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Dick – Did it in 3 parts
Dick Grayson was in Gotham City.
Dick didn’t get to go to Gotham much, he refused to visit while Bruce was there since they were still barely talking (if at all.) The only time he actually made it out there was to see Alfred and Jason (his new little brother) when Bruce was out of state.
“You don’t have to do this, Alfred,” Dick said.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Master Dick, I am simply shopping.”
Dick, Alfred, and Jason were in a department store together, which wasn’t unusual. Alfred always said he needed to go shopping, typically for clothes, when Dick visited. Dick would never buy anything but he would end up finding new clothes in his duffle bag when he returned to Bludhaven.
“Uh-huh,” Dick replied.
There was something else Dick had wanted to say, something he had been gearing up to say for an hour, and he thought he was finally ready.
“I’m bored.”
Unfortunately, that’s why he still hadn’t said anything. Jason. It’s not that Dick had a problem with Jason, he didn’t (well, not anymore.) It was just that he didn’t know Jason that well yet. Most times, when he and Jason would hang out, they got along like a house on fire, like they had known each other and been brothers for years, but they hadn’t. Jason had only been in the manor for about a year now and he and Dick hadn’t gotten off on the best foot (which was no fault of Jason’s, Dick will bear some of the blame for that but most of it had to fall on Bruce.) Not to mention, he’s a 12-year-old boy, that should be reason enough.
Alfred must have known that Dick wanted to tell him, just him, something because he sent Jason away to get them coffee from the Superbucks next door (Alfred didn’t even like coffee.)
“I’m dating someone,” Dick told Alfred.
“Are you?” Alfred asked.
“Yeah. . .” Dick trailed off, he hated it, he felt like a coward.
“Master Dick, as I am sure you are already aware, you never need to be scared to tell me anything. In my time I found I have heard it all.”
Those words turned out to be the confidence boost Dick needed, “I’m dating Wally.”
Alfred’s face didn’t change, either he wasn’t surprised or was good at hiding it. “The West kid?”
“Yeah, I think it might be in love.”
At that Alfred, paused what he was doing, glanced over at Dick, and smiled, “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Alfred,” Dick smiled, feeling relieved.
“When will you tell Master Bruce?” Alfred asked.
“I’m not?” Dick replied, confused as to why Alfred would think he would talk to Bruce at all.
“You’d rather him find out through work?”
Work? Oh, right, the League. Since, Wally was bound to tell Barry soon, if he hadn’t already, it’s possible Bruce could find it out from someone in the League which is probably the worst possible way Bruce could find out Dick’s bisexual.
“Fine. I’ll stay till he gets back and tell him then.”
Dick saw Jason walking back to them holding a cupholder with three drinks.
“I’ll tell Jay later too.”
Jason was silent for a while before he asked, “but how do you know?”
Dick had decided to tell Jason that same night, over dinner.
“How do you know you’re straight?” Dick asked back.
“I’m 12,” Jason replied.
Fair point.
Dick instead said, “well, when I was dating Babs and Kori, I really did love them, but now I’m dating Wally and I love him. I like both genders, that’s how I know.”
“Okay,” Jason nodded, “that makes sense.”
Dick really wanted that to be the end of the conversation. It wasn’t.
“Sooooooo,” Jason said, a smirk replacing his thoughtful smile. “Ya gonna add purple and pink to your costume now? You already have the blue.”
“No,” Dick said, a little amused but mostly annoyed.
“You sure? It’ll probably be an improvement. I mean, it can hardly get any worse.”
“Hey! You little-”
Jason bolted from the table with a laugh. Dick smiled as he started to chase after him.
Dick slept in the morning Bruce was due back, he was in no rush to see or talk to him. However, he couldn’t put it off forever and eventually had to walk into his office (because of course, Bruce goes back to work immediately after coming home from a work trip.)
Bruce looked surprised when he walked into his office, “Dick, I didn’t realize you were still here.”
Before Dick could reply he heard a voice to the side of the room say, “I’m just gonna- Bye!”
Jason was in the office, reading if the book in hand was any indication, but fled quickly. Probably a smart move, Dick has no idea how this was going to go.
“I have something I should tell you.”
“Okay,” Bruce said and gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk as he closed his laptop and set it to the side, “have a seat.”
