#wip: the one where kon isn't the father

[suzukiblu]

I am so weak for the one where Kon isn't the father. "I told myself you'd let me lie" "I would have, and I'm going to". Just. *Chefs kiss*

“Are you serious?” Kon asks, and laughs delightedly. “That’s so fucking cute, oh my god. What, did he just snatch her carseat or something?” 

“He tried to drag her bouncer out the back door,” Tim replies still more wryly. “I think he wanted her to meet the chickens. And the other time he tried to drag her crib out the back door.” 

“. . . do I even wanna know how he got it downstairs?” 

“If you figure it out, the rest of us would love to know.” 

[suzukiblu]

Some assorted Smallville headcanons from some of my assorted WIPs for Plot Bunny. They did not specify which WIP they preferred, so I just picked a bunch of different ones and went from there! 

Smallville does not approve of Clark Kent’s parenting style: Smallville is a tight-knit, proud little community where everyone looks out for each other that is full of people who want to continue living in a tight-knit, proud little community where everyone looks out for each other. The population at large still considers Clark one of their temporarily-displaced own and were therefore very willing to pretend to believe the “cousin” story when “Conner” showed up–right up until they found out it was NOT a story meant to help Clark’s displaced kid he’d just found out about settle into the Kent family in a low-pressure environment while he got over whatever obvious trauma had happened to him. Now? Now there are pitchforks being sharpened and torches being lit. CLARK JOSEPH KENT, YOUR HOMETOWN IS NOT MAD, JUST DISAPPOINTED. 

Kara gets to Earth on time and the Kents get a two-for-one special on free kids: Smallville is pretty sure Jonathan and Martha did NOT get this emotionally-fraught teen mom and her weird but adorable little baby from any actual adoption agency, Norwegian or not, but what’s a little illegal immigration and identity fraud between neighbors? None of THEIR business, no sir. Especially not if any strangers ever show up in town asking QUESTIONS. 

Jon and Martha, professional soulparents: Oh Jon and Martha absolutely will be clearing out the attic to make Conner a bedroom the absolute SECOND they get back to Smallville. And also being heartbroken about Clark, obviously. Everyone in Smallville is going to cry on them when they hear about Conner and be both very sad and very happy for them. And then they’re all gonna be Weird About Conner, who isn’t gonna know how to talk to ANY of them. He’s gonna get his cheek pinched by so, so many old ladies and SO many manly back-claps and it’s gonna be a pain controlling his TTK enough to actually let people do it. Meanwhile, everyone in Smallville, internally: oh he’s exactly as weird as Clark was when he first showed up, noted. Jfc, Jon and Martha, AGAIN?? WHERE DO YOU EVEN FIND THESE KIDS. 

Kon is too trans for this pregnancy shit: No one in Smallville knew a thing about Kon’s physical sex, so they’re all gonna be VERY surprised very soon, but also Smallville in general is gonna take that whole reveal like CHAMPS and just roll with it, even if it might require some people having some Talks With Their Kids And/Or Slightly Bigoted Relatives. Like, there will be a few assholes and a few over-inquisitive weirdos around, because nowhere is a monolith, but overall Smallville is gonna roll with it and be chill about it while ALSO being incredibly out of touch with the up-to-date terminology/language and having very little grasp of the minutiae of queerness in general ( aside from a couple of very quiet people who are gonna feel a WAY about finding out that Conner Kent is trans and went completely unclocked all this time, and seeing how most of the town’s taking finding out really well, and does that maybe mean . . . ). 

the one where Kon isn’t the father: Smallville has politely not asked any questions about Tim aside from if he wanted a baby shower or not, but also ALL of Smallville knows Tim was Conner’s “boyfriend” and Kyra is “his” daughter. That’s just gossip-by-osmosis that all of Smallville knows. A lot of casseroles and crocheted things and quilts have happened to the Kent household since Tim showed up pregnant and traumatized. And baby stuff donations. And babysitting offers. And general helpfulness in general. People weren’t necessarily close to Kon, but a lot of people felt very bad about what HAPPENED to Kon, especially after finding out about Kyra. Not that any of them actually KNOW what actually happened to Kon or the truth about Kyra, but that’s a clone of a different gene donor, okay?? OKAY.

