[C] Pride and Predrinks

"They're not going to give us the good stuff for free shots." That wasn't a sound business venture.

You give the cheap stuff away to draw people in, then make them pay for the good stuff.

He sat back, resting his arms on the back of the couch.

"True."

He took another large gulp in a second attempt to wash the burn away. It was pretty counter-productive, but he wasn't about to go up to the bar again for a glass of water. He didn't want someone else slithering into his space.

His eyes turned up when a waitress came over, a couple of glasses and a bottle of expensive prosecco in one hand. She had an amused smile on her face.

"You see that man over there?" She nodded to Ciro to the other side of the bar. His tall form made taller by him standing on a chair, waving at them. "Well, he asked me to bring this bottle over to you guys and that he apologises, again."

She set the glasses on the table and poured the bottle as Dick gapped. He was mostly embarrassed about Fleck not being all that impressed by him then guilty. Now he did.

"Before either of you refuse, he already paid it. Besides," she leaned in, "he could probably buy this whole bar and still be rolling in it."

Fleck looked up when the waitress pointed Ciro out, and he gave a friendly wave back, nudging Dick to do the same.

"When you're back that way, can you tell him thank you, and all is forgiven? Right?" he questioned Dick pointedly, gaze turning down to him.

He wasn't taking no for an answer there.

At his boyfriend's insistence, he gave a small wave back, the shock apparent on his face. Ciro's smile became impossibly brighter and he waved vigorously. He fell off the chair.

The little wave over the crowd told them he was fine.

Dick met his boyfriend's pointed gaze.

"Oh, yeah, right. All is forgiven."

The waitress smiled and nodded then put the expensive bottle in a bucket of ice before she left.

Dick watched the little bubbles rise and glitter in the glass. Maybe he had been a bit harsh and quick to judge his character.

Fleck snorted when Ciro fell off his chair, and that turned into a full on laugh when his hand raised above the crowd, and a man with long black hair yanked Ciro to his feet.

He didn't move to take the glass that was poured for him, though.

"It's all yours," he told Dick when the waitress left.

He didn't have a taste for it.

Dick looked over the glasses, then bottle. It was barely five.

"Thanks, but you might be carrying me home at this rate."

He had a fairly high one for a human, but an embarrassingly low one for a vampire.

He'll just have to try and not knock the drinks back and take his time with them instead.

"I think I could manage that. You're not exactly heavy."

He grinned and poked Dick's side teasingly. Dick really was a wisp of a man. Pretty short, and thin. Still somewhat muscular, but slight.

He leaned forwards to grab the drink Dick had bought him alongside the shots.

Dick jerked slightly, curling in on the hand as a little bit of wine splashed on the floor. With as frown, he slapped the hand away.

As often as Dick dished out teasing Fleck like this, he could never take it himself.

"It's not my weight that you have to worry about."

He had learned over the years that alcohol tended to flick switches on in him that sober Dick normally had off. It was both a blessing and a curse. Especially when sometimes he discovered switches he never knew he had.

Fleck gave a little laugh.

Well that was true enough. Dick was a very different person when he had a few drinks in him.

"You going to drool on me then, huh?"

Dick made a face.

"I don't drool."

He did. He knew it. There were numerous of times he woke up with the pillow case sticking to his face. He just hoped there was a slither of a chance his boyfriend never seen him like that.

"Bullshit."

He grinned widely. "Do you know how many times I've had to wipe drool off my chest?"

More than once, that was for sure.

A familiar bright red spread across his cheeks.

"You never."

A whole new perspective was put on their relationship. He thought that if Fleck did catch him drooling, it would be when they woke up in the morning. Never did he think he would drool on his boyfriend's chest.

"I wake up before you almost every day. I think I know when you're drooling over me."

Plenty of times he had woken up with Dick drooling on him and he had cleaned the both of them up, then woken Dick up.

"It's worse when you drink."

With a groan, Dick pressed his hands in his face and slouched into Fleck, mortified. He was almost having second thoughts about the drinks. Almost.

Glitter was on his hands when he pulled them back, but the rainbow stayed in place.

"I need to start waking up earlier."

"Good luck."

