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Kon was sure his life could not get any worse.
Not only did he have a horrendous crush on his lifelong best friend, but said best friend kept inviting him to hang out with him and his boyfriend.
That’s right. Third wheeling the man he was in love with. Great way to spend your day off from superheroing.
Bernard was nice, to make things worse. He watched how Kon’s eyes stayed on Tim in the dark and didn’t comment. He gave Kon apologetic looks when his eyes lingered too long. He didn’t confront him, yell at him, or tell him to back off from Tim
Kon had never wanted someone to mysteriously go missing more than Bernard.
It was December. It didn’t snow often in Gotham, even less so in Metropolis, but the forecast suspected it would start soon. They were sitting in Tim’s room, though in Wayne Manor all the bedrooms were about the same size as a small apartment.
Tim and Bernard were talking about a video game. Kon wasn’t really listening, he was too busy wishing he was anywhere else.
There was a knock at the door. Kon was praying it was his dad, or even Bruce, coming to tell him it was time to go home.
It was Alfred. Equally as good.
“Master Tim, your father would like to see you. You are needed for a patrol. You may want to tell your guests goodbye.”
Tim groaned loudly. “Tell him I’m busy. Can’t Damian take this one?”
“Damian will be accompanying the two of you already.”
Tim groaned again. It didn’t help his case.
He turned to Kon and Bernard. “Sorry guys, we’ll meet up again soon to make up for it.”
Kon was possibly the happiest he had ever been. Until he watched Tim kiss Bernard’s cheek. Then he was miserable again.
It wasn't that he wanted to hate Bernard. This was totally out of the ordinary for him, he didn't make a habit of hating anyone. He was just…jealous. He felt dumb and kiddish for it but down to his very core he was jealous.
Tim walked away with Alfred, leaving the two of them in silence.
Bernard stood up. “Well-”
“Guess I'd better get going,” Kon said, so fast it sounded like one word. He started to crack the bedroom window.
“Whoa, hey.” Bernard put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s snowing pretty badly in Metropolis right now. Not great to fly in, I’d imagine.”
That was another thing Kon hated about Bernard. He was so sickeningly considerate.
“So long as it isn’t snowing kryptonite, I think I’ll be ok."
“I’ll drive you to my place. You can stay the night if the snow doesn’t let up.”
“Really, I’ll be fine.”
“We can get Batburger.”
Kon could put aside hatred for a while, he supposed. Just long enough to get Batburger. And if he was planning to confront Bernard about why he was so determined to be nice to him, that was his business.
Look, it was rare for him to be alone with Bernard. He didn’t really want his crush to watch him interrogate his boyfriend.
Bernard led him down to his car. Kon had actually never ridden with him before, seeing as driving was so useless in comparison to flying everywhere.
His fingers rubbed the cloth seat under him as Bernard drove out of Wayne Manor’s round driveway. Music played softly on the radio under the hum of the car as they drove, a song Kon didn’t recognize.
“I thought it was highly discouraged to drive in the snow?” Kon said, only because the silence made him uncomfortable.
“I’m a pro. Besides, that’s only when it’s been snowing long enough to ice the roads. What, you don’t trust my skills?”
“Well, if you’re a pro then, guess I have to.”
“You can ask Nascar. They’ve offered me many positions.”
Bernard’s car was tidy, for a teenage boy. It was mostly empty, aside from a few thick college textbooks in his backseat.
They pulled into the Batburger parking lot. Bernard pulled the key out of the ignition, pocketing it and taking the car’s soft hum with him. Kon followed him up to the glass doors. He motioned for Kon to order first.
He got what he always got, Jokerized fries and a burger. In his opinion, getting regular fries was a sin when the seasoning was right there. As he was about to pull out his wallet, Bernard very lightly shoved him and ordered, paying for both of them.
At Kon’s raised eyebrow, he shrugged. “I invited you.”
Kon was pretty sure that was a rule for dates, but he would accept free food. Even if it kind of made him want to punch Bernard for being so nice.
They sat at a booth, food in hand. Bernard busied himself with looking out the window at the slowly falling snow, chewing his burger.
“Why are you determined to be so nice to me?” Kon asked, a hint of something mean in his tone. He didn’t even mean to say it, it just slipped from his lips as he watched Bernard.
