Sign (Tim)

Tim wants a sign.

He knows that Bernard is attracted to him – Bernard is so expressive with everything that it's difficult to miss, especially to somebody trained by the world's greatest detective. Besides, Bernard touches him even more than Dick does. But Tim doesn't know if Bernard is willing to be anything other than friends; it could be just attraction he didn't want to act upon and if Tim did they wouldn't be friends anymore, or at least their friendship would be different. Every time Bernard puts his arm around Tim in that "We're best friends" way and tugs him close enough that he can smell Bernard's cologne on his clothes hours later when he takes them off Tim goes through his mental decision tree again, but his answer is always the same, even though it's killing him to be so close and yet not close enough. When he tutors Bernard, their heads bent over Bernard's textbook close enough that he can smell Bernard's shampoo, he chants to himself mentally. He isn't interested in that way, he isn't interested in that way.

He's halfway convinced himself of that when Bernard turns and kisses him on the mouth, and it's obvious that it's deliberate but Tim can't get over his shock fast enough to kiss back or do anything at all, really. His heart is pounding like he's just been fighting Shiva and he can feel his eyes are wide and dilated. And then Bernard's pulling back and it's the worst thing in the world but Tim can't make himself move.

"Sorry," Bernard mutters, and Bernard, who always looks people in the eye like it's a compulsion is looking everywhere but at Tim, and it's breaking Tim's heart. "I thought-"

And finally Tim can make himself move, and he's grabbing Bernard's shoulders like he's a perp, like he's going to throw him, and Tim knows his grip is going to leave bruises but that's okay because Tim has his mouth on Bernard's and they're kissing, really kissing, and it's everything Tim's imagined it to be, down to the taste of the coffee (real swill, Tim doubts even the GCPD would drink it. Tim makes a mental note to get some of Alfred's special blend for him). And he thinks he might be bruising Bernard's mouth with the force of the kiss but he can't stop it any more than he can stop the needy, whimpering noises he's making.