Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It had been a few weeks since Tim had officially presented himself as an omega and although his heat had ended less painfully than when it began, his life hadn't become any less complicated. Despite now having a pack to call his own, which made the experience of all the changes less stressful, nothing had magically become easier to swallow or accept.

His mother's funeral took place as soon as the scent of an omega in heat had faded, about two days after the end of the presentation. Tim wore a simple but expensive black suit, hand-picked by his mother for his paternal grandmother's funeral two years ago and which would now be the official attire for her final farewell. He also placed a small white chrysanthemum in the upper pocket of his jacket, and prepared to bury the body of the woman who had brought him into the world while enormous cameras and paparazzi flashes captured the moment, as if it were some kind of spectacle, rather than the funeral of a grieving teenager.

Fortunately, his father had been admitted to the best hospital in Gotham that money could buy, in a private room with 24/7 nurses to attend to him.

Tim had also returned to his normal routine of schoolwork, exchanging emails and making video calls with his teachers to catch up on everything he had fallen behind on. He wouldn't let anything delay his high school graduation now that he only had a few months left, not even his late presentation or losses would distract him from what he had to do.

This was the greatest proof that the world kept turning and changing, even amidst pain. There was no time to stop and lament, or you would be left lying on the ground.

The third thing Tim did, very reluctantly, was the rest of the necessary post-presentation exams at Leslie's office. Alfred took him personally and waited in the waiting room, since Dick had returned to his life in Bludhaven and communication between them was now done through text messages and cell phone calls.

And as expected, almost the entire duration of the exams was uncomfortable and humiliating, since she didn't just stop at the ultrasound and repeat the same tests from the last time she saw him. Leslie not only had to check the glands in his groin, but also check the development of his intimate areas. Leaving Tim completely mortified.

He left the doctor's office half an hour later, looking as embarrassed as a ripe strawberry. But he had the birth control pills he had requested in one hand, prescribed for a recessive omega of his age and a prescription for continuous use in the other, in case he needed to prove he had purchased the medication at a pharmacy.

And as Tim had the luck of someone who spent his whole life stepping on cracks in the sidewalks, as soon as his new medical records were updated in Gotham's database, his second gender was leaked to the media. And even before Bruce's lawyer could finish the official adoption paperwork, all the tabloids were already talking about 'Gotham's newest orphaned omega', Timothy Jackson Drake.

According to Bruce's ongoing investigation, the leak hadn't come from someone at Leslie's clinic, but rather from someone at another institution or hospital who had access to the city's medical database. This could have been anyone from a simple nurse to a renowned doctor, since many healthcare professionals used the same database website in their clinics.

But Tim had some thoughts about the situation. The first hypothesis was that it was someone known to his parents, possibly someone who disliked them and thought it appropriate to exploit the weaknesses of their grieving son. The other option was that someone had simply been bribed by journalists to leak medical scandals from Gotham's high society.

Maintaining that analytical and investigative line of thought, was what kept him sane and prevented Tim from completely breaking down. It was as if seeing his life through the lens of a third person, as a case to be analyzed, was easier to bear than actually experiencing it firsthand. But Tim still trembled like a leaf whenever he accidentally read a comment on social media or some online tabloid news that arrived on his phone.

Now everyone knew he was an omega.

They knew. And they hated him.

Janet Jackson and Jack Drake's firstborn son, once brilliant and with a promising future ahead of him, was now considered inferior and without the right to make his own choices.

Tim imagined this would happen when he came out publicly, learning the social rules of second genders. But everything had happened so fast that he didn't have time to create countermeasures or containment plans for a possible exposure.

Damn it. He never even considered presenting himself as an omega at fifteen, nor did he even know it was possible.

How could he create a plan based on a future he never even dreamed of imagining?

Tim had to make his Instagram private. The only social network he used under his real name to post his favorite photos of landscapes and the urban area of ​​Gotham, as well as the few trips he had taken with his parents years ago. He had to disable the comment option on photos and private messages, deleting anything and everything recent that had been sent to him.

Then, two things happened almost simultaneously after the news.

First, distant relatives who had never even looked for his parents before were filing adoption papers and trying to communicate with him through Drake Industries, which fortunately was already on its way to being integrated into Wayne Enterprises, thus becoming a subsidiary. Therefore, all external and internal communication was being filtered by Bruce's specialized staff, along with his lawyers.

And second, there were the sudden requests for arranged marriages and engagements, arriving in the mail like cockroaches crawling out of a sewer. Filling Tim with dread.

That Tuesday had started relatively well, despite the madness of the last few days with the leak of his second gender and Bruce running around with his lawyers to sue the tabloids that had published stolen private medical information about a minor, while simultaneously organizing the paperwork for Tim's temporary guardianship. Since the adoption papers would take months to finalize and now with so many eyes on his case, it would only worsen the situation if they tried to bribe someone inside to expedite the process.

That morning, Tim woke up at his usual time and had breakfast in the dining room with Bruce and Damian, chatting about the art fair at Breathwood Academy where some of Damian's paintings had been chosen by the art teacher to be exhibited. Tim spent the rest of the time distracted by Damian's nervous energy, he was clearly anxious about having his paintings displayed for the first time, especially at such a large event for the whole school and its visitors to see.

Bruce had even confirmed that he would visit the art fair and then bring Damian home, relieving Alfred of the task of picking him up that day.

Alfred always said that in their line of work, occupying their minds with things other than surveillance was the healthiest thing to do. The butler always encouraged them to have more hobbies and in recent weeks, with the punishment keeping him away from Robin's training, Damian started reading some books that Alfred recommended, drawing and painting. These last two activities were clearly his favorites.

Even Tim was thinking about going back to Taekwondo classes and the photography course he had started years ago, but ended up stopping because his father didn't think it would be useful for the Drake heir in the future.

When Bruce and Damian finally left home for their own routines, Tim returned to his room to study and do his homework, getting as much work done as possible to keep himself occupied while avoiding his cell phone as if it were the plague.

His lunch hours later, had been rice with chicken and well-seasoned vegetables, a light meal just the way Tim liked it. He ate in the kitchen, next to Alfred, amidst a conversation about the newest book the butler had started in his book club with Jason. And Tim couldn't help but smile as he remembered the alpha he hadn't seen in weeks, but he understood that being in the mansion was painful for Jason now and he was content with the sporadic messages they had begun exchanging since they last saw each other.

