Bringing the Boyfriend Home - Tim Drake Woes
Tim dithered on the front step of the manor, biting his lip in agitation. Should he go through with this?
“Timmy?” Bernard asked gently. “What's wrong?”
“It’s just... my family,” Tim admitted. “They're a lot.”
Bernard smiled, the sunlight bouncing off of his perfect teeth bringing warmth to Tim's cold, shriveled, soul. “Timmy, you're worrying again. Didn't you say that they loved you?”
“And that your dad wanted to ‘vet me’?”
“And that your big brother was jiggling thiccly around the kitchen to make a gay-friendly brunch?”
Tim finally cracked a smile. “Dick made crepes. Stephanie was appalled.”
Bernard smiled and stroked his thumb over Tim's knuckles. “See? It'll be fine.”
“Sorted,” Bernard said smugly, moving his jacket aside to reveal a tiny sparroe in a tiny box. “I found a bird with a broken leg. I'll tell him that you said that he was the best with animals, and that I thought he could nurse it back to health.”
Tim's eyes glittered with unshed tears. He had the best boyfriend in the world.
“Hey Dick, this is Bernard.”
Dick glowed with happiness for his little stringbean brother finally having a normal, settled, relationship.
“Hi Mr. Dick,” Bernard waved, and Dick had to suppress a squeal of delight.
“Hi Bernard, it's so nice to meet you,” Dick enthused. “Here, have some cookies, I made them fresh!”
Bernard picked up a heart shaped cookie with a smile. “Thanks for being so supportive, Mr. Dick.”
Just then, the lights flickered, and Bernard caught sight of a harrowing face in the hallway, before it promptly disappeared.
Dick looked around. “Who? There's nobody there.,” he said, before smiling brightly. “Here, have another cookie. You and Tim are both so tiny.”
Bernard choked down the cookie, the dour man’s face never leaving his mind. After they were done, Tom dragged Bernard to see his sister.
“This is Cass, she's my big sister,” Tim said, sounding audibly affectionate. Bernard smiled wholeheartedly - Tim really deserved to be able to have that kind of love. “And that's Damian in the animal pile over there.” Uh oh.
Bernard shook hands with Cass who smiled at him. “Tim says... you make him happy. I like that.”
Bernard felt a flood of affection for the soft spoken woman. “I always try. Timmy deserves the best.”
Cass smiled, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “Tim always tries hard for everyone else. We... look after Tim.”
By this time, Damian had also waddled over. “What ho. You are Bernard Dowd.”
“Er. What ho?” Bernard reached into his jacket. “Nice to meet you, Damian. Tim said that you were good with animals, so I thought of bringing you this bird - he hurt his leg-”
Damian was already scurrying away with the bird, speaking lovingly to the confused sparrow I Arabic. “Well done, Dowd,” he asked over his shoulder. “Drake has done well to choose you to continue the dynasty with!”
Bernard looked nonplussed, and then smiled amusedly at Tim. “You want to continue your dynasty with me? Tim, that's so cute!”
Tim blushed a pretty cherry blossom pink. “I- I- er-”
Bernard was just about to rib Tim more, when another flicker of movement caught his eye. The face! Bernard felt a chill as the figures eyes made contact with his, revealing the color to be a shadowed blue-green. And then, it was gone again.
There was no mistaking it. Every Gothamite knew the Tragedy of Jason Todd-Wayne, Bruce Wayne's second son. The face belonged to an older man, but who said that a malevolent spirit couldn't trick the mind?
Tim looked around. “What face, Bern?” he asked in concern, seeing his boyfriend pale before his very eyes.
“A- a guy, he looks so sad and mean-”
“Baby, there's no one there,” Tom soothed Bernard worriedly, his mind racing. Unless, of course... “Oh.”
Bernard shrieked thinly. “Jason Todd? I was right? His ghost is haunting your house?”
Tim, sensing the potential for mischief, nodded with faux seriousness. “His restless spirit comes back to see us sometimes. He mainly haunts Dick though, calls him names and eats his cookies.”
“But Jason is good boy,” Cass said hurriedly.
“Are we talking about Todd?” Damian asked, returning with the now bandaged bird who was sitting in his hair. “Has he returned?”
“Apparently,” Tim said. “I wonder what brought him back.”
“Grayson made Pennyworth’s cookies,” Damian replied. “That is enough for Todd to come sniffing around.”
“Dick is wearing leggings today,” Cass mused. “Jason likes... to throw... coins at his butt.”
“Makes Dick squeal like a piggy,” Tim nodded sagely. “We should put Jason at rest,” he said meaningfully.
Damian, Princeling of Chaos, cottoned on immediately. “I shall bring the sage.”
Cass said nothing, but bounced happily.
The fabulous four tripped into the kitchen, where, true to form, Jason was flicking pennies at a harassed Dick's behind.
“Begone, ghoul!” Damian cried, and lit the sage leaves on fire, making both Dick and Jason startle. When everybody was distracted, Cass flicked a smoke bomb on, filling the room with thick smoke. Hopefully, Jason would take the hint to disappear.
Only when the smoke cleared, Jason was still there, looking very buff and angry and intimidating.
“W-w-what?” Bernard quivered, coming over faint in Tim’s arms, as though his noodle arms could support a swooning boyfriend.
“Oh. Ha ha,” Tim laughed nervously. “So you already know about Jason, so this will be a short introduction-”
It would have to wait, as Bernard flopped over, completely comatose.
Bernard came back to consciousness to the sight of Bruce Wayne. “Bernard, you're awake, excellent. I must apologize for my children, they are fools.”
“Jason is not dead, son,” Bruce sighed. “It was a cover story to put some very dangerous people off his scent. Everything is fine now, but Jason rather enjoys the feeling of anonymity this gives him. Though honestly, Jay, just go down to the precinct and get re-registered as living, it's been years-”
“Can't stop won't stop. Hey Bern,” Jason smiled. “You alright?”
“Oh good. Someone go get Tim, the kid's in hysterics about you.”
Bernard's tender heart broke. Tim was distraught over him? Dick opened the door and a tear streaked Tim ran inside. “Bernard! I'm so sorry! I didn't think that Jason would be home, and I wanted to get him out! Please, won't you forgive me!”
“You were only trying to help your brother, Tim,” Bernard said, his heart clenching painfully at the sight of Tim's mascara running down his face. He reached over and hugged Tim close.
“Oop, sorry Mr. Wayne, sir,” Bernard said, jumping away.
Bruce smiled. “It's alright, Bernard. Just know, I'm always watching. And anything that you do to Tim, I'll have Jason do to you.”
Jason smiled evilly as Tim and Bernard shrunk away, but failed to escape the powerful, hairy hug they were pulled into.
“Well Bernard,” Jason said, as both boys struggled, “welcome to the family.”
