A/N: Welcome to the future of The Justiceverse.
A lot had changed over the years for our group of adventurers. Atticus stayed in the Mortal Realm while his long-lost birth parents decided to stay in the Magic Realm, but luckily, a safer part of it than where they were before as he stayed with his longtime girlfriend, Monique or Mo for short, especially since he popped a certain question of marriage to her which she happily accepted. Sabrina Spellman was no longer in contact with the others, but Drell reassured them all that she would be happier and safer now in her new home with her new family as he retired from being in charge of the Witch's Council and decided to settle down and at least attempt to live a normal life with his new wife, Sabrina's aunt, Hilda, though he kept an eye on the group every so often. Especially since his nephew decided to live with his two true loves and yes, we said two true loves. A moving van was shown in a special residence as a young adult woman arranged a photograph of herself in a blonde wig in a blue dress with a bigger boy with brown hair in a red and white outfit and a smaller guy who had red/brown hair with colorful clothes with a golden trophy with 1st on it.
"Cherry, you're still not showing around that old costume party picture, are you?" Thor smirked playfully.
"Why not?" Cherry smirked back. "We won a costume contest. You know how much I love Halloween."
"Yeah, how could we forget?" Lionel smiled as he popped in. "Not to mention that it happens to be close to your birthday. THAT... Is an added bonus."
"Tell me about it." Cherry remarked.
"I think we're all about moved in." Thor said as he looked around the furniture.
"Awesome," Lionel noted. "Now we can kick back, relax, and raise our family!"
"I'll make us some comfort food to celebrate." Thor beamed.
"Guess I'll look for a movie or a show for us to watch." Cherry suggested as she picked up the remote to turn on their TV in the family room which had a pretty big TV with a big couch for all of them to fit with recliners on the ends of the couch.
"Sounds good to me!" Lionel replied as he poofed over to sit next to Cherry.
Cherry flipped through the channels until she would find something decent to watch which seemed to be difficult at times in modern times with how television had gotten lately.
"Okay... So what's on the boob tube?" Lionel asked. "Gimme the rundown."
"Let's see..." Cherry shrugged. "A lot of sitcoms tonight... News... Reboots of beloved cartoons from our childhoods..."
"Lucky for us, we have DVDs," Lionel replied, taking out several DVD cases. "And since the kids are asleep, we can watch as many as we like!"
"Yeah, the move was a lot for them," Cherry said. "How 'bout it, Thor? You want a movie marathon?"
"I say we go for it!" Thor replied from the kitchen before he tasted a substance he made for them. "Mm... Needs more honey."
"The I's have it, then." Lionel smiled. "Movie time~!"
"I'll be there in a minute, I'm almost done with the sandwiches." Thor told them.
"Thor and his sandwiches." Cherry playfully rolled her eyes.
Lionel fished through the stack of DVDs, until he pulled one out. "'Darkwing Duck: The New Adventures'?" he read the title, curious. "A chance to experience even more of St. Canard's greatest hero's escapades?! I'll take it!"
"Sounds good to me," Cherry replied. "Might as well see what the ol' Darkwing Duck is up to."
"Episode 1: 'The Duck Knight Returns'... Talk about ominous!" Lionel remarked as he put in the DVD.
"Speaking of which..." Thor said. "How's Bruce?"
"Seems to be mostly quiet," Cherry said as she took out a pillow to get comfortable. "Feels weird though... Some kids think that Batman is a myth nowadays, especially after I, uh, had Lady Gothika retire."
"Wow..." Lionel replied. "I guess I like to try and keep the legend alive through songs and story... Like in this one I did for some youngsters this morning. Perhaps you'd like to hear it?"
Cherry shrugged. "Meh, okay."
"Food's in the oven," Thor said as he came by. "It might take a while, so we might as well hear a story."
"Solid," Lionel smiled as he took out a guitar. And began to play it. "There was a man from Gotham in the Batmobile he rode, Defending the defenseless, it's to him I sing this ode~" he sang. "With his Hammers of Justice, he struck down every foe! Safety for our families, it's this to him we owe~ Grey and blue~! Grey and blue~! The man from Gotham... Wore the grey and blue!"
Though Cherry wasn't a fan of country music, she seemed to really like the song so far. Thor did as well as he bobbed his head to the beat, swaying himself slightly.
