#he takes his responsibilities very seriously but also has totally skateboarded around the Rock

[redrobin-detective]

Y’all got me jazzed up so let me talk about the immortal Wizard Billy AU that I’ve been playing with in secret (tried to write a fic sort of maybe abandoned it?)

Okay so, same shtick, Billy is a homeless kind-hearted 11 year old chosen by the Wizard to be his champion but also, when the previous Shazam died, passed on the mantle of the Wizard as well. Except it’s 1939. Billy does his Captain Marvel thing for awhile alongside Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., fighting the good fight and loving life not really aware of his other responsibilities. It’s a few years in when Freddy and Mary are growing up and Billy is still stuck at 11 that they realize something is up. 

It’s a devastating realization at the time as he sees that he’s not going to be able to grow up alongside his family. It’s at this time Captain Marvel disappears from the world and he dedicates himself to being the Wizard full-time. I’d like to think before he gives up Cap he there for the first wave of heroes and has a hand in forming the JSA. He was on his way to bonding with the heroes of old when he learned the truth and left without a trace. Mary and Freddy continue on as his first official Marvels for many years until they give it up to pursue real life goals. They remain very close as they grow, Freddy died young(ish) but Mary only recently passed of old age which really was a blow to Billy as he now has nothing left of his old life.

So as the Wizard, Billy is the center of all magic. The magic lives in and is nourished by his spirit and while he can’t do things like rewrite reality he’s still one of the most terrifyingly powerful beings out there. Not that he ever uses it as such bc hes a bean. The previous Shazam was a hermit who did kind of less than the bare minimum of his job and magic was kind of a free for all. Billy decides to step up and be better. He serves not only as the Guardian of Magic but also an ambassador/king/spiritual figure. He is very engaged with the magical world, settling disputes, serving as a friend/mentor to all who needs it. There’s trial and error but after 80 years of working out the bumps, he’s got a decent handle on his job. 

The majority of magic society LOVES the hell out of their boy king, think about how people go nuts for the British royal family. You never know what you’re gonna get with Wizards but Billy is kind and understanding and actually steps outside of the Rock to see the real world. He’s got quite a following, probably has guards watching out for him at all times. Because there’s also a strong minority who hates having an active Wizard. They don’t like what he’s doing and they’re threatened/jealous of his power. Bill controls all magic, he has awesome powers but also has his hands on the off switch and that terrifies lots of people.

Billy is still fundamentally human. So I want to make clear that Billy is 11, he has been alive for almost a century but he’s still 11. He is mature, wise, has lots of outdated slang but he is still is a child at heart, he’s just been 11 for a long time. He stills needs to eat, he gets tired early, has a tiny child bladder and most importantly, he has human weakness and can die if you get past all his magic. If Billy dies before he properly passes on the Wizard mantle then the magic will be loose for anyone to grab, chaotic, out of control and a major disaster. The fact that Billy is small, vulnerable and puts himself out there so readily makes a lot of people nervous. He has a secret weapon, hardly ever used though and that is he never officially gave up Captain Marvel, he just stopped transforming. Should he find himself in over his head all he need do is call upon his predecessor and Cap will live once more. Almost no one knows he was Cap nor that he kept the powers.

Okay so we’re in the modern era, the second great era of heroes is here. As more magical beings enter the League, they speak lovingly of the boy king, the Wizard who watches over all magic. Soon the JLA and Billy have an arrangement that all major magical disputes go through him first to try to diffuse without violence which doesn’t always work out but they still try. The League is pretty damn weirded out by Billy and they fall in one of two modes: treat him like an adult or treat him like a child where he is neither. He has the wisdom of an adult but the body and soul of a child. Only the kids get him and he gets on very well with them. Often Heroes will send their sidekicks to Billy because they just don’t know how to properly interact with him. The magical heroes also get it, it’ll never not be weird to see the stoic and unimpressed Jason Blood kneeling and reverently swearing himself before a kid in a Ramones tee and dirty sneakers.

