(no subject)
Chapter title: Fun (n.) Something you’re not supposed to do.
Series: Kids R Us
Author: Seftimiu aka Brain Freeze
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't make money off of it.
Warning: It's a kidfic, beware the cuteness and fluff!
Word count for this part: 5,304
Kids will be Kids Part One
Boy (noun) A noise with dirt on it. Part Two
Dad (noun) A wallet with legs. Part Three
Bart stared at Barry and Barry stared back. Wally had managed to freeze the child’s age somewhere around the five year old range and brought him over as soon as he could. Then he had told the kids to “be good” and went to the press conference which was finally getting started in the other room. Once more, Tim was asked to watch the children. While Tim had sighed and thought it would have been better to ask more than one person to help him, he had agreed to do so.
Tim was also attempting to listen in to the press conference because he wanted to know what story Superman was going to tell the press. He knew they were having the magic users check into the situation and had a few suspects. This wasn’t the first time someone had played with their ages, after all. Just the first time it had been so random!
Bart glanced over at him to see if he was really watching them or not. “So,thisiskindofboring.” The kid pouted. Tim had been weird around him and he had mentally labeled Tim as ‘boring’ along with the rest of the adults.
“Huh?” Barry frowned and made a face. “What did he say?” He looked at the other children beside him, hoping they caught it. Lex shook his head and the Martian looked like he was getting a headache.
“I dunnooooooo.” Bruce shrugged, holding his arms up in complete confusion.
“Weshouldgoplay.” Bart decided as he bounced so fast that he blurred.
Barry squinted at the kid. “What?”
“Weshouldplay.”
“Huh?” They all intoned together.
“Play!” Bart huffed. Slow. These kids were SLOW! He stomped his foot and ran around the room quickly.
“Whoa.” Bruce stared wide eyed. He was impressed. And Alfred thought he was hyperactive. “You fast.”
“Thefastest!” Bart said proudly, puffing out his chest. “Comeonwhilehe’snotwatching!”
“Huh?” Barry sighed. He was starting to get a headache too. He was too young for headaches!
Bart just grabbed his arm and pulled. The other children followed, leaving Tim alone to try to eavesdrop while they snuck away on tiptoes. The door silently slid closed behind them.
A few minutes later “Not again!” Tim groaned dropping his head into his hands. Nightwing was going to kill him!
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“While the situation is startling, it is well in hand. We have suspects and our investigators are looking into ways of reversing or stabilizing the situation.” Superman was telling the press. He had combed his hair and to all appearances was the same solid, respectable, and in control hero they all loved and looked to in a crisis. None of the reporters were aware that he’d been flailing not half an hour ago and on the verge of tears. Now he gave them a confident smile and told them that he couldn’t give them much information due to it being classified.
Most of the nation was watching this press conference, not because they were affected by this weirdness, but because as always it was fascinating to watch. Though there was at least one group in Missouri that was watching because they too lived the weirdness, as always. If it affected Flash, it tended to affect them too.
On the television screen behind Superman one of the monitors came to life. It was difficult at first to tell what it was showing, and none of the superheroes seemed to take any notice. The press made a noise as one, confused.
“What the hell is that?” Cold mumbled as he watched the television, tilting his head this way and that, trying to make heads or tails of the image on the screen. In his lap Lisa was sleeping peacefully, peaches still smeared on her cheek. He’d washed her as best he could, but he didn’t want to get too rough because a sleeping Lisa was a Lisa that was definitely content. Digger was sprawled beside him, passed out as well. Children were scattered everywhere, snoring peacefully. Cold wanted it to stay that way for a while too!
“Dunno.” Mick frowned. “Is that, a nose?” He squinted at the television.
“We believe that an intelligent being is controlling…” Superman frowned. It was as though the press was no longer listening to him, and he wasn’t used to that. Suddenly, he realized that they were focusing on something behind him. He glanced behind him and visibly startled.
A brown haired boy was pulling back from the camera that was hooked to the monitor. “Ooo, whas dis?” He asked a blond boy beside him. Both boys were kneeling and moving the camera around as judged by the fact that the picture kept shaking.
“Dunno. Sumptin ta eat?” The blond asked. His hair was so blond it was golden. “I’mma hungry!” He whined.
“Nah.” A huge eye was now on the monitor as the boy looked into the camera. “I dink sumptin inside. I has TOOLS!” He crowed happily, taking out a toy screwdriver. He also had a toy hammer and was tapping on the lens.
“Oooo Teddy, I dun’t dink you should do dat.” The blond said as he reached over, trying to stop the other boy.
“Awww, Mikey. You no funsies.” Teddy pronounced. “I take it apart and finds out whas inside.” He pronounced. “Id’ll be neat-o!”
“Uhh… uh…” Superman gestured frantically to the other heroes, and then smoothed his hair down, after once more starting to tousle it into a mess.
“I’m on it!” Wally called out and zipped away to gather Booster and Beetle before they could cause much more damage. The lens already had a new crack in it. The reporters were mumbling and some were tittering in amusement.
“Um, as… as I was saying.” Superman glanced behind him to make sure that monitor was off and cleared his throat, wiping at his face for a second before trying to regain his posture. “An intelligence of some kind is apparently controlling who comes back and where they are placed. It would seem that they wish to make sure that the children are found; as you’ve just seen.” He tried to smile at that.
“Tell us something we don’t know, idiot.” Cold grumbled at the television, even though he was amused to see that they were doing just about as well as they have been. Cold surveyed the room and took note that it was actually a lot cleaner than it had been, because they’d had to make it more kid safe. Oh, it was a mess in that there were toys all over, as well as the fact that the kids themselves seemed to clutter the room. But there was a noticeable absence of the usual beer cans and weapons that usually took up the surfaces in the room.
Flash came back into view on the television, a kid under each arm and whispered into Superman’s ear before running off again. Cold noted the tense look on Flash’s face, the worried look. He grimaced. Kids probably done something else, eh? He knew the feeling. Of course, Cold often felt that way about his adult Rogues too.
“I’m afraid that this must conclude the press conference. We will continue to supply information as we can. Don’t be concerned, we’re taking care of the matter.” Superman spoke quickly even as he was backing up and hurrying toward the door. Despite how he tried to hurry at a dignified pace and escape, one of the camera’s microphones still picked up, “What do you mean you don’t know where they are?” Superman hissed as he went through the door, Flash waiting on the other side.
Cold’s mouth dropped open and he gave a snort of disbelief. “Okay, so they’re doing worse than we are.”
