Chapter Twenty-Six:

Oliver arrives at the time that he had indicated. He isn't even a minute late or early. Bruce is sitting at the end of the dining room table when Oliver walks into the room. It's a long table and so he had decided to sit on the side that way Oliver could sit across from him and not be miles away. There are flowers and a lit candle in between them.

Oliver looks around the room and then at Bruce's black button up and slacks. He hums approvingly. "I didn't realize this was going to be so formal. I would have dressed up myself." He's wearing a forest green t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

Bruce squirms in his seat. "It's okay."

"Are those new?" Oliver asks, indicating to his clothes.

"My other clothes got too small." Oliver nods in understanding. "Alfred bought them the other day. They don't hide my stomach anymore but…" he shrugs. "I'm not going out."

"Yeah, I figured as much. That's why I suggested we eat here." Oliver picks up his fork and knife, starting to dig into his steak. Bruce does the same. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"The other day." Oliver pauses in his eating, setting his utensils down. "I'm not apologizing Oliver."

"You took Clark's side which I really shouldn't be surprised with since he's Clark."

Bruce sets his own utensils down, his frustration already starting to rise. "Oliver, I wasn't taking anyone's side."

Oliver shrugs. "And I'm just supposed to believe that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Oliver opens his mouth to say something but then closes it, looking down and at the table. "Oliver?"

"I have to go back to Star City for a few days," he says, looking up once more.

The statement takes Bruce by surprise. "Why?"

Oliver sighs, starting to eat again. "Business. You know how it is. There's some things I need to take care of there for Queen Industries that can only be done back home. Plus, the Green Arrow has been missing for a little too long. I figured he should make an appearance."

"Are you staying there?"

"No," Oliver says which surprises Bruce again. "Bruce, just because we are arguing doesn't mean I'm going to break up with you and go back to Star City for good. That's not how relationships work. There's going to be arguments and we'll have to work through them."

"But you won't even talk to me, Ollie. You didn't even answer my previous question."

Oliver sighs again. "Look, Bruce, you and Clark are best friends. I just… I feel a bit threatened by that."

"You don't have to be," Bruce tells him. Oliver studies him with his lips pursed, thinking. "Ollie?"

"I know," Oliver says quietly, looking down and at his plate of food. "I'm sorry for the way I acted with Clark. I shouldn't have. The next time I see him or Superman or whatever, then I'll apologize to him too."

Bruce isn't sure if Oliver means it but he doesn't want to get into another fight right now so he takes it. Instead he asks, "When do you leave for Star City?"

"Tonight."

"That's… sooner than I thought."

Oliver eyes him. "I know but I need to be back for tomorrow morning."

"Are you meeting with board members?" Oliver nods, taking a sip of his red wine. Bruce has some sparkling water to substitute the drink with. "They're going to ask you about me. What are you going to say?"

"What do you want me to say?"

Bruce hesitates. He had told Clark that Oliver is his mate but should he keep the lie up? Clark thinking that is one thing. A whole board of directors thinking it, is completely another thing. One of Oliver's eyebrows raises as he waits for Bruce's response. The media has already spun their first date into meaning they're mates so it wouldn't be too farfetched to make the board directors believe the same thing, but Bruce isn't sure that's what he wants. Still, it's probably for the best. Biting his lip, Bruce finally responds. "Tell them I'm your mate."

Oliver's other eyebrow raises now. "Really?" Bruce nods. "But I haven't even bitten you yet. Hell, you haven't even let me knot you."

"I told you why I haven't."

Oliver raises his hands in a placating manner. "I know and I understand. I have no problem with it, I swear. I'm still completely willing to wait. It's just… it's going to be a bit hard for the directors to believe me when they haven't even seen you with a bite mark."

"Oliver, I haven't even been out in public for almost a month. No one has seen me with a bite mark."

"Then wouldn't it make more sense to tell them that we are thinking about being mates?"

"No," Bruce says, swallowing thickly. "Because we are mates." Bruce's mouth is suddenly dry and so he takes a drink of his sparkling water.

Oliver's eyes have grown wide. "You… want to be mates?" Bruce nods. "Really?"

Bruce forces a chuckle. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I think we should."

"Well… that's honestly very surprising."

"It was the obvious next step, Ollie."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just thought I would have to wait longer because you're Batman." Oliver gives him a cheeky smile and it causes Bruce to smile genuinely back at him. "But you won't find me saying no to being your mate."

Bruce nods, smile still in place. "Good."

...

Later that night, Bruce is sitting in the lounge, texting Oliver. He's boarding the plane now and so will have to go soon but Oliver wanted to keep in touch until then. Bruce isn't sure if Oliver is just worried about their relationship and that is why, or if he's giddy at Bruce wanting to be his mate. Either way, it's not long before Oliver tells him that he can't text anymore and will contact him again when he lands. He ends the text with a heart emoji and Bruce forces himself to send one back.

Bruce sets his phone down on the coffee table and rubs his face with both hands. He's got more sparkling water but really wishes it was wine or better yet, scotch, so he can drink himself into a stupor and forget the hole he just dug himself. He still doesn't love Oliver and he's not sure why he is trying to force himself to be with him. It's not like him. It's not like him at all. But he needs to get over Clark. He needs to finally move on. Him pining after someone who doesn't love him back has gone on long enough. Besides, maybe Tim is right. Maybe Oliver will do him some good and help him move on. Maybe eventually he will love Oliver the way he loves Clark.