For the rest of the afternoon, Tim stayed in the gardens of Wayne Manor. Taking pictures of Alfred's beautifully blooming flowers, the strategically placed statues and the animal-shaped bushes, that Alfred told him were Bruce's favorites as a child and that maintained the tradition to this day.

Tim was simply content to feel the warm sun against his skin and the gentle breeze brushing through his hair while doing something he enjoyed so much.

Alfred had left minutes earlier to visit the Drake mansion and pick up Tim's last belongings that had remained in his childhood room, as well as some more of his parents' clothes for his nest, which had become a permanent part of his bed. Tim could no longer sleep well without being completely surrounded by fluffy pillows and blankets, containing the calming scent of his new pack.

The thought of no longer being alone and being part of a pack was still surreal, like a fever dream and Tim was still surprised when Damian and Bruce handed him new clothes to put in his nest. It was very sweet.

Tim went back inside as soon as he started to feel a headache from the excessive sunlight, humming happily to himself as he sat on the living room sofa to evaluate the photos he had taken with an involuntary smile on his lips.

Alfred returned about twenty minutes later, with a backpack containing Tim's last clothes that were still in the Drake mansion and his parents' clothes in a separate plastic bag to avoid mixing the scents. Tim was grateful for this from the bottom of his heart, after all, there weren't many pieces left with his parents' scent, since they never stayed home long enough to perfume anything.

"What is this, Alfred?" Tim asked, setting the camera aside as he watched several letters being taken from Alfred's backpack. They were then placed on the coffee table in front of him in two separate piles.

“It’s the mail from the Drake mansion, master Tim. The mailbox was so full that some letters were on the floor.” Alfred explained, already closing the bag again. “I’ll leave the clothes in your room for you to arrange as you prefer.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” Tim smiled gratefully.

Curious, Tim turned his attention to the numerous letters. The first two had been water and electricity bills, the third a mortgage notice. He set those aside in a pile to deal with later, when a name and surname on the fourth letter caught his attention.

John Davis. He was a long-time acquaintance of his father's, they used to play golf occasionally and drink together at Bristol galas while discussing investment markets.

Tim opened the letter, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering if the man had seen on the news that his father was in a coma and unable to respond to any letters.

‘Dear Timothy,

I hope you still remember me. I have been a friend of your father for over a decade, and we have been exchanging emails for months about arranging a reunion between our families to rekindle the closeness we once shared. I was immensely surprised to see the news of your mother's passing and the state my dear friend is in at the hospital, my deepest condolences. I imagine it's very difficult to go through such hardship alone.

I don't know if you remember my son, Collins, from the gala parties, but you two used to be very close as children. It's perfectly fine if you don't remember, but he still remembers you and has expressed great concern about your current situation.

This has led me to consider the perfect solution to ensure my dear friend can take as much time as he needs to fully recover, knowing that his son is being well cared for.

Through this letter, I am proposing marriage on behalf of my son. Collins is studying business, preparing to be a CEO in the future and has great foresight. I am sure that he is the right alpha to take care of you and your needs.

I hope you will consider the proposal, as your father would want…’

Tim simply couldn't read any further and dropped the open letter back onto the coffee table, his eyes wide and blinking like an owl. He didn't want to truly believe what he had just read.

He wasn't stupid or easily manipulated enough to believe John's words and insinuations in that disgusting letter. That man wasn't even a friend of his father's, they were acquaintances at most.

And yes, unfortunately, Tim remembered Collins from the gala balls and they weren't as close as John tried to make it seem, they were just paired together by their parents because they were the only children present. Collins was three years older than him and had such a high-pitched nose that Tim feared it would touch the ceiling any day, even when they were just children. Imagine now that he was older and had presented as an alpha.

Tim grimaced in disgust at the mere thought and snorted audibly, disbelieving the audacity of that snake. Using venomous words in a letter full of flourishes to try and get close to him at a time when he was alone and supposedly more susceptible to falling for a scheme to seize his hefty trust fund and the Drake Industries shares in his name, of which he was the sole heir.

The mistake people like John made was thinking that because Tim was practically an orphan and now an omega, he was easily influenced and wouldn't recognize manipulation when he saw it. As if the comment about Collins studying to be a CEO wasn't enough of an indication of the plan John had orchestrated, they seemed to forget that despite his young age, he was still Janet Jackson's son.

Tim had known the speeches of false altruism, the veiled manipulation, amidst the idle chatter of Bristol's high society for as long as he could remember. He had grown up surrounded by it, and even if he didn't actively participate in the conversations themselves, he always heard and perceived many things between the lines. Perhaps too early for someone so young, but Tim had always been intellectually precocious, otherwise, he wouldn't have skipped grades in elementary school like someone playing hopscotch in his backyard.

Tim hated to admit it, but analyzing his situation coldly, he had become an easy target for Gotham's self-serving people.

Not only was he orphaned while still a minor, but he also presented himself as an omega. The gender at the bottom of society's food chain, the one whose parents orchestrated relationships as if they were a trade or an investment, instead of the future of their own children's lives at stake.

And it was at that moment that his mind made the connection and everything fell into place.

Tim swallowed hard and slowly looked away at the pile of other letters on the table, running his fingers over the papers and spreading the sealed envelopes across the wooden surface, his breath already heavy with pure anxiety.

Smith. Johnson. Williams. Jones. Miller. Wilson.

All vaguely familiar surnames of people he had seen from afar, greeted at parties, or only heard about through their parents.

Tim clenched his teeth tightly. The scent of a stressed omega permeated the entire room.

He tore open envelope, after envelope with trembling fingers. Feeling the horror grow as he realized they were all copies of John Davis's letter, just with different words that said and insinuated the same things.

All with false bravado, using the same formula of throwing in a generic 'I'm so sorry for your loss' before filling the paper with false flourishes about how Tim was, suddenly, no longer able to take care of himself or decide what was best for his future, but these strangers and their children knew better. Making proposals and using children, both adults and minors, as if it were a trading of cards, instead of human being. Even men in their twenties had sent him marriage and engagement proposals, a fact that sent a shiver of fear and dread down his spine.

