Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Something is wrong.

But Billy doesn't know what it is nor why it is happening, but something is wrong.
He can tell, the pain sinking into his bones as he woke in the worn down firehouse with water ruined wooden floors and dirt covered brick walls.
The first thing he could feel was pain shooting through every nerve like lightening, even if he isn't affected by lightening anymore. It makes the world have a harsh haze to it, like he was there but only as a guest within someone else's body. 
The mattered black hair and piercing blue eyes that was evened out by how thin his 13 year old body was, each rib looking like they would burst out of his thin pale skin that was littered with stark purpling bruises with dull blue edging against them, complementing the slices of skin that were crimson and flaky from they were healing each from a different blade, which reminded him that he was in fact still Billy Batson. His body flooded by the nondescript black hoodie that was too many sizes too large for his young body and baggy jeans that hung off his waist and only held up by a ribbon that is tightly tied off under his hoodie.

He was still him.

Not for long, he needed to know what was wrong. He needed Captain Marvel.
So, that's what he did. He became Captain with a single quiet word, "shazam" that was usually small voice to prevent the sledgehammer that was slamming into his brain worsen. But that didn't prevent the harsh lightening that slammed against the wooden floor and leaving stark black marks against it from worsening it. The large figure that was now standing in place of the younger boy looked paler than his usual bright self but didn't take note of it but rather reached his hand forwards and pulling the golden fibres that illuminated the room with sunset hues with his hand gently brushing over and under each one with meticulous precision but found nothing.

No nexus events,
No collisions,
Nothing.
Nothing
nothing

But something was wrong!
He knew it, he could Feel it.
Was he going crazy?

The smooth and calming voice whispered in his ear, "You are not crazy, Champion. Something is wrong." It was Solomon but his words weren't twisted into riddles but rather quiet reassurances for their Champion. It did bring a blanket of comfort for the younger, feeling like he wasn't crazy.

A harsh exhale of his breathe that he hadn't realised he was holding reminding him that he was still in the fire station. He shouldn't be, a sharp pang stabbing through his chest of remembrance allowed a flooding of memories that he had brushed away from the panic caused him to remember he had an important meeting with the Justice League today and soon. He needed to get to the Watch Tower before Batman worsened his headache with disappointment from being late, something he desperately didn't want on an average day.

His body moved instinctively, in precise and quiet movements as he decided to stay as Captain Marvel rather than transform back and have to re-transform once at a Zeta Tube. So, he monuovered out of the window down an alley he knew no-one was in and flied towards a Zeta tube, not even sparing a glance to those who waved towards him in the streets along with the fae and other mystic creatures who always took knowledge when he was around despite being able to hide his Prescence as the Champion the magic creatures were still compelled to acknowledge him even without the knowledge of who he was.

Once he reached the Watch Tower he was a few minutes late for the meeting, knowing it wasn't the latest he could've been but was still going to be slammed with disappointment from Batman from his insulting punctuality. He swung the doors open, not hard enough to slam the doors against the walls as he didn't want to break anything nor increase the pain that was stabbing each lobe in his brain.
Every single Justice League members eyes set on the man, their stances relaxing when they realised it was the lovable Captain Marvel rather than a threat. There was Batman at the head of the table with Robin at his side both stoic and disappointed expressions while to the left of the table resided Wonder Women, Flash and Green Lantern while on the other side was Superman, his seat then Cyborg at the end.

They all had grown to absolutely adore the man in the doorway. Wonder Women saw Captain as his brother, someone who was reliable and kind-hearted by nature. Whereas, Green Lantern and The Flash had grown to adopt the man as their accomplices in anything Batman deemed as "childish" from stealing cookies from the kitchen to annoying Martian Manhunter with their shenanigan's. Superman found a similar relationship with Captain Marvel as Wonder women did, he was too gentle and understanding to not form a bond with the kind-natured man stood in the doorway. Whereas, Robin and Batman was slightly sceptical of the childish hero as he got along so well with others but had such a little known about him it caused the paranoia of the bats to spike like crazy. However, contrary to popular believe Batman had also become fond of the hero despite how naïve he was, the man was too vital in the League to brush him away plus Captain Marvel had such a kind atmosphere that it couldn't be helped but loved.

