Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Getting into trouble while in civilian clothes is not such a rare situation. Of course, this happens more often at gala evenings when he represents the Drake family, the Wayne family, himself or the company, or is simply on an undercover mission. Less often, during school hours, which he missed as often as the hacked school servers could allow. Tim began to get into such situations less often, coming only on the days of final cuts, important tests and control. The average Gotham high school student is now being held hostage in class three or five times more often than Tim. Although, being an avenger and a representative of high society, Tim still ends up being held hostage more often than any other resident of Gotham – including his brothers, by the way, and Tim can only blame his biology for this. Kidnapping an omega requires less courage than an alpha.

There was another incident in the Tower. Back then, he wasn't exactly in civilian clothes–he had a mask and a staff. And yet, it should be included in the statistics. At least because it's happening again, for the second time in a year, and Tim is whispering curses under his breath, rolling over from another magical shot, hiding behind the couch.

«It's really nothing personal, kid. I don't like attacking children myself», the opponent says in a bored tone, not even breaking a sweat in the last twenty minutes that she has been chasing Robin through the floors. «You should be grateful to me. In the end, I could have just killed you, but I decided to act mercifully».

«How nice of you».

The Mysterious Rose – at least that's how she introduced herself, but Tim sincerely doubted that was the right name. She would have fought with Poison Ivy for plagiarizing the subject – she loved to chat. By this point, Tim had already realized that she had come from the future, where the third Robin had become Batman. What if you ask Tim, it's stupid. Any of his brothers can inherit this mantle, but not Tim. Dick or Damian, if only because they are Bruce's heirs, as the first son and as a blood son. Jason is like an alpha with the closest parameters, from which it will be easy to hide the replacement of the hero's personality from the masses. In any case, it's not like this moment is coming soon. They had just acquired a Demonic Spawn, he had just begun to undergo Bat training, and Tim suspected that in the near future he would have his own mask.

How inspiring it is! Robin won't be the youngest member of the team! Of course, the puppy is not very friendly to him, but Tim came to the Tower to give him time to get used to the manor, and then he will return, and they can get to know each other better. The omega inside Tim was trembling. The puppy! Free, no man's land, just his!

«Come on, come out, Red. I know you don't like to sit on the sidelines during a fight. What has your little mind already come up with to get out of this mess?»

Oh, yeah. So, Tim, who is Batman. And Tim, who is probably Red Robin, whoever it is. Tim is not stupid. He admits the idea that he gave his mantle to a puppy, and he became an independent hero. Dick did the same. So did Jason. Both times, of course, no one was asked, but it was a kind of continuity. Tim wouldn't mind getting his own mask, to be honest. The main thing is that the puppy must first undergo appropriate training. And what the League taught him doesn't fit.

Tim suspected that Rosa had not arrived in her past. She talked about Red Robin as something that should already be there. She talked about how Tim would become Batman, who kills by brutally killing his opponents. It is clear that she knows nothing about the moral beliefs of the third Robin. He put on the mantle so that Batman would not cross that line, and would never cross it himself. There can be no future in which he would become evil. Not because he can't – Tim is well aware that he can – but because this is his personal boundary. Principle. The rule is stricter than Batman's rule. Because if Batman doesn't kill, but he doesn't have to save, then Robin is the light who will try to save even the last, most notorious scoundrel.

(Maybe except for the Joker. Tim has standards, you know?).

Taking a deep breath, hearing the villainess's clacking heels approaching, Tim jumps out, swinging his staff and using the surprise effect. The impact on his shoulder is covered by a scream, Tim doesn't hear the crunch, but he definitely feels it on the other end of the phone. Without hesitation, he spins, hitting the sorceress's torso, hard, using the lever. His ribs are cracking following, most likely, his collarbone, which he broke at the shoulder.

The mysterious Rose is strong, fighting at a distance. However, her shots take time to reach Tim, and the moments are enough for him to dodge each one. Because of this, the sorceress had to gradually reduce the distance. Tim saw how she was trying to hide that she had to do it, but she couldn't hide from Tim what he had thought out himself. Rushing to the room with the most furniture to hide behind, to a place where it will be more difficult for her to fight because of the small space. Even now, he swung the end of the pole into her stomach, and the woman lost her balance, falling onto a glass table, but not breaking it – of course not, they're in the Tower of Titans, even the table here is made of bulletproof glass.

«You little--!» whatever she wants to say, Tim doesn't listen. The next merciless blow hits the face, the sickening crunch of the nasal septum resounds like a symphony in the room. Tim doesn't regret it at all, continuing the series of attacks until the sorceress stops resisting.

Sighing heavily a couple of times, watching his opponent doubtfully, Tim slowly crouches down and puts his fingers to his neck. His heartbeat is clear and his breathing is labored, but it's more likely due to blood flooding his nose and entering his mouth than from anything else. The rib fracture is not good, Tim is ready to bet that she will need serious medical attention, but nothing that would directly threaten her with an early death on the floor of the Tower. So she's just unconscious, and he should have at least a couple of minutes to run to the nearest supply crate, get the braces and the communicator, come back and neutralize her.

Without taking his eyes off the woman, he retreats to the game console, under which there is a barely noticeable space that merges with the wood of the table. The disguised box gives way after pressing from two edges, and it takes only a second for him to look down, snatch out everything he needs and immediately raise his eyes back up.

A pink – why is it always pink or green? – flash blinds him, and the next thing Tim knows, he's facing the wall of some well – built brick building, it's day, not night, and his feet are absolutely, one hundred percent in some shit he doesn't even want to think about.

Jumping aside with a man's squeal, Tim looks at a puddle... oh, thank God, just a rain puddle, in which the remains of something vaguely reminiscent of shawarma are floating. The label is familiar. In fact, he's pretty sure it's the worst shawarma joint in town.

In the city. In Gotham, because he doesn't know the shawarma of San Francisco.

The sorceress sent him to Gotham.

It doesn't make any sense. However, he does not allow himself to relax, knowing full well that this may or may not even be his Gotham. The future? The time that Rose came from? Is there something else?

What was she talking about? «I could have just killed you, but I decided to act mercifully». She didn't want him to become the Batman who appeared in her time, so it would be illogical to send him to his native Gotham. There is no logic in sending it into the future. He could contact the current Batman, and if this is a true future version of him, it would be to the benefit of both Tims to bring him back to his own time in one piece to ensure the timeline remains unchanged.

So either Rosa is stupid – which cannot be dismissed as an option, many of the heroes' opponents are surprisingly incompetent – or it's worth crossing out these two points. He should be in a place where his future wouldn't pose a threat to her. A universe, or time, or whatever else, where conditions won't allow him to become a threat.

Library. His first stop should be the library, but not the one that the Oracle runs. And it's not a Crime Alley. He is an omega, without anti-pheromone patches, in pajamas and without socks – he had to take them off to ensure a better grip on the floor while running from the villainess. The mask has to be torn off with difficulty, hissing when there is no remedy that would dissolve the glue, and it, along with the staff, is put into a pocket.

After leaving the alley, he quickly looks around, noting the name of the street where he is. It's a familiar street, which is good. He quickly gets to know the East End, which is not so good anymore due to the increased danger for unemployed young omegas, but it gives him some confidence. There are few cameras, almost no police patrols, no vigilantes during the day, and there is at least one library bordering the safer part of Gotham, so there he will be able to find, if not a computer, then at least the latest editions of newspapers. Maybe even a lost and found office. He needs to get some shoes and a hoodie to cover himself with.

Walking, sticking to the walls and shadows, Tim develops a plan. He can't do without a computer. In addition to information about where he is, this would help him, if necessary, forge an identity, open a bank account, hack into a couple of other people's accounts and provide himself with funds for the first time. If the computer is not in the library, he will go to school. He's fifteen – almost sixteen! – so the guards, if there are any, should let them through without question. It's not like Gotham's small, almost underfunded schools check the identities of incoming children. This is the limit of the Gotham Academy, not a closet in the East End trying to provide at least some kind of education to impoverished segments of the population. A bitter truth that plays into Tim's hands.

As he walks, he notices the differences. Tim would like to say that they are insignificant, but his tongue won't turn. Because it's not like that. And it's annoying.

The East End may not be as dangerous as the Crime Alley, but crime is still at a high level. The streets are dirty, there is little business, and people are tense even during the daytime, when crime is more or less reduced. Tim had already passed by a flower shop, three different coffee shops, a pawnshop, and some kind of second-hand. There were only two broken bottles under his feet, which he successfully avoided, and not a single suspicious spot or puddle, except for rain, although he stays closer to the walls, in those places where it is usually dirtiest.

People have bulging pockets. External ones. As if they weren't afraid of being robbed. Tim did not see any rebreathers, although they can usually be seen on the belt of every fifth passerby who does not want to fill their place in a bag or backpack. Tim also pinched himself when he noticed that the old lady's purse had fallen out, and a passerby immediately returned it to her without even opening it to see if it was full.

Too good. It's too casual and even somehow safe. Tim only noticed two pickpockets, for God's sake! This is the level of San Francisco, maybe Star City, but not Gotham!

«It's nice to have some proof of my theory», Tim shook his head and finally entered the library building, watching doubtfully as paper bills were paid in front of him at the taco stand, and then the change was put in his front pocket. The most pleasant feeling was the carpet under his feet, on which he immediately hurried to wipe off the mud and slush of the streets. There was no glass, but he had stepped on a decent number of small stones, and he didn't even want to think about whether the stain was someone's spit or just foam, such as sometimes forms in puddles. If there's a bathroom for visitors in this library – which he's not sure about, but hey, this Gotham is clearly better than the one he grew up in – it'll be his blessing.

A woman in her forties sat at the table. After sniffing and not noticing the bandages on his wrists, Tim realized that this was beta, and allowed himself to exhale. He's just lucky that this isn't his world, there shouldn't be any scandals involving the Drake Industries heir, but he's too used to disguising himself as beta to feel comfortable surrounded by strangers. He wouldn't have backed down if an alpha had been at the table, but he probably wouldn't have been able to relax and fully immerse himself in the study.

«Good afternoon», Tim said, already noticing the suspicious look on his face and knowing full well what a sight he was, he put on the secular smile that saved him at the gala and approached the counter. «May I ask if there's a computer in the library? I need to learn something for a project at school and I'm afraid I don't have the right equipment at home».

Request and reason. People perceive things better and help if they are told why they are doing something. The manipulations are so minor that many people know about them, but almost never notice. But because of their insignificance, people tend not to give in, especially people with a quarrelsome character. Tim can see by the wrinkle on the woman's face that she finds him suspicious, but he's not being chased away yet, so everything is fine.

«No», this madam just snorts, adjusting her thick–rimmed glasses. «What is your project? Perhaps we can find books that will help».

«Oh, no, I don't think so. But maybe you have newspapers? You may not even have the latest ones, although if there are December or January issues, I would be very grateful».

She grunts, turns to her own computer, an ancient square machine that Tim can't even look at, and starts typing. After a minute or two, he nods.

«There are several editions of Gotham.New and G-Time».

«Great! This will be perfect».

«Do you have a card in our library?  Tim shakes his head. – ID card, please. A school ID will do».

«Ah, um», he pretends to be awkward, which he doesn't really feel, and waves his hand, pointing at his entire body. «I'm afraid I don't have it on me. Can you write me a one-time ticket? I won't take anything with me, and, uh, I'll settle in over there. You will be able to see if I try to steal something, and immediately kick me out. Is it possible?»

He hesitates under the scrutiny, holds his breath to make his face redden, and lowers his gaze to the floor. Fortunately, the woman wordlessly takes out a blank card, clicks her pen and looks at him expectantly.

«Alvin Draper, madam».

«Very well, Mr. Draper. I'll put a note on your card, if you come here next time, take your ID so that we can confirm your card», she writes down his age (Tim squeaked «seventeen, madam!», receiving another critical look), and then turns the card over and writes the newspapers on the top line. After Tim obediently signed in front of the newspaper titles, the woman stood up, moving heavily between the shelves, rummaged through the drawers and brought him, probably, everything she found, without sorting by month. Nothing. Tim could handle it on his own.

Sitting down at a table by the window – the one from which it is really easy to see him, but also the one from which he can escape most quickly and easily – Tim quickly finds the issues for the end and beginning of different years. It's a time for taking stock, remembering the most important events, changes, and forecasts for the future.

Future. The year didn't match the one he was in. The difference is insignificant, in barely four years he could have gone from Robin to Batman, even Bruce did not become Batman so early.… Okay, Bruce became Batman that early, but this is different. This is Bruce. Of course, he can become Batman at nineteen, and then adopt a child at twenty, whom he will immediately make his protégé. Tim couldn't do that. And he has a normal self-esteem! He knew he was smart, capable, teachable, and responsible, but... no.

So, it's still not the future of the evil sorceress. He can continue to study, putting aside the existential crisis.

The Waynes still exist. Bruce, Dick, Damian – officially. He's not entirely sure about Jason's legal status, but there's news about various shelters on Crime Alley, and it must be something his Robin would do. There is almost no news about other representatives of high society, including Drake Industries. Tim doesn't know how to relate to the fact that he can't find information about himself. Even though they hid the fact that Tim Drake somehow interacts with the Waynes, about a year ago the press somehow found out his connection with them. Tim is pretty sure it's all Dick's fault. In any case, his name has been in the same articles as the rest of the Waynes ever since.

Perhaps he didn't become Robin in this world? Is this a restriction that should prevent him from becoming evil? Stupidly. He can still turn to the heroes for help and ask them to help him return home.

The heroes still exist. The annual crime statistics in the newspaper for December confirm this. The article mentions Batman. The numbers are impressive. Tim is obliged to ask the local avengers how they achieved such a decrease. They're doing great. Involuntarily, Tim is filled with pride for the actions of people in this universe who are not even related to him, and does not feel awkward about it. He was the only omega in the pack, these were his alphas, his family, and he has the right to be proud of them wherever he is.

