Partially inspired by the Young Justice episode Misplaced. Takes place in the Justice League Unlimited episode Kid's Stuff. Enjoy!
"Man, you guys just can not get anything right today, can you?" Robin grinned as he side-stepped the goon's wild charge. A trio of morons had tried breaking into a jewelry store, doing absolutely everything wrong with their approach - striking in broad daylight, sending people running and screaming in fear from their pistols, not to mention sticking around to try and grab as much as they could rather than taking the most valuable stuff and fleeing.
To top it all off, when one of Gotham's heroes showed up, the idiots thought they could fight the small statured kid. Their worst mistake by far.
"Hold still, punk!" The shortest of the goons snapped, trying to aim his gun at Robin. Frowning, the eleven year old rolled his eyes behind his mask as he continued to dodge.
"Yeah, right. Why don't you guys just drop the goods and wait here while the nice police officers are on their way to arrest you? They should be getting here in another, oh, two or three minutes."
"We don't have time for this!" Grabbing his companion by the arm, the last of the goons tried to drag him away, while yelling at the big one to hurry up and knock the brat aside so they could run. Robin sighed, pulling out a couple of batarangs that tripped up the fleeing crooks, even as he rolled underneath the third one's feet. He was about to leap up and deliver a high kick to the man's skull, when a wall of purple energy suddenly swept down the street.
"Whoa!" Startled, Robin shielded his eyes as the wave went through and past him. "What the...?"
Up and down the road, cars came to a stop as their drivers were gone. The sidewalks were nearly empty, only a handful of kids remaining as they looked around in shock.
Every adult in the area - in Gotham - was gone.
-KH-
"Robin to the Cave. Agent A, you there?" Silence. "Robin calling Batgirl, come in Batgirl!" Nothing. "Nightwing! You there, dude?" At another failed communication, Robin sucked in a worried breath. "Batman, this is your very worried junior partner - please tell me you know what's going on!"
There was no answer.
Robin was ready to start pounding his head into the nearest brick wall. None of his family members were answering their comlinks, and as far as the kid could tell, not a single adult remained on planet Earth. Children across Gotham were starting to run amuck, and while some saw the Boy Wonder and curbed their wild actions around him, most couldn't care less. Worried as he was over the bigger picture, Robin wasn't able to bring himself to stop them. Considering options, he decided to try the one line of communication he'd been ordered by Batman never to contact unless it was a level five emergency.
He was fairly certain all the adults vanishing without explanation qualified.
"Watchtower frequency gamma-tri-delta, does anyone read me? Are there any Justice League members out there?" Implementing the secondary code had sent his message to every League comlink hooked up to the system, not just the main communications array on the space station itself. At this point, Robin wasn't really expecting a reply - hence why he was so surprised when a young voice answered back.
"Um, yeah, this is, er, Billy in Fawcett City. I'm a friend of Captain Marvel's. Who are you?"
"This is Robin speaking."
He heard a startled gasp over the line. "Holey moley, you mean Batman's partner? In Gotham? THAT Robin?"
"Yes..."
"This is so cool! Well, the emergency part isn't, but anyway, hi!"
"Hi, uh, Billy was it? Have the adults disappeared in your city too?"
"Yeah. I was actually running from some older bullies when this weird magic spell came through and teleported them away."
"Oh, great," Robin groaned. "I hate magic. How'd you know it was a spell?"
"Well, um, Cap runs on magical power - I can recognize it when I see it."
"That's helpful, at least." Pulling out his grappling line, Robin fired it at a group of preteens about to throw a trashcan through a store front. The boys were startled to suddenly find themselves tied to one another, releasing the large garbage receptacle they'd been lifting overhead, which promptly fell onto their heads. Other kids laughed as they saw it, thought they also took note of Robin's annoyed expression and steered clear of the young hero. "I don't suppose you have any idea of what to do about it?"
"Uh..." He could hear the hesitation in the other boy's voice. "I think... Maybe. But, I'm not sure it would work, and I could end up wherever it was the grown-ups got sent, and then I doubt I'd be able to do anything to help from there."
Robin thought it over pensively. Most of the world's crooks and troublemakers were adults and older teens, the age categories that were gone now. But so were most of the world's heroes - not just the League, but policemen, firefighters, doctors and paramedics. Without them, Earth's kid population wouldn't survive.
"Billy, even if it's a longshot, I'm going to need you to do whatever it is you can to help."
