Jason Todd/Danny Fenton Omegaverse
Jason hated flying. No matter how many times he did it, it made him feel sick.
Especially things like take off, landing, and turbulence.
Now usually he would have a family member or a friend with him, usually they used the bat plane, or a justice league plane or spaceship. Even Bruce’s private jets were pretty smooth, less scary.
But he was flying commercial today. By himself, sat in the aisle seat next to a stranger.
The plane had been delayed 45 minutes now because the pilots got delayed on their last flight, and the longer they sat the more the anxiety and anticipation grew.
Thank god he’d worn scent patches. Thank god almost everyone wore scent patches. He was starting to become convinced his neighbor would be able to smell his stress anyway and that was just making him self conscious, which was making him more anxious. Not good. Why was he doing this again?
Because he needed to get home that’s why. He’d been visiting Roy and Lian, and usually he’d just use Zeta tubes, but they were having maintenance done this week and were only being used for actual hero business and emergencies, so he had to fly home now.
Maybe he should’ve just extended his trip until they were back online.
They finally started moving with the taxi, slowly making their way to the runway after an hour of waiting in the most uncomfortable airplane seats Jason has ever had the displeasure of sitting in, and his pulse spikes. Hands shaking.
It’s so stupid. He shoots and fights people for a living, he risks his life constantly. He does way scarier stuff on the daily without flinching. He should be able to handle airplanes. He should be fine.
It’s not like he even has any trauma or anything. (Regardless of the fact that he took a commercial plane just like this to Ethiopia and hit insane turbulence all the way there. Regardless of the fact the plane lurching made his heart race and his stomach drop the same way the Joker did. It's probably not anything to do with any of his trauma at all).
The guy across the aisle laughed obnoxiously at something on his phone and Jason’s head throbbed with the noise, adrenaline, and strange scents. His senses had gotten stronger after being in Nanda Parbat, between the lazarus pit and assassin training, which was just another reason planes and airports were his worst enemy.
He was pretty sure they were getting set down on the runway, and he lifted a hand to his neck preemptively. He’s not sure when he figured out he could kind of scruff himself to calm himself down, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to abuse the trick.
There was a kid with a nasty cough a few rows up that made him wish he’d worn a face mask or something. Someone’s baby was already crying in the back and someone had food that smelled weird.
They finally started moving, speeding up for take off, and Jason ducked his head a little and grasped the back of his neck, letting the weight and pressure of the motion settle him slightly as they pick up speed, the sound of the engines grating and the rumble of the plane—the seat, the floor—rattles through him.
He’d just closed his eyes when he felt fingers brush the hand on his neck and smelled a surprisingly soothing alpha scent. He glanced up to see the man in the middle seat beside him looking at him with a concentrated, but worried furrowed brow as he batted Jason’s hand away from his own scruff. For some reason Jason let him, and after his hand was moved the man took up the job, pinching the back of his neck perfectly and letting Jason go limp into his seat as they shakily lifted into the air and started climbing.
It was so perfect he nearly purred, and the combination of surprise, comfort, and instinct had Jason completely forgetting about his aerophobia for a moment.
Once they were steadier in the air and flying smoothly the guy let go, and Jason took a breath before looking at him.
“You ok man?” The stranger asked, settling back into his own seat.
“Yeah, uh thanks for that.”
“For sure. I have a friend who’s terrified of flying, like has to be dragged onto the plane, and he always makes me do that kinda thing for him too.”
Now that Jason’s looking at him with a clear mind, the guy is cute. Like really cute, pretty even, especially for an alpha. He’s not bulky but he is tall, his knees just slightly encroaching on Jason’s space, as usually happens on crowded flights. Slightly muscular, something of a swimmers build, but not a stereotypical alpha, he was fit in a way that Jason liked, not hulking, just enough muscle to get whatever job he does with it done. He had a unique scent too, cool and minty, slightly earthy almost, like a garden after rain. Although Jason couldn’t really smell it anymore, he liked it, it was nice.
Not to mention the scruff? That was hot as fuck, not that he’s had many, but that may be the best scruff Jason’s ever had. His mom did it infrequently, and Bruce only did it when he was either really scared, or really in trouble when he was a teen. Most alphas don’t bother with him because of his build, and the few that do are typically hookups who aren’t really focused on things like scruffing and affection.
But this random guy just, did it, just like that, cause Jason looked scared.
“Jason,” he held a hand out and the guy took it to shake. His hand was cold and his grip was easy, not crushing or dominating.
“Nice to meet you,” pretty smile: check.
“Are you from Gotham or visiting?” polite and sociable: check.