He still feels the librarian's gaze on him, but ignores it, plunging into reading. Summaries, events, statements, meetings, new contracts, interviews, reports, police reports, reports on particularly high-profile cases. Tim quickly finds a pattern in the accuracy of the information and its probable reliability, and therefore begins to sort through reports from one particular journalist, who seems to write best about B. He's already got a stack of issues that he's going to read first when the library door opens again, for the third time in that time, and Tim doesn't look up anymore, too engrossed in what he's doing. He finds a three-year-old issue, with the headline «The Joker is dead!» already in front of his eyes, when the footsteps from the librarian's desk stop in front of his desk. Overcome by a bad feeling, Tim looks up.

His fingers tightened on the newspaper. His breathing faltered for a moment. He swallowed, lowering the paper.

Dick Grayson was smiling at him affably, his hands on his hips.

«Hi, buddy! I see you had a good walk», his eyes slide over Tim's pajama T–shirt with the Superboy symbol, then back up. Glances meet. «But it's time for us to go home, baby bird. Follow me».

Chapter Text

Now, for the protocol (and the future report, the text of which Tim has already compiled in his head), it is important to clarify that Tim could resist orders. They rarely practiced this, as resisting the orders of pack alphas is painful for omegas, can overwhelm them for a long time and affect not only emotionally or mentally, but also physically, leading to weakness, migraines, or even fever. However, the last few training sessions have proven that, if necessary, Tim can resist both Dick and Jason, and Bruce, the head of their pack. He could never resist Alfred, but it's a bit unfair – no one could resist Alfred, and he was beta!

Now that it's on record that he could have resisted, Tim mentally makes a list of reasons why he didn't. Not because he was confused and the order affected him faster than he was prepared. No, he logically decided that it would be better for him not to resist now. Go with this Dick of his own free will, even if he doesn't understand how he was discovered so quickly. It will be useful for him to collect information about the local Bats directly from them, and at the same time get help in returning home. He also needs to get shoes and clothes, and Tim doubts that he will be denied these requests, given how Dick looked at his feet when they left the library. The alpha seemed to move to offer help, but restrained himself by pursing his lips. They didn't exchange a word until they got into the car, one of the most unremarkable in B's collection.

«So...» buckling up and locking the car doors, Dick assumed an indifferent look, which Tim figured out on one-two. Dick always behaved like this when he tried not to push or show that he was interrogating. His eyes are pointedly not boring into him, and in general, the alpha is busy with other things. In this case, he turned the key and was already on the road.

«An alternate measurement. A villainess from the future, maybe known to you. The mysterious Rose. A sorceress» Tim carefully filtered what he was saying, trying to figure out what would be superfluous information and what would be strictly necessary. «She attacked me in the Tower. I don't think she knows my identity, but she knew Robin could be captured in the Tower of Titans. Otherwise, she would have gone to places where it's easier to catch me off guard».

«You were caught off guard anyway. Unless you want to say that this is your uniform» Tim snorted contemptuously at the obviously sarcastic comment, albeit said in Dick's typical good–natured style. He loved his older brother, trusted him more than Bruce and certainly more than Jason, but it wasn't his Dick. Maybe that's why his comments made Tim tense up more, defend himself more aggressively, throwing his shoulders back and frowning, clutching the door handle.

«Of course it's not my uniform, Dick. I arrived from a solo mission, I just managed to get out of the shower» and that's why he wasn't wearing band-aids. He didn't like sticking them on steamed, newly peeled skin. It was annoying, and after it caused him a rash, Tim decided not to apply the patches until it was completely dry. This wasn't usually a problem.

«Hush, baby bird, I didn't mean to offend you» Dick laughs, but somehow forced. At a red light, Tim finally catches a closer look at himself. «Why aren't you wearing a collar?»

«Without... a collar?»  He paused, not sure how he should take it.

«Yes. Of course, it's probably safe in the Tower, but you can't take that risk. Moreover, you don't have any marks on you that could alienate most alphas».

«Oh, that» he awkwardly rubbed his neck, realizing that the collar was there in the most literal sense. He personally had no experience traveling to other dimensions, only B's theory and reports of such cases, but it was worth guessing that there might be other norms of behavior. «I'm not sure what kind of collars you mean. I usually wear band-aids, and many omegas in my dimension prefer them over a bare neck, but even that's not necessary. I mean, in a sense, it's necessary to be in Gotham, but only because it's Gotham, you know? In other cities, many people walk with their necks open».

Dick gave him a strange look, which made it clear to Tim that this was a topic for further research. He already didn't like the fact that omegas seemed to be treated differently here than in his dimension, but it hardly mattered. He will return to himself sooner than it will affect him in any way.

«How did you know I was in the library?» Tim allowed the silence to linger for a while while Dick considered the information, then sorted out what he knew. And it is not known. There were questions that he prioritized answering.

Dick didn't answer for a while. This already gave Tim the idea that he would either be lied to or not answered at all. But after that, the alpha's mood changed to something lighter, and Tim held back a wince when he was elbowed in the side.

«The Oracle, do you understand?»

Oh. That really answered Tim's questions. The oracle knows everything. Even in his dimension, where she's been doing this for a little less than a year, Barbara has become a force to be reckoned with. Here, Oracle had four years more experience collecting information to probably be powerful enough to take over the world using a toaster and the most useless phone with Internet access. Of course, she found Tim right away.

Dick was reluctant to answer other questions. Tim even tried to expand on the collar topic to understand the differences in social norms, but Dick only apologized and promised that they would try to take into account the norm of Tim's society, not their own. That this is normal and will be the same as when communicating with any other cultures – they will respect what he is used to, and he should not worry about what is normal for them. He is a guest, his comfort is more important.

Like hell Tim would have believed him, but he quickly realized that it was useless to argue.

The Wayne Manor, as majestic as ever, towered over them with its true Gothic grandeur. At first glance, it was exactly the same as Tim was used to, and it helped him relax a little.

Dick parked unusually close to the entrance. He unbuckled himself, and when Tim was about to follow him, the alpha put a hand on his shoulder, clearly ordering him to stay where he was. Tim obeyed, nevertheless suspiciously watching what was happening. Dick got out, walked around the car, opened Tim's door, and before Tim could say a word against it, picked him up in the bride's carrier.

«Dick!»

«If you think I'm going to let you walk around without shoes, baby bird, you're deeply mistaken» Dick proclaimed with a loud, sunny laugh, making Tim grimace with displeasure. Dick got a second wave of laughter because of this, hugging Tim closer and rubbing his chin against the top of Tim's head. Immediately, the familiar scent of rain and ozone enveloped him, which once prompted Nightwing to use extreme. After all, if a band-Aid is accidentally torn off during a mission or patrol, who will be able to understand that this is the hero's pheromone, and not the electric smell of his weapon?

«You'd think walking barefoot here would be more dangerous than walking through Gotham».

«That doesn't mean it's better, you know?»

It's stupid to argue, because yes, Tim understood. It wasn't that he wanted to walk down the cold stairs. But being in his alien-native brother's arms was strange. He felt deprived of any protection because he would not be able to fight back in time or react while being held like this. He didn't trust this Dick enough to be carried.

Fortunately, he was lowered to the floor as soon as they crossed the threshold. The rest of the family was already gathered on the stairs. They all looked... "Like they saw a ghost" would be an incorrect but very accurate description.

«Timothy?»  The first to speak was a boy Tim didn't recognize. With dark golden skin, short hair, and dark but not brown eyes, the exact color of which Tim couldn't make out from this distance. He looked maybe a year or two younger than Tim, and if that's the case, this dimension is four years ahead of the one Tim came from.…

«Damian?»

The boy nodded curtly, staring at him intently. Tim couldn't help but smile as he looked at the boy his new puppy would grow into. He's not taller than Tim yet, waiting for a growth spurt, but he's definitely not that short either. Still the same proud and confident, strong boy who, according to Tim's suspicions, will be the next alpha in their pack, because he simply cannot be a beta.

Good Robin.

Tim really should give his puppy the mantle. Moreover, he likes this name, which brought him a Rose – Red Robin. As if he would become a bond not only for the pack, but also for different generations of his brothers – the gold between the Red Hood and Robin.

Would Jason agree? Is it worth asking him at all, or is it not important in this case?

«Timmy came to us from an alternate dimension» putting his hand on his shoulder, not quite holding, but blocking the escape route, Dick almost made Tim jump with his suddenness. It's not good. It's dangerous for him to get lost in his thoughts right now.

«Is that for sure?» Bruce, who had been stuck at the top of the stairs as the main drama queen in their family, quickly came to his senses and began to descend. «Why not time travel? You look younger.… Pretty young for the age it should be now».

A strange hesitation. Tim memorizes it, puts it in a drawer, and shrugs, unsuccessfully trying to shake Dick's hand off his shoulder.

«The villainess who sent me here would hardly do that. Unless she was from another dimension and was trying to get rid of the wrong Robin, but Dick mentioned something in the car that makes me doubt time travel. For now, I insist on different dimensions».

«He's talking about the collar, B» Dick explains before he gets Batman's trademark look. Tim frowns involuntarily. He understood that Dick would tell the others everything he had already learned, but for some reason Tim would like to delay the moment of disclosure of this information a little. Usually, his premonitions didn't let him down. «In his dimension, the maximum that omega patches use. And even they are only conditionally mandatory».

«Okay» Bruce nodded, continuing to drill Tim with the detective's analyzing gaze. Tim did his best not to react to this, standing straight and confidently responding with his own gaze. However, due to nerves, he did not manage to find out much about Bruce himself. Whatever distinguishes him from the one Tim is used to, we'll have to figure it out as we go along.

«Into the cave. Now».

Everyone was coming down, except Alfred had gone somewhere else. Tim didn't dare ask, although he suspected it had something to do with his situation. In any case, Alfred was the real owner of this house, no matter what anyone said, and no one was going to ask him what he was doing.

Bruce sat down at the batcomputer. Dick and Damian remained standing a few steps away from him, Jason collapsed into a chair next to him. It seemed surprising that he was at the manor at all, but Tim hoped that this would happen in his world sooner or later, so he was quietly glad that at least somewhere his Robin had returned to his family completely.

Tim himself was planning to stay standing too – not that there were any more chairs nearby – when he was grabbed by the arm and pulled to the side. He realized what had happened while already sitting on Jason's lap.

«What are you doing?»  He hissed, trying to stand up while restraining himself from attacking. Jason clearly realized that Tim wasn't going to attack, because he just grabbed him around the waist, grinning cheekily when it was enough that Tim couldn't escape from him.

«I keep my bird, of course. And what?»

«Let me go now!»

«Make me».

Indignation swept over Tim in a wave, he felt his face turn red with indignation, and he was about to resent it with renewed vigor when Bruce's voice – no, Batman's low and hoarse commanding voice stopped them.

«Both of you, be quiet» he growled, sounding menacing even without orders in his tone. «Tim, the report».

And then the choice was made, perhaps without his direct decision. He couldn't hide some information even if he wanted to. This is Batman. Tim can keep secrets from Batman, but he hasn't developed the skill yet, and he definitely won't be able to handle it when Bruce is so serious. He recounts everything that happened in the Tower, then how he acted upon entering this dimension, what he thought about and why, and what decisions he made. He wasn't sure if his reports from real missions were more detailed than this one, and he suspected he'd said too much, but he just couldn't bring himself to worry about it. Straining at the beginning, Jason's circular strokes on his waist quickly brought him into a state close to a trance. The alpha's thumb kept passing, gently pressing, over his stomach, the other fingers sometimes beat the rhythm of uncomplicated melodies, the herbaceous aroma filled the lungs. Maybe it wasn't his Jason, but now that his pack connections were gone, because his people were in another world, it was the closest thing to his pack that the omega could cling to in search of solace and safety. Moreover, they didn't seem to wish him any harm, and Tim dared to hope that this would be one of those assignments that he was leaving with new allies behind him.

«To summarize» Bruce's voice, thoughtful but more relaxed than before, pulled Tim out of this blissful state of flow. «The Mage sent you to us, presumably because there is something here that will prevent you from becoming an evil version of yourself».

«Which is stupid. I don't kill. None of us, except Jason, kills. That's the rule» Tim leaned slightly to the side, leaning against Jason. He was an extremely comfortable pillow. «She was wrong. I can't become Batman, and certainly not Batman with a gun».

«We believe you, Timmy» Dick's soft smile helped him with the tension that Tim didn't even know existed. He smiled, nodding his thanks for the trust. «However, it would be nice to figure out what makes our dimension like this for you before sending you back, right? It should help with Rose if she tries to get rid of you again. We'll work out a backup plan for how you can come back on your own if you get dropped off somewhere else».

«That... seems acceptable. I would say that the plan requires some refinement, but for now we can build on this».

«It wasn't a question, Timothy. We wouldn't let you go back without making sure you were safe».

And if Dick's plan seemed dubious at first, then the puppy's words made him laugh. A pleasant warmth spread in his chest when the mischievous puppy so rudely showed concern for his safety. If only to avoid making Damian worry, Tim was willing to put up with this crude plan, which they still had to finalize.

Chapter Text

«Dick» Tim said, holding back a deep sigh that would have been too harsh to express his exhaustion from the situation, and folded his arms over his chest, straightening the towel at the same time. «I don't know what you were thinking, but I'm not wearing this».

Dick, who was holding a long green shirt that looked more like a full-fledged sleep dress than a pajama element, stared back blankly.

A little less than an hour ago, they had finished with his report and the outline of a rough plan of action. After that, Alfred went down into the cave, handing Tim soft slippers and strongly recommending that the young gentleman take a shower. His legs, now covered with dried memories of walking barefoot in the streets, were definitely willing, but they weren't ready to let him shower alone, or even leave him unattended. At least he was allowed to choose who would accompany him.

It couldn't be Bruce. Tim respected him as a hero, and had watched him since childhood. Yes, having become a member of his pack, the omega of the pack, Tim didn't mind if Bruce saw him naked in heat – he had to be washed by others too often to be embarrassed – but this was Bruce from his universe. The one who carried him to the nest afterwards wrapped him in the softest blankets and hugged him, surrounding him with his pheromone. Bruce here definitely didn't inspire that much trust, so no.