So, the late Captain fumbled out some "I'm sorrys" and "I won't be late again!" as he rushed towards his seat between Superman and Cyborg. Many of the members took note of the quieter and paler man, finding it odd due to his proclaimed invisibility and also witnessing it from how bullets slid off him like a bouncy ball so this caused worried glances to be exchanged across the table.

Batman let out his signature "hn." before carrying on the debrief of the meeting and passing glances towards the Captain with emotionless eyes, mainly from the cowl he wore.

"You good?" Cyborg had leaned forwards to speak more hushed towards the taller man, causing a small startle from him, still focused on the meeting or Batman would definitely have their heads.

"I am fine, thanks?" Marvel responded in the same quiet voice in an attempt to not be caught despite Superman very easily noticing the conversation and joining in.

"You look very pale." His voice carried concern and worry for the Cap, Supermans eyes not leaving Batman either but still leaning backwards towards the taller.

Suddenly, the lights became too overwhelming for the sledgehammer that was consistently slamming against his brain and he let out a harsh wince. Something almost every member at the table had noticed, including Batman whose gaze pierced through the silence like a sword. But Billy couldn't really respond nor absorb what was happening around him anymore.

Darkness enveloped his vision, invading it like a parasite hungry for every bit of his senses. Including the Gods worried words that only he could hear.

Chapter Text

His entire body felt heavy, his ears feeling like he was underwater. Any noise he could even process felt like gravel against his brain. But the pain seemed numb, almost gone. It was odd, but it wasn't the weirdest thing he had woken up to.

A certain tiger comes to mind.

But nevertheless, he felt groggy and had a bright light in his very sore eyes. He was not doing him any favours especially when he was in his Captain Marvel form. wait. what?

Why was he still Captain Marvel?

Billy must've forgotten to transform back after the meeting which is very irresponsible as anyone could've followed him home!! Like Batman! So without a second thought the large framed man let out a quiet groan resembling the words "Shazam" before a flash of lightening struck the cot he was no longer the kind natured Captain Marvel but rather a short, 10-year old boy with tattered clothes that were ruined from the rain and knives over the years and deep scars that littered his skin. The young boy was obviously very malnourished shown by the rib bones that were unsettlingly visible beneath his thin skin.

Then realisation struck him (ha) like a ton of bricks.

When the actual fuck did he leave the WatchTower? He hadn't, Billy doesn't even remembering finishing the meeting.

He remembers most of the day:
Waking up in extreme pain, Transforming into Captain Marvel, going to the meeting, sitting down, talking to Barry and Clark.

Then.

Nothing? Darkness.

Crap.

The young boy sprung up into a sitting position, immediately regretting the action as a sharp pain stabbed up every single nerve in his back eliciting quiet groans he tried to bite down. Rather instead, he focused on the room he was in.

It was blindly white room that reeked of sterile equipment from the bleach that he could taste. To his left was a bit of walking space to account for the heart monitor hooked onto him and the IV that was lacing into gold yellows before swirling into whites then purples before ending back into the soft gold that was there originally. But, that is not what caught his attention but rather the large window that expanded across the wall that was to his left. He was in space, he was right.

He was in the Watch Tower.

He had TRANSFORMED in the watch tower.

crap, crap, crap, crap.

"Cap?" A familiar voice spoke, breaking him out of the panic spiral he was falling into. It was gentle and almost comforting but at the same time, not.

His head shot to the other side of the room, towards the right of the bed where a door was but more importantly The Flash and Batman who were sat in two separate chairs that were only apart because of the door that stood in the middle of them. They two hero's were silent, wide eyes of their domino masks wide as they stared back at the young boy who was previously the powerhouse of the Justice league.

Motherfucker.

