Chapter 2
Peter's stomach churned with guilt as he flopped onto the couch by Aunt May. The old couch smelled like farts, food, and May’s perfume. It smelled like home.
“What’s going on, Hun? You’ve been moping all week.”
He groaned before turning his head so he was muffled. “I haven’t told Tim I’m Spider-Man yet.”
“Ah. And you’re scared he will react badly and break up with you.” May ran her hands through her nephew's hair a few times, reminiscing on when he was small and worried about starting school.
His arms flopped dramatically at May's statement. “I really like him, May!”
“Alright, look at this way. Would you rather keep this secret, constantly stressing about him finding out or having to come up with excuses for why you have to leave or are injured? Or would you rather tell him and risk his anger, maybe even breaking up with you? And maybe even have your bond deepen because you aren’t keeping secrets.”
Another groan was her response. She continued running her hand through his hair as he thought and processed. “I’m scared. I want to tell him. I want to be honest. But how do I tell him? How do I get him to understand? It took you ages to not be mad at me.”
“Oh, hun. I’m still mad. But I love you and I know this is something you feel you have to do. Be honest with him, telling him your story and your feelings. He will either understand or he won’t and if he doesn’t, we can sic Tony on him. Or Pepper.
“You don’t have to decide today. There may be a right time to tell him or maybe he tells you something big and you return the favor. You don’t have to make any decisions right now. Well, except for one. Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?”
“Chocolate.”
It didn’t take long for their next date to approach, Peter nearly sick with anxiety.
“Petey! You ready for the epic date I have planned?”
He took a breath and stuffed his anxiety in a box to be dealt with later. He wasn’t deciding today. “Yep! Where are we going today?”
“I was thinking a walk in Gotham’s park to take some pictures then a dinner at Red Robin before finally going stargazing at the observatory!”
“That sounds amazing, Tim. I can’t wait.”
The car hadn’t even started so Tim just turned in his seat and stared at Peter. “Are you okay?”
“Just nervous. I don’t want to do anything stupid.”
“Peter, love, we are both always stupid. I like you because of your stupidity- and other stuff, of course.” Tim reached out and took Peter’s hand, giving it a squeeze.
He took a deep breath and willed himself to drop the Spider-Man issue, at least until later. “Let’s do this.”
The park was gorgeous! “You know, Poison Ivy came through and gave all the plants a boost. I think she and Harley go on dates here all the time so she keeps it pretty.”
“Gotham is wild. I wish we had an anti-hero that made New York pretty. I’m pretty sure we have a Rat King in the sewers and a ridiculous amount of flying villains.”
“Ugh, don’t get me started on Kite-Man and Condiment-King. At least they chose unique gimmicks but it’s so annoying! Condiment-King makes the suits smell for ages and Kite-Man is a pain to fight because he just swoops out of the way. Or hits you with his kite.”
“Wow! You sure know a lot about villains and vigilantes in Gotham. Looks like I found a fellow superhero nerd.” Peter grinned lovingly at him.
Tim sighed in relief that his verbal blunder wasn’t caught. He didn’t want to tell Peter he was Red Robin until after he met all of his family. There was a greater chance of literally any bat scaring him away than there was of Tim being a vigilante but Bernard had met the family and still freaked when he realized all being a vigilante encompassed. No. Peter wasn’t Bernard. He wasn’t going to run for the hills over something like that. (But secretly Tim languished in the knowledge that it was too much to ask of a person, especially one not in the hero circle.)
The pair laid out a blanket on one of the many hills and stretched out. The sun was actually shining and the warmth was making Peter drowsy. Or maybe it was the safety of being around Tim.
His drowsiness backfired when two bodies came crashing in between them.
“Timmy!! I thought you said you were going shopping?” A very loud, very energetic man practically yelled.
His friend, a blonde girl, snorted. “Yeah, Timmers, what’s with the shenanigans? Who’s the secret boyfriend?”
“Ugh. Peter, these are my siblings Dick and Steph. Assholes, this is my favorite person, Peter.”
“Aww, Tim has a boyfriend! How cute!” Steph squealed, shaking a floppy Tim violently.
Dick pulled Tim’s limp body into his lap, curling over him protectively. “You can’t take Tim away from us! Never! He’s stuck with us forever.”