The Jason of this dimension was sweet, but arrogant. A good pillow, a great chair, and his hugs during the report became pleasant at some point, but they were initially unwelcome, and Tim could not trust him with his safety. And in his dimension, he attacked Tim in the Tower less than a year ago, so even with his Jay, Tim is still building a relationship. In general, no.

Damian is a very capable boy, an incredible hero, and would definitely be able to stand up for himself, so he was on the list offered to Tim, but he was a puppy! Yes, unlike Tim's puppy, this one was maybe a couple of months away from being introduced as an alpha – there was no doubt about his second gender here – but in Tim's mind he was still a child, so no. Just no.

Alfred wasn't on the list to choose from, so Dick was left. Tim had nothing against Dick.

Undressing in front of the alpha is awkward, and Tim allowed himself not to take off his underwear. He didn't regret it when he felt the attentive blue eyes burning into him. Dick was not distracted for a second by his watch in the shower. If they weren't brothers, and Tim is pretty sure he's the Wayne brother here too, it would be weird.

But no, the strangeness started further when Dick took out clothes for him from a drawer for victims, where there were clear divisions into children, adults, men, women and, apparently, omegas.

For the omegas. As for a separate category.

Tim will go crazy, but he seems to understand how the cultures of their dimensions differ.

He's not sexist, he's not racist, he's not transphobic, he's not any other phobe, but he's not going to wear dresses or skirts unless there's a need for a mission. He has a couple of fake identities with female names. However, in his dimension, people primarily focus on the primary gender – male or female. Omega men won't be judged for wearing dresses, but it's still not common, not at all common.

This is the norm here. Because, apparently, people focus primarily on the secondary sex.

Tim can understand some logic! Omega men are difficult to find out in childhood in any way other than a blood test. Which, however, is immediately given to all children born with female genitalia. Omega boys begin to differ from girls only in adolescence, when one sex begins to grow breasts, but the other does not.

So yes, it is logical that in some dimensions omegas are classified as female, regardless of the future development of the breast. After all, is there really a big difference? The catch was something else – there were also collars. There was the permissive attitude of Jason, who just dragged him onto his lap. Dick was here, and he didn't even think to give him any privacy, but he could only look at his head. Don't let go of the gaze. Don't drill into his chest like Tim can get a weapon of mass destruction out of there.

He needs to make sure that they don't violate his boundaries, because in this dimension, omegas are definitely not treated on an equal footing with alphas.

«Oh? Don't you like the color? Or the fabric? I don't think we have many styles, but I think we can find something made of silk…»

«No, no, you don't understand» Tim pinched the bridge of his nose, straightening the towel once more. It was only because of the careful look in the shower that he wrapped himself in a towel instead of hanging it on his hips. «I need pants and a T–shirt. Not a dress».

«Ah» Dick replied very emphatically. Tim watched as the cogs turned in his brother's head until he nodded, putting away the dress and closing the closet with clothes for the victims. Before Tim could ask what was going on, Dick was already rummaging through the Bats' personal lockers, grabbing pants from one, a T-shirt from another, and a sweatshirt from the third. Fortunately, the socks and underwear were clean and packed, although Dick looked ashamed as he handed them to him. Tim quickly realized why – the lingerie was definitely designed for girls... or omegas, in their dimension. «I don't think I can find you some underwear that fast... well, underwear».

"And this is probably called panties, right?" Tim thinks sarcastically, but remains silent, accepting the clothes and looking skeptically at the alphas' things in his hands. Dick, thanks for at least some rudimentary detective brains, because Tim no longer understands what Grayson is thinking, he just shrugs his shoulders guiltily.

«Our men's clothing is not as high-quality as... women's. I thought it would make you feel more comfortable» he explained. Tim knew it was a lie, but he didn't object, instead turning away to change his clothes.

Measurements are measurements, and they always buy clothes for victims made of high-quality fabric. Dick's up to something, and Tim doesn't want to argue right now just because of his pack's pheromones. Even if it's an alternate dimension, the smells are still the same. His sweatshirt covers him like Dick's secure embrace, his T-shirt feels a little tight, and there are milky notes with something spicy, like spices – Damian. The pants, that lovely scent of rain-scorched leaves, belong to Jason, and Tim had to wrap the legs several times before putting on his slippers.

They return to the cave together, where no one has left, only plates of sandwiches are on the table, and Alfred was pouring tea into mugs. All eyes focus on him for a second, and Tim snorts when only the butler immediately returns to his business. Omega doesn't even need to look closely to understand that the wide eyes or raised eyebrows are caused by his choice of clothes.

For some reason, this is making him more and more angry. Taking a couple of deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, Tim straightens his shoulders.

«When Dick and I were driving here, an interesting conversation took place, the contents of which you have already recorded in my report. So, it turns out that Dick, on behalf of the whole family, promised to respect my culture and traditions. I think it would be nice to clarify them, because I'm starting to understand something».

He waits for the others to nod. Most of them are wary and maybe curious. Jason is not the majority, because his gaze is rather mocking, arrogant and intrigued, as it happens around monkeys, from whom you expect a new funny prank. Brute, Tim doesn't like him anymore.

«I don't wear collars, but that doesn't mean you can interact with my neck in any way. Even staring at the neck. If it makes you feel more comfortable, give me Band-Aids, I always wear them. Besides that, don't touch me, don't grab or pull me, don't hug me, don't stroke me, don't even ruffle my hair unless I say otherwise. I don't know what's going on with you, but mutual consent and body integrity are important to me»

So far, nothing in their behavior indicates that he is saying something out of the ordinary, something they have not yet encountered. Tim is afraid that he jumped to conclusions and is now shaking up the rights that he already has, but decides that it would not be superfluous to say them to the end.

«I'm also not going to wear dresses, my personal preference is pants. I'm male, not female, not average, or anything else you might give to omegas. There are countries in my world where women and omegas have not yet been forbidden to breathe, and I am not going to allow myself to be deprived of any rights that my dimension has given me. Is that clear?»

The four of them agree, although Tim noticed Bruce's eyes narrowing slightly. Dick is standing next to him, so besides nodding, Tim can't analyze his reaction without turning around. Alfred continues to pour the tea, seemingly tacitly agreeing with everything, like his older charges and Damian. Only Jason continues to slump in his chair, staring at him. One moment he's pursing his lips, the next he's leaning back, roaring with laughter.

«Great speech, baby bird» he drawls, catching his breath, and slowly gets up. With the grace of a real crime boss, Tim thinks. So that every movement would cause awe in ordinary subordinates. It's a pity that this doesn't work for Tim, and he continues to hold on proudly, even when Jason stops right next to him, almost chest to chest. «Have you finished yet? Or maybe you can tell me that in your dimension, every omega is supposed to lick after six? Don't be shy, handsome, we'll do everything to make you feel comfortable».

He runs his tongue over his lips with such expressiveness, flashing his fangs for a moment, that Tim can't help himself, recoiling in disgust and clutching his crossed arms to his chest.

«You... that's disgusting!»

«Yes? Excuse me, Your Splendor, was I too rude? I didn't ask for permission, can I offer you my services? It's my fault, I promise I'll do better next time. Can I really show you how sorry I am? I assure you, you're not…»

«Jason».

The alpha was advancing on him, forcing Tim to retreat, frowning and considering options to fight back. His thoughts came to the staff, when his back rested against Dick's outstretched hand. Grayson pulled him into a half-hug, leaning forward to meet Jason's pressure.

«Don't scare Tim like that. We want him to feel comfortable here, remember? To begin with, it would be nice to find more things for him during his stay here. Things for unexpected guests» Something flashes on Dick's face. Communication without words, Tim understands. He and his Dick could also have a whole argument without opening their mouths. «Are not of high quality enough to give them to our brother. Do you understand?»

They stare at each other for a few more minutes, and then Jason clicks, stepping back to the table and grabbing one of the mugs of tea.

«Whatever you say, asshole. I think I have something. There's no point in buying clothes if you don't stay here for a long time, Timberlina».

Tim holds back the reminder that Bruce is literally the richest man in the damn world, even considering all the expenses that go into maintaining the League and their own superhero life. He won't look a gift horse in the mouth when Jason has just calmed down. Tim isn't sure if there's a Pit incident in this dimension, but he won't check.

«Of course. Thanks for understanding».

The rough plan is going to hell. He will be able to figure out at home how to prevent similar situations from happening in the future. Right now, his main goal was to leave this dimension as soon as possible and return home.

Chapter Text

Tim didn't know all the ways, but he clearly saw that they were trying to manipulate him.

That first night, it was impossible to raise the issue of a quick change in their plans. The Alphas were tense, the situation was heating up, the argument was about to flare up, and inviting Alfred to come up for dinner was a salvation. Tim was quiet, trying to stay a little apart. All eyes were on him anyway, and his attention was on them, but Tim wasn't going to let them reveal anything about himself.

He decided that he would talk to Bruce the next day. He was given a bedroom opposite the head of the pack, with Dick and Jason on either side, Damian to Bruce's right. Something about this arrangement was wrong, but Tim hadn't noticed things that would reveal the former owner of the bedroom, and he was determined not to ask where Tim was in this dimension. He doesn't need to know. He just needs to leave.

So, it's morning. He caught Bruce on his way to the dining room, the brothers were slightly in front, arguing with Damian about something. It would be scary to slow down Bruce and be alone with him, but the others weren't a safe wall for him either, so there's roughly no choice.

«I want to leave this dimension. My Bruce and I will be able to figure out how to prevent such cases, so you don't have to do more than necessary. Send me back».

«Are you feeling unwell?», The question knocked Tim out of his rut, he frowned, not understanding how this was connected. «If our dimension is affecting you, I'm sure we can fix it. Are you feeling sick? Perhaps there is a conflict of memories?»

«What? No... no, God, Bruce, that's not what I'm talking about», he frowned, rubbing the bridge of his nose and sighing. «No, I'm sorry. Mr. Wayne. I feel wonderful, but I want to go home without staying unnecessarily. I want to join my pack, you know?»

He hoped it would work. If they see omegas as inferior, then maybe pity will do more good. He is a poor, frustrated omega who finds himself far from his pack, and he needs the help of strong alphas who can protect and help him.

«It's okay, Tim. You can contact me however it suits you», Bruce raised his hand, running it through Tim's hair, surrounding him with the scent of wood and smoke from the campfire. Admittedly, he expressed himself better than Tim's Bruce. He would have awkwardly slapped him on the shoulder and probably wouldn't have known what to do with himself.

But Mr. Wayne also diverted the topic of conversation, because he stroked him and walked down the hall to the dining room. He didn't think Tim wouldn't notice, did he?

«All right, Mr. Wayne. So will you send me back? Please?»

«It takes time. Don't worry, we'll be fine», he looked over his shoulder, already taking a seat at the table. Tim kept up, relieved to see that he had been given a seat next to Damian. Even though he knew this boy the least in his world, he was still more comfortable with a puppy. Sitting at dinner with Dick was nice, but he'd spent most of last night with this version of his brother, which was starting to get stressful. «You should relax and try to adapt to the situation, and we'll take over the work. There's no need to worry yourself if it can't speed things up».

«But I don't need to adapt. Thank you, Alfred. You can just contact Zatana, Konstantin, as a last resort, he easily gets to work if you pay», he inspects the breakfast, deftly shifting walnuts onto a napkin and folding them while he reached for the coffee pot with his other hand, hiding some actions with others. At the same time, Tim tried to look at Bruce, shifting his gaze to Dick as he hid the napkin in his jacket pocket. As expected, the others followed either his movements or the line of his gaze. «Jumping through dimensions is not that uncommon. My dimension wasn't destroyed or invaded so I couldn't go back».

«You talk a lot, Timothy. Try not to get distracted from breakfast», Damian snorts next to him, intercepting the coffee pot in Tim's hands, even though his mug wasn't even half full. For some reason, this is very reminiscent of Alfred, who has been trying for years to stop Tim from drinking the fire of the gods. It doesn't matter. He can allow the puppy these actions, he appreciates the care. In the future, he'll try to explain to Damian that an extra cup of coffee won't hurt him.

Wait, no. He won't be stuck here for such a long time to explain something to a puppy.

«Mr. Damian is right, Mr. Tim. Among other things, we don't talk about work at the table», Alfred puts a plate of toast in front of Jason, after which he takes a seat next to him. Is Alfred having breakfast with his family? How did they convince him to do this? He wasn't at dinner, but hey, in Tim's world, Alfred only joins the others on holidays, so the breakfasts are a huge success.

«That's right, Timbo. No raincoats at the table. Although I don't understand what these magicians have to do with it. Are the other Bats still working with the League?» The contempt in Jason's voice confused Tim.

«Of course? Bruce was one of the three founders, Dick led the Titans, and I'm now the leader of Young Justice. We work quite closely with the League», which, apparently, does not happen in this world. Tim doesn't even need to explain how he figured it out. It's too obvious.

Dick whistles at his words.

«So you're an avenger?"  He tilts his head like a puppy encountering a mirror for the first time. «But your pack knows you're an omega, right?»

«Of course. I don't advertise it in public, but it would be foolish to hide it from the pack. After all, I'm the omega of the pack», he sees Jason's hand clench white on the edge of the table, and Bruce almost drops the mug of tea. For God's sake, he's saying the obvious things, what kind of mine did he run into this time?

«The omega of the pack?»

«Yes. We recently got Damian, so I'll even be raising a pack puppy».

«But there are no bites on your neck».

«Because I'm free? I'm not ready to settle down, I'm 15».

«And your family puts up with it?»

«What? Look, as I said, we have a different culture. If you're treating omegas like some kind of property here…»

«Hey, hey, Tim-Tam, take it easy. We're just worried».

«Are you worried? Well, it shouldn't concern you what my neck looks like».

«But you're the omega of the pack! They're just taking advantage of you!»

«Nobody's using me! My pack is the most precious thing I have. They're not using me!»

