Chapter Text
It had been just over a year since Harvey and Bruce officially started dating. March 14 was the day Bruce asked Harvey to be his boyfriend. They weren’t able to celebrate on March 14th because it was a weeknight this year and they both had to work. Then Harvey had to go home to take care of Asher (Bruce had offered to stop by. Harvey declined because he knew it would be late). They decided that they’d celebrate at the end of the week since neither of them believed in celebrating before the event actually happened.
Friday evening, they both left work early to get ready for their date. Harvey found someone to watch Asher while he was out with Bruce so they wouldn’t feel alone. Bruce had told Harvey to dress nice. They were apparently going to a fancier place than they normally would on their usual dates.
As he got ready, Harvey felt shaky and anxious. He hadn’t been this nervous since bringing Bruce home to meet Asher. And before that, it was his first date with Bruce. It all mattered too much to him. He wanted tonight to be fun so they could enjoy their time together. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. He assumed it was because he didn’t usually go to fancy restaurants, or dress up to go out. He didn’t really know what Bruce had planned. That’s what scared him the most.
As Bruce got ready, he was nervous too. He’d been planning this for about a month now. He wanted tonight to be perfect. But smooth wasn’t really his strong suit when it came to things like this.
He grabbed the box off his dresser and opened it to make sure the object inside was still there. After seeing the light reflect off it it, he stuffed it in the inside pocket of his suit jacket and patted it to make sure it was secure. He took a deep breath as he looked at himself in the mirror one last time, giving himself a nod to try to reassure himself.
He texted Harvey that he was on his way headed downstairs to the entryway. He grabbed his coat and keys then headed to his car.
Bruce nervously tapped his thumb on the wheel as he drove in silence to pick up Harvey. He was rehearsing what he was going to say to Harvey in his head so he wouldn’t mess it up later.
As he pulled into Harvey’s driveway, he took one more breath to calm himself. Once he’d parked, he got out of the car and walked up to the door. This was their routine for when Harvey and Bruce went on dates now, as Asher wanted to say hi to Bruce in case they were asleep by the time Harvey and Bruce would get back.
Bruce rang the doorbell and heard Harvey call to Asher to answer the door for him. Bruce heard footsteps rushing to the door to open it.
When the door opened, Asher saw Bruce and gasped with excitement. Their face immediately lit up. “Bruce!” They immediately went in for a hug.
“Hey, kiddo!” Bruce accepted the hug and lifted them up, still hugging them, to bring them back inside, closing the door behind him. “How was school today? Did ya learn anything new or exciting?”
“Nah, we just talked about graphs again today. They’re so easy and boring. I wish we’d just move on from them,” Asher replied as Bruce set them down in the living room.
Bruce was kneeling so he was eye level with Asher for a conversation. “Yeah? Well, not every can be as smart as you, silly. You’ve been doing graphs for almost as long as you’ve been doing multiplication. Of course it’s gonna feel easy to you. You working on anything else interesting in your spare time?” Bruce raised his eyebrows at Asher, curious to know what their most recent project might be.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I just started teaching myself origami last night. Wanna see what I’ve got so far?” Asher seemed excited.
“Of course I wanna see!” Bruce smiled. “What have you made so far,”
“One sec, I’ll go get them.” Asher quickly ran to their room to gather what they had made so far.
They returned with hands full of tiny projects. There were butterflies and cranes, frogs and flowers. There was even a complex looking bee.
Asher set the pile gently on the couch, sorting it by category as they spread it out. “Okay, I’ve got a couple butterflies, some cranes, a few frogs, different kinds of flowers, and a bee. Don’t tell Dad but I made that one for him. Do you want any of them?” They seemed excited about what they had made.
Bruce was impressed by what Asher had done in one night. “W-wow, Ace. You’ve done a great job with these. I’d love to have one so I could put it on my desk in my office at work. Would that be okay with you?”
Asher nodded enthusiastically. “Do you want one you can keep at home too? I have plenty!”