Bernard slid his green eyes to Kon, a hint of a smile on his face. “You’re a good guy, Kon. I’d like to be friends.” He ate a fry. “I guess that’s not what you’re really asking, though, is it?”
Kon looked for cruelty in his eyes. He didn’t find any. He shook his head.
“You wanna know why I haven’t said anything about your crush on my boyfriend, right?” At Kon’s awkward nod, he continued. “Because you’re important to Tim. And he’s important to you. You’ve been in a part of his life I will never be in, and you’ve been there for a long time. I would never jeopardize your friendship.” He took a small sip of his drink.
Kon wanted to leap across the table and throttle him. His kindness was so unending, he probably wouldn’t have even cared.
“That’s it?” Kon asked.
Bernard fixed his eyes on him again. “Should there be more?”
“I expected you to be…I don’t know.”
“Mad? Jealous?”
“I guess.”
Bernard shook his head. He thought for a moment, taking another bite of his burger as he did so.
“Tim’s life as a superhero…it was a hard pill to swallow,” Bernard said quietly. “I found out before he told me. He didn’t hide it well.” Bernard let out a breathless laugh. He thought for a second before opening his mouth again, tone more thoughtful now.
“It’s the definition of a job that you take home with you. It weighs so heavily on him. If I could make him quit and move somewhere with less psycho murderers and alien invasions, no offense, I would. But, being Red Robin is so important to him. When he didn’t have anything, not even his parents, he had Bruce and his Robin costume. I could never take away something so important to him, and you’re part of why it’s special for him. You’re a friend he made doing it. Besides, I know you won’t let anything happen to him. Do you understand?”
Kon nodded, taking a bite of his food and swallowing it, along with everything Bernard had just said.
Kon left Batburger with an understanding he didn’t have before.
He finally figured that maybe his jealousy came from thinking he could treat Tim better. He knew him better, longer. He was a hero, he could keep him safe. However, now that he knew how Bernard saw things, he couldn’t find it in himself to be jealous. He was just mad. And he didn’t know why.
Bernard drove slowly and carefully down the roads, snow falling around them, giving Kon plenty of time to think about all the new feelings bubbling in his chest.
He couldn’t be mad at Bernard now. He was too understanding. Too kind. He read Kon like a book back there. He was just so smart. And funny with those smarts, making him terribly witty. Worst of all, he was so pretty. He was pretty in the way that Tim was. And- wait, what?
No, no. This wasn’t right. These were all thoughts he’d had about Tim. About how he was pretty and smart and funny. And he had a crush on Tim. He didn’t…
Ah, fuck.
He had a crush on Bernard.
The bottom of the car may as well have fallen out for Kon. He stared at the snow as realization dawned on him.
Bernard had, without Kon realizing, stolen right into his affections, right beside Tim.
Kon wanted to scream. He managed to keep that urge back as they got to Bernard’s apartment, right next to his college. His apartment was small, designed for just one person. Kon thought it had to count as some kind of violation. There was no way a human could exist in a room that small.
A pristine kitchenette greeted them at the door. He’d expect, given its size, that it would be cluttered. Alas, it looked like it was hardly used. Only the mini fridge and burner looked like they’d been used at all.
Past that, there was a desk pushed up against the left side of the room, and some narrow stairs leading up to a lofted bed. The base of the loft looked to be a closet. A door next to the desk was left ajar, showing off an impossibly small bathroom.
“How do you live like this?” Kon asked, looking around at the posters on his wall.
Bernard snickered. “It was an adjustment, for sure. You know that TikTok channel that makes all the animated home renovation videos? With, like, eco-friendly wood and borrowed screws and stuff?”
“What? No? The fuck?”
Bernard laughed. “Just know that’s a really funny reference and you’d be laughing right now if you understood. Anyway, this is the side of Gotham with the least crime, but also closest to my college. Housing over here is not cheap.”
He slipped off his shoes and opened the closet. “Are you staying the night here?”
As much as it pained Kon from three hours ago, he glanced out the window and really didn’t want to fly home in that weather, and it didn’t look to be slowing down. Besides, now that he realized he didn’t hate Bernard, it couldn’t be too bad.
He nodded. “Yeah, if that’s ok.”
Bernard flashed him a smile and tossed him a hoodie and shorts. “Those should fit you for pajamas. You can change in the bathroom.”