Tim wasn't a romantic person, nor did he have false hopes of finding love someday, but all of this was too much.

He tried to be strong for as long as possible, trying to pretend that all this sudden exposure and public scrutiny wasn't affecting him. Tim had tried so hard to keep his routine as normal as possible, given recent events.

Why was all this happening to him?

He felt his stomach churn with disgust and his vision blur with unshed tears.

“Timothy, the fair ended early and— Why does the room stink like this?” Damian's voice suddenly sounded, but Tim didn't look in his direction, preferring to tear the letter he held into tiny pieces. Before pushing the others onto the coffee table and onto the floor, he let out an anguished groan as tears finally streamed down his cheeks. “Timothy?! What happened?”

But again, Tim didn't look at or answer the pup. He just jumped up like a hurricane and ran upstairs sobbing, like the weakling he was.

Tim had finally reached his limit. Again.

His body almost collided with Alfred's, who was calmly descending the stairs, but Tim didn't stop or look back when he heard more voices calling his name.

He ran and slammed the bedroom door shut, its hinges trembling. Sobbing loudly as he crawled to the nest and curled up around his teddy bears under the warm, fragrant blanket.

Tim was only fifteen and hadn't even gotten used to being an omega yet, all this exposure was the last thing he needed. He whimpered anxiously, curling up like a shrimp around the bears, hoping the scent of the pack would eventually make his chest feel less heavy and tight.

After a while, a knock sounded on his door before the wood opened with a low creak of the old hinges.

“Tim…” Bruce's hoarse, calm voice sounded, making Tim lift his head from under the covers immediately. “I saw the letters… Do you want to talk about it?”

Bruce hovered at the foot of the bed, uncertain. His broad, tall body screamed insecurity because clearly emotional matters weren't his strong suit, but the alpha had been actively trying to be more open and emotionally present for all of them lately.

Tim sniffed audibly and crawled around the nest, raising his arms for Bruce to pick him up, something he'd been doing a lot lately.

Bruce approached, enveloping Tim in a warm, fragrant embrace. He sat on the edge of the bed for greater comfort while Tim clung to the alpha like a tick, inhaling his calming scent of damp earth, like on a rainy day.

“Did you see the marriage proposals?” Tim asked in a muffled voice against Bruce’s chest, feeling his eyes welling up with tears again. “I’m only fifteen and I’m grieving, without a mother and with my father in a coma in a hospital bed. How dare they?!”

“Shhh…” Bruce calmed down when he sensed the scent of stressed omega intensifying, gently stroking Tim’s messy hair. “I know you’re upset and rightly so, anyone in your place would be. But you don’t have to deal with any of this alone, Tim. I’ll take care of everything, don’t worry about anything else now, just rest.”

Tim sobbed softly but nodded, wanting nothing more than to forget everything he’d read and that all of Gotham was watching him now. He hugged Bruce tighter, wanting to melt into that touch and disappear for a few hours, maybe even forever.

Bruce was synonymous with safety. If there was one person in Gotham who could sort out that mess until Tim was completely okay, that person was Bruce.

“I made a mess of papers downstairs, I need to clean it up…” Tim commented weakly, but without moving. Already feeling exhausted and wanting that horrible day to end.

“Alfred and Damian are taking care of it, don’t worry. All the letters will disappear.”

“I want to sleep…” Tim murmured softly, wanting to change the subject, inhaling the alpha’s scent with long sniffs.

“I’ll put you back in the nest.”

Bruce stood up again, approaching the side of the nest to place Tim in the middle with his bears, using the only blanket that wasn’t wrapped around the pillows on the sides to cover him.

“Lie down with me?” Tim asked shyly, hugging Bat-Rabbit and Robunny against his chest.

Bruce smiled gently at him, something Tim noticed was happening more frequently lately. 

“You know your nest is too small for me…” Bruce arched his eyebrows playfully, pulling the rolling chair from the desk closer to the bed. This elicited giggles from Tim. “When the nest room is ready, we’ll make a big nest so everyone can lie down, even Alfred.”

Tim smiled involuntarily at the thought, rubbing his wet cheeks with the back of his hands. The nest room was Bruce’s newest project, now that he had two omegas in the pack who loved to snuggle and be surrounded by the scents of their mates, it seemed like the right thing to do.

“You’ll have to fight harder than the bandits to get Alfred to lie down in the nest…” Tim commented humorously, trying to imagine the scene. He almost never saw Alfred sitting, let alone lying down.

Bruce chuckled softly, knowing Tim was absolutely right.

“Rest now, Tim. When you wake up tomorrow, everything will be resolved.” Bruce promised, and Tim believed him.

Feeling Bruce's hand in his hair, Tim allowed himself to relax and close his eyes.

When he opened them again, it was to the strange sensation of being watched. The sun had already set and the room was noticeably darker, only the light from Tim's still-on computer made him realize that Damian was in the room with him. Sitting exactly where Bruce had been before.

“You forgot your camera in the living room, Timothy. I brought it for you.” Damian pointed to the bedside table. “Unfortunately, it was on the sofa and fell to the floor when you got up, the lens broke.”

Tim blinked slowly, processing the words while still somewhat sleepy.

“It’s okay, the lens is removable and I have others…” Tim explained with a yawn, stretching his body a little before wrapping himself up again under the covers. Damian's green eyes followed Tim's every move intensely. “Want to lie down with me?”

Damian didn't respond verbally, but he hurried into the nest carefully so as not to break the walls. Something told him the pup was just waiting for his permission to enter, they had been doing this frequently in recent weeks and Damian always waited for Tim's explicit permission before approaching. He was surprisingly enthusiastic about cuddles, even if he wouldn't admit it.

In fact, Damian had been behaving with extreme care towards him. Giving him snacks whenever possible between other meals, which Alfred strangely let pass. Helping to tidy the nest and collect clothes, much like the care he had given Tim during his heat cycle.

He waited for Damian to lie down beside him to cuddle the pup and even though Tim was older, they were both the same height. The only difference was that Damian had a little more body mass. Which made him the perfect cuddling pillow.

"Where did Bruce go?" Tim asked curiously, pulling his bears closer to his chest. Letting out an involuntary yawn.

“To the office, make calls.”

Damian didn’t elaborate and Tim didn’t question it further, having an idea of ​​what the calls were about, but by no means wanting to think about that afternoon again.