“He means it,” Tim groaned out. “He will literally find a way to insert himself between us at every moment possible.”
Dick grinned at the agreement before giving Peter a thorough inspection. “Hmm. Young, very fit, cute in the way Tim likes, nerdy judging by that shirt. Are you a vigilante because then you’d be perfect for-“ He whined as Tim elbowed him harshly in the stomach.
“Oh my god, Karen. You can't just ask people if they are a vigilante,” Steph joked in a snobby, supercilious tone.
Peter narrowed his eyes. “Did you just quote Mean Girls at him? Where have you been all my life? Tim, I’m sorry, Steph is my new lover.”
Steph laughed, ruffling Peter’s hair. “You chose a good one, Tim. I approve. No sex until you are 30, though. We will know.”
“Hey! You can’t just decide for both of us if he’s on the approved list!”
She rolled her eyes before asking Peter, “Have you ever done gymnastics? Do you like cotton candy? And do you love Tim?”
“Yes to all,” he replied hesitantly.
Steph clapped her hands. “There! Dick approves of you now.”
“Hold your horses! You like gymnastics? Can you do this?” Dick shoved Tim off his lap, not caring about the boys ‘oof.’ The man did a back handspring and turned to stare at Peter.
Peter got the distinct feeling that he shouldn’t enter this competition but also that Dick would approve of him faster if he did. One back handspring later and Dick was smiling but starting another, more complex movement. One that ended in splits. It was a wonder how the man’s tight-fitting pants didn’t split themselves.
Needless to say, Peter was easily able to replicate the move although he didn’t fully sink into the split as his pants creaked uncomfortably.
“Alright, you’ve won my approval. We will have to work on your flexibility so you can do those splits but that’s easy.”
Tim and Steph seemed a bit surprised, Steph stage whispering to Tim, “That normally lasts longer. The last one lasted a solid hour before he gave the poor soul a rest.”
“Yeah… what just happened?” Tim dropped the stage whisper to ask Peter, “You do gymnastics? You never told me!”
“Oh I got bit by a spider and became super flexible so I joined gymnastics.”
The group laughed at his ‘joke,’ Peter joining in.
“So Mr. Wayne adopted all of you?” Peter asked when the laughter died down.
The girl waved her hand in dismissal. “Nah. He adopted everyone but me. I was too independent.”
“No, you were just dating everyone in the family so we thought it would be weird to adopt you,” Tim deadpanned, giving Steph a playful shove.
She mocked hurt and sprung onto Tim where he was still lying down. “I’ll get you back for that, Drake. I’ll have you know that I didn’t date most of the family!”
Dick only mimed trying to restrain himself but a dog pile was too enticing so he flopped on top of the pair, his larger body pinning them. “Dog pile!”
“Ugh, Dick! Get off! You are too big to be doing to this to anyone but Jason and Bruce!” Steph yelled, punching Dicks arm.
Tim finally managed to push the both of them off, the older pair rolling down the hill slightly. “Okay, goodbye. Peter and I are on a date so fuck off or I breaking out the blackmail book.”
“Fine. Fine,” Dick relented, hands put up in surrender. “We will leave. Bye, Peter! I hope to see you again! Actually, you are invited to family dinner Friday. I’ll have Barbara send you the info. Toodles.”
Steph skipped after Dick, waving her goodbyes. “Don’t be a stranger, Pete! I don’t want to have to hunt you down to spend time with you.”
“I am so so sorry about that. They do not know what the words ‘privacy’ and ‘personal space’ mean. You have full permission to do whatever necessary to get them to back off if they get to be too much.”
“What? No, that was fine! You’ll probably face something similar if I don’t introduce you to everyone back home too. It honestly reminded me of them.”
Tim still looked apologetic. “Are you sure? I don’t want them to scare you off.”
“Nothing will scare me off. It was really truly okay,” Peter spoke softly, squeezing Tim’s hand. He pulled up the courage and pressed a quick kiss to Tim’s cheek.
The kiss seemed to do the trick and Tim pulled Peter into a hug. “Let’s go to Red Robin. I think I need some food.”
Tim regretted that descion immediately. Duke and Cass were sitting in a large booth and immediately beckoned them over.
