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Tim hits the ground with a low "thud" and pain races across his arm. His files are scattered across the-thankfully carpeted-floor and it takes him a second to realize what just happened. Damian pounced on him—again. This was getting out of hand. He pushed the young alpha away with a force he'd shied from the previous few attempts. It couldn't go on like this. They needed some firm boundaries. Damian growled next to his ear and Tim did his best to ignore the stench. This was all normal, developmentally appropriate. He sits up and starts gathering his files, staunchly ignoring the teen still on the floor. And to think he'd actually thought Damian and him had finally found some sort of understanding… The first time it happens, Tim doesn't think about it too much. Damian is young, barely on the cusp of presentation, it’s only natural that he would get territorial. And let's face it—Tim is an easy and obvious victim. He's shorter than any of his brothers, he's a beta instead of an alpha and he's Damian's predecessor. All reasons why Damian's alpha-hindbrain might see him as either a threat or something to conquer. In any case, it's all too easy to simply straddle the boy into submission, one forearm across his neck until he calms down into the puppy Tim knows he still is at heart. The following few weeks Tim gets progressively more annoyed with his little brother. He still remembers how difficult presentations could be, but that doesn't give Damian the right to act like a total brat! Anything Tim says is challenged, in and out of the costume. Seriously, if Tim said the earth was round, Damian would claim it was flat. It comes to a point where Nightwing actually gets hurt because Damian refuses to follow Tim's orders— They fight afterwards, like they hadn't done in years, because frankly, Tim is pissed. He thought they got over all this bullshit years ago! They'd been working as a team for a year after Tim returned with Batman in tow and there hadn't been any issues! But now? Tim could barely stand to be in the same room as Damian. When he comes to the mansion—primarily to discuss business-strategy with his hermit of a father-figure, he constantly has to be on the watch-out. At any time, there could be a power-hungry Damian around the corner, ready to pounce and dominate Tim like they were actual animals. Worse— it was working. Tim was a beta, thankfully blessed with little struggle in terms of hormones and a much worse sense of smell, but even he could tell when a powerful alpha was on his back. Jason at least had offered him one of his guns when he’d detailed his pains—The thought was appreciated, but Tim did not like the idea of shooting a teen. So he let it be—Told himself that it would soon be over, that just as soon as Damian's hormones settled down a bit, everything would go back to normal.
Spoiler alert; it didn’t.
This time when Damian attacks Tim, he doesn't just let it go. He needs to establish that Tim still has the upper-hand; he doesn't see why he should coddle Damian when he keeps on attacking Tim. So, he rolls with the attack, punches Damian between his ribs, and rolls across the carpet. Breathing heavily, he readies his stance and when Damian comes to attack, he ducks below his punch and sweeps his legs out from under him. Damian goes down, but he takes Tim with him, and they land back on the floor with a rough crash. Immediately, Damian starts pulling on Tim's hair and he retaliates by scratching his back. Their bodies are pressed flush against each other as they roll around on the floor like stray dogs. "Stop! You stupid fucking demon" Tim pants out and Damian snarls, baring all his perfect, pearly white teeth. They are an even match, as much as Tim hates to admit it, and they probably would’ve continued fighting for another hour if Alfred hadn't been coming up the stairs. They scrambled apart like they were two school-boys who'd just been caught smoking by the headmistress, eyes lowered and straightening out their clothes in haste. Damian bares his teeth one last time before he disappears into his room, leaving Tim breathing heavily and staring off at the spot they'd just been fighting on. His feelings were…mixed, to say the least. He just hoped Damian would calm down at some point. Dick climbs up the many stairs to the manor with a pep in his step. Patrol had gone well, he'd finally managed to catch the serial arsonist that had set fire to his favorite coffee-shop and he had the day off!Alfred had promised him breakfast, which was great since he was pretty sure the only bread he had at home had gone moldy about a week ago. Maybe he'd finally have time to go grocery shopping today? A few steps away from the tantalizing smell