll help. But it can't end in murder, only justice."

"Not sure I see the difference," Slade grunted.

"If you can't, I can't help you. I'll inform the JL, I'll work the case myself, but I can't let you use the computer."

"With all due respect," Slade said through gritted teeth, "you won't be able to find them in time. I'll be able to go through more data faster, I know how they work."

"True. So give me your word that you'll deal with all this without bloodshed."

The room was so tense that Robin felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He looked from one man to the other. Slade gently placed his knife and fork on his plate.

"Alright. I'll promise I won't take the revenge on them that I had planned. But I won't give up the right to defend myself while destroying their base of operations."

"As long as you are in real danger, as long as they are armed…" Bruce said after a bit of hesitation. Robin knew he didn't like it, but he also knew that he understood the seriousness of it all

"Deal," Slade grunted. "This is what I get for getting involved with heroes, huh?" he added, giving Robin a wry look, as they used to discuss these types of things a lot, back in the day, and quite heatedly too.

Robin gave him a small grin and a shrug.

"I expect you wanting to get started as soon as possible?" Bruce said and stood up.

"Yes," Slade nodded. "But first… is there any dessert?"

Robin helped Alfred clear the table as Bruce showed their guest down into the cave. They had just finished cleaning everything up, making small talk about school and Gotham in general, when Bruce returned.

"He's working." The man looked like he wanted to say something else but was having trouble phrasing it. "He's… in pain, I think. He moves stiffly. He's lost weight."

"Indeed, Sir," Alfred nodded. "He has terrible scars all over his body."

Robin wasn't surprised that the butler had stayed in the room as Slade got changed. Firstly, helping Bruce with those things was common, especially when the man was injured or sore. Secondly, Slade would never even entertain the thought of being embarrassed.

"I know," Robin shuddered. "It's like they dug pieces out of him with an ice cream scoop."

"I assume him eating that much is part of it?" Bruce asked.

Robin nodded. "Yeah, at least that's how he explained it to me. He needs to rebuild his body, after all, and that takes energy."

"I'll bring him a snack in a little while," Alfred announced.

Robin usually left at this point in the day, but as Slade had just started working, that was of course out of the question. It was nice spending time just chatting to Bruce and Alfred, though, and he helped the butler with some of the Christmas decorations. The man had started the transformation of the mansion, but liked to do it in stages, according to some schedule only he knew. As the hours passed, Robin started to feel a bit restless, however, and went down to the cave himself. It felt a bit weird being there. He had avoided it since becoming a civilian, as he had struggled with feelings of guilt and didn't want to be reminded of it.

"Hey, Slade?"

"Hm?" The man was focused on the screen.

"It's getting late."

"I'm working, Robin," the man told him and reached for something on the table next to him. A sandwich. He took a bite without letting his eyes leave the screen.

"And… for how long…?"

"Might be a few days."

"So you're just… gonna stay here?" the teen asked, feeling a bit lost.

"Until they kick me out," the man shrugged, taking another bite.

"Are you… I mean… are you sure you're up for… all this?" Robin asked him carefully. Slade finally looked up at him, and gave him a small smile, though it looked tired to the teen..

"I'm fine, Robin. And when it's all done, we'll… talk. Properly. Alright?"

"Alright," the young nodded, a tingle in his stomach.

"Why don't you stay as well?" Bruce asked him a little later as he had told him and Alfred about the mercenary's decision. "Just go home and fetch what you need. School is online anyway."

"It does feel weird leaving him here…" Robin muttered.

"Yes, you brought him home, he's your responsibility," the billionaire said wryly, making the teen chuckle.

"Very good, I'll make preparations," Alfred nodded. "There is just the question about… sleeping arrangements?" When Robin just blinked, the man, reluctantly, clarified. "Are you intending to… share a room?"

"What? No! No… We're not… there. I mean… right now…" Robin said, getting red in the face.

"Good," Bruce sighed, sounding relieved. "Like I told you when you told us what had happened; I'm not going to judge you for who you date, or forbid you from seeing someone. You're both adults. But if I didn't have to have Wilson end up as my son-in-law, I'd appreciate it." He said it all jokingly, but Robin mostly heard the acceptance in the tone, and was grateful for it.

He ended up packing his computer, school materials, clothes for a few days and, feeling slightly silly, his tea calendar. He'd probably need those moments of peace, he figured.

To be Continued…