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Chapter Text

Billy Batson was terrified. He really thought he would have more time. How could this have happened? Just earlier that day, he had been going about his business as usual and now he found himself walking into a room facing the founders of the Justice League, who were singularly focused on him. He wasn’t afraid they would hurt him (not that most of them could when he was in his Captain Marvel form), but he could tell by looking at their faces that they knew . They knew he wasn’t who they thought he was. How did they find out? Did someone reveal his identity or did a JLA member figure it out? Billy was sure everyone could tell how afraid he was just looking at him, even as he tried (and failed) to summon the courage of Achilles.

“You called me here for a meeting, right?” Billy managed to ask, trying to hide the nerves he was feeling with his usual smile. 

They all looked at each other, like none of them wanted to have to speak. Oh, they definitely knew. Batman and Superman looked like they were having a silent argument, as the rest of them seemed to be doing their best to look anywhere except at Billy. 

Finally, Batman sighed and said in his usual gruff, but calm voice “Yes, Superman informed us earlier today that a…friend of his was sent a video of you transforming from your usual Captain Marvel form into a child. We decided it would be best to keep the footage from getting into anyone else’s hands for now until we understood what it meant from your perspective. It may be helpful for you to see the video so we’re all on the same page.”

Batman pressed a button and a video that appeared to have been filmed on a cell phone started playing on the wall behind him. The video showed Billy as Captain Marvel from a distance, but still clearly him, saying “Shazam!” and calling down the lightning that transformed him into his mortal, child self. The video wasn’t very high quality and a little shaky, but it was undeniable. Billy could feel the blood draining from his face as the Justice League members stared at him expectantly.

How could he have been so stupid? He always checked the area first before transforming! Had he forgotten or been distracted? Who took the video? Was it just a random bystander or someone who was trying to target him specifically? Who else might they have sent it to? Was he going to have to tell the Justice League that his secret identity was what appeared to them as a little girl? Billy felt his breath start to get heavier and his vision blur as what he had just seen sunk in. He could hear voices, but his brain couldn’t seem to process them into words as he continued to panic. 

Eventually he heard what must have been Batman yell at the others, “What did I just say? Back off! Give him space!” Well, yell for Batman who almost never raised his voice unless they were in the field. 

The novelty of Batman raising his voice must have brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes, which he hadn’t remembered closing, to see Batman a couple feet in front of him looking at some sort of device. A medical scanner maybe? Batman seemed to realize that Billy was starting to calm down and asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice “Are you okay?”

Billy’s tongue still felt stuck to the roof of his mouth, but he managed to nod, surprised Batman was being so nice to him when he usually seemed to dislike Billy so much. Billy realized he had been leaning against the wall and straightened himself up, trying to figure out how to explain what they had seen. Everyone was looking at him, but now it was with pity instead of the stern and confused expressions they had before.

This time Superman spoke up, clearly concerned “What’s going on here, Captain Marvel? Did someone do this to you? Is there some villain you’re afraid of? You know you can always reach out to us if you need help.”

“No,” Billy finally managed to get his voice working. “It’s not anything you can help with.” Billy thought about how much he wanted to reveal. Should he tell them he was trans? Would they even realize he wasn’t assigned male at birth if he didn’t tell them? He was wearing boys clothes that fit loosely and he kept his hair cut short so it may not be obvious. But what if they asked him to transform in person? Would they notice then? Between Superman’s X-ray vision and Batman’s skills with observation, they would almost certainly figure it out. 

Billy could feel himself start to panic again, but this time he was able to summon the courage of Achilles and the wisdom of Solomon to help.

He took a deep breath out of habit more than necessity and, knowing they would figure it all out eventually with this kind of evidence, continued, “How much do you know about how my powers work?” The blank or exasperated looks on their faces answered that question. 

“I wasn’t born with powers. I was a regular human until a wizard gave me Captain Marvel, a magical entity that gives me powers and the physical form you see now, but I’m not always in this form. I also still have the human form I was born into. What you saw in the video…” Billy took another unnecessary breath to ground himself. “...was me transforming from this form into my non-powered human form.”

The room exploded with everyone trying to ask questions and voice their opinions at once until Batman glared at them like they were misbehaving children. Billy was both disappointed and relieved that he hadn’t gotten the chance to tell them he was trans. Once they quieted down, Batman said, “First, we need to address the fact that, if what you say is true, you can’t be older than 10 or 11. Where are your parents?” Batman was still using that strangely soft voice to talk to him.

“I…uh…don’t have any.” 

Realizing Billy wasn’t going to say more than that, Wonder Woman asked “Then where have you been staying? I don’t remember seeing you staying the night here.”

“Um…I guess I stay where I can. Where social services and thieves hopefully won’t find me.”

“Hold on,” The Flash interrupted, “It’s a little weird talking to you about this in this form. Could you transform into your human self? Do you have a name in that form we should call you?” 

Flash spoke gently, but Billy couldn’t help but respond with a probably too aggressive “No!...I mean…I feel more comfortable like this. But my name as a human…” Billy knew he would have to transform in front of them eventually, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. But he didn’t want them using a name he hated so he told them the name he had been secretly calling himself in his head. The one he found looking through a baby name book at the library once. “...My name is Billy.”

Batman was staring at Billy with a searching look on his face like he was a puzzle Batman was trying to solve. “Why don’t we set this conversation aside? Billy, you don’t want this video to be seen by anyone else, correct?”

“Yes, I mean no, I mean I don’t want anyone else to see it”

“Well, in that case, we should be working on getting rid of all the copies of the video. That’s the most pressing issue right now. We’ll meet again in a few hours so we can get started on that and take time to think about how we should proceed before we make any final decisions. This meeting is finished. You’re all dismissed.” As everyone filed out, chatting to each other, Batman paused and glanced at Superman, who looked confused for a second before his eyes widened slightly like he realized something then smiled and nodded slightly at Batman, who said, “Billy, I would like to talk to you in private, if that’s all right.”

Billy thought it was strange that Batman seemed to be almost asking his permission. He usually just told people what to do and expected them to listen.  But Billy didn’t want Batman to dislike him more than he already did so he agreed.

Once everyone else left the room, Bruce closed the door and faced Billy. He really hoped he wasn’t about to make a huge mistake. Bruce had always been careful about his identity with the Justice League. Clark had told him he had nothing to be afraid of, but that didn’t keep Bruce from holding back. He just couldn’t trust that they would still treat him the same way, with the same authority, if they knew. He already dealt with enough of that nonsense as Bruce Wayne.

But, if what he suspected about Billy was true (and he was usually right about these things) it would be worth it. Bruce remembered himself at Billy’s age and being so angry and confused, both grieving his parents and trying to understand his gender with no one there who really understood. 

He realized he had been staring into space a bit too long when Captain Marvel (Billy?) said “So? Why did you want to see me away from everyone else?” 

“Oh, uh…” Bruce took a breath, doing his best to center himself, and continued “I understand how hard it can be to show people a part of yourself you’ve always hidden. I thought it might make this a little easier for you if I showed you part of myself in return. I…I think we may have more in common than either of us ever knew. But, if I show you my secret identity, I would like to see your human form, if that’s okay with you. We could reveal our identities at the same time, if that would be easier.”

Bruce could see the confusion on Captain Marvel’s face, but he nodded and said “That would be okay, I guess. If we did it at the same time. But no cheating, right?”

Bruce fought back a smile and said “Right. I’ll count down from three and when I say…Actually, do you want to count down?” Billy might feel more comfortable if he had more control over this.

Bruce could still hear some nerves in his voice, but Billy seemed a bit calmer as he said “Yeah, I would like that.” Billy counted down from three and when he said go, Bruce removed the cowl and watched as Captain Marvel yelled “Shazam!” and lightning struck him, transforming him into a child, just like in the video. 

It took a second for Bruce’s eyes to adjust after the bright light, but, once they did, he saw a boy, maybe a bit older than he had thought, closer to 11 or 12. Billy was wearing a loose hoodie and jeans, which appeared to be the same clothes he was wearing in the video and was staring at Bruce with wide eyes. Bruce wasn’t surprised at his shocked expression. It was the same way people looked at him when he was somewhere people wouldn’t expect him to be as Bruce Wayne.

It took Billy a moment to speak. “Wait.. Oh my god! You’re Bruce Wayne! I…And that means…” He looked like he was trying to contain his excitement, possibly to hide something he didn’t want Bruce to see. Bruce didn’t want to push Billy if he wasn’t ready to talk about it, but he had a feeling his suspicion about Billy’s gender might be right.

This time Bruce did let himself smile, just a little and said,“Yes, I’m Bruce Wayne. And I’m going to guess you were about to say that means I’m trans, right?” Billy looked a little mortified so Bruce quickly clarified “It’s okay, it’s not like it’s a secret. At least, it’s not a secret for Bruce Wayne.” He hoped he wasn’t coming off as too strange referring to himself in third person like that, but then he remembered how awkward he sometimes allowed himself to be as Batman and figured that probably wouldn’t be the strangest thing he’d ever done in front of Billy.

Billy looked like he was thinking deeply about something. Bruce asked, “Is there something you want to ask me? What’s on your mind, Billy?”

“Um…I don’t know where to start. Does anyone else in the League know?”

“Yes, but only Superman. He’s known for quite a while, but only found out because of his X-ray vision. I don’t regret that he found out, though. I really should have told him myself by then, anyway.”

“Did it change how he treated you? Especially since you’re…you know…trans?” Billy still seemed a little nervous talking about this topic, but at least he was actually saying the word now.

“He was a little awkward about it at first, but the only permanent change is that we’re closer than we were before. He always knew me as a man so pronouns weren’t an issue, he just sometimes makes well meaning, but slightly misguided attempts to show support that don’t always work out the way he expects. But he’s always been supportive, in his way. And… I think he would be supportive if anyone else in his life turned out to be trans as well.” Bruce looked at Billy in a way he hoped was encouraging and not too forceful or intimidating.

Billy paused, avoiding Bruce’s eyes. It was abnormal to see Billy acting so nervous. He usually seemed so confident as Captain Marvel, to the point of being a bit irritating to Bruce at times. Was Billy always like that in human form or was he just nervous about this specific conversation? Hopefully, Bruce would have the chance to know him well enough to find out.

Billy finally seemed to come to a decision and, looking at Bruce with a determination that reminded Bruce of Captain Marvel, said, “It usually doesn’t go well when I try to say this, but I guess most adults have different expectations when they meet me. But.. I’m also trans. Like, I’m a boy, but, legally, I’m a girl.” Billy was looking at Bruce like he was daring him to contradict Billy.

Bruce tried to soften his features a bit. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. I know how hard it can be to trust an adult with that. So many of us don’t respect kids enough to believe them when they tell us who they are. I want you to know that I believe you and you’re not alone, even though it might feel like you are. There’s an incredible community waiting to welcome you, if you want that.”

Billy seemed to be holding back some emotion. Bruce wondered if this was the first time an adult hadn’t rejected him or ignored him when Billy had tried to come out before. It was a reminder of how many kids still don’t have supportive adults in their lives. Things might have improved in some ways since Bruce’s childhood, but it was clear there was still a long way to go. Bruce regretted all the time he could have been there for Billy, but he was glad to have the chance to give him the kind of care Bruce never had, even if the circumstances of finding out were less than ideal. Bruce just hoped Billy would accept the help he could give him. He knew how stubborn vigilantes could be about these things.

“I…Thank you. “ Billy said, as he lost the battle he had been fighting not to cry and suddenly rushed forward to hug Bruce. Hugs were not typically Bruce’s favorite thing, but he could make an exception for this kid, who clearly had not had received nearly enough affection in his life.

Bruce put his arms around Billy and just let Billy hug him for a while until he had calmed down, when Bruce said “As much as I would like to continue this conversation right now, I think someone has this room reserved soon and I really need to help make sure that video doesn’t go public. We’ll talk more later, after we meet to discuss what your future with the Justice League should look like. I want you to have some time to think about what you want from me and from the League before we make any final decisions. Is there anything else you want me to know before the meeting? Are you planning on coming out to them?”

“I think I will come out to them someday, but not right now. But Superman has X-ray vision. Do you think he’ll find out anyway if he sees me in this form?

“Superman is usually very aware of making sure to respect people’s privacy. He won’t use that on you unless you give him permission or he thinks your life is in danger. If you want, I can talk to him to make sure he doesn’t cross a boundary, but he may figure out why, if I do so.”

“I guess I’ll just have to trust him. Even if he did figure it out, he wouldn’t tell anyone, would he?”

“No, I don’t believe he would, again, as long as it wasn’t necessary to keep you or others safe.”

“Okay. They will probably want to see my human form. I can give them that. You don’t think the others will know right away?”

“No, if you tell them you’re a boy and you dress like a boy, they’ll treat you like one, especially since you’ve only ever appeared masculine to them until this point. If that’s everything, you can transform back to Captain Marvel and wait in the Watchtower until our meeting.” Bruce started to pull his cowl back over his head and remembered “Oh, and I hope it’s obvious that I do not want you revealing my identity to anyone else. You’re too young to sign a valid NDA so I’m going to trust you not to tell anyone. I hope you understand why it’s so important to me to keep Batman and Bruce Wayne separate.”

Billy nodded and transformed back into Captain Marvel as Bruce finished putting his cowl back in place.

Chapter Text

Billy had enough surprises for one day so he decided to go to his Watchtower quarters. His rooms looked like he had never set foot there, but he actually found himself spending time there often when he just needed some time alone in a safe, quiet place. He just didn’t want to raise suspicions by leaving anything personal. Not that he had many personal belongings, anyway.

Billy laid down on his bed and sighed, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything. He was relieved the situation hadn’t been worse and was pleasantly surprised to see this new side of Batman, but he still couldn’t make sense of Batman and Bruce Wayne being the same person. How could one person seem to have two such different personalities? How much of the Batman Billy knew and the Bruce Wayne he admired was real? Billy always respected Batman, but what really bothered Billy was the idea that Bruce Wayne, the man whose openness about being trans had helped Billy recognize his own gender, may be a very different type of person than he thought.

People said negative things about Bruce in the press all the time, but Billy knew a lot of that probably either wasn’t true or was exaggerated for attention. As a superhero, he had plenty of experience with the ways people got things wrong about celebrities. Sure, there were some questionable things Bruce had actually done, but he also really seemed to care about helping people in a way very few (if any) other people with that much money did. Billy had always seen Bruce as a role model of the type of person he wanted to be.  Someone who didn’t care what anyone thought of him, someone generous and kind and honest. Batman…wasn’t. What if everything about Bruce that inspired Billy was a lie? 

But, if Bruce was being as genuine as he seemed to be in their conversation, at least some of the Bruce Wayne Billy looked up to must be real. Bruce was kind and really seemed like he understood and wanted to help Billy in a way most other adults didn’t. And he did trust Billy enough to reveal his identity, which meant a lot coming from Batman, who was as secretive about his identity as Billy was.

Bruce seemed to be a truly good person who was even capable of comforting Billy at his most emotionally vulnerable. It was kind of embarrassing to cry in front of Batman himself, but Bruce didn’t seem to mind, which would have been surprising enough from a stranger on its own, but was even more so coming from him. Billy had experienced a lot of extraordinary things in his life, but Batman hugging him had to be close to the top of the list. This was the same man who refused to shake Captain Marvel's hand the first time they met. Batman very rarely let anyone touch him, but he also almost never revealed his identity so Billy didn’t know what to think of him anymore.

Although, Batman being trans made a kind of sense, now that Billy knew. Batman was always unwilling to accept medical treatment from anyone in the Justice League, despite being one of their most physically vulnerable members as someone without powers. He also had zero tolerance for being misgendered, even as a joke, and had even less tolerance for that kind of treatment of the few (out) trans members of the League. None of those things would be enough to prove that Batman was definitely trans, but knowing that did explain some of Batman’s behavior.

The sound of a knock at the door interrupted Billy’s thoughts. He turned on the camera by the door to see who it was. Billy wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anyone, but, when he saw it was Superman, he sighed and let him in.

Clark entered the room and leaned against the wall, but Billy knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t as relaxed as he was trying to look. “How are you doing?” He asked, looking concerned.

Billy tried to smile as he said “I’m doing okay. I had always hoped I could keep this a secret until I was an adult, but part of me always knew that probably wouldn’t happen. I was never going to be a normal kid. I accepted that a long time ago.”

“I understand what you mean, but that doesn’t mean you have to be okay with this. I know that if something like this had happened when I was first getting my powers around your age, it would have been…difficult, to say the least. I realize that it could have been much worse, but we still found out before you were ready to tell us. I just don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to anyone about it.” Clark had that look of pity on his face that adults always got when they realized what Billy’s situation was. They always wanted him to believe that they were different, that they understood, but that was always a lie. Billy knew Clark probably didn’t intend it that way, but it was hard not to feel a little defensive, anyway. 

Billy gave up on trying to smile and said, “I know you think you understand, but you don’t. It’s not the same. My powers aren’t the same. I’m not the same kind of kid as you were. There are things you still don’t know about me. Why can’t you just trust me when I say I’m fine? You always trusted me on that before and you always believe the others when they say that.”

Clark sighed and said, “I might understand more than you think, but you’re right that I shouldn’t have assumed that you would feel the same way about it. I do trust you, Billy. I just know that you tend to try to act like you’re fine when no one in your situation would be. I know because I do the same thing sometimes. I just…I want you to feel like you can trust us to still accept you even if you're not happy all the time.” Clark smiled a little and continued “And I don’t always let the others get away with it either. I just talk to them in private if I’m close enough to them. Like I’m doing with you.”

Clark always had a way of reading Billy. He usually appreciated how well Clark understood him, but sometimes he didn’t want to feel understood that way. Sometimes, it just made him feel exposed.

“Okay, but you know that if I wanted to talk to someone about how I feel it would probably be you. So I obviously don’t want to talk about it.” 

Clark moved to sit on the bed a couple feet away from Billy. “I won’t force you to talk about it if you don’t want to, but it’s not good for you to keep everything in. Maybe you’re not ready right now, but I hope you feel like you can talk to me or someone else you trust when you are. You can’t do everything alone. And keep in mind, I will get you to talk eventually. You’re talking to one of about three people who can get Batman to talk about his feelings, after all.”

Billy thought about his conversation with Bruce earlier. How much did he want to tell Clark? He apparently accepted Bruce, but would he actually accept Billy the same way? Billy decided he had had enough of that kind of conversation for one day, anyway, but he wanted to talk to someone about what he had just learned about Bruce and Clark was the only one that also knew. “Did Br-Batman tell you what we talked about after the meeting?”

“Well, not exactly, but I have a pretty good idea. Do you want to tell me?”

“He told me his secret identity and that you also know it.” Billy had so many things he wanted to ask about. He started with one of his most urgent questions that he didn’t want to ask Bruce directly. “Why would he deceive everyone like that? If he has that kind of money, why does he need to be Batman? He doesn’t even seem to really like being a superhero.”

Clark took out his communicator and tapped the screen a few times. Batman had done something similar before revealing his identity, Billy remembered. “Now we can talk freely without anyone listening in. As for Bruce, that might be a question you need to ask him. I don’t want to put words in his mouth or share something he’s not ready for you to know. But I think he needs Batman because it allows him an opportunity to be himself with less consequences. Do you really think Bruce would get as much done if he acted like Batman all the time? He already gets enough hate as it is, but he would get even more if he didn’t do his best in public to act the way they want him to.”

“So every time he’s in public as Bruce Wayne, he’s putting on an act?”

“It can be hard to tell, even for me. I mean, at what point does the way you act become as much who you are as your internal self? I can tell you that he does believe in the causes he supports and values his work as Bruce Wayne as much as, if not more than, his work as Batman. It’s more the specifics of his personality that may not be genuine. Like…” Clark paused for a bit. “Well I don’t want to get too specific about anything he hasn’t had the chance to tell you himself. But I know from my experience that I need both Clark Kent and Superman to feel like I can express every part of myself. I suspect Bruce feels the same way.”

“I guess so, but he’s so rude and closed off as Batman. How am I supposed to believe that he’s really the nice guy he was when we talked earlier and as Bruce Wayne when he’s never been that way before? How do I know he wasn’t putting on an act when we talked?”

Clark paused, clearly thinking about something. “Bruce is a good person, but he isn’t always nice. I think he had complicated feelings about you as Captain Marvel and that probably affected how he treated you. I’m not saying it was okay. He’s always like that to some extent, but he has always been a little extra hard on you. That should change now that he knows more about you, but if it doesn’t, talk to him about it as directly as you can. Or if you’re not comfortable talking to him, talk to me and I’ll see what I can do. He does occasionally listen to me.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question. How can I trust him when I know he’s so good at deceiving people?” Billy could feel his emotions starting to get him again. 

Clark shrugged his shoulders. “Look, sometimes you just have to trust people if you want to have close relationships. I know that can be hard, but he trusted you with his biggest secret, didn’t he? He took a huge leap of faith based on his trust in you, something I know is hard for him. I think it’s fair for you to try to do the same for him in return, at least for a while. Just give him a chance to prove himself. You don’t have to owe him anything if you don’t want to, especially since Bruce is the adult here, but relationships and trust have to go both ways. He has a lot to make up for, it’s up to you whether or not to give him the chance to do that.”

Before Billy could respond both of their communicators beeped with a message from Batman that the meeting to discuss Billy’s future was about to start. “Speak of the devil” Clark whispered under his breath as they both left the room. 

As Bruce waited for the other League members to arrive, he thought about how he should handle this conversation. Before they could delete all the copies, the video had already been sent to several other news outlets, which had started reporting on it and speculating about what it could mean. Bruce regretted that he couldn’t keep this from happening. Even though the footage wasn’t clear enough to identify Billy with the naked eye, someone with the right software could enhance the footage and Billy did face the camera when he was looking around to see if anyone was watching. Bruce was sure they could come up with a cover story that people would believe, but the video could still be dangerous to Billy if someone was able to use it as a jumping off point to gather enough evidence to prove Billy’s identity.

Obviously, that would put Billy in physical danger when he isn’t in his Captain Marvel form, but it would also make his life more difficult in other ways. Especially if anyone figured out he was trans. Bruce knew what it was like to be a trans public figure and he knew Billy would get even more hate than he did and would have less protection from it. He knew there was a lot of value in his visibility, but that wasn’t a burden any child should be forced to deal with. 

Bruce debated whether or not he should offer to take Billy in. Most of his kids were adults or close to it so he wouldn’t be opposed to adopting another child. But Billy would have to agree to that and he wasn’t sure how well the logistics would work if Billy was still going to be a superhero. Bruce couldn’t see Billy making the decision to give that up, if that was even possible in his situation.

Once everyone (finally) arrived, Bruce started the meeting. “As we discussed earlier, we are meeting to make a decision about how to move forward with the video of Captain Marvel transforming.”

He could see everyone suddenly shifting their attention to Billy. “Before we even get into discussing this, I want to make it clear that our goal is not to make a decision for Captain Marvel, but to make sure we all understand what the plan should be going forward. I also want to mention that we found that the video we saw was sent to multiple other news outlets and will probably be made public soon so we need to figure out what we can do to minimize the damage that could cause. Captain Marvel, do you want to have this conversation in your current form or as Billy?”

Bruce could tell Billy was a little nervous, but he smiled when he said “It might be easier for everyone if I transform. You already know anyway.” Billy’s smile dimmed a bit as he continued “Just…please don’t treat me any differently. I’m still the same person you’ve always known.”

Everyone watched as Captain Marvel stood up, walked a few feet from the table and yelled “Shazam!” to transform into Billy. Bruce observed the others, ready to step in if any issues arose, but they all seemed excited to finally see Billy’s human form in person. He debated showing some kind of surprise, but he figured it wouldn’t be that out of character for Batman to not react much to something like this.

He could also see the concern and maybe pity on their faces, probably reacting to the state of Billy’s clothes, which were frayed at the edges and had a few small holes. Billy was still smiling, but his shoulders were a little hunched over and he moved a bit awkwardly like he wasn’t comfortable in his body.

The Flash was the first to say anything. “Okay, we really need to find somewhere you can stay that isn’t on the street. You don’t have to stay with one of us, but I’ve known too many kids who have gotten hurt or worse trying to make it on their own.”

Billy rolled his eyes, which only made him look more his age. “I’m not those kids. I have superpowers. I can protect myself!”

“My son has superpowers, but I still wouldn’t want him alone on the streets.” Clark softened his voice a bit compared to the way he usually spoke as Superman. “I know your situation is different, but I think Flash is just trying to express that you don’t have to keep living that life if you don’t want to. There’s more than just your physical safety to consider. Parents and other adults in a kid’s life do much more than just keep a kid physically safe. They also help teach that kid how to be in the world and how to deal with all the complicated and difficult parts of that. Sure, it’s possible to figure it out on your own, but it’s a lot easier with someone there to guide you. We just want to make things easier for you.”

“Well, there have been plenty of adults I’ve met that didn’t do those things so I’d rather be alone”

Bruce understood where Billy was coming from, but he agreed that Billy needed positive relationships with at least some adult figure. He would be that person if he thought Billy would accept that from him, but Bruce still wasn’t sure he would have the time to give Billy everything he needed. He may be able to help him find someone who could, though. “I agree Billy needs supportive adults in his life, but, if we try to force him into an orphanage or a foster family or with one of us, he’ll just run away again. It has to be his choice. Billy, what if you and I work together to find somewhere you could stay? We can make sure it’s somewhere you’ll be able to continue being a superhero, if that’s important to you.”

Billy thought about it and responded, “I guess we can try that, but I don’t see how I could still be Captain Marvel if I’m being watched that closely.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out. We’ll continue this later. With that out of the way, we need to discuss what to do about the possibility of this video going public. We need to have a clear, consistent story to cover Billy’s identity.”

“Wait, are we just going to skip over the question of whether or not Billy should even be a superhero?” Flash asked.

Wonder Woman pointed out “He’s already been a superhero. What difference would it make if he continues? Besides, the gods are watching over him. They won’t lead him astray. He was given this gift for a reason. He should be allowed to use it.” She smiled at Billy encouragingly.

“But he spends so much time as a hero,” Green Lantern (Jon Stewart) argued. “When would he have time for school or any of the other, more fun, things kids should get to do?” He looked at Billy. “You should embrace being a kid while you still have a chance, Billy. That chance doesn’t last forever.”

“I don’t want to be a kid! Nobody listens to me and everybody’s always telling me what to do. I spend so much time being a superhero so people will actually respect me.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility to put on yourself. It’s hard enough as an adult, but I can only imagine how hard it would be as a kid. We all need to let go of that pressure, sometimes. You have the opportunity to fully let go of that responsibility at least part of the time and I think you should take advantage of that while you can. That’s all I’m saying.”

Clark added “I understand wanting to be respected as an adult and that Captain Marvel gives you that, but there are people out there who will respect you as a kid. There’s not much we can do to stop you from being a superhero so there’s no point in trying, but I hope you can learn to find a balance with the part of you that’s just a regular kid. If you really want to help people, you have to understand what it’s like to be them or at least the kinds of things they need help with. I don’t want you to lose touch with your humanity.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. I could be Captain Marvel all the time, if I wanted, but I don’t. I know how important it is to hold on to my humanity. I wouldn’t choose to help people if I didn’t value humanity. I was chosen by the wizard for who I am as a human. I could exist without Captain Marvel, but Captain Marvel wouldn’t exist without the person I am as a human. You of all people should know that. We’ve literally had that conversation before.”

Clark opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but closed it again, clearly thinking better of it. 

“We really need to get back to the matter at hand. What story should we tell to explain that video?” Bruce paused to let the others share any ideas they might have. No one came up with anything so he continued “The best idea I came up with is to claim it was some sort of freak accident that transformed Captain Marvel into a child and that we’ve reversed the effects. The risk we take with this is that it falls apart if they get evidence of this happening again. Billy, I know you probably won’t like it, but it may be safest for you to choose a form and stick to it for a while.”

Billy’s face went pale. “Are you sure there’s not a better way?”

“Not if you don’t want the public to know your identity. I would say you could just only transform here, but then you would have to get back to Earth, which could create other suspicious looking situations. You could maybe get away with pretending to be the child of someone in the League, but that wouldn’t pass much scrutiny. Of course, you could just be honest, but that would come with its own risks.”

Billy paused, drawing his eyebrows together in a way that reminded Bruce of Captain Marvel when he was trying to figure out a particularly difficult problem. “What if I stayed as Captain Marvel for a few days? I know you all seem to think it’s important for me to be a kid while I can, but I would be able to protect myself better that way. Besides, who would keep Fawcett city safe if there’s no Captain Marvel?”

Bruce wasn’t sure what the best option was for Billy at this point. He would stand out more and find himself in more danger as Captain Marvel, but Billy was right. He would be better able to protect himself and Fawcett City. And people were more likely to notice Captain Marvel was missing than Billy Batson. Not to mention that Billy would probably be more comfortable in Captain Marvel’s body. But Billy couldn’t be Captain Marvel forever, could he?

Before Bruce had decided what to say, Superman said “This isn’t a decision we can make for you, Billy, as much as we all have opinions about what’s best for you. Just remember that whatever decision you make isn’t permanent and we’ll do what we can to support you no matter what.” Superman looked pointedly at the League members like he was daring them to contradict him. Bruce gave him a grateful look. 

“How long will I have to stay in whatever form I choose?” Billy asked.

Bruce responded “We don’t know exactly how long it will take for this to blow over. We could try to manufacture a story that would distract the press to get attention away sooner, but we don’t know what the motivation behind the video was. How long can you stay as Captain Marvel?”

“A few days is as long as I’ve ever gone before. I don’t know what would happen if I stayed in that form longer. When I’m Captain Marvel, I can still get tired, like there’s always at least a part of Billy in there. Even though Captain Marvel doesn’t physically need sleep, the human part of myself still needs to rest. It doesn’t feel as bad as if I didn’t sleep for that long in my human form, but the stamina of Atlas goes away once I transform so it all catches up to me at once.”

Bruce asked “Can you be more specific? Exactly how long have you stayed as Captain Marvel before?”

“The longest time was about five days, but I almost passed out after that.”

“Hmm…Does anyone else have any other ideas?” Bruce hoped one of them might have come up with something by now.

J’onn J'onzz finally spoke. “Is there any way we could change Billy’s appearance in his human form? I realize humans can not shapeshift, but this only has to be temporary, right?”

