Chapter Text
Billy Batson was sitting in a dirty alleyway, munching on a half-eaten and half-rotten sandwich, while trying to ignore the onslaught of rain, small raindrops pelting his delicate, malnourished body. His lithe form kept shivering from the cold, but it's not like he had anywhere to go. His scrooge of an uncle made it clear that he wasn't welcome there. So all he had to do is sit here and endure.
Billy refused to return to the foster system. Considering what happened the last time...
Flashback:
"Billy-boo," Emily called loudly, Billy's new mommy. Excited, he launched himself downstairs, almost tripping on one of the toys his new daddy bought for him. They were so cool, miniature action-figures of Superman and various other superheroes. Superman was always his favorite. It reminded him of his real dad. Sometimes... Sometimes he couldn't even remember what color were his eyes, or how his mouth looked like when he smiled, his mother's haircut, or the sound of her laughter. With a pitter-patter of his small feet, he was downstairs, looking up at his adoptive parents with an excited look in his almost-luminescent blue eyes.
"Billy, darling," the mother said, sharing an awkward, embarrassed look with her husband. "My husband and I... we are having a baby."
Informed him, Emily. Her declaration confused him though, wasn't she barren? His confusion must've been noticeable because she elaborated.
"It's a miracle. We are quite surprised too."
Well, Billy certainly had no problem with having a little brother... or a sister. Whatever the stork decided to bring him.
"Holy Moly! That's awesome!" Billy exclaimed, bouncing on the soles of his feet.
"What my wife means to say, Billy, it's... We are having our baby now and I'm afraid we simply don't have enough money to afford to have... two."
That's when Billy's heart broke for the very first time. Don't get him wrong, losing parents at a young age, was truly disheartening, but to realize that he would always come second, never wanted, always replaceable... the realization simply shattered his heart into pieces. That day, he simply nodded his head, smiled at them a fake smile, and packed his things. When he was getting adopted the second time, he thought that maybe, just maybe, this time he'd be good enough for them.
Flashback:
"Billy, meet your new parents," his agent said, the one responsible for finding him a new home. "Jonathan and Susan. They already have a son, Tommy, who's two years older than you. You'll have a big brother, how awesome is that?"
"Hello," Billy waved shyly, giving them a friendly smile while trying not to seem awkward. Though he was pretty sure he failed at it.
"Hello, Billy. What do you say you come live with us, huh, champ?" Jonathan grinned at him, holding out his huge hand for him to grasp.
Billy shyly nodded his head, taking his bigger, warmer hand in his smaller one and followed after them.
Timeskip
"These are toys are mine! You got that?!" Tommy demanded, glaring at his new 'brother'. "Touch them and I'll break you!"
"I don't want your toys," Billy replied softly, trying to defuse the situation.
"You ungrateful, freak! Are you saying that my toys are lame? Daddy bought them for me! Are you saying my dad is lame?"
Billy shook his head
*Fwhoosh*
Tommy threw his toy at Billy, horribly missing his target, and broke it against the wall. The moment he saw what he has done, he opened his mouth and started bawling. Billy just watched bewildered, unable to comprehend what was happening.
At the sound of breaking, and crying parents rushed into the room.
"M-mommy" *hic* "Billy broke my toy!" Tommy wailed crocodile tears while pointing his chubby finger at Billy.
*Slap*
Billy's head snapped to the side with a resounding slap. Susan looked like a monster, frothing from her mouth.
"You ungrateful devil-child!" Susan screamed, her voice shrill and high-pitched like a banshee. "How dare you hurt our baby! After everything, we did for you. Letting you into our house!"
Billy was too shocked to respond, his brain still trying to catch up with the events.
He should've known better. That day, Billy Batson was beaten for the first time. After Jonathan and Susan returned him to the orphanage, like a broken unneeded toy—not before threatening him into silence about a huge bruise on his cheek—Billy decided to run away. Realizing, that no one would ever love him again, just like his mom and dad loved him.
So that's how he found himself sitting in the dirty alleyway, holding a newspaper over his head as if it shielded him from the rain. He still had some sandwich left, but his stomach couldn't handle it anymore. That's when a white dog came running into the alley, its tiny feet pitter-pattering closer to Billy. He approached him, sniffing him and tucking himself against Billy, basking in his warmth.
Looking down at canine, Billy smiled a true smile and started running his hands through the dog's damp fur, trying to rearrange the mess. Ignoring the putrid smell that was coming from dog's wet fur, Billy's smile didn't falter as he gave the puppy the love it deserved.
"Are you hungry, boy?" Billy asked, staring in the dog's eyes, so similar to his own oceanic blue.
The dog just gave a pitiful whimper, staring imploringly at Billy. Billy just smiled and gave him what was left of his sandwich to him, watching as he munched on it with vigor. Now that he looked closer, the dog had a collar. Lost, probably.
'Krypto' It read.
"Krypto, huh? Weird name," Billy mused, chewing on his cheek. He shrugged and reclined his head on the dog, who snuggled to him in answer and fell asleep. The next day, when Billy woke up, alone, cold, and hungry—he was always hungry—Krypto was already gone.