Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The rain was pounding outside, its dull roar against the panes of the windows adding a bass line to the usual sounds of daytime Gotham. Springtime had finally arrived in the city-unusually late, with temperatures not rising above freezing until mid April. Now, it was time for the usual cool cascades of the season. The residents, used to the eternal smog that settled over the chronically darkened gothic city, just put up whatever hoods they had or pulled out umbrellas, grumbling to themselves as the spring rains soaked through their non waterproof layers and into their socks.

Usually, Jason liked the rain, the almost cleansing properties and grounding presence of a light shower were a soothing balm across his usually frayed nerves. The cool droplets cascading over his face and settling his tumultuous mental state of any and all unease. Nowadays, though, the once welcome rain makes him grumpy and off-kilter. What used to be an easing presence just grated on his nerves with its clouds and the cold it brought along with it. The drizzle outside had brought a front with it that cooled their shared loft down to the perfect temperature for cuddling under the mass of blankets that was his nest with his mate. Venturing into the open air, however, was sure to chill him and make gooseflesh appear down his arms and have that bone deep cold seep into his very soul.

He grumbled as he curled up in their shared nest, trying to reap the last vestiges of his mate’s warmth from the side opposite of him. Well…at least as well as he could curl up around his ginormous belly, the life they’d both had a hand in creating growing steadily inside of him. 

He was larger than usual, and they had originally thought a whole litter, but Leslie had done the ultrasound, and said that their one pup was reaching all of her milestones in development quicker than others and she was just in a larger amount of amniotic fluid, courtesy of her omega father. If that hadn’t made Dick absolutely glow with pride like the goddamn sun when he heard that their pup was strong and growing like a weed, encapsulated completely safe within her mother where no harm would come. 

Jason was secretly glad there was only one, he didn’t know how things would work out if Dick had actually managed to put a litter in him. The lady he was talking to in the maternity section at the library when he first learned he was expecting had a second litter on the way of four , her first having been five pups. God, they would’ve had to have moved back in with the pack and the other omegas if there had been that many mouths to feed. Jason wouldn’t be able to keep up with production to feed them all without the help of his fellows.

Leslie had theorized that due to his body’s acclimation to heavy physical stress, he had created more fluid in his womb to absorb any impacts he might receive due to his history of prolonged damage. She said he was fine, it just made moving around a pain in the ass, and sometimes their daughter’s kicks went unfelt, which had freaked him out for a little bit, panic rising up in his throat in a choked off whine when he couldn’t feel her animatedly moving, no doubt practicing her moves or training to be an acrobat just like her daddy.

He hated the east coast’s weather. The cold bothered his joints, and having been pregnant for the majority of the frigid Gotham winter season has been absolute hell. Luckily he has his alpha around to wait on him hand and foot-Dick had decided that he was going to den up with Jason for the remainder of his pregnancy. In the beginning, when Jason was still mostly mobile, they would both have daily activities, himself running errands and tying up loose ends in his operations before he started to show, and Dick would still do his day job of a Wayne Enterprises executive, taking meetings and spending time at the office with Bruce and Tim. Now, he stays home mostly, still taking meetings on his headset, and staying in shape with their home gym equipment, and keeping up with nighttime activities on his computer, working with Babs on cases and monitoring patrols. He hadn’t been out in weeks, their groceries delivered up to their loft via delivery service, and hadn’t had any distractions to keep him from ravishing his mate in just the way Jason liked it.

Speaking of, the alpha was currently milling about around the kitchen, making some noise and apparently cooking breakfast, judging by the mouthwatering scent of his most recent pregnancy craving-banana and chocolate chip pancakes- filling the air.

But alas, even the aroma of his current favorite food was not enough to wake the prickly omega from his rest. He drifted in and out of consciousness as he blissfully slept surrounded by their combined scents in his most comfortable nest to date. The omega had spent weeks in the beginning of his pregnancy collecting the specific blankets he wanted for his nest, testing each one at the store thoroughly against his skin, along with several nesting pads for ultimate padding and scent retention.

He had spent hours making sure that each one was arranged perfectly to provide support for him and his alpha. His body had originally had difficulties adjusting to pregnancy, as he had sustained so much damage over time, and as he had gotten bigger, his old injuries would get agitated from time to time. The way he had his nest set up to cradle the usual suspects helped take some of the pressure off of his aching body.

The jolt of pain up his spine and down his sciatic nerve as he shifted told him it was going to be another one of those bad days and that he might be constrained to the nest again. He let out a muffled whimper from underneath the blankets as he hissed as pain flared up and down his back.

The sound of a plate being set down on the island and a pair of graceful steps alerted him that his alpha had probably heard his whimper of discomfort and was coming to check on him now that he was rousing from slumber.

A feathered touch trailed up his thigh and over his hip above the blankets, before gently grabbing his shoulder, lightly shaking to further wake him.

“Jason.” The soothing tenor voice filtered in from above, penetrating the warm cavern he had curled up in and beckoning him to exit and join it in the world of waking.

He lightly growled, his typical morning grouchiness taking hold. He buried a little deeper into his nest in defiance to his alpha’s suggestion that he vacate the warm safe haven of their bed.

Dick, his ever good natured mate, just chuckled as he leaned over, slipping half under the blankets to sidle up against the now less burly man, scenting him thoroughly as a greeting, turning the pregnant omega into a gooey, purring mess. Once he saw the pinched expression of Jason’s brow he knew exactly what the problem was.

“Where does it hurt, Jay?” He rumbled soothingly as he rubbed soothing circles along his mate’s upper back.

“My lower back.” The omega grit out as he bit back another twinge of pain at the movement.

Dick hummed in acknowledgement to Jason’s words and trailed his skilled hands lower to where his mate reported being uncomfortable and sure enough, there was some extra heat at the base of his spine. He gently massaged the knots out of Jason’s muscles and the omega purred gratefully as he relaxed into the blankets, body worked pliant and cooperative under Dick’s ministrations.

The alpha smiled gently at his mate's vocals. His omega was stubborn sometimes in acknowledging his nature. Before, when Jason was still freshly presented, he had no problems  with being able to use the distinctly omega sounds to his advantage as lures or enticements in a siren’s song to draw stupid alphas away from their posts. It had taken him time to learn, having only had two heats on top of his presentation heat. Now it was a skill that had been lost to time, and he was unable to create a siren’s song. He had been killed before he fully got the hang of his instincts and after the pit he had to completely relearn to even purr again, let alone make the calls of enticement. Dick remembered the first time the sound of what was supposed to be a purr came out of the tough guy’s throat. 

It almost sounded strangled and not unlike a garbled mess, so unlike his baby counterpart’s soft and mellow one, but with time, and Dick’s efforts to draw said sounds out of the stoic man, he learned how to do it again. Hell, Jason still hardly showed his omegan nature to anyone but Dick and sometimes the other pack members, too caught up in how it was weakness to submit to anyone outside of his mate and pack alpha.

“Come on. Let’s get you up. I made breakfast.” He said as he offered his hand to Jason. The omega gripped his hand and allowed the alpha to pull him up and out of their nest, Jason’s leg ever so slightly buckling as another twinge of nerve pain shot up and down his pelvis.

Dick was there to catch him, though. His strong and capable arms, a reassuring presence as he offered his strength as a brace for his mate. He would always catch his Little Wing, never letting him fall far from the safety of his wings.

Jason used his offered support to slowly half-limp his way to the kitchen island with his cheek between his teeth, pulling himself up and onto the stool, and parking in front of the plate of pancakes.

The sweet, chocolatey smell wafting from the plate was enough for his appetite to come back to him, and he gladly dug into the triple stack of exquisitely made sweet cakes, accompanied by a glass of milk and some eggs for protein. He was fully aware of the alpha preening from his place propped against the counter, a protein shake in one hand and the other propped against the ledge.

Watching his radiant Jason eat sustenance that he prepared for him did something to Dick. He had always loved just watching Jason, always mesmerized by the proud omega as if each and every single thing he did was a rapturous occasion.

From just coming home after a long day to his mate curled up on the couch with a book, the loft ambiently lit by lamplight, the shadows casting Jason’s sculpted features into an almost statuesque visage.

To watching his mate viciously beat some criminals to the ground, a picture of feral power and righteous fury. A strength that would ensure any future pups would be fiercely protected, never ever having to fear being taken from their dam.

To the way the larger omega could be worked pliant under his hands. He knew Jason’s body the best. All of his sensitive spots. How to make him hiss in frustration or melt with pleasure, and how to work out all of the pretty sounds he knew Jason could elicit when he pressed the right buttons. Their combined symphony as their entire beings became one, their fingers intertwined together in the sheets as they both rended pleasure from the other, each taking everything and leaving nothing for the other. Both seeking to take every part of one another and keep it locked possessively away inside, for their eyes alone to see.

Before, their love was a viscous whirlwind of smirks, blows, and teeth. It was about becoming one combined entity, tearing their way into each other’s hearts and completely consuming the other. Jason was his just as much as he was Jason’s. Upon their union they had been reborn. No longer were they just Jason and Dick, but they were two parts of the whole. The matching bond marks across their glands had done more than mark the other as theirs for the outside to see. It had brought them together in ways that people had waxed poetry about for centuries, their essences intermingled with one another and so intertwined that neither knew where Jason or Dick started. They were one entity- a two-headed, two-bodied monster with eight limbs that stalked the streets of the darkened city they called their home, quelling those who would dare encroach on their territory. 

Their bond was transcendent, their hunger and desperation insatiable. They were amorous and vigorous, and had christened almost every space in their loft with their love. Their familiar and intimate waltz a battle of wits and wills. Jason; never the stereotypical small defenseless omega, even in his youth, and Dick; an alpha who had never truly fit the mold of big hostile battle tank like their pack alpha, his frame lithe and acrobatic. His omega was larger than him, and had a penchant for making him work for any sexual dominance in the bed.

Jason lived to fight and even used combat as a love language. A test for his alpha for him to prove his mettle again and again. If he couldn’t even bring the unruly omega to heel, how was he supposed to protect and provide for any pups that may be achieved from their union? Dick, always the overachiever, rose to the challenge every time , not one to disappoint. He adored Jason’s ferocity and his tenacity to never submit, even to himself or Dick. His omega’s power and lethal prowess spawned a fire in his chest every time he bore witness to the demonic creature his mate could become when faced with the violent realities of their living hell. He stared into the abyss, and the abyss had stared back at him.

But this change, this softening of his mate’s demeanor as his body did the same, nurturing the new life created by their union had also changed the way they worked. The chase was over. The instinctual frustration that accompanied a newly mated omega gone now that their efforts had taken and his belly was swollen. It only took five years. Dick knew Jason would never admit it, but the omega was more grounded and sure of himself on an instinctual level than he had been in years, his internal struggles with his designation and his natural brutish personality warring with each other since his presentation. 

They didn’t need those restraining labels to be them. Jason wasn’t expected to act like a demure defenseless omega, just as Dick wasn’t expected to posture and fight needlessly with others of his same dynamic. Their sexual roles were subject to change as well, with the two doing the somewhat unthinkable: the omega mounting the alpha. Dick loved to feel all of his mate in every part of himself, and Jason needed to prove to his partner and himself that he was not to be trifled with, not what his designation made him. That he would give as good as he got as he would clamp his jaws down on the other’s nape, thrusting deep inside of him, going against nature itself in true Jason Todd fashion as he mounted his alpha, asserting himself on the most primal of levels as an equal to the alpha panting in ecstasy below him.

Following their mating, many things were different and many stayed the same. It was like everything had become more vibrant and there was the sense of always having someone at his side, even when he was alone. Jason was always lurking in his subconscious just under the surface, the omega’s emotions and feelings pulsating under his skin as if they were his own. It made them more in sync on patrols, and they knew each other’s moves before they did. They kept the streets cleaned for five years, and then after one particular heat, Jason’s scent started to sweeten.

A pregnancy was something both of them had thought impossible. In the beginning they had talked about a family, but upon seeing Leslie about fertility after being unable to get pregnant, scans revealed heavy scar tissue around the omega’s internal organs, including his womb, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. She had explained to them that a pregnancy would be difficult to take and sustain, but not impossible. The odds had been against them, but they persevered and were rewarded.

The couple had been so elated to hear of their new arrival, and were anxious throughout the first trimester, as miscarriages most commonly happen then, but she had survived and wass currently thriving. They may have not even met their daughter yet, but their lives were already better off with her in them. Denning up with the other was just part of the process, now that Jason was in the end stages of his pregnancy. This domesticity suited the both of them well, Dick decided. It may have been a learning curve, but the two adapted and metamorphosed to the new life they were about to lead in a few months as soon as their progeny entered the world. They became a new them. The alpha had changed too over the years, becoming a better person under his omega’s influence.

Gone was the suave, blasé maverick that would seduce anything with a wanting wet cunt and spread legs. Before, he had barely paid attention to his pack alpha’s new pup, the tired-eyed,too-skinny preteen the farthest thing from his hormonal teenage alpha mind when being a loner who left a trail of broken hearts behind after fulfilling his temporary interest in them was his current agenda. 

When Jason had presented, the alpha hadn’t known, having shown up at the manor to hash out some perceived issue he had with Bruce, only to be blindsided by the fireball of an angry territorial omega who was furious at this young alpha’s unwanted and rude intrusion into his den, so unlike the others of his kind Dick had been acquainted with. Jason was different, the spiteful and vicious 13 year old had thrown him for a loop, distracting him from his petty mission to get back at his father for whatever imaginary spite he had done.

 He remembered how he had tried to get into the omega’s space to loom over him and intimidate, as he had before when the younger was still a freshly stolen pup. Dick was used to getting his way and disrespecting normal boundaries, as he had never been rejected by others of the boy’s kind before- why would he? He was a young and handsome alpha belonging to one of the richest packs in Gotham. He fully expected to intimidate the other down into a submissive stance, maybe even get the omega to present to him, only to have a pair of fangs chomp down on the offending hand that had dared to try and scruff the other. Dick left the manor sulkily and dejected with his hand shredded and ego bruised, without bothering Bruce, the omega having growled and snarled at him all the way out the door of his old den.

 Later on, when the pack was on less rocky soil, Bruce would tell him that the young omega had a penchant for using his teeth and fists to do the talking for him, the pup having to fend for himself since he was 8, alone and digging through garbage in hopes of finding something somewhat edible. Hearing those words had left an itchy feeling under Dick’s skin, but he ignored it. Of course the younger had to have been tough for him to even survive in Park Row of all places for more than a week, let alone 3 years. Dick would never say it out loud at the time, but the skinny pup’s ability to take on the depths of Gotham and come out the other side alive was more than impressive. His resolve was almost superhuman.

