Chapter Text
Jason ran. At once he was twelve and stumbling to pull his grapple from his belt as he stuttered in the shadows of his new pack. And four years alive again at an age he hadn’t yet decided on, sprinting from his once pack alpha. And he was now, running from his pack as they whooped and howled wildly, free as the night they chased him through.
He lasted longer than he thought he would with every bat on his tail, although more than once he could see a shadow closing in before falling back into line. Even Batman himself had joined, bringing up the rear. His silhouette against the moon was unmistakable when Jason dared to look back as he grappled between buildings. His foot slipped when he landed on the next roof and, although he caught himself in a roll and sprinted on, aiming to jump the next gap, he could feel the thrum on footsteps behind him and the heat of the alphas chasing him as they panted through ever widening grins.
Cass almost caught him, swinging herself in a wide arc, fingers just grazing his jacket as he managed to dodge, before she danced away with a delighted noise. Jason had never been more relieved to have taken his helmet off before as he panted out a triumphant response and vaulted over a low wall, letting himself fall and roll onto the lower roof, before he was up and sprinting again. Up ahead he could see the gap of a road and the lower, residential roofs of a row of housing before they leapt up sharply into an apartment block.
A hand latched onto his belt when he grappled onto a balcony, but a bitten off curse from Tim told him the younger alpha would be forced to let go in order to catch himself on the narrow railing and, before he could gather himself, Jason was off and up onto the roof again. The tiles had less grip than he’d hoped, forcing him to slow enough to see the shadows that were Damian and Steph on the other side of the street as they raced him to get to the apartment block first.
He made, barely skirting them both as they leapt to catch him, although he had to scale a section of scaffolding when he couldn't get to his grapple gun in time, before running flat out once again.
Subconsciously, Jason’s body had pushed him to run for Park Row and familiar roofs were rising to meet his boots when he made to jump the final stretch, and was instead caught by the wrist and spun into Nightwing's blue embossed chest.
“Caught ya,” the alpha sing-songed as five pairs of boots landed on the roof and the pack swarmed to join them. Jason found himself purring through his panting, accepting celebratory scenting as each pack mate extracted a gland from their glove to rub on his or, in Damian’s case, butted up under his chin like a kitten.
“Well done, Jaylad,” Bruce crooned as he took his time ruffling the omega’s hair and not too subtly checking his temperature.
“Home?” Dick asked, squeezing Jason’s scruff to get his attention.
The omega nodded gleefully.
…
Jason was glad Dick took over directing the others, because once the adrenaline of the run faded, his instincts took over fast and he found himself squished up against the alpha’s side in the back of the Batmobile with only a vague memory of being gently guided in. Damian was sat on his other side and the pup had shed his cloak, mask and scent patches so he could nuzzle into Jason’s hold.
“Where we goin’?” The omega mumbled to Dick, who paused playing with his hair when he realised he’d regained some of his ability to think straight.
“Your safe house,” he explained patiently, giving Jason the feeling this had probably been told to him before, even if he had no recollection of the words outside of the rumble of Dick’s chest against his ear as he was led down from the rooftops in his brother’s arms. “The others are going back to the manor to get supplies whilst we get you settled.”
Jason hummed, pushing through the fog in his brain to catalogue what nesting materials he had at the moment and was pleased to remember he had plenty waiting for him just under his bed. But, at the thought of them, memories of his previous nesting struggles came back to him.
He whined pitifully against Dick’s shoulder.
“Akhi?” Damian questioned softly, shuffling somehow closer until Jason’s instincts took over and he was nuzzling into the young alpha’s hair and cooing in comfort.
“Is he alright?” Bruce asked from the driver’s seat.
“Whatever the problem is, we’ll deal with it together,” Dick told them firmly. He traced his fingers up and down Jason’s spine until he subconsciously relaxed and the car was filled with a perfume of happy-relaxed-in-heat omega.
