Chapter Text
“You work too much, Dick. I don’t know how you manage to keep your grades up. When do you even have time to study?”
Dick shrugged at his best friend’s question and continued cleaning off the table for the next customers. The restaurant wasn’t as busy as usual and the omega was grateful for the moment of peace.
Tim rolled his eyes and finished drying the cups he had just washed. Dick smiled at Tim’s reaction. He knew the other omega was just looking out for him, but he didn’t want Tim to worry. He worked because he had to, there was no point in complaining about it when that simple fact would remain the same.
Suddenly, their manager approached them, “Dick, Tim, I need you two up front with everyone else. The new hotel owner is doing a walk-through of the property with the big bosses and they will be having dinner here in the restaurant. Can you both serve them?”
The two omegas exchanged looks.
Dick and Tim were easily the best waiters in the restaurant. They brought in the most tips each and every night. Tim was a jokester, he could make the customers laugh with ease. His pretty eyes and pale features were just an added bonus.
Whereas Tim had the personality and looks, Dick got his tips from simply being the perfect server. He never got an order wrong, never forgot the silverware, knew the menu by heart, was always on time. He was an exceptional employee.
Dick nodded, “Sure, Selina. No problem.”
The alpha woman smiled, “Thank you, guys. You’re the best. Now let’s go.”
Dick smoothed out the wrinkles in his uniform and straightened out his name tag, before joining the rest of the staff.
Hotel owners rarely actually set foot in the properties they owned so this was a huge deal. Everything had to be perfect. Dick had worked in almost every department in the hotel, so he wasn’t nervous at all. He was used to the pressure and welcomed the challenge.
After a few moments of waiting, a group of men and women appeared a little ways away.
Dick recognized the department leaders and the hotel general manager along with a few new faces. However, one face snatched the omega’s attention.
A tall, handsome, young-looking man stood out in the crowd. His dark hair contrasted perfectly with his light skin. His jawline was as if it was carved out of marble. Dick could tell that his body was lean and muscular despite the impressively fitted luxury brand suit covering it. The omega had never seen such an attractive man before. Everything about him screamed power.
As the group of bosses got closer, Dick stole a quick glance at his colleagues. It looked like he wasn’t the only one caught off guard by the man.
When a heavy scent of expensive cologne and alpha attacked Dick’s senses, soft blue eyes rolled over and up at the young man standing before him.
Up close, Dick could see the alpha’s intense eyebrows pointing downward as he listened to what one of the managers told him. All of a sudden, green orbs met his, and Dick instinctively took a step back, bumping into Selina.
The alpha woman shot him a small glare before stepping around him.
Dick watched as his boss reached out her hand.
“You must be our new owner, Jason Todd. My name is Selina Kyle. I’m the manager of both restaurants here at the hotel,” Selina smiled sweetly at the older alpha, her hand still waiting for a handshake.
Jason Todd….
Dick thought that the alpha had been the son of the owner, not the actual owner. He looked so young, but maybe he wasn’t as young as the omega thought. Some people aged better than others. Still...the alpha looked like he could be a student at Dick’s university, there was no way the man was in his 40s like most hotel owners.
Jason took Selina’s hand and firmly shook it, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Kyle.”
Dick bit his bottom lip.
The deep low voice the alpha had was every bit as alluring as the man’s face. It was full of confidence and power.
Everything Dick thought he had.
But ever since laying eyes on this alpha businessman, Dick felt unsure and nervous. It wasn’t like him at all.
“Dick?”
The omega blinked away his thoughts. He noticed that everyone’s eyes were on him. He swallowed, “Uh- Yes..yes ma’am?”
Selina tilted her head in confusion, “Can you and Tim please show Mr. Todd and the others to their table?”
Dick turned to Tim who was already in the middle of directing the group to their table. His friend shot him a concerned look.
‘Are you okay?’
Nodding to the unspoken question in Tim’s eyes, Dick snapped back into character and smiled at the group.
“Please, come this way.”
