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Week One
Dick follows the path of the elevated train line as he drives, the occasional soft rumble of a train overhead harmonizing with the pop music station he’s listening to. As he gets farther from Gotham's center, the highrises fade into the distance, replaced by more modest walk-up buildings, ones that sort-of sag in the center from the uneven foundations. The signs change as he passes through the different neighborhoods, going from predominantly English to Polish, then to a mix of Spanish and Chinese. Jason told him that his current neighborhood was settled by Dutch whalers initially. Not much remains from that time, aside from the street names.
As he drives, his mind drifts to the conversation he’d had with Jason over the phone before leaving Bludhaven.
One hour ago:
Dick tucks the phone under his chin, critically eyeing the clothes laid out on his bed. He needs something that reads casual, but also makes him look good enough that Jason will notice. He carefully moves the pair of dark wash jeans that he’s been told make his ass look “fantastic” to the yes pile. He gives a hum of acknowledgement into the receiver.
“Yes, Jason, I heard you. But, should I bring anything? It’s getting cold, does Charlie have enough coats? I could pick up some scarves before I head over.”
“Charlie has clothes, Dick. He’s survived winter before.”
“Yes, but-”
Dick blinks down at his phone. Jason hung up on him.
Lips quirking at the memory, Dick glances at the wrapped box in his passenger seat. It’s not scarves, so hopefully Jason can’t be too upset with him.
Dick is able to snag a parking spot not too far from Jason's building, and he juggles the large package under his arm as he struggles to unlock the front door. The elderly landlady, Mrs. Yu, nods at him when he passes by her open door. He offers her a wave back, then bounds up the stairs two at a time, eager to reach door 4B and what lays behind it.
He barely has to knock twice before the old wooden door, painted red, swings open. Dick grins breathless at Jason. Jason looks him up and down, seeming perturbed at his out-of-breath state, but he moves to the side to let Dick in. As he does, Dick notices that Jason is dressed in the cargo pants and tight-fitting shirt that comprise his Red Hood outfit. Weird, Dick had assumed Jason would be staying in tonight. Maybe he just got done with an early patrol?
As he moves further into the living room, he hears a shriek of delight, and then a small body rams itself into his knees.
“Oof! Watch out, you nearly knocked me over! And then I would’ve dropped your present.”
“Present?” Charlie gasps from where he’s latched on to Dick’s left leg.
“Yep,” he sings, ignoring the sharp look Jason gives him before disappearing into the kitchen. “But I only give presents to good boys.”
“I’m good!” Charlie disentangles himself from Dick and bounces in front of him. “Ma! Tell Dickie I’m good.”
Jason’s head pokes from around the kitchen door, glancing between the two of them. “He’s alright.”
Dick rolls his eyes at Jason before he vanishes again. He turns back to Charlie with a flourish. “Okay Charlie, I’m going to believe you. Now, be careful with your present.”
He hands the box down to the eager pup, who places it on the floor before beginning to tear the wrapping off. The milky-sweet pup scent spikes, unique undertones of gingerbread and maple becoming more prominent as the dinosaur puzzle is revealed.
“Woah,” Charlie looks reverently over the box in his hands, tracing the illustrations on the front with a finger. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Dick says smugly, knowing his scent is radiating proud alpha right now.
Charlie tilts his head back to stare more fully up at Dick. “I want a puppy.”
“Yeah,” Dick agrees instantly, mind already running through the animal shelters nearby and shifting through his schedule to find when he’ll have time after work. “Yeah okay, I can do that.”
“No,” Jason barks from the kitchen, not even bothering to appear this time. “No puppy.”
Dick thinks Charlie looks as crestfallen as he himself feels.
Jason finally emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel that he tosses back onto the kitchen table when finished.
“Alright, there’s mac n cheese on the stove since that’s all this little shit wants to eat these days. Just heat it up whenever you’re ready. There’s enough for two if you want, or you can order take-out, I guess. I don’t really care.”
Dick looks up, puzzled. “Are you going somewhere, Jay?”
Jason growls at him. “Yeah. What about it?”
