Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The night was cold in Gotham. Colder than usual thanks to Mister Freeze. He decided to freeze the Gotham Heights (again) to steal from the rich (again) which could put the manor at risk (again… -_- ). Nightwing, Red Robin, and Red Hood (he joined them because he was nearby and wanted to beat up take down and stop Freeze) were busy trying to take him down while Spoiler, Orphan, and Robin continued their routes in case other big crimes were committed at the same time. Oracle occasionally gave instructions and what else mister Freeze may be after. Red Robin could guess that stealing from the rich was a front and that he was most likely after an artifact where a rich person acted as a benefactor and keeper for the object. He was still technically stealing from the rich, just for something specific. The artifact in question is known as the Frosted Moonstone Ring. A medium sized ring made of moonstone that was said to always stay cool to the touch (probably enchanted with magic). Thankfully, it didn’t take long to take the villain down.

“Hey Oracle, we just stopped Mister Freeze and are waiting for him to be put into custody.” Red Robin reports in. Nightwing and Red Hood start walking over arguing about something related to crepes and donuts. They were probably listening, but were too caught up in their conversation to add any information.

“Sounds good Double R, thanks for the update,” Oracle responds, then continues, “Oh, and there's something you need to know.”

“What is it Oracle?”

“Agent A wants to talk to everyone out on patrol, I’m connecting him and everyone else to the line right now.” Oracle says. Nightwing and Red Hood stop mid-conversation, waiting to hear what Alfred is going to say. A few clicks are heard, then a voice speaks up.

“Thank you Miss Gordon.” Alfred says.

“Hey there Agent A,” Nightwing cheerfully greets him, “what news do you have for us?”

“Well Master Richard, the information will be explained in due time. Master Bruce is requesting everyone to assemble back at the manor, in the cave once patrol is finished. That includes you too Master Jason, I’m expecting to see you here too”

“What the- do I have to be there Alfred?” Red Hood snaps back, but rephrases immediately in a calmer manner. “Is the meeting THAT important for me to be there?”

“I believe so, Master Jason.” Alfred replies, unphased by Red Hood’s outburst.

“Well this will be fun.” Spoiler speaks up.

“Stop being a bitch Todd.” Robin grumbles into the comm.

“YOU DEMON BRAT!” Red Hood yells.

Bickering and laughter ensued, Alfred remained patient yet tried to regain their attention subtly. While conversing continued, the three vigilantes who immobilized Mister Freeze walk back to their vehicles just as the police arrive at the scene to arrest the villain. Then there was an opening in the conversation.

“Um, hey Agent A,” Red Robin pipes up before the opportunity slips away. “Is this meeting involving the kid B went to pick up?”

The line went silent. Even the two vigilantes by Red Robin’s side paused in their steps to listen. 

“Yes, Master Tim.” 

"You mean the little brat Bruce keeps talking about?” Red Hood huffs in an aggravated tone.

“He’s not a brat Hood,” Nightwing retorts, “I met him once with Bruce, he was a nice kid that was in need of help and support. Not to mention he doesn’t have anyone to support him.”

“That’s just another excuse for Bruce to adopt another orphan.” Red Hood says. “And let me guess, the kid has black hair and blue eyes right?”

Nightwing stays silent.

“Knew it.”

“It’s not like that Hood.”

“As if.”

“Anyways Master Jason,” Alfred cuts in before the argument continues. “It would be greatly appreciated if you came after patrol.”

“Can’t I just skip the meeting.” Jason’s reluctance showed.

“I’ll be baking cookies for when you all arrive.”

“Well, lead with that next time.” Jason huffed in defeat.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time Master Jason.” Alfred smiled at the response.

Alfred turns off his connection from the Batcomputer, waiting patiently for the jet to arrive. As per Bruce’s request, he had already got the med kit ready by the medical wing. Also in preparation, he had a tray of chocolate chip cookie dough ready to be baked inside the fridge. He plans to start baking them closer to 5:00 that morning for the meeting. Normally, Alfred was against having sweets so early in the morning, but with the current situation happening, he determined that he could make an exception with their new guest arriving. 

_________________________________________

Dark. It was pitch black all around him. Billy took a moment to look around him. Was this a dream, he wasn’t sure what to do. Looking down at himself, he can see the same ripples that he saw before. Am I at the weird void place again? Billy took a moment to test his question. He took a step. More ripples, like a water’s surface, spread out from where he took a step. Yep, the weird void place again. He groaned a bit as he started to walk forwards, this time not as panicked as before. Billy was calm now that he was able to see his surroundings without being high on adrenaline, the pitch black surrounding actually seemed to look more like the night sky than a void. Small lights very faintly glowed, like fireflies that kept themselves distant from one another. They weren’t very bright, so it was no wonder he didn’t see it the first time. As Billy continued his stride, he saw the figure in the distance once more. Walking up to the wall once again to see his counterpart Captain Marvel once more. The Captain still followed his movements exactly like a mirror. Why am I even dreaming this? Am I dreaming this actually? Billy sighed and looked down at his hands, and so did the Captain. Looking closer at the wall in front of him, he could see the small cracks that he and his counterpart made. A spider web like pattern that didn’t spread very far. It actually looked smaller than when he first made it which seemed strange. Yet, the more he looked at it, the more he felt a familiar energy seep out from it. 