~.~.~.~
Lunch was going well so far. The two omegas had broken out drinks and menus and had successfully taken the group's order. Now they were just waiting in the kitchen to send down the food.
It was during this time that Selina has approached Dick about his little hiccup earlier.
“Dick, are you feeling okay? What was that earlier?”
Still polishing the silverware, Dick thought about his actions. He himself didn’t know why he acted the way he did when he first saw Jason. Sure he was handsome, but it wasn’t like the omega had never seen a handsome alpha before.
“I don’t know, Selina. I’m sorry I don’t have an excuse. But I’m fine now. I promise,” Dick prayed his boss wouldn’t send him home.
“You sure?”
He nodded.
“Alright, Dick. Just be careful. We have to make a great impression. Mr. Todd is our new boss now.”
The light behind them indicated that the food had been sent down by the kitchen. Dick dropped what he was doing and went to retrieve a large tray to carry out the food.
“I know, Selina. I’ll be careful.”
Dick grabbed half the food while Tim picked up the other half. Together, the two omegas went back out to their table.
“It’s time for the fun part,” Tim joked.
The table chuckled at the funny omega. Dick cracked a half-smile at his silly friend as he gently placed the food before the respective person. Luckily for him, Tim had grabbed the owner’s plate.
“And here’s your food, handsome.”
The hotel managers waited for Jason’s reaction to the waiter’s flirtatious comment. When the alpha let out an amused scoff, all the tension in the air was gone.
The general manager then spoke, “Tim is one of our top servers here. A lot of our top 50 guests speak highly of him and often request him as their waiter when they eat here.”
Jason glanced at the smiling waiter before turning back to his plate, “I can see why.”
Maybe it was just the light but Dick thought he could see a light blush appear on his friend's face. That was new, Tim received compliments all the time, and was never affected.
Dick quietly waited for everyone to take the first bite of their food.
“How’s everything taste?”
It was implied that the only response wanted was from Jason. Everyone else had eaten at the restaurant a hundred times, they were quite familiar with the menu.
Dick watched as the owner chewed his food. His jaw was literally perfect as it worked. The omega wondered if Jason had gotten any plastic surgery done or if he was just naturally good-looking.
“It’s great.”
Tim and Dick bowed.
“Perfect. Enjoy the rest of your meal. We will be back shortly to check on everything,” Dick stated before turning away to leave.
He noticed that Jason’s water glass was half empty. He wondered if Tim had noticed too. When the omega continued past the water station, Dick knew he had to be the one to refill it.
Picking up a water pitcher, the omega returned to the table.
He picked up the glass and started to pour the water inside.
“Thank you, Dick.”
His voice.
It was so-.
Loud gasps snatched the omega from his thoughts.
Dick looked around the table. Everyone’s face was frozen in horror. To much dismay, Dick looked down at his empty hand. The glass he had been holding was no longer there.
No. No. No. No.
Water was spilling over the table and onto the floor and Jason’s lap.
Dick acted quickly, “I’m so sorry, sir,” he pulled a rag out of his apron and frantically cleaned up the mess he made, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so s-.”
A firm hand grabbed his wrist and omega had to bite back a distressed whine. He remained frozen, eyes looking down at the hand on him. It was much larger than his own and veins noticeably moved beneath the skin.
“Calm down. It’s okay,” Jason spoke.
Tears began to form in the omega’s eyes. This was so embarrassing. Selina was going to dismiss him for sure. He would be lucky if she didn’t fire him.
“It’s okay, everyone. It’s just water,” the alpha spoke again, releasing his hold on Dick.
Dick wanted to run away, but he stepped back and bowed lowly.
“I apologize for my actions, sir.”
“Don’t worry about it, Dick. It’s already forgotten. You’re free to go.”
The omega all but ran back to the server station. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
~.~.~.~
Selina ended up dismissing him as he expected. There was no way the alpha woman was going to let Dick go back out there and risk messing up again.
She insisted that the omega was not feeling well and needed to get some rest.
Dick wasn’t upset about her decision, but he hated that he had to miss out on making money. He needed every cent he could make.
