Gotham City, 9/19 20:33 EDT
"I was just getting used to my four walls."
"Our army will need someone like you."
The last time Derek James had been in Gotham City, he got sucked under the earth and into some weird dark dimension that imbued him with the ability to create rifts in space which he used to escape after four days. This time, he was standing next to an Atlantean queen, directly across from one of the city's most grotesque villains stuck in Arkham Asylum.
"You just want to use my little curse, you mean."
For now, though, the Clayface looked just like a man. And, that man didn't look terribly grotesque. In fact, Derek thought he looked more attractive than not, even though he was pretty sure he didn't swing that way. But, who knew, Derek himself was still in what his high school counselor called, "The Love Exploration Cocoon."
"I won't lie, your abilities will be exceedingly useful towards our cause. Wouldn't you like to be a part of a Trinity of heroes for once?"
Derek himself thought referring to his sexuality as a bug was misguided at best, and a really good abstinence program at worst. The teenager's mind wandered from that note back towards Ernestine and home. She'd be pissed he wasn't recording this for their ViewTube channel.
"Tried the hero gig, it didn't quite stick."
The young man wondered if she could make another costume. Maybe the next one wouldn't be so form-fitting. Derek felt like Ernie had trapped the superhero in his own 'Exploration Cocoon,' and he wasn't enjoying what he saw in the mirror in Clayface's cell. Either his dad or him had to learn how to get more food than pizza deliveries soon.
"I don't care why you do it. We have a mission that requires you. You're not being invited. You're being conscripted."
Derek tried to think if he'd ever seen Ernie cook before. She'd have made a good teacher, but he only remembered her baking that whole tray of snickerdoodles before they ate the whole thing. That was a rough morning. Derek's diet had really gone off the deep end. He tilted his head, contemplating on when the last time was that he'd eaten a vegetable.
"I think you two had better leave by whatever magic trick got you in here. My roommate is going to be back soon, and if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning then he won't enjoy your company."
"I'm giving you a shot to stand up like a man, not lounge around with that collar around your neck, Clayface. Embrace your true nature. We'll be back for you in forty-eight hours. I hope you'll have made peace with this doghouse by then." Mera turned to Sideways after her proud declaration. "Sideways, we're leaving now."
"Hm?" Derek snapped back into the moment realizing, with great regret, that he'd completely zoned out of everything those two had just said.
Mera furrowed her brow, brimming with cool frustration. "Your magic door thing, if you please."
"Oh!" Derek dragged two fingers across the sky behind the pair of them, and a gash of interspatial light opened itself to the two heroes. "One way ticket back home."
Mera stepped elegantly through the portal, as if it was no stranger than any other doorway. Derek was about to leap after her when a voice caught him instead. "Wait!" The boy turned his masked head around to focus on the supervillain. "Do you really think I should join with you guys? Honestly?"
Derek's eyes went wide under the blue and cerulean mask. He recognized this question. This was a moment for Sideways to have one of those big emotional moments. This was something he and Clayface would be able to talk about in interviews with the Daily Planet, this was a big superhero, inspiration opportunity. Derek needed to say something Wonder Woman would say!
"You…" his mind went blank, "should, like… follow your heart, man."
The words hung in silence between the two of them. All that was missing were the crickets. Sideways hauled his blue butt through the portal, and it disappeared from the cell, leaving Clayface alone again.
"My… heart?"
"Hey Basil! I've got snickerdoodles for us!"
Mt. Justice 9/19 20:37 EDT
"Did he hold you up?"
Sideways hesitated at the question. Even when she wasn't surrounded by subjects on top of some undersea throne, Mera never lost that regal air. Even in the dim lighting of Mt. Justice, she was a queen, and Derek could never shake that pressure.
"I'm pretty sure I just convinced him to never speak to us ever again."
Mera absently nodded at the boy's evaluation. "He'll join. I know his type. The Clayface can't stand being hidden from public perception," she stood up straight, facing Derek. Their height difference wasn't much, but Derek might as well have been looking up at a skyscraper with the way she looked down upon him. "Now show me the rest of our team."
Sideways only nodded. He pulled off the blue mask of his costume revealing a wild-haired, brown-skinned teenager underneath the tight getup. Derek James sat at a computer console and proceeded to pull up social media pages, ViewTube channels, blurry pictures and short documents he and Ernestine had been working at all of last night instead of studying for American History.
"Where do you wanna start?"
A/N: I have been itching to start onto a new Young Justice story for quite sometime. This was originally going to be just an author-driven concept incorporating some Rebirth elements, but I felt that would be unfair to fans of Sinister, so I've decided to make this one SYOC. For now, I'm just looking for heroes to round out the core team that's beginning to take shape. Details will be on my profile, but please remember to leave a review as well, I try to take a lot of my direction from what people respond to. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys next time!