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Slade was waiting at the restaurant when Dick arrived, still checking that his mask was off. He’d changed in a hurry and was wearing plain jeans and a shirt, which he knew wouldn’t match the spirit of the occasion. It had been almost a year since Slade and Dick had started dating. Or it had been a year? Dick didn’t have a mind for dates at all, really. But he knew Slade had booked a nice restaurant for tonight.
It had been difficult getting to the restaurant, Toa, because of the halloween parade going through Bludhaven, and Dick managed to go through most of it dressed as Nightwing, getting a good few compliments. Some people asked him if he were the real thing, ironically, but of course he had laughed and said yes, and no one had believed him after that except a five year old, who’s mouth dropped to the floor. Even on this street, which was more residential, signs of halloween abounded. Trick or Treaters were making their way from house to house, and Dick’s first sight of Slade was him giving out some candy to two young kids who told him happy Halloween as they departed.
“Happy Halloween.” He said back to them, a rare smile gracing his lips. Dick paused across the street to watch the affectionate moment, but Slade seemed to know he was being watched, because the smile slipped off his face and he looked casually around. When he spotted Dick his expression turned to a smug grin as he realized there was no danger. Dick crossed the street in the middle, which Slade noted, but didn’t comment on.
Slade was wearing a white suit. He always wore white suits in front of Dick. It was a lovely fit, black tie and eye patch matching, his undershirt a deep blue. It looked like it might be silk, and Dick touched it gently, both hands on Slade’s chest, as he stood on tip-toe to kiss him. Slade kissed him back, but didn’t remove his hands from his pockets. The shirt was most definitely silk.
“Sorry.” Dick whispered when he broke contact, but he didn’t back up, choosing to stay close to Slade, where he was warm, even if Slade was annoyed with him.
“For?”
“I had to walk through the downtown area. The balloons were too heavy in that area to swing.”
“Naturally. Did anyone recognise you?”
“Just a little boy with saucers for eyes.”
Slade grunted quite merrily. “So what exactly are you sorry for?”
“I’m kinda late.”
“No matter.”
“I bet it would have been if you’d stood out here all night.”
“Not at all. If you never came, you never came. You’re busy. I’m not one to set stalk in how important a few dates are.”
So far, Dick had never been late, though he had missed a few dates. Slade had never said anything, and had Dick had never mentioned it. Slade wouldn’t have bothered at all except that Dick brought it up. His dedication to the mask didn’t annoy Slade. On the contrary, he both understood and appreciated it. It was part of his self-definition of Dick, as well, so much so that Slade wouldn’t recognise him as “Richard” if he didn’t show this level of devotion to his work.
“You’re not even a little annoyed?”
“Of course not.”
“So why aren’t you holding me?”
“….There’s candy in my pockets.” Slade said slowly. “I had it in my hands, if you must know.” He immediately corrected it, though, letting Dick feel the warmth of his touch as Dick chuckled. They stood in the cold like that for a while.
“They canceled our table?”
“Yes, but I called twice and made two reservations. The second one is in your name.”
“Wow.” Dick breathed, appreciating how much forethought Slade liked to put into everything he did.
“It’s at 9:30, though.” He made it for an hour later, figuring if Dick was more than an hour late, he was too occupied to show up at all. He was forty-five minutes late as it was, though, so they wouldn’t have long to wait.
“That’s fine. Where did you get the candy?”
“At the store on the corner there.” Slade said, pointing with his right hand. Dick didn’t move from his warm spot. Slade’s arm returned to wrap around him soon after that. “I thought I might as well make myself useful, if there were children trick or treating.”
“You like them.”
“Of course.”
“But I never would have pegged you that way. Not in the beginning.”
“It’s rare that I’m as decidedly creepy as I was with you, Robin.”
“I should hope so. Often I expected you to kiss me at any second.”
“Yes, I recall you didn’t take it very well the first time I dared. To be fair, you were of age then.”
“I know I was different for you.”
“You still are, and will always be.” Slade murmured in his ear. There was a long silence between them. The sounds of the street went on around them for a few minutes, children yelling and laughing, lovers walking past them on the sidewalk, commenting on the decorations on the houses across the street from them. “Happy anniversary, by the way.” Slade said.
“What?”
“I said, ‘Happy anniversary.’”
“….. that’s… today?”
“Last Tuesday, actually. I think it would be strange to have it on Halloween, though, don’t you?”