Bruce grinned at the inquiry. “That would be awesome. You sure you don’t need the extra one for someone else?”
“Nope! I made them for you, Dad and I to share. What you both don’t want, I’m gonna hang up in my room!” Asher looked to Bruce after they finished sorting out their projects. “Which ones would you like?”
Bruce pretended to think for a moment and then replied. “Hmm, in that case, can I have one of each? Your choice?” He watched Asher’s face light up again.
“Really? You want one of each?” Asher saw Bruce nod to confirm. “Okay!” Then they looked back at what they had made and grabbed all the green ones out for Bruce. They grabbed a butterfly, a crane, a frog, a tulip, and a lily and held them out to Bruce. “Are the green ones okay? I think green is lucky. It’s the color you chose on pizza night.”
Harvey had finished getting ready and quietly came down the stairs to observe Bruce and Asher having another moment. He smiled as he usually did, not ready to interrupt them.
“But I didn’t win the game that night, remember?” Bruce replied.
“No, you didn’t…” Asher hesitated before continuing. They got quieter and shyer as they were about to say this next part. “…but I did.” They looked up at Bruce. Bruce was smiling, amused. He was about to speak but Asher continued, figuring out that he didn’t quite get what Asher was talking about yet. “I gained another person that cares about me that night. Yeah, I may have won the game as well. But, that didn’t matter to me by the end of the night. You make Dad happy. But, you also care about me and want to spend time with me, which is more than I can say about my mom…”
By the time Asher was done talking, Bruce wanted to hug them so bad. He was so touched that he was holding back tears. He hadn’t realized that Asher had felt as close to him and he felt to them. “Oh, Ash. C’mere.” He gently set the origami projects on the ottoman and wrapped them up in a tight hug. While hugging them, he spoke, “You make it easy to want to spend time with you, kiddo. You’re an amazing person, just like your dad. One day, you’re gonna realize I’m just a boring old man that hangs out here sometimes.” He chuckled as he pulled away to look Asher in the eyes. “I’ll be here for you. I don’t plan on going anywhere. You’ve got your dad but you’ve also got me, okay?”
Asher nodded. “Okay, now, you better watch out because…” Bruce paused briefly, stifling a grin. “…the tickle monster is gonna get you ah ha ha ha.” They both laughed as Bruce tickled Asher.
That’s when Harvey decided to join them in the living room instead of watching from afar. “Well, well, well. What do we have here? This seems like an intense battle.” Harvey chuckled. “Sorry to interrupt. As you were.” He stood by the couch but Bruce had already stopped tickling Asher.
They were both looking at Harvey in shock. Asher was the first to speak. “Woah, Dad. That’s a really cool suit! How come you haven’t worn that one before?”
“Well, actually this one is a tux, Ash. Tuxes are usually worn for very special occasions. They’re not something I’d be comfortable wearing every day, I don’t think. Besides, if I wore this often, you wouldn’t think it was as cool now, would you?” Harvey replied.
“That’s a good point. But it’s still really cool.” Asher couldn’t stop looking at the cool pattern on the vest.
“Thanks, kiddo. I thought it might be fitting for tonight.” Harvey smiled and looked over at Bruce as he said that.
Meanwhile, Bruce couldn’t stop admiring the whole outfit… and how good Harvey looked in it. He was speechless. Bruce had worn his nicest suit but Harvey was known for going all out when he needed to. He was still admiring Harvey as he realized Harvey was looking at him.
Bruce cleared his throat as he tried to speak. “I- you look- I mean just… wow, sweetheart.” That was all he could manage to say as he stumbled through his words, a slight blush appearing on his face.
“That bad, huh?” Harvey joked, taking pride in the fact that he’d made his boyfriend speechless. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Bruce speechless before. He always had something to say.
“N-no. Of course not, darling. You just- you look amazing. Amazing doesn’t even cover it. There aren’t enough words. But wow!” Bruce’s eyes were practically hearts as he spoke.
