"It's pay day!"
Billy zipped out of his rented studio apartment, stopped by the landlord's home with the month's rent, then off to the supermarket for his monthly routine.
A third of his pay went to the rent.
Once a street rat, he could never forget what it was like to go days without food.
So with Cap taking care of all his transport, himself being very careful with his own personal expenses eating as little as he could get away with, he could use half of what's left to do the really fun stuff!
The tiny boy navigated a trolley taller than himself down the aisles, loading it with lots of canned meat, vegetables, beans, fruit, some desserts, snacks, piles of instant noodles, rice and the occasional heavily marked down toys, carefully counting the spend to make the most of his special monthly budget.
"Here Miss Stone," Billy tip toed to pay the cashier.
The sunny brunette ruffled the little boy's hair, "what do you do with all this every month?"
Billy grinned up at her, practically bursting with joy. "Fun stuff!"
He lugged bag after bag of groceries out of sight. When he was sure no one could see him, he whispered,"Shazam."
Lightning struck the tiny boy transforming him into Captain Marvel. Loading all the groceries on a large wooden platform, the Captain flew the entire platform to the abandoned building Billy used to live in. It still housed dozens of homeless folks who often went hungry.
"Hey Cap!" Jerry led his group of lost boys ranging from six year old Bobby to fifteen year old Sammy to the big man.
Candy, Ellie, Mr and Mrs Smith the elderly couple who lived in the room beside Billy's old hideout came out to greet him.
"Hi everyone!" Beaming from ear to ear, Captain Marvel distributed the food to Billy's old neighbours.
"Where's Tim?" Captain scanned through the crowd that gathered around him. A three year old boy smack in the middle of the crowd bounced up and down yelling, "Here!"
"Happy birthday buddy!" Captain Marvel handed the toy truck to the child and ruffled the boy's hair.
It was his favourite activity every month. Knowing his job fed not only himself, but put food in his friends' stomachs made his job at Whiz one of the best things that ever happened to Billy.
"Bill, can you come over to my apartment?" Clark sounded troubled over the communicator.
"Be there in a..," Cap had just finished here.
"...second," Captain Marvel slipped through the window of Apt 3B, 344 Clinton Street, changing to little Billy Batson upon arrival.
-------
The smoke faded.
Tiny little Billy dusted the ashes off his shoulders and skipped over to Clark. "What's up?"
Clark couldn't get over how that tiny scrawny adorable little boy could, and did on a few occasions, punch out Superman.
He had come to deeply respect this feral, fiercely independent, pure hearted child he had grown so fond of.
His first instinct when he found the boy was an orphan who was practically raising himself, was to adopt him.
While Billy readily accepted his friendship, he was vehemently against adoption.
The boy's sudden change of heart was shocking yet welcome. Clark was honored, actually.
Shaking his head, he pointed at the papers on his table.
"I tried to adopt you. It's a lot more complicated than we thought," the big man ran his hands through his hair.
"I need to be in Fawcett. I rented my own apartment in Fawcett and have a good paying job there so I can support myself," Billy's little nose crinkled as he frowned.
"Well, as a single guy with a writer's pay, who has never fostered before, I'm fighting a losing battle against Bruce Wayne, billionaire, foster dad of goodness knows how many children with top lawyers at his beck and call," groaned Clark.
"Superman fighting Batman over who gets to adopt Captain Marvel," Billy gave Clark a cheeky grin as he scrambled onto the big man's lap, snuggling up against his big bro.
"You proposing to Lois anytime soon?" The little boy's brilliant blue puppy eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Still haven't figured out how to go about it," Clark's cheeks felt hot.
"In other words, you're too chicken," the little boy looked sagely into his eyes. "She's real nice and perfect for you."
"She likes you too and will do whatever she can to help me adopt you," he ruffled the child's hair.
"She knows who I am?" Billy's eyebrows shot up.
