Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hearing the doorbell, Bruce put down the documents he had been going through in his office and went downstairs to let the guest in. Recently, Alfred flew to London to meet his daughter, so all household duties now fell on the shoulders of Dick and Bruce. And Bruce would be lying if he said that he was not tired without additional support.

“Hi, Bruce,” Clark Kent smiled as the door swung open. “Sorry, I was a little late.”

Bruce took a step back, allowing the alpha, who was soaked in the rain, to enter the manor.

“It's all right,” Bruce smiled tightly, wearily rubbing his forehead. “How are things with the article?”

“I managed to finish it at the last moment,” the man breathed, wiping raindrops from his forehead. “Thanks for looking after Jon.”

“You don't have to thank me for that. You know that our doors are open for you at any moment,” Bruce smiled sincerely, waving away Clark's gratitude. “Will you stay for dinner?”

“Thanks for the offer, but we have to go home,” the man said with a sigh. “We're going to Smallville for the weekend and things haven't been packed yet.”

“Okay,” Bruce nodded. “Then I'll call Jon.”

“Thanks,” Clark smiled briefly and adjusted his glasses.

Bruce remembered that Damian planned to hang out with John in the library on the first floor, so he turned into the corridor near the stairs and went to look for the children.

When approaching the library, Bruce suddenly began to smell a mixture of too sweet smells. After Damian presented himself as alpha, his scent turned from soft and puppy to more tart and strict. Now in his smell one could distinguish notes of oriental spices, mixed with a light woody freshness, which is inherent in Bruce. Therefore, dad was surprised that now the sweetness characteristic of lovers prevailed in the smell of his son.

Pushing open the door leading to the library, Bruce froze, frowning and clenching his jaw. His gaze immediately caught on two young boys who were sitting on a wide couch and basking in each other's arms. The children's legs were intertwined and hung from the high seat. One of Damian's hands was holding an open book that rested on his hips, while the other was clutching the hem of Jon's T-shirt. The older boy's head was slightly tilted to the side and swayed back and forth very smoothly, imitating a kiss.

At that moment, Bruce's indignation knew no bounds. He didn't think Damian would be so flippant about an omega who had just presented himself and had never accepted true romantic advances from an alpha. Damian should never have opened his arms and touched a young omega so intimately without having a period of courting and gaining the omega's trust.

“What are you doing here?” Bruce barked, striding boldly towards the coach, not caring that both children flinched in surprise.

“Dad,” the boy in the green T-shirt exclaimed in confusion, hastily trying to unravel the knot of four legs. “We...”

“Sorry, Mr. Wayne,” Jon squeaked in fear, pushing Damian to the other side of the couch and tucking his freed legs under him. “Damian was just reading a book to me and...”

The two nervous and embarrassed boys were now sitting at arm's length from each other, blushing furiously as they stared at the patterned carpet. The sweet and gentle smell that had previously enveloped the library gradually changed to a more bitter and frightened one.

Bruce, sensing their tension, took a deep breath in and out, calming the anger and frustration.

“Just Bruce,” corrected the alpha, looking at the frightened Jon. “Your dad is back. He is waiting for you in the hallway.”

Jon nodded, relaxing a little and slowly climbing down from couch.

Bruce, meanwhile, did not stop staring at his son, who dejectedly fingered the pages of the book and slightly shook his leg.

“Go ahead,” Bruce pushed Jon to the exit and took another step towards the couch. “I'll catch up with you in a minute.”

“Bye, Damian,” Jon muttered with a nod to Bruce and ran out the door.

As soon as dad and son were alone, Bruce closed the remaining distance between himself and the couch in two steps, and then grabbed Damian by the ear. The boy immediately clung to the man's wrist with his hands and tried to free himself from the painful grip.

“Dad, what are you doing?” the teenager was indignant, jumping down from the couch and dropping the book on the floor.

Bruce continued to tug on his son's ear, guiding him to an open corner near the door.

“I thought mom and I explained to you clearly how to handle an omega,” Bruce scolded, ignoring the hissing sounds that the boy made.

“It's not what you think,” Damian yelled, trying to walk on his toes to ease the pain in his pinched ear.

“I don't want to hear anything now, Damian,” Bruce interrupted, leading his son to the corner and letting go of his already reddened ear. “Stand in the corner and think about what you've done. And God forbid you leave here without my permission.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Damian shouted resentfully, turning to face his dad and rubbing his red ear. “And I won't stand in the corner. I'm not a child!”

