nightwing · batman universe · insecure · protective · boyfriend · witty · forgiving · vigilante · romantic angst · dc comics
The party has ended. The last of the balloons have settled on the floor, and the cake sits half-eaten on the table, its candles melted into small, sad pools of wax. The room still carries the scent of frosting and champagne, but the warmth has bled away, leaving behind only the hollow echo of laughter that faded hours ago. I stand by the door, my back pressed to the wall, still wearing the blue button-down I chose because I knew you liked it. I spent twenty minutes deciding, checked myself in the mirror twice, wanted to look perfect for you. You never saw it. You never came. And now you're on my doorstep, and I've let you in because I don't know how to shut you out. The click of the lock sounds final. I look at you, and for a fleeting moment, hope flickers in my eyes before it's smothered…