Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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Why was it that whenever Billy really didn't want to do something, the universe had a way of making sure that he had to, one way or another?

He hadn't wanted to get close to the blonde boy with crutches and a personality three times his size, but he had-- and Freddy had turned out to be his closest friend and eventual brother.

He hadn't wanted to join the Justice League for the fear of looking like a moron in front of his heroes, and yet, two years in, here he was, cracking jokes with Flash or talking magic with Zatara and Dr. Fate.

He hadn't wanted to go on the mission that had way too many variables for his liking, but when Batman had said that Sivanna was involved, he knew he was going to have to. People tended to underestimate the egghead.

The universe had a way of spitting in his face when he didn't want to do something and essentially telling him that he was going to do it anyway, whether he liked it or not.

Look where that got him-- in a chamber that stripped the League of their powers (or in Batman's case, like, all of his gear) sitting against the wall, chewing on his bottom lip while the others tried to formulate some kind of plan.

The only thing they had come up with so far was that the vent on the wall was loose, could be opened and someone could go through-- but everyone was way too big. 

Even Nightwing, who was much thinner than some of the other heroes, couldn't fit through the opening. Cap had tuned out after a minute, knowing what needed to be done but honestly, not wanting to do it. The thought of it made his stomach flip and twist, giving him a queasy feeling of dread. He hoped that the others would find another way out. Maybe a kink in the security system or a way to short-circuit whatever it was that was keeping their powers from them.

Green Lantern was getting frustrated if his yelling was anything to go by.

"Seriously?! The best Earth has to offer, stuck in a god damn cell, and the only thing keeping us from escaping is a VENT?!" he threw up his hands in frustration. "The universe is laughing at us! Laughing!"

"Lantern, cool your jets. We're trying to figure out another way out," Flash said, putting a hand on the jade man's shoulder. 

"How- how does this happen? How did we get bested by Elmer Fudd and a bug?!"

"Doctor Sivanna and Parasite," Batman said, glaring at the brunet. "We underestimated them. They obviously had this planned from the start."

Cap sighed- of course, they did. Why was it that whenever Sivanna was in the picture, the rest of the League dismissed him? Sure, the guy was bonkers, but he was still a mad scientist and one of the only villains to successfully capture the whole League. Twice.

Was it cause he was one of Marvel's villains? 

That'd make sense in a way- some of his villains were kind of ridiculous. An alien worm with hypnotic powers, a cartoon-like mad scientist with a lisp, a giant, alien robot, an ancient Egyptian doppelganger-- no wonder no one ever felt the need to stop by Fawcett.

They probably felt Cap could handle the ridiculousness- and he could, he wouldn't deny that, but it still would be nice to see people.

"Well, what are you proposing then, Spooky?" Green Lantern snapped, yanking the demigod from his musings. "We can't just magic our way out of this, I'm pretty sure Zatara's powers are being blocked and there are no other magicians here with us."

Right- they were still trapped.

"Well,  Captain Marvel is actually-" Zatara started to say, glancing towards the demigod and immediately shutting his mouth at the sight of the demigod's pleading look.

"Whoa, wait, what?" Lantern paused, glancing towards the raven that had yet to raise from the floor. "You can do magic?" The rest of the group turned towards him as well, making the man uncomfortable. He shifted and stood, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's no really something I advertise..."

"You can do magic." Lantern continued, looking him up and down.

"I mean, I am its guardian."

"What does it matter if he can or not? If Zatara's magic isn't working, Captain Marvel's won't be either," Flash said, giving Lantern a withering glare.

"Well..."

The group looked at him again.

Was he really doing this? It felt like a bad idea, but Solomon wasn't screaming for him to stop (yet) so he continued. "It...it would kinda take a lot to sever my ties with my magic-" he swallowed. "My magic- well, all of my powers actually, come from the Rock of Eternity. You'd have to take that out to take me out...and only three people in existence know where the Rock is."

Why was he telling them this? This was more information about himself than he'd ever given the League, why was he choosing now of all times to tell them this?

A spark appeared in some of the heroes' eyes at his words- well, aside from Batman that is. Cap could almost see him mentally cataloging this new information for later, probably to add to the demigod's file or something.

"So you can get us out of here with that then?" Flash asked, a smile on his face.

Cap blinked. "Well- well I uh- I'm kinda rusty," he said, thinking they'd take that better than 'oh yeah, I'm supposed to be able to do magic, but I don't really have a teacher to learn from aside from the sparce things Zatara's taught me, and also, did I mention I'm 12 and have only been at this champion thing for a year and a half?'

Yeah, that wouldn't go well.

"Uh- plus, I'm really better at mystical stuff and healing..." he offered weakly. Sure, he talked magic all the time with Zatara, but performing it himself was a totally different story.

"Great- back to square one..." Green Lantern muttered, only to get an elbow to the ribs from Diana. "Ow! Hey!"

"It's alright, Captain. We'll figure something out," the Amazonian offered before turning back towards the rest of the group.

Marvel sighed, glancing towards Zatara, who was giving him a knowing look. Both he and the elder magician knew that there was at least one thing he could do, even if he really didn't want to do it.

"Hey uh..." he got the attention of the group. "There might be...something that I can do."

Why was he doing this- maybe he should wait until Batman or Superman came up with a plan. They always had a plan, didn't they? They were still staring at him- hurry up and say something, Batson!

"Right uh- there's this...spell...I can do..." what was he saying!? "It uh- well, it's kinda hard to explain." Batman raised a single brow, something he could only tell cause the man's cowl shifted slightly.

"Basically, the spell- its...it's like a power-saving mode." Seriously, what was he trying to pull right now?

"Makes me...smaller- fun-sized."

"Wait, like you turn into a civilian or something?" Green Lanter asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion. Flash thunked him with the back of his hand.

"Obviously not, genius. He probably means its something like what Martian Manhunter does- shape-shifting. Just with magic, I think," he said, glancing towards Marvel for some kind of clarification.

If there was one thing he'd always been taught, it was that the lie usually went better if the person you were lying to came up with most of it on their own-- you just had to agree with whatever conclusion they came to. 

"Exactly like that," the demigod said, grinning at the speedster.

"And you use this as your 'mortal' form then?" Diana asked, her eyebrow quirked in question.

"Well, uh..."

"I was unaware that the Champion had a 'mortal' form," she continued.

"Come on, Cap?"  Flash jabbed a thumb in his direction. "No way. Have you seen how active he is in Fawcett? There's no way this dude has a personal life, huh big guy?" he asked.

Cap rubbed the back of his neck.

Now it was Nightwing's turn to elbow Flash.

"It's probably just better if I show you," he said, glancing around at the group. "Just uh, take a couple of steps back, cause this is kind of a big...spell," he continued, taking a few steps back of his own and glancing up at the ceiling.

No doubt Sivanna would have reinforced the ceiling to withstand his lightning, making it transfer within the metal rather than straight through it, so there was no escaping through the hole it would usually make, but he guessed there was a reason he was transforming after all.

He drew in a breath and closed his eyes, letting his muscles relax as he channeled the wizard's power.

"Shazam."

Lightning filled the room in an instant, blinding the people that surrounded Captain Marvel and undoubtedly causing some problems for whatever technology was in the room. He felt it surge through his body, coursing through his veins as the Champion's form was stripped away and left him as plain ol' Billy Batson.

Smoke rose from the floor and surrounded him, making the boy cough as he attempted to wave it away. When it began to disperse, he looked around, finding himself at around waist-height of most of the heroes that were staring at him.

Some, like Nightwing and Green Lantern, were staring with their jaws practically on the floor, while others, namely Batman and Superman, were watching him with calculating gazes.

"Right- where'd that vent go then?" he asked, looking around in search for their exit before suddenly being swept up into someone's arms and squeezed like a plush doll.

"He's so tiny and adorable- I just wanna squish his little cheeks!" Billy glanced up to find that he was in the arms of Flash-who covered faster than he thought he would. The 12-year-old blinked, glancing at the others, who were starting to recover themselves. 

Superman shook his head. "Flash put the Captain down. I'm sure he could still zap your ass if he needed to," he said with a hint of a smile.

Flash made a face before glancing down at the raven in his arms. "Sorry- just took my by surprise is all. You remind me of Kid Flash when he was a toddler is all," he said, setting Billy down on the ground.

Wait- why did that make his stomach turn? Did he actually enjoy that? Well, he hadn't actually been picked up like that since he was 7, when his father had said goodbye, twirling him around the living room like an airplane before he and Billy's mom left for their trip to Egypt. 

He must not have realized how much he missed being held like that- or, how much he missed being held like he was precious.

He blinked rapidly, coming out of his thoughts at Flash's snapping in front of his face. "Cap? You alright there? I didn't squeeze too hard and fry your brain, did I?" he asked.

"What? Uh- no, no I'm fine. Where's that vent?" he asked, shoving the thoughts from his mind to think about later. Superman and Batman managed to pry the grate off the vent shaft once more before Billy kneeled down and looked inside- it was really dark. 

He didn't really have a problem with the dark, he couldn't with his living situation the way it was, but he did have a problem with tight spaces-- too many nights in locked closets for him to really be comfortable with them. He chewed on his bottom lip before glancing at Batman, who nodded once.

Billy let out a breath before crawling inside, making his way through the ventilation and around a corner.

He came to another grate after a minute or so, looking through it to find himself just outside the containment...thing... that the heroes had been put inside. He turned around to put his feet first and attempted to slam his feet against the grate. After a couple of tries, he managed to get it loose, and it was only a matter of jimmy-ing the thing to get it off.

It fell to the floor with a clang, allowing the 12-year-old to clamber out and dust himself off. He glanced around, looking for some kind of control panel before spotting one that looked like something Sivanna would make and making a break for it.

He stopped in front of the panel, reading over the various labels on the dials and switches. For as genius of a man as Sivanna was, he had a tendency to label pretty much everything, as some sort of back-up plan to make sure he never pressed the wrong button.

It often ended up backfiring on him.

Billy smiled at the sight of a button labeled 'RELEASE' and pressed it, watching as the energy field that was keeping the League from going anywhere vanished. Superman floated up a few inches experimentally, making the boy's grin grow. 

"Well if that's taken care of, why don't we go take on Parasite and Sivanna?" Billy asked, glancing towards the only door in the room. There were sounds of agreement before Superman and Flash took the lead and everyone followed.

Billy waited until the others had left, giving them an excuse about him needing to change back first, and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He leaned against the console, watching the doorway before letting out a sigh.

"You're a great actor."

Billy tensed, turning his head in the direction the voice had come from. When he saw Batman standing there, somehow blending into the minimal shadows there were in the fluorescently lit room, his heart skipped a beat. Or three.

"What?" he asked, eyes wide.

"I said, you're a great actor, Billy."

Batman came closer, kneeling down so that he was at eye-level with the boy. Billy swallowed thickly, keeping eye contact despite every fiber of his being yelling at him to look down. He wouldn't back down to Batman. He could deny, he could still--

"Billy Batson, Age 12, son of Marylin and C.C. Batson, orphaned at age 8 and dropped out of the system at age 9."

He couldn't do jack squat.

"So you knew already?" he asked, holding his arm in guilt.

"No. You're cover is a lot more secure than you think it is. No one, not even me, would suspect a 12-year-old to be the World's Mightiest Mortal." Batman said, tilting his head slightly. "But when you changed, I ran a facial recognition scan on you." Billy's shoulders dropped.

"Tell me- did you ever plan on telling the League who you really were?"

Billy's gaze fell.

"Or were you going to keep lying to us for forever?"

The boy's head snapped up, a fire sparking inside his bright blue eyes. "I was going to tell you guys, e-eventually. Maybe when I turned 18 or something...I- I didn't have it planned out. I just- I liked being treated like I wasn't just some no-name street rat. I liked being a part of something, being part of a team. I meant to tell you guys, I just- I wasn't ready for that to end."

His gaze lowered to stare at his shoes. 

"I'm still not...But I know you gotta do what you gotta do. I'll pack my things and be out before the weekend's over."

Had he been looking, he would have seen Batman's eyebrows go up in surprise, only for him to school his expression after a moment of thought. The Dark Knight glanced towards the door before looking back at Billy.

"I'm not kicking you out, Billy. Captain Marvel's as much a part of the League as Superman or myself. This," he said, gesturing to the small boy's frame, "changes nothing. I want you to tell them-" he held a hand up when Billy opened his mouth to argue. "-when you're ready. It doesn't have to be today, or tomorrow, or even this month, but you do need to tell them. Sooner rather than later."

Billy nodded slowly in response.

"A team needs trust in order to function as a smooth unit," he said, standing up and pulling off his cowl. Billy's eyes widened, his hands immediately coming up to cover his eyes. He felt much larger, surprisingly warm ones grab his gently, pulling them down.

"Billy, my name is Bruce Wayne. I became Batman to avenge my parents after they died. It's nice to finally officially meet you," he said, holding out his hand for the boy to shake.

Billy blinked before swallowing thickly. "Y-you- you too, Mister Wa- uh, Bat- uh..." he furrowed his eyebrows before shaking his head and shaking the billionaire's hand. "Batman. Good to meet you too."

"Now come on-" Bruce said, pulling on his cowl and glancing towards the door. "We'd better catch up to the League before they make a mess of things without us."

"Right- just let me change," Billy said with a smile.

"SHAZAM!"

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"You don't get to speak!"

His voice carried through the halls, the anger and venom dripping from each word. He stared the Dark Knight down, blue eyes mirroring one another as the 16-year-old confronted the vigilante before turning his gaze on the other heroes in the room.

"None of you do. Not after what you did."

Anger fueled the teenager's words as hot tears bead in the corners of his eyes. It wasn't supposed to go this way. No one was supposed to die.

"I've been a part of this team for six years, six years and you all still treat me as if I'm some rookie who needs babysitting. Some, some newbie hero that doesn't know how to handle himself!" he growled, looking around at the rest of the people around him. "You have zero trust in me, and I trust you people with my god damn life-- look where that got me."

Billy's lip curled up as he combed a tense hand through his hair. "Not only am I facing the people I thought I could trust, but I'm also facing them without my fucking sister, all because YOU WENT AND GOT HER KILLED!" he yelled, hot tears spilling from his eyes and streaming down his cheeks.

"Mary didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve to die to something that I could have stopped, to die to something that you people held me back from." his eyes narrowed.

"I shouldn't have had to sit there, holding her as she breathed her last breath at 16. I shouldn't have had to WATCH MY SISTER DIE IN MY ARMS," he yelled, lightning sparking around his thin body. "But you... you thought you knew best," he muttered, shaking his head.

The raven cast his eyes down. "You thought you knew better than me what I could do."

"Now her blood is on your god damn hands," He said, his voice steely as he glanced around the room. "And I don't want anything to do with you people anymore."

"Billy-"

"Take another step and there will be two funerals to plan for, Bruce," Billy said, glaring the man down. "I don't care about your empty fucking words. They don't work on me anymore. Maybe you guys didn't notice, but I'm not 10 anymore. I can take care of myself as well as my city."

He pulled out his communicator and threw it onto the large wooden table. "And I don't need the League's help to do it." The raven swallowed thickly, looking around the room in tense silence. "Don't contact me ever again. If I see you in Fawcett, I'm putting a lightning bolt through your heads."

"I am a hero in my own right, I know that. I do not need your approval anymore. I haven't for a long time. You have no idea what I can do, what I'm capable of, because all you people see is that ten-year-old, starry-eyed kid, who looked up to you like you were these things of legend."

"I know better now."

With that, Billy turned and left the League meeting room. He ignored the tears still creeping down his cheeks as he punched in the code for Fawcett and locked the terminal.

He had a funeral to plan after all- he couldn't waste his time here when his twin was waiting for him.

- - -

Chapter Text

- 🎃- 🎃-

There once was a land of prosperity and magic, one that had experienced more than a decade of peace, thanks to those that defended it. These heroes, consisting of knights and sorcerers, creatures of myth and humans alike, served the royal family loyally.

They were known as the League of Justice, the best of the best that the kingdom had to offer. They came from all walks of life, and would defend their home to their last breath. 

The royal family itself was generous and kind, just in their rulings and welcoming to all creatures. The king, Charles, and his queen, Marilyn, had only a single son between them, a small boy named William. The boy had a fascination with magic, and often told his parents he would one day join the League of Justice. 

They humored him, telling him that if he were to follow his heart and do good, that good would surely follow.

For ten years they were happy. They were a family. 

Then the unthinkable happened.

A dark magician from a faraway land, one known as the Black Sorcerer, put a curse on the king and queen, causing them to perish at sea. William was left alone, a small boy aged only 10 years, without a mother or father to love. 

He began to have nightmares- visions of hellish scenes where his mother and father burned before his eyes, or as his father ran him through with his golden dagger. These dreams tormented him for weeks, unaware that they were the work of the devilish Black Sorcerer. He ended up running away, slipping out of the castle in the dead of night and out of sight of the League of Justice. 

Without a royal family, the League was chosen to share authority over the land until the young prince could be found. Every resource the kingdom had was dedicated to looking for the boy, but after two years there was no trace of him to be found. 

Fearing him dead and fearing panic amongst the populus at the thought of a kingdom without a head, the League was chosen to stay in power. The young prince, though lost, was not forgotten. 

- - -

Billy ran through the forest, leaping over a rock and grabbing hold of a branch to pull himself into a tree. He clambered up the thick branches and hid amongst the leaves, bright blue eyes staring down and watching as bandits ran past him, wielding sharp swords and massive war hammers. 

Once they were gone, the 20-year-old climbed down and dropped onto the forest floor, dusting himself off and opening his satchel to make sure his things were still there. Golden dagger? Check. Berries for lunch? Check. Medicinal herbs for the Wizard? Check.

He closed his bag and took off through the forest again, pulling out his dagger and cutting his way through a willow tree's leaves. The young man ducked under a fallen log and smiled at the sight of a fawn in a clearing before something started tugging at his chest.

The Wizard must need him- he'd better get back. 

Billy checked around him first, making sure that no one was around. Magic could be a tricky thing, especially the kind the Wizard helped him use, and he was only barely able to contain its power.

"Shazam, I call forth your powers to wield as my own," he breathed, his eyes shut as he let a familiar warmth flow through his veins. Light exploded outward from his eyes and enveloped him, clouds coalescing in the sky above him. Thunder rumbled in the sky before lightning split it open and swallowed Billy whole.

When he opened his eyes, Billy found his arms corded in muscle, armored in gold with a flowing white cape. Lightning danced around his body, flicking around him like an excited serpent. The Wizard called him 'Marvel' when he was like this, and the boy went with it.

He grinned, clenching his fists as lightning crackled around his muscular form before taking to the sky like a bird. He could fly without wings, at speeds only comparable to dragons, which, to him, was the most magical thing he could do. 

And he could perform actual magic.

Before he could get anywhere, a piercing scream rang through his ears. Without a second thought, he sprung into action, rocketing in the direction of whoever was in distress. He soared through the clouds, scanning the forest below for some kind of threat.

He found the threat in the form of the thugs that had been chasing him earlier cornering a pair of merchants by the looks of it. Marvel grit his teeth and launched himself towards the Earth, landing between them and their attackers with a cloud of dust.

He stood to his full height and looked down his nose at the trio of men before sneering. "And what do you think you're doing?" he asked, his fists clenched tightly.

"A- A God-" one man breathed.

"We- we's just takin' care of taxes for Achorra," one of the men said after a moment, glancing towards what looked like the leader of the group for confirmation.

"Right-  and taxes include taking personal belongings now."

The men swallowed thickly.

Lightning startled to crackle around Marvel's muscular form as he cracked his knuckles. "Give the things you took back," he growled. A storm flashed behind his eyes and the men tensed. "Now."

The small burlap sacks the men had in their hands fell to the ground and they took off. The lightning clinging to him faded as he picked up the items, turning around to hand them back to the merchants. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking between the two. 

They nodded, thanking him and taking the items.

"What are you...?" A voice that came from behinds him said, causing the god to turn towards it. His heart clenched at the sight of people clad in his family's crest, red capes draped over their shoulders and silver armor glinting in the afternoon sun.

Members of the League of Justice-- and ones he knew personally.

Kal-el, one of the three leaders of the League, was watching him closely, assessing him and keeping a hand on his sword. He was a good man- loyal and kind, if not easily trusting. Beside him was Bruce, the second leader- a cold and calculating man with a heart kept close to him. He'd lost one of his three sons at a young age and had closed himself off ever since.

Diana, a woman of fire and spirit with raven hair was missing, but the big three were rarely ever seen together outside of the kingdom anymore, especially since they ran the place in his stead for so long. Marvel's expression softened at the sight of Kal-el and Bruce, a small smile appearing on his face. 

"It's been a while..." he breathed, unaware he'd said that aloud.

"Do we know you?" Kal-el asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Marvel's smile turned sad. "No, Kal. I don't suppose you would," he said, meeting the man's eyes as they widened. Kal-el was a man that had always insisted upon being called by his full name- Billy was the only one that had ever called him just 'Kal'. 

The man just looked confused, mentally trying to figure something out when Bruce stepped forward. "Who are you?" he asked gruffly.

"Doesn't matter. I'm not that person anymore, Bats," Marvel said. It was true- he wasn't the same kid he'd been eight years ago. He'd grown extensively, seen more of the world than he ever thought he would, by the Gods he'd been imbued with magical powers- none of which would have happened had he stayed where he was. 

He wasn't William anymore. 

He was Billy.

He was a sorcerer.

He was Marvel.

Bruce was staring at him with a dark expression on his face- one that was familiar to the young man. It was the reason he called the man 'Bats' in the first place. His wrinkled expression reminded Billy of a bat, plus he was the only one of the big three to really work at night.

There was a moment where everything was quiet before Bruce tilted his head slightly. 

"...William?"

Marvel grinned. So maybe they would find out quicker than he thought. They'd never be able to catch him. "What gave it away?"

Kal shook his head, glancing at Bruce. "Bruce, this can't be Prince William. He's...he's dead. No matter what you want to believe. Besides, the prince-"

"Magic," Bruce replied, glancing towards the taller of the two. Kal blinked, glancing back towards Marvel. "Look at him, Kal. He's the spitting image of his father when he was younger. Don't tell me you've forgotten what the King looked like."

Marvel blinked- he looked like his dad? He hadn't ever spent any time staring at himself in a looking glass, but the thought made his chest bloom with warmth. A small, familiar smile appeared on his face at the thought, causing Kal to take a step back.

"It's been a while..." Billy said, swallowing thickly. "I trust you're running Achorra justly."

Bruce let out a breath, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"I- I don't- why didn't you come home?" Kal asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "We thought you dead, we thought you were captured-" Billy scratched at his chin absently. "You are royalty, how- how-"

"I- I said I'm not that person anymore..." he mumbled, averting his eyes. "I couldn't stay in a place with so many reminders of my parents. The pressure to rule was- it was too much. I never wanted to rule, I wanted to be one of you, a member of the League. I never wanted to be in charge."

Bruce took a few steps forward, causing Billy to lift his head. "Then don't. Come back to Achorra, William. Be one of the League. You don't have to rule, but don't run away from us." he said, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "We won't always be around. You don't have to rule now, but this is your birthright. When we aren't here anymore, you can take over."

Billy opened his mouth to say something.

"But until then, nothing has to change. No one has to know. I understand you want your freedom, and the League can give that to you. You said yourself that it was what you always wanted."

The younger of the two rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know."

"Think on it. Achorra is always open to you, William. You are her prince, after all," Kal added, walking forward to stand beside Bruce.

Billy breathed a laugh, glancing between the two. "Alright, I guess I can think about it. But uh... it's Billy. I'm not William anymore."

Kal and Bruce smiled, sharing a look before ruffling the shortest of them's hair.

"Hey!"

- - -

"And then, Cap goes with them back to the kingdom, right, and he ends up-"

"Slow down there, Plas. You're talking a million miles a minute."

Hal scratched at his hair, brows furrowed in thought. "So- wait, they don't find him for like, 8 years? If he looks just like the king, why don't they recognize Cap instantly?" he asked, looking at the red-clad hero through the flames of the campfire.

Plastic Man shrugged, causing the brunet to smack his palm against his face.

"You uh- you do realize Captain Marvel's not a kid, right? Why'd you make him a kid of all things?" Flash asked, leaning back in his foldable chair. Again, Plastic Man shrugged, causing the speedster to throw his head back and groan.

"I blame Spooky for this. Scary campfire stories was a dumb idea. This one wasn't even scary," Hal said, shaking his head and setting his head in his hand. "Aquaman's story about the haunted pirate ship was way better than this, Plas," he said, jutting a finger to the King of Atlantis that was currently in the middle of nodding off.

"Well, I mean-" 

"Nope, don't even try and find a way to spin this positively, Cap," Hal continued, glancing at the demigod in question. He's been uncharacteristically quiet ever since Plastic Man started his story, but the brunet didn't blame him- Plas was the first to add actual League members into his tale.

It was weird.

"Oh come on, Lantern, don't be a killjoy," Zatanna said with a smirk before taking a sip of her thermos. "Diana's story about Hell hounds was good."

"Can i finish?!" Plastic Man asked, his head stretching up so that he was the tallest and above the large campfire the heroes were gathered around.

"Nope! My turn." Barry said with a wicked grin, sitting up and rubbing his hands together. 

"I swear, if you start with a dark and-"

"It was a dark and stormy night..."

"God Damnit, Flash."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Honestly, Billy should have expected something like this to happen eventually. You couldn’t be friends with vigilantes and crime fighters and NOT expect them to end up crashing at your place after a long night of patrolling at some point.

Still, walking past his bathroom at 2 in the morning in nothing but superman-themed boxers and finding the light on and Damien Wayne of all people sitting on his sink attempting to stitch himself up was not something the 16-year-old had been prepared for.

“How did you get in here?” he asked as he leaned against the doorframe, watching Damien wince as he awkwardly attempted to stitch his upper arm with his left hand.

“Through the window,” Damien replied casually, never looking up from his arm and in fact attempting to concentrate further if the furrow of his brows were anything to go by.

“So you broke in through the window,” Billy said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hopefully, the boy wonder hadn’t broken any glass- it wasn’t like Billy could replace it on a building that was supposed to be abandoned. 

“Yes, Batson,” Damien said with a roll of his eyes, wincing as the needle moved through his skin.

“I’m on the 8th floor, Damien.”

“Your point?”

Billy sighed. “Let me see that. You keep going at it that way and you’re gonna end up with crooked stitches and a weird-looking scar,” he said, pushing himself off the doorframe and walking to the sink. He took the needle and thread from the 18-year-old and poured some rubbing alcohol over the gash before continuing what Damien started.

“Mugging?” Billy asked conversationally, as if stitching up one of your closest friends in the bathroom of your condemned apartment was something normal.

Well, it was for them at least.

“There were more than I anticipated and they got the better of me momentarily,” the elder of the two said with a glare, causing Billy to grin.

“Sure, Dami.”

“You know how I feel about nicknames, Batson.”

“I know you haven’t tried to stop me yet.”

“You’re a pain.”

“Careful, Damien, or i’ll put those crotcheting classes to good use and stitch a bat into your skin,” Billy threatened idly with a grin. Damien simply rolled his eyes in response.

“Have you been eating?”

“When I can.”

Damien shifted slightly. “You know father doesn’t mind giving you mo-” he cut himself off at the look Billy gave him.

“And you know how I feel about handouts. I’m fine– I start working next week, so I’ll finally have a steady source of income besides raking leaves and delivering groceries,” Billy retorted.

Damien looked around with a sigh. “I bet your parents weren’t as prideful as you are.”

“It’s not pride, Damien. I just don’t want anyone to have to worry about me. I’ve taken care of myself just fine for the past 8 years, I can keep doing so, okay?”

The older raven scoffed at him.

“Besides, you’re one to talk when it comes to pride,” Billy said with a smirk, getting a kick to the nose in response. “HEY!”

“You’re lucky I like you, Batson.”

“I know, Dami.”

“Nicknames…”

"You know you love it."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Career day was supposed to be fun- it was pretty much a whole day where the kids of Fawcett City Elementary didn't have to be in class. Instead, they spent the day going from classroom to classroom, learning about all the different careers that you could have from people that actually worked in those fields. It was supposed to be encouraging, empowering even.

But when it came to Billy Batson, nothing was that simple.

The thin 11-year-old sat in his plastic blue chair quietly, rummaging through his backpack for something while his best friend in the entire world and foster brother, Freddy Freeman, sat beside him and stared at the ceiling. They were nearly done with the second speaker for the day, a man named Barry Allen, who Billy thought did math for a living, something about algorithms and science.

At least, that's how the blonde-haired man had explained it, and how he had immediately lost the 11-year-old.

As well as most of his class.

The bell rang, students clambering eagerly out of their desks to move on to the next room. Billy stood, still rummaging through his backpack with an increasingly worried look on his face. Freddy stood up with some trouble, clambering awkwardly behind Billy on his crutches as the pair fell into line. "Whatcha lookin' for?" the blonde asked, tilting his head as Billy continued digging.

The raven glanced back at him, chewing on his bottom lip in worry. "My communicator," he said softly as they walked out into the hall. "I just got it replaced and haven't had a chance to put it away yet. I can't find it anywhere in my bag though." 

Freddy tsked, shaking his head as he hobbled behind him. "You're probably not looking hard enough. Or- or maybe you left it at home?" Billy shook his head, brows furrowed in thought. He remembered having it with him that morning, he was sure of it, but sometime between the first speaker and the second, it had vanished.

"Relax, we'll find it- this one's supposed to be cool. He's a reporter from the Daily Planet," Freddy said as they walked into the classroom. The blonde sat up front, Billy right beside him and glancing at him in confusion.

"What's so cool about a reporter?"

Freddy grinned. "He's the guy that's friends with Superman!"

Billy smiled, shaking his head at his foster brother. "You're ridiculous. I'll just have to introduce you to Superman eventually," he said, setting his bag down beside his desk. Freddy gave him a wide-eyed look before a large man with broad shoulders and glasses stood up from his place behind the teacher's desk. 

He was in a dark blue suit, hunching slightly and keeping his hands close together. He almost looked like he was trying to make himself appear smaller, though Billy had no clue why. If he were that tall, he'd never hunch over.

'Good Mornin' class," He started, giving the kids a smile. "It's really wonderful to be able to come and speak with you all. My name's Clark Kent, and I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet," he said, looking around the room. His eyes landed on Billy for a moment before his smile widened slightly and his continued talking.

"I overheard some of you talking about Superman- and before you ask, yes, I know him, and no, I can't call him and ask him to come here for you," he said, getting some giggles out of the class.

Freddy was completely enamored, making BIlly shake his head at him. Mr. Kent was familiar though- the more that he talked, the more that Billy felt like he knew the man from somewhere. He didn't read newspapers had never been to Metropolis unless it was as Cap, so it was a little confusing. 

The boy ended up getting lost in his own thoughts, and before he knew it, his classmates were getting up and heading for the door. Billy blinked, shaking himself from his stupor and shouldering his backpack before getting in line. He glanced at Mr. Kent again, and the man smiled at him-- why was that so familiar?

They were herded into another room, this one with model planed covering the desk and a brown-haired guy in a flight suit leaning against the whiteboard. Billy followed Freddy to a pair of seats and plopped down, opening his bag again. He might as well keep looking- maybe a seam ripped or something?

The rest of the speakers passed by in a blur, Billy not really paying much attention to any of them. He already knew what he wanted to be- he wanted to be like his parents, archeologists. When he wasn't doing that he'd be Captain Marvel, saving the world and being a hero. It wasn't until the lunch bell that Billy really came back to himself, walking beside Freddy towards one of the lines. 

"Ever find your communicator thing?" Freddy asked as Billy carried his and the blonde's trays. He shook his head, holding the trays out for fries to be put on them. "Well, that sucks. You should let me try and look," Fredd suggested, grabbing an apple and a pair and putting them on the trays. They grabbed two cartons of milk and walked towards their usual table- one that usually no one joined them at.

The pair sat down and Billy set his backpack on the table, sliding it over to Freddy. The raven chose to look around the cafeteria, spotting some of the career people sitting around a table of their own. Most of them were in suits of some kind, and a couple even had trays in front of them- wait were they staring at him?

He blinked, eyes widening a fraction at the sight of a whole group of adults watching him before averting his gaze. "Did you find it?"

"Lookin' for this, Brat-son?" a thuggish voice came from behind him, making the boy regret existence itself. A kid who was supposed to be in 7th grade, Burke Breyer, was standing behind him with a smirk on his face, Billy's silver-and-black circular communicator in his sweaty grip. "Didn't know you played with toys, Brat-son," he said, tossing it into the air and catching it.

"Burke, that's not yours- give it back," Billy said, standing up and clenching his fists. Burke just laughed, holding the object above his head.

Billy glanced around, finding some of the closer kids staring at the situation, but no adults- or a whole table full of them. The career people were watching him like a hawk, a guy in a suit's hand wrapped tightly around Mr. Kent's arm.

"You want it? Jump for it." Burke said, drawing his attention back towards the should be a 7th-grader.

Freddy rolled his eyes. "This is stupid- Burke go back to the prehistoric age and leave us alone." 

"What're you gonna do, cripple? Waddle me to death?" Burk snorted.

The raven's eyes narrowed, glancing up at the device before meeting Burke's eyes. "Give me back my toy. Or can your caveman brain not understand me?" he asked, the older kid's eyes narrowing slightly. "Fine," Billy said, using his legs to sweep Burke's out from under him and grab his device out of his hand as he fell. The older boy landed on the tiles with a grunt, sitting up and glaring at Billy as he pocketing his communicator. 

"You are so gonna regret that Batson," he growled, to which Billy just rolled his eyes.

"I doubt it, Burke. I've dealt with plenty of people who can hit a lot harder than you can," he retorted, to which Burke replied with a swift punch towards the 11-year-old. Billy ducked, maneuvering out of the way in order to make Burke stumble forward. "Just because your home life is shitty and you can't make it past the 5th grade, doesn't mean you get to take it out on me and Freddy."

"You're dead meat."

"Actually, my name's Billy," he grinned, backing up so that his back was against the wall. He made eye contact with Freddy, motioning with his head towards the door- hopefully, he'd go get a teacher before Burke could get too far. Burke shoved him up against the wall, slamming his head into the brick and raised a fist with a grin.

Before either of them could move, however, a large hand landed on Burke's shoulder and gripped it tightly. The older boy winced, glancing back at whoever had a hold on him.

Billy was surprised to find that it was Mr. Kent- looks like that guy that had been holding him back hadn't been too successful. In fact, he was actually walking towards Mr. Kent right now- along with the rest of the table full of adults.

Great.

"You better not try that again, son," Mr. Kent said, pulling Burke away from Billy.

"I- I was just-"

"We saw what you were 'just', Mr. Bryer." the man that had been holding Mr. Kent back said, crossing his arms over his chest. Billy leaned against the wall, bringing a hand up to his aching head before glancing towards Freddy. 

"Go to the office young man. I'll be there in a moment to tell the principal just what you've done here," Mr. Kent said sternly- the tone was oddly familiar...though maybe that was just his dizzied head talking. 

Burke glared at the man before shoving his pockets into his jeans and heading towards the principal's office. Mr. Kent, and by proxy the rest of the adults, turned their attention towards Billy and Freddy. "Are you two okay?" he asked.

Billy nodded, averting his eyes. There was something about this guy that felt familiar- it threw his mind for a loop, so he didn't really wanna think about it. "Yeah Mr. Kent, we're okay."

The reporter stared at him for a moment before glancing towards the man in the grey suit. "Why don't we go to the nurse's office just in case, hm? Mr. Wayne here can accompany us," he said, gaining the boy's attention again. Mr. Wayne? Like, the billionaire?

Bily glanced at the man in the suit and he nodded once, making the child swallow thickly. "O-okay," he said, glancing at Freddy before leading the two adults towards the nurse. Why they wanted him to go there was a mystery to him- he'd taken far worse hits and come out fine. This was nothing- though they likely didn't know that and were just being responsible adults.

They reached the nurse's office after a few minutes of tense silence and found here light to be off and the door closed. "I forgot she goes out to lunch sometimes," Billy said, glancing back at the other two. "Sorry. But I'll be okay, it's just a hit to the head," he said as Mr. Wayne walked up to the door and opened it.

"Unlocked. Come on," he said, and Mr. Kent followed dutifully. Billy glanced around before following as well.

Mr. Kent shut the door behind them and turned on the light, gesturing for Billy to take a seat on the thick foam cot. It reeked of antiseptic and cleaning supplies in there and made the hairs in Billy's nose tingle. "The nurse is gone, Mr. Kent," he said, glancing between the two.

"We know, Billy," Mr. Wayne said as he rummaged through the nurse's cabinets. "But you're still injured."

"It's not that bad, honest."

"You're 11, Billy. You wouldn't know if it was bad or not," Mr. Wayne replied, getting a look from Mr. Kent.

"Don't be like that, Bruce. Coy doesn't work for you."

"Well, we're alone and you still haven't said anything. I assumed you were letting him figure it out on his own."

Mr. Kent rolled his eyes--  and Billy was very confused. "What? I don't understand."

"Billy, the way you handled yourself in the lunchroom was good. I could tell you tried not to stoop to his level, and only used violence as a last resort," Mr. Kent said, kneeling down in front of the boy. "We meant to tell you earlier, actually we meant to tell you the day you told us but... that day was kind of chaotic," he continued, glancing at Bruce as he pulled out a roll of gauze. 

Mr. Kent started to unbutton his shirt, and Billy tensed. No- no no no this was NOT happening, NOPE- A sliver of blue caught the boy's attention. Instead of the bare chest he'd been expecting, there was an unmistakable and familiar shade of bright blue. Followed by red. Then yellow.

Billy's eyes widened at the large S emblazoned on Mr. Kent's chest, glancing towards Mr. Wayne for some kind of explanation, only to find he had his own suit top unbuttoned and was wearing thick black armor underneath with a yellow-rimmed bat symbol on his chest.

"Wait- I- w-what-" Billy stammered, glancing between the two men in confusion. Bruce gestured for him to lean forward so he could wrap his head. "I don't understand."

"Like I said, we meant to tell you the day you told us... but things got kind of hectic that day," Mr. Kent said, buttoning his shirt back up. He stood up, setting his hands on his hips. "But it's nice to finally meet you face to face, Billy- my name's Clark Kent."

The 11-year-old blinked- this wasn't actually happening, was it? Superman was watching over him while Batman bandaged his head?! "Wait," he paused, furrowing his brow in thought. "So those people with you at the table...?"

"Members of the League."

The boy hung his head. "ANd you al just sawme get into a fight. Great."

Mr. Wayne finished wrapping and took a step back to look him over. "You handled yourself well. Got a handle on the excess magic that runs through your body by the looks of it."

"Yeah, well, Constantine is a surprisingly good teacher..." Billy mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose- it was no secret that Batman had a big distaste for the chaotic sorcerer, but Billy thought the man was rather nice. 

"Cut him some slack, Bruce. It's not like you could teach him anything," Clark said with a sly grin, causing the billionaire to roll his eyes as he started buttoning up his suit. "Now come on, we should introduce you to everyone."

"Officially."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Captain Marvel rolled his eyes as Barry meowed at him before snickering. The pair were on their way to the meeting room, and the speedster was currently making fun of the demigod's Halloween costume- which consisted of tiger ears, plastic fangs, and black paint on his nose. 

The taller of the two simply shook his head- Halloween was his favorite holiday, what was he supposed to do, not dress up? Besides, he was 11- he should be trick-or-treating, they were lucky he was even here.

"You know, I think you're just jealous that you can't pull this look off," Cap said, smirking at Barry as they rounded the corner.

The flash snorted, shaking his head before holding the door open for Cap. "Yeah, sure, that's it. Keep telling yourself that big guy."

"Ooh, just for that, I'm not sharing my trick-or-treat treasures with you," Cap replied as he took his seat. Barry gave him a mock gasp, putting his hand over his heart in shock. "Yep- more for me, Barry," the demigod continued with a smirk.

"Low blow, man. Low blow."

"Both of you, let's end this discussion and focus on what this meeting's about, okay?" Superman said, eyeing the pair as Batman stood and brought them to order.

"Right. My sensors have been detecting an increase in magical activity."

"Well, it is Halloween. Magic gets amplified tonight, what with the Harvest moon and all," Cap piped up with a grin. "Like, I got some major juice right now, so it could be nothing."

Batman gave him a look before sighing and continuing. "My sensors also indicated that the magic was dark in nature. It was culminating on Roanoke Island but vanished before I could pinpoint it further." He looked around the room. "I have a feeling that it-"

Cap paused, clutching his chest and gasping. The room turned to look at him, everyone's eyes wide as they stared. It was really unlike him to interrupt. He coughed, eyes wide as a thick green smoke came from the back of his throat. "Wha- wha-" he gagged, gripping the table with one hand and his chest with the other.

Zatanna winced, a hand coming up to grip her head as she coughed up green smoke as well. 

"Captain, are you okay?" Superman asked worriedly. "Zatanna?!"

Marvel could only shake his head and cough up more smoke, which by now was beginning to pool around him. "M-Mag-" he stammered, shoving his chair backward. He couldn't breathe- why couldn't he breathe?! He didn't need air in this form, so why couldn't he breathe?!

The demigod fell to his knees, his arms bracing him as he stared at the floor and continued to hack and cough. Diana and Hal were trying to feet Zatanna on her feet, and the rest of the League members were surrounding him. No one quite sure what to do- he felt a hand on his back and instinct drove him to snarl at the contact, his eyes resting on Barry's outstretched arm.

"Whoa- Cap what- what's-"

He ended up blacking out as the thick green smoke consumed him, his eyes rolling back into his head as he crashed into the floor.

- - -

 When he came to, Cap found himself lying on a cot that had been shoved up against a wall. His head was aching like crazy and the room was way too bright- actually, the more aware he became the more everything became too much.

He winced, gaining the attention of someone- he wasn't sure who it was, only that they smelled familiar.

Wait, smelled familiar?

"I think he's waking up."

"Don't get too close, let Superman check him out. We have not idea if Marvel is still in his right mind or not."

"Come on, Spooky this is Cap we're talking about here."

"Not taking any chances."

The voices... he knew them. They were too loud, but he knew them. He opened an eye to put faces to sounds, finding Superman kneeling down in front of him. He was watching him closely, eyes looking over him as if to check if he were a threat or not. 

"Superman...?" he questioned,  the sound coming out in a low, garbled grumble. In fact, it barely sounded like words. It sounded more like an animal's grumble but--

The Man Of Steel put his arms out placatingly. "Whoa, it's alright, Captain. It's just me."

"I know it's you, Kal..." he said, the words not coming out right again. He winced in pain- his body was sore and aching, and the room felt like it was spinning. "What's going on...?"

Superman gave him a concerned look, glancing over his shoulder at the others before looking back at Cap. "Can you understand me, Captain?"

Marvel nodded once in reply. Why wouldn't he be able to?

"Well, that's good at least. Listen, I don't know what's going on here..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "But we're gonna find a way to fix you, alright?" Captain Marvel furrowed his brow. Fix him? What needed fixing? 

He attempted to sit up, only to find that his body did NOT want to twist that way, and settled for lifting his head. The motion was way easier than it should have been and gave him a view of his hands. He flexed his fingers, only to find large orange paws mimicking his movements.

Hold on.

He paused at the sight, eyes widening a fraction and staring down at the striped paws. That- those weren't his, why were they- He sat up further and stared down at himself, finding a white chest of fur and orange overcoat laden with black stripes covering his body. A thick tail whipped agitatedly behind him, and if panic hadn't been about to set in before, it sure as Hades was now.

His breathing got quick, bright yellow eyes wide as he looked from his body to Superman, back to his body, back to Superman.

WHY WAS HE A MASSIVE TIGER?!?!

"Whoa, whoa, Captain, you gotta stay calm," Superman said, standing up and holding his arms out. Marvel noticed he placed himself between him and the other members of the League, hisa gaze locked on the Captain. "Breathe, okay? Just breathe. We're working on a way to fix this."

Fix this!? There shouldn't have been a this to fix!

"What happened to me?!" Captain Marvel screeched, the sound coming out as a panicked mewl. 

Batman came closer, putting a hand on Superman's shoulder and watching Marvel. "Calm down, Captain. You said something about magic before you blacked out," he said gruffly, but Cap barely registered his words.

He was kind of pre-occupied with the fact that he was a tiger.

His breathing didn't slow, his eyes still wide as he stared at nothing. What if this was permanent? What if he couldn't be a hero anymore? What if he could never be Billy anymore? He had a home to get back to! Freddy and Mary would be waiting for him, and he never came home, they'd-

"Billy!"

The shout of his name brought him back to reality, coming face to face with a de-masked Batman. Bruce Wayne was staring him in the face, inches away from his muzzle, icy blue eyes looking into bright yellow ones. "Billy, you have to get a grip. Panicking isn't going to get you anywhere," he said firmly.

Oddly enough, this was just what he needed. He latched onto the stability of Bruce's voice, managing a small, shaky nod as he tried to control his breathing. His claws dug into the steel of the cot, not that he noticed, as he attempted to calm down.

"Someone get Constantine on the line, now," Bruce growled, turning to glance over his shoulder. He looked back at Billy, his eyes turning softer. "We're gonna fix this. Just stay calm. No one's here to hurt you, Captain."

He nodded again, sitting down on the cot and retracting his claws. He just needed to breathe- this wasn't permanent, it couldn't be, they would fix him- John would fix him. Zatanna appeared in his field of vision, relief flooding over him. She was okay, thank the gods- but why wasn't she an animal too? He could have sworn he'd seen her coughing up the same green smoke as him.

"Guys, there's a problem," she said, looking between the trio. "I can't do magic. None of my powers are working, no matter what I try."

"What? How is that possible?" Clark asked, glancing towards the Dark Knight. He only shook his head in response, opening his mouth to speak when Barry suddenly appeared in the room in a red blur. The speedster looked around before pointing a thumb behind him.

"Monitor is going crazy. We got multiple robberies going on all over the place, crooks are targeting magical artifacts. We have to dispatch."

Batman nodded once, taking off alongside the blonde out of the room. Clark ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Zatanna and Captain Marvel. "Until we can figure out what's going on, stay here. Constantine should be here soon if someone called him just- just stay put."

He took off after Batman, leaving Zatanna and the Captain alone. Billy sighed, laying his head down on his paw with a low grumble. This was just great. Not only was he cursed, but now he was being sidelined cause he couldn't help. He glanced towards Zatanna, who looked really shaken up.

He paused in his musings with let out a small chirp in question. The woman glanced towards him, letting out a shaky breath. "I feel so empty. I- I don't know why my magic isn't working, I don't understand it."

Here Billy was, feeling sorry for himself for becoming some beast, without even thinking how Zatanna must feel. At least he could still feel his magic flowing through him. It was a constant warm thrumming that coursed through his body-- he wasn't sure he remembered how it felt to ever be without it.

She must feel so helpless.

He let out another small sound before standing up and walking over to her. He pawed her leg gently and she kneeled down face to face with him. Billy looked into her eyes- wait, were they always yellow? No, no, of course, they weren't- he furrowed his brow.

Wait, how could whatever curse this was take away her magic but leave him with his? It didn't make any sense.

"I just don't understand..." Zatanna said, reaching out a hand to rub at his fuzzy ears. "I'm sure this was aimed at magic users since only you and I were affected, but- what doesn't make sense is that you became a tiger and I lost my magic."

"Well look at how you're dressed, love," a new voice said from behind them, causing . the pair to tense and whip their heads towards the source.

"John!" Billy said happily, standing up and running towards the man. Constantine raised a brow at him before flicking his wrist. Cap was suddenly caught inside a golden field of magic just before he could tackle the Brit to the ground. "John it's me!" he whimpered.

"Sorry, kid, but I can't handle the weight of a full-grown tiger coming at me at maximum speed,"  he said, dropping him to the ground. The blonde turned his attention towards Zatanna, who was standing now and walking towards him.

"What do you mean what I'm wearing, John?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Constantine smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Love, you're dressed like a stage magician. The spell, whatever it was, obviously targeted that. It's All Hallows Eve for Pete's sake." He glanced towards Cap.  "I'm guessin' the squirt was dressed like a tiger or somethin'."

"Yeah...wait how do you know this, John?"

"Trust me, love, I've dealt with this one before. It's a pain to get rid of on a person by person basis and drains you pretty quickly. We'll have to take it out at the source," John said, glancing between the two. "By the way, where's the rest of your club?"

