Chapter Text
Kal-El of Krypton was nervous. He didn’t want to project it, but in the privacy of the meeting hall at the Kryptonian Embassy, he paced. He had never been one for politics. Like his father, he one day hope to be one of the leading scientists on Krypton, but his mother’s career changed everything. He supposed it was her sway with the High Council that made him eligible for this at all.
For years, Krypton had been in talks with the far-off planet of Earth. While Earthlings were after political allies a chance to jump-start their intergalactic trade routes, Kryptonians were looking to save their dying race. Their breeding pool rapidly dwindling, and ever generation depended on cloning more and more, more desperate means for survival. In the face of tragedy, they looked to the stars.
The culmination of their talks lead to this moment. Kal was selected for a marriage with one from a prominent Earth family. Political bindings were not unheard of. Had it just been that, he’d have been more prepared, but he couldn’t be for this.
Unlike back home, there was a clear divide between the dynamics on Earth. Every politician he’d met had been an alpha, each one of them so eager to show off their class, just a second away from baring their fangs and flashing their eyes at him. How his cousin, Kara, managed to play her role as ambassador in the face of such pigheadedness, when she was a beta, was beyond him. Kal suspected they were granted leeway, as foreigners. They probably treated their own in far worse.
Which was what made him nervous.
His Mate was an omega. On Krypton that wouldn’t be a problem. Yet on Earth, he was forced to imagine a cowed, beaten man, who through no fault of his own was forced into ignorance and subservience. Less a companion and more of a glorified pet that he’d have to spend the rest of his life with. Kal was tired already.
-
At the ripe age of 21, Bruce had been prepared for this official moment since the day of his birth. He had been prepared for the unofficial endeavour for ten years. Somehow, he felt unprepared for both.
It was a recessive gene in his beta mother, it was found, that had caused his omegahood, and although his father was disappointed Bruce wouldn’t be taking the helm of his Gotham empire, he made the best of what he had. A lot of political clout could be gained with a proper match, as everyone knew.
The best omega schools in the city and a private 24hr beta body guard/omega protocol instructor, Alfred Pennyworth, as his companion, Bruce wanted for nothing. It was Alfred who had made sure to teach Bruce as much independence as he could, to resist the complete brainwashing of the omega schools, to not resign himself to a life of breeding no matter how opulent that life would be. Alfred would have been considered a liberal-minded beta but certainly not as extreme as some groups. Groups who had their eyes and ears deep within the political alpha elites.
When Bruce was only eight, his parents were murder in front of him by the League of Shadows - an underground omega-freedom fighter organization. The story had been a news sensation, blow way up as a means to vilify omega insurgents and glorify the alpha oppressors into sympathetic characters. The politicians and the media used Bruce mercilessly as a pawn in the political games and it really was only a matter of time before they used him in other ways.
What they didn’t know was that this was part of the League’s plan.
Earth had been wanting an easy in into intergalactic trade for decades. Somehow, the planet’s salt water was almost unheard of in the rest of the galaxy and even though the world leaders were eager for trade in superior technologies and extremely rare elements, the rest of the galaxy was rightly wary of the young race with backwards, international politics and horrid omega rights records. Making an alliance with another, genetically compatible, respectable race, the Kryptonians, was the best way to overcome the rest of the galaxy’s hesitance. If they could show that they were changing their ways (without actually having to change their ways) by betrothing one of their elite to a prominent Kryptonian family they would be able to start trade before the first pup was even born. Bruce, now at the tender age of 12 and still an exploited media darling, was just their ticket, groomed for years already to be the alpha’s pawn at the invisible behest of the League.
The League had a counter-plan to the alphas to have the Bruce be a League member himself. Bruce Wayne of the Gotham City Waynes, the sympathetic orphan boy who’s story was crafted by the alphas such that he was going above and beyond his own personal heartache and tragedy for the good of the Earth found his omega training had shift accordingly. Much more formalized, much stricter, making Alfred’s job that much more harder.