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Bruce was concerned to say the least when Captain Marvel had passed out in the meeting, the team was repeatedly told that he could not be harmed easily and didn't have any sort of need to sleep nor eat. So, this was a problem. Someone was out there who had harmed Captain Marvel, a feat not even Batman could accomplish shown by the empty box where a contingency plan would be if he knew the Captains weaknesses. But apparently, someone who had the intention of hurting the man did. So this was not a light matter.

So, he called for Green Lantern, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter to all return back to the watch tower- they had previously been unable to come to the meeting as it wasn't too important of a meeting but they were required to catch up on anything that had been said.

Aquaman had been dealing with political issues in Atlantis,

Martian Manhunter had been dealing with some personal issues,

and Green Lantern had been too far in space to only come back for a meeting.

But this was important, so they were now outside in the waiting area while everyone awaited for the Captain to awake. The only reason Barry was allowed in here was because they were taking turns on who could come sit with Batman and watch Marvel (The only reason they weren't all in the waiting room was because Wonder Women was demanding to be able to see her brother which also set the other members off on wanting to make sure he was okay, the only compromise was letting them interchangeably come see him as not all of the members would fit into the medical room and he didn't want to overwhelm the man when he awoke.)

The only reason they were even able to get some sort of fluid for the Captain was from the magic users who didn't seem all that well themselves either.

He was now sitting in the med bay with Flash at his side, his leg bouncing up and down faster than he should, with his tablet in hand by researching every thing that could have possibly happened in the last 24 to 48 hours in Fawcett that could've caused this to happen to the powerhouse. He had also told Tim everything since he was the best detective other than himself - not that he would ever say that out loud to anyone but Tim.

Suddenly a blindly white light struck the bed where the Captain was- Lightening, it was lightening- causing both him and Flash to startle into fighting positions before realising the extremely small child that was now in place of the Captain was laying on the cot. He had greasy black hair with worryingly pale skin considering how thin this boy was. He looked around 10 or 11 years old and obviously homeless given his malnourished stature and oversized, ripped black clothing that barely even hung onto his figure.

A sudden sharp recognition shot through Bruce's chest, it reminded him of Jason. The small, skittish Jason who had stolen the tyres off the car. The alone Jason who was terrified of the world because he wasn't given a fair hand. The mistreated Jason-

"Cap?" The voice snapped through both his and the young boys spirals as Bruce remained his stark and undeterred figure whereas the younger boys shoulders became even more tense, his head snapping towards the two as his electric blue eyes contacted his own.

God, if any of his children were here they'd say the same words, "Adoption bait"

The young boy had a horrifying amount of scars on his body to say the least, now he could see more of the child. He was skittish and afraid, terrified even, shown by his tense shoulders and eyes that bolted between the door and any other exit he could find- which was the vent that he could not reach. This child had been through too much at being only 10 and it showed, making both him and Flash hate what they were witnessing especially at how this was supposed to the kind-natured, cheerful ray of sunshine that was Captain Marvel. Who had saved the world on a multiple times, who had fought upon tens of thousands of armies.

This made him feel nauseous but also a stark protective wave of emotion that he knew came from being a father himself, wanting to protect this child from anymore horrors from the world.

"Hi..?" The young boy spoke quietly, hesitantly even.

Chapter Text

“Hi..?” He spoke hesitantly, not sure what to do. He could easily whisk himself to the Rock Of Eternity but knew it would only prolong the inevitable (Solomon was rubbing off on him, damn) The youngests hands went to the rim of the blanket thinly covering his small body and began to trace the edge up and down as a stimming mechanism.

“Holy crap.” Flash spoke oh so eloquently, earning a harsh glare from the Bat to his left who did not appreciate the experienced hero swearing in front of what seemed to be a 10 year old. “You are like- 10! CaptainMarvelIsA10YearOldChildAndWeNeverKnewThasSoCrazyWhatdowedoDowe-” The speedster was cut off.

“I am not 10! I am 11, thank you very much.” Billy huffed stubbornly, feeling each spark of pain crackling under his skin that was still lingering. Bruce’s eyes narrowed on the young child at how small he was for an 11 year old.