Tim was almost dozing off again when Damian spoke again.

“Don’t worry, Timothy. They’ll pay for the audacity of their vile words.” Damian’s voice sounded too flat, with a cold anger that made Tim believe him completely. “Sleep a little longer. I’ll wake you up at dinnertime.”

And Tim did, burying his nose in the pup’s shoulder and letting himself fall asleep again.

⋆⭒˚.⋆ 🦇 ⋆⭒˚.⋆

In the days that followed, several things happened in silent succession.

Surprisingly, the quickest and easiest part to resolve was getting rid of the self-serving distant relatives, since his parents' will had a specific clause about potential relatives who would contact him if something happened to them. His parents had even foreseen the attempt at contact by those who now suddenly pretended to care about Tim, and there was no doubt that his mother was the visionary behind it.

Being a longtime friend of his parents, as well as their closest neighbor, Bruce had no difficulty in winning temporary guardianship in court. And of course, being a billionaire with the best legal team in Gotham also helped a lot.

During the afternoon of the same day as the guardianship confirmation hearing, all the tabloids were already announcing to the world that Bruce Wayne was the newest guardian of Timothy Drake, 'the most sought-after orphaned omega in Gotham' in their own words. Tim didn't understand what was so interesting about his situation that it warranted public attention, but he had stopped questioning the high society's hunger for false empathy a long time ago.

But thanks to all this, the media's focus shifted again, and now everyone was commenting on Bruce Wayne's tendency to adopt boys who looked like him. While others discussed ‘the benefits of adopting omegas’ and brought up old interviews and publications about the time Bruce adopted Dick.

It was the first time in days that Tim wasn't startled to check his phone and see an online publication defaming or demoralizing him. It was a small thing, but it felt like he could finally stop holding his breath.

Bruce took advantage of the public scrutiny to divert attention from Tim to himself, orchestrating an interview with Lois Lane where he started by talking about business and future investments, before getting to Tim's recent guardianship and expressing his concern, in the most Brucie way possible, about the indecent marriage proposals that many families had sent to an innocent and grieving boy. It had all been a big charade, but it had the desired effect, since the letters stopped arriving the day after the story was published and the silence has never been so welcome.

Tim focused on what he did best: studying and working on criminal cases with Bruce. 

His private tutors were so pleased with his performance that they even talked about an early graduation, given that Tim's learning pace was well above average. If things continued this way, he would graduate months ahead of schedule.

He also received a new lens for his camera from Damian, exactly like the one that had broken weeks before. Tim smiled broadly at the pup, very grateful for the gift. 

Tim had begun spending more and more time with Damian, after he got home from school.

They read in the library, sat in armchairs under the windows, sunbathed and napped until dinnertime like lazy cats. Tim even tried painting canvases with the pup on the mansion's terrace and failed miserably. But it was actually fun and Damian gave him a small, satisfied smile at the end.

One day, Damian began acting strangely, reverting to that extreme protective mode he'd had during Tim's heat cycle. He hovered, checking if Tim was alright, wanting to feed him directly in his mouth and making sure Tim was always in his field of vision, as if he feared Tim might suddenly disappear. Tim tried to take it lightly at first, enduring the intense stares, the wave of excessive care and Damian's sudden neediness, as if he seemed to want to live lying in Tim’s nest next to him.

The answer to all this behavior came on a rainy Sunday morning, everyone had gone to bed early the previous night because of the busy day on Monday.

Tim woke up suddenly, very confused, hearing loud thunder and the sound of heavy rain hitting the windows and for a few moments thought it was the thunder that had woken him. But when he saw the shadow projected on the wall with the flashes of light coming through the window, he realized someone was standing beside his bed.

Tim was slightly startled by the realization and froze completely in place, but his brain, already working overtime to understand the situation, reminded him that Bruce had the best and most expensive security systems money could buy with cutting-edge technology approved by Batman himself.

It was after another flash that illuminated the entire room, followed by a bang, that Tim realized it was Damian standing next to his nest.

“Dami…?” Tim questioned, his eyes narrowed, tired and very ready to go back to sleep with the sound of rain as a calming soundtrack.

Damian didn't answer, just continued hovering.

“Do you want to come into my nest?” Tim offered, somewhat lost in the intensity of Damian's gaze on him.

Damian shook his head negatively.

“Omega, come with me.” Damian announced strangely.

It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

Tim didn’t think he was awake enough to understand Damian’s eccentricities. The boy had never called Tim by his secondary gender in that way, in the same tone he called his name.

“Come.” Damian insisted, this time extending his hand for Tim to take.

Imagining the pup was having some trouble, he sat in the middle of the nest and crawled outside, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders because the rain had made it considerably colder. And then, hand in hand with Damian, Tim let himself be led down the hallway.

“Where are we going?” Tim asked softly, listening to the thunderous sounds of thunder and the rain hitting the hallway windows.

“Safe nest.” Damian replied curtly again, which was strange because he always seemed to have a lot to say.

“But my nest is in my room…” Tim replied confused, since there wasn’t another nest in the mansion besides his, at least not yet. The nesting room Bruce had designed was still under construction and even if it were finished, it was on the opposite side of the hallway, near Bruce’s own room.

That’s when Tim realized Damian was leading him to the end of the hallway, specifically towards his own room.

“My nest. Safer.” Damian replied again in that strangely short tone and simple words.

“You made a nest?” Tim asked curiously, since he didn’t know that pups built nests too. Damian had never shown any indication that he knew how to make one.

When they arrived in front of Damian’s closed bedroom door, the rain hadn’t let up, but it seemed less noisy since the window was further from the door. Which made sense, Damian liked peace and quiet so being in the room furthest from the hallway suited him perfectly.

When the boy opened the door, Tim immediately noticed the different smell in the air, something he remembered smelling before, but couldn't immediately identify because he didn't usually frequent Damian's room and didn't even think much about it. 

Not after noticing a nest very similar to his own on Damian's bed, made with pillows, blankets from Dick's room, Tim's clothes and some of Alfred's shirts that Tim could have sworn he saw the butler put in the laundry basket, before they went to sleep hours ago. And there was only a single pair of socks of Bruce's, fallen against the side wall made of pillows.

