A/N: I tend to write way to long author's notes… and I HATE long author's notes. So… let's continue the story instead…
Just: not mine and please review!
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Chapter 2: Setting the rules
Left alone in the room once more, Robin decided to snoop around. He would try to learn everything he could about his enemy. He would gain from this! Exploring the wardrobe he discovered that the clothes were basic, mostly dark colored and looked expensive. It seemed Slade simply had walked into a store, ripped out a section and brought it back. He probably DID too… Finding another closet he gasped as he saw lines of Slade's uniforms. There was even an extra mask and protective gear. Or maybe those were the ones Slade had taken off yesterday. Didn't matter. Everything was neatly in order, though… And who does that remind you of? Robin couldn't help himself and touched the mask with a shaky finger. Feeling the coldness of the metal he pulled away and firmly closed the door again. Suddenly not feeling up for any more exploring he sat down on the bed. There weren't any chairs in the room, after all. Some time later he simply laid down, curling up on the newly made bed and went to sleep.
As Slade came back and saw the resting shape he simply stood still watching him for a while. Robin's black, smooth hair framed his beautiful face. Long, thick, dark eyelashes hiding those spectacular eyes. Soft lips, curled in sleep into a small smile. Adding an agile body that positively drowned in Slade's own clothes, the boy was just perfect, he decided. He put down the bag of sandwiches he had brought and slowly crept onto the bed next to Robin. Pushing him gently onto his back Slade bent down to kiss Robin awake.
The boy started kissing back before being fully alert, and when he became aware of what was happening it was too late to stop. A rush of pleasure, like the toxic-induced ones, rose inside him. He let out a small disappointed noise when Slade broke the kiss but then managed to find his bearings somehow.
"What do you think you are doing?!" He was even able to put a hint of anger in his voice, an accomplishment he was quite proud of at the moment.
"It occurred to me that I never kept my promise last night," Slade said in a low voice which sent shivers down Robin's spine. The good kind of shivers.
"Wh… what promise?"
"Don't you remember? I'm disappointed in you Robin! I though you would insist I honor it as soon as you woke up this morning."
The boy's face remained completely blank for a moment and then his eyes became very, very large.
"You don't mean-?"
"Yes." Slade smiled. "I promised to return the favor after all." With that he started kissing Robin's neck. His hands reached for the bottom edge of the boy's T-shirt pulling it up so he could get at his chest and stomach. Robin jerked a bit when Slade's lips hit the nipple he had bitten the night before, perhaps afraid he would do it again. He didn't. Not hard anyway. Working his way down Robin's stomach he glanced up at the boy, delighted to see the lust in his blue eyes. Sure he tried to object and squirm, but his movements seemed to be more towards Slade than away. Reaching down to stroke Robin's crotch he found the boy to be quite hard already. He loosened the belt buckle with a flick of his fingers and had no trouble pulling down the oversized pants and boxers to Robin's knees.
Robin was in heaven. That he was brought there by the devil didn't matter at the moment. His hands found Slade's head, but remembering what had happened the last time he had wanted to make Slade do something, he let them fall to his sides again. Biting his lip, trying to maintain some sort of dignity by not screaming, he suddenly felt Slade's mouth plunge down and he forgot all about his restraints. His head arched back, fingers clawing at the bed as he moaned Slade's name. Feeling a slight pressure at his entrance he lifted his hips to let the man get better access. As two of Slade's fingers pushed in, Robin came, and the last thing he cried before he blacked out was: "Master!"
Robin came around only moments later and found that his pants had been pulled up and his T-shirt once more covered his chest. He panted deeply, staring up at the roof. Had it been a dream? He was alone in the room… could it have been? Only a dream? Then he noticed that his belt was still undone.