Dick didn't get up early. He just didn't. There were only a couple of times in recorded history that Dick had been the first to wake up.

He wasn't expecting it to happen again any time soon.

"You'll see."

Dick gave Fleck a little nudge, even though he probably needed the luck, and a lot of it. He enjoyed his sleep far too much. Especially was he was in a comfortable bed, snuggled up against his boyfriend, warm, happy and content.

Waking up next to him was one of his favourite things. Even now, after the mortifying revelation that Fleck was very aware that he drools in his sleep.

Caught up in his romantic train of thoughts, he turned and smiled up at Fleck. Then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sure," he agreed with a placating nod.

He believed that as much as he believed Sollew was going to suddenly start exercising.

He smiled when Dick kissed his cheek, and captured Dick's chin with gentle fingers when the Vampire pulled back.

Fleck smiled, thumb stroking Dick's chin, just under his lower lip, with a tender stroke. He leaned forwards, pressing a light kiss to Dick's lips, still lightly gripping his chin.

Dick's breathing slowed when his chin was caught and the tender moment passed between them. A soft, content sigh left his lips when the kiss was broken. It would have been easy to miss.

Eyes opened and vivid blue met warm brown, slightly crossed. He smiled, glowing from the glitter and blush, and lifted his free hand to cup the side of Fleck's neck. He leaned back in to take the gentle kiss back.

His hand slipped around to rest on the side of Dick's neck when the Vampire leaned up for another kiss.
 
The kiss was so long and slow and tender and full of so much emotion, that by the time Fleck pulled back, his head was swimming.

He smiled down at Dick. his expression full of love.

Then he ruffled Dick's hair vigorously, laughing.

Dick pulled back, the same love-filled gaze mirroring his boyfriend's face.

Then he felt hands fluff up his hair.

"Fleck!"

He lifted his own hands up to batter the attacking ones away, ducking his head, completely forgetting about the wine glass in his hand.

A grimace was on his face and he glared up at Fleck, a complete one-eighty to the expression he just had a few seconds again.

There, luckily, hadn't been much wine left in the glass, but he still felt a cold trickle down the nape of his neck.

Fleck just grinned back, slumping back to rest against the couch, feeling more than satisfied.

"Yes, dear?" he replied, arms crossing over his broad chest, acting completely innocent.

For a split second. Because the next second, he smirked, breaking his facade.

He jabbed a finger in Fleck's chest.

"Don't play innocent."

A part of his hair had been successfully fluffed up into a mini cloud. Another portion at the back had clumped up wet and sticky from where he dumped wine on himself.

He shifted uncomfortably when the back of his shirt began to soak up what was trickling down his neck, his boyfriend still having that infuriating smirk.

Without a second thought, he grabbed some ice from the wine bucket and shoved it down the back of Fleck's shirt.

Fleck snorted, smirk widening. 

"I'm not playing anyth-ah!" He gasped loudly as the ice was shoved down the back of his shirt. It would have been a normal reaction, if the gasp didn't sound quite so pleasured.

"Shit," he muttered, cheeks flaring red as he pulled his shirt back so the ice fell out the bottom. One small chunk slid down into the back of his pants. "Fuck."

The rest of the ice got dumped on the tray, then he went fishing for the piece that had slid down the back of his pants.

"Gremlin," he grunted, flicking the piece of ice onto the floor.

Dick had learned a lot about Fleck since a met him. And there were very specific things he learned about Fleck this past couple of months.

There was no other interpretation to what that gasped meant, especially when coupled with the red cheeks.

His own cheeks warmed as he put two and two together.

At the insult, his brows twitched together.

"It is only payback."

He slid his hand up Fleck's back, under his shirt - equally an experiment as it was a punishment. On a day to day basis, his hands were cold, but they were now made freezing from where he had held the ice.

"U-huh, righ-ttt." He exhaled sharply, teeth clenched when Dick's hand slid up his back.

"I can play this game, too, gremlin," he said with brows arched challengingly.

He leaned forwards to press a few kisses up Dick's neck, before capturing his earlobe, giving it a little nibble and suck, before standing up.

"I'm going to get myself another drink. Do you want one, or are you good with the wine?"