Heatwave covered his eyes and groaned. “Kiddy superheroes? And they’ve lost track of them?” He looked down at the kids that were sacked out on the floor and various surfaces taking a nap. Mick had been putting together toys and reading instructions during the news conference as he’d been doing steadily since they got home earlier. “Maybe we should, I dunno… tag them.”
“So we can track them down if they wander off?” Cold raised his brows and surveyed the children as well. “Might be an idea there. Doesn’t have to be invasive. Put it on their ankle, like home-arrest. Carry the main device on us, have it set so that if they wander farther than so many feet, it goes off. I think this has potential.”
The unnamed blond boy turned in his sleep and rubbed his eyes, speaking in his sleep; a rarity indeed since the boy rarely made any noise at all. “Momma. Momma, I sowwy.” He muttered. He whimpered and was beginning to cry in his sleep. Mick and Len shared a look. Len especially could identify with such things as a kid, not that he’d ever admit it.
Mick frowned and reached down, gently picking the child up in his arms and sitting down on the other side of Len so as not to disturb Digger. “Hey kid… what’s wrong?” He brushed the kid’s hair down.
The child frowned and looked around confused for a moment before snuggling back in against Mick’s chest. He shook his head.
“Hey, you got a voice. We just heard it so, use it.” Len softly growled.
The kid shook his head hiding his face against Mick’s chest then whispering very quietly, he finally said, “Seen. Not heard.”
Len pursed his lips. “Well, that explains that.” He grumbled to himself because it wasn’t unusual really for their generation, a lot of parents subscribed to that belief, though it sucked balls. “Heard the same shit growing up too, not that I ever listened then or now.”
“Kiddo, you gotta notice by now, we don’t care if you make noise.” Mick pet the boy’s hair. “Just tell us your name?”
The child, still tired, and confused, cuddled close and finally whispered. “Roscoe.”
Len tightened his grip inadvertently on Lisa, a low noise in his throat. But he relaxed his grip when she made a noise of discomfort, waking up with a disgruntled look on her face.
“He’s just a kid.” Mick gave Len a small warning growl of his own, twisting slightly to the side, away from Len.
“Won’t always be.” Len muttered a wary eye on the boy that was once more sleeping in Mick’s protective grip. Lisa was wiggling, trying to get down. He finally let her get onto the floor and watched as she crawled a few feet to start poking one of the sleeping Roguelets. Sammy muttered in his sleep and turned over, trying to ignore the baby that was trying to wake him.
“Right here, right now, he is.” Mick kept his voice low and quiet, watching as Roscoe twitched in his sleep. The boy had fallen asleep in his arms with complete trust. “Whatever went wrong with him as an adult? It ain’t happened yet. Maybe, we can stop it from ever happenin’.”
Len nodded, but still looked stern, watching Lisa intently regardless.
“You’re just an ass.” Mick muttered more to himself and Len.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
High above the Earth and still rather far away, two Green Lanterns had their hands full. Not with an intergalactic war, and not with any armadas. It wasn’t some deadly disease in which they had to get much needed medicine to the natives, nor was it one of those situations where they had to engage in diplomacy… well, not the normal kind, at least. “Hal, settle your ass down.” Guy called out.
“WHEEEEEEEEE VOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!” The light brown haired boy was jumping up and down. Beside him, the other boy who had already introduced himself as “Johnny” was sniffling in fear. No matter how much Guy and Kyle tried to assure him, the boy refused to believe that the bubbles wouldn’t ‘pop’.
They were inside a green sphere, being dragged behind the two Green Lanterns. “Hal, you need to stop jumping up and down. You’re scaring Johnny again.” Kyle used his most reasonable voice, coming up behind the sphere and looking in at them. But even he was becoming more stressed as time passed. Hal had more energy than he usually attributed to Wally!
Guy continued to haul the children while Kyle spoke to the boys, alternating between chastising Hal and comforting John.
“Scaredy cat, scaredy cat. Pblblblblbt” Hal waggled his butt at the other boy.
“I know a little boy that’s going to be sent to the corner as soon as we land.” Guy called back behind him, the ring carrying his voice to the children and Kyle. “Sit down and stop scaring, Johnny.”
“Pblblblblblbt!” Hal blew another raspberry, this time at Guy.
“I knew he was a brat. I just knew it!” Guy told Kyle pointing at Hal. “If I had talked that way to my dad…” He trailed off, grimacing. No, no he wouldn’t go there.
“I know. I know.” Kyle held up his hands, trying to placate Guy before turning back to the kids. “Maybe we should separate them. I’ll fly one and you fly the other.” He suggested.
They paused in their flight to separate the kids, being careful not to expose them to space itself. Guy took John while Kyle took charge of Hyper-Hal.
They weren’t two minutes into their resumed flight before, “WAHHHHH WAHHHHH!”
“Hal! Hal what’s wrong?” Kyle stopped to turn to the boy in his sphere.
Hal tearfully pointed at Johnny and Guy. “I’m scawred.” He wibbled and wept pitifully.
“You weren’t scared with Johnny. You were actively scaring Johnny.” Kyle groaned.
Hal continued to cry.
“Okay, NEW plan… we smoosh them back together in the same sphere.” Kyle came up to Guy, still hauling Hal behind him.
“He terrified Johnny with his jumping!” Guy protested, pointing at the boy in his sphere. John had calmed down, though he was still rather frightened at the concept of space flight.
“Yeah well now he’s scared to be alone.” Kyle explained, pointing back at Hal.
Guy created a wall and banged his head against the construct. Kyle patted him on the shoulder and sighed.
It was going to be a loooong flight to Earth.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“Where could they be? They couldn’t have gotten far.” Superman was using his vision to try to find the kids and was quickly starting to panic.
Wally was still holding on to Mini-Beetle and Mini-Booster. “I don’t know. I left them with Robin and…”
“I only turned around for a minute.” Robin swore, almost flailing at this point. “They’re usually so loud I don’t know how they quietly gave me the slip.”
“Because kids are loud until they are sneaky, then they are like ninjas!” Wally frantically yelled. “We’ve gotta find them. Barry and Bart could be anywhere by now!”
“They couldn’t have gotten off the station… could they?” Diana asked worriedly, still holding Donna and patting her absently while swaying.
As one they hurried to the transporter room.
They did.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“Ooooh, J’onnnnnn you is smart.” Barry looked around, impressed. “How’d you doooo that?”