The League made sure to add their own training, recruiting Alfred to help, gently pushing the beta to increase his safeguards against the more rigid training the alpha’s provided. History, politics, the nature of the League, all these lessons came clandestinely through many different teachers in many different places and by the end of it, Bruce’s head felt like it was going to explode.
Three different messages from three different groups/people and no one had asked Bruce what he wanted in all the years he’d been doing this.
Today, however, was the day Bruce would meet his future mate. He had been doing a lot of thinking about what the alphas, the League, and Alfred wanted him to do. He knew deep down that he couldn’t just submit like the alpha’s wanted. His sharp mind, cultivated and nurtured by Alfred, wouldn’t allow it. But he also couldn’t do what the League wanted either. Their instruction over the past year or so had been increasingly extreme, they wanted him to kill the alpha that he was paired with to start an uprising, to signal to the other Earth omega’s that if the ideal omega could stand up to his training and take his rights where they weren’t given, other omegas would do the same. They wanted bloodshed and Bruce’s sense of justice, though he was empathetic to the plight of his fellow omegas, did not allow him to use needless violence against alphas and betas like the League wanted.
Alfred, bless him, was trying to give him a more balanced view but even that wasn’t ideal in Bruce’s mind. He had to figure this out on his own, hopefully with the help of whoever it was that he was being given to. Hopefully they would be reasonable.
Bruce had no idea what to expect, he’d been surrounded by arrogant, elitist alphas his entire life, even the few League alphas were virtually insufferable, and the thought of a kind alpha who thought of him as equal was foreign to him. It made him extremely nervous. What if Kryptonian alphas were just as bad as Earthling alphas? What if he couldn’t get the man to help? What if all of this hope in his heart was going to break him?
Terrifying.
The plan had always been to follow the official protocols until it could be determined whether his mate-to-be could be trusted and it was something of a comfort to know what was expected of him even though Bruce didn’t know how it would be received. Taking in a deep breath, he followed the ambassador into the hall, eyes down. He wanted to look up as they entered the room, to see the Kryptonian, but he wouldn’t dare until the ambassador had left and he was given permission.
“Alpha Kal-el of Krypton,” the abassador’s nasally voice sounded terribly pompous as he used the official titles, “Please allow me the absolute pleasure of giving you the first meeting with your future mate, omega Bruce Wayne of Earth.” an overdone flourish of a bow before the ambassador backed out of the room and closed the door, leaving Bruce alone.
Protocols!
Bruce cleared his throat quietly and bowed his head down and to the side slightly to show deference to Kal, making sure to keep his posture relaxed to show off his supple, slightly more muscular that the typical omega’s form. The scent in the air was sweet somehow, like nothing he had ever smelled before and the urge to look up grew ever stronger as his heart started to beat faster.
-
Kal nodded politely at the ambassador, his smile stapled on his face at the corners. This was the moment he’d been waiting for ever since his wedding to the last scion of the Wayne family had been announced. He’d gathered everything he could about the human, but their records seemed terribly vague, if not disheartening. His parents’ tragedy had shaped the man’s story, and it seemed Gotham was determined to report on how it spiraled.
There was one thing his research hadn’t prepared him for. The omega was gorgeous.
His posture was easy to note, a quiet show of instinctive submission that felt almost obscene in such a public place. Broad shoulders were carefully slumped, and Kal couldn’t help but notice the long curve of his throat, dipping under his collar. Kal was still, taking in the other man’s thick dark curls, his strong bone structure, and the aristocratic curve of his nose. And that, that wasn’t fair.
He’d spent months on Krypton preparing for the trip to Earth, studying different etiquette and culture customs on how to communicate with the same focus he gave his best work. Kal knew what to do now, knew how to demand submission the way a local alpha would, but his mate wouldn’t even look at him.
“Would it bother you to call me Kal?” He asked instead, taking a step closer. He spoke in perfect English, the clipped lilt of his accent barely detectable. “I’m afraid I’m not used to these titles.”