Jason’s rational thoughts had slipped away again by the time they got to his safe house but, luckily, he at least seemed to recognise the building enough that it only took minor coaxing and Dick’s hand on his back to get him up the stairs and into his apartment.
Once inside, the alphas lingered by the door as Jason took off for his bedroom and, presumably, his nest. It was the polite thing to do, given this wasn’t any of their dens and they hadn’t been invited in yet. However, that lasted all of two minutes before the omega realized they hadn’t followed and stuck his head back out of his bedroom door with furrowed brows and a confused pout.
“Dickie…” he whined and Dick surprised even himself with the control he demonstrated in not sprinting over to his pack omega.
“Yeah?”
Jason didn’t actually respond verbally, but he did let out an imploring whine and tilt his head enough for Dick’s instincts to get the picture. He crossed to the doorway in five strides and bumped their heads together in hasty affection.
“Want some help?” He offered as Jason pushed back against him with a rumbly little purr. The omega nodded against his forehead. “Do you want B and Dami too, or just me?”
Jason actually pulled back and took a few slow blinks to clear his head before he answered.
“Pup.”
Then he frowned because he was pretty sure that wasn’t what he meant to say. Dick’s lips twitched like he was holding back a laugh, the bastard.
“Sure Jay, Dami can come help. B will wait out here, right?” Dick gave Bruce a pointed look and although he looked pained, the older alpha nodded slowly and made a show of staying put by the door whilst Damian practically skipped to Jason’s side.
Jason’s bedroom was as neat and nestless as he had left it, something that did not escape either alphas’ attention as they both crowded around the bed to examine it with furrowed brows. Jason hung back a moment, waiting for their reactions as he watched the detectives behind their eyes wade through the facts. For some reason, his instincts were insisting that whatever they had to say about his bed was important.
“You… haven’t been nesting,” Dick said after a very overdue pause.
“You haven’t been nesting for a while,” Damian corrected, tearing his stormy gaze from the dejectedly flat bed. “Why.”
Jason shrugged, then moved towards his closet only to have his path blocked.
“No, Jay. This isn’t a brush past it moment.” Dick reprimanded. His voice was soft but the omega still found himself whining in confusion. If they were upset about the lack of nest, why stop him from making one? He tried again to get past, only to be stopped by careful hands on his shoulders.
“Just sit down for a minute, little wing, we need to talk about this.” Dick pushed him gently towards the bed. Jason still took a moment to look between them, before taking a tentative step over. When both alphas nodded encouragingly, he shuffled over and onto the bed, curling his legs up under him so he could peer at his pack mates over his knees.
“Okay,” Dick said and although it came out calm, Jason could see him centering himself for this conversation. The omega tucked his legs closer to his chest as he waited. “When did you stop nesting?”
”I… I didn’t,” he mumbled defensively.
”Do you have a nest here, then? Not on your bed?” Damian asked. When Jason shook his head, the young alpha let a frustrated noise slip out, only to clamp down on any more as Dick’s hand came to rest on his shoulder in warning, even if that same frustration was mirrored in both of their scents.
“Do you have a nest at all, Jason?” His pack alpha asked and again, all he could do was shake his head.
A distressed noise somewhere between a growl and a whine ripped out of both of them, making the omega tuck his head in against his knees, hiding his face in shame. He’d fucked up somehow already, he was certain of it.
An ungloved hand on his calf and a soft squeeze bid him look up in time to watch Dick use his other hand to peel off his scent patches and pump soothing salty rain into the air. “We’re not angry at you, Jay. You know that, right?”
He nodded hesitantly.
Dick sighed, looking at him with sad but fond eyes. “You know or you think that's what I want to hear?”
Jason bit his lip.
“Yeah, I had a feeling.”
Carefully, Dick lowered himself so they were at eye level.
“I’m not angry that you haven’t been able to nest, omega.” He explained slowly. Jason found himself nodding along, even reaching for the alpha’s wrist in an attempt to draw him closer so he could show how sorry he was through simpering and scenting.