[suzukiblu]

Idk if I’m too late for WIP wednesday but I’d love to see more of the one where kon isn’t the father. Its so sweet and heartbreaking at the same time, which is such a good combo

“Aw, no, kiddo, you need better taste than that,” Kon teases Kyra gently, nuzzling her hair again. She chirps at him and–well, probably she’s trying to nuzzle him back, but mostly she’s headbutting him. Kon coos like she’s the cutest baby in the multiverse, which to be fair she is, and coos like she’s even cuter than that when she bites his face again. “Like, I dunno, Krypto. Krypto’s a good choice to like.” 

“Krypto’s already tried to steal her twice,” Tim says wryly. He wonders where Krypto is, actually, given Kon’s back and just . . . 

It’d been a long time before Krypto had started eating anything like normally and stopped only waiting on the porch for Kon to come back. 

Tim had empathized with the behavior, personally.

[suzukiblu]

Can we have some "The one where Kon isn't the father" for WIP Wednesday? It brakes my heart every time it shows up

Kyra squeaks, then babbles happily for a few moments before making that musical little noise again and trying to climb up Kon. She can’t really climb yet–that’ll start somewhere around eight to twelve months, according to Tim’s research–but . . . she’s trying to, yeah. Trying to grip his shirt and wriggle up him, anyway, which seems like the same thing at this point. Kon obviously thinks that’s what she’s trying to do too, because he shifts his grip on her and visibly braces her with his TTK to scoot her up to his shoulder. She purrs louder, and he rumbles back lower.

[suzukiblu]

Kon isn't the father for WIP Wednesday, please!!! 😍

“. . . ‘Jason’? As in crime lord Jason? As in the fucking Red Hood? As in the fucking shithead who broke into the Tower, took out half the team, and then took his sweet time beating the shit out of you because he was mad at Batman?!” Kon demands incredulously. “How the fuck was Jason an option?!” 

“It’s been a very, very long year,” Tim tells him, and smiles with absolutely no humor in it at all.

[suzukiblu]

the one where kon isn't the father for wip wednesday?

“Oh, so it’s his to take back too?” Kon grumbles, tugging him in closer to tuck his head under his chin. Tim doesn’t bother reminding him that, again, he’d quit, and mostly is just getting an increasing suspicion that Kon is going to be taking advantage of their fake relationship to hug him way more often than Tim would normally let him get away with. But, well–it’s appropriate for the cover and supports the cover, so if he does then Tim can . . . allow it, he guesses. 

Allow them both that.

[suzukiblu]

ik this isn’t on the list but for wip wednesday do you think we could please get some more of that one where kon isn’t the father?

“. . . a little bit, but also no,” Tim says, and can’t repress a wry smile. “Bruce apparently has a kid with Talia al Ghul, and she finally saw fit to inform him after . . . ten years, give or take? He’s Robin now. And–well, Dick was Batman for a little while. He gave it to him.”

[suzukiblu]

Can we get more of the one where Kon isn't the father

“He what?!” Kon demands, immediately bristling. Tim ducks his head. This smile’s a little pained, but he can’t repress it either. 

Of course Kon would react like that, though.

[suzukiblu]

i’ve got Mean It by K. Flay for Kon is not the father

I can’t wait to see everyone’s suggestions this time around!!

“. . . that is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard,” Tim says, blinking at him in bemusement. “How has that never come up before?” 

“Uh–’cuz he was Robin because you were dead,” Kon says, wincing a little. “So it felt kinda weird to be like ‘spoiler alert, if you ever die I’m apparently gonna have a nervous breakdown, bully Batman into adopting me, and steal your job and costume’ in casual conversation?” 

“. . . that’s really ironic, after this past year,” Tim says, trying to picture Kon in any version of a Robin suit and just getting a mental bluescreen at the idea. He can’t even picture Kon in a cape, unless he counts the evil adult version or that one time they all got turned into non-evil adults. “Also probably the most authentic way to carry on my legacy, let’s be real.” 

“Right?” Kon says with a sheepish laugh, lifting Kyra over his head again as she squeals happily and kicks her feet. “Slightly less embarrassing to admit to now, too."