“Nothing.” Dick is quick to soothe. “Nothing, I just thought-”
“You thought wrong,” Jason snaps as he hoists up a duffel bag in the hall, letting the door slam behind him as he leaves. Dick stares after him for a long moment, unable to accept what just happened.
Charlie tugs on Dick’s shirt. He glances down and offers the pup a weak smile.
“Ma is meeting his partner.” The way he says it, it sounds more like “pardner”. Dick fights back his amusement, the kid can pronounce complex dinosaur names flawlessly, but struggles with other words? Only Jason’s pup.
But wait- partner?
“Partner?” He tries to ask casually, not wanting to seem too interested. It’s utterly ridiculous he’s trying to seem nonchalant around a four year old, but this is his life now.
“Yeah,” Charlie nods. “I’ve met her before. She’s nice and pretty. She smells kinda like you.”
An alpha. Dick’s hindbrain howls with outrage. He’s supposed to play babysitter while his omega goes out with another alpha? Unacceptable.
He knows his scent is spiking with irritation- the scent of candied oranges, clove, and espresso growing sour despite his attempts to reel it back in. Dick feels what fragile hope he’d managed to scrounge up shatter in his chest.
Of course Jason is dating. He’s a single, attractive omega and anyone would be lucky to have him. Dick had just hoped that the lucky person would be him. But, obviously, he’d gotten ahead of himself. Just because Dick has wormed his way back into Jason’s life doesn’t mean Jason wants him to be anything more than a father to Charlie.
Dick tries to rally his enthusiasm back as Charlie tugs on him to start working on the puzzle. He loves his son, loves spending time with him, he just wants Jason to share in these moments too, that’s all.
Later, when he’s back in Bludhaven, all Dick wants to do is collapse into bed and sulk for the rest of the night. That notion dies a painful death when he unlocks his door and gets hit with the scent of green tea and magnolia.
“Tim,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s late, why are you here?”
Tim’s head pops up over the back of the couch, and he sniffs the air curiously. “Why do you smell like pup?” He asks instead of answering Dick’s question.
Dick takes a deep inhale, and lets it out slowly, willing himself not to snap at the young omega. It’s not Tim’s fault Dick is in a bad mood, he shouldn’t have to bear the consequences of Dick’s emotions.
“I was at Jason’s.”
Tim raises one eyebrow, a trick everyone else in the family seems to have mastered but Dick. It just pisses him off further.
“Jason watches his neighbors' pups sometimes. Because he is just so kind and thoughtful like that.” Jason still hasn’t told the rest of the family about Charlie, and Dick certainly doesn’t want to betray his trust. It’s not the best excuse he could’ve come up with, but he also wasn’t expecting Tim to crash his place tonight.
Tim’s other eyebrow lifts to join the first one. “Uh-huh. An unmated alpha and omega hanging around with a bunch of pups. Sure.”
Dick groans, then vaults over the couch to land on its doughy cushions. Tim makes an undignified squawk as he does, but shuffles out of the way to accommodate Dick’s larger body. He eyes Dick critically.
“You’re not going to tell me the truth.”
“Nope.” Dick makes sure to pop the ‘p’, just to be annoying.
“You know I’ll find out eventually though, right?”
Dick sighs, flinging an arm over his face and groaning quietly. “I know.”
Tim is silent for a few moments before he speaks again. “You smell awful Dick, seriously, what’s going on?”
Dick pauses, thinking. He knows he needs to give Tim something, and a partial truth is better than a complete lie. He can’t reveal Charlie, so he has to settle for embarrassing himself.
“I think I might like Jason.”
The admission fills the space, settling over them with its weight. Tim doesn’t ask him to elaborate, and for that Dick is thankful.
“I take it you haven’t told him.”
“God, no.” Dick bites his lip, wondering, and then deciding screw it. “He’s seeing someone. An alpha.”
Tim makes a noise of surprise. “Wow okay, that’s news. Do you know anything about them?”
Dick shakes his head. “No. And I can’t ask without Jason getting offended and shutting me out again.”
