Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

KON

From the moment Kon heard about the Selection he had a bad feeling. It hadn’t been long since the former Crown Prince Dick Grayson-Wayne had given up his duties to marry the love of his life, Queen Koriand’r of Tamaran. In the time since that scandal, there had been questions about who would succeed the current King Bruce. Eventually it had become clear that the most suitable choice was Prince Tim Drake-Wayne. He had been adopted a decade prior by the king and trained in politics from a young age by his late parents who had been distant royalty themselves. It was unclear to the public whether the decision was an easy one, or whether there had been resistance from the parties involved, but the result remained the same.

The future king had to find a spouse, and within a few weeks, the chosen few would be sent to the palace to undergo the process of courting a prince.

The news had arrived as Kon had been studying for his Media Law and Ethics final, and he hadn’t bothered to think about what it meant. His focus had been slipping lately with regards to his schoolwork, and he knew that he needed to study hard to do well on this final. He was nearing the end of his four years at Metropolis University and had little to show for it. The least he could do was put everything into his classes. 

There was only so much he could tolerate relying on his dad and Lois to get his foot in the door. He appreciated their offers to help or provide references, but he knew that if he wanted to be respected in the industry, he needed to do it for himself.

His laser focus could only last so long though, and eventually he had to come up for air after sorting through his notes on ethical sources for the last time. When he did so, the first thing he noticed was the news story on the tv that his roommate was watching with an atypical level of interest. His roommate Logan was not the type of guy to watch the news. He was the complete opposite of Kon who had to stay up to date for his major, and refused to spend his time learning about current events when he could be hanging out with his frat brothers or watching the chick flicks he pretends he’s never seen.

“Yo dude, come check this out!” Logan yelled while waving Kon over.

Kon made his way to the living room slowly, hesitance clear in every step. He wondered absentmindedly if he needed to prepare for some kind of disaster with the way Logan was staring so intently at the screen. Once he got the couch, however, the headline had his own mouth parting in shock.

Crown Prince Tim Drake-Wayne to Hold his Selection by Randomly Choosing 20 Citizens Between the Ages of 19 and 23.

The announcement itself wasn’t a shock as everyone knew this had to be coming soon, but Kon was thrown off by a few other elements. Typically the Selection wasn’t random but rather between members of nobility or the upper class. Also, the fact that they were including both women and men was worth noting. There had been rumors about the new Crown Prince, but Kon supposed that they had just been confirmed. 

“Hey Kon, what are the odds that we get chosen?” Kon was thrown off by the excitement in Logan’s voice, but then he remembered all the times Logan had gushed to him about what Prince Tim had been up to and suddenly it made sense.

“I mean, they’re only choosing 20 people and millions of citizens fit that requirement so it’s unlikely.” Seeing that his words had not been received well, Kon cringed and went to correct himself, “But I mean it’s possible…”

“Nah man you’re right.” Logan smiled sadly and went back to watching the news story on the TV in silence. Kon stood there awkwardly for a moment before he decided his studying was not in fact done.

With that uncomfortable encounter Kon avoided thinking about the Selection until the day came for the participants to be announced. He found himself once again in the living room of his apartment next to Logan. He couldn’t help the nerves that he felt while they waited for the announcement, and began fiddling with the fraying edges of their cheap couch which was barely big enough for the two of them.

“Hello, welcome everyone to the much anticipated announcement of the participants in the Selection to one day become the consort of Crown Prince Tim Drake-Wayne. We are lucky enough to be joined this evening by His Royal Highness himself to talk about his feelings on the upcoming Selection.”

Kon cringed at the overly fake enthusiasm of the reporter, but found himself focusing on Tim once he appeared on screen. It was far from the first time that he had seen the prince’s face, but he took the opportunity to pay attention to things he hadn’t noticed in the past. The crown prince didn’t look upset or annoyed at his situation, but something about his smile ate at Kon’s instincts that all wasn’t well. It’s likely Tim wasn’t exactly happy being in this situation in the first place. Kon didn’t blame him.

“Hi Vicki, it’s nice to see you again.”  He flashed a polished smile to the camera, and Kon could see how he had grown up trained for the media. “Thank you for having me. I’m very excited to meet the participants in the next few days and look forward to starting this process.” He sounded sincere, but Kon wondered how much of that sentiment was wanting the whole process to be over with.

“Of course, your highness.” Vicki’s smile had reached blinding levels. “The public seems to be equally excited for the process and the opportunity to meet and court yourself. One thing they’ve taken notice of is that the selection includes both men and women. Would you care to elaborate on that choice?”

Tim chuckled lightly at that comment, the media smile still on full display. “Why yes, that has been a popular topic of discussion. It’s simple. I enjoy the company of both men and women and didn’t want to restrict myself to a Selection with one or the other. Especially so, when I could have a better chance of finding a future consort well-suited for the role this way. I simply wanted to keep mine and the country’s options open.” He spoke very matter-of-fact but left no room for suggestions against his decision. Kon could see how he would be a strong and decisive leader in the future.

The interview continued, but Kon zoned out as he lost interest in the questions being asked. He would rather be watching the real news and hearing about the state of the country than listening to the reporter fruitlessly dig for answers to questions the prince wouldn’t be acknowledging. Kon didn’t know much about the man, but from what news stories he’s seen the crown prince chose to keep himself separate from most controversial issues. He mostly spoke on international relations prior to gaining his current position.

Kon didn’t think very highly of the royal family due to their general ineffectiveness at solving the country's issues, but at least Tim himself didn’t seem to be uninterested in improving the country and helping those in need. As is, Kon chose to reserve his judgement until he gained a clearer picture of the man and his goals.

If nothing else, this segment had shown Kon that the man was very capable of talking circles around even trained reporters. Despite everything said, Crown Prince Tim had given nothing away regarding the specifics of the process. It was clear from the interview that information regarding the Selection would be carefully shrouded and on a need-to-know basis. At least the whole thing won’t be overly televised, Kon mused as the interview came to an end.

“Thank you again for talking with me, Your Highness. I look forward to seeing who you choose to be your future spouse.”

For the first time there was a slight crack in the crown prince’s crafted demeanor as he twitched slightly at Vicki’s comment. “Why thank you Vicki. I look forward to meeting that person myself.”

Finally, the segment ended and the news cut to a video describing the Selection, and how the process of choosing the participants had gone. Within a few minutes the list of those chosen began to display on the screen, one name appearing at a time. Out of the corner of his eyes Kon saw Logan sit up straight and felt himself do the same despite wanting to remain uninterested. The whole spectacle didn’t sit well with Kon and he began to wonder why this felt like a sentencing when it happened.

“Conner Kent from Smallville.” 

A ringing noise sounded in Kon’s ears and he felt his heart drop. Logan on his other side had stood up and started screaming in excitement. Kon could feel the other man shaking his shoulders but only one thought was repeating itself over and over in his head.

Shit.

TIM

Freshly twenty-one, the now Crown Prince Tim was suddenly faced with the reality that he would never be able to choose his own future. When Dick left to live in Tamaran the entire family fully supported his decision, Tim included. Everyone knew how Dick had been pining after Kori since they were much younger, and Dick had never expressed any interest in one day becoming the king.

In fact, most of Tim’s siblings showed no desire for the position despite being in line for the throne. Jason did everything he could to forfeit his second-in-line position from a young age and made it clear he would act as captain of the guard and nothing more. Cass’ passion for ballet remained her foremost priority and inevitable future. Damian was the only one who wanted the position, but he wasn’t going to be prepared any time soon, and so he was out of the running.

Tim was never supposed to end up in the position he found himself in now. He had been fourth in line. Even so, he smiled and clapped when Dick announced he was leaving, and accepted his new reality with little fanfare and even less complaint. 

They all knew Bruce was tired of ruling. He had been king since he was eight years old and his parents were assassinated by a rebel group. It was only through Alfred’s guidance as the late King Thomas’ advisor and the new regent that the kingdom hadn’t fallen into disrepair. As it was, the power gap and child king allowed for enough corruption to make its way into the court, and to this day many of the issues hadn’t been solved. Tim understood that it would be his primary responsibility to continue the fight his adoptive father had been waging since he was officially crowned at only eighteen. 

So despite Tim never desiring the throne, he found himself in position to become the king within a year's time. The only thing standing in his way was the law stating that the ruler of the country had to be married to be officially crowned. The law itself was so archaic that even Bruce forgot it existed since he was lucky enough to get out of it himself. Only due to Bruce’s unique circumstances was he forfeit from the marriage clause, but the royal council had come together and agreed that moving forward the law would need to be adhered to.

Tim suspected that there were nefarious reasons for the specific timing of the decision and chaos that would come from the Selection process, but unfortunately he was at the whims of the council in this particular decision.

As soon as the interview with Vicki Vale came to an end Tim practically ran from the room. He hated the thought of the entire process and knew that as soon as the names started coming out everything would be chaos. He wanted to be in the castle by that time.

Reporters were parked outside the building and Tim smiled pleasantly at them while waving, but upon entering the waiting car the media smile slid off his face.

“Hi Alfred,” Tim chirped.

“No need to fake excitement at seeing my face, Your Highness.” Tim smiled wryly at Alfred in the car mirror. “As I understand it you’ll want to get back as soon as possible?”

“Please.” Tim ground out, already dreading the comments and speculation that were about to commence about his life.

To his credit Alfred didn’t correct his tone for once and instead drove them back to the palace at what might have been slightly above the speed limit. When they arrived Tim bee lined up to his rooms, ready to sulk for the hour until his next meeting. Instead, upon entering his room he found his sister Cass waiting for him.

She claimed her usual spot on the hanging chair in the corner, her legs above her head as she played classical music out loud from her phone. A smile made its way onto his face at the sight and he tipped his head in greeting, waiting for her to share why she was there.

She turned her head in his direction as the door shut, and took in his ruffled appearance with a slight grin.

“You look well.” Tim rolled his eyes at her sarcasm and dramatically splayed himself on his bed in response. “The names have just been announced.”

Tim hummed in response, recalling the names that he had been shown earlier in the week. While the Selection of names was random, they still screened those chosen and Tim himself had been allowed to see the final 20 and read a short blurb on them so he wasn’t going in blind.

“The others will be starting their bets soon I suppose.” Tim mumbled and Cass huffed a laugh in response. He glanced over and the look on her face let him know they had already started. How they had, he wasn’t sure but he wouldn’t be surprised if one of them had stolen the list several days ago after he had been shown it. He went back to staring at his ceiling, dread increasing with each passing moment.

Cass stood abruptly, practically rolling off the chair and straightening up in a move only possible from years of dancing. She walked over to him and stopped with her face directly in his line of sight. “This will be good for you.” There was confidence in her voice. Surety. Tim wished he felt any of that.

“We’ll see.”

Chapter Text

KON

The next few days passed by in a blur for Kon. He remembered Logan’s aggressive support and claims that “if I can’t have him, at least you can.” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that but appreciated the support anyways. He also received many calls from his family that were supportive but apprehensive about the entire situation. He didn’t blame them, he had also been highly apprehensive. He still was. For the past few weeks he waited for someone to jump out and tell him it had all been a joke.

Instead, a royal messenger arrived several days after the announcement and let him know everything that would be expected of him and how he should prepare. They also made him sign a few forms confirming that he wouldn’t share any information about the process or the royal family with anyone. All the new information gave him a headache, and the knowledge that he would have to give up his phone while staying in the palace dampened his already low spirits. 

No matter how he felt, Kon had a few weeks to come to terms with his new reality, pack, and finish his finals. Safe to say Kon wasn’t confident he passed his courses. Even so, he couldn’t find it in himself to care since he was so stressed with everything else going on that college was hardly on his mind. The only thing to bring him out of the fog surrounding his brain was saying goodbye to his family before he got on the plane to head to the capital, Gotham City. 

“Bye Kon! Go make the prince fall in love with you!” Jon pulled him into a large hug, but his words were spoken with a shit-eating grin. Kon went to cuff him over the head but their dad stopped him by grabbing his arm and pulling Kon into another, somewhat-more-awkward hug. 

“Goodbye Kon. Take care of yourself.” Kon did his best to smile back at his dad but he could tell that his nerves were visible. It looked like his dad wanted to say something else, but before he could Lois dragged Kon into one final hug.

“Have fun Kon, and make sure to get as much dirt on the royals as possible!” Kon laughed at her comment but hesitantly pulled away and glanced at her face to gauge if she meant it. With Lois it was impossible to tell when she was kidding but Kon had a feeling she was being fully sincere. 

“Thanks dad, Lois,” he nodded to the both of them and ignored Jon’s loud ‘Hey’ at being ignored. “I’m sure I’ll be back before you know it.”

The two exchanged a glance and turned back to him in sync the way they always seemed to be. “Sure.”

Feeling ganged up on, Kon felt ready to get on the plane for the first time if only to escape their teasing.

“We’re only joking Kon,” Lois called as he started to turn away. “Just be yourself and try to meet new people. This could be fun.” All three of their smiles were drastically different so he chose to focus on Lois whose demeanor instilled the most confidence in him.

“Maybe.” He turned again to leave, raising a hand goodbye as he walked away. Externally he maintained his calm, but within the turmoil of his mind, Lois’ words tugged at his attention. Royal secrets may be too ambitious, but he wondered if he might be able to get more out of this experience besides the obvious intention. He hadn’t thought about the social aspect or the closeness to royalty that might benefit him, but with these new thoughts in mind he boarded the plane.

… 

His first realization when exiting the airport in Gotham was that he had not prepared enough for the inevitable attention he would get. There were hoards of people waiting outside, and around the center of the crowd perched a small sign with his name on it. As soon as the person holding up the sign saw his face, they made some sort of signal and a group of security came up to escort him to a car.

He passed through the crowds and while they didn’t know what he looked like, they saw him surrounded by security heading towards his name and suddenly he was being peppered with questions. He did his best to ignore them, which actually wasn’t that difficult due to the pounding in his ears, and moved quickly to the car. Once inside he drew a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few moments.

“Sorry about that. It seems like there was some leak that the participants would be arriving today.” Kon opened his eyes and faced the person that had spoken. She appeared to be a palace worker based on her uniform, but her smile seemed real and he felt himself relax. “My name is Harper by the way. I’ll be helping with the Selection and bringing the contestants to the palace. You can also come to me with any questions.” 

“Nice to meet you Harper. I’m Kon.” For a moment she seemed confused before it looked like she came to a conclusion.

“Oh Con like Conner. Is that what you’d like to be referred to as?”

“Yeah,” Kon smiled. “But I like to spell it with a K.”

“A K? Any reason why?” She seemed genuinely interested.

“Not really, I just used to think it was cool and it stuck.” He shrugged and Harper seemed to accept it. She pulled out some pieces of paper and wrote something down. Kon hoped it was about his name and not some sort of comment about his behavior. Before he could think himself in circles she spoke up again. 

“Now I’ll just need you to sign a few forms, mostly precautionary, before you get to the palace.” 

He held his hand out to accept the stack of papers she thrust in his direction and he gave them a once over. 

“Didn’t I sign several forms already?” He frowned.

“Yes, but those were all NDAs. These are more so guidelines for expected etiquette while you’re taking part in the Selection. We thought it’d be best to give these to the Selected closer to the start.” Kon nodded in understanding.

It made sense that there were strict rules about the process. Instead of responding he started flipping through the packets. None of the rules looked absurd or out of the ordinary. They just asked the participants to be respectful of the privacy of those in the palace and to be committed to courting the crown prince for the duration of their time participating. He finished reading and signed the forms, handing them back to Harper with a smile.

“Thank you.” She glanced at the papers to make sure he signed them correctly before placing them into a folder on the chair next to her. Without another word she went back to whatever work she had been completing when he got into the car. Kon turned to look out the window and watched the lights of the city fly by.

…

About an hour later they finally arrived at the palace, having driven through the majority of the capital and faced the terrible afternoon traffic. The sun was starting to set as Kon stepped out of the suv, and he couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping at the sight. The structure of the palace was massive, but what was really impressive was the intricate gothic design.

The tall narrow walls stretched far above Kon, making him feel small. The high arches beckoned Kon forwards, but simultaneously had him thinking of a trap. Despite his reservations and the intimidating gargoyles, Kon made his way forward. The inside of the palace felt like a beautiful cage, or like a cave. Kon imagined things hiding in the dark corners and crevices. He scanned his surroundings with the fervor of a journalist, taking note of interesting features and locked doors he itched to open. He was shaken out of his daze by a voice shouting right next to his ear.

“Hello! Hi! You must be another one of the participants. My name’s Bart.”

A hand appeared right in his eye line and he finally took a look at his assailant. He was a shorter guy with red hair and a blinding grin. The other man practically shook with energy, bouncing back and forth between his feet as he waited for Kon to shake his outstretched hand. With a moment of pause Kon presented his own and found his entire arm shaken with an impressive amount of strength. When he was released he unconsciously went to hold his arm to his chest.

“Hi… I’m Kon.” He eventually responded with an easy smile. Bart seemed harmless even if he was a little forward.

“Kon? Oh are you Conner Kent. It’s so nice to meet you! Did you just get here? I did, and I have no idea where to go. Do you think we have our own rooms? When do you think we’ll meet the prince?”

Kon felt like his head was spinning. “Umm.. Yes I just got here and probably? I mean I doubt they’d bring us here and not give us guest accommodations at least. And about the prince I have no idea.” 

Bart nodded in response, clearly agreeing. “You’re right. So tell me more about yourself? Where are you from? I’m from Central City myself.”

Out of the corner of his eye Kon saw Harper waving him over to where she was talking with another person and Kon found himself pulling Bart in that direction while he answered. “Well I grew up in Smallville but I go to school at Metropolis University so I’m living in the city right now. I’m studying journalism.”

“Oh no way! That’s really cool. I’m planning to take over the family business when I graduate so I’m an electrical engineering major but one of my best friends is going to school for journalism.” Bart let himself be pulled but didn’t let his energy dim. Kon already liked the guy. His positive demeanor instantly made Kon more comfortable in the new and uncomfortable situation. 

“Great, you guys have already met.” Harper called out as they approached. “You two are both participants and me and my brother Cullen will be showing you guys to your rooms. Your belongings should have already been brought there so you can start settling in.”

As she talked she started walking them down a side corridor and Kon did his best to catalog all of the turns and any landmarks which would make traversing the winding halls any easier. After a few turns the efforts became futile and he already lost track. He resigned himself to getting lost for the foreseeable future if he ever lacked a guide.

On the way they passed many doors, some of which Harper shared the contents of, and others were left a mystery. He learned there was a small ballroom, a ballet studio, a few offices, a kitchen, and a parlor, but he wanted to know all the secrets of the palace. The thrill of the secrecy ignited a giddy joy that he was surprised he could feel in his current situation. At least he had something to look forward to.

Eventually, they were led to a corridor with many labeled doors, and Kon recognized one with his own name. 

“Here are your rooms for the time you will be here. Everything you need should be in there but if you need anything there’s a button on the wall you can press which will call your personal caretaker for your time in the palace. You will formally meet them tomorrow morning otherwise.” Harper looked back and forth at Kon and Bart and came to the conclusion that they were good to go. With a final nod she nudged her brother and they both disappeared down the same corridor they had all just walked through to get there. Kon looked back at the door with his name on it and debated momentarily just walking away and getting lost in the palace never to be seen again. Once again, Bart shook him out of his daze.

“Oh look, our rooms are right next to each other! Hopefully you don’t snore so loud that I can hear you through the walls. I’m pooped so I’m gonna head to bed but I’ll see you in the morning!” 

With a light slap on the back and a salute Bart disappeared into his own room and Kon sighed to himself. He wasn’t alone, and he was actually looking forward to meeting all of the other people so in spite of himself, he pushed open his door and walked through. The sight that met him was a much larger space than he expected, filled with lavish decor fit for important guests. The bed was huge with a dark grey canopy, the color of the royal seal. There were floor to ceiling windows with views out into the grounds below, and even though the sun had fully set, the view was still beautiful. Kon felt himself drawn to the glass and made his way over.

Weighed down by the stress of the day he sank down onto the carpet covered floor and stretched out, leaning back on his hands. The carpet was lush and a deep red that looked more black in the dim lighting. The whole room was dark, nothing like his colorful room back in Metropolis. One more thing to get used to. 

His gaze passed lightly over the open lawn and distant gardens, trying to find any similarities to the open fields of Smallville. Instead, he found his attention drawn to a pair of silhouettes in the distance. The two shadows were sitting beneath a tree and looked to be in conversation. Kon was immediately interested. The only people he could imagine were allowed out in the grounds at this time were the royals themselves, and so he wondered who he was watching. As he watched, the day started to catch up to him and before he knew it, his eyes drooped, blinks growing longer and longer. At some point he imagined he saw the two make their way back, one small figure and one larger, but he was too tired to be sure.

…

Kon was awoken very rudely by his door banging on the wall as it was thrown open. His instincts had him tensing up and blocking his face from an attack but a second later he remembered where he was and was just confused.

“Wakey, wakey, honey! It’s time to get up and get pretty.”

The intruder's voice was feminine, but contained too much manic energy for the early hour. When Kon got a good look over his bed he saw a small woman in the doorway wearing the usual castle worker uniform but slightly altered. She also had colored hair pulled into high pigtails and true to what he heard, a wild grin on her face.

“Now why are you on the floor hon? The bed’s are quite comfy.” When Kon just stared at her, still half asleep, she continued. “The names Harley but you can call me Harls okay?” 

“Kon,” was about all he could get out but she took it with grace and moved on. Clearly they were on a time crunch as she practically hauled him to his feet and dragged him to the bathroom. She was very strong and he let himself be manhandled, slightly scared of her but also trusting that she knew what she was doing.

Within thirty minutes she had him washed, shaved, and dressed in a nice suit that seemed like far too much for eight in the morning but who was he to say what the dress code should be in a castle. She considered makeup as well but must have seen from his face that he was done being groomed and had mercy on him.

“This is just for today, ya hear me? Eyeliner would look so good on you and after today you’ll want to look as good as you can.”

He conceded and they started to make their way to breakfast. She led the way and pointed out more landmarks along the path. Once again, Kon tried and failed to keep track of all the twists and turns. It didn’t help that every corridor looked the same with the dark lighting and oppressive ambiance. He thought to himself that if he ever wanted to learn his way around he may need to make a map. As he considered how he would go about getting paper and supplies they abruptly turned into an open room. When he looked to ask Harls if this was their destination, she had already disappeared. He cursed in his head, but turned back to look at the room again. 

It was clearly a dining room as it had long tables set up for multi-course meals, but there were obvious separations between where he assumed the true royals would be sitting and the Selection participants. In the front was a long oak table with a heavily adorned chair at the end, presumably for the king. A few rows of much smaller tables were set up along the rest of the space. Kon counted twenty total seats, just enough for all of those chosen.

Unfortunately, he was the first to arrive and had to choose a seat at random. He picked one on the table all the way to the right, far away from the royals, but not all the way at the end of the table. Kon wished that Bart were here or that he had anyone else that could distract him.

As he waited, he fiddled with the ends of his suit coat and tapped random patterns onto the table. The next to arrive was Prince Damian, who took one look at him, scoffed, and looked away before taking his seat at the front table. Kon considered initiating a conversation but wasn’t sure on the etiquette of starting one with a royal. In the end he figured it best to leave the sulking prince alone for the time being. Luckily, after that, more people started to trickle into the room, including other Selected who decided to join him at his table.

“Hi nice to meet you, I’m Cassie!” A woman sat across from him and he immediately went to shake her hand, insanely grateful for the distraction. 

“Hey, I’m Kon.” Her grip was strong, and he sent her a quick grin which she returned. Before they could say anything else Kon heard a call from across the room.

“Kon!” He turned and spotted Bart making his way over to his table, zipping through the other people finding their own seats. Kon cringed slightly at the volume, but was comforted by the familiarity of Bart’s presence.

“Morning Bart. Meet Cassie.” He gestured to the woman across from him and Bart launched himself into the seat next to her, already asking all the same questions he had asked Kon the day prior.

“I’m from Gateway City, but my mom’s job has her moving a lot so I’ve moved with her.” Cassie explains in response to Bart’s questioning.

“Cool, have you ever lived in Central City?” 

“Yes actually. It was pretty brief but…” 

The two launched into a conversation about Central City, but Kon found his attention pulled elsewhere. In the corner of the room several other royals arrived together. They were huddled together talking as they moved, none of them so much as glancing at the tables of Selected. Kon recognized Princess Cassandra and Prince Duke in front. Behind them, walking next to each other engaged in a tense-looking conversation were none other than King Bruce and Crown Prince Tim.

The noise in the room died down quickly once everyone spotted the latest arrivals. By the time all talking ceased, the royals had taken their seats and begun to look over. While Prince Damian refused to so much as glance at the new people, the others had no such issues. Prince Duke looked at each person as though sizing them up and measuring their worth. Princess Cass on the other hand scanned the room with an impassive face that gave nothing away. Kon swore her gaze rested on him for a split second longer than the others, but that might have been because he completely froze up under her attention. Safe to say he was immediately intimidated.

King Bruce didn’t look over, but with a quick motion to someone Kon couldn't see, the food was suddenly being distributed to the tables by people on the edges of the room. Kon glanced at Bart and Cassie to see them looking just as lost as he felt. The sight did little to reassure him.

Once the food had been served, the Crown Prince stood up from his seat and what little murmurs had started back up ceased yet again.

He flashed a dazzling smile at the room. “Welcome everyone, I hope you all slept well last night. This afternoon I will be having one-on-one meetings with each of you just to get to know each other a bit going into the next couple of months. I look forward to getting to know you all. Enjoy your breakfasts.”

His words were precise and practiced, giving nothing away. Kon tilted his head and watched the prince walk back to his seat. It was his first time seeing him in person and Kon could immediately tell some differences from his appearances in the media. There was an air of practiced exhaustion around him, subtle but controlled. Kon was curious to see what persona the other man would put on for the individual meetings. He wondered if he’d ever meet the real man.

Kon looked back at the others and saw that they were all still hesitating to eat. He scooped some bacon onto his plate and brought a large bite to his mouth. “Well, looks like this whole thing is starting.”

TIM

They were in the palace. That’s all he could think about as he got ready for bed and again once he woke up. There would be no more waiting and dreading this day. Tim had to face his future, and he had to meet the person he would spend the rest of his life with. His nerves were frayed, his entire being on edge. Sleep didn’t come, and in his panic Tim found himself wandering the palace until he came to a stop out on the grounds. His instincts pulled him towards a small tree on the outskirts, far from the palace and the usual patrol routes of the guards.

The short willow tree was a favorite spot of his when he had been new to the family and needed space to himself. Since then, he’d been too busy to come out here, but it seems his body hadn’t lost its memory of the way. He sat there for a long time, clearing his mind of his present situation and instead reminiscing on the last ten years. 

He was shocked when Damian found him, and more so surprised when rather than sending a rude remark about the qualities of a future king, simply sat with him and sketched in silence. Tim didn’t understand how the kid could even see in the dark much less draw but he hadn’t questioned it, simply glad for their improving relationship. 

When Tim was initially granted the new role of crown prince, Damian had been furious. It had been one thing when everyone expected Dick to be the next king. Dick was Damian’s favorite and had the respect of everyone. Tim, on the other hand, always struggled to gain respect in the same way. He was never as charming, and didn’t have the same orbit as Dick that made drawing people in inevitable. He fought for respect with his bare hands and proved himself every step of the way. Now, he supposed, respect would have to be given. Or at least outwardly. He still didn’t know how he felt about that.

But Damian hadn’t respected him, and let everyone know. As the only biological son of their father, Damian felt he deserved the position of heir. However, over time things started to change. When Tim’s world was uplifted and his every move suddenly front page news, Damian’s criticisms became less harsh, and his words lacked the same bite. Damian realized the downsides of being the heir, and Tim somehow managed to gain his respect with how he handled the shift. Especially with the announcement of the Selection. Damian made his distaste of the Selection known frequently, and in turn him and Tim grew closer.

Despite the calm evening with his brother, in the morning Tim could barely avoid arguing with everything that came out of Bruce’s mouth. When it came time to enter the dining room with all his suitors, he couldn’t even bring himself to look at them until the food had been served. He wanted to be anywhere else, but still did his best to appear relaxed and put together. He was grateful for makeup to hide his under eye bags which were especially prevalent from his late evening. Only as he was giving his brief speech did he finally look at those assembled.

The faces were familiar as he had seen pictures when he was given the names, however, they were all dressed up this morning and the differences were glaring. Some people looked excited to see him, while others were barely avoiding nodding off into their plates.

Tim hid an amused smile at seeing that, grateful he wasn’t the only one exhausted at breakfast. A few faces drew his attention, but he made sure to spend the exact amount of time on each person so as to not show his hand so early. A calculating gaze at the edge of the room rankled on his nerves, and when he made eye contact, Tim was unsurprised to find himself being watched by hungry blue eyes practically asking for his secrets. That will be interesting Tim mused as he continued his scan over the crowd.

After he finished speaking, Tim turned back to his food and ignored the smirks coming from his siblings. The jokes had already begun, but he knew they would only get worse as the entire process got further along. Tim internally sighed, but kept his face expressionless as he carefully ate his breakfast, aware of the eyes cataloging his every move from around the room. When he made eye contact with Duke and Cass they gave him a look that said they already had thoughts to share on what they had seen and he sent them small nods.

“Tim, have you looked over the notes for this afternoon’s meeting with the council?” Bruce asked from the end of the table on Tim’s left.

“Yes, and I think the plan is good, but I doubt we’ll be able to get Falcone or Sionis to go for it. It’s a little too clear cut of a spending shift and the movement of funds might be seen as trying to usurp their monopoly on imports.”

In truth, Tim had been spending the past few days thinking of how to spin the spending proposal to appear beneficial to the two men. While neither Tim nor Bruce respected the council members, their power over the government was undeniable as they had been there since even before Bruce had become king. Both men had fought for seats during the turmoil of the assassination of Bruce’s parents, and despite Bruce’s efforts, they wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Unlike other members such as Harvey Dent or Pamela Isley who were at least motivated by specific goals and programs, the only things motivating Carmine Falcone and Roman Sionis were power and money. They had shot down all reform programs in the past decades and held strong in the face of Bruce’s philanthropic goals. Tim suspected they may have also been directly responsible for the ineffectiveness of what few programs made it through, but they hadn’t been able to find any evidence.

“Hmm.” Bruce hummed, clearly considering Tim’s concerns. “I’ll talk to Kate before the meeting. See what she can do.”

Tim simply nodded in return. Kate had more respect with some of the council members, and had a way with words. If anyone could convince them that the plan would be for their benefit, it would be her.

With that, the family spent the rest of breakfast eating in silence. Damian left as soon as his plate was empty, claiming he had tutoring sessions to attend. Tim knew his schedule and that Damian didn’t have any classes until the afternoon, but chose to say nothing. Tim wished he could leave too. The longer the meal stretched on the louder the room got and the more stares he could feel. Tim was used to feeling like a zoo animal, but for the extent of the Selection this would become his new normal. He had to get used to the constant scrutiny.

Eventually the plates were all cleared, and the royal family was given the all clear to leave the room. Tim made sure to smile at everyone as he walked out, doing his best to appear confident and not at all like he had gotten no sleep the night before. Once they were finally out of sight of the others, Duke bumped his shoulder into Tim’s.

“Yikes, that’s a lot of suitors.” Tim grimaced at this and Duke chuckled beside him in commiseration. 

“The more choices, the more likely Tim can find the right one.” Cass called out from behind them and they both turned to look at her as they walked down the hall.

“I mean… In theory, sure. But this is Tim we’re talking about. The odds of finding someone who can keep up with him from this group isn’t great.”

Duke’s lack of confidence wasn’t surprising but it did annoy Tim who’d struggled to keep it together all morning.

“Well it’s not like I have a choice! Not everyone can be as lucky as Bruce or Dick I guess.” His voice wasn’t very loud but it did carry through the hall, and with a quick glance to his left Tim saw Bruce wince at his words. The other man wisely didn’t say anything in response.

Both Duke and Cass, however, seemed to want to jump in, but Tim was done with this conversation. “Sorry. I know this isn’t your fault, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. I probably won't find the one here, but Cass is right. The more options the better…” His laugh was bitter, and before he knew it Cass linked his arm with her own.

“We will see little brother. Let’s share what we’ve learned so far.”

He didn’t like the particular brand of smile on her face, but he was curious to hear what she and Duke had noticed. The more he knew about these people going into the individual meetings, the better.

“Ok, lead the way.”

Chapter Text

KON

Kon already loved Bart and Cassie. During their conversation throughout breakfast, Kon found himself gasping for breath at various points from laughing harder than he could remember laughing in a while. The three got on like a house on fire, and despite coming from different backgrounds and having different hobbies, they complemented each other. If nothing else came out of this experience, he at least knew he’d be leaving with a few new friends.

Kon tried to speak with a few other people at breakfast, but it seemed cliques formed rather fast. Although the Selection was random in theory, there seemed to be a lot of upper class people involved, and they all knew each other. It was like they could smell the farmboy on him and practically ignored his existence for the most part. A few other people looked to be experiencing something similar at other tables, and Kon vowed to introduce himself at some point later in the day if he could.

“So.” Cassie started as they walked from the dining hall to wherever they were being led next. “What do you guys think about the prince?”

Kon took a moment to think about his answer. He hadn’t spoken to the other man yet, but he was curious about some of the things he’d noticed. The prince had spoken precious few words throughout the entire meal. Instead, he looked lost in thought and purposefully nonchalant at the amount of attention he was receiving. Kon couldn’t imagine it would be comfortable to be stared at for an entire meal by twenty strangers.

“He seemed cool. Nice enough I suppose. Although we haven’t talked to him yet so who knows.” Bart was as open as always, hardly seeming to think about his response.

“I don’t know. He seemed a little tired to me.” Kon frowned as he tried to think of how to explain the odd feeling he got from the other man. “Something about the way he talks just seems off.”

“I know what you mean,” Cassie agreed. “I don’t think he wants to be doing this. It doesn’t really seem fair that he has to do this on such short notice when his dad didn’t have to.”

The three of them sat on that thought as the group gathered at a set of large double doors. Kon recognized Harper at the front and was glad to see another familiar face.

“Here we are. So this room is the main parlor, and while you all are here it will be the main room for you to congregate in. Obviously the majority of the palace is also open for you to explore, but this room will be set up for passing the time and will be the meeting location for announcements and larger events.”

As Harper finished speaking she pushed open the doors and they all made their way inside. True to her words the room beyond was set up as a parlor with plush chairs and couches all around, and a variety of tables set up with different activities from card games to crochet materials. There was even a piano in the corner which Kon hoped nobody tried to play on. He always got second-hand embarrassment when people played on public pianos to show off. Everyone started to filter towards specific corners, but the trio stood at the entrance, scanning the room. Kon noticed Harper stayed at the entrance and called her over.

“Hey Harper!

“Hi Kon. Bart, Cassie.” She waved to them one at a time, and Kon was happy that she already knew the others.

“I was wondering, where in the palace are we allowed to explore? This room is cool, but I’d love to see more areas.” Kon hoped that they would get a tour at some point, but he was ready to look around himself if he had to.

“Oh yeah of course. This room is just kinda the home base for you guys, but there’s also the library, the grounds are fully open to you guys…” Harper paused in thought before leaning into the group. “You didn’t hear this from me but there’s also an arcade that was commissioned for the Crown Prince for his thirteenth birthday. It’s not exactly a secret but not many other people use it. His Highness can’t use it often these days since he’s so busy, but I can show you guys where it is if you want?”

Kon was immediately interested. He looked back at the other two and saw mirrored expressions of excitement. He was smiling before he could stop it. “That would be perfect.”

Harper nodded and the four of them made their way out of the parlor. On the way Kon was reminded of his poor directional skills.

“Oh, would it be possible to get some paper? I wanted to take some notes and they confiscated our phones…” Kon trailed off in question.

“Of course. There’s paper in the library that you can use. I can grab you some and bring it to you in the arcade.”

“That would be amazing. Thank you so much Harper.”

Kon sent her a look filled with as much gratitude as he could. He wanted to start making his map as soon as possible, especially if they weren’t going to get that tour.

“No problem.”

Overall, the journey to the arcade was both longer and shorter than Kon expected. It didn’t surprise him that the palace was large, but he had no idea of the layout and thought the recreational rooms would be in similar areas. Instead, it seemed that since the room was a gift to a royal, it was located closer to the strictly royal-only areas of the castle which Kon could accept made some sense.

When they entered, the group simply stared at the multitude of options before Bart simply called “dibs” and raced to the closest machine.

“Dibs doesn’t apply to everything Bart,” Cassie laughed as she made her way to another machine herself. It seemed she had picked some racing game that Kon hadn’t heard of.

He turned to ask Harper another question or maybe thank her again and instead found that she had already left. These palace people are scarily stealthy. He shook his head and made his way over to the others, content to watch them until he could jump in.

Time passed quickly in the arcade with the trio moving from game to game. Bart won at racing games, but Cassie kicked both of their asses at Dance Dance Revolution. Kon hated skee ball, but somehow he had incredible luck with his tosses, and his aim at the basketball hoops was perfect from his games with Logan and his other friends. All in all, the three of them traded insults back and forth, but all had their moments to shine.

At some point, Harper returned with the promised paper from the library, and Kon took a break from the games to start sketching out a vague outline of where he had been so far. Bart and Cassie ignored him at first in favor of friendly competition, but eventually they noticed what he was drawing and started adding their own observations. Bart would grab the pen from Kon and add little quips in the margins about the extravagance of the decor, and Cassie would doodle on the edges. Kon was eternally glad for the help, and more so happy at the sense of camaraderie that had already formed. 

When Cullen showed up at the door, breathless and eyes searching, the three of them were engaged in an argument about the likelihood of there being bats living high in the parapets of the palace.

“I’m telling you guys,” Bart was gesturing crazily with his hands, arms stretched high to simulate the height of the towers of the castle walls. “The gothic architecture isn’t just a coincidence…”

“There you all are!” Cullen panted from the door. “It’s time for the one-on-one interviews and we’ve been looking for you all.”

Kon frowned. “Harper brought us here. She knew we were here.”

Cullen looked more confused at this statement. “She did? Really? Well she got called away to help with… something. I don’t think I can tell you what, but basically I haven’t been able to reach her.” His words were spoken carefully. Kon understood that there were other duties that Harper had, and felt bad that they had caused so much trouble. It was clear that Cullen had been panicking for a while.

“Hey it’s okay. I’m sorry if we’ve caused any issues. Let’s head back.”

“Yeah,” Cassie added, “We lost track of time in here. It’s our fault. We’ll tell everyone that if you get in any trouble.”

Cullen smiled gratefully and they all hurried back to the parlor.

“Ah, perfect. Bart Allen there you are.” A woman called as they entered the room. “We were going in alphabetical order but we let a few people go before you since we couldn’t find you. You’ll be next. Please come with me.”

Bart flashed a smile at them before making his way to the other side of the room and disappearing through a side door. Kon and Cassie went to sit down at two of the few open seats in the corner of the room. They didn’t say much while they waited for Bart to return, too guilty at causing issues already.

Instead, Kon considered what he would say to the prince in their first conversation. He wanted to hear from Bart how it went to get an idea of what to expect. As usual, the fabric of the seat cushion became a victim to Kon’s fingers as they looked for something to occupy them. In what felt like no time at all, Bart returned to the room looking to be in high spirits.

“Hey guys,” he smiled down at them as he took his own seat.

“Spill.” Cassie demanded in a serious tone.

“Well, he was pretty nice. The conversation was pretty basic, but he seemed interested in what I had to say. We got to talking about current advancements in electrical systems and the potential of new battery materials. I told him some of my ideas and he had a lot of insights which I want to ask one of my professors about.”

“Bart.” Cassie cut his ramble off. “First of all, how did that even come up? Also, did you talk about anything else?”

“Umm, well I was telling him about my major and it sounded like he had some interest in the topic as well and had done some research so we were bouncing ideas off of each other. Now that I think about it I didn’t really get to ask him anything. I don’t know, it felt like it went well. He was smiling the whole time.”

Kon thought about what he said. It didn’t sound like a romantic interview, but Kon also wasn’t sure that it was a bad thing to have interests in common, no matter how nerdy they sounded. It seemed he would just have to reserve his judgements until he had his own conversation with the man. As if waiting for him to have that thought, Kon suddenly heard his own name called by the same lady from before.

“Conner Kent. Can you please make your way over here.”

He stood up slowly, feeling like he was marching towards his doom, but put one foot in front of the other. After all, he was becoming more interested than nervous, so he summoned whatever courage he had and put on his most confident walk all the way out the doors and into the room with the other man.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the interview room was that the crown prince was sitting in what looked like an incredibly uncomfortable chair on the other side of a fancy mahogany desk. His own chair was pulled out, but even after the door shut behind him, Kon found himself staring at the chair, wondering why they were sitting on stiff leather when he knew there were much more comfortable options in the next room over.

In hindsight it was a terrible time to focus on such a menial detail, and in the time he spent agonizing over the state of the furniture, the other man had been staring at him and was starting to look confused. It was a small thing, but when Kon glanced up, he noticed a slight twitch to his eyebrows and couldn’t help his own grin from forming in response. It was entertaining to see the uncharacteristic reaction from such a stoic individual known for his patience and smiles. 

“Usually this is the part where you would sit down.” While the prince said this with a carefree smile, Kon took it as the cue it was and decided to stop being an idiot. He sat down.

“Sorry,” Kon could feel his face heat up and willed it not to show. He refused to be embarrassed so soon in the conversation. “I just wondered why the chairs in here seemed so uninviting. You aren’t trying to intimidate us are you?” He aimed for nonchalance with his joke, but instead the prince just looked conflicted. He suddenly wished the ground would swallow him whole. 

“The… chairs?” Great, Kon broke the prince. He didn’t think he had ever seen him so lost. He was usually very put together in the press. While he cursed himself in his mind, Kon forgot to answer the pseudo-question. An uncomfortable silence ensued which was thankfully broken by the crown prince.

“Anyways,” he cleared his throat. “Conner Kent right?” The same dazzling media smile was back on his face and Kon took a second to really look at the other. He was leaning back in a faux casual manner and his appearance was clearly polished for these meetings. Kon had taken a course on body-language for his major and pulled up everything he remembered from the course to try to read the vibe.

“That’s me,” Kon’s response was finally controlled and full of his usual charm.

The prince seemed comforted that the conversation was back on track. “How are you liking it here so far?” His question sounded sincere, but Kon was on high alert and searching for any cracks in the mask. The reporter-in-training side of him was too intrigued to accept things at face value.

“It’s been good. I’ve met some great people. The palace is a bit of a maze though.” He unconsciously began playing with the map in his hands at that comment. He hadn’t realized that he was still holding it, but he didn’t have anywhere to put it at the moment. Unfortunately, the crinkling drew the prince’s eye to the papers and suddenly there was a sharpness that hadn’t been there before.

“What’s that?” 

“Oh it’s nothing.”

“I’m sure it’s not nothing if you’ve been holding on to it. Can’t blame me for being curious.” There wasn’t a chance he was getting out of sharing. Kon sighed internally and brought the papers to the table and slid them over. The prince glanced at them quickly with that same sharp eye.

“It’s a map of the palace.” It wasn’t a question, but Kon still responded.

“Yeah. Like I said, the place is a maze.”

“Technically I don’t think you’re allowed to have that.” He said this in a way that made it clear Kon definitely wasn’t allowed to have it. 

“Oh.” Kon didn’t know what else to say. He hadn’t considered that it would be a security breach. 

“It’s fine,” the prince continued and Kon noticed a glimmer of humor in his eyes. “I won’t tell anyone. I would get lost in this place all the time when I first got here.”

“Thanks,” Kon pulled the papers back and decided to just accept the win.

“So you’ve made a shocking amount of progress on the map in less than a day. Where have you been in the palace? I might be able to make some recommendations.”

Kon was pleasantly surprised at the offer and decided to be honest. It couldn’t hurt to hear more. “Well other than the dining room and parlor, the only other place I’ve really been is the arcade.”

The prince looked shocked for a moment before a genuine smile lit up his face. “The arcade?”

“Yeah. I heard it was made for you. What’s your favorite game?” Kon was curious. If the arcade had been made for him, he expected that the prince had spent a fair amount of time in there.

“Well all the games in there were actually chosen by me so really all of them are my favorites.” He paused for a moment, clearly thinking about his decision. “But if I had to pick one favorite I would probably say the Wendy the Werewolf Stalker inspired shooter game.” There was an enthusiasm in his voice that had been missing earlier, and the energy was infectious. 

“No way dude I love that game! Wendy is such a badass. The scores were so high on that machine.” Only after speaking did Kon remember who he was talking to. “Umm, Your Highness.”

The prince simply waved a hand at him.

“No need for that. Tim is fine. I spent a long time getting those scores so let me know if you beat it.” The casual air of the conversation made Kon feel a lot better, and so he decided to push it a little bit.

“Well, if you ever have some free time we can do multiplayer and I promise I’ll crush you,” Kon paired this offer with a shit-eating grin, and was pleasantly surprised to find Tim returning one of his own.

“You’re on.”

For a few moments they sat there smiling at each other, competitive spirit in the air. The twinkle in Tim’s eyes highlighted just how light blue they were. Kon’s attention drifted over his face until they were broken out of the spell by a knock on the door signalling their time was up. Kon stood up and was shocked to see Tim do the same. He held out his hand and Kon met him in the middle for a firm shake.

“It was nice meeting you, Conner.”

“Kon. With a K.” Kon corrected as they separated.

“Kon then.”

Kon sent a final smile before turning and walking out of the room. 

As he made his way back to Bart and Cassie in the corner he thought back on the conversation. It hadn’t had the best start, but he thinks they have more in common than he thought. At the very least they both have a competitive streak a mile wide and an interest in niche slasher dramas. As he got close to the corner, Kon noticed another blonde woman had joined the others and they were laughing over something the newcomer had said. Cassie noticed him coming first and introduced him.

“Kon! This is Steph, she’s hilarious.” Cassie sounded practically giddy with excitement which immediately had Kon interested. “Apparently she’s known the prince since he was a kid and she has amazing stories.”

Now that wasn't what Kon was expecting. He didn’t think that anyone here had already met Tim, but he guessed it made sense. Some people grew up in these circles and were bound to have bumped into royals. 

“Hey, I’m Kon,” He lifted a hand in a small wave and Steph looked him up and down quickly before smirking.

“Hey Kon. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve already heard a lot from these two.” She gave him another once-over. “You are exactly his type, that's crazy.” The last part was mumbled and Kon wasn’t sure what she was referring to so he decided to ignore it. He took a seat and finally let his whole body relax. Whatever remaining tenseness in his posture fled as he rolled his shoulders and settled in.

“So you already know him? Is that even like… allowed?” 

Steph let out a sharp laugh at his bluntness. “I mean the whole thing is random so it’s not like there’s any rules against it. Frankly I recognize a lot of people here so several of them will have already met him too. It’s not exactly fair but,” she shrugged “I doubt any of that will matter to His Highness.”

“Do you know him well?” Sue him, Kon was curious.

“We’re friends for sure, but to be honest we’ll never be more than that.”

Cassie perked up at that and looked at Steph strangely. “How come? I mean you seem very confident in that but going from friends to more is very common.”

Steph looked closely at Cassie and then turned to the rest of them. Kon wondered if she was determining whether they were trustworthy.

“Let’s just say I’m interested in someone else, and he knows who it is. I haven’t made a move yet but he’s been trying to get me to for a while.” She eventually responded and all of them sat and thought about that for a moment.

“Sick, is it someone we know?” Bart joined in.

“Maybe.” Steph didn’t elaborate and they all took that as a cue she wouldn’t say anything else.

“Well good luck with that.” Kon smiled and was happy that Steph smiled back.

Shortly after, Cassie was called for her own talk with the prince, and while she was gone Kon talked more with Bart and Steph. When they told her what they had been up to all day she was elated that they were also interested in video games. She told them that she had been there with Tim when they were younger, and that she had several records under the moniker Spoiler.

“It’s a long story,” was the only explanation she would give for the nickname. 

When Cassie came back, all she would say about the talk was that he was nice, but that she wasn’t interested in him. They all accepted that with ease and carried on with discussing the pros and cons of shooter games and their impacts on the minds of younger children. Kon was already feeling more at home in this new place.

TIM

The longest day of Tim’s life had carried on without his approval. The council meeting was as much of a disaster as he expected. Falcone and Sionis were not on board and nothing would convince them. The plan for disaster relief was tabled while they figured out how to sell it to them and Tim had an ever-growing headache. He walked to the room where he was meant to talk with all of the suitors with the gait of a man heading to death row. As far as he was concerned, this was basically the same thing. 

He’d planned the first meeting he would have with the strangers meticulously. The room was impersonal, with an imposing desk and stiff chairs. The choice was designed to make it so that they would be more themselves and it would throw them off in case they planned to put on some sort of persona. Tim himself would have his usual easygoing persona in place, but that was a given.

In the beginning, it went exactly to plan. A few of the people he was already familiar with, but that almost made the talks easier. There was enough familiarity to engage in small talk that had an air of personality, but was ultimately meaningless. Steph of course was an exception as she always was.

“Why hello, Your Royal Highness,” she gave an exaggerated bow as she entered which had Tim rolling his eyes.

“Just sit down Steph.” She simply laughed at him and splayed herself on the chair, sticking her legs up on the table.

“Lovely crop you’ve got out there. Any favorites so far?”

Tim forced himself to not roll his eyes again. If he did that every time he felt like it in Steph's presence his eyes would get stuck in the back of his head. “You know I don’t have one. Greta is here.”

This time it was Steph’s turn to roll her eyes. “I am very well aware. I spoke with her this morning as she regaled the story of the last time she spoke with you. She’s smitten. And obnoxious.” 

Tim cringed. He remembered that conversation all too well. Steph and Greta had a tense relationship that began when they were all younger. Greta always had a thing for Tim and was jealous of his and Steph’s closer relationship. Tim tried to avoid her at all costs, but the last time they spoke she had snuck up on him. She had been extra handsy and eventually Tim had managed to get away, but not before she gave him a cheek kiss. He wasn’t looking forward to their talk later.

“Well enough about her,” Steph swiped her hand through the air as though she could physically move on to the next topic. “Do I get any updates?” Steph batted her eyelashes and tried for what Tim hoped was an attempt at a puppy-dog look. 

“You know I’m not going to fish for information for you. If you want anything to happen, you’re going to have to do it yourself.” This clearly was not the answer she was looking for and she stood with an exaggerated huff.

“You’re a really terrible wingman you know.” 

“I know,” he sent her an apologetic smile which had her softening.

“Fine. You’re right. As always.” She moved to the door and right before opening it she called back to him, “Enjoy meeting the rest of us Timmy!”

She was gone before he could curse her out in response. He took the remaining time that was supposed to be her interview to calm down and reset. When the knock came on the door for the next person, he was ready.

The next few interviews were back to the typically dull conversation he had grown used to. Not everyone could be as interesting as Steph, but he did have a nice conversation about engineering at one point which at least allowed him to think deeper than discussions of the weather and sports teams.

In fact, he was coming to the conclusion that the entire process was futile and a waste of his time until one Conner Kent came through the door. Or Kon. Kon Kent. He was the same man with the inquisitive gaze from breakfast, and based on what Tim recalled from his profile, it made sense. Son of a famous reporter and stepson of another. Journalism major at Metropolis University with high honors and a bright future ahead of him. No, Tim wasn’t surprised that the man was very observant, but what was surprising was the terrible start to the conversation. Kon had noticed the odd setup of the interviews which, while admittedly accurate and purposeful, was brought up with such a lack of tact that it had taken Tim off guard.

From there the conversation had improved, but Tim had been a little too open and honest. Tim trained practically from birth to control himself around the media, so naturally that extended to Kon himself who, while not the media quite yet, was obviously on his way there. The map too was slightly concerning, but Tim would keep an eye on the situation and evaluate later.

Tim could admit that Kon was an attractive guy. Maybe even Tim’s type. But he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going to be any sort of security threat first and foremost. Especially with all of the other current issues and possible leaks, Tim wanted to proceed carefully. 

After how interesting that talk had been, every other conversation had been dull, and Tim was ready to start making cuts to the list. He wanted this process to move as fast as possible, and he would spend more time on the final few, but he saw no need to keep people around that were nothing but boring. It helped that he had the insight of Duke and Cass from this morning who were notoriously good at reading people. They were able to let him know who they thought weren’t the right fit.

With his decision made, Tim left the room holding a list of five names which he handed to Harper.

“Please let these people know that their presence is no longer required.” He grimaced at his own words, feeling bad for sending these people back so soon after they got here. Harper’s eyebrows rose, but she took the list with grace and left with an “of course, your highness.”

With that business completed Tim was finally free to return to his room briefly before dinner. Luckily, after the events of the day he wasn’t required to eat in the main dining room, and instead went straight to his bedroom to have some time to himself. To his displeasure, upon entering his room he was faced with practically the entirety of his siblings bickering as they lounged on every possible surface. Tim rubbed in between his eyebrows, feeling a headache start to form.

“What are you all doing here?” It was almost scary how they all looked up at him in sync, conversation suddenly dropping.

It was Jason who decided to break the silence from where he was perched on the edge of the couch. “Alright fess up, how many have you already sent packing?” 

Tim frowned at the question, annoyed at the topic of discussion and how well they knew him. He sighed yet again, knowing there was no lying or getting out of this conversation. “Five.”

“Ha!” Jason shouted. He pointed at Damian who was sitting on the floor with Titus. “Pay up brat.”

The scowl that formed on Damian’s face was nothing new. “Dammit Drake, could you not have sent home more of the rabble. It’s clear you don’t like most of them.” It seemed Tim was back to “Drake” with this newest disappointment.

“Sorry Damian. I can’t have the whole thing going too fast.” He tried to look apologetic but Damian was suddenly busy petting Titus and refused to look up at any of them.

“Well personally I said three so I was a little off.” Duke chimed in.

Tim threw his hands up. “Do none of you have any faith in me?”

“I mean you did send home five. It’s more like we know you.” Cass spoke with laughter in her voice which had Tim giving up on being upset. He simply sat down on his bed and laid back with a deep breath.

“Geez. That bad?” Jason’s voice didn’t carry any sympathy, but Tim took it as an opportunity to vent.

“Well I had to have boring small talk with twenty different people in a row. Several of whom I already know or were basically staring at me with hero worship eyes. Oh and due to political reasons I can’t send home a few of them yet even though they freak me out because we have close ties with their parents and they would undoubtedly see it as a slight to their family.”

“Yikes. The Hayes' daughter I suppose?” Duke had been learning more about the major political families recently with his university courses and royal lessons.

“Yup.” 

There was silence for a few moments as everyone cringed in memory of their interactions with her. For once they were all in solidarity. It almost made the teasing worth it. Almost.

“Well that sucks for you Timmers, but I’ve gotta get back to the barracks. Roy’s running training today but I don’t trust him to keep everyone on task.” Jason stood from the edge of the couch and stretched his back. The loud pops made Tim grimace, and he had to get some revenge.

“Sure we’ll pretend you aren’t running to get back to your boyfriend for any other reason.” Jason looked stunned for a moment.

“How?...” He breathed, but he recovered quickly. “Whatever, yeah I just want to spend time with my boyfriend. See ya later.”

“Huh,” Tim was shocked his blackmail material had been taken so well, but he supposed that was just how Jason was. He rolled with the punches. It was what made him such a good captain.

“I’m leaving too,” Damian called out as he stood from the floor. “Come Titus, it’s time to go.” He said nothing more as he walked out the door, his dog loyally trailing after him.

“I’m sure he’ll come around quickly.” Duke sounded unsure, but Tim wasn’t as worried.

“As soon as he wins a bet he’ll be back to normal.” Cass hummed in agreement from where she was in her usual spot.

He looked over to her. “What about you Cass? How many did you guess?”

“One,” She said with a smile. It made him feel better. She was usually good at that.

“Well thanks guys for having a little more faith in me than the others.”

“Of course dude,” Duke stood as well from the plush chair next to Tim’s bed. “I’ve got homework to do, but good luck man.” Tim raised his hand for a fist bump which Duke met easily.

“Thanks, how are classes going so far?”

“Good. The writing is easy. The royal stuff is harder.” Duke shrugged but Tim could see some of the tension in his frame.

“Let me know if you need help. We were all new to it at some point.” Tim could still see the hesitance in his eyes.

“Let us help, Duke,” Cass called out. “You’re family, and we need to stick together. Helping you isn’t a burden.” In the face of her sincerity Duke could do little but nod.

“Thanks Cass,” he whispered. “You too Tim.” Tim just nodded. “I’ll see you guys later.”

As he walked out, Tim closed his eyes. “Are you staying Cass?”

The only response was the music that started from Cass’ phone. Tim smiled as he drifted off to sleep. He had earned a nap.

Chapter Text

KON:

By the time dinner rolled around Kon was starving. Kon and the others had gotten so distracted earlier that they had missed lunch, although apparently according to Steph it was just some finger food and tea in the parlor. Hopefully in the coming days there would be more options. With dinner, however, came Kon’s first chance to use his new map and although the lines were crooked and many details were missing, he was happy to find that it was relatively accurate.

The group made their way to the dining room with Kon in the lead, and upon entering realized that the vibe for this meal was very different to the previous two. If Kon thought breakfast had been formal, it had nothing on the dinner setup. The tables were all in the same places, and the place settings were identical, but there were workers lining the walls with various drinks and menus. White dahlias lined the tables, and the extravagance was both shocking and completely expected. 

As they made their way in a pack to the area where the three had eaten breakfast Kon noted that the king’s girlfriend, Selina Kyle, was in attendance. She had been missing at breakfast, but this evening she was at his side, leaning in to talk several inches from his face. Notably, the chair Tim occupied that morning was empty.

The fact had Kon frowning, but he focused back in on the conversation as he took a seat.

“...complex relationship. His Highness wouldn’t tell me much, but they’ve been on and off for his entire time here. Apparently there were many fights when Damian came to live here.” Steph was happily airing out the royal’s stories. It was clear she had everyone invested, but Kon couldn’t help glancing up at the high table to make sure they hadn’t heard their choice of conversation.

“Did she really have a problem with Damian coming to stay?” Cassie sounded affronted on Damian’s behalf. Kon couldn’t help but agree.

“Oh no, no, no.” Steph shook her head quickly. “If anything it was the other way around. King Bruce wasn’t sure what to do with Damian since he’d been raised with his mother and Bruce and her divorced a long time ago. Selina was the one pushing him to spend more time with the poor kid.”

“Huh. I hadn’t expected that the king would be like that. I mean he already had so many kids.” Cassie’s tone betrays her confusion, something which Steph easily picks up on it and jumps to clarify.

“That’s true, but most of those kids were picked up from bad situations and the king felt a responsibility to take them in. That’s not to say he was a bad parent, but sometimes from the way Tim describes their relationship, it seems more like a mentorship than anything. Bruce was probably scared at the thought that he couldn’t be the same with Damian.” Steph let out a small laugh, her eyes taking on an air of mischief. “And it didn’t help that Damian showed up ready to throw punches. Literally. Tim was an unfortunate victim several times.”

A laugh bubbled out of Kon’s chest before he could stop it and tried to cover it up with a cough. He was unsuccessful but a sharp ringing noise cut off any further discussion. All of their heads swiveled to the front of the room where the woman who had directed them to their interviews earlier tapped a knife on a tall glass to get their attention.

“Sorry to interrupt everyone, but I came to let you know that His Highness will not be attending tonight’s meal. Also, he wanted me to warn you that five of the Selected have already been sent home.” She looked around at them for a moment as they all sat in shocked silence at her words. “That’s all. Enjoy your dinner.”

As she turned to leave the king called out to her, “Thank you, Barbara. Have a nice evening.”

Barbara, apparently, bowed low in his direction and Kon noticed that she had metal supports on both of her legs. He considered why that may be as she made her way out of the room. True to her words though, Kon glanced around at the tables and noticed several open seats that hadn’t been there earlier. The sight was jarring. Scanning the faces of who was left he discovered that several people he’d wanted to talk to were already gone. And now he wouldn’t ever get the chance. When he turned to look back at the others they shared meaningful glances. The seriousness of the entire process was dawning on them. They could be sent home at any time.

“Shit dude. The prince is kinda crazy.” Bart’s words cut through the tension like a knife, and laughter erupted from the group. The serious mood was broken and it didn’t return for the rest of the meal.

…

Later when Kon was left alone in his room, he thought back on the events of the day. He couldn’t believe that he had only been in the palace for 24 hours. He was grateful for all of the connections he made, but if every day were as hectic as today, he didn’t think he would stay sane here for long.

He took his time getting ready for bed, familiarizing himself with the amenities in his room. He left the bathroom ready to launch himself into bed, but right before he could he found his gaze traveling to the window. Without his permission, his legs brought him to the other side of the room, and he stared out at the grounds. The silhouettes from yesterday were gone, which made sense, but Kon found himself disappointed. He shook his head to clear the thought.

“One day down.”

…

The next day started the same as the first: A slam of the door and overexcited Harls yanking Kon from his dreamworld with more energy than anyone should have at such an early hour.

“Time to get up sugar!” Kon hated the pep in her voice.

“Five more minutes.” He grumbled into his pillow.

“Nope. Today we’re trying eyeliner. I need a little time to decide what style would suit you best.” The words were airy but full of determination. Kon accepted that his hopes of more sleep were futile and rolled out of bed onto the floor.

“I’m up.” His eyes were still closed, but he started to practically crawl to the bathroom.

The next thirty minutes were an extreme test of his patience, both from the amount of things poking him in the eye, and the endless energy flowing off of Harls. He liked her, he really did, but he was most certainly not a morning person. In the end, she decided on a simple liner with no wing, both on his top and bottom lids, and he had to admit that it made his blue eyes pop. To add to the effect, she put him in another formal suit, but today’s was a navy blue coat with a white button up underneath. 

When Harley deemed him acceptable, she smacked him on the back and began to push him in the direction of the dining hall. He barely managed to grab his papers and pen on the way out. On the walk he swore he saw a dark head of hair peering at him around a corner, but when he turned in that direction to get a closer look the figure was gone. It left him feeling unsettled.

“Go get em tiger,” Harls called out at the door, and this time he was prepared for it when she disappeared.

Luckily Kon was not first today, so when he made his way over to the table, he was greeted with the view of Bart devouring a plate of pancakes. It seemed breakfast was less formal today and was a serve-yourself deal. That suited Kon just fine, and he loaded up his plate before tucking in.

When Steph came in she was immediately pulled into a conversation at another table. Cassie showed up late looking a little rumpled claiming she had accidentally slept in and her caretaker didn’t want to wake her up. She still looked half asleep so Kon decided to keep quiet. Bart was too busy eating the table to start up a conversation himself, and so the meal passed in comfortable silence. 

Kon took the opportunity to observe the people in the room. Tim was back, and he looked less tired than the previous day. Perhaps the act of sending a quarter of the people home took some weight off of his shoulders. The king was reading through papers and sipping at a cup of coffee. The action was so mundane and Kon was reminded of his own dad at the breakfast table. He was taken aback at the realization that the powerful man really was just a dad at his core.

A smile danced across his face, and glancing back at Tim he found the other man looking back at him with a question on his own. Kon’s smile only grew and he held the eye contact as an unspoken game. Tim seemed to understand and stared back but still ended up blinking first over a minute later. He took the loss with a frown before looking away. Kon celebrated in his head and returned to his observing.

After they were all done eating, the rest of the group wanted to go back to the arcade, but Kon was in the mood to explore.

“You guys can go without me, it’s fine.” He tried to wave them off, not wanting to stop them from having fun.

“Are you sure?” Bart’s brows furrowed.

“Yeah of course. I’m just gonna walk around. Add to the map.” he raised his hand with the papers in them and the others just nodded in response.

“Well if you change your mind you know where we’ll be.” Cassie started to pull Bart in the other direction as he still looked conflicted. Steph fell in line behind the other two, sharing what games she wanted to play first. 

Kon turned around and started walking. He didn’t have any destination in mind, but he made sure to note down any landmarks as he walked. When he came to his first crossroads he stood in place for an embarrassing amount of time before picking one at random and hoping he wouldn’t get lost.

He did end up getting lost, but he was about 50% confident that he’d gone in circles at some point so he didn’t think he was very far from where he started. As he rounded a corner that looked a little too familiar he found himself face to face with Prince Damian. The younger boy looked disgruntled at first, but once he noticed who he had run into his face twisted into a sneer.

“Out of my way harlot.” Kon felt compelled to listen, but the words threw him off guard and he stood there staring at the prince stupidly.

“What?” He couldn’t have heard him right. Right? There was no way he had just heard that.

“You heard me.”

Okay so maybe he had.

“Right… well I’m sorry for getting in your way, but I feel the need to let you know that I identify more with ‘kind sir’ if we’re going with 1800’s nicknames.” 

This time it was the young prince staring. Kon wasn’t sure that his best work, but frankly how does one respond to being called a harlot? Kon did his best.

“‘Sir’ is a title reserved for knights. As you have not achieved knighthood you haven’t earned a title of such esteem. Harlot is far more suited for what I know of your actions and desires.” The judgement in his tone felt a little undeserved, and Kon was at a loss. "Not to mention that knighthood gained that title in the 12th century. Not the 1800's."

Kon wondered why the young prince spoke with such formal language or how he even knew these random facts. He decided to chalk it up to royal weirdness.

“That’s true, I haven’t officially been knighted but I think I’d be pretty good with a sword.” Prince Damian looked incredibly skeptical. After a few moments however something changed in his eyes, and he looked Kon up and down slowly before nodding as though coming to some conclusion.

“I doubt that is the case, but as my brother Todd has just let me know he is too busy to facilitate my sword combat lesson this afternoon, I suppose you will have to fill in.” 

“Umm.” Kon wasn’t sure this was a good idea.

“Come, Timothy’s suitor. We have work to do.” Kon supposed that was an improvement from harlot. Still, he was uncomfortable in being relegated to being someone who may one day marry Tim.

“Kon. My name’s Kon. It’s a bit easier to say.”

Damian looked disgusted at this comment and Kon almost wanted to throw his hands up in frustration.

“I refuse to call you that idiotic shorthand. I assume Con is short for Conner and that makes you Conner Kent. I will refer to you as Kent henceforth.” 

Kon simply sighed.

They made their way down some winding corridors, Kon following closely and trying to understand how they got here. The end of their journey found them at a gym. The large open room had every piece of workout equipment imaginable, plus plenty of gymnastics bars, a weapons rack, and a sparring mat in the corner. Kon was impressed with the layout, but that transformed into nerves as Damian picked up a practice sword from the rack and swung it with practiced certainty. This suddenly didn’t feel like a very good idea.

“Hurry up, Kent.” 

Kon made his way over and hesitantly grabbed his own wooden sword. He widened his stance and tried to get in what he understood was a starting ready position. Damian grunted, likely critiquing his form, but Kon focused on recalling everything he knew about swordplay. It was scarily little.

As he was lost in thought Prince Damian dove forward, and Kon made a delayed motion to push the other’s sword away with the side of his own. It resulted in slightly pushing Damian back, but he was quick to recover and went low to swipe at Kon’s legs. Kon let his instincts pull him into backing up and sweeping away the latest attack.

“Your movement is terrible, but your reflexes are adequate.” The backhanded compliment felt like high praise, and it had Kon grinning.

“Thanks.”

As he spoke the prince made a move to jab at his left side and Kon was too late to stop it.

“Focus. That would have been a killing blow. Any knight would have countered it.”

If Kon didn’t know any better he would say that sounded an awful lot like a joke. 

“You’re right, I’ll need more practice before I’m quite at that level.”

Damian nodded sagely. “Todd is unreliable. You will meet me here every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for sparring. It will be beneficial for me to practice with more people and expand my skill set.”

Kon wasn’t unhappy at this development. It would be pretty cool to learn more about using a sword. “Sure, Your Highness.”

They spent another hour sparring, with Damian destroying Kon to neither of their surprise. Even so, Kon did get some lucky hits which had Damian looking at him with something akin to respect. All in all the experience was fun. When he left, Damian only reminded Kon of their next meeting before striding down the hall.

Kon ended up taking several wrong turns before he found himself back in an area he recognized. He had yet again missed lunch but luckily Prince Damian had a stash of protein bars in the gym that they’d eaten while they took a brief break. Despite this, Kon was starving and eternally grateful when he found the dining hall.

“Hey Kon! We were surprised that you never showed. Where have you been?” Steph called as he approached.

“I was with Prince Damian.” Steph’s face was priceless at his admission.

“You were with Prince Damian?” he nodded “Damian? Sixteen and grumbly?” He nodded again. 

“We were sparring.”

“Sparring.” Her voice was a perfect deadpan.

“Yup,” he popped the p as obnoxiously as he could.

“Sure, what the hell.” And that was that. The conversation moved on to what the others had been up to and Kon was happy to hear they’d also had fun today.

TIM

“Ah, Tim. I’ve been looking for you.” Tim turned around to see Bruce coming down the hall from his own rooms.

“What’s up B?” They had another council meeting in less than an hour so whatever this was about it was probably important.

Bruce went to speak before pausing and glancing around. “Not here. Let’s talk in my office.”

So it was really important then. Tim wasted no time in following as Bruce took off at a brisk walk. They had to double back into the family wing to get to Bruce’s office, and it was clear his father was impatient. The man had a bad habit of leaving people behind if they couldn’t keep up. When the two of them made it to the office, Tim closed the door behind himself before plopping down on the chair made for guests.

“So…?”

“Kate just got back to me. It seems there’s rumors of Sionis’ men making a move tonight. She found them gathering around the docks where the supplies for our new welfare program are meant to end up.” Bruce sounded frustrated, and it was a feeling that Tim shared.

Sionis had enough power in the council that they couldn’t accuse him directly of sabotaging all the programs they’ve worked on to help the people. They didn’t have enough proof, although it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Ever since Dick was the heir and even before, this had been an issue. At some point, they would have to work on stopping the problem at its source, but Sionis was too good to let himself be caught. It didn’t help that he almost certainly had help from other people in high places. 

“Will you be doing recon tonight then?” Tim eventually asked, curious to know what Bruce planned to do.

“I was hoping you could, actually. I have several other meetings this evening, and direct interference shouldn’t be necessary. While Kate’s sources are generally reliable, it wouldn’t be the first time there was a false alarm.” Tim nodded. “If anything goes wrong, contact Barbara and she’ll send Jason. I let him know to be ready and alert tonight.”

Tim hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Jason would never let him live it down. “Understood. Is that all?”

For a moment Bruce looked pained and Tim knew where this was going. “How…” Bruce cleared his throat. “How have the guests been?” Tim noticed that Bruce referred to them as guests and accepted that he wouldn’t get more than that. It wasn’t like he wanted to talk about his love life with his adopted-dad anyway.

“It’s been fine. I spoke with each of them yesterday.”

“And?”

“And nothing. I haven’t seen any of them since. As you know I’ve had meetings.” Tim was getting confused at this point. It didn’t help that Bruce was so terrible at just saying what he meant.

“Wouldn’t it be a good idea to talk to them more? Or at least spend some time with them? You will have to marry one eventually.” 

A spiteful retort that Bruce shouldn’t say anything considering he didn’t have to deal with this was on the tip of Tim’s throat. He swallowed it back as best as he could but his response was still spoken through gritted teeth. “And what about everything else I have to do? I don’t exactly have time to entertain fifteen people right now.

“Then take some days off. I’ll handle the meetings myself and have summaries written up for you.” Tim just stared at Bruce uncomprehendingly.

“Seriously?”

“Why not. The Selection is part of your duties anyways so some time can be delegated to it out of your regular schedule.” Bruce started staring into the distance as if mentally rearranging Tim’s entire schedule from memory. Tim could hardly believe that Bruce was having him prioritize the Selection, but decided it was likely from some place of guilt. 

The more Tim thought about it, he realized it was as good of an apology as he would get, and so he accepted it.

“Thanks, B.”

The only response was a grunt.

…

With his new free time, Tim conceded that he needed to finally make a plan. Within hours, he had a whiteboard that he stole from an unused room full of his barely comprehensible scribbles. He now had plans for biweekly dates with the suitors, qualities he would prioritize looking for in a partner, and a general timeline for sending everyone home. The timeline took place over six months so that the ending coincided with when Dick would be arriving with a party from Tamaran for a Christmas ball.

Now Tim was no romantic but he figured that would be a pretty ideal time for a proposal. Not to mention he wanted Dick to meet the final few so he could give Tim his honest opinion. 

Shockingly, the date ideas were easy enough, but the hard part was coming up with the ideal qualities. It was something he’d never thought of before, but now there was a new element. He was not only looking for a partner for himself, but someone who would be able to help him rule the kingdom. That meant he had to think about the bigger picture. The lack of control left a sour taste in his mouth.

He stood in front of the list, hand hovering over the latest addition when he heard a knock on his door.

“Come in,” he called through the whiteboard marker lodged between his lips.

“Hey man.” It was Duke. “Are you busy?”

“Sorta. What’s up?” As Duke got closer to where Tim was standing his eyebrows flew higher and higher until they were up in his hairline.

“Umm. Tim? What’s all this?” He sounded concerned. Great.

“Planning.”

“Planning for what? To go to war?” Duke finished walking and stopped in front of the board. “Knowledge of strategic warfare… willing to make sacrifices for the greater good…Tim what is this? Should we be worried? Do you need to see Leslie?”

Tim just sighed. “No Duke. I don’t need a doctor. I'm perfectly fine. This is just a list of qualities I should be looking for in a potential future partner.”

“And how are you planning to find out about those last few? Ask them to play a game of battleship with you?” Duke sounded incredulous, but the idea was a good one. Tim started to write it down before Duke took his marker. “No, don’t take that seriously. That was a joke.”

“Well it was a good idea.” Tim frowned. “Now give me back my marker.”

“No.”

“Wha-Why not?” 

“Because this,” Duke gestured at the board, “is not how you should be going about this. The dates are a good idea and I’m surprised you’re actually planning to do that, but the qualities are too much.”

“Well what do you propose I do then?”

“How about you talk to them normally and find out if you like them for who they are.”

Tim went to interrupt but a sharp look from Duke stopped him.

“The important things about being royalty can be taught. We were both taught it. Everything else is about who you feel you can spend your life with.”

Duke unfortunately made a great point. He hated it when Duke did that, he got far too happy. Still, Tim sometimes forgot that not everything about being a royal was inherent. It hadn’t been for him that was for sure.

“Ok fine. I’ll talk to them like a normal person. Happy?”

“Very.” Duke’s smile was smug. “Now, about that help you promised…”

…

Gotham City at night was beautiful. If Tim could spend forever in any place, it would be perched on the top of the tallest building in the capital, staring out at the lights of the city after the sun had fallen. When he was younger, he would come here often. His parents weren’t around much and the independence gave him a freedom that he was all too happy to take advantage of. Now, he couldn’t come here as regularly, but whenever Bruce sent him out for some mission, he was sure to spend some precious few moments taking in the view.

Tonight, he was dressed up in his usual dark red and black suit, face obscured with an eye mask and hood up over his head. The plan was simple. There was another hour until the supplies were meant to reach the docks, and Tim had to scope out the situation. There was a possibility Kate was wrong, and the shipment would go off without a hitch, but luck was rarely on Tim’s side.

There were only so many coincidences of supplies being lost or destroyed before it was clear to even the worst detective that something was going on. If only the people in charge of the kingdom cared enough about the citizens to let helping them come first over maintaining power. One day, Tim would be able to do something about that. 

Making his way from rooftop to rooftop, Tim kept his eyes peeled for any sign of the expected third party. It wasn’t until he had reached the harbor region of the city that he noticed how quiet the streets were. Tim was immediately on high alert. Gotham was never quiet. Not unless something bad was about to happen. He weighed the possibilities of a city-wide attack being planned, but there hadn’t been a large rogue attack in a while.

Bruce had done his best to encourage the previous rogues to pursue careers suited to their individual passions. He’d even gotten Harvey and Pam on the council so that they could advocate for their areas of concern. It proved effective, and so large-scale attacks were a rare occurrence now. Tim hoped the quiet was somehow unrelated to Kate’s tip.

He moved slowly now, cautious about being spotted as he neared the location of the shipment. Tim eventually made it to the final high-rise building where he crouched down and perched at the edge. He stayed low enough that only the top of his head would be visible from a distance, but that was what the hood was for. Realizing that he was in for a long wait, Tim pulled out his binoculars, adjusted his earpiece which would go to Jason in case of an emergency, and settled in.

He waited for about twenty minutes before he spotted movement. The supplies had been waiting, and dark figures emerged from the shadows at the edge of the docks heading in their direction. Tim could barely make out the silhouette of large assault rifles, and he stiffened. That wasn’t good. While Sionis’ men were consistent, they were rarely well-prepared.

These men looked more professional, moving in practiced positions and wearing bullet-proof vests. Suddenly, the odds of the security guarding the supplies surviving the encounter seemed low, and Tim wasn’t sure what the best move was. He hadn’t prepared for any combat and he cursed himself for not bringing all his usual weaponry. This was meant to be a recon mission at best, but that was when lives weren’t at risk. Tim was never good at staying out of things if he could help. Ignoring issues just wasn’t in his nature. It was a quality he shared with the rest of his family, and so cursing his luck, Tim got up from his prone position. His fingers hovered over his comm, considering messaging Babs and asking for help, but he didn’t do it. There wasn’t enough time for someone to show up anyways.

As silently as he could, he slid down the side of the building out of sight from the docks. With light footfalls drilled into muscle memory from Cass, he jogged towards the boat, intent on somehow distracting the men. As he got closer, he passed by a building with its door slightly ajar. The light was on inside, and curiosity had Tim gently pressing the door in and seeing if his assumptions were correct. When he spotted a group of men assembled around crates clearly containing narcotics, he smiled in victory. He had his distraction. Now, all he had to do was lead the groups to intercept the other. If he could make the drug dealers think that the thieves were there for the drugs, he might be able to stop this.

Tim was running out of time and his brain was flying through ideas faster than he could latch onto them. In his panic, he failed to consider that any of the people in the room would try to leave, and he found himself face to face with one of the dealers.

“Hey!” The guy yelled, but Tim didn’t stick around to see how everyone reacted.

Well, Tim thought, It seems like I’ll just have to do this the direct way.

As he ran, he frantically searched for the men he had seen from a distance. He spotted them as they were only yards away from the boat. The shouts were getting louder behind him, and so he ran straight at the other group.

“Hey guys! There are some crazy people following me! I think they know about our plan!” He shouted as loud as he could for both groups to hear, and as the thieves stared at him in confusion, the others seemed to make up their minds and started shooting. The spray of bullets from behind his back had him flinching and ducking as he sprinted.

“Shit!” Tim dropped to the floor and dove behind a crate to catch his breath.

The sound of gunshots got louder as both groups started getting involved. The thieves were more prepared and coordinated, but they had the disadvantage of being in the open. The dealers caught them by surprise, and were using the junk around the docks as cover.

In the chaos, Tim scuttled away, sticking to hiding behind crates and using his dark attire to his advantage to blend into the shadows. When he was finally far enough away to feel comfortable looking back, he saw the dealers had won the fight and were clearly deciding what to do now. He felt guilty for what may have happened to the other men, but he’d seen their equipment, and they should’ve been safe from most of the bullets. Getting those supplies to the citizens was his top priority, but his conscience still found him dialing 9-1-1 on a nearby payphone. Hopefully they’d show up before it was too late. 

One phone call made, Tim found his way back to the high-rise, ears slightly ringing and head a little fuzzy. Just in case, he watched the docks for another hour, but saw no more men come. He grappled back to the castle slowly, enjoying the night summer air which helped calm his fried nerves. Next time Bruce sends him out for a “no contact” mission he would be bringing more equipment.

Chapter Text

KON

The next few days followed in a similar pattern. Kon spent his time either with his friends or wandering the palace. His map was a lot more comprehensible, and he finally found the library so he grabbed more paper and pens. It seemed Tim had some change of heart and started spending more time with the Selected. The crown prince explained that he would be having two dates a week with different people to get to know everyone more. The first two had been people Kon didn’t know much about.

Greta Hayes and Bernard Bowd weren’t people he had spoken to very much. They both came from wealth and so were likely ideal candidates for a royal marriage. Either way, Kon himself was waiting for the prince to take him up on the arcade challenge.

“Kon!” Kon shook out of his thoughts.

“Huh?” He looked over to Cassie who had just entered the library with another girl whose name he couldn’t place.

“Meet Cissie!” Cassie grabbed the other girl’s arm and held up her hand in a wave. The gesture was odd but Cissie didn’t seem to mind.

“Hi Cissie.” Kon responded amicably.

“Oh come on,” Cassie frowned. “Where’s all that Kon energy?”

“I used it up earlier battling you in Dance Dance Rev.” Kon laughed. They had spent the whole morning fighting in the game. He had never been able to beat Cassie. Not even once.

Cassie hummed in agreement. “That’s fair... But anyway, me and Cissie got to talking and she’s super cool! She’s from Star City. That’s close to Metropolis right?”

“Yeah,” Kon shrugged. “I’ve never been there though.” He turned to face Cissie directly and offered his hand. “It’s nice to meet you though, I’m Kon but I guess you already know that.”
Cissie smiled and took his hand. Her grip was firm. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Sooo…” Cassie started, “What’ve you been up to in here?”

Kon glanced down at the book in his hands about different types of cutlery and held it up to show her.

“Really?” Cassie looked dumbfounded. “This is how you choose to spend your time? What’s next, reading ‘How to Waltz Like you Grew up Rich?’” She snorted at her own joke.

“Actually, I already read that.” And he had. He pointed at the stack of books on the end of the table that he had been reading earlier. The topics were boring, but he was interested in seeing how the different subjects were discussed. It was fascinating, and when else would he get to read anything like this.

Cassie just looked tired. “Right. Of course you have. We need to get you out of this library stat.” She looked towards Cissie. “Any ideas?”

“Actually,” Cissie offered, “I’ve been meaning to spend some time out on the grounds. Do you think we should set up a group activity for everyone? It’s really nice out today.”

Cassie took one look at Kon, nodded, and that was all it took.

Within an hour Cassie managed to corral everyone outside and found supplies for a picnic. She’d gotten help from Harper who they found in the parlor attempting to stop a fight from breaking out between two people Kon hadn’t met yet. Harper looked glad for something else to do, and when everyone heard about the plan they were immediately on board.