"Wow... I didn't know you made nests, Damian. It looks really good!" Tim praised, approaching the bed but without touching it. Wanting to be as respectful as Damian was to his nest.

"Do you like it?" Damian asked observing him, hovering between Tim and the closed door as if he thought he might run out at any moment.

“Yes, you did very well.” Tim praised, letting out a poorly disguised yawn, noticing how proud Damian seemed of himself.

He knew he should be annoyed at being woken up in the middle of the night for Damian to show him the nest he had built for reasons unknown, but the little one had been behaving so well towards him since their frank conversation that Tim had managed to put aside his uncertainty and enjoy the quality time they were spending together more and more frequently. So praising Damian's nest seemed like the right thing to do, even if the reason wasn't clear, he didn't need to know everything yet.

“Come in.” Damian indicated the nest.

“Do you want me to lie in your nest?”

Damian simply nodded and indicated the nest again with his hand.

“Alright…” Tim conceded with a tired sigh, spending a few hours in Damian's nest wouldn't hurt.

He carefully climbed onto the structure, realizing it was far more fragile than Tim's own nest, probably because Damian didn't have as many pillows or blankets to use. His fingers itched to tidy up the nest and rummage through Dick's blankets and clothes, but he tightly wrapped his own blanket around himself, forcing himself not to touch someone else's nest. 

Damian had done what he could with what he had, it was enough for them to lie down for a few hours. And in the morning, he would talk to Bruce so that Damian would have his own nesting materials, just like Dick and Tim.

As soon as he lay down in the middle of the nest, Damian crawled quickly inside carelessly, very different from how he acted in Tim's own nest. The pup lay with his back to the door, curling around Tim's body like a vine, pressing his nose against his neck as he gasped for air, clearly smelling Tim like a damn addict.

Tim was in shock for a few brief seconds, but without pulling away, waiting to see what the pup would do next. That strange smell was getting stronger and stronger in the air, but Tim couldn't concentrate on it for long, not with Damian being so suddenly affectionate.

"Damian?" Tim called uncertainly, hugging Damian carefully.

"Hn… Smells good, Timothy…" Damian's grumble calling his name made him breathe easier, everything was alright. Damian probably just wanted some affection, without Alfred or Bruce seeing. After all, the pup could be quite shy with physical contact sometimes.

"I'm glad you like my smell." Tim smiled weakly, yawning again. He was being honest, it was truly flattering coming from the pup who was always so critical and repressed about everything, suddenly being so open about wanting affection and even praising him.

"Sleep, I'll protect you!" Damian practically purred against Tim's throat, his eyes tightly closed.

Tim chuckled softly, exasperated. He wanted to say that he didn't need protection from anything while on Wayne Manor grounds, but Damian had always been a bit paranoid and Tim couldn't really blame him. If he'd grown up with Talia al Ghul as his mother and Ra's al Ghul as his grandfather, Tim would have been a bit of an oddball too.

Truth be told, none of them were normal at the end of the day, trauma was what turned them into bats. Otherwise, they wouldn't be running around in kevlar and leather through the streets of Gotham at night.

Tim didn't argue, he just let Damian use him as a pillow, just like he had done with the pup so many times before. But if he had known they were having a slumber party in Damian's room, he would have brought his teddy bears.

He didn't realize when he fell asleep, his brain always very active, working at full speed, until Alfred appeared in his line of sight. The room was brighter, indicating that the day had dawned, but the rain continued to beat against the window relentlessly, though this time without thunder.

"Master Tim…" Alfred greeted softly, one of his larger, wrinkled hands resting on Damian's forehead, who was completely unconscious but sweating profusely.

"Is he sick?" Tim asked softly, feeling Damian's arms wrapped tightly around him.

“It seems master Damian is presenting himself.” Alfred explained calmly and Tim began to understand Damian’s somewhat erratic behavior hours earlier. “I found it strange that you wasn't in your nest when I went to look in your room…”

“Damian woke me up in the middle of the night and brought me here.” Tim explained to the butler, shrugging as he yawned wearily.

“I understand. I’ll inform master Bruce and call master Damian’s school.” Alfred said, before turning his back and leaving.

Tim turned his attention to Damian, who was still unconscious. His cheeks were red and sweat dripped down the sides of his hair. Tim tried to move away a little so that Damian’s body could cool down a bit without someone with body heat so close, but the pup grumbled and squeezed Tim’s waist tightly, burying his nose in his neck with a contented sigh.

With a sigh, Tim resigned himself to his fate and sniffed the air curiously, realizing that the different scent he had noticed upon arriving in the room in the early morning seemed more intense now and probably came from Damian all this time. It was difficult to explain as the milky pup scent was still very present, but it was mixed with something else.

“Tim?” Bruce’s voice made him look towards the door where the alpha was already entering with quick steps, already wearing a suit, but still without a tie. “Is everything alright? Alfred said Damian is presenting himself?”

“Apparently so.”

Bruce stood beside Damian’s bed, observing the pup with closed eyes, his eyelids trembling slightly as sweat trickled down the sides of his face. The alpha reached out to touch Damian, perhaps to feel his forehead or to check his condition, when a low, childlike growl sounded in the pup’s chest and rose to his parted lips.

Damian acted so quickly that Tim only had time to blink before the pup's mouth had already engulfed Bruce's hand in a bite. And instead of pulling away quickly, Bruce allowed the bite without making a sound or any sudden movements.

"Damian!" Tim called out, alarmed. Feeling sleepiness and laziness vanish in a sudden fright, turning into terror coursing through his veins. "Bruce, what's happening? Why is he doing this?"

Perhaps it was Tim's urgent tone of voice or his anxious scent, but something about him seemed to grab Damian's attention enough for the youngest Wayne to abandon his bite and look in Tim's general direction. Damian's green eyes had been completely swallowed by the black pupil, his gaze also seemed totally unfocused as if he couldn't really see anything ahead.

"Tim, I need you to stay calm so we can help Damian. If you get agitated or stressed, he'll want to attack." Bruce explained more quietly, slowly moving away from the bed and stopping in the doorway. Damian's teeth had left a red mark with bleeding spots, but none had dripped. "This behavior is common in pups who are presenting themselves as alphas. I shouldn't have approached his nest so carelessly, it was my mistake..."