The bathroom door opened and Slade entered the room. Robin shifted his gaze to the ceiling again even now fighting for breath. The bed shifted as Slade stretched out next to Robin, resting on his side, just looking down at the boy. Robin tried not to meet his eye. The man suddenly leaned down and kissed him, but this time Robin didn't return the kiss. Drawing back, a bit annoyed, Slade cringed inwardly as Robin's eyes finally met his. They were full of confusion and fear, welling up with tears. As one teardrop freed itself and started rolling down the boy's cheek, Slade softly kissed it away and drew the boy closer.
"What's the matter, Robin?" he asked.
For a long time Robin said nothing, but Slade could tell that it wasn't a show of rebellion on the boy's part. He just didn't know what to say. Finally he spoke, so quietly that Slade had trouble hearing him.
"I didn't know… I never thought…"
Slade waited patiently for him to continue.
"I… I liked
Starfire! I like Starfire!"
Aha… Slade
thought, so it was THAT that was troubling the boy.
The man smiled.
"You are referring to
yourself being gay?"
Robin nodded. "I don't understand… I
didn't really think I was, but…Not that it's anything wrong
with it, it's just..."
"I don't believe you are gay." Slade stated. "I know I'm not."
The look of total confusion on the boy's face was extremely entertaining.
"But? You… we…?"
"I don't know about you, of course, but I consider myself to be bi." Slade told Robin and as the boy's confusion didn't seem to fade he continued. "Bi-sexual. There are a few theories among scientists that we actually all are. We are all certainly able to find pleasure with a person of the same gender, only our own barriers determine if we do. Those barriers are often religious, political or just basic human fear of the unknown. Get rid of those obstacles, Robin. Never limit yourself."
I don't DO limits, Robin thought and a small smile started playing in the corners of his mouth. Slade saw it and returned it, stroking Robin's arm. The boy's face turned serious once again, though.
Damn, Slade cursed, there's more…He knew very well what it was, and continued his small lecture before Robin had time to say anything.
"We might be those who are able to limit our sexuality Robin, but few can decide who they end up… caring for. We can try to build walls around our minds and hearts all we like, but that will only hurt much more in the end. Never bind yourself to the altar of self sacrifice. No one will ever thank you for that, they will never know to thank you, and you will just end up hurting everyone you care about… even the ones you try to shut out."
Robin sighed, trying to contemplate Slade's words.
"Do you… do you care about me?" the boy asked, his voice trembling a little bit.
Slade knew not to hesitate, so he didn't.
"What do you think, Robin? I have already told you that you are mine, and that I never will let you go. Isn't that a clue? I thought you were supposed to be a detective!" Watching the slight annoyance on the boy's face he continued, far more seriously. "I do care about you. I care very much. I want you to grow, to flourish, and overcome every obstacle this world deem fit to throw at you. And I won't hide the truth from you, Robin. One day I want you by my side. As my partner."
The small smile was back on the boy's face, turning slightly devious as he asked:
"A partner with benefits?"
"With benefits." Slade confirmed, laughing. He leaned down to kiss the boy again, and, this time, he did kiss back.
A little while later, Robin was sitting on the bed with his back against the wall, wolfing down one of the sandwiches Slade had brought them. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he smelled the ham and tomato. He tried hard to focus on the sandwich and not what just had happened. What's wrong with me? Kissing Slade?! WILLINGLY!? REPEATEDLY!?!? And letting him do… that… to me? I can't even blame the damn plant anymore, can I? Slade was sitting next to him, also eating, but with a bit more moderation.
Well, he just had a snack, right? Robin blushed a bit. Where DID these dirty thoughts COME from anyway?
"Don't you have a kitchen?" Robin asked, suddenly aware that the only rooms he had seen so far were the bedroom and bathroom. Eating in bed didn't seem like Slade's style.
"Actually, I don't. Not here anyway. There is very little need for one as you will see in time."
"I'm going to get
the tour?"
"Of course. You are going to do a lot of training
here after all."
As Slade finished his sandwich and Robin reached for his second the man turned to him.
"Well, Robin, I think it's time to discuss the rules for our little agreement."
"And when you say discuss…?"