Bruce had taken Jason in at 11, finding the emaciated pup trying to boost the tires off of the Batmobile in hopes of actually being able to afford a fresh hot meal for the first time in months . Bruce had imprinted on the mangy pup almost immediately, his instincts demanding to take this one in particular, and he had first cowed the little one into putting the tires back on and then scooped him up into his kevlar-isomer cape, spiriting him away to his den.

After he had made it back to the manor, the alpha had had to scruff the skinny thing, who had been struggling and trying to escape from him from the moment he realized that he was alone in the world against the behemoth of a vigilante. Bruce had had to remove his customary scent blocker patches for the little one to catch his scent of mine, acceptance, and possessiveness. Instinctually, pups knew what that scent meant; adoption into a new pack. This pack alpha had stolen him and was making him his, a part of his pack. Bruce had cradled the bony pup close to his chest as he swiftly changed into a white shirt and some sweatpants, allowing the baby to bury his nose into his collarbone, taking in every message his scent and body language were giving him. Every pheromone giving him promises of love, family, abundance, warmth, and safety. He had bathed the boy with his finest soaps, scrubbing away layers of grime from scarred skin stretched over knobby appendages, and bundled him up in a fluffy towel as the youngling looked around the opulent bathroom with wide, wondrous eyes. He had then dressed Jason in some of Dick’s old pup clothes, retrieved by Alfred, that were extra soft and comfortable to entomb the pup in a safe layer of fluff. 

The acclimation process into a new pack can be a long or short one for pups, depending on their ties and bonds to their old one. Jason, Bruce learned the pup’s name was, had crumpled almost immediately into his bed, his instincts worn haggard by years of living on the streets, not having a caretaker or pack of his own since his dam had died. He was run ragged, body needing the reassurance and protection of his new alpha like he needed air. He had cried and keened and gripped at Bruce like a lifeline, and had stayed stuck to him for days. Jason had clung to him for a week before he had to leave him in the den to go out for a meeting with some lawyers to comb for records of the now healthier pup so he could take him in officially. Once he found the records of the pup’s last pack- a deadbeat beta father who was in prison for a long time and an omega mother whose last known image was a heavily bloated corpse on an autopsy table, he officially adopted Jason, and had made the pup his.

Later, his pup would tell him that when his Mama had died, he hadn’t known what death was, so one day in winter, he woke up in their nest curled around her still form, only to not find the familiar warmth of her there. She had been there, but she was cold, and her scent had gone stale. Jason said he remembered trying to wake her for days, having gone hungry for just as long, wailing in the way pups only can when they’re desperately looking for any form of comfort. The police had been called in due to the smell of his mother’s rotting corpse, and the landlord had thrown Jason into the gutter, an 8-year old pup , to fend for himself. He had learned to survive by watching the street dogs scrounge for food, and he would hide out in stairwells or doorways at night. He would even hole up in the library some nights when the librarians were particularly unattentive and missed him hiding in the bathroom at closing. Those nights were some of the only nights Jason knew warmth in the frigid cold of Gotham. It was where he attained his love of reading, the skill retained from his mother teaching him, and pilfered library books sometimes the only positive interpretation he had of people. 

Bruce had since gotten all of his favorites in first editions or custom-bound copies, all critically organized with utmost care upon the custom mahogany bookcase in his room, located across the hall from the enigmatic eldest son’s seldom inhabited old room.

Dick’s less than stellar welcome from the then 13 year old omega made plenty of sense. The other had already had enough experience maiming creeps on the street who would try to do unspeakable things to unprotected, orphaned and packless pups, let alone cocky asshole supposed packmates that thought that their status gave them the ability to do as they pleased. That flat out rejection and injury was the start of Dick’s burgeoning interest(read borderline obsession) with the omega.

He had started to come back into Bruce’s life more, stalking the manor grounds once again, welcomed with open arms by his pack alpha, even becoming celibate for months but that didn’t fool the object of his conquest. Jason had hissed at him the one time he had tried to join him in the library, trying to charm the other in some way or the other. Even after months of trying to woo the younger, whether that be through gifts or just time spent with him, Jason was too smart to be played for a fool, having figured out Dick’s ploy already. 

The omega had spat at him whilst rejecting him fiercely. He knew that the alpha didn’t actually have any interest in the younger omega and his false pursuit was just that, a game . Jason was just a new toy that fought back, which made him interesting . Fun to break, but Jason never broke, all proud snarls and haughty bravado til the day he died.

That incident was the turning point in Dick’s life. At first, he didn’t know why his chest spasmed the way it did or why he was unable to draw a full breath for who knows how long when he heard the news of the fiery omega’s death from his devastated pack alpha’s mouth. Dick didn’t know until later with countless therapy sessions that he was in heavy denial of his feelings, only his head was stuck too far up his own ass to be a decent man and actually think about how much shit he had put Jason through when he came onto the young omega, who had horrible intimacy issues, so fiercely and vapidly.

He doesn’t remember much about the timeframe following Jason’s death, he just remembers the pain deep within his heart and then it was all a blur for a while.

He apparently had gone missing for two months, not being seen within that time frame, and had been institutionalized for a while in League custody to try and account for the events that transpired during the missing time.

When he was finally approved for the real world again, he came back home only to find his life upturned once again when a tiny pair of eyes saw him and immediately darted deeper into the den to try and hide from the unknown alpha.

Upon one of his visits whilst in residential, Alfred had explained the situation with Timothy Drake, and why the shy young pup was here, but it still hurt to be in another pup’s presence after losing his packmate. His Jason.

He didn’t have much fight left in him when it came to Bruce anymore, both of them still shells of themselves in grief. He haunted the mansion for days like a phantom from one of Jason’s books, frequenting and curling up in the other’s favorite spots, hoping to maybe catch a scent or magically make the omega appear to make the constant clenching of his heart disappear.

He fell into line, and then-almost like an act of God, or a Demon -Jason came back to him.

But the version of him that had made it back to the land of the living had been jaded and hurt and vengeful.

He had been freshly released back to duty when the new player had started taking huge chunks of rival gang’s territories and the drug trade was being turned on its head in Gotham, all spearheaded by this new scarlet shadow.

The Red Hood killed , going against everything their alpha had ever taught them. Given, the crime boss’ victims were always people that had deserved it, and a small voice in his head had been niggling at the edges of his consciousness that maybe that wasn’t so bad.  

If Bruce had killed, then Jason wouldn’t be dead and rotting in the ground. The voice had hissed, and fed him images of his omega packmate in that rare relaxed state Dick could sometimes spot him in from afar, the omega always tense and guarded around him. The way he would be absorbed into a good book, or curled up in a soft pile of blankets in one of the brightly lit lounges.

Oh , how Dick had wanted to see more of him in that serene state, and his heart howled in despair at the reminder of what was lost before it had even begun, his chest clenching painfully and a wail choked down behind stinging eyes and gritted teeth.

The Red Hood had run amok in Gotham for months, running a large scale hostile takeover operation and eeking out a sizable territory throughout the city, flourishing despite Batman’s dedicated pursuit. The man had quickly become a titan amongst the Rogue gallery of Gotham, gaining special attention from the Dark Knight due his high body count and the impact he was having on the drug trade in his sector.

…He hadn’t found out about Jason’s identity until he had been the object of the other’s stalking. He had been raised by possibly the most paranoid man on the planet, and he knew when he was being followed along his patrol route by a very skilled shadow. Given, he had been sniffing around some of the clubs undercover in Hood territory fishing for clues on how the operation was run, but had little to no success. Now, it appears his efforts had attracted the exact kind of attention he hadn’t wanted.

He had waited it out for months until one night, when he busted an omega trafficking ring on known Hood territory and had earned a few new bruises and a stab wound for his efforts, his new shadow struck.

The Red Hood was a force of nature, all brutish muscle and dangerous aura. He had rightfully earned his place at the table of Rogues, as he struck at Dick with solid and lethal blows, the wounded acrobatic alpha dodging with some difficulty. Despite being so large, the crime boss was fast , and he kept base with the sleek vigilante, trading blow for blow in a lethal dance.

The alpha had held his ground, giving as good as he got, sharp alpha fangs on full bloody display as rage bubbled up within him. His inner alpha, usually under strict control, was seething at this scentless foe. Yet, for some reason, an undercurrent of excitement had ignited its way through his chest, quickening his heart rate and spiking his adrenaline. They ended up in a test of strength as they grappled one another, their fighting skills seemingly evenly matched.

Then, to his horror, Dick had made a noise that had never come out of his throat in his life; he crooned. 

The soft, low sound escaping his body had both of them freezing for different reasons.

Dick; because he didn’t know why his body was betraying him when he was in combat against this unknown foe, and Jason because he wasn’t expecting such a calming and docile sound to come out of the formerly arrogant, cocky, and mean alpha. It was like ointment to all of his pent up frustrations, and was so inherently unequivocal when attributed to the alpha in front of him that he knew that it made him pause. Hesitate. 

Originally, he was going to do what the alpha had done to him, chase him down relentlessly until he broke down every mental defense Dick had, and then he was going to bitch him. Make him cry so prettily on his cock that the man would be as docile as a pet dog, always at his beck and call, protecting his master like a loyal guard.

But this, this wasn’t him . Not the same alpha he knew. Who was this imposter that was crooning at him and what had happened to the previous Robin that had run with the Team, causing mayhem and flirting with nearly everything in sight?

So with nothing known about this imposter wearing his old tormentor’s face, he did the only rational thing at the time: retreat and regroup.

Jason had been skeptical when he had started following the other in daytime hours too. This Dick seemed to actually be likeable. There was no skulking around with Roy and Wally-his two alpha friends-like they used to, drumming up trouble and looking for bitches. Hell, there weren’t even any second glances spared towards anyone who all but threw themselves at him. The alpha had just politely declined and continued on his way. 

Later on, cuddled up to him, he would ask Dick why the two were missing, and the alpha had said that Roy was a father now to a girl pup named Lian, and had explained, drawing circles along Jason’s collarbones that Wally had retired from hero work, alongside his mate: Artemis.

Jason had followed the alpha again, but this time, it was to learn who he was now versus who he was before. Jason could understand that the two were almost completely different personalities, and breaking into Dick’s League therapist’s files had told him that the alpha, upon learning of Jason’s death, had had a catastrophic psychotic break, entering a fugue state and going missing for two months operating under the alias of ‘Ricky’, and had been found once again lucid in Bludhaven, the version of him that had resurfaced a complete cinnamon roll compared to his old personality. He still had all of his memories, and often expressed in the scans of his journals his deep, clawing regret for his treatment of the omega he had loved soul deep. 

Jason had read every journal entry the alpha had in the doctor’s files from his four month residential tenure and onwards following his release back into society and doing outpatient therapy sessions. His bone deep grief that he dealt with every day to the fact that he would always leave little gifts for Jason at his grave site, even having some breakdowns there. About how everyone around him had changed, and how he himself wasn’t the one they missed. That he wasn’t the Dick who was . How entire Team dynamics had shifted now that the newer, less cocky Nightwing who was careful, and thoughtful and so unlike the one they had before led them to victories.

A separate entry from the therapist, Dinah Lance, had expressed communication about a psychic deep dive into the vigilante’s head, but that the martians both had refused, deciding that this version of him was the better one overall to have.

The personality of this new Dick appealed to his instincts in a way Jason couldn’t describe. His eternal love and loyalty to a dead omega that had never even entertained the idea of him, so unlike the sadistic sexual desire to own and dominate of his alter ego. It was almost as if the alpha was trying to court him even in death, laying all of his sins bare to the empty casket under the stone bearing the omega's name.

Jason didn’t know how to deal with this feeling. He was flattered by the alpha’s dedication to him and his memory, with Dick seemingly being the only one to even remember that he was gone, let alone mourn him with the fervor that he did. His pack alpha, whom he loved so deeply and dearly, had no files with Dinah-always so stubborn, Bruce. He had thought his father didn’t care, and had replaced him so soon after his death, but then Jason had found the entries where Dick mentioned what Alfred had told him happened in his absence within the pages of the journals. 

Bruce had gone feral when he found Jason’s body, keeping the instinctual madness buried deep until he had gotten his dead pup home for a burial. The last thread of his humanity snapped when they filled the hole with his pup in it with dirt, he had gone on a historic rampage that lasted months. He would howl his ripping grief at losing a child to the clouded sky on the grounds of Wayne Manor for hours at night, ripping his vocal chords to shreds. The Bat had left trails of goons beaten into bloody pulp, but still left breathing. Hunting, searching for the killer whom he had known well, and cornering the Joker in a warehouse one night, ready to tear his throat apart with his fangs alone, only to be apprehended by the Man of Steel himself. 

-According to a report from Clark-penned in his elegant script and scanned into the file(probably torched afterwards)- he had taken the criminal to Arkham Asylum himself and had taken Bruce home, doing his best to ignore the man’s desperate pleas for vengeance and retribution in the name of his lost child. The man of steel expressed deep regret and sympathy for his friend and his grief, but was bound by duty more than emotional obligation to his comrade to make sure he never crossed that line. That Batman never killed. This file was kept off the official servers and was only located in Dick’s therapy notes, no doubt the League covering for one of its founding members. That was a good thing though his mind supplied, that kind of thing is best kept private. For his father’s sake.

 It didn’t take long for the media to connect the new string of violence to the fact that Robin had mysteriously vanished off of the streets.

Bruce became a shell of himself in his grief, and when he wasn’t out beating people, he would hole himself up in Jason’s room, the omega’s favorite blanket shoved into his face, desperately trying to pick up any lingering scent of his pup, letting out keening wails instinctively, as if his desperate calls would bring his son back from the dead.

He only came out of it when he had encountered a little pup wearing an imitation of his pup’s Robin uniform, and he had been snapped out of his endless haze of violence and grief at the pitiful mewled begging from the youngling’s mouth. A cry for mercy for the people of Gotham.

Being brought back to lucidity, Bruce had initially rejected the other, reluctant to repeat recent history and fearing the worst would happen to another one of his pups if he let the boy into the pack. It was Alfred who brought Tim Drake into the manor and had forced Bruce’s hand. The alpha had reluctantly accepted him, and had scented him to integrate him into the pack, but it was all very bad timing. Bruce was freshly out of a grief-driven feral state that had lasted months and Dick had recently been recovered from wherever it was he went when he was ‘Ricky’, and had been held in residential care under Dinah to undergo an extensive psychological evaluation, so he hadn’t even been there when Tim was integrated into the pack.