"I haven't told her about Captain Marvel. She just knows you don't want the public life of a Wayne or to move to Gotham. Your secret identity is for you to tell, and only if you want to.
The little boy looked deep in thought. He was far more mature than most adults.
"So a couple who has fostered children before has a better chance than a single father?" Billy pondered. "I won't be any trouble. I can take care of myself. But as long as I'm on my own, Bruce will bulldoze his way into adopting me."
"You know, you could be my adopted little brother," the idea excited Clark.
Ma and Pa would absolutely love little Billy.
-------
"Land's sakes! Such a sweet little boy!" Martha Kent hugged little Billy Batson. "Clark told us so much about you."
"We'd love to take you in, son," Jonathan Kent ruffled Billy's hair. "We've adopted Conner too so we have a fair bit of experience as adoptive parents."
"Another thing I need to show you before you decide whether you want to adopt me," the angelic little boy took a few steps back, putting some distance between himself and the Kents.
"Shazam!"
Lightning struck the tiny child transforming him into a grown man as tall as, and even more muscular than Superman.
"That's why I can't let Batman adopt me," said a deep baritone voice.
Jonathan and Martha Kent stared at the big man, watching the hopeful, child-like smile turn into disappointment at the look on their faces.
The crestfallen big man dragged his feet as he walked away.
"Wait," said Martha.
Jonathan Kent put his arm around the Captain, "we were stunned that's all but that doesn't change a thing, son."
Hope lit up Captain Marvel's face. "Really?"
"Of course," said Martha. "But the same rules apply to you. No powers on the farm."
-------
"Mr Batson, how may I help you?" Mr Morris addressed the big man in a red shirt and blue jeans who had just walked into his office.
"It's about Billy," the big man fidgeted as he spoke.
"What about him?" Mr Morris was curious.
"Bruce Wayne wants to adopt him and take him out of Fawcett," Mr Batson grimaced.
"Aren't you Billy's dad?"
Mr Batson looked sadly out of the window, "Billy's parents, Mr and Mrs Batson died when Billy was six." He had a faraway look in his eyes.
"Then who are you?"
There was a red blur and Captain Marvel hovered before Mr Morris.
"You don't have much of a disguise," Mr Morris snorted. "Just a change of clothes doesn't hide the fact that you are the World's Mightiest Mortal."
"You knew?" The Captain looked stunned.
"Right from the start," Mr Morris grinned.
A newshound himself, he had found out long ago that Billy was an orphan.
C.C. and Marilyn Batson died in an archaeological dig and C.C's brother Ebenezer stole Billy's inheritance before kicking him out.
He had taken a liking to the resourceful little boy and wanted to give him a better future.
Not only did he give the boy a job so that he could support himself, he had his lawyers go through the Batson's documents hoping to find a way to help Billy regain what was rightfully his.
"As you have been taking good care of Billy, all you have to do is to show up in court with Billy to claim proper custody of the boy," Mr Morris explained.
"I can't do that," Captain Marvel frowned.
"Why not?"
"Shazam," whispered the Captain.
Lightning struck Captain Marvel.
"Because I am Billy," squeaked the nervous little boy.
Mr Morris had to be dreaming.
How could that itty bitty little boy who was like a son to him, be the six foot five, powerfully built Captain Marvel?
He pinched himself.
Billy looked up at him with those brilliant blue doe eyes and blinked.
Mr Morris slapped his cheeks until they were hot and painful, then looked down again.
Little Billy Batson frowned. "Mr Morris, are you ok?"
"You are my dream. I'm trying to wake up," Mr Morris waved his hand at the boy dismissively.
Billy tugged Mr Morris' sleeve. "Mr Morris, you aren't dreaming. It is me and I really am Captain Marvel."
The tiny boy took a few steps back. "Shazam!"
Lightning struck the child, transforming him into Captain Marvel.
Looking up at the imposing man, Sterling Morris sank back into the chair.
It's real. Not a dream. His head spun at that realisation. Ok. It all made sense in a very weird way.
