Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Entry 1: Incubus

Incubus (n.) - the male variant of the Asmodi class of demons that resembles a human in order to feed off human emotions, particularly those sexual in nature. They can manipulate emotions and are well known for being promiscuous.

Female Variant: Succubus.     Plural Form: Incubi

Conservation Status: Common - Least Concern

Synonyms: Sex Demon. Nightmare (archaic).

It’s come to my attention that the previous research done on incubi is extremely incorrect.

No matter which source I look at, almost every piece of scientific literature equates ‘incubi’ to be a term used interchangeably with ‘sex demon’ and yet shows no evidence for this finding. Many scientists seem to believe that a need for sex is part of their biology…

(Jason is thirteen. Of course, he doesn’t want to have sex. He’s still a child.)

I have constantly been told they are only 'sex demons' and yet as I look through the research, I cannot find proof of this. There is no scientific evidence that incubi are any more promiscuous than another species of demon. There’s some evidence that incubi young are conditioned to be that way by society…

I don’t like this finding.

In addition to notes about sexual habits, some studies have been done on incubi’s relationship to pain and their capability of getting immense pleasure from inflicting it. Almost all studies focus on the person receiving the pain. Only three even mention the incubus’ state after causing such torture.

One study done forty years ago, starved incubi and succubi to force them to do this. They drafted demons from prisons and juvenile delinquent centers across the country and brought them into the lab without their consent. The human subjects were gathered on a volunteer basis and put up in a hotel with consistent meals and medical attention.

The demons were put in solitary confinement for a month until they were near feral and mad from hunger and solitude. Then, they were forced to inflict pain on human subjects, even though many of the demons tried to resist the treatment.

What kind of results did these scientists expect to get?

The study doesn’t say what happened to the demons after the experiment. To this day, it’s still held as one of the cornerstone studies for the feeding habits of the Asmodi class of demons.

I don’t understand how no one saw how cruel this study was.

Ignoring the “science” that this study purports to find, almost no additional studies mention incubi’s alternative feeding habits (i.e. mentioning how incubi can feed on emotions not connected to pain or sex).

This what I find to be most baffling. Have any of them met an incubus? Jason talks about emotions all the time when he’s with me. Surely if anyone had spent even a little bit of time with one they would have figured this out…

Only a couple of weeks with Jason let me know how much I was wrong on. I’ve been trying to re-educate myself ever since.

It’s hard though when so much of the world seems to have everything about incubi and succubi wrong.

—–
Bruce Wayne – Personal Files – (see Demons.etx) (see Jason Todd.etx)
[End of Notes]

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Entry 24: Levistus

Levistus (n.) – a demon of wrath that is said to be the harbinger of storms and tragedy. In legends, these demons were symbols of bad luck or coming doom and most of this species was hunted to extinction because of this belief.

Plural Form: Levisti

Status: Critically Endangered – Probably Extinct

Synonyms: Wrath Demon. Leviathan (archaic).

A Levistus is probably the demon species that haunts the nightmares of humans the most. Creatures of myths, more than reality, Levistus have been hunted to near extinction and stalk the pages of storybooks more than their native homeland of Eastern Europe. They are said to be the deadliest of all demons, a single member of the species capable of wiping out villages in retribution for a slight against them.

At least, that’s what is said about them. If my research into demons has taught me anything, it is that the assumptions made about them are more than often wrong.

I have no way to confirm or deny this, however, as no one has reported seeing a Levistus within the last 50 years, and even that time was a corpse.

The stigma against Levisti is probably the longest and more deeply entrenched, mostly because they are said to be the most powerful of the modern demon species. (There is archaeological evidence of more formidable ancient species. See: the Satanics Class.etx See: Ancient Species.etx)  Human fear is a poisonously powerful force and the fear for this species of demons is written into almost every legend of the European, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures.

The most famous of these legends is “Kveta and the Demon”, I even remember seeing picture books depicting this tale.

It starts with a poor couple wishing for children and then finding two babies when they go to the river to wash clothes. One is a beautiful little girl, Kveta. The other is a Levistus impling. The couple knows that they should kill the impling, but they decide to raise him as if he is human and hide his true nature. They cut his tail, pull his fangs, and file off his horns. It is a painful process, but he’s too young to remember it.

He grows up believing that he’s human and a twin to Kveta.

The brother and sister become young adults and it is harder and harder for the parents to hide the Levistus’ true nature from him. Kveta is able to live her life and the demon is kept at home unable to so much as go to the village alone.

One day, their village is attacked by bandits who begin to burn down the houses of anyone who can’t pay them enough money. Kveta and her family are very poor and cannot pay, so the bandits go to burn down her house. She is crying because her brother is inside the house and about to be burned alive. But then, the flames turn into the blue flames of a Levistus, and her brother emerged looking like a demon. He is snarling, terrifying, and kills the bandits that attacked their village without a blink.

Kveta is horrified by the blood her brother has shed, and she sees evil in his eyes. She knows he’s a Levistus. She knows that he is lost to his emotions and unable to control himself. She thinks he will kill the whole village. So she calls him towards with a lullaby, a song that sang them both to sleep, and he comes despite the demonic thrall that he’s in.

She opens her arms for a hug, and he falls into it. He trusts her. He loves her. He’s scared, nearly burned alive only moments before.

Then, as she’s hugging him, she slits his throat.

She sings the lullaby again as he dies in her arms and the flowers on the surrounding hills turn red in order to honour her sacrifice.

Her sacrifice.

Never the demon’s, if you could even call what happened to him a sacrifice.

Some tales change the details. Sometimes the babies were given to the couple by another demon. Sometimes Kveta knows her brother’s species and keeps the secret with her parents. Sometimes the parents die early on and it’s just Kveta and her brother.

Details change, but the ending is always the same. Her brother finds out he’s a demon and then is swiftly killed by his sister because of it.

It’s supposed to be a story about sacrifice. About teaching kids to put aside their own desires for the good of others. About doing what is right even if it hurts you.

But they never talk about who it hurt the most. Who had to die because of some kind of twisted, self-righteous logic.

What had the boy felt when his sister held a knife to his throat with a smile on her face? He had grown up with her. He loved her. He thought he was safe with family.

He must have been terrified. He didn’t know he was a demon and all of a sudden he was being killed because he was one.

It sickens me. I can hardly think about it too long because I start thinking about my boys as that unnamed demon. Would it be Tim who grew up with a similar background? Or maybe Jason and Damian who both are prone to outbursts?

Would that mean Dick would be the one holding the knife?

Dick would never do that. He would sooner kill himself than let his brothers come to harm.

But it worries me because there are thousands of kids that take this story for what it is on its face.