Saw it in their heads. Did what they did backward. The small Martian boy answered.
“That’s neat.” Barry looked around, and then frowned. “Where are we?”
“Thisiswherethatguygotme!” Bart zipped around them quickly.
“Huh?” Bruce frowned.
Lex sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “You talk too fast.”
“Youguystalkslow.” Bart insisted.
“How we go back?” Bruce asked, starting to get a little scared now.
They all frowned. Too far away to see their minds. J’onn realized in horror.
Soon, there was sniffling and tears. It always ends in tears.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Mark had been on a diaper and food run when he saw the group of children. At first he hadn’t thought anything of it, until he realized one of them was green. Completely green.
He braked hard and put it into reverse. “Oh, CRAP!” He stared in shock at the group.
Putting the car in park, he groaned. What should he do? If he left them, who knows what manner of pervert or jerk could get to them? But if he took them home, who knows what Cold would do to him!
Banging his head against the steering wheel, he finally put it into park and got out. “Hey kids, hi… I’m Mark. I know you’re scared, but it will be all right.”
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“WHAT?” Cold gaped as the new kids were marched into the hideout. “Have you lost your mind? Those are CAPES!”
Lisa began to sniffle, and Cold bounced her on his knee, trying to get her to calm down. “Oh, sweetie, I’m not yelling at you! I’m yelling at your crazy Uncle Markie who has lost his damn MIND!”
“Ohhhh, you said a swears! You gotta pay the swear jar.” Bruce told him from where he hid behind Mark’s leg. Most of the new kids were hiding behind Mark, except Bart who was zipping around looking at everything and everyone.
“They were on the sidewalk crying. I couldn’t just leave them there!” Mark pled his case. “Someone might hurt them! They’re just little kids.”
“They aren’t ours. We gotta put them back.” Len groaned. “They’re going to go after us if we keep capes.”
“I wasn’t meaning we ‘keep’ them. Just kinda… you know… not let them get hurt.” Mark said awkwardly.
Lex sneezed and coughed.
Mick went over to him and picked him up. “Lennnnn.” He gave him ‘eyes’.
“No, we can’t keep them.” Len insisted.
Lex put his thumb in his mouth and wibbled.
“Lennnnn?” Mick bounced Lex a little, rubbing his back. “Look at him, he needs help. He’s congested!”
“Oh, god!” Len sat down heavily and groaned as Digger crawled back into his lap. Seconds later, Bart was pushing his way into his lap as well. Digger and Bart pushed one another for a few seconds. “Hey be careful, Lisa is here too… My lap isn’t that big…”
Somehow, all three ended up precariously in his lap.
Len let his head fall backwards. “No. More. Kids!” He warned Mark. “This isn’t a daycare!”
Evan stepped inside, a bundle in each of his arms, tiny little cries and cooing from within the blanket. “Hey, look what I found! A TWOFER!”
If looks could kill, Evan would have been a dead man. Oh god, let’s not mention Deadman. That was the last thing Len needed too. He closed his eyes, and tried not to think about it too much.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They were trying to coordinate the search. They had a good idea what general area the kids probably landed in, since they had merely just gone back to the point that Wally had left. But when they arrived to start searching, of course the kids had already left the area somehow.
Superman flew above while Wally and Jay searched via the ground. Diana was attempting to quiet Donna once more while standing in the main command center with the remaining adults. So far, they weren’t having much luck and the heroes were getting not only frustrated but more fearful.
It didn’t help that it was all over the news that they’d lost track of some children and common opinion was that they should be held for endangerment. The police were also complaining because as they put it, they should be assisting in the search. Unfortunately, they were being refused because of the secret identity issue. The situation was reaching a boiling point and the Justice League wasn’t looking good.
Clark heard a muffled cry and swooped down, hoping it was one of the children. He was startled though when he found himself in a warehouse confronted with a tube of ‘goo’. Inside, was a baby; a baby that had a small mask on his face. “Good lord.” He gaped. “Team!” He gave the address, and was soon met by the speedsters.
“What the hell…” Wally walked around the container.
“I don’t know. I just…” Clark used his vision to carefully go over the equipment and the baby floating inside the tube.
Jay scratched his head, removing his helmet for a second. “Looks like an artificial womb?” He suggested. “I mean, the way I’d imagine one to look.” He shook his head.
At that moment, Clark choked out the name. “Kon?” He put his hands on the tube. “It’s Kon!”
When Clark had first met the boy it was after the Doomsday fiasco and the boy had escaped from where he was ‘made’. The clone had wanted to ‘be’ him, and Clark had understandably been wary of the clone. It was made worse when he later found out that the boy was a result of his DNA and Lex Luthor’s. They’d never really formed what could be called a real father-son relationship, and was instead like distant cousins at times, but he had finally gifted Kon with a Kryptonian name and his family name of El.
It was different though. As a teenager with attitude, the boy had been… it was just different. Now this was an infant. A baby. A new life. Really? It shouldn’t be different. He should have felt like this to see the teenager. He didn’t know it then, but he knows it now. He feels like a heel. What the hell is wrong with him? This child is part him, but so was the teenage version. Batman took in pre-teens and teenagers with absolutely no connection to him biologically…
Clark put a hand on the tube. The baby opened his blue eyes, unable to focus and Clark heard the meek little cry once more. Grown in a tube, information downloaded into his brain, and that was no way to grow up. His parents had adopted him, and loved him as their own. Why the hell couldn’t he bring himself to do the same?
The baby was full term.
He made his decision. “I’m getting him out. You two keep looking for the others, I’ll join you when I have Kon settled at base.”
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
It was amazing that Superman had not been able to hear the children, and really that was a testament mostly to the innovations that they’d made over the years when it came to keeping their safe house actually ‘safe’. Never knew if Flash would get it in his head to team up with Superman or some other meta.
The safe house was loud and chaotic. Children were playing in all corners and out in the open. Some sat on the couch, playing the game system while the others played with toys or played imagination games.
The only one not playing was the newfound babies who were somehow sleeping through the noise and little Lex. The babies had finally been identified as Owen and Josh, and they were asleep together in a bassinet while Mick held Lex.
“We need to get him to a doctor.” Mick was telling Cold quietly. “His breathing is getting worse.”
Cold pursed his lips and frowned. He knew Mick was right. He could hear the boy’s ragged breathing as well.
Mark was in the corner tinkering with the gadgets that they had come up with. Cold looked back over at him and asked, “How much longer?”
