Work Text:
A deep purple Maserati, which from that description should probably have been barreling down some winding California road at sunset, was currently sitting motionless at an inner city Gotham stoplight as its occupant fumed behind the wheel. Oliver Harris was going to be late for a very important date, a date that he himself had proposed nonetheless! He drummed his fingers nervously against the steering wheel, eyes locked in an unwinnable staring contest with the red light before him. Jervis was bound to be at the restaurant already. He was the kind of person who tried very hard for people he deemed worth trying hard for, and Oliver considered himself very lucky to be someone Jervis Tetch considered worthy. It’s not that he himself wasn’t considerate, he just hadn’t expected the traffic to be this horrendous.
The light turned green and Oliver’s car was off like a bullet, swerving dangerously around people who were actually following the rules of the road. It was only seven after, he reassured himself as he sped up to get through a yellow light he really should have stopped at, Jervis wouldn’t be too angry at him. Actually, Jervis probably wouldn’t be mad at all. The man was too sweet for his own good.
Pulling into the parking lot of the Napa Rose, Oliver quickly noted that there was no one waiting outside on any of the benches, meaning that Jervis was already inside. Either that or he was more than twelve minutes late. Twelve minutes, good lord. If Jervis wasn’t going to beat him up for being that late then he would have to do it to himself. Turning the collar up on a fancy shirt that almost matched the color of his car, Oliver practically ran to the door. The brightly lit sign above the entrance seemed to sparkle in the slightly foggy winter air, but he hardly noticed it as he pushed through the door into the warm and beautifully decorated interior. Crystal chandeliers hung from high ceilings, glinting with every movement they made coupled with a live jazz band playing some 40s hit made for the perfect romantic atmosphere. Oliver took a moment to pat himself on the back for choosing such an ideal first date location before venturing out into the sea of tables and chatting couples, looking frantically left and right for any sign of-
“Oliver! Oliver! Over here!” a cheery, high pitched voice sounded from somewhere on his right, and he turned to see Jervis, looking utterly dashing in a lilac trench coat, standing on a chair and waving energetically at him from a table in the corner. Oliver beamed when he saw him, waving back in conformation and rushing over to take his seat.
“Hey Jervis, I’m really sorry for being late. I didn’t expect the traffic-” Jervis, who had sat back down in his seat by now, shook his head and cut him off.
“No worries, no worries. All that matters is you made it.” he said sweetly, laying his hand tenderly over Oliver’s and looking into his eyes with a smile that had the poor man’s stomach doing backflips.
“Well, I’m happy to see, er, to be here with you.” Oliver quickly grabbed a menu to bury his face in so that Jervis wouldn’t have any more opportunities to make him blush. The place didn’t seem to sell anything that was under forty dollars, which Jervis pointed out to him a few moments later, voice heavy with worry. He had nothing to be concerned about though as Oliver told him that he would be paying for everything. Jervis argued vehemently against this for a little while, not wanting to simply mooch off of his date’s bank account, but he eventually gave in and thanked Oliver for his kindness with a quick kiss to the back of his hand that sent lightning shocks up his arm. Wasn’t Oliver supposed to be the charming one here? Shouldn’t he be the one making Jervis grin stupidly and not the other way around?
Well, whatever his plans for the evening had been, Jervis had a funny way of turning them on their head. It wasn’t that the other man was particularly smooth, because he definitely wasn’t. Jervis had never been on a date before in his life. Oliver had been on tons of dates, and yet here he was tripping over every other word. He was more nervous than he’d ever been, but having the time of his life. This was the first date he remembered having where he actually cared about the outcome. Jervis had become such a staple in his life over the past few months, he didn’t know what he would do if that stopped being the case. Luckily for him, Jervis cared about him just as much as he cared about Jervis.
The date was over almost as soon as it had started. In a rush of shameless flirting and heartfelt conversation, the two had ordered, eaten, and paid. They remained at the table for quite awhile afterward, however, talking about whatever came to mind, whatever would allow them to stay like that for just a bit longer. Jervis went on for a little while about some new neuroscientific study, talking excitedly about things Oliver didn’t quite understand but was happy to indulge in for the sake of seeing the other man happy. But it couldn’t last forever, and soon enough Oliver checked his watch and stood up from his chair, sighing reluctantly.
“Time to go already?” Jervis questioned, checking his own watch in disbelief.
“Afraid so.” Oliver sighed. “Well, I hope you had a good time tonight. I know I did.” a cheesy end to an equally cheesy date.
“Oh I had a lovely evening, thanks to you.” he didn’t quite understand why Jervis was climbing onto his chair again until a hand fell on his shoulder and a pair of lips as soft as the man himself met his, and fireworks went off in his brain.