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When the ship finally lands back on the Watchtower, there’s a sense of relief throughout the entire thing. Roy’s off with barely a good goodbye, skipping the debrief entirely to go home to Lian. Jason hangs around just long enough to verify Kyle’s statement for the Lantern Corps which was just doubled for the League. He almost makes his escape before Nightwing gets to him… but ultimately gets tackled by an octopus. Kyle arches a brow at him, the new Bond fizzling with a vague amusement, and Jason waves him away. The Lantern leaves via Zeta Tube to go grab a bag from his place in New York. Jason figures he’s got about fifteen minutes to get rid of Dick and the Bat-shaped shadow.
He’s also beyond thankful that he’d scrubbed himself in a shower about an hour before landing and started taking his last few suppressants again a week ago and slapped his second to last patch on.
“Oi-! Dickface!” Jason struggles to get said dickface into a headlock, “If you let me go, I promise to come to dinner tomorrow night.”
Dick offers a pinkie finger. Jason wraps his own around it and slowly lets Dick go. Nightwing slowly unwraps himself.
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
“You swear?”
“Six-thirty?”
Dick narrows his eyes at him like he’s suspecting foul play, “Fine.”
Jason ‘play’ punches him in the shoulder and walks for the Zeta tubes, shooting B a two-fingered salute before getting zapped home. He’s out of the Cave before anybody can follow him and heads to the address he gave Kyle. It’s one of the nicer safehouses, the one he’d most likely call ‘home’ if he had to name one. The neighborhood is right on the edge of Crime Alley, far enough away from the worst of it to not worry about bullets coming through the walls if he’s out of it, but close enough to get to the action in minutes if need be.
Well, first he stops in on the couple of warehouses he has set up for orphaned pups to stay in if they need a place. He’s got a couple of trusted goons who were supposed to keep up with it while he was gone but he wanted to double check. The first one looks good, but it’s too early for the pups to be there so he gets away without being seen. The next one, he isn’t quite so lucky. There’s a handful of them there, some new but most know his helmet and screech at seeing him, rushing him. He goes down like a lion getting attacked by cubs and play-wrestles the bigger ones. He only stops when he feels Kyle’s confusion through the Bond and realizes that he’s late. The kids let out a collective ‘Aww-!’ when he leaves and grapples back up onto the roofs to rush home. Kyle’s floating outside the building at the window corresponding with the apartment number. Jason swoops in via cable line and lands on the fire escape. He undoes the traps at the window and lets them, taking off his helmet as he goes.
The place smells like dust and stale him, but that’s normal.
“Doesn’t exactly smell like you,” Kyle commented as he climbs in after him.
“No?”
“Like… there’s sweat and shampoo but there’s not alot of… Omega in here.”
“That happens when you hide what you are,” Jason replied.
The green glow fades just before he flips a switch on and turns around. Kyle’s in civvies, staring at the tire on the wall. There’s a feeling of amusement and maybe a little confused awe.
Jason’s still trying to get used to the Bond-thing, being that close to someone. It’s difficult in some ways, not being able to hide or pretend it’s ok when it isn’t, but… it’s also easier… The things he can’t actually say are expressed anyway and Kyle gets it. Kyle, who’s afraid of losing someone else close to him, who feels and is alone so often he barely remembers what it’s like to have someone care… Kyle who’s held Jason through his nightmares since his Heat, who’s heart’s bled for him because Jason couldn’t keep the terror to himself.
They air the place out and Kyle places a grocery order. Jason’s never done one, finding the delivery fee and all that a waste of money. Kyle says he’s barely home long enough to get done what he wants, let alone all the chores that come with living so he’s fine paying the extra $20 or whatever to not have to shop. Which… fair.
Jason manages to seduce Kyle- Alpha folded under zero pressure- before said groceries arrived which left the place smelling a little more like a home should. He also decides that there’s something stupidly hot about said Alpha grabbing the groceries from the door shirtless. It’s dumb, but Kyle does it with such a casual confidence of belonging there and that just… sits right.