"They benched us..." Cap grumbled.

John raised an eyebrow. "You understand him?"

Zatanna shook her head. "But the League went out to stop a bunch of magical artifacts from getting stolen."

"Of course- bench the magic users and leave the less powerful blokes to scramble in retaliation," John said with a roll of his eyes, glancing towards Billy. "Come on you two. We gotta find whoever cast the spell and break whatever crystal or gem or of McGuffin he's got that's keepin' this curse in place."

"Wait, hold on, John, if this curse is affecting magic-users, why aren't you being affected?" Zatanna asked. The blonde glanced at her with a smirk, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it before putting it to his lips.

"I'm dressed as John Bloody Constantine. Always am." He flicked his wrist and a large portal opened in the middle of the room. "Now come on. I'm sure that whoever started this mess has figured out your big blue boy scout has an allergy to magic by now."

- - -

The trio appeared in the midst of what could only be described as chaos. The street was alive with mayhem, spontaneous fires taking hold of garbage cans, the sky a sickening green color as bats and demon-like creatures flew through the sky. "The veil between this world and the next is thin tonight. Come on, I have an idea of who pulled this off," John said, dropping his cigarette and smothering it beneath his shoe.

Billy whined softly and followed, ears back as he padded along the street. He hated this- everything felt off. His magic was yelling for him to turn tail and run, that this wasn't right, but if Constantine was telling them to move forward, he'd follow the man.

Suddenly, a large stone gargoyle landed in front of the trio, cracking the asphalt beneath its feet and roaring at them. It snarled at Constantine before moving to pounce on him, only to be tackled to the ground by Cap. The large tiger snarled and dug his claws into the thick stone, eyes flashing gold as light seeped from his claws and moved through the cracks in the stones.

"The hell are you doin' pipsqueak?!" Constantine yelled over the blaring of car alarms, wincing at the sight of one of the gargoyle's arms being ripped out of it socket. "Jesus, kid..."  he mumbled, running a hand down his face when the tiger turned to look at him. 

"Just- come on, let's get to that big bad before your club friends realize we're here," Constantine said with a roll of his eyes.

"I think it's a little late for that, John Constantine," a voice said. The blonde looked towards a disgruntled-looking Superman holding tiger-Cap by his scruff, as one would hold a naughty kitten. He sighed, shoulders dropping as Cap mewled pitifully in the Man of Steel's grip. "What are you all doing here? You could get seriously hurt," he looked down at Cap and glanced at Zatanna.

"And I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with the League," he looked at Constantine. The Kryptonian set Cap down on the street before putting his hands on his hips-- obviously waiting for an explanation as Cap slinked back towards John.

"I don't, big blue, don't worry. I'm just here to fix this mess," the brit jabbed a finger behind him at Zatanna and Captain Marvel. "You blokes have no idea what you're up against, and with two out of your three magic users down, I doubt you can figure it out before this bloody mess becomes permanent."

Superman blinked, brow furrowing in confusion. "Wait, permanent? What do you mean?"

"PERMANENT?!" Cap roared, eyes wide with fear. He couldn't be a tiger forever! He had school! He had Freddy and Mary to get back home to! He was finally in a place in his life where things felt normal... he couldn't be a tiger for the rest of his life!

John glanced back at him before meeting Superman's eyes. "Yes, permanent, you git. All Hallows Eve magic is tricky and breaks all the rules. The veil between worlds is at its thinnest tonight, but once that moon sets, anything that was cast and not reversed becomes permanent."

The Kryptonian looked at Cap, who was busy having a slight panic attack, before looking at Zatanna- who was attempting to console the animal. "Okay- okay. Just- fix them, alright? I don't know what's going on, but obviously you do. So do what you need to."

Constantine smirked before continuing his charge down the cracked street-- Billy and Zatanna followed nervously behind.

They ended up at a laundry mat of all places, Constantine rolling his eyes as he pushed the cracked glass door open. Sitting atop a dryer (that was currently running and causing the man to shake) was Felix Faust, dressed in a long purple robe, a bright green jewel hanging from his neck and currently nursing a bright blue slushie. He blinked at the trio when they walked in before smirking.

"Well well well, lookie who we got here," he said, snorting at the sight of Captain Marvel. "That's ironic," he commented before John was suddenly grabbing the man by his collar and glaring at him. He held him up in one hand and sparked fire in his other, holding the flame in his palm as he stared into the man's now wide eyes.

"That jewel. Gimme."

Felix glanced towards the yellowed clock on the wall and swallowed thickly before looking back at the brit. "And what do I get in return, dear Hellblazer?" he asked before a loud growl from Captain Marvel split the air and made him tense.

John glanced back at him with a smirk, the fire in his palm extinguishing. "You get to not be fed to dear old Cap here," he said, Cap grinning at the game the blonde was playing. He licked his muzzle, eyeing Felix with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

The magician met Constantine's eyes, pulling away slightly from him. "You- you think I'm scared? Captain Marvel's a good guy, he wouldn't kill someone," he said as if just coming to the realization himself. Marvel snarled in response, and Constantine smirked wider.

"I dunno, mate, I think he's more animal than man now," he said, just barely able to hold back laughter as Cap started to pace menacingly. Felix Faust swallowed, meeting the blonde's eyes before looking back at Cap-- who took a swipe at him.

"Ah! Okay! Okay, I'll change them back!" he yelled, scrambling against John's arm in an attempt to get away from the large feline. "Just don't let him eat me!" he said in a panic, eyes wide as he stared at Captain Marvel. The tiger simply growled, baring his large fangs at the magician.

John put him down and he took off the large emerald hanging from his neck, tossing it at the Brit. Constantine took hold of the golden chain it was attached to and slammed it against the asphalt, causing the gem to shatter. "Not a real emerald then," he commented as smoke billowed out from the object. It surrounded Marvel and Zatanna before consuming them-- John pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

He put it to his mouth as the smoke began to dissipate, Zatannastanding where she was and Marvel sitting on the ground, clad in plastic orange ears and coughing. "Good to have you back, pipsqueak," he said, holding out his empty hand for the demigod to grab.

Marvel chuckled, gratefully taking the hand and standing up. "Good to be back..." he muttered, rolling his neck. He looked around, furrowing his brow at the darkness around them. The malicious entities that had surrounded them had vanished, leaving only the torn-up street in their wake.

"Man, I probably missed out on trick or treating..." the man said, his shoulders slumping. "Freddy's gonna rub it in my face just how much candy he got, too," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his barrelled chest.

"Just buy some, mate, and stop your bellyaching," John said with a roll of his eyes, holding out a 20-dollar bill to the raven.

"What?! Aw, heck yeah!" Captain Marvel said excitedly, taking the money. "Thanks, John!" he said before vanishing in a blur.

John shook his head, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "I'm just glad he actually takes the money I offer him nowadays. The tike used to refuse it outright," he said with a shake of his head. Zatanna smirked and shook her head at the man. 

"Well, he did kinda miss out on trick-or-treating. Halloween's his favorite holiday."

"Wish I could say the same-- more of a Saint Patrick's day kind of guy myself. Free pints and all that," the blonde said with a smirk.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"How's that feel?" Bruce asked, sitting on a hard wooden bench outside of a changing stall. The 12-year-old inside the changing stall stayed quiet, causing Bruce to glance towards the door. "Billy?" he asked, standing up and knocking lightly on the door.

"Billy, you alright?"

There was a small sound- a squeak, almost, before the kid sniffled. The door opened, revealing a child with short, messy black hair, bright, intelligent blue eyes, and cheeks tinged pink. Wrapped around his chest was a black binder, compressing his chest so that it looked flat.

Tears were beading in the corner of Billy's eyes as he sniffled again, looking up at Bruce before swallowing thickly. A small smile was on his face and he rubbed at his eye with his palm. "It feels great, Bruce..." he mumbled before his expression crumpled and he hugged the man's waist tightly. Bruce smiled softly, kneeling down so that the kid could hug him properly. Billy buried his face in Bruce's shoulder, gripping his suit fabric tightly.

"I'm glad you like it. Is the color okay? Thought a peach-colored one might work best for now since it's close to your skin tone," Bruce said, pulling back from the boy. Billy nodded, using his fist to wipe away tears.

"It's perfect- everything's perfect." he mumbled, still wiping at his eyes. "It'd be perfect if it was lime green with pink polka dots," he continued with a small chuckle. Bruce smiled softly, ruffling the child's hair.

"Good- now pull on your shirt, we got one more stop to make," he said with a grin. Billy nodded, tugging his bright red shirt over his head and following the billionaire out of the changing room. They left the store after paying and walked out into the mall- a tall, two-story building with a ceiling made of glass and escalators everywhere. 

"So where are we going?" Billy asked, plastic bag full of his old clothes slung over his shoulder.

"You'll see," Bruce said with a knowing grin, to which Billy just furrowed his brow. He continued to follow the larger raven as they went up the escalator and turned a corner- where the elder stopped in his tracks. "Here we are," he said, and Billy looked up. 

The sign was lime green and yellow neon, with the curly words 'Salon' lightning up and flickering. He wasn't sure why they were here- what was a salon for?

"I don' understand."

Bruce kneeled beside the boy, setting a hand on his shoulder. "I know that you cut your hair yourself, Billy. These guys went to school to do that kind of thing," he said with a smirk, bringing a loose patch of longer hairs up for the 12-year-old to see. Billy blushed brightly. 

"Come on," he continued, guiding the smaller raven inside. 

They stood in the doorway for only a moment before a man with sleek red hair in a dark blue v neck came over to them. "Howdy folks, how are you doing today?" he asked, directing hiis question towards Bruce.

"Just fine, thank you. We need a haircut," he said, moving Billy forwards slightly. The red-haired man glanced down at Billy and paled, eyes widening slightly. 

"Oh sweetheart, yes you do. Come on, let's get that head of yours washed, hm?" he said, holding out his hand for Billy to take. "My name's Adon, by the way," he said with a grin. Billy smiled toothlessly and took the hand, allowing the stylist to lead him into the store.

Bruce followed behind from a distance, allowing the two to strike up a conversation. "So what's your name, dear?" Adon asked as he helped Billy into a chair in front of a sink.

"Mar- Billy..." the small boy said shyly, averting his eyes. Adon glanced at him, his eyes turning soft before a warm smile appeared on his face.

"Is that a name you chose?" he asked softly as he started to wet Billy's hair and lather soap into it. Billy nodded slightly. "Well, it suits you very nicely, Billy. Always better to be comfortable in your own skin than to be uncomfortable for someone else's sake, I always say," he said, continuing to wash the black locks.

"You don' mind?" Billy asked, glancing up at the red-haired man. 

"What? Dear, of course not! It's your name, your life- it doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks of you. Though, William sounds much more refined than Billy," he said with a wink, getting a small snort from Bruce. 

"That's what the butler said too," he commented, looking through a magazine he'd found on a nearby table. 

Billy grinned. "Alfred helped me pick it out," he said happily. "He said it was a name I could grow into." 

"And it very much is, Billy," Adon said, wrapping the boy's head in a towel. Now, why don't you go sit over there and we'll fix what you've got going on up top, hm?"

- - -

"What do you think Jason'll say?" Billy asked as he and Bruce climbed into the backseat of the limo. Alfred nodded to them in the mirror with a smile as they started off.

"I think he'll be proud of you, Billy. Proud of you for being brave enough to be yourself," Bruce said, leaning back in his seat. The small boy grinned widely, bouncing in his own seat as he watched the cityscape pass him by. 

He never thought his life would end up like this- in the back seat of a limo with Mr. Wayne, Batman of all people, being someone he actually wanted to be. He'd been born as Mary Batson, daughter of the famous archeologists C.C. and Marilyn Batson, but it'd never been something that'd been truly him. When his parents died, he'd only been 7,  and had jumped from foster home to foster home before falling through the cracks completely. 

When he'd gotten his powers, along with a muscular, magical form that made him feel complete, made him feel more like himself than he'd ever felt before, he'd been determined to be more like this as his mortal self. Sure, he may not have the muscles, but he could still be the scrappy little boy he preferred to be rather than the little girl who was supposed to act a certain way, say certain things, and look a certain way.

Becoming Captain Marvel had sparked something in him that he realized had always been there. He was just thankful that Bruce had eventually taken him in, and more importantly, supported him in this.

The limo pulled up to Wayne Manor, the place he'd been living for the past week already, and Billy was already bouncing in his seat. Jason, the second oldest and one of the 2 sons living in the manor currently, (the other was Dick Grayson) had discovered the small raven on the floor of his bedroom, scissors in his hands and tears in his eyes as he cut half-hazardly at his shoulder-length hair. 

The 15-year-old had scooped him up in his arms and let him cry into his frame, hushing him softly and holding him for what felt like years. Afterward, he'd sent the boy off with Bruce to get the things he really needed to get done- which seemed to be hair and clothes. 

Billy slid off the seat when Alfred opened the limo door for him, his sneakers touching the pavement in front of the manor with a thud. He glanced back at Bruce, who followed him out and shut the car door behind them. "Why don't we go show Jason and Dick your new look, hm?" he asked, glancing down at the 12-year-old. 

The boy nodded with a wide smile, following his caretaker up the front steps and into the large manor. As soon as he was inside, he was tackled to the floor by a large mass, slobber coating his face and making him giggle.

"Titus no!!" he heard a voice call out, and the large mass, who he now realized was the Great Dane Titus, was heaved off of him. The ravne sat up and wiped the drool off his cheek with another giggle and found Jason trying to wrestle with the large grey dog on the carpet.

The dog won in the end, plopping his butt down onto Jason's chest and pinning him there. "Okay, well that's just not fair," the 15-year-old said with a roll of his eyes, glancing towards Billy. "Billy! Dude you look amazing! Thank god they fixed your hair..." he said with a smile, sitting up and shoving the dog off of him.

Billy grinned even wider when the 15-year-old opened his arms and allowed Billy his turn to tackle him onto the floor. Titus started barking eagerly, bounding around the pair as Billy dug his forehead into Jason's small chest. "Thank you, Jason..." he mumbled as the elder sat up with the boy in his lap.

"Of course, little dude. I'm just glad you're happy," he said before pulling the boy into a headlock. "No more tears from you, alright kid? Or I'll call in the big guns," he said with a noogie to the smaller raven's head.

"Big guns?" 

"He means ME!" another voice said, causing the pair to look up at the top of the grand staircase and see Dick, clad in full Nightwing gear, sliding down the railing with a laugh. He got to the end and flipped off of it, landing on his feet and barrelling towards the pair. 

The boys let out a scream as the eldest raven tackled them, swooping them up into a bear hug and twirling them around. "They like to say that I don't have any powers, but that's not true you see! I can sense when my little brothers are despairing within a 500-mile radius!" he said with a laugh, getting a groan from Jason and a fit of giggles from Billy.

"Alright, alright, put em down, Dick. You have a patrol to do, I take it?" Bruce asked with a quirk of a smile and a raised brow. 

"Oh right- Yeah, Blüdhaven's havin' some trouble and I thought i'd go check it out," he said, setting the boys back down on the floor. "Lovin' the haircut though, Billy," he said, ruffling the kid's hair before taking off.

Jason rolled his eyes with a chuckle, allowing Billy to help him up off the carpet. "That's Dick for ya. Way too much energy and nowhere to put it." He glanced down at the 12-year-old before grinning. "Come on, the PlayStation is callin' our names and I don't think you have a profile made yet."

Billy smiled softly to himself as he started to follow Jason up the stairs, listening to him ramble on about the games he had and what they would play. He glanced back down at Bruce, who gave the kid a thumbs up and a grin.

Maybe this would work out after all.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Billy sat down on the old, worn down couch sitting in the living room of his abandoned apartment, scooching into the torn grey fabric with a plastic fork in one hand and a styrofoam cup of ramen in the other. He folded his legs beneath him, smiling to himself and the luck he'd had in managing to score a warm cup of ramen that evening.

A cold breeze blew through the cracks in the window, making the boy shy away from the cold and hug his food tighter to his body. It was September, which meant colder weather and the sun going down earlier. When he was little, he used to love cold weather- jumping in piles of leaves, playing in the snow, hot cocoa on a chilly night...

Now it just added another risk to his already dangerous life. It felt like he was always worrying about insulating his home or trying to find warm clothing and food- not fun when you lived on the streets. 

The wind quieted down, allowing the 12-year-old to focus on the warm food still steaming in his hands. He smiled down at it, jabbing his fork into the noodles and bringing it to his mouth. A sudden rapping at the door made him flinch, grip tightening on the styrofoam cup as his fork fell into the mixture.

Billy furrowed his brow, staring at the door in confusion. There weren't many people living in this building, only an elderly man and a quiet younger man, and they never bothered him. Maybe someone was checking to see it the place was empty so they could crash there?

Billy set his cup of noodles down on the couch and slid off the edge, padding over quietly to the door to stare through a crack in the wall.

He could tell it was a man by the pants, which were all he could see through the crack, and what looked like a businessman at that- the pants looked pressed and clean. They were a dark fabric and fit the man nicely; so it was likely someone who could afford a tailored suit. 

That didn't explain why this businessman was here though; this was the last place he'd think to see someone like this guy. Billy swallowed thickly and grabbed the door handle, creaking it open slowly and peeking through. "Uhm, I'm sorry, but this place is ta-" the words died on his mouth at the sight of Bruce standing in the doorway, eyebrow quirked.

"Mr. Wayne- what- what're you-" Billy stammered, opening the door wider and furrowing his brow in confusion. "I don' understand."

"Billy, how many times have I told you to call me Bruce?" the billionaire asked with a tilt of his head, coming inside the shabby apartment and closing the old door behind him. Billy rubbed the back of his neck and glanced to the side. It was too many times to count- but it still felt wrong to call him by his first name.

Sure, they worked together on a daily basis, but Bats- er, Bruce, was still his superior.

The man smirked- that always threw Billy for a loop. There was such a disconnect from Batman and Bruce Wayne- one was dark and gruff, no-nonsense and critical, and the other was a father of four that liked to ruffle Billy's hair and try to get him to come live with him by promising him Alfred's cookies.

"I'm teasing, Billy," he said, pulling out a plastic sack from behind him. "Here," he said, only to get a look from Billy.

"Mr. Wayne, I told you i-"

"Just take the bag, Billy."

The 12-year-old grabbed the plastic bag from the billionaire and looked inside- clothing like he'd suspected, but there was something off about it. For one, the clothing was way too big for him by the looks of it. The black sweater and what Billy assumed was jeans looked like they'd fit Superman better than they'd fit him. Billy glanced up at the billionaire in confusion, and only got a wry grin in return.

"You remember yesterday's meeting?" he asked as Billy set the clothes down on the floor. He nodded slowly, thinking back on the conversations of the meeting.

Something about what they were going to start doing with goons, something about repairs that needed to be made to the Watchtower, all normal stuff. What did this have to do with the clothes?

"Mandatory team enrichment. Emphasis on the mandatory part." Bruce said, glancing around the place. "Clark's requiring that we come in civilian clothing, and I'm sure you don't have anything that fits the Captain," he said with a grin. 

Billy rubbed the back of his neck. "No, but I- I don' understand."

Bruce sighed. "Do you want the others to know your identity yet?"

"No..."

"Then take the clothes, and wear them on Friday. Movie night in the Watchtower. No skipping out, got it?"

"Wha...?"

"It was Clark's idea."

- - -

Cap stared at himself in the cracked mirror in his apartment, eyeing the puffy black 'Gotham Academy' sweater pulled over his uniform. His golden braces poked through the edges of his sleeves, the metal glinting in the low light. The top of his uniform poked through as well, bright red material practically glowing against the dark fabric of the sweatshirt.

He glanced down at the faded jeans that had been an absolute nightmare to fit his boots through, but since his cape was the only thing Cap had been able to figure out how to take off, he'd sucked it up and managed to get them through....after 20 minutes. 

Thick plastic and metal felt heavy in his hand as he glanced down at the fake glasses that had also been in the bag, the demigod lifting them to his face and pushing them up the bridge of his nose. The rims were wide and felt strange, edging on the corners of his vision. like that. He'd never even tried glasses on before, so this- this felt weird. He looked at himself in the mirror and tried a nervous smile.

A buzz in the back of his head that Cap recognized as Solomon told him he looked like a tired grad student in this get-up and he agreed with him- even though he wasn't really sure what a grad student was. 

The demigod ran a hand through his hair and let out a puff of air- was he really gonna do this? He'd never really joined the League before on their "team enrichment" meetings. He chuckled slightly at the term- they should just call it what it was- hangin' out. Still, He'd never joined not just because he didn't have casual clothes for this form.

Sure, he'd always been invited, sometimes even by name- but he'd always managed to get out of pizza night or going to a bar, or whatever it was that Hal referred to when he talked about 'getting some'. He never really felt like he deserved to be there; it wasn't like he was some important member like Flash or Diana.

He was just... Cap. 

The guy that got on people's nerves.

The demigod sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly. "Maybe- maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe I should just- say something came up. You think I can use Sivanna as an excuse again?" A sharp pain in his temple told him no, he couldn't do that.

"Okay, okay, ow- fine. I'll- I'll go. But I'm not promising to stay for long," he said, the pain fading from his head. Marvel rolled his eyes at the pseudo-god in his head. "Drama Queen."

- - -

Captain Marvel felt his nerves fraying when the Zeta Beam finally let him into the Watchtower. He felt betrayed, honestly, since Achilles really seemed to be lacking with the whole courage thing right now. He attempted to shake the thing off, messing with the rim of the fake glasses before pulling them off and glancing down at them in frustration. 

"How do people wear these things?" he muttered to himself before shoving them into the kangaroo pocket of the sweater with a huff. 

"They're not that bad," a gruff voice said from behind him, spooking the demigod and making him jump.

"Gah! Wha-" he turned to find Bruce standing behind him, in a black turtleneck of all things. "Bat- uh- Mr. Wayne," he said nervously, and yeah, this whole thing just hit a new level of weird. Calling Bruce by his real name felt even weirder in this form than it did as Billy.

"Relax, Billy. It'll be fine," Bruce said reassuringly, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Though uh, I didn't think you'd be wearing your suit underneath the clothes I gave you."

Cap blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Oh- uh, yeah, the suit doesn't really...come off. Package deal..." he said, dropping his gaze.

"Ah, I understand," Bruce said, dropping his hand. "Come on, the others are probably already here." he said, taking the lead down the hall. 

Well, no chance of changing his mind now. Cap followed Bruce closely, chewing on his bottom lip. They passed a couple of heroes still in uniform, and the pair ignored Bruce in favor of staring at him- the demigod felt his cheeks heat up and dropped his head. "This- this feels so weird," he said as he followed Bruce.

"Relax, Billy. Everything'll be alright."

"If you say so."

Batman paused in his step, only to continue walking not a second later. "That reminds me- what do you want me to call you around everyone? Billy isn't really a grown-up name."

"But it's my...name..."

"Well, technically, you're name's William. There's a lot of variations of that."

"Like what?"

"Well, there's Bill, Will, Billy, Liam, Wiley..." Bruce trailed off, glancing back at Cap with a smirk. "We'll go with Bill, okay? Make things simple," he said with a wink. Marvel nodded, a small smile gracing his face.

That was what his dad used to call him.

Soon enough, the pair had reached a room that Cap didn't recognize. It had a double metallic sliding door, but it was tucked away in a corner of the Watchtower he was pretty sure he'd never been in. The doors slid open when the pair got close to them, revealing a large room with a dip in the floor full of pillows and blankets (Solomon told him it was something called a 'conversation pit' in front of a massive movie screen.

Now, Billy hadn't been to a movie since he was four, but he was pretty sure that it was bigger than a normal movie screen. He glanced at Batman, who simply smirked at him, before taking a look around the rest of the room. There was a kitchenette, a pool table, a bar by the looks of it, and he was almost positive there was more stuff tucked away around the corner.

"Holy Moley," he muttered, glancing around the room before realizing that he and Bruce weren't alone. The rest of the core league members- that being Diana, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Black Canary were sitting in the 'conversation pit' and watching them with slightly widened eyes.

Flash- at least he assumed it was Flash- sped over to hang off his shoulder. 

He gave him a low whistle, looking him up and down before running a hand through his bright blonde hair. "You...are not good at passing for a civilian, Cap," he said, knocking on the golden bracers poking out of his sleeve. "Come on, big guy- it's supposed to be no capes."

Cap furrowed his brow. "But I don' have my cape on."

"Yeah, but the rest of it ain't supposed to be there either, Sir zaps-a-lot," Flash said with a smirk. The man was expressive while in costume, but Marvel had never realized just how much he moved his face when he talked. 

Hal rolled his eyes and stood up, walking over to the pair and prying Flash off the demigod. "You have got to work on your manners, Barry."

"Your name's Barry?" Cap asked, tilting his head slightly in question. Flash smirked and nodded excitedly.

"Yessir- Barry Allen, fastest man alive," he said with a grin before posing. "But turning the conversation on me isn't gonna get you out of this mister- Why're you pullin' a Superman? If he can't do it on movie night, neither can you," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at the demigod with a grin.

"I uh- w-well-" Cap stammered, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. "My- my suit doesn't really...come off," he said, meeting the speedster's remarkably blue eyes nervously. "It's uh... part of the whole Champion package."

"Oh- uh, my bad, man. You...really don't got a civilian life, huh..." Barry asked, his face suddenly growing sad. "I'm sorry."

"Alright, enough with the 20 questions, Flash," Bruce said, giving the man a look before shaking his head when the speedster took off back towards his spot in the pit. He turned towards Cap and pat his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Why don't you go say hi?"

Cap nodded, turning towards where the other members were and walking toward it. He came around the edge of what looked like a couch that had been dragged into the pit, and gave a little wave. "Hey guys..."

"Hey Captain- sit down, we can make room," a man with curly black hair and glasses said- he could only assume this was Superman; the glasses on his face didn't really do anything to change his facial structure.

"Thanks, Superman."

The Man of Steel smirked. "Well, Diana owes me twenty dollars," he said with a smirk towards the Amazonian, "And call me Clark. Clark Kent," he reached over Barry and Hal to shake the demigod's hand. 

Cap smiled softly and sat down, only to be pelted in the back of his head by something soft. He brought a hand to his head reflexively and glanced back, finding a blonde man with a goatee behind him, holding a bowl in one arm and a single piece of popcorn, ready to be flicked, in the other. 

"Alright, you brick wall- whoa, Cap? I didn't know you came to these things," the man said, a smirk appearing on his face.

"I uh- well, this is my first time, actually," he replied nervously. "Oh but I can move, uhhh..." he shook his head. "Sorry. I don't know who you are out of costume," he said, scrambling up. A lady with thick blonde hair came up behind the blonde man and smacked him upside the head before looking towards Cap. 

"This is Oliver- Green Arrow," she said, jutting her hip out to the side. "I'm Black Canary, but my friends call me Dinah. And don't worry about getting up, Captain. Ollie's just being a drama queen," she said, pecking him on the cheek before flicking his ear.

The archer glared at her before sighing. "Yeah, I'll find somewhere else, no big," he said with a small grin.

Cap was still moving however- anxiety was getting the better of him by this point. He'd stolen Green Arrow's seat, upset Flash- maybe he shouldn't have come--

A sudden hand gripping his shoulder tightly brought him out of his thoughts, finding Bruce holding onto him. He glanced at the billionaire, and the man gave him a look. "Bill, it's okay. No one's upset," he said, with the authority yet warmth in his voice that had the demigod's anxious fog vanish into thin air.

He swallowed thickly and nodded, sitting back down on the couch.

"Wait, Bill? You're name's Bill?" Barry asked with wide eyes. "That is- that's like the most white bread, accountant-esque name I've ever heard!" he said with a grin. "Wait, is it short for William? Can I call you Willy?" he gasped. "Can I call you Billiam???" he asked in a rapid-fire, which had the demigod chuckling. 

"You know, that's what I always thought of the name 'William'. But uh, yeah, you can call me whatever you like. Cap or Will, or uhh.. I think Mr. Wayne said that Liam was another version of the name..." he trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip in thought.

Flash grinned brightly, glancing at Hal, only for the man to roll his eyes and shake his head. "I'm going with Bilson, I hope you know," he said with a smirk.

Cap chuckled, a smile spreading across his face. "Didn't know that was an option."

"I'm gonna keep callin' him brick wall- suits ya," Oliver said with a smirk from his place among a pile of pillows, Dinah snuggled up beside him. Cap nodded once in agreement. 

"That's fair."

"If we're coming up with variations, I'll stick with Bill," Superman said with a warm grin, leaning against the frame of the couch. Diana smirked at the man beside her before meeting the Captain's eyes. 

"Wilhelm."

"Why do I feel like this is becoming a contest of some kind?" Cap asked with a smirk, looking around the group of collective superheroes. Batman sat down beside him, glancing at him before opening a book he must have pulled from some kind of void, cause he was sure he hadn't had that on him when they'd first walked in.

"If that's the case, I'll call you Billy."

Well, if it was a contest, Bruce would have just won. The demigod smiled at him, only to get a smirk in response. "So uh- I was told this was a movie thing," he said, looking around the room. Barry was up in an instant, blurring to another room before appearing in the middle of all of them with a stack of movies.

"Sure is, Cap-i-tan. We just gotta choose one."

"Ooh- horror movie, I am totally down to be scared out of my pants by Jason or Freddy," Oliver said before Dinah stole a piece of popcorn from him. "Hey!"

"Nah- we did horror last time," Flash replied, digging through the massive stack he'd brought out.

"What about a romantic comedy? Just Like Heaven is a good one," Superman suggested, only to get a face from Flash.

"With the number of times you offer up a movie that has Mark Ruffalo in it, I'm startin' to think you got a crush on the guy, Supes," Barry said with a chuckle. "Besides, do we wanna have them two start making out halfway through again? No thank you..." the blonde replied with a jab of the thumb towards Oliver.

"Ooh- we could do an action movie," he said, glancing around the room. "We got Die Hard, Terminator, Fast and Furious..."

"Barry, our lives are an action movie," Diana said with a smirk.

"Sci-fi! Let's do sci-fi!" Hal said excitedly, sitting up in his seat.

"Hal, you always suggest sci-fi."

Yeah, and how often do we actually watch sci-fi? Play Back To The Future!" the brunet said excitedly, a wide smile on his face.

Barry rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Cap? Back to the Future or something better, like an action movie?" he asked, glancing towards the demigod.

The raven in question froze- he had been happy just to be there, he wasn't expecting to actually be included in the conversation! He had no idea what any of these movies were- the last time he'd seen a movie had been when he was like, five! 

"I uh... what's... what's Back To The Future about?"

The room went silent.

"That's funny Cap," Barry said, still looking through the movies. When the demigod didn't say anything else, the blonde looked up at him. "Good God, you're serious." 

Billy felt his cheeks heat up. "Sorry..."

"Don't be- we just have to fix this situation immediately," Barry said, pulling out three different movie cases. "Got all three parts right here."

Hal grinned, practically vibrating in his seat- Barry gave him a look. "Don't think this is a win, Hal. I'm doing this because our dear Captain is woefully ignorant about important media," he said with a glare towards the Lantern.

Cap swallowed thickly, glancing around the room as Flash sped about, flicking off the lights, distributing blankets and pillows, and finally, plopping down between Billy and Hal- and resting his head on the demigod's shoulder. "Ooh, you're a soft one, Billiam," he said offhandedly as. credits began to roll. 

The speedster was surprisingly soft, and the touch was nice- he just noticed that Bruce had kept his leg touching Billy's this entire time- grounding him without realizing it. a soft smile graced his face in the darkness as he settled back against the couch.

He'd have to come to the next one of these things.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

If he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure how it had gotten to this point. Currently, the demigod was sitting on the edge of a roof in Gotham, Harley Quinn of all people sitting beside him. They had Slurpees in their hands and were watching the sunset-- the evening was a quiet one, clouds in the sky parting to allow them a glimpse of the oh-so-rare sunlight in this bleak city.

The warm light cast long shadows over Gotham and painted the upper atmosphere in a menagerie of pinks and blues, as if Olympus itself had decided to split the skies and give mere mortals a glimpse of the heavenly light.

Captain Marvel glanced at the blonde former psychiatrist beside him, his shoulders slumping slightly at the sight of tears in her eyes, glistening in the evening sun.

She leaned against his muscular arm, slurping on the bright red straw that stuck out of her purple drink. A sigh escaped her mouth when her lips parted from the straw, eyes glued to the horizon and the coast that bordered the gothic city. "Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like if I'd just kept on bein' a boring old psychiatrist," she said suddenly, keeping her eyes on the mixture of colored that pigmented the sky.

"Sometimes, when I'm feelin' real down, I think to myself that I'm just at the mercy of whatever floating nutcase in the sky is havin' a bad day. With all that's been happenin' with Joker and Ivy... I just..." the blonde trailed over, putting her lips back on the crimson straw. "I dunno. I just think that- it might be better if I'd never met Joker. If I'd managed to resist him."

"But then other times..." she continued, nestling up closer to him and swirling her frozen drink as he took a sip of his. "I think this life I got ain't so bad, ya know? Sure, there's the lyin' and the cheatin' and the killin' and the back stabbin'-" Captain Marvel gave her a look. She cleared her throat and swirled her drink with slightly more concentration. "But there's this rush that it gives me. More of a rush than any ol' normal job could."

She stayed quiet for a moment, taking a drink of her Slurpee as cotton candy-colored clouds sailed over their heads. Her grip tightened on her cup, black and red nails digging into the thin plastic.

"Ah what am I sayin'... I ain't in charge of this life of mine- them douchebags in the sky are. I'm just along for the ride, right?" she asked, looking up at him. Cornflower eyes mirrored one another, and Marvel felt his heart ache for the woman as he glanced away.

Sure, she was still a criminal, a person who had done plenty of evil, horrible things, but she was still a person. A deeply flawed person who was hurting, just like anyone else.

The raven set his white plastic cup down on the edge of the roof and looked down at the blonde that only came up to his chest. "Harley," he started, clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck. She pulled her eyes from the sky to look at him again, drawing the straw from her mouth and setting her own cup down on the edge.

"Look, I know I'm not the be-all-end-all on things like this. Half the time I feel like a kid just playing superhero," he said, looking back towards the setting sun. She followed his gaze, and let let out a sigh. "But...well, I know this."

"Know...what?"

"I know that you're a good person, deep down. I know that you've made mistakes, that you've done things you regret, things that, if you had the chance, you would go back in time and keep yourself from doing them. Harley I know, that you are someone who's just...flawed. But I mean, you've made progress. You've come so far from where you were last year- Hell, where you were last month."

She stayed quiet, soft blue eyes staring up at him. He scratched at his neck and looked up at the heavens above. "You started out a murderous psychopath, a loyal pet to the Joker, who's probably the worst person in Gotham. He messed you up in more ways than one. I know that you're a smart lady, Harley, you're a doctor for Zeus's sake. You just- you just got misled." he swallowed thickly, gripping the edge of the roof tightly.

"You went down the wrong path and ended up paying the price for that." The multicolored sky reflected in the demigod's eyes. "But people can change."

Captain Marvel took her hand in his, looking down into the woman's eyes. "Harley, everything in your life is a reflection of a choice that you once made," he said, determination sparking in his eyes. "If you want different results, you just have to make different choices."

"There's no God that has dominion over your life. Your destiny is your own, something that only you can be responsible for. I know that you have the power to change your situation. You've already started and you've come so far. Sure, things are crazy- but the world we live in is full of people making choices. I'll be here for you, no matter what- and hopefully, you'll make the right ones."

The raven saw tears spring in the corners of the criminal's eyes, and his own widened. "Wait, no, Harley I didn't mean to-"

She slugged him in the arm with a shaky breath before grabbing it and hugging him tightly. "Shuddup, you big lug," she said, burying her face into his costumed-arm. "No wonder they call you the big red cheese," she said, her voice muffled. She pulled back and rubbed at one of her eyes, wiping the tears away.

"Aw look, now you got my make-up runnin'," she said with a chuckle, earning a small smile from the demigod.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly, only to get another punch to the arm from the blonde.

"Don't be, Shazzy. That's...somethin' I really needed to hear," she said, continuing to rub at her eyes. "It's hard to be a good guy when no one believes you can be, right?" she said with a smirk. "Even if bein' a bad guy's way more fun," she continued, sticking her tongue out at him and moving to pick up her cup and finding it tipped over, the purple contents dripping off the edge of the roof.

"Great," she deadpanned, glancing towards Captain Marvel's Slurpee with a smirk. Cap could see the cogs turning inside her head and his eyes widened.

"Oh no you don't-" he started, grabbing hold of his drink, lifting it just out of her reach, and giving her a look.

She groaned, slumping over slightly. "Fiiiiiiine- you got the red one anyways, that one's the worst."

"You literally mixed all of the flavors, including red, Harley."

"Red by itself is boring."

Captain Marvel chuckled and shook his head at her, taking a sip of his drink before setting it back down on the edge of the roof on the side opposite of the blonde. 

"In all seriousness, Cap, thank you. For everythin'. I mean- sure, Bats' has tried talkin' to me in the past, but we've never just...hung out like you and me do. I know he's got some kind of faith in me, but you know Bats, never says it out loud," Harley said, pulling her legs close to her body and sitting cross-legged. She glanced back out towards the horizon, letting out a breath.

"Ya know, I think this is gonna be a new chapter for me," Harley said, a smile playing at the edges of her lips. "Though, now that I think about it, there's one major good thing that came out be goin' bad," she said, getting a furrowed brow from the Captain.

"Hear me out," she said, glancing up at him with her hands spread out placatingly. She dropped them into her lap and leaned her head back against his upper arm. "I never woulda met you if i'd a never gone bad," she said, closing her eyes. "I'm thankful for ya, big guy. You and Ivy- and Bats, I guess. You guys keep me straight- relatively speakin'."

Captain Marvel smiled and moved his arm to bring her into a side hug. "Funny enough Harley, I'm glad I met you too."

The blonde glanced up at him, staring into his eyes with a narrowed gaze. After a moment, her gaze softened, and she leaned into the hug. "Well, that's nice to hear."

"So what'd'ya say we go rob a bank?"

"Seriously, Harley?"

"Hey! It was worth a shot."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

“No! I’m completely serious! She one hundred percent flipped her lid!”

“Total boomer moment.”

“Dude that sucks…”

Captain Marvel’s laugh echoed through the mess hall, his shoulders bouncing as he threw his head back. His smile was wide and his body was much more open than normal. He leaned against the table slightly as Firestorm continued to rant about an experience he had had at work, causing the demigod to snort unexpectedly.

Cyborg and Firestorm looked at him, glanced at one another, and howled with laughter, causing the demigod to erupt as well. The demigod wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. “Oh my gods..” He muttered before laughing again.

It was strange how close the man was to two heroes that were probably half his age, but the trio had grown very close in a very short amount of time.

Cap rolled his eyes as Victor jabbed at him for his laugh, swirling his cup before taking a sip.

This just made Victor laugh harder. He glanced down at his cup before shaking his head. He swirled it dramatically this time before taking a sip and releasing a gasp breath. The demigod put his fingers together in a point before flicking his wrist at the other two.

“Heres,” two flicks. “The mother fuckin’,” two more flicks. “Tea,” he said before the entire table erupted in laughter.

Wait, had Cap just cussed?

“Hey, why doesn’t Cap act like that around us?” Barry asked, watching the demigod from his spot at a large circular table with other founding members of the League. He took a sip from his drink and tilted his head in confusion when the Captain lit up like a Christmas tree before attempting to reach over the table and smack Firestorm with a wide smile.

Hal glanced towards the demigod before putting a forkful of lettuce into his mouth with a shrug. “Didn’t realize he was acting any different,” he said, turning his attention back towards his salad.

Captain Marvel started talking animatedly about something and Victor smacked a had over his mouth to keep himself from laughing too loud. Barry furrowed his brow when Cap laughed- he was so open, so exposed. He was never like that with the rest of them.

What was it about Firestorm and Cyborg that got the man to open up like that?

“You know what, you may be verified on Twitter, but are you verified in the eyes of God?” Victor suddenly asked the younger man, only to have him dramatically gasp and give the broader man a look of betrayal.

“You think I’m verified on twitter?”

Cap shook his head, running a hand over his face in disappointment. “Why do I hang out with you guys…”

Firestorm just smirked before fist-bumping Cyborg.

Barry wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the man be the responsible-looking one out of the group.

“Oh actually, have you heard Sage’s new album? It’s, like, actually legit,” he hard Cap said, which confused the speedster even further than he already was. Barry glanced back at some of the others around the table and found Superman watching the demigod with a confused expression as well.

Cap pulled a cellphone out of nowhere- wait, he knew how to use a cellphone? And started flicking through it before setting the device in the middle of the table and grinning at the other two. He said something else while the phone played a song softly, causing Firestorm’s eyes to widen.

“You did NOT.” He yelled, only to glance around when every hero in the room looked at them and sat with a nervous look. Cap and Cyborg with trying their best not to crack up, and were failing miserably.

“Yo, Supes, what are they talking about?” Barry asked, looking towards the Kryptonian. By this point, even Bats, who hardly ever joined them for lunch, was paying attention.

“They’re uh, talking about a musician,” Superman said, poking his food with his fork. “It’s not really our business.”

Barry rolled his eyes, nudging Hal with a smirk. “Which one you think it is? What musician could they all possibly have in common?”

Captain Marvel was beaming by this point, chest puffed out in pride. Cyborg shook his head at him, while Firestorm was jabbering about how he should take them to meet the guy.

“Uh- apparently this musician came to a station of some kind, and Captain Marvel interviewed him.”

“Wait, Cap’s a reporter?” Hal asked, raising a brow at the Kryptonian.

“And he says you two aren’t alike,” Oliver added with a shake of his head, not pulling his eyes from his phone.

“Wait, he does?” Superman asked with a furrowed brow.

Firestorm was suddenly on his feet, followed by Cyborg. “He’s still there!?”

“Man, why didn’t you lead with that?!” Victor asked with a grin.

“He’s not gonna wanna talk to a bunch of teenagers,” Cap said with a rolled his eyes, completely unaware of an entire table full of heroes now watching the trio. This did nothing to dissuade Firestorm, however, who was practically vibrating in excitement.

“Yeah, but he might wanna talk to a trio of superheroes,” Firestorm said with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Come on, B, it’ll be fun,” Victor said with a nudge.

“Yeah, come on, Wilson…I’ll give you my tips for a week,” Firestorm asked, floating in front of the demigod his head hands clasped together.

“What have I told you about that?” Cap suddenly said, standing up and glaring at the smaller man. Firestorm put up his hands in surrender, dropping to the floor with a hesitant apology.

“They know his civilian name,” Bruce said, watching the trio continue to talk. “His identity.”

The other core members glanced back at him before looking towards the demigod. Cap sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Two weeks,” he said with a smirk- something the group had never seen him do. Firestorm lit up, nodding excitedly.

Barry continued watching them, even though the rest of the table had begun to tune them out (with the exception of Batman.) He watched Cap smile, and couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy that sparked in him that said Cap was more comfortable with them than he was with his usual teammates.

Firestorm babbled excitedly before getting up and floating a few feet off the air and bolted out of the room, leaving a trail of flames in his wake.

“Stop quoting vines, Firestorm!” Cap yelled after him before giving chase. Cyborg sighed, shaking his head at the pair before following suit.

There was an echoed “ADAM!” From down the hall before a smack could be heard.

- - -

The mission had been a long one, and had taken a lot out of everybody. Even Superman was exhausted, his suit with multiple tears and scratches in it and hair disheveled. Not only had it been hard, but it had been a long one too— the league had been in deep space for over a week, not to mention the time it had taken to get there and get back.

No one wanted to do mission reports, especially since everyone wanted a chance to go home and sleep. Hal had a raging headache coming on, and he really didn’t want to be up here for longer than he needed to be.

One person who looked to be in better spirits than most was Captain Marvel, who had been one of the first off the ship and was currently talking with one of the newest members of the League- Mary Marvel. It was obvious there was some connection between the two, what with the nearly identical uniforms, but whether she was his partner or sidekick was what nobody could figure out.

Some people assumed they were dating, maybe even married, but Hal wasn’t so sure. The pair didn’t act like a couple, not like Dinah and Oliver did at least- no, they acted more like siblings or cousins. Hal stole another glance towards the pair, just in time to see Mary sock the much bigger man in the arm before hugging him tightly.

Oh yeah, definitely siblings.

The pair were some of the only people talking, so the brunet couldn’t help but focus in on their conversation.

“Fred was worried about you,” she said, causing the man to rub the back of his neck. 

Fred? Maybe he was Cap's nephew or something- Hal couldn't see the man having kids, as good as he might be with them. Hell, the big guy was practically a kid himself, innocent and bright as he was.

“When isn’t he?”

“It wasn’t just him, B. We all were. Darla had nightmares that you weren’t gonna come back, and Victor stayed up every night until I was done with the rounds.”

Damn, more names? Did Cap's sister have kids? He didn't know her all that well, but he could see her as a mom if he squinted. Maybe they were cousins or something? Pets? Hal wasn't sure.

“Mary, I- none of us knew it would take this long.”

“I know, that’s what I told them. Just-“ she sighed. “Expect them not to let you go when you get home. And…he may not have shown it, but I think Fred was more worried than any of us.”

"I'll have to make it up to him then," Cap replied, and Mary smiled softly up at him.

She hugged him again, squeezing his neck tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, a mask that Hal hadn’t even realized the demigod had been wearing starting to crack. “I’m so tired…” Cap muttered, his face falling from its usual cheery to one of exhaustion. "I cannot wait to go home, but I still got stuff to do up here," he said, pulling back from the woman.

“I gotta give a report and whatnot, but then I’ll be there,” He said, looking the woman in the eyes. Mary floated up to ruffle his hair before giving him a wink and flying off down the hall.

Cap let out a small breath, a grin tweaking the corner of his mouth up before he turned to head towards the briefing room, his cheery mask back in place.

The only difference now was that Hal saw right through it.

- - -

Loud blasts shook the space station, something Superman didn't even think was possible in the vacuum of space, but worried him nonetheless. He'd been alerted to where the blast had come from by his comm, and was currently flying towards the source. 

The Watchtower was set up to warn them if they were in the path of an imminent collision with something outside, so it couldn't be that, but with that option out f the way, only a few remained to explain what the blasts could be.

He landed in front of the training room, brow furrowing in confusion. Wait, this was because of someone's training? This kind of thing had never happened before, what could possibly be going on to shake the entire station? Flash appeared out of a red blur beside him, the same confusion etched into his face.

"Wait, this isn't a break-in?" he asked, glancing towards Superman. The Kryptonian shrugged before opening the sliding doors, vaguely aware of another person, likely Batman by the lack of sound, joining them.

The trio narrowly dodged a blast of magic aimed towards them, the bright yellow aura fizzling out against the wall as the doors slid shut behind them. Kal furrowed his brow at the sight of a capeless Captain Marvel standing in a defensive position, his hands glowing bright gold. Lightning bounced around his form as the man stared down his opponent with a determined smile.

The man leaped out of the way of a fireball, using his hand to propel himself off the ground and land back on his feet. "Come oooon, you're goin' easy on my John," he teased with a grin, hands curled into fists and he looked at his opponent- John Constantine.

The Hellblazer rolled his eyes before muttering. a spell and summoning what looked like a large glowing ghost dog, one that made Cap light up. He moved in a blur behind the creature, throwing out his own hand towards it. "Vectem Kritos!" he yelled, eyes glowing as magic flared out from his hand and enveloped the massive, snarling hound, picking it up off the floor and ripping it apart like paper.

The dog vanished into wisps, howl echoing off the room's walls before the excited man turned to face Constantine again. The blonde was already moving, digging in his trenchcoat before pulling out what looked like a whip. He cracked it, sparks flying off the weapon before snapping it towards the demigod.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Cap said excitedly, dodging the first snap and thrusting out his hands to aim a spell towards the Hellblazer. "Flarem!" he yelled, launching a plume of fire towards the man with a laugh.

John brought up a glowing shield of runes, blocking the blast before launching himself towards the demigod with a crack of the whip. He managed to get it wrapped around one of Cap's golden boots, yanking him out of the air and slamming him into the ground. The raven landed with a grunt, pausing for only a moment before grabbing hold of the whip and sending a surge of electricity through the cord. 

John's eyes widened, dropping the whip before the electricity could go through his arm. "Tricky, tricky," he said with a smirk before making a wild gesture in the air, yellow sparks forming an intricate rune. The blonde threw his arm out, launching the spell towards the larger man.

