Children Shoudn't Fight Crime! (A Young Justice Fanfiction)

Peer Pressure Can't Be Undone

Wolf nosed her foot, grumbling. She tucked her leg up onto the bed. He raised his head and nudged the fluffy, blanketed form, letting out a deep whine. She groaned, sitting upright, stretching.

There was a ringing trill and both perked up. Her body twisted frantically, taking on a humanoid appearance, and pasty skin. Her fingers fumbled with the device and she held it up. "J'onn?" She slurred. "Up. yeah, I'm going today, yeah." She stood, slumping towards the door. Wolf followed, scotching off the floor and following the cub into the kitchen. 

She changed into loose, blue, shift, mumbling into her device. "Ok. I'm gonna feed wolf. and head out." She sighed. "Yeah. you too." She set it down and took a bag of kibble out of the mysteriously un-nudge-able cabinet, pouring a bowl. Wolf liked Kibble, but it was all he'd eaten in days. He felt molted from the discontentedness of it all. 

"Good boy." The cub whimpered. "I'm going to school, okay? see you later." They turned away. "I love you."

Wolf, not understanding a word of that except 'good boy' and 'school' let his tail swing in a discouraged wag. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M'gann felt so heavy, even though she couldn't density shift yet. Uncle J'onn had been pestering her all week to at least try going back to school, but he didn't understand how hard it was; she'd blocked off her mind so he couldn't. She didn't want those feelings bubbling up over everyone else. 

She tramped down the mountain-- feeling too heavy to float, trying to be late, lunch bag drifting by her side. She wasn't bothering with bringing her backpack. It was too heavy. She wouldn't get anything done anyways. 

By the time they arrived on campus, they had to admit that she was on time. She tried to slip through to her locker without having to engage with anyone.

"Meghan! Meghan! Oh my god!" Her shoulders sunk and shook as Karen and Wendy swung around in front of her. 

"Girl, where have you been?" Wendy hugged her around her ribs. "Are you okay? Where've you been?"

"You look terrible! Are you sick?" Wendy demanded. "You didn't reply to any of your texts! We thought you'd died or been kidnapped or something!"

"Sorry, guys." M'gann croaked. "I haven't been well."

"Poor thing!" Karen sighed. "Welp, you can still learn the routine, come to practice after school.

"Ok. yeah." She fumbled with her locker, dropping her lunch inside. 

"Hey, where's that guy?" Wendy remarked, glancing up and down the hall. "The one that follows you around?"

"Conner." M'gann said flatly. "He's.... He's sick too."

"Huh. Oh well! C'mon! Homeroom's about to start!" M'gann dragged herself after them, her eyes feeling dreadful and heavy. It wasn't worth shapeshifting. "We have SO much to catch you up on, baby. Wait, have you seen the shit with the justice league?"

"No." M'gann said. "I don't really know if..."

"Nonono, trust me, this is worth it." Wendy took out her phone. "It's actually good! So, like, Superman, right?" M'gann couldn't hold in her disgust. "No, listen, listen: So he had a kid, right? But the kid wasn't actually his, because it was made by like, The Luthor man."

"And than the capitalist  took him back because it turns Out Superman's, like, hella abusive." Karen explained. "Like, towards the kid."

"I said it. Don't say I didn't predict it!" Wendy said. "I knew he was too nice to be real!"

"Shush! So, anyways, Lex took the kid-- his name is like Junior or something dumb, and He's like, proving that the League IS abusive and Neglectful, and everything is totally falling apart there's like, lawsuits..."

M'gann's lungs were twisting in attempt to stay 'human-shaped'. Black Canary hadn't told her that. Why was she lying? Junior? Proving what? What could Conner even say? What were they doing to him?

Her twenty-odd hours without food and water wasn't helping at all. The bell rang, but the girls continued talking, explaining, ignoring the teacher if the teacher was even there. Her palms, sticky with sweat, paddled on the edge of the table, trying to find a subconscious job to work out the feeling in her gut.

"Meghan?" Karen asked. "You okay?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M'gann stormed back into the mountain, swaying on her feet. 

She was going to find their friend.

She wasn't stupid, she knew she'd been neglecting themself. That was the point. But if they were going to fix this, they had to get themself on track first.

Step one: M'gann climbed onto the counter and tore open the cupboard, ravaging through packaged noodles and canned soups. Removing a package of emergency rations, they ripped  the bag with their teeth: Beef jerky. Grabbing fistfuls of the beef, M'gann thrust it into their mouth, chomping into the salty leather. Shoving her second and third hands under the tap, she drank cupped palmfuls of cold water. The energy and exhilaration flowed through her body.

Step two:  Robin didn't pick up. Kaldur didn't pick up. Artemis didn't pick up. Conner's phone rang from its place under his seat on the bioship; why did she even bother with that one? But Wally did pick up.

"Hello?"

"Wally? I need to see you."

"M'gann?" His voice hushed. "We aren't supposed to be talking!"

"It's an emergency. Are you at you're uncles'?"

"No, I'm... I'm at my parents-- at my house." He whispered.

"Great, where's your parents house?"

"No! M'gann, you don't understand; I'm grounded. I can't be seeing anyone. They'll.... I'll be in trouble."

"But Wally--"

"Please, M'gann. I'm not even supposed to have my phone. Please don't call me." Thee was a pause and a shaky breath. "I don't want to get in trouble..."

"Wally, We have to fix things. I'll take the blame! It's not you're fault if you're abducted! They're hurting Conner! We NEED to get him back."

"M'gann..." Wally swallowed hard. "Okay. Okay. They go to bed around ten. I'll meet you at the edge of the block."

M'gann noted down Wally's address. "I'll see you then, bring your suit."

"I... Don't have it." Wally muttered.

"I'll bring one. Don't worry. Thank you wally."

Step Three: She took out the cameras, filling several duffle bags: suits for everyone, bow and quiver, utility belts, back ups of everything. They piled in fistfuls of emergency supplies, bottled water, and extra first aid supplies. M'gann didn't know what they would need, so it seemed best to overpack.

They needed to be prepared for whatever they were about to step into.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wally paced on the corner on the block, lit only by the lamp post overhead. What was he doing? What could they do? They should never break those rules, it always ends horribly. He should leave, go home and pretend the call never happened. He could just go home and stick it out until the league forgave them.

There was a whoosh of distorted air as the ship idled to a stop next to him. There was no going back now.