Tim continued watching Damian, who was now sitting in the middle of the nest, his nose upturned as he sniffed the air around Tim, grunting weakly as if his throat was still learning to make that sound. Damian suddenly wrapped his arms around Tim tightly, pulling him protectively against his chest.

“Right now, Damian feels he needs to protect the pack's omega and doesn't want any other alphas around.” Bruce explained, watching them with barely disguised affection that almost embarrassed Tim. After all, Damian was hugging him like a teddy bear against his chest.

“But you're his father…” Tim commented, still trying to understand, but he let himself be hugged and laid back down in the nest with Damian blocking his view of the door.

“Just like you had to get used to the smells when you were presented because it was all very intense and overwhelming. Damian is also going through the same process, but in his case, the smell of other alphas specifically bothers him more than usual because it represents a possible danger. It's something biological and very common in newly presented alphas, in those first hours or even days, Damian will be beside himself and refuse any other alpha nearby,” Bruce continued explaining. Both ignored Damian's purrs, which were trying to calm Tim.

"I'm fine, Dami… You should get some sleep." Tim spoke softly and cautiously, like someone trying to convince a wary animal, unsure of what to expect. He observed Damian's dilated, unfocused eyes for a few more moments, confirming that he wouldn't attack him. Then he pulled the pup closer to his neck, releasing the most calming and contented pheromones he could muster, just as Dick had taught him.

Damian grunted softly, sniffing the air and following his head as if it were a trail, until his nose touched the base of Tim's throat and he exhaled deeply. His tense, feverish body relaxed completely against Tim's in a matter of seconds.

"What do I do?"

“Just keep him in the nest until he comes to his senses, that will keep him calm while we take care of the rest. I’ll call Dick, he was present at Jason’s presentation and will know better what to do.” Bruce advised, before turning his back and leaving Tim alone again with a pup in the middle of a presentation.

Indeed, Damian was right weeks ago when he said he would be an alpha. Lucky him.

Tim sighed audibly, looking at the open bedroom door without really seeing, feeling Damian’s hot, panting breath on his neck. The pup was still sweating profusely and was already fast asleep again, and Tim didn’t blame him for falling asleep so quickly. Not after experiencing firsthand how the presentation left his body aching and completely drained.

But Tim didn’t know what to feel about Damian’s presentation, even though it wasn’t his business. Still, he couldn't help but feel bitter about the situation, once again Damian had gotten what he wanted while Tim watched from the sidelines, having to endure the world pouring contempt on his head.

It was irrational, Tim knew that.

Damian had no control over his second gender, just as Tim had none over his own, but it was a tremendous irony.

When Alfred returned, he brought a double-decker cart. The first level contained breakfast for Tim, and the second held water in a basin, as well as several smaller face towels and a larger bath towel.

"If you could help me change master Damian's clothes, it would be greatly appreciated." Alfred said after going to Damian's dresser and getting a loose, lightweight summer t-shirt.

"Of course, Alfie." Tim hurried to sit down and, with Alfred's help, propped Damian against his own torso as they removed the pup's sweat-soaked long-sleeved shirt and pajama bottoms, leaving him only in his underwear.

Damian didn't even move or open his eyes during the entire ordeal. His body was completely limp and feverish against Tim's shoulder as Alfred wiped his dark skin, covered in pale scars across his chest and back despite his young age, with a damp cloth soaked in lukewarm water.

This immediately caught their attention, but both were careful not to comment aloud.

Damian was very discreet and meticulous about his appearance and clothing, the pup liked turtlenecks, comfortable shirts, and tailored trousers. Clothes that generally covered a good amount of skin, never the type to wear revealing clothing like Dick and Jason.

None of them ever knew the extent of what Damian had endured before arriving at the mansion, perhaps not even Bruce, so Tim felt deeply ashamed for resenting the pup. Growing up in the League must have been incredibly difficult, but Damian not only survived, he thrived and considering what he could have become having Ra's al Ghul as his grandfather, Damian had done very well.

“Did you do this to me too?” Tim asked after helping Alfred dry and dress Damian in the lighter shirt. He was only slightly curious, wanting more to break the heavy silence that had settled after seeing Damian's scars.

“Yes, master Bruce helped me. Although you made the process much easier by ripping off my clothes as soon as you entered the nest…” Alfred commented humorously, helping Damian lay back down on the mattress. “Sit up straight, master Tim. You need to eat.”

“And Damian?” Tim asked, grabbing the moss-green mug full of hot coffee with both hands. The smell filled the room and calmed Tim almost instantly.

“He’ll be nauseous for the first few days, just like you. For now, just staying well hydrated when you wake up will be enough,” Alfred explained, handing Tim a plate of toasted sandwich with plenty of cheese.

This time there was no breakfast table set up for him, and Tim could understand why. After all, the logistics of space would be difficult when Damian was lying right next to him, practically glued to him.

“I’ll get some water for master Damian, I’ll be right back.”

Two days passed in this exhausting routine of Damian’s presentation, during which Tim couldn’t get out of bed for more than five minutes to use the bathroom without the pup freaking out in his nest looking for the ‘omega he was supposed to protect’. On the second day, Tim was already fed up with everything. Besides having to skip his bath on the first day, on the second, when he finally managed a well-deserved shower, it was rushed, and he was even forced to wear the same wrinkled and sweaty clothes from two days ago because Damian couldn't stand any other scent on Tim besides his own.

Besides Tim, the only one who could enter the room or stay near the nest was Alfred.

Bruce could only get as far as the door, otherwise, Damian growled like a broken exhaust pipe and only accepted small pieces of clothing, like socks and ties, that smelled like the alpha head. They even tried to introduce Jason's scent with a t-shirt brought from Tim's nest, but Damian threw the garment directly onto the hallway floor with a sulky snort, as if the act had offended him in every language known to humankind.

Another thing about the pup was that his communication was basically grunts and purrs. Damian hadn't spoken a single word since bringing Tim to his own nest two nights ago.

Tim had reluctantly paused his studies again, writing them partially in his phone's notes and jotting down future ideas while Damian slept.

In those moments, he took the opportunity to play Block Blast and beat his own records. And unfortunately, his bears couldn't be brought to Damian's nest without risking being torn in half because they smelled of the alphas who gave them to Tim.

And as the hours passed, he found himself increasingly bored and on the verge of going crazy.

