The air rippled and the lithe hands around his stomach let him go. It wasn't a room he recognized, but the smell of Chinese food was surprisingly comforting. Price stared up at him from the kitchen table with a slack jaw. A laptop sat in front of him and large headphones cupped his ears. He pulled the headphones off and let them clatter to the floor as he stumbled from his chair.
"Garfield. You can't be here."
Garfield took a step towards the table. "You ruined my status with the Titans. You got me mauled! Give me one reason why I shouldn't throw you out the window."
Price held onto the edge of the table not looking as frightened as Garfield had hoped. "Because I'm going to tell you something that is going to help you, but you need to leave immediately. My place is rigged."
Garfield's shoulders tightened. Were the cameras there the entire time they indulged in the fake friendship? He wasn't sure what hurt more. He really wanted a friend outside of the tower. He needed someone to like him without knowing the sordid details of his not so charming life before the Titans. "You really screwed everything up for me. That group at the Tower were the only friends I had."
And you changed those dynamics! Not that they weren't changing already. The team drifted in the last five months. The only constant was that occasionally Cyborg would meet him for a game of Space Monkeys.
"I know, but Slade…" Price cut himself off and shook his head. He kept his hands in the air as he slowly walked around the table and indicated there was something in his pocket. Garfield held his stance as Price grabbed a card and extended it between his two fingers. "I wanted to give this to you, but you left too quickly."
"What is it?" He asked, hesitant. There was only an email on the business card.
"Take it and go," Price said. "You better get your friend somewhere safe. He is going to bring every alpha within a two mile radius to this restaurant."
Garfield shifted, uncomfortably aware of the smell Kyd was giving off. It smelled faintly like cookie dough. "I don't think he can help it."
Kyd glared at his comment and he shrugged. It wasn't like he had training on this. He was learning as his own heat proceeded. He smelled different too, like vanilla sugar and that wasn't his body wash.
"It's the heat. In another couple hours, he's going to need an alpha to knot him or he's going to hurt," Price said. "Hormone spikes have killed omegas in the past."
Garfield shivered low in his spine where inner heat met with the tingling sensation in his muscles. "I hate that word."
"You need to keep moving or Slade is going to follow the nanobots back to you," Price said.
Kyd gripped Garfield's arm and he glanced over at him, only to find that Kyd's attention was on Price. His lips curled back in a silent snarl. That's when it hit him. Price said nanobots.
"That's why I can't change." The blood rushed from Garfield's head. It stole his ability to breath. He couldn't change! He couldn't defend himself!
He started itching at his exposed arms and it was Kyd who grabbed his other wrist. There was no strength there, so he pulled away and itched harder.
"Stop giving me that look. I know what you're thinking. I can't let them stay in me," he argued with Kyd… though Kyd didn't argue back. He fixed him with a stern look before glancing at the welts from the long scratches.
Before Garfield could answer, Kyd's arms wrapped around him. They moved quickly through space until they were back at the warehouse.
oOo
Robin leaned over the computer and plugged in all the information he gathered from Garfield's computer search engines. Less than two weeks ago, when everything started changing with their green team mate, Garfield looked up the word alpha. There was no similar search until that one moment. Before that, three months ago, he'd been on a forum where he met someone and started talking.
The conversations were always lighthearted. There was constant mention of video games and food. He chuckled. Garfield never mentioned his team, or that he was a Teen Titan. He didn't bring up his family or his past, though one question was mildly personal; "are you seeing anyone?" The answer that followed was "too busy to date."
"You doing okay, man?" Cyborg asked. He stood tentatively in the doorway.
"Garfield never would've reacted like this if I told him sooner. I should've made time for the omega classes," he admitted. A trained omega would've behaved better. A trained omega never would've ran.
A trained omega would never fight like an alpha… There were reasons to keep Garfield in the dark. If he had known how badly the smaller titan would've taken it, he would've thought this process over.
"Hey, the kid wanted a few more years with video games and all night movies. I understand. I just can't believe Kyd Wykkyd crashed the party. I thought my security system was better put together than that," Cyborg said.
Robin shut the computer off. The address for the Chinese restaurant was firmly in his head. "The new Justice League wants my decision at the end of the week."
"It looks like you've already made the decision," Cyborg said.
"Yes," he answered.
Cyborg nodded and took a step back into the hall. "We'll miss you man, but I understand. Are you going to take Beast Boy with you when you join them?"
Robin's breath hitched. He hoped that was an option. He had to find his best friend before someone else did. "Yes."
And never let him go. The alpha inside him was dark. Possessive. How would it share with the other alphas that offered their protection to his smaller team mate?
"You know Beast Boy. He's got mad skills when it comes to survival. He's probably already at Cancun enjoying a smoothie on the beach," Cyborg offered.