"He fought the vilest villains, too numerous to list~" continued Lionel. "Rendering his verdict, with Batwing covered fists!; Descending from the night sky, his scalloped cape would flow; those who broke the law, deserved the punches he would throw!~ Grey and blue~! Grey and blue~! The man from Gotham... Wore the grey and blue!"
"The gray and blue.." Cherry replied.
"The gray and blue!~" Thor beamed as he chorused with the song a little.
"The man from Gotham wore the gray and blue~," Lionel sang to them. "But beneath the mask was just a man, same as you and me, His true face he could never share, a secret identity, But why endure this lone crusade, fight a fight you just can't win? If asked the Bat would tell you; 'Someone's gotta stand up to all this sin'~..."
"Gray and blue, gray and blue!~" Thor and Cherry chorused.
"I said the man from Gotham wore the Grey and Blue, grey and bluue, grey and blue~; the man from Gotham, wore the grey and blue~" sang Lionel. "The Man from Gotham wore the Grey and Blue~ ...Yeah!"
"Hyah!" Thor yelled out as he cracked a random whip Jake Blues style, though luckily, he didn't hurt the others.
"Careful with that thing, man!" Cherry warned.
"Sorry." Thor said sheepishly.
Lionel took a bow. "Thanks... The kids at the orphanage loved it, too. Say it gives 'em hope for a brighter tomorrow." he replied.
"Well, that was sweet of you." Cherry said before she gave him a pet of the head.
"Yeah, it sure is amazing," Thor added. "Keeps the legend of The Dark Knight alive."
"I do what I can," Lionel replied as he put the guitar back into hammerspace. "And now... Cartoons."
"All right, and food should be ready after a couple of episodes." Thor said as he clapped excitedly like a seal with a ball.
"You always know just what to say." Lionel smiled as he scratched Thor behind the ears.
Thor beamed at that made his left foot thump up and down.
"Well, Gosalyn definitely looks more mature," Cherry said from the TV. "Now Drake Mallard has to worry about crimefighting, evil-doers, and puberty from a teenage girl."
"Not to mention Taurus Bulba is back and tougher than ever!" Lionel added. "Plus... Morgana appears to have a bun in the oven."
"Taurus Bulba... I swear, he was the darkest villain from the original show." Cherry remarked.
"Yep. Being played by Tim Curry in a Russian accent also helped." Lionel replied.
"This should be good..." Thor said as he rubbed his hands together, though that accidentally made the power go out.
Cherry and Lionel looked jaw-dropped before giving him a look.
"Sorry... Excited..." Thor said before he used his magic to put the power back on since his storm power was activated from his vigorous hand rubbing. "I forgot that I could do that."
"Funny," replied Lionel. "You kinda remind me of Launchpad... Sorta like how Morgana Macawber reminds me of Cherry!"
"I could be like Launchpad?" Thor beamed.
"Well, I could see myself as Morgana." Cherry had to admit.
"Yeah," replied Lionel. "You're a clumsy but well-meaning partner, but your heart is always in the right place."
Thor beamed a bit from that as it seemed to make his day.
"Well, you made his day." Cherry chuckled.
"He always finds a way to make mine, both in and out of the kitchen." Lionel replied.
Thor chuckled a bit from that. "So, uh, Lady Gothika and Bat-Mite aren't bored of retirement, are they?" he then asked.
"Eh, maybe a little bit," Cherry replied with a small shrug. "Having a normal life is kinda boring sometimes, but it's good to kick back while I can without being texted or called away from something else I might be doing."
"Agreed," Lionel replied. "But I just hate the thought of this city's crime going unpunished. And being normal stinks on ice! I can't be normal! It's just not who I am!"
"Try being a teenage magical being..." Thor said as he looked at his hands. "It was tough for Sabrina... That's why she left... Keeping that secret away from non-magical creatures, or else they, such as mortals, would be turned into stone."
"Also, being normal is totally boring," Cherry remarked. "I'm sure something interesting will come up."
"I sure hope so," replied Lionel. "Especially with Bruce's... Even bigger secret."
"It's Bruce's Secret Life~" Thor sang to himself.
"...What?" Cherry asked.