Damn … After reading all of that, his heart weighed heavily in his chest. His death and the loss that had accompanied it had a rippling effect across the whole family it seemed, and it made most of the preconceived notions he had about what had happened post mortem complete falsehoods. His inner omega called out to him, begging him to fix his pack and reunite with the ones who loved and missed him. The pack that was broken over him. His heart yearned for them as he imagined theirs did for him.

Jason decided to change his plans. He still went through with trying to kill the Joker, only to be apprehended by Batman, and the reveal that followed afterwards had left ripples going through their pack.

He had tried to run after failing to convince his alpha to kill the Joker and to lick his wounds, already satisfied with getting revenge after he read the reports, only to be recaptured by Bruce.

The alpha had pulled him from the rubble before he became conscious after his failed attempt at bombing the apartment, and dragged him back to their old den and to the wounded Dick. Bruce had grabbed the elder as well, scruffing him into bonelessness as he gathered his two pups in his personal den and held them there, seemingly reassuring himself that he had both of them back.

Jason was left in a constant state of bliss from the combined contented alpha pheromones washing over him, along with the vapid scenting of reclamation the two had done, their wrist glands raw from excess oil production.

He was there in the den for a week before the two were convinced that he was real and there before he was allowed to wander the manor, dressed in a comfortable pair of lounge pants and a wool sweater that probably cost more than his childhood apartment. He made it to his favorite nook in the library, only to come face to face with the little ghost that had been around the manor; Tim.

He had understood why Bruce and Dick had wanted to keep him away from Tim, probably afraid of him lashing out due to having another dawning Robin so soon, but Jason had read the reports, and it wasn’t Dick or Bruce’s fault, really. That blame belonged to Alfred but he couldn’t bring himself to hate the old man, he had done the right thing for Bruce at the time, so it was an unavoidable situation.

So, he just picked up a book from one of his remaining piles and curled up next to the frozen younger, gathering him up and into his chest in a gesture meant to soothe pups and opened his book where he had left it. He would get back to his mission in time, but for now, he would allow this domestic bliss to last for a bit longer.

He would say he built up a pretty decent bond with Tim during his temporary stay at the manor, taking the very clearly orphaned 10-year old pup who was just silently screaming for attention under his wing and doing everything a mother would sans actually nursing him. He would catch Dick watching the two sometimes with a rapturous look and wondered when this new version of the other would make his move. Jason knew exactly how much the other wanted him, and now that he had vetted the other, he wasn’t so disinclined to reject him this time. Dick just had to make the first move.

When the alpha had finally offered him his first courting gift; a first edition uncensored copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The omega had graciously accepted with a purr and an accepting scenting of the alpha’s collar bones, and the rest they say, was history.

That had been six years ago, and there were more packmates added to the roster now: Cass, Stephanie, Kate, and Damian, Stephanie being an omega and Damian still a 9 year-old pup, but the other two were alphas. Tim had also presented as an omega to the surprise of absolutely nobody who knew him.

Dick was tirelessly devoted to his relationship and his growing family. When he had started to think about mating with Jason as this version of himself, he knew he had to have the skills to pay homage to the particular omega he had chosen to offer himself up to and to make up lost ground on their relationship. He learned to cook his omega’s favorite dishes, stocked their loft (as they had been staying with one another for months now and had finally gotten a  place of their own) with any and all blankets that his mate had shown even a passing interest in. He showered him with love and affection in just the way he liked it; not too overbearing or clingy, but still showing great care.

These efforts, along with some of his other assets had made him good enough in his omega’s eyes for him to be allowed into the heat nest and to mate with him, tying them together for the rest of their days. 

Always the gentleman, he had let Jason bite him first, the other doing it in his particular style-Jason wasn’t one to be traditional-so Dick bore his mark at the back junction of his nape and right shoulder, where the other had made love to him so beautifully, ending it all with the sealing venom-filled bite etched deep into his flesh forever. He had placed his mark in the exact same spot on Jason, done in the exact same way, so Jason could feel how he felt in that ethereal moment as they became one for eternity.

His skills came in handy now that he was the sole protector and provider of their den, and was constantly showering his omega with lavish homemade meals made of top quality meats, cheeses, and fruits. He would spend hours pacing their apartment, patrolling their space, and double, triple checking the locks and latches located on each window and door. Jason would comment from time to time on how he usually only got that way before a rut and that he was ‘fretting’, but Dick would just softly laugh him off and continue to make sure there wasn’t a draft coming in through the window or fluff Jason’s blankets around him on the couch, his instincts at the forefront of his mind.

He had stepped back from Nightwing and the Team for a bit, under the official guise of a ‘sabbatical’- there was no way in hell the news of a pregnant Red Hood would get out and put his family in danger. If anybody found out that the notorious crime lord was carrying, or that the child was sired by one of Gotham’s most famous vigilantes, the amount of backlash would be extreme. They could be aiming to hurt not only the crime lord, but the Bat clan as a whole if anything happened to that baby. Dick was needed here now more than ever. Kaldur was left in charge and he was in the know, as were the original Team members, and they had each sent their own gifts to him via Tim. He had his patrol schedule split between his siblings so he could guard the den and tend to his mate more. 

He would’ve stayed holed up in their loft if not for Jason’s frustrated hisses that he was being ‘overbearing’ and he would also get kicked out to go with one of his siblings when another would visit. The pack was all attentive and excited for the first pup born into their bloodline, visiting often and always bringing gifts of soft toys or pup clothes, and they had amassed quite a collection of baby books that were all aligned on the little shelves in the corner of the loft where they had set up the little crib and nursery, right next to their bad.

So, with his mate’s encouragement (read: when Jason gave him the boot), he would still book a few classes at the gym to give the omega some reprieve and to give himself a distraction, lest he go full ‘knothead Dickie’ as Jason had dubbed it.

He enjoyed teaching classes at the community center’s gym. The pups that were under his care for gymnastics were always amusing as they fawned over him showing off a move they were going to be learning that week. He loved performing and basking in the attention of his adoring fans. They would always squabble amongst each other as to who would get to go first to learn the skill with Coach Grayson. It warmed his heart and he would think about the future he and Jason would have with their own daughter. His mate had no doubt in his mind that she would love the sky about as much as he did, and Dick really hoped that would be the case. She could be an olympian gymnast or maybe even another addition to his circus act!

Being a gymnastics coach wasn’t the only activity he used to fill his time these days. He also took over Jason’s Omega Self Defense class he had started teaching weekly a few years ago to help locals get by in the community. He had consulted Selina to see if she wanted to co-teach with him, and the lithe omega had agreed pretty much readily if Dick got to be her test dummy. He was not prideful enough to reject the help getting through to some of his students, who had previously been assaulted and didn’t trust him one bit due to his designation. Even if that meant getting leveraged by the small woman a few times weekly. Tim had even come by one night to help give pointers, the young omega softly offering technique advice and adjusting stances.

“-Dick? Are you even listening to me?”

Dick’s attention was brought back to the present as he caught the teal emerald eyes of his mate. He was looking at him expectantly? Not one to be caught unaware, he brought his shake-blueberry- to his lips to casually sip it.

“Hmm?” He asked as if he hadn’t not been paying attention to anything but his own thoughts for who knows how long.

“Hmph. Stubborn alpha.” Jason scoffed at him with a forkful of sweet cake in his hand. “I could tell you were off in your own little world a minute ago.”

“You love me for it though.” He shot a dazzling smile to Jason, hoping it would work in disarming and placating him.

It didn’t.

“I was asking you if you were going to patrol with B tonight? He texted and asked.” Jason said, holding up Dick’s phone, which had been sitting on the island with him untouched.

Dick pretended to mull it over in his head, but he already knew the answer. Probably not. He was needed here with them.

Too bad Jason knew him too well for him to fake anything.

The omega’s face fell as he clocked Dick trying to worm his way out of leaving the den.

“You’re going, Dickie Bird, and that's final.” He said with a humph as he slid off the stool and waddled his way over hardwood to the sink to run the water.

“But Jas-” His whine was cut off with an authoritative rebuke as his mate washed his plate, Dick already having cleaned the pan and mixing bowl, which were drying on the adjacent drying mat.

“ That's final , Dick. You need to get out. Exercise.”

“I do exercise! I do my daily routine!”

“Dickie, we both know that you need to run, and not just on the treadmill. You need to be up in the air. You can’t stay cooped up here. Don’t tell me you think pregnancy brain has damaged my ability to see that you’ve not been fully fulfilled often these past few months.” Jason said, placing the dishware on the mat, dish towel in the hand that rested on his hip.

“I’m perfectly happy here. I love denning with you, Little Wing.” He said, dodging the question. “I can handle myself just fine.”

“You’ve reorganized the furniture in the living room four times in the last two weeks. You’ve done at least 100 hanging sit ups on the bar every day. I saw you pacing yesterday when you thought I was napping on the couch. You’re restless.” Jason pointed out, and Dick stiffened. Damn it. Going to therapy had made Jason way too observant with emotions. Nothing got past him. The omega was just too sharp.

He sighed. “Maybe I do need to get out more, but what about you? I can’t just leave you here unattended.” He spoke as he moved to envelop Jason, his taller mate slotting against him perfectly, their pup cocooned between her parent’s bodies. “An hour here or there for a class is different from a whole night’s patrol.”

The omega huffed. “That's what Tim is for, Dickie. He’s benched for a while according to Babs. he broke his radius on patrol the other night. We can bully him out of the cave to den sit.” He spoke into Dick’s raven locks.

The alpha almost said no, until Jason started trailing bites along his jawline just the way he liked it, his hands roaming along his biceps, making his control wither under experienced hands. Jason knew his spots all too well.

“ Fine. ” He growled, making the omega relent from his advances and turn to saunter off with a smirk, teasing the alpha with an exaggerated sway in his step as he went to the living room to pick from the stack of books on the coffee table.

Shaking off that distraction, he followed Jason across the loft.

“Did you want me to help you stretch your back?” He asked before Jason could nestle into the mini-nest of blankets on his spot on the couch, right at the end with the end table and a nice lamp. Nobody was getting the badgeresque omega out of his hole if he had a good book, lest they wanted to be on the receiving end of his larger than normal omega fangs.

Jason turned, eyeing him appraisingly. If he wasn’t on his best behavior, he’d probably get a much meaner bite than the love nibbles on his jawline, but it would be worth it to try for some intimacy with his mate. Plus, Dick was sure the omega loved his marks being on him, given how many he had. The alpha displayed quite a collection on his skin, bite scars in different places, some along his forearms that occurred whilst roughhousing with his mate or getting too close during some of those early episodes of Pit Psychosis. Some more along collar bones, chest, and shoulders from passionate couplings shared between them. 

Whenever Jason laid eyes upon his work, a deep seated satisfaction painted itself across his face, and that in turn made Dick want to display the physical proof of his mate’s love with even more pride.

When Babs had seen him at the manor pool party over the summer, when he was still in the beginning stages of pregnancy, the beta had laughed herself silly and congratulated Jason for ‘making mince meat out of Dicky’, much to the mortification (and abject horror) from the gentle hearted Tim, and an intense line of questioning from Damian. 

The pup was raised before being stolen with old world morals about an omega’s role in a bond. He demanded in typical Damian fashion why Dick, as an alpha, let his omega mark him up in such a permanent way. Needless to say he got scruffed by Jason and made to surrender for his impudence, damaging the haughty pup’s pride. As a reminder of where he stands, pup. Jason had said, pinning the snarling ball of teeth under him, and at the time, it made Dick melt in a way he didn’t know he was capable of. He loved seeing Jason doing his duties as pack omega, he only wished that the omega marked the little punk up too. He was going to be such a good parent.

In time, he would explain to Damian that having a mate that was strong enough to wound you was a major turn on, and that one day he too would bear the physical proof of his mate’s love like works of art along his body. Bruce would probably not do it, as he had never mated and thus wouldn’t understand-too dedicated to his pups and their affairs. Kate bounced around between relationships, and Cass was also undecided on her courting life, so it was up to him as the pack’s only mated alpha. There was no way that pup would be anything other than an alpha.

“Sure.” Jason spoke, and Dick quickly went to move the coffee table up against the wall, leaving the area rug in front of the couch free for Jason to lay down. Helping him to lay down on his back, Dick sat on his knees against his mate’s lower body, each patella touching a hip. He brought Jason’s knee up and bent his shin inwards, bringing his other leg up to do the same, bracing Jason’s knees against his collarbones. He then leaned over the other, both hands around each of his mate’s thighs, and slightly elevated the omega’s lower half. He thanked every kinesiology class he took in college for his ability to be Jason’s de facto physical therapist, and he was grateful that he could help alleviate his pain and discomfort.

Jason had his arms stretched behind him, fully taking advantage of the help to fully loosen up his ever aching back. The stretch was delicious, and a wave of endorphins rolled over him, allowing him to relax in fully contented bliss. He must’ve been making noises because a pleased rumble joined a previously undetected purr and suddenly Dick was in his field of vision, his back supported under strong hands and his alpha’s breath mingling with his own.

His mate’s eyes were soft as he moved to nuzzle Jason, and Jason took the moment to kiss his mate softly, sensually. Their scents intermingled lazily as they slowly kissed on the floor, and Jason’s back was completely forgotten.

The only thing on his mind was Dick as they moved. His eyes, a bright cobalt blue that shone ethereally even in the darkest of nights. His kindness, and his corresponding darkness. A creature of balance. He was truly the perfect match for Jason. Someone to even him out with light, and yet also accompany him through the dark with warm embraces, a grounding hold, or a clenched fist. A provider and a protector, not that Jason would ever admit that he wanted those things. His pride would not allow that, but he had a feeling Dick knew how much he truly cared. 

Jason groaned appreciatively into his mate’s mouth, Dick consuming any sounds he may have made as they danced together on the rug. He smirked and rutted his hips along the bulge in Dick’s pants, eliciting a muffled groan from the alpha. He gripped Jason’s hips, pulling back to gaze at him.

“Jason.” A low, husky voice breathed into his ear.

“Hmm?” The omega asked, playing stupid, his eyes widened in the picture of innocence.

“On the floor?” Dick asked, holding his hips still, blocking him from seeking the friction he really wanted, arousal pooling hot under his flushed skin. That didn’t stop the alpha from slotting their hips together, pressing his own hardness into Jason’s pelvis, but not giving him the friction he wanted. Jason didn’t do anything half-cocked. Dick had to play the long game or else the other would have no qualms fucking on the floor like animals whilst he was seven-and-a-half months pregnant.

“It’s convenient.” Jason said, dodging the question and trying to steal a kiss from Dick, wrapping his arms around the other's neck, attempting to pull him down.