He sat and stared blankly for a few minutes to compose his thoughts before looking up at the waiting hero.
"Ok. So you are Billy. Bruce Wayne wants to adopt you and take away Fawcett's protector."
The Captain nodded slowly.
"Over my dead body!"
Mr Morris had the resources and brains to take on the billionaire.
"Billy's consent plays a major role in who adopts him. Does he have anyone in mind who is willing to take him in?"
"Yes, but they live in Smallville. I was hoping you could help our case by...."
------
Captain Marvel stared at the monitors in the Watchtower, swivelling around in his chair.
Barry dipped his hand into a giant bag of chips and chewed noisily.
"Want some?" He offered the bag to Captain Marvel.
"Thanks," Marvel grabbed a handful and savoured the honey butter flavour, chewing absentmindedly.
"What's with you and Bats?" Barry blurted out.
"What do you mean?" Dread gnawed at Marvel. Does Barry know?
"He's looking for you half the time and you are avoiding him," stated the Speedster.
"Yeah. Why do you think he's looking for me?" Marvel gave Barry a big shit-eating grin.
Barry's eyes opened wide with realisation. "You pranked him? You gotta tell me, man. What did you do?" Barry's excitement was contagious.
Hal walked into the room. "What's up?"
"Marvel pranked Bats!" Barry couldn't keep that tid bit to himself.
"You did? Way to go man! What did you do?" Hal had to know.
Captain Marvel's shift was over. Smiling enigmatically, he winked, disappeared into the zeta-tube and headed home.
-------
"Dismissed. Marvel, you stay put," growled Batman as he ended the weekly Justice League meeting.
Superman, Green Lantern and Flash shot sympathetic looks at the big man as they left the room.
Locking down the lead-lined, sound proof meeting room, Batman turned off the security cameras and pulled down his cowl.
Marvel tensed up, preparing himself for the expected verbal assault.
"Billy, would you reconsider?" Bruce's voice softened.
"As my ward, you will be very well provided for. I can give you whatever you want."
"You know I can't leave Fawcett," Marvel eyed Bruce suspiciously.
"Alfred misses you. He baked these for you." Bruce opened a box of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
The irresistible fragrance had Billy drooling. He really missed Alfred's cooking.
Closing the box, Bruce handed it to Billy. "Alfred would take it as a personal rejection if you turn it down."
"Thanks. Send him my regards," Billy tried to ignore the guilt gnawing at him.
"I wish things could be different.
But even if you go with the Kents, you'll always be welcome at Wayne Manor," Bruce's voice trembled slightly as he hugged the big man.
"Do visit," he patted the big man's arm.
-------
"I'm glad it's finally over," Captain Marvel flew loops around Superman, whooping for joy as they headed to the Kent Farm.
Ma and Pa Kent greeted them at the porch. "No powers!" She wagged her finger at her new godson.
"Shazam!" The huge man turned into their adorable little god son.
Sterling Morris brought in top lawyers to fight this case.
With his financial, legal and social backing as Billy's employer, and his vast influence in the city, the boy was able to stay on in Fawcett even though Ma and Pa Kent lived in Smallville.
It helped tremendously that Billy was adamant against moving to Gotham and expressed his strong preference for the Kents.
Bruce relented, on the condition that the malnourished boy reaches a healthy weight in six months.
"Eat up, my boy," beamed Ma Kent as she sat them down at the table.
The smell of Ma's delicious fried chicken, baked potatoes and buttery buns had Billy salivating.
When he felt like he couldn't eat another morsel, out came Ma's famous apple pie from the oven.
The buttery apple cinnamon smell made Billy's mouth water again.
"You know, if you can't finish this, I'll eat yours for you," smirked his Kryptonian brother as he wolfed down his fifth slice of pie.
"I'll.. manage... Burp.." Billy slowly savoured the delicious dessert in the happy, homely atmosphere of his new family.