Icebound

by HMsmoreQueen

Summary:

Dick knew certain cases weren't supposed to be tackled alone. Extraterrestrials kidnapping meta kids? That definitely required back-up. In hindsight this should have been handled with the assistance of the JL, but hindsight was always a bitch and as Dick sat wondering how he was going to get out of the thick metal cuffs digging into his wrists he could feel the ship rise. On one hand this was a shitty situation but maybe it could lead him to the center of this new crime ring. He was Nightwing, the Original Boy Wonder, he could get out of this, couldn't he? He just had to play along until they lead him to their leader and by that time the JL or his family will have sent a rescue team.

Chapter 1

Notes:

Hi so quick notes. This work has not yet been edited, if you see any major grammatical errors point them out if you want to, eventually i'll go over this again and fix mistakes/typos.

Now on to the important stuff. *Warning for slight spoiler* but do listen if any of the tags were/are a trigger for you. If yes skip to the at the end notes. Otherwise enjoy, the first couple of chapters are going to be bad for Dick. The majority of the shit is going to happen at the start, then we get some shit near the middle but then we get to the comfort and i plan on showering Dick in it when we eventually get there. Also I do feel like this chapter kind of jumped around too fast, too much tell and not enough show, took forever to get the right playlist to set the mood, so that might be edited in the future to make it flow smoother.

Oh character note, the batkids ages.
Dick is 24 when he's abducted. Has his 25th on the ship without noticing.
Jason is 21 at the very start of the chapter.
Steph 19
Tim 18
Cassanadra 17
Duke 16
Damian 11
Babs is around the same age as Dick, maybe a year older.

Bludhaven was Dick's territory. He may not have been as territorial about it as Bruce was with Gotham but he took pride in being Bludhaven's protector. Pride wasn't why Dick didn't call for back up. 

 

Bruce and Jason had just had another big fight, both sequestering themselves away from other people. Tim had just finished a case about some random serial killer who had been stealing people’s eyes and needed to rest before he had a heart attack from all the caffeine he had been ruthlessly consuming non-stop the last three weeks. Babs and the Birds of Prey were busy with their own case, busting a forced omega prostitution ring in New Jersey. Which left Damian who was probably more than capable but they had been kidnapping kids, meta kids to be specific, he didn’t want to chance anything. 

 

He should have gotten Star or some other JL member for backup. He knows that now, never underestimate your enemy, it just hadn’t felt necessary at first. The case was serious. He was taking the case seriously and being cautious. He just hadn’t expected there to be so many goons waiting at the warehouse. Didn’t know they’d be aliens with enhanced strength. 

 

Dick knew certain cases weren't supposed to be tackled alone. Extraterrestrials kidnapping meta kids? That definitely required back-up. In hindsight this should have been handled with the assistance of the JL, but hindsight was always a bitch and as Dick sat wondering how he was going to get out of the thick metal cuffs digging into his wrists he could feel the ship rise. On one hand this was a shitty situation but maybe it could lead him to the center of this new crime ring. He was Nightwing, the Original Boy Wonder, he could get out of this, couldn't he? He just had to play along until they lead him to their leader and by that time the JL or his family will have sent a rescue team. 

 

***

An entire week had passed. The small cell in the large mothership they’d been transferred to after they got out of Earth’s orbit was starting to become suffocating. All day guards walked up and down the halls, yelling at the kids to stop crying. Some of the crueller ones would yank the kids out to beat on them if they didn’t listen. Dick had tried to intervene a couple of times only to get the shit beaten out of him. The large hulking green aliens that seemed to do most of the security work were extremely strong and one backhand had sent him flying into the wall behind him with a broken nose. Of course that didn’t stop him from yelling at them when they started going at the kids. 

 

Like right now for instance, the big green bald alien was shaking some poor kid who couldn’t stop crying through the bars of her cell. He opened his mouth because he is Dick Grayson, the original Robin and Nightwing. He didn’t regret it when a strong hand grabbed him by the throat and yanked his head so hard against the bar that he might have a minor concussion now. Didn’t regret it even when said hand squeezed until he almost passed out before spitting in his face and letting him drop into an almost unconscious pile on the floor. 

 

***

Two months. It had been two months and he was still on this accursed ship. Sure the beatings had decreased as the kids learned to stay quiet but that didn’t stop the pool of dread hitting his stomach as he felt his triannual heat start to approach. Omega heats happened every three months and without his suppressant there was nothing Dick could do to stop his heat from approaching. With no nest and the constant smell of scared pups, meant Dick’s omega instincts were going berserk. He couldn’t think as his instinct was yelling at him to find safety, he could feel the heat creeping up on him as his cell felt too exposed and suffocating at the same time. 

 

At least his scent didn’t seem to attract the guards, if anything the big green guys seemed to be repulsed by the smell of his heat, walking by his cell as fast as whatever-they-were possible. He lies on the cool floor feeling like he was on fire, never had his heat felt like this. Usually he holes up in his apartment sweating it out under his favorite blankets in front of his tv. The mild suppressants he always took easing his heats greatly, reducing them from roaring fires of passion to candles of lazy indulgence. 

 

He wasn’t used to spending them alone and with no creature comforts, safety and suppressants it was starting to look like a couple of long days ahead of him. Dick tries to dissociate from the hurt, from the clawing anxiety that won’t let him breathe properly, he might be able to fight the tears trying to escape him but he knows he’s falling apart. Omegas aren’t made to go through heats alone, he tries to imagine his pack. He usually spends his heats with his pack. 

 

His maternal instincts usually kick in when Tim cuddles with him while watching his favorite old movies, the younger omega not minding as much as Damian. Cass usually joins whenever she can, silently curling up by his side and falling asleep. Steph and Babs usually only join on rare occasions, neither beta feeling the need as strongly. Duke would usually come and join him for a movie and just check in with him. Bruce doesn’t always join but when he does, the pack alpha makes him feel like he’s surrounded by safety and paternal affection. 

 

The person who it hurts to think about most is Jason. The young alpha had always been too scared to approach him during his heats before he died. The rare occasion he had seeked Dick out he hadn’t stayed long before fleeing, the scent of arousal trailing after him. Back then Dick had pitied him, he knew what it was like to have a crush on someone older and unreachable (Clark). Now years later there was a tension that webbed itself between every word or action between them. Unspoken feelings that lingered under the surface, hoping to bubble over one day. Dick doubted that would ever come now, maybe it was better this way, now neither of them would know what they were missing. 

 

The fever eventually causes Dick to pass out. Passed out on the dirty floor of his cell Dick dreams for the first time in two months and it's cathartic. 

 

***

By month three he feels kind of numb. He has nothing to do but think since the guards won’t let them talk to each other. It feels too silent and the thoughts in his head are too loud. He sleeps most days, dreaming about his pack. He doesn’t know if he’ll see them again. Maybe once the ship reaches its final destination he’ll find a way to escape. For now all he can do is wait and sleep. 

 

He’s lost a lot of weight, the uniform they gave him after they transferred him to his cell hangs much looser than it did at first, he can feel how his muscles have atrophied from lack of proper nutrition and almost no exercise. The cell is too small to lay down comfortably, never mind calisthenics or proper stretching. He wonders if he would even be doing those things if he had the room for it. He feels empty and alone so he goes back to sleep because at least he’s not alone in his dreams, in his dreams he has his pack waiting for him. 

 

***

Dick thinks he might be losing it. He’d been trained to endure torture. Been taught all the techniques to keep himself sane. He doesn’t think he could have prepared for this though, the prolonged isolation that had only gotten worse. He had been dumb, mouthed off to one of the guards bringing their daily meal and they’d thrown him in here. The Hole. The Hole was dark, he couldn’t see shit, not himself, just nothing. The walls and the floor felt like metal, they dug into his spine and hips whenever he tried to sleep.