“No.” Dick said as he moved away, taking his warmth and musky scent with him.

“What? Where are you going?” Jason grumbled as he tried (and failed) to roll over onto his stomach to get his legs under him. How dare that smug alpha just get him worked up just to walk away?

“To get the bed ready.” Dick called over his shoulder as he retrieved the heat pad from the closet, spreading it out in their nest to capture any spillage from their upcoming activities. Having to take all of the nest apart to clean up slick or cum would take up all of their afternoon, and Dick would really prefer to not be doing any chores if he had to patrol the territory tonight. He would rather be cuddling in the nest with his mate.

Returning to the rug-bound omega, he pulled him up off the floor and into a slow but sensual kiss, cradling the other’s head in a gentle embrace as he mapped the other’s mouth. 

He could never get enough of Jason. His omega always made things interesting. It was always a dance, a little push here, stripping himself and his mate bare there, clothes thrown to the wind, only to nip at him and retreat, leading a chase across the loft until he lured the alpha into his nest, the other helping him get comfortable on the heat pad on his side, before covering him with his body.

Dick enveloped him, showering him in kisses and touches, always a very physical lover. He trailed his hands along Jason’s sides, before coming to a stop at the bulge in his stomach where their daughter lay growing. He rumbled in deep contentment as the pup inside kicked, his love bubbling up in his belly until it consumed him. Jason’s purr joined him and he moved to kiss his mate’s jaw, the other’s head arched up baring his neck in response to Dick’s heavy protective and loving pheromones. An impatient bump of hips against the junction between thigh and groin and the growing need thrumming through their bond told him of his mate’s predicament. Jason had gone nonverbal a few minutes ago, instincts taking over under the hazy fog of the strong alpha’s influence.

He growled in assent to his mate’s demands, still littering kisses and nibbles along his mating bite as he lined himself up with the omega’s cunt, arcing a leg over Jason’s and slowly but surely sliding into his mate’s always-eager body.

The wanton keen that came from his mate was almost enough to make him pop his knot right then and there, but they would both be left wanting if he lost control now. He didn’t have to wait for Jason to adjust to his girth, their bodies molded to one another, so he started to move gently, keeping their hips molded to one another as he trailed bites along Jason’s shoulder.

He glided in and out with little resistance, each thrust eliciting an appreciative groan from Jason as it scratched all the right places inside of him. The sounds of skin colliding and the wet squelch of a cock going in and out of a wanting hole combined with growls, groans, and the background noise of the storm raging outside.

The pregnancy hormones that spike Jason’s scent along with the rush of receptive omega pheromones fill Dick’s nose up to the brim, the scent bringing his mind to an almost drugged state, his thoughts only a mantra of Jason, Jason, Jason . He whines headily as Jason cums on his cock, burying his teeth into his mate’s shoulder as his walls undulate around him, a wave of slick spiking the air around them as his mate hisses in overstimulation as he keeps going, jaws still firmly locking him in place. Dick pops his knot not too long after, locking them together in an intimate embrace as he steadily pumps wave after wave of cum into Jason. The omega purrs in satisfaction as he settles back into his mate, the bone deep pleasure that came with an orgasm and having his alpha’s knot locked inside melting him into the possessive and loving hold.

The alpha was and had always been such an amorous lover, giving him the world on a silver platter and more if he would only ask. They were meant to be with one another, and Jason would absolutely do anything for Dick if the alpha wanted it. The omega was even more loyal and attentive than Dick was, and he was more than extremely grateful to have someone just for him.

With both of their needs satisfied, Dick moved to cup their pup, Jason’s hands coming down to cover his own, and they fell asleep in the comfort of their nest, still locked in the most intimate of embraces.

It's Dick that wakes up first, brought back to the land of wakefulness by a perceived sound that he can't exactly remember. He groggily assesses his surroundings before slowly pulling his deflated knot out of Jason and getting up to inspect the disturbance in his birthday suit.

He hears the sound again and realizes that it is his phone pinging texts from various pack members.

He sends a follow up text to Bruce agreeing to patrol with him and the pup tonight.

He reads the chain of texts from Babs asking about patrol and then about how she was going to hack their cameras if he didn’t answer, and then saying that she did hack their cameras and saw their afternoon delight, and saying she wasn’t sorry about it, even saying it was cute that he was marking Jason up before he left for the night so that nobody would get any ideas of the omega being anywhere near single.

He shoots Tim a text telling him his plans are changing for the night.

He gets a reply: What do you mean?

He shoots the young omega a text back. I’m being forced out onto patrol rotation tonight because you’re off duty. So you get to stay with Jason in the den tonight. You’re den sitting.

Tim replies: Well, I guess the Loft is better than being cold in the cave.

Good, we’ll be feeding you and you can have free reign of the espresso machine if you want. Bring some casework or something to keep yourself entertained.

Got it. Do you have any idea how late you’ll be?

Probably the whole shift- until 4 or so.

I’ll be there at 8.

Dick puts his phone down on the nightstand as he reenters the nest, impishly smirking as Jason sleepily hissed as he rubs his cold foot against the omega’s leg.

“G’roff” He grumbles into the blankets, Dick’s hands moving upwards to massage his tender breasts, drawing out some of his mate’s milk. His mouth goes dry and tongue heavy as he watches the white fluid leak down his fingers. This is new. Jason had been complaining about tenderness but hadn’t started lactating yet. Dick was mesmerised. He quickly reached out his tongue and lapped up the leaking milk, and closed his lips around the nipple for more. As he sucked, the stimulation woke up Jason, who wove fingers into his hair with a gasp.

“W-what?” He mumbled as Dick hollowed out his cheeks, a blush crawling up the alpha’s face at the intimacy of feeding from his mate’s breast. Once he got a solid stream going, he pulled off and met Jason’s lips with his own, sharing the spoils of his efforts with him.

Jason hummed as the sweet and creamy liquid swept over his tongue. It was warm, obviously, and had more nutty notes than cow’s milk. An interesting flavor amplified by the heady feeling in his brain as he thought about how Dick had drank so greedily from him. He swallowed it down all the same.

“Well that’s new…” He trailed off as he met Dick’s excited gaze.

“I know right! Almost makes me want to stay here and get some more…” He trailed off with a heavy hooded gaze to his omega’s eyes.

“Not right now Dickie, you animal. We just went for a round.” The omega snapped, causing Dick to flop down into his bosom with an exaggerated moan, nosing along the milky flesh.

“I got a hold of Tim, by the way.” He said, muffled by Jason’s chest.

“Oh yeah?” Jason asked, rolling his eyes as he stroked his fingers through Dick’s onyx locks.

“He’ll be here by 8.”

“Well its 6:30 now, so we better get cleaned up and get the place aired out by the time he gets here. We don’t want another repeat of your rut a few years ago.”

Dick hummed as he ran his tongue around a nipple, coaxing more milk out and lapping at it generously.

Jason groaned, but tightened his grip to an almost painful level.

“ Now, Dick.” He growled as he pulled the zealous alpha up and off of him, now leaking nipples be damned.

The other whined but acquiesced, getting the two of them up and over to the bathroom to shower. He lathered up his mate under the warm water, washing away any trailing cum or sweat off of Jason’s body whilst the other stayed relaxed propped up against the wall, almost blissed out from the attention.

Letting Jason take a back seat for now, he got him cleaned up and dressed in some comfortable lounge pants and a loose red t-shirt, before depositing the omega in the mini-nest on the couch and wrapping him in a blanket to catch a quick nap before Tim came.

He quietly got the nest in their bed cleaned up and the heat pad folded up and into the wash, activating the air purifiers along the ductwork in the ceiling to help diminish the scent of their romp for Tim’s sensitive nose.

The last time the omega had den sit it was right after Dick’s rut, and the combined smells of rut pheromones, cum, and slick had sent the baby omega into a premature heat. Needless to say that was why there were now air purifiers in all of the heat/rut approved safehouses they had littered around Gotham and in each residence.

Jason slept right up until the doorbell rang, waking the sleepy omega from a nice nap, the smell of pizza and breadsticks from the local joint Marco’s down the street wafting through their loft.

He was groggily coaxed from his nest by the aroma and the sounds of Dick chatting animatedly with Tim as the omega took his boots and raincoat off, hanging it up to dry on the hook. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly before trudging over to the flighty omega, who was still nervous after his last solo trip here. Tim flinched a little when Jason came up behind him and scented the other omega, purring lazily as Dick smiled warmly at the two. He rubbed his neck against the other’s scenting him thoroughly through half-lidded eyes.

“Hey pup.” He said as he embraced the other.

Tim wasn’t expecting to be the comfort object of the pregnant omega when he came over. He thought Jason would be his typical grouchy self and would stay buried into one of the many nests he had littered around their den, but he definitely wasn’t expecting this cuddle monster, and it made his inner omega melt at the attention from his pseudo-mother.

His surprise must’ve shown on his features because Dick was smiling and chatting animatedly about how soft Jason had become as things had progressed along. Calling their pack omega soft had earned him a snarl and a snap when the other had tried to pluck him from Tim to feed him, still reminding the other of his status as a mean motherfucker when the time called for it, but Dick just chuckled, absolutely whipped, and moved Tim, who Jason had attached himself to, to a comfortable place on the couch, where he had access to the lap desk wedged there.

Tim would be lying if he said Jason didn’t scare him some times, their Pack Omega being a giant and scary behemoth that would kill you if he thought you were a threat to himself or his pack. He wondered what metal Dick’s balls had to be made of for him to try to mount the other; probably titanium or some sort of carbon-alloy. But he couldn’t bring himself to be afraid of Jason. When he was still a pup, having been taken in in rocky soil by the pack and on shaky ground as it was being basically orphaned by his two beta parents, Jason had taken him in with open arms. He had given him the love and affection he had so desperately craved. That was the first time in a long time he remembered a positive feeling associated with another person. The other omega was basically his mama now, and he leaned back into the other’s still strong embrace, welcoming his mother’s affection and scenting.

Having thoroughly scented his eldest pup, Jason let him go to set up his miniature workspace on the sectional as he went to track down his mate.

He found Dick piling two plates high with food for the two of them, which made him rumble deeply in satisfaction at the alpha providing not only for him, but for his pup, regardless of said pup’s heritage. The other approached him with his head held to the side, bearing his neck in homage to his mate and Pack Omega as he sidled up and nosed his chin, wrapping his arms around him and scenting him lovingly, before taking him back to the couch to cozy up next to Tim with the banquet bequeathed to them by the second-in-command.

Making sure his pup was fed, he started on his own plate piled high with his favorite: pepperoni, beef, pepper, and mushroom, with breadsticks and cheese sauce.

Dick came back out in full Nightwing regalia a few minutes later to see Tim going through a case file with his omega contentedly munching away.

Seeing his mate standing there, Jason all but throws himself off the couch, plate hurriedly put on the coffee table and makes his way over to make sure the suit is put on correctly and each lock is in place.

Dick just submits to Jason’s fretting and hands him a pair of unopened scent patches, letting the omega pull his collar down and apply them carefully over his glands.

Once he’s satisfied that his alpha is fully armored and well-equipped, he walks him over to the fire escape and all but shoves the reluctant alpha out with a calm “Go.”

Dick looks hesitant for a moment but he seems to come to some conclusion in his mind and nods, leaping away into the rapidly darkening skyline.

After watching Nightwing dot the Gotham sky once again, Jason returns his attention back to Tim.

“So what is the current case you’re working on?”

The omega looks over from his place on the couch looking over crime scene photos.

“Serial killings.” Tim grunts, not divulging every detail because he knows the omega is sensitive right now.

“Okay, what are the connections between the victims?” Jason asks, a little suspicious that Tim is withholding information.

“They’re all pups. Aging from 9-13 years old. All up and coming young leaders in their schools.” Tim says as he pulls up files for the omega to look at. “All pretty much the same; straight A’s, 4.0 GPAs, advanced curriculums in school, and all athletes in various sports. Some lacrosse, football, rugby, cheerleaders, you get the idea.”

“The All-American Pup.” Jason says as he looks through the files, seeing a bunch of athletic and happy-looking youngsters smiling back at him in various sports uniforms. “Someone’s got image issues.”

“All with traditional nuclear family archetypes. All female omega mothers, alpha male fathers. Not one of the victims belong to betas, female alphas, or male omegas.” Tim said.

“Do we think that this could be some sort of new player? A ‘genetic purist’?” Jason wondered as he looked at all of the images of dead pups. “Are they all from Gotham?”

“No. Two from Amnesty Bay, one from Happy Harbor, two from Bludhaven, and only two from Gotham.”

“Why is this just now being brought to our attention?” Jason growled, only to be interrupted by Tim’s phone. “There are at least seven pups dead.”

“ Because the mixed jurisdictions threw us off the scent.” Barbara’s voice floated in from the speaker.

“Jesus, Babs. you know we hate when you spy on us.” Jason growled as he looked at the camera, which flared as the lens refocused, the little voyeur was always peeping in on them and had many, many files on her computer of their sexual endeavors. It was specially labeled and everything.

“I’m just keeping an eye out, as always.”

“Ugh. Let’s get back to the case. What’s the connection between these pups? Do their packs know each other?” He asked as Tim pulled up some records.

“No, actually. These were all packless individuals. Just the mother and father with their litters. The only connection we can be sure of was that each of the victims had visited the same clinic on the Grand Park athletic campus.”

“Isn’t that like the mega sports complex right outside New Carthage?” Tim asks as he pulls it up.

“Yeah. Dick mentioned it once when he talked about going to school over there.” Jason said, rubbing his chin. “He said that it's a hub for youth sports and the organization sponsors a lot of scholarships for people to play for schools.”

“Perfect place to pick targets that fit this guy’s M.O.” Tim said as he stared at the papers.

“Were they sexually assaulted?”

“That looks to be the case. Cause of death in all cases was exsanguination with what looks like a solid object, maybe a pipe based on the bruising. It looks like the same object was used to penetrate as well. No semen samples were recovered upon administering a rape kit.”

Cold rage pooled in his belly at the thought of those innocent pups, who died alone and scared and being violated . Deep down, he knew the voice in his head was projecting the what if scenario of if that were his daughter. His pup. He brought a hand to his belly to ground himself, an action that had not gone unnoticed by the other two.

“How did he take them from their neighborhoods? Those were all pretty tight knit communities according to the reports. Someone had to have seen something.” He choked out past the rising bile in his throat.

“That's what we don’t know, but we know they were all taken on their way home from school, after they had separated from their friends to finish the walk by themselves.” Tim spoke.

