Chapter Text
bartholomew @impulseallen
This is Tim’s fourth time attending the MTV Video Music Awards but it’s his first time attending as an actual artist and performer someone help me comprehend how rich he is
abi @bartallensupremacist
@impulseallen
tim, whenever he’s with the other boys: i’m in the ghetto! ratatata
——
Tim is usually nervous to perform at shows that aren’t just his own concerts, but he’s especially nervous now, because he has a short solo stage where he’ll have to do an individual dance break, and he is terrible at dancing when he isn’t flanked by four other boys. He’s in the group to sing, everyone knows that, there’s no use in trying to act like he isn’t. He doesn’t know why he even agreed to do this in the first place.
“Dude, chill out,” Bart says, coming up to the mirror next to him to check his makeup. “You’ve been practicing for weeks. You’re gonna be great.”
“That’s easy for you to say, you trained in ballet for eleven years,” Tim mumbles. He wrings his hands apprehensively. “I just learned how to do the whip, like, seven minutes ago.”
“Do not do the whip on stage,” Zach says loudly from his corner of the dressing room. “I will tear your head off with my bare hands if you do the whip on stage.”
“No one gives a fuck about you, though, so it’s not like that really matters,” Bart says.
Zach puts his phone down. “You wanna know what ‘really matters’? I’ll show you what really matters -”
“Oh, what are you going to do, make your bodyguard escort me off the premises?” Bart scoffs. “I’m so scared.”
“Hey, ignore them and just have fun,” Jaime tells Tim, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder. “This is the one thing that you don’t have to be perfect at. Red knows what you’re capable of, he’s not going to kill you if you miss a step or trip.”
“I will kill you if you miss a step or trip,” Zach says.
“Hey, asshole, focus on your own material,” Bart says, pushing Zach’s head. “Your hair looks like shit.”
“It’s a statement,” Zach says.
“Uh, yeah, if your statement is that you look like shit,” Bart says.
The light above the door starts flashing to let them know that they need to be ready soon so Zach quiets down to let his stylist finish and Jaime kicks Eddie awake.
To be completely fair, Tim thinks that it’s probably normal to be this nervous for a solo performance at an award show, even if his solo performance is only going to last ten seconds. The Beatles were probably nervous during their first few years together, he’s not crazy.
Soon, their manager is at the door, urging them to get to the stage, and they’re being ushered out. A woman dressed in all black helps Tim hook his mic up and then all five of them are taking their places below the stage.
It’s a cool performance, they each shoot up onto the stage for their own dance break, and once they’re all up, they’ll perform their latest single. Tim is going to be the third one up, which is nice, because it’s the least memorable.
He looks to his left to see Bart doing a little jig on his platform, and to his right to see Eddie stretching out his legs.
The show starts, and Tim clears his head.
When it’s his turn, he uses the momentum of the rising platform to vault into the air and he lands firmly on his feet. It’s hot onstage, like it always is, and really bright. He moves without thinking and before he knows it, he’s walking down the terraced steps to get to the main stage and Bart is at his side with a huge grin and their song starts to play. He’s much less nervous now that the other boys are with him and he laughs when Bart crouches down to sing a line to a fan who pretends to faint. His mic picks up his laughter, which makes Zach laugh, and they bump fists as they cross paths, earning a round of cheers. It’s easy and it’s fluid. They’ve rehearsed these “natural” interactions enough for them to actually be natural. He doesn’t know what he was expecting the crowd to be like, but it’s a lot better than whatever he was imagining. The audience feedback is so positive that he’s grinning just as wide as Bart is by the time the song is over.
Then, the lights go down and they’re walking briskly offstage back to their dressing room to change back into their event outfits and an intern leads them to their seats in the audience.
“Dude, you did great,” Jaime tells him before he can ask. “You just got, like, twenty thousand new fans.”
“Really?” Tim can’t hide his surprise.
“You were adequate, at best,” Zach says, and Tim glares at him. “But he’s right, the audience ate it up. Your solo might have gotten the most noise.”
Tim lets out a sigh of relief, and the stage manager shushes the audience for the show to continue.
——
bree @moonlightbuteras
was i the only one who didn’t know that tim drake is a Thot? was no one going to tell me about that?
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
First performance at an award show went amazing!! I definitely would like to do that again sometime soon!
amy @lowellrules
@beetlereyes
billboard latin music awards por favor
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@lowellrules
¡Realmente quiero! Los chicos no hablan español, pero me encantaría ir.
aj @youngbuttstuff
this video of conner from shazam reacting to tim’s dance break has me CRYING
bartholomew @impulseallen
@youngbuttstuff
HELLO?!!?!??? @thedrake
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@youngbuttstuff and @impulseallen
who dat
Dick Grayson @rjgrayson
As a hoe master, I am so proud to see how much my hoe padawan has grown
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
Whoever screeched like a pterodactyl during my dance solo, dm me
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
@gingerdevil
Someone please dm me so Jason can stop pretending that it was him
j @redhood
@gingerdevil
It was me though
rose @ravagerose
@gingerdevil and @redhood
Yeah I was there it was Jason
linh @sapphicjoys
TIM SAID WHO DAT
——
Bart bursts into Tim’s hotel room through the door that connects their suites. “You don’t know who Shazam! is?”
Tim doesn’t move from where he’s bundled in the blankets on his bed. “Who?”
“Shazam!” Bart says, like saying it over and over is going to make Tim remember somehow. “They - Shazam!”
“Who?” Tim repeats.
“Shazam! is an American rock pop band formed in 2016 in San Francisco, California. Now based in Los Angeles, the band consists of lead vocalist Conner Kent, guitarist Billy Batson, and drummer Freddy Freeman,” Eddie reads off of his phone, plopping down on the bed beside Tim. “My girlfriend likes them.”
Tim considers this. Eddie’s girlfriend usually has good taste. Tim trusts her judgement of music.
“They’re kinda indie, but they’re pretty popular,” Jaime adds, leaning against the doorway behind Bart.
“And this Conner guy is gay?” Tim asks.
“Uh, no, not that we know of,” Eddie says. “He’s good looking, I guess, if you’re into that sort of douchebag jock thing, like, he looks like he’d be a football player in high school who beats up nerds.”
“Okay and? I don’t see why you’re making a big deal out of this,” Tim says.
“What do you mean, Tim, he’s fucking hot, you have to befriend him now,” Bart says. “Because one, he’s hot, and two, this single interaction has gone viral.”
Tim groans. “Befriend him? I can’t just, like, follow him on Twitter?”
“Publicity, darling,” Bart says, clapping with each syllable. “The media outlets are going to lose their minds, we have to take advantage of this, we could finally start to shed that stupid teeny boppy boyband image without getting someone
pregnant.”
“You are not my manager,” Tim says. “So, shut the fuck up.”
“It would probably be good for you, Tim, you have no friends,” Eddie points out. “It’ll make you seem less elitist.”
“I thought being an elitist, snobby, rich kid was my brand,” Tim says dryly.
“Look, just post something about it on your Instagram story, or DM him or something,” Jaime suggests. “I’ll do it for you if you really don’t want to.”
“I just don’t see why you guys care so much about this,” Tim says. “I mean, it’s not like he’s Prince Harry.”
“No, but he’s hot,” Bart says.
Tim narrows his eyes. “You keep saying that like it’s supposed to make me want to befriend him.”
“Look, Cassie invited us to a party, Zach is already there, do you want to come?” Jaime asks.
“No,” Tim says. “I obviously don’t.”
“Jaime was just being nice, you have to come, it’s part of your job, parties are mandatory, you’ll be kicked out of the band if you don’t come,” Bart says, tugging on Tim’s arm. “You have to come.”
Tim sighs very tiredly. “Cool, well, it was fun working with you guys, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.”
“You’re funny,” Bart says, and he leaves with Jaime.
Eddie stays and watches Tim for a bit. There’s something different about Eddie than the rest of the boys. Jaime, Bart, and Zach are like brothers to Tim, of course, but more like meddlesome brothers that cause trouble, and Eddie is like an older brother who is stupid and reckless, but always willing to help. It makes sense, Tim supposes, that that’s his relationship with Eddie, considering that they met because Eddie is best friends with Tim’s actual older brother.
“Get some rest,” he says. “As much as you can, at least, before the flight tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Ed,” Tim mumbles.
Eddie smiles at him and pats the top of his head before leaving.
——
Tim Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@kon_el Thanks for the love, bro, really appreciate it. Also, thanks to everyone in my mentions who told me who he was. It’s always nice to meet new fans.
Conner Kent @kon_el
@thedrake
Omg
selena @lavendertitties
i never knew i needed tim drake and conner kent to interact until now
Conner Kent @kon_el
I was noticed by senpai
Cassie ❀ @cassandsmark
@kon_el
I am begging you to shut up
Conner Kent @kon_el
@cassandsmark
Then beg
bartholomew @impulseallen
There’s a magician performing at this party! @zatara-zach pic.twitter.com/
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@impulseallen
Your ass smells like rotten cheese
bartholomew @impulseallen
@zatara-zach
Oh yeah i know your mom told me after she ate it last night
Tim Drake-Wayne @thedrake
Stop calling me a thot :(
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
@thedrake
Stop acting like a thot
abi @bartallensupremacist
bart’s thoughts really just leak out of his brain through osmosis huh
——
Their next schedule is a radio interview with KIIS FM. Tim is leaning back in his seat, staring at the ceiling, while Jaime talks about preparing to make new music, when the conversation is suddenly turned to focus on him.
“Now, Tim, you definitely aren’t any less popular than the rest of the boys, but you do have a much smaller social media presence, so it feels like we know you a lot less than them,” the interviewer says.
Tim sits up straight and adjusts his headphones. The interviewer pauses, which means that it’s Tim’s turn to speak, and he forces the gears in his brain to start turning. “Um, yeah, I mean, my life has sort of been under a microscope since I was adopted, so I choose to have privacy whenever I can. It’s not because I don’t love our fans, I really, really do, it’s mostly because so much of my life is already public knowledge, I just want to keep some things to myself.”
“Of course,” the interviewer says. “That brings up another question I wanted to ask, which is about what’s changed about your fame since Young Justice debuted. You were obviously very well known before the group was formed, but now you’re a musical artist, rather than a socialite.”
