"Captain?" Black Canary's voice shook the big man out of his stupor.
Looking down, he realized he'd absentmindedly applied too much force on his beef, bending the fork, cracking the porcelain and splitting the table beneath it with his knife. "Sorry," his cheeks heated with embarrassment.
Captain Marvel had stayed in his current form since they were stuck in the Watchtower.
He missed being Billy.
Food tasted way better when he was hungry. The Captain was never hungry. Billy always was. Billy devoured his meals with gusto.
On top of that, everything he touched as Marvel was as fragile as tissue paper. He missed living normally. As Billy.
Billy slept sweetly. The Captain had no need for sleep.
Every core member of the Justice League had fully equiped private quarters in the Watchtower, lined with lead and sound proofed for privacy. He had just finished lining his with Marvellium, so that his transformations within the room would go undetected.
"It's been fun, " he nodded at Ollie and Dinah. Marvel took a new plate and loaded it with steak, potatoes and some veggies that Billy would need, grabbed a box of juice and headed to his quarters.
Closing the door behind him, he threw his head back.
"Shazam!"
Lightning struck his form. The Watchtower lights stayed steady. Nothing broke.
Grinning to himself, itty bitty Billy Batson perched himself on Marvel's large chair swinging his legs as he inhaled the aroma of steak and potatoes on the desk in front of him.
His stomach growled in response as he tucked in, savouring every bite.
The shower knob was too high for little Billy to reach. The bed too tall and too slippery for him to climb. Everything in the room was heavy and huge. All built specifically for Captain Marvel.
He needed a small plastic stool to climb on. Maybe a comfy low stool to sit on...
------
Ollie downed his eighth beer as he slumped on the couch in the conservatory.
The stars looked bright yet blurry.
One of the small stools moved in the dark.
"Who's there?"
There was no reply as a tiny shadow scurried out of the room with the stool.
He blinked again.
The stool was gone. Was that a rat?
Why would a rat steal a stool?
He opened another can of beer and took a swig.
"You shouldn't drink so much," squeaked a tiny voice.
"I'll drink as much as I bloody want," the archer retorted as he took another swig.
"Why are you drinking?"
"To drown away my misery."
"Why are you miserable?"
"Just look around," Ollie waved his arms in a grand gesture.
"Everyone here's got god-like powers except me. Even my Pretty Bird," tears streamed down the blonde's cheeks.
"Does that really matter?" Squeaked the child-like voice.
"Does it.. of course it does! Everyday, she rubs shoulders with godlike beings like Superman, Captain Marvel.... Why would she want me? She and Marvel are close," groaned the blonde.
"What??!" Choked the kiddy voice. "She's like a mother figure to Cap. You don't think?"
"Of course I know. Look at that man. He towers over all of us. Ridiculously muscular. Chicks love that," he moaned.
Sputtering coughs and chokes came from that little voice below.
Looking down, a pair of brilliant blue eyes waist high gazed up at him. He must be drunk. There are no such things as elves or dwarfs. Or is that a little cherub?
Squinting in the dark, he couldn't see wings. Just brilliant blue eyes in the shadows.
"What are you?" He asked.
"A friend?" Replied the little fella. "Listen Ollie, Dinah loves you for who you are."
"She's got her Canary Cry. I've got nothing," Ollie took another swig of beer.
"Superpowers are overrated. Batman doesn't have any powers yet he scares the wits out of Supes and Cap," the little voice pointed out as earnest blue eyes met Ollie's.
"What does Batman have that I don't?" Pouted Ollie.
"Branding?" Replied the little one.
"I'll tell you what you've got that he doesn't. Dinah. She's crazy about you. Talks about you all the time, though she hates that beer breath."
"Really?" Ollie's heart lifted.
"Absolutely." a brilliant white smile accompanied those blue eyes.
"Thanks." Ollie looked at his bottle.
Looking into the shadows, the little counselor had vanished. Was that his beer talking?