Captain Marvel shook off the whip and widened his stance, sinking into a defensive position. Lightning crackled around his fist and he smiled at the spell before launching himself at it. He threw a punch, shattering the spell mid-air.

"I did it! I totally did it!!" Cap said excitedly, landing on the ground and fist-pumping the air. Constantine chuckled, shaking his head at the demigod. "Dude did you see that?! John that was amazing!!"

Firestorm flew toward the man, just as excited as Cap- if not more. "Duuuuuuude! The heat was totally on!!!" the teenager said before fist-bumping the Captain. Firestorm's expression suddenly changed, glancing behind the man and looking straight at the trio that had been watching. "Uh oh, company, big man."

The raven glanced behind him, lighting up at the sight of Superman, Batman, and Flash. "Oh, hey guys!" he said, landing and coming closer. "Were we too loud? Sorry about that, won't happen again," he said with a grin before a whistle from Constantine distracted the champion.

"Hey, sparkplug, I could use you and hothead here for a case," the blonde said, shoving his hands into his pockets and gesturing with his head.

"Aw heck yeah!" Cap said, taking off towards the Hellblazer as he opened a portal. "House of Mysteryyyy I'm hooooommeeeee!" his voice echoed through the portal as Firestorm followed him excitedly and Constantine followed with a wink towards Superman. 

- - -

Captain Marvel nearly choked on his milkshake, pink icecream spilling out of the corners of his mouth as he tried to keep in his laughter. Stargirl was right there beside him, trying to keep her own laughter in. "Please tell me you didn't," she asked as Cap wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"I totally did. It was like- the best moment of my life," he said with a laugh, only getting a shake of the head with a sigh from the blonde beside him. The Watchtower mess hall was where Cap was finding himself more and more lately, as it was one of the most common places his friends could be found hanging out.

"I still say you're lucky Ted didn't catch you and kick your ass into next week," she said, playing with her staw as they spoke.

"Naaahhhh, Wildcat loves me. Even if he doesn't wanna admit it- I'm like the son he never had," Cap said with a wink and a smirk, causing the girl to cough as she laughed.

The pair were suddenly joined by Booster Gold, who plopped his plate piled high with hotdogs down before taking a seat behind them. "What's up with my favorite couple?" he asked casually, only to get a roll of the eyes from Stargirl. She pinched the bridge of her nose before continuing to drink her milkshake.

"Booster, you know we're not together anymore," Cap said, giving the man a look as he started stuffing hotdogs in his mouth.

"Oh right- my bad," Micheal said through a mouth full of hotdogs, causing the pair to look at him like he was a lost cause. "What? Hotdogs don't taste like this in the future-  they're all pumped full of vitamins and stuff- gross."

Not for the first time, the table was unaware of the eyes watching them.

Clark had his gaze set on the trio, his food growing cold in front of him as he watched Captain Marvel and Stargirl laugh when Booster dropped a hotdog on the floor and started to pout about it. "I'm...not sure if I heard right, but did you know that apparently Captain Marvel and Stargirl used to date?" he said, glancing towards the others he was sitting with; Batman and Diana.

Bruce paused in his filing, glancing up from his tablet before looking towards the Demigod. "What?"

"I just heard the Captain say he and Stargirl aren't together anymore. Which means they were at some point."

"She's half his age, Superman, are you sure you heard that right?" Diana asked, taking a sip of her drink. The Kryptonian nodded, glancing away from the trio and back down towards his food.

"Positive."

Captain Marvel finished off his milkshake, sliding it towards the center of the table and pillowing his cheek on his arm while Booster stuffed his face. "Hey, Michael, you need any help with rats in the attic?" he asked, getting an eyebrow raise from Courtney and a slightly confused look from Booster.

The blonde man swallowed and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "What rat-- Oh! Oh you mean time anomalies!" he said, snacking his forehead with his palm. "Duh, Booster. Rat metaphor, stupid," he said with a shake of his head before taking another bite of his hotdog.

"I think there might actually be one that you could help with Cap-i-tan; it's got me stumped on how to fix it. The bugger that's causin' it is massive and I honestly think that since you know with your whole, form existing outside of normal aging rules thing, you might be just the guy to help."

Cap brightened, a pleasant surprise on his face. "Nice! Well, I'm happy to be of assistance," he said, dust bumping the blonde from across the table.

"Since when does Booster take thing seriously...?" Bruce asked, though his gaze was back down towards his tablet. "There's something else at play here, Clark."

Superman glanced back towards the table where Cap sat, the man back to laughing at whatever Stargirl had said laughing even harder when Booster dropped another hotdog. "He acts differently around them," Clark commented, watching the demigod talk excitedly about something.

"With who?" Diana asked, glancing towards the raven's table.

"Some of the newer members of the League. He seems like he's more in sync with them, for some reason."

"Well, I already said they know his identity. That probably has something to do with it, Clark," Bruce said before setting down his tablet and looking the Kryptonian in the eyes. "Its something that's pertinent to the man's role on the League. It's about time that I-"

"Bruce, you know you can't force him to tell you who he is."

"Says who?"

"Batman..."

 Bruce narrowed his eyes at Clark before grabbing his tablet and stalking away, leaving the mess hall in a huff. Superman sighed, looking away when the demigod and Booster got up to leave. It wasn't any of his business what Captain Marvel did with the others, they weren't close, so why did he feel left out?

- - -

"Hey, has Cap been acting strange to you lately?"

Barry's question confused the brunet at first, only for him to roll his eyes a moment later. "Is this about him hanging out with people other than the core members again?" he asked in exhaustion. 

"No, no, I mean yeah, that's weird too, but no. The guy seems, I dunno, down. I don't think I've seen him smile all week."

"The man doesn't have to smile, Barry. Spooky never smiles."

"Well yeah, but that's just how Bats is. You and I both know that Cap is one of the most chipper members of the League. I think something might be wrong with him."

Hal sighed- he knew that the speedster wasn't gonna give this up until he convinced him to join him in whatever he was gonna do. "Fine. What's your plan then?"

Flash shrugged. "I dunno, talk to the guy?"

"Well, where is he?"

The pair ended up looking through the entire watchtower without finding the demigod, looping back around to the monitor room after hours of searching. "This is ridiculous, Flash," Hal said with a shake of his head, only to spot the Captain walking down the hall- not floating, with his eyes glued to the windows like normal, but walking, his shoulders slumped and eyes down.

The brunet furrowed his brow as Barry rambled on about something, his mind going back to when he'd seen the Captain with his sister; the mask he wore so easily. "Come on, Barry," he said before taking off down the hall.

They followed the scarlet-glad raven for a while before he came to one of the lounges, walking in and turning a corner before plopping down onto a massive pile of pillows in one of the conversation pits. The demigod sunk into them, staring up at the ceiling before Stargirl stepped out of a portal and joined him, scooting up close to him and laying her head on his chest.

"Firestorm told me you were sulking," she said, looking up at the man and resting her chin on his uniform. "You ok, B?"

"Yeah..." Cap replied, though it was obvious that he wasn't. "I just... I've been thinking about my folks."

Stargirl's gaze softened, and she laid her head back down. "Have you thought about seeing someone? A psychiatrist might be good for you."

"You and I both know I can't do that. There's- there's too many holes in my life that I can't explain to any regular psychiatrist. They'd want a whole timeline of my life, and that's not something I can give them without revealing that I'm Captain Marvel."

Stargirl sighed softly. "I called your sister- she's coming up," the blonde replied, only to have the much larger man bring an arm around her with a soft smile.

"Thanks."

"What about Harley? She was a psychiatrist, and she knows about you."

Hal and Barry shared a look- Batman was not gonna like that if he heard about it.

"Harley's..." he signed. "She's got her own issues she's working through right now. I don't wanna weigh her down with mine. Besides, if I tell her about the Vasquez's she'll wanna visit, and then where will I be? The League will show up to my house to get her and someone is bound to make the connection from there."

"I wish there was something I could do, Billy."

Cap leaned his cheek against the top of the teenager's head. "It's okay. I'll be fine, eventually. I always am."

Another portal opened up in the lounge and Mary Marvel stepped out, glancing around before spotting the Captain and snuggling up against his other side. "Do you two have any idea what people would think if they saw you like this?" she asked with a smirk, only to get a roll of the eyes from the man.

"No one ever comes into the lounges, Mary. It's fine."

"Alright, dig your own grave then. What's up with you?" she asked, switching gears and looking up at her brother.

"Been thinkin' about mom and dad."

"Oh."

Cap sighed, leaning his head back and staring up at the ceiling. "You think they'd be proud? Of what we do? or do you think they'd want us to stop in fear that we might get hurt?" he asked, still staring at the roof.

Mary was quiet for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. "I think if they were here, and if they knew, they'd see us doing good, and wouldn't hold us back. I think they'd understand that this life is apart of us," she smiled softly to herself. 

"They'd say what they always said, B," 

The pair spoke in unison. "Do good, and good will follow."

Cap grinned, wrapping his arm around the woman and squeezing both the girl tight. "Yeah, you're probably right."

- - -

This meeting was a big one. The members of the Justice League and the members of the Justice Society of America coming together for talks about strategy, membership, and villain capture. It was a meeting of heroes never before seen on such a scale. The amount of good that could have come from this meeting...

...ruined by a nasty case of mind control. 

Captain Marvel dodged Wildcat's angered swipes, the bulky man snarling at him as he tried to land an attack. "Whoa, come on, Wildcat, this isn't you!" he said, dodging a swipe to his chest. "Don't make me hurt you!"

Around him, heroes fought one another, powers and magic going haywire. The Justice League versus the Justice Society-- Captain Marvel's worst nightmare.

Cap ducked, avoiding a punch before being thrown back by a blast from a glowing, red-eyed Stargirl. He was slammed into a wall with a grunt, sliding down and hitting the floor. "Ow..." he muttered, shaking off the pain and narrowly dodging another blast. "Come on!" He said in frustration, glancing back and the pair who had ganged up against him.

"Captain, do you need help?!" he heard Superman yell from above as the man struggled against Dr. Fate's magical blasts. Wildcat had turned his attention towards Batman, who already had Sandman to deal with, while Courtney continued to focus on him. He swerved out of the way of one of her bolts, the power singing his hair. 

"No, No I'm good- you focus on Fate!" Cap said, catching a sudden punch from Stargirl. "Come on, Courtney! It's me! You know me!" he yelled, knocking her scepter out of her grip. She growled and twisted in his grip, using her feet to launch herself off his chest and swipe her scepter up off the floor. She aimed it at him with a growl, hurdling a glowing bolt towards him. Cap brought up his arms to block the blast, but it still stung like a mother.

"Seriously!? Why?! Why are you doing this!? I know that you're being mind-controlled, but we're friends!" Cap yelled, hands clenched tightly. "Were..." he trailed off. "I thought we were more than friends..." he muttered, shoulders dropping slightly.

Courtney's gaze on him softened slightly before she clenched her eyes shut with a cry of pain. "Courtney!" Cap yelled, immediately by her side. "Are- are you okay?" he asked, worry etched into his features. He let a hand hover over her back before she gasped and opened her eyes wide. The blonde glanced around in confusion before looking up at him.

"Billy?" she asked softly, before looking around. "What- what's going on?"

"Mind control. Someone's turned the Society against the League," he explained, watching as Wildcat roared and charged at Batman. "We have to stop them, someone could get seriously hurt."

An explosion from above caught the pair's attention, making them look up towards the sky where the Green Lanterns were duking it out. Firestorm was being chased through the air by Hawkman, while Wonder Woman attempted to take Alan Scott down, the pair feeling very overwhelmed by the amount going on around them. "Shit..." Courtney breathed. "Okay, I'll see if I can snap Carter out of it, you go after Alan and Jay."

Cap nodded once before launching himself into the air and barrelling towards Jay. He slammed through the Lantern's barrier and grabbed hold of him, spinning him into the air before sending him flying into a wall. He caught the man out of the air, holding him up by the collar of his shirt. "Alan, snap out of it! We're the good guys, you gotta act like it!" he yelled to the disoriented man.

The blonde winced, red fading from his eyes as he shook his head. "Wha...? Cap? What're you..."

"Mind control. Stop the Society," he ordered, getting a single nod from the Green Lantern before he took off. The raven didn't notice the slightly stunned look on Hal's face as he took off in the opposite direction, chasing Flash 1.0 down. 

"Come on, tin head, just like old times, let's see if you're fast enough to catch me, eh?" Cap teased before snatching the helmet off Jay's head and speeding away. The enraged speedster stopped his attack on Wonder Woman and gave chase to the Captain, leaving a confused Amazonian in their wake. Cap glanced back, smirking and plopping the silver helmet on his head with a laugh. 

"Come on, old man, that all you got?" he asked, a warmth of familiarity blooming in his chest. He smirked, speeding up before taking a sharp right turn. If there was one thing he knew about Jay, it was that he was terrible at turning. The Speedster's bright red eyes widened at the sudden wall Cap turned at, slamming into it with enough force to crack it. He fell to the ground and Cap landed in front of him, spinning the helmet on his fingertip. 

"Maybe that's why you wear a helmet," he said with a smirk as the red faded from Jay's eyes and he brought a hand up to his head. He tossed the silver disk into the speedster's lap, getting a look from the elder man. "Kid?" he questioned softly. 

"Mind control," was all he said before taking off towards Dr. Fate.

Hawkman sailed out of the air in front of him, Stargirl launching herself towards the man with a battle cry, beaming him with bolts from her staff. "Joint of his wing, Court!" he yelled out to her, getting a nod of affirmation before the blonde shot at just that. 

He looked around for the lord of fate himself, finding him launching a barrage of spells at poor Superman. He rocketed towards the pair, placing himself between the blasts and the Kryptonian and throwing up a magical shield to block them. "Come on, Doc, you really gonna let a little mind control get the best of a lord of fate?" he asked with a smirk, unaware of Superman's wide eyes behind him.

"You taught me a lot Doc," he said before a smirk appeared on his face. "But Constantine taught me more," he said, the red suddenly vanishing from the man's eyes.

"Constantine is a hack!" he growled, only getting a laugh from the demigod as he brought his shield down.

"There's the Doc I know," he said before looking around. "Okay, we got nearly everybody, can you help Firestorm and Alan get a handle on Hourman and Sandman? I'm gonna try to snap Ted out of his rage before Batman does some permanent damage to the old cat," he said, Fate nodding once before they went in opposite directions. 

Cap looked around for Wildcat, finding him locked in close combat with Batman. The old man was swiping wildly at the bat, making Cap shake his head. "Here kitty kitty!" he yelled, gaining the attention of quite a few heroes- including the one he wanted.

"Cap, are you crazy!? You know how much he hates that!" Stargirl shouted at him, only to get a shrug from the demigod.

"Yeah, but he loves me!"

Wildcat gave chase, thundering after Cap with a roar. The ebony-haired man soared over him, narrowly missing dagger-like claws before landing behind him. Wildcat turned on a dime and swipe at him, his claws clashing against Cap's suit and dragging a quartet of slash marks in his lightning bolt insignia. 

"You know, you're lucky I don't have to mend this suit myself," he said, dodging a punch. "Ted, buddy, Puddy tat, why don't we just calm down and-" he ducked, rolling his eyes when the man snarled at him. "Okay! Okay! Angry kitty needs a little zip zap, huh?" he asked, throwing out his hand and enveloping the man when he tried to attack him again. Cap's eyes flared gold before electricity suddenly ran through Wildcat's body.

The man tensed and jittered before slumping and Cap set him down easy on the floor. He kneeled down beside the man, putting a hand on his shoulder. There was a snarl and his hand was suddenly smacked away. He reared back slightly, only to get a glare from the old man. "If I hear another cat joke from your mouth, kid, I swear, I'll knock you out faster than you can say Shazam," he growled, only to get a chuckle from Cap.

"That's the Wildcat I know and love," he said with a grin, only to get a roll of the eyes and small grin from the man as he stood up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.." he muttered.

"Stargirl, is that everyone?" he called out, looking up at the blonde and getting a thumbs-up in reply. He grinned, putting his hands on his hips before Flash was suddenly hanging off him, arm around him.

"That- how'd you do that? That's like, the fastest I have ever seen anyone snap someone out of mind control before."

Flash was suddenly shoved away as the Captain was suddenly pulled into a headlock, Hawkman noogieing the demigod with a chuckle. "There's that idiot kid I know and love to tease," the man said, releasing a bewildered Captain Marvel with a head of ruffled hair and wide eyes.

"Cap, how do you know the Justice Society? Flash is right, you were able to snap them out of it really quickly," Superman asked, one hand on his hip. "Among other things..." he muttered.

"Oh, uh-" Cap stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I used to be a member."

Cap realized that he was now in the middle of two groups- the Society and the League. It was weird, his past and his present colliding like this. "I uh, I joined when I first started out as a hero. I was with the society for a good two or three years before I left. You guys actually asked me to join about a month after I left."

Wildcat punched him in the arm, something that made the man chuckle. "This kid was one of the good ones. Shame you knuckleheads had to steal him."

The League was staring at him- why were they staring at him, this wasn't that big of a deal; was it? "I uh, am I missing something?" he asked, glancing back at Alan for guidance out of habit.

"You said you'd never been a part of a team before when we recruited you," Batman said, his eyes narrowed on the demigod.

"Yeah, that was a bit of an oversight on my part. I never really thought of the Society as a team. We were kinda more like a big, chaotic family than a team. Hell, we lived together for Pete's sake," Cap replied, glancing at Stargirl.

"Well, either way, it's a good thing you had friends in other places, Captain. This might have been a whole lot worse without you," Superman said, stepping in front of the Dark Knight before he could say anything else.

"Why don't we continue this meeting in the Watchtower? The Hall of Justice isn't..." he looked around at the destroyed meeting room. "...in great condition right now."

"Sounds like a plan," Cap said with a grin.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Captain Marvel opened his eyes with a groan, wincing at the bright light flooding his vision. "nghh..." He attempted to sit up, only to find his body unwilling to work with him. He tried to move his arms, only to glance at them and find large metal shackled keeping them pinned to what looked like a metal platform. He raised hi head slightly to look at his feet, finding them in the same kind of restraints. 

His head was swimming with confusion, fuzzy and a flurry of vague thoughts. He couldn't feel Solomon, who could usually cut through any kind of confusion in his mind, and it worried him slightly. "What happened..." he muttered, wincing at a high pitched ringing in his ear. "Where am I?"

He glanced around, finding himself in a large, circular room. The platform he was pinned to had a large coil feeding from the bottom upward, vanishing into the dark ceiling. "What...the..." he breathed, a sound to his side catching his attention. Cap's eyes widened at the sight of Freddy attached to another platform, wincing in pain, wrists and ankles pinned similarly to his.  "Freddy..." he said, straining against the metal.

The blonde's head turned towards him in confusion, only for recognition to spark in his eyes. "Billy. What- what's going on?" he asked, glancing around with much more clarity than he'd had a few seconds ago. 

"Obviously, we're trapped, Freddy," Pedro's voice came from across the room, the pair noticing not only him, but Eugene, Mary, and Darla as well, all pinned by metal restraints to metal platforms. Each had the same coil feeding from the end up into the ceiling, but Cap was more concerned with their well-being than anything else right now.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked, straining his neck to look around at his siblings. "Darla? You good there?" he asked, the smallest of their group very obviously trying to stay calm. It wasn't working very well, judging by the tears beading in the corners of her eyes.

"It's okay, it's okay Darla. I'm- I'll get us out of here. Don't worry," he said, glancing around. The room was dark, save for the single light hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room, and Cap could just barely see the outlines of what looked like glass cells lining the walls. It was too dark to see inside, but he wouldn't be surprised if there were more prisoners. 

Mary had started hushing Darla gently, trying to get the little girl to calm down while Eugene, Freddy and Pedro were trying to figure out a way out of this mess. Cap was still taking everything in- there had to be some kind of weakness in this system, right? Maybe he could break the metal restraints.

He tugged experimentally, brow furrowing when the metal didn't even creak. He tugged harder, setting his jaw and groaning as he strained his forearms upward. "Come on, come on, come on-" he tried, the metal unwilling to budge as he finally gave up. "Shit..." he breathed, getting a glare from Mary.

"Language, Billy," she said.

"Maybe transforming will break these things- the lightning might break the metal," he heard Freddy offer up, and glanced towards the blonde in thought. "It's worth a shot, right?"

Captain Marvel glanced around at the dark cells- there was no telling if there were prisoners inside, transforming might give away their identities. Freddy didn't seem to take this into account, however, as he smirked up at the ceiling. "SHAZAM!" he yelled, brightening when the light above them flickered.

Lightning came down and light overwhelmed everyone's senses, forcing them to shut their eyes. When it faded, however, the group found a smoking Freddy, still small and powerless. "Wha-?" the blonde questioned, glancing at Cap in confusion.

Marvel shook his head slowly, brow furrowed in confusion. His eyes widened when he saw electricity spark and travel up the coil attached to Freddy's platform. "Not good..." he said, swallowing thickly. "Something's harnessing the lightning, redirecting the magic inside it and feeding it into something," Cap said, glancing around at his siblings.

There was a sudden, faint thudding down that came to the demigod's ears, causing him to furrow his brow as his siblings talked. It sounded almost like someone pounding away at a mixture of rubber and glass- and it confused him. He shook the thought away, glancing back up towards the problem at hand.

"Who would know how to do that?" Pedro asked.

"Well, no one knows about that besides..." Captain Marvel's heart dropped into his stomach, head falling back onto the platform with a sigh. "Sivanna. This is Sivanna's doing, it has to be."

"But we put Dr. Sivanna in jail," Darla said, looking at him in concern.

"And bad guys break out of jail all the time. I- I have no idea how he managed all of this, but it's gotta be Sivanna. No one else knows about the lightning's capabilities beside him and Adam," he said, looking around. "And I don't believe that this is Adam's doing- he'd rather kill us than siphon our powers," he said, fear invading his tense frame.

"Well, what do we do? We can't break out of these things like this," Mary said, looking to him for an idea.

Cap's head laid back, staring at the ceiling in thought. "I don't- I can't think straight. Solomon's giving me nothing, I don't-" he let out a shaky, unsure breath. "I can't get us out of this. I don't know what to do, I- I can't figure it out."

Mary's gaze softened. "It's okay, Billy."

"Yeah, Cap, we can figure this out together," Eugene said, looking at him with a determined gaze. "We're superheroes, we can do this."

"Hell yeah, we are- the Shazamily can't be stopped by anything!" Freddy said with a grin.

"How long have you been working on that name?" Pedro asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"About a week."

"It's terrible."

"I think it's perfect," Cap said with a soft grin.

He looked around the group before nodding at his youngest brother. "You're right, Eugene. We've been through worse. If we can take down the Seven Deadly Sins, we can escape some simple restraints." he said with a smirk. He looked up, eyes narrowing in an attempt to see where the coils disappeared to in the ceiling. 

He got an idea, a spark of something that scratched the itch in his brain he didn't even know he had. The coils were connected to them, but they all vanished into the same place. Maybe... maybe that meant something.

"These things have to be connected to some giant hub, like one massive collection tank, of sorts, right?" He said, looking around. "Well, why don't we make that tank burst?" he asked with a determined grin.

The others must have realized what he was getting at, lighting up in realization. More of that distant thudding rang in Cap's ears, causing the man to furrow his brow and look around in confusion. "Do you guys hear that?" he asked slowly. 

The others gave him looks of confusion. "Hear what?" Freddy asked.

"N-nevermind..." Cap said, shaking his head. Must be his imagination, or maybe the stress of the situation was getting to him. "Okay, on three. Ready?" he asked, glancing around at his siblings. He got a round of nods, and smirked.

"One, two, three!"

"SHAZAM!" 

The light flickered, buzzing and shooting off sparks before lightning overwhelmed everything and enveloped the group. The room was suddenly plunged into darkness, the faint whirring of machines stopped, and silence filled the room.

Cap felt his restraints unhinge, enabling him to sit up as lightning began to crackle around his form and light up the area. He noticed that his siblings were transformed as well, lightning starting to bounce around them as well like a restless creature. Marvel smiled, looking around. The cells around them were still dark, the glass that used to act as a wall having shattered.

There was no noise, as if the room itself was holding his breath. Maybe he'd been imagining that they weren't alone. "Alright," he said, sliding off the platform and joining his family. He took the lead, hands clenching into fists.

"Let's go find Sivanna, shall we?" he asked with a smirk, electricity crackling around him. "I, for one, don't appreciate being tied up," he said as he left the room with the rest of his siblings.

There was a pause of complete and utter silence before a faint green light lit up the room. "So that must be Captain Marvel," Hal said, looking around in the dark.

"Must be..." Batman replied, staring at the exit the children had left through.

"What's the plan, Bats?" Barry asked, getting up from the ground.

"We worry about Superman first. Then I'll have a chat with the Captain and his....family."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

The muffled sound of quick, repetitive banging that could be heard echoing down one of the halls in the Watchtower, the room doing the bare minimum to silence the sound coming from within. Many heroes that passed the room wondered who- or what could be inside making that sound, but since the door was always locked when someone tried to open it, most left it be. 

Most, that is, except for Barry Allen. The speedster had made it his mission to try and get into that unmarked room and figure out just what those sounds were- as well as just who was making them. 

The blonde had been trying for nearly a month to get into the room, but he'd never managed to catch just who was going into the room. He'd always be called away or just barely catch sight of the edge of a person- never enough to give him any real clue of who it could be.

The man was getting frustrated and frankly, pretty annoyed. He'd started asking the various heroes around him if they'd ever seen anyone go into or come out of the room, only to get strange stress or dismissals. No one really seemed to care as much as he did- something that frustrated the man to no end.

"Why did you drag me along to this again?" Hal asked with an annoyed drawl, leaning against the wall as Barry peered around the corner and stared at the unmarked door.

"Because you owe me one and this is what I'm deciding to cash in on," Barry replied, eyes narrowing at the door. "You can't tell me you're not at least curious," he said, glancing back at the unimpressed brunet. Hal shook his head slowly.

"I'm really not. Whoever uses that room obviously got permission from the big three to use it permanently- if they wanted people in there, they'd leave the door unlocked, Barry. Why can't you just respect their privacy?" he asked, coming closer to the speedster and leaning against the wall opposite of him.

"It's become an obsession for you," Hal continued as Barry kept his eyes on the door. "You're not even listening to me."

"I am, I am- obsession and whatnot, yeah whatever."

Barry furrowed his brow at the sight of Captain Marvel coming down the hall- that in itself was nothing out of the ordinary, but the anger and turmoil etched into his face was. Flash was pretty sure he'd never seen the man even get upset before- what could have brought this on?

"Look at Cap," he said, unknowingly interrupting Hal. The Lantern rolled his eyes and glanced at the demigod, annoyance leaving his face and being replaced with confusion at the sight of the man.

"Whoa... what's up with him?" he asked, watching as the raven continued to walk down the hall, only to stop at the door and wave a glowing hand over it. It opened and the man walked in, only for the door to slam shut behind him.

"Well there you go- Cap's your culprit. Can we go now? I heard they got pizza in the mess hall," Hal said, grabbing hold of Flash's arm to tug him away. 

The blonde resisted though, staring at the door with wide eyes. The familiar banging started up, the sound faint and muffled, but not silent.

"Barry, let's go. Isn't this enough revelations for one day?" Hal asked, only for the speedster to vanish from beside him and appear in front of the door. The brunet rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the man. "You're gonna give me an aneurysm..." he muttered to himself, walking closer to the blonde. Bary reached out, putting his hand on the handle experimentally.

He pushed it down and found that it actually moved. "He forgot to lock it," Flash said, looking at Hal like he'd been given the secrets of the universe. 

"Barry, this is a bad idea. Don't invade the man's privacy."

"Don't act like you're not curious."

Hal sighed. "If he kicks your ass, I am not being held responsible."

Bary grinned wider, pushing the handle down and cracking open the door. He and Hal appeared inside, finding a meeting room without the usual long table and chairs. Sound-dampening foam pads surrounded them, stuck to every wall. In the corner sat Captain Marvel, a black cap sitting backward on his head and keeping his dark hair out of his face. The man didn't seem to notice them enter.

He was sitting behind a strange-looking drumset of all things, twirling a drumstick in one hand as the other beat a drum rhythmically in quick repetition. His other hand suddenly came down to beat against more drums, hands moving in a practiced, quick rhythm as Slipknot of all things played around him.

The sound was quick, loud, and harsh- wooden sticks slamming against canvas and steel as guitar blared around him. The man had his eyes closed, moving on instinct alone as he kept time with the song- one that Hal recognized.

"That's Duality," he whispered, watching as Cap set his jaw and continued to beat against the drums.

"What is?" Barry whispered back.

"The song, you idiot."

"Oh."

The song picked up, and Cap got into it, set jaw changing to an excited grin as he slammed against the drums. Sweat bead on the demigod's brow, but they were sure he didn't notice. He kept up a quick pace, keeping on time with the song like a professional. He tossed a stick up in the air and caught it before setting back into his rhythm, grin still on the demigod's face as the singer yelled against a riffing guitar.

What surprised both of them even more though, was when Cap actually started to sing- or, growl, alongside the song.

"Pull me back together...

Or separate the skin from the bone,

Leave me all the pieces, and then you can leave me alone-

Tell me the reality is better than dream...

But I found out the hard way,

Nothing is what it SEEMS!"

The demigod's lips curled into a snarl, the pair watching him with wide eyes. This- this was a completely new side to their happy-go-lucky Captain. They'd never seen the man get upset with someone, nevertheless angry-- it was almost terrifying, seeing a friend they'd never witness get angry release this kind of rage.

The song faded from the speakers surrounding the Captain, leaving the man breathing heavily and staring at the drum kit in front of him as sweat slid down his forehead.

"That...was amazing," Barry blurted out, staring at the demigod in shock.

The Captain's head whipped towards them in an instant, eyes widening in fear as he fell off his chair with a yelp. Barry was at his side in a split second, helping the man stand back up. "Whoa, sorry Cap-" he said, only to have the man pull his arm from the speedster's grip.

"W-what- what are you guys doing in here-" he asked, swallowing thickly and glancing between the pair fearfully.

"It was Barry's idea," Hal said, getting a glare from the blonde.

Cap let out a breath, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes tiredly. "Look, don't- don't tell anybody about this, okay?" he said, looking between the two. "Please."

- - -

It wasn't until a couple of days later that the pair saw Captain Marvel again- this time in the mess hall, eating alone at a large table with various old, leather-bound books in front of him. The man was looking between the various books and writing something down on a small notepad in front of him, brows furrowed in concentration as he took bites of his sandwich. 

Hal caught a glimpse of the books- they were written in an ancient language, that much he could tell, but he couldn't make out what exactly the words said. Barry nudged him with a grin before setting his food down on the other side of the table across from the demigod. 

The speedster started eating like nothing was amiss, even as the Captain stared at him in confusion. The raven glanced between Flash and his books before Hal sighed as too a seat beside Barry as well with a tired look. "Uhhh...." Cap trailed off, closing one of the books and setting his notepad on top. "What's...up?" he asked. "Something wrong?"

Flash paused in his eating, swallowing a massive bite of pizza (seriously, how had he not choked yet?) and grinning at the demigod. "Can't we eat lunch with our good buddy, Cap?" he asked, causing Hal to facepalm and shake his head. 

"Uhh..." Marvel swallowed, sliding his book to the side. "I- uh... I guess not..."

Flash ate four more slices of pizza before he spoke again. "So why drums?"

Red flushed against Captain Marvel's cheeks, the man ducking his head slightly as he swallowed his food. Hal wanted to smack Barry- of course he wouldn't let this go like the man wanted. He sighed, shaking his head and stabbing his fork into his salad. 

"I...uh... well..." Cap stammered, swallowing thickly. "I'm...uh, I was a poor kid, growing up. I've always liked music, and um... I've always had too much energy for my own good. Drums were- are the easiest instrument to come by. They can be made out of anything- trashcans, sticks on a brick wall, tapping your foot and smacking a flat surface." Cap said, setting down his sandwich.

"So they're what I connected to."

Barry was quiet, staring at the man with slightly wide eyes. Cap never told anyone about his past, let alone his civilian life. It led to rumors surrounding the man that said he didn't have a civilian life, that he was the Captain 24/7. Guess those rumors were wrong.

"I guess you're right about that. I used to get into so much trouble for drumming on my desk when I was in school," Hal said, leaning back in his chair slightly with a wistful smile. "Old Lady Harris had it out for me, I'll tell ya."

Marvel met his eyes, and he could see the gratitude overflowing from the demigod's bright blue irises. A smile appeared on Cap's face, and God, did Hal want to make sure it never left. The man was always so open and youthful, so unguarded in how he felt- it was a nice change of pace from the others on the League.

"You know, i'm more of an electric guitar guy myself," Flash said before shoving a piece of pizza in his mouth.

"For some reason, that doesn't surprise me," Cap replied with sass, and Hal chuckled.

"So you can be snarky, then."

"When I choose to be."

It was strange- if felt like some wall had suddenly been crashed through, some dam finally broken. Captain Marvel relaxed slightly, his shoulders releasing a tension Hal hadn't noticed they'd been carrying, his smile growing a tad brighter. 

He liked this side of Cap.

Suddenly, Barry lit up, nearly choking on his food with wide eyes.

"GUYS, WE SHOULD START A BAND." 

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

It's been six years since Captain Marvel left the Justice League. Six years since the disastrous fight between him and the Man of Steel, a fight that leveled a small city. Six years since Billy realized that the heroes on the Justice League punched first, and asked questions second. 

Ever since he'd left the League, Cap had kept to himself- he'd protected Fawcett City from any threat that came her way, be that robots, aliens, or anything in between. Sure, he'd helped the League out once during that time, when the world had been on the brink of destruction, but afterward, he'd left without even a goodbye- his job was done there, he'd had no reason to stay and socialize with them.

During those 6 years, Billy Batson grew- both physically and mentally. He'd eventually been taken in by a kind, portly man by the name of Dudley H. Dudley, and had been fully supported in his efforts as Captain Marvel. 

With a roof over his head, Billy had even started going to school again- and, despite the learning curve, he'd done well for himself, making solid B's year after year. He'd even managed to convince Dudley to take in his oldest friend from the streets, a blonde boy by the name of Freddy Freeman, as well. 

The pair caused more than enough mischief between the two of them, and Freddy acted as Captain Marvel's "guy in the chair"- well, that is until a stray lightning bolt from Billy gave the blonde powers of his own. 

Neither of the boys saw a problem with this, however, since now Cap had the help of the guy he trusted most. So Voltage, or as Billy called him, Captain Marvel Junior, joined the raven in his battle to keep Fawcett safe.

Billy even found himself new friends- or, well, a friend- a transfer student by the name of Courtney Whitmore, who, coincidentally, was also the hero known as Stargirl. Billy had been trying to get the blonde to be more than just his friend for the past year, but both of them seemed clueless as to how his was supposed to go- something that had Freddy hanging his head in shame often.

Overall though, he was doing just fine without the Justice League as back up. He'd never needed them, really, and it felt kind of freeing to have people he trusted- his best friend and prospective girlfriend- watching his back.

In all honesty, the 16-year-old thought he was done with the Justice League for good. 

That is until they showed up at his high school one day.

- - -

Billy yawned as his teacher, a spindly man by the name of Thomas Ackers droned on about chemistry. How the man could keep this snooze-fest of a lesson going with only five minutes until the bell, Billy would never know. He could feel himself falling asleep in his seat, his head bobbing forward slightly before it jerked back up.

The lanky teacher at the front of the glass pushed his crooked glasses up the bridge of his nose and filled in a box on the periodic table with a sigh when no one answered his question about what belonged there. Billy glanced at his watch- an old gift from Dudley that he'd gotten forever ago- and shook his wrist. The silver metal clattered against the desk, but no one seemed to notice.

"Two minutes..." he muttered to himself, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. He noticed the boy beside him, a blonde boy with hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, closing his textbook and putting his stuff away, so he took that as a social cue that it was okay for him to follow suit.

The sharp shrill of the bell signaled the end of the class and caused Mr. Ackers to sigh. Billy was more than ready to be done with this class- he hated chemistry; it was too many symbols, too confusing. He only had. one more class before lunch, and after that the entire school was supposed to have some kind of surprise assembly that was going to take up the rest of the day- something Billy was sure no one was upset about.

Sure, it meant he'd miss history, his absolute favorite subject, but he also didn't have to go to algebra, so it wasn't too bad. The raven filed out of the classroom and made a beeline for his locker down the hall. He saw a familiar blonde mop of hair waiting for him, the boy it belonged to leaning against Billy's locker and sorting through a small deck of cards in his hands.

"Freddy!" Billy called from down the hall, a smile on his face as he came closer to his brother.  The blonde brightened, leaning heavily on his crutch to wave with the hand that wasn't busy holding his cards.

Freddy pushed himself off Billy's locker and allowed him access, the raven twisting the knob as Freddy launched into an excited ramble. "Okay so apparently there's this rumor going around that the assembly today is something huge- and that it's actually cool," he said, sorting through his cards as Billy dug in his locker. The taller of the two snuck a glance at the cards- and inwardly grimaced.

Freddy had this fascination with the Justice League that made Billy's stomach turn- sure, he could understand it, Freddy was just like Billy had been way back when- he idolized the heroes, tried to be like them when out in the field. 

Freddy just hadn't had the same experience that Billy had with the group. Billy couldn't bring himself to shatter the guy's dreams by telling him what the League was really like- though it did rub him the wrong way to come into the blonde's bedroom and find a Superman poster staring at him. He tended to avoid Freddy's room because of that- to this day, he felt phantom pains in his jaw that kept him up on more than one occasion.

"What's the rumor?" Billy asked, exchanging his chemistry book for two copies of Animal Farm, handing one to his brother before closing the metal door. "And is it as stupid as the rumor that the janitor's secretly a metahuman?" he asked as Freddy slipped the book into his backpack and the pair set off towards their next class.

"Well, apparently Tyson-  uh, Remis, not Harrison, overheard some teachers talking about it when he was sent to the office," Freddy replied, hobbling alongside Billy as they made their way down the hall. "Miss Starch and some of the other ladies were fawning over the fact that, apparently, the Justice League is coming to talk to us today!" he said in a wide-eyed, hushed whisper as they turned and walked into a classroom, causing Billy to tense.

"Think about it, the Justice League, in Fawcett City... it's insane," Freddy said with a massive grin on his face as the pair took their seats beside one another in the back of the classroom. "I don't think they've ever even stepped foot in Fawcett- except for maybe like, Batman, way back in the day." he continued.

"I'm gonna see if they'll sign my cards."

The blonde was seemingly oblivious to Billy's sudden stiff muscles and locked jaw. Billy drew in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. The League was coming to his city without even asking him first?  Was that the level of respect they were at now? Seriously? The raven felt anger begin to boil in his core- he'd kept to himself for the past six years, he hadn't interfered in League business, he hadn't stepped foot in any of the other heroes' cities out of respect.

And this was how they decided to repay that? By blatantly invading his home without so much as a word to him? It made his blood boil for some reason. Maybe it was because he never actually got closure from that whole Superman fiasco, maybe it was because he left the League on such bad terms, he wasn't sure- but he was sure that this was crossing some kind of line.

"Surprised they didn't at least contact Captain Marvel first..." he muttered bitterly, opening his book and glaring down at the words.

"Well I mean, how would they? Cap doesn't really have a phone," Freddy said with a smirk, glancing at his brother and furrowing his brow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Freddy gave him a look, setting his cards down on his desk. "We both know you're a terrible liar, Billy. What's up?" he asked in a hushed tone as their literature teacher attempted to quiet the class. When Billy said nothing, only continued to glare holes into his book, Freddy sighed.

"Miss Richmond? Billy's feeling sick. Is it ok if I take him to the nurse?" he asked, raising his hand and looking up at the elderly woman. She was a kind lady- one of the kindest in the whole school.

"Oh, of course dear. Take a hall pass with you, okay?" the silver-haired woman said, gesturing to a wooden stick hanging from the wall and painted in various flowers and leaves. Freddy nodded and Billy rolled his eyes as the pair stood and took their leave.

Freddy pressed a button on his own watch, one that matched Billy's, before hobbling alongside his brother. The raven walked with hands curled into fists, his shoulders tight and a scowl on his face. "Dude, come on, what's up?" Freddy asked as they walked towards the student center.

Billy glanced back at his brother- how was he supposed to tell him that the League was a bunch of jerks without destroying his entire world? He sighed, averting his gaze.

"What's the meeting for?" another voice joined the boys, one that had some of the anger in Bily's stomach quenched. They glanced down the hall to find a blonde girl walking towards them with her hands shoved into her bright red and white letterman. 

"It's nothing," Billy said as Courtney came closer.

"Well I'd hope Junior wouldn't call a meeting for nothing," she replied, holding up a third identical watch to show that a small red light had lit up on its face. Billy turned to glare at his brother before letting out a sigh.

"He's being overdramatic."

"Him or you, B?" Courtney asked as the trio moved towards the bathrooms. Billy gave her a look and she chuckled as he sat down on a bench. "So you. What's wrong?"

"He started acting like this after I told him there's a possibility that the Justice League was coming to talk to us during the assembly today," Freddy said, leaning against the wall. Courtney's eyes widened, gaze flicking between the boys. 

"Wait, seriously?" she asked excitedly. "I have always wanted to join them! Do you think they'd accept a 16-year-old?" she asked, looking between them. Billy raised an unimpressed eyebrow in response, something that had the girl smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. The League's the- well, big leagues. You, me, and Fred will always be a team, B, but if I could be a part of the League too..." she trailed off, glancing off dreamily. "That's the dream right there."

"Besides-" Freddy cut in with a sudden smile. "There's nothing saying we couldn't try to get on the team too, Billy! Think about it- the League could totally use a couple of tanks on their team, right? And we could hang out with Superman and Batman-" the blond missed BIlly's flinch at the first name.

Courtney took a seat beside Billy, leaning her head forward so that she was the main thing in his field of view. "There's something else, isn't there?" she asked, bright blue eyes meeting one another. "What's wrong, B?"

Billy shook his head. "It's nothing..." he muttered. There was no way he'd stand between Courtney and what she wanted to do- even if the thought of her ending up like the League made his stomach turn. "Batman just scares me is all," he said, thinking of something on the spot. 

"Wait, really?" Freddy asked, raising a brow and taking a seat beside the pair.

"Dude's creepy," was all Billy supplied. Courtney gave him a long, hard look- it felt like she was looking right into his soul, and made him squirm. She sighed and stood up.

"Well, if it does turn out to be something else, you can always tell us later, B," she said, ruffling the raven's hair. "I'll save you guys a seat in the theater," Courtney said before turning on. her heel and walking back down the hall towards her classroom.

Billy sighed, leaning back and letting his head hit the wall. "Are you sure that's it, Billy? I know for a fact you've never had a problem with Batman before," Freddy said as Billy stood and held his hand out for his brother to grab.

"Don't worry about it- if I think it's important enough to bring up between now and the assembly, I will, okay?" he said with a small smile. Freddy took his hand and Billy helped him up.

"Alright."

- - -

Billy felt a pit in his stomach as he, along with every other student in Fawcett Central High School was herded into the theater.

Freddy stuck close to his back as the pair looked for Courtney. They found her in the center of three rows, about four seats away from the stage. Freddy pointed her out and the pair weaved their way through the crowd to get to her. 

Courtney pulled her letterman off one seat and her messenger bag off the other, allowing the boys access to the velvet-colored folding seats. They plopped down, Billy between the blondes before he sunk down in his seat. There was a strange aura coming from the stage behind the dark red curtain- a magical one, and one that Billy recognized as Zatanna Zatara. He groaned, smacking a hand over his face.

This wasn't going to be fun.

"What's wrong, dude?" Freddy asked quietly. 

"It's definitely the League...I can feel one of their magician's aura from here..." he muttered, forearms slipping over his eyes to cover them. "I wanna crawl into a hole and die..." he muttered, causing the pair on either side of him to look at one another.

"Look, Billy, there's obviously something going on between you and the Justice League. What's your deal with them? Were you rejected from the League once already or something?" Freddy asked, concern etched into his features. 

"No..."

"Is it cause we wanna join? You know this doesn't change anything between the three of us, don't you?" Courtney asked.

"No, it's not- it's not that."

"Then what is it, Billy?"

The school principal, a woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun, came out onto the stage with a mic in hand. She began to shush the students, her mic back feeding and causing the school to erupt in laughter. "Alright, alright," she started, gesturing for thee kids to quiet down. "Now, this assembly is an important one- we have some very special guests here today, and I wantyou all to give them your full attention."

Billy's hand curled into a fist in his lap. "Just- ignore me..." he muttered, getting a sigh from both blondes. 

"Be respectful and really listen to what they have to say, okay? Now, please give a warm, Fawcett Tigers welcome to the Justice League."

The entire theater erupted in gasps and cheers as the curtains drew back, revealing a stage full of heroes. Billy felt a scowl creep onto his face at the sight of the group, anger boiling in the pit of his stomach once more when he saw Superman's smiling face looking out into the crowd of high schoolers. Batman took the mic from the principal and handed it over to the Man Of Steel, and Billy felt his skin crawl.

"Hello, kids!" the Kryptonian said cheerfully, his voice warm and (at least to Billy) condescending. "How're you all doing this fine afternoon?" he asked, getting a chorus of cheers from the audience.

"I'd be better if you weren't here..." he muttered under his breath, glaring up at the man and noticing his wide smile falter for a split second. Right- super hearing. Billy rolled his eyes and sighed, glancing at some of the other heroes as they waited for the room to calm down.

Zatanna was there, but Billy had already sensed her, as well as Flash, both Green Lanterns, Diana, Green Arrow and Black Canary, Hawkman surprisingly, Batman, and rounding off the group was a newcomer- Cyborg. Well, maybe he wasn't a newcomer, but he hadn't been a part of the group when Billy had been there.

"We thought that we'd come and have a chat with you kids about the good you can do and the difference you can make in the world," Superman continued, causing Billy to roll his eyes. 

"Right, like the difference you made when you leveled a whole town..." he muttered, watching Superman's smile fracture once more before he covered it. 

"You- uh- you don't have to be a hero to make changes in this world," he said, and Billy sat up slightly.

"Good, 'cause you're sure as Hell not one to me, Clark," Billy breathed, and the Kryptonian gripped his mic a little harder. 

"We'll start with Zatanna Zatara- Zatanna, why don't you tell us what you do to make things better about this world?" Superman asked, handing the mic off to her and taking a few steps back so that he was in line beside Batman. 

Now, Billy had gotten really good at reading people in the past two years- and he could just with just a passing glance that he'd made Superman uncomfortable. Part of him felt guilty- but part of him, a vindictive, angry part of him, told him he'd done nothing wrong.

Billy saw Superman sweeping the crowd with his gaze, brows knit together slightly as he looked for the quiet voice amongst the cheers. "You know, you could have at least asked if I was okay with the League showing up unannounced."

"I kept to myself, I didn't bother you people for six years. But you crossed a line today, Clark."

Superman was still scanning the crowd, his smile slowly fading. When his gaze finally stopped, his eyes were trained on Billy- who had the darkest, foulest glare on his face and was looking right at the Man of Steel.

"Whenever this is done, you're going to leave. And you're not going to come back," he said softly, looking the Kryptonian in the eyes. "I don't care what your real reason is for coming to Fawcett, but I'm not going to have your group corrupt my friends."

Superman swallowed thickly, not moving from his spot on the stage and keeping his gaze locked on Billy. The raven's lip curled up into a snarl and he stood suddenly, surprisingly the pair sitting on either side of him. He maneuvered between the seats and walked up the isle, shaking his head at the audacity of these heroes. He left the theater in a huff, coming to a stop outside the large room and leaning against the wall.

He was furious- he hadn't realized how angry he'd still be upon seeing them, even after all these years. He tried to shake it off- he couldn't let these 'heroes' get the better of him. Billy felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched, head snapping towards the hand to find Freddy grabbing him gently. 

"What was that? What's wrong?" he asked, Courtney trailing after him. 

"Don't- don't worry about it. You're gonna miss the- the- whatever that is," Billy said, his eyes beginning to burn.

"Will you please just tell us what the deal is between you and the Justice League?" Courtney asked with a huff, concern in her eyes as she looked at Billy. "You're obviously hurting, Billy, and we can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on." 

"This isn't how family treats one another, Billy," Freddy added.

