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“Okay, before I continue, don’t freak out.”
Billy, currently in his superhero form standing in the middle of the WatchTower, looked down at his phone before answering. Freddy’s voice was calm without the slightest hint of urgency, but Billy knew he wouldn’t be calling in the middle of an emergency JL meeting for nothing. “Okay.”
“I’m on my way to the hospital right now and-”
“You’re what?”
“I said don’t freak out!”
“I’m on my way.”
“No you aren’t,” Freddy said. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but you are staying at that meeting and helping with whatever’s currently threatening the Earth.” In the background Billy could make out the sound of sirens, and multiple people moving.
“Are you in an ambulance? What happened?”
“It’s nothing serious!”
“What hospital-”
“Okay, see you later, love you byeee!” The line cut out.
Billy stared down at the blank screen, jaw clenched as he debated what to do. Freddy was in an ambulance. But also, he had just stepped out of an emergency League meeting to take a phone call. Which was a whole other problem he had to deal with.
Jeez, I can never catch a break, he thought.
“Cap?” A voice said from over his shoulder. Billy flinched before looking up at who had spoken. It was Barry, now dressed in his Flash uniform, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot in unease. Clearly the others had sent him out here. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, sorry.” Billy set down his phone on the counter and stepped away. “Just a… personal emergency.”
Barry frowned in sympathy. “Do you need to leave?”
“What? No! Of course not, this is-” Billy sighed, looking behind Flash at the packed conference room where all the other heroes had gathered and were now dispersing, “way more important.”
Barry noticed how unconvincing that last comment was, but chose not to comment. “Well, okay. C’mon. We’re heading out. I’ll get you up to speed on the way.”
“Great! Thanks.” Billy straightened his shoulders and followed his friend back towards the group, preparing himself for the battle to come.
—-
Three hours later, Barry searched through the tower’s kitchen cabinets for his post-battle snack while chatting with the other league members who hadn’t left yet. Which, besides for Cap, was most of them.
“I’ve never seen Cap go off like that,” Hal said, referring to earlier in the battle when the Captain had stunned the entire team with how he took out the villain in record time. “Seriously, did you see that lightning? I don’t know how those aliens survived,” the lantern shook his head in awe. “He took out 3/4th of their battalion.”
“I think he wanted to get home early,” Barry shrugged, tearing open a box of cereal.
Hal barked out a laugh. “Yeah, well I always want to get home early and I never start shooting lightning from my eyes.”
“What happened during the meeting?” Clark asked, walking into the kitchen with Bruce on his heels. “We never got the chance to ask him.”
“Hey, no eavesdropping!”
Clark had the decency to blush. “Sorry.”
Barry answered anyway. “Something about a personal emergency. I don’t know who he was talking to but-” the speedster stopped for a moment as he seemed to realize something. “Wait a minute.” He took off in a blur of red and yellow, reappearing in the kitchen with a small cellphone in hand. “Did we even know he owned a phone?”
“Where did you get that?”
“He left it here.” Barry looked around the room before continuing. “Now, are you all gonna judge me if I-”
Before he could finish Bruce had taken the device from his hand, turning around to shield Barry from grabbing it back. “Hey!”
Everyone watched as Bruce clicked the screen on and began reading the notifications.
“Bruce,” Clark warned, with no real heat behind it. “That’s an invasion of privacy.”
The detective took a minute to study whatever had caught his interest before handing it off to Clark. “Hm. I didn’t hack it. Anyone can see this information.”
Clark frowned before glancing at the device for himself. The lock screen was a picture of a young man with his back towards the camera, facing a wonderful beach view with a sunset. There was no way to see the figure’s face, but Clark could make out the slightly curly brown hair and casual clothing. His silhouette was slightly bent, as he leaned on a cane of some sort.
“Hm.” Clark responded, intelligently.
“No fair! I wanna see,” Hal complained, moving next to Clark and tapping on the screen. He began sifting through the various notifications that had popped up in the last few hours. “Three missed calls from-” he squinted, “QT heart emoji heart emoji heart emoji? Two missed calls from Fawcett Mercy.” He paused and looked up at the others. “Damn. I hope everything’s okay.”
Everyone lapsed into silence before Diana, who hadn’t sent a word until this point, snatched the phone from Hal and tucked it away in some hidden pocket. “I will return this to him when he rejoins us tomorrow morning.” She said, leaving no room for argument. With that, she walked off towards her personal room.
—-
Billy had a hard night. Okay, it could've been worse. Considering that by the time he showed up to the hospital Freddy was mostly taken care of, resting in his bed and playing mobile games while he waited for Billy to arrive, everything could’ve been way worse.