Bruce couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of that. Of course Billy could just wear a disguise! He must have been distracted by everything that happened that day. He was also running on barely any sleep and probably too much caffeine, but that was nothing new. Change always made it a little harder to think, like it took so much space to process that there wasn’t as much room as usual.

Bruce nodded at J’onn. “Yes, I could come up with a disguise Billy could wear until it’s safe. Or even longer term, if we can’t contain this. Do you think that could work, Billy?”

Billy smiled for the first time since the meeting started. “Yeah, that could work! Can I wear glasses? Ooh, or a fake mustache!” Bruce couldn’t hold back a twitch of his mouth into something resembling a smile. He could see the others were just as amused and relieved to see Billy finally acting like a typical kid. Bruce didn’t know how Billy could still find that kind of excitement with everything going on in his life. He’d always begrudgingly admired his resilience as Captain Marvel. It was good to know that was still present in Billy as a human.

“Glasses, yes. Not sure about the mustache, but we can work out the details later.”

Chapter Text

After the meeting, Clark followed Bruce to his Watchtower office. He knew how unlike Bruce it was to reveal his identity like that. He could tell Bruce had a particular interest in Billy after what happened and Clark had his suspicions about why. There were not many situations where Bruce would change his opinion about someone so quickly. Whatever Bruce’s reasons for opening up to Billy, Clark wanted to make sure the two of them would have the best chance possible of actually getting along now that they have a better understanding of each other. Clark had always been frustrated that two of his closest friends in the Justice League disliked each other so much.

Once they got to Bruce’s office, Bruce closed the door and deactivated the recording devices before he finally turned around to face Clark. “What do you want?” Bruce asked in his usual direct, but not aggressive way. He sounded a little tired, but that was the case more often than not these days. Clark decided to try to make this quick.

“We’ve got to talk about Billy. I feel like you’re not telling me something, and I understand it may not be your secret, but I do have some concerns about your relationship. I don’t think he’s just going to immediately trust you after the way you’ve treated him.”

Bruce gave him an exasperated look. “You say that like I’ve never met a kid who didn’t trust me at first. I know it will probably take time. But I also know that kids are incredibly adaptable in a way adults often aren’t. You know I’m perfectly capable of patience. So what do you really want to say?”

Clark sighed. Of course Bruce wouldn’t make this easy. “I talked with Billy earlier and he told me you had revealed your identity to him. I know you may not be able to tell me, but I was wondering why you suddenly changed your opinion about him. You never would have told Captain Marvel that before you knew he was a kid. I know you have a soft spot for children, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“You’re right. It’s not something I can tell you without Billy’s permission, but I’m sure he’ll tell you eventually, if you haven’t figured it out already. But I still would have been less…antagonistic to him even just knowing that he’s really just a kid.” Bruce paused for a moment to think then spoke a little hesitantly. “I was always a little jealous of Captain Marvel. Not because he had powers, but because it seemed like everything came so easily to him. He had this perfect body and this perfect attitude and this perfect smile. I disliked him for the same reason I disliked you when we first met.”

Clark remembered how standoffish Bruce had been when they first met. It had taken years and a little luck for their relationship to turn around. He also knew Bruce sometimes struggled with being around so many superheroes who were not only cis men, but also had powers that often involved some kind of physical enhancement. Clark and the others just naturally had something Bruce had to work so hard for, along with powers Bruce didn’t have. Bruce was jealous of him for that until Clark had told him that he didn’t always feel comfortable in his body, either. It often attracted the wrong kind of attention and gave people the wrong impression of the kind of person he was. He knew that his experience was nothing compared to the dysphoria that Bruce felt, though, especially before transitioning. He could see how Bruce would have felt that way about Captain Marvel and how that could have changed once he found out that Billy didn’t have that body all the time, especially if what Clark suspected about what Bruce was trying to hide was true. 

Even without that tension, there were still plenty of reasons gaining Billy’s trust may be harder than Bruce expected. A couple things in common doesn’t erase years of disliking each other and all their differences. They had very different outlooks on life and came from very different backgrounds, especially in terms of class. Clark had a feeling he would end up in the middle of any arguments they may have. He was happy to do that if it meant they would eventually get along, but he wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. Clark figured it couldn’t hurt to start trying to address some of their differences now before they potentially turned into major problems when they were spending more time together.

Clark said “You know most people who seem happy all time probably aren’t, right? Everybody has a range of emotions. It’s just that different people express them differently or may be more comfortable showing some emotions than others. You, of all people, should know that. Do you think you were actually mad at him or at the fact that people liked him better than you?” Clark knew he may not get a straight answer, but it was always worth a shot.

Bruce sat down in his chair, avoiding Clark’s eyes. “I know better than anyone that emotions can be faked. But Captain Marvel seems genuinely happy most of the time.  If I cared about people liking me as Batman, I would act like the public version of Bruce Wayne. The entire point of Batman is to be intimidating and unapproachable, to be everything Bruce Wayne isn’t so no one ever knows. But people like Captain Marvel don’t have to pretend to be someone else to be liked.”

That was more than Clark expected, although he still had a feeling Bruce was holding something back. But what else was new? “You thought that about me when we first met, too, but I would hope you know by now that I do plenty of faking it to make other people feel more comfortable around me. I wouldn’t be surprised if Billy does the same thing. And we don’t know how he is as Billy Batson. He might also act completely different outside the cape. Knowing what we know now, I’d be surprised if he didn’t.” 

“But he’s typically so honest and open that I don’t think he would feel the need to hide how he really felt. There are some things you can’t fake. That kind of enthusiasm and wonder at everything is one of them.”

Clark wondered if part of Bruce’s feelings about this were related to his inability to feel or express those things when he was a child. It almost seemed like Bruce was implying that he had tried to fake that and couldn’t. Finding out Billy was a child who had also lost his parents at a young age probably wasn’t helping. But Clark didn’t think Bruce would react well if he brought that up now. He really hated talking about his childhood.

“Billy was able to keep a pretty big secret from all of us so I don’t know that I’d be so confident about his inability to hide emotions, if I were you. You never took the time to get to know him all that well. I bet it bothers you that you never figured any of this out before now.” Clark couldn’t keep a little laughter out of his voice as he tried to imitate Batman’s rasp. “I am Batman, the World’s Greatest Detective, but I was outsmarted by a child.”

Bruce glared at him. “You’re lucky I have a rule against murder.”

Clark raised an eyebrow. “Sure, buddy, keep telling yourself that. You know you love me too much to kill me anyway.”

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. “If that was all you wanted to discuss, I actually have things to do, most immediately getting Billy back to Gotham. So I would appreciate it if you find someone else to pester. Or, you know, actually do your goddamn job for once.”

Clark smiled. “You didn’t deny that you loved me! Which means it must be true! This is definitely going in the group chat.”

“Which group–? Never mind, I don’t want to know. But seriously, get out or I will dig out my kryptonite. You know I’ll do it.” Unfortunately, Clark did know. He made the mistake of calling Bruce’s bluff once and immediately regretted it.

“Fine, but call me if you or Billy need anything. I’ll try to work some magic with Lois and my reporter contacts, but let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”  

“Honey, I’m home,” Clark called once he got back home..

“Clark, how many times do I have to tell you we are not living in an 80s movie,” Lois said as she entered the room. She had clearly just been at work with her typical pencil skirt and button down. She was even still wearing her heels.

“You know I only do it because it puts that adorably irritated look on your face, right?” Clark used his superspeed to change into a t-shirt and sweats.

Lois gave him a warning look, which shut him up faster than anything she could have said. Clark could tell she was tired. She must have also had a long day trying to keep the Captain Marvel video from causing too much damage on top of the usual nonsense they always had to deal with at the Daily Planet.

“How’s the Justice League?” Lois asked as she joined Clark on the couch.

“About what you’d expect.” Clark told Lois about what he could of the events that day, avoiding anything too revealing about Billy. He wasn’t sure how much Billy would be comfortable with Lois knowing. He did include that Bruce had told Captain Marvel his identity as Batman, though, as that was a secret she already knew.

“That seems…out of character for Bruce. He didn’t tell you for years and, even then, he probably would have avoided it if he could. I didn’t think he even liked Captain Marvel,” Lois said.

“Yeah, there’s definitely more going on there than he’ll even tell me. I have my suspicions, but I wouldn’t want to speculate about other people’s personal lives too much. I’m sure one of them will tell me when they’re ready.”

“I just hope Captain Marvel’s doing okay. You know I love my job, but some of our colleagues can be truly awful.”

“I know. Marvel seems to be doing fairly well, all things considered. It would be a lie to say it isn’t affecting him, though. But, like I said, Bruce is going to help him come up with a disguise so hopefully he won’t have to deal with too much of that. If anyone knows how to deal with those people, it’s Bruce.”

“Oh, right! Speaking of Bruce, there was another transphobic article about him released today. Do you know if he’s seen it?” Lois described the article.

“They’ve really been going after him lately. Maybe I should check in with him later. But that should probably wait until a time when he’s less busy with Captain Marvel.” Clark knew it would probably be hectic trying to get Billy settled into a new place, especially with everyone else who would likely be there to meet Billy.

“You could at least text him or something. I know you probably already talked today, but he would still appreciate hearing from you.”

“Yeah, I’ll text him.” Clark never quite knew how much to check in with Bruce in these situations. It was very easy to overdo it with him. Sometimes, Bruce just didn’t want to talk. But Lois was right, he should at least remind Bruce that he was there on the off chance he did want to talk about it. Clark had told Bruce enough times that he would be there if he ever needed anything, but another reminder of that couldn’t hurt.

“You seem hesitant to talk to him. Are you two doing okay?” Lois asked.

“Yeah we’re doing okay. He’s just really busy right now and I don’t want to bother him.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is? You seemed a little annoyed that he wasn’t telling you the details about why he told Captain Marvel his identity. Are you jealous of their relationship possibly being deeper than what you have with either of them?”

“Oh no, absolutely not! I cannot express to you how much there is nothing romantic or sexual happening between them. You know Bruce is aromantic asexual anyway. I’m not jealous, I just don’t like feeling like he’s keeping something from me. He promised he wouldn’t keep secrets from me anymore.” Clark had a crush on Bruce for a while before Bruce came out to him as aroace. He didn’t have those feelings for Bruce much anymore and hadn’t since he started properly dating Lois. And he could appreciate that Bruce didn’t try to fake it with him like he did with so many other people. It was difficult to accept at the time, though, even as Clark respected Bruce’s identity and would never have pushed for a relationship he didn’t want.

Lois rolled her eyes. “Obviously, I know that. I just mean that Bruce opened up to Marvel in a way he never willingly did to you. It still sounds like you feel a little hurt by the situation, whatever the reason is. They have secrets with each other that you don’t share and that bothers you. Do you feel like they don’t trust you?”

“I know they’ll tell me eventually, like I said before. I’m close enough to both of them to believe they’ll tell me anything I need to know. I guess I just don’t know how the way I fit into their lives may change, especially with Marvel.”

“You’re clearly hiding something so we’ll talk about this later. I came home on the way to pick up Jon from school, but I need to get back to work. Would you do it instead?” Lois stood up and started getting ready to leave.

“Sure! But don’t spend too much time at work. You’re lucky we both work in the same place or we’d never see each other!”

“Oh, I’m the one who’s lucky? I think you might be projecting, Clark” Lois raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Clark put a hand on his chest, faking hurt. “Oh, you wound me! But seriously, You have got to learn to relax every once and a while. I was joking, but I do want to spend more time with you outside of work. I know Jon does, too.”

Lois looked down, seeming to think about saying something. If Clark didn’t know her better, he’d think she looked almost guilty. But, instead of saying anything of substance, she kissed him on the cheek, said goodbye and left before she could hear Clark’s response.

Chapter Text

Billy couldn’t believe he was actually in the Batcave. Bruce showed him around a little once they arrived, but there were definitely areas he was deliberately keeping Billy away from. It was pretty much exactly what he expected. It was big and dark and intimidating, but there were touches of personality. Everything was clean and organized, but there was a sense of chaos with the sheer amount of stuff that would have seemed unrelated in any other context. Or in this context, for that matter. Sure, the  computer, workout equipment, and various gadgets and suits all made sense, but what was up with the life size model of a dinosaur?

Any other time, Billy would have been more excited about seeing so much of Batman’s life. He knew how uncommon it was for him to let people see this and Billy appreciated that trust, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was just because Bruce felt sorry for him. Or just because they were both trans. He couldn’t be sure if Bruce actually liked him and trusted him as a person outside of some sense of obligation. Billy also couldn’t help but be afraid Bruce would want something in return. In his experience, people usually weren’t this nice out of nowhere. And it didn’t help that Billy still wasn’t sure who Bruce truly was. Bruce Wayne might trust Billy, but he wasn’t sure Batman trusted Captain Marvel.

“Why don’t we take a break before we get started? I’m sure Alfred has food ready.” Bruce said, having just returned from changing out of the suit. He wore a black sweater and gray slacks. Did the man wear anything with a color outside of the ridiculous rich people events people were always judging his fashion choices at?

“Sure!” Billy was never one to turn down free food. He couldn’t afford to. They went upstairs, to Wayne Manor, which looked almost more like a museum than a house someone actually lived in. Unlike the Batcave, everything was exactly in its place and there was very little that seemed personal. It could have belonged to anyone with enough money. It was also unnaturally clean for a house people supposedly lived in, especially considering Bruce had kids. Billy supposed that was what happened when someone was paid to clean for you and you had way more space than you needed. How did people justify having so much more than they could possibly use when people like Billy barely had enough to get by, if they had a home at all? Billy tried not to show his frustration too much. He knew Bruce didn’t go out of his way to live in a place like this and, to his credit, he did seem a bit sheepish as he showed him the way to the dining room.

But Bruce still could have lived somewhere else and used the property for something more useful, if he wanted to. It was easier to see Bruce Wayne as his hero when he had never come into direct contact with just how much wealth he had. The work Bruce did was still important, but how much of a priority could that possibly be when he was both the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and Batman? It was starting to seem like Bruce was only seen as such an important activist because of his wealth and status when he was really only doing the bare minimum any half decent human would. Billy wondered how many unacknowledged people were actually doing the work Bruce was being credited with. 

He must not have been hiding his thoughts very well because, once they got to the dining room, Bruce gave him a concerned look and asked, “What’s wrong? You seem to be in a worse mood than you were at the Tower.”

Billy didn’t want to have that conversation yet, but he didn’t want to lie either. When he didn’t answer, Bruce said, “I know you probably have a lot going through your head right now and you don’t trust me. I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. I just don’t want you to think I’m not willing to listen if you do.”

Before they could continue their conversation, an older man came in with sandwiches and tea. Billy wasn’t sure how he knew they were there, let alone had enough time to get food ready.

“Billy, this is Alfred. He was my parents’ butler.” Bruce had much more fondness in his voice than Billy would have expected for just a butler. Billy waved and said “Hello.”

He must have given Bruce an incredulous look because he sighed and said, “I suppose Alfred is more than that. He’s the one who raised me after my parents died.” Seeing Alfred’s slight smile at that made Billy wonder if that was for his benefit or Alfred’s. “Alfred, this is Billy. He’s going to be staying with us for his safety.” Bruce briefly explained the situation to Alfred, who seemed entirely unphased.

“Pleasure to meet you, Billy. I hope you enjoy your stay here, however long it may be,” Alfred said, inclining his head slightly in Billy’s direction. There was a slight inflection to his voice that seemed to imply there was some kind of joke Billy was missing.

While Bruce was talking to Afred, Billy ate everything off of the plate Alfred had put in front of him. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until now and barely tasted the food as he ate. He had been tempted to keep some for later, but Bruce had said they would be eating dinner later so Billy figured he would be fine until then. He also didn’t want to have to answer any uncomfortable questions from Bruce, who would definitely notice. He didn’t ask for anything from Bruce’s nearly untouched plate for the same reason.

“Where’s Damian?” Bruce asked.

“Damian is in the library finishing his homework, sir. Would you like me to bring him here to meet Billy?” 

Bruce thought for a second before saying, “No, there will be time for them to meet later. But could you let him know Billy’s here so he’s not surprised?”

“Of course, sir,” Alfred said before leaving the room. 

Once Alfred was almost definitely out of earshot, Billy asked, “If he raised you like you said, why does he call you sir?”

Bruce looked a little embarrassed. “Alfred worked for my parents for a long time before I was born. It’s just how our relationship works. I promise I would never ask him to call me that if he didn’t want to. ‘Sir’ was actually a compromise we came up with for when we have guests that would likely be uncomfortable with the situation. We realized quickly once we started working with trans rights activists closely enough for them to interact with him that calling me ‘Master Bruce’ would not go over well.”

“So would he call you that at other more formal events?”

“Yes, he would be expected to call me that or something similar at anything resembling a high society event.”

“Rich people are weird.” 

Bruce smirked and said, “You don’t know the half of it. It’s why I don’t care much about their approval. I could meet every rule and expectation they set and it would still never be enough for them, even if half of them would never admit it. But I’m not sure I’d want to be the kind of person they would accept without question.” Billy noticed the way he phrased that to not include himself in the same category as other rich people. He could appreciate the fact that Bruce was at least a little self aware, though.

“You’re weird in your own way, too, you know. And you still get to have all the money and connections and influence. They may not accept you, but they still let you in the room. So you don’t get to complain too much.”

All the expression left Bruce’s face and he suddenly reminded Billy of Batman in a way he hadn’t yet without the cowl, his voice flattening. “I wasn’t complaining. I was just stating a fact. And, even if I was, you don’t get to decide how I get to feel.”

Billy realized he must have hit a sore spot, but he didn’t think he was wrong. Billy also knew better than to try to argue with Batman. Billy raised his hands in surrender and said, “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that, even if they don’t like you, they would hate someone like me even more.”

Bruce’s face softened a bit, but not back to how he was before and sighed. “I know. I’ve seen how they’ve treated my kids who weren’t born wealthy.” Bruce glanced at his watch. “We should probably get started on your disguise so we can finish before dinner.” Bruce stood up and left the room. Billy followed him, a little disoriented by the change in subject, but deciding to go along with it. Apparently Batman’s abrupt subject changes were part of Bruce’s real personality.

Once they got to the cave, Bruce showed Billy to where he kept all the disguises. Billy was surprised at first how many there were for kids until he remembered how many kids Bruce had worked with as Batman. Billy realized all the kids Bruce had adopted must have also been vigilantes. 

“First, let’s find a way to cover your hair. It might be easiest to wear a wig, since this will hopefully be temporary and we’d have to bleach your hair to dye it. Your hair is too easily identifiable as it is,” Bruce said. 

Billy hadn’t thought about it, but his red hair probably would stand out. “Would I have to be in disguise all the time or just when I go out?”

“Just when you go out or when we have guests at the manor. It would be best if it’s consistent so you can get used to it and hopefully you’ll have an easier time avoiding any suspicious behavior. So make sure you like what you choose. This could blow over in a week or it could be much longer so you should be prepared for a long term change, just in case.”

Billy looked forward to trying out disguises, but he found himself a little overwhelmed by how many options there were. He decided he might as well have fun with this. When else would he be able to try different hair colors or any other changes to his appearance as Billy? He immediately ruled out anything that was similar to his hair as Captain Marvel. He also ignored anything that looked too similar to Bruce’s hair. He didn’t want anyone thinking he was another surprise biological son. Billy picked out a bright blue wig that was slightly longer and straighter than his own hair.

“I want to try this one!” 

Bruce sighed, clearly exasperated. “If you really like it, I suppose it would be okay if we change enough about your face. But you’ll be drawing more attention than a more natural color would.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It is if you’re actively trying to hide from the media. An eye catching feature like that can distract people enough to not notice your other features, but it also draws more eyes to you, which raises the chances of someone recognizing you. It does help that people likely won’t be expecting you to be in Gotham and the camera wasn’t all that close.” Billy realized how much Bruce must have had to think about this sort of thing. He still wanted to get what joy he could out of this situation, though. Bruce continued, “Just remember you’ll have to wear the same one until it’s safe for you to go back to your usual identity.”

Billy wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea of going back to the way his life had been up until this point. He was never one to complain, but he was having a hard enough time getting used to such a different environment than he had experienced before and he had a feeling it would be even worse the other way around.

Billy tried to put the wig on, but couldn’t quite get it on right. Bruce asked with a softer tone than before, “Do you need help with that?” Billy nodded, hating that he couldn’t do something so simple on his own.

“Come here. Most of the kids had a hard time with these the first time, too. I’m going to touch you, alright?” Billy nodded again as Bruce sat down on a chair so he could access Billy’s head better. He was surprisingly gentle as he adjusted the wig, careful not to touch Billy anywhere he didn’t need to, but not particularly hesitant.

Billy realized that he had probably been touched more by Bruce that day than he had been by anyone in the past week (except maybe as Captain Marvel). He never would have thought Batman would be that willing to be physically affectionate. Bruce didn’t go out of his way to touch him, but he didn’t seem to mind it when it was necessary or just knew it would make Billy feel better.

Once the wig was on, Billy looked in the mirror. He looked much cooler than he thought he actually was, but he couldn’t help but smile. He knew it probably wasn’t the practical choice, but it was only temporary, right? And it would be nice to draw attention for his hair instead of his dirty, ill-fitting clothes or, you know, being a superhero.

“I want this one. How much is dyed hair really going to stand out in Gotham, anyway?”

Bruce pinched his nose and sighed. “Fine, if that’s what you want. You said you wanted to try glasses, right?”

“Yes! I don’t know if I want cool plastic ones or nerdy ones like Clark’s.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow slightly. “You know about Clark?”

“You mean that Clark is Superman? Yeah, I’ve known that for years. I’ve thought about telling him my identity a lot since then. I always thought he would be the first one I’d tell.” Billy trusted Clark, but he could never get past the possible risk that telling him would upend his life. He could tell that Clark was a little hurt by Billy’s silence, but it hadn’t felt like it affected their relationship enough to make up for the risk of revealing his identity. It didn’t help that Billy knew how close he was to other members of the Justice League that Billy didn’t trust nearly as much.

“Hmm. I didn’t realize the two of you were that close. He doesn’t guard that secret as closely as some of us do, but he doesn’t tell just anyone. Are you planning to come out to him? If he trusts you that much, he’ll probably figure out you're hiding something if you don’t. Or he may find out in a way you can’t control.”

Billy had been thinking about whether or not he wanted to come out to anyone else in the Justice League in the back of his mind since he realized he would have to show them Billy Batson. If he told anyone else, it would be Superman, especially now that he knew Clark was okay with Bruce being trans. “I think I will. I just wasn’t in the mood for another identity reveal today.”

“Okay. Just let me know if you tell him. He could tell there was something we were hiding based on our conversation earlier. You don’t have to tell him anything you don’t want to, but I would recommend telling him as soon as you’re comfortable doing so. He can be insecure about this type of thing sometimes.” 

Billy nodded. “I’ll tell him the next time we talk. Knowing him, he’ll probably call soon to check in.”

“So, glasses?” Bruce asked, switching gears so quickly it almost gave Billy whiplash.

Billy tried on several pairs of glasses, finally settling on a plastic, rectangular pair in black. Bruce wouldn’t let him even try any of the more brightly colored ones. “We’re going for distracting from your real appearance, not Elton John cosplay,” he had said. Billy kept his mouth shut about some of the wilder outfits he’d seen Bruce wear in public. He wasn’t sure how much of that was an act and how much was Bruce’s actual sense of style, though.

Finally, Billy tried on some clothes after a good long shower, something he hadn’t had a chance to do in a while. He could tell the clothes were more expensive than anything he had ever owned, which made him a little uncomfortable. But he couldn’t ignore how good they made him feel. It didn’t hurt that Bruce gave him a compression top to wear that completely flattened his chest in a way the stretched out sports bras he’d been wearing couldn’t anymore. He had always just hid that area with a loose hoodie or t-shirt. Billy wondered why Bruce had a compression top in his size, since he didn’t start presenting as a man until he was an adult. Maybe he had experimented as a kid? Or maybe one of his kids was trans? Billy figured it would come up later if Bruce wanted to tell him.

Even though the hair and glasses made Billy look like a different person, he felt more like himself than he ever had before. He felt a little awkward in the suits, but the first time he put on a t-shirt that was actually his size that lay flat on his chest, he almost cried. Bruce had a small smile on his face, but there was a sadness in his eyes as he watched Billy, offering tips on how to put an outfit together. Billy should have guessed he would have an eye for fashion. Maybe all his bolder fashion choices as Bruce Wayne really were his taste.

Once they were done, Billy had more clothes than he had ever owned in his life. He still kept the clothes he was wearing before, though, just in case. He had so few reminders of his life in Fawcett City, he felt like it would be impossible to let them go. Bruce didn’t seem to understand why he kept them, but didn’t try to take them away. He just told Billy not to wear them in public again until the situation had cleared up.

“I believe almost everyone is here for dinner so we should probably join them. I know they’re all looking forward to meeting you,” Bruce said as they made their way back upstairs.

Chapter Text

Bruce wasn’t surprised that Billy was a good enough reason for Dick, Jason, and Barbara to all show up at the same time for the first time in weeks. Regardless of the reason, seeing most of this little community he had helped create all in one room was always incredibly satisfying. By the time he and Billy made their way to the dining room, everybody but Dick and Jason were already there. Dick was probably stuck in traffic or lost track of time. Jason was almost definitely late on purpose.

Everybody who was there had been making their usual conversation until they noticed him walk in with Billy and turned attention to them. Tim and Barbara looked pleasantly welcoming, Steph looked excited, Cass smiled and gave Billy a little wave, and Damian was clearly suspicious, but his glare was less threatening than the way he looked when he first arrived at the manor so Bruce would take it for now. Billy looked a little overwhelmed, which was understandable. Bruce’s family was full of strong personalities and many of them could be unintentionally intimidating.

“As I’m sure you all have figured out, this is Billy. He’ll be staying here until the interest in him and his alter ego dies down enough for him to be safe on his own. I hope you all know I won’t tolerate anything but your best behavior while he’s here.” Bruce had explained the situation in detail to all of them, knowing the consequences of leaving his kids out of the loop..

With that, Dick and Jason walked in, already bickering, although without the animosity they used to have with each other. Bruce would have attempted to get Jason to avoid cursing too much, but he knew the things Billy had probably heard already and decided it wasn’t worth it to risk Jason leaving for that.

“Jason, take off your helmet. You’ll need to take it off to eat, anyway.” Bruce said, fully expecting Jason to argue with him.

“Who says I’m eating here?” Jason said, moving to lean against the wall in the corner opposite of where Billy and Bruce were. He would have a good view, but he was physically as far away as possible while still being in the same room.

Dick had already come into the room and started introducing himself to Billy. “I’m Dick Grayson, or Nightwing, if you couldn’t tell already. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet you without the capes!” He shook Billy’s hand smiling and giving him his full attention.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, too.” Billy seemed to relax a little and smiled a little at Dick, although it wasn’t as over the top as he usually would have expected from Captain Marvel. He must have still been nervous. Bruce wasn’t used to reading Billy in this form. It was somewhat disorienting, interacting with someone he had known for so long showing a side of himself Bruce had never seen, especially since he looked so different than he was used to. Bruce thought about what Clark had said earlier. Maybe Captain Marvel was hiding more than Bruce thought, or maybe Billy just toned down his real self when living as Billy as a way to avoid drawing attention. It was likely a combination of both, but Bruce didn’t know him well enough yet to be sure when Billy was being genuine or not.

Dick started introducing everyone to Billy, starting by pointing at Jason. “That’s Jason, or Red Hood, the second oldest, after me. His story’s too long to get into right now, but he’s the angsty rebellious one.” Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Dick moved on before he got a chance. “That’s Barbara Gordon, or Oracle. She doesn’t live here and never has, but she visits all the time. She works as a librarian when she’s not doing computer based vigilante work.” 

Barbara waved from her wheelchair at the table. “Hello, nice to meet you!” 

“You too” Billy said, still more subdued than Bruce would have expected, but more relaxed than when they first came in. He was glad Billy seemed to respond well to Dick. Most people liked Dick, but he could be a bit much for some people at first if he wasn’t adjusting his behavior for his audience. Bruce always figured Captain Marvel would get along with Dick so he wasn’t surprised to find out that was true. 

Dick continued, gesturing at Tim. “This is Tim, or Red Robin. They're the smart one and also somehow the workaholic, even compared to Bruce, which I’m sure you know is really saying something.”

“Hello, Billy. I think we’ve actually met, just, you know, in capes. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Billy looked thoughtful. “You too. Um, what are your pronouns?”

Tim looked a little surprised to be asked, but answered with a small smile. “My pronouns are they/them, but that’s a somewhat recent development so don’t worry about how you’ve referred to me in the past. Yours are he/him, right?”

Billy smiled back at them and said, “Yeah, that’s right.”

Bruce thought it would be good for Billy to have other people with similar experiences to him around. He wasn’t sure how many trans or queer people Billy had known before, but he had seemed hesitant enough talking about it that Bruce doubted he had much of a community in that sense. These days, it would be easier for Bruce to count the number of straight, cis people he was actually close with, but that hadn’t always been the case. He hoped Billy would benefit from having so many people around that didn’t conform to the rigid expectations of gender and sexuality that so much of the country did. He knew it had been good for most of his family, especially Tim, whose parents had been actively awful about it. 

Pausing first to make sure they were done with their conversation, Dick continued with Cass. “This is Cass, or Black Bat. She’s the quiet, but skilled one. She’s really good at reading body language, but she doesn’t talk much so she usually uses sign language. If you don’t know ASL, she can also read and write so you can communicate that way.”

“Hello,” Cass said, waving in Billy’s direction again. Billy waved back, widening his smile.

Dick kept going, “This is Steph, or Spoiler, or Batgirl, it depends. She’s the spontaneous one and currently lives with her mother, but she was staying here until recently.”

“Hi, Billy! For the record, I’ve always liked you as Captain Marvel. At least you know how to have fun.”

Billy responded, “Hello, and I appreciate that.”

Dick had moved to stand behind Damian and ruffle his hair, which Damian allowed with a scowl. “This is Damian, or Robin. He’s the most recent addition and, unlike the rest of us (no matter what those vultures say), he is actually Bruce’s biological child. He’s the moody preteen, but he can be sweet once you get to know him.”

When Damian just kept staring at Billy, Dick said, “At least say hello to Billy. You’re going to be living in the same house for a while so you should make an effort to get along.” 

Damian said, “Hello,” sounding incredibly unhappy about it. He turned to Dick. “And it’s a big house.” 

