Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you continue to enjoy and review.

Things to Think About

It shouldn't irk Barsad that Kei thought that Wayne was pretty. And handsome and muscular. The fact that Kei would bring up the millions of dollars Wayne hadn't even earned, but had inherited from his deceased parents because he wasn't capable of making that money through his own sweat and labor...well that was also a very valid reason why Barsad told himself he shouldn't care what the alpha had to say on the matter. If Kei was silly enough to care about such things then the boy was obviously too immature and materialistic to be of any further interest to him.

And yet...Barsad wanted to punch something right now. Preferably Wayne's apparently pretty face.

"You look angry about something."

Really. This boy. How did he not begin to comprehend how...Barsad had to open and close his fists a couple of times to center himself.

"I'm not angry."

"Okay."

Silently praying to a god he'd stopped believing in long ago, Barsad didn't respond and resolutely continued walking in the direction of his rooms. Kei following in behind him without a word. The alpha was either fine being silent or aware enough to realize that Barsad was not in the mood to deal with his lack of filter and common sense at the moment.

Barsad's money would be on the former.

But whether it was his nature or a surprising demonstration of self-preservation Kei was quiet the rest of the way and waited patiently for Barsad to open the door up for him. And once inside Kei headed straight for the door leading to Barsad's private bathroom without a backward glance.

To shower off the scents of the kitchens, Barsad assumed. Which was for the best, and not because of the mental images his brain was generating of Kei wet and naked. That just made him feel slightly better about his present circumstances.

To occupy himself Barsad went over to his closet to retrieve the black suit that Kei had brought with him from his previous room the night before. According to Kei it had been his late father's wish that his adoptive son dress formally for his father's impending funeral. It had been purchased for Kei months ago by his father in preparation for today. There'd been another suit in Hitachi's closet for himself to wear, which Barsad had arranged for the man to be garbed in that morning.

Laying this suit out on his bed Barsad stared at it a moment, debating whether or not he should take it out of its plastic covering. There wasn't anything on his bed that should transfer onto the material, but Barsad opted to leave it as it was just in case. He wished to do nothing that made this harder for the younger man to handle. Barsad knew what it was to bury one's parent.

So he stood by the bed and waited for Kei...who five minutes or so later decided to exit the bathroom without the clothes he'd been wearing earlier and using the towel he should have wrapped around his waist to dry his hair.

Fuck

"You got my suit out for me. Thank you."

A curt nod was the best Barsad could manage.

Walking over to the bed Kei slugged the towel over one shoulder and then lifted the suit up by its hanger, removing the plastic from it before tossing said plastic onto the bed. The towel was then tossed on top of that to keep it from dampening Barsad's sheets.

Which, if he'd been thinking about such things, Barsad would have appreciated. But that's really not where his mind was at as he watched Kei go about putting on the suit that had very obviously been tailored to fit the younger man's body to perfection. Too perfectly to Barsad's way of thinking. He did NOT want anyone else seeing how gorgeous Kei looked in those slacks and crisp, white dress shirt.

"Are you good with ties?"

Barsad looked at the black tie in Kei's hand and thought about various uses for it. None of them involved it being tied around Kei's neck.

Kei's outstretched hand retreated back. "It's okay. John can tie it for me."

Hell no.

Striding forward Barsad held out a hand, palm facing up.

"Oh. Thanks. It's always crooked when I do it."

Taking the tie Barsad looped it around Kei's neck and got in close, fighting to ignore the fact that Kei smelled like his soap. His shampoo. Like he was his.

"The fox chases the rabbit around the tree and down the hole."

"What?"

"That's how you tie a tie. Apparently."

Briefly looking up towards the heavens as he silently asked for more patience, or deliverance, Barsad tied the tie and then stepped away as soon as he was done.

A fox and a rabbit.

But who was who, Barsad couldn't help but wonder.

)

The trip back to their rooms was done in silence, Bane walking side by side with his omega. He was tempted to ask just how utterly his men had failed in their duties when it came to acting as bodyguards but couldn't trust that Robin wouldn't lie to him. It would be in Robin's best interests, after all, to have guards who didn't do their jobs and thus left gaps in his protection that Robin could attempt to slip through. Though perhaps not since Robin did seem convinced that Talia would attempt to assassinate him sometime in the near future. His omega would desire the most experienced and deadliest of guards protecting him then. A point he could-no. Robin would just argue that they would obey orders given by Talia and would step aside if ordered to do so. Ergo that argument and this whole thought exercise was pointless. Talia would not attempt to take his omega from him or do Robin harm.