“I’ve just about got it. I just gotta make sure they are all on the same frequency and it’ll be fine. It’s a good thing we already had the basics from past heists with Piper and Trickster as well as home-arrests in the past. It was just a matter of applying it to something uh… non-criminal.” Mark laughed quietly.
“Meet them at the clinic when you’re done.” Cold ordered grimly. “Mick, get the kids ready, you take group two and I’ll stay with our group.”
But a new problem became apparent as they tried to separate the two groups of children. They wanted to play together. They were all “having fun”. One even started demanding a sleep over!
“They have to go home, and Lex needs to get some medicine.” Mick tried to explain.
Bruce was latched onto Hartley and James. “Nuuuuuuu, wanna playyyyyy! He teacheded me to rollllllll!” He actually meant a somersault, but he didn’t have the right words for it. “And he waves hands and cookies come!”
More like, Hartley signed for them, and a spoiling Mick tended to dispense them every time! And because he shared, that meant everyone got cookies when Hartley signed for them.
No, Bruce wasn’t letting go of his two new friends, he had a death grip on them.
Len could already predict there was going to be tears soon. “Okay, okay, how about this… we all go to the clinic. Figure you snotnoses need to be checked anyway, but then, they need to go home and…”
He looked at Mick for help.
“… and we’ll try to arrange a playdate!” Mick offered desperately. “You’ll get to see your friends again!” He promised.
The yelling of the word ‘yay’ was deafening for those that could hear.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The clinic was actually a free clinic in a bad section of town. One of the doctors, Samantha Vang, who worked there, lived above it. It was a little known fact among some of the criminal element that if you didn’t supply too much information, she’d help you for a fee. The offer wasn’t spread around or commonly known because it was mostly Rogues she dealt with. She used the money she got from the crooks to fund the clinic. She felt the new breed of criminal was far more untrustworthy than the old school crooks and thus that is why she stuck to the old school Rogues.
Still, even she was surprised to find a van full of kids arriving on her doorstep with Cold and Heatwave leading the way.
“What the he-ck is going on?” She knew as well as most that there was aging problems going on, but it hadn’t occurred to her that it had happened here or with the Rogues.
“We got a whole crew for you to check over, doc. But this one is the one that needs your help. Can’t breathe for… crap.” Heatwave carried Lex to the woman.
“We need to go downstairs. My equipment is in the clinic itself.” Samantha frowned as she listened to the boy’s breathing even without benefit of equipment. “How did you get so many? And who are they all?”
“Some are capes.” Cold grimaced.
She startled sucking in a breath. “Oh, my god. Did… their names?” She whispered. While police and heroes were not among her favorites due to childhood experiences, she realized the implications would be severe and the repercussions extensive if it became common knowledge the heroes secret identity.
“Well, that’s Lex Luthor.” Cold nodded to the boy that Mick was still carrying as they all trampled down the stairs sounding like a herd of elephants. “The others…” He sighed. “Okay, yeah, we know their names. Had to have something to call them! And yeah, we know what could be done with those names. But…” He failed to come up for a reason to use.
“We’re not going to tell their enemies.” Mick finished for him. “We’re as- jerks, but not that kind of jerk. We used to have chances all the time to find out who Flash was, and most the time we never bothered. It wasn’t sporting. And yeah, it got serious over the last few years. But…”
He looked down at the kids that had begun to play again now that they were in the closed waiting room. Mick shook his head. “They’re just kids.” He finished weakly. “We used to have standards.”
Cold grimaced. He looked down at Lisa in his arms and nodded. “Guess it is time to re-evaluate and re-embrace those standards.” He admitted, quietly, not so much reluctantly as he didn’t want to admit he’d abandoned them in the first place.
“Well, let me see this little guy first.” She decided. “The rest, I’ll just give them a general look-see, but I don’t think an intense exam is really necessary unless they are complaining.” She explained.
“Hey little guy, I’m Doctor Sam. Ohhhh, you don’t sound like you feel too good.” She said as she took Lex out of Mick’s arms. Lex shook his head and his red curls swayed with the motion.
The other children played in a room for ‘well checks’ and had a supply of toys inside, while she worked on trying to get Lex breathing well. “He needs to have regular breathing treatments. He also needs a place where very few allergens can trigger an attack.” She finally explained to the adult Rogues. Lex was quietly napping with a mask on his face while she gave a quick exam to each kid.
She called the men to her after a while. “You might want to…” She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. “Some of your kids here, they’ve been physically abused.”
Mick and Len growled and started to protest their innocence before she held up her hands. “I’m not saying you two did it. I’m saying… I’m saying it came from before you got them. They’re healed way too good for it to have been you guys. It was probably, their parents.” She explained quietly. “A couple of them, looks like spankings went too far. Left marks on them on their backs and back legs. But a couple of them, there’s marks that well… Digger over there, for example, scar tissue on his feet. That’s typical of someone that had their feet stuck in boiling water.”
Len made a face, not sure how to even figure out why someone would do that. Sure he’d had the piss beat out of him as a kid. Embarrassed, beaten, and abused mentally, emotionally, and physically. But boiling water on the feet sounded, demented somehow and he said so.
“You’d be surprised how common it is.” She pressed her lips together. “It’s not always done with water, no, but a lot of abusers try to avoid places that show easily. They like places that can be covered or excused. Cigarette burns are common too. Roscoe looks like he’s been switched a lot. All I’m saying is, the kids are doing well right now. They are happy and thriving. But there will be times when they won’t be doing that well. You need to be prepared for those times.” She warned them.
Len grimaced and shared a look with Mick. “We’ll call you, because we might need help.” He admitted. After all, they’d never worked their way past their own issues, how would they help a bunch of kids if they started having nightmares or acting out due to their past?
Mark arrived shortly after with the equipment. Len nodded to himself as each of the Justice League’s children were outfitted with an ankle bracelet that reminded him of home arrest. A small box was given to the doctor with it explained so she could explain it to the Justice League. The story would be that they stormed her clinic and demanded help. Len had written a note while the children played and Lex was given his treatment.
It was still a battle to separate the two groups of children, even with a promise of another playdate in the future.
They had already pulled away and were tooling down the street when the Justice League arrived to gratefully collect their kids. The note was simple and to the point: Since you can’t keep track of your brats, we made sure you can’t fucking lose them again. Don’t fuck up again. Don’t trust the speedster kid, he’s the ringleader. Have Wally contact us later.
As Superman read the note, he wasn’t sure whether to be angry or grateful. He settled for holding Lex and promising not to lose him again.