 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been in here. It felt like days but who knows, maybe his imagination was playing tricks on him. He knew he was supposed to “stay busy” in this type of situation, but what the fuck was he suppose to do? He felt bitter. He was angry. Why did everything have to go to shit? He wanted to scream. Wanted to curse the assholes who took him. Wanted to release the clawing pressure in his chest that had been suffocating him ever since he’d been put on this fucking ship. 

 

So he did. He screamed like a madman because no one could hear. The guards couldn’t beat him up now and if they did come at least it would be better than the endless nothing. He screamed and cried until he physically couldn’t anymore. 

 

***

 

He was losing it. There was something in here with him, he could feel it crawl across his skin whenever he started falling asleep. Could hear it in the corners of The Hole as it made soft little hissing noises. Something must have gotten in while he was sleeping or spaced out. 

 

He had felt its slimy body move over his arm as he woke. It had to be in here. The room wasn’t big but it was evading him as he fumbled through the dark. It must be small then. Some kind of weird alien snake maybe? All he seemed to get for his efforts was bloody fingers as he tried and catch whatever it was. He could hear it laughing. When had it stopped hissing? He knew it was in here, why couldn’t he find it. He felt it! 

 

He felt it move over his arm. Was it laughing or was someone here watching? Were they laughing as it evaded him at each turn? “Hello?”

 

More laughter. Angers wells up inside him. What were they doing to him, playing tricks as if the darkness and endless nothing wasn’t bad enough already. His chest is tight as he slams his fists down on the ground, he feels the tears well in his eyes as humiliation burns inside him. They made him feel like nothing. 

 

***

He can’t move his body. His body aches. He’s dizzy and cold. He feels like a dried out shell floating on nothingness. He can’t focus, not on his thoughts. Not on the thing laughing in the corner, if that was even real, he’s not sure if he’s even real anymore. He thinks he may be dying of starvation. With the endless nothing his mind hadn’t really focused on how his stomach was probably eating itself, how he was slowly dehydrating to dangerous levels. He couldn’t ignore it now. 

 

He drifts in and out of consciousness. Never really present. He thinks he hears the metal door of the hole open but that could be his mind playing tricks on him, but he can feel light seeping through his eyelids so he opens them. Light floods through and blinds him, he can make out a large figure standing in the doorway and for a moment he thinks it must be Batman. He came to save him. But then it speaks in a guttural alien language and he hates himself for hoping. It drops something on the ground and leaves, slamming the door shut, causing sound to reverberate through the small dark room. 

 

Nothing. He did nothing. That might have been his only chance and he thought it would be Bruce to save him? He feels pathetic. He feels like a failure. No one was coming and he was too weak to move more than a couple of inches. He can feel devastation steal his breath and crush his lungs as panic sets in. He was going to die in a dirty hole for nothing. Those kids they took won’t be saved. Nothing. Absolutely nothing had come of this.  He felt like he was breaking, his  purpose was nothing.  He cries again, but there are no more tears to cry, he physically can’t. Eventually he slips into unconsciousness. 

 

When he wakes up he manages to drag himself in front of the door and feels around for what the alien dropped in here. It's a bottle of water and some kind of fruit. He sips at the water slowly, scared of puking it up if he goes too fast. He doesn’t think the fruit is from Earth, it's bitter and salty instead of sweet but it’s surprisingly juicy even if said juice tastes disgusting. It’s quite large as well so he only eats half, he’ll save the rest for later. 

 

He feels better after eating something for what had to be the first time in at least a week. He’s surprised he hadn’t died of dehydration before now. They had forgotten about him. He briefly wonders if his friends have done the same, what about his pack?  Were they still looking for him or had the mission taken precedence. Was he a cold case to them now?

 

***

Months or weeks pass by like this. He isn't sure. He thinks it must be months. They only  bring him water and fruit when he’s at death’s door, when he’s too weak to even lift his head. They had brought him food a total of eleven more times before one day instead of dropping something in his cell they dragged him out of it and into the burning artificial light of the hallway.

At first he thought it was another hallucination or some kind of lucid dream, he had a lot of those, but the hand dragging him by his throat felt pretty real as it blocked his airway. He was too weak to do more than whine, or attempt to whine at least since his throat was too dry and disused to produce a proper sound. The guard drags him along until they reach what looks like some kind of medical ward, the guard holds him up in front of a lizard-like woman who is angrily talking in some kind of weird serpentine language with the guard. The guard grunts something out and uses his other hand to hold Dick up by his arm, taking pressure off his throat and finally allowing him to breathe. 

 

The relief isn’t for long as the lizard lady pulls out what looks like a large metal syringe gun and places it behind his ear at an angle and presses the trigger. Hot pain flashes through Dick, making his vision fade for a couple of seconds. When he comes to, he can understand what they’re saying. 

 

“The translation chip should have been injected earlier, all the others are ready for auction. This one is in horrible condition, they go to market tomorrow and it can’t even stand on its own!” 

 

“It was mouthing off too much and kept making trouble, I may have forgotten about it for a bit in solitary,” the guard mumbles. 

 

“Benhir! Damaged goods don’t fetch as much at auction, you better hope she only cuts his price deflation from your salary and not the rest of us if you want to keep your ugly mug in one piece,” she hisses. 

 

“Oh fuck off Larnie, you barely have to work with these little shits. If you had to sit with the incessant crying you’d get it,” his fist tightens around Dick’s throat as he starts getting worked up. His vision starts going fuzzy again and he lamely taps a hand against the one around his throat, all it earns him is an angry grunt and a violent shake. 

 

“Have to get this one to decontamination before we put it on a pod,” the guard grumbles, walking off with Dick being dragged along. 

 

The whole walk to decontamination the guard mumbles angrily under his breath, his fingers flexing hard around Dick’s throat. He’s pretty sure he’s a couple seconds away from passing out when he’s tossed onto a tile floor. This must be the decontamination room then Dick thinks as he splutters and weakly gulps up air. His uniform is tugged off of him, he wants to protest, to fight but all he can muster is looking up and letting out a half hearted growl. 

 

The guard grabs a hose from the wall and ice cold water lights Dick’s nerves up in seconds. He’s hosed off for a good 2 minutes before the guard throws a bar of soap at his head and yells at him to wash. Dick tries to pick it up but it slips his grasp, looking down Dick can see why. He’s horrified at the boney hand he’s looking at, slightly wrinkled from loose skin from the rapid weight loss. The rest of him is in equally horrible condition. 

 

“Fucking hurry up, I ain’t going to do it for you, you lazy fuck!” the guard yells with a kick to his side. His hard boot lands on his ribs and Dick screams for the first time in what may have been weeks, he had gone silent not too long after his first meal in the Hole. 

 

He grabs at the soap bar, washing his face and upper body as fast as he can, body shaking with fatigue the whole time. When he tries to lift up more to wash between his legs they give out and he tumbles down onto his face. The guard lets out a frustrated shout, cursing as he grabs Dick by the neck again, picks up the soap and starts harshly scrubbing at Dick’s skin. Humiliation burns hot in Dick’s stomach as the guard washes between his legs and then down to his thighs. Dick doesn’t think it's sexual but god was it dehumanising, violating all the same. Tears prick at his eyes and he tries to protest, he manages somewhat. 

 

“S-s-stop,” he mumbles out, its hard with the hand around his throat, too soft, he didn’t think the guard had heard but the alien stills his scrubbing and his grip around Dick’s throat tightens. 

 

“Stop? Can’t fucking do it yourself but don’t want me to do it is, is that it?! Hmmn, you humans always think you’re so special but you’re all just weak little shits, better off culled if you ask me,” he hisses in Dicks face, his other hand joining the first by wrapping around his throat and squeezing so hard Dick chokes. He lifts Dick higher so that his feet are dangling off the ground and starts shaking him as he yells. 

