Hey Everyone! Sorry this is so late... I'm working on it I swear! This is whumptober prompt 23: Forced Choice. This is a little different than my usual story, it's my first take on an AU-type story. I can already hear the groans... sorry guys I know. I'm usually not really a fan either but I was reading Envy Sparkler on AO3 because someone recommended their stories (which by the way are fantastic and I also highly recommend, they have over 100 Batman stories with just about everything you could ever want) and I decided to give their AU stories a chance and fell in love so... here we go. This is a Shifter AU inspired by EnvySparkler's Shifter works on AO3.

Things to note:

- Grabbing one of your pack members by the neck triggers a submission.

-When a higher-ranking member of the pack is speaking with authority, younger members are required to listen.

-You can sense emotions through the pack bonds, but you can also shield them to prevent them from leaking through.

-Unconsciousness triggers a shift to human form, unless they are unable to do so safely (like if they were caged) or it was deliberate.

- You don't retain any sort of heightened senses or anything other than the pack dynamics/bonds when in human form.

As always, I hope you are doing well and let me know if you have any favorite prompts you want me to get to sooner rather than later! Let me know how this goes, I love to read comments and see what you guys think! Lots of Love - Lorna :)

Nightwing grabbed Hood by the back of the neck in a panic, desperately trying to get away. He didn't expect Hood's reaction.

"No." He hissed, his voice coming out toneless from the mask he wore. "No, let go."

Nightwing blinked as Hood slowly went limp in his hand. Hood shouldn't have responded like this. Only pack would respond to the submission point. He blinked again as Hood attempted to shake him off, fighting the submission. His fingers tightened, and Hood released a small yelp, like a hurt puppy.

"Take off the mask," he said, putting as much authority into his voice as he could. He was second in command of the most powerful pack in Gotham. Even members of other packs flinched when he told them to do something. Hood was shaking now, still fighting the command, though horribly ineffectively. His fingers moved up to take off the latches. It fell to the ground with a thud.

Nightwing moved his grip higher, and Hood made a painful noise.

"Stop," Hood hissed as Nightwing used his other hand to maneuver his face up toward him.

"Quiet," Nightwing admonished, ever intent on his goal. They had next to nothing on Hood; his identity would be vital to stopping his operations. Hood went abruptly quiet as Nightwing finally maneuvered his face into view. Nightwing almost dropped Hood when he saw the other's face. While still covered in a domino mask, the face was unmistakable to someone who knew him.

"Jason?"

Jason turned away, his domino mask scrunching at his narrowed eyes.

"Jason," Dick repeated. "Answer me, Little Wing."

"Yes." Jason rasped in response, the answer coming out ragged as it was torn from him.

Dick's comm went off, and Batman growled in his ear, worry evident. Dick realized he had been broadcasting his distress and worry. "I'm fine, B. Just- you might want to head back to the cave. I'm going to be bringing someone back."

There was a pause before Batman responded. "Friend or enemy."

"Pack." Was all Dick replied before he ended the communication. Batman was a detective; he could figure it out.

"Jason." His brother had stopped trying to fight off the submission and was now basically lying limp in Dick's arms. Dick relaxed a little and carefully helped set Jason on the floor. He didn't remove his hand from Jason's neck, though he was loathe to keep it there.

"Little Wing, I'm so glad you're alive." He let his voice get choked before he got himself under control again. "I'm going to take you home, Jaybird. Sleep."

That was a command Jason could follow. He was out in under a minute, slouching against Dick's knees. Carefully, Dick maneuvered Jason onto his bike and drove to the Cave, his hand never straying too far from Jason as if to make sure he was really there.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Sh*t" Jason hissed as he woke up. The angry tone was at odds with the soft look to him as he pushed himself up. His hair was ruffled from sleep, eyes still drowsy and not the malevolent green color that had flashed earlier. "What the ever-loving he—"

"—Language Little wing." A chipper voice responded.

Jason immediately went tense and bolted upward. A hand brushed his exposed neck, and Jason felt a tingle run down his spine, but it didn't squeeze, so he pushed himself away. He felt happy, but he knew that he wasn't, so why was he… his eyes finally focused.

"Oh hell, kill me now," Jason groaned. Dick grinned.

"Hi Jaybird."

"Do not." Jason growled, but it was weak from the bubbling happiness seeping through the pack bond. It was clashing with the lazarath pit and making it hard to stay angry. Without the pit, he just felt… tired. "Do not call me that. I am not your friend."

Dick's expression didn't shift, but he could feel the hurt slip through and then disappear. "No, you're part of the pack."

Jason managed to clamp down on Dick's overflowing joy. For the love— he forgot how much emotion Dick exuded. It felt like sunshine on a vampire. Heat on Icarus' wings. He wanted more, and yet knew it was going to kill him.

"No sh*t." Jason replied, eyes glowing green. He let the pit tint the world a familiar shade of green. Dick eyed him warily.