“I won’t be long,” Dick crossed his arms and moved a little more into the room, “I just wanted to tell you I’m dating Wally.”
Bruce looked surprised, “West?”
“Do you know any other Wally?”
“Oh,” was all Bruce said.
“Problem?” Dick asked, maybe a bit too forcefully.
“No, not at all,”
“Good,” Dick turned to leave feeling like the conversation was over.
Bruce stopped him, “Dick.”
Dick turned around, Bruce had stood from his desk and was walking in front of it.
“I know we aren’t very close anymore-” Bruce started before Dick cut him off.
“And whose fault is that?!” Dick was mad.
Bruce continued, “but I’m glad you told me.”
“You are?” Dick asked, his rage slowly leaking out of him.
“Yes, of course, you’re my son and I will always love you no matter what you do or who you date.”
Dick didn’t say anything for a moment, trying to let that sink in. “Thanks, Bruce.”
Jason – Didn’t
After a very arduous overseas mission and an hours long transcontinental flight, Roy Harper and Jason Todd had finally arrived back in Gotham.
The minute the two stepped through the door of their closest safe house they peeled off most of their armor and clothes, turned off their phones, and crawled into bed. They immediately fell asleep.
They weren’t asleep for long before Roy, a human furnace, had his arms wrapped around Jason, who always ran cold after digging himself out of his grave.
Later during the night, Jason felt wakefulness reluctantly thrust upon him when his bat training told him someone was standing over him.
“Jesus Christ!” Jason vociferated in surprise after he opened his eyes. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Bein’ creepy,” Roy, who was awoken by Jason’s exclamation, muttered sleepily.
“You weren’t answering your phone,” Bruce, head to toe in bat regalia, said. His deep Batman monotone gave away nothing.
“So, you broke into my apartment?” Jason asked, propping himself up on one elbow.
“I was worried,” Bruce answered, walking around the bed and further into the room.
“Well, as you can see, there’s nothing to be worried about, you can let yourself out the same way you came in,” Jason fell back onto the pillows.
Bruce didn’t move, Jason suspected that would happen.
“Unless there is another reason why you’re here,” Jason prompted.
Next to him, Roy groaned at the mere thought.
“There’s been a breakout at Arkham.”
“Fine,” Jason sat up knowing this was too serious to be ignored. “Give me 5 minutes to get ready.”
“I might need more time, give me 6 minutes,” Roy joked, sitting up as well.
“You don’t have to deal with this, it’s Gotham shit, you can go back to sleep,” Jason told him.
“Like hell I am, your shit is my shit, Jaybird.”
Jason smiled, “I can always count on you, Gingersnap.”
Maybe that was a little sappy for him, blame it on the lack of sleep
“Hurry,” Bruce said.
Jason had forgotten he was still there. “I’ll be waiting outside.”
Fighting Mr. Freeze, at least, made it harder to unwittingly fall asleep.
Everyone who helped with the breakout was to report to the cave afterward to give a report of the battle. Jason and Roy were no exception.
Most of the Bats were already at the cave when Jason and Roy arrived but Batman was not.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Jason growled, sick of waiting for Bruce with nothing to do except watch the other bats and try not to fall asleep.
“Hm?” Roy hummed, leaning some of his weight and his head on Jason’s shoulder.
“Oh my god, get off of me,” Jason said to Roy, but he didn’t try to shake him off.
“Jaybird, I’m tired,” Roy muttered.
“I can’t believe I’m dating such an old man,” Jason joked.
“You’re dating?!” Of course, Steph (the loudest bat) had to hear them talking.
It wouldn’t have been a problem but apparently no one else knew they were dating as the cave suddenly got quiet and all eyes were on them before the bats came at them with questions.
“You’re dating?”
“Since when?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Forget them! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Does Bruce know?”
“Does Ollie know?”
“Why is everyone acting as if who Todd is dating is a big deal?”
Even if Jason wanted to answer the questions, which he did not, he wouldn’t have been able to with the speed at which the questions were coming at them. Instead, he said, “I am very tired so if you guys don’t start backing off, I will start shooting.”
Whether or not they believed Jason would start firing bullets in the middle of the cave, they backed off.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell anyone we were dating,” Roy murmured as everyone retreated; he sounded hurt.
“I didn’t mean not to, Gingersnap. I guess I forgot to mention and then thought they already knew.”