Or... The resident shape shifter. Sounds exactly like what J'onn would say.
The lights went on as the Martian Manhunter walked into the conservatory.
"Hi Ollie. Would you like to join me for milk and Oreos?" The big green guy gestured to the tray in his hand.
"Sure. By the way, thanks for your advice J'onn," grinned Ollie.
"What advice?" J'onn looked puzzled.
"Like just five minutes ago?"
"Five minutes ago, I was reading modern classics in the library," frowned J'onn.
"That wasn't you. Then could it be... The Cupid?"
-------
Billy was thirsty and a little peckish. Rolling out of the massive bed, he made his way to the kitchen.
The fridge, like everything else, was built for superhero grown ups. The juice boxes were on the top shelf. Way beyond his reach.
Balancing on the stool, Billy loaded his tray with juice boxes, leftover pizza and pieces of unclaimed cake he found in there.
"What have we here?"
Billy nearly jumped out of his skin.
Looking up at the pilot, he grinned. "Hey Hal! I was hungry and thirsty and thought I'd grab something."
"Do I know you?" Hal quirked an eyebrow as he picked Billy up by the scruff of the neck.
"Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of sector 2814," Billy waved at the brunette. "I'm your friend."
"How did you get into the Watchtower?" Hal frowned.
"I live here?" Billy widened his grin as he dropped his tray on Hal's foot.
"Ow! You brat!" He dropped the boy.
"Hey kid! Come back," Hal yelled as Billy sprinted out of the kitchen, round the corner and dived into a vent, closing the grating behind him.
The room's light went on as Hal searched for the intruder. "Here kiddy kiddy, I won't hurt you. I just want answers," cajoled Hal.
Scrambling as quickly as he could he navigated the vent and popped out in Captain Marvel's quarters. Home safe.
Knock knock knock.
"Shazam!"
Lightning struck Billy transforming him into Captain Marvel.
"What's up guys?" Marvel opened the door to come face to face with Ollie, J'onn and Hal.
"Did you see a tiny shape shifting alien here?" Asked Hal.
"A what?" These guys are getting weirder and weirder.
"Ollie thinks that's Cupid, J'onn and I think he could be a white Martian who has infiltrated the Watchtower," Hal continued.
That means the Watchtower has been compromised. We could come under the mind control of the white Martians."
"What?" Marvel rubbed the back of his neck.
"Actually, the little guy was very nice. I don't think he means any harm," Ollie told Hal off.
"Can't be too careful. In case you see him, use this, Hal handed the Captain a flame thrower.
"Hey don't! You might kill Cupid!" Ollie snatched away the flame thrower.
"Is Cupid fire proof?" J'onn asked
They were out to kill Billy? Marvel's stomach dropped to his boots.
"Hold on guys. What if it's a regular kid? You'd kill him!" Marvel retorted.
"He has a point there," J'onn nodded, confiscating the flame thrower.
"Anyway, look out for suspicious activity. We'll get Batman on the case too," J'onn added as the trio turned and left.
With the door closed and locked, Captain Marvel changed back to Billy and climbed into bed. But he was too thirsty to sleep.
His water bottle was empty. The clowns had left. There was a water cooler just outside Diana's quarters, a few doors away.
-------
Princess Diana of Themyscira drew her sword. Her eyes burned with fury.
"Gremlins! Get away from Billy or taste my sword," she ordered the large flat screen in front of her. The gremlins on the screen ignored her.
Smash!
Her sword sliced the screen in two. The images vanished.
Footsteps. Outside her room.
The corridor was dark.
A shadow approached the fountain outside her room.
Crouching like a predator, she waited as the tiny being, waist high, tip toed to fill a bottle with water.
A Gremlin! They reproduce when they come in contact with water.
"Halt!" Her sword pressed against its neck.
The little creature dropped it's bottle, spilling water everywhere. It's brilliant blue eyes looked terrified. "Diana, it's me!"
Her lasso tightened around him. "Who are you?"