A/N: Me: Billy Batson is a BABY who needs to be PROTECTED at ALL COSTS
Also me: P
(It's how I show my love ok? And I love this boy. And his family. His real one, not the biological mother I want to tHrOw HaNdS with)
Billy stood at threshold of the place of his nightmares. The din pressed against his ears, the din of pounding footsteps, bells ringing, children screaming, adults yelling. The crowd moved in a surge of chaos, people darting to and fro, moving every which way, alone and in groups. A million smells assaulted him. He wanted to curl up in a ball, cover his ears, shut his eyes, and run far, far away.
"Hey."
The gentle voice both ground and terrified him. Rosa wrapped her arm around his shoulders, nudging his chin up until he was looking at her. She smiled. "We're not gonna leave you," she assured him. "There are seven of us – you'll never be alone. Ok?"
Billy nodded, glancing back at the crowded carnival, trying to convince himself that the kids were laughing, that half of those smells were delicious, that the chaotic crowd was full of joy. He hadn't been to one of these since the day his mother abandoned him. Well, if you counted fighting that one supervillain, he had, but it hadn't exactly been a day of rides and games. Looking at the crowd he was about to step into, he swallowed nervously.
A little hand wrapped around his, and he looked down to see Darla. She smiled up at him, resting her cheek against his arm. Beside her, Freddy was arguing with Eugene, Mary and Pedro were pointing at different rides and games, and Victor was counting their tickets. He squeezed Darla's hand tightly.
Rosa ruffled his hair, kissing the top of his head. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go have fun."
He nodded again, letting Darla pull him into the crowd, eagerly taking him to the nearest game. He played with her and they lost spectacularly to Eugene, he rode the Ferris wheel with Freddy and Mary, he got a temporary tattoo with Pedro, and Victor and Rosa won him a little stuffed dragon that Darla promptly named Mr. Snugglesworth.
For a few hours, Billy did have fun. He might've even called it one of the best days of his life.
Until he finished a round of throwing basketballs and looked up to find himself alone. "Freddy?" he called, trying to ignore the way his heart started to pound. "Mary?"
They had been right next to him, he was sure of it. Freddy had laughed when he missed, and Mary cheered when he got it in the basket. They promised. "Freddy! Mary!"
His breaths came in quick gasps; he was vaguely aware of the booth's attendant asking if he was ok. He couldn't bring himself to respond, clutching Mr. Snugglesworth with a shaking hand. "Freddy!" he screamed.
"Mom!" he yelled, running through a sea of adults. "Mom!"
Billy backed up, into the vague shelter of the empty space between booths, stumbling when the ground dipped from pavement to dirt. Tears pooled in his eyes, blurring out any hope he had of spotting them in the crowd. He couldn't breathe, his voice weakening to a broken gasp. "M-mary-"
"She'll come looking, kid. They always do."
But they didn't. They didn't always come looking, something he had spent a lifetime and so-called home after so-called home learning, and of course it would happen again, how could he have been so stupid as to think this was real, that any of this was real, that they actually cared-
"Billy!"
Freddy broke free of the crowd, Mary right behind him. "Woah, dude, you don't look so good-"
Billy ran forward to pull them into a crushing hug. "I turned around and you were gone and you weren't answering and I thought- I thought-"
"Oh my God, no, no," Mary said quickly, hugging him close. "I'm so sorry, but Darla called for us because she wanted money, and I thought you heard- Oh my God, Billy, I'm so sorry."
"We're right here, Billy," Freddy reassured him, hugging him too. "We're right here."
"We're not going anywhere," Mary promised, rubbing his back. Billy buried his face in her shoulder, clinging to her and Freddy.
"Hey, kids- Billy! Are you all right? What happened?"
Mary explained, and their hug ended only so Rosa could pull him close. She kissed the top of his head again, gently wiping away his tears, murmuring soft reassurances. Billy burrowed into her shelter, willing himself to stop trembling, but he couldn't. "Why don't we go home?" Rosa suggested, running her fingers through his home. "Ok, Billy?"
Billy nodded. Home. Home sounded really good right now.
She sent Freddy to round up the others, and when she got back, Darla latched onto him again. Billy clung to her hand the whole walk out of the carnival and back to the van, letting go only to buckle in, and after that Mary wrapped her arm around him. Freddy, Eugene, and Darla kept up a stream of chatter, while Pedro leaned forward to show Billy funny stuff on his phone.
Still, it was nighttime before he could say he'd really calmed down. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching the Ice Age movies, and Billy wound up at the center of a very sleepy cuddle pile. He lay on the floor, using Mary's lap as a pillow with her arm draped over his shoulder, while his own arm draped around Darla; Freddy was on the couch behind them, using his legs as a footrest, while Billy used Pedro's legs as a footrest; Eugene had somehow wedged himself into the gap between Billy's back and the couch, chin propped up on Billy's side in a position that couldn't possibly be comfortable. Billy was the only one still awake, now more embarrassed than anything.
He could hear Victor and Rosa bustling about in the kitchen, cleaning up the remains of a dinner of pizza, soda, and ice cream. Victor came back into the living room, smiling at the sight of the kids. "Feeling better, Billy?"
Billy ducked his head. "I'm sorry for making everyone leave the carnival early," he mumbled.
"Hey," Victor rebuked gently, coming to crouch in front of him. He ruffled Billy's hair lightly. "You had a very understandable panic attack. That's nothing to be ashamed of, and we're happy to take care of you. That's what family is for, yeah?"
Billy managed a little, watery smile. "Yeah."
Victor smiled, taking Mr. Snugglesworth from Billy's loose grip and tucking him securely against Billy's chest, right against his heart. "Get some sleep, kiddo. We'll be right here when you wake up. Promise."
Billy nodded. Victor leaned down, kissing his temple lightly, and collected the last bits of trash from the living room before returning to the kitchen. At the sound of his footsteps retreating, Mary stirred a bit, not quite waking but still drawing Billy closer against her. He snuggled into her grip, letting himself close his eyes with a contented sigh. Safe and secure amongst his family, he finally slipped into sleep's warm embrace.
And, as promised, when he woke up, they were all still there.
A/N: Also may I just say that found family is my JAM and this movie DELIVERED