«Stop», Bruce's voice rumbles across the table, and Tim involuntarily twitches, covering Damian with himself, but immediately relaxes. There was no anger in the order. The alpha spoke for the first time in the entire argument, apparently tired of the children's behavior.

Bruce turned to Tim. Finally, maybe they'll explain what's going on. Tim wasn't going to let his pack be insulted like that, especially when the standards here were so... controversial.

«Tim, what duties do you perform in your pack?»

«The usual ones», Tim snorts, but after taking a sip of coffee, he explains in more detail. «I make sure that everyone takes care of themselves. So that they could go to bed instead of pushing themselves to the limit, so that they could eat, although it was more Alfred's responsibility, and so that they could rest. I check on them after patrols, and I had to argue for a long time to get myself this right. Bruce checks on me every time after the patrols, so I have the right to check on them too. Alfred and B trust Dick and Jason too much, if they say they are fine or the wound is small, they believe. Idiots»

He snorts the last to himself, not mentioning how difficult it is to keep track of these two. Bruce returns to the cave every day, but the older brothers? Dick only comes to Gotham on weekends, and Jason still hides in the Alley if something serious happens. Tim is pretty sure that he got a new safe place, because last time Tim ran through all 46 apartments, and Jason wasn't in them. Tim was just glad that the puppy would definitely return to the cave every night for the next few years, and not run from Tim's care all over the globe.

«I'm stopping them from fighting because these three don't know how to communicate, I swear. Fortunately, I have enough blackmail so that they agree to disperse until they calm down, or to talk calmly right away, even if they really want to fight. And now we have Damian, so I'm going to raise a puppy».

«Very well». You're a good omega for your pack, Tim," Tim can't help but rumble with satisfaction after receiving the praise, even if it's not his alpha praising Tim's work. Bruce's every praise is worth its weight in gold to him. «And how are your pack in heat? Or the race?»

«That's a rude question», he snorted, but assumed it was important. «In heat, I move to the family nest. If others don't have missions, they join me. Last time, Jason joined for the first time. We hugged and watched the "Destination" marathon, followed by "Friday the 13th." Dick had a race last week, and Wally is on a mission right now, so I came to Bladhaven, built him a nest, and we watched some Barbie movies. Bruce often spends the race with Selena or Clark, and I'm pretty sure Lois knows about it, but... Ugh, no, I don't want to think about Bruce's sex life», he grimaced, missing how the others exchanged glances. «I'm just saying that no one uses anyone. They also perform their duties as alphas. They protect me, check my health, make me go to bed», at least once every three days, but Tim himself does not make their work easier. «We back each other up on missions. Bruce picked me up from the Drake manor, and Dick comes every weekend and patrols with me. Jason and I are just starting to communicate, but I often hide with him when Bruce and I are fighting».

«Thanks, Tim. We're sorry for what they said about your pack. We understand that the dynamics can be different in dimensions, and we just didn't expect that everything would be... like this».

«It's just fu..!», Jason's mouth is covered by Dick's hand, which is smiling tensely, rather stiffly.

«Don't listen to Little Wing, Timmy, okay? By the way, we were talking about something else altogether».

Tim snorted and nodded. He has already realized perfectly well that he is perceived as an idiot here. Maybe they realize that he's smart, but they just can't react to it properly.

«The fact that you don't work with the Justice League. Why?»

«They don't approve of our methods, Timothy», Damian ignored his older brothers' kicking as he added pieces of fruit to his plate. Tim followed suit, taking the opportunity to distract himself.

He did not ask what kind of methods the League condemned.

It seemed to him that the low crime rate in Gotham was directly related to this.

***

He doesn't know all the ways, but he's being manipulated.

«Damian?»  Tim stood up, easily adjusting his staff behind his back. He grabbed it as soon as the door creaked, and now he was carefully stuffing it between the wall and the mattress. The curtains are closed, but Tim is sure it's still the middle of the night. «Is something wrong? Aren't you patrolling?»

«I...» he stammered. Tim blinked, barely noticing that Damian was frowning. His eyes haven't adjusted to the darkness, so he's not sure. Is the puppy embarrassed?

Well, an omega appeared in his house. And no matter how much Tim grumbled, there were instincts he didn't want to suppress, and taking care of a puppy, even if it wasn't his, was one of them.

«Come here», Tim moves over, pushing back the covers. They gave him several blankets and sheets, and a dozen pillows. Dick and Jason shared several sweatshirts, pants, and T-shirts with him. Tim didn't build a nest. The smells were the same, but they weren't his alphas, so he wasn't building a nest. He was just too lazy to put his clothes off the bed and into the closet. In any case, everything is fine now, because the puppy could go to bed surrounded by his native pheromones.

Damian hesitated a little longer, then slipped inside. The door closed soundlessly, and Tim purred, praising the puppy. He deliberately let the creaking sound resound to warn him of the intrusion. Damian stopped by the bed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Tim let out a chirp, and Damian moved. He took off his sweatshirt – it smelled like Bruce – and climbed into Tim's T-shirt and shorts. They lay in silence for a couple of minutes, Tim adjusting the blankets around them. After that, he examined the puppy and, seeing that he was shy, gently pulled him towards him. He rubbed his chin against Damian's hair, ran his wrists over his shoulders, stroked the back of his neck very gently, feeling the puppy's muscles relax. He hummed thoughtfully, deciding if it was worth it, after which he firmly hugged Damian to himself, not letting him escape from the questions.

«Will you tell me what your brothers are up to?» he didn't know Damian that well, he couldn't predict if he might have come to Tim because of a nightmare. However, his intuition told him the right answer.

«I would be interested to know what you already know».

«Sure», Tim snorted, running his hand over the puppy's head, running his fingers through the short hair, rolling it between his fingers. «Then let me tell you what I see, and you tell me what they're telling you to do. I would not want our communication to be based on your brothers' attempts to do... something. Agreed? Can I expect to receive honesty for honesty?»

He couldn't see Damian's face hidden between his neck and shoulder, but he could feel the grip on his pajamas – Jason's old pajamas.

«That's acceptable, Timothy. Start».

«Of course, sir», Tim snorted, chuckling and massaging the spot on the puppy's neck just below the skull, but above the nape. «So, I know that Bruce is taking my attention away from returning home. I don't like this, and I'll try to get it across to your elders, but just know that I see him shifting the conversation every time I start discussing returning».

«Hm», Damian shushed him, neither agreeing nor denying. After waiting, but realizing that the boy was not going to continue, Tim spoke further:

«You don't take me as an equal. I can't figure out yet if it's because of your upbringing and culture, or if you're not even trying, but you don't perceive it. You didn't think that I was an avenger in the full sense of the word. You don't understand that I'm smarter than a pet dog. You are violating my personal boundaries, clearly following some kind of goal. I can't figure out what this purpose is, because it rather stresses me out, but I know that this is not random behavior», he thought, fingering the puppy's hair, pulling it weakly. «If you're not planning to help me, I'll understand that, Damian. I'll run away and deal with the return myself».

The warning given to them was acutely perceived by the puppy. He straightened up, almost jumping, leaning on one hand and looking at Timothy with narrowed, tense, barely discernible eyes in the dark.

«No need. They don't want to hurt you, Timothy», he swallowed, taking a deep breath and sinking back down. Tim easily took him back into his arms. «They want you to feel comfortable with us. They share their clothes so that you're surrounded by their pheromones, knowing that you're safe. They give you more clothes than are strictly necessary so that you can build a nest and relax in an alien world. We know you're stressed, it's okay, you've left your world and you don't know when you'll be able to come back. We just hope that we can help you while we solve a large-scale issue».

Tim involuntarily relaxed, listening to the puppy and trusting his opinion. It seems impossible that he could lie to him now, isn't it. Yes, the boy is older than in his dimension, only a year younger than Tim is now, but he is a puppy, and he is in Tim's hands. Besides that, Tim knew his brothers. They are caring, kind, and sometimes overstepping boundaries, but only with good intentions. Damian's story easily fits Tim's idea of the world.

«As for their... our closeness», Damian tightens his arms around Tim's waist, hinting that he is referring to the frequent platonic contact of this family. «You're not completely wrong. It's in our culture. It's right to surround omega with affection and attention. The better the omega is provided, the better the pack he is in, the healthier and more correct it is. If we had abandoned you, we wouldn't have given you any attention, which of us... of them... were alphas?»

«You're going to be a good alpha», chuckling at his reservations, Tim rubs his nose against the puppy's cheek. «But I don't quite understand your culture. Can you tell me? Is that why you're here now?»

«Yes. In a way, at least», Damian doesn't look away anymore. In fact, he leans forward, rubbing his nose against Tim's, and Tim happily chirps, accepting the puppy's caress. «Physical affection, interaction, expresses our attitude. If you don't like a person, not letting them shake your hand is a good way to show it».

«Hm. I can understand that. We have similar interactions in society».

«I suspect so. But judging by your reaction, it's... exaggerated here. It matters more. They just want to show that they accept and protect you, and they want you to feel comfortable with them. And your reactions don't seem to be just discomfort, as you insist now. It feels more like rudeness, sometimes even very serious, because otherwise you take our attention. Therefore, they get upset and then try to prove themselves even more».

«That's how it is. So it's just... how do you put it?», Tim paused, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose. «Hugs are very important, right? That's it?»

«Yes, hugs are important. I think that's a good generalization».

«Good. Good. I think I could handle it», Tim adjusted the blanket over them. Damian had been lying in his arms all this time, and if that was what their cultural code meant, Tim would be able to handle it. Dick was a hugger in his world, too. It's okay if everyone in this world is like that. «Is there anything else, Dami?»

«I don't think so. I want to sleep, Timothy. I have classes at the Academy in the morning».

«Yes, of course. Good night, Dami».

«Good dreams, Timothy».

Chapter Text

«We've contacted Konstantin», Bruce said at breakfast the next day. Tim has been particularly attentive to his interactions with Damian, and it seems they haven't had a chance to talk in private yet. Tim had no doubt that yesterday's conversation would be accurately relayed to the whole family, he could only follow the changing dynamics.

The news was unexpected.

«You said you didn't work with the League», he sat down next to the puppy, almost unconsciously reaching out and rubbing his wrist against his shoulder, leaving his pheromone. The looks cast in response from everyone except Damian himself turned out to be too diverse to interpret, but Tim, based on Dick's happy glow, decided that everything was fine.

«That's right. However, Konstantin is also not a full-fledged member of the League. He informed us that he would visit us, and only then would he be able to tell us when and how to send you back. We decided to wait until then», Bruce explained, smiling awkwardly at Alfred, which was a sign to close the topic. No masks while eating.

«They'll kill me if I don't show up for work, so I'll be back by tonight. I can pick you up from class», Dick turned to Damian, who nodded. «B?»

«I have to attend a conference on the opening of charity centers in Bludhaven, supported by our company».

«So we can go together!»

Tim didn't understand where Dick got so much energy in the early morning. He himself curiously watched the interaction of the family, hiding over coffee, stealing a few quiet moments when he was almost ignored or, at least, not encouraged to talk. It's cute. They must have realized by now that he's even less of a morning person than Jason. Todd looked more sullen and mean in the mornings, like some kind of overgrown gremlin.

Immediately after breakfast, Dick, Bruce, and Damian gathered at the main entrance. Alfred drove one of the cars to the gate, got out and handed the keys to Bruce.

Before leaving, Damian, stiff and walking like a wooden soldier, came up to Tim for a hug. After that, with a shout of joy, Tim was hugged by Dick. Hands wrapped around his back and the top of his head, pressing them together, Tim's nose was on alpha's neck. Such a close feeling of his brother's happy pheromone helped Tim relax, and he patted Dick on the back in response, waiting for him to release him.

«Have a nice day, Timmy!» Pulling away, Dick cupped his cheeks, lifting his face, and Tim didn't have time to dodge as someone else's lips were on his lips. A quick kiss, after which the firework man jumped aside, waving his hand and disappeared into the car.

Tim should have expected this. In fact, he was preparing for this. Exhaling, he just ran through in his head all the backup plans that were already emerging for different situations. For now, he should try to shield himself from the Waynes and wait for Konstantin to come.

He's staying at the manor with Jason now. And Alfred, of course, but first of all with Jason.

«Well, I'll go», he turns to the alpha, waving his hand towards the stairs. «Into the room. If something happens, call me».

He didn't think that he would be called if something happened. As he told Damian, he wasn't perceived as an avenger, and that was to Tim's advantage. The less they expect from him, the better. More opportunities to escape.

Maybe he should have been a little less open with Damian. Don't lie, just talk less.

Tim made sure once again that there was no lock on the door, sighed, abandoning the idea of putting a chair under the handle, and settled down in the middle of the room. He warmed up and did a course of stretching and flexibility exercises. Several sets of push-ups, fifty at a time, after which he slowly got up on his hands. Tim wasn't as strong as his brothers – and he didn't worry about it, he knew his own strengths perfectly well. However, he kept his balance and, after standing upside down for a while, began to descend experimentally. Push-ups, in some perverse sense of the word. Sweat was running down his arms, and blood was rushing to his head. Tim squinted, straightening his arms with difficulty and pausing, catching his breath. He started adding this exercise quite recently, and usually did it under Dick's supervision.

By the fourth repetition, it was easier to get down, but not to get up. He grunted, puffed, and barely stifled a curse as he straightened up. He gave himself a few long moments before he went down again.

Maybe he shouldn't do the usual push-ups before these. On the other hand, how will he know his boundaries if he doesn't try to cross them?

In the seventh repetition, it is even more difficult to straighten up. Tim decides he has to do it ten times.… And then, after the break, repeat. He takes deep breaths, squinting. Sweat covers his eyes, and he has to blink. He goes down again.

«Tim-Tam!»

His arms buckle, and he falls to the floor, hitting his hand and making a frightened, defensive hiss towards the door. Jason, who burst into his room, didn't even freeze in surprise, reacting like a real avenger: he immediately found himself next to Tim, reaching out to check on his condition.

