Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 5

Tim woke up slowly, feeling nice and relaxed, recognising the Wayne suite. Waking up curled together with Bernard was something he could get used to. His head was resting on Ber's chest, able to hear the slow, steady beat of his heart. Bernard shifted in his sleep and Tim smiled when Bernard nuzzled at him. He shifted so he could lean up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Hey," he murmured. "Time to wake up."

Bernard made a soft noise but slowly opened his eyes. He yawned but then smiled sleepily at him, leaning in for another kiss. "Morning, again," he mumbled, and Tim grinned.

"Morning."

"Time to get up?" Bernard was practically pouting.

"Hmm, not like we have a check out time since it's our suite," Tim admitted and then his stomach growled rather loudly, Bernard chuckling in response.

"Room service?" he asked, and Tim nodded, sitting up to grab the phone. If Bruce was in the suite, Alfred would be there too and would use the kitchenette to provide meals. But B had stayed in the Penthouse last night so Alfred was there.

Soon a tray was delivered, along with the papers. Tim settled back into bed with Bernard to share the food and Ber nabbed a paper, groaning at the front-page photo.

"This has to be the worst photo of me ever," he grimaced, and Tim laughed.

Last night could have been worse but…it hurt. He knew Damian still hated him but he hadn't thought he'd just not show up. And Dick…sure, things weren't good but to not come to his eighteenth. B had obviously not been happy with them but had hidden it from the attendees, giving a lie about Damian's maternal family having a wedding and Dick accompanying him overseas for it. It would be easy enough for Babs to create the needed documents to back it up.

"You okay?" Ber asked, and Tim nodded, leaning against him. "Well, we're definitely out."

"Your parents?" he asked gently, and Bernard shrugged.

"Haven't really talked to them much since I moved out. And…" Bernard hesitated, string at the covers.

"Ber?" Tim straightened up, worried.

"He's…I'm not…" he bit his lip, and Tim took his hand. "He's not my dad," he whispered, and Tim frowned.

"What?"

"I'm not his kid, not really a Dowd…Mum…she was…"

Tim swallowed. Oh…and that did kind of explain a lot of what he'd seen back in school when it came to Mr Dowd and Bernard. "I'm sorry." Tim squeezed his hand.

"She's never really talked about it; I have no clue who my biological dad is. Don't think I want to know. They never told me, but I worked it out years ago, I don't really look anything like his side of the family. I could have just taken after Mum's side except I've seen the family photos and I don't."

"Did…did they catch him?"

Bernard shrugged. "She won't talk about it and I didn't want to know who he was." He glanced up. "Don't go looking," he pleaded, and Tim nodded.

He wanted to, wanted to find the man and make sure he'd paid for his crimes but without said crime…Bernard wouldn't exist. "I won't," he promised. He tugged Bernard closer, kissing him gently, and then he shifted them, rolling with Bernard till they ended up lying down again, wrapped up in the covers. "I think we deserve a day in bed."

Bernard smiled slightly and cuddled into him.

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Dick wasn't surprised by the stony silence when the trio appeared for lunch. They had been at Tim's party last night after all. He went to speak only for Kon to shake his head even as Cassie stared at Damian coldly.

"You really don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?" she asked, and Damian glared. "You're permanently off the Titan's roster, we can't trust you as part of a team and frankly, none of us want to work with you. And Dick, we expected better from you. Then again, it's not the first time you've hung Tim out to dry since dear little Damian showed up. You've made your loyalty very clear the last few years. Tim is one of us, neither of you are, so please leave."

"Cassie, I swear…"

"Save it Grayson. And don't expect a warm welcome in Gotham. Bruce was not happy, Tim's hurt, and I'm pretty sure Jason has a few bullets with your name on them, not sure if they're non-lethal or not," Kon growled.

"Tt," Damian scoffed. "Like I would want to be part of this gathering of imbeciles."

"Damian," Dick snapped at him. Looking at him…had he really done this on purpose to hurt Tim? "Get your things, now."