Kon nodded, walking into the tiny room. It had a built-in shower, toilet, and a sink counter that stretched across one wall. Kon changed quickly and pulled out his phone to text Clark that he wouldn’t be home that night. He also very frantically Googled, “What do I do when I’m in love with my best friend and also his boyfriend???”
Of course, none all the responses were actually what he needed to know. He Googled like a madman who didn't know how to spell. He figured he had been ‘changing’ for a while, and cleared his search history before walking out.
Bernard was already lying up in the loft bed, a laptop open on his lap. He gestured for Kon to come join him.
Kon repressed a buildup of emotions in him and stepped up the stairs. Bernard’s bed was about the size of a queen, a complete juxtaposition from his tiny apartment.
“Wanna watch a movie?” Bernard asked, tilting his laptop screen to him. Kon nodded, climbing up and sitting next to him against the pillows. “I’d offer the bed all to you, but there is genuinely nowhere else to sleep. So.
Kon shrugged. “It’s fine.”
It was not fine. He could feel his heartbeat in his head.
It wasn’t like they hadn’t slept near each other before. Tim was banned from having boys sleep in his room the day he told Bruce about his relationship with Bernard. Not wanting to banish his friends to an empty guest room, they all camped out in one of the lounge rooms with big couches or enough floor space for a blow-up mattress.
So, sharing a bed wasn’t too weird. Granted, they usually had Tim between them.
Kon cursed himself for how quickly he developed feelings, and watched Bernard browse a few movies. With Kon’s vague approval, he turned on a random comedy neither of them had seen. He placed the laptop on his lap and leaned back against the pillows. Kon forced himself to put all his focus on the movie.
When the credits started rolling, Bernard was asleep, legs under the blankets with one arm folded under his head and the other resting on the laptop.
Kon leaned to peek out the window. It was dark out, and the snow had long stopped.
He looked at Bernard’s sleeping face and decided he’d go actually insane if he stayed here, so he gently shut the laptop and moved it off his lap. He snuck off the bed and changed again in the bathroom.
As he stepped out from the bathroom, he realized he had forgotten his phone up in the bed. He bit back a groan and climbed the little stairs, wincing as one creaked under his foot.
Kon grabbed his phone just as Bernard shuffled, moving onto his side and looking up at Kon through his eyelashes.
“Leaving?” he asked, slurring the word with how tired he was.
Kon tried to look anywhere but in his eyes. “Yeah, sorry. Uh, my dad asked me to come home.”
“Did it stop snowing?”
“Mhm.”
Bernard nodded understandingly. He sat up, blankets pooling at his waist, and tugged Kon down into a hug. “Kay. G’night.” Kon patted him on the back awkwardly. He felt his face heat up as Bernard lay back down and buried himself in blankets.
Kon slipped out the window and started the short flight home, pretty sure he was having a heart attack. Bernard was well known for his physical affections, but he never extended them to Kon.
His feelings for Tim weren’t gone, which was what confused Kon the most. Just now, Bernard was there too, right next to the spot Tim had nearly always been.
Kon snuck in through his bedroom window and lay down. Try as he might, he couldn’t sleep.
If he just so happened to Google, “Can I be in love with two people at the same time?” “What is polyamory?” and “Am I poly quiz” all in rapid succession during those sleepless hours of the night and he made some discoveries about himself, that was his business.
———————————————
Tim opened his mouth to say something, but Bernard silenced him with his hand. ‘What if he’s listening?’ he mouthed.
Tim rolled his eyes, smiling. “Hey, Kon,” he said, voice just barely louder than his usual talking voice. “If you’re listening right now, you better stop because me and Bernard are gonna start making out in 3…2…”
His phone chimed. Kon had sent a middle finger emoji and a text that said “I wasn't listening until you said my NAME. Have fun, you freaks."
Tim was laughing. Bernard only felt a little bad about what they were doing. It was one thing for you and your boyfriend to both have a crush on a mutual friend. It was another thing to be trying to trick him into falling in love with both of you.
"So, how was last night? Did it work?" Tim asked, lying down on his stomach on the couch.
They were sitting in one of the Manor's many 'resting rooms,' or living rooms, if you weren't pretentious. Bernard wasn't doing much resting, with a textbook and two notebooks spread out in front of him. He was supposed to be studying for his upcoming physics test, but not much studying was being done.
He was pretty sure he and Tim had put more effort into this little Kon trick than he'd ever put into a test.