of french toast originating from the kitchen, Dick stopped. What- what was this smell? As a vigilante, he has a finely honed sense of smell second only to the super-humans, and he trusts his instincts—has to, in his line of profession. He follows it past the dining room, up the stairs and into the hallway in front of Damian's room. There, the scent is the strongest. It’s Damian’s, the new wave of Alpha pheromones that he hadn't quite gotten accustomed to yet, and something else—something much, much lighter, Tim. He grins— This is the best day of his life! It's unmistakeable, and Tim has told him about Damian's abnormal recent behavior even when Dick hadn’t noted much difference besides his smell at all. His littlest brother has a crush on his little brother. He practically skips down the steps to the kitchen, god this is so cute! And perfect material for a little familial teasing! He still remembers how Tim would follow him around like a duckling after presentation. It had been so sweet and really only natural! It had worn off pretty quickly but Dick still cherished the moments when Tim smiled up at him with his angelic baby-blues and nodded no matter what Dick said. It had been a massive ego boost, and he was sure Tim could use it too! Damian probably isn’t aware of his luck either, his Robin had always had a bit of a long line when it came to emotions. The tussling was practically a rite of passage in this family! Dick used to always run after Bab’s tackling her to the ground, getting his scent all over her in the guise of play-fighting. He plops down on a barstool and watches the butler serve up caramelized french toast with a light dusting of powdered sugar. His grin must be obvious since Alfred raises a single, curious eyebrow. Dick nearly vibrates out of his seat. "Damian has a cruuuuuuush-" he sing-songs. A plate is put down in front of him and he digs in with enthusiasm. "Oh? " Alfred humors him and Dick nods cheerily."I couldn't help but notice the smell just now; Damian is clearly mooning over Tim! He's been telling me all about the wrestling" Dick wiggles with his eyebrows "I can't believe I didn't put two and two together earlier" he gestures wildly with his dripping fork, "And to think Tim doesn't know! I guess he's always been a bit oblivious when it comes to lo-ove" he sing-songs and eats another piece of toast. Alfred nods, and starts washing a pan. But he can't fool Dick, Alfred loves gossip at least as much as Dick does. "I suppose I have noted… a strong infatuation from the young master" he offers and Dick nearly falls out of his chair in excitement. Truth be told, he'd been a tad bit worried since Damian had always been quite territorial, but this was the ideal outcome! His brothers could reconcile and he got to tease them both endlessly! "I seem to remember you too suffering from a bout of love-sickness around the same age" Alfred reminds him and Dick refuses to admit how fast he goes scarlet, “Yeah, well, Bruce never noticed and that's all that really matters" he says. "Never noticed what?" comes a growly voice from the door, and Dick whirls around. "Oh nothing! Come on, you need to try Alfie's french toast!" Alfred: 1 Dick: 0 After the full-on fight they had, Tim reduces the amount of time he spends at the manor as much as possible, but even patrol doesn’t give him a break. For some reason, Damian insists on either partnering up with him, or slipping away from his own assigned partner to come and annoy Tim. Mean words over comm-lines, pranks at work—seriously, how did Damian even get his hands on Tim's usual salad order?—Were grinding on him. Dick wasn't much of a help, he seemed convinced that Damian had a crush on him, which Tim found incredibly silly. Damian didn't have crushes he had vendettas! And Tim was top of the list. He was just grateful that Damian was still shorter, especially because he wasn’t immune to pheromones entirely and Damian was basically a fountain of alpha-dominant-horny-hate or at least Tim thought so. Pheromones were always more of a guessing-game to the beta. Being a beta had its advantages; he was much less susceptible to Ivy’s pollen, he had no desire to tussle with their head-alpha like Jason and even Dick, and he didn’t intimidate victims, many of whom had been scarred, mentally or physically, by an alpha. He was grateful he wasn’t an omega either; still neglected by society, seen as weak and motherly above all else. At least he still had a hope of being treated seriously by the board of directors. The inherent sexism of it all often grated on his nerves, but he did the best he could—Wayne Industries was at the forefront of many a debate, they had the most time off for heats and new parents—hell, they even allowed pups to be nursed at