au where billy and mary were friends w a teen patrick wayne before everything went down in the 40's and they both think that bruce is patrick and that hes shy cuz hes a hero now
I think Billy, Mary, and Patrick’s dynamic would’ve basically been two little kids and the older kid who hang out. Patrick would also have no problem treating them like his little siblings and would casually give them money in exchange for them helping him with experiments. He’d rather just give them the money but they won’t just accept it for free so he’d resigned to making them do little tasks instead.
Patrick: “Alright, I need three fairy wings, dried unicorn blood, sixteen siren scales, and dryad bark! Go! Go! Go!”
Mary and Billy: *salute before running off*
You might be wondering what he needs any of that for. You’ll know later.
Anyways, as for how Patrick found out about Billy and Mary being Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel…
Patrick: *talking to someone in Fawcett and trying to get siren scales because his usual suppliers (Billy and Mary) said they were busy with something at the moment (meeting with magical delegates)*
Seller: “Boy, you do realize how difficult it is to get siren scales, right? As far as I know, none of the shops in Fawcett sell it. Who is your dealer?”
Seller: “Your friends?! You know kids your age going after sirens so you can get scales?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!”
Patrick: “It’s dangerous?! I had no idea??? They never come back hurt or complaining??”
Seller: “They’re coming back unscathed?? Who are your friends???!?”
Yeah… so that’s how Patrick found out about Captain and Mary Marvel being his two little suppliers/siblings. It took much poking and prodding and bribing, but eventually the two spilled. After that, they were just forced to take the money from Patrick anyways. He wasn’t gonna send them on those trips anymore. No siree. Doesn’t matter that they have superpowers.
Anyways, time moves on and unfortunately, Patrick was eventually old enough to be drafted into the war. He said bye to the kiddos went and came back, kept in contact with the kiddos up until the sixties when the time bubble appeared. By that time, Patrick was at least 30 and the twins had strangely not aged at all, not that he minded because Fawcett was weird like that. Thomas was a toddler at the time of it appearing. The time bubble caused Thomas to have a rather unfortunate early childhood as his father was always locked up in his study researching and wondering what the hell happened to the town, to the people, and to his friends. Fawcett was just gone. Practically overnight. Eventually though, he gave up and started focusing on his family again. He died thinking everyone in that little down had been erased.
Fast forward 50 something odd years and BAM the bubble pops! Billy and Mary are now in the present. They got to meet all of the new heroes, including Batman.
Marvel: “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Batman Si- Patrick?”
Mary: “Holy shoot, Patrick really is you!”
Batman: “My name is not Patrick-”
Marvel: “You’re so…” *looks him up and down* “Youthful! Did you finally make that elixir thingy?”
Marvel: “You know? The elixir you always talk about. It was an elixir, right?”
Mary: “Wasn’t it called the elixir of life?”
Batman: “No…? I haven’t worked on an elixir at any point in time.”
Marvel: “Yeah, you have. We saw you! You’d always read that little book and do a little experiments!”
Mary: “And then the experiment would fail, and then you’d come to us covered in ash because nine times out of ten it exploded. Then, you’d slap twenty dollars in our hand and ask for us to find more ingredients so you could do more experiments.”
Batman: “I’ve never done that in my life. I assure you I’ve never met you before this moment.”
Now you know what all those mystical ingredients were for. Patrick Wayne was casually doing Alchemy. Everyone in Fawcett is at least somewhat magical after all. He didn’t even know he was doing it too. He’d still worked on normal human gadgets though, which still allowed him to contribute to Wayne Enterprises.
Bruce later went to his study (once Patrick’s study) as he remembered one of the books on his shelves was related to Alchemy. When he eventually found it and pulled it from the shelf, a photo slipped out. It was a photo of a younger version of his Grandpa and two kids which he both had in headlocks. When Bruce flipped the photo over, scrawled on the back was a date. After getting sidetracked and deciding to dig up some information on his Grandfather, Bruce came to the startling realization that this was when Patrick left for the war. This was a commemoration photo. Interesting. It was also interesting that the other two people- children in the photo looked suspiciously like the Captain and his daughter. Was this Mary and another brother, one that didn’t dabble in heroics? It made sense now why the Captain and Mary talked to him like they knew him. They both must’ve thought he was his grandfather. Oh well, Bruce isn’t gonna spoil the surprise. He can find out more information on them if he lets them think he’s his grandfather.
Marvel: “The war really toughened you up, huh? Did you inhale chlorine gas and somehow survive?”
Mary: “No silly.” *elbows him* “He didn’t sound like this when he came back from the war so something else must’ve messed up his throat.”
Batman: “My throat isn’t messed up in any way, shape, or form.”
Mary: “It isn’t? So you talk like that on purpose…?”
Batman: *doesn’t want to give away he isn’t Patrick* “…Yes.”
Mary and Marvel: *share a look before pointing and laughing at him*
Any nearby Justice League member was visibly surprised that Batman didn’t glare at them. Bruce himself was surprised he didn’t as well.
Robin!Dick: *standing beside Bruce as Bruce works at a computer*
Marvel: “Oh Tommy! Wait, Pat, this is Tommy right?”
Mary: “Of course it’s not Tommy. He wouldn’t feed the elixir to him while he was a kid. But then again, you can be a little stupid…”
Robin!Dick: “Did you just call him stupid?” *sounds like he wants to laugh* “Also no I’m not Tommy.”
Marvel: “Then are you a grandson…?”
Batman: “Yes, he is. This is Bruce.”
Robin!Dick: *extremely confused* “What?”