“These were young pups, too small to fight back. All from nicer suburbs. They weren’t used to danger. It wouldn’t be hard to nab them if they were alone and couldn’t run.” Jason growled. “It was only too easy for this guy to swoop in and take them from right under everyone’s nose.”

His train of thought halted as his phone rang, and when he saw the caller ID he knew he had been projecting through the bond too much.

“Dick.” He said as an answer.

“Are you okay?” The quiet yet frantic question came, and Jason was able to feel his acrid worry crawling up his spine.

He hugged one arm across himself and his belly protectively. “Yeah.” He sighed out. “Yeah Dick I’m fine. It's just a case that's getting to me a little.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” The other asked as he heard what sounded like grunts of pain as some thugs were hit.

“Aren’t you a little busy? I can hear you beating the fuck out of some goons.”

“Nope. Just cleaning up.” he said as Jason could hear the sounds of ropes being tied.

“It's a serial case. Pups. At least seven of them, all around Damian’s age.” Jason spoke into the phone, choking down a whine as he desperately tried to keep his composure in front of his pack mates. He really needed his mate's assurance on this.

Dick’s tone turned serious as he could pick up on Jason’s little vocal queues. “Any suspects?”

“None, and only one connection that ties the victims together. Guy’s gone with the fucking wind.”

“What's the connection?” Jason could hear the wind whipping by as his mate flew through the skies.

“Only that they’ve all been to the same clinic at one point in time over the last seasons on that one big sports campus by your old college.”

“Grand Park? That place has some pretty hefty background checks in their hiring process. They take their patrons’ safety very seriously. There’s no way any sex offender could be brought in if they had a record.”

“How would they be able to bypass the security and access the files then?” Jason asked, and Tim perked up from his spot on the couch.

“Maybe they didn’t actually infiltrate the clinic…” The omega chimed in. Jason put the phone on speaker. “All of those involved in this particular youth league have to have their records taken and have a picture ID card to get into the facilities associated with memberships. Those records are outsourced to a company called Remington Logistics in Park City to be managed in the database rather than handled domestically through the sports club. Maybe this guy didn’t get direct contact with the pups at the clinic, but through the record company?”

“So the investigation just got a whole lot bigger. Pups dead because of lazy record keeping. ” He growled in barely contained fury. 

“And this Remington Logistics company doesn’t employ the same screening practices it seems.” Barbara said from the phone. “Just from cursory cross-referencing alone there are at least six registered sex offenders working for them, two with counts of sexual assaults against minors.”

“Give us names, Babs.” Tim said, rapidly typing on his laptop.

“I have a William Patrick Thomason and Gregory John Kelly. Thomason was brought up on charges of sexual assault of a minor when he was 19 for assaulting a 15 year old girl in a parking lot, and then Kelly was charged with felony sexual assault on a minor after he raped a 12 year old girl outside a school five years ago.” 

“Kelly is the best bet.” Jason said as he kept his hands from shaking.

“Why is this guy not in prison?” Dick all but snarled from the phone. “Why were the charges not followed up on?”

“Because he cut a deal with the local PD for a lesser sentence if he gave up the drug ring that supplied him with the laced morphine he used to inject her with.” Babs said.

“I fucking hate corrupt cops.” Jason snarled as he cracked his knuckles in an age old pissed off gesture, always ready for a fight.

“I’ll start tracking his movements.” Tim spoke from his spot as Jason paced like a caged tiger across the rug. He knew that this was heading south and making Jason upset right now would only make things worse.

“Hey Jason, I gotta go. Batman and Robin are here.” Dick said reluctantly from his end of the phone. Jason could hear Damian making a ruckus like he usually did.

Jason sighed, his whole body slumping as he just exhaustedly plopped down in his nest. “Yeah.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” His mate said reassuringly as he no doubt signed to Bruce the situation happening on his end of the call.

“Yeah Dick. I’ll see you.” Jason said as he pressed the end call button.

He curled up dejectedly in his couch nest to try and find a comfortable spot to read a little. He barely made it a few pages before his eyes failed him and he fell asleep, chasing away dreams of evil laughter and the wails of pups calling for their mommies.

Dick was a little concerned for his mate. He doesn’t usually get emotional over cases like this. He knew that Jason was projecting the situation onto their own daughter, it was hard not to be in this line of work. Sometimes he even finds himself questioning Damian -the little assassin. It was par for the course when the pair were so close to expecting their first pup. It takes time.

When he first left Jason in the care of Tim in their den, he made sure to run in the breezeway for a minute so any trace of Jason’s scent on his suit was washed away, leaving no trace of him on Dick for anyone to try sniffing around their den.

Bruce and Damian had met him at the rendezvous point a couple miles away from their current  objective- a Black Mask shipment going down at the docks.

Damian had taken him being on the phone with Jason personally, the pup furious for some unknown reason. He had been on his case all night about how den life had ‘made him soft’, and that ‘omegas are designed to be pregnant, and they don’t need support during their gestation’. That earned him a mean bite from a fed-up Dick, who pinned him down to snarl in his face that anything Talia taught him was a giant pile of horse shit and that denning up with Jason was his decision. 

Even Bruce was very disappointed in his youngest at that remark, but this was a lesson that had to be taught, and it was better that his second, the father of the newest addition to their pack instill into the insolent pup before it carried into adulthood. Nobody likes sexist alphas, and any further discourse within their ranks would unsettle Jason, who didn’t need that right as he was about to give birth. Packs feuding can last generations, which is typically why Pack Omegas are located at the main den of the territory, to settle any conflicts before they can escalate into full blown civil wars. Jason and Dick’s den is located within the city, and with Jason not exiting to visit the manor, he hasn’t had many interactions with Damian. The pup hadn’t been around for long at the point of his pregnancy where he couldn’t remain particularly mobile, and Dick wasn’t currently looking to invite the little assassin into their den when he couldn’t even be around Tim without trying to kill him.

The night had gone on just as planned, they intercepted the shipment, took out the Mask’s goons and had them taken away, and they catalogued what was being moved. It was Sionis’ usually M.O. of weapons. Guns, grenades, RPGs, etc. 

Dick also checked in with Stephanie to make sure she had completed the deliveries to Jason’s various shelters for street kids, as it was her responsibility to manage the shipments this week. Upon getting an affirmative and a picture of Stephanie with a little pup who was a resident at one of the safehouses Dick let that issue go.

His mood was dour as he thought back to the whole Damian fiasco at the docks. He shouldn’t have lost his cool like that. Damian is still a pup. A psychopathic, murderous one, but still a pup. He was still learning the ways of western society, raised in the sexist Middle-East for a majority of his short life. He had only been brought to Bruce a year ago, and the alpha was still trying to get through to his stubborn pup. Years of emotional conditioning are difficult to break through.

What Dick did tonight was assert himself over an insolent punk pup, which was part of his role as second, and as a mate to defend against disrespect from other pack members, affirming his and Jason’s bond and role in the dynamic. A primeval gesture, one rooted heavily in instinct and frowned upon in modern society, but it was one that the pup could understand at an instinctual level. That this particular alpha will not tolerate his impudence, and will back up his threat with violence. The way of claw and fang.

He takes some extra time getting home to let some of that anger out with the wet stagnant air, the rain having finally cleared up.

He does feel better getting that energy out. Jason was right, he had needed to go out on patrol tonight. He would call Bruce in the morning to talk about Damian, but tonight he was more than ready to get home to his family.

When he gets back, he sees Tim still on the couch making case notes in his notepad, and Jason was curled up in their bed, having slunk away to get some better sleep after apparently napping on the couch, his scent still strong on the blankets.

He offers to let Tim sleep there, but the omega refuses, wanting to go back to his own nest at the manor. Dick sent him back with the pizza leftovers. They didn’t really eat much junk food here, and Dick wanted to keep it that way.

He stripped off his suit and hung it up in its little nook that held all of their gear behind a secret panel, put on some sleep pants and slunk into their nest shirtless, craving the contact of Jason on his skin.

Sleepily grumbling, Jason asks. “How was patrol?”

“Damian and I got into it at an inappropriate time." He said into his mate’s hair, inhaling his scent.

“But it was something that he needed wasn’t it?” The other murmured into the dark. They both knew how Damian could get sometimes.

“Definitely.”

“Then you can apologize to Bruce in the morning. He knows that sometimes in pack dynamics issues have to be resolved in the moment, lest they fester into something more unmanageable.” 

“Yeah you’re right.”

“Now go to sleep Dick. It’ll all still be there when the sun rises. ”

Dick hummed, holding Jason closer and burying his nose into his shoulder.

“Good night Jason.”

“Good night, Dick”

Chapter Text

Dawn was approaching upon the Gotham skyline, rare rays of blossoming orange and pink sunshine poking through the perpetual smog. The sun stung as it shone upon his dry and sensitive eyes.

What should be an omen of good things to come was to him just a reminder of the fact that he didn’t sleep through the night…again. Jason sighed as he put his book down on the table. It was a reread and it was about as stimulating to his overtired brain as watching paint dry. He had woken up from a dead sleep at about two a.m. and hadn’t been able to get comfortable in any position, and of course with his added weight and belly he woke Dick up trying to get comfortable in the nest. Irritation simmered under his skin as he moved his fingers down to thread into the raven locks of the alpha sleeping lightly in his lap with his cheek resting against his swollen belly.

They had moved to his nest on the couch when it became apparent that scenting wouldn’t lull him back into a pleasant sleep like it normally would. Jason hadn’t been able to sleep a full eight hours in the last three weeks, and it was starting to wear on him just a little. 

Sleep deprivation had always been known to him, and he had always had a horrible sleep schedule. Never able to rest. Always on edge. From having to be able to wake on a dime to escape rival gangs of street pups who thought he had something worthwhile, or even a random rogue trying to destroy the city when he was small. Long nights spent patrolling the city and doing the whole vigilante thing as Robin, followed up by even longer nights when he had the drug trade to run and crime bossing to do in the underbelly. This shouldn’t be affecting him as much and making him as grumpy as he currently is.

Their youngster was also upset about their current predicament, her apparently liking rest as much as he had come to. She was moving around in what could be the fetal pup equivalent of his own restlessness, his skin stretching as she squirmed around and kicked again, bumping against her sleeping father’s face, rousing him awake with a sleepily confused face.

He chuckled quietly to himself at the look on his mate’s face. When Dick turned to look up at him he just sighed halfway resigned as he ran his fingers through Dick’s hair.

“She says ‘if we can’t sleep, you can’t either’ Dickiebird.”

His mate’s sleepy gaze melted into fondness as he watched the skin of Jason’s belly undulate. He rose from his spot on the couch and crouched down upon the floor to cup their daughter in his big hands, rubbing his bump reverently.

“Oh, come on now, baby girl. You don’t actually feel that way, do you?” He spoke, laying all of his ‘Grayson Charm’ into his words. The strong kick they both felt had liquid joy pooling in his chest as he watched Dick’s tired expression turn petulant with a false pout. “Oh, you do huh?”

Their daughter kept moving around inside the protection of his body, completely unaware of what her father was saying, but reacting animatedly to the sound of his voice from the outside.

“What time is it?” He asked him, and the omega looked over at the clock hanging on the wall. “Just about 6:30.”

Dick groaned, burying his sensitive eyes into the softened flesh of Jason’s thigh through the soft and stretchy maternity pants he wore.

“You have a meeting today. Tim made sure to text me last night to make sure you actually go to this one.”

“Yeah.” Dick said around a yawn as he flopped over, scratching his toned abs, making sure to not jostle his mate too much. “Bruce said he was sending someone over to keep you company for the afternoon.”

Jason nodded. This meeting was extremely ill-timed. He was only about a week-and-a-half to a week away from his due date, but Leslie said that the pup could come any day now. Bruce was very apologetic when he said that the board demanded all three of its big executives- The CEO, Vice-President, and Tim for his shareholder status at this quarterly meeting, about as happy as Dick was to disturb the couple when the birth was so close.

The idea of spending an afternoon with another one of his family members wasn’t that bad, but as he thought about who needed some one on one time the most, an idea struck him.

“Have him send Damian.”

Dick sat up suddenly and met his dry, weary eyes with a guarded expression. “Damian? Why? We know what happened the last time you two were alone together, Jason. You can’t recover this time.”

“Damian needs someone to have faith in him.”

“He put you in the hospital, Jason.”

“He was angry. Rightfully so.”

“Nobody will be here as backup Jason. We have a pup to think about. What if he tries to hurt you again.?” The alpha questioned him worriedly, extremely uneasy at the prospect of leaving the baby murderer with his pregnant mate. Alone. And heavily pregnant. With no protection.

 Jason fixed a wounded and hurting stare on the other. “I raised him for two years Dick.” He spoke in a hushed, misty voice. “Then I left him there in Nanda Parbat. He’s been making me pay for that since he first saw me again.”

Dick’s expression of defiance crumpled when faced with his mate’s devastated expression. He heaved a great sigh as he gathered his baby bird into his arms.

“Hey, it's alright. Damian will always be your first pup. He’ll come around eventually. You’re the closest thing he has to an actual mother, Jason.” Dick said as he leaned back on the couch, contemplating whilst Jason lay limply cradled in his chest as the approaching sun streaked rays upon the dust.

“Ripped away from the only family he’s ever known and dropped into a well-established pack with the omega who abandoned him as Pack Omega and expected to adapt to a completely different lifestyle. He may be good at hiding his feelings, but he’s still just a pup.” Jason murmured. “Did you think about your interaction with him on that rooftop? He’s lashing out. Spiraling.”

“-and his feelings are so complicated. He loves you still, but it is buried underneath that old and deep hurt.” Dick finished the thought for him, leaning forward and placing his hands together in thought, placing them against his lips. “I’ve seen it, Jay. Sometimes he gets this longing expression when we talk about you on patrol some nights. He still loves you, pup. He’s just…lost.”

“Pups’ feelings are always big, and alpha pups’ tend to be big and bombastic.”

Jason murmured, still staring at the hands that once cradled that green-eyed pup so carefully, now devoid of comfort.

“So, what’s your plan?” He asked him as they lay cuddled up on the couch together, basking in each other.

“Alfred says he likes to draw, so I figured we could try painting.”

Dick looked down at the proud and fiery omega in his arms, now a former ember of himself as he actively still grieved the pup he lost.

“That sounds like a great idea.” He breathed out, thoroughly enamored with his mate, nuzzling his nose into the other’s hair. “Art is good way to get people to open up.”

He met the other’s leaden gaze, and thought to himself that he would never grow old of staring into those pools and searching for all of the emotions they hid deep within. And yet, right now, he was deeply pained to see the overarching sorrow painted into the features of his beautiful mate. He didn’t ever want to see that expression of absolute loss and devastation on Jason’s features ever again.

