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Jason bared his teeth in a lackluster impression of a real alpha’s snarl. Their situation was hopeless and he couldn’t help but curse whatever deity had decided that today would be the day to destroy his pathetic life even more than it already was.
The looming shadow of an alpha much larger than himself came closer, hands raised as if he thought Jason was stupid enough to believe that he was coming in peace. He’d heard enough living on the streets, to know that an adult alpha only ever wanted one thing from an omega, no matter how small. And Jason was so much smaller than his opponent, hell, he was practically still a pub himself.
But he had to try—there was no winning but he couldn’t lose. The cowering omega behind him depended on him, on winning this fight. And Jason was many things, but first and foremost, he was a protector—at least he tried to be.
And to think the day had started out so well…
Jason had woken up that morning at half past nine, to the sun cracking through the boarded up windows of his current hideout. It wasn’t often that Gotham was graced with sunshine, and he was determined to use it to his full advantage. It was late September, maybe already October, and the warmth of a brooding summer had long since been lost to the heavy rain and fog that clung to Gotham’s streets like mud to work-boots.
This was shaping up to be a great day in Jason’s book, as he wrangled himself into his last half-way decent looking hoodie and tied his shoe-laces. This apartment was deep in Gotham’s darkest part, but if he hurried, it was only a thirty minute walk to Robinson’ park. That was where Jason was headed.
Sun meant children outside, especially since Ivy had been laying low ( in hindsight, very suspiciously low). And screaming children with parents meant stuff left behind, half-eaten sandwiches or-if he lucked out-the rest of a chili-dog. Plus, the food wouldn’t be soggy, without the rain. It was also the only water-source in Gotham that you could probably drink from without too much worry and Jason really didn’t have the money for more bottled water.
And so, he went on his way, two used up plastic bottles in his hand to fill up at the park, and a smile on his face.
Whenever the sun shone through the clouds, it was as if the whole city got transformed. One second, every shadow posed a threat and he was a curled-up puppy too afraid to venture in front of his door and the next, every spot seemed inviting, cleaner, safer.
As always, Jason’s prediction was correct, since the park was filled to the brim with children of all ages. He could dive in and go completely unnoticed in the crowd. Which was the second plus of the park. Jason didn’t really like stealing but he made a great pick-pocket anyway, and he did what he had to survive. And stressed out parents watching their children fling themselves from trees or whatever, made excellent targets.
Within the hour, he scored two wallets with a combined wealth of just under 150$, which meant he was set for the next two weeks at least, if he was careful with how he spent it. And as the sun approached noon, children began demanding food from vendors, subsequently dropped said food and frowning caretakers threw the rest away. And for once, Jason ate well. Sure, it was a bit gross to eat out of the trashcans, but he was literally a street-rat, no one expected anything else. Besides, he’d sadly mostly outgrown the lost-puppy look, so people didn’t just hand out stuff anymore.
He munched on a still lukewarm box filled with fries and as he predicted, even managed to get a bite of a chili-dog, even if it hit the ground beforehand. Whatever. It was probably good for his immune-system or some shit.
He filled his bottles and greedily drank from the fountain near the center of the park, before deciding he was done for the day. And since nobody else but him was the boss here, he just dropped where he stood into the soft and a bit wet grass and closed his eyes. Life was good.
—
Jason woke up what must’ve been hours later, since the sun stood far lower in the sky and the screaming of the children had gotten far quieter. Nobody stuck around for sundown in the park, that was just common sense. His skin burned a little and absently, he wondered if he had managed to get sunburn this late in the year. Whatever, he was full and happy and completely chill.
Gathering his two bottles and making sure the wallets were still securely tugged into the hidden pocket on the inside of his pant, he started to whistle. Like this, he could almost pretend he hadn’t lost everything and everyone that mattered to him.
But the sun went down faster than he expected and the sunset had already started when he approached the edge of the park. Screw fall with its stupidly short days. He quickened his steps, he still had at least half an hour home and no child as young as him should be out in crime alley after dark.
Even if he had a bit more security as an alpha. He shuddered to think of what might’ve happened had he presented as omega back when he was nine and Mom was still around. The dealers had already lingered far more than he’d been comfortable with; there was no telling what they might’ve done with a vulnerable unmated omega pup.
But alas, he’d presented as alpha, securing him the least bit of protection for his life on the streets.
