Work Text:
Tim is this close to a breakthrough in his case. He has been pulling double duty, working remotely on his cases back in Gotham while hanging out with his friends at the tower. This particular case has been eluding him for weeks, which is why Tim thought to work on it during his “break”. Surely, a different environment will provide a new perspective, which should be all he needs to finally figure it out.
“Should” being the key word. If only he could concentrate in his new environment. Unfortunately, the rest of his friends are just next door, having what sounds to be the time of their lives in the TV room. Music blares, shaking the wall with the base. There is some sort of video game tournament going on, from what Tim can hear through the walls.
Tim might have ulterior motives for staying holed up in his room besides his case. Recently, things have been kind of strained between him and Kon. For the life of him, Tim cannot figure out what he had done to mess things up. Whatever it was, it must’ve made Kon uncomfortable. The super hasn’t jokingly flirted with him in weeks. His texts are all business, the kissy emojis and hearts gone. Tim hadn’t realized how much he appreciated them, until they were gone.
Valiantly, Tim is hiding in his room, ignoring his feelings, and tries to ignore the noise. He turns back to his case, trying to remember what his train of thought was before he was distracted. But no matter what he tries, his brain refuses to focus.
They’re having fun. Tim can hear it. The tournament either finished or devolved, because there is a heated debate now. Tim can’t make out the words but he doesn’t have to. The sounds haunt him.
The sound of Kon’s deep voice. Bart’s giggle. Cassie’s shout of victory. Cissie’s mischievous cackle.
A pang of longing shoots through him. Tim has locked himself away for a stupid case. He doesn’t want to, he wants to be out there with his friends. Surely, the case can wait, can’t it? Maybe he can make up for whatever he did to make Kon uncomfortable. Maybe he can fix things between them. Maybe, if he stays here, working on his case, Tim will lose his mind.
A sharp booming knock on his door decides for him. Before Tim can call out to ask who it is, Bart and Kon rush in with their superspeed. Each hook an arm under his, and the next thing Tim knows, he is being whisked into the TV room.
“Hey!” He protests. It is more for the sake of appearances than expressing any actual indignation. None of his friends look apologetic in the least.
“Sorry, Tim.” Greta says teasingly. “But we need you to settle an argument for us.”
Tim sighs, beleaguered. He rolls his eyes as everyone settles around them, leaning against various surfaces. “Alright.” Tim agrees, “what’s the situation?”
“Well, we’ve been trying to figure out which one of us is the token straight…” Bart begins explaining, trailing off to begin rambling about something else. Tim tunes him out. Typically, the ‘token’ anything would be the minority portion of the group. Among superheroes, heterosexuality does seem to be the exception rather than the rule, but, statistically speaking, someone is probably straight.
“Do we even have a token straight?” Tim murmurs, more talking to himself than anything. He runs through the list of team members in his head. It isn’t a short list. But he knows the relationship status of most of them, despite how unconcerned he pretends to be with their personal lives.
Cassie and Cissie are dating. Bart has his whole genderqueer thing going on while totally in denial about his feelings for Jaime. Anita is bi, Greta is aroace, and Kon…well, Tim has no idea where Kon falls on the broad spectrum of gender and sexuality. Tim is bi, and most of the team knows that, except those that were dead when he came out.
Right, so Tim has a few choices here. He can come out, just to get everyone on the same page. Or he can continue this conversation without revealing a part of himself to the group.
“Well, we all know that I’m bi.” He starts, evenly. Better to face things head on. Kon’s eyes widen, but otherwise no one else seems surprised.
“Yeah, yeah,” Cassie encourages. “Get on with it, Sherlock.”
“Well, we know Cassie and Cissie are dating. Anita is bi. Greta is aroace. Bart defies this century’s gender norms.” Tim continues. “So that leaves Kon and Slo-bo.”
“And Spoiler!” Kon interjects. Tim frowns. Steph is dating Cass. But that isn’t exactly his news to share. He shoots her a quick text, asking for permission first.
“Slo-bo is dating Sideways, I think.” Greta adds, trying to be helpful. Huh, Tim hadn’t known that the two had made things official.
A ding from his phone redirects the conversation. Steph has given him blanket permission to tell the team that she’s queer. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Tim clears his throat and spares Kon a quick glance.
“And Spoiler is queer.” He shares, glancing around. Cassie gives him a knowing smile, which Tim ignores. “So I guess the only one left is Kon.”