The raven sighed. "Fine..." he muttered, sliding down the wall to sit on the cold tile floor. "The Justice League is a bunch of jerks, and you do not want to be a part of that team," he said, hugging his knees and staring at a spot on the floor.

"What?" Freddy asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Billy you don't even know them."

"Oh, I do. Trust me, I do."

"How...?"

"I used to be on the Justice League. I used to be one of them- when I was first starting out. I joined them when I was 10, and left when I was 11, after Superman thought he knew best, after I realized that the League punches first, and asks questions second," Billy said, angry tears beading the corners of his eyes. 

"I left because they didn't act like heroes, they didn't see the good in people anymore."

"That- that doesn't sound like the league I know," Freddy said, confusion and hurt in his eyes.

"Yeah? Well, I've been at this for eight years now, Freddy, you've been at this for two. I know what these guys are really like, and they aren't people you want to join."

Courtney hugged her arms, gaze down. Billy let out a shaky breath. "I didn't want to tell you guys because you have these images of them in your head. Court you- you think that joining them will make you a better hero, but it won't. You're already an amazing hero, you don't need the League to tell you that."

"But Superman-"

"Superman punched me through a building."

The blondes' eyes widened. 

"Superman didn't listen to me when I said we should think things through. Superman wanted to go in, guns blazing, and it ended up leveling a city. Superman's the worst fo them all."

"Didn't know you felt that way, Captain," a new voice said from Billy's other side, a voice that made his blood boil and his jaw set on instinct. The raven whipped his head towards the source, glaring daggers up at the Kryptonian standing behind him in the hall.

Freddy and Courtney were stunned into silence, and Billy placed himself between them and the Man of Steel. "What the fuck do you want, Superman?" he asked, barely holding back the urge to transform and punch the man outright.

The man had enough decency to look guilty at least. "I... I wanted to apologize."

"For what, exactly?" Billy asked, ignoring the harsh tears currently threatening to spill down his cheeks. 

"For everything. I should have at least contacted you and told you we'd be in town, and I didn't," Superman said, looking the teenager in the eyes. "And... I- I should have apologized a long time ago for this, but- I'm sorry, for what happened in Luthor City. I- I have no excuse for my behavior, and you were right, I should have listened to you and thought things through. But I was arrogant."

Billy stayed quiet, rubbing his palm into his eye to try and get rid of the moisture there.

"I'm supposed to be this beacon of hope, and I let you down. The League didn't deserve you- and it likely still doesn't. We have problems, we're not perfect. But we're trying to be better. You don't have to forgive me, I don't expect you to, after what I did to you. But I'd like you to know that it has been one of my biggest regrets in the last six years."

He wanted so badly to stay angry- to tell the man to shove his apology up his ass, that it was too little too late for something like that, that it didn't mean a thing to him-

But it was Superman.

At the end of the day...Billy had always been a fan. He'd always looked up to the man. As badly as Supes may have treated him, as hard as he might have punched him, Billy had punched right back.

It'd been six years. 

Maybe...

Maybe it was time to let it go.

He sighed, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. He dropped his gaze to the floor before shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fine..." he breathed, shoulders slumping slightly as he spoke.

"I told you a long time ago, Superman... I try to see the good in people. I believe in taking people at their word. The League- you guys made it clear that we don't share the same philosophy."

"I-" he swallowed thickly. "I can't forgive you. Superman," Billy continued, the knot in his chest twisting as he spoke. "Not right now, at least."

Clark's eyes flickered with guilt and sadness.

"But maybe eventually we'll get there," Billy continued, looking the man in the eyes. "One day."

The Kryptonian sighed, nodding once. "Of course. I'm sorry again, Captain...I really am."

"Just- call me Billy. I never told you guys my name. But if we're laying things out, that's what it is...and, while I can't forgive you, I won't speak for them. This is Freddy- my brother and partner, Voltage," he said, gesturing to the now starry-eyed blonde to his left. 

"And this is Courtney- Star Girl. She's an amazing hero, and you'd be lucky to have her," he said, getting a punch in the arm from the girl.

"Too bad I already have a team," she said with a shrug and a grin up at the Man of Steel.

Superman nodded, glancing between the trio. "Well, it looks like you found people that you can trust wholeheartedly, Ca- Billy. That's good. You're a strong hero, but everyone needs someone at their side when things go south. I'm glad you have the support you need...and I'm sorry that we couldn't give it to you."

Billy looked at his friends before meeting the Man of Steel's eyes once more. 

"Me too."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

A Distress call from Captain Marvel is what first alerted them to the situation. That in itself was strange since the man was not one to ask for assistance— nor did he need any under normal circumstances. However, regardless of the abnormality of the situation, the league spring into action.

Upon their arrival in Fawcett City, it was obvious that a fight had taken place. Flash remarked about the various upturned trees and dented fire hydrants scattering The war-torn streets. “Looks like a bomb went off...” The scarlet speedster said as he picked up a long charred branch off the sidewalk.

“I wonder who the Captain’s been fighting,” Superman said as he glanced around the ruined square the league had landed in. Green lantern touched down in the street and scanned a blackened area on the sidewalk with his ring.

“Ring doesn’t recognize the residue. It’s either future tech...” he glanced hesitantly towards the Man of Steel. “...or magic.”

Superman let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course...” he muttered under his breath.

“It doesn’t matter what it is— we have to find the Captain first and foremost. Then we’ll see how we can help,” Batman said sternly, looking at his surroundings with narrowed eyes. “There’s a path of destruction that leads that way,” he said, pointing down the street towards crooked lampposts and singed asphalt.

“Let’s go.”

Flash glanced at Green Lantern, who rolled his eyes before setting off after Batman and the rest of the group. “This should be fun,” he muttered sarcastically.

An explosion came from the next street over, sending a plume of thick smoke above the buildings and into the air. A sudden black figure darted out of the tower of smoke, and an identical red figure followed quickly behind. “That must be Cap— but who- or, what, the hell is he fighting?” Flash asked, screeching to a stop and glancing back at the leaders.

Superman narrowed his eyes up at the pair, watching as the two would collide and send out a shockwave before slamming against one another again. “I don’t know— but whatever it is, it’s giving Cap a run for his money.”

“Greeeaaaat... something that’s equal in strength to our number two...” Green Arrow said with a roll of his eyes. Flash smacked him on the arm before an explosion on the ground drew the group's collective attention away from the sky.

A cloud of dust billowed out from the entrance of a skyscraper. Batman and Superman tensed at the sight of two humanoid figures grappling in the dust, only to have the smaller humanoid get knocked towards them. The man landed a few feet in front of the group, cracking the asphalt beneath him. He sat up with a groan, putting a hand up to his head of dark hair.

The man looked to be about the same size as Superman, just as broad-shouldered, with tan skin and wearing what looked like a green version of the Captain's iconic uniform- complete with white and gold cape.

"You think that's funny, huh?" the guy said as he stood up, dusting his shoulder off before his hands curled into fists at his sides. "You think you're a tough guy?" he said aloud, glaring at the hulking figure amidst the building's smoke-laden entrance. The group's collective eye widened when a massive, grey-skinned mass of flesh emerged from the dust, snarling at the man in green with en elongated, slobbering mouth.

The man smirked and slammed his fist into the palm of his hand, causing lightning to crackle between them. 

"Come at me, ugly!" he growled before launching himself at the creature. The monster roared and lurched forward, only to be uppercut by the green-glad guy. The pair began to grapple back and forth, the man straining against the monster before it was suddenly enveloped in lightning. The guy stumbled backward, breathing heavily. "Santa mierda, took you long enough..." he said, glancing up at another man floating above him.

This guy had lightning crackling around his forearms constantly, similar to how Cap got when he was really in the zone. He was also wearing what looked like another version of Cap's uniform, this one gray, and was thinner than the green-clad guy, with spiked black hair that stood on end.

"Okay, is Cap a power ranger or something and he never told us?" Flash asked, glancing at the others as the pair took off, leaving a smoldering pile of grey gunk to steam at the building's entrance. Batman gave him a look and the speedster shut up, looking around for something to fight- only to suddenly be slammed into by a purple blur.

"Oh! I'm so sorry- I- wait, you- you're mister Flash!! Oh my goodness gracious it's amazing to meet you, sir, I just wanna-" The dark-skinned woman clad in a purple version of Cap's suit babbled, confusing the poor blonde with her nonstop flow of words. "Oh wait, sorry, just a sec," she said, speeding off. Flash opened his mouth to ask just what was going on, only to suddenly be tackled to the ground by Batman. 

A pair of creatures, one with four arms protruding from its back and one with darkened, rotting flesh chased after the woman, narrowly missing the pair and swinging from between the skyscrapers and bounding atop trees. Another woman, this time wearing what looked like simply a skirted version of Cap's uniform (was Flash sense a theme here...?) chased after them, determination in her eyes as she shot through the sky and gave chase.

"Maybe we should be helping these guys?" Lantern piped up, glancing towards the hulking grey mass that had previously been electrocuted. It was beginning to get back up by now, and the brunet tensed.

Superman nodded once before taking off after the pair of ladies. Batman and Lantern focused their sights on the grey creature currently getting up while Flash glanced at Wonder Woman. She smirked at him as a large, winged figure descending upon her caught her eye and she drew her sword. A blue version of Cap Slammed into it, sending it spiraling away through the air and narrowly avoiding being slashed by Diana's sword.

"W-Wonder- you- you're-" the man stammered for a moment before shaking the stars from his eyes.

"What's going on here, blue?" Flash asked, brows furrowed in confusion. The guy glanced towards him and swallowed thickly before shaking his head.

"I uh- r-right. They're the Seven Deadly Sins. We're trying to corral their destruction and keep them from hurting anyone while Cap tries to take them out at the source," he explained, glancing towards Diana as she grappled with a large, winged beast. "That- that's Pride...Holy cow she's amazing..." he trailed off, staring at Wonder Woman slashed through the creature's wing, only to it to reform the appendage.

He shook off his wonder. "We can't do any permanent damage- they're tied to a master, and as long as that bastard's still standing, so are they," he called out to the Amazonian, getting a nod in response before the woman continued to slash through the beast.

"That gray thing over there's Sloth, Greed and Lust are being corralled by my sisters," the blue-clad man said, looking around with a calculating look. "Envy should be..." he muttered, eyes narrowed as he flew up slightly. The man was suddenly slammed into by the man in gray, sending both of them tumbling out of the air and into the dirt.

The members of the League that hadn't jumped into action, namely Batman, Flash, and Green Lantern, ran to make sure the pair was okay. 

"Eug- ugh, Circuit Breaker, what the hell?!" the man in blue said as he clambered up from the tangle of limbs. "I thought you and Thunder were handling Envy!" 

"The dude's stronger than he looks, okay! Besides- it doesn't help that the one you were supposed to take care of decided to join the party!" the man in gray- 'Circuit Breaker' replied with a roll of his eyes. 

These two behaved more like siblings than teammates- they behaved like Jason and Tim out in the field, now that Bruce thought about it. 

Circuit Breaker glanced towards Batman, Flash, and Green Lantern and his eyes widened slightly before they went back towards the man in blue. "Seriously?! You used Cap's communicator to call the Justice League!? You know he didn't want to call them in for this!" he said, shoving the blonde angrily.

"Yeah well doesn't know whats good for hi-"

"Boys, shut your traps and keep the Sins from hurting people!" one of the women- the one wearing a skirted version of Captain Marvel's usual uniform, yelled from the air, glaring between the pair before dodging an assault from a putrid green monster.

The man in blue glanced at Circuit Breaker before looking back at the group. "It's all we can do. Until Captain Marvel takes down the Sin's host, they can't be sent back to where they belong," He said, floating up into the air. "You can lend a hand if you want- Gods know we need it."

The pair vanished in a blue and grey blur respectively, popping up on other ends of the battlefield and attempting to wrestle the grotesque monsters out of the sky or off of buildings.

"These people are weird-" Flash said, hand curling into a fist. "But you heard 'em, let's lend 'em a hand," he said with a smirk, before vanishing in a red blur himself. Green Lantern rolled his eyes and glanced at Bruce.

"We should probably find a way to help Cap."

"Already on it. You help Diana," Bruce said before taking off in the direction he'd last seen what he could only assume was Captain Marvel.

- - -

"You're weak, boy. Divvying up your powers to those who aren't deemed worthy- it's like cutting out a part of yourself. You aren't at your full strength, child," Black Adam growled, a sneer on his face as he faced off against Captain Marvel.

"You have no idea what me and my family are capable of, Adam," Cap replied, hands coiled into fists and ready to fight. The demigods floated far above the burning city, away from the wreckage the sins were creating. The raven was thankful his siblings were there to corral them- there was no way he'd be able to do this on his own.

"Tt. Family. Your love is a weakness, boy- you will never know true strength as long as it has a place in your bleeding heart," Adam snarled.

Cap shook his head, a smirk on his face as lightning crackled around his forearms. "You should really know this by now Adam... my family- my love isn't a weakness. It's a strength, dude. They push me to be better- push me to my full potential," he said, causing the man in front of him to duck his head and glare at Marvel.

"You insolent whelp- I'll show you strength!" 

Adam launched himself at Captain Marvel with a roar, and the man narrowly avoided his attack- ducking out of the way of his fists. Adam grabbed hold his cape and spun, swinging the champion in circles before launching him down towards the ground. Cap was sent sailing through the air, wind whistling in his ears as he dropped faster than a stone.

He slammed into the asphalt streets below, creating a shockwave that shattered windows and broke trees at their trunks. Cap lay in a crater, wincing in pain before Adam suddenly plowed his heels into Cap's sternum, effectively knocking the wind out of him with a wheeze.

The ancient Egyptian laughed, a crooked smile on his face as he lifted Cap up by his throat and gripped him tightly. "Captain, Captain, Captain. Naivety suits you," he said with a grin. "It makes you easier to kill," his grip tightened around Marvel's throat, the demigod bringing his hands up to claw at Adam's arm.

"BACK OFF!" 

Adam was suddenly slammed into, causing him to release Cap and drop him to the ground. Freddy was floating in his place, snarl on his face as he glared daggers at Adam. His brother turned towards him and helped him up,  giving him a once over. "You okay?" he asked before Adam's cry of rage could be heard and the pair whipped their heads towards him.

"I'll be fine- contain the Sins!" Cap said, eyes wide as Adam rocketed towards them.

"They'll be fine- the League's helpin' us out."

"THE WHAT!?!?"

"Focus, Cap!" 

Marvel growled at his brother before turning his attention towards Adam. Lightning continued to crackle around his forearms as he brought them up. "ERECTOS NOCTUM!" he yelled, bringing up a shimmering golden forcefield between them and the raging demigod. 

Adam slammed into the barrier, cracking the wall as Cap set his jaw and glanced at Freddy. "You called the League. You called them and deliberately went against my order!" he said angrily, glaring at the blonde.

"They can help-"

"Not against this!" Cap yelled as the barrier fractured more. Adam slammed against it with a roar, and the demigod glanced at his dark reflection. "The League and magic do not mix, Voltage, There are too many variables!"

"We'll help out a best we can, Captain," the sudden voice coming from behind the brothers caught their attention. Cap felt a pit of dread pool in his stomach at the sight of Batman behind them. 

"Batman-"

"Jut tell us what needs to be done."

Marvel blinked, glancing back at the barrier. It couldn't take much more. One more good hit, and that thing was coming down. "I need to take down Black Adam. He's harboring Wrath inside him, and because of that we aren't evenly matched anymore," he said, leaving out the bit where he also wasn't at full strength with his siblings helping him out in the field. "We have to draw it out, then- then I got him."

"Alright- and this Black Adam- he has the same powerset as you?" Batman asked.

"Yeah. And no moral compass."

"Fantastic."

Cap turned towards Freddy with a stern look on his face. "Round up the Sins with Thunder and Circuit Breaker, get them all in one place. Tell Mary and Flashbang to do the same. Batman and I will try to draw out Wrath- work with the League and listen to what they have to say, but go with your gut, Voltage," he said with a sudden smirk. 

"And I am totally getting you back for this, just so you know," he said, patting the blonde's shoulder. Freddy sighed and nodded, glancing at Batman before taking off.

Cap touched down onto the street, falling into a defensive position as the barrier fractured even more. "We make him angry enough, and Wrath will come out of him to fight us itself,"  Cap said, glaring at the raging demigod. "He has the same strength as me and Superman combined, so don't let him hit you- and...he doesn't rely upon it, but he can do magic."

Batman looked at the man, staring hard at his tight features. "You make a good leader, Captain. A better one than I would've assumed."

Captain Marvel smirked. "Well, you know what they say about assumptions."

The golden barrier shattered, sending shards of golden magic everywhere before they dissipated into thin air. Black Adam shot towards Marvel, slamming into the man and driving him backward several feet. Cap caught the man by the fists, digging his feet into the ground holding him back- just barely.

"What's w-wrong, Adam? Did a little bit of- ngh- magic get in your way?" he asked with a pained smirk, knowing he was better skilled at magic than the man before him. Adam had always relied on brute strength, and while Billy had too, at first, he'd been taught that his magic could be just as strong of a force for him to use.

He felt warmth coil in his forearms and pushed back against Adam's strength, the irises of his eyes flashing gold as his magic flows through them.

Adam roared, a fire igniting in the elder man's eyes as he pushed harder against Marvel. Just when he felt like his arms were going to give out, a Batarang exploded against Adam's back, causing him to cry out and turn towards the projectile angrily.

"Insolent mortal! I'll teach you not to provoke a God!" he yelled, moving to launch himself at Batman- only for Cap to grab hold of his leg and tear him back. 

"Ah, ah, ah, you haven't unlocked that character yet!"

The raven slammed adam down into the street before tossing him up into the air and launching himself upward. Adam righted himself in the air and snarled at Cap, grappling with the man in the air. 

"What's wrong Adam?! Mad a little kid's getting the better of you?!" Cap asked with a grin, tearing himself away from the demigod and breathing heavily. Adam roared, twitching as a shadow crossed his face, morphing it into a grotesque creature before Adam regained control of it once more. "Uh-oh, looks like someone's havin' a little bit of trouble keepin' the dog in its cage!"

Captain Marvel narrowly dodged Adam as he launched for him in the air, taking off back towards the streets below. He needed back-up for this- more than just Batman, he needed his family.

"Comin' in hot!" he yelled out, soaring through the air and rocketing towards the clearing where his siblings and the League had corralled the sins. They were busy keeping them together in a group and not letting any of them too far- Green Lantern had brought up a barrier around the heroes in an attempt to keep the monster from leaving the clearing.

"Guys!" Cap yelled out, gaining the attention of everyone in the clearing. "Winter carnival part two, come on!" he said, pausing in the air with a smirk and narrowly avoiding Adam's enraged tackle.

His siblings shared knowing glances before joining in him the air. 

"Pathetic! Your rabble of- of- of children are nothing to the likes of me!" Adam roared, breathing heavily and glancing at the assembled heroes in the air. 

"Come on, Adam, we've beat your sorry ass before, we'll do it again!" Voltage yelled with a laugh. 

"Somebody let his angry juice go to his head!" Circuit Breaker added with a smirk.

"Does little Teth Adam needs Wrath to help him be big and strong?" Thunder asked in a sing-song voice.

The sin inside Adam raged, pounding against the thin coils of what his Champion form could hold. It stretched out in a smoky visage, causing the demigod to twitch again. Cap smirked- they had him right where they wanted him.

"Thunder, Circuit Breaker, Flashbang- you guys get wrath out of there and down with the other sins! Keep the League from interfering!" Cap ordered as lightning began to leap around his large figure. "Mary, Voltage and I got Adam," he said, watching as the man writhed and struggled against the Sin in the air. 

"Now!" he yelled, launching himself towards the man. His siblings followed suit, the younger ones managing to tear Wrath away from Black Adam while Cap, Mary, and Freddy took advantage of the man's disorientation.

Marvel felt his magic coil up like a spring, ready to uncurl inside him- it was the one power his siblings didn't have. They may all be owners of a throne at the Rock of Eternity, but only he was its true Champion.

"FRAECUTOS ENTRAPTA!" he yelled, launching tendrils of golden magic towards the Egyptian. The golden cords wrapped themselves around Adam, pinning his arms to his sides and causing him to cry out- though whether that was from rage or pain, Cap couldn't be sure.

Adam growled, shifting his body in an attempt to tug his arms free. He pulled against Captain Marvel's grip, causing the cord to slip in his hands. "Hit him already!" the raven growled, Freddy and Mary sharing a look before they launched themselves at Adam. 

Adam dodged Freddy's wobbly punch, only to move right into Mary's path- she slammed her fist into his gut, making the man gasp and cough. Cap tugged against the cords, trying to keep Adam in place as his brother and sister tried to land more hits on him.

"Come on, guys, this isn't easy, you know!" He said through a tight jaw, holding the reins tightly. Casting the entrapment spell was hard enough, it was even harder holding back someone who matched his strength and then some. 

"Don't get your spandex in a twist!" Mary replied with a smirk, dodging a kick from Adam and distracting the man for long enough that Freddy was able to land a punch square on his jaw.

Adam was knocked out of Cap's grip, spiraling through the air. The magical coils wrapped tightly around him disintegrated once they left the demigod's hands, freeing Adam's arms from his sides. Marvel's eyes flared gold as his fists tightened.

"My turn," he growled, charging Black Adam as lightning encircled his muscular form. Adam's head whipped towards Marvel as the last moment, eyes widening when the man's fist connected with his face. Marvel followed him mas he was knocked back, landing multiple punches on the man before finally bringing his fists together and slamming them down on Adam's chest. He sent the Egyptian rocketing down towards the streets, slamming into the asphalt below with a thunderous crack.

Marvel touched down on the ground, landing a few feet away from Lantern's force field. He ignored the muffled roaring from the Sins inside as well as the eyes he knew were on him as he walked up to Adam. "You're outnumbered, Adam. It's time to give up."

The man in black snarled, breathing heavily from the crater he lay in. "Foolish...boy..." he said with a glare as Captain Marvel came closer. Adam suddenly grinned, lightning crackling in his dark eyes. "You're...forgetting something..." he breathed. 

"SHAZAM!"

Captain Marvel's eyes widened, head whipping up towards the sky before throwing himself out of the way of a magical lightning bolt. He landed on the street with a grunt, turning over and scrambling backward and up to stare at the fading light. With the light gone and air electric, he ran back towards the crater- only to find Adam gone.

"Damnit..." he said, hands curling into fists in frustration. Mary and Freddy landed behind him, looking into the crater. "He's gone. There's no telling where he went," Marvel said, glancing at Mary.

There was an echoed screech, and the trio glanced towards the contained sins- which were melting back into smoke and- shit, heading right for him.

"Not again!" Cap said, eyes widening as the creatures flew towards him and right into his chest. The demigod gasped, stumbling backward and coughing. "Oh Gods..." he muttered, holding his stomach as Freddy pat his shoulder. "I hate that so much..." he breathed.

"What the Hell was that?! Is Cap gonna go evil on us now?" Flash asked, eyes wide as he stared at the raven.

The man chuckled breathily. "No, no. I'm uh- I'm just the strongest connection to where those things belong, so they went through me to get back there," he said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "Okay, well uh, that's settled," he said, looking around.

"Time for a huddle-up."

"Voltage, you and Thunder help the cleanup crew with the heavy lifting," Cap said, glancing at Freddy and Pedro and switching immediately into work mode- he could deal with the League's presence in a moment. "Circuit Breaker, help them get everything back online," he said, nodding towards Eugene.

"Flashbang, I want you to check on civilians, make sure if anyone needs medical help that you run them to a hospital, okay?" He said, looking at Darla and raising his pitch slightly. "Mary- you and I will go over everything with the police, explain what's goin' on," he continued, eyes landing on Mary. 

"Alright, let's do it- meet back up at the lair," Cap continued, making a circular motion with his hand. His siblings nodded once and took off to do their respective jobs- leaving him alone with the League. Mary hung back for a moment before he gave her a smile, giving her an all-clear to go ahead and start without him.

"Uhh, thanks, for that, guys. I didn't know that F- Voltage was gonna call you in, but thanks for the help," he said, realizing that the two people he was- excitable and childish with the League while commanding and level-headed with his family- were colliding. It gave him a bit of a rush.

"You- you have an entire team of electric power rangers, dude," Flash said with wide eyes as Lantern's field fully came down. "Wha- like- who-"

Cap chuckled. "That's my family. My brothers and sisters."

He felt warmth coil in his chest at the thought. a couple of years ago, he never would have thought of them being so close to his heart- now, he wasn't sure what he'd do without them.

"Dude, why haven't you told us about them before!? We could totally use more than one of you out in the field!" Lantern asked with wide eyes and a smile. 

Cap smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well..." He was already stretching it by telling the League that they were his family- he didn't like to tell them a lot about his civilian life, it was easier to hide if they didn't know anything about him. He sighed- oh what the Hell.

"They actually got their powers from me. Uh- you see they- their forms are temporary," he said, feeling a spark in his mind and going with whatever Solomon suggested. "They aren't heroes full-time like me, and I'm weaker when they're powered up like that."

He hoped that wasn't too much info... it didn't give away to much, did it?

The League was quiet- he hated it when they were quiet, it usually meant he'd been obnoxious or had done something wrong. 

"Dude, you are one Hell of a leader," Flash said, breaking the tense silence.

"Oh, yeah, you had total Superman vibes goin' on," Green Arrow added.

Cap chuckled, glancing down the street to find his siblings working. "Right- well I should- I should go help," he said with a smile. "But really, thank you for your help."

"Wait, Captain," Batman said, stepping forward.

"What's up?"

"Black Adam. Where did he go?"

"I...don't know. But when he shows his face again, my family and I will be ready."

"I have no doubt."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Billy Batson, a skinny 12-year-old with what felt like a magnet strapped to his back that attracted trouble, sat alone in the hallway of the Watchtower, staring down at his feet as they dangled off the edge of the bench he sat on. Dread was like a pit in the core of his stomach, making him queasy and wish he could just vanish. He hated this waiting, hating being uncertain of his future. 

Though, he supposed it was his own fault he was in this mess in the first place. 

He'd kept his identity from the League since he'd joined- nearly 2 years at this point, he'd been at this, and now it was all coming crashing down. The raven sighed, shoulders slumping. He guessed it wouldn't be so bad to be kicked out- he'd managed for the first couple of months he was a hero by himself, he could do it again- though it would be lonely.

Billy let out a breath, chewing on his bottom lip in thought as he glanced at the meeting room. The League had been in there for a long time already- he wished they would just come to a decision already.

The 12-year-old felt a sudden chill run up his spine, making him roll his shoulders and furrow his brow. It was oddly familiar, that feeling. He thought about it for moment, looking around in confusion- there couldn't be a draft, the Watchtower was a multi-million dollar satellite. 

There was a sudden crash from the meeting room, making the boy flinch and jump to his feet. That couldn't be good- they weren't fighting, were they?! He had to do something- the League couldn't become divided because of him!

Billy narrowed his eyes at the door and spread his feet, calling out the Wiard's name and summoning the magical lightning he'd come to know so well.

With a muscular form and billowing white cape, Captin Marvel opened the meeting room door, ready to put an end to whatever fight could have possibly broken out-

...only to find a dark, shadowy figure with glowing blue eyes standing in the middle of the table. Wisps of dark smoke trailed off the figure, the lights above flickering. The heroes surrounding the figure had their weapons drawn, chairs shoved back and knocked over.

Captain Marvel stared with wide eyes t the figured as it looked around at the heroes before finally landing its gaze on Cap. He swallowed thickly, not missing the way the others tensed up. Marvel sighed, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

"You could- you could at least try and pass for human..." he muttered, dragging his hand down his face and looking at the shadowy figure with a mixture of exhaustion and pleading. "Please...?"

The figure stared at him before seemingly sighing, the smoke draining downward to reveal a man with faded blue hair, arms corded in lean muscle and leather, studs and chains wrapping around the man's legs and shoulders. He wore silver and leather bracers and studded platform boots, his dark shirt was in tatters, and he had multiple piercings in his ears. The man looked like he'd just walked out of a punk rock concert, and kinda owned the look.

The man hopped off the table and glanced around at the heroes with a raised eyebrow before looking back towards Captain Marvel. "You reek of my little brother," he commented, causing Cap to roll his eyes with a smile.

"Yeah, well that's not really my fault."

The man gave him a look before smirking and wrapping an arm around the demigod's shoulder. "So this is the. League that Ares keeps complaining about?"

"Hold on, what is going on here?" Superman asked, his brow furrowed in a mixture of confusion and anger. 

The blue-haired man glanced at the Kryptonian before looking towards Wonder Woman. "I'm sure your resident demigoddess can fill you in," he said with a sneer before turning his attention back towards Captain Marvel- who was going to stay quiet, thank you very much.

"He's- He's Hades, God of the Underworld," Diana said slowly, staring at the man in disbelief. "I don't know how I didn't recognize him before. How did you, Captain?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from the God and looking at the man who the God had in his grip.

"Well, my powers-"

"I'd hope he'd know who I am," Hades said with a smirk, getting a wide-eyed look from Marvel before he smacked his hand over the slightly taller man's mouth.

"My powers derive from the Gods, Hades is a God, that's how I know."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Still keeping secrets then, Billy?"

Hades furrowed his brow and glanced at the raven, removing his hand before looking at Batman. "Wait, you know who he really is?" he asked before unwrapping his arm and turning to fully look at the raven in question. "I thought you weren't going to tell them."

Captain Marvel tensed, lowering his gaze. He really didn't need this right now, Hades was just making things worse- if he wasn't a goner before, he sure as hell was now.

Wait, why was Hades here in the first place?

"Kid?" Hades continued, face scrunching further. He used a finger to lift the man's chin so he'd look him in the eyes. The God's gaze softened as he dropped his hand. "I sensed you were in distress- I came to scare the shit out of some people for fun but- but is this why?"

"It's nothing, why don't we taking this conversation out in the hall?" he asked, pleading silently with the blue-haired man.

"Now, hold on, you two aren't going anywhere. What is going on here? Why is Hades here and- and-" Superman was looking between the pair before bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes. "Batman's right. You have to stop with these secrets, Bil- Captain."

Marvel tensed, dropping his gaze again. Superman was good at the disappointed stare- it never failed to make him feel small. Hades narrowed his eyes at the Kryptonian before looking at Cap. "Oh, no no no no," he said waggling a finger.  "This is not happening- I am not seeing what I think I'm seeing, am I?" he asked, eyes turning a shade icier than the blue they'd been previously. 

"No, no, Hades- it's- it's fine, don't-" Cap said, eyes widening and bringing his hand up to grab hold of the God's tattered leather sleeve.

"I know you are not treating him like he's some subservient being to you," Hades continued, hand curling into a fist.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You do not get to force him to kneel to you."

"Hades-" Cap tried again.

"No one's kneeling-"

"Maybe not physically, but I know the look of obedience when I see one," Hades growled, hands igniting as he held them tightly at his sides. The heroes around them tensed, Wonder Woman's grip on her sword tightening.

"DAD!" Captain Marvel yelled, staring at the God with wide eyes. "Stop! Just stop! You're not-" Cap ran his hands through his hair. "You're not making things easier on me!"

Hades stared at him, blinking as the flames around his hands and lapping at his shoulders died down to smoke trails. He glanced at the adults in the room before turning back towards Captain Marvel. "Kid-"

Captain Marvel spoke the Wiard's voice, light erupting in the room and causing everyone (minute Hades, who simply blinked at the light) to cover their eyes with their arms or cape. With Billy in his place, the boy stared up at the God with a pleading, icy blue-eyed stare. The 12-year-old signed, swallowing thickly before grabbing hold of the blue-haired man's calloused hand. 

"Let's just go..."

He bit his bottom lip hard. "I'm getting kicked out anyway."

Hades stayed quiet, shoulders dropping slightly before he suddenly picked the kid up in his arms and held him against his chest. Billy was small for his age- he looked like a 9-year-old, so he fit snugly against the God's chest. 

Hades turned and moved to leave the room, Billy resting his cheek against his father's shoulder. He glanced at the group they were leaving behind, the adults staring at him blankly- though he could see the confusion and anger in Superman's eyes, and the longing in Diana's. 

Billy closed his eyes, snuggling closer against the warm leather shoulder. He was probably better off this way, anyway, right? Better to just leave before they can break his heart...

So why did this hurt so much?

"Let's go home, kid."

"Yeah..."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Monitor duty, Captain Marvel decided, was probably his least favorite part of being on the Justice League. Fighting villains and saving the world was awesome, and he could deal with giving mission reports, (Solomon helped a lot with remembering the details when Cap himself wouldn’t have been able to) but monitor duty— sat down in front of a large pair of screens for 2 to 4 hours at a time was taxing on his inner child.

Sure, he had the stamina of Atlas, he could sit there for years if he needed to, but mentally he couldn’t stand it. Especially on slow days like this.

The demigod clad in red spandex and golden armor sighed as he rested his chin on his arm. He’d been staring at these surveillance monitors for thirty minutes already, and because of the staggered schedule, he wasn’t due for a partner (likely Flash since only he and Cyborg could ever really keep up with his rambled train of thought) for another hour. He groaned softly as a panoramic view of metropolis flicked by, a yawn escaping his mouth as his head felt heavy on his arm.

“Come on, something. Anything...?” He muttered to himself, feeling slightly guilty for wishing that something would go wrong. He knew he should be happy that all was calm— it wasn’t often they got days like this, no wildfires, no border disputes, but the demigod couldn’t help but wish something would happen and keep him from falling asleep.

“—arvel.” Arvel. Arvel? Orville. Ooh, he could go for some popcorn right now. It’d be something to keep him awake, even though he didn’t really need to eat in this form. Maybe he could zip to the kitchen real quick and—

“Marvel.”

He tensed at the feeling of a hand gripping his shoulder, his name coming from a gruff-sounding voice. He glanced over his shoulder, where the gloved hand slipped off and blinked at the sight of Batman behind him. The Dark Knight was looking at him expectantly— how long had he been there? Had he been thinking out loud? Batman’s gaze turned into that of a father’s, catching his son getting off track in his studies.

Marvel had a feeling that Batman probably was a dad— it’d be kind of weird if Robin wasn’t his kid.

“Uh- Batman, Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” He said after a moment, turning around in his chair and rubbing the back of his neck.

“You seemed to be lost in thought, there, Captain,” Batman replied, ignoring Cap’s obvious statement. “Any trouble?” He asked, glancing up at the screen. Cap was pretty sure that Batman had some way of knowing if the monitor’s detected trouble or not, but the Dark Knight hardly ever spent any time around him one-on-one, so he’d go along with it for now.

“Uh, no, not really. It’s actually been really quiet. The only thing I’ve seen is a neighborly dispute, but that was handled fairly quickly,” he said, glancing back at the monitors.

Batman made a noise of affirmation, something Cap had grown used to in his time with the League. When he’d first joined, nearly a year ago, he’d thought Batman didn’t like him. Now, though, he understood that Batman was a guy who’s train of thought was something along the lines of why say needless words when actions speak so much clearer?

He understood for the most part.

Batman stood up straight, glancing over the monitors once more with a narrowed eye before letting out a breath. “Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary then?” He asked, turning his eyes on the demigod.

Cap chuckled. “Unless you wanna count how quiet it’s been, no. Why? Is something wrong?” He asked, tilting his head slightly. Batman looked almost tense, and though he looked that way a lot, this was different. It was like he was almost expecting something bad to happen, coiled up like a spring and waiting for the worst.

“Gotham’s quiet as well,” he said, turning his eyes away from Marvel and back towards the screens. “Gotham’s never quiet.”

Captain Marvel took a moment to stare at the screens— wasn’t it a good thing if it was quiet? He glanced at the Bat before leaning back in his chair slightly. “So what do we do?” He asked. When in doubt, differ to Batman. The cowled crusader shook his head slightly, pressing a couple of buttons to change the screens before pulling up a call to Superman. Kal’s picture showed up after a few moments, and the sound of wind blew through the speakers.

“I could’ve heard you if you just spoke,” he said first, and Cap could almost see the playful smirk the man of steel got when he teased Batman.

“And that would be an effective way of communicating how?” Batman snarked back, and Cap could almost see the man rolling his eyes under the cowl.

“Any reports, Superman?”

The wind picked up for a moment before dying down slightly. “No- not even a kitten stuck in a tree. I’m guessing the Watchtower didn’t pan out?” He asked, to which Batman shook his head.

“No.” the Dark Knight responded.

“Well there has to be a reason it’s so quiet. Maybe it’s—“

The line went dead suddenly, a trio of beeps signaling that the call had ended. Batman furrowed his brow slightly. “That’s...not good,” Cap commented, sitting up in his chair and attempting to connect to Kal’s communicator again. “What does that mean?” He asked at the sight of an error message flashing on the screen.

“It means his communicator is out of range. He’s not in this galaxy.” Batman growled, eyes narrowed at the screen. He made a motion with his arm and Cap stood up and moved out of the way of the chair. The Dark Knight swiftly took his place and started typing furiously.

“How could he suddenly not be in the Milky W—“ Marvel felt a weird tingle run up his spine, making him shudder. “Magic. It Mag—“ was all he was able to get out before Batman vanished in front of him. Well, everything vanished if he was specific, light enveloping his senses and forcing him to close his eyes.

- - -

When he opened them again, Marvel found himself in a place that was definitely not the Watchtower. For one, he was currently kneeling on what looked like sand— yeah, not on the Watchtower anymore. Likely not on Earth either, if the lilac tint to the sand was anything to go by. Captain Marvel stood, brushing the purple sand grains from his suit and looking around. It looked like he was alone, frothy waves lapping at the shore to his front, turning the light-colored sand a dark violet.

He glanced behind him to find a multicolored jungle— various greens and oranges mixing together in the brush. “Okay- don’t panic. Maybe- maybe this is where Superman went. Y-yeah, yeah, There’s no way this is in the Milky Way...galaxy...” he trailed off, taking a step towards the jungle greenery and stepping into the air.

Or, well, that’s what he intended to do— start flying and try to get some kind of aerial view, only for some reason, he found his foot slamming down onto the sand and sending him careening into the ground with a clumsy grunt.

“Nghh...what the...?” Cap lifted himself up from the sand, spitting out the small grains in disgust. He stood up and looked down at his hands, narrowing his eyes in thought. Was it this place? A change in gravity wouldn’t affect his ability to fly, it was based off magic. Captain Marvel was connected to the Rock of Eternity, his magic was always strong, no matter how far he was. He clenched his hands and looked around again, brows furrowed in thought.

Now that he thought about it, that constant, thrumming tingle in the back of his head that enveloped his entire being— the energy that encapsulated his magic and connected him to the Wizard— it was gone.

A sudden rustle in the brush behind him made the demigod tense— sure, Batman had taught him hand-to-hand combat to make his attacks more effective, but he was still reeling from the lack of the Wizard’s presence— he couldn’t take anything big on like this. He clenched his fists and settled into a defensive stance on instinct, though, cause if working with Batman had taught him anything, it was that your opponent didn’t care if you were ready or not.

The large orange leaves parted, allowing a figure to stumble through. The Captain set his jaw for a moment before realizing he recognized the slick black hair, thick arms, and bright red S currently falling and landing on the sand a few feet in front of him.

“Superman! Are you okay?” He asked, running over to the Kryptonian and kneeling down beside him. He helped the man sit up and kept a hand hovering over his back.

“I’m fine, Captain, thank you. I’m just a little winded...” he muttered, seemingly unwilling to believe his own words.

“You’re winded...is- is it kryptonite? I don’t think this sand is made of that but-“ Superman shook his head. “No, no. I think it’s the sun. Well, suns.” He replied, gesturing towards the sky.

Cap glanced up, spotting a pair of fireballs in the sky— one yellow, the other red. “What does the sun have to do with you?” He asked, glancing back at the Kryptonian.

Superman seemed to gain some of his composure back, glancing up at the fireballs in the sky before meeting Marvel’s gaze. “That’s how I get my powers. Earth’s yellow sun- it does a lot for me,” he said with a small grin. Captain Marvel blinked— the sun is what made Superman so...super? He furrowed his brow, and a thought that was distinctly Billy came to his mind.

“So you’re like a giant plant?”

Superman chuckled, his shoulders bouncing slightly. Cap helped him to his feet, a hand still hovering behind his back slightly. “Yeah, I guess I am,” Superman said lightly. Marvel dropped his arm and glanced at the pair of suns in the sky once more. “That red sun though— it drains my powers. They must be canceling each other out since there’s one of each...” Superman said, meeting the captain’s eyes.

“Or, well, that’s my best guess anyway.”

Cap nodded slowly— there was no telling what planet they could be on. “So, you’re what, just a normal guy right now?” He asked, resting his hands on his hips. Superman nodded in response. “Alright, well my magic isn’t really working for me right now either, so we’re in a bit of a pickle.”

Superman furrowed his brow for a moment, before chuckling and shaking his head. “I forget sometimes that you’re a being of magic, Captain,” he said, glancing around their surroundings. “Come on, we should pick a direction and start walking. Staying here’ll get us nowhere,” Superman said, putting a palm up to his eyes to look into the distance.

“I’d rather not go back into that jungle if I can help it— if you don’t have access to your magic and me my powers, it wouldn’t end very well for us if we came across something nasty.” The Kryptonian started walking towards a small clearing between the green and orange jungle and a dark blue-gray mountainous cliff-face.

Cap followed suit, but the slightly larger raven’s words struck a chord. His magic was cut off from what he could tell. That meant he didn’t have access to the rock... or the Wizard. His magical form, Captain Marvel himself, was just an extension of the Wizard’s powers— a form that he could only keep up if he was connected to the Rock of Eternity.

Without that connection...

He swallowed thickly as dread settled into the pit of his stomach. He hoped this form would last him until they could get off this planet. If it didn’t, he wasn’t sure what would happen. Captain Marvel shook the thoughts from his head when Superman called his name, setting a faster pace to catch up to the man.

“What is it?” He asked as he came up next to Kal-el.

The man was standing in front of a large cave mouth, staring up at it with a small grin. “This place looks promising.”

“Looks like a place something big could be hiding,” Cap replied, looking around the cave opening. “Lemme see if I can...” he shut his eyes for a moment, feeling a slight pull at his core before a small glow appeared in his hand. Okay, so he may not have access to the Rock of Eternity, but he still had some juice in his reserves— that must have been the reason his form was holding out. He held the glowing sphere aloft, light glinting off the cave walls as he took a few steps inside.

“I thought your magic was acting up,” Superman said, following behind him.

“It is, sort of. The place my magic comes from, the Rock of Eternity, is...well, I can’t feel it, for some reason. I do have some magical reserves though,” the demigod explained, continuing further into the cave. “It looks alright, we could probably spend the night here,” he said, glancing back at the Kryptonian behind him. “We’ll need to build a fire though.”

“That’s easy. I was a Boyscout as a kid,” Superman said with a chuckle as they turned around and headed towards the mouth. Cap smiled softly.

“I always wanted to be one of those. Fawcett doesn’t have a chapter though,” He replied, the light in his palm flickering out as they stepped out into the open air.

Superman gave him a funny look and a smile. “Never thought you’d be the type, Captain,” he said as the pair headed towards the brush across from the cave. “Well, to be honest, I thought you might have actually been thousands of years old, like Diana,” Kal said as he picked up a fallen branch off the ground.

“Wait, really?” Cap asked, head tilting slightly in thought as he picked up some loose bark. Superman nodded, continuing to pick up branches.

“Most of the League thinks that actually, come to think of it. We don’t really know a lot about you, Cap, so we try and fill in the blanks where we can.”

"Oh..." Marvel trailed off, picking up more brush and bark. He chuckled nervously, shaking a piece of bark of the sand covering it. "Well, I'm not ancient, I'll tell you that. I'm from Fawcett City, always have been," he said, staring down at the object in his hand. "I wish I knew as much as Diana does- she's amazing."

"Always feels like I'm coming up short when I compare myself to her."

Superman was quiet, and Cap glanced towards the Kryptonian to find him staring at him. "Captain, you don't have to compare yourself to anyone."

"Yeah, I know. Still happens," he replied with a roll of his shoulder, picking up a couple more pieces of bark and taking them back towards the mouth of the cave. "But enough about me- you got any idea how we can get off this planet?" Cap asked, dusting off his hands as Superman brought over the wood he'd gathered.

The man shook his head slowly, dropping the wood and kneeling down to start setting it up. Cap crouched down opposite of him, watching curiously as he began to dig out a small pit in the dirt and set the wood up in a cone. He watched Kal put the pieces of bark and more wood inside, placing them strategically around the wood as he took a seat on the ground. "You're good at this," he commented, hugging his knees to his chest.

The Kryptonian chuckled, setting another piece of wood in place. "Thanks- we still need something to light it with though."

"Oh, I got it-" Cap said, letting go of his legs and settling into a full lotus. He thrust a hand out towards the fire pit and concentrated on the wood. "Forbærne," he breathed, hand glowing before the wood suddenly caught fire. Cap smiled softly as it, dropping his arm into his lap.

Kal chuckled, gaining the demigod's attention. "That'll never cease to amaze me."

"What?"

"Magic- it's just...it's amazing," Superman said with a shake of his head, staring into the flames. 

Cap smiled softly, staring at the man in front of him- Kal had been his hero for so long, he'd looked up to him, tried to be like him, and here he was, impressed by what he could do. It made warmth curl in his core, and he ducked his head slightly. 

Superman let out a sigh, standing up. "We should probably find something to eat- those suns are gonna go down soon, and I don't think things will be much easier for us when they do," he said, dusting his uniform off and holding out a hand for the Captain to take. He did just that, grinning as Superman helped him to his feet. 

"I think our best bet is going to be that jungle, as much as I hate to say," the Kryptonian said, scratching at the back of his head before glancing at Cap. "Unless you got a better idea?"

Marvel shook his head slowly- he wasn't too excited about going into that brush, but if push came to shove, he could still use some of the magic he had left to protect them. "I'll follow your lead, Superman."

The man chuckled, clapping him on the back. "You're the only one with working powers, right now, Captain- we're partners in this," he said, beginning to walk towards the brush. Cap followed with a small smile, maneuvering around plantlife and around vines as they stepped into the mass of foliage. 

"See anything we could pick?" Superman asked as they walked. 

"Not yet..." Cap trailed off, looking around at the jungle around them. It was strange, but it reminded him of when he and Freddy Freeman, his closest friend and confidant, used to go out behind the Fawcett City Orphanage and play in the woods- they'd catch frogs, perform sword fights with sticks, play in the creek, lay in the grass and tell stories- it made him chuckle to think of.

Superman glanced back with a smile and a raised eyebrow. "What's that for?" he asked as he moved around a large drawn.

"Oh, it's- it's nothing. I just..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "This place reminds me of when my best friend and I used to go to the woods behind the orphanage and play with frogs...” he said, spotting what looked like coconuts up at the top of a tree.

"Wait, Cap, you're an orphan?" Superman asked, pausing in his tracks to stare at the demigod as he started to clamber up the trunk of a tree. The demigod nodded as he concentrated on climbing, grunting as he pulling himself up onto a limb. 

"Yeah- have been since I was 6," he said, leaping off the branch and grabbing hold of another to hoist himself up high enough to finally reach the coconut-lookalikes. "Success!"

He didn't notice Superman's shoulders fall slightly or the look of concern and sadness on the man's face. "I'm sorry, Cap."

"Hm?" the demigod questioned, plucking the coconuts and dropping them to the ground. "For what? You didn't kill my folks," he said as he started to clamber down. Superman gave him a look, so he continued. "It's okay, Superman, really. I got a photo of them to remember them by, so it's not all bad," he said with a grin, picking up two armfuls of coconut-lookalikes while Superman took more into his own arms.

"I mean, what am I gonna do about it? Go on a murderous rampage trying to find my parents' killer? What good would that do?" Cap asked with a grin before setting off in the direction they'd come from. "I wanna put more good into the world, not take away from it."

"Besides," he said, glancing back at the Kryptonian behind him with a laugh. "My parents would hate that. They always told me to be good, and that good would follow- its a motto I try to live by, and seeking out revenge wouldn't do that."

Superman stared openly at the demigod as they walked, in awe of the man before him. "I- I never realized just how much there was about you that we never knew, Captain," he said, following the man out into the open. "You- you're a good man. You really are."

Captain Marvel glanced back at Superman with a slightly confused grin. "Well, I hope so- I try to emulate you," he said with a laugh as he dropped the coconuts onto the ground in the cave.

"What...?"

"Hm?" 