-
The request was unexpected and Bruce lost his composure for a fraction of a second. In that fraction of a second quite a few things happened. First, Bruce’s eyes flicked up, locking on to his alpha’s eyes before dropping and then, inexplicably, drawn back to the vivid blue as his lips parted in shock. The alpha was magnificently handsome.
Tall, strong, face like a marble sculpture and one other thing he wasn’t ready for. His expression was kind.
The scent of him grew stronger when he stepped forward and Bruce quickly dropped his gaze again, his cheeks pinking a little at his own slip up. The titles made Kal uneasy and the thought of any awkwardness because of Bruce made his stomach drop suddenly.
“K-… Kal…” Bruce dipped his head slightly and steeled himself to look back up, figuring if the titles were unfamiliar the orthodox etiquette would be as well. Maybe this would work. Maybe Kal would be willing to help, maybe the reports about Kryptonian equality weren’t overstated. He was having a bit of trouble thinking straight at the possibilities as well as Kal’s overwhelming scent that Bruce couldn’t place.
-
Kal knew that Kryptonian was a complicated language to understand, by human standards. The play between language purpose and formality tenses made it difficult for anyone who wasn’t accustomed to it, but he’d been reassured that his name was relatively simple to pronounce. It took himself a second to understand that Bruce expected to be hurt.
A wave of revulsion washed over him, his iron-clad determination and sense of responsibility be damned. Everything he’d loathed about a union with such a backwater planet came rushing through, ready to spill behind his tongue. It took a monumental effort to keep them still, and Kal slowly unclenched his fists. The Earth’s yellow sun gave him strength he couldn’t imagine. It had taken weeks of training before he was allowed to meet any human dignitaries.
Just as carefully, he managed a friendly smile, pinched at the corners but careful. This wasn’t his mate’s fault. Even so, he had half the mind to break the marriage off now, just so he’d never have to deal with such bizarre cruelty again.
“That’s right. You say it better than most. It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Wayne.” He asked, and held out his hand to shake Bruce’s. It was a blatant misstep in etiquette, something better suited for meeting another alpha or beta. An equal. Whether or not he’d break this charade depended all on his mate. “And would you mind if we sit?”
-
The sweet scent changed, something acrid added into the mix somehow and Bruce’s eyes widened a bit as he watched the shift in Kal’s expression. The alpha was… disgusted? Angry? It horrified Bruce at a cellular level and his breath caught in his throat as he only just caught himself from dropping to his knees to beg forgiveness for whatever he’d done. Had he mispronounced Kal’s name?
Just as suddenly as the sharp scent had appeared, it seemed to dissipate, replaced by a neutral, almost expectant, smell that was paired with words of approval and greeting… and a proffered hand to shake as if they were equal. Bruce looked at the hand for a split second, not sure what to do, knowing it was against protocols but not wanting to offend Kal or lose the approval he had just won for pronouncing his name correctly.
Slowly and reluctantly, Bruce reached out to take Kal’s hand, the heat of his skin causing the omega to shiver despite himself. This was certainly not what he had trained for but he didn’t want to disappoint Kal and he smiled nervously up at him.
“This…” he shook his head lightly, his smile still nervous but apologetic as well, “Please call me Bruce… if you like……” he had trouble pulling his hand away after the timid sort of squeeze he gave but he knew he had to be brave as he looked towards the chairs and the couches that were available to them, “I am… I am honoured by your… honour….” the words felt wrong on his tongue as he bowed and made a graceful, fluid gesture towards the seats, “I will follow you, Alph-… I will follow you, Kal…” He couldn’t not say the words, it was too ingrained, an omega was required to follow their alpha, no matter if it was sitting or mating or going out on the town or whatever else could be imagined.
-
Just like that, Kal’s little show of daring felt like a too cruel trick. No matter what happened between them, he didn’t want to be the one responsible for Bruce’s discomfort. There was so much more to the man that he would never know. Was Bruce a simple man with traditional wants and needs? Did he secretly detest the idea of being with an alien? Kal would never know, and feared to ask, est he force his mate to give out a truth he wasn’t ready to confess to.