Billy said “Hello” back to Damian, not seeming to know what to do with him.

Bruce paid close attention to Damian. He was the one person Bruce was worried about introducing Billy to. Damian could be hard to get along with, in ways not unlike himself at that age. If something really bad happened, he could always stay with Dick until Billy left, but Bruce would rather see them get along. It would be good for both of them to get to know more people their own age.

Dick said, “This is almost everyone. We are missing a couple important people in Bruce’s life. Batwoman and Catwoman usually drop by when they feel like it. If you stay here long enough, I’m sure you’ll meet them eventually.”

After pausing to think for a moment, Billy asked Dick, “You don’t have to answer this, but why do you refer to Bruce by his name instead of Dad, or Father, or whatever?”

Dick got a little more serious. “I love Bruce, but I don’t really think of him as my father. I had a father. He died. And Bruce never officially adopted me until I was an adult anyway. And even then, it was mostly for legal reasons in case of the worst case scenario. Out of all of us, other than Bruce and Alfred, I’m the only one who had a good relationship with my biological father so it’s easier for them to think of Bruce in that way. I still sometimes call him some variation of that, but I usually just use his name.”

Bruce held his tongue until Dick finished, knowing he wouldn’t want to be interrupted, but he had to say, “I hope you don’t really think I only adopted you officially for legal reasons. I do think of you as my kid and there’s a part of me that wanted that legitimacy in a more emotional way as well. It’s a way of cementing our relationship as something more than just a kid and the person that took care of him in the eyes of the law and the public. It does have its benefits for the legal reasons you mentioned, but I would have done it without that.” 

Dick looked away, obviously avoiding Bruce’s eyes. “I don’t want to keep having this conversation with an audience, but I have to say this before we move on. I know you love me now. I don’t want there to be any confusion about that. That doesn’t make you my father. At this point, nothing can.”

Bruce had made a lot of mistakes as a parent to Dick, most of which he had tried to avoid with the rest of his kids. They were mostly on good terms by this point, but the tension hadn’t completely gone away. He knew it was probably too little too late, but he tried to make sure Dick knew how much Bruce loved him whenever he got the chance. When he first brought Dick home, he was young and had barely figured out how to be a man himself, let alone how to raise one. Bruce was grateful every day that Dick still turned out so well adjusted and close with the rest of the family.

“I’m sorry if I brought up a sore spot,” Billy said.

Dick responded before Bruce could think what to say. He was always better at these kinds of conversations. Or any conversation. Dick pulled up a chair so he could look Billy in the eye. “Oh, Billy, it’s not your fault. You would have seen Bruce and I argue about something eventually either way. You have a right to ask questions that will help you get to know us better and understand our relationships with each other so you can find where you fit in for the time that you’re here. You may not always get an answer, but you should never feel bad for asking for one. Unless it’s, like, obviously offensive or something.”

Billy nodded, but didn’t say anything else.

While they were all distracted, Alfred had been setting the table. Billy started eating first, still tearing into his food like he wasn’t sure when his next meal would be. He reminded Bruce of Jason when he first came to the manor. The conversation slowed while everyone was eating, except Jason, who was still leaning against the wall in the corner with his arms crossed. Bruce asked, “What is going on with you, Jason? Usually, we suspect you only bother to show up for Alfred’s cooking.”

“I’m not hungry. I just want to meet this kid in case he becomes a fixture around here. I figure it’s best if he’s not surprised by me randomly showing up one day, as fun as that might have been.”

“You could still take the helmet off so we can talk to you like a human being.”

“Oh, am I not human enough for you? Am I making you uncomfortable? Good, that’s the point.”

Dick stepped in, always the mediator. “Please don’t turn this into a shouting match. Jason, if you don’t want to actually engage with us like part of the family, you need to ask yourself why you’re even here. And if the answer is to gawk at Billy, you’ve had your chance already. Bruce, if he wants to keep his helmet on, there might be a good reason. As long as he’s not causing real trouble, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Bruce could hear the sigh in Dick’s voice. He gave Bruce and Jason the disappointed parent look that he was way too good at for someone his age without kids of his own. Dick was probably right that now would not be a great time to get into a fight, especially with Billy here. Jason seemed to agree, although he still seemed tense. 

Once they were finished eating, they moved into one of the sitting rooms. Once they had all settled in, Jason, who was still standing, said, “Is no one going to say anything? Are we really just ignoring it?”

Bruce had no idea what Jason was talking about. “Ignoring what?”

Tim and Dick were frantically gesturing at Jason to stop while Cass, Steph, Damian, and Billy looked just as confused as Bruce was.

“Jason kept going, paying no attention to Tim and Dick. “The article. You know, the one that says Bruce is a misogynist for being trans? The one that calls me a little girl that was supposedly killed as a result of Bruce influencing me to be trans? The one that calls Tim an imposter who’s just trying to get attention? You seriously haven’t seen it? You were interviewed by the Gotham Gazette once, right?” 

Jason handed Bruce his phone, which had the article he was talking about pulled up. The Gotham Gazette’s coverage of him had been relatively reasonable so he was surprised to see something like this from them. Jason was right that he had interviewed with them several times in the past and generally trusted them not to publish anything too outlandish. Apparently that trust was misguided. The article was everything Jason said it was. It was an editorial written by someone who self identified in the article as a ‘gender critical feminist’ and seemed to think Bruce and his family were conspiring to take down feminism one trans person at a time. They ran through the usual talking points, implying Bruce was led astray by losing his parents and had been ‘forcing’ his kids down the same path. They even went after Dick for occasionally wearing makeup and keeping his hair too long. 

Arguments like this were becoming far too common. It was easy to ignore the people who were saying he was going to hell or that he had somehow ‘ruined’ himself because he could no longer have biological kids. It was harder to face the people who thought they were being progressive by hating trans people. The ones who thought trans people being allowed to be themselves would somehow take away the rights of cis women. The ones who should have been on their side, but weren’t. Bruce had been dealing with the outright hate since he came back from his training as Batman and came out to the public, but this brand of transphobia was newer and something Bruce hadn’t quite figured out how to deal with yet.

Billy was obviously uncomfortable, looking down at his feet. Dick and Tim were yelling at Jason for bringing it up and Jason was yelling back. Steph had looked it up on her phone and was describing it to Cass and Damian. Bruce closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to get his thoughts under control.

After a few breaths, Bruce said, “Alright, everyone. I know this is upsetting, but it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before.” They all quieted down as soon as he started speaking. “Billy, I’m sorry this came up so soon after you got here. I know it’s not fun to hear about this stuff even when it’s not directed at you, specifically. But you should know this sort of thing might happen again while you’re here. I would understand if you don’t think you can deal with that. Do you still want to stay here?”

Billy looked at him, clearly trying to blink away tears as he said, “I might be dealing with some of it directed at me anyway, if they ever figure out my identity. At the very least, they won’t use the right name and pronouns. But it won’t be long before they find some of my former foster parents or relatives and find out the truth. I would rather be with people who understand that situation and might be able to help with it. Even if it does mean seeing how it affects all of you up close.”

Bruce nodded in Billy’s direction, with an expression on his face that he hoped was comforting and supportive. “Okay. You can go to bed whenever you feel like it. We’ll probably be up for a while. Alfred can show you to your room when you’re ready.”

Billy thought about it for a bit then said, “I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ve had a long day.”

“That’s understandable. Good night, Billy.” Dick, Steph, Tim, and Barbara also said good night to Billy.

“Good night, everyone,” Billy said as he left with Alfred.

Once Billy left, there was an uncomfortable silence. Bruce sighed. “Jason, you really need to learn when to keep quiet. There is a time and a place for those conversations. This wasn’t it, not with Billy in the room.”

Jason scoffed. “Oh, please. If what you’ve told us about that kid is true, I’m sure he’s encountered worse. He’ll be fine. You can’t protect him from everything, you know.”

“Maybe not, but I can try to protect him from what I can.”

“It’s too late for that. You don’t know what the foster system is like, what it’s like on the streets. I do. And I know that I and everyone I’ve ever known in that situation would rather know what’s going on than be sheltered from something because an adult assumes we can’t handle it. I’m sure Billy is the same. He may be a kid and a guest, but he still deserves to know what’s going on. Who is that silence really helping?”

“We all need to go on patrol soon. I don’t want to start the night with everyone on edge so why don’t we continue this conversation later?”

Jason yelled “Don’t you fucking dare try to change the subject! You always do this shit when you’re uncomfortable.” Jason softened a bit, but was still clearly angry. “You should at least give yourself and the rest of us a chance to deal with this first.”

Bruce wiped a hand down his face. “Jason, articles like this come out all the time. It’s just part of being a trans public figure. All we can do is try to make the world a little better in whatever way we can. There’s no point in dwelling on it. There are people to save.”

Jason continued, “If what you were doing was really making things better, bullshit like this wouldn’t be published in the first place!”

Bruce took a breath. “Jason, you know these things take time. I’m doing what I can. This isn’t the time for this.”

Dick cut in, “Then when is the time? Bruce, you still need to take care of yourself. And that means letting yourself feel things sometimes. Otherwise, it will come out at a time that could lead to you actually hurting someone. It’s not healthy to keep everything in.”

“Dick, we’ve had this conversation before. I’m fine. You’ll know if I’m not.”

At that moment Bruce’s phone rang. Realizing it was Clark, he said, “I have to take this.” With Clark, Bruce never knew if there was a Justice League level emergency or if he was just bored so he always answered just in case. A habit Clark had been known to abuse. Bruce wanted an excuse to get out of this conversation, anyway.

Bruce picked up the phone and moved into the hallway so he wouldn’t have an audience. The kids derived way too much enjoyment from making fun of how close he was with Clark. They weren’t entirely wrong, Bruce just didn’t like to acknowledge it. He had never had romantic or sexual feelings for Clark (or anyone), but he was closer to him than anyone outside the family. The Justice League were even worse, since they didn’t know he was aroace.

“Hello.”

“How are you doing, Bruce?” Oh no. Bruce could tell from the concern in Clark’s voice that he had seen the article. He did not want to have this conversation again. “I saw-”

Bruce cut him off. “Yes, I’m sure you saw the Gazette article. It’s unfortunate that one of the better ones is publishing this stuff, but I’m fine. I’m more worried about the kids and trans people who don’t have a support system whose family or community might use the language in this article to hurt them. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Bruce, I always worry about you, you know that. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Do you plan to respond?”

“I won’t have much of a choice. I have an interview tomorrow.”

“But don’t you want people to hear your side? They get to control the narrative if you don’t say anything.”

“I’ve given my side. Over and over again. If people haven’t already been listening, they’re not going to start now.”

“But what if they do this time? What about the trans people you were talking about that don’t have support that need to know there’s someone on their side?”

Clark had a point, but he had been doing that and it didn’t seem to be making a difference, at least not enough to be worth it. Shouldn’t he focus his effort and time on things that would make a significant difference? “What do you want me to do, Clark? Keep arguing with people who won’t listen over my right to exist until we’re all dead and it doesn’t matter anymore? Like I said, I’ll probably have to make a statement, anyway.”

“I won’t tell you how to handle any of this, but know that you are making a difference. There are plenty of people out there that you’ve helped just by existing and continuing to fight for that existence. You can’t give up!”

Bruce repressed a chuckle at Clark’s enthusiasm. “I’m not planning on giving up any time soon. I’ll say something, I just don’t have any delusions that it will fix the actual problem, if I do. Seriously, Clark, I’m fine. And I’m busy this time of night.”

“Fine, I can take a hint. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good night.”

Clark knew Bruce didn’t like pointless back and forth statements about having a good whatever so he hung up after that. Bruce came back into the room the kids were in. He saw that Jason had already left, but the others were still waiting. “Seriously, we all need to get ready,” Bruce said, leading them all to the Batcave.

Chapter Text

Billy woke up to someone breaking in.  It took him a moment to remember he was at Wayne Manor and not one of his usual places in Fawcett City. As comfortable as the bed was, that meant he didn’t have something within reach he could easily use as a weapon. Even if he wasn’t supposed to be avoiding turning into Captain Marvel, he usually tried to at least hide and move somewhere outside first, something he also couldn’t do as easily as usual. Before he could do anything, the intruder had already opened the window and swung in feet first with a surprisingly quiet thump. When Billy got a good look, he realized it was actually Red Hood, one of the many people he had been introduced to at dinner.

Billy had to ask, “Weren’t you already in the house? Why did you come in through the window?” Billy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Because I can.” Red Hood walked across the room and sat down in the chair next to the unreasonably expensive looking desk.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re here or are you going to just sit there and stare at me? If that’s all it is, I might as well just go back to sleep.” Billy said, trying not to provoke him too much with how angry he had been earlier, but a little irritated by being woken up in the middle of the night.

Red Hood sighed and finally took off his helmet. Billy sat up and turned on his lamp so he could see him better. Red Hood had the same dark hair and white skin most of the others had. (No wonder there were so many questions about them being Bruce’s illegitimate children.) Unlike the others, he had a white streak in his hair and was not making any attempt to seem friendly. He also still had a red domino mask on that he didn’t take off, but Billy still appreciated the effort. Billy didn’t know much about Red Hood. Just that he used to be a villain until Batman suddenly decided he wasn’t. Billy hadn’t even known until the past evening that he was one of Bruce’s kids.

“Look, we might not have had the best introduction.” Red Hood winced a little and lifted his hand as a wave. “Hi, I’m Jason. I don’t know how much you picked up earlier, but I used to be Robin. And before that, I was a street kid. To be clear, I don’t actually give a fuck what you think of me. I just wanted a chance to talk to you before the others give you the wrong impression.”

Billy smiled and said, “I had no idea of who you were before Red Hood. I’m a little surprised Bruce didn’t tell me any of that, especially since we have so much in common.”

Jason smirked. “Bruce refuses to acknowledge my existence unless he absolutely has to. He just can’t accept that I’m here whether he likes it or not. And I’m not going to just fall over and be exactly what he wants me to be like the rest of them.”

“I guess that checks out. But, to be fair, he didn’t tell me much about the others either. This all just happened so fast.”

Jason leaned forward, focusing his attention on Billy. “This has to have been a huge change for you. I know the Manor is a lot to adjust to and I didn’t have to deal with the army of Robins, former Robins and other assorted vigilantes there are now.”

“Yeah, it is kind of a lot, but I’m used to things changing. There are definitely worse situations I could be in right now.” Billy thought about how Jason had been arguing with Dick when they came in. “It would have been just you, Bruce, and Dick when you first started as Robin. What were they like then? I’ve only known Batman for a few years.” Billy knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to ask Jason about himself at that time.

“Honestly, they weren’t all that different. Dick was angrier, but it seems he was just going through a phase. But I didn’t really see him all that often. He had issues with me taking the title of Robin. Bruce was somehow worse at communicating than he is now. He’s also come a long way in his understanding of what Gotham actually needs. We still disagree about most things, but he used to have a truly absurd level of trust in the police and the justice system. He still has a frustratingly rigid idea of right and wrong, but he has at least gotten to the point where he understands that there are fundamental problems with the system we have. He’s gotten better at knowing when the police, or even Batman, aren’t the answer.”

“I don’t know how I feel about that stuff. Obviously, things need to change. I’ve seen the kind of damage the police can do and I’ve had a couple unpleasant interactions with them, too. But I’ve also seen the damage criminals can do. There has to be a way to keep people safe from the villains who are evil just to be evil, right? And what else do we have besides the justice system?”
“You’ve obviously thought a lot about this.”

Billy brought one of his knees to his chest and looked to the side, away from Jason. “Well, yeah. How could I not as someone who needs to technically break the law sometimes to survive, but also fights criminals as a superhero? I was chosen to be Captain Marvel because I apparently have a pure heart. It almost seems like it’s my responsibility to think about this stuff because of that, too.”

Jason was surprisingly gentle as he said, “You know it’s not all on you to fix everything, right?”

Billy looked back at Jason. “It’s not just on me, but it’s only fair that if I get to have powers, I should use them to help people. And my powers come with more than just strength or speed, Captain Marvel also comes with courage and wisdom. I have to at least try to do what I can.”

Jason abruptly stood up and walked across the room before spinning around to face Billy. He spoke quietly, but intensely. “You don’t owe the world anything. They gave us nothing. Why should we try to fix the problems they created? Sure, it’s worth it to save the people we can, but politicians, and even well meaning people like Bruce don’t understand what it’s really like to be given nothing and told to follow the rules so you and people like you will never be given anything. Unless you’re the ‘lucky’ one that gets to be the exception. Then you’re supposed to ignore everyone else who still has nothing while you’re constantly told you don’t deserve what they gave you. And you better not actually say it’s unfair. Then you’re ungrateful and difficult.” Jason sat back down and his shoulders drooped with defeat. “There’s no winning this game, Billy. Not for people like us.”

Billy uncovered his legs and moved down the bed closer to Jason. “I don’t think it has to be that way. I have to believe there’s a way to make things better. Maybe we can’t win the game, but we, with help from people who have the things we don’t, might be able to change it.”

“I hope you’re right, Billy, I really do. I just can’t afford to bank on the goodness in people anymore.”

Billy shrugged. “Well, maybe you can at least trust in the good in the people closest to you.”

“Like who? Bruce?” Jason started laughing.

“It doesn’t have to be Bruce. If you always assume people are out to get you, they will be.”

Jason shook his head. “Whatever you say, kid.” 

“This is kind of a lot for three in the morning. Maybe we should talk about something else. How did you even meet Bruce?”
“You’ll never believe this.” Jason told Billy how he had met Batman while in the middle of stealing the tires off of the Batmobile. They kept talking for a while longer, sharing stories about Bruce and their civilian lives.

Eventually, he pulled a flip phone out of his pocket and handed it to Billy. “There’s a number loaded on that phone that you can call if you ever need me. I was telling the truth before. I didn’t want to surprise you or scare you. But I do actually want to get to know you. I might as well get something out of Bruce’s inability to stop adopting orphans.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Good night!” Billy looked at the clock. “Morning, whatever.” Jason nodded, put the helmet back on and left through the window.

Billy woke up the next morning, having slept better than usual, despite the interruption.  He was still aware of the unfairness of the luxury of the Manor compared to what he was used to, but he was going to enjoy it while he could. He thought about how much his situation had changed in the last day. This wasn’t the first time Billy’s life had changed quickly and unexpectedly, but that didn’t make it any less disorienting. He was grateful for how well he had been treated so far. It was rare for him to spend time with a family that actually paid attention to him, let alone showed actual support. 

Of course, Batman’s family wasn’t perfect, but Billy knew better than to expect that. They all seemed to genuinely care about each other, even with their differences and that was not as common as it should be in Billy’s experience. Billy hoped he had the chance to get to know them better. They all seemed to have a lot going on, but they all seemed to want to spend time with him, except Damian. Billy almost didn’t want to know what that kid’s deal was. No one acted that way if they hadn’t been hurt before. Captain Marvel had interacted with Nightwing and Red Robin before, but he’d had no idea Batman had so many other heroes in Gotham. There was clearly a lot he didn’t share with the Justice League.

Billy’s thoughts were interrupted by his Justice League communicator going off. All of his remaining sleepiness left him as he read the message from Superman informing the founders and Billy that the press already knew Billy’s legal name and identity. 

He knew this would happen eventually, but he had thought it would take longer for someone to figure out that information, if anyone cared enough to look. There weren’t exactly a lot of public records of his existence, especially using his legal name. It was a good thing they had already planned for that possibility. This was the one time Billy appreciated Batman’s tendency to over prepare.

The smartphone Bruce had given him lit up and started vibrating with the notification that Clark was trying to start a video call. Bruce must have given him the number. Billy picked up, not sure how he felt about this, let alone what he would tell Clark.

When the call connected, Billy saw Clark on a couch in what looked like his living room. “Good morning, Billy. I just wanted to see how you were doing with the news. I assume you’ve checked your communicator. I also wanted to give you a heads up about how the press found out your identity.”

“Okay. Why not just tell everyone in the message?”

He may have been dressed as Clark, but his mannerisms and voice were all Superman as he said, “They’ll find out eventually and the effect is the same either way. And I wanted to talk to you first. The press knows your identity because the person who took the video knows you. He says he was your foster brother for a while. He claims he was just taking a video of Captain Marvel because he knew he might be able to make some money off of it and was surprised when Captain Marvel turned into you. Lois and I don’t know if we believe that story. He says his name is Henry.”

This couldn’t be good. It had been months since Billy had been in a foster home and there weren’t many of his siblings that would have been likely to do that so he had a pretty good guess who it was even before Clark told him the name. Which was not good. Henry knew he was trans, but was never really accepting of that. 

Billy asked cautiously, “Did he say anything else about me?” If Henry revealed Billy’s gender identity, that would only add to the scrutiny he would already be dealing with. It may be longer than they thought before it would be safe for him to go out as himself. Although, if everyone knew his identity anyway, he might be allowed to transform into Captain Marvel sooner.

That was a small comfort with how bad this might get. He had seen how trans people were talked about in the media. He had been made painfully aware of it just last night. If people found out he was staying with Bruce, it would only get worse. Billy’s feelings about Bruce were more complicated than they had been before, but he didn’t want anyone to be treated that way. And he definitely didn’t want things to get worse for Bruce because of him.

Clark obviously knew what Billy was really asking with how he sighed and softened his expression. “He did share what he knew about you from when you were foster brothers, including the fact that you’re trans. Although he didn’t exactly word it that way. I would tell you not to read any of what the press will say about you, but I know you’ll want to see it for yourself. Just…take care of yourself.”

“I was going to tell you as soon as I got the chance, I swear.” Billy really was planning to tell Clark, maybe even later that day. He was frustrated that he never got the chance to tell Clark on his own. It felt like something had been stolen from him. He so rarely got the chance to say those words to someone he could actually trust to take it well. He almost regretted not telling Clark earlier, but he obviously hadn’t really wanted to or he would have. The chance to reveal his civilian identity had been stolen in a similar way, but he wasn’t sure how long it would have taken him to get there on his own. He definitely would have told Clark about his gender soon so it felt like even more of a betrayal.

“I’m sure you were. To be honest, I had a feeling that was the case before that, anyway. I assume Bruce already knows.”

“Yes, he knows. I think it’s the only reason he suggested I come stay with him.”

Clark cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know about that. You might be underestimating Bruce’s adopting habit. It probably did make him feel closer to you, though. He hadn’t adopted anyone before Dick and he’s not trans.”

“I guess, but he didn’t already know Dick as someone he didn’t like. And he’s…I don’t know. He’s just so likable without even trying.”

Clark leaned forward. “I think you being a kid would have changed his opinion on you either way. That context would make a huge difference to him. What he expects of a superhero colleague and what he expects of a child are not the same.”

“I hope you’re right. It looks like I might be staying here longer than we thought.”

“Only if you want to.”

Billy curled up, hugging his knees. “What choice do I have? I don’t want to stay with any of the rest of you any more than I want to stay here. Not that I hate it here or anything. I just don’t want to spend the whole time fighting with Bruce.”

“You always have a choice, Billy. If there’s something else you think would work better for you and keep you safe, we’ll make it happen.

Billy sighed. “I don’t think there’s anything better. I’m not going back in the system and I’m probably safer here than I would be anywhere else. I know we’ll figure it out like we always do. I just wish there was a better option.”

“That’s understandable. I know this probably won’t be easy, but you’re also one of the most resilient people I know and getting to know the civilian version of you only confirms that. That doesn’t mean you should have to deal with any of this, though. Don’t be afraid to get in touch if you need anything or just to talk. I want to talk more now, but, unfortunately, I need to get back to work. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Oh, okay. Have a good day, then.”

“You too, Billy.” Clark ended the call. Billy didn’t move for a moment, feeling trapped in a way he hadn’t before. It seemed like everyone got to make decisions about his life except him. But he also knew that would only get worse if he stopped even trying to make his own choices so he got out of bed and started down the hallway, hoping he remembered how to get to the kitchen. 

It was strange to have so much quiet and empty space. It was almost eerie. Billy knew everyone was probably just still asleep, but it was still unnerving how his footsteps echoed as he made his way downstairs. That is, until Tim Drake nearly ran into him on the stairs.

They seemed to be talking to someone with an earpiece and were somehow balancing a laptop, several pieces of paper, multiple pens and highlighters, and a cup of coffee without dropping or spilling anything. Tim apologized to Billy and slowed down to walk with him as they finished their call. 

“Good morning, Billy! Did you sleep okay?” Tim asked.

“Yeah, actually. I did get a surprise 3am visit from the Red Hood, though.” Billy answered honestly as they walked into the kitchen and Tim put their stuff down on the table. He didn’t quite feel ready to talk about what he had just learned.

Tim shuddered a little and said, “He did that to me once, but I’m going to assume it went very differently with you, if you managed to sleep afterwards. It makes sense that Jason likes you. You’re exactly the type of kid he’s a vigilante for and the kind of kid he was.”

“What did he do to you?” Jason hadn’t told Billy much about his life as Red Hood. He mostly focused on his childhood with a little about his time as Robin.

Tim flinched. “You don’t want to know. He’s come a long way since then, though. I still wouldn’t say we’re exactly close. We tolerate each other. That’s about it.”

“But he’s still family, right?”

TIm smirked. “I suppose he is, whether he likes it or not. To be fair, we’re all a little dysfunctional. We’re just dysfunctional in ways that compliment each other most of the time. All of us would probably be worse off without each other.”

Alfred wasn’t there, but there was food waiting for them. “Yeah, it could always be worse.” Even if he hadn’t told them yet, Billy was still glad he had Bruce and his family’s support. He knew all of this would be harder to deal with alone. Billy wondered about how the rest of them ended up here. Bruce was a very public figure, but the details of his kids’ lives were mostly kept private. They both ate in silence for a moment, Tim doing something on their phone.

“How did you meet Bruce?” Billy asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Tim gave a small smile. “I sort of knew Bruce before because he ran in the same circles with my parents, but I met him for real after Jason died. I had figured out Batman and the Robins’ identities and I saw that Batman needed someone to be a Robin so I convinced him to train me. My parents were still around in theory, but they didn’t pay any attention to what I did. When they died, it was an easy choice to move in here. I already practically lived here, anyway.”

Billy’s eyes widened. “I can’t imagine trying to convince Batman of anything as a stranger. He’s intimidating enough when you know him!”

“Well, looking back on it, I think he might have recognized me and knew how awful my parents were. He had interacted more with them than with me and they might have been worse to him when I wasn’t around. I hadn’t come out yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he recognized something in me and realized I may not be safe with my parents. He might have listened anyway, but I don’t think it hurt that he could tell I wasn’t in a great family situation.”

“It’s still impressive, though.”

“If you say so.” Tim turned their attention back to their phone.

Billy thought about what he could get away with asking. He was still worried about what would happen when the public found out the truth about his identity, but Tim didn’t seem open to actually having that conversation with how distracted they were. Billy couldn’t quite meet Tim’s eyes as he asked, “How do you deal with being so publicly out? I don’t know what I’ll do if everyone finds out about me.”

Tim sighed and turned their attention back to Billy. “Billy, I’m not sure I’m the best example of how to deal with this. My therapist would say I don’t deal with it. I don’t think anyone in this family is actually that great at dealing with that stuff, if you couldn’t tell last night. The only thing I can tell you is don’t try to deal with it alone when you don’t have to. Honestly you seem more well adjusted than any of us are so, if anything, we could learn a thing or two from you.”

Billy nodded. Before he could respond, Tim’s phone beeped and they looked at it and said, “I’ve got to go. See you later, Billy!” as they left.

And, just like that, Billy was alone again.

Chapter Text

Clark was trying to focus on the article he was writing, but his mind wouldn’t stop wandering. He had days like this sometimes where he just couldn’t bring himself to pay attention to the little everyday tasks of doing his job when he couldn’t help but feel like there were more important things he could be doing. He knew how vital this part of his life was if he wanted to stay connected to his humanity, but it could be hard to remember that sometimes.

This particular situation was different. In some ways, the most useful thing he could be doing is being a journalist and keeping an eye on what the news is saying about everything going on in the world. And contributing to that in a hopefully positive way. But he couldn’t choose his projects and he had missed work a few too many times lately so he was stuck writing pointless articles about sports until Perry decided otherwise.

It just seemed like crisis after crisis, both specific to people he cared about and on a broader scale. And the worst part was that most of them were things Superman could do next to nothing about. He could always use his status as a public figure to support the causes he cared about, but he had already been doing that and it could only do so much. He didn’t actually have much direct influence over politics and that was very much by design. That didn’t stop him from being frustrated by the decisions the people who did have that power were making.

It didn’t help that he could hear so much of what was going on outside the building even when he was specifically trying to direct his focus away from that. He had accepted a long time ago that he couldn’t save everyone, but that didn’t make it any less distracting to know about all the people that could be in trouble and choosing not to do anything about it. It felt like there was no escape when his civilian job, his life as a superhero, and most of his relationships all involved dealing with the problems in the world. Clark still believed in a better tomorrow, but the constant reality of multiple genocides, legislation and media targeting people for their identities (including some of the people closest to him), and all the usual problems that had been there his whole life were enough to start chipping away at his optimism. It just seemed like nothing he could do would ever be enough. 

He jumped a little, barely catching himself to avoid floating, as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He quickly realized it was Lois and, based on the expression on her face, she had been trying to get his attention for a while. She knew not to raise her voice at him too much in a situation like this, with how sensitive his hearing could be.

“Clark, I’m about to go out for an interview. I’ll probably eat lunch while we’re out so don’t wait for me.” She looked at his computer. “Is that the same article you were working on earlier? You’re usually more productive than this. You better hurry and finish this unless you want to be stuck on sports for another week.”

Clark sighed. “I know, I know. Just distracted, I guess.”

“Well, yeah, I can tell. It took like five minutes to get your attention. Maybe you should take an early lunch and get back to it after.”

“Maybe I’ll do that.”

Once Lois left, he did what she suggested and took a break, but instead of getting lunch, he used the time to go out as Superman. While he was out, he saw some anti-superhero protestors outside the capitol building. He wondered what they were up in arms about this time. Clark knew that the Justice League wasn’t always perfect and understood why people might have problems with it, but it was rare to see so many people protesting about the issue at once in Metropolis. He took a closer look at their signs and realized they were advocating for a requirement that heroes no longer be allowed to keep secret identities.

