Dinner Date [c]

"I invited you out on this date." Which meant, in his mind at least, he was the one that was to pay.

"If it makes you feel better, you can get our next date," he suggested. Fleck was more than happy to wheedle another date out of this by way of bribe.

"Now, you put your thinking hat on and decide what we're doing next."

"Well then, I invite you out on another next date."

He flushed at his own comment but it felt good. The butterflies returned to his stomach at the promise of another date.

Dick waited at the table to think. The only thing he could think of was go on a stroll - but where? The city centre was nice in the evening but it wasn't very exciting. The coast was lovely, but they already had a walk along the beach in the last date. Maybe they could just wonder aimlessly and see what happens from there?

"And I accept your proposal for another date. I'll have you know, I expect a wonderful date."

Fleck disapperaed off, but was back within five minutes.

"Have you figured out our plans yet?" he asked, leaning his hip against the booth.

"So I was thinking maybe a walk? I will give you three options: A coastal walk, a walk around the centre, or we can walk aimlessly and hope for the best. Not the most exciting plans, I know, but I couldn't really think of anything."

The vampire gave the man and embarrassed smile.

He began to lead the way out of the restaurant, thanking the waiters and waitress' one last time as he waited for Fleck's response.

Fleck hummed as he thought on his options.

A walk on the beach.
A walk in town.
Or a walk God only knows where.

Choices, choices.

As his boots hit the pavement, Fleck turned his dark eyes to Dick.

"How about we see where we end up?"

Let it enver be said that Fleck wasn't adventurous.

He was pleased with Fleck's choice. For the first time in a while, he was looking forward to an adventure. Even if it was just strolling around Catania's streets.

"Well, lets get walking."

He boldly offered his hand for Fleck to hold, he cheeks still stained red.

Fleck was quick to take up the offer, weaving his fingers through Dick's.

"Cold hands," he noted with a tiny frown. He gave Dick's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Are you cold?" Fleck was more than willing to hand off his jacket if Dick needed it.

He couldn't help but squeeze gently back.

"Huh? Oh no."

To be honest he was surprised Fleck didn't bring it up sooner. Maybe he only just noticed?

"I just have bad circulation in my hands."

He laughed it off. It wasn't a complete lie he guessed? He didn't know how he worked as a vampire and wasn't particularly interested to find out either - despite his curious soul.

"You can have my jacket if you get too cold."

Fleck was a worrier. He liked to know that the people he was with were happy and healthy.

If there was even a slight worry that someone wasn't perfectly happy or healthy, he wanted to do anything to change that.

He squeezed Fleck's hand again in reassurance.

"Honestly, I am fine. I was born in England after all. This is like summer to us." He jokes.

It was unusual having some fret over him. It was nice.

"But I will keep it in mind if I do get cold. Thank you."

"I've never known it to be this warm in England."

Fleck visited fairly frequently and it had never been this warm while he had been there.

Maybe he was just unlucky with his visits. He spent most of them plastered to the closest heater with a heavy blanket around him anyway.

It was so cold in England.

"Hey, only I can slag off my country."

He gave Fleck a playful shove with his shoulder.

"It does have it's days and on some rare occasion's we have heat waves too. Though, in all honesty, they are the worst things ever."

At least nowadays there is the luxury of fans, coolers and not everyone being a such a prude.

"Slag...off...?" he repeated in confusion. He had no idea what that meant. He supposed in context it must mean saying something bad about it. Still, he'd never heard that phrasing before.

"Heat waves." They lived in the Southern most part of Italy. England would never know heat waves like Catania did.

"Are we back to complaining like an Englishman again?"

Well that didn't translate as well into Italian as he thought it would.

"Oh - it means talking insultingly about something? I've been watching too much British TV."

Specifically trashy British TV. It was the only thing he did watch during his rare TV watching periods. He would like to Fleck to think he was watching some intellectual program, so he kept the trashy part out.

"I am afraid it is something you will have to deal with, dating one."

Ah, so he was right.

He'd have to invest some time into learning some more British slang so he wouldn't be constnatly confused with what Dick was saying.

"I suppose I'll have to find a way to manage, then." A cheeky grin curled his lips. "Or find a way to get you to stop."

He raised an eyebrow at the cheeky grin.

"Oh? I am afraid that won't be possible. Us British guys are pretty stubborn. You would have to gag us or something."

Dick's pure heart was completely oblivious to any implications that may of left.

Fleck's brows shot up at the comment.

"Well, I usually wait til the fourth date," he quipped right back.

There wasn't even a twitch in his expression. He wasn't lying here.

Sex on the third date. Kinky sex on the fourth was what he'd played by with the last few people he'd dated.

He'd done a fair amount of experimenting sexually. Among that had been a few kinky practises that he'd rather enjoyed so far.

Dick's eyebrows knitted into a frown.

"Wait until the forth date...to gag someone? Are you some sort of serial killer." He joked.

With the many interesting people he had met in his life it wouldn't be a total surprise. Just a disappointing one.

"Serial killer?" Fleck choked around a laugh.

"No! I'm just a little kinky," he defended himself. Would Dick be all right with that? He probably could pass it off as a joke if Dick didn't take well to the idea.

He hoped Dick wouldn't react too badly to it.

"Oh... OH!"

The implications of his words and Fleck's comment's dawned on him. He probably discovered a new shade of red.

"Oh."

How exactly do you respond to someone - specifically your date - telling you they are kinky?

"That's fine."

Fleck laughed and gave Dick's hand an affectionate squeeze.

That had gone down pretty well. Dick was clearly awkward, but he wasn't reacting negatively, and that flush on his cheeks was just adorable.

He wondered if any mention of sex would get that colour to grace his cheeks.

That was something he'd have to test in the future.

Dick smiled awkwardly.

"I think it may be longer then the fourth date, you know."

In all honesty he would like to avoid it altogether. It was embarrassing to think about - let alone acting it out.

"And I'm perfectly okay with that."

Honestly, as uncomfortable as he would be, he was perfectly okay with Dick deciding that he didn't want sex for another twenty dates.

It just meant that he would be spending a little more time with his hand.

Fleck wouldn't dream of making Dick do anything that he didn't want to do.

Those words released tension in Dick's shoulders. Squeezing Fleck's hand he smiled up at him, face still beat red.

"Thank you."

He fell into silence after that, unsure how to move the awkaward conversation on.

Fleck ran the fingers of his free hand over the short hair at the base of his neck. "You're thanking me for being a decent person?"

What sort of fucked up life had he lead when he felt the need to thank someone for saying that they weren't going to be a dick to him?

He dropped down to pick up a chocolate bar wrapped on the road, tutting under his breath about people littering, and stuffed it into his back pocket as he stood straight again.