“Akhi,” Damian said admonishingly before he climbed onto the bed next to Jason and pawed at his legs until the omega lowered them and made room for his pup in his lap. “Listen.” His baby demanded and, with the grounding weight of him and the familiar steel and pine scent, Jason found himself nodding in agreement.
Dick caught his hand and held it tight, not letting him pull back or try to force his way under his alpha’s chin to beg forgiveness. “I’m not angry, sweetheart. But-”
Jason whined.
“But,” Dick continued after squeezing his hand. “I want you to tell me these things. It’s not fair that you suffer alone, not after last time.”
”One of the pack, at least,” Damian added on, tilting his head back so he could look Jason in the eye. “Please, akhi. Let us help.”
Jason swallowed, trying to find his voice again.
”Okay,” he answered after a moment and was rewarded by both alphas breaking out in rumbling purrs and crowding into him to rub their cheeks together, leaving Jason squished pleasantly between them. He cooed happily at the sensation before they pulled back and Damian glanced worriedly at the pack alpha.
“He’s warm,” the younger alpha said. “Really warm.”
”It’s called a heat for a reason, Dami,” Dick sighed as he ruffled the kid’s hair. “He’ll be okay if we keep an eye on it. Now, where are your nesting things, little wing? Your closet?”
Jason shook his head then pointed to the bed. Dick’s brows furrowed for a split second before he sank to his knees again and bent down to check under the bed.
“Of course,” his brother murmured before re-emerging with an armful of all the blankets and clothes and other items Jason hadn’t wanted to think about in the last few weeks. The alpha dropped them onto the bed before standing back. Jason eyed them suspiciously.
”Let’s get you out of your suit first, yeah?” Dick said after a long few minutes of silent staring. The omega submitted himself to being shuffled off the bed and out of his gear, managing to resurface just enough to help Dick get it put away in a safe in the bottom of his closet, before being handed heat boxers, a worn pair of sweats and a hoodie from the nesting pile that both Dick and Damian scented liberally to revive the notes of pack safety that had begun to fade from the fibres.
Then, both alphas stood back and looked at him expectantly. Jason blinked at them slowly, trying to figure out what they were waiting for through his sluggish thoughts.
Food, maybe, he thought and set off determinedly, padding out of the room and towards the kitchen. Although, when he got there he found Batman brooding by the window, looking out over the street below. Maybe not Batman, actually, as when he heard Jason come in, Bruce turned his head, brows furrowed.
”Dad,” Jason mumbled happily before slotting himself against the hard plates of his chest armour for a quick hug.
“Jaylad?” Bruce asked confusedly, although his hand did come up to brush Jason’s hair momentarily. Then, to someone behind him, “What’s the problem? Shouldn’t he be nesting?”
Jason pulled away to start going through his fridge, deliberating on the best foods for his pack, when he felt Dick’s hand on his back, moving in soothing up and down strokes.
”We’re not sure,” his pack alpha explained in gentle tones. “He hasn’t been nesting at all.”
”At… all?” Bruce repeated, sounding lost. Jason didn’t like the tone he used at all and let out a little whine to tell them that, but it just made Dick redouble his efforts against his back.
Which, as Jason worked to begin cooking, really weren’t all that bad he realised. It was a grounding touch, whilst also helping distract him from the ache beginning in his lower belly and the fevered feeling just under his skin.
Damian and Bruce spoke in low tones about something he didn’t bother to keep track of as Dick followed him about the kitchen. Although when they stopped, he could smell his own growing discomfort with the heavy silence until Dick found his phone and put some music on quiet to fill the background.
Once Jason had served the food he admittedly hadn’t really been paying his full attention to, they ate quietly, standing in his kitchen because Jason’s hips had begun to ache again and he didn’t want anyone to realise when he moved to sit down.
