Demigod in Gotham

18) Angst You Glad I Came Back?

A/N: this is a long one, full warning.

-Bruce POV-

When Bruce had gotten the call the night before that Nico had returned to his apartment, he was beyond relieved. The kid had been missing for almost two weeks and he was nervous that something had happened. He had gone to bed happy, knowing that the next morning the boys would see him and possibly bring him back to the manor. He had woken up in good spirits and was on the way to the gym for his morning workout when he heard a knock at the door. People very rarely came over unannounced so he was expecting a robber or religious person trying to sell their religion, but instead he opened it to find Nico. Immediately he dropped his water bottle and let it clatter to the ground as he just stared at the boy, not sure if he was real. He wanted to reach out and hug him, but he held himself back and instead scanned him for injuries. He didn't look hurt, but his hair was messier than usual, his skin looked a bit sickly from malnutrition, and his eyebags were prominent; it was definitely Nico.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something or if you don't want to see me-" Nico said in a quiet voice but Bruce didn't let him finish.

"You can interpret me any time, day or night. And you are always welcome." Bruce said, smiling kindly at the boy who looked so small next to the grand doors of Wayne Manor. He stepped aside to let the boy in and closed the door behind him. "Let's get some food in you and we can talk."

They walked together to the dining room where Alfred smiled at the boy. "It is good to have you back Mr. DiAngelo. I was about to begin making waffles, would you like yours plain or with chocolate chips?"

Nico sat in the chair that Bruce gestured to. "Whichever is easiest for you sir, I don't have a preference."

Alfred smiled at the boy. "Then let us start with one of each, that way you can decide which you like better."

Bruce watched as he disappeared into the kitchen before turning back to Nico. "Are you okay? You had us worried when you didn't show up for dinner. The boys had begun visiting your apartment every few days to see if you'd returned."

Nico shrunk in his seat a little. "I'm sorry. I got overwhelmed and I have a habit of running away from my problems. I only meant to be gone a week at most, but everything got complicated."

Bruce nodded in understanding. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you go?"

Nico scratched his neck, a nervous tick Bruce had picked up on from his limited interactions with the boy. "A couple different places. I was in the woods for a little while, somewhere on the east coast, and then I went to California to visit my cousin and a few friends. Then I went to Texas where some friends of mine have an auto shop, then to Long Island for a few days, and then New York City to visit my cousin's mom, and then to see my father."

"You went to his grave?" Bruce watched the boy look away and decided to let that part go. "Wouldn't your cousin's mother be your aunt?"

Nico seemed to think on that for a moment. "Huh, I never thought of it like that" he muttered to himself. "Aunt Sally."

Bruce chuckled as he watched Nico repeat the name a few times to himself, as if he was testing how it sounded. "How did you never realize she is your aunt?"

Nico shrugged. "Our dads are brothers, but that side of the family is strange. Usually the other families like ours have a ton of kids, but we're 2 of like 5 kids from the line of the three brothers."

"The three brothers?" Bruce was genuinely interested in this part of Nico life. Not just because it was a mystery to him, but because if Nico joined the family then in a way, they would be part of it.