Chapter Text
Dick Grayson is becoming a problem, and the only realistic solution that Bruce can think of is to find him a mate who won’t spare the rod.
When Bruce starts putting out feelers for potential mates for his ward, he expects responses from many different parties: after all, Dick is beautiful, young, and well-connected. What he doesn’t expect is an offer from Deathstroke the Terminator, telling him to name his price.
Bruce’s initial reaction is vehement rejection; he cannot have Dick mated to a villain, and he’s disturbed that Deathstroke is keeping close enough tabs on their little family to even be aware that Bruce has started this kind of research. And yet…
And yet, it’s rather perfect. Because what Dick really needs is someone who can keep him well in hand. Who can discipline him. Who will be harsh enough that maybe Dick will realize just how good he’s had it here, for all these years. Someone with enough restraint that Dick won’t be permanently harmed, but enough follow-through that Dick will be eager to return to Bruce’s loving embrace.
There are few people in the world whose self-control is comparable to Bruce’s. Deathstroke may just be one of those rare individuals.
Besides, he tells himself, a mercenary is more a neutral party than true villain anyway.
—
So, maybe it’s a terrible idea, or maybe it’s brilliant, but either way, Bruce agrees to the meeting. It’s obvious from the phrasing of Slade Wilson’s initial message that he knows their identities, which is a point of concern in general, but is ultimately convenient.
He can’t sell Dick to most other heroes, because most of them have civilian identities like Clark’s: it wouldn’t make sense for Gotham’s beloved Richie Wayne to mate a nobody reporter. It would draw the wrong kind of attention. For those whose public personas are more suitable, their superhero identities are too closely linked to Batman and Robin, and it would be too easy for anyone who found them out to follow the trail back to Bruce. Mating Dick to the wrong person could compromise all of their identities. The few heroes whose public identities would make a mating plausible are already taken.
However, while Wilson is considered eccentric and new-money, he’s also a known big-game hunter. He’s not a household name the way Bruce Wayne or Oliver Queen are, but he has enough connections that he and Bruce could possibly have met at a party and hit it off. He’s older, but not so much older that it would be unusual for Bruce to mate his ward to him. He’s attractive enough that any press will like it. He has the money to have plausibly bought Bruce Wayne’s omega ward, and the lack of association between him and the Justice League, or Batman at all, is beneficial. It means that if his identity is ever made public, people will feel bad for Dick for being mated to someone with a secret criminal history, but no one will assume that Dick is (or was) also a vigilante.
—
On the day of the meeting, Alfred escorts Wilson in with a frown. He disapproves of what Bruce is doing, thinks that omegas should be allowed to choose their own mates. He doesn’t understand that Dick is young, and confused. He can’t possibly know what he wants. He’s so bright, so passionate and beautiful. It makes him naive. He knows that people want him, but Bruce has kept careful watch over him, to ensure his virginity. Dick knows how to manipulate an alpha’s desire to his advantage in the field, but he doesn’t truly understand . Despite his experiences as Robin and the early loss of his parents, he also clearly doesn’t understand how cruel the world can be. He doesn’t know the lengths an alpha might go to get him, or how they will treat him once they have him. He doesn’t know why he needs Bruce to keep him safe.
Bruce will simply have to show him.
They meet in the early afternoon, on a weekday, in Bruce’s study. Dick is out of town— having run away to the Titans after yet another fight with Bruce. It will be challenging to coax him back for the mating. Bruce may have to invent a case he needs help with, or to pretend to concede to Dick’s arguments.
His thoughts are occupied thusly, when Wilson steps through the doorway. Bruce is waiting behind his desk in civilian clothing. It might have been nice to come to this meeting as Batman (easier to fight if this goes south), given what he knows about Wilson’s abilities, but Batman is not Richard Grayson’s guardian. Bruce Wayne is.
Similar to himself, Wilson is dressed in a well tailored navy three-piece. The cut hides his many weapons from the untrained eye. Bruce is a little surprised that Alfred let him in while carrying so many, but perhaps this is another way for the older man to express his disapproval. He makes note of each one, and has six different viable plans to take Wilson down, or to get to the Cave and regroup, before the other man is fully in the room.