“I’m a lot busier now,” Tim says carefully, and Jaime and Bart both laugh. His face starts to feel warm and he shrugs. “And, yeah, I don’t know, it’s nice to have something that’s mine, apart from Wayne Enterprises, to be recognized for my own accomplishments rather than my family’s.”
“Tim was actually really not used to having people like him,” Eddie chimes in to help. “Like, there’s a difference between being well known and having an actual fanbase, so the admiration and the worshipping, the screaming girls, that was all very new to him.”
“Speaking of admiration, you guys performed at the VMA’s a couple days ago, and, Tim, it seems like you got some new fans,” the interviewer says. Bart gives a little whoop and Tim smiles sheepishly, because he’s about seventy percent sure he knows where this is going. “One in particular being Conner Kent from Shazam!”
“Yeah, Conner’s great,” Tim says, exactly how he’s been practicing in the shower for the past two days. “We’ve never personally met Shazam! but we’re both good friends with Cassie Sandsmark, and I hear their music pretty often. They’re really cool.”
“If I’m reading this correctly, you didn’t know who he was until two days ago,” the interviewer says.
Tim blushes but forces himself to continue. “Well, yeah, I mean, I knew Shazam!, I just didn’t know their names.”
“Tim is one of those people who doesn’t know anything about pop culture. He probably wouldn’t even know Beyoncé’s name if Bart didn’t have a poster,” Zach says, saving him. Tim gives him a grateful look and gets a slight nod in response. “The other day he said he thought Downton Abbey took place in the Middle Ages.”
“There are castles!” Tim says.
“There are castles now, Tim,” Zach says. “We do not live in the Middle Ages.”
And just like that, the conversation has left Tim. Bart and Zach are talkative; Bart because he’s just overwhelmingly friendly and Zach because he has a need to prove that he’s better than everyone else. Jaime is brought into the conversation every time Bart and Zach start to bicker. Eddie just stares in Zach’s direction, not looking at him, just gazing as he daydreams.
“So, Young Justice, your guys’ EP, Seven Crises, is out, with your title single, Gemworld, you just performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, your fans love you, you’re breaking records,” the interviewer recaps, “you guys are so incredibly sweet and humble, I truly wish you nothing but the best.”
The boys all collectively respond with their own “thank you”s and then they’re off air. The interviewer takes a selfie with them and gives each of them a hug before their manager is ushering them out of the room.
——
van @fraudulentbussy
give me young justice/shazam interactions NOW
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
I one hundred percent just stole toilet paper from @1027KIISFM
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@gingerdevil
Why are you like this
bartholomew @impulseallen
@ShazamBand be my friend pls i need positive publicity
fredward @captainfreeman
@impulseallen
dude hit me up whenever, deadass
bartholomew @impulseallen
@captainfreeman
😲😲😲
linh @sapphicjoys
all hail the timcon
Tim Drake @thedrake
@sapphicjoys
That sounds like a convention of Tims, please choose another ship name
Conner Kent @kon_el
@sapphicjoys and @thedrake
You say that like a convention of tims is a bad thing
Tim Drake @thedrake
@sapphicjoys and @kon_el
Oh boy are you going to be disappointed if we ever actually meet
——
Shazam! has a song called Smallville that Tim hasn’t stopped listening to for a week. It’s about the town that Conner grew up in (Smallville, obviously). Tim grew up in Gotham, one of the most urban cities in America, so the slow, pastoral life of childhood in the countryside has always eluded him, but the way Conner describes his home is just so picturesque and romantic that Tim feels like he’s been there before. There are five seconds of synth before the guitar comes in at the beginning of the song, and it feels like falling in love.
Eddie hears him humming it at breakfast one morning and then, two hours later, he’s in his brother’s studio, wearing a jean jacket and a baseball cap with metal rings in the bill.
“What if it seems like I’m obsessed with them?” Tim says.
“You are,” Eddie says. “With the song, at least. It won’t be a huge deal, you like the song, you cover it. We’ve done it plenty of times.”
Tim pouts a little and stays still while his makeup artist touches up his face. Another staff member sets a camera up behind the mic and gives him a thumbs up, and then he’s left alone in the recording booth. He puts his headphones on and closes his eyes until he hears the music begin to play.
It takes three hours to record and film the cover, because Tim has anxiety and Jason is an asshole, and then he goes home and waits apprehensively for the text from Jason that says the video has been uploaded.
“Dude,” Bart says, plopping onto the couch next to Tim with a bag of chips, “we’re in a fucking Buzzfeed article.”
“Why are you in my home?” Tim asks, not looking away from his TV.
“Because my home is gross and your butler let me in,” Bart says. “Look - Fourteen Celebrity Friendships You Didn’t Know You Needed. We’re number eight, with Shazam!”
Tim narrows his eyes. “I truly don’t understand why people are so interested in this.”
“Tim, people have been interested in every aspect of your life for five years, don’t start acting surprised now,” Bart scoffs.
“I’m not surprised, I just don’t get it,” Tim replies.
“You know, if you really don’t like it, you can tell Red,” Bart says. “He’ll figure something out for you, we can stop all of it.”
“No, I - it seems like a lot of people are having a good time and it’s not that I don’t like it,” Tim says tiredly. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t need to have a reason,” Bart tells him. “The second you get uncomfortable, you say the word. No one’s gonna be mad at you.”
“Jesus, Bart, I’m not made of glass, I’m alright,” Tim says lightheartedly, pushing Bart with his shoulder.
Then, his phone buzzes and his hand whips out to grab it and read the message.
jay: uploaded
jay: u cute as shit dude
tim: Stop
Bart leans over his shoulder as he opens up his YouTube app and finds the video.
——
Young Justice @YoungJustice
“Smallville” Shazam! Cover by TIM bit.ly
aj @youngbuttstuff
@YoungJustice
OH MY GODDDDD
van @fraudulentbussy
@YoungJustice
TIM
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
Check out my boy’s cover on our Youtube channel @thedrake bit.ly
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@zatara-zach
😘😘😘
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
Thoughts? Criticisms? bit.ly
billiam @billymarvel
@thedrake
Dare I say, better than the original. Your vocals >>>
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@billymarvel
Thank you!!!!
Conner Kent @kon_el
bit.ly
Cassie ❀ @cassandsmark
@kon_el
do we get context
Conner Kent @kon_el
@cassandsmark
Tim sing pretty me like
fredward @captainfreeman
@kon_el and @cassandsmark
interesting how shakespeare has been quiet since conner said this
linh @sapphicjoys
Tim Drake and Conner Kent. That’s it, that’s the tweet.
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
Just remember, while you’re swooning over Timmy’s Smallville cover, that I forced him to do it, so I deserve to be thanked as well. You’re Welcome. bit.ly
——
Interestingly enough, they finally meet because Bart and Freddy arranged a time for both groups to hang out together. The Shazam! boys had been in New York City for a show, so it wasn’t too hard for them to pop down to Gotham for a night. They meet at Gotham City Records, for privacy reasons, probably, and it goes about as well as anyone would expect things to go for eight teenage boys with a lot of money between them.
Bart and Freddy, unsurprisingly, get along very well, so it’s basically just them yelling at each other with the other boys offering an occasional thought.
Tim is sitting on the end of one of the black leather couches with his knees drawn up to his chest, listening to Bart and Freddy talk, when their Postmates arrives.
Conner takes the chair adjacent to the couch and puts his food on the coffee table so he can sit next to Tim while they eat, and he does it so casually, so calmly, that no one says a thing.
Conner Kent is…
Well, he’s hot. Tim isn’t blind. He’s tall and buff, but not to the point that it’s weird looking, he has curly black hair and a sharp jawline and a small gold hoop earring in one ear and a dimple when he smiles, he really just looks like those boys on Tik Tok who think they’re hot shit when they dance to Doja Cat songs. He’s wearing a leather fucking jacket that he hasn’t taken off yet even though it’s pretty warm and they’ve been hanging out for, like, half an hour now. He’s ridiculously good looking and good natured, he’s just a Good Guy.
“I really liked your cover,” Conner says awkwardly.
Tim blinks at him and flinches a little when Bart squawks about something. “Thanks. Thank you. I really like the song.”
“Thanks.” Conner looks down at his food and they sit in silence for a couple minutes. “I just wanted to say that, um, if any of this is making you uncomfortable, I can stop. It’s kind of my fault, I - you know.”
“Oh, it’s fine, I don’t mind,” Tim says. “I’ve dealt with this kind of shit before. I mean, I’ve been famous for so long that there isn’t anything that hasn’t already been said about me.”
“Yeah?” Conner smiles and seems genuinely interested in what Tim has to say. “What’s the worst rumor you’ve gotten?”
“Um, probably the one where I eloped with Stephanie Brown because I got her pregnant,” Tim says. His relationship with Stephanie Brown remains one of his biggest ‘scandals’. They went to school together and were really close friends, still are, but they never dated, married, or had children together, contrary to what the media seemed to think for years. “What about you? Have you had any weird rumors?”
“There’s a popular theory that I’m an alien,” Conner says and Tim laughs. “Yeah, no, the evidence is actually very convincing.”
Tim takes a sip of his soda and raises his eyebrows. “Let’s hear it, then.”
“Well, one, I don’t have parents,” Conner says.
“Neither do I,” Tim says.
“No, like, I never had parents,” Conner explains. “My parents - the people who raised me - they were always really upfront about me being adopted, and there are absolutely no records of me ever being born. They tried to find out when I was younger, I tried to find out when I was sixteen, there’s nothing. I just sort of appeared, I guess.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, man, that sucks,” Tim says, looking down at his food. His parents died when he was young and that was horrible but he can’t relate to not knowing his parents at all. He gets a sudden urge to comfort Conner, to try to make everything better, but they don’t know each other like that, so he coughs awkwardly. “I could - I mean, I could help you, if you want.”
Conner looks at him with a surprised smile and, yeah, Tim is surprised too. There’s just something about Conner that makes Tim want to help him, he really has no idea why. “What, like, hire a private investigator or something? I’ve already looked into every possible lead, there’s nothing.”
“No, I’m the private investigator,” Tim says. “I’m really good at finding shit out and I have all the resources I need, I’m sure I’ll be able to find something.”
“You’re sure?” Conner asks.
“I’m sure,” Tim promises. He’s usually never confident, but he is confident in his detective skills. “I’ll find you something.”
“Okay.” Conner’s eyes are sparkling. “I await your discovery.”
