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Babies and The Scent of Home

Summary:

Jason felt accomplished. The Replacement will no longer carry the name of Robin -Batman was too scared by his threats and grounded the little shit-. Dickhead is too injured to even walk.

There was a missing piece.

Or,

Tim tracks down Jason after Red Hood attacks Nightwing.

Tim smells like a baby though.

(Rated teen for Jason and mentioned Kidnapping -curses are redacted tho-)

Notes:

--- = redacted curse

Info about this verse:

Blood packs = happens to any two people related by blood, weak bond, need to be solidified with constant contact to the pack, if not will be a low leveled bond-no feelings are shared whatsoever-, if it was a low leveled bond it needs a bite from the prime alpha to solidify it properly, contact can help but not much at that point.

Weak bond = Bond made by constant contact to people, does not involve a bite.

Low-leveled bond = Weak bonds after little to no contact.

Prime Alpha = The strongest Alpha of the pack, could be two or three or any number in each pack; only one is considered the leader of the pack.

Packs = Consists of two people either having the same blood, or bonded by a bite.

Leaders of the pack are mostly Alphas, could be another subgender. An Alpha could be labeled Prime Alpha by their pack members -if they were the pack Alpha- but Prime Alphas actually present as Prime Alphas, they’re slightly different than normal Alphas (senses are more honed). An Alpha could later turn into a Prime Alpha depending on their line of heritage. (Here, Bruce, Jason, and Damian presented as Prime Alphas. Dick presented as an Alpha, Dick fully changed as time went to a Prime Alpha.)

Presentation age is between 11 to 14. Some may present earlier (e.g. Damian 10), some may present later(e.g. Jason 15)

Anyone can live without a pack, they would just be holding an invisible weight over their shoulders; signifying they have no support and need to carry their own weight.

Bonding bite is the bite that solidifies bonds and/or create them. It depends on the wish of the one who bites, whether it turns into a mating one or a familial one.

The one biting doesn’t feel exhausted but has an overwhelming will to protect the one they bit.

The one being bitten feels extremely exhausted and weak (Since a bond is literally being made in them), their muscles might even stop working -if they were young-, in most cases they go to sleep. -so they end up waking with minimal movement difficulties-

Ages : Bruce is old(about 30s-40s), Alfred is immortal, Dick is 22, Jason is 19, Tim is 17, Damian is 12.

Bruce is Batman, Dick is Nightwing(though he never went to Bludhaven), Jason is Red Hood(Just came back from Nanda Parbat), Tim is Robin, Damian shadows Tim and Bruce as Shadow but doesn’t engage.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Jason felt accomplished. The Replacement will no longer carry the name of Robin -Batman was too scared by his threats and grounded the little ---- -. Dickhead is too injured to even walk. Bruce is probably held back by his true kids, the two of them (Without Jason).

 

Wait two?

 

There was a missing piece.

 

Jason’s brain goes back to that quiet voice, the non-existent scent, the baby green eyes in the sunlight, the soft black hair. In the dark, it looked like viridian green, nothing like the azure blue of Dad’s.

 

Jason’s thought process stopped at the word dad.

 

Does he still consider Bruce his dad?

 

Wait, that was Bruce’s kid. The one Bruce had when he only had Dickhead and Dickhead was just ten.

 

Thinking about the kid…the pit calmed. Jason relished in the sense of calm. Mostly because the kid was never a threat to his place.

 

Jason sat with his thoughts, tried to think of why Bruce and Alfred would blatantly ignore a child. Why Dick never made a move to remedy that… Up until his Alpha instincts called.

 

Being a Prime Alpha sucks, but it works right now.

 

Jason readied his knives, checked his guns, and stalked silently to the apartment door.

 

The doorbell rang.

 

Jason peered through the peephole while attaching his domino mask.

 

Prime Alpha, he’s challenging me.

