Bruce was a man of closely guarded secrets and numerous precautions. He had failsafes for his failsafes, and contingencies for those.

And so, when in a mission with the Justіce League he ended up away from the Batcave for a prolonged period of time, he hadn't worried. He had some of the world's most powerful blockers and suppressants at his disposal, and his supply was plentiful.

He hadn't counted on every last one of his measures failing. His supply was destroyed in a series of extremely unlikely events, Clark was out of commission and couldn't fetch him replacements, and the others simply didn't know about his predicament.

Unwilling to return to the Batcave in his state and risk jeopardizing his secret, he called in a favor from a friend and holed up in a safe house for a week. It was painful and distressing, and an experience he hadn't felt in a long time.

When finally it was over, Bruce went about taking down his nest, and he was in the middle of folding a blanket when the door clicked open and his friend walked in.

"Uh." Bruce stared. His friend stared back. There was nothing he could say; he was clearly taking down a nest and even with the blockers he'd found in the bathroom his scent was everywhere. "I don't need to tell you how absolutely crucial it is that nobody finds out about this," he said, his voice quiet.

Bruce had gone to great lengths to hide the fact he was an omega, even going so far as to take hormones to physically resemble an alpha. He'd gone to this friend for help because this was someone he could trust, but he'd been hoping not to have to rely on that trust.

An uncharacteristic wave of embarrassment hit him at the realization that his nest had mostly been made out of his friend's belongings. He really should've gone to one of his own safe houses, but this one was closest and for all his intellect, he hadn't been able to think straight in his state.

He stood there awkwardly, blanket in hand, and looked away. "...Please."