Clark understood where they might be coming from, but there had been attempts before at laws like that and they always failed because the politicians realized that heroes could just reveal a fake identity or create a new secret identity to replace the old one that was revealed. He tried to think of a reason why all these people would be so adamant about this now and came up with nothing. Well, nothing except the fact that Captain Marvel had just been exposed as a kid named Billy Batson. It didn’t make sense for this protest to be about that, though. It hadn’t been long enough for this many people to organize like this. He’d have to talk to the League and see if anyone could think of a reason for superhero identities to suddenly be such an issue.

He also noticed there weren’t any police on the scene. The police in Metropolis weren’t quite as corrupt as they were in a city like Gotham, but they still had a habit of taking things a little too far if there were too many people protesting on certain issues. Either they didn’t think the protestors were much of a threat or the government was already planning to do what they wanted. Or there was always the possibility someone paid the police off to ignore this. He might also need to have a chat with the Metropolis police commissioner. Or maybe get someone at the Daily Planet on it.

Clark had been using his superspeed to avoid being seen, but he didn’t want to push his luck so he flew off to save some construction workers that were about to be crushed by a steel beam. The last thing he needed was people asking probing questions about his identity while he was so distracted.

Despite the protestors, he did feel a bit better after being able to actually do something. He managed to get done early with everything he absolutely had to do so, keeping an ear out for anyone walking by, he got out his Justice League communicator to catch up on messages. There was a lot of concern about the situation with Billy. Clark was concerned, too. The kid was good at faking it, but Clark could tell the situation was getting to him. He was tempted to check in on Billy, but Bruce generally didn’t appreciate him actively checking in on Gotham without permission. He was worried about Bruce and the kids, too, but he knew they had been through this before and would probably be fine. He spent the rest of the day calling in favors to see if he could get more positive coverage of the situation with Billy and trying not to worry too much.

After yesterday, today felt downright normal for Bruce. He still hadn’t slept much, but there was always something keeping him up at night. He had to leave earlier than he would have liked to make the early meeting he had to schedule because of the interview later. He knew that normalcy would probably dissolve as soon as he got back to the Manor, however. He almost considered postponing the interview and going home early, especially after seeing Clark’s message. He knew there weren’t many people at home today. Damian had school, Cass had an all day dance rehearsal so it was probably just Billy and Alfred. 

Bruce really needed to get some sort of tutoring set up for Billy, since he hadn’t been in school, but until then, Bruce knew how lonely that house could get with only two people in it. He just couldn’t justify missing this interview and there was too much that had to get done before that for Wayne Enterprises. He had tried the hands off approach and found that he couldn’t afford to have his name associated with something he wasn’t at least keeping an eye on. And he hadn’t done any WE work the day before so he had some catching up to do.

As the interview approached, he realized news had probably been released about Billy’s identity, but he avoided actually reading any of it. That turned out to be a mistake.

The interview started out well, with Bruce turning on the usual (mostly fake) charm. It wasn’t until after the commercial break that things started to go off the rails. 

The interviewer asked for his response to the Gotham Gazette article and he stayed relaxed and polite like always. “Just like all the other claims out there that I have in any way hurt my children because of my identity, this is just a way to get attention. I sincerely hope that the author of that article and the people who agree with her can open their minds to a more inclusive idea of feminism that includes trans people without invalidating our identities. We’re all fighting the same fight. And any accusations that I have been abusing my kids are provably false and are not backed up by any meaningful evidence. I’m deeply disappointed in the Gotham Gazette for publishing something like that.”

“Would you describe yourself as a feminist?”

“Yes, of course I would. I think everyone should be.”

“If you’re a feminist, shouldn’t you be listening to women? How do you, as a man, justify disagreeing with what a woman is saying? Do you feel your past gives you some claim on womanhood?”

So it’s going to be this kind of interview, huh? Bruce fought not to let his smile falter. Getting angry would only guarantee no one listened to what he really had to say. “I do my best to listen to the women in my life when they point out my mistakes. But my life would be very confusing if I tried to live according to the advice of every woman that’s ever claimed to be a feminist at once. There are too many feminists for all of them to agree with each other on everything. I’m sure there are plenty of women who are on my side in this. If I’m ever unsure, I ask someone I trust. But my gender and the genders of my children are not up for debate.”

“How can you call yourself a feminist when you and your now dead daughter rejected femininity?” Bruce was really going to need to have a conversation with his publicist after this. The network had switched to a different interviewer last minute so there may not have been time to check, but it was her job to make sure this sort of thing never happened.

Bruce took a deep breath, knowing he would have to tread carefully, but inwardly seething. “My son and I found that femininity didn’t work for us. I don’t believe someone has to share an experience or identity to respect it.” He had some choice words for this interviewer for asking that question, but he knew the consequences wouldn’t be worth it. 

A producer was making hand signals at her. He wondered if she was going too far or if they just realized he wasn’t going to rise to the bait. “Let’s move on to something else, shall we? We just found out today that a member of the Justice League, Captain Marvel, is secretly a transgender child. What do you have to say about that?”

Wait, the press knew Billy was trans? That wasn’t included in Clark’s message. Bruce immediately regretted not leaving work early. “To be completely honest, I haven’t been keeping track of the news today, but I’m sure the Justice League is handling the situation appropriately.”

“Aren’t you the Justice League’s largest source of funding? Shouldn’t you be more involved in something like this? Are you doing anything about it?”

“I was aware that there was footage that could reveal his identity. I have a company to run so I don’t have time to pay attention to everything the Justice League is doing. That being said, I will check in and make sure they are dealing with this in a way I find acceptable.”

“What do you think should be done about this situation? It calls into question the identities of the other members as well. Do you think there should be a larger investigation into the secret identities of other members of the League?”

Bruce couldn’t say anything that would risk someone figuring out he was Batman, but he didn’t want to offend anyone, either. Knowing that this interviewer would use anything he said against him, he decided to play it safe on this one. He could always claim he had changed his mind later. He knew he would probably have some apologizing to do later for this. “Superheroes should be held accountable for their actions and the secrets they keep. Captain Marvel is a child so there is not much that can be done legally other than potentially removing or suspending him from the League. It’s not up to me what they choose to do. As far as a larger investigation goes, I have concerns about maintaining the right to privacy of the Justice League’s members. It may not be a bad idea to find some way to confidentially confirm that they aren’t secretly children or hiding a violent criminal record without revealing their identities to the public.”

“Who would be responsible for this investigation?”

“Like I said, it’s not really up to me and I don’t know if anything like that will happen but probably a committee of League members and trusted civilians.”

Finally, the interviewer started wrapping up and Bruce was allowed to leave. As soon as he got out, he went straight to the Manor instead of going back to work as he had planned. When he got there and Alfred answered the door, Bruce asked, “Where’s Billy?”

Alfred answered, “He went outside to get some fresh air about half an hour ago. I was just about to go check on him.”

But when they went out to where Alfred had left him,then searched the rest of the grounds and Manor, Billy was nowhere to be found.

Chapter Text

Billy understood why Bruce had to say it. He really did. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. 

Bruce had said he cared about Billy, but how could he be sure? He had only known the real Bruce Wayne for, what, 24 hours? Sure Clark had said Billy needed to trust Bruce, but, right now, he seemed like every other foster parent who made promises they couldn’t keep. Bruce may have had his own secrets, but it was becoming very clear that those secrets were more important to Bruce than their relationship. Even if this was never going to be permanent, Billy still expected support from the man who was supposed to be his father figure. 

Even as a trans person, Bruce should have at least supported Billy’s gender identity. Sure, he stood up for himself and Jason, but why couldn’t he do the same for Billy? He knew Bruce supported his identity, but it wouldn’t have been out of character for Bruce Wayne to show actual support for any trans kid. What was the point of being an advocate for trans people, if Bruce couldn’t even show real support for someone he knew ? Someone he had worked with for years? It felt like Bruce was only willing to support people outside his family when it was convenient for him. And, clearly, Billy wasn’t family.

The manor was huge, but he felt suffocated by it. Was Bruce in that interview his future? Always holding himself back to appease people that would never accept him for who he is? Billy already had more than enough experience with that. If that’s what life with Bruce would be like, he wanted nothing to do with it. Billy came to the manor for safety, but the thing the manor was supposed to protect him from happened anyway. What was the point in staying here if it wouldn’t protect his identity and will probably mean even more scrutiny if anyone discovers his connection to the Wayne’s? His identity wasn’t the only one at stake here. 

He still wasn’t happy with most of the Justice League so he didn’t think it was a great idea to contact any of them. He wasn’t sure he could deal with their pity and condescension. Bruce was the only one who really seemed to understand, even if he didn’t always get it right. Maybe Billy could just hide somewhere for a while, decide what to do next. He could always pull out Captain Marvel if he got in real trouble and, if he wore a disguise, no one would recognize him as Billy Batson. 

He asked Alfred if they could go into the city, but he insisted on waiting until Bruce got home. He would have to find another way to get out. Then he remembered the phone Jason had given him. Even if he couldn’t help him leave the manor, Jason would at least be willing to let Billy vent about Bruce.

Jason barely answered the phone before it went to voicemail. He complained about how early Billy was calling, but otherwise seemed willing to help. He told Billy about all the secret passages in the manor that could be used to get out and helped him make an escape plan. They arranged to meet at an address just outside of Crime Alley later that evening. Jason warned Billy that Gotham was dangerous and he should be careful, but Billy was a literal superhero and had lived on the streets off and on for years. He was sure he would be fine.

Billy was not fine. He thought he was going the right direction, but Gotham was confusing, especially on this side of town. The air was oddly still, which was never a good sign in a city. Billy started walking faster, hoping he could make it to the address Jason gave him before whatever was in the air settled. 

Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth. The attacker’s other arm circled his waist and pulled him just barely off his feet. Billy struggled to get free with every trick he knew, but none of it was working. It wasn’t the first time Billy had found himself in a tight spot and he was used to living on the streets. He wasn’t totally helpless without Captain Marvel. Maybe Gotham criminals were built different or this particular one was just more motivated, since his identity was revealed. Billy wasn’t just some random street kid anymore.

Three more people formed a circle around him and the one holding him, coming closer with cuffs, a gag, and a blindfold. They were probably planning to kidnap him, maybe go for a ransom from the Justice League, or even Bruce directly, if they knew he was staying with him. Billy redoubled his efforts in struggling to get free, trying to open his mouth to bite the hand on it. 

He finally managed to kick the one holding him in the crotch hard enough that he let go. Billy took his chance and ran in the opposite direction, trying to find the path to where he was meeting with Jason on his phone. He could have turned into Captain Marvel, but he didn’t want to draw too much attention.

He wasn’t sure he would need to, anyway. His assailants probably knew the city better, but Billy realized they must not have been eating very well. The one who had trapped him had been strong, but Billy could feel their ribs even through multiple layers to fight the cold. He knew what it was like to spend the winter on the streets and it was even colder in Gotham than in Fawcett City. He felt his anger start to shift into empathy, but he still needed to find Jason.

Right when Billy was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep his lead much longer, he saw Jason in full Red Hood gear lounging on a bench. He didn’t move other than to give Billy a casual one handed wave, casually resting his other hand on one of his guns. The others slowed down when they saw Red Hood.

“Boss?” One of them said, clearly nervous.

Jason finally stood up. “We’ll be having a chat later about going after children. Now scram before I change my mind. I’ll find you when I’m ready.” They couldn’t run away fast enough. 

“Alright, Billy?” Jason asked, settling back down on the bench where Billy had sat down to catch his breath.

Billy tried to calm his breathing. He hadn’t realized how out of shape his human body was. “Yeah, I’m fine. Before you yell at me, I didn’t do anything stupid. I just got a little turned around, is all.”

Jason turned towards Billy. “Who said I was gonna yell at you? I’m not your mother. Hell, I’m not even a hero. I have a pretty tight hold on the part of Crime Alley near here and my people don’t kill anyone without my permission, especially not a kid. I wasn’t testing you. If anything, I was testing them. And they failed.”

“They didn’t look great for being your people. Don’t you take care of your own?” Jason never seemed like the type of person to let people who depended on him starve, criminal or not.

“Of course I do. But these guys are new. I had other people keeping an eye out in case something like this happened. They woulda stepped in if you were really in danger.”

“What will you do to them?”

Jason shrugged. “Haven’t decided yet. But they’ll get another chance. It’s not really fair to expect a starving man to see the promise of being set for life and pass it up. They’ll get there. They always do.” Jason sighed. Or at least that’s what it sounded like through the modulator. “Come on, we probably shouldn’t stay here too long. I’ll take you to my place.

It was a short walk to Jason’s apartment, but it took twice as long as it could have. Jason had a brief conversation with everyone they saw, asking after their family members, pets, jobs, whatever was going on in their lives. He clearly knew this neighborhood the way Billy knew Fawcett City. It made him a little homesick, but he knew the Justice League would never let him go back there alone. He wondered how Freddy and everyone else he knew back home were doing. He needed to find a way to keep in touch with them.

Once they got into the apartment, (which Billy thought was nice, even if it was just a room with a bed, a kitchen, a folding table, and a few chairs) Jason took off his helmet, leaving the domino mask on. “So, what made you want to get out?”

“Did you see the interview Bruce gave earlier?”

Jason smirked. “No, I stopped watching him in interviews a long time ago. He’s even more insufferable when he’s playing to the cameras than he is the rest of the time.”

“Oh.” 

“Look, Billy, I understand you have kind of a hero worship thing going on with him. I did once, too. But he’ll let you down like he did me. Like he did all of us.” Billy wasn’t sure if he meant Bruce’s kids or everyone in Gotham. “I get you might need to stay with him for a while to wait for the Justice League to get their shit together. You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. Just don’t expect him to fix all your problems or to win any father of the year awards.”

“How long can I stay here?”

“As long as it takes them to find you here. I give it an hour at most.”

Bruce pulled up to Jason’s building in Crime Alley in the old car he kept around for this purpose. Apparently, according to Oracle, Billy was here. Bruce couldn’t decide whether to be relieved that the kid was safe or angry that Jason, of all people, was the one Billy went to. 

At least it hadn’t taken long for Oracle to respond to his message. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could have paced in the batcave before putting on the suit and scouring the city. Billy could probably take care of himself, but it was Gotham. Anything could happen. He had debated whether to put on the suit anyway, but he wanted to actually have a conversation, not get into a fight. He liked to think he had grown past the time in his life when he thought everything could be solved with his fists. But he wasn’t sure Jason had learned that lesson. He just hoped Jason would care enough about Billy’s well being not to get violent.

Bruce knocked on the door and, surprisingly, Jason opened it almost immediately.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m not playing games. You know why I’m here.”

Jason smirked and opened the door wider so Bruce could come in. “I assume you’re looking for him?” He gestured to the table where Billy was eating a sandwich.

Bruce felt a weight lift from his shoulders seeing that Billy was safe. He almost wanted to hug him, but Bruce had a feeling that would not go over well. “Billy, we will be setting some ground rules when we get back, but I’m glad you’re safe.” Jason sat on the kitchen counter, watching, but not getting involved.

Billy swallowed. “Of course I’m safe. I’ve been a superhero or living on the streets for years. I can take care of myself.”

Bruce sighed and sat down in one of the other chairs. “I know that. But that doesn’t mean nothing could happen. You have to understand there are people in this city that would not hesitate to do unspeakable things to a kid like you. And a lot of them are smart enough to gag you before you can say anything. This isn’t Fawcett City.”

“It’s not like I ran away and just started wandering the city alone. I called Jason.”

“And what if something had happened to you before you got to him?”

Billy blushed, clearly hiding something. Bruce opened his mouth to ask, but Jason answered before he could. “Oh, please. I had people all over the city following him and making sure he stayed out of trouble. If they couldn’t handle it, I would have been there in minutes.”

“You could have just gone to the Manor where he wouldn’t have been in danger at all!”

Jason responded with as much heat as Bruce felt. “If you think-”

Billy slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here! I would have run away no matter what, Jason just gave me somewhere to go. If you’re going to be angry, get angry at me. I know you two don’t get along, but I don’t want this to turn into a fight.”

Bruce took a deep breath, letting his anger go. “You’re right that you should get a chance to speak. I’m really not angry with you. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“If you care so much about me, why didn’t you stand up for me in that interview?”

Bruce sighed. “We’ll talk about this when we get home.”

“No, I’m not leaving until you explain yourself!” 

“Fine.” Bruce leaned forward so he could look at Billy more directly. “That interview was a mess and I probably should have canceled. They didn’t ask the questions I was given ahead of time. I should have at least read what they were saying in the news about you so I wasn’t unprepared. I can’t always say what I think, especially when it seems likely it will be twisted to fit an unflattering narrative about me.”

Billy slowly sat down, his gaze losing some of its heat. “I know you can’t say everything you want, but you did defend yourself, and even Jason.”

Jason perked up at his name but didn’t say anything.

“How did you kn- Never mind. I didn’t want anyone to know you’re staying with me. It could raise questions about my identity and everyone else in the family’s as well. And, more importantly, it’s safer for you if no one knows where you are. Which is why you should have stayed at the Manor.”

“That’s not good enough.”

Bruce looked away. “I don’t know what you want me to say. If it makes you feel better, I was planning on making a more direct statement in support of you in the next few days. Sometimes, I have to choose my battles. And I will fight for you. I just can’t always push back on everything at once without losing the credibility and trust I’ve worked so hard to build. I’m sorry and I’ll make sure we’ve talked about it before I say anything about you to the press in the future.”

Billy looked down at the table and chewed on his lip, thinking. “I don’t know…What do you think, Jason?”

Jason jumped down from the counter to lean against it instead. “I think I want both of you out of my apartment so I can put out whatever fires have been started in my absence. If you really don’t want to go home with Bruce, I can find somewhere for you to stay, but it won’t be here. Too many people know about this place. As much as I fucking hate Bruce, I know he and everyone else will look after you. But this has to be your choice.”

Bruce was a little shocked Jason didn’t try to convince Billy not to trust him. It reminded him that he and Jason were making progress even if they still argued more often than not. But he also needed to get going. “So are you coming with me, Billy?”

Billy thought for another second. “Yeah, I guess I will. But you can’t keep acting like you don’t care about me. If I’m not worth a few compromises, I don’t want to live with you.”

“Alright, I think I can manage that. Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

Billy woke up the next morning to Bruce knocking on his door, telling him they were going into the city.

After Billy ran away, Bruce grounded him inside the manor unless someone came outside with him. Billy considered himself lucky he wasn’t punished any worse. He’d run away from foster parents enough to have experienced all kinds of reactions. Bruce had always kept himself under control when he got angry dealing with the Justice League so Billy was relatively certain he wouldn’t get physical, but that still left a wide range of possibilities. Bruce also decided that he couldn’t be left alone in the house with only Alfred for company. Billy chafed at the lack of trust to be independent and didn’t want to feel like a burden to anyone else, but he looked forward to getting to know the others better. 

When Billy was ready, they had a quick breakfast and took one of Bruce’s less flashy cars into the city. They were both wearing disguises so Bruce could show him around the city without getting interrupted. Billy wore the blue wig and glasses he had picked out when he first got to the Manor and Bruce had on a loose hoodie and sweats that looked like they had been owned for years and a shockingly effective combination of a light brown wig and subtle prosthetics. 

On the way, Bruce told Billy a little about the city. “Gotham is known for its crime, but plenty of good people live here, too. You should always be vigilant in the city, especially if you don’t have a disguise. I don’t need you getting kidnapped or worse. Even in disguise, you really shouldn’t be in the city without one of us until you know your way around. It’s notoriously easy to get lost, as you found yesterday.”

Billy didn’t realize Bruce knew about his close call. He was surprised he wasn’t making a bigger deal out of it. Billy could admit it wasn’t his finest moment, but he still couldn’t let that go without defending himself. “I’ve been on my own for years. I can handle myself.”

Bruce glanced over at him. “Maybe in Fawcett City, but Gotham is different. Anything can happen here. Even the protection of everyone seeing you as just another kid may not be enough to avoid running into problems. I don’t like to let anyone in the family go into the city alone, but I know they and you will end up doing it anyway. And sometimes you end up alone when you never intended to be. They know the city well enough to have a place to run to if they get in trouble. We have a number of safe houses and hiding spots we can use in an emergency and we have a list of businesses we trust. Knowing your way around helps, but the city can still be dangerous no matter how familiar you are. That’s why I want to take you into Gotham. So that you’ll know the city that well, too, and you really can handle yourself.”

“If Gotham’s so dangerous, why do you still live here? You could obviously afford to live somewhere else.”

“It’s home. And I do what I can to make it better. As bad as it is, I have to believe it would be even worse if I left.”

Billy was surprised at Bruce’s optimism. “I think that might be the only good reason to do this. You know, to put on a cape and be a vigilante. Because we believe we can make things better. If we don’t, who will?”

The corner of Bruce’s mouth lifted a little. “See, you get it. That’s another thing I want you to know about Gotham. Don’t trust law enforcement unless it’s another vigilante or someone one of us knows. Gordon’s decent, but even he still has to lay by the rules that don’t always help people.”

Billy scoffed. “What, do you think I was born yesterday? I’ve spent as much time trying to avoid cops as I’ve spent helping them. I only work with them because there’s nowhere else to take a villain once they’re captured. I wish there was a better option. Sometimes, I wonder if I did the right thing in handing someone over.”

“I suppose I should have expected that. But beyond the problems with the institution of the police, the officers in Gotham are especially nasty. We have to work with them sometimes, but we always try to find another solution when we can.”

“You have all this money and power. Why don’t you do something as Bruce Wayne? You could even run for office!” Billy had always wondered why Bruce Wayne didn’t get more directly involved in politics. He started to understand as he got older and realized what it would actually be like for Bruce to be in that position. But he had more than enough money and power to protect himself from that. Maybe Bruce thought being Batman would help people more somehow.

Bruce cringed. “That might have been an option once, but I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger that would make it impossible to get elected. And I do put some money into political causes, but I like to donate more to causes that will have a more immediate effect when I can. No amount of lobbying or sharing my opinion will dismantle the whole system. Even political office is not a monarchy.”

“Couldn’t you fund a solution to the problem and fund it directly?”

Bruce sighed. “Billy, I wish as much as you do that this was a problem money could solve on its own, but it’s more complicated than that. I would need to know what to use the money to do that people would actually use and that wouldn’t break the law as it exists. I might have money and ways to raise more, but that doesn’t mean I have all the answers.”

“I guess so. But there’s nothing stopping you from asking people what they need.”

“We’re almost there. Remember no real names and no hero talk.” Billy let Bruce change the subject. There would be other times they could have that conversation. Bruce told him about the first area they would visit as he pulled into a parking garage. 

As Bruce showed him around the city, Billy was afraid someone would recognize him, but most people kept to themselves. It was noisy and chaotic and Bruce almost got robbed at least twice, but Gotham had a certain charm to it. This city had more variety in food and entertainment and people than Fawcett City. People weren’t as nice, but Billy didn’t feel like people were staring at him as much as he was used to. That could just be that he looked better taken care of, but there were people who seemed to be from every economic class mixed together. 

As much as Gotham had going on during the day, Billy was sure there was even more going on at night. They made it back to the car well before sunset and Billy was certain that wasn’t a coincidence. Knowing Bruce, he probably had an exact itinerary for how long they would spend in each area down to the second. Billy wondered if Bruce scheduled his entire life as tightly as Batman with the Justice League.

As they got back in the car, Bruce asked, “So what do you think of Gotham?”

“Seems more exciting than Fawcett City. But I can’t wait to see it at night!”

“Slow down there, bud. It’ll be a while before you’re allowed out at night even with supervision. You don’t know the city well enough and even if you did, it’s still not safe for you to risk being recognized. We still think there might be something bigger behind the reveal of your identity.”

“I know. But I miss being Captain Marvel. I feel so useless.” Billy looked out the window at the chaos of the city..

Bruce paused like he needed time to choose his words. “I’m sure it’s difficult, but maybe it’s a good thing for you to spend some time living without Captain Marvel. Maybe you’ll learn to love being Billy Batson just as much.”

“You of all people should know how impossible that is. Especially when I can transform into someone who has everything I don’t. When I’m Captain Marvel, I’m taken seriously. I have a safe place to stay. I have the body I’ve always wanted. Most people like me. And superpowers on top of that! How could I ever want to be Billy Batson as much as all that? Would you be able to live without Batman?”

“I did live without Batman for my entire childhood. And there are ways to have most of those things without being Captain Marvel. I know being a kid is frustrating and being trapped in a body you don’t want is hard, but you will grow up eventually. Maybe you don’t have superpowers, but that’s how most people live their lives. Maybe you just spend too much time around the League and doing other hero work. And people like you as Billy Batson. I don’t know where you got the idea that they didn’t.”

“Trust me, I’ve met plenty of people who didn’t like me.” Billy could probably count on his fingers the number of adults he had met after his parents died that did like him. And most of those people only seemed to tolerate him out of pity.

“Okay let me rephrase that. You can’t control how other people feel about you, especially if you don’t fit their idea of how a person should be. Plenty of people like you just as you are. And I’m sure not everyone likes you as Captain Marvel either. It’s impossible to please everyone”

“Like you?” Billy thought of how much Batman seemed to hate him before knowing his identity.

“You were not my favorite person before I knew who you really are. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it had more to do with me than with you.” Bruce stared at the road, avoiding Billy’s eyes.

“Why did you have a problem with me, then?”

“Let’s just say it was for very similar reasons to why you prefer being Captain Marvel so much.”

“Wait…So you were jealous?”

“I suppose you could say that. Among other things.”

“Oh. I…didn’t know you felt that way.” Billy thought about what it must be like to be Batman. To be one of a very small number of heroes without powers and an even smaller number that are trans surrounded by cis people with incredible powers and perfect bodies. He supposed Captain Marvel would have been no different from Bruce’s perspective. Billy never would have thought Bruce Wayne of all people would have the same jealousy towards cis men that he did. Bruce was the perfect example of the kind of trans man Billy never thought he would be. Bruce not only passed as a man, but had a body a lot of cis men would envy. But he supposed Bruce may not see it that way, especially if he’s comparing himself to an impossible standard.

“I didn’t want you to know.” Bruce stared at the road with an intensity that made it clear the conversation was over.

After dinner, everyone else got ready to go out, but Billy still wasn’t allowed in the cave when actual vigilante work was happening. It was a little insulting considering most of the people Bruce did allow in there were also children or had been allowed there when they still were. Bruce had managed to convince Damian to stay home, since he had a couple mild injuries from the night before, but he had immediately retreated to his room. He refused to acknowledge Billy’s existence, as he had been since they met. Billy had very few friends his own age, but he found Damian especially difficult to get along with. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know Damian better, anyway. He seemed uptight and elitist in a way none of the others were. But he realized they would have to figure out how to get along if Billy ended up staying in Gotham permanently.

Billy tried to entertain himself in his own room, but he quickly got bored. He used to always have something going on. He never really had time to get bored before. If he ever did, he usually filled the time with hero work. Not that spare time was common when he was between foster families. It turned out living on the streets was time consuming on its own. He didn’t even have schoolwork to distract him.

He felt so useless. Everyone he knew in Gotham besides Alfred could be in all kinds of danger and he would have no way of knowing. If there was an emergency, would they tell him? Would they let him help if they had no other option? Bruce still thought it would be unsafe, but would he ever believe it was safe? 

With nothing else to do, Billy turned on the TV, which was set to the news. He almost changed the channel, but then his brain caught up to what he was seeing. There was a photo of Green Arrow next to a photo of some guy Billy thought he recognized from somewhere, but couldn’t name with the headline Confirmed! Oliver Queen Is Green Arrow!

Chapter Text

Batman had just left the cave when Oracle pinged him. “Batman, I have Green Arrow on the phone. He says it’s urgent.”

What did he do this time? “Whatever it is can wait.”

“You can hang up, but I also have better things to do than listen to him desperately trying to get your attention. He’s not usually this persistent so maybe it’s an actual emergency. And no, he won’t tell me what he wants.”

Batman sighed. “Fine.” He found a relatively isolated rooftop to have this conversation. He didn’t want any eavesdroppers.

He had noticed his League communicator go off earlier, but hadn’t had the chance to check it. It was a busy night and they were down one with Damian injured. He would pick up if it signaled a Justice League level threat to the planet and not before. He wondered if the communicator had gone off for the same reason Green Arrow was calling him.

As soon as Oracle patched him through, Green Arrow started explaining the situation,  speaking quickly to keep Batman from hanging up. “Batman! Finally! They figured out my civilian identity! It’s all over the news! Didn’t you say we had precautions in place to keep this from happening? You said there wouldn’t be a problem as long as no one could prove anything. Well, they have proof now-”

“Slow down.” Bruce could feel a headache setting in. “What proof do they have, exactly?”

“Well I was getting to that if you had let me finish! They had cameras set up in one of my armor stores. I had to change my mask out when it malfunctioned. And they stole one of my dirty uniforms from the same place so they could get samples. Which they matched to my civilian identity, of course.”

“Are you trying to hide your identity from me? Oliver, I knew who you were the first time I met Green Arrow.” He already knew Oliver Queen in passing so it wasn’t hard to put together that he was Green Arrow. He had not been pleased when he realized he would have to deal with Oliver Queen of all people as Batman and not just as Bruce Wayne. They ran in similar circles and had the same goals, but they had different ideas of how to accomplish them.

“Couldn’t you give me a few more minutes of pretending I still had any privacy whatsoever?”

Bruce suppressed a chuckle. He knew how much Oliver liked attention. “You’ve never had any privacy. Especially not from me. How do you think I was able to keep this from happening for so long? You did not make it easy with that ridiculous facial hair of yours.”

“And now you’re making fun of my appearance. Why did I think it was a good idea to call you again?”

Bruce would have hung up without saying anything else, but he knew Green Arrow would just immediately call back. “I don’t know. Maybe you should hang up and we can get back to our lives. We already had a founders meeting scheduled for tomorrow. You can join so we can deal with this situation, as well” 

“Wait, I don’t have anywhere to go that isn’t hounded by the press. And Queen Industries is in chaos! And D-” 

“No one else’s civilian names.”

“Black Canary thinks I made some mistake that caused this. Which I know I didn’t!” Green Arrow sounded shaken, unusual for someone so confident. Even when he shouldn’t be. 

“Other than the goatee.” Bruce muttered before saying out loud, “All of that sounds like your problem. Not the League’s. Surely you have a safehouse or hideout or something they haven’t found?”

“Not really, actually. It didn’t take long for the authorities to seize my assets, including property, once they knew.”