Billy has had many Marvels over the years, all of them kids, most but not all came from tragic circumstances. The current Marvels are three foster kids: Darla, Eugene and Pedro (see what I did there). While he is a kid himself his Marvels are also HIS kids. He never feels more like an adult than when dealing with his champions. He loves the HELL out of those children and basically becomes a second parent to them. Kids are so adaptable that none of them think its weird that a 16 year old Marvel is having their hair petted and worries soothed by an 11 year old in a cape. Billy’s just like that, they love him so much and still stay in contact even when they decide to return their powers. I’ve gone back and forth on Billy as Marvel, on the one hand him keeping it hidden and it only coming out in dire circumstances and everyone’s like WHAT is fun. But also Billy losing the last of his old life (Mary) depresses him so much, the resurgence of heroes makes him want to build new bonds that will last and he joins as just another Marvel not telling anyone who he really is. Living JSAs are like ‘woah you went out for milk 70 years ago and never came back’. Idk I think its cool.

Bleh this is getting long, one last section on Billy himself. Billy is an odd one to pin down. He’s so painfully kind and warm and open and you just immediately feel safe and comfortable when you’re with him which is disarming in its own way. He’s very quietly wise, only giving advice when asked and carries himself with a sense of regal duty. But on the other hand he’s also very childish and silly and likes to goof off a lot and pull pranks and go see cool things. He rough houses with his Marvels/sidekicks, he swears like a sailor, he l o v e s memes and though he isn’t always up to date he can talk the talk with other kids. He’s a conundrum, both adult and child and neither all at once. He’s vaguely unsettling to adults because he doesn’t fit into any one box, to kids he’s just like that. Billy Batson is a hero when he can be, a Wizard he didn’t want to be but still does his best and friend to all who are willing to take his hand. 

[otakuprincess15]

Does Anybody Have A Map? Chapter 3: Did That Really Just Happen?

A/N: So... I suck and I am so totally sorry! I tried super hard to get this written in time to post on Monday but life got in the way. I will work harder! But in the mean time, please enjoy the next chapter. Also, this story does need a trigger warning for mild discussions/emotional stuff having to do with a character who is unable to have kids. It won't come up for a while and it will not be a continuous thing talked about. I will give a warning on the chapter when we get to it too.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Love you guys!

~marauderluverz

Index: 1, 2, 3, 4 or read on ff.net

Chapter 3: Did That Really Just Happen?

"Did Marinette really used to have a crush on me?" Adrien asked.

Alya choked on a sip of her fresh cup of coffee. "I never said that."

"You might not have, but I'm pretty sure that's what it sounded like Marinette said," he countered.

"Oh god, she is going to kill me," she sighed, setting her cup down on the counter. She looked at him over the top of her glasses, "But seriously, how did you never notice?"

Adrien blushed, "What do you mean? It's not like it was obvious."

She laughed at that. "How can someone really be this oblivious? Think back on all of our school years."

He did as instructed. His mind thought back to all of the awkward stuttering, the inability to hold a conversation with him for many years, all the pictures she had of him… He let out a groan. "How did I never notice?"

"Simple, you were a teenage boy."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Does she still have a crush on me?"

Alya picked up her coffee and shook a finger at him. "Nuh uh. You would have to ask her that yourself. And honestly," she looked back at him over her shoulder. "I don't know what she feels anymore. She hasn't seen you in six years, but she also hasn't really dated anyone since getting Hugo." She gave him a knowing look. "So, you might have a chance."

"No, that's not why I was-" he watched hopelessly as she headed to the living room, ignoring him, "Asking."

The next morning, Adrien ate breakfast before heading to his childhood home. He had had most of his belongings shipped there over the last few weeks to store until he got his own place. Now that he had arrived in Paris himself he had discovered there was enough room in his bedroom at Alya and Nino's to bring some more of his things.

He pressed the buzzer on the front gate and waited for the security camera to come to life.

"Who's there?" Nathalie's voice came through the speaker. The camera moved until it was directed at his face. He raised his hand to wave.

"Hi, Nathalie."

There was no response aside from the camera returning to its place and the buzz of the gate being opened. He walked up the drive, unsure if he should be enjoying the nostalgia he was feeling. His home held many bad memories but there were still quite a few good ones as well. By the time he reached the front door, Nathalie was standing in front of it. The six years had treated her well. She still stood tall and stern, though her hair had begun to gray in some spots.

"Good morning, Adrien. I didn't realize you would be stopping by this morning," she greeted.

Adrien grinned. "Good morning, Nathalie."

She allowed a controlled smile to grace her features before leading Adrien inside the house.

