Archive of Our Own ^beta

Bernard really thought Tim Drake was the most attractive man alive. He did. There was just something about those suits he had to wear for important Wayne business that really got him going. Those fancy ties, his long hair drawn back in a ponytail or with some gel… It was a fact, Tim Drake always cleaned up nice.

And that was another thing, Tim didn’t even have to put in any effort in cleaning up to get Bernard’s blood flowing. He very much liked the way Tim looked when he didn’t put any effort in as well, that was its own breed of hot. When he came back to the house boat in that Robin outfit, hair all disheveled and sweaty from a night out, Bernard sincerely wished he wasn’t too tired to do anything but crash into bed and fall asleep. If not anything intimate, Bernard would at least appreciate it if Tim showered more at night. Tim was unfortunately a morning shower person.

The boat creaked in a familiar way, and Tim, dressed as the creature of the night he was, stumbling in. “I’m home.”

Tim had been going through some identity crisis’; It had been a rough few months for him, and Bernard by extension. But it all ended up with him finding himself in a new (or, rather, an old and kind of stolen) identity. Tim came back to his Red Robin era, spreading his wings to new adventures, and god, Bernard couldn’t have been more happy.

Bernard was sat on the couch, laptop opened to the study guide for a test he had coming up, but eyes focused on the television he was playing videogames on. He liked to call in multitasking.

Though his focus was immediately turned to Tim as he made his entrance. “So you are.” So much for multitasking.

He was happy for his boyfriend first, of course. Tim was glowing more than ever before, and it was so good to see him happy and comfortable in his own skin again. But also for more selfish reasons, damn did he wear his new outfit well. The straps around his chest, the tall ass boots, hell, Bernard even loved the cowl. It all made Tim look so much more grown, and that was hot.

Tim collapsed himself on top of Bernard immediately, sitting on the couch and pushing his body against his boyfriend’s chest in a low effort hug. He mumbled about something he wasn’t even sure the subject matter of, then yawned. Bernard yawned in solidarity.

“Tired?”

Tim hummed.

“Me too.” Bernard’s arms wrapped around Tim’s waist. “I’ve been studying instead of sleeping.”

Tim chuckled softly, burying his head in his boyfriend’s neck. “Studying what? Whiterun?’

Bernard laughed too, starting to work off Tim’s cowl for him. “Maybe…” It was tight, and he wasn’t sure how Tim wasn’t suffering a headache after every time he wore it. Maybe he was and not telling anyone. He knew being up longer than his body wanted to would always give Tim migraines, so the cowl couldn’t be helping. As cool as it looked, maybe Tim would have to lose it.

Bernard’s fingers ran through Tim’s cowl-free hair, pushing at the pressure points to help soothe him of any pain. It was almost a nightly tradition on the nights that Bernard was still awake when Tim got home. Bernard cringed ever so slightly as he continued his ministrations, Tim’s lovely long hair had been so greasy recently. That damned cowl.

“You don’t gotta keep doing that,” Tim mumbles. “I know it grosses you out.” Sometimes Bernard hated that his boyfriend was a master detective.

“No it doesn’t.” It did, just a little, but he would have never told him that. He didn’t even really care. Tim came first.

“I gotta shower anyways, lemme go.”

Bernard did.

Bernard liked going to big gala charity events with Tim. They both got to dress up all nice, and Bernard got to act like he was cool, similarly to how he acted in high school. Tim seemed to find his actions amusing.

Tim always put Bernard’s tie in some fancy knot Bernard was always forgetting the name of, and Bernard always did something nice with Tim’s hair. Tonight was no different.

Tim pouted as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror while Bernard worked his magic. “My hair is so flat.”

Bernard nods and ruffles Tim’s hair. “It’s been flat a lot recently.”

“Remember the volume I had in high school? My hair could literally hold up liberty spikes without any product, I swear.”

“I know,” Bernard agrees, finishing Tim’s hair. It was in a half up half down bun situation, that admittedly would have looked a bit better with his hair’s former volume. It looked damn good regardless. “But you weren’t wearing a cowl everyday in high school, hm?”

“True.” Tim huffs, standing up and turning to Bernard to straighten his tie. “Instead I broke out all the time on my mask-area.”

“The woes of a teenage vigilante.” Bernard smiled softly, teasing but somewhat sweet. Tim pouted. “We can put in some dry shampoo? It might help it a little.”

“Smart.” Tim let go of Bernard and searched for the bottle of dry shampoo. Once he got it, he got to spraying.

Admittedly, Bernard missed Tim’s hair volume too. It was gorgeous and beautiful, and it framed his face so well, and it was so nice to run his fingers through… but the upkeep was just a little too much for Tim at the moment, and he understood that. And it was a bit longer than usual, so it might have been getting a bit out of control. But it was fine. He was still as sexy as ever. The greasy flat hair was just something Bernard needed to get used to.