——
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
Cute @thedrake @kon_el pic.twitter.com/
L @softjichus
@beetlereyes
EXCUSE ME WHAT
bartholomew @impulseallen
@beetlereyes
How come you never take cute candids of me :(
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@beetlereyes and @impulseallen
You have to actually be cute in the first place, Bart
billiam @billymarvel
I thought you guys would like to see this video of @impulseallen teaching @captainfreeman how to do a death drop pic.twitter.com/
bartholomew @impulseallen
@billymarvel
WAIT i look hot at 0:27
billiam @billymarvel
@impulseallen
You look hot all the time
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@billymarvel and @impulseallen
Take a step back, Bill
Conner Kent @kon_el
Yes, I met Tim Drake, and yes, I did cry
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@kon_el
xoxo
linh @sapphicjoys
tim really just said xoxo to conner i have no idea what is going on right now
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
So, I just ate three entire large Dominos pizzas by myself
rose @ravagerose
@gingerdevil
You disgust me on a molecular level
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
@ravagerose
You say that like you’re not equally as disgusting as I am?
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@gingerdevil and @ravagerose
Hi Rose!
rose @ravagerose
@gingerdevil and @zatara-zach
Hi Zach :)
cary @timothyfakewayne
the boys are so active on twitter ladies our crops are Thriving
——
“Are you sitting down?” Tim says. He’s got Conner on speakerphone while he looks through his notes on his laptop. “You might want to sit down.”
“What, am I actually an alien?” Conner jokes.
“Yeah, you wish. You know anything about Lex Luthor?”
Conner is quiet for a bit. “Uh, LexCorp? Big rich guy, invents science things?”
“Bingo.” Tim pops a blueberry into his mouth. “Turns out, he’s a huge fan of genetic engineering. He’s got all sorts of articles and TED talks about it, you should watch some, they’re very interesting.”
“If you’re going to tell me that I’m a clone of Lex Luthor -”
“Can I finish? Will you let me finish?” Tim says, and he can hear Conner sigh. “He’s a sperm donor, I don’t know why you immediately went to clones. He did a lot of weird shit for experiments using his own - seed, for lack of a better word, to basically build his own babies. You’re one of those babies.”
“What?” Conner says after a few long moments. “That can’t be true, my aunt and uncle would have told me that.”
“I don’t think they would have,” Tim says. “It’s entirely unethical, but it isn’t uncommon. Experiments have been done before where babies were given to adoptive parents who had no idea about it. Your aunt and uncle probably don’t know.”
“It just doesn’t make any sense.” Conner sounds about as distressed as anyone finding out this news would be. “If I’m an experiment - if - how did I end up with an old couple in Kansas?”
“Research?” Tim suggests. “I don’t know. What do your aunt and uncle tell you about when they adopted you?”
“They found me in a ditch on the side of the road,” Conner says flatly.
Tim frowns. “Okay. Well, that’s certainly abnormal.”
“How, exactly, did you find all of this information?” Conner asks.
“Oh, I got your DNA from the food containers the other day and I ran it through this system - it’s confidential, don’t tell anyone about it - and it linked you to Luthor, so I did some digging into LexCorps,” Tim explains. “They have a lot of old archived reports that are basically entirely blacked out, but it wasn’t hard to find the original documents. I found the weird baby thing that Luthor was doing and compared your DNA sequence to all of the specimens on file - sorry, I know you’re not a specimen - and, yeah. That’s pretty much it for now. I called you as soon as I found this information, but I’ll keep looking into the experiments and see if I can find any record of why they gave you away. It looks like they didn’t keep any of the babies, actually, but I have to decrypt some more reports.”
Conner is silent for a while. “Wow. That’s - how are you so good at that?”
“I have a friend who’s hella tech savvy, she taught me a bunch when I was in high school, I didn’t have a lot of friends,” Tim says. “I’m also very rich, so every resource is at my disposal.”
“That’s insane,” Conner states. “Have you ever thought about doing this as, like, a career? Like, actually becoming a detective or a private investigator?”
“Well, sure, I’ve thought about it,” Tim says. “It’s just - I don’t know. It never seemed realistic.”
“It’s extremely realistic, Tim, I could pay you for this,” Conner says.
Tim winces. “Please don’t.”
“I feel bad not giving you anything back, you’ve already done so much,” Conner says. “I mean, you found out where I came from, in, like, five days. I spent years looking for shit and I never got as far as you.”
“You’re my friend,” Tim says. “I want to help you. And, honestly, at this point, I need to know as well.”
Conner is quiet for a bit and Tim starts to worry that he’s made it weird.
“Should I contact him?” Conner asks.
Tim’s worries dissipate. “Who? Luthor?”
“Yeah, I mean, if I show up and tell him what I know, he’ll have to talk to me, right?” Conner says.
“Sure, or he’ll kill you,” Tim says. “Conner, this guy is insane, there is nothing that he won’t do to keep everything how he wants it to be. I don’t want you to take that risk.”
“Well, I don’t feel comfortable letting you do all of this work for me,” Conner says.
Tim leans back in his office chair. “Dude, chill. I’m just finding you information. It’s up to you what you do with it.”
“Tim,” Conner says.
“What?” Tim says.
“Thank you.” Conner’s tone is so genuine that it makes Tim a little embarrassed, and he makes a little snorting sound in response. “I’m serious. This means a lot to me.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” Tim says awkwardly. “Um, okay, well, I’ll call you when I get any updates.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Tim hangs up.
——
Conner Kent @kon_el
Truly the year of realizing things…
fredward @captainfreeman
@kon_el
did u finally realize that all of your shirts are way too tight
billiam @billymarvel
@kon_el and @captainfreeman
Did you finally realize that all of your shirts are the same goddamn shirt
Conner Kent @kon_el
@captainfreeman and @billymarvel
I’ve been fully aware of both of those things for years, they’re conscious decisions
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
@thedrake is going to kill me for this but look at this picture of him asleep on his laptop he’s a literal babey pic.twitter.com/
j @redhood
@gingerdevil
wow didn’t know that it could sleep
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@gingerdevil and @redhood
This is absolutely not funny, delete this or my lawyers will be in contact
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
¿Tienen preguntas para nosotros? Vamos a hacer una fiesta de Q&A pronto! Responde a este tweet con sus preguntas!
Kyle Rayner @lanterncorpsrayner
@beetlereyes
vas a promocionar en méxico o simplemente tweet esto para tener clout
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@lanterncorpsrayner
vas a dejar tu teléfono y hacer tu trabajo o es el Green Lantern Corps que te paga para molestarme
Jessica Cruz @lanterncorpscruz
@beetlereyes and @lanterncorpsrayner
¿Alguien probó el pollo? Pensé que pollo estaba delicioso
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@beetlereyes, @lanterncorpsrayner, and @lanterncorpscruz
Hi Jessica, hi Kyle
Jessica Cruz @lanterncorpscruz
@beetlereyes, @lanterncorpsrayner, and @zatara-zach
Hi, Zach
Kyle Rayner @lanterncorpsrayner
@beetlereyes, @lanterncorpscruz, and @zatara-zach
hey Zach
selena @lavendertitties
maybe ‘hi zach’ will be our always
——
The next time Tim is in LA, it’s without the rest of the boys because he’s there to do a solo shoot for Covergirl. Conner picks him up from the studio and takes him to hang out at his place until his flight in the evening, apparently without consulting Billy or Freddy about it.
Conner is almost tackled as soon as the door opens. “I have so much to tell you, this day has been so eventful, dude,” Billy gushes out in one breath, pausing once he notices Tim. “Oh, it’s Tim! Hi, Tim!”
“Hi, Billy,” Tim says, raising a hand.
“It’s always wonderful to see you, you look great, but Conner should have let us know earlier,” Billy says, pulling Tim into the house. “Because I wasn’t planning on having more company and Freddy only made three quiches.”
“Freddy made quiche?” Conner looks wary as he throws his jacket onto the couch. “Why did he make quiche?”
Billy makes a sound of general cluelessness. “I have no idea why he ever does anything, dude, I just eat whatever he makes and I don’t complain. Tim, I am so sorry that our place is a mess right now, our sister was just here doing a project, it usually looks very nice.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Tim says slowly, stepping over the canvas pile on the floor. “I don’t need to be here for long, I can just leave.”
A crash comes from the kitchen and Conner and Billy give each other tired looks.
“No, you’re staying. Freddy is in a mood and Conner and I are not equipped to handle that alone,” Billy says. “You can just share your quiche with Conner.”
“Cool,” Conner says. “So, we’ll just hang out in the living room until that’s done.”
Billy is silent as he narrows his eyes. “I literally just vacuumed, so you better not get any weird shit on the carpet.”
“What the hell do you think we’re going to do?” Conner says, frowning at Billy.
“Do you have Mario Kart?” Tim asks, peering into the living room.
“My girlfriend is borrowing our Wii right now, actually,” Billy says.
“It has been one day, Billy, who did you start dating?” Conner says.
“It’s this girl named Jennifer, she works at the flower shop down the street,” a voice from the kitchen calls. “Really nice, kind of weird, they went bowling together.”
Billy visibly blushes. “We’re not really dating, we just hung out a lot. We haven’t talked about it yet.”
“Okay, well, I don’t have to stay, I can just go back to my hotel,” Tim says. “You guys seem like you have a lot to talk about.”
“No!” the voice from the kitchen yells. “You’re our friend and I already started making more quiche, you can’t leave!”
Conner groans, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry about all this.”
“It’s fine,” Tim says.
“I need to go take a shower, but you two,” Billy motions at them, “need to go make sure that Freddy doesn’t start making a full twelve course meal.”
Conner gives Tim an apologetic look and leads him to the kitchen.
“Hey, Fred, Tim is here,” Conner says monotonously.
“Hi, Tim,” Freddy says, not looking up from his mixing bowl. “Are you perchance vegan or allergic to anything?”
Conner pulls a chair out at the counter for Tim and then takes a seat beside him.
“I will eat anything you put in front of me,” Tim replies. He rests his elbows on the counter. “I was wondering, how did you guys meet?”
“Conner and I met in middle school when I was at a foster home in Kansas, before I got adopted,” Freddy says. “We have been best friends ever since.”
“No, man, we’re family friends, that’s a whole different thing,” Conner counters. He looks at Tim. “It’s just because my aunt went to church with his weirdo foster mom and neither of us had friends so they forced us to hang out.”