“I’m from Gotham, coming home from visiting Star, what about you?”
“Oh nice ok, I’m going to school in Gotham. My sister lives in Star though, and I get a longer break than her so I went out there.” Talkative?: check.
“Yup,” he answered wryly. Funny?: check.
Jason chuckled at his dry tone and face. “You like it?”
“It’s ok, I mean it’s still Gotham, but the campus is nice, and I’m getting a fat scholarship. Plus the program I’m in is pretty good compared to some other schools so, yeah I like it well enough. I’ve never really loved school to begin with though so that makes me biased”
“Ha fair enough, I’ve been considering starting some classes there but I don’t know yet.”
“Oh really? Wait, how old are you?”
“22, a little old I know, but it was always the goal, I just didn’t quite get to it ya know?”
“Oh cool ok, I’m 21, just turned haha. I don’t think that’s too old, I’ve seen people over, like, 40 in some classes and stuff, you’d be fine.”
“Yeah, I think if you want to and you have the time and means you may as well.”
“Maybe I’ll look into it some more when I get home…”
Danny smiled brightly and Jason had to fight not to picture him smiling at Jason like that while holding him down and scruffing him. He failed.
“Where are you from originally? Gotham doesn’t get many transplants in it for fun, it takes a certain type.”
“Oh I’m sure. Illinois, middle of nowhere, moved out when my sister got an apartment when I was 17ish.”
“Damn. Midwest. Interesting,” Jason noted, Illinois was kind of far to end up in Gotham.
“Yup. I like to claim Star as home more though. It feels more like home, well, my sister feels more like home.”
“Yeah I get that. Parents,” Jason sighed sarcastically.
“Parents,” Danny agreed in the same tone. They both laughed.
They chatted a bit more through the flight, but it shifted when they started hitting turbulence about an hour in. It didn’t start off too bad, just a few bumps, but then it got rough enough the seat belt sign flicked on and someone over the intercom was warning everyone to remain seated and buckled.
Jason flinched at a particularly lurching spot, and suddenly there was a hand on his neck again. He pressed into it, despite the blush that it brought to his face and the heat it shot through him, and released a shaky breath as Danny’s hand pressed into his scruff again.
They spent the rest of the flight like that, Danny easily and instinctively scruffing him, touching him, off and on when they hit rough patches. In between they chatted, every once in a while doing their own thing and falling quiet. Danny was reading a book and at some point Jason had started reading along, Danny easily shifting so he could see.
Somehow at some point he ended up half asleep with his head on Danny’s shoulder and when he fully came too Danny had his phone in one hand playing a game and his other hand resting against Jason’s neck, fingers idly playing with the ends of his hair.
He didn’t really want to wake up yet actually.
The intercom had just come on to tell them they were heading into their final descent when Danny turned to him with a smile, pulling his phone out.
“Can I get your number? Pretty please? I’d like to see you again.”
Jason’s first response was to say ‘yes absolutely’ and snatch the phone to enter his info, but then he remembered who he was, and who he was talking to.
Him, an oversized, built like a brick wall omega, and the most gorgeous alpha he’d ever seen.
“…you should know I’m an omega.”
Danny just laughed, “yes, I gathered from the way you melted the first time. Plus your scent leaked through your patches when you first got super freaked out.”
“Oh.” Jason said like an idiot.
“I’d still like your number, and to see you again. And to clarify when I see you again it will be to take you on a date, hopefully. Assuming that’s ok with you.”
Danny chuckled as Jason gingerly took his phone and typed into it, entering his number and his name. He watched avidly as Danny took it back, smiled, and added emojis to his contact name.
He scruffed him one last time as they hit the usual Gotham turbulence and Jason let himself fully melt into it again.
They sat and waited and shuffled off the plane together, and unfortunately they were going different directions when they got out, but Danny took his hand and squeezed before he walked away, leaving Jason with a kiss to his knuckles and an easy “I’ll text you” that left Jason standing like a fool in the middle of the airport for a few minutes.
Apparently he was still blushing when he got in the car because Dick, who had insisted on coming to pick him up, gave him a signature raised brow, teasing smirk combo.
Jason brushed it off. Like hell was he telling his older brother he let a stranger scruff him for half the flight and got his number afterward. He'd get protective and naggy and Dick-y.
Not that Jason would really blame him. This was a potentially dangerous situation. An unknown alpha, touching Jason so casually, Jason letting him for some reason. It was risky. It was weird. People were afraid of Jason. He was big and scarred and mean. People avoided him. It was odd.
And yet, despite the oddity and the risk, Jason found himself thinking that maybe flying wasn’t so bad after all.
