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Tim never wanted to be famous.
It was so much easier to be invisible. Normal people could go grab coffee, hit up the mall, and make out with their significant others without it being made a public spectacle.
He, on the other hand, wasn’t so fortunate.
Sure, he and Kon probably should have been more careful in retrospect, but billionaire CEO or not, Tim Drake was still a teenager. And teenagers made out. It was just a simple fact of life.
Except, nothing in Tim’s life was ever simple.
“Wayne Enterprises CEO Tim Wayne caught kissing mystery man in South Channel Park.”
“Who is Tim Wayne kissing? Here’s what we know so far.”
“Tim Drake-Wayne: Top or Bottom?”
Tim grimaced at the headlines. He should have known better than to think that the press would care that he was still a minor, let alone that he was still very much in the closet.
Or, at least, he had been.
His phone buzzed, and Conner’s picture lit up the screen. With a shaking hand, Tim pressed “answer.”
“H-Hello?”
“Tim! Did you see the news?”
Tim wiped a few stray tears off of his cheeks. “Yeah, me and every other person in America. I’m so sorry, Kon. I thought no one saw us.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” his boyfriend placated. “We always knew people would find out eventually. At least it’s out in the open now, right? No more sneaking around.”
“What about Ma and Pa?” Tim asked. The Kents were some of the nicest people Tim had ever met, but they were still from rural Kansas.
Kon was quick to reassure him. “Ma and Pa are fine. In fact, Ma said she’s known for months.”
Now that was a surprise. “She has?”
“Yep. Apparently, we’re not nearly as subtle as we thought. Lois called, and she wasn’t surprised either. Though, she did want me to tell you that she apologizes on behalf of all journalists everywhere. Outing people, especially minors, is not cool.”
Tim had to agree. It was definitely not cool. “And Clark?”
“Oh, he was shook,” Conner said, and Tim could hear the smile in his voice. “He had no clue. It was kinda funny how shocked he was, actually. But once he got over it, he was fine. Happy, even. What about your family?”
“I haven’t talked to anyone yet,” Tim admitted.
“Why not? They’re not gonna care, Tim. You’re bisexual, not a serial killer. It’s not the end of the world.”
“But it’s different for us,” Tim explained. “We’re Waynes. Gotham’s most respected family. We have a reputation to uphold – a reputation that I’ve now endangered.”
“Didn’t Bruce once get caught putting dollar bills down stripper’s bras using his mouth? You’re seriously saying that you being in a committed, long-term relationship is worse for the Wayne name than that?”
“Old Money is fine with a little debauchery as long as it’s straight,” Tim sighed. “For years, my parents told me what it meant to be the Drake heir. I’m supposed to be normal. I’m supposed to be perfect.”
“Except you’re not the Drake heir anymore,” Kon pointed out. “Bruce is a lot better than Jack and Janet. He won’t let anyone treat you badly because of this. Besides, you are perfect, T. To me. I love you so much, and I’m not going to let anyone ruin what we have.”
Little butterflies fluttered about Tim’s stomach. Hearing Kon tell him he loved him never got old. He took a deep, stabilizing breath. “I love you, too. And I’m not ashamed of us, I promise. I just… I’m not ready to tell anyone.”
“Well ready or not, babe, the time has come. Look, I’m gonna come over as soon as I can get away without anyone seeing me. We’ve had our fair share of reporters show up at the farm. Nothing you need to worry about, but it might take me a while to get there. Are you gonna be okay until then?”
Tim swallowed. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Good. I’ll see you in a bit. I love you.”
“I love you, too. See you soon.”
After hanging up, Tim tossed his phone onto his bedside table. He didn’t think he could bear reading any more of what people were saying about him.
A few heavy knocks thundered against the walls. “Tim, open the door,” a familiar voice ordered.
“Go away, Steph,” Tim croaked.
His lock jiggled, and a few seconds later, his door swung open.
“It's good to see that you’re alive,” Stephanie exhaled dramatically. “We’ve been trying to talk to you all morning, Tim. Bruce was about to break your door down when I told him I still had a key. Everyone’s worried sick about you.”
“I’m sorry,” Tim whispered, bringing his knees to the chest. “I just… I’m not ready to face everyone yet. I can’t do it, Steph.”
Stephanie crawled into bed next to Tim and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hey, it’s okay. Sure, I would have liked to have heard it from you, but I don’t care who you’re dating, Tim. I still love you. We all do. You know that, right?”
Tim forced himself to look up at the blonde. “I never lied to you, Steph. I need you to know that. What we had together – that was real. I’ve always liked girls… I mean, I still like girls. I just, um, like boys, too.”
“I get it,” Stephanie assured him. She paused for a moment then continued, “So, bisexual?”
He nodded. “I was going to tell you, I swear. But then Kon and I just happened, and neither of us were out, and I’d barely gotten to the point where I could accept the fact that I liked guys. It just seemed so much easier to keep it a secret.”
Steph smiled softly. “You and Kon, huh? How long has that been going on?”
Tim felt himself blush. “A little over six months.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised,” the blonde chuckled. “You two have always had that kind of vibe. And no one knew? Not even Bart or Cassie?”
“Bart caught us making out in the tower a few weeks ago,” Tim admitted with a wince, “but no one else knew. Or, at least, not until today.”
“Have you talked to Conner yet? How is he holding up?”
“I’d just hung up with him when you came in,” he replied. “He said he was okay and that everyone on his end was fine with us. In fact, he said that Clark was the only one who was actually surprised.”
“Good. You know no one in your family is going to react badly, right?”
Tim shrugged. “I feel like I should know that. But whenever I feel like I’m close to coming out, I just hear my parents’ voices in my head. They weren’t exactly accepting when it came to stuff like this. They would be so horrified to hear that their only son wasn’t straight. Thinking about how badly they would react… well, I guess it’s got me scared to tell anyone. Even though logically, I know they’d probably be okay with it. I mean, they’re okay with Kate, right?”
“Of course they are,” Steph confirmed. “Tim, I understand why you may have a lot of issues – internalized homophobia and whatnot. But I promise you that your family just wants you to be happy. I guarantee that if you go downstairs with me right now, they’ll prove me right.”
“I just hate that it’s not my choice. I wanted to be ready. But now I feel like the world is forcing my hand. It’s like I’m pinned down.”
Stephanie pulled him into a tight hug. “I know. I’m so sorry it’s happened this way. It’s not fair at all. But we all want to be there for you and help you through this, okay?”
Tim took a deep breath as he pulled away. “Okay.”
“Good. Because I’m pretty sure Dick just got here, which means you have approximately thirty seconds to prepare yourself for a hug attack.”
Tim couldn’t help smile. “Thanks for being here, Steph. You’re still one of the most important people in the world to me. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do,” she replied, her eyes sparkling, “which is why later you’re going to tell me every single little detail about you and Mr. Abs of Steel. I want to know everything.
Tim chuckled, starting to feel a tiny bit lighter. “Deal.”
“Timmy! I’m here!”
Oh boy. Here come the hugs.