After that, no-one wanted to go home.
None of the team needed to say anything. Fighting together, dying together, had removed the need for words. Now they wanted to simply live together, just for now.
One by one their mentors tried to collect them to leave, and discovered their protégés had no intention of going anywhere. One by one they frowned, cajoled, asked "Are you sure you're okay?" a million times, offered to stay a million times. One by one they were assured the teens had faced doom and death together, they could survive on their own in the base for one night.
One by one they left, until finally, finally, the six were alone together.
They didn't talk much. No-one smiled. Any laughs were reflexive, and quickly stifled, echoing too loudly for comfort.
They watched TV for a while, the silliest, cheesiest kids' shows they could find, wincing away from even ridiculously fake dangers and bloodshed. When the realized they hadn't eaten in hours, and should be hungry, M'gann automatically offered to make something, and they all trooped into the kitchen, the others silently passing spoons or salt or simply standing around just to be near. When the TV shows devolved completely into late-night soap operas, they all went to the local mart to pick out some movies, even though Wally could have run over by himself and rented some in half the time. When any of them had to go to the bathroom, everyone else sat a little tenser until they returned.
And though the base had rooms to spare, when they fell asleep, it was in front of the TV, together in one big tangle of limbs and faces and dented hearts, the ending credits from the last movie still scrolling by uncaringly.
M'gann clutched Artemis and Connor close enough to feel their breath ghosting over her skin; Wally was sprawled close to Artemis, Dick's face buried in his neck and arms wrapped tightly around his chest; Kaldur's and Connor's heads lightly touched, while both were stretched protectively over Dick and Wally; Wolf was curled up with Sphere near Connor.
They were all close enough to touch each other with a protecting or comforting hand in an instant, to feel each other's warmth and hear each other's heartbeats.
Because after that, they all wanted to be home.