The evening is lazy with good food, trash TV, maybe a little fooling around on the couch. Kyle has half a fit over Jason’s 3-in-1, insisting that body wash has to be separate from hair stuff. Jason just scrubs the gel into Kyle’s hair and scrubs away. Jason himself takes his patches off and doesn’t bother with his pills.
They wake up the next morning, keep it lazy. Jason does take Kyle out to take a tour of the street vendors. Kyle’s not nearly as enthusiastic about it, though he does find one cart he raves about for the rest of the day… at least until they’re pulling up through the gates of the Manor and going up the drive where Jason parks for an easy getaway.
Kyle stares up at the house, “It is weird that I’m nervous?”
Jason glances at Kyle, “Most are nervous to meet them… and nobody's come as a mate before so…”
Kyle gives him a look, “That's not comforting.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be,” Jason grins, “Buuut, they do like you already, so you should be fine and besides-! You being there will be Item Number Two given I’m about to blow this whole designation thing out of the water.”
It was not, in fact, fine.
At first everyone was curious why he’d be bringing Kyle in the first place.
Attitudes very quickly shifted when they realized that, not only was Jason an Omega… but Jason was an Omega with a Bondbite… and Kyle was an Alpha… and they smelled like each other in that Biblical way that only had one explanation.
Dinner is an interrogation… but an interrogation in the way that the interrogators would say they’re merely ‘concerned’ and ‘asking questions. No need to get defensive about it’ but the ones being interrogated know exactly what’s going down.
It’s infuriating.
And Jason finally snaps between the main course and dessert, “This needs to stop-! Nobody gave a shit before tonight. Kyle’s here to stay. Knock it off.”
And to their credit, they did, but the air was tense. Questions were… stiff. Replies weren’t much better. After dinner, Kyle’s pulled into Mario Kart with Tim and Duke who’d been the best of the bunch. Bruce disappears into the Cave to sulk.
Jason, against his better judgement to just leave it, goes after him, “What the fuck is your problem? You liked him before you found out he bit me.”
“Yes,” Bruce stares at the screen with case notes that are not particularly time sensitive, “before, he was simply a colleague, a capable one… Now…”
“Oh-! He was fine until he’s my mate. Is that it?”
“Jason-”
“No-!”
“He’s a Lantern-”
“And?”
“And Lanterns don’t exactly have a long life expectancy.”
“News flash, Old Man! I don’t plan on having a long life either! And if he makes it that much more tolerable, you bet your ass, I’m taking it!”
Bruce looks like he’s been slapped across the face, “Jason… you’re an Omega…”
“So fucking what! So is Dick! And he’s never been questioned on if he can handle it! I’m a perfectly capable whatever-I-am as a Beta? but - oh- now I’m an Omega and now I need to be questioned?"
“Dick never hid it,” Bruce replied, “He came home, to the pack… or he made his own. You…?”
“Yea well Dick felt safe to do that-! I never did! Until Kyle. Kyle’s made me feel safe…! And if you can’t accept that, that’s on you. But he’s staying. And he’s not going to be treated like a criminal. Because I will leave.”
“He hasn’t been properly vetted-”
“That’s bullshit-! And you know it! He’s a fucking Lantern! It’s better than the vast majority of Dick’s Alphas! So don’t you start with mine,” he turns on his heel and leaves.
“-get that. It just sounds… not great,” Dick’s voice came from the game room.
“I know,” Kyle replies, “but that’s what it is. And we’re ha-”
Jason bursts in, sees Dick with his ‘looks like a friendly but is digging into your secrets’ face on, and grabs Kyle, “We’re leaving.”
“Oh-! Ok,” Kyle goes without a fight.
“Jay-!”
He spins around, growling, “Don’t start. You liked him before he showed up with me so don’t start,” He gives the rest of the room a look and leaves, Kyle at his heels. They trot down the front steps and onto Jason’s motorcycle. He speeds them down the drive and out into the road. Kyle’s side of the Bond feels a little upset but he’s mostly concerned. His chest, pressed against Jason’s back, rumbles.