The entire affair was gorgeous with a large baby blue picnic blanket laid out on the grass and supplied with pillows, wooden baskets full of charcuterie foods, and endless beverages. Kon took a seat near the corner of the blanket and gazed out at the gardens. The sky was clear with not a cloud in sight, but the steady breeze took away any bite from the sun. As summer was now in full swing, the flowers had mostly faded into the green trees which swayed with the wind, but there were some flowerbeds dedicated to the summer months. His mind strayed to the plants back in Smallville and he tried to recall if any of these looked familiar. However, a person sitting down next to him drew Kon’s attention away from his memories. Turning to look, he was brought face to face with someone he’d been wanting to meet.

“Hey. Bernard, right?” The other man looked startled at being addressed.

“Yeah.” There was an awkward pause but Kon decided to barrel past it.

“I’ve seen you around and I wanted to talk to you on the first day but things kinda got crazy. How’ve you been doing since coming to live here?”

“Oh, I’m actually from Gotham.” Kon was surprised. The dude seemed pretty timid to be from the capital but he guessed it made sense since he was supposedly well-off.

“Cool, I’m from Metropolis. Are you one of the people who knew Tim before coming here?” Kon was curious who else Steph had been referring to. Interestingly enough, the question had Bernard blushing and looking away from Kon.

“Yeah, we went to school together when we were younger.”

“No way, were you guys friends?” Kon was suddenly very interested.

“Well, sorta.. It’s kinda frowned upon to be friends with royalty, but we were acquaintances.” Kon thought that sounded lonely, but he guessed it made sense in some twisted way.

“You were chosen for one of the dates this week right? How’d that go?” The blush returned stronger than before.

“It was good. We had lunch together and caught up basically. We haven’t seen each other in years and it seemed he remembered me… I wasn’t really expecting that if I’m honest.”

“That’s nice. He’s an odd guy for sure, but he seems genuine. Even if he also looks like he’s constantly hiding secrets.”

Bernard had a small smile on his face that turned mischievous. “You see it too? Can I tell you something crazy without you judging me?” Kon sat up straight, very curious where this was going.

“Of course. I love crazy, let me hear it.”

“Okay. Sometimes I think that Prince Tim has a secret identity.”

Kon took a moment to process this information and yet didn’t manage to figure out a response.

“A what?” He could hear the incredulity in his own voice, and felt bad for telling Bernard that he would be ready for crazy. 

“Ok I get it sounds stupid, but sometimes he says things that get me thinking. He talks about seeing the skyline of Gotham at night and pretends that he’s talking about the view from a penthouse, but mentions the breeze. That sounds like he’s outside, and what would he be doing on top of a building? Especially at night. I think he’s up to something illegal.” Bernard’s rant slowed down and he stared at Kon with such hope in his eyes that Kon could do nothing but nod.

“Ok, that’s suspicious. Is there anything else?”

For the next fifteen minutes Kon was provided with extensive evidence that His Highness spent a lot of time doing suspicious things at night, and couldn’t help but think that Bernard may have a point. He also thought the other man was slightly crazy but both could be true at the same time. He also noticed throughout the conversation by the way that Bernard spoke of Tim that he had feelings for the prince. It wasn’t surprising, but it did put the whole Selection in a new light for Kon. He’d forgotten what they were there for, and that in essence, they were each other’s competition. He hoped this camaraderie would last, but as things got further along, it likely wouldn’t be the case. That was, if Kon were still in the palace at that point.

…

After the picnic was over everyone went their separate ways again, content with the new friendships formed and relaxed by the summer heat. Kon thought about what to do with his evening, but ultimately decided to head back to the library. Despite Cassie’s clear judgement of his reading materials, Kon couldn’t help but seek out books on topics he normally wouldn’t think twice about. It helped that the library itself was a cozy space, high oak shelves packed with worn hardcover books and comfortable chairs scattered throughout.

The space felt like a retreat from the bustle of the palace halls, and in a space like this the gothic design was more comforting than intimidating. He took a few minutes to browse the shelves and stumbled across a thick novel chronicling the history of the royal family. Figuring the book would keep him occupied for the rest of the evening, he picked it out and settled down into what was becoming his signature spot.

He read for what felt like hours, learning about the line of succession. There were even chapters on the modern family, although clearly outdated. He was in the middle of the section on King Bruce’s ascension to the throne when he heard footsteps approaching. Expecting it to be Cassie he readied himself for another round of teasing over his choice of literature. However, when the person rounded the corner of the shelves, Kon was met with the eyes of Prince Tim. For a moment they simply stared at each other in silence, Tim clearly shocked at meeting someone else here, much less one of the Selected.

Within a few moments Tim looked to gather himself and his usual air of confidence returned.

“Hello Kon.” The practiced smile was back. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

Kon returned his own lopsided smile. “Why? You didn’t expect me to read in my spare time?” He phrased it as a joke but was interested to see how the other would respond.

“I suppose not. Although you’re studying journalism so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.” Kon didn’t remember telling him that, and said as much.

“How did you know that?”

“Oh, I was given a short portfolio on everyone before you got here. Just so I wasn’t going in blind.” Kon supposed that made sense, but he didn’t know how to feel about it.

“I see.” 

Tim cringed slightly, and although the action clearly wasn’t meant to be seen, it made Kon feel better.

“What’re you reading?” Tim gestured to the book in Kon’s hands. 

The realization that he was reading a book about the other man’s family had him hesitating, but Tim evidently took that as an opportunity to move closer and take the chair next to Kon’s. He leaned over to read the title and his face was inches from Kon’s own. When he finished a grin overtook his face and he leaned away slightly.

“The history of the royals huh?”

“Yup.” Kon wanted to crawl under the table and hide, but hid his embarrassment as much as he could.

“Well it’s not a bad biography, but I can tell you that there’s a few things it got wrong.”

Kon turned to look at Tim in shock. There was humor in his eyes, and Kon got lost for a moment before he caught back up to reality.

“Really?” Kon loved hearing facts straight from the source and this was a golden opportunity if there ever was one. He could even make Lois proud while satiating his own curiosity. It was then that another thought hit him. “Wait, you’ve read this book?” 

“Yeah,” Tim nodded. “When I first joined the family I had to read a similar book, and then later when this one came out I was curious what they said about me.” He shrugged as if that was a common occurrence. Kon wondered if Tim read the news stories about him for the same reason. If he had ever read anything that Kon’s own parents had written about him. Instead of going too far down that line of thinking Kon asked what he really wanted to know.

“So then, what did they get wrong?”

That seemed to be the right question to ask as Tim practically lit up with excitement, leaning towards Kon as though sharing a secret.

“Well, for starters Bruce definitely didn’t marry Talia al Ghul for political reasons. The two were crazy about each other. Maybe a little too crazy which, if you ask me, is why they didn’t work out.” Kon laughed at the information and the tone Tim used to deliver it.

“Oh yeah I believe you. If they’re anything like Damian then I understand how the personalities may have clashed.” 

Tim’s eyes flashed with confusion. “You’ve met Damian?”

Kon chuckled as he reminisced on their sparring. “I have definitely met Prince Damian. Small guy but great with a sword.”

Kon felt smug at the growing confusion written all over Tim’s face.

“Do I want to know how you know that?”

Kon just smiled.

“Right… Anyways. Another thing the book failed to mention is that the night before Bruce and Talia’s wedding the two of them got riotously drunk and ended up on the roof of the palace doing god knows what. Dick was adopted at that point and he never lets them live it down.”

Kon choked, failing to place this fact with what he knows of King Bruce. “The king did that? As in the huge stoic man- who is absolutely terrifying by the way?” Tim’s smile was so wide at this point that it caused his eyes to crinkle in a very distracting way.

“The very same. Don’t let his exterior fool you, my father is a real idiot sometimes.” Tim paused. “Although I probably shouldn’t make it seem like he isn’t competent. He’s good at what he does.”

Kon had some arguments on the contrary with what he knew about current events and a sequence of failed relief efforts, but he knew that moment wasn’t the time to bring it up.

“It’s a shame the two divorced. I’m sure there would have been many more stories.” Kon joked.

Tim just chuckled. “Oh trust me, he and Selina have plenty of stories themselves.”

From what Kin had witnessed in the past week of the two interacting at meals he believed Tim. 

“It’s nice then that he was able to find someone else he can marry for love again.”

Tim’s smile dimmed. “Yeah, he really is lucky.”

After a moment Kon realized what he’d implied and they were back to staring at each other not knowing what to say. He tried to parse through the emotions in Tim’s eyes, but the reality sat heavy in the silence. As quickly as the emotions appeared, the usual casual indifference was back on Tim’s face. No sign of the sadness and strain from moments before. It didn’t escape Kon’s notice that he was part of Tim’s current problem, but there wasn’t anything he could say to make it better. There was something he could offer though.

“I can tell you don’t want to be doing this,” he started softly, “and I understand.” 

Tim clenched his jaw and looked away. 

“Well ok I guess I don’t exactly understand. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help.” Tim looked back at him and he powered through. “I can be a friend to you through this if you’d like, and I can help you if you need it. I don’t have any intention of becoming royalty so you can rely on me to help you find your perfect fit. Plus I know the Selected well enough and can give you insider information that will help you in choosing who to keep or send home. So… what do you say?”

Kon sent a winning grin at Tim and even paired his offer with jazz hands to sweeten the deal. He really didn’t want to become a royal himself and doubted that Tim would ever pick him, but he wanted an excuse to stay in the castle longer to learn its secrets and spend time with his new friends. He figured it was a win-win. Tim on the other hand looked skeptical.

“You’re asking me to keep you around to be my confidant and friend.” It wasn’t phrased as a question but Kon took it as an opening.

“Exactly. You could even use me as an excuse if you want time to yourself but need to be seen spending time with the Selected. I’ll be your alibi.”

“How do I know you don’t have ulterior motives and this isn’t some plan to grab at power or steal information?” Kon was reminded again of Lois’ half-serious reminder to learn as much as he could about the royals and wisely decided to say nothing on the topic.

“You have my word that I don’t want to steal power or share all your secrets with the world. I know I’m planning to be a journalist so that might not be incredibly convincing but I’ll pinky swear on it.” He held out his pinky with all the seriousness he could muster, and almost burst out laughing at the distaste on Tim’s face.

“Pinky swear.” Tim looked to be fighting a sigh.

“Yes, I pinky swear that I will help you to the best of my ability and in return I will get more time to spend with my friends.” Kon hoped the partial honesty would convince Tim, and it seemed he was right.

“Fine.” Tim huffed and actually put out his own pinky. 

They locked fingers and Kon couldn’t hold in his giggles anymore. He fell forward in his chair, whole body shaking at the silliness of the action. Tim scowled and took his hand back, but a tiny smile appeared on the corner of his lips. The sight comforted and emboldened Kon. Still hunched over, closer to Tim now than ever, he looked up at the other’s face and smirked.

“So when are you finally gonna make good on your promise to take me to the arcade.”

Tim rolled his eyes but it looked more fond than anything. “Next week. It'll probably be one of the two dates.”

Kon’s smirk grew. “Oooh so it’s a date.” He waggled his eyebrows obnoxiously.

Tim stood up, evidently done with Kon and his teasing. “Yeah,” he sighed yet again. “It’s a date.”

The smile didn’t leave Kon’s face for a long time after Tim left and he’d returned to his book.

TIM

When Tim got back from the supposed recon mission, Bruce had been furious. It took a long time to get him to calm down, and Tim repeatedly reassured him that he was fine, and that at least the mission had been a success. Only when Bruce was calm did Tim voice his own complaints about Bruce’s assertions that there wouldn’t be any fighting necessary in the recon mission. His father had been apologetic enough, and so eventually Tim let it go and went to bed. 

Following his eventful evening, sleep stayed a far-off dream, and morning found him bleary-eyed and exhausted. Unfortunately, he had a date scheduled with Greta that afternoon for tea which forced him to leave the safe haven of his bed. The idea to have his date with her first so as to get it over with had seemed genius at the time several days ago, but now he was cursing his choice. 

Still, he arrived looking every part the crown prince. His makeup hid his under eye bags and his hair was meticulously combed to hide the lingering bed head. Greta didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss with his appearance as she practically dragged him into the room where their tea was set up. She had plenty of opinions on the tablecloth and tea selection which she made known to all the staff on hand. Tim smiled apologetically at them behind her back and did his best to hold her back when one worker nearly accidentally spilled tea on Greta’s dress.

The conversation drifted from the quality of the tea itself to more personal topics quite quickly. At that point Tim deeply regretted not asking her to walk around the grounds with him since at least that would give him something to do and a clear endpoint. As it was, Greta kept the conversation going and Tim mostly stuck to nodding and smiling, willing his father to show up and pull him away to some meeting.

Luckily, even Greta eventually ran out of things to discuss, and they sat in silence for a few minutes before Tim stood and thanked her for the date. She went in for a hug that Tim worried would end in a kiss and he carefully dodged her approach. Instead he captured her hand and kissed the back of it before striding away. At least that way he hoped she would be satisfied and not try anything else.

…

His second date of the week went drastically better. Tim liked Bernard, and had always thought of him as a friend. Although they couldn’t talk much in school, the conversations always flowed easily and they had a lot in common. In all honesty, Bernard wouldn’t be a bad pick for his future partner. They got along and Bernard even came from a somewhat similar background.

On the other hand, Tim was almost positive that Bernard had feelings for him, but Tim had never felt that in return. He wanted to keep getting to know Bernard, but he didn’t want to hurt him either if he couldn’t return the feelings. Tim wasn’t sure what to do, but he hoped it would eventually become clear. 

In his free time, Tim decided to look more into who he ran into on the docks and what connections they may have had to any groups his family had looked into before. Their names weren’t released to the public, but luckily Tim had the advantage that he wasn’t an ordinary citizen. He could gain access to almost everything with his title alone, and he used that to find the police report of the event.

It turned out that three of the men had suffered severe gunshot wounds in the shootout but were currently recovering, and another five had been sent to the hospital with minor injuries. He breathed a sigh of relief that none of them had died. He didn’t want that on his conscience. However, Tim had counted more men there that night, meaning a few must have gotten away. That wasn’t good, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. 

An interesting detail he noticed from the police report, however, was the specific guns that the men had. In the past, the men who Bruce presumed were led by Sionis to sabotage the supplies hadn’t had the same level of equipment, much less military-grade assault rifles. That opened up a few questions of how they got them, and why they had them this time. It was possible Sionis had started working with a new group, or these men may have been commissioned by someone else entirely. Neither option was a good thing, and the unknowns left Tim unsettled.

It was when he’d ventured to the library, looking for some insight into the guns themselves that he ran into Kon. Tim still wasn’t sure what to make of the entire interaction, but he knew that Kon was someone he didn’t mind spending time with. The other made it clear he wasn’t in the Selection to try to be with Tim, which was shockingly comforting to hear.

Tim hadn’t realized it before, but the knowledge that there were fifteen people vying for his attention was overwhelming on the best days. Tim appreciated Kon’s offer, and expected he would be taking him up on the alibis. He also suspected Kon had some other goals he hadn’t mentioned, but Tim wasn’t particularly worried. No secrets of his were easily discovered, and his family was very discreet. If the palace staff didn’t know, there was no way Kon would find out.

And besides, Tim enjoyed their conversation. It wasn’t often he found someone completely immune to his status, but Kon treated him like a normal person. The change was refreshing, and he’d come out of his shell more than he could remember doing in a while.

He looked forward to their arcade ‘date.’

…

Tim made his way through the familiar halls of the palace, headed towards the usual meeting room for the royal council. Their meetings were regular enough that they often felt unnecessary, but Tim never complained, understanding that keeping an eye on what the others were up to was important. In his head he ran through the topics he planned to bring up today, and considered which strategy would best provide him results while hiding his suspicions and intentions. Ultimately, it would depend on what the others wanted to discuss, so he also contemplated contingencies for as many alternate scenarios as he could predict.

He was calculating the odds of Pamela fist-fighting Sionis over his latest acquisition of a company known for their questionable environmental policies when he walked through the doors. As usual, several people had already taken their seats while the others socialized in various corners of the room.

Bruce had apparently already arrived and was chatting with Harvey Dent in the corner. Their friendship had been going strong ever since Bruce brought the other to work closely with him. Bruce had supported Harvey the whole way through receiving help for his mental health issues. It was evident that the show of trust from his oldest friend had been essential in bringing the man back to who he was prior to his accident. 

Surveying the room, Tim considered his options of who to approach. He rarely approached either Falcone or Sionis directly, knowing that it would appear suspicious. Neither of them were on particularly good terms with Tim, deeming him incompetent and unaccomplished. They had preferred Dick. Much like everyone else.

Pam on the other hand, had always had a soft spot for Tim. He supported her suggestions even before he was officially the heir and his voice held any real weight. She respected him for it, and they’d grown closer having each other’s backs in all of these meetings. Tim had even gotten her wife Harley a job in the palace so they could work closer. All that to say, approaching her would be easy and familiar. But today he had information to get, so he found himself walking towards Kate who was sitting by herself closest to the door. She was always the first to leave when the meeting finished, and oriented herself accordingly.

“Hey, Kate.” Tim greeted casually.

She looked up slowly from the papers in front of her, eyeing him hesitantly.

“Hello nephew,” she turned to face him. “What can I do for you?”

He made sure his voice was low when he answered. “I need to know how you got the information from a few nights ago.” 

Her only reaction was the pursing of her lips, and she subtly glanced around before responding in an equally low tone. “You know I can’t just give you my sources.”

Tim huffed lightly. “Ok then don’t give me names, but do you know how they may have found out? I just need to narrow down who could be involved.”

Her eyes shone with reluctance, but she nodded. “Fine. I won’t tell you who, but I can tell you where they heard the information. It was at the Ice Lounge.”

Tim froze, processing her words, but as he opened his mouth, not sure what would come out, Bruce moved to his seat and it was time for the meeting. Tim’s mind was nowhere near the room as he made his way to his own seat next to Bruce, brain swirling with the implications of the information he had just been given. The Ice Lounge was Penguin’s turf. Oswald Cobblepot was a powerful man, and those resources backing any of the potential saboteurs was a bad sign. While many groups meet there occasionally, based on Kate’s hesitance, she knew that the information was a direct connection to her source, and their associations.

Tim gazed at everyone at the table out of the corner of his eyes, reflecting on what he knew about each of their associations with Cobblepot. There wasn’t much to go off of, since they all hid any illegal activity well, but Tim was sure there were uncovered tracks out there. He just had to find them.

He tuned back into the conversation as Bruce finished his usual status update on each of the council’s ongoing programs. 

“The supplies were delivered to those labeled as ‘in need’ by the guidelines as expected.” Tim perked up at the mention of the delivery he had helped succeed, and simultaneously kept his face completely blank while he scanned the reactions of everyone at the mention of the delivery. Unfortunately, there were no negative reactions to the news.

“Great,” Pam cut in. Bruce shot her a look that she ignored. “Now that that’s finished can we move on to new issues and suggestions?” 

Bruce raised his hand, gesturing for her to continue.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She twisted in her seat to face Sionis directly, and Tim hid his excitement. “Roman, may I ask what your plans are for Gotham Pharmaceuticals which you recently acquired?”

Sionis stared at Pam in annoyance. “I don’t see how that is relevant to this meeting.”

Pam’s mouth twisted with displeasure. “Well, as a member of this council, all of your large business ventures are in fact relevant to this meeting. There are certain expectations of us, as you know. I simply want to know what you plan to do with a company known for their illegal waste disposal practices and countless environmental violations.”

Sionis rolled his eyes. “Gotham Pharmaceuticals has no ongoing legal issues, and any violations in the past are not relevant to my recent acquisition and placement as present CEO.”

Pam wasn’t giving up. “Of course not.” Her smile was practically venomous. “But going forward, what exactly are your plans to ensure that there are no future violations? Seeing as you are both a member of this council and now CEO of that company, surely you will prioritize their adherence to the law.”

Sionis could do nothing but smile back. “I assure you I will do my best to make sure they do.”

Pam’s smile had turned sharp but wide with satisfaction. “Wonderful. We all know that area is known for following their own set of rules, so I’m sure you’ll set an example to all those you work with.”

Sionis’ eyes promised violence, and Bruce was quick to steer the conversation back to friendlier waters. “Perfect,” he clapped and it had everyone shaking out of the moment. “Now that we’ve settled that matter, is there anything else that is relevant to the council and should be discussed.”

Tim cleared his throat and everyone’s attention shot to him. Bruce raised an eyebrow but did nothing to stop him.

“Yes, actually. I had a matter I wanted to bring up and hear whether you all agree.” He paused to glance at them all and build suspense. “As you all know, I am currently undergoing my Selection,” there were several reactions to that, “and I wanted to invite a select few of them to one or more of these meetings to ascertain how they fare with the politics involved.”

Several moments of silence followed, but Bruce broke the silence. “It makes sense to test their capabilities. Politics isn’t for everyone.” His face reflected his trust in Tim, and he felt his chest grow warm with appreciation.

“I agree,” Pam piped in. “A few dates aren’t going to be enough for His Highness to choose a suitor. This will be a good test.”

There were murmurs of agreement at her words, and Tim was glad that he had a friend in one of the most popular members of the council.

“Well,” Bruce spoke again. “We will vote and if it is a yes, then Crown Prince Tim will be able to bring along one of his suitors at a time to a council meeting with prior warning. No classified information will be spoken of at those meetings so there will be no issue with security. All those in favor raise their hands.” Most hands in the room went up, and Tim found himself sighing in relief. This would be one of his major deciding factors in who he chose. Duke may have been right, but there was no way he could choose someone that wasn’t cut out for politics.

“If that’s all then I will declare the meeting adjourned.” Seeing no objections, Bruce nodded and stood up, signalling the rest of the people present to stand as well and bow. Tim didn’t bow, but he did whisper a thank you which Bruce accepted with a small quirk of the lips. 

The two strode out of the room, although Kate managed to make it to the door first, waving quickly to them behind her back as she raced away.

…

Without needing to discuss it, Tim and Bruce made their way to Bruce’s study together in silence. Taking up their usual spots, Tim recounted what he had discovered.

“Whoever it is, they’re working with Cobblepot.” Bruce’s jaw clenched. “I’m surprised I hadn’t considered it earlier, but the guns make sense if the men were Penguin’s. I need to take a look at the police report again and compare the model of guns and other details to what we know of his usual methods.”

“There’s more.” Tim sits up, interested. “Dr. Isley mentioned something that caught my attention. She brought up the location of Sionis’ new company, and it reminded me of what else is in that part of town.” Bruce’s stare was grave, and a light bulb lit up in Tim’s brain.

“The Ice Lounge…” Tim breathed. Bruce’s nod was a killing blow, and Tim fell back against the chair, mind connecting dots and repeating oh shit over and over. “So if Sionis managed to get control in that part of town, it’s likely he would’ve needed Cobblepot’s permission. That’s evidence of a connection.”

“We need to look into it.” Tim just nodded tiredly. 

Bruce evidently noticed his exhaustion and came around the table to place a hand on Tim’s shoulder. The touch was hesitant, but comforting. “You have enough on your plate, I’ll get one of the others to start with the research.”

Tim shook his head. “Don’t bother, I can handle it. Besides, they’ve all got their own things going right now, and I’m the best suited for research anyways.” Bruce looked like he was going to argue, but Tim stood up before he could. “I’m gonna head to bed, but I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Alright, goodnight Tim.”

“Goodnight B.”

Chapter Text

KON

Kon was aimlessly wandering the grounds when he heard a familiar voice shouting in the distance. Slightly concerned, he veered in that direction and quickened his pace. At the scene, he discovered that the owner of the loud voice was none other than Prince Damian, but the recipient of his frustrations was someone Kon wasn’t acquainted with. He was comforted by the lack of a physical altercation, and so he pulled up short a few yards away from the pair. The first to notice his arrival was the stranger, but he only tilted his head curiously and said nothing. 

“...so I know you lied and cheated. I had the most accurate guess, and Timothy is hardly a trustworthy source of his own feelings.” Once he finished his rant, Damian noticed the man’s shifting attention. “Look at me Todd!” When that didn’t work Damian turned around himself and spotted Kon. The scowl didn’t leave his face but still Kon lifted his hand in a wave with a cheery smile. 

“Hello Your Highness. I was worried when I heard you yelling and came to see if everything was alright.” Damian’s scowl lessened slightly, but he scoffed at Kon’s words.

“Of course I am alright. I was simply correcting an injustice.” ‘Todd’ snorted at the phrasing which had Damian glaring in his direction once again. Now that Kon thought about it, the name ‘Todd’ sounded familiar… Didn’t Prince Damian mention him…

“Well it’s nice to meet you Todd,” Kon tried to break the palpable tension. “My name’s Kon.”

For some reason Todd broke out in laughter, but luckily the atmosphere was now noticeably lighter. 

“While others may find your small-town ignorance charming, most everyone knows that this imbecile is my brother Prince Jason Todd.” Damian’s tone was begrudging, obviously upset at having to clarify their relation.

To say Kon was embarrassed would be an understatement. He knew of Prince Jason, but hadn’t seen recent photos. The man in front of him was over six foot and buff as hell. Nothing like the small teen he had seen in smiling photos in the news or family portraits around the palace.

Luckily, Prince Jason didn’t seem offended. “I’m hardly a prince these days, Demon.” he mussed up Damian’s hair who swatted his hands away with a growl of frustration. He turned to address Kon directly before continuing. He hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt. “I’m currently the captain of the guard, so that’s what I prefer to go by. You can just call me Jason, don’t worry about any formality.” 

Jason’s smile was sincere and friendly. Never let it be said that Kon couldn’t adapt. He recovered quickly and returned his own best grin. “Well then it’s nice to meet you Jason. I’m still Kon.” His comment earned another chuckle from the other.

“This is a waste of time, I’m leaving.” Damian let out a shrill whistle that startled Kon. Within moments a large great dane barreled over to the three of them and Kon’s face lit up.

“No way! You have a dog. I love dogs.”

Damian gave him an assessing look. “This is Titus. He was a gift from my father.”

“Sick! Can I pet him?”

There was a noticeable pause before Damian nodded. “You may.”

Kon moved closer and knelt to the dirt in front of the dog. He raised his hand to Titus’ nose, letting him sniff for a moment before he moved to ruffle the fur along the top of his head. As he pet Titus, Damian watched on for several seconds before he spoke up.

“I normally bring him to my sparring lessons as there are plenty of toys for him to keep busy with and I prefer to keep an eye on him during the day. I will bring him to our lesson tomorrow.” Kon flashed a smile up at Damian who had begun petting Titus lightly on his back.

He got the feeling that Damian’s statement was a sign of trust and felt honored to be trusted with the prince’s clearly beloved animal.

“Oh now what’s this? Is he the one you got for your last sparring lesson that you were being all secretive about?” Jason’s grin was manic, pleased at the new information.

“That’s none of your business Todd. Titus, let’s go.” Titus stood immediately at the command, dislodging Kon’s hand from his head in the process. Kon watched as the pair hurried back to the palace and called out a goodbye to the prince’s back. Damian shot him a look over his shoulder but said nothing.

“So Kon,” Kon redirected his attention back to Jason. “It seems you’ll be sparring with the little Demon, which is crazy by the way, but I doubt you’re anywhere near his level.”

Kon shrugged in agreement. It was true, but it was still fun even if he was clearly outmatched.

“What do you say that I teach you some swordplay myself? It could be fun, and I promise I’m a nicer teacher than Damian.”

Kon appreciated the offer, but was more so confused. “I don’t doubt it, but why would you want to teach me? No offense, but I’m sure you have better things to be doing.”

Jason hummed. “To be honest it’s rare Damian accepts someone so quickly, and I kinda want to see how this goes. Also, might I remind you I’m the captain of the guard. Half of my job revolves around training new recruits. I promise you won’t be taking me from my usual duties.”

Kon had to admit it was a sick offer. “Okay, sure.”

Jason sent him a sharp grin. “Awesome, come with me.” 

Kon followed Jason as they walked towards what he could only assume was the barracks. The building was large, but not nearly as ornate as the other structures around the palace. It felt more comforting, and almost reminded Kon of the barns back in Smallville. A pang echoed through his chest and he absently rubbed his sternum, fighting off the ache. Some days were harder than others, but not a day went by where he didn’t think of his family and his home.

“Jason! Roy’s got himself stuck in his armor again and needs help.” A soldier called out from the cracked door, and a wicked smile lit up Jason’s face.

“Oh I’m sure he did.” Familiar with that tone of voice, Kon gave Jason plenty of space as they entered the building and watched as Jason and presumably Roy disappeared through another door. Kon stood in the doorway awkwardly shuffling between his feet. With his reason for being here indisposed, he wasn’t sure what to do, or if he could touch anything.

“Hey dude,” the woman who’d spoken to Jason called out to him. “Don’t worry they’ll be back shortly.” She held out her hand. “The name’s Artemis. I’ve seen you around.”

Kon shook her hand, “Unfortunately I can’t say the same. I’m Kon.”

“Nice to meet you Kon. Are you a new recruit by any chance?” While she spoke she looked him up and down with a slight frown. He may have had the look of a soldier, tall and sturdy, but the suit was evidently throwing her off.

He smiled a bit sheepishly, somewhat flattered but embarrassed by the truth. “Actually, I’m here for the Selection.”

Artemis’ eyes widened and she smirked. “Oh I see. You know Jason mentioned that…”

“Artemis are you talking shit?” Jason’s voice was loaded with faux-anger which had Artemis rolling her eyes. 

“Oh yeah I was just telling Kon here to cover his ears lest he hears anything that might scar him. Luckily the warning wasn’t necessary.”

“Don’t sound too jealous Art,” Roy added, slinging his arm around Jason. “So Kon, ready to learn some moves.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Kon laughed.

“Something like that.”

The three of them were a fun trio, and Kon enjoyed spending time learning from them. It was a quiet afternoon in the barracks and so they all joined in on the training, bringing their own perspectives on fighting and arguing about what were the most basic stances that should be taught first. It was clear they were close, and Kon was content to watch them interact and gain some tips on this new skill that was actually a lot more fun than he thought it would be.

Afternoon faded into evening, natural light in the barracks filtering out and the four sat around in various states of disarray. They had all sparred each other at various times, some more seriously than others. 

Kon’s stomach let out a loud grumble, and looking at the clock he realized if he didn’t hurry he’d be late for dinner. He cursed and stood up, trying in vain to flatten his crumpled shirt. He retrieved his suit coat which he had thrown to the floor when he’d started sweating and rushed to put it back on.

“Is there a fire? What’s the rush?” Jason was sprawled out on the ground, head resting on Roy’s shoulder.

“It’s dinner time. I need to be at dinner like now.”

“Oh, good luck.” He sent a thumbs up and Kon called out a goodbye to everyone as he raced out the door.

He called upon all his knowledge of the layout of the palace as he ran through the halls, begging to whoever was listening that he wouldn’t be late. Out of all the meals, dinner was the only one with mandatory attendance. It would be very bad if he was late. When he reached the doors, he took a second to control his breathing before pushing open the doors and slowly strolling to his usual seat as though he hadn’t run all the way there.

“Kon buddy,” Bart called out as he sat down. “Why do you look like shit?”

“Bart dude. Tact.” Cassie laughed. “But yeah why do you like shit Kon?”

Steph and Cissie were giggling on the other side of the table, and Kon sighed.

“Listen, I was sparring with a few soldiers and lost track of time. I ran the whole way here.” Kon glanced down at his dirt-stained shirt and cringed.

“With the soldiers? Did you happen to meet Jason?” Steph called from where she was sitting a few seats down.

“I did yeah. He was one of the people who was sparring with me.”

“So you’ve sparred with both Jason and Damian, huh? Interesting.” The grin on Steph’s face was feral, but Kon was used to getting similar looks from her at this point.

“I guess so. Who knew royals loved to teach people how to fight so much?”

“With this bunch that’s hardly surprising.” Steph mumbled but Kon heard her. The comment struck him as intriguing. “Next thing you know Tim’ll take you on a date where he’ll try to teach you to fight too.”

“Not quite. I’m afraid the only fighting on our first date will be on the screen of a video game.” 

“That’s right.” As though Kon had summoned him, Tim appeared at his shoulder, and his words shocked Kon to jumping in his seat.

“Fuck. Ah! I mean oh no…” Stumbling over his words after cursing in front of royalty, Kon could only watch as Tim laughed lightly at the spectacle. Kon noticed most heads in the room were turned in their direction, watching the interaction with a keen eye. “Hey Your Highness.”

“Hey yourself. I heard a mention of video games and figured now was the best time to give you this.” Out of the corner of his eye Kon noticed a piece of paper in Tim’s hands which the other lifted up for Kon to grab. He did and glanced at the paper.

His Highness Crown Prince Tim Drake-Wayne Invites you to an Evening of Wendy the Werewolf Stalker Slasher. 

The reminder of their shared interest was a nice touch, but the formality of the silly message meant that Kon couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped his throat. Conscious of their large audience he tried to turn it into a cough, but was only minorly successful. He looked back at Tim, sure his blush could be seen from space, and Tim’s face was scrunched, clearly holding back a smile of his own. Kon applauded him for his ability to remain serious in the face of the present situation. 

“I would be delighted.” Kon eventually croaked, and had to cough again to try to clear his throat which had chosen this moment to give up on him.

“Wonderful.” Tim flashed his ‘I’m a perfect prince’ smile. “Just,” his voice got quiet and he leaned towards Kon slightly. “Make sure when you show up your suit isn’t covered in grass stains.” Kon felt his jaw drop, and Tim left him sitting there in shock.

“What was all that?” Kon shook out of his stupor and turned in his seats to see all his friends staring at him in bewilderment. Steph had been the one to speak, but her voice was delighted as though this was incredibly entertaining.

Kon lifted the note and waved it absentmindedly. “He invited me to a date tomorrow night. We’ll be playing his favorite videogames in the arcade.”

“That’s great!” Cassie smiled supportively. “Right?”

Bart on the other hand looked upset for some reason. “Does that mean we can’t go there tomorrow when you’re on your date?” Kon didn’t know why he was surprised.

Cissie reached over the table to pat his shoulder. “‘Fraid not Bart.”

“Damn,” Bart shook his head. “I was getting so close to beating Boy Wonder’s score on Escape from Arkham.”

“Sorry Bart,” Kon supplied.

“Ok but date aside, what was that flirty attitude you guys had going on? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two interact outside of your one-on-one.” 

Kon wasn’t sure what to say. For some reason, he wanted to keep his deal with Tim a secret. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his friends, but there were some things he didn’t need to share. This was as much Tim’s secret as his own, and he didn’t want to betray that. He decided to just say as much of the truth as he could.

“We ran into each other in the library the other day. Got to talking.” He added a small shrug, trying to play it off as not a big thing. “Turns out we have some things in common.”

“You seem to get along well.” Kon wasn’t sure where Steph was trying to go with this, but he wanted to steer the conversation along.

“Guess so. So what did y’all get up to today?” He ignored Steph’s lingering attention for the rest of the meal to the best of his ability.

…

Returning to his room that night Kon felt his apprehension for the following day welling up in his lungs and beginning to suffocate him. In the morning he would be meeting with Prince Damian again for another sword lesson, and then in the afternoon he would have his ‘date’ with Tim. Meeting with two royals in one day would surely drain whatever energy he had, and he worried about how both might go for very different reasons. 

After running into Damian earlier in the day, he wanted the sparring to go well. Despite his rough exterior and abrasive nature, the younger prince seemed genuine and a little lonely. Kon hoped hecould eventually gain his respect since that seemed the only way to gain his acceptance. It was a little daunting. 

On the other hand, Tim was incredibly easy for Kon to talk to, and he was looking forward to what they had planned. His only worry was that Tim would decide he didn’t want to keep Kon around and he would be sent home sooner rather than later. He had agreed to Kon’s plan, but Kon could tell it was reluctant. He had to build trust first, and this would be his best opportunity. All that to say, Kon felt a little in over his head. Throwing his suit jacket onto his bed, he removed his uncomfortable day outfit and replaced it with a pair of well-worn black sweatpants and Metropolis University hoodie from his own closet. The familiar clothes settled something in him that buzzed with a constant hum all day when he was stuffed into stiff suits. 

He laid in bed, shifting every few minutes as he struggled to get comfortable. His mind was still racing, and at once all he could think about was home, and what his family may be up to. He imagined they were asleep at the late hour, but that they had a nice evening together. Watching movies, playing puzzle games, there were so many possibilities, and any of them sounded better than what Kon had been up to. His gloomy musing pushed back the anxiety of the next day, but sleep continued to elude him as he stared out at the empty room lacking personal belongings. 

Eventually, he gave up on sleeping and stood up. There was no reason behind his movements, and so no destination in mind as he made his way out of his room, gently shutting the door behind him. He tried to stay as quiet as possible, aware of the late hour and the many sleeping individuals in the rooms around him. His footfalls were light, keeping to his toes to minimize any noise as he ambled down corridor after corridor. Before he knew it he found himself standing in front of a family portrait of the royals. He couldn’t be sure why he stopped, nor was he aware of exactly where he was, but something about the portrait caught his attention in his brain dead state.

All the members of the Wayne family were present, including the newest Prince Duke. They were all smiling, although some more brightly than others, but Kon found his attention drawn to Tim. He wasn’t standing next to Bruce as he hadn’t been the heir at the time apparently, but rather he was in the corner. Tim’s posture was rigid, and he was half-hiding behind Jason, but his smile was genuine and warm. He looked happy. Happy in a way, Kon realized, that he hadn’t seen the prince since he got there. 

Kon couldn’t help the wave of sadness that rushed over him. Not only from how clearly this situation has impacted Tim’s happiness, but his own negative emotions related to missing home. Their situations were drastically different, but Kon understood, and he wanted to help.

With his mind reassured in his plan to help Tim with the Selection, he finally looked to find his way back to his room. It was a struggle at first since he hadn’t been paying attention, but after ten minutes he recognized where he was and backtracked. As soon as he threw himself on his bed he was out like a light.

TIM

Morning meetings were some of Tim’s least favorite. He had issues falling asleep and never wanted to get up early for dreadfully bland politics and arguments over whether the poor deserved help. They did. But Tim had given up on convincing some of the other rich society members or political figures of that fact. They were so far removed from the life of everyday citizens that they had no idea how bad the country, and especially Gotham, had gotten. They lived in idealistic estates in the countryside, and never saw how hard some of the people worked every day. How much simple supplies and aid could improve their lives. Tim was hardly better, but at least he’d learned. At least he had plans and ideas.

In this particular morning meeting Bruce wanted to discuss the university sponsorships he had given out the previous year and promote continuing the program. Tim had given his full support, providing anecdotes of people who had flourished in the program and been able to start their new lives or be the first in their families to go to college.

Many of the politicians had simply looked at him and asked about how it would fit into the new budget with all the programs they’d been adding lately. Tim kept his smile and assured them that they could fit all of them into the budget and that he had done the math himself to assure it. That had apparently not been enough to convince them, and he’d debated with them for a full hour that it was a good use of funds, actually successful, and not getting in the way of their paychecks.

Tim was excellent at keeping up a calm facade, and even better at debating, but even he had his limits. Bruce added to the conversation at times, always in support of Tim, but he clearly wanted Tim to handle this by himself. It was good practice, but still Tim was not looking forward to this being his future.

Leaving the meeting room, his head pounded with a fresh headache, and he desperately wanted a nap, but his day wasn’t done.

“You did well, Tim.” Bruce’s words shook Tim out of his thoughts bordering on homicide and he sent a tired smile at his father-figure. 

“Thanks, Bruce. I’m not looking forward to those arguments for the rest of my life.”

A small smile peeked out of Bruce’s lips. “It gets easier over time.”

Tim sighed loudly and maybe a bit for dramatic effect. “I hope so.”

He glanced at his watch, and cursed. “Shit, I’m late for my date.”

Bruce’s head tilted and he looked amused. “Don’t let Alfred hear you say that.” After a moment of hesitation he added, “Have fun.”

Tim would’ve given a snarky reply but the meeting had gone far over and he was already fifteen minutes late. He waved goodbye quickly and darted down the halls, intent on getting to the arcade. He passed by several Selected on the way and sent a warm smile to each of them, but said nothing as he strolled past. When he finally made it to his favorite place in the palace, he threw open the doors, an apology on his lips that died when he noticed the room was empty. For a moment Tim stood there, unsure what to do. The door almost shut on him, but he pushed it open again, this time softly, and walked in further, looking around to be sure he hadn’t missed anyone.

But, true to his first look, there was nobody else there. No six-foot nerdy journalist-to-be. He looked at his watch again, and verified the time. It hadn’t changed since he last looked, but he wanted to be sure. He decided he might as well play a game since he was here, eager to release his stress for the long morning. He sat at one of the shooter games, starting it up and looking at the current scoreboard.

Tim’s score was still the high score, and he smiled. Some things never change. 

Tim was so invested in the game, close to beating his own record despite not playing for months, that he didn’t notice the door open at first. His character on the screen was moving to the final checkpoint, killing zombie after zombie with brutal efficiency that came from years of practice and memorizing the placement of all the enemies on this map.

“Hey there.” The voice in his ear might as well have been a crack of thunder with how loud it sounded in his silent brain. He couldn’t help the full body flinch or his fingers falling off the buttons for a moment. The recovery was quick, but the mistake had him losing out on precious points, and when the final score displayed he scowled.

“You ruined my score.” He turned to finally acknowledge Kon, and saw him grinning ear to ear from a foot away. Kon was dressed up nicer than usual, his hair combed back and gelled. Tim gave him a once-over in appreciation. He looked good. It seems he had listened to Tim. Luckily Kon didn’t seem to notice, already responding.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t help it. You looked so focused.” Kon sat in the chair for the machine to Tim’s right. He glanced at Tim’s screen and his eyebrows shot up “That’s a really good score. Right under the top score on this thing.” He suddenly froze, and then let out a bright burst of laughter. “You’re ‘Boy Wonder’ aren’t you?”

Tim flushed slightly at the name. It sounded childish coming from Kon, but it had been an inside joke with Steph and his family. “Yes,” he responded simply.

“Dude, Bart has been trying so hard for the past two weeks to beat your score.” Kon sounded surprisingly happy about this and Tim chuckled nervously.

“Well it took a long time. If he does manage it though I’ll just have to beat his score to get first again.” He spoke as though joking but fully meant what he said. There was no way he would let anyone else beat out his well-earned top scores on all of these machines. Kon gave him a look that told Tim he knew it wasn’t really a joke. His eyes were really expressive, but Tim always felt watched by them. It was an intriguing feeling.

After a few moments of silence Kon spoke up. “I’m sorry about being late. I got caught up with what I was doing this morning and lost track of time.” Naturally Tim was curious about this and finally registered how Kon’s forehead was shiny with sweat remnants and body relaxed in a way that indicated he was tired. Tim cataloged these observations but waved away Kon’s apology.

“Don’t worry about it. I was late too. My meeting ran long this morning.” Kon nodded with an exhale of relief.

“Soo,” Kon’s grin was back. “Is it time for me to kick your ass at Wendy’s?”

Tim gave him a look of exaggerated disbelief. “In your dreams.” 

In spite of his words he got up and offered a hand to Kon. Kon looked entertained at the action, but took his hand and stood. The two made their way over to the aforementioned game, and as they sat they briefly bickered about who would get which console.

“I called dibs on player one.” Kon was adamant, but Tim wasn’t budging.

“Calling dibs after I already grabbed it doesn’t count. Also, this is my room so really this is my console. Therefore it’s my decision.”

Tim watched as several emotions flit over Kon’s face, ever expressive eyes displaying the stubbornness Tim was dealing with. “Maybe it is your room…”

“Exactly-”

“But,” Kon cut him off. “You invited me on this date. Therefore,” this was spoken in a mocking tone of Tim’s own argument “as a respectful host you should let me be player one.” Kon’s argument was fair, and Tim had to admit that it was true even if it wasn’t really a ‘date.’

He stared at Kon for several heartbeats before cracking. “Fine.”

Kon cheered and reached for the console, pulling it out of Tim’s hands. “Great, let's get started.”

Tim picked up the other console and started up the game. It was his favorite for a reason, and the immediate burst of colors and mystery theme felt like coming home. It had been too long since he could just avoid his duties and play video games. He missed those times. 

“Y’know, I used to play this game with my little brother. I beat him every time, but he always wanted to play. Said he loved the story and characters, but that the best part was playing with me.” The wistfulness of Kon’s words flowed over Tim, but the love for his brother was clear as day.

“That sounds nice.” Tim thought back to his own childhood and the days spent by himself before he got adopted. “Some of my siblings like games, but they rarely play any of mine. We’re all too competitive to do anything we know we’ll lose at.” For some reason Kon smiled at that, an understanding glint in his eyes.

“I can definitely see that.” The words were whispered, but Kon’s focus was on the game, and so Tim shifted his attention too. After all, he had a game to win.

…

He did end up winning. And then he won every time they restarted, Kon protesting that he made a mistake, or that Tim was cheating somehow. By the time they had played at least ten times all the way through, Kon was slumped in his chair in defeat, the picture of disbelief and disappointment. 

“How are you so good at this game?” Kon breathed.

Tim shrugged, displaying nonchalance but internally giggling at the other’s face. “Like I said, a lot of practice.”

Kon huffed loudly but when Tim turned to face him he was met with a grin. “Well then it looks like I need a lot of practice to catch up.” He raised a finger and pointed it at Tim, “but this is only the first game. I promise I will beat you at the basketball hoops.”

Tim thought about how he had spent a semester of school learning physics in his free time to apply those concepts to the basketball toss and doubted it.

As he considered which game to destroy Kon next, he heard the door open. They were in the back so they couldn’t see who it was but Tim was on alert. Nobody was supposed to come in here since everyone had been warned he was having a date in here. When Kon started to speak again he quickly put a hand over his mouth and mimed to stay quiet. The other’s surprise at Tim’s movement showed first, but his confusion morphed into understanding faster than Tim would have expected. He nodded, and Tim turned back in the direction of the door. He stood slowly and placed his hand on his hip over his knife that he always kept inside his suit, but when the figure turned the corner he relaxed.

“Good evening, Master Tim. Mister Kent.” Alfred’s friendly introduction calmed Kon but Tim was familiar enough with Alfred’s microexpressions to read the glance at Tim’s hands which had been hovering over his knife and the disappointment at the action. Tim cringed slightly at his overreaction and blamed his recent close-calls for his increased paranoia.

When Tim said nothing Kon spoke up. “Hello…” he glanced at Tim for directions.

“Alfred.”

“...Alfred. Is there anything we can do for you?” Alfred gazed at Kon with slight approval before turning to Tim.

“Yes. Master Tim, I came to let you and your date know that dinner has already passed, however, I took it upon myself to order the both of you dinner fitting of your date to eat here.” As he spoke he grabbed a cart from out of view which indeed contained a stack of several pizza boxes.

“Oh.” Tim was startled and glanced at his watch to see that it really was past dinner time. “Thank you, Alfred.”

Alfred bowed, “You are very welcome, Your Highness.” His smile was full of affection and he briefly turned to Kon. “I wasn’t sure which was your favorite, so I ordered several for you to choose from. I hope you enjoy.” He finished his statement with a small bow to Kon before leaving. Tim narrowed his eyes, noting the action and the easy way Alfred showed he respected Kon. Kon himself didn’t seem to notice much, but Tim recognized the action for what it was, and elected to move past it before he thought too much about it.

“Well I guess it’s time to eat.”

“Looks like it.” Kon stared intently at the boxes. Tim finally realized how hungry he was as he caught a whiff of the heavenly delicacy. New Jersey pizza. 

They sat down at a table in the corner of the room, grabbed the boxes and dug in. Alfred had indeed ordered Tim’s favorite, pineapple pizza with tartar sauce, and his mouth watered at the smell. Kon on the other hand seemed to struggle with which type to eat. The other boxes contained meat lovers, margherita, and pepperoni. Ultimately he picked one of each and stacked them on his plate. When Kon looked over at Tim’s he jerked back in apparent horror.

“Is that pineapple? On pizza??” Kon’s voice carried genuine disgust, and Tim rolled his eyes, used to this response from his family.

“Yes. It’s my favorite type of pizza.” He looked up at Kon. “It’s good.” He asserted.

“There’s no way that is good.” Kon’s nose scrunched up, prompting Tim to pick up a slice and take a bite while making eye contact. Kon mimed throwing up and Tim stuck his tongue out after chewing.

“Yumm.” Tim deadpanned. 

“Eww.” Kon picked up a piece of pepperoni from his slice and threw it at Tim. Tim just caught the pepperoni and ate it before returning to his own food, ignoring Kon’s indignant ‘hey!’

After that they settled into a quiet atmosphere while they both ate. Every now and then Kon would look at Tim’s plate and sniff, but the gesture was more funny than insulting so Tim found himself smiling. When they both finished, half of the pizza gone, they sat in silence for several minutes. Kon broke it because of course he did.

“So since I’m gonna help you with this process,” this grabbed Tim’s attention, “I feel like I need to know more about you.” Tim didn’t think it was all that necessary but decided to humor Kon.

“Ok. What do you want to know?” He braced himself for personal questions, familiar with the gleam in the eye of journalists that he’s seen in Kon’s from time to time.

“Hmm,” Kon scratched the back of his neck. “Well… What’s your favorite color?” 

Tim blinked. Kon eagerly awaited Tim’s response, but Tim stared back stupidly. “My favorite color?”

“Yeah. That’s the most basic getting to know someone question right? We gotta start somewhere.” 

Tim smiled wryly. “I’m not sure that’s going to help you get to know me.”

“Well, humor me.” Tim already was, but what the hell.

“It’s red.”

“Cool!” Kon actually looked excited at the response. “Mine’s blue.”

Tim felt his gaze shift to Kon’s eyes. Blue… it made sense for Kon. Tim could respect blue. At least it wasn’t orange or yellow.

“Any other questions,” Tim’s sarcasm had Kon rolling his eyes.

“Ok you want something with more substance. How about… what do you do in your free time? Other than the stuff going on with the Selection.”

Tim hesitated before responding. Not everything he did could be shared. He certainly didn’t plan to mention the late-night escapades or not so legal information gathering. Contemplating what could be considered close enough to the truth, Tim answered.

“Well I used to skateboard a lot when I was younger. It doesn’t really work for who I’m supposed to portray now though.” Kon was listening intently. Tim drummed his fingers on the table. “I like photography though, and I read a lot of mystery novels.”

Kon lit up at his words. “I love mysteries!” Tim was surprised at this. Kon seemed to sense that. “Reading them is following the breadcrumbs of evidence and foreshadowing to figure out the bigger picture along with the narrator. It’s exhilarating.”

Tim nodded in agreement. “They can be frustrating, but they’re always rewarding.”

Kon smiled. “Yeah.”

Tim couldn’t help himself from digging further. “Plus they can teach you how to read people.” Kon’s smile widened.

“Is that why you read them?” When Tim shrugged, Kon seemed to give in. “What exactly can you read about me?”

Tim kept his tone casual. “I think you seem mostly genuine, but I can’t help but feel like you have alternative motives to help me.”

Kon’s smile dimmed. Aha Tim thought. 

“I do want to help you…”

“But…” Tim hedged.

Kon sighed. “But, I will admit that I’m curious about a few things that I can only find the answers to here.” 

“Any chance I get to know what they are?”

“No, but I promise it’s nothing personal about you or your family. Also I wouldn’t share it with anyone. Consider it a personal curiosity.”

Tim studied Kon’s face, but couldn’t find a trace of dishonesty. It wasn’t that he thought Kon was dangerous, but he wanted the other man to admit what exactly he was looking for. Paranoia was a real bitch, and it wouldn’t be thrown off so easily. It didn’t seem like Kon would crack anytime, though, so Tim gave up for the moment.

“Okay, I trust you.” Kon brightened. “But will you tell me before all this is over at least.”

Kon looked him over for a bit before nodding. Tim let out a breath and chose to switch the conversation away from the testy waters.

“Now, I think you said something about crushing me at the basketball hoops?”

Kon’s attention was officially grabbed. “You bet I did.”

“Well then shall we?” Kon stood before he could even finish the question and grabbed Tim’s hand to pull him up.

“Let’s go, Your Highness,” Kon drawled. 

Tim hoped his hand wasn’t as sweaty as he thought it was. For some reason he felt a little warm.

…

Kon did manage to beat Tim at the basketball hoops, which he made sure to gloat endlessly about, but lost at everything else. Tim took his victories with slightly more grace, but still made sure to remind Kon of the tallies after each round. In the end, the only game they avoided was skee ball as Kon complained endlessly when Tim suggested it.

“It’s rigged, Tim. It’s the worst game to ever exist.”

“Sure Kon.”

And that had been that. They had passed the hours easily. Conversation flowing about the games, their friends, really anything they could think of. Tim felt comfortable with the other in a way he rarely could. While he kept in the back of his mind his reservations, he found himself uncaring about them in the moment. Kon was just so personable. Tim was sure he could make friends with a plant. His charisma was on par with Dicks, and he took all of Tim’s rude comments with humor. Tim enjoyed himself more than he thought he would, and found  himself feeling sad when it ended. 

It was nearing midnight, and both of them had splayed out on the comfiest chairs in the arcade, just talking about anything and everything. Eventually, after a prolonged period of silence from the other, Tim noticed Kon’s eyes falling shut, his entire body showing signs of exhaustion.

“Hey,” Tim called out. Kon’s eyes fluttered open.

“Huh…” He grumbled.

“No sleeping in here. These chairs may be comfy but they’ll ruin your back. I speak from experience.”

“I’m up, I’m up.” Kon mumbled, rising from the chair. Tim chuckled at the rumpled look on his face. The laughter died in his throat, however, when Kon started stretching and his shirt rode up high on his chest. That is one sculpted chest, Tim admired the other but realized he was staring for too long and cleared his throat.

“Great, then that means we should probably both head to bed.” Tim stood up too and walked over to Kon. They stared at each other, Kon still half-asleep and Tim considering how to say goodbye.

It turned out he didn’t need to bother since Kon walked up to him and pulled Tim into a strong hug.

“Goodnight, Tim.” Kon mumbled into his hair.

Tim froze up at the contact, but quickly melted into the embrace. It helped that Kon’s shampoo smelled nice and the solid weight was actually quite comforting.

“Goodnight, Kon.” Tim responded.

Kon pulled back first, leaving Tim’s hands abruptly suspended in midair holding onto nothing. He dropped them after an awkward moment. Kon sent a smile that had Tim inadvertently reciprocating with his own before he ambled out the doors of the arcade. For a moment Tim stood there, basking in the quiet comfort of the moment, before he followed Kon out the door and headed in the opposite direction down the hall to his own rooms.

Choosing to trust Kon was looking more and more like one of his better ideas.

…

Yawning as he opened the door to his room he ached to fall into his bed and get as much sleep as he could. Unfortunately, fate had no such plans for him. Perched on the edge of his desk next to his bed was a small piece of paper. He immediately scanned his room for intruders, on high alert for the second time of the evening. No member of his family would leave him a letter, and nobody else was allowed in his room.

He approached the letter with caution, straining his ears to hear if there were any beeps coming from the surrounding areas. He didn’t hear anything, but took several minutes to examine the paper anyway. The paper was high-quality, containing the royal seal of the paper exclusive to the king. This stationery came directly from Bruce’s office. That was worrisome, but what had Tim’s heart stopping was the message. 

The people need not, as change waits for no dead man, and soon you will rot.

Stupidly enough, the first thought that came to Tim’s head was that the message was a haiku. Second, he realized that he needed to contact Bruce. It seemed that the third party was tired of having their plans foiled and changed their methods to let him know. The unpredictability was terrifying, and for a moment Tim considered backing down. But that wasn’t possible.

Somehow these people knew where his rooms were and had access. He wasn’t the only one in danger. Backing away from the evidence, Tim made his way to Bruce’s rooms. He only hoped that they had time before the assassin made good on their threat.

Chapter Text

KON

Despite going to sleep so late the night before, Kon woke up feeling refreshed. His body no longer felt weighed down by his worries, and the pep was back in his step without the anticipation siphoning his energy. Reflecting back on his eventful day, Kon firmly believed he made progress with the various royals, and the thought settled him into a state of contentment.

Training with Damian had gone similarly to their first sparring practice. However, Kon noticed the comments the prince made were slightly less barbed and more often constructive. The step in the right direction fueled Kon to improve and show Damian that the effort wasn’t being wasted. He thought it went well. 

The practice session ended up going over the expected time since they were both too focused to notice the movement of the clock or sound of an alarm. Prince Duke ended up being the one to break up the two when he unexpectedly arrived, reminding Damian of his classes that he was late to. 

While Damian claimed he was aware of the time, the tips of his ear had turned red and Kon surmised that the young prince was lying. In order to distract from Damian’s embarrassment, Kon bowed to the both of them and thanked Damian for his time before practically running to the arcade.

He was slightly mortified at being late to such an important event, but when he arrived he promptly forgot his nerves. He’d found Tim hunched over a game in the corner, one that Bart particularly liked. The prince was so focused that Kon’s approach escaped notice. Given the perfect opportunity, Kon opted to get back at Tim for scaring him at dinner the night prior. He hoped the opening would be the ideal way to start the evening to get Tim out of his shell. 

He ended up being right. 

His expectations had been somewhat low, worried about what the ‘date’ would be like considering they were supposedly trying to become friends. It ended up being one of the most fun evenings Kon had had in a long time. Tim was a sore winner and had terrible taste in pizza, but his sense of humor perfectly matched Kon’s and his laugh had been stuck in Kon’s ears ever since. 

He was looking forward to spending more time with Tim.

…

“Well don’t ya look peppy this morning.” Harls’ greeting was loud as always, but for once Kon could meet her with equal energy.

“Hiya Harls. Good morning.” 

Her shock at Kon already being awake only lasted for a moment before she bounded over to him.

“There’s that energy I love to see. Big plans today?” She asked her questions while she started picking out an outfit for him. It ended up being another suit but a navy blue with a black undershirt.

“Nope.” He smiled widely at her. “Absolutely nothing on the agenda.”

She gave him a look. “Ah I see. A big day of making it up as you go then.”

“Pretty much,” Kon let out a laugh. “What about you Harls? Any big plans?”

“Oh me… well Pammy mentioned taking me out to dinner at the new Italian place in the city.”

“I’m sure that’ll be fun. From what you’ve told me the two of you could make watching paint dry into a fun date night.” Kon spoke lightheartedly but the smile on her face faded slowly. The sight set off alarm bells in Kon’s head considering the woman was practically cheer reincarnated in human form.

“Well I don’t know if we can go since I’ve gotta be here til late in case I’m needed.”

Kon considered her words and their implications, guilt swarming his head. 

“If this is about me I can handle everything for a night so you can go to dinner.”

Harls pursed her lips and tapped her chin in thought. “That would help but unfortunately I’ve got some other things to do tonight.”

“Is there any way I could step in for you?” Kon probed. “I’ve got nothing else going on so I could totally help.” 

“It’s just helping out in the kitchen? Do you got any experience with that?”

“Yes,” Kon perked up. “I would help all the time back in Smallville with the cooking and cleaning. If it’s anything like that I could do it.”

Harley looked so relieved that Kon was immediately glad he’d offered. 

“That’d be great, hon. You’re just the best.” She pulled him into a tight hug that had him struggling to breathe. He wondered how she was so strong but she backed away quickly. “Now, let’s get you ready huh?”

Just those six words were all it took for Kon to fear her again. 

…

At breakfast Kon was faced with the expectant faces of all his friends. He sighed, knowing he was in for a long morning and started answering questions.

“Sooo,” Steph’s grin was positively feral. “How’d the big date go?”

“It went well. As you all know we went to the arcade and played games.” 

He couldn’t say that it wasn’t really a date, and hoped to keep all explanations as simple as possible. No need to tell them about the hour long debate over whether Pluto was really a planet. Kon hadn’t taken no for an answer no matter what facts Tim presented.

“That’s it?” Cassie raised an eyebrow at him. He looked around and saw similar faces of disappointment or anticipation. “C’mon man you were there for hours which we know because we totally camped outside for a while before we got tired and hungry. So spill.”

He raised his hands in defense. “We really did play games and talk. Alfred also brought us some pizza.” He leaned forward as though sharing a secret. “He eats pizza with pineapple on it. By choice.”

Cassie, Bart, and Cissie all looked disgusted at this, but Steph just laughed.

“Oh wow I almost forgot about that.” Steph spoke through giggles. “And not just pineapple pizza, but he puts tartar sauce on it like a freak.”

“Eww,” Cissie looked disturbed.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s good if he likes it so much.” Bart mused out loud, looking like he was seriously considering eating that monstrosity.

“Bart.” Kon stopped him right there. “No dude, it would absolutely not be good.”

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Cissie lean towards Cassie and whisper something in her ear. Whatever she said must have been funny since Cassie burst out laughing and went to respond. With those two in their own world, Kon was now only faced with three eager faces desiring his secrets.

“Ok, so terrible pizza choice aside, what else happened? And give actual details.”

Kon sighed at Steph’s determination. “We went through every game in the room other than skee-ball.” He scowled at the thought. “He beat me at everything except the basketball hoops, the bastard.” He wasn’t actually mad about that, but it was a bit of a sore spot.

“Ugh, that sounds about right,” Steph bemoaned. “He’s too good at those games, it's so annoying. I’ve tried for years but he still has almost all the high scores.”

“Wait,” Bart looked confused. “Aren’t all the high scores ‘Boy Wonder?’” 

“Yep.” Kon and Steph spoke at the same time.

“No way! He’s ‘Boy Wonder?’” 

Bart’s voice carried throughout the room and it garnered quite a bit of attention. With a glance at the table in the front Kon saw that several of the royals also turned to look, one of them being Tim. 

When he saw Kon looking he gave him a disappointed look, clearly thinking Kon had shared his moniker. Kon shook his head and pointed at Steph. Tim followed his fingers and after seeing who Kon was pointing at, rolled his eyes and turned back to his family. Kon held back a smile and tuned back into the conversation happening at the table.

“...such a good story. You see Tim’s always been an absolute idiot so what happened was…” Steph proceeded to share the very long story of how Tim earned that particular title and the whole table was roaring with laughter by the end. Every now and then Kon would glance back to Tim and he wasn’t sure how, but he sensed that Tim knew what they were talking about. 

With a closer inspection, however, Tim looked especially tense this morning. Kon frowned, unsure of why that may be. Admittedly, there were many options, most of which he wasn’t privy to hearing about. 

Surveying the other royals at the table, he noticed that all of them seemed more stiff than usual at breakfast. Occasionally, a few of them would look around the room or scan those assembled. Kon wasn’t sure what to make of that or what that may mean, so he kept it in the back of his mind and made sure to remain aware of his surroundings.

…

The rest of the day passed without incident, his friends keeping him company in the library while they chatted and drew juvenile pictures or read their own books. He made sure to head back to his room early to catch Harls before she left so he could get more information on what he had to do. When he got there she was texting on her phone and she glanced up quickly at the door opening.

“Oh, wonderful hons. I’m about to leave but here’s what I was given as my instructions for tonight. I left my number too so if you have any questions call me!” She handed him the paper, kissed his cheek and darted out the door with a wave. 

Kon was left standing there in the aftershocks of her presence. He hadn’t even been able to tell her that he didn’t have access to his phone. Oh well, hopefully he wouldn’t have any issues.

He glanced down at the paper and read through the words swiftly. Harls was meant to report to the kitchens to prep for breakfast the following day and clean up. The instructions were clear and the tasks were well within his skill set. There was still some time until needing to be at the kitchens, but decided to just head down early. 

On his way he used his map since the kitchens were in an area he hadn’t been to many times before. The halls were empty of people, but every now and then he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him. The feeling left his hair standing on end, but somehow the unseen aura didn’t feel menacing, more so watchful. Kon didn’t understand how that was the case but did his best to pretend he didn’t notice anything.

In his vague state of unease he managed to walk to the kitchens faster than he normally would, and so as he entered it was still bustling with the post-dinner rush. He opted to stand in the corner and wait out everyone who was moving around and trying to get their work done. 

Lacking anything else to do, he reread the instruction sheet Harls gave him over and over until he could recite it word for word. After he had been there for an extended time he was approached by a familiar face.

“Hello Mister Kent.” Alfred’s face was as warm and welcoming as ever, but even he seemed disconcerted at Kon’s presence. “It is good to see you, but may I ask what you are doing here?”

“Hey Alfred.” Kon greeted sheepishly. “No need to call me Mister Kent. Just Kon is fine.”

“As you wish, Mister Kon.” Alfred’s face remained expectant despite indulging Kon so he answered his previous question.

“Thanks…As for why I’m here…Well I offered Harls to pick up her tasks for the night so that she could get dinner with her wife. I guess I just got here a bit too early so I was waiting to let everyone finish so I didn’t get in their way.” He struggled to look Alfred in the eye, intimidated by the man’s professional demeanor.

“That’s very kind of you.” Alfred’s voice sounded genuinely impressed which gave Kon the courage to finally look him in the eye. “I’m sure Mrs. Isley was very happy that you were willing to do so. May I see what tasks you were given?”

“Yes, of course.” Kon scrambled to hand Alfred the paper he had been staring at.

“Hmm.” Alfred hummed before raising his hand in a ‘follow me’ gesture at Kon and beginning to walk away. Kon hurried to follow, not sure where they were going. “It looks like you will be helping to prepare for tomorrow’s breakfast. That task is rotated between the staff since it is relatively low difficulty but tedious for our chefs to complete on top of all their usual duties.” Kon nodded at Alfred’s words, soaking in the information. “Over here we have our smaller secondary kitchen.” 

As he spoke they entered a smaller room cut off from the larger busy area they had been previously. Kon looked around and marveled at the high quality cooking utilities and spotless counter tops. Ma would’ve loved to cook in this place. 

Alfred gave him a moment to gawk before continuing. “This area is reserved for food preparation, and so it is where you will be working. Are you experienced with cooking?”

“Yes, I do it all the time at home.”

“Excellent.” Alfred pointed to a calendar on the fridge. “This is the meal schedule created by myself. You will find all the plans you need on the label for tomorrow. It is one of my jobs to oversee the kitchens and meals, so I will be in the other room. Feel free to come get me if you are in need of any assistance.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” Kon was incredibly grateful for the guidance and tried to make it clear in his tone.

“Of course, Mister Kon.” Alfred smiled.

After Alfred disappeared back into the main kitchens Kon made his way over to the fridge. It looked like breakfast for tomorrow was a standard all-American breakfast. Luckily, that was something he knew well. He got to work cracking eggs into a bowl to put in the fridge before hand-rolling out the dough for the biscuits. Biscuits and gravy was a favorite back home, and he looked forward to getting to eat his Ma’s biscuit recipe in the morning. 

After that he grabbed the meat from the freezer and left it in the fridge to defrost overnight. As he was getting to work on some homemade jam, Alfred returned to the room and inspected his work. 

“Everything looks great, Mister Kon.” He walked over to where Kon was mixing the jam on the stove. “What’s this you’re making?”

Kon froze, worried that he had taken too many liberties. “It’s strawberry jam. I saw the strawberries in the fridge and thought it’d be good with the biscuits. I know it wasn’t on the menu but hopefully that’s okay.” As he spoke his shoulders tightened as he braced himself for if he had made a mistake.

To his immeasurable relief Alfred seemed delighted. “What a wonderful idea. It escaped my memory that we still had those. They were picked in the gardens on the grounds. This is a brilliant use for them.”

“Thank you,” Kon breathed. “It’s my Ma’s recipe. Hopefully it turns out anything close to how good she can make it.” 

“I’m sure it will be very tasty indeed.”

Kon smiled again and looked back at the pot. Glancing at the timer he set, the pot was done simmering and so he removed it from the heat and brought over the jars he planned to pour it into. 

“Is this the last thing you plan to make?”

Kon made sure his concentration didn’t slip as he poured the almost-boiling pot into the smaller glass jars. “Yep. Everything else on the list is all set up and ready to go for tomorrow. I just have to clean up.”

“Let me help you with that then.” Kon glanced over at Alfred and saw him pick up a towel and grab cleaning supplies from under the sink.

“Oh no, that’s okay. I can take care of it.”

Alfred didn’t even pause where he was wiping down the counter tops Kon had rolled the dough on. “It’s no bother. You are doing a kindness to help Mrs. Quinn with her work, so I am helping you clean up. Simple as that.” His tone was definitive, and Kon caved immediately, secretly grateful for the help with his least favorite part of cooking.

“Thank you, Alfred.”

“Of course, Mister Kon.”

For a while they both worked in silence, Kon finishing up the jam and Alfred wiping down the counters and washing the dishes. Once Kon finished he walked over to Alfred and started drying all the dishes that had already been cleaned. The silence was comfortable, and at one point Alfred began humming softly under his breath. 

The whole process reminded Kon of being back home, and he let his mind drift to warm summer evenings in Ma and Pa’s house. Listening to Ma sing along to her favorite songs on the old radio as the wind blew through the open windows and the dying sunlight streamed through the shear curtains. Kon would be washing up the dishes, his designated chore when the family was all staying at the house. Alfred’s humming sounded nothing like Ma’s singing, but the resemblance had him smiling anyway. 

“You know, Mister Kon,” Kon’s visions of Kansas faded, “Master Tim seemed in unusually high spirits after your meeting yesterday.”

Even though it was phrased as a statement, Kon could tell it was meant as a question. 

“It was a good evening. I liked talking with him.”

Alfred gave him a look, evidently searching for more. It seems everyone wanted to know about his afternoon with Tim. “So you are looking to talk with him more?”

Sensing the hidden question in the question, Kon did his best to answer honestly.

“I want to be his friend. So yes, I would like to talk with him more.”

“I see.” Alfred was visibly pleased at Kon’s response, and Kon wasn’t sure what about it was the right answer, but he was glad for it either way.

For the rest of the time they cleaned up the kitchen there was no further conversation. It seemed Kon had told Alfred everything the man needed to know, and so there was nothing left to say. 

As they wiped down the last of the objects Kon used, he glanced at the time and was grateful to be done.

“Looks like that’s everything. Thank you again for the help Alfred. Both with the cleaning and helping me to find this room in the first place.”

“Anytime, Master Kon.” Alfred’s eyes twinkled in a calming way. “I hope you have a pleasant evening.”

“You too, Alfred.” Kon bowed slightly to Alfred as he left, something which Alfred didn’t appear to expect. Still, Kon felt it was necessary considering what the other man had done in the past and everything he currently was in charge of around the palace. 

When he went to sleep, he dreamt of apple pie, rolling around in hay, and the bright Kansas sun. 

TIM

Shortly after Tim made his way to Bruce’s room a family meeting was called. Everyone arrived disgruntled at being summoned so late in the evening, but when they heard why, his siblings were wide awake. They weren’t positive who had left the message, and nobody could seem to track down anyone who’d entered Tim’s room at any time during the day. There were suspects of course, but without any proof, all that was left was a note void of any DNA and a very threatening message.

“I’ll set up more guards around Tim’s rooms.” Jason offered and Bruce nodded, clearly lost in thought.

“Maybe we should set up a permanent guard rotation for Tim. At least until we know the threat is neutralized.” Bruce looked to Jason, but glanced at Tim to see if he would allow it.

While Tim wasn’t happy with the development, he knew it was probably for the best. He could protect himself, but it was good to have backup assistance in case. 

“One guard, and they have to stay a fair distance away.” Tim haggled and when both Bruce and Jason looked ready to argue he explained his reasoning. “If I suddenly have a guard on my back all the time people will become suspicious and realize that something is wrong. It’s best if the change is more subtle. We can tell them that since I’m planning to begin ruling soon we wanted me to get used to having my own personal guard. That’s the only way I’m allowing this.”

Bruce sighed as though he expected this, which he probably should have with Tim. “Fine.” But they have to stay in the room with you.” Tim gave him a look. “...Within reason of course.”

“Deal,” Tim held out his hand. Bruce shook it with an amused air. 

“I will also conduct a thorough check of all the Selected as well as castle workers who may have access to Tim’s rooms.” Barbara cut into the conversation, reminding everyone of the additional threats they all had to consider.

“Do you think it could have been one of them?” Bruce’s voice was grave.

“It’s unlikely, considering we ran background checks on all of them before allowing them into the palace, but the Selected may have been approached since coming here. I don’t want to rule anything out.” Barbara’s tone betrayed her worry at the situation. She ran the background checks herself and was no doubt concerned at what she may have missed.

Bruce grunted in confirmation. “Let’s head downstairs. I’ll go through the files again and there may be something useful on the camera logs."

Seeing as they wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon, Tim vowed to leave while he still could.

“Well,” Tim clapped, rousing everyone who had started to doze off while they negotiated. “This has been fun but I think we should all head back to bed. Nobody’s going to off me in my sleep… probably.” 

“I’m staying with you.” Cass spoke up. 

She looked tense at the situation and Tim easily inclined his head, grateful that she would be there just in case. After all, she was the best defense he could have. She walked up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him from the room. Tim allowed her to drag him and when they turned towards her rooms rather than his he raised an eyebrow in question. 

“The letter was in your room.” 

He supposed that was fair.

“We can scope my room out tomorrow and add extra locks, but I’ll need to go back there eventually.” 

Her only response was a light hum, but he could see the calculating look in her eyes.

…

They did end up scoping out his room and found nothing. There was no sign of forced entry, and no evidence anyone had been there at all besides the letter. Tim was disappointed but not surprised. He figured it wouldn’t be so easy.

Naturally, he wouldn’t be stopping anything because of the threat, and so the main concern lay in the lack of a time frame. The letter made no specifics of when they would take action, so all Tim could do was bide his time and trust that his family was prepared for any retaliation. Bruce cancelled all their plans and meetings for the day, citing an illness and a need to recover. That was all a cover of course to spend the day working with Barbara. 

Tim, however, was free to roam the palace aimlessly much to his deep displeasure. During the day Bruce would choose Tim’s personal guard, and so by the next day he would lose even more of his freedom.

The threat stayed on his mind, feeding on his paranoia and leading him to jump at every shadow. At least work and dull meetings would’ve kept him busy. Strolling past the library he considered continuing his research, but he heard voices and laughing. It was probably a bad idea to do any research in front of the Selected, especially since they may be involved in the threat, so he carried on walking. 

He continued his meandering, but everywhere he went, there were several more Selected going about their days. Tim smiled pleasantly even as he scanned them for threats or weapons. After stumbling upon almost half of his suitors, he was fed up with staying inside and took the nearest servants' passage out of the palace. Opening the exit door leading to the palace grounds, raindrops fell from the sky and soaked him near instantly. Just his luck that the sun refused to shine when he needed it the most. As he wiped the water from his eyes, he sighed and trudged towards the barracks, deciding that he wanted to let out his frustration violently.

He pushed open the door to the barracks with more force than strictly necessary, and strode to the corner with the metal swords, grabbing one at random. Tim then marched to the practice dummies and began swinging wildly. From an outside perspective he could admit he looked a little dramatic and maybe slightly insane, but his breaking point was far behind him and he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“I think that’s enough Timmy.” Jason called out from the door leading to his office on the far side of the room.

“I disagree,” Tim gritted out as he continued his uncoordinated swings.

“Ok, well you’re making a mess of that training dummy and frankly your technique is terrible. This is why you use a bo staff.” Jason’s voice was closer than before and Tim had no warning before his brother was yanking the sword from his grip. “Listen, I know you’re going through a lot and I understand wanting to let off a little steam, but can you just spar like a normal person and not ruin one of my perfectly good training dummies. You’re also dripping everywhere.”

Tim gave Jason a glare that had him rolling his eyes. 

“Geez, tough crowd. I know Bruce told us no more sparring with real weapons but what he doesn’t know won’t kill him. You need to stop listening to his words like they’re gospel.”

“He only said that because none of us know restraint and both you and Damian almost killed me while sparring.” Tim pointed out.

Once again Jason gave him a look of disappointment. “Maybe if you practiced more you’d be better.” 

“Maybe I would if I had more time where I wasn’t doing things like helping to run the country.”

They had a silent standoff where Tim tried to convey his frustrations telepathically with his brother who usually only spoke through action. Either it worked, or Jason decided to give Tim the win, and his brother looked away with a deep breath.

“Well you’re here now. So whattya say about a little spar? You have to use a bo though. It wouldn’t be good for you to get rusty right now.”

If looks could kill Jason would be six feet under, but secretly Tim was glad at the opportunity. They hadn’t sparred in a long time, meaning Jason wasn’t privy to how Tim had improved slowly but surely. Tim’s willpower pushed him to practice tirelessly, and in traveling for shows of diplomacy he met people willing to train him beyond even what Bruce was aware of. People that grew to respect him despite his age and general inexperience. Tim never let himself get rusty despite all his other obligations. He was looking forward to surprising Jason.

“Alright. Best two out of three?”

Jason’s grin was feral. “You’re on.”

…

It was a close call, but Tim just barely managed to come out on top, surprising Jason. He couldn’t say he would win if they went for another round, but he was happy at his progress all the same. 

“You bastard, when did you have the time to practice? You don’t practice here.” Jason panted from the bench next to Tim as they caught their breath.

Tim smirked at Jason’s disbelief, half facing the other while he responded in delight. “I make time. Besides, what’s the point of our indoor facilities if nobody uses them.”

Jason just laughed, clearly understanding Tim’s meaning. “Fair enough. I should probably spend more time in there, but Babs basically claimed that space for herself. I feel like I’m encroaching on her territory when I’m down there.”

Tim shrugged. “Just bring her something when you go. I know civility is difficult for you but you can try it some time.”

“Bitch,” Jason cuffed him over the head, but the smile was audible in his voice.

“That’s me.” Tim’s smile couldn’t be masked either.

…

Walking back through the rain after drying off was even less pleasant than the first time, and Tim raced to his rooms as soon as he made it back into the palace. A calm film had settled over his mind after releasing his restless energy, and a hot shower warmed his tired body, reminding him of his exhaustion. 

Although he considered taking a nap, there was one thing he wanted to do more. Mind made up, he pulled himself out of his bed which he’d slumped into, and put on his best smile for dinner. 

After eating enough to appease his family, he scouted out the table in the near back. He spotted the blonde head of hair he was after and slowly walked over, reminding himself to treat her the same as he had every other one of the Selected. He didn’t want to show any favoritism.

“Hello, Steph.” She looked up at hearing her name and smiled when she saw who it was.

“Hey there, Your Royal Highness.” He barely stopped himself from snorting at hearing her refer to him formally. “What can I do for you?”

He reached into his pocket which contained the date card he’d written earlier and continued to hold in a laugh as he watched her read what it said.

His Highness Crown Prince Tim Drake Wayne needs to get away from his family and talk to somebody somewhat sane.

Steph did not take the same care to hide her reaction and burst out laughing at his message. He pleaded with his eyes for her to act normal but she chose to ignore him.

“Sounds good, Your Highness Crown Prince Tim Drake Wayne. When would you like the pleasure of my company?” 

Her grin reminded him why he always chose her to help him get revenge on his family members.

“After dinner would be great.”

“Sounds perfect.” She waved him off and returned to talking with the others and this time he couldn’t stop the snort, although he tried to disguise it as a cough as he walked away.

Back at the front table his family was looking at him with various expressions. They all knew how close he was to Steph and he was sure they had plenty of questions.

“Is she going to be your next date?” Duke’s question was hesitant and contained some confusion. It made sense, since Duke wasn’t aware of the entirety of his and Steph’s long history.

“If you’re asking whether I asked to spend time with her, the answer is yes. If you’re asking whether what we’ll be doing is going on a date the answer is no.”

Duke nodded, clearly still a little confused, but instead Cass spoke up.

“There are feelings there. Are you not planning to act on them? That’s what this is all for isn’t it?” 

He cringed briefly, considering how to explain his relationship with Steph to Cass. “There was a time when I was interested. I thought she might be too but she wasn’t. Either way, we’re definitely better off as friends and nothing more.” 

He glanced at Cass as he spoke to gauge her reaction, but her eyes gave nothing away. She studied him in turn as though verifying his words and simply nodded, but he caught her gaze shifting to Steph out of the corner of his eyes.

…

“May I just say sending home five on the first day was bold. I didn’t know you had it in you Drake,” were Steph’s first words upon entering their usual meeting place.

Whenever Steph came to visit the palace, the two of them would find their way into a small tea room off the royal’s wing of the palace. It was small but undisturbed, and they never had to worry about being walked in on no matter what they were up to. It made being so casual with each other much easier without all the pressure. 

Not to mention, the room was stocked with rare foreign teas which Steph loved to try whenever she visited. Her only explanation was that she wanted to know every taste that she could, and that trying new things was the most important part of life. Tim was generally indifferent to tea, but he always indulged her anyway. 

The tea also never ran out. Tim figured Alfred had something to do with that but hadn’t ever asked, not wanting to ruin the fantasy.

“Oh please I’m sure you guessed it would be more.” Tim responded distractedly. “Aha! How do you feel about coconut blueberry?”

“In general. Not great.” Steph grimaced but still held out her hand. He tossed her the tea bags and she made her way over to the kettle along the windowsill. 

“Okay but seriously, give me updates. You’ve had what… three dates by now. Let me hear it.”

Tim groaned, slumping down into his usual seat. The soft fabric was comforting in its familiarity, and the sounds of Steph preparing the mugs with the tea bags was a balm on his fried nerves. “You know how Greta went. It was as bad as expected. She couldn’t even get through tea without complaining about how the honey clearly wasn’t fresh or something.”

“Wait!” Steph turned dramatically. “You had tea with her? Tea is sacred Tim, how could you?” He laughed at the scandalized look on her face.

“Trust me I regretted it immediately. She was a terrible tea partner but I just thought it would be something quick that I could get over with.  It’ll never happen again. Scout’s honor.” Tim put his hand over his heart in faux solemnity, but Steph ignored him as she walked over with the mugs.

“You were never a scout, put your stupid hand down.” Her words were full of humor, and he found himself smiling, glad for her understanding. “Besides,” she smirked, “I think having tea with Greta is enough punishment.”

She handed him his mug of tea and they laughed together for a few moments, reminiscing about their individual interactions with the aforementioned woman. 

“So,” he looked up and saw the sharp look was back in her eyes. “That was only one of the three.”

He smiled indulgently. “Ok, well the second was with Bernard obviously. He’s still nice and we get along but…” Tim frowned and Steph waved for him to continue. “I think he already has feelings for me, but I don’t feel the same.” He finished lamely.

Steph hummed and said nothing as she took in the information, sipping at her tea while she did. “I mean it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s possible you could eventually like him, and at least you know he’s a good person.” She paused again. “But I understand how that could make things awkward. I think the best thing to do is keep him around and just see what happens. Do you think you could fall for him?”

Tim cringed at the question, already having realized the answer himself. “I don’t think so.”