Tilting his head to the side, Tim looks thoughtful. “Do you want me to look into it? I could do some reconnaissance and let you know what I find.”
Dick’s first instinct is to say no, that he doesn’t want to invade Jason’s privacy. But a bigger, uglier part of him is curious about this alpha that has stolen away his omega. (Even though, strictly speaking, that isn’t true and he knows it.)
“Yeah, Timmy, that’d be great. Thank you.”
Week Two
Dick glares down at the photos displayed in his messages, gripping the phone so hard he’s worried it might crack.
Tim had done his research well, and the attached folder was full of information about Jason’s alpha (his hindbrain screamed at the misnomer, insisting that he was Jason’s alpha).
The alpha’s name is Artemis, and Charlie had been right, she is pretty. Dick feels an odd twist of displeasure in his gut as he looks at her vibrant red hair. Hadn’t Jason said he wasn’t into redheads? Whatever.
He scowls as he flicks through the photos. It’s petty, but Dick feels a pang of jealousy when he sees that Artemis is taller than Jason. Jason is tall for an omega, and Dick has to tilt his head back to look him in the eye. Jason probably likes that he can feel small around Artemis. Just another way Dick can’t compete.
He zooms in on one of the photos, taken from a rooftop at dusk. Jason has his helmet off, and he’s laughing, looking carefree in a way he never does when he’s with Dick. Dick grinds his teeth, waves of possessiveness and jealousy rolling in his stomach, and he flings his phone into the backseat of the car, not caring where it lands.
Hoping to take his mind off of things with a change of view, Dick turns to stare out the car window. Today he’d driven Jason to pick up Charlie from daycare, and was planning to surprise them with a trip to Gotham’s Storybook Land after. Dick was pleased he’d gotten Jason to agree without much needling. It meant that he got to enjoy looking at Jason in the daytime, and his eyes traced over the way the winter sun’s rays turned the dark strands of the omega’s hair russet.
Dick watches Jason with what he’s sure is a dopey smile on his face. Jason stands amongst the rest of the waiting parents, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his winter coat as he waits for Charlie to come out. He stands a bit apart from the rest of the crowd, and Dick wonders if he’s not made any friends with the other parents.
A small voice in the back of his head tells him that it’s okay if he hasn’t, that Dick is enough for Jason and he doesn't need anyone else. Dick tells the voice to shut up.
Jason looks up as the doors to the daycare open, hands pulling free from his pockets in order to wrap around Charlie, who barrels into him with all the unbridled enthusiasm of a young pup. Dick smiles at the soft scene, watching as Jason adjusts Charlie’s coat and checks his bag, taking it and slinging it over his own shoulder. Sensing that they’re about to leave, Dick shifts around, starting to get the car ready.
Only, five minutes pass and he’s still in the car, alone.
Worried, Dick glances out the window, only to see Jason now surrounded by a mob of mothers. His fingers clench on the steering wheel. Jason has told him that he’s often mistaken for an alpha when he wears scent patches, and that seems to be the case now.
The omegas surround Jason like a crew of harpies, cooing at Charlie even as Jason draws him closer. Jason’s face is placid and he seems to be making polite conversation, but Dick can see the slight tension in his jaw that belies his discomfort. The leather of the steering wheel creaks beneath Dick’s tightening fingers. He has half a mind to walk over there and stake his claim, but he knows that sort of alpha posturing wouldn’t go over well with Jason. So Dick sits in the car and waits.
He can only take so much though. As he watches a pretty male omega bat his eyelashes at Jason and run a suggestive hand down his arm, Dick loses it. His hands slip from the steering wheel, and before he can adjust his grip, he’s punched the car horn so forcefully it sets off the burglary alarm.
The loud, blaring noise snaps him back to reality, and Dick frantically presses buttons trying to get it to shut off. After a few moments of panic, the alarm turns off and he risks a peek back at Jason.
Jason is watching him, amused, and something knowing curves around his smile. The car alarm seems to have dispersed the crowd of omegas, though, so Dick counts his mishap as a blessing. Jason makes his way over to the car unhurriedly, his pup's hand held tightly in his own.