He took in the foyer which still held an air of familiarity. Not much had changed. Some of the pictures that hung along the walls had been replaced with ones from his most recent photo shoots, though even those were outdated by several years. Even the portrait hanging at the top of the stairs was the same. He wondered if he could convince his father to take a new one seeing as this one was more than ten years old.

"Your father is very busy today. I'll check if he has a few minutes to speak with you in between meetings."

Adrien turned to look at Nathalie. He nodded, he hadn't expected his dad to drop everything when he arrived. Maybe that's why he hadn't bothered calling ahead. It certainly lessened the disappointment.

"Sounds good. Thanks, Nathalie. I'll be in my old room." He didn't wait for an answer before heading up the stairs.

Inside his room was much the same as the rest of the house. It felt like stepping back in time. It still held his foosball table and CD collection. There was still the skateboard ramp, rock climbing wall, and basketball hoop- all still in close to pristine condition. Boxes lined the room now, and he began to search through them for some things he wanted.

He found some clothes he had packed away that he still liked because they were part of his "I bought these myself" collection. As well as, some framed pictures of him and his friends, his mom, and him in special places on his travels. He picked up one that was beneath the others and saw a picture of him standing next to a pretty young woman with long dark brown hair. They were standing together in front of a tree full of flowers and he had his arms wrapped around her.

Adrien winced and shoved the picture back down into the box. Still not ready to deal with that then.

Several more minutes passed before there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called.

The door opened and Nathalie stepped inside, tablet in hand. "Adrien, your father would like to talk to you." She held out the tablet to him and he saw his father was already present on the screen.

"Good morning, Father," Adrien said.

Gabriel Agreste gave him a once over as he sat behind his desk. "You look well, son."

Adrien fought back a smile. His time abroad had helped to ease the resentment toward his father and now that he had the freedom he had always craved, he found his father's coldness a little amusing. "Thank you. You do too."

"Have you reconsidered your decision to live with your… friends yet?" Gabriel asked coolly.

"I'm happy at their apartment. It's very nice," he answered.

His father had not been happy when Adrien had said he was coming back to Paris but would not be returning home, but Adrien had not left the decision up to discussion. He had gained independence while away and would not lose it now. "That reminds me, when am I scheduled to photograph my first shoot?"

Gabriel sighed, "If you are certain you would rather do photography than modeling, you can assist with a shoot this afternoon. It's a group shoot and the photographer's assistant is unavailable. Meet at the Place des Vosges at one o'clock."

Adrien beamed. "Of course! I won't be late. Thank you, Father."

"And I'll have Nathalie send your bodyguard to pick you up beforehand."

"Father, I can take a taxi or an uber-"

"This isn't about transportation, Adrien. It's about your safety."

It was Adrien's turn to sigh. "I don't need my bodyguard any more. I'll be perfectly safe."

Gabriel opened his mouth to argue but Adrien didn't give him time.

"I have to get going now. I'll set up with Nathalie for us to have dinner. Bye," he said before clicking the end call button at the bottom of the screen.

Nathalie stared at him with wide eyes. He held the tablet out to her. "If you could set up that dinner? As of right now, I'm available all week."

"Of course, Adrien." Nathalie took the tablet, giving him an approving nod. "I'll let you know once I've arranged it." She made her way to the door, pausing just before exiting. "I don't think I've ever seen someone hang up on Gabriel Agreste."

When the door closed behind Nathalie, Adrien stared after her for several moments trying to determine if her comment had been a compliment or not.

As Marinette rode the metro from her home, she thought over her and Alya's conversation from earlier that morning.

The doorbell rang announcing that Alya had arrived to pick up Hugo. Marinette hurried across the room and pulled open the door. "Hey, Alya!" she called behind her as she hurried back down the hall. The apartment was a mess and she knew it. Clothes and toys strewn everywhere. Plates were still set out on the dining table from breakfast and the sink in the kitchen was running.

"Why are you still rushing around?" Alya asked, raising her voice so Marinette could hear her.

Marinette leaned out of her bedroom. "My mom surprised us with breakfast. She only just left." She hurried back down the hall, tucking a white button up shirt into her navy skirt.

"Girl, don't you think you should just tell them you're a tour guide? It's been seven months." Alya beckoned to Hugo who had just stepped into the hall from his room. "Come on, Half-pint. Let's get your shoes on."

He skipped to where Alya was and gave her a hug.

