A/N: Tis short, but I've been high on painkillers all week, so thoughts are hard lol
Suffice to say, Nico wasn't happy about any part of the situation. Dick, after telling him, made the wise decision to give him a few minutes to himself before they headed out to the Mountain.
As he walked out into the main portion of the cave, he saw Bruce get off the phone, looking exhausted.
"Calling the JL to give them a heads up?" Dick asked.
Bruce let out a sigh, nodding. "I informed them and sent a memo to Diana about steering clear of the Mountain unless absolutely necessary. Nico has explicitly expressed that he wants to avoid any and all demigods, and while Cassie is a necessity, I'd rather not risk them interacting."
Dick hummed in agreement. "Probably for the best. Were you able to let Kaldur know?"
"Clark said he would contact him," Bruce said, leaning back in the Batcomputer's chair. "I want to keep a level of separation between him and 'the Bats' for the time being in case word somehow gets out. I don't think any of us need Nico becoming some villain's new target."
"Are we telling them his name?"
"I have just been referring to him as 'the individual who came to the cave with Robin' for now. It will be up to him for what he wants them to know—giving him the choice of how he wants to be identified."
Dick nodded, leaning back against the railing. "How long do you think I'll have at the Mountain to try and make sure everything goes well?"
"Maybe half an hour?" Bruce said, seeming to debate it. "I have Tim, Jason, Duke, and Steph distracting the demigods while Cass packs some things for Nico and Damian keeps watch. One of them will bring it down and then you'll have to get doing. We'll keep Nico's door locked while the others are here so that we don't have to pack everything away to hide that he is back."
Dick just ran his hands through his hair, letting out a deep breath. "Everything is gonna be fine, right? I've known the people on the team forever, and they're great. They're nice and accepting and-"
"And Nico is gonna hate them," Jason said as he landed at the base of the fire pole entrance to the cave, a duffle bag in hand. "The kid flinches at doors being closed too loudly and we're throwing him into a pit of teenage superheroes who had a proclivity for explosions and drama—that's kinda his nightmare."
"You got a better idea?"
Jason just shrugged casually, tossing the duffle down near Dick's feet, before he joined the older brother in leaning against the railing. "Nope, just wanted to state how I think this is gonna go so that I can say 'told you so' later."
Dick laughed lightly, shaking his head and elbowing his little brother. "Asshole."
Jason smirked. "Look, we don't have any actual good options, so this is the best we can do. Nico is probably gonna hate it and your team might not love it either, but that's not what matters right now. What matters is keeping the kid safe and stable, and the Mountain is the best option."
Dick nodded, taking a deep breath before grabbing the duffle off the ground and slinging it over his shoulder. "Well, no point in putting it off then. I'll see you guys before dinner."
Bruce and Jason called their 'good luck's before both turning to leave the Cave while Dick made his way down the familiar hallway. He opened the door to Nico's former cell, immediately noticing how everything that wasn't bolted down had been strewn about the room in what was probably a very angry manner if the flipped gurney was any sign, but he ignored it.
"We packed you a bag," Dick said, shifting his shoulder a bit as he tightened his grip on the strap of the duffle.
Nico didn't say anything, just looked at him with an infuriatingly blank face. His hands were in fists by his side, knuckles red and a little bloody, most likely from punching the wall.
Dick ignored the anxious lump in his throat at his motioned for Nico to follow him. They walked in silence, Nico's movements looking robotic as his eyes maintained their distant and detached look.
They reached the Zeta Tube and Dick began typing in their destination, hesitating before he pressed enter. "I know that this sucks, but it's for the best."
"It's always 'for the best,'" Nico said, voice empty of any and all emotions.
A/N: angsty mofo
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