Chapter Text
There was something different about Tim.
Bruce knew Tim had been having a rough time, what with both Damian’s apparent dislike of him and Stephanie’s disappearance—but lately, he had a… glowingness to him.
It wasn’t anything obvious—Tim still dragged himself into the Cave to read over their latest case files until Alfred had to physically pry him out of the chair. But there was a lightness to him now.
He’d become distracted, both in the field and out of it—the former being far worse than the latter. Not enough to be jeopardizing, but enough to warrant… concern.
Bruce waited until patrol was over to bring it up.
That, he figured, was the best way to keep Tim from bolting. The boy was still peeling off his gloves when Bruce spoke.
“We need to talk.”
The words were calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that meant Bruce had been rehearsing them in his head for the last hour.
Tim froze like a deer in headlights. “Uh… about what?”
Tim’s voice cracked just a little on the “what,” which was enough to make Bruce’s internal alarms blare.
He kept his tone even. “You’ve been… distracted.”
Tim blinked at him, already looking for escape routes—literal and conversational. “I’ve been fine.”
Bruce’s jaw tightened. He hesitated, as if weighing every syllable. “If there’s… someone you’re spending time with—”
“ What?! ”
“—I want you to know,” Bruce continued in the same terrifyingly calm tone, “that it’s important to be honest. And careful. Relationships can be—”
“—oh my god ,” Tim muttered into his hands. “You’re doing the thing. You’re literally doing the thing right now.”
Bruce wasn’t sure how else to phrase it. He had never actually had this conversation with Dick; by the time Dick had started dating, their relationship had… deteriorated. And Jason—Jason had avoided the subject entirely by storming out of the house for weeks at a time.
This was uncharted territory.
“I’m just… reminding you,” Bruce said slowly, “to be careful. Not just about… feelings, but about people’s intentions. About—”
Tim waved him off without looking up. “Nope. Conversation over. I’m invoking my right to flee.”
Before Bruce could say anything else, Tim was already halfway up the Cave steps, muttering something about “Alfred, tell him he’s being insane” as he went.
Bruce stayed where he was, the echo of retreating footsteps bouncing through the Cave. He exhaled slowly, filing this entire attempt under “marginal success” — marginal because Tim hadn’t denied seeing someone… but also because Bruce was fairly sure he had just made the boy’s top ten Most Embarrassing Moments list.
When Tim came home from school the next day, Bruce didn’t say a word.
But he did notice the faint trace of perfume clinging to Tim’s collar. And that was enough to make his internal alarms start blaring all over again.