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“So?” Clark prompted gently. “How did it go?”
“Fine.”
Clark sighed quietly. Every time he tried to talk – really talk – with any of the bat members, it felt like he was pulling teeth. Their teeth or his, he wasn’t entirely sure. He just knew it was painful and awkward. But he was determined to see it through. For Tim’s sake, at least. The boy had been a nervous wreck when he’d sought Clark out, muttering about relationships and judgement and being emotionally repressed.
“Tim, you don’t have to pretend with me. It’s okay to be disappointed or hurt.” While Clark truly didn’t believe Bruce would have reacted badly, he couldn’t be sure. He didn’t have a complete picture of what his stance on sexuality and relationships was. The dark knight was difficult to read at the best of times and if he hadn’t had his super senses, Clark was sure he’d never had been able to read him at all. Yes, they were best friends, but Clark wasn’t sure that meant the same to Bruce as it did to him. It wasn’t like Batman had too many close friends.
“I’m not,” Tim said, shrugging. “It really was fine. Enlightening, actually.”
“Huh.” Enlightening wasn’t a word Clark had been prepared for in this particular conversation. “No silences or angry grunts?” Those were the usual Bruce responses, no matter what the conversation was about.
“His grunts always sound angry, you know that; it’s just how he communicates.”
Clark’s eyebrows lifted in silent agreement. Bruce wasn’t always the best at using his words, or any words for that matter. “Alright, so it was fine. What did he say?”
“Well….”
***
“I’m seeing someone.” The sentence was spat out before Tim could change his mind. He’d spent hours with Clark, practicing what to say. In the end they’d agreed that a direct approach would be best.
“Hm.” Which was basically Bruce speak for Go On, Tim knew, even if he didn’t turn around from the gadget he was tinkering with.
“He’s– his name is Bernard.” Not as smooth as he’d hoped, but it would have to do. He’d made sure to enunciate the pronouns without being too obvious. He knew Bruce would notice anyway.
Bruce hummed, hands still moving over the table. Huh. Perhaps he wouldn’t notice. Tim frowned.
“Are you– are you not mad?” He asked carefully. He didn’t want Bruce to be mad, but he’d worried for weeks about this, a reaction – even a bad one – would be nice. At least then he’d have something to work with.
Bruce turned suddenly, eyes sharp and narrowed as he looked at Tim.
“Why would I be mad?” He asked slowly.
Tim could practically see the wheels turning in the man’s head. Undoubtedly trying to figure out if ‘Bernard’ was supposed to ring any alarms. Bruce was most certainly running through all the Bernard’s he knew of, just to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Tim had expected as much. He took a deep breath.
“Because he’s a guy.”
Bruce frowned, the words pulling his focus back on the conversation.
“What?”
“He’s a guy,” Tim repeated. “I’m bi,” he added, just to make sure Bruce wouldn’t be able to misunderstand. Despite his intellect the man wasn’t always the quickest when it revolved around emotions. And Tim wasn’t tempted to make a rhyme joke. He truly wasn’t. Well, mostly wasn’t.
“Ah.” Something ran over Bruce’s face, gone as quickly as if came. It didn’t look like the ‘nothing but love and acceptance’ Clark had assured him he’d get from his father figure. Here is comes, Tim thought, mentally bracing himself.
“I already knew.” Bruce physically winched at his own words. “I mean, I suspected,” he tried.
Neither made any sense and Tim had to ask: “How?”
“Despite everything you do resemble me a bit,” Bruce shrugged, but the small smile on his face betrayed his indifference. He’d probably never admit it, but he loved having anything in common with his children, even something as trivial as this.
“What does that mean?” Tim asked.
Now it was Bruce’s turn to look confused.
“I’m bi?” He said tentatively. Tim wasn’t sure if he was imagining the questioning tone or not, but it didn’t matter because Bruce’s words made no sense, question or not.
“You’re bi.” He deadpanned.
“Yes.” And there wasn’t any uncertainty in his voice this time, but he hadn’t stopped frowning. Not that that should surprise Tim, he couldn’t remember a time Bruce didn’t frown every two minutes.
“Do you even know what that means?” Tim couldn’t keep the skeptical laughter out of his own voice. He couldn’t imagine Bruce going through any of the feelings he’d been going through the last couple of months, but of course Bruce would find a way to go through a sexuality crisis without actually talking about it.
Bruce’s frown deepened and he pursed his lips as he answered: “I like men. And women. You didn’t know?”
“How would I, Bruce?” Tim laughed, relief finally settling in his stomach. “It’s not like you bring a lot of your partners home these days.”
“Point taken,” Bruce said with a shrug. He was back to that almost-smile though, which was a good sign. There was a beat of silence before he spoke again. “You really thought I’d be mad?”
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Tim admitted.
“Hm.” And he was back to the one syllable grunts, which Tim took as a sign he was dismissed. Before his feet hit the stairs, Bruce’s voice reached him again.
“Bring him over for dinner.”
***
“He said what now?”
“He said–"
“I heard you the first time,” Clark interrupted before Tim could answer.
“You alright, big blue?”
Clark waved a hand dismissively in the air. Of course, he wasn’t okay. Bruce was bisexual. Bruce was bi. Why hadn’t he said anything? Why hadn’t Clark known? Because Bruce is a private person, his mind supplied, and Clark wanted to glare at it. He should’ve known, nonetheless. He could’ve– they could’ve– Clark groaned.
“Okay, I’m starting to get worried here,” Tim said honestly.
Clark turned to send him a reassuring smile. It didn’t come out quite right.
“I’m fine, it’s fine,” he said, ignoring how hollow his own voice sounded.
“So,” Tim said after a moment’s silence. Clark tried to keep his attention on the boy, but his mind was running a mile a minute with possibilities, signs he’d missed, what he should do now. “You gonna do anything about it?”
“What?”
“Are you going to ask him out?” Tim asked, eyebrows raised like he had seen all the thoughts inside Clark’s head. At this point Clark wouldn’t be surprised if Bruce or any of his kids invented a gadget that would make them able to read minds, but he hadn’t seen any new gadgets on Tim.
“I – I don’t–“ He tried.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Tim interrupted.
“I’m not,” Clark defended. “There are things to consider –“
“Nothing important enough to not just go ask him out.”
“I –“ Clark swallowed. “You sure?” Do you think he’ll say yes? He didn’t ask. He wouldn’t ask that. It was awkward enough talking to Bruce’s son about asking him out in the first place.
“If you ask him out before New Year’s I’ll win the bet.” Tim shrugged like that was answer enough.
Clark opened his mouth but snapped it closed a second later. He didn’t want to know; he didn’t want to get involved, not in another bat-bet or whatever this was. Instead, he nodded and twelve seconds later he landed in the cave. Bruce turned from the computer to face him as soon as his feet hit the floor. There was a small tilt to his lips, like he wanted to smile but wouldn’t let himself. The thought made Clark smile in return.
“Hi,” he said, oddly breathless.
“Hi,” Bruce greeted back.
Here we go, Clark thought.