 

“I could snap your puny fucking neck with my bare hands! It wouldn’t take much effort, want to feel?!” He yells as his grip tightens. It feels like his face is going to pop from all the pressure, he can’t breath and his vision is getting spotty again. The guard shakes and yells at him, Dick can’t concentrate on the words anymore, his consciousness swimming around muddily in his mind but he does feel the snap before he passes out. For a second he wonders if the guard really just snapped his neck or not. Darkness claims him as pain blooms hot over his neck.

Notes:

So the bad stuff. This story delves into human trafficking, its going to suck, the people/aliens involved are horrible people that don't see their victims as people but as a product. Product acting out? Product gets put into solitary and forgotten. The first chapter covers 6 months, I know the later time skips aren't clear but that's cause Dick has no idea how much time has passed. He's experienced moderate to really bad isolation the first three months on the ship where he wasn't being fed properly and then extreme isolation and starvation the other 3 months. i repeat 3 months of extreme isolation with the solitary confiment and starvation for anyone who's going to ask "Why isn't he fighting back?"
Go read up about how solitary confinement fucks with the psyche, causes self harm, depression, suicide etc and then remember that he's been starved the last three months, being fed the asbolute bearest minimum to keep him just just alive, hell if the confinement hadn't caused depression and thus inactivity he would probably have died.
I don't go into too much detail about the after effects of the starvation but please be careful if that is a trigger for you, I know how easy it is to trigger an ED, sometimes its the smallest shit so just be aware if you know you're not in the best recovery place right now. It will be delved into deeper with later chapters.

Next. What the guard does at the end isnt't meant to be sexual, still SA, but he sees Dick as an animal and this fic will have more of those kinds of assholes so do consider that when deciding to read or not read. That's why i tagged Alien racism. There will be some very racist aliens who view humans and other species as inferior. One of the major anagonists of the first half (ptsd and anxiety is the antagonist of the 2nd half) is going to be a chauvinistic racist douche with a superiority complex. We will see different forms of racism becuase sadly that does come in many different shitty flavours (both irl and in the story).

Also there will be a major sexual assualt happening later in the story. I still haven't decided if im going to gloss over it and focus on the aftermath or go into detail. I will put up a warning on said chapter so that it can be skimmed or skipped if you still want to read the story but not see that in detail.

So yeah that's all I guess. Feel free to comment or ask questions if you're worried about a certain tag i didnt mention but you still want to read or IDK if you have questions on plot or specific asks. I have the story loosely outlined but I am still deciding on certain aspects like Dick's return to Earth and how that will eventually take place.

Chapter 2

Notes:

So i added the lobotomy tag. This was not planned but hobestly makes the most sense. I had to take the oc characters frame of mind and what they would logically do and what kind of services a place like this would offer.

Im not 100% happy with the flow and some of the dialogue feels a little stale but idk im pretty sure this is the best its going to get, i think it feels akward becuase im trying to plant easter eggs and hints that tie into future chapters.

Dick wakes up in chains and a throat on fire. He’s in a cage at some kind of market. Around him aliens of different species bustle around inspecting cages similar to his filled with kids. Across from him are stalls selling various items, everything from a humanoid blue leg to power suppression collars. This must be it then. 

Dick has no idea what planet this is, he could see at least two moons when he craned his neck up to the sky but nothing distinguishable. This could be anywhere and most of the aliens walking around were of different species and he only recognised some of them, most of which had already lost their worlds. 

He knew they were at least a couple of star systems away since the journey had taken months, but then again that could be due to the ship being built with capacity and not speed in mind. He briefly wondered how far he was from the nearest Green Lantern Corps. Probably pretty far, he doesn’t think any Green Lantern would allow this. Hell, this sector might not even have a Green Lantern assigned to it. He wonders if that means he’s in the Vega star system. 

His thoughts are put on pause though as a blue tentacle reaches through the bars of his cage and cups his cheek, the suckers squeezing unpleasantly against his face as anxiety spikes through his chest. A large aquatic looking alien is inspecting him, and muttering to a giant grey humanoid alien next to him. 

“The latest shipment from Earth is certainly lacking, this one isn’t even a meta, but it is in the discounted section so I guess I can’t expect too much… Vaxar, do you think it might do well in one of my brothels, the plaque says it’s an omega human and they apparently go lust crazy a few times a year or so I hear but you know how Muzan likes to lie, wouldn’t trust that damn Thanagarian with a wooden coin, nevermind the truth,” the octopus looking alien complains to the grey alien who must be Vaxar then. 

“I wouldn’t bother, Tolvi says they’re more maternal and nurturing than anything else. They bought one a few years ago to use as a wet nurse for their youngest. I think I might buy it though, my eldest granddaughter doesn’t have her own thrall yet. I gave her elder brother one of mine that I had captured before the new treaty with the giants was put in place,” Vaxar says with a contemplative look on his face. His cream coloured eyes study Dick before rereading the plaque, with more consideration this time. 

“How are the grandchildren?” the octopus alien asks with a high pitched laugh that hurts Dick’s ears. 

“Good. Aghi has finally joined the fleet this year, we’re expecting great things from him but I’m sure he won’t disappoint.”

“If he takes after his parents then I’m sure he’ll blow your expectations away.”

“Sadly genetics doesn’t always determine potential, but my Dagda has done a wonderful job at raising them so I believe he’ll flourish. I’m most worried about Mallora though,” the giant grey alien grumbles. 

“The youngest? She’s only a couple of years old isn't she? What could be so worrisome over a child that has barely been weaned?"

“The girl is too wild, frolicking around in the woods and arguing with her tutors. She’s nothing like Aghi or Darri,” he grumbles. Dick listens to them talk absent mindedly, finding it hard to concentrate with the pain in his throat. 

“She’ll grow out of it eventually I'm sure, my Herin was the same way when he was that age,” he assures before signaling a very short goblin like alien wearing a nametag. 

“The price of this one please good sir, my friend is interested in buying it,” the octopus-like alien says, Dick forces himself to concentrate as the goblin alien squeaks out his price. 

“7000 credits, his omega status makes him of good breeding potential but unfortunately he has no abilities and sustained some damage in transit.”

“A little high but I hear human omegas are good with children so I’ll take it, he’ll heal eventually, any permanent injuries?” Vaxar asks the smaller alien who looks down a little nervously. 

“We’re not sure sir, our medic said that his vocal cords were damaged but she didn’t do any further tests to see to what extent, the damage might be permanent.”

“7000 is a little high then, why don’t you bring the price down a little since Vaxar is clearly going to have to spend quite a bit before he’s back in optimal condition,” the octopus alien argues. 

“I believe I may be able to get my boss to sign off on that, would 6500 credits be acceptable?”

“I find the price agreeable,” Vaxar says.

“Great, I’ll get the paperwork ready for you sir. 

Dick stares at the alien that just bought him. Vaxar. Who did he say he was buying Dick for again? His granddaughter? Who buys a person for their grandchild. Dick isn’t sure what planet Vaxar must be from, but clearly slavery wasn’t a big deal there. Dick eyes the massive alien who stand way over 7 feet with a very stocky build, he had grey silver skin and cropped white hair. Dick doesn’t think he’s ever seen this species before. 

“You should definitely take him to that Psion doctor, his office isn’t far from here, his services are great, he can make any slave no matter how strongly spirited into an obedient purchase. He’s saved me a lot of time when it comes to breaking in new merchandise.” 

“Do you really think it’s necessary? The poor thing can barely keep its head up, it's the size of a child,” Vaxar grumbles out.

“Trust me. Damaged in transit? Probably beaten for disobedience. Get it done now or else you’ll have to return in a couple of months when it regains all its strength.” 

