STATUS: closed for @valleyxrose
LOCATION: pick a bar, any bar
The bar is packed tonight, a sea of bodies moving to a rhythm Damian barely registers. He’s in his own head, humming with the warmth of cheap whiskey, feeling pleasantly detached from everything he’s been running from. He’s weaving through the crowd, headed back to his spot at the counter, when he feels his shoulder knock hard into someone solid. The force nearly sends him stumbling back, but he catches himself, glancing up with a lopsided grin.
The guy he’s bumped into doesn’t look amused. He’s a tall, broad-shouldered man with a glare that could probably cut steel, and he’s already halfway through muttering something under his breath that sounds like trouble. Damian can feel the anger radiating off him, sees the way his fists clench by his sides. But instead of backing down, Damian just flashes a lazy smile, half-squinting at the guy with cheerful indifference.
“My bad, man,” he says, voice light and unbothered. “Didn’t see you there.” His tone is almost too casual, like he’s talking to an old friend rather than a guy who looks one more shove away from starting a fight.
The guy scowls, stepping closer, towering over him. “Watch where you’re going next time,” he growls, eyes narrowing, fists clenched like he’s waiting for Damian to make a wrong move.
Damian just laughs softly, swaying slightly on his feet, still smiling like he hasn’t got a care in the world. “Hey, c’mon now, no harm done, right?” he says, unbothered by the guy’s looming presence. His smile doesn’t waver, even as he watches the guy’s face twist with irritation. There’s something almost amusing about it, the way this stranger is puffing up, clearly looking for any excuse to swing, like he’s spoiling for a fight. Damian can see it in the tension around the man’s jaw, the way his hand flexes at his side.
“Seriously, man, chill,” Damian slurs the words, chuckling as he raises his hands, palms up in mock surrender. “It’s a crowded bar, you're a big dude — probably happens all the time.”
But his calm seems to only stoke the guy’s anger further, his eyes narrowing as he steps even closer, his chest puffed out. Damian’s grin only widens, like he’s oblivious to the threat. Or maybe he just doesn’t care.
“Got a smart mouth, huh?” the guy sneers, his voice low, biting.
He feels his jaw twitch at the words. Smart mouth. Jason loves using that one. “Guess so.” Damian’s smile tenses slightly, body swaying a little on his feet but not backing down, even as he watches the guy’s fist clench. It’s clear the stranger’s on the verge of throwing a punch, his expression darkening with each passing second, his shoulders squaring as if he’s just waiting for the right moment to snap.