I did. I remember it. I remember the picture book with the lovely illustrations and how noble Kveta’s sacrifice seemed. I remember the Disney movie.

The details are changed to make it more palatable, but it’s like I said before, the ending is always the same.

It scares me to think about how the ending is always the same.

---

Bruce Wayne – Personal Files – (see Demons.etx) (see Levistus.etx)

Mentioned: (Satanics.etx) (Ancient Species.etx)

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“Hello, loyal viewers. Thank you for tuning into the ninth pulse-pounding episode of ‘Dr. Dickinson’s Demon Discovery Programme’. I am your illustrious host, Dr. Grayson MD and Ph.D. of Harvard. Today, we continue our ongoing investigation into today’s most important question: are demons just large cats?

Let us go and see if we can gather additional research into this question,” said Dick as he smiled brightly into the camera. He had stolen it from Tim about a month ago and the incubus had yet to find out it was him. Mostly because he suspected Damian and was pursuing that line of allegations.

Dick panned the camera around the Manor. It was late afternoon on a Saturday and the windows were letting in soft light. Everything was calm and caught within the overwhelming atmosphere of “naptime”. All the other occupants of the house were sleeping (except Alfred who took the afternoon to shop in the city and get some time for himself) and recovering from late-night patrols. Dick had been sleeping earlier himself, but he usually was the first one awake from the typical mid-day siestas.

Which meant he had to find some way to entertain himself until the rest of the house stirred.

“Now as my loyal viewers know, I have spent most of my life integrating myself into this specific demon pack. They see me as one of their own and accept me as if I am a demon myself.”

Dick climbed up the stairs and directed himself to the Manor’s family wing. All the doors to everyone’s rooms were closed. He looked at the three rooms he knew were occupied and mentally ‘eeny-meeny-miny-moed’ to choose a door.

He went to his randomly chosen door and placed a hand on the doorknob. He returned to talking to the camera in his best David Attenborough impression. “This is the private den of the second eldest demon packmember. He is of the incubus variety and there are some who call him… Tim.” Dick paused for dramatics and good filmmaking.

“Now, Tim is young by demon standards and commonly referred to as an impling by the Heart of his pack. When I show him to you viewer, I’m sure you will also come to the conclusion that he is, in fact, baby. And, perhaps, a cat if our research goes well.

Before I enter the den, I must warn you not to approach unfamiliar wild demons in your own research. I am a trained professional. I have spent the majority of my life studying demon behaviourisms and getting to know the individuals within this particular pack.

With safety measures out of the way, we can further our research. Let us commence.”

Dick opened the door silently and crept into Tim’s messy room. The space was dim, cool and Dick could instantly feel the relaxing swirl of sleepy incubus emotions. The only part of Tim that was visible was a puff of Tim’s hair sticking out of a blanket burrito.

He mumbled as Dick walked in, curling further into the blankets.

“Watch as I approach the demon.”

Dick focused his video camera on to Tim, zooming in on the tiny sliver of Tim’s face before zooming out again. He crept forward trying to remain silent, but it was hard to sneak up on a Bat.

Tim sleepily blinked his eyes open, trilling when he saw Dick. The little ‘mrrp’ made Dick’s heart warm and he didn’t hesitate to slip into Tim’s bed. With gentle hands, he unraveled the demon from his blanket burrito and gathered him in a one-armed hug while the other one balanced the camera. The demon began purring instantly and trilled happily again when Dick pulled him close.

“Hey Dick,” Tim said, voice rough and still half-asleep. “Why you got a camera?”

Dick laughed and pet Tim’s hair gently. He felt the incubus tug at their bond and instinctually begin to amplify the warm and comfortable emotions around them. Tim didn’t usually act so much like an incubus. He had a bad habit of getting in his own head about these things and overthinking what he naturally wanted to do. Tim was so sleepy now; he probably didn’t even realise what he was doing.

“I’m conducting research,” Dick whispered, even though he wasn’t even sure whether Tim was listening. The demon was still mostly asleep and seemed keener on cuddling and purring than thinking about cameras.

“Wha’ kinda research?” Tim’s voice was slurring together with slumber.

“If you’re actually a cat.” Dick was having a hard time keeping the camera straight as Tim nuzzled along the bottom of his jaw. His hair tickled against Dick’s face, but there was no way in Hell Dick was going to pull back.

Tim squinted his eyes and frowned. Dick had to hold back a coo at the adorableness of Tim pouting into nothing.

“I’m not a cat. Imma Tim,” the demon declared as seriously as his sleepy state would let him.

He sighed, seemed to finish his bout of nuzzling, and settled his head on Dick’s chest like it was a pillow. Tim’s purrs didn’t stop though, and Dick felt the vibrations shaking in his own chest.

“That’s right, smartypants. You’re a Tim.”

The demon smiled in satisfaction like he had won an intense argument. He looked like he might say something else, but then he fell asleep while still being half on top of Dick. With the demon curled on top of him, Dick knew that he was effectively trapped until Tim woke up again.

Dick chuckled softly petting over Tim’s silky hair soothing him further into sleep. Once he was sure Tim was sleeping, Dick smiled and held the camera up over his head pointing at him and the slumbering demon.

“Well, it seems that our research will have to come to an end because, as you can see, a demon has fallen asleep on top of me and I am legally not allowed to move. This, of course, only adds to our theory that demons are actually just large, dangerous, hellspawn cats.

Thank you for joining me on this episode of Dr. Dickinson’s Demon Discovery Programme. Give me a like and hit that subscribe button for more content like this. You can get visit my merch store at the link below and I hope to see you next time. Goodbye!”

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Damian shivered despite the huge coat he was bundled in and leaned further into Dick. His tiny face was pink against the cold, and Dick could feel trembling in the hand he was holding. 

They were both standing in the snow, waiting for Bruce to finish up with the building opening he was speaking at. Tim and Cass stood close together, huddled like penguins in their professional coats, trying to look interested when their bonds clearly read bored. Dick thought he might have seen Tim teaching Cass rock-paper-scissors. 

Jason was lucky that he didn’t have to go to these WE formal events. 

This one was particularly unlucky and had ended up coinciding with one of the coldest days in Gotham. Of course, it was also one of the few that they had to stand outside for like an hour. 

Dick appreciated that they were opening a new hospital with a Demonic Care unit in it, but he really wanted to hurry it up because he was freezing his balls off out here. 

Damian had stayed uncharacteristically close to Dick ever since they got out of the limo and into the cold. His normally boisterous brother had suddenly gone quiet and strangely needy as he latched onto Dick. 

Dick frowned and pulled his baby brother into a hug. Instead of protesting, Damian gratefully accepted the hold, practically plastered against Dick’s side. 

