Dinner Date [c]

Standing by the fountain in the centre of the square Dick fiddled with his rings. It was a quiet night with only couples milling about. So Fleck should easily spot him.

Every minute he was waiting he looked at his watch. 5:45. He wished it would turn six already. It had only been a few days but he wanted to see Fleck.

The last date with him was brilliant - even if it ended a little rushed. This time he made sure to fill on blood beforehand to make sure the same mistake wouldn't happen again. He hoped that Fleck didn't feel bitter about it towards him.

He was dressed for the dinner date. A light blue shirt, which he thought brought out his eyes wonderfully, a light grey jacket and grey trousers to match. He swept back his blond hair into a loose pony tail with a few curls framing his face to keep it more casual.

Dick checked his watch again: 5:46.

Fleck clenched and unclenched his hands in his pocket as he power walked through town.

He was later than he wanted to be. He had hoped that he would be there about twenty to. He always strived to be about twenty minutes early.

He'd gotten caught up chatting to his mother, though, and now he was late.

Well, late for him.

He turned a corner and half-jogged into the old square. He caught sight of Dick and began making his way to him immediately. "Hey," he called out.

5:47.

Dick perked up when he spotted Fleck.

"Hey!" He called back waving with a grin.

He took a few steps to close the distance between them.

Before he can stop or over think it he leaned up to give Fleck a peck on the cheek as a greeting. He was still grinning with a blush dusting his cheeks.

"How are you?"

A grin broke out on Fleck's face when Dick pressed a kiss to his cheek. His head tipped and he pressed a returning kiss to Dick's cheek.

"I'm good. You?"

He was happy to see the man again. He'd been missing Dick far more than he would ever admit aloud.

His cheeks were rosey and his heart was pounding as the kiss was returned.

"I'm good thanks. Haven't been up to much the past couple of days other then work and read. What about yourself?"

Dick didn't mind the obligatory small talk when it came to people he cared about. He liked knowing what they have been up to.

"Some work, some art, some being attacked by the zoo."

He grinned, a twinkle in his eyes. "An average few days for me."

His grin just widened and he offered his arm. "I do believe we have a pizza date, Mr. Dick. Shall we?"

He laughed at the cheesyness of it all.

"We shall."

He reasted his arm on the offered arm and follow Fleck's direction.

"Also it is Mr. Plantagenet if you want to do it right. Mr. Dick doesn't sound good in either translation."

His nickname has always been slang for, well, a dick but it has never been much of a problem until about the 70's? 80's? He was surprised Fleck hasn't mentioned anything yet - even the Italian's laugh about it.

"Plantagenet," he repeated. "Not a common name, is it?"

He hadn't heard of it, or anything like it before. It was an odd name.

"Apologies then, My Plantagenet," he said grandly. "Shall we?" he asked again as he began leading Dick towards the pizza place they'd decided on.

"It's an old name. I'm British, we have weird names."

Though, even in their standards, he was sure he had a pretty unusual last name.

He smiled up at Fleck.

"Apologize accepted. What is your last name anyway? Since I have revealed mine."

"Well, that's true enough. My family's name is Babcocke." His entire famiy suffered with their surname.

It was the reason that he hadn't commented on the nature of Dick's nickname. His family had the same problem and he knew from experience that it got beyond annoying when people commented on it.

"I dodged that bullet, though. Cecchi." He had his mother's surname.

He sympathized with Fleck's family. Having a rude name could be difficult at times. It must be even worst to have a rude surname - having to use it in professional situations.

"Cecchi is a nice name."

He remember Fleck mentioning that he was a result of an affair. Cecchi mist of been his mothers name.

"Do you have a middle name?"

"The only thing nice about that family," he muttered under his breath. This was perhaps the only time Dick had heard Fleck speak bitterly.

He did not have a good relationship with his mother or her family. If family was the right word to use for that group of bastards.

"No. Just the two names, and my nickname. What about you? Any extra names?"

