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English
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Part 20 of Sometimes, Damian Howls
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Published:
2024-03-14
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1,019
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1/1
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The Truth is Clear

Summary:

“Just let the poor guy do his job, Damian,” Jason shouted out to be heard.

“It’s not his job to check me over!”

“It kind of is,” Jason murmured.

Damian didn’t hear that part.

Work Text:

It was clear to everyone within the manor that Dick was Damian’s alpha.

Damian was a stubborn pup that insisted he could do everything without a pack, but Dick was never far-off despite Damian’s self-proclaimed independence. It was clear to everyone outside the duo that Damian had already been claimed, though he refused to admit it, and that Dick was quietly fulfilling his duties as an alpha.

Tim and Jason were used to watching the two act like this. Damian was loud, outspoken, and never shy about his feelings. Dick said nothing and stalked his pup on his adventures. Dick would also show care in not-so clear ways, like giving Damian the freedom he needed to grow, but also simultaneously keeping Damian protected. Other alphas couldn’t so much as look Damian’s way without meeting face-to-face with Dick. Dick didn’t snarl like other alphas, but he had a quiet way of threatening people. Damian would never find out about it with the way he was acting, but it was clear to other family members that Dick was staking his claim.

Mine.

Dick made sure Damian was fed, clothed, and warm. It could never be disputed that Dick didn’t care for him. It was Damian, himself, however, that doubted Dick’s care for him, and that was because he was as blind as a bat.

It was one such night that Damian was demonstrating his doubts, fighting Dick every single step he took, wiggling around in his arms, and demanding to be put down. Dick only complied when he could set Damian down on a cot. Damian then fussed about getting his ankle checked, and Dick ignored him as he examined his injury.

Jason watched from some ways off, having paused from cleaning up his pistols, and Tim was nearby with a tablet in his hands. Tim also looked up to observe the two and he shared a glance with Jason. Jason wasn’t even in the same space as him, taking up room in the weapon’s bay, but the two never failed to share looks when their brothers were involved.

“Just let the poor guy do his job, Damian,” Jason shouted out to be heard.

“It’s not his job to check me over!”

“It kind of is,” Jason murmured.

Damian didn’t hear that part.

“Damian,” Dick finally began, looking up at him, “I don’t mind taking care of you.”

Damian went mute out of pure shock and Tim snorted.

Dick patted Damian’s knee and that seemed to get a rise out of him.

“You’re not my alpha,” he hissed.

Tim and Jason both winced. Ouch. Dick, on the other hand, patiently regarded Damian, and stared at him without a single waver of determination.

“What if I want to be?”

Damian shut up again, brain processing that sentence, and Jason placed both hands on his examination counter. Tim’s tablet almost fell out of his hand.

Had the day finally come?

“I—” Damian couldn’t manage to say anything. All of a sudden, he was painfully unintelligent. “You—”

Dick hummed as he retrieved an ice pack and pressed it against Damian’s ankle. He refused to elaborate, and Damian was flustered. What was going on right now? What had he just heard?

“You don’t want to be my alpha,” Damian started, certain about himself this time.

“Oh yeah?” Dick hummed like a parent entertaining a child’s words.

“I’m violent and—”

“And sweet and compassionate and loyal,” Dick interrupted, ticking off positive attributes one by one. “Who cares about what you are or where you come from? I want you. Nothing else matters.”

“Richard,” Damian hissed with the flush of his ears. “Must you say such things in front of the others?”

“You’re my pup, Damian,” Dick said. “They already know how I feel.”

“True,” Jason agreed.

Tim laughed and nervously adjusted the collar of his suit. It didn’t do much since the suit was tightly against his neck.

“Now,” Dick said, “How about we do something nice for a change? Watch a movie while we get this swelling down?”

Dick’s sweet tone had Damian shifting and clearing his throat.

“I—I—”

“I’m going to lift you up,” Dick said.

Damian yelped when Dick pushed the ice pack into his hands and then picked him up. Damian was utterly mortified as Dick carried him to the stairs that led to the upper floor, the library to be specific, and he purposely avoided the gaze of his other siblings. Jason smirked and Tim hid a smile by looking down at his tablet. 

“This is—this—”

Damian forgot how to talk. It was completely unlike him, someone who was born with excellent language skills, but none of that seemed to matter right now.

“Hm?” Dick softly inquired.

Damian buried his face into his hands, which actually meant he was burying his face into his icepack, and Dick laughed a light-sounding noise before disappearing upstairs with an embarrassed pup. The cave was quiet afterwards. For about twenty seconds at least.

“Finally!” Jason shouted. “It’s about damn time!”

“I owe Stephanie twenty dollars,” Tim groaned. “I swore that it’d take them longer for any proper communication.”

“Guess Dick got sick of that!” Jason laughed. “I’ll have to tell Barbara once we see her. She’ll love this.”

“I thought it was funny how quickly Damian accepted this new development.”

“You call that acceptance?”

“Didn’t you see the way he was acting? It’s clearly something he wanted too. His pride might have kept him from agreeing outwardly, but the lack of rejection speaks volumes.”

“You might be right about that,” Jason realized after some reflection. “And here I thought he just didn’t know what to do with himself.”

“Well, he didn’t.”

Tim and Jason shared a smirk. Then Tim flipped his tablet back on and Jason went back to cleaning his pistols. Tim, in particular, had the feeling that Dick was fussing over his pup right now, sticking as close to him as possible, and smothering him. Knowing Damian, he was probably complaining about it.

Well, better get used to it kiddo, Tim inwardly laughed, you’re going to face a lifetime of it.

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