On the other end of the comlink, he heard the boy take a deep, stabilizing breath. "Okay. I'm going to shout a word, and transform into an adult - into Captain Marvel, actually. He's a grown-up, so the residing teleportation spell will take him - me - to wherever it is the others went. Once I find out what's going on, I'll try to do it again and turn back into me, and maybe come back to Earth again, but I'm not sure it will work or not."
Robin had frozen when he heard Billy say that he actually was Captain Marvel, but the last phrase jolted him back into motion. "Okay then. Good luck, dude."
"Thanks. SHAZAM!" There was the sound of thunder, and then silence.
-KH-
He'd only been pacing on the rooftop for a few minutes, Robin knew, but it still felt like it had been hours since Billy left before a boom came across the comlink.
"Bi-"
"Robin! You're never gonna believe this!" The other boy sounded like he was trying to hold back laughter.
"What? What is it? Did you figure out what happened? Are Batman and the others okay-"
"They're fine! Well, mostly. Let me explain - it's actually pretty funny..." Billy explained about Mordred and the amulet he used to banish anyone older than him; about his mother Morgan le Fey turning a few of the League members into kids so they'd be immune to the spell and could go fight him. Robin felt his jaw drop when Billy shared the names of those who'd been de-aged - and then he was laughing right alongside the other boy.
"Oh man, I wonder how ridiculous they look." The Gotham hero snickered.
"Well, probably no more than you do!" Billy teased him.
"Hey! I look exactly like I'm supposed to, thank you very much. But Batman and the others as kids? That's got to be just plain bizarre..."
"Heh, true. Anyway, once they get the amulet away from Mordred, everything ought to go back to normal."
"How can you be so sure it's that easy?"
He could almost hear Billy's shrug. "The magic pretty much is-"
"No, I mean about them succeeding. Plans almost never work out like they're supposed to, and Batman and I don't have the greatest track record when going up against magical stuff."
"Well, come on - Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern? Four of the League's founders? They've got this in the bag." Robin merely replied with an unconvinced sound. "Hey, um, by the way, I've always kind of wondered - is Batman your dad?"
"No. But he might as well be, since he took me in after my bum of a real one went and got himself killed."
"Oh."
"...I probably shouldn't tell, but you want to hear the full story?"
"Sure. I mean, who's going to know?"
"True." Careful to omit certain details - like real names - Robin told Billy about how his mom had died when he was a little kid, and his dad ended up getting into worse and worse crime up until the point where he skipped down. The weeks spent surviving alone in Gotham, until Two Face's goons kidnapped him, followed by being rescued and rescuing Batman, going to the Cave, and accidentally discovering the man's real identity. Billy started snickering when Robin explained about stealing the uniform and sneaking out to help bring the villain down, and then unexpectedly being given a new home.
"Wow, and I thought my life's been eventful."
"How did you end up with the magic stuff that lets you turn into a superhero, anyway?" Then it was Billy's turn to launch into a lengthy tale, starting with his parents dying when he was a little kid, being bounced from one foster home to another until he finally ended up on the streets, where he was still able to find things to be cheerful about even in his struggle to stay alive. The amazing night when he found his way down into a abandoned subway tunnel, and found the Wizard who gave him the powers to help keep the world a safer place. Robin was awed, until another thought entered his head. "Wait, this guy gave you the ability to help others, but not a way to get yourself off of the streets?"
"Well, at least I'm out and about, so I have a lot of free time to stop criminals and save people and go on League missions-"
"Dude, that's not the point! I mean, I hate school as much as the next kid, but you still need it if you want to be able to take care of yourself when you're a grown-up!" He dragged a palm across his face.
"...Where else am I supposed to go, though? I don't really want to go back into foster care."
"What's your last name, Billy?"
"Huh? Uh, it's Batson."
"Okay then. Did you know, Billy Batson, in addition to being among the world's greatest detectives, we Bats are also amazing at hacking into government systems to find out information and occasional tweak things? Give me a few days, and I'll see about finding you a decent home, or maybe even some distant relatives you could go live with."
"You really don't have to do that! I'm fine where I am, I don't want to bother-"
"If nothing else, consider it a thank you for finding out what that spell did with the adults, and letting me know that Batman was okay. Alright?"
"...Alright. I guess." Their conversation was cut short, as Robin spotted a purple light in the distance, steadily getting closer.
"Looks like the League did it. Everything will be undone, you said?"
"Yep! Everyone back where they belong. We, um, we should probably get off the line before all the Leaguers come back and wonder what a couple of kids are doing in their system."
"Heh, good point. How about I come to Fawcett sometime next weekend to let you know what I've done about your living situation?"
