Work Text:
Billy Batson is fragile.
This is what Freddy concludes.
He doesn't seem it, no. He's a superhero, he can fly, shoot lightning from his fingers, throw bad guys into buildings, he's fucking bulletproof for God's sake.
But he's fragile.
Freddy sees it, he always has, from the moment he walked in through the door, Freddy saw it.
He saw it in his eyes the way they'd shifted uncomfortably around the room, the way he had spoken so quietly to him, so unsure of everything.
Most would say he was just a distant and angry kid fucked over by the system one too many times and a mother who stopped looking for him.
Or rather, a mother who didn't look for him at all, or at least that's what Billy told him, alone in their room in the dark.
Freddy could only listen as he cried, speaking in between sobs about how she'd pushed him away and Freddy had wanted so desperately to climb up onto that bunk and hold him, but all he could do was listen as he explained.
To others, Billy was a strong, brave young boy met with unfortunate circumstances.
To some he was Shazam! An invincible superhero that arguably could rival superman in his abilities.
But to Freddy, he was just a boy.
A boy who hid his feelings,
A boy with the world on his shoulders
A boy that felt unloved.
A boy who flinched at the gentlest of touches because he'd had one too many bad foster homes.
Freddy listened to that story too.
Billy had a nightmare in the dead of the night.
Freddy awoke to movement, a harsh thrashing from up top, followed by pitiful whimpers of the pleading of someone to stop and Freddy's heart broke at the sound of it, even in his sleepy stupor. He had climbed Billy's bunk as best he could, powering himself through the pain.
Billy didn't deserve to deal with this alone.
Once upon the last step, he flung himself onto the mattress, nearly falling on top of Billy, but instead landing beside him.
Billy didn't notice, as he was still thrashing about in his sleep, crying silently, reminding Freddy of just what little children they both were, even if they were superheroes with bullet immunity. They were still kids who had nightmares and felt invisible.
Freddy sat up, gently shaking Billy's shoulders, as the boy's movements slowed, no longer violently flailing in his sleep, now he was just crying, his body seemingly admitting defeat to whatever it was that was hurting him.
"Billy...Billy, wake up.." He whispered.
But Billy was sobbing, and he couldn't hear over his own quickened breaths.
"Billy!" He said louder, hoping to wake him.
Billy's eyes shot open at the tone in Freddy's voice and he stilled. Eyes shifting all over the room.
"Billy..it's just me, you're here, you're safe.." Freddy told him in a gentle voice, hands remaining on his shoulders, just softly gripping them.
Billy's breathing turned shallow, panting slowly as he calmed.
"Freddy.." his voice is hoarse.
"Please..let go of me.." Freddy removed his hands slowly as Billy maneuvered himself to sit up, pushing himself to the corner of the wall, seemingly wanting to put distance between him and the other boy.
If Freddy didn't know better, he'd be hurt by this action, but he wasn't.
Billy had wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin atop them, deep brown eyes glimmering in the moonlight streaming in from their window.
Freddy knows he should go, should leave Billy alone with his thoughts, because he knows how closed off the other boy is, knows there are things that he doesn't want people to know of. But he can't bring himself to do that because Billy looks so small and broken and he just..can't..leave him.
Freddy's not like his mother. He won't leave Billy when he needs him most.
So he scoots closer until they're shoulder to shoulder on the bed.
"Billy.."
"Don't. Please just..don't.." Billy closes his eyes, tears slipping down underneath his eyelashes.
Freddy sighs quietly, laying his hand on top of Billy's own, he flinches slightly at the contact. Freddy only threads their fingers together, squeezing gently.
"Billy..please...I won't force you to tell me, but I know this is something that's not gonna go away unless you talk about it..you can't hold all that pain inside forever.."
Freddy said carefully, hoping that with his gentle coaxing he could get the boy to open up more.
Billy lets out a sharp breath, moving his legs down and wiping his tears with his free hand.
"One of..the first families I was put into when I was six was...Abu-abusive." He managed out softly, so soft that Freddy almost didn't hear him.
"This was before I ran away all the time. I was too young to understand how to do that. But they..they uh..would hit me, beat me with things. The only time they touched me was to hu-hurt me.."
He's fighting the urge to sob now, looking straight ahead as if he were in another time, another house, another dimension.
Hand gripping Freddy's tightly, so tight it hurt but Freddy didn't voice his discomfort, if this was what Billy needed he would let him do whatever.
"I ran away when I was eight and after that, it was just another house, with the same colored walls as the last one. The families I had after that, didn't hurt me or anything. Cause I wouldn't let them, I'd leave before they had the chance..so, yeah..that's..that's what my nightmare was about."
Billy finished his story in a whisper, closing his eyes a moment before opening them back up, body trembling.
Freddy feels his heart throb painfully against his chest, his palm is aching and he just wants to shower this broken boy with so much love that he can't handle it, he wants Billy to understand what affection and tenderness feels like he wants to-
Before he knows it, he's letting go of Billy's hand and turning to face him.
Billy's eyes are still glued to the wall in front of him, but he glances at Freddy.
"Billy...Do you trust me?" Billy turns his head now to look at Freddy whose eyes are wide and desperate.
The boy nods silently.
"Do you trust me enough to let me do something?"
Billy's eyes shift uncertainly, Freddy can see a little bit of fear in them and he suddenly feels so much hatred, hatred for all the people that ever so much as laid a finger on Billy Batson to harm him.
"I am not going to hurt you..okay? I never will.." Freddy's tone is soft and delicate, his deep brown irises, boring into beautiful frightened hazel ones.
Billy still looks unsure but after a moment of consideration, he nods slowly. And then Freddy is opening his arms, pulling the other boy to him. His arms wrap around Billy's back, he hugs him gently.
One hand tentatively going up to his messy hair, threading his fingers through them softly, his fingers acting as a brush for Billy's soft slightly dampened locks.
Billy is frozen a short moment, not knowing how to react to such tenderness and it makes Freddy sad but all he does is continue to hold Billy until slowly, slowly he relaxes in his embrace, pressing his face into Freddy's shoulder, wrapping his own arms around him, inhaling his scent.
He smells of this weird mint body wash but it's strangely comforting.
He can feel himself getting sleepy again, with Freddy's fingers sifting through his hair, and his other hand gently rubbing his back. Billy feels both relaxed and incredibly overwhelmed at the delicate affection Freddy is giving him.
No one's ever touched him like this before but it feels..it feels so nice...
He wants to stay like this, forever maybe, he doesn't know, all he knows is that he feels safe in Freddy's embrace.
Just then, he feels Freddy's lips press against the top of his head, and his breath hitches slightly.
"No one's gonna hurt you anymore, Billy. I promise." Billy believes it, actually believes it, or rather he's desperately wanting to believe it. Either way, Freddy's telling it to him, so he figures it must be the truth.
"Freddy.."
"Hmm..?"
"Thank you.." His voice is quiet, barely above a whisper, but Freddy only smiles, tightening his hold on the other boy ever so slightly.
Billy might be a superhero and as brave and as strong as he was, he was still a little boy that deserved nothing but tenderness and Freddy planned to show that to him.
Planned to show him just what love could feel like.
So then maybe, this fragile boy wouldn't be so fragile anymore.
Maybe with the right amount of love and a proper family to support him, he would not freeze at the slightest of touches, but instead embrace them, allow himself to melt into those people instead of fear them.
Freddy knows it won't be an overnight thing, even he has had his fair share of traumas and pain throughout the years but...
Maybe he can help heal his best friend, little by little, day by day.