“What if I just shaved it all-“

“No,” Bernard answered way too quickly. Tim laughed.

“Damn, Bern, tell me how you really feel.”

“No, no- It’s just-“ Bernard huffed, twiddling with his thumbs. “You can do whatever you want. Long hair just suits you so well, is all.”

“I was just kidding, chill out. I would never.” Tim laughs some more and kisses Bernard’s cheek. “Maybe a trim, though.”

Bernard could handle a trim.

Bernard’s class schedule was abysmal. Some days he had early morning classes, some he had night ones. He almost never had an afternoon class. His sleep schedule hated him. Today was one of his late nights, so he was making it home somewhere around 10:00pm. Which was fine, but he was tired. The first thing he did when he got home was peek his head in his and Tim’s bedroom. No sign of his boyfriend. He must have not gotten home yet. Bernard sighed, he would have to text him to see where he was, since he should have been home by now. It would be the first thing he did after he took a shower.

“Oh, you’re home,” Tim said from inside the bathroom, scaring Bernard shitless. Bernard walked in to see his boyfriend standing by the sink, scissors in hand.

“Woah, woah, woah. What are you doing?”

“Just cutting my hair. What, you don’t approve?”

Bernard shook his head quickly. “No, it’s not that. I respect any decision you decide to make about your body, I just worry you won’t like how it turns out if you do it yourself. Remember when you tried to do that in high school?”

Tim gasps, only overexaggerating his reaction a little bit. “The bowl cut incident.”

“The bowl cut incident,” Bernard echoes. Tim didn’t put the scissors down. “Why don’t we go lay down? You should let me gossip about my chem class.”

“I do like gossiping.”

Bernard smiled. Jackpot. “So c’mon. Put those scissors down and let me gossip while we cuddle.”

“…okay.”

Once in their room, Tim found his spot cuddled to his boyfriends chest, letting him ramble about his chemistry class as much as he wanted. Bernard always appreciated his personal captive audience, even if he wasn’t always the most attentive listener. He figured Tim just liked the sound of his voice.

Soon enough, Bernard ran out of things to say, so he resorted to attacking the top of Tim’s head with kisses. Tim giggled and accepted the affection with open arms. He leaned in closer, spoiling Tim with kisses on his neck. Everything calmed down eventually, of course, and Tim sighed.

“Would you be upset if I really cut an inch or two off of my hair?”

Bernard pulls back so he was face to face with Tim, gently pushing their foreheads together. “Nope. Not upset. Never.”

“Even if I did it myself?”

Bernard sighed, and took a pause before deciding what he would say next. “I would prefer if we didn’t have a repeat of the bowl cut incident, but if you really want to…”

“I’ll get it done professionally”

Bernard’s patient farce immediately melts away. “Oh thank god, I was so worried.”

Tim still hadn’t cut any of his hair. He found himself too attached to his long locks to alter them in any way, even though he desperately needed to do something with them. Bernard was patient, as he always was, and let him take his time. He wasn’t his mother, but his partner and supporter. He would never tell him what to do, but support him in whatever he chooses to do.

Tim came stumbling through the doorway of their houseboat as he usually did, but this time dressed in one of his suits instead of his Red Robin uniform, and many hours earlier. He had had some Wayne Enterprises meeting today that Bernard didn’t exactly understand, but was still aware of. Bernard was actually studying on his laptop as he sat on the couch, happy at his boyfriend’s arrival. “Hey babe, how was-“ Bernard looked up at the man walking through the doorway and his jaw dropped. “Woah. Dude. What happened to your hair??”

“Um…”

“Has it been like that all day? At your meeting?”

“Well…” Tim touches his hair instinctually, trying to fluff it out or brush out the grease with his fingers.

Bernard sighed and closed up his laptop, standing to meet Tim. “You’re not washing your hair like this. You have got to get it cut.” Tim avoids his boyfriend’s eyes and starts taking off his tie. Bernard doesn’t relent, walking in front of him again as he moves his body away. “I’m just trying to help. Seriously. You seem so much less confident with your hair like this. You’re the most confident guy I know, this hair is just weighing you down.”

Tim huffs and takes his hands off of his tie, finally looking Bernard in the eye. “I haven’t had the time. I’m just trying to ignore it.”

Bernard could tell he was telling the truth.

The next thing either of them knew, they were sitting in the bath together, Tim’s back pressed against Bernard’s front. Bernard absolutely lathered the greasy hair presented in front of him with shampoo and conditioner. It was feeling better already in Bernard’s fingerings, and Tim was really just enjoying the scalp massage.

“Little by little I’m turning you into a night shower person,” Bernard snickers as he starts to rinse out his boyfriend’s hair.