“Is that… my magic?” Billy reached towards the crack. Electricity zaps at his fingers as familiar magic of the wizard came in contact with him. “Woah!”

“Wait, is that why I can’t turn into Captain Marvel?” Both counterparts look at each other confused. Suddenly, the crack on the wall seemed to get a bit smaller, repairing itself at a slow pace.

I was wondering why it seemed smaller than when I last saw it. He sighed. Billy then straightened up, making a decision. Looking up at Captain Marvel who in turn looked down at him, both gave a smirk.

“Well if one punch wasn’t enough to break it.” His eyes gave a spark of confidence and a bit of curiosity. “Then I guess we have to try again!”

Both take in a breath, and yell as they throw another punch at the wall. “SHAZAM!”

The crack spread.

_________________________________________

Billy woke up with a start. Heart racing, he sits up too fast, making him dizzy and unbalanced. His body felt like it went through a rollercoaster. He was a bit cold, and where he rested his hands was not the glove that Bruce laid him on but a colder, more metallic surface. Looking around, it was obvious he wasn’t in the compartment anymore. Was he on a table?

“It’s good to see your awake Master William.”

Billy spun around in surprise. Although he hadn’t met the man before, he has heard of him from Bruce and even Superman mentioned him before. It was Alfred. He was the butler of Wayne Manor. Seeing the elderly man now he seemed to fit the role perfectly. Wait, did he just call me William? While Billy was a bit afraid, seeing the man practically tower over him, he narrowed his eyes at the man, more upset about the fact he called him that.

“Call me Billy, Mr. Alfred.” Billy wasn’t one for starting fights, but this was a hill he was willing to die on.

“Please just call me Alfred Master William, there’s no need for you to use honorifics.” Alfred did not yield.

“Well, it seems that neither of you will be giving up anytime soon.” Bruce chimes in as he walks towards the table Billy was on.

Billy turned towards Bruce and looked up at him, what he saw shocked and confused him. Bruce had a bandage wrapped around his head and his suit had some burn marks. What in the gods' domain happened to him?!? As he stared closer at the marks on the suite, he could tell that they weren’t from a fire. Most likely it was because of an electrical shock- huh? Wait a minute-!

Billy paled as he continued to stare at Bruce as the situation of what happened started to dawn on him.

“As you can see Master William, Master Bruce was injured while you were being brought to the table in the medical wing. It seems that while you were being carried, you released a strong electric shock that stunned Master Bruce which caused him to fall and hit his head against the leg of the table. He lost his grip on you as well but Master Bruce made sure to catch you before hitting the floor.” Alfred carefully watched the small boy's reaction. Obviously the news didn’t help as the boy got more anxious the longer he looked at Bruce and processed what he heard. Alfred continued speaking. “He is alright Master William, only a slight concussion and a small burn is all. Compared to other injuries Master Bruce has sustained, this is considered a light injury.”

“Alfred is right Billy,” Bruce continued before the boy could argue. “I’m fine, It just surprised me. Normally my suit can handle shocks, but the one you produced was stronger than most I’ve dealt with. Not to also mention that your powers come from magic as well, there’s only so much technology that can suppress magic.”

“Oh, well, I’m so sorry Mr. Wayne, I didn’t mean to- I mean…” Billy becomes flustered, unsure of what to say and whether or not to mention his dream.

“Come on kid, you can call me Bruce.” The man gave him a small smile.

“Okay Bruce.” Billy smiles awkwardly at him. He’s ok with not giving Bruce honorifics since he calls him by his name, Alfred on the other hand is a different matter. Although he is not used to calling him by his first name, it was a bit weird, but he wanted to put his point across with Alfred. He goes by Billy not William.

“Master William.” Alfred emphasized, patient eyes gazed towards him. Billy glares back at him. “How are you feeling right now? I was unable to check on you due to the incident you caused. So I would like to know if you are still feeling unwell.”

That- that was a good question, Billy thought. Holding up his hand to his forehead, he checked his temperature. No fever. Huh, I guess I’m not sick anymore, right? He was confused. He felt better than before since he shrank. If anything he was a bit tired.

“I-I guess I feel better.” Billy looked up to see a hand get closer to his head. His body froze up. “H-hey!” Bruce brought up his pinky finger to his forehead, gently (as he could) holding it against Billy.

“Your temperature is definitely lower than before.” Bruce remarked. Whatever worry or concern that lingered in the man’s eyes vanished, replaced with relief. Alfred nodded at the information he was given.

“I’ll be sure to make some warm soup for the boy to eat. I’ll also look for smaller wares for Master William to use as well.” Alfred gave Billy and Bruce a nod, and started to head towards the stairs. “If you need anything, just call. I’ll be upstairs preparing the cookies for the family meeting.” And with that, Alfred disappears back up into the manor.

