Chapter Text
"Sorry I'm late."
"Baby bird!" Dick chirped in delight as Tim finally entered the cave, ten minutes late. "What took you?"
He was already in the Robin uniform, but looked a little ruffled and tired. He smelled like a mix of scents, except for his own, due to the scent blockers they wore in uniform. The omega part of Dick hated not being able to smell his brother, but the logical side chided himself for thinking such things. It was necessary for a secret identity.
"I was with Young Justice." Tim said offhandedly, restocking his utility belt.
"This late?" Dick questioned with a raised brow. "Why weren't they all at home?"
"Well the mountain is Kon and Bart's home." Tim said, not seeming bothered by this detail and instead looking back at Dick with a neutral expression. "And the girls like being at the mountain to soothe their instincts like I do."
Like he does? Tim goes to the mountain to soothe his instincts? Sure, Dick knew Tim just had his dad around, but surely it was still comforting to be in his own home. Or at least the manor. He must have been doing a bad job as the pack omega for Tim not to feel welcome.
"You could always come here to soothe your instincts, you know. On weekends at least." Dick reminded him. Tim looked mildly amused behind the mask, and shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess. But you guys aren't my pack."
"Of course we are!" Dick squawked, offended. Had he really not been making Tim feel like he was pack at all? Sure, he didn't live in the manor, and Bruce wasn't very good at affection but--
Aw, shit.
"At least, we should be." Dick sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess we really haven't acted like it. Sorry, Tim."
"It's not a big deal." Tim shrugged, seemingly not even paying much attention to Dick. "I spend most of my time at the mountain anyway, I don't really need another pack."
And while yeah, that made sense, Dick still felt bad. Even though the Titans are definitely his second pack, with all the time he'd spent with them, Bruce and Alfred and Tim were his main one.
Maybe Tim didn't feel like that because of his dad?
But Tim never came over smelling like Jack Drake. He never came over smelling like his parents before the accident either.
Who did Tim consider to be his pack?
Clearly not Dick and Bruce. And not his dad either.
"Hey, Timmy?" He asked, earning a Batman-like grunt of acknowledgment. "Is the Young Justice team your pack?"
Tim looked up at him from the bat computer, looking mildly confused, and shrugged. "I guess? We like, substitute for each other, I guess."
And if that didn't make Dick's head spin.
Because while sure, it was cute and all, it wasn't stable for a thirteen year old to only have other teenagers as his pack. He should have older alphas and omegas to properly teach him about life, and help him with whatever he needed. Other teenagers, half of which haven't even gone through their own childhoods, aren't able to provide that.
How was anyone allowing this?
How was Dick allowing this? And Bruce? Jack got half of a pass for not knowing Tim was Robin, he should still be involved enough to notice Tim coming home with a bunch of different scents on him. How much did Tim's dad pay attention to him? How much attention did anyone pay to Tim? Did he even have a trusted adult?!
"Oi, Nightwing." Tim said with a raised eyebrow. "Ready to go?"
Curious, Dick chirped as a response, waiting for Tim to chirp back. He didn't.
Huh.
❤︎
Over the next two weeks, Dick began to pay extra close attention to Tim. Specifically to his omega behaviors. Even more specifically, to his lack thereof.
Dick honestly had no idea how he'd never noticed before just how little Tim acted like his designation. It was like he didn't even know how.
Tim never nested. There was no nest in his bed at the manor, or even at Mount Justice, and when he sat on the couch with Dick, he did just that. Sat there. While Dick rearranged pillows and burrowed them both in blankets until he was comfortable, none of it seemed to bother the baby bird.
He didn't chirp, or trill, or purr either. The closest thing Dick had heard was a little stutter in his chest while he was asleep cuddling with Dick. He didn't even respond to Dick's noises with any. Truthfully, it made Dick's instincts restless and ruffled.
If it weren't for his scent, which already was very mild in omega scents in comparison to Dick's sweet cotton candy, he would have been convinced Tim was a beta.
The whole thing was starting to worry Dick, until he entered Mount Justice one late evening only to find the building swirling with the sweet, distinct scent of pack.
It smelled like citrus, cinnamon, pine, roses, contentment, and honey. The last of the things was what caught Dick's nose the most, the scent of his own little Robin.
Naturally, he went to investigate, and found a pile of cuddling teammates, asleep in a nest they all seemed completely comfortable in. Even Tim, mask on and everything, was curled up between Kon and Cisse, with Cassie on the other outside of the omegas and Bart nestled on top.
Sensing another presence, Kon-el growled softly, but stopped when Tim nuzzled up to him, and settled back up to them. Bart lifted his head in a dazed, half awake state, but went right back to sleep just as quickly.
Nightwing was baffled.
It was dinnertime, and all five of these teenagers were just...cuddling? Like nothing was going on? Not a single one was worried about getting home? Okay, maybe it wasn't just Tim who needed a little more adult supervision.
Something told him he was going to be a lot more involved than he initially planned.