The grey alien thinks it over. He stares at Dick, his eyes assessing his body, lingering over his neck. Dick feels exposed, he doesn’t know whether to shrink into himself to prove that no such actions would be necessary or to bear his teeth at this asshole as a last fuck you. Thinking hurts and everything feels too much to process. The market suddenly feels too loud and there’s too much to see, too many people walking around. Dick tries to cover his ears but his hands are snatched by Vaxar. 

“What does the procedure entail,” he asks, eyes staying on Dick as he tries to squirm away. 

“Depending on what you want, the doc can tailor it to your needs. Anything from making it more passive to a drooling mindless thing. I had this one Lartnec slave from 30 years ago who I had modified to follow instructions to the point where if I told it to stop breathing it would, the doctor is worth it, trust me.” 

The line of conversation makes Dick’s heart spike, they were talking about fucking up his brain, he tries to plead with his eyes to the alien still holding his gaze. Please don’t hurt me. He can see pity in the large alien eyes staring back at him and it makes his stomach turn. 

“I don’t think Darri would like that much, she’d probably want it to have some freewill, probably going to see it as more of a pet than a thrall with how small the thing is.”

“Then just get the doc to make it more passive, you don’t want her getting attached and then have to discipline it in front of her,” the octopus alien says, Dick wishes he would shut up. 

“True, altering to ensure it’s docile shouldn’t be too much change.”

“Excelent,” the octopus alien puts a tentacle around the larger alien’s shoulder and leads him away, ranting about the benefits of using the doctor . Dick stares after them in horror. He had just been bought and they were planning on screwing around with his brain. He looks around the market, all around him the same thing is happening to others. He sees a pair of preteens being led away in chains by a large blue alien. On the other end he sees a group of aliens drawing lines on a teenage boy, bartering on which parts they’ll get. The closest cage to his houses a girl no more than eight, some of them Dick thinks he recognises from his investigation. 

No one is coming to save them. He knows this. He can’t do it. Not in this state. He can barely string more than two coherent thoughts together at the moment and even if he could, what would he even do. His body has been decimated, he can barely sit up. He can’t save them, he can’t even save himself. 

He can’t do anything, he feels like he’s eight again, standing over the bodies of his parents. He’s powerless. He hasn’t been powerless since before he became Robin and it hurts. Dread and panic choke him as easily as the guard did. 

Tears fall and he can’t stop them. Can’t do anything. He heaves a sob that causes pain to ripple through his throat, he wants to scream but the only sound that comes out is a hoarse whine. He feels ruined. He’s going to be ruined in a matter of moments when those aliens come back and take him to that fucking doctor. He thinks he might be having a panic attack as the edges of his vision starts to blur and noise around him gets muffled. 

He struggles to breathe as panic and fear overwhelm him. Eventually the lack of oxygen causes him to pass out. 

 

***

When Dick comes to he’s on an examination chair and what might be some kind of shady looking clinic. The grey alien, Vaxar, is standing next to him talking with a human looking man in green scrubs. The man who Dick assumes must be the doctor is the first to notice that Dick is awake, his face widening in a grin. 

“My patient it seems has come to, would you like me to sedate him? They usually freak out a bit in the chair,” the doctor chuckles. 

“If it's common procedure then I see no reason not to.” 

“Great, just a mild sedative to keep him nice and calm,” he mumbles as he grabs a syringe from the medical cabinet next to him and quickly fills it. The man wastes no time and quickly sticks it into Dick’s arm. The effect is almost instantaneous, as Dick involuntarily relaxes in a matter of seconds. His mind feels cloudy but he can concentrate just enough to listen to what they're saying. 

“So as I was saying before we were interrupted. The damage to his vocal cords is definitely permanent but it does look like it might only cause partial voice loss, with time he will regain some function but don’t expect him to be singing operas any time soon,” the doctor hums before reaching over for a small booklet on a table near Dick, Dick’s eyes lazily trail after him as the man hands it over to Vaxar. 

“So you have a couple of different options when it comes to mood and personality alterations. You said you just wanted him more docile, correct? Now I have three good options. First I could do a minor lobotomy, partially damage certain pathways so that he can still function somewhat normally but he’ll just be more passive and more suggestable. Second I could implant electrodes in specific areas in his brain and completely zap any ability to be aggressive though this is obviously much more expensive. The third option is electroshock treatment, half off if you come in on Thursdays, now this procedure will affect his memories, over years of trial and error I’ve been able to gain a certain precision over the treatment most physicians could never dream of.

 Now electroshock therapy is my personal favourite since I’ve honed it as a craft, I can do anything from completely erasing all his memories to just making them distant and hard to recall. But of course it is your choice.” 

Dick thinks he might be in a bad horror movie, electroshock therapy was so 1960s hell they didn’t even do that in Arkham anymore and that place probably had the worst physicians and psychologists corruption could buy. Dick hoped the damn alien would realise the quack was a nutjob, who does discounts on electroshock, what a psycho. His brain already feels like mush, he doesn’t want it to be fried mush. He didn’t even want to think about the lobotomy. 

“Electroshock sounds a little extreme but it may help it adjust to living as a thrall, what’s the success rate?” 

Oh God, he was actually considering it. 

“Trust me, whichever treatment you go with he’ll be happy dandy, don’t you worry. As for success rate, the implants offer the most long-term success, but no matter what option you pick as long as he bonds somewhat to someone in the family I believe he’ll be loyal,” the doctor explains. 

“You see, omegas are social animals, they need their pack or their mental capabilities start to slowly deteriorate. He’s a new arrival so he’s been about six months without his pack and probably very limited social exposure, and no positive social behaviour. With the lobotomy I can probably have him done in under an hour for you to take home and he’ll probably latch on to the first person to treat him decently and view them as pack. You mentioned he was a gift for your daughter?”

Were they seriously talking about giving him a lobotomy? And six months? Had it really been six months since he was taken, no wonder he felt so shit. The Hole, the starvation, the beatings and no pack, it’s a miracle he wasn’t fucking insane. Or maybe he was, he really hoped this was a hallucination.

“Grandaughter, but yes. Her very first thrall, she’s just had her fourteenth name day, she’s quite responsible for her age so I believe it’s a suitable gift.”

“Good, well as long as she’s somewhat decent to him I believe he’ll see her as pack and be able to make that initial bond.”

“In that case, I’d like to do the lobotomy, I would very much like to start the journey home,” Vaxar says, handing the booklet back to the doctor. He walks out the door, leaving Dick alone with the doctor who grins too wide at him. 

“Don’t worry lovely, I promise not to leave you a drooling mess… If you promise to sit still!” the doctor laughs. Fear spikes through Dick as the man comes closer holding another syringe. Dick flinches slightly as the man sticks it into his eye. Numbness quickly invades Dick’s sense as his mind floats away. Seconds pass and he thinks he’s awake but he’s not sure. 

He can see the doctor in front of him speaking but nothing makes sense, its all vowels and consonants mixed together in an indescribable jumble. Dick can barely catch onto what he’s thinking, nevermind whatever Dr horrorshow says. 

Dick’s vision is a bit blurry but he can make out a shiny metal point getting closer to his eye, before his brain could process what was happening pain shoots throughout Dick’s body and it feels like his senses go into overdrive. For a moment he thinks he feels everything yet nothing at the same time. Eventually his senses are overtaken by white pain and it’s like everything clicks off. A screen fading out, that’s what his brain feels like. He’s awake and aware yet not at the same time. 

Notes:

So the type of alien Varax is, is an Apollonian. A obscure race that to my knowledge were only used three times on a radio show of Superman from 1946. There is very little lore on them and the lore that is there is kind of lacking so I've changed some of it and expanded. Appearance wise ive kept them more or less the same, just added a teeny tiny bit of variety and also made the mainline Apollonians taller so that the height difference between them and the other tribes isnt that big so that its still plausible that they're the same species albeit different varieties i guess.

You can go check them out if you want, ive also changed the Apollonian giants (the other tribe of Apollonians) to look less like bigfoot.