Jason drives them back to the apartment where he ends up pacing for awhile. Kyle lets him and then waits while Jason puts his gear back on. Jason finally shoves the window up and steps out into the fire escape. There’s a flash of green behind him and Kyle floats out after, closing the window. Neither say a word as Jason grapples over a few buildings.
It’s nearing the time the Bats will come out and Jason plants them square in said territory. He stares up at the skyline, feels Kyle land next to him. The sounds of Gotham echo.
“Any particular reason for this particular rooftop?” Kyle asked after a moment.
“I was thinking about how it all started… that sham of a mating run.”
“That was definitely not ideal,” Kyle replies like a man who knows the story sounds bad.
“Yea well… I thought we could do it for real this time,” Jason shoots him a crooked grin, “On my turf like it should’ve been the first time.”
Kyle arches a brow, a smirk fighting to stay hidden, “Oh yea?”
“Yea,” Jason sidled up to him, “I wanna see what you can do when there’s not fifty of them after me.”
“Should I play fair or by street rules?” Kyle purrs a growl.
Jason grins as he runs a hand down Alpha’s chest, “Babe, you’re a preppy kid from Cali. You don’t know street rules,” and then takes off.
The amusement through the Bond makes him giddy. He swings around, making hard turns and dropping into alleys to keep Kyle on his toes. To be fair, Kyle does keep up pretty good. He is holding himself back some. He hasn’t used any constructs, merely using the suit to fly and Jason knows for a fact that Kyle can fly faster than he is. Still, it’s exhilarating to be just ahead.
Alpha grabs him on a roof some thirty minutes in. They tussle, grappling and dodging. Jason slides a hand up Kyle’s, slips the ring off, and books it away.
“Hey-!” Kyle shouts after him, “How did you?” sounds immaculately confused.
Jason whips around as he keeps going for the edge, holding up his prize as he spots Kyle in just his civvies, “Street rat pickpocket-! Remember!” and leaps off the roof, leaving a spare grapple behind for his now-flightless mate. The familiar ‘psst’ of a line being shot is immediately followed by a “shit-!” and he cackles. Jason pauses on the side of a building just to make sure Kyle’s safe and then takes off again. The next time he hits a roof, boots thunder after him. His heart is racing. The Bond is thrumming with only good things.
It’s a rush.
It’s been almost an hour by now, thereabouts the customary time to attempt to get back to one’s den. Kyle will need to get ahead of him and block his way if he wants to chase longer. Kyle won’t though. Jason’s gotten too far ahead. He’s in the clear and will be in the shower by the time Kyle gets to him. It’s slightly disappointing to win, but this is his neighborhood and Kyle isn’t exactly familiar with it. Plus he’d kept up for most of it even without his ring which is honestly impressive, so Jason’s not too bummed about it. Something mischievous comes through the Bond, something a little smug. Jason ignores it, focuses on the last couple of jumps home.
And then a body slams into him from the side.
They roll across the asphalt, separating with the force. Jason’s already mid-snarl, ready to rumble with whichever fuckhead decided to attack him- and gets a whiff of a familiar scent… feels the smug victory through the Bond.
He looks up, actually feeling some shade of awe, ”How did you?”
Kyle smirks, pleased to hell, “I might’ve gotten some training from the Bat himself and his little gaggle of followers while you weren’t looking.”
“We’ve been velcroed to each other! How-! When!”
“Oh see… this was before, couple of years ago… during one of those stints where you don't talk to them for a while.”
The clarity…
“‘The most tolerable one’...”
Kyle winks at him.
That’s so fuckin’ hot…
Jason gives up, his Omega a useless pile of very pleased mush.
Kyle walks up, drops to a knee and places a hand on the back of Jason’s neck, “Have I caught you?”
Jason sighs, “Yea… you caught me.”
Kyle leans in, kissing him deeply, “Should I claim my prize here on the roof? Or should we go home…?”
A flash of heat shoots down Jason’s spine, swirls in his gut, “As much as I would like to show off-” he gets up onto his knees to lean into Kyle better, “-my very capable Alpha…” his nose brushes Kyle’s, their breaths mixing, “-I don’t want to share you. They don’t get to see you like I do.”