Undeserved harm, at least. The question of whether he would agree with her when it came to what constituted deserved harm...was something Bane would think about later. For now he was reminded again of the importance of ensuring that Robin was on his best behavior for the rest of Talia's visit. Most importantly when in her father's presence. Bane still remembered quite vividly the two's first meeting and would not allow a repeat to occur. But he'd wait until they were alone within the walls of their rooms to have that conversation with Robin as he would not risk others hearing and passing along the conversation to certain individuals. The men within these walls were loyal to him yes, but with Ra's al Ghul would come those who were not and might seek out information from Bane's men that Bane did not wish known.

So he stayed silent until they were through their front door, Robin making a beeline for the bathroom to shower, Bane assumed, since he did smell of the kitchen and not in a pleasant way. What had they been cooking in there?

Following after Robin without thought Bane did enjoy the sight of the omega stripping out of his clothes before tossing them into the open hamper situated by the open bathroom door. Coming forward Bane properly ensured that the shirt was completely in the hamper rather than hanging partially out while Robin made his way to the shower without a backward glance. Or he didn't until Robin had the door to said shower open, deliberately looked back and forth between the door's hinges and Bane.

Bane got the message and glared in response.

The shower's door had been properly repaired and one had to look close at it to see that parts had needed to be replaced after Bane had torn it off its hinges. Which he wasn't at all sorry for and Robin shouldn't give him judgmental looks over seeing as he'd done so to save the ungrateful brat's life. Or had thought that was what he was doing at the time. And in his defense Robin could have very easily done his body lasting harm if he'd remained huddled on top of the drain, body half frozen from the freezing cold water he'd showered in. That the omega's heat had prevented him from accurately judging the temperature rather than a rather ingenious suicide attempt which had been first thought-well how could he have known that? He'd reacted out of instinct and said instincts had been correct. Mostly. Robin's life had been in danger and despite what his mate had stated at the time it had not been his fault.

He'd just...been on the phone with Talia. Not giving Robin his full attention, which admittedly was never a good idea it seemed.

Bane felt very old all of a sudden.

"You okay?"

Blinking as his brain shifted gears Bane asked Robin to repeat himself.

Robin spoke louder than normal, perhaps thinking that the water running over his gorgeous body was drowning him out too much. "I asked if you're okay. You looked like you were about to collapse against that door jamb there for a minute."

"I am fine."

Robin made a sound Bane interpreted to mean that he didn't agree.

"Are you worrying I won't behave in front of your master?"

"That you would behave was a part of our initial bargain." Bane reminded him, straightening up so that he took up the entire doorway. "You will keep your word."

Turning off the water Robin didn't answer until he opened the shower door enough to grab a towel to start drying himself off with before stepping out and onto the concrete flooring.

"I'll keep to our deal, no worries, Big Guy. Just keep my exposure to him and Talia to a minimum and we'll be fine."

"How much time you spend with either of them will be up to them."

Having just finished removing the majority of the water off his torso Robin cocked his head slightly to the side, the expression on his face one Bane didn't recognize but instinctively didn't like. "And will you leave me alone with them if they order you to?"

He'd known that question was coming of course. Robin was obsessed with the notion that Talia was plotting his death. Which begged the question...

"Do you think Talia's father is also planning to kill you in the near future?"

In the process of toweling off his hair now Robin paused just long enough to give Bane a look that seemed to question Bane's sanity. "Ra's al Ghul wants to kill everyone, Bane. It's sorta his thing. But of the two of them, Talia wants me dead a hell of a lot more if that's what you're asking."

"Robin."

"Bane." Robin shot back with a smirk.

A smirk that shouldn't have heated Bane's blood the way it did. The fact that Robin was still slightly damp and naked was surely a contributing factor, he told himself, even as he forced his eyes not to follow the few droplets of water making their way slowly down Robin's body.

He was not entirely successful.

"See something you like?"

"Yes." He wouldn't deny it. "Now finish drying off and get dressed."

Slinging the towel over one shoulder Robin gave him a cocky salute, his hips moving in a seductive way Bane found very enjoyable to watch even knowing it was a deliberate ploy. And then Robin was in front of him, the look in his eyes not boding well at all for him.

"Bane."

"Yes?"

"You're in my way."

Oh. He was, wasn't he? Bane took a couple steps back and then turned to stand sideways to leave plenty of room for Robin to walk past him. He also kept it to himself that he was a tad disappointed that Robin barely brushed against him as he passed by before heading straight to his dresser to retrieve the articles of clothing Bane had seen him set out that morning.