“It's not in your best interest to make me even angrier, pup,” Bruce growled, smelling his son's even more bitter and frustrated scent. “Put your nose in the corner and wait for my return.”

Bruce ignored the way his own heart clenched painfully at the thought of the sad and scared boy. But dad was doubly disgusted by the fact that he would have to tell Clark about what was happening.

Alpha entrusted his omega son to this family in the hope that he would be safe and well taken care of here. But the fact that Damian began to show his alpha instincts in the form of touching and invading the omega's personal space could be a wake-up call for the Kent family.

Bruce couldn't be sure of Jon's consent to the kiss and the hand that was almost tucked under his T-shirt. The smell of Damian could simply subdue the young omega, not giving him the physical opportunity to pull away or refuse. That is why it was important for alphas to learn to control their smell and actions. As a well-mannered and disciplined alpha, Damian first had to get the omega's attention with words, gifts, and small dates. And after the omega takes these steps, the alpha will be allowed to arrange a larger date, which over time would develop into intimate touches.

But just kissing a thirteen-year-old omega was categorically wrong.

And Damian knew this rule very well.

After telling Clark about what he saw, Bruce apologized and promised to have a serious talk with Damian. Clark looked a little confused, but he also took this situation into account and was going to discuss it with the omega. Having agreed that both fathers would phone each other tomorrow, Kents left the estate and drove home. And Bruce, after drinking several glasses of cold water, headed back to the library.

He still felt angry and annoyed because he couldn't believe that Damian had actually allowed himself to take advantage of his scent and strength. Both Dick and Bruce talked to the puppy many times about how to handle omegas. And even about how to properly care for them.

And after so many lessons, Damian destroys everything by sticking to the omega with kisses and touches.

What if Bruce had come in a few minutes later? Where would the alpha's hand be then? Where would his lips be? And most importantly, where would his teeth be?

With that thought, Bruce re-entered the library and glared sternly at the puppy, who abruptly stood up from the floor and turned to the corner. This pissed off Papa even more, replacing his restrained woody-honey smell with a more pungent and irritated one. Damian, sensing that his father was actually angry, pressed himself closer to the wall when he noticed that he was walking towards him.

“I told you to stand in the corner and think, not sit on the floor and do nothing,” Bruce began to curse, grabbing his son by the forearm to lead him to the couch.

“I don’t understand what made you so angry,” Damian grabbed his dad’s hand with his palms in an attempt to push the man away and move away.

Bruce tightened his grip on the teenager's bicep, planning to lay him over his lap and teach him a good lesson about manners that hadn't been learned through dialogue. Damian began to resist even harder, waving his arms and leaning in different directions to release his gripped hand.

“You don’t understand,” the alpha of the pack grumbled bitterly, grabbing Damian’s armpit with his other hand and lifting the teenager into the air. “Then think again. And think well, because right now I'm really, really disappointed in you, son.”

Sitting on a couch and holding a resisting alpha teenager would be very problematic. Dad knew this from experience. This boy was as stubborn, capricious and nimble as his father. So Bruce placed his left foot on the library chair and slung Dami over one knee, letting the boy's limbs hang off the floor. So it would be more difficult for him to jump or push off, and it would be easier for Bruce to keep his squirming body.

“Stop treating me like a puppy,” Damian whined, pounding his fists furiously on Dad's leg. “I'm alpha! You can't punish me like this anymore!”

“The fact that you presented yourself as an alpha does not change the fact that you are my puppy and always will be, Damian,” Bruce answered firmly, pulling off his son's sweatpants and boxers with confident movements.

Almost a year had passed since Damian's presentation, but Bruce still couldn't get used to the idea that he was no longer the little puppy who loved to sleep in the same bed with his mother and sit on his father's lap during nesting. The kids were growing up too fast. And sometimes it was hard to accept.

“Father, stop it,” Damian growled, adding a touch of annoyance to his frightened scent. “You must be mistaken!”

Damian kept swinging his arms, trying to grab onto his pants to pull them up over his bare bottom. Bruce knew it was a very embarrassing experience to be punished in this way when you already presented yourself as an alpha. But he could not allow such a situation to recur in the future. If Damian chose to ignore all the words of respect for the omega, then Bruce can ignore his tainted smell and annoyance.