Chapter 3

Notes:

So I'm not very happy with the end of the chapter but it was starting to get long and I thought it was better to cut it off there instead of the next scene. Reminder that this has not been edited yet so feel free to point out any errors.

“Eat your food,” Vaxar grumbles. 

 

Dick looks down at the soup in front of him, he must have zoned out again, he takes a small spoonful and carefully swallows. His throat was still a swollen mess and eating and drinking was a challenge, at least with the pain medicine it was somewhat bearable if still quite painful.  The pain had lessened the last couple of days at least. 

 

Dick tries to concentrate on the soup in front of him, but it’s tasteless after having it everyday for four days. Vaxar had only been allowing him light meals so that he wouldn’t accidentally burst his own stomach by eating too much. The alien had taken care of him in a clinical, almost mechanical fashion and Dick wondered if he had any emotions except indifference. He must have been staring again because the grey man sighs in what might be annoyance but honestly it was too slight to tell. 

 

“You won’t get better if you don’t eat, the ship will reach Apollo in half a day, if you don’t eat you’ll be too weak to make proper introductions.”

 

Dick nods absent mindedly.  He looks down at his soup and tries to finish it. He hasn’t been able to clear his bowl yet, eating everyday has been an adjustment. He feels vaguely mad at that fact, but only vaguely. His mind has felt like cotton ever since he was treated by the doctor at the market. He can’t focus for too long before his mind drifts and he’ll find himself staring at whatever random thing was in front of him, sometimes drifting off was a relief because it felt like taking a break but it also frightened him a bit. He wasn’t sure if that was a side effect from the isolation or the doctor. 

 

Eventually he finishes as much as he can before Vaxar sends him to his room on the ship. He likes the room because it has a bed, a single firm mattress on a rectangular platform, it’s comfortable but not so plush that he feels like he’s drowning. It doesn’t dig into his hips or back as much as the floor. Laying on the bed he lets his mind wander. He briefly thinks about his pack and his friends, about the market, but like usual his mind drifts fast and he finds himself focused on something else. He can’t help the way his mind fixates on his own hands. 

 

They’re so much more boney than he remembers. His arms too, his old self could probably snap his new self in half, he doesn’t know why that thought makes him amused, it shouldn’t. His room also has a mirror, he doesn’t like that. 

 

He doesn’t recognise the face in front of him. It’s too pale. Too gaunt. His eyes look too big for his face now, he feels like his face is caught in a constant expression of shock. Dark blue and black encircle his throat like a scarf. It hurts to think about his body, he feels disgusting. He doesn’t look too long. It’s always torture and he doesn’t like feeling this way. Instead he curls up as best as he can and tries to sleep. He’s good at sleeping now so it doesn’t take too long. 

***

Cold stone digs into Dick’s boney knees as he kneels next to Vaxar, the large alien is conversing with two others of the same species. They’re in the foyer of a massive stone manor, not too far from where they’re standing a fireplace is lit, Dick’s attention quickly being stolen by the flickering flames as they aliens converse above him. 

 

Eventually his attention is brought back to them as another grey alien joins them with a cut off squeal. She runs to Vaxar and quickly envelopes him in a hug which the man readily returns. She’s about half a foot shorter than the older alien, still tall against human standards and would probably tower over Dick’s 5 '10 frame by at least a foot if not more. Her attention is eventually drawn to Dick after a couple of minutes of greeting who Dick thinks must be her grandfather. So this is his granddaughter. 

 

“What’s that grandpapa?” she asks with a hint of knowing. 

 

“Let me introduce you to your first thrall my darling, a human omega.” She makes a small happy noise at her grandfather’s words and drops down in front of Dick. 

 

“Oh, it's so small and cute, grandpapa. Is it still a child?” she asks curiously, her hands reach out to card through Dick’s hair. A part of him wants to rip his head away from her hands but the much larger part wants to lean into the first positive touch he’s felt in months. Embarrassingly the later part wins out. 

 

“No, humans are just very small in stature, this one is twenty-five years old, humans have a similar lifespan to ours so it’s fully matured. This one has been a little damaged though so you’ll have to take care of it for a while before it can be of much use to you but I know how you love to take in strays,” Vaxar says amused. 

 

Her eyes light up and soften on Dick as she continues to card her fingers through his hair that had grown out while on the ship, Dick is ashamed to admit that he melts into her touch and for the first time in months his omega instincts quite down for a bit. 

 

“It’s so pretty, look at its eyes, mother! They’re as blue as a stormy ocean,” she calls to an older female alien behind her, the woman chuckles but comes closer to inspect his eyes. Dick can’t help but notice how similar they look, same silver grey skintone, same white eyes and bone white hair. The older alien is obviously much taller though, and quite muscular and a stance that reminds him of Lady Shiva. 

 

“They are pretty, darling, the poor thing looks cold though. Why don’t you take it to the servant quarters so that it can warm up and rest.”

 

“But mother, it’s so tiny… what if Brandr or Magni hurt him by accident? It should stay in my room so I can properly look after it, I can have Magni set up a cot for it near the fireplace,” she begs her mother. The woman sighs, this is clearly an argument that’s been had many times before. 

“Fine, Darri. Go fetch Magni then.”

 

“Thank you mother!” Darri yells excitedly before running off to find whoever Magni is. Dick’s attention turns towards the girl’s mother who is looking at Vaxar unimpressed. 

 

“You know we’ve only recently gotten her to stop dragging injured animals into the manor, trying to keep them as pets. She’s never going to see this thing as a proper thrall, we both know she’s going to view it as nothing more than a new pet,” she hisses at him. His soft smile from earlier turns into a grin. 

 

“I know. Darri would never be able to handle a thrall the same way as everyone else, she’s too kind and at least with this one we know it won’t be plotting to take advantage of that kindness,” his eyes turn cold at his last words. 

 

“Human omegas are nurturing and loyal animals, it will bond with Darri and it is smart enough to follow basic tasks, I’ve ensured that it will be the perfect thrall for our Darri,” he continues. 

 

“If you’re sure father,” she huffs. 

 

“Dagda I would never put this family in harm's way and sadly Darri wouldn’t be able to put a more capable thrall into its place without the guilt eating away at her consciousness.” 

 

“True,” she says begrudgingly. “Will you be staying for the night father or do you have to report back to the emperor?” her question comes out sharp and cuts through the air with a new tension. 

 

“Raz has requested an audience with me but it’s not until a fortnight from now, I told him I needed some time to settle after my trip before I could come to see him,” Vaxar sighs out, his rigid posture slacking slightly as if the request from this Raz weighs literally on his shoulders. 

 

Dagda looks like she wants to ask more but Darri comes back and Dick thinks this must not be for sensitive ears as any questions die down as soon as the woman sees her daughter approaching with an even larger female alien behind her. 

 

The woman behind Darri has a similar complexion with her skin being a similar grey, her hair a light blue grey colour and white eyes. The difference lies in her physical build though, while the other Apollonians are tall this woman is giant and towers over everyone in the room, her build is stocky and she looks like she could bench press Bane without a sweat.  

 

“Magni found a small children' s bed in the servants’ quarters. I hope you don’t mind if we use that instead, mother, I just think it would be much more comfortable than one of the cots from the apothecary.”

 

“Well I doubt anyone down there will be using it anytime soon,” Dagda mutters. She sends Magni away to get everything ready and turns to her daughter. 

 

“Remember not to be late for dinner, I know how caught up you can get and do not bring it to the dinner table, you can bring it food afterwards or have Magni bring it food beforehand. Maybe check with your grandfather what it can eat.” she says as Vaxar puts a hand on Darri’s shoulder. 

 

“I’ll tell her what I know about humans on the way to her room,” he assures. 

