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“I swear to God,” Tim said, climbing through the window and landing gracefully into the living room, “how much money do I have to pay you to rest and wait and not cook at the ungodly hour of two in the morning?”
He removed his mask and unfastened his cape and utility belt, ignoring the way his stomach grumbled right after he uttered those words out loud. From the kitchen his boyfriend laughed, cutting through the loud sizzling of the pan. “Welcome back. And for the 30th time, no amount of money will ever stop me from cooking for you. Besides, I like working in the kitchen at any hour, except when I need to be held back in school. In that case, getting a batburger is completely acceptable.”
Tim sighed, tossing his shoes on the rack near the door and trudging into the kitchen. Bernard smiled at him, flipping over what looked like chicken with the metal tongs, the smell making his mouth almost water. Considering the last thing he ate was a salad he haphazardly threw together with pumpkin seeds to give it a crunch and a boiled egg right before patrol–which had been roughly five hours ago–no wonder he felt like he could float to heaven right about now.
And it must’ve shown on his face because Bernard laughed, pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and said, “go shower. Your stuff is all exactly where they are. After that I’ll throw on a cooking show, we’ll eat together and I’ll check you for any injuries you might be hiding.”
Tim frowned. “I’m not hiding anythi–”
“Babe, I love you, but look at me in the eyes and say that.”
“...Fine. But I promise I’m fine. Tonight was quiet. Me, Hood and Orphan only took out D class thugs and nothing more.”
“I’ll be the judge of that, pretty boy. Now shoo! Before the water turns cold. Dinner is almost ready, and I prefer you eat it while it’s still hot.”
He sighed again, this time fondness seeping into his tone. A hot bath sounded really good about now, and he desperately needed to get out of the kevlar. ‘It’ll only take a few minutes,’ he told himself, even though he knew well it’ll be more than just a few minutes. And it wasn’t like either of them were going anywhere. Bruce had practically threatened him to stay with Bernard only unless there was an Arkham breakout or an alien invasion. Which, ok, fair enough. He had been working more than usual and everyone had been hounding on him to take a break, including his loving boyfriend. Even Damian had pointed a katana at his throat and demanded he’d tear his eyes off the Batcomputer before the intense lights gave him a headache.
And…fine, they were right. He did need a short break from the numerous cold cases filed in his drawer and the mountain of paperwork at W.E. He hung out with Dick in Bludhaven, went shopping with Cass, Steph and Babs, helped Duke and Damian with their homework and played video games/watched movies with Jason. And of course, he always made time to go on dates with Bernard, going to restaurants and carnivals and that ice rink they’d been meaning to visit for a while.
Pressing a small, quick kiss to Bernard’s lips, Tim made his way to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes from his closet along the way and gently shut the door. Sure enough, the bathtub was filled with hot, soapy water, smelling of lavender that made his entire body shut down. He sat down on the toilet and carefully stripped himself free from his suit, shivering slightly when the cool air from the top window hit his bare skin and he quickly dove inside, groaning in relief as the water lapped at his sore muscles as he sank deeper. Seriously, the amount of times he told himself Bernard was a god-send wasn’t enough. Doing all this for him, staying by his side even after knowing who he really was?
One of these days, he promised himself. He would show just how much he loved him, even if he objects and gets all poetic and says love is meant to be given freely with no strings attached. He’d have to figure out a date first.
How long has it been since they started dating? A solid year now? A year since they both took down the Children of Dionysus twice. A year since they reconnected after highschool. A full year. Time sure does fly by when you spend it with the people you cherish the most.
He ran his fingers through his damp hair, going through the tangles. In a few minutes he’ll be out of here and eating food made by the world’s greatest chef (and no, Alfred doesn’t count because no one can ever match up to him, in his humblest opinion), watching TV and all snuggled up next to Bernard. In a few minutes he’ll be listening to his boyfriend’s latest conspiracy theories and he’ll laugh, pointing out how ridiculous they were and encourage him to come up with more.
Tim smiled. He should heed his sibling’s advice more often.
“I really think you should try auditioning for one of those cooking shows you love to watch. I think you’ll do great.”
“Timmy, I love you, but you do realize they’re scripted, right? It isn’t just skill that I need to win. Luck plays a huge role here too.”
“Just borrow my lucky hoody,” Tim shrugged, draining the rest of the broth and depositing the bowl on the table, feeling warm and tired from the wonderful dinner he just ate. “It’ll get you all the way to the finals without any struggle. Just say the word.”
Bernard laughed, the motion sending pleasant tingles down his spine. “Maybe in the future after I’ve graduated. The sad part is that I can’t talk to you because of the NDA I’ll have to sign. Maybe I’ll get half an hour a day or week, but that’s all.”
Tim frowned. Now that won’t do at all. “...On second thought, don’t go. I don’t think I can survive hearing your voice for only thirty minutes a day,” he said sagely, like he was a philosopher dishing out perfect advice. Sue him for wanting to spend as much as time as he could with his boyfriend. He already had enough on his plate.