It made those ‘big brother’ instincts in him instantly go on alert. 

Dick crouched down, hands remaining on the impling’s shoulders. 

“Hey bud,” Dick whispered under Bruce’s monotone speech. “What’s up?”

The impling frowned. There was snow on his eyelashes and Dick wiped it off his face. “It’s cold,” he murmured, trying to come closer to Dick, but Dick kept him at arm’s length. 

“I know, Dami. But something else is wrong too isn’t it?” Dick tried again, and Damian glared down to the dirty snow on the payment below him. 

“It’s cold. ” Damian insisted again and this time there was a whine of discomfort behind the words. “I’ve never been this cold.”

Damian finally met Dick’s eyes, and the alarm bells inside of him immediately began blaring because there were tears in Damian’s eyes. 

“It hurts, Dick.”

Dick instantly moved, grabbing the small impling and lifting him up onto his hip. Damian’s legs came around his waist, and latched onto him like a trembling koala. The bond between them flickered, and Dick felt it warming as he held Damian close. From this angle, with Damian right up against his face, he could hear Damian’s teeth chattering and his little, heartbreaking keens of distress. 

Nope. 

Not worth it. 

Dick didn’t care about some stupid building anymore, because Damian was obviously getting sick by being out here and his baby brother was definitely too stubborn to ask to go inside. 

Immediately, Dick’s mind went into mission-mode because he needed to extract his youngest sibling from this situation. He chuffed and both the other demons’ heads whipped up in attention. Dick heard the crowd of onlookers and reporters begin to murmur to themselves because of the demonic sound.

He knew that it would inspire a scandalous puff piece in a gossip magazine tomorrow. He could imagine the headlines now “Human Wayne Son Attempts to be a Demon! Is the oldest son trying to switch species? Read theories on page 6!”

But he didn’t give a damn because Damian was whining pitifully and trying to wedge his icy fingers under Dick’s shirt. 

Tim and Cass came towards him, responding to the calling sound. Cass looked up at Damian curiously and Tim nervously shuffled by Dick, acutely aware that all eyes had transferred to them. 

Even Bruce’s speech had stuttered and their dad was looking at them in concern. 

Dick tugged on the bond, and it was enough to make the billionaire straight and end the speech. Bruce cut the ribbon quickly and distractedly went to them, even as the reporters vied for a comment.

He came up to them with clear tension in his shoulders and his bond disturbed by worry. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice part commander and part father. 

Dick shifted the impling in his arms. “The cold is too much for Damian. I think it’s making him sick.”

Bruce hummed, coming around to look at Damian in the face. He brushed his hand through the impling’s hair, smiling slightly when the demon nuzzled against it. 

“Hey chum,” he whispered to his youngest, “Not feeling good?”

“No, father,” the demon said breathily. “It hurts.”

Bruce’s face hardened, his worry lines becoming deeper. He pet through Damian’s hair again, tucking his coat tighter around the boy in Dick’s arms. 

“Jason warned me that the cold might be too much for him. I hoped that the coat was thick enough, but apparently, it wasn’t.” 

Damian let out a whine, and Bruce scratched at a spot behind his ears that made the boy absolutely melt. 

“I know, impling. I know. We’re going home now.”

Bruce motioned Cass and Tim around him and together they exited the stage. Reporters yelled at their backs, but no one turned to address them. 

Dick and Cass filed into the back seat of the car, placing Damian on the seat between them. Tim sat in the passenger seat next to Bruce, calling Jason and asking for him to set up a fireplace for Damian to curl up in when they got home. 

Damian’s shivering had died down and become light trembling. He stayed quiet and huddled between Dick and Cass, slowly warming up. 

Dick leaned down resting his head on top of Damian’s. The boy shifted and sighed underneath him. 

The bond between them glowed, bright and warm, like an ember. 

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Jason hated when Dick left.

He wouldn't say that he particularly loved the human, but Dick felt safe in a way that Jason hadn't had since he was an even smaller impling. The human held his emotions out on an offered hand, and he never punished Jason for taking a taste.

And those emotions were always... affection , friendliness, and openness.

There was never the lick of lust that he had come to expect of humans. There were never any of the bad emotions that had always came from humans when they saw him. There was never any disgust or flinching away or whispering that Jason was something dirty.

All humans had always treated him like that.

All humans... except Dick

Dick was just food and love and someone who could fill the hole inside Jason's heart.

He was Jason's anchor in the chaos that was moving into a new home and living with humans that all towered over him. Humans that Jason had always been told wanted nothing more than lock him up and fuck him against his will under the guise of ‘feeding him’.

These humans had never raised a hand against Jason or suggested that he needed to get into a bed, but he was wary.

Which meant that Dick was the only one who Jason didn’t have to be constantly on edge around. The only one that he could fall asleep against. The only one that Jason was able to settle against without fear of being held against his will.

Maybe Jason didn’t completely trust him quite yet… but he was someone that Jason thought he could trust.

So Jason got really anxious when Dick left and suddenly there was no one there for Jason to take refuge in.

Jason whined as he saw Dick's sleepaway bag get put out into the hall, already full of clothes. He was half-hidden behind one of the pretentious statues that Bruce had in his front entry, and glared at that bag like he could make it burst into flames.

He hated that bag.

It meant Dick was leaving and not coming back for at least a day.

Jason had hidden it this time, stuck it behind a cabinet in an abandoned room far where he thought that Dick could find it. He had hit it into a tiny corner and shoved heavy furniture in front of it and locked the door to the usually empty room.

But the human was trained by the "Greatest Detective in the World" and had found it after an hour's delay. 

Next time, Jason was going to throw it in the pond out back.

“I don’t know how it got there,” Dick said as he walked into the main room with Alfred. He had his bathroom items in a plastic bag, the last things he gathered up right before he left. Maybe Jason should have hidden those too. "I swear that I put it by my bed last night."

"I might have an idea," Alfred said with a sly knowledge in his voice. Behind Dick’s back, his eyes flickered to Jason in accusation, and the impling curled a smaller, more hidden ball. 

Alfred knew and Jason feared that he might feel that in a punch to the face later.

Dick raised an eyebrow, a silent question in his expression.

"Master Jason gets restless,” Alfred answered. “I imagine that this is a symptom of that agitation."

“Oh,” Dick said in a suddenly small voice. “Well… then I better be getting out of your hair quick. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

Alfred patted him on the shoulder, and gave Dick a gentle smile that made Jason’s own heart ache. A small and stupidly hopeful part inside of him wished that he could get the same gentle smile someday.

“My boy, you can never overstay your welcome here. Please return to us soon.”

