All The Better

All The Better

A DC Universe Fanfiction by
*LJonesReed (AKA Star of Airdrie)



"Hugh Hefner and a Playboy Bunny."

"You are not dressing like a Playboy Bunny in public."

Kory cocked a brow. When did that type of thing bother Dick Grayson? "May I remind you what I wear when I fight crime?"

"That's different. More ideas, Kory, come on, it's still your turn."

"It is only my turn because you had no ideas about what to wear to this Hallowe'en party we must attend."

He gave her that lop-sided grin that she fell in love with, how many years ago was it now? "I'm not creative when I'm sleepy."

A smile played on the Tamaranean's lips. Oh, yes Dick, you really are. "Poor baby. Perhaps we should go to bed. Or are you too sleepy for that as well?"

And miss out on the hot Alien lovin' that he had been missing out on? No siree. "No to bed at least for now and definitely not too sleepy, so just behave for a little while longer. We have to figure out costumes for Bruce's party next Saturday tonight."

"Yessir!" She said with a playful salute. "You always have to be leader, don't you, oh scheduler-in-chief."

"Selected, not elected."

"And for me, I was just born to it."

"Does that make us even?"

She winked. "We'll decide later." Dick chuckled and Kory gave him a satisfied smirk. Yup, she still had it. "Aquaman and Mera?"

Dick thought about it. "With or without a hook for a hand?"

"Your choice."

Could get kinky... "Um, I guess not."

"Green Arrow and Black Canary?"

"No."

"Nightwing and Starfire."

"Oh, sure. Like Bruce won't do something horrible to us for that. Although, I could bring out the old Disco-wing suit..."

"I never understood why people disliked that one so. The feathery one that came next was the one I couldn't stand. "

"That was my least favorite too. Didn't we agree that we wouldn't go to the party as superheroes?"

"Yes, but..." Starfire, or rather, Kory Anders purred. "Shall we attend dressed as Batman and Robin?"

"You have no survival instinct, do you?"

Kory shrugged. "Robin and Batgirl."

"Kory, that isn't even funny." Dick considered it. "But then again-"

"Dick, I will blast you if you finish that thought." Kory's voice was tight and her eyes fired up a bit.

"Hey! You were the one that brought it up!"

"Yes, but you were supposed to tell me that it was a horrible idea, that in comparison that my companionship is superior, that you prefer the way I-"

He stopped her with a kiss. Could he have been that stupid, to have fallen into such an obvious trap? He had seen one or the other redhead in some sort of romantic way from age 13 on, and both of them had played that game from time to time.

"Where were we?" Dick asked, trying to distance himself from his mistake as quickly as possible.

"I believe I was about to make sure you took me to bed." Kory replied seductively.

"Not yet, Kory, we are going to figure out what to wear to this Charity Hallowe'en Ball in Gotham next week and we are going to do it tonight." He gave her a slow smile. "Remember, the quicker we get this done, the quicker we can move on to other... things."

"You drive a hard bargain. But as for the party, must we truly attend?" Kory rarely whined, but she was at that point. "There are so many other things that come to mind which I would rather do."

"Yes Kory, we've been over this. We're back together, as in Kory Anders and Dick Grayson are back together. It gets complicated with Starfire and Batman... and given this 'Batman Franchise' business."

"I do fear that it will expand. 'Each franchise independently owned and operated' as you in America say, correct?"

Dick let out a sigh. "God, I hope not."

"Will it last?"

"Probably. Well, I'm not... I'm not sure... Can we talk about this later m'love? We just got back together, you just got back from Vega and the R.E.B.E.L.S. and dealing with the Psions..." Dick stopped when he saw the sadness in Kory's eyes. "I'm sorry, those bastards have hurt you again, and I shouldn't have brought it up."

"'Tis fine."

"Yes, but I should be more sensitive to your feelings."

"I am Tamaranean, I wear my emotions proudly, as opposed to humans. But to be honest, now that I'm back on Earth, the thing I dread is seeing Bruce, or rather, dealing with his reaction to me. He has never liked me and now that you and I are together again-"

"Kory, it doesn't matter. I love you and nothing will change that."

"Nothing will change that again you mean," she countered cocking an eyebrow as she crossed her arms across her ample chest.

Dick was not going to let Kory provoke him just for some great make up sex. "Kory," he said in a warning tone, and then his voice softened, "we are here to figure out our costumes, and then you can have anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything," he said firmly. "How 'bout Edward and Bella from Twilight? Then I can suck your neck all night."

"Dick, I may not be from your world, but even I know that vampires do not sparkle! However, I do like the idea of you sucking my neck." She offered her throat to him for emphasis.

He growled and leaned forward to taste the soft skin at the juncture of neck and shoulder. "I'm glad some things haven't changed," he muttered, his lips against her neck. He bit her gently for emphasis and Kory purred. Dick gave a frustrated chuckle. "We're getting distracted again."

"All right. How about you are a Secret Service Agent and I am the President of the United States."

"Not sure if people would get it. Plus we've never had a female American President, Kory."

"I do forget how barbaric your people can be."

"I really don't know how to respond to that."

"Please don't even try. There is no defense for that lack of insight in your people," she replied loftily.

Dick was indignant. "Plenty of other countries on Earth have been led by women!"

"We shall see when the US catches up to the Ancient Egyptians. So... Marc Antony and Cleopatra?"