He gestures, and Wilson sits.
The sound of the clock ticking fills the room, and Wilson watches him with his single, steady, grey eye. Sizing him up.
They stare at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. It’s not uncommon for alphas who are interested in the same omega to posture and bait each other, and it’s only natural that two such stoic men would try to outdo the other’s silence. Not that Bruce is interested in Dick.
He’s just interested in his well-being.
Interested in his care.
Naturally, Wilson breaks first.
After all, Bruce has what he wants, even if he doesn’t know for certain why Wilson wants it.
“I have to say, I’m surprised you’re considering me for your son.”
His voice is the same outside of the suit. Intimidating, if Bruce were a lessor alpha. He’d had half-thought that Wilson used a modulator.
“My ward,” Bruce corrects.
“Right.”
Silence, again.
Alfred reappears with tea, which he sets out for them rather aggressively.
Wilson thanks him with a nod. (Good manners, at least. Restraint. Military discipline, which makes sense, given his background. He’ll expect Dick to be polite and disciplined too. Won’t let him run wild).
“I admit that I’m curious about what led to your interest.”
It’s the one thing Bruce doesn’t know, though he has his suspicions. Why Wilson would offer, when he could get any omega in the world for the kind of money he must know that Bruce will demand? Bruce knows the broad strokes of Wilson’s background: his marriage with Beta Adeline Kane, his service records, the serum. The death of one son, the maiming of another. His reputation for brutality. For always completing his contracts to the letter, (implying honesty, or at least a code of honor that Bruce can manipulate).
And he knows that some of Wilson’s contracts have put him in the way of the Titans. That Dick and his little ragtag team may have slowed Wilson’s progress, but that every (sparse, well-hidden) record Bruce can find indicates that Wilson was eventually successful anyway.
Perhaps he finds Dick’s competence in a fight to be an arousing challenge. Bruce has also seen the way he bends and twists as he flies through the air. It would be understandable.
Or perhaps Dick really has been making a menace of himself, and Wilson is looking to remove a threat to his work from the board. Bruce can make either option work.
Wilson sips his tea, unafraid of poison or drugs. His face is unreadable.
“I’ve seen him around, of course, during his night-time hobbies. I only recently realized that he was an omega, though. And that he was of age.”
Omegas are not allowed the independence of alphas or betas. They must always have a legal guardian, who can supervise their major medical, financial, and personal decisions. It is therefore Bruce, not Dick, who has final say in Dick’s mating— though most of the time omegas choose to date and bring potential partners home for approval, rather than arrangements like this, which are considered old fashioned. How old an omega must be before they can legally mate varies from state to state, with common ranges being from sixteen to eighteen. Dick reached Gotham’s legal limit just a month ago.
“I see.” Bruce sips his tea. It’s perfectly made. It’s also his least favorite blend. Alfred really must be displeased. “What gave him away?”
“An unfortunate scratch right through his scent blocker, caused by his green friend launching off of his shoulder while shaped like a hawk. He covered it quickly enough, but—“ Wilson shrugs, as though Dick’s carelessness is to be expected. Perhaps it is. Bruce should never have let him remain in the field. The older he gets, the more likely he’ll be found out.
And once their enemies know he’s an omega…
Well, Bruce isn’t as naive about these things as his ward. He needs to be grounded.
“Have you spoken with any other potential suitors?” Wilson asks. Nothing in his posture gives him away, and his scent blockers are excellent, but Bruce still suspects a hint of jealous possessiveness in the question.
“Not yet. Circumstances being what they are, finding an appropriate match for Dick has proven… challenging.”
“Circumstances.” Wilson repeats the word, not quite questioning, but as though he’s considering the taste of it.
Still, Bruce is willing to clarify. He needs to ensure that he and Wilson are more or less on the same page, after all. It burns, admitting to his own failure to someone who is both an adversary and more or less a stranger, but Bruce is not a coward. Given time to reflect, he can admit when he was wrong.
“I have done him a disservice. As you may be aware, I was quite young when he came into my care. As a result, I was… more indulgent that I should have been. I didn’t prevent him from entering into the field. I trained him. I allowed him too much freedom.”