“Damn.” Steph looked at him. “At least there’s thirteen others still. Speaking of which… Let’s talk about Kon shall we.” 

The look on her face had him blushing inadvertently. She noticed immediately, naturally, and was beaming before he could even say anything.

“No!” He put a finger in her face. “I can already tell what you’re thinking and it needs to stop.”

“But he’s completely your type, a genuinely nice guy, and you clearly already like him. What’s the issue?” When she put it like that he sounded crazy and wasn’t sure how to respond.

“I mean you’re not entirely wrong and he is objectively attractive-”

“Objectively?” Her eyebrows were lifted in disbelief.

“Very,” he conceded. “He’s very attractive.” Steph’s smile was reaching blinding levels. “But I think I’d rather him as a friend. And he offered to be that. A friend. That’s it.” He tried to sound final, but Steph looked at him like she didn’t believe him.

“Sure.”

“Yeah. Not to mention he’s after information and honestly a bit suspicious.”

That had Steph frowning. “Suspicious? Like actually suspicious or just the you being paranoid kind of suspicious?”

“Well he admitted he’s after information he wouldn’t tell me about and Cass has seen him wandering through areas he shouldn’t be with his map. I don’t think he’s really up to anything bad but I still want to keep an eye on him.”

“Cass has been watching him?” Tim gave her a look. “Right, right, not important. But trust me the map is nothing suspicious if you’re worried. He really is just terrible at directions and needs it to get around. I’ve even helped him with some of it.”

He felt better getting her opinion and was glad to hear she wasn’t worried. Still, the conversation reminded him of his current predicament and he couldn’t keep the worry off his face. 

“Is this about something else?” She hedged.

He hesitated, weighing his options, before deciding that if he couldn’t trust her with the truth, he couldn’t trust anyone. “I got a death threat last night. It was left in my room.” His words were flat, and Steph sat up immediately.

“What!” She covered her mouth when her shout was a bit too loud. “What.” She spoke again much lower and heavier.
“Yeah.”

“And you don’t know who left it? Or how they got into your rooms?” 

“No, but we’re looking into it.”

They sat in silence, just looking at each other. Steph’s face carried her concern for him clear as day, and the sight was comforting, if not the reason for the emotions. He took a sip of the tea just for something to do with his hands.

“What can I do?” Steph’s determination was as expected as it was welcomed.

“Keep an eye out on the Selected? I’ll probably send home a few more tomorrow, but I want to make sure the rest aren’t suspicious.”

“Of course. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Thanks, Steph.” Tim smiled tiredly and she responded with a bright one of her own.

“Anytime.” A moment passed. “Also this tea is terrible.”

“It is.” He agreed with a laugh.

Chapter Text

KON

Harls made sure to show her thanks to Kon by letting him sleep in for an extra fifteen minutes the next morning. Kon wasn’t sure it was proportional to the favor, but was grateful nonetheless.

At breakfast he’d planned to tease Steph just as much as she had about his date but when he went to speak with her, she looked distracted.

“Sooo, Steph.” She had no reaction, swirling the eggs on her plate as she stared off at the wall, deep in thought. “Steph. Stephanie.” Nothing.

“Don’t mind her, she’s been like this since she got here.” Bart chimed in, a biscuit in each hand as he devoured the breakfast Kon had lovingly prepared. The sight had him grinning, pleased to see his work being appreciated.

“Hey Steph! Greta just spilled some juice all over herself.” Cassie called out.

“She did what?” Steph practically shook herself from her dazing and immediately looked over to Greta who was decidedly not covered in juice.

“There you are. I’m glad even in the depths of your mind you still keep your priorities straight.” Cassie laughed.

A grin formed on Steph’s face. “Oh there’s nothing straight about me.”

Kon choked on his water but everyone else burst out laughing. A lot of loaded glances were exchanged, but Kon didn’t have it in himself to think about all that at the moment. He was busy looking up at the royal’s table where Barbara was talking with Tim. Both had on very serious expressions, and Tim kept glancing to his right.

Looking in that direction, Kon spotted Cullen standing along the wall, dressed in a guards uniform. The last time Kon had seen the man he wasn’t a guard, so Kon supposed he must have had some promotion. 

Tim and Barbara spoke for a while, but when they finished she stepped away from the table and moved to stand where she made her previous announcements. Kon hesitantly sat up in his seat. For a moment he wondered if Tim hated their ‘date’ and was about to send him home, but reassured himself that the other seemed to have at least some fun. Either way, Barbara was talking before he could spiral further.

“Hello everyone. This afternoon Crown Prince Tim Drake-Wayne will be joining all of you in the parlor. He would like to see what you all do during the day and get to know you better. Also, he plans to send home three individuals at the end of the day. Thank you.”

Whispers broke out among the tables of the Selected, and Kon took a moment to think the announcement over. Three people was a lot to send home on such short notice. Especially when Tim hadn’t spoken to most people here besides the introduction meetings and a few small passing comments. It said a lot about the speed that he wanted to move with the Selection. Turning back to his friends he noticed that Steph didn’t look surprised at all, but had gone back to eating.

“Did he tell you during your date?”

She looked up at Kon. “About sending people home? Yeah.”

Kon hummed in acknowledgement. “Did he tell you anything about who he was thinking of sending home?”

He tried for casual but based on her face it was anything but. “If you’re asking if he plans to send you home the answer is no.”

“I wasn’t… Nevermind, thank you.”

… 

Arriving at the parlor after breakfast, there was a mad dash between all the Selected to take up positions around the room, preparing for Tim to arrive. The scene was as if ‘act natural’ was a painting. People sprawled out on couches as though waiting for a lover to arrive home, or picked up the thickest book they could find and flipped to the middle to look like they’d been there for a while. As if Tim wouldn’t know that they all had only been here for minutes before he arrived. 

It all seemed a bit silly, but Kon supposed he had the upper hand of already having had a date with Tim. Everyone else had to make a good meaningful impression in minutes. That was a lot harder. Cassie and Cissie waved goodbye as they made their way to a small table to talk supposedly. Steph, on the other hand, apparently had no interest in the entire affair as she slumped into a chair and promptly passed out. 

Kon looked around, considering what to do before he saw a table in the corner and turned to ask Bart if he wanted to play some card games. Bart’s response was a strong affirmation, and so they meandered over to the table composed of expensive wood well-worn with use. Kon started shuffling the deck, practiced fingers working the cards into configurations meant for flair over function. He snorted at Bart’s face filled with wonder.

They got into a round of War, opting for something that required little to no brain power but would last for a very long time. They had no way of knowing when Tim would arrive or they could leave.. 

It ended up being after the first round of battles and Kon reshuffling his cards that Tim finally made his appearance. Interestingly enough, he was trailed closely by Cullen when he walked in, but with a sharp look the other backed off and stood watch by the door.

Kon tracked Tim’s movements out of the corner of his eyes, curious to see what he would do in this situation with so many people to talk to. The prince simply walked to the person closest to the door and started a conversation. Kon didn’t know much about that person other than that his name was Ives and that he was a funny guy. He looked back to Bart once he had his answers and got back into the game. 

For the next half hour he lost himself in the monotony and habit of War, placing cards down one after the other and taking them when he won the battle. He hardly noticed as Tim made his way around the room, speaking to everyone. 

Luck was not on his side and Kon was losing to Bart. The stack of cards in his hand was dwindling fast. 

Of course the moment he had only a few left Tim sat down in the chair between him and Bart at the square table.

“Hello Kon. Bart.” He smiled at the two of them, but Kon had a frown of concentration and distress. Bart on the other hand was as joyful as ever.

“Hello, Your Royal Highness. How’s your day been going so far?”

Tim turned to Bart and the smile suddenly felt more real. “It’s been going well.” Somehow that seemed like a lie. “Also you can call me Tim. Your Royal Highness is a mouthful.”

Of course Bart took this in stride. “Ok Tim! I’m glad your day’s been good. We’re playing War, but I’m about to win this one. Wanna play the next round?”

Kon’s mood was plummeting by the second. “You’re not about to win. The game’s not over yet.”

Tim finally turned to look at Kon and his smile was mocking. “You do realize you only have like five cards left right?”

Kon slammed down the next card and promptly went down to four. “Shit.”

Tim and Bart both laughed at his misfortune, causing Kon’s scowl to grow.

“Sorry, sorry. War’s a game of luck though, so you can’t be too mad to lose. It doesn’t say anything about you.” Tim’s words were meant to placate, but Kon knew that if the same happened to the other he wouldn’t be saying that then.

“Whatever, how about we switch to a three player game?” He put his cards down.

“Hey, I was about to win!” Bart whined, but Kon ignored him in favor of looking at Tim.

“What game do you suggest?”

“How about blackjack?”

“Eh, kinda boring.”

“Poker?”

A twinkle appeared in Tim’s eyes. “Perfect.”

“Hey guys,” Bart interrupted their staring contest. “I’m still here, you know. But I actually love poker so I’m down.”

“Sorry Bart,” Tim responded. “Poker it is.”

Kon gathered all the cards and started to reshuffle them, making sure to use his most fancy shuffling techniques. 

For the first few rounds, Kon struggled to get a read on Tim’s reactions. Figures the guy would have a perfect poker face. Bart, on the other hand, was horrible at masking his expressions. When he picked up a card there was always a split second where his eyes would say everything Kon needed to know before going back to indifferent. Tim took the first few rounds, his luck winning out over the other two and skills at deception strong. Kon, however, was a fast learner and had a decent poker face himself. 

After the first few rounds he began to notice a few consistencies with Tim’s reactions. Tiny things like a finger tapping once on the table to indicate he had to think about whether the card was good, meaning it wasn’t. Or a sharp blink occasionally indicating he was excited about his cards. 

Kon fully leveraged all of his observations and by the end of the games the winner went back and forth. Tim’s surprise was palpable, and Kon reveled in it.

“I give up, you guys are too good.” Bart put down his cards after Kon lost track of the rounds. When he glanced at the clock his jaw dropped, realizing Tim had already spent an hour playing poker with them. Based on the annoyance on the faces of the others in the room, they had noticed too.

“Tim… Do you think you’ve spent too long here already? I mean- It’s been fun but you have to talk to everyone right.”
Tim blinked for a moment, evidently remembering that he had more to do, before he nodded. “No yeah, you’re right. I should… I’m going to talk to someone new. It was nice playing with you both, and getting to speak with you more Bart.”

“You too Tim. You’re a cool guy. Your poker face is crazy good.”

“Thanks,” Tim sent an easy smile at Bart. It stayed true that nobody was immune to Bart’s charms. “I’ll see you guys later.” He waved as he walked away.

Kon turned back to Bart who had already started regathering the cards. “So, what do you say to another round of War?”

Kon groaned. “Ugh. You’re on.”

Kon lost the round of War.

… 

At dinner it was announced the three people who would be leaving, all three of which Tim had spoken to after Kon and Bart in the parlor. One of them was also from Metropolis, and Kon was sad to see her go, but they hadn’t spoken much. The other two Kon didn’t know at all. It made him feel slightly bad to still not know people here after three weeks, but they were leaving now and there wasn’t anything he could do. 

The guilt sat with him, but it wasn’t the only thing on his mind. Between him and several of his friends, he knew a large number of the people left in the Selection had no interest in Tim. For the first time, he considered if it was unfair for him to ask to stay in place of someone who was here for the right reasons. Whether Steph or Cassie who stated they have no interest in Tim should be here either. He was glad that they were, but still he wondered.

Damian noticed his distraction and glum mood at their next sparring session and didn’t hesitate to call him out.

“What is the matter with you Kent? Your technique is somehow worse than usual today.” Damian stopped a few feet away, lowering his practice sword and staring at Kon with disappointment. The sight hurt more than he’d like to admit.

“Sorry, Your Highness. I guess I just have a lot on my mind.” He sent an apologetic smile, but Damian didn’t look like he appreciated it.

“Distraction in the middle of battle will get you killed.” Kon just shrugged. It wasn’t like they were in battle now, not that Damian ever did anything half-assed.

Damian grew visibly annoyed at Kon’s dismissal, and as though sensing the tension Titus ran over and slumped against Damian. The prince looked down at his dog, eyes softening, and took a deep breath. 

“I have heard…” The words sounded as if they were being pulled from his mouth against his will. “That talking about things troubling you can clear your mind.”

Although Damian looked deeply uncomfortable, Kon was touched at the sentiment. He made sure to smile at Damian gratefully who had absentmindedly started petting Titus.

“Thank you, but I’m not sure you’ll be interested in what’s on my mind.”

Unfortunately his words did not have the intended effect, and Damian clearly took the refusal as a challenge.

“I am sure I can handle whatever it is.” In spite of his bravado, Damian’s voice sounded more like a whine than a demand. Kon gave up and decided he was curious how Damian would react to the truth.

“Okay then. It has to do with the Selection.” Damian’s lips twisted but otherwise there was no reaction. Kon carried on as though he hadn’t noticed anything. “I’m scared about the pace the Selection is going, and I’m worried that me being here is a mistake when I’m not interested.”

Damian stared at Kon, eyes shifting between various emotions. “That’s it?”

Kon tilted his head. “Yeah.”

Damian shocked Kon by rolling his eyes. “If Timothy wanted you gone he would’ve sent you home already. Don’t worry about things out of your control.” A pause. “Besides, unfortunately my brother is far more perceptive than you’d think. I’m sure he has a plan and hundreds of contingencies if anything goes awry.” 

The prince didn’t sound happy at that, but Kon could hear the certainty in everything he said. He hid his smile, recognizing that Damian had a lot of respect for Tim. It was as heartwarming as it was understandable. There was something about Tim that made you feel reassured. Like he always knew what he was doing and had the confidence to get it done.

“Thanks Damian.” After a moment Kon realized what he said and snapped his head up to the prince. Once again the look in his eyes was unreadable before the tiniest of smiles made its way onto his face.

“Of course, Kent. Now,” he brought his sword back up and Titus took that as a cue to head back to his bed in the corner. “Show me your basic disarming technique again.”

“You got it.” Kon’s eyes glittered with excitement, head finally quiet.

…

The next few days passed with no new changes to Kon’s schedule. There was no unprompted group activity, work in the kitchens, or date with a prince. He was settling well into his routines, his map remaining left in his room more often than not. 

The next date was with Cissie, and she seemed indifferent to the whole thing. When Kon asked her about it the next day she told him that Tim was nice, but she wasn’t sure other than that. He supposed that was fair. There was only so much you could know about someone from talking for a few hours. 

Cissie and Tim’s date was a private dinner, and Cassie sulked for the entire evening while they were gone. Kon and Bart tried to cheer her up, but her stormy mood lingered. At breakfast Kon studied her, and could tell she was still upset.

“Hey Cassie, can you come back with me to grab a book from my room? I want to pick it up before we head to the library.” He aimed for casual but implored her to say yes with his eyes.

Cassie’s mouth twisted into a frown, but she had no real reason to say no. “Okay.”

As they made their way to his room they walked in silence. Kon wanted to wait until they were truly alone before grilling her, and she was clearly in no rush to answer any questions.

Shutting his door quietly with one hand, Kon looked back at Cassie as she took in his room.

“You’re a lot neater than I thought you’d be.”

“Gee thanks.” He shot her an unimpressed look. “Alright, I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but I’m worried about you. Are you alright?”

She sighed, and the sound was hollow and defeated. “I-“ she stopped herself. “You know how I told you guys I wasn’t interested in Tim after the first meetings?”

Kon nodded, recalling her words from the first day.

“Right. It’s because I’m not interested in men.” That wasn’t surprising but he smiled, letting her know to continue.

“That’s cool. Is that related to why you’ve been upset? Did someone say something?”

“No, nothing like that.” She waved his concerns away. “But it’s related I suppose.” Cassie let out another deep breath, visibly steeling herself before she continued. “The reason I’m upset though, is because I really like Cissie, but she doesn’t like me back.”

Tears were forming in Cassie’s eyes and Kon did everything he could to stop his jaw from dropping. It made a lot of sense, but what he didn’t get was how she was sure Cissie didn’t feel the same.

“That’s- I mean… How do you know she doesn’t like you back? You two are practically inseparable.”

“She was so excited for the date, and when she came back she was practically gushing about how great he was.” Cassie sounded so miserable that Kon immediately went to her and pulled her into a hug. “I don’t even know if she likes girls.” She whispered out the last sentence, as though speaking them into existence would take away any chance that she was wrong.

“I’m sorry, Cassie.” Kon spoke into her hair, holding her tightly while she broke down against his chest. 

He wished he was more like his parents or Ma and Pa who always knew what to say. Or Jon who could cheer anyone up with his unrelenting sunny demeanor. But he was just Kon, and his friend was crying in his arms. Saying nothing, he held her until her sobs died down.

“It’s going to be okay, Cassie,” he mumbled. There was no reaction that confirmed she heard his words, but he knew she had.

…

Night came as it always did. Shadows growing longer, voices fading to whispers, and sleep evading Kon yet again. Harls would kill him in the morning when he couldn’t get up, but Kon rolled out of bed, rolling his perpetually stiff shoulders. Swinging a sword used different muscle groups than lifting weights. Who would’ve thought?

As usual, the endless corridors and hallways bore witness to Kon’s restless movements. He let consciousness fade to the background as he moved purely based on muscle memory.

Passing a window, Kon’s eyes were drawn to the moon hanging over the distant trees and city skyline. It was almost full, but not quite. He hadn’t been paying enough attention to know whether it was currently waning or waxing. When he left home it was a new moon. Time had been passing as it always did. 

The distant sound of footsteps caught his attention and he strained his ears to listen. The quiet noise was loud in the otherwise still early morning, and it was unmistakably getting louder. Panicked at the thought of being caught doing something he shouldn’t, Kon scanned his surroundings for somewhere to hide but found nothing. He braced himself for an altercation, but when the source of the steps turned the corner he relaxed.

TIM

“Tim?”

Tim startled at the voice and his gaze shot up to meet the eyes of Kon. Who was for some reason down the hall from Tim’s rooms at 3 am. Tim’s paranoia shot to the front of his mind.

“Kon. What are you doing here?” 

The uncharacteristic shyness and embarrassment from the other did little to soothe his anxiety.

“I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d take a walk.”

“A walk? At 3 am? Just down the hall from my rooms?” Tim didn’t bother to hide his incredulity, suspicious of anyone who knew where his rooms were based on what had happened.

“Huh. Is that where I am?” The genuine confusion in Kon’s voice loosened the knots of tension Tim had been carrying, and he let out his first smile.

“How did you even get all the way over here?”

“I’m not sure. I lost my way like an hour ago and I’ve just been wandering since.” Kon grinned sheepishly and Tim snorted at his typical misfortune. 

“That sounds about right.” He shifted on his feet and considered where to go with this next. Before he could speak Kon beat him to it.

“What are you doing up anyway? You look like you’ve been working out.” 

Tim stiffened but forced himself to relax quickly, hoping Kon hadn’t seen. The truth was he’d been out on a patrol with Cass. They’d done a stakeout outside the Iceberg Lounge, hoping to spot a familiar face or someone suspicious enough to consider following. Other than a few wasted civilians and wallet-snatchers they’d seen nothing useful. Cass made sure to inconspicuously return the wallets of course, plucking them from the thief without him having an inkling of what happened. Her skills at stealth never failed to impress Tim.

After they wasted about four hours watching and finding nothing on either Sionis or the culprit of the letter, the two had raced back to the palace. Cass won as expected, but just spending time with her left him in a good mood despite their lack of progress. Nobody could stay upset in her presence. It just wasn’t possible.

Running into Kon so close to getting back to his rooms was something he hadn’t accounted for, but he was just glad he’d had the foresight to change out of his suit in the tunnels before getting this far. That would’ve been hard to explain. It was hard enough to get past Cullen when he left, but Kon wasn’t under orders to listen to Tim and would be very likely to question Tim acting suspicious.

As it was, he didn’t have an honest answer ready for Kon’s question.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He chose not to elaborate, letting Kon come to whatever conclusions he wanted.

Kon, meanwhile, looked at Tim as though he wanted to press for answers. Tim thought of a way to avoid being grilled.

“Do you need me to show you how to get back?” Tim hoped it was a no, but based on the look on Kon’s face he really was lost. At least that was confirmation he truly didn’t mean to show up at Tim’s rooms.

“Yes actually…” Kon mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I could probably figure it out but it’d take a while.”

Tim took in a steadying breath. “Alright, follow me.” 

Without another word he started walking in the direction of the Selected’s rooms. Usually it was the guest wing but he guessed that’s what they were. Guests. For now at least.

Kon stayed several feet behind Tim while they walked, staying true to Tim’s request and following. After several turns Tim got tired of the distance and slowed down so they were walking side by side. Because of this, he registered Kon stopping in place on his right side.

“Wha-“ Tim cut himself off when he got a look at what caught Kon’s attention. 

It was the most recent family portrait. The one painted right before Dick left for Tamaran. The sight of his eldest brother sent a pang of something he couldn’t name through his chest. The feeling was nostalgic and warm and bitter all the same. They’d all been doing well at the time, and Tim hadn’t known what was to come. He almost pitied his old self and the way he was hiding behind the others. That person would have to change a lot about himself and he didn’t know it yet. 

Tim blinked away the oncoming tears and turned to look at Kon instead. He reached his hand up to place it on Kon’s shoulder, pulling his attention away from the portrait.

“Oh! Sorry I- It’s just that I’ve seen this before…” His voice trailed off, clearly getting lost in the memory.

Tim glanced back at the painting, trying to take it in with fresh eyes. “It’s probably the best portrait we’ve got of all of us. At least it’s one of the few times standing in place didn’t lead to a huge fight.” He smiled wryly, memories of arguments over positioning and back cramps flying through his mind.

“Really?” Kon smiled softly. “My family’s never had a portrait made but I doubt we’d be any better. There’s no way Jon would stand still for that long.” 

“Is Jon your brother?” Tim realized he hadn’t heard the name anywhere.

“Yeah.” Kon seemed surprised Tim didn’t know for some reason. “He’s my half brother. We didn’t exactly grow up together but we’re pretty close.” There was something bitter there, and Tim couldn’t help but pry, curiosity getting the best of him.

“You didn’t grow up together”

Kon cringed. “Not exactly. I mostly stayed with my other dad growing up after the two of my parents divorced on pretty bad terms. Luckily once I got older he couldn’t stop me from seeing my family anymore. Not that I’d listen to him anyways.”

Tim admired the easy way he spoke about the situation even though it clearly left some impacts on him. The words weren’t spoken in anger, and that alone spoke highly of Kon’s ability to forgive.

“I’m sorry,” Tim hedged, not wanting to add his own opinion or knowing how Kon would take any pity. “I understand not getting to grow up with your siblings even if it’s not quite the same. Sometimes I wonder what my childhood would’ve been like if I hadn’t been an only child for the first ten years.”

Kon nodded, apparently having had the same thoughts himself. “I miss Jon sometimes. Even though he’s the biggest little shit, he’s still my little brother you know?”

Tim thought of Damian and smiled. “Yeah. I do.” Seeing how Kon glanced back at the portrait, wistful expression clear as day despite the dim lighting overhead, Tim suddenly felt like the biggest asshole in the world. “I’m sorry that this took you away from your family. All of you. I hadn’t really realized what that might mean for you.”

“It’s alright.” Kon gave a halfhearted shrug. A mischievous grin lit up his features. “Besides, I’m sure my father was mortified to hear I’d be part of this considering he despises royalty on principle, so you’re doing plenty for me as is.” 

Tim couldn’t stop himself from laughing, glad at Kon’s ability to lighten the mood.

“Happy to help I guess.”

For a few moments they stood there in a bubble of warmth, smiling and comforted by the other’s presence. Tim eventually pointed down the hall with a “this way” and they continued their stroll, this time in a much more comfortable silence.

The various halls of the palace were familiar as the back of Tim’s hand at this point, secure and steadfast through the test of time. Even so, he wished the walk was longer so he could have stayed in the warm bubble for a little longer. Instead, the door of Kon’s room appeared, a knell in the tranquility of the twilight. 

“Thanks for guiding me back, Your Highness.” Humor danced through Kon’s eyes, and Tim stared, captivated.

“Anytime. Us night owls have to stick together.” Tim lowered his head, but looked back up at Kon through the hair falling over his face. It was getting quite long.

“We do.” Kon started to reach for the knob to his door, and Tim itched to reach out. Not sure what for, but wanting to do something, anything. Instead, he watched and smiled as Kon disappeared through his door without another word.

Moving on muscle memory, he swiveled on his feet and started the trek back across the palace. Meanwhile, Tim’s mind was racing, thinking of ways he could ease Kon’s and probably the others’ homesickness.

…

“Bruce, I have something I want your permission for.” 

Tim wasted no time as he sat down for breakfast the following morning. Getting out of bed on approximately three hours of sleep was no easy feat, but nothing was stronger than Tim’s determination. He made a promise to himself and he intended to follow through.

Bruce’s face showed nothing and so Tim decided to continue, seeing no objection as close enough to approval.

“I want the Selected to be allowed to make calls home to their families. Effective immediately.”

Bruce paused at that, cup of coffee halfway to his mouth before he put it back down.

“Don’t you think the timing isn’t the best.”

Admittedly Tim hadn’t thought much about that. It had been a week since the threat and they were all getting antsy, waiting for something to happen.

“They will be closely monitored of course just to prevent information from getting out. I just think it’s an oversight that we haven’t allowed them any connection with their lives outside the palace.”

“Wasn’t that on purpose?” Bruce asked, likely referring to how Tim had been the one to suggest they take the phones of the Selected.

“Yes, but this is different. We can even make the phone calls home a once a week or once a month thing. I just think we need them to have some outlet and connection to their families.” Tim was ready to beg if he had to, but hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Bruce was reasonable. Usually.

“Hmm.” The grunt wasn’t a no yet again, and Tim’s hope tentatively grew. “If we monitor them closely like you said and have the calls once a month I will allow it.”

When Tim immediately went to disagree Bruce cut him off. “It would be best to act as though we always planned to let them speak with their families once a month, and since it will have been a month in a few days it works. If we did every week then we’d have more variables to keep track of and admit that we withheld the privilege for the first several weeks. Which would look bad for all of us.” 

Tim scowled over his toast. “So you’re doing this to save face?”

Bruce just looked at him and Tim got the message. 

Part of being a royal with an image to maintain, he thought bitterly. Bruce was a kind man and a good father, but sometimes the king was a real asshole.

He took an aggressive bite of his toast, and then remembering that he was being watched at all times, calmed himself down and put on a neutral face. He’d gotten Bruce to agree, at least somewhat. He would take the win where he could.

“Can we announce it to them today?”

“Yes. You can let Harper know of the arrangements and she can get it set up with the Selected.”

Tim finally smiled. “Thanks, Bruce.”

Bruce’s lips lifted the tiniest amount and he got up, finished with his breakfast and embarking on a schedule packed with meetings Tim wouldn’t be attending for once.

“Was that a smile man? What’d you do?” Duke finally asked after Bruce was far enough away to not hear.

“Just asked him for something and said thank you.” Tim responded, feeling incredibly pleased with himself. 

Duke stared at him with a deadpan expression and Cass was lightly giggling on his right. “Right. Cause it’s that easy. The favoritism is crazy.”

Tim raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “No way. Everyone knows Cass is the favorite.” He pointed in her direction for emphasis, and the grin on her face was all the verification that he needed.

Duke’s mouth parted momentarily before he nodded once. “You know what yeah you’re right.”

…

Tim found Harper right after breakfast, hoping to relay the information as soon as possible.

“Hey Harper,” he called out to her as she was about to turn the corner.

She jumped a bit at his voice but made her way over quickly. “What can I do for you?”

Tim put on one of his best smiles he most often used for making people feel better about the things he was asking them to do. It was a very specific smile, just the right amount of desperation and hope. 

“I plan on making it so that the Selected can call home to their families once a month starting now. Would you be able to set that up? I would need to have the calls monitored of course for security purposes.”

Harper clearly hadn’t expected this, but took it in stride. Her work ethic was one he envied.

“Of course I can do that. Did you want me to set them up for the weekend?”

“That would be great! Thank you Harper.”

“Anytime, Your Highness.” She looked away from Tim to glance behind him and he was reminded of his new guard.

“Hey Cullen you can come over here you know.”

Cullen stood straighter at being called and walked over slowly. “You were the one who asked me to keep my distance, Your Highness.” Cullen seemed to be fighting between his instincts to respond to Tim with sarcasm and his newfound professionalism. The result was a slightly sardonic tone that Tim snorted at.

“That was for when I was talking with the Selected and wanted some privacy. You know I don’t mind your company.”

Cullen looked at him and visibly fought back a smile. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Tim sighed loudly and turned back to Harper who was watching the interaction with a sad look in her eyes.

“Harper, please tell him to stop being so formal with me. We’ve known each other for years and I’m scared by this new development.”

Harper laughed hesitantly. “Sorry, he’s pretty determined to take this new role seriously. I think the king gave him a warning.”

Tim wasn’t shocked but Bruce’s warning was probably a little too harsh based on how Cullen was acting. He pleaded with his eyes for Harper to do something and she acquiesced although seemingly against her better judgement.

“C’mon Cull cut the guy some slack. He’s not used to having a guard and you’re getting a little too into it.” She ruffled his hair and he swatted her hands away with a huff.

“Fine.” 

Tim beamed.

…

Later, Tim perfectly scheduled the time he entered the parlor where the Selected camped out. They had been told to gather and all looked a little scared. Tim felt a bit bad. He should probably organize some events with them where he didn’t immediately kick out several people.

Right on schedule, Barbara walked into the room with Harper at her heels and they gave Tim a nod that had him holding back a grin.

“Hello everyone. We gathered you to let you know that this weekend you will all be allowed to call home to your families…” Conversations immediately broke out, and many glances were being sent Tim’s way. He finally allowed his smile to peek out from behind his lips. Barbara paused for a few seconds as everyone digested the information before continuing over the noise. “At the end of every month this opportunity will be given to everyone still present for the Selection. We want to make sure you have connections to your family while you remain here. That’s all, thank you.” 

Barbara wasted no time in walking out the door once she finished her speech. Harper stayed behind, likely to answer any questions. Tim, on the other hand, found his eyes drawn to the corner where they met another blue pair.

Kon’s face was full of awe and gratitude.

“Thank you.” Kon mouthed to Tim across the room.

Tim smiled back.

Chapter Text

KON

Hearing that he’d be able to call his family in a few days was the happiest moment Kon experienced since entering the palace. For weeks his homesickness followed him everywhere he went, as inescapable as the passage of time. The thought of hearing his little brother’s voice gave him a new strength, one which didn’t go unnoticed by everyone around him.

Kon was positive the crown prince had a hand in the new change. If their talk hadn’t been about missing family the night prior, he doubted Tim would’ve thought to do this or that it could’ve come to fruition some other way.

Somehow Tim knew exactly what Kon needed. He tried to let Tim know how grateful he was when he saw him in the parlor, but from so far away all he could do was say thank you.

Even separated by a room full of people, the smile Tim returned to his words felt sacred. Like something meant just for Kon. The thought filled him with a warmth unrelated to his excitement, one that he wasn’t sure what to do with.

It stayed with him for the remainder of the day, but died a quick death when he caught a glimpse of Cassie’s face over dinner. She was talking with Cissie again, but clearly holding herself back. He frowned, concerned about what she’d told him and how hurt she looked in the moment. 

Shifting his gaze to Cissie, Kon watched her while she spoke to Cassie about something that had her moving her hands emphatically and stars pouring from her eyes. He couldn’t help but think that the way she looked at Cassie conveyed more than platonic affection. There was a softness in her gaze mirrored in Cassie’s own. One that spoke louder than whatever she told Cassie the other day.

He couldn’t be sure and wouldn’t say anything lest he was wrong and made things worse, but he suspected that everything would work itself out.

…

The next day Bart dragged Kon back to the parlor for another game of War, declaring himself undefeated and in need of a victory. Apparently he was still struggling with beating Tim’s scores in the arcade and needed something else to do. 

Ever the helpful hand, Kon accepted, and Bart wasted no time in getting him over to the card table from last time.

“I’m not shuffling this time Bart.”

Bart pouted from across the table, leaning forward on his elbows.

“But you make it look so cool.”

Kon leaned his head back against the top of the seat, letting out a deep breath.

“I’m pretty sure I somehow jinxed myself last time. Every time I shuffled the deck my cards would suck. You can do it this time.”

For a moment Bart looked ready to continue arguing, but evidently thought better of it, realizing Kon wouldn’t budge.

“Ugh fine. But you need to teach me how to do that arc thing sometime.”

Bart picked up the deck and started folding them together carefully.

“Sure.”

In all honesty, the main reason Kon didn’t want to shuffle was because there were some interesting groups around the room that had formed, and he wanted to listen in on their conversations. This way he had less distractions.

He also kind of wanted to watch Bart struggle, but that was only a small reason.

With casual movements, Kon leaned slightly to his right, putting his ear closer to the group a few tables away. Acting as the ringleader was none other than Greta Hayes, but what was surprising was the group she’d assembled. 

Normally, she only talked with the other wealthy Selected, but a few had gone home and it seemed she’d since branched out. Today, she was surrounded by Bernard, Ives, and interestingly enough, Cissie.

Immediately, Kon realized that the group all had one thing in common: they had either gone on a date with Tim or were going to. Ives was the most recent to receive an invitation. Kon felt almost offended at being left out, but he figured it had something to do with Greta despising him for being from humble beginnings. 

Everyone knew about the animosity between Steph and Greta, so it was no surprise she wasn’t there.

Glancing back at Bart showed that his friend was still struggling with the cards, several having fallen to the floor when he tried some fancy shuffle. Kon shook his head and slightly turned his head back to the other conversation.

“I think we should all be honest with each other here.” 

Greta’s voice grated on his ears, the false innocence in her words enough to make him cringe in distaste. There was very little Kon hated worse than a manipulator. He’d dealt with enough of those in his life.

“Honest about what?” Bernard’s voice was open but hesitant, clearly feeling unsure about speaking up in Greta’s presence. 

As he spoke he glanced around at the group, looking to everyone as though trying to ask them if they understood what was going on.

Greta’s attention turned to Bernard and the smile that formed on her face didn’t make it to her eyes.

“Honest about our interactions with the crown prince of course.” She sat up in her seat and looked around at all the others. Her eyes caught on Kon’s form for a second and he did his best to look as though he wasn’t paying attention. “All of us have either gone on dates with him or been chosen to. I figured we should share what happened and keep everything out in the open. Honesty is the best way to avoid negative feelings in my experience.”

Kon had to give it to her that her logic was somewhat sound. If only he believed that was why she actually wanted to know. Anyway, he was curious to see where this would go.

“Oh,” Bernard looked relieved at her easy explanation, settling more in his chair. “Well we had lunch and caught up. We were sorta friends back in school so it was nice to talk again.”

As expected, there was a wistfulness present in his voice as he spoke of Tim. It spoke to how highly he held him, and the feelings he undoubtedly had. Kon frowned, remembering the picnic and realizing he probably should expect Bernard to stick around for a while.

Like Kon, Greta frowned at Bernard’s words, but unlike Kon it wasn’t out of thought but rather disappointment. She covered it quickly, but Bernard’s words were clearly not what she wanted to hear.

“What about you Cissie? How did your date with him go?” Greta shifted the conversation quickly, and Kon couldn’t place the way she looked at Cissie. It wasn’t the same as she looked at Bernard, but he struggled to discern the difference.

Cissie shrugged. “It was fine. We had dinner and talked. He’s a nice guy and we have some stuff in common. It’s nothing interesting.” 

Greta nodded, fiddling with her bracelets absentmindedly. Kon, on the other hand, wasn’t sure how to take that description from Cissie. Based on what Cassie said he’d expected a lot more gushing or at least a less neutral description. As it was, he considered whether Cissie played down the date to escape Greta’s wrath. It was possible, but he couldn’t help but hope on Cassie’s behalf that she’d simply misunderstood what happened.

“Our date will be horseback riding apparently. I’ve never done it before but it should be fun.” Ives’ voice cut into everyone’s silence, and carried little emotion.

“Oh,” Greta sounded, “I’m sure that will be fun. I know he loves riding horses.” Her smile was getting strained, but after a moment she straightened up fully.

“Our date was over tea. We had a lot of catching up to do and it went quite well.”

All of a sudden she curled up on herself, a blush taking over her face as her hands wrung together nervously. Her next words were practically whispered, as though they were a priceless secret.

“I feel like I need to tell you all this since we’re in this together. As I was leaving, he kissed me.”

Kon froze, turning to the group and no longer pretending to not be listening. His face imitated a deer in headlights, not comprehending what he heard. It sounded so out of character for Tim, and Kon wanted to question what she said. 

But does she have any reason to lie? His mind whispered out.

Kon shook his head. Of course she did. Especially if she was trying to get everyone else to back off.

He scanned the faces of everyone else, trying to parse through his thoughts but needing to know what everyone else was feeling. Ives and Cissie looked mixed between bored and disbelieving, but Bernard’s face had fallen. He tried to cover it up with a weak ‘That’s great,’ but everyone could tell that the information hurt him deeply.

“Shit!” 

Kon’s eyes darted back to Bart who shouted out of nowhere from where he was on the ground. Behind him, he heard the conversation stop from the commotion and Bernard was out of the room within moments.

“Are you okay?” Kon sprung up out of his seat and moved around the table to Bart.

Bart just looked up at him and winked before gesturing to the ground which was covered in cards.

“I dropped all the cards.” Bart spoke with disappointment but gestured for Kon to pick them up from the floor with him. Raising an eyebrow, Kon did just that.

“Dude, that’s crazy. Do you think he really kissed her?” Bart’s voice was low enough for only Kon to hear.

Kon immediately turned to Bart, mouth opening and closing in confusion. Bart rolled his eyes at Kon’s expression.

“What, you don’t think I actually take that long to shuffle cards do you? I saw you were listening in and decided to join. It was kinda fun.” Bart sounded so upset at the idea of Kon underestimating his card shuffling skills that he had to laugh.

“How was I supposed to know?” Kon paused for a second. “Nice distraction though. Bernard was clearly five seconds from crying. She really showed no mercy. I don’t know if I believe her though.”

“You think he would do that?” Bart’s eyebrows furrowed.

Kon took a deep breath. “Not really, but it doesn’t matter much does it?”

Bart shrugged, “Guess not.”

They took their time picking up the cards, joking back and forth as they did. When they finally came up for air and set them all on the table, the group had disbanded to their usual cliques, and Kon let out a sigh of relief.

…

Once again Kon’s friends separated for the evening and Kon found himself wandering by himself. The call with his family would be tomorrow, and he wondered what he’d even say to them. He’d been in the castle for a month, and so much had happened since then. Would he tell them about his friendships with all the royals? About the late night adventures and days spent with his friends more carefree than he’d been since he was much younger?

Surely they’d be happy to hear how much time he spent in the library. Even if he couldn’t be doing schoolwork or taking classes this upcoming autumn, Kon was still learning new things everyday.

With this hope in mind, Kon wound up in the library, intent on grabbing a novel or book on some niche topic and settling in for the night. A nice calm evening would be the perfect way to prepare to actually sleep rather than staying up with anticipation.

Pushing open the heavy oak door, Kon took in the scent of old paper and ink. One hand lightly brushed against the spines of the books on the rows he passed. His spot was in the back corner, meaning he had to pass most of the tables and shelves on the way. About halfway to his table he spotted someone walking along the aisles and slowed.

It was rare he ran into someone else, so he crept closer, intent on finding out who it was. Too late, he recognized the individual as Prince Duke, but no sooner had he realized before he was spotted in return. For a moment they stood in a silent staring contest, Kon’s entire posture practically yelling that he’d been snooping and Duke’s face one of puzzlement.

“Umm, hi?” Duke spoke up first, and Kon finally walked closer, deciding that lingering at the edge of the aisle would be awkward.

“Hello, Your Highness. Sorry I didn’t mean to intrude. I was just curious who was here.” Kon rubbed the back of his neck before catching himself and putting his hand down slowly.

Duke caught the nervous action and sent a calm smile Kon’s way.

“You’re not intruding. I was just looking for something.”

Kon glanced at Duke’s hands which were holding a few books. From the titles he could see that they were all related to politics and the history of the country. Kon looked back up at Duke’s face and made a few connections.

An easy grin took over Kon’s face. “If you’d like a second set of eyes I can help you look.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course.” 

Kon didn’t want to assume that he knew the library better than one of the people that lived there, but he had spent a lot of time in the area with books similar to what Prince Duke was reading.

“That’d be great.” Duke’s face settled into one of relief, and Kon was glad he’d offered.

“So… What exactly are you looking for?”

Duke grabbed his phone from his pocket and looked over a list on his screen.

“Umm… It looks like the ones I have left are Behind the Monarchy and The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Actually, I’ll be able to find that one myself. I’ve practically turned over the poetry section here.” 

Duke laughed, and the sound was a warm one. Kon couldn’t help but smile back. The other man just seemed so friendly.

“I can definitely show you where the first one should be.” 

Kon pointed his thumb behind him and the two started walking to the other side of the library. From his scouring of the shelves for random tidbits he knew where all the royal history was located. He glanced over at Duke as they made their way two rows down.

“What’s the poetry book for?”

“It’s for one of my classes. I study English at Gotham University.” Duke eyed Kon’s reaction, but Kon just grinned.

“Nice. Is it a poetry class then? I took one last semester and I really liked it.”

He had. Kon would read anything and everything, although he’d rarely admit it to people he didn’t know. He had an image to maintain after all. At least with his friends from school.

“Yeah. Supposedly it covers Romanticism poetry and its connection to socioeconomic issues of the time.” Duke shrugged but Kon could see him holding back to play off his interest in the material. 

He understood the feeling of people humoring him without actually caring, and hoped to show Duke that wasn’t the case. They reached the section with the book Duke needed and Kon stopped, fully facing the prince.

“That’s really cool. I’m a big fan of Emily Dickinson personally but I also really like Percy Shelley.” Kon recalled her from his class but he’d read some of her work on his own time and loved it. 

Shelley’s works were evocative and dreamy. Casting portraits of lovely landscapes or harsh storms but cutting through them with the reality of the human experience. No matter what she described or what she wanted to tell, you would feel it.

“The sunbeams are my shafts, with which I kill. Deceit, that loves the night and fears the day,” Duke recited, looking down at the books in his hand with a small smile on his face.

“Is that from “Hymn of Apollo?”” Kon was shocked.

Duke smiled again. “Yep. English major, remember? Memorizing literature is kinda what we do.”

Kon burst out laughing, and before long Duke was joining him. It wasn’t often someone else was interested in these things. Most of the people Kon spent time with didn’t care for reading, so Duke keeping him on his toes was a nice change of pace.

“Fair enough,” Kon eventually got out.

Kon pulled himself together and grabbed the book off the shelf, handing it to Duke.

“One Behind the Monarchy for His Highness Prince Duke.” 

Kon gave a shallow mock bow to the other as he extended his hand. Duke grabbed the book and gave him a look that said he wasn’t impressed. The reaction only had Kon grinning harder.

“Right. Well what did you come in here for in the first place?” Duke asked once Kon straightened himself up.

“I just wanted to find something to read.” Kon shrugged.

“Would you wanna join me? I was going to study over there,” he pointed to a table near the center of the library. “I can even give you some recommendations.” 

His grin held accents of mischief, but Kon was having fun so he figured why not and nodded. They made their way to the table, Duke plopping down his books and Kon sagging into one of the chairs.

“Wait here.” Duke disappeared into the stacks but returned faster than Kon could blink, carrying a thick novel.

Kon accepted the book without a word, but sighed when he saw the title.

“Crime and Punishment? Really?” The exasperation in Kon’s voice had Duke cackling again before he focused back on his work laid out on the table.

“It’s a classic for a reason.”

Kon rolled his eyes but opened the book anyways.

…

For several hours the two sat at the table, mostly in silence. Every now and then one of them would make a comment about what they were reading, Kon complaining about Raskolnikov’s psycho behavior or Duke reading a passage he particularly liked. It was nice. Comforting.

At one point, Kon noticed that Duke had been quiet for a long time and looked up from his book. Duke was staring off into the distance, clearly lost in thought but with an agitated expression. 

“Everything okay?” Kon tentatively asked.

Duke shook out of his thoughts, blinking his eyes as though coming out of a trance.

“Oh yeah, sorry. Did you ask me something?” He looked at Kon, a question in his eyes.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to bother you. You just looked upset.” 

Duke squinted down at the table, frowning yet again. “I think my brain is fried. Balancing schoolwork and trying to catch up on royal stuff is… It’s a lot.”

Kon took that in, understanding dawning on him. It explained the number of books on politics and history. He hadn’t considered that royals who hadn’t grown up in the lifestyle would have to learn those things on their own time. It made him respect all of the royals he’d met so far that much more.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” 

Even before asking Kon figured the answer would be a no, and just as he’d assumed Duke quickly shook his head.

“No, it’s something I just have to deal with.” A sad smile took over his features, at odds with what he’d come to see from him throughout the evening.

“It’s really impressive that you do both.” As soon as the words were out Duke opened his mouth, but Kon wasn’t done. “No really. It is. College sucks enough as it is, but you have to deal with politics on top of that. It’s impressive. It really is.”

Duke’s face wavered between a few emotions before settling on what Kon believed was gratitude. Even if it looked hesitant still.

“It’s just…” Duke let out a deep breath. “All my siblings picked this stuff up so much faster. I always feel like I’m behind.”

“But they also started much earlier. “ Kon pointed out. “Besides, you’re still new to this right? It’ll just take time. I couldn’t do half of what you do man.”

Duke stared at Kon for a moment, and the bark of laughter that came out startled Kon from considering what else he could say to convince the prince.

“You might want to start then if everything goes the way it looks like it is.”

Kon just tilted his head, unsure of what Duke was getting at.

“You know? With the Selection?” When Kon still didn’t respond, Duke decided to lay it out for him.

“I mean Tim obviously likes you if what everyone’s heard means anything. Plus Damian and Jason are practically raving about you.” Kon’s mouth was wide open at that point. “Dude, you’re practically a shoe in.”

Kon spluttered. “That’s… No.”

“No?” Duke raised an amused eyebrow.

“No.” Kon stated far more decisively. At least he tried to. He was still getting a hold of the conversation. 

“And why not?” Duke sounded genuinely curious.

“We’ve agreed to be friends. He’s keeping me around as a friend.” For the first time Kon told the actual truth, and it felt nice to be honest. 

Duke’s eyebrows flew even higher. “Just friends?” Kon nodded. “You both agreed to that?”

“Yeah. So whatever you were thinking before… It’s not like that.” Kon’s heart rate was through the roof, bile in his throat making his words smaller than he wanted.

Luckily, Duke finally seemed to accept his words or at least gave up on fighting Kon. He returned to his reading, and Kon tried to do the same. Instead, Duke’s words sat heavy in his mind, bouncing off the walls of his brain and leaving harsh imprints wherever they made contact.

He may have been staring at his book, but Kon didn’t absorb a word.

…

Kon’s trip to the library had not helped him go to sleep that evening, and he found himself yet again stumbling around half asleep the following day. In the hours between waking and talking with his family Kon was a specter haunting the palace with his every step. Harls did her best to cover his eye bags, but nothing could make him appear normal. His friends followed him with concerned looks or questions but he waved them off. He cited anxiety for the upcoming talks with their families and they accepted his explanations, even if they weren’t fully convinced.

He kept like that for the majority of the day, but once the Selected were all gathered up and taken to the parlor, his mind finally caught up to his body. Unfortunately, with that came the anxiety of hearing from his family, and his breath caught in his chest a few times.

One by one each of the Selected were called into the back room where presumably, a phone was set up to take the calls. It was the same room they used for their initial meetings with Tim, and the reminder did funny things to his chest.

Kon heard from his friends who went before him that Barbara stood guard in the room, listening intently to the conversations and stopping people if they started to say anything they shouldn’t. She was an intimidating presence, and although he had no intentions of sharing too much, Kon couldn’t help but be worried he’d do something wrong when it was his turn.

“Kon.” 

Harper’s call had him shooting out of his seat, striding across the room with a steady thrum of excitement and anxiety pulsing through his veins.

They walked to the door, and Kon stood outside for several seconds just breathing before he pulled open the door and made his way inside. 

True to what he’d been told by his friends, Barbara sat in the same seat Tim had taken once upon a time, and she smiled at him once he sat down.

“Are you ready?” Her voice was pleasant, and he nodded quickly, words just slightly out of reach.

She nodded in return and started to dial a number which he immediately recognized as the home number of his family’s apartment in Metropolis. Ten keys later and the phone was ringing. Kon held his breath.

“Hello?” 

The tension coiled within him released like a balloon, the breath escaping his mouth in a gust of air. He’d never been so happy to hear his father’s voice.

“Hi dad.” 

Kon’s voice came out more watery than he would have liked, his emotions making themselves known against his wishes. It’d only been a month, but he hadn’t gone that long without hearing from his family since he was a kid. The old loneliness was not a welcome feeling.

Kon cleared his throat lightly, trying to dispel some of the emotions he felt building up in the base of his throat.

“Kon!” Jon’s exuberant voice echoed around the room, the noise both unnecessary and entirely expected from Kon’s little brother. Nothing could stop the wide smile from taking over his face at the sound.

“Hey, Jon. How’ve you been?”

“How have I been?!” Jon echoed, nearly screaming through the phone. Kon imagined he’d snatched it from the table where their dad had likely placed it on speaker. “You’re the one currently staying at a palace. How have you been? Is the prince in love with you yet?”

Blood rushed to Kon’s face and his eyes darted to Barbara across the table. Her amusement was obvious although she tried to cover her face with her hand. When she noticed him looking she gave up on hiding her grin and Kon felt mortified.

“Jon! No! You can’t just…” He trailed off, rubbing his hands over his face, wishing he could will it back to its normal temperature.

“I can’t what?” Jon’s tone was impetuous, and Kon could tell he was enjoying riling him up. 

Kon decided to be the mature older sibling for once and move on. If he could save face in front of Barbara that was just another benefit.

“You know what I meant. And for the record no, he is not.” 

“You’re no fun.” His brother had resorted to whining, and Kon figured it was a good time to move on.

“Dad, Lois, how have you guys been?”

Kon heard the phone move and suddenly Lois was speaking.

“We’ve been good, Kon. Clark and I have been keeping busy. There’s a new story we’re researching about…” Lois stopped, likely remembering that she couldn’t share everything over the phone with someone else listening in. “Well, let's just say it's high profile and everyone at the Planet has been run ragged.”

“Perry keeps a tight ship.” Kon mused.

“That he does,” Kon could hear the smile in his dad’s voice and it was a nice feeling.

It felt good to know that they trusted him with so much. That he could be certain where his future lay, and that no matter what he’d have their help when he finally made it.

“I have to ask,” Lois started.

Oh no, Kon thought.

“How is the crown prince in real life? I’ve interviewed him but could never get a good read on him?”

Kon glanced over to Barbara to see that she was paying special attention now. With his words being heavily monitored he took his time to think over what to say. He couldn’t be entirely honest, and Kon didn’t think Barbara would appreciate the truth of how Tim had let him break more than one rule. 

“He’s a genuinely nice person. I’ve had a few conversations with him, and he’s super smart but not in a showy way. More like… he can keep up with anyone and he has this ability to read people til he knows them better than they know themselves. I think he set these meetings up because he could tell that we were getting homesick. He’s a good friend.” 

Once he started talking, Kon found the words flowing easily. He knew his descriptions were coming out especially sentimental and Jon would probably give him shit about it, but he wanted to tell them. His thoughts had been bubbling inside him for so long, and he’d longed to share them with his family. The people who knew him best in the world, and who would always tell him exactly what he needed to hear.

“He sounds lovely, Kon.” Lois’ voice contained enough surprise that he wondered if he said too much. If maybe he should’ve kept it straight and to the point.

“And how do you feel about the Selection?”

Kon was sure it pained his dad to ask, but he appreciated the effort. Even if his tone was a little strained.

“I’ve met a lot of really nice people. There’s this guy Bart who’s the greatest, he's like sunshine reincarnate. And then my friend Cassie is super cool and seems to have been everywhere. There’s also Steph who’s known Tim since he was younger apparently and has so many funny stories, and Cissie who is super honest and good at making fun of people without them realizing she’s even doing it.” 

Talking about his friends felt amazing, knowing that his family finally got to hear about who he’d been spending all his time with. He hoped that one day they could all meet.

“Did you just call the prince by his first name?!” Jon cut in, sounding incredibly confused but impressed. Kon hadn’t even realized he did that.

“Yeah, he asked me to.” 

“They all sound great, Kon.” Lois cut back in, sensing another argument on the horizon. “I’m happy you’ve had other people to spend your time with. What do they let you do in the palace?”

“Mostly I read in the library or play video games in the arcade. There’s a parlor set up for us…”

Barbara coughed, and he stopped talking. Apparently speaking about locations in the palace was not allowed. Noted.

“Umm, but yeah. It’s been nice so far.”

“Do you spend much time with the royals?”

Kon didn’t need to look back at Barbara to know she was warning him with his eyes to be careful how he responded.

“I’ve met most of them, but not all. They do live here,” he laughed lightly.

“But how are they compared to…”

“Lois.” Clark cut her off, obviously sensing that she’d slipped into journalist mode.

“Sorry, Clark. Kon. Habit I guess.”

“It’s fine. I wouldn’t have answered anyways,” Kon joked.

“One day…” Lois’ wistful tone cut through the tension, laughter breaking out among the family members.

They spoke for a few more minutes, Kon trying to hedge around specifics while keeping an eye on Barbara’s expressions. Ultimately, he couldn’t share much, but even telling them about the little things made him feel better. Hearing about what they were up to did the same.

“Sorry to stop you, but your time is up Kon.” Barbara sounded genuinely remorseful, and Kon sent a sad smile her way.

“Oh you have to go?” The disappointment in Jon’s voice felt like being stabbed through the heart.

“Sorry guys. I only get a specific amount of time. But we’ll talk again next month!” He tried for upbeat, and only somewhat succeeded.

“So confident you’ll still be there in a month are you.” 

Kon rolled his eyes at the way Jon spoke, remembering that his brother was a complete nuisance and also completely off base with his teasing.

“No, but I don’t exactly want to leave so I might as well remain confident.”

“Confidence is key.” Lois chimed in. “I’m sure you’ll be there for a while.”

They all said their goodbyes, stalling as they kept adding random details, until eventually the call ended with a quiet beep. Kon sat there for a moment in silence, ears almost ringing with the loss, before he sniffed and stood up.

“Thanks, Barbara.” 

Barbara was looking at him with slight concern, but after staring for a moment she nodded, understanding that he was okay and just overwhelmed.

“Of course, Kon. Your family seems wonderful.”

“They are.” He smiled.

TIM

Tim was late to his next date. If anyone asked it was because he’d had a meeting run late, but the truth was that he fell asleep in Cass’ room looking over meeting summaries provided by Bruce. He’d been back to his room a few times since he found the letter, but he hadn’t been able to sleep in there, too paranoid about whoever sent the note making good on their threat.

Instead, he slept in Cass’ room on her couch. It was a nice one, and he appreciated the option, but at the end of the day a couch is still a couch, and he hadn’t been getting good sleep.

Trying to read boring budget meeting notes while sitting on the very same couch was a recipe for disaster, and Tim overestimated his ability to stay focused on his work. It hadn’t helped that Cass was playing her usual classical music as she ran through a dance routine on the other side of the room.

The mixture of boring work, sleep deprivation, and soothing music had been his undoing, but he only had himself to blame for his tardiness.

When he rushed out of the room, Cullen stared at him with amusement, and Tim glared at his friend for not getting him sooner. The other only held up his hands in silent surrender, but there was no remorse on his face.

With no time to waste, Tim took all the shortcuts he knew and ran out the palace straight to the stables in the gardens.

Tim hadn’t spoken to Ives many times, but he seemed like a pretty genuine guy. From what Tim observed, he thought the other man would appreciate direct communication and an activity that would be more active than anything.

Out of the list of date ideas he’d created, horseback riding seemed fitting. Something that provided the option for talking but didn’t make it mandatory. Tim could also use it to see how well the other would fare with animals which was always a good indication of someone’s character. At least Damian liked to say so.

All in all, it felt like the perfect option. The natural conclusion.

However, as Tim saddled up, apologies spoken, and greetings made, he couldn’t stop his mind. Blame it on the exhaustion, or the fact that barns and horses were decidedly rural, but Tim’s mind kept drifting to Kon. When he went to make a joke about farm animals or ask whether Ives had much experience with riding horses, he remembered a story Kon told him about Smallville. About the first time he rode a horse and didn’t know the command for stop. Or the time Kon left the barn door open and all the horses tried to run away and they had to chase them down.

There wasn’t any clear reason why. It wasn’t like Tim had never done this before or that Ives was poor company. But for some reason, he couldn’t help but wonder whether the day would’ve been better if Kon were the one on the horse next to him. If maybe he should have saved this activity for his friend.

Tim did everything he could to hide his thoughts from his date, but in his haggard state, he couldn’t act as normal as he should’ve. The date was alright, but it could’ve been better.

He kicked himself the entire walk back to the palace for his behavior. He didn’t know what was wrong with him today.

Mind still wandering and analyzing the past few hours, Tim didn’t notice as Jason walked up to him until the other was cuffing him over the head.

“Hey idiot, family meeting.” 

Tim scowled at his brother.

“Why?”

Jason very subtly shook his head and gestured to Cullen. Tim pursed his lips, understanding the situation and nodding his assent.

They made their way to Bruce’s office, Cullen keeping his distance now that Jason was there. Tim guessed that this impromptu meeting was about the threat or something similar. He only hoped there was some good news.

However, when he walked into the room with Jason, Cullen staying out in the hallway, the looks on everyone’s faces suggested otherwise.

“Ok, what’s up?” Tim wasted no time before asking.

“We got a lead,” Bruce’s voice was the one to start.

“Which case?” 

“Maybe both.”

Tim stood up straighter in his spot near the door, starting to move closer to the table where everyone had set up camp. Lounging on various furniture not meant for reclining was practically a family tradition. Tim chose the table itself, deciding he might as well be in the middle.

“Well…” Tim looked at Bruce, waiting for him to continue explaining.

Naturally, Bruce had to pause and build suspense before finishing his own conversation. His favorite response to a question was as few words as possible, no matter if that answered the actual question. He really was the worst conversationalist of them all.

“Cass and Steph went on a standard recon mission a few nights ago while everyone was preoccupied with the family calls-“

“Wait,” Tim cut in. “Steph? She hasn’t been on a mission in years. How did this happen?”

Tim’s shock was audible, but he felt justified in his confusion. Steph used to join him occasionally for cases when they were younger and she found out about his family's nightlife. She’d promised to be discreet if they let her join, so of course they had, although not without some resistance from Bruce.

Years had passed since then, but Steph rarely joined them anymore due to a mix being around less and not having as much of an interest in going. The fact that she went out with Cass though was intriguing. Tim looked at his sister with raised brows.

“She wanted to get out of the palace. Didn’t want to talk to her parents.” Cass’ words were soft, but there was an undercurrent of anger directed towards Steph’s family. Tim could understand the feeling. He’d experienced Steph crying on his shoulder over something they’d done too many times for his liking.

He let Cass know he understood and turned back to Bruce.

“Sorry. I’m listening.”

Bruce, used to his children cutting him off, continued without a beat.

“They were camping out near the Narrows and encountered several of Penguin’s men. The group was led by a man named Waylon Jones who we know has worked with Cobblepot in the past, but they mentioned the council.”

Tim’s jaw tightened, glad to have the confirmation but not liking what it meant. Still, that wasn’t anything new, which means there was probably more.

“Okay so that theory’s been confirmed but what else?” He watched Bruce clench his fist subtly and waited.

“One of the members of the group was a new palace guard. He’s fresh, only just out of the academy, but we’ve confirmed that he had communications with other gang members about the palace.” 

Bruce looked angry in a way he rarely disclosed. Ever the stoic individual, he only showed his anger when it was about family. Tim appreciated the sentiment, but mostly just wanted to know what happened. Scanning the faces of his siblings and Barbara, Jason cut him some slack and answered his unspoken question.

“Don’t worry Timbo, he’s already gone.” Jason sent a wicked smile his way, and Tim raised his eyebrows.

“Gone as in fired or gone as in dead?”

“Does it matter?” The entire family sent him unimpressed looks and Jason sighed. “Ugh, you guys and your stupid moral codes. He’s not dead, happy?”

“Very.” Tim deadpanned.

A thought struck him and Tim turned back to Bruce.

“Does this mean you’ll finally let me patrol regularly again?”

Ever since ‘the incident’ everyone had been handling him with child’s gloves. Suddenly, they all had research that they needed his help with and were jumping at the opportunity to take over cases in the city. Tim appreciated their concern, but wouldn’t be able to last much longer like this. He didn’t do well with being caged.

“Yes,” Bruce grunted, not sounding pleased at the thought.

“Great,” Tim clapped his hands with finality. “In that case I’m going to go watch Jones and see what he’s up to tonight.”

Several people went to stop him, but Tim bypassed them all, turning the hands of the clock and entering the hidden tunnels. If the threat was passed, Tim wasn’t waiting. Very subtly, Tim heard light footsteps following him down the twisting paths deep into the caverns of the palace.

When he got to the bottom he grabbed his suit and waited for his shadow to make themselves known. 

“I’m coming with you.” 

Damian spoke with a determination that had Tim smiling. He wasn’t the worst option for this recon mission. At least it wasn’t Bruce himself. He could be a real helicopter parent on patrols.

“Sure,” Tim threw Damian his suit. “Get ready quick, I’m dying to get out of here.”

Shock flew across his little brother’s face for a moment before he nodded and strode over to the changing room. Tim shook his head fondly. He was already looking forward to the evening.

…

“Do you even have a plan, Timothy?”

In all honesty Tim didn’t. They were grappling through the city in the vague direction of the Narrows, but Tim was so focused on enjoying the rush of flying through the skyline again that he hadn’t planned further.

After a few more swings they reached the tallest building in the general area, and Tim slowed to a stop, dropping down on the roof. He pulled out his compact computer which he kept in his belt for research on the field and started looking up the man.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Damian huffed and took a seat on the edge of the roof, scanning the streets below.

“I have a partial plan. I just need to do a little research into the guy.” Tim mumbled only halfheartedly. 

He knew Damian wouldn’t believe him anyway and was too busy trying to narrow down the amount of people with the same name. It was frustrating how many Jones’ there were in the city, not to mention the country. Until they had more information they couldn’t ignore any possibilities. Plenty of people despised the monarchy enough to travel.

After a few more minutes of scrolling he finally found what he was looking for.

“Aha!” Damian looked over at his shout. “Waylon Jones. Address: 34 Hummingbird Row, Narrows, Gotham City. This has to be him. Let’s go see if he’s home shall we.” 

Damian stood up and swatted the nonexistent dust from his pants. “Stop that face Timothy. You look deranged.”

“Sorry Dames.”

Spying the small upward tilt of Damian's mouth, Tim smirked widely, shooting his grappling gun to the next building and resuming their trek to the Narrows.

It only took about ten minutes to get to the apartment since they’d been most of the way there before they stopped.

Crouching down on the roof adjacent to Jones’ apartment building, Tim counted the floors and pointed to the windows that were likely their target. The lights were off and he couldn’t spot any movement.

Shifting on his feet until he was sitting down, Tim settled in for what was bound to be a long night and handed Damian an extra pair of binoculars. Damian took the binoculars but placed them down on the roof, opting to remove a small sketch pad from his belt instead. Tim stared at him incredulously but Damian ignored him in favor of unveiling one of his expensive art pencils Tim didn’t know the name of.

He let out a laugh and then remembered where they were and closed his mouth, glancing around just in case someone heard. Never let it be said that Damian wasn’t an odd individual.

Initially, Tim stared at the window, waiting and watching for anything noteworthy, but that couldn’t keep his attention forever. Realizing that there was no point in staring so hard, he put down the binoculars and took out his portable camera.

It was a nice night, absent of clouds for once which opened the skies to the views beyond that Tim loved. His eyes traveled the length of the sky and back down to the city below, lit up with the warm fluorescence of streetlamps and the occasional window still glowing with signs of life.

Tim let himself relax while he gazed out on his city, immensely grateful to see his favorite view again after being mostly restricted to the palace for over a week.

Before he knew it, hours passed and sunlight started to breach the sky. When he looked over to Damian he noticed his little brother had started dozing, but not before he finished his sketch. 

It was of Tim.

Apparently Damian had been watching him stare out at the city, and the knowledge settled in his chest with a soft warmth. 

Slowly, Tim lifted his hand and laid it on Damian’s upper back.

Within seconds Damian was awake and alert, but he calmed down when he realized where he was and with who.

“Is it-” A yawn cut Damian off and he looked a little embarrassed. “Is it time to leave?”

“It is.” Tim couldn’t help his entertained smile.

“Say nothing.”

Damian stood up and spoke his words with fervor.

“About what?”

Tim didn’t wait for an answer as he shot his grapple off into the open air, pausing for it to hit concrete before he was pulling himself forward, pushing all his strength into a jump that had him sailing through the air yet again.

Chapter Text

KON

For the third time in as many days Kon woke up abruptly, dreams just out of reach, but leaving an indentation on his brain that he couldn’t make out.

Ever since talking with his family, Kon’s homesickness had abated slightly, but the reality that he had to go another month before speaking to them again made him restless. He felt like he was wasting time every moment he wasn’t doing something new. In his conversation he hadn’t been able to say much about his exploration, but there were things he wanted to share once he left. Kon just wondered if he had even cracked the surface of what was hidden within the palace. 

It was almost like he’d forgotten why he even came in the first place. Not that he technically had a choice.

Rolling out of bed, Kon decided that he’d do some more exploring today. The past few days had been filled with seeking out all his friends and talking with them for hours on end about anything and everything. He’d gone out to the gardens and walked around, enjoying the sun but making sure to catalog the sights. He met people that worked around the palace, chatted with them about their jobs and their families. Kon even received offers to come around to the kitchens whenever he wanted. It was a nice offer from an older lady. He fully intended to take her up on that.

But no matter what he did, the itch didn’t go away. At this rate, he’d burn himself out and run out of things to do by the end of the month.

Nonetheless, later that morning Kon ambled down the hall he now knew to contain the ballroom and several meeting rooms. Nothing top secret of course, that was all in a different section of the palace and guards stuck around to shoo him away whenever he went near there.

This portion of the palace was rarely used, and seemed older somehow. The walls were narrower and ceiling lower. When he walked, the echo barely reached his ears. He liked how this area felt, and the sensation it gave him that he was surrounded by history. As though he was carving his own footprints onto the medieval stone corridors.

Coming up on a fork in the hall, he did what he always did and chose a direction at random. One mental coin toss later, he angled himself left, making his way forward with no destination, nor sense of where he was. Further down the hall, Kon discovered a small room heavily concealed from view. The door was small and dark enough that it blended in with the stone walls.

Curiosity getting the best of him as always, Kon pushed the door open gently, feet leading him into the space. The inside of the room felt similar to the corridor outside. The furniture was old enough for the wood to have started decaying, and there was a thick layer of dust on the few flat surfaces Kon could see. One of the walls was overtaken by a large tapestry which looked to be frayed and thinning from the passage of time.

However, what caught Kon’s eye was a small stack of paper on the desk. The file looked new, and with a closer look, Kon realized the desk wasn’t dusty like the rest of the room. Someone had been here recently, and upon that realization, Kon quickly looked around, keeping his ears strained for any noises or footsteps. He didn’t hear anything, and there were no other obvious signs that anyone had been there.

He debated with himself for several moments what to do, his hand hovering over the papers and considering whether it was worth it to open them. Unsurprisingly, the thrill of what could be in the hidden papers overtook any sense of caution, and Kon picked up the stack, flipping through to see what was there.

A few words and titles grabbed his attention. The papers seemed focused on trade agreements or other transactions of money. There were mentions of incidents that Kon was very familiar with due to the political scandal surrounding them, and some that he had never heard of.

The Wayne’s, while generous and well spoken, had a few controversies over the years over how they handled the concerns of everyday people. They continuously made promises they always failed to keep, and hurt people along the way. They’ve ignored major criminal activity in favor of treating the symptoms over the cause. It was something many people criticized them for, Kon included.

The records in his hands contained accounts of all these incidents and more. As he read, a pit grew in Kon’s stomach, moving steadily up towards his throat when he considered why this folder would exist in the first place. Especially in such a concealed room nowhere near where the royals themselves would be frequenting.

At the first sound of voices in the distance, Kon dropped the papers as though he was burned. His eyes widened, terror gripping his body and drowning out his other senses beyond the ominous approach. Consuming whatever was left of his rational mind was the understanding that finding these was not a good thing, and that whoever in the palace was determined enough to put this together was not someone he wanted to meet.

He looked around frantically, wondering if there were some other way out of the room other than going through the door that would put him directly into the path of the approaching party. The desk was too small to hide under, and pressing at the glass of the window confirmed that it wouldn’t budge. Panicked and giving up on escaping unscathed, Kon drooped and practically fell back onto the wall behind him, planning to try to melt into the stone and become one with the palace itself.

The lack of a wall behind him didn’t register until he hit the ground, head making harsh contact with the damp stone floor. Blinking at the sudden darkness, Kon scanned his surroundings and recognized with overwhelming relief that he’d fallen behind the tapestry. He found himself in a passageway smelling of mold and mildew. Absently, a cold draft brushed against his skin, and he startled at the knowledge that the space was much larger than he could tell in the low light.

For a moment pure relief overtook his senses until the voices got close enough to understand. Kon sat up, making sure he was fully covered from view by the tapestry. 

He didn’t recognize the voices, but he could tell that it was several men.

“...no less than two months. We tried to move up the timeline but he wasn’t being cooperative.”

Kon listened attentively, noting the strange mixture of annoyance and reverence in the first man’s voice.

“After everything we did for him he has the audacity to-”

The anger in the second man’s words had Kon on edge, but the cut off in the conversation filled him with a sense of foreboding. He was no longer breathing.

“The papers are out of order.”

The man spoke with a crafted calmness. One that conveyed a whirlwind of emotions below the surface.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean. That the papers are out of order.” Kon heard him pick up the papers and shuffle through them. “Who else knows about this room?”

Kon shut his eyes, wishing that he could turn invisible in the likelihood they thought to look around for him.

“No-Nobody, sir.”

“Are you sure about that?” The man was no longer hiding his anger. “Find us somewhere else to meet. Now. And for god’s sake get a security camera next time.”

With that the second man marched out of the room. The first stayed back for several seconds before following with much lighter steps.

Kon waited another few minutes to be sure they weren’t coming back before he let out a deep breath, sagging against the wall. It took a lot longer for him to get the courage to peek out into the room, but luckily it was as empty as when he found it. Only this time, the papers were gone.

He wanted nothing more than to run back to his room and freak out, but the more he thought about it, he didn’t want to go back into the corridors. There was no way of knowing where the two men went, and if they saw Kon in this deserted part of the palace, he was screwed.

Unconsciously, he turned back towards the tapestry, imagining the space behind it.

Well, Kon thought. I wanted secrets and adventures. No time like the present. 

Mind made up, Kon pulled back the tapestry again, using the low light of the room to get a better idea of what was behind it. True to what he felt, the space was quite large, but it also extended back further than he could see.

Kon frowned, considering what could be back there, but then the thought hit him. He smiled, a small mischievous thing, and walked forward. His poor directional skills meant he’d surely get lost if it really was a secret tunnel system, but as long as he found an exit at some point, he was confident he’d know where he was in the palace. Or he’d at least run into somebody who did.

Still, trying to use tricks he’d heard about, Kon kept his left hand out, lightly scraping on the wall to his left as he moved down the passageway. Whenever he had to make a turn, he chose the left direction, hoping that it would be easier to find his way back just in case.

He moved for what felt like hours, but could’ve been minutes or days. The darkness crept in, and Kon’s eyes had adjusted as much as they could, but he was still walking mostly blind, trying to not trip over anything. It felt like a miracle when Kon stumbled across a small door, hand just barely low enough to scrape the top of the wooden structure.

He dropped to the floor, pulling at the handle. The door gave him some trouble, stuck from years of no use to the ground, but eventually he got it open. When he pushed himself through, he crawled out onto the floor of the largest ballroom in the palace. Kon’s eyes grew wide, stunned at his destination, and he started to laugh. His fear gave way to hysteria, body wracked with gasping laughs that took the last of his energy.

Nonetheless, an excited grin took over his face. He’d heard something he shouldn’t have and discovered a whole new level of the premises to explore. 

There was never a dull moment in the palace.

…

A rare sunny day graced the capital city at the end of the fifth week, and Kon couldn’t stop himself from laying out in the sun all day. He’d mostly grown used to the odd eccentricities of his new home, but one thing he could not stand was the weather. His friends agreed that the amount of rain was obscene, and for someone who grew up in one of the sunniest places in the country, Kon needed to soak in the revitalizing rays every now and then.

At the moment he was joined by Bart and Cassie who’d both agreed that the day would be best spent outdoors. Cissie started off with them, but began overheating after an hour and had gone inside. Steph simply said she was busy and disappeared to who knew where. The woman had a peculiar ability to hide her presence and fade into the shadows when she wanted to.

Either way, sprawled out on a blanket they’d scrounged up from one of their rooms, the three lay content, conversation coming and going like the tide.

“Do you think they’ll ever let us leave the palace?” Bart cut through the silence.

Kon cracked one eye open, glancing over at Bart who still had his own eyes closed.

“Like in general or…”

Bart lightly smacked Kon’s shoulder, “Like an excursion dude.”

“Oh you mean a field trip.” This time Kon expected the hand and rolled out of the way of the attack.

Cassie, meanwhile, was giggling over their antics but adding nothing to the conversation.

“No- Hey get back here.” Kon did no such thing.

Standing up suddenly, Kon’s vision went briefly out of focus at the bright light and he stumbled slightly, managing to crash into someone on the way down.

“I’m so sorry…” Kon got a look at who he’d run over. “Oh, Bernard. Hey.”

Bernard got up, wiping some grass from his pants and sending a warm smile to the three of them. “Hi guys. Sorry to interrupt.”

“Not at all,” Kon fiddled with the hem of his jeans, embarrassed at the interaction. “We’re just enjoying the sun. Care to join?”

Bernard looked hesitant, but nodded, and Kon walked back over to the blanket with him. They both took a seat, Kon no longer laying down since the space was suddenly much tighter with four people as opposed to three.

“How have you been, Bernard?” Bart’s friendly demeanor was at odds with how he’d just been acting with Kon, and Kon held in a laugh.

“I’ve been good.” Bernard’s voice had the same sunny quality that Bart’s did, and his features were incredibly expressive, showcasing his easy going nature. 

“You’re from Gotham right?” Bernard turned to Cassie and nodded. “Is it always this cloudy and depressing all the time?”

Bernard was clearly stunned at the straightforward question, his face the definition of someone clutching at their pearls. All the same he recovered quickly and laughed.

“Yes, actually.” His smile looked more natural now, and it was a shock to realize that his usual smile wasn’t fully real.

“Soo…” Kon drew out, gaining back Bernard’s attention. “Any new theories you’re willing to share. I have to agree with the one you mentioned before about Jason having some enhanced physical abilities. His strength doesn’t feel natural.”

Bernard’s smile stretched out, taking over his whole face.

“Maybe not new ones, but I have some more evidence.”

Kon leaned forward and out of the corner of his eye noticed the other two do the same.

“Let’s hear them.”

When Bernard got going he never stopped. His theory of Cass being made of shadows and the classic Tim having an illegal nightlife took an hour each for updates, but Kon found that he enjoyed talking with Bernard more than he thought he would.

And boy could the guy talk.

TIM

Tim liked Bart a lot. After their rounds of poker the week before, Tim invited him to play some more card games for a date. It felt fitting to do something casual and fun with the other guy. His laid back sunny personality definitely wasn’t meant for stuffy dinners or high tea. 

They changed up the games at Bart’s whims, and Tim discovered that he had a very short attention span. Each game lasted no more than ten minutes before he had more ideas, and Tim enjoyed being kept on his toes.

That being said, there wasn’t any sort of spark between the two. When they laughed together, the warmth between them was friendly, far more familiar than it should’ve been with the time they’d spent together. Tim could see Bart becoming a close friend, but didn’t think it would ever be more. Luckily, Bart wasn’t one to shy from the truth and shared his own thoughts without any provocation.

“I feel like you have an unfair edge.”

Bart’s words came after losing to Tim for the second time in a row at Kings in the Corner. 

Tim looked up from the cards he’d started gathering from the table.

“How so?”

“There just has to be some royalty advantage to that game.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works,” Tim laughed, now starting to shuffle slowly. His movements were unhurried, taking his time to let the conversation flow in between the games.

“Hmm.” Bart hummed, continuing to look at Tim and every now and then glancing at the cards in his hands. His face gave the impression that he wanted to say something, but was holding back.

“What?” Tim wondered out loud.

“Oh it’s nothing- Just…” Bart’s eyes darted around the room, fingers tapping on the table at a pace that Tim couldn’t predict. “This is fun, and you’re a cool guy.”

“But…” Tim continued.

“But there’s nothing romantic here, right?” Bart finally looked back to Tim, expression confident in his conclusion.

Tim grinned ruefully, “I don’t think so, no.”

For a few moments the only noise in the silence was the scraping of the card deck.

“Great,” Bart beamed. “Now that that’s out of the way, what do you say to a round of blackjack?”

Tim could’ve sworn Cullen snorted in the corner of the room, but pretended he heard nothing.

He instead let out his own chuckle, amused at Bart’s immunity to awkwardness. 

“Sure. Get ready to lose then.”

…

Another rainy day brought several of Tim’s plans to a standstill. The end of the week meant more time to partake in some of his preferred hobbies without the stress of meetings and dates to attend to. Unfortunately, if there was anything he hated more than being cooped up it was getting rained on for hours and grappling around sopping wet.

His arms were always extremely sore the next day when he did that. It made training much harder. 

Instead of leaving the palace, he completed his usual training with Babs watching over, critiquing some of his movements. The quiet of the underground chamber was a necessary change to the rest of his week, but there was only so long he could stay down there.

When he made his way back up to the populated areas, he encountered Duke who just finished his classes for the day.

“I was just gonna watch a movie. Wanna join?”

Tim was incredibly grateful for something to do and responded with a fervent yes, running to shower before making his way to the family’s small movie theater.

It was rare that the family had the free time to do things together, but when they did, the movie theater was a popular spot. There were rows of comfy plush chairs and a fully stocked fridge and cabinet with all of their favorite snacks. It really was one of the best places in the palace.

It looked like that evening Duke picked out an old school horror movie, and Tim settled in for a night of cheap jump scares and horrible special effects.

Tim barely noticed when he fell asleep on the chair, the soft material almost better than Cass’ couch, and the dim lights making it difficult to keep his eyes open.

He was awoken by a persistent buzzing next to his ear, and at first he tried to swat at it, thinking it was some insect. When it stopped, sleep started to dull his senses yet again, but the buzzing started back up. With a groan, Tim opened his eyes and turned his head, finally recognizing the buzzing to be his phone.

What truly dragged him from his groggy half-conscious state was reading the name of the caller id.

Dick Grayson.

His head and chest started to pulse with the familiar beat of his heartbeat. The tightening of his lungs came next, and at that point he sat up, urging his body to get back under his control.

It was far more difficult than he would’ve liked.

Tim hadn’t heard from Dick directly since he left for Tamaran. They’d parted on relatively good terms, but neither was under the illusion that all was well. The guilt was clear as day in Dick’s eyes when he’d looked at Tim, but he still left anyway. Tim tried not to let it hurt. It had anyway.

With trembling fingers, Tim pressed ‘accept’ and put the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?” Tim spoke evenly into the phone, trying to keep his voice low to not disturb Duke who was asleep on the chair to his left.

“Hi!” Dick’s voice carried loudly through the speaker, his tone jovial in an unnatural way. Apparently he was nervous too. It made Tim feel a bit better.

“What’s up?” He aimed for casual and was mostly successful.

“Nothing… Just wanted to hear how you’re doing.” Dick’s words were spoken slowly, almost like he expected Tim to cut him off.

Taking a deep breath away from the direction of the phone, Tim responded in somewhat clipped tones.

“I’ve been better.”

“Yeah…” Another pause from Dick. “I heard about what happened. With the letter. I just wanted to know if you’re doing alright.”

Tim softened slightly at the open concern, but another thought popped into his head.

“I’m fine. Not hurt or anything like that. How’d you find out about that anyway?”

“Jason told me.” 

Dick sounded sheepish. Maybe it was for admitting that he still kept in contact with the others, or maybe it was for not reaching out sooner. No matter the reason, Tim was determined to not let this end in a fight.

“I see. Well everything’s perfectly under control and we caught the guy who left the note so no need to worry anymore.”

“That’s good.” The relief was audible in his tone. “I’ll always worry about you though, Tim.”

Tim clenched his jaw, fighting back the urge to tell his brother that his words seemed more condescending than caring. The venom practically burned a hole in his throat, but Tim was very practiced at putting on a smile at this point.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Moments of quiet passed, the noise of Dick’s breathing on the other side of the line the only indication that he hadn’t hung up. Tim didn’t know what else to say, but if he knew anything about his brother, it was that he couldn’t help himself from prodding the sleeping bear. He braced himself for the incoming stick.

“How’s the Selection going?”

And there it was, the elephant in the room. At the very least, Dick did sound remorseful, and Tim considered how to respond. The Selection wasn’t Tim’s choice, but at the end of the day, it hadn’t been entirely Dick’s fault. The council were the ones who wouldn’t take no for an answer, and Dick had practically been spoken for since he was a teenager.

There was no way his older brother ever would have been able to go through with it, and everyone should’ve known that. Even so, Tim couldn’t let go of the barest thread of resentment  for the loss of his freedom. Or for the loss of his opportunity to live a life outside the center of attention.

“It’s been going well.” Even the most extensive training couldn’t keep the strain from his words. “I’m down to twelve candidates and there are a few that might work out.”

“That’s great,” Dick sounded more assured now, likely spurred on by Tim answering without complaint. “Anybody I should know about.”

The smirk in his voice frustrated Tim, and he decided to end the conversation right there, civility be damned.

“No.” 

The single word was firm, and rang through the phone with barely restrained anger. Luckily, Dick had always been good at reading the room and didn’t press further.

“Right. Well, it was good to hear from you.”

Tim sighed, guilt rising in his stomach from not reaching out sooner. Fighting or not, Dick was the one who’d made him feel the most welcome when he came to the palace, and he was a good brother at his core.