“I am not the token straight!” Kon insists, a hand clutching at his figurative pearls in faux offense.
“It’s okay Kon.” Bart offers him a comforting slap on the back. “We love you just for who you are.” The others begin to chime in, echoing Bart’s support, before Kon cuts them off.
“I’m not straight.” He announces, shutting everyone up. “At least, I don’t think I am.”
“What do you mean ‘think’?” Greta presses, as everyone leans in interestedly. Kon gulps and awkwardly clears his throat. He squirms in place, staring down at his feet awkwardly.
“Well, we all know my past with women.” Kon acknowledges. “Some firsthand.” He glances at Cassie quickly before looking back down. “And, recently, I realized that I also like guys? Or, at least, one specific guy…”
Bart’s eyes light up excitedly, and the room’s energy shifts.
“Tell us everything!” Someone demands.
“Are you going to ask him out?” Someone else asks.
“Do we know him?” Another one of their friends asks.
Kon’s head snaps up, and he locks eyes with Tim. The room goes quiet. The tension is so thick and so oppressive, you’d need a jackhammer to smash through it.
“C’mon guys.” Cassie says, ushering the others out of the room. “Let’s move this party elsewhere.”
Tim hasn’t broken Kon’s gaze. They stare at each other as their friends file out. Bart tosses out a ‘good luck’ before Cassie physically pulls him out the door.
Which just leaves them, the idle buzz of the paused television screen, and the background minutia of the tower’s HVAC system. Kon breaks their unofficial staring match first, once again bowing his head to stare at his boots. Tim wants to go to him, to… to comfort him, and maybe get some audible confirmation of what he already suspects.
“Kon,” Tim breathes out. “Can you please look at me?” To his credit, Kon immediately raises his head. His cheeks and ears turn a fascinating shade of scarlet. Tim is sure that he doesn’t look much better.
“I -” Kon begins, immediately cutting himself off. He rubs a hand on the back of his neck awkwardly. “It’s fine if you don’t feel the same.”
“The same?” Tim repeats. “The same as what, exactly?” Frustrated, Kon huffs, crossing him arms. His shoulders rise up next to his ears, defensive. Still, his blush is only growing deeper, spreading down his neck. Tim wants to kiss him so bad, it hurts.
“You know what.” Kon mutters, glaring at him. Tim grins, pushing himself up off the couch and towards Kon. He stops a few feet away, just out of reach.
“I can guess.” Tim admits, tilting his head to the side. “Do you want me to guess, Kon?”
“Argghh” Kon groans, frustrated. He runs a hand through his curls, still avoiding direct eye contact with Tim. “Fine. I like you, okay? I want to kiss you and take you out on dates and…”
Both of them go bright red. Tim takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Kon, magnificent pain-in-the-ass gorgeous creature that he is, likes Tim? His whole world has tilted on it’s axis. Tim feels light-headed and giddy.
“I like you too.” Tim offers simply, not willing to drag out Kon’s torture any further. “I want all of those things with you. I just…I never knew you were interested.”
“I’ve flirted with you since we met!” Kon exclaims, exasperated.
“You flirt with everyone.” Tim points out. Kon rolls his eyes, but his posture has relaxed significantly. “I only mean it with you.” He grumbles.
Tim’s heart leaps. He finds himself drifting towards Kon, unable to stop the magnetic pull the other has on him. Unwilling to try to stop himself, honestly. He wants to kiss him. He wants to grab Kon by the waist and swing him around. He wants to cheer. Tim will settle for sorting through their miscommunication, for now.
“Then why’d you stop?” Tim asks. He has to know. He has to fix whatever he did to hurt Kon. “What did I do?” His mind unhelpfully reminds him of all their interactions leading up to the shift in Kon’s behavior. Every minute detail. A word here, a gesture there. Tim had to have done something.
“Nothing!” Kon forces out, burying his head in his hands. “I got scared, okay? I thought I might be making you uncomfortable since you were straight – which apparently you aren’t, so egg on my face I guess – and then you started avoiding me and I didn’t know how to fix it.”
“Woah, woah, woah,” Tim pleads, finally grabbing Kon by the shoulders. “Pause. I thought I made you uncomfortable and that’s why you stopped flirting. I was trying to give you space.”
Sheepish, Tim runs his hands up and down Kon’s arms in what he hopes is a comforting gesture.