"Okay! Bye, Robin!"
"See ya, Billy!" He closed down the communication just as the purple wave swept across the city for the second time that day. On the streets below, adults started appearing left and right, several looking bewildered, while others ran to their excited children. Spotting the three goons he'd been fighting earlier, Robin smirked as he prepared to ambush them from above.
Things were back to normal, alright.
-KH-
"Did you know Captain Marvel's really a kid my age?" Dick snorted into his drink, Barbara nearly dropped her laptop, Bruce froze in his seat, and Alfred merely raised a speculative eyebrow. The lot of them had gotten together for an impromptu dinner that night, mostly so that Tim could be assured that the rest really were back and alright. And, of course, to share the bit of news that apparently not even the Dark Knight himself had known yet.
"With all the League's new members, I haven't had time to be as thorough with their background checks as I should have been." Bruce frowned. "Marvel was on my list to investigate more closely, since I hadn't been able to pull up much of anything on his real identity."
"Billy Batson, age ten, orphaned at age two, dumped into Fawcett City's foster care system for four years before he was abandoned on the street, came across an ancient wizard at age seven who granted him superpowers to become Captain Marvel." Tim rattled off, gaining identical looks of shock from both his fellow partners and a narrowed gaze from Bruce. "He was the only Leaguer not initially affected by Mordred's spell, so the two of us got in touch over the emergency broadband. After he transformed into Marvel, figured out where you all were and what was up, he switched back to tell me and we ended up talking for the rest of the time you guys were gone."
"Talked about what?"
"Uh..." Tim rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. "Our pasts. Which was how I found all that out. I, um, I also promised I'd do whatever I could to get him off the streets and into a real home."
Expecting to be chastised, the boy was startled when Bruce nodded thoughtfully. "That was good of you, Tim. We can start looking into it this evening - I doubt there's going to be too much trouble in the city tonight, anyway."
"Even if there is, Babs and I can go handle it." Dick volunteered. "Let you guys work on your new project together." Tim shot his semi-foster brother a gratefully look, to which the young man winked.
-KH-
Almost a week after the Mordred incident, Billy was stretching as he made his way down the alley, towards the abandoned apartment building he and some other homeless people would stay in on cold nights. Fall would soon be fading into winter, and the boy mentally ran through the preparations he'd have to make before temperatures really started plummeting. So wrapped up in his thoughts, Billy didn't notice the pair of shadows waiting atop the very building that he was walking towards.
At least, not until one of them dropped to the ground in front of him.
Yelping, Billy very nearly called out Shazam's name, before registering that he recognized this particular figure. Batman wasn't a person someone could easily forget, after all.
"Captain." The Gotham hero said quietly, just loud enough for Billy to hear. "Would you mind coming with us?"
"Um, us? Sir?" Suddenly, there was a second figure standing next to the first, and he blinked at the boy who couldn't have been more than a year older than him. "Robin?"
"Told you I'd swing by at some point." The other kid grinned. "My boss decided to get involved, though - I don't he trusts me just yet behind the plane's controls by myself, despite the fact I am perfectly capable of it." Robin leveled a mock glare at his mentor, who Billy would have sworn smiled ever so minutely, just for a split second.
Still in a stupor, the young hero didn't resist as he was given a lift up to the roof, and barely even noticed the ride in the legendary Batplane. Not until they were landing somewhere else in the city did he think to ask where they were going.
"Turns out, we didn't have to get very distant at all to find some relatives for you." Robin smirked, helping the kid out. They'd landed in the parking lot behind a place Billy nervously recognized as the same government building he'd come stay at in-between foster homes. His attention was soon captured, though, by the group of people standing outside of it - specifically, the smiling adult couple and the brown haired girl bouncing excitedly beside them. She looked really familiar, Billy decided.
Batman and Robin stayed in the shadows by the plane as they watched the reunion between Billy Batson and his long lost sister, Mary, who'd been adopted as a baby after their parents died. The records of their relationship had been easy enough to find, as well as Mary's current parents, who, upon being informed of Billy's situation, were more than willing to adopt the boy as well. As Batman ended up explaining, the boy had helped Captain Marvel on a few occasions, and in gratitude the other hero had asked him to help the kid get off of the streets. It was as close to the truth as he was willing to tell civilians.
"So, even though I broke protocol by revealing information that could have potentially given our identities away, this makes up for it, right?" Robin asked as they prepared to leave for Gotham.
"You're still cleaning the trophy room for the next two weeks."
"Aw, man."