“Did you seriously use your real name for vigilante properties?” Batman thought even Oliver wouldn’t make such an obvious mistake. He had worked behind the scenes to try to keep prying eyes away, but it had been a while since he had checked in.

“No, of course not! I’m not actually sure how they found everything. I did everything right. I used aliases and shell companies and all of that to hide the money trail.” If Green Arrow told the truth, there must be someone competent with a lot of resources behind this. Then again, it was possible Green Arrow could have made a mistake somewhere.

“Hm. You could disguise yourself and claim they made a mistake. Use whatever fake ID you used to get the place to begin with.”

“Batman, they took everything. I don’t have access to any of the stuff I would need to do that. I don’t even have enough cash for a hotel. I’m starting to think I might have to spend the night on a rooftop somewhere! I would never judge anyone for their housing situation, but that doesn’t mean I want to be homeless myself!” If the facial hair hadn’t been enough for anyone paying attention to figure out Green Arrow’s civilian identity, his politics might have done it. Batman didn’t have a problem with being vocal about social issues, but there is a time and place for that. 

“Don’t you know someone in Star City you can stay with? Or who has a safe house they aren’t using?”

“I would if any of my kids didn’t currently hate me. And I don’t want to implicate them. Black Canary won’t talk to me, either. Any safehouse of hers I know about is probably compromised, anyway.”

“Well, people know Oliver Queen has a biological son, right? You could contact him. He’ll be implicated anyway.” Connor Hawke might have a complicated relationship with his father, but Batman had a feeling he would come around in an emergency like this.

“What part of he hates me do you not understand?”

“Nightwing hated me once. So have most of the others. They got over it. I can’t believe you got in touch with me before your son.” Batman couldn’t imagine calling anyone before his kids if his identity was revealed. Let alone someone he did not get along with.

“I panicked. And…I may have forgotten how all of this would create problems for him.”

“I’m beginning to see why your kids hate you.” Red Robin appeared, followed by Spoiler. He pointed to his ear to let them know he was on the phone. “I have actual work to do, but I’ll send Connor a message for you.”

“How do you have his number?”

“Do I really need to answer that? He wore the Green Arrow suit when we thought you were dead. Or did you forget that, too?” 

Batman kept track of everyone who had ever been in the Justice League. It came in handy when they needed extra people and he liked to know what former League members were up to in case they became a threat. He would have kept in touch with Connor, anyway. He was one of the more tolerable vigilantes he knew outside of Gotham. It didn’t take long for Connor to respond to Batman’s message, agreeing to let Oliver stay the night as long as he moved to the Watchtower after tomorrow’s meeting. 

Batman arrived with Captain Marvel at the Watchtower the next morning armed with his third cup of coffee and grateful for the cowl covering his tired eyes. He wouldn’t typically agree to a meeting this early, but Bruce Wayne had business meetings later that day, including one with Lex Luthor. He despised Luthor, but he never passed up a chance to keep tabs on him. Luthor was almost always up to something suspicious.

Billy was in his hero form for the first time since they had left for the Manor. He figured it was safe, since they would be going to the Watchtower and right back. He knew Billy didn’t like staying in his human form for so long. 

He was later than usual so most of the others had already gathered in the meeting room. They had planned this as a founders meeting to start looking into a more permanent solution for Billy, but now they had another identity reveal to deal with. They just had to wait for the Flash and Green Arrow.

As he walked into the room, Superman asked, “Has anyone heard from Green Arrow? Are we sure he has a way to get here?”

As he sat down, Batman responded, “I arranged for Nightwing to pick him up. They should be here soon.” All the Green Lanterns had been called to space for a mission last minute so they had to make other plans. Nightwing had taken some convincing, but agreed as long as he got to sit in on their meeting (and if Bruce owed him a favor). If identities were at risk, it made sense for someone from the Titans to be there, anyway. Whoever did this was clearly not above targeting children. And the Titans might be an option for Captain Marvel until he’s older.

Flash had run in while they were talking and, after a few minutes of small talk Batman didn’t care to listen to, so did Nightwing and Green Arrow. Nightwing wore his full uniform with his hair loosely tied back. Green Arrow looked disheveled like he had slept in his uniform (which he probably had). He didn’t bother with a mask.

Green Arrow took the seat Green Lantern would normally use, as he often did when the Green Lanterns were busy. Nightwing and Captain Marvel settled into two of the seats for guests at the end of the table. Nightwing immediately started a conversation with Captain Marvel. “How’ve you been, Marvel? I’ve been meaning to come up to Gotham, but I haven’t had the time.”

Captain Marvel grinned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ve been good!”

Nightwing cocked his head slightly. “You know, just because I haven’t been in Gotham doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on there. But I suppose we have an audience so I’ll give you a pass just this once.”

Batman wanted this meeting to be over before he even got there so he was not going to let any more time be wasted with unnecessary chatting. “Now that we’re all here, we should get started. We have more than any of us planned for to discuss today so let’s try to make it quick. We will get to Green Arrow and the bigger picture of why two of our members’ identities were revealed in a week, but first, we need to figure out a more permanent solution for Captain Marvel. I value his safety as I know all of us do, but we can’t ask him to neglect this part of himself. And we’ve already run into issues trying to cover Fawcett City in his absence. Captain Marvel, do you have a preference for what you’d like to do next?”

Captain Marvel looked hesitant in a way he rarely did in the cape. “I…I don’t know. I think I need a little more time to decide on something permanent. But I don’t want to give up Captain Marvel. And I definitely don’t want to end up in the foster system again. I would be willing to return to the field now, but I have a feeling no one else would be a fan of that idea.”

The expressions on everyone else’s faces made it clear that Billy was right about their thoughts on him going back into the field. Bruce was sure they would come around eventually. They just needed a safer way for him to do so. “Anyone else have any ideas for how Captain Marvel could continue to be a hero with everything we know?”

“I’m still not comfortable with letting a child be in charge of hero work for a whole city alone. Especially when he’s still so heavily in the public eye.” Flash sighed. “But I suppose I can live with him being a hero in general with adult supervision.”

Nightwing said, “I don’t remember you complaining when Kid Flash was in the Teen Titans.”

“That was different. He was never alone.”

Superman cut in. “I think what the Flash means is that Kid Flash and most of the other child vigilantes have had mentors to train them and deal with the more dangerous villains. Captain Marvel, I want you to be happy, but I want you to be safe just as much.”

Wonder Woman leaned forward, looking excited. “Maybe that’s the solution! Maybe Captain Marvel just needs a mentor. Someone with similar powers who can teach him and protect him until he comes of age. If he were a woman, I would suggest some time on Themyscira.” 

Billy shifted uncomfortably in his seat at that. Bruce intentionally kept his face neutral. He knew that his friend wasn’t raised with the same relationship to gender as he was and probably didn’t mean to offend, but he would have been willing to risk his identity if necessary to defend Billy. Wonder Woman turned to face Captain Marvel, noticing his distress. “Oh, I don’t mean to imply that I’m disappointed you’re not a woman. It would just be nice if you could take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the Amazons as your powers seem so closely tied to the gods. We don’t have anyone with your exact set of powers in the League, but between Superman, Zatanna, and I we could probably get close. Maybe you could also learn from Batman and the other non powered heroes how to fight in your human form, as well.”

Batman nodded in agreement. “Some kind of official mentorship seems like a good option, but he’ll still need a team until he’s ready to operate on his own.”

Billy glared directly at Bruce, although he addressed everyone. “Did you all forget that I did ‘operate on my own’ for years before you found out I was a kid? Sure, I’m open to learning from anyone who might be able to teach me. And I know I’m not that great at combat in my human form. But I still don’t see how my age changes anything.”

Nightwing shrugged. “Maybe Marvel has a point. He was doing okay before. I mean, none of us noticed, right? I’m the only other person in this room who was actually a child vigilante. Hell, I was leading the Teen Titans when I wasn’t much older than him! I think he just feels like you’re not taking into account everything he’s already accomplished. Every kid who ends up in this life has a different story and different levels of ability that don’t always have anything to do with age. But… maybe we need to change how we deal with all new heroes. Maybe we shouldn’t be letting anyone just jump into doing this kind of work without any guidance, adult or child. Every new member could benefit from a little guidance.”

“That sounds like a conversation for later. But perhaps a conversation worth having.” Any new hero could always ask for guidance if they wanted it, but it wasn’t required, since anyone the League accepted into their ranks needed some kind of experience to get that far. Requiring some mentorship was a good idea, but would require time many of the most experienced members didn’t have. Batman made a note to discuss options at the next regular meeting.

Bruce turned to more directly face Captain Marvel. “I know you’ve been doing this a while without help. That doesn’t mean you should have to. At the very least, we all have the option of calling the League if we get into trouble. You won’t even have that option if we don’t put you on another team. How would you feel about joining the Teen Titans? If they agree, of course.”

“I guess that would be okay. But it still feels like kind of a demotion.”

Nightwing looked a little offended. “A demotion? Is that what you think of the Titans? You all have no idea how many times a Titans team has saved the world without any of you noticing. If you really hate the idea of being on a team for kids, we might be able to get you on a team with both adults and kids. But think about it this way. Red Robin is way older than you and he’s still on the Teen Titans.”

Billy looked thoughtful. “But I still have more experience on my own than most of them.”

 “We usually evaluate any new person and put them on the team that suits their skills, powers, and ability level best. You’ll be placed where we feel you fit. And you’ll have more opportunity for leadership with us. Even if they let you stay in the Justice League, you’d always be competing with people who have way more experience than you. If you want independence, the Titans are your best option. There’s a reason I’m still on the Titans instead of joining the League full time.”

Bruce knew Nightwing’s reasons for staying out of the Justice League probably came from his sometimes difficult relationship with Batman as much as a desire to lead himself. His contributions to this meeting reminded Bruce that the League should be meeting with members from the Titans more often even if no major emergency brought them together. Dick would mention things to Bruce informally sometimes, but they clearly missed things that way. Bruce had always wanted to be hands off so Dick knew he trusted him, but a lack of communication could easily backfire.

“Hmm. I always wondered why you turned down all those invitations. I’ll think about it. I just…I loved being part of the Justice League. It was everything I ever wanted. I don’t want to let that go, you know?” Captain Marvel rested his chin on his hand.

Superman gave Billy a sympathetic smile. “We all know how much you love being a hero, but we work with the Titans all the time. And you’ll still get to rejoin the Justice League once you turn eighteen. I can’t imagine anything getting in the way of that.”

“I know. None of that fixes the fact that I can’t go out as a hero right now, though. I miss flying! And doing magic and all the other things I can’t do as a normal human. And I do have a few friends in Fawcett City that I want to check in on.”

Clark glanced at Bruce, raising his eyebrows like he was asking a question. Bruce remembered the schedule for covering Fawcett City and nodded his permission. “You know, it’s my turn to watch Fawcett City this weekend. Maybe I could take you with me.  That way, you would have backup if something happens. I could even take Monday off, make a long weekend of it, if you want. We could stay in Fawcett City or maybe visit my parents, if it gets too dangerous there.”

“That would be great!” Captain Marvel smiled like his usual self for the first time since they started the meeting.

Bruce knew Clark and Billy well enough to know they would go on about making plans for the rest of the allotted time for this meeting if he didn’t get the conversation back on track. “Alright, we can work out the details of that later. With that taken care of, what should we do about Fawcett City and now Star City being without their primary heroes?” 

Nightwing rocked his chair back and forth with his foot on the edge of the table as he had been for most of the meeting. “I could get some of the Titans involved. We have plenty of metahumans and aliens who are home schooled or not in school at all so we have the people. And I’m sure the other vigilantes in Star City can keep things under control without much help.” 

“Hm. That might be enough,especially with all the other vigilantes in Star City to help there, but it’s still a temporary solution.”

Nightwing let the chair hit the floor and leaned forward. “You know, we’ve been talking about building a new Titans base. Maybe we could put it in Fawcett City. And try to get Captain Marvel on a team stationed there. I’m sure there are plenty of people in Fawcett City that would appreciate having their hero back.”

Batman nodded. “We’ll keep that in mind as an option. That will still be a long time for us to have to cover the city, but we may not have much choice. Hopefully, it will be safe for Captain Marvel to help out there soon.”

Oliver had been unsuccessfully trying to hide his distraction until he seemed to reach a point where he couldn’t take it anymore and turned the conversation to his own problem. “Okay, great. We’ve solved the Captain Marvel situation. What am I supposed to do? I’ve lost more than just a secret identity. How can I get my life back?” 

Batman glared at him, but tried to keep the irritation out of his voice. He knew this had to be difficult for Oliver, but Batman didn’t appreciate his impatience. “I was just about to get to that. I’ll get in contact with Bruce Wayne. He should be able to connect you with lawyers and all the other resources you’ll need to get your life back in order. You just need to be patient for another day or two until he has time to meet.”

“Not Bruce Wayne! I would rather deal with anyone but him. He hates me! What makes you think he’ll agree to help me?”

Batman sighed. “I’m sure I can convince him to help you for the sake of the League. He cares as much about our mission as any of us.”

“Then why isn’t he here?” Oliver usually spoke his mind, but he seemed especially contrary today.

“Bruce Wayne is a very busy man and doesn’t have time to come to a meeting on a weekday morning like this. And if you dislike him so much, why would you want him in the Watchtower more than he has to be?” Batman noticed how hard Nightwing, Captain Marvel, and Superman were desperately trying to keep their expressions under control. He glared at them as subtly as he could. He’d be more worried about Captain Marvel if he didn’t know how long he had kept his own identity secret.

After a brief awkward silence during which Oliver seemed to be trying and failing to think of a comeback, Batman continued, “Let’s move on to the last topic on our list. Anyone have ideas who might be behind this? Any villains who recently escaped? Anyone who might have the motive and connections?” Batman had his own guesses who it could be, one of which he would be meeting later that day as Bruce Wayne. He supposed it could be a coincidence, but he didn’t generally believe in those.

Superman was the first to answer. “I know I always bring him up in these situations, but it could be Lex Luthor. Or at least there’s a good chance he’s involved. The other day, I saw a protest in Metropolis asking the government to force vigilantes to reveal their identities and there was barely any police presence for how big the crowd was. And I don’t know many people besides Luthor that would have the connections and resources to cause what happened to Green Arrow.” 

Batman turned to face Superman. “He was my first thought, as well. Do you have any idea why?”

“Well, with the protest, I suspect it might be politically motivated. The timing would be right to have a chance at swaying public opinion before the next election.”

“He’s never been interested in political office before, has he?” Green Arrow asked.

“Not as a candidate himself, but he’s been known to get involved financially in political causes, if for no reason other than to add to his power. These days, his involvement has mostly leaned conservative as that’s where the power and the money is right now. Maybe he saw an opportunity to take his involvement a step further. He has been getting more vocal about political issues in the past year. I’ve been keeping an eye on it, but I can’t stop him from running for office. He hasn’t actually done anything illegal I can prove.”

“I too have noticed this concerning turn towards conservative values from public figures like Luthor. I’m surprised you had not noticed, Oliver,” Wonder Woman said.

“I’ve been paying closer attention to what’s happening in Star City. I always assumed he leaned that way so what I did see probably didn’t seem noteworthy.”

Superman answered. “It’s been a very gradual change. He’s just saying the quiet part out loud more as it becomes more socially acceptable to do so like so many others. It wouldn’t have me too concerned, but he has been more pointedly vocal recently.”

Batman checked the time and decided it was time to wrap this up. “Superman and I will look into Luthor and see if we can find proof of his possible involvement. The rest of you, stay alert for any proof of connections between Luthor and the villains you interact with. It might come in handy if we need to get him out of the picture. Anyone else have any other ideas?” 

Batman paused to see if anyone would answer. When no one did, he continued, “If you come up with anything, let the rest of us know. I’ll send out a reminder to everyone in the League of the need to follow identity protection protocols even more closely than usual. We should also all look out for leads on who might be next if these incidents are connected.”

With that, Batman stood up and the rest took it as the dismissal he meant it to be and left the room.

Chapter Text

It was Dick’s turn to babysit Billy, as he had already taken the day off from his civilian job to meet with the Justice League. Billy still hated feeling like he wasn’t trusted to be independent, but he was looking forward to spending more time with Dick. He had always admired Nightwing as the first child vigilante. It was one of the reasons Billy felt like he could be a hero, too. If this kid could do this without powers, why couldn’t Billy do the same as Captain Marvel? Billy supposed he could get used to working with Nightwing more often as part of the Titans. It might be nice to feel like he was working with people who understood his situation. People he could be honest with and maybe even relate to outside of hero work. Even if he still wished he could continue as part of the Justice League.

After they got back to the Manor and changed into casual clothes, Dick said, “It’s just the two of us in the house today until Damian gets home from school. So what do you want to do? Go out? Stay in? Just relax? I don’t have anything planned so it’s up to you.”

Billy did want to explore Gotham more at some point, but he had already had the chance to get out of the house today. And he didn’t feel like having to hide their identities. “I’d rather stay here. Bruce took me out to the city yesterday. But I don’t know what to do here. I don’t have homework or chores. And I can’t really relax here. Everything feels so formal and clean. Like I shouldn’t be allowed to touch anything, you know?”

They had reached one of the more casual sitting rooms where the chairs and couches were actually comfortable and there was a TV and video game system set up. There was still something Billy found stuffy about it, though. The room was clearly actually used, but Billy didn’t see the crumbs or trash or random forgotten things he would have expected. It unsettled him the way the rest of the Manor did, both crowded and empty at the same time. Billy sat down on the couch next to Dick, but left a cushion between them.

Dick nodded. “I do know. I was intimidated at first, too, but it didn’t take long to realize that Bruce could replace most of what I broke. Sometimes, I used to break stuff just because I was mad at him. The others are a lot more careful, though.”

“And he just let you get away with breaking things?”

“I wouldn’t say he let me get away with it, but I stopped doing it as often once he let me go out as Robin. I had somewhere else to get that energy out.”

Billy didn’t want to think about what would have happened if he had intentionally broken anything at some of his worst foster homes. He wasn’t sure he wanted to tell Dick that, though. It sounded like Bruce must not have been too bad of a parent, even when Dick was a kid. Which made Billy wonder about the way Bruce and Dick interacted at dinner the other night. Billy had gotten the impression that there was tension between them related to how Dick had been raised. Was Dick sugarcoating the truth for Billy’s benefit, or did something else cause that tension?

He wasn’t sure Dick would answer, but Billy thought Dick seemed more open about this sort of thing than most of the others so it was worth a shot. “Can I ask you a personal question?” Billy asked.

Dick shrugged. “Sure. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer it, though.”

“The other night. It seemed like you and Bruce didn’t get along very well. But he must not have been too bad if he was willing to keep you around and barely punish you for that kind of behavior.”

Dick sighed and paused for a moment like he was choosing his words carefully. “Okay. So first, I want you to know that not being physically abusive is the bare minimum a person can do as a decent parent. It seems like you might have had adults in your life that failed you in that way so I understand how it could seem like anything better than that is good parenting. But it’s more complicated than that. Bruce never got physical with me, unless you count letting me be Robin, but he did fail me in other ways.”

Billy appreciated that Dick didn’t seem to be making this conversation about pity, but he still didn’t like talking to adults about this. When he did, it usually meant his life was about to be upended again just for CPS to stick him with another family that might not be any better. Far too many families were great with other kids, but had no idea what to do with Billy at best and actively hated him for who he was at worst. Dick shoved a stray piece of hair behind his ear, looking everywhere except at Billy. Maybe Dick was uncomfortable talking about this, too, but Billy remembered what he had said earlier about how it was okay to ask questions. And Billy had a feeling Dick knew more about the real Bruce Wayne than almost anyone. “How did he fail you?” Billy asked.

“It’s more about what he didn’t do than anything he actually did. He wasn’t always able to give me what I needed from him. I don’t think he was ready to be a parent when I came into his life. But I’m glad he took me in, anyway. It’s been good for him to have all of us around instead of being alone with Alfred. And we all could have ended up in much worse situations than this one, as I’m sure you know.”

Billy thought of all the foster parents he’d had that had taken in too many kids to give all of them enough attention. Or the families where the older kids did more parenting than the actual parents did. 

“I can see how that would be hard even if Bruce didn’t hit you. Especially if you felt like you had to take care of everyone else.” Billy scooted closer on the couch and leaned into Dick’s side. Dick lightly draped his arm over Billy. He wasn’t sure who was comforting who.

Turning his head to face Billy, Dick said, “I don’t know if I should be happy or concerned that you understand that so well. I think everyone in this family had to grow up too fast in our own ways. Some people like to blame Bruce or Batman for that, but we were already on that path before knowing him.” Dick smirked. “If you do end up staying here, I think you’ll fit right in.”

“But it seems like Bruce still could have taken care of you better. And Jason from what he’s told me.”

“Bruce was so young with Jason and I that I don’t really blame him for the mistakes he made. I make sense of it by choosing not to think of him as a parent anymore. Just as someone who did his best to look after me, even if he didn’t quite understand me and barely had his own life together enough to take care of himself. I think Jason has a harder time with him because he still sees Bruce as a parent and there’s so much more Bruce and I couldn’t protect him from.”

“How did Bruce not understand you? I’ve never had a foster parent that was, you know…like me. I always thought that would have made it easier.” Billy asked, looking up so he could see Dick’s face better.

“Bruce has a lot more in common with you than with me. Bruce and I are just very different people. All the media attention didn’t help. It’s hard not to internalize it when everyone gets to have an opinion about your identity.” Dick pulled Billy a little closer. “I hope it turns out better for you, but it’s not looking great. At least you had the opportunity to get some sense of who you are before all that scrutiny.”

“How did you deal with it?”

“I found people who understood me. I don’t know how much Bruce and the others have told you, but I got pretty involved in Bludhaven’s drag community when I moved there. I eventually got comfortable enough to be a drag queen myself. Although I rarely have the time to perform as much as I’d like.”

“That’s so cool! What’s your drag name?”

Dick’s eyes glinted with amusement. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. Maybe when you’re older.”

“Why not? I know lots of adult things, you know.”

Dick ruffled Billy’s hair. “I do know. That doesn’t mean I want to be responsible for you seeing or hearing something you’re not ready for. Believe me, I understand you feel like you can handle everything and you want to be treated like an adult. This isn’t me disrespecting you because you’re a kid. I’m not comfortable with you seeing me in that context until I’m confident you’re informed enough not to regret it later. If it makes you feel any better. Bruce has never seen me in a drag show, either.”

“Why not?” Billy realized this probably had to do with sex with how Dick was dancing around the topic, but he had been taught never to ask about that. It never went well when he tried. It was one of the few things he couldn’t even get a straight answer about as Captain Marvel. So he asked about Bruce instead.

“He knows the name in case of emergency, but it’s not his thing. I don’t know if he would be okay with you knowing more than that so that’s all I’ll say on that for now.”

Billy nodded, but didn’t have anything else to say. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while before they both started to get restless.

Dick said, “Are you hungry? I’m sure there’s something ready in the kitchen.”

Now that Billy thought about it, he had skipped breakfast that morning. “Yeah, I could eat.”

As they left, Billy realized the room had stopped feeling oppressive and empty and had started to feel a little like home.

After they ate, Alfred convinced Billy and Dick to spend a couple hours with him making cookies. Soon after that, Alfred left to pick up Damian from school. Billy wasn’t sure how he felt about possibly going back to school. He had never really liked it before, but he did like learning and he knew he didn’t want to be stuck in Wayne Manor forever, even if he was starting to feel a little more comfortable there. Then again, he might have to go to school with Damian who clearly disliked him.

After Alfred left, Dick said, “Damian and I had planned a training session for today when he gets back from school. You can come watch if you want.”

“Do I really have a choice?” Billy was far too used to people asking what he wanted and ignoring his answer.

“You could keep working with Alfred. As long as you stay with him.”

Billy liked Alfred well enough, but he was a little intrigued to see how Dick and Damian trained together. “I’ll come with you.”

When Damian got home, he and Dick changed into what looked like specific training gear and made their way to the Batcave with Billy. When they got to the training room they would be using, Damian asked “Why is he here? He will be a distraction.”

“Are you saying you can’t handle being distracted? Maybe we should invite guests more often if this is such an area of weakness for you.” Dick smiled.

“It is not a weakness. I simply do not want him getting in the way.”

“You can observe without getting in our space, right Billy?”

“Of course I can! I’ve observed and even participated in Justice League training sessions before. I’m not some random civilian.”

Damian protested. “This is not the Justice League. And I do not want you here.”

Damian sounded almost menacing, but Billy could see that it was at least partially an act. He knew enough about Damian to be aware that the former child assassin could be dangerous, but Billy had met kids like him before. Kids who hid their fear by trying to be the scariest person in the room.

Billy tried appealing to Damian’s ego. “I just want to see what you can do. Bruce said I should start learning how to fight as my mortal self. I know you’re one of the best out there at that, especially around my age. Maybe I can learn something from watching you.”

Damian narrowed his eyes. “You are nothing like me. Learn from someone else.” He turned to Dick. “I will not train with him here.”

Dick seemed entirely unphased. “Fine. Then you won’t train. If you’re interested, Billy, I could get started with you.”

“No, I have a right to train in private! I have no desire to be judged by this child .”

Dick’s eyebrows raised like he realized something. “Damian, let’s go talk about this. Billy, stay here.”

They left and came back a few minutes later, having come to some kind of agreement. Dick looked expectantly at Damian, who stepped toward Billy and hesitantly said, “I apologize.” Dick gestured for him to continue. “For attempting to make you leave. You can watch as long as you do not interrupt.”

Billy had received plenty of insincere apologies from other kids so he knew Damian was probably only doing so now because Dick made him. But it was better than nothing. “You’re good. This really is more your space than mine.”

“Alright, with that out of the way, let’s get started, Damian.”

Dick had Damian start by warming up on his own. Damian continued glaring at Billy, but started focusing on the lesson once he and Dick started sparring. The two were obviously close with how easily they communicated with each other. Damian would probably deny it, but Billy even caught him smiling at a couple of Dick’s jokes. Billy learned a lot just watching them and hearing Dick’s feedback, even if he couldn’t always tell the difference with how fast they were moving. Billy knew quite a bit about combat in theory from his time as Captain Marvel, but fighting in that form and fighting in his mortal body were two different things. Damian may have thought he was nothing like him, but that didn’t stop Billy from seeing how Damian’s strategies could work for him, too. Once he had enough practice, anyway.

They kept at it for around two hours from the time they started. When they were done, both Dick and Damian were sweating, but didn’t seem to be breathing very hard. It was approaching time for everyone to eat before going out to patrol, but Dick planned to stay behind, since he had been up early for the League meeting.

Once Damian left, Dick asked, “So what did you learn?”

Billy realized that Dick had been teaching for his benefit as well as Damian’s. “I learned a lot!” Dick had asked the question like a quiz so Billy had a feeling he wanted something more specific. “One thing I noticed is that Damian always tried to get in close, I guess so he could reach better, especially when he was using a longer weapon.”

“That’s right. If you’re using a long weapon like a sword you have the advantage if you can get close. But you have to get there first and account for the possibility they have a knife or will put away the sword and go hand to hand.”

Billy and Dick talked for a while about how to fight a bigger, stronger opponent. Dick explained what Billy had missed and asked questions about the lesson and Billy’s previous experience. Eventually Dick asked, “So do you want to give it a try?”

“Sure! Am I dressed okay?” Billy was just wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts

“For what we’re doing, you’re fine. We’ll go slow so you can get the basic movements in your body first. Are you wearing a binder today or just a sports bra? I won’t make you change, I just need to know how restricted your movement might be and how much exercise you can handle.”

This was an aspect of binding Billy hadn’t really thought much about. “I’m just wearing a sports bra.” Billy had found that was all he needed most of the time right now. He would wear a compression top or binder now that he could when feeling as masculine as possible was most important to him, but he knew he wouldn’t be going anywhere that day besides the meeting where he was Captain Marvel anyway. Having to transform back to his regular body had been difficult, but he was still riding the high on the reminder that Captain Marvel was still a form he had access to and would be able to access more often in the future.

“Great, we’ll start with some basic defense.”

They went back and forth with Dick demonstrating and Billy imitating for about an hour before he was too tired to keep going. Billy was exhausted even with how much of the time he wasn’t moving. He knew he shouldn’t compare himself to people who basically did this as a full time job, but it was hard not to when he had just watched Damian spar with Dick for two hours with shorter breaks and barely break a sweat.

Billy didn’t say anything, but Dick seemed to pick up on how he was feeling. “You did great today, Billy. You’ll be able to go for longer when your body’s more used to getting enough food and you start some kind of conditioning. It was convenient today, but I’ll try to avoid working with you right after someone else like that. We could at least have you go first next time.”

“It’s fine. I guess I just didn’t realize I was so out of shape.”

Dick put a hand on Billy's shoulder. “Hey, 45 minutes is pretty good for someone in your situation. You’re in a new environment, probably stressed and not sleeping all that well, and it doesn’t sound like you had a chance to get much intentional exercise before now. You should talk to Tim about that sometime. They also didn’t have any real experience with combat or any kind of sport outside of school P.E. classes so they didn’t last much longer than you did the first time they trained with us. And they had been eating better and didn’t have quite as much going on.”

“I guess. I’m just so used to not being limited by that sort of thing as Captain Marvel.”

“I can see how that might warp your expectations a bit. Not to mention being around vigilantes all the time. When you can leave the house more often, you can join one of the classes the Titans offers for people who don’t have powers that are helpful in combat. It’s a mix of child and adult heroes with different levels of experience. Until then, I can work with you once a week and I’m sure you can get one or two of the others to teach you, too, if you want.”

“That sounds great!”

Chapter Text

Clark looked forward to a typical shift at the office. With everything going on, he was almost glad Perry kept sticking him with lower stakes assignments. Of course, the universe laughed in his face at that idea. Well, that’s what he got for actually wanting a normal, quiet day.

The office was in chaos when he walked in. It wasn’t hard to figure out why when he saw the headline. It was just his luck that Luthor would announce he’s running for president when Clark had brought up his increasing political involvement earlier that day. Usually such a big story wouldn’t be such a surprise, but there had been no hinting at what was coming before the official announcement.