“You can call me by title if you prefer. It won’t trouble me,” he lied, trying to hide his disappointment behind a smile, as he took Bruce’s hand in his, gently running his fingers along the inside of his wrist. A sign of union, affection. Then he brought his hand to his lips, and kissed the back of it, like he’d seen the dashing heroes in human stories do. It might be too presumptuous, but Kal had been optimistic going into this. If not love, he hoped he’d grow to respect and cherish his betrothed. His personal wants would never come before Krypton’s safety. Now he just, didn’t want to hurt Bruce.
He pulled away slowly, before making his way to the couch, giving Bruce the option to sit as far away from him as possible. Yet it gave him the chance to observe the omega, and Kal was openly impressed by his liquid agility. Despite his timid air, every movement he made was a show of infinite control. Yet he still couldn’t look him in the eye.
“You’re going to have to tell me all about how you spend your days on Earth. They’ve had me cooped up for days, going through holofeeds. I haven’t studied this much in ears.” He said, and that was only partially true. Most of his studies had revolved around controlling his new-found powers. Apparently Kal had a habit of floating.
-
Such a tiny caress packed full of so much meaning it too all of Bruce’s self-control to stop himself from dropping to the ground, this time to present himself and beg for Kal’s knot instead of forgiveness. The kiss to his knuckles? It flushed Bruce’s cheeks even darker and his pupils dilated He shivered again when Kal turned away, watching him move to the couch. Every step seemed to be hiding coiled power, true strength that was diametrically opposed to the overstuffed pretension of human alphas.
He took in a deep breath to steady himself, inadvertently breathing in the alphas scent long and deep. If he wasn’t careful he was going to trigger a god damn heat in himself and mess everything up. He needed to control himself. Now.
Finally able to steel himself, Bruce moved to the couch and sat a respectable distance away from Kal (fighting the urge to sit in his lap) and smiled lightly. This was much easier, Learn about each other, stop focusing on Kal’s scent and looks, and figure him out so he could get the help he and his fellow omega’s needed.
“Cooped up?” he repeated quietly with a frown and a small shake to his head, “That’s terrible… we’ve got today to ourselves with my chaperone Alfred and I would like to show you some of Earth’s, or.. well, humanity’s beauty in that time.” It was the most he had spoken in some time, but with Kal it seemed to come easier the more he did it, the longer he was in the alpha’s presence. He shifted himself a little closer to Kal, leaving only about a foot of space between them, “I know our.. reputation isn’t very…” be diplomatic, Bruce! “It isn’t ideal, but we have much history and art and charm that may not be in the intergalactic reports.”
-
We think you’re monsters. Kal didn’t say. There was no reason in antagonizing the other man, not when he was finally nearing him, his scent colored with the sharpest spice. Subtle and distinct with the faintest promise of sweetness, like the morning dew of Spring. He was dawn towards his mate, turning towards him, and this close he could see the shadows his long lashes cast on his cheek when he blinked. He was struck by the startling allure of that smile, framed by the warm rose that sweetened Bruce’s sharp cheekbones, and now that he’d seen it, Kal couldn’t help but want to see it again. Kal was careful of keeping his distance, but Rao, he didn’t want to.
“What do you like?” He asked honestly, perhaps too honestly. “I’d like to know the man who’s going to be my mate better, and Earth, really, if this is to be my new home. I’m sure Earth has a lot to offer. I want to see it all.” He had to hope. Bratty outbursts had no place here, not in front of Bruce.
Kal had his time to make his peace with this arrangement.
-
“I…” Bruce stopped and his eyes drifted a little away from Kal as he thought. Whatdid he like? He knew what he had been taught, how to discern between the different art periods, musical genres, all facets of culture available to impress the Kryptonians. He knew all this but what did he like? It wasn’t something he had thought about much but Alfred had asked him a few times and managed to get an actual opinion out of Bruce. He let out a breath and gave a curt nod to give himself permission to speak, to give an opinion on things, “I like… a lot of things, really, uhm… I like stories? Either novels or plays or movies sometimes… I don’t really like war stories but I like stories that have some truth in them? Historically.. some moment when humanity had to make a collective choice about something or… some inspiring moment came to be… does… does Krypton have similar things? Stories, I mean?”