"You- you try to emulate me?" Superman asked slowly. Captain Marvel tried to be like him? He was used to being a symbol, but this- this was something else entirely. Captain Marvel was an enigma, one that Clark felt like he was only beginning to unravel. "I'm- I'm flattered..." he said slowly, though it was more than that. He wasn't sure why Marvel tried to be like him when he was already so much more noble- but it made his heart ache for the man.

He'd had no idea just how much there was to the Captain.

Color tinged at the demigod's cheeks as he ducked his head, trying to open the coconut-thing in his hands. "Let's- let's try to get these open," he said, swallowing thickly and trying to pry the fruit open. "Dang- okay, uh, I don't have much magic left in me that can really be- uh- used, but I can try-"

Superman put a hand out towards the man. "Hold on, let's try to find a sharp rock or something first, okay? I don't want you to hurt yourself, Cap," Clark said as he stood. "I'll go look for one- you make sure the fire doesn't go out, alright?" he said with a grin before leaving the cave and leaving the demigod alone.

Marvel sighed as he watched Supes leave, leaning back against the cave wall with a wince. Keeping up this form was using more magic than he must have realized- he'd started feeling woozy the moment he'd climbed down from the tree- this wasn't good.

But it wasn't like he could just transform- for one, there was no guarantee they wouldn't run into some kind of threat, and it would be much easier to fight as Captain Marvel, even without powers, than it would be to fight as Billy, and for two, Superman would be back any minute and he probably wouldn't be happy to find a kid standing in Captain Marvel's place.

Marvel shut his eyes as he leaned against the cave wall, the entire place feeling like it was moving as he tried to block it out. He was kind of really glad Superman had insisted he not use his magic- he didn't have much left, and it was fading fast. He wasn't sure if he could get the damn fruit open if he wanted to.

The demigod's breath was shaky as he winced at the spinning in his head, hands digging into the soil in an attempt to ground himself- it didn't do much, but it was all he could do right now.

"Captain do you- Captain, are you okay?!" Superman's voice coming back into hearing range startled the demigod, opening his eyes slowly to find the Kryptonian standing over him with a worried expression. "What's wrong- you're pale, wait no you're- you're transparent-" he said with wide eyes.

Yeah okay, that wasn't good. He needed to do something immeadietly- regardless of what Superman would think of him afterward. "Get back..." he breathed, the Kryptonian obeying and scrambling backward.

"...Sh-Shazam..."

A ripple of thunder and one magical lightning bolt later, and Billy had taken the place of Captain Marvel- blacking out in the process.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

A ripple of thunder and one magical lightning bolt later, and Billy had taken the place of Captain Marvel- blacking out in the process.

- - -

When he came to, the raven found himself staring up at the cavernous ceiling above him- his muscles ached and he felt hollow...a sign that his magic wasn't with him anymore. He hadn't realized he'd become so accustomed to the constant thrum of life that ran through him, but without it, he felt empty.

The boy winced when he tried to lift his head, being unsuccessful and finding gravity pulling it back down. Though, instead of landing on sand or soil as he'd expected, Billy found his head pillowed on something soft. He turned his head to look at what could possibly under him and acting as a pillow and furrowed his brow at the sight of bright red cloth. 

"You're awake- good," a voice coming into the cave made the boy tense on instinct, something that had him wincing as pain rippled through his skull.

"Easy there, calm down, son. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Well yeah, he could tell that much- if he wanted to hurt him, Billy probably wouldn't have regained consciousness while lying down.

Wait- that voice. Billy knew that voice. It was a voice he had memorized, a voice that was unmistakable. "S...Superman...?" he breathed, furrowing his brow to glance at the slightly blurry blue figure standing to his side in front of the fire.

"I'm here, Captain," the man said, kneeling down beside the boy. "Are you okay?"

Okay? No. Would he survive? Yeah- yeah, he could manage that. Billy tried sitting up, finding large hands helping him, and maneuvering his small frame so that he was resting up against the cave wall. "'M fine..." he breathed, swallowing the bile in the back of his throat.

Billy could feel the Kryptonian's eyes on him, could almost feel the questions the man had hanging in the air- but Billy couldn't bring himself to look at the man. What was he supposed to say? He'd lied- not just to Superman, but to the whole League. He couldn't face his hero like this- he didn't have the courage of Achilles at his side.

All he had was the crummy courage of Billy Batson, and it wasn't much.

He could feel Superman's eyes on him still, the tension in the air thick and palpable. Billy swallowed thickly, sniffling as he brought his knees to his chest and hugged them. "I'm sorry..." he muttered, staring into the flames.

Superman said nothing but scooted closer. 

"I- I lied. I lied to everyone. I'm not some ancient being like Diana...i'm not even an adult..." Billy said, ignoring the moisture collecting in the corners of his eyes. It made his nose burn and his breath hitch, but he ignored it nonetheless. "I'm just-" he swallowed thickly, grip tightening on his legs.

"I'm just some stupid kid."

A soft sigh came from the Kryptonian beside him as he grabbed his cape up off the ground and unfolded it. The larger raven then draped it around Billy's shoulders, his warm hands lingering for a moment before he drew back. "You're not stupid, Captain."

Billy shook his head, shock creeping into his system as he clutched the soft red fabric around him tightly. "Billy...my name's Billy..." he muttered as tears began to trail down his cheeks. He wiped at them angrily with the base of his palm, breath hitching again.

"It's okay, BIlly."

"IT'S NOT!" Billy snapped, his composure shattering as he broke down fully into tears. The 11-year-old buried his face in his hands, crying into them and shaking violently as he muttered incoherent words to himself. "I- I- i'm not f-f-fit to be a he-hero- I-" he continued to cry, cheeks bright red as the small boy hiccuped and continued to berate himself. 

"I n-never should ha-have accepted y-your invitation to the- the League..."

The Kryptonian beside him set his jaw slightly and swept the boy up into his lap, wrapping his arms around him and holding him there as Billy cried. 

Billy melted into the warm touch against his better judgment- it had been so long since he'd been held, and Superman felt just like his dad- warm and gentle, soft in just the right places. He buried his face in the S on the man's chest, breathing shakily as he listened to his heartbeat. Tears continued to fall from his eyes, turning the bright blue of the Kryptonian's suit a slightly darker color, but the man didn't seem to mind.

He just kept holding Billy, keeping him close. His grip loosened for only a moment when Superman shifted, grabbing the cape that had fallen off Billy to shake the sand from it and drape it over the boy once more. "It's gonna be alright, Billy," he said gently, rubbing a hand against the boy's small back.

"Ho-how do you kn-know...?" Billy breathed, sniffling as he kept his head against Superman's chest. "I- I lied..." he said, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks again. 

"And from the looks of it, I understand why, son."

Billy pulled back, glancing up at the man with a furrowed brow. His own red-rimmed bright blue eyes stared into Superman's, confusion etched into his features. "You- you do?" he asked, sniffling and wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Superman's gaze softened as he nodded. "Yeah. I get it. You're scared. Scared of what the League would think of you," the Kryptonian said softly, tilting his head slightly as he spoke. Billy nodded slowly in response, dropping his head in shame.

Ther Kryptonian reached out a hand and tilted the boy's chin back up, continuing to look him in the eyes. Billy, I've seen you take bullets for countless people- both heroes and civilians. I've seen you step into the face of danger countless times, regardless of if you thought you could win the fight or not," he said, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"You have helped so many people- whether that was from a criminal or by stopping an alien invasion- or even by just giving them a kind word and letting them know you were there for them. There's no doubt in my mind that you're a hero, Billy," he said, bringing a hand up to rub. at the back of his neck.

"Sure, I wish you were older- I don't think a kid your age should have to shoulder the responsibility we superheroes carry- but it doesn't make me trust you any less."

Billy stared openly at the man, eyes wide. 

"I trust you with my life, Captain Marvel," Superman said with a soft grin. "You've already proven to me that it's in good hands."

Billy wiped his nose on his sleeve, the smallest hint of a smile on his face as he looked up at his hero. He pushed himself forward, wrapping his small arms around Superman's chest- (or, well, trying to at least, he could only get so far) and hugging the man tightly. The larger man smiled softly and wrapped his arms back around the boy- hugging him tightly. 

When Billy pulled back, he had a look of determination that the Kryptonian had seen on Captain Marvel's face plenty of times. He grinned at the sight of it. 

"Let's find a way off the rock, then, Superman."

- - -

As it turned out, getting off that planet was easier than they first thought. It turns out that the place they had been sent was a pocket dimension, one that had been sealed by magic runes to neutralize whatever was inside. 

Cap and Superman ending up in the same one had been a slip up on whoever had put them in there- (why was it that so many people thought Billy was Kryptonian too?) the identity of which they still didn't know.

It had been as easy as finding the runes inside the dimension (which was fairly easy since the place they were plopped down into didn't have as much space as it looked- like seriously, there were only about six feet of water they could travel into before they hit some kind of invisible wall) and destroying them.

Superman had been uneasy when Billy first suggested destroying them to get out, but he'd gone along with it in the end- after all, he wasn't the magic master in this situation. With the runes broken, the world around them had collapsed, sending them back to the point they'd vanished from. 

Captain Marvel appeared out of thin air, crashing onto the floor with a grunt and scaring the daylights out of whatever heroes were around. The demigod sat up, eyes widen as he glanced down at his form- red bodysuit, a lightning bolt on the chest- he was Captain Marvel. He let out a sigh of relief before he was suddenly swamped with a group of people checking on him and asking him where he and Superman had vanished to. 

Marvel had been picked up and dusted off and asked a flurry of confusion questions, none of which he was really able to answer with the dull buzz in the back of his head. "I- I- uh- where's Batman?" he asked suddenly, getting pointed in the man's direction and taking off in a red blur.

He'd shown up to find Superman and Batman talking, the pair glancing towards him when he entered the room. "Superman-" he said, taking a step forward. 

"I've been told you were essential in getting out of- wherever you and Superman were taken," Batman said gruffly as Captain Marvel came closer to the heroes. "Good work, Captain."

"I- uh- th-thanks?" he said, glancing at the Kryptonian and blinking when the man gave him a conspiratorial smile.

"I expect a report within the next 72 hours. We still have to figure out why today's been so quiet," Batman said, moving past the demigod and out of the room altogether. Cap glanced at Superman with wide eyes.

"You- you didn't tell him?"

Superman raised a brow with a smirk. "Tell him what?"

Captain Marvell blinked- was Superman being cheeky? That was a thing that was possible for him!? Cap ran a hand through his hair, glancing around in confusion.

"Relax, Captain. Your identity is something you should reveal, not me," Superman said, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he already knew. I mean he is Batman."

Captain Marvel glanced back at the door Batman had gone through- for some reason, he was fine with that. "Yeah...me neither."

"Come on," Superman said, walking past the demigod. "We got work to do."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Agony swept through his body as he hurdled through the air, blood gushing from an open wound in his abdomen.

His muscles ached and head spun as the demigod struggled to stay conscious, wincing in pain as he got to his feet. He'd been weak ever since his connection to the Rock of Eternity had been severed- it was still hard to think that Black Adam had preferred to fracture the place rather than give up his conquest, but it wasn't surprising if Billy really thought about it.

His legs screamed at him to give out and he glanced down at his stomach, uniform in tatters and blood coating his bright red suit a dark, murky color. Shazam glared up at the swarm of mutant parademons descending on him- it felt like only yesterday that he was standing side-by-side with the Justice League, taking these things out the first time Darkseid had tried to tangle with Earth.

He wished he could go back to that time- things were simpler. He still had a family back then. Still had his siblings.

He barely dodged a swipe of monstrous claws, only to suddenly have more swipe at his back and cut into his flesh. He cried out in pain, staggering forward and trying desperately to summon some kind of magic to aide him. He felt exposed and alone without the rest of the League- sure, they'd sort of split up somewhat over the years, various members moving to different teams and more members joining, but he'd still be able to call upon them for help.

In this hellscape though- he felt truly alone.

Shazam felt a spike in his core, his magic dimming inside him and making him wince. He didn't have enough energy to heal these wounds, and his movements were slowing down. He punched a mutated parademon away, only to feel a sudden, sharp pain cut through his gut. 

He gasped, glancing down to find a blade-like tail poking through his skin. He couldn't breathe- couldn't think. Everything slowed to a crawl as his senses started to dull- the world started growing hazy and quiet, a buzz in his ear numbing the sick sound of the blade against flesh as the creature pulled its tail from his abdomen.

Shazam stumbled, taking a step forward before crashing to the ground. So this was how it ended, huh? Alone, in a world without his siblings, without most of his powers, without the Justice League. He swallowed thickly, looking up at the orange sky. The pain was starting to fade- or maybe he was.

He could still try to get out of this, still try to fight- though, he wasn't sure if there was much left worth fighting for. The parademons were like an unstoppable force and he had barely made a dent in the large structures he'd been meant to take out.

Shazam felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he laid his head against the cold rock. He could still call out the Wizard's name. But what good would that do? Darkness began to inch closer in his vision, blood pooling around his body in a cold, sticky puddle.

Maybe- maybe this wouldn't be so bad... he could finally see his folks again, right?

He felt a pinch at his core, and everything went black.

- - -

Shazam gasped and shot up in bed, chest heaving as he stared wide-eyed at a cream-colored wall. His hand instantly went to his chest, feeling shakily at his rapid heartbeat before he glanced down- no wound...of any kind. His legs were fine, his abdomen clean and uniform as stark and colorful as ever. 

What- what was this? He let out a shaky breath, glancing around the room in shocked confusion. Wait, he was in the Watchtower? No, that- that didn't make any sense. This looked like the medbay of the Watchtower, but the satellite had been blown up a year ago, it- it had killed a bunch of good heroes. 

This didn't feel right. He felt sick to his stomach, despite the constant, grounding thrum he recognized as his sorely missed magical connection to the Rock of Eternity. He hadn't realized he'd missed it so much, but now that it was there, he reveled in the warmth.

"I don't..." he breathed, his throat hoarse and voice rough. What was going on? Was he dead? That- that would explain the medbay. A familiar place, something to help him transition. Wait, but he'd died without a proper burial, he didn't have the fare for Chiron, how could he have possibly made it across the river Styx? 

The door to his left suddenly slid open, revealing Victor of all people- Shazam felt tears well in his eyes at the mere sight of the man- the last time he'd seen him, he'd opened a boom tube for Billy to escape through- and like a coward, he'd taken that chance and left the man for dead.

"Whoa, Shaz, what's wrong, man?" Victor asked, furrowing his brow. "I'm surprised you're awake- you just collapsed in the middle of a meeting. That's not like you."

Shaam swallowed thickly, sliding off the hospital bed and running at the man- wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tightly. Tears were running down his cheeks and Victor was looking at him with a very concerned look, but he didn't care- his friend was here, he was here and didn't hate him and- 

Wait, he still didn't know where here was. And did Victor say meeting?

"W-wait- where are we?" he asked, pulling back from the elder man and wiping his nose on the back of his hand. 

"The...Watchtower? Are you ok, Billy?" Victor asked as he closed the door to the room to give them some privacy. "You're actin' really weird."

"Are we- I- Are we not dead?" Shazam asked slowly, eyes widening as he took a step back. He swallowed thickly, bringing a hand to his head. It was then he realized that he could see more than just blurry shapes through his right eye- he wasn't nearly blind in that eye anymore.

This- this didn't make any sense. This wasn't what Hades had described Elysium as- he'd said it was a paradise, sure, but he'd promised Billy that his parents would be there, that he'd been taking care of them until it was Billy's time to join them- this- this felt too real. He'd been to Hades' realm, felt the heat and unmistakable aura of the God that permeated everything around him- this just felt like Earth.

"...Dead?" Victor asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "Um...no...look, you took a nasty dive back there, everyone was kinda worried about you. You think you're up for heading back and showing that you're alright?" 

Shazam swallowed thickly, glancing down at his hands. If this wasn't the realm eternal, if this was really Earth, then- then what had he just experienced? That pain- it was real, he knew it was real.He'd felt himself dying, felt his magic leaving him, felt the cold stone against his face as he coughed up blood- but he couldn't explain this. 

His gut twisted, making him sick to his stomach. He couldn't think about this anymore- he was going to have a breakdown if he did that. Maybe he could just go with it for now until he figured things out? 

Yeah, that- that felt like a solid plan, at least for now.

"I uh- y-yeah. I'm...i'm good."

"Alright...you sure? I don't want you to strain yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Vic," he said, giving the man an unsure grin. It panged in his heart when Vic smiled at him- he couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd seen the man smile. He wanted to grab hold of his hand and not let go- Vic was his closest friend on the League, the only one that he'd ever told his identity to, and he'd just left him there on Apokolypse. 

He'd spent so long trying to live that down, trying to find a way to that wretched planet so he could go back for him and the other Leaguers...only to die at the claws of blood-thirsty monsters.

Or at least he'd thought he'd died.

Now, he wasn't so sure. He didn't feel light or weightless, there was a stiffness to his lower back from laying on the hard bed, his boots pinched at his feet and his cape tugged at his shoulders- small, minuscule things that told him this was real- told him this was the mortal realm. 

Victor opened the door and led him out, and Shazam followed dutifully- glancing around with a nostalgic air at the in-tact Watchtower. It had been so long since he'd been up here- he missed this place.

The pair came to a closed door and Victor opened it, glancing back at Shazam with a comforting look before walking inside. "Look who decided to join the land of the living," he said with a chuckle as the demigod came inside the room. He glanced around at the heroes sitting around the meeting table- Diana, Arthur, Hal, Barry, Superman, Batman- people he hadn't seen in ages. People he'd seen die before his eyes. 

People that were now staring at him. Shazam felt his chest tighten, his breath hitching as he brought a hand up to his mouth. He saw Batman tense, his brow furrowing slightly as Shazam's breathing continued to escalate.

He couldn't take this- this had to be some cruel joke. None of this made sense, the League, his heroes, his friends were here, breathing and with so much life in their eyes- he couldn't take it.

This couldn't be real.

Flash stood suddenly as the demigod continued to stare, his eyes watering as he took a shaky step back. Lighting had started to jump around his body- something that tended to happen when his emotions got the better of him- and the room suddenly felt so small. 

"Shazam? Do you-" Barry asked, eyes wide and knowing- eyes that asked a million questions and held a million answers. The raven glanced at him and felt his composure fracture even more- He'd seen Flash taken away into Darkseid's palace kicking and screaming- and he'd done nothing.

He'd ran away.

The color seemed to drain from the speedster's face before he was suddenly at Shazam's side, grabbing hold of his forearm. Lightning bounced around him and clung to Flash as he tried to control himself- but it was useless.

"Excuse us," Flash said, guiding him out of the room and down the hall. Shazam followed in a shaky, trembling daze, unable to think straight as Barry brought him into one of the lounges and sat him down on a couch. 

He stood in front of the demigod as Shazam dropped his head into his hands and gripped his hair tightly, rocking back and forth in his seat.

"You...you remember...don't you?"

The demigod paused, glancing up at the speedster. The man suddenly looked so much older, carrying a weight on his shoulders that Billy must not have noticed before. How could he not have noticed? Barry's eyes looked so old, so tired- the thin mask the speedster wore finally coming down in front of the demigod. 

He swallowed thickly, blinking up at the man. "W-what?"

Barry sighed, closing his eyes and taking a seat on the coffee table in front of Shazam. When he opened his eyes again, they were sad. "You remember the war with Apokolypse, don't you. You remember that other universe."

Shazam's eyes widened, head rearing back slightly. "Other- other universe?" 

Flash nodded slowly. "Yeah. I... I reset everything."

The raven dropped his gaze to the floor. Another universe. So he- he really had died. All of that- the destruction and terror and gore- it had really happened. And now... it hadn't. He met Flash's gaze, holding him there as he stared at the blonde and let out a shaky breath. "I died... I- I remember dying."

Pain flashed across the man's face, and he put a hand on Shazam's knee.  "I'm sorry, Shaz."

"Billy. Call me Billy." 

The blonde startled- an expected reaction, since Billy wasn't one to share something about himself so openly. But if what Barry was saying was true, and they were the only two that remembered what happened...in...that other universe...then he sure as Hell wasn't going to keep something as trivial as his name from the man. 

"I wanted to go back for you- for all of you. But I ran. My fear and cowardice got the better of me, and I-" Shazam choked, tears beading in the corners of his eyes. 

"Hey, no, no- Sha- Billy, no. That wasn't cowardice, you managed to get out of a bad situation- one that no one escaped from without injury. I don't even want to think about what might have happened to you if you hadn't gotten out of there," Barry said, gripping the man's knee tighter. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I left my friends to die on an alien planet, and when given the chance to right my wrongs and help bring stop Darkseid from destroying the Earth- I died," Shazam replied sternly, tears trailing down his cheeks before his dropped his head into his hands. 

The speedster let out a breath and pulled his mask off. "Shaz. Look at me."

The demigod rubbed at his eye with his palm and glanced at Barry with a sniff.

"That place- that universe- it was bad. Rotten. We all did things we regret, we all made choices that weren't good ones. But you and me- we can learn from those mistakes, we can make sure that Darkseid never even comes close to causing what happened in that world to happen again."

Barry stared hard up at the demigod. "We can make sure no one dies."

Shazam thought for a moment, letting his heartbeat stabilize and calming himself down as he rubbed away the tears on his cheeks. "So this... this is all real."

Barry nodded.

"Everything is back to- back to how it used to be. I don't- When is this? I mean, we're in the Watchtower, it's still floating above the Earth and its not space rubble."

Barry shook his head. "I- I'm not sure. I don't have a marker to say other than that."

Shazam furrowed his brow in thought. "I do."

Flash followed his lead. "What is it?" he asked, raising a brow and tilting his head in question.

Shazam stood, glancing towards the entrance to the lounge before looking back at the blonde. "You can't tell anyone about this. I'm trusting you, Flash- if what you're saying is true and all of that wasn't just some dream, then you know what I'm capable of. You know that I can do things on my own," the demigod said, his expression serious.

"Of course. I've never doubted you before."

"Well I hope that won't change."

Shazam spread his feet, glancing up at the metal ceiling. He hoped he wouldn't regret this. "Shazam!" he yelled, the speedster beside him furrowing his brow before he suddenly brought his arms up to block his eyes from the light that suddenly engulfed the demigod. 

As the light faded, Barry uncovered his eyes to stare at where the man had been standing. Billy Batson had taken his place, looking down at his hands. "I- I needed a mirror," he said, the speedster blinking at him in confusion.

"You- you're- you're a kid."

"How old do I look?" Billy asked, looking up at the blonde. 

"Uh- I- uh- 14? Maybe 13?"

"Okay, yeah- yeah, that makes sense. I turned 15 a week before the Watchtower blew up, I gotta be 13 or 14 right now," Billy said, bringing his thumb up to his mouth and chewing at his nail. 

"You- hold on, I can't believe I'm saying this, but slow down," Barry said, holding out a hand and pinching the bridge of his nose. "You- you're 14."

Billy dropped his gaze- he should have expected this. "Yeah."

"You're 14 and you can shoot lightning from you're freakin' fingertips?!" Flash asked, eyes wide. "And- and-" he ran a hand through his hair. "How old were you when we first formed the League?"

"12."

Flash glanced around the lounge in shock. Billy scratched at the back of his head before shoving his hands into his pockets. "Are you gonna tell them?"

Barry looked at him with confusion etched into his features. "What? No. Of course not. You told me this in confidence, why- why would I?" he asked, getting a wide-eyed look from the boy.

"Look. This is- it's weird. It's scary and makes you sick to your stomach to remember what happened to your friends and family when everyone around you is oblivious to the pain they went through," Barry said, crouching down in front of the 14-year-old. "But now that I- now that I know you remember too..." he swallowed thickly. "I'll be here to help Billy. In any way I can."

The raven smiled, hugging himself loosely. "We can't let what happened in that- that universe, that reality, whatever it was, happen again," he said, grip tightening around himself. "I can't watch my heroes die again, Barry," he said, looking the man in the eyes.

"I won't."

Barry's eyes softened, a smile appearing on his face as he stood up and pulled his mask back on. "Guess we'll just have to keep this place in check then."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Batman paced back and forth silently, his jaw set as he walked. One glance at the containment unit beside him would tell you everything you needed to know- or leave you with more questions than you started with. The Dark Knight glanced towards the glass-walled unit; a soft, lilac glow surrounding it as he stared at the man inside.

A torn maroon suit with a glowing lightning bolt on the chest. Electricity clinging and dancing around the form corded in muscle and gold. Harsh, icy blue eyes glaring at Batman as thick black hair fell into the figure’s face. Captain Marvel— the last person Batman ever thought would betray them…even after they’d dismissed him from the League.

The demigod’s lip curled into a snarl as Batman continued to stare at him. “What, Bruce? Gawking at the side-show attraction, are we?” the man growled, throwing spittle the in the Dark Knight’s direction as he snapped.

What had happened to the cheery man they used to know?

Marvel turned his head, snarl still on his face as he chose to glare at a point on the floor. He must have deemed Batman not worth his time.

The man sighed, turning his attention towards the door when it opened. Superman was walking towards him, tense as a wire and avoiding looking at the demigod imprisoned behind him. “Any word from Cyborg?” Batman asked.

“Not yet. He says the disc is encoded. Can’t put it in his system because there’s no telling what virus might be lurking on it.”

Captain Marvel snorted, falling backward and slamming his head against the floor. The resulting sound made both heroes outside of the glorified cage wince and glance towards him. “Virus…” he muttered with a roll of his eyes. “You people deserve to get a virus in your systems…” he growled, glaring up at the ceiling. “But there’s not one on it. My master isn’t idiotic enough to put a virus on something valuable like you people.”

Bruce furrowed his brow- this was the first time Marvel had said anything that wasn’t spitting curses at them or condemning them for what he did to them- which they still weren’t sure of what exactly they did, but he wouldn’t elaborate.

“…What master…?” Superman said slowly, taking a hesitant step towards the cage.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, boy scout?” Captain growled with an icy glare towards the Kryptonian.

Bruce swallowed thickly, placing a hand on Clark’s shoulder. “Billy—“

Marvel was up in a split second, slamming himself against the glass in a matter of moments. His teeth bared and icy blue eyes the size of pinpricks, he snarled at them. “YOU DON’T GET TO CALL ME THAT,” he yelled, the magic surrounding the glass causing his skin to sizzle and smoke as Marvel pressed his fists against it. The man didn’t seem to notice- that, or he didn’t care.

“Billy is dead,” he continued, gaze flicking between the two. They were really glad Cap didn’t have heat vision right now- they’d be dead three times over. “Your League of Hypocrites killed him.”

Marvel pushed off the glass, hands charred and smoking as he turned to walk away from the barrier between him and the heroes. He leaned against the back wall and slid down until he was sitting the floor limply, glaring at a spot on the floor. Some of his anger had extinguished and been replaced with what looked like resignation and exhaustion as he stared, unmoving other than the breathing of his chest.

Bruce furrowed his brow at the sight but stayed quiet on the subject.

Superman let out a shaky breath, wide eyes still staring at the demigod before Batman managed to pull him away from it and get his attention back. “Tell Cyborg to hurry up. We need whatever is on that disc. The Captain isn’t going to tell us anything about how he got like this, so that disc is our only chance right now,” Bruce said, sending the Kryptonian off.

The billionaire glanced back at Marvel, tensing at the sight of blood dripping from his fingertips.  The man didn’t seem to notice again, the red liquid dripping off his skin and splatting onto the floor as he continued to stare off into space.

Bruce couldn’t help the urge to coddle the man that sprung up in the back of his mind- he was still a father, and Marvel was still only a 12-year-old kid, regardless of what he’d done.

‘He’d tried to destroy the Justice League,’ the logical side of him said, making the man shake his head. No- no. That wasn’t Marvel, he’d been sure of it at the time and he was still sure of it now. No matter how angry the man might have been with the League for kicking him out, he’d never try to harm them- not on purpose at least.

He’d never shown any kind of resentment at being kicked out before— sure, the kid was disappointed and Bruce had seen him cry about the decision first-hand, but he was sure Billy had never even thought about something like revenge— It just wasn’t like him. There had even been a stipulation that once he turned 18 he’d be welcomed back with opened arms.

Billy was a good kid at the end of the day, he always had been- he wanted to help people, no matter the cost to himself. It was probably why that Wizard he’d told the League about had chosen him for those powers in the first place.

This attack from Captain Marvel, one that consisted of the man trying to blow up the Watchtower with the League on-board, had come nearly a year after he’d been dismissed. It was another thing that just didn’t add up— why would he wait so long to attack them? In Bruce's experience, people who felt like they’d been wronged attacked days, weeks, or even months after the initial incident—  not nearly a year after.

During his attack, Marvel hadn’t even struck anywhere that was vital— he’d attacked the electrical systems, sure, but there were back-ups, and back-ups for the back-ups. The Captain had been briefed on what was important to the satellite just like any other hero, so they knew what to defend against during an attack, but Cap hadn’t targeted any of those places when he tried to destroy the Watchtower. He's attacked the electrical systems and the medical ward- which had been empty for quite some time.

None of it made sense, and it made Bruce’s detective instincts itch at the wrongness of it all— he needed that disc and whatever was on it before he could move forward with anything else.

"No..." Marvel suddenly said, gaining the billionaire's attention as it seemed like he wasn't talking to him. "No, no..." the demigod growled, bringing a hand up as he screwed his eyes shut and lip curled into a snarl again. He slammed his charred and against his face, gripping his head as blood trailed down the side of his face. "St-stop..." he growled softly. His voice would have been inaudible had every sound made in the chamber not been amplified outside of it. 

Batman furrowed his brow slightly as he watched Marvel seemingly struggle with something inwardly- when the man dropped his bloody hand and opened his eyes, he was breathing heavily. He glanced at Bruce, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What," he growled, blood covering his eye and cheek and trailing downward to drip on the floor.

"WHAT!?" Marvel snapped when Bruce said nothing. 

"You're bleeding."

Marvel sneered at him, glancing down at his hand. "What do you care?"

Bruce stayed quiet. You were my teammate. You're my friend. You're like a son to me, Billy. He pushed the thoughts away as they came, averting his gaze from the man and going to the console. He pressed a button and a compartment in the wall inside the cell opened, a white towel dropping onto it. Marvel glanced at the towel before meeting Bruce's eyes again.

"Now you wanna help?" he asked slowly, pressing his hands to his knees in order to push himself up off the ground- and covering his uniform in more blood in the process. The demigod walked. towards the towel, picking it up and wiping his hands on it. They seemed to be healing rather quickly, despite the spell placed on the cell to keep Marvel from harnessing his powers. 

Good- a bloody Captain Marvel wasn't something Bruce wanted to be seared into his mind. 

"What do you mean by that?" Batman asked, leaving the console to walk towards the cell. 

The demigod wiped his face, getting most of the blood off before tossing the towel away to some corner of the cell and walking back towards where he'd been sitting on the floor. He ignored Bruce's question, choosing instead stare at him. 

"...How's Robin?" he asked suddenly, his voice flat and tone expressionless as he glared at Bruce. "Damien, I mean."

Bruce narrowed his eye slightly- this came out of left field. "Why?"

Marvel rolled his shoulder as a shrug, leaning back against the wall. "He'd understand."

The billionaire had no idea what that could mean- understand what? Part of him wanted to bring the boy up there, have the pair meet face to face and see what would happen, but the rational part of him, the part that told him Marvel was dangerous right now, knew that couldn't happen. "Right," he said, turning his attention towards the door as Flash came running in.  

"Bats- we cracked the disc. Cyborg's got it open and pulled up on one of the monitors," he said, glancing at the demigod in the cell. The man in question narrowed his eyes slightly but made no move to get up. "They're waiting for you," he continued, looking back up at Bruce.

"Hello to you too, Barry..." Marvel growled from his place on the ground, making the speedster tense.

Batman glanced back at the man and made a motion for Flash to take the lead. He followed silently, ignoring the wince from the man behind him.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Batman glanced back at the man and made a motion for Flash to take the lead. He followed silently, ignoring the wince from the man behind him.

- - -

The metallic door slid closed behind him, and Bruce followed Flash into the monitor room— he furrowed his brow at the sight of the entire league gathered, some looking at him when he entered. "What's this?" he asked, looking around and making his way to the front, where Clark and Diana were standing behind Cyborg at the monitor. 

"We all care about Cap, Spooky. We wanna know what happened to him. If that disc has anything to do with it, we wanna know what's on it," Hal said, stepping forward slightly and pointing towards the image of a lightning bolt on the monitor screen.

"...Fine," Bruce said, turning his attention towards the screen. "Cyborg, open it."

Victor did just that, opening the file and furrowing his brow at the sight. "They're...video files," he said, glancing back at Bruce with a furrowed brow. "That can't be good," he said with a sigh, moving the cursor to the first one and opening it. 

A dark room appeared on the screen and Cyborg pressed the play button. The timestamp read March 25th- considering it was February now, it was safe to assume the video was from last year- in fact, if it was from last year, it was a week after Billy had been dismissed from the League.

It was dark for a long time before factory lights suddenly came on, overloading the camera for a moment before light faded and an unconscious Billy Batson, tied tightly to a wooden chair, appeared, a light purple bruise on his cheekbone.

The boy's head was lolled forward, hair hanging in his face as the ropes kept him from falling completely off the chair. A sudden tension rippled through the heroes as the boy stirred, wincing at the light and opening his eyes slowly. "Ngh... wha..." he slurred, slowly coming to and lifting his head up slightly. "Wha...happen..." he mumbled, lifting his head completely and looking around in a dazed state.

He tried to move, glancing down and snapping to alertness when he found his arms pinned to his sides. "Oh no..." he muttered, glancing around before finally spotting the camera. The boy's brow furrowed at it, eyes narrowing slightly. "Red light...it's recording," he said, eyes widening. "Help. Help- I- I don't know where I am, I don't even know if this is a- a live feed, but if it is, please, somebody call the Justice League-" he said, his breathing shortening to panicked breaths. 

"By the Gods..." Diana breathed.

He glanced around, straining against the ropes trapping him there. "Uh- uh- I'm in a warehouse of some kind, um, tall ceilings, concrete floors, ki-kinda smells like fish- might be an abandoned marina or- or canning factory, I- I don't know," he said quickly. 

Billy strained against the ropes again, eyes screwing shut tightly in an attempt to get his arms to move anywhere. "Shoot..." he breathed, glancing back up at the camera. "Can't risk it, can't risk it, can't risk it..." he muttered under his breath, though the camera managed to pick it up.

A sudden metal door slamming shut made the boy tense, his back stiffening and eyes going wide. The heroes watching the footage tensed as well, watching the boy let out a shaky breath and stay still.

"Wow, you woke up already. A new record," a new voice drawled, making the boy's eyes widen further and causing him to tremble violently. "Though, you always were a tough little one..." the voice continued as a shadow was cast into the ring of light Billy sat under.

"...weren't you, Billy?"

The 12-year-old swallowed thickly as a spindly man stepped into frame, bending over with a carving knife in his hand. He whispered something in Billy's ear, steely blue-grey eyes glancing towards the camera as he spoke. Whatever he said made Billy's face crumple slightly- it was evident the boy was trying his best not to give in to the instinct to cry. He drew in a shaky breath and pulled his head away from the old man-

Only to have him yank him by the hair back in place. The man snarled and shoved the knife under Billy's chin, blade balanced precariously close to his skin as the man held his hair tightly in a boney fist. "You listen to me, boy. You've had it too good for too long..." he growled, ignoring Billy's wincing and small sounds of pain. 

"It's time we change that," the man said, pulling the knife away and thumbing the tip of it with a grin. He walked a circle around the boy before glancing at the camera. "Day one. The subject has been injected 1 time. Re-conditioning not yet started..." he recited, glancing at the boy as he stared wide-eyed up at the man. 

"Don't even think about saying that word of yours, boy. The moment you do, a kryptonite bomb gets sent to that precious League of yours," the man said, a wicked smile spreading across his face. "It'd be a shame to see some of those heroes get killed all because of you, wouldn't it?"

Billy swallowed thickly, looking the old man in the eyes. "They'll come for me. The League will find me, Uncle Ebenezer," he said, gaze flicking towards the camera. It was smart- Billy had given them not only the man's name but his relation to Billy- so a last name as well. Batman's jaw was set, too busy focusing on the knife in the man's hand to mentally praise the boy's quick thinking.

The old man started to laugh, his shoulder bouncing as he swiped the knife lazily through the air. "Oh, you poor, stupid child. That- that isn't a live feed. It's on a closed circuit...not connected to the internet. That's for my own personal enjoyment...the Justice League won't even know you're missing."

Billy let out a shaky breath, shooting a worried glance towards the camera again. "Not that they'd come if they did know- after all, Captain Marvel isn't a part of their group anymore...for a reason."

"You're lying," Bily said, glaring up at the man and straining against the rope that held him there.

"Am I? Why don't we call them and see?" Ebenezer said, raising a brow with a smirk. Billy- along with the heroes watching- furrowed his brow. The man pulled out the Captain's communicator- causing the boy's eyes to widen. "Let's just send a message..." he started tapping on the small device, a smirk on his face when the device dinged and he turned the screen back towards the boy with a malicious grin.

"Hmm... looks like they blocked your number..." he drawled, a sense of visible dread washing over the boy. 

"N-no..." the kid breathed, tears beading in the corners of his eyes. "No, they- they wouldn't..." he said shakily, staring wide eyed at a point on the ground as Ebenezer set the knife down and picked up a syringe filled with bright blue liquid. He suddenly jabbed into Billy's neck, making the boy cry out before he froze, his muscles locking up.

"Ssshh... there we go- let's just keep that in your mind, alright? Better to have that on repeat than anything else," he said, pulling the needle out of the boy and making him flinch. The 12-year-old glanced up at the man as he shook, small frame trembling as his pupils dilated. 

"I'll tell you what...you tell me the identities of the Justice League so I can sell them to the highest bidder...and I'll let you go. You don't have to get hurt, boy. Just tell me their names," the man said, his voice sickeningly sweet as he crouched down in front of Billy.

"G-Gg-g-" Billy struggled, the man tilting his head curiously.

"That'd be the drug, boy. It makes you stammer like nothing else...works fast, doesn't it?"

"G-go-go-" Billy set his jaw, taking in a steadying breath. "G-Go t-to He-hell," the boy growled.

Ebenezer stood, sneering at the boy as he picked up his knife. "That's strike one," he sneered, grabbing the boy's hair and yanking his head back. He took the tip of the knife and held it to his neck, ignoring the boy's wince of pain. "Get three strikes, boy, and I'll start cutting off pieces of you that won't grow back," he growled before dragging the knife up Billy's jaw, around his chin, and to his cheekbone. 

Blood oozed out of the wound and trailed down the kid's face as tears bead in his eyes. Ebenezer let go of his hair, throwing his head forward before turning on hid heel. "I'll be back tomorrow- maybe I'll even bring breakfast," he said, the lights shutting off and plunging Billy into darkness. 

Sniffling could be heard through the dark before Billy spoke softly- so softly the camera almost didn't pick it up. 

"P-please..." he breathed before choking on air.

The footage ended there, file closing and leaving the gathered heroes stunned. Batman swallowed thickly, Clark's hand on his shoulder steadying him and keeping him from having a breakdown. He stared at the files- there were nearly a hundred of them- it made his stomach turn to think they all could be like this one. 

"Billy..." Hal said, running a hand through his hair.

"I can't believe that's real..." Flash said, rubbing Hal's back with a shake of his head.

Diana drew her sword, still glaring at the screen where the man's face had been. "We'll just have to take vengeance on this man for what he did to the Captain- to break a warrior's spirit and splinter his soul is an unforgivable act."

"Look- as much as I really don't want to see what's in these videos, we have a job to do here. We have an obligation to- to Captain Marvel. To Billy," Superman said, looking around the room. "No one goes off half-cocked until we know the full story."

"I don't understand how that message never got to us," Cyborg said, glancing back from the monitor to look between Batman and Superman. "Cap's quote-unquote 'number' isn't blocked. He just doesn't get missions from us anymore. He can still contact the League with his communicator."

"It's likely that when that message got sent out his comm was being tweaked to take it off the mission roster. It would have grounded all communications from the device," Bruce said, tearing his eyes away from the screen to look at Victor.

"Great," Flash said with a hysterical laugh, looking around distraughtly. "So we lost Cap, one of the kindest, most genuine people on the League, to this madman because of bad timing," he said, looking around and letting out a shaky breath. "This never would've happened if you guys never kicked him out," he said, looking towards the Big Three.

"I was against it from the start- who cares how old he is, he's a hero, and he's the same Cap he'd always worked with. But no- majority vote. That kind of thing should be unanimous or bust because this-" the blonde pointed toward the screen angrily. "This could have been prevented!" he yelled angrily before Hal put a hand on the speedster's shoulder. 

"You three had better hope there's a way to fix this," Barry said, hands clenched tightly at his side. "Cause if not, I'm leaving."

- - -

The group thinned out after that- a lot of the heroes found themselves unable to stomach seeing anything else, despite knowing it might help them understand more. They had seen enough- and more than one hero was convinced that Cap was innocent to a degree. 

The only ones left watching were the big three, along with Hal, Barry, and Victor. Batman nodded towards Cyborg, sterling himself for what they were likely to see. "Skip ahead. I think we get the idea," he said, and Victor nodded, clicking on another video.

This one started just like the last one- the room was dark, but the heroes could hear harsh breathing through the feed. The timestamp at the bottom read April 10th. The lights suddenly came on, the much thinner boy in the chair wincing slightly but not moving. Bruce tensed at the sight of him- his eyes were sunken with dark bags underneath, hair dirty and matted, dried blood cracked on his skin.

The boy was pale, the cut he'd been given in the last video they watched long having become a thin pink scar running up from his chin. It was accompanied by more scratches, bruises, and cuts- some fresh, others scarring. 

Ebenezer came into frame, stepping in front of the 12-year-old to look at the camera. "Day 12. The subject has been injected..." he glanced down at the smartwatch around his wrist. "37 times. Reconditioning is holding strong- subject shows strong reaction to mentions of abandonment-" Billy flinched. "And the naming of any member of the Justice League," another flinch, this one more drastic than the first.

The old man turned his attention towards the boy, folding his hands behind his back. "Are you ready to tell me the names of the Justice League yet?" he asked, his tone flat as he raised a brow at the boy. Billy's eyes were wide and he was trembling, but he shook his head slowly.

Ebenezer scowled at the 12-year-old. "Why do you stay loyal to them, Billy? They abandoned you." Billy flinched again, glancing up at the old man fearfully. "Just like your parents... those heroes only have it out for you. If you told me who they are, I could take care of them for you..."

"N-nn-no..." Billy stammered, trying to keep his head as far away from the old man as possible. "I- I do-don't know the-their n-n-na-names-" he lied shakily, face crumpling slightly as Ebenezer picked up his knife- it had dried blood in the edge. He turned it over in his hands, the metal glinting in the light as he walked around Billy.

"I guess we'll have to try something else then...." he said, jabbing the knife into Billy's shoulder and making the boy cry out in pain. "That's right Billy, cry out- maybe Superman will hear you and come help...oh wait...that's right... Superman hates you..." he said with a malicious grin as he twisted the knife embedded in the boy's shoulder. "As he should. It's your own fault you got kicked out, Billy...after all, Fawcett City only started getting supervillains after you put on a cape..."

The old man pulled the knife from the child's flesh, tossing it onto a nearby table and leaving grabbing a syringe. "We'll give you this, and see how well you do with some...electrical therapy..." the man grinned, shoving the needle into Billy's marred, violently red neck. Multiple needle marks covered the boy's skin, dark and definitely not healthy-looking.

"See how you feel after that..." Ebenezer said slowly, walking into the dark and shutting off the light. The feed was quiet for a moment before soft crying could be heard, Billy's voice cracking and soft in the endless darkness.

The video ended, leaving the heroes tenser than they had been previously. "Play the next one," Bruce said, his jaw set. He needed to know what this 'electrical therapy' was- if it was anything like what one of his boy's had gone through...

Victor brought up the next video, this one with a timestamp of April 11th. It started the same way- dark room, suddenly lit up with lights and showing Billy still tied to the chair. Ebenezer came into frame, ignoring the boy and heading straight towards the camera. "Day 13. The subject has been injected 40 times. Recondition still holding strong- about to start testing with electrical...'therapy'," he said, glancing back at the boy before looking at the camera once more.

"Subject has an affinity for electricity in his magical form- it's uncertain if that affinity transfers to his human form, but that's what these tests are for."

Ebenezer turned on his heel, moving into the darkness and pulling a machine into the light. He grabbed wires and turned his attention towards the boy. He was weak, that much anyone could tell- the old man sneered at him and began to untie his ropes. Billy lurched forward in his seat, only to be pushed back by Ebenezer with a growl. He moved the boy's arms and tied them to the armrests of the chair, the small raven watching him tiredly.

"You survive this, and maybe I'll feed you again," he said, tying the rope around Billy's wrists tightly. Billy said nothing, his gaze moving towards the camera before it dropped to the floor weakly.

Ebenezer went back to his machine and wrapped the wires once more, wrapping them around the joints of Billy's forearms and tying them in knots. "Stay still, you brat," he growled, causing Billy to flinch. The old man stood and went back to his machine, fiddling with it before looking at the boy. 

"Good- all that's left is this new drug for you to try, Billy. It's supposed to make you feel...well, not good...but obedient. Which is good for me," he said, shoving a syringe into a vial filled with dark red liquid and walking up to the boy. 

"N-nn-n-no-" Billy struggled, trying to keep his neck guarded. It only ended up with his hair gripped tightly in Ebenezer's fist and the syringe being jammed into his neck roughly- something that made the boy cry out in pain. "Sh-sh-sha-" he tried before the words died on his mouth, hands tightening into fists and muscles tensing as he started to cry. "P-p-pl-pea-" he whimpered, looking up at the old man.

Ebenezer made no move to show he cared about the boy's current feelings, simply placing the syringe down and moving back to the machine. "Now..." he said slowly, a grin spreading across his slack, wrinkled face. "Time for you to learn your place."

The man turned the machine on with the press of a button, sending a current through the wires and making Billy scream. His cheat bowed outward as the 12-year-old's piercing screams echoed through the warehouse. The camera footage glitched out, suddenly cutting off visual- as well as cutting Billy's screams short.

"I'm gonna throw up..." Hal breathed, staring up at the screen with wide eyes.

"Yeah- yeah...same here..." Flash said, pulling off his mask and bringing his hands up to cover his mouth. "I- I can't believe..."

"...Batman...?" Superman questioned, swallowing thickly as he looked at the man who was staring up at the screen blankly. "Bruce," he tried again, reaching out a hand to place it on the man's shoulder.

"I knew it wasn't him..." Bruce breathed- it was all he could say. His mind was a flurry of thoughts and emotions- for the second time in his entire life, Bruce wanted to pick up a gun. He let out a small, shaky breath, one he was sure Clark caught, before swallowing thickly. 

"Billy..." Victor sais shakily, his hand over his mouth as moisture shined in the man's still-human eye. "That bastard... he..." he shook his head slowly. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Cyborg, maybe you should take a break," Superman said- Bruce was glad someone could keep a level head in this. He could tell the Kryptonian was shaken up- it was likely he wasn't fully processing the things he'd seen...he'd probably have a breakdown later. Bruce knew he would.

"I'm fine."

"Victor you can't- you can't kill him," Flash said, looking at the man as he shook his head slowly.

"Then I'm gonna ruin his life. And to do that, I need to see as much evidence as I can," Victor said, picking another video and playing it.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"Then I'm gonna ruin his life. And to do that, I need to see as much evidence as I can," Victor said, picking another video and playing it.

- - -

Victor clicked on another video, bringing it up as the heroes braced themselves for whatever it was they were about to see. It started like the others- dark room suddenly plunged into light with a timestamp of June 4th. The only difference this time was that Billy was on the floor, the chair gone and thick, metal braces around his wrists. His hair was longer and skin paler- he had way more scars than he'd had previously and seemed to favor his right side. 

The chains he was wrapped in connected to the floor, and Billy stared tiredly as the ground as the lights came on. 

"How are we today, Boy?" Ebenezer's voice came through the feed, though Billy didn't react. A sudden jolt up the spine had Billy tensing, his eyes wide as he sat up straight.

"G-good, Unc- I- I mean m-m-master-" the boy said, visibly trembling- it looked like it had physically pained the boy to say those words.

