Chapter Text
"You are not joining patrol, Damian."
Bruce knows he has messed up–still messes up–a lot in his life, and that's it's only right for him to receive karma for it. Regardless, as he stares down his son Damian, he cannot help feeling his temples throbbing and his heart squeezing in pain.
Gods. Damian. His beloved, beautiful omega son Damian... demanding to join Bruce on patrol in Gotham.
Bruce is barely able to withstand the thought of his alpha and beta sons endangering themselves in the field. He cannot do the same with Damian.
Damian doesn't seem to understand this. Bruce's youngest (omega, omega) son adorably pouts harshly glares up as he demands,
"Why not?! I have been trained for this before I could walk! It's my birthright, Father!"
Bruce's mind pictures his son Damian as a tiny pup, being forced to wield a sword taller than him and fight a grown adult then brutally beaten to the ground. Bruce instantly develops stomach ulcers.
He growls out, "Too dangerous."
Damian looks positively baffled. "I am prepared for dangers, Father."
Bruce thinks of his son Damian getting 'prepared'. Whipped. Waterboarded. Tortured in every way. He very nearly hyperventilates.
"No, Damian. You are not joining patrol and that's final."
Damian now looks furious. "If you will not let me, I will go on my own!" he threatens, and Bruce–
Bruce's mind conjures the image of Damian, his beautiful omega son Damian running away from the safety of the pack and being pounced by every single alpha in Gotham. He blacks out.
Later on, Bruce will internally defend himself that that is why he does it. He's just not in control of his own alpha despite literal decades of most rigorous training for it, causing him to use alpha command on his own omega son Damian.
"You will stay at home, omega!"
The very moment the words–the command–gets out of his mouth, Bruce instantly regrets everything. He's ruined everything. Had it been Dick or Jason or even Tim, Bruce would instantly regret it too, of course, but he would know his alpha and beta sons would not hesitate to throw a punch at or cold-shoulder him in retaliation.
(They all know that cold-shouldering Bruce is just as bad if not worse a punishment for him. Never mind Bruce regularly pushing them away, they call it his masochistic tendency.)
But Bruce has done it to Damian. His omega son Damian, whom Bruce is forbidding to go patrol with him in the first place because he fears other alphas using their command on his vulnerable omega son. And instead of those alphas, it's Bruce who did it. He deserves having his throat torn apart for the crime–!
Then Damian, Bruce's omega son Damian whose biology should make him most vulnerable to alpha command, effortlessly waves away his command. He even stomps his little foot while huffily replying, "No! I'm going on patrol, with or without you, Father!"
On one hand, well. It's wonderful to know Damian doesn't seem affected by Bruce's command (at all? Is that normal?? But even Bruce's meta and godly colleagues can get affected by his command???). On the other hand...
"Damian," Bruce says, "I–I used alpha command on you just now."
Damian scowls. "I don't care if it were your order, it was stupid and I refuse to abide by it."
Which isn't worsening Bruce's stomach ulcers at all, but not the point.
"I used alpha command on you," Bruce explains. "It should have–affected you. Made you–obey."
Now Damian looks a little wary, but also a lot more confused. He directs his wary-confused gaze at Bruce, who blankly gazes back out of having no idea what to say.
Finally, Damian replies, "...I have been trained since birth to resist it, Father."
...
It's possible to resist alpha command? Even for an omega?
Bruce doesn't voice this question, aware that his son's respect for him is justifiably wavering. Instead, he continues blankly gazing at his omega son Damian who apparently has been trained to resist alpha command, until said son speaks up again.
"Since my potential vulnerability to alpha command must be your sole reason for forbidding me, Father, I believe I should be permitted to join you on patrol now."
"...very well." Bruce has no right to refuse him now, doesn't he?
"And as compensation, I should also be permitted to drive the Batmobile."
All right, now this one Bruce still gets to refuse.
"Absolutely not."