“I will as soon as I’m able,” Dick said with another heart-aching smile. The emotions in the room were all sadness and don’t go. So many emotions that wanted to keep Dick here, and yet he still picked up that damn bag.

Jason had to physically hold himself back from crying for the human that was rapidly becoming the closest thing he had to a packmate. Dick was soft. Dick was safe. Dick was filling that space that had been empty ever since Mama died.

He hardly had the courage to admit it to himself, but when he curled up on Dick’s lap, their emotions lapping at each other’s, he felt like he was in the safest place in the world.

And when Dick left, he took all that rare safety with him, leaving Jason desperate for him to come back.

“Alright, well, please say goodbye to Jason for me.”

Dick slung that bag over his back and Jason had to swallow down a pathetic impling whine. His instincts were screaming, and his emotions were bouncing all over the place because he couldn’t keep them in control.

He wanted to throw himself at the human, wrap his arms around his legs, and keen until his pack stayed.

But he didn’t. He held back because no one liked clingy implings. Especially Incubi implings who were already prone to being too needy.

So he stayed quiet when his pack opened the door and left him behind.

When the door shut, he burst from his hiding place and ran up to the front window. He stared through it to catch the last glimpses of his packmate as he drove off without him.

And when Dick became a small dot in the horizon, Jason let himself cry. He cried, and cried and cried, his keenings filling every one of the mansion’s corners.

Bruce came and picked him up in that cautious, uncomfortable way of his. It was so obvious that he hated touching Jason, that both of the oldest men hated touching Jason. They were awkward and pulled their hands away as quickly as they could from his skin. They never touched him outside of feedings, and whenever he tried to nuzzle against them, (it was stupid. They weren’t pack. He didn’t know why he kept trying to do pack things with them.) they went tense.

Even when he fed, they only did so for as short of a time as possible and when Jason said that he was full they left the room as quick as they could.

They never stayed for the bonding, the quiet moments that were supposed to be used to strengthen pack bonds if they had any. They didn’t have bonds, but it would still be nice to curl up next to someone instead of being shut into a room by himself.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Bruce said as he tried to bounce Jason on his hip. Jason’s stomach rolled as he sensed the anxious coming from Bruce because he was holding Jason. And feeling himself cause those bad emotions, it only made Jason cry more.

“Jason, Jason, please talk to me. You don’t have to cry, baby.”

Shut up, you stupid little thing.

“Master Jason, whatever is the matter?”

There’s nothing to cry about, sex toy.

“Please, sweetheart, calm down.”

Stop crying. 

Jason couldn’t take it anymore. He twisted out of the human’s hold and fell to the ground. Alfred came up in front of him. Bruce was at his back. They closed in closer to him and they looked even taller from his position on the floor. His heart raced faster, blood pounding in his ears, and he scrambled to get up to his feet. Hands were all around him, trying to scoop him back up, and he ran away.

He ran up the stairs and into the family wing and into the room that smelled like Dick and all his bubbly loving emotions.

Jason heard them coming, footsteps hot on his heels, so he shoved himself under the bed. He wedged himself deep under it, with only one of Dick’s crumpled sweatshirts. It smelled like him and helped ease the terror.

The lonely hole in his heart grew, its teeth gnawing at the edges of his chest.

He didn’t come out, even though the other men sounded like they were begging.

*****

Jason snapped awake to the sound of a familiar voice.

“Little Wing, what’s wrong? Why are you hiding buddy?”

Two blue eyes were staring at him and he had to blink to make sure they were real.

Dick .

He came back.

He scrabbled out from under the bed and into Dick’s arms, making incessant little impling chirps as he shoved himself under Dick’s chin. Two warm hands caught him, held him close, and clutched him like they would never let go.

His instincts thrummed pack. Pack. Pack .

He flexed his claws and dug them into the jacket Dick was wearing. As if he could keep the human here by sheer force of will.

“What’s wrong?” Dick repeated.

“You left. You’re the only one who likes me and you left.”

Dick tensed against Jason and he felt the human’s emotions drop in shock. His packmate unconsciously held him closer and Jason purred into the physical contact. Something anxious that had been coiled up inside him finally loosened and fell apart.

“Oh baby,” Dick whispered into his ear. “I’m sorry. I’m here now.”

The human shifted, pulling Jason fully into his lap. His young instincts told him to fold up small, to tuck himself into his packmate’s chest, to purr impling sounds up at the man whose emotions felt like Mama’s.

The human wouldn’t understand the actions. He couldn’t know what it meant to have an impling pliant and purring in his lap like this. What a demonstration of trust it was for an impling. What kind of faith showed that a child of a species who guarded their young zealously and had been raised to fear humans, would willingly place himself in one’s lap.

But he liked to think that Dick did understand when he began petting Jason’s hair and washing over him in warm, loving emotions. Dick’s claws (no. Fingernails. Humans had fingernails.) began scratching Jason’s back and he absolutely melted.

“Jason,” Dick nudged just as he was beginning to fall asleep. “Why do you think that Bruce and Alfred don’t like you?”

Jason scrunched his nose. “Humans don’t like touching Incubi and Succubi. They think we are dirty,” he spat the word. “Bruce and Alfred always get nervous when they touch me.”

Dick’s face scrunched now. “How do you know that?”

Jason’s face fell flat and Dick gave a sudden chuckle. “Right, Incubus. Sometimes I forget that you can sniff out everyone’s feelings.”

Dick’s fingers wiggled against his sides and it startled a laugh out of Jason. His Mama used to do the same thing when Jason was sad, and it made his heart ache more for her than it had in months. 

When Dick met Jason’s eyes, he was smiling, soft and gentle.

“This all must be pretty scary for you, huh?”

Jason nodded, not even embarrassed about being wary of the two larger men. Large men were scary. They hurt and held him down. They were the ones that picked off packless implings and locked them in basements to never see the sun again.

“I’ll talk to them because Jason, they love you. They don’t know how to show it, but they do. They are just worried about scaring you more.”

He didn’t know how to take that. He didn’t know what to think about that.

Humans… being scared of him? Being scared for him?

It seemed like an impossible thought.

But sleeping in a human’s lap also seemed impossible and that was exactly what he wanted to do.

Thoughts were hard, so Jason just stopped thinking. Dick was here again, after all.

He would keep Jason safe.

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There were soft voices murmuring over him and hands carding through his hair when Jason slowly blinked awake. 

“—was fine. Normal, you know? A bunch of h'orderves and fake laughing at people’s jokes.”

The older voice huffed a laugh over him, shaking Jason slightly with the sound. He grumbled at being disturbed and the hand stopped stroking.

