Chapter Text
Tim mouths his neck gently. Eyes closed, his teeth scrape the skin. He exhales through his nose, now clawing Bernard's back. The blonde has always liked a little pain.
"Ah..." Bernard moans.
Tim's eyes flutter. His lashes brush against his cheeks as his blue eyes study his boyfriend.
"Feels good." Bernard reassures. His slender fingers tangle in Tim's hair.
This has become a pattern lately: Tim hesitating. They'd never talked about it before, but now it interests Bernard.
Bernard gently guides him down, so their stomachs are pressed together. For once, Tim's back is arched.
"Breathe." Bernard reminds.
Tim exhales softly. He's so beautiful in that moment. His mouth is curved in a shy smile and his bangs brush against his forehead, all messy and wild.
"Sorry." He mumbles.
Bernard scolds him lightly. "Tim."
Tim knows he's not supposed to apologize. Still, it's instinct by now. The word rolls off his tongue freely.
"Sorry, sorry!" He says with a laugh, pressing feather light kisses to Bernard's neck. He's peppering his throat now. And then oh. He gets rough with it.
Tim's tongue slides up his adam's apple. He's feeling frisky now.
"Fuck, Tim..."
This is new. Bernard's brow scrunch together. It feels... God, amazing. He tilts his head to the side, proudly displaying himself.
Tim's getting into it now. It's rare, but Bernard can sense it. He can feel the soft breaths against his skin, hear the way Tim's throat hitches. For the first time ever, Tim releases a soft sound. A moan.
Bernard's eyes widen. His grip tightens.
"Tim..."
His voice is soft.
Tim swallows. His eyes cast to the side. Nervously, he chuckles. He hadn't meant to do that. Tim is always cold, calm, controlled. He'd lost himself for a moment.
Bernard cups his jaw. "Do that again."
Tim sweats. "W-what?"
Bernard's hands slide down. He lifts a leg. Using his momentum, he flips them over. He presses a hand against the mattress, his breath ghosting Tim's face.
"Can I...?"
Tim's eyes are wide. His cheeks are a bright red. Hesitantly, he nods.
A grin breaks out on Bernard's face. He leans closer, closer, closer. Then, his lips connect with the curve of Tim's neck. He sucks slowly, rubbing his tongue along the mark.
Shit.
Tim moans softly.
And it is perfect.
"Just like that..." Bernard instructs.
Tim hardly ever relaxes, so this? It's everything. There's even a soft smile on his lips.
Bernard slots their lips together. "Mm.. lift your hips for me."
He's getting excited now. Bernard can feel it. Once Tim complies, Bernard grinds on him, crotch to crotch.
Tim's lips part. He's panting.
They've never done this before. But God it is magical.
"Can you...? More?" Tim asks. It's his first request.
Bernard bites his lip. Of course he can. He shifts forward, rocking his hips. Tim whines softly.
Bernard brushes a strand of Tim's dark hair from his face. "Does it feel okay?"
"Feels so good..." Tim admits. "Why haven't we done this before?"
Bernard laughs. "Because 'someone' is shy."
Tim won't admit it, but it's true. He's been the one holding them back. It's his first time being with a guy and while it's great he always gets the sense he's doing it wrong somehow. With Steph it was easy. She'd tell him everything she wanted. But with Bernard? He's left guessing.
Bernard nips his jaw. He tugs at Tim's shirt. "Off."
Tim hesitates. Carefully, he lifts the fabric. He's never gone shirtless in front of Bernard before and okay maybe he was a little insecure about it. After all, Bernard had that skinny, sexy body and Tim? He wasn't sure what he had.
Bernard licks his lips. He palms Tim's stomach.
"You should get a piercing." He says.
Surprised, Tim lifts his head. "Where?"
Bernard circles his belly button. "Right..." He kisses the area. "Here. It'd look hot."
Tim has never thought about piercings before. Would it look good? He's not sure. He imagines it. A nice belly button ring shining under the light. Huh. He kind of likes it.
Bernard runs his hands up, toying with Tim's nipples. "Maybe a stud here too..."
At that, Tim rolls his eyes. Now he's just getting greedy.
Tim slides a hand under Bernard's shirt. His stomach is soft. There's no abs like Tim, but the skin is smooth. He loves it.
"Fuck, you're driving me crazy..." Bernard says. He's practically purring.
Tim buries his face in his boyfriend's neck, shy all of the sudden.
"Uh uh." Bernard holds his chin, forcing him to look up at him. "No hiding. We're going to do this the proper way."
Tim sticks out his tongue. It gives Bernard an idea. He pushes the tip of his finger to Tim's lips. "Suck."
Tim nearly laughs. What? But through the snark he curls his tongue around Bernard's finger, giving him what he wants. His hand is sweaty. It tastes salty.
"Good boy." Bernard whispers.
The tips of Tim's ears are red. He avoids eye contact, so Bernard corrects him. "Eyes on me."
It's sort of ridiculous. Still, Tim follows suit. He releases Bernard's finger. And then he sees it. Oh. 'Oh.'
Bernard's hand snakes under his own shorts. Tim blushes. He can see the lump in the fabric. Bernard's fingers are at the back. Is he...? Tim's mouth goes dry.
"You're not." He states.
But he is.
Bernard shifts, sinking onto the finger. Tim can't quite see it, but he knows. 'He knows.'
"Ah..." Bernard groans.
Tim can't help but stare. He can tell Bernard is thrusting.
Tim's face burns. "Are you...?"
Nodding, Bernard leans his head back. "That okay?"
Okay? Okay?! Tim's mind is imploding. He's glitching.
"Um... Yeah."
It's surprisingly honest.
"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Tim asks after a minute. "Like doing it in your shorts, I mean."
Bernard chuckles breathlessly. "What? You want to see?"