With a sigh, Bruce stands up, deciding to go to bed early. He's tired and wants to try and get some sleep for once. He's half way across the room when the alarms in the house sound. Bruce freezes. The boys are out on patrol and Alfred has gone out to the twenty-four-hour minimart to pick some things up that Dick had neglected to get during his last grocery run that Alfred had sent him on. So Bruce is currently home alone.

Reaching to his watch, Bruce presses a button on the side of it and shuts the alarm off. Then he goes to the fireplace and picks up the fireplace poker. Once he's gotten that, he starts to slowly make his way to the entrance of the cave. He doesn't even get half way there before he hears the click of a gun. Turning around, he sees a man with a ski mask on standing there, pointing a gun at him. "Drop it."

Bruce weighs his options. Being Batman, he could easily take this guy on but he isn't currently Batman. Instead he's a pregnant omega. He's carry a baby that might or might not be invincible. If he miscalculates due to the extra weight of the baby and moves slower or wrong and then gets shot, he has no way of knowing if the baby will survive that. He can't take that chance.

With a growl, Bruce lowers the poker to the floor. "Good boy," the intruder mocks. He then motions to something with his head. Eyes growing wide, Bruce spins around and sees another person standing behind him. Bruce is about to step back away from him but the guy was ready and sticks a needle into his neck. Bruce slaps his hand away and stumbles backwards, hand going to his neck. "What was that?" he asks in alarm, his first thought going to the baby.

"Don't worry Brucie," the first guy begins. "It was just a mild sedative."

Bruce swallows, his vision starting to get blurry and spin. Panic rises in his chest. If they gave him too much of a high dose, then it could harm the baby. "Wh-what do you want?"

The guy laughs manically. "You obviously."

Bruce stumbles again, trying to stay awake. He needs to get away from them. He reaches out a hand to the wall to steady himself. "Why?"

The other intruder, the one that gave him the sedative, walks up to him and grabs a hold of his shoulder. Bruce tries to shrug him off but only ends up falling to the floor. "You're going to make us rich, Brucie."

"Yeah," he hears the other guy say. "Hopefully your family is the type to pay." The last thing Bruce hears is the two men laughing before he passes out.

...

Bruce wakes up with a start, his hands and arms feeling numb. They are above his head and when Bruce looks up groggily, he sees that his wrists are bound with rope to the ceiling. Bruce looks around the room and by the looks of it, he is currently in an abandoned building. Bruce's throat and mouth are extremely dry and he wishes he had something to drink but he doubts the men that took him will give him anything.

Said men are in front of him, setting up a video camera that is pointing at Bruce. One of them, the one that had the gun earlier, notices Bruce is awake. "Well, hello Brucie." He walks up to him, knife now in his hand. "How are you feeling?" Bruce spits on his face and the man, who Bruce can finally smell is an alpha, growls at him and presses the knife to his throat. "Why you filthy omega!"

"Hey, Roger, don't hurt him," the other guy warns. Taking a sniff of the air, Bruce smells that he is a beta.

"Shut up Michael. I'll do whatever the fuck I want to this omega scum." Roger turns an evil grin onto Bruce, bringing the knife up to his cheek. "If I want to hurt him, I'll hurt him." He cuts Bruce's cheek. "If I want to humiliate him, I'll humiliate him." He points to the camera. "And," he continues, his smile turning sultry with an evil sparkle. "If I want to fuck him, I'll fuck him." Bruce tries to pull away when Roger presses into him, the knife cutting away his button up, but the ropes restrain him. When his shirt is fully cut open, Roger's eyes rake over his body. They falter, however, when they reach his stomach. Then, Roger's smile changes one more time to mischievous. "Well, well, well, would you look it here? Hey, Michael, come look at this, Brucie has been hiding something from the world."

Michael abandons the camera and walks over, looking at where Roger is pointing. "Holy, shit, the dude is pregnant."

"That he is, Michael, and guess what that means?" Roger wraps an arm around Michael's shoulders. "Double the ransom. We take what we initially were going to ask for and double it because now there is a baby involved."

Michael pushes Roger away. "No way, dude! I didn't sign on to hurt someone who is pregnant."

"Are you backing out, Mikey?" Roger asks, pointing the knife at him.

Michael's eyes dart to the knife and he swallows. He then looks at Bruce briefly and back to Roger. "No, of course, not Roger."

"Good." Roger claps his hands together once. "Now, let's get this show on the road." He approaches Bruce and grabs a hold of his button up. "We want to make sure we get a good shot of this baby bump of his."

"Fuck you!" Bruce spits at him, trying once more to get out of the rope.

Roger laughs as Michael brings another syringe up to him. "Oh, I think that's the last thing you're going to be thinking about once we're done with you." He presses the needle to Bruce's neck and Bruce flinches away. "Let's see how you and the baby here handle some fear toxin." He laughs manically as he injects the serum into Bruce's neck.

A/N: Thanks for reading!