Then—the alarms started breaking. Jason cursed. He knew the sound well, all of the Gothamites did. It meant a rogue was out and about. And since he hadn’t heard about an Arkham breakout, his first guess was Ivy. Man, he was lucky he’d woken up when he did. He didn’t have a functional mask anyway, so his only chance to go unscathed was to return home as quickly as possible.
That was when he heard it. A whimpering filled the air, a keen from a young omega. It sounded terrified, understandably. And the scent that followed—oh shit, the omega was going into a heat, though by the lingering scent of milk, he was even younger than Jason himself. The last time he was close to an omega in heat was his mom towards the end of her life. She’d been so weak and he’d growled and stalked around the nest she near-permanently stayed in anyway. His instincts had screamed at him then just as much as they did now.
If he didn’t find the omega and help him somewhere safe—well, another alpha would and the chances of that alpha being an upstanding citizen was close to zero. Not here. Jason sighed.
He didn’t know this omega pup, didn’t know it’s story, or why there was no pack around. That they had let this pup out at all was near criminally neglectful and he could feel anger rising up his chest.
The keening got louder, out of an alley just to his right. With the position of the sun, it was already shrouded in shadows and he would’ve had no clue that there was a person in there at all.
Packless-afraid-sweet-preheat wafted through the air in an enticing swirl. Well, if nobody else was coming, it would fall to Jason.
He approached the alley with care, making sure to not come off as aggressive. The omega keened again and Jason responded in his best alpha-voice.
A responding keen accompanied by another whimper. Now that he was closer, he could make out the crumpled up dark form next to a dumpster, which otherwise he’d probably would’ve assumed to be trash. But the figure shivered and writhed and was so goddamn small.
“Hello? Are you alright?“ He asked, feeling slightly stupid. He had no clue how to talk to an omega in heat.
“I don’t want to hurt you. But it’s not safe here. Can you move?“
The figure looked up and blue eyes locked with his teal. They were watering a bit and Jason wanted nothing more than to bundle the pup up in as many blankets as he had. (Which were two, to be precise)
“Please- please don’t-“ came the quiet pleading and it nearly broke his heart. He’d heard horror-stories out on the streets before, especially from the workers over on fifth. How anybody could hurt somebody as innocent as this pup, Jason would never know.
“Shh- I’m not going to hurt you. But you can’t stay here. Where’s your pack?“
More tears ran down in shimmering tracks.
“Pack? NO- no- I’m bad, bad pup“
Jason frowned. “You’re not a bad pup, I promise. Are you lost?“
The omega shook his head. They were running out of time. He was minutes away from an actual heat and they were no step closer to figuring this out.
“I’m bad! They- they didn’t want me. No pack- bad puppy“
Well, that explained the lack of pack. He had to violently shut up the growl that had made its way up his throat at the thought of abandoning a child for seemingly no reason.
“Listen, you probably have no reason to trust me. But you really can’t stay here, Ivy’s out and it’s nearly dark. Do you maybe want to stay with me? I don’t have much but it’s probably safer than this.“
It was a long shot at best, but Jason was increasingly more desperate.
The omega stared at him with his big, blue eyes, a pink flush on his cheeks, probably because of the fever.
“You want to stay with me? But- but I’m bad!“
Jason took another step closer and slowly reached out to run a hand through sweaty hair. The heat emanating off of his forehead was expected but nevertheless, pretty disturbing.
“You’re not bad, I promise puppy. And if you want to, I’d love to stay with you. Just get away from here.“
The puppy followed his slow touches with more enthusiasm than Jason would’ve expected. He was clearly starved for affection.
“Okay, I’ll come with you. Just promise- promise you won’t throw me out before this is over- please!“
Jason, who never in his life planned to let this actual child go again, not even under threat of death, nodded and then held his hand out. The omega reached for it, and together, they got him back on his feet. Now, listen—Jason knew he wasn’t tall, not even for his actual age. Lack of nutrition and all, but this pup? He was tiny, even compared to him. He barely reached up to Jason’s chest, which was unusual because he had to be at least nine to have presented already.
Eventually, the pup stood up n his own two feet, even if he was clearly unsteady. Jason snaked a protective arm around his back to keep him steady. And the puppy practically melted into the touch. It was extremely endearing.
“I don’t live too far from here, but tell me if you can’t walk anymore. We’ll figure something out. I’m Jason, by the way.“
“I’m Tim“ the omega said quietly.
He looked around, perhaps a tad too paranoid, even for this area. But he couldn’t help it. His instincts were going into overdrive.