"Hm, possible, but for insulting my country, no."

"Roger Rabbit and Jessica."

"You'd look wonderful and I'd feel like an idiot. No."

"Bonnie and Clyde."

"No."

"The Blues Brothers."

"How could we hide your chest?"

"It is brainstorming, Richard, not all ideas will be good ones."

"Lady Godiva and..."

"Who, her horse?"

"Well.... Adam and Eve."

"I love that idea, although it would hurt."

"Pardon?"

"Adam's rib. Never mind, I wouldn't expect you to know the Old Testament."

"No, I didn't exactly go through Sunday School."

"The Little Mermaid and uh, who was it?"

"The dreamy Prince Eric, the most wonderful of all the Disney Princes..."

"Now I'm jealous of a cartoon character-"

"Ah, you have nothing to worry about, Dick. They are nothing but fictitious characters, two-dimensional ones represented on paper or film."

"Any of the Disney Princesses would work really, but it's too obvious."

"Not even Beauty and the Beast?"

"No."

"Okay, other Fairy Tales. Aladdin and the Lamp? I could be a Genie."

"No."

"The Three Little Pigs."

"Not a couples thing, Star."

"Jack and the Bean Stalk."

"Well you are taller than me." They shared a laugh, enjoying falling back into the easy give and take conversation.

"OK, Jack the Giant Killer."

"Never."

"Ah, that's sweet. Hansel and Gretel?"

"No way. I couldn't see portraying your brother."

"No, perhaps not. Ruthin'draal and the Graarl'ur Griznik?"

"Who?"

"Well, who said it had to be an Earthen Fairy Tale?"

"The fact that it's an Earth party?"

"Party pooper! I am out of Fairy Tales I think. Oh wait, how about Little Red Riding-Hood?"

"That could work. Sure."

"Really? You are not saying that because it's getting late."

"No it's a good idea. And it's getting late."

"Good, because it has been too long lover. Take me to bed. We can work on getting the costumes together later."

"Hold that thought for one moment, m'love. One call to Alfred and we won't have to worry about the costumes until it's time to put them on."

"Glorious!"

"Hi Alfred, it's Dick. Can you have Harold get costumes together for Kory and me for Bruce's Halloween Ball next week?"

There was only a moment of silence as Alfred responded on the other side of the line.

"Thanks, Alfred. Yes, Kory is going as Little Red Riding-Hood and I'm going as the Big Bad Wolf."

"Uh, Dick--"

Dick held up a finger to silence her, giving her the universal 'I'll be a minute' sign but tempering it with a gorgeous smile. She wanted to stamp her foot, but they were still in the honeymoon phase of their rekindled love affair.

Dick continued on with some measurements and how he envisioned the costumes.

"Richard!" Her tone was not to be ignored.

"Excuse me Alfred, Kory needs to say something to me." He placed his hand over the receiver.

"There has been a misunderstanding," she said as she moved toward him with a bit of a smirk and he was sure an extra sway of her hips. He swallowed hard as she stepped right in front of him, their chests nearly touching. "I was under the impression that I would be the Big Bad Wolf and you would be Little Red Riding Hood."

"But Kory, the wolf is a boy and Lil' Red is a girl-"

She inched closer. "But the wolf is pretending to be the Grandmother, is he not?"

Dick swallowed again. "Well, yes."

Kory made a not-so-subtle move to place her chest against her as she inched forward again. "And the wolf is taller than the young girl, is he not?"

This time, Dick was unable to swallow. "Uh, huh, yes?"

She nipped at his earlobe. "Yes or no?"

Good Lord, could she have planned this? "Yes."

She purred before she blew in his ear, "Or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow you're-" and with just the right amount of force, and for just about a second longer than he thought he could handle. He nearly stumbled back onto the kitchen counter. Was he really going to take the time to point out that it was a quote from the wrong wolf in the wrong fairy tale? Yeah, right. He somehow forced his arm over to the Dixie cups by the sink – yes, you can't be too careful about germs, it was cold and flu season after all – and managed to grab the top one, find the faucet, fill the cup and find his mouth and take a sip. No small feat.

The water allowed him to wet his throat enough to actually speak rather than squeak. "So, Kory, let me be sure that I understand you correctly. We are going as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. You are going to be dressed as the Big Bad wolf, who will be in turn pretending to be Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother. I, on the other hand, will be dressed as Little Red Riding Hood that evening."

She gave him her most innocent smile. Oh, she had those down pat. "Yes, Richard."

Dick took a deep breath. Boy, this was not a fight he wanted to have with Kory, yet dressing as Little Red Riding Hood to Bruce's Halloween Ball in Gotham among the elite and wealthy and alleged intellectual cognoscente wasn't high on his list either. Yet pride go'eth before the fall, as they say, and as Kory began to play with his collar and unbutton his shirt and caress his chest, he forgot about the bat-teasing and the bat-taunting and the bat-abuse and that YouTube existed... and the fact that Alfred was waiting for him to come back on the line.

Kory looked up at him with a smirk. "Dick, I believe Alfred awaits updated directions concerning our costumes for the Halloween Party."

Slowly the fog cleared and Dick lifted the phone to his ear, "Uh, Alfred, there's been a change in plans..."

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FIN

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Thank you to writer212 for the reminder about Prince Eric and the read through and of course my sister Bregeduur for the Beta.