When he opens the car door, he looks like he wants to say something, but Dick holds up a finger.
“Not a word.”
Jason grins at him slyly, but shrugs, buckling Charlie into the backseat before sliding into the passenger seat next to Dick. He peels off his scent patches, wincing at the slight tug against his sensitive skin. The car fills with Jason’s smell of secondhand books, anise, and rich vanilla. Dick opens his mouth slightly to let the heady combination coat his tongue.
Charlie yammers excitedly about his day from the back, and Dick listens intently, throwing in appropriate noises when necessary, and asking questions when there’s a pause. From the corner of his eye, though, he watches Jason. The omega sits relaxed in the seat, staring out the window, and his fingers drum a steady rhythm in time with the song playing from the car’s radio.
Eventually, Jason seems to catch on that something is amiss.
“You missed our exit.”
Dick hums. Jason turns to glare at him.
“We aren’t going home.” It’s less a question and more a statement that demands answers.
Dick smiles, keeping his eyes on the road. Jason, in turn, keeps his glare focused on Dick, until he realizes no answers are forthcoming. Then, he sighs, settling back into his seat.
Soon, as Dick makes the next right turn, they pass the sign advertising Gotham’s Storybook Land. Charlie must see it too, because he pauses in his retelling of a daunting experience on the swing-set to erupt into cheers and claps.
Jason scowls at him as they turn into the parking lot. “Seriously?”
Dick shrugs as he parks, feeling more light-hearted than he has in awhile. He slides free of his seatbelt and starts to exit the car, but stops when he sees Jason hasn’t moved.
“Jay?”
Jason won’t look at him, and his fingers twist in his lap. When he speaks, his voice lacks its usual brash tone. “I’ll just- uh- I’ll just wait at a cafe or something I guess. Until you're done. I’m sure- I’m sure you’ll both have fun.”
Dick blinks at him, confused. “What? But I want you to come with us.”
Jason looks up, surprise written across his face. “Oh.”
Dick starts to chew on his lip, nervous. Maybe Jason thought this was cheating on Artemis somehow? “I mean, if you really don’t want to-”
“No, I want to.” Jason flashes him a quick smile, and it’s like the sun has come out. “Thanks.”
The stroll through the park is pleasant, and Dick finds himself relaxing, even through the bite of winter chill on his face. He and Jason walk languidly side by side as Charlie darts ahead, the little ears of his woolen hat making him look like a bipedal bear cub.
The various displays in the park are nice, and Dick can almost understand why the Mad Hatter had such an obsession with this place. Almost.
They pause to take in a replica of the Cheshire Cat perched up in one of the trees, and Dick notices Charlie bend to pick something up out of the snow out from the corner of his eye. Before he can say anything, Jason smacks the offending object out of his pup’s hand.
“Don’t touch that, you don’t know where it’s been.” Jason’s bark is loud, and Dick finds himself muffling a laugh behind his gloves.
They continue along the winding path, delving further into the park where the trees grow more dense and the only sound is the crunch of boots on snow. There aren’t as many pedestrians here, and Dick finds himself tucking against Jason’s side. To his surprise, Jason lets him.
The path eventually opens up wider, revealing a large fountain at the center. Dick is sure it must be beautiful in the warmer months, but due to the freezing temperatures, the water has been shut off and the surface of the fountain’s base is smooth like glass.
It is here Dick realizes Charlie is no longer with them.
Panicked, he whips around, only to relax when he spots the pup a few paces behind. Charlie had plopped to the ground, the little tyke tired from all the walking they’ve been doing.
Dick smiles as he makes his way over. “Aw, monkey,” he coos. “Are you tired? Do you want Dickie to carry you?”
Charlie nods, pouting as he reaches out to Dick.
Just as Dick is about to scoop him up, he hears a snort from behind him. Turning, he spies Jason farther up the path, looking amused. Dick hadn’t realized he’d kept walking.
“He’s manipulating you, you know. Leave him, he can walk just fine.”