Series: Kids R Us
Author: Seftimiu aka Brain Freeze
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't make money off of it.
Warning: It's a kidfic, beware the cuteness and fluff!
Word count for this part: 5,304
Kids will be Kids Part One
Boy (noun) A noise with dirt on it. Part Two
Dad (noun) A wallet with legs. Part Three
Bart stared at Barry and Barry stared back. Wally had managed to freeze the child’s age somewhere around the five year old range and brought him over as soon as he could. Then he had told the kids to “be good” and went to the press conference which was finally getting started in the other room. Once more, Tim was asked to watch the children. While Tim had sighed and thought it would have been better to ask more than one person to help him, he had agreed to do so.
Tim was also attempting to listen in to the press conference because he wanted to know what story Superman was going to tell the press. He knew they were having the magic users check into the situation and had a few suspects. This wasn’t the first time someone had played with their ages, after all. Just the first time it had been so random!
Bart glanced over at him to see if he was really watching them or not. “So,thisiskindofboring.” The kid pouted. Tim had been weird around him and he had mentally labeled Tim as ‘boring’ along with the rest of the adults.
“Huh?” Barry frowned and made a face. “What did he say?” He looked at the other children beside him, hoping they caught it. Lex shook his head and the Martian looked like he was getting a headache.
“I dunnooooooo.” Bruce shrugged, holding his arms up in complete confusion.
“Weshouldgoplay.” Bart decided as he bounced so fast that he blurred.
Barry squinted at the kid. “What?”
“Weshouldplay.”
“Huh?” They all intoned together.
“Play!” Bart huffed. Slow. These kids were SLOW! He stomped his foot and ran around the room quickly.
“Whoa.” Bruce stared wide eyed. He was impressed. And Alfred thought he was hyperactive. “You fast.”
“Thefastest!” Bart said proudly, puffing out his chest. “Comeonwhilehe’snotwatching!”
“Huh?” Barry sighed. He was starting to get a headache too. He was too young for headaches!
Bart just grabbed his arm and pulled. The other children followed, leaving Tim alone to try to eavesdrop while they snuck away on tiptoes. The door silently slid closed behind them.
A few minutes later “Not again!” Tim groaned dropping his head into his hands. Nightwing was going to kill him!
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“While the situation is startling, it is well in hand. We have suspects and our investigators are looking into ways of reversing or stabilizing the situation.” Superman was telling the press. He had combed his hair and to all appearances was the same solid, respectable, and in control hero they all loved and looked to in a crisis. None of the reporters were aware that he’d been flailing not half an hour ago and on the verge of tears. Now he gave them a confident smile and told them that he couldn’t give them much information due to it being classified.
Most of the nation was watching this press conference, not because they were affected by this weirdness, but because as always it was fascinating to watch. Though there was at least one group in Missouri that was watching because they too lived the weirdness, as always. If it affected Flash, it tended to affect them too.
On the television screen behind Superman one of the monitors came to life. It was difficult at first to tell what it was showing, and none of the superheroes seemed to take any notice. The press made a noise as one, confused.
“What the hell is that?” Cold mumbled as he watched the television, tilting his head this way and that, trying to make heads or tails of the image on the screen. In his lap Lisa was sleeping peacefully, peaches still smeared on her cheek. He’d washed her as best he could, but he didn’t want to get too rough because a sleeping Lisa was a Lisa that was definitely content. Digger was sprawled beside him, passed out as well. Children were scattered everywhere, snoring peacefully. Cold wanted it to stay that way for a while too!
“Dunno.” Mick frowned. “Is that, a nose?” He squinted at the television.
“We believe that an intelligent being is controlling…” Superman frowned. It was as though the press was no longer listening to him, and he wasn’t used to that. Suddenly, he realized that they were focusing on something behind him. He glanced behind him and visibly startled.
A brown haired boy was pulling back from the camera that was hooked to the monitor. “Ooo, whas dis?” He asked a blond boy beside him. Both boys were kneeling and moving the camera around as judged by the fact that the picture kept shaking.
“Dunno. Sumptin ta eat?” The blond asked. His hair was so blond it was golden. “I’mma hungry!” He whined.
“Nah.” A huge eye was now on the monitor as the boy looked into the camera. “I dink sumptin inside. I has TOOLS!” He crowed happily, taking out a toy screwdriver. He also had a toy hammer and was tapping on the lens.
“Oooo Teddy, I dun’t dink you should do dat.” The blond said as he reached over, trying to stop the other boy.
“Awww, Mikey. You no funsies.” Teddy pronounced. “I take it apart and finds out whas inside.” He pronounced. “Id’ll be neat-o!”
“Uhh… uh…” Superman gestured frantically to the other heroes, and then smoothed his hair down, after once more starting to tousle it into a mess.
“I’m on it!” Wally called out and zipped away to gather Booster and Beetle before they could cause much more damage. The lens already had a new crack in it. The reporters were mumbling and some were tittering in amusement.
“Um, as… as I was saying.” Superman glanced behind him to make sure that monitor was off and cleared his throat, wiping at his face for a second before trying to regain his posture. “An intelligence of some kind is apparently controlling who comes back and where they are placed. It would seem that they wish to make sure that the children are found; as you’ve just seen.” He tried to smile at that.
“Tell us something we don’t know, idiot.” Cold grumbled at the television, even though he was amused to see that they were doing just about as well as they have been. Cold surveyed the room and took note that it was actually a lot cleaner than it had been, because they’d had to make it more kid safe. Oh, it was a mess in that there were toys all over, as well as the fact that the kids themselves seemed to clutter the room. But there was a noticeable absence of the usual beer cans and weapons that usually took up the surfaces in the room.
Flash came back into view on the television, a kid under each arm and whispered into Superman’s ear before running off again. Cold noted the tense look on Flash’s face, the worried look. He grimaced. Kids probably done something else, eh? He knew the feeling. Of course, Cold often felt that way about his adult Rogues too.
“I’m afraid that this must conclude the press conference. We will continue to supply information as we can. Don’t be concerned, we’re taking care of the matter.” Superman spoke quickly even as he was backing up and hurrying toward the door. Despite how he tried to hurry at a dignified pace and escape, one of the camera’s microphones still picked up, “What do you mean you don’t know where they are?” Superman hissed as he went through the door, Flash waiting on the other side.
Cold’s mouth dropped open and he gave a snort of disbelief. “Okay, so they’re doing worse than we are.”