«Fuck it, Jay», Tim slapped his hand, sitting up and wiping sweat from his eyes and forehead. After training, his hands were shaking slightly, and his face was flushed. «Why rush in like that? Couldn't you knock?»

«How do I know you're messing around here? Baby bird, if you're doing something like that, you could call me for safety. What if you had broken your neck when you fell?»

«Safety net? I was just standing on my hands, Jason! You don't need a safety net for this!»

They glared at each other, arguing without words about who was right. Finally, Jason gave up, snorting and falling on his butt, crossing his legs.

«I wanted to suggest a walk. Alfred is swearing that we're keeping you here like a bird in a cage».

«Pf. Your puns aren't too ambiguous. Where is the imagination?»

«Oh? Don't you like my comparisons, baby bird?»

«For such a reading person, you could have done better. Come on, I know you can use metaphors».

They continue to bicker, but Tim gets up, stretching, hearing a crunch in his back, and heads for the bathroom. The door was slammed in Jason's face, who followed him none too subtly.

«Give me ten minutes».

They go out for a walk on the Wayne property. From here, far away, Tim could see his old house – certainly not in this dimension – and chuckled, completely unsurprised by its abandonment. Whether his parents died here or not – most likely yes – they wouldn't keep an eye on the house when they were always on the move. Tim here is probably dead. If not, then he left the Waynes for some reason. This is obvious because they are familiar with him, but they don't talk about another version of him. So, if he left, for what reasons?

The Joker is dead. He's been dead for three years. Jason is over twenty. Twenty-one, maybe twenty and a half, depending on whether the months of his death count or not. So the clown was killed long after Jason's death. And later his return, so if there was a drama that Tim is going through in his dimension, then it passed without the death of the Joker. Tim preferred not to think about what he would do if Batman killed someone. If he had continued killing after that.

He preferred not to think, yes, but he knew for sure that he would have left. He would have become an independent avenger, would have continued to lead the Young Justice. He became Robin so Batman wouldn't cross that line. But the Joker?

Maybe Tim would have forgiven the Joker's death. If it was just the clown, he would have stayed.

«They don't approve of our methods». This means more than one action. More than one death.

Batman, or someone else from the family, killed the Joker, and then they continued to do it. That's why they write in the newspapers about a decrease in crime. That's why they don't work with the League.

Is that why he can't come from here to the future of Batman the Killer? Because there's already a Batman killer here, and they're going to kill him?

«A baby bird? Are you feeling all right?» Jason took his elbow, and Tim involuntarily shuddered, turning to him. «Seriously, Timberly, you've gone pale. What happened?»

«I...» what could he say to him? That he's not feeling well? No, it doesn't fit. Not now. It was one of his backup plans for another case. He needs to come up with something. «I miss my world and wondered what would happen to them without me. In those years when you... when our you died, Batman was in terrible shape. I wouldn't want that to happen again. And... I miss them».

The latter was true, but it was said only to soften and distract Jason. And it seems to have worked. The hand on his elbow moved further, wrapping around his waist and noticeably taking his weight on itself.

«Come on. Alfred's tea always helps with sadness», Tim feels the alpha's thumb rubbing his waist, and sighed, allowing himself to relax. He doesn't want to be killed. He doesn't want this dimension to do something that will make him unable to realize his future. Any future. He will be able to figure it out, as long as he is allowed to come to this future.

So if for his own safety he needs to pretend to take their attention, so be it. He can handle it. He already has plans ready to avoid encroachments in his direction.

He feels like these plans are paying off when Jason's hand slides lower, squeezing his buttock for a second before he lets go of Tim and starts taking over Alfred's kitchen. He pours boiling water, throws bags, finds hidden treats. Tim takes advantage of the moment when the alpha is turned away from the table, and takes out the nuts he hid earlier from his pocket. Without allowing himself to think for long, he slips half of one under his tongue without swallowing.

Jason puts the mug in front of him, sits down next to him, and Tim just hums something grateful, taking the mug. He's not taking any chances. He sips, swallowing the liquid quickly, trying not to wash the nut with boiling water.

Jason wraps his arms around his waist, pulling him closer, holding the mug with his other hand.

«It's sweet that you're so worried about the pack. Good omega, the pack should be proud of you», he rumbles, and Tim squints, trying to figure out what he's trying to achieve. They continue stroking his side, no longer returning to his buttocks, but they are pressed so close that Tim feels hot. «You're scared here. We know, we see. But it's okay. You're safe with us».

Jason makes a rumble, a half–purring sound designed to comfort and protect, and Tim tries not to give in. But Jason doesn't do anything else. He rumbles back to tea and doesn't do anything else. Calming Tim down, maybe really trying to support him. Moreover, Damian said that physical intimacy is important here. Probably, Tim should reconsider his attitude to their touches, put together a program in his head that specifically here, in this particular dimension, it is just as normal as when during undercover missions he often had to tidy his hair or cover his face. There he had to limit himself, here he had to liberate himself. It is ok.

He relaxes until Jason's hand moves to his stomach. However, the rumbling does not stop, and the tea, which he has to drink with hasty swallows, calms with a spreading warmth. Besides, he can already feel his throat starting to burn from an allergic reaction, and Tim wonders if he can get away with spitting a nut into a mug while they're both sitting so well.

The hand rises higher, rubbing his chest, and Tim bites. His body is frozen, but his jaw is working, covered by the cup, and he swallows as soon as the pieces are small enough not to choke.

Tim cannot call the caresses rude or even unpleasant. However, they are undesirable, and he is not going to allow what goes on.

The hand tightens slightly, trying to grasp the planes. Quickly realizing that there is nothing to squeeze, he returns to stroking. At some point, he presses harder, and Tim feels the bottom of Jason's hand touching his nipple. A groan, more like a sigh and a strangled squeak, escaped completely against his will, and Tim is glad to feel the fire that immediately passed through his throat. Clutching his neck, he coughed. His airways began to swell, as if they were being stuffed with cotton, and Tim hurried to push off from Jason, jumping to his trembling legs and immediately almost falling. There was not enough air from coughing, and he clutched at the table, not hearing what was happening around him.

Okay, not his best plan. But Tim is sure that Alfred's first-aid kit is as full here as in his dimension, and this reaction should at least put off Jason's advances for a while. He just needs to get through a couple of unpleasant minutes.

The needle turned out to be less expected than it should have been, but after a few long, heavy breaths, the swelling in his throat went away, and Tim felt hands on his face wiping his watery eyes and turning his head to the right and left.

The voice came later.

«...three, four. Do you hear me? Repeat: one, two, three…»

«Four», Tim whispers indistinctly, opening his eyes, clouded by an unpleasant film. «One, two».

«Three, four. Well done, baby bird, breathe», realizing that he was being heard, Jason leaned back, releasing his head and covering his own face. Tim heard a growl mixed with a tired sigh more clearly than the bill. «What the fuck? What was that, Timberly? Are you allergic to tea? To the air? Did you get a mollusks somewhere while I was making tea? What the fuck was that?»

«I'm not allergic to mollusks», Tim croaked, then coughed again. A mug instantly appeared in his hand, and Jason helped him not to drop it, bringing it to his lips. The warm water seemed like a fairy tale compared to the numbness that was slowly passing.

«Whatever you say, because I have no idea how you could pull off this trick, Alfred refused to bring mollusks into the house a fucking long time ago».

«You already owe twenty dollars in a jar of swear words».

«Fuck me! You could have died!»

Tim chuckled, not saying a word in his defense. But he didn't tell the truth either. He watched Jason throw the syringe into the recycling bin and thought that he had done the job. All that remains is to hold our positions until we return home.

There were no more nuts on the manor the next day.

Chapter Text

They left him alone. As much as is possible in a family of detectives who are too stubborn to behave like normal people. Dick remained as loving as ever, but Tim skillfully escaped from attempts to kiss him. More often than not, he managed to turn his head so that Grayson's lips touched his cheek, forehead, and once even his eyes. After the first kiss, Dick became unstoppable.

At least it was easier with Jason. Jason was acting like a boor, grabbing him by the waist, pulling him onto his lap, nuzzling Tim's hair and possessively leaving pheromones on him. However, his hands no longer wandered, his lips did not go where they were not needed, but he tried to bite Tim twice – on the ear and on the wrist – and continued to say dirt, forcing Tim to contemptuously spit sarcasm in response. Nothing much different from the run-ins with his Jason, just with different content.

Damian is the angel of this family. The puppy stayed close to him, growling if the older brothers crossed the line further than Tim was willing to tolerate. Tim almost regretted that he wouldn't see his performance, this kid would be a charming alpha, but Tim wasn't going to stay here any longer than strictly necessary.

Konstantin is due to arrive in two days.

«Timothy», Damian snapped him out of his slow, sluggish thoughts. It's the middle of the night, and Tim should have been asleep, but the insomnia doesn't go away just because he doesn't have anything to do. It's his brothers' mistake to think that he doesn't sleep because he spends all day sorting things out. He's sorting things out because he can't sleep.

It's not the coffee's fault. He doesn't even like coffee that much, it's just a necessity.

The fact that Zesty is an energy drink has nothing to do with its problem.

«Yes, Dami?»  He opens his eyes with difficulty. Sleep was just beginning to take hold of him. «Are you stuffy? I can open the window».

The nest has grown. No, it's not a nest. He didn't build a nest here. It was just that the bed was becoming more and more cluttered with Alphas' belongings and blankets. Of course, the puppy could get stuffy. Tim is stuffy. He just didn't want to get up for himself, the action wasn't worth the effort. But for the sake of the puppy, the equation was rearranged, and the intended goal was worth the effort.

He was so sleepy. Too many thoughts for three hours. He counted the minutes instead of the sheep, he knows it's three.

«No, I'm…»

The puppy stumbled, but his arms tightened around Tim's waist, and his nose pressed against his shoulder. Tim sniffed, cupping the top of Damian's head and stroking his still slightly damp hair. Today, the puppy went out on patrol, and joined Tim right after the shower. Tim will have to tell him in the morning why it is necessary to completely dry his hair before going to bed.

Damian didn't smell like wounds. There was no fear, so it wasn't a nightmare. Tim would have noticed if he was having a nightmare. However, there was a sense of restlessness, something vibrating, nervous, which Tim could not make out. It was like the smell of a puppy on the first night, the one that Tim mistook for calming fear after a nightmare. Now he knows that the puppy had no reason to come to him, except desire. Fortunately, Tim didn't mind continuing to share a bed with Damian. Whether the puppy understood it or not, he became one of Tim's defense walls. It is unlikely that the senior alphas of the Wayne family will try to encroach on him at night when he is with their puppy.

But the conversation. Yes. He needs to focus.

«You can tell me anything, Dami. I'm here for you».

«I want to go to my father», and frowning as if he was in pain, Damian reluctantly added to his words, «Please».

«Oh. Of course, I don't mind if you go to him. And I won't be upset if you've thought about it. You're his puppy», Tim purred, finding the situation charming. Damian is charming. He was so worried about Tim's feelings that he was nervous about telling him. «Do you want to leave now? Will you open the window before going out?»

Damian chuckled, as if the very thought of... whatever it was made him laugh. In general, he showed by his whole appearance that Tim was wrong and had misunderstood something.

«I don't want to leave you, Timothy. I wanted to invite you. When I joined the family, I considered myself above joining the family nest for no reason, and there weren't many reasons – only when someone was seriously ill. Over time, I learned more about this family, and it became clear to me that there was no reason to deny myself the desire to join, and no one would belittle me for this. However, by that time, I...», Damian faltered, pursed his lips and turned away, hiding from the dim light from the window. Tim could barely see him. «I think it would be out of character for me to take the initiative by then. Others might think that something is wrong with me, that I have been replaced, or that I am sick. However, if I were the escort for the new omega in the house, it wouldn't be so strange. Of course, as a Wayne puppy, I have to be the one to show you the nest».

«So», Tim mumbled, waiting for a chance to get in, «It's awkward for you to go to the family nest, so you want me to be your cover».

It wasn't a question, but Damian nodded.

«I would be grateful for your cooperation. If we do these things, maybe at least a couple of times, then I'll be able to come alone when you get back to your place».

This clarification made Tim think, although at first he planned to immediately refuse. He's not part of the pack in this dimension. He has his own pack, and joining someone else's nest would be disrespectful and risky. Even if the local Waynes encroach on his body, it is unknown how their instincts will react if Tim approaches the safety of the pack.

But he wanted to help Damian. Moreover, the puppy is right: Tim will return to his place soon. It would be nice to make Dami's life better here, and free access to the family nest had a good effect on the psychological health of all pack members.

Why didn't Tim here take the puppy to the nest? It's the omega's role to lead a new member of the pack there. And, apparently, Damian was familiar with the local Timothy, so they had time to arrange this before the other Timothy left the pack because the Bats became murderers.

Probably murderers. He must have left. All of this is still guesswork.

Actually…

«Let's do this: I'll ask you a question about Tim from your dimension. Answer me now, and we'll go to the nest. Give me proof of your words later, and we'll go out a second time. Only twice. No more. Agreed?»

Damian considered the deal for a while. Then he nodded.

«Ask away. I won't answer if I decide that I don't want to reveal the truth, but I won't lie».

«That's all I can ask for. Why didn't Tim here take you to the nest of the pack? It was his responsibility if he was the omega of the pack at that time».

«He wasn't the omega of the pack».

«Why?»

«He was hiding his gender. We didn't know he was an omega, and we couldn't make him the omega of the pack».

«That's why Dick asked me if I was hiding my gender», Tim boomed thoughtfully, running his fingers through Damian's hair. «I can't say that I'm surprised by the decisions of the local Tim. But I suspect his parents also got involved. We're neighbors of the Waynes, and since childhood, me and, most likely, him, too, have attended gala concerts. Bruce couldn't have known that I was an omega if it hadn't been hidden since my childhood».

«That's right. My father was angry at the time. Hiding an omega from society is a great sin and an insult to omega. The fact that they convinced Timothy to hide his identity is even worse».

Tim didn't agree with Damian. If he had made sense of this world before Oracle discovered him, he would have hidden his gender too. Tim had no doubt that at some point the forced concealment of gender turned into a conscious one.