 

“Thank you grandfather,” she says as she drops down next to Dick again. She looks at him puzzled before deciding he must not look well enough to make the journey on his own before scooping him up in her arms and cradling him against her chest. Dick can see the annoyed expression cross over Dagda’s face and for a moment a small spark of fear flits through Dick’s chest. 

 

The walk up the large stone staircase is silent, Darri eventually opens her mouth to speak the moment they turn left into a large hallway. 

 

“What’s its name?” 

 

“I don’t know, maybe you can choose a new name for it, I doubt it would be able to tell you with its damaged vocal chords and if it can write I doubt you’ll be able to make out whatever archaic language its mother tongue is.”

 

Dick feels warmth brush his cheeks as humiliation lights up through his body at Vaxar’s words, the feelings are quelled fast though as Darri strokes his face and a rush of happy omega hormones flush through his body, making his brain go dizzy again. 

 

“Oh. Well I’ll see if I can figure it out otherwise I already have a bunch of pretty names that we can use. What food do humans eat?” 

 

“I believe they are mainly omnivores though I do not know if there is anything they cannot eat, though do feed him light meals until he gains more weight, it’ll probably be months before he’ll be able to eat larger portions and heavier foods.”

 

“Noted. How sentient do you think it is?” she asks, her steps briefly pausing. 

 

“I know they’re smart enough to communicate, they can be reasoned with but honestly I wouldn’t put their capabilities much higher than the giants, this one in particular will seek to form loyal bonds which is why I chose it.” 

 

“How strange, are all humans like this one? So fragile and loyal?”

“No, small yes but their level of loyalty differs from designation to designation, humans have complicated genders, they can be categorized as male or female and then categorized further as alpha, beta or omega. Omegas do most of the child rearing and birth and from what Tolvi told me they are protective of children and “packmates”, they have a softer nature than the other genders and require “packbonds” or their nervous system starts to malfunction. If all of them were as docile as this one I believe the species would have been enslaved by now.” 

 

“Is this a boy or girl human then? What's the difference between male omegas and women then?” she asks, her white brows crossed in a look of contemplation. 

 

“Honestly I’m not sure, humans are a strange species and not one I’ve ever been particularly drawn to study. This one is male but I’ve concluded from observation and reports from reliable sources that there is little social or biological distinction between male omegas and the females of other species. In their own species they have little distinction between other females except alpha females who actually grow male sexual organs when they represent. Omega males serve the same purpose as most females, though apparently omegas both male and female are weaker mentally and physically but excel in caretaking and are much more fertile, I believe on Earth they are mostly used for breeding and taking care of children and the elderly, an important duty to their primitive packs 

 

From an evolutionary standpoint none of these traits seem to make much sense and seem needlessly convoluted and appear to have no distinct advantage but of course there may be something I’m missing as I have not actually studied them at great length and secondary sources are generally skewed.” 

 

So much of what Vaxar says is half truths and stereotypes that had only been debunked in the last twenty years on earth, Dick wishes he could speak, tell them that packs weren’t primitive, that omegas did much more than caretaking and were the glue that held their pack together. They’d finally gotten to a point on Earth that omega equality had started becoming the norm in most western societies, now he was back to square one on an unknown planet that saw him as little more than an animal. 

 

Dick can see Darri’s mouth open and close, her face unsure. Her eyes are downcast as she looks at him, her brows furrowed and Dick can smell the sour odour of unease on her.

 

“Do you think he had a pack back on Earth? Do you think they miss him?”

 

“Most likely, but they couldn’t have been a very good pack if they allowed it to be taken by the slavers or they could have even sold it. I didn’t get many details on its past when I bought it,” his tone was emotionless. Dick wonders if he really believed that. “Nevertheless, I’m sure it’ll be much happier with you,” he continues.

Anger bubbles up in his throat. His pack loved him, it wasn't their fault. He had underestimated his opponent and as a result had been blindsided and outnumbered. If anything it was his own fault…

Notes:

Also in this chapter I would like to remind you guys that if Dick's reactions feel very docile or occ that he did have a lobotomy, now lobotomies are probably one of the dumbest things humans have ever invented and were mainly preformed to get people to co-operate and the chances of a succesful lobotomy having a positive effect (like curing mental illness and severe depression) was extremely rare and completely by accident since the people performing them at the time (historical fact) that most of them were not actually surgeons.

Now Dick has had a fictional lobotomy by a fictional alien doctor who wasn't just scrambling around in there randomly so he is more suggestable, he's having a hard time connecting to his feelings, a slight decrease in cognitive skill and is still in shock of having something sharp poked into his brain. Also cause this is A/B/O and I've decided that omegas need pack bonds to function he has to deal with that too, poor fella.

Anyway friendly reminder to drink water .

Chapter 4

Notes:

Not edited. I'm probably only going to do proper editing after I've finished writing the story as a whole or if I get writers block but do please point out any errors, I dislike reading anything with a lot typos/major grammar errors so i won't take it personally if you tell me i screwed up my tenses somewhere or etc.

Darri’s room is warm with a plethora of animal hides, feather pillows and heavy wool blankets. He had spent the last three days wrapped in a soft wool blanket on his bed near the fireplace with Darri taking care of him. She had been gentle as if he were an injured bird being nursed back to health. 

 

Her large hands would delicately guide him to sit up at meal times and calmly sat with him as he ate his broth before handing him a wooden glass of some kind of sweet milk. She talked a lot, about her family, her friends and her tutors. When she didn’t talk she’d sing to him while she brushed out his hair. She was so kind and gentle, her warm caregiving filling the cracks left by broken pack bonds that had probably disintegrated with the trauma of being isolated for so long.

 

He hated to admit it, but he felt safe. Reasons why he shouldn’t be here slipping through his fists like grains of sand, each one lost with every kind word, every gentle touch and soothing song. 

 

At this moment Darri was going through a list of names, trying to figure out Dick’s and so far she had managed to figure out his name started with an R with the help of a thick paper she had given Dick on his second day in her room. Dick tried to write his full name out but had struggled recalling where all the letters had to go and his hands kept spasming but he had been able to scratch out his full name and preferred name before his hands painfully failed him and Darri decided she didn't want to risk hurting him further and took his writing implements away. 

 

Sadly for all that effort only the R was recognisable in the Apollonian alphabet, at least it made the same sound. 

 

“Rhea?” 

 

Dick shook his head, disappointment colouring both their faces. 

 

“Rufinag? How about Rhodanthiggi?”

 

Dick shook his head so hard at the last one it made Darri laugh, his look of horror must have been very obvious by her rapid giggles. 

 

“Okay that last one was a stretch and even on our planet it's considered unique,” 

 

She looked Dick up and down, titling her head as she tried to gauge what his name was by his looks alone. 

 

“What if I gave you a new name? One you liked?” she asked, her tone gentle. 

Dick didn’t want a new name, but he did want a name. Darri was sweet but the others not so much and when they came in to check or call on her they would refer to Dick as “it” or “that thing”. At least with a name their view of his otherness wouldn’t be so painfully blatant. 

 

He thought about it, really thought about it. He didn’t know if he would ever return to his old life, he wasn’t Dick Grayson the Golden Boy or Nightwing anymore, so what was the point of holding onto a name that didn’t fit anymore? He’d consider it and if Darri was able to come up with one that wasn’t as bad as the last ten names she’d thrown at him today then he’d agree. 

 

So he hesitantly shakes his head yes, her smile is bright and immediately she starts shooting off much better names. He listens carefully until he hears one he might actually like. She lists names for almost half an hour before she says one he actually likes.

 

“Dea?” she asks, her voice more unsure than it had been when she had confidently asked if he liked the name Cacus, maybe it's a language barrier thing .

 

He thought it over, it certainly was much simpler than the previous names she had suggested and he definitely liked it way more than Cacus. He shook his head yes, he could deal with being called Dea. 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Dick shook his head yes again. She still looked unsure but maybe she was as tired of the name game as him because she offers no further protest. 