“Tim! We heard about the new boyfriend. Nice to meet you, I’m Duke and this is Cass.”
Tim groaned as he slid into the booth, letting his head bang on the table. “Is everyone going to investigate us today?”
The pair across the table exchanged glances before Duke answered, “Bruce and Damian don’t have anything planned. I have no idea about Barbara.”
“You have quite the family, Tim,” Peter let his humor bleed through as he spoke.
“I’m so sorry about this. They are all such assholes.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. If you look over there, that’s my Aunt Nat and Uncle Clint. I’m surprised they weren’t part of the group stalking us at the park.”
The three Wayne’s exchanged looks, Duke finally breaking the silence by asking, “How long were they following you? Tim normally notices stuff like that.”
“Oh, probably the whole time. Do you want me to invite them over?”
Silence was the only thing that replied to Peter as all the Wayne’s blue-screened. “Or not. They can be a bit much.”
The silence was broken not by anyone at the table but by a tank of a man sliding into the booth, practically squishing Cass between him and Duke. “Hey, nerds. Sorry, I’m late. I was doing something cool. Who’s the new guy? I thought Alfred banned Bruce from adopting more kids.”
“I’m Peter, Tim’s boyfriend.” Peter stuck his hand across the table, barely managing to not knock over his water.
The large man returned the handshake, giving Peter an approving smile. “You picked a strong one, Replacement! Is this the cute rooftop guy you were getting the number of?”
Tim’s brain finally rebooted and he snarked, “Okay, fuck you, Jason. And we all know ‘something cool’ was you reading a romance novel.”
“Ouch, who pissed in your socks?”
Peter and Cass snorted in laughter earning themselves a glare from the others
.
Duke just rolled his eyes and announced, “Tim, don’t let your boyfriend see you be a dick to Jason. Jason, don’t scare off another one of your sibling’s partners.”
”As if! Peter won't run because of Jason. He has stalkers,” Cass signed, smiling as she joked. (They all ignored Clint choking on his drink at the sight of the accusation.)
Nodding in agreement, Peter jokes, “I think the only thing that’d get me to leave is you breaking up with me. Or being Team Justice League.”
Tim rolled his eyes at the jokes but sent Peter a loving look. “I feel the same. You could be the next Joker and I’d still stay with you.”
“Aww. So sappy,” Jason said in a cutesy voice. “I’m literally going to get stuck on the table it’s so sappy. Please stop.”
“Wrong use of literally, dude,” Duke corrected, peering around Cass.
“Well fuck you, Newbie. It is the right use if I say it is.”
“It really isn’t! It’s figurative.”
“No, it's literally not-“
“Should we stop them?” Peter whispered to Tim.
“Nah. They both are picking a fight. They will probably stop when Cass steps in.”
Sure enough, another minute of arguing later and both boys had their ears in Cass’s grip, apologies spewing. The girl let them both go eventually, the pair rubbing their ears and leaning away.
”Sorry. Boys.” Cass shrugged, taking a long sip of her drink.
“You know, this could all be solved if everyone stopped hijacking our date,” Tim snipped, giving the three across the table a glare.
Jason just shrugged, unfazed. “Not sorry. I had to meet the idiot who decided to date you before Bruce. He’s going to be so jealous.”
“Uh-huh, and Alfred will be overjoyed that you were so well-behaved tonight,” Duke added, shrinking back when Cass gave him a look.
That did the trick though and Jason crossed his arms, huffing. “Sorry, Peter. I didn’t mean to ruin your date. I’d appreciate you not telling Alfred.”
“Oh- uhh. It’s fine? It was honestly funny and reminds me of home. I don’t know who Alfred is but I’ll be sure to tell him that you were all respectful and kind.”
Duke slapped his hand on the table. “Tim. For shame. You haven’t told him who Alfred is? That’s like introducing someone to the Justice League but leaving out the big three. Come on, man!”
“I will murder each of you in your sleep,” Tim deadpanned. He turned to face Peter and explained, “Alfred is the butler in title but in reality, he’s our grandpa. He’s the only one with an ounce of control and tact in the family. Despite his best efforts, most of us are hooligans.”