Somehow, his alphas must have realised though, as Bruce took the bowl from his hands to wash, whilst Dick and Damian flanked him, herding him gently with soft hands on his lower back, over to his couch. Admittedly, Jason was grateful when Dick helped to lower him down, as his legs had begun to tremble and curling into a ball around the cramps in his belly sounded amazing right then.
“Okay?” Dick crooned as he knelt beside the couch and continued his careful ministrations over Jason’s back. The omega caught his free hand and chirped softly in agreement when Dick squeezed it reassuringly. Slowly, Damian wriggled into the gap between him and the couch and lay his head on Jason’s side, starting up a reassuring purr.
Distantly, Jason could hear a knock at the door and the sounds of Bruce opening it before Steph and Cass walked in, wearing civies and carrying a large duffle bag each. They paused to take stock of the room before coming over to great the pack alpha by offering their wrists for inspection. Once Dick had brushed his gland over theirs, Jason managed to lift his head enough to give them both a tiny scenting.
“Where should we put the stuff?” Steph asked, her voice low as if to not disturb the atmosphere, gesturing to the bags they’d brought.
“Put the supplies in the kitchen and give Dames and B their change of clothes,” Dick said and Jason finally remembered the three alphas were still mostly in their suits. He tried to lift his head to whine at them unhappily, but instead had his hair stroked soothingly.
“It’s okay, Jay,” Dick told him. Jason huffed at him, pulling at the wrist of the Nightwing suit on the hand he was holding.
”Ah,” Dick said with sudden understanding, before untangling their hands long enough to strip out of the top half, then retaking Jason’s hand with a proud little croon. “There. Can’t do much more until Tim gets here.”
“Tim’s not back yet?” Cass asked from somewhere behind the couch. Now that she had mentioned it, Jason furrowed his brows.
“Soon, akhi,” Damian mumbled against his side. The pup sounded sleepy and smelled strongly enough of comfort-content-rest that Jason relaxed easily into the couch once again.
…
Tim arrived some time later. Jason had begun to doze between being brought glasses of water to drink and occasionally having his temperature checked. Dick had at some point moved onto the couch and brought the omega’s head into his lap, whilst Damian resembled a blanket more with every sleepy shuffle.
Jason did not hear who opened the door, but he scented the young alpha easily as he bee lined for them.
Under his cheek, Dick shifted. “Dames, take over here for me,”
”Take over what?” Damian asked, lifting himself up and off Jason enough to get a little whine out of the omega.
”Pressure against his back, like this,” Dick explained, sweeping his hand up and down Jason’s spine again until the whine stopped entirely. “Makes omegas feel safe.”
The younger alpha must have nodded as he took up the task dutifully as Dick slipped out from under Jason and lay the omega’s head on something that smelt like him and carried just enough residual heat that Jason wasn’t too mad he was gone.
Thankfully, he was quickly distracted by Tim coming over to greet him with a brush of their wrists together that Jason took as an invitation to yank him down and onto the couch so he could scent him properly, removing the last of the scent of outside.
“TT, Drake your foot is practically in my lap.”
”I don’t exactly have room to move it!”
”Of course you do, you-”
”Boys-”
”Awww, are you two cuddling?”
”Brown!”
”Steph, don’t-”
The sound of a camera click made Jason blink his eyes open blearily.
”Enough.” Dick sounded stern but smelt of clean laundry and only a little frustration as he rounded the couch. “Jay, you want to sleep in your bed or out here?”
”Here,” Jason mumbled.
“Alright, squish over.” Dick managed to wriggle his way back onto the couch with Jason, Tim and Damian, before he draped a familiar red blanket over the omega, who purred deeply in gratitude.
It wasn’t long before his eyes were heavy and he drifted off to the sounds of quiet conversation and the feeling of four sets of purrs rippling through the couch under him.
…
When Jason next woke, Damian had somehow replaced Tim in his arms. The pup was tucked up under his chin, thankfully wearing clean clothes and not his robin uniform, snoring softly. Whilst Tim had found himself on the floor where he’d stolen a pillow to rest his head on as he typed furiously on his phone. Dick too had succumbed to sleep, still upright, but with his head slumped back against the couch cushions.