“The fact you get upset about that proves how young you are Cap- er, should I still call you that?” Barry paused, tilting his head as all Justice League members knew their secret identities minus Billy, obviously. 

He looked at them critically, weighing his options on if it was the best idea to tell them his name but on the other hand, Bruce could easily pull up face recognition and get him within a heartbeat. “Billy.” His voice was small, afraid of the reaction further on any information he was giving to the heroes who still was processing the fact the powerhouse of the Justice League was an 11 year old boy.

“Billy, how can you turn from this form to Captain Marvel?” Batman spoke up for the first time, his rigid and emotionless white eyes still as ominous as ever no matter who Billy was.

“Magic.” Billy bluntly told the older man, going to elaborate further even though it was definitely going to be a struggle to explain his powers to mortals without any magic intelligence which would’ve made it easier to understand like Constantine and Zatanna understood. “I was given Greek Gods that I receive my powers from by a wizard, accessing said gods I need to transform by saying a specific word which causes me to change forms.” He explained in the easiest way he could think of. The young child sliding his legs over the comfortable covers and off the bed but not making his way further down but rather just wanted to face towards the two heroes who still looked baffled, it amused Billy to see their expressions.

“Hm.” The bat grumbled out in his usual fashion, something the Justice League were still yet to understand the grunts unlike the rest of the birds who seemed to speak it fluently like another language. The Dark Knight began to type against his tablet once again.

“Are you going to tell everyone else?” The confidence dissolved like salt in water as he realised how little his opinion became with this decision, the fear reminding him why was not planning on telling the league for at least a couple of years. This seemed to make the adults in the room pause, glancing at one another and having some silent conversation that never clued Billy in.

“Yes but only when you want us to.” Flash supplied, his voice the gentle and kind one that every superhero used when they were talking to a victim , a child . This caused him to bristle, hating that they would only ever see him this way now not as their co-worker or one of the most powerful members within the justice league but only as a small, homeless child.

“I will tell the League you passed out due to magical.. Issues and will be taking a small leave to recuperate. You should get cleaned and Flash will get you some spare clothes so we can reflect on your living situation.” Batman explained in his monotone voice, Flash perking up at the mention of him before speeding out of the door to presumably get clothes for him. Batman sparing Billy one last glance that he could never read before walking out as well, closing the medical door behind them.

Billy visibly deflated, this was going to be a long, long few hours but at least he was going to get a hot shower. The young child slid off the bed, feeling the pain strike through his nerves as his feet hit the ground but holding back the wince that clawed at his throat. He glanced towards the white walls until he hit a door almost hidden by medical equipment with a bathroom sign clinging to its wood before making his way to the hopefully the most hot and clean water he has touched.

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Bruce was rattled to say the least. Batman was always prepared for every single scenario, or paranoid as his kids labelled him, shown by the countless pages on the Batcomputer detailing weaknesses and contingency plans for any scene he would imagine surrounding the defenders he worked with but never could imagine that the powerhouse of the Justice League, Captain Marvel, the man he almost next to nothing about was just a malnourished, homeless 11 year old who masquerades around as a timeless hero would beat every single league without much struggle if need be.

But he couldn’t seem to get the image of the young boy who had too many scars for his age being in a cold alleyway with no home or money to his name, it made his heart ache like it did for his many other children. This was not going to end well.

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“Barry.” The Dark Knight stopped Flash from entering the medical room just yet, standing in front of the speedstar with the glare that could pierce steel.

“Yesssss Dark and Broody?” He held the softest pair of clothes that would fit the child as he could not let that sweet -man- child stay in those ragged, ripped clothes and only give him some cardboard feeling replacements.

“You will not tell anyone about this development, do you understand?” The bat was not asking him, rather telling him, and it showed by the firmness in the man’s voice. Barry gave a quick succession of nods and glanced towards the door that no longer had a towering black figure in the doorway.