Hearing the bitter tone in Fleck's normally cheery voice Dick frowned. He hadent heard Fleck talk like that before and he didn't like he. It didn't suit him. Dick didn't press on the matter, instead he squeezed Fleck's arm in what he hoped was comforting.

"Same, no middle name."

He raised a eyebrow.

"Nickname?"

"You didn't think Fleck was my given name, did, y-ooo..." He'd started off with a grin, but his eyes had caught something ahead and his voice had trailed off before he could finish what he was saying.

His dark eyes were caught on the sign of one of the shops just a little way up the road.

He had this reaction every time that he passed that store or similar ones.

Blue Lines
Tatto & Piercing Studio

Dick scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment

"Ugh, I kind of did."

He had met so many people with unusual names in his life that he never bothered to question it.

He would of asked for Fleck's real name if it wasn't for Fleck's sudden turn if interest.

"Someone like tattoos and piercings?" He asked out of amusement.

It wasn't hard to imagine. Fleck did have a few along one ear and a gauge on another. He also had the typical style of someone that would like them.

"Its not. My real name is much less interesting."

Fleck was an interesting name. Especially since it was an English nickname. The Italian's he knew loved the foreign name, more than his birth name, which was also English, at the request of his dad.

Fleck's cheeks flushed a little and he smiled guiltily at Dick. "Yeah, just a little. I love them. They're just-" He made an appreciative noise in the back of his throat. "If I wasn't so indecisive, I'd have a hundred of them."

Fleck was terrible for deciding on a tattoo to have, then changing his mind before he could even think about booking an appointment.

Piercings he was more liberal with, considering you could take them out at will. With the three in one lobe, the scaffolding in his cartelidge and the gauge in his other ear, and ideas for yet more in his head that he was planning to get, Fleck was happy with piercings.

If only tattoos were as interchangeable as piercings.

"It can't be that uninteresting. What is your name? Or is it something I will have to find out with time?"

That also could be rephrased as: 'I would like to know your name, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to'. As well as meeting many people with unusual names, he has also met people that didn't like revealing their name.

He laughed at Fleck's distress, but his thoughts are back on Fleck's real name.

"I can't give away everything too early in the game! I've gotta keep some things secret to keep that air of mystery around me."

His grin trned misceivous.

"I'm going to let you find out what my real name is yourself."

Make into a sort of guessing game.

Dick shook his head with a smile and squeezed Fleck's arm again as he gave Dick a mischievous grin.

"I will wait for you to slip rather then guessing. This is a relaxing evening, I don't want to strain my head too much."

There were too many names popping in his head to guess them all.

"Going back to tattoo's if you had to have one now, what would you have?"

"Sure," Fleck chuckled.

It would be a very interesting game between the two of them. How would Dick try and find out his name?

"Right now...? I dunno, probably something of Margie's. Maybe a print of her foot or something?"

"Very original." Dick joked.

Despite the joking tone in his voice, he imagined it would suit him. Dick could imagine Fleck's covered in tattoo's all dedicated to his family and pets.

"Where would you have it? On your arm or something?"

"Honestly? I think the first tattoo I get is going to be a tramp stamp," Fleck admitted with an embarrassed grin.

The idea of having a tramp stamp was funny to Fleck.

And he thought he'd probably be able to rock a tramp stamp.

Dick tried to hide his laugh behind his hand.

"A tramp stamp?! Really?"

Out of all the tattoo's he has seen - and coming to terms that, yes, he did like them and it was nothing to be ashamed of - he had never been too fond of tramp stamps. Probably because of the connotations that came with it.

He nudged Dick gently. "Don't laugh!"

Though he found himself laughing right alongside Dick.

"Don't you think I could rock a tramp stamp if I got one?" He thought his back would lok awesome with a tramp stamp on it, just above his dimples.

He did give it a thought. With Fleck's size he guessed Fleck's was pretty toned under his shirt. Pair that up with tanned skin and a tattoo that drew your eyes just above his waistband...

"I am not answering that!"

But his blush said it all.