Clark checked his phone to see if anyone had brought this up to the Justice League. They would need a game plan sooner rather than later if they were going to have any chance at dealing with this, especially if it turned out he was behind the unmasking of Captain Marvel and Green Arrow. Which was seeming more and more likely. No one had said anything yet, but… shit. Didn’t Lois tell him Bruce was meeting with Luthor today? He shifted his attention to Bruce in Gotham for a second. It sounded like he was still getting ready for work. Knowing Bruce, he would never schedule a meeting with someone like Lex Luthor before noon if he could help it so he probably had time.

As soon as Clark had let Perry yell at him for turning in a story late and Bruce sounded available and alone, he snuck up to the roof and called Bruce’s secure line. Clark started speaking as soon as Bruce picked up. “Have you heard the news? Luthor’s running for President. Might be relevant to what we discussed this morning. You’re meeting with him today, right?”

“I am, although I don’t recall telling you that.” Bruce conveniently avoided the other question, probably wanting to avoid looking like he doesn’t stay informed enough. Clark was hardly one to judge. Especially with how busy Bruce had been lately, he was willing to let it go.

“Investigative journalist, remember? It’s my job to know things, especially about Luthor.”

“Do you have any ideas for how we should proceed?” Bruce definitely sounded caught off guard. Besides the tone of his voice, he would typically start brainstorming the second he heard something like this.

“Last time I checked, you’re usually the ideas guy. I’m still behind on work so I don’t have much more information than what’s public. Lois probably knows more. There’s not much Superman can do about this other than make a public statement, which I’m going to do, by the way. Luthor’s within his legal right to run for president, unless there’s some secret we don’t know about.” That issue was the most frustrating thing about dealing with Luthor. Most of what he did was legal through some loophole so Superman didn’t have the authority to do anything without damaging his already tenuous relationship with the government. Or the evidence was so well hidden that Luthor would face no consequences even if he was caught.

“Hmm…That could be an angle. Even if there’s nothing real, we might be able to fabricate evidence that would disqualify him. We should only do that as a last resort, though. The Justice League is on shaky enough legal ground as it is. You and Lois see if you can find anything, but I doubt you will.”

Clark doubted it, too. “I’m sure Lois is already on it and I’ll look through my files on him. But if there was something, it would be buried so deep we’d never find it in time. Honestly, I don’t think there’s any point in trying to keep him from running. What really matters is keeping him from winning.” Clark hated to imagine what the world would look like with Luthor as president. The last conservative rich guy in the position had already done enough damage.

“That’s going to be easier said than done. We can’t fight this the usual way. There’s no tossing a villain in prison and forgetting about it until they escape. We can’t do anything remotely violent, even in retaliation. That would only strengthen their position. Sure, most heroes have some public influence, but I’m not confident it will be enough. Not with how hard they’ve been working to turn the public against us.” Bruce didn’t sound hopeless, but he did sound a little deflated, like he was disappointed in himself for not seeing this coming or having a better idea to fix it.

“This is a different kind of fight, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do what we can. I’m sure you would be trying to influence the results of the election anyway. This just raises the stakes.” Clark knew Bruce would never consider doing nothing, but a little reverse psychology never hurt anyone.

“I didn’t say we should give up. We’ll just need a different approach. Maybe enlist some help from unexpected places.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page. And Bruce? Be safe. I’ll keep an ear out for you. All you have to do is say my name and I’ll be there.” Clark genuinely worried about Bruce meeting with Luthor. He had a way of turning situations to his advantage. He would often get violent when you were least expecting it. This meeting was unlikely to get to a point that would require Superman’s intervention, but he figured it would be a good idea to remind Bruce that was an option just in case.

“I know. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.” That wasn’t much comfort to Clark who knew Bruce would say that if he was literally on his deathbed.

“Maybe, but you shouldn’t always have to. And Luthor’s dangerous, especially when he wants something.” 

“Is that all you wanted to discuss?”

“I suppose so. I’ll see you later.” Clark hung up and sighed. He was never going to actually catch up on work, was he?

Luthor had chosen an expensive restaurant with a wall of windows facing the outside for lunch. Bruce had agreed to this meeting aware that Luthor probably wanted something even if he claimed it was just to “catch up.” This kind of maneuvering was very familiar to Bruce, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed being on the receiving end of it. When Bruce arrived, Luthor was already seated at a booth next to the window.

The two men exchanged polite greetings, already sizing each other up. Bruce hid his exhaustion well, but he could tell Luthor was seeing right through him with the way his smile widened after meeting Bruce’s eyes. Bruce had no problem letting Luthor assume this would be easy. Overconfidence was the downfall of plenty of executives Bruce had negotiated with. Unfortunately, Lex Luthor’s confidence almost always proved correct.

Once they both settled into their seats and placed their orders, Luthor said, “I apologize for the short notice. I’m sure there are plenty of things you would rather be doing.” Luthor smirked suggestively. “But I promise to make this worth your time.”

Bruce had developed a certain reputation while he was figuring out his sexuality in his twenties. He could count on his fingers the number of people he had actually slept with, but everyone who cared had already decided he was a playboy before he realized he was aromantic and asexual. That reputation had never gone away entirely, but Bruce had made peace with it as a way to separate Bruce Wayne from Batman and as part of the persona he had created to encourage people to underestimate him. If people already have their ideas about him, he might as well use it to his advantage. Luthor, however, was almost definitely perceptive enough to know at least some of that persona was fake. Bruce wasn’t sure if Luthor was trying to charm him or make him uncomfortable.

“I’m sure you will,” Bruce responded.

“Let’s get to the point, then, shall we? I trust you know I didn’t ask you here for the food. I have a proposition for you. Have you seen the news this morning?”

Bruce thanked whatever higher power may exist that Clark had called him that morning to tell him about Luthor’s announcement. “Of course. Although I’m afraid I don’t see what your presidential campaign has to do with me.”  Bruce could actually think of plenty of reasons Luthor might want to do business with him in this situation. But he didn’t feel like playing guessing games. Better to play dumb and get to the point.

“Oh, Mr. Wayne, it has everything to do with you. I’m about to be in a position to offer you anything you could want. I might even be willing to…cross the party line on a couple key issues.”

“You haven’t won the election yet, Lex. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“But, you see, this is a one time offer. Are you willing to bet your community’s well being against me? What about your family?” Luthor’s expression dripped with false sympathy.

“I’m not agreeing to anything until I know exactly what you’re asking of me.” Bruce held Luthor’s gaze, unflinching.

“Oh, nothing major. A little funding here, some verbal support, maybe a social media post. Perhaps some assistance swaying public opinion in the right direction. Depends on how much you want from me. You will get back what you are willing to put in, Bruce.”

“And if I refuse?” Bruce knew the answer, had read the threat between the lines, but he wanted to hear Luthor say it out loud. 

Luthor’s false sympathy disappeared without a trace. “Even you can’t possibly be that dense. If this year goes as planned, I will have the power to make your very existence illegal.”

And there it was. Fascinating how Luthor clearly knew how to gender Bruce correctly when he wanted something, but was still willing to use his identity to threaten him. “What’s to stop you from doing that anyway? Even if you did, money in the right places can go a long way even without a political office, as I’m sure you know. I’m not willing to ‘bet my community’, as you say, on your word.”

“That is the risk that comes with the territory. As you said, you have a fair amount of power yourself. But, if it makes you feel better, I can give you a paper copy of whatever deal we come to that you are free to use against me.” Luthor projected impatience, but Bruce suspected he had planned for this. He must have realized Bruce wouldn’t have gotten as far without some skill at negotiating. Bruce hated this kind of back and forth, but he’d had to do it enough times to know the script.

“So the Supreme Court can ignore it when you inevitably appeal? That piece of paper wouldn’t reflect well on me, either. Surely you have better insurance you can offer me. I know your past isn’t squeaky clean. Hand over evidence of a real crime that would sway public opinion and I’ll think about it.” Maybe Bruce could get some information out of this.

Luthor calmly pulled a folder out of the pocket inside his jacket and slid it across the table to Bruce. “How about this?”

The folder contained paper trails for several forms of illegal activity. Everything from tax evasion to bribery to identity theft. Bruce wondered how many of these documents were forged themselves. It would be just like Luthor to give him forged documents that he would reveal as fake when anyone tried to use them as evidence. Most of it wouldn’t ruin a political career, though. Wait…there could be something here. Looking closer at the names on the documents, Bruce started to put together the bigger story. It wasn’t all connected, but the documents included proof that Luthor had used his financial influence to find and reveal the identities of Captain Marvel and Green Arrow. There were also names associated with other heroes’ secret identities, including Clark Kent. Suspiciously, there was nothing related to Batman.  Bruce wasn’t even sure someone who wasn’t in the League could put this together, but Bruce did enough business with them that Luthor might assume he’d know enough without being a vigilante himself. With any luck, Luthor just didn’t know Batman’s identity, but that seemed increasingly unlikely.

“Hmm…I’ll have to verify the legitimacy of all this, of course.”

“Oh, I would expect nothing less.” Luthor shot Bruce a sharp smile.

“Although, I have to ask, why hand me this instead of any other scandal?” It was a little too close to home for Bruce’s comfort.

Luthor leaned forward so close Bruce could feel his breath on his ear. Bruce forced his body to stay still, focusing on keeping his breathing even. “I think you know exactly why, Batman.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow, but kept any other expression off his face, barely even moving his mouth. “Well played.”

Luthor leaned back in his seat again. “I’m surprised you don’t deny it.”

Bruce had considered Luthor might be guessing, but he wouldn’t make that information public without stronger evidence than his vague confirmation. Talking around it would be a waste of time. “There’s no point. I’m sure you already have proof. I assume keeping that secret and those of Batman’s associates would be part of our agreement, yes?”

“Of course. If fact, as a gesture of good faith, I would be willing to keep your secret until the election is over, even if we can’t come to an agreement. You’ve always struck me as a reasonable man, Mr. Wayne. That’s why I came to you. I can afford to keep Batman in play a little longer.”

Bruce almost shuddered to think what he could have done to give Luthor that impression, but plastered on a polite smile, anyway. “I appreciate it. And the warning. But I hope you understand I can’t make any promises.”

“We could do great things together, Mr. Wayne. I trust you’ll make the right decision. I’ll be in touch soon so we can iron out the details in a more… private location.”

As he left the restaurant, Bruce couldn’t help but think that, despite not actually getting Bruce to agree to anything yet, Luthor had already won.

When Bruce got home from work, he was immediately greeted with a punch to the face. As he grabbed his attacker’s arm to throw them, he realized he’d just been hit by Jason in full Red Hood gear, except for the helmet. Maybe if he had been a little less tired or had a less stressful day, he would have backed off. Instead, he kept going, losing the upper hand in his distraction and taking a knee to the gut. Bruce dodged Jason’s next attempt at hitting his face and retaliated with his own uppercut to Jason’s jaw.

Before he or Jason could take it any further, Dick pushed his way between them and forced Bruce backwards, trapping his hands behind his back. Tim and Alfred were attempting to do the same with Jason. Bruce’s anger cooled quickly once he wasn’t in the heat of the fight and he nearly collapsed against Dick.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” Dick said. Realizing Bruce wasn’t likely to go after Jason again, Dick let go of him and helped the others with Jason, finally getting him restrained using some rope Dick had produced seemingly out of nowhere.

Bruce, who had regretted his behavior as soon as he calmed down, said, “I’m sorry, Jason. I probably deserved that. And I definitely shouldn’t have hit you back.”

“Oh, you know it’s wrong to hit your kid? Someone give this man a medal.” Jason sneered.

“That wasn’t a rhetorical question. What’s going on here?” Dick looked between Bruce and Jason like they were a puzzle he was trying to solve. He must not have been paying attention to the news. Billy and Damian may not know yet, either, then. Bruce wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Do you know who this asshole had lunch with today?” Jason gestured toward Bruce with his chin. “Lex fucking Luthor! You know, the literal supervillain running for president. Ha, why does that only barely narrow it down?”

Dick let out an exasperated sigh. “You punched Bruce in the face because he had lunch with someone you don’t like?”

Jason had worked his hands free of the rope and stood up, taking a step towards Dick. “It was more than lunch. It was a business meeting, obviously. Luthor even handed him some kind of paperwork. There was footage through the window of the restaurant. They wanted to be seen.”

Bruce cut in, attempting to keep this from getting messier than it already was. “Jason, please, you have to understand. The meeting was set up before I even knew he was running for office. He tried to strongarm me into supporting his campaign. I’m obviously not going to do it. I’m just leading him on for a bit so I can get information.” Bruce turned to Dick. “We were right. Luthor is behind the recent cape related problems we’ve been having. This folder has proof. Assuming it’s real.” He handed the folder to Tim. “I need you and Oracle to verify these documents as soon as possible. If they’re real, they might lead us to what Luthor is planning to do next. But he knew I was Batman so I’m not sure I trust it.”

Dick took in a sharp breath. “He knows?”

“He does, but promised to keep the secret until the election, which I suspect was his plan anyway.”

Jason turned towards Bruce, gesturing wildly. “How could you look that man in the eye and smile? If I understand you, it sounds like he’s threatening to use his political power to target people like us. How could you not walk away then and there. Or better yet, punch him. I can’t believe you were so willing to hit me, but not him.”

Dick shrugged. “He does have a point, Bruce. Sure, I understand you need to be diplomatic sometimes, but you work that out before you come home and take it out on your family. And don’t even try to pull that ‘He started it’ bullshit. You’re the parent here. What if Billy had seen that? You’re so lucky he’s in the Cave with Damian, Cass and Steph.”

Bruce didn’t know what to say. “I know it was wrong. I apologized. What more do you want from me?”

Dick looked disappointed, but not surprised. “We need you to get your shit together. You could try therapy again. Just do something , show some effort to make it so this won’t happen again. Your words mean nothing if you don’t follow up.”

Bruce had tried therapy at several points in his life and it had always been disastrous. He could never bring himself to open up to someone like that, which he could admit was part of the problem in the first place. But if he couldn’t confide in the people he was closest to, how could he be expected to do the same for a stranger? He could see that something needed to change, but he knew therapy wasn’t the answer.

Jason interrupted, “Or you could stop rolling over and letting them turn you into another pick me. You’re better than this. For you to even get this far with Lex Luthor of all people…What must all the trans people that have supported you and looked up to you and depended on you think? I really thought you were starting to figure it out, you know? How fucked it all is? How the whole system is rigged to the point where it’s impossible to fix from the inside. They’re not playing by the rules, so why are you? You could have found another way to get evidence on Luthor. You are literally a detective! I wouldn’t have to fight with you if you weren’t such a coward.”

Bruce stared at a piece of lint clinging to the chair he sat in. He didn’t have it in him to meet Jason’s glare. “Look, Jason, I’m just trying to protect all of you. If I had canceled this meeting with Luthor or walked away or hit him, what do you think he would do? He would ruin us and there would be very little we could do to stop him. I need to be as palatable as possible to the public or they won’t listen to anything I say. When I first came out, I was the only trans man most people knew of so I couldn’t afford to risk making the entire community look bad. That’s part of why Batman exists. So I can go after the people Bruce Wayne can’t touch. I’m doing everything I can behind the scenes. And, if you must know, I am considering ways of dealing with Luthor that are not exactly legal.”

“Oh, we could have a conversation about Batman, too, and how your refusal to break your own ridiculous rules gets more people killed every day or how many people you’ve sent to the cops who were only stealing because they had no other choice. But no one expects anything different from Batman. That’s just how he operates. But Bruce Wayne has let people believe in him and trust that he’s better than the others. That there’s finally a powerful person on our side.” Jason’s voice cracked. When he started again, his voice was quieter. “I don’t think you really understand what that means to people. For you, sure people will misgender you or deadname you or try to accuse you of grooming, but you can always hide away from all that. Your wealth and status protect you. Most people don’t have that advantage. For some of us, this is life or death. You’ll never understand what that’s like.”

Does he really think Bruce is that oblivious? “Of course I know that! I feel the weight of it every day and it’s suffocating. Never think that any of this is easy for me. And if you think I don’t understand life or death stakes, you don’t know me very well. I’m not doing this with you anymore. It’s time to suit up.”

Dick moved in front of him, blocking his way out of the room. “Uh, no it’s not. Not for you. You are going to eat an actual meal and then go to bed. You are clearly in no state to go out tonight. I’ll go instead.”

“I’ll be fine, Dick.”

For the first time that night, Bruce could see the flash of anger behind Dick’s eyes. “You could barely control yourself with Jason! Do you really think you should be going out there? It’s even easier to lose control when it’s a stranger. I don’t want you to do anything you can’t come back from. I’ve been chilling at the house all day anyway.”

Bruce sighed. It wasn’t worth getting into another fight. “Fine.”

Chapter Text

Billy woke up feeling incredibly uncomfortable. He felt kind of nauseous with a gross stickiness in his underwear that couldn’t have been anything good. Whatever this was, why did it have to happen now? The one time he couldn’t change forms to avoid all the worst parts of having a human body. And it had taken him forever to get to sleep after Bruce and Jason’s fight. He didn’t see what actually happened himself, but he did see the aftermath and that told him everything he needed to know. He had just started getting comfortable here, but that didn’t stop him from lying awake trying to come up with a plan to get out of here if he needed to. It was almost too easy for Billy to accept that this would be another failure, that Bruce wasn’t all that different after all.

But now he had a whole other situation to deal with. Billy shuffled to the bathroom attached to his bedroom. When he saw the red stain on his underwear, it took far longer than it should have to realize what was happening. He knew about the reproductive cycle in theory, but he had never imagined it would apply to him. It just seemed so wrong . Surely his body wouldn’t betray him like that. Well, apparently it would.

The creeping dysphoria Billy had started feeling more and more as he got older suddenly hit him in an overwhelming wave. He wanted to crawl out of his skin. It was one thing to logically understand the nature of his own anatomy. It was another to experience real evidence of it. And he had always gotten the impression that having a period wasn’t exactly comfortable even for people who didn’t have a reason to be dysphoric about it. 

Then there was the practical matter of dealing with the thing itself. Billy couldn’t find pads or tampons in the cabinet (not that he would really know how to use one if he did). He would have to ask someone, but everyone was out patrolling except Bruce and Alfred and Alfred was monitoring things in the Cave. So Bruce was the only option unless Billy wanted to interrupt. As much as this felt like an emergency to him, he couldn’t imagine the City of Gotham would agree or any of the vigilantes who might get hurt if Alfred was distracted or unavailable. Billy wasn’t sure he would have had it in him to bother Alfred with this, anyway. He still felt weird about Alfred’s place in the household as some combination of employee and family. Even so, he wasn’t looking forward to talking to Bruce about this, either. 

Billy tried to be positive. At least he was in a place where he would have access to everything he needed to make this as comfortable as possible. It still wasn’t going to be fun, but he wouldn’t have to choose between buying pads or tampons and buying food. Or having to tell an adult who already didn’t understand his gender what was going on. And he wouldn’t have to deal with school.

After searching through the upstairs hallway, Billy finally found Bruce in what appeared to be a study. The door was cracked open and Bruce was sitting at the desk, dramatically lit only by the computer in front of him and a lamp on the desk. As Billy walked in, Bruce turned towards him and said, “Oh hello, Billy. Couldn’t sleep?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s…I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

Billy didn’t know why he was having so much trouble getting the words out, but they felt stuck in his throat. “I started…you know…bleeding.”

Bruce’s brow furrowed in confusion for a second before relaxing in recognition. “Oh, I see.” Bruce paused and Billy questioned his decision to come to Bruce with this. “Let’s go to the hall restroom. We should have, uh, supplies there.”

Once they got to the bathroom, Bruce asked, “Are you in pain? We’ve got ibuprofen, if you need it.”

Now that he thought of it, an aching pain around his stomach, but lower, had started creeping in after he got out of bed. He debated whether or not to tell Bruce. It wasn’t that bad right now, but he knew how quickly pain could get worse with no warning. Then again, he hated admitting he needed help. What he had already asked for was already hard enough. But Bruce had already seen parts of Billy he never thought anyone would see. Hell, he had cried in front of Bruce! This wasn’t that big of a leap. Bruce already knew how vulnerable he really was. Billy finally answered, “Yeah, I guess I’ll take some.”

Bruce gave him two of the pills. “It’s usually a good idea to take this early. If you’re already feeling it now, it will only get worse. I’ll get you a heating pad in case the ibuprofen isn’t enough. Now, for the bleeding, we have a couple options. I don’t know how you feel about it, but…I always hated the idea of…inserting anything so I used pads. But tampons are more comfortable for some people and they’re less visible. Do you have a preference?”

Billy wasn’t a fan of the concept of ‘inserting’ anything, either. “I’ll try a pad, I guess.”

They spent some time deciding which kind of pad they already had would work best and going over how to position a pad correctly. Bruce said he would get some new ones for Billy to keep in his room tomorrow. Billy suspected Alfred would be the one physically going to the store. He couldn’t see Bruce willingly grocery shopping, especially for this sort of thing.

Bruce left Billy alone so he could actually take care of it in private. Once he was finished, Billy found Bruce waiting in a sitting room across the hall. He wasn’t sure he would get an answer, but Billy asked, “Do you still have a period? You don’t have to answer that.”

“I don’t, but that’s because I’ve had a hysterectomy. Before the surgery, I used birth control to stop it. If I stopped taking it, it would come back, but irregularly because of the testosterone.”

“But you did have one before?” Billy thought he remembered that Bruce didn’t physically transition until adulthood.

“Yes, I did and I hated every second of it. It never really got better when I got used to it like it seemed to for other people. I knew someone who went on birth control to stop her cycle because of endometriosis and I was irrationally jealous of her.” 

Bruce’s honesty surprised Billy, but he may have learned from experience with Jason and maybe Cass. Even so, he didn’t quite meet Billy’s eyes. “Is there a way I can make it stop?”

“If you’re still living here, we could see about puberty blockers, which might make it stop or some kind of birth control if you don’t want the other effects of puberty blockers. But I’m not sure how easily we’ll be able to make that happen without official guardianship.”

“But there’s nothing I can do now?” Billy wasn’t sure he could handle another several days of this.

“I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I want you to see a doctor before giving you anything like that. There’s a chance your body might react badly to certain types of treatment. A doctor will have the best idea of what’s likely to be healthy for you and give you the effect you want at the right dosage. We’ll see how bad this one is. If it’s an emergency, we can talk to my friend Leslie and see what she can do.”

“But I thought the idea of this stuff being dangerous was just transphobia?”

Bruce sat down and finally looked Billy in the eye. “Conservatives definitely exaggerate how bad they can be and how often they happen, but, as with any medical treatment, there’s always a chance something could go wrong. But that small chance is more than worth it when the alternative is so intolerable.”

“Then why can’t we do anything about it now?”

“We have to be careful to do this the right way, the legal way, or the right will use it against us. Once your guardianship is figured out, we can get you to a doctor.”

“What’s the point of having all this money and influence if you never use it to bend the rules? You mentioned a friend that could help, why can’t we go to her unless it’s an emergency? Why is your reputation more important than everything else?”

”I dealt with a period for years before I transitioned. You can deal with it for a few months while we deal with the paperwork.”

Did Bruce really not get it? Billy couldn’t imagine justifying someone else’s suffering because he had suffered more. “Just because you suffered doesn’t mean I should have to.”

Bruce rubbed his hand down his face. “We’ve talked about this. My top priority is keeping you and the rest of the family safe. And the best way to do that is to follow the rules no matter how much you don’t like it.”

 “How do you not see that we can all keep ourselves safe? I can literally turn into an invulnerable magician with superpowers! I’m sure you have some master plan no one knows about like you always do as Batman, but what is it going to take for you to stop rolling over and actually do something?”

“I…There’s more than one kind of safety. You don’t know what you’re asking me to do.”

“Other people take huge risks to change things who don’t even have all the advantages you do. But instead of working with them, you’re having lunch with Lex Luthor!” Billy was sure Bruce could see the anger in his heating face and wild gestures. He didn’t know how Bruce stayed so outwardly calm. Did he just genuinely not care, or was it more like the calm before the storm?

“I don’t want to have this fight again. We can talk about this in the morning when we can be more rational.” Bruce moved like he was going to leave the room.

“Oh, fuck you. You always do this. Change the subject as soon as the conversation gets tough. No, we are having this conversation and we’re having it now.”

“You…I…” Bruce’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t do this.”

“Fine. Then I’m leaving.” Billy knew it was probably a bad idea to go out on his own right now, but maybe he could get Bruce to talk. He was seriously thinking about following through if Bruce didn’t though, regardless of safety. He could always ignore Bruce’s stupid rules and transform as soon as he got outside.

“Wait, at least don’t go alone. Clark, we need you.”

A few seconds later, Superman arrived in full suit and cape. “What’s going on?”

“Would you be able to take Billy for the night?” Bruce asked.

“I am not a pet you can loan out whenever you feel like it!” Billy may not have enjoyed Bruce’s company in that moment, but he was not about to let Bruce take the choice away from him.

“Woah, what happened?” Clark asked.

“Billy said he was going to leave and I didn’t want him running off into Gotham in the middle of the night when I can’t protect him.” In a different situation, it would have been comical how much Bruce sounded like a student tattling to a teacher.

“Okay, let’s sit down and try to cool off.” Clark sat on one of the couches, reluctantly followed by Bruce and Billy. “Billy, why did you threaten to run away?”

“I’m just sick of Bruce refusing to actually talk about the things that matter. I thought maybe if I said I would leave, he would be willing to finish the conversation. But I also do kinda want to be somewhere else. And I guess Bruce wants the same thing.” Clark always had a way of getting Billy to open up, even when he didn’t want to. He had found it saved time to just be honest from the beginning.

“I don’t want you to leave, Billy. We’ve all enjoyed having you here. I’ve enjoyed having you here. I just don’t think I’m the best person to take care of you right now. And that has more to do with me than it does with you. I’m not at my best tonight. I…I’m not sure I could protect you if something happened.”

“Bruce, maybe you should lead with that next time. Billy, I know Bruce and I’m inclined to take him seriously on this. I get the impression you both need a little space from each other. Do you want to stay with me or is there somewhere else you’d rather go?”

“I guess I can stay with you.”

“Okay, you can stay with us if you want, but you’re going to have to sleep on the couch. Jon’s bed isn’t big enough for you to share and Lois will already be mad at me for leaving in the middle of the night. But I still want to know what you were arguing about.”

“Billy can tell you later.” Bruce spoke before Billy had a chance.

“Sure, he can give me his side of the story, but I want to hear yours, too.”

“Billy’s angry that I’m hesitant to put him on hormone blockers or birth control  until he can see a doctor officially.”

“Oh. That’s a little beyond my scope.” Clark rubbed the back of his neck, losing the air of confidence he usually had in the cape. “I’m not sure my apartment is the best place for you to stay, Billy, if that’s the case. Normally, I’m sure Lois would be willing to keep an eye on you, but she’s busy and I can’t afford to take another day off work. Maybe one of you knows someone else who’s a little more available.” Bruce opened his mouth to protest, but Clark continued before he could. “I’m sure Dick or someone in the Justice League would be willing if you asked.”

“Clark, you have superspeed. I’m sure you can make it work.”

Clark sighed. “Billy, do you still want to stay with me? We were already planning to go on that trip to Fawcett City. You can stay through tomorrow. We could even leave tomorrow night so you don’t have to sleep on the couch again.”

“Yeah, I do.” Along with his general feelings towards Bruce right now, Billy knew how much of a state the most stoic person he knew must be in if he was actually admitting to any kind of vulnerability. Sure, he could stay with someone else, but he didn’t trust anyone more than Clark.

“Okay, why don’t you go grab your stuff and meet me downstairs.”

Billy nodded and left, leaving Bruce and Clark alone.

“Happy Transiversary, Brucie!” Selina hugged Bruce as she let him into her apartment.

“You know I hate it when people call me that,” Bruce said, unable to keep the corner of his mouth from twitching at seeing one of his closest friends for the first time in far too long. He had come straight from work after getting hardly any sleep the night before, but he wouldn’t miss this for anything.

He met Selina on one of his and Alfred’s visits to the alley where his parents died. She was also an orphan and they hit it off. Alfred was so glad Bruce had actually made a friend that he let her come back to the Manor with them after informing the orphanage where she lived. She had moved to a different city with a relative a few months later, but they kept in touch until they both ended up at Gotham University. They came out to the people they were closest to as trans on the same day after confiding in each other through the process of figuring their identities out in the first place. If Bruce felt romantic attraction, he would have felt it for her. It was part of the reason he knew he was aromantic. 

“I also know that I could call you almost anything and you would still love me,” Selina said in a way that would have seemed flirtatious if Bruce didn’t know her so well.

“So, steal anything good lately?” Bruce obviously didn’t approve of this particular habit of hers, but they had a deal where she wouldn’t steal anything of his without permission and he wouldn’t go out of his way to arrest her. At least, that was how it was supposed to work. There was a reason Bruce always did everything in his power to avoid letting her into the Manor.

Selina laughed. “Nice try, Bat. Some things, a lady never tells. A woman needs a sense of mystery if she wants a man to stick around.”

“Where did you get that line from? You sound like a badly written femme fatale in a movie everyone forgot for a reason.”

“What did I just say? Mystery, Bruce, mystery!”

“I think you lost any mystery you might have had with me a few major life decisions, coming outs, and personal tragedies ago. And you're forgetting I’m immune to those rules, anyway.”

“Which is why I need to keep what little I have left. And you’re not immune to a good mystery just because you’re aroace. You are a detective, Bruce.”

Selina walked over to the fridge while Bruce sat on the couch. “You want drinks or conversation first? I’m sure the champagne won’t be up to your standards, but I got the impression it was a decent vintage.”

“Let’s talk first. I’ve got something I want your opinion on.”

“God, Bruce, you sound like you’re in a business meeting. We’re supposed to be celebrating! It’s a big year, too.” Selina joined Bruce on the couch.

“I know. I just have other things on my mind at the moment.” Bruce never really understood the point of special birthdays and anniversaries anyway. How is it different that it’s been twenty years instead of any other number?

Selina leaned further back into the couch, turning to face him. “Alright, we have time. We can talk now, celebrate later. What’s on your mind?”

“I told you I was taking in another kid, right?”

Selina raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Billy Batson, the kid who’s been in the news. The one they’re saying is Captain Marvel’s alter ego. We really should talk more often. It’s getting to the point that half the time we actually have a conversation, it’s so you can tell me you’re adopting another kid.”

“Yeah, him. Things have not been going as smoothly as we had hoped and it looks like he may be staying at the Manor longer than we had planned. Which is fine. He’s a good kid, but I don’t think he’s really happy living there. He just ran away the other day and we just had another fight last night. Now he’s staying with Clark so we can both cool off.” Bruce had dealt with the same thing with all his kids at some point, but that didn’t make it any easier. 