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Bernard didn't think he'd ever had such a lazy day when not sick, not that he'd gotten sick much since his vampiric heritage had kicked in. And with Tim lying on top of him, kissing lazily…it was a really good day. He ran his hands up and down Tim's sides and back as they kissed.

Telling Tim even some of the truth of his parentage had been hard but it was one less secret he was keeping from him. Soon…soon he'd tell him everything. Let the excitement of Tim's birthday and them being a couple settle down first.

And then he gasped when Tim sucked gently on his neck, biting his lip, fighting to not let his fangs extend. He tugged at Tim's shirt in question and Tim sat up enough to pull it off, Bernard yanking his own off at the same time. Touches slowly became more heated as Bernard tugged him back up into another kiss and away from the danger zone. Throats brought out instincts he couldn't deal with at the moment.

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Bruce found Dick in the smaller sitting room, staring at something in his hands. His eldest son looked up at him and he realised there'd been no malic in Dick's absence. "Bruce…"

"As far as everyone knows, you and Damian are out of the country for a family wedding on his mother's side. Barbara has ensured there is evidence of that."

Dick stared at the floor. "I really messed up," he murmured. "I checked…I can't find anything but I know Tim would have sent me the invite, that Alfred would have sent a check…I think Babs or Tim needs to check my account." He held his phone out and Bruce scanned the messages from when the official family notice of the party went out and there was nothing. "I don't want to consider it but…"

"Damian," Bruce murmured, and Dick nodded. "Barbara will check all your accounts and devices."

"I knew his eighteenth was coming up…I should have checked. Damian actually asked to go to the Tower, I thought he was looking to try with the team. But when they showed up and Cassie told him he'd never be a Titan…he didn't care. I really thought he was getting better."

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Bernard kept his head down as he went about his life, wary of the press interest in him since the party. Well, more wary of who might have seen the photos and protest. He'd gotten a call from his parents but had hung up on them after five minutes. He wasn't sure what to do, he should tell Tim…he couldn't afford the apartment without his parents and they were refusing to pay since he was dating Tim.

They'd never really liked Tim and he'd never understood why, they hadn't had issues with his other friends. He'd always thought they would like Tim more given his social class being higher than their own, they usually liked trying to make friends with more money. Had…had they suspected that Bernard liked Tim as more than a friend back then? His Mom loved him, but she would never go against her husband. And his stance on such things was very clear, it was why he had never tried to date a guy before Tim.

So, he needed to find somewhere to live, fast, and a new job. His didn't pay anywhere near enough to pay for an apartment and it wasn't like he could share with someone, not when he kept blood in the fridge! He'd been planning to start looking into paramedic training, wanting to be able to look after Tim when he was hurt but also help other people too, but that would have to wait now. He should have seen this coming.

And then one day, he got home to find a very distinct mark on his door, his heart sinking as his blood froze. They knew and someone was not happy. He'd known it could happen, probably would because he was a half breed. No one complained when a full vampire decided to be with a human because the human didn't usually stay so for long, either turned or dead. But most half vampires couldn't turn anyone, they also didn't need enough blood to drain someone.

When was Tim's next trip? Or could he convince him to leave the city without one? A romantic getaway somewhere? Red Robin occasionally popped up with the Titans still. Surely something would distract them soon enough?

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Tim smiled as he opened the door and was immediately concerned. "Ber? What's wrong?" he asked, pulling him inside and locking the door, activating the extra security.

Bernard moved to the couch, curling up a bit on it. "I, uh…"

"Bernard?" he sat down, reaching for his hand, relieved when Bernard took it. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Bernard took a deep breath. "I'm not asking for anything," he stated, and Tim nodded. He knew Ber wasn't like that, but Tim would happily give him anything. "My parents saw the articles and…they've cut me off. They pay the majority of the rent on the apartment and my job isn't enough to pay it without them."

Tim swallowed, feeling a surge of anger towards the Dowd's. How dare they! Then again…would Jack have done any differently if he was still alive? Tim could easily pay for a place for Bernard, there was an empty apartment in the building at the moment, it was his if he wanted it. Or…

"You could move in here," he offered quietly.