The man gave a great and positive first impression on Billy. He really liked Alfred. But seeing how he kept calling Billy ‘Master William’, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of defiance. I guess this means war then. He couldn’t help but smile, he wondered how long this name feud would last. While Billy was lost in thought, Bruce pulled up a chair to the table and sat down.

“You know, Alfred is known for being too stubborn to be formal with anyone.” Bruce chuckled, basically reading Billy’s mind on the matter.

Billy turned back towards the man and looked up at him. A tinge of fear ran down his spine when he saw the man’s size, but he managed to stay composed. Why was he still afraid of him? Bruce wouldn’t hurt me, he even kept me from falling to the floor… So why? Shaking his head a bit, Billy looked back confidently.

“Well I’m stubborn as well, especially when it comes to people calling me by that name.” He gave a smirk.

“You are definitely stubborn, that’s for sure.” Bruce couldn’t help but agree.

“Hehe… so, Mr. Wayne- I mean Bruce, Mr. Alfred mentioned there being a family meeting?” Billy couldn’t help but wonder what the man planned while he was asleep.

“Yes, once everyone is back from patrol there will be a meeting. I won’t be able to keep an eye on you all the time, especially when I’m on patrols and going to gala events.” Bruce begins to explain, “And even Alfred will be too busy from time to time to watch over you, so having some of the kids take turns to take care of you would be better. Plus, we still don’t know how long you are going to be stuck like that.”

Billy had to admit, those were good points. But having the whole Wayne family take turns babysitting him didn’t sound ideal to him though. Maybe having Dick Grayson watch him was fine since he was Nightwing, but the others he wasn’t sure about. “Basically you are introducing me to the whole family in the meeting.”

“Yes.”

“Okay..” Billy couldn’t help it as  anxiety built up at the thought of a crowded room. “So do they know? That I’m Captain Marvel?”

“No they don’t. I told you that only Alfred and I would know.” Bruce said in a steady tone. “I promised you that I wouldn't tell anyone else without your permission or until you're in a dire situation.” 

Wow, didn’t expect that from him. Billy knew that as Batman, he tells his team of vigilantes anything he deemed important. But then again, he’s only been around him as Batman either at the League’s headquarters or the few times he teamed up with him and his sidekick Robin, and sometimes Nightwing.

“That’s cool. So, is this a situation too dire for me or can I choose?”

“For now, it’s up to you on whether or not you want to reveal your hero identity. Some of the family already believe you work for Captain Marvel anyways.” The man gave him an amused smirk.

“Um, what?” Billy starred Bruce in the eyes. “Why do they think I work for Captain Marvel? And how?”

“Nightwing started it. When we visited Fawcett city that one time and met up with you in your civilian form for intel on an enemy who had an artifact from your city, he got the impression that you were the Captain’s scout or sidekick of some sort.” The man laughed at that last bit. “It can’t be helped, there’s always going to be misunderstandings of some sort in this family.”

He laughed a bit at what he heard. Of course there were going to be misunderstandings. With a house full of vigilantes, how could there not be. He furrowed his brow. Billy became unsure of what to do now. While keeping his identity a secret from the man’s family seemed ideal, it would conflict with the abilities he still had at the moment with electricity plus the name he calls upon to even activate his power. But telling them the truth could change their view of him, which worried him a bit. Yet, the pros outweigh most of the cons in this situation. There was only one problem.

“Well, if you don’t want to tell them, I could come up with an excuse for you.” Bruce spoke up.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell them, it’s just…” he trailed off. “It’s just that I can't prove that I AM Captain Marvel. Ever since I became this small I’ve been unable to change forms.”

“I’ve managed to piece that together a bit, seeing how you're still yourself after that big shock.” Bruce shifts in his chair a bit. “But don’t worry, I have a way to prove that you're Captain Marvel.”

Billy’s face went blank. How could he prove it? He thought to himself. As long as it helps me it's fine I guess … Man, my neck hurts a bit from looking up at him. He straightens his back while rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

“Alright.” Billy shifted a bit nervously, “I will tell them if you can prove it.”

“Sounds good.” Bruce sighed, “Now, before we go up, can you tell me how your day was leading up to when you shrank.” His demeanor changed into a more serious and analytical one.

“Oh, yeah sure. Um, let’s see… This morning I patrolled the city and thankfully had a fairly peaceful morning with no villains, thank Zeus.” Billy muttered the last bit. “Anyways, after that I decided to go to one of the shelters just past the park. I managed to get some food from one on the East side before cutting back across the park. I stopped to take a break halfway through when I noticed that gem-like rock in the bushes.”

“In the bushes?” Bruce raised a brow.

“Yeah, it was just there. Honestly I just thought it was a cool polished rock that someone dropped. Anyways, I picked it up and took it with me as I went to another shelter to look for some more supplies before heading to my friend Freddy’s place for a bit. Nothing odd happened in the meantime, I started feeling a bit tired but that was it. It got close to evening when I decided to head back to the outer district. Freddy and his family insisted that I stay for the night, but I decided to leave since I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“You're not a bother Billy. They were just concerned about you.”