Alfred, he remembered slowly. He must have fallen asleep when he had curled up on Alfred’s lap to feed. He wrinkled his nose and peeked an eye open. He could see the blurry blue of an undershirt, tanned skin and dark, black hair. He put the pieces together in his sleep-addled mind. 

Dick was back from the gala and leaned into Alfred’s side, head on the butler’s shoulder. 

Dick was also taking Alfred’s attention away from Jason.

He whined plaintively and only quieted down when Alfred began petting his hair again.

“Heh,” the other voice chuckled. “He’s like a demanding cat when he’s like this.”

“Yes,” Alfred agreed and their bond hummed with a fierce, protective love. “He’s taken to affection quite readily.”

“Good. God knows he hasn’t gotten enough of it in his life.” There was another hand, rubbing down Jason’s spine. He leaned into it, arching up into the touch. “There was a time when I worried he would never trust us at all.”

“I understand, Master Dick, but all my years have taught me that terrified children just need a little love.” The hand brushed over Jason’s cheek now, before travelling to scratch behind his ear. “Love and patience and some understanding. It’s amazing how many people fail to just give that.”

Silence fell between them and Jason nearly fell back to sleep again. 

“I do think it’s time for both young masters to get into their proper beds. We cannot all fall asleep on the living room couch.”

Dick laughed, a soft and tender sound. “It’s not like we haven’t all fallen asleep out here before.” 

Dick must have listened to Alfred, though, because Jason felt the couch shift. He risked another peek and saw the fabric of Dick’s suit as he bent down to stroke Jason’s head again. 

“Let me take him, Alfie. I’m sure your legs will be sore from holding him all night.”

The arms around Jason tightened and he was moved so he was leaned on a shoulder instead of into someone’s lap. 

Suddenly, he was lifted and instinctively tucked himself into the bend of Alfred’s neck. He gave a sleepy impling chirp and nuzzled on the underside of the man’s jaw. 

Their bond absolutely sang with affection . 

“Nonsense, Master Dick. I am not as feeble as you imply I am.”

Dick laughed and followed Alfred as he led them out of the living room. “I would never dare to imply such a thing.”

Jason bounced against a chest as he was carried up the stairs. He fell back to sleep before they reached the top. 

Chapter Text

Dick was humming to himself, foot tapping along with his keys across the keyboard. He was back at the Manor after taking some much-needed time away from Bruce. To be honest, he wasn't completely ready to come back yet, but he had an incubus to feed.

And though he wasn't completely kosher with Bruce right now, he wasn't cruel enough to let the impling starve or force him to feed from men he still wasn't completely comfortable with.

Things with Jason were... complicated.

The impling seemed to oscillate wildly between being an oversized cat in Dick's lap and trying to kill him.

Dick looked suspiciously up from his laptop, eyeing the impling.

Jason was rolling on the floor, attacking a teething toy that Bruce had bought him.  He had been doing it for the last hour and seemed content with continuing to do so for another hour.

Slowly, Dick put his head back down.

Jason's second set of fangs were growing in and he was bitier than normal because of it. Poor thing's mouth was a mess as longer fangs spiked through his gums and he accidentally bit into his own lip. Teething helped, though it meant at least a dozen pieces of the Manor's furniture had bitemarks now.

It also meant Dick and Bruce's delicate human fingers were a prime target. Jason attacked the digits viciously, and though Bruce sat there and smiled because at least the impling wasn't cowering away, Dick did NOT enjoy this new habit.

Jason's fangs were small, but damn they were sharp. A demon's second set of fangs were their scary set—the ones they used for intimidation and striking killing blows. Their normal set could potentially pass as human, but the second set...

Jason snarled, flipping his toy over and rearing his head back to strike. He was lightning quick and dug his burgeoning fangs into the stuffed dog's mesh neck. A brief spark of triumph went through Jason's eyes and he growled as he bit down harder.

A shiver passed down Dick's spine.

It was hard not to think of his own vulnerable human neck in the place of the mesh dog's when his little brother looked like that.

Jason's eyes flicked up to meet his, and Dick could have sworn Jason sunk his teeth in a little more.

But then, in a split second, Jason threw his toy across the room and was pouncing on it again.

And he was back to being a kitten more than a man-eating lion.

Dick's eyes bounced as he followed Jason's rambunctious and rough play. The impling tore through the room, attacking nearly everything in his path.

Apparently, implings were hyper maniacs at this age and Dick often found Jason racing down the halls, leaping on to him from high places, and pouncing on anything that moved.

He especially loved attacking Dick and his skin was littered with bruises from "love bites" because of it.

Which made sense, if he thought about it. Demons were predators and evolutionarily relied on hunting abilities more than humans. They were meant to stalk and capture prey, that prey being primarily humans. It was probably driving his instincts wild to be surrounded by people that were subconsciously labelled as 'prey'.

Dick couldn't tell you how many times Jason had 'hunted' him at this point. (Especially one memorable moment where Dick had gone to the bathroom at night, only to be terrified by an impling staring him down from in the bathtub. He hadn't even known Jason was there until he sat on the toilet and looked over to see two eerie eyes staring into his soul while he tried to take a shit. Both of them had been scarred by that memory.)

He couldn't even blame the kid too much. Incubi were an extremely social species, but Jason was an only impling. He attacked Dick any time he saw him, but at least he was engaging.

Bruce had told Dick that when he wasn't here, Jason acted completely different. He still didn't trust Bruce and Alfred and it meant that he didn't let himself be an impling. Apparently, he was more hesitant, less active, and hardly ever played anywhere that the men could see.  It was night and day, comparing how Jason acted around Bruce to how Jason acted for Dick.

Dick wasn't even completely sure how he earned this privilege, but he hoped he didn't mess it up.

"Dick," Jason said, popping up at his side from seemingly nowhere.

Dick startled, computer rocking in his lap and heart instantly racing. "Jesus Christ, I didn't see you come over here."

Jason smiled, his growing fangs with bloody in his mouth. His eyes were sharp and predatory on Dick's face. "That's because I didn't want you to see me."

Ice ran through him and he made a full-body shudder.

Was Jason trying to give him nightmares of baby-faced brothers with too-large fangs in their mouths?

"Well you succeeded, bud," Dick ground out, trying to keep his tone light but it was forced. "I didn't see you at all."

"Good," Jason chirped. "Now I know I can sneak up on you any time I want."

Jesus... this kid really was trying to give him a heart attack.

"Why don't we not do..."

Jason moved, climbing onto the couch and shoving himself into Dick's lap. The computer fell and clattered onto the ground. Jason gave it a smirk with pride.

His summary report...

"Food now," Jason demanded, settling himself up on Dick's chest and sighing into his collarbone. "I'm hungry."

The incubus's little mental fingers poked at Dick's bond with him like he was trying to get Dick's attention.

