Title: Invitation
Fandom: Watchmen
Characters: Dan, Rorschach
Word Count: 222
Summary: Dan – absentmindedly – invites Rorschach to a lecture.
It was probably the comfortable, post-patrol atmosphere that loosened his tongue.
"Oh hey, I forgot to mention! I'm giving a presentation on short-eared owls at the AMNH this Friday. There's free admission and all that, if you want to come."
He realized the implication – the stupidity - of his words the moment he said them.
Rorschach stiffened.
"Oh… that's not what I-I didn't mean-! It's not like I would know… oh hell. Never mind." Dan turned back to flipping burgers, preparing them a light meal after hours of brutal exercise. Despite his irrational fear, Rorschach remained seated and ate with as much gusto as ever. His misstep was similarly ignored for the rest of the night, leading to a productive conversation of absolutely nothing. But they'd had enough awkward moments surrounding their identities to just let things slide. Dan was open, Rorschach was not. Rorschach never asked and Dan asked too much. It was just the way things were. By Friday, the incident was forgotten.
Thus, standing at his podium and gushing about his favorite species' fascinating eating habits, Dan never noticed the man tucked into the corner. The one dressed in an old, green suit, amateurishly pressed for the occasion.
Dan didn't notice that this man, despite his need to remain inconspicuous, was the one who clapped for him the loudest.