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Justice League bonding! Fluff, angst, mentions of porn, Jason and Damian and mild trigger warnings! I HAVE WARNED YOU, PEOPLE!

[Important AN at the bottom. Please read.]

I do not own Young Justice. This is fan fiction. (Which means I need to get a life.)

Thanks for telling me I'm worthless :)

Barry led the kid down the hallway, all of the League deciding that he should eat first and shower later, though they had lended him the smallest hoodie available and a pair of old boxers. The kid had been shocked at the mere thought of getting new clothes and almost refused to put them on until J'onn stepped in and ordered him to wear them, later explaining to them all that the boy would only listen to commands.

After careful consideration, they had all agreed everyone would be more focused on the kid's story than what he was wearing. Especially since it was an old batman themed hoodie he was covered in. Which was absolutely hilarious.

So Barry was tasked with taking the kid with him to the cafeteria. And now the speedster had a nigh-on impossible mission: Learning the kid's name.

"Come on kid!" Barry whined as they turned the corner. "You can at least tell me your name!"

The boy remained silent.

Barry dropped the question as they neared the Mess, and the boy seemed to freeze as he looked past the doors. The look on his face was clear:

People.

People everywhere.

Barry sighed and placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, and his flinch caused Barry to sigh yet again. "Hey kiddo, they're my friends. Diana's friends," He added and was rewarded with a comprehending look in the boy's eyes. Barry smiled at him and continued. "None of them are gonna hurt you, kid." A chuckle escaped him. "At most, they'll just call you adorable." Seeing the flash of pain that crossed over the boy's face, Barry stammered, "Which is a compliment because your completely adorable anddangnabbitClarkwhydidyouleavemewiththekid-"

Realizing he had achieved 'Speed Speech' as the League dubbed it, Barry forced himself to calm down and gave the kid a friendly smile and knelt down to look him in the eyes. "If any of them do hurt you - which they won't," He quickly added, "I'll be right next to you and will dish out the butt-kicking they deserve." With that, Barry struck a pose and was rewarded with a totally adorable giggle.

My god, the kid looks like an angel and laughs like one too, Barry realized with a wide grin. Totally worth looking like an idiot.

They walked through the doors, and the boy shied away from it all, ducking close to Barry and - Oh my gosh oh my gosh ohmygosh - Held Barry's hand.

Barry heard the trumpets of victory blare behind him. Ha! Take that, Diana!

The Speedster led the boy - Okay, I'm gonna dub him Kiddo until I pick out a suitable nickname, Barry resolved - to the buffet tables and quickly filled up a tray with Mac 'n cheese, a brownie and, after seeing Kiddo eye the pile hungrily, an apple.

Holding the kid's hand with one, and balancing the tray with the other, Barry led the b- Kiddo to a more secluded part of the mess, where only Black Canary, Captain Marvel and Hawkgirl were sitting. Steeling himself, Barry gently led Kiddo near the table and sat down, not missing the way Kiddo eyed each of the heroes fearfully.

Anger bubbled up inside of the speedster. That was wrong! To see a child afraid of the Justice League or any hero was plain wrong! Children idolized the JL; they all knew facts about Superman and Batman and Barry knew kids at Wally's school constantly debated who would win in a fight! There were debates over the internet for god's sake!

The kid should be running around and laughing, giggling in his adorable way with a cape tied around his neck and staring up in wonder at them all, not ducking his head submissively and in shame!

Slade was gonna get his. Most certainly.

Laurel was the first to notice the kid. "Barry, who is this adorable little angel?" She cooed, eyeing Kiddo up and down. He shied away from her and scooted closer to Barry, who made no move to acknowledge the boy's presence. Instead, Barry just sighed again and started the introductions.

"Kiddo, this is Laurel-" Black Canary nodded and gave the boy a kind smile.

"Captain Marvel-" The Superhero grinned childishly and waved at him. "Hi!"

"-and Shay'era." Hawkgirl nodded and gave the kiddo a small smile. "What is your name sweetie?" Laurel asked.

The boy sunk lower in his seat and made no move to answer. Barry gave him a small smile and nudged him. "You can talk kid. Remember my promise?"

The boy nodded and eyed them all shyly, his voice like ringing bells. "Y-yeah…"

Barry grinned triumphantly and added, "So can you tell Laurel your name?"

Please work please work I'm so freaking tired of not knowing your name -

"A-apprentice," He whispered. "Master always c-called me Apprentice."