“You too.” His response was whispered back, but he pulled himself together. “I’ll call you again soon.”

“Call as much as you want. I’ll always make time for you, Tim.” 

Ending the call without another word, Tim stared up at the ceiling of the room, hope relentlessly tugging at his chest. He hated being on bad terms with Dick, but they had plenty of time to fix things.

…

Carmine Falcone was giving Tim a headache. That afternoon, the topic on the table was the potential redistricting of a few boroughs in Gotham City. Falcone had come with his usual support, making the plan a difficult one to fight. 

Now that the threat was passed, Bruce was allowing Tim to take a more active role in the meetings again. He used this to the fullest and argued relentlessly with the corrupt individuals trying to decrease the taxes for the rich that were being allocated to important public programs.

The nonstop fight to keep any progress was one that Tim planned to keep fighting, even if it was causing a piercing ache in his head to hear how trickle down economics was going to save the population. Unfortunately, a compromise was all he could get when he was so outnumbered, and so the discussion was more or less tabled on Bruce’s jurisdiction.

His sour mood hung off him even after the meeting adjourned. Pam had tried to cheer him up with some crazy story of her and Harls from their most recent date, but even that couldn’t get him out of his head. It felt like no matter what he did, his voice had no impact. What was the point of being royalty or even a king if you couldn’t change anything?

Tim understood how Bruce became so exhausted with the position.

Mind stormy, he almost missed movement coming from his right. The corridor he was in had no doors, and so his head swiveled in that direction, confused as to what he missed before.

To his absolute befuddlement, coming out of the wall was none other than Kon. The illusion created by the door blended with the wall was enough to have Tim’s brain screeching to a halt. After the reboot, the tunnel system came to mind, reminding him that he was very familiar with those passageways. However, that didn’t explain how or why Kon was aware of them. 

Most people weren’t told of their existence. Only the royal family knew since they were meant to protect them in case of emergencies, but his family had other uses for them. Uses such as the top secret training center below where they were now.

Panicking on the inside, Tim searched Kon’s face for any signs of a guilty conscience. What he glimpsed was surprise, but a happy version rather than an unwelcome one. He allowed himself to relax, deciding to tell his family of the security breach later and remind them to keep their private passageways sealed for the foreseeable future.

“Hey Tim.” 

Kon’s voice brought him back to the moment, and he found himself smiling back unconsciously.

“Hi Kon. Found the secret tunnels did you?”

The bashful image that the other made brought a burst of laughter from Tim. It really was too easy to embarrass him, and Tim took full advantage of it.

“If you want a tour I happen to be very familiar with them.”

“Really,” Kon sounded far too excited at the prospect.

“Sure,” Tim shrugged. At least this way he could prevent Kon from going down a route he shouldn’t before he got his family to seal them up.

“Cool!” Kon stepped aside for Tim to pass him, gesturing to the door with one of his hands and leaning forward slightly. “After you.”

“What a gentleman,” Tim drawled.

A sharp grin formed on Kon’s face. “Always, darling.”

His mouth curled on the last syllable, letting his accent slip out and Tim ignored the teasing in favor of walking further into the dark passage. At least the low light hid the pink traveling up his ears.

“So,” Tim started. “What have you explored so far?”

Not only was Tim curious as to what he’d seen, but how long the other had been exploring the tunnels without their knowledge.

After speaking he reached his arm up, flicking the tiny switch near the ceiling of the passage to turn on the small lights lining the way. They weren’t especially bright, but at least they wouldn’t be stumbling around in the dark while Tim tried to guide him back.

“I first found one a couple days ago on the east side of the palace.” He frowned. “At least I think that’s where I was. Since then I’ve just been looking for entrances around where I usually am. I just found this one earlier in the library and decided to see where it would take me.”

So Kon hadn’t been to the tunnels near the family's wing of the palace. Good.

“I’m surprised you managed to find them. Most people don’t know they exist since they’re so well hidden.”

The pair came up on a fork in the tunnel, and Tim decided to lean into the role of tour guide.

He raised his hand to point to the left. “This direction leads back to the library,” he moved to point to the right. “And this way leads towards the kitchens.”

Kon nodded along. “Can we go to the kitchens? I want to scope out what the entrance looks like.”

“Sure.”

At this point, Tim figured Kon would do it anyway at some point. The guy clearly had an addiction to exploring if his scarily detailed maps were anything to go by.

Moving down the new tunnels, Tim once again turned on the lights in the area. He could’ve walked them blind, but Kon didn’t need to know that.

“Is this another one of those things I’m not supposed to know about?”

Tim snorted at Kon’s question. He really had let the other get away with too much already. He decided to be honest anyways.

“Yes. These are only supposed to be for my family and I.” Tim turned to look back at Kon and enjoyed the mixture of emotions on his face. It was entertaining how expressive he could be.

“So I shouldn’t tell anyone else about them?” 

“I’d really prefer it if you didn’t.”

“Fair enough.”

A beat of silence.

“Suddenly some of Bernard’s theories are sounding a lot more plausible…”

Kon’s words were mumbled, but Tim wheezed at the reminder of his old friend's funny hobby. The sound brought Kon to a standstill, stunned at his reaction, but Tim just waved a hand at him.

“I know all about his theories.” He calmed himself down, smiling at the memory of hearing them for the first time. “They’re pretty outlandish, but I guess we are an odd family.”

They’d stopped in the passage, turned towards each other. For a moment they made eye contact without saying anything before a pinched look overtook Kon’s face.

“Y’know, I told you I’d help you with the Selection but I guess I haven’t really been doing that.” 

“Oh, right.” Honestly Tim forgot about that promise. He was content with Kon being his friend, but he supposed it was worth hearing what Kon had to say. “Anything to report then?”

“Umm,” Kon lifted one of his hands and started playing with the cuff of his suit jacket. “I mean you know I’m friends with Bart, Cassie, Steph, and Cissie so I’d recommend any of them.” He cringed slightly, and Tim wondered why. Before he could ask, Kon continued speaking. “I’ve also talked more with Bernard recently and he’s a pretty great guy.”

Tim tilted his head in consideration. The first four were pretty much out of the running as far as he was concerned even if they were Kon’s friends, so he decided to probe further about Bernard.

“Would you say Bernard is a good option?”

It took a moment for Kon to respond, but when he did it was with a simple, “Yes.”

“Any particular reason?”

The response was even slower this time. “Well, he’s a pretty funny guy. And… good looking. I guess.”

Tim couldn’t hide his amusement if he tried. “You guess?”

“Hey! It’s not like I’m trying to marry the guy. I haven’t really thought about it.” Kon’s face was priceless. Exasperation, indignation, and embarrassment all at once. 

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kon nodded and looked relieved. Right as Tim began turning around to continue walking, Kon snapped his fingers as though remembering something.

“Oh one more thing.” Tim stopped and turned back. “Is it true that you kissed Greta on your date with her?”

Tim’s mouth fell open slightly, struggling to respond. “What?!”

Kon nodded as though that was answer enough. “That’s what I thought. It seems like Greta is kind of running a fear campaign to get everyone to back off. She told everyone you kissed her.”

Tim rubbed at his eyes with his hands, unsurprised at the knowledge but once again bewildered by her audacity. He let out a tired sigh, making sure to speak his next sentence while looking Kon dead in the eyes.

“I have never, and will never, kiss Greta Hayes. I pecked her hand at the end of the date to get her to leave me alone but clearly that was a bad idea.”

Understanding covered Kon’s face. “Why do you keep her around then?”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started.” Tim launched into a familiar rant. “Her family and mine have political ties that stretch back generations. Not to mention that her family donates a lot of money that we need for different charities and things. Basically it would be a horrible insult to her family if I made her leave. Especially so early.”

During his rant, a smile formed on Kon’s face, and it only grew the more Tim said.

“What?” Tim scowled.

“Nothing,” Kon spoke through his grin. “It’s just that I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so frustrated.

Tim shot him a glower without any real heat behind it.

Kon raised his hands in a placating manner. “I don’t mean anything by it. It’s cute.”

Tim’s eyebrows flew up, and Kon’s face shifted to panic.

“Not cute like cute cute. I didn’t mean…” Kon gave up explaining himself when he noticed Tim suppressing laughter at his expense.

“Whatever,” Kon rolled his eyes. “Laugh it up.”

“Oh I will,” Tim smirked, but felt he’d teased the other enough already and instead moved forward down the tunnel. It was getting late and he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence, amusement hanging in the air and every time Tim glanced back he noticed that Kon was resolutely not looking at him. It was all very amusing to Tim.

Reaching the dead end, Tim pushed heavily at the corner of the wall and the door opened up, dropping them a few meters away from the kitchen entrance.

“And here we are.” Tim gestured to their surroundings.

Kon’s eyes were traveling around the area, taking in the location and likely noting it for later. When he was done he looked back to Tim, finally retaining eye contact after the incident from earlier.

“Thanks for showing me around.” His smile was warm, lips stretching across his face and the expression making its way to his eyes.

“Yeah,” Tim shook himself. “Anytime. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah.”

Neither moved, and Tim let out an embarrassed laugh, turning on his heels and walking away. When he looked back before turning the next corner, Kon was staring at the door in the wall intently. 

Tim smiled.

…

Tim was back to staying in his own room, the couch no longer a suitable place for rest. Cass hadn’t been happy with his decision, but she relented when he reminded her that he couldn’t stay there forever. Things had to go back to normal eventually.

That night, Tim fell asleep easier than he had in a while. He’d forgotten how comfortable his bed was, and for once his racing mind was quiet. 

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the smell. He scrunched his nose, the metallic tang in the air upsetting his senses. 

It only took another moment to register what the smell was, and as soon as Tim did he flew out of his bed, eyes darting around. 

In the corner of his room, sat up on Cass’ favorite chair, was a body. That’s what it was. A body. Tim could tell before he even got close that the person was gone. The amount of blood in the air and the unnatural stillness were not indicative of someone still living. Bile steadily rose in his throat, his breathing picking up. He held in his panic as much as he could, not wanting to puke.

Tim scanned the room again to make sure he hadn’t missed anyone else, and even though Tim saw nothing he grabbed the knife he kept in his bedside table, holding it in front of him as he approached.

Up close, he noticed something else. It wasn’t a stranger, Tim knew this person.

It was none other than the guard Jason supposedly “got rid of” for leaving the letter in Tim’s room. The man Jason assured the family he hadn’t killed. 

Tim let the detective in him take over, cataloging what he could from the state of the man. He was covered in old bruises and some shallow cuts. Tim figured those were Jason’s handiwork. However, what most certainly wasn’t from Jason were the two words carved into the man’s forehead.

Not it.

This time Tim couldn’t stop himself from throwing up.

Chapter Text

KON:

Discovering the tunnels opened up a treasure trove of possibilities for Kon. Not only did he have new ways to traverse the palace, but he was now in possession of secrets that Tim himself admitted were only for the royals. It was invigorating, the feeling of information making its way into his possession.

The conversation he’d overheard in the suspicious room stayed in the back of his mind all the while. Talking with Tim in the passageways, he almost told him what he’d found, but something stopped him. Instead he’d blurted nonsense about his promise and made an idiot of himself.

It was something he hadn’t thought much of, but seeing how Tim seemed to actually appreciate his information, Kon was determined to have more to say the next time they spoke. He needed to spend more time with the other Selected. 

Other than his close friends of course.

With this thought in mind, Kon set to planning an event for everyone. Something that would bring everyone together and establish more of a community between people who may have their differences, but were all there for the same reason. 

It ended up taking much longer than he anticipated. 

All he wanted was to have a small party out on the grounds, but apparently even that was a complicated task. Using everything he knew about party planning, which wasn’t much, Kon made a list of everything he would need. 

The party would be set up in one of the gardens currently lush with zinnias and dahlias, and would start shortly after dinner. Kon wanted there to be hanging lights, and blankets laid out for lounging. Of course everyone would want snacks so that was added to the list as well as drinks.

The longer he thought, the more he realized he would definitely need help. Between all his wandering and the circumstances of his arrival, Kon knew a variety of people in the palace. He supposed now was as good a time as any to use those connections.

The whole process ended up taking several days, which was more time than he wanted, but ultimately he was just glad when it was finally finished.

In his efforts Kon went fully out of his comfort zone but it was a challenge he was happy to take on.

Without his phone Kon didn’t know if the weather that evening would be conducive to stargazing, but he hoped it would be. An evening party outside with no light from the stars or moon wouldn’t be as exciting. At least Kon thought so.

“Kon, stop staring at the list. It’s not going to change any time soon.”

Cassie ripped the paper from his hands and he scowled in her direction. Her only response was rolling her eyes at his behavior and looking over to Cissie for backup.

“She’s right,” Cissie’s words had Cassie smirking. “Everything’s ready. I know you know that. Do you really think Alfred or Harper are going to let this fail when they’re helping?”

Cissie had a good point. When looking into the food options Kon started by going to the kitchens, hoping to run into a few of the friendly faces. What he’d found instead was Alfred, and when Kon explained what he was doing, the older man jumped on the opportunity to help. He declared himself in charge of all food and beverages as well as procuring the grounds for the evening.

Kon wasn’t sure how Harper found out about his plan, but the next day she simply walked up to him and let him know that she found him some lights and a speaker so they could play music. 

One by one, the two checked off the items on his list, and before he knew it the party was planned practically without him. All he did was give input on the theme and send out the invites. Overall, the whole process went without a hitch, but even now Kon was waiting for something to go horribly wrong.

“No, I know they’re professionals and I trust them.”

“That’s the spirit,” Cassie patted his shoulder. “Did you give out all the invites?”

“Yeah, this morning.” 

He probably could’ve let the others know sooner, but it wasn’t like anyone had concrete plans around here. Almost everyone sounded excited at the idea at least.

“Greta told me “my penmanship needs work” but that she would grace my party with her presence.”

Cassie burst out laughing. He couldn’t help joining in.

“Sounds just like her.”

“Doesn’t it?” Kon grinned.

…

Later that evening Kon arrived early to the location. He rushed back to his room after dinner to grab a few last minute items, and smoothed down his hair in the mirror. Once he deemed himself presentable he made his way over to the door and swung it open.  

Standing in front of his door with her hands on her hips and looking deeply unimpressed was Harls. Kon panicked for a moment, wondering if he had done something to upset her when she grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the room.

“Did ya really think I’d let ya go to a party you’re the host of looking like this?”

“Oh.” Kon spoke dumbly. He hadn’t considered needing to dress up for his own party.

“Exactly, hons. Now,” Harls sat him down in front of his mirror. “I’m gonna pick a new outfit for tonight and I want ya to wipe off the makeup on your face.”

Five minutes later Kon’s face was clear and Harls returned with a new suit he hadn’t seen before. It was silver and almost looked iridescent in the low light. She paired it with a black undershirt and the contrast was a nice touch. He could admit that he looked good.

“Thanks, Harls.” He tried to convey his gratitude with his smile.

“Course, Konny.”

…

His outfit change did make him slightly later to the area of the party than he wanted, and when he got there almost everything was already set up. Harper was directing workers carrying various furniture, and the tables had already been set up with the trays of food, although they were covered to save them until later.

Kon stood in the center of the madness, unsure what to do. He almost felt superfluous, lost in the storm of his own creation. He smiled wryly at his own dramatization and walked over to Harper for something to do.

“Hey, Harper. Everything looks great.”

Harper turned to him from where she’d been talking with someone helping set things up. Her hair was in slight disarray but her eyes were calm and happy to see him.

“Hi, Kon. Thank you. Things are just about set up.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

She looked down at the clipboard in her hands, scanning the paper before pointing to her right where the lights were still in their boxes. “We could use your height to put those up and if you know how to use a drill we can hang them from some of the posts we set up.

Kon grinned, excited to have something to do and at the opportunity to use some tools.

“I can do that for sure.”

“Great.” Harper sent him a quick smile before she noticed something behind Kon and started walking in that direction. “Hey, that doesn’t go there.”

Kon blinked, but wandered over to the lights. 

The drill was a familiar weight in his hands and he made quick work of the procedure, moving between posts and stringing up lights as he went. The final sight with the soft luminescent glow in the dimming evening light was deeply satisfying. Everything was coming together how he pictured. 

The party was intimate but the speaker was blasting Metallica from a playlist Kon gave Harper full of mostly 80-90's rock and metal. There were also some calmer songs later in the playlist, but Kon figured the best way to break the ice would be energetic music. The contrast between the serene setting and the loud music was almost funny, but Kon wanted it to be fun. Not to mention Metallica always reminded Kon of his dad, and that was a welcome feeling for the night.

Shortly after Kon finished, people started showing up and the night began. His friends made sure to show up right on time, not wanting Kon to suffer the awkwardness of waiting for the first couple people to show up. Bart was of course late, but when he arrived he was running, an apology on his lips.

“I’m here!” Bart came up to a stop in front of the rest of them, panting as he leaned over with his hands on his knees. From his reaction, Kon could only assume Bart ran all the way from his room. He appreciated the effort if nothing else.

“It’s okay Bart,” Kon patted his shoulder. “Nobody else is here yet anyways.”

“Great,” Bart beamed. “Also, I promise I was trying to be on time but I made a quick pit stop on the way.” 

With a mischievous smirk Bart pulled a bottle out from under his suit jacket. It was a large bottle of top-shelf whiskey, and Steph whistled appreciatively.

“Where oh where did you get that, Bart?”

“I know some people.”

“You’re a little too good at getting people to do things for you.” Kon mused to the group.

“I don’t see how that’s a problem.”

Everyone laughed, a fond sound. They were all aware of his endless charisma that could get him anything he wanted. It was a useful skill to have, and Kon was just glad he’d used it for him this time.

“No matter how you got it you’re a real life saver. The most they would allow was champagne and this party could definitely use something a little stronger.”

…

Everyone else arrived shortly after his friends, luckily not trying to be fashionably late. Even Greta came despite how she’d reacted to his invitation. She even admired the decor as she approached, although she hadn’t said as much to Kon. Still, it felt like a victory.

With the twelve of the Selected all in attendance along with a few palace staff Kon had befriended, the party was small but lively, filled with rowdy personalities and raucous laughter.

He tried to speak with everyone, bouncing around between groups and occasionally dancing with his friends when specific songs came on. 

His playlist was a hit, and that did something nice to his ego. An open area in the middle of the space gradually formed where people went to dance, uncoordinated but lively. 

Kon joked with his friends about their music tastes, gave a horrible demonstration of the worm, and listened to stories from Bernard and another one of the Selected, Sarah Glenn. It seemed they spent the day together and witnessed an interesting interaction between a few of the guards. By the end of the retelling Kon was barely standing up from how hard he was wheezing. The two really had a talent for storytelling. He could see how they got along.

On and on he went, spinning around the assembled groups and into a dance or two along the way. He was glad he set up the evening, realizing how much they all needed a night of fun.

Trying to speak with Greta hadn’t gone as well since he gathered that she seemed to have something against him. When he asked her upfront if he’d done something to her the only response she gave him was, “I don’t appreciate liars or cheaters.”

He wasn’t sure how to take that, especially with what he knew about the lie she gave about Tim kissing her. It also wasn’t clear to him what he’d lied about or cheated on, but he decided he didn’t particularly care about her opinion of him.

“Well I’m not sure when I did either of those things, but maybe you shouldn’t be accusing other people of those things when you’re lying about Tim kissing you on your date.” 

He spoke quietly, but without any heat or anger behind his words. He just wanted her to know that he wasn’t buying her words or lies, and moved on without waiting to see her reaction.

The short interaction was out of his mind within minutes once he was back at his friends’ side. It was late enough that the slower songs were starting to play, and most of the palace workers had turned in for the night. Even their chaperones for the party had started to dwindle, evidently no longer worried about any incidents occurring.

With the new privacy, they pulled out the whiskey and got to pouring. They also finally laid out on the chairs and blankets Kon gathered for stargazing. It must have been a miracle but the sky was mostly clear, perfect for stargazing. 

And that’s what Kon found himself doing while he absently sipped from his glass, listening to his friends talk. 

From what he could hear it seemed they were focusing on other things.

“No way. That’s obviously a bunny.” Steph practically yelled, pointing angrily at Bart while she did.

“Nuh uh. It’s a horse head.” Bart pointed his own hand at the sky. “That there is the ears and then that long part is the snout. How do you not see it?”

Kon grinned at their arguing, not seeing either of the animals they were so fervently defending. However, the mention of horses brought another thought to his mind. 

On his third glass of the night at this point, turning to Ives was almost too easy.

“Hey Ives.”

Ives faced him, visibly drunk with his eyelids half-open and eyes glassy in the dim light. “What’s up?”

“You went horseback riding with Tim right?”

Ives scrunched his eyebrows, either confused at Kon’s question or trying to remember for himself.

“Yeah. Last week or something. Why?”

Kon didn’t know himself. For some reason he just wanted to ask more questions.

“How was it? Is he any good?”

Ives’ face smoothed out, a conflicted smile gracing his lips.

“It was fine. He seemed like… distracted? I don’t know. He was good though.”

“Huh.” Kon grunted. “That’s good I guess.”

Ives just shrugged, returning to sipping at his drink, and Kon turned back to the sky, satisfied with what he heard.

“Ok well you agree that one is a snowman right?”

Steph sounded desperate at this point, but Bart wasted no time in killing her dreams.

“Nope, it’s obviously a dragon.”

“How!?” Steph sat up and started shaking Bart’s shoulders. “It’s three circles, how is that possibly a dragon?”

Bart burst out laughing at the look on her face, and Steph gave up with a huff, falling back dramatically into her seat.

Kon’s eyes started to shut, contentedness filling him up and rendering him sleepy after his long day and even longer night. His head felt light and calm, the buzz in his brain drowning out the conversations around him as the night carried on. 

At one point, he opened his eyes and looked around to see what everyone was up to now that the party was dwindling down to an end. When he looked over to his right, he grinned sharply at the sight of Cassie and Cissie laying practically on top of each other in one of the lounge chairs. Cassie’s legs were thrown over Cissie’s lap, their heads leaned together conspiratorially. 

From the looks on their faces, Kon was certain Cassie was wrong about Cissie not liking her back. There was no way that the twinkle in Cissie’s eyes while she watched Cassie talk was anything but a deep yearning. Or that the way she pushed a strand of Cassie’s hair behind her ear was anything but an urge to touch, to be closer in any way she could.

Kon smiled to himself, warm and excited all at once for Cassie and Cissie who he knew would figure it out eventually. It probably wouldn’t be tonight, but they had time.

The party was a success, and he was pleased to have spent time with almost everyone he’d befriended in the palace. With that thought though, Kon’s mind drifted to Tim. 

The crown prince had been a ghost the past few days, no one mentioning seeing him or having received any date invites. It was the first week since he started the dates that there hadn’t been two.

When Kon mentioned inviting Tim to the party Alfred simply told him that Tim was busy and would not be able to attend. Kon took that at face value, but he wondered. 

Kon couldn't help but correlate Tim’s absence to the information he’d heard, and suddenly his decision to keep it to himself didn’t feel as good. He came to the conclusion that he’d bring it up with him at the next opportunity just in case.

Nonetheless, wherever the prince was, Kon hoped he was also having a nice night.

TIM

When his family found him, Tim was curled up on his carpet covered in his own vomit. The body next to him was long cold, and they could deduce what happened. If the identity of the man weren’t enough, the message on his forehead certainly was.

Tim hadn’t moved since reading the words, too full of grief and regret to do anything but stare. The smell started to bother him after a while, the intermingling of iron and acid in the air. But nothing could get him up. It was a good thing his sister was who ended up finding him.

When Cass first arrived, she hadn’t said anything and instead just dragged him to her room and put him in the shower. When he got out, the entire family was once again gathered in one room, faces grave. He assumed Cass must have let them know what happened, because nobody was asking any questions.

“I didn’t kill him.” Jason was the first to speak this time.

“We know, Jay.” Bruce spoke quietly. “We believed you before and this doesn’t change that.”

Jason shuffled on his feet, but just nodded. Tim, however, looked to Bruce with the first emotions he felt since he woke up earlier.

“This is my fault.”

Bruce was shaking his head before Tim even finished his sentence.

“No it isn’t, Tim.”

He stepped forward. “It is. If I hadn’t said what I said in the meeting yesterday they wouldn’t have acted up like this.”

“We don’t know that.”

Tim’s laugh was bitter. “Yes we do, B. That’s what the letter was warning me about, remember.”

“We thought we caught him. You couldn’t have known they would do this.”

“Maybe. But we should have been more careful. Should have kept our guard up. Now we know they aren’t done. They aren’t satisfied.”

Bruce couldn’t say anything to that, and Tim’s words hung in the air.

A tingle was making its way up Tim’s body, lighting him up like a live wire. He felt restless and anxious all at once, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He knew after this that his family wouldn’t leave him by himself for a while. After a moment he remembered what happened last time and the increased number of guards around his room.

“Why wasn’t whoever brought… the body, stopped? What happened to my guards?”

“They were drugged.” Barbara called out, sounding as tired as Tim felt. “They passed out outside your room. We already ran a test and found traces of unknown substances in their systems. We think they ingested them in their food earlier in the day. They must have fallen asleep at some point and that’s when the person entered your room.”

Tim shivered at the thought of the individual being in his room while he slept.

Whoever did this had access to their food, Tim’s room, and wherever Jason had sent the guard to in the first place. The situation just kept getting worse.

“Great.” Tim ground out. “What do we do now? What can we do in this situation?”

He looked around to everyone, seeing them all just as lost as he felt.

“We wait, and we investigate. Unless they send some other message we wont know what they want from us besides what we could discern from the first note.” Bruce was back to his usual matter-of-fact self. All emotion safely tucked away in favor of analyzing the situation. It was as frustrating as it was comforting. “In the meantime,” he turned to Tim, “I think you should stay out of meetings for the foreseeable future. If you don’t do something they don’t like then they have no reason to act.”

Tim gritted his teeth, feeling hopeless and useless all at once. The emotions were unwelcome, but understandable given the circumstances. He tried to think rationally, considering what he knew about the situation.

“Alright, I’ll stay out of meetings for now, but I still want all the meeting summaries and to help with gathering intel.”

“You can assist with research, but you need to stay in the palace. Whoever is behind this knows you and your schedule well. They may have someone watching your movements. Now isn’t a good time to go on patrols.”

Tim hated when Bruce was right, but it was true that there was someone capable of watching him without him noticing. It wouldn’t be good to give away the family’s secrets by being selfish. So he nodded, but he fumed within the constraints of his mind.

…

Nobody would let Tim go back to his room after what happened, not that he wanted to. He didn’t think he would ever feel safe there again. It had taken a long time to get to that point after the letter, but this was much worse.

There was an unused room adjacent to Bruce’s in the same corridor that had significantly stronger security and that was where Tim found himself staying. It was unnerving to be sleeping somewhere new, and equally so to be directly next door Bruce.

There was some measure of comfort in the knowledge, however. Despite being twenty one, he still felt safer in his father’s presence. He doubted that would ever change

Still, the change rattled his mind and messed up his carefully curated schedule for both his life and the Selection. So lost in the aftermath of the incident he completely forgot to send out the invitation to David McKee. He was one of the Selected Tim hadn’t spoken to much, so he felt slightly bad but it wasn’t like the man would know that he’d been forgotten.

One thing he did remember, though, was the meeting which he hadn’t gone to that evening. It was one of the important ones that Tim had still been going to despite his duties. A meeting similar to the one where he made the comments that got him in trouble with the mysterious villain.

It was probably for the best that he was told not to go. Tim didn’t think he’d be able to avoid punching Sionis in the face after what happened.

Later in the evening, Tim finally left his room looking for something to occupy his mind which had started atrophying from staring at the ceiling in his new room. Somewhere between the dance studio and the dining hall Tim heard his name called from behind him.

He tensed up immediately, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

“Hey, Pam.”

“There you are, Tim.” Pam looked him up and down. “You don’t look sick.”

Tim realized that was probably the lie Bruce told the council for why he hadn’t been at the meeting. He coughed weakly, smiling apologetically as he sniffed loudly.

“No, I am sick.” Another cough. “Just heading to the kitchens to get some tea.” 

He tried to make his voice scratchy, but even his practiced acting wasn’t fooling Pam who just crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

“The kitchens are that way,” She pointed behind her where Tim had clearly already walked past. “But sure I’ll play. I was on the way to the kitchens to grab some wine. Harls and Selina want to have a wine night. You might as well come with me.”

“Thanks Pam, but I don’t know if-”

“I wasn’t asking, dear.”

She grabbed his upper arm and started to pull him to the kitchens, and Tim removed her grip, moving to walk beside her. Honestly, he could use some wine at the moment.

When they got to the kitchens Pam grabbed a few bottles of aged reds and gave Tim an expectant look. When he didn’t go to make tea she smirked and grabbed a few more bottles.

The walk to Selina’s room was full of comfortable silence, Tim still not ready for small talk and Pam reading that from his body language. 

Several years ago, Bruce tried to get Selina to officially become his consort but she refused. In the end they compromised on her having her own small wing near the larger family wing. 

It was because of this that she could host whoever she wanted, and she took full advantage.

“I’ve got the goods, and look who I found wandering around like a lost puppy.” Pam called out as they opened the door to Selina’s room.

Both Selina and Harls looked up from where they were talking at the table in the corner, three empty wine glasses already set up with a few snacks on the table and cards laid out. It wasn’t the first time Tim had been invited to a wine night, but he usually woke up the next day with few memories of the night before so the sight was still relatively new.

“Timmy!” Harls greeted with her typical cheer. “What a wonderful surprise.”

As she spoke Harls got up and met Pam halfway to the table, grabbing a few bottles from her hands and throwing an arm around her shoulder as they went to sit down. 

Selina leaned back in her chair, arms crossing her chest and concern on her face as she looked at Tim. He guessed that she was aware of what happened unlike the other two. Trying to reassure her that he was fine, Tim sent a weak smile her way, and her responding one was on the sad side. 

“What are you doing standing over there Tim? Are you going to sit or what?”

When Pam’s words registered he realized he hadn’t moved from the door and he walked over quickly, taking up the last empty seat at the table.

“Alright.” Harls rubbed her hands together while Selina got to work pouring the wine into the four glasses. Tim missed when she put the fourth one on the table. “What do we think of Slapjack with sandwiches and no revives? Winner drinks.”

Everyone thought for a moment before agreeing and so the night began.

Selina shuffled the first set of cards, surreptitiously removing the jokers and putting them back in the box before laying the rest out in their starting positions.

Tim put down the first jack, but Selina was the one who slapped it first, taking the small pile with a gratified smile and a sip of her wine.

They went around in circles again, placing more cards. This time, Harls slapped the pile first with a shout of joy and a gulp of the wine in her glass. As she wiped her mouth she expressed an idea she had.

“Selina, ya should come with me and Pammy to that Italian place next time we go. It was fantastic I’m telling ya.”

Selina put down the next card and, seeing as it wasn’t a jack, replied. “From what I heard about how you two traumatized that poor restaurant owner I’m not sure you’ll be welcomed back.”

“Traumatized is a strong word,” Pam responded distractedly, focusing on the cards she and Tim placed down. “If you’re going to serve food around open flames you should anticipate fires and be prepared to put them out. Besides, I paid him handsomely for the damages and taking some of the poor succulents left out on the tables.”

“Yeah,” Harls supported her wife. “Besides, it was a crazy long candle. Not my fault for knocking the unsteady thing over.”

A sharp breath escaped Tim’s throat, amused at the chaos the two always managed to cause together. Selina spared him a glance before looking back to the others. 

“Either way. Perhaps if you found a nice restaurant with some fancy silverware… Slapjack!”

For the second time Selina won the pile. Her reflexes were just too good, and her next sip of wine was full of victory.

The game continued in that fashion, Tim scarcely winning any cards but enjoying his time nonetheless. The three women were endlessly entertaining, and the times he did win he took large gulps of his wine. When he inevitably lost all his cards, his head felt light, and the laughter came easily.

That was only the first of many games, some of which Tim was better at than others. By the end of the night he couldn’t find anything to be upset about, and the four of them could barely focus on what they were doing.

At some point Harls got a text and hurried away saying that it was something important. When she came back thirty minutes later she stumbled back into the room, amusement all over her face. It only got stronger when she looked at Tim.

“What?” Tim slurred.

“I just had to get Kon to bed.” She giggled. “Normally he’s fine to do it without me but he was a bit too out of it tonight to manage himself.

Tim frowned, trying to think through what she said but his thoughts slipped between his grasp with the slowness of his brain.

“What do you mean out of it?”

“I mean,” her smile was almost scarily wide, “that he’d clearly been drinking himself. Could hardly stand up.”

Tim snorted, or at least tried. The sound was somewhat strangled.

He turned back to Selina and Pam and saw matching looks on their faces that spelled trouble.

“No,” he instinctively said.

They just smiled.

“So Tim,” Selina’s expression was more open than normal, relaxed by the alcohol in their systems. “We haven’t spoken about the Selection which seems a real shame. You seem to get along well with this Kon.”

Tim fought the blush, he really did. But he was already so warm and nervous at the shift in focus to him that he couldn’t stop it if he tried. Especially not in his inebriated state. They locked in on this, though, and barged forward in their interrogation.

“That’s interesting.” Pam continued. “Just mentioning Kon makes you blush. What do you make of that Harls.”

Tim officially hated wine night. All three of them teaming up on him was not something he signed up for.

“I think,” Harls spoke with mock consideration, rubbing at her chin before looking to him with a vibrant shine in her eyes. “Kon would be a real nice choice for future King Consort. He’s a charmer and quite easy on the eyes. Don’t ya agree Tim?”

Not wanting to feed their teasing, Tim chose not to respond to that question.

“You know,” Harls just kept going, “he’s the only reason Pammy and I went on that date night with the fire. He offered to take over my work for the night and everything. I approve of him for our dear Timmy.”

Tim blinked in shock. He hadn’t known about that, but it seemed like something Kon would do. The other man really was a nice guy at his core. He’d helped Tim enough to make that clear at least.

“I didn’t know about that.” Selina echoed his thoughts. “Maybe I ought to talk to the lad myself.”

“No.” Once again Tim spoke without thinking, too scared at the idea of Selina trying to size up Kon or, god forbid, give him some sort of shovel talk. 

“No? How come?”

“Because it isn’t like that.” He blamed the alcohol for the honesty, but deciding he didn’t mind them knowing, explained the situation. “He told me he isn’t interested but that he wanted to be my friend. I agreed to keep him around so he could spend time with the other friends he’s made here and he would let me know about the other Selected.”

After he finished, there was no indication from the others that they heard him. It was an uncharacteristic silence from this particular group, and Tim felt left out of some joke.

The giggles that Harls started letting out certainly didn’t help, and the only thing that got her to stop was a light swat from Pam and a whisper of something in her ear. Harls simply sighed at whatever her wife said, looking at Tim with pitying eyes.

Shuffling in his seat, he scrambled for something else to say to justify what he said somehow, but before he could Selina finally cut through the silence.

“Alright, if you say so.”

“I do say so.” His voice was petulant even to his ears. It didn’t help his case.

“Well either way, if you ever change your mind we support you.”

Tim sighed. “You guys know there are others right?”

“Sure we do. Anything you’d like to share about them?”

Realizing he backed himself into a trap, he wisely shut his mouth and mimed zipping it up. The action had the desired effect and the tension loosened. They all picked up their glasses at the same time and with a quiet “cheers” finished the last of the wine.

“This has been lovely as always, Selina. Tim.” Pam lightly interlocked her arm with Harls’ and the two stood up. “Same time next week?”

“Of course,” Selina confirmed warmly. “And Tim,” he looked up at his name. “You’re always welcome to join.”

He smiled wryly, thinking of the amount of teasing he would experience if he went to another while the Selection was still underway.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She hummed, clearly reading that as the noncommittal answer it was.

“Shame,” she traced the edge of the wine glass. “I had so many questions about Bernard. I seem to recall you mentioning him once or twice back when you were in school.”

Tim held back an eye roll by the skin of his teeth. That wasn’t something Selina would appreciate coming from him. 

“Goodnight, Selina.” He got up, walking on unsteady feet over to the door. The other two were just barely past the door, and he turned to them as he passed. “Goodnight Harls, Pam.”

“Night Timmy.”

Cullen was outside the door, and Tim forgot for a moment that he had his own guard. He must’ve been so in his head earlier that he missed Cullen following. 

Now that he was no longer in the warm room filled with the excitable energies of the other women, the effect of the alcohol was a lot more apparent. He stumbled slightly on his first step, and Cullen was quick to grab him.

“Hey Cull,” Tim smiled lopsidedly, doing his best to not put his weight on the other man.

Cullen didn’t bother to hold back an amused grin at Tim’s state.

“Hello, Your Royal Highness.”

As though knowing Tim wouldn’t like the full title, Cullen laughed delightedly at the look that came over his face.

“Alright, let’s get your drunk ass to bed.”

“M’not drunk.”

Tim punctuated his sentence with a stumble on a small uneven section of the stone floor. The exhaustion was setting in from the late hour and eventful day.

“Of course not. You’re the soberest prince in all the lands.”

“You know it.”

Tim was asleep before his head even hit the pillows.

Chapter Text

KON

Dodging left, Kon danced out of the way of the incoming strike. He recovered quickly, looking for an opening while raising his arms to bring his sword in a wide arc. The motion made no contact, but that wasn’t surprising. He instead stepped back out of the way of another attack, moving his sword to block an oncoming strike to his knees.

“That’s a low blow,” he called out, smiling at his own joke.

“Pay attention.” Damian took the opportunity to disarm Kon with a practiced flick of his own practice sword, and Kon barely blinked at the action.

“Hey, that was probably the longest I’ve lasted so far.” Kon grinned, breathing heavily but giddy with the excitement of progress.

“It was acceptable.”

That was the closest to praise he would get with Damian, but it didn’t make the sentiment any less sweet.

“How would you say I’m doing for a newbie?”

Damian sniffed and gave him an unimpressed look.

“Within six weeks I was beating men twice my age who studied swordplay for most of their lives. You have much work to do.”

Damian dropped back into a ready stance, and without a moment of hesitation Kon copied him. The routine was familiar at this point, one of the few constants in Kon’s week. He enjoyed spending time with Damian, and although the teen would never admit it, he knew Damian felt the same.

They continued like that for another thirty minutes, spars long and less one-sided than they’d been several weeks prior. Kon still had a long way to go, but as long as he stuck around he’d keep improving.

At the end of their session Damian raised his sword in their signal that they were finished, and walked back over to drop off his sword at the equipment stands. Sensing that they were done for the day, Titus perked up in the corner, and Kon made sure to give the dog a few pets on his way out.

“See you next week, Damian.”

“Goodbye, Kent.” Damian called back without looking from where he was eyeing the different weapons on the rack.

Kon waved at nothing in particular, pulling open the door and striding out. He knew his friends were all in the arcade this evening and figured he’d join them and see what they were up to. Knowing them, it was something fun but maybe a little frowned upon.

The walk was short and practiced, the halls between the training room and his usual haunts now familiar from time. The map stayed in his pocket throughout the whole journey, little more than a relic.

Arriving at the arcade, Kon grinned at the audible shouts from inside. He could already already sense the manic energy from beyond the door. The sound only grew as he let himself in, maneuvering over to where his friends were huddled around one of the games.

“C’mon man you’re so close!” 

Cassie was standing behind Bart, rubbing his shoulders supportively as he finished up a level on Wendy the Werewolf Slayer Slasher. Kon could tell from one glance that he was nearing the end, and his eyebrows rose at the score he saw in the upper corner. That looked suspiciously close to the high score.

“So close, so close…” Bart was mumbling under his breath, eyes not even blinking as he stared at the screen.

Knowing how much this meant to him, Kon wisely did not distract Bart by making his presence known. When Steph and Cissie noticed his presence he sent a motion telling them to not say anything, and they nodded without protest.
As Bart made the last few werewolf kills, all four of them leaned closer, watching as the number ticked higher and higher. Only on the final kill did the game make a light ding, signaling a new high score had been recorded.

For a second they all stared in disbelief, amazed that Bart had finally done it, before they all jumped up and dog piled him out of the seat and onto the ground, screaming all the while.

“Fuck yeah, Bart!” Kon finally spoke up, making sure to tousle Bart’s hair from their positions on the ground as they all slowly separated.

“You did it, you crazy son of a bitch!” Steph cheered the loudest of them all. “I can’t wait for him to find out. He’s gonna be furious.”

 Steph’s smile reflected all the evil glee her words inspired. Kon admired her consistency at making fun of Tim at every availability.

“And it only took a month and a half.” Cissie’s comment had everyone falling over each other again, but Bart stared at her with a face of betrayal.

“I’ll have you know,” Bart waggled a finger in her face, mouth struggling to hold back a smile, “those scores were ridiculously high. Like actually insane. The guy must’ve spent years honing his craft.”

“I did.”

“What-” They all looked up in synchronicity, freezing at the voice that spoke.

For some reason Tim was in the arcade, and was eyeing them all still splayed out on the floor in amusement. Somehow, Kon hadn’t heard the other man come in. Usually he was very well aware of his surroundings, but Tim could be scarily quiet and stealthy when he wanted to be. 

Not to mention that none of them had seen him in days, with no explanation as to why. It was good to see that he was okay, but the question of why niggled at the back of Kon’s mind.

Meanwhile, the screen was flashing with the announcement of Bart’s record, bathing everyone in a light reminiscent of police car lights. It felt eerily similar to being caught out for doing something wrong, and Kon wished Bart had been able to log his name into the game amidst all the excitement.

“Oh, hey Tim,” Bart waved from his spot, nonchalant as ever even at the sight of a royal.

Kon snorted, and that had Tim’s attention turning to him. It landed on him with the pressure of being put under a microscope, but since it was Tim it also felt comforting in its familiarity. He smiled, and Tim easily returned one of his own.

“So,” Tim glanced at the flashing screen, “Does this mean I need to go for another record?”

“No!” Bart whined. “Dude I just got this. Give me a moment here.”

Tim’s eyes glittered, but he conceded with a “sure” that prompted Bart to let out a large sigh.

“What are you doing here?” Steph directed her question at Tim.

The man suddenly looked uncharacteristically nervous, shuffling back and forth on his feet as he scanned all of their faces. His expression gave nothing away, but Kon could read some of the smaller signs.

“I was bored I guess.” He ended up responding. “Thought I’d come waste time here since I have nothing else to do.”

Kon knew for a fact how busy the other man was, and he stared at Tim as he tried to parse out the truth in the statement. Since starting the Selection none of them had run into Tim in here, so it clearly wasn’t his usual way to pass time. 

“I wasn’t aware princes had any free time.” Cissie called out from behind him.

Tim’s mouth quirked up. “Usually I don’t. Consider this a rare treat.”

No matter what he called it Kon knew Tim preferred to keep busy. 

“Well if you need something to do you’re welcome to join us.” Kon sent his offer and patted the space on the ground next to him. Even though he offered, Kon was still surprised when Tim plopped down on the floor next to him without a moment of hesitation.

“Thanks.”

“So Tim,” Bart jumped in, leaning forward with his hands. “Where have you been recently? We haven’t seen you around.”

Trust Bart to bring up the elephant in the room without any fear. Eyeing Tim, Kon could see the hesitation written over his features in the tightness that formed around his eyes at the question.

Tim played it off though, waving a hand through the air.

“It’s just been a chaotic few days. Lots of issues in different official channels that needed to be dealt with. You’d be surprised how often things go wrong.” He laughed lightly as though remembering some specific instances.

“Politics getting messy? Shocking.”

Cissie’s words were spoken with an even deadpan, and Tim glanced at her with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye Kon spotted Cassie’s fists tightening at the interaction, face carefully blank.

“Yeah yeah, I get it. You try listening to them going at it. I’ve found that old rich men are some of the pettiest people on the planet.”

Cissie huffed, but it was an amused sound.

“I’d rather not listen to that thank you very much.” She turned to look at Cassie. “Sounds like how you describe those gatherings your mom takes you to when you travel.”

Cassie let out a surprised laugh, “Oh man that’s exactly what it’s like.” She turned to look at Tim, now with a considering glint in her eye. “You have my condolences for having to do that all the time.”

Tim’s grin was magnetic. “That’s alright. I’m used to it I guess.”

Cassie gave him a look like she didn’t believe him.

“Well if you insist,” she shrugged. “But, now’s your chance to actually have some fun.”

Tim raised an eyebrow but leaned back in his hands, getting comfortable on the floor.

“I guess. Got anything in mind?”

“Do I?” 

Turning his head Kon spotted the delighted expression on Cassie’s face and understood intimately what that face meant. 

“Your Highness, how good are you at Dance Dance Revolution?”

“I think I’m pretty good.”

“Perfect, then shall we?”

“You’re on.”

…

To no one’s surprise other than Tim’s, Cassie blew him out of the water. At one point Tim even got distracted by how good she was and stopped moving altogether. Cassie on the other hand looked extremely pleased to have another person willing to go against her at the game.

At this point everyone else knew it was a lost cause.

Following his defeat, Tim went to sit on one of the chairs in the center of the room, breath still coming out quickly from the fast movements, but a weary look on his face. Somehow, Cassie roped Cissie into playing with her, and so once again those two were off in their own little world. 

Figuring he might as well, Kon walked over to where Tim slunk off to and perched on the edge of the chair next to him. Tim’s eyes had closed at some point, and so Kon took the opportunity to look. Tim’s hair was usually gelled back, as stiff and perfect as he liked to pretend he was. 

Currently the gel in his hair wasn’t holding up, and dark streaks fell in every which way, longer than when Kon first came to the palace. Some even fell to his cheeks. Cheeks that were still pink from exertion.

Kon had to admit that the sight was attractive, especially from this angle where…

Tim opened his eyes, gaze immediately locking onto Kon’s and one brow raising in a perfect arc. Kon struggled to pretend he hadn’t been ogling him moments before.

“What’s up?” Tim’s tone was casual, unbothered. If only Kon felt the same.

“Oh. Nothing.” Another look and Kon folded. “Right. Actually, why are you here?” He jumped to clarify. “I mean obviously this is like your place, but you never come here and you’re always talking about how busy you are.”

Tim’s eyes shut again briefly.

“Maybe I just really wanted to play video games.”

“Maybe.” Kon made a show of eyeing him up and down and looking around the room. “If that’s the case though then what are you doing over here.”

Tim huffed a laugh, shaking his head lightly.

“You saw what just happened. I need to recharge.” His eyes slipped shut again. “I might just take a nap.”

“Hey guys!” Steph and Bart appeared at their sides, both with bright smiles and enough energy to apparently recharge Tim who sat back up with a resigned expression.

“So Tim, how’s it feel to lose your high score on your favorite game? Does it hurt?” Steph really knew how to go for the kill.

“It’s fine. I don’t feel any particular way.” 

Tim’s smile was strained.

“Be honest, it’s killing you to not go try to beat it right now.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tim’s leg started bouncing, betraying his true feelings and Steph smirked triumphantly.

“So you’re not just going to stay here until we leave and then go try to beat it?”

The stare off continued. Watching the two of them talk felt like watching a game of tennis. Kon was endlessly entertained.

“Of course not.”

After a moment they both broke, smiles peeking out and Steph turning to Bart as though saying “get a load of this guy.”

“Well Bart what do you say we leave. Tim’s gonna need all the time he can get to beat your score and we all know he needs his beauty sleep.”

Without waiting for a response she started pulling Bart away. His protests were ignored and eventually he slumped in defeat, allowing himself to be manhandled out of the room.

“Huh.” Kon murmured. Surprised at their exit. “Will you actually just stay here til you beat his score?” He glanced over at Tim who was frowning down at his feet.

“No, I don’t have time for that.” He paused, considering. “Maybe.”

Kon laughed.

…

It ended up taking much longer than they thought for Tim to get anywhere near Bart’s score. Apparently, focusing all his attention on his work and the Selection had made the crown prince rusty at one of his favorite games. 

After several hours, Tim finally agreed to take a break following much pleading from Kon. The room was quiet, the hour having far surpassed midnight, and the only other sign of life were Cassie and Cassie who were still on the other side of the room, laying on opposite ends of the couch.

They looked comfortable, talking quietly about who knew what. Kon on the other hand was decidedly not comfortable at the moment with Tim fuming silently next to him. The sight had long grown familiar.

“That’s it.” Kon called out after the game over sign sprung up on the screen for what felt like the millionth time. “You- No, we need a break. I can’t keep watching this train wreck.”

Tim glared at him, his face illuminated by the vibrancy of the red lights on the screen. The sight would be slightly intimidating if Kon weren’t too busy being bored.

“Are you hungry? I’m hungry.”

Tim just stared at him, not saying anything.

“I didn’t see you at dinner. Did you have any?”

Still nothing.

“Do you think we can go to the kitchens and ask for some snacks? There were really good donuts for dessert tonight.”

Finally Tim looked to be listening and thinking over his idea.

“Yes.” 

His answer was quiet but determined and he was rising out of his seat faster than Kon could keep up. Tim moved on light steps towards the doors, and Kon kept pace as best he could.

“Great!”

By some miracle Tim actually paused to hold the door open for Kon, slowing down their pace once they made it out into the corridors.

“You know it took Bart six straight weeks of grinding that game to beat your score?”

“Yeah.” 

The expression on his face was full of petty satisfaction, a shred of his typical confidence making itself known. 

“I’m not worried,” Tim shrugged. “I’ll get it back at some point or another.”

Kon shook his head, both at the confidence and the fact that he was undoubtedly correct.

In the back of his mind Kon had questions he was dying to ask. He knew Tim was waiting for them, but held himself back for the moment. He still wanted to tell Tim about what he heard the other day, but wasn’t sure how to broach the topic. Instead, he kept the conversation light.

“Y’know Harls said the craziest thing to me the other day.”

Tim faltered a step, and Kon worked to hide his amusement.

“Oh really. What did she say?” 

The question slid from his mouth slowly, tone conveying caution at what Kon may say next.

“She said something about how we were both in the same state that morning when I woke up with an awful hangover.”

Tim cringed.

“Harls is a snitch.”

Kon wheezed, and spoke through strained breaths. “What exactly have you been up to the past few days? Getting drunk enough to have a terrible hangover is not what I expected you were so busy with.”

“Oh, shut up.” The reprimand was weak since Tim also started laughing. “You’re no better. Harls let us know that you needed help even walking that night by the time you went to bed.”

Kon wondered when he’d heard that, and although he had been admittedly a little out of it that still felt like an exaggeration.

“Lies and slander.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Okay, journalism major.”

Only a few turns later they were in front of the kitchens, Kon gesturing for Tim to go in first. The door creaked quietly as it opened, and the noise was grating in the otherwise oppressive silence.

Hopefully if Tim were caught first they could get away with trespassing so late. Considering it was his house Kon figured Tim would be able to get away with anything. Kon had been given that offer from one of the cooks to come by whenever, but he wasn’t sure that extended to the early hours of the morning when he was probably not supposed to even be outside of his room.

Walking in himself, Kon spotted the remnants from that night's meal left out on the table, clearly picked over but still enough left for the two of them.

“Score!” Kon walked over to the table and scanned over the options. The powdered donuts left over from dessert that night were their main option. At least unless they wanted miscellaneous fruit or bread.

Tim came up beside him and immediately began scooping donuts up from the table. The more he grabbed the higher Kon’s eyebrows rose on his forehead. As though sensing his judgement Tim spoke up from his left.

“Stop judging. They’re my favorite and for some reason whenever Alfred puts them on the menu I end up not being able to eat them.”

Tim hadn’t been at dinners for the past few days while he’d been in the wind, and Kon felt bad that he’d missed something he loved so much. Silently, Kon started grabbing more donuts himself, making sure there was more than enough for the two of them. 

Not wanting to get caught or have to explain what they were doing, as soon as they grabbed everything they wanted the two ducked out of the kitchens, making their way back to the arcade.

Kon strode through the door, intent on having their snack break before getting back to it but when he noticed Cassie and Cissie still on the couch he paused in front of the door.

“What-“ Tim bumped into his back and started to ask before he saw the two women himself.

There was nothing especially incriminating about the picture before them, except with Kon's knowledge he could recognize the fragile atmosphere, the quiet yearning in the air while the two remained interlocked in their own world.

Kon put a finger over his mouth and backed out of the doorway into the corridor once again. Tim followed somewhat reluctantly but said nothing until the door shut behind them.

“Okay let’s go eat somewhere else then.” Kon aimed a cheery smile at Tim who was just staring at him waiting for an explanation.

“Kon. What’s going on?”

Kon hesitated for more than a few moments. It’s not like he didn’t trust Tim, but Cassie had told him her secret in confidence. Kon also knew that based on the rules of the Selection, what Cassie and Cissie had going on wouldn’t be allowed.

Based on his past experiences with Tim, Kon didn’t think he’d be that angry or do anything bad, but still.

While he stood there stupidly saying nothing, the clock kept ticking and Tim looked increasingly annoyed.

“Is this about how they have feelings for each other that they’re refusing to act on?”

Kon froze, scared and relieved all at once. Yet again Tim seemed to know all about something he reasonably shouldn’t be aware of. His perceptive capabilities were unnerving.

“What- But how-“ 

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Tim held up a hand to silence Kon’s useless word vomiting that didn’t appear to be going anywhere. “I already knew so you don’t have to look so guilty.”

Kim breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t somehow spilled the beans without realizing. 

“How do you know?”

“Cissie told me.”

Kon’s jaw dropped. “What?!”

At this point Tim just looked happy to be throwing Kon off so much.

“On our date. She let me know she wasn’t interested but asked me to keep both of them around so she could keep getting to know her. I figured since I was already keeping a few people around for other reasons that it didn’t make much of a difference.”

Kon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Not only was the information amazing news for Cassie, but he didn’t know how to feel that he was indirectly responsible for Tim letting them both stay. 

He also grew worried as he thought about the number of people Tim was keeping around for reasons other than what the Selection was for. As a friend he wondered if he should advise against that, but came to the conclusion that it wasn’t his choice in the end. He had no doubt Tim knew what he was doing and had a plan he was following to a tee.

“That’s…” his voice came out strangled, “that’s good news for them I guess.”

“How so?” Tim tilted his head to the side.

“I happen to know that the feelings are mutual.”

“Huh.”

A thought struck Kon that had excitement bubbling in his brain. He took a hold of Tim’s free hand and started marching back to his room.

In his haste, a few donuts threatened to fall from Tim’s grip but he caught them with a smooth movement, looking none the less confused once he realized where they were heading.

“Why are we going to your room Kon?”

“Because,” Kon grinned, “we have planning to do.”

“Planning for what exactly?”

“You’ll see.”

Kon dropped Tim’s hand as they entered his room, placing the donuts on his bedside table and grabbing the stack of papers he kept next to his bed. 

“Okay, Project Matchmaker is a go,” Kon declared as he plopped down on his bed and wrote down the name on the top of the paper.

Tim stared for a moment before giving an amused snort at the name and coming up to sit next to Kon. As soon as he sat down he got started on devouring the donuts, white powder falling on his lips and chin while he did so. Kon watched mesmerized as Tim swiped his tongue over his lower lip.

“Did you say Project Matchmaker?” 

As he spoke, even more crumbs fell over the two of them and onto Kon’s bed. It should’ve been a lot more disgusting than it was.

When his brain finally caught up with the program he coughed once and lifted up the paper to show it to Tim.

“Yes. Now that I know their feelings are reciprocated I say we set them up.”

“How exactly would we do that?” Tim backtracked. “Wait, no that’s not the right question. Why would we be doing that?”

“Because they’re my friends and I want them to be happy. And since you know and you’re already letting them stay I think this will do everyone some good.”

“How so?”

“Well, if you’re only letting them stay so they can get together, then the sooner they figure their shit out the less time you have to keep them here when that isn’t really the point of the Selection. Not to mention that they’ll get to be happy.”

Tim hummed, taking in Kon’s arguments. 

“Okay. I’ll help, but there really isn’t much I can do. I think me interfering might do more harm than good.”

“I disagree,” Kon protested. “Their only miscommunications are centered around you, so you have to be the one to guide them together. I’ll do what I can, but unless you make things clear they won’t necessarily believe me.”

“So what do you propose I do as the first act of PM?”

Kon grinned, face full of mischief with the knowledge that Tim wouldn’t like his idea. He wrote it down on the paper and turned to show it to Tim.

“Take Cassie out on a date?” Tim sounded incredulous.

“Yes.”

“Why on Earth would that be a good idea?”

“So you can start dropping her hints. She’ll probably tell you the same thing Cissie told you so you can plan your response.”

Tim looked deep in thought again, donuts once again ignored in favor of planning.

Kon took that moment to take a bite of his own donut and he found himself groaning at the taste. It was just as good as it had been at dinner. He plowed through his entire pile of them before Tim responded.

“Alright, here’s what I’m going to do.” Kon perked up, excited to hear that he was actually willing to go along with it and curious to hear his plan. “When I invite Cassie on the date I’m going to take her on the same date I took Cissie on. I’ll make sure it’s the same setup down to the last detail. When she notices it’s the same I’ll tell her that Cissie wouldn’t stop talking about her on the date and that she said Cassie would like the dinner. Which is true by the way. If she’s upfront about her feelings I’ll tell her to pursue them in the same way I told Cissie. If she isn’t I’ll let her know she’s likely to go home soon unless there’s a reason she wants to stay since I’m between her and someone else. Hopefully at that point she’ll tell me.”

Tim continued to mutter to himself and grabbed the paper from Kon’s hand, writing down his thoughts. Kon sat stunned, impressed and a little concerned that Tim already had such a detailed plan but also that it sounded like it might work. At least in getting Cassie to admit her feelings. But that was why it was just step one.

“Alright,” Kon cut him off. “That sounds good. I trust you in getting this started. We should also meet up after your date so you can let me know how it goes.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tim responded halfheartedly, still staring at the paper with a slight frown of concentration. Kon smiled fondly at the sight. 

His eyes got a unique glow to them when he focused on something particularly strongly. It was like he could pierce holes into the paper and uncover the secrets of his own plans with just the intensity of his gaze. It was captivating. For a while Kon just watched as Tim jotted down ideas, occasionally looking down to read what he wrote.

Without warning, Kon heard a chirp from outside his window and his head swiveled in that direction in disbelief. True enough, a bird had started singing and shortly after a chorus joined in. It was only at that moment that Kon realized just how late it was. Or rather early. 

In fact, it was almost time to be up himself for the day, except that his yesterday never really ended. Tim hadn’t seemed to notice, as lost to the rest of the world as he was, and Kon debated what to do. In the end he left Tim to his devices, grabbing a pillow from the top of his bed and settling in next to his friend. He laid so he could continue to watch but not be too close to be a distraction. 

Before he knew it, Kon succumbed to sleep, birdsong ongoing outside and the rest of the world waking up with the first rays of sunlight. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed for the last time was Tim chewing on the end of Kon’s pen while he scribbled out a sentence he’d just written.

His brief sleep was yet again plagued by vague dreams, some leaving him with the sensation of happiness, but the concepts out of his reach.

The terror of waking up to Harls that morning was made all the worse by the fact that not only had Kon gotten no sleep, but that at some point Tim had fallen asleep on the end of his bed. He was even still cradling the paper, but at some point in their sleep the two had shifted close to each other. Tim’s hand was only inches from Kon’s own, and he itched to stretch out just a bit further and grab it.

“Morning hon-” Harls’ words cut off as she presumably noticed the crown prince-sized lump on his bed. “Kon?”

Kon didn’t bother shifting his eyes from where they remained stuck on the image of his hand so close to Tim’s on his sheets. He knew what he would see if he looked over and didn’t have enough energy to deal with that just yet. 

“Yes, Harls.” His tone was a lot more innocent than he knew the situation demanded.

“Why is Timmy here, and why is he on your bed?”

Kon didn’t think he’d ever heard Harls so surprised, and suddenly the desire to see what face she was making was stronger than his will to fade into his pillows and go back to sleep.

The sight didn’t disappoint, and the blatant bafflement plastered all over her face prompted a chuckle to escape his lips that turned into a series of coughs from his poor sleeping position and dry mouth. While he got himself under control Harls just stared at him, hand on her hip and expectation emanating from her being.

“It’s not what it looks like.” She raised an eyebrow. “Unless it looks like he just fell asleep in here while we were working on something until late at night. In that case it’s exactly what it looks like.”

She shook her head, lips turning up at the corners.

“Ya know something about this doesn’t surprise me. But ya still need to get up. And he” she pointed at Tim’s form, “needs to get out of here and back to his rooms before the Wayne’s start a manhunt.”

Kon shivered involuntarily, terrified at the thought of the royal family blaming him for their missing son or looking at him with disappointment if they thought he did something he shouldn’t have.

However, when he turned to Tim it was clear the other man wasn’t getting up anytime soon. He hadn’t so much as twitched at their voices, still in deep sleep and breaths coming slow and steady.

“I’m not waking him up.” Harls called out from the doorway as she walked into his closet to pick him something to wear for the day.

Kon groaned, but listened to her and leaned over Tim. At first he hesitantly called out his name, hoping that he’d respond to that, but nothing happened. His next attempt was to pat Tim’s shoulder and when that didn’t work, he started to shake him a little.

Attempt after attempt nothing seemed to wake the other man, and eventually Kon gave up on subtlety and shoved him off the bed, causing Tim to topple over onto the floor with a loud thud.

“Shit.”

So he was finally awake. Kon sighed in relief, and looked down at Tim who was staring up at him with betrayal written all over his features.

“Kon. What the fuck?!”

“It’s time to get up and you’re a deeper sleeper than probably anyone else in the world. I did what I had to do.”

“You definitely didn’t have to do it like that.” Tim rubbed at his arm which he’d fallen onto. Kon almost felt bad.

“I assure you, I did. Listen, Harls said you need to get back to your rooms. Something about a manhunt if you’re missing in the morning?”

Kon’s words looked to activate something in Tim. Fear took over his entire body as he evidently forgot about his pain and scrambled to his feet, darting towards the door.

“See you later! I’ll work on the plan!”

As soon as Tim finished speaking the door slammed behind him and Kon stood stunned. His room suddenly felt a lot more empty, but Kon tried not to dwell on the feeling.

It was only Tim left that Kon realized he forgot to bring up the information he’d found. He’d forgotten all about that in his excitement.

“Oh good, he’s gone.” Harls commented as she stepped out of the closet with a suit hanging from her fingers. “Let’s get you ready for the day.”

Kon looked up at the ceiling, praying for a quiet rest of the day.

TIM

When Tim got back to his room from Kon’s, Cullen was standing outside and the look he gave him was far from happy.

“Where have you been?” 

His voice was just as angry as he looked. This was why Tim always made sure that when he snuck out he was back before Cullen got on duty. He was way too good at his job.

“It’s not important.” Tim tried to smile, but it fell short and he wiped it from his face, already exhausted with the day. “Has anyone come by yet?”

“Cass did. I had to lie and say you were doing something embarrassing. You’re welcome.” 

Tim cringed, picturing the things Cullen may have said to get Cass to leave. She was a very persistent person. 

“Hey, don’t make that face. You did this to yourself.”

Tim sighed, accepting defeat. He really should’ve known better than to fall asleep in Kon’s room. Especially with everything going on. It was just so nice to focus on something else for a change. Something other than the numerous plots trying to get him killed or the fact that he’d been barred from most of his work for the foreseeable future.

“I know.”

The anger on Cullen’s face was fading fast. His friend was perceptive, and could probably tell that Tim was kicking himself just as much for his actions.

“Okay. Just don’t let it happen again.”

“Of course, boss.” Tim grinned.

“Hey wait-” Tim didn’t let him finish, stepping into his rooms and shutting the door on Cullen as he did.

His paranoia had him searching every corner of the room, making sure there were no suspicious notes or other things left for him to find. Satisfied that it was clear, Tim walked over to his bed and threw himself onto the middle of it. He figured he’d earned a nap.

…

The next day Tim handed Cassie the date invitation with little fanfare. She accepted it with even less. If he didn’t know the extent of the situation he might have been even offended at her complete disinterest in holding a conversation with him on the topic of the date. They’d had no issues talking in the arcade several nights ago. Hopefully Cassie would at least be willing to talk to him on their date in a few days. If she wasn’t it would put a wrench into his plans.

As it was, he disguised a laugh at her brusque attitude as a cough on the way back to the front table. At the same time he ignored his family who watched the interaction with shit-eating grins on their faces.

Back in his seat, Tim accepted their taunts with as much grace he was capable of mustering. Which was a lot.

Still, he spent the rest of that meal subtly watching Cassie and the rest of that group eat breakfast. It almost felt like recon, and the thought brought a smile to his face. Trust Kon to give him something to do which filled a hole in his routine that he’d missed.

At one point, Tim made eye contact with Steph and she tilted her head in a familiar way. A way that meant she wanted to talk to him about something. He took a sip of his water, a motion that indicated a confirmation and location all at once. She nodded and returned to her food and conversation. Tim braced himself for an interview, lecture, or worse.

…

“Where the hell have you been?” Steph wasted no time in turning on him when he entered the tea parlor less than an hour later. The similarity to her and Cullen’s questions amused him for the short moment it took to notice the genuine worry on her face.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything-”

“You think!” Her interruption cut through his apology and her glare did something similar to his heart. “You told me just a few weeks ago that someone was threatening your life and then you disappear for days on end with no warning? Cass wouldn’t tell me what happened but you better.”

Her face was more serious than he could remember seeing from her in a long time. Even so, it took him a long time to reply.

“We thought we got the person who left the note, but we were wrong.” 

Steph’s frown deepened. “How do you know? Did they leave something else?”

“They left the body of the man we thought did it in my room.”

Steph gasped, hands flying up to her mouth in shock.

“What?”

His heart was racing and breath coming out in forced neutrality. Talking about the situation with his family was stressful enough, but having to explain it to Steph was somehow worse. He couldn’t help the way he itched to defend himself.

“Everyone’s going crazy and I had to move my rooms and now I can’t even patrol because they think I’m some sort of liability-”

“Hey, hey Tim, hold on.” 

She grabbed his arms when he started to rant. The touch was grounding, and he took a deep breath.

“You’re not a liability. They’re just worried about your safety. I know you know that.” Her gentle tone was soothing, but even so he shook his head, struggling to accept her words.

“It’s just… I don’t know what to do. It’s not like they made any specific demands. They’re just playing with us. If they wanted me dead they could’ve already killed me.”

Steph stared at him, devastation shining in her eyes and mouth scrunched up.

“But they haven’t. And that means they don’t want to. So if they make a demand, just do it.”

Tim felt repulsed at the thought of giving in to any demands, but Steph tightened her grip on his arms. “I mean it, Tim. This is your life we’re talking about.”

“I know that!”

Tim immediately felt bad for yelling, but the stress was eating at him and he was getting tired of people acting like he wasn’t aware of the danger he was in. 

“I’m sorry.”

Her smile was sad. “It’s okay.”

The silence was strained between them in a way it rarely was. They fought, but it usually wasn’t about anything this serious, and Tim didn’t like the feeling.

“There was actually another reason I wanted to talk to you.”

Steph broke the silence in the way she normally did. Tim was grateful for her determination to never let things end on a bad note if she could help it.

“Why did you ask Cassie on a date?” Steph’s nose had scrunched, and she looked so genuinely confused that Tim had to laugh.

“I guess sorta the same reason I asked you for one.”

Understanding dawned on her face, and a conspiratory grin took shape before his eyes.

“Does that mean you also read the vibes between her and Cissie.”

The laugh that erupted from Tim was no doubt heard from across the palace.

…

Unfortunately, Tim’s new hobby of planning his matchmaker plots could only take up so much of his time, and he found himself once again bored within a few days. He really wasn’t meant for idle time. He needed something to do. Some goals to pursue. A case to crack.

In his boredom he wound up down in the cavern amidst the tunnels, watching as Barbara ran background checks and analyzed palace security feeds. Among the rest of the family, Barbara was one of the most upset at the current situation. She didn’t understand how the individual responsible for the threats had managed to evade all security, and was taking it as a personal failure. 

Tim could relate to the feeling.

“Hey, Babs.”

Her eyes stayed glued to the screens, but she waved a hand in his direction.

“Hi, Tim. What’s up?”

“I can’t just visit to see how you’re doing?”

That had Barbara finally looking over to him with an accusatory expression that he instinctually tensed at. He walked closer, getting a good look at her screens and sent her an apologetic face as he did.

“I guess I deserve that.”

“Mmh hmm.” She hummed. “So then, what’s up?”

Tim grabbed a rolling chair from a feet away and dragged it over to one of the monitors, slumping down. 

“Please tell me you have work that I can do? I will take literally anything.”

He looked up at her from where he slumped over, pulling out the best puppy dog eyes that Dick taught him back in the day. Evidently, Barbara had gotten immune to them at some point.

“Nice try, Tim. Bruce said no work and I’m not willing to go against that. Not this time.”

When Tim made to argue she raised her hand and he promptly stopped.

“However,” Tim perked up, “I have some things you can do that aren’t work so much as research.”

A grin formed on Tim’s face, mirrored by the mischief shining in Barbara’s eyes. He knew she was his favorite for a reason.

“Deal. What is it?”

She turned back to the monitor’s, pulling up a new tab which was filled with events and time stamps from the past few weeks. The locations and times were random, but what caught Tim’s eye was the name. Waylon Jones.

“This is the guy that was leading the group the original guy was in?”

“Yep. The very same.”

He frowned. “But we know now that wasn’t the guy who did it? How’s he still relevant?”

“Because,” Barbara opened another tab. This one was a single picture. “Waylon was the one who broke him out of the cell Jason had him in.”

Tim stared at the photo. It was of the cells in the main royal prison located outside of the palace. There wasn’t often a need to keep criminals in the palace cells, and so most of them were relocated quickly. It looked like the guard was one of them.

While Jones’ face was covered, he was a large man with a unique build. There was no doubt he was beneath the hood of the coat worn by the man in the picture. The question was how did he get into the prison in the first place? And what did he need with the guard?

Tim stared at the picture for a while, Barbara letting him think while she got back to whatever she was doing. Eventually Tim spoke up.

“You want me to research more about Waylon right? And what he’s been up to?”

“Exactly,” Barbara responded. “Anything you can find about who he may have been contacting or how he got there is important.”

Tim nodded, his attention already focused on the task at hand. Even if he couldn’t watch Jones out in the field, he still had work to do. He cracked his knuckles and got to work.
…

The research was fruitful, but not especially incriminating. Jones was in contact with a lot of familiar names, most of which were on lists the family kept a close eye on. Unfortunately, there was no clear connection between him and either the guard or someone else who may have had access to the palace. 

Tim figured it wouldn’t be so easy.

Still, the satisfaction of having spent his time productively settled in his bones, carrying him through the palace and lightening the tension that had existed for the past few weeks. There was time, and Tim knew he would figure out the connections eventually. He always did.

Chapter Text

 KON

Kon was piling bacon onto his plate, preparing himself for another long day and sword practice in the afternoon. But as he brought his fork to the plate in the center of the table, a hand stopped him.

“Kent.” 

Kon looked up and met the eyes of Damian who apparently left the front table to come and talk to him. Next to him, shockingly enough, was Cass. Kon hadn’t interacted with her directly yet, and her presence now was unsettling.

Something about the way she looked at him had him shivering involuntarily. It was as though he could see into his soul, and was judging him accordingly.

Hopefully whatever she saw left a good impression, but Kon was too busy being confused to worry about that at the moment.

The gap between the royal family and Selected in the room was physically small, but symbolically it was large enough that only Tim outwardly crossed over it. Kon had to take a few moments to understand what was happening, looking around and gauging the thoughts of everyone else by the way they were reacting. 

Damian himself never left the front table. He would arrive early, eat in silence bar speaking a few words with his family, and then leave early. From their interactions in the past few months Kon was used to talking with him in private, but he never thought Damian would approach him in public like this. Especially at meal time.

Cass was an added surprise.

“Kent. Are you listening to me?” 

Kon snapped to attention, realizing Damian had been talking that whole time while his mind muddled through overthinking. Cass still didn’t show anything except the barest hints of amusement, but Kon could tell the prince was frustrated by his tone.

“Sorry, what was that?”

Damian’s stare would’ve been scary if Kon weren’t so used to it. Or if he hadn’t seen him do much scarier things with a sword. This was downright tame in comparison.

“I said, I’m canceling practice this afternoon. I have an exam and won’t be able to make it. However, because of the exam I need to travel and can’t take Titus for his afternoon walk. I need you to take him.”

Kon stared, wondering if he misheard Damian.

“You want me to walk Titus this afternoon?”

Damian rolled his eyes. The sight was shockingly normal on the teen’s usually stoic face.

“Yes, Kent. I believe you heard what I said.”

Kon was still stuck on a few of the details though, and figured he might as well ask even if Damian got upset.

“You never have exams. Aren’t you home-schooled?”

If anything it looked like Damian wanted to roll his eyes again, incredulity taking over his features.

“Obviously. As a prince I have the best tutors in the country.” The standard grandeur was back in his tone, but a note of genuine worry crept in with his next statement. “I simply need to take an official exam in order to show my father I can move up in my coursework.”

Kon knew Damian had high expectations for himself and was a much harder worker than people realized from how he presented himself. He was just honored Damian decided to be honest with him.

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” He sent a warm smile and Damian did roll his eyes again this time.

“Naturally.” Damian scoffed. “So can I rely on you to walk Titus this afternoon or not?”

Figuring why not, Kon sent a thumbs up to which Damian sniffed at but accepted with a very slight nod. Cass meanwhile, was smiling softly at the sight of her younger brother, and when she caught him looking she stared at him with something akin to approval. It was more satisfying than it probably should have been.

“He will be waiting at one in the afternoon by the training room.” When Kon started to look away, assuming Damian was done, the prince plucked the fork from his hands that he’d been using to scoop the bacon onto his plate. “I think you have more than enough. Think of all the pain and suffering those pigs had to experience for you to be a glutton.”

Those were Damian’s parting words as he walked away. It was very like him.

“Always a pleasure, Damian!” Kon called back, unsure if Damian even heard him with the pace the prince was racing out of the room. Cass at least had the decency to wave at him. Kon waved back hesitantly.

Staring at his plate, Kon wasn’t satisfied with the amount of bacon, but after hearing Damian’s words he felt bad about taking more. He started eating, all the while ignoring the stares on him and the words he heard. The questions people were asking.

A tap registered on his shoulder, and Kon looked to his right to see Bart discreetly pointing up to the royal table with a small grin. Kon took the cue and as carefully as possible, snuck a glance in that direction to see all the members of the family staring at him in shock and whispering among each other with large smiles on their faces.

Tim just looked confused, and Kon felt like the entire spectacle was worth it just for that face alone.

…

When Kon started making his way to the training room, he was in the process of staring at the ceiling of the corridor to try to tell if the high ceiling was an illusion when he heard Bart call his name.

“Kon!”

Turning around, Kon spotted Bart speeding down the hallway in his direction, arms flailing but determination written all over his face. Kon stopped walking himself and waited for his friend to catch up.

When Bart did, he leaned over, gasping as he placed his hands on his knees and caught his breath.

“Man,” he breathed. “You walk so fast.”

“Sorry,” Kon apologized with a wry smile. “If I knew you were following I would’ve slowed down.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I probably could use the exercise.”

Kon laughed.

“Speaking of which,” Bart stood up to his full height. “Can I join you in walking Prince Damian’s dog?”

Kon blinked, thrown off by the question.

“Umm, why?”

“Why not.” Bart shrugged.

“Because Damian might kill you if you were to do anything to his dog.”

“Well you’re responsible and he trusted you so it’ll probably be fine.”

Kon eyed him for a moment. Knowing how much trouble they could get into, it might be a bad idea. But, it was a nice day out and Kon liked the idea of a long walk with his friend. It was rare they spent time with just the two of them these days.

“Sure. But only I hold Titus’ leash. Damian would definitely kill me if I let you hold him without asking.”

“Deal!”

Bart pulled up next to him and they moved in sync towards the training room. The stones echoed beneath their feet, bright light trickling in through the high windows above. This corridor between the dining room and the training was one of Kon’s favorites. 

It was a quiet area of the palace. One which he enjoyed trekking through and enjoying the views of the grounds beyond to his right. Bart on his side was humming a bright tune, steps full of energy Kon had come to expect from the other man.

Soon enough, they arrived at the doors to the training room, one of Damian’s designated staff holding Titus’ leash and staring down at the dog in slight fear. Kon wondered how often Damian let other people be in charge of his prized pet. It probably wasn’t often.

When the man saw Kon and Bart approaching, he met them halfway and handed over the leash eagerly. He gave them a quick bow before disappearing in a hurry, and both Bart and Kon snorted at the interaction.

“Guess that tells you how unusual it is he even asked you to do this.”

Bart sounded amused but also highly impressed. Kon felt his ego inflate just a little more against his better judgement.

“Yeah I guess so.” 

Kon reached down to pet Titus who started sniffing at his hands curiously. Once the dog got a good sniff his tail started wagging lightly, and Kon couldn’t help himself from petting him a little more. Animals were just one of his weaknesses.

When Bart offered his hand for Titus the dog took one sniff before angling his head to the side, offering Bart access to pet his neck. It appeared Bart’s immediate charms extended to animals. Kon wasn’t jealous.

“Do you want to go check out the new fruit trees they planted out on the grounds? I think they made some new trails over there which Titus might like.”

Bart agreed and they set off, destination in mind. Kon was curious what produce the palace grew for themselves and seeing how they operated it. Especially so after working in the kitchens and learning that they used a lot of their own produce in the food he ate every day.

On the way to the destination, Kon and Bart spoke infrequently. Both were absorbed in watching as Titus stopped to sniff at every obstacle they encountered. It was just too cute for either of them to focus on anything else. However, when they arrived they were pleasantly surprised by what they found.

The new trees being planted were for the fall, mostly apples trees or colder season produce. But due to the time of year, several palace workers were collecting peaches from the row of trees on the other side of the path. 

When the workers saw them, Kon recognized one of them as someone he’d met in the kitchens and befriended. Luckily, with that connection the workers were happy to share some of what they’d collected, offering Kon and Bart a few peaches as they continued on their way.

They enjoyed the nice treat, savoring the cool juice and the slight hydration on the hot late August day. Similarly, neither could ignore the sad eyes Titus gave them. In the end they removed the pit from one of their final peaches and gave the rest to the convincing dog.

“We definitely aren’t telling Damian about this.”

“You think dude?”

Bart’s tone spelled disbelief at Kon even mentioning that. As though it went without saying. He supposed it did. But Titus looked too happy for him to feel that bad about it. 

“You know, I’m impressed you have such a strong relationship with him. All I’ve heard from everyone around the palace is that he’s closed off and doesn’t like being around other people.”

It wasn’t the first time Kon had heard that about Damian since arriving. With how often he told his friends he couldn’t join them that day since he was hanging out with Damian, he was well aware of everyone’s thoughts on the matter.

But the truth was that the young prince was a much nicer person than people claimed. Much softer too. 

While it’s true he pushed Kon in their spars, the fact that he even continued them despite Kon’s inexperience spoke highly of his character. Of how he cared about Kon and helping him. He appreciated the teen for everything he’d done for him, and Kon could count on one hand the amount of times he’d actually felt scared of him.

Most of the time it was when Kon said something negative or about giving up. If there was one thing Damian hated, Kon knew it was a quitter. And so he pushed himself, and he let himself accept that Damian’s friendship came with more insults than most.

Kon was even growing fond of being called any manner of horrible nickname. 

“Damian is a complicated person,” Kon made sure Bart was paying attention when he spoke, wanting to get the other man to understand. “But he’s good, and much more caring than he lets on.”

Bart hummed in consideration, a soft smile forming on his face from Kon’s words.

“I believe you. I think it says a lot how much he cares about his dog. And he’s clearly protective of his family.”

“He really is.” Kon grinned, remembering the way Damian snapped at him anytime he mentioned the Selection. Kon could tell Damian wasn’t happy about his brother being forced into his current situation.

“That makes me wonder though,” Bart wondered out loud. “He’s obviously loyal to his family, so I wonder if he’s heard stuff about you from them that made him trust you more.”

Kon took a moment to think about Bart’s idea, watching Titus bounce down the path in front of them, tail wagging in time with his steps.

“It’s possible,” Kon shrugged. “I’ve had some good talks with Jason and Duke so they might have mentioned it to him.”

Bart gave him a weird look.

“And Tim.”

Kon blinked. “Well yeah. Him too I guess.”

Bart’s expression morphed into an incredulous one.

“Kon, dude. You and Tim are super close. You think they aren’t all aware of that?”

Kon looked away, holding tighter to Titus’ leash like it was a lifeline.

“I mean we’re friends but not like close close.”

“Kon, from what I’ve heard and seen you guys are probably the closest out of anyone here. And I say that when Tim told me he wanted to be my friend. But what we have is nowhere near what you guys do. It’s kinda creepy.”

“Creepy?! And what have you heard anyway?” Kon asked with a mixture of trepidation and excitement, inordinately curious to hear what his relationship with Tim looked like from an outside perspective. 

“For one, you two share these looks all the time even when we’re all together. It’s like you guys are in your own world. Not to mention Cassie and Cissie mentioned they saw you leave the arcade pretty late the other night together. They said you never came back.”

“They said that?” Kon hadn’t realized the two noticed them leave. They’d looked absorbed in their own world at that point.

“Yeah. So what happened exactly?”

“We just got food from the kitchens and talked about some stuff for a while.”

It was the truth, even if what happened was slightly more complicated than that. The decision to play matchmaker with Tim was another thing he preferred to keep between the two of them. At least for now.

“Damn. How late did you stay up?”

“Umm,” he blushed.

“No way!”

“What?” Kon wasn’t sure where he went wrong.

“You didn't go to sleep did you?”

“No we did.”

“We?!” Bart’s voice seemed to be increasing in volume with each new word.

Kon wanted to smack his head for misspeaking. He just kept making it worse, and Bart was like a dog with a bone. The man was relentless.

“I-Well-Nothing happened! He just fell asleep in my room. That's it. We were just talking and both fell asleep.”

Bart’s grin was feral, conveying all the things he wasn’t saying out loud. Kon sighed, kicking the dirt at his feet and shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Whatever. It happens.”

“It really doesn’t.”

“Well then what happened on your date with Tim? You never talked about it.”

Bart gave him an assessing look. “Figures you’d want to know.”

Kon stared at him, not comprehending what he was saying or even what was happening any more.

Bart shook his head, mouth quirking up as he continued. 

“We played card games. I totally crushed him but don’t ask him, he'll deny it.” Bart paused for a long time and Kon assumed he was done, accepting the explanation for what it was. “Oh and we agreed that our relationship is totally platonic. No feelings there at all.” 