Bernard laughed again and pressed a small kiss in his hair. “Wow, what happened to chasing your dreams and all that, huh?” he teased, eyes crinkling in the corners. “The moment I said we wouldn't be able to talk that often you retracted your words. Who's the clingy one now, hm?”
“Me,” Tim said shamelessly, twisting around and kissing his cheek. “You're stuck with me forever. I'm not letting you go halfway across the country without me,” he added, looking intently at those gorgeous sea blue eyes as settled on top of him, knees digging into the couch. “Or you'll have to face the wrath of Red Robin.”
“Red Robin huh?” Bernard raised a brow, hands on his hips to keep him in place. “I think I can handle it, don’t you think? He’s a pretty nice guy, absolutely smitten when it comes to blondies like me.”
He wrinkled his nose. ‘Ew, ew, don’t say it like that,” he gagged. “Jason literally pointed out the other day Dick had a thing for redheads and I’m still reeling from that comment. Please don’t make me bleach my ears Bee. I’ll get on my knees if I have to.”
As much as Tim loved his oldest brother, he did not want to step anywhere near Dick’s love life. He was happy he and Babs rekindled that old flame, but beyond that? What must stay indoors stays indoors and all that.
“Fine,” Bernard chuckled, stroking his cheek. Tim immediately leaned into the touch. “I shall not torment my poor, poor boyfriend any further. Shall this humble mortal do something to make up for traumatizing you?”
Tim pretended to think, eyes drifting slowly towards his mouth. “Hmmm, I dunno. I suppose this ‘mere mortal’ could give this vigilante a little kiss here…” he trailed off, tapping a finger next to his own mouth, smiling innocently. “I mean, it’s up to you. I’m like, not forcing you to, but it would be nice if you could–woah!”
Before he got a chance to finish, an arm found it’s way around his neck and yanked him down hard before soft lips were on his, kissing him gently and the other hand placed on his cheek, cradling his face. Tim closed his eyes, gripping Bernard’s shoulder and smiled, heart racing in joy. This certainly wasn’t his first kiss with his boyfriend, but every kiss they shared, every touch was something he cherished and kept every memory under lock and key in his brain.
They broke apart and Bernard smiled sweetly, eyes half lidded. “If you wanted me to kiss you, you could’ve just said it you idiot,” he murmured, brushing his lips against his teasingly. “No need to take the convoluted route by trying to wax poetry.”
“Maybe I wanted to,” Tim muttered back, chuckling before slotting their lips together again, sighing when tanned fingers carded through his hair, tugging the strands gently. Every kiss they shared was somehow always perfect, like they were the solution to the hole in his heart. Don’t get him wrong, back when he and Steph were dating his feelings and actions were genuine. All those late night dates after patrols were memories he held close to his heart. But, even back then there was this…weird void(?) in him he ignored. It had been easy to ignore back then, before they broke up. After that, he had no idea what he wanted, or if he wanted anything at all. Without Steph. Without Connor and Bart, without his siblings…
They pulled apart and Tim hid his face in Bernard's shoulder, biting back a yawn and closed his eyes. The hand travelled down from his hair to his spine, rubbing his back up and down and he practically melted under the touch. He really needed sleep, and the fact he was acknowledging it was saying a lot about his mental state right about now. “Bee?” he slurred, this time not bothering to hide the yawn that came this time.
“Lemme guess, sleep time for the Boy Wonder?” Bernard chuckled. “I’m surprised you’re admitting you need rest. Usually you need someone to force you to go to bed.”
“It’s called character development,” Tim said, humming in content when Bernard lifted him up and carried them to their shared room. “Mmm, you’ve gotten stronger. Like really stronger than before.”
“Maybe it’s because of the punching bag hanging there. You’ve seen me use it a bunch of times.”
“‘S good. Means you can defend yourself well in case I…I–”
“Shhh.” Bernard carefully laid him down and swiftly clambered on the opposite side and held him close, tucking his head under his chin. His steady heartbeat filled his ears. “No need to think about any of that. I’m here. You’re here. We’re safe in my apartment. Nothing bad will happen, got it?”
“But–”
“No buts. You worry too much on a daily basis. Let me carry some of that weight for you. You don’t have to shoulder the burden all by yourself. And don’t argue with me right now. We can finish this talk when we’re both lucid. Right now, get some sleep. I’ve got you. I’ll always catch you.”
Mmm, that felt nice, didn’t it? Tim felt his throat moving but had no idea what he actually said. It must’ve been something funny ‘cause Bernard laughed and kissed his forehead. “Yeah yeah, ok you absolute sap. Close your eyes and sleep before you say something and embarrass yourself.”
Sleep, huh? Sounded nice. Really nice.
Tim shut his eyes and let Bernard’s little lullaby lull him to sleep with a smile on his lips. Gosh, he really did get lucky, didn’t he? What would he ever do without him?