Barry went pale. Oh hell no. Slade wouldn't do that to a child -

But he did. The mercenary did and the speedster wanted to punch the man over and over again because he never told the kid his name -

The three heroes gave Barry a confused look, and Barry gave them a grim smile that clearly said, I'll tell you later.

Laurel was the first to react. "Apprentice doesn't seem to suit you, sweetie," She said with a smile, but Barry could tell she knew exactly what was wrong with the kid, and her blue eyes screamed I'm so gonna kill that assassinating bastard.

Shay'era seemed to catch on and she nodded slowly. "Yes. We are going to pick out a new name for you."

"Until we find your real one," Marvel cut in with a childish twinkle in his eyes. He bounced up and down in his seat with a grin. "I got one!" He pointed to the kid's eyes, "Blue!"

Laurel shook her head at her childish companion. "That is a pet name, Marvel," She pointed out, and Barry snickered at Marvel's pout. "Okay…"

Shay'era eyed the man oddly before pointing at his hair. "What about Crow? Or Raven?" She ruffled his hair, earning a flinch and then an adorable pout. "It will match his hair."

The kid sent Barry a desperate look that screamed, Help me! and it was so adorable the speedster couldn't help but laugh.

Barry ruffled the kid's hair again, and while he still flinched, he didn't flinch quite as badly.

VICTORY! Barry mentally roared, and he could faintly hear J'onn's call of, "Stop that Barry!" Squeak through the ventilation shafts.

All four heroes exchanged looks and laughed, while the boy gave them confused looks.

Shay'era stood and stretched her arms. "I need to go and find John." She gave the boy a kind smile and flashed Marvel and Barry a warning look, "Don't you dare name him anything stupid."

And then she turned around, her wings coming into view and Barry didn't know why he never noticed it before but the kid's eyes went as wide as saucers and before the speedster could prevent it, the kid leapt forward and started to stroke the wings.

And if there was anything Barry - and anyone - learned about Shay'era first hand was that you don't touch the wings. Period.

And so Barry shot forward to prevent an electric mace connecting with the kid's head - but it didn't come. Instead Shay'era had a look of wonder on her face as she gazed down at the little boy who was softly stroking her wings with a look of absolute longing on his face. Smiling, Shay'era turned around and faced the boy, kneeling as to look him in the eyes.

"Do you like my wings?" She asked him softly. At his nod, Shay'era held out her hand and smiled. "Do you want a ride?"

At his wide eyes, Barry chuckled and blinked in surprise as the kid turned around, his unsaid words quite clear: Can I?

The speedster nodded and gestured, Go! With his hands and grinned as the kid nervously took Shay'era's hand and squeaked in alarm as she lifted him off the ground and into the sky - well, the cafeteria sky, but it was a good ten feet off the ground nothing less.

The Thanagarian swooped and dove and soared in the air, and the kid made no sound or noise, but the look on his face was clear. He felt free.

Barry smiled in spite of himself.

"Kinda looks like a bird," Marvel remarked, and Barry blinked. The man was right The kid looked a lot like a bird as he soared with Shay'era close to the ceiling.

"Yeah…" Barry murmured as he watched the two of them continue to fly, "A bird…"

The world tells us

Oliver sighed as he led the ki- Bird down the hall. Why me? He wondered. Barry had to leave the watchtower because of a disaster in Australia, so he was stuck with 'Bird Watching,' Barry had joked. Apparently they were calling the kid Bird until he either told them his name or the Nocturnal Detective figured it out first. But since Bruce was busy trying to catch Bane, Oliver came to the silent conclusion and imminent fact that Bats wouldn't meet the kid for a good while.

So now here he was, leading the ki- Bird, he reminded himself, we're calling him Bird - to the showers. And after directing the kid to take his clothes off (he left his boxers on for some reason) Oliver didn't see the glimmer of pain in the boy's eyes, or the way he trembled and looked resigned, as if he was expecting this to happen, as if it was his fate. Oliver turned the shower on and left the room.

If we do or don't belong,

Appre - No, Bird - watched as Arrow left the room and he let out a whimper. Why did Red leave him with Arrow? Did he do something wrong? Quickly thinking back, Bird tried to remember if he did something wrong but he couldn't remember because the rules here didn't make any sense -

There was banging on the door as Arrow yelled, "Hey kid, get in there! The water doesn't last very long!"

"You failed me, Apprentice."

"M-master please n-no-"

"Get in the room and stop your stuttering!"

"I'm s-sorry M-master-"

CRACK!