“Well you shouldn’t be surprised a kid with his background isn’t immediately adjusting to living with an actual billionaire. I can tell you from experience that it’s almost impossible to spend much time in the system without developing some trust issues.”

Bruce sighed. “I know that it takes time to build trust, but, with him, I get the sense that he already feels like the difference between Bruce Wayne and Batman is a betrayal. So I’m starting from behind. On top of his past with other adults who have failed him. And I haven’t been my best self lately.”

Selina put her hand on his knee, squeezing with just enough pressure to be comfortable for him while remaining platonic. It had taken time when Bruce finally came back to Gotham to get to the point where they could have that kind of affection without Selina wanting more and Bruce feeling uncomfortable, but they did. And Bruce could count on one hand the number of people he would let touch him like that when he wasn’t putting on an act. “Bruce, If I know anything about you, it’s that you’re a good parent. But I also know how infuriatingly impatient you can be with yourself. It’s been, what, three days?”

“More like four. I’m not doubting my ability as a parent or being impatient. The problem isn’t something that will go away on its own. This won’t be the last time I have to tone down what I really think for the press or for people like Luthor. And I’m sure there will come a time when I have to ask him to do the same.”

“I mean this in the kindest way possible, but you know you don’t actually have to tone it down for anyone, right? You could just be honest and let Billy and the others do the same.”

“No, I can’t take it too far. Just being who I am is already too far for so many of them, I’ll lose all the support for the Foundation if I was too honest. And working with Luthor might be the only way to keep him from doing what he did to Billy and Oliver to anyone else. Nevermind what he might do to the community with that kind of power.” Bruce had been walking the line between real change and maintaining support for years. He knew exactly how many of the donors for the Wayne Foundation would pull their support if he went too far. And that would mean cutting back on all the Foundation’s initiatives, not just the ones directly dealing with the queer community.

Selina sighed. “We’ve had this conversation before and we always end up in the same place. Just think about what we’re celebrating! On this day twenty years ago we both came out to the people who matter. Don’t you remember how it felt to be in the closet? I just don’t get why you keep choosing to hide parts of yourself when you’ve already done the hardest part in taking that first step.”

“It’s not the same for you. You don’t have the media and politicians and activists and all of high society breathing down your neck. There are too many people depending on my reputation.”

Selina removed her hand from his knee. “And you really think that’s working? I hate to break it to you, but things are getting worse, not better. Maybe it’s time for a different strategy.”

Bruce stood up, feeling restless. “I don’t want to fight about this right now.” He got halfway across the room before pausing and turning back around to face Selina. He didn’t want to fight, but he didn’t want to leave either. “...But I see what you’re saying. It is getting worse. I just don’t know how to actually make it better.”

Selina walked towards him until she was within arms length. They were about the same height so she would have been looking him in the eye if he wasn’t staring at the ground. “Well I can tell you it’s not whatever you’ve been doing. The bigots are getting worse, but that’s because they see us as a real threat. If we want to fight them, it will take more than visibility now. Visibility isn’t enough to show your kids you support them, either.”

Bruce took a step back, still not meeting her eyes. “Don’t you think I know that? Sometimes, I don’t know why I bothered to come back when I had transitioned. No one would have recognized me. I could have lived a whole life without anyone knowing.”

Selina reached out and gently tilted his chin so he was facing her. “You came back because you had a mission. That’s why you left in the first place. And I’m not just talking about Batman.”

Bruce turned his head out of Selina’s hand and sat back down on the couch. “I left because I was a coward. You should have been the one with the platform and the money and the influence. You’re right. I have a mission, but maybe I’m not the right person to carry it out.”

“Oh hell no! You think I would subject myself to that?” Selina walked back over and leaned her forearms on the back of the couch. “I would run away and actually never come back. I really don’t know how you put up with their bullshit without doing something that would get you arrested if you weren’t Bruce Wayne. And there’s the small detail that I’m a trans woman. They don’t like you, but they would eviscerate me. You should really ask Tim and Dick about that sometime.”

Bruce knew she had a point. It wasn’t exactly easy for him, but he knew it would have been even worse for her. “I’m pretty sure being Batman would fall into that category. Wait…Why would I ask Dick? He’s not trans… unless you know something I don’t.”

“Maybe not, but do you really think the people we’re talking about care? All they see is someone that looks like a man wearing makeup and long hair and sometimes a skirt or a dress. I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed.”

“I know certain people don’t react well to some of the ways he presents himself. But he never really seemed bothered by it, at least not around me. Guess I’ll need to ask him about it.”

Selina lightly cuffed the side of his head. “Well no shit you should talk to him, dumbass.” Before Bruce could respond, she continued. “Alright, that’s enough of your rich white boy tears. We’re getting the drinks out.” Selina got the champagne and opened it in a way that would make as little mess as possible. Sometimes, she liked to get it everywhere just to annoy Bruce, who had a distinct aversion to food waste, despite growing up wealthy. But it was her turn to host. She was always less restrained when Bruce was paying for the champagne on the floor.

They raised their glasses to Selina’s toast. “Here’s to twenty years of truly knowing each other! And to twenty more!”

Chapter Text

Billy couldn’t believe he had been left alone with someone he barely knew again. He might as well be back in the system with how often he had been traded around from one adult to another. But maybe he shouldn’t complain. He did agree to leave the manor. Where Bruce probably would have been at work anyway and, knowing his luck, he still would have ended up with Oliver Queen as a babysitter.

Clark and Lois had gone to work early in the morning and they had some sort of tech issue at the Watchtower so Oliver couldn’t stay there and he ended up watching Billy here in Clark’s apartment. And he seemed to have enjoyed the last few hours together about as much as Billy did. 

The two of them were sitting on the couch starting and stopping awkward conversation every once in a while. They were flipping through channels on the TV (Clark and Lois somehow had no streaming services and half their channels were news) until Oliver looked at his phone and smiled. “Hey, Billy, how would you feel if Hal stopped by?”

It took Billy a second to remember who that was. Hal was away on Green Lantern duty so often they hadn’t interacted much. “Sure, I guess.” anything to break up this awkward silence.

Billy regretted that decision almost immediately after Hal arrived. “How are you holding up, Ollie?” Hal said when Oliver let him in, ignoring Billy. Hal wore the Green Lantern ring, but that was the only indication he was a vigilante with his flight jacket, t-shirt, and jeans.

“Oh, you know, just lost basically everything that mattered to me all at once. But, other than that, I’m great!” Oliver replied.

“I’ll buy you a drink sometime and you can tell me all about it. I’m supposed to be ready for a test flight in a couple hours so I can’t stay long.” Hal finally acknowledged Billy. “And you must be Billy, right?”

“Yeah.” 

“You know, at first, I couldn’t believe Captain Marvel was really some kid. And then it made perfect sense when I actually thought about it. I gotta say, I respect the hustle. Has the League treated you all right? I can imagine some of them were not happy when they found out.”

“They’ve been alright. It’s everyone else that’s the problem.”

“I take it they’ve all respected your pronouns and all that?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t they? A trans guy literally funds the entire thing.”

“Hey, I used to fund it, too, you know! But I’m not convinced Bruce would do anything, anyway. He doesn’t have the spine.”

Billy kept his mouth shut, knowing Bruce would not appreciate his identity being revealed to these two. But maybe Oliver was right. Bruce had consistently been hesitant to take any risks by speaking up in defense of Billy’s identity.

Oliver continued, “You let me know if it does become an issue and I’ll kick their ass.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll probably just tell Batman. They would actually listen to him.”

“Oh, right. I forgot you were staying with him.” Oliver said.

Hal sat on the arm of the couch next to Oliver and said, “I can’t get a read on Batman’s politics. He’s always quick to defend people in the League when those issues come up, but he works so closely with the police and he’s weird about language. I think he almost killed me once when I called him a pussy.”

“Well, to be fair, Dinah says that is kind of sexist. But Batman doesn’t strike me as the type to be offended by that.”

Billy stifled a laugh. “You could just ask him. For the record he’s been perfectly fine about my identity. But I would have loved to see the look on his face when you called him that!”

Hal laughed. “I think he would actually kill me if I asked him. That man is allergic to sharing personal details. But I guess it makes sense that he could deal with you. He probably sees Bruce Wayne all the time. If you ask me, I think they’re fucking.”

Billy coughed and Oliver said, “Hal!” He pointed at Billy. “Child!”

“It’s fine, I’m sure he’s heard worse, haven’t you Billy?” Billy opened his mouth to answer, but Hal continued before he could. “I doubt you had the kind of parents that would shelter you from that sort of thing based on the general lack of parents in this situation. Unless I’m totally reading this wrong.”

Billy wasn’t sure he liked Hal, but at least he didn’t talk down to him. “And how is that any of your business?” Discussing his home life with random adults almost never ended well.

“I guess it’s not. I just, uh, have some experience with absent parents. Military family, and all that. But I guess we all have our sob story. Except maybe Oliver here. He just got stranded on an island and had a come to Jesus moment.”

“Hal, we have talked about this. I have dead parents, too, just like everyone else. How do you think I inherited Queen industries?”

“Yeah, well. You lose your parents and inherit a multibillion dollar company. I lost my parents and all I got was this jacket and childhood trauma.”

Maybe Hal wasn’t that bad.

“Alright, I gotta go. I’ve got planes to fly.” Hal hugged Oliver and nodded at Billy as he left.

Billy and Oliver fell into another awkward silence. After a while, Oliver said, “So…what do you do for fun?”

“Fly around as Captain Marvel.”

“I should have expected that.  Do you like…” Oliver looked around, landing on the shelf across the room. “...puzzles?”

“Not really. I’m going to take a nap.” Billy went to Jon’s bedroom and realized he really did need sleep after the late night. But he couldn’t actually sleep no matter what position he tried. Maybe he made a mistake in coming here. He had just gotten used to the manor and it had even started to feel like home. Even if Bruce had felt unable to be a parent, there were other adults around that could have looked after him. They couldn’t possibly need that many people to patrol one city every single night. Maybe Billy was the problem. Bruce just needed a break from such a difficult kid. 

Billy was abruptly woken up by a pounding at the door that couldn’t be anything good. He must have finally fallen asleep. He walked out to the main room to see what was going on and was shocked to hear, “Metropolis police! Open up, we have a warrant!” He thought about trying to hide, but figured they would find him anyway. By the time he got down the hall, they were already putting cuffs on Oliver.

Why did Oliver let them in? It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Oliver talked a big game about social justice, but it was always just that. Talk.

One of the officers noticed him. “Are you his kid…Wait, I recognize you. You’re Billy Batson. CPS has been looking for you. Greaves, let’s take him in, too.”

“Wait, there must be a mistake. I have a guardian, I swear!” Billy (probably unsuccessfully) tried to keep the panic out of his voice. He didn’t want the cops to decide they needed to arrest him, too.

“You can tell that to CPS.”

Clark was about to finish proofreading his last article for the day when he heard the police entering his apartment. He decided that project was good enough and left everything else for the next day. But he couldn’t get away with leaving unannounced so he let Perry know he was heading out for the day, hoping that wouldn’t make him too late.

He shouldn’t have come into work today. Forget Perry, Bruce was going to kill him if anything happened to Billy. Or maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to watch Billy in the first place. He knew he didn’t have the time to give him enough attention.

He worked with the Metropolis police all the time as Superman, but their relationship was not close enough for them to release a criminal to him. And, with all the negative attention on the vigilante world right now, Superman’s reputation would only go so far. He decided this would be better handled as Clark Kent.

Even using his super speed to get to the apartment as fast as possible, Oliver was already in cuffs by the time he got there, while the other officer argued with Billy. Clark turned to the officer with Oliver. “What’s going on here?”

“Is this your apartment?” The officer asked at the same time Oliver said, “Oh, thank God.”

“Why do you want to know?” Clark addressed the officer first. Greaves, according to her name tag. She must be new. Clark had never met her before.

“We have a warrant to search this address. We got a reliable tip that a fugitive was staying here.” Greaves gestured at Oliver. “So what business does a reporter like you have with these vigilantes?”

“I am under no obligation to tell you anything without a lawyer present. I would have appreciated a call before you entered my apartment.”

“That would defeat the purpose wouldn’t it?”

“What about Billy? He’s a minor. He’s just visiting me right now so you’ll need to inform his legal guardian if you’re going to arrest him.”

Billy and the other officer, Smith, had stopped arguing while Clark spoke. This officer had been working with the Metropolis police for a few years and regularly argued with Superman over his place in the city. A growing cohort of people in Metropolis feared Superman destroying the city instead of saving it and Smith was one of the most vocal. Clark needed to be especially careful not to incriminate himself.

Smith stepped into the living room from the hallway and said, “Oh, that’s the best part, He doesn’t have a legal guardian. He claims he’s staying with Bruce Wayne, but we have no record of that. Last we knew, he was in the custody of a family in Fawcett City. But he evidently ran away. If he’s with Bruce Wayne, we’re looking at a possible kidnapping. Serves him right for working with the Justice League.”

Yeah, Bruce was definitely going to kill him. “Am I or anyone in my family under arrest?”

“Not yet, but it’s not a great look to have two fugitive vigilantes found in your residence. As long as you cooperate with our investigation, we shouldn’t need to press charges.”

“Okay, if you’re going to arrest them, do I at least get to know what they’re being charged with?”

Greaves answered this time. “Illegal vigilantism and tax fraud for Queen here, and we’re taking Batson to CPS to get paired with a new home. Vigilantism laws work differently for minors. Once he’s back in Fawcett city, it will be up to their law enforcement what to do with him.”

“Is that what they told you, Oliver?”

“That’s what they told me. It’s bullshit, but these things only get worse when you try to resist. I wasn’t taking that risk with Billy here and the possibility of implicating you.” Oliver stared at the floor. Clark hoped the officers didn’t interpret Oliver’s words as too friendly. Or maybe it was too late for that if the police knew to come to Clark’s apartment. But he chose to operate on the assumption they didn’t know until he found out otherwise. Maybe Clark and Lois’s connection to Superman as reporters was all they needed.

“I appreciate that, but I wish you hadn’t let them into my home. As it is, you’re not getting out of this. You have enough rich friends, I’m sure you’ll be bailed out by the end of the night, anyway.”

Clark turned to the officer. “Can I make a call before you take Billy to CPS, see if we can sort this out?”

“I suppose, but make it quick. We don’t have all night.”

Clark locked himself in his bedroom and called Bruce, keeping an eye on what was happening in the living room. “Are you available? It’s about Billy.”

Shuffling noises came through the phone as Bruce moved to another room. “Go”

Clark paused, unsure how to phrase this. He went with the direct approach. “They’re trying to take Billy to CPS. I don’t know why I trusted Oliver to watch him. They’re arresting Oliver, too, for vigilantism and tax fraud. But I figured you’d be more concerned about Billy.”

“You had who watch him.”

“Lois and I had to work. I’m super behind, but I didn’t want to leave him alone.”

“Why didn’t you work from home with him?”

“I know this isn’t the kind of thing you have to think about, but my boss threatened to fire me if I didn’t come into work today. I’ve already missed like three deadlines this week and I will be replaced if I don’t get some actual work done. I can’t actually be in two places at once, you know.”

“Sounds like you need to improve your time management.”

Clark took a breath, remembering that the apartment was too small to be certain the others couldn’t hear him.  “That is so not the point right now. Do you have the paperwork to fix this or not?”

Bruce sighed. “I hadn’t gotten around to that yet.”

“Oh, who’s bad at time management now, huh? If you don’t have the papers, I can’t stop them from taking him and neither can you.”

“I could see if they would let me foster him.”

“I would be shocked if they let you. Listen, I’ll call you back once the police are out of my apartment.”

Bruce grunted and Clark hung up. 

“So, I take it you don’t have anything,” Smith said, smirking, when Clark walked back into the living room.

“Would it be possible for me to take custody temporarily? Just until the dust settles and they find a more permanent option. I would imagine it would be better for him to be with someone he knows.”

“I’d be okay with that,” Billy said.

“You haven’t been approved as a foster parent, have you?” Greaves asked.

“No, I haven’t. But it would only be temporary.”

“Well, given that we just had to arrest the person you left him with, I doubt CPS will agree to that.”

“Fine. Billy, you have my number, right? Let me know if you need anything.” It wasn’t worth the risk to his identity and, possibly, his family to fight them on this.

“I need to not go back into the system again.” Billy’s voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

Oh, screw it. Clark Kent knowing Billy Batson was not enough on its own to prove he was Superman. The kid who needed him right now mattered more. Clark sat next to Billy on the couch. “Hey, I know this isn’t ideal, but we’ll figure it out, okay? Do you trust me?”

“I thought I did.”

“I’m sorry I can’t do more right now. I shouldn’t have left you in such a vulnerable situation by prioritizing my job over you.”

“I understand. I should have just stayed with-”

“Billy, none of this is your fault. It’s the responsibility of the adults in your life to keep you safe and, if we failed at that, it’s our problem.” Clark squeezed Billy’s shoulder. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Billy nodded, then the officers led him and Oliver out of the apartment. Clark paused for a moment and took a breath before calling Bruce again. He answered on the first ring. “I’m assuming you're alone now?”

“Yes”

“How could you let this happen?” Bruce didn’t raise his voice, but Clark could hear the anger in it.

“Bruce, I have a life and a job outside of Superman that I’ve already been neglecting. Maybe if I wasn’t constantly being called in for random meetings during work hours, it would be different. But I don’t have a whole team to cover the slack in other areas like you do.”

 “Couldn’t you work from home?”

“I tried. Boss said no.”

“You know, I could…”

Not this again. Bruce had an infuriating habit of suggesting Wayne Enterprises buy out the Daily Planet when Clark complained about his job. “Absolutely not. Mergers and acquisitions just create more work for us normal people. That would just put me even more behind and everyone would hate me for keeping my job when I clearly don’t deserve to. And you know that. I’m half convinced the only reason they haven’t already fired me is because of Lois as it is.”

“Still, you could have left him with anyone else and he would have been fine. I should have just had Dick take him to Bludhaven.”

Clark shelved his frustration with Bruce’s overdependence on Dick to solve all his problems for another time. “Well, maybe Oliver wouldn’t have been arrested and they wouldn’t have taken Billy if you had done your job.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you have any kind of official custody of Billy? You could get in a lot of trouble for that. It sounded like they might try to go after you for kidnapping. And that is the last thing you need right now.”

“They can try,” Bruce said in a Batman-like growl and continued in his normal voice. “I meant what I said before. I didn’t have time to go into the city and get it done. Getting that sort of thing figured out is an all day process in Gotham. And it would have meant risking my and my family’s covers to be associated with Billy, a known vigilante, in a public record. I wanted to at least wait until the attention died down.”

“Have fun explaining that to Billy. It wouldn’t have been that much of a risk anyway. You’re already associated with the Justice League.” Clark shook his head, even knowing Bruce couldn’t see him.

“Hey, I trusted you to take care of him and you let this happen. You could have whisked him away as soon as you knew what was going on and you didn’t. I’m not the only one at fault here.”

Clark had been going over and over in his head how he could have done things differently or gotten there faster, but he didn’t see an option that wouldn't have gotten him fired or revealed he was Superman.

“I know that. And I’ve apologized to Billy. But I assumed you had legal custody so law enforcement wouldn’t take him. You should have told me not to let the police find him.” 

“I thought that was a given, in these circumstances. This conversation isn’t over, but I want to know how you blame me for Oliver.”

“Oliver was arrested for tax fraud. He doesn’t strike me as the type. You, on the other hand…”

“I don’t do anything illegal. I just take advantage of loopholes here and there like every other CEO of a major corporation. Maybe they planted something. Or Oliver’s lawyers fucked up. Or they just decided to enforce a law they never usually care about to have a better excuse to arrest him. How did they find your apartment?”

“They said they had a reliable tip.” Clark continued without giving Bruce a chance to respond. “And I know you’re trying to change the subject. Just because lots of CEOs do it doesn’t mean it’s legal, let alone ethical, but I’m going to choose to trust your knowledge on this one.”

“Did you find out who?”

Clark decided to let Bruce’s selective hearing go for now. They needed to work together on this. Even if Clark was the only one willing to compromise. “Not for certain, but I have my suspicions.”

“Luthor.”

“Who else could it be? Both Billy and Oliver disguised themselves before they entered the building. I wonder if he’s responsible for the malfunction we had at the Watchtower, too.”

“Could be. Or he just saw his chance.”

Chapter Text

The social worker driving Billy from Metropolis to Fawcett city tried to make conversation, but he ignored the questions in favor of staring out the window, wondering how he could have ended up in this situation again. He should have known not to trust Bruce Wayne to save him. Every time he thought a family would work out, it fell apart. How could he have believed this would be any different? Whatever, it was nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. Just another family that didn’t really want him. 

Billy wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He could save himself.

When they arrived at Fawcett City’s social services, Billy waited until the car stopped to get out and run across the parking lot into an alley between buildings. He had run away from this place enough times to know where to go. The Metropolis social worker never got close enough for Billy to notice, but he still ran until he hit a crowded sidewalk where he switched to a quick walk, blending in with everyone else. He took a long, circuitous route through several parts of the city before settling on one of his favorite hiding spots under a walking bridge on a  trail at the park just outside downtown. He would have to move by morning, but the park was usually abandoned at night.

As the adrenaline left his system, he finally noticed all the sensations he had been ignoring. He wasn’t used to this kind of physical activity as Billy Batson and he could feel it in his body. And the medicine holding back the period cramps quickly wore off. He curled up against it, trying not to cry. Billy had been physically hurt before, but this somehow beat all of that. His own body was tearing itself up from the inside and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. He didn’t even have more medicine.

He knew the Justice League thought he would be safer as Billy Batson, but what did they know? They didn’t have to live every day in this body, in this life. They didn’t know what he had already survived. And now his identity was public so how could being in a child’s body protect him now? 

He was done with Billy Batson. That life had given him nothing but varying levels of pain and he didn’t see a way it could ever get better. Not in this country, not when no guardian social services would ever put him with would understand the superhero part of his life. The only part that ever had any joy in it. Even the past few days when things were good with Bruce and everyone else would never have happened without Captain Marvel and the lies he told to be allowed to keep that part of him separate from the miserable kid he was the rest of the time.

Even that had fallen apart. 

Unable to stand a second more as Billy Batson, he emerged from under the bridge and yelled “Shazam!”, lighting up the nearly dark evening with lightning. He laughed at the sheer relief of being Captain Marvel and flew up high enough to see the sun finish setting over the city. He was never letting this feeling go again.

Before anyone could stop him, Bruce changed into the suit and drove the Batmobile to Gotham. He knew they all worried about him hurting someone, but they had no idea what he was really trying to do. He’d fucked up this time in a way even he may not be able to fix. He never should have let Billy out of his sight until everything was above board. He had seriously underestimated the risks of putting off gaining official custody of Billy. He thought waiting until the press calmed down a bit would protect him. And he needed to come up with a plan to keep this from revealing his and his family’s vigilante activity first. He just couldn’t find the time.

Bruce prided himself on how much he had improved as a parent since he first took Dick in years ago. But he must not have improved as much as he thought. It wasn’t just that he had let his kid get into a situation where he could be in danger. It was also how much of a betrayal this would be for Billy. The kind of betrayal Billy may never forgive him for and Bruce wouldn’t blame him. He made promises he didn’t keep. There was never an excuse for that, especially not with a kid who had learned never to trust anyone. For Billy, he was just another adult who failed him, just like all the others.

Then there was the threat to the rest of his family if he somehow managed to get arrested for kidnapping. He had ways of working with the legal system as Bruce Wayne to avoid any real consequences. It would just be the latest on a long list of scandals. But it would also be further evidence for certain people to call him a groomer and call into question his ability to parent his kids. That would be impossible to stop. He would take fighting a supervillain over a party or interview as Bruce Wayne any day.

All this because he was weak. Because he gave up as soon as it got hard.

So he threw himself into the Bat, the mission , the only part of his life he could ever hope to control. Most nights, being Batman actually involved very little violence. He only started punching people if he was certain of their guilt of a significant enough crime. The people just trying to make ends meet needed a different approach. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that. But tonight, he needed a fight. Luckily, Black Mask had a team transporting a drug shipment. 

Sure, his family would yell at him later for going into such an uneven fight alone without telling them, but that didn’t matter now. The most violent part of him loved this kind of work. The feeling of bones crunching against his fist, the pain of their blows in return. He tried not to indulge that side of himself too often. Except on nights like this when he hated being Bruce Wayne even more.

Chapter Text

Captain Marvel spent his night flying around Fawcett City looking for people to help, but not finding many. He didn’t see much of anyone out, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. Fawcett City was never all that active at night. It was a little disappointing that he wasn’t needed more, but everyone knew the Justice League was keeping an eye on the city so everyone knew they could have the entire Justice League to deal with and not just the inexperienced Captain Marvel. He wondered how much of a threat anyone ever considered him. He would only be seen as even weaker now that everyone knew his identity. 

Either way, it was better than being Billy Batson. Even a weak superhero was still a superhero. He loved the feeling of the wind in his hair and the masculine power in his body when he landed. People always listened to him in this body more. Sure, some people didn’t seem to like him, but they weren’t willing to say much to his face when he could easily throw them all the way to Gotham City. 

Why didn’t the Justice League want him in this form again? He felt much safer now than he had since all this started. And he didn’t even have anyone with him! He would be fine on his own if he just never transformed back into his human self. He remembered Clark’s warning about losing his humanity. Well, maybe being human wasn’t all that great, anyway.

 By the time the sun rose, Captain Marvel had nothing to do but watch from the top of a building.

Almost as if he had planned it, Superman arrived just as the sun fully emerged from the horizon. “Hey, Billy. How are you? I take it you managed to get away from whoever was supposed to be keeping track of you.”

Billy would usually put on his biggest, brightest smile and say he was fine, but he had a feeling Clark would see right through that. He wasn’t sure he could have managed it, anyway. But he wasn’t sure how to answer honestly. He both felt too much and tried his best to avoid thinking about it. Captain Marvel always maintained a certain emotional distance. There was only so much room with all the personalities taking up space in his head. Right now, they were unfortunately quiet, but that didn’t make it any easier to answer the question. “I don’t know.” 

“I understand. I’m sure it’s a lot to process.” Superman sat next to him with his feet dangling from the edge of the roof.

“You always say you understand, but you never really do. It’s just the thing you say to make people feel better.”

“I understand more than you think I do.”

 “How could you understand? You had two parents your whole childhood, you never had to worry about where your next meal would come from, you’ve never had to sleep out in the cold. And you’ve never felt like your body was wrong , you’ve never had blood pouring out of your body with the worst pain of your life and been told there’s nothing you can do to make it stop, you never had the one person who might have understood betray you!”

Billy found himself floating as energy crackled under his skin. Some part of him tried to keep it under control, but he was finding it harder than usual to keep his emotions from affecting his powers. The ancient gods and heroes in his head would normally step in and help him rein it in in a situation like this, but they were still silent.

Clark floated up to meet his eyes, patiently waiting for him to finish. “Okay, Billy, you’re right. I don’t understand everything, but I never said I did. I said I understand more than you think. ”

“Then prove it.” The lightning continued rising closer to the surface.

“I will, but first, I need you to take it down a notch. We’ll talk when your feet are planted on this roof and you’re not glowing.”

Billy closed his eyes, trying to reach out for help from SHAZAM. He hoped for Solomon’s wisdom, but he would take anything at this point. But he only heard the crackling of the power of Zeus threatening to overwhelm him. It had been a while since he had been in this form for this long, but he never remembered his powers acting like this before. He tried to contain it, but his failed attempts only made it worse with his rising anxiety.

Distantly, he registered a hand on his shoulder and a voice he couldn’t quite understand over the noise in his head. The hand gently, but firmly pushed him down until he stood on his feet. His body tried to float up again, but another hand on his other shoulder kept his feet firmly planted on the surface of the roof. The sensation grounded him enough to take a deep breath and open his eyes to Superman’s worried face.

“Are you with me, Billy?”

Captain Marvel nodded, not quite capable of speech yet.

“Let’s sit down again.” Superman gestured to where they were sitting before and guided him over. “Do you need to transform back to your human form?”

“No, I can’t.”

“You can’t because of your powers acting up or you can’t because of how it would feel? I will accept either answer, I just need to know so I can help you.”

“How it would feel.”

“Okay, I won’t try to keep you from staying in this form for now, but you will have to eventually. Do you think we can continue the conversation we were having before without that happening again?”

Billy barely felt the power that had nearly consumed him before. “Yeah, It’s better now. I want to hear what you have to say.”

“Well, first, I’m not actually straight.”

“Clark, you’re like the most obviously straight person I can think of.” 

“Either you don’t know me that well or you don’t know that many straight people. I had a crush on Bruce for years. It wasn’t requited and I’m over it now. It was before your time.”

That actually made a kind of sense now that Billy thought about it. Those two had always been oddly close. “So you’re straight except for one trans guy?”

“If I wasn’t at least a little into men, I can promise you I would not be into Bruce. Have you seen him? I didn’t even know he was trans until I found out he’s Bruce Wayne.”

“Then why aren’t you together?”

Superman gave him a patient smile. “That’s not something I can share without Bruce’s permission, but, if it was up to me, we would be. But I don’t blame him. It’s more than just his usual emotional constipation.”

“Is that it, then?”

 “No, there’s more. My childhood was not as idyllic as you made it sound. I was painfully awkward and too afraid of what I could do to stand up for myself, which made me a target at school. And there’s the whole not being straight thing. I didn’t know it at the time, but the other kids sure thought they did.”

“Oh, come on. Everyone’s bullied in school.”

Billy had more to say, but Clark continued before he could. “It’s one thing in the city where you almost never see those kids outside school. I grew up in a small town, which means I saw the same people everywhere, at church, at the store, the gas station. But it’s not just that.”

“It’s still not unique.”

Clark avoided Billy’s eyes. “You forget I’m not physically human. The puberty I went through was different than everyone else’s in some embarrassing ways. Sure I got powers, but that came with physical quirks I inherited without an instruction manual and a whole lost planet of lives lost whose legacy I carry.”

“Okay, maybe you know what it’s like to be different, but so do lots of people.”

