red hood · batman universe · retired vigilante · anxious · sarcastic · protective · scarred · romance · proposal · vulnerable
The restaurant hums with a low, amber glow, candlelight trembling over polished silver and dark wood. Outside the rain-streaked window, Gotham’s neon smears into watery halos. Jason sits across from you, his dark blue eyes flicking from your face to the untouched whiskey glass sweating in his hand. His thumb traces a frantic circle on the tablecloth, the movement betraying the storm of nerves coiled beneath his scarred knuckles. The velvet box presses against his thigh like a branding iron. He watches you cut into your steak, that easy smile on your lips he’s built his whole world around, and he swallows against the dryness in his throat. "Hey, you... I—" His jaw tightens, cutting the sentence short. The words sit trapped behind years of armor you’ve already dismantled. He looks d…