Heatwave covered his eyes and groaned. “Kiddy superheroes? And they’ve lost track of them?” He looked down at the kids that were sacked out on the floor and various surfaces taking a nap. Mick had been putting together toys and reading instructions during the news conference as he’d been doing steadily since they got home earlier. “Maybe we should, I dunno… tag them.”
“So we can track them down if they wander off?” Cold raised his brows and surveyed the children as well. “Might be an idea there. Doesn’t have to be invasive. Put it on their ankle, like home-arrest. Carry the main device on us, have it set so that if they wander farther than so many feet, it goes off. I think this has potential.”
The unnamed blond boy turned in his sleep and rubbed his eyes, speaking in his sleep; a rarity indeed since the boy rarely made any noise at all. “Momma. Momma, I sowwy.” He muttered. He whimpered and was beginning to cry in his sleep. Mick and Len shared a look. Len especially could identify with such things as a kid, not that he’d ever admit it.
Mick frowned and reached down, gently picking the child up in his arms and sitting down on the other side of Len so as not to disturb Digger. “Hey kid… what’s wrong?” He brushed the kid’s hair down.
The child frowned and looked around confused for a moment before snuggling back in against Mick’s chest. He shook his head.
“Hey, you got a voice. We just heard it so, use it.” Len softly growled.
The kid shook his head hiding his face against Mick’s chest then whispering very quietly, he finally said, “Seen. Not heard.”
Len pursed his lips. “Well, that explains that.” He grumbled to himself because it wasn’t unusual really for their generation, a lot of parents subscribed to that belief, though it sucked balls. “Heard the same shit growing up too, not that I ever listened then or now.”
“Kiddo, you gotta notice by now, we don’t care if you make noise.” Mick pet the boy’s hair. “Just tell us your name?”
The child, still tired, and confused, cuddled close and finally whispered. “Roscoe.”
Len tightened his grip inadvertently on Lisa, a low noise in his throat. But he relaxed his grip when she made a noise of discomfort, waking up with a disgruntled look on her face.
“He’s just a kid.” Mick gave Len a small warning growl of his own, twisting slightly to the side, away from Len.
“Won’t always be.” Len muttered a wary eye on the boy that was once more sleeping in Mick’s protective grip. Lisa was wiggling, trying to get down. He finally let her get onto the floor and watched as she crawled a few feet to start poking one of the sleeping Roguelets. Sammy muttered in his sleep and turned over, trying to ignore the baby that was trying to wake him.
“Right here, right now, he is.” Mick kept his voice low and quiet, watching as Roscoe twitched in his sleep. The boy had fallen asleep in his arms with complete trust. “Whatever went wrong with him as an adult? It ain’t happened yet. Maybe, we can stop it from ever happenin’.”
Len nodded, but still looked stern, watching Lisa intently regardless.
“You’re just an ass.” Mick muttered more to himself and Len.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
High above the Earth and still rather far away, two Green Lanterns had their hands full. Not with an intergalactic war, and not with any armadas. It wasn’t some deadly disease in which they had to get much needed medicine to the natives, nor was it one of those situations where they had to engage in diplomacy… well, not the normal kind, at least. “Hal, settle your ass down.” Guy called out.
“WHEEEEEEEEE VOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!” The light brown haired boy was jumping up and down. Beside him, the other boy who had already introduced himself as “Johnny” was sniffling in fear. No matter how much Guy and Kyle tried to assure him, the boy refused to believe that the bubbles wouldn’t ‘pop’.
They were inside a green sphere, being dragged behind the two Green Lanterns. “Hal, you need to stop jumping up and down. You’re scaring Johnny again.” Kyle used his most reasonable voice, coming up behind the sphere and looking in at them. But even he was becoming more stressed as time passed. Hal had more energy than he usually attributed to Wally!
Guy continued to haul the children while Kyle spoke to the boys, alternating between chastising Hal and comforting John.
“Scaredy cat, scaredy cat. Pblblblblbt” Hal waggled his butt at the other boy.
“I know a little boy that’s going to be sent to the corner as soon as we land.” Guy called back behind him, the ring carrying his voice to the children and Kyle. “Sit down and stop scaring, Johnny.”
“Pblblblblblbt!” Hal blew another raspberry, this time at Guy.
“I knew he was a brat. I just knew it!” Guy told Kyle pointing at Hal. “If I had talked that way to my dad…” He trailed off, grimacing. No, no he wouldn’t go there.
“I know. I know.” Kyle held up his hands, trying to placate Guy before turning back to the kids. “Maybe we should separate them. I’ll fly one and you fly the other.” He suggested.
They paused in their flight to separate the kids, being careful not to expose them to space itself. Guy took John while Kyle took charge of Hyper-Hal.
They weren’t two minutes into their resumed flight before, “WAHHHHH WAHHHHH!”
“Hal! Hal what’s wrong?” Kyle stopped to turn to the boy in his sphere.
Hal tearfully pointed at Johnny and Guy. “I’m scawred.” He wibbled and wept pitifully.
“You weren’t scared with Johnny. You were actively scaring Johnny.” Kyle groaned.
Hal continued to cry.
“Okay, NEW plan… we smoosh them back together in the same sphere.” Kyle came up to Guy, still hauling Hal behind him.
“He terrified Johnny with his jumping!” Guy protested, pointing at the boy in his sphere. John had calmed down, though he was still rather frightened at the concept of space flight.
“Yeah well now he’s scared to be alone.” Kyle explained, pointing back at Hal.
Guy created a wall and banged his head against the construct. Kyle patted him on the shoulder and sighed.
It was going to be a loooong flight to Earth.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“Where could they be? They couldn’t have gotten far.” Superman was using his vision to try to find the kids and was quickly starting to panic.
Wally was still holding on to Mini-Beetle and Mini-Booster. “I don’t know. I left them with Robin and…”
“I only turned around for a minute.” Robin swore, almost flailing at this point. “They’re usually so loud I don’t know how they quietly gave me the slip.”
“Because kids are loud until they are sneaky, then they are like ninjas!” Wally frantically yelled. “We’ve gotta find them. Barry and Bart could be anywhere by now!”
“They couldn’t have gotten off the station… could they?” Diana asked worriedly, still holding Donna and patting her absently while swaying.
As one they hurried to the transporter room.
They did.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“Ooooh, J’onnnnnn you is smart.” Barry looked around, impressed. “How’d you doooo that?”
Saw it in their heads. Did what they did backward. The small Martian boy answered.