Harvey’s face softened from the sly expression to one of love as Bruce spoke. “Thanks, honey. You look amazing too.“ He grinned at Bruce. “Now, I hate to break up this little party but are you ready to head out soon? You said to be ready by 6:30 and it’s 6:27.”
“Yep. Yep, I’m ready,” Bruce replied. He turned to Asher. “Hey, can I leave these here until I get back?” He gestured to the origami pieces Asher gave him that were still on the ottoman. “I don’t want to accidentally lose any of them tonight. I can’t wait to put them around my office and at home.”
Asher nodded. “Okay, but only if you come say goodnight to me when you get back. Even if I’m already asleep.”
“Sounds like a plan, Ace. You’ve got yourself a deal. Now, your dad and I have somewhere to be but we’ll be back later, okay?” Bruce watched Asher nod their head again. “Alright I’m gonna need one of those famous Asher hugs before we leave, though.”
He grabbed Asher and picked them up in a squeeze. Harvey joined them in a group hug, squeezing them both.
As they all parted, Harvey bent down to give Asher their own separate hug as well. “We’ll be home later, Stephanie is just in the other room. She’ll be around if you need anything, like usual. You know the drill. And if it’s urgent, you know my number and I wrote Bruce’s down too just in case mine doesn’t work for some reason. You have fun tonight, okay?”
In a slightly annoyed tone, Asher replied, “Yes, Dad. Now go have fun with Bruce. I’ll be fine here. I’m probably just gonna watch Scooby-Doo or something.”
“Whaaat? Without me?” Bruce pretended to be offended.
Asher giggled. “Yep. You’re missing out, now go or you’ll be late.”
Harvey kissed Asher’s forehead. “Alright, squirt. Have fun okay?”
“I will. And remember, wake me up if I’m asleep when you get back. Don’t make me start a pinky promise.” Asher got very serious.
“Woah, woah, woah. You mean business tonight. I promise I’ll wake you up if you’re asleep, okay?” Bruce replied. Asher was satisfied with that answer. “Okay, we gotta go now. See you later!”
“Bye, Ash! Love you!” Harvey called out as Bruce ushered him to the door, grabbing Harvey’s coat for him on the way out.
Bruce chuckled and shook his head as they both walked to the car. “You have one hell of a kid, Harv. One hell of a kid.” He went to the passenger’s side to open the door for Harvey and closed it after he got in. Then, he got in the driver’s seat.
“I know. Trust me, I know.” Harvey chuckled as well then smiled fondly as he recalled what he had just saw when Bruce and Asher were interacting.
Bruce pulled out of the driveway and started driving them to the restaurant. “You’ll never guess what they said to me before you came down. Nearly brought me to tears.” Bruce was also smiling fondly as he was remembering what Asher said.
“Oh yeah?” Harvey was excited to hear all of the parts he had missed. But he was also excited to hear it from Bruce’s perspective.
“Yeah. First off, the kid is a freakin’ genius. They’re so bored in school this week. Apparently graphs are too easy. But then how do they teach themself origami overnight and become a master at it? I mean, did you see the projects they had laid out on the couch? They offered to give me a couple and I got so excited. I really can’t wait to bring a couple to the office and put them on my desk. The rest are going on the fridge at home.”
He glanced over at Harvey and saw the grin on his face. “Now here’s the good part. So they used a bunch of different colors, right? And I asked if I could have one of each design they made because they said that any extras were to be hung up in their room. So then they asked what colors and I said surprise me. Ash goes and picks all the greens and asks if that’s okay. Of course it’s okay, they could’ve picked the ugliest color in the world and I would’ve proudly taken it and done the same. They can do no wrong. Anyways, they continued to say that green was lucky and brought up the Sorrygame. They continued to explain that even though I lost, green was still lucky because they won. And I was trying to figure out how the hell that made green lucky. They said that it was because I joined their life that night. They said that they had gained someone else that cared about them. And that even though they won the game that night, that didn’t matter because they won by gaining a new person in their life.”