"I think it worked. The hug thing was golden, you were smart for that. I don't have super hearing and even I could hear his heartbeat."
Tim laughed, laying his head down on his arms.
"Did he stay all night?"
"No, he left after the movie. I fell asleep so he thought he could slip away."
"You fell asleep? You had one job, Bern."
Bernard laughed softly. "Yeah, yeah. I woke up when he got up though. Sealed the deal with the hug and he left as fast as he possibly could."
Tim checked his phone to make sure Kon hadn't texted anything else. Bernard took the opportunity to brush Tim's hair out of his eyes and plant a kiss between his eyebrows.
"Love you," Tim hummed. "Thanks for putting up with my antics."
"Our antics, thank you very much. Stop taking all the credit."
Tim laughed and leaned over Bernard's shoulder to look at his textbook.
———————————————
Kon knew Tim was planning on making it up to him and Bernard about having to leave early, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. Usually, with their crazy schedules, it was impossible to find a day of the week when they could all meet up.
Apparently, Tim was shirking responsibilities for this. It surprised Kon less and less every time he did it, but still.
"Dick's covering my patrol tonight. It'll be fine," he shrugged, getting out of his (Bruce's) car and leading Kon around the Gotham University campus.
Bernard was currently in class, but Tim said he'd pick him up for their hangout. By picking him up, he literally meant he'd stand outside his lecture room door. And, by extension, Kon would also stand there and try very hard not to think about his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.
"Dick's in town?" Kon asked, leaning on the wall as casually as possible.
"Yeah, he's homesick or whatever. I think he just wanted to see Bruce and stuff."
"He didn't wanna see you?"
"Trust me, he's harassed me plenty today."
A group of college kids shuffled out, among them Bernard. He made his way to the two of them with a smile.
"Hey, Kon." He tugged him into an unexpected hug. "Hi, Tim." He pecked his cheek. Kon pretended to look the other way.
That was. Weird.
Those greeting affections usually stopped at Tim. You know. His boyfriend.
Minus when he was half asleep, apparently.
Kon was still trying to figure out if he should tell Tim about that. It wasn't like they made out or something, but…Tim should probably know Kon shared a bed with his boyfriend without him, right? But, at the same time, they just hugged directly in front of him and he didn't even bat an eye.
And, to tell Tim about it would be to admit that it felt romantic, at least on Kon's end.
He kept his mouth shut.
They found themselves back in Wayne Manor, taking up a couch and watching a movie. They did this all the time, and Kon could be chill about it. The only problem was that, for some reason, they decided to both take up the entire couch except for the middle. Kon looked desperately around the room. Of course, it was the only lounge with only one couch. Great. Hopes of being chill dashed.
He sat in the middle, keeping his eyes on the screen or his phone.
One awkward movie he didn't quite catch the plot of later, Kon realized Bernard was asleep on his right, leaving just him and Tim awake.
"He's been sleeping so much lately. I think midterms are taking a lot out of him," Tim smiled fondly, glancing over Kon at his boyfriend.
Bernard was a pretty sleeper, Kon had decided. His blond eyelashes stood out just enough on his cheeks to be noticeable. He had a small splash of freckles across the bridge of his nose, hardly visible. His pink lips parted ever so slightly.
His boyfriend. Kon had to remind himself. This was Bernard.
He tore his eyes away. "I need to tell you something, Tim."
"Sound's important," Tim hummed.
"Yeah…it kinda is. It could just be nothing, though."
"Go on, then."
Kon took a deep breath. He'd feel really bad if this demolished Tim and Bernard's relationship, but he couldn't live with the weird guilt he had about almost staying the night with Bernard.
"Uh, Bernard asked me to stay the night at his place the other night."
"Uh huh."
"And…I don't know."
Tim studied him for a second. His blue eyes always felt too sharp, like they analyzed every detail of a person's face. Kon felt his cheeks flush at the look and hoped Tim wouldn't notice that.
"What about it made you feel like you had to tell me?" Tim prompted.
"It just…it was a little weird."
"Did it feel like he was making a move on you?"
Kon blanched. "I mean…no?"
"That sounded certain," Tim smiled.
Kon probably wouldn't be smiling if he heard something like that about his boyfriend, but whatever. He never could read Tim perfectly. Maybe it was an awkward smile.