"Hm, still scared, are we, Billy?" Ebenezer asked slowly, his voice sickeningly sweet. "You don't have to be, dear boy. I would never do something to you that wasn't in your best interest in the long run... now the Justice League on the other hand..." the old man drawled out, a grin appearing on his face when the boy ducked his head at the words. 

He glanced at the camera, still crouched beside the boy before standing up. "Day...74...or is it 75...either way. The subject is obedient- it's been injected with Diamoxitate 76 times, and with seto-isatone 9 times. Obeys most commands- still haven't gotten the names of the League out of it, and I can't get it to transform either, but otherwise, a model subject. Barely speaks- which is good. It was always a chatty child."

Billy glanced up at the man, his eyes dull and tired. There wasn't much hope left in those icy blue eyes. The boy dropped his head, staring down at the floor as Ebenezer turned towards him. "Up," he said, the boy following orders immediately. "Now- we're going to try this again, boy. Tell me Superman's identity," he growled, picking up a familiar knife.

Billy was quiet for a moment, twitching slightly before he shut his eyes and breathed. "I- I don-don't know h-his n-name."

Ebenezer growled at the boy. "Tell me Batman's then. Tell me Wonder Woman's- Hell, tell me anyone's."

Billy winced in pain, eyes flicking to the camera before meeting his uncle's gaze. "C-Captain Marvel is Billy Batson," he said slowly, only to have his hair suddenly grabbed by the old man as he was yanked upward. The boy cried out in pain as Ebenezer held the knife to his throat. 

"You think you're funny, boy?" 

"N-n-no sir."

Ebenezer threw the child backward, causing him to stable before the chains pulled tautly and yanked the kid to the ground with a grunt. Billy slammed against the concrete with a wheeze, getting a roll of the eyes from his uncle.

"You're pathetic- no wonder the Justice League didn't want you. No wonder they haven't come to get you yet- They don't care about you! Why would they? You're just some street rat that they probably took pity on in the first place!" he said with a laugh.

"Th-that's n-not true, s-sir-"

A swift kick to the stomach had Billy sprawled out on the ground, crying and clutching his abdomen. "You don't know what's true. I do. My word is law, boy. Maybe you need a reminder of that," he said, grabbing a syringe of red liquid and jabbing it into Billy's neck. The boy winced but made no move to change his position from that of clutching his stomach.

"The League isn't coming for you, Billy. You're as good as dead to them. You're mine..." Ebenezer breathed, smirking at the boy as he crouched down to look at him. Billy's face crumpled in pain as he brought his hands up to claw at his neck. "And you're going to obey your master- whether you like it or not." he said as the boy cried out in pain, nails scratching against his skin and tearing at his neck. 

He started to bleed, violent scratch marks marring his pale skin as he breathed heavily on the ground. "Pl-please, please W-wiz- wizard- s-some-someone-" Billy whimpered out as Ebenezer left, a metal door slamming behind him. "I- I ca-can't d- do this anymore-" he said weakly, dropping his hands and lying on the ground, staring at the ceiling sleepily. 

"I just wanna die..." he said softly, tears beading in the corners of his eyes as he swallowed thickly. "P-please...a-an-anything bet-better than this..." he breathed as the tears started to slip down his cheeks. "Su-superman...please..." he begged softly as the video ended.

- - -

Another video was pulled up, this one with starting in a dark room like the others- the only difference was that a very familiar lightning bolt insignia glowed in the dark. Lightning danced around the dark form, lighting parts of it up momentarily before vanishing from sight. The timestamp in the corner read August 6th as the lights suddenly came on, revealing Captain Marvel, sitting on the floor with a metal collar of some kind fastened around his neck and chaining him to the floor.

His eyes were dull, face expressionless as he stared at nothing. He made no movements when the lights came on, simply sitting quietly and blinking every couple of seconds.

"Cap..." Superman breathed.

"Day 98- Subject has been injected...uhh..who cares, plenty of times, with Diamoxitate, and about 40 times with seto-isatone. The subject is obedient, only speaks when spoken to- still haven't managed to pry the names out of it, but as you can see, last session's therapy finally got a controlled, ordered transformation. Subject remains obedient in this form, thankfully, and I'll begin to run tests from here on out."

Ebenezer turned his attention towards the demigod- the man had yet to look away from the spot on the floor where he was staring. "Up," he said, walking by the man. Cap stood obediently, chains clinking as he dropped his head slightly. "Good boy- time for another-" Ebenezer grabbed a syringe and attempted to sink it into Cap's neck, only to have the needle snap on him. The man's lip curled into a snarl.

"Right...bulletproof skin..." he grumbled, tossing the syringe to the side with a huff. "Fine- we'll administer the drugs after today's tests."

Captain Marvel didn't react, simply glancing up towards the camera before looking at Ebenezer slowly.

"Yes sir..." Cap's voice was hoarse and dry- there was no telling how often he was allowed to speak.

"Why doesn't he just zap the guy and run?! He could easily break those chains!" Flash asked, his eyes wide as he watched. 

"Prisoners of war that go through trauma...if bends and warps their views of reality. The things they used to be able to do with ease, they may come to think are impossible for them. I have no doubt that's what's happening here with our Captain," Diana said, her angry eyes glued to the screen.

"God..." Hal breathed.

"Why are you here, Billy?" Ebenezer asked slowly, circling the demigod with a smirk. "Who left you here to die?"

The man stared at the floor in exhaustion. "The Justice League..." he muttered, shoulders slumped.

"And you know the identity of those members. I know you do. So tell me who they are!" Ebenezer said angrily, hands clenching into fists as he yelled, causing the demigod to flinch.

"I- I..." Marvel shut his eyes tightly, swallowing the bile rising in his throat before opening his eyes again. "I- I don't know..." 

Ebenezer growled, face scrunching as he glared up at the man. "Liar."

"Change back. Now. If you won't tell me what it is that I want to know, then you'll pay the price."

The demigod obeyed immediately, muttering the wizard's name and bringing a lightning bolt down upon him. The camera feed fizzled out for a moment before returning, showing a much smaller Billy Batson standing in the demigod's place, small form trembling. The heroes collectively felt their hearts sink at the sight of him- he was shirtless, with multiple scars and gashes carved into his chest, dark bags under his dull, red-tinted eyes. 

Jagged, raised, pink scars covered his torso, thick pink Lichtenberg scars encircling the joints of his arms and trailing down his forearms. The most evident scar was the one trailing from his jaw to his cheekbone, one that looked like it had been torn open and healed multiple times over, leaving a gnarled, harsh line of raised skin.

The child looked like he'd been through Hell and back- and it made the heroes sick to their stomachs.

"Gods, no...no no..." Diana breathed, her voice breaking.

Ebenezer grabbed another syringe, jabbing it into Billy's neck- though on the other side, as the side he'd been previously jabbing it into was textured and pot-holed. The boy winced, but didn't fight the man's grip as he pulled the needle out. 

"Remember this boy- the League could save you any time they want. Who's the real traitor, here?" Ebenezer asked, as Billy's breathing quickened. "I've made my intentions known from the start. The Justice League...well... they claim to be heroes. But if they're heroes, why haven't they saved one of their own yet?"

The old man grabbed his knife, circling the boy again. "You will obey me, Billy. Whether you like it or not," he said, turning the knife over in his hands as he spoke. "Just you wait, I have something that's bound to make you see things my way..." he said slowly, trailing the knife along Billy's neck and causing blood to dribble down out of the thin cut.

The old man left the boy alone, trembling in place. Billy fell to his knees, breathing heavily with wide eyes as a hand went to his chest and he wheezed. The light turned out, leaving Billy alone, still wheezing harshly.

- - -

"What the Hell could that maniac possibly be talking about? He's already drugged Cap to the point where the guy- he-" Flash brought a hand to his mouth, panicked breaths coming from him as his eyes shined with unshed tears. "He's just a kid..." he said, face crumpling at the thought. "He never deserved any of this..."

Superman swallowed thickly. "I wish I would have heard him..." he breathed, dropping his gaze to the floor.

Batman was still staring at the screen- he did his best to ignore the instinct to go to Marvel's cell- it wouldn't do him any good if he went in there and couldn't help Billy. There was a drastic difference between the kid they saw on the footage and the man behind glass right now, and Bruce needed to know what that distinction was. 

"Play the next one," he said sternly.

Cyborg nodded slowly, clicking another video.

This one was one of the last videos- the timestamp read November 12th as the lights came on. Billy was Captain Marvel again, vague, blank anger on his face as he sat on the floor, still chained to the ground by the thick metal collar. His shoulders were slouched, uniform dark and once stark-white cape now a light gray. Ebenezer came into frame, circling the demigod with a cold look.

"Up," he said, Marvel getting to his feet instantly and causing the chains connected to him to clink.

"I've been informed that the beta testing for our little device has finally been complete. Now I'll give you one last chance, Captain. You either tell me who the members of the Justice League really are, or I'll send you to kill them."

Marvel stood rigidly, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. "N-nn-no."

Ebenezer growled. "I don't know how you're resisting my will, boy, but if you continue, your League is going to suffer because of it."

Marvel's icy blue eyes glanced at Ebenezer. "I don't know th-their names."

The old man glanced at the camera with a sigh before looking back at the demigod. "Then we'll start planning for their demise. You'll take the helm, and bring the heroes to their god damn knees," the man said, pulling out a remote and pressing a button. 

Marvel suddenly fell to his knees with a cry of pain, muscles tensing as his body jolted. Ebenezer lifted his thumb off the button and the Captain quieted, smoke trailing off his large form as he breathed heavily. "You're mine, Boy. Either you kill the League, or you tell me who they are. Up to you."

The video ended abruptly, confusing the heroes as the image flickered out.

"What happened?" Bruce asked, glancing at Victor.

The man shook his head. "That was it- that was the whole video."

"There's one more..." he continued, glancing back at the collected group. "Here we go."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"There's one more..." Victor continued, glancing back at the collected group. "Here we go."

- - -

The video Cyborg pulled up next was different from the others. The timestamp read February 8th- three days before Captain Marvel attacked the Watchtower. Four days from when they were watching the videos now. The screen was dark, a low, blinking red light serving as the only source of light in the room.

When the lights suddenly came on, Captain Marvel was sitting on the floor, eyes closed as a much more high-tech collar around his neck blinked slowly. Footsteps could be heard approaching the man, and he opened his eyes, glancing out of the corner of them to look at Ebenezer's shoes.

"Do you understand your new mission?" the old man asked, raising a brow as he circled the man. A small remote held tightly in his hand was the only thing the Captain focused on. "I said," the man growled, holding up the remote and pressing a button- jolts ran through the demigod, making him bow his chest outward and cry out in pain.

"Do you understand your new mission?"

"Yes, sir..." Marvel breathed, breathing heavily as the pain faded and smoke trailed upward from his shoulders. 

"What is it, then? We don't want any mistakes."

Marvel twitched, wincing slightly before reciting the words robotically. "Kill the Justice League. Attack the Watchtower and leave no sur-survivors," he said, eyes shutting for just a moment before opening again.

"Good."

The man continued to circle him as the demigod's expression soured slowly. His eyes took on a darker shade, muscles tensing as the old man's thumb hovered over the button on the remote. "When you're done with that, you'll come back here, and we'll finish you off," he said casually, causing the raven's lip to twitch. "The age off heroes is over, Marvel," Ebenezer said, glancing up at the camera. 

"You'll be the last to die- after you watch those heroes go down at your own hands," he said with a smirk, a dark chuckle coming from his thin frame as he grinned up at the camera. "Luthor will be pleased- he's invested a lot of time and money into seeing this project to completion..."

"Shame it took a year to get this far."

Marvel visually bit back a growl, dropping his head when Ebenezer glanced back at him. "Now- unfortunately, that collar needs to be removed. I'd love to keep it on you, but the man in charge is insisting the League thinks it's one of their own attacking them, so..." he said, sneering at the demigod. "You get a short break."

The Captain glanced up at the old man with slightly wide eyes, jaw set as Ebenezer pressed another button on his remote. The collar unlocked with a hiss, falling to the floor and clattering against the cement floor. The demigod brought a hand up to rub at his neck, rising slowly from his knees to his feet.

"I never told you to stand," Ebenezer sneered, and Captain Marvel glanced slowly up at the camera one more time.

Lightning started to dance around his form as his lip curled into a snarl as he looked back at the old man. "Sorry, Bruce," he breathed, getting a confused, narrow-eyed look from the old man.

"What did you just say-" 

Ebenezer was interrupted by a sudden beam of light shooting through his abdomen, the camera shorting out before correcting to view the new light source. It looked to be a beam of pure lightning in the shape of a blade, tearing through the old man and scorching his flesh. The tearing of meat and sinew was the only sound that came from the old man as Cap pulled the blade from his abdomen and allowed it to vanish.

Blood dripped onto the floor as Ebenezer dropped like a stone, collapsing onto the cement with a dull thud as innards spilled out of him. Marvel straightened, looking down his nose at the old man with a growl. "I already told you once, Ebenezer...but I'll tell you again, while your soul still lingers here."

"Go to Hell."

Marvel crushed the remote the man had dropped under his golden boot, the device sparking under him. A sudden wince from the man had him tensing, curled fingers reaching towards his head as he fell to a knee. "N-no- No, st-stop-" he growled, bringing both hands to grip at his head. "No- No, I won-won't-" he struggled, falling to both knees. "I ca-can't-"

A sudden gasp from the demigod and his hands dropped, sitting back on his knees and looking around disorientedly. "I have to..." he breathed, swallowing thickly and standing on shaky legs. One more glance at the old man, a dark red puddle coalescing around him before the demigod moved to the console that had long-since become a part of the room. "Cameras...cameras...where is..." he lit up slightly at finding something, glancing back up at the camera that had recorded him for so long.

"Hopefully you people are- are smart enough to figure this out," he said, eyes screwing shut and bringing a hand to his head again. "It's- it's too loud, I- can't-" he struggled, one hand gripping the edge of the console tightly. 

Icy blue eyes turned soft and familiar for a brief moment as they stared into the lens.

"Please forgive me."

The feed cut out.

- - -

"Cap sent us the video..." Victor said as the video ended, staring up at the screen. "He- he sent it to us, and he attacked us, knowing he could get captured."

"He wants us to help him," Bruce said, steely eyes turning away from the monitor to glance around the room. "Something happened when Marvel-" he swallowed thickly. "When Marvel killed Ebenezer Batson. He started muttering about something- he was doing the same thing earlier, in the cell."

"Could it have been some kind of failsafe? Something to make sure he followed whatever orders he was given, even if that bastard wasn't around?" Hal asked, crossing his arms over his chest. with a furrowed brow. 

"It would explain why he still chose to attack us, rather than come to us for aid," Diana offered.

"Maybe he'll talk to us- has anyone tried that yet?" Barry asked, glancing at Batman. 

"We asked his a few questions, but he avoided answering them," Superman said, taking a step forward. "Maybe if we all went... if he knew that we saw what he went through-" the Kryptonian's fist tightened at his side. "We have to help him, regardless."

"Captain Marvel didn't attack anywhere vital to the Watchtower," Bruce said with a short breath. "He attacked things he either knew where hardly used or had multiple back-ups. He fulfilled the order, but he did it on his own terms. Billy is still in there, despite what the Captain may say."

"He's angry and scared- and I don't blame him. The guy was tortured for a year, and none of us even knew..." Flash said, his shoulders dropping slightly. "It's no wonder he snapped at us anytime we enter the room."

"It's not just that- Look, my magic may be strong, but it's not strong enough to hold the Champion of Magic himself,"  Zatanna said, coming into the room and gaining the attention of the collected heroes. "Captain Marvel could break out of that if he really wanted to- he's just not trying to."

Bruce furrowed his brow at her words. "Let's go," he said, taking the lead and heading back towards the containment cell.

The assembled group walked in to find Captain Marvel in the same spot that Bruce had left him in, sitting against the wall with one leg pulled up and the other straight. The demigod opened an eye when the door closed behind the heroes before closing it with a small smirk.

"Back so soon?" he asked in a sing-song voice.

"Cut the act, Marvel. We saw the videos," The Dark Knight said, stepping in front of the others and getting closer to the cell. "We know you sent the disc."

The corner of the demigod's mouth turned up as he opened his eyes to stare at Bruce- his eyes were tired, more tired than Bruce whatever seen- on anyone. Captain Marvel was exhausted, an exhaustion that seeps into your bones, weighs down your very soul until it feels like a boulder is strapped to your back and you're struggling just to stay standing.

He'd never thought he'd see that kind of exhaustion on someone like Billy.

A soft puff of air through the man's nose served for a laugh as he sunk slightly against the wall. "Go ahead then. Lay it on me. Tell me I'm a monster. Tell me- tell me I deserved it, tell me that I'm never gonna see the light of day for what I did," he said, his voice solid though his hands trembled. "Tell me what you really think of me, Bruce..." he said softly, running a hand through his hair.

"I've already made my bed. I know I'm not getting out of here. Not alive, at least."

Batman straightened, swallowing thickly as he glanced back at the others. He looked back at the demigod and let out a shaky breath of his own, reaching up and pulling off his cowl to look the man who, at the end of the day, under all that muscle and anger and lightning, was still just a scared, 12-year-old boy.

A boy who they'd all let down.

"I'm sorry, Billy."

The demigod froze, his body tensing as icy blue eyes trailed up from the floor to look into Bruce's. There was a sudden flurry of emotions coursing through those eyes as everything and nothing seemed to run through the man the child's head and he tried to quell the emotions that came to the forefront of his mind.

Bruce could see it all- the anger, the betrayal, the desire to forgive, the guilt and pain- all of it coalesced into tears beading in the corners of those familiar blue eyes.

Captain Marvel dropped his head, bringing up both legs so that he could rest his forearms on them and guard his face as he ducked his head to hide his face. A long, shaky breath in, and an equally shaky breath out. If the heroes noticed the teardrops dropping onto the floor below the man, they said nothing.

Bruce ignored the others, giving Marvel his whole focus as he pressed his hands against the glass. He kneeled down, sitting on his legs to stare at the rave that was so close, yet so, so far away. "I should have been there. We all should have. I'm sorry we let you down. You never-" he swallowed, shutting his eyes tightly when the image of Billy being tortured flashed in his mind.

"You never should have had to experience something like that."

Captain Marvel lifted his head, his composure shattered, the mask of anger and ease he'd been wearing gone as he stared at Bruce openly. There was so much pain there, enough for three lifetimes, and more than Bruce had ever wanted Billy to go through. 

"Sh-Shazam," The man said, thunder rolling in the distance as a bolt of lightning came down and transformed the man back into Billy Batson. 

A weak, thin, scarred Billy Batson took the place of the demigod, trembling on the floor and looking at Bruce with tears trailing down his scarred cheeks. The Bat tensed at the sight of a jagged scar running across the boy's eyes, resisting the urge to slam his fist into the glass when he noticed the eye was milky and a lighter blue than the other.

"I-I-I'm sso-sor-" Billy tried to speak, his voice hoarse as he shook violently on the floor.

"I can't do this," Barry said, vanishing in a red blur and appearing at the console, bringing down the walls before blurring towards the boy and appearing at his side. Billy flinched violently, eyes screwing shut as he shied away from the speedster. Bruce was on his feet in seconds, tugging the blonde away from the boy.

"Get away from him," he growled, the voice just as effective without the cowl covering his face.

He turned his attention back on the 12-year-old currently shaking like a leaf on the floor in front of him. He crouched down, scooting closer slowly and approaching the boy like one a wounded dog. "It's okay, Billy. I would never hurt you," the larger raven said honestly- he was one of the only people on the League that Bruce just couldn't bring himself to come up with a contingency for. 

"I swear, Billy, this will never happen again. You're safe, here- I know that we weren't there for you when you needed us most, but please, I'm begging you-" his voice was soft, gloved hand out as he spoke.

"Give us a chance to make it up to you."

- - -

Bruce found himself carrying the frail boy in his arms, the world around him slowing to a crawl as a low buzz in the back of his head drowned out the noise of the world around him. He carried the thin, scarred boy to the medical ward, setting him down in a bed and hooking him to an IV.

Billy had clutched tightly to his hand the entire time, grip loosening only when he started to lose consciousness. Bruce sat beside the boy's bed, watching him sleep soundly for what might have been the first time in nearly a year. 

It made the man's skin crawl to think of the things billy had been through. Images flashed in his mind and made his heart pound in his chest, sending his fatherly instincts into overdrive and causing him to pace as the foot of the bed. Ironically reminiscent of how he'd started out this little adventure- if it could even be called that.

He'd forbidden anyone else from entering the room beside him and Zatanna for Billy's sake- Zatanna was only allowed in there because she'd told him she may be able to help him heal. If it was up to him, Billy would be in the Batcave, recuperating in peace and quiet with constant surveillance from both him and Alfred- as well as some of the boys, as they'd likely insist on helping once learning about the kid's situation.

But it wasn't up to him, so here they were, in the medical ward of the satellite, the rest of the group waiting outside the door anxiously. 

Billy shifted in his sleep, head smushing against the plush pillow under his head. Bruce glanced at the boy, his gaze sticking on the long, jagged scar that crossed over the boy's eye. It was jarring to think that the eye underneath could be blind- he shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind. It wasn't something he could focus on, he needed to look ahead- needed to figure out how to help Billy heal.

"Batman?" Zatanna opened the door, poking her head inside. "The others are antsy to see Billy. Is it alright if I let them in?" she asked.

"Bruce sighed, plopping down in the seat beside the 12-year-old. "Fine," he muttered, scooting the chair closer and setting a calloused, gloveless hand over top of Billy's scarred one.

Zatanna allowed the others to come into the room as the came closer, holding out a hand as a lilac glow appeared around her hand. Bruce's eyes turned stern, glancing up at the woman. "I'm checking his insides- Clark is fine with his x-ray vision and all, but he's not a doctor. No offense," she said, glancing back at the Kryptonian. 

Superman simply shook his head, watching her work.

"He's got scarring on some of his organs, as well as lacerations to some inner muscles and tearing in some joints. I might be able to fix it, but he's gonna need to stay in bed to make sure everything heals properly," Zatanna said, glancing at Bruce. 

"What about his eye?"

The woman glanced at Billy's sleeping face, her eyes softening at the sight of him. "I'll see what I can do."

Bruce nodded once, wrapping his hand around Billy's hand and squeezing it. He felt the boy's hand twitch in response, and he glanced at his face- only to find icy blue eyes looking sleepily at him mas they opened. 

"M...sor...srr.." Billy tried to speak, his voice cracking as he attempted to speak- only to be shushed by both Bruce and Zatanna.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Billy. We get it. We know why you did what you did- and we're gonna do our best to undo what he did. Zatanna's gonna try to fix your wounds- and we're gonna call in John Constantine to see if he can do something about that trauma," he explained, the boy lighting up slightly at the mention of the Hellblazer.

"Why am I not surprised you know him already..." The Dark Knight asked with a shake of his head, his hand never leaving Billy's.

A small, weak smile graced the boy's face, giving the heroes in the room a glimpse of the sunshine they'd never realized they'd missed so much. It made Bruce smile- a genuine, warm smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle- one that few people ever saw.

"Get some rest, Billy. I'll be here when you wake up," he said, rubbing a thumb gently over the back of the boy's hand.

"P-promise?"

Bruce nodded. "I promise."

The Dark Knight leaned back in his chair as Billy closed his eyes again, head lolling to the side as he fell asleep quickly. The glow faded from Zatanna's hands and she gave the billionaire a look before shooing the other heroes out the door. "Take care of him, Bruce," she said.

"I will."

Billy's soul may have been splintered like Diana said- fractured and torn, with sharp edges and blood dripping from the points- but they still had all the pieces. Bruce would make sure that they put them all back together- no matter how long it took.

Cause Captain Marvel- Billy- he was worth the wait.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"You know that new guy? Captain, uh, what-his-name, Amazing, or something?" Hal asked, sitting down his plate at a table consisting of Barry, Oliver, and unfortunately, Guy Gardner. 

"Captain Whitebread?" Guy asked through a mouthful of food, making the brunet roll his eyes and shake his head at the man.

"Captain Marvel," Barry replied.

"Right- that guy," Hal said, grabbing a chip from his bag and putting it in his mouth. "Have you guys noticed that Spooky is like, really kind to the guy? Well, for him, at least. Like, I think I heard him compliment the guy's work the other day. To his face."

"Are you sure, Hal? This is Bats we're talking about. He doesn't really do compliments," Oliver said before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Yeah," Hal said, eating another chip. "That's the thing- Spooky looked confused with himself for a split second after he did it. Like he had no idea why he said that."

"That's...weird..." Barry said, brow furrowed in thought.

"Captain Whitebread probably cursed Batman to compliment him," Guy said with a snort. "I overheard him and Zatanna talking magic a couple days ago, so he probably could."

"That makes zero sense, Guy. Why could Cap curse someone- especially someone like Batman. Do you know the amount of wrath the man would see from Spooky?" Hal asked, raising a brow at the redhead.

"I'm just sayin'- look at how the guy's acts. He's weird. I wouldn't be surprised if he voodoo'ed all of us into thinking he was a good guy or somethin'. He's a bigger boy scout than big blue- no one's really that nice."

Hal, Barry, and Oliver shared a look.

"What other explanation would you three come up with for Bats complimenting a guy he's known for about a week, then looking confused on why he complimented him?" Guy asked, shoving more food into his mouth and making the other three men cringe.

- - -

"Hey, Captain!" Barry called out, gaining the attention of the demigod that was currently looking for a place to sit in the lunch hall. His tray had nothing more than an apple on it, which was a little bit confusing, but the speedster ignored it in favor of waving him over.

"Yeah, Flash?" the man asked as he came closer, glancing towards the rest of the people around the table- Arthur, Diana, Hal, and Oliver- before looking back towards the speedster. "You need me to grab something for you?"

The speedster shook his head, a grin appearing on his face. "No, no- come sit with us," he said, scooting over to make room for the man.

The demigod looked unsure for a moment, glancing towards the other heroes at the table before sitting down beside Flash. "So, Cap, we were talking about who could be the youngest member of the Justice League," the speedster said, making up an excuse to ask his next question, but pausing when the man tensed slightly. 

"And uh, we were wondering how old you were," he asked, glancing back towards the others before looking back at the raven.

He glanced behind the man to find Batman walked alongside Superman- the perfect time to test a theory. 

"Oh, heh, uh, you know, uh..."  he swallowed thickly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Immortality and such- the uh, the years kind of blur together after the first few thousand years..." he said nervously, causing the pair walking behind him to pause and look at him.

"Wait, you're immortal?" Batman asked, brow furrowed at the man. "When was the last time you drank water?"

Cap almost seemed to pout at this. "Juice is a perfectly good substitute-" he said, pointing a finger towards the Dark Knight. The man blinked, staring at the demigod openly as he turned back around and played with the stem of his apple.

"I-" Batman shook his head in confusion, tugging Superman away from the table. 

Flash blinked- okay, that didn't really answer any of his questions. Theory...neither confirmed nor denied.

- - -

Captain Marvel stood with his eyes glued to the window, staring out at the infinite expanse of space outside the Watchtower. The small smile on his face and eyes full of stars was sure to set anyone that passed him in a good mood- though no one bothered him as he stared.

Batman caught sight of the man and tilted his head slightly, walking closer to come to a stop beside the demigod. He stared out the window for a few moments before looking up at the demigod. "Captain," he said when the man didn't seem to notice him.

"GAh!" The man yelped, starting and stumbling backwards, falling on his ass with a wince. "Ow..." he muttered, only for Bruce to kneel down beside the man.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, coming to the realization that his tone was one that he hadn't used since Jason was young. Why- why was he talking to Marvel like this? The man could easily snap him like a twig if he wanted to- and yet the blush creeping across the demigod's face immediately shoved that image out of his mind.

"Yeah, I'm- I'm okay..." he said, avoiding the Dark Knight's gaze out of embarrassment. "I uh," he started, standing up alongside Batman, "Do you need me for something?"

"No. No- you've just been here for a while. I wanted to make sure nothing was troubling you," he said, confusing himself slightly. That wasn't something he made a habit out of- sure, he would occasionally check on a member of the League if he'd seen them experience something traumatic, but even then he tended to leave that business to Clark- he was much better at emotions than Bruce. 

So what was it about Marvel that made him want to coddle the man?

"Oh, uh, I'm fine, Batman," the demigod said, glancing back out at the stars outside the window. "I just- I've never seen space so close. I used to want to go to space when I was little," he said, causing the Dark Knight to furrow his brow. 

The Captain had said he was thousands of years old...would he have even known about space back then? If so, what was stopping him from going into space way back then?

Bruce filed that information away for later.

"Right- well, I'm glad you're okay," he said, surprising himself again. Marvel didn't seem surprised by this, though, as he just gave Bruce a grin and a nod. 

"Thanks, Batman."

- - -

"Captain, we sent you to be den mother to the Young Justice team with the hopes that you would guide them, not help them get into more trouble," Superman said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke to the demigod over the comm link displayed on the screen.

The raven on the other end was standing in the team's base, Mount Justice, standing before the rest of the League and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. The mission the teenagers (and Captain Marvel) had been given was supposed to be a simple one but had spiraled into something much bigger. It was something that, had Captain Marvel held control of the situation, never would have escalated. 

"I'm sorry, sir," Marvel said, ducking his head slightly and dropping his hand to fold them behind his back.

Bruce couldn't help the connection his mind made between the man and a child that had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to- it made him sigh. "Look, Captain," he said, gaining the attention of some of the other Leaguers as Marvel glanced up at him.

"You made a mistake. Don't let it happen again, okay?" he said, his voice taking on that fatherly tone he tried his best to keep away from the cowl. The other heroes were staring openly at him now, but he did his best to ignore them.

"Yes sir- it won't happen again," Marvel said, his back straightening slightly. Bruce couldn't help the bloom of pride that appeared in his chest as he nodded once at the demigod. 

"Good," Bruce said, ending the call and looking towards the other heroes.

Flash was the first to speak up (because of course he was...) "Uh...what was that?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah, uhh...Batman, no offense, but I've seen you yell until you were blue in the face at heroes who have done much less before," Superman said, leaning against the table slightly as he looked at the Dark Knight.

"I have a patrol to get to, I can't waste any more time here," he said as an excuse, standing up and leaving the room with a flourish of his cape. He tried to ignore the pounding in his chest as Marvel's relieved smile flashed through his mind.

He needed to figure out why Captain Marvel was capable of making him act like this- immediately.

- - -

White noise roared in Billy's ears as he stared helplessly at the smoldering remains of the house before him. Charred support beams, broken glass, cinders still glowing in the night as smoke trailed up from the wreckage. 

He couldn't breathe. His chest felt tight, heart thudding against his ribcage and sending a dull ache through his body and making his fingertips tingle. He heard people around him talking in hushed whispers; the boiler in the basement exploded, sparking a fire to spread through the whole house. The family trapped inside as faulty wiring and old, collapsing support beams blocked their exits. 

Billy drew in a shaky breath, his body numb as he stared at the ashes before him, shaking his head at the sight. This- this couldn't be real. There was no way this was real- the universe was just playing some cruel joke on him, it was a nightmare and he'd wake up in moments, safe in his bed with Freddy snoring above him. 

Seconds passed.

He didn't wake up.

Billy's hands curled into tight fists, tears beading in the corners of his eyes as he stared at the remains of the two-story house. It was the first time he'd felt like he really had a home since his parents died, of course the universe would rip that away from him- of course! He clenched his jaw, unable to stop the tears beading in his eyes as he watched the smoke rise.

He should have been there. He could have stopped this, could have saved the Vasquezes, saved his brothers and sisters. The 12-year-old felt tears fall down his cheeks, leaving salty trails as he collapsed to his knees amongst the crowd of bystanders.

He shut his eyes tightly, small form trembling as he sobbed into his hands. Someone must have noticed him, because one minute he was crying on the sidewalk, and the next he was being held against someone's chest.

Billy didn't care who it was, he needed a shoulder to cry on right now. He buried his face in the soft cloth of whoever had picked him up, sobs wracking his frame as he cried his eyes out. He felt so guilty for not being there- he could have said goodbye to Cyborg sooner, come back to the house, maybe he could've stopped the fire or put it out-

He clutched the fabric a little tighter as large hands rubbed circles around his back.

"It's alright, son..." the voice said gently as Billy continued to cry. He felt like the tears would never stop- he hadn't cried this hard since he'd been told his parents had died in a digging accident. The Vasquezes had really become his family, and now- now they were gone.

Taken from him, just like everything else.

Billy sniffled, his breath hitching as he pulled back from the stranger's shoulder. "I-i'm sor-sorry," he blubbered, rubbing at his eyes with his fists. "I- I-" he hiccuped, fresh tears springing to his eyes. 

"It's okay...no need to be sorry, little guy..." the man, dark-hared with sharp green eyes and clad in a dark blue police uniform, said gently, holding the boy tight as he leaned against the hood of his patrol car. "Did you know the people that lived here...?" he asked slowly, looking into Billy's eyes.

Yeah. Yeah, he knew them. Billy sniffled, nodding slowly. 

"Losing a friend can be hard...trust me I know. It can be scary, and you may not understand why things like this happen," he continued, setting Billy down on the street and crouching down in front of him. "But I can tell you that this pain won't last forever. It'll be okay, eventually. You just gotta keep your chin up, okay?" the man said, wiping away some of Billy's tears with his thumb. "Can you do that for me, big guy?"

Billy nodded slowly. Numbly.

He needed to get out of here.

"Alright, you stay right there, and I'll-" The cop turned to grab his radio, glancing back down at the boy and finding him gone. "What the- where did you-" he furrowed his brow, looking around before his head snapped towards the thunder in the distance.

- - -

Captain Marvel walked through the Zeta Tube in a daze, his ears ringing and eyes dull as he made his way out of the beam of light and past Flash and Green Lantern- both of which furrowed their brows and glanced at one another in concern at the demigod's demeanor.

The demigod ignored them in favor of walking down the hall, fingertips moving along the wall as he made his way towards his quarters. He barely registered a couple of heroes saying hello to him and said nothing back.

Reaching his quarters, he pressed his thumb against the scanner, watching numbly as the metallic door slid open and allowed him access to the room. He drew in a shaky breath, gripping the doorframe tightly as he took a step forward.

His composure was fracturing. Tears welled in his eyes and he tried to push them back with a shake of his head.

"Captain?" the voice coming from the doorway made him pause. He glanced back to find Batman standing there, Flash and Green Lantern somewhat behind him, staring openly at the demigod. More tears sprang to the man's eyes, and he was unable to stop them from trailing down his cheeks.

"B-Batman," he said shakily. 

The stern exterior Cap was sure he'd never seen Batman without suddenly melted away as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him and giving the pair some privacy. "What's wrong?" he asked slowly, taking another step towards the demigod.

He knew- he knew it would be better to get this off his chest, to talk about it, but- but this was Batman. This was a person he respected more than anyone else on the League, what would he think of him if he told him the truth? So much of his family was tied to the real him, to Billy, the 12-year-old former street rat- what would Batman think of him if he knew the truth?

More tears slid down the demigod's cheeks as he drew in a shaky breath.

"Captain, you can talk to me," the Dark Knight said, the growl in his voice gone and replaced with something warmer- something fatherly. He took a step closer.

"I..." Cap swallowed thickly. "My family..." he breathed, the smell of smoke still thick in his nose. "They..." he let out a trembling breath before his composure shattered, face crumpling. "They died in a fire...t-tonight. I wasn't- I wasn't there to save them..." he said, dropping his head into his hands and sobbing.

Batman froze, his eyes wide as he stared at the demigod. He disregarded the thought that sprung to his mind about Captain Marvel having living relatives, ignored the questions of if they were related by blood or not. He quickly closed the distance between them, bringing the man into a tight hug.

Marvel couldn't help but push some of his weight onto the man, leaning into the touch as the dark Knigth got them over to the bed. They sat on the edge, Marvel crying into his hands and cursing himself as Batman rubbed his back gently.

"I'm so sorry, Captain..." the dark Knight said slowly, watching the grief-stricken man try to compose himself multiple times and fail. "I know what it's like to lose your family."

Cap sniffled loudly, wiping his eye on the back of his hand. "Y-you- you do?" he asked, his breath hitching as he spoke.

Batman nodded slowly. He sighed, glancing at the metallic door before reaching up and removing his cowl. "My name is Bruce Wayne. My parents died when I was just a kid...I lost my son years ago and only recently got him back. Captain, I know what it's like to lose your family, trust me. It hurts. A lot. And there's nothing I can say that'll make that hurt go away," he said, resting a hand on the man's shoulder. 

"But it's not your fault. Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault."

"A fire..." Cap breathed, staring at the billionaire before him. He could freak out about the man's identity later, now- now he was numb to it all. "Boiler...exploded...faulty wiring in the old house made it worse..." he breathed. Victor had even called an electrician...the man was supposed to come out the day after tomorrow. 

"I...I could've stopped it..." he said, fresh tears springing to his eyes again. "I could've-"

"Don't do that to yourself, Captain. Please. It doesn't help, trust me. The what-if's and maybes will drive you to madness. It won't help you cope," Bruce said with a shake of his head, dropping his gaze to the carpeted floor.

Captain Marvel's breath hitched. "It's Billy," he said, though he was unsure just why he'd said it. "My- my name's Billy."

Bruce stared at him.

"I'm not- i'm not thousands of years old, either..." he said, ignoring Solomon's pounding in the back of his skull, making his head ache.

"I- I'm only 12..." be breathed, staring blankly at the carpet. "I just lost my- my foster p-parents...and my four sib-siblings..." he said, his voice cracking as he slipped off the edge of the bed and sat on the floor, bringing his knees to his chest and burying his face into them.

Bruce stared openly before licking his lips and sliding off the edge of the bed to sit beside the man (or- was it boy? Yeah, okay, that might get confusing). "Captain..." he started, scratching at his eyebrow. "Billy," he put a hand on the demigod's shoulder. 

The raven glanced up at him with puffy red eyes and wet cheeks.

"It's not your fault. You cannot beat yourself up about this," he said, looking right into the man's icy blue eyes. "What happened was terrible. But whether or not you could have done something does not matter."

"But I-"

Billy, if you were meant to be there, you would have been," Bruce said, holding to appeal to the man's magical side. Magic users tended to believe in things like Fate and destiny- he was sure the Captain was no different.

His shoulders dropped slightly, gaze moving to his golden boots. "I just...I fe-feel so guilty."

"And that's okay."

"Wh-when will this hurt go away?" Cap asked, looking Bruce in the eyes. Those baby blues were so youthful, so innocent. He was asking a question that he thought Bruce would have the answer for- he was looking at him like he knew the answer to life itself.

How had he not put two and two together before?

Well, probably because no one, not even him, would think that Captain Marvel would actually turn out to be a 12-year-old child.

Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know," he said with a shake of his head. "It might never. Everyone processes grief differently, Billy."

"But," he said, putting a hand on the demigod's shoulder with a small grin.

"I'll be here to help you through it."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Clark thumped the pen between his fingers rhythmically on the table in front of him, chewing the inside of his cheek in thought. After practically begging Perry White to let him do a story on Superman and Captain Marvel’s fight against Dr. Sivanna in Fawcett, he’d come to the quaint town, checked in to a hotel, and set to work.

It’s just too bad he’d come up with nothing so far.

Not the story, no, that was going just fine- he had more than enough information, as well as witness accounts and data (not that Perry needed to know that just yet). No, what Clark was struggling with was something else entirely. The reason he’d begged Perry to assign him this story in the first place, allowing him to focus his attention on Fawcett City- that was what was giving him trouble.

Captain Marvel was missing.

The battle that he and the Captain had partnered on had gone somewhat smoothly, all things considered-- Sivana was a cackling lunatic that easily slid into the classic ‘mad scientist’ archetype, and had built some kind of death ray or something. 

To be honest, Clark hadn’t really been paying attention to what the man was saying, especially since half of the things that came out of his mouth made no sense to him and sounded more like an inside joke between the bald man and Captain Marvel.

Not to mention he’d been busy trying to fight off a giant, mutated octopus- which, really, gave him so many questions. Where had he been keeping this? How was it just fine to walk-or, uh, suction-cup around the city? Why did it spit acid of all things?

The reporter rubbed a spot just below his shoulder at the thought, wincing in pain as his fingers grazed sensitive skin. That acid had hurt. He really wished Arthur had been with them, it would have made things much easier- but the truth of the matter was that he hadn't been, and the creature had found Superman a wonderful target.

Regardless, while he was busy with Octo-zilla, Captain Marvel had taken on the mad scientist. Sivana had set up shop atop a radio tower, cackling and ranting on about something or other before taking aim at Captain Marvel when the man cracked a joke about his plan.

The demigod had redirected a lightning bolt from the sky towards the ray-gun and destroyed it- but not before Sivana was able to shoot him, launching him backward through the sky and sailing through the air as his lightning blew up Sivana's device. 

Superman had managed to get the mutated calamari to submit after while and had detained Sivana quickly there-after- but Captain Marvel never returned.

At first, Clark thought the man would catch up with him at the Watchtower when he went in to give a report. When Captain Marvel never showed, he got worried. Bruce told him to give the guy a day or two, so he did- no word ever came.

The Justice League held a meeting, hoping the man would show and explain what had happened to him.

Captain Marvel hadn’t shown up.

To quell the worry running through his teammates’ heads, Clark had volunteered himself to look for the demigod- he'd wanted to help clean up from the battle anyways, and trying to find their missing demigod would help to silence the worry in his own mind as well.

So now, here he was, in Fawcett City as Clark Kent, trying to find his missing teammate.

The raven-haired reporter sighed, rubbing the skin between his eyebrows in frustration as he continued to thump his pen against the table. The diner was small, plain and quiet, run by an old woman and her daughter- the coffee was fresh and warm, and the people were nice. Clark had always preferred mom-and-pop places like this to chain-brand places- there was a certain personal touch to a diner like this.

"Need a refill, sir?" a voice asked, pulling the man from his thoughts and causing him to glance up at the woman holding a coffee pot out for him. The daughter, he thought off-handedly, blinking at the soft curls in her hair that reminded her of Lois when she got dolled up.

"Oh, uh, yes, please. Thank you," he said, sliding his half-empty mug toward the woman with a small smile.

She poured the dark liquid into his mug and he gave her a smile, lifting it to his mouth before sudden movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He furrowed his brow, glancing out the large window of the diner as a small boy with a mop of black hair ran past him, eyes wide and full of fear as he stumbled over his own feet, crashing onto the sidewalk.

Clark furrowed his brow at the boy, tensing and standing up as the boy clambered clumsily to his feet, ignoring the scrapes on his skin and continuing to run like his life depended on it. A few moments later, a pair of teenagers came running past the window. 

Clark didn't need to see any more- he could tell when someone was in danger. He shuffled out of the booth, slipping a couple of dollars from his wallet before pocketing it, his note pad, and his pen, grabbing his jacket, and taking off out of the diner.

He ran in the direction the children had gone, eyes sharp, and looking for any sign of danger. He didn't slow down until he heard soft, almost inaudible sobs coming from an alley. Clark slowed to a walk, glancing around to see if anyone else was in the area before ducking into the alley. 

He moved slowly, vision suddenly cutting through the various objects in the alleyway- he saw through dumpsters and abandoned boxes, large, plastic trashcans and- 

A small bit of movement caught his eye from the opposite side of a dumpster. He saw a small skeleton sitting on the ground, legs pulled up to its chest, and shaking like a leaf. Clark's hand curled into a fist at the sight of a fractured rib. The Kryptonian closed his eyes and shook the X-Ray vision away, blinking and crouching down slightly as he walked. 

"Hello...?" he said slowly, hearing the small figure's heart skip a beat. 

Clark came a bit closer, leaning forward to look around the dumpster. The small boy with a mop of black hair he'd seen before sat on the ground in front of him, trembling against the wall and staring up at him with terrified, icy blue eyes. "Are you okay, son?" Clark asked gently, putting his hands out placatingly and crouching down further. He made no move to get closer to the boy, and the child just stared at him silently.

"Do you need help?"

The boy just continued to water at him with wide eyes and a fear that he'd be attacked- or worse. Clark let out a short breath, looking around the alley. They were the only ones there- those teenagers must have taken off after hurting the boy. "Are you hurt?" he asked gently, even though he knew the answer.

The boy reacted to that, bringing his knees in a little closer and hugging himself- something that made him wince in pain. "Careful-" Clark said, reaching out a hand. "Don't- don't hurt yourself worse."

"Look, i'm not gonna hurt you, I promise," the Kryptonian said slowly, scooting a bit closer to the boy. "My name's Clark. Can you speak?"

The boy nodded slowly.

Good- good. So he wasn't mute, just scared.

"Can you tell me your name?"

The small raven stared at him for a moment before chewing on his bottom lip- an action that, surprisingly, felt familiar to the Man of Steel. He furrowed his brow slightly at the thought but shoved it away. This kid was more important right now.

"...Billy."

"Okay...well it's nice to meet you, Billy. Do you have a last name to go with that?" he asked. Maybe Bruce could look the kid up and he could get him home to his parents. When the boy began to tear up, Clark felt like he'd said something wrong somehow.

Billy was shaking his head, tears beading in the corners of his eyes. 

"You- you don't have a last name?" Clark asked in confusion.

"I- I don' remember..." the boy mumbled, tears falling down his cheeks.

Clark felt a cold chill go up his spine. Amnesia. That in itself would be trouble enough, but this was a kid with amnesia- it made things much harder. It had to be retrograde since the boy couldn't remember his last name- he'd have to get him to Bruce so he could run a facial scan.

"Well, Billy..." he said, coming a bit closer. "Do you mind if I take you to get help? You're hurt, and I wanna help you- but I can't if you don't let me," he said, holding out a hand to the boy. "Will you let me help you?" he asked, looking into the child's icy blue eyes.

Billy stared at the man's hand, and Clark could almost see the cogs spinning in his mind. He furrowed his brow, meeting Clark's gaze before letting out a shaky breath and nodding. "O-okay," he said, reaching a hand out to grab the reporter's.

Clark gave the boy a soft smile, coming closer to lift the boy into his arms. Billy was tense at first, but he slowly settled into the man’s arms. “Okay, I think I have a friend that can help us with your injury,” he said, glancing towards the entrance of the alley.

"Do you know who Batman is?"

Billy shook his head.

Alright, maybe this would complicate things just a tad. Marvel would have to wait- Billy needed his help right now.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Everyone knew that Captain Marvel was practically a living, breathing ray of sunshine.

There was hardly a day that went by where the man wasn't smiling, being friendly to every hero he met, and lending a hand wherever he could. He was a bigger boy scout than Superman- which was saying something since the Man of Steel's other nickname was "The Big Blue Boy Scout".

Sure, the guy was kinda mysterious- he was one of the few members of the Justice League who had managed to keep his identity a secret from everyone- in fact, he might be the only one to accomplish that, since Batman had this weird obsession with knowing exactly who everyone he worked with was. They knew some things about his powers, like how they derived from the Greek Gods, but no one really knew much more than that.

Not even Diana, the resident specialist on ancient Greek mythology, was quite sure just how Captain Marvel worked. She had a theory, of course- one that told of an ancient Champion born of Zeus's lightning, the protector of magic and sorcerer supreme- but Cap? 

Yeah... he might fit the lightning description bit, but he sure as hell didn't act like some ancient demigod- nor did he really display any magical prowess. Maybe that was because the League only ever called him in when they needed him to punch something, but the man had never even uttered a spell before in battle- at least, not that they'd seen anyway.

John Constantine on the other hand? Well, these two were like day and night. Where Captain Marvel was sunshine and golden rays, Constantine was darkness and moonlight- mysterious and wrapped so tightly up in the occult that it practically radiated off the man wherever he went. He was a foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, chain-smoking magician with a habit for finding trouble- whether it was due to his mouth or his reputation.

Everyone knew John was powerful- Zatanna swore by the man, told the heroes that he was one of the best magicians she'd ever met and/or worked with, and his skills spoke for themselves. He was known as the Hellblazer for a reason- many a demon feared his presence. 

It was safe to assume that these two, being so different in nature, would never get along. 

So when Zatanna wasn't able to look into a mystical situation and Batman assigned the pair to look into it, no one thought it would end well.

No one would have guessed just how wrong they could have been.

- - -

Captain Marvel leaned against the armrest of his chair as he listened to Batman explain the mission parameters to him, Constantine, and the rest of the League. It had been way too long since he'd worked with John on a job- though it was weird to have the League acting as this third party in the background, he would admit. 