"You know why I can't tell them. It's too embarrassing. Things were going so well with my commissions before, that's why I moved here. They'd want to help, and I can't take anymore of their money." Marinette pulled on her navy vest and began to fix her red ascot into place. She sighed and turned to look at Alya. "I know it's ridiculous to not tell them, but I don't want them to know yet."

Alya shrugged. "It's up to you. But if they knew, I'm sure they'd babysit so you could pick up some more shifts."

Marinette rolled her eyes as she placed the red beret atop her head. "The goal is to work there less, Alya. Not more."

Marinette stepped off the train when she reached her stop. Alya had pestered her constantly to tell her parents when she'd had to take a new job to make ends meet, but she knew she couldn't. It was bad enough she'd been living off of her parents until she was twenty-two. She couldn't go back to asking them for help.

When she entered the guided tours office, Marinette saw her supervisor, M. Legrand, speaking with some of the other guides. He looked up at her entrance. "Ah, Marinette! Just the girl I wanted to see."

"What can I do for you, sir?" she asked.

He held out a plastic button to her. "Please fix this to your vest before today's tours. We just got these in last night."

She took it and read the bright red writing across the white background. Ask me anything! I'm here to help! She forced a smile. "Of course, sir. Looks great!"

He grinned and turned to speak with another guide. Marinette walked to the backroom where the schedule would be posted, the smile sliding off her face as she attached the button. She read her assignments. First one of the day was a full tour of students from the states. She groaned, I hate my job.

Adrien was pretty sure he loved his new job. Sure, he had done some photography assisting while traveling and he had taken some jobs while finishing school, but this – this was a full on Gabriel Agreste fashion shoot. There were eight models and this was the first official fall shoot. However, no one was too excited because today was still the middle of June which meant it was far too warm to be wearing sweaters and long sleeves.

He tried to make the best of it though by being friendly when meeting the models, none of whom he'd met before since they were all about eight to ten years younger than him. The real problems started when he met the photographer.

Bastian DeFranc was in his late thirties to early forties, he was short with thinning black hair and a permanent scowl attached to his face. He had looked less than interested in Adrien when they'd been introduced but Adrien at first assumed he was just all-business. He was wrong.

Thirty minutes after set-up, the first problem appeared. Adrien was fixing the shades to make sure they had the proper tone of a fall afternoon, when he heard the photographer yell, "You have got to be kidding me!"

He set down the shade and hurried over to where the photographer was glaring at one of the female models. She was staring up at him, eyes wide with confusion.

"What? What did I do? I'm not even modeling yet," she asked. She glanced at another model she had been talking to. "We were just waiting for our turn."

The photographer scoffed and grabbed hold of her wrist. She let out a cry of surprise as he held out her arm. "You rolled the sleeves of a Gabriel sweater. What did you think you were doing? It will wrinkle."

Adrien jumped in then, placing a hand on Bastian's upper arm. "M. DeFranc, please."

Bastian huffed and released her arm. "I apologize," he muttered, though his tone conveyed he was anything but apologetic . "I did not realize you were an amateur and didn't know not to do something so stupid."

The other model standing nearby spoke up. "Hey! You know she's only been modelling for a few months. It's not like she did it on purpose." The girl put her arm around the amateur model and led her away while fixing the sleeves.

Bastian rolled his eyes and stomped back to his camera, where he had left a model waiting. Adrien rubbed at his temples. Hopefully, things would cool down from here. He may have been out of Paris for several years, but according the Ladyblog, Hawkmoth was still as active as ever.

They were two hours into the photo shoot and Adrien couldn't wait for it to be over. So far, he'd heard Bastian berate a model for being too tall – calling him an awkward baby giraffe, demanded make up artists to conceal even the slightest freckles across one of the model's arms, ordered a model to go get his hair cut before they could photograph him, and told the design assistant to stuff the top of a sweater dress to "show off the design" better.

There was only an hour left to the shoot and then they'd be out of here. He was debating on offering to buy the models some smoothies after to combat any negative emotions, when the final straw landed.

The models had all lined up for some group shots and Bastian had asked each of them for a different type of look. However, Maya (the amateur model) seemed to be having trouble perfecting her look and posture.

"No! You are too stiff. You are supposed to look happy and carefree. If you keep frowning you will give yourself wrinkles before you're twenty," Bastian lectured.