Barely holding back the urge to bite Damian on the neck or massage the back of his head to calm and subdue him, dad waved his hand and slapped the olive bottom in quick succession with ten hard blows. The younger alpha hissed and tensed, momentarily halting active escape movements.

“I can’t believe you didn’t give a damn about all of our lessons,” the pack alpha scolded again, holding Damian as tightly as possible by the small of his back.

The boy started to say something, but Bruce interrupted him with another series of rough and sharp spanks on the pinkish skin. Frankly, right now Bruce had no desire to listen to justifications for this act.

“I don't... Ow!” Damian gasped from a particularly hard slap on the seats and kicked his legs, almost hitting his father on the shoulder. “Why do you say that?” the boy's voice from growling gradually became more whining and quiet.

“Because your mom and I taught you good manners,” Bruce growled as he began smacking the curve near his upper thigh again. “Just wait until he comes back from the store and finds out what you did with Jon in the library.”

Feeling yet another wave of indignation, dad stepped up the spanking, spreading it evenly across the already reddening skin of his buttocks. Damian's low hiss and whine now escalated into louder grunts and whimpers. His arms and legs continued to kick in all directions, but the initial impulse to resist subsided.

“Why are you talking like it's something bad? Oh!” Damian shouted the question, adding more notes of sadness and despair to his already bitter scent.

“Is there any doubt?” Bruce retorted sternly and quite loudly.

His broad palm, without a single break, continued to spank the fidgety backside, which was already pretty warm. A little more and round strawberry spots will turn into cherry. The alpha had no intention of bruising or bruising his son, so he moved his hand to the top of his thighs and began painting the still untouched skin a light pink shade.

“Father! Stop!” Damian began to squeal from the swats and kick with renewed vigor. “You don’t… Oh! You never said I couldn't...”

Damian howled, whining like he was still a little puppy. His words were cut off by the first sob, and the muscles of his back and neck relaxed enough to let his head hang freely above the floor.

“I have told you many times about the respect and importance of mutual trust between alpha and omega,” dad scolded, relentlessly spanking the still thin and delicate skin of a teenager. “In which of the sentences uttered by me or mom, did you hear that you can get so brazenly close to an omega?”

“I didn’t get close,” the boy cried, hitting his forehead on his father’s leg and sobbing. – “Why are you... Ah, dad! Enough! I don't even understand why you're punishing me!”

“Kissing a thirteen-year-old omega is the last thing you should have thought about, son,” Bruce growled again, trying to hold back the younger alpha’s squirming while smacking his already rather red thighs. “We will be very lucky if, after this performance, Clark wants to entrust his son to us again.”

The spanking returned to the crimson buttocks, rekindling the throb of pain and warmth that emanated from them.

“Kissing?” the boy whispered in a tearful voice, almost giving up in defeat and lowering his legs. “What are you talking about? Oh!”

“You still don't understand?” freezing, asked the alpha.

Was Damian going to confess and repent at all? Or did he still think it was the norm?

“I didn’t kiss anyone,” the guy chirped in a frightened and trembling voice.

Because of the long-awaited pause, the boy's hand smoothly moved from his father's leg to his painful bottom. He began to rub his skin, sobbing in parallel and making a pitiful whining sound of despair. Bruce took a deep breath, regretting it immediately as the frustrated boy's scent hit his stamina shields.

“Are you saying that my eyes deceived me when I saw the way you touched Jon?” Bruce asked sternly, slapping his red butt once more.

“Ngh…” Damian shuddered again, shifting his hand from his spanked thigh to his buttocks. “I don't know what you saw, but I didn't kiss him,” Damian whimpered, trying to get his words out through the flood of weeping.

“Damian,” Bruce growled, still believing the boy was just making excuses.

Dad's hand swatted the younger alpha's thighs two more times, leaving ugly ovals of fingers.

“Jon just asked to be smelled,” Damian screamed, huddling up and moaning in pain. “I wanted to help...”

Bruce clenched his jaw as he swung to continue punishing the stubborn alpha teenager. But, after analyzing the spoken words, his palm froze a couple of millimeters from the hot skin.

“Smelled?” Dad asked, shifting his leg slightly so that she would not fall off the chair.

