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Some people, when standing face to face with a giant wolf, would either bolt or piss their pants. The guy standing before Jason was clearly build different, because he steadied his stance, slowly backing away.
"Good doggie, right?" he said, a steal pipe still in his hand. Jason just growled, showing his teeth. He inched closer, eyes fixated on the guy. He mentally noted his other hand was hidden behind his back, with a possible weapon. He launched for the covered hand first, biting down hard. The guy yelled in pain before screaming for help.
Little did he know, the help was not coming. Jason already took care of everybody else in the bloody warehouse, mostly putting them down temporarily. But this guy? He was the main dish in Red Hood's restaurant. There is nothing in this world he could've said right now that would change his mind. Money? As if Jason wasn't the crime lord in Gotham. He had a family? It was his own daughter who had came to him.
He tried running back, but Jason was faster. Why were people still trying to outrun a fully grown wolf? It was something he couldn't understand. He could leap much further and much higher than average human. Jumping on a guy's head and slamming him hard into the pavement? Check. The metal pipe? Already lost. Now it was just this guy's neck and his teeth and Jason had always known which one would win.
After getting rid of the evidence he decided to take a swim in the river. It was a summer night, warm and inviting and he definitely wanted to get rid of the blood sticking to his fur. Thankfully, he was clean in his human form, though any other shifter would sniff out the lingering smell of blood. And with the pups he was taking care of? They were going to be asking a lot of uncomfortable questions he didn't want to answer.
He shifted before getting completely soaked. He was grateful that his fur was black with only a couple of gray spots here and there with the white patch between his ears. Everybody always joked he had a fringe, which drove him insane. His fur was terrible for masking in the wild, but in various dark alleys in Gotham? He was in a good spot. Not as nice as Cass, who had all black fur with white socks, which could be easily masked. At least he wasn't a selkie. Being a seal would be the worst option for sneaking around, especially in the Crime Alley. Near the port? He could find some uses, listing from the water.
The water was cold and everything around was quiet. It was a nice place in the park people usually left alone because of Ivy, but the fact it was around 4 in the morning might also be a factor.
He made sure to shake off as much water as he could, before shifting back. A strange feeling of being phantom wet took over him for a moment and he had to shake in his human form as well. He sighed, looking at the horizon and noticing first rays of the sun. He grabbed his things, making his way back home. He would have to make some breakfast for the pups, check them over and find them something to do.
The school year was easier, he could just pack them up, send them to school, sleep until he would have to make dinner and pick them up.
Besides, it wasn't like all of them were his. Hell, none of them were. He was forced to babysit both Roy's and Kori's kids while they were dealing with some crisis. Not like he minded, both Mar'i and Lian took more from their other parents, making them wolf shifters as well, which made him the perfect person to babysit. The other three though… There were a lot of abandoned pups in the Alley, that was just a fact. He couldn't save every single one, but it always felt like a defeat when — when he failed. With him being an omega, it was paralysing.
It wasn't like he had planned it. The first one, Lucy, was a total accident. He dragged the body to the trash, , after he was finished with his dinner. He heard a sound in that area and growled, wanting to scare off whoever was there. There was a yelp and quiet whimpering from the back. Jason had left the body and glanced into the corner. The source of crying was tiny wolf pup, all dirty and scared. Jason simply picked the pup up and carried her to his safe house.
He gave her a bath, food and put her into his nest. She felt fast asleep and Jason realised that he had just kidnapped a child. To be fair to him, his heat was starting soon and taking care of the kids was something he simply enjoyed. Lucy stayed. After a couple of arguments, him checking everywhere for any family, he forged her some papers. Jason helped her with catching up in school, made sure she had plenty of food and fun. She was an easy kid. Smiling, coming to him with his problems, asking for help.
She was everything he was not as a child and he couldn't be more happy. Being a parent was not something he thought he would like that much, and yet there he was.
Once somebody told him — after ever easy kid comes the one who makes you regret even considering them — and he thought it was bullshit.
Until he was coming home with Lucy one day and his home was clearly broken into. The work on the window was sloppy at best, a disgrace to humankind at worst. He hid his daughter in a safe place and shifted to deal with whoever had enough balls to break into Red Hood's house. He sneaked in,watching for any sign the person was still there, getting ready to attack. What he saw made him stunned. Two kids, pups, just… eating his dinner. Both were shifted too. He didn't have much choice in letting Mira and Daisy staying. They just did.
Everyone laughed their asses off when they learnt. Big bad Red Hood, now a parent of three, getting roped into having more kids.
"What were the chances that they're also shifters?" Roy had asked him once, when he organised a play-date for his three little demons and Lian.