Bruce took a moment to compose himself as tears started to form in his eyes while remembering the moment. “Harv, Asher means so much to me. They’re so special.”
Harvey put his hand on top of Bruce’s, which was on the gearshift. “I know, hon. They feel the same about you.” Harvey rubbed his thumb across the top of Bruce’s hand and turned to watch the road again.
They were almost to their destination and Bruce was getting nervous as he remembered he had something he wanted to ask Harvey. He started rehearsing what he was going to say in his head again as he pulled up the the restaurant.
They had a valet service there so Bruce got out and opened Harvey’s door and extended a hand to him to help him out. Then, he handed some money to the person at the podium and collected his ticket as they went inside.
They were greeted by someone as soon as they walked in. “Good evening, Wayne for two at 7?” Bruce said.
“Yes, I have that right here. Right this way.” He showed them to a table that was tucked away in the corner so it would be quieter and they could enjoy their time together privately, just as Bruce had planned.
Bruce pulled out Harvey’s chair and Harvey sat down. Then he sat down in his own chair patted his chest searching for the box he had put in his pocket. He patted the wrong side first and panicked, letting out a sigh of relief when he found it still in the pocket he put it in.
“You okay, Bruce? You seem a little on edge. I know you planned this but we don’t have to be here if it’s making you uncomfortable. This isn’t really our scene.” Harvey was concerned for Bruce.
“No, no. This is great. I’m great. And you’re… wonderful.” He looked at Harvey and gave him a reassuring smile to cover up his nerves.
Harvey reached for Bruce’s hands across the table. “Okay, well if you don’t want to be here, there’s no pressure for us to be. I’ll be happy just as long as I get to spend time with you.”
Bruce relaxed a little bit. “Sweetheart, anywhere that I get to be with you is exactly where I want to be. Right here, right now? It’s perfect. Now, I know you’re hungry so pick anything you’d like on the menu. I’m paying tonight, no arguments.”
“But-“ Harvey tried to argue.
“Nope.” Bruce held up a hand. “I said no arguments. C’mon, let me do this for you. You make me so happy and I want to do everything I can to make you happy.”
Harvey tilted his head. “Oh, Bruce. You really don’t have to. But if it means that much to you, okay.” He’d find a way to make it up to Bruce anyways.
“Good.” Bruce smiled. He knew Harvey didn’t like people buying things for him but he wanted to do everything he could to make it known how much he cares for Harvey.
The waiter came and took their orders. Shortly after, the food came. Harvey finished eating but Bruce could hardly look at his food, let alone eat it because he was so nervous.
“You sure you’re okay, honey? You barely touched your food.” Harvey was getting really concerned.
It was not like Bruce to eat slow or not eat at all. “Yeah, just not hungry is all.” He slid his plate to the side and leaned in a little bit, taking Harvey’s hands in his and looking at them for a moment before meeting Harvey’s eyes.
Bruce cleared his throat. “So… we’ve been dating for just over a year now. And we’ve known each other even longer than that. This has been the absolute best year of my life. Nothing compares to it. I’ve gotten to know you in a way I never would have. Your sweet and caring side. And you welcomed me into your family. My life wouldn’t be the same without Asher in it.”
Harvey smiled as Bruce said these things. He wasn’t sure where this was leading but he didn’t want to interrupt.
Bruce took a drink of his water before continuing to speak. “It’s no secret that I love you. You know I do. I love you with my whole heart. Ash too. I’ve just been scared to tell them because they’re hit and miss with the feelings stuff and so am I. But that’s not the point I’m trying to make right now.”
He shook his head to try to get him back on track. “Anyways, I care about you. And I care about Asher. So much. I hate going home and being away from you. I like the night routine we have when I’ve stayed over. I like getting to help put Asher to bed and then falling asleep next to the man I love.”