His tone was deceptively casual. So much so that Kon didn’t notice his words at first and when he did, he stumbled slightly as he took his next step. When he turned to look at Bart his friend’s expression was full of glee, clearly coming to some sort of conclusion.

“Oh. That’s great I guess.”

“It is, isn’t it.”

They continued their walk after that, Titus pulling on the leash in Kon’s hand to get him to keep moving. As they did, however, Bart’s words hung in the air, bringing an odd sense of solace to the both of them.

Kon thought the conversation was over and found himself relaxing again, absorbing the warm wind and smell of dirt he often longed for within the sterile palace walls. However, a long time later Bart spoke up quietly.

“You like him, don’t you?”

Kon fully stopped, eyes snapping over to Bart whose gaze emanated a quiet determination. When he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. Blood was rushing through his ears, and his mouth felt so dry he wasn’t sure he’d be able to speak at all even if he could find the words.

The look Bart sent him was conflicted.

“It’s okay, you know. To like him.” 

Kon swallowed harshly and shook his head.

“I made an offer that I would be his friend. It’s the main reason we spend so much time together. I wouldn’t abuse his trust like that.”

“You can’t help who you like, Kon.” 

All the amusement was gone from Bart’s expression. Now he just looked concerned.

Kon knew it wasn’t something you could control. He’d experienced falling for someone he shouldn’t have and getting hurt. He knew the pain that came with that. But this was different. 

This was something much scarier. The stakes were higher, and the consequences were something he wasn’t sure he would be able to handle. Tim was a close friend at this point.

And sure, Kon liked spending time with him. There was something magnetic about the other man. Everyone would agree that he commanded attention and took no prisoners. It was true that Kon enjoyed spending time with him more than he thought he would when he first arrived. After all, how could he have ever anticipated Tim?

Tim was an odd guy, so it made sense that he was always blindsiding Kon with how kind he could be. How generous. How at times he could be so captivating that Kon found himself staring longer than he should. Cataloging little details about how his hair had grown since Kon got to the palace. Or how Tim looked more tired by the day despite acting like everything was alright.

If Kon felt the desire, the need, to know if everything was alright, that was just how it was. He might have missed Tim when he didn’t see him for more than a day. Might have sought him out in every room just to know he was there. But at the end of the day he’d made a promise.

And yet, Kon liked Tim.

The thought settled over him more comfortably than it should have, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t terrified of what it meant. 

As though Bart read the realization and acceptance in his eyes, he let out a deep sigh. The noise wasn’t a happy one.

“I don’t mean to push you. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Kon’s smile to his friend was sad, an echo of the resignation pulling him deep beneath the surface without escape.

“Thanks, Bart.”

Distant sounds of laughing and branches shaking in the wind filled the few moments of silence. Yet they did little to cover the sound of Kon’s own heartbeat thudding in his chest. 

When Bart pulled him into a hug, Kon didn’t react at first, body still processing and all his nerves firing much slower than normal. Once he finally regained control of his limbs, Kon held Bart tightly, grateful for his friend even if he wished they never had the conversation in the first place.

TIM

Cassie was running late to the date. Tim might’ve minded more in normal circumstances, but he was too busy planning what to say to subtly convince her he wasn’t interested that he hardly noticed. 

The only thing that reminded him was the clock in the corner of the room clicking away lightly, indicating that fifteen minutes had passed since the start of the hour. It was probably some sort of sign that so many of his dates had been riddled with one or more of the parties being late.

Still, this was the last first-date he would have with any of the Selected. Tim had already gone on dates with all the remaining people. After this, he could finally start narrowing down the pool again and choose to spend time with people he actually wanted to.

It was startling how nice the thought was. Several months ago he wouldn’t have been able to say the same.

Though, since it was the last initial date, Tim wished that Cassie would show up soon so that he could get it over with.

Thudding footsteps suddenly echoed from the hall, indicating the arrival of his date. At the first sound of the desperate pace outside the private dining room his lips quirked, ready for what was to come.

Cassie’s entrance was very dramatic, both doors sent flying into the wall behind them as she shoved them both open in her haste. Her breaths came out in sharp pants, clothing disheveled and hair a wreck. 

Tim remained as poised as ever, but internally he was laughing at her misfortune.

“Hello, Cassie.”

She straightened at the sound of her name, looking at where he sat on one side of a small two person table. It was set for a fancy private dinner, tall red candles in the middle and expensive place settings laid in perfect formation.

Tim made sure everything down to the smallest detail was the same as his date with Cissie. He wasn’t sure what she had told Cassie after all, and he needed her to recognize the little things. 

He needed her to bring it up herself.

As she walked over to the table slowly, looking as though she was heading to death row, Tim simply smiled placidly.

“Hi, Your Royal Highness.”

“Please,” he waved. “Call me Tim.”

This time his smile was most definitely forced. He was getting tired of having to tell people that. There were too many people insisting on referring to him formally. It was exhausting. 

Not to mention he hoped most of their formality was broken over some truly traumatizing dancing the other night. Apparently that newfound confidence on Cassie’s part didn’t extend to fancy dinner dates.

“Okay,” she hesitated, “Tim.”

He smiled supportively and she took her seat, some of the hesitance gone from her motions. It was a good sign. Tim needed her comfortable and willing to share with him after all.

“How have you been?”

“Good.”

Okay, Tim conceded. Not a great start. He needed something a little more interesting.

Maybe I should share something about myself, he thought.

“I’m glad to hear it. I spent most of today in meetings.” He hadn’t, but he couldn’t exactly say that he’d been researching criminals. “Hopefully your day was a little more interesting.”

She smiled but it was unnatural on her face, the action clearly forced for Tim’s benefit.

“I was actually practicing archery with Cissie. She’s practically a pro and offered to teach me.”

That explained why she was late for several reasons. The archery range was a long distance from this room, and Tim bet Cissie made a nice distraction.

“That’s cool, I’ve never been great at archery myself.”

Tim didn’t see a point in dragging out this part of the conversation any longer. A small movement of his hand outside of Cassie’s point of view prompted the workers on standby to start bringing their food around.

It was at that point that Cassie started to take note of the dinner. Tim watched as her gaze dragged along the room, taking in the location and the setup. There wasn’t a visible sign of recognition from those elements, but once the food arrived, her brows furrowed.

Tim hid his quick grin.

Bingo.

The starting course was a classic tomato soup. It was the same thing he’d served to Cissie on their date. He waited for Cassie to say something, but apparently she figured it was enough of a coincidence to say nothing. 

He groaned internally, but as soon as they were done eating the small portions, he waved for the main course to be served.

“Meatballs and orzo?” Her stare was pointed, and he took the opening gladly, eager to get the conversation going.

“Do you not like it? Cissie said on our date that it was something you enjoyed.”

“No, I do like it…” A pause. “She said that?”

The laughing in his head transformed into cheers at the success, but externally his calm facade remained. It was almost funny how excited she sounded at the thought of Cissie talking about her.

“Yeah, when I served this on our date she mentioned it was something she thought you would like. Cissie had a lot of nice things to say about you, and since she knows you better than I do I thought I’d give her suggestion a try.”

Cassie looked stunned.

“Oh. She told me about the date but she didn’t mention that.”

Tim put on an air of surprise.

“Really? She made it sound like you two are really close friends. But I guess it makes sense why she didn’t mention that.”

“Why?” Cassie frowned.

Tim leaned forward, indicating for her to do the same which she did immediately.

“Between the two of us,” he whispered as though sharing a secret he shouldn’t have been. “Cissie had a lot of nice things to say about you. She was probably just embarrassed and didn’t tell you the whole story.”

Cassie listened with wide eyes, and whispered out an “oh.”

Tim nodded indulgently, giving her a few moments to think on that before continuing his pursuit. He had one more thing to bring up and hopefully it would be enough. Tim didn’t want to be too heavy handed, but there was no easy way to say it so he just went for it.

“In the spirit of honesty I wanted to let you know that I’ll be sending home a few people in a couple weeks. So far, you’re one of the people I’m considering.” Cassie’s eyes widened further. “I think it’s clear you aren’t interested in me, which is fine, but I just wanted to let you know in case there’s any reason you think you should stay.” 

After delivering his final line, Tim got to eating the orzo, glancing up to watch as Cassie steeled herself.

“I do, actually. Have a reason that is.”

Tim hummed, gesturing for her to continue.

“I know this whole thing is supposed to be for you, but there’s someone else here I like. Someone who I’d like the opportunity to get to know more.”

Tim sat back in his seat, carefree attitude intact. 

“Cissie, right?”

Cassie jolted at the name. “How do you…” she trailed off.

Tim smiled, and he made sure the expression was warm.

“You two orbit each other, it wasn’t hard to make a guess. I’d be happy to let you stay for that.”

“You would?” Her eyes shone with renewed hope.

“Of course.”

There was a glassiness in her gaze now, intermingled with relief.

He really wasn’t great with emotions so he diverted the conversation as quickly as possible, scared of actually causing her to cry.

“But anyways,” he waved his hand dramatically, leaning over the table as he spoke. “Was she right about the food? Do you like it?”

Cassie looked down at her plate, swallowing hard enough for Tim to be able to see it across the table.

“I do.”

…

After his successful date, Tim rewarded himself with a trip to the kitchens. Alfred gave him a look when he walked by with a handful of cookies, but didn’t say anything. Tim took that as a sign he deserved the treat, and munched on them all the way back to his room.

Cullen was outside his room as usual, his only reaction to Tim walking down the hall towards him an exasperation that was at odds with the serenity of Tim’s own person. No matter how good Cullen was at his job, Tim was too good at losing tails when he wanted to. His friend stood no chance at following him when he didn’t care to be followed. It helped that his guard didn’t know about the tunnels.

With a shameless smile in Cullen’s direction, Tim walked into his room, casting his usual glance around. 

At first, he continued moving in on autopilot, too accustomed to the comfort of his supposed safety. Instead, his eyes found the small letter perched on his pillow. 

He stilled, checking again for other parties in the room before approaching, resigning himself to his current situation. He knew he couldn’t avoid the message for long. Reaching out, his fingers hovered over the paper for a few moments before he steeled himself and wrapped his fingers around the folds, bringing it up to his eye-level.

His eyes scanned the words, and then he read it again, and again. 

Tim read through the note more times than he could count, memorizing each word and analyzing the meaning behind the demands. In the end, it was clear. They wanted him to go to the next council meeting, and they told him exactly what to say. There was no explicit threat in the instructions, but the punishment for not obeying was obvious. 

It didn’t take a genius to recognize that the list of terms was specific. Too specific. It spoke of an intimate understanding of the political landscape within the council. It gave demands based on ideas that Tim himself had only read in reports the last few weeks. It was bone chilling. It was an admission.

They were done waiting. Some part of Tim felt relieved. Another part sunk with dread.

…

The routine that followed was depressingly familiar. The expressions on everyone’s face equally so.

After finding the note Tim didn’t even bother going to his family immediately. At this point he knew there were no immediate concerns, at least not while there were clear expectations.

So instead, Tim went to sleep. It hadn’t been easy, his usual paranoia fighting him the whole way. But eventually, his consciousness faded and sleep found him.

Early the next morning, Tim’s first stop was Bruce’s office. He entered without knocking, walking in on a slightly disturbing sight of his father and Selina, but Tim was too exhausted to care all that much. 

Besides, the two lovebirds were something he’d long since gotten used to. Everyone in the family had, even if it was more or less against their will.

Without commenting on the sight like he normally would, stating that they were gross or that they should get a room, Tim just walked forwards and handed Bruce the note. He didn’t even bother to see his father’s reaction before plopping down into his favorite seat in the room and closing his eyes.

When he opened them again, the entire family was yet again assembled. The deja vu was startling.

“Tim, are you awake?”

All eyes were on him, and he could barely make everyone out with his blurry vision. A yawn escaped him without warning, and he nodded in response to Bruce’s words.

“Great, can you explain how you found this?”

Tim sighed, sitting up in anticipation of this conversation.

“It was in my room when I went to bed last night.”

“Last night?” Tim nodded again. “You mean you waited until now to let us know about this?”

Tim rolled his eyes. “It’s not like they were going to do anything overnight.”

Bruce’s mouth tightened, evidently displeased with Tim’s reasoning. He wasn’t surprised, but he didn’t particularly care.

“I think the expectations are pretty clear. They won’t do anything until I’ve shown that I’m not listening to them.” Tim argued.

“You will be listening to them.”

Bruce’s words were final, but Tim didn’t understand.

“What? Why would I do what they say?”

“Tim, they’re threatening you.”

Jason spoke as though that cleared anything up. He didn’t expect his family to be willing to cooperate with whoever was threatening them. It just wasn’t their style. He wasn’t sure how to react.

“I’m well aware, Jason.” Tim made sure to glare at Jason for a moment before looking back to Bruce. “We can’t just give these people what they want, B.”

Bruce looked pained. Tim knew that it wasn’t what he wanted either, but for some reason his father was willing to compromise on his life’s work just for Tim’s safety. He didn’t like the feeling that gave him. It felt selfish.

“Please, Tim.”

The desperation in Bruce’s voice stopped Tim in his tracks, reminding him of just how far Bruce would go for his family. He felt the fight leave him, dread overtaking his senses as he realized just what he’d have to concede for his own wellbeing.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

…

Even though Tim agreed, the decision sat heavy. It wasn’t something he could forget about, and the weight of knowing he could be harming the lives of individuals in order to protect himself was a deeply uncomfortable thought.

When he arrived at the meeting at the end of the week, his feet were practically dragging on the floor. Just earlier in the week he’d wanted nothing more than to be back in one of these. Now, there was nowhere he’d rather be less.

“Tim!”

Tim looked up into the eyes of Pam from across the room. She looked delighted to see him, and for a moment he forgot why he was so sad to be there.

“Hi Pam.”

She pulled him into a hug, squeezing him so tightly he could barely breathe.

“It’s great to have you back, Tim. We heard that you’ve been busy with the Selection, but I’m glad you could make it today. You know I always love to hear you tell all these assholes to go to hell.”

She laughed at her own words, but Tim felt tiny all of a sudden. He wished the ground would swallow him whole, take him anywhere else where he wouldn’t have to disappoint some of the most important people in his life.

Unfortunately, his life wasn’t that simple and instead he nodded absently at her words, guilt tearing up his stomach as he fought to keep his face relatively neutral.

He walked away quickly and made his way to his seat. Bruce noticed the action and walked over to his own, recognizing that Tim wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. 

In that moment, Tim appreciated Bruce more than he had in a while.

“First order of business,” Bruce read from the sheet in front of him, “there’s the matter which we tabled a few weeks ago concerning the redistricting.”

Tim internally cringed. The first demand was that he go along with the redistricting plan that he’d vehemently opposed in the past. In the grand scheme of things, the change wouldn’t have large impacts on the country, but it was a strong political move.

If the demands were starting off with this, Tim figured they would get more confident over time and start to ask more of him. He only hoped they wouldn’t demand he do something that would destroy everything he’d worked for. Tim wasn’t sure he could go along with them if it came to that. No matter what his family said.

As the arguments around the room were restated, Tim sat in silence, absorbing the words. Little had changed from the last time this idea came up, however, everyone was looking at Tim as they spoke. All arguments were given to him, and Tim had to pretend they had convinced him.

It was a sense of power he never wanted to give to the corrupt individuals in the room.

“Your Highness, I know the last time we spoke about this you thought that the changes we proposed were too drastic and you even described them as power grabbing. I just wanted to clarify that the changes we propose are solely fueled by the crime levels in the areas and wanting to make the districts safer by adjusting the borders based on criminal activity. We hope you can at least agree that we all want Gotham City to be a safer place?”

Tim bit down on his tongue. Now that he had finally been directly addressed he had no choice but to comment. The phrasing of the question meant that he had to agree on principle, but it would also make Tim look like he believed in separating areas of high crime.

It would make him look like another one of these corrupt politicians.

Tim cast a glance at his father, wishing with all his might that Bruce would let him disagree and promise that they find some other way to get out of this. Instead, when Tim looked over he saw the pleading in Bruce’s eyes. 

So he sucked in a deep breath, and made eye contact with the man who’d asked him the question.

“I fully agree that Gotham should be a safer place. I’ve given your considerations some thought, and I think it may be in our best interests to go forward with the changes.” Murmurs started around the room, but Tim pretended he didn’t hear them. While he spoke his next words he made eye contact with every member of the council, making sure whoever was setting him up knew how angry he was. “It is my goal to decrease the crime levels in this city and the country as a whole. This can be step one, but it is something we will continue to pursue until people are safer.”

Body perfectly calm and face as blank as ever, Tim leaned back in his seat. He cataloged the reactions around the room, noting who was happily surprised, and who seemed confused at his change of heart. He almost couldn’t bear to look at Pam’s face, her disappointment clear as day. But he forced himself to look, knowing that this was what he deserved, and until they figured out what was going on, he would continue to deserve it.

…

That night, Tim laid awake for a long time, more hopeless than he had been in a while. The change had gone through almost unanimously. Recently Tim’s name had started carrying much more weight on the council. 

It was a development he no longer appreciated in light of the situation. Figures that when he finally started gaining respect, his power would be abused by people looking to go against everything he stood for.

When he could hardly stand the silence in the room, Tim picked up his phone and opened up his messages.

The past week his siblings had bombarded him with frequent messages, always checking in. A pleasant surprise was Dick doing the same. His eldest brother most likely heard the updated situation from Jason, but Tim was almost glad.

While the exchanges had been brief, there were no negative words or criticisms. It almost felt like when Tim first came to the palace and went to Dick with all his worries. His brother was always supportive, and it was something he really needed at the moment.

His finger hovered over the call button, debating with himself whether it was a good idea. Whether it would even go well. At the end of the day, Tim just missed his older brother and wanted to hear his voice.

The choice was made without his brain coming to any conclusions, his finger pressing down under the weight of necessity and habit.

He placed the phone on his stomach, setting it to speaker and listening to the ringing. After the phone rang five times, Tim wondered if he’d made a bad decision. He didn’t know what time it was in Tamaran. It was something he should’ve paid attention to. Frustration at his thoughtlessness swirled, but no sooner had the negative thoughts arose when the call connected.

“Tim? Is everything alright?”

Tim let out a breath caught in his chest, relief and comfort settling over him at the sound of Dick’s voice.

“Yeah. Hi. I’m fine.”

“You do realize it’s the middle of the night right? That doesn’t sound like fine to me.”

Regret slammed into Tim, running through his veins like ice. Dick jumped to correct himself.

“Not that you shouldn’t have called! I didn’t mean that in a bad way. Just-Are you okay? You can be honest.”

A lump took shape in Tim’s throat. He’d never done well with people asking him how he was. It was something he hadn’t been used to growing up, and he still never knew how to respond other than to reassure people that he was okay. 

Dick picked up on that quickly when Tim first showed up and always made it his mission to break Tim’s habit. Apparently Tim had regressed since Dick left. A lot could change in nearly a year.

“I had to accept a horrible redistricting plan today in the council because a letter told me to.” The bitterness in his words expressed everything Tim couldn’t bring himself to say.

“I heard about that.” Dick sounded more hesitant now.

“You can just say Jason told you.” Tim joked, amused at how shy Dick acted at the admission he talked about the situation with Jason. As if he hadn’t already admitted that the last time they spoke. It wasn’t unexpected, and Tim didn’t mind.

“Sorry. I wasn’t sure you’d be happy about that.”

“It’s fine,” Tim waved off his concerns. “We all know Jason’s a blabbermouth anyway.”

Dick chuckled, but it was the truth, and they both knew it.

“So then,” Tim perked up, recognizing that tone. It was the one Dick used when he was scheming. “What’s your plan going forward? Even if you have to follow what they say, I assume you have an idea of how to get around it.”

It was something Tim had been thinking a lot about.

“They just said I had to agree with their ideas, but not that my reasoning had to be any good. I also won’t be speaking up unless directly spoken to, and even then I’ll agree to the bare minimum of what seems realistic.”

Dick hummed. “Those are good ideas. What about if you try to make their ideas sound dumb to the other council members while supposedly supporting it? Y’know like if you basically use all the arguments you would make against it but claim that those are good things?”

Tim grinned. He knew he could count on Dick to have ideas on how to mess with people.

“Those are perfect.”

“Happy to help.” Dick’s smile was audible, and Tim matched it, glad to have something to work together on again.

“I can’t wait to see Bruce’s face when I do that at the next meeting.”

Dick laughed, and it was a loud sound.

“I wish I could be there to see it. The old man needs people to keep him on his toes more now that I’m not there.”

Tim’s smile dimmed slightly at the reminder.

“Trust me, we keep him on his toes plenty. The other day Duke played a prank on him at dinner so that his spoons kept getting mixed up with forks and he couldn’t eat his soup. Bruce couldn’t figure out who it was so there wasn’t any punishment. It was pretty great.”

Dick’s laughter grew even louder.

“How did nobody tell me about this?”

“I’m the only one who knew it was Duke and he swore me to secrecy.” Tim paused. “I’m doing the same to you now by the way. You can’t tell anyone. Other than Kori maybe.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Good.”

The silence that followed was soft and comfortable, and this time when Dick pushed, Tim no longer felt inclined to push back.

“Any chance I get to hear any updates about the Selection? I know you didn’t want to talk about it last time and if that’s still the case then I’ll accept that, but I’d like to know how you’re doing.”

Tim waited for the anger to strike, or for the itch to pick a fight, but it didn’t come. He was tired of being mad, and for once the thought of the Selection didn’t fill him with dread. Within the past week Tim had gotten to know more of the people and while he still didn’t know who he would choose, he’d made a few friends. That was more than enough for now.

“There are still twelve left but now I’ve gone on dates with all of them. Starting next week I’ll start picking who I want to spend more time with. But actually, most of them are just my friends now. It’s not bad spending time with them.”

“That’s great, Tim. Do I get to hear about any of the friends at least?”

Tim’s lips pulled upwards at the care Dick was taking to not push like last time. It made answering that much easier.

“I’ve confirmed with five of them that we’re friends. One of them is Steph if you’d believe it.”

“No way! Stephanie Brown? She’s in your selection?”

Dick’s reaction was the same as the rest of his siblings’ had been when they heard.

“Yeah,” Tim laughed. “But she’s finally making moves on Cass I think. I’m just letting her stay so she can try with that.”

“I knew they always had a vibe between them.” Tim hummed in agreement. “What about the other four?”

“Well there’s Cassie and Cissie who are interested in each other but don’t know it. There’s also Bart who’s a really funny guy and super charming. Then there’s umm… Kon. We’re actually working together on getting Cassie and Cissie together.”

“You are playing matchmaker? Are you sure you’re qualified for that?”

“Oh shut up Dick.” Tim rolled his eyes. “And for the record it was his idea. Kon’s always up to something. The guy never seems to stop trying to find an adventure. He even found the tunnels.”

“Really?” Dick sounded just as surprised as Tim had been.

“I know right? Nobody just finds them, but of course Kon did. He just attracts mysteries but somehow never gets into trouble. He has everyone wrapped around his fingers, even Damian and Jason somehow.”

“And you clearly.” Dick sounded incredibly amused at this point and Tim felt like he missed something. “I’d like to meet him.”

“You probably will.” Tim mused.

“You plan to keep him around until December?”

“There’s not that many people here that I’m planning to keep around until the end. And he’s my best friend so… Yeah.”

“Okay…”

Tim frowned. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad you finally have friends.” Dick’s voice was full of fake cheer.

“Dick.” Tim cursed, but realized too late what was coming.

“That’s me.”

Tim went to say how that joke was getting old, but as he opened his mouth a yawn escaped, cutting him off.

“Listen, I’m glad you called Tim. I’m always happy to hear what’s going on, but it's late for you. You should try to get some sleep.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Much quieter, Tim continued. “Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime.”

Compared to last time, pressing the end call button felt much less final, and Tim was sure they’d be talking more to each other for the next few months. At the very least he needed to let Dick know how his strategy went in the meetings.

Chapter Text

KON

Somehow the Earth didn’t stop spinning when Kon realized he liked Tim as more than a friend. It settled in him like something he’d always known, but at the same time, it changed nothing. Kon made a promise and he intended to follow through with it, no matter if it hurt him in the end. 

He’d long gotten used to disappointments in his life.

Suddenly, though, Tim was everywhere. Kon tried to make some space at first, worried how he would react to seeing Tim, but the only real difference was knowing what the warm feeling in his chest was as they made eye contact. 

His main solace was that Tim didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss. It likely had something to do with the fact that the man was evidently going through some stuff, dark circles growing more prominent under his eyes by the day and appearances remaining less common.

When Tim finally returned to meals, Kon only felt relief. A few days later, Tim handed him the invitation to their second date. He hated the way it made his heart skip a beat, trying to remind himself of reality.

It was hard when Tim looked at him with so much excitement, the source of which shortly became clear.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tim Drake-Wayne invites you to an evening of ranting and Disney movies. Bring movie recommendations and a pillow to scream into.

Kon looked back up, fighting the silly grin he could feel pushing onto his face.

“Didn’t take you for a Disney fan.” Kon tilted his head, looking at Tim with an open expression.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Kent.”

Tim grinned and turned away, taking his place back at the front table. Kon watched him the whole way.

“Touche,” he whispered under his breath.

Feeling eyes watching him, Kon glanced to his left and noticed Greta staring from her usual seat. She’d been paying attention to the entire interaction, and her gaze was a knowing one. 

He guessed it had something to do with him being the first to receive the second date invite when she received the original first date one. He tried to ignore how that rankled on him, and instead went back to eating with his friends.

…

“No, absolutely not.”

Frustration was bubbling under Kon’s skin. How someone could have such terrible opinions, he didn't understand.

“How dare you! It’s a classic for a reason.” 

Passively, Kon realized he was using the same argument Duke had to make him read Crime and Punishment, but the circumstances were completely different.

“We are not watching Finding Nemo, Kon.”

Tim was holding strong, but Kon refused to give up. He knew he had the superior taste in movies.

“When was the last time you actually saw it?”

Tim looked away for a second, cracking slightly. “Ok, I never finished it-”

“Hah!” Kon interrupted him. “Then your opinion is immediately invalid since you haven’t even seen the best parts.”

Tim was visibly peeved at being called out.

“It’s a depressing movie. I didn’t want to finish it.” Tim folded his hands in front of his chest.

“That’s because you didn’t finish it!” Kon threw his hands into the air. 

For a moment they stood staring at each other, the fight slowly dying in Tim’s eyes. Kon went in for the kill.

“Please, Tim?”

And the fight was completely gone. Kon internally cheered,

“Fine.” Kon couldn’t keep the smile at bay. “Don’t look so happy about it.”

“Sorry.” Kon was not sorry.

“Whatever.” Tim could clearly tell.

Kon finally clicked play on the movie which he’d already gotten ready to go before the argument, and sat back in his seat.

The movie theater was a nice touch and Kon wished he’d known about it sooner. It would’ve been a nice way to pass the time when he first arrived, although it was in the family wing of the palace so it wasn’t exactly open for anyone.

Even so, Kon planned to add it to his maps as soon as the date was over. He didn’t need them anymore, but he still wanted to keep them up to date for posterity.

As the bright lights of the opening scene lit up the screen in front of his eyes, Kon was rudely reminded of the tragedy in the opening scene. Somehow he always forgot about it.

After all of Nemo’s siblings were eaten, Kon looked over to Tim and saw that he was not impressed by the tragic start.

Thus commenced several hours of poor decisions and a long manhunt for a lost fish. At several points Kon was sure he heard Tim whisper something in a particularly aggravated tone under his breath.

“Did you say something?” Kon decided to ask, figuring he might as well find out what had the other up in arms.

Tim pulled his eyes from the screen where Nemo was being taken by the fishermen.

“I said this is what happens when dads don’t give their children any freedom. Bad things happen.”

Tim was openly scowling, and Kon realized watching a film that very well could have been called “Daddy Issues: A Movie” may have been a bad idea. He got so caught up in his love of the movie that he forgot the reason he initially fell in love with it in the first place was because Lex hated it.

Kon supposed that was something Tim and him had in common. Losing freedom in some form because of their fathers.

“True. They can mean the best but that doesn’t really count for much sometimes.”

Kon spoke quietly, his mind traveling back to his childhood and years spent trapped in gilded cages. Just because Lex gave him shiny things didn’t mean he really loved him. It took Kon a long time to accept that.

“I had something happen recently that made Bruce start acting up again. He’s always somewhat of a helicopter parent but it’s gotten really bad.”

The delivery of Tim’s words was casual, but Kon sat up in his seat, immediately on alert.

“Is everything okay?” Kon quickly asked.

Tim looked at him with an expression of resignation and frustration all in one.

“Calm down Kon, it’s all under control. Bruce just refuses to accept that. He’s a real paranoid bastard.”

Kon relaxed again, choosing to trust Tim’s words.

“Hence the rant date.”

Tim smiled. “Hence the rant date,” he confirmed.

“Well if there’s anything else you want to rant about, feel free.” Kon looked back at the screen and realized they’d already missed a solid chunk of the movie. “Preferably after the movie though.”

Tim groaned but complied, wisely not making any complaints this time.

Over the course of the movie Tim gradually leaned closer to the screen, expression shifting from annoyed to invested. By the end he was sniffling in the other chair and Kon could tell his own face was smug. He knew Tim would like the movie if he just gave it a chance.

As the credits rolled they sat in silence, each stuck in their thoughts. That’s when Kon remembered something he’d been meaning to do.

“Hey, Tim?”

“Hmm,” Tim grumbled from his chair, emotion present in his tone.

“You know how you mentioned something happening that Bruce was worried about?”

Tim stiffened slightly, finally looking away from the screen and staring at Kon with a small nod. There was also an air of caution around him that set Kon on edge. Nevertheless, he knew he had to share.

“I found something the other day,” Kon hedged, speaking slowly and making sure to think his words through carefully. Tim was obviously paying close attention, so Kon let out a breath and continued speaking. “It was in a deserted part of the palace. There was a stack of papers full of information about political incidents and royal issues from the past few years. I don’t know why someone would be keeping track of that but I thought I should let you know.”

Kon waited for Tim to react, but his face was carefully blank and Kon struggled to determine whether what he found was important or not. After a few moments Tim finally blinked.

“Did you see anyone around? The people who left the papers?”

“I didn’t.” Kon suddenly wished he’d done more to find out in the moment. All he could focus on at the time was his fear, but in retrospect there were other actions he could’ve taken. “I heard voices though.”

Tim perked up again, head tilting in a request for Kon to explain.

“I heard the voices while I was in the room and I tried to find somewhere to hide. It’s actually how I discovered the tunnels. There was a tapestry I hid behind and I heard two men come into the room. They mentioned there was something taking several months and some guy not being happy about it I think?”

Kon struggled to remember. He’d been so scared of being found at the time that he hadn’t been listening as much as he should have.

“Does that mean anything to you?” Based on the way Tim reacted, Kon figured it did.

“Yes,” Tim hesitated. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll let Bruce know later. Not much to do about it now though.”

Tim finally settled back fully in his seat, still somewhat absent but much less worried. Kon felt like there was a weight off his chest and let himself relax as well.

“So,” Tim started, already looking through other options. “What’s next? Tangled?”

“No.” This time Kon was the one boycotting.

“Too on the nose?” Tim grinned.

Kon let out a deep breath. “You have no idea.”

…

Several movies later, the two gave up on watching any more. They kept getting distracted and talking over them anyway. It was a nice evening.

Everytime Tim looked over to Kon with that specific gleam he got in his eyes, Kon’s breath caught in his chest just a little bit. It was only marginally painful.

Tim ended up having a lot to rant about. Apparently the past few weeks had been full of torture from his siblings and father. Kon took his side outwardly, but some of what he heard almost made him laugh despite that not being Tim’s intention. It was too easy to picture Tim’s siblings doing the things he mentioned.

Kon, meanwhile, ranted about Tim not letting him know about the movie theater sooner. He would’ve been a regular. Tim eventually caved and told him he could use it whenever he wanted, and that made up for the whole thing.

After giving up on the movies they ended up on the ground, surrounded by the snacks they’d picked out throughout the hours. Kon was munching on popcorn absently as he watched Tim put together a concoction of candy that had him cringing.

“You know I never heard how your date went with Cassie.” Kon mused.

“Oh right. Project Matchmaker.” Tim took a break from what he was doing to focus on Kon. “It went well. Cassie admitted that she likes Cissie and I told her I’d let her stick around for them to get closer.”

Kon smiled. “Perfect. Now just to figure out how to get them to admit their feelings.”

“Do you think they won't do that on their own?” Tim looked deep in thought.

“It’s possible…” Kon considered what he knew about his friends. “I say we give it some time but put on some pressure if necessary.”

Tim nodded in agreement. “Sure thing. Just let me know if you want me to do something. I probably won’t be interacting with them as much since I won’t be taking them on dates.”

“Oh yeah,” Kon teased. “Because you’re busy taking me on all these lovely dates.” He knew he was treading into dangerous territory and that it wouldn’t be good for his crush, but it was too satisfying to joke around with Tim. “I’m honored that you chose me first.”

It was only half a joke, but Tim didn’t need to know that. Kon expected him to roll his eyes or make some snarky comment in response, but Tim only looked at him, a warm smile on his face.

Kon’s heart picked up its pace at the sight. Tim was unfairly beautiful.

“Of course I picked you first.” Kon’s breath caught in his throat, eyes locked on Tim’s own. There were only a few feet separating them. It would be an easy distance to close if Kon were brave enough. 

Or crazy enough. 

“You’re my best friend.”

Tim’s words were a bucket of ice over Kon’s head. For a moment he forgot why they were here in the first place. Why Tim chose him to spend time with over the other Selected.

They were best friends. Kon needed to stop forgetting.

…

The Selection carried on after Tim and Kon’s second ‘date.’ Kon watched Tim pick Bernard and Sarah for another date and ignored the way it made his chest clench.

He decided to shift his focus to making sure to be the best friend he could be. Whether that was spending days with Bart goofing off or supporting Cassie when she needed someone to go to about her feelings, Kon was there. 

He chatted with Harls in the mornings, practiced sword-fighting with Damian on some days, and met up with Duke a few more times to just pass the time in each other’s presence. Somehow, it still didn’t feel like enough.

He and Tim ran into each other on a few occasions, and each time Kon waited for the butterflies to go away or for the urge to do something stupid to stop. It never did, but Kon waited anyway.

When the two month mark came up and it was time to speak with his family again, Kon was somehow even more nervous than the first time. Most of his second month had been spent either exploring areas he couldn’t mention, or spending time with all the royals, especially Tim and Damian.

Still, Kon wanted to hear his family’s voices and how they had been doing. The anxiety pressed in on him as Barbara dialed the numbers, but much like the first time, the feeling faded as the line clicked.

“Kon!” 

This time it was Jon to greet him.

“Hi Jon.”

“Mom and Dad are stuck at work right now but they might be back in time to talk…” Jon’s voice was hesitant, and Kon tried not to let the disappointment get to him. He knew they were busy people, and it made sense that they wouldn’t always be ready to stay home to pick up the phone for Kon.

“Oh… That’s okay.” Kon tried to sound cheery, knowing Jon would read right through him.

“I’m sorry Kon. I told them I could take the call and make sure to annoy you for all three of us.”

Kon’s face twisted, amusement fighting against the lingering disappointment.

“I’m sure they were happy to hear that. You’re a real hero.”

“I know right.” Jon’s grin was audible, and Kon couldn’t help the laugh he let out at the sound.

“Anyways,” Jon moved on, “Enough about the boring old people. What have you been up to?”

“Honestly about the same as last time.” Kon shrugged. “I did throw a party though.”

“Is that allowed?” Jon sounded curious. “Aren’t they all about formality there?”

“It wasn’t anything crazy,” Kon defended, casting a glance at Barbara to make sure she wasn’t getting the wrong idea.

“Boring.”

“Hey!” Kon argued. “I’ve done plenty of interesting things.”

“Like what?” The innocence in his brother’s voice felt like a trap, and Kon hesitated, wondering if he could share anything and deeming most of the activities things that Barbara wouldn’t appreciate him telling his brother about.

“I don’t think I can share…,” he landed on.

“Fine. Any updates on the prince though? Are you still waxing poetic about him to everyone you talk to?”

Kon’s face flushed, remembering how Jon teased him last time. However, unlike last time there was some truth to the teasing. He paused for a moment too long and realized his mistake.

“No way!” Jon sounded excited. “What happened?”

“Nothing!” Kon’s voice came out far too fast and loud to sound honest. Barbara was looking at him with interest, and Kon was mortified. 

“Right… I’ll pretend like I believe you. But if next month you’re still saying the same thing I’ll have to pull out the big guns.”

“The big guns?” Kon was both confused and concerned. “Also, next month? Suddenly you’re confident I’ll still be here then?”

“Well duh.” Jon made it sound like it was obvious. “And you’ll see.”

Kon decided he didn’t want to know. Besides, a lot could change in a month. Who knew what his situation would look like at that point.

“Okay Jon. How’ve you been then?”

Shifting the conversation felt like the best call at that point.

“How kind of you to finally ask. It’s good to know you actually care about your brother.”

Kon rolled his eyes. “Enough with the theatrics. Just answer the question.”

Jon needed no further incentive. He proceeded to rant about his classes and their parents for far longer than necessary. Kon could tell he’d been holding on to some of these details for a long time, waiting for someone to share them with. Kon was glad that his brother trusted him enough to listen.

When Barbara let them know their time was up, Kon felt lighter, much like he had after the first call. He was disappointed he hadn’t gotten to talk with his dad and Lois, but Jon more than made up for it. At the end of the day, Kon’s brother was his closest family member, and he could never be upset after talking to him.

Leaving the room, Kon elected to head back to his room. He was too tired to walk around and the thought of a nap sounded too tempting to pass up. He ventured through the dark halls, whistling under his breath to fill the silence.

As he rounded a corner, Kon came face to face with Princess Cassandra. She didn’t seem surprised to run into him, and Kon got the feeling that she’d known he would show up all along. It was an unnerving sensation.

“Hello,” he said reflexively. 

Instead of responding immediately she tilted her head, staring him down with dark eyes. It did little to make him feel less unnerved by her presence. Princess Cass had an uncanny ability to make him feel like prey.

He shifted on his feet, and she continued to watch without saying anything for a few moments. Eventually, when she finally did respond Kon almost sagged with relief.

“Conner Kent. I’ve heard about you.”

Kon froze at his full name, unused to hearing it around the palace much anymore. Something about the way she said it spoke of familiarity. 

“Good things I hope.” He tried for a smile but wasn’t sure how well it came out. When she sent him a small smile of confirmation he really did sag with relief. “Who did you hear that from?”

“Steph.”

That didn’t do much to clear up Kon’s confusion, but he nodded anyway. The small smile on her face turned amused, so he figured she could tell.

“Cool. That’s uh… cool. I’ve heard about you from Tim.” At the mention of her brother Cass visibly softened, her demeanor opening up and head inclining again in silent question. “He mentioned how close you are, and said that you’re a dancer. That’s really cool!”

Cass hummed, “Have you ever danced?”

Kon was taken slightly aback by the question, but thought for a moment.

“Not unless a school dance counts.” He chuckled wryly, thinking back of his younger years and stumbling around in a mix of sweaty bodies. His coordination could’ve used some work for sure.

“Not exactly.” The quirk of his lips had turned almost pitying. Kon had no answer so he just shrugged again. “I can show you sometime.”

The offer shocked Kon, but he was hesitantly delighted nonetheless. It seems that generosity of a kind ran in the family.

“Thanks. That’d be nice.” 

A smile formed on his face which was echoed by one on Cass’ own.

Cass waved goodbye, clearly having somewhere to be, and before Kon knew it she disappeared back around the corner. When he looked around it, more out of curiosity than anything, he found nothing. She’d somehow vanished into thin air.

At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if another of Bernard’s theories held some credence.

TIM

For the next few weeks the letters continued to arrive. The routine stayed the same. Tim showed up to the meetings, gave the barest amount of effort, and left as quickly as possible.

So far he’d had to allow the shifting of the districts, increase the pay of the proven corrupt police force, and supply that pay increase by taking from social programs. Safe to say Tim was incredibly disgusted with himself and angry at the situation that nobody would let him sabotage.

Somehow, no matter what he tried to make the negotiations fail, nothing worked. Dick’s idea had been fun and an interesting test, but the most it had done was make him look a little stupid for contradicting himself so much. He clearly needed more practice at sarcastic wordplay for that one to work. 

That was more of Dick’s specialty, and Tim couldn’t help but think that if Dick were in his situation he would’ve been doing a better job. Fortunately, he was used to that feeling and it was relatively easy to ignore at this point. Mostly, Tim wished that he’d thought of more plans, but in truth he’d been busy.

When not in the weekly meetings, Tim was doing his best to spend time with the Selected. He knew he wanted to send two home by mid-September, so he had four weeks from the original meeting to decide. 

It was getting more difficult at this point to send people home. Even if he wasn’t interested in them romantically, Tim was starting to befriend the different people. He enjoyed their company if nothing else. It was tough not to get at least a little close with the way they’d all been forced together. 

He also couldn’t tell if he was shooting himself in the foot by keeping so many of his and Kon’s friends around for no particular reason. It just didn’t feel right to send some of them home. So he had tough decisions to make, and not enough time to conduct research before he had to make them.

At one point Tim enlisted the help of Duke and Cass. He asked them to scout out the remaining people left and try to talk to them if possible. He just needed outside input. He was struggling to trust his own judgment at this point.

He should’ve known that when they came back they would have a lot to say.

“Dude, are you aware that several of the Selected aren’t interested in you at all?”

Duke walked into Tim’s bedroom, Cass trailing behind him and scouting out a place to perch for the conversation. He’d had to get rid of her old chair, too traumatized by what happened to bring it to his new place.

Tim looked up from where he was hunched over papers detailing the latest trade deals. His back cracked as he did, reminding him of how long he’d been working without taking a break. Stretching out his back led to a few more pops, and he responded to Duke once he was done.

“Yeah I know.” 

Duke’s confusion was too funny to not laugh at, and even Cass was grinning in the corner.

“What do you mean you know? How is that possible? Why are they still here?”

Duke just sounded flabbergasted, and Tim decided to take pity on him and let him know the truth instead of dragging this out.

“I’ve talked to a few of them about it. They have reasons for wanting to stay so I told them they could.” Tim shrugged as if it was no big deal, but based on Duke’s expression he didn’t agree.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell us that before you made us talk to all of them?”

Tim cringed slightly, understanding that he may have overlooked that detail. “To be fair it’s probably for the best that you got an unbiased point of view?” Seeing that his words weren’t having a positive effect Tim sighed. “Sorry, to be fair it slipped my mind. I forgot you didn’t already know.”

Duke deflated, all annoyance seeping out at the genuine guilt in Tim’s tone. 

“It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting that. How many of them aren’t interested anyway? It seemed like a lot.”

Tim thought about it and held up his fingers as he ran through the list. “Let’s see… There’s Cassie, Cissie, Bart, Steph of course,” Tim shot Cass a glance that he tried to make quick but she was looking right at him and he cursed himself for the slip. “And uhh, Kon. That makes five.”

Duke’s eyes got wider with each name he listed. “Five out of twelve? Tim, what the hell?”

Tim shrugged. “I don’t know man. It just kinda happened.”

Cass finally walked out from the corner, making her way closer to Tim.

“They all seem nice. Mostly nervous but honest.” A pause. “Except for Greta. I don’t like how she talked about you.”

Tim grimaced at her name, wishing he didn’t have to go on another date with her soon. Unfortunately he was running out of other people to choose.

“Yeah, that’s no surprise. Any other thoughts?”

He looked at both of them, eyeing their reactions and wanting to see if they had anything to share that could actually help.

“I would’ve said Bart was a good choice since he’s super nice and seems like you’d have a lot in common but I guess not.” Duke shrugged. “Bernard is similar though even if he’s got his funny theories.”

Cass smirked slightly at the mention. “He’s an interesting person.”

Tim was well aware. Even so, it was good to hear that they liked him.

Duke snapped his fingers like a thought suddenly occurred to him. 

“Oh! I talked to Kon and he said he heard from Bernard and Sarah that Andrea Cooper was being really rude to a couple of workers the other day. Apparently she’s a bit of a snob.”

Tim frowned, slightly surprised at the information. When he’d had his date with her she seemed nice enough. He supposed this was why it was good to have other people who could verify his initial assumptions. Some people can act however they want when they’re trying to get something. It doesn’t always indicate their true character.

“Good to know. Thanks, Duke.” A thought struck him. “I didn’t realize Kon was friends with Bernard and Sarah.”

He meant for the words to come out even, but Cass looked at him funny. It had him on edge and he wasn’t entirely sure why.

“Kon is friends with everyone, Tim.” Duke laughed. “I thought you knew that.”

Something sour curdled in his stomach. Tim didn’t like the feeling.

“Oh. Right yeah that makes sense. He’s a very outgoing guy. Very charming.”

“He really is. Not to mention he’s great at holding a conversation.”

Turning to look at Duke, Tim raised an eyebrow.

“Have you talked with him a lot?”

Duke looked almost confused at the question. As though Tim should’ve already known the answer. “Of course. We hang out a lot in the library. He’s started joining me when I’m studying to keep me company basically.”

Tim’s eyebrows climbed all the way up his forehead. Somehow, he’d been so in his own world lately that he hadn’t realized.

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

Duke was still looking at him weirdly, Cass doing the same to his other side.

“Guess you’ve just been busy.”

“Yeah. Guess so.”

Tim looked down, wondering when he’d let himself get so separated from his family.

…

The fourth letter arrived similarly to all the others. Innocently laid on his bed and sealed with nary a trace of whoever left it. Tim was expecting it and immediately scanned the words, preparing himself for what chunk of his morals he would have to sacrifice this time.

With every word his blood grew colder, whole body freezing. There were few things Tim wasn’t willing to compromise. Not even for his life.

Without realizing, Tim crumpled up the letter in his hand, mind running a million miles a minute.

The royal family had faced many obstacles in the past. Especially in the past few decades. Most of it was before Tim’s time, but the issues had a rippling effect which still cascaded down to the citizens even today. Political corruption was nothing new in any sense of the word, but many actions had been pinned on the royals which slowly chipped away the trust of the people.

Some acts had been passed which, while wildly unpopular among the public, hadn’t been considered unforgivable. After all, increasing taxes to pay for dumb decisions made by politicians was never popular among the citizens, and they made their frustrations known. Especially since there were many poor decisions made in the time of upheaval following Bruce’s parents’ death. 

But it hadn’t stopped there. Neither Alfred nor Bruce supported the smaller decisions, and they similarly opposed other acts which followed. Namely one law in particular which added new definitions of criminal activity and corresponding sentences. It was an arbitrary list aimed at targeting populations struggling with the effects of the political instability of the time.

People who had been trying to live their lives to the best of their ability were thrown into jail for no reason. There was an internal war on the citizens of Gotham, and it was under the name of the royal family. After a period of unrest and serious criticism, Bruce had eventually been able to overturn the acts, but the distrust had never really gone away.

Tim never even considered that anyone was still interested in trying to repeat the terrible mistakes of the past. But now, he was faced with the realization that what he’d been doing the past few weeks was just leading up to this decision. They wanted him to campaign for the law to be returned.

It had probably been the goal all along. For what reason, Tim wasn’t sure, but he knew without a doubt as soon as he read the letter that he wouldn’t be listening. Not this time.

The past few weeks the council had seen the shifting of city borders, decrease in funding to charities and other resources many people relied on. But this action would be the final nail in the coffin. Suddenly, the demands were making much more sense, and Tim didn’t like the picture it was painting.

He thought back on what Kon told him about the papers he found and the information they contained. It occurred to him that this may have been why. They found the worst thing staining the legacy of the royals and decided to repeat the past. 

Instead of going to his family with the note and letting them know what it said, Tim decided to do something a little stupid.

Since his new room was right next to Bruce’s, he was able to access the tunnels through a small innocuous door in the wall. It was there for emergencies as an exit scenario. Tim had never used it, too weary of what using it would mean, but he did now.

It took a few tries of pressing on different stones, the rough edges digging into his hands with the force he was putting on them. When he got the right one, Tim wasted no time in striding forward and closing the door behind him. He descended into the darkness, not worried about getting lost in what was essentially his second home, so he didn’t bother with switching on the lights.

Arriving at the main chamber, Tim hesitated before entering. He waited around the corner for several minutes, straining his ears to hear if anyone was inside, but he heard nothing.

His steps were light as he walked forward, one destination in mind. The feeling of putting on his suit for the first time in weeks was like putting back on a second layer of skin. It was as though he realized that he’d been missing it this entire time now that it was back. He grinned at the feeling. It never got old.

It took less than a minute to glance through the information stored in the computer before he was erasing any traces of having been there and escaping, heading out to the city.

…

Tim was the type of guy to meticulously plan his every move. To always be one step ahead, or several steps ahead if he could swing it. 

Tonight however, Tim only had one plan. That plan was to find a connection between Jones and the demands in the letters. It had been driving him crazy to research the man for weeks and come to no clear conclusions. What he needed was on the ground research, information he couldn’t get from the man’s car records or old glitchy security cameras. 

So in classic Tim fashion he found himself perched out on top of a building, watching as below him Jones and a few other men had a conversation on a street corner. Tim wasn’t able to get too close, the men looking around too much to stay undetected easily. That meant he couldn't exactly hear what they were talking about, but he did his best to read what he could from the interaction.

The rest of the men seemed scared of Jones, and they deferred to him when he spoke. Still, they didn’t look as though they liked him very much, giving each other looks behind his back. It was an interesting dynamic, and one that Tim wanted to dig deeper into.

When the group finally parted, Tim elected to follow one of the clearly lower-level men, deciding that he may be able to give Tim more info on his target. It wouldn’t be good to expose himself to Jones just yet anyways.

Tim followed at a distance, but made sure to keep visuals as they moved. The man was short and slender, good for blending in and moving quickly through the streets. The pace was just fast enough to be suspicious, but not enough to actually be throwing off anyone who would want to tail him. 

He must be new, Tim thought. 

All the better.

The further they got from the initial location, Tim’s confidence grew and he moved steadily closer, keeping low but jumping between high-rises with nary a sound. The man was slowing down, and after almost twenty minutes Tim finally stood almost directly above him.

Without thinking for too long, Tim dropped down, landing roughly on the man’s back and bringing him to the ground.

“What-” Tim cut the man off, shoving his hand over his mouth to muffle the shout. 

“I’m gonna take my hand off and we’re gonna have a civil conversation. Got it?” Tim kept his voice low, refusing to let the man’s head budge in his grip and pushing the rest of his body harshly into the rough asphalt below.

The man’s face was contorted in fear, nodding immediately to Tim’s question in the largest movement Tim’s grip allowed.

Slowly, Tim relaxed his grip on the man’s head and pulled away his hand, ready to stop him again if he made any quick motions. Luckily, he seemed to sense the severity of the situation and underlying threat in Tim’s words. He simply stared at Tim, eyes wide in terror.

Tim knew his suit made him an intimidating figure, but he plastered on his most uncanny smile in hopes of freaking him out even more. It did the trick, a small whimper of fear coming from the man.

“Great, I’m glad you listened. That was a smart move. Now here’s the deal.” Tim paused, letting the man get antsy and watching as he gulped. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about Waylon Jones.”

Unfortunately, this didn’t have the desired effect. Tim was expecting more fear, or anger. What he wasn’t expecting was the confusion displayed on the other man’s face. 

“Who?”

He looked a little scared to even ask the question. As though Tim would do something terrible for not being able to answer. Instead, Tim was wondering where exactly he’d gone wrong.

He’d done extensive research on Jones. Knew everything about the man from the names of his parents to his most frequented cafe. And yet, Tim never considered that he struggled so much with finding out about his illusive activities because his name wasn’t known. Or that he went by a pseudonym. 

The clarity was like being dumped in cold water, and Tim’s grip loosened absentmindedly while his brain ran through the new information. Considering what he may have overlooked in light of this development.

As Tim was thinking, he watched the man below him continue to look confused, but he missed it as the man slowly moved his hand to his side. He was only brought back to the present when Tim heard the barely-there click of a button, and he reached down to drag the man’s hand away from where he moved it.

Immediately, Tim noticed that there was a small button in the pocket of the man’s coat. He recognized it as a distress beacon of sorts. One that was meant to let others know where they were and to come as soon as possible.

Tim cursed loudly, shoving himself off of the man. There was really no need to interrogate the man even further, so Tim elected to get the hell out of dodge.

Unfortunately, luck was rarely on Tim’s side and so as soon as he was halfway up the building, his grappling gun working slower than usual, he heard loud footsteps getting close.

“Where?!” 

Tim heard the yell come from below and glanced down to see a group of four or five men had arrived in the alley. It only took a moment for the man he’d attacked to point up to him and without delay the men pulled out guns, pointing them in Tim’s direction.

Adrenaline flooded his body, allowing him to pull himself up the last few feet before the bullets started raining in his direction.

“Shit!” Tim cursed as one sailed next to his ear and he dropped flat onto the roof.

When there was a brief break in the gunfire, Tim made a quick exit, shooting his grappling gun and leaping into the air above their heads. For the first few rooftops Tim was able to escape without any further fighting, but once he’d gotten several buildings away, the gunfire started back up.

Tim did his best to dodge, but the new angle made it much harder. For several bullets he had to redirect them with his cape or block with his bo staff. He wasn’t so lucky with one. The first thing he registered was the pressure in his lower left side, but the pain came shortly after.

It was overwhelming almost immediately, but Tim gritted his teeth and continued his escape. At one point a sharp stab of pain from where he’d been hit had him stumbling and almost missing a shot with the grapple, but he made it at the last second. Each jump and movement stretched his abdomen uncomfortably, wound searing with pain. 

It took longer than it normally would, and Tim’s vision was slightly muddled when he finally made it back to the palace. He’d done his best to press on the injury to avoid losing too much blood, but each movement of the grapple swings just aggravated it more, and Tim had lost a lot of blood.

Reentering the chamber, Tim groaned as he stumbled over to a seat in the med bay, letting out a deep breath of relief when he saw that there still wasn’t anyone down in the area. 

It took a few moments of simply breathing and catching his breath before Tim was able to look down and investigate the wound. When he did, Tim found himself cringing at the sight. It wasn’t pretty. At least the bullet had gone all the way through and was fairly far to the side of his abdomen. It meant that it likely hadn’t hit anything major, and that had Tim letting out a deep sigh of relief.

He made quick work of patching himself up, hands moving with practiced skill. It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten a major injury, and he had a bad habit of not letting other people know when it happened. Sometimes Alfred would find out and check on his dressings to make sure he was treating himself properly, but the man had never given out his secrets. It was something Tim deeply appreciated.

It took longer than he would’ve liked, anxiety thrumming through his body as the clock kept ticking and the threat of someone entering remained a real possibility. He tried to work carefully, but still cleaned and stitched together the wound with more speed than was ideal.

In the end, Tim wrapped a final bandage tightly around himself with no one catching him. When Barbara came down later, coffee in hand and a tired expression on her face, she didn’t question what he was doing down there. She simply saw him in front of his computer looking up Jones and figured he was continuing his fruitless research.

He made sure his proud grin was out of her sight.

…

Instead of attending the meeting that week, Tim finally sat himself down and stared at pictures of the remaining Selected. He needed to send home two more, and there were no more excuses as to why he could stall.

There would undoubtedly be consequences for not doing what the note said, but he was tired and had already decided he wouldn’t be listening anyway. At the moment, Tim had other priorities.

Once the Selection got down to the final ten things would start to pick up. Or at least that was the original plan. If someone made it to that point it meant Tim saw them as solid candidates and they would be undergoing some tests of sorts. It wouldn’t be anything crazy, but now was the time to make sure they were royalty material.

Tim had a lot of ideas, but he also knew that it was something he wanted the rest of his family to get a little involved with as well. So, this decision was important, and it had to be made sooner rather than later.

Realistically, Tim knew that keeping so many people here for no real reason was a bad idea. Objectively, it was bad for him and also the spirit of the Selection in general. However, Tim cared very little for the spirit of the Selection, and honestly couldn’t care less about his odds either. 

The chances of any of the remaining options being the one was nonexistent, and so the only thing Tim hoped was that he could see himself spending the rest of his life with one of them in moderate happiness.

Another sigh escaped his mouth and Tim leaned back in his soft leather chair. It was rare he spent time in his office, as small as it was, but this seemed like an occasion to use it. The room was small, and there was dust on practically every surface from misuse, but it was comfy. 

There were knicknacks laying around which were remnants of Dick’s time as crown prince. An old note he’d written about a meeting time and a pen he’d left which had run out of ink. It was just like Dick to forget to throw out something that no longer served a purpose, but Tim supposed he was doing the same by leaving it there.

Tim had barely touched the room at all when he’d inherited it. In the back of his mind he always assumed Dick would be back. There was no reason to think so, especially with how dramatically he’d left, but Tim still left his old books in the corner of the desk instead of bringing them back to the library. He kept up the old post-it that his father had looked at with misery on more than one occasion, likely recognizing Dick’s handwriting.

Tim shook his head, dragging his eyes away from the post-it and back to the pictures lining the desk. Without pausing to consider he picked up five of them and put them off to the side. No use in pretending he’d be sending any of them home.

So he was down to seven. Almost begrudgingly he picked up Greta’s portrait and added it to the other pile. It was still too soon to send her home, but Tim was also curious to see how she’d fare in the next portion of the Selection. Her expertise in areas of high society culture could be invaluable to the others if she decided to play nice.

Moving on, he stared at the others. With less reluctance he picked up Bernard and Ives’ pictures, putting them to the side with the others. He liked both of their company and figured it was worth getting to know them more. He also still felt guilty about Ives’ date and how he couldn’t pay attention.

Now down to the last four. Sarah Glenn, David McKee, Nico Hernandez, and Andrea Cooper. Staring at the names Tim frowned in thought.

Sarah was close with Bernard and evidently Kon. Duke had good things to say about her and Cass hadn’t objected. Tim’s date with her hadn’t been great, but she’d been nice enough if a little shy. Carefully he put her to the side.
Now down to three. Whoever he picked next to stay would mean the other two had to go, so Tim decided to change things up. After what Duke mentioned about Andrea he elected to let her go. No use in keeping someone around that his family didn’t like.

He looked back and forth between David and Eric’s pictures. He’d forgotten to send David his date invitation in the first place and had to make it up in a later week. It went well, but wasn’t anything all that great. Mostly small talk with some anecdotes about his family that were sweet enough. 

Tim looked at the other picture. Eric on the other hand was an interesting guy with a strong interest in cars, but didn’t seem to want to talk about much else. Tim wasn’t sure he’d gotten to know enough about the guy to see if he even liked him.

Looking back and forth Tim struggled to choose. A headache started brewing which added to the steady throbbing pain already coming from his abdomen. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and elected to make this easier.

Tim stood up and walked over to the door. Directly on the other side, standing at attention and turning immediately was Cullen. Without a word Tim pulled him inside and shut the door.

“Hello there, Tim.”

“Put your hands out.”

Tim didn’t look to see if Cullen listened, instead walking back to his desk to grab the two photos and bringing them back.

When he saw Cullen standing confused with his hands in front of him Tim smiled and placed the pictures one in each of his hands.

“Great! Now put them behind your back and switch them around a bit.”

Cullen glanced down at the pictures and rolled his eyes.

“Don’t tell me this is how you’re choosing?”

“Of course not, that would be a bad way to decide my future. Now mix them up.”

Cullen stared at him in disappointment, but eventually gave in to Tim’s demands and moved them behind his back. Tim could hear the rustling of the paper and smiled.

“Give me the one currently in your left hand.”

Cullen paused his mixing and brought his left hand out. Tim grabbed it and turned it around to be met with Eric’s smiling face.

I guess I get to hear more about cars, Tim thought ruefully.

Chapter Text

KON

“Did you hear the news about the cook who always makes the really good bread rolls?”

Bernard leaned forward, nodding at Sarah’s words enthusiastically without any further explanation. Kon sat lost in the storm he’d found himself in. 

“Yeah, she caught her husband cheating on her with one of the other kitchen staff right?”

Kon did a double take at Bernard’s words, but Sarah only nodded in response. He’d been sitting at their table for only about ten minutes, but in that time span Kon had learned far more about the people he’d seen around the palace than he would’ve thought possible.

“Yeah I heard about that last week, but apparently they just found out the other day that the affair had been going on for a long time.”

Bernard hummed and tapped his finger on the table in thought. 

“That explains the weird behavior from everyone in the kitchens. They must’ve known.”

Kon sat there in silence, simply staring as he watched the quickfire verbal spar happening between the two. It was clearly well-practiced, and he figured his input would only interrupt the flow. Not to mention he didn’t want them to stop. He was having a surprising amount of fun being a spectator.

When he’d sat down with the two of them earlier he hadn’t expected the amount of information and dirt they had on everyone in the palace. He remembered hearing some interesting things from them at his party, but this was on another level. It was like they had ears everywhere and could tell him what everyone was up to whether good or bad. He was begrudgingly impressed.

After a long enough stretch of silence passed, Kon finally decided to intervene, immensely curious and unable to hold himself back any longer.

“How did you hear about that?” Kon spoke with barely restrained awe. 

Bernard sent a sharp look in Kon’s direction which had him unconsciously leaning backwards into his chair. He got the impression he’d violated some unspoken rule. A quick appraisal of their situation had him realizing they were in one of the corners of the parlor far enough away from the other people where they wouldn’t be overheard. Kon hadn’t considered the reason for that before they started talking.

“I asked.” Bernard shrugged, as though that was a normal response.

“You asked?” Kon’s words were drowning in disbelief. Bernard just nodded and Sarah did the same to his side. “And they told you?”

“Well how else am I supposed to learn anything?”

Kon sat with that and let them go on without interrupting much more. They had a fair point at least.

A while passed with Kon learning more information about the people he’d seen around for months than he knew what to do with. The stories were nothing particularly significant. Just an occasional affair or unfortunate vice among staff that required some below-the-board smuggling. The flow of conversation dragged Kon into a lull, and he was shocked back into the present by the arrival of another person.

“Hi Greta.” Sarah spoke warmly, but her words had Kon on alert, glancing behind him where Greta was approaching steadily.

“Hello, Sarah.” 

Greta’s smile towards Sarah was uncharacteristically real, but when she turned to Kon it faded into a much more sour version.

Without addressing either Kon or Bernard she continued speaking to Sarah.

“I was planning to go play a few rounds of croquet. Would you care to join me?”

Kon fought the frown that threatened to break onto his face. Croquet? He didn’t realize people played that in real life. It just seemed like such a ridiculous choice of activity.

“Is something the matter?”

Kon realized Greta was speaking to him and hurried to return his face to something casual, not sure what it had been doing while he was distracted.

“No, not at all.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and the action was almost unnaturally normal on her usually stoic face.

“I just didn’t realize croquet was popular. I guess it wasn’t something I grew up doing.”

It’s not that he wasn’t born into wealth. Technically Lex raised him with everything he needed. Except for freedom or love that is. Lets just say the man wasn’t letting Kon out of his sights long enough for a game of croquet. Nor was Lex ever interested in spending his time playing what he would consider a pointless game.

As far as Lex was concerned everything was pointless if there wasn’t something to be gained. Like money. Or public favor.

Even in Smallville doing something like that would’ve been odd. If anyone wanted to spend time outside or play a sport they could pass a football or go for a bike ride around town. Kon wasn’t sure he could picture Ma and Pa playing a round of croquet on the farm. The image almost brought another untimely laugh out of him.

Though he only realized after speaking that his words may have sounded more judgmental than he meant. Greta certainly didn’t seem happy at his wording. His delivery probably could’ve been better. Kon went to clarify, hoping to come across as less of an asshole.

“I just mean that it wasn’t really something I grew up doing. It’s not all that popular in Smallville I guess.”

The look Greta gave him was almost confusing in its intensity. As though she knew something he didn’t or thought he was being stupid on purpose. It made his skin prickle, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.

“Right. Figures a small town like that wouldn’t bother with learning anything other than football where all people do is run around and get head injuries.”

Kon rolled his eyes at her pointed attack. It was more funny than anything.

Sensing that she wasn’t getting more of a reaction out of him, Greta turned back to Sarah.

“I secured the grounds for one in the afternoon. Meet me outside then.”

Greta turned on her heel, making her way back to her usual table in silence. Kon couldn’t help but feel he’d made some mistake.

He didn’t have much time to linger on the thought though, as less than fifteen minutes later Barbara walked into the room. She moved with as much purpose as always, Harper trailing behind her with a clipboard she was staring at intensely.

Everyone paused what they were doing once they noticed Barbara’s arrival. It was almost funny how she’d become such a beacon of bad news.

“Is everyone here?” Barbara directed the question to Harper who looked up at her voice.

“Everyone but a few. I know where they are though and I’ll find them after this to deliver the news.”

Barbara nodded and turned back to the group, eyes scanning over all of their faces before she started speaking.

“High Royal Highness has chosen two more people to send home.”

The room grew silent, an old familiar tension growing among those assembled. Kon knew he was safe and even he couldn’t stop himself from bracing for the worst. 

After going so long without anyone being sent home Kon almost forgot what they were all there for in the first place. He’d spoken to Tim about it a few times, but the announcement still caught him off guard.

Barbara gave them a moment to collect themselves before continuing.

“After these two people are sent home, we will be down to the final ten. I will explain what that entails after I announce who is leaving.” There was a pause which had Kon holding his breath in anticipation. “Andrea Cooper and David McKee, if you could please gather your belongings from your rooms there will be a car waiting for you at the palace’s front entrance.”

Kon’s eyes, along with everyone else’s, moved over to where the two sat a few tables down from where Kon was sitting. Their reactions couldn’t have been more different. While David showed no surprise or negative emotions, Andrea looked devastated at the news. Her hands came up to her face, shoulders shaking with nearly imperceptible sobs. In the stunned silence Sarah made her way over, sitting next to Andrea and speaking in hushed tones into her ear. 

Kon looked away awkwardly, deciding to give her some privacy while he turned back to Bernard. Tim’s choice of who to send home wasn’t surprising, but it was still sad to see more people go home. Especially as he heard Andrea’s muted sniffles travel through the room in the direction of the door.

Barbara cleared her throat, reminding everyone that she was going to explain more now that the other two had already left the room. Kon noticed Sarah stood near the door, clearly wishing she could follow Andrea but knowing she had to stay and listen.

“First I want to congratulate all of you for making it to the final ten.” Barbara started, looking around at everyone who was still assembled. “Now that we’ve made it to this point things are going to be a little bit different.”

There was a pause after she added that comment, and Kon couldn’t help but wonder what they were all about to get into. He understood the need for a change at this point, but he wasn’t sure whether it would be a good thing or not.

“As the final ten you are all here as strong contenders for being chosen by the crown prince.” Kon fought very hard to not laugh out loud at that statement. Instead he side eyed several people in the room who he knew for a fact were not there as strong contenders. “Because of that, we feel it’s time to start preparing each of you for what the duties would look like for someone who would be the future King Consort.”

Nothing about that was shocking. It made sense for there to be at least some forewarning for what the new lifestyle would be for whoever was chosen. Kon just hoped it wouldn’t be too crazy of a schedule. He wouldn’t be super happy to give up his current hobbies and obligations.

“What that means for all of you is that there will be a series of lessons conducted here in this room for you to learn about the expectations that come with the role. On top of that, each of you will be expected to participate in at least one royal council meeting with His Royal Highness so you can be introduced to what the political expectations would be as well.”

The lessons were something Kon wasn’t too worried about, but the meeting was something else altogether. He had a lot of strong feelings about the political moves of the royal family and council in general. It wasn’t clear whether he would enjoy getting to hear it firsthand and potentially voice his opinion, or whether that would go horribly wrong.

He guessed it would depend on Tim and if there were any rules he’d have to abide by. Kon had a feeling that Tim wouldn’t stop him from speaking, and the thought was an exciting one.

“Now,” Barbara brought everyone’s attention back to her with the lone word. “If any of you have questions feel free to let me know or find Harper and she can probably answer them as well. Otherwise, good luck and we’ll see you here tomorrow after lunch for the first lesson.”

Barbara gave the room a tight smile and made her way out, leaving behind everyone in various states of shock.

“I’m actually busy this afternoon,” Harper called out with a nervous expression. “But if you need help I’ll be around tomorrow morning.” 

She left with an awkward wave, moving quickly out the parlor doors.

“What do you think they’ll want to teach us?”

Kon turned back around to face Bernard again. He thought for a moment, struggling to know what would be important for them to learn.

“Maybe certain etiquette?” Kon shrugged, not really sure. “I don’t know man. I wasn’t really raised in this realm.”

Bernard hummed, licking his lips and shuffling in his seat slightly. “My guess is they’ll want to tell us what the past King Consorts have done and what they’re usually in charge of.” He paused again. “But maybe it’ll be more important to learn about what Tim is in charge of. Knowing him he’ll have taken on every role he possibly could. He’s such a workaholic…”

Kon ignored the jealousy that flared through his veins at hearing Bernard refer to Tim so casually. The two had known each other since well before this competition and he really had no reason to feel any particular way about it. Still, he couldn’t help the way his breathing slowed and jaw tightened momentarily.

“You’re probably right,” he eventually got out. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

…

Kon hadn’t been expecting anything interesting to happen until the lessons the next day. He’d gotten used to the slow pace of his days, dragging on with familiarity and consistent schedules.

A new part of there only being ten Selected left meant that the meal arrangements had changed. No longer were there rows of small tables, but rather one large table in the shape of a circle. Kon wondered why that shape was chosen, but it became slightly more clear that night at dinner.

Kon sat down in his usual seat with Bart to his left and Cassie to his right. However, what was surprising was that when Tim showed up for dinner, instead of walking up to his family’s table, Tim made his way to the circle and took a seat in the only open seat in between Ives and Greta.

If Tim was unhappy with his seating arrangements, there was no visible marker of any negative emotions. His face stretched into a casual smile the moment he joined into the bubble. It was one of his more inviting expressions. Not that Kon was keeping track.

Kon wished for a moment that there had been a seat open next to him, but shook himself out of that thinking immediately. He was happy to sit with his friends, and that wouldn’t change. Besides, the more Tim got to talk with the others the more he would get to know them and figure out who he wanted. That was what was important, not Kon’s feelings that weren’t going anywhere.

Still, Kon spent the meal watching Tim interact with the people around him. He was all easy smiles, nodding along with whatever was being whispered in his direction, and speaking only on rare occasions when he added a comment or two to the discussion. 

A small nudge jolted him. “You’re staring, man.” Bart’s words were quiet, but Kon still looked around to see if anyone heard. Even though it looked like nobody had, Kon still gave Bart a look.

Bart raised his hands slightly. “Sorry. Just thought you should know since it was pretty obvious.”

Kon huffed a laugh under his breath. Bart loosened at the positive response, seemingly glad that Kon wasn’t actually annoyed.

For the rest of the meal Kon tried to focus on anything other than the man opposite him at the table. Cassie kept him entertained with stories or how she’d once beaten an annoying jock at one of her schools in an arm wrestling match after he’d called her a ‘weak girl.’ Knowing how absolutely not true that was, Kon laughed along with the story. Apparently the guy hadn’t been able to show his face in school for a week. Kon was just happy that Cassie had made him look like an idiot.

“Hey, Kon.” Kon looked up at the sound of his name, realizing that it was Tim who’d called him. Tim was looking at him from across the table, and even though they were separated by a large distance, once they’d made eye contact Kon lost track of everyone else.

“Yeah?” 

Kon’s response was delayed enough that Tim’s eyes shined with humor. He would’ve cared more if he wasn’t so busy cataloging the small pieces of rice stuck right below his lower lip.

“You live in Metropolis now right?” 

The question was mostly a formality. Tim knew that Kon lived there. It was something they’d talked a lot about. Tim still didn’t know that he’d actually grown up there, but that wasn’t something he liked to talk about. Kon tilted his head slightly in confusion at the need for clarification, but answering the question nonetheless.

“I do. Why?”

Tim glanced to his right where Ives was sitting before responding.

“We were talking about Metropolis. Ives mentioned that he has family that lives there and I told him that you live there too.” 

After finishing his explanation Tim shrugged nonchalantly, but Kon was caught off guard by the information. There really wasn’t any need to bring Kon into the conversation, but he was almost honored that Tim immediately thought to include him. It brought a warmth to his chest that bubbled up into a bright smile.

“Yeah, it’s a good place. Very lively.”

“I’ve always liked it there when I visited my family.” Ives chimed in. “Lots of crazy tall buildings and an impressive transportation system.”

Kon smiled wryly, thinking of the amount of times the public transportation had been the victim of some bizarre disasters. Something about Metropolis brought out the most unusual predicaments.

At least it made journalism easy in the city. There was always something odd to report on.

“It’s a great city,” Kon agreed with a small smile. “There’s some issues but all major cities have them.” Kon thought about the number of attacks that had happened in Gotham in recent years. It was true that no matter where you lived there were certain threats.

Ives nodded at his response. “That’s true. But I think in terms of moving towards the future it’s a great place to be. Lots of innovation y’know?”

Kon let out a dry chuckle. He was familiar with the technology in the city, but it wasn’t something he liked to think about too much.

“Yeah, definitely a lot of big names there,” Kon shrugged.

“Exactly! That’s why I kinda want to work for LexCorp one day if I can. They seem to have some super cool projects going on right now. It just sucks that getting a job there is like impossible.”

Kon froze almost imperceptibly. The name of his father’s company caught him off guard and he didn’t know how to respond. Nor did he think he could act normally about it either way.

Back in Metropolis it was near impossible to avoid the name, but Kon had long gotten used to not hearing it since being in the palace. It wasn’t something he’d planned on being faced with at this dinner.

He cleared his throat quietly, hoping his visceral reaction hadn’t been as noticeable as it felt. He could tell that there were eyes on him, but pretended like nothing was amiss.

“Well that’s a popular company so that makes sense. A good goal to have for sure.”

The smile he went for was a supportive one, and he only hoped it was at least somewhat close to what he was going for.

A moment of silence followed his sentence before the conversation eventually continued on, this time without Kon. It appeared that his portion of being included was over. The thought wasn’t as disappointing as it might’ve been a few minutes prior. He just took a few moments to breath calmly, spearing a few forkfuls of his dinner before he went back to focusing on the conversations around him.

…

The next day, Kon realized that Tim showing up to things was going to become more regular. Maybe it was because of whatever it was that kept Tim from participating in his normal work, or maybe it was because it was the final ten. But Tim suddenly seemed very focused on getting to know everyone.

Unfortunately, since Kon already knew him decently well, it seemed like Tim wasn’t rushing to spend any more time with him. Instead, he was reaching out to the other people who weren’t there in some bizarre pact to be his friend.

Kon knew he should be understanding and happy that Tim was finally taking it seriously, but that didn’t mean he was. Every time Kon caught Tim talking with one of the others out of the corner of his eye he felt the bitterness in his gut grow.

Kon spent more time with his friends, hoping that they could distract him from the feelings, but it only worked for as long as he was with them.

The first lesson that the group had the day after the decision to send home two people was exactly as Bernard predicted. It went over the usual expectations of a King Consort, including their political ambitions and side projects that they usually devoted a significant amount of their time to. 

The concept wasn’t as nerve-wracking to Kon as it was to some of the others. There were many things he was passionate about, and if journalism had taught him anything, it was how to make people aware of the injustices of the world.

He had a feeling that would transfer well to the position.

For several hours Barbara explained that they would be expected to come up with a few ideas of how they would support the country given the chance, and that they should become familiar with the different laws of the land prior to attending one of the council meetings with Tim.

Luckily, Kon already had a good idea of that information from his own classes and personal research, so he was confident he would understand what was going on when he was finally allowed to attend a meeting.

All he had to worry about was keeping his mouth shut when somebody said something he didn’t like. He had a real issue with his impulse control and was worried it would extend to how he presented himself in a more professional environment. 

That wasn’t something very important when you were a journalist, but he didn’t think that politics worked the same way. No one was rewarded for asking the difficult questions in politics.

It was a depressing thought.

…

Kon and Steph were sitting on one of the couches in the parlor playing a classic game of Fuck, Marry, Kill. So far Kon had learned an unfortunate amount about Steph’s terrible taste in the short while they’d been playing.

“I can’t believe you would marry Oliver Green.” Kon cringed even saying the name. He couldn’t begin to imagine why she chose that in the first place.

“Easy. He’s rich.” Her words were confident, as though she had thought about it before.

“There are better things than being rich.” Kon pointed out. He knew for a fact that having money didn’t always mean being happy.

“I know that. But it definitely does make some things easier.” Steph continued to argue. “Besides, my other choices were Dick who’s like an older brother to me and Diana Prince who’s hot but way too good for me.”

Kon snorted at her reasoning. He didn’t agree with her choices but at least understood where she was coming from.

“I guess that’s fair. At least with Dick. You still could’ve switched the others though.”

Steph just shook her head and he gave up on convincing her. It wasn’t worth the effort at this point. Besides, he was slightly distracted by Tim wandering around the room and talking to the other people. He’d been joining them more and more throughout the week.

“My turn.” Steph sounded way too excited at the prospect. “Your options are Bart, Jason, and Tim.”

Kon just stared at her for a moment in disbelief. 

“Steph.” She just grinned. He sighed. “At least I chose people you don’t spend like every day with.”

“Yeah but that wasn’t a requirement. You just didn’t think outside the box enough. So who’s it gonna be?”

Kon looked up at the ceiling, considering how he ended up in this position. Obviously he couldn’t see himself with Bart or Jason given the circumstances, but answering that he’d marry Tim felt too on the nose.

After a very long pause he finally answered, reluctance in every syllable of his words.

“Kill Jason, marry Bart, and fuck Tim.”

Steph lit up at his response. “I figured.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He rolled his eyes and looked away from her face, too annoyed at the satisfaction he could see.

Unfortunately, looking over towards his left he noticed Tim had gotten close. Close enough to hear their conversation. He was even looking at Kon with something close to embarrassment. 

Without realizing it, Kon’s face heated up, mortified at the thought that he heard Kon’s answer. Based on the way Tim awkwardly swiveled on his feet and walked in the other direction Kon figured he might have. He groaned quietly.

“Steph, you’re the worst.”

If anything that looked to make her happier and she wheezed at the combination of his face and Tim making a hasty retreat.

“Actually I’m the best, and you’re welcome.”

He elected to ignore her and not respond, but the door opening caught his attention.

For some reason Harper showed up and she looked nervous in a way that had him bracing himself. She walked up to Tim and whispered something in his ear. Whatever she said, it couldn’t have been good by the way he tensed up and walked out of the room without another word.

Kon glanced at Steph helplessly, but the stoic look on her face had him doing a double take. For some reason her expression reminded him of how his dad and Lois would look when they cracked a particularly rough case. Like when they knew it wasn’t anything good and were waiting for the final shoe to drop.

Because of that, he wasn’t as surprised when Harper walked over to their table, keeping her eyes on Steph the whole way over.

“Steph, could you come with me please?” Harper’s voice was weak, her eyes portraying a range of emotions that didn’t feel right in the otherwise calm atmosphere.

And yet, Steph sat up straight, eyes hardened and not showing any fear. She simply nodded and stood up, following Harper out of the room. 

Kon could only hope that things were okay, but from Steph’s reaction he had a feeling it wasn’t anything good.

TIM

Tim was really trying. He knew he had to step up his game with the Selection. It had fallen to the wayside in his list of priorities with everything else going on, but now he’d decided to make it his main concern.

Since he chose not to attend the last council meeting and comply with the demands given to him, Tim had been waiting for the worst. When Bruce found him later that evening in the cave tirelessly scrolling through information on Jones he’d been angry.

Tim wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his father that angry at him. He understood why, but once he explained what the note said and why he chose not to go Bruce softened quickly. He was still mad, but at the very least he agreed that the situation was less than ideal.

Tim was still banned from meetings, but until he heard anything else he was stuck focusing on his love life. It wasn’t the greatest thing to ever happen to him.

The final ten was a big milestone though, and Tim knew that things had to get more serious. He had to get more serious about his future. The Selection couldn’t keep functioning as a way to make friends or pass the time. He had to actually parse out the Selected and determine who he could see himself spending the rest of his life with.

The results were upsetting to say the least. It wasn’t that they were bad people for the most part. They just didn’t click.

Tim wasn’t especially romantic, but he at least thought that if he found the right person that he would be able to tell. But still, that hadn’t happened quite so easily which only meant he had to keep trying.

…

When he got called out of the parlor by Harper Tim knew it wasn’t anything good and he braced himself for the bad news. And yet what he heard still managed to hit hard, leaving him heavy with the burden of guilt.

Barbara was the one to meet him outside the room, but Cass hovered close enough that it sent a spike of fear through his gut. Her presence either meant he’d need comfort or she felt she would be needed elsewhere.

“Last night there was a fire in a large apartment building in downtown Gotham.” Barbara’s words shot through Tim, dread taking the place of his heart in his chest and forcing the inevitable question from his lips.

“Who?”

Barbara sighed. It was a sad and defeated sound.

“There were quite a few casualties. In the investigation they confirmed that it was arson. Among those who died were Arthur and Crystal Brown. Steph’s parents.”

All the breath forced itself out of his lungs, his heart dropping. The two people were horrible, but they were still Steph’s parents. He knew she wouldn’t take this well,  and wished there was anything he could do to help her. 

His gaze traveled to Cass who stood next to Barbara with steely features, determination and grief intermingled in her gaze. She knew as well as Tim that Steph’s parents had never been good people, but even she was angry. Tim understood the feeling well, and when they made eye contact a silent understanding passed between them.

No explanation was necessary for Tim to know that this was because of him. Anyone watching him closely enough would be able to tell how close he was with Steph. It wasn’t something they’d bothered to be all that careful with, but suddenly Tim wishes he’d tried harder to hide his favoritism.

This was his punishment for not following through with the demands.

Moisture swelled in his eyes, guilt overpowering his other senses as he fought for control of whatever reaction he was having to the information. Cass laid a hand on his arm and the contact was grounding. He paid attention to the steady weight in order to get his breathing back under control.

Within moments he was back, mind running overtime as he considered what to do next. Unfortunately, there was one thing they had to do first.

“We need to tell Steph.”

…

They took Steph back to Cass’ room to tell her the news. Tim wanted it to be somewhere comfortable, and Cass wasn’t willing to let Steph out of her sight.

Steph took the information with little reaction other than the faintest softening of her eyes, something reminiscent of regret clouding the usual soft blue. Tim only had a few moments to look before they were pulled into a hug and he lost the ability to analyze her and try to understand what she was feeling.