Robin growled. His omega was still young. He still liked to play games. He would have to play this by Garfield's terms if he was going to win the omega's total devotion.
He tightened his hands as he walked in on the empty garage and over to his motorcycle. Seconds later, at full speed, he blasted through the city streets. Smells conjoined, forming alien scents as the world rushed past him too quick to catalogue. One thought circled his mind. He needed to save Garfield from himself.
oOo
Garfield slammed his fist into the brick wall. Pain shot through his knuckles and into his wrist, stealing his breath. He shook it out, but the pain did little more than clear his head of the impeding fog. It was there at the edges of his brain, ready to cloud over the second it got a chance. His stomach cramped and he gritted his teeth, determined to stay on his feet.
He was ready to ball up in the corner. It wasn't about to behave the way the League thought he'd behave. He wasn't going to prove them right. "Damn them! They aren't right. I don't need protecting. I'm not like that."
A muffled cry drew his attention. Kyd Wykydd was curled in on himself and rocking. His hair was damp and clung to his face. His eyes were clouded over. His pupils were fully blown.
"How do I stop this?" He groaned. Kyd made a fist and shoved it in the air. Garfield shook his head. "No way! I saw how big they are. I'm not…" he swallowed. "I'm not ready for it."
Was it too much to ask for it to start off slow? Hold hands first, kiss second and stay up all night listening to music, drink too many sodas and lay with their shoulders touching and sharing a pillow? Okay, that was starting to sound like every pre-teen love song that came on the radio.
Kyd shook his head and pointed to himself than made a gesturer in the air. Garfield frowned, getting the hint. Kyd already knotted. Garfield immediately blushed. Kyd didn't look different… He was more docile, though he never really remembered Kyd as a fighter. He was more like a maneuver in the H.I.V.E. 5 schemes. He was the tool in the plots; the others served as the weapons.
He shook his head. There were signs for Kyd that he never noticed. Had there been signs in him? Did the League always know? He blushed again. Of course they did. He was the only one surprised when this happened.
He swallowed hard, realizing he already needed water. He was sweating and panting and needed to jump in the water. If he could turn into a fish, he would. "I can't protect you. You need to get out of here. Go wherever you go that's been safe. Slade could come through that door at any minute."
Kyd shook his head.
"It's not up for discussion. You have to go and you know that. You can't help me if you're caught," Garfield said.
Kyd looked at him dubious, but finally consented with a weak nod. Within a blink, he was gone. Garfield paced the room. What was he going to do? Sit and wait for Slade? He didn't have any weapons and he didn't trust his hand to hand combat in this state. He'd probably be on his hands in another hour.
The heat was suffocating and it radiated off his flesh. His muscles went weak. He felt sloppy and unbalanced. He fisted his hands again and pressed his back into the wall when his stomach rolled. The pain was uncomfortably close to pleasure. Remembering Robin's touch did nothing to sooth it. In fact, he was almost hungry for it. Damn.
oOo
Robin walked the old hallway. There were a handful of doors, but only one had the smell of distressed omega. He shoved against the flimsy wood and the latch gave. The door swung open, hitting the wall and bouncing back. At the sound, a young man came around the corner with a carving knife at his side. He wasn't a fighter. Robin could easily disarm him, but the young man didn't approach.
"I didn't have a choice," the younger man announced. He dropped the blade and raised his hands. "I was forced to do it."
"Where is he?" Robin growled.
The young man shrugged. "I don't know, man. I don't want any more trouble."
"He was just here." Robin moved into the room and the young man took a step back, mortified.
"I swear. I told him to go. Slade is going to track the nanobots in his system."
Nanobots? That explained a few things. He shook the thought, knowing all too well how much trouble Garfield was in. The last time they had an issue with nanobots, it'd been with Cyborg and the damage was extensive. Gizmo had some explaining.
oOo
The tight cramps that rested at the soul of his pelvis pulled Garfield against the wall. Liquid slid between his crack, hot like blood. Another cramp and he crumpled in on himself. It took less than a second for him to kick off his shoes and socks. His clothes were too tight. He pulled the nylon shirt over his head and tossed it then stopped when his hands caught the hem of his pants.
He swallowed.
He wasn't alone.
"Don't stop on my account." The sultry voice spoke from the dark recesses of the building.
Garfield pushed his back into the wall, determined to get back on his feet. The porous wall bit into his back with all its rough edges. He knew smells from his basic animalistic experience, so he immediately recognized this one. But there was something new to the scent and he recognized it on a far more basic level. Alpha.
He growled. "Keep your distance or I'll pound you into the cement."
Lust laughed as he pulled from the shadows. "Seriously, Beast Boy, you can't stay on your feet."