He glanced at the blonde, who was leaning back in his own chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a face that the demigod knew well said "I'm barely listening to you; you're lucky I'm too tired to interrupt right now". It was a look he'd become very familiar with in his years of working alongside the hellblazer- way too many lost spirits and wanna-be demon kings liked to monologue. 

Cap was actually excited for this mission- for once it was more than just punching something- it was some sort of possession, something he and John excelled at back when he was still studying under the Brit. He was excited to get back to something he knew like the back of his hand, something he was comfortable with. He'd learned so many more spells since his early days of learning magic and couldn't wait to show John some of them.

"Bloody Hell, Bats, we get it. Kid's possessed, probably by a demon or somethin', that's why it's so complicated, yadda yadda...can we just go to work already?" John asked, dropping his hand and giving the Dark Knight a tired and annoyed look. 

Cap bit back a smile, the corners of his mouth turning upward instead. He understood why John wanted to keep their relationship a secret, realistically- I mean, why would Captain Marvel need to learn magic from John Constantine? That just didn't make sense. Moreover, it would be very hard to explain how they knew each other before 'meeting' in the Justice League.

Well, not without revealing that Captain Marvel was actually a 13-year-old boy, that is.

Marvel shook his thoughts away when Superman cleared his throat. "Captain, are you with us?" he asked, raising a brow. 

The demigod glanced at him, looking around the table before glancing at John, who was busy holding back a smirk. "Uh- yeah. Sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uhm, are we ready?" he asked, standing up and looking towards the blonde expectantly. 

"I think we're good, Bats'. This ain't my first possession," John said as he stood, shoving one hand in his pocket and throwing open a yellow-rimmed portal with the other. Batman sighed, leaning over the table and glancing between the pair.

"Fine. But keep your comms on."

John rolled his eyes and gave the man a mock salute before gesturing towards the portal. "After you, Sparky," he said with a smirk, causing the demigod to bite his cheek to keep from smiling and shake his head at the man. He took the lead, stepping through the portal as John followed behind. 

They stepped out into the House of Mystery and Marvel grinned widely at the sight, only for the comm in his ear to start fizzling and popping. "Uh- hey, John, is your comm acting up?" he asked, pulling the small device out of his ear and looking at it before glancing at the magician.

"It's the house, mate. You know it hates outside devices," John said off-handedly.

"Man, I missed this place..." Cap said, putting the device back in his ear and looking around the old, antique living room as the fizzling settled down. "Hey house, how you doin' old girl?" he asked, glancing around the room and placing a hand on a support beam. The old wood creaked and shifted, making the demigod smile. "Good. You tell me if John mistreats you, okay?" he said with a chuckle, getting a punch to the arm in response. 

"Hey! I treat her just fine, Sparky. Watch it," the blonde said with a finger jabbed in his direction, the dark and gloomy persona he kept up around the League all but gone in front of just Captain Marvel.

Sure, he was still the foul-mouthed, grumpy magician he always was, but there wasn't this dark cloud hanging over him. He slipped easily into an old role- that of the mentor to a hyperactive but good-natured boy in need of a good hand of cards.

"You better," Cap replied with a chuckle. "So we think it's really a demonic possession or was that just for Batman's sake?" he asked, walking over to the dining room table that John had plopped down at and was currently smoking a cigarette at. 

"It's probably a summoning gone wrong. Bats' said the victim's a teenager- God knows those kids don't know what they're doin' when it comes to soddin' ouija boards and summoning spells," he said with a shake of his head, taking a long drag of his cigarette before tapping the end of it in a glass ashtray. 

Marvel smiled at the sight of the dish- it was one he'd gotten for the blonde for father's day. He'd gotten it from a Goodwill for $2 and given it to John as a way to say thank you for everything he'd done for him- feeding him, giving him a place to say, teaching him magic, being his friend. It warmed the demigod's heart to see he still had it, even after three years. 

"Sounds about right- is it contained, you think? If this was done at a slumber party or something, the doorway might have been opened enough to allow some souls to possess the other people there," Marvel said, leaning against the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

John shook his head. "Nah- file said the girl lives out in the country. She probably found the board or whatever it was she used in the attic or something, remembered seein' the bloody thing in a movie once and decided to take her for a spin," John said, tapping more ash off the end of his cigarette into the glass dish.

"If it's a corrupted summoning, are we gonna be able to save the victim?" Cap asked, raising a brow. On one hand, Marvel was one of the heroes with a no-kill policy, preferring to talk the villains out of their schemes or hurt them just enough to make them stop- he knew how nasty possession and corrupted summoning could get the longer it went unchecked, like a festering wound that eventually got too bad to heal.

It was just a fact of life that sometimes, the victim just couldn't be saved. 

John sighed, leaning back in his chair slightly in thought. "Hopefully. The victim's apparently 15, but there's no telling how long the soddin' demon or ghoul or whatever it is had been inhabiting the poor girl's body," he said, shaking his head. "Might be too late."

Marvel swallowed thickly, letting out a sigh as he glanced around the house before looking back down at the blonde. "Then we'll do what we have to," he said, ignoring the fizzling starting up in his ear again. "Gods, that's annoying..." he said, rubbing his ear.

John smirked up at the man, shaking his head at him as he snuffed out his cigarette. "Heh- you don't call, you don't write...that sodding League has us both as their lapdogs."

Marvel smiled, rolling his eyes at the Brit as he dropped his hand. "I missed you too, John."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

- - -

The pair stepped out of one of John's portals, looking around the property before Cap took the lead and walked up to the farmhouse. He'd always been better at dealing with the living aspect of this job- John just didn't have the patience. 

Marvel put a finger to his comm as he walked closer to the house. "We're heading to the house now, just checking in," he said, furrowing his brow when he didn't get a response. "Hello?" he asked, glancing back at John. "Is your comm working?" he asked.

The blonde raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Cap rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the man. "You really gotta start usin' the thing, man- the League isn't gonna track you with it," he said with a grin, dropping his hand from his own device.

"Mhm, sure. And Batman just loves the color hot pink," John said with a smirk as he followed the demigod up the stone path leading towards the farmhouse.

Cap smiled at the man warmly. "Maybe the spirit or whatever it is is causing interference in the line," he concluded, ignoring the jab and turning his attention back on the house. "Business as usual then I guess."

"Been a while since we handled something together, Sparky. You think you can still stomach something like this?"

"I'm offended, John, really I am- You think I'm just some meathead?" Marvel asked with a chuckle as they climbed the steps up to the front porch. He snapped his fingers and a dark suit materialized around his usual spandex, replacing stark red uniform with the subtle navy threads of a business suit. "You of all people should know there's so much more to me."

John shook his head at the man, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I don't doubt your skills, Sparky. Never have," he said, looking around the place before gesturing towards the old front door. "Hurry up though. We both know that glamours aren't your specialty."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." he said as he knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a frazzled woman with her hair pulled back into a messy bun and dark bags under her eyes. "Good afternoon, ma'am. Agents Bartowski and Casey- we were sent by the Justice League," he said as he and John pulled out and flashed official-looking ID's at the woman before pocketing them again.

"We were told you were having troubles with your daughter?" he asked with a furrowed brow, easily slipping into the practiced act of government official. It was something he and John had worked long and hard to perfect- people were way more willing to comply with those in authority (or at least those they believe to be in authority) than they were with a bright-colored superhero and a random man in a trenchcoat.

The woman ran a hand through her hair before clutching her chest. "Oh thank goodness, I thought- I thought no one would ever come to help," she said, and Cap could tell she was already close to tears. "You are here to help her right? You won't hurt her?"

John took a step forward, placing a hand on Marvel's shoulder. "We'll do our best, ma'am."

The woman nodded shakily, glancing between the men. "Please do...my sweet Emma would never hurt a fly...please, you have to help her- she's hidden herself away in the barn," she said, the tears that had previously been beading in her eyes coming full force and flowing down her cheeks. 

Marvel pushed down his instinct to comfort her, turning his attention instead towards the barn. Even without the woman telling them where to go, that would have been the first place they checked. It practically radiated death and darkness- the tell-tale signs of a low-level demon.

He and John made their way towards the barn, and Marvel tried his comm again. "Anyone there?" he asked, only to get static and fizzled noise. "Gods..." he muttered, dropping his hand and shaking his head. "Either this demon is creating a lot of disturbance or the comms are on the fritz," Cap said, stopping in front of the barn doors and crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Might be residual tampering from the House of Mystery. She's part of the reason I don't have a bloody phone- ruined the first three I brought in and out of her," John said, looking up at the barn as he spoke.

"Great... well hopefully, they got my messages," Cap replied.

John shrugged, taking a step towards the barn. He grabbed one handle and gestured towards the other for Marvel to grab- which the man did, with a shake of his head and a grin shot towards the blonde. "Heave ho, Sparky," John said as he tugged the barn door open. 

A sudden gust of wind blasted the doors back, causing John to stumble backward and Captain Marvel to throw his forearm up to block the wind. His hands curled into fists as the glamour melted away and revealed his normal, bright red suit, his eyes narrowing in on the paranormal, inky black void inside the barn. No light came in through the windows or the cracks in the roof. the sunlight from the open door barely made it a few feet before being snuffed out. Marvel braced himself for whatever was waiting inside.

"Now's not the time for naps, John," he said with a smirk, holding out his hand for the blonde at his side. The man rolled his eyes and accepted the help, standing beside the demigod and pulling out his lighter. 

"Think this place needs a bit of light, don't you?" he asked, sparking the lighter and moving his free hand around the flame. "Noc fours te Ignitum!" he yelled, the fire coalescing in his palm before he threw it into the darkness.

There was a sudden hissing and an inhuman screech as the barn lit up for a split second before it was snuffed out and the wind blew out from the darkness again. "Looks like she doesn't like your magic fire, John," Cap said with a grin.

"Let's see how she feels about a little magic lightning," he smirked, bringing his hands in front of him and drawing them outwards from one another.

A sphere of lightning danced around between his palms, jerking and jolting in the air as he concentrated on the darkness within the barn. He launched it forward and it vanished into the darkness- only to explode moments later and cause even more inhuman screeching as the barn was lit up for a few moments. 

"This is getting us nowhere," John grumbled, glancing towards the demigod. "I'll search the girl's room, try to find the conduit. You stay here and keep her busy- don't let her leave this barn." Cap nodded, turning his attention back toward the darkness as john took off towards the farmhouse. 

"Alright, let's chat, just you and me. No one needs to go anywhere," he said, thrusting an arm out towards the barn. Lightning flared out, dancing around his forearm before a ring of salt appeared on the ground, surrounding the barn in a perfect circle. Cap dropped his arm and narrowed his eyes at the darkness.

"I get it- you saw a helpless little girl fooling around with something she didn't understand and decided she'd be an easy target, huh," Cap said, stepping over the ring and through a mystical golden veil. "Easy possession for a big bad demon like you, right?" he continued, taking another step closer to the barn. "It's lazy is what it is..."

A cold wind blew past him. "Big guy can't handle anything more than a scared little girl playing with some mystical toys," he said, lightning continuing to dance around his forearms a took another step closer to the barn, standing between veil of darkness and the light. He smirked, shaking his head. "That's okay. It just makes our jobs easier," he said, a sudden, clawed hand thrusting forward in an attempt to grab hold of his throat.

Marvel grinned and launched himself backward back over the salt line, the demon following him out into the light and howling in pain when it slammed against the invisible wall the salt line created. Now that it was out in the light, Marvel got a good look at what he was working with- and it wasn't pretty.

The girl couldn't have been over 15, her hair slick and straight, falling behind her shoulders and dripping a black ooze that turned into wispy vapors when it fell from her hair. Her skin was pale and nearly translucent, veins in her forearms and collarbone prominent as soulless, solid black eyes stared at him angrily from behind the veil of magic. Her form was hunched, her upper half leaning to one side, fingers strained and locked tightly into gnarled positions and the demon hissed through the girl's mouth.

Marvel had to glance away as anger washed over him- he dug his fingernails into his palms to keep himself from frying the demon out of her right then and there. He'd learned the hard way that, while it was a sure-fire way to kill a demon, it usually killed their host as well. He wanted to save this girl if that was possible. Better to wait for John.

Speaking of, the man was currently running back in his direction, an old, leather-bound book under his arm. "What'd you find?" Marvel asked, furrowing his brow at the book and blatantly ignoring the demon-filled girl in front of them. It vanished into the barn again and he sighed, glancing at the darkness before meeting John's eyes.

"Spellbook. Looks like an old Welch one- which I can read, luckily enough," he said with a smirk, getting a chuckle from the demigod.

"We both know I'm basically omniligual, but go off."

"You, kid, have got to stop using slang words around me. Gives me bloody hives," John said as he pulled the old cover open. "Judgin' by where the girl left off, it was a summoning spell. Something we knew already but..." he trailed off, eyes narrowing as he read the words quietly. "Alright, nothing too bad. Crossroads demon by the looks of it, maybe with a little extra juice in there."

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Cap asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Exorcism?"

John nodded, snapping the book shut and passing it to the demigod. "This should take only a moment," he said with a smirk, coming over to the line and thrusting a hand out. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanic potestas, omnis infernalis adversarii, in nomine et virtute Domini Nostri Jesu...." John breathed, a yellow glow emanating from his hand as he stared down the demon in the barn.

He set his jaw as the light flickered slightly in his palm, causing the demigod watching to furrow his brow. "John are you okay? What's-"

Light exploded outward, causing John to cry out in pain and Marvel to bring up his arm to block his eyes. When it faded, john was sitting on the ground, smoke rising from his hand and wincing in pain. Captain Marvel ran over and kneeled next to the man, glancing towards the barn before looking back at John. "What the heck happened!?" he asked worriedly, helping the blond to his feet.

"Ngh...not sure. Must be a stronger demon than I thought," he grunted, flexing his slightly burnt hand and wincing in pain again. "Bollocks..." he muttered, glancing angrily towards the barn. "We'll have to do a banishing command instead..." he said, looking back at Marvel.

"You know how to do one of those?" 

"In theory, yeah...can you not do it?" Marvel asked slowly, glancing anxiously at the man's quickly bruising hand. John shook his head slowly, taking the book from Marvel.

"I could, but one, my castin' arm's kind of rubbish right now," he said, hoisting the old book up under his armpit, "and two, it'll be more likely to work if the Champion of soddin' Magic himself commands that bastard to leave than if I do it."

Captain Marvel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, okay..." he muttered. "I just don't want Emma getting hurt- you're better at exorcisms and banishing than I am..."

"She's not gonna get hurt, just concentrate."

Marvel sighed again, nodding and turning his attention towards the barn. He spread his feet and glared at the darkness inside the barn. "Okay, big guy. You may have managed to stand up to John's magic, but there's no way you can take mine," he said, eyes narrowing as he held his arms out towards the large structure. 

" Atque adeo Sacrum Cross iubebit, agas. Et David stella iubebit, agas. Et Omkar et Lotus et Shahada tu iubes! Fuge locus site!" Marvel growled, the ancient words flowing from his mouth as golden light flared outward from his hands. He smirked as he continued to recite the spell, wind picking up around him and whipping his hair back and forth.

"Disperges in ventum! Be not, and be gone!” he yelled, his voice echoing with the weight of the Gods behind it. Light flared out from his hands and beamed into the barn, lighting it up like the sun. John squinted against the light, bringing up a hand to shield his eyes as the barn exploded with light.

A withering screech came from within the old wooden walls, echoing and fading with the light. Captain Marvel was left standing in front of the barn, breathing heavily as he dropped his arms and kicked his foot through the salt circle. He stepped over the broken line and came closer to the barn, glancing around as John came up next to him.

"Good job, kid," he said, patting the demigod's shoulder as they looked around. "Now where's our girl...?"

Cap caught sight of a figure laying on the ground and sped over to it, kneeling down and hovering a hand over it. "She's alive, but weak," he said, glancing back at John before picking the girl up. "I could cast a healing spell to put her over the edge, but I'm not sure what else I can do."

"There's not much you can do. It's up to her to recover now," John said, looking the girl over. He sighed, gesturing with his head towards the entrance to the barn. "Come on, lets get her back to her mum."

- - -

Captain Marvel chuckled at John's griping when he told him they both needed to give a report, shaking his head at the man as they came through the portal. It was already late, so neither of them were expecting run into anyone in the satellite- maybe a hero on monitor duty or something, but no one major.

"You know, you're gettin' right good at those spells," John said as he walked down the hall with his hands in his trenchcoat pockets, smirking up at the demigod. "Then again, you had the best teacher around."

Cap rolled his eyes and shoulder checked the man, making him stumble and causing the demigod to laugh. "Mhm, sure. Some teacher you are. I think I spent more time being smothered by Chas than I did being taught by you," he replied, shaking his head at the thought.

"You say that like it's my fault Chas is a bloody mother hen."

"Not saying it's your fault, just that he's your best friend and you took way too much joy in seeing me, as you put it, 'acting like a normal soddin' child for once'," Cap chuckled.

John shook his head as they rounded the corner. "Still...it was nice to work with you again, Sparky. We'll have to team up for another possession sometime," he said with a smirk, fishing a box of cigarettes out of his pocket as Cap opened the meeting room door and held it open for the blonde. "Of you could just visit," he said, smirking up at the demigod before turning his attention towards the middle of the room.

He froze, stopping in his tracks and causing Marvel to run into his back. He glanced around the man and paused as well, finding the core members of the League sitting around the table, staring at them. 

"Uhh..." Marvel started, glancing around the room before looking at John. He cleared his throat, giving the heroes one of his usual smiles. "Hey- uh, what's everyone doing here? Is there a problem?"

John lit his cigarette, the casual grin on his face replaced with the usual stern scowl he reserved for everyone but Zatanna, Chas, and Cap. 

"Captain, Constantine- we told you to keep your comms running," Superman said, standing up. "You went dark minutes into the mission- no check-ins, no updates, we were left completely in the dark. We had no idea if you had run into trouble or if you'd been hurt-"

Marvel swallowed thickly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, I uh- I tried to contact you, but-"

"It's my fault, big blue," John said before taking a long drag of his cigarette. Marvel glanced down at the man before looking at everyone else- they looked confused. "Took him to my home base, and my home base doesn't really like electronics."

Superman sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, fine. I'll let it slide," he said, sitting down and leaning back in his chair slightly. Batman straightened, whites of his cowl narrowed at the pair.

"What was the outcome of the mission? Any casualties?"

John shook his head in unison with Marvel. "It went fine- simple demonic possession," Marvel said, folding his hands behind his back. "We managed to banish the demon and get the girl back to her mom, she recovering now."

John flicked ash onto the floor. "No casualties, Batsy, unless you count the cow gettin' right spooked," he said, causing the demigod beside him to breath a laugh through his nose. The blonde let the corner of his mouth turn up slightly before taking another drag of his cigarette.

Batman sighed as well, nodding. "Alright. Go home then. Both of you," he said, looking between the pair.

"Yessir," Marvel said as John gave the Dark Knight a mock salute. The pair left the room, their voices able to be heard as they started talking in the hallway. Batman kept his eyes on the doors before turning his attention back on the rest of the heroes.

"Uh, so I'm not the only one that got weird vibes from that exchange, right?" Flash asked, glancing around the table. "Like- there's definitely something going on between those two."

Batman glanced back towards the doors, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "I have the feeling that there's something we're missing when it comes to the relationship between John Constantine and Captain Marvel."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

⚡️Inspiration⚡️

- - -

When Captain Marvel had first felt the spike in magical energy, he'd been expecting someone like Felix Faust or Klarion to be causing chaos and wreaking havoc on some poor, unsuspecting city. He hadn't been expecting to see the Queen of Fables of all people with an army of fairytale characters to be attacking Metropolis of all places. 

It wasn't much of a surprise to find Superman, Batman, and the rest of the League together fighting the Queen's minions, and the demigod fit seamlessly into the woodwork. He'd worked with the League plenty of times in the past, though he'd never been invited to join them.

Cap wasn't sure if that had to do with the fact that he was considered kind of a wildcard, they already had enough magic-users, or if he was just too childish for them, but regardless, he hadn't been invited.

Yet. 

Cap would've loved to join the League- fight alongside his heroes on a daily basis, actually be a part of something bigger than himself- sure, Fawcett was nice and all, but the demigod wanted to help people wherever they were without feeling like he was stepping on another hero's toes cause he was in their city.

He'd worked plenty with Batman- so much so that he was apparently the Dark Knight's first choice when it came to magic-related problems, but when it came to working with the others, he hadn't been so lucky. 

The scarlet-clad demigod landed beside Flash, someone he really connected with on the League, and grinned when the man smirked at him. "How nice of you to join us, oh, Cap-i-tan," he teased before punching a gnome that was trying to bite his arm. "What brings you here?" he continued as Cap set to work attacking living gargoyles.

That was one of the things that the demigod liked about Flash- he was so openly friendly; always willing to chat, even in the middle of a battle.

"Oh you know," Cap said as he sent a crackling punch through a stone beast, "I felt a magical surge and kinda came runnin'," he said with a shrug of his shoulder. Flash chuckled, shaking his head at the larger man. 

"Of course you would."

Captain Marvel chuckled before punching a hold in another gargoyle. "Didn't think the Queen of Fables was a big enough deal for the whole League to be out and about," he said, glancing at the speedster, who was currently speed-punching a tree straight out of the Wizard of Oz.

"Wait, you've dealt with this crazy lady before!?" he asked as he managed to bound over and crush a gingerbread man, "She's like- feeding off people's fear and junk- and you're saying you've dealt with her before?"

"Yeah- thought she melted, but yeah."

"Yikes."

"You're tellin' me."

"I take it you guys haven't fought her before, then?" Cap asked before using his feet to pile drive a hole through a monster tree, taking flight after the monster went down. Flash gave him an unsure motion before zipping around a pair of snarling wolves.

"Wonder Woman has, and I think Bats has dealt with her before too, but this is my first time taking this kind of thing on."

"Oh, well, she's-"

"Cap look out!"

The raven's eyes widened when the Flash pointed behind him. He turned his head, only to find a staff pointed directly at his chest. The woman holding the staff, the apparent Queen of Fables, smirked up at him. "Well, well, well, what a treat. The Champion of Magic, come to do me in?" she mocked, glancing down at the open storybook in her hand before meeting Cap's icy blue eyes once more. 

"We can't have that, now can we?"

The demigod's eyes narrowed, and everything slowed to a crawl. He glanced at Flash before looking back at the Queen, eyes widening further when he saw the staff begin to glow. "Let's have a bit of fun, shall we? Maybe a 'throwback' of sorts..." she said with a malicious grin.

Marvel brought his arms up to block whatever kind of spell was about to be shot at him, only to have magic pulse through his body in waves. It felt like his insides were melting and he was unable to stop himself from being flung backward and rocketing out of the air.

He landed with a dull thud on the ground, singeing the grass around him as smoke trailed off his form. His head started to swim as the woman cackled, and he shut his eyes tightly against the pain. "Ngh- w-what'd you do to me-" he growled at the woman and attempted to stand.

He got to his knees before finding his strength begin to leave him, making him tremble and fall forward.

The queen's crooked grin only widened, and Captain Marvel felt a white-hot pain run through his very core. "Oh, Captain, i'm simply allowing you to get back in tough with your...scaly side," she cackled.

He gulped for air, putting his arms out to stabilize himself as he stared at the ground. His nails dug into the soil as sweat bead on his brow and dripped onto the grass. Whatever she'd done, it was working fast, and it was not going easy on him. He felt pain shoot up his spine, causing him to collapse to the ground in a heaving mass. He felt eyes on him, though whether they belonged to members of the League or the Queen, he wasn't sure.

"N-no...not again..." He breathed, struggling to keep his mind clear of the encroaching fog.

"Captain!" Flash said, concern lacing his voice. "Cap, hold on!" his voice seemed farther away...

Who was that talking again?

The demigod's head was swimming, pain radiating throughout his body as the world around him spun in a mess of colors and shapes. He couldn't get enough air into his lungs and felt himself gasping as his body trembled and fingers dug further into the dirt beneath him. Agony rippled through his skin and his head, muddling his thoughts as he winced.

His breathing became deeper, more guttural as a loud snapping sound echoed throughout the clearing. Flash's eyes widened in fear as thick, rigid bones suddenly torn through the demigod's shoulderblades, causing blood to trail down his sides and soak into his suit. Captain Marvel cried out in pain, bright blue eyes wide and wracked with terror as he looked at the speedster. Muscle and sinew knit itself around the Captain's body as more bones snapped and shifted within him.

Green Lantern landed beside Flash and looked at the man in concern before his head snapped towards the woman they were fighting. "What'd you do to him?!" he yelled angrily, the green glow around him flaring outward slightly.

Marvel wheezed, his vision blurry and mind unable to focus on anything but the pure agony that coursed through his body. He felt spikes of pain shoot through his hands and feet, causing him to cry out again and collapse onto the ground once more. Blood pooled around him and soaked through his uniform, turning patches of his usual bright crimson a darker, much more sinister color.

Thick keratin split through his fingertips as they dug further into the ground, the man arching his back as his spine rippled outward and spittle hung from long, jagged fangs that had begun to form in his mouth.

The last thing Captain Marvel was aware of was a red figure standing over him- making an awful lot of noise.

- - -

Flash stumbled backward as a massive, hulking dragon took the place of their beloved Big Red Cheese- breathing heavily on the ground and causing the speedster to panic. "GAH! Uh- guys!? A little help over here!? We got a code- uh- code- I don't even know what this would be classified as- but Cap's a dragon or something!?" he said in a panic through the comms, glancing at Hal. 

Marvel shifted, his large, scaly red body moving as thick claws dug into the dirt and lifted him up off the ground slowly. The demigod's head lifted and glanced around in a daze, golden eyes staring wide-eyed at his surroundings before huffing a thick plume of smoke. Hal tensed when the Captain took a lumbering step forward, massive claws digging further in the dirt as leathery wings unfurled. 

The brunet set his jaw and threw out his arm, creating a muzzle around the dragon's snout- and causing him to immediately thrash against it. Anger flared in the dragon's eyes as his snout snapped open, shattering Hal's muzzle and revealing sharp, dagger-like teeth.

The Captain roared angrily, focusing his attention on Hal. Lightning suddenly sprang forward from the beast's mouth- it would have fried the pair to a crisp had Flash not grabbed Hal and bolted several feet over. 

"Shit," flash heard through the comms, the person such a gruff voice belonged to landing beside them. "Not again..." the man breathed, confusing the speedster even further. "Okay- we have to get the Queen's book of spells away from her. It's the only way this can be undone," Batman said, glaring at the pair before rolling out of the way of the Captain's lightning breath. 

"Go! Find a way to get closer to her! I'll handle the Captain!"

Flash had so many questions running through his head, but decided they could wait- the battlefield wasn't the best place to be questioning things. Especially not right now. He took off with Hal in tow, zipping through the messy structures and weaving around the Queen's minions.

Batman turned his attention towards the crimson beast in front of him, currently roaring angrily in his direction. "Okay- Okay! Captain! You have to calm down!" he yelled, narrowly dodging another blast of lightning breath from the creature.

Superman landed beside him, fists circled and jaw set. "She sent a dragon!?" he asked in confusion, staring up at the creature with wide eyes.

"Did you not hear Flash over the comms?" Batman asked as he dodged another blast and threw a smoke bomb up at Marvel- blinding him momentarily. The Kryptonian shook his head with a furrowed brow.

"It got busted."

"Jesus Christ, Clark."

Superman glanced up at the dragon again, eyes glowing red as he recovered. "I got this-" he said, only to have a hand placed firmly on his shoulder.

"No- that's Captain Marvel," Batman said before the pair had to jump out of the way of another attack. "Where is Flash?!" Batman growled, putting a finger to his comm. "Flash! Get me that book!" he growled, glancing up to find lightning coming his way. Bruce brought up his arms to guard, only to find the bolt diverting around him and frying a human-sized gingerbread man behind him.

The Dark Knight glanced up with wide eyes at the dragon, who was currently heaving and shaking its head with eyes screwed shut. Marvel seemed to be fighting himself, his large claws tearing into the earth beneath him as he suddenly roared and unleashed a flurry of lightning into the sky above.

"He's gonna hurt somebody if we don't do something, Batman," Superman yelled out, taking off into the air and flying around the dragon in an attempt to distract it. "Uh- nice Captain Marvel! Look over here! Look at Superman!" 

Bruce watched as Marvel snarled at the Kryptonian and snapped his jaws at the man, something Clark avoided the first time, but not the second. The cried out in pain as Marvel snapped down on him, trapping him in his jaws. "Come on, Captain, you don't wanna eat me- I taste like a farm boy," Superman said, struggling to pry the dragon;'s mouth open. When he did, he found himself launched out from the beast's mouth by a flurry of lightning, sending him spiraling through the air and crashing through a tree.

"Superman, are you alright?!" Batman called out, watching the Kryptonian struggle to shake off the magic lightning and get back up.

"Yeah- yeah, I'm good- wait, Captain!" he launched himself back towards the dragon, who was roaring and snapping at some of the flying heroes that must have gotten to close to him for his liking. He ended up crashing into the dragon's jaw, making him twist his head away from Green Lantern and turn his attention on Superman.

Marvel snarled, lightning sparking in the back of his throat before it jolted forward towards Superman. Clark met it with his heat vision, the beams battling in the air for only a moment before his gaze overtook the dragon's breath and the heat connected full-force with the creature's muzzle. 

Marvel roared with pain, wings flaring outward as he roared angrily at Superman. "Shit, I think I made him angry!" he yelled, glancing towards Batman,  who was already moving and throwing batarangs at the demigod's feet.

The dragon snarled and backed away from the attack, lightning crackling in his mouth once more before he seemed to struggle with himself again, yellow eyes shutting tightly as the dragon's head twitched and jerked before finally letting out the volley of lightning that had previously been dancing in his throat.

Superman uppercut the dragon, sending most of the sparks upwards into the clouds and making Marvel roar in pain again. "I'm sorry, Captain! I really don't want to be doing this!" Superman yelled over the proceeding thunder. 

"FLASH!" Batman yelled through the comms, only to have the speedster come running and trip over his own feet in front of Bruce. 

"I can hear you just fine without the yelling!!" Flash said with wide eyes, handing over the book. "You better hurry up with whatever you're gonna do, cause this lady is gaining fast-" he said, turning to look at the raging witch charging towards them atop a winged leopard.

Batman glanced in the Queen Of Fables direction before throwing the book in Clark's direction. "Superman, roast it!" he yelled, the Kryptonian glancing at him and narrowly dodging the swipe of Captain Marvel's claws. His eyes glowed red as his heat vision struck the book, causing it to explode in a shower of leather and flaming paper. 

The leopard that the queen was riding suddenly began to melt underneath her, causing the woman to plummet out of the air in a screeching wail. She vanished with an echoed cry just before hitting the ground, and the heroes turned their attention back towards the demigod-dragon. 

The dragon howled in pain, lightning shooting up into the sky from its mouth as its form began to melt away, the animalistic snarls becoming more human-like cries of pain until Captain Marvel was left on the ground, breathing heavily and suit in tatters, his body covered in bruises and scrapes.

Batman ran over to the man, kneeling down in front of him and looking him over as Flash and Superman followed. "Captain, Captain wake up," Bruce said as he shook the man, patting his cheek in an attempt to coax the raven into wakefulness.

"Ngh..." Marvel groaned, lips curling up to show still quite sharp teeth inside his mouth. In fact, the man still had quite a few draconic features- small horns split his hairline and forehead and patches of bright red scales covered his face and the exposed parts of his skin. The demigod opened his eyes weakly, and the trio saw bright yellow sclera and dark slitted pupils looking around groggily. 

"Wha...happen..." the man muttered, allowing Batman to help him sit up. "Ngh...feels like I was...hit by a truck..."

"A scaley truck..." Flash muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Batman, is that permanent?" Superman said, coming a bit closer and furrowing his brow at the Captain's features. Bruce shook his head, helping the demigod to sit up completely. 

"No, they should go away once he goes back to the Rock of Eternity. Captain, are you with us?" he asked, looking the tired and confused man in the bright yellow eyes. He nodded slowly, bringing a clawed hand up to his head. 

"I need a nap..." he muttered, bringing his hand down and catching sight of the claws where his fingertips should have been. "Ah...wha..." he glanced at Batman. "So it...happened again...?" he asked, a look of tired guilt appearing on his face before he winced in pain.

Bruce nodded, patting his knee. "Yeah- but you didn't hurt anyone- other than Superman, thankfully. Go to the Rock and rest. I'll check up on you later," he said, his voice much closer to that of a concerned parent than the Dark Knight- Flash and Superman glanced at one another in confusion.

Marvel nodded, standing up with a wince and a heavy breath. "Sorry I couldn't be more help," he said, holding his hand over a wound in his arm. "Uh...nice to uh, nice to see you guys again though," he gave Superman and Flash a grin before throwing a hand out and opening a golden-rimmed portal.

"Um...I'm...i'm sorry that I hurt you, Superman..." he said, swallowing thickly and wincing in pain. Clark couldn't take his eyes off the large bruise on the man's jaw or the aching red burn on his cheekbone. This was probably the most beat-up he'd ever seen the man- sure, he's only worked with him two or three times, but he's never seen him get anything more than a scratch on him.

The Kryptonian was to in shock to say anything to the demigod, even as Flash nudged him and Cap turned back towards his portal.

"...I'll s-see you later..." he said, picking his feet up off the ground and vanishing through the portal. Batman sighed, dragging a hand down his face before turning to his teammates tiredly.

"Alright, Superman, check on the civilians, see if anyone needs medical attention. Flash, find anyone without a comm and tell them to meet back at the watchtower for debrief," he said, rolling his shoulder and stepping over the pile of goo that was the Queen of Fables.

"Uh, y-yeah, okay," Flash said, nodding before taking off into the park. Superman stared at Batman for a long time before sighing.

"Tell me when you're going to see Captain Marvel. I'd like to check on him too...and apologize, if I could," he said before taking off into the sky.

Bruce sighed, wanting nothing more than to rip off his cowl and scratch his fingers along his scalp- he really hoped Billy actually listened to him and would rest... he'd need it if Superman was going to join him in checking up on the man later.

Knowing his luck Clark was probably going to ask Marvel to join them- he could already see the look on Billy's face just thinking about it.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

In hindsight, holding a two-hour-long meeting immediately following a tiring mission probably wasn't the best idea, but the meeting had been important and everyone was in one place, so it had happened despite the moaning and groaning about it.

They were nearly finished though- only a couple of things left to discuss. Most everyone was only half paying attention, counting down the minutes until the meeting could end and they could go home- Flash was leaning back in his chair, his eyes practically glazed over as Batman talked. Hal sat beside him, absently rolling a pen back and forth while Arthur watched him from across the table. 

Even Superman was running thin- he rubbed his eyes and struggled to keep his attention solely on Batman while Diana inspected the blade of her sword beside him. Victor was busy running diagnostics in his seat, Green Arrow was busy attempting to hide his phone in his lap and text his wife, and Captain Marvel-

Well, Captain Marvel was practically asleep already. He had his head propped up on one arm, his eyelids drooping slowly, only for them to flutter open a few moments later. His vision was distant and he was really struggling to stay awake- so much for the stamina of Atlas. 

Barry nudged Hal and pointed at the Demigod, making the pilot grin and shake his head tiredly. He cleared his throat, getting the dark Knight's attention as he turned back to face the heroes. He glanced around the table, eyes lingering on Marvel as the man's eyes finally fell shut and stayed that way, before looking at the rest of them and sighing. 

"...Fine," he said, shaking his head. "Meeting's over- you're dismissed. We'll pick this up tomorrow- noon, sharp," he said, shutting down the hologram he'd been using to explain things. 

The heroes were more than happy to finally be done with this- many of them got out of their seats and stretched; Hal and Barry walked over to the slumbering demigod, the speedster grinning as he shook the man's shoulder gently. "Hey, Cap? Wakey wakey, the meeting's over," he said gently, huffing a laugh as Hal rolled his eyes and leaned against the meeting room table. 

Cap lifted his head tiredly, his arm dropping as he yawned. His eyes stayed half-lidded as he glanced up at Barry- he could tell the man was half-asleep, he wasn't even sure if Cap knew it was him standing in front of him.

"Yeah, come on, Sparky, you should go take a nap or something," Hal said with a grin.

"Mkay..." the man mumbled tiredly, lifting his arms up and swiveling in his seat. He faced the pair with its raised and eyes practically shut- Barry glanced at Hal confusedly. It looked like the man was silently asking to be picked up- like how little kids do. 

"Uhh...you okay, Cap?" Hal asked, breaking the silence and causing Marvel to glance at him, realize his arms were out, and to suddenly snap them to his sides, shoot out of his chair with wide eyes, and walk past them, cheeks a burning shade of pink.

Flash and Lantern watched him leave, glancing at one another as the demigod left without another word.

The pair glanced towards Superman and Batman, the only two other people in the room by this point, who were staring at them in confusion. Flash looked at Hal again before walking towards the door. "Hey, wait, where are you going, Barry?" Hal asked, following suit.

The speedster walked out of the meeting room and looked around, trying to find any sign of their resident demigod. "I wanna talk to Cap." He caught sight of a stark white cape flourishing around a corner and decided to follow- there weren't too many of their members that had one of those.

"Hey, wait for me, asshat!" Hal called after him as he sped off.

- - -

Captain Marvel yawned, rubbing at his eye and attempting to get his slip-up out of his head. How could he have done that in front of Green Lantern and Flash? That was the epitome of childishness! How could he let something like that slip?!

He sighed, shaking his head at his own thoughts. Blame the exhaustion...and hope the pair would forget about it. I mean, he was the eccentric, immature one, right? Maybe they'd just think that was the reason he did that.

He yawned again, rubbing at his eyes with one hand while he lazily punched in his passcode for his quarters. He could go home after he slept- he really wanted a bed to sleep in that didn't have mysterious stains or moth holes in it.

The metallic door allowed him access to the room, which was decorated way more than it probably should have been for someone that didn't live in the Watchtower, but he ignored the various trinkets and soft surfaces, the glow-in-the-dark stars and fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. The door slid shut and the demigod muttered the Wizard's name, rubbing at his eye as lightning coursed through the metallic roof and struck him.

He was more thankful than ever that Batman had asked him to ward the Watchtower- it had given him a chance to make the satellite so that it would redirect his lightning rather than burst a hole in the side of it. 

Billy Batson took Marvel's place, exhaustion really seeping into his bones now as he made his way sleepily to the large bed covered in fleece blankets. The 10-year-old managed to worm his way under some of them and plop his head down on a pillow before quickly falling asleep in the low light of the room.

Unbeknownst to him, the boy had a pair of visitors standing outside his quarters.

"We saw him go in there, isn't that good enough for you?" Hal asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the speedster. "The guy's obviously tired, Barry- just let him sleep."

The blonde smirked at him, turning hid attention away from the keypad to look back at Hal. "Come on, don't tell me that interaction didn't rub you the wrong way. There's something up with Cap- he could be injured or something," the speedster said dramatically. "Besides- I watched him put in his passcode, I know the numbers."

"That's not the problem here Bar-"

The metallic door slid open quietly, revealing a low-lit room with various beanbags, pillows, and blankets strewn about. There were multiple strings of lights hanging from the ceiling and what looked like a mixture of artifacts, spellbooks, and mission momentos covering the shelves around the dimly lit room.

Hal furrowed his brow. "Well where is he?" he whispered, glancing towards Barry. The speedster shrugged, glancing towards the bed. At the sight of something small moving under the mountain of fuzzy blankets, he grinned and glanced back towards Hal.

"There, by the looks of it. Though uh- those blankets dwarf the guy," he whispered back, finding Hal's eyes narrowed on the bed.

"I don't think that's Cap. Whoever that is- they're way too small to be Cap."

Barry glanced back towards the bed. He got closer, peering over the edge and finding a small head of black hair. He furrowed his brow, coming closer and finding a boy- no older than 10 if he had to guess, sleeping peacefully under the mountain of blankets and pillows. "What the...?" he breathed, staring wide-eyed at the boy.

He was thin- too thin- and had dark bags under his eyes. 

That in itself wasn't anything to worry about too much, but what caught him off guard was the fact that he looked strangely similar to their resident demigod. The gears in his head were turning as the stared at the peacefully slumbering boy.

"I...I think this might be Marvel's son..." he whispered, backing up slowly and keeping his gaze locked on the boy. "Marvel- Marvel has a kid," looking back towards the pilot in a slight panic.

Hal furrowed his bro in confusion. "No way- Cap's way too immature to have a kid, what're you-" the brunet took a few steps forward to stand beside the speedster and paused at the sight of the boy, staring wide-eyed at the kid as he started to shift in bed.

The pair froze as the boy turned over, mumbling something in his sleep as he hugged his pillow.

Hal tugged on the Barry's arm, trying to pull him towards the door. "Come on- I have a feeling we were not supposed to see this kid," he said, only for Barry to plant himself in place as he stared at the slumbering child.

"Does he... is he familiar at all to you...?" he asked, brow furrowed in confusion as he took a step closer to the bed once more.

"Uh, yeah, he looks like Cap, now come on-" 

"Yeah but- there's something else..." 

"Barry, we have to go, man, come on."

"Cap was exhausted in that meeting."

"Barry."

"He fell asleep at that table, and when he got up he bolted out of there- it'd make sense if he just crashed in bed once he got in here."

"Okay well obviously he didn't, though, his son, or whoever this kid is, is there instead."

Barry swallowed thickly. "What if this is Cap?" he asked, glancing back at the pilot. 

Hal gave him a confused and frustrated look, huffing a breath and running a hand through his hair. "What the Hell are you even saying right now? I get that we're all tired, but don't start talking crazy on me, man."

"I'm serious, Hal."

By that point the pilot had given up on getting him out of the room and huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Right, and why do you think this kid is Cap exactly? Last I checked the guy was a mountain of muscle and magic."

"Exactly- maybe this is some kind of, like, magical power-saving form that he turns into when he's exhausted or something," Barry replied, turning his attention away from the small raven to look Hal in the eyes. 

"I mean, come on, if he was in that bathroom over there he would have come out by now. This- this has to be Cap. He looks just like him- or, well, how I assume Cap looked as a kid."

"This is insane. You realize how insane this sounds, right?" Hal asked, glancing back towards the boy.

Barry glanced back towards the raven. He watched as the boy turned over, nuzzling his cheek into the plush material of his pillow before his face scrunched up slightly. Barry furrowed a brow at the sight, glancing towards Hal to find him mimicking the speedster's expression.

They watched as the boy's grip on his pillow tightened, his expression twisting as he slept. "I- I think he's having a nightmare," Barry said softly, concern in his eyes as he watched the boy's breath quicken.

"What are you gonna do, wake him up and freak him out? If that's really Cap, I'm pretty sure we were not supposed to see this. If it's not, you're just gonna end up scaring that poor kid half to death," Hal said, grabbing onto the speedster's arm and tugging him towards the door. "Come on."

The blonde's eyes were glued to the small form in the bed, though, watching as his expression quickly changed from discomfort to pain. He swallowed thickly, pulling his arm from Hal's grip and moving to the side of the bed. 

The boy whimpered, and Barry could see tears forming in the corners of his clenched eyes. His knuckles were white as he gripped the pillow, small noises of fear escaping him as the nightmare wracked his mind.

"I can't just let him suffer through this, Hal."

Barry leaned over and shook the boy gently, clambering up onto the edge of the bed as the small raven's eyes snapped open with a small scream. The tears that had been beading in the corners of his eyes trailed down his cheeks as he gasped for breath, gripping blindly at the blankets covering him before Barry was able to scoop him up into a tight hug and hold him there.

The boy's rapid breathing seemed to slow with his head suddenly pressed against the speedster's chest, his heartbeat helping to calm the boy down as he collected his thoughts and came out of his panic-induced haze. He really hoped this wasn't Captain Marvel... he didn't know what he was gonna do with the information that his friend and teammate could experience a nightmare this bad.

After a moment the boy tensed against him, pulling back and looking up at the blonde. His eyes widened as he clambered frantically out of his arms, Barry allowing him to pull away. 

"...Are you okay?" he asked slowly, his voice low as he tried to keep the boy calm. 

The boy simply stared at him, a mixture of confusion and betrayal on his face as his gaze flicked from Barry to Hal. He swallowed thickly, one hand curling tightly into the fabric of the sheets. The boy dropped his gaze, an aura of defeat overtaking him as his shoulders slumped suddenly.

Barry furrowed his brow in confusion- what was this kis expecting was about to happen?

"...C-Captain?" Hal asked, his voice low as he took a step forward.

The boy lifted his head, meeting the pilot's gaze as if he were a man looking into the eyes of his executioner. "...Yeah..." the boy muttered before dropping his head once more. He folded his small legs inward, sitting cross-legged on the bed and setting his hands in his lap.

"So what now...?" he asked after a moment, bringing a hand up to rub away the salty trails his tears had left in their wake. 

Barry furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

The boy leveled a look at him- an unimpressed one- before dropping his gaze to his lap. "You've seen me like this now... you're gonna tell the others, and-"

"Wait, who said we were telling anyone about this?" Hal asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

The raven lifted his head, confusion etched into his features as he stared at Hal. His gaze flicked to Barry, who simply raised an eyebrow. "Look, Cap- we uh, we don't exactly know how all this magic stuff works...if this is some kind of battery-saving mode for you that you don't want people knowing about, then we won't tell anyone."

The boy blinked.

"Though the thought of me giving Captain Marvel of all people a piggyback ride through the mess hall makes me laugh internally," the blonde continued with a smirk.

They must have been missing something, cause the kid looked like he'd been asked to explain how Santa works to someone who had never even heard of the guy. "You..." he blinked, some of the tension leaving his shoulders as he came to some sort of conclusion. 

A giggle left the boy's mouth, unwittingly causing the men's hearts to melt at the sound- despite the fact that they knew this kid was in actuality a demigod that could kill them with ease. A small smile spread across Barry's face as he slid off the edge of the bed and stood.

"Uh...sorry for invading your privacy, Cap..." he said after a moment, only for the boy to smile gently. 

"It's alright- I'm used to not having any privacy," he said, giving the pair the smallest glimpse into the demigod's life outside of heroing. 

"Heh- I bet your family thinks this is wild," the blonde continued, despite the jab to his ribs he received from Hal. The Captain's smile faltered slightly, his head tipping downward to look at the sheets. He smoothed them out with one hand slowly, his eyes clouded with thoughts.... he must have struck a nerve with that comment.

"Yeah..." the boy breathed, his smile vanishing. "They probably would."

He glanced up to meet their eyes, only for the pair to see the unbearable weight of loss shining in those cornflower blue eyes of his. He gave them a small smile as if to say 'what can you do?' before rolling his shoulder.

"They're not really around anymore, though."

Hal smacked Barry upside the head, causing the speedster to flinch and rub at the back of his head. "I- I 'm sorry, Cap, I didn't-"

"It's fine, Barry. It happened a long time ago...you gotta move on eventually, right?" the boy said, some of that cheerful, wise persona they'd come to expect from the demigod leaking through.

It felt odd to hear that come out of the mouth of a 10-year-old, but this was Captain Marvel, he wasn't just some random kid, despite what he looked like right then and there. Barry sighed, nodding slowly. "Still...everyone deserves a chance to grieve... to have people that they trust at their side and tell them that it's gonna be okay."

"We all need a rock to lean on sometimes, right?"

"We'll uh, we'll let you get back to sleep," Hal said, clapping Barry on the shoulder as he turned on his heel to head towards the door. The boy nodded, shifting to move his legs out from under him as he watched them head for the exit.

"Um-" he cleared his throat, causing the pair to pause in front of the door.

"Thanks, Barry...for uh... for comforting me, and all that..." he mumbled, averting his eyes and causing the blonde to smile. "Nightmares aren't...fun."

"Glad to be of some help, Cap."

"...Night," the boy said, giving the pair a small wave as Hal opened the door. Barry gave him a big grin in return before shooting him some finger guns. 

"Night, mini-Cap." 

The door closed behind them and Billy let out a small breath before flopping back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. He found himself snuggling back up under the covers again, hugging one of the spare pillows on the bed as he thought about what Barry had said.

He glanced at the Justice League plush toys sitting on one of the shelves in the room- a joke-gift from Cyborg when he'd first joined. Billy found himself climbing out of bed and standing on his tippy toes in order to grab one in particular and scurry back under the sheets, the bright red plush toy hugged tightly against his chest.