"Hi, my little bats!" Dick's cheerful voice was heard before his body even reached the door frame, the sweet caramel scent invading the room like a candy store.

The sudden voice, along with the fresh, new scent in the air, made Damian detach himself from Tim, turn towards the door, and curiously sniff the air, blinking rapidly.

"Hi, Dick." Tim greeted, feeling an indescribable relief wash over him at seeing the omega head. Finally, someone who could help him deal with Damian's changes had appeared. "It's good that you came."

"I had some things to settle with Bruce and stopped by to see my boys. I heard Damian is presenting, so I thought you might appreciate some help."

"Richard..." Damian's voice suddenly sounded. Hoarse from lack of use, surprising Tim.

“Yes! It’s me, little bat.” Dick spoke gently, slowly approaching the nest so as not to scare or stress Damian. His caramel scent filled the room, giving the pup time to process and react if he didn’t want that closeness.

But Damian didn’t react negatively on the contrary, he even knelt on the mattress, his eyes wide, staring in the direction Dick was coming from. His vision still seemed blurry, but the pup seemed more aware than moments before.

“Richard.” Damian called again, sniffing the air and seeming drunk on the smell.

Dick moved fully closer to the nest and hugged Damian by the shoulders, letting the pup bury his nose in his neck without even blinking.

“Such a good alpha, building a safe nest for the pack's omegas. You did so well!” Dick praised, stroking Damian's sweaty hair. Who had now practically melted against Dick, purring loudly with contentment.

Tim's eyes widened unsure what to do, but as soon as his eyes met Dick's, the older omega gave him a smile and gestured with his eyes towards the door. And Tim didn't need to be told aloud to understand, he recognized a chance to escape when he saw one.

He calmly left the nest so as not to attract Damian's attention and practically ran out of the room like the devil flees from the cross. Tim took a long hot shower, scrubbing well even behind his ears after two days wearing the same pajamas with layers and layers of sour sweat, he felt absolutely filthy.

After leaving the steamy bathroom, Tim went to the kitchen, still drying his wet hair with the towel around his neck. He turned on the coffee machine and made a simple ham and cheese sandwich, eating it right there in the kitchen. Calmly enjoying his beloved coffee and letting out a satisfied sigh.

Alfred wasn't anywhere nearby, he was probably tending to the gardens or upstairs, organizing and cleaning the guest floor.

Tim put the dishes in the dishwasher that Alfred didn't particularly like to use, but which thankfully worked and dropped the towel in the hidden compartment between the kitchen cabinets that carried dirty laundry through the ducts to the basement area, where the mansion's laundry room was located. There were several of these compartments throughout the mansion, and they were really useful for collecting dirty clothes without having to walk all over the enormous house.

He climbed the stairs resignedly, intending to go see how Damian and Dick were doing, feeling a little guilty for abandoning the pup in the middle of the presentation and leaving Dick to handle the rest alone.

When Tim finally mustered the courage to approach Damian's bedroom door, he cautiously peeked through the doorframe, meeting Dick's gaze already on it.

The older omega didn't seem angry about Tim's escape. In fact, Dick smiled gently, sitting in the middle of the nest facing the door while hugging a sleepy but quiet Damian against his chest.

"Put this on." Dick murmured, looking at the edge of the mattress where the round nest didn't reach. The baby pink sweatshirt Dick had been wearing earlier was now at the foot of the bed, and the older omega was only wearing a Looney Tunes short-sleeved t-shirt.

"Why?" Tim asked curiously, but cautiously approached the nest to pick up the garment. Imitating Dick when he arrived earlier.

“If Damian smells something different on you, he’ll find it strange. If you give him clothes to perfume, your life will be much easier, believe me.” Dick explained, smiling affectionately as he watched Tim put on the sweatshirt that looked more like a dress on him. “Whenever you want to change clothes, give them to Damian to perfume first.”

The knowledge dawned on Tim. It made perfect sense, actually.

"Was I that out of it?" Tim questioned, looking from Damian to Dick, curious.

"I don't know about before, but when I arrived at the manor you were unconscious and it took hours to come to, but it was different from how Damian act. You were crying and calling for your pack, it was very sad to watch..."

Dick seemed lost in thought, but the expression on his face was so sad and Tim felt so embarrassed that he immediately regretted asking anything.

"Bruce said you were at Jason's presentation..." Tim commented, wanting to change the subject. And also trying to find out more information since he didn't know much about ruts, beyond what the textbooks said.

"Yes, I was. He wouldn't let me step outside the nest even to go to the bathroom, it got to the point where I thought Alfred would have to put a bucket in the room for us to relieve ourselves..." Dick explained, letting out a chuckle when Tim made a face of disgust.

Dick laughed openly as he recounted more of that time. Probably dramatizing the story, but his laughter made Damian open his eyes and sniff the air curiously.

“Hn…Ti—” Damian mumbled softly, looking at Tim with wide eyes. “…mothy, you’re back!”

Tim blinked in surprise at the immediate recognition, when Damian seemed so out of it when he left earlier.

“Hi, Dami.” Tim approached cautiously, getting even closer to the nest, but just like the older omega, Tim wasn’t stopped or met with aggression like Bruce.

In fact, Damian only moved closer to hug him and sniff his collarbones, which were exposed by Dick’s loose sweatshirt that fell slightly off his shoulders. Tim didn’t know if he smelled of himself, the pup soap he had just used in the bath or Dick’s scent from the sweatshirt, but the youngest Wayne seemed satisfied enough after inhaling and exhaling for a few seconds while purring thoughtfully.

Then, Damian brought their necks together and dragged their glands together, making Tim's body tremble and go limp like a puppet without strings. He was still very sensitive there and wasn't used to contact that wasn't Dick's.

Tim felt the inertia working as he fell against Damian, who didn't have enough strength to hold him at that moment. They both fell into the nest, huddled together supported by Dick, who smiled broadly.

"So cute, my little bats!" Dick pulled them both to his sides, but Damian seemed to have a different idea because as soon as Tim lay down next to the older omega, the pup practically threw himself on top of them both with outstretched arms. It was as if Damian wanted to hug them both, but his short arms couldn't completely encircle them, so the boy just stayed there, looking like a starfish resting on them.