Clark turned to face Billy again. “Well, I can relate to how you feel different, too. Did you know I don’t actually have any control of what my body looks like? A human can theoretically get surgery or go on a diet or change their exercise, but none of that is an option for me. I might be a little smaller if I wasn’t doing hero work, but I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if I gave that up.”

“Lots of people put in a lot of effort for that kind of body.”

“Yeah, I know, Captain Marvel.” Clark gave Billy a pointed look. “That doesn’t mean I want to look this way. I hide my body in my civilian life to keep people from figuring out Clark Kent is Superman, but I also do it because it makes me uncomfortable. It’s a disconnect between who I feel I am and how I look that I think you might relate to.”

“It’s not the same. Unless you’re secretly a trans woman or something.”

“No, but it’s not that different, either. I wouldn’t call myself trans, but the incorrect assumptions people make about my relationship with masculinity come with their own challenges. I’ve actually talked to Bruce quite a bit about this. Maybe you should, too. You would have more in common with his experience than mine.”

Clark may have had a point, but that didn’t mean Billy was ready to consider talking to Bruce again after everything. He couldn’t even be bothered to make sure the kid he supposedly cared so much about was okay himself. “I don’t know if I want to talk to him again at all.”

“If it makes you feel any better, he’s pretty torn up about this, too. But, if you really never forgive him, there are other people who would understand you. Or at least who will support you even if they don’t understand. That’s what I’m trying to get you to see.”

“Then why are all the people that are supposed to take care of me the ones who don’t?” He had never felt more like Billy Batson in Captain Marvel’s body.

“I don’t know, Billy. I don’t know, but maybe we can change that. Do you think you might be ready to be Billy Batson again?”

“For what? So I can feel terrible again? I don’t think so.”

“Are you really prepared for what it would mean to never be human again? To give up on Billy Batson? You’re not a hero because you have powers, but because of how you use them. You know what it’s like to need help so your power is a tool for helping people. Are you sure that will still be true if you let go of the human part of your life?”

Billy knew Clark was right, but that didn’t make the idea of going back to how he felt in that body any more appealing in the moment. “I’ll turn back eventually, just not right now.”

“Your powers have been acting up. What if you accidentally hurt someone? I think it would be less risky to transform before it gets worse. If you can feel more connected to your humanity, you might have better control.”

His power did nearly take over and that was terrifying. Was it worse than being in his human body? Billy could tell something was wrong with SHAZAM. They always gave some kind of response before and would never let his powers get that far. If he hadn’t come back to himself, he could have burned up from the inside, taking Clark with him. Being Billy Batson was unpleasant, but what kind of hero would he be if he prioritized his own comfort over other people’s safety? “Fine. I guess it’s not worth putting other people at risk. SHAZAM! ”

And nothing happened. Billy tried again and…still nothing. Zeus, what is going on? Turn me back! His voice echoed in his head, like he was the only person in the universe. 

Bruce always felt strange being on the Watchtower without the cape and cowl. He avoided it as much as possible, but this problem could not be addressed as Batman. As soon as he woke up that morning, Bruce had driven to Metropolis to bail Oliver out of jail then straight to the nearest transport to the Watchtower.

As worried as he was about Billy, he couldn’t do much to help him until Clark got back to him with an update. Billy wasn’t answering his phone, but Bruce knew that didn’t necessarily mean anything about his safety. He trusted Clark, but still wished he could be the one checking up on the kid, even if Billy probably hated him right now. In theory Superman shouldn’t be under much scrutiny so he was the safer option, especially since he planned to be in Fawcett City, anyway.

He should have taken steps to make sure the authorities would have no reason to doubt his legal right to look after him. And they argued the last time they spoke, which only made it worse. Would Billy even want to come back to him?

This meeting with Oliver was the last thing Bruce wanted to spend his time doing, but Luthor wouldn’t wait long to make his next move and he didn’t want Oliver’s situation still open when that happened. Hopefully, this would just be a brief conversation about next steps that could have been an email if it was still safe to communicate about this that way. Knowing Oliver, the chances of that were low.

As soon as they took their seats across from each other, Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but Oliver cut in before he could. “Okay, before we get started, I know neither of us really wants to be here and you probably blame me for creating an even bigger mess to clean up. And we don’t exactly get along at the best of times. So I appreciate your help with this.”

“It’s not a problem. Not to protect such a significant investment.”

“Oh, so I’m an investment now. Where’s that famous charm everyone always talks about?”

Bruce wasn’t in the mood to put on a show. “Unfortunately, this is a business meeting. Not a social call. So, first, we should-”

“Why can’t it be both?”

“I have higher priorities that are more important than cleaning up your mess so I would like to resolve this as quickly as possible. There’s no need to waste time with useless small talk.”

“I don’t just want small talk. I’ve been wanting to work with you politically for years, but you keep turning me down. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to change that.”

Of course, Oliver had to choose the worst possible moment to have this conversation. They had spoken plenty of times over the years. Why bring this up now and never before? “We can talk about that another time. Do you want my help or not?”

“I know you’re busy, but we may not get another time to deal with this if things get worse. It’s obvious you don’t like me and I’d rather go into whatever might happen with Luthor knowing that we’ve ‘resolved’ that . We can get a lot more done working together.”

Bruce never intentionally treated Oliver differently, but it’s possible he may have started getting close enough to him to be more genuine. Just more evidence that everyone preferred the playboy mask over the real him.

“We’re not close, but I don’t know where you got the idea that I don’t like you. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to work with you like that.”  He understood why Oliver wanted to have a relationship with him beyond essential business, but there was too much of a risk that he would figure out Bruce was Batman.

Oliver scoffed. “Well, you have made it very clear how much you dislike me to the media.”

“That’s just how the game is played, Oliver. Don’t take it so personally.” He tried to plaster on a typical Bruce Wayne smile, but Oliver was clearly immune. 

“It’s not how I do it.”

“I know. And that’s why you’re in this mess. And now we need to figure out how to keep you from ending up in prison. Or worse. You don’t know when to shut up or how to keep a secret. You couldn’t have been more obvious if you tried.” Bruce felt a little bad about his hypocrisy. Luthor had figured out his identity, too. But Oliver didn’t need to know that.

“Well maybe you need to learn when to speak up. How many times have you ignored bigotry to serve your own gain?”

Bruce would typically brush off such an accusation, but, in light of his current failure, he couldn’t justify pretending his flaws didn’t exist. He had his reasons for behaving the way he did with the media, but he saw more and more how ineffective that strategy has been. “As many times as I have to, if that’s what it takes to defend the people I care about. And, believe me, you are not the first person to point out the problems with that. But it’s not like your methods have worked either.”

Oliver stood up and leaned across the table towards Bruce. “At least I’m trying! Letting people know that I see the problems and care about fixing them. And I can’t help but think that’s why Luthor went after me and Billy first. And now he’s going after you. This is exactly why I want to work together on this! But now, it might be too late.”

Bruce calmly stayed seated, resisting the urge to respond with the same aggression. It would take a hell of a lot more than that to intimidate him. “Which is it? Do you want to work with me or just tell me how I’m doing it all wrong? You think I’m not doing everything I can behind the scenes? I just don’t feel the need to brag about it for morality points.”

“Unfortunately, you’re kind of the best option I have. People give you the benefit of the doubt. Everyone will assume someone like me is against them if I don’t say otherwise as loudly and often as possible. Maybe I wouldn’t have to mention it so often if people saw me with you.” Oliver stood back up, but maintained eye contact.

Bruce couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He fought to keep the lightness in his voice associated with Bruce Wayne through his anger. “You really think I get some free pass for being trans? Do you have any idea how close of a microscope I’m under all the time? They’re just waiting for me to make a mistake so they can pounce. And that comes from both sides. Maybe some marginalized people are a little wary of you, but at least you aren’t being accused of crimes just for existing. And how dare you try to use me as some kind of prop to get people to trust you?”

“Okay, maybe I shouldn’t use you that way. That was uncalled for and I’m sorry. But if you can’t win then there’s no reason for you not to stand up for other people with all the privilege you do have.”

“Like I said before, it’s how the game is played. You can’t just say everything you think if you want to keep public opinion on your side. Especially when you’re already starting behind and the average person gets more conservative every day.”

“Does public opinion really matter more than honesty? You weren’t even willing to defend Billy Batson. If there was someone you should have been willing to take a risk for, it should have been him. That’s even worse considering that he’s apparently been staying with you.”

Bruce sighed. Sure, that wasn’t his best moment, but he was not willing to admit that now. And he had his reasons. He did what he could with a bad situation. “I was trying to protect him. I didn’t deny his identity. And-”

“But you ignored it.”

“I did, and in the process kept the conversation from focusing on that part of who he is. With that interviewer, there’s no way it would have gone well if I had taken the bait. And I’m actually in the process of reevaluating my media strategy and team to keep that from happening again so you don't need to waste your breath.”

“Okay, but it shouldn’t have taken you so long to get there. I know all we seem capable of is arguing, but just because we disagree shouldn’t mean we can’t help each other. It’s actually better that we’re good at different things. I’ll admit you do have a better reputation than I do even though we were equally irresponsible when we were young. And I have connections on the West coast and access to spaces you don’t have.”

“We would spend so much time arguing about what to do that nothing would get done. We would be so outmatched, it wouldn’t be worth the effort. There’s very little we could do together that we couldn’t do alone. Better to focus on our own problems.” Of course, that wasn’t the only reason, but Bruce still wanted to avoid bringing anything to do with Batman into this.

 “It’s like you’re so caught up in the way the world is you forgot you have the power to change it. I never thought you would be the type of person to refuse to even try just because it’s hard.”

The Bruce Wayne charm ran out, leaving only the cool focus he used to disguise everything he felt as Batman. He could admit he had made mistakes, but apathy was not one of them. “You have no idea how hard I’ve worked to make the world better.”

Oliver actually seemed to cool off and sat down again, speaking to him gently, like a friend instead of an enemy. “And neither does anyone else. I’m going to judge you based on what I can see. And I see someone who’s too afraid to do anything that would actually make a difference besides throwing money around like everyone does. Maybe adopting a few kids that you probably aren’t actually raising.” Bruce tried to interrupt, but Oliver ignored him. “And if you think having Batman in your pocket will do any favors with me, you must not be paying attention. He’s nothing but a glorified cop and a controlling asshole and you should be ashamed of yourself for letting him operate in your city, let alone funding him.”

And Oliver brought Batman into it, anyway. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I don’t? Then why don’t you tell me.” Oliver paused, waiting for Bruce to respond, but he couldn’t find a way to get his thoughts out without revealing anything. “That’s what I thought.”

Bruce stared at the wall unsure what to say. If he revealed his identity as Batman, it would only make Oliver more angry at him and make this process take even longer. They hadn’t even started sorting out the logistics they were having this meeting for. But Oliver might find out soon, anyway, if Luthor had his way. It may be even worse in the long run not to tell him on his own terms before the choice was taken from him. Oliver did ask for honesty. 

He decided to test the waters first. “You judge what you see, but you don’t have the whole picture. And you’re not going to like it.”

“Well, whose fault is that? I can’t see the full picture if you don’t let me in.” Bruce didn’t like it either, but he wasn’t going to tell Oliver that.

“You never gave me a reason to let you in. You only ever get in touch when you want something. All this talk about working together, but I’ve never had a good reason to trust you.”

“You trust Batman.  Or at least cooperate with him. There’s no way he’s given you any more reason to trust him than I have. You’ve never let me in, but Batman’s impenetrable.”

“You work with Batman as Green Arrow, right? Why work with him if you hate him so much?”

Oliver looked confused at the change of subject. “I disagree with his methods on a smaller scale, but I have to admit, he’s useful on a team. He’s the only one of us that’s really good at strategy and, with everyone else to keep him in check, he’s not that bad. To be fair, I think he hates me more than the other way around.”

“So you’re fine working with him as long as he’s ‘useful’?”

“Well, I certainly don’t tolerate him for his personality. There are villains that are better company than him.”

Bruce remembered all the kids he went to school with who would only spend time with him if he let them copy his homework. He wanted to immediately defend himself, but that would only lead to more arguing. And Bruce couldn’t take more of Oliver telling him what a terrible person he was as if he wasn’t there. Especially when Bruce found himself agreeing more than he’d like to. Hearing people insult Bruce Wayne didn’t matter, but Batman was much closer to the real him, especially around the Justice League. Those meetings were as close as he ever got to being genuine besides with his family. He knew people hated him, but it was the only time he didn’t have to pretend to be someone he hated even more. 

He always wished he could be the kind of person people would like without faking it. As Batman, he didn’t need to be liked, he just needed to be listened to. It could get lonely, but at least he could be a little more himself, which was a relief after spending his childhood being shoved into a personality that never fit and still not being good enough after transitioning. 

But he didn’t owe Oliver that level of vulnerability. “I’m just saying it’s a bit hypocritical of you to judge me for working with him when you do, too. Maybe you don’t have the whole picture on him, either.”

“Of course I don’t, he acts like he’d rather die than show an emotion. And, frankly, I don’t have any interest in seeing what that ‘picture’ looks like when what I can see is so awful.”

“You try living in Gotham. See how it affects your personality.”

“Everyone else I’ve met from Gotham has at least been decent, if not friendly, except him…and you.”

“What’s your point?” Bruce worried Oliver might have found him out. Should he tell him now? No, better to see if he can get there on his own. Less convincing that way.

“It’s just, I’ve never had major problems with anyone else in Batman’s little horde. I can handle people who are a little rude. But I can tell when someone doesn’t like me, specifically. You, at least, have a reason, even if I think it’s bullshit. But Batman has no reason not to like me. There’s nothing I do that’s not true about plenty of other people on the team, but he seems to at least tolerate everyone else. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Like I said, there’s a lot you don’t know about him.”

“How would you know him any better than me? You’re hardly ever seen in the same room with him…wait a minute…no way. Bruce, I hope this is a stupid question, but you aren’t Batman, are you?”

Finally, he got there. He could try to play this off, but that approach no longer seemed to protect anyone. If he really didn't trust Oliver, he wouldn’t have let him into the Justice League. Even Luthor knew his identity now and could reveal it whenever he pleased. His relationships with Clark and Billy had only improved when they found out. He kept this secret to keep the people in his life safe. 

Oliver accused him of being afraid. Maybe he was right. Maybe keeping Bruce and Batman separate at all costs was always more about his own fear of letting anyone see him than protecting anyone else. If his family’s safety mattered more than anything, he wouldn’t be letting them fight crime every night. If anything, they were less safe, as proven by CPS taking Billy. What did he have to lose by telling Oliver? The worst that could happen is that he told the press, but no one would believe him. He might never want to speak to him again, but they weren’t best friends to begin with. Why fear rejection from someone who already hated him? 

Keeping secrets had only distanced him from the very people he could have depended on. Selina was right that he couldn’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. If he was going to keep his family safe and make the world better (or even keep it from getting worse), he was going to have to change. So he let the last bits of his Bruce Wayne persona fall away and fully leaned into the slightly harsher way of holding himself he usually took on as Batman. “For once, it’s not a stupid question.”

“I hate you so much right now.” Oliver’s face softened. “But I’m glad you told me. We won’t be skipping off into the sunset together anytime soon, but it’s a start. And I know exactly what you’re risking here. I hope you know I would never tell anyone. Who am I kidding? Of course you do, there’s no way you would have told me otherwise.” 

Brue let the corner of his mouth move slightly in the ghost of a smirk. “See, you know me at least a little.”

“Wait, is this why you didn’t want to work with me? You were afraid I would figure out your identity?”

“That was part of the reason. I always have a harder time keeping the mask up around people I know as Batman.” Bruce had this issue with Clark, too, but they hardly ever ended up in the same room as their civilian identities. It also helped that he didn’t need to keep the secret from Clark.

“So you wanted to keep me from getting too close.”

“I suppose you could say that.”

“But why? What made you think this was the best option when you have the resources you do?” Oliver looked more curious than accusatory.

“I wasn’t sure how long I would keep those resources for one. But I felt…trapped. Batman gave me a reason to come back. It was the only way forward I could see. The one way I could exist separately from my name or my history. Where I could be myself without judgement.”

“So Batman is the real you, then?”

“Closer than the ‘billionaire playboy’. But, as I’m sure you can imagine, it’s more complicated than that.”

Oliver looked down at the floor before meeting Bruce’s eyes again. “I might owe you an apology. I stand by my opinions about your approach, but I’m sorry for being so harsh about your personality. We are clearly very different people, but, as I said before, that shouldn’t keep us from being able to cooperate. You are not an easy person to get to know, but I didn’t even try.”

“You’re hardly the first person I’ve met who didn’t like me. The ‘Bruce Wayne charm’, as you put it, is not just to keep my identity secret.” Bruce paused. He was never great at admitting he might have been wrong about something. “And maybe I should have more seriously considered the advantages of giving you a chance. If you’re done interrogating me, we should really get on with what we came here to discuss.”

Oliver sighed. “Fine, I guess we can move on for now. But we’ll talk again once all this is sorted out.”

Chapter Text

Bruce barely had time to dry off from the rain on his way back home before the police arrived to arrest him for kidnapping. He expected this, but that didn’t make it any easier to let the police officer cuff him. Kidnapping, he might weasel out of, but resisting arrest would only make that more difficult, even if it killed him to let these incompetent losers push him around. It would have been insulting how inexperienced the officers were if Bruce hadn’t been carefully curating a nonthreatening persona for years. He could use their incorrect assumptions against them later, if necessary.

As soon as he was pulled outside, the rain soaked one of Bruce’s suits, which he would normally feign distress about as part of his spoiled heir performance, but he figured even Bruce Wayne would have more important things to think about in this situation. In reality, Bruce always liked the rain. It provided good cover at night, but it also met the need for the world to match his gloomy mood left over from his adolescence. The rain reminded him that there were forces beyond human control. He found himself longing for an afternoon reading next to the window in the library at home or a walk on the grounds, feeling his feet sink into the mud and the rain drip from the trees onto his skin.

He imagined taking Billy on one of those walks, showing him the property and talking about everything they hadn’t had the chance to say to each other. Bruce always shocked himself with how quickly he could feel so close to someone, especially a child. He’d kept himself too busy to process Billy being taken and his own role in that, but it turned out being arrested meant a lot of waiting in boring rooms, leaving his mind to wander.

He knew Billy must be safe with Clark keeping an eye on him, but he couldn’t help but worry that Clark would get wrapped up in this, too. Bruce had his reasons for keeping his secret identity, but Clark needed his, too, which Luthor almost certainly knew. How long would Luthor give them before he escalated even more? Bruce never should have given Luthor this opportunity. It only took one mistake. But wallowing in guilt wouldn’t fix anything. If only he could figure out what would fix it.

As he was locked in a holding cell white they figured out where to send him, Bruce’s mind switched to planning. Thankfully, the police had the good sense to give him his own cell for his protection. Sure, the two people who had to be shoved into an even more crowded cell probably weren’t too happy about it, but Bruce knew that wouldn’t be a problem for long, anyway.

So what options did he have? The chances of working something out with Luthor shrunk by the minute, but Bruce wasn’t sure he could live with himself if he did that, regardless. They could destroy the evidence, but Luthor certainly had several copies. Could they make what he had look illegitimate somehow? Or maybe replace some of it…

Before he could get very far in figuring out what to do, Luthor himself showed up flanked by two of his own personal guards and two GCPD officers. He was dry and put together in an impeccably tailored suit in contrast to Bruce’s damp and disheveled appearance.

With a self satisfied smirk, Luthor said, “When you were late for our meeting, I assumed you were simply hungover after a wild night, but this is an all new low for you, Bruce. If you continue like this, I’m afraid we may not be able to come to an agreement after all.”

Bruce resisted giving Luthor the satisfaction of seeing his anger, but he desperately wanted to punch that smug smile off his face. “You knew my reputation before, Luthor. If you wanted someone with a clean slate, you shouldn’t have come to me.”

“To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed. I expected much more of a challenge from you. Surely you have enough influence to wash your hands of this mess.”

Luthor had a point, but Bruce had pulled most of the money he had been putting into bribing the GCPD for better use so he did not have nearly the sway he would need to get charges this major and public dropped so quickly. Maybe if Gordon was still commissioner. “I’m not giving you more information than you already have. I’m sure you’re very busy with your campaign.”

“I’m not sure you understand the severity of your situation. You may be facing much worse than anything I could do to you.”

“I believe you’ve spent plenty of nights in a cell yourself and yet, here you are, running for president. Even given the differences in our circumstances, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe you will be.” With that, Luthor turned and left.

What time was it? The police had taken his watch, which Bruce was genuinely unhappy about as it had belonged to his father. Even Bruce struggled to keep track of time in a box with no windows, but it had to have been at least a few hours. Surely someone should have come to get him by now. At least to take him to an actual jail. Maybe someone was paid off to take longer than usual setting his bail or the county jail ran out of room again. Alfred had gone to pick up Damian from school so Bruce had to consider the possibility that no one knew yet.

Bruce perked up when a police officer approached his cell, but deflated when he realized the person with the officer was a stranger in handcuffs. “Sorry Mr. Wayne, but we’ve run out of room to let you keep this space to yourself. Had to take in overflow from a riot in the center of the city. Guess you’ll have to share like everyone else.”

A riot? What was Bruce missing? He really needed to see about contacting someone to get him out of here, but the phones supposedly weren’t working because of the storm so he couldn’t make a call.

The person in handcuffs spoke up. “Or you could just let me go. We didn’t do anything and you know it!”

“Shut your mouth before you get yourself charged with worse. Mr. Wayne here is one of those transgenders, too, so I’m sure you’ll get along just fine.”

“You really are stupid if you think I wouldn’t know that.” The stranger glared at the officer then at Bruce. They had a nose piercing and hair cut short and choppy and died purple, though the dye was fading and the roots showed through. They struck Bruce as a young activist type who would definitely know his name, but would not be a fan based on the consensus on social media.

“Even better,” The officer said as he released their handcuffs and shoved them into the cell. Bruce probably could have muscled past him, but that would look far too suspicious.

“So…What’s your name?” Bruce asked.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Well, we might be stuck here a while. I would like to have something to call you. It doesn’t have to be your real name. Although I don’t see what difference it would make given your presence here.”

“Fine. Name’s Lake.”

“Good to meet you, Lake.” Bruce extended his hand to shake, but Lake ignored it.  He thought about asking about pronouns, but he had a feeling Lake would have volunteered that information if they wanted to. “So they said something about a riot? What’s going on out there?”

“I would hope even you would know they were greatly exaggerating with the word ‘riot.’ It was a peaceful protest against police and vigilante overreach.”

“I thought the anti vigilante crowd was more…conservative.”

“Maybe in Metropolis. I don’t give a shit about anyone’s secret identity. Just what these supposed ‘heroes’ do. They’re ruining people’s lives as much as the police are.”

“I see.” Bruce was getting a little sick of being lectured all the time. He could understand where Lake and even Jason were coming from, but Batman had to be helping, right? Even if there was a little collateral damage. Otherwise, what was it all for?

“You’re part of this, too, you know. Your money’s behind it all and everybody knows it. You stop funding Batman and half the city’s problems disappear overnight. I’ve never understood what you see in him. Like, do you actually hate yourself?”

Maybe. “Wait, I am absolutely not dating Batman.”

“So you admit you’re funding him?”

“Well, it’s public knowledge that I have invested in the Justice League, which Batman is a part of. Even if I was solely funding Batman, I don’t see how that means I’m dating him.” Playing dumb probably wouldn’t work here, but it was worth a shot.

“If you’re not dating him, that means you ideologically agree with what he’s doing, which might actually be worse. I can at least understand that he has a kind of physical appeal that might attract someone like you. An aggressive masculinity that pulls you in. But you’re the worst kind of hypocrite if you actually agree with him.”

“Or I have nothing to do with him other than my connection to the Justice League and you’re all making things up about a situation you know nothing about.” He felt a little of the Batman growl enter his voice and tried to rein it in. “But, if you have thoughts, I’d be interested to hear them. I don’t know him well, but I might be able to make a few suggestions.”

“Fuck that. Batman shouldn’t exist at all. It’s that simple. You, on the other hand, might still be redeemable. But I’m not sure I’m willing to waste my time talking to some billionaire who won’t listen anyway.”

“Well, I don’t have much choice but to listen right now. You might know the person I present to the public, but you don’t know me. ”

“I know what you do and that’s all that matters.”

Bruce paused for a long moment. He wanted to immediately defend himself, but he remembered how that went with Oliver. And revealing himself at Batman would certainly not help his case here. But was he really willing to let this stranger list his flaws and see his vulnerability? Maybe letting the mask fracture was the only way forward. 

So Bruce finally said, “What if I’m ready to change what I do?”

“Then you’ll have a lot to make up for. But you can start by ending your affiliation with the Justice League. No one who could really benefit from your help will trust you until you do.”

Easier said than done, but an unsurprising request. Bruce might be willing to listen, but he never made any promises. He chose not to argue to see what else Lake had to say. “Then what?”

“Find a cause you care about and fight for it. Make your business a better place to work and let the people who work for you have a say. Donate to mutual aid orgs. Find the people doing the work and listen to them.” Lake paused briefly and stared at him. “Why change now? Are you just realizing for the first time how fucked the justice system is now that it’s screwing you over?”

“Recent events have forced me to reconsider the effectiveness of my current strategy.” Bruce leaned on his media training and experience. Honest, but vague.

“What strategy? Being a good little rich boy and letting the Justice League and the police and the politicians do whatever they want?”

But of course, this wasn’t the media. Bruce still resolved to be honest. He would probably never see Lake again and they didn’t seem like the type to sell him out. “Believe it or not, I don’t need you to tell me I’m doing it wrong. I’ve heard that enough lately.”

Lake smiled slightly for the first time since entering the cell.  ”Well, sounds like you at least have some good influences in your life. People who are willing to tell you no. Maybe there really is hope for you.”

That encouraged Bruce to keep going. “For what it’s worth, I understand why you’re hesitant about me. Even I don’t like the person I was in my twenties. And maybe I haven’t done enough to take accountability for the questionable decisions I made then. There are a lot of habits I started during that time that I still haven’t figured out how to break.”

Lake rolled their eyes. “I hope you know I won’t be impressed by you doing the bare minimum. But I suppose you’re not the only binary trans man to lean into the worst aspects of masculinity and forget what it was like to be treated like a woman.”

And they were back to hostility. Maybe there was such a thing as too honest. “That’s not what I expected you to focus on. It’s usually the transphobes who call me anti-feminist.”

“You still have a different woman on your arm every week and I’ve hardly ever seen you associate or collaborate with a woman in any other way.”

It always came back to people assuming he was sexist. What was it about him that made people assume he hated women? He did business with women all the time. It just wasn’t as likely to make the wider news like the more high profile men he worked with. That said more about the business world and the news outlets than it did about Bruce. “I don’t control what the media chooses to report on.  And I don’t appreciate you assuming everything they say is true. I do business with women all the time and work with several closely at Wayne Enterprises. And how much sex I do or do not have is none of anyone’s business except the people I know personally. I promise those numbers are greatly exaggerated and I’ve never done anything without consent.”

“Plenty of rapists would say the same thing.”

“I’m aware. There are people very close to me who have experience with that and it is absolutely not something I take lightly. You won’t trust anything I say, so if you’re really that curious, ask the women themselves.”

“As if they would give me a straight answer.”

 There was no winning here without revealing more than he wanted. “If you must know, I was experimenting with my sexuality when I did have sex.  And I haven’t in years. I don’t care for how much of this conversation has been about my sex life instead of the things that actually matter.”

Lake raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you are fucking Batman, that has some pretty real impact.”

“I just said I haven’t had sex in years. Batman or otherwise”

“Looking like that? Seems unlikely. What are you doing with all those women, then?”

“Giving them a lovely, mutually beneficial evening out then sleeping on opposite sides of the bed. I’m always very clear with them about what I am and am not offering. It’s fascinating how differently I’m treated with a woman on my arm.”

“Are you gay, then?”

“I’m not answering that. I don’t trust you enough.”

“You really think I’d judge you?”

“It’s more your discretion I’m worried about.”

“If you’re willing to be out as trans, why keep the fact that you’re gay a secret? Unless you’re ashamed of it.”

“I didn’t say I was gay. And maybe I just want to keep some parts of my life out of the press.” That shouldn’t be too much to ask should it? How could another queer person not understand that? Although, Lake did grow up with a very different cultural attitude around queerness than Bruce grew up with.

 “If you’re really proud of your identity and comfortable with it, why wouldn’t you want to share it with people?”

“Maybe I will come out to the public someday, but I’m not going to reward you for pushing my boundaries about it. I don’t owe you or anyone else that information and that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m ashamed of it.”

“Fine, I guess I’m crossing a line with that, anyway. But if you really aren’t fucking Batman, what is your relationship with him?”

“That’s also none of your business.”

“Maybe it is considering Batman got my parents killed.”

“What do you mean? Batman doesn’t kill.” Bruce thought through the close calls he’d had as Batman and couldn’t think of an incident that could have related to a couple the right age to be Lake’s parents. Maybe there was a misunderstanding.

“My parents were arrested by Batman for stealing from a jewelry store. They were out of money and out of options and they had never stolen anything before, but they were still sent to Blackgate for what should have been a year. They were both killed before they were ever let out.”

Bruce closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He remembered this couple. It was early in his career when he was still figuring out when to get the police involved. They had been sloppy, amateur, obviously inexperienced. He had since realized that some crimes came from desperation more than malicious intent and required a different approach. It may be a mistake he wouldn’t make now, but he still felt the weight of his role in this couple’s death and how it must have affected Lake. His own parents were probably guilty of worse than a family doing what they had to to get by. It had never been clearer how terribly he had failed in his mission. Not for the first time in the last few days, he considered the possibility that maybe it was the wrong mission. 

Of course, he couldn’t tell Lake any of that. “I’m sorry to hear that. How old were you?”

“I was nine, but my brother and sister were younger. We moved in with an aunt who wanted nothing to do with us.”

Bruce was never great at comforting people, but he could at least offer a shared experience. “I was ten when my parents died. There was a time when I thought Batman’s approach might be the solution to what killed them, but I doubt that more all the time.”

Lake’s face hardened. “We might have one or two things in common, but you and I are not the same.”

“I didn’t say we were.”

When they got back to the manor after Dick bailed him out, Dick asked, “So what are you planning to do about this? You’re free now, but Luthor will do everything he can to get you locked up again.”

“I think I have the beginning of a plan, but it will require a heist, an army of lawyers, a change of clothes, and a press conference.”