Once he’d gotten going it had been hard to temper his excitement, to rein himself in to make sure that he didn’t talk to much so that he could learn about Kal as well. There were so many things that came to him as he’d spoken and even now when he’d asked Kal about Krypton, more and more things popped up that he really enjoyed doing. He had to be patient.
-
“Non-fictions then. Would you call yourself a historian?” Kal said, lighting up, and quietly making note of that. He’d watched emotions play over the other man’s face, catching disquiet and unease, but it all paled once Bruce found his rhythm. Kal couldn’t be certain, given his limited knowledge of English. Mastery of the language din’t always translate well when colloquial conversations were concerned, but it almost sounded like Bruce wasn’t used to speaking freely. It bothered him.
His lips quirked, and once again, he had to temper the urge to reach out. “Krypton has her own tales and legends. But that reminds me -”
He paused, slipping a hand into his pocket before holding out a small, silver disk, shaped as an octagon. “I meant to give this to you sooner. It’s a holovid of - of well, my home,” he confessed, sheepishly. “I just. I don’t think I was as prepared to meet you as I thought I was.”
He was far too earnest for his own good, sending a shamelessly hopeful look towards Bruce before turning back to the device. Sliding his finger along the corner to activate it. It happened seamlessly. One moment they were in a private room at the Kryptonian Embassy, the next they were in a field of wild flowers, just outside the quiet apartment complex Kal called home.
“Or I suppose, my old home. Earth is home now.” A hint of remorse dipped into his voice, but he handed the holovid to Bruce. Slowly, he took the omega’s hand, meaning to show him where the controls were. He just… didn’t.
-
When Kal smiled at him so openly, Bruce couldn’t help smiling genuinely back, his own face brightening at the tacit approval. His voice failed him but he managed a small nod, a historian was pretty accurate, really. He fully believed that if one didn’t know and understand the past, it would be repeated and he wanted society to move forward not just stay stuck in antiquated ideals.
He had also never wanted to hear tales and legends as badly as he had in that moment… but only if they were told to him by Kal. When the alpha shifted topics, Bruce inched himself closer as surreptitiously as he could, looking at the thing in his hand intently.
Bruce couldn’t help startling slightly, shoving himself in against Kal’s side unconsciously seeking out something real to ground himself, when the room disappeared and he saw a field of flowers. He let out a small breath as Kal’s hand took his own, relaxing substantially at the contact.
There was sadness in Kal’s tone and Bruce looked at him with concern. “It must be difficult for you… to leave such beauty, such familiarity…” he shook his head lightly and gently placed his other hand over Kal’s to try and comfort him, “I promise you, Kal,” the name came easily out of his mouth with no hesitation, “I will help you as much as I possibly can… I will learn more of Krypton and… and I will try to replicate it here for you…” looking around at the beautiful scene, Bruce sighed quietly, “It’s very beautiful… where is this?” maybe he could bring out some happiness if he could get Kal talking of this important place. It had to be important for him to bring it for Bruce to see.
-
The alpha had forgotten that this technology might not have been readily available to most users. despite how the governments of Earth had access to it. Holovids were considered a basic tool, one Krypton had shared freely. Kal was quick to apologize, and never once did he worry that he was apologizing to an omega. “Oh, I’m sorry. It slipped my mind. The projectors can take some getting used to.”
What he wasn’t quick to do was let Bruce go. In fact, he didn’t think he was going to do it any time soon. The other man was warm and comfortable against him, their hips bumping. His nerves prickled every where they touched, and Kal surprised himself by how he managed to keep his hands steady.
“This used to be my backyard. My garden. I’m a - I think the word is geneticist.” Kal said, gesturing to the building in the distance. It was more humble than his parents home, as the current heads of the House of El, but it was comfortable. They were surrounded by row after row of bright blue plants, with thick leaves that bunched together like flower petals and heavy purple roots, underneath Krypton’s red sky. Had they been in the same research field, he’d have gone into just why that term didn’t quite encompass his work, but Kal wasn’t a dick. At least, not people he’d just met.