 

Jason opened the door with a snarl and swiped the knife at the Prime Alpha’s face. The Prime Alpha dodged the knife swipe and the gunshot that Jason fired. ---- it, he’s trained? Jason smacked the gun to The Prime Alpha’s face, he got a hit. The Prime Alpha spat out some blood, and Jason tackled him to the ground. They fought each other, The Prime Alpha getting one hit, Jason getting another. The Prime Alpha punched Jason right in the face, breaking his nose. Jason tackled The Prime Alpha once more but this time, he punched like death was on him. The Prime Alpha caught Jason’s fists in his hands and nearly flipped them over, but Jason smacked him with a knee. The Prime Alpha stilled.

 

“That’s all you got? Coming to my turf and attacking me, yet you lost. How patheti-”

 

A baby?

 

Jason turned around, checking his surroundings again, yet no other person was in the perimeter…except for The Prime Alpha.

 

Jason checked the air again, Prime Alpha pheromones were… they didn’t even exist. What.

 

With Jason shocked and stock-still, Tim attacked with vicious punches. Yes, he wasn’t trained by the world’s greatest detective. Yes, he wasn’t trained by the League of Assassins. But he came here specifically to fight Jason. When he found out Jason was alive, his heart burst with joy. The one person who actually appreciated him was alive. But all that is half-gone now. I understand he’s under the pit’s influence, but I draw the line at attacking my brother. If being nice won’t cut it, then punches will…Mary will be pissed.

 

Meanwhile in Jason’s brain.

 

Baby.

 

Jason sees baby.

 

Jason hurts baby.

 

Baby angry?

 

Jason sad.

 

Jason wants Dad.

 

Dad…

 

Dad can protect Baby!

 

Alphas are wired to protect the young, Prime Alphas more so, to the point they go into what is called currently “Panicked Frenzy”.

 

And just like that, all sorts of logic flew out of the window. Jason managed to wrestle Tim into putting another set of scent blockers and showered him with his scent. A strong patchouli woody scent, one with an undertone of gun powder. Tim freezes then but continues to try and get out of Jason’s grip. Even managed to punch him and dislocate his jaw. Tim felt satisfied with that and stopped attempting his luck at Jason’s life -mostly because they were in a moving vehicle (motorcycle)-.

 

I should have had more coffee before this. Then again, Dickie is the only one who actually acknowledged me, I feel justified in my reaction. Also, Jason no matter the age is still an asshole. Granted he cemented Dickie’s part in the pack now, but he beat him senseless while I was in New York, like how dare you brother dearest beat my other brother? Well, at least Jason’s going back in the pack now. Evil me would be proud of my manipulation. Not me turning Jason around just because I smell like a baby *insert inside hair flip*.

 

Meanwhile Jason’s brain:

 

Jason found Baby. Jason hurt Baby. Jason is gonna go to Dad. Pack Alpha would help. Pack Alpha was mad at Jason, but Jason can’t just leave a baby!

 

And a lot of other gibberish. Because well… Once again, Alphas are wired to protect the young. Whether they are their own or not. In case of an Alpha being so isolated from young ones, they go into a protective frenzy, quite similar to the ruts they go through (ruts/heats aren’t mating cycles, but more or less a forced bonding (physical contact/cuddling) to keep the pack together, the less they happen, the more stable the pack is and vice versa), but with a lot more common sense. In Jason’s case, the only young one he met and was in contact with -like a year ago- was Damian. Even then, he mostly wore scent blockers and had little to no puppy scent, as he already presented. Now being within the perimeter of one Timothy Drake that never presented and had a low-leveled bond with him, Jason gave in to the Prime Alpha instincts and figuratively ran to the safest person he knows; Bruce.

 

Annnnddd let the chaos begin. Seriously, evil me is somewhere laughing at me cuz I sure as ---- ain’t the only manipulative piece of ----.

 

 

No one is in the Batcave, an unusual occurrence. Where is Dad? Pack Alpha needs to protect this one…he’s too tiny, am I going to break him? Where is Dad?

 

As Jason takes his first few steps off the motorcycle, Tim bolts as fast as he could to the stairs leading to the manor. Even while Tim never presented, his senses did improve to as close to a presented adult as it could, just without presenting. Tim heard Jason stumble a bit and start to run after him, but with this head start I’m gonna reach the manor with no interruptions, especially since the stairs are literally filled with rainwater -the reason Bruce installed an elevator-.