“What time is it?” The omega mumbled, squinting through the eye not smushed into Dick’s sweats.
”Around noon. How are you feeling, Jaylad?” Bruce answered, sounding like he was somewhere near the kitchen. Sure enough, after wriggling a little to get a look, Jason found him sat in the second hand arm chair the couple next door had helped him drag in when he found it and almost cried over how much it reminded him of Alfred and the manor.
”Sore. Crampy. Still tired.”
”A shower might help?” Bruce offered. Jason could almost feel the tears of relief at the thought of warm water on his overheated, tacky skin alone.
”Mmm, sounds good, let me just wake Dick.” Reaching one arm up to sloppily flick his brother’s face seemed to do the trick.
Dick opened an eye, glancing between the window and the door, before settling on Jason. ”Hm? Lil’ wing?”
”Shower time, Dickhead,” Jason said, patting the alpha’s cheek.
”M’kay,” Dick groaned, stretching his arms above his head. Then, he wrapped them around Jason to stand and pull them both off the couch. Dick carried him over the pack staked out on the floor, before setting him on his feet.
”Alright. Walk to the bathroom on your own and you can shower without anyone in the room,” the alpha said through a jaw-cracking yawn.
“Yeah, I know, I know,” Jason sighed. He took a few deep breaths, then began his wobbly walk to the bathroom door, already thankful the rest of the pups were asleep in a tangle over his floor as he swayed like a drunken storm with each shuffling step.
“What…” Brude trailed off, obviously at a loss. In any other circumstance, Jason would have taken absolute glee in the look on his face.
“It’s a system we worked out when Jay was a pup,” Dick explained, following a few paces behind the omega. “Since he was too stubborn to ask for help to walk and I didn’t want him to fall over in the bathroom without anyone there to catch him.”
”Dick, you shouldn’t have forced your way into the bathroom whilst he was-“
“I sat facing the door, fully clothed and spoke the entire time so he could tell I hadn’t moved. Ah, and you lose, little wing,” Dick snorted, watching as the omega stumbled on the final step and only just caught himself on the door handle before he was being hoisted up again.
“God dammit, it’s because it’s the first day,” Jason told him stubbornly. “And I’m hungry.”
”Shower first, it’ll help with the cramps and you’ll feel better clean. Then food.” Dick said as he swept into the bathroom, then paused to let out a low whistle. “I should start letting Babs choose my new safe houses.”
Jason could feel his ears heat as he patted Dick’s shoulder to be let down and shuffled over to the turn on the, admittedly overly complex, shower. Once the water was sufficiently warmed, he glanced over to see Dick had already taken up his sentry spot, facing the door with his arms crossed. Although, he wasn’t sat this time and had instead opted to lean his hip against the counter.
“I’m not going to fall, Dickhead,” Jason muttered as he stripped, waited for his vision to stop spinning, then slid into the shower to scrub the sweat from his skin and the grime from his hair. Even he could admit that wearing a helmet had a few drawbacks.
Irritatingly, he did stumble a little getting out and could only sigh deeply when Dick’s hand caught his bicep, the other holding his thickest, fluffiest towel. He surrendered to being wrapped in it and guided to sit between Dick’s legs as the alpha perched on the edge of the tub to dry his hair.
“Clothes?” Dick offered once Jason’s curls were only slightly damp and no longer plastered to his skin. The omega nodded, shuffling over so he could hop off the tub and head for the door. “Mine, yours or B’s?”
”Surprise me,” Jason mumbled, already knowing he wasn’t going to receive a single item from his closet.
He’d made it to his feet by the time Dick got back and was rummaging through one of the bathroom cabinets for a balm Leslie had offered him last time he’d begrudgingly let her check him over more generally than whatever injury he was currently hiding from his pack.