Dick looks at Charlie, whose eyes look watery at the accusation. The pup puts out the faintest scent of distress. Dick turns back to Jason, stricken. He whines sadly, a pitiful noise completely at odds with his alpha designation.
Jason’s eyes grow wide, and he darts his gaze towards the passing families that look at them curiously. “Jesus Christ, you are so embarrassing. I don’t know you.”
Head tucked down, Jason starts walking away from them at a swift pace.
Dick looks frantically between his omega and his pup before hoisting Charlie up and hightailing it after Jason. The awkward weight of Charlie hanging around his neck means he’s not as fast as he normally would be, and he’s slightly out of breath once he catches up. Jason rolls his eyes at him as they fall in step.
“Didn’t expect you to be such a pushover.”
Dick doesn’t respond. Charlie has his head nuzzled in the crook of Dick’s neck, and he can tell by the slow, even breaths that his son is asleep. The alpha in him surges with pride, giving him enough of a confidence boost to try and reach for Jason’s hand. Jason smacks him away and Dick tries not to take it personally.
The harsh ringing of Jason’s phone disrupts the quiet winter atmosphere that had been surrounding them thus far. Jason glances at the caller id before answering.
“Hey princess, what’s up?”
Dick’s mood immediately sours. Artemis. Any fantasies he’d had about being out for a stroll with his mate and pup get tossed in the trash, where they belong. Jason starts walking away as he gets drawn into conversation with the female alpha, waving Dick away when he tries to follow.
When Jason finally returns, he stops short, looking Dick up and down.
“The fuck’s wrong with you?”
Dick straightens hastily on the bench he’d plunked down on, and tries to get a handle on his scent, which has been steadily leaking sulky alpha the entire time Jason’s been gone. Luckily for him, Charlie stayed asleep throughout the ordeal so he didn’t have to dodge any awkward questions.
“Nothing.” He gives Jason a smile he doesn’t feel as he loosens his grip on the back of Charlie’s parka. “Nothing at all.”
Week Three
"The fuck is all that?"
Dick glances down at the brightly colored DVDs he has clutched in his hands. "Oh. The lady at the library said these are popular with kids Charlie's age so-"
"Charlie doesn't watch that shit. He watches Animal Planet and PBS Kids. Like a kid with a brain."
"Right, right." Dick quickly shoves the DVDs behind his back, making a mental note to apologize to the librarian when he returns them tomorrow. He honestly has no idea what kids Charlie’s age do or don’t like. The kindly librarian had assured him these were great choices, but it seems Jason has his own standards.
Jason lets him in with a grunt, and makes Dick leave the offensive DVDs in a paper bag by the door so Charlie doesn’t see them.
After dinner, (which was pizza since Jason said he couldn’t be fucked to cook), they all sit down on the couch to watch some sort of tv show about meerkats. It’s honestly more entertaining than Dick thought it would be, and at the thirty minute mark, Jason nudges him with his knee.
"You want a beer?"
Dick glances towards Charlie, who is leaned forwards towards the screen, enraptured by the lives of the mammals on screen. Jason must guess his thoughts because he says, "Oh fuck off, he's seen worse."
Unbidden, Dick's eyes drop to the batarang scar on Jason's neck, and he wonders at just how much Charlie has seen in his short life.
"Sure," he ends up agreeing softly. "I'll take one."
Jason rises from the couch, and sets the bottle down next to him, cap removed, when he returns. They drink in companionable silence as the TV flashes in front of them.
"So, you're not going out tonight?" Dick ventures, not used to Jason willingly staying behind during Dick’s evening visits.
Jason lifts an eyebrow. "Obviously not."
Dick nods, his hindbrain singing with glee at having won his omega's company. That's ruined when Jason next speaks.
"Tell the baby bat to knock it off, by the way. Having a stalker is getting old."
Dick winces. "You noticed?"
Jason makes an affronted noise. "I'm not dumb, Dickhead." A pause. "You put him up to it then?"
"No." It comes out more uncertain than Dick would have liked.