Jason ended up giving his report to Batman the next day, as sleeping till noon became preferable to waiting in the cave for him.
“I didn’t know you and Roy were dating,” Bruce said when Jason was finished reporting to him.
“Yeah. I’m starting to see that no one did,” Jason replied.
“Are you happy?”
Jason paused for a moment. Of all the questions he had been asked last night, that was not one of them. Of all the things he thought Bruce would say, that was not one of them.
Are you happy?
“With Roy? Yeah, I am, the happiest I’ve been in a while,” Jason answered honestly.
“Well then, that’s all that really matters,” Bruce replied.
Jason didn’t need Bruce’s acceptance, no matter what he said it wouldn’t have changed a thing. Still, he couldn’t help but let his lips quirk up in a smile.
“Thanks, Dad.”
Tim – Did it twice
Tim loved his parents and he knew his parents loved him but he was still scared.
The 13-year-old had spent a long, long, long time watching video after video after video after video on YouTube about what it meant to be gay and even more videos on coming out.
Tim came out to a few friends online, that was easy.
Just the thought of telling his parents would cause him to break out in a nervous sweat. It didn’t help that he had no idea where his parents stood on queer issues. Neither he nor his parents knew anyone who was part of the LGBTQIA community (no one who was out, at least.) He couldn’t very well ask them without giving away that he was bisexual.
Luckily, his online friends, all from online queer communities, gave him the push and encouragement he needed to finally tell his parents.
Well, he didn’t exactly tell them.
He instead sent them a long (and if he’s being honest, rambling) message on his phone explaining that he was, in fact, bisexual, that he couldn’t change, and that is just who he is.
He then locked his door in a panic after pressing the send button before he could come to his right mind and delete the whole thing.
Tim had no idea his dad could pick a lock until moments after he sent the message and heard a clicking sound from his place on the bed, curled under the covers.
Tim heard his dad come in, felt the dip in the bed as his dad sat on the edge, and saw both his parents when his dad carefully pulled back the covers Tim was hiding under.
They both pulled him into a hug and told him that they accepted him and no matter what he would always be their son.
Tim hugged them back his whole body felt lighter as the feeling of relief and his parents’ love flooded over him.
He was glad he told his parents; he was glad he knew for sure that they would always love and accept him before they died.
After all the stress he went through prior (although his parents did accept him), he was not looking forward to coming out again to Bruce. Not only Bruce but he had a whole family of siblings! At least this time he wasn’t as stressed since he knew Dick was dating Wally and therefore had come out before him. Still, given how stressed he was before, saying he wasn’t as stressed wasn’t saying much.
Tim decided he would be more prepared than he was when he was 13. Much more.
He spent a lot of time in the lead-up to coming out working on a PowerPoint presentation (and definitely not procrastinating.) He grabbed information, definitions, articles about people who came out as bisexual, pictures of people that Bruce knew who were bisexual (like Harley Quinn because most of the people Bruce knew happened to be villains), and sprinkled in some memes hoping they would get Bruce to laugh.
Then, finally, one day after dinner he asked Bruce and Alfred if could talk to them about something in the living room where he already had his presentation set up and ready to go.
During the presentation, Alfred and Bruce were quiet and attentive.
At the end, Bruce asked, “I thought this was going to be a presentation for school but this is about you, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Tim confirmed.
Alfred asked, “why did you make such a big deal out of it? I know what these words mean.”
Bruce hugged him, told him he loved him, and he knew, yet again, that he was accepted.
Cass - found love and, in doing so, herself
Cass knew she liked girls from a young age but, when she was with the League, she took that and buried it deep within herself so she could be what her father wanted, the perfect weapon. She predicted movements and acted accordingly, she read feelings but she didn’t have them. Even as she grew and moved from the League, to the streets, to Wayne Manor, she still kept this inside her. There was no reason to add queer kid in a straight world to all the things that already made her different from her peers. Until there was. That reason was Stephanie Brown. It only took a few weeks from Cass realizing she had a crush on Steph to start dating her.
“I. . . I think I’m gay.”
“You think? Well, let me know when you know. I’ll be here.”
Cass knew when she started dating Steph that she’d have to tell Bruce and everyone else soon.
She told him after patrol one night, when it was just the two of them in the cave eating some after-patrol snacks Alfred had made and left in the cave for them.