«Did he leave because you found out his gender?»

«We found out his gender after the Joker killed him».

Thank you for the absolutely unsurprising news in the middle of a late-night conversation. This was exactly what Tim's insomnia lacked, which had just begun to calm his thoughts and allow him to doze off. Well. He doesn't want to know the details.

«Thanks for telling me. As I promised, let's go. Just give me a minute to change my clothes».

Tim tore himself off the bed with difficulty, fumbling and finding the most baggy things, which he quickly changed into. He mourned the loss of his loose shorts as he and Damian walked out into the sconce-lit hallway. Tim relatively trusted Bruce here, he seemed normal, but he wasn't going to relax.

There were several graphite rods stolen from Damian in his pocket.

They were greeted cordially enough at the family nest that Tim immediately suspected collusion. Damian is the most wonderful child, a teenager, to be honest, but he is surrounded by the best detectives in the world who, without a doubt, know how to manipulate others. If Damian had been persuaded to bring Tim into this room, he wouldn't have been offended by the puppy for listening.

That didn't stop him from making sure that it was Damian who would be between him and Bruce, and not him trapped between two blood-related Waynes.

Bruce, to his credit, wasn't doing anything weird. He woke up instantly when the door to the master bedroom opened, but he also quickly lay back down when Tim and Damian settled down next to him. Perhaps it was his restrained reaction that helped Tim calm down enough for him to put aside his restless thoughts and try to fall asleep again.

Insomnia made his life better only in the sense that his sleep was no less sensitive than that of any other Bat. He immediately woke up in anxiety when he felt Damian getting up, but relaxed, burying himself in the pillow, realizing that Damian had entered the adjoining bathroom. After a couple of minutes, Tim felt him on his other side when Damian, too lazy to climb back to the middle of the bed, collapsed on its edge, clinging to Tim and involuntarily pushing him to give way. After making sure that the puppy was back in his arms, Tim closed his eyes and tried to continue counting – now it was closer to half past four than to three. He doubted he'd ever been off track for more than five minutes.

One second, two, three. One minute, two, three. Damian's breathing evens out, and Tim easily tracks the moment when he falls asleep. He purrs satisfactorily, running his nose through the puppy's hair. And the next moment he holds his breath so as not to wake the puppy. An arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him back, pressing against his muscular torso. Tim's back felt Bruce's chest rise and fall as he breathed, covered by a thin T-shirt that was not even worthy of being next to a multibillionaire.

«Shh», he hisses softly in his ear. «We don't want to wake Damian up, do we?»

He's not completely wrong. Tim is not sure that he would like the puppy to see what his family is doing. Tim also doesn't know how well this is justified by measurement standards to understand how much Damian already knows. He can hardly imagine that such behavior would be acceptable if it were not brought up from childhood.

So yes, he's silent. He freezes, conveniently using the excuse that it's because of Damian. The truth is a little different.

It wasn't uncommon for Robin to rescue girls and boys in the alleys. Following Jason's example, he tried his best to devote time even to Crime Alley, even if he didn't do it as well as the second Robin. But he had never been on the other side of a fight.

With Bruce, of all possible people.

The hand moves until it settles more comfortably on his stomach. Tim swallows, listening to the sensations. It is not squeezed so much that it hurts. In fact, the heaviness closer to the lower abdomen feels pleasant, like a massage after a particularly long day or tapping a stiff leg. They don't want to hurt him. They want to woo him, of course they don't want to hurt him.

He sighs and clutches the blanket in his hands. A heavy, long limb, which he doesn't even want to think about, rests against his ass. The next movement of Bruce's hips rubs against his buttocks and lower back.

«Such a good omega», push. «So obedient for his alphas», push. «Such a good boy. You'll be such a great omega for my pack».

Whispers flow, interspersed with movements. Tim had never heard so many words from Bruce at the same time, unless it was Brucey Wayne performing his antics in public. The praise seeps deep into him, giving him goosebumps, and Tim swallows. His own breathing is erratic, his thoughts are confused by the excited alpha pheromone in the air, and he clutches the blanket tighter, forcing himself to control his breathing. Warmth spreads from below, where he rarely dared to touch himself.

Tim puts his hand to his mouth when definitely a cock, not a sudden blade handle or a very smooth bottle, is pushed between his thighs. My legs instinctively clenched around it. The hand on his stomach shifts, and Tim lowers his gaze, watching what is happening.

The penis is slightly shiny. A condom– Tim notes in hindsight, not moving as the hand releases his stomach and catches the head of his penis. Bruce manually adjusts himself by pulling it higher. The hand slides, strokes and stops. The palm wraps around the exposed head, the thumb...

«Bruce!» Tim twitches and hisses, trying to be as quiet as possible. He tries to turn around, but his finger presses, circles, and Tim shivers as his thumb presses against his clit through the fabric of his pants and underpants, teasing and distracting. Bruce doesn't answer, his movements continue, his cock slides between his thighs, the length rubs against Tim's folds.

It shouldn't be pleasant. He read fanfiction, watched porn a couple of times, he saw erotic films, classical literature of the 20th century. He even listened to Stephanie complain when she was pregnant, as she talked about how "it" really happens. All sources say that it shouldn't be pleasant: he wasn't aroused in advance, he was dry from below, there were layers of clothes between them. But it feels damn good.

Bruce pushed hard, not to the point of pain, but mercilessly. Tim could turn his hips any way he wanted, but his finger wouldn't leave its place, and when it did move, Tim wanted to scream from the sensations: the pressure was now causing tremors, his legs seemed to cramp, his breathing was short, it was good-good-good.

His thoughts were not clouded, he was completely within himself, aware of every action and sensation, there was no clouding of consciousness. Tim suspected that his research was unreliable, but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't want to think consciously. If he started thinking, he would get distracted, and if he got distracted, the pleasure that seemed to accumulate with every shake of his finger would reset, and he would want to howl in frustration. Therefore, he tried not to think, to concentrate only on what was happening to his body.

Without thinking about who was doing it or why, it felt good.

The muscular body held him close, but no longer pressed him to himself. It wasn't necessary when he was pushing his hips back, either trying to escape from the caress, or yielding to it. The pheromone, scorching, full of excitement, familiar and safe, made his instincts scream for trust. His legs began to tremble, straining, and he pressed his hand harder to his lips as he jerked one leg up, uselessly trying to shake off the cramps. If he had been touching himself, he would have stopped at that moment. He knows: this was often the case. As soon as the sensations became too much, he froze, letting himself catch his breath, then tried again, then froze again, and so on every time, and very soon he stopped even trying, not understanding what the others found so good about it.

«Bruce», he tried to keep his voice low, but his voice was breaking, uncontrollably getting louder, squeaking. «Bruce, that's enough, stop…»

He sighed, which sounded almost like a sob when the caresses stopped. He exhaled, starting to regain his breath, but he did not allow it: a hand gently slid over his crotch, sending a wave of sparks through his body, then moved to his leg and pressed, lowering it back down. Tim felt his forgotten cock for a moment as it began to move again, tracing three times more sensitive folds, and Tim turned away, burying himself in the sheets and clutching the blanket in his hands, which at some point had completely slipped off them and now covered only Damian.

«Shh, good omega, you're doing great, you can do it», the buzzing in his ears passed, and Tim heard the whispers going on. The hand let go of his leg, but Tim not only did not lift it again, but also listened to the advice, squeezing his hips, but trying not to strain them. Difficult. He didn't understand how Bruce expected Tim not to strain his hips while squeezing him. But he had a task, and he followed it because it was easier that way, and he didn't know what else he could do.

A couple of minutes were simple. Bruce moved slowly, giving compliments more lavish than bruises to the Gotham wreckers, and his arms held Tim in the most intimate embrace he could imagine. When Tim felt better, having caught his breath and calmed down, he was about to break out of this situation, when suddenly Bruce's hand was in his pants.

He didn't get into his underpants. Tim was intently analyzing what was happening, trying to figure out what was happening now that the fabric of his pants was covering his view. Bruce's fingers, this time his index and middle fingers, are resting on his clitoris. Here they are pressing, pulling the fabric of his underpants lower, towards his entrance. Here they are...

Tim finally lets out a groan, even though he has managed to pull the pillow to his face. Not from excitement. From embarrassment. He was wet, damn wet, and Bruce was moving his fingers as if scooping up his slick, and his fingers immediately returned to his clit, and the wet fabric of his underpants was rubbing against him, cold and hot at the same time. He twitched as the fingers circled over him again, pressing lightly, and no longer tried to be quieter, whimpering into the pillow as the past tension returned to his legs many times faster than the first time.

«You can handle it», Bruce said, not letting him push away, not letting him touch him, but leaning closer. Hot breath fanned his ear, and Tim didn't even have time to blink when someone else's teeth clenched on his lobe, more a slight hint than a real bite. «Come for me, honey. I know you can handle it».

It was too much – the caresses, the whispers, the hot, never-slowing cock sliding through his folds. One moment his legs cramped more, almost to the point of pain, but somehow pleasant, the next warmth spread through his body, everything was shaking, he wanted to arch up to meet the touch, and Bruce continued to lead him with jerky movements through the entire orgasm. However, he didn't stop, even when Tim's body seemed to have no bones left, and his pelvis was shaking with small tremors. The fingers continued to move, becoming slower at first, but accelerating again with the thrusts, and Tim did not have time to understand what was happening when the second wave of pleasure covered him many times more pleasant than the first.

There was not enough air, the body was filled with cotton, barely holding the compressed pillow. Tim could barely think straight when they turned him over on his back and spread his legs apart. Only a warm touch on his stomach brought him to his senses, and Tim realized what was happening when his T-shirt was pulled over his head.

«Bruce, wait, no, I...» he stopped, thinking fast, looking at his father's figure in front of him. He couldn't. Not with Bruce. Not with anyone at all. He didn't even want to!

But his doubts, of course, were mistaken for fear of inexperience – which was not entirely untrue, he had no experience – and Bruce leaned closer. His lips touched Tim's lips gently, no wonder, and it seemed to short-circuit something in Tim. He looked at Bruce incredulously as he loomed over him, and wow, he can understand why it was so easy for Bruce Wayne to maintain his reputation as a playboy. It was hot. He's not sure if he's ever considered someone hot, but this? It's hot.

«It's okay, honey. I'll make sure you like it», the smile that evoked only trust and confidence that he was telling the truth was not even fake. Tim was almost sorry when he nodded. Almost, but not quite.

«I... I want to drink. Please?»

It's not difficult to play the embarrassment when he pulls the pillow closer to his chest, hiding from the attentive gaze. Bruce stares at him for a while, and Tim can't stand it, looking sideways, up, down, anywhere to avoid looking at him. Finally, Bruce gets up slowly and walks towards the bathroom – God bless the faucet with a filter that is installed at each sink, so that Bruce does not keep the decanter on the bedside table.

While Bruce is gone, Tim quickly takes a pencil out of his pocket. The rods have broken, and Tim doesn't worry at all about how much he's put in his mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing hard. After such a peculiar snack, the water brought by Bruce turns out to be very useful.

Bruce waits patiently for him to finish his drink, then puts the glass away on the bedside table. It's plastic, so Tim couldn't hurt anyone with it without putting a lot of effort into it.

He wasn't getting his hopes up, and yet it's a little overwhelming when Bruce immediately looms over Tim upon returning to the bed. He kisses like a real pro, sucking on his lips, gently shifting, shifting. Once, language intervened, and Tim's shameful and childish squeak was enough protection to keep Bruce from pushing so hard.

The body is studied, hands are held along its sides, stomach, stroking the lower back, slowly but surely rising to the chest. Tim doesn't know what to do with himself, and lies flat, receiving caresses and counting down the minutes. He was so focused on counting that the warmth surrounding his left nipple made him jump in surprise. Bruce's tongue circles, clicks on the nipple, his teeth pull it slightly, and then Bruce subtly moves, changing position, and sucks. Tim refuses to think about how many embarrassing sounds have left him in the last hour, but along with another groan, his hands press against Bruce's shoulders, not gently pushing him away.

«Wait!» and immediately checking on Damian, who was still somehow asleep, Tim lowered his voice. «Wait, I will... Wait a minute».

Bruce's gaze, attentive, analyzing, softens as he nods. The alpha is still looming over him, he has descended, cutting off any escape routes, but Tim, to be honest, did not hope for them.

«Of course. We will move at your pace».

Sure. At his pace, but assuming that they would finish what they started today. Tim exhales more than consciously, banging his forehead against Bruce's shoulder, allowing himself to relax. Four minutes. Four and a half.

From his angle, he sees Bruce's still-heavy cock. It's not okay, it's not good, it's wrong, but Tim feels a little guilty about leaving Alpha like this. Maybe he had never brought himself to orgasm before, but Tim didn't need experience to understand that this was exactly what he felt at Bruce's hands. Twice.

No. Nope. He won't feel guilty. To hell with it.

Five minutes. Six.

Bruce bends over, his cock pressing against Tim's thigh. Tim knows it's not because he's tired. There's no way Batman would get tired of four or five minutes of planks. The penis rubs against it, the pheromone, pleasant, seductive, intensifies.

Seven minutes. Bruce's movements slow down. Then he freezes.

«Tim», alpha pulls away, and Tim calls on all his acting skills, as well as the bad lighting, to look a little unwell. Bruce's lips touch his again, but now it's a more familiar gesture – touching his forehead, taking his temperature. «How are you feeling?»

«It's a little hot. Isn't that how it should be?»

«It's usually okay», Bruce nods, and yet Tim can see the gears turning in the great detective's brain. Tim took too many breaks to "catch his breath" for his body to be so hot. «Come on, honey. We'll find you something for the heat».

Bruce helps him out of bed, finding his T-shirt somewhere in the dark of the room and pulling it on Tim. Together they go to the bathroom, where Tim is examined once more and, finding nothing but a slightly high fever, they give him exactly one tablet for fever and lead him back. He's still being held tightly in bed, but it's a real hug, not an attempt to hold him in place.

