Chapter Text
Alfred watched the exhausted little pup’s peaceful face as he slept on, oblivious to the shock he’d given Alfred.
Mama.
He’d been something of a parent to Bruce, though he feared sometimes that he should have been much better. He’d taken care of Dick as well, caring for the boy like he would his own grandson. They were both his to Alfred, but both his children rarely referred to Alfred as a parental figure to them.
This scared little pup, though…
Heat could be blamed for what Jason had said, as could fear and exhaustion, but Alfred couldn’t help but hope that it was more than that. He didn’t know if Bruce had been intending to keep Jason for good or just until a safe foster home could be located for him, but Alfred had made up his mind. Bruce had brought home the last one; it was Alfred’s turn now.
Alfred ran his fingers through Jason’s damp curls in muted awe, careful not to do anything that might wake Jason up. Jason was so thin. Alfred was going to have to feed him, if Jason would let him out of the nest in the morning, or order something if not. Bruce could not be trusted in Alfred’s kitchen, especially not for something as important as Jason’s first meal with the family.
He couldn’t have said how long he laid there, curled around his new puppy, before a light knock on the door disturbed the fragile silence.
Alfred waited several moments to be sure that Jason hadn't woken before he turned his head toward the door and softly called, “Come in. The door is locked.”
A minute later, the lock clicked and the door swung open on silent hinges. Bruce, loveable oaf that he was, stuck his head into the room.
“Alfred.” Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. “I couldn’t find you, and you weren’t answering your phone.”
Alfred smiled and rubbed his cheek over the pup’s head, leaving his caring, protective scent over the lingering fear. “He wanted me to stay with him.”
Bruce must have been able to smell Alfred’s maternal scent thickening in the room, and the World’s Greatest Detective would certainly be smart enough to figure out that the pup was going nowhere.
Bruce smiled at them. “I’m glad he feels safe with one of us.”
Alfred made a small noise of agreement. Jason was too young to be so scared, and Alfred hated that his puppy might have ever had cause to be as frightened as he’d been. The poor boy had been begging Alfred not to let Batman, of all people, rape him, as though even heroes weren’t safe to Jason.
They would fix that. Jason would come to trust Bruce, his new father brother packmate, Alfred was sure. Integrating any new person into a pack always came with some upsets, and Alfred was sure that there would be plenty with how little Jason already trusted Bruce and the fact that his son had kidnapped the boy, but someday, Jason would know that Bruce’s strength, his stature, his intimidation, all those things would only ever be use to protect Jason.
“We don’t want to wake him,” Alfred warned quietly.
Bruce hummed in agreement, but he waited another minute or so, watching Alfred and Jason, before he turned the lock again and closed the door. Since Bruce had stayed mostly outside the room and locked the door again, Jason would likely never even know that Bruce had been so close while he slept in heat.
They’d need to wait till after Jason’s heat to start helping him trust the rest of the pack. It was important, definitely.
But until then, he was Alfred’s, and Alfred’s alone.
Alfred laid his head down on the pillow and curled tighter around his new son. He tucked his chin over Jason's head and pressed a quick kiss to Jason's temple. The coming weeks would be very challenging, but Alfred didn't think he would mind that much.