Jason snorted behind his drink. “Most? If you are implying you are the only prim and proper one then you are dead wrong. I’ve seen your ‘manners’ around the house.” He put an extra emphasis on ‘manners.’
“At least I don’t leave bullet holes in the walls or disturb the peace in the library with my loud-ass cow snore!!”
“Bullshit! You put holes in the wall all the time! And of course, you don't snore! You don't even sleep! Take that moo-ther-fucker!” Jason’s arms flew around in a flurry of emotion.
Cass cleared her throat causing the bickering brothers to look at her before rolling their eyes in unison. Tim huffed before grabbing Peter’s hand and standing up. “Well, we should leave so we can get to our next stop.”
Peter waved, choking out a goodbye behind the last bite of his food that he hastily shoved in his mouth.
The observatory was a rather spectacular-looking building, the museum portion explaining the discoveries made in Gotham before the smog got so bad it was nearly unusable. The most interesting part to the nerdy lovebirds, however, was the science behind how the observatory cleared just enough smog in their space for the telescope to function.
“I wonder if this could be used on a large scale to clear tornadoes or hurricanes before they start! Or perhaps used to improve air travel and reduce drag!” Peter excitedly rambled, flapping his hands as he thought.
Tim's heart squeezed. Was it really fair of him to keep something so big from someone he loved so much? Before he could stop himself, he blurted, “I love you.”
An icy chill ran through Tim as Peter froze. “What?”
“I love you, Peter Parker. I want to share every part of myself with you.”
“Tim, wait!” Peter snapped quietly.
Sickening fear churned in Tim’s stomach at the rejection. Maybe everyone was right. Peter was too good for him. Tim was doomed to be alone. He should just leave-
“Tim, honey, eyes up here. You need to follow me right now.” The steeled look in Peter’s eyes didn’t help Tim one bit but his feet started moving unwillingly as Peter pulled him along with surprising strength. Maybe Tim had it wrong all along. Had they been dating or were they just friends?
The icy chill that still hadn’t faded, not even as the heat of embarrassment rose, left Tim shivering. Peter's gentle but firm grip on his wrist felt harsh as opposed to grounding.
A slam had Tim blinking in confusion. When had they gotten into a closet? Wasn’t the supply closet in this part of the museum always locked?
“Hey, Tim, my love, I need to tell you something. Are you here with me?” Peter rested his hands on Tim's checks, his eyes reflecting the light from under the closet door in an unnatural way. It was rather like a cat. Peter being a meta would explain the strength earlier.
“Mmm,” Tim hummed, thinking about the tapetum lucidum in cats eyes that make them appear to glow. Does that mean Peter could see better in this darkness?
“What are you thinking about, Love?”
“Tapetum lucidum.”
“Oh. Are my eyes shiny again?”
Tim’s brain restarted at the speed of a Windows computer. “Again? Are you actually a meta?”
“I- Well, yes. I am but that wasn’t what I was going to tell you.”
“Can we put discussing your powers on the To-Do list for this conversation then?” Tim joked, feeling a little firmer in reality. He was hoping Peter couldn't feel the blush painting his cheeks as Peter still hadn’t removed his hands from Tim's face.
Peter chuckled, “Yeah, it’ll be number four on the list. But first, Tim, what do you know about Spider-Man?”
Tim’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Uh- He’s a vigilante in Queens, New York. None of the Justice League have his identity and it’s rumored that only Iron Man out of all the Avengers has it.”
“Well, now a member of the Justice League does know.”
“…”
“...” A cricket in the corner of the closet started chirping. Peter wondered if a cockroach was going to begin playing a tiny violin and a mouse the drums.
“You are Spider-Man?”
“Are you mad?”
“Oh, thank fuck.” Tim deflated in relief.
“Huh?”
“Peter, I have something I need to tell you.”
“O-M-G, no,” Peter gasped.
“Oh, yes.”
“You are a vigilante? Which one?” Peter's hands slid off Tim's face only to start excitedly flapping once more.
“Red Robin.”
“No! You took us to a restaurant named after you? Nooo, that’s so you! Damn it, I should have planned to take you to the zoo and told you after seeing the spiders!” Peter groaned.