[suzukiblu]

Can I request more Kon is not the father for WIP Wednesday?

“How long have you been here, anyway?” Kon asks, glancing around the room with a puzzled little frown. “What, no room for a nursery in any of the seventeen billion rooms in Batman’s fancy-ass manor?” 

“I didn’t want to be there,” Tim says, looking down at Kyra where she’s cozied up happily in the crook of Kon’s arm, her ear pressed to his chest. Kon’s still rumbling a little, just very quietly. Even while he’s talking, there’s an undertone of it in his voice.

[suzukiblu]

Another excerpt from the one where Tim is trans and Kon is not the father, plus a read-more for length.

“Bart’s really back too?” Tim asks, his voice not quite cracking. 

“Back and also . . . okay, not the right age, but the age he was the last time I saw him,” Kon says. “Which apparently he was not for you guys for a while, what the fuck.” 

“Long story,” Tim says, smiling helplessly. 

“Yeah, I know, it took Bart a whole thirty seconds to explain it to me,” Kon says wryly. 

“Have you seen . . . Cassie, yet?” Tim asks hesitantly, because he’s a fucking glutton for punishment, apparently. Because otherwise he’s just ignoring the elephant he coaxed into the room himself. 

“No,” Kon says, shaking his head. “Bart went to go drop in on the Titans, but Clark brought me straight here. He figured I’d wanna see you and Kyra first. We had a very confusing thirty-first century conversation while he was trying to ease me into the ‘everyone knows you’re gay for your best friend’ thing and gently break the news about me being a dad, and then Bart just started talking his ear off demanding baby updates. It was, uh, interesting. I guess he died before she was born, but Clark didn’t realize he’d known you were pregnant?” 

“Yeah,” Tim says, trying not to wince. “I mean–I didn’t know what to do at first, so I just took medical leave from the Titans for an ‘injury’, but I told Bart and Cassie, and then . . . well, then Bart died before I told the Kents. It was only a couple months or so–I didn’t want to make them feel worse, in case anything went wrong–but . . .” 

But that’s how it is, in their line of work. A couple months or so is more than enough time for another one of your best friends to die. 

“Please tell me you weren’t patrolling Gotham knocked up,” Kon says with a grimace. 

“. . . technically, yes, but not after I realized I was knocked up,” Tim says, smiling weakly. “Not for . . . more than a week or two, anyway.” 

Kon groans, dragging a hand back over his scalp. He looks pained. Tim pretends it’s because Kon thinks he’s an obsessed workaholic, and not because Kon knows him well enough to know how messed up he’d been to actually do that. 

“I was in the middle of a case,” he says like it’s any kind of a defense. “And it was investigative work, not . . . I called Dick in to handle the violent parts, okay?” 

“Small favors,” Kon says, then glances towards Kyra’s crib. “So you’re . . . retired? You hung up the cape?” 

“I’m not Robin anymore,” Tim says. “And I’m not patrolling or running missions. But I can’t–if he ever finds out, if he ever finds her, I can’t be retired. I need to be–ready.”

Kon’s jaw tightens. Tim wishes he’d never had to say that. Wishes the lie had been true. Wishes–

Wishes a lot of things, some for Kon’s sake but most for Kyra’s. 

And one or two for his own. 

“What’s the new codename, then?” Kon asks, still looking at the crib. Tim’s grateful that he’s not . . . Tim’s just grateful. Grateful that this is Kon, and he’s alive, and he’s here, and . . . and that he’s going to let him lie. 

He’s so fucking grateful for that. 

“I haven’t exactly bothered rebranding,” he says with forced levity. “I’m not going out with anyone else and I don’t need a rep. I’m not a vigilante anymore. I just need to be able to handle any problems that might come up.” 

“You know how Jimmy Olsen has a watch with a distress signal custom-tuned for Clark’s superhearing?” Kon says, glancing back at him with a slightly disgruntled expression on his face. “I’m getting you one. I’m getting you five. And think up a name, man. Get yourself a color scheme and a bunch of weirdly-themed gadgets going. There’s a lot of other birds in the world.” 

Kon does have opinions about names, Tim supposes. For obvious reasons. 