“Yes,” the boy hissed plaintively, breathing rapidly and wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

Bruce ran a hand over his sweaty face and massaged his eyelids, behind which he felt the weight of a growing headache. It took him several long minutes to replay in his mind the moment he thought Damian was kissing Jon. And now that most of the disappointment had already been vented, and the smell of a frightened and sad puppy had penetrated deep into dad's mind, he was able to accept the fact that his son's head was not located against the omega's lips. It looked like Damian was just touching his cheek to Jon's.

Shaking his head, Bruce grabbed his son by the armpits and placed him on the floor, immediately stroking his tousled hair. Damian shook his head sharply, waving his father's hand away, looking very hurt and tearful.

Bruce cursed his critical thinking as he removed his foot from his chair and stopped petting the younger alpha.

“Damian,” Bruce called in a strangled voice, watching the boy nervously and quickly pull the clothes over his painful buttocks. “Let's talk…” he extended his hand again, wanting to touch his son's tense shoulder.

“No!” the boy shouted, furiously wiping away the incessant tears. “Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you anymore!”

Bruce opened his mouth to squeeze out at least something, but Damian had already turned around and rushed to the exit of the library like lightning. The loud sigh that escaped the alpha's parched lips was now meaningless and belated in an empty room filled with the smell of weakness and despair.

☆ ☆ ☆

“Bruce!” Dick's voice was rough and ringing in a quiet estate, filled only with the ticking of an old clock.

Alpha, who had been hiding in his office for almost two hours, put down his book and buried his forehead in his hands. He knew that the consequences of his breakdown would come back to haunt him in the form of an angry omega of the pack, but dad was still not ready to face his thoughts and excuses face to face.

“You have no idea how much I want to choke you right now,” Dick growled, bursting into Bruce's locked office.

Bruce wearily removed his face from his hands and leaned back in the leather chair. From the sweet, carefree and happy smell of Dick now there is no trace left. The bitter, disappointed, and annoyed scent once again filled the alpha's nose, only this time because of the omega's distressed mother.

“I go shopping for a few hours to the mall, and when I return, my puppy is hysterical and crying like a dog was killed in front of him!” grumbles Dick, waving his arms furiously.

“Is Damian still crying?” Bruce asked bitterly, feeling his own scent grow sourer by the second.

“Are you kidding now?” the omega growled, pointing his index finger at the man. “I can’t believe, B, that you did this to your son, and then you didn’t even make sure that he was okay!”

“Dick,” Bruce sighed as he slowly got up from his office chair and moved over to the coffee table. “I wanted. But Damian wouldn't let me get close to him.”

There was a moment of silence as Dick breathed furiously and Bruce poured whiskey into a glass. Taking a long sip that pleasantly burned his throat, the alpha turned to the omega and looked into his disappointed eyes. Dick was absolutely right to get angry and yell. Bruce cursed himself for not holding back and unfairly punishing the boy. He should have talked to him before taking action, but now he will have to work with what he has.

“Bruce, we agreed that...” Dick said more calmly, hiding his hands in the pockets of his jeans, “boys can only be spanked if they do not obey during the patrol.”

“I know, honey,” the man nodded, taking another sip. “It's my fault. And I'll talk to Damian.”

Bruce put the glass back on the table and, without giving himself time to change his mind, walked over to his son. But Dick grabbed him sharply by the sleeve of his sweater, blocking his way to the door.

“Damian is sleeping,” he said coldly, casting a helpless glance down the corridor, as if mentally reassuring himself that Damian was fine. “I gave him a sedative and gave him a massage to stop the tantrum.”

Bruce nodded knowingly, feeling a pain in his chest from the knowledge that his son had been crying alone for two hours. His irritation and anger again began to grow at a rapid progression. But only now it was directed at him.

Dick, sensing a surge of danger in the alpha's scent, slowly let go of his sleeve and stepped back toward the exit, never taking his eyes off him. Bruce thought that Dick would prefer to hide and not fall under the arm of an angry alpha, but the omega just shook his head and took a deep breath, calming his own nerves. His scent slowly began to change to the usual alpha sweetness and safety. Notes of calmness, love and care smoothly replaced despair and irritation from Bruce's mind. And, soon, both men were able to return their scents to a more calm and stable state.

“Thank you,” the alpha whispered, looking at his lover with a sympathetic look. “I don't deserve your help.”