It caught him off guard, but the desperation in Steph’s movements and the detached way she grabbed onto Tim and Cass kept him from complaining.

Luckily, with the focus on Steph nobody noticed how he cringed at the pressure the hug placed on his ribs near his gunshot. The last thing he wanted to do was explain how he’d wasted his time and gotten injured instead of going to the meeting. Especially since choosing not to go is what got Steph’s parents killed.

After they all let go the three laid down on Cass’ bed and simply sat in silence for a while. Every now and then a sniffle from Steph would interrupt the silence and Tim watched as Cass grabbed her hand and squeezed in an act of comfort. 

He knew that the love the two had for each other was a silent steady force, but witnessing it was another thing. He wanted nothing more than to be there for his longest friend, but Tim also wanted to give the two their space.

After staying for several hours Tim gave Steph another long hug, letting her know to come see him for anything, and left the room.

…

The guilt wasn’t a loud force, but it was a painful one. It sat with him as the days passed, and it came up in the smallest moments. Every time he caught sight of Steph and noticed her red-rimmed eyes he felt it. Anytime he sat near her in meals and caught on to her unusual silence he wanted to apologize. To let her know that he hadn’t known that she would be targeted for his failings.

He’d been ready to sacrifice himself, but somehow this was so much worse. Taking on a punishment for the sake of his morals was something he wouldn’t be able to regret. But only if the punishment was one he could receive himself.

It only made him more nervous to know that whoever was watching him knew his actual weaknesses. That they knew he’d react more to a threat on those he cared about than himself.

So without knowing what else to do, Tim kept his head down. He stopped his research, and he stopped even thinking about wanting to go to meetings. There was a strong desire to go back to being a ghost and waiting out everything without having to face it, but reality caught up to him and he realized very quickly that wasn’t going to work again.

For one, the first day he tried to hide out in his rooms Steph dragged him out, refusing to let him drown in his guilt and hide away.

“If you think I’m going to let you ruin my chances with Cass because you’re being a dramatic asshole you’re an idiot.”

They were heading towards the dining room at an impressive speed, Steph not giving him enough time to protest. He spluttered at her words, shocked by their intensity and the fact that that was what she was worried about.

“How is me missing breakfast possibly hurting your chances with my sister?” 

Steph rolled her eyes, but he could still see the red tint in the scleras which let him know she wasn’t as fine as she was pretending to be.

“Because Tim, Cass is too busy worrying about where you are to be focusing on comforting me. I can’t believe you’re managing to make my parents dying more about you.”

Cringing away, Tim stared down at his feet as they took quick steps on the even stones. Her words were spoken with humor, but what she said was true, and it only made him feel worse.

A nudge to his shoulder brought his attention back up to Steph’s face. It was more serious than he’d seen it in a while.

“That was a joke Tim. We all know it isn’t your fault so stop blaming yourself.” A small smile formed on her face. “Believe it or not you can’t actually control everything. You’re bound to have to deal with surprises every now and then.”

Tim did his best to return her smile, gratitude making its way into his bones. He really didn’t deserve Steph, but he was endlessly glad for her anyways.

“I’m sorry Steph,” Tim whispered, finally gathering the courage to face her as he spoke.

Her smile dimmed slightly, but her eyes were soft and he could tell she wasn’t upset with him. “I know, Tim. But it’s really not your fault.”

He nodded lightly, trying to accept her words and still struggling.

“Now,” her expression shifted to a more enthusiastic expression. “You’re going to sit next to me this morning because I say so and you’re going to get them to bring another chair to the table for Cass. It’s the least you can do.”

A smile finally cracked on his face, and it lit up Steph’s own. “As if she wouldn’t do that anyway.”

Waves of red passed over Steph’s cheeks, matching the dimming color surrounding her eyes. 

“Shut up.”

There was no heat in her words.

“But I thought you wanted me to be a wingman? Kinda need to talk for that.”

She punched his shoulder and it hurt more than he expected, slightly jostling his existing wound on his abdomen.

“Let’s just go.”

This time, Tim didn’t need her to pull him towards the dining room.

…

Tim ended up being right and Cass made her way over to the circle table with her usual chair without prompting, taking up the spot to Steph’s left. Tim slowly sank into the seat to Steph’s right, wanting to stay close. Still, Tim caught the soft smiles they sent each other and promptly turned to his other side, eager to get out of the way of all that.

The person to his right was Bernard, and he sent the other man a smile that he hoped reached his eyes. Either way, Bernard seemed happily surprised at his presence and returned a shy smile of his own.

Tim struggled with how to start the conversation, but luckily Bernard did it for him.

“Should we expect the rest of your family to join us eventually?”

Tim just stared back, not comprehending what he meant until Bernard gestured towards the front table. Duke was staring in their direction, gaze locked on Cass with an assessing look. He seemed a bit put out to not be able to talk with his closest siblings, and Tim wouldn’t put it past him to come join them out of spite. Tim supposed that’s what Bernard meant.

“Maybe,” Tim laughed lightly. “None of us do well with being left out.”

“I can see that…” Bernard’s tone was playful, his eyes glittering as he shifted his eyes beyond Tim to Cass again. Bernard shuffled his seat slightly closer and spoke quietly. “I remember you always talking about Cass. How she struggled with the palace and who she was supposed to be.”

It was a quick change of topic, but Tim understood where it came from. Back in school Tim had latched onto Bernard in a sea of strangers. Out of everyone, he was one of the few people who hadn’t treated him like some sort of god among men. He’d been refreshingly neutral towards Tim, but above all kind.

It was something he needed then. His life had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time, but Bernard had walked up to him and spoken as though he didn’t know who Tim was. As if he was just another faceless student. Maybe he hadn’t known. It didn’t really matter either way to Tim.

Tim still wasn’t sure how he felt about Bernard being in the Selection, but at least his friend hadn’t changed. He even remembered the small details Tim shared about his life without thinking around bites of his lunch.

So even if Tim didn’t return the feelings Bernard held, he figured he could at least try.

“You remember that?” Tim went for teasing and got about halfway, but Bernard still flushed at the implications, nodding slowly. 

“She did.” Tim confirmed. He looked over to Cass again, watching her listen along to something Steph was saying with total focus and almost too much fondness to watch. “We’ve all gotten better.” 

His words were quiet, thinking back on the time and challenges they’ve all faced to get to where they are now. When he returned his attention to Bernard he was almost shocked by the amount of emotion on his face.

“I know this isn’t what you wanted, but you’ve really grown into the role.” Bernard smiled, and Tim could tell he really meant it. Even though he’d heard those words from so many people it was nice to have it confirmed by someone who really knew the him from before.

The smile he sent back came naturally, and if there was still something missing, he was too relieved to notice.

…

Just a few nights later Tim caught himself in an awkward conversation with Bruce and Barbara. After what happened they decided to look into the Selected again for anything suspicious. Very few people knew how close Tim was with Steph, so as far as they were concerned everyone was a suspect again. It was a step back that nobody was particularly happy about.

However, when the two of them came together their endless paranoia somehow managed to even outshine Tim’s, and he was really getting tired of the endless questions.

“Tim, come on, you have to give us something.” Barbara was pleading with her eyes, but Tim was too tired to be moved.

“I’ve been answering your questions,” he pointed out, but Bruce only sighed from where he was perched at the helm of the computer. 

The screen was full of everything they knew about each of the Selected. At this point Tim was sure they could each list all of their favorite colors and first grade teachers. There was no such thing as privacy when it came to matters of state security apparently. Not that Tim was one to talk. He’d done his fair share of secret-gathering before officially joining the family.

What could he say? They all led very interesting lives.

“There have been rumors that several of them are very interested in palace gossip.” Barbara mused. “Harper told me that she heard a bunch of them talking about overhearing things. It could be something relevant.”

Tim let out another sigh inside his head. Frankly all of the Selected were interested in gossip so that wouldn’t be narrowing anything down.

“Tim,” Bruce’s voice was as serious as ever, but there was an edge of curiosity. “You mentioned several weeks ago about needing to close off some of the tunnel connections. You never said why.”

Bruce had a clear no-nonsense tone that he only brought out as a last resort. It was something they were all well trained to listen to, so Tim responded without really thinking about the implications.

“One of the Selected found a few of the passages and was looking into exploring them more. I just wanted to make sure this place wasn’t found.”

Both of them stared at him, Barbara shocked and Bruce silently brooding. The message was clear as day, and he should have told them sooner. He cringed, and jumped to clarify.

“It’s just Kon though! He’s not a danger or anything. Just way too curious for his own good.” They didn’t look any less uncomfortable with his explanation. “It’s not like we can blame him for being curious.”

“You should have told us.” Bruce’s tone was dead serious, and Tim shrunk in on himself unconsciously. He glanced over at Barbara only to see her nodding silently, looking less angry but still not sympathetic.

Without any other word Bruce clicked on Kon’s profile, reading through the details they were able to gather. It felt like an invasion of privacy, but Tim couldn’t stop himself from doing the same. There were so many things he wanted to know about Kon that he was skimming the information without another thought. His brain picked through the details, checking them against what he knew and inserting new details that he found fascinating.

He hadn’t known, for example, that Kon’s family had a dog named Krypto. It hadn’t ever come up, but Tim smiled at the thought of Kon playing with a large dog. It fit.

As he read through the timeline of Kon’s school years from grades to extracurriculars he couldn’t help but notice that things were missing. There was no mention of his other father for example. 

Tim remembers the night he ran into Kon outside his room vividly. There was no way he could forget the sensation of feeling seen and caught out all at once. Tim had known that Kon wasn’t lying about how he’d grown up. It had been too raw, too painful, for Kon to have been making it up. 

The question then, was where was that information in his profile?

Divorces weren’t rare, nor was moving around between families. But for none of that to be documented was certainly strange. Tim debated with himself for several moments whether to bring it up or not. He knew that if he told Barbara and Bruce that they’d never let it go until they solved the case.

He was the same way, but at least he cared about Kon. The other two would do anything necessary to ensure that Kon wasn’t the mole. 

So in the end, Tim kept his mouth shut, and when they announced that there wasn’t anything clearly suspicious from his files, he vowed to figure out why that was.

Chapter Text

KON

If Kon thought sitting through several hour college lectures on copyright laws and the unspoken rules of media were tedious, he had no idea how difficult it would be to sit and listen to hours upon hours of royal etiquette.

It wasn’t as though he didn’t know most of what they spoke about. Kon had done enough reading in his time in the palace and independent research to at least know the basics, but something about the lessons was really testing his patience. He wondered if it weren't the content that was supposed to weed them out, but rather the delivery.

They had special tutors make guest appearances. People Kon didn’t know but that had apparently been teaching generations of royalty and similar caliber individuals. Perhaps it was the entitlement that made their words so grating on Kon’s ears. He’d never liked people who had a chip on their shoulder.

At the very least he suffered through all of those lessons with the rest of his friends. Similarly to how they ridiculed his choice of reading in the library, they were less than ecstatic about what their schedules had become.

Making it to the final ten was exciting in different ways for all of them, but none had known what exactly that would entail. Just their luck that it wouldn't be something so easy. They probably should have seen it coming, knowing that the council was largely in charge of the entire process.

But no matter how he felt about it, Kon still did his best to learn everything he could. His attention span could probably use some work, but that was hardly his largest concern. 

In the moments he found himself reflecting on his situation, Kon struggled to justify why he bothered. The effort never felt worth it when the plan was to eventually be sent home. In reality he had no reason to act like there was any future in which he needed to use the information he was being taught.

But still, in the back of his head there was a voice reminding him of what he’d heard from the others. Duke’s confidence when he told Kon “I mean Tim obviously likes you” or when Bart seemed so sure that their relationship was closer than anyone else's. He’d been reasoning with himself for days, fighting against giving in to the hope in his chest.

At the end of the day, if Tim wanted him as more than a friend then he would tell Kon. He would choose him. Until that happened, there was nothing Kon could do. So he carried on as he had been, and did his best to quell the fluttering in his chest when he looked at the person responsible for the inconvenient overthinking. Or the hitch in his breath every time they made eye contact.

The reactions weren’t productive, and they certainly weren't justifiable.

…

A four hour lecture on the proper way to interact with other members of royalty left everyone dead on their feet. As they made their way back to their rooms, they all funneled through Kon’s door to settle down in their usual post-lesson locations.

They’d long since given up on trying to do anything fun after the long sessions, discovering that they were often too tired to eventually make their way back to their rooms. It had taken two occasions of them all falling asleep in the library and outside before they decided to just spend time in one of their rooms afterwards until it was time to sleep.

This time, it was Kon’s turn to host. There wasn’t an actual schedule, but Kon didn’t mind the company. It was nice to lay around with his friends and just talk after a mentally draining day.

“Do you think if I refer to Tim’s brother as Dick when I meet him that it would cause an international incident?”

Kon looked over to Bart where he was currently star-fished out on the rug. The question sounded genuine, and Kon started to think it over before Steph let out a loud snort.

“Definitely not.” Her voice was full of laughter. “That lesson was full of shit. I don’t think I’ve ever referred to a royal formally and I’ve never had any issues.”

“I think that’s just a you thing, Steph,” Kon argued. “And you did practically grow up with them, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t care as much. Bart on the other hand…”

Another laugh sounded from where Cassie was curled up on the other end of Kon’s bed, head cradled by her arms.

“I don’t know. From what I’ve heard Dick is pretty chill though. Maybe if it was another royal Bart would be in trouble.”

Kon grinned as a thought occurred to him. 

“Imagine walking up to the king and calling him Bruce.”

Giggles echoed throughout the room as almost everyone unanimously agreed that was a terrible idea.

Bart sat up slightly, ready to argue another point.

“He kinda seems like a guy that respects confidence. Maybe he wouldn’t actually be mad about that.”

Sensing that Steph was considering the situation, Kon watched her reach into the pocket of her slacks and pull out a sleek phone.

At the sight of the device Kon sat up immediately, gaping in her direction.

“Steph! What is that?” Kon’s voice came out a little too loud, too full of disbelief to curb his enthusiasm.

She smirked slightly at the question, nonchalantly holding it up higher so everyone could see.

“I asked Cass if I could get a new phone to keep in contact,” she shrugged. “I was just gonna text her and ask what she thought about your question.”

Kon raised an eyebrow. He had a lot of questions about that information, but based on the slight tension under the smile on her face, he chose to leave it mostly alone.

“Did they not take your phone?”

“No they did.” Steph didn’t elaborate.

Kon sighed. “How long have you had that phone then?”

“Only a few days.”

He nodded, accepting her answer and understanding that it likely had something to do with what she was called out for recently. Something had been off about her since then, and the only explanation she offered was that there was bad news from home. Kon had let her carry on as though everything was normal, recognizing that if it was something big he didn’t have any entitlement over the information.

He had given her a long hug one morning when she showed up particularly dead on her feet, but they hadn’t mentioned it since.

Kon also saw Cass around a lot more in recent days, and the connection was starting to make more sense. He wondered if there was anything going on with the two of them. It would explain the unusual closeness, but that was another question he wasn’t willing to ask.

At least not yet.

By now Steph was typing away on her phone, presumably asking Cass for the answer to Bart’s question. They all waited patiently, staring at Steph and her phone intently.

When Steph looked up, she visibly startled at the intensity of their gazes locked on her before collecting herself.

“So what’s the verdict?” Cissie called out from Kon’s bedside chair.

Steph smiled, but said nothing.

They traded looks around the room at each other, confused by the lack of a response. Within moments, however, a short knock on the door had them all startling from their positions. All of them except for Steph who just let out a small smile.

Cass’ head peaked through the door, the tiniest of grins playing on the edges of her mouth. When her eyes met Steph's, the grin grew slightly larger, and Kon noted that in the back of his mind.

In the front of his mind, however, he was too busy being confused as to why Cass was there in the first place. He looked over at Steph, puzzlement written all over his face.

Steph’s fingers clenched on the rug next to her, but her features remained calm.

“I figured since we were asking questions we couldn’t answer, that I’d just call up someone who could.” Steph’s words were light, eyes glittering with glee at the conclusion she’d come to. It was an expression mirrored on Cass’ face who looked happier to be there than Kon had ever seen her.

“She mentioned that you were all wondering about how to disrespect royals,” Cass shrugged casually, as if that was all the reasoning she needed to give for her presence. She then wasted no time in plopping beside Steph on the rug, settling in between Steph and Bart as she looked around at their faces.

Kon recovered pretty quickly, figuring that he may as well roll with it. He was getting pretty used to random visitors and he liked to think that he could handle small surprises at this point.

“Cool,” he leaned back on his forearms, still looking in Cass’ direction. “What would you say is the easiest way to rile up someone important? Like the most simple way to ruffle their egos?”

Kon had no real reason to ask, he just felt like it was something good to know. Something that could maybe possibly be useful one day. Even if he wasn’t using it on a royal but rather an annoying boss or something. Not that he expected Perry would be a bad boss at the Planet.

The full grin that took over Cass’ face was a shock, and the unusual show of clear emotion felt like a bad omen. Kon braced himself for her response, gathering that it would be something incredibly effective.

“There are many ways to make an important person feel small. My favorite is to pretend to forget or not know who they are.” Cass paused, but then as though remembering a specific moment she added one more thought. “It is quite funny to remind them that they weren’t chosen as well. I like to remind Bruce of that on occasion when he gets too full of himself.”

Steph practically doubled over in laughter at Cass’ words, and Kon felt himself tentatively do the same. He hadn’t expected Cass to be so candid, but he was pleasantly surprised by her humor. By the looks of it the others felt the same.

“Do you actually do that?” Bart sounded a mix between surprised and awed.

Cass’ grin was nonplussed, her demeanor gradually becoming more relaxed.

“I love my father, but even he has his moments. It is good to be reminded of your shortcomings at times.”

“That he does.” Steph leaned closer to Cass and the two shared a knowing look. Kon almost felt like he was interrupting, and he looked over to Cassie to notice her watching Steph and Cass with an odd expression. If he had to guess he’d say it was yearning, or at least jealousy for a closeness she felt was still out of her grasp.

“Any advice on these lessons?” Cassie directed her question to Cass, face still conflicted. “You had to take them at some point right?”

Cass nodded lightly, finally tearing her eyes away from Steph again to stare at Cassie with her usual unassuming expression. She was too good at hiding her thoughts, and Kon was endlessly curious as to what she was able to read from tone and expressions alone. He had an idea that it was a lot.

“I did. When I was taken in by my father I had to learn. I am not the best to ask though.”

Cassie frowned. “Why not?”

Cass tilted her head the barest amount, taking a few seconds to respond.

“My education was focused on other things. Etiquette was not a priority.”

That piqued Kon’s interest, and he wanted to know what she meant by that. He had no idea what else there was to learn for new royals, but didn’t have it in him to ask. Apparently Cassie didn’t either because she just nodded reluctantly.

“If you really want advice, Duke would be able to give you some.” Cass eventually responded. “He also has experience accidentally disrespecting different officials if you would like inspiration.”

Steph was clearly holding in a giggle but Kon didn’t bother.

“Oh right,” Kon felt like face-palming when something occurred to him. 

He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten what Duke had once told him about needing to get started on his own royal studies. They’d had a few talks about what Duke had been learning in the past few months, but he hadn’t considered that Duke would be a good person to talk to about the lessons they’d just started.

When Cass turned her focus to Kon her expression was the Cass equivalent of an eyebrow raise. Her eyes were just slightly wide and a little squinted as though she could pry the meaning behind his words with willpower alone.

Kon smiled lightly. “I’ve just had a few conversations with him about his lessons. Kinda surprised I hadn’t thought to talk with him about it.”

Bart’s face lit up at Kon’s words, and Kon’s attention was drawn back to his friend.

“So do you think he can give me advice on how to subtly disrespect people?”

Kon’s face contorted, amused at his friend’s interest and a little confused on how this became the new goal.

“I mean probably. He definitely seems the type. But I thought you were asking if something would get you in trouble, not looking for ways to do things that should get you in trouble.”

Bart’s grin was downright feral. 

“Why not both.”

…

It took several more hours, but eventually the group left Kon’s room to move on for the night. Bart departed with a promise that they had to find Duke the next day to strategize, and Cass and Steph left deep in conversation with each other. Cassie and Cissie were in a similar state, but both were too tired to do much more than say goodnight and trudge to their rooms for the evening.

It wasn’t even close to when Kon normally went to bed, so he was left to his devices for the evening. His free time had become much more rare, but he was still at a loss for what to do.

The silence in his room after an evening of chaos felt too cold. Too still. He’d grown used to being around so many people during the day that the nights had started to feel more isolating than he was used to. Back at home the walls were so thin he could practically hear his family breathing in the other rooms, and in the dorms he’d always had someone else there with him.

The thick stone walls were still unusual even after all this time. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the quiet. Kon didn’t really want to anyway.

Tonight, instead of going for a walk out in the halls where he always ended up getting caught somehow, he decided to stare out his windows. He opened them slightly, allowing the cool early-fall breeze into his room while he looked out at nothing in particular. 

It was a cloudy evening, very little moonlight illuminating the fields of greenery that he knew well at this point. He didn’t really need the visual, familiar enough with the view from his window after so long of staring out at it night after night.

Still, when he went to sleep several hours later, eyes drooping shut and ears no longer ringing in the silence, he determined that the view was one he wanted to commit to memory.

There were so many things he’d become intimately familiar with in the palace. All of which he’d be forced to push into the recesses of his brain when he was asked to leave. Most likely, he wouldn’t be allowed to talk much about how he’d spent his time. Or the habits he’d developed over the months of exploring. He’d probably even have to burn his maps which would definitely be a security risk outside the palace walls.

But even so, if there was one thing he wouldn’t allow himself to forget, it was the way the palace felt. The way the night would bring a silence that touched upon his soul, answering the questions he so often pondered about how he fared without the noise.

Sleep never came easy in the silence, but it was something Kon was getting used to, little by little.

…

It didn’t take Bart long to go after Duke for information. Just the next day at breakfast Kon entered the room to find Duke in his usual seat next to Bart, the two in deep conversation about something that Kon could only guess the context of. They were educated guesses, but with Bart you never really knew.

Kon was happy his friend looked content, but as he eyed the rest of the table he cursed the fact that he had to change up his routine and be so far away from the rest of his friends.

In the end, Kon took one of the remaining seats between Ives and an empty seat, praying that Tim would hurry up and take the open seat. He was willing to resort to puppy eyes if necessary.

Luckily, he didn’t need to go that far and as soon as Tim arrived and saw the open seat next to Kon he was heading in that direction.

“Hi,” Tim’s voice was quiet, his word directed more or less in Kon’s ear and the smile audible even with the low volume.

“Hey, yourself.” 

Kon tried to contain his enthusiasm, heart rate already picking up as he took in the sight of a rumpled Tim. Kon knew the man wasn’t an early riser, but it was only at breakfast that he allowed himself to not be his fully put-together self. He was still dressed up and putting on somewhat of a show of course, but Kon could tell that he let himself tone it down. It was nice to see that he was comfortable enough to do so in the present company.

“Do I get to know why Duke’s in your usual seat?”

Tim gestured across the table towards the two still caught in their conversation, and Kon smiled a little brighter than he wanted to. It may have had something to do with Tim acknowledging that he knew where Kon usually sat. It was such a stupid thing to be happy about and Kon wished he could subtly pinch himself or something to get it together. This wasn’t the time to let his little crush get the best of him.

“You probably don’t want to know, no.”

When Tim angled his head in a way that Kon read as being “of course I do,” a lock fell from his slightly wet slicked back style. It took everything in Kon to stop himself from pushing it back into place. Instead he just stared at the piece while he spoke.

“Let’s just say that Bart wanted some tips about something that Duke is well-studied in.”

Tim’s eyebrows flew up, evidently coming to some conclusions that Kon wasn’t planning on confirming or denying. It was just funnier to let him believe whatever he wanted.

“Right…”

They sat in a simple silence for a while as they focused on eating. Kon did his best to pay attention to the pancakes on his plate, but his gaze could never stay away from Tim for long. The urge to talk to him was too strong, and eventually he gave up on trying to just enjoy his presence.

“So, what’re you up to today?”

Tim turned to Kon as soon as he started speaking, and once he heard the question he looked away with a small grin.

“Oh, y’know. Lots of important work. Reducing the crime rate in Gotham, kissing babies, that sort of thing.” 

After speaking Tim took another bite of his own pancakes while Kon just shook his head. He should’ve known Tim wouldn’t answer like a normal person. At some point their conversations had shifted into more teasing and jokes than anything. There wasn’t any clear reason, but Kon appreciated it more than small talk at least. 

“Right. Well, if you need someone to make sure you’re doing all that right I can help you out. Whether it’s fighting crime or kissing babies.”

The joke sounded way more stupid out loud than in his head, and Kon wished he had said literally anything else. Although, the almost flirty smile that Tim sent him in response had his brain melting into literal mush, and losing the ability to think stopped the negative thoughts quickly.

“You’ll be around to help me figure out how to kiss properly?”

Kon was pretty sure his brain stopped working entirely, and he opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Tim was unfortunately incredibly amused by his reaction and just laughed lightly at him. It only made Kon turn even more red, the heat of his face surely warm enough for Tim to feel it with how close they were sitting.

“Well thanks for the offer but I’ll have to say no unfortunately. I do have time this afternoon that’s free though if you were interested in meeting up. There’s a few things I wanted to talk to you about.”

Kon barely absorbed the words, mind stuck on so many different things, but he nodded in response and apparently that was enough for Tim. Absently, Kon wondered what Tim wanted to talk about. He hoped it was something that would take his mind off of how unfairly pretty Tim was even with the maple syrup getting all over his upper lip from his pancakes.

“I’ll be there then. I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.” 

Tim shook his head fondly, a smile still sticking on his face.

“Don’t sound too excited.”

Kon put a hand over his heart, face taking on an exaggerated offended expression.

“How could I be when you didn’t even bother giving me a date card for my time. Not very gentlemanly.”

If there was some truth in Kon’s complaint that was nobody’s business. He knew they were friends first, but getting the cards always felt good. It felt like getting chosen. Lately Tim hadn’t bothered as much with them since they spent enough time hanging out as it was. Kon would be lying if he said he didn’t miss them.

Luckily, Tim didn’t bother arguing and procured a pen out of nowhere, grabbing his napkin that was previously draped over his lap. Kon watched as Tim wrote out a note, pretending like he wasn’t spying even though they both knew he was.

When Tim was done he capped the pen, turning to Kon in a smooth motion. Kon’s hands were fiddling with each other in his lap, and he wasn’t expecting it when Tim grabbed one of them, pushing the napkin into his grip.

“Hopefully this will suffice.” Tim grinned, letting go of Kon’s hand slowly before leaning back as he watched Kon open it up.

Tim invites you to spend an afternoon together with pleasant company.

Kon cleared his throat, eyes looking back up at Tim but head still lowered.

“No His Royal Highness Crown-Prince this time?”

Tim snorted, shaking his head with a warm smile that sent a tingle through Kon’s chest.

“Didn’t feel necessary.”

Kon nodded absently, still watching Tim intently with what was too much focus to be casual if anyone noticed. When Tim finally returned to looking in Kon’s direction they made eye contact, and it was an overwhelming sensation. At least for Kon. He wasn’t sure if Tim felt the same lick of something under the flirty gestures and words.

“Guess not.”

TIM

Tim was doing his best to enjoy his newfound free time. If only he was the type of person who could take vacations or stop himself from seeking out work in everything he did. It wasn’t helping that there were actively cases and plots he wasn’t being involved in.

Being left out like that wasn’t a comfortable feeling for Tim, and it made him feel bad for all the people he’d used in plots or let act as pawns without telling them. The situation with the Selected felt similar, but at least he knew the rest were likely safe from what happened with Steph. She was in an unusual situation with how close they were, and Tim just hoped his family’s penchant for information hoarding wouldn’t be their downfall this time.

As far as Tim was concerned, he could admit that being benched was for the best, especially with his injury, but he still put up enough of a fight to not make it obvious that he was being too complacent. Nobody had figured out about his unsanctioned outing yet, and he wanted to keep it that way. Except for Alfred, but the older man had no evidence.

His wound had already healed quite a bit, no longer making it difficult to do simple things. Tim still couldn’t train though, and that was taking a toll on his mental health. Who knew that practicing swinging weapons was cathartic?

At least he had his new friends around which were helping him keep his mind busy. Kon in particular was a nice distraction. The mystery surrounding his files was one Tim had taken to instantly for several reasons. 

No one in his family knew what he was doing since he hadn’t told them about what he noticed in the files, so they couldn’t get mad at him for continuing research. But also, it was an excuse to learn more about Kon. The more Tim learned, the more he compared it to what the system had on Kon and the life he’d led.

He still had no doubt that Kon wasn’t suspicious or a potential mole, but there had to be something going on. Until he figured it out, Tim reckoned that there were no issues with spending more time with his friend given the circumstances.

He was leaving Steph in Cass’ capable hands, and so the role of an excuse to rant had fallen to Kon in the meantime. Steph seemed to prefer Cass’ company anyways, and Tim still felt guilty about what happened. 

…

After lunch, Tim went to find Kon, realizing he hadn’t exactly planned out the date nor had he specified a location for the meeting. That probably only supported Kon’s claims that he wasn’t putting enough effort into pretenses.

He was just too busy thinking about spending time with Kon that he kept forgetting he had to plan out the other details. With the others it was easier since he wanted there to be a clear goal, but Kon was different. With them it was better to just see where things went. Kon was spontaneous. It was one of Tim’s favorite things about him, how he rolled with the punches.

But still, it was an oversight to not come up with some plan. It meant that Tim was left wandering for a while until he stumbled upon Kon sitting outside along a path that wound around the palace. It was a bench that was mostly hidden from view, and not one that Tim ever really saw people use. Tim noted the choice, adding it to his list of details that would come together to complete the puzzle that was the other man.

“Hi, Kon,” Tim called out once he got closer. 

If his reaction indicated anything, Kon was surprised at Tim’s abrupt arrival. He must have been out in the chilly air for a while based on the pink covering his cheeks. It was an endearing sight though. One that brought a smile to Tim’s face unconsciously.

“Oh hey, Tim. Is it time? I actually don’t know what time it is at all.” Kon frowned and looked down to where there may have been a watch but wasn’t one now. He quickly shifted his movements to presumably make it look like he had been doing something else, but Tim wasn’t fooled by the display.

“Yeah it is. I should’ve put a location though or something. Sorry for not making it clear.”

Kon waved a hand through the air. “That’s fine. At least you found me. I thought this place was more hidden.”

Tim reconsidered the location with that detail. For some reason he couldn’t wrap his head around Kon trying to hide or get away from other people with such an out-of-the-way location. Coming from such an outgoing guy, it said a lot that he’d lost track of time sitting there.

Without another word, Tim sat down on the other side of the bench, making sure to stay far enough away that Kon wouldn’t feel too pressured by his presence.

“Unfortunately I know these grounds a little too well. It’ll take more than hiding around a corner for me to not find you.” 

Tim glanced over at Kon, glad to see that his words had a positive reception if the smile on Kon’s face was any indication.

“Damn. And here I thought I should invite you to play hide and seek for our date. You clearly need the enrichment with how you’ve been looking so bored lately.”

Tim let out a startled laugh. He hadn’t realized his emotions had been so clear. Usually no one was the wiser when he wanted to pretend everything was alright. Tim supposed Kon had some inside information from what he knew about Steph, but it was still surprising. 

“Don’t bother,” Tim said instead of acknowledging his surprise. “I’d win in a second.”

“Yeah?” Kon grinned at him, competitiveness shining in his eyes.

Tim rolled his own, unsurprised by the reaction from the other man. Somehow they made everything into a competition, but he wasn’t in the mood at the moment. He just wanted to talk.

“Not right now, Kon. You should probably get inside anyway.”

Now Kon just looked confused. “Why?”

“Your face is all red from the cold. It’s autumn now, you can’t just spend hours outside losing track of time you know.”

Kon looked away with an odd expression, suddenly playing with the buttons on his coat.

“No yeah, you’re right. Let’s just go inside!”

His enthusiasm startled Tim, but he just laughed and nodded, accepting Kon’s usual weird behavior that he hadn’t yet fully figured out.

As he stood up, Tim did his best to put minimal strain on his chest, trying not to jostle his gunshot wound. The healing was going well, but it still hurt with sharper motions like standing or sitting down. Motions that required tensing muscles all over his body including in his abdomen.

They walked in silence for a few steps, getting into the rhythm of movement with the only goal being to head indoors. Tim was happy that summer was gone, but the crisp chill in the air was a sensation he hadn’t gotten used to yet. He definitely wasn’t looking forward to when winter arrived. For more reason than one.

“Did you know that in wartime the King’s Consort becomes the de facto leader while the King leads the military?”

Tim looked to Kon who had spoken up, unsure at the topic of conversation but answering all the same.

“I did, yes. It’s a very important responsibility and something I had to be aware of.”

“Cool…” Kon mumbled slightly, not saying anything else.

“Why bring that up?” Tim asked hesitantly.

“Oh no reason it was just something we were talking about in the lessons and I guess I hadn’t really thought about it.” Kon spoke passionately, as though he’d put a lot of thought into the topic. “I never realized how much the Consort had to do really. It’s not just charities and party planning.”

Tim looked a little longer, watching as Kon’s brows furrowed in thought. He wished he could know what was going on in there.

“It is an important role. That’s why I want to make sure I make the right decision. I need someone intelligent who I can trust. Even with running the kingdom if it came to that.”

At the end of the day those were the two most important qualities, Duke’s opinion be damned. Tim just wanted the best for his country, no matter what it meant for him. He’d hoped for a while that he could have both, but with everything going on his priorities had shifted somewhat. 

Sensing that he was getting stuck in his head, Kon abruptly nudged Tim.

“Well it’s a good thing that you’ve got me here to help. I’m not sure you’ve got good enough taste to pick the one who can fill those requirements.”

Tim scowled, slightly insulted but more so embarrassed that he was actually grateful for the help. He retaliated by nudging Kon back, but the attempt was unsuccessful and Tim ended up rocking backward with a small grunt. He hadn’t realized how sturdy the other man was. It was like pushing at a brick wall.

When Kon went to nudge him again, Tim was already unsteady on his feet, and the impact came much faster and harder than he was expecting.

This time, Tim couldn’t stop himself from reacting to the pain in his side. He let out a small yelp and doubled over briefly, taking deep breaths to get himself under control. Unconsciously, he grabbed at his side and put light pressure on the area to ground himself. As soon as the waves of pain receded, he straightened with a feeling of dread. 

Panicking, he glanced around to see if anyone noticed, but only Kon was close enough to have witnessed it. Cullen was still hanging further back and clearly not worried about Tim with Kon right next to him.

“Tim.” Kon’s voice was hushed but worried.

Tim looked up to his face begrudgingly and saw the unspoken questions and conclusions being made that were no doubt closer to the truth than Tim would’ve liked. He let out a small huff, cursing himself for this being how he found out, and grabbed Kon’s arm.

There was no way Kon would back down until he found out the truth, and at this point Tim wasn’t too worried about sharing the wound as long as he could avoid the story behind how he got it. He just had to make sure Kon wouldn’t tell anyone. His friend was a bit of a gossip.

They walked quickly through the palace, Tim all but dragging Kon. He allowed himself to be manhandled, but whispered questions every so often that Tim chose to ignore. It wasn’t until they made it to Tim’s rooms that he went silent, evidently realizing he was about to find out anyway.

“Stay outside,” Tim told Cullen who’d been following them from several paces back. 

He looked far too smug and knowing, and Tim did his best to not think too hard about what he thought was going on. There was no way he was letting Cullen find out about the injury. He’d go to Bruce in a heart beat. He was too damn good at his job.

Closing the door behind him, Tim let out a sigh and walked over to his bed. He watched as Kon stood awkwardly at the door, not making any movements into the room and seeming generally confused at what was happening.

“Just sit down.”

The speed at which Kon walked over and sat down would’ve been funny in any other circumstance, but as it was Tim was just nervous.

“So… Are you okay?” Kon was nervous, and it was present in his voice. Tim was glad he hadn’t asked anything more prying though, and it made him feel a little better about sharing.

He started to lift up his shirt and Kon fully jumped up off the bed, hands flying up in a motion of surrender.

“What-” His voice was pained, and Tim couldn’t help but laugh at the horror on his face.

“Calm down. I’m just showing you something.”

“Does that something happen to be your abs? Because I’m very confused here.”

Tim chuckled again, but shook his head no. Instead he just raised his dress shirt another few inches, exposing the clean wrappings he applied earlier that morning to his wound. Kon’s eyes widened once he saw what was under the shirt, and he moved back to sit on the bed a few feet from Tim.

“Tim… What happened?” 

Kon’s eyes were worried. His gaze kept flickering between the exposed bandages and Tim’s own face as though he wasn’t sure what to focus on more. Behind the worry though was something that Tim registered as care. Not care in a way that he was used to when he’d received injuries in the past. The intense judgement and overwhelming questioning that his family liked to employ.

It was a care that felt steadying, and one that Tim could see Kon fighting to restrain in the way he was holding his hands back from reaching out.

Tim smiled, warmth spreading through his body at the realization that he didn’t need to worry about how Kon would react. That he really just wanted to make sure Tim was alright.

“I got into a fight, but I’m ok. It’s really not that bad.”

“Tim.” Kon looked back down to the sight and back up again. “I’m glad you’re okay, but that is definitely bad. The wrapping goes around your whole waist and you winced when I lightly shoved your side. Which, sorry for doing that by the way. Obviously I had no idea you were injured.”

“I promise It isn’t as bad as it looks. I just brought you here because I didn’t want you to get worried about me and start telling everyone.”

“Does that mean your family doesn’t know?”

Tim tried to keep his expression neutral and shake his head, but there was a second too long of hesitation. Kon naturally noticed and his expression was back to disbelief.

“Tim!”

“Hey,” Tim interrupted, putting a finger near Kon’s face out of frustration. “They don’t need to know and I can’t even begin to tell you how much they’d overreact if they find out. You cannot tell them, you hear me?”

Kon watched Tim’s finger in front of his face, amusement growing the more Tim spoke. When he shifted his eyes beyond to look at Tim again his face was full of defeat. Tim pulled his hand back with a large grin on full display.

“Thank you for your promise to not tell anyone.”

Kon tilted his head. “I don’t remember making a promise.”

“Like I said, thank you for your promise.”

Tim continued to smile at Kon as he waited for him to give in. He could tell that the other would listen to him. At least he was trusting him with that much.

It was funny how much he trusted Kon with how little time they’ve known each other. There was just some itch in his bones, some instinct, telling him that he could believe Kon. It wasn’t even a conscious thought, just something he knew he could do. 

Still though, he had a plan for this afternoon. At least a plan in the sense of certain things he wanted to find out. If nothing else, this start to the evening was a good way to break the tension. One he fully intended to take advantage of.

Tim made himself more comfortable on his bed, watching as Kon still sat stiff on the other side.

“Well, this wasn’t what I planned on doing but I guess welcome to my room.”

Kon looked around as though finally realizing where he was. There were some areas where his gaze paused to take in a few details, and Tim inexplicably wanted to know what he was thinking.

“Nice room.” Kon finally commented after he was done scanning the surroundings. His voice came out a little rough around the edges. “It’s not what I expected.”

Tim stared, curious. “And what exactly were you expecting?”

Kon hesitated for a while, and Tim waited eagerly for his response.

“Not really sure. Maybe more gold or some weird fancy portraits. Wasn’t expecting all the posters.”

“Didn’t take me for a fan of 90s rock?”

Kon huffed quietly, still looking around at the walls instead of facing Tim.

“I guess not. You seem too I don’t know… mellow for that.”

“Mellow?” Tim was almost offended at the insinuation. He was the furthest thing away from mellow. Sure he wore a mask of professionalism, but surely Kon could tell at this point that he was more than that.

“Not like mellow in a calm way!” Kon was quick to notice the offense on Tim’s face, and his immediate embarrassment made Tim feel slightly better. “More like mellow in a put-together way? I don’t really know.”

“Hmm,” Tim mumbled, suddenly feeling a lot more self-conscious about having exposed himself like that by showing Kon his space. “Well what was your room like growing up? I feel like you were the type to put up stupid pictures on your walls.”

Kon smirked, and Tim paid close attention to what he had to say. Sure it was good intel for figuring out his story, but it was also interesting. Kon was really good at telling a story.

“Oh I was a menace. I put horrible things up to mess with my father when he came into my room. The raunchier the better, and eventually he gave up on even coming in. He would just shout things through the door.” 

Kon couldn’t stop laughing as he reminisced, and Tim found himself joining in. He wondered about that other father, who he might’ve been. It was obvious Kon didn’t think highly of him, but there were a lot of reasons that could be the case. He wanted to know more.

“That’s amazing. Did he ever try to get you to take them down?”

“He tried.” Kon’s smile was growing by the minute, as though fueled by spite. “He was never very good at being assertive though. Maybe it was guilt at being a shitty father or maybe he just didn’t care enough. Who knows.”

Although Kon’s tone hadn’t changed, Tim was shocked at the animosity in the words themselves. The easy way he spoke about his father who he clearly hated and how he wasn’t good at being a father at all.

His next words were careful, trying to keep the conversation light but desperate to know just a little bit more.

“My dad was sort of the same. He didn’t like when I acted out but wasn’t around all that much to enforce anything.”

Kon eyed Tim curiously, and Tim realized that he hadn’t spoken all that much about his own parents. They were just so far removed from his current life that it was hard to think about. Hard to remember that time in his life when the most important thing had been trying to get their attention and approval. He never had been able to, and then they were gone.

It wasn’t something he enjoyed thinking about.

“Yeah.” This time Kon’s voice was a little more gentle, and the way he looked at Tim stirred something in him. “My father was gone a lot for work. The business was always more important. But at least it meant I had freedom.”

Tim was struck by the words. By how close they were to some of the thoughts he’d had through the years. Their situations were more similar than Tim thought, and it felt important. He almost wanted to grab Kon’s shoulders and shake him and say that he understood. That he was intimately familiar with how it felt to watch someone leave and be simultaneously grateful and so bitter that it physically hurt.

He wondered if the discrepancies in the files were the product of the same bitterness that Tim struggled with. The desire to avoid acknowledging his past and having to explain it to someone who wouldn’t understand.

“Do you still keep in contact with him?” Tim practically whispered the question, staring at Kon intently.

Tim hated asking, but he had to know. 

“No.” Kon sighed, looking up as he spoke. “I haven’t been in contact with him since I left. He’ll never change, and I’ve accepted that. I don’t want someone like him in my life.”

Tim nodded, filing away the information but absorbed in watching Kon’s face. It was as honest as he always was, and the determination was just as clear. 

“That’s probably for the best.” Tim spoke lightly and Kon startled out of his thoughts, looking over at Tim in confusion. “He sounds like an asshole.”

Kon laughed, and the sound was a relief in the tension that had built up over the conversation. It cut through the thickness, and in its place Tim shuffled forward slightly, getting closer to where Kon sat. Now there was less than a foot between where they rested on top of Tim’s duvet.

He just felt like he needed to be closer in the moment. There wasn’t any real reason, only an itch in his bones that translated to his muscles and brain. Another one of those unconscious reactions that Kon pulled out of him.

“You know you’re a little too brutally honest sometimes.” Kon laughed, shaking his head before looking back to Tim.

“Would you rather I lie more often?” Tim quirked his lips and watched as Kon reacted.

It was interesting to watch how expressive he was. Tim enjoyed pulling those reactions out of him.

“No.” Kon calmed down, but carried on looking at Tim. “It’s nice to get real answers from someone.”

“Good.”

“Yeah, good.”

Staring into Kon’s eyes, Tim struggled to think of something else to say. There was so much on his mind and so many things he wanted to ask, but in that moment none of it came to mind. His head was blissfully blank, the only thing he registered was the light reflecting off of Kon’s irises and emphasizing the depth of their hue. He’d never really noticed just how blue they were.

Nor had he ever noticed the light spattering of freckles that dotted the space below his lower lashes. Tim watched as they disappeared under a red flush that extended along his cheeks and down his neck. Gaze dipping lower, Tim couldn’t stop himself from licking his lips at the sight of Kon’s own parting slowly, a small puff of air escaping through the gap. Still without breaking concentration, Tim’s eyes flitted back up to reunite with Kon’s.

When Kon blinked, Tim felt himself blink in response from how hard he’d been staring. His thoughts rushed back, and with it came an embarrassing realization that he had at some point leaned forward slightly while staring. And also that Kon most definitely noticed.

Tim looked away, trying to quietly clear his throat as he shook the fogginess from his brain. He reached for any topic to bring up, but Kon beat him to it. Naturally it had to be the worst possible option he could pick.

“So how are the dates for the Selection going?” Kon’s voice was nowhere near as casual as he likely intended, and Tim consoled himself with the thought that at least Kon was similarly affected.

What he wasn’t happy about was having to think about the Selection at the moment. Not when he’d been staring into his friends eyes for probably far too long. Not when he was feeling all sorts of complicated things that he didn’t know what to do with.

“Umm…” He paused and started again. “It’s going alright.”

“Alright as in less than good or alright as in you’re making progress?”

Tim considered how to answer. For some reason the response he wanted to give felt a little wrong, but he decided he was being stupid and spoke up anyway.

“Alright as in good. I’ve been talking with Bernard more and I think it’s actually going well. We get along better than I remember, and he’s still pretty funny. That’s a good sign right?”

Kon’s expression flickered, and Tim’s gut flooded with a slimy sensation that something was wrong. He wished he could take back the words, but it was the truth and Kon just told him that he liked his honesty. There was no turning back now anyway.

“Good. That’s… good.” Kon grimaced at his own poor speech. “Bernard is a really good guy. I understand why you like him.”

Kon sent a smile to Tim, but it was almost sad. At the very least it didn’t seem as honest as his other smiles had been.

“Yeah.”

Tim didn’t know what else to say. His throat just felt bitter.

There were a few more stilted strands of conversation, filler words and long pauses that felt heavy in a bad way this time. It was clear that something was off, and no matter what he tried Tim knew he couldn’t get back to the comforting intimacy of before. 

Sooner than Tim expected, Kon was making his escape. When he pulled open the door, Tim felt a tug in his chest to stop Kon. To ask what happened or explain why he felt the way he did. But he let Kon go and considered what to do now.

Something was different, and Tim had a feeling he knew why. Hopefully it was something he could fix with a lot of reflection. The alternative was far more frightening.

Chapter Text

KON

Kon tapped his fingers on his thigh, the pace ebbing and flowing with the rolling of his thoughts. His mind was wandering when he really should’ve been paying attention to the lecture. Unfortunately, there were only so many ways they could emphasize the importance of tradition and respect before Kon zoned out.

They were still covering the basics even after over a week, but they were told that soon it would become more hands-on. Kon couldn’t wait, too tired of sitting in the parlor and pretending to care about things he already knew or would never need to use in his life.

Grabbing his pen from where he’d set it down next to him on his seat, Kon started playing with it between his fingers. Moving back and forth between spinning and clicking the pen in time with the sounds of the speaker. His eyes traveled around the room, taking in the others as they paid far more attention than he was. At least some of them were.

Cassie and Cissie were practically asleep in the corner on the couch they shared, and Kon was almost jealous. It was only nine in the morning. Far too early for a lecture if you asked him. It was why he hadn’t taken an early morning lecture since his first year of college. He just didn’t do well sitting and listening that early.

Attention moving a little to the right from his sleeping friends, Kon came eye to eye with Greta who was staring pointedly at his hands. He looked down and realized she was referring to how he’d started clicking his pen faster at some point. Without any other thought he dropped the pen from his grip like it burned him, face flushing in mild embarrassment. 

He mouthed an apology and was glad her only reaction was to roll her eyes and look back to the front. After reflecting on the interaction and cursing himself silently, he carried on looking around, not knowing what else to do.

Several people were actively taking notes, and for some reason the observation surprised Kon even though that was probably the right thing to be doing at the moment. Ives, Eric, and Sarah looked to actually be writing down small ideas every now and then, meanwhile Bernard took notes like his life depended on it.

The sight brought forth more negative emotions than Kon felt was strictly necessary. He could still hear Tim’s words from the other night ringing in his ear. The honest words that reminded him of every crazy thought he’d had and why he needed to get it together.

For one very stupid moment Kon had let himself think that Tim may feel the same about him. When he imagined Tim leaning in, air thick with tension and his heart slowing to a stop, Kon had considered what if for a moment. Tim not only looked interested, but he seemed to feel that same magnetic pull that made it so difficult for Kon to stay away. 

But still, he’d snapped out of whatever spell he’d been put under and reminded Kon that he was interested in other people. That things were going well with the Selection. And sure, Kon was the one to bring it up, but that was just a dumb question, the first one that popped into his mind really. 

He’d wanted to know, and so he asked. And now he wished he hadn't. Kon wished he’d let Tim stare at him like he felt the same way for longer.

So now Kon watched Bernard act exactly how someone who wanted to be the king consort should act. Bernard had been honest with his feelings from the start. He hadn’t led Tim on and let himself believe that things would change just because his own emotions changed.

Looking away quickly, Kon tried to steel himself and get it together before he did something embarrassing like cry in the middle of the parlor. Nobody would ever let him forget, and god forbid it ever got back to Tim. 

Kon focused back in on whoever was speaking, trying to figure out where they had gone with the talk while he’d been watching everyone else.

“...are things that you will need to become proficient in within the next few weeks to months. Hopefully you already are familiar with some of the objectives but there are certainly ones you will need to learn as well. For the next few lectures we will be discussing the specific skills and material you should be brushing up on. They will also become relevant for the individual projects you will be starting soon.”

Oh shit, Kon thought. That sounded actually important, and he cursed his propensity to zone out in lectures. He debated asking the people taking notes if he’d missed anything particularly important. The whole thing was really starting to feel like college.

“Something to keep in mind is that at the end of the Selection one of the things you will be responsible for is displaying most of what you’ve learned and your experience through a few particular tests. We’ve mentioned those in the past,” Kon did not remember that, “but it is something we will discuss more in the coming weeks.”

Kon wished it would be socially acceptable to let out a sigh, but in present company he didn’t think that would go over well. He held it in, and instead returned to lightly clicking his pen to let out the new surge of nervous energy that pulsed through his body. He had no idea what the so-called tests would consist of, but if they were evaluating his potential at being royal, Kon knew he wouldn’t do well. It just wasn’t something he was cut out for. Not only because he wasn’t paying much attention in these lessons, but because he fundamentally wasn't meant for this. 

In the back of his mind he wished it could be different, but that's just how it was and he was coming to accept it.

“Something that will be important for the upcoming events that you will be expected to take part in is learning how to properly ballroom dance. Only a classic waltz is mandatory. We understand that most of you aren’t familiar with this particular style of dance, and so we plan to have you practice before any events come up.”

The speaker suddenly looked towards the door, and from the shadows Cass appeared. Kon hadn’t noticed her before and based on the way everyone else slightly leaned backwards he figured it was the same for them. Instead of acknowledging the people in the room, Cass walked towards the speaker and stood to her left without a word. She simply stared as though looking at something far off in the distance. 

When Kon tried to surreptitiously see what she was looking at, he noticed Steph was hanging around in the back of the room, and he let out a smile. They clearly had an interesting relationship, and one that he had a feeling was changing these days. He hoped their love lives were more successful than his own.

“Here we have Princess Cassandra,” Cass cringed the slightest amount at her full name, “who is very proficient at all types of dance. She will be able to help you with practicing if any of you are in need of assistance.”

The speaker looked to Cass and she let out the slightest nod, but gave no other reaction. Kon almost wanted to laugh at the slightest indignation visible on the face of the speaker. 

“Great, and with that, you all are free to enjoy the rest of your evenings-”

As soon as they heard those words everyone was already out of their seats, not bothering to even let her finish her sentence. The woman was used to their antics at this point, so she didn’t bother to stop them as they made for the door in a group. She simply grumbled and waved her hand slightly, sitting down in the nearest chair.

“Sooo,” Steph started when they all stood out in the hallway, unsure where to go. “Dance practice huh?”

Although her words were vague, Steph was staring at Cass eagerly as she spoke, and Kon found himself watching the princess as well. He was interested to see what she had to say about the subject. It was the first time another royal was getting involved in the Selection and he wondered why that was. Cass herself didn’t look all that interested.

“I was asked to help,” Cass shrugged, looking over all of their faces while she spoke.

“Is there any way to get out of the lessons?” Greta spoke up, and Kon was surprised that she was still here. Usually she was gone as soon as they were done, heading to who knows where.

Cass looked at her for a moment before responding.

“No. The lessons are mandatory as far as I am aware.”

“What if I already know how to ballroom dance?”

Kon looked back and forth between the two, interested in where the standoff was going.

“Then you can help the others if that’s the case.” Cass raised an eyebrow with a particular expression that said more than her words did. Kon could tell that Greta was going to be expected to help out even if she didn’t want to. Greta could clearly hear the unspoken words with the way her face pinched in the slightest indication of her annoyance.

“Fine. I suppose my skills are too good to not share.”

Greta’s eyes were sharp as they were aimed at the princess, but when all Cass did was nod with the barest hint of satisfaction on her face, Greta turned to walk away. She dragged Sarah with her as she went, and Kon watched them for a few moments. 

Their bond was almost confusing considering Greta usually didn’t interact much with the people who weren’t at least a little affluent, but Sarah was just a nice person. Maybe she would help Greta come around on how she felt about everyone.

“I could probably also help with the lessons.” Bernard sounded shy to be offering his help, but confident enough in his abilities. 

The offer was nice, but against his better judgement Kon just felt annoyed. It was another reminder that the other man was the perfect option. Someone who had grown up in the right circles and knew the proper things. Someone who was motivated, honest, and kind.

Kon hated that he couldn’t dislike Bernard. That was honestly the worst part.

“That’d be great!” Bart called out in response, sending a warm smile to Bernard. “I have two left feet personally so I’m grateful for any extra help.”

A round of nods went through the group and Kon considered his own experience. He’d done a little bit of ballroom back when he was younger and living with Lex since he wanted Kon to be prepared for going to galas and other events once he was old enough. The skills were probably still there, but Kon hadn’t practiced since he was old enough to start disobeying Lex. He could probably use the extra practice as well at this point.

An idea came to him and he snapped his fingers, turning to Cass.

“Hey Cass,” she turned in his direction at the sound of her name, “y’know how you offered to teach me to dance the other day?”

Cass nodded but looked around to the others who were listening in on the conversation. He cursed himself in his head for mentioning the interaction in front of the whole group. It probably wasn’t an offer that she’d meant to extend to everyone else in the Selection.

“Sorry,” he murmured more quietly. “But is that still on the table? It might be good to get more practice than what we’ll do in the lessons, and you’ll be a better teacher than anyone else I bet.”

He tried to send a charming smile, hoping she would accept even though it probably would be tasking with everyone else that would want to join. She stared at him briefly, looking between his eyes and the way he fiddled with his shirt buttons. He really needed to kick that nervous habit.

When she nodded, he felt his whole body relax, glad that he hadn’t made a fool of himself at least if she was willing to accept.

“Great!” His voice came out louder than he would’ve liked, but at least that had the effect of making her smile at him. It gave him more confidence in the interaction if nothing else. “When would be the best time for you for extra lessons?”

Everyone was paying attention at this point, eager to hear her answers. It seemed nobody was willing to give up the opportunity to practice something they’d been made clear was incredibly important for the Selection.

“Tomorrow evening. After dinner. That would be good for me.”

Kon nodded, smiling widely in her direction. 

“Awesome! Where should we meet?”

“The dance studio. Wear something easy to move in.”

He nodded again, but Cass was walking away without another word. He didn’t take it too personally, understanding that he’d already asked for a lot. Curiously though, Steph followed after her, almost running to catch up. He watched them for a few moments, but conversation started back up among those gathered quickly.

“Do you think learning to waltz or whatever will actually be important?”

Ives sounded confused, and Kon would’ve shared his sentiments if he weren’t positive that it actually would. Based on how they’d been pushing these lessons, he figured it had something to do with the tests they’d mentioned.

“Probably,” Cassie shrugged, clearly not worried in the slightest about the whole ordeal. He was jealous of the fact that she didn’t have to stress since she knew she wouldn’t ever end up needing the information.

Although, looking between Cassie and Cissie and seeing the awkward enforced distance between them, he felt a little less jealous. They clearly had their own issues to worry about that he didn’t envy in the slightest.

“Damn.” Ives shook his head in disappointment and Kon couldn’t stop the snort that left his mouth if he tried.

Everyone turned to look at him, and the sudden scrutiny was shocking in its intensity. He felt a little like a bug under a microscope with the attention. 

“I mean okay it kinda sucks but it’ll at least be more fun if we work on it together.” Kon tried for a cheery tone, watching intently to see if his words were being received positively. He just really wanted to reinforce that they’d be okay for some reason.

“So does that mean we’re invited to the lessons you’re asking Cass about?”

Bernard sounded hopeful enough that Kon couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed at the guy even if he was still thinking of the way Tim spoke his name with such ease and familiarity.

“Of course. I probably should’ve asked Cass first but she clearly extended the offer to all of you.”

“She did?” Cissie sounded confused enough that Kon did a bit of a double-take, looking around to everyone.

“Yeah. I mean she hesitated and looked at you guys when I asked. I thought it was obvious?”

By the looks on their faces they didn’t feel the same, and Kon felt slightly put off by the discrepancy. He’d thought they were all on the same page.

“Okay… Well you guys are obviously invited to the lessons with Cass. At the very least I know Steph will be there since they’re basically attached at the hip these days so it’s only fair y’all are invited as well.”

A wave of nods went through the group, and Kon finally felt a bubble of satisfaction in his chest. At least he could do something fun with his friends and try to make the competition a little more friendly.

…

By the next evening, Kon was overthinking every decision that led to that moment. He had a rough day, trying to go outside to enjoy the early fall weather but instead walking out into a rainstorm he somehow hadn’t noticed. When he finally made it inside after being brutally attacked by the water, he stumbled upon Tim on a date with Bernard in the library and did his absolute best to ignore the way that hurt.

It was the first place they’d had a real conversation, and Kon hadn’t realized how much that meant until he saw the two talking in the corner, huddled together over an old yearbook or something of the sort.

The look that Tim gave him from across the room certainly didn’t help. It was loaded in a way that Kon wasn’t sure how to interpret. So instead of giving any sort of reaction Kon turned on his heels and departed as fast as his feet allowed.

Rationally, he was happy for Tim. At the end of the day he wanted Tim to find what he was looking for. If he couldn’t find the two qualities he mentioned in Kon, he hoped Tim could find them somewhere else. That was a better alternative than someone who had neither ending up chosen over Kon.

So he held his head high and refused to listen to the voices in his head telling him he wasn’t enough. Instead, he meandered around, passively looking for his friends as he observed the liveliness of the palace. Once he found them, Kon passed the time in a familiar pattern until it came time to head to the dance studio.

They all arrived together in a large group, fresh from a fancy dinner of steak and potatoes that Kon knew Ma would want the recipe for. Once inside though, Kon wasn’t sure what to expect.

Somehow Cass beat all of them to the room even though they left immediately after dinner was done, and she was stretching in the corner. Kon watched on with awe as she lifted her leg high behind her head, balancing on the tips of her toes and holding out her arm in a graceful extension. The strength in the movement was clear, and the ease in which she shifted her limbs into the difficult positions was inspiring to say the least. 

For a moment they all stood watching until Cass finally finished whatever stretch she was doing and turned to acknowledge them with a nod.

“Hello, I am ready to begin now.”

Cass was looking right at Kon as she spoke, and he stared back uncomprehending for a moment.

“Ready for lessons?” His voice came out a little more confused than he meant for it to sound. He’d been going for more nonchalant but he supposed this was more honest anyway.

“Ready for dancing.”

Cass pressed a button on a remote Kon hadn’t previously noticed her holding and she walked up to him. She placed her right hand on his left shoulder and her left hand in his right hand. After they got into position she looked around at everyone else assembled and they quickly scrambled to find partners and match the positions.

Cass gave them several seconds before pressing another button on the remote. With the movement came the start of soft classical music over a speaker in the corner, and Kon felt himself being pulled into a quick circular movement. He recognized the motions as a simple waltz from his previous dance lessons, but his body clearly didn’t remember as well if the way he kept stumbling was any indication.

Typically, Kon knew he should be the one leading the dance, but he had no issues letting Cass take control as she telegraphed each of her movements and looked around the room carefully to make sure everyone else was following along closely.

Kon was busy staring at his feet, incredibly worried about stepping on her toes, but she was far too light on her feet to let him do so. There were a couple close calls, but she was always able to move at the last minute and avoid any unnecessary toe stomping. He was extremely grateful that she was as good as she was.

After a few songs passed, Kon was able to get into the rhythm of the movement. One foot moved at a time, forming a small square on the floor as he pressed his feet into the places Cass let hers leave. Once he no longer had to worry about stepping on her feet, he was even able to look around at the others and pay attention to the music itself. 

The songs were nice even if they weren’t to Kon’s taste. The melodies floated through the room, and the more practiced his motions became the more he felt he was floating in the air with the tranquil notes. If nothing else, Cass definitely seemed to be floating with the fluidity of her movements.

“You are improving.”

Her simple statement had Kon looking back down to Cass’ face, taking in the way her eyes were watching his movements while also somehow paying attention to what was happening around the room.

“Looks like it.” Kon smiled, trying to show her how grateful he was for her help. He thought it might’ve worked with the way a small echo of a smile graced her lips.

“You have practiced this before.”

Kon startled with the observation, momentarily losing his step as he almost stomped on Cass’s foot again. He cringed at the mistake and took a few moments to correct his movements before finally responding.

“I have.” 

Cass tilted her head in curiosity, expression asking for more information.

“When I was younger my father wanted me to be able to waltz if it ever came up. It didn’t and I stopped listening to him anyway. I haven’t practiced in a while though.”

She stared some more before nodding lightly, gaze still not leaving his face where he was struggling to not react at the thought of Lex. Somehow he got the feeling she could read all the things he wasn’t saying.

“I see. Fathers can have difficult expectations sometimes.”

She spoke casually, as though from experience. Kon stared at her in confusion, wondering where the words came from. Before he could ask, Cass was stepping out of his hold and walking over to where Greta and Eric were trying and failing to move together in the corner. Greta looked incredibly frustrated with the man’s poor attempts at coordination, and Cass made quick work of separating the two.

“I will work with Eric. Greta, you should help someone else since you’re experienced.”

Greta didn’t look happy at the suggestion but nodded anyway, likely not wanting to get on the bad side of one of Tim’s siblings. It was probably for the best, but when she started walking in his direction he wasn’t so sure anymore.

“C’mon, Kent. Show me what you’ve got.”

She put her hands where Cass’ had just been, and for a moment Kon didn’t move. He was too stunned to remember what to do but Greta just sighed and started moving for them. Taking the lead like Cass had done before.

At this point Kon was going to start getting insecure about his masculinity or something. Not that it mattered though. Especially since he didn’t think Greta would let him take the lead even if he tried.

“There are probably other people who need your help more than me,” he tried, hoping to convince her to move to someone else so he wouldn’t have to awkwardly hold her hand and hip.

“Trust me, I know.” Kon almost laughed at the disappointment in her tone, forgetting for a moment that he didn’t like her.
“Well, why don’t you?”

They continued circling each other, their waltz coming together more and more while they remained locked in conversation. Kon waited for her to respond, curious to hear why she sought him out specifically. 

“I’m not patient enough to be a teacher, and I know that you already know how to do this.”

Kon was taken aback by the confidence in what she said. It’s possible she was watching as he waltzed with Cass, but the way she spoke somehow gave him the impression that it was a fact about him. Something that she’d known for a while. He frowned as he tried to understand how that was possible.

Greta had been looking around the room while they moved in a tight circle, but she finally glanced up at Kon’s face when he stayed silent for too long.

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to do by pretending that you aren’t just as built for this as I am. I mean you grew up with Lex Luthor. You’re hardly what you pretend to be.”

For a moment all Kon could hear was a ringing in his ears brought forth by the name from Greta’s lips and the realization that she somehow knew.

Since Kon left Lex’s home, he’d done his best to bury his past. He never mentioned where he grew up or who his other father was, and luckily nobody had ever asked, understanding that it was a soft spot.

Lex had even made it easier by practically wiping Kon from existence. He was too proud to admit that he had a son that hated him enough to leave the cushy lifestyle he’d raised him in. In the years since he’d left, Kon wasn’t used to hearing his father’s name directed at him, much less being recognized as his son. He could do nothing but stare in fear at Greta after she spoke.

As though sensing she’d stumbled into something, Greta frowned slightly. She seemed surprised that Kon was as thrown off as he was.

“Why do you look like I just told you your puppy died?”

“How do you know that?” Kon whispered as quietly as he could, making sure nobody could overhear their conversation. The last thing he needed was someone else finding who his father was. He’d done his best for years to avoid the information getting out.

“What do you mean how do I know that? We literally met when we were younger and Lex was the one to introduce us. Do you not remember that?”

Kon stared at her in silence. In honesty he didn’t. Back when he went places or met people with Lex he rarely bothered to pay attention. He hadn’t wanted to make friends with the people Lex liked, and was mostly focused on leaving as soon as possible. 

It never occurred to him that he’d met anyone here back then, but he’d honestly blocked out most of the memories.

“I don’t, no.” He stared helplessly, hoping Greta would take pity on him and explain.

Lex never thought he was ready to attend larger events, but he brought Kon to a few dinners with clients or other social activities where there were lower stakes. Kon tried to think back if he had memories of meeting someone his age that looked like Greta, but he honestly couldn’t remember.

“Oh. I thought you were just purposely pretending you didn’t know me. I guess that’s a little better.” She stared at him, and he tried to show how sorry he was. He also tried to convey his desperation that she not ask him too much more. She gave him an odd look that said she understood but also wasn’t impressed with his choice to hide.

“Whatever. Do what you want I guess, I don’t care.” She separated herself from him similarly to how Cass had done, just lacking the same fluidity that came so naturally to the princess. “I’m watching you though. You’re suspicious as fuck you know.”

Kon recoiled again, realizing how he must look to her. It wasn’t unfair of her to say that, and honestly he didn’t feel great about lying most of the time even if it was for the best considering the circumstances.

“Yeah, fair,” he acknowledged. “But I promise it’s not for any shady reason. I’m just not in contact with my father anymore and don’t really like to think about that time. I’m sorry I didn’t remember meeting you.”

The expression on Greta’s face at his explanation was one of the most understanding he’s ever seen her look. For a moment he considered whether she was more similar to him than he thought. Maybe she just hadn’t been as lucky in getting out.

“Fair enough. Luthor is a bit of an asshole I guess.” Kon let out a slightly hysterical laugh, still glancing around to make sure nobody was listening in and loosening when he didn’t see anything. “But you have to realize that the crown prince is going to find out eventually.”

Kon shook his head. He’d thought about that, but at the end of the day it wasn’t important. Especially with how things were likely to go. Tim didn’t need to know, and Kon didn’t feel like sharing.

“You can’t just escape your past, Kon. It’ll catch up to you if you try.”

Greta sounded almost sorry for him, and Kon couldn’t help the wave of emotion that overcame him. Somehow he got the feeling that they were more alike than he would’ve thought, and he wondered at the sincerity in her words. The easy way she spoke to him that she hadn’t before.

Hopefully this meant that their relationship was headed in a more positive direction. He hated the way she’d seemed to sneer at him in the past with an unspoken hatred. 

“Maybe not. But I can try.”

He spoke lightly, pretending that he wasn’t as affected by her words as he was, but based on the way she looked at him, Kon got the feeling she wasn’t fooled.

“Whatever. Do what you want but don’t be surprised when he sends you home after he finds out you’ve been lying.” Greta stepped back further in a single motion, putting distance between them with an air of finality. With the motion her usual cold and indifferent expression returned to her face. “Now, I’m leaving since I clearly have nothing to learn here.”

Kon watched as she made her escape out the doors. Everyone else carried on with spinning in circles and laughing at their mistakes, but Kon stood frozen in the center of the room. 

TIM

Every now and then Tim had to hide away from the world and just think. The reasons why were endless, anywhere from a fight with his siblings to a bad patrol where he saw something awful that he couldn’t prevent. But no matter what it was for, the hiding always went the same.

Tim had a few places around the palace that he’d more or less declared his own, whether anyone else knew it or not. In times like these where he needed space, he went to one of those. His favorite was a small corridor on one of the upper floors of the palace. At the end of the hallway there was a small nook. It was hard to see even if you got close, but once Tim found it he’d fallen in love with how it made him feel.

There was a wall of stained glass windows which made up an intricate portrait of some formal royalty. He tried to research the person in the glass, but whoever it was had been lost to time. More than that though, there was a clear view of Gotham in the distance below.

That was Tim’s favorite part. Something about the height of the spot and the isolation from anyone at any given time was reminiscent of traversing the rooftops in the city. There wasn’t the same rush, but the serenity felt similar, so it was good enough.

The corridor was situated in an old part of the palace, aged stones rarely used, so Tim never had to worry about random people finding him. His family though, that was another matter entirely.

As Tim sat against the wall crammed into the nook he picked up on the noise of steps in the distance. The sound was quiet, but deliberate in a way that meant it could only be one person. Not that anyone else would bother him here.

“Hi Cass,” Tim called out softly, eyes slipping shut. 

He focused in on the noise of the steps he knew he wouldn’t have heard if she hadn’t wanted him to know she was coming. The faint vibrations from the movement were calming and smooth in a way he could attribute to the fluidity of Cass.

Once the steps got close enough Tim finally blinked his eyes open, watching passively as Cass turned the corner into his view. She looked at him intently for a few moments, watching and analyzing his face for whatever he was giving away.

After she nodded, seemingly content with what she found, Cass lowered herself to the floor next to him. She slid in close enough that he could feel her heat next to him, and it was a nice contrast to the cool stone walls around him. He hadn’t realized just how cold he was until he felt the sudden change, and he let out an involuntary shiver that didn’t escape her notice.

“You are brooding again.”

Cass’ words were spoken as facts. Which he supposed they were.

“Just needed to think about some things.”

Absently the image of the other night in his room with Kon flashed through Tim’s brain, and he was holding his breath without realizing it. The moment had been so visceral that he could still feel it even now. The intense surge that had overtaken his body without his permission.

It almost felt like weakness, like a loss of control. It wasn’t settling well in his chest.

“You do that too much.”

Tim let out a startled laugh, looking over at Cass’ face to see her staring back at him with the same watchful gaze. It sobered him up quickly, but he wanted nothing more than to deflect the conversation he knew was inevitable.

“Geez Cass, that’s harsh. Not everyone’s gifted with the ability to read situations intuitively.”

He meant it as a throwaway comment, but the slight twitch of hurt on her face was visible. 

“Being trained is not the same as a gift.”

Tim flinched slightly at the accusation in her words, and the familiar feeling of guilt wormed its way back into his throat. He’d gotten used to the sour sickly sensation in the past few days, but that didn’t make it any easier.

“I’m sorry Cass.” He looked down at his lap, hands clenching and releasing rhythmically as he tried to get a better rein on his emotions. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

When he faced her again he pleaded with his eyes for her to believe him. Tim could tell the moment that her shell cracked when understanding took the place of the hardness which had been lining her eyes.

“I know.” She leaned into him the slightest amount, bumping their shoulders together in a show of forgiveness that had Tim releasing a breath. He just felt like he kept making an asshole of himself. 

As though reading the negative thoughts returning to his head, Cass flicked his forehead quickly in a motion Tim hadn’t seen coming. He blinked in surprise, hand lifting halfway to his head.

“You don’t just think too much, you feel too much too.” Cass spoke quietly, the sound still loud in the otherwise silent atmosphere.

“I think I feel just the right amount, thank you very much.”

She went to flick his forehead again, but this time he saw it coming and stopped her hand just in time with a huff.

“If this is about Steph you know she doesn’t blame you.”

Tim cringed at the mention. In truth it hadn’t been the primary thing on his mind, but now that Cass mentioned it the feelings came swirling back. He hadn’t spoken with Steph since the morning she dragged him to breakfast, and it felt like a huge oversight.

When he went long enough without replying, too caught up in his thoughts yet again, Cass apparently took that time to analyze him again.

“Is this about something else? You come here to brood about important things.”

Tim frowned at the fact that she seemed to know so much about his behaviors. It wasn’t that he thought nobody truly knew he came here, but he at least thought he had a modicum of privacy when he did. Figures with his family that was never the case.

“How do you know that anyway?” He waited for her answer, genuinely curious to hear what she had to say.

Cass just shrugged, but a grin tugged at the corner of her lips. For Cass that might as well have been doubling over in laughter.

“Barbara likes me, and she has eyes everywhere.”

“Of course she does.” Tim hadn’t ever noticed cameras in this part of the palace, but at this point it wasn’t surprising. Barbara was thorough if nothing else.

He looked around the area, trying to find whatever camera was apparently watching him when he was unaware, but before he could get too far in his search Cass called back his attention.

“Tim.”

“Hmm,” he glanced at her.

“Remember how I told you that the Selection would be good for you.”

Tim took a moment to respond, thinking back on the conversation they’d had several months ago. He remembered the hopelessness he’d felt in the moment, but the conviction Cass showed that everything was going to be alright. Admittedly he hadn’t been able to share any of her confidence at the time, but he’d appreciated it nonetheless.

Now though, the way she was looking at him had him on edge. It wasn’t searching or intrusive, but worried. Worried in the way he often shied away from when it came from people he cared about.

“I do.” His words were hesitant, waiting to see why she’d mentioned it in the first place.

“I still believe that it will be.”

Tim stared at her for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

“Ok…”

“But you need to be willing to let it be good for you.”

Cass continued looking at him, the same care etched into her features. Tim started to itch with the need to get away from the feelings and the meaning of the words themselves.

“I am. Or well I’m doing that more now. You see me interacting with everyone every day and everything. I’m trying.” 

He couldn’t help the frustration in his words. The way indignation bled through his tone to the point he sounded more petulant than assured in himself. He was just tired of people telling him how he should be doing the Selection. Of being told that he was doing something wrong or looking at him the way Cass was now where she looked like she knew something he didn’t. It was exhausting, and he was tired.

“You’re trying to have a successful Selection. But are you trying to let it be good for you?”

Tim scrunched his nose in confusion. He was still lost, and her clarification wasn’t making it any better. Several moments of silence passed during which Cass leaned forward so that she was no longer next to him against the wall. Instead, she turned to her side and sat facing him directly. The sudden full attention from her had Tim on edge.

“You spend time with everyone, and you are making friends with some of them. That is good, but are you opening yourself up in the same way you’re having them open up. Are you being honest with them and yourself?”

Tim had no response. His brain had stopped working about halfway through her speech. Cass wasn’t known for speaking much, but when she did, she was a force to be reckoned with. When words were the only option, it meant you had to listen. 

The only problem was that Tim truly didn’t have anything to say. Truthfully, so far the process of the Selection had been Tim getting to know the candidates, not the other way around. Naturally he’d shared some information when it fit into the conversations, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to do things with them that he enjoyed, or to let them get to know him.

The dates had been catered to the interests of the other parties, and the details he shared were solely to establish similarities and points of resemblance. But that wasn’t real, and it wasn’t the right way to get to know these people. 

In hindsight, maybe that was partially why none of them seemed all that interested in him at all. They still had no idea who he was.

While Tim went through a period of reflection, Cass simply moved back to her original spot, the warm pressure on his side now much more grounding and welcome. He tried to focus on the sensation, using it to get his thoughts under control before they swept him away.

His eyes slid shut again, and he took a few seconds to breathe deeply, taking in the cool autumn air that always managed to seep in through the cracks of the stone. He also caught a small whiff of Cass’ usual perfume. It was a comforting scent, sweet and warm and familiar.

They sat there for a long time, no words necessary to fill the silence. It was something unique to the two of them, the way the quiet did all their communicating the majority of the time.

In that space, Tim considered his plan for the near future and what he’d been avoiding thinking about entirely. If nothing else, he needed to reevaluate some of the ways he’d been going about interacting with the Selected. There was no need for all the pomp and circumstance, nor the flashy acting and fake confidence. The least they deserved was a view of the real Tim, and if that didn’t go well then at least he knew they signed several iron-clad NDAs.

On top of that, Tim thought about Kon. About the moment suspended in time that he still wasn’t entirely sure had really happened at all. Whether it was a moment of weakness where his emotions got the better of him, or indicative of something far more complicated, it wasn’t something Tim wanted to ignore. 

Not that he could ignore it if he wanted. Not with the way it played on loop in his head. He’d been so full of adrenaline from Kon finding out about his injury and then the loaded conversation that Tim wasn’t thinking straight. He wasn’t entirely sure he’d been thinking at all really. So the question which he couldn’t shake from his head was why he’d leaned forward at all. Not to mention why Kon had asked the question he did after.

He couldn’t figure out what the look had been on Kon’s face when Tim mentioned Bernard. It had looked sad or even painful, but Tim needed more information. He needed clear cut evidence that wasn’t from foggy memories.

What he needed was to talk with Kon. Hopefully he’d be able to avoid staring into his eyes this time.

The decision was easy, settling over him as a natural solution. With the way he’d been hurting his brain replaying it over and over, Tim wanted nothing more than to head back to his room and sleep. A light tap on her wrist was all the indication Cass needed to know he was done. She tapped him back, and they stood up in unison, making their way back to his rooms.

They took one of the tunnels to get back, not wanting to have to walk all the way across the palace. The tunnels made the distance much less of a pain, and he wasn’t interested in running into anyone in the halls at the moment. When they got to Tim’s room, Cullen looked as disappointed at Tim’s disappearing act as always, but Tim could hear a loud conversation in his room from outside the door. He exchanged a look with Cass and prepared himself for having to wait just a bit longer before he could sleep.

“... no reason to lie! I trust his judgement and-” 

Once Duke spotted Tim in the doorway he stopped speaking. He was breathing hard as though the squabble had been going on for a while, and the opposing party looked to be Jason who was currently stretched out leisurely on the floor. He wasn’t even occupying a spot on the large rug, but rather laying on a section of the floor only covered by wood paneling. Somehow, he seemed comfortable where he was.

“What’s going on?” Tim asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes and wishing they would disappear if he scrubbed at them hard enough. The whole thing felt scarily reminiscent of one of the first days of the Selection, so he had a feeling he knew what it was about.

“Ok, listen Tim. They were making a big deal out of it-” Duke started carefully, obviously noticing Tim’s annoyance and not trying to fuel the fire. Unfortunately, Jason either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“Cullen said that you had someone come into your room the other day. We have a bet on how long until you get with one of them so we need to know who and what happened.”

Tim stared at Jason who looked far too happy on the floor, and instead of answering the intrusive question he walked over to where he kept a water bottle next to his bed and proceeded to pour it over Jason’s form on the floor.

“What the- Shit, Tim!” Jason scrambled to get up from the ground, wiping the water from where it fell on his clothes and dripped down his limbs. Tim had aimed for his head, and was satisfied at the way it clung to his forehead. It brought a small smile to his face.

“You’re all insufferable and I will not be answering any of your questions. Give up on this bet for your own good.” 

Tim did his best to stare them down individually, and when he took notice of Damian hiding near the corner of his room he stared in exasperation.

“Really, Damian?”

Damian looked away with a small flush, but crossed his arms in defiance.

“It is important to know the status of your Selection, Timothy. We need to know who to be watching closely and with what Cullen said it sounds like you may be overly infatuated which will cause you to lose focus and potentially put yourself in danger.”

Tim really needed to talk to Cullen about spreading secrets. For a personal guard he was a little too happy sharing what Tim was up to every day. 

“I assure you, I don’t need help with that. All of you suck, and I want to go to sleep so get out of my room.”

“Okay,” Duke responded quickly, already moving towards the door as if he could evade Tim’s anger by hightailing it out of there. “Night everyone.”

He was gone, and Tim shifted his attention to his moist older brother and annoyingly supportive little brother. Luckily, Damian didn’t have any objections with leaving, and he dragged a rumpled Jason with him.

“But if you ever feel like sharing…”

“I won’t.”

Tim silenced Jason with one final glare that only felt halfhearted at this point, and he toppled over into his bed once the room was devoid of his brothers again. The silence was broken by light giggles erupting from Cass over the insanity of the situation, and he couldn’t help the echoing manic giggles that escaped into his pillow.

Chapter Text

KON

With the faint memory of dancing lessons from his childhood, Kon enjoyed the rest of the practice to the best of his ability. It took him a few minutes to get back into the swing of things after Greta unexpectedly left.

Although the news that they’d met in the past shocked him, it put a lot of things into perspective and Kon suddenly looked back on all their interactions with a new clarity.

Maybe she hadn’t hated him for where he was from, but rather because she knew the truth and truly thought he was lying. It didn’t make some of her actions much better, but at least he could see where she was coming from. If someone pretended to not know who Kon was and lied about where they came from supposedly for sympathy points he’d probably have reservations about them too.

So he accepted the interaction for what it was, and once his brain reset he was walking back towards Cass, looking for something to do.

“Is everything okay?”

Cass had stopped where she was working with Eric and was watching Kon approaching. He wasn’t sure how dramatic his and Greta’s conversation looked from the outside, but it seemed like Cass at least noticed something was up.

“Yeah,” he nodded easily. “Just wondering if there’s anything I can do to help or something. I’ve lost a dance partner it seems.”

Kon let out a small laugh, thinking of the way Greta had hightailed it out of the room, and Cass’ eyes even flicked towards the door where she’d disappeared through.

“You can work with Eric.” Cass spoke resolutely, removing her hands from around Eric as she did. When she stepped back she indicated for Kon to take her place. “I’m going to help the others.”

Kon moved into the space she’d just left, watching her scan the room and make her way to different pairs as he brought his hands up to circle around Eric. It was a touch awkward since he didn’t know the other man very well, but Eric appeared unphased, and that helped settle Kon’s feelings.

It only took a few movements to realize why Cass had been instructing him personally, and Kon winced when Eric stepped on his foot particularly hard. He fought hard to restrain himself from stopping then and there, and instead considered how to go about teaching someone to dance.

When he asked Cass for the extra lessons he hadn’t realized he would be one of the people helping others.

“You’re stepping a little too far forward.”

Eric looked up when Kon started speaking and hesitantly watched as Kon demonstrated how exactly to step at the right time. When he attempted it again, Kon was happy to see that there was a slight improvement.

They continued on like that for a while, Kon choosing when it was necessary to adjust their movements, and steadily the dance grew more comfortable. Kon was pleased to see Eric look more assured as the piano music continued to flow through the room. 