“I collected pictures before I left, of some of the places that are important to me. Here, you can move…” With tenderness, he showed Bruce how to manipulate the holovid to shift from scene to scene and to maximize images, their fingers twined together. Their elbows knocked. Kal didn’t move away.
“I don’t think anything can replicate Krypton,” Kal said sincerely. “But I’m willing to learn to love my new home.”
It would help to have Bruce by his side, Bruce who called him Kal, not Alpha. There was no way he couldn’t smile at that. “Come on, give it a try.”
-
Bruce had never seen the likes of the holovid before and if it was something that Krypton had shared with human’s, the omegas certainly hadn’t been given access to it. The alphas probably thought it would give them too much freedom. That thought angered Bruce but not enough to catch that Kal apologized. To him.
It left him speechless for a moment, glad that they were facing the same way so Kal couldn’t see the thrilled blush on his face. Kal was different. There was no way in hell a human alpha would apologize to an omega. No way, no how. Despite himself, Bruce smiled.
The smiled faltered as he concentrated on Kal’s instructions, looking up from the holovid each time the scene changed, eyes wide and impressed, and he looked at the alpha in amazement when he was given permission to play with it.
He immediately went back to the first scene and zoomed in on one of the flowers, leaning forward to examine it carefully, brow furrowed in focus. “Hm…” he turned back to Kal and looked him dead in the closest eye for a solid three seconds, “No…” he breathed out quietly as he turned back to the flower and then back to Kal, “No, your eyes are definitely brighter blue… I’ve never see-…”
Bruce’s thought was cut off by the sound of a door and he looked around in confusion before he saw Alfred in the field a few feet away. “Bruce.” There was a sharpness to his tone that conveyed disapproval but Bruce froze, not even breathing as Alfred’s attention turned to Kal, “Alpha Kal-el…” he addressed with a small bow, appropriate for a beta introduction, “Please forgive me my tardiness, I had to make some last minute preparations for our day today. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Beta Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce’s chaperone and body guard.” it was subtle, but Alfred’s eyes dropped quickly to the men’s hands, still involved in each other, before back up to the alpha’s eyes, he couldn’t come right out and say ‘don’t touch Bruce’ unless the omega’s honour was imminently at stake but he could imply the shit out of it.
-
“Bruce.” Kal started, a warm blush working its way across his cheeks, and spreading down his chest. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to admonish the omega or encourage him, but he needed to get his stomach to stop somersaulting before he did anything else.
The interruption was jarring. For a second, he could have almost convinced himself that he was back home on Krypton, even with the couch beneath them and the steady whirr of the air conditioning system above them. Bruce’s guardian ruined the illusion.
Kal greeted him with a smile, but the expression sharpened on his features when he noted the other man’s displeasure, and all too soon, he wanted to put himself between Bruce and what he perceived as a threat. In his eyes, their conversation had been harmless, but there was too much of a chance that they’d breached protocol in some way. This backwards society would probably have Bruce shoulder all the blame for it.
The walls shimmered as the holovid deactivated, and it lay dormant in Bruce’s hands.
Kal rose to his feet in a single motion, easily maneuvering to keep Bruce out of the other man’s line of sight, before returning the gesture with a pointed nod. Everything in his stance screamed of tradition and well-practiced etiquette, so different from when he first greeted his mate. “Its a pleasure to meet you. I didn’t realize it was so late. I was just showing Bruce images from my home world.”
He guessed, accurately, that people would have a harder time holding him at fault than they would Bruce. It was safer by far for him to assume responsibility.
-
Bruce’s hand closed tightly around the holovid when it deactivated, his eyes dropping to the floor as Kal stood to greet Alfred. His mind was racing, cataloguing all of the oversteps he had taken, all of the breaches of protocol, all of the… he hazarded a glance up at Kal as he replied to Alfred and his mouth dropped open for a fraction of a second before he closed it quickly.