Bruce dug in his jacket to find the box in the pocket and brought it out. Harvey’s eyes grew wide as he saw the box. His heart started racing.
Taking a deep breath, Bruce continued, “So I guess what I’m trying to say is…” He opened the box. “…will you and Asher move in with me?”
Inside the box was two keys to Wayne Manor. One had the initials H.D. on it and the other had the initials A.D. on it.
It was Harvey’s turn to be speechless. He was overwhelmed with emotions. He was so happy right now he felt like he could cry. “Bruce… I- I don’t know what to say.”
He gathered his thoughts together the as fast as he could. He didn’t want to leave Bruce hanging. “I think that would be wonderful!” Harvey grinned.
Bruce sighed a breath of relief. “Really??? Because I’d really love to have both of you there with me. We can figure out the specifics later but you wouldn’t even have to sell your house if you didn’t want to.”
Harvey smiled. “Yes, it sounds like one of the best things that could ever happen. I do think you should ask Ash too, though. Not just me. I don’t think they’d answer any different than I did but this is their decision as well and I’d like them to have a say in this as well, you know?”
“Of course, I totally understand. I wouldn’t want Asher to not be okay with that. Do you think I could ask them tonight when we get back?”
Harvey could hear the anticipation in Bruce’s voice and chuckled. “Absolutely. I think that would make their night.”
Bruce checked his watch. It read 8:30. “Well, do you think we could go now? If you’re okay with that?” He couldn’t wait to ask Asher as well and he also knew that Harvey wasn’t the most comfortable in really fancy restaurants.
Harvey nodded. “That sounds great, Bruce. And Ash might still be up by the time we get home.”
The car ride home felt short. A comfortable silence filled the space. Bruce was grinning from ear to ear. Harvey had a smile that was almost identical on his face as well. Harvey’s hand rested on top of Bruce’s on the gearshift again.
Bruce could hardly wait to get back to Harvey’s to ask Asher. But he was also extremely nervous. He wondered if maybe they didn’t care about him as much as he thought they did. He started to get in his head about it. The closer the car got to Harvey’s, the more tense Bruce became.
Harvey sensed the tension in Bruce’s hand on the gearshift. “Honey, it’s gonna be okay. They love you too. There’s no need to worry so much.” Harvey tried to use a calming tone as he spoke. “Do you want some music or something?” Harvey thought for a moment. “I could talk your ear off if it would help.” He chuckled, thinking he was funny.
Bruce half-smiled at that. “I dunno. Do whatever you think might help because honestly, I’m more nervous to ask them now than I was to ask you. And I’d been planning to ask you for like a month.”
Harvey started talking about the night he brought Bruce home to meet Asher, and then he switched to the night of their first date as a distraction.
Soon enough, they pulled into the driveway. Bruce shut off the car but didn’t move. He was scared to go inside. Going inside meant he’d have to ask the biggest question of his life for the second time in the same night. He would’ve been able to handle the rejection from Harvey. It would’ve hurt, but he would’ve bounced back with time. If Asher said no, he didn’t know if he could handle it. To Bruce, Asher was like his own kid now. He didn’t know if he’d be able to take them not wanting to live with him.
Sensing Bruce’s anxiousness, Harvey spoke up. “Hey, I know this might not help much right now but trust me, it’s gonna be okay. If you want, I’ll be there with you while you ask.“
“I think I’d better do this myself. Ash really looks up to you and, even though I want you and them to move in, I don’t want them to see that you want it and say yes just because they want to make you happy. I want them to be happy too, y’know? They’re just a kid but I want them to be able to have a say in where they live.” Bruce still looked nervous and he could tell Harvey wanted to be there for him. “I’ll be okay, I promise. Besides, it’s Asher. They can do no wrong, right?”
Harvey saw an unconvincing smile appear on Bruce’s face but he let it go and sighed. “Okay. Are you ready to do this, then? Or do you need a couple minutes still?”