“You never cease to surprise me Jason.” He said as he watched the omega’s chest breathe lowly below him. “I have faith that he’ll come back to you. To us. He just needs to hear everything. I doubt Talia has told him anything.”

“He’s my pup , Dick. My baby.” The omega whined into the air between them.

Dick gazed into Jason’s eyes sympathetically. “I know, Sweetheart. I know.” He said as he rubbed gentle caresses along his shoulders. Jason had been struggling with this hurt for awhile, and so had Damian. They were both struggling with this broken bond, yet the close proximity. This situation had to be rectified, and Dick would do it for his mate.

A broken-hearted whine left the omega’s throat as he was lavished with love, his mate venerating him with wordless murmurs of comfort and touch, wiping away tears before they could fall. Damian had been a softer topic for him in the past months. The omega had tried to reach out and rebuild their bond, only to be rejected by the jaded and aggressive mini-alpha.

Jason felt like he didn’t deserve this man’s adoration, when he had failed that then innocent green-eyed little toddler. He had justified leaving his adopted pup then by telling himself that Damian was too young to be left alone in Gotham, that bringing a baby to a cesspit like the city was inconceivable. He had promised himself that he would return for his pup.

Except he never did. He never had the opportunity to. Talia had intercepted him one night during his crusade through Gotham with a then 4-year old Damian in tow to tell him to never return to Nanda Parbat, and that his time as her student and the Demon’s Heir’s caretaker were over. She had let him hold his pup, who had nestled into his gland and snuggled up to him innocently with those wide intelligent green eyes.

He had tried to take his pup away from her, but she had used her alpha voice on him then, an eloquently laced command of kneel, and submit locking his joints into a paralysed state as he fell to the ground, the primal urge to obey her extremely strong alpha cowing his omega into complete still submission.

She took his pup right out of his arms.

Before she disappeared into the shadows, she had issued one last command in that stupid fucking voice. Never return to Nanda Parbat for him, Pup.

Damian had been right there. In his arms. Safe. Then he was gone.

He had tried to chase her down, but she was gone. Disappeared with his sweet baby into the night.

And then, four years later, his pup is dumped onto Bruce unceremoniously one night by Talia and the pack alpha told to raise his pup as it is now unsafe for him in the League.

His pup, who fell into a rage and pulled an ornate dagger on him the first time they were reunited.

 His pup, who caught him by surprise in a moment of emotional weakness.

His pup, who stabbed him. 

His pup, who gutted him.

His pup, who tried to kill him. 

His pup, that he loved so fiercely with all of his heart.

His pup, who snuffed any attempt at reconciliation.

His pup, who rejected him.

His pup, who wants nothing to do with him.

His pup, his pup, his pup .

His distress surged through his blood like acid, settling in a cesspit and burning through his stomach.

He was absolutely reeking of sour pheromones when his head was pushed delicately into a familiar junction of shoulder and jaw, and soothing alpha notes flooded his nose as a large, calloused hand stroked his semi-long onyx tresses.

“Hey, hey.” Dick’s familiar tenor graced his ears. “It’s alright, Jason. I know you’ll figure out a way to make him come around. Despite his callousness, he still does have a soft spot for you. I’ve seen it.”

His mate cradled him gently like that until he had to rise to get ready and get his suit on. He laid Jason on the couch as the omega was still kind of out of it, locked in memories of the two years he had with his pup.

His deep green eyes that were always taking in every new sight, sound, and touch he came into contact with.

How he giggled when they would play.

How he toddled around when he first learned to walk.

His sweet smile which came out so rarely, as he was only smiled at by Jason himself.

The boy he raised, gone he was.

Replaced by a creature of malice, spite, and pain. A killer. At just nine years old.

He hates himself whenever he thinks about how he failed Damian.

What if he fails his daughter, too?

Their baby who hasn’t even come into this world yet.

Had he already failed her?

Would she be ripped from his arms too?

It burned him to think about. He curled around his belly, willing her to stay inside of his body where he could protect her like he couldn’t protect his first.

He was still curled up and staring at the wall when Dick came down the stairs with styled and dried hair, donning a navy suit with a blue tie.

“I’ll have some oil paints and canvases delivered by 10:00am.” He said as he was tying the knot for his tie. “Bruce should be here with Damian soon.”

He stopped as he took in the state of his mate folded on the couch. He was clearly not doing well. He looked haggard, despite the glow of pregnancy flushing his features. His face was drawn and weary, and his eyes peered hazily at his curled hands at his chest.

“Jason.” He murmured as he approached the couch swiftly, gently grabbing his mate’s shoulder. He jostled the omega, trying to pull him out of whatever trance he had locked himself into. “Jason.” He called again.

The omega was still unresponsive, and he whined as he started to get stressed, shaking Jason again, only to be interrupted by the door bell.

He knew Bruce would be here soon, but now his mate was struggling mentally, and he desperately wanted to stay in the den for him. He ran a hand through carefully gelled tresses, before he exhaled shakily before heading to the door.

Bruce could help him.

He flung open their front door to see a well-dressed looking Bruce in a black suit with a mahogany tie and a resigned looking Damian dressed in a black and green top and black pants with an unimpressed look on his face.

“Morning, Dick. Are you read-” Bruce started, only to be dragged into the den that was starting to become permeated with upset omega. Dick wordlessly brought him over to Jason, who was still not really there.

“I can’t get him up, Bruce. He’s really been struggling this morning.” He said, halfway to panicking. He had barely noticed Damian stalk in like a predator behind them, circling around to the wall to lean against it and watch the events unfold, a silent presence casting judgement upon the omega who abandoned him. The who he had loved with every fiber of his baby heart so long ago.

Bruce frowned down at the omega, before he leaned down and propped him up, hands upon Jason’s shoulders as he looked into his eyes. “Jason. Pup. ” He called to him, hoping to call him from forth whatever vision he was stuck in.

The omega came back to the land of the living at that word; pup. From his father. His pack alpha.

His eyes cleared as they gained focus, meeting the steel blue eyes of his father. “Bruce..” He murmured as he nuzzled the other’s face in familial greeting. “I was…gone again, wasn’t I?” He sighed miserably as he looked down at his hands again.

“Yes, pup. You were.” Bruce said as he rubbed the other’s shoulder for comfort. “You know the procedure, pup. What is your name?”

“Jason Peter Todd-Grayson.”

“Good. What year is it?”

“20XX.”

“And the day?”

“June 6th.”

“Very, good, Pup. What time is it?”

The omega looked around the broad alpha at the clock on the wall. 

“8:45am.”

“I’m very proud of you, Jason.” The alpha rumbled as he nuzzled the omega again. “Do you want to talk about where you were just now? Where you went?”

Jason almost looked like he wanted to say yes, only for his eyes to catch the glinting absinthe orbs of Damian and avert his own back to his hands.

“No.” He croaked out. How pathetic he must be. Reduced to a cowering little pup once again.

“Okay, Jason. Dick and I have to go. You’ll be accompanied by Damian today.” he spoke softly as he rose up to his full height and straightened his suit, ever the picture of wealth and power and alpha moxie.

“Hey wait a minute, don’t you think he should be-” His mate started off, looking now extremely unsure of leaving Jason behind, only to be shut up by a hand up from Bruce.

“I trust you to make the right choices, Damian.” Bruce said as he gazed upon his son, eyes gleaming in the faith he put in all of his children. The love and adoration that made them want to be better people.

Dick grumbled and made a show of eyeing the young assassin as he stalked out the door, clearly still heavily unsettled at the prospect of leaving Damian alone with Jason, and the younger alpha prickled, his lip curling to bare his pup fangs only for a quick glare from his father to silence him into a grumble.

“Yes, Father.”

“Good.” Bruce said genially as Dick exited before him, his blue orbs holding knowledge unknown to them about what his thoughts about the day were. “Have a good afternoon, boys. We’ll be back later.”

And with that, it was just Jason and Damian.

Wounded Omega and Wayward Pup.

Jason sat on the couch, watching the pup in front of him as the other did the same.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally broke the silence.

The omega looked at his hands once again, mustering up the courage to speak to the angsty nine-year-old.

“I got stuff for us to paint, Damian.” He spoke quietly, gesturing to the art supplies that had been delivered a little while ago, Dick tucking it inside the door before they left, the delivery driver having showed up at the crux of his little episode this morning.

The young alpha grunted, but his eyes did not stray from Jason.

“Alfred said you liked art, so I thought that this could be a good way to pass the time.”

Still no acknowledgement from Damian. Great.

How long will the kid punish him like this? With this yawning void of silence?

He was ready to take Damian’s standoffishness all day, only for the pup to break and throw him a bone a few hours in.

“...Alfred told you I like art?” He started off after clearing his throat.

Jason felt like he had finally come alive again when his pup spoke to him again.

“Yes, he did.” Jason said nervously, wringing his hands. Oh, how vulnerable and small Damian could make him feel with the power of his ire. “He even shared some of your school art projects that won the art fair.”

“...and did you like them?” The pup questioned his opinion scrupulously.

“Yes, I thought your sketches of the Trevi fountain in Rome were definitely worth the ribbon you earned for them, but I would say my favorite was your candid of the royal quarters of Nanda Parbat.” He spoke, memories of running after a squealing toddler through those same halls not so long ago.

Damian hmmmed in contemplation, watching him somewhat squirm as he took his time with him. He was completely at the pup’s mercy.

“Well, it would be a waste of good art supplies if we just left them there.” The boy spoke as he pinned his eyes on the blank canvases along the wall.

“Right.” Jason said, scrambling up to the best of his ability to get their art supplies setup on the painting tarp that was in the stack.

As he was setting up his canvas, Jason only had one muse on his mind as he picked his color pallet, a lovely set of olives, pinks, and oranges, with some gold.

With his colors chosen, he set to work making the soft orange background to set up his rectangular canvas.

They had been at it for about two hours, the main body of his painting coming to life, and he was adding some finishing touches to it.

Everything seemed to be going fine, until the hat dropped.

“You never came back for me.” Damian spoke softly as he applied paint to his canvas, each stroke and measured and careful, as was the way he spoke. “You promised me. The night you left. I remember pretending to be asleep as you kissed me and said you loved me. You promised that you would be there for me, always.”

“Believe me Damian, I would’ve come back to get you if it was the last thing I did, but I couldn't. ” The other murmured.

“What do you mean, ‘couldn’t’?” Damian snarled at Jason as the omega flinched, but continued to paint his picture. 

“Talia. She used her alpha voice on me.” He started out small, waiting for the inevitable outburst from Damian, which came as expected.

“ Bullshit! Mother would never do something so uncivilized and uncouth!” The pup snapped viciously at him.

“Believe what you want, pup-”

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Damian screamed with tears in his eyes. “You lost your right to call me that. You’re not my Baba anymore! You left!”

A snarl rose up in Jason’s chest, against his better judgement. “I would’ve gone to the ends of the Earth to get you back Damian! But she made it impossible. I tried to go back for you, but the command would always take effect when I got to the border! My mind would go fuzzy and I would come to a couple miles away. I tried for years to break her influence, Damian! I tried to get to you, but I couldn’t !” He rasped viciously as sob wracked his body and tears streamed freely from his eyes.

The young alpha-to-be stood paralyzed as he absorbed the image of the omega before him. The dragon inside his belly that had been spitting fire and hatred had quieted and cooled, almost stopping to contemplate over the words that had just been said to him. 

The silence was palpable as the aftermath of the omega’s outburst settled into the air between them.

“You…” Damian started, fixing his eyes on Jason, who was staring at the floor with an utterly lost and defeated expression upon his visage. Upon gaining the gaze of those teal eyes, he continued in a small voice. “You tried to come back for me?”

The exhausted omega in front of him visibly wilted at the question.

 “Damian, I tried to infiltrate Nanda Parbat too many times to count, but I was never strong enough to break her command. I failed you, pup.” He said as he looked down at his paint-stained hands, memories of the infant version of the pup in front of him giggling and babbling happily, innocently in his arms as he nursed him from his own breast so long ago. Before he was turned into this spiteful creature who used his pride and violence to throw his weight around.

Damian was still staring at him in stark contemplation, before he got up from his easel and sat down wordlessly next to him, the silence still strained.

A moment passed between the two of them, until Damian spoke again.

“I remember you.” He said as they both watched the city scape go by in front of them. “I remember the stories you would tell, how you would always pick me up if I would fall and cuddle me, and would tend my wounds if I was put through too much in training that day. You were the only kindness I had ever experienced, and then one day you were just… gone. I thought that maybe I had failed at training and that Grandfather was punishing me by taking you away. I asked Mother one day when I spoke with her, and she told me that you had just left. That you had gone to obtain your revenge. Without me.”

The omega next to him whined. “Damian, please -”

“I asked where you were for days . I wept for you for days , crying out for you in hopes that you would come like you always did when I wailed, but you never did, and all it did in the end was earn me a strike from whatever teacher I was with that week.”

“I thought that I was keeping you safe by leaving you with the League. I couldn’t have brought you to Gotham. Not before I cleaned up. Made it safe .”

“Now that I’m older I can see the logic in your decision. A pup is a liability without a pack around to protect it. It doesn’t mean I have to like the decision. You were my mother, my Baba . I still care deeply for you, but the hurt is still there. You left me to the Shadows. ”

Jason still kept his eyes fixated on the sealed hardwood floor of his home, his stomach and scent sour as his pup spoke, fear pooling deep at the prospect of rejection.

“But I forgive you.” Damian broke the silence as he caught the bewildered stare of his Pack Omega as Jason flinched up to meet his eye. “You did the right thing given your options at the time.”

He cupped the other’s face in his hands. “You’ve clearly been flagellating yourself for a long time, Baba. Please, stop hurting yourself over me.” He said as he joined their foreheads in a mimicry of what Jason would always do to him as a toddler when he held him close.

The omega’s eyes grew watery as he pushed his forehead harder against his pup. He surged forward, wrapping his pup up in his arms, his eyes flowing freely in pure joy as he scented his baby, now much older, once again, coating him in a pure pheromone cocktail of love, joy, acceptance, mine.

His scenting marked Damian as fully accepted into the pack. One heart, one soul. The resonance of now 8 hearts surging in their pack.

“Don’t cry, Baba.” Damian murmured as his shirt became damp, moving to grasp the back of Jason’s shirt. “You’ve shed enough tears for me.”

“And I’ll continue to cry for you the rest of my days, pup.” The omega spoke through tear-filled joy, overcome with emotion now that his pup was back where he belonged in his loving embrace.