“Too bad, so sad! I had the cooler reveal although were you actually kidding when you said you got bit by a spider? Did it give you powers?” Tim said as he leaned into Peter.
Peter wrapped his arms around Tim, playing stating, “Well yeah. But I did the reveal first!”
A boom rattled the floor, knocking over a broom that had been leaning on the wall right into Peter's nose. “Ouch!”
“Was that an explosion? Are you okay? What fell?” Tim groped blindly in the darkness, searching Peter for injuries.
Peter huffed a laugh. “I guess I forgot why I didn't say ‘I love you’ back- which I do, by the way. My Spidey-sense was going off.”
Tim paused to think, rubbing his arms slightly at the chill. “Oh shit! It’s Mr. Freeze! He must be trying to get more detailed plans for the smog clearing tech to up enhance his stuff.”
“Should we… suit up?” Peter asked hesitantly.
The other boy smirked. “Only if we do it fast.”
They both giggled like school girls as they pulled off their outer clothes to reveal their suits, slipping on their masks. Tim held out his hand to Peter, “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
—
“Oh! Bruce, I need to tell you something!” Tim exclaimed at Family Dinner Friday.
The aging man raised an eyebrow, far too used to his children's shenanigans but entirely unable to avoid them. “Hm?”
“My boyfriend knows about my nightlife and is going to be here any minute. Also, completely unconnected but I just thought you should know, I know who Spider-Man is.”
Chaos dropped into the room as the children started yelling and bickering. Bruce, meanwhile, sighed and took a deep breath. “Thank you for the heads up, Timothy. Is Alfred aware of the guest joining us for dinner?”
“Quite,” Alfred announced as bustled into refill waters, “My dear friend, Miss Potts, informed of Peter’s excitement to meet the family today. Master Timothy also remembered his manners and informed me a week ago about our new guest and soon to be member of the family. Perhaps you would be aware of this if you spent more time alone with your children.” The old butler hummed as Bruce sighed again.
The doorbell rang and seven chairs skidded back as all of the Wayne Children raced to the door. After some completely above-board methods, Damian made it to the door first. “Who are you?” he sneered as he threw the door open.
A leaf blowing in the wind waved as it floated by. A crash in the dining room, however, was far more answering. The herd of children sped back off the way to come, stacking atop each other as they fell through the doorway.
Peter was hastily cleaning up shards of china as Alfred attempted to shoo him away. “Mr. Alfred, I’m so sorry! I thought I could be cool and just drop into a chair but I forgot how clumsy I am. How much was this plate? I have… 14 dollars, a quarter, and a lunch card to a sandwich place in my wallet!”
“No need, Mister Parker. Please set those at this tray and allow me to dispose of them. I believe you have company.”
With a few sharp elbows thrown and one bite, Tim extracted himself from the pile to give his boyfriend a kiss. “You are such an idiot.”
“And yet you love me,” he grinned back.
A fake gag rang out as Steph mimed mocking. Jason shouted out, “Get a room!”
Tim smirked and pretended to start pulling Peter out of the room. “Alright!”
Bruce cleared his throat at that. “I believe it’s time to eat. Everyone, please take your seats.”
The boy still holding Tim’s hand whipped around to face the hulking man that seemed to be considering if his children would find him if he ran. Or perhaps weighing the pros and cons of his children’s choice of revival methods if he buried himself alive.
A violent hiss escaped Peter, startling everyone bar Alfred, who was walking in with the food. He clasped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. You startled me and you give off asshole vibes.”
“Love, I know we joke about this, but you are totally Team Jacob with your whole being.”
“So is Damian the child I imprint on or do you get the honor of being Renesmee?”
“Obviously I’m Bella!”
“Is Steph Edward then? Since you dated. Except for the fact that I got the girl.”
“Wait! I do not consent to being imprinted on!”
“Neither did Renaissance or whatever the hell her name is. You even aged like she did, squirt!”
“How dare! Take that back this instant! I’m no child and Drake is most definitely not my parent!”
Tim pulled Peter away from the increasingly heating argument and muttered, “I love you, Jacob.”
“I love you, Bella/Edward amalgamation.”
“I take no offense. I’m as hot as they are.”
“You are. And as stalkative.”
“So when do I get to meet your family?”