“Better go in now before I end up leaving instead.” Bruce got out and went to Harvey’s side to walk by him.
As they walked to the door, Harvey reached for Bruce’s hand. It was shaking because of how nervous he was. Now that he noticed, Bruce’s whole body was shaking.
They got inside and hung their coats up. They saw Stephanie in the living room, reading a book.
Approaching the living room, Harvey spoke. “Hey, Stephanie. Thanks for watching Ash tonight. We can take it from here. Are they already in bed?”
She nodded. “Yep, they were tired tonight. They almost fell asleep watching Scooby-Doo so I brought them up to their room.”
“Okay, thanks. Here’s for watching them. We really appreciate it.” Harvey handed her some money as she packed up her things.
“I’m gonna go check on Asher and see how they’re doing. Have a good night, Stephanie. And thanks again.”
“No problem, Mr. Dent.” Stephanie replied.
Harvey started up the stairs. “You comin’ Bruce?” Bruce nodded.
Stephanie let herself out as Bruce joined Harvey. They went up the stairs to check on Asher.
When they got to Asher’s room, Harvey knocked. “Ash? You awake?” No reply. He opened the door slightly and saw Asher sound asleep on their bed, still in their day clothes. He opened the door all the way and he and Bruce both walked in.
Harvey went to sit on the bed next to Asher and kissed the top of their head. “Ash? Kiddo, wake up. Bruce is here just like he promised.” He gently stroked their hair, trying to help them wake up as nicely as possible. “Asher, c’mon wake up.” He spoke a little louder than before.
Asher started stirring. They turned over, away from Harvey and groaned. They rubbed their eyes. Harvey tapped them on the shoulder. “Asher, Bruce is here. You wanted him to come up and say goodnight, remember?”
They opened their eyes and slowly turned back around. “Bruce?”
“Hey, Ace.” He smiled. “You look a little sleepy, there. Was Scooby-Doo that boring without out me?”
Asher let out a small giggle, waking up a little more. They sat up and leaned against Harvey and Harvey put his arm around them, stroking their hair.
Asher rubbed their eyes again, almost fully awake. “Mhm. Nobody was here to act like Scooby with me. Stephanie just read her book as I watched by myself.” They had a hint of sadness in their voice as they said this.
“Aw, I’m sorry, Ash. We’ll watch it another day and I’ll act like him then. How does that sound?” Bruce asked as he went to sit at the end of Asher’s bed, opposite Asher and Harvey.
Asher moved from Harvey’s arms to lean against Bruce instead. “Okay. But you have to pinky promise on this one.”
Bruce gladly gathered Asher into his arms and offered his pinky. “You got it, kiddo.” It was an official pinky promise.
Now that Asher was fully awake, Bruce gave Harvey a look that signaled he should let the two of them be so he could talk to them.
Harvey stood up. “I’m gonna go change but I’ll be back in a little bit.” He left the room, leaving Asher and Bruce in Asher’s room.
Bruce was getting nervous again. He knew he needed to be calm in order to talk to Asher. He thought he was hiding it well until Asher spoke up.
“What’s wrong, Bruce? Is everything okay?” They sat up so they could look at his face. He looked worried and that made Asher worried. Unsure of what else to do, they hugged him again.
Bruce gasped in surprise as they did so. Then, he pulled away so he could look at them. “Everything’s great, Ace. But… there is something I need to ask you. It’s kind of important. Is now an okay time to talk to you about it? Are you awake enough?”
They nodded. “What’s going on?”
Bruce sighed, preparing himself to have this conversation. “Ash, you know I care about you a lot, right?”
They nodded. “I care about you too, Bruce.”
Bruce continued. “Well, I’ve been thinking. You know how I always go back home when visit and you don’t want me to? Well, what if we could change that?”
“What do you mean?” Asher inquired.
Bruce knew he couldn’t put off asking anymore. He needed to just say it. “Ash, how would you feel if I asked if you and your dad would move in with me?”