The way back home was possibly the longest ten minutes of his life. Tim couldn’t go on around minute five, so Jason send a prayer up to the heavens, and heaved Tim onto his back. Chili-dog don’t betray him now.
“How old are you anyway, Timbo?“
“I’m nine, but I turn ten in July!“— so in nearly a year. Jason chuckled. Had he met Tim in the street, he would’ve bet that he was seven at max. An issue to worry about at a later date.
“And what were you doing in that alley?“ Because surely even a tiny kid like Tim could and an abandoned warehouse or something to wait his heat out. It’s what Jason probably would’ve done. He ignored the curious simmering that started up in his stomach. Maybe something he ate had been worse than he guessed.
“Oh- um, I was taking photos of Robin, he’s my greatest hero! But yeah, there was some pollen, I think— I ca’t remember anymore. And then I just started running because I didn’t want him catching me out.“
That sure was a story. Jason snorted. Only his little puppy. “But you haven’t been living there, right?“
Tim shook his head, which Jason couldn’t even really see since Timmy was riding piggy-back.
“No- I’m still living at home. My parents don’t want anyone noticing they don’t have a child anymore. But um- they kicked me out of the pack because I presented as an omega“
A growl escaped Jason and he held onto Tim’s legs just a bit tighter. He would guess from Tim’s Bristol accent that his parents were rich douchebags, but this was low, even for high-society. They didn’t live in the eighteen-hundreds anymore, for heavens sake.
Tim whimpered in response and he promptly cut the growling out. It seemed any kind of aggressive reaction Tim took personally, cowering away and apologizing between whimpers.
Carefully, Jason climbed the broken stairs up to his little safe space and numbly regretted not keeping more nesting-materials.
He barricaded the door behind him with the rusty dresser from the corner and let Tim down. Tim’s knees buckled immediately and he fell into the pitiful pile of pillows Jason kept as his nest. He hadn’t thought about expanding but it was quickly becoming very necessary that he do just that. The one blanket he kept away for winter would have to do for now, as he laid it out carefully on the hard ground. He was terribly sorry that he couldn’t provide more, but he just didn’t have anything.
Not that Tim seemed to have much of a problem with it, his pupils blown wide as he cuddled up into the pillows, letting a small, content sigh escape between cracked lips.
Jason had exactly three stolen protein bars, one snickers and a half-eaten sandwich from the night before. Well, that and the two bottles of clean water. He didn’t have a heating pad or anything to make the cramps go away, but when he’d still been in school, the teacher had told them that an alpha’s pheromones could also soothe an omega in heat, so he sunk down right next to Tim. He hesitated, not wanting to be too forward, but clearly his puppy didn’t have the same problem as he threw himself against Jason’s chest, nuzzling the crook of his neck, right where his scent-glands were located and letting out a way happier keening sound.
Looking around, he made sure all entryways were blocked as best as he could and that there was no-one already inside. That was when his eyes landed on the beat-up duffle bag he used to transport his belongings from safe-house to safe-house. On the inside, there was a pocket with a switch-blade he stole off of some bragging idiot last spring. It was just the tiniest bit out of his reach, but Tim had practically glued himself to his side, so he carefully moved both of them a bit to the left, until his fingers brushed past the handles of the bag. He pulled it closer, and only after he had the knife safely in his hand, did his instincts calm again. He put it carefully under a pillow, so that it wouldn’t hurt Tim, but was easily reachable should some asshole try anything.
One thing was for sure, for Tim, he wouldn’t hesitate to stab some fucker.
But for now, with the room quickly filling with the scent of a young puppy in heat, satisfied and content and curiously, no longer reeking so much of abandonment as before, he could lean back and appreciate the opportunity he’d been given.
Jason hadn’t had a pack in more than a year, and now he had a new puppy. Because Tim was his, without a doubt. He tucked the puppy’s head against his side, wrapped his arm around the tiny figure and pulled the other blanket over the both of them, until only Tim’s fluffy black hair and his big blue eyes were uncovered.
He began humming a song he’d last heard from his own mom, crooning it against Tim’s head, until the puppy calmed fully into a submission that let him bare his neck and drift into a calm sleep.
And obviously, Jason was way too riled up to sleep but the intoxicating scent of the omega, crossed with what he now recognized as the first signs of rut put him into a sort-of trance, in which he didn’t dare close his eyes but he wasn’t fully awake either.
His last real though was that the pollen might have rubbed off of Tim, since his next rut shouldn’t have happened for another month and a half.