As Damian nuzzled hesitantly into his Baba’s chest, his attention was turned down to the plump belly he had pointedly ignored. The belly that held the child of Grayson and his Baba. So soon would she enter the world and take the attention he just gained away from him.

Jason seemed to catch onto his spiraling thoughts and gathered him up to sit on his lap, belly permitting.

“You were always my first pup, Damian, regardless of blood or not. She won’t take you away from me. Nobody will. Not again.” The omega fervently spoke into his hair as he rubbed ardently over his body, touching anywhere and everywhere, refamiliarizing himself with every fiber of his pup’s being.

They cuddled like that for a while, before Damian’s curiosity got the better of him and he brought his gaze to the other’s easel and the canvas upon it.

It immediately called his eyes upon it, not letting them stray even for a second.

Jason had made a beautiful, flowing portrait of what was absolutely Damian as a pup, cradled in the beholder’s arms, skin flushed pink and healthy as inquisitive green eyes peered up from beneath a green blanket embroidered with golden filigree, a little tuft of onyx hair atop the infant’s head. The baby was captured in a moment of wonder, it seemed, reaching out to the beholder of the canvas with a chubby little hand to grab at something out of view, a look of utter focus on his mind.

Every detail was nearly picture perfect.

“Is that what I looked like?” He asked inquisitively, clutching Jason's shirt.

“Yes.” Jason breathed out, stroking his back as he also absorbed his work, wafting happy omega throughout the den. “I remember how small you were. Barely even four months old when I was revived in Nanda Parbat. You weighed a whole 16 lbs and you would always want to nurse on my left side.”

“Closest to your heart.” Damian finished as he leaned on the omega.

The omega hummed in agreement. “They originally gave you to me to rehabilitate my psyche. Talia would tell me that I was catatonic for the first few months, only coming alive when you fed from me or you were in my care. In time, when I was back to somewhat sentience, they would take you from me and use you as an incentive to complete whatever mission they would give me.”

The pup just absorbed all of this information the best he could.

He knew how life on Nanda Parbat was. There was no room for care, or for love. And yet, Jason still held him so dearly, as if their time apart never happened at all. As if Damian’s scalding hatred and assault on him had never happened.

Damian could still remember how his knife slid into the omega's flat and toned belly, about how betrayed he had felt when he saw him again with his sire of all people, gallivanting around Gotham wearing that ridiculous motorcycle outfit.

He had of course been swiftly detained and reprimanded by almost everyone in the family. Receiving lecture after disappointed lecture, after disappointed lecture, but in the end it wasn’t them who made him question his actions. It was how it felt. It wasn’t like when he was made to kill for his teachings, taking life with ease that left little in its wake except the sense of a job done and Damian always did his jobs well, and yet… he hadn’t performed a lethal strike on Baba.

He had never done that before. Why didn’t he go for the neck or heart?

Could it be…that he actually hesitated in killing Baba?

Was it…that he didn’t actually want to kill him?

But why?

He had had no problems killing previously. It didn’t matter to him if his target were omega, alpha, beta, or pup. He was a weapon. An assassin. The Heir to the Demon’s Head, and yet he had flubbed the kill on the omega. What a joke.

He would still question his actions even now, a year later, but the best that he could come up with was that he didn’t kill Baba out of some misguided lingerings of attachment to his caretaker that he couldn’t bring himself to let go of.

And those lingerings had only started to grow back again with time spent around this infuriating omega. 

He didn’t understand any of it, but maybe… he wasn’t meant to. 

Maybe… He was just meant to accept his Baba’s warm embrace and comfort.

Maybe he was meant to be more than a weapon of the League of Shadows, like his sire would continuously tell him. That he was his own individual person as well.

That he could just be an artist if that is what he wanted. That he could have his animal companions here without fear of them being killed simply because Damian got attached. That he could be more than what he was bred to do.

Maybe…just, maybe, he could be his Baba’s pup again, too.

Snuggled up together, they moved to the couch to have a good nap after that emotional whirlwind, falling asleep comfortably within a warm embrace.

“-ick, I’m telling you, you need to have more faith in those around you. They will continue to surprise you.” Jason woke up to the murmurings of conversation outside the door and the telltale jingling of keys in the slot.

“You know I worry Bruce, especially after last time…” Dick finished as he opened the door to meet Jason’s eyes, only for the omega to nod at him and snuggle up next to a still sleeping Damian, immediately going back to sleep, but the warning was clear on his face.

Wake my pup, and you die.

Dick immediately toned down the volume and whispered the situation to Bruce, who had come in behind him. He also snuck right over to get some pictures for the family to get framed. This was a once in a lifetime shot and everybody will have a framed copy on their desk. Cross his heart and hope to die.

Dick shrugged off his suit jacket and undid the buttons on his shirt, rubbing his hair out of its gel prison. He retreated up the stairs to their bedroom and quickly changed, going downstairs to see Bruce propped up in the recliner reading the day’s paper and filling out the crossword. He would camp out and hold vigil until Damian awoke, the pup needing his valuable rest.

The alpha looked up from filling out 8-Across on the crossword and nodded at him as he took a seat on the unoccupied spot on the couch, joining his pack alpha in his vigil.

It was about an hour or two later when the two awoke, Damian first- his eyes gracefully sliding open as he immediately gained awareness, a trait instilled in him at the beginning. One must always be ready for battle. He also scented the two alphas right away, slipping out of his Baba’s grasp to greet his sire, who softly put the paper down to pull Damian into his lap. He cuddled with Bruce for a few minutes, enjoying his sire’s and his pack alpha’s attention as he scented him and lavished the pup with cuddles, bringing the headline up for the both of them to read.

Jason awoke a little later feeling the absence of his pup’s warmth, only to hear the deep voice of their father resonating throughout the loft, talking with Damian in a one on one conversation.

He sat up groggily, with Dick appearing at his side as he cracked his neck, humming graciously as he took the cup of water his mate offered to him. He watched Bruce and Damian for a moment, thinking about how small Damian was in their father’s embrace, the nine year old finally seeming like the pup he truly was as he laid pliantly, asking questions about whatever he saw in the paper that was unfamiliar to him. Bruce would answer every question he had in a patient and intelligent way, the way Damian preferred.

His thoughts were inevitably brought back to his father as he watched him with the pup. About how good of a dad Bruce was to all of them. How good of a pack alpha. How even though he had not been blessed with a mate he still had himself a pack full of worshipping pups throughout the years, and how he had managed to put almost all of them on the right path, nurturing them and guiding them to grow into the brightest light available in the perpetual dark of Gotham. Without him even realizing he had started to purr in approval at watching the man he had chosen to follow do so well with the pups in his care.

Having garnered his attention, Bruce rose, gently putting Damian down and letting him retrieve his canvas, which had now dried.

The large alpha made his way over to his two eldest pups, now about to welcome a pup of their own. Their firstborn pup into the pack. The undercurrent of excitement in the group was thick, as everyone waited with baited breath for the labor and birth. He bent down to hug and nuzzle Jason, accepting his affection and giving some in return easily.

“I have something for you.” He murmured to his second-eldest. He turned for a second to pluck a small red bag from beside the chair that not even Dick had seen him smuggle in.

He offered the bag to the couple and Jason gently removed the tissue paper out of the bag to reveal a little package inside.

In it was a bright red baby bow, with a little robin button in the center of it. Sitting underneath it was an uber-soft red newborn onesie that said ‘Born to Fly’ on it in classic black lettering with yellow trim.

Robin’s colors.

It was adorable, and it made Jason’s heart melt.

Dick was also enamored with the new outfit. They both made a silent vow that that outfit would be her newborn photo outfit.

“Bruce…:” Jason murmured out reverently as he looked at the luxury and most certainly custom outfit for their baby.

“I feel like I don’t say this enough to you two, but I am so proud of you. You two were the first who called me ‘Dad’. The first I called my sons. My first partners, and now the first to bring me grandchildren.” The pack alpha proudly declared. “I love you, and I wish you the best of luck in the coming weeks.”

Dick rumbled and went to hug his pack alpha-no, his Dad fiercely. The other alpha also enveloped him as the two shared a big hug.

“We love you. Bruce.” Dick declares as Jason nods tearfully, getting up to join in on the group hug.

Nobody comments that there are tears coming from the eldest, but nobody cares, they’re too wrapped up in each other and the embrace of family.

As Damian returns, he shows Bruce his canvas, a nine-year-old’s rendition of Bruce himself, wonderfully rendered and accurate in a black suit with a maroon tie. He presents it to his sire with utmost care, and it's apparent to everyone in the room that to Damian-this isn’t just a painting. It's an olive-branch. A token of affection wanting to gain his father’s favor.

And Bruce gives it to him, lavishing the boy with praise as he picks him up and carries him to the exit, talking about his painting techniques and color blending as they go.

Before he gets all the way out the door with Damian, he turns back to Dick and tells him to take care and don’t forget to alert the rest of them when the lab, who had followed up behind him to see them to the elevator.

“Dick, Jason, Don’t forget to call us when you phone Leslie. She’s had her bag ready for the past month.” He chuckled. “We’ll all be there waiting.” He stated.

Jason rolled his eyes with a smile. “You’ll be there. Roy will be there. I’m pretty sure Dick invited Wally.” He said with a side-eye to his mate, who innocently looked the other way with a tucked grin. ”I wouldn’t be surprised if half the Justice League was invited.”

Bruce smiled to himself as the two bid him farewell, a deep seeded happiness pooling in his gut as he held Damian close and went down to the parking garage to get in the Murcielago with his pup dutifully buckled in as they departed.

Hopefully everything will go well for their pack and the birth, and the sun will continue to shine upon Gotham in the coming days.

Chapter Text

The night was young, darkness descending over the smoggy city, the air pumped with a noxious anxiety as their pack surrounded the laboring omega within, offering safety and support in his time of need.

Jason grit his teeth as he rode out another contraction, pacing back and forth in agitation across the living room as his pup prepared to enter the world. She was coming quickly. His water had broken only a few hours ago, and he was already 8 centimeters dilated. Good for him, but having Leslie stick her fingers in him in front of the family was demeaning as fuck and made him grumpy. Thankfully they almost all had the tact to turn around when Leslie said what she was going to do to him.

 He wouldn’t want to have to go through these stupid contractions for longer than absolutely possible. Nothing hurt as much as being blown up, but he would say that this was a close second in terms of pain and uncomfortableness. 

Contractions felt weird. It was as if a band of pressure was working its way around his abdomen and driving the infant down and into his pelvis. The slow relaxing of his cervix with every tighten and release was also a completely alien feeling, and he wasn’t really feeling the whole ‘magical process of birth’ that all of the omegas at the library and maternity shops talked about. It was a foreign and uncomfortable sensation rippling throughout his lower half, making his skin crawl in discomfort. Yeah, what a crock of shit. He really wishes he had a cigarette between his fingers right now. Damn Dick for making him quit when they first started courting.

The family, Roy, and Wally thankfully had enough hindsight to let him be with Dick as they all chatted amongst each other, speculating on her name and who she would look like more. Something was rubbing him the wrong way. There was something intrinsically wrong with the way the air felt. He couldn’t bring himself to try and relax. The air hung heavy in Gotham, and the omega couldn’t help but think of it as an omen of something ill to come. 

He could only pray to whatever deities exist for there to be no large scale attacks on this night that he was at his most vulnerable; the night upon which he would bring life into this wretched hive. 

The night upon which he, a being living in complete opposition to death itself, who was not supposed to be haunting the streets amongst the other demons disguised as man, would bring life into their midst.

Dick was watching him quietly with those cobalt orbs as he paced in disquietude. The alpha didn’t really know what else to do besides offer his quiet support to his obviously uncomfortable and discomfited mate, sitting openly on the end of the couch with a water bottle in hand ready to give to Jason should the other want it.

Jason knew that Dick wanted to be helpful, the excited alpha waiting patiently in his seat like a golden retriever waiting for commands, but he couldn’t really think of anything for the alpha to do that could help him. They had the bassinet made up and ready next to their bed, as well as all of the nest covered in heat pads for when he finally settled down for the messy part, and they had cleaned the kitchen where his water had broken whilst he was enjoying a nice refreshing bowl of fruit earlier this afternoon whilst reading a copy of Oliver Twist aloud to their daughter and ignoring what they thought were Braxton Hicks.

Now all they had to do was ride out the contractions until he was ready to push.

Leslie was giving the family some privacy, posted up at the island working on some files in between coming over to check on Jason.

He stilted in his step as another wave of full abdominal cramping washed over him, causing a wave of nausea to overtake him. He grit his teeth, leaning against the wall for balance. This was making him antsy, and he didn’t know why, but something was bringing up his stress levels, making his metaphorical hackles rise. A pair of familiar hands anchored themselves on each bicep as Dick pressed his lips to his sweaty forehead, releasing an appeasing rumble deep in his chest. A call of steadiness, an alpha reassuring his mate that he was there , and that he would lay down his life before anything happened to Jason.

“Hey.” He said, pulling Jason from his increasing mental cloud of stress and anxiety. “It’s alright. Everything will be alright. She’ll be here soon, Jason. You’re doing so good .” He lavished him with praise, pressing his forehead to sweaty omega’s and forcing him to meet his cobalt gaze.

The omega released a quiet sound of anxiety as he pressed deeper into his mate’s embrace, the other enveloping him the best he could given the situation. Dick swayed him on his feet as his body labored between them to bring their pup into the world.

“Are we really ready, Dickie?”

“No one is ever truly ready, Jay,” Dick said, his voice a low, steady rumble that vibrated through Jason's bones, a physical anchor in the rising storm of his anxiety. “But that’s what being a parent is all about. We try our best, but sometimes we fail, and that’s alright. We learn as we grow alongside our pups. Don’t worry, babe. We’ve got this.”

The alpha pulled the omega’s head from its resting spot upon his chest, meeting the searching, appraising eyes of his mate.

Jason, for a moment, felt a fraction of the tension release. He pressed deeper into Dick's embrace, drawing strength from his grounding presence. Then, another searing, gut-twisting band of pressure hit him, far worse than any of the ones he’d experienced before. 

His knees buckled, and he let out a strangled cry as the pressure intensified, a force so powerful it was more than just pain; it was an undeniable command from his body. It was a freight train of a contraction, and it was carrying their pup right to the station.

Leslie was at his side immediately, her voice calm and firm, cutting through the haze of Jason’s pain. "That's it, Jason," she said, her hands already guiding him away from the wall. "That's the one. Let's get you to the nest. You're ready to push."