“Thanks,” Eric eventually said, voice quiet enough to not be overheard but sincere.

“Anytime.” 

By the end of the hour, everyone was sagging and struggling to keep up with the slow music. Everyone except for Cass that is. Naturally she looked strong, continuing to pull people one by one into a dance.

The atmosphere was warm, and the more delirious people got from the exhaustion the more laughter filled the corners of the room. It echoed particularly loudly when Cass went to dip Bart and he completely fell back onto the floor. He simply accepted his fate about halfway to the ground, and while Cass tried to pull him back up his dead weight was too much and he just laid on the floor.

Kon himself couldn’t stop the wheeze that escaped his mouth, but the biggest surprise was the light giggle that Cass let out, still standing above Bart with a hand outstretched from the attempt to save him.

If this was how these lessons were going to go, Kon couldn’t wait to continue practicing.

…

When Kon finally had a free day, no lessons or other obligations keeping him busy, the first thing he did was head to the library. A stressful few weeks rested heavily on his body, and he needed time to clear his mind of all extraneous thoughts and feelings for the foreseeable future.

He already had a book in mind. One that he’d scouted previously but been too tired at the time to consider pulling out. And so, as soon as he made his way into the achingly familiar space, he beelined for the shelf he knew had what he was looking for.

Unfortunately, halfway to his destination he came upon someone he hadn’t ever met in person before. At first Kon tried to backtrack and hide, but when King Bruce turned around and spotted him, he knew he had to at least say something.

“H-Hello, Your Majesty.”

His face must’ve been bright red, but Kon had no idea what the proper protocols were for this particular situation. Ideally that was the sort of thing he should be learning in the etiquette classes, but unfortunately they hadn’t covered what to do when you run into your pseudo-boyfriends father who happens to be the king. Not that they were really boyfriends. Just a weird in between where Kon was ‘dating’ Tim who also happened to be dating nine other people.

It probably wasn’t the right moment to be thinking about that though, and so Kon refocused on the king’s face, trying to parse out what his expression meant. Alas, he was even better at putting on a blank face than Tim, and so Kon was struggling with determining whether he needed to make a hasty retreat or start bowing when he finally got a response.

“Conner Kent.”

Kon gulped at the sound of his own name. It sounded incredibly menacing coming from the large man in front of him. Especially in the bland tone it was spoken in. One that was detached but wary. As though he was especially aware of Kon but also not concerned with his presence. Kon really had no idea what to do with that.

“That’s me, Your Majesty sir.”

Oh god, why did I say sir, Kon thought to himself, panicking internally. 

Luckily, King Bruce didn’t seem annoyed at the title, but rather continued staring, this time more openly showing how he was analyzing Kon and watching his every move closely.

“I’ve met your parents before. They’ve interviewed me for the Daily Planet.”

Kon let out what he hoped was an innocuous sigh, grateful for the opportunity to talk about something familiar.

“They told me a bit about that. They were very grateful you agreed to speak with them.”

Again with the calculating gaze. Kon couldn’t stop himself from fidgeting under the stare if he tried. He just wished the king would say something since it seemed like he had more to say on the topic.

“Yes, it was a good article.” The king’s head shifted the slightest amount, his stance simultaneously widening and softening from the intimidating stillness of before. “They had a lot of questions about the state of our government and the progress we’re working towards.”

The sentence felt incomplete, but the king paused as though waiting for Kon to respond.

“It’s an important topic,” Kon responded neutrally, not wanting to walk into a landmine by giving away anything else. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to talk politics with the king at the moment. Not when he had a lot to say and couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t be exiled from the kingdom for disrespect.

“It is. Your parents made some very good points as well.”

Kon smiled slightly, pride swelling from the acknowledgement that the critiques his dad and Lois made were more insightful than slanderous.

“They’re very passionate about wanting the kingdom to move forward and not repeat mistakes from the past. We all are.”

If the king was shocked at all by Kon’s sudden boldness, there was no indication. However, he did take a step forward, and Kon could’ve sworn there was some amusement in his eyes when he got close enough.

“I’m glad. Any King Consort should feel the same.”

Kon stood stunned, and hardly noticed as the king patted his shoulder once as he moved passed. When he shook himself from his stupor and turned there was nobody else in the room, the presence of the king nothing more than the words echoing in his head and the tingling on his shoulder from where he’d laid his hand.

If Kon didn’t know any better, the king’s words almost sounded like some odd form of approval. Maybe it was what he said, or the fact that he’d been able to say them at all, but it seemed like the king was at least willing to acknowledge that Kon may one day marry his son.

The thought had butterflies sprouting to life in his stomach, his vision going slightly fuzzy as the feeling took over. Sure the king didn’t know the truth of the situation, but Kon let himself have a quick moment to enjoy the idea. After all, Kon knew in his bones that he’d been given a rare honor. He wasn’t going to let that feeling go to waste.

When he gathered himself enough to finally make his way towards the book he’d had his mind set on, a smile flared to life on his face. Surely if anyone else saw him at the moment they’d be blinded by its intensity, but Kon reveled in it.

…

His good mood lasted until breakfast the next day. When Kon sat down to eat in his preferred seat, he grabbed a bagel from the table and got to work on adding some bacon and eggs. It was a meal that was steadily becoming a staple in his diet.

“Are you humming, Kon?”

Kon looked up from where he’d been arranging the bacon on his bagel to Cissie who was watching him closely, confusion dotting her features. He sent back a bashful grin.

“Maybe.”

“What’s got you so chipper then?”

Cassie joined in at the sound of Cissie talking, and with the increased scrutiny Kon felt more self-conscious about his good mood. After all, what the king said didn’t mean anything. Not when it was Tim who decided in the end.

And sure, the other day there was a moment where Kon thought that maybe something was going to happen, but then he’d opened his stupid mouth and stopped that train in its tracks.

There had been a few nights where he’d laid with his eyes open, wondering what would’ve happened if he hadn’t said anything, but there was no reason to torture himself with the what-ifs.

“Just a good day. I can’t have those?”

As he spoke he continued putting together his bagel sandwich, closing it with a flourish and taking a bite.

“We have a three hour lesson on handling the media.” Cissie sounded incredibly skeptical of his good mood. He supposed it was fair.

“Is this about Tim somehow?”

Cassie sounded genuinely curious, and Kon wasn’t entirely sure how to take that question. In some ways it was, but he didn’t exactly want to admit that.

Without his approval his eyes traveled over to where he knew Tim was sitting at the table. The salty taste of bacon in his mouth turned sour at the sight of Bernard and Tim deep in conversation. They were leaning towards each other while Tim offered some of the fruit on his plate to the other man. It was just like what he’d seen in the library all over again. They just had a visible camaraderie that Kon didn’t know how to deal with.

He swallowed thickly, tearing his eyes away and looking back to his friends. If they noticed him staring at Tim for longer than necessary, they didn’t say anything. They were still waiting for him to respond.

“No. Just happy I guess.”

His smile was slightly more strained now, but apparently still convincing enough with the way they accepted it. When he watched them to see how they’d respond, Kon noticed the increased tension between the two. It was something that hadn’t been there before, and with a sharpening clarity he realized he hadn’t seen them together as much in the past few days or maybe even weeks. He’d lost track with everything else on his mind, but he decided he needed to get to the bottom of it. At the very least it would get his mind off of everything else.

“What are both of your plans for the day until the lesson?”

They both hesitated, clearly waiting to let the other go first, but Cassie held out longer and simply watched out of the corner of her eyes as Cissie answered.

“Probably practice my archery,” she shrugged. “It’s been a little while and it’ll be good to do something active before we’re sitting inside all day.”

Kon nodded, understanding the logic, but also paid attention to how Cassie slightly stiffened at the words. She looked almost disappointed. That was interesting enough for Kon to suddenly become a lot more invested in the outcome of the conversation.

“What about you, Cassie?” Kon turned to Cassie and waited.

“Probably just spend some time in the parlor. See if anyone is around.”

The tenseness in her posture was still there, and Kon considered his options before deciding that talking to Cassie was probably the better bet. She was more likely to be honest with him at least.

“Do you mind if I join? I could use something to do too?”

The relief in her eyes was more than enough assurance that he’d done the right thing, and when she agreed he debated how to bring the issue up without stressing her out even more.

…

Almost an hour into laying out on the couches and just talking, Kon still hadn’t brought up the elephant in the room. He would like to say it was because he hadn’t had any opportunities, but in reality he’d had a lot. Kon just didn’t feel like talking about unrequited or at least presumed unrequited love at the moment. Admittedly, he was still feeling too sorry for himself.

“You seem like you were a jock in high school.” Cassie was laying down on the couch with Kon just a few feet away. Both had their gazes trained on the skylights in the room, not needing to look at each other while they spoke. It almost felt like a bizarre phone call.

“I was,” he admitted. “I actually was on the football team.”

“Wait what?” Cassie sounded genuinely surprised, and Kon frowned slightly, unsure why that would be.

“Yeah, for a few years at least. Until I decided to quit to focus on my classes. Why?”

He glanced over and watched her purse her lips in thought. She still wasn’t looking in his direction, so he returned his gaze upwards.

“I don’t know. I guess it makes sense but I just hadn’t expected that you actually were. I thought you just had the vibes.”

“The vibes,” Kon echoed, smiling as he voiced the words.

“You know what I mean, asshole.” Cassie snorted, so Kon didn’t take the insult too seriously. Instead, he answered a question she probably had.

“I guess I just don’t talk about it much. Not much to say.”

“Hmm,” her hum was thoughtful. “I don’t suppose you were a star quarterback or something right? If so then you definitely should’ve said something sooner.”

Kon laughed again, shaking his head even though he knew she wouldn’t see.

“Nope. Painfully average. Everyone thought I’d be great since I had the build, but it just wasn’t my thing.”

“I can see that.”

This time it was Kon’s turn to hum in response, not finding it necessary to say much else.

“I always wanted to do sports.” Cassie commented after Kon thought the conversation was over. He waited for her to continue, figuring that this was leading somewhere. “But me and my mom moved around too much. I never had time to even prepare for tryouts before we were going somewhere else. So I just figured it wasn’t worth it.”

The words were bitter, steeped in years of regret and disappointment. He still said nothing, giving her the floor to say whatever it was she had to.

“But I wanted to, y’know. I could’ve been really good at soccer or field hockey or fucking archery.” 

The last word was spat out, and Kon was immediately on alert. He realized that this rant probably had something to do with Cissie, and that meant his time of cowardice was over whether he liked it or not. 

Cassie kept going, and this time Kon prepared himself to respond if necessary.

“Did you know that Cissie’s been getting archery lessons since she was five years old? She was too small to even hold a real bow but she was a prodigy and somehow figured it out. I mean… she’s so talented that she said she could’ve made a career out of it. Archery? I mean who does that.”

Her words had gotten progressively louder, and with a glance around Kon made sure nobody was listening in before he sat up and walked the few steps over to Cassie’s couch. He sat down on the floor, his head leaning against the arm rest on the end. He was now close enough that he could hear how her breaths had turned sharp with adrenaline and anger at once. He let his presence soothe her for a moment, and when he finally responded it was with as soft a voice as he could manage.

“Cassie, you know your worth isn’t defined by whatever talents you do or don’t have right?” When she didn’t say anything he continued, this time more fervently. “It isn’t. I don’t know what this is about exactly, but did something happen with Cissie?”

The laugh she let out was sad, and Kon looked closer at her in concern.

“No, and that’s the problem. I’ve basically been given permission to use this time to get her to be my girlfriend, but instead all I can think about is how little time we have, and how when we leave I’ll probably never see her again.”

“Of course you’ll see her again-”

“No, Kon. We don’t live anywhere near each other, and even if we wanted to it’d be difficult to arrange anything. Not to mention this whole thing is finally starting to get serious with all the lessons and real dates. Tim will have to send us home soon. No matter what he said there’s no way he’ll just let us stay forever.”

Cassie finally turned her head so that she was looking at Kon, and the battle playing out in her eyes was as clear as day. She was holding herself back out of fear, and Kon had to do something, say something, to try to help.

“You don’t need forever, Cassie.”

She stared at him, face uncomprehending and still incredibly bleak.

“All you need to do is tell her how you feel. What’s the worst that can happen? If you’re worried about having to leave soon then let that be your escape if it doesn’t work out. But for the record, I’m fully confident it will work out. I think you two are great together, you just have to try.”

Kon watched the fight die in her eyes, hope winning out against fear for a few moments. It was all he needed to see, and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it between one of his own. She squeezed back, and he felt just a little bit lighter.

…

Kon’s previous day had been a roller coaster, so when Tim showed up outside his room first thing in the morning, eyes shining with determination, Kon honestly had no idea what to expect. It still hadn’t been long since Kon found out about his injury and they had an unusual interaction, but it felt like an eternity had passed.

Harls had already left after Kon was deemed presentable, and so Kon was just about to head to breakfast before Tim arrived. For some reason, the man wasn’t nearly as put together as most mornings, but he didn’t seem self-conscious or even at all worried about his appearance.

It struck Kon as pleasantly unusual.

“Hi,” Tim greeted Kon at the door with a small smile.

“Hi,” was the only thing Kon could react with. He was still too confused about what exactly was happening.

Still, he opened his door wide, inviting Tim inside without a word. Tim took him up on it, making his way over to Kon’s bed and taking a seat at the end. Kon ignored the way that small action had a series of thoughts sprouting up in his brain, and hid his trembling hands in the pockets of his suit.

“What’s up?”

Tim cocked his head at the forced nonchalance in Kon’s voice, and Kon rolled his eyes, gesturing with his eyes for Tim to just answer the question.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

Kon waited, and when there was no further clarification he determined he didn’t want to be standing for this interaction and made his way over to sit a few feet from Tim on the bed. He made sure to perch as far on the edge as possible, not wanting to let his mind or body embarrass him by thinking too hard about how they were sitting on the same bed for the first time since it seemed like Tim was going to kiss him.

“Alright, feel free to talk then.”

Tim paused for a long time, and Kon started to lose his patience while he waited. He wasn’t good in the mornings, and he hadn’t had breakfast yet. He was grumpy, and not at all ready to deal with whatever was going on.

When his eyes caught on to Tim’s shirt and how it was riding up slightly, he remembered another important detail from the other day.

“How’s your side?”

“Huh?” Tim startled from where he’d clearly been deep in thought, taking a moment to recognize what Kon was talking about. “Oh- Right. It’s fine. Healing pretty well. No need to worry about it.” 

He waved his hand, but the nerves in his eyes were clear, and Kon softened slightly, recognizing that whatever he was trying to talk about was difficult for him in a way that Kon wasn’t used to seeing. The tension in his shoulders and the way he kept moving his hands incrementally on his lap reminded Kon that he’d seen Tim in similar states before. He just had to be patient if he wanted to hear what was going on.

“The other day…” Tim paused yet again, but this time Kon froze slightly as well. “I just wanted to clarify what happened exactly. I mean, you obviously stopped me which was good” Kon did not like the sound of that “but I just wanted to see if I made you uncomfortable at all.”

Kon was still frozen, hardly daring to breathe in the tense silence of the room. Somehow Tim managed to tell him exactly what he wanted to hear, and yet said nothing at all. He admitted that he’d been about to kiss him, or at least something like that. But he also insinuated that it was a good thing they didn’t. How was Kon supposed to react to that?

The last thing he wanted was to make Tim think that he was uncomfortable with what happened. He was actually very comfortable with it. But he wasn’t sure how to say that without making it explicitly clear, so that’s what he decided to do.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable.” Tim looked up quickly when Kon spoke, relief all over his features and a hesitant smile making its way onto his face.

“So when you brought up the Selection and how it was going…?”

Kon swallowed sharply, staring at Tim and the way he was biting his lip while he looked back at Kon with uncertainty. His eyes traced the movement, and it made his next words come out slow, slightly more jumbled than he meant due to his distraction.

“I just wanted to hear, umm, how things were going. See where I stood exactly I guess… It’s been looking like you and Bernard are getting close.”

Kon honestly had no idea what he was even saying, too busy looking to be worried about the actual conversation anymore. He knew he probably should be taking the conversation seriously and paying attention, but the bedhead and soft sweatshirt Tim was wearing were making that incredibly difficult.

“Well, we are… sorta.” Tim’s response was clipped, and Kon snapped back to attention when he realized what exactly Tim had said.

“Right. So you two have been getting more friendly?”

Kon wanted to ask if they were getting more than friendly, but that seemed a bit too far. Somehow, though, Tim looked a little guarded at the question.

“We’ve been having some good conversations. He’s a good friend.”

It stung a little to hear Tim refer to Bernard as a friend. It was stupid, but that’s what Kon was to him, and he didn’t like sharing the title. Feeling brave and maybe a little reckless, Kon asked a question that had been consuming his mind for weeks now.

“Friends like how we’re friends?”

Tim stared at Kon, eyes intense as he got out a simple, “no.”

The single word may as well have been a gunshot for all the damage it did to Kon. He and Tim could’ve been matching with their injuries, but Kon knew his was entirely his own fault. Kon ducked his head, pushing back the itching feeling behind his eyes and what it meant was coming. 

He’d been telling himself for months that they were only friends and that was what they’d agreed. But to hear Tim say so simply that he didn’t regard Kon in the same way as Bernard was painful. More so than he thought.

“Well good then.” Kon’s words were shaky, his emotion poorly hidden. He couldn’t find it in himself to care though. “I mean what I’ve said before. I really do think he’s a good option.”

When he could bring himself to look back up, he was shocked by the expression on Tim’s face. It was complicated, something fiery and stormy all at once. But it also contained traces of hurt, or at least Kon got that idea from the pinch in his eyebrows that gave the impression that Tim was about to cry.

“Good- That’s… good.” Tim started to look around, his hands back to fidgeting. Kon wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong, but with everything he was feeling he didn’t have the energy to reflect on the conversation at the moment. “I’ll just take your advice then.”

Even lost in the waves of his emotions, Kon noticed the awkward clipped way Tim was speaking. Before he could ask if everything was alright, or even say anything at all, Tim was springing from Kon’s bed.

“Sorry to make you late for breakfast. I know it’s your favorite meal and you’re probably hungry. I’ll see you later though, right?”

Kon could do nothing but nod at Tim’s vaguely hopeful expression, and he continued to stare as Tim walked over to the door and left.

It felt almost like karma for running out on him the other day. Kon took in a shuddering breath, trying to get a handle on the disappointment surging through his system. He tried to remind himself that he already knew this. That he’d not been getting his hopes up. It didn’t work, and he sat there for a while longer.

He ended up missing breakfast entirely, and felt bad for lying to Tim.

He knows my favorite meal is breakfast, Kon thought, falling back onto his bed as the first tear escaped his eyes.

TIM

After his conversation with Kon, Tim wandered the halls for a long time. He considered going back to his nook to brood as Cass described. But somehow the thought of going there and sitting by himself had him cringing in distaste.

He’d done what he had to do, and sure the conversation hadn’t been exactly what he wanted, but what was it that he wanted anyway? What was Tim expecting Kon to say? 

It had gone fine, and Tim just had to accept that the other man was more invested in getting Tim a partner than being that partner himself. Which was fine. Tim still wasn’t sure about what he was feeling anyway, so he could take the hint and move on before it went too far.

Still, when Kon failed to show up for breakfast, Tim could no longer shake the feeling he’d done something wrong. For over an hour he sat in the seat next to Kon’s, waiting until the workers forced him to get up so they could clean the table. He was the only one left in the dining room, everyone having gone to do whatever they did all day, but still there was no Kon.

Once he accepted the fact that Kon had in fact lied, Tim started walking aimlessly again. His days were still painfully dull, and for the millionth time he wished there was something he could do to take his mind off of Kon and their conversation.

Normally, this is when he’d invite either Steph or Kon on a ‘date’ so that he could just spend time with a friend. Unfortunately, he was still afraid to spend too long alone with Steph after what happened and obviously Kon was a no go.

So Tim considered his other options, and with a sigh he realized his only options left were his siblings. Admittedly he hadn’t been spending as much time with them lately as he should. Duke had brought it up that one time, but Tim hadn’t worked on remedying that since. Cass always found him anyway, so Tim didn’t need to try as hard with her, but the others weren’t like that.

Sometimes his siblings felt more like feral alley cats than princes and princesses with how they behaved. You had to approach carefully and promise treats before they’d show their bellies. They definitely wouldn’t find Tim to hang out unless they wanted to make fun of him.

That happened more often than Tim liked, but he realized it had been too long. Especially when he knew they were betting on him. The intrusion into his privacy alone made him feel like he deserved some of their time to torment them in return. With his mind made up, Tim set his sights on the barracks, determining that Jason would be his first victim whether he liked it or not.

Tim walked quickly, steps urgent with the need to do something, and when he arrived within minutes he was flinging the doors open. They rattled on the wall with a satisfying slam, and Jason looked up at the noise from where he was leaning over the weapons rack in the corner. It’s possible he was taking inventory, but he also could’ve been just looking at them. Both sounded plausible for his brother.

“What’re you doing here?”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “What? I can’t just show up?”

Jason looked at him skeptically, rising to his feet and wiping the dust from his pants as he did.

“Not really no.” 

When Tim crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance Jason barked out a laugh.

“I mean it’s kinda true. How often do you come here when you don’t need something?”

Tim supposed that was sort of true, but there was no way he was admitting that. Besides, he didn’t really have any reason at the moment, and that was evidence enough on the contrary.

“Plenty often. I don’t need anything now for instance.”

Jason mirrored him by crossing his own arms.

“Somehow I doubt that, but whatever. Since you’re here, you’re gonna help me with inventory.”

Tim frowned, but Jason put a finger up and stopped him from saying anything.

“Nuh uh. You said you didn’t come here for anything in particular, so you’re gonna help me. No complaining allowed.”

Tim rolled his eyes in a motion that had his entire body moving at the same time, but he still made his way forward to the apparent glee of Jason.

“Is Roy here? Do I need to worry about you two distracting each other while I do all the work?”

Jason’s smug smile turned devious. “Unfortunately no. He’s not here today, but if he was I probably would’ve made you do this by yourself. Consider yourself lucky.”

Tim was now standing in front of the racks Jason had been perched in front of earlier. He picked up some papers he noticed on the ground which had lists of equipment and rudimentary squiggles next to each item on the list.

“If he was here I would’ve left immediately so no, I don’t consider myself lucky. Also, what are these squiggles?” Tim turned towards Jason and pointed at the weird markers next to the items. “How on Earth do these even mean anything? Why don’t you just check them off?”

Jason shrugged, clearly unbothered by the judgement coming from Tim. 

“The circle and slash means we have everything, the circle and dot means we’re missing a few, and the spiral means I can’t find them.”

Tim stared at Jason. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

“Hey,” Jason’s finger was back in Tim’s face, but this time it was close enough that Tim could smack it out of the way. “Don’t talk shit about my system. If you don’t like it, do everything again yourself.”

It was a very typical Jason response.

“Whatever.” Tim sighed. Why he thought coming here was a good idea he couldn't remember. “Where do you want me to start?”

Jason was back to smiling with an evil cheerfulness, but Tim was just glad his mind was being put to work. Even if it was for tedious organizational purposes.

…

The next day Kon was more or less back to normal. He smiled at Tim at dinner the previous night, and Tim could read the apology in the expression. He’d returned it easily, and by the following morning it was like nothing had happened.

Tim talked with Sarah and Greta at breakfast, and it was unexpectedly nice. Apparently the two had gotten pretty close, and Tim spent a lot of breakfast watching them converse until they remembered he was also there and asked for his opinion on things.

Ever since the start of the Selection, Greta had grown less and less intense in her interactions with Tim. He was incredibly curious as to why, considering he’d expected her to be trying hard to win his favor after how it all started. But somehow, she no longer sucked up to him or pushed for his attention. It was a shock, but equally so a relief.

The last thing his nerves needed was to be on guard for an overenthusiastic ‘suitor.’ It also made it much easier to invite her on a ‘date’ and have it be something easy rather than a trial of his patience.

One thing he’d started considering, though, were the council meetings he had to bring the Selected to. Realistically, he should’ve already started them based on his schedule, but he was too hesitant to return. His last few experiences at those meetings had gone terribly, and he didn’t want to see the fallout of what he’d had to do. Not to mention, he couldn’t decide who to take first.

The best answer would probably be one of the candidates with the most potential like Bernard or Ives. Eric had also been growing on him with the past few interactions. With any of those options Tim would get more of an idea of them based on what their responses were to the politics of it all. It was important for him to know where they stood, but even though he knew that would be the ideal option, there was a voice in the back of his head telling him to bring Kon.

He wasn’t sure if it was the result of their discussion, or just knowing that Kon would do well in that situation, but Tim wanted to bring him to a meeting. Tim wanted to see him voice his thoughts to all the people Tim despised, and have them realize that not only was Kon competent, but that he was willing to speak his mind.

Kon was the kind of person who would be the council’s worst nightmare, and that was what made it so difficult to consider bringing anyone else. He wanted the council to be scared. He wanted them to see that by making him go through with the Selection that he could find someone who would only make their lives more difficult.

They’d touched on political ideology in the past, and Tim knew some of what Kon thought about the state of the kingdom. He was also confident that Kon had thought long and hard about what he’d ask officials if given the chance.

And if Tim was curious to know just how Kon would look yelling at authority figures, then that was something that didn’t need to be said. After all, Tim had gotten into many arguments with Kon over stupid things. He knew how he looked when his face got all red with emotion and how his words would ring with authority. 

It was admittedly attractive, but that was beside the point.

Tim was running out of time to start bringing them to the meetings, and so he had to make a decision. Similarly to how he’d locked himself in his office to decide on who to send him, Tim found himself at his desk, staring at the piece of paper in front of him which contained the invitation for the meeting. It was fully written out, and all that it was missing was a name. That was arguably the most important part, but Tim saved it for last in order to think his decision through.

In the end, his anger at the council and desires to see their frustration won out. He was writing Kon’s name into the open space before he could stop himself. He placed the pen next to the old inkless pen in the corner of the desk, and sat back in his seat. When he read through it again, a satisfied smile took over his face.

…

Without giving himself any time to back out, Tim immediately left his office, paper in hand.

“Well don’t you look determined,” Cullen commented as soon as Tim stepped into view.

“I’m always determined.” 

Tim didn’t stop moving as he spoke, and Cullen stepped into the space to his left, always waiting and watching.

“That’s true I guess. So where are we headed so fast?”

There was a quick stumble in Tim’s pace, once again realizing he had a goal but no actual destination. He didn’t know where Kon even was at the moment. He slowed his pace, but turned to Cullen who had clearly noticed the slight fumble and was suppressing a smile at Tim’s expense.

“Do you know where your sister is at the moment?”

Cullen thought for a moment.

“She should be with the Selected at a lesson right now I think…”

“Oh right, the lessons…” Tim honestly forgot that was going to be part of the top ten. It wasn’t his decision but rather put together by the council. He wondered though what exactly they were learning. 

Shaking his head, Tim changed direction slightly and headed towards the parlor. It was a quick walk, not nearly long enough to mentally prepare himself for the amount of people he’d have to face. Luckily, Harper was where Cullen said she would be, standing outside the parlor and typing away quickly on her phone. She looked frustrated at whatever she was reading.

“Hey, Harper.” Tim called out hesitantly, not wanting to break the concentration on her face or be on the receiving end of her oftentimes short temper.

When she looked up, her expression smoothed out rapidly at the sight of who was approaching, and she was pocketing her phone without another glance in its direction. Ever the professional.

“Hi, Your Highness. Cull. What are you guys doing here?”

Tim fiddled with the paper in his hands, bringing it up into her view. She understood easily enough, used to him showing up with the odd invitation.

“Ah, and who’s the lucky person?”

“Oh, it’s umm… Kon.”

Tim cringed at the difficulty he had even saying the other man’s name, and Harper and Cullen shared an obvious glance that he really wished he hadn’t been able to see. He opted for going on the offensive, not feeling up to dissecting this topic of conversation any more when he was already nervous enough.

“What are you doing out here? I would’ve thought you’d have to be in there with them.”

Harper lifted her phone out of her pocket. “Finally got a response about something I was waiting for. Had to step out for a few minutes.”

Tim nodded, looking back at the doors and wondering what was happening on the other side. His curiosity about the lessons had him realizing he could just ask Harper.

“What are they learning today? I realize I don’t actually know much about the lessons.”

“It’s the history of the council today I believe. Something about how it was formed and the members up until today.” Harper spoke casually, but Tim was frowning at her answer.

“How is that important enough to warrant a several hour lecture?” Another shrug from Harper only brought more questions to the forefront of his mind. “What else are they learning?”

“Mostly history and etiquette. It’s supposed to prepare them for their future role, so it’s relatively hands-off for now as you dwindle them down.”

“That doesn’t sound useful at all though.”

Tim hadn’t realized that the lessons would be so useless. Admittedly it wasn’t something he thought a lot about when they were proposed by the council, too busy worrying about everything else to care what the Selected would be up to. Now though, he knew that there were more important things than etiquette. He didn’t just want a partner to stand behind him and smile pleasantly, he wanted someone capable of matching him step for step.

The three sat in silence for several minutes while Tim continued to think deeply about what he could do. The whole thing was more or less out of his realm of control, but he was sure his input would have some sway. If he could just rearrange some of what they were doing, he could maybe add more useful things that would not only benefit the Selected, but help with the process even more. Show him how capable they were beyond memorizing former leaders.

“Do you think I could provide my own ideas of lessons for the council to review?”

Tim stared at Harper as he waited for her to answer. She didn’t look entirely sure what to say, and he could tell she was slightly apprehensive. Whether that was because she figured it was no but didn’t want to say that to the crown prince, he wasn’t sure.

“I mean I could ask…”

“That would be great!” He sent her a warm smile, trying to show her his gratitude and that he wasn’t forcing her to do anything. The first point was easier to get across, and based on the resolution in her form after, he knew she wouldn’t stop trying until she had a positive answer for him.

Luckily for her, shortly after their conversation fizzled out, the door to the room opened. The Selected walked out slowly, and the sight was hilarious enough that Tim struggled to keep his face blank. Most of them looked exhausted, faces cloudy and eyes zoning out. Some appeared relatively lively, but they were too busy joking around with the others to notice Tim’s presence. Kon was in neither group. He was the last one to leave the room, face tucked into his notebook.

Tim only stepped forward when Kon was fully out of the room, and he lightly tapped on Kon’s shoulder to get him to turn around and notice his presence.

“Wha- Oh. Tim.”

Surprise was the clearest emotion on Kon’s face. Still, it was more guarded than Tim was used to seeing from him, and he forced his smile to be brighter on his face with the hope it would distract from the awkwardness he could feel rising to the surface.

“Hi Kon. I have something to give you.”

Tim raised his hand with the paper, only realizing when it was halfway extended that he’d crumpled it slightly at some point in the past few minutes. It likely happened when he was thinking too deeply to control his strength, but it was embarrassing to watch as Kon analyzed the misshapen paper and stared judgmentally at its sorry state. 

When he finally grabbed it Tim let out a breath, still forcing a smile and hoping Kon wouldn’t comment on it. His breath caught again though as he waited for Kon to finish reading it. His hands were sweaty and he couldn’t stop himself from shifting between his feet. 

He envied how normal Kon was acting when he still couldn’t get Kon’s words from their conversation out of his head. His footing felt uneven, but he vowed to get it together. It was the least he could do to make this whole situation less painful.

“You want me to come to a council meeting?”

Kon looked up, shock on his face that Tim wasn’t sure what to do with. 

“Yeah, you’re all going to come to a meeting. Barbara told you guys that right?”

Disappointment flashed through Kon’s eyes, and Tim only felt more unsure.

“No she did. I guess I just thought you’d bring someone else first.”

Tim watched Kon speak, analyzing the way he wasn’t looking directly at Tim as he explained his thoughts. Tim just wanted his friend to look at him again.

“Well I thought about it, but honestly you’re the only one I wanted to pick.”

“Yeah?” Kon smiled softly, looking marginally relieved. When he caught Tim’s eyes they held themselves in the moment, and Tim’s smile finally felt natural on his face.

“Of course. There’s nobody else I’d rather have my back in there.” Tim could hear the sincerity in his own words, and evidently Kon could too if the small smile he gave was any indication. “Besides,” Kon tilted his head curiously, “I kinda really want to see you give them all a run for their money.”

Kon laughed, and Tim relished in the sound. The melodious noise echoed in the small hallway, and each vibration released a little more of the tension in Tim’s body. Kon’s laugh was a loud one. It was gritty and harsh at times. An uncontrolled explosion of noise.

But to Tim it may as well have been the sound of birds singing for the way it woke his mind up from the nightmare of the last several days. Even weeks.

“I’ll do my best,” Kon choked out between breaths, slightly lowering his head in the echo of a bow. “And for what it’s worth, I’ll always have your back.”

It was something that Tim hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear. The lump that formed in his throat let him know that his emotions were piling up too much and too quickly. He decided that he needed to make a quick retreat before he said or did something stupid.

Something like try to kiss Kon again.

“Great. So I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Guess so,” Kon watched him, and under his scrutiny Tim fumbled for what to do.

In the end he raised his hand in a half-wave before turning around and heading back in the direction of his rooms. He took a deep breath, eyes slipping shut briefly as he took the first steps away. Embarrassment crawled up his neck, and the will to sink into the ground was becoming especially prevalent.

Unable to resist, Tim turned his head to look back before he got far enough to be out of sight. His eyes met Kon’s from across the hallway, Kon still standing in the spot Tim left him in. He hadn’t moved an inch, just watching Tim walk away with no clear reaction visible from the distance between them. Tim hardly had time to commit the sight to memory before he was passing a corner, Kon disappearing behind the stone now between them.

Chapter Text

KON

When Tim asked him to go to a council meeting, Kon had been excited. It was an opportunity to learn more about how the country was being run, and get a platform to potentially share a thought or two. Even though he understood that probably wasn’t what the invitation was for.

In the back of his mind though, Kon knew if an opportunity presented itself he would take it. This wasn’t something that would come around for him again.

After the initial rush faded, however, Kon settled into a few other reactions, far less positive than the original few had been. For one, Tim had only given him less than a day warning to prepare. This could be one of the most important experiences of his life, and Kon had only a handful of hours to prepare. The meeting was the following morning, shortly after breakfast.

So with that time crunch Kon had new problems to worry about. Namely, he wasn’t caught up on current politics since he’d been in the palace. Taking their phones had more repercussions than just losing the ability to call home. It meant they were left blind to what was going on in the world. That hadn’t sat well with Kon, but he’d long accepted it as his reality for the time being.

Now though, more than being a nuisance, it was an obstacle. He had no basis on what they might be discussing, nor what they’ve been up to. It might not be necessary, but Kon wanted to do something to rectify that, and he didn’t have a lot of time. He returned straight to his room after speaking with Tim, considering options of what to do next.

He wondered if he could go to Tim and ask, but that felt like cheating. Not to mention speaking with Tim had become much more daunting since their uncomfortable conversation, and the last thing he wanted to do was show weakness. So instead, Kon opted to seek out another royal who may be able to help him catch up on what he needed to know.

Kon didn’t know Duke’s schedule very well. They mostly hung out whenever they happened to cross paths, and that usually happened when they were both in the library. So, without anything else to go off of, Kon headed in that direction.

Just in case, Kon kept his eyes peeled on the way, but caught no glimpse of Duke or anyone else really.

Similarly, after scouring the library for a considerable amount of time, Kon was no closer to finding the prince. The space was silent, lacking the familiar sounds of pages turning which would indicate that it wasn’t as empty as it seemed.

Kon stood towards the center of the room, engulfed by rows of books on all sides and thought about where else he could check. It was getting too cold to be outside all day, and it wasn’t anywhere near meal time. That meant the ground and the dining hall were out. Kon had never seen Duke in the arcade and he had no reason to be near the parlor either. 

That only left hundreds of places he could be, and while Kon loved the depth and intricacies of the palace, it was only frustrating now. He let out a deep sigh and stepped out into the hallway. He was far from inexperienced at wandering the palace with no destination, so that’s what Kon decided to do. Even if he couldn’t find Duke, it would at least give him time to think about the next day.

So he started moving, mind settling into the gentle rhythm of his movements while he swept his gaze through every hallway and room he passed along the way. There was no trace of Duke anywhere he ventured, but at one point he saw someone approaching him from the other end of the corridor and perked up. As the person got closer he recognized the familiar metallic sheen on the legs, and realized that it was Barbara. With the realization, he felt himself loosening and tensing up all at once.

It was interesting how one person’s presence could instill so much fear and hope in him at once. Luckily, it didn’t look like she had any pressing news for once, so once they got close enough to exchange pleasantries, Kon decided to ask her for help.

“Hey, Barbara!” He lifted his hand in a small wave, glad to see her reciprocate the action.

“Hi, Kon. How are you?”

“Doing pretty good. I was just wondering if you maybe knew where Duke was?”

If Barbara was surprised at his question, she hid it very well. 

“I might have an idea. Where have you looked so far?”

Kon started listing off rooms he’d checked, Barbara humming along with each one until she eventually spoke up.

“I think I know where he is.” She eyed him for a moment, and Kon stood still, wishing he could know exactly what he was being tested on. When she just nodded and gestured for him to follow, he let out a deep breath and joined her.

The path they took was one he knew led to places he’d been in the past, but they were areas he’d only gone with Tim. It occurred to him that Duke was in the royal family’s wing near the theater and Tim’s room, and Kon understood why Barbara had hesitated.

A trickling of happiness bubbled in his chest, fueled by the thought that Barbara was trusting him with something that probably wasn’t open to most people. They hadn’t interacted much, most of their time spent in the same room when she was listening in on him talking with his family or sending people home. It felt nice to know that she seemed to think he was a good person, or at least not planning to do anything with whatever she showed him.

For a while they walked in silence, the steady thunk of her leg braces establishing a calming beat on the stone below. When the quiet was broken, Kon was surprised Barbara was the one who chose to break it.

“I can tell from what he’s said that Duke thinks very highly of you.”

Kon startled from his thoughts, head pivoting in Barbara’s direction even though she continued looking forward.

“Oh? That’s- I mean that’s good. I think highly of him too. He’s great to talk to.”

Even though she still didn’t face him, Kon could see a small quirk of her lip from the side. It calmed him down just a little.

“Good.” The word settled over the two of them, and for a moment Kon thought she wasn't going to say anything else. “The palace is a lonely place for anyone. Especially when you’re trying to get used to it.”

He wasn’t really sure what to say to that. Something about the truth in her statement felt too personal to acknowledge at all. Kon wasn’t sure if her insinuations were meant to be about Duke’s struggles, Kon’s, or both. He hummed even though he didn’t really understand, but she appeared to be able to tell.

“I may not be royalty myself, but I consider most of them my family. They don’t like to talk about themselves, but I’ve heard a lot about you.”

A small smile flitted across Kon’s face, disappearing quickly. The warmth in his chest however, had yet to fade. 

“Can’t be lonely if you’re never left alone.” Kon grinned, and was glad to see Barbara release a real smile for the first time. “Besides, I have a little brother too,” he paused as he thought of Jon, and Barbara hummed in recognition. “I get it.”

If this was her attempt at a subtle shovel talk to keep being good for who she considered to be her little brothers, Kon understood the reasoning. 

They came up outside a nondescript door, and Barbara stopped without warning, bringing Kon to a stop beside her. 

“They’re in here.”

“They?” Kon frowned, a little thrown off by this point.

“You’ll see.” 

Her smile was a little mischievous, and she waited for him to start pushing the door open before she turned away with a small wave. He shook his head, hand running down the door as it opened further. Entering into a large room with floor to ceiling windows, Kon counted what must’ve been hundreds of paintings and sketches littering every available surface.

He gaped at the quality of the picture nearest him, and did his best to catalog the different pieces in the dim lighting of the evening. It was more than just paintings, some photographs and musical sheets peppered throughout, rounding out the artistic serenity of the space. There were a few small lights on, but the sunset had passed in his aimless adventuring, and the sky visible through the windows was fading into a dark indigo.

With the way he was examining his surroundings, Kon failed to notice the two people occupying the room, and he was brought out of his head by a throat clearing. It was an amused sound. One Kon imagined was hiding laughter of some sort.

“I know Dames is pretty talented but you could at least say hi.”

Kon spun in place, finally locating Duke in the corner, parked on a large chair with a notebook in his hands. The comfortable way he was laid out indicated that he’d been there for a while.

So this is where he’s been. Looks like Barbara was right, Kon thought, impressed at how well she seemed to know what was going on in the palace at all times.

“Sorry,” Kon grinned a little bashfully.

Glancing to Duke’s left, Kon was only slightly surprised to spot Damian sitting half-hidden on another chair. He also had a notepad in his hands, but the pencil was far different to Dukes. He was clearly working on some sort of sketch, and Kon was immediately intrigued.

He made his way over, looking around at the artwork on display while he did so. It was honestly incredibly impressive. The subjects ranged from close portraits and studies to large sprawling landscapes, and every one was just as good as the rest. He let out a low whistle in appreciation.

“These are awesome!” Kon perched on the edge of a table just a few feet from the brothers, still paying more attention to his surroundings than their reactions to his presence.

“You are easily impressed, Kent.”

Damian’s response was resigned, but there was an undercurrent of satisfaction that had Kon looking in his direction. From months of close interactions Kon could make out the ghost of a smile on his face.

“Not really. Are most of these yours, Damian?” Kon gestured to where Damian was sketching on the paper in front of him. From up close he could finally make out that the drawing was of Duke on the other chair. Just like all the others it was scarily accurate.

Damian gave Kon a look, one which he could take to be an “obviously” in Damian-speak. Luckily, Duke decided to chime in with more concrete answers.

“Almost all of them are Dames’. We’ve all dabbled and have some small stuff around, but pretty much everything hung up is his. I mostly just stick to writing.”

Kon’s eyebrow lifted slightly, and when he glanced down at Duke’s notebook he realized he was writing something currently. He was tempted to ask to read it, but based on the way Duke was angling it towards his body he decided against it.

“Sick.” Kon smiled warmly at both of them. 

“How did you find this place, Kent?”

Kon looked over at Damian. He wasn’t looking up at Kon but rather had returned to his sketch. Every few seconds he would glance up at Duke and add a small detail, but Kon wasn’t sure Duke had noticed that.

Scratching the back of his neck lightly, Kon realized his initial assumption was correct and that this was probably another place he wasn’t supposed to know about. He had a knack for getting into those.

“Barbara brought me here. I was looking for you, Duke, and she just said to follow her.”

Duke looked skeptical, and Damian paused momentarily where he’d been adding shading to Duke’s shoes in the sketch.

“She brought you here?” Kon shrugged at Duke’s question. Asking why people let him do things at this point seemed like a bad idea. “Huh.” Duke hummed.

In hindsight Kon was really glad he’d passed whatever test Barbara had given him. It seemed like it was a lot more important than he thought.

“Why were you looking for me?”

Duke’s question reminded Kon why he was there, and he shifted slightly where he was perched. His request felt a little silly now that he was in front of Duke (and Damian) and was being looked at so intently.

“Umm… So I got invited by Tim-”

“Is this really about the Selection?” Damian sounded affronted, a disgusted grimace on his face. Kon chuckled nervously, but nodded nevertheless. It was hard to say how Damian would respond to that topic on any given day, but luckily his only response in the moment was to let out a deep sigh and return back to what he was doing. Although, this time his grip on his pencil was a lot tighter.

“Right…” Duke gestured for Kon to continue, so he did. “Anyway, he invited me to a council meeting tomorrow. I’m actually a little excited,” Duke looked aghast by that “but I realized I don’t actually know anything about what’s happening outside of the palace. I mean I haven’t been able to check the news in months or anything like that, and that’ll make this whole thing a lot more difficult. So umm, would you be able to fill me in? Like give me a crash course or something on everything I should know about current events?”

After he finished sharing his request, Kon appraised both of their reactions. Even though he’d intended on asking Duke specifically, Damian being around would probably be a good thing. He’d been shockingly patient with teaching Kon certain things so far, and he was also undergoing training himself. Even if they were different from Duke and Kon’s lessons.

Duke was still staring at him as though he’d said something funny, and Kon started to get a little nervous. He bit the inside of his lip while he waited, suddenly second-guessing showing up uninvited. The room was clearly private, and maybe Kon wasn’t all that welcome despite Barbara leading him there.

“Oh for the love of- Thomas put the man out of his misery.”

Kon hadn’t been expecting Damian to say anything, especially since he hadn’t directed the question at him. Still, he was pleasantly surprised at Damian throwing a pencil at Duke to get him to respond. Duke looked mildly perturbed by the flying object, but he avoided it easily and just rolled his eyes at Damian’s action.

“Sorry Kon, I just wasn’t expecting that.” Kon smiled lightly, and Duke tilted his head in thought. “I’d love to help though. I forgot Tim mentioned he was gonna do that,” a quick glance at Damian had them sharing a knowing look. It clearly had some deeper meaning, but Kon elected to ignore that, all too happy to push the conversation forward.

“Great! So…” Kon drummed lightly on his thighs, unsure of what to ask for specifically.

“There hasn’t been too much big news lately.” Duke looked down, evidently trying to think back. “I mean I know crime rates in some major cities have been slightly on the rise, Gotham especially.” He looked up sharply, cringing. “Actually I think some of that’s classified and I only heard it from our family's sources.” Kon was incredibly interested in that, but wisely didn’t ask for more information. He knew he was already asking for a lot. “We probably have newspapers around somewhere though…” 

Duke looked around the room as though a newspaper would spawn on top of one of the surfaces covered in art.

“Your phone, Thomas.” 

Once again Damian spoke without looking up. He’d started to change Duke’s face in the sketch to a more panicked expression, and Kon fought against a laugh at the accuracy.

“What?” Duke stared at Damian in confusion.

“Just give Kent your phone. He can look things up. Nobody uses newspapers anymore.” Kon reasoned that that was a pretty accurate statement. “... except for Alfred.”

True, Kon accepted. He was sure he’d seen the older man with a newspaper at some point or another.

Duke sat up in his seat, pulling his phone out from his pant’s pocket. He tapped at the screen briefly, and without warning he tossed it at Kon. Luckily, Kon managed to grab it in time, rotating the screen to see he’d opened it to the Daily Planet website.

Kon smiled at the sight, and when he looked back to Duke he noticed the understanding grin on his face. It was a nice touch.

“Thanks,” Kon smiled.

“Of course,” Duke responded easily, picking up his pencil again. “Although, if you try to look through my camera roll I will find out, and I will put glitter in your pillows.”

Kon burst out laughing at the seriousness in his tone, putting his hands up in surrender.

“Promise. Nothing’s worth getting covered in glitter.”

Duke nodded, but a small huff of laughter escaped and Kon could recognize the friendliness in the threat. Even if he intended to take it fully seriously.

The phone in his hands was a nice weight, something he’d missed for the past few months that he never really considered being without in the first place. For a few moments he simply enjoyed the sensation, but once he caught the sight of an interesting article title he was lost to the world.

For the next few hours, not that Kon was keeping track, he got absorbed into the world on the screen in front of him. He devoured the words page by page, scowling at all the bad news and laughing at the opinion pieces he couldn’t take seriously. Whenever he came across an article written by his parents he paid special attention, taking in the words like he was talking to them himself. It had been a month and a half since he spoke to them, and he was itching to do it again.

He clicked on their profiles, scanning through what they’d been up to. He couldn’t be sure, but based on the timeline he thought he could tell what the big story they’d been working on was. It was a big break about a series of undercover attacks in Metropolis that had evaded police attention.

He swelled with pride at the knowledge that they’d been able to help where the local authorities couldn’t. If he could be anything like them in the future, that was more than he could ask for.

So lost in story after article after think piece Kon lost track of time. Damian ended up being the one to bring him back into the present. Kon had to shake his head and blink repeatedly to lose the bright glare from the screen that stuck in his eyes even after looking away. When they resettled, he noticed the sky outside had faded into the pitch black of late night, and he also noticed Duke curled up on the chair, snoring lightly. Damian seemed far more refreshed, notebook closed at his side and patient expression on his face.

“If you have to go to the meeting in the morning you should go. You won’t impress anyone with terrible eye bags. Also, Thomas needs his phone back.” The last phrase was clipped on quickly, but Kon was already smiling.

“Thanks Damian.” 

Kon closed Duke’s phone, standing up and walking over to jostle Duke’s shoulders to wake him up. It was easier than he expected, although waking anyone was easier than Tim, so Kon’s data was probably skewed.

Duke was only half awake when he bid Kon goodnight and stumbled back to his room. Damian was in much better shape, but when Kon yawned, a loud sound in the otherwise silent room, Damian let out a smaller one of his own. He didn’t look happy at the mirrored action, but he still gave a terse goodnight and good luck before leaving himself.

Kon stood in the middle of the room for a few moments, knowing he should leave, but his feet struggled to cooperate with his brain. Now that he was finally alone, he allowed himself to look around more, taking the time to interpret the different paintings and other art. 

He moved in the direction of the door, but took jagged lines across the tile floor. Some drawings were clearly not Damian’s work, both due to their subject matter and casual technique. The photographs also looked highly professional, not that Kon knew anything about angles or lighting. Even so, Kon took it all in, glad to have yet another deeper insight into the royal family and their lives. 

They were incredibly interesting people, but Kon already knew that coming to the palace. What he hadn’t known was just how little he actually knew. It was fun, learning little by little and putting the puzzle together.

One of the closest pieces to the door was a small sketch of Tim. Kon leaned closer to get a better look, and even though he didn’t know where it was, he could see the peace on Tim’s face. The contentment in his posture and the happiness in the lines of his neck which was tilted back. His eyes were closed, but the smallest of smiles played on the edges of his mouth.

Kon stared, and all he could feel was a strengthening fondness. It was a comforting image, and one that Kon wished he could’ve seen in real life. Damian clearly had skill, but it was nothing on the real thing.

He couldn’t have imagined it earlier in the evening, but when Kon fell into bed that night it was easy. Sleep dragged him under, its caress softer than usual, and his dreams lacking the usual sense of urgency that he couldn’t escape even in his unconscious mind.

…

The next morning, however, the fear crept back into his body little by little. He woke up relatively cheery, Harls’ voice pulling him to the surface of his dreams and out of the shallows. 

Breakfast went without a hitch as well. Kon sat between Bart and Cassie like usual, and he managed to avoid thinking about what would happen after for the entire meal. He was too busy devouring bagel after bagel, nodding along to Bart’s exuberant ideas and re-tellings of stories which Kon had already heard before.

Duke was back to the front table, but Cass stayed in the seat next to Steph. She clearly had no interest in leaving anytime soon, and that amused Kon when he thought about how Steph looked at her. Tim, meanwhile, was speaking with Eric on the far side of the table. Or at least Eric was speaking. Tim didn’t seem to get many words in with the excited motions the other man was making about something or other. Kon didn’t even feel jealous at the sight, so he considered that morning a pleasant step towards self-improvement.

As soon as the plates were empty and people started getting up, however, the dread started to rise in Kon’s chest.

“You doing okay, Kon?”

Steph's voice to his left caught his attention, putting a temporary stop to the way he’d started creating worst-case scenarios. No matter how confident he was, there were certain things he didn’t think anyone could avoid worrying about. It must’ve shown on his face if Steph could tell. He tried his best to focus on making his features lighthearted, not wanting it to be so obvious that the stress was starting to get to him.

“Yeah, of course. Why?” 

Steph was standing behind him having just gotten up from her seat, and Cass was hiding slightly behind her, staring at Kon with her usual intensity. If Steph had been able to tell he was getting nervous, he had no doubts Cass could tell the same. The two shared a quick look after he responded, and it was obvious they were communicating something about him.

Sometimes he wished people around the palace would stop having telepathic abilities. He was getting tired of having to read between the lines to see what people were discussing right in front of him. Maybe it was an ability that just came with familiarity, or maybe the royals and apparently Steph were just mind-readers.

“Nothing,” Steph shrugged lightly, but her tone was too innocent to be believable. “You just seemed a little quiet this morning. We heard you’re joining a meeting today with Tim.”

Either Tim told Cass or Steph, or one of the other siblings mentioned something then. With how many of the royals were in the loop Kon was losing track of the possibilities. Not to mention that they all seemed to love gossip. He huffed a laugh at the thought, realizing that nothing he did was ever going to be secret. 

“I am, but I’m fine. I’m sure it’ll go well.” He sent a smile that he hoped was enough to convince them that he really was fine, just a little nervous. He didn’t think it was to an extent that needed any sort of intervention. At least he hoped not.

“Whatever you say,” Steph slapped his shoulder lightly, starting to walk away as she continued, “If anyone says something stupid I hope you’ll tell them to their face. From what I’ve heard those things are way too dull.”

Kon let out a laugh, glancing over to Tim who had walked over to speak with the king at the front table.

“I’ll do my best, but I don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side yet.”

“Yet, huh?” Steph grinned wickedly at him, and Kon met it with one of his own.

“I have plenty of things to tell them, so one day I’m sure I will.”

“That’s the spirit!” 

Steph gave him a double thumbs up and turned to finally walk through the door she’d been hovering by. Cass followed, but smiled softly and gave a quick “good luck” on her way out.

The interaction boosted his spirits, and Kon felt the smile still tugging at his lips from their support. When he looked back over towards Tim, he was greeted with the sight of both Tim and his father looking in his direction. The king was wearing a similar expression to when they’d met in the library, but Tim was smiling widely. It was a little taught at the edges, which had Kon tensing slightly, but as though noticing the change Tim’s expression went slightly more natural, and he shook his head to indicate that everything was fine.

Tim lifted his hand after the moment started to grow just a little too long, and Kon was expecting a wave, but instead Tim indicated for Kon to come closer. An embarrassing moment passed where Kon wasn’t sure what was happening, but when it looked like Tim was five seconds from coming and bringing Kon over himself, Kon finally got it together and stood up. 

His legs were shaky as he made his way to the front of the room. As always, he was cognizant of the eyes on him after he’d gotten closer to the royal table than anyone had dared. Passing through the invisible line in the room felt like Kon had gotten away with something, and he reveled in the feeling for the few seconds before he was face to face with the remainder of the royals at the table.

Kon waved awkwardly to Selina and Duke who were sitting and watching him approach, but when he met the eyes of King Bruce he gulped deeply and struggled with what to say. Admittedly he’d been a little disrespectful in their last conversation, but the king hadn’t seemed to mind. Still, he wasn’t sure what the expectations were for him in the circumstances. 

He scrounged through his memory from their lessons to determine how to approach the situation with all the decorum it required, and hoped he hadn’t mixed up the greetings they’d gone over extensively.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Kon bowed low to the king, adding on a few smaller bows to the other individuals watching the interaction.

In return, the king hummed quietly, expression remaining passive and unrelentingly neutral. Duke on the other hand sent Kon a warm smile.

“Morning, Kon. Good luck today.” Duke’s words were confident, and the conversations they had the night before flew through Kon’s mind. They relaxed him just a bit more, and made it impossible for Kon to not flash a grin in Duke’s direction. He hoped the gratitude was clear in his expression with the way it was burning through his chest.

Across from Duke and next to the king, Selina tilted her head at Kon in a way that felt a little like he was being judged for something or another. He wasn’t sure what to think of that odd reaction, so he focused back in on Tim who had been staring at him the entire time without saying anything.

“Good morning,” was all Tim ended up saying, but Kon soaked it in all the same. They hadn’t been speaking with many words lately.

“Good morning,” Kon couldn’t break the eye contact if he tried, and his words were a little delayed and quiet enough that he wasn’t sure anyone but Tim would hear them. He hoped that was the case. They weren’t anything special, but with Tim he sometimes couldn’t help but wish everything would be just a little more private.

The king pushing back his chair and standing gathered everyone’s attention, and unfortunately his gaze was laser focused on Kon.

“Tim informed me that you will be joining in on the council meeting this morning.”

Based on the disapproving stare that the king sent to Tim after speaking, Kon felt that he wasn’t very happy at the decision. It had Kon swallowing sharply, worried about being in the middle of a fight between Tim and his father. While he’d never seen one, he’d heard from Tim that the two of them were stubborn enough that those never went well.

As he watched Tim roll his eyes at his father’s reaction, Kon braced himself for the worst, but luckily Tim didn’t look angry as much as annoyed.

“I asked months ago about doing this and everyone agreed it was a good idea.” Tim crossed his arms as he spoke, words somehow sounding apologetic and petulant all at once. “Sorry for only telling you this morning but it slipped my mind, okay?”

Tim stared back at his father with his eyebrows slightly raised and defiance visible in his posture. Kon audibly let out a breath when all the king did was grunt and nod before moving to leave the room. Everyone got up at that point, deciding to start the day, but all Kon could do was look at Tim. 

The smile on Tim’s face when he turned back to Kon was so happy and excited that Kon forgot for a moment that he’d just watched him and his father get into a standoff. All Kon could do was memorize the twinkle in his eye and appreciate the power of his words, not to mention the casual way he wielded it.

Kon was sweating from the entire interaction, and it was for more than one reason. When Tim’s eyes darted over Kon’s face, he only hoped he wasn’t as red as he felt. Even if there was a part of him that wanted Tim to know how much he could affect him.

It wasn’t the time or place, though, so Kon cleared his throat, bringing both of them back into the present. Almost everyone had left the room or was making their way towards the door. Only Selina was still in her seat, watching Tim and Kon like some sort of reality show. It didn’t help the blush on his cheeks when he noticed how she was looking at him in particular. 

Everyone in the palace was too perceptive.

“It’s go time,” Tim smiled as he spoke. “You ready?”

All Kon could do was nod.

…

As they walked towards the room where the meeting was going to be, Kon realized he’d get to see a new part of the palace he’d previously been kept out of. It was just another thing to add to the perks of the whole thing.

He walked next to Tim, a respectable few feet between the two of them, and the king was in front of them. They had formed a small party marching together towards whatever awaited, and the group was rounded up by Cullen. Kon noticed that he was keeping an eye on Tim that got more focused the closer they got to their destination. The detail rankled Kon's nerves, and it felt important somehow.

The feeling only got stronger when their entourage entered the council room and everyone looked surprised by Tim’s attendance. Enough so that there were several double takes and lingering eyes. Tim had no reaction to the attention, just striding forward into the room towards one individual who looked just as surprised as the others. Not knowing what else to do, Kon followed Tim

“Hi Pam, how are you?” 

Tim’s cheery tone was at odds with the tense atmosphere in the room, and it looked like Pam agreed with the way she was staring at Tim. 

“Where the hell have you been, Tim?” 

As she spoke she leaned back in the chair she was occupying. The quick motion of crossing her arms drew some attention, but it was the lack of a smile on her face that emphasized the hardness in her tone. It was clear Tim was just as surprised, although there was an understanding in the way he clenched his fists at his sides that Kon noted with fascination.

“I’ve been… busy,” he cringed at his own words, and Pam looked equally unimpressed.

“Busy. Well then what do you have to say about what happened the last time you were here?”

Tim glanced at Kon, a complicated look on his face. Suddenly, Kon felt like he was intruding and shuffled on his feet in preparation of finding somewhere else to stand while he waited for more directions. Unfortunately, Tim was too good at reading him and instead reached out to grab his arm to get him to stay.

“I’m sorry about all that Pam.” To his credit Tim did sound sorry, even if Kon had no idea what it was all about. “But I promise I’ll explain later. I’m here today because I brought the first of the Selected.”

At the end of his sentence Pam finally seemed to notice Kon’s presence, and her gaze was just as assessing as everyone’s that day. Somehow, though, Kon got the feeling that she already knew who he was. His assumption was proven correct when she finally acknowledged him.

“Kon Kent, right?” He nodded absently, surprised at her knowing his full name but the shortened version. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” He couldn’t keep the shock from his tone.

“My wife is Harley,” she said simply.

“Oh,” Kon remembered suddenly hearing about Harls’ wife, but now that he saw her in person a lot of the things she said were making sense. He smiled at the thought, and based on the way Pam was looking at him he could tell Harls had said good things.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Kon. These meetings can be tough, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you,” he spoke honestly. 

Something about the way she looked at him and her calming aura made it very clear how she and Harls ended up together. It was a nice thought.

“We should get going,” Tim chimed in, looking at Kon and waiting for him to confirm. As soon as Kon nodded, Tim was leading him to the table and what was presumably his usual seat to the right of the king. Kon himself was directly to the right of Tim, and the positioning was very intentional.

There appeared to be a certain understanding within the room as everyone who wasn’t already sitting moved to take their seats, and with a short sentence, the king announced for the meeting to begin.

…

“Shall we give an overview of recent proceedings for His Royal Highness since his attendance has been quite sparse.”

Everyone's attention was on a man halfway down the table who was the first to speak after King Bruce finished his opening remarks. The man looked familiar, but Kon couldn’t place his name. Whoever he was though, his tone indicated that he looked down on Tim to some extent.

Kon glanced to his left and saw Tim sitting as perfectly straight as he had so far, his face not showing any annoyance at his attendance being slighted. Even though the words weren’t aimed at Kon, he felt his hands clench slightly on Tim’s behalf. He didn’t know how Tim was so good at hiding his emotions, and usually he didn’t particularly like it, but in the moment Kon was just impressed.

“That’s hardly necessary, Sionis. I’ve read the reports and I assure you I am familiar with whatever will come up today. Thank you however for bringing me into the conversation since I wanted to preface the meeting with something.” With his attention so focused on watching Tim speak, he was startled to find Tim’s head turning towards him. “For this meeting I have invited Conner Kent to observe as one of my Selected.” Kon couldn’t suppress the slight shiver at hearing Tim refer to him as my.

“So you’ve finally decided to start bringing them. You mentioned that quite a while ago. Don’t you think it may have been wise to give us forewarning?”

Once again the man -Sionis- spoke flippantly, but there was still no reaction from Tim.

“Well I did say I would only bring some, so it hardly would have made sense to bring them in the beginning. And a warning should hardly be necessary since we won’t be discussing anything critical in this meeting so there’s no need for censorship.”

Tim spoke matter-of-fact, a cordial smile never leaving his face that seemed to annoy the man more than the words themselves did.

“Of course, Your Highness.” 

Conversation moved on quickly, but Kon felt like the start was a bad omen of what was to come.

“I think we should finally get to discussing what to do about the recent issues we’ve been having with construction around several major cities. Especially with the recent odd incidents in Metropolis and Gotham there are some large areas that are in concerning states of disrepair.” 

From the seat closest to the door Kon finally noticed Kate Kane, the king’s cousin. There had been a few times he thought he saw her around the palace, but from what he heard she usually kept to herself outside of her duties. 

What she said caught his attention since he recognized the issue as one he’d read about the previous night. His parents had even written an article about it. Apparently there was an issue with funding for most public services and it was causing quite a few issues. He sat up straight in anticipation of what they were going to say.

“Is that a top priority at the moment?” Some man that Kon vaguely recognized as being a noble of some sort called out from the other end of the table. Kon couldn’t hold in the scowl that formed on his face, but he wiped it away quickly, not wanting to react too much if he could help it. The response was the exact thing he would expect to hear, but the opposite of how he felt about the situation.

“It is a relatively important issue,” the king said neutrally. “It’s best we come to a decision now rather than wait for it to get worse.”

The nobleman grunted, but Kate nodded with the tiniest of smiles.

“Exactly,” she continued as though she’d never been countered. “I propose we divert some funds from the recent shifts towards the police forces in those major cities to get the issues resolved quickly. That way it stays within civil resources, but will be better distributed.”

“I hardly think that’s the best choice for funding for this particular endeavor,” another man was speaking this time. Again, it was someone Kon didn’t recognize. It was interesting that he didn’t know most of the members of the council in charge of running the country. 

As though reading his confusion, Tim leaned towards Kon, his face coming close to Kon’s ear.

“Carmine Falcone.” The closeness of Tim to his neck allowed for Kon to feel every puff of breath as he spoke. Kon started to turn to do something, maybe say thank you, but with how close they were it would’ve led to an awkward exchange. So instead, he nodded quickly, and waited for the heat to recede.

“Anything you would like to say, Your Royal Highness.”

The man Kon now knew as Carmine Falcone directed his question at Tim, evidently having noticed Tim whispering in Kon’s ear and looking annoyingly smug about the whole thing.

“Of course. I support Kate’s suggestion and think it’s an issue we should be divesting significant attention to. At the moment, it’s one of the most talked about news pieces around the country and statistics indicate that the number of people affected by it is far larger than anything else we have to discuss. I don’t think it’s worth arguing about any further since we have a clear option here that would not only solve the problem, but hardly affect the functioning of the police force since they haven’t yet received the additional funds due to issues with processing.”

Kon watched, enraptured, as Tim made his arguments clearly with no room for further discussion. Based on the reactions around the table he managed to get everyone on board with one argument or another, and the pride in the king’s eyes couldn’t be smothered by his usual mask. Tim, however, was fiddling with his hands under the table despite his otherwise casual exterior. Kon wondered at the reason. At why this issue seemed so important to Tim that he couldn’t keep his hands under control.

No matter why, Kon was pleased when there was a brief vote which resulted in everyone agreeing with Kate and Tim’s plan. There were only a few displeased faces, and Kon was optimistic about what that said about the future of the country if Tim was so powerful at this table of untrustworthy individuals.

If nothing else, Kon was glad to see this side of Tim and be confident that the country was in good hands. He’d felt that way since meeting Tim, but it was stronger in this moment.

“Now, about the legislation we discussed last week-”

Pam cut off the new person who had started to speak up. She looked dangerous with the downright venomous expression she was wearing. “Absolutely not.”

The man frowned, as though taken aback by her reaction. Nobody else looked at all shocked however, and Kon wondered what they were talking about that had such an immediately strong reaction. The atmosphere was immediately more tense than it had been with the previous discussion.

“You spoke up strongly against it last time, but I think it’s important we consider it again-”

“I don’t believe there’s anything to discuss. There was no majority vote, and I think it was clear that the support wasn’t there.” Pam wasn’t budging.

“Perhaps, but if we’re taking away funding from the police force I think it would be a good idea to consider re-adapting Article Thirteen since it would put less stress on our heroes out in the field…”

The man kept speaking but Kon’s mind slowed to a halt. He almost couldn’t believe what he just heard. He couldn’t stop the way his jaw dropped even if he had all the self control in the world. If the frown on Tim’s face was any indication, nobody was immune. 

That law was one of the worst in the history of the country. It was responsible for countless atrocities, and was one of the primary reasons Kon and many others held very tentative trust in the council and the government in general. If they could turn on the people so fast, what was to say they wouldn’t do it again. And it looked like that fear wasn’t unfounded. The heat of rage pushed up into his body, his jaw clenching shut with a snap and glare trained on the man who was still going on about why they should commit horrible injustices against the people of the country.

“Do you hate the people in this country, or do you just not understand how evil this law inherently is?”

For a moment Kon didn’t realize he’d been the one to speak, and when he did the rage rushed out of his body, fear taking over with the influx of attention pointed in his direction. There was a clear silence after he spoke, reactions varying from annoyance to respect, but he couldn’t ignore the awe directed at him from Tim. It was an out-of-character reaction, and Kon couldn’t look away.

TIM

Tim knew he was staring. He also knew the expression on his face was nowhere near what it should be in the situation. Although, he didn’t really know what to do in the situation in the first place. He hadn’t expected Kon to say anything during the meeting. In hindsight that seemed like a bit of a stupid assumption. He knew Kon felt things deeply, and he wouldn’t hold that in just because he was slightly out of place.

Tim forced himself to tear his eyes away from Kon, hoping with a few deep breaths he could return his body back to its normal settings. Instead, the argument persisted, this time the man going after Kon with a face the picture of anger.

“How about you keep your mouth shut on matters you don’t understand. Ms. Isley I don’t think-”

Once again Kon interrupted the man, although this time Tim gathered that it was on purpose.

“You think I don’t understand this issue? I’m one of the people who actually saw how it impacted the citizens. Not you. I don’t think you realize just how stupid you would have to be to suggest starting it up again.”

The man spluttered indignantly, face looking even more red with anger. Based on the way his face scrunched up as he opened his mouth, Tim knew he was about to say something awful and elected to step in.

“I think it’s worthwhile to hear from different perspectives on a matter that would directly impact more people than the ones just in this room.” Tim let his stoic mask slip as he glared momentarily at the man. It wasn’t anyone particularly important or with any backing, but he didn’t want the topic to progress any further than it already did. It was why he didn’t go to the other meeting in the first place. He realized now that there was no way to stop it unless he shot it down with no room for interpretation.

“Does that mean you disagree with reinstating the law, Tim?”

Pam’s use of his first name instead of his title was a clear slight, but it was one that he deserved. After what he’d been agreeing to in recent meetings it was only fair that she wanted him to answer directly.

“I disagree with it, yes. I don’t think there’s any discussion that needs to be had about it either.”

Tim watched as any distrust faded from Pam’s eyes and she nodded silently before looking down at the table in thought. He only hoped she would trust him when he eventually explained what was going on. She’d always been on his side, and he’d hated having to disappoint her lately.

“Well then let’s vote on whether to continue discussing Article Thirteen.” Bruce spoke up from his side, and Tim silently thanked his father for pushing things along when Tim was struggling to think. 

The vote was unanimous that they wouldn’t go forward, and Tim let out a small sigh of relief. When he looked back to Kon, he was happy to see the relief mirrored on his face. They shared a few moments of commiseration and Tim was so glad he chose Kon to come to this meeting. He doubted anyone else would’ve had the guts to do what he did. On purpose or not.

Maybe Steph, but Tim doesn’t think that would’ve ended as cordially.

From there the meeting moved on to less heated topics, and Kon didn’t say anything else. There were talks about their relationships with their allied nations and mentions of upcoming visits, but it was nothing that instigated arguments beyond disagreements about what was the best time of year to visit Tamaran. If Dick was to be believed it was summer, but Tim didn’t say that.

When the meeting was finally adjourned, Tim wanted nothing more than to slump in his seat and close his eyes, but he forced himself to stand up straight and walk with his father and Kon out of the room. Kate winked at Tim as she raced out the door, gesturing to Kon with a thumbs up, and Tim couldn’t help his small smile. Her approval of Kon was clear. Tim couldn’t help but agree.

Without looking back, Bruce led them to his office, neither him nor Tim considering that things were a little different this time. When Bruce turned around at the door and spotted Kon again, he stiffened slightly but still gestured for them to enter, acting as though it was intentional.

Tim stifled a laugh at the error. It was just a habit for the two of them after a meeting, but he was interested to see how this would go. He didn’t think Kon had ever really met his father. Much less talked with him in a setting like this. 

He sat in his usual seat, Kon pulling up another one from the corner, and Bruce sat awkwardly in his desk chair. Tim didn’t think Kon noticed the awkwardness from his father with the way he was nervously fiddling with his sleeves, so he decided to put them both out of their misery.

“So, that went well. Right B?”

Bruce gave Tim a look, but nodded. When he turned his attention to Kon, Tim expected for it to be assessing, but instead he just looked impressed. Tim was stunned by the expression and turned to look at Kon himself.

“I wasn’t lying about being passionate.” 

Kon smiled wryly at Tim’s father, and Tim was left stunned at the boldness. Evidently he was wrong somehow, or Kon was just on something that day.

“You did, didn’t you.” Tim’s jaw was on the floor when he noticed the small smile on his father’s face. He had no idea what was going on, and he hated it.
“What are you talking about?” Tim asked helplessly, looking between the two of them who suddenly seemed much less awkward.

“Oh, nothing.” Kon waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

Tim was worrying about it.

“I think the expectation going forward should be that the Selected are meant to participate in the meeting if possible.” Bruce sounded thoughtful, and Tim vowed to grill him later about what just happened. After a moment, though, Tim thought over his words.

“That might be a good idea.” He admitted, looking back at Kon who suddenly looked a lot less playful. It was like the energy had been sapped from him for some reason or another. Tim put a hand on his shoulder, trying to ask if he was alright but Kon just smiled.

“But we can discuss that later,” Bruce cut between them, and Tim hated that the words gave Kon an excuse to stand up.

“Thank you for the opportunity to attend the meeting.” Kon bowed low to Tim’s father, and the sight felt weird to watch. 

It felt even worse when he had to watch Kon walk out of the room. He turned at the last minute to send Tim a warm grin and mouth a thank you, but it didn’t feel like enough.

Chapter Text

KON

The rest of the day following the meeting passed in a blur. Kon was too busy replaying every moment on loop to think of anything else, and all anyone seemed to want to do was ask how it went.

In reality, he was astounded that he’d gotten away with speaking up the way he did, and even though he wanted to be able to participate, he didn’t expect it to happen like that. It wasn’t on purpose in the moment, and it was downright reckless, but the feeling it gave him was unlike any other. The fact that he’d been at least partially responsible for shutting down a terrible idea in the highest level of government in the kingdom was something he wouldn’t get over any time soon.

He wished more than anything that he could tell his family what happened, but he wasn’t entirely sure what details about the meeting would be allowed on the call. The last thing he wanted was to lose that connection to home, so he wasn’t willing to risk getting in trouble. 

There were rumors that at least one of the other Selected had said something restricted on the call and lost the chance for the next month, but Kon wasn’t sure how reliable Bart was. If the news had come from Bernard that would have been a different story, but Bart was a little too gullible at times, so Kon was taking that as a cautionary tale for the time being.

Instead, he took to reliving the memories in his head. Reliving the feeling of letting himself tell that man he was privileged and incompetent to his face. Not to mention replaying the way Tim looked at him after he spoke. How Tim’s eyes were practically glowing with awe, and how his breath on Kon’s neck had made all his hair stand on end. 

It was as intoxicating in his memory as it had been in the moment, but the less he thought about it the better. Besides, there were more important things to think about, so Kon did his best to steer his mind in that direction. Like how the king actually looked happy with what Kon said and remembered their conversation in the library. It was a specific kind of high to know he had a modicum of the king’s approval, and it certainly wasn’t one Kon expected. The man was turning out to be more personable than Kon thought. 

Maybe it was the way he approached him in the library expecting the worst but letting Kon speak his mind anyway. Or how he looked at Tim carefully in the meeting, ready to jump in at any time but giving Tim the space to take control over the situation. King Bruce clearly cared about Tim and the people if the way he subtly took Pam and Kate’s sides were any indication. He was just very good at looking like he was remaining neutral.

No matter, Kon was busy thinking the whole thing over and over until his brain turned to mush. When the next morning came and he had to go to another morning lesson, he planned to learn how to sleep with his eyes open if it meant he could appear to be paying attention while he caught up on the sleep he’d been missing lately.

However, when he walked into the parlor, confusion suffused through him at the sight of all the furniture pushed to the sides of the room with mats taking up all the open space in the middle. He scanned the room to take in the changes and couldn’t help but notice that it looked like it was set up for sparing. It also could’ve been for yoga or something, but Kon really hoped that wasn’t the case. If someone made him start stretching, he would pass out on the mats within minutes.

The other people in the room looked just as confused as Kon felt, and he made his way over to where Sarah was staring intently at one of the mats next to her feet.

“Hey, Sarah.”

She looked up, startled at Kon standing next to her. “Oh! Hi, Kon.”

“Any idea what we’re doing?” Kon gestured to the room and the unusual setup.

Unfortunately, based on the frown that formed on her face, it didn’t seem like she had any idea.

“No. I thought we were still doing the prep classes for the projects. I have no idea what this is for.”

Kon hummed. He had the same assumption about that morning, but admittedly he hadn’t been paying enough attention to the projects. From what he understood they would have to pick some topic to research and propose either a solution, charity, or something similar to work on. It wasn’t something he’d given a lot of thought to, but when they had to pick something he knew he’d be able to think of something.

Everyone else trickled in, but Kon stayed next to Sarah for a while, chatting occasionally and otherwise just enjoying each other’s presence. She was a really nice person, and Kon was glad to have someone else with a similar background as him. At least similar to his life back in Smallville. She was from another small town in the Midwest, and it was refreshing to relate to the little things. Like how they helped out on the family farm and missed seeing a sky full of stars while stuck in Gotham where light pollution and constant clouds made the sight depressingly infrequent.

What eventually brought the conversation to an end was the door thudding open dramatically and Jason making his way inside. He looked around and whistled appreciatively at how everything was set up before he came to stop near the middle of the room.

Jason let the silence carry for longer than what was strictly necessary, the anticipation building in the room as everyone waited for an explanation of what was going on and why he was there. Finally, though, he swiped his hand through his hair and shared.

“Mornin’ everyone. I’m here ‘cause Tim learned about your boring lessons and decided to spruce things up a bit. I lost to rock paper scissors so basically that means it’s my job to teach you guys some basic self-defense.” While he spoke he turned slowly, looking at everyone individually. He could’ve just said this from the front of the room, but Kon got the feeling he just wanted to make it a little more interesting. He wasn’t one to do anything by halves. “Any questions?”

Several shy hands went up, but Jason just clapped his hands together. “None? Great. In that case I’m gonna need a volunteer.”

In the back of his mind Kon let out a sigh, unsurprised when Jason’s eyes settled on him and glee took over his features. Jason stretched out a finger in Kon’s direction. “You.”

Since the one time Kon visited the barracks at Jason’s invitation he hadn’t been back. Instead, Jason had taken to showing up at his and Damian’s practices every now and then. Sometimes he just watched from the side and other times he tried to get involved. It often ended in more chaos than actual swordplay, but Kon still had a good time. If nothing else, it improved his reaction time even more.

With what Kon had picked up about Jason, it was to be expected that he’d choose someone he knew for the demonstration. Especially since he could anticipate what Kon could do and how he’d react. So as Kon walked to the center of the room, taking a spot on the mats in front of Jason, he prepared himself as best he could.

The only warning he got before Jason leapt in his direction was a feral grin. Kon stepped backwards to avoid the initial punch aimed low at his gut, but didn’t have time to react before Jason was swiping his legs out from under him. It was almost embarrassing how fast he was out, but most of his experience was with swords, and Jason clearly wasn’t going easy.

So much for self defense, Kon thought hysterically. 

It was possible he wanted to show how easy it could be to knock out a large guy like Kon with a few simple moves. If that was the intention, it clearly worked with how everyone was staring in shock. 

Kon just let out a small laugh, rising from the mat in a swift motion.

“You sure like to make a statement.”

Jason barked a laugh, head leaning back as he gave Kon a look that said “obviously.”

“So as you can see,” Jason finally surveyed the room again, speaking to everyone who’d just been watching in silence. “As long as you know basic self-defense and knockout techniques, it’s pretty easy to get the best of any opponent.”

Tentative nods swept through the room, and Jason nodded in approval. 

“Now, everyone watch closely. I’m gonna demonstrate a basic defensive and blocking stance.”

…

By the end of the lesson Kon was breathless, splayed out on the mats and aching all over. They hadn’t even done anything particularly difficult, but Jason had decided to make Kon the dummy every time, so it meant he was being beaten up a little more than everyone else. A few of the times he used the moves Jason had been demonstrating back on him without warning and got the best of him. It was a fun game, and Jason just looked mildly impressed when it worked.

Still though, he was happy to be done with how he could feel bruises forming on every part of his body that hit the mats particularly hard. He could feel the soreness already building in a few locations on his body that were currently pressed against the mat. It wasn’t pleasant, but somehow the pain felt fulfilling in a way that he couldn’t dislike.

“Do you need help there Kon?”

Kon tilted his head in the direction of the amused voice, eyes only half open from how he’d been zoning out. When he recognized who it was though, he sat up quickly. He couldn’t help the light groan he let out at the action, his body protesting any more movement.

“That’s okay… I’m good.” Kon didn’t manage to sound as casual as he wanted. Not with the way he knew he probably looked like a mess and had just visibly struggled with sitting up. 

Tim smiled like he could tell. Because of course he could. But all he did was reach out a hand for Kon to take, which he did with little hesitation. The strength with which Tim pulled him to his feet surprised Kon, and he almost fell forward into the other man with the unexpected momentum. Luckily, he caught himself and they only ended up a little closer than necessary.

Tim was the first to step back, but he didn’t go far and his smile was still in place. Kon watched him cross his arms, and the motion brought his attention to the area he knew had been in bad shape just a week or so ago. If how Tim was able to pull Kon to his feet with ease meant anything, it looked like he’d healed up relatively well.

It was a relief to know, but Kon still had a lot of questions about the wound in general. He hoped that one day they would be close enough that he could ask, but for now he contented himself with the fact that Tim had shared its existence with him at all. The honesty was a gift and show of trust that Kon knew didn’t come easy to the crown prince. He had no intentions of pushing.

“Were you watching?” 

Kon hadn’t noticed when Tim arrived, too distracted by trying to get the upper hand on Jason. For some reason that irked him, like he should’ve been able to tell that Tim was there.

“Not the whole time. I snuck in about fifteen minutes ago without anyone noticing. Other than Jason. I just wanted to see how it was going and make sure he wasn’t being annoying.”

“I resent that!” Jason called out from the other side of the room where he was preparing to leave. 

“And I don’t trust you to not turn the whole thing into some mock battle for your entertainment. Do I have to remind you that you only finally agreed because of rock paper scissors?”

“I’m hurt Timmy. You seem to always forget that this is my job. I know what I’m doing.” 

Jason was really putting on a show of being offended, pressing a hand over his chest and pouting dramatically. It looked like he was suppressing a laugh, but Tim was staring him down as though he was being serious.

“Yeah, whatever.”

Tim finally turned back to Kon, his eyes filled with the frustration that can only come from an annoying sibling argument. Kon huffed a laugh at the sight, both fondness and nostalgia for similar arguments with Jon flooding his senses.

“Oh my god, Kon I’m so jealous you got to practice with Jason.” Bart stumbled over to Kon, practically draping himself over Kon’s side and showing no signs of moving. “I was stuck with Cassie and she was absolutely brutal. I think she’s in a bad mood today and she didn’t hold back man.”

“You were holding your own pretty well, Bart.” 

Tim spoke warmly, and Kon was reminded that he’d been watching for a little bit. He wondered what Tim thought of how Kon fared against Jason. He wasn’t brave enough to ask, but he wondered anyway.

“Thanks, Tim,” Bart responded easily. One of his typically bright smiles took over his face and Kon definitely didn’t mind how it made Tim smile the same one he’d given Kon.

Kon knew the two weren’t interested in each other. Bart was even the one who got Kon to admit his feelings in the first place. But still, with the way he and Tim had been orbiting each other in the last week, Kon wanted nothing more than to be back in the center of Tim’s attention. It was unreasonable, the extent to which he craved. So he shoved those feelings down, determined to just enjoy the presence of his friends and the high of working his body to exhaustion.

