Friendly reminder as since I decided all this stuff fits into some alternative universe it means I can play as fast and loose with the canon-timelines as I want.
Also we continue on the adventures of not specifying who the other parent is – if it's not relevant to the story I want to tell I will just avoid and never state.
I could make this more accurate and honestly slightly less infection-risk but like… ruined the flow so *shurgs*
Warnings: childbirth, omegaverse, mpreg
Okay, so maybe Dick shouldn't have volunteered himself for this. But Bruce was out of the country and technically off the planet and Red Robin had a last-minute scheduling conflict come up that meant that Tim's planned attendance had to be pulled out. Sure, they could just send an apology and explanation of illness but after every unsolved mystery show had blocked his number Dick was starting to get bored and the knowledge that Lex Luther had an invite just enough promise of excitement without too much danger.
Now though he just feels tired and achy and over everyone rubbing and stomach and telling him how he looked glowing. Left thinking that it might be worthwhile to see if a motel had a free room for the night just to save him the two hour trip back to Bludhaven.
"Grayson!" Dick knows the voice calling through the crowd and knows it means Luther isn't the only villain apparently on the invite list. Which isn't that surprising of a turn of events.
Still he turns and gives a polite smile to Slade Wilson because, damn him, Slade has enough money that there's no questioning his right to be there. No right even if Dick is sure half the people here know well where Slade made his money. Sure half of them have had Deathstroke on their payroll one time or another. Sure one probably has him on it right now.
And there's nothing much Dick can do about it currently.
"I was starting to worry when I hadn't ran into you while working but now I realise you're focusing on family affairs," Slade says when he reaches Dick. Nodding down to Dick's stomach as if there was a risk of the comment being interpreted about anything else. "Would have sent congratulations earlier but I've been on a job in the Amazon for the last couple of months and didn't have the sort of signal needed to get Gotham news."
"Is tonight another job?" Maybe it would be better not to know considering there isn't anything Dick can do about it. No way for Nightwing to have a real chance to save any target – he hadn't even brought the outfit. Still he asks.
"Don't worry, there's no need to get your morals in a knot. The invite was a bonus for a job well done. Nothing you can do about it now."
So somebody who would hire a mercenary was also able to give him a ticket to an event meant only for company representatives. The list of suspects is nearly as long as the list of invites. Still it might be good information for them to know in case the task Slade hired to do ended up being more than mere corporate sabotage.
"What about you? Thought of a name and costume for them yet? How's the bat's handling the grandfather thing?" There is nobody around to catch Slade's words or the implications of them but it doesn't stop Dick from glaring at him for them.
"Shouldn't you go thank your client for the invite?" Dick says. He doesn't have the energy to deal with Slade especially not after a day of grief from the baby already irritated by the competition trying to get in Wayne Industry's good books by acting like they're actually excited for Bruce's circus-brat-ward to be having a baby.
"Already done that," Slade says before freezing. A second later Dick knows why as the sound of the front door being broken down echoes through the hall and all chaos breaks out.
Before Dick can formulate a plan of his own he is being tugged into the servant's entrance of the main hall by Slade. Enhanced reflexes allowing the alpha faster-reaction time.
"What are you doing?" Dick asks as Slade wraps an arm around him to lead him through the scrambling staff further into the back of the building. He had gone 9 months of pregnancy without being used as a hostage and had hoped to get through the last days without ruining it.
"Getting a very pregnant omega out of a situation that is probably going to end in violence."
"What are you really doing?" Dick knows Slade's motives rarely are so simple.
"Getting a very pregnant omega out of a situation that is probably going to end in violence," Slade repeats giving him a dry look. "Come on kid, you know I'm not completely morally bankrupt. If you really need me to have an ulterior motive it can be gaining a favour to possibly cash in next time I'm in Gotham and one of you bats getting a bit much in my way. Now come on."
Dick is fairly certain Slade has taken jobs that involved harm to pregnant omegas. But this isn't a job and Slade is right in saying that he has some morals, as strange as they are.
Not that it really matters – if Dick doesn't want to be the most obvious hostage in the room he's going to need to find a way out and having Slade with him guarantees it more than by himself.