Bernard knew he was Red Robin so it wasn't like he had to keep secrets from him. He could have his own room even, though Tim wouldn't say no to sharing a bed.

Bernard's eyes were wide as he looked at him. "Tim…"

"I mean it," Tim assured him. "I know it's not even a year yet, but even if we weren't dating, I'd offer."

"I just wanted to talk about it…"

Tim shrugged slightly, gently tugging Bernard closer. "And I have issues with wanting to solve the problems of those I care about," he reminded him. "If you think it's too soon, there's an empty apartment two floors down, it's a one bed."

"I could never afford a place in a building like this." He shook his head, and Tim grinned.

"The rent here is dirt cheap; we are on the edges of Crime Alley after all. Besides…I own the building."

Bernard blinked, staring at him. "You what?"

"I own the building, several in the area actually. All of them are apartments with low rent to help people getting housing."

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He hadn't known that. He'd just wanted to talk to someone about what was going on and he couldn't talk about the threat. And Tim had realised something was wrong as soon as he'd showed up so being cut off was the only thing he could explain.

The idea of moving in with Tim had his heart speeding up but…he couldn't. He wanted to so badly but how would he hide his feeding from him? Sooner or later, he'd end up flashing eyes or fangs and that was not how he wanted Tim to find out…and imagine if he found his blood supply?

But an apartment in the building? He should have known Tim owned the building and of course he made sure they were cheap to rent too.

"Tim, I would never expect…"

"I know," Tim told him, voice firm, eyes locked. "I know you would never try to use me for money," he promised. Tim lifted a hand to cup his cheek, stroking his cheek, and Bernard leant into his touch.

"I love you Tim," he whispered, he would never tire of telling him. How many people had said it to either of them? Seeing the wonder in Tim's eyes every time he said it made him feel warm. But beside the wonder was understanding and acceptance.

"At least take the apartment, please Ber. It's a secure building, you'll be safe here."

But would Tim? His address wasn't known, they didn't know his scent so they couldn't track him, but Bernard could be tracked if they really tried. If they found the building, they might realise Tim lived there too. But if they tracked Tim anyway, and they could if they staked out WE, then surely it would be safer if Bernard lived there and could intercept them?

"You're sure?" he asked, and Tim nodded.

"And I won't take a cent in rent, that way you can keep your current job and do whatever course you decided on."

"Tim…"

"Nope, no argument. I can't charge you rent."

Bernard sighed but nodded. With no rent, he could live off his wage. "Alright," he agreed, and Tim grinned at him. Bernard smiled back, tugging Tim closer to kiss him. "You're helping me move," he told Tim who laughed but nodded.

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Bruce was surprised when Tim walked into his office and flopped down onto the couch.

"It would be unethical to ruin the Dowd's," he grumbled and Bruce set his tablet aside in alarm.

"Tim?" he asked, standing to join him.

Tim swallowed, his eyes red rimmed. "They…they cut Ber off, B. Because of the articles, they never liked me back in school but this…"

Bruce pulled Tim into a hug. "How is he?"

"He seemed a bit in shock when he came over. He doesn't earn enough to cover the rent let alone other expenses as well so he was panicking. He's moving into the empty apartment in my building next week, it's two floors under mine. I'm asking Conner and the others to come help him move."

Bruce nodded. "He can come to me if he ever needs anything."

"I asked him to move in with me," Tim murmured. "I know we haven't been dating that long, but we're friends too. I would have let Kon move in with me if he needed somewhere to stay and I hadn't had to worry about Dad when we were kids."

Bruce nodded. Tim had such a big heart, that had been obvious from the start and despite Bruce's fear, he had never lost it. Despite all of the times that Tim had suffered because of it, Tim didn't stop caring. He had trouble expressing it in a normal way at times but so did Bruce. But Bernard seemed to understand Tim better than most and finding out he knew Tim was Red Robin explained it a bit.