Bird whimpered and slid inside the shower and then the pain of the water and being doused in the powerful stream drowned out every last thought in his mind until he was there with his Master and the blood replaced the water and all he can do is scream -

Strong hands yanked him out and the water stopped and the pain and suffocating feeling was gone -

Bird rubbed his eyes and shivered as he came to his senses and whimpered as a towel was wrapped around him. He missed Red and Funny and Sing and Wings and he wanted to just leave and go back to the familiar place of his Master because nothing they did to him made any sense to him-

Arms wrapped themselves around him in a comforting way and Bird melted into them and sobbed as the person rubbed his back awkwardly (Oliver didn't know what to do because he never had any experience with little kids -)

"Is m-my punishment o-over?" Bird whimpered and Ollie froze. Did the kid really think that was what he was trying to do? The hero didn't know what to do with the kid in his arms that was dripping wet and sobbing for all he was worth so the vigilante just held the boy close and answered.

"Shh… It's gonna be okay kid… It's over… It's over…"

Bird fell asleep in those safe arms, and Oliver felt horrible as he looked down at the peaceful face.

And then there are the people

Diana 'hmmd' to herself as she looked through piles of clothes. Holding up a simple Flash themed T-shirt, Diana smiled as she remembered Bird's love for Barry and placed it in her bag. Soon she had a Superman hoodie, the typical assortment of shorts and pants, Green Lantern themed pajamas, and after a moment's debate, seven hero themed teddy bears. Age or not, she could see him having no problem with the teddy bears.

She chuckled as she caught sight of a Batman cape and added it to her mounting pile. Soon she had enough clothes for the boy, as well as a few good pairs of tennis shoes, slippers and a lot of socks.

When the cart was overflowing, Diana headed to the checkout counter, the cashier giving her a very odd look. And then all the coupons were given, discounts received and tax applied and Diana blinked at the total. Five hundred and forty seven dollars.

With a mental shrug Diana pulled out one of Bruce's spare credit cards and paid quickly, hauling the items through a Zeta Tube hidden in a back alley close to the Mall and she grinned as she stepped into the Watchtower and made her way to Bird's quarters. The little one will love this, she thought and went to work.

who ignore the world

Barry zipped off the Zeta Platform and raced all over, trying to find Oliver and Bird, holding a wrapped package in one hand. In Australia he had picked up the most adorable present for the kid, but after getting Laurel's call of, "Bird needs you," He had almost left without paying. Nearing the private quarters, Barry skidded to a halt when he heard Oliver's voice.

"-started screaming so I ran inside and the kid was in the shower and sobbing his eyes out so I pulled him out and-"

Barry's blood ran cold and he shot through the door, greeted by a despondent Oliver, consoling Laurel and Marvel and concerned J'onn looking down at Bird's sleeping face, who was resting in Shay'era's lap, wings pulled over them both.

Laurel glanced up and gave Barry a small smile, motioning him to come inside. The speedster didn't let the offer hang up to dry; he ran inside and was instantly right next to Shay'era and looking down at Bird's face.

"What happened?" The speedster demanded, turning to look at Oliver. Shay'era placed a hand on his shoulder and answered for the vigilante. "Oliver tried to give Bird a shower, but the boy had some sort of panic attack…"

Barry's shoulders slumped. "I should have stayed with him," He whispered. Laurel shook her head. "No. What's done is done, and all we can do is figure out why Bird-"

"Freaked out?" Marvel supplied from his spot on the floor. Laurel looked like she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes, but nodded instead.

"...why Bird freaked out." She shook her head slightly, but continued anyways. "Oliver, did you say something to Bird?" The hero sighed and frowned. "Yeah… I just told him to hurry up."

"Did you do anything else? A tone of voice, something-"

"I banged on the door," He whispered. He looked up into Laurel's eyes, the sadness clear in them. "Is that what did it?"

They all turned to look at J'onn, who frowned and stepped away from Bird and Shay'era. "I do not know," The Martian said. "Bird has powerful mental blocks keeping me from seeing the truth." He flashed Barry a small smile. "But with you, Barry, I could tell the walls were starting to falter in their job. He trusts you."

Shay'era shook her head. "Wonderful…"

Barry blinked in surprise. "R-really?" He stared at Bird for a moment before a kind smile spread across his face. He looked at J'onn with determination. "I won't let the kid down."

Marvel giggled at this, and they all had one thought going through their heads: Damn is this guy weird.