"Jay." His voice was bordering on authoritative, but Jason didn't care. He looked around only to realize he was in the shifter-proof room in the cave.

"Let me out."

Dick shook his head. "No."

"Grayson. Let. Me. Out."

"No can do, Jaybird. Something isn't right, and even then, we just got you back."

Jason growled.

Dick paused. "I'm glad you're here, Jay."

Jason allowed himself to see only green. His fingers curled into fists. Dick eyed him carefully. Jason wanted to simultaneously break his pack bonds into tiny shards and beg for forgiveness. He knew something must have floated through the bond. Dick's eyes were round and sad. Jason growled.

"Jay," Dick whispered. "Please don't."

Jason's eyes were bright, almost fluorescent now. Dick sighed, regret pulsing through the bond, clashing with Jason's rising rage. His fingers grabbed the back of Jason's neck before Jason could move away, and he hated the way his brother went slack. Jason snarled, even angrier now.

"It's okay, Jaybird. You're alright." He soothed, even though his heart was breaking. He never wanted to hurt his brother, never wanted to control him like this. It felt like an abuse of power, even if he knew that he was doing it because Jason was leaving him little option. "It's the pit. It's messing with your thoughts."

"It is not," Jason hissed, but there was less anger in his tone now that the surrender had been triggered. Dick noted that Jason wasn't fighting the hold, at least not yet. Instead, Dick could almost have sworn that he felt Jason leaning into the touch of his brother.

"What color do you see right now, little wing?" Dick replied softly. Glowing green eyes, a lack of several scars that had once covered a younger boy, the rage—it had to have been the Pit. This would just confirm it. This could convince Dick that it wasn't his little brother who had said all those spiteful, hateful things. It wasn't his little brother who had hurt Tim. It was Jason's pain, with the Pit's rage spitting venom into his veins, making him do things he wouldn't ever have considered.

Jason froze. "Green. Everything is green. Now let go of me!"

Dick's other hand went to gently run through Jason's hair. "Sorry, Little Wing. I can't until I'm sure you're not gonna lash out." Jason scowled, but his anger withered, at least a little. Dick could have smiled as he gently combed his fingers through Jason's two-toned hair.

"I'm trapped in this d*mn room. Who the ever-loving h*ll am I supposed to hurt?" It was meant to come out angry, but it came out more petulant.

He was fighting the hold now, though, his body convulsing in the effort. Dick's grip tightened a little, not painful but definitely more firm than before. Jason went limp again with a high-pitched whine of defeat. His hands fell to his sides, and his neck twisted slightly to bare it in a form of apology.

"Yourself, Jaybird." Dick whispered softly as he removed his hand from Jason's hair and brought it to his neck to accept and end the apology. His fingers returned to their original spot, gently brushing Jason's bangs out of his face. "I'm worried that you're going to hurt yourself."

Jason's eyes went sharp and green, but he didn't move away. "I don't— "

"You do, Jace. Every time you push your pack away or lash out at Bruce. Every time you insult Tim or me, you're trying to get rid of us, and it hurts us. It hurts so much, Jason, but it hurts you too, Little Wing. And I just can't watch you hurt anymore."

Jason made another noise, a sound both surprised and pitiful that got lodged somewhere in the back of his throat. The green was whispering in his ear, and he just repeated what it said. "I don't care, as long as you hurt too."

The fingers combing through his hair paused for a moment, and Jason felt a wave of sadness through the pack bond he was sure didn't come from him. It washed some of the green away, and Jason blinked, the world becoming a little clearer. The hand moved to cup his cheek. Jason both craved and despised the touch, always at war with himself. He wanted to be alone, to get control of himself again, but he was never really in control of himself after the pit. Dick's eyes were soft, even as he put so much authority in his tone that Jason couldn't fight it.

"Stop shielding Jason." His walls came down in a biblical flood of emotion. Jason wanted to put it all back; he felt exposed and vulnerable, and the League kills anything with so much weakness, and he doesn't want to die. But Dick merely blinked at the torrent and then picked through it, helping to sort through the mess in a way that made some amount of sense and wasn't just a jumble of hatred, longing, fear, guilt, and every other emotion on his roulette wheel of emotional control. After a moment, Dick realized something that Jason couldn't see, couldn't decipher under the flood. Instinct calling to instinct.

"Shift."

A blink and Jason was no longer a human, but a wolf. The world was different. Green faded, the world was normal again. Jason hated being a wolf after the pit, Talia and Ra's had strictly forbidden it. He couldn't latch onto his hatred. He couldn't gather his anger for Bruce or his pack. He wanted his pack even if it hurt. He was himself again, without the madness, without the vengeance. Dick let him go, ending the submission, but Jason collapsed, bearing his neck and releasing a low whine. Jason couldn't bring himself to look at Dick, he could smell the lingering scent of his brothers blood, could remember the way he had fought his brothers, his pack. Guilt-Worry-Fear flowed off him in waves. Dick brushed a hand through his fur, soothing. Jason shook him off and keened.