They make their way through another staff door that leads to the bedrooms of the mansion. From there it's just a matter of picking one of them rooms and hoping the climb down from the second story not too intense considering Dick hasn't been allowed to do anything more intense than jogging for months now.
Slade gives a low whistle when the window reveals more men, all armed. And sure, normally Dick would be all for leaping out the window in order to find out who hired them and why. But normally Dick only had to worry about himself and any allies by his side – not his child inside him.
"Whoever hired them is serious," Slade says before pulling a gun from a holster hidden beneath his pants. Because of course he brought one. "You two get comfortable, I'm going to see if I can figure out what's the reason for this level of firepower."
"And see if someone will pay you to get them out I'm sure."
"If they're willing to pay – sure."
"Safety for the highest bidder." And still very little Dick can do about it.
"We can argue values when I get back. For now, you just keep yourself and the baby out of anyone's sights," Slade says giving a teasing pat to Dick's stomach before leaving the room.
As soon as he is gone Dick is finding the internet-socket and stripping the wires to plug his smart-watch in – Slade has his comfort-gun, Dick has his comfort Bat-tool. As much as he couldn't save the hostages himself and tech stuff really not his specialty he should be able to get some information that might help whatever external rescuers arrive.
His body strongly protests the act but he breathes through it like all the other pains late-pregnancy entails.
It's a bit harder to ignore and work through when the next wave of pain is joined with what Dick is fairly certain is his water's breaking.
Hours away from either Bludhaven or Gotham, in an active situation that possibly involves hostages, Slade Wilson his only ally, and his waters break.
He really shouldn't have volunteered to come.
He thankfully has his panic somewhat under control by the time Slade returns.
Slade, who takes one look at the situation before sighing. "Better for you to get comfortable Grayson. There's some intense negotiations going on beneath us and no support of either law or super getting in until they're finished. Nothing either of us can do about it."
"And no-one willing to pay you to help out?"
"Not a price worth getting involved. Now come on the floor is not the best place for you to be right now. Certainly not when there's a perfectly good bed next to it."
Dick can't really argue with the logic, especially not when he newly acquired access to security cameras shows what looks like tense negotiations between various party guests and various surrounding muscle.
It's only when Slade helps him off the ground and into the bed that something clicks. "You've done this before."
"That surprising considering the places my job takes me?" Slade asks. "What about you?"
"Not this side of it." Pregnancy tended to make for excellent hostages. And sometimes the excitement of being a hostage kick-started labour. Both as Robin and Nightwing had Dick been in the situation of a person about to give birth and any other help too far away. It wasn't his favourite part of the job and rare enough to always make his stress levels spike. But it happened and childbirth 101 a necessary skill.
Still Dick never really thought about how it felt to be about to deliver your baby away from medical aid or family.
He's going to be more sympathetic to it in the future.
"First one's special," Slade says, hand coming to rest on Dick's stomach. And Dick would knock it off but it seems like everyone is touching it this evening so one more isn't that horrid. He can't even say this is the first hand with blood on it, just blood he well knows about. "I mean all of them are special but it's the first that makes you a parent."
Dick remembers he's partially responsible for the death of Slade's first son. Feels still responsible for Joe's as well. Both now long-past history but with scars that remain.
His body doesn't care that he's in the middle of reflecting. The next contraction diverting all attention back into the situation and fact he's going to have a child to worry over himself sooner than later.
Slade gives him space. Sitting at the foot of the bed but watching. Likely to keep track of the labour but Dick can't shake the knowledge of how much danger that much of Deathstroke's attention normally means.
"Who's the other parent?" Slade asks after his gaze really starts setting Dick on edge.
"What?"
"I'm curious who it was that you felt settled with enough to let knock you up," Slade explains with an easy shrug. "You've had a fair share and been fully dedicated to them all – which one finally got past that last shield you keep around yourself."
Dick can only stare. Does Slade really think he will just tell him?
"You don't have to tell me. I'm sure I'll figure it out. Although I suppose if they come up with red-hair it won't much shorten the list will it?"
It's a joke but it also reminds Dick that unless things downstairs resolve soon and outside forces let in Slade will might end up being the one to deliver his child. Will be the first person to see and hold them. And Dick thought having to smile as people implied him a whore for not having his mate by his side at some actually-minor-gathering was going to be the worst bit of the night.