“That’s neat.” Barry looked around, and then frowned. “Where are we?”
“Thisiswherethatguygotme!” Bart zipped around them quickly.
“Huh?” Bruce frowned.
Lex sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “You talk too fast.”
“Youguystalkslow.” Bart insisted.
“How we go back?” Bruce asked, starting to get a little scared now.
They all frowned. Too far away to see their minds. J’onn realized in horror.
Soon, there was sniffling and tears. It always ends in tears.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Mark had been on a diaper and food run when he saw the group of children. At first he hadn’t thought anything of it, until he realized one of them was green. Completely green.
He braked hard and put it into reverse. “Oh, CRAP!” He stared in shock at the group.
Putting the car in park, he groaned. What should he do? If he left them, who knows what manner of pervert or jerk could get to them? But if he took them home, who knows what Cold would do to him!
Banging his head against the steering wheel, he finally put it into park and got out. “Hey kids, hi… I’m Mark. I know you’re scared, but it will be all right.”
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“WHAT?” Cold gaped as the new kids were marched into the hideout. “Have you lost your mind? Those are CAPES!”
Lisa began to sniffle, and Cold bounced her on his knee, trying to get her to calm down. “Oh, sweetie, I’m not yelling at you! I’m yelling at your crazy Uncle Markie who has lost his damn MIND!”
“Ohhhh, you said a swears! You gotta pay the swear jar.” Bruce told him from where he hid behind Mark’s leg. Most of the new kids were hiding behind Mark, except Bart who was zipping around looking at everything and everyone.
“They were on the sidewalk crying. I couldn’t just leave them there!” Mark pled his case. “Someone might hurt them! They’re just little kids.”
“They aren’t ours. We gotta put them back.” Len groaned. “They’re going to go after us if we keep capes.”
“I wasn’t meaning we ‘keep’ them. Just kinda… you know… not let them get hurt.” Mark said awkwardly.
Lex sneezed and coughed.
Mick went over to him and picked him up. “Lennnnn.” He gave him ‘eyes’.
“No, we can’t keep them.” Len insisted.
Lex put his thumb in his mouth and wibbled.
“Lennnnn?” Mick bounced Lex a little, rubbing his back. “Look at him, he needs help. He’s congested!”
“Oh, god!” Len sat down heavily and groaned as Digger crawled back into his lap. Seconds later, Bart was pushing his way into his lap as well. Digger and Bart pushed one another for a few seconds. “Hey be careful, Lisa is here too… My lap isn’t that big…”
Somehow, all three ended up precariously in his lap.
Len let his head fall backwards. “No. More. Kids!” He warned Mark. “This isn’t a daycare!”
Evan stepped inside, a bundle in each of his arms, tiny little cries and cooing from within the blanket. “Hey, look what I found! A TWOFER!”
If looks could kill, Evan would have been a dead man. Oh god, let’s not mention Deadman. That was the last thing Len needed too. He closed his eyes, and tried not to think about it too much.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They were trying to coordinate the search. They had a good idea what general area the kids probably landed in, since they had merely just gone back to the point that Wally had left. But when they arrived to start searching, of course the kids had already left the area somehow.
Superman flew above while Wally and Jay searched via the ground. Diana was attempting to quiet Donna once more while standing in the main command center with the remaining adults. So far, they weren’t having much luck and the heroes were getting not only frustrated but more fearful.
It didn’t help that it was all over the news that they’d lost track of some children and common opinion was that they should be held for endangerment. The police were also complaining because as they put it, they should be assisting in the search. Unfortunately, they were being refused because of the secret identity issue. The situation was reaching a boiling point and the Justice League wasn’t looking good.
Clark heard a muffled cry and swooped down, hoping it was one of the children. He was startled though when he found himself in a warehouse confronted with a tube of ‘goo’. Inside, was a baby; a baby that had a small mask on his face. “Good lord.” He gaped. “Team!” He gave the address, and was soon met by the speedsters.
“What the hell…” Wally walked around the container.
“I don’t know. I just…” Clark used his vision to carefully go over the equipment and the baby floating inside the tube.
Jay scratched his head, removing his helmet for a second. “Looks like an artificial womb?” He suggested. “I mean, the way I’d imagine one to look.” He shook his head.
At that moment, Clark choked out the name. “Kon?” He put his hands on the tube. “It’s Kon!”
When Clark had first met the boy it was after the Doomsday fiasco and the boy had escaped from where he was ‘made’. The clone had wanted to ‘be’ him, and Clark had understandably been wary of the clone. It was made worse when he later found out that the boy was a result of his DNA and Lex Luthor’s. They’d never really formed what could be called a real father-son relationship, and was instead like distant cousins at times, but he had finally gifted Kon with a Kryptonian name and his family name of El.
It was different though. As a teenager with attitude, the boy had been… it was just different. Now this was an infant. A baby. A new life. Really? It shouldn’t be different. He should have felt like this to see the teenager. He didn’t know it then, but he knows it now. He feels like a heel. What the hell is wrong with him? This child is part him, but so was the teenage version. Batman took in pre-teens and teenagers with absolutely no connection to him biologically…
Clark put a hand on the tube. The baby opened his blue eyes, unable to focus and Clark heard the meek little cry once more. Grown in a tube, information downloaded into his brain, and that was no way to grow up. His parents had adopted him, and loved him as their own. Why the hell couldn’t he bring himself to do the same?
The baby was full term.
He made his decision. “I’m getting him out. You two keep looking for the others, I’ll join you when I have Kon settled at base.”
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
It was amazing that Superman had not been able to hear the children, and really that was a testament mostly to the innovations that they’d made over the years when it came to keeping their safe house actually ‘safe’. Never knew if Flash would get it in his head to team up with Superman or some other meta.
The safe house was loud and chaotic. Children were playing in all corners and out in the open. Some sat on the couch, playing the game system while the others played with toys or played imagination games.
The only one not playing was the newfound babies who were somehow sleeping through the noise and little Lex. The babies had finally been identified as Owen and Josh, and they were asleep together in a bassinet while Mick held Lex.
“We need to get him to a doctor.” Mick was telling Cold quietly. “His breathing is getting worse.”
Cold pursed his lips and frowned. He knew Mick was right. He could hear the boy’s ragged breathing as well.
Mark was in the corner tinkering with the gadgets that they had come up with. Cold looked back over at him and asked, “How much longer?”
