Work Text:
Dani was traveling for five years. So now you could say she was fifteen... or five. But, even in those five years, she met many superheroes. And found out their identities. Without them knowing.
It's not like she was activelly trying to find them, but somehow, every time she was in a city with superheroes, they crossed her path. And even though she was pretty clueless about some things, secret identities were just always too obvious for her.
She could blame her talent in finding out secret identities on her abilities to feel emotions and sometimes even aspects of personality, for example hero complex. She could blame the coincidential meetings on her talisman, which was actually a ghost artifact for luck, so it could just be doing it's job. But she could blame nothing and no one but herself for staying in contact with them.
-----
Fawcett City was sunny, people were almost radiating energy. She couldn't help but wonder if the town was this happy because they had Captain Marvel, or if Captain Marvel was so happy because he was from this city. Which came first, the chicken or the egg, right?
She was here because a friend of hers told her about the best pie in the world. Well, she had her share of pies in her short life and decided to try. Sam didn't mind giving her money. Not enough for hotel rooms, that wouldn't go unnoticed by her parents, but enough for food and other things she needed. And besides, Dani didn't need hotel rooms. She didn't sleep much, her ghost half was buzzing with energy if she did. In warm months, she could sleep on the roofs so no one would mug her, in the cold ones, she could just phase in some house. So, no, she didn't sleep in bed, but she did have enough money to buy a pie.
Right now, she set in the Blue Bell Diner and waited for her pie to be ready. She didn't even notice the kid on her left before he asked her: "Hey, are you from around here? I don't think I've seen you before."
She looked at him. He seemed nice, genuinely curious. Probably around age of ten, but that didn't mean he couldn't be a good company, she knew better then to underestimate kids. It happend to her all the time, like being younger meant you can't just see right through them.
The second thing she noticed was his clothes. She didn't need to be detective to realise he was probably homeless. It made her sad, because she knew how hard it was the first six months when she was destabilizing and Sam didn't know about her situation so she wasn't giving her money. She was physically around that age.
The third thing about him was the energy around him. Not only the lack of distrust toward a stranger and evident need for conversation were indicators that this wasn't a normal homeless kid. It was something otherwordly, something... magic. Ectoplasm and magic weren't the same, not even that similiar, but they kind of resonated in odd harmony, and she already felt magic a few times in her life. This was it.
"Well, I travel a lot. To be honest, I'm here in Fawcett just for the pie. I heard it's the best," she answered and tried her powers on him. And would you look at that, a large hero complex. ...Oh no, not another one.
"Oh. Did you hear her, Ms. Jasmine? Your pie is becoming famous, just like I said!"
The woman behind the counter, Jasmine, laughed. "So I heard. Who told you about it?"
"A friend from Central City. He loves your pie," Dani said, smiling when reminded of the speedster.
"Same as Billy here. Makes me wonder if they have met."
"Maybe. Anyway, I'm Dani, with an I."
And Dani couldn't be sure, but she still thought that Billy and Wally had, in fact, met. Because Captain Marvel can look like an adult all he wants, but that doesn't have to mean anything. Captain Marvel was known for his child-like naivity and Billy just looked like a younger copy of Captain Marvel. She has some experience with younger copies, doesn't she? Also, she of all people should know that not everything is what it seems to be. If a ghost can be a half-living hybrid, then Billy, with his magic, had no boundaries.
She talked with Billy for a while, got her pie and admitted that it really was the best pie she ever had. Before she said her goodbye, she thought about how she could help him. Obviously she couldn't give him money, she was still a homeless herself after all. And if what she saw from him was anything to go by, he wouldn't take it anyways.
It was also obvious he didn't want to go to foster care. He was smart, he would go there if he would trust them, but he evidently didn't and forcing him to go there would also mean he wouldn't like her and try to run away before even giving it a chance. No, the only way she could help in was come here once in a while and talk with him, be his friend. That was what he needed, friends.
And if she would find some great family for him, let him meet them without mentionig adoption on either side and let it play out on it's own along the way, well, we'll see.