"I dunno," Thor shrugged bashfully. "Just trying to sound cool, I guess."
"You know... Terry," Lionel replied. "It's his 16th birthday, and he still doesn't know about his real parents."
"Oh... Ohh..." Thor said with wide eyes. "Jeez, sorry about that, Lionel, I forgot."
"It's okay," Cherry told him. "But we'll have to fix that, won't we?"
"True," Lionel replied. "He needs to find out sometime."
"So, you're just gonna tell him?" Thor asked.
"Heh, well, maybe not just jump out and tell him like a surprise party," Cherry replied. "Just take it slowly and gently. No doubt it'll be a chore though to get through the info dump though."
"Indeed it will," agreed Lionel. "I have a feeling the odds might play into our favor sooner than expected."
"Very true, very true indeed." Thor approved.
They soon settled down to watch a couple of episodes of the show before Thor came to get their dinner ready once it was good to come out of the oven.
"Seems a bit darker than the old show, but nothing too gritty..." Cherry said from the show. "It reminds me a little of the old days though."
"Same..." Lionel nodded. "It's just the right balance!"
"Like how Boston Legal mixes drama and comedy." Cherry remarked.
"Denny Crane." Thor smirked which made Cherry snicker a bit.
"...Yes?" Lionel nodded.
"Oh, sorry," Cherry said. "I'll show you on Amazon Prime Video later."
Lionel nodded with a smile. They soon ate their meal which was mostly chicken. Cherry took out her phone to see a Facebook update before rolling her eyes.
"No technology at the table," Thor reminded. "Don't make me zap it out of your hands."
"Over my dead body," Cherry retorted. "Anyway, there's a small update from Atticus and Mo."
"What's it say?" Lionel asked.
"Looking for invites for their future wedding." Cherry said as she showed the boys on her phone.
"Oh... Well, we can at least R.S.V.P. ahead of time!" Lionel smiled. "Don't those two have kids? I kinda thought they were married already."
"Yeeeahh..." Thor smirked a bit. "Cherry, isn't that a memory?"
Cherry took a look. "Oh, wait... It is a memory... This is an invitation to an anniversary celebration..." she then said as she felt a bit bashful.
"Huh... Alright," replied Lionel. "Let's hope it's after Bruce's hiring of a new intern. That's tomorrow."
"It should be," Cherry said. "I'll inbox real quick."
"Ask him if he likes the toaster!" Thor leaned in suddenly.
"Gaugh!" Cherry yelped as she punched him as that startled her. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry." Thor said, unfazed by the punch.
"New intern... Kinda reminds me of the old days," Lionel smiled. "That's how we met Barbara... Or at least, how I remember meeting her."
"Those were the days indeed," Cherry replied. "Feels like a lifetime ago, yet I still remember most of it."
"Your memory was always pretty powerful." Thor said to her.
"Just don't ask me to solve a quadratic equation or I'll kick your teeth in." Cherry mumbled darkly.
"Hey, no worries," Lionel replied. "I hate those things too!"
"Who doesn't?" Thor asked.
"A big nerd like Atticus." Cherry said dryly.
They all shared a good laugh from that, though not too loud of course since the kids were asleep.
"Still though, we should be good to handle things for the try-outs," said Lionel. "At least until Bruce gets out of the hospital."
"Oh, yeah, fo sho..." Thor said as he felt glad to help out. "I'll make snacks and clean up everything."
"You sure you're not just gay and not bi?" Cherry smirked playfully.
"Honey, I recall you not being able to walk right for a week a couple of months ago after I took over most of the work that night." Thor smirked.
"Maybe I was pretending." Cherry smirked back.
Lionel chuckled. "Good on you, buddy. Way to tag in."
"I could do it extra harder and make it so you can't walk right for six months." Thor smirked at Cherry.
"Hey! No! I got a job!" Cherry told him. "How am I gonna explain why below my waist is numb?"
"You tackled into a brick wall because YOLO?" Thor smirked.
Cherry playfully shoved him back from that.
"Let's not go crazy," Lionel replied. "Remember when Cherry needed a break and I turned you into a girl for the night?"
"That skirt felt so breezy..." Thor smiled thoughtfully. "I don't know why guys can't wear 'em more often if girls can wear shorts."