"I actually mean that I will dictate them to, you, yes." Slade smirked.
Robin just snorted.
"Firstly, we will have lessons. Sometimes you will meet me for sparring and training, sometimes there will be lectures, which we can do online if needed. For this you will have that friend of yours, the tin man, set up a direct link to the screens the towers main living room and your private quarters. That's so I can always reach you when you are at there. I will send the details later. The lectures will include how to deactivate security systems and similar subjects, but also history, language, psychology, health topics and so on. As for when you are out on a mission…" he reached into his pocket and took out a small, sleek communicator, reminding Robin of the latest cell phones. Slade placed the contraption in Robin's hand and he studied it, flicking it open to reveal a screen and a few buttons.
"It is locked to one, exclusive, frequency, and before you ask, yes, it also has a tracker. Furthermore, as we are both often busy and lessons might be cancelled, I will sometimes leave you assignments to complete before a set deadline –"
"I'm getting homework?" Robin couldn't believe his ears.
"Yes. This is a teacher-student contract after all." Slade frowned. "Just tell me if you want out. We can skip this part and go straight to the Master-apprentice element if you wish. Which means leaving the town for a few years or so…"
Robin shook his head. "No, thank you. Go on."
"The base of training is this building. You will have free access to it using the communicator. The doors will automatically open when you hold it in front of them. You will continue to lead the Titans, but you are not allowed to hide your lessons with me from them." Robin visibly winced at this; he had been hoping to cover up at as much as he could of this deal. Slade ignored him and continued. "The reason for this is that sometimes your lessons will come first. At those times I don't care about your alarm going off or even if Batman himself comes to visit. When I call you, you will come. The other… part… of our relationship you may keep a secret if you wish… although they must know what happened last night anyway…" Robin frowned deeply and the man continued. "This may seem rough, so let's go over the benefits of this deal from your point of view…" Slade watched the boy closely, trying to see if he understood what the man was telling him, before going on. "You will be with your friends" he started. "I will not make you commit any actual crimes until you are my apprentice, and until then, I will not force you to call me 'Master'". He was amused at how grateful Robin seemed at hearing this, but he didn't know if it was the first or second part that made him appear that way. Probably both.
"And, finally… the things that will break the contract…" Slade's voice had taken on a very dangerous tone now as he proceeded. "Loosing or breaking your communicator or not bringing it with you outside the tower. I will know immediately if it has been damaged or manipulated in any way. Also failing to show up when called or finish your assignments on time and to my satisfaction. Revealing my appearance or the location of this base to anyone. Not doing your very best, and basically, not obeying orders. These things will all make the contract null and void. And you do know what that means, don't you?"
Robin nodded. "You'll
come for me."
"Depend on it." the man confirmed darkly.
"What if my friends refuse the deal?"
"That, I would also consider a breach of contract, Robin, so you better talk them in to it."
Easy for YOU to say… you obviously don't know my dear team…
Robin, chewing away at his meal, quietly mulled things over for a while and spotted a flaw.
"What about stopping you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I can't count on you just sitting here rolling your thumbs all the time, right?"
"No, as I said, I do have work to do."
"Right, and that 'work' will probably involve breaking the law, I suppose?"
"Probably."
"And you expect me to just let you?"
"On the contrary, Robin. Trying to stop me will aid in your training. During those times you are free to act the way you deem fit. If you even find out what I'm up to, that is…"
Robin snorted.
"The alarm goes off
at least once a week because of you…" Out of the blue something
clicked in Robin's mind. It was something Slade had said about his
future lessons… "You set those alarms off on purpose, didn't
you?"
"Obviously. I am an expert after all. I'm surprised
you didn't figure that out earlier." Robin blushed a little. It
had been obvious. Taking a deep breath Robin prepared himself
for what he knew he had to say. He just hoped it wouldn't result in
bruises.