A low whine could be heard, and Shay'era let out a small gasp of surprise as she looked down at the dazed and sleepy eyes of Bird, who yawned and stretched, not having registered where he was. Seeing him like this, Barry thought, can get someone to think he's just a normal kid.

And then the peaceful moment faded as Bird jumped out of Shay'era's lap and scrambled underneath a table, shaking in fear.

They all exchanged a glance, and after Marvel giving Barry the most pointed look ever, the speedster nodded and walked over to the table, resting on his knees and putting on a small smile.

"Hey kiddo, did you sleep okay?" Barry asked. Bird looked up from his curled-into-a-ball position and looked hesitant in his answer. Sighing, Barry gently reached out his hand for the boy. "Come on, I bet you're hungry."

Bird shook his head wildly, but his stomach had other ideas, choosing to voice its protest. Bird stared at it in horror.

Barry just laughed. "Come on then, you can't not eat now!"

Bird slowly got out from under the table, eyeing them all nervously. Barry inwardly sighed. Kneeling down, he gently raised his fist in a fist bump. Bird flinched and took a nervous step back, but Barry was persistent. Slowly, he took Bird's hand, and the boy looked absolutely fearful.

"It's not gonna hurt, kiddo," Barry whispered. And then he curled Bird's fingers into the classic fist bump, Barry curled his own fist, and they fist bumped. Bird stared at his hand, then looked up curiously at Barry, as if to say, What was that?

Barry smiled. "It's called a fist bump," The speedster explained. Bird's mouth set in an 'O' that caused everyone to laugh. Bird flinched from the noise and huddled close to Barry.

The speedster couldn't help but smile.

and everyone in it

Bird followed Red down the hallway, holding the speedster's hand as they walked. Bird's face was stoic, but inside, he was scared, confused and curious. What did Arrow punish me for?

I ate all my food, He thought, stomach growling at the thought of eating more cheese flavored dough stuff. I sat at the table, I dipped my head in respe- He stopped walking for a second, Red giving him a concerned look. Bird didn't see it.

That was it. Master hated when he sat on furniture; worthless nothings didn't deserve such a privilege, after all. He had been so shocked and confused by their rules - which made no sense and still didn't - that he sat down at the table with them; as if they were equals. They weren't. They were his masters, and he was there Apprentice. No amount of food or fist bumping could fix that.

When they reached the cafeteria, Bird stayed close to Red, not wanting to anger any of the other Masters. From past experience, it was always safer to stick close to your Shield and Safe person rather than your Masters.

As Red started to fill up two separate trays, the smallest inkling of a smile tugged its way onto Bird's face. Yes. Red was his Shield, and Safe was his Safe person.

A frown appeared in the place of the smile. So who was his Sword? Glancing around, Bird looked at all of his Master's. Wings and Funny were sitting at a table with Sing, all of them talking amiably. Arrow was polishing his weapons, taking a swig out of a silver flask. Bird didn't miss the piercing look of disapproval Green shot in Arrow's direction.

Bird sucked in a deep breath. He already had his Shield and Safe person. He had his Masters. He didn't have his Sword, but he already had his Punisher; Arrow. By watching and listening and obeying the rules, he would find his Sword.

He had to.

and seek to create a place

Bruce ran a hand through his hair as he sat down at the Batcomputer. Honestly, they put 'Bat' before or after everything. Batmobile, Batwing, Batcave…

"You look exhausted, Master Bruce." Bruce allowed himself a small smile as he looked up to see Alfred walking down the stairs, carrying the faithful silver tray with tea and food.

"It does come with this line of work, Alfred," Bruce reminded his friend as the Butler put the tray down at its designated area on the Batcomputer. Bruce's face remained emotionless as he uttered a "Thank you," but Alfred knew the man was extremely grateful for his presence.

A pang of sadness hit him at the thought of Bruce's parents. If they saw him like this, Alfred thought, I wonder if they would be proud. Watching the fabled Batman scroll through information as he continued his search, and his life's work, Alfred couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

Of course they would. They would love him no matter what choice he made. That was how they were.

A notification popped up on the screen, tearing Alfred's attention away from his musings and Bruce's away from his search for Bane. Bruce frowned as he started to read it.

"What is it, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked curiously, walking over to look at the email. As he read the contents, Alfred's eyes widened in surprise. "Why on earth would you buy five hundred and forty seven dollars worth of child clothes?"

"I didn't, Alfred," Bruce replied and he stood up. "I think Diana has something to do with this."

Alfred sighed as Bruce made his way to the Zeta Tube. "I will keep the directors busy and your meals warm then, Master Bruce."