work! But the hero community was not very forthcoming concerning omegas or even beta’s like himself. Beta’s were often neglected in science-class, seen as the weird ones, sometimes even treated as lesser then. Their anatomy didn’t help much either, a weird in-between, not being able to knot, but still having a dick, being able to get pregnant but far more rarely than an omega. At least his scent didn’t immediately alert everyone around him of his feelings—Something which Red Robin used to his advantage as often as he possibly could. He wasn’t influenced by a pretty omega and not intimidated by any big alpha. He just was. He did his work and didn’t think about it much further. Until now— that is. "Why are you doing this?“ he spits out in annoyance after he gets tackled across another rooftop. Damian's cheeks are flushed, even beneath the domino as he sits up-all prim and proper-refusing to look Tim in the eyes. "Seriously, it's annoying as hell!" Tim prods and still, Damian only raises his chin in defiance and walks to the edge of the brown-stone. "I don't get it" Tim says-and it's a lie-he does, he just doesn't like any of the reasons he's coming up with. And it really doesn't mean anything at all when he smells his cape with closed eyes after Damian disappears into the shadowed alleys of Gotham proper. Tim knows, he knows he should watch out in the manor, but it’s been one hell of a long day and he just—he needs to get this evidence to Bruce and then he can-finally-go to sleep. Of course, Damian isn't known for his tact, so he attacks anyway and Tim is just too slow to react. He falls, toppling over like a tower of blocks and can't quite catch himself before teeth sink into the thin skin of his neck. His shout drowns in the carpet as his world goes weirdly fuzzy around the edges. Already he can't think right and with every passing second everything just becomes more distant, like he's looking at his actions through a fogged mirror. He wants to fight, but the fight left his body a while ago and all he can do is moan as Damian's teeth sink into place like claws into flesh. The weight is on his back, pressing him down, making him submitsubmitsubmit and he feels nothing anymore, tastes nothing anymore, sees nothing anymore, but Damian. No, his alpha. Alpha ruts against his back, making him moan, making his thighs clench and his knees tremble. A wonderful scent envelops him whole as his alpha begins to suck his marks into Tim's neck. He moans and bucks back into him, letting his alpha know that he appreciates the notion, that he wants to be his. Alpha purrs calmingly, and bites down again. It makes Tim writhe in agony and pleasure alike and he's no longer able to think about anything but pleasing his alpha. Strong hands hold him in place as he ruts against Tim's ass, his member so, so close, yet all too far away. It makes for a torturously wonderful experience. They roll across the carpet, his alpha's teeth deepening the mark again and again, his scent coating Tim entirely, claiming him. He can feel his own dick starting to rise, and the hot member of his alpha is pressed flush against him, rubbing a wet spot into his joggers. His alpha growls and groans and Tim whimpers in compliance. He loves alpha. Suddenly, another rush of hormones washes over him and just then, his alpha comes. Tim preens, he's proven himself a good, desirable mate. He's done well. His back arches as his cheek is squished into plush carpet so hard it burns and his mouth stays slightly open as his alpha marks him his. His member is up again, back to rutting and grunting and Tim, beta is sure he is in heaven, all thoughts of reality lost in pure instinct. Dick's cup shatters into a thousand little pieces on the floor as his jaw falls open. He's frozen in shock—which is saying something considering his day-and night-job. He can't quite compute just what he is seeing, and he rubs at his eyes just to confirm. His little brother is looking straight past him, on the floor, back up, eyes hazy and hair a sweaty mess against his forehead. Small rivulets of sweat make their way down his flushed face, hitting the floor in tandem with the thrust from behind him. He looks wrecked, unresponsive and so entirely unlike Tim that Dick can't quite believe it. His shirt is mangled, ripped at the collar to free as much skin around his neck as possible, all of which is covered in bloody bite marks and love-bites. Worst is the still bleeding wound from a claiming bite that is sure to scar. There are bruises up and down his body and Dick is sure Tim can't see him right now. Worse is Damian, right behind him, small body stuck in a feverish fervor of movement, rutting again and again, grunting and snarling feral in the face of another alpha. He