The possessive pleased growl makes him weak. Lips press to his roughly as fingers tangle in his hair. Kyle nips. Jason whines, almost decides ‘fuck it’ but the image of B or one of the others actually finding them is enough to clear his head. He breaks away and shambles to his feet, pulling Kyle with him to get home. His legs don’t really want to work though so he hands Kyle his ring back and gets flown back to the fire escape. Alpha’s all over him and he can barely get the window untrapped and open before they’re almost quite literally falling through it into a tangled heap on the floor.
They don’t make it to the bedroom.
Jason struggles up to lock the window even as Alpha tugs at his pants and his boots. Once the window’s secure, he rips his shirt off. Kyle’s goes next, followed by his pants. Jason knocks him onto his back and sits on his hips, rubbing his ass over Alpha’s crotch. Kyle growls in that pleased way, hands gripping Jason’s hips so tight they’ll probably bruise. Slick gets everywhere, soaking everything despite not being in Heat. Jason’s not exactly tight, not after fucking his Alpha only about twelve hours ago, but he still feels Kyle inch by delicious inch until he’s seated fully.
“Fuck… you’re gorgeous.”
Jason grins with teeth, “I bet you wouldn’t mind seeing me get a little fat though, would you.”
Kyle’s hips jerk as his hands squeeze harder. They both moan. Jason about throws his head back with the stars in his vision. Alpha’s thumbs caress what they can reach of his abdomen.
“Big. Fat. Round.”
“With twins,” Kyle’s sounds out of it, “Little black-haired babies that look like their dam.”
Jason snorts as he leans back on both hands, rolling his hips, “Why the fuck would you want that for them when you could look like you.”
Hands squeeze, now down in the crease between his hips and the tops of his thighs, “Have you seen yourself…?”
Jason would like to retort… but Alpha’s tone makes him pause… because Kyle is in such a knothead state after a successful hunt that he couldn’t lie if his life depended on it.
And even without it, he can feel how much Kyle means it.
The Bond sings with it and it’s almost enough to break him.
Alpha pauses, which took an enormous amount of willpower, and sits up, fingers tracing his face, “Jace?” thumbs brushing tears away, “Are you ok? Did I hurt you?” his blown eyes dart everywhere, almost frantic.
Jason just shakes his head and cups Kyle’s face, kissing him like he’s oxygen, “I’m in love with you.”
Kyle takes a second and then smiles, thumb pressing into the Bondbite which sends a shiver up Jason’s spine, “I mean good… I love you too.”
He leans closer, “I kinda want you to put a baby in me…”
Kyle’s chest rumbles and he pulls Jason closer to press their foreheads together as he breathes, eyes closed, to stay cognizant, “You’re not in Heat, Babe.”
“So it’ll take a little extra effort.”
Kyle opens his eyes, irises practically gone. Jason almost fears for… well, something… He’s not entirely sure what, but it’s something. Alpha’s hungry… maybe skirting into feral. Jason’s flipped, landing on his back as Kyle folds him almost in half and rams into him. He scrambles, trying to reach for anything to hold onto. The room glows green and his hands find what feels like the metal rods of a headboard. He grips them tight, holding on for dear life as Alpha just uses him like a sleeve. His toes curl, everything wound up way too tight-
Until it unfurls in one glorious moment.
He’s loud. He knows he’s loud. Would probably get a noise complaint if he didn’t own the building and know, for a fact, that he doesn’t share any walls/floor/ceiling with a single soul.
When he finally floats back to Earth, Kyle’s laying on top of him, chest heaving. They’re sticky-slick with sweat and… other things. Jason’s legs are down, loosely wrapped around Alpha’s waist. Alpha’ knot is buried deep and, while they don’t ever get bigger, Jason would like to think Kyle’s is just a little extra swollen. The Bond is as open as it’s ever been. Jason can almost get some wispy thoughts that aren’t his own… happy, dancey little thoughts that feel like they should be happening in a spring flower field instead of a dingy apartment in Gotham.
Kyle breathes a tired chuckle and presses his nose into Jason’s throat, against the bite, “I love you.”