It's silly but...the hand on his arm is reassuring the same way it would be if Dick had been older, and inexplicably he does feel a little better.]
You and me, right? We got this.
[He plows onward, not waiting for a response to something he isn't sure he can completely believe, because he is in over his head and Dick is too young to be able to deal with this. Even so, the smile he has is more honest than earlier, and then it fades into a more serious expression.]
B is here, [He continues quickly before he can lose the nerve, steeling himself for the inevitable reaction.] and he's about your age.
[ Something in his heart leaps so fast and wild with the first words that the next ones blend right in before Tim's demeanor registers again. Those words... ] B...?
[ About your age. It can't be. It can't be Bruce. Bruce is Bruce, Bruce is Batman. And it's one disappointment he's been through before. Hopes raised and then dashed.
But the way Tim said it... ] Wait, back... back up a few steps. Who's... [ He's desperate for the answer and afraid of it at the same time. ] -Who's B?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[action]
Hey... [ His blood's running like ice but he edges in a step closer anyway, hand reaching out instinctively to light on his arm. ]
You're my friend. Whatever it is, we can deal.
[action]
It's silly but...the hand on his arm is reassuring the same way it would be if Dick had been older, and inexplicably he does feel a little better.]
You and me, right? We got this.
[He plows onward, not waiting for a response to something he isn't sure he can completely believe, because he is in over his head and Dick is too young to be able to deal with this. Even so, the smile he has is more honest than earlier, and then it fades into a more serious expression.]
B is here, [He continues quickly before he can lose the nerve, steeling himself for the inevitable reaction.] and he's about your age.
[action]
[ About your age. It can't be. It can't be Bruce. Bruce is Bruce, Bruce is Batman. And it's one disappointment he's been through before. Hopes raised and then dashed.
But the way Tim said it... ] Wait, back... back up a few steps. Who's... [ He's desperate for the answer and afraid of it at the same time. ] -Who's B?