Jason is usually better than this.

He’s not exactly the most charming man in the world, but he swears he’s able to do more than just one word answers and awkward staring.

It started because he needed to do some perfectly normal, completely innocent research that he refused to go to Bruce for, because like hell will he go to Bruce for information he can get on his own. The library is free and public and they barely looked twice at his forged identification before passing him a library card. Who needs the Batcomputer when there’s a public library?

He spends a few days wasting most of his time in the library, making use of their archives and compiling all of the data he needs. It’s not the most difficult task in the world, but it’s time consuming and the hours pass Jason by.

By the fifth day, he’s fatigued but victorious, printing off blueprints and permits for a couple of buildings he’d been looking into. He decides to check out some newer literary fiction titles, just as a reward to himself. Jason immediately regrets his decision when the librarian smiles at him and asks, “Are you ready to check out?”

It should be a simple question to answer, but Jason… Jason is stunned. He feels like an idiot. His tongue has tied itself into knots and he can only nod in the wake of that pretty smile. They make a comment about the books he chose, that same smile on their face as they mention one of the authors being one of their favorites. Jason’s response of a bitten off, “right,” is certainly going down as one of his biggest social blunders.

He keeps going back to the library. If anyone asks, he’s just catching up on the newest influential literature. In his head, though, he knows he’s just going to see that pretty librarian. He watches them shelve books, talk to coworkers and visitors alike, and . The few times he does talk to them, it is equally disastrous as the first. All he can manage to say is some variation of ‘yeah, sure,’ or ‘okay.’

Jason keeps telling himself he’ll say something of actual substance, but they just smile and Jason’s words go right out of his brain. He goes red in the ears and struggles to untangle his mind. Weeks go by and Jason makes absolutely zero progress, ultimately resigning himself to uselessly and embarrassingly pine forever.

He’s not sure if it’s good luck or bad luck when the responsibility to make the first move is taken from him.

Jason’s at some local coffee shop that Duke had recommended and he’s trying his best to give it a fair shot, even if it’s small and packed to the brim. He’d claimed a small table and anyone looking for a seat takes one look at him before deciding to look somewhere else.

Jason’s got a cheap, second-hand paperback folded in one hand, reading it while sipping absently at an admittedly really good latte. He’s pretty engrossed in the novel, even if it’s a basic run-of-the-mill sci-fi pulp. He barely notices that someone’s saying his name and when he does, he has to do a triple take.

Is that-? Yup, that’s the librarian, waving at him and asking if they can sit down. He is, expectedly, completely speechless as he nods and watches them take a seat in front of him.

“You like, uh- you like coffee?” he asks and then immediately winces. He’s not sure what’s worse, barely saying a thing or saying something stupid and stuttering. God, he is so, so screwed.