#(like yes max and bart had conflict at first but i dont think ma knew bart well at that point + bruce. is worse than max ever was)

[mamawasatesttube]

ended up doing... neither? something else... (attempting ma kent pov for the first time ever)

“Conner did mention to me that you don’t like celebrating it much,” she says, gentler. “If you really don’t want to, I can put the candles up and we can just call this a regular dessert when he gets back.”

That makes Tim look up from the table. For a moment, he looks like a lost little lamb, and Martha suddenly wants to pinch his cheeks and coo over him. “He said that?”

“Well, yes.” Martha squeezes his shoulder. “He didn’t say why, just said not to do anything much. I asked him if a cake would be alright, and he said it should be, but if he guessed wrong…”

“No! No—it’s fine. It’s—it’s very nice.” Tim exhales, squaring his shoulders, and smiles at her. It’s small, but genuine, at least. “I just, uh… I haven’t done anything for my birthday since my dad died.”

“Oh,” Martha murmurs, and a swell of sympathy rises up in her chest. She remembers the first years after she lost her parents, how she clung to Jonathan and wondered how she’d ever feel warm and happy again. “Dear heart.”

She reaches for him, pulls him into her arms slowly enough that he could back away, if he wanted. She’s always thought of him a little like a skittish animal, though he’s always been sweet and eager to help out around the farm. It’s just that sometimes, she’s caught him watching her and Conner tease each other and laugh in the kitchen with such wistfulness it takes her breath away, even now. Like he’s at the window, stuck on the outside and looking in.

Now, he’s frozen in her embrace for just a moment before he sinks into her, his bony chin coming to rest on her shoulder. It takes him another moment to bring his arms up around her, but when he finally does, he curls his fingers into the back of her shirt and holds on fiercely. She squeezes him back twice as tight, and doesn’t pull away until he does.

After several heartbeats, he draws back. His face seems a little more open than before, his eyes shining; he looks down at the cake again with a tiny, adorable smile.

“Is that why you’re here, and not in Gotham?” Martha asks him gently, her fingers grazing over his elbow. “You’re always welcome, of course, but when Conner mentioned it’s your birthday this weekend, I wondered why you didn’t want to spend it with your family, there…”

Tim’s smile turns a little sardonic, tinged perhaps with the slightest edge of bitterness. “No, I try not to spend birthdays in Gotham.” He looks, for a moment, like there’s more on the tip of his tongue, but swallows it back down.

half of me wants to bang out a quick lighthearted silly core four fluff piece for tim day. the other half of me wants to bang out a quick moody introspective tim and all his fucking issues character study for tim day. since i can't decide i suppose i shall simply do neither. alas!