That was why naming Kyra after him was the only thing he could’ve done, but also a terrible thing for him to have done. 

He really couldn’t have done anything else, though. He’d had to name her what he would’ve named her, if Kon had really been . . . if she’d really been . . .

He’d had to. 

That’s the best way to lie, after all: use the truth. 

“Okay,” Tim says. He might’ve been annoyed by the watch idea when they were younger. Felt like Kon didn’t think he could handle himself or was overestimating himself. He’s not annoyed now. Now it’s just one more contingency plan. 

He’d do anything for Kyra. Wearing a panic button that Kon would recognize the frequency of is the least of what he’d do for her. 

“Clark’ll help me get something around,” Kon says. “If, uh–especially if he thinks we’re, you know . . . together.” 

“I could make it,” Tim points out. “You don’t need to bother him with it.” 

“Clark knows the best frequencies to use. Plus then we can make sure it’s not gonna sound too much like Jimmy’s too,” Kon says, then flashes him a grin. “Besides, it’s more romantic if I’m the one giving it to you, right?”

“Fuck you,” Tim snorts, rolling his eyes as he shoves him, and Kon laughs and goes with it. Tim doesn’t know how to tell him he’s the best friend he’s ever had; the best friend he ever could have. He doesn’t know how to apologize enough for this. He doesn’t . . . 

Kyra makes a squeaky crooning sound from her crib, and Kon blinks, and–

Oh, Tim thinks, watching Kon’s pupils visibly dilate into pinpricks. Right. He . . . forgot. 

“What the fuck?” Kon says. 

“Some of her vocalizations are . . . like that,” Tim says carefully as Kon stares fixatedly at Kyra’s crib. She squeaks again. “Um–Clark reacted a little weirdly to some of them too, he said they were–” 

Kyra starts her usual melodic babbling, and Kon makes a low rumbling noise in response. Tim–blinks. Kon looks startled too, putting a hand to his chest. 

“Uh,” he says. “That was . . .” 

Kyra starts babbling louder, squealing for attention, and Tim rolls to his feet and heads over to her. She’s already reaching up before he gets to her, and squeaking excitedly for attention. She sounds like a little baby dolphin or something. Clark said there were resonances and undertones to her voice that human ears couldn’t pick up on, too. 

But of course Kon’s not human, is he. 

“Can I . . . hold her?” Kon asks awkwardly, stepping up beside Tim as he plucks Kyra up and staring intently at her. She dolphin-squeaks again. He bites his lip, clearly holding back whatever sound he wants to make in response; clearly holding back from reaching out for her. 

“Let me change her first,” Tim says. Her diaper’s definitely wet, and he doesn’t want her to get uncomfortable. 

“Can you show me how?” Kon asks, still looking a little awkward. “I haven’t been around too many babies, and I kinda just had to, like . . . improvise, the last time I was taking care of one.” 

“Uh–sure?” Tim blinks at him in confusion. “Why do you care, though?” 

“Dude, I’m not gonna be the kind of asshole co-parent who makes the one who got pregnant do all the diaper changes,” Kon says, looking dubious. “You should show me how to feed her, too. She’s on formula, right? It smells kinda like formula in here. And the kitchen did too.” 

“. . . um, okay,” Tim says, and almost bursts into tears on him again. Of course Kon would be like this, the bastard. “She–is, yeah. Clark synthesizes a mix for her in the Fortress. The AI says it’s better for her system than the store-bought stuff, and I had trouble producing enough milk to keep up with her appetite. Plus I kind of needed to get back on my meds as soon as I could anyway, so . . . I mean, they’re supposed to be safe, but I didn’t want to risk it with her physiology.” 

“Good, then I can help feed her,” Kon says. Tim blinks at him again, then just . . . takes Kyra to the changing table. She squeaks louder, clearly offended, and tries to reach for Kon. He trails after them, looking fascinated by her. 

Well . . . Kon’s never seen a Kryptonian baby before, much less heard one, so . . . of course he would be, Tim thinks. Kyra’s only a quarter-Kryptonian, obviously, but genetically . . . genetically, she might as well be half-Kon, and . . . 

And he’s never seen a Kryptonian baby. 

