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Damian barely held back a sneer. He hated these foolish events. They were basically a modern day version of the heat runs that used to be held in medieval times. No, this was put together so wealthy socialites could check scent compatibility before attempting to matchmake. It was believed that mates scents appealing to each other meant that a couple’s fertility would be higher. Unfortunately, science had proven that to be true.
Despite that, there were many who pretended to like someone else’s scent in order to climb the social ladder. It would explain the plethora of omegas that were around him, simpering and batting their eyelashes at him. None of them appealed to him. None of them could hold a conversation with him or handle his night life. He wanted a mate that wouldn’t be cowed by Damian’s stern demeanor and imposing presence. One that would push back against him and had their own life and ambitions that didn’t include being a sugar baby.
He would not find such a person here.
Damian could not leave.
Not yet.
He needed to spend another hour here at least. Then, and only then, would it be socially acceptable for him to leave. Pointless chatter. Boring conversations. Damian did not care who was flirting with who, nor did he want to be introduced to anyone. What he did care about was what matches were made tonight. It was important to see which families made alliances. Some were nothing of note. Others, where their families were known to be involved in shady dealings and with the underbelly of Gotham, it was imperative to know who married whom.
Damian needed a moment of reprieve.
The cloyingly sickly sweet scent of all the omegas around him was turning his stomach.
Making an excuse, he made his way towards the terrace to catch a breath of the smoggy Gotham air. The smell of pollution and rain should clear out his nose from their horrid stench. He paused as he passed the bar, catching a faint whiff of a familiar smell of dirt, decay, and wet dog. Such a collection shouldn’t be appealing, yet it was. It reminded him of the caves below Nabat Panbar where the Lazarus Pits were. It evoked memories of the Batcave, of the damp and the dark, where the bones of long dead creatures could be found with mushrooms growing through them. The final note to the scent, the wet dog, brought forth memories of bathing Titus, along with the rest of his beloved pets.
Feeling unsettled, he stepped outside, ignoring the light rain that was coming down. As if something that minor would bother him. It was a relief to no longer be surrounded by others, their bodies pressing uncomfortably close to him. That smell though. He couldn’t get it out of his head. It… would not hurt to double check.
With his head clear, he headed back inside to hunt down that scent.
There.
Near the bar.
There was a young man with black hair who was sipping on what looked to be a mule, based on the copper mug and the lime wedge. It was clearly not this man’s first, as he was swaying slightly. Damian sat down next to the man, taking a closer look at him. He was handsome. A strong jaw. A crooked nose that had clearly been broken many times. Rough, calloused hands that had seen a hard day’s work. In that small aspect, and a few others, indicated that he was not supposed to be here.
How did he get into this gala?
“Hi. You’re the belle of the ball, aren’t you?” the man asked, his voice slurring slightly. “They were all crowding around you. You must be Mr. Moneybags.” Damian arched a brow. He’d never been called such terms to his face. Was there merely just drunken courage, or did this man actually not care to make a good impression?
“Even the belle needs a break. Especially when the attention is unwanted,” Damian responded. “I’ll have a Shirley Temple.” The bartender nodded, then proceeded to make the drink. The omega narrowed their eyes at him.
“You’re at a fancy ass ball, with free alcohol and food, and you’re not taking advantage of it?” the man leaned forward and whispered incredulously. The scent of the omega in front of him was so alluring. Damian needed to know his name. The man’s head tilted, reminding him of how Titus acted when he was confused.
“What’s that smell? Ancients, I could roll around in that all day! It smells like home. Like the Ghost Zone and like… the steel that makes up my parents' inventions. There’s something else too, but I can’t place it…” Damian’s mouth went dry.
They were scent compatible. The missing element the omega couldn’t pick up on was the iron smell of blood, which paired well with the notes of steel of his blades and the odor of the Lazarus Pits. It was a deadly and imposing scent that intimidated most. Yet here was this confusing man in front of him who wasn’t cowed at all and enjoyed it! Damian needed a name.
“That smell is my scent. I’ve been told it’s very unique. What is your name?” Oh, what a pretty blush the tipsy man had.
“It’s Danny,” he mumbled. “Danny Fenton. But shhhhhh, you can’t tell people that. I came in using my friend’s invite. I owed her. She’s off on a date with her girlfriend tonight.” How amusing and surprisingly adorable.
“Well, Danny, do you know who I am?”
“Uhhhhh. Some trust fund guy?” Damian didn’t hold back his chuckle. Danny was interesting to speak to when he was inebriated, but he was looking forward to talking to him when he was sober.
“I am, as the press would say, a child of nepotism. I did rise through the ranks far quicker than others due to that. However, I assure you that I do work very hard.” He worked hard during the night too, assisting to clean up the streets of Gotham. Danny leaned back with a smirk, his eyes lidded.
“Oh yeah? I assume you work real hard at night too. That’s probably one of your best lines, isn’t it?” Lines? Ah, pick up lines.