Freddy snorts. “Sure. Do you want anything to drink? We have kale juice and Bud-Light Strawberitas.”
“I’ll get us some kale juice,” Conner says tiredly, getting up to go to the refrigerator.
“Boring,” Freddy remarks.
“We all have work to do tomorrow,” Conner says patronizingly. “And Bud-Light Strawberitas sound like actual death.”
Tim accepts the bottle of kale juice that Conner throws to him, inspecting the green liquid cautiously. “I know you preach healthiness, Conner, but I would rather take strawberry death than this.”
“The paps are going to fucking destroy you if they see you drunk,” Conner shoots back, closing the refrigerator. “Don’t be stupid.”
Billy chooses that moment to enter the kitchen, wearing only a towel around his waist. “Turns out, the water is going to be off for the next three hours because they’re doing construction work on Veteran.”
“You don’t want to put some clothes on?” Conner says tiredly.
Freddy pours his mixture into a pie pan and slides it into the oven. “He just wants to look cool in front of Tim.”
“Uh, yeah, sure, it’s also like ninety seven degrees,” Billy says. He grabs a Bud-Light Strawberita from the refrigerator. “I fucking hate LA.”
Tim watches Billy and Freddy move around each other with practiced ease, teasing each other and not giving a single shit. They seem like regular guys, just a group of stupid friends having a good time, and he’s honestly jealous. Conner, Billy, and Freddy are famous, sure, and they’re rich, but they can forget all about it when they’re at home. They cook for each other and scold each other for making messes and have to wait for hours for running water to come back on. It’s a sort of domesticity that Tim has never experienced, because he was always fortunate enough not to. He’s always had housekeepers, meals were always just ready whenever he wanted one, and Alfred did basically everything anyone could think to do to keep a house functioning.
The way Shazam! functions is so different from how Young Justice functions, professionally and fundamentally. Yes, Tim is comfortable with the boys and they’re great friends, but they all have their own homes. Tim lives at the manor, Bart lives with his grandparents, which is fun, Jaime has his own apartment, Zach lived with his cousin, and no one actually knows where the hell Eddie goes when he’s not with them. They’re coworkers, really, and Shazam! are a family.
——
Young Justice @YoungJustice
TIM for Covergirl bit.ly
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
It is I, the easy, breezy, and beautiful bit.ly
Conner Kent @kon_el
@thedrake
oh my god?
bartholomew @impulseallen
TIMOTHY !
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
Ok, Tim. Damn.
billiam @billymarvel
Freddy Freeman: professional drummer, self proclaimed culinary innovator
fredward @captainfreeman
@billymarvel
YESSIR!
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@billymarvel and @captainfreeman
I think you gave me food poisoning
selena @lavendertitties
im sorry when did tim have time to eat something made by freddy that would give him food poisoning???????????
——
The TMZ article that everyone is sending to Tim completely blindsides him. Shazam! Announces an Indefinite Break From Schedules Due to Personal Reasons.
‘Personal reasons?’
Personal reasons.
He doesn’t know what the hell that's supposed to mean. Obviously, they don’t need to provide a reason. They should be able to rest when they need to, and they definitely don’t owe Tim an explanation.
He can’t help but wonder, though, if it could have something to do with what he found out for Conner. He feels a little ridiculous thinking that anything he’d ever do would affect Conner that much, but he did sound pretty bothered on the phone and it’s not everyday that you find out you were a part of a secret genetic experiment.
Young Justice is in LA to promote the release of their track Sins of Youth as a single, and it’s obvious to pretty much everyone that Tim’s a little off. He feels really bad, because he feels like it’s his fault, and he’s good at keeping his emotions private, it’s just hard to when he doesn’t even know what’s going on.
Fans speculate, because of course they would, but the other boys are quick to shut down any rumors. Tim is shy and quiet. He always has been.
It doesn’t help that Conner hasn’t picked up any of his calls or responded to any of his texts for the past four days. He keeps reminding himself that Conner really doesn’t owe him anything, but he’s worried.
He wakes up one morning to his phone ringing and answers it before he checks the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Tim.” Conner’s voice is quiet but it wakes Tim up, and he immediately gets out of bed. “I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you in a while.”
“It’s fine,” Tim says. “What’s up, man? I saw that you guys were taking a break for personal reasons, is everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah, no, that’s, um - Billy and Freddy had a family emergency, and I didn’t feel comfortable promoting without them,” Conner explains quickly. “Our manager just took away all of our phones for a while, for privacy reasons.”
Tim feels like the entire world lifts off of his shoulders. “Thank god, I thought Luthor killed you.”
“I did talk to my parents about that, actually, and they said that we’re going to have a conversation about it,” Conner says. “I have no idea what that’s about.”
“Oh!” Tim runs to his laptop. “I found some shit out. You know, Lex Luthor grew up in Smallville?”
“Yeah, the high school has a cabinet full of his awards,” Conner says.
“Guess who his best friend was?” Tim says.
Conner snorts. “His right hand?”
“Clark Kent,” Tim says. “I thought that your DNA was similar because you have the same parents, but that makes no sense, since both of you were adopted, so I compared your DNA strand to his, and Luthor’s. They’re your parents.”
Conner stays silent for a while and Tim lets him.
“Elaborate?” Conner says.
“So, you asked me if you were a clone of Luthor, right? You’re not, obviously, and there’s an ethical ban against cloning because - well, because it’s cloning, so Luthor found a way to work around that. He used stem cells from both him and Clark, so it’s not cloning.”
“How would that work?” Conner asks. “I mean, with, like chromosomes or whatever, eggs, zygotes.”
“None of that would really matter because you weren’t conceived through sex, there was no sperm, no egg,” Tim says. “You were grown from stem cells, like a plant. Also, remember when I said there were more babies?”
“Yeah,” Conner says, his voice weak.
“Conner,” Tim says. “You’re the only one that survived.”
“The only one?”
“I’m sorry, Conner.”
“Does Luthor - do they - do Luthor and Clark know?” Conner asks. “About me?”
“I couldn’t tell you,” Tim admits.
They’re both quiet again for a very long time. This kind of information is difficult to process.
“You’re in LA, right?” Conner asks suddenly.
“Uh, yeah,” Tim says.
“Are you busy today? Let’s go to Universal,” Conner says.
Tim has no idea what’s going on. “What?”
“I’ve been wanting to go there before it gets too cold to go on the water rides,” Conner says. “Billy and Freddy are in Philadelphia, so they can’t go with me.”
“I mean - I don’t think we have anything scheduled today,” Tim says. “I’ll ask my manager.”
“Don’t keep me waiting.”
Tim asks if he can go to Universal with Conner and his manager thinks that he’s joking. They don’t want Conner and Tim to go out by themselves, because there’s speculation that they’re dating due to their interactions and fans being fans, and, while that seems ridiculous, Tim is quite openly not straight, and entertainment news outlets will jump at the sight of him with a boy, the way they would the others with a girl. Bart valiantly offers to accompany them, but the management team insists on one more person joining them, and a cameraman so they can make a video for Young Justice’s vlog diary series and it doesn’t look like Tim and Conner just decided to go out on their own.
It’s stressful, but Tim ends up inside the front gate, by the fountain with the metal statue, with Conner, Bart, Cassie Sandsmark, and a crew member who has a camera on his shoulder.
“Hogwarts, let’s go to Hogwarts first, I want to get a cloak,” Bart pleads, tugging on Cassie’s arm.
“Yeah, bud, we’re walking,” Cassie replies tiredly. She glares at Tim and Conner over her shoulder. “This was supposed to be my day off.”
“Sorry,” Conner says, giving her a shrug.
They head into the crowded park and Tim doesn’t realize that he’s holding Conner’s hand until he gets jostled by someone, pushing them closer. He blinks and looks up at Conner questioningly. It takes Conner a second to look back at him, and he smiles a little.
“So we don’t get separated,” he explains, like he needs to explain anything. Tim definitely isn’t complaining.
They go on the flight of the Hippogriff ride first, and it’s quite thrilling. Tim hadn’t been on a rollercoaster for so long that he’d forgotten what it felt like. Bart loves it so much that he begs to go again and Cassie agrees to go with him while Conner and Tim look at the stores.
“What house are you?” Tim asks.
“I’ve been told I’m Gryffindor, but I’ve never, like, taken any of those quizzes,” Conner says. “What about you?”
Tim raises his eyebrows. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know anything about Harry Potter, so I don’t think anything other than you look good in red, so I’d put you in Gryffindor,” Conner says.
“I’m Ravenclaw,” Tim says. He lets out a short breath and turns to Conner. “You think I look good in red?”
“I think you look good in everything, red is just a specifically good color for you,” Conner says, smiling down at him.
“Thanks,” Tim laughs. “I think you look great too.”
Bart and Cassie meet them when they’re done with their ride and the cameraman has them try on robes for the vlog. Bart is the only one who actually buys a robe, and he has Tim take pictures of him in front of the castle with butterbeer for Instagram. They go to the Simpsons section of the park next and have lunch at one of the restaurants there.
“Are you okay?” Tim asks Conner when the cameraman is finished getting his shots, and Bart and Cassie are having their own conversation.
Conner looks at him. “Yeah?”
“You just found out some pretty crazy information, I don’t want you to distract yourself from being able to process it,” Tim says. “I mean, have you thought about it at all?”
“What is there to think about?” Conner says. “There’s - the facts are cut and dry.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be confused or upset,” Tim points out. “You’re allowed to have feelings about this.”
Conner sighs and looks down at his food. “I don’t even know how I’m supposed to feel. I guess it would make sense for me to be upset, but I genuinely just - I don’t know, I don’t feel anything. It’s like - I’ve been searching for answers my whole life and now that I finally have them, I don’t know what to do with any of it. There’s nothing I can do, it’s not like me being their biological child will mean anything to them. The people who raised me are my parents.”
“Okay,” Tim says, and Conner looks at him nervously. “Conner, you know that anything that you want to know about this, you have a right to ask. It’s your life. I just - like, you can talk to me. About anything.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” Conner says. “But when I do, I promise you’ll be the first person I call.”
“If I get a funnel cake, will you guys eat some of it?” Cassie asks, before Tim can say anything else.
“Uh, not only will I eat some of it, I will eat all of it,” Conner tells her.