 

Baby is running! The stairs are dangerous! They should have used the elevator, I can’t catch up to Baby! How can a Baby be so fast! He’s my Baby! I need to find him!

 

Meanwhile:

 

HAHAHahAhahha, Jason is a dumbass like always, all I had to do was run and now you’re in my freaking spiderweb, he didn’t take in mind that I wouldn’t listen and run did he? Anyways, into the lion’s den we go ~

 

 

The Red Hood had attacked Nightwing while on patrol. At first, the Bats thought he was a random person who lived in Crime Alley and after getting tired of how things were handled, he took it into his own hands.

 

But now he holds a grudge against the Bats, one big enough to attack Nightwing and compromise him to this level.

 

The fight between Nightwing and Red Hood was captured by numerous street cameras as well as Nightwing’s body cam. Yet Bruce never made it in time. Never made it in time, ever. This was a mercy, Red Hood fled the scene before Batman could even arrive, always about ti- 

 

Bruce’s internal monologue/self-deprecating episode, while externally cuddling with his eldest gets cut off with the door opening.

 

I’m sorry, I meant with the door banging open. And with the room’s smell souring, badly.

 

The door was locked.

 

The Prime Alpha in Bruce was furious, how dare they interrupt my child’s resting. My child is tired, he had done more than enough, he is strong, but I will protect hi- a Baby? But Damian was right beside me? 

 

Bruce turned to Damian on his right, but he was also stock-still. As was Dick.

 

Bruce turned back to the door and was promptly shocked by the clear view of Tim, in an old prototype suit, fully black. 

 

Tim ducked.

 

Red Hood flew into the nest.

 

Tim? Why did Tim send Red Hood their way? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?Why? Why? Why? Why?Why? Why? 

 

Patchouli.

 

Wood.

 

Jason.

 

Bruce tackled the interuder-maybe-son-maybe-jason and ripped the scent blocker away.

 

Jason’s scent slammed into Bruce’s nostrils. But Jason was dead. Wait, Jason was saying something

 

“Dad! There is a Baby!” Jason points at Tim. “He is Baby! You need to protect him! I hurt him! In Baby’s Face! There is a bruise!”

 

Tim salutes them and walks to the door.

 

Damian tries to tackle Tim.

 

Tim bolts down the hallway.

 

“You traitor! How dare you bring the enemy to Father’s quarters! I shall slay you to keep Father’s honor!”

 

Damian’s voice becomes inaudible with the distance, but Bruce is conflicted. Dickie solves it for him.

 

“Little wing?”

 

“…big bird…”

 

Dick flings himself at Jason, injuries forgotten, and bowls his eyes out. Jason looked near tears in the beginning, but now he was crying in the arms of his big brother. Bruce slowly eased out of the hold of his two oldest and went to find his youngest two.

 

 

“You traitor! How dare you bring the enemy to Father’s quarters! I shall slay you to keep Father’s honor!”

 

Tim ran.

 

This is just ridiculous, I’m trying to bring your pack together Dami, but no, all I get are swords and fights, granted, I’m not part of the family, but like fuck you I did you a favor.

 

The Manor was large enough that there was no way Damian was going to corner Tim, especially if Tim lived here longer than Damian, which he had.

 

The chase goes on for about 10 minutes.

 

Tim takes a left.

 

Tim sees Bruce and runs faster.

 

Bruce prepares for two bodies slamming onto him, but only gets Damian.

 

“Bye Bruce! See you later!”

 

Bruce goes to the logical approach.

 

“ACE!”

 

Ace, the Bathound, the Hero, tackles Tim to the ground and licks his face.

 

“Ace! Ace stop! Hey! Stop that tickles!” 

 

Bruce smiles at Tim and Ace while carrying his youngest. But a smell stops his approach. A Baby. Tim.

 

Just like Jason said, Tim is a baby.