Asher took a moment to process what Bruce had just said. Their face lit up. “Wait, really? Is this real?”
Bruce smiled pulled the box out of his suit jacket and showed them the keys inside. Asher gasped at the sight and started bouncing on the bed. “Can we? Can we please live at your house? I hate when you have to go home.”
“That’s what the keys are for, silly. But only if you really want to. Are you sure this is what you want? You can think about it if you need to, there’s not rush if-“
“No,” Asher interrupted. “I don’t need to think about it. I want to live with my Dad and you. I hate that I only get to see you on weekends when you come over to visit.” They seemed to think for a moment. “Did you already ask my dad?” Bruce nodded. “What did he say? Did he say yes? Are we actually moving in?”
Bruce chuckled at Asher’s excitement and gathered them into his arms again. “If you want it to, it’s gonna happen, Ace.” He rested his chin on their head, beaming. The tension I’m over his entire body disappeared as relief washed over him.
They were both silent for a moment as they hugged. Then Bruce spoke up again. “Hey, Ash?”
“Hm?” Asher asked, still hugging Bruce tightly.
“I love you, kiddo.” He said it quietly, scared of how the kid might react.
Asher released their hug to look at Bruce. They looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. It was the last thing they expected to hear. “You do?”
“Of course, Ash. You’re one of my favorite people in the whole world.” Bruce smiled and stroked their hair once.
“You’re one of mine too. Thanks for always looking out for Dad and I.” They didn’t know what else to say. They wanted to tell Bruce that they loved him too but when it came to feelings, they had trouble expressing them with words.
“I’ll always be here for the both of you, okay? Don’t you worry about that.” Bruce smiled at Asher
They nodded. “Okay.”
Just then, there was a knock on Asher’s door. Harvey poked his head in. “Hey, can I come in?” He had changed out of his tux and into a sweater and khaki pants.
Asher nearly fell off the bed as they scrambled to get off it. “Dad, Dad did you hear? We’re gonna live with Bruce!” They ran over to Harvey and practically tackled him with a hug.
Harvey knelt down, bracing for impact. Asher ran into his arms. Harvey chuckled at Asher’s excitement. “Oh yeah?” He stood up holding Asher and looked over their shoulder at Bruce. He was still smiling.
Asher pushed off of Harvey’s shoulders so they could talk to him. “Yeah and then Bruce won’t have to leave at night anymore. Won’t that be awesome???”
Harvey started walking towards Asher’s bed, still looking at Bruce. “That sounds like the best idea anyone has ever had.” He fell backwards onto the bed, still holding Asher.
Asher was between Bruce and Harvey. Bruce laid down, moving closer to Asher and Harvey. Asher grabbed both of their arms and pulled them closer so Harvey and Bruce were hugging with Asher in the middle.
They giggled with excitement. This was everything they could’ve ever dreamed of, having two parents that cared about them.
The three of them stayed in the hug for a little bit longer than normal, celebrating this special moment.
Eventually, Harvey started feeling really tired so he checked his watch. It read 10:04. “Okay, munchkin. That’s enough excitement for one night. Time for bed now, for real. Go get your pajamas on and brush your teeth. We’ll be waiting here to tuck you in.” He rolled away and sat up so Asher could get out of the hug and get ready to sleep.
“Aw, okay.” Asher got up, grabbed their pajamas, and left their room to get ready for bed.
Harvey looked at Bruce who was still laying down, propped up on his elbow. He reached for Bruce’s hand. “How’re you feeling now, hon?”
Bruce gladly let Harvey grab his hand and their fingers locked together. He let out a soft sigh. “Harv, I feel like I just won the whole damn world. I mean, I’ve got to look crazy for how big I’m smiling right now. My face hurts but I can’t stop smiling.” He brought Harvey’s hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I’m the luckiest man on the planet. I don’t know what I did to ever get so lucky but I sure as hell won’t mess it up.”