They go on a few more rides - Tim enjoys the Mummy and Jurassic Park the most - and take the studio tour before calling it a day. Tim successfully lets himself relax and have a good time, which is particularly easy because Conner’s smile makes him want to smile. He also hadn’t realized how much he’d missed hanging out with Cassie, and it’s refreshing to be around her for a bit. She gives each of them a hug and makes Tim swear to hang out with her again soon before her car comes to pick her up.
“I had a really good time today,” Tim says to Conner, when he sees his group’s SUV pull up. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Thanks for coming,” Conner says. “And for everything else.”
Bart gives Conner a side hug and leaves them to say goodbye in private, looking at Tim knowingly.
“I -” Tim gets cut off when Conner hugs him, and he stays frozen for a millisecond before hugging him back. “Okay.”
“I needed this,” Conner says quietly. “Thank you.”
“No problem, man,” Tim says. “I’m on your side, no matter what you decide to do.”
Conner pulls back and pats Tim’s shoulder. “See you soon?”
“Yeah, I’ll hit you up next time we’re in the same city,” Tim says.
They do a sort of bro handshake and Conner jogs down to his car at the end of the horseshoe. Tim joins Bart in their car and doesn’t think about how warm he feels inside.
——
Young Justice @YoungJustice
[YOUNG JUSTICE Diaries #17 - Universal] bit.ly
aj @youngbuttstuff
@YoungJustice
CONNER AND CASSIE IN THE THUMBNAIL?!!!?!!????
bree @moonlightbuteras
@YoungJustice
i’m so used to giving and now i finally get to receive
linh @sapphicjoys
excuse me look at tim and conner holding hands in the back pic.twitter.com/
bartholomew @impulseallen
@warnerbros whenever you decide to remake harry potter, you can cast me as any weasley and you don’t even have to pay me pic.twitter.com/
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@impulseallen
You are appropriating my culture
cary @timothyfakewayne
fellow lesbians, can we discuss Miss Cassie Sandsmark being beyond gorgeous in the new yj vlog
bartholomew @impulseallen
@timothyfakewayne
unfortunately, i am not a lesbian, but i would love to have that discussion.
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
tourist mode ON pic.twitter.com/
Conner Kent @kon_el
@thedrake
Thanks for coming with me so I wouldn’t look like a loser all by myself
Cassie ❀ @cassandsmark
My friend Conner Kent, everyone pic.twitter.com/
liz @stinkypoopyy
Cassie Sandsmark. That’s it, that’s the tweet.
jess @laviever
@stinkypoopyy
Tim Drake tho
liz @stinkypoopyy
@laviever
make your own goddamn post
——
Tim sinks lower and lower in his seat as his manager reprimands him, a company laptop in front of him open with several articles containing a picture of him and Conner hugging, and announcing the beginning of their romance.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, and this isn’t your fault,” Red says, even though it’s obvious that he thinks Tim did something wrong and all of it is his fault, “but it’s happened, and we need to figure out how to take control of the story. I have several ideas, but the choice is ultimately up to you and Mr. Kent.”
“We’re just friends,” Tim says, because that’s the truth, no matter how he feels. “It’s just a hug between friends, just like with Cassie or Bart.”
“But it isn’t, because those hugs didn’t do this.” Red gestures at the laptop. “We need to respond before the rumors escalate, the way it did -”
“I didn’t do anything to Stephanie,” Tim says, sitting up straight. “I didn’t respond to the rumors because I was just as clueless as anyone else, I didn’t know where she was, and, I’m sorry, but I think Stephanie’s wellbeing mattered a lot more than my public image did.”
“Regardless of what really happened, it became a story that will follow you forever,” Red says. “Mr. Kent and his management team are on their way, and we’re going to try to fix this, now, but before they get here, I need to know what you want to do, so I can advocate for you during the meeting.”
“Well, we’re not dating, so that’s what I want to say,” Tim says. “That’s it.”
Red gives him a look and leaves him in the conference room. Tim lets out a sigh and leans forward to look at the laptop. The article on USA Today is titled ‘Possible Boyband Dating Scandal’ which is ridiculous, and reads that “young socialite and teenage heartthrob, Tim Drake-Wayne, was seen sharing an intimate moment with fellow musician, Conner Kent of Shazam! This is the first time they’ve been seen in public together following a string of Twitter conversations, which are more flirtatious than innocently friendly. The two spent a day at Universal Studios Hollywood with Bart Allen, one of Drake’s band members, and Cassie Sandsmark, a mutual friend of theirs, but sources claim that Drake and Kent were more attuned to each other than anyone else. A recent vlog uploaded to Young Justice’s YouTube channel shows the two holding hands and sharing food. None of that, however, is as incriminating as this photo captured of them embracing by the theme park entrance.
Tim Drake-Wayne is no stranger to scandals. He has spent most of his teenage years in the spotlight, and what would be normal teenage experiences were publicized for him. In 2017, he was rumored to have been in a relationship with his classmate, and Olympic athlete, Stephanie Brown, but both of them have denied the allegations. Since Drake came out as ‘queer’ in 2018, many of his rumors have been centered around possible relationships with men, but none have been as substantial as the one he has with Conner Kent. Sources say that the two messaged on Twitter before meeting in person, brought together by fans due to Kent’s reaction to Drake’s performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in August. Kent has not disclosed his sexuality, but many fans are sure of their speculations. Following Shazam!’s recent surge in popularity and Kent’s band members, Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman, taking a personal break, theories of all kinds are emerging.”
Bart bursts into the room, followed by Jaime, Eddie, and Zach, and they immediately huddle around him, all of them speaking at once.
“Dude, holy shit, is it true?” Zach asks.
“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry,” Bart says quickly.
“It’s - look, it’s fine, Conner and I are just friends,” Tim assures them. “Have you been on social media? What are people saying? Red took my phone away.”
“Uh, yeah, you’re trending.” Eddie gives Tim his phone. “Fans are going crazy. You’re the first member of a boyband to date a guy, while we’re still a boyband, or whatever, it’s pretty groundbreaking.”
“We’re not dating,” Tim says.
“Don’t look at that,” Jaime says, taking the phone away. “It’s been, like, an hour since the first article dropped, we have time to fix it before the stories get printed.”
“You know, no one is going to believe you if you deny it,” Zach says, not unkindly. “They’ve pretty much made up their minds.”
“God, could I just have one fucking thing without the media jumping up my ass?” Tim complains, burying his face in his arms.
“I’ll get a tattoo,” Bart suggests. “Right now, of Zach’s face, on my ass.”
“That will solve absolutely zero problems,” Jaime says.
“Look me in the eye and tell me Tim’s dating life is more interesting than me live-streaming myself getting a tattoo of Zach’s face on my ass,” Bart says.
“Did - did any of my brothers or sister say anything about it?” Tim asks.
“Damian was stopped by some paps on his way to school this morning who asked him about it and he pretty blatantly expressed that he doesn’t know or care about what you do with your life,” Jaime tells him. “And Jason posted on his InstaStory that whether or not it’s true, no one has a right to spread any information that you didn’t share yourself, and Dick shared it to his own Story.”
“I love my siblings,” Tim mumbles unnecessarily.
“Please tell me you’ve at least talked to them about this,” Zach says.
“I mean, I would have if Red hadn’t taken my phone,” Tim says. “The only person I talked to about Conner was Damian and the last thing I told him was basically just about Universal.”
“Tim,” Eddie says, softly but firmly and Tim looks at him. “Do you like Conner?”
The rest of the boys stare at him and he feels his face go completely red. “Oh my god, yes? No? I don’t know, we’ve only known each other for, like, a month! Besides, it doesn’t matter.”
“No, it does matter, because if you do want to date him, you have to tell him now,” Eddie says.
“Even on the slight chance that he’ll feel the same way, there’s no way that it’ll work out for us now,” Tim argues. “I mean, how do we come back from this? It’s humiliating, and it’s my fault.”
“How is it your fault?” Eddie asks.
Tim makes a broken noise. “If I hadn’t come out -”
“Tim, you are never at fault for being who you are,” Zach says emphatically. “Ever.”
Red knocks on the door before coming in with Conner and his manager. “Okay, can the rest of you please leave?”
“We would like to be here for emotional support,” Bart says.
“Bart, get out,” Red says, and the four of them leave, but not without giving Tim a sorrowful goodbye. Red sits down next to Tim, and Conner and his manager sit across the table from them. “Thank you for meeting with us.”
“Oh, of course,” Conner’s manager says. “I’m sure we’re all anxious to put an end to this.”
Tim looks at Conner, trying to make eye contact with him, but he’s looking everywhere except Tim. Their managers continue to talk and both Tim and Conner stay silent.
Tim feels like shit. It’s his fault, truly, because if he just hadn’t come out, none of this would be happening. He’s on the edge of ruining not only his career, but Conner’s, and Bart’s and Jaime’s and Eddie’s and Zach’s. The media has already torn him apart and they’ll continue to do so until they can no longer profit from it.
There have been times in Tim’s life when he wished that he was straight, that he wasn’t adopted by Bruce Wayne, that he had a normal life, but he’s never wished for it more than now. He likes Conner so much, he likes spending time with him and he wants to make him happy all the time, and they could have gotten there and they could have been happy, but that’s all been ruined now and he’ll never get that chance again.
“So, we’re all in agreement that we’re going to deny the rumors?” Red says, pulling Tim back into the moment.
“I have a statement ready to release,” Conner’s manager says. She’s a strong, beautiful woman named Lana Lang. “The sooner we can release it, the better.”
“May I see the statement?” Red asks, and Lana hands her iPad to him.
“I need to take a quick break,” Conner says, standing abruptly and leaving the room without waiting for anyone to respond.
Tim looks at the managers before rushing to follow Conner. “Me too, I’ll be back.”
“Tim!” Red says, but he’s already running out the door.
Tim isn’t surprised to find Conner sitting on the floor with his face in his hands between a tall, leafy plant and a water cooler. He nudges him with his toe and Conner slowly lifts his head.
“Hey, man, you okay?” he asks.
Conner sighs and rubs his eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just - my manager just yelled at me for an hour. I’m so sorry about this.”
“You got nothing to be sorry for, man,” Tim says, sitting down next to him. “Anyways, this is hardly the worst thing that could have been said about us.”
“You’re not upset?” Conner asks.
“No,” Tim says, immediately, like it should be obvious. “Why would I be upset?”
“I don’t know.” Conner looks down at his feet. “You’ve got a lot more to lose than I do.”