“You think.. he has anybody?” The speedstar asked hesitantly, knowing very well the answer but didn’t want to believe that the bubbly, sweet and brave man that they all have grown to love was a homeless young boy without any of them at least noticing some signs of something being wrong.

A sigh could be heard from the shadows that Batman had slipped into out of habit more than anything, “No, and if there is, they are not doing a good job.” The man tensed, he didn’t think about whether there was anybody that would abuse the Captain. The fear of his teammate being hurt in such a manner was quickly replaced by fury as he knew for a fact a certain Amazonian woman would love to join him in having a few words with this person as there had to be a reason why a child was homeless, there had to be someone responsible for this.

Flash went to ask if the Bat had pulled up any information on the young boy, knowing the way the man worked but there was no sign left that Bruce was still there. Of course.

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Red Robin:

So, has Captain Marvel awoken then?

You:

Yes.

Red Robin:
Do I need to keep searching for the reason why or has he explained because I need to get back to proving to Robin I am better at him in gymnastics.

You:

No.

Red Robin:

You are so expressive today

Red Robin:
K, bye B.

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Bruce ripped off the cowl, his hand following down his face as he knew for a fact that this was not going to end well. Especially with all of his children claiming he had a problem, which he didn't. It is just that Bruce could not handle when there are kids in-need when he could help them, that was not a problem but something he was solving. That is to say that if Billy wants to stay with him, he could stay with Flash or another Justice League member or even an associate of the Justice League. As long as Billy was safe, that is all that matters.

God, this was going to be a long 24 hours.

Chapter Text

IMPORTANT

Due to events, click here , that have occurred, Captain Marvel will be on temporary leave to recuperate from the incident. If any member needs to contact him for world ending issues send them through Batman but if it is personal contacts then click here to send through email that will be sent to Captain Marvel. The meeting will be continued onto a later date that will be published within the Group Chat as usual, if you are able to attend then you should as it will be continuing on the progress reports on the latest issues regarding reports not processed properly, monitor duty changes, progress reports within your sectors and updates with on-going missions within the Justice League.

That will be all,

Batman.

-

Billy felt incredibly refreshed from the hot water and actually full shampoo and conditioner!! It was amazing and then was given the fluffiest set of clothes he had ever had on in his life. It was flash memorabilia but he was never ashamed of wearing merch of other heroes, he had Red Robin’s jumper in one of the cleanest bags he could find to keep it safe and he also tried to make a Red Hood one since no one seemed to be selling any of the vigilante, or was it crime lord now?, near him so he definitely was not embarrassed with the clothes he was given but rather how Barry seemed to gush on how cute he looked in his colours and that Flash was the best superhero. It was nice to hear though, that he didn’t really seem too affected after the initial shock that Billy was in fact, well, Billy.

Unfortunately, Flash had to speed off (ha, get it?) as one of the other flash-family had needed him back down on earth. So, this left him alone in the comfiest clothes he had ever owned and sat in front of the window that opened up into the black void that was dyed with vibrant purples and muted blues that played with one another in excitement. Billy hasn’t seen space in this form and it was breathtaking, honestly. Billy loved it, it brought him out of the pain momentarily with the distraction.

“Are you enjoying the view?” A sudden voice from incredibly close to Billy asked, the young boy yelping and turning around defensively but found the source to be Batman unsurprisingly due to the nature of being able to sneak up on literally anyone.

Billy sheepishly glanced back towards the window then back up at the man who seemed amused, maybe?, It was hard to tell Batman’s emotions. “Uh, yeah. It is really pretty.” He felt embarrassed since they had all gone on many space missions and on the Watchtower endless times yet Billy was admiring the gorgeous void that stared back at him with the same curious intent. It wasn’t his fault that he had never seen this in his normal form!

Silence washed over the two, Billy feeling embarrassed but still placing his blue eyes on the window, pleased with how gorgeous the view was and content on staying in the quiet that had settled back in as it helped the lightning dancing painfully on every nerve and the constant fear of being kicked out of the Justice League now that Batman and Flash knew his identity.

