Despite what everyone else in the world believed, Captain Marvel wasn't the first hero of Fawcett.
World War 2 brought with it a surge of superheroes , all of which had long retired or buried with grand murals. Still, something of them remained within the border of Fawcett. Spy Smasher had many safe houses throughout the war, one of them located deep in a close off part of the subways paths.
It was compromised and so abandoned, Fawcett whispered to him.
"We can fix this." Yuma told Billy as they surveyed the dilapidated bunker. "You work your magic, I'll try to see what I salvage from this."
Giggly, Billy went ahead and began cleaning the place. He dust and sweep and peppered the walls with the amount of runes that he knew. He helped Yuma relocate the spiders and relocated the rats himself while the older boy looked over the old generator.
They need a security system (anti scrying wards and totems that acted like camera), a source of water, place for food, maybe a garden to grew all the ingredients that Billy needed for potions, and spots to hide the food and water and medical supplies and-
"We could get bean bags and ohh, the guy left us a kitchen." Yuma gushed as he sporadically swept the floor. "We can have hot pot for a house welcoming party. Might be a bit of a problem since the stove doesn't work and we don't have a fridge. Oh, oh, oh! We could repaint the place!"
Billy eyed the scratched up concrete room, little white paint still clinging on was overshadowed by the dirt gathered throughout the years.
"Red would be nice." he admitted. "The bright kind of red."
Yuma shot him a thumbs up and promised they could go buy it together later. For now, they should take a break.
Then he held up a lunch box for Billy to see.
Billy wasn't too surprised to find Yuma's filled it with rice balls, they had the rice balls while sitting on the dirty floor of an abandoned bunker. It was strangely nice.
[-.-]
His hand was clean, why was it clean? How many people had died for Yuma? How many people had he watched die? Why was death so clean? No body, no blood, nothing for him to hold on and mourn (He wanted to scream and yelled but his chest was so empty.). Heartland was crumbling or it already did and all that was left was ruins.
Yuma could only sit there and sobbed.
"Yuma, Yuma can you hear me?"
His hand was clean, so, so clean. It should have been bloody.
"Yuma, I'm going to touch you alright?"
Something warm held onto his shaking hands and suddenly Yuma realized how empty his lungs were.
" Here hold this, okay?" Billy said gently as he placed something metal in his hand. " Can you tell me what it is?"
The thing was warm and heavy, and SHRUCK faintly within Yuma's shaking hands.
"It's my deck box." Yuma whispered.
"That's right. Now can you tell me five things you can see?"
Yuma blinked. "You, the floor, my deck box, the ramen cup, Peter the cati, the book shelves."
"Okay, now four things you can physically feel."
" Y-your hand, my deck box again, Gagaga Magician reaching out for me, and uhh… my T-shirt."
"Can you tell me three things you can hear ?"
" My laptop, the cats outside, Fran from Bami's apartment."
"Good, you're doing good, Yuma." Billy squeezed his hand. " Two things you can smell."
"Furikake and Mint."
"One last thing, okay? The one thing you can taste?"
Yuma hesitated for a second. "Energy drinks?"
Billy narrowed his eyes and glanced past Yuma, probably at the empty cans of Monster on his desk.
"Okay." Billy drawed out. "How are you feeling?"
" Tired." Yuma admitted. "Think I might go for a snack."
With shaken knees, Yuma tried to walk to the kitchen only to be pushed into his sofa by Billy.
"Take a rest, I'll get you food."
They didn't talk about Yuma's episode, the same way Yuma didn't comment when Billy gripped got too tight sometime when he slept on Yuma. Instead they ate cup ramen and binged Fairy Tail on his laptop.
[-.-]
Icarus flew into battle together with Captain Marvel. The first time since his debut.
Captain Nazi fought toe to toe with Captain Marvel but Icarus could smell death reeking off him. It was nowhere near as pleasant as Astral or the woman his other half worked for. The man was vile, sporting something about race superiority that Icarus could not wrap his head around the logic.
Icarus drew his greatsword, solid in metal and decorated with chaos red gem, and slashed it against the man's arm.
Whatever enchantment that had allowed him to fight Captain Marvel could not protect him from Icarus' will. The man bleeds.
He kept his hand of course (Yuma had more self control than that) but inhis surprise Captain Nazi was knocked out cold by a forceful punch from Captain Marvel.
"Now what ?" Icarus asked as he ordered red chains to snake all over the prone villain's body to bind him.
"It's Belle Reve for him most likely." Captain Marvel told him and Icarus vaguely remembered that as some sort of superpowered prison. "For now we wait for the cops to come. Wanna take a snack break ?"
Captain Marvel snapped his fingers and a couple of ice cream sandwich packets popped out of nowhere.
"Ohh, strawberry! Now that's the good stuff."
They settle on the rooftop of a nearby building to enjoy the snack. The night was young and they still had to split up to patrol later. For now it was ice cream time.
"So," Captain Marvel began. "How has the city been treating you?"
Icarus shrugged. "Pretty good I would say."
Fawcett was magic, was twisting and turning, was veiled and overlooked. It was nowhere near as bright and shadowed as Heartland but it was kind. "I think I like it here.