OK, so I decided to give it 5 chapters instead of 4 bc idk, but anyway, I hope you like this one next chapter is last, and for anyone on following on ao3 it'll be posted later bc im sleepy (its 2:55 am in Australia, well where im from it is)
The Watchtower corridors hummed with energy, the faint glow of the timers above each hero marking the relentless passage of seconds. Captain Marvel moved through them, but every step sent sparks dancing along his arms, tiny arcs of uncontrolled lightning snapping across his skin. His chest burned with effort, every muscle strained.
He had almost reached his limit. Every nerve screamed. He couldn’t hold the form much longer.
By the time he reached the meeting room, he was breathing hard, sweat tracing golden rivulets down his temple. He planted himself at the head of the table, forcing his shoulders square, trying to look composed despite the strain.
“Everyone,” he began, voice steady but tight, “I need to speak. It’s important.”
The room went quiet. Even Flash, normally fidgeting, seemed to sense the tension, the crackle of energy barely contained around Marvel.
Billy clenched his fists, sparks flickering along his knuckles. “The reason my timer hasn’t moved like the others… it’s because I’m transformed. My body—well, not the form I’m in right now—is… frozen in the moment I changed. The magic that keeps me like this also holds me in that moment. It’s not normal, and it’s straining me more and more every day.”
Clark’s brow furrowed. “So it’s… literally stuck?”
“Yes,” Billy admitted, voice tight. “It’s like being suspended in time while the rest of the world moves around you. I can’t just stop or let go without… serious consequences. I’m reaching the limit of what I can handle in this form.”
Diana’s hand hovered near her lasso. “So you’re warning us before it becomes a problem.”
Billy nodded, forcing a grim smile. “Exactly. I need you to understand that this isn’t a small thing. The longer I stay transformed, the harder it is to keep it together. And if I push too far… it could all go wrong.”
The room was quiet, the usual chatter and bravado of the League gone. They could see it—the tension in his shoulders, the sweat on his brow, the tiny sparks flickering across his skin. Captain Marvel, unshakable and mighty, was straining under invisible weight.
Billy took a deep breath, forcing the heroic mask back over the fear and exhaustion. “I can’t revert yet. Not safely. I just… needed you to know that. Because when the time comes, it won’t be simple.”
Even as he spoke, the sparks flickered stronger, dancing erratically along his arms. Every second he stayed like this was a fight—not for the world, not for the League—but just to keep himself alive.
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