“Would you like to tell me about your living situation?” Bruce asked, sitting beside the young boy who’s back was now leaning against the cot that was closer to the window than anything else that Billy wanted to sit on since he had a strong dislike for sitting on things that are meant to be sat on.

He shuffled nervously as he knew that he was going to have to explain why he looked like an absolute piece of shit to one of the League members or they’d all find out on their own and he’d rather tell them then all of the bats and birds scavenging through his life. “You mean the lack thereof?” He huffed, annoyed more at himself with the situation that was now created just because he assumed he was home.

Batman gave a nod towards the young boy, encouraging him to continue and not commenting on the snark, perhaps his many children (Billy assumed they were his children as they did respond to him almost instantly and Bruce looked like a dad with too many problematic children). “I live in an abandoned firehouse.” He said bluntly, not caring how little information it gave the man other than that even though he knew he needed to tell him further on how he got into that situation.

The man looked down at him (sympathetically?) with patience etched into his frame as he sat awkwardly against the cot with Billy, it would’ve been funny to the younger if his mind wasn’t racing through every burning hand against his skin from the foster homes and his uncle, not that he deserved that title. “Why are you asking me anyway, can’t you just pull up my record?” His eyes narrowed on the taller, finding it suspicious that he was asking plus Billy wanted to stall how long he had to answer the questions for.

“I could. But, they are not always true and I wanted to trust that you would tell me everything you are comfortable with.” The Bats words were uncharacteristically soft, maybe it was the version of victim tone that Captain had never heard from the man. But this did lift some of the weight that held against Billy’s chest like a vice, anxious to tell him everything that had happened.

The younger one let out a shaky sigh, “My parents died in an accident when I was young, I moved in with my uncle, he kicked me out, I went to foster care and ran away.” He listed quickly, hoping the lack of detail would show he did not want to expand on anything but gave the key points so Bruce would get off his back, even if there was a proven lack of pressure given by the older. Batman's frame stiffened slightly, it was obvious what had happened to Billy without the explanation and he hated it. Billy shrunk in on his small body, feeling like he wanted to dissolve into the floor and never be revived.

“You need to have a stable and safe home, Billy.” The man steeled a breath before continuing,”You have many options, that is to live with a league associate or member. But I would like to offer my home to you personally.” Bruce dropped the professional tone as he turned to look at the young boy directly. “Would you like to live with me?” 

Billy looked wide-eyed up at the man, gobsmacked at what he had just offered him. HIM. The homeless, uneducated, unwanted and reckless 11 year old? What the fuck. What. The. Fuck. “Why? Why would you offer me that?” He snapped at him, terrified at the thought of ruining his relationship with his co-workers. The boy could feel the eyes bearing into him, seeing through his body as he -asked- demanded the question to be answered.

“Because I want you to be safe and I can give you that, a family if you want one.” Bruce had dragged his hand against his cowl, removing it in an easy swoop to look into Billy's blue eyes with his own in hopes to convey the genuine intention as he knew that this would be difficult for the younger to understand let alone accept. “You don’t have to accept right now, I can give you time.” He placed a hand onto the younger shoulder.

Billy's attention snapped up to the older as a hand placed groundedly against his shoulder, feeling like the decision would break his entire world- but would that be a bad thing? “Please.” His voice sounded so small, like how he felt, but he couldn’t bring himself to care in the moment as he shrunk against the cot. The taller man gave a nod towards the boy as he stood, taking his cowl with him. “I’ll be back in a few hours, Flash might be back at some point.” The man informed them before making his way towards the door on the other side of the room, his steps purposefully audible this time alongside the door closing behind him.

The young boy let out another shaky breath, the thought of having a family, a stable home, was terrifying.

what if he fucked it up?
What if they hated him?
What if they got bored of him?
Where would he go?

Chapter Text

Billy had been sitting in the cot for hours now, staring at the ceiling and counting each tile over and over again. 67 large tiles. That was an awful odd number yet it comforted the boy to some level that something was remaining a constant in the current moment, his eyes glued to the ceiling as if the change would happen in an instant and there would 68 tiles next time he looked up (not that it was the weirdest thing that has happened to him). 