doesn't seem to recognize Dick either, mouth wide open to reveal a row of devilishly sharp teeth and a bit of blood trickling down his chin. Tim is making these weird tiny whimpering sounds that make his heart ache and Damian is about to—knot, he can't even think it—it's then, that he is ripped out of his trance. Thinking quickly, he raises his hands and steps back defensively, baring a clear view of his neck in defense and recognition of the alpha claiming his mate before him. His eyes flit across the scene in panic, trying to take in as much as possible, when really he wants to just ran as far and wide as he possibly can. But Tim needs help—Hell, Damian was so lost in a feral craze, he too, needed to be tranquilized. So Dick started compartmentalizing-. He couldn't quite think about the reality of the situation before him, too horrified by its implication and he cant he can’t think about this right now. He needs to get a tranq-gun, he needs—He needs Jason, or Bruce or literally anyone. Claiming bites and the ensuing rut are some of the most vulnerable moments of an alphas life, and they tended to react incredibly badly to any interruption. The only reason Dick wasn't already busy fighting Damian—he would win, but didn’t want to fight—was their familial relation. On some level, Damian was still in there somewhere after all. Just as Tim was—he gulped. He was torn between stepping in and doing something, putting a stop to it and knowing that at this point it could have horrific consequences. And anyway, even if the claiming bite was an accident (and dear god, he hoped it was) a single alpha couldn't do much of anything. He needed help. As quickly as he could, he backed away, down the stairs and awayawayaway until he could finally breathe again. "Dick? You look like you've seen a ghost!" It’s with trembling breath and a break to vomit up his lunch that he relays his findings to one extremely shocked Alfred and a visiting Jason. There is a gun in Jason's hand before he can even finish his thought and Alfred follows not a second later. Dick hates this—hates being the voice of reason in a situation like this but dear god, Damian is still his pup somewhere in there. This was a horrific sort of accident, Damian simple hadn't been able to control his instincts as much as he should have. "But does Tim have to suffer because of that?" Jason points out and Dick takes another shaky breath. "Well, Damian needs to get back to his senses to break the claim" he says and it hurts something deep in his chest. He doesn't want to think of Damian as someone bad, as a villain, but a claiming bite was serious. Damian had outstanding self control in every other aspect of his life—why not here? (his mind is a traitorous beast and he refuses to ask these questions right now) He does persuade Jason to exchange lead for a tranq though, which is for the best? (He really hopes it is) The scene that greets them back upstairs isn't pretty even for seasoned vigilantes, so animalistic and instinct driven. There are bodily fluids-white and red-everywhere, Tim panting, no thought left in his poor head and Damian growling and sniping warnings pretty much as soon as they enter. Jason goes pale but aims the gun anyway, his hands only shaking a little bit and Dick doesn't dare to point it out. This is such a nightmare and he hates, hates, hates it. The whole floor smells like pheromones and sex and hey, at least Tim won't remember any of this, he reasons, even if it is a pretty thin silver-lining. He closes his eyes, ignores the smell and just, locks it all away. They need Nightwing now, not Dick, the concerned older brother. Jason takes the shot and Damian goes down with a blood-freezing snarl, toppling right on top of Tim who never looked smaller. Even Damian, who's still a good head shorter than Tim seems massive in comparison, over-bearing and old, far older than he really is. God—Damian is barely a teen and he has already done so many unforgivable things. Somehow, Dick thinks faintly, this will stay on top of the list for a while. Tim also gets a sedative for good measure, but he probably didn't need it, since he was already sleeping before he even hit the floor. The two of them make for a very intense picture that might've been arousing hadn't it been so disturbing. He gulps. The blood on Tim's neck is long gone, but Dick still sees it anyway. It’s like a constant torturous reminder that he didn't stop it earlier. There are white bandages all around the milky skin, but even they can't hide all the bruising. Alfred had confirmed the mating bite with a solemn face only an hour ago, but already it feels like an eternity to Dick. They can't do anything until Tim wakes up. Bruce-who was late, again, why couldn't he ever be there when he was needed most?