The three of them were standing near the center of the room, but Kon noticed a few people hovering nearby. It was Bernard and Ives. They clearly wanted to come join, but didn’t want to intrude. It made Kon feel guilty for wishing he could hoard Tim’s attention, and without letting himself get emotional over it, he waved them over.

…

The next few days Tim went on several dates. Kon heard about them in passing, but busied himself with other things. They’d finally been given more information on the projects for the Selection, so Kon passed his time in the library when he wasn’t with his friends just researching.

They were instructed to find an issue that they believed was rooted in their own political aspirations or morals, and discuss how they would work to solve it given the chance. The instructions were annoyingly vague, but Kon assumed that was on purpose. It didn’t give him a lot of specifics as to the general type of issue they were looking for, so Kon chose to start looking everywhere.

He had no problems with coming up with something. In fact, his issue was the opposite. There were so many things he was passionate about, that he wanted the opportunity to fight for, that Kon was having trouble narrowing them down.

He started with looking at the major issues in Metropolis, considering that promoting something close to home would be both indicative of his own priorities, and fulfilling of the criteria. However, after sorting through books and parsing through his own complaints about the city, he struggled to settle on something that wasn’t personal. 

A voice in the back of his head told him to talk about the evils of billionaires and the corruption that comes with money, but he wasn’t sure that would go over well with an audience of royals. 

So from there he moved on. He looked into nationwide issues both old and new. Crises that had never really ended despite what those in charge would say if asked about it. Hearing about the amount of things that could be swept under the rug wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing nonetheless.

Kon didn’t end up coming to a clear decision that day in the library, nor the next few days, but he had plenty of ideas. It was only a matter of what he was willing to put on the line for a chance to speak candidly with those in charge.

TIM

Tim knew he was acting a little pathetic. He didn't need people telling him, although that didn’t stop them. After the meeting Tim had so many things he wanted to talk about with Kon. Not even just about the meeting itself. He just wanted to talk with Kon.

Nothing had necessarily happened. There was no argument. No words or actions that indicated the need for space. But for some reason Tim was certain Kon was avoiding him. After the meeting his exit couldn’t have been more swift, and since then Tim had tried to no avail to get him alone again. 

Before, it wasn’t something he’d necessarily had to think about. If they were both free one of them, usually Tim, would find the other and they’d spend time together. It didn’t matter what they did, sometimes just enjoying being in each other’s presence. Most of the time they’d talk about anything and everything just to fill the silence. No matter how they passed the time Tim always found himself having fun. He didn’t bother much with the pretense of a date anymore, unworried about what it would say about him and the Selection.

But now, it was impossible to catch Kon in a free moment. Sure, things had picked up for the Selected in terms of what they were doing, but it seemed too intentional to be entirely due to that. Tim wasn’t sure what had happened, but it left him acting a little embarrassing. His siblings had made sure to point that out every time they caught him sulking for one reason or another.

He’d even called Dick, just to hear from someone who wasn’t entirely absorbed in Tim’s current situation. Naturally, he underestimated the speed at which Jason spread information, and so the only thing Dick had been able to get out between giggles was that he needed to spend more of his moping time on the Selection itself.

Tim hadn’t wasted a moment hanging up on Dick, but he accepted his words were fair enough. Even though he’d come to the decision to be more open after speaking with Cass, he hadn’t really put much work towards accomplishing that promise to himself. At the very least he could use the time he’d recently acquired for something productive, like going on borderline awkward dates with people who were finally starting to not feel like strangers.

His first choice had been something fun and easy. Considering his first date with Ives had been less than ideal, Tim decided to try again with something less likely to have him thinking of Kon the whole time. Skateboarding had always been one of his favorite hobbies growing up, but he hadn’t been able to do it as much lately for obvious reasons. He missed sneaking out of his childhood home and heading to the closest skate park to practice. The way the board felt beneath his feet when he flew into the air and managed to catch himself in increasingly difficult ways. 

It was as thrilling as running across rooftops, not to mention more socially acceptable. He’d kept up with it even when his parents had started to make sure he was more serious about his future. They never forced him to stop, just reminded him that there were better uses for his time than dangerous activities which inspired the company of what they considered “substandard” individuals. Tim never said anything about that, nor did he remind them that he was one of those “substandard” people they talked about. He simply hid his skateboard in the depths of his closet and only took it out when he knew they’d be gone. That ended up being a lot of the time, so he never really got rusty.

It took him a long time to bring it up when he moved in with Bruce, too nervous about what someone of even higher rank would think about the hobby. He really shouldn’t have been surprised when not only was Bruce okay with it, but he encouraged Tim to practice more. At some point there was a small room in the palace with a skate ramp that was one of his favorites other than the arcade. It had eventually been repurposed when Tim gained his new title and realized he wouldn’t have the time to do it much anymore. Apparently someone else needed the room for something else. 

He never found out what they turned the room into, and he never checked. Too bitter to think about what had taken over the space that had once been just for him.

His history with skateboarding may have been complex, but for Tim it would always be one of his favorite things. He figured it was a good enough start at attempting to show more of himself to others. Besides, he had a feeling it was something Ives would enjoy. From their conversations he seemed like a relatively go with the flow guy who’d be down to try anything.

So finally after several days of being pathetic, Tim handed the date invitation to Ives at breakfast and was pleased to see the genuine grin on his face when he read what they’d be doing.

“You skateboard?”

Tim nodded somewhat shyly, unsure what the exact emotion in Ives’ words were.

“That’s sick! I always wanted to try but wasn’t allowed.”

Ives was grinning widely, excitement visible on his face, and Tim let out a breath in relief.

“Great! Hopefully I can teach you some stuff then.”

Maybe sharing more about himself wouldn’t be too bad. Cass was going to be so insufferable about this.

…

Tim was pleasantly surprised about how much fun he had skateboarding with Ives. They got on well, and it was refreshing to just be able to do something he enjoyed with someone instead of trying to get to know them over stuffy meals or what were considered “proper” dates. He came up with the original date ideas himself so he had nobody else to blame, but this was a much better choice.

Tim ended up teaching him a few basic moves with some success. Ives picked things up quickly, and when he didn’t they were able to laugh about it. There was no frustration in the other man’s expression when he struggled to get something. He was focused and meticulous, but not easily aggravated.

The whole thing had the vague air of a date to it with the way Tim sometimes corrected his form by putting his hands on Ives’ hips or sending him a flirty smile when he got something right. But it wasn’t overly romantic, nor did Ives initiate much in return.

In the end Tim didn’t mind, too happy to have someone interested in continuing to practice with him to worry about anything else. They made plans to try again sometime so Ives could finally nail a kick flip, and when they split up it was with a wave and a see you later. 

The next date went very differently, but Tim knew that going into it. The second item on his list that he decided to share with someone else was photography. It was such an easy activity, not requiring much work but also a way to learn a lot about someone based on how they approached it.

Photography was probably one of Tim’s only relaxing hobbies, and so he decided to invite Greta to do it with him. He wasn’t sure what other things he could do with her that she wouldn’t get irritated with quickly, so he figured it was a safe bet. 

When he gave her the invitation after several days of putting it off, she read the note quickly, looking surprised but open to the idea. In the back of his mind he gave himself a small pat on the back, glad he’d found something that she didn’t hate the idea of.

Picking when and where to have the date was slightly more difficult, made worse by the horrible weather that week in Gotham. The weather was always an issue, but the early autumn rainstorms were making it increasingly difficult to find a time that was both warm enough and also not soaking wet to go outside for a few hours to take photos. 

When there was finally a nice day, Tim wasted no time in finding Greta and letting her know. He did his best to act as a gentleman, holding her heavy camera for her as they walked along the grounds, handing it to her when they found a nice spot worth capturing. Tim’s eyes were frequently drawn to the buildings in the distance, the ones he had hundreds of photos of back in his rooms. Greta on the other hand seemed intent on getting good photos of the foliage, choosing to focus in on the way the bright sunlight sharpened the vibrant oranges and reds in the trees all around them.

He was surprised at the quality of the photos, and she ended up letting him know that she had some experience with professional cameras from one of her tutors growing up. This prompted a remarkably pleasant conversation about photography techniques and their preferred subject matter. According to her, landscapes and natural scenery were the ideal choice, whereas he mentioned that he liked different architecture and city scapes.

“Unfortunate that you’re stuck in the palace all the time then. Maybe if you got out more you’d have more to photograph.”

Tim couldn’t help a small disbelieving laugh at that, unsure whether she was making a joke or just making fun of him. The way she simply turned away and took another photo of a large sugar maple certainly didn’t help.

But still, whether she was trying or not, he couldn’t help but feel like he was understanding her a little bit more. The twinkle in her eyes when she got a shot just right was familiar, and it humanized her in a way that he hadn’t considered before. It felt like the first time he’d seen her genuinely happy.

He didn’t even object when she intertwined their arms together on the walk back. Although, that decision felt like less of a good idea when they entered the dining hall together for dinner still arm in arm. Faced down with the eyes of nine other people he was essentially courting, it certainly felt like an oversight.

Based on the look on Greta’s face, however, it was clearly intentional on her part. He just said a quick goodbye and made his way to the nearest open seat, only feeling slightly bad for abandoning her in the middle of the room. She didn’t look put out though, and found her way next to Sarah, immediately launching into conversation with what he could now recognize as a fake smile.

…

Tim decided very quickly that coming up with all these new personal date ideas was going to be way too difficult to keep up. Naturally, instead of trying to think of more by himself, he sought out his best friend who had been spending far too much time with his sister and not nearly enough time as his wingwoman.

“Steph.”

Steph looked up at Tim from where she was sprawled out in the parlor for the Selected. Tim hated coming in here. How it always made him the center of attention in one way or another. But unfortunately it was where Steph had decided to hole up for the day. For once she wasn’t with Cass, and Tim intended to take advantage of that fact.

A quick glance in the other direction brought him face to face with Kon who Steph was currently talking to. He sent what was hopefully a believable smile, still unsure what exactly was wrong between the two of them. He thought they were going to be on better terms after the meeting, but they had yet to get back to normal. 

That was also somewhere on the list of Tim’s priorities, but the whole list had gotten mixed up recently and his brain was too scattered to do too much emotional thinking at the moment. So instead, he looked back to Steph with pleading in his eyes, hoping she could recognize their usual distress signal.

If the long drawn out sigh she let out was any indication, she got the memo and sent Kon an apologetic grimace. Tim ignored how the bright huff of laughter Kon returned brought a surge of longing into his chest. He really missed hearing that. Missed causing it too.

But right now, his attention was focused on Steph. Not on the way the two of them were on the same couch he stumbled upon them lounging on once. That time he heard Kon say that he would “fuck” him in Fuck Marry Kill. There was no way he could forget hearing that, but it was yet another thing he was choosing not to think about at the moment. Or maybe ever.

“Right now?”

Steph raised an eyebrow, prodding for more information and most likely trying to get Tim to talk for once.

“Yes,” was all he said, and she sighed again, slowly getting up.

He felt a little bad for how difficult it looked to get up from the couch, but not bad enough to tell her she could stay.

“Do I get a little date card like Ives and Greta? They looked like new ones. Were they?”

Tim couldn’t help himself from looking around to see if anyone was listening. He could tell that Kon was even if he wasn’t looking at them, but deemed the coast clear for the most part.

“No you don’t, but yeah. They’re new. I’m trying out something new, Cass’ idea.”

“Oh,” Steph sounded far too delighted. “Cass’ idea huh. Probably told you to start putting yourself first or something didn’t she. Man she’s so smart.”

Her voice was getting a little too besotted for his liking, and he bumped his shoulder against hers as they started to make their way out of the room.

“Ew, please don’t talk about my sister like that ever again in front of me. But this is Cass we’re talking about. Of course it was good advice.”

Steph hummed in acknowledgment, and they moved together in silence through the halls. Having her next to him was familiar, and he wished he hadn’t let them be so distant in the past few weeks. It was a trend he was noticing, and not one he wanted to let continue.

“How have you been, Steph?”

He spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the tranquil silence and giving her the out to say she hadn’t heard him. It was something she’d done in the past, and he always let her get away with it. This time, though, she answered him even if it sounded like the words were torn from her throat.

“Y’know, they were really shitty parents.” Tim didn’t say anything, knowing there was more coming and waiting for her to continue. It took a long time, but eventually she did. “But for some reason it feels like that doesn’t matter any more. Like,” she paused as she searched for the words, “they never let me do anything and actively made my life miserable, but I would still rather they be around and annoying than just annoying and dead.”

Towards the end of her rant she stopped moving, too focused on speaking to continue walking alongside Tim. They were close to their usual room, but he stopped with her, pulling her into a tight hug that she reciprocated without a word. Her breaths were coming out choppy, and there was a moistness to the noise that let him know she was struggling to hold back tears. 

A crater opened up in his chest, but he was determined to not give in to the guilt he knew was coming. This was about Steph, and he had to let it stay that way. After several minutes she took a steadying breath that he felt on his shoulder where her head was resting. She took a step back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and putting on a small smile that he knew was all for show.

“But I guess it doesn’t matter much at the end of the day. I’m sad that my parents are gone, but I don’t miss Arthur and Crystal.”

Tim nodded with barely there movements, understanding all too well what she meant but also not at all. She still gave him a grateful look, and this time when they started walking again she held on to his arm with a tight grasp. He returned the grip with his hand on the other arm, and it was a silent comfort for both of them that they were going to be okay.

Steph was quick to fall onto her chair when they made it to their room. Tim headed to complete his usual job of picking a questionable tea for them to try. He spotted an Earl Grey mix flavored with liquorice and opted for that one. While he waited for the water to heat up he turned back to Steph, leaning on the small table with the back of his arms.

She wasn’t looking at him, but instead staring at a phone in her hands that he knew for a fact she wasn’t supposed to have.

“Is that Cass’ phone or something?”

She spared him a glance, but went back to typing away as soon as he was done talking. “Yeah, or something.”

Tim rolled his eyes at the classic Steph answer, but let her do whatever she was doing while he went back to putting together their tea. One sugar for him and three for Steph. In reality he preferred anything sweet, but he couldn’t be bothered to put more sugar in his. Steph always did when she made it, even though he never asked. 

“So are you gonna tell me why you dragged me here orr…?”

Steph was still looking at her screen, but when he went too long without answering she finally looked up to see him scratching the back of his neck. It was a new nervous habit he’d picked up, although he wasn’t sure where it came from. He’d always been careful to make any unconscious shows of emotion subtle enough to be easily missed, and this new development was annoying to say the least.

“I will, I will. At least let me sit down first though.”

Steph was kind enough to let him stall, but he still finished quickly, not wanting to push his luck. He was lucky she’d gone with him in the first place.

“Okay,” he started once the tea had been set on the table. She stared at him expectantly. “So Cass let me realize that I wasn’t sharing much of myself with the Selected, so I’ve been trying to take them on more meaningful dates that tell them a little more about me.”

Steph nodded as she took the information in. “That sounds like a good idea I guess. What’s the issue then?”

He paused, suddenly a little embarrassed. “I’m out of ideas.”

A beat of silence passed before Steph was cackling from her chair, tea flying through her nose from the sip she’d just taken. “Oh, ew,” she rubbed at her nose, looking at the small mess she made with disgust. “But… Oh my god Tim, really?”

“What?” He asked defensively, a little put off by the amusement now all over her face.

“It’s been two dates. How are you already out of ideas? You’re literally the idea guy, that’s like… your whole thing.”

A frown took over his face. “Ideas for cases and stuff. Not… this. This is different.”

“Mmm hmm, sure.” The amused smile was back, and Tim did his best not to start arguing that it was perfectly normal to struggle coming up with meaningful date ideas with people he didn’t know particularly well.

“Well, what do you do in your free time? Other than going out and stopping crime occasionally." 

Tim paused for a beat too long, and Steph let out another laugh.

“You need more hobbies, Tim.”

“I have plenty of hobbies!” His objection was maybe a little too forceful to sound entirely believable.

“Sure.” Steph deadpanned. Luckily, she looked like she actually started thinking, and Tim just hoped she would have some ideas. It was why he asked in the first place. “Okay. Well what are some things you like that aren’t necessarily hobbies. Like list some of your favorites. Movies, foods, anything.”

Tim thought for a moment, considering what to say.

“Do you think a movie date is a good idea?”

He remembered taking Kon to the family theater and spending hours arguing over disney movies and talking about anything and everything. Inviting another person there didn’t sound very appealing. He wasn’t sure he wanted to try to replicate anything about that night with what he knew would be little to no success.

Steph just shrugged. “Could be, I don’t know.”

“Hmm.” He thought some more, and an idea struck him.

“What about cooking!” 

Steph just stared, looking both confused and also a little disappointed. Considering the idea wasn’t that bad he didn’t appreciate either expression. After all she was the one who mentioned food.

“Tim, you can’t cook.”

“Sure I can.”

She was still staring at him, and he shuffled slightly, grabbing at his tea for something to do with his hands. He took a sip and was surprised that he actually enjoyed the flavor. When he went to take another Steph gave him a weird look.

“Why are you drinking that? It’s disgusting.”

“You’re just saying that because it went out your nose.”

Her only response was to roll her eyes at him.

…

Their conversation didn’t get more productive, moving on to various arguments surrounding palates and the misrepresentation of liquorice as a candy. But Tim had at least one more idea, maybe two, so he considered the whole thing worth it anyway. Doubly so for getting to see Steph take another sip and admit that it did taste much better when it wasn’t going through her nose.

So in the end he decided to make the next date an opportunity to cook one of his favorite foods with someone. It would let him share something about himself, and he’d get a treat out of the whole thing. It was a win-win. 

Picking who to do it with was much more difficult. Steph hadn’t been lying when she said he couldn’t cook, not that he would ever admit that to her. So he was left with the conundrum of who he could ask that would hopefully make the endeavor more successful.

He thought about what he knew of the remaining people, and even though it was only three there was shockingly little there. Eric and Sarah were still relative strangers, so that left Bernard. At the thought of his friend an odd sensation made its way into his chest. Kon’s voice wormed its way into his head. The quiet way he’d asked “friends like we’re friends?” The way Tim had only been able to say no.

It was undeniable that he felt differently about the two of them. It was impossible not to. His relationship with Kon just felt more fragile, though no less important despite the lack of a history. The feeling was difficult to describe even in the confines of his own head. Emotions were something Tim generally struggled with, and this was no exception.

When he went to speak with Kon he thought he may have figured it out, but now with the new distance he couldn’t be sure anymore.

So the decision to invite Bernard for a date of making something in the kitchen was easy enough to make. But in the back of his mind he kept hearing Kon and remembering the way he’d told Tim to pursue Bernard.

Their entire friendship was founded on Kon’s offer to help Tim with the Selection, and yet now that he was giving advice it just felt like a trap. Tim wrote out the invitation with an uneasy feeling in his chest.

…

Kon was there when Tim gave the invitation to Bernard. Always there, always watching. It itched something in the back of Tim’s brain, something he couldn’t quite scratch. Kon gave a small thumbs up when he noticed Tim looking, but it was halfhearted at best. Tim did his best to not spend too long staring, unsure whether it was rude to not be giving his undivided attention to Bernard in the moment. It definitely was.

It felt like that was the least he could do, but actually following through was harder than it probably should’ve with the pressure of Kon’s gaze on the side of his head.

“You want to cook something with me?”

Bernard sounded a little thrown off, but his smile was full of genuine excitement that relaxed Tim a little, his posture releasing some of its rigidity.

“Yeah, I… yeah.” A nervous chuckle broke free from his chest followed by an awkward cough. He still felt a bit wrong footed, but powered through anyway. “I was thinking we could make donuts. They’re umm, my favorite. Also easy to make.”

Bernard nodded immediately, smile still taking over his whole face.

“That sounds great. Although, wouldn’t that be baking rather than cooking?” His tone took on a teasing lilt, one which Tim was used to hearing from him.

“Yeah, yeah. If we’re getting technical.”

“Great! It’s a date.”

Tim smiled, and it was the only natural response when faced with Bernard’s excitement. He told himself that the small blush climbing his cheeks was a good thing. He certainly hoped it meant he was making progress.

As he turned around to leave though, Kon was nowhere to be found, and Tim frowned, excitement fading just as fast as it arrived. Day after day it was getting harder to find Kon, and Tim wanted to say hi. It felt stupid to miss someone after only a week, but Tim felt the sudden absence like a depressing weight.

…

The date with Bernard started off better than the others. Tim was prepared, having begged Alfred for the donut recipe and setting everything up on the counters in advance to save them some time. It was more effort than he’d put in for any of the other dates, and he hoped it would be worth it.

When Bernard arrived his hopes were reignited, the joy on his face contagious. They spoke idly for a few minutes about nothing important. Talking just to talk, and it was nice. Moving over to the counters felt like the natural next step, something they did in sync without mentioning it, and Bernard scanned the recipe that Tim already memorized quickly before they got going.

Unfortunately, Bernard was just as bad in the kitchen as Tim was, and it became clear within the first few steps that the rest of the date wouldn’t be going as smoothly. They made a mess of the flour, and somehow managed to crack the eggs into pieces, losing far too many chunks of the shells in the bowl to have any luck at getting them out. They stared down at the mixture they made in mutual disbelief, unsure what to do at that point.

“Do you think I can just ask Alfred to make them for us?” Tim was genuinely considering the idea, but Bernard looked a little disappointed.

“I thought the whole idea of this was to work together. Either we succeed together or we fail together.”

Tim understood the reasoning, but he really wanted donuts after all the effort they put into it.

“C’mon Tim, let’s just start over and try again one more time.”

Tim reluctantly accepted, swayed by the hope in Bernard’s eyes that he felt bad ignoring. Luckily, that time things went much better, the two having learned from their first time making mistakes.

“Let me crack the eggs,” Tim held out his hand as soon as Bernard picked one up out of the carton. His motor control wasn’t too bad from all his practice wielding different equipment. He figured he was less likely to shatter the shell.

“Fine.”

They laughed at the humor of the situation, and when Tim was able to do it without issue he gloated just because he could. There was amicable banter back and forth, synchronized movements through the kitchen as they worked. At one point they went to knead the dough at the same time, and they were practically holding hands. Bernard looked away pointedly, red extending to the tips of his ears in what was a sweet response to a sweet moment.

The whole afternoon was nice and it was warm. Tim let himself relax and have a good time, allowing his hand to hold onto Bernard’s even after they were done. Everything felt light, sugar in the air coating his lungs in sweet syrupy warmth. There was a man in front of him that he knew had feelings for him. That he got along with well and could have a good time with. That he could even feel the flickering of feelings for in return.

And yet.

It came to him at some point when they were hand in hand in the dough, or maybe when they finally got around to putting the pans into the oven. Tim couldn’t really be sure when, perhaps because it had always been there but he’d been too stubborn to admit it to himself. Powdered sugar coated Bernard’s face and probably most of Tim’s, and yet the sweetness he could practically taste from the smell of baking donuts felt sour in comparison to the way Kon could make him feel without even trying.

There really was no comparison, and the truth settled over Tim with an inevitable softness. Clarity could be a balm to an unsettled soul, and it wasn’t until he let himself experience it that something clicked into place in his head. Like he cracked his knuckles just right and there was a tender tingling in its wake. The tingling stretched from his head down to his chest, stopping suspiciously close to his heart.

There was no excuse for how he’d avoided the truth for so long. He should’ve realized when he couldn’t stop thinking about Kon on that date with Ives. Or when they would be so lost in their own world curled up talking that he forgot what it was like to run out of things to say. He really should’ve realized when he almost tried to kiss him, but maybe it was so subtle and intrinsic to who they were together that there wasn’t any moment he should’ve realized at all.

He had feelings for Kon, feelings that wouldn’t go away and that he knew couldn’t be measured against anybody else in the damn Selection.

There was a shrill beep in the room, the oven signaling that the donuts were done. Bernard had been talking about something the whole time, but Tim hadn’t heard a word he was saying. He felt like his brain was coming out of a fog, like he was waking up from a long dream that felt too real to be anything but an alternate reality or vision of the future.

He did his best to look like he’d been paying attention, smiling and nodding when Bernard paused long enough to show that he was looking for a reaction. Tim even grabbed the donuts out of the oven, nearly forgetting to grab an oven mitt when he did. Bernard laughed at the mishap, but didn’t seem to notice his distraction. Even though he felt guilty, Tim was too relieved to say anything about it.

For the rest of the date Tim knew his mask started to slip more and more, but he was wired from the realization that wasn’t really a realization and couldn’t do much more than add in a few words here and there. They ate their donuts and Bernard seemed to enjoy them even if Tim thought they weren’t nearly as good as Alfred’s.

The whole time Tim felt antsy, like his skin was prickling with the feelings he felt and so sure that Bernard or anyone else would be able to tell by looking at him. He was all too ready to say goodbye, blood rushing and restlessness burning through his limbs.

“I had a lot of fun.” 

Bernard looked happy. His eyes twinkled with affection, his face relaxed and pink and bright under the warm kitchen lights. Tim knew everything would be a little easier if he could just feel the same way. Pull him in and choose him. It would be easy, but Tim had never been the one to go for easy, and he wasn’t going to start now.

“Yeah… it was good.”

Tim’s voice fell a little flat, even in his own ears. He cringed slightly at the way some of the twinkle in Bernard’s eyes disappeared, how he shook his head the slightest bit and looked away.

“Right, thank you again for inviting me to do this with you.”

“It was fun,” this time Tim tried to sound a little more genuine, not wanting to make Bernard feel bad for something he couldn’t control. “I’m not sure we’re ever gonna be on Alfred’s level but they turned out alright.”

Bernard was back to looking at Tim, but his expression remained that vaguely distant one.

“Yeah they did, didn’t they.”

Tim was caught off guard by the wistfulness of his words, the way his smile shifted slightly and almost looked sad.

“Bye, Tim. I’ll see you at dinner, right?”

Tim could only nod, still struggling with all the emotions running through his brain which locked up his limbs and left him at the mercy of the situation.

“Great.”

And Bernard was gone. Tim let out a loud sigh, head falling into his hands as he counted his breaths in and out. In four seconds, hold four seconds, out four seconds. Repeat. It didn’t help, but it never really did. It was more for something to do that he even bothered to count. When he finally got a small rein on his emotions, thoughts once again clear and body back under his control, Tim started walking.

He didn’t realize he had a specific destination until he found himself outside of Cass’ door, hand held up ready to knock but not moving. For a moment he just stood there, hand aloft but not doing anything.

When he finally shook himself out of his head, he rapped his knuckles three times on the door. The sound of the knocks was loud in the otherwise silent corridor, and the buzzing in his head was getting louder.

There was no response, but Tim wasn’t really waiting for one anyway. In their family a knock was more so a courtesy to let them know you were coming in. If anyone bothered to knock in the first place.

So Tim opened the door, stepping in quickly and words on the tip of his tongue. He stopped in the doorway, however, frozen at the sight of Steph and Cass tangled together on the small settee in the corner. It took a moment to understand what he was seeing, but when he did he wished he waited for a response at the door.

They were kissing. There were limbs in every direction and an intensity to their actions that had him wishing he could burn his eyes. Tim unfortunately witnessed Steph make a noise that he never wanted to hear again before he coughed loudly a few times to let them know he was there. Somewhere between the second and third cough they turned real, and Tim was doubling over in disbelief at the sight, breath rattling through his chest while he kept coughing harshly into his elbow.

On the one hand he was scarred for life, but on the other he was so incredibly relieved that they had finally figured things out and he no longer had to hear all the pining from both sides. Or watch it. They were truly disgusting sometimes.

When he looked back up, regaining control of himself and most likely sporting the oddest expression, he was met with both of their gazes. They’d broken apart the smallest amount, but were still entangled with Steph’s legs thrown over Cass’ and their arms half draped over the other.

“Do you need something, Tim?”

Steph’s voice was a little hard around the edges, and Tim could tell from her expression that she was annoyed he’d interrupted them. A flash of guilt hit him before he decided that he’d dealt with their bullshit for long enough that he deserved a pass.

“Sorry, yes.” A pause. “I’m glad to see you both got your shit together though-“

He was cut off by a shoe almost hitting him over the head. In his slightly manic daze he thought about how the action reminded him of Damian and his propensity to throw shoes at people.

“Oh my god, Tim. This better be important.”

“Right, right…” Steph raised an eyebrow, impatiently waiting for him to speak. Cass was staring at him with a knowing look, and he chose to look at her when he spoke, figuring it was the lesser of two evils. “I think I’m falling in love with Kon, or maybe I’ve been in love with him this whole time but didn’t notice because he was always around and I just always felt it without knowing what it was. But now things are weird and I don’t know what to do.”

Silence. A beat of silence that felt like it stretched for an eternity. Steph broke it with a harsh laugh, but Tim was still staring fixedly at Cass, watching as a small smile made its way on her face.

“Let’s talk, little brother.”

Steph made a face that Tim caught the tail end of, but he was already making his way forward. The two disentangled from each other, and Tim elected to sit on the floor in front of them, not wanting to get any closer with what he’d seen.

He’d have to get used to this since he doubted it would be a casual or short relationship. With what he’d had to deal with from both sides in the past few years they better stay together forever and leave him alone.

“Can I ask how this happened?” He gestured to the two of them, curious to know the bare minimum.

“Well you see, Tim-“ Steph started, and from the grin on her face he knew he wouldn’t like what she was going to say.

“Cass, can you please do the talking?” Tim begged his sister, resolutely ignoring Steph in favor of facing Cass.

“Are you sure you want to know?” 

Tim was disappointed to see a similar expression making its way into Cass’ face, and he sighed in defeat.

“Nevermind.”

“That’s what I thought.” Steph was back to chiming in. “Now how about you explain yourself. What made you finally come to your senses.”

He didn’t appreciate the teasing gleam in her eyes, nor the way she was leaning forward, clearly eager to hear what he had to say. It felt hypocritical considering it had taken her and Cass far longer to admit their feelings and get together, but he wasn’t going to start that fight. He didn’t want to start thinking too hard about getting together and Kon in the same breath. That felt like a recipe for disaster.

“I was having my date with Bernard. The cooking one,” he looked at Steph, thinking back on their conversation.

“Wait, you actually did that? And you realized during the date? Tim… what the fuck?”

Something about the way she spoke and the shrill quality of her words made her sound scandalized at his actions, and he couldn’t help the somewhat hysterical laugh he let out. 

“Trust me, I know. In hindsight the timing was unfortunate… but the donuts came out alright.”

“Tim.”

The corners of his mouth pinched, anxiety pooling up in his stomach at the significance of everything. If he thought too hard about it, he was worried he’d end up spiraling, and that wasn’t what he was here to do. He just needed to get a few things off his chest. 

“It was just…” Tim sighed, looking around the room while he tried to think of the words. He’d never been good at that. “Everything was good. We were having a good time, and it was nice and warm and he was perfectly charming. But then I thought about when I spend time with Kon, and how it’s never like that. It’s something completely different, but it’s just so much more that I don't think anyone will ever make me feel the way he makes me feel.”

Tim swallowed down the lump that was forming in his throat, growing larger and larger the more he said. It was like there was something actively pressing the words back into his chest, trying to force them back where he’d been hiding them before. But he pushed past the obstacle, straining to say the things he knew had to be said. 

His chest was tight, and the mist in the corner of his eyes was making it more difficult to see, but there was a heavy relief settling over him. As though just acknowledging the feelings was making them easier to bear. If only it would be that easy to tell Kon himself, but Tim couldn’t stand the thought of that at the moment. Instead, he just looked at Cass and Steph, blinking back the moisture he refused to let fall down his cheeks and ruin his perfectly good shirt.

“Fuck,” he breathed, the single word conveying everything else he left unspoken. It echoed through the room, a perfect summary of how he was feeling in the moment.

Without a word, Cass pushed herself off of the couch, kneeling at his side and folding into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, lightly enough that he could easily push her away if he wanted to, but he didn’t. After several moments Steph did the same, although she took far less care to hold back, simply draping over his other side and tossing an arm over his back.

He appreciated the comfort, but he needed them to say something, anything. He would’ve expected Steph to have plenty to say, but she was being unusually quiet. It left him unsettled, worrying at what that might mean.

“Since you two apparently have your stuff sorted, do you have any advice?”

It was embarrassing how much emotion was in his voice. There was a strangled quality to it that he hated hearing.

“It’s going to be okay.” Cass whispered in his ear, soft but firm in the way she was capable of.

“And if it doesn’t end up okay,” Tim braced himself for whatever Steph was about to say, “I’ll stage a government takeover and force them to let you cancel the whole Selection so you can just be single and miserable forever.”

Against his will he snorted at the thought of Steph doing something like that. It was mostly funny because he knew she probably could do it if she wanted to. Also that she would do it for him if he asked.

“Thanks, Steph.”

“Anytime. For what it’s worth though, I’m pretty sure you have nothing to worry about.”

Nothing more was said after that, Tim digesting their words and his own emotions that were surging through him faster than he could shove them down. The three stayed in their positions while Tim let himself feel. He just barely held back the tears, but with the tight embrace he could finally let himself fall apart just a little, knowing he was in safe hands.

Chapter Text

KON

Kon had a tendency to either fall asleep in seconds, or spend hours warring against his mind and body to let him drift off in peace. There didn’t have to be a reason why, but sometimes sleep wouldn’t come and there was nothing he could do. No meditating or herbal tea or other arbitrary solution could do anything in the face of his own innate stubbornness that extended to things beyond his control.

This evening was one of those nights, and the view of the ceiling in his room was getting old. As of a few hours ago it was officially October. Three months since he’d left home to come to the palace. Three months since he’d said goodbye to his family in a packed airport lobby under the impression it was a quick see you later rather than something more long term. It was also three months since he’d met his friends. Met Tim. Those reassurances were helping keep his spirits up, but the weight of time was a heavy one that night in particular.

The heaviness of his eyes went unnoticed by his body in comparison to that strain, so Kon had no choice but to accept his fate and make the best of the time he now had. In truth there were many things he could do with his time, but certain limitations kept him from pushing the limit. His days were packed with action, hardly any space for the relaxation he was already barely managing to snag. When he managed, all that time was spent with others doing as little as possible, or otherwise hiding away from everyone to silence his mind.

Rarely had he found the time to actually enjoy himself lately, far too concerned with everything else. So while there were plenty of productive things he could do, like finally figure out his project or come to some decisions about what the hell he was doing, his thoughts frequently drifted elsewhere.

Since being shown the theater for his ‘date’ with Tim, Kon hadn’t been back. Technically, he didn’t think it was open to everyone, but with what he’d been able to get away with so far, he had a feeling nobody would stop him if he tried to use it. When he was younger, watching movies had been one of his favorite things to do in his free time. Lex let him have a small TV in his room, and he’d taken advantage of that at every opportunity. If he couldn’t sleep he’d throw on some lighthearted movie to give him something to do with his eyes, and usually he was asleep before the movies were even halfway done.

The tradition had long since been forgotten along with most of the habits he picked up back then, but Kon had nothing better to do, so he got up with a groan from how long he’d laid unmoving and left his room quietly.

Figuring he’d take advantage of the time of day and the fact that nobody was watching, he elected to take the tunnels. He also considered that it would help him avoid anyone in the halls who may be looking to get him in trouble. Although Tim admitted that very few people used or even knew of the tunnels, Kon had heard movement echoing quietly from unknown directions on several occasions. The small space and labyrinthian layout made any noises unsettlingly all-consuming, but Kon was at least comforted with the knowledge that anyone using them was a trusted individual. It was the only thing that kept him from hightailing it out of there when rustling noises got particularly loud.

Luckily, whether due to the unusual hour or some factor Kon wasn’t clued in on, that night the tunnels were just as quiet as the palace outside. He came upon the turn that would lead him towards the theater within minutes, but before he committed to advancing any further, something tugged at his chest. It was only a small nudge, practically the inkling of a sensation, but it had him looking the other direction. Kon always listened to his gut, so he let himself be guided towards the corridor he’d long familiarized himself with. The one with the arcade.

For too long Kon and his friends had been too busy to spend time there. He couldn’t shake how it was reminiscent of the way Tim talked about losing his own ability to just pass the time in there. So when Kon opened the door, it felt a little like coming home. Even more so when he noticed a particular figure in the corner of the room, asleep on one of the game chairs.

Of course.

Not even an objective in another destination was enough to keep Kon from Tim apparently, but in the liminal night air, it felt inevitable. Something about the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning drew them to each other like the push and pull of the tides. Relentless and harsh but reliable all the same.

Kon stared at Tim in the low light of the game still on in front of him. The screen was the only light source in the room, and it made Tim’s figure the only thing Kon could easily make out. He looked exhausted, which made sense considering the awful position he’d fallen asleep in, but it seemed like more than that. Only people with a lot on their mind found themselves stuck in strange spaces when the rest of the world was lost to the world. Kon would know. He was in the same situation.

So he looked closely, making his way towards Tim while he let himself stare far more intently than he had in a while. Ignoring Tim was easy with his new schedule, so instead of doing the difficult thing and letting himself near his own living temptation, he’d let himself fade into the background. He had no doubt Tim noticed. Nothing got past him, but Kon wasn’t sure he wanted Tim to be able to forget him that easily.

At least it meant he didn’t have to watch Tim hand out date invitations like candy. Not when they were apparently some new and improved version according to Steph and what he heard from Greta. After she got back from her photography date with Tim she wouldn’t stop talking about it to anyone who would listen. Kon was not a part of that group, but somehow information spread through the Selected faster than he could avoid it.

All that meant was that Kon was very aware of what Tim was up to even if they weren’t speaking much these days. It also made him wonder what had Tim looking so harrowed and hunkering out in the arcade in the middle of the night.

In the situation he found himself in, Kon had several options of what he could do. There was always the option to flee and never let Tim know he’d been there at all. It would go along with the half-baked plan he’d been following since the meeting, but the thought of leaving him here how he was seemed too cruel. So instead he was faced with the options of finding someone and letting them know Tim was here, or waking the man up himself.

Considering the time of day and likelihood of things going wrong if he chose the former, that left Kon with really only one option.

He tilted his head back with a dramatic huff, but steeled himself internally. From prior experience it wouldn’t be a simple task to wake Tim up, so he decided to just go for it. The game Tim was currently sitting in front of had already ended, the Game Over screen blinking slowly, but that wasn’t the focus of Kon’s attention. Instead, he eyed the seat itself, determining that it was the version of the game with the fancy 4D seats. The ones capable of simulating the in-game movements. 

In the back of his head there was a voice telling him that his plan was unnecessarily cruel, but it was drowned out with hysterical laughter at the thought of how Tim would react to being woken up like this.

Kon pressed the right buttons to start the game, and when he found the option for the immersive experience, he took one last look at Tim’s peaceful face before clicking decisively. It took a second for the chair to start working, and when it did the shaking was violent, Tim’s entire body being moved aggressively from side to side, so much so that Kon worried for a second whether he would fall off entirely. But it seemed like Tim’s reflexes saved the day, and when there was a particularly close call with his body and the floor, he sprung into action and caught himself just in time. 

The chair kept moving in time with the game, but otherwise there was silence in the room as Tim came to his senses, looking around in confusion. When he spotted Kon and the chair rattling above him, a comically large scowl took over his face that Kon couldn’t help but cackle at the sight of.

“Kon? What the hell…” 

His eyes were still cloudy with traces of sleep as he let out a large yawn, slumping into the floor with his scowl still in place. Despite Tim’s obvious annoyance, Kon couldn’t help but find him incredibly endearing. His scrunched nose and squinty eyes were far too adorable to make Kon feel anything but fondness at the sight.

Kon’s laughter died down, fading into a smile that he knew contained far too many signs of infatuation to be anything close to platonic. It was only the low light and lack of attention from Tim that helped him justify the length of time he simply stared.

“Wait, was I asleep?” Tim looked at Kon who just nodded, still watching. Always watching. “Oh… I just meant to kill some time but I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

He punctuated that statement with another yawn, and this time Kon couldn’t stop himself from mirroring the action. Something about the rumpled way Tim carried himself with sleep still coating his body was incredibly contagious. Kon felt his body grow more and more tired at the sight, something which had been alluding him for hours already.

“I found you asleep on the chair,” Kon pointed to the chair which finally stopped its relentless motion as the game once again declared Game Over. “It’s good to know that the 4D setting actually works.”

The frown was back on Tim’s face, Kon on the other end of his clear disapproval.

“Do you have to wake me up in the most aggressive ways possible?”

“It’s not my fault you sleep like the dead.” Kon remembered how many ways he’d tried to wake Tim up when he fell asleep on his bed. He knew it was a difficult task to say the least. “And this time I didn’t even touch you myself, I just let the machine shake you a bit.”

Tim looked away sharply, his expression going weird in a way that Kon wasn’t sure what he was thinking about. He really hoped Tim wasn’t actually mad. 

“Right… No you didn’t…” Tim couldn’t seem to string his words together at the moment, and it had Kon getting restless, unsure where to put his hands or whether Tim wanted him to join him on the floor. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Kon shrugged.

“Does that happen to you a lot?” Tim asked with a small grin, evidently remembering the other times they’d run into each other under similar circumstances. Kon just shrugged again.

“Something on your mind?”

Kon could hear the hesitance in Tim’s words, and was reminded of the fact that they hadn’t had a serious conversation since that one in Kon’s room weeks ago at this point. With a deep sigh he finally let himself sink to the floor, giving in to the situation and how the universe seemed determined to get them in the same space at the same time.

“Just the whole Selection I guess.” Kon watched as Tim tensed up slightly, posture shifting to something that looked awkwardly perfect. He decided that there was no point in withholding the details, so he did what he always did with Tim and told the truth. “It’s been three months now, and I’ve been thinking about how I’ve already been here a lot longer than I thought I would. And also about how I don’t know how long I’ll be here at all. It makes sense that you need to take your time, but we’re all in the dark in terms of timelines, and I just don’t really know what to do with that.”

Tim looked conflicted, eyes tight with worry and guilt. Kon didn’t want to make Tim feel bad for something that wasn’t entirely his choice, but it seemed like there was no way around it.

“I’m sorry.” Tim’s voice came out quiet, sincere like a prayer. When Kon summoned the courage to look, he saw a similar intensity in his eyes. “I should’ve realized…” Another short pause. “We’re more than halfway through the timeline I made in the beginning. I was actually planning to send some more people home soon.”

Kon stayed silent for a moment as he took the new information in. It was hard to believe Tim was being so open considering he usually preferred to hold his thoughts close to his chest. The tension in Kon’s body was fading, but not quickly enough for the furrow between his brow to release. 

He watched, practically a spectator in his own body, as Tim reached forward with his hand, ghosting it against the skin between Kon’s eyebrows. From the way Tim looked lost in his own thoughts, Kon could tell the action was unconscious, simply a reflex rather than any sentient decision.

That almost made the flutter in his stomach worse. The thought that Tim’s natural impulse was to soothe him even when lost in the recesses of his own mind. The furrow disappeared with the shifting of Kon’s emotions, but instead of pulling his hand away Tim lowered it to ghost over the edge of Kon’s jaw. There was no contact, but the heat of his skin buzzed over Kon’s with warmth that felt like a promise. 

Yet another strange action from Tim. One that Kon couldn’t stop himself from analyzing as soon as the hand fell back to Tim’s side. Throughout the time they spent together there were few times he recalled them having any physical contact at all. He assumed Tim wasn’t the type of person to want it with how he struggled being vulnerable, but for a moment he wondered if that were actually true.

“Good to know,” Kon choked out, eyes still locked onto Tim. 

Tim was finally fully awake, but Kon could read from the low sagging of his shoulders and eyes that he was still tired. Even though Kon hadn’t planned to go back to his room yet, he wanted to make sure Tim got back to sleep. Preferable somewhere where he wouldn’t wake up the next morning aching all over from passing out on a chair.

“I think it’s time you got back to your room,” Kon declared, rising to his feet and putting his hand out for Tim to grab.

Tim eyed Kon’s hand, focus bouncing back and forth between the hand and Kon’s face. When he took it the grip was light, almost hesitant. Kon shook his head softly and tightened the grip, pulling Tim to his feet easily. For a moment they didn’t release their hands, Kon still holding tightly and Tim not saying anything about it.

“C’mon,” Kon let go, hand flexing unconsciously as it went back to his side. “Let’s get going.”

“Didn’t you come here for something? You don’t have to leave.”

Tim sounded confused, and it made Kon smile. He wished Tim would understand that there were few things he’d want more than to spend more time with him. Especially when it was just the two of them alone in their own world. No reminders of their situation or any distractions.

“It’s okay. Besides, I don’t trust that you won’t pass out on the way back. You have a real talent for falling asleep in odd places.”

Tim flushed the smallest amount, but Kon caught it before he turned away. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, the air tingling with something new and unusual. Whatever it was, it made him feel comfortable to be in his presence again.

“I don’t make a habit of this,” Tim grumbled. “You caught me on a bad day.”

“Naturally,” Kon laughed. “Did something weird happen?”

There was no response for so long that Kon expected he wouldn’t be getting one. He’d already started working to turn off the game when Tim said anything.

“Something like that.”

Kon raised an eyebrow at the odd non-answer, but Tim gave a half-hearted shrug which Kon took as an end to that line of questioning.

Still, Kon finished turning off the game, and once he did the room descended into a sudden darkness. He forgot that the screen was the only thing illuminating the room until it stopped, but without saying anything Tim grabbed his hand again, pulling him towards the door. It would’ve been impressive that he knew the layout so well that he could traverse it in the dark if Kon weren’t too busy memorizing the feeling of having Tim’s hand covering his own.

It was an odd angle, Tim not having been able to see where he was grabbing, but Kon flexed his hand to get Tim to loosen the grip and took the opportunity to slide them together fully. His chest felt like it was beating a thousand times per minute, and his hand felt so hot that he was worried it would start getting sweaty against Tim’s. Luckily, Tim just gave a light squeeze that felt like a “thank you” and said nothing else about it.

In the light of the corridor, Kon stared down, admiring how their hands fit together so well, and the way it felt so natural. He waited for Tim to let go, not wanting to be the one to do it this time, but it never came. Instead, Tim pulled him down the hall by where their hands were connected without saying anything, and Kon took that as permission to keep holding on.

It was so bizarre, and his head struggled to wrap itself around the situation he was in. His hand was definitely sweaty at that point, but their grip never loosened as they walked towards Tim’s rooms. His heart rate continued to accelerate, and he felt like he was in a dream with the blanket of warmth over his body seeping into him from where their hands were clasped together. 

He lost track of how much time passed in his trance-like state, and before he knew it they were outside Tim’s door. Only then did Tim finally release his grip, letting their hands fall between them. Still, he didn’t mention it, only turning to look at Kon. The same oddly intense expression from earlier was back, but this time with an air of sadness that Kon didn’t like seeing.

“I’ve missed you.”

Kon stared, mouth dropping open with nothing coming out. He had to clear his throat before the lump left and allowed him capable of words. “I’ve been here.”

If anything that made Tim look even less happy, lips scrunching up and a sigh bubbling up from his chest.

“You know what I mean. You’ve been avoiding me.”

Kon swallowed, suddenly feeling very caught and guilty. It was true to an extent, but he hadn’t thought Tim noticed. Not with how busy they’ve both been. Perhaps trying to spare himself from seeing Tim with other people was only really hurting both of them and making it so he couldn’t see Tim at all.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Tim sounded exasperated, and against his judgement it brought a tiny smile to Kon’s mouth. “Just stop doing it.”

“Ok,” Kon gave in. It seemed unthinkable to do anything else. 

“Good,” Tim nodded, finally smiling again with relief. He reached behind him, grabbing onto the doorknob without looking. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. We’re having breakfast together before the family calls.”

Kon huffed a laugh, glad that Tim was back to his demanding self. He sobered up quickly though. “Whatever you want.”

With a last motion of confirmation Tim made to leave, but Kon called out in a quiet voice, not wanting to forget.

“I missed you too.”

Tim paused, sending a complicated look over his shoulder at Kon who couldn’t help the way he fiddled with his fingers from how it felt like it pierced his soul.

“Good.”

That’s all he said before disappearing behind his door, the sharp click of the door sounding louder in Kon’s head than he knew it probably was. Kon lingered for a few moments before he let out a large sigh of relief and walked on shaky legs back to his room.

He still felt like he was in a dream, so it was far easier to slip away into sleep when he made it back to his room. It was like he’d never left when his dream brought him back to Tim’s room. This time though, Kon went in with him, and when he woke up he wished that he’d had the courage to do that.

…

He showed up to breakfast that morning with a restless energy he couldn’t contain. Harls even mentioned it while he shrugged on his suit, noting that it took him longer than usual to make himself presentable. Trying to brush it off wasn’t possible with how perceptive she could be, so he admitted he was nervous and she finally left him alone with a few words of encouragement.

Tim was already at the table when Kon arrived, which wasn’t typically the case, but it made it easy to walk over and plop down in the seat next to him.

“Good morning, Your Royal Highness,” Kon greeted, already starting to grab some food from in front of him for something to do. Anything to avoid having to look at Tim directly with the events of his dream freshly on his mind.

“Morning, Kon. How’d you sleep?”

Kon pointedly did not look at Tim, knowing his face was heating up faster than he could will it to calm down.

“Pretty good, how about you?”

“Like the dead.” Kon let out a loud bark of laughter and immediately felt self-conscious from the way heads turned. It wasn’t even that funny. He really needed to get it together. 

Tim already had his breakfast on his plate, and he picked at it while he waited for Kon to finish. Not wanting to leave him hanging, Kon gave up stalling and finally looked over at Tim. While he seemed the same as he always was in the mornings, just a little less put together, there was something off about the way he was looking at Kon in that moment. Kon struggled to determine what it was, but something felt different, and it made him nervous.

“Did you have anything to do with that?” Tim tilted his head in the direction of Cassie and Cissie at the other side of the circle. They appeared to be back to normal now, no icy distance from Cassie or confused frustration from Cissie souring their interaction. “We haven’t really talked about PM for a while,” Tim’s voice was low, but Kon grinned at the reminder and acceptance of his silly project name, “but Cassie came up to me the other day to ask about staying just a little longer. Something seemed different.”

“And you think I have something to do with that? Maybe they figured it out on their own.” Kon spoke flippantly, grinning back at Tim in what he knew was a very unconvincing manner. Tim stared back at Kon like he was stupid, but it was fond enough that all it did was make Kon feel a pulse of exhilaration in his chest.

“I know you did. It reeks of your meddling,” Tim was back to whispering, and he leaned in to make sure Kon was the only one listening. “I know I told you I’d send a few people home soon, but it won’t be them. I’m too invested now, and it’s all your fault.”

Kon was sure his grin was blinding at this point.

“Well I’m glad I’ve made you more emotionally attached to your Selected and given you a form of entertainment. Your turn to do something.”

Tim stared at him, expression complicated and mildly amused. Eventually though he nodded, and Kon could finally release a breath.

…

By the time the family calls came around that afternoon Kon was feeling much better about the whole thing. He was hoping he’d get to speak to more than just Jon this time, even if he had fun last time. But more importantly, he found Barbara right before having his own call to check what he could talk about.

Surprisingly, she agreed to let him mention the meeting but was very clear that he couldn’t give any details. It made sense so he accepted immediately, excited to see how they’d react. 

This time, when Barbara punched in the digits of their number, his dad was the one to answer first.

“Kon! We made sure to have the day off today. We’re really sorry for not being able to make it last month.”

“It’s fine,” Kon wasn’t sure if his voice was all that convincing, but he was just relieved to hear his voice. “How have you guys been?”

“So busy, Kon.” Lois chimed in, voice dramatic and tired. “There’s been lots of crazy things happening lately around the country. We’ve been run ragged just trying to keep up with it all.”

Kon frowned, unsure what they were talking about. The last time he’d been able to look at the news was before the meeting, so this must have all happened in the past week or two. There wasn’t anything all that big he remembered seeing back then.

“What sort of things?” After asking he glanced over at Barbara, seeing her frown quickly but not making any move to stop him. She even looked like she was listening in closely for details, so he hoped her curiosity was stronger than her goal to keep information contained. 

“Well it’s been impossible to find clear connections between some of the incidents, but there’s been a suspicious amount of disappearing funds from random businesses and attacks on individuals that are unusual enough to be suspicious. Not to mention larger attacks from some rogues who apparently got out of Arkham last week. For some reason they haven’t announced who it was, and I’m starting to wonder if they don’t know. Everything started in Gotham, but it’s trickled over to Metropolis too and some other major cities. We’re all trying to find correlations or whoever’s behind everything but it’s been practically impossible.”

Kon took in the information with a mixture of anger and shock. Anger that there were such a large-scale series of attacks going on when he’s stuck away in the palace, and shock that nobody seemed to know anything. He doubted there were any shortage of people on the case, so he wondered what the issue was. It made him uneasy.

“What makes you think they’re connected if you can’t find evidence?”

This time his dad was the one to respond. “There’s no clear evidence, but a lot of the attacks have happened in locations that we found to have consistencies. It’s nothing concrete, but we’re trying to look into it.”

“Any chance I get to know what those consistencies are?” Kon tried to speak lightly, not liking the deep unease that settled over all their voices. The way they seemed to be hiding details. Whether that was due to Kon and Jon’s presence, Barbara listening in, or just because they couldn’t actually share was up for debate.

“Sorry, Kon,” Lois did actually sound apologetic, and that at least made him feel better. “We’re all under very strict orders to keep everything quiet for now. If it actually is deeply connected then sharing guesses could do more harm than good.”

“I understand.” Kon swallowed harshly, reminded yet again how dangerous information could be. Why it was so important that journalists do their job well. With integrity and sincerity.

“Alright enough of that,” Jon apparently was no longer willing to just listen in. “Kon, what’s up with you? I’m tired of hearing about all these attacks, and you owe me details.”

Kon laughed lightly, considering what to share first.

“I actually got to attend a council meeting the other week. I even spoke and everything.”

“What!” Lois apparently took back the phone with how loud her voice came out. “That’s huge, Kon! How was it? What happened?”

“It was great,” a glance at Barbara showed her actually not listening in that hard, busy writing something down on a notepad he didn’t know where she got. “They were proposing something stupid so I basically told the guy that he was a rich asshole who didn’t know what he was talking about.” 

He smiled widely as he remembered the look on the guy’s face when he started speaking. The absolute incredulity that Kon had the gall to say anything against him. He knew that fact in particular would make his family proud.

“Of course you did!”

“We expect nothing less.”

Their words overlapped, voices coming through choppy over the phone, but Kon was just happy with the praise. The knowledge that he’d done the right thing. All he wanted to do was make them proud. He only hoped he could be anything like them one day, brave and bold and always seeking to do the right thing through their work.

“That’s great and all, but Kon you promised me details about the Selection.”

Kon rolled his eyes. “I definitely don’t remember doing that ever. I think it was you who tried to blackmail me.”

“Rude and also wrong. You couldn’t stop talking about Tim and how pretty he was last time so I have to know what’s been going on. I have a contact that I will abuse if I think you aren’t giving me the whole truth.”

Kon did a double take. “A contact?”

“Not important.” 

Kon felt like that may be important. Not wanting to find out, though, he just said what he could.

“Tim’s great and we’re still good friends just like before.”

“Right… And you’re basically in love with him right?”

Kon just sighed.

“I’m taking that as a yes. I’m still reaching out to my contact though.”

“Do whatever you want, Jon.” Kon gave up.

“I always do.”

His brother was a real nuisance, but he smiled anyway.

After all their bickering there wasn’t a lot of time left for sharing updates. Kon wished the calls were longer, but more so he wished he could just see his family in person. At least he could console himself with Tim’s promise that they were more than halfway done. He could do this for another three months. Spending time with his friends and Tim made it worth it.

“So we’ll speak again next month?”

Clark sounded hesitant but intentional. It was the way he asked interview questions sometimes when he was trying to pry but make it sound like he was just unsure.

“Yeah.”

Kon realized what he was confirming, and decided to let them have the win.

When they hung up, he went to go find Duke. He was in the mood to sit in silent company.

…

For the next few days he pondered what his parents told him. How dire it sounded out in the world. How there seemed to be so many issues that nobody could talk about outright but had to deal with anyway.

It got him thinking about his project. The one where he still had several ideas in contention. Dwindling it down had taken some time, but a new idea popped into his head which he immediately realized was better than any of those could possibly hope to be. A lot of things were important to him, but if there was one thing he was passionate about, it was sharing the truth.

In the years he’s spent watching his parents go to work at the Daily Planet, he’s witnessed the frustration and disappointment that comes with having a story to tell, but not being able to tell it. They were rather controversial writers in the organization, known for hard-hitting stories and exposing the deepest darkest secrets of the country that needed to be shared. 

But sometimes, the secrets were so dark that people higher up didn’t want them known. When that happened, the ultimate obstacle of power was all it took to stop Clark and Lois in their tracks. Secrets would be re-covered, truths hidden. It was one of the main reasons Kon hungered to become a journalist. To bring light to the topics that needed to be exposed, and to force people in power to accept that they couldn’t stop him from doing just that. 

Kon expected that the government would always be corrupt, maybe less so with Tim as king, but never completely devoid of it. So the media would always have a responsibility to share with the public what the government wouldn’t.

That’s what Kon was passionate about, and that’s what he was going to make his project about. He didn’t care if people would get offended. From what he knew of the royals, he had a feeling they would agree with most of it.

But Kon wasn’t looking for approval, he wanted to let people know that he believed in something, and that he planned to continue that fight once he made his own career. He wanted to look corrupt individuals with power in the eyes and let them know that they were next.

Once he got to work the library turned into his own personal workspace. For the first time he missed dinner, not realizing how much time passed, but he kept working. Duke showed up with food and a promise that he wasn’t in any trouble, but Kon mostly ignored the food in favor of working. After all, he had points to make, and he couldn’t let anything be wrong. He wanted there to be nothing to correct, nothing that anyone could call him out on. 

It needed to be perfect.

TIM

Tim really was trying his best to act normal. Acting was something he had a lot of practice with, especially when it came to hiding his emotions behind strategic diplomacy or neutrality. But somehow, Kon made it so much harder to act normal. 

It didn’t help that he’d caught him off guard in the arcade. Tim had spent hours there trying to clear his mind, once again caught in a tailspin of what to do about his newly realized feelings. Naturally, when he woke up to Kon right above him, he thought for a few moments that he was still in a dream and acted accordingly. 

It was embarrassing how strong the urge had grown to touch Kon, to get close and take up his personal space. In some ways the urge had always been there, but now it was practically impossible to ignore.

The entire walk back to his rooms he waited for Kon to make some move to let go, and when he didn’t Tim hadn’t known what that meant. It was the first time, other than when Tim almost kissed him, that what they did couldn’t be played off as platonic. The hope it spurred was what allowed him to confront Kon, and the relief when Kon said that he also missed Tim had hit hard.

Still, Kon started taking up an absurd amount of his mental capacities, and he really needed to get that under control. So he did what he did best and found a distraction.

He hadn’t been lying when he said that he planned to send a few people home, but in reality he hadn’t given it much thought. Having told Kon though, there was a new urgency to the situation, and he had to think about what to do.

With the inescapable truth that he was halfway in love with Kon running through his brain, Tim found himself questioning a lot of things about the Selection. It all seemed a little stupid at this point, carrying on with everything as though his only options were to hope Kon would fall for him or end up miserable. The Selection had always felt a little like a tedious activity, but now it felt entirely useless.

So he peered at names and made no moves to pick, too busy staring at the photo of Kon and wondering how he could convince him to get married platonically. He got scarily far through envisioning how that would go when he heard a knock on his office door. It was quiet, almost inaudible due to how thick the wood was. 

Tim was surprised to have a visitor at all, knowing that if it were Cullen he would’ve just barged through the door without warning. Immensely curious, Tim called out that the door was unlocked and waited.

When Bernard walked through the door, Tim couldn’t hide the shock from his face, and he could tell that Bernard saw it too. He only gave a shy smile before taking the seat at the other side of the desk. He looked stiff, nerves visible in a way that had Tim sitting up straight with both concern and caution.

“Hi, Tim. We should talk.”

Tim really hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was, but the resigned expression on Bernard’s face didn’t bode well.

“Sure, what is it?” He tried for casual, but he could hear the trepidation in his tone.

“I want you to send me home.”

Tim’s mouth parted in shock. He blinked a few times, but Bernard continued before he could say something or ask what exactly was going on.

“I really like you, and I know you know that, but I think we both also know that my time here is done.”

Tim grimaced at the finality in his words, how sure he sounded that he should go.

“What do you mean?”

Bernard gave him a flat look. “Listen, I can tell you’ve been trying, but I’m also not blind. You’ll never feel the same, and I think it’s for the best if I just go home.” He paused, watching Tim’s reaction closely. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I hear a lot of things. People like to talk to me, and that means they tell me their own observations. I know you spend practically all your free time with Kon, and you guys aren’t subtle about your late night activities-”

Tim tried to cut in, worried about the assumption he thought Bernard may have come to. Bernard didn’t let him though, silencing him with a hand and carrying on.

“No, I know it’s not really my business. Or anyone else’s really. I just wanted to explain why I’m asking this. I really like being your friend, Tim. I want to still be able to be your friend after this, so I’m asking you to send me home now so I don’t let resentment grow.”

Tim felt the lump in his throat grow, wishing so strongly that he didn’t have to hurt Bernard. He really was an amazing person, so Tim knew there was only one thing he could do.

“Okay,” Tim ground out, suddenly finding the desk very fascinating and staring at it so he didn’t have to look Bernard in the eyes. He was too worried about what Bernard would find. The man read him too easily, and this was the result.

“Great.” Shockingly, Bernard did actually sound happy that Tim agreed, and it made him incredibly grateful for his honesty. “So since we’re firmly back to being friends, can I ask what’s in those tunnels around the palace?”

Tim looked up, eyes wide and finding a smirk on Bernard’s face.

“What tunnels?”

Bernard only laughed. “C'mon Tim, you guys are so obvious about using them sometimes. It’s really not helping with my theory that you’re all like vigilantes or something. Your entire family is so suspicious. I’m still working on the Cass is a shadow one though.”

Tim let out a nervous giggle, shaking his head at the fact that his friend was so right but also so wrong sometimes. 

…

After speaking with Bernard, Tim was able to add one name to the pile to send home. It was incredibly bittersweet, but he was glad his friend had the courage to force him to be honest with the both of them.

It took a little while to choose a second person, and he needed a few days to come to the decision. He went out of his way to speak with the remaining few, and at the end of the week Eric’s face made it onto the pile. He was quick to give the information to Barbara, and didn’t let himself think about it too much longer.

…

Whenever he gave names to Barbara he tried to make himself sparse, so he did what he always did and made his way down through the tunnels to the cave. Releasing energy and working himself back to his pre-injury physical abilities sounded like the perfect distraction. 

The closer he got though, the more he could hear of a discussion happening in the cave. Something that he definitely was not supposed to be privy to. Naturally, that only made him want to listen in more, so he lightened his footsteps and waited around the corner to see what it was all about.

“-leads on the recent breakout?” That was Bruce.

“The latest check showed nothing out of order. Everyone was accounted for, even all the rogues.” Jason spoke this time.

“Hmm.”

Well that didn’t sound good. Tim had no idea what they were talking about, having been forced from anything related to their night life, but based on the grunt alone Tim could tell that Bruce was frustrated. He was easy to read once you knew all his tells, and few people had the time and determination to learn like Tim.

“What about the disappearing supplies?” 

“Similar to last time. Increasingly dangerous equipment and some casualties in the past week. Probably connected to the attacks but not entirely clear how.”

So Kate was there as well. He wondered if she’d taken over his usual recon missions. He didn’t like that they were back to talking about the supplies. Since Tim broke up the group that night back in July there hadn’t been any new attempts. The only reason they’d known about it though was due to Kate’s intel. Maybe she lost her mole, or maybe loyalties were shifting.

“Hmm.” Another frustration noise from Bruce. “And Cobblepot?”

“Plausible deniability at worst. No clear connections other than similar weaponry. He hasn’t had any contact with Sionis though from what I’ve heard.”

“What about that Waylon guy?” Jason chimed in, and Tim was immediately paying more attention. After all, he’d been looking into him for months to little success. All he knew was where he lived supposedly and that he went by a code name. 

“I can’t access Tim’s files to look at what's there. Barbara won’t give me access and she’s still pretending she hasn’t let him in on some stuff. All we know is he was responsible for a prison break in the past. It’s possible he has something to do with Arkham and whoever’s been on the loose.”

Tim took that information in, slotting it with what he knew about the man he’d been stalking. It was a good idea, something he might’ve considered sooner if he was given proper access to all the information about the case. Communication was bad between all the family members on a good day, but at this point the secrecy was absurd. 

It sounded like he was far more in the dark than he even thought, and anger pulsed through his body, the frustration from weeks of exile popping within one moment. He was around the corner before he realized it, speaking even quicker.

“Waylon Jones, 36 years old. Has connections to several crime syndicates in Gotham and consistently has people reporting to him. More importantly though, he goes by a code name that I haven’t managed to figure out which is probably how we’ll figure out where he fits into this whole mess. And if any of you had kindly shared any of this with me we could’ve made progress a hell of a lot faster.”

Tim stared at where Bruce, Jason, and Kate were circled around the main computer, looking put out and in Bruce’s case a little displeased to have been listened in on. He strode over, making sure he looked as angry as he felt.

“Tim, this is a private conversation-”

“If it’s a private conversation have it in a private location, B. Not to mention this is directly related to me and the case work I was doing before you decided to be an idiot and put me on time out. I deserve to know, and you need to stop pretending like I can’t handle this or something.”

Jason let out a cackle at Tim’s phrasing, but Tim was too busy staring down Bruce to look his way. If he looked hard enough he saw traces of guilt in Bruce’s expression, but as always it was overwhelmed with stubbornness.

“You have other things to worry about-”

“We all do. You’re supposed to be running the country and Jason has almost a hundred people working for him. You think I can’t multi-task? Let me get back to work, Bruce!”

At the end of his sentence Tim felt his control slipping and his words came out loud. They echoed on the walls of the cave, and with every time Bruce heard his own name repeated back his face loosened little by little.

“If you get involved again and something goes wrong-”

Tim was having fun cutting off Bruce every time he started saying something stupid.

“When I get involved again, it will be just like it always has. We all work together. You’ll have my back and I’ll have yours.”

Bruce was clearly fighting between reason and his emotions, something that Tim was used to seeing when it came to family, but he waited without breathing to see what would happen this time. Tim didn’t know what he’d do if Bruce still said no. There was no way he’d listen with what he just heard, and Bruce had to know that.

“Fine.” Tim grinned. “But you have to work with someone if you’re going back to patrolling and we need access to your research.”

“Deal.”

Tim figured that was as good as he was going to get.

Chapter Text

KON

“Kon, did you hear the news?”

Kon looked up from where he was poring over literature in the library, still working on his project and doing research on the correlation between media regulations and general civilian quality of life. Suffice to say he welcomed a distraction, immediately closing the book at the sound of someone talking to him.

“I don’t think so, I’ve been in here all day. Why, what happened?”

Kon watched as Bart visibly took a moment to think before responding, which was incredibly uncharacteristic for his friend, and only made Kon nervous.

“Tim sent two more people home.”

Kon relaxed, glad that the news wasn’t anything bad. After all, he already knew that was coming if not exactly when. He just nodded, moving to open his book again before Bart said something else.

“He sent home Eric and Bernard.”

Kon stilled, looking back to Bart in confusion.

“Did you say Bernard?”

He couldn’t have heard correctly. It made no sense.

“I know right. But yeah. I ran into Sarah earlier and she looked super sad so I asked what was wrong and she told me. I thought she might be joking or something so I went to find Harper and she confirmed it.”

“But- Bernard was…” Kon didn’t even know how to finish that sentence.

For months Kon had been sure Bernard would be Tim’s choice. He was the perfect option in so many ways, and throwing him at Tim any chance he got was Kon’s best form of self-defense. In no reality did he consider that Tim would send him home at all, much less now. There were still five people around who weren’t even here for the Selection. What was Tim thinking? 

“Did Sarah have any idea why?”

“I don’t think so. She did mention that Bernard didn’t seem too sad about it though.”

Kon frowned. He knew for a fact that Bernard liked Tim. That he’d wanted to stay. What changed?

“I’ll miss him. He’s a pretty cool guy.” Bart seemed distracted enough to not be paying attention to the absolute whirlwind going on in front of him with Kon.

“Yeah.” Kon practically wheezed out. “Me too.”

It was the truth. For all that Kon sometimes couldn’t bear to watch the way Tim and Bernard got along, Bernard himself was a great guy. He was funny and hardworking and just plain nice. Kon really would miss him.

“Is that your project?” Bart had moved closer at some point, now looking curiously at the papers in front of Kon on the table. His attention was a fickle thing, but Kon adjusted quickly.

“It is,” he confirmed, moving some papers around so Bart could get a better look. “It’s on the importance of journalism and accurate media basically. Did you ever decide on yours?”

“Sick!” Bart smiled widely. “And yeah, sort of. I was thinking of doing it on the issues involved with rare earth metal mining. Or maybe on clean energy? Something related to electrical engineering probably.” Bart shrugged, clearly not too worried about choosing a topic just yet.

“Sounds cool,” Kon commented. He wondered if Bart would still be here when the projects would be presented. Whether he himself would be.

“I know right.”

Bart grinned, a blinding joyful thing, and Kon’s negative thoughts stopped in their tracks.

…

When they ended up having their first official dance class, Cass showed up and regarded all of them as though they were strangers. Nobody mentioned anything about the extra practices to the people in charge of the lessons, so it was an unspoken rule that they were all keeping it a secret. 

That worked well enough for Kon, used to keeping secrets at this point. In order to play into the lie Kon made sure to fumble his steps sometimes, not trying to look too practiced. He only did that when partnered with his friends though, and all of them gave as good as they got. Kon’s feet were bruised by the end of the lesson, but his face ached from laughing.

Strangely enough, Tim’s appearances seemed to get more sparse over the next week. Kon thought that after Tim had called him out on avoiding him that they’d go back to being inseparable, but that wasn’t the case. 

They spent time together, but not much just the two of them. Tim mentioned offhandedly one day that he was getting back into some of his usual work and would be more busy, and Kon wondered at the timing of that. He knew it likely had nothing to do with him, but the thoughts persisted. 

What he really wanted though was to ask Tim about Bernard. About why he sent Bernard home after everything. But he could never get the courage to ask, and whenever he felt close the situation just wasn’t right. Either they were with a group of people, or Tim just looked too happy to bring something difficult up. Truthfully, Kon didn’t try very hard, not wanting to hear that it was anything other than Tim realizing he wasn’t interested.

So things were back to normal, but at the same time they were anything but. Tim was still acting weird, and what was the most confusing part was how other people started to notice. People Kon hadn’t expected to mention anything at all or even notice to begin with.

“Kent, did you do something to Timothy?”

Kon had just barely made it into the gym, his back foot still out in the hall, when Damian appeared in front of him. His face was frustrated, but not in the normal way. This was the expression he used when he was actually upset, and Kon realized he had to figure out what he meant fast.

“Umm no.” Bad start. He tried again. “We haven’t had any fights or anything. Why? Did you hear something?”

Damian watched him, eyes scrutinizing and more distrusting than Kon had seen him in a while. “I heard from a trustworthy source that you two have some sort of stand-off going on,” Kon had so many questions, “and Timothy has been in a strange mood lately. I assume you are somehow responsible.”

“Right so I don’t know about that first part… but I can assure you that I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Damian raised an eyebrow, silently calling out Kon’s lie.

“Okay, so I’ve also noticed something off with him but I have no clue what it is. He hasn’t said anything to me about it. Promise. Scouts honor.” Kon put up the three fingers and everything, but Damian hardly batted an eye.

“You were never a boy scout. However, I can tell you are telling the truth about the rest. I will let you off the hook for now, but I am watching you, Kent.”

“Sure,” Kon shrugged. “Can we practice that one flying kick again though. I think I’ve almost got it down with the sword.”

Damian sighed, and Kon couldn’t help but laugh. It was a trusty distraction, and both of them knew he was nowhere near close to landing that particular move.

…

That wasn’t the only time that happened. Somehow, everyone had come to the conclusion that Kon was the person to ask about Tim being weird, and he found himself fielding questions he didn’t know the answer to.

There was one instance where he was able to answer the questions though, and it was interesting to say the least.

“Kon.”

Kon was in the process of shoveling food into his mouth, eager to finish his dinner so he could go have a movie night he’d planned with his friends. He asked Tim for permission to use the movie theater and got the all clear. He still had to set everything up though, so he didn’t want to waste time.

“Yeth.” The food in his mouth made his words jumbled, and Greta cringed at the sound. She also was pointedly not looking anywhere near the bottom half of his face.

Her scrutiny was making the back of his neck heat up, so he wiped his mouth with the napkin he’d left discarded on the table instead of laying on his lap. All the while he waited for Greta to say whatever it is she came to say.

“I was given an invitation to attend a council meeting.”

Kon’s eyebrows flew to his forehead. It wasn’t what he expected, although he didn’t know what to expect from Greta approaching him. Somehow, it being Greta who received the invitation meant that he didn’t feel any particular way about it.

“Okay. Congrats I guess?”

“Oh my-” her frustration slipped out for a second before she recomposed herself. Kon just grinned in a way he knew she’d find annoying. “I need to know how you prepared. Or what to expect. Just tell me what it was like.”

Every word sounded ripped from her chest like it physically hurt to ask for his help. But even so, he could tell she really wanted it to go well, and he couldn’t turn off the part of his brain that just wanted to help. Against his better judgement, he gave her an offer.

“Tonight we’re doing a movie night. Come join and ask your questions then. Tim’ll also be there and he can answer better than me.”

She looked so surprised by his invitation that he considered whether it was a bad idea. They hadn’t spoken much since she admitted that they met when they were younger, but from what he could tell she hadn’t told anyone else yet, and he felt he owed her something in return. Besides, there was a small part of him that she was growing on. Her mean attitude was almost funny at times once you got used to it. He wanted to know if there was more to her than what she liked to pretend. 

“Seriously?” She couldn’t have sounded any more incredulous, but he just nodded as though it was no big deal. “You’re really inviting me to hang out with you and your friends? And Tim?” Another nod. “But you’re crazy territorial about him?”

He did a double take. “What? I’m not territorial.”

“You so are.” She looked at him like he was stupid. “You look miserable every time he so much as talks to anyone else and you’re constantly pulling him places to be alone together or something. You’re insufferably territorial to the point it’s pathetic.”

“What about you?” Considering how Greta acted whenever she had a date with Tim she was one to talk. “Remember how you lied about him kissing you to make people self-conscious and how you were gripping onto him when you came back from your date the other week? If that’s not territorial I don’t know what is.”

“That’s different,” she scoffed, waving away Kon’s words. “It’s called playing a game. The fact that you don’t even know how bad you are makes it so much worse.”

Kon was frowning, not liking how she described the way he acted with Tim. He certainly didn’t feel territorial. He thought he’d actually been pretty nonchalant about everything. Maybe he was wrong, or maybe she was just being an asshole.

“Whatever, you’re completely insane. So are you coming or what?”

Her face did something that looked like a glitch. She stared at him like he was a little crazy, and he thought he might be. Sue him, but he was actually kinda having fun.

“You know what, sure,” she breathed out. “But you better answer my questions.”

“For sure.”

Greta stormed off, but she did end up showing up for movie night. She complained nonstop about their movie choices, deeming them boring or tasteless, but by the end of the first one she was laughing along with them. 

After incredible amounts of convincing Bart eventually got everyone to agree to watch one of his favorite movies. It was the first in a series that had gotten popular a few years prior, but somehow nobody else had seen them. So they gave in one by one, some easier than others, and accepted the option.

Kon was pleasantly surprised how much he ended up enjoying it, and based on the smiles on everyone’s face at the tearjerker of an ending, he knew they felt similarly. That was until Bart ruined it.

“Man, I love this movie. It sucks that she dies though. They could’ve been so good together if the writers weren’t cowards.” 

It would’ve been comical the way everyone turned slowly in his direction, varying expressions of disbelief and anger all pointed at one singular target, but Kon was too busy feeling the rage simmering in the air himself to think of laughing. Bart almost sounded like he didn’t realize he was talking out loud, but eventually he noticed the attention and froze. The room was full of thick tension waiting to snap.

“What the actual fuck, Bart?” Tim was the one to break the silence, outrage clear as day considering he’d been unable to stop gushing over those two characters the whole movie. He’d been shushed a few times, but it hadn’t deterred him. Now though, it was suddenly a lot less funny and just sad.

“I’m sorry that was an accident! I wasn’t thinking!” 

Bart raised his hands, trying to pacify an increasingly upset Tim. It didn’t help that everyone else was upset with him. Other than Steph who was clearly trying to hold in a laugh in the corner. Although, whether that was at Bart’s words or Tim’s anger was anyone’s guess.

“That’s what a cheater says when they’re caught, not how you apologize for spoiling an actually good story. It is, however, what I will be saying when they find your remains.”

Kon stared at Greta, mouth gaping like a fish at the nonchalance in her tone that contrasted with the intensity of her words. Before he realized it he was letting out a loud wheeze, the noise coming deep from his chest like the loosening of a balloon. She only spared him a glance before turning back to glaring at Bart, but other laughs started to pick up around the room, the tension transforming into hilarity faster than it had all built up in the first place.

Bart still sat in the middle of the storm, petulant regret all over, but he relaxed after it became clear everyone had decided to move on. For the moment at least since it was inevitable that this would come up again.

Kon, however, was pleased to see the small smile Greta was trying to hide at the sounds of all their laughter. It was a nice feeling, and it made it easier to answer her hundreds of questions at the end of the night.

…

The next day Kon was in a good mood, content that he’d apparently made the right call and relaxed from the evening free of work. Something he hadn’t done in a long time was go exploring throughout the palace, and although he only had a few hours of free time, he wanted to check out a small area he’d noticed on the way to the council meeting that felt like ages ago. He’d been so deep in his head, worried for what was coming that he only barely spotted the interesting looking corridor on the way. 

It was past the unspoken lines of where he was normally permitted to roam, but he hoped with his new clearance he might be allowed to check it out. Either way, it was something to do and he wanted to try.

He headed back to his room after breakfast, moving at a leisurely pace, not in any particular hurry. It was nice, focusing in on the distant noises, taking deep measured breaths and allowing the chilly air in and out of his lungs. The corridors were much colder than his room, lacking any furnishing or insulation to trap in the warmth that felt more absent by the day. That just meant that Kon felt better once he entered his room, making his way to the drawer of his bedside table.

He used to keep the maps on the table, but at some point they’d gotten so extensive that he had to start putting them away, getting too tired of them falling all over the place when he accidentally brushed them off in his sleep. He also liked putting candles on the table to read at night, the low light better than any lamp. But fires were a genuine concern, so Kon made the logical decision.

The inside of the drawer was empty.

Kon stared, blinking a few times and looking harder, as though the maps would spawn from nothing if he looked hard enough. When that didn’t work, Kon turned on his heels, scanning the rest of the room. Maybe he left them on another table? Or they fell to the floor. Sometimes he sat near the windows with things to do.

But location after location, Kon found nothing and he started to panic. He knew for a fact he hadn’t left them anywhere around the palace. He’d been warned several times indirectly about the security risk they could pose, so he was always incredibly careful to keep them with him. The only time he wasn’t with them was when he left them in his room.

His room. Where they seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

The panic continued to surge, dread taking over as he considered what it meant if they really weren’t just gone. If he let himself imagine the alternatives, there were too many implications for him to think straight. So, without thinking at all, Kon pressed the button he usually avoided at all costs. The one that called Harls to his room.

While he waited for her to arrive he conducted one final sweep, but nothing had changed since the last time he looked. He sat stiffly on his bed, hardly breathing until she arrived.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve ever pressed that button Konny. Is everything…”

Harls paused when she saw his expression. She probably read the wrongness wafting off of him. Or the tenseness of his posture. After months of being witness to all his moods, she could clearly tell when something was actually wrong.

“What happened?” Her tone turned cautious, and Kon swallowed, hoping he was being dramatic.

“The maps are gone.”

Harls frowned. “What maps? The maps ya made of the palace?”

He nodded, gesturing to the drawer which was currently pulled from the desk.

“I always leave them there when I don’t have them with me. When I came back for them this morning they were gone.”

“Ok,” Harls spoke slowly, evidently trying to think everything through and keep Kon calm. “Is it possible ya left them somewhere?”

“No. I haven’t used them in weeks and I would’ve noticed if they were gone by now. I use that drawer for other things too.”

Finally Harls started to appear nervous herself, and although it wasn’t a good sign it made Kon feel better about worrying himself. He knew his expression was probably a little manic at this point, hysteria and fear wrapping itself around him in a tight grip.

“Do you think someone stole it?” Kon asked quietly, not sure what else could have happened, but also not really sure why someone would steal it in the first place. There was of course the obvious answer, but too many unknowns were attached to that possibility to consider it seriously.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Harls looked confident, walking over and harshly pulling Kon up from the bed.

“Huh?” Kon looked at her as she started directing him out of the room. Even though she was much smaller he struggled to keep up with her pace.

“First let's ask your friends. They mighta borrowed it without asking.”

The phrasing felt off the back of his mind.

“First? Is there a second option?”

“Yes,” Harls looked like she bit on something sour, her mouth puckering up and eyes getting all squinty. “But let's leave that for later, alrighty?”

…

One by one they found Kon’s friends, none of them having any idea what happened to the maps or admitting to having borrowed them at any point. It made sense. Kon doubted they would’ve done that without at least asking, but as they made their way through the list of people that knew about the maps, Kon started to get antsy.

Only once they tested all their options did Harls finally answer his question.

“I guess it’s time ta speak with Timmy.”

Kon tilted his head in her direction. She’d started walking them in a direction he hadn’t thought much about, but when he actually paid attention he realized they were heading towards the family wing. His hands started to get sweaty again, chest flaring to life at the littlest thing.

“Tim?” His voice came out squeakier than he would’ve liked. “We’re going to speak with Tim?”

Harls nodded without looking in his direction. “Yep. He’ll want to know about this.”

“He will? Does that mean you think someone stole it?”

“Most likely.”

“And that’s bad.” He didn’t need her to confirm that for him, but she did anyway.

“Most likely.”

…

Tim wasn’t in his room and the guards stationed at his door were not happy to see them walking up to it. Harls was able to talk them down easily enough, but they left quickly, not wanting to actually get in trouble.

The next place they checked was apparently Cass’ room, and Kon felt like he was intruding for even being shown where it was. Harls was leading them though, so all Kon could do was follow.

Interestingly enough, Steph happened to be in the room with Cass, and when Kon raised an eyebrow in her direction she sent him an excited grin, subtly grabbing at Cass’ hand in a silent confirmation.