"Like, I'm not trying to…sabotage him or whatever. I just felt like you should know."
Tim nodded, chewing his lip to poorly hide a smile. "Yeah, I'll talk to him."
"Don't, like, argue about it. I don't want you guys to fight."
"No never."
Tim lightly changed the subject. They talked about the movie, laughing quietly so they wouldn't wake Bernard. It felt like what being with Tim always felt like. Warm, happy, like Kon was supposed to be there.
Eventually, they both fell asleep on the couch.
———————————————
Tim found Bernard in the kitchen that morning, rummaging in the cabinet for coffee grounds. He wrapped his arms around him, receiving a warm laugh.
"Hey," Tim mumbled into his shoulder.
"How's Kon?"
"Alseep."
"You know that isn't what I meant," Bernard chuckled, reaching back to pinch his side.
Tim laughed. "I think he's catching on."
Tim guided him to the coffee in the cabinet. He reached around him to set up the fancy coffee maker only he and Alfred ever actually used. He grabbed the creamer for him and watched him adjust the coffee to his taste.
Bernard's fingers worried the rim of the mug before he spoke.
"Has he said anything to you?"
Tim pulled back to look him in the eye. "No?"
"I just…I don't want to assume he knows where things stand."
"With us?"
"With everything. "
Tim chewed his lip. "Yeah. We've been defaulting to him being included."
"If we don't check ourselves, we might disappoint him with what's actually going on."
Tim pressed his lips to Bernard's cheek.
"We'll come clean. Soon…ish."
———————————————
Kon was half asleep, but even half asleep superhearing was still superhearing. Every word he heard murmured from the kitchen hit him like a slammed door.
He lay there, pretending to be asleep and listening to the two of them giggle together, for a full five minutes.
They were trying to push him away, obviously. He had overstayed his welcome in the delicate balance of their relationship and they were trying to let him down easy. That was what the thing with Bernard was about. He was trying to show Kon that his thing for Tim wasn't the problem, but Kon being included in everything they did was.
He decided he'd rather rip the bandaid off than sit around and pretend to sleep more, so he pushed himself off the couch with the sound of his own hammering heart in his ears.
He padded into the kitchen, ignoring their "good morning"s.
"Look, if you wanted me to give some space, that was all you had to say."
Bernard and Tim looked at each other, confusion written on their faces.
"I heard you. When you thought I was asleep."
They looked at each other again, more panicked.
Kon fought back the sadness in his voice. "You didn't have to scheme around me. I get that you're a couple and I'm just your friend."
The word burned in his throat.
Bernard and Tim looked at each other, communicating silently. Tim made a prompting face. Bernard kicked his shin.
"You heard that out of context," Tim said softly, looking guilty. "That's not at all what's going on."
Kim wrinkled his nose. "Then what?"
Tim looked desperately at Bernard. Bernard kicked him again.
Tim rubbed a hand over his face. "We, uh, we're sorry…if it felt like we were playing with your emotions ever. The truth is…"
He took too long getting to the point. Bernard cut in. "We're poly. We both like you."
Kon's whole world imploded on itself. He could hear both of their heartbeats from across the room, could see the nervous tics and painful anticipation painting their faces.
"Oh," Kon practically squeaked.
Tim clicked his tongue. "Oh."
Bernard, ever on task, cleared his throat. "Look, we get it if that isn't…your thing. We can take it slow. Or, we can just be friends and act like this didn't even-”
Kon laughed. "I thought I was going crazy."
Tim and Bernard looked at each other again, smiling.
"It worked!" Tim laughed.
Bernard put his face in his hands. "Oh my god, it worked?"
"What worked?" Kon asked.
"This was Tim's idea-"
"You told me to stop taking credit!"
"This was Tim's idea," Bernard repeated. "We both realized we had a thing for you and Tim came up with a plan to discreetly let you in on it."
Kon, now fully in on it, laughed. "That did not work."
Tim scoffed. "It so worked! Look at us!"
"You didn't let me in on shit!"
Bernard shook his head. "Yeah, slight miscalculation. I wasn't supposed to actually fall asleep the night you stayed at my place."
Kon rolled his eyes, but accepted the hug he was pulled into.
They agreed to take things slow. To explore the new rules of this relationship before jumping into anything.
The only thing that didn't slow down were the three heartbeats in the room. Kon could hear all of them, and wouldn't have it any other way.