“Honey, I’m so sorry it took this long.” He apologized, dropping his backpack on the floor while he bent to give Freddy a kiss on the forehead.
“Don’t be, I’m fine!” His boyfriend said. “I tried to call you to tell you to take your time. Everything’s totally good.”
Billy gave him a look that said, yeah right, what are you hiding?
“Well…”
“There it is.”
“I might’ve had a small pain flare-up, which caused me to maybe faint a little bit.”
“ Freddy.”
“Just a little bit! I was out grocery shopping and the people around me didn’t know what to do and just called 911. It was embarrassing.”
Billy shook his head. Freddy often had leg pain that was impossible to predict or control. It was a sad reality, but usually it wasn’t this bad. Billy knew logically that there wasn’t anything he could do, but he still felt on edge and overprotective. “You’re the only person I know who would pass out from pain and be more concerned with embarrassment.”
Freddy grinned as he shifted in his bed. “I’m not like the other girls.”
Billy laughed, just happy that he was okay.
Freddy was discharged within the hour, and Billy insisted on bringing him home with the hospital provided wheelchair. Freddy rolled his eyes and protested, especially when they got back to their apartment and Billy literally carried him inside. But it was hard to not appreciate his boyfriend’s attentiveness.
As they got ready for bed, Billy told Freddy about the space invasion the team had prevented. Luckily for everyone they had noticed the approaching army early and had battled it out far away from Earth’s atmosphere. The civilians had no clue it even happened.
“But yeah, I totally saved the day. Not to brag or anything, but I totally cleared out at least half of their army.”
Freddy laughed, “All to get home to me?”
Billy’s eyes softened as he laid down. “Maybe.” The couple lapsed into a comfortable silence as they began to fall asleep, the day's events behind them…
“Wait, where’s my phone?”
—--
Billy sat through the morning’s debrief meeting with poorly concealed anxiety. He had gone back to the last place he remembered putting his phone, and lo and behold it had disappeared. He was usually so careful with it, not letting anyone know he even had it to avoid suspicion. When he was in his superhero form he kept it in a small pocket dimension he had learned to conjure on command. Maybe it was excessive, but still. His identity was at stake.
He was so nervous that when the meeting ended he was startled when Bruce said his name and requested he stay afterwards. Billy shifted in his chair as everyone, besides the Trinity - as everyone called them - filed out. Bruce maintained his position at the front of the room while Diana sat cross legged on the table, with Clark still carefully sat in his seat.
“So…”
“So, you left the meeting yesterday without being dismissed.” Bruce said.
Billy frowned, “You’re right. I’m sorry. But it was important.”
“Saving the world from invasion is important.”
“And this was also important,” Billy said without hesitation, voice rising slightly to match Bruce’s own. He caught his mistake and tried to keep the blush off his face from being so blatantly confrontational.
“We aren’t mad,” Clark jumped in. “But we would like to know if there’s anything we can do to help.”
Now Billy was just confused.
Diana slid something across the table to him, and with both relief and fear he realized it was his missing cell phone.
“Did you-”
“We didn’t hack it.” Bruce said.
Clark cleared his throat. “But we know enough to conclude that you may be struggling personally right now-”
“And if there’s anything we can do we’d be delighted.” Diana finished, giving her fellow hero a small smile. “Even if you’d just like to talk.” Clark nodded his head in agreement, giving Billy a similar warm smile. The duo glanced at Bruce, as it was obviously his turn to speak.
The man, decked out in his cowl and full Batman attire despite there being no need, took a moment before saying anything. “The Wayne Foundation donates to quite a few families in need of financial assistance for medical expenses.”
Clark facepalmed while Diana shook her head fondly.
“Th-thanks guys, I appreciate it, but really, I’m fine.” Billy laughed nervously as he pocketed his phone and stood from the table. “But I should be getting home now.”
“Of course, Captain.” Clark said.
“Our offer still stands,” Bruce added.
“We’d also love to meet your boyfriend,” Diana said with a wink.
“Diana!”
“Di!”
Billy choked in embarrassment before mumbling out a few more thank yous and booking it towards the nearest zeta-tube.
—-
Later on he recounted all of this to Freddy, laughing in disbelief at the awkward ordeal. “So yeah, the Justice League would love to meet you.”
Billy could see Freddy struggling not to fanboy on the spot. “Oh my god, best hospitalization ever. I should pass out more often.” He grinned, hugging his boyfriend in excitement as Billy rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“Wait, you denied money from Bruce Wayne?”