“Jeez.” Kon huffs, still not quite looking at him. “What a mess.”
“It is. Was.” Tim agrees, leaning in and catching the other man’s eye. “But it doesn’t have to be, not if we don’t want it to.”
Kon finally locks eyes with him again. Tim’s heart soars. A smile spreads across Kon’s face, a little crooked and cocky, but one hundred percent genuine. Tim can feel his pulse jump. No special bat breathing exercise could hide it, not that he is trying to anymore, now that he knows.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? That you’re bi, I mean.” Kon asks softly. Tim gives an apologetic shrug, unsure of how to respond. “I came out when you were…gone.” He tries, stumbling through his wording. “It was a big deal. Very few heroes were out then. By the time you got back, things had settled down and people were used to the idea. I wasn’t the only one out anymore.”
“You didn’t tell me, though.” Kon presses, frowning. “Did I do something that made you think you couldn’t trust me with somethin’ like that?”
“No!” Tim insists, squeezing Kon’s biceps. Christ, they are like steel cables beneath his fingers. Strong and tense, firm despite his grasp. “Kon, I trust you. I trust you with my real identity! I just…forgot that you didn’t know and when I remembered, I just figured someone had already told you.”
“Well, they didn’t.” Kon replies plainly, deep cyan eyes boring deeply into Tim’s. “And if I knew, I would’ve been a lot quicker to do this.”
Kon leans in slowly, giving Tim plenty of time to dodge. His eyes flicker down at Tim’s lips before searching for permission. Tim leans in, pressing his body against Kon’s. He tilts his jaw up, feeling the ghost of Kon’s breath puff across his cheek.
When their lips finally come together, it’s everything Tim had hoped it would be. Kon’s lips are soft and a little cold, slotting against his own. Tim reaches a hand up, caressing Kon’s jaw. The other man groans, shifting against the buffet they are propped up against to let Tim settle flat against him. Tim slips his hands under Kon’s leather jacket, feeling him like he has always wanted to.
Pulling back for air, because he’s human with stupid human needs like breathing, Tim studies Kons’ expression. Disbelief, awe, and excitement all swirl together. Delighted, Tim pecks Kon on the lips. Then on the jaw, the nose, the brow, each cheekbone. Anywhere he can reach, really.
Kon grabs Tim gently by the face, bringing their lips together once more. His fingers tangle in Tim’s hair, scratching pleasantly along the scalp and pulling out his bun. Kon’s other hand has a tight grip on Tim’s hip, his hand hot as he flexes his fingers across the skin revealed by his t-shirt. Steph was right, the crop top was a good choice.
They break apart, but Tim doesn’t go far, nuzzling the column of Kon’s throat. A deep thrum churns in Kon’s chest. He’s purring. Tim grins victoriously.
“Sooo,” Tim drawls, relishing the sound from the man beneath him. “To avoid any more confusion, want to be my boyfriend?”
Kon smiles, radiant. He pecks Tim on the lips, his purring only getting louder.
“Yes!” He says, sounding like he’s talking into a fan. “I’d love to.”
“Great.” Tim pronounces, squeezing Kon tightly around the abdomen.
They stay like that, wrapped up and kissing, until they can’t anymore. The others are saying their goodbyes and it would be rude not to see them off. So Tim grabs Kon’s hand, lacing their fingers together, as they walk down to the zeta tubes.
If he’s lighter on his feet, or less scowly, then that’s his business. He’s got a smoking hot boyfriend who likes him back. He’s got a great group of friends who only clown on them a little bit for not noticing the other liked them. Life is fucking great.
And, as Kon flies them both back to Tim’s room, he remembers the break in the case he’s been working on. His boyfriend is patient enough to wait for him to finish his report before making him eat a meal and drink water. His reward is more kisses, so Tim shovels down his plate and chugs his water.
Kon laughs at him when Tim tosses the dishes aside haphazardly to scramble onto the bed. But Tim doesn’t mind. He is just excited to cuddle and make out with his boyfriend while Wendy reruns play in the background. Kon, for his part, seems equally excited. Although, ironically, he seems better at hiding it.
Tim can’t help but be grateful this happened at the tower and not in Gotham. Here, there are no meddling siblings or concerned family members to interrupt them. No well-meaning friends with a non-apocalyptic emergency to burst through the door.
Just Tim and Kon. Kon and Tim. It’s perfect.