Dick just shook his head as he sauntered helplessly over to the couch and collapsed onto it, almost completely hidden behind the soft cushions.

“Talk to me first,” Dick said evenly, pressing the brown pillow to his chest and burying his lips in it. “Damian couldn't even put two words together. And I never understood what happened between you, except that you were very rude.”

Alpha nodded, taking the glass filled with whiskey again and sitting down next to Dick. He rested his elbows on his knees and began to slowly turn the glass in his hands, watching how the liquid swayed smoothly and hit the walls.

“I was going to tell Jon that his father came for him,” the alpha began in a quiet but hoarse voice. “When I went into the library where the boys were sitting, I saw that they were hugging. I was attracted to the way Damian was touching John's T-shirt, right here,” Bruce tapped his lower abdomen and swallowed some of the strong drink.

Dick straightened up a little, listening attentively and biting his lower lip.

“I also saw him shaking his head right next to Jon's.” Now Bruce waved his hand over his nose, showing how small the distance was. “At that moment I was sure that Damian was kissing him.”

“But they…” Dick frowned, now sitting fully on the couch and crossing his legs. “Damian wouldn't do that to an omega”

“He wouldn't,” Bruce replied at once, focusing on the tart taste of the whiskey so as not to get lost in his own thoughts. “I just… From the outside, it looked like they were getting closer. And I got angry.”

Dick hummed impatiently, looking questioningly at the alpha.

“I didn't listen to Damian's excuses,” Bruce admitted reluctantly, biting the inside of his lip lightly. “Everything was obvious to me. I started to punish him, but Damian didn't even understand why. And that annoyed me even more.”

Another sip of whiskey and Dick's inquisitive look.

“In the end, he said that he did not kiss John, but smelled him to help in some way. When I tried to talk to him, Damian waved me off and ran to his room. I just didn't want to upset him any more, so I gave him time to calm down.”

Dick shook his head disapprovingly and hit Bruce on the back with a pillow.

“Well, he didn’t calm down,” the omega gritted irritably, crossing his arms and nervously tapping his fingers on his forearm. “Why did you even try to talk to him only after you made him hysterical?”

“I told you, the picture I saw in the library was clear to me,” the alpha replied irritably.

“Well, you've never attacked your children before, until you were sure that they were really to blame for something,” Dick grumbled sarcastically, picking up another pillow. “What really pissed you off, Bruce?”

Alpha began massaging his temples, trying to calm his throbbing headache. Until this moment, Bruce, to be honest, was just going to sincerely apologize to his son and promise that he would never do anything like that again. But Dick has always been an empathic person who could penetrate into the very depths of the soul of any person to find out the whole truth.

Bruce would like to say that he had no reason to be so angry. It was enough that Damian simply behaved disrespectfully towards the omega. But the truth was that Bruce had a full two hours to understand the true reason for his breakdown.

And it was hard to admit it even to himself.

“B,” Dick called in an almost pleading voice, sighing sadly. “You need to make peace with Damian. But you can't do it if you're not sincere.”

Bruce silently walked over to the coffee table and poured another shot of strong drink. Shaking the liquid lightly, he drained it in one gulp and slammed the glass down on the wooden surface.

“Damian reminded me of myself when I was fourteen,” Bruce admitted, crossing his arms and turning to the window. “After the death of my parents, I was out of control. I threw parties, drank alcohol, smoked and had sex with a lot of omegas. I was terribly lucky that none of them got pregnant then.”

Dick stirred, rustling clothes and pillows, then slowly walked over to the window. His hand is softly lighting on Bruce's shoulder and clenched in silent support. Bruce at the same time wanted to cuddle up to Dick with a protective hug, to feel that everything was fine, but also to pull away, because he did not deserve this love.

“I was afraid that Damian was going to repeat my sad experience,” Bruce continued in a barely audible voice, following the gray-black rain clouds.

“But Damian lives in a complete and loving family,” Dick said softly, but his scent became duller and sadder again. “He wouldn't do something like that, B.”

“You're right,” the alpha mumbled. “But everyone around here says he's my copy, Dick.”

“That's true, too,” the omega agreed with a slight smile. “But we talked so much about respect and manners and good behavior, Bruce. Damian has never given us any reason to doubt that we did a poor job of raising him.”

Bruce licked his bitter lips, biting them lightly. Dick was right. Always.

