[ He stays tucked with his head down, because this is too much openness in public. Maybe at all. He’s utterly trapped, too, physically and conversationally. Tim can change the subject to deflect, but he doubts Kon will let him.

(Kon put him in a time-out to deal with it. Tim can only hide in the time-out until Kon loses interest or is distracted by the continuing discussion with the Green.) ]

It should be how it works. Cassie’s not messed up. Dick’s a rock.

[ And Bruce is an entire plateau of stoicism. Tim’s supposed to be like him, but Bruce doesn’t lose his shit when Selina Kyle pulls some risky stunt. ]

Yes, I’m scared of losing you again. I told everyone that already, so you don’t have to go telling Dick about that.

[ He doesn’t need to go over the same talking points again. Now with the added trauma of publicly underlining how much he cares for Kon and it being such an inconsequential footnote that Kon … still completely ignores it.

(It’s for the best.)

Tim huffs a snort at the all your friends love you, but doesn’t argue that he knows, or that it’s not enough, or if they loved him they’d protect him from getting hurt like that again. (If he wants to be protected, he has to lose the cape.) ]

I don’t want to open up this much. I hate it. I hate how it makes me feel, and I hate that it takes everything I’m good at and turns it into a liability. For nothing. I’m having this conversation for nothing, and I’m going to be furious at myself later for putting this on you.