"Do I look like a fucking mathematician to you?" he had answered. He thought about it often though. He knew the shift was more common in the north, made the winter easier to survive if you had fur, but it wasn't common per say. He wasn't complaining though, he had three pups to cuddle every night, even if they drove him crazy sometimes.
Jason slid into his home, making as little noise as he could, before dragging himself to bed. He checked, all five pups were still in his nest. He shifted, nuzzling his head into the one closest to him. He got a surprised yelp in return. He closed his eyes, enjoying the little peace time he had left. He felt the bed shifting, the pups getting up and snuggling closer to him. He knew both Lian and Mar'i were missing their parents and Lucy just liked to be close to him. Somebody bit his tail and another pair of teeth nibbled his ear. The twins were wide awake it seemed.
In the end it took him three hours to get up. When he finally did, he was dragged into the kitchen by a pack of angry pups. They were hungry and to b fair, so was he. He was pleasantly surprised to see somebody already standing in his kitchen, spatula in hand, flipping pancakes.
"Dad!" Lian squeaked, running up to Roy. He turned around, picking her up with one hand and taking the pancake off with the other.
"My little pup, did ya have fun with Jayjay?" he asked, locking eyes with him for a moment. Jason had to look away, otherwise he would become a mess. If both he and Roy were… just that. Just him and Roy — he wouldn't hesitate to make the move. Sure, he was an omega shifter, not the most desirable thing, especially not by a hot alpha like Roy, but they worked decent together. Ever since both of them got their shit together as well, Jason would call it a decent partnership.
Both of them were in the business, so there was no need for lying. If something was classified, then the other one would not press.
But having four kids between was was stopping him the most. His kids deserved to have a stable home, without the whole drama surrounding his love life. Besides he and Roy had a pretty good agreement between them. If one went on a longer mission, the other would watch the kids, no questions asked. Kori sometimes joined, but only when Dick was busy as well. How did the asshat managed to have a baby with her, Jason wasn't sure to this day. He knew they were now trying for fifty-fifty, but Mar'i still ended up with him a lot of times. Technically he was her uncle from both sides, so it made sense—
A hand on his chin, lifting his gaze up broke his thoughts. Their eyes met and Jason thought Roy would break their quiet no dating pact there and then.
"Food's ready," Roy said with the smirk that could bring any crime lord to his knees, not just him. He nodded, sitting down and putting Daisy in his lap. She shifted, a tiny grey pup now walked around before curling up.
They were silent, while Mira and Lian discussed some cartoon they've watched yesterday. Lucy was busy within her own world and Jason dropped some food onto his lap, every now and then. It felt domestic, like they were always meant to be this way.
Jason rolled his internal eyes. It was his horny side talking. He was a grown man, he didn't need somebody to take care of him, though he wouldn't mind if Roy did it. There was just something about this whole thing.
Roy managed to wrangle the pups into colouring a picture for Kori, since she was apparently sleeping in the other room. He was surprised his instincts weren't able to pick up on his friends. Or rather that he subconsciously deemed them save enough to be around his pups.
He was drinking his coffee, when Roy walked in, stopping inches from him. Roy froze for a second, before placing his calloused hands on both of Jason's sides, effectively trapping him. Jason stared down his coffee, sensing an emotional discussion incoming.
"How was your night?" Roy asked with some edge in his voice. It gave Jason chills, somehow pleasing him. He pushed the blame on his secondary gender rather than his feelings.
"Fine, yours?" he asked as well, trying to keep it casual, despite the situation being frame for frame from some rom-com. Roy turned his head sideways. Somehow it gave him a wind of superiority over him, making him want to bare his neck.
"We finished what we needed," Roy answered, his voice getting lower and more pleasing for Jason's ears. Either he got it under control or they were going to have a fifth pup on their way. His fingers started shaking, so he tightened them around the cup. He tried biting his inner lips in poor attempts of disguise. Roy was somehow inching closer, slow but steady.
Jason blinked and suddenly Roy's mouth was nanometres from his. His ears were deafen by the sound of blood rushing in. He swallowed loudly and tried putting the cup back. Roy took it from his hands, setting it on the counter. His other hand found Jason's waist, bringing his whole body closer. Jason's breath was getting faster and he closed his eyes, waiting the kiss.
Roy didn't disappoint.
He could lie. Say pretty words, hiding the truth deep within himself, but he knew. Jason knew it that moment what it meant.
Their little no dating pact was gone and forgotten. There was no point of going back, not when he tasted what freedom was like. He leaned deeper into the kiss. He knew he was in it deep. He would accept the shittiest courting gift known to mankind, if it came from Roy. Hell, he would even become a house wife if it made him stay. As long as he was kissed like that, Jason was going to do anything.
"I win," one of the pups yelled. Damn those kids, they bet on them! Roy laughed and Jason had to join.