Dick has been running away, lately. He accuses Bruce of being overbearing and controlling, as though that isn’t Bruce’s right. He wants to be independent. Thinks he can leave Bruce. Move out of Gotham permanently. His work with the Teen Titans is already bad enough, but he’s mentioned leaving the Robin mantle, their mission, behind entirely, in order to become a solo hero. He isn’t the least bit grateful for anything that Bruce has given him, always demanding more. Dressing like a slut. Always mouthing off, or going silent, or vanishing for days on end, whenever he doesn’t like what Bruce has to say. Wanting to be treated like an alpha, when he’s clearly led by his emotions the way all omega are.
He’s going to get himself killed or kidnapped. By the interference of a villain or by his own choice, Dick is going to disappear one day and Bruce will never see him again.
It’s an unacceptable outcome.
“And now, he is… in desperate need of a firm hand. A mate, with a bond in place to make the lessons… stick. To make him submit.” Here he looks significantly at Slade. A mating bond is a mutual thing, and it allows for amazing control over an omega, but it can also make some alphas too love-sick to do what must be done for the omega’s own good. He doubts this will be the case for Deathstroke the Terminator, who stood by as his omega son’s throat was cut. “Someone with enough restraint not to utterly destroy him, but who won’t hold back with punishment out of sentiment, and who is capable of preventing him from running away the second he’s left alone.”
Of course, Dick will probably escape eventually. Bruce just needs someone to hold him for long enough to make an impression.
“I see. He could escape a civilian, and any of your heroes would have too light a hand.”
Bruce nods. Pretends to sip his tea, but doesn’t, because this really is his least favorite.
“And, of course, you can’t do it yourself, because you’re his guardian.”
“Exactly.”
He doesn’t deny that he would, otherwise. It’s not that he wants Dick. This is what Dick needs, and he’s family. Bruce cares for him enough to want to give him what he needs, even if it’s not what he wants.
It’s just that the law is decidedly inconvenient, in this case. Bruce is, of course, and educated man. Moderate, if not liberally leaning. Before Dick, he very much approved of and endorsed the growing number of legal protections and freedoms being put in place for omegas. One such law forbids any alpha parent, relative, or guardian from mating the omegas in their care. Part of this is protection from incest, but part was put in place to prevent the practice of adopting omega young in order to groom them into perfect brides.
It’s well meaning. The lawmakers simply did not see that they were consigning omegas to a cruel outside world, instead of allowing them to remain with the ones who love them most.
Bruce is no stranger to breaking the law for the greater good, but he and Dick both have high profile public personas. If he were to mate Dick himself, there’s no way that it would stay quiet, and he can’t risk Batman being found out in the subsequent investigation.
Thus, Slade Wilson.
Wilson adds a squeeze of lemon to his tea and stirs. The spoon looks ridiculous in his massive, calloused hands, but his control is perfect— it never clinks against the sides of the tiny china cup.
“I’ll be direct. If I allow you to mate him, what are your intentions?”
Wilson raises an eyebrow. He doesn’t quite leer, but his expression hints at it.
“What does any alpha want with an omega mate?”
“Don’t be obtuse, Wilson. Unless you want me to deny you.”
A muscle in Wilson’s cheek spasms, unintentionally giving away just how badly he wants Dick, and he drops the leer.
“I admit,” says Wilson, slowly. “I have been fascinated by him since we first met. He’s a good fighter, given his age and the restrictions you have him working under.” Not killing people. Those are the restrictions he means. Bruce keeps his face straight, rather than curling his lip in disgust at Wilson’s blatant disregard for human life. It’s irrelevant to the current conversation. “I had considered him for an apprentice, at first. I was curious what I could add, to what you had already taught him. Of course, that was before I knew his sex.” A pause. “It was also before his little team killed my son.”
Bruce doesn’t give himself away by stiffening, but he feels tension gather in his spine all the same, uncertain whether this final fact will aid or oppose his goals.
“My research indicated that his death was a result of HIVE experimentation.”
“Your research is correct. But eliminating the Teen Titans was his final mission, and it was the fight with them that killed him. They drove him to his end.”
Wilson pauses, and Bruce gives a slow nod for him to continue.