Jason bristles in anger. "I don't need a babysitter you know. You reporting back to Bruce with this shit?"
Dick puts his beer down, stomach twisting and wanting to stop this before they devolve into arguing. "No, Jay, it's not like that. I was just worried."
The corners of Jason's lips tug impossibly further down. "Yeah, well, shove it. And tell your replacement omega to stop before I kill him for real this time."
"Tim's not-" Dick sighs. "Okay, Jay. Whatever you want."
The rest of the evening is almost unbearably tense, and Dick picks at the soggy label on his beer as he wonders how many times he can fuck up before Jason decides he’s done with him.
Week Four
Dick is in the middle of helping Charlie through the motions of a front handspring when Jason walks through the door.
Dick stumbles, managing to right himself in time to hide the lapse from Charlie, who just giggles as Dick turns him right side up again on the play mat. He stands quickly, nostrils flaring as he scents the air.
Jason reeks of alpha. And it makes Dick see red.
Every instinct is screaming at him with rage, someone has left their claim on his omega and it is a direct affront to his position as alpha. His hindbrain roars at the slight, tugging at him to go mount-claim-take back what was stolen. Dick breathes deeply as he tries to gather the shreds of his sanity and use it to push those base instincts back down.
Charlie must sense the tension in the air because he slips quietly to the bedroom without a word, leaving the two adults locked in a silent confrontation. Well, to Dick it’s a confrontation. His nails dig sharply into his palms as he fights to not just grab Jason. Jason, on the other hand, either does not notice the pheromones rolling off of Dick, or he’s doing a very good job at pretending.
“Jason.” His tone is clipped, tight with unnamed emotion.
“Hm?” Jason doesn’t look up from where he’s flipping through the mail, and the lack of acknowledgement makes Dick seethe.
“You stink of alpha.” Dick spits the words, barely able to get them out with how his fangs have lowered, speech clumsy in his mouth.
“Oh.” Jason looks up then. “Sorry. Artemis can be a little overzealous sometimes.”
Dick almost blacks out at the words. He can see it so perfectly in his mind's eye. The tall, flame-haired alpha, dragging her scent glands across Jason’s wrists, up his neck, lifting him up and pressing him against the wall-
Dick’s animalistic snarl startles the both of them, Jason looking at him with wide-eyes as if he’s just noticed Dick’s emotional state.
“You uh- you all good there, Dickie?” Jason asks cautiously, body shifting into a defensive position as if expecting Dick to attack.
Dick closes his eyes, and breathes in and out of his mouth harshly, willing his fangs to recede. He manages to calm down a bit, but the smell coming from Jason still sets him on edge.
“Let me scent you.”
Jason stills. “What?”
“Let me scent you, little wing. Please.”
Maybe it’s the old nickname, maybe it’s because Dick begged, or it might even be both, but Jason nods his consent.
Sighing in relief, Dick slides closer, grasping onto Jason’s arms and rolling up the sleeves of his tight undershirt. He starts gentle, softly rubbing their wrists together to mix the oils from their scent glands. He feels Jason relax under the touch, tension escaping as he is scented by such a familiar alpha. Dick feels calmer the more their scents mix together in the air. He’s always felt that they complimented each other so well, that it was a sign they were compatible in every way.
Once he’s satisfied with the wrists, Dick lifts a hand to Jason’s neck, rubbing at the scent gland there. Jason makes a soft noise, eyes slipping closed as he leans into the touch. A pleased rumble starts up in Dick’s chest at the sight. Yes, his instincts say, omega-mine-safe-protect.
He steps closer until they’re pressed together, the lines of their bodies slotting like perfect puzzle pieces. Jason’s chest is firm and warm beneath his own. Dick replaces his wrist with his cheek, rubbing his face directly against the source of Jason’s intoxicating scent. Jason gasps at the contact, his fingers tightening against Dick’s back, and then a purr vibrates out from his chest to match Dick’s alpha rumble.