CRASH!
He didn’t think he’d ever woken up so quickly in his life. His fingers wrapped around the knife almost without thought, and he pushed Tim behind him, facing the aggressor that had just broken his window.
Jason gulped. In front of him stood the biggest alpha he’d ever seen in his life, and that was how he got into his current position.
The weak omega puppy behind him, still half-way out of it, himself in rut and not even thirteen yet and a hunk of an alpha approaching. He stood up on shaky knees and held out the knife.
“Get away from us! I’m serious! “
The alpha grunted.
“Omega. Heat.“
Jason hoped he didn’t notice how the blade of his knife trembled in his hand.
“Yeah, and you’ll have to go through me before you can get him! And I’m warning you, I’m not gonna make this easy.“
The alpha looked at the knife and then back at him. Jason snarled, showing off fangs much smaller than the others.
The closer he looked, the more clear it was that the alpha was also in pre-rut at least. Great. His pupils were blown wide. And— the more Jason looked, the more familiar the man seemed. That was when his rut-addled brain registered the cowl. Oh. Oh.
Oh fuck no.
This wasn’t just any knot-headed alpha, this was Batman. Jason tried not to cry on the spot. His chances against a normal alpha had been slim, but against Batman? Yeah, he was mush. And Tim—He couldn’t follow that line of thought.
“Please Batman, he’s just a puppy. Aren’t you supposed to be the protector of the city?“
But he also had a sidekick in panties, as opposed to his fully-armored suit, so who was to say where his tastes fell exactly.
“Puppy“, Batman seemed to agree and then he came closer, and closer. Jason kept the knife exactly where it had been, but now it was nearly touching the chest-plates of the vigilante-suit.
Then, a few things happened at once.
Batman came even closer, slinging an arm around Jason, the other reaching out towards Tim. On instinct, Jason stabbed, hitting a point between two plates, just to the right of his ribs. There was another crash and another figure tumbled through the window, only this one had a tell-tale yellow cape. Robin.
Batman grunted again and looked down in confusion. The knife was wedged between the armor, and about two inches deep. He clearly hadn’t expected that, but he also didn’t react with anger. Instead, he kept holding onto Jason and Tim. Great, now he didn’t even have a weapon anymore. His eyes threatened to water again.
And then there was the tiny vigilante companion, who ripped off his scent-blocker in the middle of this ditch and rushed to Batman’s side.
“B? Are you alright? You just disappeared there!“
Then his eyes fell to the switchblade and to Jason who reared back. Sure, the vigilante was an omega but he had no illusions that he could best him. Hell, he was taller than Jason and probably older too.
“Did you- did you stab B’?“ The tiny voice asked, more amused than accusatory. Numbly, Jason nodded. He did, he did do that. And he didn’t even regret it.
“Jason? Wha- what’s goin’ on?“
And the baby-bird had woken up. Jason could’ve groaned. But the words were slurred to high heaven, nothing in comparison to the stilted accent from before, and he was just such an endearing puppy.
“Shh“, he ran a hand through Tim’s hair but didn’t once look away from the two vigilantes in his hideout.
“You know what? I did stab Batman. And I’d do it again if he doesn’t back off. Timbo’s just a puppy!“
The grip on his shoulder loosened as Robin slowly pushed Batman backwards, crowding up against the alpha, scenting him right there in the open. He really had no clue what was going on.
“I think there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. B would never harm a puppy. But he was hit with some pollen earlier and disappeared right after. I’m sorry he crashed through your window, he usually doesn’t do that.“
“Yeah well? I dun’ care about no stupid misunderstanding. He should keep away from us.“
Batman still wasn’t speaking, but he also didn’t smell aggressive in any way. If anything, there was the slightest tinge of pack-alpha-father-protect in the air. He would never admit it, but it helped calm Jason significantly. His brain wasn’t really working on full capacity, his rut muddling his thoughts, but he was way more aware than Tim. His puppy was shivering, pressing against Jason’s back and he wanted nothing more than to let go and sink into his own instincts, holding Tim tight.
“Robin, puppy—heat. Protect.“ That was the clearest Batman had been all night, and it did kind of help calm Jason a bit.