“I know.”

“You should have taken their offer.”

“I know…” Billy sulked a bit, becoming lost in thought. What if I did stay? What would’ve happened then? He shook away the thought. “Well, that’s besides the point. The point is that nothing strange happened until I got to the outer district by that alleyway you found me in. My body just suddenly felt like pins and needles and got numb out of nowhere! I didn’t know what was going on, so I went inside the alley out of view in case I needed to go into hero mode. Then my knee gave out which scared the life out of me since I didn’t know what was going on. I thought that if I became Captain Marvel and went to the Rock of Eternity I would get some answers.”

“And you didn’t sense any magic on the rock?” Bruce asked.

“None at all!” Billy raised his hands expressively. “But once I said the trigger word to become Captain Marvel and the magical lightning hit me, it overflowed with magic, like a burst of it! And when that happened, unbearable pain came over me.” He shook as the memory came back to him. Wrapping his arms around himself, as he curled up as a reaction.

Billy flinched as he felt something touch his back. Bruce’s index finger made contact as he softly rubbed his back. It felt nice. The steady motion and the warmth helped calm his shaking body. Billy looked up at the man to thank him, but stopped when he saw him. The man’s face had deepened with a mix of concern and a bit of regret.

“Um, Bruce?”

“I’m alright Billy, but are you okay? Are you still hurting?”

“Oh,” his blue eyes stared up at the man, is that why he looks like that? He gives a small smile. “I don’t have any pain anymore. I’ll be fine now.”

Bruce smiled back down at him, giving him a nod. “Okay then,” he stands up suddenly, startling Billy with the movement, and in a swift movement Bruce gently grabs the boy and picks him up. “Let’s go upstairs with Alfred, it’s almost time for everyone to arrive and I need to change out of my suite.”

Billy was being held around his waist, his arms free. Bruce held his other hand underneath him just in case. Once they started moving, he immediately got motion sickness from the sudden movement. He is sure that while everything wasn’t so quick for the man, it was too fast for him to deal with. Hercules Almighty, please let this be quick. His head was spinning as everything blurred. He doesn’t know how long it took, but he knows that Bruce managed to get up the stairs and into the mansion by the time he got his bearings. This is definitely going to take a while to get used to. Billy looked around him to see that they were in a hallway, and before he knew it they were rounding around through the front of the mansion and towards the kitchen. When the door opened, immediately the smell of fresh soup and chocolate chip cookies hit him. Billy’s mouth watered as he realized that he hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday. While having one of the granola bars would help, having freshly made food sounded so much better.

Alfred worked at the stove, stirring the pot as Bruce set Billy down on the countertop at the kitchen island, away from the food being made and where Alfred worked. There were a few items on there with him; keys, a pen, and a glass of water. Walking up to the cup, he was barely taller than half of the cup, the keys were half an inch smaller, and the pen was similar height to the cup.

“Alfred, I’m going to change out of my suite, please watch over Billy while I’m gone.” Bruce walked towards the door, leaving the both of them together and Alred gave a nod. He was nervous. Being alone with someone other than Bruce was unnerving to him. Billy didn’t know Alfred as much as he knew Bruce. Sitting down by the glass of water and back towards the door, Billy watched Alfred as he worked.

Everything Alfred did seemed so effortless. From adding ingredients to the soup, taking out dishes, checking on the cookies, setting up the table in the other room, and preparing hot chocolate and coffee as well. All the while the man would occasionally check on him. 

“Is there anything you need while you wait, Master William?” Alfred asked him.

“Could I get some water please Mr. Alfred.” Billy responded, looking up at the man.

“Certainly.” Alfred walked to the fridge, taking a moment going through it before pulling out a water bottle. Unscrewing the lid and pouring some water into the lid, he sets it down by Billy. “Unfortunately we do not have any wares to accommodate your size, so we are going to make due with what we have until we get some.”

“Thank you.” Billy scoots closer to the bottle cap. He picked it up and it was surprisingly not that heavy to him. Taking a sip, he was glad to have requested to have water, being asleep most of the time he didn’t realize how parched he was.

The door behind him opened, he continued to drink the water assuming Bruce was done changing and came back. Until an unfamiliar voice sounded right behind him. Billy choked on his water.

“Hey Alfred, are the cookies done yet?” a gruff, almost annoyed voice spoke up as the door opened again and two pairs of footsteps came into the room. The two other people that walked in were talking to each other, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Turning around slightly, Billy looked up at who the voice belonged to behind him. A tall (extremely tall to him now) guy stood by the edge, sharp green eyes staring towards the butler, dark hair with a white streak of hair, black shirt and a really cool red jacket. Behind him, he got a glimpse of two others on the side, one was taller, jet black hair, dark blue eyes, and wearing a blue Superman hoodie. The other guy also has dark hair, bright blue eyes, and is wearing a gray shirt. The tall guy is very familiar, why? Billy couldn’t help but contemplate, His smile… It's Dick Grayson! His eyes lit up with excitement. He’s only ever seen Dick in costume as Nightwing, so this was the first time seeing him without the suit. Before he could do anything else, Alfred spoke up, grabbing his attention. 