“For your glands?” Dick asked, reading the label shamelessly over Jason’s shoulder.
“‘S supposed to stop them getting so irritated,” he explained, looking anywhere but the alpha.
“Huh. Didn’t even know that was a thing,” Dick said with a shrug. Jason put the little tub down to accept the clothes in his arms.
“Alphas,” he snorted as he dug through the pile for the heat boxers.
“Hey now, don’t stereotype. I’m pretty sure I own more lotions than you ever have. It’s how I maintained my youthful glow,” Dick joked, framing his face with his hands and batting his lashes like it wasn’t obvious he’d been sleeping in what was basically a puppy pile not an hour earlier.
Jason scoffed. ”You’re so annoying. Timbers can be on shower watch if you don’t shut up.”
Undeterred, Dick sing-songed as he turned to give the omega some privacy, “Tim can’t carry you.”
”… fuck I hate being the biggest.”
”No you don’t.”
”I do right now if it means I’m stuck with your annoying ass,” he grumbled even as he slipped on what was most definitely not one of his hoodies and some shorts that just about fit. He stuck his nose in the collar and sighed at the mix of pack scents all underlined with salty caramel and rain.
Then, after rubbing a generous amount of the balm onto his neck and wrists, he let Dick guide him out to the kitchen and into a chair.
”Alfred came by with food earlier,” the alpha explained when Jason opened his mouth to protest the idea of Dick going anywhere near his kitchen when he wasn’t in a fit state to put out the resulting fires. Sure enough, when Dick opened the door, Jason’s fridge was stocked with enough easy to prep food to feed most of the pack for a few days.
The sounds of food being prepped soon brought over the others, trailing blankets and looking sleepy, although they all stopped to let Jason scent them before they collected a plate from Dick. Jason ended up with Tim sat at his feet and Damian in his lap, the girls sitting opposite him, whilst Bruce and Dick hovered over them all.
“Your fever’s come down a little,” Damian told him, one hand around his wrist as they ate.
Jason nodded. “Cramps have gone for a minute, too.”
Steph winced sympathetically and caught his free hand to give it a squeeze of solidarity.
“That’s good though, right?” Tim piped up.
“Yeah, for the minute, it’s all good,” Jason agreed.
…
It was not good. Not good at all.
The omega’s temperature had spiked again after just a few hours, he’d had to change clothes completely from a combination of sweat and other fluids he really didn’t want to think about, and his cramps were back with a fucking vengeance.
He whined miserably against the pillow under his head because, worst of all, Dick had left.
“Akhi, he’s showering,” his pup reminded him and although Jason could hear the water running through the wall of his bedroom, his instincts weren’t believing it in the slightest.
He’d retreated from the rest of the pack when he once again failed to nest. After eating, they’d herded him back to the couch to relax with a movie on in the background. Only, Steph had gone to fetch her hoodie from one of the duffle bags and Jason had caught sight of what was definitely a nesting pillow and all at once his failures had fallen on him once again.
It took a lot of coaxing for Damian alone to be let inside the bedroom with him, and a lot more whining and crooning for Dick, where they spent the next hour trying to console him before ultimately abandoning him in his pathetic, nestless room.
Damian’s shoulders slumped a little at the despairing scent Jason was letting off. “Akhi-”
“Damian,” a voice from the doorway interrupted him. When he looked over, he found Richard there, hair still wet and only a pair of sweats hastily put on. “Go order dinner with the others? Jay likes burgers best.”
Damian wrinkled his nose at the thought of offering such subpar food to their omega in his heat. “But Pennyworth-”
Once again, he was cut off by Richard shaking his head. “He’ll be craving something familiar, and probably a lot of carbs and fats.”
With one last longing look at his omega, Damian relented to the pack alpha’s instructions and got off the bed, slipping past him to re-enter the rest of the flat and meet the curious-worried looks of the pack.
Dick waited until the door clicked shut gently behind him before he approached the bed.