Was this procrastinating against thinking of the offer -Bruce- Batman had given him? Yes.

Was Billy ashamed? A bit.

It wasn’t his fault that the offer was dropped on him like a ton of bricks! Seriously, for the Dark Knight he lacked tact, and that was saying something. Plus, Billy was perfectly fine living in the firehouse. It had all his belongings such as his superhero merch and his canned potatoes! He worked very hard to get those, they tasted better than any other food he had so he was excited to get home to have them today..

Going to Gotham would ruin all his hero work too! He is Fawcett's hero. (But it wouldn’t be very difficult to go from one place to another…)

Regardless, Bruce had many other kids he had to look after! All the Gotham heroes are related to him somewhat and he has Robin and Red Robin to care for, he would just be another burden to all his actual kids. They might not even like him even if he did go, Billy isn’t the most likable person ever… But, he has nowhere else to go and Batman won’t let him stay in the Firehouse, that is for sure.. So, is this the only choice he has?

No. He said any other associate would look after him or members..

But, he doesn’t want to bother the flash family, they already have so many people,
Green Lanterns never stay long enough on earth to have another burden such as him,

Wonder Woman already has too much on her plate and he doesn’t want to get in the way of his sister,

Cyborg? No, he would definitely not appreciate another person to look after, right?

Plus, that would mean having to reveal identity to all of these people! Gods, absolutely not. But going with a league associate runs the risk of just being like the foster system.. Again, hard no.

So, that leaves him with Batman. Of course it does. He doesn’t have a choice as the man is very stubborn and won’t let him go back to the Firehouse. So, Batman it is. He will just have to stay quiet and away from the other kids to make sure he isn’t treading on any toes and just leave for patrols in Fawcett. That seems easy enough and not much of a change except being in Gotham, he supposes.

This is going to end horribly.

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Bruce stared down the door, Billy was going to have to choose sooner or later whether he was going to live with him or another. He prays it is him (No, he doesn’t have a problem) as he wants to make sure he is happy and lives safely. Bruce can provide that, Batman can provide that. He can provide that. But, so can many other heroes here and the associates he offered meaning he may not come home with him but another, as long as he was safe, the man reminded himself. Batman adjusted his posture as the door to the medbay room opened revealing a small black haired, blue eyed boy looking tired and so incredibly malnourished. Has he eaten recently?

“You. I want to live with you.” Billy spoke, his voice laced with the exhaustion displayed in his eyes. It made the taller want to melt but he refrained, just softening his expression minutely.

“Alright, I will prepare everything. You should get some rest, Billy.” It wasn’t much of a suggestion as the boy looked like he was going to fall asleep standing, Bruce watching as the smaller frame retreated into the medbay with a grumble akin to “I’m not that tired” but walking with heavy feet towards the cot that he yearned for. Bruce followed quietly behind him to make sure the younger made his way without falling, making a note to tell Alfred of the new addition and for lots of food to be made for the young boy.

As Billy slipped into the bed with slight difficulty and Bruce's reluctance to not help, knowing kids like this wanted to be and stay independent as long as they could (cough, Jason, cough). The man tucked the younger in out of habit, the kid snuggling into the pillow as he looked tiredly up at the bat. “Thank you.” It was small and quiet from the kid as he fluttered his eyes closed.

“Of course, good night Billy.” The man hesitated to ruffle the kids' hair slightly but did so, it was difficult to know what the younger was comfortable with in the moment and added it to his mental list to ask when Billy was awake.

“Good night.” He was so adorable, Bruce knew the family was going to love the new addition and all the comments it would bring his way about having another kid with black hair and blue eyes that he was adopting without hesitation.

It was worth it though to make sure Billy was safe and stable in a loving home and that was something Bruce was willing to share with the younger if he was willing to have it. But he was sure that his family would make sure the kid was. 

Speaking of, he needed to make a few phone calls.