"He might not feel ready for that, especially given what his parents are doing," Bruce offered. The shock of betrayal would be hard to deal with after all, it would take some time for Bernard to accept what had happened and begin to truly process it, no matter what his relationship with his parents had been like till now.

Tim nodded. "Was it crazy asking him?"

"No," Bruce assured him. "You trust him and he loves you." Bruce was sure that Tim loved Bernard from the way he talked about him and how they acted around each other.

"Has Cass checked in yet?" Tim asked after a few minutes, and Bruce grimaced.

"No."

"I'll go," Tim said, and Bruce looked at him. "I'm the best choice, B, and you know it. Cass and I work best together, there's a reason everyone teases about us being twins. I've worked with her over there too."

Bruce nodded, he didn't like it, but Tim was right.

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Conner grinned and picked the couch up easily, seeing Bernard's eyes widen slightly.

"Uh…"

"You know about Tim, it's pretty obvious from that," he shrugged, and Bernard nodded slightly. Yep, that was definite confirmation. He honestly didn't care if Bernard knew he was Superboy, even if he hadn't known Tim was RR. He might use the name Kent, things were better with Clark, but there was very little beyond the name available to link them.

"Aren't you worried you'll be seen?" he asked, glancing around.

"No one's in the halls, it's fine. I'll hear anyone coming and you can always just hold the other end to make it look like we're sharing the weight."

Bernard nodded and grabbed the other end. Personally, he thought Bernard should just let Tim furnish the place for him but apparently the couch was comfy despite how ugly it was. He was getting a new bed though and it was sooo tempting to tease them over that but he didn't think they'd gone that far yet and he didn't want to make them nervous over it.

It was only his second time meeting Bernard, but he liked him so far. He'd been hearing about him for months as well. He was quiet but he didn't let people walk over him or anything, would even argue with Tim which took courage.

"You know, if you asked, Tim would jump at the chance to take you with him."

Bernard looked at him in surprise. "But it's a 'work' trip."

"He won't be working all the time," he pointed out as they reached the ground floor, putting the couch in the back of the small truck since there wasn't much furniture being taken.

"Maybe," Bernard murmured and he left it at that.

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Bernard stared at his phone and then opened up the hidden directory, carefully reaching out on the anonymous travel board for information on Hong Kong. Would he be allowed? And he was shocked to find the place to be very open, not just to half breeds but mixed couples. He grinned and filled out the forms, so very organised and easy. Within three hours he had permission.

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Tim packed his civilian bag, for this, he was taking the jet which made taking equipment easier. Bernard was sitting on the bed, watching him, chewing absently at his bottom lip. Tim put his slacks in the bag and then sat beside him. "Ber?"

"Remember the Spain trip and how you wished I could go?" he asked, nervous.

Tim straightened, staring at him. "Do you want to come?" he asked. "I'll be busy a lot," he warned, but Bernard nodded.

"Would it be okay?"

"Yes!" Tim grinned. "You've got a passport, right?"

"Yeah," Bernard was grinning back at him.

"Right, you'll need to pack for a fortnight. And…I've only got a single room booked, is that okay? Or should I change it to a two-bed suite?"

Bernard leant in and kissed him. "One's fine, not like we haven't shared. I'll go pack."

Tim fell back onto the bed after Bernard left, unable to stop smiling. He was coming! He sent a message to Bruce to let him know and wasn't surprised when Alfred arrived with the car to drive them both. And of course, with an extra tracker. Tim had already slipped one into Bernard's things but it was a good backup to have Bruce able to track them both.

But his excitement to travel with Ber didn't negate his worry for his sister. Cass was one of the best fighters on the planet, so why had she missed check-in? The team were on standby since they had their own jet and members who could fly and get there very quickly if he needed backup. She would be fine, she would be. He'd find her and she could meet Bernard, he knew Cass would love him, and Bernard knew sign already, for those days when talking was hard for her.

They made it to the airport and Bernard looked suitably impressed by the jet. Yes, the Dowd's were rich, but not Drake or Wayne level rich. They settled in and were soon airborne, watching a movie together, just relaxing for the journey.

TBC…