Jason had never been this bold. Dick was still half-convinced that the impling might still be wary of him (or even hate him) half the time. Hell, Jason still attacked him.

Blankly, Dick raised a hand to Jason's back and held him. The impling murmured a happy note at the simple touch.

"Do you want me to take you to the kitchen?" Dick asked, getting ready to stand.

Jason shook his head quickly. "No, emotions."

The incubus's head landed on Dick's shoulder. "You taste warm and safe."

He...

Dick's arms tightened around the demon in his lap. The impling responded with a burst of happiness in the bond.

"Okay, you can eat."

The impling instantly took Dick's emotions, and the bliss of feeding settled into the room. Bright happiness was amplified and filled Dick's head. Jason made all the emotions bigger, fuller, and greater than anything Dick ever thought he could inspire.

On his lap, Jason went completely boneless, fully resting into Dick. He tucked his face up against Dick's neck and lazily pulled at the bond between them.

It didn't even bother him when Jason fell asleep with those new fangs pressed against his jugular.

Chapter Text

Tim stared at the suitcases by the door. 

Bruce was… Jason was… Dick was… they were… they were all leaving. 

-----

Tim standing on the staircase, a blanket clutched in his palms.

His parents were putting suitcases by the door and his mother was tapping something into her phone.

“Mama?” he asked, feeling his chest burn and the dark hole inside him digging teeth into his organs. He hadn’t realised it at the time, but it was starvation.

“Yes?” she asked, not looking up from her phone.

“You’re leaving?”

She hummed and nodded. Tim watched as his father placed another bag in front of the door.

“That’s the last one,” he said, pulling out his phone too. “The car service should be here in three minutes.”

“You’re leaving?” Tim repeated, his voice hollow. “You were supposed to be home for another week.”

“Plans change,” his mother said dismissively. “We are needed in Lima immediately.”

“But…” 

But… what about me?”

“What?” his father said, looking up to Tim. “Spit it out, Timothy, you know I have when you mumble.”

Tim’s mouth snapped shut and he tried to ignore the burn of tears from behind his eyes. The dark inside him grew and it drove dull agony between his ribs.

He couldn’t cry, though. 

His parents hated how needy he was already. They told him it was babyish to still cry when they left. That it was pathetic for him to be afraid of the months of loneliness that drew every bit of his strength and made him want to collapse. It was weak of him.

But he didn’t know how to deal with the pain that constantly felt like it was ripping him apart.

“The driver should be pulling up now,” Jack Drake said as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. 

They were leaving… right now.

Tim dropped his blanket and rushed forward.

“Wait, Mama.”

He slammed into his mother’s legs, wrapping his arms tightly around her. 

Suddenly, the pain dulled, like he was finally being allowed to take a breath after hours of drowning. He was desperate for it, anything to keep them here and close to him. 

 “Please, Mama, please…”

“Timothy!” she barked and Tim instinctively flinched, but did not dare let go of her. It was greedy of him, but the hole inside him was closing. 

“Mama, it hurts,” he cried, begging her. Tears were slicking down his face and a sob was trying to crawl up out of his throat. “When you leave, it hurts more. Please, let me come. I’ll be good. I’ll be quiet.”

His mother scoffed, trying to push him off with a single hand. “Now, Timothy, you know we’ve talked about this.”

Yes they had. 

They had talked about why it was not a child’s place to travel. They had talked about all the trouble he would inevitably cause, what a distraction he would be. They had talked about how this was an opportunity for him, a way to develop his independence and grow as his own individual.

But it didn’t feel like he was growing at all when he paced the Manor’s halls for hours, desperately trying to find people he knew weren’t there.

“Please,” Tim begged again. “I’ll be good.”

His mother looked down and a strange feeling that wasn’t his own filled his head. She pet him, running her hand through his hair. 

A cool bliss filled him instantly at the tiny bit of affection and he practically shoved his face into her hand. It was so good. It felt so nice. The dark part in his chest was going away and pain was beginning to filter out.

He wanted to stay in this feeling forever. 

He didn’t know why, but he chirped, a strange sound caught between a noise a bird would make and a cat would make.

Mother drew her hand back like she had been burned.

Tim whined in the back of his throat as the pleasure was taken away and the pain immediately began to set in again. 

“Mama?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her face flashing with sadness before it was driven away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to turn out like this.”

Like what?”

“Janet?”

His mother turned to his father and Tim knew he was being left behind again. 

“Mama! Papa!”

“Quiet, boy,” his father hissed. “Stay in the house. Don’t cause trouble.”

He…

His parents were going through the door and their bags were going with them. 

Bag after bag. All things that they thought more fitting to take on a trip than him. 

It only took a few minutes before the door clicked shut and Tim found himself locked in his home all over again. 

The hole in his heart hungered.

-----

“Hey Tim,” Jason said, adding a bag to the pile that was rapidly forming in front of their door. “You finished already?”

Watching him put that bag down was a dull knife to the heart. 

But Tim could handle it. He knew he was a demon, an Incubus, and he knew why it hurt him to be alone. He could manage it better now, plus he was better fed than he had ever been as a child. 

This would be easier. 

Then why did it hurt more that his pack was leaving him?

“Finished what?” Tim asked but his voice was distant as his gaze locked on the bags.

“Packing?” Jason asked, his head tilting. The older Incubus paused, sniffing the air before his nose scrunched. 

“You smell like sadness,” he said bluntly. His eyes narrowed, flickered between Tim and his fixed gaze. “You smell like…”

Tim could see him putting the pieces together and then suddenly a fierce protectiveness filled the room as his Heart growled. 

“We’re not leaving you, Tim. We’re not your old pack."

“But… but you’re leaving?”

“Yes,” Jason said and pain laced through Tim and he fought to not cry. “But we’re taking you with us.”

“You’re… what?”

“We’re taking you with us, Tim. Everyone is coming. We’re even picking Dick up from Bludhaven.”

Tim couldn’t believe it. He could only blink up at his brother and try to wrap his head around it. 

“I’m...I’m coming too?”

Jason rolled his eyes and ruffled Tim’s hair. Affection thrummed through their bond. “Of course, go pack your bag. We’re not leaving you behind, but Alfred might start getting huffy and threatening it if we aren’t ready in the next twenty minutes."

Chapter Text

Dick was dying. 

Jason didn’t know why but he was dying.

The impling whined, pacing along the edge of the bed. His eyes kept going to the crumpled form of Dick inside his nest. He was pale and flushed at the same time, panting with shallow breaths. There was a strange scent in the room, one that he couldn’t place, but that didn’t matter because Dick was sick and it was apparently tearing his brother apart.