Tim stammers. "W-what?"
Bernard slides his hand out of his pants. "Relax. I was just joking. It's okay, Tim."
Tim fidgets with Bernard's shirt. "You've never... done that with me before."
Bernard grins. "You sounded so good. I needed something to keep me off the edge."
Really? He sounds good? Tim looked up shyly. "This is the farthest we've ever gone..."
Bernard kisses him softly. "Is that okay?"
Nodding, Tim returns the kiss. "Yeah. It was good."
He feels a lot more relaxed now. Sighing, he cradles Bernard's neck. It's nice knowing Bernard cares. All of Tim's past partners never really cared to check in before.
Bernard smiles. He nips Tim's bottom lip before kissing him. It's slow and sweet. Everything Tim needs.
"You should nap." The blonde says.
Tim rolls his eyes, but agrees. Soon, he's curling up under the covers when his phone pings.
Dick: hey baby bird where are you?
Tim pauses. He... hasn't told his family about Bernard yet. They knew of him of course. He'd mentioned his name, but as far as they knew he was just a friend.
Tim: At the nest. Why? Is there a case?
Dick: just wanted to hang. :) you free?
Tim glances at Bernard. His boyfriend is stretching.
"Dick wants to know if I'm free." He says.
Bernard lays on the other side of the bed. He leans against his hand. "I don't mind."
Bernard hasn't met Dick, but he's heard plenty. Plus, there's always the news. He likes to keep up with the Wayne's. That, and he's written several conspiracy theories about them.
Tim: Yeah. I have someone over though.
Dick: ooo Kon or Cassie??
Tim doesn't have many friends and the few who come over are typically very close like Steph or Kon
Tim: Someone else.
Dick: ???
It's not long before Dick arrives. He's smiling, holding a bag of groceries in his free hand. The other one holds his phone.
"Tim!" He greets.
Tim steps to the side, allowing him inside.
"So who's the friend?" Dick asks. He's all smiles of course.
Bernard enters from around the corner. He waves faintly, careful to mind his space. "I'm Bernard."
Dick's eyes flick over to him. "Oh, hey! I'm Dick, Tim's older brother."
Tim releases a breath. So far it's going well.
Bernard nods. "It's nice to meet you."
They all chill for a while, just watching TV and chatting. Then, the questions come.
"So where did you and Tim meet?" Dick asks.
He's polite but it still irks Tim.
"Oh, high school. We had a few of the same classes."
Tim rolls his eyes. They had maybe two in total. Tim had taken mostly AP classes then.
Dick smiles faintly. His eyes traced the pair. "Cool."
"I'm gonna grab some water." Tim announces.
"I'll join." Dick adds.
Tim raises an eyebrow but doesn't question it. Dick can be weird sometimes. He's overprotective.
"You guys seem... close." Dick says after a moment. He's watchful. He places a hand on Tim's shoulder.
Tim grabs a glass and turns on the tap. "I guess."
"And he's... good for you? He makes you happy?"
What? Tim raises his head. What is this about? Dick's never asked questions like that before. It throws him.
"Why?" He asks.
Dick deflates. "Tim... You both have hickies on your neck. I can put two and two together. Are you experimenting? Is that what this is? Because if you need advice—"
Tim's face burns.
"I don't need advice." He interrupts. "I'm not experimenting. Bernard's my... He's my boyfriend."
Dick's eyebrows shoot up, nearly reaching his hairline. His hand loosens on Tim's shoulder. "Oh. You're gay?"
Tim winces. "Bisexual."
"Does Jason know? Does Bruce?"
No. Tim hadn't let them know. He keeps things private for a reason.
"No and I'm not going to tell them."
Dick's smile fades. "Why not?"
Tim had always been the replacement. He was the placeholder for Jason. All his life he had been trying to live up to other people's expectations. His dad's, his mom's, and Bruce's. When the time came, he left Robin. Not by choice, but by force. He was never chosen. He had to force his way in.
"Bruce wouldn't want to know."
Dick frowns. "You're his son. Of course he wants to know."
Tim turns the handle on the sink. The water turns off. He takes a sip of his glass, sighing.
"I'm not like you, Dick. I'm not special."
Not special? Dick's face falls. He grips Tim's shoulder tightly. "Tim, you know that's not true. We all love you. And we'd love to get to know Bernard. If he's special to you... He's special to me."
Tim hesitates. "You're sure?"
Dick nods.
Drawing in a breath, Tim sets his water to the side. "We've been dating for a few months." He admits. "I was scared you wouldn't..."
"Understand?" Dick smiles sadly. "Tim, I don't know if you know but I'm bisexual."
He is? Tim's eyes widen. Dick is the golden child. The perfect one. Everyone looks up to him.
"You never said."
"You never asked."
They stand there in silence for a while. Then, Tim leads them back to the living room. Bernard sits there, toying with the remote.
"He knows." Tim says.
Bernard blinks, surprised. "You told him?"
Carefully, Tim presses a kiss to his cheek. "You're important to me."
Bernard breaks out in a smile.
"The hickies made it pretty obvious." Dick points out, laughing.
Tim looks down. Sure enough there's a bruise forming on the curve of his neck. He hadn't thought they'd gone hard enough for that. Apparently, he was wrong.
"So... Bernard." Dick says. "Are you treating my baby brother right?"
Tim rolls his eyes. "Dick."
"What? I'm just asking!"
Bernard slings an arm around Tim's shoulders. Tim huffs a laugh. And it's... nice. For a while anyway.
The night goes surprisingly smoothly. Dick is joking. Bernard is laughing. And Tim? He's along for the ride.
It makes him strangely hopeful. Maybe... things will turn out. Maybe he can do it.
With that, he falls asleep, drifting with the image of Bernard in his mind.