Instead of going straight home, Dick found himself sitting at a park dwelling on the possible things that could have been wrong with him.
Maybe it was just stress. As much as the omega wanted to believe otherwise, he worried constantly about where his life was headed and if was strong enough to continue down this tough road.
He was only 20 years old, but he had more problems than most people did in a lifetime. When his father left him and his mother when he was 15, Dick suddenly had to become the provider of the family. It was hard for a child omega to try to fill the shoes of an alpha, but his mother was relying on him to help with the bills so he had no choice but the quit school for a while and get a job.
Luckily, Dick was pretty book smart. So despite not officially finishing high school, he was able to pass all the needed exams in order to get a high school diploma equivalent as well as pass the college entry exam when the time came.
His mother ended up moving in with the man she cheated on his father with as soon as he started his freshman year of college. Dick was left alone with the rent and other household bills on top of the bills from school. He had been doing well for himself for a year now. He was able to keep a roof over his head, a bit of food in his refrigerator, his classes were paid for and he was able to buy the tools he needed to be successful in them.
Dick was content. He wished he could be a full-time student and had time to hang out with his friends, but he could only afford a few classes, and the time he wasn’t in classes he spent working.
It wasn’t normal for an omega to work as hard as Dick did. Their bodies weren’t built for the constant stress and pressure Dick endured, but he has been doing it for so long, the omega was used to it. He promised himself that he would make it through college and make enough to buy a dance studio.
Dick sighed and got up from the bench he spent the last hour on. If he hurried, he could make it home in enough time to study and take a quick nap before he had to be at his job at the nightclub.
He was heading in the direction of the closest subway entrance when he heard a child’s cry.
“Leave me alone, Damian! I don’t want to play with you anymore!”
Dick looked around until his eyes landed on a little girl on the ground with tears running down her small cheeks.
The man’s heart clenched at the pitiful sight. He would be lying if he said he didn’t want kids. He was an omega after all, it was in his nature to want children.
Sadness turned to anger as he looked at the little boy standing over the girl. Even from a distance, Dick could feel the dominance coming from the child. He was no doubt an alpha.
Dick ran over to the two kids, startling them both.
“Hey, what’s going on here?”
The little girl cried out louder, “He- he- he won’t let me go play with the others. He s-says I can only play with him. B-b-but I don’t want to. He’s scary!”
Dick crouched down and scooped the little girl up in his arms, “It’s okay. Don’t cry. I’m sure he didn’t mean to scare you. Calm down.”
The girl rubbed the tears away and after a few more minutes she had stopped crying.
Dick put her back down and flashed her a pretty smile, “Now go play with you friends, little one. Go on.”
“Thank you, sir! Byee~.”
He watched the girl run away to a group of girls playing by the swings before turning to the little boy.
“Your name is Damian, right?”
The boy crossed his arms over his chest but didn’t speak. He only nodded in response to the question.
Dick kneeled down in front of the little alpha and spoke calmly, “Damian, you shouldn’t be mean to others. It’s not nice.”
The boy frowned, “But she said she didn’t want to play with me anymore. She wanted to play with her other friends.”
Dick smiled at the selfish statement. Maybe this was one of those child crushes people always joked about. Little boys always picked on the ones they liked. That’s so cute!
“Damian, do you like her,” he asked, still smiling.
The boy looked disgusted at the mere thought, “Ew no! She’s an omega. Omegas are bad.”
Dick’s eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting that reaction.
“Umm..why do you think that, Damian?”
“Because my mommy is an omega and she left me and Father. Even though we did not want her to leave. That’s why omegas are bad. Father and I hate omegas!”
Dick was shocked at the fiery in the little boy’s eyes. He was serious. This young alpha despised omegas and he hadn't even reached puberty yet. How sad. A young boy needed his mother. Dick knew firsthand the damage an absent parent could cause.
Suddenly, Dick didn't blame Damian for his aggressive behavior. It was more than likely a consequence of his mother not being around.
He wondered what kind of person Damian’s father was. Since Damian was an alpha, that meant his father had to also be an alpha. Did that person really hate omegas as Damian claimed? An alpha father who hated omegas raising his alpha son to also hate omegas.