So it makes sense that he’d react strongly, yes. It’d make sense that he’d be a little bit fascinated. Clark had reacted to her too. He’d looked just as startled as Kon had, the first time he’d heard her chirp and squeak for attention, and then just as fascinated. 

Tim still wonders if Kyra’s the first time Clark’s ever fully felt any of the kind of instincts people normally feel, seeing a baby. Like–genetically speaking, he means. Instinctually. She’s seen more of him than Kon ever did, so . . . well, that might just be because they’ve been staying with the Kents, but Martha had mentioned how nice it was to have Clark around so often a few weeks ago, so . . . 

Well. Tim has some suspicions, that’s all. 

He wonders, very briefly–he wonders if he would respond to her like Kon and Clark do, if he ever–if he found out about–

He crushes that thought down into gravel and grinds it into his mental pavement. He doesn’t think about it again. Not at all. 

(Would it be worse if he did or didn’t, though? If he saw her, and was FASCINATED–

Tim stops thinking about it.)

He changes Kyra’s diaper, taking his time a bit so Kon can better observe the process, and Kyra fusses and chirps and screeches through it. Kon stays in a little bit inconveniently close, but Tim doesn’t say anything about it. Kon can do a lot more than just be a little bit inconvenient, after telling him he’d let him lie about this. He’ll deal with having to work around him. 

Kyra screeches louder. Kon makes a thrumming noise low in his throat, and she stops mid-screech and stares up at him intently. Her eyes are a human shade of blue–she got Tim’s eyes and hair, thank fuck, considering there’s no way he ever could’ve sold the alternative as being inherited from Kon–but Clark said there were . . . fractals, he’d described them as. He’d tried to explain, and then tried to draw the pattern, but it’s nothing Tim can see in her eyes for himself. 

But it’s a Kryptonian trait, apparently, so he is very, very grateful he’d chosen the lie he had. Even if the squeaking and chirping hadn’t clued Clark in, if he’d ever met her . . . 

Tim is very, very grateful he chose the lie he had. 

And even more grateful that Kon is willing to help him keep it.

[suzukiblu]

Ahhhhh Kon is not the father for WIP Wednesday please!!

“Maybe,” Tim says, because I think the effects of the trauma of being raped and the tragedy of the deaths of multiple people I loved this year made it easier for everyone to believe I was heartbroken feels like too much to say. He knows Kon would hear it, knows Kon wouldn’t hold him saying it against him, but . . . but he doesn’t want to say it. Not right now. 

Not ever, if he can help it.

[suzukiblu]

I would also like to request some more of the one where Kon isn't the father

Kyra clearly likes it, though. Even more than she likes it from Clark, it looks like, which might just be because Kon’s not fully interrupting his own rumbling when he talks, but might also be . . . 

Tim, abruptly, wonders if Match would–

Tim doesn’t wonder if Match would anything, and forces himself to ignore the cold twist of nausea in his gut at the thought of him. At the thought of what he might . . .

[suzukiblu]

happy wip wednesday!!! kon isnt the father please? 💕💕💕

And also–also he was heartbroken. He never had romantic feelings for Kon, much less that kind of relationship with him–he’s never been attracted to other guys at all, in fact–but . . . but he was heartbroken. His best friend was gone, and his dad, and his ex who’d been his best friend before they’d fallen out, and then another one of his closest friends, and all of them had been murdered, and he’d been lying to everyone he knew about something no one else could ever know, had been hurting Cassie and taking advantage of the Kents, and . . . 

And he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about contingency plans, and Kyra had been so, so small.

[suzukiblu]

Kon isn't the father for this wip wednesday pls pls pls!!

“You didn’t wanna be there?” Kon asks skeptically. 

“I didn’t want to be in Gotham at all,” Tim says. “Also, uh–did anyone tell you about Damian yet?” 

“. . . like from the Omen, or . . .”

[suzukiblu]

Can I get some of that kon is not the father? I love how ur implying the awfulness but not really showing it yet so excited to see what’s next

“Cassie and Bart believed it too,” Tim says, and Kon–hesitates, briefly. 

“Well they don’t have an excuse,” he huffs, and then briefly presses his face into Tim’s hair again. “Geez, they know better. And you’d think the Titans would too.”