For some reason, the bats who have a partner and/or a kid go to Bernard. Even the bats' friends, who have kids, go to him.
He doesn't understand it and he's /terrified/ of becoming like his father. Tim and Bernard had a lot of conversations about it. Their feelings about parenthood and kids and being scared to be someone you'd hate to be.
Still, Tim took the role as an uncle like a champ. Helping Babs' with her pregnancy, supporting Dick near a breakdown because Babs's morning sickness lasted too much and he felt helpless.
Tim took an active role while Bernard was less in the light. He sent Tim with food, cooked by him, that could help Babs' pregnancy. He shared some good books and articles with Dick. Just the link and a "it looks helpful. Hope you're both doing ok!"
Hoping that it'd be enough but he started to feel so guilty about it, as if he didn't care enough (when really, it was the opposite. He cared so much that he was scared to be overbearing or imposing or... really, anything).
So, when John Grayson was born, there stood Bernard. With Tim, with the whole family. Feeling welcomed.
Was it less scary? Nope. It was worse when Dick asked him to babysit because Oracle needed to be on the pc and Robin and Nightwing on patrol.
And for some reasons, Bernard really didn't know /how/, John seemed to like him a lot.
That's when others got the wind of it.
Jason and Roy dropped Lian in his flat. Bernard panicking while Lian was just staring at him and blurting out the first thing that came to mind: so...do you wanna try making a sandwich and watch some old heroes fights?
She LOVED IT. So much so that Jason found both of them sleeping after Lian kept showing her own poses to Bernard and Bernard tried to keep up.
Then Wally, really the flash, dropped the twins, not even letting him get a word out.
And suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, Bernard was juggling work and babysitting duty.
That's when the thoughts started to circle in Bernard's mind. That's when Tim would look at his boyfriend, at the child asking for his attention, and think "maybe?"
What solidified it though, was Babs' second kid.
Mary was so tiny, but a force of nature really, and would stop back flicking around (at 4! Damn Grayson's genes) only when Bernard would gently asks.
They're all at dinner. Less fancy, more chaos, when Mary is about to sprint (as much as a kid can) and Bernard looks at her.
He pats his lap, simply pats it, and asks "here?"
She stops and looks at her parents, they obviously nod, and suddenly she's climbing on her uncle's legs to sit on them.
One hand clinging to Bernard's, the other to get Tim's attention.
"Timmy! Timmyyy. Uncle Timmy!"
Tim is hit by a boyfriend, happy and relaxed, with a tiny dark haired baby on his lap who wants to hold both of their hands not to flip around.
When Mary is fighting sleep, holding their fingers as tightly as possible, they try to have the conversation.
"so..." Tim starts. Nervous.
But it's been years, Bernard nods. A bit teary eyed. "Yeah. I'd like that too."
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