Watching his omega dress Bane noted the fact that the simple white shirt was slightly too big for the other man, the black trousers a little short at the bottom hems. They hadn't originally belonged to Robin; nor had they been purchased for him. When they left the compound to have Robin looked over in order to ascertain whether or not his omega was capable of bearing children, or after on the way to visit Singh, Bane mentally made plans to see that time was set aside to see that his omega's wardrobe was expanded. Robin should have clothing he liked, though Bane would oversee the purchases just to be safe.

And as Bane continued to observe his future mate Robin lifted a hand to finger the collar around his neck, a slight grimace marring his features for a moment before he shrugged ever so slightly.

Robin had not been subtle about his hatred of the collar. He didn't complain about it the way he did other things which was one of the reasons why his hate for the metal around his neck stood out. His treasure constantly complained about things just to annoy and antagonize others. It was both a defense mechanism and a small way to make those who looked down on him pay. No, it was the way Robin touched or looked at it in the mirror that spoke loudest of his feelings on the matter.

It was understandable why someone as fiercely independent and strong willed as his omega would hate wearing something that marked him as less. As property rather than a person. A Pet. Bane's Pet. Though not any longer.

He would speak to Talia's father about removing the collar, Bane decided. He wouldn't-couldn't remove it without permission, but surely his leader would understand why it should be removed. It was the least they could do. Or perhaps exchange it.

Pleased with the thought Bane could easily picture a very different accessory placed around Robin's throat. Something pretty and delicate. A collar still, if Talia's father insisted upon that for some unexpected reason, but not ugly or plain. Not something that said 'Pet' to Robin or anyone else. Something that said Robin was just as valuable and precious.

"What?"

Shaking his head Bane simply moved to lean up against the nearest wall.

"So you didn't answer my question. About what you're going to do if they try and get me alone."

"It will be fine."

"You're going to hand me over to them. Got it."

"I did not say that."

"Yeah, Babe. Ya pretty much did." A pause for emphasis. "Now come on. We've got places to be, crazy-oops, my bad. Your great and selfless leader to await orders from."

"You will behave."

Robin's bow was, of course, as mocking as he could make it.

Bane told himself it was best that Robin got it out of his system now.

)

Upon arrival Ra's al Ghul requested an audience with Bane before the funeral began. His wording made it clear that Bane was to come alone save for Talia. That being the case Bane escorted Robin to Barsad's rooms, trusting that his second would be able to keep both his omega and Kei out of trouble until the funeral. Or perhaps not. Throughout their brief exchange outside his second's door Barsad seemed fine in word and body language, and yet Bane sensed that the beta was very troubled by something. Possibly the boy again? Why? And what had he done now?

When Barsad opened his door to admit Robin into his rooms Kei appeared in the doorway, dressed in Western formal attire and looking far older and put together than normal.

"You finally learned how the rabbit went around the tree and down the hole."

Bane looked over at Robin in confusion.

"Barsad tied it for me."

"That makes more sense. Though why do you know how to tie a tie?"

"I have many skills. And what does tying a tie have to do with rabbits?"

"It's a good way to teach kids how to tie ties." Kei answered before Robin could. "Like the rhyme for tying shoelaces. 'Over, under, around and through. Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through.'."

Bane could only stare at the boy. What else could he do in response to that.

"Why rabbits though?"

Robin shrugged at Barsad's question. "Why not? What kid doesn't love bunny rabbits? They're cute, fluffy, and not likely to eat you even during a zombie apocalypse."

"Well unless it was the rabbit from 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'."

"True. Man, I haven't watched that movie in forever. They just don't make movies like that anymore."

Kei nodded in agreement. "One of the most quotable movies ever."

Recognizing from previous experience that it was likely for the best that he didn't ask Bane looked over at Barsad and asked him if he wished for additional guards to be sent to guard his door until it was time for the funeral to begin.

For the first time in their acquaintance Barsad didn't immediately assure Bane that he could handle whatever task he'd been assigned, his second hesitating for two heartbeats before stating that he didn't require additional backup. If that changed he would arrange for it.

Inclining his head in acknowledgement Bane turned his attention to Robin as he issued one last order for his omega to behave himself in his absence.

Robin's salute was perfectly executed. And entirely sarcastic given his cop's personality.

"Go inside now."

"Sir, yes, Sir. Kei and I can have a 'Holy Grail' quoting contest."

"Sick. Is that still what people say?" Kei wanted to know as he and Robin went back inside Barsad's room without a backward glance.

"They still use that, but 'Lit' is becoming more popular."

Bane exchanged a look with Barsad.

"Go."

"I'll return as quickly as possible." Was the most reassurance Bane could give.

Barsad inclined his head and then headed back after his two charges, closing the door firmly behind him.