Tim frowns. “What do you think I would lose by dating you?”
“Your dignity for one,” Conner says, cracking a smile and Tim pretends to laugh. “No, you’re just - so much better than me.”
“Bullshit,” Tim says. Conner looks at him. “Oh, come on, you can’t possibly believe that.”
“You’ve done so much for me and all I’ve done for you is get you caught up in this stupid mess,” Conner says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you never wanted to see me again.”
“Well, I don’t never want to see you again,” Tim tells him carefully. “This is just a silly rumor, our managers are acting like it’s the end of the world, but it isn’t. It’s really not a big deal, I’m sure it’ll blow over in, like, a week.”
“I was just outed to the world in a fucking USA Today article,” Conner says. He leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes. “Shit.”
“Outed?” Tim asks cluelessly, his blood running cold. “Like, you’re -”
“I’m gay,” Conner says firmly. “Wasn’t really planning on coming out soon, if ever.”
Tim sighs and shakes his head. “Jesus, I didn’t know, man, I’m so sorry. I thought you were - you know.”
“Straight? Yeah, most people think I’m straight,” Conner says.
“I mean, you could just say you are,” Tim suggests weakly.
“Fuck no,” Conner says. “I’m gonna have to - shit, I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Tim feels so guilty that he might throw up. Being outed against your will, in a situation you can’t control, is beyond terrifying, it’s not fair, and it fucking sucks. He hates that he did this to Conner. Coming out is supposed to happen on your terms, when you want to, to who you want to, and no one else has the right to make any of those decisions for you, and he took that away from Conner.
“Do Billy and Freddy know?” Tim asks.
“Oh, yeah, they know. They’ve always known,” Conner says.
Their managers come to get them before Tim can respond.
“We released the statement,” Red says. “You just need to lay low until it settles down. I am begging you to stay out of trouble.”
“You know I can’t make any promises, Red,” Tim says. “I’m a rebel.”
“You’re a piece of shit that gives me stomach ulcers from stress,” Red says, making both Tim and Conner laugh.
“Alright, Conner, come on, we have to go,” Lana says, and he lets her pull him to his feet. “Thank you so much. I hope we can meet again under more normal circumstances.”
“As do I,” Red says. They shake hands. “Tim, say goodbye.”
Tim stands up and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Bye.”
Conner stares at the wall until Lana nudges him with her elbow. “Oh, uh, bye.”
——
Damian Wayne @DamianWayne
You guys are really pathetic if the best thing you have to do with your day is lie about someone as insignificant as Timothy Drake.
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
Q&A Party
-
q: ¿fuiste a México recientemente?
A: Sí, fui al rancho de mi familia
q: ¿cuál es tu cosa favorita de Bart?
A: Él me hace reír. Él es un verdadero amigo. Me encanta.
q: ¿quien es su member favorito en Young Justice?
A: yo
q: ¿vas a hacer música latina?
A: Quiero hacerlo, pero no sé qué tan buenos pueden pronunciar los chicos. Quizás haga una canción en solitario
q: ¿están saliendo Tim y Conner?
A: Eso no es asunto tuyo. Consigue un pasatiempo.
q: ¿cuál es tu comida favorita?
A: Ehhhhh flaming hot cheetos
q: por favor recomienda una canción
A: la cobertura de Bart de no tears left to cry de Ariana Grande se puede descargar en iTunes
bartholomew @impulseallen
if this gets four likes, i’ll get zach’s face tattooed on my butt
bartholomew @impulseallen
@impulseallen
oh dang looks like i gotta do it shrug emoji
Dick Grayson @rjgrayson
Friendly reminder that everyone is entitled to privacy and people don’t owe you personal information just because they’re famous.
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
I’ll have you know that my Spanish pronunciation is immaculate
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@zatara-zach
You used to say “whore”chata
abi @bartallensupremacist
i love how everyone is defending tim and then bart and zach are just vibin
bartholomew @impulseallen
@bartallensupremacist
tim has enough people worrying about him, i have things to get done
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@bartallensupremacist and @impulseallen
Who’s Tim
j @redhood
My brother can’t say this shit because he has a public image to maintain but fuck you guys honestly this is literally none of your business, he’s allowed to have friends, like can y’all just leave him the fuck alone
——
The first public schedule that Tim does after the “scandal” is a series of interview videos for BuzzFeed with the rest of Young Justice. He’s banned from seeing and interacting with Conner on social media and in real life, but they’re still allowed to call and text. Tim, who hadn’t exactly been that active on social media before Shazam!, didn’t become more silent, but rather went back to how things used to be.
He could spend days reading what the fans are saying about the situation, like any of them actually know anything about what really happened, but at this point, he knows that it’s not worth it. After going through the rumors about Stephanie, being criticized for everything he, or his family, did, he’s grown sort of numb to it all. The difference here, though, is the rumor within itself that was spread. Tim likes Conner. He likes him so much. He’s always thinking about what he can do to help Conner, to make him happy, to be the person who makes him smile. And, fuck it, the tabloids saw it and they called it, and he has no one to blame but himself.
The first video they do is reading thirst tweets, which is good fun for all of them.
(“Bart Allen, let me eat that ass like a fucking sausage mcgrittle with extra maple syrup I’d tear that shit up I’d say some slormp on that bitch, you feel me? Your knees could be the apple pie on the side I’d munch munch that shit and wash it down with a cold glass of my tears.”
Without saying anything, Jaime takes the paper, gets off of his stool, and crosses the room to rip the paper up and scatter the shreds into the pot of a small tree.)
After that, they talk about their first times
(“The first time I met Tim, I was so intimidated, because he’s famous,” Bart says, fidgeting with his scrap of paper. “And he’s also, like, so handsome, like, I promise you, he’s gorgeous on camera, but when you see him in person, it’s like you’re having a sort of teen angel moment, like, you’re Frenchie and an actual god is telling you to go back to high school.”
“I thought he was part of the crew,” Tim says. “I asked him for a Red Bull.”)
and then take a friendship test.
(“His full name is Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne,” Eddie says confidently, and accepts a high five from a very excited Tim. “Hell yeah. I know my boys.”
“Who knows my full name?” Bart asks. “Other than Jaime.”
“Bart Allen?” Zach says slowly.
Bart frowns. “What? Come on, Tim knows, I know he knows.”
“Bartholomew Henry Allen the second,” Tim says tiredly.
“See!” Bart exclaims. “Best friends!”
“I only know it because of how many times I’ve taken him to court,” Tim says while Bart hugs him.)
The reception is great, fans always love to see the boys being silly together, and Tim thinks that Bart and Eddie are the funniest people he knows, so the videos are like free five minute comedy shows. The general public has calmed down about the rumors but there are still paparazzi lingering around, waiting for a bread crumb, so Tim spends his days off in his house with his siblings.
He’s been watching Love Island with Damian for about two hours when the doorbell is rung. Neither of them get up to answer it, they have a butler for a reason.
“I could never, ever go to England,” Damian says.
“Hmm?” Tim replies absentmindedly.
“If a person so much as said ‘hello’ to me with that stupid ass accent, I would curb stomp them,” Damian explains. “Like, what the fuck is ‘oi, mate’ bitch, I’ll kill you.”
For all the shit that they talk about each other, Tim thinks that Damian might be his closest brother. Yeah, he’s closer in age to Jason, but Jason tried to kill him when he was first adopted, and that was pretty hard to get over, and Damian does cling to Dick like a baby kangaroo, but Dick still lives in another city. Tim and Damian usually see each other everyday, and Damian isn’t very social, so there’s really no one else that he spends time with.
“Then don’t fucking go to England,” Tim says.
“That’s what I fucking said, dumbass,” Damian says.
“Master Timothy,” Alfred says loudly from the doorway, scaring Damian into dropping his bowl of popcorn. “You have a visitor.”
Conner pops out from behind Alfred with a small, nervous smile. “Hi?”
“Oh, fuck no,” Damian says.
Tim hits Damian. “Clean up your mess and go to your room.”
“What are you, my father?” Damian snaps.
“No, because your father is a pussy who doesn’t know how to discipline you,” Tim says.
“I’m not leaving you alone with that guy,” Damian says, with a tone of finality.
“Why - what do you think is going to happen?” Tim says. “It’s just Conner.”
“I don’t like the way he looks,” Damian says. “He’s not as tall as I thought he would be.”
Tim sighs. “Alfred, can you please take Damian?”
Alfred herds Damian out of the room and leaves Tim with a skeptical eyebrow raise.
“Hi, I’m sorry about that, my brother is so weird,” Tim says, getting up and turning the TV off. Conner hasn’t moved. “What are you doing here? Does your manager know you’re here?”
“I needed to see you,” Conner says. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
Tim takes in Conner’s haphazard look and frowns. “Why? What happened?”
“I talked to Clark,” Conner says, wringing his hands. “I talked to him about - you know. And he didn’t know. They didn’t know, they had no idea, and Clark got really mad at me and he said he didn’t want anything to do with me and that - that there’s no way anyone could love an abomination like me, like - like I’m some sort of demonic creation, and I lost it and I hit him and then my parents told me to leave.”
They stand there in Tim’s living room, staring at each other for a good three minutes.
“That’s rough,” Tim says finally. Conner just looks at him and he tries again. “Come on, let’s get something to eat, you look exhausted. How did you get here?”
“I took a train,” Conner says, following Tim to the kitchen. “And then a bus.”
“Oh, you poor thing, the Gotham City public transportation system is filthy,” Tim remarks. “Bruce is staying at our penthouse downtown right now, I don’t know when he’ll be back, but it’s just me and Damian, so you can stay for as long as you’d like.”
“Thanks,” Conner says. He watches as Tim takes food out of the refrigerator. “So, your butler calls you ‘Master Timothy.’”
Tim groans. “I know, it’s so weird. I’ve tried telling him not to but he insists, because, like, manners or something? What are your thoughts on cake?”
“I like cake,” Conner says.
“Cool.”
Neither of them say anything while Tim gets cake for them. Tim honestly has no idea what to say.
“I’m sorry,” Conner says quietly.
Tim frowns and sits down at the breakfast table with him, and their cake. “For what?”
“For being such a burden, for being - being an abomination,” Conner says. “Being a general waste of space.”
“You’re not,” Tim says quickly. Conner looks at him with big, watery eyes and Tim almost wants to cry. “You’re not a burden, you’re not an abomination. You are definitely not a waste of space. You may have come from Clark and Luthor, but they can’t tell you what you are, you decide that for yourself.”