Dick lets himself drift as he scents them, losing himself to the floaty headspace as his alpha decides that he’s safe with his mate in their den. He tilts his head so that his cheek is replaced by his lips, gently tracing the column of Jason’s neck. Jason jolts beneath him when his teeth just barely scrape against skin, and then suddenly Dick is being shoved backward.
He blinks in confusion, not understanding the sudden change in atmosphere while his alpha smarts at the rejection. Jason looks back at him, eyes dazed as his chest heaves with uneven breaths.
“You uh, you scented me so we’re all good now.”
Dick nods slowly, brain struggling to understand that he’s not still holding his omega close.
“Okay, right, well uh, I should go check on Charlie then.” Jason scrubs a hand through his hair, and Dick notices that the tips of his ears are tinged red.
At the mention of Charlie, something pings in his brain, and Dick blurts out his question without thinking. “Are we ever going to tell him?”
Jason squints at him. “Tell him what?”
“You know what.”
Jason sighs, his shoulders slumping forward. “Shit Dick, I mean yeah probably one day. You got any ideas on how?”
Dick cocks his head, thinking, and then grins as an idea comes to him. “You know, there is always the classic route.” He pitches his voice in an awful imitation of Darth Vader. “Charlie, I am your father.”
Jason crinkles his nose. “God, you’re so lame.”
“You love it.” Dick says, unthinking, and then flinches when he realizes the implications of what he just said.
Jason just stares at him for a long minute, something unreadable in his eyes. The moment breaks when Jason adverts his gaze, knocking their shoulders together as he pushes past.
“Goodnight, Dick.”
Jason’s tone is flat and even, and he’s locked down his scent so well that Dick can’t get the slightest read on him.
“Goodnight.” Dick repeats dumbly.
He stands in the dark entryway for a long while before he actually leaves, listening to the sound of faint laughter coming from his family in the other room.
Week Five
Jason has allowed Dick to come over for Charlie’s birthday, and he is determined not to screw this up.
He can barely see over the top of the enormous dog plushie as he lugs it up the stairs. It may not be a dinosaur, but if Dick is not allowed to get his son a puppy, he’ll get him the next best thing.
Birthdays turn out to be a quiet affair in the Todd household. There are sensible gifts from Jason, some new shoes and picture books that Charlie shows appropriate enthusiasm to. The reveal of Dick’s gifts result in a much more excited shout, the stuffed dog that is probably three times the size of the now five-year-old being the main attraction. There’s also some art supplies (those make Jason’s brow pinch as he tells Dick he has to clean up any mess), and a firm promise from Dick that he’ll teach Charlie more gymnastics.
All in all, it’s nice in its own way, and Dick is grateful he doesn’t have to deal with any other hyperactive children.
He and Jason are slouched on the couch, watching as Charlie flips through his books, and it’s…nice. It’s comfortable. Both their scents are happy and relaxed, filling the room with a pleasant sort of haze. Dick’s arm is stretched over the back of the couch, fingers just barely grazing the top of Jason’s shoulder, and he feels a warm glow start to spread inside him when Jason leans into the touch instead of pulling away.
The spell breaks when he feels Charlie clamber up into his lap. Dick grins down at the pup.
“Hey birthday boy, what’s up?”
“Dickie,” There is frosting from the cake they’d had earlier leftover on his cheek. Dick licks his thumb before wiping it away. Charlie glances up at him and then away as if shy. “Are you my papa?”
“Uh.” Dick flounders, mentally thrown. It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Still, he doesn’t want to look his son in the eye and lie. “Yes?”
Next to him, Jason chokes and then starts coughing. Dick shoots him a worried look, but his focus quickly returns to the pup in his lap. Oh god, how is he going to explain this, Charlie probably has so many questions-
“Ok.” Charlie nods. Well, that was easy. “Why don’t you live with us then, and why don’t you and Ma act like my friends’ ma and pa?”
Shit. Those weren’t the questions Dick was expecting. He tenses, preparing himself to come up with a fantastic lie that will undoubtedly hurt him later but will successfully hide the harsh reality of their situation, when Jason surprises him by answering.
“I don’t know if that’s something Dickie wants with me right now. But, he loves you so much, I promise. Right?”