"Slade… I got to make you understand… I will do this, what the heck, maybe I'll even benefit from it, but you must know by now that I can never, will never, join you." The blush became a little bit more evident as he added "in crime, anyway..."
Slade didn't seem disturbed by this; it was to be expected after all.
"You are still young, Robin, There is plenty of time for change. Remember what I said about limits? We will find yours together, and once we have identified them… well… you will have to decide what to do about them." He couldn't help adding with a smirk: "you seem to like overcoming your limits so far…"
Robin huffed, taking a big bite out of his sandwich so he couldn't be expected to answer.
Slade got off the bed.
"Everything clear, Robin?" Robin could just nod, his mouth
being full of bread. "Well, then." Slade continued" "It's
time to go". Robins gulped, almost swallowing the bite down the
wrong way.
"Not afraid, are you Robin? About how your friends will react?"
Robin shook his head, but Slade could see that he was lying. The boy was very afraid indeed.
Getting to his feet, remembering to tighten the belt at the last second, Robin couldn't help to complain.
"They will probably throw me off the team."
"That is always a risk." agreed Slade loftily, "But I very much doubt it. And besides… if they do you'll know where to go."
Running back to Slade after being denounced by his friends was a thought that didn't very much appeal to Robin.
"What about my mask?"
"What about it?"
"Well… I don't have it, for a start!"
"Get used to it. I won't allow you to wear the mask around me anyway."
"But my team…"
"They
haven't seen you without your mask?" Slade was genuinely stunned
by this.
Robin shook his head and Slade thought for a moment.
"I think it's time they did. I want to see those eyes of yours on the screen as well… you have more masks don't you?"
Robin nodded.
"Well then. You may wear one outside the tower, of course. Are you ready?"
Robin nodded again, gulping.
"We will take a quick tour first. Follow me."
Robin did, trying to quench his curiosity so it wouldn't be quite so apparent. As Slade led him through the building Robin found out that it was actually quite small. Most of the space consisted of storage but there was a tidy workshop, a room filled with different computers and other machines that would leave Cyborg drooling for a week, and an armory that left Robin gawking. There were weapons there from every stage of human evolution, making a dire statement to the lengths humans would go to just to kill each other. All the weapons seemed to have been used and Robin got a feeling Slade was an expert at them all. Swords seem to have a special place in the man's heart. Huh... didn't know that…The next room seemed to be for training, as there was sandbags and different sort of dummies set up there. It was by far the largest room and Robin didn't get a chance to look around. Some of those dummies had looked rather real.
As the tour ended Robin realized that he hadn't seen a single window. The air was fresh and crisp and the lighting adequate, but what kind of a building was this? Maybe they were underground, but the rooms didn't have that 'basement/cave' feeling to them. The answer was presented to him as Slade opened another door and there, finally, were some windows. The windows themselves were situated high up under the roof and Robin couldn't make out anything as it was dark outside by now and the only thing they showed was the sky. Instead he looked around and discovered that this place looked like a building site. The room was strangely shaped and seemed to enclose the set of rooms they just left. The boy's mind worked it out quickly.
"You built your quarters inside another building?"
"Yes. You can look in and only see an abandoned warehouse. Nothing to steal and nothing suspicious. Of course I have the place wired up anyway… no one gets even close without me knowing about it."
"You don't think Cyborg could sit in on the security lessons, do you?" Robin grinned.
Grinning back Slade answered:
"He is most welcome to, although I doubt he will understand most of it…"
Robin looked around again.
"Sooo… how will I get home? They would have taken my bike, and I don't even have a grappling hook."
"Getting home will not be a problem." Slade said as he opened the front door of the building and Robin gasped. They were at the seaside, and there, right in front of him out in the water stood Titans Tower.
To be continued…
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A/N: Uhmm… don't actually have any comment... I hope you like where the story is going… think Robin was a bit too docile? Well there's an explanation (sort of) which will come up a few chapters from here… and maybe I just like him… willing… :o) Any questions/comments? I can only answer if you ask… ;o)