 

“Okay Dea, it’s nice to meet you.”

 

The next time someone comes to call on her she proudly introduces Dick to them as Dea, the name gets a couple of giggles from her siblings and a glare from Magni who would usually deliver Dick’s meals. It's not him the giant alien lady glares at though so Dick tries not to think about their reactions, at least with a name they call him “that thing” less. 

***

 

Dick sighed again. Loneliness and boredom creeped around him as he laid on his bed. Dick didn’t want to admit that without Darri around he’d sometimes lose himself in thought, zone out until she returned or his mind would turn against him and he’d hyperfixate on his current lack of recovery. Today it was the latter. 

 

Darri was currently in a lesson which left Dick alone to go through the girl’s closet. Not much fun really.   Dick wondered what he’d be allowed to do once he was better. What even were the duties of a thrall? He wondered not for the first time since he came here. He wondered if he would have to assist Magni with the household chores or carry around Darri’s things like Brandr did for Darri’s brother Aghi. 

 

He wouldn’t mind either as long as it wasn’t staring up at the ceiling doing nothing. He’d tried doing basic exercises yesterday, his attempt had left his body shaking for an hour afterwards and he hadn’t even been able to complete a set. A month of small frequent meals had helped him regain a couple of pounds but Dick knew he still had months of recovery left before he’d be back at a somewhat healthy weight. 

 

Speaking still wasn’t an option either which was even more frustrating than his lack of ability to do anything more than walk around. He had realised he could still make sounds but it would hurt his throat which had only stopped constantly hurting about a week ago, he tried to keep silent in hopes of not damaging his vocal cords further. 

 

Dick thinks he might prefer zoning out over thinking about his body’s current state. 

 

After what Dick thinks might be four hours- The Hole had fucked up his perception of time so he really has no idea- Darri returns for lunch. She brings with her a bowl of some kind of orange vegetable soup, Dick had pretty much been stuck with weird alien vegetable soup the entire month because so far his body didn’t handle solids well and the weird meat Darri had him try in his soup last week had been way too tough and rubbery for his human teeth. 

 

The soups themselves were good, if a little repetitive, he liked the red vegetable soup the most, it had tasted starchy and reminded him of the taste of yams. Nevertheless he still ate his soup with a little smile as Darri sat next to him and told him all about her lessons. 

 

“Aghi is going to be so mad when he finds out I broke his record with trainer Magnus,” she practically bellows, her voice filled with delight. Dick can’t help but feel proud, he knew how it felt when you finally managed to outdo someone you looked up to. 

 

He wishes he could say something. Tell her she did a great job and he’s sure she’ll get even better with more time, but he can’t so he places a thin hand on her shoulder and smiles warmly at her and hopes she’ll understand. 

 

Maybe she does or doesn’t but she pulls Dick into a warm hug anyway and ruffles his hair before promising to return before dinner.  Dick tries not to be sad when she leaves. 

Notes:

So this chapter was a little shorter but i kind of want to do what each month is like for Dick until we get to bigger events. The first month (this chapter) was mostlt about the start of his physical recovery (emotionally the boy has buried that trauma deep, though this also has to do with the lobotomy messing up how he percieves his own emotions).

The next chapters will get longer as Dick is able to do more. This was kind of insight of why Dick bonds with Darri so quickly. Its a combination of his omega self being neglected for 6 months and the lobotomy making him more controllable, more agreeable, etc.

Darri's treatment of Dick might be seen as weird to some of you, but reminder that Darri doesn't see Dick as a person but as an animal, an animal she loves and cares for but not as a person who should not be owned. This will change of course over many months and especially when Dick regains vocal function, which is sadly still months away and some bad shit is going to happen before she realises that her family's beliefs are wrong. So until then, think about how you treat your dog or cat (the good pet owners) and I promise you'll see some similarity.

Also I am basing Apollonian society and culture off of a mixture of Norse and Roman mythology which is what I think the OG superman radio show Apollonians were based off, their in only like three episodes from 1946(47?) and this was back before they had cemented Superman's lore so it was kind of a mess that made very little sense. I am keeping the main ideas of the Mainline Apollonians enslaving the more "primitive" giant Apollonian tribes but I am changing Emperor Raz from being unhinged racist dictator to just a racist Dictator. The Raz (not Raz, The Raz) was just a bad villain who made no sense.

Chapter 5

Notes:

So i time skipped again. Didn't mean to, wanted to slow down the pace because were close to getting to more bad stuff happening soon but the stroy just ran away from me and IDK all my other drafts for this chapter just felt so unnatural and this was rewritten a couple of times and it still doesn't feel perfect because of the pacing but i'm happier with this version of the chapter at least.

It takes a month and a half of Darri’s care before Dick is well enough to walk around on his own without fear of passing out or getting heart palpitations. The new found freedom of being let out of Darri’s room to walk with her around the alien estate is exciting. 

 

Of course this excitement doesn’t last very long, a week to be precise. Apparently Darri’s tutors found Dick’s presence distracting and eventually he’s placed in the care of Magni, the Apollonian giant who was in charge of the kitchens. Every morning he’d walk from Darri’s room to the kitchen and help for the day, and then return before dinner was served. 

 

Working in the kitchens was nice in a way. It made Dick feel useful and helped to keep his mind busy with something other than hyperfocusing on his current abilities or lack thereof.

 

“Careful there now, little one. Don’t want you losing any fingers in the mirelurk pie;” her words had a strange lilt and drawl to them that the other residents of the manor don’t possess. Gently she plucks the large knife from his hands, he had been cutting some kind of extremely rubbery fish-like meat, well trying to cut through it. 

 

Magni forces the cleaver through it with two hard chops. The smell of dead fish and salty brine hangs heavily in the air as Magni chops through more Mirelurk meat. Dick briefly wonders what kind of sea creature it is.

“Why don’t you start peeling the alata instead.” 

 

Dick turns to the very hairy yam like vegetables on the other side of the table. The skin was covered in thick brown hairs but the insides were a bright red and they were the main ingredient in his favourite soup. Dick nods to her happy to have something he could actually do. 

 

They don’t talk much while they work, just the occasional yes or no question from Magni. The rhythmic chopping and soft scrape of the peeler is soothing and before Dick knows it all the prep work for tonight's dinner is done. The alata he peeled would be used for the stew Magni made every night for the thralls of the manor. The family would however be dining on mirelurk which Dick had come to understand was a delicacy since the creatures were apparently very hard to hunt. 

 

“Well since everything's done early you, would you like to join me for some thalien root brew?”

 

Dick nods eagerly, grabbing the cups while Magni gathers the roots to boil on the stove. The roots don’t have to boil long to create an earthy and gingery liquid that when mixed with sweet tree sap becomes a delicious brown brew that reminds Dick of a strange mix between chai and dark roast coffee. 

 

The taste is pleasant if somewhat foreign to what Dick is used to. Dick sips slowly as he listens to Magni complain about Brandr and Gunnar fighting at night in the servant’s quarters. 

 

“Brandr just doesn’t know when to shut his mouth. He's not a bad one, but he’s only been here for three years so he’s not like me and Gunnar, he’s still got these dreams of one day escaping back to his old tribe.” She shakes her head at the thought, her tone clear that she thinks it absolutely ridiculous. 

 

“Now none of us came here as docile as you little one, don’t know what fucked up shit you went through to actually like one of them but we’ve all learned our places in this world at least. Those dreams of his are going to get Brandr killed.” She shakes her head again, her last words drawled with clear disapproval. 

 

“Now I don’t think he’d do something as stupid as attack one of them but even just trying to escape could get you a decent whipping from Lady Dagda.”