Of course, sleeping with wet underpants is a bit unpleasant, but Tim has fallen asleep under worse conditions. Finally, confident that it was safe here, Tim succumbed to accumulated fatigue, and sleep overcame him.

Chapter Text

The next day was one of the funniest and most exhausting Tim had ever spent at the manor.

Of course, he was not released from the family nest. Bruce and Alfred took his temperature every two hours, gave him tea, chicken soup, some kind of bitter tincture, and, in general, everything that patients are usually fed. The family was torn with anxiety: was it just a cold, or did the universe start rejecting a foreign guest? Dick found out about the night temperature at breakfast, so Tim literally woke up to his older brother jumping into the nest. Jason joined a little later, taking a novel with him – it seemed to be "Brave New World", which Tim found ironic, because here this novel was clearly not considered a dystopia. Damian refused to leave his side, going so far as not to go to school. In general, the whole pack was nearby in an instant.

This is about the exhausting part.

The funny part? Tim was able to stump a family of brilliant detectives by just quietly swallowing a pencil. It was... It was something with something. Tim hadn't felt so contented, relaxed, and proud in a long time.

Until an inconvenience happened that he didn't know what to do about.

A disgusting, dirty, terrible inconvenience.

Here he lies quietly on the bed, resigned to the fact that today he will not be released from Dick's arms. Nothing foreshadowed trouble, nothing said that in a second he would panic and run to the toilet, slamming the door in front of this family.

But something came out in his underpants.

And so he ignores the worried and panicked cries of alphas outside the door, kicking off his pants, climbing into the bathroom and pulling the curtain for extra privacy. Only after making sure that no one was watching him, and the others were in no hurry to pick the lock, Tim slowly pulled off his underpants, standing with his bare feet on the cold ceramic of the bathroom.

There was something shiny, slimy, and transparent. Tim experimentally touched his underpants first, checking – fortunately, he did not have any internal bleeding, because it turned out not to be blood in the light. Then, more hesitantly, he pushed his fingers between his lower lips, feeling the same clot there.

Oh. Oh. He came last night. Twice. And he didn't wash up. And he didn't go to the toilet. And, well, he was lying. It was his slick.

Tim... Tim doesn't know anything about sex. It's only about standard consent, that sexual intercourse involves penetration, that they, as vigilantes, often beat up rapists, and that human trafficking often consists of selling them into sexual slavery.

But about sex? Nope. Nothing. Is everything okay with him? Is what's happening downstairs great? Or is he sick? Wasn't slick supposed to sort itself out somehow? Disappear?

The screams continued outside.

«I'm fine!» having overcome the initial fright, making sure that everything was fine with him – unless the fact that slick was leaking out of him was a sign of illness – Tim raised his voice, shouting over the brothers. Quickly pulling his underpants back on, wincing from the cold, he jumped out of the bath, pulled on his pants and looked out the door. His face was red, which only reinforced the family's belief that he was ill. «Could you... um... No, you know, I'd rather go back to my room».

It was at that moment of the day, in fact, that he realized that he would not be released from the nest.

«Okay, okay! Simply... Can you ask Alfred to bring me a change of clothes? I need to take a shower», he didn't take his eyes off the floor as he spoke, but he was sure that he noticed on the periphery how Dick and Jason turned to Bruce. Did they know? Oh my God, they knew, right? He'll die of shame. Right here, on the spot. Why can't the floor absorb it? Fail? Why shouldn't the ceiling fall on him, free him from the burden of shame?

Jason complied with his request. He went to get Alfred, Alfred went to get clothes, Tim went to take a shower. A long, long shower where he tried to get rid of the seeds of embarrassment. He came out almost boiled, steam coming from his skin like from a fresh cup of coffee, and he fell wearily into the nest, refusing to look at his brothers or Bruce, even when they poked a thermometer in his mouth again, and someone's palm pressed against his forehead.

He had to do something. Tablet. Telephone. A laptop. Damn, he needed access to information, and preferably as soon as possible. While he's waiting for Konstantin to arrive at the manor, it would be nice to have a basic sex break for himself.

(Don't think you barely escaped having sex with Bruce. Do not think. One thought, and he won't be able to look his Bruce in the eye when he gets back. There was nothing. He just found out once again about a field in which he doesn't have enough information).

On the other hand, if he starts looking for this information now, in this universe, with an Oracle that will accurately monitor all his online activity, it may turn out badly for him. Konstantin should come the very next day. Tim can restrain his curiosity until then.

***

By evening, Tim manages to leave the nest and return to his assigned bedroom. To do this, it is necessary to arrange the most shameful, but loud and accurately conveying his position on this issue hysteria. He laid Dick on his shoulder blades, kicked Jason hard under the knees, punched Bruce in the nose and looked sternly at Damian, letting out the most evil hiss he could squeeze out of himself in the direction of the puppy.

(He is sure that they either succumbed to him for fear of hurting him, or did not expect such behavior from omega, which they did not understand).

Unfortunately, this was not the decisive point. Alfred came out of the bathroom with a basket of dirty laundry, which he planned to take to the laundry, and held out two broken pencils for everyone to see, apparently the remnants of what Tim had not pulled out with his hand when he hurriedly acted in the night.

«I think I've discovered the cause of Mr. Timothy's night fever», the butler said stiffly, which means disapprovingly in Alfred. There was a dramatic, theatrical silence for a couple of seconds, after which Jason, who had just got up, holding onto the bed, laughed.

«So the bird tricked Bruce? Old man, you're losing your grip», he grinned, looking at the man wiping his nose. Perhaps Bruce's missed punch in the nose only confirmed Jason's words, but Tim preferred the interpretation that Tim was professional enough to beat Batman.

«Anyway», ignoring the revelation because he wasn't exactly planning on explaining his actions at that moment, Tim headed for the door. «Now that we know for sure that I'm not sick or dying, I'm going to my room. Good night».

He didn't slam the door because he was afraid of Alfred, but he closed it forcefully enough to get the message across. In the bedroom, he took a quick shower, changed into the shorts and T-shirt he usually slept in with Damian, and wearily collapsed on the bed. The puppy probably won't come to him today. Or he will come. Konstantin will bring him home tomorrow, but for some reason Tim is sure that the quarrel that took place in the nest is enough to scare Dami away for one night. It doesn't matter. He likes sleeping alone just as much. Maybe even more. Yes. Perhaps even more.

Tim rolled onto his side, clutching a pillow that smelled of Damian's milky pheromone to his chest.

Who was he kidding? He was happy sharing a bed with a puppy.

Don't get him wrong, Tim loved his pack. His real pack, from his own universe, where their relationship is strictly platonic. Simply... It's not nearly as beautiful and wonderful as he tried to make those Waynes look.

Their pack is divided. Bruce and Dick met Tim when he blackmailed them into playing Robin because Batman needed Robin. They didn't want Tim, and they only accepted him into their pack after Jack Drake's recent death, and when Bruce found out that Tim didn't really have an uncle.

In general, they accepted him under duress, and not because they wanted to see him as the omega of the pack. Jason hated Tim, at least at the beginning of their acquaintance. He was still calling Tim a Replacement, although it didn't seem as serious anymore, more like a habit or a joke. Tim was hoping that at least the new puppy would accept him, but honestly? How likely is that, given his contact with the rest of the pack?

But there were heat waves. There were hugs, the warmest and strongest, given to him by his beloved older brother. There were clothes that were freely given to him, not even on demand, but at the first glance in need. There were Alfred's cookies, Bruce's awkwardly shown concern, weekly breaks for tacos with chili sauce on the edge of his and Red Hood's territories. The pack loved him. And what if Tim still felt lonely, spending nights in his own nest, getting access to the family only in heat? And what if he felt desperately in need of affection when he received at least some kind of touch only from Dick, and he spent six days a week in his city? And what if Jason's words still hurt, the green eyes haunted his nightmares, and the fear of another assassination attempt was bubbling in his chest? And what if he flinched at Bruce's sudden movements, remembering his worst days when training turned into beatings and words into daggers?

That's in the past. Yes, Dick rarely appears, but he loves Tim. Yes, Jason is rude and scary, but he tries his best. And yes, Bruce doesn't know how to express himself, being an emotionally retarded furry, but he accepted Tim into the pack, made him the omega of the pack.

And he got a puppy! Tim can't ruin everything, he shouldn't be wondering what their relationship with his Damian would be like right now. Damian here is a wonderful kid, well, he's already a teenager, so there's nothing to worry about!

He just likes sleeping with someone. It's actually the only thing in this universe that's better than his. To feel needed, loved, and protected. To awaken those butterflies in his stomach that everyone talks about, but that Tim has never felt. Hug a warm body, enveloping it like a big spoon. Sleeping with someone was magic, and Tim is confident that he can get one in his universe now that he knows how pleasant it is.

He'll even be able to justify it! It's common knowledge that omegas need physical contact more than betas or alphas. This has a positive effect on their hormonal, emotional and physical condition. Mentally, too. On their development (that's why Tim is even smaller than his omega peers and is so strong only because of Batman's training, his parents definitely did not consider physical contact to be something important). In addition, they have a puppy, for whom contact is also very important, and Tim doubts that Talia hugged her son often. Tim will do his duty as the omegas of the pack, taking care of the puppy and hugging him at night. He can come to Dick himself at night. The older brother is very tactile, he won't mind spending the night. Nothing vulgar, unlike here...

Tim sighed, banging his head on the mattress. Last night. He needs to get a notebook and write down his thoughts. So, at the top of the list is the sex question. The second point is to create a presentation on why he should sleep with someone in an exclusively platonic sense. The remaining items will be added, or maybe not, later. These two are the main ones.

(Don't think about Bruce, don't think about Bruce, don't think--)

The door creaked open. In the bat family, you know that noises are made only to warn you of their presence, and Tim turns around, sitting up in bed and expecting to see Damian. His eyebrows immediately meet.

«What are you doing here?»

«Good to see you, too, little bird», Jason, not at all embarrassed by Tim's tone, slammed the door and took two steps closer to the bed. Under Tim's frowning gaze, he fell onto the blankets, deftly jumping over the sides of the not-nest, and Tim did not move away only because there were also sides behind him. He won't ruin his exactly-not-nest because of one dumb alpha! He wasn't invited here, there was only enough room for Tim and Damian, and there were about two and a half Damians in Jason.

«Go away».

«No way».

«Go away or I'll hit you».

«Try it. I'll be happy to catch those beautiful wrists and press them over your smart head».

«Touch me and I'll castrate you».

«Sweet, if you voluntarily touch my penis, I will even personally invite you to try it».

«Try it? I can definitely cut off your balls».

«I'd like to see that, doll. You're very hot when you're angry».

«Pervert!»

Tim kicks Jason hard, who easily intercepts his leg, throwing it over his own hip. This doesn't stop Tim from immediately punching him with his hand, his fist hurts from colliding with Jason's shoulder. The alpha hisses, but grabs his hand and pulls him closer, pressing Tim to his chest, which is hot as an oven. Are all alphas so warm? Although it's not for Tim to judge – he's always been pretty cold.

«Let me go!»  He hissed, twitching and writhing. Jason's free hand pushes between Tim's side and the bed, pinning him to his waist, legs wrapping around Tim's leg. He's not completely immobilized, but the position is uncomfortable, and every attempt to twist makes their groins touch awkwardly. «I didn't let you in the room! Go away! You... you... Bastard!»

«Aw, someone's not in the mood today», Jason's voice is mocking, but then he takes on a serious, almost worried look. This makes Tim calm down for a second, too, breathing heavily and looking furious, but waiting. «Seriously, baby bird, what happened? We may not have known you specifically for a very long time, but right now you seem to be out of your mind».

«How do you know when I'm not myself?»

«That's what I'm saying, idiot, that I don't know, it just seems that way to me. Come on, Timbo. Tell your alpha what's bothering you».

Despite the teasing, mocking tone, Jason lets go of Tim's wrist. Instead, both of Todd's hands come down to his waist, stroking in an unobtrusive caress. Reluctantly, Tim relaxes, his head falls onto the mattress, his forehead rests against Jason's shoulder.

«You're not my alpha».

«Whatever you say, Sweetie».

«And I'm not sweet to you».

«All right, doll».

«You're insufferable».

«And very stubborn, Timbonny. So you'd better tell me everything now. Believe me, I'm not in a hurry, we have the whole night ahead of us».

«So if I tell you, you'll leave me alone?»

«I didn't say that».

«Tt» Tim clicked his tongue, slapping Jason on the chest, but not nearly as hard as he could have. «You know what? It doesn't matter! I'm coming home tomorrow anyway, it doesn't matter if I tell you something or not».

«I'm ready to listen to all your indignation, Tim-Tam».

Tim squinted, not understanding how much more Jason was going to distort his name, but he didn't say anything. At least in this regard.

«Everything here annoys me! I haven't been here more than a week, but you are unbearable! You act like you have rights over me, you evade answers, you don't let me solve my problem on my own. Your hands are everywhere, your lips are everywhere, my body reacts strangely, and I do not even know what is normal and what is not! I just want to come home, I want to get to know my puppy, but I would also like Damian to come to me today, because tonight is my last night here, and he is such a good kid, but he probably won't come, since I deceived you all today and he is definitely offended that I didn't even tell him the truth. I'm tired, I'm just fucking tired. I have to react more calmly, I've faced more serious situations as Robin, but it's simple here... Everything just keeps piling up, and I'm not sure why».

Tim stopped, catching his breath. The hand on his back moved in circles, pressing between his shoulder blades or rubbing his vertebrae. His breath burned his forehead and disturbed his hair, slightly tickling. His heel rubbed against his Achilles tendon. Tim knew that Jason was grounding him, preventing him from sinking into hysteria or succumbing to a deafening wave of thoughts. All of them were trained to calm the victims, even if the situation was very different from the scenarios they were training. Tim is just grateful for this support, absorbing his brother's pheromone, especially strong at his neck. It would be shameful to burst into tears in the arms of the alternate Jason, who had been acting like a total jerk to him all along.