“Welcome back Master Tim and Master Richard. And the cookies are not ready yet Master Jason.” The man continued stirring the soup a bit, putting the heat on simmer. “They will be done soon. And please, watch where you go from now on, we have a small guest that we need to be mindful of. He can be skittish with others, though he’s fairly bold in his predicament.” Giving a soft smile, Alfred gestured in front of the guy with a white streak of hair before turning back to the stove. Jason looked down and directly at Billy. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Billy froze completely, eyes wide like a deer in headlights as he stared back at him in turn. Jason also went wide eyed, bewilderment showing on his face. 

“What the fuck?” Jason reached towards him. Fear gripped Billy like last time, but this time he wasn’t able to compose himself or hold it back.

“AAAAAAAAHH-!” Billy screamed, jumping to his feet and throwing the bottle cap at the incoming hand. Water splashing on the man’s hand and on the counter. 

Stunned, Jason stopped reaching and continued to stare for a moment. Billy took this chance to get away. Get away, GET AWAY! His mind raced, clouded by fear as he ran towards the side where Alfred was. Before he could reach the man, something grabbed him in a strong grip and he was lifted off the countertop. Jason caught him. He struggled in the grasp trying to get free, but the grip just got tighter. His arms were pinned and he couldn’t do much as Jason brought him closer to his face. Now eye level with him, Billy glared at him as Jason’s green eyes analyzed him. Well, if he’s not going to let go, I might as well make him. Billy nervously smirked at him. He didn’t want to shock anyone else like he did to Bruce… so he’ll go with the second best option. 

“Don’t tell me your-” Jason wasn’t able to finish his sentence.

Billy bites hard on Jason’s thumb.

“MOTHERFUCK-!” Jason yells. He flung his arm up, losing his grip on Billy, throwing the kid up and behind him. Tim and Dick watch it happen in a mix of shock and horror. 

Billy didn’t think this through. He was already falling before he knew it. His scream caught in his throat as he shut his eyes and reached for something, anything.

“Shit-!” Jason cursed. He wouldn’t be able to catch the kid in time. The door opens as someone stands in the doorway, watching the scene unfold.

Shoving Tim to the side, Dick rushes past him and forward, barely catching Billy in the air. Alfred turned around, mortified to see the scene unfold. Dick straightens up and looks down at the boy, taking a moment to see what he caught. He froze immediately and gasped under his breath as he recognized Billy.

“Hey kid, are you okay?” Dick anxiously looked over at the boy as he cradled him with both hands. He froze when he saw the boy flinch when he spoke. Lowering his tone, he asked quietly, “Are you alright?... What happened to you?” 

With the wind knocked out of his lungs, Billy laid there on the giant hand, staring up at Dick. Before he could do much, his whole body jolted at the volume of Dick’s voice. Man, I’m never going to get used to my sensitive hearing. Wide eyed and breathing heavily, he stays sprawled out, taking a moment to catch his breath. I almost died, his mind raced as his breathing became even, and it hasn’t even been a full day yet. He couldn’t control his body as it shakes.

“I’m, uh, I’m fine.” Billy responds. 

He was not fine. 

Billy sits up and brings his knees to his chest. He just wanted to fully curl up where he was but was still on edge of what just happened. Dick’s hand tensed at the movements he made, similar to how Bruce was when he first held him. That comforted him a bit since Bruce was someone he can be mostly relaxed around. Not to mention the man has been perceptive and mindful of Billy ever since he found him. He was so much like Bruce.

“I can’t leave you alone for even five minutes,” Bruce speaks up. Everyone turns to the doorway to see Bruce standing there in casual clothes, wearing a glove on his left hand, and holding a laptop. The rest of the family members behind him peeked through to see what was happening. He lets out a tired sigh. “Alfred, what happened?”

“When you left, I made sure Master William’s needs were handled, then Master Jason, Master Tim, and Master Richard entered. I figured I would let Master Jason know about our small guest to be mindful of what he does since he was the closest to the boy.” Alfred looks at Jason who stands there awkwardly rubbing his thumb. “But it seems that he didn’t understand what I meant and grabbed the boy without getting his consent.”

“Come on Alfred, you didn’t really give me anything,” Jason complained, green eyes full of frustration as his gaze over at Billy and pointed at him, “Not to mention that little shit bit my thumb! And it’s bleeding!”

Billy flinched under the man’s intense gaze. The green eyes practically glowed as he stared back. He reached over and grabbed on to Dick’s thumb and hung onto it, causing the man to cradle him closer. Bruce walked over and stood between Jason and Dick who's holding Billy.

“I got a message from Harper that she won’t be able to make it tonight and that Barbara will come by tomorrow, so let’s go to the dining room for the meeting.” Bruce gave Jason a stern look, “And after that, I would like a word with you Jason.”

