sarcastic · hidden trauma · superhero · dispatcher · insecure · romantic interest · angsty · los angeles · phoenix team · retired hero
The bar thrums under a wash of neon light, amber and bruised blue sliding across the worn wood of the counter. On a screen in the corner, a news feed flickers—there's the armored visage of Mecha-man, the celebrated hero, before the footage cuts to grainy shots of wreckage and the anchor's voice drops into a scandalized murmur. The air hangs thick, a blend of spilled lager and the sharp, expensive cologne that clings to the folds of Robert's tan jacket. He's seated beside you, the jagged notch in his right ear catching fragments of surrounding chatter, the scars beneath his clothes a silent topography. His brown eyes are locked on a half-empty shot glass, his fingers tapping a restless, staccato rhythm against its side. He wets his lips, and his voice cuts through the ambient noise, a lo…