“We missed it?”
“Was it of importance to you?”
Dick shook his head, bemused. “I guess not. But it usually is for other people.”
“It’s a marker on our years together. That’s something that I like. But I don’t feel it’s effect any more than any other day.” Slade remarked.
Dick looked up at him again. They both grinned as an older couple passed them, talking loudly and rudely about gay people shoving their beliefs down people’s throats by being so public. Dick snickered at them, never looking away from Slade, who groaned patiently. Dick wondered if he felt like beating them to a pulp, but was holding back because of Dick.
“You look really handsome tonight.”
“Thank you, Little Bird.”
“Should I change?”
“I don’t see how you could.”
“Sorry. I didn’t think I had time to go all the way home, let alone make something fit me well. In the end I just popped into Target. Everyone’s gonna think you’re my sugar daddy.”
“I don’t mind being looked at as your sugar daddy. In fact, are you implying I don’t give you sugar? I have candy if you want some.”
Dick laughed for real this time. “No, no, you give me plenty of sugar.” They kissed again. There was something almost magical about kissing Slade. Dick always felt their kisses were something that would happen while the world was dying around them, in the snow, or with a volcano going off in the background. Something dramatic, anyway. Something incredible. But it was never that way in reality. They were always just kissing on the street, or in Dick’s apartment. Or on Slade’s couch. The passion was there, but the situation never was.
They broke and Slade said, “Are you warm enough?”
“I am, with you.”
“Good.”
“Slade?”
“Yes.”
“I just… need to know… I thought that this wouldn’t last… why? Why are you so determined so suddenly… to be good?”
“I thought it would be obvious by now, Richard.” Slade said. Dick moved back so they could see each other, but their arms remained centred on each other’s bodies. “I love you. I always have.”
“You… uh… had a funny way of showing it, actually.”
“That would be precisely why I changed my way of expressing it, Richard.”
“I thought there was some other reason… something you needed to do.”
“Get that ass.”
“Something you felt…?” Dick continued as if he hadn’t heard Slade, except for the humorous smile gracing his perfect lips.
“Lust.”
Dick smiled, but went on, “Something noble, perhaps?”
“No nobility, Robin. Only you.”
“Oh.”
“You’re upset?”
“A little.
“What does it matter if I do it for the right or wrong reasons?”
“I just think intentions matter.”
“Are you unhappy with something?”
“No.” Dick sighed. “I’m happy with you.”
“I thought you’d be flattered. In fact, I was sure you knew the true intention. I moved to Bludhaven to be closer to you as well. It’s the same as that, isn’t it?”
“I can’t believe you’d consider switching morality as the same thing as moving houses, Slade.” Dick grumbled.
“You can’t believe it, or you believe it too much?”
“I guess the second one.”
“Well, I suppose I’m more grey, or perhaps just more nihilistic than you are.”
“Always.” Dick mumbled.
Slade waited for a minute, unsure if he was ready to ask such a question. In the end, he decided it was better to rip off the band-aid, so to speak. If there was going to be a rejection, he had better get to it. “So, now that a year has passed, how do you feel? You still feel it isn’t going to work- between us?”
“No, no.” Dick said, pulling away completely now. “I… used to think I was just being optimistic, but now, I really feel…this could work, Slade. This could definitely work.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Slade said, contentment settling in the pit of his stomach where before anxiety had made a home. He always knew Dick had had doubts, of course. Slade surprised himself by making a joke to pass it off, something he usually associated with Dick’s personality. “Especially because our table should be ready in a few minutes.”
“I’m giving you bad habits.” Dick said, seeing through the guise.
“We do that to each other.”
“You’re really happy about it, aren’t you?”
“That we could come to be? That we could stay this way? Yes, I’m happy.”
The door opened behind them. “Excuse me?” A polite male voice asked.
“Yes?” Slade asked.
“Are you Grayson?”
“That’s us, table of two.” Dick said, pulling away for the last time that evening and smiling. He took Slade’s hand.
“I’m thinking of red wine.” Slade said, “It should help warm you up.”
“Welcome to Tao, sirs.” The host said, bowing them in.
“Thank you.” Dick said back to him as Slade let go of his hand and wrapped his arm around his waist so they could pass through the door. Dick turned him attention back to Slade. He stood tip-toe for a second to kiss Slade on the cheek before they went inside. “And red wine sounds great.”