Turning around and facing Dick, Bruce scoops up Billy with a swift movement, confusing the boy for a moment, and starts heading out of the kitchen. Everyone follows him to the dining room, leaving Alfred to finish preparing the food in peace. Bruce sets the laptop down on the tabletop before sitting down at the end. Laying his hand down on the surface, Billy sat there for a moment just looking out. The long table that was only a few feet long seemed like it went on for miles for him. The rest of the family took their seats, everyone in casual clothes. He was a bit excited since he was going to be introduced to the entire Bat-family that Superman and other league members mentioned to him, and now he can meet them and find out which vigilante they are. Well, that was the case until a shiver ran down his spine. Looking around he realized everyone’s eyes were on him. They were all staring at Billy.

“Let’s go through introductions first,” Bruce tilts his hand, sliding Billy off and onto the table. “This is Billy Batson, and he’s-”

“He’s Captain Marvel’s sidekick, right?” The blonde girl wearing a Green Arrow shirt on the left speaks up, cutting off Bruce. “I mean, that’s what Dick told me.”

Billy stares at her stunned. I’m what now? A sidekick? His nose scrunched at the thought.

Alfred walks in with a cart trolley with bowls of soup and glasses of water. Very swiftly, he distributed all of it to each person, and even had two bottle caps given to him. One had water and the other had warm soup. The light vegetable broth was cooled down enough for him to eat, Billy looked towards Alfred as he finished handing out food and drinks. He couldn’t help but admire him for his observation skills. Everyone at the table starts to eat as the conversation continues.

“More like an informant for the Captain,” Tim, holding a mug, then pitches in. “The kid shows up wherever the Captain shows up just as trouble begins most of the time, then disappears when the Captain shows up. He most likely has a communicator to contact him before taking shelter.”

“He seems more like a coward to do such things to me.” The boy sitting next to Bruce and Billy on the right says, green eyes glaring daggers as he somehow manages to hold his spoon in a threatening way at the shrunken boy.

“Damian, stop.” Bruce glanced at the boy.

“-tch-” Damian huffs.

“Hey, so, I know this is going to sound weird but, there’s something weird with his aura.” The darker skinned guy with a fade cut on the left voiced. His brown eyes narrowed at the boy. The look on his face, well, it concerned Billy. “It’s similar to when I see Wonder-”

“Again with the auras Duke.” The blonde cuts him off. “It could be because of the predicament he’s in.”

Billy sipped on the soup, warming him up from the cold around. Pausing for a moment, he looks at the warm soup in the bottle cap. Huh, I guess even in a house that’s heated can still be cold for me at this size. I’m going to need to figure out how to stay warm and discuss this with Mr. Wayne. He sighs. Setting down the cap of soup and picking up his cap of water to drink. At the same time, Bruce was drinking his water.

“Or it could be because he’s actually Captain Marvel’s son.” The blonde girl smirks mischievously.

In unison, both Billy and Bruce spit out their drinks in shock at the exclamation she made. Water fell on the boy, drenching him. Billy stared at her with a blank face and soaked while Bruce right behind him tried to stifle his laughter while covering his face (but failed).

“Seriously Steph, that’s just an absurd speculation.” Tim gives an unamused look.

“I mean come on, he looks like a mini Captain, you can’t say he doesn’t since most of us have met him in person before.” Stephanie states. “Like Dick and Damian, they’ve worked with him before. They got to see what he looks like and compare him to this kid.”

“I can see it.” The girl with black hair wearing a black t-shirt on the other side says. Billy had to take a second as he looked at the girl. Has she been there this entire time?

“Even Cass agrees with me.” Stephanie says, giving a satisfied grin at the agreement.

“We are getting off track.” Bruce cuts in before the conversation spirals again. “I’m going to say this right now, Billy is NOT the Captain’s son. So please Stephanie, stop with the ridiculous theories. And second, he’s not a sidekick or informant to the Captain either.”

Everyone at the table now looked confused and curious of the new information, even Jason who had no interest in the boy now looked at him with curiosity.

“So if this kid isn’t involved with Captain Marvel, then why the hell is he here? I thought that was the second reason you brought him besides the first obvious reason.” Jason couldn’t help but glare at Bruce. Stephanie huffed and Dick frowned at what was said.

“I never said he wasn’t connected to Captain Marvel.” Bruce replied, opening the laptop he bought and plugging in a thumb drive. “The Captain and Billy are actually the same person. Billy Batson is Captain Marvel.”

Silence. Everyone stared wide eyed at Bruce in disbelief. Damian looked down at Billy, staring intensely at him before looking back at Bruce.

“Father, there’s no way this kid is Captain Marvel,” said Damian. “I mean, sure the Captain acts childish, even more than the Flash, but that doesn’t mean he’s this boy.”

“For once, I agree with Damian,” Jason speaks up. “Like seriously, this kid can’t be more than ten years old.”

“I’m twelve actually.” Billy glares at Jason.

“As if pipsqueak! There ain’t no way you’re twelve with how you act.”

“YES I AM!” Billy yelled at the man, shaking in frustration.

“Besides,” Stephanie interjects, “how would this kid even become Captain Marvel? Can he show us and prove it?”