Robin didn’t look the least bit surprised. “Yeah, that explains it. See, B’s kind of the head-alpha of Gotham, so he considers most of the citizens like pack-adjacent? I don’t really get it. But it does mean, he’s like the most ridiculously over-protective alpha ever. And with the pollen— he must’ve smelled you outside. I promise he wasn’t trying to harm you“
That seemed maybe a bit fishy to Jason, who could never even imagine feeling any kind of positive emotions towards most of the citizens of Gotham. But whatever. Batman was clearly very out of it and he didn’t appear to pose a threat.
“Where are your parent’s anyway. It’s not good to go through heat alone.“
Jason took full offense to that. “As you can clearly see, I’m here. So Timbo’s not alone.“
Robin frowned and scented the air. H’s eyes grew considerably wider, which was an achievement since they were mostly hidden by a domino and already ridiculously big.
“Are you telling me you’re here alone! That’s really dangerous.“
Then, he tilted his head to the side.
“Wait- I know that scent! That’s our baby-stalker. I thought I saw him earlier, but he was gone faster than I could tell him that tonight wasn’t a good night to be out. Are you his brother, because you really should watch him more, it can end badly, to be out there alone.“
That fit with what Tim had told him at least. So the puppy hadn’t lied, despite his very outlandish story.
“He’s not precisely… my brother, in the most traditional sense of the word. I kind of— uh, met him out in an alley earlier tonight. He told me he got some of ivy’s pollen and I’m pretty sure it rubbed off on me. But rest assured, he won’t be going out alone again anytime soon.“
Robin’s frowned deepened and a soothing alpha-rumble filled the room. It was way deeper than Jason could manage and clearly came from Batman. He’d plopped on the ground and just pulled Robin into his lap, motivated by the signs of distress, most likely.
“B you’re being ridiculous. I called Agent A, he’s sending the car.“
Robin faced Jason again. “It was very brave of you to take in an omega in need. Good job, puppy. Besides, you clearly have guts, not everybody can stab B like that.“
He felt heat rush to his cheeks. When was the last time someone had told him he did a good job? Probably when his mom was still around. And that an older omega had told him that? Yeah, that did wonders for his self esteem.
“I just told B, I called for the car. So I can take Tim off your hands. Maybe you have some insight on where he lives? His parents are probably worried“
Abruptly, the wooly feeling in his stomach disappeared. He snarled. “No! You’re not taking Tim away from me! He’s my puppy!“
“But his pack-“
“Screw his pack! He told me they broke the bond because he presented as an omega! Who does that? I’m a way better alpha for him than his parents“
Clearly, this was very troubling information for Robin, who frowned again.
“And your pack-“
He snorted. “Look around, douchenozzle, I’m all alone, well, with the exception of Tim now“
He nuzzled Tim’s wrist from its place in his lap. Tim had fallen asleep against his back, he could feel the vibrations of his soft snores through his shirt.
Robin turned to Batman.
“B’ what do you think?“
Batman gave his ward some head-pats and nodded. “Puppies. Pack- Protect.“
He grinned. “Yeah, I thought so.“
“How would you feel coming with us? I promise we have a pretty big nest, more food than you could ever need, and not to brag or anything, but B’s a really good pack alpha.“
And maybe it was the low pulse of the rut in him, or the tantalizing scent of a new father, protector, the opportunity to have some food or just the worry for Tim’s safety, but somehow, Jason agreed. If only because he had already started worrying about how he was gonna provide for Tim and himself, if he would have to go from pick-pocketing to stealing tires maybe.
But the way Robin smiled at him and held out his own hand to scent, told him that his decision was probably a good one. And if not, he’d just get a hold of Tim and run, it wasn’t like he had much to loose.
The ride in the self-driving batmobile was in one word: cramped. The car was clearly made for two, and Tim and him had piled in the tiny space behind the seats, the car filling with so many scents it made his head woozy and he couldn’t think.
But Tim was close by, and there was a strong alpha here to protect them and he had an older omega who was letting out these calming purrs and honestly, maybe this actually still was a good day. Or night— it was completely dark out and for the first time in a year, that thought didn’t fill him with anxiety.
They arrived at the Batcave, which was an actual cave(!), maybe twenty minutes later, to a welcoming but calm beta who spoke with the poshest accent Jason had ever heard. And then, finally, they piled into the ginormous nest that took up an entire room, filled with plush pillows and soft blankets, and Tim was so delighted he nearly vibrated out of Jason’s lap. He was such a good puppy and Jason had no clue how anyone could see anything wrong with him.
What would happen when all of them left rut and heat, was another matter entirely though. He was prepared to run, should he have to. Despite his persistent paranoia, he had a feeling he would never have to run again.