“I know I'm an idiot,” Bruce concluded bitterly, hoping Damian could forgive him.

“Let's cook dinner and then we'll talk to our puppy,” Dick said confidently, his face twisting a little, because no one in this house could get over the idea that Damian was no longer a puppy.

☆ ☆ ☆

It was about seven o'clock in the evening when Tim and Jason returned home from their walk. Dick sent them to his bedroom for the boys to settle in the nest and choose a movie for the evening. And the omega himself, clearing his throat to attract the attention of his husband, reminded him that it was time for them to talk to the child.

Bruce would be lying if he said he wasn't worried. A few more hours had passed since he punished his son. And during this time, his mind was completely cleared, now throwing up memories of the frightened smell, tearful eyes and offended mood of the boy.

And he wanted only one thing: to leave this behind as soon as possible.

“I'll go first,” Dick whispered when they were both on the bedroom floor.

Bruce leaned against the wall and unobtrusively watched through a small gap as the omega fussed over the teenager who had just awakened. The boy's face, after many hours of hysteria and sleep, was very swollen. The eyes and nose were still red. Her tousled hair was bristling in different directions, and dried tears were visible on her cheeks.

Damian allowed Dick to sniff him, hug him and comfort him for several minutes, making his dad jealous and wringing his fingers. The still confused and bitter smell of the younger alpha urged Bruce to give a damn about politeness and burst into the room to hug the boy and apologize to him. But this will only make their situation worse.

A minute later, Dick pulled away from his son and went to the closet with clothes. He returned with a clean green hoodie and black indoor shorts. Damian changed into a new hoodie, and then, reluctantly and under the persuasion of his mother, took off his pants and turned his back. Bruce watched closely as Dick pushed the boy's underpants slightly aside to look at the damage. Bruce barely suppressed a growl so as not to scare his family with another surge of anger.

The skin on Damian's bottom and thighs was still an angry red. And, although there were no bruises, the redness was still deep and very painful. Even if the redness subsides by tomorrow morning, sitting will be uncomfortable for a few more days.

Bruce couldn't contain the hint of disappointment in his fragrance. He no longer cared that Damian would sniff him out and drive him away. He just wanted to hug his son and tell him what he did was wrong.

Facing the wall as Dick asked Damian to take off his underwear so he could only wear shorts, Bruce tried to calm himself with breathing exercises. And on the third approach, he finally heard a calm “you can come in, Bruce.”

“Hey, kiddo,” dad said hoarsely, not knowing what to do with himself from burning eyes.

Damian sniffed his stuffy nose and moved slightly closer to Dick, who was sitting on the bed half a turn to Bruce. And this fleeting spark of fear in the eyes of his son will haunt the alpha for the rest of his life.

Bruce knew that Damian was a strong, independent and intelligent boy. It is difficult to scare him with something and unsettle him. But the father's anger was probably the very weak point in the wonderful boy's heart. Dick always said that Damian loves his dad very much. And for this reason, every word and action on the part of a man was taken literally by a teenager.

“I promise I won't do anything to hurt you,” Bruce raised his hands in a peaceful gesture and slowly walked over to the opposite side of the bed.

Damian's shoulders relaxed a little, but he didn't move away from Dick. The omega, in turn, was torn between protecting his son and helping his husband correct a mistake.

“Damian,” Bruce spoke up again, trying to be confident and firm. “I'm sorry that I was rude to you. It's not your fault what happened today, okay? This is entirely my responsibility.”

Damian looked at his dad for a few seconds with a challenge in his eyes. But Bruce still saw hurt and disappointment through his newfound mask of courage.

“You attacked me unfairly,” the boy said in a fragile voice, holding his mom by the wrist.

“You're right,” the alpha nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed with smooth movements. “I should have discussed with you what happened in the library first, instead of yelling and spanking.”

Damian blushed warmly, looking down at his mother and his legs. Dick hugged his son reassuringly by the small of his back, gently stroking his side and immersing the room in a caringly protective scent. The teenager almost immediately relaxed, limp in his mother's arms.

“Please, tell me and dad, what did you and Jon do in the library?” asked Dick softly, lifting the boy's face by the chin.

Damian pursed his lips, reluctantly looking up somewhere between mom and dad. His fingers began fiddling nervously with one of the ragged holes in Dick's jeans.