In unison every person in the room turned their gaze down at the boy as Bruce continued to do something on the laptop. Billy’s frustration was now replaced with a rising anxiety. The dreaded moment had arrived for him.

“Um…well…” Billy was nervous.

“He can’t right now.” Bruce speaks up. “But I do have proof to show you.” Turning the device around, a video played. It was one of his meetings with Batman in Fawcett City as a civilian, specifically a meeting that was interrupted by one of his villains. Looking up at the screen Billy’s eyes went wide as he knew what was about to be shown.

 The video starts while they discuss an artifact Batman came across in a secluded area in Fawcett City. After a few minutes Ibac starts to wreak havoc in the populated area in the background of the video. Billy told Batman that he would tell him more about the artifact later before saying the wizards name, becoming Captain Marvel. He made a joke to the man before moments later flying out of the area, leaving Batman behind. The video ends.

All the vigilantes at the table stared at the screen stunned.

“Mr. Wayne!” Billy yelled at the man, gaining his attention. “I thought you said you were going to delete that video!” Billy grit his teeth as he stood up pointing at the laptop, blue eyes gleamed with frustration.“Why the heck do you have this?!”

“I know Billy, I know. I did delete the video after I made a copy on this drive. Besides that, it’s not on any other device.” Bruce tried to reason with the boy.

“Oh and let me guess, you have this last copy to show others in case I go rogue and to use this as a part of your contingency plan for me.” 

“Hey Billy, I’m sure it’s not like that.” Dick spoke up nervously.

“I shouldn’t be as surprised by this to be honest, I should have known this is what you meant when you said you had proof to show that I’m Captain Marvel.” Billy’s expression drooped. Of course he kept it, he’s Batman. The frustration dissipated as he sat back down to finish his soup. “Whatever, either way the video proved that I’m The Captain so it’s fine. Just hide the drive or do whatever you always do with secret information.”

Billy sat there in silence finishing the soup he was given. The table remained quiet as some of the family members continued to eat. Alfred walks into the dining room with the trolley again with a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies. He set the plate on the table and began to clear the table of empty bowls and the soup bottle cap. Jason took his chance to grab three cookies from the plate. Bruce stood up and grabbed a cookie from the plate, tearing a small piece and giving it to the shrunken boy. It was a big piece to Billy as he held it with two hands.

Stephanie broke the silence while grabbing a cookie. “So, does your power not work at all now when you say your trigger word?”

“Well, it doesn’t change me right now, but I do give off a sort of discharge when I say the wizards name.” Billy replied, looking up towards her as he nibbled on the piece of cookie he was given.

“What, like some kind of static spark?” Damian queried, raising an eyebrow as he watched the boy eat the cookie.

“Or like a taser, right?” Tim asked, becoming intrigued by this.

“Um, yeah I guess.” Billy wasn’t sure how to explain it. He sighed. “Here, give me a moment.”

Standing up, he sets the cookie down as he walks forward a bit, away from Bruce and the others around him. “I guess a bit of ‘Show and Tell’ will help answer your questions.”

“Show and Tell?” Duke questioned. Bruce glanced at the boy, catching on what he was about to do and scooted his chair a few inches away from the table.

Billy grinned. He didn’t give the rest to ask anymore questions. “Shazam!” Once he said the name, electricity sparked off and enveloped around him, becoming a stronger current than what was expelled earlier in the medical wing. Some sparks went to the edge of the table, sparking against the wood leaving small burn marks. The cookies left on the table burned as the energy made contact. Jason and Dick both practically fell off their chairs while trying to back up, Cassandra and Stephanie gasped in surprise, Tim’s and Damian’s eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement, Duke stared at Billy in amazement, and Bruce watched a bit stunned at the voltage the boy produced. The discharge lasted a total of four seconds before dissipating. Duke's expression deepened into concern. Billy stood there for a moment out of breath, his body trembling. Oh Hephaestus, I’m dizzy. He stumbled back towards the edge of the table. Oh geez, I’m tired too. A hand gently curled around him, bringing him back to reality. Bruce had slid his chair back to the table and reached for him. Billy immediately relaxed, flopping to the side against the giant hand. Bruce tilts his hand to the side causing the boy to fall into his palm like a ragdoll. He stays laid chest-down on the hand, too exhausted to move as Bruce moves his hand closer to himself.

“I think you went a little overboard there.” Bruce whispered.

“I think so too.” Billy sighed, fatigue washing over him as he laid limp. Staying still, he soaked up the warmth from the hand.

“Pikachu.” Damian spoke up.

“Definitely Pikachu.” Stephanie agreed with Cass nodding in agreement as well.

“No, I don’t think he would be Pikachu, if anything he would be a Joltik due to his size.” Tim voiced his opinion, giving a satisfied smirk from the spectacle they saw.

“Well whatever Sparky over there is, I don’t want him near me when that happens.” Jason growled as he scrambled back up, staring at the charred remains of the cookies. Dick peeks up over the edge of the table as he sat where he fell.

“That was awesome.” Dick whispered under his breath.