"It's okay, Jay." Dick put his hand on Jason's head, kneeling beside the wolf. Jason whined and licked Dick's hand. "Just- don't change back, okay? I think the pit doesn't work when you're shifted."

Jason nudged Dick's side mournfully, right where he had grazed him in their fight.

"It's okay, Jace," Dick repeated, his voice thick. This was his brother, the sweet, caring, protective brother he loved so dearly. The little pup he had never thought he would see grow up.

Jason curled around Dick, head resting across Dick's knees. He licked Dick's fingertips, sending warmth through Dick as his other hand continued to pet and soothe the lingering regret. Worry-Guilt-Pack-Brother floated through the bond and Dick was just reveling in the quiet moment of family.

"Dick?" A quiet voice asked, hesitating as they poked their head into the room.

Jason's head popped up and his tail flicked back and forth. Dick had a moment of panic, before he managed to grasp the feeling of Brother-Play-Excited. Jason was gone in a flash. Dick grinned at what he knew was going to happen.

Distress flared mutely through Tim's shielded bonds before it faded away to confusion and then some sort of warm affection.

Jason had playfully jumped up on Tim and was licking his face. Tugging Tim closer to Dick and whining to play. Always a bundle of energy. Tim looked between Dick and Jason. Jason blinked at him, sat for a moment to wait. Dick nodded.

"Go on, Timmy. He's not—the shift blocks pit madness. He won't—" Dick patted Jason's head again. "He wants to play."

Tim took a sharp breath, but was a wolf in the blink of an eye. Well, more like a pup compared to Jason. Tim was wary as he approached Jason, and Jason continued to sit still to allow him to cautiously survey him. After a moment, Tim nudged Jason's collarbone in a very small act of playfulness. Jason responded by playfully pushing him with his nose. Dick watched as the fight began, Jason gently rolling and batting at Tim, who seemed to be having as much fun as Jason. Play-Brother-Happy-Protect.

Dick grinned as he felt happiness light up the bond, Tim's shields low and Jason not actively silencing every emotion other than rage. Dick longed to shift as well, but it wasn't a wise idea with the stitches in his side. Instead, he just watched, a smile on his face. After a moment, the hair on Dick's neck stood on end.

"They're playing."

"I know," Bruce replied, his eyes watching Tim and Jason rolling around on the floor. Tim gave him a low growl that was as intimidating as a puppy. Jason was gentle as he pounced on Tim, rolling around with each other.

"The wolf drowns out the rage."

Bruce nodded sharply. "How'd you get him to shift?"

"I told him too. I thought, maybe it would help, and it looks like I was right."

Bruce sighed. "You usually are Dick."

Tired-Sleepy-Safe floated through the bond from Tim and to a lesser extent Jason. Dramatically Tim collapsed on the floor, and Jason rolled his eyes before picking him up by the scruff of his neck, much less like a wolf and more like a kitten. Tim yawned widely as Jason dropped him on Dick's lap, the little black pup immediately sprawling out to monopolize Dick's lap. Jason's tail was flicking back and forth in a happy motion before he caught sight of Bruce. Immediately his ears flattened to his head, tail falling. Within half a second the room shifted from happy-tired-content to fear-guilt-sorry-desperation. Tim twitched sensing and smelling the acute tension in the air. Dick pet Tim's head until he laid back down with a yawn. Jason however laid on the floor, bearing his neck and stomach in surrender and fear. He whined high and scared. Dick eyes widened in surprise and worry. He glared at Bruce daring him make one wrong move.

Bruce carefully knelt beside the wolf, running a hand over its fur. He nudged Jason into submission and released a low rumbling growl that was both comforting and protective. Jason whined again, but Bruce hushed him.

"You're okay now, Jason. It's going to be alright." Bruce scratched behind Jason's ears. "But you can't shift too much, okay, Jaylad?" The wolf blinked, with a sharp jerk of his head. "The pit takes over when you're human."

Jason whined and growled at the same time. Anger-protect-worry-pack.

Dick chuckled at Jason's wolfish expression. "It's okay, little wing."

Jason whined. Sorry-Worry-Concern. Jason licked Dick's fingers again.

"I know, Jay. I forgive you. It's not your fault."

Jay just huffed a whining noise and curled around Dick and Tim protectively. His tail and one of his hind legs was sprawled out just enough that he could reach Bruce. After a moment or two, Jay went still, breathing evening out.

"So it's the pit then? For sure?" Dick asked.

Bruce nodded, his fingers brushing little circles on Jason's paw. "I ran his blood; the markers for the pit are all there."

"How, Bruce, he can't live like this. He can't be a wolf forever. We need to find a way to get rid of the pit madness."

"I know."

"You have a plan?"

Bruce grimaced. "Working on it."