-could potentially break the bond, since both of them belonged to his pack, but he wouldn't do that without Tim's express consent, not after what had happened. Granted, they still weren't 100% sure what happened, but Dick wasn't kidding himself. He knew Tim, he knew Damian and he knew that Tim had been complaining about getting randomly attacked for months now. The fact he hadn't done more leaves a bitter taste in his mouth now. Hindsight was 20/20 and all but still, he felt responsible. He knew what happened out there, how naive had he been to truly not see this happening in his own home? Except how could he, his mind whispered, how could he expect his own Robin—Who was he kidding, his son, to claim someone without their consent? It was always easiest to blame themselves, they all know it, but maybe it doesn't even really matter anymore. In the hospital beds Tim and Damian both seem like children. Tim had barely been 18 for six months now, he was still practically a child and Damian wasn't even 14 yet. They looked so innocent, so peaceful, eyes closed and hearts beating strongly anyway. He wonders what excuse Damian might have, what he will tell them, how Dick will react. Because how is he supposed to react? A mating bond means something and even if Bruce or Damian or Tim break it, well, it will always be there. No matter who Tim will take as his partner someday, that bite will always be scarred from Damian's teeth and no plastic surgeon in the world will be able to change it. This is a lifetime commitment, Dick knows and he prays to any God that'll listen that this won't ruin their lives. The trust Damian had rebuilt over years came toppling down in seconds with this one stupid, instinctual act and he doesn’t know if they'll be able to fix it. Doesn’t know if they should fix it. Tim's chest rises and falls evenly, eyes fluttering below closed lids but otherwise eerily still. He looks like a ghost. He looks so innocent. Tim wakes up dazed and confused. There are monitors around him, an IV in his arm and the blaring lights above let him know he's in the medical wing. He cracks his eyes open and shuts them again, scrunching up his nose at the uncomfortable sensation. Immediately, there's a flurry of motion around him, and he counts at least two people at his bedside. He wonders what happened-Had he been kicked out another window? He couldn't remember anymore. In fact, the last thing he did remember was bringing the evidence for a case to the manor. Amnesia? Finally, he gathers his thoughts enough to brace the lights again, facing both Bruce and Dick. He can't quite move his neck-it’s weirdly stiff and are those bandages? "Guys? What- what happened?" Bruce looks solemn, and he clearly hasn't slept in a while. The bags under his eyes are heavy and dark and his usually straight figure is slumped over in defeat, He sighs—Never a good sign. "Damian-Damian attacked you, Tim" Dick says slowly and Tim’s head starts to spin. He groans. "Again?" "It's… different-" Bruce starts and Tim wonders just how embarrassing his defeat had been. "He- you- there-" in all his time with Bruce, Tim has never known him to stutter. He might not say much, but what he did say was clear and direct. He frowned. Raised his arm to touch his bandaged neck and immediately flinched back from the intense pain. "Damian claimed you, Tim. These are the after effects of a mating bite." Tim's thoughts began to race against the artificial fuzziness of the sedative he was given. It was true, he did feel a connection to Damian, though he would've never guessed it was a mating bite that caused it. He understood the troubled minefield that were Damian’s instincts much better like this. He stared at Bruce who'd flushed a bright pink. "I am so sorry that I did not stop him earlier, Tim. Truly, I can never express my sorrow." he says, a deep-felt apology that Tim … kind of didn't need. Was he upset that Damian hadn't asked? A little. Did he regret what followed? Whilst he wasn't fully aware and only had hazy impressions at best, he also didn't feel terrible about it. It was difficult to discern what was really him and what were the hormones talking but he was… ambivalent maybe. He had been quite upset when Damian had returned to open hostility honestly, and wasn't this a vast improvement? Clearly Damian didn't hate him! "I can of course break the bond whenever you like" Bruce continued and Tim’s blood froze in his veins. He was aware that the pack alpha could potentially break bonds if he needed to but he didn't want that to happen, as moronic and silly as it sounded, he much preferred this deep understanding of Damian to the hostile attacks. He had liked Damian the few months they'd actually gotten along. He shook