Bruce was silent for a moment before responding, “you are still and will always be the same person that I know and love. If anything, I now know you a little bit better.”
After telling Bruce, telling everyone else was easy. She lived in a supportive environment, surrounded by queer family and friends, in hindsight, it felt silly that she tried to hide this part of herself the whole time.
Damian – asked for dating advice
Damian was born in the League where relationships were not something they ever thought about.
Then, they became a part of a family where relationships were a part of life, like anything else. Many people in Damian’s life were coming out or had come out before they’d known them. They knew their family and everyone in their life was part of or supportive of the LGBT community and thought they would be good at giving dating advice. They were wrong. Damian had no choice but to turn to their dad.
“Father, I want to ask out Jonathan Kent,” Damian said one morning.
“On a date?”
Damian nodded.
“Okay, Damian. I hope you and Jon have fun.”
“. . . I’m worried he’ll say no. What should I do?”
None of Bruce’s kids had ever come to him for dating advice before and he, despite having dated a great many people, drew blank on what to say. “Have you asked your siblings?”
“Grayson said flowers, Todd took 10 years to ask his boyfriend out, I would rather die than go to Drake for any advice, and Cain is dating Brown so you’re the only one left I can turn to.”
“Well, there really is nothing you can do if you are worried someone will say no. He might say no, he might not feel that way about you but you’ll never know unless you ask.”
“So, I shouldn’t ask him out.”
“That is not at all what I said.”
“If I can’t guarantee a yes, I shouldn’t say anything because if he doesn’t feel the same way it will make things weird between us.”
“You’ve been friends for years, Damian, you two will be able to work things out, even if it takes some time.”
Damian nodded, “thank you, Father.”
“No problem and thank you for coming to me with this,” Bruce replied, “even if you did come to me last.”
Bruce – leaned into his love not his fear
Damian was looking through old photos, they needed them for a school project. So, they grabbed the drive that held Bruce’s photos and plugged it into their laptop as they looked through them at the kitchen table. They scrolled past all the pictures of Duke, themself, Cass, Steph, and Tim quickly but paused when they reached Dick and Jason’s childhood photos. They realized, that although they had seen their older brothers many times, they hadn’t seen many pictures of the two boys as kids and they looked different, younger yes, but also. . . different.
After that, Damian searched for what they were really looking for: pictures of Bruce as a kid. There were pictures of Bruce with his cousin, Kate, and old friends, some of whom Damian knew from galas or stories. There were some people that Damian didn’t know but that hardly surprised them, except for the one that did. They opened that photo in a separate window and brought their computer from the kitchen table to the kitchen counter where Alfred was. The photo in question was of Bruce as a teenager with another teenager, both teens have their arms around each other with big smiles on their faces, they were definitely close, it seemed like Bruce was closer to this person (in proximity and emotionally) than anyone in the other pictures. Damian continued scrolling, finding a few other pictures of Bruce with this boy. They were curious as to who he was. Bruce loved to tell Damian stories about when he was younger (and, to be honest, most of them were boring and mundane) so why wasn’t Damian told about this kid?
"You had a boyfriend!" Damian exclaimed when Bruce and Selina came home that night.
"You have a what?" Selina asked Bruce.
"I have had boyfriends," Bruce said to Damian before turning to Selina, "in the past."
"I knew it!" Damian exclaimed.
"What is this about? Other than sabotaging my relationship?"
Damian showed Bruce the picture he had shown Alfred before.
"Wow," Bruce smiled, "I look so young there!"
"Not you! Alfred told me that guy was your boyfriend."
"In my defense," Alfred said. "I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret."
"It's not," Bruce replied.
“Then, how come none of us know?” Damian asked.
“That’s a good question.”
Bruce decided it was probably time he returned the favor and told his kids, all of them, that he was bisexual.
When he did the question that was asked was predictable.
"How come you never told any of us?" Dick asked.
"Well, I guess the only time I would have told you is when you guys were coming out to me or talking about dating but I didn't want to step on your moment."
“And why are you choosing to tell us now?” Tim asked.
“You deserve to know,” Bruce said, “and it didn’t feel that good when Jason never-”
“It was a mistake. Let it go!”
If there was one thing Bruce learned from his kids it was to lean into his love, not his fear