Asher came back in with their pajamas on. Harvey was suspicious. “Ash… did you brush your teeth too?” They nodded. “Let me see.” He could never actually tell by looking but Asher was a bad liar so he could always tell before checking.
Asher sighed. “Fine, I’ll go brush them.” They dragged their feet all the way to the bathroom.
“They never do that when I’m helping them get ready for bed.” Bruce teased.
“Yeah, yeah, shut up.” Harvey pretended to be annoyed and rolled his eyes and started laughing.
Asher came back after brushing their teeth and hopped on the bed in between Harvey and Bruce. “Okay, I’m ready now!” They were still full of energy from the excitement earlier but Harvey and Bruce both knew how to solve that problem. One of them would read to Asher until they fell asleep.
“Alright, stinker. Who do you want to read to you tonight?” Harvey asked as he and Bruce stood up so Asher could lay down.
“Uhhh Bruce, could you read to me tonight?” they looked at him with puppy-dog eyes again.
“Of course, Ace. Anything for you. What’ll it be tonight? Another Magic Treehouse book, another Hardy Boys book, or should we start Charlotte’s Web?” Bruce asked as he tucked Asher into bed.
“Could we do Charlotte’s Web? I think I’m ready to switch it up a little bit from a series.” Asher got comfy as they got tucked in.
Bruce grabbed the book and sat down on the bed next to Asher, leaning against the headboard.
Harvey went over to Asher and kissed them on the head. “Alright then. Goodnight, my sweet little angel. Sleep well and I’ll see you in the morning.” He started to walk out of Asher’s room.
Asher suddenly said, “Wait!” Harvey stopped and turned around, looking at Asher, confused. “Could you stay here until I fall asleep tonight, too?”
“Of course, kiddo.” Harvey’s confusion turned to a soft smile as he went to sit on the other side of Asher. He also leaned against the headboard. “You comfy?” He looked down at Asher who was grinning at having their dads both with them. “Okay, good.”
Then Bruce began to read. It took a little longer than normal for Asher to fall asleep tonight. But that was to be expected with everything that had happened tonight. They fell asleep a half hour later (or so Harvey and Bruce thought).
Bruce and Harvey slowly and carefully got up off of Asher’s bed. Harvey bent down first to give Asher a kiss on their head. “Night, Ash. Sweet dreams. Love you.” He walked and stood in the doorway as Bruce said goodnight.
Bruce bent down to kiss Asher’s head as well. “Goodnight, Ace. Thanks for letting me join your little crew. Love you kiddo.”
“Love you too, Daddy Bruce.” Asher’s voice was very quiet. But Bruce still heard it. He lightly squeezed their hand and stood back up. A mixture of shock and happiness was on his face as he walked out of Asher’s room to join Harvey, closing the door behind the both of them. He had to lean against the wall to stabilize himself.
Harvey didn’t hear what Asher had said so he was confused as to why Bruce was acting this way. “You okay, honey? What’s going on?”
“Sweetheart, Ash just said that they loved me. And they called me Dad. In the same sentence. Technically it was Daddy Bruce which is almost cuter but that doesn’t matter right now. Harv, they called me Dad.” Bruce was getting emotional now as it sunk it more when he said it out loud.
Harvey brought him in for a hug. When he pulled away, he brought his hands up to Bruce’s face. “Oh, Bruce. That’s amazing. It’s truly amazing.” Harvey gave Bruce a kiss before letting go. “Do you wanna stay over tonight? Get some sleep now? I know you probably don’t have a bag but you can borrow some of my stuff if you need?”
Bruce nodded, hardly able to speak because he was so overwhelmed. Tonight was the best night of his life. He would never forget it.
“Good, because I don’t think you’d be able to drive right now anyways.” Harvey joked. “C’mon, hon. Let’s get some rest.” He reached for Bruce’s hand again and laced their fingers together as they walked together to Harvey’s room.