“I’m not a playboy. That title has been given to my eldest brother, Richard. I’m actually considered to be quite frigid. Some have called me robotic. I assure you, the double entendre there was entirely unintentional.” Danny nodded, taking another sip of his mule before setting it down.
“Yeah. I believe you, Mr. Roboto. The way you talk - shhhh!” Danny put his finger to Damian’s lips, stilling. Was something wrong? What had caused Danny to -
“Oh fuck, that fruitloop is here! Fuck! Um, you, I don’t even know your name, can you like, pretend to be my boyfriend or something? Just like, rub your scent all over me so that old piece of cheese leaves me alone?” Danny pleaded
Old piece of cheese? Damian tensed slightly, letting his eyes roam through the ballroom, looking for anyone that could reasonably be referred to as an ‘old piece of cheese’. There weren’t many older people in the room. The few that were here had vast sums of money and were looking for someone to match them in status and wealth, if not in age. There were a few people with graying hair, but only one headed in their direction. One Vladimir Masters. He had been on the watch list. Masters had grown his empire. The dealings had been rather suspicious and he’d done some funding on the CADMUS projects, particularly the cloning ones.
How did he know Danny?
While that was an important question to ask, he would find out the answer later. Right now, he needed to get his scent all over the beautiful omega in front of him. The alpha inside of him purred in contentment as he intertwined both of their hands, their scent glands in their wrists rubbing against each other. Giving a pleased rumble, Damian pulled Danny forward, so he was against Damian’s chest. Now, he could hug the other man and rub the glands in his neck and chin all over Danny’s head. Normally, he’d have waited until much further in the courting process to scent his future mate. However, this was being requested of him, so he would skip a few steps in order to assist.
“Little Badger? Is that you?” Masters asked, shocked. What a unique moniker. Badgers were loyal and protective creatures. If that was the animal that Danny evoked, then they were matched personality wise as well.
“Oh! Vladdie! How weird to see you here. I thought you were still all obsessed over my mom, even though, you know, she’s happily mated and has been for, oh, twenty five years? Did you finally give up?” It wasn’t the best acting, but most of the attendees of the gala were rather dim witted. Masters clearly had enough intelligence to recognize when he was being mocked.
“What an unfunny jest, Daniel. While I am good friends with your mother, I wouldn’t come to a Mate Gala if my heart belonged to another. I’m afraid you’ve had too much to drink,” Masters replied through gritted teeth.
It was obvious to Damian that it was a lie. The man had other reasons for being here. It was highly suspicious. However, it wasn’t something Damian was capable of following up on at the moment. He was more concerned with the tipsy omega in his arms. It might be best to get him home for the night. It would be crossing boundaries to look up where Danny lived. Or at least, to reveal that he knew. So he would likely need to put Danny in a secure hotel room to sleep off his inebriation. Damian picked up the omega bridal side, pleased when Danny’s arms wrapped around his neck.
“Yes, I’m afraid he is rather intoxicated. I shall take him to the lobby and ensure the staff get him a secure, scent proof room for the night. Excuse me.”
Not giving Masters any time to respond, Damian walked away confidently. He could feel the eyes watching him as he carried the gorgeous man out of the hall. This would likely be leaked to the tabloids. He found that he did not care. It was trivial to find a member of the staff and pay for a room for the night and for room service to be delivered the next morning around eleven. Unable to leave the omega without a way to contact him, Damian left a note on the nightstand with his name and his number. It took far more willpower than it should have to leave; to walk away from the man whose scent was like a siren’s call to him.
He would wait a week.
If Danny did not contact him, he would manipulate fate to ensure that he appeared before Danny once more.
***
He was going to do it.
He was going to text the handsome and nice alpha who had not only willingly covered Danny in his scent and help him ruffle Vlad’s feathers, but he’d also been a perfect gentleman and got Danny to a safe room to sleep and had breakfast delivered to him the next morning. Ancients. Even thinking about the man and what he’d done for Danny made his inner omega whine and demand that they go to the alpha and do their best to show just how good of a mate they’d be. Like, Danny had been drinking that night. He’d had condoms in his pocket. He’d wanted a nice one night stand.
Instead he’d made a fool of himself in front of the most AMAZING smelling alpha. Like how in the world did this guy smell like ectoplasm? How? Danny hadn’t known that was a thing! Groaning, he flopped back on the bed.
He could do this.
He was an adult!
He was the hero Phantom for Ancient’s sake!
He was a Justice League member!
Fingers shaking, he sent the text message. Then proceeded to worry about it and if he’d come across too desperate. Or clingy. Or maybe he’d been too blunt and straightforward? He didn’t always have the best filter… honestly, that was kinda how he’d gotten into this mess in the first place!
Danny sat up when his phone dinged.
Oh.
Looks like he had a date in two days, if he was free. If he wasn’t, Danny was going to make sure he was free!