“It had been my intention to kill them, to honor Grant’s memory. Don’t look so perturbed, Wayne. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t reconsidered.” Bruce schools his face. “Now that I know he’s an omega, I can remove Dick from the Titans much more efficiently, and without their leader, they will fall apart. I should offer you congratulations on saving several lives.”
“You want him so that you can punish him for the loss of your son.”
Wilson shrugs.
“You’ve done enough research to know that I follow a strict code. My feelings about Grant’s death will prevent me from being overwhelmed by the mating bond, as so many are. I am more than willing to be the firm hand that he needs, but I won’t require excessive vengeance, only restitution. I’m a simple man. Your ward took my son from me, so he can make me a new one.”
It’s shocking, the ease with which he states his plans, but they ring true to Bruce’s ears.
Dick will hate everything about it. Being used as a broodmare by a man who has no fondness for him.
It’s exactly what he needs.
If Wilson intends to breed Dick right away, it will keep Dick safe and off the streets. If he is cruel, all the better to help Dick realize just how good he’s had it here.
Honestly, the twist of Grant Wilson’s death has potential to work out better for Bruce than anything he could have planned for.
“I have conditions.”
“Naturally.”
“You will not involve him in your mercenary work.”
Wilson raises an eyebrow.
“Why would I?”
“He may try to convince you that he could still make a worthy apprentice, despite his sex. He certainly has the bloodlust for it,” Bruce comments, remembering Dick’s determination that Zucco should die, even at an age where he should have been all innocence and sweetness. “It’s taken me years to reign him in. I won’t have him corrupted.”
“I’m don’t want him for that. ” Wilson’s lascivious smirk is back, and Bruce’s eyes again catch on the teacup in Wilson’s hands. He pictures Dick’s waist, nearly as small and fragile, caught in hands like those. It makes his mouth dry.
He takes a sip of the foul tea to wet it again, and return to the issue at hand, even as he gives a nod of acceptance.
“You intend to take him out of the field entirely?”
“It would be safer for him, and more convenient for my work. I won’t have the omega carrying my child getting hurt.”
“He won’t like being grounded.”
“I don’t plan on asking his opinion.”
Bruce nearly smiles with relief. It’s exactly what he’d hoped to hear. He’d prepared that little speech because he’s heard rumors about Wilson targeting Dick, interested in a possible apprenticeship, and he needed to be certain that wasn’t what this was about. After all, the purpose of this is to teach Dick his place, and some gratitude, not to turn Dick into a murderer, fighting against him.
“Good.”
“Anything else?”
“Nothing major. I’ve drawn up a preliminary mating contract.”
Bruce pulls the thick contract out, slides it across the desk. All copies of it will be physical— he doesn’t need a digital record of this being leaked anywhere.
“And you’ve decided on a price?” Wilson asks, accepting the document and beginning to look through it. He doesn’t rush, taking in each clause with his keen eye.
Bruce doesn’t need money, but he won’t insult Dick by asking for less than he’s worth.
When he names the number, Wilson snorts, derisive, but he doesn’t say no. He looks up from the papers, his finger marking his place.
“You must be certain that he’s a virgin.”
A used omega would never be so expensive, no matter who they were related to.
“I am.”
“Even so— with a price like that, I’d better get to take him for a Test Drive.”
He’s being intentionally crass. He’s trying to provoke Bruce into… something. Or maybe he just can’t help being an asshole. Bruce can’t be certain of Slade’s goals, yet, other than to acquire Dick and pup him.
But he’s also right. More euphemistically, the process is typically known as Interviewing, but when an omega’s asking price is very high, it’s not unusual for the purchasing alpha to get to try them out before committing to the sale. So long as they don’t knot the omega, they’re more than welcome to back out if they find their potential mate unsatisfactory.
That certainly won’t be a problem with Dick, who might be a virgin, but was born to be a slut. Bruce and Wilson both know it. Anyone who has seen Dick in costume knows that. Wilson is just being piggish.
And Bruce opens his mouth to tell the other to fuck off.
Except, instead what he says is ——
“It can be added to the contract, but I’ll need to be there. I won’t risk leaving you alone with him just to enact your revenge and then return him without taking responsibility.”