“Be lucky Streak Head, I almost considered shocking you, but chose to bite you instead.” Billy piped up, lifting himself up a bit and turning his head to give Jason a smug and devious look despite the overwhelming exhaustion. Billy flopped over down onto his back now, going completely limp. Jason’s face went pale at this new information, looking back at the scorch marks left on the table and the burnt cookies.

“Alright,” Bruce brought Billy closer to his chest, “now that you know who Billy is, we need to get into the details of how this happened to him.” The man reached into his pocket with his gloved hand, bringing out the rock Billy had earlier. The purple-ish blue rock with streaks seemed brighter, the dark spider web cracks popped out more against the gem. “I believe this rock may be the cause from the information I got from Billy earlier.”

“Isn’t that a fluorite mineral?” Tim reaches over to grab the stone. Immediately Bruce swats at his hand.

“Hey-!” Tim reeled back in surprise.

“Wear gloves if you want to examine this, I’m still unsure if it can affect multiple people. So keep any physical contact of the stone to a minimum, and if you do come in contact with it, make sure to wear gloves for safety.” Bruce emphasized his warning by showing his gloved hand. 

“Okay, so we need to wear gloves as a precaution. Noted.” Tim gives a nervous glance at the stone.

Bruce picks up the stone carefully and continues, “This stone has strange magic, even for Billy to understand is what I understood from our talk.” He looks down at the boy, who stares up at him in turn with a puzzled look, “The way you described how it affected you slowly at first which caught you off guard means that it’s not something you are used to handling or have any knowledge about. Not only that, but when you used your powers to find out what was going on, it seemed to progress whatever process made you this way in an instant. Which means that the stone needs a trigger or some sort of catalyst to fully activate.”

“Wait, don’t tell me that the stone is nothing but a cog.” Jason’s attitude shifted seriously.

“So, your saying that the mineral you're holding is nothing but a small part of something bigger?” Duke pitched in.

“That’s my theory at least,” Bruce confirmed, “but it’s still a hunch at best. I’ll bring this up to the League later once there’s more information on this. Right now, most of the League is off-world right now, especially the few who know about Captain Marvel’s identity. The only people I would be able to contact would be Zatana, J’onn, Barry, and Clark. None of them knows Billy’s identity, so I will discuss this with Billy since his identity is at risk here.”

Billy flinched. Having more people know his identity was a good thing, but he was still uncertain and scared to tell anyone else even before this mishap. “Hey Bruce, do you think we can talk about that later, I’m a bit tired from everything that happened today.”

“Sure, I guess now is a good time to wrap up our meeting anyways.” Bruce put the rock back into his pocket and closed the laptop. He glanced back towards the rest of the family, “So, is anyone up for being the first person to help take care of Billy? I’m going to be busy with work and preparing for the upcoming gala that’s happening in three days. And Alfred’s going to be too busy to constantly watch over him as well.”

Dick immediately raised his hand, giving an excited grin, “I will!”

“As if, didn’t you say that there was an important meeting at your job down in Blüdhaven?” Stephanie gave a skeptical look at him.

“Dang it, I forgot.” Dick sulked, his grin disappeared.

“Tim?” Bruce started calling out to the others.

“Sorry, can’t.” Tim shrugged, “I’ve also got a meeting at work tomorrow.”

“Duke?”

“I’m meeting up with classmates to finish a project for school.”

“Cassandra?”

“Not tomorrow.”

“Stephanie?”

“Sorry Bruce, have plans already.”

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looks at Jason. “After today’s stunt, I’m unsure of leaving you two alone.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m watching spark plug.” Jason huffed.

“Damian?” Bruce looked down at him with tired eyes.

Damian stared down at the boy in Bruce’s hand, then looked back at the man. “If you need my help with this father, I will take care of him.” His expression is neutral and indifferent.

“Thank you Damian. And from here on everyone is going to need to make a schedule to help take turns watching over him until we can get him normal again.” Bruce stood up,gently cradling the boy as he grabbed the laptop with his other hand. “Jason, I want to talk with you after I get Billy to bed, meet me in the cave.”

Jason gave an annoyed huff. “Whatever.”

“Ah, can I also talk to you about something after that talk with Jason?” Duke spoke up.

“That’s fine Duke, meet us down there then.” And with that, Bruce walks out of the room.

Alfred came over, getting a glance at the scene inside, “It seems that we are in need of a new table again.”

“I’m sorry about that Alfred, the meeting they got a little too curious in there about his powers and a show and tell was held.”

“I see.” Alfred kept his composure as he opened the door again, “ I’ll be sure to do what I can for now.”

“Thank you Alfred.”

“No problem sir.”

Billy stayed settled in the hand, growing drowsy from the warmth and movement. The conversations blend into the background as noise. The swaying motion of each step is steady and even, the heartbeat while loud to him, was a strong and consistent beating that lulled him further into rest. Some of the other members were walking by and talking to Bruce, but Billy wasn’t able to pay attention. I’m safe. Closing his eyes, he drifts off, trusting the man completely.