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They weren’t quite sure how it started or why, maybe it had to do with the drop in adrenaline after the battle was over. The relief of no major injuries or casualties in the League the exhaustion that comes after dealing with a possible world ending threat. The reluctance to sleep for fear of what new nightmares would haunt them.
But here they sat gathered in the common space in the watchtower trading stories of their early days as hero’s. Recalling memories of of their individual conquests the first time they felt like a hero. Heck Batman even made a comment about his first time he encountered the riddler, though he didn’t give many fine details of the encounter just the randomness of his riddles.
Captain Marvel, a nice guy by all accounts if not a bit secretive, held a gleam in his eyes recalling one of his own heroic stories no doubt. ‘Come on, Cap! Let hear it’ someone had called, who exactly that person was seemed be forgotten as Captain Marvel story started.
“The first time I really felt like a hero was…long before I got the cape” Captain Marvel stated with a wistful smile. This only seemed to grab people attention more as all sets of eyes focused in on him, the eyes of Batman no doubt piercing behind his cowl that concealed them.
Marvel was a secretive man getting any sort of personal information from him was akin to pulling teeth the League tried not to pry, save for a nosy bat. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the battle or … maybe it was a step to opening up, they hoped for the latter.
“I was young, but she was younger.” Marvel had a distant look in his eyes as recalled the memory .
A small dark skinned curly haired girl, with smile that beamed and purple framed glasses that covered her sparkling eyes. She had been 3 maybe 4 he wasn’t quite sure. Billy had just been take into the foster care system at the age of 6, after his uncle got the last of Billy’s inheritance transferred to himself. Billy had been scared but hopeful, hopeful that whoever he was sent to would be nice…nicer than his uncle at least.
“We’d only just known each other a week or two, but she was such a sweet kid” Marvel stated.
She had run up and hugged him the second he had entered the house and talked a mile minute. She was just genuinely happy to meet him and he quickly returned the affection, he’d never thought of having a little sister but that had changed.
“Everything seemed normal at first there was nothing that would put you on edge.” Marvel had explained.
Other hero’s nodded along, in this line of work you can just get a sense of things without knowing anything yet. Sometimes it was a calmness in the air, the hesitation in the eyes, or just an overall sense of uneasiness that settled over you. While not really solid evidence of what to expect it did give a hero the sense to be weary, be cautious. Some, mainly Batman, held caution in both friend and foe he claims he wants to be prepared for any worse case scenario situation.
Everything had been normal at first the foster mother was nice enough. She fed them 3 meals a day and assigned them small chores, nothing unreasonable to ask of small children. There had been one thing though.
“If had to really look or dig for any sort of indication….it would have to be a certain lack of affection.” Marvel said thoughtfully a look of uncertainty still on his face, “and even that is me sort of grasping at straws.”
It was true on the surface no one would think that the foster mother didn’t care for them. She fed them, clothed them, she had never even raised her voice at them. Sort of like she was just doing what she was paid to do, no special care or attention put into either child just enough that no one could say she neglected them.
“I….I think I was her only form of affection, maybe that’s why she had clung to me so much.” Marvel said in realization.
“How..how old was she?” A hushed voice asked.
Marvel hummed in thought for a moment and brought his hand out to gauge her hight. “She was about this big, adorable really, biggest smile you’d ever see” Marvel grinned.
There was a silence in the air, that was small really really small. “And you?” A hesitant and weary voice asked, not sure if they wanted to know or not. Marvel moved his had up, but not by much.
“Like I said everything was seemingly fine the fist two weeks, but then he came.” A chill was sent down the backs of the league members at the tone used by the big red cheese, the embodiment of a ray of sunshine, it was more befitting to Batman.
The foster father had returned, his work had him gone for weeks at a time. The second he opened the door Darla had quickly squeezed Billy’s hand tight and dropped her eyes to the floor.
“The second I saw him I knew he was bad news. Like deciding to take a walk down a dark alley in Gotham bad news.” Marvel stated. Which earned a grimace from a certain speedster who had grumbled about being mugged on his first visit to Gotham. Others had said he was lucky that’s all that had happened, someone swears that they almost had their kidney stolen there once.
The foster father had reeked of alcohol and tobacco. He had blood shot eyes and came stomping inside. He almost missed the two of them sitting down on the floor with half finished drawing in front of them.
