Chapter Text
With the Wayne Gala coming up, his family kept insisting Tim should bring Danny so that they could finally meet "the love of his life" yet Tim didn't have the heart to tell them that he and Danny broke up months ago.
And because Tim made that stupid promise months ago not knowing that they would later break up, he was left with no choice.
"Hey, Danny. Do you think you can do me a favor and pretend that we're still dating in front of my fam?" Tim hesitantly asked after the call was picked up, to his surprise.
For a moment, Tim thought Danny had hung up. A faint creak of it carried through the phone and Tim could already feel Danny's incredulous stare through the phone call.
"…Why?" There was the unspoken why would you even ask me that hidden there.
Tim grimaced. "You know my family."
"No, I don't 'cause I've never met them," his ex said it so bluntly.
Right. Not that Tim didn't deserve that.
"I might have made a promise—" Tim began.
He heard Danny snort, "Of course."
"—when we were still dating—"
"And now your family wants to meet this mysterious boyfriend you've been talking about 'all this time'," Danny finished. Tim blinked, faintly surprised that even months later Danny could still follow the trail of his thoughts so easily.
We used to finish each other's sentences, he thought, his heart twisting with a pang.
Tim winced. "When you say it like that, it sounds bad." At least he didn't need to explain to Danny why Tim hadn't just told the truth to his family. It was complicated.
Danny just hummed thoughtfully. Tim could practically hear him thinking.
So he just braced himself, "Danny. I know it's a lot to ask. If you say no, I'll figure something out."
Not really. But Danny didn't need to know that.
But the alternative of facing the pity looks sent his way? Look, Tim loved his family. He did. But he knew they were overbearing way too much. When he and Danny broke up, Tim had managed to hide it away. All those tears and ice cream and burying himself with unsolved case files. The point was: Tim needed to be alone, mourning for his relationship, and the thought of his family's presence "trying to help" would have made things worse for him. So Tim, when alone, was left to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.
And now, it probably said a lot that Tim would rather ask for his ex's help than admit to his family the truth? Yeah. It made Tim feel pathetic.
"When is it?" Danny suddenly asked, and Tim’s spiraling thoughts screeched to a halt.
"What?"
"The gala? When is it?"
"Next week. Friday evening."
He could hear Danny sighing reluctantly. The papers shuffling.
"…okay. My schedule is clear that day."
Tim stood straight. "Wait, really?"
"I mean, it's just one night," He could picture Danny shrugging. "I can pretend to tolerate you for one night." And that came out more dryly. Tim wasn't sure how to interpret that. Actually, he's doing his best not to analyze what Danny meant with those words.
Tolerate? He could feel his chest twist painfully.
"You know I need more than that," Tim cleared his throat, trying to keep things lighthearted.
Danny huffed out a laugh. And Tim wasn't sure if that was sarcastic or not, "No. You want me to pretend that we're still dating and that means a lot of hand holding and smiling and then being interrogated by your overprotective family about 'my intentions' towards you."
Tim grimaced. "Yeah. I know it's a lot to ask." What must Danny think of me now?
A pause.
Then Danny added, quietly: "That's not a problem."
Was it? Tim's overthinking mind supplied.
"Still," Tim said awkwardly, "Thank you. I know, with the way things ended between us…" The sentence trailed off.
A silence stretched between them: thick and uncomfortable, filled with everything neither of them had said when they’d ended things months ago.
Honestly, Tim was surprised Danny hadn't blocked him.
But then again, Danny had always been better at cutting his losses than Tim was.
The thought left a bitter taste in Tim’s mouth, but he couldn’t exactly blame Danny if that was the case. The breakup had been Tim’s fault, after all.
"So are you picking me up?" Danny asked after a moment.
Tim blinked before he quickly realized that Danny chose to ignore his fumble. "Yes!" he said quickly. "I'm assuming same place, right?"
"Actually, I moved to a new place. I'll text you the address," His ex curtly replied.
That made sense since it used to be theirs.
"Pick you up 6:30?"
Danny only hummed quietly.
It was the same thoughtful sound Danny used to make when he was considering something, and the familiarity of it made Tim’s chest ache.
“That works,” Danny finally said. Like it was simple and easy.
Tim swallowed. He's suddenly wondered if it was too late to take everything back and just admit to his family everything. The way Danny treated him so casual, unbothered, like he was just a stranger, with no history between them.
Somehow, talking to Danny like this seemed worse because it made Tim feel…small. It was starting to become clear to Tim that Danny had clearly moved on from him.
"Are you sure you're okay about this?" He couldn't help but hesitantly ask. Please take it back.
Danny sounded faintly amused. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Because we broke up. Because we shouldn't be okay after all this time. Because now, after hearing your voice, he suddenly remembered all those times together and it's becoming clear that, maybe, Tim hadn't actually moved on. And this stupid promise was literally asking for reopening old wounds that Tim thought he had recovered from.
And this might destroy me. Again.
So Tim forced a small laugh instead. "I mean, I dont think it's normal to ask an ex to pretend we're still in a relationship."
"I'm not surprised."
What does that mean? Tim stared at the floor, jaw tightening. But this was Danny. He'd always been like that, so easygoing, unbothered, and just able to roll with the punches no matter what life threw at him. It had been one of the things Tim loved most about him.
Tim closed his eyes, head hanging. "Yeah," was all he could respond.
Suddenly, he was mad that was all Danny could say. Tim knew he shouldn't compare, he knew it's none of his business anymore, but it hurts that Danny seemed to neatly pack away the whole relationship like it hadn't meant anything, moving on so easily while Tim had spent months trying to put himself back together.
No. Don't go there.
"You sound busy?" Tim spoke up, grasping for something else to say. There was a faint rustling sound on Danny's end.
"Not really."
"Right."
Another pause.
God. This was SO awkward. Tim palmed his forehead. They used to spent hours talking about anything and everything. Some nights lost to rambling conversations, half-finished thoughts. Danny used to be great at bouncing ideas that would make Tim half-mad and half-awe at Danny's brilliant mind, it was a wonder Wayne Enterprise hadn't snatched him.
And now Tim couldn't even figure out what to say.
"I'll see ya soon then," Danny said abruptly. Maybe he couldn't stand this conversation any longer. Or he had better things to do.
Tim just forced out a laugh, heart pounding. "Sure. Bye."
Then the line went dead. With no goodbyes.
A pit settled in his stomach.
Now Tim just had to figure out how he was going to cope with being in Danny's presence again when it was clear that Danny had learn to stop loving him.