Chapter Text
The portal closed behind them, leaving Marvel to sit on the cot and stare at open-air as the meeting room doors opened.
- - -
Captain Marvel glanced towards the door, sliding off the medicinal bed and landing on his feet. He swayed for a moment before steadying himself on the table's edge. The room felt like it was spinning-- why was this still affecting him? Maybe- maybe it was some lasting effect?
He hoped it would fade- he didn't like the faces he was getting from the rest of the League.
Victor was at his side moments after stepping through the door, a steadying hand bracing his arm. He helped the demigod lean against the cot. "Take it easy- take it easy. There's no way you could recover from something like that so quickly."
"I'm- im- i'm- i'm fine-" he stammered, shutting his eyes for a moment and relying completely on Victor to keep him standing before opening them once more. "I'll be fine. Always am," he said, glancing around.
"So-" Captain Marvel continued, ignoring the dizziness in his head. "You know."
The room was quiet. Too quiet for Marvel's liking-- quiet meant tension and tension was something that had never worked out well for him. He glanced around-- everyone had a different expression on their face. If he hadn't been sure before, he was now.
"Right," he continued, pushing off the cot clumsily. "I'll uh- I'll pack my stuff," he said, glancing at Victor. "Some help?"
"Whoa, whoa, Cap, slow down, let's- let's take things slow, alright?" Victor tried to say, glancing at the others before looking back at the raven. "No one's even said anyth-"
"They don't have to, Vic."
Marvel pulled his arm from the cyborg's grip. "No one has to say anything. I- I- I know. I did something shitty. I did something that can't be forgiven. I don't know what you guys saw in there, but I know its more than enough for everyone to know who I really am," he said, his voice wavering at the end.
He swallowed thickly, blinking back a glisten in his eyes. "I'll go. I'll go so that no one has to make the decision for me."
"Cap-"
Marvel growled at the man. "Victor, just- just stop! Let me- let me make some kind of choice in this, okay?! I didn't get the choice to tell everyone who I am, let me make some kind of decision for myself for once."
The demigod couldn't force back the tears that had started to well in the corners of his eyes. "Please."
Victor stayed quiet-- as did the rest of the group.
The Captain drew in a shaky breath before releasing it. "Right..." he muttered, turning and walking out the door without another word. He paused in the doorway, only to grab its frame and sway slightly, taking another deep breath in before continuing out.
There was a beat of silence before someone spoke. "This- this isn't happening, right? We are going after him, right?" Flash asked, looking around. "Come on- this- this doesn't change anything. Even if it had when we first found out, I- I think we've seen more than enough to say that Cap is more than qualified to be here, to be one of us."
The blonde glanced at the big three.
"Well, I'll be damned if Cap leaves this damn satellite thinking my opinion's changed of him. Come on, Hal."
He grabbed hold of the emerald-clad man and sped out of the room without another word.
Victor followed suit.
"Were you going to kick him out?" Zatanna asked, looking at the trio of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
"He is a warrior- he has a fighting spirit. I've seen more than enough to trust him with my life. I can't, in good conscience, 'toss him to the wolves' as it were," Diana said, meeting the magician's eyes. "Even if he is just a child, he has the potential to grow and learn from us, learn from the world."
"I'm with Diana- Robin started when he was only a few years older, after all. Bil- Captain Marvel has proven himself to be more than capable of handling the kind of things the League faces," Batman chimed in, crossing his arms over his chest.
They turned towards Superman. The Kryptonian was staring at where the Captain had been. "He's right..." he muttered, before coming out of his staring contest with the wall and glancing toward Bruce and Diana. "He- he didn't get the choice to tell us. I may be against kids being superheroes, but- regardless, he should have gotten the chance to tell us himself. Everyone else-" he swallowed.
"Everyone else got the chance to. It's his secret identity and he didn't."
"Then what's the plan?" Zatanna asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Follow Flash's lead," Superman replied, glancing towards her. "And get Marvel to stay."
- - -
Captain Marvel managed to get to his private quarters after multiple missteps and nearly stepping into Green Arrow's room. He pushed open the door and winced at the dizziness in his head. Maybe he could do some kind of healing spell to get whatever this was out of his system faster.
He glanced around his room- thankful for Dinah's demand that they be customizable in order to 'maximize recovery' while the heroes were in theirs. Cap was pretty sure she just really really hated the beige walls that they had been beforehand, but he wasn't complaining.