“I’m a clone,” Conner says.
“But you’re not,” Tim says. “You’re not a clone. Clark and Luthor were just genetic templates, once you came to life, you became your own person. You’re Conner Kent, you’re in Shazam!, you have people who love you, and you did that by yourself, for yourself, no thanks to them.”
“Okay, maybe,” Conner admits. “But none of that matters, because I’m not - it wasn’t - it’s not natural, how I was born, I’m not supposed to be here.”
“Conner, I don’t care how you were born or what was supposed to happen,” Tim says. “I care about you now. Fuck whatever was ‘supposed’ to happen, I want you here. Billy and Freddy want you here. And your parents may be mad at you right now, but they love you and, I promise you, they want you here too. We aren’t defined by our past, it’s what we do in the present that matters.”
“That’s easy for you to say, you’re perfect,” Conner says sourly.
Tim shakes his head. He knows that Conner is just upset. “I’m not. I never was, and I never will be. And you know what, you’re right, it’s not fair that I know all this messed up shit about you and you don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you, Tim,” Conner says. “You’re Tim Drake, you’re -”
“I’m the reason my parents are dead,” Tim tells him. “I always had a weird obsession with Bruce, you know, the way kids like Darth Vader, or whatever. I kept doing stupid shit, and Bruce told me not to, but I was nine and he was my hero. My parents were kidnapped because people knew that I had a relationship with Bruce, and my mother was killed. My father ended up paralyzed. And not even that could convince me to just appreciate my own goddamn family, I spent more time with Bruce than I did with my father, and then he was murdered. I still have nightmares about finding him bleeding out in his room, with a knife in his chest, I still know that it’s my fault for getting involved with Bruce Wayne, and for wanting to be a part of whatever the hell he had with Dick so bad that I left behind my parents, who loved me and tried so hard to take care of me, and now they’re dead, because of me, because I was selfish and I always wanted more. And, I mean, I’m happy. My life is great. I just - I ruined a lot of things just so I could get here, and I love my family and my job, but none of it is worth losing my parents. I think everyday about how it should’ve been me that died. I was the one who wanted to be Bruce Wayne and they died for it.”
Conner deflates a little and looks away. “I’m sorry, but that’s not the same as me being grown in a tube.”
“It’s not, I’m not saying it is,” Tim replies. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re going through. I know that I shouldn’t be here, and I don’t deserve to have this life, but I’m still allowed to want things. I’m allowed to want to be happy. You are too, regardless of what you came from.”
“I just -” Conner looks down at his cake forlornly. “I just want to belong somewhere.”
“You do belong somewhere,” Tim says. “You belong here, with me.”
——
billiam @billymarvel
I’m back what did I miss
billiam @billymarvel
@billymarvel
I should not have come back
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
Much needed bonding time with my best mate @DamianWayne pic.twitter.com/
Dick Grayson @rjgrayson
@thedrake and @DamianWayne
Ouch
Damian Wayne @DamianWayne
@thedrake
I am going to k word you.
bree @moonlightbuteras
every yj video is just bart trying to get tim to admit that they’re friends
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
Instead of having eighth graders read the outsiders, just make them watch Parasite.
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
@zatara-zach
No. Don’t do that. That is not a good idea.
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@gingerdevil
Oh, so you’re suddenly the expert on good ideas?
——
Conner ends up going back to Los Angeles after a couple of days. Billy and Freddy come back from Philadelphia so they return to their normal schedules. Young Justice has been preparing for a tour since they started conceptualization on the album, and dates are getting closer and closer. They’re all too busy to dwell on, well, anything.
Conner and Tim’s relationship had gotten really intense really quickly and now everything is at a kind of plateau. It takes a while for Tim to notice that something is off because he’s in himself so it’s hard to make observations, but his friends don’t mind pointing it out.
“Dude, what is up?” Bart says, plopping down next to Tim on the roof ledge of their record building. It’s a long and terrifying drop but neither of them are worried about it. Tim makes a questioning noise. “You’re acting like a robot, which, I admit, is kind of normal for you, you are the most routine person I have ever met, but this is bad. It’s like you’re being propelled by a motor.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tim says. “I’m just doing what everyone wants me to do.”
“Tim, you know better than anyone that that is a bullshit explanation,” Bart says. “Okay, so you’re not upset, but you certainly aren’t happy, and that makes me sad, because I love you and I want you to be happy. I know something happened between you and Conner Kent that you’re not telling anyone about.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Tim says.
Bart frowns a little. “I’m not stupid. Don’t lie to me. If you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine, but you have to talk to someone, because you can’t go on like this. You’ll work yourself into a depression and you’ll start to hate everything that you love.”
“It’s just - it’s really complicated,” Tim says, letting out a deep breath. “A lot has happened.”
“Tell me,” Bart pleads.
Tim sighs and lies back on the roof, looking up at the orange evening sky. “I helped him find out some stuff about his past and it messed him up for a bit. I keep making things worse but he still talks to me and comes to me for support. I don’t deserve to be his confidant, I don’t deserve to see him at his most vulnerable, I know that, but there’s this sick part of me that likes it. I like that he chooses to talk to me, that I’m the person he trusts, because I really like him. I like him so much. I didn’t want it to happen like this, I just wanted to help. I just wanted him to see me.”
“Tim,” Bart says quietly. “You can’t blame yourself for not being able to fix a broken man. That’s not your job.”
“Yeah, but I’m the one that broke him,” Tim states. “If I’d just left him alone, none of this would have happened.”
“Don’t say that,” Bart says. “Look, dude, I get that it’s hard, I really do, but you gotta let this go. You like him, and maybe he likes you, but that can’t happen, not right now. Neither of you are in the right place for it. You need to move on.”
Tim closes his eyes. “I feel like such shit. I don’t know what to do.”
“Do you need to talk to someone?” Bart asks. “I know - I’m trying to help you, but I’m not a licensed psychologist. I can tell Red that you need a break.”
“I don’t - I don’t need a break, I’m already doing the bare minimum as it is,” Tim says. “I’m having dinner with my siblings tonight, I think that will make me feel better.”
“Okay.” Bart stands up and holds his hand out to help Tim. “We gotta get back to the studio or Red is going to actually kill us.”
Tim tiredly lets Bart guide him back to practice. He can tell that the boys are all walking on eggshells around him and it’s irritating but it’s better than if they straight up antagonized him. They get to leave early and Jaime invites Tim to hang out with him and Bart for a bit but Tim shakes his head and goes to his car alone.
Dinner with his siblings goes about as well as anyone would expect it to. Put five adopted kids from vastly different backgrounds but suffering from similar psychological trauma in a room together and you’ll see.
Before he was adopted, Tim didn’t have a lot of social interaction with human people. He didn’t really have friends and his parents were always much too busy to spend recreational time with him. He doesn’t realize until now, sitting next to Jason in Dick’s dining room, that the loneliness he felt in those early years had started to come back. Even though he’s surrounded by people, friends who love him and he loves dearly, there’s a certain heartache that comes with not seeing your siblings for a long time.
“I need someone to sign this permission form so I can go to the college and career fair next Wednesday,” Damian grumbles, stabbing at his broccoli.
“Oh, that sounds fun!” Dick says. He accepts the sheet of paper and looks it over. “Which speakers do you want to go see?”
“Criminology, forensic psychology, early childhood development, and biomedical engineering,” Damian says.
Tim looks at Damian. “Early childhood development?”
“I didn’t say anything when you joined a fucking boyband,” Damian snaps.
“Oh my god, I wasn’t saying anything, I was just asking,” Tim says.
“Yeah, but Damian takes anything that isn’t praise as an attack,” Jason says, and he has to dodge a smack from Dick. “What? It’s true!”
“Any of us being interested in early childhood development is just masochism,” Cassandra mumbles.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I was a very happy child,” Tim says.
Jason barks out a laugh. “Yeah, you were so happy that you stalked us and assumed my identity when I was gone.”
“Hey, I had parents until I was thirteen, not even Bruce can say he had that,” Tim argues.
Dick silences him with a look. “Can we not open trauma hour after I worked very hard heating up this precooked meal from Costco?”
“I knew these were frozen,” Damian says, crossing his arms. “I can’t be eating this manufactured shit -”
“They’re vegetables, I don’t know what else you want me to do,” Dick says.
“Maybe fucking cook a well balanced meal for once!” Damian says.
“Well, I think this chile verde is delicious,” Cassandra says.
Dick smiles at her. “Thank you, Cass.”
Things calm down after about an hour and then Dick makes Cassandra and Damian help him clean up, leaving Jason and Tim alone at the dining table.
“So, Eddie tells me you’re feeling a little down,” Jason says, resting his arm on the back of Tim’s chair. “Care to talk?”
Tim snorts. “Not with you.”
“Jesus, I try to kill you one time and suddenly I’m always the bad guy,” Jason sighs dramatically and Tim laughs. “Seriously, though, dude. You good?”
“Uh, yeah, I will be,” Tim says quietly. “I’m processing, I promise, I’m not avoiding my problems, I just need to, like, recalibrate. I’ll be fine.”
“‘Recalibrate’ the fuck, are you a robot?” Jason says.
“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you,” Tim says.
Jason frowns at him. “Yes, I would like to fucking know if you’re a robot.”
“He’s not, I’ve seen his bones,” Damian says loudly, returning to the table.
“You’ve seen my bones?” Tim whispers, looking down at his hands. “What the fuck?”
“You don’t want to know,” Damian says.
Tim looks at Dick, who is standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. “Did Damian dissect me?”
Dick shrugs. “You really don’t want to know.”
A couple weeks of hard work and spending time with his weird, weird brother, and Tim’s at least feeling optimistic.
He accompanies Damian to the college and career fair for fun, because he thinks he’d like to go to college someday, and when he sees a pap taking a picture of them, he raises his own camera to get a shot, and they can hear the guy laughing from across the street.
One morning, he goes to Starbucks with Bart, and everything with Bart is an adventure. They run into a few fans who politely ask for photos and they oblige, of course.
Eventually, they get to the point where the dating scandal isn’t the first thing that comes up when you Google Tim’s name or Young Justice, and he lets himself relax.
The first show on their tour is in Albany, New York, and it’s sold out, which is great for his self esteem. Their fans are always wonderful, there’s something really uplifting about thousands of people screaming their love for you.