his head. "No… I don’t think that's a good idea right now" "What do you mean?" Dick looked deeply troubled. "It's just, well, I don’t want to break the bond just for Damian to go feral again-" he explained, heart racing, "who knows who he might claim next? Why not keep the bond for the time being and break it when everything has settled down a bit more? There's no expiration date on breaking the bond, right?" Bruce nodded, regaining a tiny bit of color, a small smile peaking out behind the grim facade. "I suppose, if you say so" Dick said hesitantly, clearly surprised by his reaction. And it was true, maybe Tim was weirdly calm about it all. But he did always like to go with the rational choice and wasn't this for the best? Nobody needed to know that the thought of breaking the bond inexplicably made him want to curl up and cry. He didn't want to let go of this new, deep-found connection to Damian. Besides, it honestly felt good to be claimed, right. He felt settled like he never had before. Maybe this would do them both some good. It took some time and a few very uncomfortable talks, but eventually, everyone settles down. Tim stands by his decision and he can feel how grateful Damian is. The boy would never truly show it, but his family did mean a lot to him and it would've hurt him deeply to be alienated entirely. Still, Jason was clearly still on edge around Robin and Tim couldn't fault him for that. It must've been quite the traumatic sight to see them both so feral, to have to take them down and clean them. Cassandra had dropped by to scare the devil into Damian, which hadn't been needed, but much appreciated anyway. The atmosphere in the manor and on the comm was weird, tense yet forcefully light. Nobody really wants to say much more, especially because they want to abide by Tim's wishes, but they can’t shake it either. The only one really happy is probably Tim. Turns out, all he really needed to fix his ever-present anxiety (as much as anything can fix a troubled mind) was a mate that he could reach out to in the depth of night. Tim had always been unsure of his own belonging, had felt like an intruder and an imposter at times. But a mating bond was proof that he really did belong. (In another world, Tim might have aimed for one after Damian turned 18 anyway.) Damian had been kind after the claiming. He'd smiled and engaged, had drawn Tim pictures, sent him letters and Tim lets all of it happen. Maybe Dick had been correct in his initial assessment of the crush. Late at night, he can't quite shake the feeling that it might not have been an accident at all, but maybe that is wishful thinking. Tim is fucked in the head-he knows that much. Not that he had needed any more proof of it. Just…is it too much to ask for—unconditional love from a partner? The worst of the storm seemed to have blown over and they were settling into a new normal—And maybe that new normal included Damian visiting the Nest at 2 am on a school night. Tim isn't really surprised to see him in his kitchen, he'd felt his presence closer to his heart as soon as Damian had decided to make his way across town, but he pretends to be surprised anyway. He shows his neck in a sign of submission that he never would've dreamt of showing just a year ago. How times had changed, huh? "Timothy" the young alpha greets him and there’s an edge of something there. Anxiety? But why? "Damian" he nods back. “You're supposed to be at the manor" he says, but doesn't chide him. It’s more of an observation. "Well, I suppose I felt I wanted to be here more" Damian offered in that stilted way he showed all emotion and Tim grinned. "You suppose?" he teased and pulled out the hot chocolate. They don't talk as they drink but the silence is amicable and companionable and Tim has never felt so much at home as he has right now. "Why did you really want to come over" he asks after, not accusingly but something else, something softer. "I am…unsure of how much you remember from the claiming" Damian says slowly and deliberately. He sets his cup down in the sink and Tim watches his elegant muscles flex as he climbs onto a barstool. "But… well, I found it immensely pleasurable" the words sounded like they physically hurt him but Tim didn't say anything in return. "And I know I did something wrong by not asking… but I suppose I was hoping it was just as pleasurable for you" The little Tim does remember was as much pleasure as it was pain. Damian was inexperienced, had come in his pants and all over Tim without a measure of foreplay in sight. He shrugs delicately. "In a way" he admits. Some of the tension escapes Damian's shoulders and now he's looking at Tim with hope in his eyes. "I am inexperienced in loving, I suppose" he admits and Tim doesn't say