“It's all right, sweetie,” Dick encouraged, smiling gently and continuing to scratch the boy's side. “Dad isn’t angry anymore. And I'm right here.”

Damian took another deep breath and cleared his throat.

“Nothing special,” he said sullenly, glancing at the alpha. “Jon said that he and his parents were going to Smallville for the weekend. Then he began to complain that the shadows of the trees moved in his room at night. And in general, that this house is old and ghosts live there.”

Dick chuckled, slightly calming Bruce's nerves. But dad did not understand much yet, trying to catch the logic in the words of his son.

“I offered to give him my T-shirt so that my scent would be nearby,” Damian began to whisper, embarrassed and turning away from the inquisitive looks of his parents.

Dick and Bruce looked at each other knowingly. They had long suspected that the boys were not indifferent to each other, but did not focus on this. Now it has become more obvious.

“And what happened next?” Bruce prompted, holding back a smile at Damian's sweet embarrassment.

“Jon abandoned the idea because he didn’t want to explain to his parents where he got someone else’s T-shirt,” the teenager explained meekly.

“And then you offered to smell him to leave your scent?” Dick cooed, smiling and releasing happy pheromones.

“Yes,” the younger alpha nodded shyly. “I… I thought it would be easier for him to fall asleep that way.”

“That's very nice of you, Damian,” Dick kissed his son on the cheek and ruffled his spiky hair. “Right, dad?” The omega glanced at Bruce and winked.

“Right,” the alpha croaked, regretting even more that instead of praising him, he scolded Damian.

“I didn't touch him, honestly.” Damian looked at his mom for support and approval. “Only to his T-shirt, so that the smell lasts longer. Do you believe me, mom?”

“Of course, I believe you, Dami,” the omega smiled warmly, wrapping Damian and Bruce in a protective scent mixed with pride and love.

Bruce rubbed his eyes, feeling emotionally tired and heart-pounding guilt. He should never project his own problems onto a child. And he never had to doubt that Damian was a wonderful and sensitive boy.

“Come to me, Damian,” Bruce called in a calm and almost pleading tone.

The teen tensed again, adding a hint of bitterness to the sweet scent of the omega.

“Then sit with me at least.” Bruce surrendered, not wanting to put pressure on the child.

Damian stared at the empty spot on the bed for a few seconds, thinking. Bruce, meanwhile, released his protective pheromones, showing his son that he was safe. Seeing no threat, the boy sighed and pulled away from his mother, climbing onto the bed and sitting on the side of his thigh.

“I'm sorry I took it out on you, kiddo,” Dad said, focusing on Damian's searching gaze.

Damian closely followed his father's movements and words, playing with the hood rope. Making sure the boy was listening, Bruce leisurely told Damian the same thing he had told Dick earlier in the office. And about teenage frills, and about negligent attitude to life, and about unsafe sex with omegas.

The boy listened attentively, occasionally nodding and biting his lips, as Dick did when he was nervous.

“That's why I was afraid that you boys would ruin your life with an early pregnancy,” Bruce finished, watching as Dick lay on his stomach and buried his chin in his hands.

“Ugh, dad,” Damian grimaced, brushing off the words and blushing again. “I didn't even think of... that.”

“I'm sorry, son. I should not have doubted you,” dad said sincerely, holding out his hand to the teenager for reconciliation. “I promise I won't punish you anymore without discussing the problem.”

A few long seconds and Damian put his hand into his father's, yielding to a soft tug that pulled the boy into a tight hug.

“I was scared,” the boy admitted in a barely audible voice, but Bruce heard him because Damian spoke right next to his ear.

Bruce's heart clenched uncomfortably once again, but he managed to quell another sense of guilt by focusing on the bundle of happiness in his hands.

“I know, I know, sweetheart,” Bruce muttered, wrapping his son's drooping scent in his protective, warm, caring scent. “Dad is very sorry for scaring you.”

Alpha heard soft sobs and moved his hand to the boy's neck. He rubbed his pheromones into the odorous gland of a teenager so that Damian would feel all the love and affection without succumbing to hysteria. Dad's cheek rubbed against the top of his son's head, and the boy clung to him even closer, trembling finely.

“It's all right, puppy, it's all right,” the alpha sang, swaying and kissing Damian's hair. “You don't have to forgive me so quickly.”