What a toxic cycle that was.
“Damian, where is your daddy now? I'll bring you to him,” Dick looked around the park for a man who was probably looking for his child.
“He's at work.”
Dick froze. At work?
“If daddy is at work, who is watching you now?”
Dick prayed Damian wasn't wandering the city alone. What kind of parent would leave a child alone?
“A stupid old omega. But I ran away from her. She's old so she couldn't keep up with me,” Damian looked so proud of himself.
Just then an old lady with grey hair and glasses approached them, “There you are, boy. How dare you run away, Damian. I should put you in time out for this!”
Damian snatched away from the old lady and stepped closer to Dick. He glared at his babysitter, “Leave me alone, you old hag!”
The elder grew red with anger, “Why you little br-!”
“Damian.”
“Thank goodness you're back,” she addressed the person behind the two males, “I can't do this anymore, Mr. Todd. I tried, but that son of yours is the worst child I've ever come across in all my years of being a nanny.”
“Father! You're back!” Damian disappeared from Dick’s side.
The omega turned around to see the man who raised such a difficult child.
He couldn't believe his eyes when the same alpha he spilled water on a few hours ago stood before him, a small child attached to his leg.
Damian’s dad was Jason Todd, the new hotel owner, his new boss.
Jason didn't look as kind and approachable as he looked at the hotel earlier. Now he looked as cold and intense as Dick pictured Damian’s father to be. He removed his black sunglasses and looked directly into Dick’s eyes, but didn't greet him. Maybe he didn't recognize him. The omega shuttered at the dark orbs.
“If that's how you feel, Ms. Soohee, I'll send your final check in the mail. Thank you for your services,” Jason's eyes never left Dick as he spoke.
Dick swallowed the huge lump in his throat. It suddenly felt really crowded here. He should really head home now.
“I'm glad she is gone, Father. She was mean and stupid and always made me read books for a long time,” looked up at the older alpha.
Jason finally took his eyes off Dick and the omega could finally breathe. He really needed to get out of here. But for some reason, his legs remained glued to the ground.
“That was the 6th nanny in the last two months, Damian. I don't have time to keep searching for a new one. Why do you misbehave so much? Do you like wasting my time with such trivial matters?”
Damian looked down, “But Father...I don't want another omega nanny. They always tell me I'm a bad boy and then they leave.”
Dick felt bad for the young alpha. He must have been through a lot.
Jason sighed and rubbed his face, “The best child care providers are omegas, Damian. You know that. No one else will do.”
Damian shook his head, “That's not true, Father. That guy there helped me and Lisa earlier. He made Lisa stop crying and he scolded me for being mean to her. He can be my new nanny!”
Dick’s eyes widened at Damian’s words. Was that kid trying to get him in trouble? He had just told his dad that some stranger had was scolding him. How would Jason take that?
Dick opened his mouth to defend himself, “Ah...sir, that's not…I didn't kn-.”
“Damian, that man is also an omega.”
Dick looked from Jason down to Damian who looked like he was just told the worst ever. He looked Damian up and down in disbelief.
“No...but he is a boy. He can't be an omega, Father. Only girls are omegas.”
The boy clenched his small hands into fists and glared at Dick. It was the first time Dick ever wished he wasn't an omega. The heartbreak on the boy's face was real and Dick felt a sense of shame in his sex.
“You tricked me! I hate you!” Damian yelled at Dick before taking off toward the limo that awaited them.
Jason didn't say anything about his son’s outburst and turned to take his leave as well.
Dick didn't know what came over him, but he suddenly called out to his boss.
“Mr. Todd! I want to be Damian’s nanny, please!”
Jason stopped walking but didn't turn around, “No, thank you. Have a good day, Mr. Grayson.”
The omega watched Jason disappear inside the black limo as the driver closed the door behind him.
Dick sighed. What the heck just happened?
He was walking to the subway station when he suddenly realized something. Jason had called him by his name.
Holy shit! He remembered my name!