“Dick,” he tried to catch the human’s attention, but the only response he got was a slight twitch. “Dick, why don’t we go to the kitchen. Alfred has medicine in the kitchen.”

Dick didn’t move.

No matter how much Jason tried to get him to move he didn’t move.

Which was wrong because Dick always moved.

Jason whined in the back of his throat, his own fear rising. 

He could taste Dick’s pain, his distress, and it made him want to throw up. But he couldn’t be sick, Dick needed him. Jason needed to make sure Dick wouldn’t die. 

“Dickie?” Jason said, his head peeking over the blankets that made the walls of the nest and into it towards the human. “I don’t know what to do.”

The human mumbled something he couldn’t understand. He shifted, grumbled unhappily and made grabby hands towards Jason. 

The impling scrambled up on the bed and Arms came up and curled him close. 

Dick gave him a scratchy human purr, too high-pitched and singular to be mistaken for a demon’s. But it triggered Jason’s instincts nonetheless.

Jason purred back, giving his older brother an impling chirp. The human seemed satisfied with it because he tucked Jason’s nose right up into the side of his neck and purred more fiercely. 

He must be trying to calm Jason down even though he was dying.

Tears jumped into Jason’s eyes, especially as his older brother nuzzled his cheek on the crown of Jason’s head. 

He wouldn’t have this anymore when Dick was gone. Humans were too frail and Jason wasn’t big enough to protect Dick yet. 

He whined again, his claws flexed in and out anxiously.

Where was Bruce? He needed the Head of his pack to fix Dick. Bruce was human. Bruce would know what was going on. 

Almost like he was summoned, Bruce came through the door.

Jason stared, tears in his eyes and praying that Bruce would be able to fix Dick.

“Oh, there you are,” Bruce said, so so calm, especially because Dick was dying . 

Jason chirruped, a demon sound but he knew Bruce could interpret it as ‘come here’.

Bruce padded into the room, his nose twitching. “Strange,” he whispered once he came to the bed.

Strange? 

Jason’s mind raced. Was strange bad? Did strange mean dying?

“This isn’t the nest that Dick usually takes his heat in.”

Jason paused. He had never heard that word used like this. Was Dick burning?

“Heat?”

Bruce raised an eyebrow, confusion sprinkling into his emotions before realisation cleared it up.

“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know if you were raised by other demons. Dick is in heat.”

Jason tilted his head. His big purry brother kept curled tightly around him, clutching him with no intention to let go. 

“What does that mean?”

Bruce made a pinched expression and a bit of embarrassment flared in the human’s emotions.

“I...uh...I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Oh…

That means it was a sex thing.

Jason, as an Incubus, knew about sex things.

His older brother kept purring like a cat, all snuggly and cuddling Jason like he was a plush toy. Dick didn’t seem dangerous. He never badly touched Jason. He never whispered things that made Jason feel dirty. He never had any lust in his emotions and only saw Jason as an impling to be protected. 

He wasn’t a predator. He was nothing like those men that wanted to hold Jason down and say it was okay because they were ‘feeding’ him. 

Which maybe meant that Dick was a sex thing, like Jason was a sex thing. Something vulnerable and tempting and strong but preyed upon.

Jason knew what that felt like. 

The Incubus leaned in closer to his brother and the human kept rubbing his face into Jason’s forehead and cheeks. Tentatively, Jason pulled on their bond, not sure if the human was in the mind to answer back. 

Dick immediately tugged back, purring happy, protective, and content emotions into Jason. He sighed, basking in the pleasant feelings and the comfort of knowing his brother wasn’t dying. 

He was vulnerable at the moment, but Jason and Bruce were here and they would protect him. 

“Will he be like this forever?” Jason asked. This Dick didn’t seem very capable of speaking and he would miss his brother’s voice if he stayed ‘in heat’.

“No, no,” Bruce assured quickly. “Just for a few days, a week at most but that’s rare. Then he won’t go into heat for probably three or four months after it fades.”

Bruce hummed and petted a hand through Dick’s hair. He rubbed the bottom of his wrist onto Dick’s forehead and it reminded Jason of the way Dick had rubbed his cheek into Jason’s hairline. “He will get more coherent too. He’s at the peak of his heat and always gets a bit out of it, but usually, that only lasts a day.”

Dick gave Bruce a sleepy, almost drunk sounding chirp, grinding his head into the man’s hand like an enthusiastic pet. Bruce chuckled and lightly scratched his son’s scalp.

And Dick teased Jason for acting like a cat. 

“Thank you for taking care of him and nesting with him,” Bruce said gently. He moved his hand to rub Jason’s forehead, wiping the bottom of his wrist on the impling’s face. 

They were so weird. Demons nuzzled, but that was for greeting. Humans always seemed fixated on rubbing their wrist, necks, and tops of their heads on anyone that they considered part of their packs.

“You’re a good brother, Jaylad.”

Of course, he was. He had stayed with Dick when he thought Dick was dying and he would keep staying with Dick when he was in his vulnerable ‘heat’.

Jason wouldn’t allow Dick to be preyed upon.

Dick purred, the vibrations of his chest sinking into Jason’s own. It was so comforting especially because he knew that his brother wasn’t in serious danger.

Then, tentatively Jason nuzzled back, going completely limp in the omega’s hold, which only encouraged the human more. 

Dick was like a mama cat, purring, grooming, and nuzzling his scent all over Jason. His emotions were perfectly pleasant and absolutely delicious for the young Incubus. He wasn’t really hungry, but the emotions were so beautifully loving. Jason sighed and put his head down on Dick’s collarbone. The impling was helpless against it, just letting the emotions begin to fill him and take away the smatterings of hunger. 

Dick’s purring became impossible louder and Jason heard him mumbling the word ‘pup’ even though that was a human term and Jason was obviously a demon. 

But that didn’t seem to make any difference to the omega who was solely focused on snuggling Jason like he was a baby and feeding him. 

Jason yawned. Bruce chuckled and said something about getting Dick a heating pad for his aches. And Dick remained blissfuly soft around him.

Maybe…

Maybe this heat thing was sort of nice.

Jason was dying.

He was being crushed to death by his big brother’s Gotham-sized ass. 

“Get off,” he hissed, flashing his scary set of teeth to Dick. The threat wasn’t effective. The human was long desensitized to demon fangs, but sometimes it was the act of protest that counted.

“Hmmm… no,” Dick hummed through a fierce purr. It was deepened with age and the slight accenting of copying the lower tones of his demon siblings. Dick with his single set of vocal cords would never fully copy the sounds produced by a demon’s three, but he did get pretty damn close.

“I’m comfy. You’re comfy.”