He and Cyborg had worked to make sure that his room was shockproof- the ceiling was a rubberized plastic material, the walls similar. They were painted a bright red, with one being yellow (Victor's idea) and had, if he had to guess, the most soft-textured things of all the rooms scattered about.
Since the computer could be programmed to put just about anything in the room, Cap had long since gotten rid of the bed and replaced it with what looked like a giant nest of pillows and blankets that took up an entire corner. It was more organized than if it were made by hand, with a fluffy, smooth texture that gave it the look of a fleece-covered beanbag.
There were actual beanbags, of course, thrown haphazardly about the room. They ranged from red to blue to one that had a batman print on it-- a joke from Nightwing after discovering what he had deemed 'Cap's Comfort Cave'.
He turned his attention on what he was really here for, though, glancing at shelves that extended from the walls. While he mainly used this place to recuperate after way-too-long missions, he also used this place as a secure location to put some of his more personal items or souvenirs that would get him questioned by Rosa and Victor.
Captain Marvel made a gesture with his hands, curling his fingers before a golden-trimmed portal opened mid-air. He could store his things in a pocket dimension until he found a more permanent place- maybe John would let him store something in one of the House of Mystery's unused rooms?
Gods know there were plenty of them.
He pulled a souvenir off the shelf, a trinket really, and turned it over in his hands. It was something from his first mission as an official Justice League member-- a stuffed bunny toy he'd gotten from a little girl he'd pulled from some rubble. The once plush and vibrant fabric was faded, a seam on the side was torn. The old toy had been loved, it was easy to see, and although it was an essentially useless item, Cap treasured it.
He turned the object over in his hands, a small smile gracing his lips. He could still remember the girl's tight grip wrapping around his neck- she had only been two or three years younger than him at the time, but it was something that had reassured him that he was doing the right thing.
"You don't seem like the bunny type."
The voice came from behind him and made him flinch, his grip tightening on the plush before his head whipped around to stare at Barry and Hal. He glanced down at the stuffed animal before looking back at the pair. "I'm- I'm not," he said, tossing it into the portal.
"More of a tiger guy, really," he said with a roll of his shoulder.
"So...what are you guys doing here?" Marvel asked, tilting his head slightly. Victor appeared behind the blond and brunet after a moment, watching him from the doorway. He turned his attention away from them- he kinda wanted to be out of there as fast as possible. Whatever they wanted to tell him they could tell him while he packed.
He reached for a small Flash figurine on an upper shelf, only to watch it vanish in a red blur. Cap sighed, rolling his eyes and keeping a small smile from appearing on his face as he turned around. Flashwasholding the figurine of himself and was watching him closely.
"You kept this?" he asked, glancing down at the toy and turning it over in his hand. The speedster had given it to him as a welcoming gift, a joke that made Cap feel like he was just one of the guys when he first started.
Cap met the blonde's eyes. " 'Course. It was a gift."
Flash smirked at him, nodding slowly. "Look," he started, tossing the figurine back to the demigod. "I get that you want to make this decision on your own, but I for one don't want you to go anywhere," he said, crossing his arms. "I mean- so what, you're 13. Wally's 15 and he's a fine hero."
Cap's shoulders dropped. "You don't have to act like this doesn't change things," he said, dropping the toy into the portal. "I know, I get that its- its weird for you guys...to...to treat me like an adult after finding out what I really am."
"Have you met Barry? This bastard's a horrible actor," Hal said, setting his hands on his hips. "The guy talks so fast his brain can hardly keep up."
Flash socked him in the arm with a glare. "He's not wrong, though. I'm not- not acting. For me at least, this doesn't change anything. You're still the same guy- we just now have an explanation for how you act sometimes-"
"Yea, still no explanation for why you act like a kid though," Hal said with a roll of his eyes.
Victor elbowed him in the side. "Ow- Barry's right though," he glared at Victor. "This doesn't change anything. Who cares what Big Blue or Spooky think. You're as much of a hero in your own right as any of them."
"Dude, you're practically a demigod. With or without the League, you're badass," Victor said, stepping between the two. He slung an arm around Cap's shoulder. "Nothing changed between you and me when I found out, right?"
Cap shook his head.
"Nothing has to change with anyone else, either," he continued. "We're still your teammates, still your friends. "You can't be kicked out without a majority vote, but honestly, I'm sure it won't even come to that, man."
"You can't be sure of that, Vic-"
"I can, and I am, B."
The raven tossed another trinket into the portal. "And what if you're wrong? What if, if Superman and Wonder Woman and Batman think I'm not ready for this, or, or, they think I suddenly need training wheels or something? I can't stay here if all they see is some street kid who can't handle what it takes to be in the big leagues."