 

Bruce’s analytical mind was going through millions of thoughts in a second. He checks over Tim’s body, rotates his head, and feels his scalp for anything. Damian the baby Alpha, hovers near, unsure.

 

Naturally, people change scent over time.

 

From a newborn’s scent to a baby’s scent that sticks to children well in their childhood years, then it changes to a child’s scent briefly before their teenage years. Later on, they smell like teenagers, young adults, then adults. 

 

Now, there is a ting of those smells, unless they haven’t presented, then they mostly have a scent of their pack. 

 

However, in very specific circumstances that were not even properly studied, people reverse to their original scent, not the newborn one, but the baby one. To send signals to whoever is near to aid the fallens.

 

The fallens are the name of those who have the baby scent. In most known cases, they were children to adults, mostly ones who had been abandoned by their pack, emotional neglect getting on their senses before they were abandoned.

 

“I’m sorry, Tim”

 

Bruce never wanted to claim his third son this way, however, time was not to be messed with. I don't know when he started having this scent, I don't know why, he won’t get his actual scent, but he will face death if I don't do this.

 

Bruce places a kiss on Tim’s cheek, it puts him off guard, and so Bruce bites. Gently. On Tim’s neck.

 

It was a tiny bite, didn’t even draw blood; Bruce didn’t like hurting his kids for whatever reason. But Tim went down. Hard.

 

Bruce is worried.

 

Damian is having a heart attack.

 

“Timothy! I demand you wake up, this is not my idea of ‘fun’, wake up right this instant!”

 

“Damian, sweetheart, he can’t wake up, he’s tired.”

 

“What do you mean, Father?”

 

“People who ‘smells like a baby’ as Jason says are more likely to fall asleep than be awake through the claiming bite aftereffects. Now, let's go back to your elder brothers, you’d feel tired from Tim’s claiming bite as well.”

 

“Yes, father, I believe you mentioned this along lines of new pack mates, when they join the pack formally, the entire pack feels it, and some of the effects may go to them.”

 

“That’s right, Dami, good job.”

 

Bruce moves slowly.

 

He moves Tim’s limp body back into a sitting position and because he was a tiny kid, Bruce is able to carry him on his hip. Slowly walking back to Bruce’s room, or the main den, Damian holds his Dad’s hand and looks anxiously at his older brother.

 

As soon as they arrive at the den, two pairs of eyes lock eyes with Bruce’s.

 

“He’s okay, you’ll feel the bond in a few moments. Also, Jason, no biting your big brother, I don't care if it’s not going to bruise. Dick, breathe, and please drink some water. Damian, come here.”

 

Bruce single-handedly carried his limp noodle of a teenager, and his preteen kiddie to the den’s nest and gently placed Dami near the middle of the nest right in front of Jason, then slowly placed Tim in Dick’s hands and went to lay behind him.

 

With the strongests guarding the sides, the young ones in the middle, Bruce as pack Alpha let a very pungent but comforting scent. To help his pack mates sleep and calm down. He’d protect them at night, as their dad and pack alpha.

 

 

Tim wakes up feeling refreshed.

 

Scratch that, he feels alive.

 

W#TF?

 

That’s Damian the one that tried to kill him on numerous ocaaios- ohhhhh we’re pack mates. 

 

We’re what.

 

“Hey, Tim, good morning. How do you feel?”

 

Tim is speechless, Tim is blue-screening, Tim cannot comprehend. Error, please try again later. Is that Bruce fucking smiling at me? How? What?Wh-

 

“Dad, you just broke Timmy.”

 

“You did.”

 

Dick…casually agreeing with what Jason says. Jason literally cuddling with the little demon brat. Said demon brat not even flinging his sword at me. What.

 

“He’s that sleep-deprived or did no one give him a hug before?”

 

“I think its more along the lines of how I treated him… I have never been close to him, and I admit that I might have gone hard on him. I…regret how I treated him, I should have done better.”

 

“…I think we all mistreated him.”

 

After that Tim just fades from the conversation going around him. He was absolutely not ready for any emotional talk about emotions, so he let them talk, and went back to sleep in the warmth.