«Shh, it's okay, bird. It's not a big deal that it unsettled you more than anything else. This is normal in such a situation».

«Why?» The question, full of sarcasm and even venom, came out before Tim had time to think it over. However, accompanied by a nasal voice bordering on tears, he did not sound at all as rude as he could have.

«Because you're surrounded by your pack. We may not be from your dimension, universe, multiverse, or whatever, but we smell the same. Your brain perceives it the same way. So you're stressed in a safe place, and your brain lets you feel all that stress, not suppress it for safety, as it would if you were in danger. You're comfortable enough with us that your instincts aren't trying to defend yourself».

«The brain, the instincts – it's all just nonsense. I'm telling you, everything in my world is not like yours. I'm just reacting stupidly».

«You can say that all you want, but we see that everything is the same, Timmitam. Don't argue».

«You idiot».

«Scientist. Biologist. By the way, Doctor of Sciences».

«Have you even finished school?»

«Dick's finished. True, he dropped out of college, but no one expects the Waynes to get a full education. Although Alfred is trying to convince Damian not to follow our example. I think the tomboy will listen to him. But I'm still telling the facts that have been proven by scientists, baby bird. We study them because we often work with omegas, as you probably know. They are more often abducted, more often they try to sell them, and they are used as victims. We are well acquainted with the topic».

«Nonsense anyway».

«I'll show you these studies sometime», Jason runs a hand through his hair, sighing, as if tired of this argument, but did not accept defeat. «In any case, there are more important questions».

«Really?»

«Don't be impertinent», Tim was completely disrespectfully pinched by the nose, immediately letting go. «You said that your body reacts strangely. What did you mean by that?»

Tim flushed. It wasn't that he wasn't paying attention to what he was saying, but he didn't want to say it anyway – it just came out. Now it was awkward. He wasn't going to discuss it with his brother, even if this Jason wasn't his brother. And his Jason is kind of not his brother yet. Simply... He'll be a brother. They're getting along, okay? They are already friends.

«Nothing. The excess escaped».

«Well, yes, pour it for me here».

«I'm not going to discuss it».

«It's too late, you've already started».

«Yes, and now I'm done. I have the right».

«Of course. No problem. As I said, we have the whole night ahead of us».

They fell silent. Tim stared stubbornly at Jason. He was sprawled almost boringly on his bed, not letting go of Tim, but not even pretending that he was planning to sleep. He looks back like the cock he is, this pompous, arrogant, nasty one...

«Okay! Great, yeah, sure, I'll tell you everything, asshole. If you try to laugh, I'll break your nose».

«What a formidable duckling. I'm shaking all over!»

«Idiot».

«Here! The Idiot is on the spot and ready to listen».

Tim hummed something completely inarticulate, bumped his forehead against Jason's shoulder, which he immediately regretted, and eventually calmed down.

«Okay. And so. Since I have no illusions about your interactions, I think Bruce could tell you that, well... What he...»

He refused to even think about it, so how could he say it? Fortunately, Jason had no trouble finding the right words.

«That he very brazenly tried to get into your panties first, yes, baby, we know. It's even funnier how you pulled off the pencil lead trick».

«Yeah, that's it», Tim swallowed. He couldn't look at Jason as he said this, and he felt his face burn. «In general, he made it... Help me. Twice».

«Let's say I understand what events you censor in your speech. So what is it? Was it bad?»

«No! I mean, no», Tim cleared his throat, trying to pull himself together. He was tense and even scared, and he's sure it's considered harassment or worse, but it wasn't a bad thing. And, in fact, he didn't resist? So he couldn't be charging Bruce with something, right?

(He knows what's wrong. They often helped omegas get out of such relationships, explaining that others could not touch them without their full consent. Tim understands that this is not true. Simply... They're one thing, but he's another. He's Robin. He could fight back. It's different).

«It was... Good».

«Was your body reacting strangely at that moment? Have you already eaten the pencil at that time?»

«No. To answer both questions. Later, when I went to the bathroom», he stammered, becoming even more embarrassed when he got to this part. Jason nodded without interrupting. He clearly remembered how Tim suddenly ran out of the family nest into the bathroom. «Something leaked out of me. It was transparent and viscous. I'm pretty sure it's slick. But she came out kind of... A lump? That is, it's not like that. It's just that usually, if I'm horny, the lube is just spread all over the inside of me, and so I'm sure that was it, but I've never before... And so I'm not sure if it's okay. That she didn't, well, sort of resolve by herself, but just came out later. This is strange».

«Wait, have you never cum before?!» the enthusiasm with which Jason exclaimed was simply outrageous. Despite his embarrassment at the topic of the conversation, Tim couldn't help but glare at the alpha, but the alpha just let go of Tim, turning on his back and bursting into laughter. «I'm sorry, I'm sorry, bird. It's just... this... Have you never touched yourself?»

«I touched it! It's just...» he stammered after clicking his tongue. «There are too many sensations. My legs were constantly starting to cramp, and I stopped to rest. Then I'd start over, and my legs would cramp up again, and I'd just... I have no idea what I was doing wrong. Anyway, it's not mine. I don't get turned on that often, and it's never happened that I looked at another person and thought: "Oh, I want him". I think I'm asexual».

«Or you have a low libido because your pack doesn't care about you at all», Jason caught his breath from laughing after listening carefully to Tim. His words, however, angered omega. He squinted, hissing.

«I don't understand how it could be interconnected».

«It's easy, bird. If the pack takes good care of its omega, the omega probably won't have any problems. And if he doesn't take good care, then some kind of hormone disorder will naturally occur. I bet you actually have a lot less contact with the alphas of your pack than you claim».

«I think you're just homophobic. Just, well, towards asexuals», Tim stammered, wondering if the word "asexophobe" existed. Probably not.

«I think if you were asexual, you wouldn't have gotten wet on Bruce's dick so quickly yesterday. Did you hate it so much that you got all your pants wet?»

«You!..»

Tim sat up abruptly, grabbing the nearest pillow, but Jason was faster. In a rush of colors, he found himself looming over Tim, settling between his legs and squeezing his wrists, pulling them aside with one hand.

«What am I, baby bird? Am I wrong? Was I not supposed to know? Shouldn't I have said?» He mockingly leaned closer, breathing directly into Tim's lips. He froze. There was no fear, his whole body was shaking weakly with anger. «Maybe I shouldn't have known that you were squeezing his cock with your hips like a particularly tempting whore. Or how your scent filled the nest so that we hid the risers with varying success this morning? Your arousal is so fragrant, baby bird. A real delicacy», he rose higher, his voice dropped, became quieter, and turned into a growling note that made Tim shudder. Contrary to his own statements, he felt a fire in his stomach and the same slick sensation that made the fabric of his underpants feel much clearer. «What is it?» his lips brushed Tim's ear. Teeth met on his earlobe, and Tim almost jumped, held in place only by Jason's hands. The alpha's leg shifted, his hip pressed against Tim's crotch, swaying slightly from side to side, letting out quiet, half-embarrassed sobs. «You know, we can easily feel your excitement in the air. You've been relying on patches so much that you have absolutely no control over the pheromone».

Tim jerked, trying to free himself from Jason's arms, righteous rage rapidly giving way to horror at what was happening. He pulled his legs closer to his chest, intending to kick Jason, but Jason only blocked his left leg with his hand gripping his wrists, and caught his right knee, holding it in an almost uncomfortably open position.

«There's nothing wrong with your body. Bruce just didn't take care of you properly when you came, baby bird. Of course, he didn't. He was planning to wet his cock with your juices. You'd expect a more restrained demeanor from a famous playboy, wouldn't you?»

They moved, and Tim's leg was released. When he tried to kick Jason with it, Jason grabbed the elastic band of his pants and pulled them up, pulling them down to his knees. He had to let go of his hands to take off his pants and underpants, which made Tim shudder when he felt the cold air on his sensitive areas. Now, without hiding it, Tim has to admit that he did not fight at full strength. Not because he just wanted to pretend to be tough, but because it was Jason. Maybe not his, but the same. His Robin, his hero, his almost-brother, and, tricking his instincts, his pack member. Tim couldn't hit him with all his might, not in this situation, but he could and tried to escape, which didn't work out solely because of the difference in strength – Jason caught him by the arm, yanked him back onto the bed, threw Tim's knees over his shoulders and growled, making Tim instinctively freeze.

«Quiet», he ordered, which was as effective as Dick's order that first day. Tim didn't even think about it, immediately spreading out on the bed in an unresisting mass. «That's it, good omega. Was it really that hard?»

«Jason», Tim cursed himself as a sob escaped his lips and tears filled his eyes. A quick blink only made the situation worse, Tim could feel the salt making hot trails through his temples. «Don't. Please. I don't want».

«Don't cry», Jason bent down, his breath brushing Tim's thighs. «I'm not a barbarian. And not an idiot like Bruce. I'm not going to rape you. I'm just going to make you feel good, that's all».

After these words, Jason's tongue passed between his lips, thin, elongated. His mouth pressed against Tim's crotch, burning with warmth, his hands squeezed his hips, pressing on the glands with their own hands. The tongue slides up, down, pushes in the middle, penetrating very shallowly inside, and then the lips shift, rising higher, and Jason sucks. Tim gasped soundlessly, choking on air, his back arched, his whole body was covered with goosebumps. His hands clutched at the sheets, and with every movement of Jason's tongue, lips, and even nose, the sobs turned into moans.

Jason definitely knew what he was doing. His tongue made Tim thrash, his hips trembled, not squeezing the alpha's head just because of the hands holding them. His thoughts were hazy – not at all like when Bruce was caressing him, but really, Tim felt like he couldn't focus on anything but Jason's actions and the burning desire that made his legs vibrate and his pelvis twitch towards him, lifting and pushing forward.

His muscles cramped, and his knees bent, squeezing Jason's head in spite of his grip. Tim could barely feel if Jason was trying to free himself from his grip. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, as if after staring at the light for a long time. He was shaking, feeling his lips wrap around her clit, continuing to suck until Tim's legs relaxed and his whole body felt heavy as jelly.

It took Tim a moment to realize that something was wrong. Only when Jason penetrates him with a wide movement of his tongue, runs along the walls, slowly licking, Tim realizes that the alpha has not pulled away. He wheezes a little, not even trying to push Jason away, wondering what he's doing. Unlike Bruce, Jay no longer touches his clit, teases him a second time, and after a minute or less pulls away, running his tongue over his lips. Tim blushes, turning away. His lube glistens on the alpha's chin.

«That's how», he said proudly, clicking his tongue. «Bruce was supposed to end up. Or take you to the bathroom, but it's not that interesting at all. It feels different, you know?»

With that, he pats Tim on the knee, but all Tim could look at at that time was the imposing tent in the alpha's pants. As soon as Jason relaxed, Tim swung his right leg over to his left, squeezing his hips as tightly as his training would allow.

«I'm not going to help», he hissed, not knowing if he was doing better or worse. Maybe he shouldn't have shown at all that he was paying attention to the alpha's condition. Maybe he should have used the moment to jump up and lock himself in the bathroom. Tim wasn't sure if his legs would hold him up, but he could try.

He's always making mistakes lately.

«I wasn't hoping», Jason grins, leaning forward. He rests his elbow on the pillows next to Tim's head, looming over him. «I told you, I'm not going to rape you." If you don't want to, we won't, it's fair, right?»

Tim disagrees. Jason was touching him anyway. Jason's tongue was doing unimaginable things to him. Very pleasant, maddening, but things that didn't get Tim's consent. This is violence. It must be violence. If that's not the case, then there's something wrong with this world too.

Jason doesn't try to spread Tim's legs. He bends down so that Tim is trapped between the mattress and the alpha's chest, his nose against Jason's neck. Todd smells like excitement. These are additional notes of freshness that make Tim's mouth water. He gets distracted by thoughts of what it would be like to bite a skin that smells so exciting. Consciousness returns to what is happening when groans are heard in his ear, and thudding, muffled sounds are heard from below.

«Jason?» Is he panicking? He's not panicking. He's in shock, yes, he's in shock, but he's not panicking. All it takes is an alpha caressing himself right above him, whose biceps are as big as Tim's head. He's not panicking at all. «Jason, come on...»

He screams as hot cum pours onto his stomach, and Jason growls, not letting him move from his seat. The alpha actually collapses on top of him, smearing the liquid between their bodies, and won't let Tim get out of bed until he gets his breath back. Even then, he doesn't so much let Tim go as sit down and pull omega towards him, back to chest. His hands rest on Tim's stomach, and Tim is extremely indignant as he watches Jason rub his seed into his skin.

«You're disgusting».

«Shut up, little bird. Let me catch my breath».

«Pervert. Crazy».

«I love you too».

«Bastard. Prick. Let me go. Idiot».

Tim is shaking. His whole body is shaking, not at all in a sexual way, his eyes hurt, and tears are pouring down his cheeks. Jason doesn't let him go. He purrs, clutching Tim in an all-encompassing embrace, humming something and completely oblivious to the breakdown he provoked. Tim doesn't know what to do. He's scared, but he feels good, his body is tense, but he's never been so relaxed. Something inside him, whether it's his instincts or his essence, is deeply satisfied, but the leading, rational part of his mind is terrified. He doesn't know how much time has passed. At one point, he twitches, trying to hit Jason again, but the impulse is quickly suppressed by the alpha's simple shushing.

Tim can't remember the last time he cried like that. Probably when he first failed to save a civilian. Even after losing both his parents, he didn't suffer so much. They weren't close to him.

The Waynes are close to him. And what their counterparts from another dimension are doing is disgusting. He just wants to go home. Damn it, he wants to go home.

«That's enough, baby bird. Nothing terrible happened to fall apart like that», when the sobs turned into hiccups, Jason picked them up from the bed and carried them into the bathroom. He helped Tim wash his face, moistened a towel, wiped his legs and crotch, quickly dried himself and returned both to the nest. «I'm not Damian, of course, but I'll keep you company tonight." Good night, Timbit».

Tim just wants to go home.

Konstantin is coming tomorrow.