“Hey, little wing.”
”… Dickie,” Jason mumbled back, turning just enough to reveal one glossy eye.
“Oh sweetheart, you’re not under at all, are you?” Dick knelt by the edge of the bed to brush the white curls clinging to Jason’s forehead back. “I was hoping you’d find your way down slowly. I’m sorry.”
Miserably, Jason shook his head. “’S not your fault, Dickie.”
Dick bit his tongue on replying that he should have predicted this, or at least realised sooner that Jason was struggling. Instead, he crooned softly and focused on moving slowly enough for Jason to object as he rubbed their wrists together in a slow scenting.
“Not what you were expecting, huh?” Jason asked, looking miserable, even as he uncurled his arm and offered more of it for Dick to sweep his wrist over.
“Honestly? No, it’s not,” Dick agreed, keeping his eyes down. “I thought you’d hate having us here pretty quickly.”
”Why?” When he looked, Dick could see the absolute bewilderment on Jason’s face, as if his confused scent didn’t give it away, heavy as it was with heat.
“You’ve been asking for space ever since my rut and none of us have given it to you. I thought I was helping, but-”
”Dickie, what the fuck are you talking about,” Jason interrupted. He pushed himself up to sit, breaking their point of contact, and stare down at his pack alpha.
“I’ve been treating you like I would have when you were a pup,” Dick started again. Only this time, he stopped himself as Jason’s expression twisted up along with his scent.
“I’m still me, Dickie.”
Dick had to swallow mouthfuls of air when the scent of heartache reached him, and even then it didn’t do much but lodge the taste of pain in the back of his throat and bring tears to his eyes. Jason’s shoulder were hunched, his head ducked and maybe he was almost two foot taller, maybe his hair was shot through with a lighting bolt of white and his eyes were glassy green and not vibrant blue but he was still Dick’s little omega brother.
“It’s you,” Dick choked out as his arms wrapped around Jason, as much of him as he could reach, and the force of him pushed them both back onto the bed. He bumped their foreheads, rubbed their cheeks together, then shoved his face into Jason’s neck as he waited out the burnt scent of pain and tried to replace it with his own.
They lay there for a while, Dick mumbling apologies between bursts of warbling crooning as Dick’s alpha tried to pour sheer love through his scent and onto his little brother. Soon Jason was pawing at him back, lazily rubbing his forehead on Dick’s shoulder and his wrist on his arm in a way that screamed scent drunk.
It was a shuddering coo that made Dick pull back, moving to sit next to the omega and keep up only minimal contact, holding his hand, until Jason’s eyes had cleared a little. Slowly, the omega stretched, before sitting up to face him.
“So…” Dick trailed off.
“What now?” Jason finished for him.
“We can go back to the others and wait to see if you go down on your own?” Dick offered, wincing even as he said it. Jason wasn’t going to give into his instincts fully alone. He knew it, his alpha knew it and so did Jason if his arched brow was anything to go by. “Okay, fair. We’ll have to work on it. Make sure you feel safe-”
“I feel safe!” Jason protested.
“Do you? It’s okay if you don’t, Jay.” Dick sighed, gesturing with his free hand to the nestless room and the closed door between Jason and the rest of their pack.
”I do.” His brother insisted.
”Would you let me scruff you? Right now,” Dick countered, only to fall silent at the raw desperation-want-pleading in Jason’s scent.
The next noise out of Jason was pure, animalistic omega as he scrambled over the bed and into Dick’s lap like a pup. “Yes.”
Oh. Dick thought.
“Oh,” Dick said, adjusting their position given he hadn’t sat down expecting six foot of upset omega on top of him. Once he was satisfied his legs weren’t going numb and Jason had found a comfortable spot with his ear to Dick’s heart, he took a steadying breath.