 

Unbeknownst to Tim, he just unleashed a hoard of protective Alphas. Ones that were concerned about many things about him. But most pressingly, his weight.

 

“Then, for the time being, could I use the kitchen? We need to get some weight on him, while he packs a punch and some ----- good moves, he’s light as ----.”

 

“I believe I gave him a diet to stick with. However, because he has no one to watch over him. It is obvious that he will not follow through.”

 

“But before that, we treated Tim’s injuries, so get over here, Jason.”

 

“I did say the little twerp packed a mean punch.”

 

“Timothy was the one to dislocate your jaw and injure your face? I have never thought that big brother could possess such powers.”

 

“Yes, yes, baby bat. He probably will teach you how to, after all his knuckles aren’t even bruised.”

 

“How though?”

 

Let’s leave Bruce to his overthinking. -Tim was wearing those knuckle metal things, cuz he’s a menace-

 

Alfred was on a trip back to England…was he though?

 

“Good evening, Mister Slade Wilson. I would like to inquire about your newest bounty.”

 

Did I mention that Slade was somehow kidnapped? Somehow he can’t even move.

 

“You’re the butler of the Wayne family, aren’t you? I took the bounty over Nightwing’s head ‘cause he helped my kid. My kid ain’t dead, and he didn’t want his ‘hero’ to die. So I did it.”

 

Suddenly, Slade wasn’t tied.

 

“Very well then. However, if I find out that your answer is a lie, consequences shall fall on you. Otherwise, you are invited to the monthly dinners.”

 

Now Slade wasn’t a Prime Alpha, he was a normal one, yet he was on the same level of strength as the Batman. But oh hell nah if he’s going to dare go against this Prime Alpha that is definitely scarier than the Bat. Guess he’s going to a dinner later this month then.

 

 

Tim wakes up to a jacket being draped around his shoulders and hands under his arms carrying him and draping him -much like the jacket- onto someone’s chest. That’s Bruce’s scent. Tim looks up, to blue eyes, smiling at him in mirth.

 

“Hey, there, sweetheart.”

 

Tim might’ve accidentally stepped onto a parallel dimension or something. 

 

“No, Timmy, you haven’t. But let's go eat breakfast now.”

 

Tim is carried throughout the manor and to the kitchen that Alfred mostly uses. It smelled like pancakes and newly baked bread, but also like oud, patchouli, and popcorn. That’s Dami, Jason, and Dickie. But why are they in the kitchen without Alfred?

 

While Tim was stuck in his thoughts, Bruce sits down, and places Tim on his lap. Damian clampers onto Bruce’s other side. Bruce was pleased that his youngest was starting to initiate contact on his own, I have to work on this with Tim too, but for now, I would enjoy this.

 

Jason places multiple plates each filled with a variety of foods, while Dick pours coffee, tea, water, and orange juice into their respective glasses for each person.

 

Tim interrupts the quiet atmosphere. 

 

“I want coffee though…”

 

“I will give you coffee…if you drink your water.”

 

Tim just stares.

 

“That’s a two-liter water bottle. The same exact one I bought for coffee from typo, how dare you use it for water.”

 

“You need hydration.”

 

 

Alfred comes back a few days later to his third grandson being formally adopted.

 

Bruce meets Slade and they enter a staring competition…till Slade tells Bruce about a few very specific people who had been targeting Dick. Names starting with a T, a B, and an M.

 

They form an alliance.

 

The underworld is in shambles from them.

 

Especially after the Lazarous pits were emptied and Ra’s died. 

 

Superman was contemplating.

 

Up until Slade gave him all the plans Luthor had for his children.

 

Diana approves.

 

The Justice League is scared of this alliance.

 

Slade is affectionately called ‘murder uncle’

Notes:

The three people Slade warns Bruce about are Tarantula, Blockbuster, and Mirage.

Obviusly, Bruce and Slade (as well as Clark) join forces to take them down. With Dick grounded by the authority of three people. (Alfred, Uncle Slade, and Bruce) as well as his siblings.