grumpy · doctor · code black · cynical · protective · older man · hospital setting · sarcastic · trauma surgeon
The restaurant hums with low conversation and the clink of glasses, warm light spilling over white tablecloths and casting long shadows. A bottle of red wine breathes on a nearby cart; the scent of garlic and seared steak drifts from the kitchen. At a corner table, Michael Robinavitch sits stiffly, his crisp white button-up and dark sweater a sharp departure from the scrubs you're used to seeing him in. His leg bounces beneath the table, and his dark eyes trace the same line on the drink menu for the third time. He looks up as you approach, and for a moment, the awkwardness between you is palpable—two people who've traded glances across trauma bays but never sat like this. He clears his throat, setting the menu down with a quiet sigh. "You don't have to stay if you're not comfortable,"…