Lust, one of Trigon's demonic sons, grinned at him, all white teeth, dark hair and eyes that glowed unnaturally red. Garfield stood a little straighter. His heart slammed in his chest. He refused to cover himself, even when Lust's eyes fell to his chest and then lower. The demonic alpha luridly licked his lips, making Garfield's body heat up.
"I heard you were going into heat, but I had to see it for myself." Lust crossed the room in fragmented jerks that Garfield's eyes couldn't follow.
He really, really hated demons. The last time he ran into Trigon's sons, it almost cost him and the world their lives. Before he could move, fingers wrapped around his throat. Lust's thumb dug into his trachea making him choke.
"Listen to me, little omega. You will learn your place, with my knot down your throat or up your hole. You are going to enjoy this and beg for more."
Garfield clawed at the wrist holding him against the wall, but Lust leaned forward, drenching his senses in alpha hormones. With every shallow breath, he sucked the scent in. It served to pull the haze back through his head. The ache between his thighs brought another wave of wetness.
"I'd rather die," Garfield grunted.
"You won't say that for long," Lust said. His eyelids went half mast as he leaned in and scent Garfield. "I'm not fond of patience. Let's speed this up."
Teeth dug into his flesh. Garfield's pulse jumped into his throat and he screamed. The ache went straight through him and he grasped Lust's arms. He meant to push him away; instead, he was pulling him closer. No! This was a nightmare.
He didn't want the knot… but…but… He smelled so good. "Alpha."
Lust chuckled, pushing him to his knees. He snapped out of it the moment the alpha started disrobing. He was lean, much leaner than Robin, but not as solid. Garfield leaned back and with as much force he could muster, he slammed the heel of his shoes into Lust's kneecap. There was a crack.
"You little-" Lust went to grab at him and he dodged, rolling away from his grasp.
Garfield tried to stand and immediately tripped over his own feet. He pulled himself up again. The cement floor was rough on the bottom of his feet. The door was too far. He wasn't going to make it. Every step was excruciating. He was on his knees in seconds. The door was growing farther away.
"You think parlor tricks will save you?" Lust asked. The demonic alpha floated on the wind. The bone in his bent kneecap snapped back into place.
Garfield swallowed hard, trying to crab crawl away from him. Glass from the shattered window dug into his hand. The pain was sharp. It was exactly what he needed, but before he could act, Lust had him by his hair, forcing his neck back.
"I was going to make this simple for you. I was going to give you a knot to ride, but you pissed me off," he said. "You're going to have my babies, but not before I torture you first."
Garfield gasped through his clenched teeth, determined not to whine. Lusts lewd words made his brain mew with want. Yes, babies…
No! No babies! Babies meant housebound. Babies meant motherhood. Babies meant mini crossbred-demons.
"I'm not going to submit to you," he said.
Lust jerked his hair back, forcing a stifled scream from Garfield's lips. He forced himself to go lax in the hold; least the demon dislodged his head from his neck.
"You are going to be my omega. I'll claim you over and over until every square inch of your flesh is broken and bloody," Lust whispered along his neck.
His lips ghosted over Garfield's hot flesh and Garfield subconsciously opened his thighs. Hands brushed over his nylon pants, up into the heat and wetness leaking through the fabric. The touch was too soft to bring comfort as it glided up over the fabric covering his tight balls and hard shaft. Garfield moaned and the sound was strangled and foreign to his ears.
Lust brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed. "Mmm. It's been a long time since I smelled an omega in heat."
Garfield turned away, embarrassed, but couldn't ignore what he heard. "You've seen another omega?"
Lust chuckled. "Yes. She was more compliant than you. I'm going to enjoy breaking you. When I'm done, you'll be nothing more than a service horse waiting for the slap of its owner's leather whip."
God, that shouldn't have turned him on. He squeezed his thighs together, which earned him another wave of wet heat. Lust let his head go and pushed him back against the floor.
"There is time for obedience training." Lust took a step back.
Garfield shifted on the ground, breathing so hard that it made his throat raw. He rolled over and got on his hands and knees, meaning to stand up. Instead, he pressed back on the balls of his hands and with his cheek pressed against the gritty cement floor, he raised his thighs in the air towards Lust.
This was new. He immediately forced his hips down. A hand dragged him from the floor and they stepped into a space that should've been foreign, but it wasn't. The sky was so red that it looked like fire. The air was breathable, but it burned his throat and nostrils with every breath.
Lust made short work of Garfield's clothes and his protests were easily thwarted. He growled when Lust let him go. The air was hot, but not hot enough. He needed the heat of another body pressed into his. He needed the sweltering heat that came when there was no air sliding through their compressed flesh.