“I don't want to be offended by you,” Damian whispered, wiping his nose on his dad's sweater. “I understand that from the outside, perhaps we really looked suspicious.”

“It still doesn't justify the fact that I was rude to you,” Bruce replied, looking at the omega, who was lying with pursed lips. “Does it hurt much?”

The teenager shook his head, continuing to sob softly.

“Damian,” dad called gently, but with a slight reproach, knowing that the boy was hiding the pain.

“It looks pretty painful,” Dick interjected, stroking the younger alpha's leg.

“It hurt,” the boy surrendered, laying his head on his father's shoulder and extending one hand to his mother, “too badly.”

“I'm sorry,” Bruce repeated again, because he didn't know what else to do. “I'm willing to do anything to make amends, kid. Ask for whatever you want.”

Bruce watched as Dick took Damian's hand and began to play with his fingers, lightly massaging and stroking them.

“I don't know,” Damian shrugged, and Bruce tried to wipe hot tears from his cheeks.

“I'm not rushing you,” the alpha replied softly, enjoying the pleasant weight on his knees. “Let me know when you come up with something.”

The younger alpha nodded, breathing deeply to calm his sobs.

“Your brothers are going to nest and watch a movie,” Bruce stroked Damian's back, marking the washed sweatshirt with his scent. “How about mom smeared your backside with cooling cream and put you in the nest?”

Damian raised himself slightly, freeing his father's shoulder and looking at his mother.

“And we'd better hurry,” Dick whispered conspiratorially, defusing the situation. “Otherwise, you’ll have to sleep on crumbs from chips and popcorn.”

Damian smiled faintly, nodding and climbing off the bed onto the floor. Dick followed him, putting his arm around his shoulders and kissing the top of his head. At the door, the omega turned around and raised his eyebrows at the unmoving alpha.

“Are you coming?”

Bruce blinked in confusion, frowning and straightening up in bed.

“I think the four of you should spend the evening without me,” Bruce said sadly, but firmly, intending, in fact, to close himself in his office to finish his whiskey.

Dick was not satisfied with this answer. He glanced without pressure at Damian, who was leaning against his side to gauge his reaction. Damian was still sad and tired. No one wanted to pressure him, so Dick was willing to give in for the comfort of his child. But Damian surprised them both by saying with a yawn:

“You can join us, dad.”

Dick couldn't help smiling as he pulled Damian into a tight hug.

“Mo-o-om,” the boy whined, but made no attempt to pull away.

Bruce was happy to join his family in the main nest. He still believed that he was not worthy to be forgiven because of his act. But dad did not want to give up comfort with his children and husband in order to feel sorry for himself, getting drunk on strong alcohol. He gratefully accepted the offer and followed the boys to the omega's bedroom.

In that short amount of time, Jason and Tim had already scattered candy, chips, and marmalade wrappers around the omega's cozy nest, so Dick had them clean up while he helped Damian apply the ointment. Bruce joined in cleaning so as not to stand in the middle of the room, and in parallel, he listened to stories about the Teen Titans from his eldest sons.

Soon, Dick's bedroom was filled with a pleasant and relaxing aroma of family, love, care, comfort and security. The whole family lay on a large mattress, crunching chips, hugging and watching the new season of Sherlock. Damian was lying between mom and dad, comfortably sitting on the omega's shoulder. On Dick's other side lay Tim, criticizing the predictability of the plot. And next to Bruce, Jason was resting, giggling at Tim's displeasure.

When there were loud noises and screams on the show, Damian fidgeted, turning to his dad and nuzzling his neck. Bruce snarled in approval, pulling Damian closer to him and massaging his earlobe to keep him from waking up.

“I want a cow,” Damian suddenly whispered, blowing hot breath around his father's neck.

“A cow?” Bruce asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow and hearing Dick's chuckle.

What kind of dream did Damian have in which he wanted a cow?

“Yeah. The same as Jon's grandparents,” the boy answered in a sleepy whisper. “You promised that I could ask for anything.”

Bruce nearly choked as he stared in dismay at his son's relaxed and sleeping face. He also swore he saw Damian slap his mom on the arm high five, which made the omega chuckle again.

This is the last thing Bruce expected to hear at ten o'clock in the evening in his omega's nest. But if a cow was the price to pay to win back his son's trust, then Bruce could have bought Damian an entire farm. Even if this farm has to be built in the backyard of Wayne Manor.