Oh. My. Gods. (4)

                                    

                                          
{Shout out to my bestie @OreoOreoCremeeegirl For beta-reading this chapter!}
After a week of being at the manor, Nico had to push back his departure, several times.
Not because his clothes and other supplies from camp had arrived and he didn't want to lug it around with him as he ran away. Not because his shadow powers were slowly coming back to their full strength. 
Nico didn't want to admit it. He wanted to stay. Even if Jason still avoided him and Damian shot glares at him whenever they were in the same room. Even if Dick was trying too hard to be nice and Tim was generally a huge nerd. (which Nico found was something he actually didn't really mind). Even if Bruce had his overanalyzing gaze on him at all times. 
Nico wanted to stay. 
He had a room; he was fed three meals every day. And despite what he told himself, having Dick dote on him and Tim's incessant mumbling about something or other felt... nice.
Nico had been set up with his online courses and Nico found that he genuinely enjoyed going to school. Nico liked the routine of getting up and hopping onto a quick instructional 'video call' and then doing a small amount of work. Bruce had made sure that his workload was light and manageable. 
Nico was sitting at the table, Alfred serving breakfast which consisted of pancakes (waffles in Jason's case) and fruit. Nico had never been a huge fan of pancakes, or waffles, but Nico did like fruit. Nico popped grape after grape into his mouth, ignoring Dick as he offered him some pancakes. 
As Nico stayed in the manor he started to realize that the Wayne family was weirder than they seemed when Nico had first met them. Nico, being his insomniac self, wandered the manor at night, only to find it deserted. Alfred was asleep in his room but Dick's, Jason's, Tim's, and Damian's rooms were all empty, Along with Bruce's room and office. 
And no. Nico was not creepily poking his head into their rooms. Nico had ears; Dick snored like a monster. As for the other three boys, they were a little harder to tell if they were in their rooms or not. So, Nico just slipped his consciousness into the shadows and sensed around the room. Nico had no clue what he would call it, maybe something cool like Shadow Seer (or maybe just stalker because that's what it felt like to Nico.) But Nico couldn't feel any other living shadows in the room. Gods, that sounded creepy.
Nico eyed Tim, who was yawning constantly, which Nico could understand because all of his new 'siblings' seemed to sleep less than he did, which was hard to do. 
"How is school going Nico?" Bruce asked, Nico was a little startled by the sudden question. The conversation ceased for a few seconds, and everyone glanced at Nico. Nico shifted awkwardly under their stares. 
"It's going good. I like it." Nico mumbled, taking a strawberry and peeling the leaves off one by one. Bruce smiled and the conversation resumed. Nico released a breath and relaxed his shoulders. 
After breakfast, Nico retreated to his room. He had yet to unpack because he still had the lingering idea that he was going to run away. His clothes had arrived via stayer in a duffle bag. A backpack with a plastic Ziplock bag full of ambrosia squares and a metal water bottle full of nectar. There was also a magically collapsable first aid kit full of every possible gauze bandage and suture kits a demigod could need. 
Nico had shoved the backpack under the bed. He didn't know what his new 'family' would think if they found his demigod supplies, but he figured it wouldn't be good. Nico plopped down on his bed, which was placed right against the wall, right in between two selves that Nico didn't know what he was going to do with. As Nico looked around his room he was reminded that Dick wanted to drag him to the 'mall' to spruce up his bare room.