The Marvelous Adventures of the Superbat Family

Second Chances

It was difficult to pin down Captain Marvel the next day.  It was obvious that he was trying to avoid them but Superman refused to give up.  It took a while but Superman finally managed to track him down and corner him.

“Hey,” Superman smiled gently.  “Can we talk, just for a minute?”

Captain Marvel looked at him for a minute then slowly nodded.  “I guess,” he sighed.

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday.  We didn’t mean to overwhelm you and for that I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Cap eyed the door, his muscles tense.

“If it’s alright with you we’d like to get to know you better, not just as Batman and Superman but as Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent.”

Captain Marvel's eyes widened in shock and he stared at Superman.  “What – what did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking that maybe the three of us could have dinner tonight,” Superman suggested.  “You pick the place and Bruce’ll cover the tab, he’s got better credit than I do.”

Captain Marvel sniggered then nodded slowly.  “There’s a small diner on Dudley Street.  Would six be okay?”

“That’s perfect,” Superman smiled.  “We’ll see you then.”

When six o’clock rolled around Bruce and Clark found themselves sitting in a faded blue booth waiting for Billy to show up.  The two had opted for casual clothes – dress pants and a blazer for Bruce and jeans and a plaid shirt for Clark.  They had both gotten coffee so the waitress would stop glaring at them.  They were just starting to get worried when Billy came in.  He looked around for a moment then headed in their direction after Clark waved at him.  He sat across from them, a new bruise forming on his cheek and a bloody lip.

“Hello, Billy,” Bruce smiled.  “Thank you for coming.”

“He promised food,” Billy jabbed a finger at Clark who grinned.

“I did,” he admitted.

Bruce rolled his eyes but handed Billy a menu.  “You can get whatever you want,” he promised.

Billy’s eyes widened and, once Bruce had nodded in confirmation, began browsing the menu.  His lips moved and his brow furrowed at some of the words, an incredibly frustrated look on his face.

The two men exchanged looks then Clark leaned forward.  “I was thinking about getting the steak.  You can get that or maybe a burger and fries or even the chicken tenders.”

Billy mused over his new options then said, “Burger and fries.  Please,” he added as an afterthought.

Bruce’s mouth twitched as he waved the waitress over so they could place their order.  Once she was gone Bruce turned his attention back to Billy who was now fidgeting nervously.  “Did you find a new place to stay yet?”

Billy shook his head.  “I’m staying at a shelter right now,” he reluctantly admitted.  “I’m going to check out an abandoned subway tomorrow.  Everybody thinks it’s haunted so they don’t like going there.”

Clark raised an eyebrow.  “You’re not scared?”

“Not of ghosts,” Billy snorted.  “They’re easy to deal with unless it’s a vengeful spirit but I can handle that too.”

Clark blinked.  “So you can do magic in your human form?”

“Some,” Billy mumbled.  “I can’t do a whole lot cuz it takes a lot of energy and I don’t have a whole lot to spare.”

Privately Bruce thought it was because he didn’t eat enough but chose not to say it.  Instead, he took his food from the waitress and waited until Billy had dug in with gusto before asking, “I don’t suppose you would move in with one of us?”

Billy was shaking his head before Bruce even finished talking.  “No way,” he said vehemently.

Not entirely surprised Bruce still asked, “Why not?”

Billy chewed on his bottom lip for a moment then quietly answered, “Because you’ll hate me like everyone else does and I don’t want that to happen.”

Clark frowned and reached out a hand but pulled back when Billy flinched.  “I don’t know what their problem was but it had nothing to do with you – you’re a great kid.”

Billy looked a little hopeful but still said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“What if we started small?” Clark suggested.  “Like maybe a weekend or two?”

When Billy still hesitated Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.  “Here,” he held it out until Billy took it, looking slightly confused.  “If you need anything or just want to talk you can get in touch with us and not have to worry about Flash hacking into the comms again.”

Clark groaned and Billy giggled at the memory.  It had been part of a vicious prank war between Flash and Green Lantern, one that had nearly cost Green Arrow his head after Black Canary misunderstood a conversation.  The two had almost gotten themselves kicked out of the Justice League and only some fast talking from Captain Marvel had saved them.

“It has all of our numbers on it,” Bruce continued, “including Robin’s and my butler’s.  Feel free to call us anytime for any reason.”

“I’ll think about it,” Billy promised, tucking the phone into his pocket.

“At least let us know when you find a place to stay,” Bruce pleaded.  “And think about coming over a weekend, okay?”

Billy nodded then resumed eating.

“I’ll be right back,” Clark smiled at Billy then went to the register.  After a few minutes (and an exchange of money) he sat back down.  “Well I had a chat with the owner and I bought you two meals every day for the next week and three on the weekend.  If you don’t mind we may drop by and join you every now and then.”

“What do you want in return?” Billy’s tone was wary but they could see a sliver of hope in his blue eyes.

Clark’s smile was sad as he said, “For you to gain a few pounds – you look like a stick.”

Bruce laughed and nodded in agreement.  “You could stand to gain some weight.”

“I’m not that small,” Billy grumbled.  “I gotta go now – the shelter closes soon.”

“Alright, stay safe,” Bruce cautioned.

“Bye,” Clark smiled.

Billy gave them strange looks but waved as he exited the diner.

“We forgot to give him his stuff,” Clark said suddenly.

“Crap,” Bruce cursed.