He’d been fully prepared for an argument, to have the offer spat at and thrown back in his face given Jason hadn’t even hinted at wanting to be scruffed since Dick and his brothers had come out of their ruts. A soft whine reminded him that this wasn’t Jason crawling through his window for a familiar scent, but Jason in heat without the headspace to at least dull the discomfort.
“I guess the question now is, when do you want to go down?”
Wordlessly, Jason tilted his head to offer Dick his scruff.
…
The pack was just dividing up an almost absurd amount of take out when Dick exited the bedroom, carrying a blanket wrapped Jason that he placed on the couch before doubling back to bring a bundle of other blankets he handed to the omega to fuss into a miniature nest.
“He looks better,” Steph said as Dick picked through the food for a paper wrapped burger he relinquished easily to Jason’s grabbing hands.
“Akhi?” Damian asked, getting up to cross to the couch before stopping and standing stiffly as in unsure what to to do next. Fortunately, Jason took one look at him and wrapped an arm around the pup to pull him onto the couch with him, nuzzling his hair, before he went back to eating.
“So…” Tim said slowly, once the food was gone, eyes darting pointedly between Dick, Jason and the duffle bags.
Dick nodded once and suddenly everyone was up and clamouring to get their nest offerings ready. Jason blinked at them slowly, then turned on Dick with big eyes and extended arms.
Dick snorted.
“Guys, hang on a sec.” The scrambling and bickering paused questioningly for a second as Dick bent to hoist Jason up into his arms. “He wants to do this in the bedroom. Just come in one at a time and don’t be surprised if he forgets you’re there once he’s got what he wants.”
Sure enough once Damian, who had smugly arrived first with a towering stack of blankets from his den, had been scented thoroughly and tucked into the safest spot in the nest Jason could find, he was abandoned in favour of Steph’s pillows that Jason fussed into the correct shape and then into the nest’s walls. Then they were forgotten for Cass’ deeply impressive collection of stolen clothes, including one of Bruce’s actual capes and a shirt Dick made a squawking noise when he saw because apparently it was a work shirt he’d worn only the day before. Tim brought him one of the nesting pillows Dick had bought during his rut and a collection of well scented hoodies.
Then, Bruce had entered and offered him one of Alfred’s handkerchiefs, a gift from the beta himself, and a silky blanket Jason remembered from Bruce’s den. He made a questioning chirp as he took it, running his fingers over the fabric.
“It was my mothers,” Bruce explained. “She nested with it every heat. I know she’d want her only omega grandchild to have it.”
Jason launched himself into Bruce’s arms with a grateful noise and managed a whole five minutes before he was wiggling to be put back into his nest. Bruce retreated to the other side of the room, unlike the other who had been tugged into the nest, but he stayed and that was all Jason’s instincts cared about right then.
Finally, he turned on Dick with an expectant noise.
“What?” Dick said with a raised brow.
Jason whined.
“I swear you’d take the clothes off my back if you could,” he laughed but he still left the room and came back with his own bag. “Here, little wing.”
Carefully, Jason accepted the pile of scented items and sorted through them before he wove them into his nest, shuffling his siblings about as he saw fit. Once he was done, he sat back on his haunches and made a satisfied chirp.
Dick nudged his shoulder gently to get his attention, holding out Zitka and the plush rabbit for Jason to take. That was enough for Jason to break into a delighted purr and slump into the middle of the nest, cuddling them to his chest.
“We gotta get you a bigger bed, Jay,” Tim groaned, drawing a huff of laughter from the omega when he caught sight of just how tightly he’d managed to squish four not really pups into his nest. But it was quickly swallowed up by proud purring when he realised they hadn’t moved at all from where he’d put them and soon he was distracted from their complaining (it died out quickly under Dick’s glare anyway) by fussing everything into its perfect place and laying down to take a long nap with his pack where he could see them. Just as his eyes fell closed, he watched Dick slide down to sit at the end of the bed, facing the door, and Bruce moving to join him.
“Don’t you have patrol soon? It’s already dark.”
”Not yet, chum. I can stay a little longer.”