"Don't worry kid. If I haven't told Dick Grayson and Nightwing are one-and-the-same I'm not going to tell how either of them look while pushing their kid out."
Dick knows it's true but he would still prefer to be in a different situation while in labour. Not any other as his mind quickly supplies him with all the ways the situation could get worse. Oh he hopes he didn't already jinx it.
The contractions just getting stronger. And if Dick ever planned on pretending they didn't hurt in front of Slade it's thrown out the window. Along with him ever telling people to breathe through them in the future because Dick is leaning on training he got from Batman to actually achieve it.
"You're getting close," Slade says as if Dick can't tell himself that the contractions are getting closer together. That they feel so much more intense. More likely they are acting working on getting the baby out of his body instead of merely testing the muscles.
"I'm assuming they haven't settled their differences and opened the doors?" There's no way his luck is that good but he can still hope.
Slade gets up and checks out the window. "Appears not."
"Didn't think so," Dick says before the next contraction hits. Stronger than the ones before and whether he wants it to or not the baby is coming.
And of course the pants he had been wearing were the most formal things he owned that still made it around his stomach. Which meant they were also some of the most uncomfortable. And hardest to get off. Especially when he's as far into labour as he is.
He should have stayed home where baggy-sweatpants a completely acceptable clothing choice. Baggy sweatpants that didn't horribly tangle with his legs as he tried to get them off.
"Let me help," Slade says as Dick has one foot just about out if not for the contraction that cuts his focus. Dick still manages to glare at him for it.
"I'm going to be doing stuff a lot more intimate to you within the hour than helping you undress," Slade points out. He's right and no matter how much Dick hates it the situation isn't going to change to avoid it. So he goes limp and lets Slade slide the pants off his legs.
The next contraction proves he made the right call when it's joined with the urge to push. The one after being much the same but also gains what Dick is fairly certain is his baby leaving his womb to get out of his body.
He has no choice but to bare through the pain – an experience far from foreign to him. The trying not to think about what Slade is doing a bit more strange.
"They're crowning," Slade informs him and Dick only just notices Slade stripping off his jacket before his focus is on his body's impatient need to get the baby out and into the world.
"Head's coming," Slade says but all Dick can focus on is the feeling of it. The painful stretch between contractions where his body fights against its own limits of endurance and give.
There is a short-lived reprieve between the baby's head and the rest of their body. One that gives him the chance to breathe and wipe the sweat from his eyes but not much else. His baby impatient to be born and body impatient to be done.
Just as Dick has learned to expect from all other physical pain in his life it comes to an end. Most pains he's endured though don't end with a newborn being handed up to him. Don't result in him cradling his child against his chest. A swell of relief and pure happiness in his heart.
"He'll be hungry and looking for your skin," Slade says, bunching his jacket up around the baby he'd apparently already rubbed down with it.
Dick pushes his shirt down and under his breast to allow his son access. It takes a bit of fiddling and adjusting but that baby does latch on. It's only because of how loud the sirens are that they are able to cut his focus from committing every detail of his child that he can to memory. Cuts though him silently promising to do anything to keep them safe.
"That's my queue to leave," Slade says, stepping back. "Have a feeling you're family likely heard about what's happening and probably aren't much feeling ration about ensuring your safety."
He's likely right. If nobody else Barbara likely picked up about it on one of her scans and the news from there spreading quickly through their channels. Dick knows if the situation reversed and any of his family heavily-pregnant in a likely hostage situation he'd be dropping everything to get to them.
"Thank you," Dick says and he's sincere. While Slade not a complete monster the history they had an ample source of reasons for him not to help or even cause harm is Slade wanted one.
"No problem – just give me a day's head-start next time you hear I'm in town and we'll call it even."
"Not that grateful."
Slade just laughs. "Didn't think so. I'll think of something. Just make sure you look after them."
"I will." It's not a question in Dick's mind. He already knows he would die for his child.
Slade leaves after that and Dick returns his attention back to his baby. Gently stroking his head as he takes his first meal in life.
He wonders who will find him first – the police and paramedics likely searching the place or his family.
Tumblr is GoddessofRoyalty, Twitter is GoddessofRoyal if you want to chat, see ficlets I write, or send me a prompt