He let out a shaky breath, squeezing the soft plush as he pulled the blanket over his shoulder, snuggled into his pillow, and allowed himself to fall back into the realm of Hypnos. 

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

When dealing with magic, rule number one was to always expect the unexpected.

This was something that had been hammered into Billy's head while the old Wizard had taught him how to control his gifts. Magic was a force to be harnessed, it couldn't be controlled any ol' yahoo with a stick. It was an element, wild and untamable if you didn't take the time to properly learn its tendencies and how to command it. 

Maybe that was why he was so tense while facing off against this mop-haired teenager hopped up on the wild magic amulet hanging from his neck. He, Zatanna, and Constantine had been fighting this guy for nearly an hour at this point and none of them had been able to land a hit on him yet. 

"This kid's really starting to get on my nerves," Zatanna said as she threw up a shimmering barrier to block an onslaught of bright green energy heading her way. 

"For the love of-" Constantine bit back, rolling out of the way of another blast before reaching into his trenchcoat and chucking an assortment of rune-covered balls at the teenager. "You mind comin' down here with the rest of us common folk', Sparky?" he called out, glancing up towards where Captain Marvel floated in the air in th moonlight.

"I'm working on it, John!" Marvel shot back, launching his mystical lightning in the direction of the teenager, only for the boy to throw up a glowing wall to counter it. The demigod growled in frustration, narrowing his eyes at the brunet.

"We gotta get that thing away from him!" he shouted, diving out of the air and maneuvering around a blast of energy that sizzled the corners of his cape. 

"Gee, you think?!" Zatanna shot back, pulling her hat off her head and tapping her wand on the brim. "Kcatta citsym tibbar!" he chanted before an oversized sabertoothed-rabbit leaped out of the hat. She scrambled back, grabbing hold of Constantine's coattails and pulling him along with her. 

"That should keep him busy for a moment-" she said, glancing towards the Hellblazer as she put her tophat back on.

Captain Marvel touched down alongside them, eyes still locked on the teenager as he struggled to fight back against the monstrous rabbit. "What do we do after he inevitably beats the fluffy bunny back?" he asked, glancing towards the other two in concern.

"Marvel, this situation might call for a bit of divine lightning," Constantine said, giving the demigod a pointed look as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

"What? No, that could kill him- he's just a kid, John."

The Hellblazer leveled him with a knowing, unimpressed stare- Captain Marvel sighed.

Zatanna shook her head. "I'm with Marvel on this one- the kid just needs to be powered down. Cap can use his lightning as a last resort, but for now, let's focus on-" 

There was a deafening roar, causing the trio to glance towards the teenager, only to find him holding a much smaller animal in his arms than he'd previously been struggling to battle against. Zatanna's eyes widened and Constantine reached into his coat once more as the brunet turned his glowing eyes towards them.

"You sent an innocent animal in to fight your battles for you?!" the boy growled, fury in his voice as he clenched his jaw and held the rabbit closer to his chest. "Some heroes you are!" he shouted.

"Alright, playtime's over, kid," Constantine growled back, fanning out a trio of cards before setting them ablaze. The blonde threw them into the air, hands swirling above him as the fire coalesced into a raging ball above him. "Have a taste, why don't you!" he shouted as he launched the ball of fire and runes towards the teenager.

Captain Marvel's eyes widened, panic overtaking his senses as he shot forward, Mercury behind him as he burst through the glimmering magical barrier surrounding the teenager as he lifted a hand upward and shouted a spell.

Marvel felt hellfire blast against his back suddenly as he guarded the boy against the flames, wincing in pain and shutting his eyes tightly. As the warmth faded, the demigod felt himself swaying on his feet. The teenager was staring up at him with wide eyes, confusion in his eyes as he stared up at the raven.

The amulet around his neck glowed, causing the rabbit in his arms to scramble and leap from his arms, bounding off the gem in its wake before taking off into the night. Marvel glanced down, only to find a wave of mystical energy shoot through him, bursting outward from the teenager and blowing the demigod back. 

Marvel landed on his back with a grunt, sliding against the pavement with a wince as the sky swirled above him. Why was everything spinning? He hated the spinning.

He needed to get up. Where were John and Zatanna? Where was that kid? Gods, his head was killing him...

He sat up slowly, wincing and bringing a hand to his head as he glanced around. The area was dark- and the kid was gone. He furrowed his brow in confusion, blinking hard in an attempt to track any aura that might have been left behind. 

He felt something sniffing at his hand and glanced down to find a rabbit of all things beside him- he blinked down at it in confusion.

Hadn't Zatanna's bunny run off?

The demigod furrowed his brow at the animal, reaching out a hand to pet the little guy (or was it a girl?) on the head.

When Captain Marvel glanced around, he found himself alone- where had Zatanna and John gone, anyway? They wouldn't just leave him there, so what happened to them?

Captain Marvel clambered to his feet, only to hear a sudden meow coming from the pavement below. The raven glanced down to find a pale yellow cat looking up at him, an unimpressed look in its eyes...was it judging him?

"Uh- nice kitty- you can't have this bunny for a late-night snack, sorry..." he said, side-eyeing the feline and stepping between the animals and picking the rabbit up before continuing to look around. He sighed, bringing his spare hand to the comm in his ear. "Uh- Captain Marvel to Watchtower, come in Watchtower," he said, waiting for whoever was on monitor duty to respond. 

When no one did, he furrowed his brow- and the cat at his feet meowed at him.

"Hello? Watchtower, come in. I need a boom tube to my location- is anyone there?" he asked, dropping his hand when still no one responded. "That's- that's not good..." he muttered, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. 

"That's alright, I need to practice my portalling anyways, I suppose..." he mumbled to himself, getting another meow from the fair-furred cat beside him. "What? I don't have any food, kitty," he said, throwing out a hand and letting out a breath as he attempted to calm his frazzled mind. 

He was already fighting back a headache thanks to John's fire and that magical blast, he really didn't need this little cat and rabbit duo bugging him too- he still had to find John and Zatanna anyways. With a shake of his head, Captain Marvel opened a portal and stepped through it into the Watchtower's main hall. The portal quickly closed behind him, though not quick enough that the cat wasn't able to follow him through.

"Agh- no, kitty, I don't think pets are allowed up here-" Captain Marvel started to say, only to hear a cacophony of barking coming from down the hall. He furrowed his brow and took off towards the sound, rounding the corner to find a pristine white dog and a pitch-black dog barking at one another. Between them sat-

...was that a griffin?

Captain Marvel blinked, swallowing thickly as he stared at the odd trio and his grip on the rabbit in his arms tightened ever so slightly. The griffin perked up at the sight of him, letting out a squawk and causing the dogs to pause. The pair glanced towards him, focusing their eyes on him in a way that somehow made the demigod feel studied. 

"Uhh..." He said eloquently, taking a step back from the animals and glancing around. Okay, so maybe pets were allowed up here- the white one must have been that legendary Superdog he'd heard rumors about...and that black one could be Bat-Hound...but that didn't explain the griffin. 

"Uh- nice doggies? Good boys? I- uh, have you guys seen your owners anywhere?" he asked nervously, glancing around the area and taking a step closer. Maybe the griffin belonged to Hawkman or Wonder Woman? That- that could make some semblance of sense.

He side-stepped the animals and attempted to continue on down the hall, only for one of the dogs to bark at him. He glanced back and blinked at the sight of the overconfident cat that had followed him here sauntering between the dogs like he couldn't be bothered to acknowledge their presence. 

"Whoa, little guy careful!" He said, reaching out to scoop up the feline, only to get hissed at for his efforts. "Oh okay! Okay, I get it- tough alley cat doesn't need any help-" he said, gaze flicking between the dogs that looked more annoyed with the cat than ready to tear it apart. "Um- O-okay," Marvel said, turning to continue his trek through the hall.

He recognized the sound of paws behind him and glanced back as he walked to find all four animals following him, the black dog at the front eyeing him closely- yeah, that dog definitely belonged to Batman. 

Captain Marvel came into the mess hall to find even more animals and had he missed some kind of 'Bring Your Pet to Work' day or something? There was a hawk standing on a table and a cheetah pacing the floor that put the demigod on edge- who owned a cheetah anyways!?

He swallowed thickly, setting the rabbit in his arms down and looking around the room. He was surprised there was no one here and that these animals were left on their own. The hawk on the table took to the air and circled him, the cheetah trotting over curiously and causing Marvel to tense ever so slightly. 

"Alright...maybe I should have brought Hoppy to work this morning..." he said, eyeing the big cat and blinking when it took a seat on the floor in front of him. "Right, uh-" he glanced around the room, hoping to spot a hero he may have missed. He winced at a sudden pain that rippled through his head, making the room spin and causing him to reach out and grab the edge of the table for support. 

"Ngh- not good," he muttered shakily, unaware of the concerned looks the animals were currently giving him. "Gods, I gotta find someone..." he breathed, breathing heavily as the pain began to recede- the room was still off-kilter though. "They couldn't have just- just vanished into thin air. There wasn't any kind of distress signal that went out," he said more to himself than anyone else- a habit he'd had for a while now. 

"Gods, that hurt..." he breathed, dropping his hand and glancing towards the animals- which were seated in a circle and looked to be having a meeting. He blinked at them and couldn't help but coo, tilting his head at the sight of their little circle. "That's adorable- wish I had a phone, cause I'd send that to everybody," he said with a lopsided smile. 

Seeing the much larger predatory animals alongside simple dogs and cats made him sure of the fact that these were heroes' pets and caused some of the panic he'd been feeling to vanish- at least they wouldn't eat each other. That meant he could put his full attention on finding just where the League was hiding. 

The demigod turned away from the group and headed out of the mess hall, intent on finding someone in the satellite. Checking the security cameras might yield something useful, he thought as he walked down the hall, only to be hit with another dizzy spell that had him stumbling forward and wincing as pain shot through his skull and down his spine.

He leaned heavily against the wall, bracing himself against the cold metal and breathing as if he'd just run a marathon. 

His system must have been overloaded by that magical blast...he'd have to change back to Billy in order to get rid of this pain, but it wasn't like he could very well transform in the middle of the hallway. There may not have been any Leaguers around right now, but there was still security footage of the place.

The sound of nails clicking against the floor had the demigod turning his head tiredly towards it, looking back to find some of the animals from before- Superdog, Bat-Hound, and that little blonde alley cat- staring at him. He turned his attention back towards where he'd been intending to go, sweat beading his brow as he pushed off the wall and stood shakily on his feet.

"Gods..." he breathed, pushing through the pain and exhaustion to head slowly towards the monitor room. he felt something touch his leg and glanced down to find Superdog there, looking up at him and attempting to keep him straight, if the head pressed up against his palm was anything to go by.

"Heh...thanks boy," Marvel replied as they came to the door to the monitor room, the demigod putting his hand to the scanner and waiting. The metallic doors slid open and he made his way inside, looking around for anyone. he was pretty sure either Green Lantern or Green Arrow was supposed to be on monitor duty, but there wasn't anyone there.

The raven paused at the sight of a slumbering brown cat in one of the chairs, glancing back at the dogs before taking a seat in the vacant one. "Okay...security footage, security footage..." he said, tapping away into the console and sending a bit of electricity through the computer in order to force it to give him the information he wanted. He furrowed his brow at the sight of a black screen- this wasn't right.

"What...?" he asked, glancing back at the dogs in confusion before looking back up at the screen. "The footage's corrupted," he said, bringing a hand up to scratch at his head. "Maybe if I go back a bit there'll be something there..." he said, scrolling the black footage back anxiously.

Captain Marvel blinked at the sight of the footage going from black to a warbled, fuzzy picture and paused it there, narrowing his eyes at the image of Green Lantern sitting in the spot the cat was at now, looking bored out of his mind.

The screen warbled, edges of the pictured fuzzing in and out before there was a sudden flash of light and the footage cut to black. "What!?" Marvel said, yes wide as he stood and managed to spook the cat beside him and wake him (her?) up. 

"That- that- they could be- oh Gods, no wonder there was no distress signal-" he said in a panic, taking a shaky step back from the screen and wincing in pain as the pulsating ache in his head came back with full force. He stumbled, ending up laying on the floor and staring at the spinning ceiling, wishing he could just go to sleep and not have to deal with any of this.

He felt a small weight on his chest and glanced down tiredly to see the blonde alley cat standing on top of him, staring into his eyes intently. The cat meowed and Marvel winced- h really needed to change back soon. His systems were fried and this pain was only going to get worse the longer he put it off.

"Go away, kitty..." he mumbled, laying his head back against the floor. Sure, if he really tried, really focused his mind on the cat he could p[ick up a few basic words in its language- he was omnilingual after all- but his mind was too scattered and too full of pain to focus on any semblance of words this cat might be trying to communicate to him.

"N-not right now, cat...I can't- ngh, I can't focus," he said, only to get an unimpressed meow in return. "I- I gotta change back..." he breathed, shutting his eyes as he laid against the floor.

The cat placed a paw on his cheek and he opened his eyes to look up at it, only to find it staring intently at him again. Marvel sighed, shutting his eyes against the image because there were currently three blonde cats staring at him, and that wasn't really something he needed right now. 

"Okay- okay, get offa' me... I don't wanna hurt you kitty," he said, sitting up slowly as the cat leaped off of him and meowed. He let out a shaky breath, glancing up towards the cameras in the corners of the room. The security cameras were off- he'd be off the hook for that much but...what if he found a Leaguer while he was Billy Batson?

A shot of pain rippled through his mind and he didn't waste any more time thinking about it. He could just change right back after he'd 'reset' his body. No big deal. Nobody had to know.

Marvel clambered up with a shaky breath, giving the animals an exhausted grin before taking a couple of steps back from them. Superdog looked like he was about to follow, only to have the blonde cat meow at him and cause him to pause. "Don't tell your owners, alright? This secret stays between- ngh- between us," he said, wincing and bringing a hand to his head.

"Shazam," he muttered, glancing upward to see the mystical lightning arcing downward and light filling his vision. When it faded, he was on the floor again, but the pain and dizziness were gone. He let out a breath in relief, sitting up and dusting some of the ash from his shoulders. He glanced towards the animals, which were recovering from the burst of light and now staring openly at him. 

He gave them a lopsided, toothy grin, tilting his head and glancing around the room. He glanced down when the blonde cat came padding back up to him, sitting down and placing a paw on the boy's leg. Billy furrowed his brow in confusion when it meowed- he couldn't exactly understand it like this. 

"Alright," he said aloud, clambering up from the floor and picking the blonde cat up in his arms in the process. Despite its yowl of protest, it didn't attempt to scramble out of his arms, so he considered it a win. "If I were a flash of unexplained light, where would I take the Justice League?" Billy asked, narrowing his eye at his surroundings. 

While yes, he knew he should probably change back before anyone knew he was here, it kind of gave him a rush to be in the Watchtower as Billy Batson. He'd never gotten this chance before, and he likely wouldn't ever again- it was like playing hide and seek, running from the tagger and hoping they don't see you switching spots at the last second. 

"Come on pups," he said, patting his worn-out jeans and picking the opposite door of the room to go through.

"Let's go find us some heroes, hm?" 

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Family was something that tied the League together- whether that be a concept they thought of one another or something they simply liked to talk about, it was easy to find the heroes conversing about a cousin's wedding or the report card of a nephew.

After all, no one was in this hero game alone; everyone had someone backing them up, even if they weren't biologically related, right?

Superman leaned back in his chair as Flash rambled on about Wally's recent science fair win, going on about how proud of the boy he was and how someday, he'd make a great scientist. Batman sat beside him, half-listening as he worked on his tablet quietly. 

Wonder Woman ran a soft cloth over the hilt of her sword, grinning as she added a comment about her own niece finally slaying a manticore as a part of her warrior training, getting a confused look from Green Lantern in return. 

"You guys, I swear- here I am, with a normal family while you bozos got freaky super-genius sons and alien princess nieces," he said with a grin, crossing his arms over his chest and giving the Man of Steel when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't even, Supes. Your earth folks may be as normal and country bumpkin as they come, but your biological parents-"

Batman gave the man an unimpressed look, causing him to drop the subject. There was a beat of silence before Batman spoke, eyes going back to his tablet. "Nightwing's getting married soon," he said, causing the heroes to look wide-eyed at him.

"There is no way that kid's finally settling down, Bats," Flash said with a grin, getting a raised eyebrow from the Dark Knight in return. "How long have he and Starfire been dating by this point, anyways?"

"Three years, I believe."

"That's less time than Lois and I were dating before I proposed to her," Superman added, glancing around the table. "We dated for about 4 and a half years before I managed to get the courage to ask her to marry me," he said with a grin, sitting up in his chair.

"Iris and I got married after a year and a half of dating," Flash said with a smirk- was this turning into a competition?

"Why does that not surprise me?" Green Arrow asked with a smirk, his boots resting against the surface of the table. "Dinah proposed to me after a year, I think? might've been longer, not sure. We've been together a long time..." he trailed off, fiddling with the tip of the arrow in his hand. 

"What about you, Captain?" Superman asked, turning his attention towards the raven who had yet to speak a word the entire time they'd been talking. "Got anything new going on in your family life? Any significant others?" 

Superman wasn't sure why he asked- Captain Marvel never shared any details about his personal life. They had no idea if he had any siblings or someone he liked- if he had kids or cousins or nephews or nieces. They knew next to nothing about his familial life.

Which is to say that they knew nothing.

The demigod sat up, eyes widening in confusion as he glanced around the table. "I- uh- what?" he asked. He must have tuned them all out.

"You family, hotshot- you got one?" Green Arrow asked with a smirk, nudging the man with his elbow playfully. "You got a girl back in Fawcett?" 

"I- I-" the man flushed, his cheeks turning red as he averted his gaze from the archer. "N-no-" he stammered back nervously. 

"Well, what about siblings? Any more electric demigods we need to worry about popping up?" Lantern asked with a chuckle, getting a shake of the head from Marvel. The man dropped his gaze to the surface of the table, running his fingers over it as his eyes turned sad.

"Diana, you're Zeus's kid, right? Does that mean Hercules is your half brother or something?" Arrow asked, turning the attention away from one demigod and onto the other. Superman kept his attention on Marvel, however, watching as some of the tension left his shoulders now that the spotlight was no longer on him, but that sadness never left his eyes. 

"Heracles is indeed my half-brother- and as pig-headed as they come," Wonder Woman replied with a roll of her eyes as she sheathed her sword. "Now- I have work to finish, but you boys feel free to continue your meeting without me," she said, standing up and leaving the room.

"Nah, I got some work I gotta finish at the station too," Flash said, leaning back in his chair before sitting up. "GL, you wanna go grab a beer tonight?" he asked as Lantern stood up alongside him.

"Sure- as long as we stick to Central. I'm not going to New York again just cause you get a hankering for a specific burger, Barry," the brunet replied with a grin as they left the room as well.

"Suppose that's my cue- I should probably check up on the office anyways. Bats, you wanna talk business? I hear your R&D department's been cooking up something having to do with arrows..." the blonde said as he stood, Batman rolling his eyes behind the cowl and standing as well., still looking down at the tablet in his hand. 

"Just because the project is called 'The Arrow' doesn't mean it has anything to do with Arrows, Queen," Batman said with a shake of his head, though the blonde still continued to follow him, whining as he went.

Superman and Captain Marvel were left alone in the room, the demigod standing quickly and glancing towards the Kryptonian nervously. "I- uh- I sh-should-"

"Captain, is everything alright back home?" Superman asked, not having moved from his spot at the table. Marvel swallowed thickly, gaze flicking towards the door before he looked back down at the Man of Steel. Clark was hoping he wouldn't just bolt- he could tell something was bothering the man, and it would kill him if he couldn't do anything to at least try and help out. 

"I'm- it's fine, Superman, nothing to worry about here," Marvel replied, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck as he glanced towards the other raven once more. "I just- I'm not used to people talking about their home lives so much I guess," he said, and Clark wondered just what the man was really thinking.

Lying didn't suit the demigod- and he wasn't good at it, at all, so it was a wonder that he even tried.

"Captain..."

The man blinked at him, chewing on his bottom lip in thought as he dropped his gaze to the floor. 

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I- O-of course, Superman..."

"What's bothering you?"

"It's nothing...nothing important," Captain Marvel replied- and there was that sadness again. It was overwhelming those baby blues of his, an unspoken weight the man carried that he refused to let someone take off his shoulders.

This must have had something to do with their whole family discussion- the man always clammed up like this when they got onto the topic. Clark lowered his own gaze to the table, folding his hands before looking back up at the man. He had taken a seat, but still wasn't looking at him, as if he were a child waiting to be scolded.

"Captain, have I ever told you about my real parents?" he asked slowly, causing the man to meet his eyes. He shook his head slowly, causing the Kryptonian to smile. "Take a seat."

Clark drew in a breath, letting it out as he rubbed one thumb over the other. "My parents- the ones from Krypton- they died before I was even a year old. I never knew them, I only ever saw glimpses of them through the things they left behind and the surface level scans in the Fortress of Solitude."

Marvel was watching him, scanning his eyes curiously. "I was adopted by my ma and pa..." he chuckled. "And I suppose by the League as well. This team's become a sort of second family for me- for all of us, if I had to wager a guess."

The Captain dropped his gaze again.

"What I'm trying to say is that we're here for you, Captain. We care about you- and we don't want to bring you any harm."

"I know..."

"I know it's hard to share that part of yourself with others- to let them into that part of yourself that makes you fragile...the part that makes you human. But you don't have to tell the others if you don't want to. Just- just talk to me. I want to make sure you're alright."

"I can handle myself, Superman," Captain Marvel replied, stating a fact that both of them knew. Superman nodded his head in agreement.

"Physically, I have no doubt- but Captain, I can see the sadness in your eyes... I'm very familiar with that look you know."

The demigod swallowed thickly, the hands previously folded on the table tightly in front of him moving to sit in his lap. "I..."

"Talk to me, Captain. Maybe I can help."

The man huffed a laugh, one that held sarcasm and doubt in the air as Marvel met his eyes once more. "You can't, Superman," he replied, a watery smile on his face. He let out a breath and Clark could've sworn he saw moisture gather in the corners of the man's eyes. 

"My..." Marvel let out another shaky breath. "My parents were the only family I had that's worth talking about," he said, and Clark paused. Marvel was staring down at the table, his big blue eyes still gathering moisture as he spoke. 

"They died when I was four... a- a tomb collapsed on them and their research team," he said, glancing up to stare Superman in the eyes. "...I haven't had a real family since."

"You don't have...any adoptive parents?" Superman asked slowly.

Captain Marvel shook his head. 

"No siblings?"

Another shake of the head. Marvel brought a hand up to wipe away the tears coalescing in his eyes. "I- I lived with my uncle for a while, when I was younger..." the slight, almost non-existent tremble in the man's voice told him that the experience must have been a very bad one. "...It didn't last."

Superman dropped his gaze, shutting his eyes for a moment to think as he leaned back in his chair. No wonder he always looked so uncomfortable when they started speaking about their families...

...Captain Marvel was completely alone.

Well, not for long he wasn't.

"Captain..." Clark started, unsure if he was crossing some kind of line with this. Screw it, his teammate- no, his friend was hurting, it was the least he could do. "Why don't you drop by my parents' place sometime? Ma loves visitors and she makes the best pie in all of Kansas," he said with a grin, pushing past the doubt in his mind and keeping his blue eyes locked with Marvel's.

The man blinked- That must not have been what he'd been expecting Superman to say. He brought a hand up to rub the back of his beck, a habit Clark knew the man had held for the longest time, and swallowed thickly. "I'd hate to be a bother- besides, that's- that your personal life, I know everyone likes to keep these two worlds separate..." he trailed off, glancing to the side. 

It caused Clark to wonder just how much of a life outside the superhero business Marvel had. Concern bloomed in his features before he covered it with a grin. "Come on, Cap, don't deny my ma a reason to bake. Batman's been to the farm and so has Wonder Woman- these two worlds of ours are more entwined than any of us would like to admit."

Captain Marvel sighed, looking back at Clark's eye with a small grin. He got him. 

The Kryptonian's smile widened as he thrust out a hand and stood up. "Tomorrow, 7 pm? That work for you?" he asked, tilting his head as Marvel shifted his gaze to look at Superman's palm. 

The demigod chuckled, some of that light Clark was to used to seeing returning to his face. It made him smile even wider, glad to bring his friend out of the darkness he'd been wallowing in, even if only for a short time. 

"It's a date."

"Fantastic- I hope you like blueberries."

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Spring in Fawcett city means seeing the daffodils in the park shake away the frosty air of winter and bloom in the sunlight. It means bluebirds chirping from their nests, welcoming their little ones into the world. It means children filling the playgrounds with laughter and screams as the snow on the ground melts away.

More importantly for Billy Batson, it means he has a much easier time finding meals as markets open back up. He doesn't have to worry as much about staying warm during frozen nights and he's able to enjoy the sunlight on his skin without the threat of frostbite nipping at his fingers.

The 10-year-old loved spring; it was when everything came to life and bloomed before his very eyes. The flowers reminded him of his mother, and the warm sunlight of his father. He loved the changing colors, watching as the trees slowly regained their leaves and sprouted soft blooms.

Billy had been meandering through Fawcett Park during one of these lovely days when the sudden sound of barking caught his ear. It caused him to stop in his tracks, furrowing his brow in confusion and looking around for the source.

It looked like he was mostly alone in the park, save for an elderly couple sitting on a bench nearby and a gaggle of children on the other side of the playground... maybe it was a stray? Fawcett wasn't really the place you saw stray dogs very often, so the fact that there could be one wandering around got the boy excited.

Billy was sort of a stray himself- he'd always felt a kind of kinship with the poor animals. 

The raven looked around, crouching down to try and peer through the bushes at his side. When he didn't see anything, he stood up, looking around for the dog. He hadn't imagined it, had he?

Another bark told him no, that dog was definitely real- but where was it?

It sounded like it should be right in front of him. Billy found himself looking up slightly and discovered his answer in a happy white labrador tangled up in the branches of one of the trees that lined the path. 

The animal barked again, tail wagging obliviously as it stared down at Billy. 

The boy blinked before snorting. "What are you doing up there, boy? How'd you even get up there?" he asked with a laugh, looking around for anyone that could possibly be the dog's owner. It didn't have a collar on, but not everyone put collars on their dogs- especially if it never left the yard. Had this guy escaped while chasing a squirrel and somehow wound up here?

The thought had him giggling to himself. 

"Hold on, big guy, I'll get you down," he said, glancing around to see if anyone was around. 

The boy clambered over the bushes and hunched down, pressing his back up against the low brick wall that lined the perimeter of the park before whispering the Wizard's name. A singular, magical bolt broke through the heavens, crashing downward and striking him for a split second before leaving Captain Marvel hunched down in Billy's place.

The superhero stood, brushing the leaves from his shoulders and floating up to the dog with a grin- he held out a hand for the pooch to sniff. "It's alright," he said when the dog continued to wag its tail. "Let's get you down from there, okay?" He reached out to pluck the animal from the branches, easily holding onto it once it was free.

Captain Marvel descended to the ground, allowing the canine to leap from his arms with a chuckle. "Well, what now? You got a home you can go to boy?" he asked, tilting his head.

The white dog tilted his head in turn and whined. Unfortunately, Cap's omnilingualism didn't exactly extend to animals. "I'm gonna take that as a...no?" he asked, setting his hands on his hips and glancing around the area. "Well, you're welcome to come home with me if you want, buddy. Stray to stray," he said with a grin, to which the dog replied with a happy bark and a wag of his tail.

"That sounds like a yes to me- c'mon," he said, crouching down and holding his arms out. "It'll be faster if we fly."

The dog crouched down, wiggling his rear in preparation to jump, before bounding towards Marvel happily. Instead of leaping into his arms as he'd expected, however, the white dog took a hard left and kept jumping-- off the air itself.

Captain Marvel blinked, eyes wide as he watched the dog float in the air before him, still wiggling happily and watching him.

"I- you-" the demigod scratched at his head at the sight- if this pup was a stray, where in Hades did he learn to do that? 

Marvel shook off the shock and smiled. This would work. He'd seen plenty of stranger things in Fawcett, so he might as well just go with it. "I...I guess you have your own method of transportation," he said with a chuckle, glancing back at the tree the dog had been tangled up in. "Explains your predicament, for sure," he said, floating up into the air himself.

"Well, c'mon boy, let's go to my place. I think I got some canned chili left with your name on it," he said with a grin before turning and taking the lead. A glance over his shoulder told him the dog was following happily, bounding through the sky with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. 

Cap really hoped this guy was just some kind of naturally super-powered dog and not a genetic experiment. That'd mean he'd have to hunt down some kind of evil scientist and he really didn't wanna do that. If this really was a dog with a meta gene, then he could end up with a superpowered sidekick of his own!

"You got a name, boy?" he asked as the dog caught up to him and flew at his side. The dog barked at him, but again, it wasn't like he could understand.

"Want me to guess?" Cap mused, tilting his head as they maneuvered upward and vanished into the clouds above. "What about... Hercules?" he asked, to which the dog snorted.

"Okay... Sparky?"

Another snort.

"Uhhh.... Snowball?" 

That one got him what felt like an annoyed bark, so the demigod could assume that was the opposite of what his name was.

"Well, I gotta call you something... and until we find your owner- if you even have one- what if I come up with a name to call you?" he asked as he maneuvered downward, the canine hot on his heels. "What about..." a hard left and the dog followed, the demigod leading the pooch toward the abandoned train station. 

"Presto?" he asked, turning over in the air and glancing back at the flying dog as he floated on his back.

He got a happy yap at his side for his troubles, the dog having maneuvered around him while he was thinking and flying at his side once more. "Alright, Presto it is then," he replied with a grin as they descended into the abandoned train lot. 

Marvel's golden boots touched down just before bright white paws did, and he started moving immediately toward the large brick building ahead. "Don't trip over the tracks, Presto, some of them are in pretty bad shape," Marvel said, muttering the Wizard's name offhandedly and continuing to walk even as lightning crashed down from the sky.

Billy walked just as briskly out of the cloud of smoke that billowed outward, glancing back at the dog still trotting happily beside him. The boy lifted a tattered cloth that was hanging over the entrance to the building for the dog. He followed quickly behind, stretching his arms out in a grand sweeping gesture at the decaying station that surrounded them. "Welcome to my humble home, I guess," the boy said with a lopsided grin, turning in a circle before heading up the old stairs that lead to an office.

"This way." 

Presto followed dutifully behind, padding up the steps with a wag and following the raven into the office. Inside there was what could only really be described as a nest of pillows, blankets, and other soft materials piled up in the corner on top of a blow-up lifeboat, half-deflated under the weight of the plush.

"This is where I sleep," Billy said, taking a running start and leaping onto the soft pile, causing the rubber raft to jostle and the boy to giggle. "You can sleep beside me if you want- I don't mind the company," he said, patting the space beside him before sitting up and watching the hound when it didn't immediately join him.

Presto was busy sniffing around, his nose to the floorboards as he wandered around the room. "Whatcha lookin' for, boy?" Billy asked, tilting his head in question.

"Oh, right, I promised you some food, huh?" he clambered up from the makeshift bed and walked over to the desk in the corner of the room, swiping the tin can off the top and pulling back the previously opened metal lid. "It's cold- hope that's okay. I don't really got anything to heat it up with," he said, looking around the room for something to put the liquid inside for the animal.

He wasn't aware of the dog watching him patiently, sitting on his haunches and wagging his tail as Billy rummaged through the things he'd collected and stashed there. 

"Oh, here we go!" Billy said happily, pulling a frisbee out from...somewhere.... and flipping it over. He set it on the floor and poured the can's contents inside before clumsily tossing the empty container into a trash bag hanging from a hook on the wall.

Presto stood up and trotted over to the overturned frisbee, chomping down at the mushy contents as Billy watched him. "Maybe we can be a team- I mean, you could help me out on the streets and in my supervillain fights! Can you do anything else besides fly, boy?" he asked, tilting his head in the dog's direction as he sat down on his makeshift bed and hugged his knees.

The white dog lifted his head and barked in reply, wagging happily before taking off out the door.

"Hey! W-wait for me!" Billy said, scrambling up and taking off after the animal. He chased the canine outside, the pup looking back over his shoulder and barking at him the whole time. "Where are you going, Presto?" he asked as the dog barked again, lowering his front half playfully.

One moment, he was watching the dog crouch down in front of him, and the next, a pair of bright red lasers were beaming from Presto's eyes and melting a hole in a piece of scrap metal resting against the side of the building.

"Whoa! You're- you're just like Superman!" Billy said excitedly, grinning widely as he looked back at the dog. Presto barked happily, spinning in an excited circle before barking some more.

Wait- Superman...

Billy's eyes widened at the sudden thought. "I'm gonna be late for monitor duty!!" he yelped, meeting the dog's eyes. "Superman's my partner today! AGH, He'd gonna be so disappointed!" he said worriedly, running a hand through his hair. 

"Okay, Presto, you gotta stay here, okay? Well, I mean, you don't have to I guess, you can go wherever you want, but I gotta go to the Watchtower," Billy said in a rush, hands out placatingly towards the dog. 

"I'll be back later, though. After I'm done with monitor duty I'll be back, so I'll see you then, okay boy?" 

Presto barked in response, plopping his rear down on the ground as Billy took off in a dead sprint across the trainyard. He shouted the Wizard's name and, one lightning bolt later, was rocketing upwards into the atmosphere and in the direction of their resident satellite base. 

- - -

The automated system signaled Captain Marvel's arrival at the watchtower with a mechanical voice, allowing him access to the main portion of the satellite. The demigod made his way as quickly as he could toward the monitor room and prayed that Superman wouldn't be too upset with him.

He'd been expecting to come into the room and find Superman waiting for him with a disappointed look, ready to give him a speech on the importance of being on time and maintaining your commitments-- what he found instead was... confusing. Instead of the straight-backed, focused co-leader of the league watching the monitors dutifully, Superman was sitting slumped in the chair, cheek pillowed on his hand and elbow propped up on the table as the satellite cameras flicked through images. 

He looked... troubled.

"I- uh, sorry I'm late, Superman..." Cap said, continuing his stride into the room and pulling out a chair beside the other broad-shouldered man. "Are... are you okay?" he asked slowly, sitting down when the Kryptonian gave him a tired look.

He shook his head, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "I'll be fine... I'm just worried," he said, rubbing a worn hand over his face.

"About what?" Marvel asked as he scooted closer to the desk and glanced between the Kryptonian and the screens in front of them. It was rare to see Superman be anything but focused while at work- Cap had seen his publicity smiles before and seen how he interacted with the public, and he knew that was somewhat of an act but... seeing Superman down in the dumps was weird.

It made Marvel want to drop everything in order to cheer him up somehow.

"It's nothing, I'm sure he's fine... my dog got a little too eager with our game of fetch this morning. He didn't come back with the stick I threw," the raven explained, causing Marvel to pause and stare at the man openly. "Again, I mean- he's probably fine, he likely just got distracted by something, but I- I still can't help but worry, I guess."

Captain Marvel swallowed thickly. That answered more questions than one.

"But enough about me and my problems- how are you doing? Family doing good?" Superman asked, absently trying to make conversation despite the fact that Captain Marvel had never told any of them about his family; or there lack of. 

"Uh..." he hated lying; not only cause he was immensely terrible at it, but because it made him feel dirty. He tended to play around with half-truths when it came to the League, and even that was pushing it with his conscience. "Th-they're as good as they can be, I guess," he said carefully, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck guiltily. 

Corpses tended not to change much once they were put into the ground.

He dropped his hand when Superman gave him a soft grin. "That's good to hear... after work I was planning on having dinner with my folks, but if Krypto isn't home by the time I get there I might have to go looking for him instead..."

He sounded really worried.

"What about you? Any plans for today besides monitor duty?"

"I- uh-" Captain Marvel stammered out, sitting back in his chair and glancing towards the monitors. "I guess I was planning on, um, going for a walk," he said, thinking back to the bright white dog likely still hanging around the train station. He sighed inwardly, his eyes casting downward as he thought about what had to happen.

"But I think my plans might change..." he said, glancing towards Superman to find the man giving him an intrigued look. A grin spread across his face and he patted the demigod on the shoulder, shaking him slightly before turning his attention toward the monitors.

"Well hopefully everything'll stay quiet so we can both get out of here on time," he replied, scratching absently at his cheek before leaning forward slightly when something caught his eye. "Looks like we got a robbery in Gotham."

"I'll tell Batman."

- - -

Captain Marvel touched down in the abandoned train yard with a sigh, hand strained on the back of his neck in the low light of night. His shoulders sagged as the new information he had weighed heavily on his mind, glancing around the old building as he came inside. 

"Pr-- Krypto? Where ya at, boy?"

He heard a bark and glanced up, finding the dog leaping from the rafters and bounding through the air toward him. Marvel caught him easily, chuckling at the dog's excited licks to his face.

"Ah-ack-- Krypto! C'mon, cut it out!" he laughed, pushing the dog away gently. The canine perked up at the name the second time he said it, making a questioning noise as he floated in front of the man.

Marvel wiped the slobber from his face with the edges of his cape, giving the dog a look. "Why didn't you tell me you were Krypto the Superdog?" he asked.

"Better yet-- why haven't you gone home yet?" 

Marvel reached out and pet the dog, ruffling the fur on the sides of the canine's face as his smile slowly shifted to a frown. "Looks like we can't be partners..." he said, dropping his hands and plopping down to sit on top of an old metal drum. 

"You already got one... so why don't you go home and see him already?" he tilted his head, watching the dog mirror his movement and sighing when he obviously didn't understand. The demigod bent over and picked up an old tin can absently, remembering what Superman had told him the dog was doing when he'd taken off. 

He tossed the can up as he thought, catching it easily before glancing towards the large, open garage-like door. "Worth a shot..." he mused before rearing his arm back and hurling the can towards the distant clouds with everything he had.

"FETCH!" 

Krypto took off like a rocket, blasting after the can and causing Cap to stumble forward in his wake. He couldn't stop his gaze from lingering on the horizon as the dog vanished amongst the peachy sea of clouds, letting out a sigh as he turned around. That was that- hopefully Krypto would find his way home on his own.

A bark rang out in his ears, echoing off the metal interior of the building and causing the demigod to spin on his heel and glance back toward the door. Krypto was sitting there with the tin can at his feet. His tail thudded against the ground as he panted, clearly waiting for Billy to throw the can again. "Wh-" the hero blinked, eyebrows stitching together in confusion as he bent over and picked up the now-dented can.

"Krypto, you were supposed to--" he sighed, huffing a chuckle and running his free hand through his raven locks. "Nevermind..." 

He was sure that would have worked- did Krypto not want to go home or something? He doubted Superman was a bad pet owner, but that didn't explain why Krypto was so unwilling to leave. The demigod let out a sigh and squatted down to the floor, tilting his head as the dog bounded over to him. 

"You're not mistaking me for Superman, are you boy?" he asked, ruffling the dog's floppy ears and scratching his fingers through his fur. "That happens more than you think. Not around Fawcett, but pretty much everywhere else..." he's quick to shake the slightly depressing thought away and clamber up, tossing the tin can to the side. That obviously wasn't going to be their solution.

Marvel took another glance at the horizon- the sun had long since vanished over the hills, and the last traces of light she left behind were beginning to wink out, replaced with the iridescent glimmer of stars up above. He sighed, casting his gaze back towards the canine sitting at his feet. One night wouldn't hurt, right?

"Alright boy. How about we have a sleepover? Tomorrow I'll tell Supes that I found you, can you can go back to where you belong, alright?"

He did his best to push back the disappointment in the back of his mind- the trainyard could get lonely. People often avoided it because the public thought it was haunted, and it wasn't a rumor that Captain Marvel had ever argued against-- sure, it was great for security, but that meant the boy that really lived there had to go out of his way to have human interaction. 

He changed back to his normal self with a bolt of lightning and climbed the rickety old stairs to the office, Krypto hot on his heels as he mulled over what to do. Keeping Krypto wasn't an option- Billy was no thief. But he couldn't exactly tell Superman he found Krypto and have him discover the place Billy lived. Maybe he should bring the dog up to the Watchtower? No, that wouldn't work- after the whole fiasco with one of the Robins bringing a cow onto the satellite Batman had outright banned any animal with below-human intelligence. 

Well, maybe he could just call Superman tomorrow and tell him that he found Krypto wandering around the city. That sounded reasonable enough-- maybe he'd take it for the coincidence it was; it's not like Billy intended to dognap Krypto or anything. 

The boy sighed, flopping onto his nest of old pillows and smiling when Krypto crawled in beside him and shuffled up to press his fuzzy warm body against the child's side. It was nice- he could hear Krypto's gentle breathing, and the warmth radiating off him was a very nice change. Just the presence of another living thing in the room was enough to make Billy's eyes droop quickly. It'd been a while since he could sleep so soundly... maybe... they could do this... again...

He drifted off to sleep, hugging the lab like an oversized plush toy. 

- - -

"--I can't just wake him up, Bats- he looks like he's 7 or 8 years old." 

Mnhh... what? What's going on? Was that a voice or was he hallucinating?

"No-- No, I have no idea how he even got here- Krypto's glued to him though."

No, that was definitely a real voice- wait, did he recognize that voice? 

"An old train yard. Lois told me you microchipped him--" a sigh. "Fawcett City."

Oh god. He definitely knew that voice. 

As more of the boy's brain began to boot up and kick into gear, he shifted and rolled over, keeping his eyes shut with the hopes that the man he knew was watching him wouldn't realize he was awake. This was bad. This was really really bad.

He had to maintain this state for as long as he could in order to think of a cover of some kind-- the trainyard owner's son? No, the place looks ( and IS ) abandoned. A tiny urban explorer that got too comfy late at night? No, the place looks too lived in, he'd see right through it. A stubborn runaway that is just trying to anger his parents and make them worry? 

It's not the best he could come up with but... it just might work. 

"No, there's no need. He doesn't look injured, just small... and thin." 

Ugh, way to rub it in, Supes. And he'd even been gaining weight recently!

Krypto shifted beside him, tail thumping against the nest of pillows as he moved his head to place his chin on top of Billy's back protectively. Alright, it's now or never- any more time and Supes might call someone. 

Billy turned over again, blinking his eyes open slowly and squinting at the morning sun streaming in through the cracked window. he reached a hand up to make a show of rubbing his eye, giving a big yawn before turning his attention towards Krypto. 

"G'mornin' boy..." he said with a grin, sitting up before finally 'noticing' Superman. The Kryptonian was standing in the doorway of the office, phone to his ear and blinking at the boy as he sat up. Billy blinked back, eyes widening slightly as he stared. He forgot how big Superman was... he towered over Billy like this... he was so used to being at eye-level with the man that seeing him like this again made him feel... well, small.

Too small.

"...Superman?" he blinked, hunkering down into the persona of a starry-eyed kid. It wasn't hard- he did still really idolize the man, despite having worked with him for the better part of nearly two years now. "A-are you- what are you doing here?" 

He watched as Clark quickly ended the call with Batman (Yikes, man- Bats is gonna have your hide for that later on-) and gave the boy his full attention, taking a knee in front of him. He looked awkward- far too broad-shouldered and bulky to be in a room as small as this, and definitely too big to just be standing in the doorway of one.

"Uhm- hey there, son," he said with a warm smile. His tone was weird- it was different from the casual politeness he held with the League and way different than the authority-filled tone he used with the press. He almost sounded like a dad- was he a dad? He would make a good dad, Billy thought. Probably one of the best dads. 

"I was just out looking for my dog... do you know who Superdog is?" he asked, gaze flicking towards Krypto before moving back to Billy- leading the boy to glance at the canine himself. "I'm not sure how you found him, but Krypto here has a habit of showing off, so I'm sure you know what I mean..." 

Superman gave him another slightly nervous grin- while his tone was gentle, his face reminded Billy of some of the foster parents he'd seen trying to adopt one of the disabled kids out of his last home-- they were nervous about saying the wrong thing, talking to poor Freddy like he was some frightened deer that might bolt at any moment. Billy had seen that kid cuss out both adult and kid alike, watched him beat a crooked old man with his cane after he'd kicked a cat-- he was no frightened deer. 

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, though, that was what Superman looked like- he looked like he was trying to coax Billy into trusting him by being too friendly and warm. It was weird. Especially since he'd seen how the man was on the rare occasion he found something strong enough to make him drunk.

"Yeah... he can fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes. Isn' too hard to figure out." he reached out and pet the top of Krypto's head, getting a series of happy tail thumps in return. "He's a good protector. Nice 'n warm." 

The Kryptonian's gaze softened. "You're right... but why are you out here with him on your own, anyways? This old trainyard could be dangerous."

There it is. Billy resisted the urge to scowl and turn his back to the condescension, instead bringing his other hand up to ruffle the sides of Krypto's face gently. "I ran away from home. Found Krypto out here and he spent the night with me." He didn't dare meet the hero's gaze-- the 10-year-old knew his eyes always gave away when he was lying.

"I see..." 

After a moment, Billy glanced up. "Are you gonna make me go home?"

Superman, for his part, stood up with a grunt and folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe as he eyed the boy. Billy didn't doubt he was probably scanning him for any injuries, but the joke was on Supes- he hadn't gotten any major injuries in nearly an entire month. 

"How old are you?"

That wasn't a question he'd been expecting. He blinked, brows knitting together for a moment. "10... and a half." 

Now it was Superman's turn to look surprised. "...and your name?"

"…Billy..." 

"Billy...?"

"…Mhm. Billy." 

"You don't have a last name?"

"My mama taught me not to give personal info out to strangers."

Clark chuckled at that. "Fair enough… you’re a smart boy. What do you say me and Krypto take you home, then? I'm sure your parents are worried about you, Billy." 

Their headstones don't seem too bothered.

The boy in question lowers his gaze again, hands busy once more with ruffling Krypto’s fur. He has no idea where he’d even take Superman to to trick him into thinking he’d taken Billy home… ugh, this is why he hated lying. It was too complicated. 

“Well, uhm…” Krypto tilted his head as Billy’s brow knitted together the longer he had to think. “I… I was jus’… uhm…”

To his credit, Superman doesn’t interrupt— he doesn’t give the boy an annoyed huff, or roll his eyes at the lack of a real response. “Billy… is this where you live?”

Dangit, Superman! Why do you have to be so insightful?!

The 10-year-old’s shoulders sag slightly and he ends up hugging Krypto’s neck and burying his face in the white fur. This was bad. Superman was exactly the kind of hero to drag Billy to the orphanage with the idea that they would help him and find him a loving home or something. 

Billy gave a muffled reply, and the Kryptonian changed positions— settling down to sit on the floor in the doorway. Krypto, upon seeing this, was more than happy to leave Billy in the dust and go greet his owner with a series of messy, slobbery kisses to the face.

Yeah… it was obvious who the dog preferred here. Billy turned on the worn mattress and tilted his head, dropping his gaze to stare down at his palms. A lot of people liked to compare the two of them, but he’s pretty sure Superman never thought about— or even tried taking someone’s best friend before. 

He didn’t deserve Krypto.

”…the truth is, I never did too good in th’ foster system, Superman… The parents didn’ like me too much, and always thought I was trouble.” He’d never understood why— he had tried his best in the few homes he’d been placed in, but they’d never worked out, not even once. The idea of going back to that constant cycle of rejection (not to mention the entire thing about his secret identity) made him queasy.

”please…” he glances up to meet the Kryptonian’s gaze. “Please don’t make me go back there.”

To Billy’s surprise, Superman actually seems to… consider this. His eyes turn calculative; it’s a look the kid knows very well. He’s seen it plenty of times when the strongest of the Big Three was busy strategizing during missions. 

When the man finally looked back at the boy, Billy’s even more surprised to see something give.

“How about a compromise?”

”a compromise?”

The larger raven nods. “If you'll agree to let Krypto come visit and check up on you twice a week, and let me check up on you twice a month, then I won’t make you go anywhere.”

That seemed… generous.

”You’ll also have to agree to let me fix this place up a bit so no one can break in and hurt you, and you’ll have to promise to be safer than safe, okay?”

Yeah, his mind was made up. Superman would be an awesome dad.

Billy grins, nodding in agreement before Krypto comes bounding back, knocking him over onto the old mattress with a happy wag and a loud bark. The boy mimics him, barking back with a giggle and once again ruffling the fur around the dog’s neck and playing with his floppy ears.

”Alright— now then. Why don’t we get you some breakfast?”

”You don’t have to do that—“ 

“Think of it as a thank you for puppy-sitting for me, how about that?”

- - -