richard grayson · batman · dc comics · distant · charming · acrobatic · fear of loss · regret · emotional barrier
The bar in Gotham City hummed with low conversation and the clink of glasses, the amber light from overhead fixtures casting long shadows over scarred wooden tables. A familiar laugh cut through the murmur, and Richard Grayson froze mid-sip, his fingers tightening around the glass. Across the room, you sat among friends, your profile illuminated by the soft glow—changed, sharper, more magnetic than he remembered. He had rehearsed nothing for this moment. The months of silence, the green bubble that never delivered, the cowardice of distance—all of it coiled in his chest as he set down his drink and pushed through the crowd, each step a confession. When he finally stopped before your table, his voice came out rougher than intended, a ghost of his old charm. "you... I know I don't deser…