There is a new development, but although Bruce has promised it's not a bad or urgent one, he still won't tell Nico about it until the official justice league meeting Diana has called for.
A meeting which is going to take place in space, apparently.
Jesus.
"Is there anything I should know before getting on the spaceship?", he asks the assortment of batkids that are hanging about the room.
He has about ten minutes before said meeting, and he isn't really sure what to expect.
"There's no spaceship", Steph laughs at him. "The Watchtower is just a huge satellite orbiting the earth. Duh."
"Right. I, uh, heard about that. But. How do we get there...?"
"Zeta tubes", Steph says, like that means anything.
"Means you'll Teleport", Cass says calmly.
"Oh."
Damian is at a friend's house ("the one who makes him sooooooft", Jason sang before getting decked again), and Barbara is on patrol, but they both made him promise to tell them everything after the meeting, even if Barbara was more kind with her words, whereas Damian used words like 'decapitate' and 'stabbed repeatedly through the frontal cortex'.
The support, however unconventional, still made him slightly less nervous.
Slightly.
After all, he's still going to teleport into space to talk to the justice league about some unknown development.
"You'll be fine", Dick says, clapping him on the back. "The league are good people. Heroes. They got into this business to help."
was it that clear he was nervous about that, or are those just Dick's incomparable big brother instincts at work again? Nico's been a big brother for a while now, and he considers himself pretty ok, but Dick is on a whole different level.
"Except for Booster Gold, but he won't be there", Tim adds. "They stopped letting him into meetings when they realized he was recording them for his Tik Toks."
"Does he even count as league?", Cass asks.
"For real", Steph agreed. "He's so lame."
"No way he counts", Dick says with confidence. "He's way too annoying."
"There's no annoyance quota in the league", Tim argues.
"There should be", Steph shoots back. "Maybe then we wouldn't have to deal with the green lantern's nonsense."
While Cass and Tim are giggling, Dick is snickering, and Jason is flat out rolling on the carpet laughing, Bruce walks in - though it might be more accurate to say that Batman does.
He hasn't put on the cowl yet, but the way he walks into the room is far more authoritative than the air Bruce Wayne might put off.
The difference between these two men, who are really the same one, is still staggering. Bruce is a playful, if tired, single father. Batman is some crime-fighting shadow beast, who would absolutely inspire fear and immediately sober up almost any other group of teens and young adults with his very presence.
Nico knows better, by now, than to assume these vigilantes are going to act like normal people do.
"Are you ready?", Batman asks Nico.
Nico shrugs. "As much as I can be, for a super space meeting."
"Come on, you've probably done way crazier stuff than just boring ol' going to space. you got this", Jason says confidently.
"Yeah!", Steph cheers. "Like, Where's the craziest place you've been to?"
He pauses to think for a moment. "Yeah, alright", he concedes. "This can't be worse than hell."
"There you go", she says with cheer. "Wait, what?"
"Never mind", he says quickly.
"Did you say hell?" Tim asks, with more curiosity than concern.
"It was more like a mega-hell, but yeah", he mumbles.
"This is just like supernatural,'' Jason says. "If I had a nickel for every gay that got sent to mega-hell, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice."
"I actually went there voluntarily", Nico admits.
"Supernatural is trash", Cass says, with a tone that leaves no room for argument.
"But it's so entertaining!", Steph says with glee. "there's always a new thing, and the show's already over! Like, the latest crazy thing-"
"No supernatural talk, Steph. Please", Batman begs, the tired dad Bruce Wayne picking out from the crack that was formed by years of Supernatural.
"...We don't have time to unpack all of that", Dick says, "But for now all you need to know is that the league wants to help and are mostly cool people and that Bruce, auntie Diana, and uncle Clark are all going to be there to support you. So you'll be ok."
Nico smiles, thankful.
This group of people never fails to make him feel relatively normal, whether he's coming out to them or telling them about Tartarus or anything else. It's remarkable. Do they treat all of the people they help with the same unconditional kindness?
As they walk to the 'Zeta Tube', Nico turns to Bruce.
"Your kids are good heroes", he tells him.
He figures Bruce needs to know, even if it seems like he already does.
Or maybe it's more like Nico needs to say it and is too emotionally constipated to do so to their faces.
Bruce smiles. He puts on the cowl when they arrive at the tube, but the smile, although small, is still present. He's glowing. From what Nico has seen, it's always like that when it comes to his kids.
"I know", he says in his gravely Batman voice. "I couldn't be more proud."
YOU ARE READING
Don't You Have Enough Edgy Kids, Bruce?
FanfictionNico Di Angelo was just starting to adjust to being safe and happy and home after the Gaea War. So of course he wakes up in a random alley in Gotham City, all alone. What was he expecting?