anything to refute it- it is the truth after all. "In the last weeks I have found myself wishing to improve." he edges onwards and suddenly Tim knows where this is going. A tingle starts happening between his legs and it takes everything in him not to react ore obviously. "You want me to help you…improve" Damian nods in relief and Tim starts grinning. Sometimes Damian reminds him just how young he still is. He pretends to think about it even though he already knows his answer. "Yes, Damian, I'll help you" he agrees and playfully tugs on Damians hand. The young alpha follows him to the-very comfortable-couch, and sits down thigh to thigh with his. He still smells so strongly of alpha that Tim really has to concentrate to not just take what Damian is so eager to give. He wants to do this right. "You start by kissing" he says with more authority than he reasonably has. He made out with some girls when he was younger, and had a brief fling with a boy but nothing quite this serious. Their lips meet and Damian is adorably unsure of his motions, Tim lets him explore, lets him lick at his lips and steal inside, lets him bite and pull and deepen it as much as he wants to. He's not all bad when he's not lost in his instincts. Robin has always been a quick study and so it doesn't take long for him to become more demanding, more domineering. He takes what he wants and Tim just lets him. He feels honored to be Damian's first in any manner that counts.He groans and pants between kisses and doesn't so much as raise an eyebrow when a hand sneaks below his shirt. He just curls his hands in Damian’s hair and pulls him closer. Eventually the younger is straddling his lap, rutting up against his front, and kissing him so deeply Tim is sure he'll still be able to taste him tomorrow. "This is what we call foreplay" Tim explains as Damian gasps for air, eyes blown wide and pheromones thick in the air. He can feel his dick growing harder in his pants. "Do you want to lose your pants?" Tim asks gently and Damian nods. He shimmies out of his robin leggings and briefly Tim has a moment to internally celebrate because he finally managed to bag a Robin! A dream he's had since he saw Dick Grayson don the pixie-boots for the very first time. Tim does much the same and soon Damian's boxers are rubbing against the lace of Tim's panties. He wears them mostly because he hates underwear lines in suits but Damian really loves it. He seems fascinated by Tim's cock, much smaller than his own, and the opening below it. Tim throws his head back in a groan as he instructs nimble fingers. The lace is pushed to the side and Tim is dripping wet—more so than he had ever believed possible, Damian's hands are large, much too large for his current frame, but Tim knows with a confidence that is unfounded in any tangible proof, that Damian will grow into them. One finger, then two, opening and closing him with such gentle precision. It nearly drives him mad. Damian sinks to his knees before Tim’s spread legs, admiring his pussy and his dick, glistening with fluid. He pulls his hands away just to give his fingers an experimental lick and it nearly makes Tim come all on his own. Damian is a natural, it seems. "Another finger, Dami, I know your knot!" He's on birth-control thank god, because he doesn't think he could ever stop this to go and find a godforsaken condom. He can still feel the phantom size of Damian's dick when he closes his eyes, pulsing between his legs like it belongs there. It does. Tim pulls his alpha up roughly, splays his neck across the armrests of the couch and Damian straddles him again, his cock only shielded from Tim’s cunt by a single piece of cotton. Tim groans. Damian's eyes are wide, he's flushed and red and he's sweating out the sweetest of all pheromones to poison the air and them most of all. Tim lets him pull his boxers down at his own pace and still he shouts as Damian slowly rubs his head against his slit, wetting the tip. It feels hot and warm and oh so good. "You- you gotta take it slow" Tim breathes out, trying to remember why they were even doing this. He'd promised to teach Damian, hadn't he? He needed to give some advice. "You-ah!-you are so big, I need time to-ugh-adjust" Damian nods seriously and then slowly pushes forwards. "Like this?" he asks, unsure and Tim nods hastily. "Exactly, exactly like this Dami" Damian pushes forward and then pulls out. The space he leaves aches and clenches with need. "Might I go further?" he asks, now suddenly polite, and Tim just pulls his hips towards his middle. His dick enters again and Tim's own spurts a few strands of pearly cum as he enters. Fuck, he hasn't orgasmed like this in a while. His orgasm seemed to be the encouragement Damian needed because suddenly he really was drilling inwards and Tim could do little but hold on. He could feel the knot forming at the base and traveling upwards. "Please, please touch my-ah!