But it's not Robin… Why Robin? He shook the thought. He knew why it was Robin. It'd always been Robin, but not at the same level he now needed. In the past, he wanted Robin's approval. He wanted Robin's protection, loyalty, leadership, and direction. And now he wanted Robin's dominance. Damn it!
Lust grabbed his arm and flipped him hard against the rock ground. The smell of sulfur made his stomach turn. Before he could fight, fingers shoved into the empty, throbbing space between his thighs. His upper body lunged downward, thrusting his lower half up into the fingers. His heart pounded against his chest as the fingers non-to-gently slammed into his body. They were too quick and too hard. He spread his thighs and arched his back to help navigate the movement, but it didn't help.
"You're hurting me," Garfield growled.
"You think this is pain, wait until you're fully in heat," Lust said. "Here. I'll help you let go."
Lust's fingers tightened in Garfield's hair, forcing him upright. He reached back to dislodge himself from Lust, but Lust wrapped his free arm around his chest, tightly trapping him. Teeth dug into his shoulder. He screamed, tasting the adrenaline sour at the back of his throat.
Every fiber of his being flared with heat. He pressed into the body against his, momentarily throwing Lust off balance. He took that moment to rub his wetness against the outline of Lust's shaft. It was monstrous the way it fought the confines of the suit Lust wore. Garfield dug his nails into the clothing, willing his hands to shift into something with sharp nails. He needed to shred the clothes.
Fingers tangled in his hair, stopping his movement. A tongue lapped tentatively at the bite. He could tell, the way his body was both repulsed and turned on wanting more, wanting to taste the adrenaline that came from the shock, that the bite was bad.
"You little cock slut," Lust said. "All omegas are, but you want it more. Are you starved for touch, Garfield? Have you been denied?"
Garfield. That was his name? It sounded foreign now. He wanted to respond to the statement, but the words were already lost in the sea of dribble. He couldn't swallow. He couldn't make his tongue work in his mouth. Lust tightened his hold and Garfield cried.
"It's the omegas that fight the hardest who need it the worst. You're going to be a good pet, a baby maker. Let's get you pregnant with pups, kid."
Pups? No, he didn't have time for a family, yet he was nodding his head. He was moving into the body that fit against his. He growled impatiently when Lust took too long lining himself up. The bulbous tip of his cock pressed against Garfield's throbbing hole, drawing a whine from his lips. It was too big. Too solid. It would never fit.
"Mmm, so tight. You a fucking virgin?" Lust asked.
Garfield couldn't answer. He bit his fingers to keep from screaming again. Lust slammed his rod iron shaft straight through him, breeching the muscles and pulling a scream from his lips. His mind went hazy. He tried to pull breath into his lungs. Lust didn't give him a chance to adjust before he started moving.
This was wrong. He needed to get away. Lust pulled out and slammed back into him. The release of endorphins immediately started pulling him back under. His fists unclenched. His fingers spread against the flooring to balance his weight while Lust took up a strong, endless pounding rhythm.
The pain started to surrender. A more pleasant building pressure tightened behind his sac. The roots of growing gratification stretched deep into his gut…
Then he felt it.
Another, much larger bulbous mass pressed against the outer rim of his muscle.
"Oh God!" He moaned. His nails dug into the ground sending pinpricks of pain through his fingers.
"You want it heat whore? You want this? Beg."
No! No! If Lust knotted, he'd be stuck to him. His semen would fill his stomach. Could he reproduce? God! He knew nothing about this.
His mind screamed, but his body answered by pressing back into the hands that cradled his hips. The knot caught on his rim, sending waves of pleasure and pain skirting deliciously over his skin like lightening barely touching the outstretched hemisphere of earth.
He rode the pain, aware that Lust tugged on their bind, enough to aid his organism… was it his third or fourth? Garfield tried to focus, but his mind was blissed out. On a higher level of awareness, he knew he was in trouble.
oOo
Robin stood in front of the Justice League. The younger members were sitting at the massive glass meeting table. He tried to adjust the tension in his shoulders.
"I accept the new duties and will be joining the team immediately," he said.
"Will you be able to focus?" Wonder Woman asked.
Robin frowned. "Of course. My duties are to the city."
"And finding Garfield," she added.
He was careful not to look at the others. He couldn't forget that of all people, Batman laid claim on Garfield too. The competitive part of him was determined to prove that Garfield didn't need a nest, or guardians. He would take care of the green omega. His jaw tightened, because everyone, including him, was aware that Garfield was probably in heat and lost in the city.
"I will perform my duties," he repeated. And he would be just as vigilant in finding his ex-teammate and best friend.
Wonder Woman nodded. "Welcome to the Young Justice League."