 

The grimace on her face makes Dick’s stomach turn in understanding, slowly he rests his hand on hers. Her much larger grey hand accepts his softly. “You’re a good kid, I'm sorry you ended up here.”

 

Dick doesn’t think it's so bad. Darri was kind to him, soft and gentle. He could have ended up in a worse situation, been bought by that squid dude instead or been cut up into pieces. His current situation was miles better than the Hole. A soft warm bed to sleep in. Magni and Darri to keep him company. Here he was fed everyday and so far every touch he had received had been friendly and warm. It really wasn’t so bad for him. 

 

Sadly he doesn’t know how he can communicate that to her. No one here knows ASL and even if they did, his hands didn’t work like they used to, their movements sluggish and dumb. His body slightly disconnected from his mind. So all he does is hold her hand and tries to convey what he feels through a warm smile, he thinks it doesn’t quite get the message through but at least he gets a smile back from the friendly giant. 

 

***

Dick’s life fades into a gentle lull as he spends his days with Magni in the kitchen and his nights with Darri. Weeks pass like this and before Dick knows it he’s been at the manor for three whole months. Well three Earth months at least, he’s not sure what the Apollonian calendar looks like. He’s been at the manor for over twelve weeks at least. 

 

He’s started putting on proper weight again and Magni had started serving him solid food a week ago. Though his human teeth still couldn’t seem to chew through the tough Apollonian meats, which made sense since he knew one of Darri’s favourite dishes contained something called stone fish and from his work in the kitchen he knew it was a very accurate description. 

 

He still felt too skinny and he was nowhere near his previous weight but at least he didn’t look like he’d be blown over by a strong gust of wind anymore. His hip bones didn’t jut out as much anymore and didn’t bother him as much when he was lying down.

 

Dick felt content.  He could spend the rest of his days like this with no issue.  With Darri he was safe. No one would take him back to Hole again. He’d never have to be alone again. 

 

With these thoughts Dick waits for Darri in her -their?- room. Like always she comes sometime after dinner, bringing a vegetable stew that he had helped Magni prepare earlier that day. He sits next to her and happily eats as she talks about her day. Dick pauses in his chewing to nod or shake his head when appropriate. 

 

“Oh Dea, you should have seen his face,” she giggles. 

 

“Anyway, I have some exciting news. My uncle Kyros will be joining us for this year’s Hiemalia in two moon turns,” she squeals. 

 

“Normally uncle Kyros spends Hiemalia at the palace because he’s on great uncle Raz’s council and stuff but this year mother got him to agree to spend it with us. You’ll love uncle Kyros, he’s amazing, he always has the best presents and he even let me ride his shuttlecraft last year.”

 

Dick nods along as she speaks, her body vibrating in glee as she continues to explain why uncle Kyros is the best. That night he falls asleep listening to Darri’s tales of her uncle. 

 

***

The month before Hiemalia the whole manor is in a flurry, the thralls preparing for the winter festival's celebrations and the many guests to come. He and Magni pickle and preserve all kinds of fruits, vegetables and meats for the coming winter and festivities. 

 

Their days are busy but Dick can’t say he doesn’t enjoy it. 

 

Today he and Magni are stocking the kitchen, an assortment of new spice blends filtering up to his nose. Magni names each new fruit or veg they come across and gives her opinion on which ones she thinks Dick would like. 

 

She holds up a bright blue fruit that’s covered in a soft peach like fuzz. “This is a trolskir berry, you’ll like this one.” 

 

He does like it, it has a sweet but mild taste and reminds him of dragon fruit and strawberries. They make a jam with the trolskir berries, apparently it is served traditionally in winter time since it’s harvested right before the first snowfall of the year. 

 

Dick has come to learn that Apollonian winters are frigid and that it usually entailed two months of dead winter that stopped most travel. Apollonian months or “moon turns” happened every thirty days and they had about thirteen months in a year. Five of those months were winter. They were currently in the first month of winter, dead winter usually started right after Hiemalia but it did sometimes come a little earlier.

 

“We need to get this all sorted before Hiemalia, can’t get anything imported out here when it's dead winter. Stir this for me while I go weigh the grains, that damn trader was short three khralts last year.”

 

Dick nods, taking the wooden ladle while Magni rushes to check the grain. The constant influx of delivery boys intruding on her kitchen had certainly put Magni in a more testy mood, at least the delivery boys bore the brunt of it. Dick likes this side of her. 

 

Usually Magni is composed, doing her duties diligently with a kind word or critique here and there. It reminds him of the first time he had seen Alfred mad at a caterer, Magni was nowhere near as organised or precise about her kitchen as him but she still ran a tight ship that he was sure Alfred would respect. He can’t help but smile at the thought. 

 

“Less smiling, more stirring. If you burn that I’m going to have a handful of brats mad at me on Hiemalia,” her last words are muttered so he doesn’t think he was supposed to hear them. He makes a point of frowning over the top while diligently stirring, it gets him a snort from Magni which is what he was aiming for. 

 

***

 

It's two weeks before the start of Hiemalia when Dick tries to speak again. His throat still hurts when he tries to speak but it's more of a slight discomfort than true pain. It’s been more than four months so he’s sure that trying to speak shouldn’t cause further damage. 

 

“Darri.” 

 

It comes out hoarse and too soft and the “d” sound goes silent but it's understandable enough to cause the girl braiding his hair to squeal in delight as she wraps her arms around him in a warm hug. 

 

“Oh my divines, Dea you can say my name!”

 

As she pulls back her eyes are a little glassy, she gently asks, “Does it hurt?” Her voice is filled with concern, but her smile is radiant. Dick tries to respond, but his voice cracks slightly, and he clears his throat, wincing at the lingering discomfort. He decides to nod instead, better to take this slow than risk permanently fucking up his vocal chords.

 

"You're getting your voice back!" she exclaims, her grip on his shoulders tightening in excitement. 

 

"We'll get you speaking in no time, Dea!" She beams, her fingers resuming their gentle work on his hair, as if the small victory of him speaking her name has given her has renewed her energy. 

 

***

The two weeks between Dick’s first word to Darri and the official start of Hiemalia is spent with Darri trying to coax more words out of him. Speaking more than two or three words after each other tends to make his vocal chords seize up and he’s noticed that he’s having trouble with certain sounds. It’s slow progress but actually being able to talk even just briefly feels amazing. It makes Dick feel like a person again. 

 

His tone is usually a hoarse whisper and Dick has tried raising his volume only to be met by pain and failure.  It’s enough for now but Dick has doubts he’ll ever sound the way he used to. 

 

It’s not something he’s bitter about though, because after all he’s not the person he used to be. He’s not Nightwing anymore, not Boy Wonder, and here on Apollo he isn’t even Dick Grayson… They died in the Hole and in the Doctor’s chair. 

 

Here on Apollo he was Dea, the omega thrall from Earth. The docile pet of Darri who worked in the kitchens and was treated better than the other thralls because his owner was kinder. He was the lucky one here compared to the other, the one the other thralls called privileged. He knew what they said about him and it was still better than being a broken shell of someone who used to be great. 

 

Icarus had flown too close to the sun and had drowned because of his hubris. He feels the weight of his fall, from the heights of heroism to the depths of subjugation. Yet, in Darri's gentle care, he finds a fragile sense of peace. The quiet routines of kitchen work and the soft words of encouragement from his owner offer a strange kind of solace.

 

He’s content with being Dea, to find small joys with the moments he shares with Darri and Magni, and to let the past remain firmly behind him. 

Notes:

So next chapter will be the start of Hiemalia and the introduction of an important OC. I've tried to hint certain things via my OCs dialogue that will be very important so I'm excited to see which of you have noticed it. It is important because it will play a part in Dick's eventual escape/rescue. I've tried to make it subtle, im not good at that yet but writing is a skill that takes practice so I'm trying to be patient with myself. But if you're good at remembering names and read the notes then it will be very obvious.