“I’ve just about got it. I just gotta make sure they are all on the same frequency and it’ll be fine. It’s a good thing we already had the basics from past heists with Piper and Trickster as well as home-arrests in the past. It was just a matter of applying it to something uh… non-criminal.” Mark laughed quietly.
“Meet them at the clinic when you’re done.” Cold ordered grimly. “Mick, get the kids ready, you take group two and I’ll stay with our group.”
But a new problem became apparent as they tried to separate the two groups of children. They wanted to play together. They were all “having fun”. One even started demanding a sleep over!
“They have to go home, and Lex needs to get some medicine.” Mick tried to explain.
Bruce was latched onto Hartley and James. “Nuuuuuuu, wanna playyyyyy! He teacheded me to rollllllll!” He actually meant a somersault, but he didn’t have the right words for it. “And he waves hands and cookies come!”
More like, Hartley signed for them, and a spoiling Mick tended to dispense them every time! And because he shared, that meant everyone got cookies when Hartley signed for them.
No, Bruce wasn’t letting go of his two new friends, he had a death grip on them.
Len could already predict there was going to be tears soon. “Okay, okay, how about this… we all go to the clinic. Figure you snotnoses need to be checked anyway, but then, they need to go home and…”
He looked at Mick for help.
“… and we’ll try to arrange a playdate!” Mick offered desperately. “You’ll get to see your friends again!” He promised.
The yelling of the word ‘yay’ was deafening for those that could hear.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The clinic was actually a free clinic in a bad section of town. One of the doctors, Samantha Vang, who worked there, lived above it. It was a little known fact among some of the criminal element that if you didn’t supply too much information, she’d help you for a fee. The offer wasn’t spread around or commonly known because it was mostly Rogues she dealt with. She used the money she got from the crooks to fund the clinic. She felt the new breed of criminal was far more untrustworthy than the old school crooks and thus that is why she stuck to the old school Rogues.
Still, even she was surprised to find a van full of kids arriving on her doorstep with Cold and Heatwave leading the way.
“What the he-ck is going on?” She knew as well as most that there was aging problems going on, but it hadn’t occurred to her that it had happened here or with the Rogues.
“We got a whole crew for you to check over, doc. But this one is the one that needs your help. Can’t breathe for… crap.” Heatwave carried Lex to the woman.
“We need to go downstairs. My equipment is in the clinic itself.” Samantha frowned as she listened to the boy’s breathing even without benefit of equipment. “How did you get so many? And who are they all?”
“Some are capes.” Cold grimaced.
She startled sucking in a breath. “Oh, my god. Did… their names?” She whispered. While police and heroes were not among her favorites due to childhood experiences, she realized the implications would be severe and the repercussions extensive if it became common knowledge the heroes secret identity.
“Well, that’s Lex Luthor.” Cold nodded to the boy that Mick was still carrying as they all trampled down the stairs sounding like a herd of elephants. “The others…” He sighed. “Okay, yeah, we know their names. Had to have something to call them! And yeah, we know what could be done with those names. But…” He failed to come up for a reason to use.
“We’re not going to tell their enemies.” Mick finished for him. “We’re as- jerks, but not that kind of jerk. We used to have chances all the time to find out who Flash was, and most the time we never bothered. It wasn’t sporting. And yeah, it got serious over the last few years. But…”
He looked down at the kids that had begun to play again now that they were in the closed waiting room. Mick shook his head. “They’re just kids.” He finished weakly. “We used to have standards.”
Cold grimaced. He looked down at Lisa in his arms and nodded. “Guess it is time to re-evaluate and re-embrace those standards.” He admitted, quietly, not so much reluctantly as he didn’t want to admit he’d abandoned them in the first place.
“Well, let me see this little guy first.” She decided. “The rest, I’ll just give them a general look-see, but I don’t think an intense exam is really necessary unless they are complaining.” She explained.
“Hey little guy, I’m Doctor Sam. Ohhhh, you don’t sound like you feel too good.” She said as she took Lex out of Mick’s arms. Lex shook his head and his red curls swayed with the motion.
The other children played in a room for ‘well checks’ and had a supply of toys inside, while she worked on trying to get Lex breathing well. “He needs to have regular breathing treatments. He also needs a place where very few allergens can trigger an attack.” She finally explained to the adult Rogues. Lex was quietly napping with a mask on his face while she gave a quick exam to each kid.
She called the men to her after a while. “You might want to…” She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. “Some of your kids here, they’ve been physically abused.”
Mick and Len growled and started to protest their innocence before she held up her hands. “I’m not saying you two did it. I’m saying… I’m saying it came from before you got them. They’re healed way too good for it to have been you guys. It was probably, their parents.” She explained quietly. “A couple of them, looks like spankings went too far. Left marks on them on their backs and back legs. But a couple of them, there’s marks that well… Digger over there, for example, scar tissue on his feet. That’s typical of someone that had their feet stuck in boiling water.”
Len made a face, not sure how to even figure out why someone would do that. Sure he’d had the piss beat out of him as a kid. Embarrassed, beaten, and abused mentally, emotionally, and physically. But boiling water on the feet sounded, demented somehow and he said so.
“You’d be surprised how common it is.” She pressed her lips together. “It’s not always done with water, no, but a lot of abusers try to avoid places that show easily. They like places that can be covered or excused. Cigarette burns are common too. Roscoe looks like he’s been switched a lot. All I’m saying is, the kids are doing well right now. They are happy and thriving. But there will be times when they won’t be doing that well. You need to be prepared for those times.” She warned them.
Len grimaced and shared a look with Mick. “We’ll call you, because we might need help.” He admitted. After all, they’d never worked their way past their own issues, how would they help a bunch of kids if they started having nightmares or acting out due to their past?
Mark arrived shortly after with the equipment. Len nodded to himself as each of the Justice League’s children were outfitted with an ankle bracelet that reminded him of home arrest. A small box was given to the doctor with it explained so she could explain it to the Justice League. The story would be that they stormed her clinic and demanded help. Len had written a note while the children played and Lex was given his treatment.
It was still a battle to separate the two groups of children, even with a promise of another playdate in the future.
They had already pulled away and were tooling down the street when the Justice League arrived to gratefully collect their kids. The note was simple and to the point: Since you can’t keep track of your brats, we made sure you can’t fucking lose them again. Don’t fuck up again. Don’t trust the speedster kid, he’s the ringleader. Have Wally contact us later.
As Superman read the note, he wasn’t sure whether to be angry or grateful. He settled for holding Lex and promising not to lose him again.