Bruce allowed himself to smile. "Thanks Alfred."

Recognized, Batman B01

Alfred nodded, a smile making its way onto his face. "You are welcome Bruce."

"DAMIAAAAAAAAN!

The Butler turned to see Jason and little Damian running down the stairs. Well, Jason was running and tripping over his shoelaces while Damian slid down the banister. After close inspection, Alfred couldn't help but let out a tired, "Oh dear," as he caught sight of what Damian was running with: A member Jason's priceless CD collection.

Being the adorable seven year old he was, Damian seeked refuge behind Alfred and blew raspberries at Jason, who looked like he was going to explode.

"Damian," Jason hissed through gritted teeth, "Give me the Joker and Harley bang bang CD!"

Damian went pale at Jason's new choice of words, and Alfred sighed and easily confiscated the item from the seven year old's grasp, ignoring the "Hey!" that came with the simple task.

"Now, before I ask what you just said, Master Jason," Alfred said, not missing the fact that Jason's face went white as a sheet, "Can you please tell me why the both of you are up at five in the morning and running around this house like hooligans?"

"First, we are in the Cave," Damian huffed as he stopped jumping in the air in a vain attempt to get the CD back from Alfred, "And Jason merely said 'Give me that worse than Joker and Harley having a kid CD.'"

The look on Jason's face promised murder.

Alfred turned to face Jason. "I believe, young man, that that is the worse mental image I have experienced." Turning back to Damian, he continued. "Furthermore, I believe the both of you need to return to your rooms immediately."

Alfred opened the CD case and inspected the hidden inside cover and sighed. "And Jason?"

The ten year old gulped. "Y-yes Alfred?"

"When trying to keep such a vulgar thing as this hidden from Bruce and I, remember not to hide it inside a CD cover."

Damian snickered at Jason's red face. "Yeah Jay, don't hide porn where I can find it either!"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU DAMIAN! JUST YOU WAIT!"

"ALFRED! HELP ME!"

The Butler ignored them as he tucked the picture in his pocket for later.

where no one will feel invisible

Diana grinned as she stood back and admired her hard work. The room hadn't been painted yet, but once she got her hands on Jason, Damian and Barbara, that was sure gonna change. For now, the room's walls were all white but she had improvised by sticking glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. Several different nightlights resided in the outlets per her remembrance of the very dark room Bird used to live in.

The dresser was white as well, stock full of clothes and an empty toy bin resided in the corner. Diana couldn't wait to fill it up with goodies for the Little One.

And finally, the bed was decorated with Justice League logos and Flash themed pillows. The teddy bears were scattered throughout the room, with the Wonder Woman and Flash ones resting on the bed.

She couldn't wait to have Bird move into the room; she even had a few spray paint cans and interesting panel designs to put his name on the door.

Feeling quite giddy, Diana left the room and headed to the Mess hall where she knew Barry would be with Bird.

Before she entered, however, she realized something very, very important.

How old is he? He doesn't look more than eight… but size can be deceiving, she continued, thinking about the fact that Bird was very malnourished. The boy was… well, he was deprived of a childhood. He was starved of everything a growing boy needed; food, warmth and love. He didn't have the reassurance that everything was going to be okay when he saw Slade; he saw his Master, his lord. He saw himself as dirt.

Diana clenched her fists tightly as she pushed the doors open. She would not allow that to happen to another child, male or not. All children deserved to have a childhood. No child deserved the life Bird had lived.

But now he was with them. Bird was going to receive the warmth and affection and food and reassurance he was all but deprived of. She would make sure of it.

ever again.

I finished it! YEAH!

Okay, so this is gonna be my last update for a bit. School for me is getting out this Thursday, and after that my mom is dragging me and my brother on a two day car ride to South Carolina. We're gonna be there for a good five to seven days, and during that time I'm probably gonna be up at 11 writing stuff down in my journal.

So when I come back, I will get right back to typing up the chapter(s) I had written, and finally post the next chapter for Torn and Frayed.

So yeah. See ya guys soooooon~!

Line break: The world tells us if we do or don't belong, and then there are the people who ignore the world and everyone in it and seek to create a place where no one will feel invisible ever again.

Funny: Marvel/Billy

Sing: Canary/Laurel

Wings: Hawkgirl/Shay'era

Any ideas for Green Lantern/John? REMEMBER THAT GREEN IS ALREADY TAKEN BY J'ONN. I NEED IDEAS FOR LANTERN. HELP!