"Well, it's a good thing that's not all we see, then."
Marvel, along with the rest of the people in the room, turned their attention towards the doorway-- where the Big Three are standing. Cap's heart skipped a beat- how much did they hear of that?
"Captain, I'd like to-- we all would like to apologize," Diana said, casting her gaze down before meeting his eyes.
He gave the Amazonian a confused look in return. "You didn't do anyth-"
She held up a hand, effectively silencing him. "We did, though. We made you believe, through our actions, that you would not be welcome here should we know the truth about you."
"Not only that, I feel like we made you think you couldn't trust us. I know, I get that your secret identity is a big deal, it's something that could turn your whole life upside down were you to tell the wrong person." Clark said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And while I- I may be on the fence when it comes to kids being superheroes, you are kind of an exception to that."
Bruce made a small noise before shaking his head. "Don't get it into your head that we're pitying you. We're not. I'm not. Captain, you have proven yourself time and time again that you are worthy of being one of us. Your age has nothing to do with your ability to know what is right and to act out against what you know is wrong." He glanced at Superman. "We're sorry. We never meant to make you think you couldn't talk to us as your friends."
"Yes- We are your teammates, your brothers and sisters in arms," Diana added.
"You don't have to go anywhere, Billy. The League is open for you, should you choose to stay," Clark said with a small, hopeful smile.
Cap honestly didn't know what to say. He blinked, swallowing thickly as he looked for his words. It felt like his brain was swimming through molasses as he tried to figure everything out. They weren't going to kick him out- they- they thought of him as a friend- He was this close to blue-screening when Victor nudged his shoulder.
"Say something, man."
"I- I- uh-" he shook his head, his words growing watery. "Th-thank you."
"Come on- let's pull your stuff out of whatever the hell that scary thing is and put 'em back," Flash said with a grin. "Well, that is, if you plan on staying...?" he muttered after a jab to the side from Hal.
Cap grinned.
"Hell yeah, I'm staying."
- - -
After the whole mind debacle, things went generally back to normal. He and Flash still pranked Hal, and rna for their lives when Hal sought out revenge. He still hung out with Victor, the pair going so far as to make a new game they called 'Superhuman Death Ball', which they frequently got others on the League in on.
Billy spent time with his brother and sister, telling them about the League and the missions they went on, and even arranged for Freddy to meet Superman- and boy, did that boy faint in a hurry.
All in all- things were good. He wasn't sure why he'd been nervous about telling the League who he was in the first place- some things were the same, but others were different. A good different. He could bring his math homework to Bruce, and the man would help him without a second thought. If he was caught up in family or school, he didn't have to lie or make up an excuse.
Currently, he was sitting on the edge of a roof overlooking Fawcett, something he did way too often. He shook his head at the fear he'd had at telling them, silently thanking Solomon for being as bull-headed as he was. What felt like a thump on the inside of his head made him chuckle. "Yea yea yea, I know, wisdom and all that..." he mumbled, shaking his head.
"You realize you sound bonkers when you talk to yourself out of nowhere like that, right?" Klarion asked, leaning back against a pole on the roof's edge. The raven had almost forgotten that the witch boy was there- too lost in his own thoughts.
"Maybe I am bonkers. You don't know," Billy smirked back at him.
The blue-skinned boy rolled his eyes, leaning back on his arms. "I could still wipe their minds, you know," he said off-handedly, glancing towards the 13-year-old. "It'd be easy peasy."
Billy raised an unimpressed eyebrow, shaking his head at him. "No need, Klar. I like where things are- I like how this whole mess turned out."
"We still don't know just who trapped you in your own mind, though."
Billy's shoulders sagged slightly. "I mean you're right about that, but Batman and me have been looking into it. Whoever did it had a clear target, me, in mind. They made the robots that I fought target me specifically. I just don't know why."
"We'll figure it out, I have no doubts about that."
"Yea..." Billy glanced down at the Green Lantern themed watch Hal had given him. "Oh shoot- I gotta go, Constantine's expecting me to help him move some stuff around the House of Mystery."
"Maybe I scould tag along sometime," Klarion said with a mischevious grin.
"Klar- I trust you with my life, but I do not trust you with the countless magical items in the House of Mystery."
"Fair enough."
"Gotta go, see ya!" Billy said, running to the edge of the roof and taking a leap off. Wind rushed past his ears as he fell, a laugh bubbling up from his throat as electricity sparked in his eyes and coursed through his body like a bullet train.
- - -