Dick laughed good-naturedly, hugging Damian around the waist.

"You did well, alpha. We're protected." Dick praised him, which made Damian purr happily and Tim look at the omega head as if he had gone mad.

“Damian has been using his own body to protect us.” Dick explained, pointing to Damian's body over theirs, again with his back to the door. “Subconsciously, he tries to create a barrier between what's outside the nest in order to protect us.”

“But there's no danger here, the mansion is one of the best-protected places in Gotham, second only to the Batcave.” Tim commented, confused. Letting Damian do as he pleased, after all, Dick was the one bearing most of the pup's weight.

“Alphas, when they present themselves, are different from omegas because we have different needs. Omegas want their nests, lots of affection, attention and to be perfumed.” Dick began to speak, slightly averting his gaze as if he were thinking about his words. “Alphas already feel the need to protect and eventually provide for their omegas, but of course they also like to be scented. That's why words of affirmation about their actions, along with exposure to the pack's pheromones, work well, when praised by their omegas, the pheromones and the extreme need for protection calm down and recede.”

“I'm not his omega?!” Tim retorted, annoyed. He didn't belong to anyone, only to himself.

“But you are his pack's omega, just like me. The alpha side in him recognizes us, it's just a biological need. I understand your discomfort, but I promise it's not in the sense of possession…” Dick mediated, stroking Tim's hair. Dick's words were direct and to the point, as if he could read Tim's exact thoughts, probably because he had already gone through all those issues long before. “You don't need to forget yourself and give in to the alphas around you, even those in the pack. There's a reason why there are omega heads in packs, to maintain balance and ensure the needs of both sides are equal. Otherwise, the pack alphas would lose control and fight over every little thing and unfortunately, betas don't have strong enough pheromones to balance the dynamic on their own.”

Tim became thoughtful, absorbing Dick's words for a moment and allowing himself to be caressed.

“Not all packs follow that rule…” Tim commented softly. Thinking not only about his own situation, but about several other omegas in complicated family situations he had seen his parents discuss over the years.

Dick let out an audible sigh, hugging the two brothers tighter against his body.

“Unfortunately not, which is why the pack's foundation is crumbling. Because they want to deny that they need the omegas outside of their role as breeders and homemakers. They prefer to crumble from the inside out rather than admit our real contribution within the pack, because that takes away their power over us and no longer benefits them in the long run.” Dick had an ugly, twisted smile on his lips, the kind Tim had witnessed very few times in recent years. “But the Wayne pack isn't like that, Timmy. I know I haven't been very present since your presentation and everything that happened afterward, you must have been very stressed and anxious having to carry everything alone. I'm sorry.”

Dick seemed guilty, but that didn't sit well with Tim because nobody needed to take care of him and his feelings, he was old and grown enough to deal with his own frustrations. 

The last few weeks had been a lapse of weakness, due to the late presentation, his mother's death, his father in a coma and then all the online exposure.

In fact, Tim was already fed up with killing a metaphorical lion every week¹, but apparently that was his life now. He just needed to get back on track, after all he was a Drake.

“I don’t blame you for any of this, don’t apologize to me.” Tim pouted involuntarily, still unsure how to react to adults suddenly apologizing and giving him explanations. But he allowed Dick to hug him from the side and deliberately ignored the gentle smile on the older omega’s face.

“My Timmy is so understanding!” Dick stated before starting to rub his cheek against Tim’s, holding Damian with his other arm while the pup dozed off sprawled on top of them.

Dick could only stay for two more days, but it was enough for them to have full hugging sessions for hours, their scents mixing so much that Tim felt dizzy. But at the same time, very sleepy and comfortable, this also seemed to have helped Damian gradually come back to himself and even start communicating normally again as before.

During this time, Dick also taught Tim the tricks he used with Jason so that he could leave the nest without suffering the consequences at the hands of a needy and overprotective alpha pup.

Tim had also finally managed to identify the scent that permeated Damian's room, because as the days went by and the smell became clearer, he realized it resembled the decaffeinated coffee with milk his former nanny used to make for him as a child. That was the scent the alpha pup was now exuding, coffee with milk, but Bruce explained that it was normal for the smell of milk to linger for a few more months in newly presented dynamics.

Luckily, Damian returned to acting almost normally by the end of the third day. It was as if all of Dick's exaggerated and affirmative praise, as well as all their combined scents, had served as an anchor for Damian to emerge from the fog of rut.

And after that, it became much easier for Tim to leave the nest for a few hours to do his things while Damian slept. He followed Dick's advice to the letter and when the omega head told him it would be easier to perfume clothes and leave them in the pup's nest, just as he had done before returning to Bludhaven. Tim observed his teddy bears in the middle of the nest, remembering how touched and loved he felt upon receiving them, and he had a better idea.

At the back of his wardrobe, there was a gray cat plush toy. It was simple and cheap, since Tim had gotten it from a claw machine during one of his sporadic trips to the mall arcade. The plush cat was of medium size, with enormous yellow eyes and a perpetually irritated expression due to the crooked stitching on its eyebrows. It was perfect.

Tim had kept the plush toy out of pity months ago and eventually forgot about it, but Alfred found it in his old room at the Drake mansion and brought it with him, probably thinking it was important to him.

So Tim perfumed the gray cat with his wrists and even hugged it for a few hours while he napped in the nest to enhance the scent, feeling the softness of the sparse fur against his skin and despite being a cheap bear, it was actually quite comfortable to hug.

He wasn't sure if Damian would accept it, perhaps the pup would find it childish or mediocre, but later that day, when Tim offered him the scented cat, Damian only looked at it for a few seconds before quickly reaching out towards the plush toy, his ears turning slightly red as he brought the bear to his nose.

“Thank you, Timothy.” Damian said softly.

“You're welcome, Dami.” Tim smiled broadly at the pup, very pleased. He then left the room when he saw Alfred in the hallway bringing food for Damian.

Like Tim, Damian's introduction lasted a week. The first few days were the most difficult, but the pup was in a much more comfortable and healthy state of mind than Tim. He experienced far less distress and crying, and more cuddling sessions.

Finally, Tim taught Damian how to build and arrange his own nest, allowing himself to be fed directly on the mouth from the alpha pup's and letting himself be enveloped in the new scent of coffee with milk while they cuddled and napped curled up together.