Maya stared at the ground fists clenched at her sides. It was impossible to miss the tears that began to fall and splash the ground.

Bastian let out a cry of frustration. "And now we will have to do more make up! Kristin, if you please?"

A sob erupted from Maya's throat and she ran to one of the changing tents. Adrien prepared to follow after her, to ensure she wouldn't be akumatized when someone else grabbed the photographer's arm.

"You can't talk to her like that!" it was one of the male models, named Sean. "We're people too. You can't just yell at her. How can she fake being happy if she's trying not to cry because you're a jerk."

The photographer glared up at the teen before brushing away his hand. "Get off the shoot. I'll be letting Gabriel know we don't need unprofessional teens who can't control their emotions."

Sean turned and stormed away, leaving everyone else in shock.

Adrien stepped away a little and looked into his messenger bag. "Hey, Plagg." He waited a moment and then poked the black cat kwami. "Hey, wake up."

Plagg stretched before opening an eye. "What is it?"

"I think someone's going to get akumatized. What do you think I should do?" he asked.

Plagg groaned. "I don't know. I've been out of practice for a while. Either way, if someone is gonna be akumatized, there's nothing we can do about it."

Adrien ran a hand through his hair. "I guess that's true. But maybe I can transform and head it off."

"And it won't be at all suspicious that Adrien Agreste just got back to Paris last night and today Chat Noir is out saving the city?" Plagg asked.

Adrien paused, Plagg's words washing over him. "You're right. I can't even do anything. I'm useless."

Plagg pinched Adrien's hand.

"Ow! What was that for?" Adrien rubbed at the red mark on his hand.

"Just because you can't transform, doesn't mean you can't help keep people safe. You should know that by now."

Adrien smiled, "Right again. Thanks, Plagg." Just then screams broke out on the other side of the park. "Looks like that's my signal. Come on, Plagg!"

Marinette dropped into a chair in the break room of the tour guide office. She had just finished her fourth tour of the day and her feet were aching. Finally, a chance to relax and get off my feet. She pulled off a Mary Jane and rubbed her foot through the stocking.

Just as she leaned her head back against the chair, an alarm went off on her phone. She picked it up.

AKUMA ALERT: NEAR PLACE DES VOSGES. MAINTAIN DISTANCE UNTIL LADYBUG ARRIVES.

She groaned and slid her foot back into her shoe. "Of course. Right when I get a break." She grabbed her purse out of the locker and peered inside. "You ready, Tikki?"

Tikki pushed the last bit of a macaroon into her mouth. "Ready as always, Marinette!"

It only took a few minutes to swing from the guided tours office near the Eiffel Tower to the park and even less time to locate the akuma. Ladybug spotted him shrinking people all across the park and the nearby streets and businesses.

"Wonder what his problem is?" she muttered aloud. Over the years without Chat Noir by her side, she had taken to voicing her thoughts out loud to make up for the silence.

She swung towards the akuma when she caught sight of some civilians hiding behind some cars. Good, at least no one's trying to record it and putting themselves in danger.

Just as she let out a breath of relief, her eyes landed on a man crouching and running back into the park. Straight towards the akuma.

Ladybug dropped to a nearby lamppost and somersaulted through the air to land near him. "It's dangerous over here," she said sternly. Then her eyes took in the man before her: blond hair, green eyes, dashing good looks. Adrien?

He looked just as startled by her sudden appearance. "M- Ladybug?! What're you doing here?" he blurted out.

Ladybug bit her lip to hold back a laugh. "Um, there's an akuma." She pointed to the akuma that was attacking people a few hundred feet away.

He blushed. She had made Adrien Agreste blush! "Right. But what are you doing over here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Removing civilians from danger," she replied matter-of-factly. Then in one swift movement, she picked him up in her arms and carried him to safety.

He was fighting a smile when she dropped him off a block away from the danger. "Thank you, Ladybug, but I was trying to find one of the model's from my father's photo shoot. She was in one of the dressing tents last I saw her."

Ladybug nodded as she backed away. "All right, then I'll go check for her. And next time, M. Agreste, leave the saving to the heroes." She gave him a flirty wink and threw her yo-yo behind her without looking before being pulled away into the sky.

When she landed on a building across from the park she felt as if her face was on fire. Oh my gosh, she thought, when did I turn into Chat?