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Bernard's breath was visible in the frigid Gotham air, but he barely noticed. The puffy, black winter jacket (lined in yellow and gifted by Duke on his recently passed birthday) kept him warm despite the temperature and falling snow, as did the excitement he had for what he, Conner, and Tim were about to do.
It was Conner's first winter in Gotham, so the three of them were meeting up and showing him some of their favorite sights.
“Bernard!”
Bernard stopped and looked around. He wasn't at their meeting point yet, but a waving hand above the heads of some of the passersby led him to Conner, grinning widely and holding a drink tray with three steaming cups.
“Conner!”
He jogged over, carefully dodging around people, and met him with a kiss.
“Hey. This isn't where we said we'd meet.”
“I know.” Conner pulled out one of the cups and handed it over. “But I saw a stand selling apple cider and couldn't resist.”
Bernard took a sip and smiled happily. “This tastes great. Tim's gonna love it. Now come on!”
He turned to lead the way through the crowded sidewalk, but Conner slipped a hand in his and took the lead, keeping him from getting bumped into.
Bernard held onto his drink and followed, trusting where Conner was guiding him, as he was unable to see anything around his boyfriend's back.
The warm drink and coat, mixed with the frozen air and snowflakes made Bernard feel a bit giddy. He was going to have a fun date with the two most important people in the world to him, they both had the day off of work, and nothing was going to stop this from being the best day ever.
“Bear?” Conner pulled to a stop and turned, looking like he was concerned. “Are you alright?”
“Mhm.” Bernard nodded. “Why?”
Conner’s cheeks were pink, and Bernard almost suggested that they make a quick detour to purchase him a scarf before remembering that Kryptonians were able to handle the temperatures in the Arctic without issue.
“I can hear your heartbeat. It's… unusually loud.”
“Oh,” he chuckled. “Sorry. I'm really excited.”
“That's all?”
Bernard nodded earnestly. “That's all. I'm fine. Now let's hurry. We don't want to keep Tim waiting.”
They weren't far from where they were meeting him, but Bernard caught Conner glancing at him a few more times on the way over.
“Conner, I'm fine.” Bernard pulled him to a stop and turned him around. “I promise.” It was touching, knowing that he cared so much, but a bit suffocating.
“Sorry.”
“Look, be honest with me. Are you sure you're up for this? Tim and I won't be upset, we can just find a time when the plaza is less crowded.”
“No, I'm fine. I promise. I don't mean to be so fidgety, I guess it's just… it's been a while since I've heard so many people, so excited all at once and nothing's been wrong. Especially since I've moved to Gotham. I'll be okay. I just need to get used to this.”
Bernard smiled and lifted a second cup out of the holder. This one he handed over to Conner.
“Then, here. Gotham isn't famous for much not having to do with crime, but our apple cider is The Best.”
Conner looked at him for a moment, but then chuckled and accepted the cup, taking a sip of the warm liquid.
“Okay, that is really good.”
“Ah, ah, ah.” Bernard raised an eyebrow and pointed a jokingly judgemental finger at his boyfriend. “Careful. It's what?”
That finally made Conner genuinely laugh. “Alright. I guess it really is The Best.”
“Good. Now come on. Let's go get Tim and have some fun.”