His posture, his tone, everything oozed proper Alpha rules of conduct and Bruce realized that Kal knew exactly how a human alpha was meant to act around an omega. He knew and he’d purposefully not done it. Had he been testing him or teasing him? If he was testing him, to what end? Teasing, why? Malice? It confused everything and now Bruce had more to dig through to get at the truth.
Alfred had started apologizing and placating, giving Kal the itinerary for the day as well as giving Bruce time to think.
Not only was Kal well-versed in the customs but he was physically blocking Bruce, keeping him safe from Alfred’s gaze and blame. That had to mean something as well, didn’t it? And the way he’d said Bruce’s name just before Alfred came barging in, the blush on his cheeks. It had been… so genuine and flustered. There hadn’t been any ill-will there. None at all.
“Bruce… Bruce….” Alfred’s voice broke through the fog of his concentration and his head snapped up, hand instinctively tightening around the holovid. He didn’t want to get rid of it, ever, but he still had to keep to his own protocols to keep everyone safe and he stood quickly, just behind Kal and apologized under his breath for not paying attention. “It’s fine, Bruce, I’m going to drive the car around, bring Alpha Kal-el to the front of the embassy in five minutes, yes?”
“Yes, of course, thank you, Beta Alfred…” the reply was rote and he bowed as Alfred left the room, his hand still holding the holovid clutched tight to his chest.
-
“Thank you Mr. Pennyworth.” Kal replied smoothly, watching the beta until he closed the door behind him. He exhaled slowly, a careful, modulated gesture that he wanted to minimize as much as possible. There was no way of telling if he’d managed to keep Bruce from any sort of punishment, but the beta had seemed polite enough. Of course, on this planet, most people would be when they dealt with Kal.
Still, the alpha regretted how he’d been taken by surprise. This opened up the grim possibility of his mate retreating into his shell, and Kal was loathe to lose the man he’d just met. Now that he’d seen it, there was no way he could forget the wide-eyed wonder he’d seen on Bruce’s face when Krypton had filled his eyes. An uneasy silence had fallen between them, filling the spaces that they had almost claimed as their own. It widened the distance between them, twisting it into something uncomfortable and awkward.
Kal was the first to break the silence.
“Keep it.” He said, referring to the silver device in Bruce’s hand, and his voice lost its commanding timber. He didn’t need to be Alpha Kal-El. He just wanted to be Kal. He turned towards his mate, managing a smile that felt far shyer than an alpha was probably allowed. “It’s a gift.”
-
Everything felt different and Bruce hated it. He hated it more than anything and he desperately tried to think of something to bring it back to how it had been before Alfred had ruined it. He didn’t know how.
He looked up in surprise when Kal finally spoke to him, blinking at him before unclenching his fist and holding out the disk to look at, indents in his palm and fingers from the corners pressing in hard against the skin. “A gift…” Bruce repeated quietly, swallowing thickly before licking his lips and smiling up at Kal. The shyness seemed so appropriate on Kal’s face but also strange on an alpha and Bruce chuckled quietly at the contradiction. He would give Kal a contradiction in return.
With a formal bow, Bruce raised his hands, cupping the disk, up a few inches to acknowledge the gift, “Thank you, my alpha…” he murmured gratefully, everything completely on the up-and-up, following the conventions to a T.
Right up until Bruce looked up into Kal’s eyes, smiling lightly as he reached out his free hand to rest gently on the alpha’s forearm. The touch was forbidden as was the eye contact but Bruce was sure that it would be welcomed.
-
Kal’s eyes widened in surprise, quietly acknowledging the breech in protocol, and the smile that followed just came too easily. Bruce had a habit of bringing it out of him, time and time again. He gently pried Bruce’s fingers off of his arm, before tangling them in his own. The gesture was a telling way of acknowledging an alpha’s bond over an omega, but Kal squeezed his mate’s hand with infinite care before they headed out of the room together.
This was going to be their little secret.