“He takes one look at her and I before he starts stomping towards her and I fist clenched. He’s got 200 pounds and 3 or 4 feet on me, I know there’s only so much I can do to protect her. So I get her under the table and face the guy.” All members of the League are listening intensely a mix of emotions on there faces. Anger at the man, concern for what was going to happen the children, and disbelief that even at such a young age Marvel would try to fight…they would like to think they would have done the same.
“Darla this is gonna be scary but you need to let go and hide under the table” Billy whispered as the man began stomping towards them. “I-I can’t” Dara’s whisperers back in a sob squeeze him tighter. “Good brothers protect their little sister, hid under the table and pull down the phone and call 9-1-1.” Billy rushed out in whisper backing up towards the table as he does so. Never once looking away from the incoming threat. Darla released him.
“He’s got a bottle in his hand first thing he does is chuck it then he gets angry both cause he wasted what he had left and because he missed.”
Billy ducked arms covering his head and the bottle of liquor goes flying over his head and shatters on the wall. An angry arm grab him by the shoulder, “Look what you made me do you little shit.” the man growls shaking him. He yanks off his belt and raises it to strike.
“Now he’s about to throw a hit when he hears her shouting for help.” Marvel grimaces.
The metal buckle nearly hit him in his eye, it was a few centimeters off, the clip of the buckle drawing blood. Darla shrieked drawing both the man’s and Billy’s attention. She had the phone to her ear, tears streaming down her face, and she was trembling in fear.
“His attention is completely on her he basically forgot I existed in that moment. There’s only so much I can do to get his attention back on me. So I use the only weapon at my disposal” Marvel stops talking flashes his pearly white.
“You didn’t” a voice exclaims with a chuckle. Which only causes Marvel and a few others to laugh, “oh yes I did I bite the guys arm until I tasted copper.”
Without thought Billy grabbed the man’s arm and sunk his teeth in. Jaw clenched with all his strength he tasted copper but not his own.
“He managed to pry me off of him but I managed to end up on the side by the table” Marvel grinned.
The man screamed in pain before trying to pry Billy mouth open, which only resulted in Billy tightening his jaws. So the man tried viciously shaking his arm and yanking at the back of Billy’s head gripping his hair. Billy screamed out in pain and is violently thrown in the coffee table Darla in huddled under. Perfect.
“So I grab the sides of the table to shield her from the guy he got some good hits in but thankfully help arrived before to much damage could be done”
Billy grips the edge of the table his knuckles turning white and he drops to his knees to better protect Darla. “Billy!” Darla shouts terror in her eyes. “Don’t look!” Billy demands just as a foot comes down on his back. He bites down a groan of pain. There is a whoosh in the air and the belt comes down, this time he screams and Darla sobs. Then he hears it the sirens of safety, thank god Billy unconsciously relaxes his grip. “Shit!” The man exclaims and the he grabs Billy’s arm and yanks him up hard. There is a loud pop and an explosion of pain blooms in his arm.The door burst open moments later.
“She was fine, terrified, but not injured. Maybe I wasn’t a superhero but I was definitely her hero” Marvel said with a fond smile.
Billy and Darla were moved together to a new foster home and she had gone on to tell the other kids about how he was a superhero. They had been trough a lot the past year and a half. Been in countless homes some better some worse. Made new friends some of which they would both consider family. Billy smiled softly at a sleeping Darla she was going to be adopted tomorrow but he knew if he stayed she wouldn’t want to leave him.
“She ended up living a happy healthy life after that, I still think back to that whenever I feel down.” Marvel admitted, which was true whenever Billy felt he didn’t belong in the League or wasn’t qualified to have joined the League, he would think back to that day. Remember that instinctively he was a hero powers or not.
Through everything the two of experienced he would protect her, but now in order to do that He had to let her go. So she could have a happy family and she deserved a family more than anyone…more than him, so he had to let her go. The adoptive parents were nice good people they had taken both Darla and Billy after Darla’s pleads. But they had only wanted Darla they wanted a daughter not a son. He placed the the letter on her nightstand and kissed the top of her head before he slung a faded green bag on his back. He zipped up his red hoodie and tugged on his black whoop cap.