“Do you really want that? Then we’ll just be fighting about who gets to use the shower first every night.”

“Then we can compromise by showering together,” Bernard points out, wrapping his arms around Tim’s torso. “And I can wash your hair.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“Or I can cut it for you,” Bernard offers, “if you want. If you don’t want to go out to a barber.” He smiles to himself, the adds, “I promise I won’t give you a bowl cut.”

Tim shrugs, sinking down in the bath so the water was at his shoulders and his head was against his boyfriend’s chest. “I’m weighing my options, y’know? I mean, either way my hair could use some styling.”

Bernard nods, agreeing completely. “A good styling could give you more motivation to take care of it.”

Tim just hummed, and Bernard tucked his chin atop his head.

As Tim’s hair grew longer and he started to get those lovely split ends, he started to wake up every day with a knotty rats’ nest on his head. It was especially bad if he had been running around as Red Robin directly prior to sleeping. That cowl was not doing him any favors for his bed head.

Bernard had suggested he braid it every night before he fell asleep, and it was working like a charm, but he felt a little ridiculous. He looked like the Wendy’s logo, but without the girlish charm. He would whine to Bernard about it, but Bernard would assure him that he was undoubtedly adorable, and he truly believed that. It was a little endearing, and Tim was still the most attractive man in the world in Bernard’s eyes. He always would be.

The two lay next to each other in bed, trying to catch some sleep.

Tim groaned, switching positions, trying to get comfortable. He pulled at the blanket and laid on his side.

“Blanket hog.”

Tim lets go a bit, realizing. “Sorry.” He rolled over to change his position again, now on his other side, facing Bernard. “Head hurts,” he explains simply.

“Did I braid your hair too tight?”

Tim nudges Bernard’s shoulder with his head, a silent plea for his boyfriend to take his hair down for him. Bernard rolls his eyes and obliges.

“You could have at least said please.”

“Please.”

So the braiding wasn’t really sustainable. That was alright, it was only a quick fix, after all. It was what Tim would do for now before he committed to getting his hair cut and styled. The braids did their job, even though Tim wasn’t their biggest fan. They were uncomfortable and they looked weird, but they kept his hair neat and gave it a little wave.

He really needed a haircut.

“All done.” Bernard pats Tim’s head. “Loose enough now?”

Tim nods again and flops on his back.

“Good. G’night.”

“Night.”

Today was a very exciting day, both for Tim and Bernard. Bernard hopped on the bus back to the marina from his morning classes, checking his phone in anticipation of a text from Tim. He was finally going to the barber today and had promised Bernard he would send a text when he was all finished up.

Bernard had his fingers crossed that he was getting a selfie of his new haircut as well.

Haircut done. See you after patrol

That was all Tim would give him. It was fine. Bernard could be patient. So patient. So patient…

Bernard was counting down the minutes up until Tim would get home. He was usually antsy for his boyfriend’s arrival, but it was much more intense of a feeling tonight. He rewatched old Dimension Twenty episodes to get his mind off of the big reveal. He was just getting a trim and a more cohesive style, it really wasn’t that huge of a change, but it felt big considering Tim’s track record.

Much too late (it was actually earlier than usual, Bernard was just feeling dramatic), Tim slid his was into the houseboat via the window. He could have just used the door, but there was something mysterious and alluring about a window entrance.

“Tim!”

“Hey,” Tim plopped down next to his boyfriend on the couch, still in uniform. “Miss me?”



“I moreso wanted to see your hair,” Bernard explains, fingers curling under Tim’s cowl. “But I guess I missed you too.”

“I see how it is.”

Bernard nods, slowly but surely working Tim’s cowl off. “Damn cowl…”

“I thought you digged the cowl.”

“I do, it’s just hard to take off. Ah, here we go—“

Bernard reacted like a baby seeing their father with a clean face for the first time. Who was this strange man and where was his boyfriend?

“You—“

The sides were partly shaved, and he only really had any length on the top. He looked fine. Good, even. There was just so much to process. So much to get used to. Beautiful shaggy hair to mourn.

“You don’t like it…?” Tim’s body language shifted inwards, hands stuck firmly in his own lap.

“I like it,” Bernard assured, “I’m just confused. I thought you were just getting a trim and style? I thought you still wanted it long.”

“I did,” Tim starts to explain, hands sliding to his knees, “but my hair was so dead, I thought it’d be less stressful for me if I cut it all off and started from scratch.

Ohhh.

“I’m gonna try to grow it out and get cool layers.”

“Ugh, you scared me.” Bernard dramatically wipes his brow.

Tim pouts. “I thought you said you liked it.”

Bernard smiles, ruffling what was left of Tim’s hair. “I do. It makes you look very attractive.”

Bernard really thought Tim Drake was the most attractive man alive.