Chapter Text
Sobs were the first thing Booster heard as a young teenager in a red and black ladybug themed outfit held onto a small camera. Was it a phone or a laptop?
"H-hello….m-my name is Ladybug and I'm a hero of Paris…and I need help…please…. Please me and my partner are outmatched and untrained and…people have died… I don't know how much longer I can do this."
Maybe it's the tears? Maybe it's the fact she spent three hours explaining her and her partner's powers and why she didn't call for help. Maybe it's the fact that this girl is begging for help. Or maybe it's the fact that she has small cuts on her face and her hair is half pulled out of a pigtailed style like it's been pulled.
"….Hey Batman, what's the protocol for young underaged magic welding superheroes calling in and begging for help?"
Booster Gold was many things but he wasn't one to ignore a kid that needed help, magical or not. So he took notes while the senior members of the Justice league talked and argued. He quickly moved to follow Batman and Wonder woman as they moved to leave.
A kid was in need of him and he would be a terrible hero if he didn't do something to help.
He’s reminded about the hero this girl looks like, how she had a different look and tone the last time he saw her. Her stance was confident once, sure and poised. The child he sees in front of him is nothing like that. She’s small and hurt and her sobs ring in his ears and they continue to ring in his ears as the so-called big three argue and bicker about what to do about this call. He feels anger spike in his chest, why weren't they doing more? Why were they arguing? We’re they not the ones that always told him to verify things?
Booster Gold finds his eye is on the girl’s as he watches the video once again, his thoughts lingering on how young she looks compared to her future self. He was no fool, he knew this was no prank call. So he does what he does best. Play dumb. “Pshhhh - come on guys! Shouldn’t we have someone call the mayor? Have some more confirmation? I don’t think the kids are lying but it's best not to go in blind right?”
He can feel Batman's glare at him, feel the colder gazes of Superman’s and Wonder woman’s. Booster knew he wasn’t the best hero but he hoped he at least sounded somewhat reasonable. Yet they were not moving, not going to check the resources or make calls. Did… did they think this was a prank? The time traveler felt his heart leapt in his throat at the very thought. He heard from how the Justice League helped them, how they had mentors-
Did he do something wrong?
No.
No he couldn’t have….but if they weren’t gonna do anything. The gold and blue hero found himself standing up and moving towards the teleporters. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he helped out for now? These guys were people he grew up idolizing after all.
Not that he would ever tell anyone. His thoughts were cut off by Flashe’s arm around his shoulder and catching the tell end of the conversation he was having with Batman.
“Booster and Hal are gonna help me with a problem!” He heard Flash say as he was dragged by his two friends. He felt his shoulders tense ever so slightly as before, chuckling at Flash's quick thinking. Still he definitely owed him one for this. No he thought while his gaze lingered at the sobbing child on the screen. He owed him more. His hands found their way into his pocket as he fiddled with his phone. It was best to send a text to Spooky and let him know plans will be changing.
Booster Gold waited for all but a few minutes until he was bombarded with questions from both the speedster and the Green Lantern. “Alright, alright so I'll give it to ya straight. Baby bug that was crying? She’s a big time hero from my time period and… well if she’s making a call now then the time flow is going exactly how it should.”
Even if it was going the way it should, the time traveler didn’t like how things were going. His thoughts lingering on how she was alone… and that's wrong. She shouldn’t be alone.
“But?” Hal said clearly knowing there was more on his mind.
“But she was alone, and she shouldn’t be alone. In my time she had a team. Much like the Justice league save, it was… different.“ He didn’t know how much he should share before the old clock decided he needed to shut up. But, considering no notes came out of nowhere and he wasn’t pulled away for the umpteenth time the time stream was safe. “Listen I… I don’t want the big guys getting to her and her partner yet. They are still kids by the looks of it and if they get to them… they won’t stand a chance at being kids.“
He wasn’t trying to be harsh but he’s seen the bat’s kids, their future counterparts were morose and less than friendly. Don’t get him wrong they were great heroes but they didn’t smile all that much and he couldn’t stand to see that for the kids. Not when she begged for help, not when she was alone when she should have had her partner.
“So say we help ya, what's in it for us?” Hal said with a cheeky smirk, one that made Booster snort. He appreciated them, they meant the world to him more so since…since his passing. That didn’t mean he wasn’t gonna use their experience for his own gain. Those kids needed a chance to be kids and if he had to make their work lives a little harder then that was fine.
“A free show on me fucking with the ‘big three’“ Booster said while snickering. “Those kids won’t be under my care forever cause they will need more than what I can provide one day- But “ The time traveler said while smirking as he wrapped the other two in a one arm hug each. “For now they will be ours and that means we get to help them be kids.”
Hal gave him a bark of laughter while Flash shook his head. That wasn’t a no! So he would consider it a win!
“Alright! So this is how we’re gonna play this“ His voice rang out in his small space ‘outside of time’ yet somewhere in the infinite realms.