He’s onstage in track pants and a sweatshirt for the encore when a pride flag is thrown onto the stage. He makes a beeline for it, because he’s gay, and wears it around his shoulders. The fans are deafening and when Tim looks up to the jumbotron, he sees his own sweaty, beaming face, and for once, he likes what he sees.
——
Young Justice @YoungJustice
[YOUNG JUSTICE Diaries #21 - East Coast] bit.ly
L @softjichus
tim’s solo stage is what welcomes you to heaven
van @fraudulentbussy
TIM DRAKE GAY ICON
abi @bartallensupremacist
zach: you are gay
tim: thank you
aj365 @youngbuttstuff
bart really wasn’t lying when he said that seeing tim in person is like seeing an angel
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
Stop complimenting Tim, he’s becoming a monster
——
Cassie ❀ @cassandsmark
love u guys pic.twitter.com/
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@cassandsmark
I love you more!
linh @sapphicjoys
tim and cassie singing smallville together…. hold on,, HOLD ON
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
I met Rosé from Blackpink and she was so pretty that i asked her to marry me and then choked on my own spit
bartholomew @impulseallen
@beetlereyes
Well?? What did she say????
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@impulseallen
She laughed and said thank you, so save the date for our wedding next March
amy @lowellrules
so much happening for yj right now
linh @sapphicjoys
look at billy, conner, and freddy losing their minds in the audience like they don’t literally know and hang out with yj all the time, they invented friendship
——
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
West coast leg of the tour, Hamlet give me strength
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@gingerdevil
So you just want us to die then? Is that how it is?
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
my family is here!!!!!!!!
liz @stinkypoopyy
nothing, just damian wayne running into tim’s arms from across the stage like they’re in a goddamn romcom pic.twitter.com/
Dick Grayson @rjgrayson
My little brother is so talented i’m crying
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
MY BUTLER IS HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cary @timothyfakewayne
the boys are actually glowing, this tour is amazing they look so fucking happy
——
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
I’m home
linh @sapphicjoys
no but why does jaime tweeting ‘im home’ make me want to cry
bartholomew @impulseallen
when he can speak Spanish pic.twitter.com/
amy @lowellrules
He’s home!
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
I wish Jaime’s grandmother had adopted me instead of Bruce Wayne
j @redhood
@thedrake
same
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@thedrake and @redhood
You’ve never met her
j @redhood
@thedrake and @beetlereyes
don’t need to meet her to know she’s probably a better dad than bruce wayne
Young Justice @YoungJustice
[YOUNG JUSTICE Diaries #24 - Puebla] bit.ly
——
bartholomew @impulseallen
so apparently Europe is a real place
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
Wish you were here in London with me @DamianWayne ! All these people want to meet you! pic.twitter.com/
Damian Wayne @DamianWayne
@thedrake
I hate you
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
Hi… how y’all doin
Kyle Rayner @lanterncorpsrayner
@beetlereyes
get your brown ass out of europe, foo, they gonna give you smallpox and steal your gold or some shit
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
@lanterncorpsrayner
Please stop interacting with my tweets
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
It would be so crazy if I met miraculous ladybug and chat noir right now. So Crazy hahahahaha
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
I just want to meet Meghan Markle
j @redhood
@gingerdevil
dude, she doesn’t live in England anymore
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
@redhood
SO I CAME HERE FOR NO REASON??
——
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
All jokes aside, we’re actually lost in Japan right now
bartholomew @impulseallen
@zatara-zach
I love that Shawn Mendes song
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
@impulseallen
WHERE ARE YOU?!
Young Justice @YoungJustice
[YOUNG JUSTICE Diaries #27 - Osaka] bit.ly
linh @sapphicjoys
@YoungJustice
tim and zach getting lost on the train i’m crying they’re so stupid
van @fraudulentbussy
tim speaking to the concierge in japanese: yes thank you very much :) have a wonderful day
tim speaking to zach immediately after: BITCH WE MISSED THE FUCKIN BUS
selena @lavendertitties
@fraudulentbussy
#justbilingualthings
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@fraudulentbussy and @lavendertitties
I actually speak five languages fluently
van @fraudulentbussy
@lavendertitties and @thedrake
ok tim
——
Eddie Bloomberg @gingerdevil
And scene.
Jaime Reyes @beetlereyes
Don’t get too bored, guys, we’ll be back soon
abi @bartallensupremacist
@beetlereyes
you’re already working on a new album?? get some rest!!!!
Young Justice @YoungJustice
[YOUNG JUSTICE Diaries #33 - World Tour] bit.ly
bartholomew @impulseallen
damn i missed the smell of dried pee in the morning. it’s good to be back in Gotham
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@impulseallen
Get out of my city
——
The tour ends just in time for the boys to attend the MTV Video Music Awards again in New Jersey. They’re going to be performing a new song that hasn’t been released yet, to hype people up for the album they’re planning to release in a couple months. The performance goes really well, and the audience goes crazy when Tim takes the time to point at where Shazam! is sitting and wink at them. Neither of the groups win anything, but it’s still a good time.
Bart and Freddy almost tackle each other when they show up at the afterparty, yelling at each other about whatever the hell they talk about, and Zach excitedly approaches Billy with, apparently, so much to fill him in on. It’s been months since any of them have seen each other, since the whole scandal, but they’ve been texting enough that it’s not completely awkward.
“He misses you,” Cassie says to Tim quietly. Tim looks at her curiously. “He used to talk about you all the time before your tour. Even a couple weeks into the tour. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know if I want to know, but he likes you so much, that hasn’t changed.”
“He likes the idea of me,” Tim says, looking down at his drink. “I tricked him into liking me by giving him things.”
Cassie looks like she wants to smack Tim. “What the fuck kind of self deprecating rationalization is that? You ‘tricked’ him? Are you kidding me?”
“I’m not joking,” Tim says.
“Yeah, I can fucking tell,” Cassie says. “Is it so hard to believe that someone might like you because of who you are?”
“Yes,” Tim admits. “I’m kind of horrible.”
“Oh my god, Tim, I promise you, you did not trick him into liking you,” Cassie insists. “Whatever you’ve been ‘giving’ him does not matter because he has liked you for much longer than you’ve even known each other.”
“Can’t help but notice that you did not argue against me being horrible,” Tim says.
“Well, yeah, because you’re being a fucking idiot right now,” Cassie says, laughing. “You have to go talk to him, this is absolutely ridiculous.”
“Cassie, come here, you have to see this,” Jaime calls and Cassie gives Tim a look before leaving.
Tim closes his eyes and leans back against the wall. He’s had a lot of time to think about everything, probably too much time, and he might be wrong but he’s too scared to think anything else. He’s happy, now, here, with what he has, he doesn’t want to risk it all for some dick.
He stumbled a bit when someone bumps into him and shakes himself awake, going to toss his empty plastic cup into a trash can.
“Oh, hey, Tim,” Billy says, catching his eye over Zach’s shoulder. “Conner went out to the gazebo, if you’re looking for him.”
“I wasn’t, really,” Tim says, but Billy has already gone back to his conversation.
Tim sighs and he guesses that now is as good a time as any to talk to Conner. They are friends after all. He makes his way to the glass doors that open up to a huge lawn, bordered by a lake. There’s a gazebo down some steps that’s lit up with string lights, and Tim can see Conner standing at the railing, looking down at the group of ducks that have gathered in the lake below him.
“Hey,” he says.
Conner looks over at him and smiles a little. “Hi.”
“You - I - um, you look great,” Tim says awkwardly, going to stand next to him.
“Thanks. You do too,” Conner replies. He turns around to lean back against the railing, resting his elbows on it. “Can you believe that it’s been a year since that video of me watching you dance?”
Tim laughs, because he actually had not been thinking about that at all.
“I talked to Bart,” Conner continues. “He told me some things. I hope you don’t get upset with him.”
“What? Why? What did he say?” Tim asks.
“He said that you like me.” Tim’s heart drops. “That you have feelings for me. Or, at least, you did at some point.”
“Oh.” Tim does not know what to say. “Well. He told you the truth.”
Conner looks at Tim. “Do you? Still?”
“Yeah,” Tim says. There’s no point in lying. “I’m sorry.”
“I like you too,” Conner says, his voice thick. “I thought you knew, you just didn’t say anything because you didn’t feel the same way.”
Tim bites his lip and looks down at his hands. “You don’t like me, Conner.”
“I’m pretty sure I do,” Conner says, frowning.
“You think you like me because I wanted you to like me,” Tim says. “I wanted so bad for you to just - I don’t know, look at me. I told you things that you’d wanted to know your entire life and that satisfaction, or happiness, you felt when you found out, it was because of the information, but I wanted it to be because of me, because I make you feel that way. But I don’t, you don’t - you confused gratitude for affection. I tricked you.”
Conner gapes at Tim. Everything is so quiet and still that the crickets sound like they’re screaming at them and Tim blinks rapidly to keep himself composed.
“You cannot be serious,” Conner says finally. Tim looks at him. “That is so - I don’t even have the vocabulary to explain how wrong that is.”
Tim sighs. “Conner, you don’t -”
“You didn’t trick me into anything,” Conner says. “I’m sure you could, if you wanted to, but you didn’t. I liked you since the second I saw you. You didn’t ‘make’ me do anything, I fell for you all on my own. I did that myself, before either of us knew anything about my past.”
Time stands still and the only thing that Tim can feel is his heartbeat.
“Tim,” Conner says.
Tim grabs Conner, pulls him in, and kisses him.
——
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
In like seven minutes you’re all going to get a tweet from TMZ that’s like ‘tim drake and conner kent are Officially Together’
fredward @captainfreeman
@thedrake
is that a bet? five bucks
TMZ @TMZ
Tim Drake and Conner Kent Are Officially Together
fredward @captainfreeman
@TMZ
FUCK
Conner Kent @kon_el
Well.
j @redhood
@kon_el
i will rip your testicles off of your body
Conner Kent @kon_el
@redhood
i will thoroughly enjoy it
Cassie ❀ @cassandsmark
Do not ask me what’s going on with my friends, I genuinely have no clue
yrahcaZ @zatara-zach
AND NO ONE IS GOING TO DATE ME?? W O W SOME WORLD WE LIVE IN
——
Timothy Drake-Wayne @thedrake
@kon_el Thanks for the love, bro
Conner Kent @kon_el
@thedrake
OMG