In fact, some part of Bruce relishes the possibility of such a thing. Of Wilson coming in, breaking Dick down so that he finally understands his place, and then leaving. Being used and rejected might finally force Dick to realize how wonderful the life Bruce has offered him is. And of course, Bruce will be there to pick up the pieces.
Wilson is staring at Bruce, and that single eye, grey as Wilson’s blades, seems to cut right through him.
“You want to watch,” he says. It’s not a question.
“If you want an Interview, he won’t be legally yours until afterward, when you confirm that you’re satisfied. As long as I am his guardian, I must make sure he is safe. I won’t have him knotted and unclaimed.”
Wilson still looks suspicious.
“Any other stipulations?”
“Everything else is in the contract.”
The main thing is the six month check-in. Bruce wants that in writing.
It’s one protection for omega that Bruce believes to be truly beneficial. Omegas don’t know their own minds, are too naive to the world and the ways of alpha to have final say about who to mate, or when. But they do have two significant legal protections, in cases where perhaps their guardians make an error in judgement, or mate them off without their best interests in mind. The first is Asylum; if they leave their alpha and remand themself to the custody of a suitable guardian, they are rarely forced to return to their mate (though if the alpha they turn themselves into is not their original guardian, that original guardian might succeed in regaining custody). The assumption is that if they were desperate enough to fight their mating bond, which compels closeness in the first months after the bite is given, and they managed to successfully escape, they must truly find the situation unbearable. No omega can outsmart and escape a newly mated alpha, whose instincts will be overwhelmingly possessive, in a fit of impulse, or as a tantrum. They would have to plan carefully, which is a struggle for such emotional creatures, and a sign of true desperation, or of negligence on the part of the alpha. Usually, it only happens in cases of extreme abuse. Of course, after the six month mark, their escape window closes.
The second protection is a pre-scheduled six month check-in between the former guardian, the omega, and the new alpha. After six months, both alphas and omegas have has time for the bond to settle, and recognize if they’re suitable in the long-term. If the alpha is dissatisfied with their mate, (commonly for failing to become pregnant), or if the omega is still desperate to return home, either of them may dissolve the mating, assuming that the former guardian is willing to resume responsibility for the omega. Often, the former guardians are not willing to resume their prior role (and the alpha can chose to give custody of the omega to the state, if they really don’t want to keep them), as they will be expected to return the majority of the omega’s bride-price, even with the value of the omega having decreased. But of course, Bruce doesn’t need money, and the rest of it works out well for him.
Dissolution of a mating can be complicated if the omega is pregnant, and custody of the child even more so, but reports indicate that Wilson has historically been a distant father, and Bruce doesn’t anticipate much challenge from him if Bruce says he’s willing to adopt the child.
And no one in society would bat an eye if Dick didn’t try mating again. Few would want him, used. He could easily stay at home and raise his baby with Bruce as his guardian. Whether Dick runs away or waits out the six months, Bruce is confident in Deathstroke’s brutality. He’ll teach Dick a lesson, and then Dick will come home to stay . He’ll live in safety and comfort and he’ll stop fighting Bruce all the damn time.
Perhaps Wilson and Bruce can negotiate a separation, rather than fully dissolving the mating. Wilson can stop by every now and then for his marital rights. It’s a perfectly common solution, and one that will explain why Dick is always so swollen with babies, despite living at home.
And perhaps Dick want some relief, when Wilson can’t be there for every heat. Some comfort.
If a few of those babies are Bruce’s, no one needs to know. People will just assume they take after Dick, whose coloring is so similar to Bruce’s.
Wilson is staring at him again.
“There’s nothing in here about visitation.”
Of course not. Bruce is confident that the mating won’t last, so there’s no need for it. Still, there’s also no reason for Wilson to know Bruce’s plans. Either he thinks he can win Dick over in six months (unlikely), or he has a plan for the check-in. Possibly, he thinks that Bruce will deny Dick, when he begs to come home. Perhaps he has some kind of bribe or threat in mind, to convince Bruce to disregard Dick’s inevitable pleas.
It’s better for Wilson to think that such a thing would be possible, that Bruce would ever give Dick up permanently. Believing otherwise will only give Wilson more time to counter him.