Jason, no longer pacing like the wild dog he felt like some days, but now being led, felt the anxiety recede, replaced by a singular, instinctual, all-consuming focus. He felt Dick helping him to the nest, the thick, heavy blankets already warm with the heat pads and the familiar, comforting scents of their home. As he was lowered down upon the bed, propped up on Dick’s chest, the alpha behind him supporting him, he breathed deep to center himself in preparation for this herculean effort, the primal drive to push squirming beneath his skin in a mantra of push, push, push .

There was no more time for fear. There was only the feeling of anticipation and deeper excitement. His little punk would finally be able to throw punches at her dad for real instead of through his belly or god forbid his bladder again. One startling accident was enough , thank you.

He grit his teeth, the agony of the contractions now a different kind of fire, no longer a wave of pressure but a concentrated, burning demand. Leslie's voice cut through the haze, calm and authoritative, "Alright, Jason. On the next contraction, you're going to push. Give me everything you've got."

He nodded, sweat beading on his forehead as he braced himself. Dick, a warm, solid wall against his back, wiped his face with a cool cloth. "You can do it, Jay," the alpha murmured, his own scent of excitement and reassurance flooding the nest. Murmurs of excited and supportive assent from the rest of the birthing party forming a balming hymn for his nerves, invigorating him with a confidence he didn’t think he truly felt, but fuck it.

He was Jason Todd, and he was going to kick birth’s ass.

When the next contraction hit, it was a tidal wave. Jason bore down with a guttural groan, pushing with every ounce of strength he possessed. It felt like a tectonic plate shifting inside of him, a weight so immense it made his vision fade for a second. He could feel the baby's head moving, a slow, inching progression that tore a sob from his throat. Dick's hand tightened on his, a silent anchor.

"That's it, Jason! You're doing so well!" Leslie encouraged, her voice a steady drumbeat. "Just a few more like that. We're almost there."

The words were both a promise and a lie. A few more felt like an eternity. He pushed again and again, the space between contractions a minuscule respite that barely gave him time to rebound from the last before another wave bore down upon him. He was a creature of instinct now, lucidity gone from him in the ragged haze of pain and the undying demand that he bear down with every bit of strength he had left.

With a final, ragged shout that was part frustration and part pure effort, he pushed one last time. Leslie's voice rose in a triumphant cry, "I can see the head! Just one more big push, Jason!"

A wave of relief and a final, sharp burn washed over him. The world dissolved into the moment, the agony fading as adrenaline and the exhilaration became one. He bore down for the last time, and then the pressure was gone, replaced by a profound, blissful emptiness.

He collapsed back into Dick's arms, chest heaving as he fought for breath. The silence of the nest was broken by Leslie's soft, happy murmur, and then, the most beautiful sound Jason had ever heard: the small, watery cry of a newborn pup.

Immediately, a wave of cheers rang out as the entire pack’s song rang out in celebration, a wave of pure exonerated joy rippled through their den.

Jason thinks he might’ve lost consciousness for a second, because the next thing he knew a wiped-down, squirming newborn was being plopped on his bare chest, when he lost his shirt in the chaos he didn’t know.

As he finally got a look at his newly-freed jail-bird, he couldn’t help but think how much she looked like Dick. She wasn’t fussing, but she was taking it all in with a pair of blue eyes matching the shade of her father’s, and the shade that his used to be. She was absolutely perfect. There was a rumble resonating through his spine, courtesy of the alpha in his thoughts. Dick had his head resting on his shoulder, eyes fixated on his offspring as she took it all in.

He too was so enamored with watching their pup that he didn’t even complain when Dick guided her head to his breast for that essential first nutrient-boost and immunity from the first feeding, colostrum being taken greedily from him as she flailed those little arms about.

“She hasn’t quite got the hang of the whole not being bundled up anymore.” He chuckled to his mate quietly as she finally settled those pudgy appendages tucked between his chest and her own. “It’s hard to believe that this little pup made me so big.”

“You were gorgeous the whole time.” Dick said, cupping the infant’s head in place as she suckled so Jason could have a break. “I couldn’t get enough of you. I know how much you’ve sacrificed to bring her here, Jay, and for that I’m eternally grateful. You’ve given me the single-most greatest gift on this planet.”

“What, a pup?” He asked sarcastically.

“Well, she’s just a pup now, but she’ll grow. But you know what I meant.” The alpha murmured into his ear. “She’s more than that, Jay. She’s half me, half you. It's more than just a bond now. We have a whole person linking us together for the rest of our lives, Jay. It's ephemeral, beautiful. When we’re gone one day, she’ll still be here, carrying us with her.”

The couple took a moment to recover from the entire ordeal, cuddled together as they watched their daughter fall asleep at the tap, nipple slipping from her puffy cheeks as her eyes drooped, soothed to sleep by the happy, love-filled pheromones surrounding her in a blanket of safety.

“You really know how to make a guy feel special, Dick Grayson.” Jason murmured to his mate as he too began to drift.

“For you, my dear, anything.” The alpha rumbled as he supported both of them. “Rest now. I’ll wake you in a minute for the documents and presentation.” That was all he needed to hear before exhaustion took over and he slipped away for a nap.

He woke up a short time later to a muted symphony of excited whispers and murmurs within close proximity. 

With effort he opened his leaden eyes to see the pack had moved up into the nest and were all milling about. 

Bruce was talking to Dick quietly in hushed tones by the head of their bed. 

Steph was cooing at the sleeping infant from beside Tim, who looked caught between wanting to talk to Jason and see the baby or staying rooted in place. 

Kate was pulling up the wall and watching from a distance, the depiction of cool detachment.

Cass was also lingering quietly, but in more of a “wait for Jason to be comfortable with me getting close” than a respectable yet disinterested distance like the bachelorette alpha, and Damian was of course right next to the bed peering at the new pup, eyes wide and curious.

Babs was chatting with Leslie over in front of the bookcases, the doctor with a clip board in hand and a business look upon her visage.

Upon seeing the new mother’s gaze awake and alert, speech remained quiet but the energy of the room intensified significantly.

Congratulations were showered upon him graciously and coos and squeals echoed off the walls when the pup scrunched her nose up or cooed in her slumber.

Bruce was the first to approach, as was custom. The new pup must be presented before the pack alpha, for what is now a naming ceremony, but historically was an inspection of the infant to make sure they were strong enough to survive. The weak were killed off before they could take resources from the omegas.

Bruce rumbled happily as the blanket was pulled back and a pair of sapphires peered up at him. He stared at the baby as she stared back at him with intelligent orbs befitting one of the bat clan. He chuckled as she seemingly glared at him in a caricature of her mother.

“She is healthy. Strong.” He spoke, and the miniscule tension in the room melted as the baby was fully accepted. “What did you two decide on for the name?” He asked as he signed off his part on the paper work for legal.

He and Dick shared a glance, before they both spoke her name into existence, decided upon months ago, yet kept secret zealously as was also custom. A pup cannot be named before their acceptance.

“Sloane.”

“Her name is Sloane Mary Catherine Grayson-Todd.” Jason finished as he looked at her, still just looking around with her eyes that saw volumes.

“After your mothers, right?” Tim asked as he inched closer, using his omega/adopted pup privileges to get in close next to Damian.

“Yeah.” Jason said. “I was fine with just Sloane Mary, but Dickie insisted she have my mother’s name, too.”

“It’s beautiful.” Damian said. “Well fit for a pup of her birthright and status.”

“We’re glad you like it.” Dick said, ruffling the pup’s hair.

“A toast.” Bruce said, hoisting up a water glass. “To Dick, Jason, and their new pup, Sloane, and to another member of our pack. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” “Cheers.” “Congratulations!”

The festivities continued on for a little while longer until everyone started to file out back into their normal schedule so the couple could have a nice time with their pup.

“Okay, happy family, I just have some documents for you to sign before I get out of your hair so you can enjoy your new baby.” Leslie said as she handed them the birth certificate and other paperwork to sign.

“We made a good-looking kid, Jay.” Dick said as he put her down in the bassinet, fast asleep. “She’s adorable, and I bet she’ll grow up to be just like her Mom.”

“Let’s hope not.” Jason murmured as he went to sleep. “Let’s hope she’s better.”

3 Months Later

Jason healed with a speed that still surprised him sometimes. His undercarriage had closed up fine and as soon as he could walk without something making an uncomfortable squelch down there he was back to the grind. Time to get back to work.

He was an alpha at heart, a predator, and being cooped up, no matter how good or cute and adorable the reason, felt wrong.

 Those first few weeks he let himself have the domestic bliss of the newborn stage, but now that he was finally almost back to his old shape, he wanted to be back on the East End. Thanks to a rigorous workout routine and a very greedy baby who devoured so much milk he produced enough to feed three regular pups, his baby fat was now non-existent and he had to eat like crazy to keep up with Sloane’s demands. Even with him and Tim feeding her, that girl ate like her father; a lot and frequently, not to mention he also feeds Dick some, too.

They were at the manor this afternoon. Dick had a meeting to go to with Bruce, so he got  a ride to the manor to spend the day there- him in the gym and Tim would hang out with Sloane while she napped for the afternoon and he worked on his laptop.

He breathed deeply as he balanced in a one-armed handstand, in between sets on handstand launches. Getting his center of gravity back was different after five months of being top heavy, and he had to master his body again before he could reclaim Crime Alley.

As he was going through his reps, Tim walked in, holding a giggling Sloane. Jason grunted, trying to keep his focus, but the image of his two pups cuddling was a sight he couldn’t look away from. Sloane gurgled happily as Tim bounced her lightly on his shoulder. Tim took to his designation so much better than Jason did, and if one didn’t know better they would think that Sloane was his daughter with how good he was with her.

"Hey, Jason," Tim greeted sweetly. "Mind we hang out down here? The manor’s been quiet today, my paperwork is done, and she’s definitely done with her nap, so I figured we’d come down here and see Mommy.” he sang that last part to the baby as he turned around, and the baby squealed as she saw him.

Jason nodded, grateful for this kind of distraction. He came out of his handstand in a hand spring that would definitely rile Dick up if he saw it, and grabbed a towel to clean up. He went over to the happy baby, who made grabby hands for him. Plucking his pup from the other omega, he brought his forehead to his eldest pup’s, purring in thanks for his time and for feeding her.

Jason could always tell when Tim fed her. The omega had the natural flush that came from a feed, and Sloane wasn’t being fussy, and it was around her feeding time. If she wasn’t fed on time she was fussy until she got a titty in her mouth, preferably Mommy’s but Tim’s would do in a pinch. Dick liked to joke that she was just like him, which would often earn him a growl and a snap, but he would just dance away cackling as Jason fed the baby and couldn’t chase him. Ass.

Turning his attention down to his baby she squealed again as he smiled softly down at her. Ya’know, for all of his “I’m a strong, independent, woman”-esque inner monologing, he still wouldn’t give up his baby for it. He was almost back to prime condition through his sheer force of will alone, and he got an adorable baby who was totally spoiled and so sweet, and perfect in every single way. Yeah, this was fine.

“Hi, baby.” He purred as he bent down to nuzzle her, and the pup returned his scenting with a giggle and a baby slap, grabbing his nose with her strong grip. “Aren’t you just the cutest? Mommy and Daddy did such a good job in the factory on you, baby. Just perfect.”

He put the baby on his chest as he walked around gently, rocking her soothingly in a cathartic motion sequence.

"I pulled a couple of files from the last case we worked," Tim said, his tone shifting to business as he sat down in the desk chair-really the only chair down here. "The one from a month-and-a-half ago."

Jason’s attention sharpened immediately. "What about it?" he asked, running a hand over Sloane’s baby wisps of hair.

"It felt too easy, didn't it?" Tim continued, his voice low and conspiratorial. "We thought that it was Remington Logistics and shoddy hiring practices letting sex offenders slip through, but my hypothesis is that it was a red herring. It just seems too easy."

Jason tilted his head back as he thought it over. “Could be, but then again criminals aren’t known for their prodigic brainpower, Timmy” Using society's marginalized and reviled as a distraction, knowing no one would question the narrative, was strategically a good play if one were wanting to avoid detection. If it is true, then this guy was about to get very unlucky. he Bat-clan had a way of finding things out that others missed.

“Dick said you were wanting to get back out there.” Tim spoke up.”Said you’re getting more and more antsy being cooped up.”

Jason scoffed. "Dick's a softie. I'm fine. Besides, I still have more work to do to get back in the groove of things. I’m needed here for now."

“We both know you’re almost there.” A voice sounded from the elevator. They both looked over to see Dick and Bruce exiting and making their way over. “You could go now, if you really wanted to, with a partner to watch your back.”

“How’d your meeting go?” He greeted Bruce with a hug.

“As well as can be expected. More board members wanting to make calls they’re not at liberty to make.” The pack alpha spoke as he ran a hand over the baby’s wispy hair, the baby giving him a smile. “She smiles as much as her father, doesn’t she?”

“And just as bright, too. When those teeth come in none of us will be able to resist.” Jason said as the baby giggled. “Yeah, I’m talking about you, baby.”

Bruce smiled softly as he watched him softly play with the pup, the baby grabbing Jason’s nose again- that was her current fixation, noses.

“I have to get my daily dose of Sloaney!” Dick sang as he plucked his pup from his mate, her immediately settling into her father's arms. Jason eyed him. “You volunteering to partner up, Dickie?”

“Not quite. Sloane is still a bit too young to be without one of us around. I was thinking you and Tim could patrol a quadrant.” He turned his attention to their baby, making faces and noises at her as he walked away. “I’ll stay with her if you want to go out later.” He called over his shoulder.

Jason turned over to Tim. “What do you think, want to patrol tonight?”

Tim smiled. “I’d be down.”

A feral glint began to show in the pack omega’s eye as the prospect of battle loomed on his horizon. “ Excellent.”

He went back over to Dickie, pulling him in for a searing kiss. “Thank you, Dick. I needed the confidence boost.”

“Don’t thank me. You’ve done nothing but work hard for this since Sloane was born, Jason. You deserve to get back to what you like to do, which in this case, is going back to work.” He said, smiling at the other softly.

It was times like these that Jason was extremely both glad and proud of his choice of mate.

He saw the reverence and love in Dick's eyes when they gazed upon him, as if he were the center of his counterpart’s very universe. The alpha wasn't appeasing him; he was genuine in his stance and taking on a role that made him genuinely happy. Having Dick around made motherhood actually enjoyable and made him feel special every damn day of his life, with all of his love and support, and Jason couldn't bring himself to hate this new normal like he thought he would.

“I’ll see you later, then, Dickiebird.” He said with a predatory smirk as he went to go and retrieve his gear and weaponry.