Jason looks at him then, and Dick is shocked by the depth of emotion he sees in his eyes. Pain, longing, and something else, something that makes Dick feel a little reckless.
He turns back to Charlie, and smiles encouragingly. “I do, I promise. Now, how about I put on ‘The Land Before Time’ for you while Ma and I talk in the kitchen?”
Charlie shrugs his assent while Jason makes a confused noise. Choosing to ignore it, Dick leaps from the couch, shoves the DVD into the antiquated TV player, and leaves the remote in Charlie’s capable hands. Satisfied, he yanks Jason off the couch and pulls him into the kitchen, turning a deaf ear to the way Jason grumbles all the way.
Once safely out of view, Dick pushes Jason up against the thin dividing wall, intent on kissing him senseless. Their lips meet, and it’s a blissful few seconds as he feels Jason’s mouth soft beneath his own, his lips slightly chapped.
It ends as quickly as it started when Jason reels back and punches him square in the jaw.
Confused, Dick cradles the right side of his face and is about to curse Jason to hell and back when he remembers. Artemis. Fuck, of course, how could he forget Jason was already seeing someone. Still, Jason's expression from before dances through his mind and makes him want to press against established boundary lines.
Dick does the only sensible thing he can think of and falls to his knees to beg.
“Please- break up with her Jason, please. I’ll treat you so good, little wing, better than she ever could, I promise. I just want you so bad, baby, please-”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Dick glances up from where he’d gripped onto the coarse fabric of Jason’s pants, and sees Jason glaring down at him with a mixture of disbelief and irritation.
“Artemis. Your ‘partner’.” Dick rolls his eyes as he air-quotes the word, because he’s still petty and a tad immature.
Jason freezes, and his scent sours as his expression shifts firmly over into complete irritation. “What is it with you and assuming I’m dating redheads? That’s your thing, asshole, not mine.”
“So, you’re single.” Dick breathes, completely ignoring everything else Jason said in favor of reading between the lines. He watches, fascinated, as Jason scowls before giving a quick nod, the tips of his ears burning red.
Dick’s hindbrain decides that this is the perfect opportunity to shoot his shot. He tightens his arms around Jason’s thighs, holding him as close as he can as he looks up into aquamarine eyes with complete sincerity.
“Please date me Jay, I’d be so good to you- my omega. Please, let me prove it to you, that I can be worthy of you.”
The blush slides prettily from Jason’s ears and down to his neck as he gapes at Dick open-mouthed. “Jesus Christ, get the hell up,” he hisses, struggling to free himself from Dick’s firm embrace.
Dick allows himself to be hauled to his feet, and Jason studies him carefully. “You really want this? With me?”
Dick nods. He’s never been more sure of anything in his life.
Jason looks pensive for a moment, and then the tension drains from his shoulders. “Fine.”
Dick had been slouched, hunched over and prepared for rejection, it’s honestly to be expected at this point but- fine?
He gasps, all the air leaving his lungs in a single burst. “Thank you thank you thank you, you won’t regret this, I-”
Jason groans, shaking his head in despair. “I’m already starting to.”
But, even as he says it, his hands move to tug Dick closer by the belt-loops and he’s pulled in for a sweet, chaste kiss.
Jason looks uncertain as he draws back, as if this is the part where Dick will reveal it’s all some sort of elaborate, fucked-up prank. And really, Dick can’t have that.
He tosses an arm around the back of Jason’s neck and surges forward, their lips meeting on a parted sigh. Dick lets his scent fill with happy-mate-mine, and he could keel over from happiness when Jason’s scent reflects the sentiment back to him.
They stand together in the warm, yellow light of the kitchen, locked in a tender embrace as the faint noise coming from the tv floats into the space. Dick smiles goofily, craning upwards so he can press their foreheads together.
“I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun,” he quotes, giggling as Jason stiffens in his arms with recognition. It’s not every day Dick gets to tout his romantic side, and reciting a line from Jason’s favorite book feels perfect in the moment.
He does get hit again for that, but this time, it doesn’t even hurt.