“I would prefer to give Dick some time to settle into the mating, before we arrange visits. It’s going to be hard enough for him without my hovering.” Hard for Bruce, too, to see him unhappy, even if he knows it’s for the best. Still, if Bruce doesn’t visit, it makes for a cleaner legal case if Dick manages to escape. No lawyer will be able to argue that Bruce aided him, or kidnapped him. “After the check-in, we can negotiate. I’ll add something to the contract about that, but I imagine it will be difficult to plan for the specifics now, given that we can’t know how well he will adjust, or what privileges he will have earned.”
Wilson nods slowly. He seems to have bought Bruce’s deflection.
“That’s fine.”
Wilson reviews the rest of the contract. He refills his tea and finishes a second cup before he speaks again, sliding the papers back across the table.
“Make the changes, and I’ll sign and transfer you the bride-price.”
“I’ll get them to you within the week.”
“Good. And his next heat?”
“Five weeks.”
“Then we should discuss the Interview.”
Bruce’s mouth goes dry, again. He tries not to seem desperate as he takes another sip of appalling tea.
“What about it?”
“I would prefer to use one of my safehouses, outside of Gotham, so that I can bite him immediately after.”
A mating bite will only take after knotting, or the omega’s hormones won’t allow a proper bond to form. The combination of these factors almost always leads to a long heat, designed to deepen the new bond between the mated pair.
It makes sense that Wilson will want to do that right away, (assuming he doesn’t just enjoy the Interview and then reject Dick).
It makes sense, but Bruce cannot stand the idea.
“No. It will have to be here. He won’t go along with a mating without a fight, and he’ll be easier to contain here.” Easier to catch him unawares, too. Bruce has no intention of telling him about any of this until it’s too late for Dick to do anything about it.
“It will make transporting him more complicated.”
Bruce shakes his head.
“I’ll have Alfred prepare something to put him to sleep, after. Or you could always scruff him.”
“You seem eager to stand in the corner and watch me defile your boy, in your house.”
“I’ll always do what’s best for him,” Bruce growls, but he can’t help it. He pictures the scene: Dick’s bouncy ass in the air, the rest of his body tied down. Perhaps he’ll say something impertinent. Perhaps Wilson will spank him, will mark his jiggling bottom cherry-red. Perhaps Dick will find a way out of his bonds, and Bruce will have to help hold him down...
“Ah.” Wilson is smiling again in a way that sends Bruce on instant, high alert. “I understand now. It’s not that you want to watch. You want to join in.”
Bruce goes perfectly still. His scent blockers are still in place. He doesn’t know what gave him away.
Not that there’s anything to give away. It’s not true.
“You can’t mate him yourself, because he’s your ward, but you still want a taste.”
It’s like Wilson is reading his mind.
“You’re being obscene.”
“There’s no need to be defensive. I’m willing to share, this once.”
Bruce sets his tea on the desk, too hard, and a little spills over the edge. Despite his many tiny sips, the cup is still almost full. He misses his coaster entirely, tea seeping into expensive wood, but he can’t bring himself to care.
His heart pounds. It’s a matter of moments to get it under control, but he knows that Wilson can hear it— knows he’s given himself away.
“Mind, I do have stipulations,” Wilson drawls. Of course he does. Sharing omegas is not entirely uncommon in arranged matings, but it is always deeply specific to the preferences of the involved alphas. Usually it takes the form of loaning out omegas, rather than enjoying them simultaneously, as Wilson seems to be offering.
Bruce loves Dick.
If Bruce is there, if Bruce also…
He loves him.
Dick will be able to tell the difference, to see what he’s been missing. After six months with Wilson (or less, if he escapes), Dick won’t even care that they can’t be together legally. Once he’s had a taste of what Bruce can offer him, in terms of companionship, and compared that to life with someone else, Bruce won’t be limited to offering himself as a relief for Dick’s heats. Bruce will praise him (he always responds so well to praise), and Wilson will no doubt be cruel, and there’s no way that Dick won’t be eager to have that back.
Bruce clears his throat as subtly as he is able to do so. It takes all of his willpower to keep his heart steady.
“In that case, I believe we have a few more details to talk about.”