"People are weird like that," shrugged Lionel. "But I was proven right. You did make a cute girl."
"Heheh... I guess..." Thor smiled bashfully.
Cherry smirked a bit before she took another bite of the chicken.
"You know it's true... Electra." Lionel grinned as they continued with dinner.
"And I know it's true that I love you both," Thor said as he hugged both Cherry and Lionel with a bit of force. "I was almost worried that we would have to pick between each other... Especially after my first kiss with Cherry didn't go so well."
"Probably because I didn't want it at that time," Cherry said. "There was a lot going on then."
"Oh, yeah," Lionel agreed. "At least you guys managed to handle that situation."
"Fair point... Unrelated as it may be," Lionel replied. "Though we'd best get some shut-eye. We want to be wide awake for tomorrow."
"All right, I'll get the dishes tonight," Cherry said. "You boys chat until I get there."
"All right." Thor and Lionel said as they walked off, away from the table.
Cherry let out a small yawn as she washed the dishes for a little while.
"Maybe for your birthday, I'll let Electra come back for a little dance with a pole." Thor smirked at Lionel.
Lionel tugged at his collar as his face went red. "W-Well... I suppose we'll see. I mean, we only have a month until then..." he chuckled. "After all, LJ DOES want a brother..."
"Well, maybe Electra could help with that~..." Thor whispered a bit lustfully as he leaned in to whisper right in his ear.
Steam shot out of Lionel's ears, and his head rocketed into the air before it parachuted back down into his hands. "Man, you're always knowin' how ta get me goin'." he blushed as he reattached his head.
"And people say I'm a dumbo," Thor smirked. "I think I'm pretty smart when it comes to Sex Ed."
"Smarter than me, that's for sure," Lionel replied. "First time, I was really confused since I never learned it in the 5-D, so... It was a very informative experience for me."
"Ohh, yeah... I was pretty curious myself about it..." Thor said. "It was just so immature when I had that class with the other boys and they kept snickering the teacher saying words like that. They also said I'd be a virgin forever... Well... Who's having a date with his left hand now in the shower?" he then smirked a bit.
Lionel snickered. "Probably them." he replied. "Especially that big meathead, Arthur Slugloafe. The noive o' dat jerk!"
Thor shared a laugh with him as they came to bed together. Eventually, Cherry came by sleepily to crawl into bed to get some sleep as today was a very long day for all of them.
Eventually, the night gave way to morning, and the trio got up to get ready for the day. Thor decided to cook up a quick breakfast for the others as he sang along to the radio which played 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton. Cherry mumbled to herself as she slowly woke up, though she wasn't much of a morning person. Lionel gave her some coffee to perk her up while he went to get everyone's clothes ready for the day.
"You get enough sleep, Cherry?" Thor asked.
"Eh..." Cherry shrugged. "I'm just more of a night owl than a day bird like you."
"That's why we have the coffee..." Lionel replied. "Got your clothes ready."
"Mm... My Grunkle always loved his coffee in the morning even though he would spend all day in bed in front of the TV." Cherry remarked as she took a sip to get her clothes on.
"Breakfast is almost ready." Thor said.
"Most excellent!" Lionel exclaimed as he went to the table and took a seat.
"All our favorites," Thor smiled as he was about to plate up the food. "Hopefully this helps us wake up a bit more too."
"Well, I guess it could work." shrugged Cherry as she sat down as well.
Thor plated up the food for all of them and they began to eat up.
"Hopefully the kids won't mind." Cherry said as she tucked into her food.
Just then, they heard a yawn.
"...Probably not," said Lionel. "I'll get them to school quickly, then zap to your location."
"Sounds alright to me," Cherry replied. "Great breakfast though."
"I thought you'd like it." Thor beamed.
"Your cooking is superior!" Lionel praised. "Literally got me licking the plate clean!"
"Thank you, thank you." Thor beamed with a chuckle.
Eventually, after they ate breakfast, Cherry walked off with Thor to wait for Lionel as he took care of the kids for them.
"Okay, kids, time to go!" Lionel announced to the kids as he gathered them, got them dressed, and herded them into the car.
The kids gathered together to get to the car as they were all set to go. Shortly after, Lionel got them to school and zapped back to Cherry and Thor.