[C] Brrrr

"I don't."

Dick looked at his options: Instant or filter. As much as a snob he was, he didn't feel like waiting and faffing around. Instant it was.

He tipped some coffee into hot water as he waited for the kettle to boil.

"Fleck was interested in having a threesome," he said absently.

"Is that an addition to the conversation on cheating, or a whole new conversation?"

She settled more comfortably back in her seat, watching a couple make their way towards their own car.

"It was a while ago he brought it up."

He stirred in the hot water and made his way back outside.

"I wasn't keen. Still not, really, but knowing that he was interested in one didn't bother me too much. Now that I know that he still loves this person that hurt him and used to be in a relationship with, I... I don't know."

He rubbed his temple. It wasn't easy to articulate his thoughts. 

"What if I'm not enough? Or what if he wants to take the easy route and have a happy, human relationship?"

"One person is never entirely enough for someone, Dickie. Humans aren't built for monogamy, and Vampire's even less so."

Though, nowadays, with blood bags so readily available, it was easier to be monogamous with a human partner.

"He's been with you for how many years? Fucking another human, with you there and participating, likely isn't going to turn him away from you. He has never been one for taking the easy route. He's an artist born into a poor family, dating a Vampire. You can't get more difficult-route than that, darling."

Dick hummed. He wasn't too sure if her words were comforting or a wake-up call. 

Unsure on what else to say, he glanced up to the windows on the second floor. He sighed.

"Okay, I should probably go speak to Fleck. Do you want to meet for coffee tomorrow? I promise I'll leave my drama at the door."

"You don't have the ability to leave your drama at the door." Dick was all about his drama.

"Ten AM, at that cute little cafe by the skating rink. You can pay."

Dick rolled his eyes.

"Sure sure." The corners of his mouth twitched up. "As annoying insightful your advice can be, thanks for listening. Night."

He ended the call and with a deep breath, he texted Fleck.

Sorry for taking so long, can you come down to the patio? You might want to bring a blanket. x


Can you also bring my mints, please? xxxxxxx

"It's only annoying because it's true. Night, darling."

It was a couple minutes before Fleck appeared, blanket around his shoulders and a napping Jack in his arms. The pack of mints dangled from the fingertips of one hand.

"You okay?"

Dick gave Fleck a small smile. He had a new cigarette lit between his fingers. It was rolled between them side to side slowly.

"Yeah, I just needed to think things over and I, uh, spoke to Giacinto."

There was plenty of room, but he scooted up on the bench he was sat on.

"Are you okay?"

"How did that go?"

Fleck shuffled forwards, taking a seat on the bench next to dick adn settling Jack more comfortably in his lap.

She stretched and yawned then crawled over into Dick's lap, all without opening her eyes. Dick was always her favourite.

Dick smiled down at Jack and held her loosely, pulling Fleck's shirt over her like a pouch. He rubbed a finger gently behind her ears.

"The usual. She made some observations about my flaws then gave me some worldly advice, in her own way."

He looked up to Fleck.

"You didn't tell me if you're okay."

Jack made a strange grunting noise and rolled over, curling herself into a pretzel and pressing her head harder against his hand.

"Good advice?"

Fleck leaned back, staring out into the garden.

"I'm... good."

He pressed his fingers into her head, massaging it.

"Hard to hear, but yeah, it was."

He nudged Fleck with his shoulder.

"You're not sounding very convincing there."

Fleck's lips kicked upwards and he affectionately nudged Dick back.

"I'm okay." He sounded more sure that time.

But part of him still worried. Dick just kept hearing things that he didn't like about Fleck, and each time he would have the same reaction, to get up and leave.

Fleck was just worried that some day he would hear something to make him leave and not come back.

Dick wasn't entirely too convinced but...

"Okay. You'll tell me if you're not, right?"

He liked to think he would. Yet he remembered Fleck being cagey about the scar on his leg.

He couldn't quite make sense of what part of himself Fleck was honest and upfront about, and what parts of himself he wasn't.

"Only if you tell me if you're not."

Fleck had his moments of being closed off, but it was nothing like the Fort Knox Dick built up around himself at times.

He leaned into Fleck with a sigh.

"Promise."

He would have also held Fleck's hand if one wasn't occupied with a cat and the other wasn't holding his cigarette. 

"I suppose I should start with what happened half an hour ago?"

He rested his cheek against the top of Dick's head.

"That'd probably be a good place to start."

He didn't want to admit that he really wanted to know what was going on in Dicks head. What had he done to hurt Dick so much? He hoped he could at least attempt to fix it.

Dick hummed and scratched Jack's head thoughtfully. Where to start?

"Listen I... I wasn't particularly comfortable with today, but, he's you're friend still so..." He shrugged. "When I asked you how you two broken up, I didn't expect for him to have cheated on you. Multiple times. Then you said you still, you know... loved him."

That still stung.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly. The conversation with Giacinto was still fresh in his mind.

"I didn't want to get pissed off with you so I left. Sorry, that probably wasn't fair."

No one in their right mind expects cheating. It almost made it worse, more shocking. Cheating was a horrible experience.

"We all make mistakes," he murmured.

From what he could tell, he hadn't done anything wrong besides admit feelings for Gennaro; something that he wasn't sorry for. That was... good.

He hadn't upset Dick like he thought he had.

"That doesn't mean you have to forgive everyone one."

He suspected that was going to fall on deaf ears.

He sighed and slumped. 

"I'm... not too sure if I'm comfortable you seeing Gennaro on your own. At least for the time being."

"If I forgave every mistake someone had made around me, we wouldn't be here."

If he had forgiven every mistake, he would be with Gennaro, raising the affair baby, or worse, still laying down as Rafaella's doormat.

Despite knowing it was a fair enough grievance, Fleck did feel a stab of hurt there.

Did Dick not trust him to be faithful?

Dick raised his eyebrows as he took a drag. He still thought Fleck forgave too easily, but he kept his mouth closed.

"I have to ask, how would you have felt if we spent a day with Nacio?"

"I don't know."

One shoulder raised in a shrug. "I haven't met the man."

He'd like to think he wouldn't be too uncomfortable, though. That he could trust Dick not to go jumping back into the man's arms.

They'd held firm in the past few years. That was enough, wasn't it?

"He's an asshole and a prick with a very punchable face." There was a slight warmth in his tone that surprised him. It had been a long time he'd spoken about him. It didn't feel right to speak about exes casually with Fleck, and Giacinto...

He tilted his head up to Fleck and curled into him a little more so Jack was pressed between them.

"We used to argue a lot. Over stupid things really."