-dick, please, alpha, please!" He babbles, lost in the feeling of it all, but Damian listens. A hand wraps around his member jerking it gently, tantalizingly slowly as the knot finally enters him and Tim twitches as he comes again. Damian comes without much of a sound, the knot keeping his warm, wet cum in place, making Tim feel full in a way that's right, like he should be. Betas aren't really made for knots, they rip far too easily, but Tim, he is sure, was made for Damian. Damian sinks against his chest, sweaty and panting, and they are locked like this for hours, fluids drying on their skin. "Can we do this again?" his alpha asks hesitantly, and Tim smiles. Kissing him softly, he promises "as often as you want" Tim is supremely aware of the date in a way he never wanted to be. It's been precisely one month since Damian became a legal adult and his excuses for not breaking the bond no longer holds up to snuff. Damian is through with his presentation, has settled and calmed down like nobody could have expected and Tim knows its scummy of him to keep up the charade when Damian has a whole life ahead of him. It's just… Tim has grown comfortable in the last five years. He likes his alpha, he likes his life-he especially likes their sex lives and he doesn’t want this to change. Their family has come around to the idea of them as a couple in the last few years and maybe Tim has too. He's seen a side of Damian he wasn’t even aware of before, and fuck it, but he loves that stupid Alpha as much as any mate can love their other half. But is it not love to let him go? To live his life away from baggage like Tim? His mood has been sour for days and he knows Damian knows it. Their understanding for each other has reached unheard of levels with the mating and it’s only a matter of time before it all breaks down. Tim doesn’t get to have good things, never has. "My beloved, why are you so sullen?" his alpha asks, sitting down on the roof of the building, dangling foot touching dangling foot. "When are we breaking the bond?" Tim blurts out and can feel Damian grow cold. He just needs to rip the bandaid off, he knows, and yet it doesn't hurt any less. “Break... the bond? My darling, what have I done to deserve this?" Damian sounds horrified and Tim has to take a second to admire the selfless nature of Damian's claim. Damian has consistently put his own needs behind Tim's, and he appreciates it. He swallows what feels like a stone in his throat. "Nothing but help me, I think." he says because it would hurt to say love in a moment like this. "You have been good to me, Damian, very good, so I'm letting you go. You can date and mate whoever you want, I won't hold you back" Damian's arms snap forward to hold his jaw and make Tim face him. "Whoever would claim you held me back, Timothy? Have I given you such a bad impression of myself?“ Tim has to keep reminding himself that this was an accident, that Damian is acting out of duty. "Damian, you don't have to keep living this farce if you don't want to. You have long since been declared entirely stable and at this point it’s just selfish." Tim chuckles without humor and feels his heart break. He looks down. "Farce? Habibi, there is no farce in my eyes. I have loved you from the day I presented. Please, tell me, what can I do to prove my love“ Damian claims and Tim's world shatters. "Are you- are you sure Damian? Because I swear, I won't give you another out. You either take it now or we're stuck in this together for life" he stressed, heat rushing up his chest. He stared intensely into Damian's dark eyes but there was no doubt, no hesitance there. "I am deeply troubled that you believed this to be a falsehood for so long, beloved. I did not claim you by accident, and I would not want to part with you, no matter what. I will climb any mountain, defeat any foe, do whatever you deem necessary to prove to you, my habibi, that I love you“ he said, and Tim surged forward. He kissed him like a drowning man might kiss water, all thirst and unbelieving and yet so, so hopeful. A weight lifted off his chest and he climbed right into Damians lap, his chest flush against his alpha’s and his back to the city, fully trusting Damian to hold him and not let him fall. Damian embraced him, the hands he had eventually grown into now solemnly at his waist, his size now nearly two heads above Tim's, strong chest steadily rising and falling. "I love you" Tim whispers, and Damian kisses him again. "I love you too" Damian answers, later, much later, in their joined bed in the Nest, bodies naked and heated, together under one blanket.