A Natural Progression | Shazam

Chapter 28

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"Batman out."

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Captain Marvel landed in the clearing by the manor quietly, glancing around to see if anyone was around before transforming and taking off towards the large house. 

He pulled out his phone to text Tim and ask if Dick was asleep- it'd make things a lot easier if he was either knocked out or not in his room. He saw a text from the raven lighting up his screen and furrowed his brow at it.

8:47pm

TIM💥: Covered for you. Fam thinks you're seeing Constantine. "Sneak" in through the front and trip the silent alarm. It'll let Bruce know you're back and he won't go looking for you.

11:13pm

Thanks, Tim, coming through the front rn

TIM💥: Typing...

No problem kid.

Billy pocketed the device and went around front, swallowing thickly and ignoring his instincts to not waltz through the front door of an expensive mansion at nearly midnight. 

He went to open the front door before pausing and glancing at a large window. A small grin tugged at the corner of his cheek and he went to climb through.

He shimmied through the crack he's managed to open in the window before tugging it closed behind him and leaning against the glass. Billy glanced around before straightening his clothes and running a hand through his hair. 

He started towards the main staircase when a figure out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He tensed, head flicking towards the shadow and hands curling into fists instinctively.

"Batman- I- I mean Mr. Wayne-" he blurted out, blinking at the sight of Bruce with his cowl down leaning on the door frame. "I- I uh-" he swallowed thickly. It would probably always be weird to see Batman without his cowl- and even weirder to know that the man underneath was his foster father. 

"I was just..." he trailed off. Tim had said he told Bruce where he 'was', but that expression told a different story.

Bruce must have realized he was making a face, cause he startled for a moment before running a hand over his face. "Where you been?" he asked, tilting his head slightly in question. Billy tried to keep his eyes off the Bat insignia on the man's chest, maybe it wouldn't feel like an interrogation from the Dark Knight if he did that- yeah nope, it still felt like that.

"I uh- I went to see John... is that okay?" he asked, hoping Tim had been telling the truth.

Bruce nodded, taking a drink from the glass that BIlly only just realized he was holding. "That's fine, Billy, just tell me next time, alright?" he asked, ruffling the kid's hair as he walked by him.

"Where are you going?" he asked as the billionaire made his way towards the library.

"I have a meeting with someone from the Justice League in a little bit- don't worry about that though. It's late, you head to bed, okay? We have a tutor coming tomorrow to assess you," he said, holding on to the doorframe of the library.