“I’m not,” Jason snapped, struggling a little bit but not a lot for fear of waking up the sleeping implings at either side of him. 

“Tough,” Dick chirped before scenting Jason. Again.

“Gah, no, get your head juice away from me.”

“It’s just pack scent, Jay,” Dick sighed, sitting up and moving off of the Incubus’s chest. Jason stayed laying down, gazing up at the omega as he took stock of his nest and the three demons curled inside it. 

He smiled happily as he swiped his inner wrist on the sides of Tim and Damian’s necks, right where their scent gland would be if they had one. 

“I gotta make you all smell like my pack.”

Jason rolled his eyes, knowing that there was no true fighting an omega in his third day of heat. At least he was out of his drugged and purry stage when he was little more than an extremely affectionate cat. Now, Dick was just a cuddle fiend, still overly attached but he could talk now. 

“And you weren’t here last night.”

Dick caught Jason’s eye, scarp and keen even though he was still a bit flush with heat. 

“I know. I’m sorry” Jason grumbled as Dick mothered over him. The omega was ruffling through his hair and occasionally massaging into his sore muscles. 

“Where were you? You were gone last night and then came back smelling like other omegas.”

It wasn’t an accusation, just an observation. Guilt rose up in him. He had left while Dick was sleeping and had hoped to be back before he noticed that Jason was even gone. 

Apparently not. Jason couldn’t smell what humans could and had no idea if Dick would be able to pick up on their scents. He apparently had. 

“An omega and demon trafficking ring,” Jason explained and caught the spike of disgust running through Dick. “They were getting spooked so Bruce wanted to move fast. He was willing to call in Steph or go alone, but you know he’s an idiot and would get himself hurt and Steph is so young and I don’t want her—“

“Little Wing,” Dick interrupted Jason, putting a hand on his head. The omega’s voice was vibrating a bit with his continued purr. “I understand. You were needed. It’s okay. I appreciate you always being here for my heats and that you came back when you could. I’m just happy to know you were sneaking into another omega’s nest for heat cuddles.”

Dick was teasing him, and had a wry quirk to his smile. 

Jason snorted, idly putting a hand down to scratch his claws along Tim’s scalp. The impling stayed asleep but nuzzled into the ministrations. 

“As if I could find another omega human willing to let an Incubus my size into their nest while in heat.”

Dick tilted his head, collecting Damian closer to him. The impling murmured a sleepy coo and wrapped his tail around Dick’s wrist subconsciously. 

“I don’t know, I think you could,” Dick said, his tone serious and deep. “It wouldn’t have to be an omega, maybe another demon, or an alpha too, you know I wouldn’t judge, just someone to make you happy.”

Dick met his eyes and looked at Jason so deeply that he felt like he was at the center of Dick’s world for a second. 

“Would you want that? A family with children of your own?”

“I…” the words were lost in Jason’s throat. “I think so. Maybe in the future, but for right now…” Jason looked down to the implings curled around him. 

“I couldn’t imagine leaving them. Leaving this pack. I’m their Heart. But maybe… a family to add to our pack… I don’t know if I could start my own.”

“Shhh…” Dick calmed him. “I’m not saying you should leave now. You’re young. You have time and you’ll always have a place here regardless of what you choose.”

Then, Dick gave him a wink. “But I would appreciate some nieces or nephews eventually.”

Jason lightly kicked him in the calf and the human laughed while still stroking Damian like a cat. 

“Your heat is making you sentimental,” Jason grumbled, though he also had the sudden urge to purr. 

“How about you? Would you…” he hesitated for a second. “Would you go off and start a pack of your own?”

“Yeah, I think I would.” Dick was looking out a window, his gaze distant.

“It would be nice to have pups of my own to nest and nurse. I mean, I can’t keep mooching off of Bruce’s kidnapped implings forever.”

Dick meant it as a joke, but Jason had to hold back a flinch from the sharp pain it spiked through him.

It was more common for humans to leave. Demons were usually tied to their packs with multiple generations and families all sticking together. But human packs tended to be more segregated, smaller and further spread apart. 

He knew it was natural for humans to want to leave and form packs of their own. Their instincts to go were stronger than a demon’s. It was a difference in their species and perfectly normal but…

It still disturbed something deeply instinctual in Jason to think that one day Dick might tire of them and break their bonds so he could separate him from them. He could almost make himself panic with the thought of his pack being fractured like that. 

And…

And to never see his brother again…

To know that they hadn’t been enough to make him happy or that their desire to be with him had caused him to resent them…

It…

“Jason,” Dick said firmly, jolting Jason out of his thoughts. “What’s wrong? You look scared.”

Dick’s eyes were keen on him, analyzing the pieces of his face.

Jason knew he couldn’t hide, not from Dick. 

“I just… you’ll still visit us, right? Or at least call? When you’ve left our pack… you’ll still… you’ll still… you won’t just break our bonds and disappear.

Dick’s emotions spiked into a flurry and for a second Jason thought he had made Dick furious for daring to ask that much.

“No, Jason, no. ” 

Dick was rushing towards him, capturing Jason in a tight hug. The omega’s purring had stopped but the signs of his heat were in the red on his cheeks and the light honeysuckle scent Jason could only smell when he was pressed up against Dick’s scent gland.

“You’re bigger than me now,” Dick said with a chuckle that bordered on sad. “Sometimes that makes me forget you’re barely out of being an impling yourself.”

He stroked down Jason’s back, his dull nails raising goosepimples on Jason’s skin. 

“I wouldn’t abandon you, Jason. Not you or anyone else in the family. I will always be here when you need me.”

Jason was too old for cuddling with his omega like this. Hell, demons didn’t even have omegas. He didn’t need to clutch Dick like his brother might disappear if he let go. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to let go. 

The omega began purring again, stroking through Jason’s hair and playing with the white tuft over his forehead. 

“Oh Little Wing,” his omega said affectionately, strumming their bond. “You big, ol’ baby. Still just an impling that needs his omega.”

Normally, Jason would be hissing and spitting at being treated like such a child, but… sometimes… it was nice to just be held and protected instead of being the protector.

“Relax Jason,” Dick murmured, his purr vibrating through his voice. “You’re safe. Your pack is safe and whole. Feed if you need to or catch up on that sleep you missed last night.”

He wasn’t that hungry. He was never hungry when he was near his family, but his excursion into breaking up a trafficking ring last night had taken a bit of his energy. 

So he sighed, leaned his head onto Dick’s shoulder, and tapped into the human’s happiness. The taste of Dick’s emotions was familiar and pleasant, like coming home after a long vacation. 

Maybe... 

Maybe just a little nap couldn’t hurt? 

After all, Dick’s heats were nice and he was very comfy.