Prompt from livejournal: Basically, all the teen's 'superhero' identities are their online avatars for some superhero game (think DC online) and they meet for the first time in real life in a cyber cafe or something.

Welp, alrighty then.

-x-

Matches:Wanna play a game?

The message popped up in the right hand corner of Dick's screen, obscuring a part of his calculus homework.

RoundRobin: What kind?
Matches: Online superhero mmorpg.
Matches: Good graphics, interesting storyline.
Matches: The guys at my meeting yesterday had some involvement in the designs. You need an invite or "a call to adventure" to get in and they gave me one named Batman.
RoundRobin: Lemme guess, you were bitten by a radioactive bat.
Matches: Actually, I watched my parents get gunned down in an alley by a psychotic clown who kills people with smiles.
RoundRobin: That's…nice?
Matches: And right now, I just watched two acrobats fall to their death by an ex-D.A. who was having a pissy fit over the fact that he's not half as pretty as he used to be.
Matches: They had a kid and apparently I can take on a protégé.
Matches: Game's telling me to invite you.
RoundRobin: I don't want to be called Batboy.
RoundRobin: You can't make me :I
Matches: You can choose your own name. Promise.
Matches: Now let's go save the city from pterodactyls, old chum.

They stay up until two in the morning, taking down bad guys and solving crimes until they've racked up enough points and completed enough missions to earn the title of the World's Greatest Detectives.

-x-

RoundRobin: Have you heard of City of Adventure?
RoundRobin: Cuz you need to play it.
RoundRobin: Like now.
WallMan: HHHHHNNNNNNG.
WallMan: YES.
WallMan: Dude.
WallMan: Aunt Iris grounded Uncle Barry because he's showing up late(r) to work because he keeps oversleeping.
WallMan: CUZ WE HAVE BEEN DEFENDING OUR FAIR CITY FROM THE EEEEVILS OF MIRROR MASTER AND CAPTAIN BOOMERANG.
RoundRobin: She can do that?
WallMan: Iris vs Barry
WallMan: Yes she can.
RoundRobin: And you didn't get in trouble? :/
WallMan: I'm smart enough to know
WallMan: that to oversleep
WallMan: YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO BE SLEEPING.
RoundRobin: You're running on energy drinks again, aren't you?
WallMan: I'm Kid Flash now.
WallMan: I run on SPEED FORCE.
WallMan: Not that it matters because I can't DO ANYTHING without Barry online. :(
RoundRobin: omg, I know.
RoundRobin: Apparently you can't escape being a sidekick until you've cataloged enough hours.
WallMan: IN REAL TIME.
WallMan: D:
RoundRobin: I'd suggest teaming up to bypass through some loopholes…
RoundRobin: But you need "mentor contact and approval."
WallMan: RRAAAAAARRGH.
WallMan: Anyway.
WallMan: Who are you?
WallMan: I'm a speedster in Keystone City.
RoundRobin: Badass normal in Gotham.
WallMan: :O
WallMan: You work for the World's Greatest Detective?
WallMan: There are legends, man. LEGENDS.
RoundRobin: u mad bro?
RoundRobin: :D
WallMan: I don't negotiate with trolls.

-x-

"Your shoulder's feeling better now, right?"

Kaldur has to tear his eyes away from Tula's glowing hair to look at Lori Lemaris (in a simple summer dress to slip out of easily at the swim competition), who is nibbling on French bread, the decimated ruins of the rest of her meal apparent on her plate.

"Yes, thank you. Those stretching techniques did help," he smiled.

"Haha, that's good. You should try more yoga, it's so relaxing. I think I've been getting better at swimming since I've taken it up." Lori winced, giving him an embarrassed smile. "Not that you need it, considering you are the best swimmer we have."

Any response Kaldur had was interrupted by a squeal of frustration from the general vicinity of Coach Curry, Tula, Topo, and Garth.

Coach Curry was at his laptop, a look of total concentration on his face. Garth was standing over his shoulder, slightly leaning over so as to see the screen better. Tula and Topo flanked Curry's sides, shouting their suggestions.

"Look, I swear I saw a Health Bonus down that cavern. You're too low."

"No, no, keep going and finish the mission, he has enough."

"No he doesn't!"

"Finish the mission and you'll instantly get a health bonus there and you'll be transported back to Poseidonis."

"He's going to die! If you die in this game, you can't get back in. You have to make a new character."

"No one's going to die today," Coach Curry said resolutely.

And then all four of them tensed up.

"Oh God," Tula whispered. "Oh God, where is he? Nononono."

"What are you guys playing?" Kaldur asked.

"Shh!Black Manta's on the prowl," Topo also whispered, for some reason.

This caused Kaldur to walk over to view the screen.

"It's called City of Adventure," Garth explained. "You can play online as heroes and you're given your own environment. Coach's wife sent him a link a while ago."

"I'm familiar with this. I've seen my father play it a few times in his office. Give the website an alias and it comes up with a back story for your character, right?"

"Do you play with him? Apparently, you can take on a protégés now."

Kaldur grimaced. "No. I'm not interested in -" spending time with my father "- playing the bad guy."

Topo looked at Kaldur for the first time. "Your dad's a bad guy?"

"You need to log on to a different website... but, yes, you can."

"Where's your dad stationed?" Garth asked.

Kaldur paused, then said carefully, "He's Black Manta."

Tula's head whipped up to look at him. "What?"

"Well, this is awkward," Coach said, not looking up from the screen where he was locked in epic battle against Kaldur's father.

"If it helps, I could tell you how to beat him?"

Coach quickly moved the computer to the side, making Tula scoot over for room.

"She's all yours."

Garth stole a chair from a table behind them, and Kaldur was glad that there wasn't many people in the Bread House (the restaurant the were eating at) who would care about the noise they were making. He settled between Coach and Tula and tried to focus on the game and not on Tula's steady breathing when she leaned in too close.

Ten minutes later, with seven life points left, Kaldur's father was trapped in a sunken submarine, leaving the path to the...whatever it was Kaldur was fighting for open.

"Okay, okay, don't die. Whatever you do, don't die. You totally just blew my mind with your gaming skills, so don't die." Tula's fingers pressed into his skin, her chest brushing up against his arm and

Kaldur was definitely not blushing.

-x-

After the tournament where coach's team took away the first place trophy and bragging rights; after the long bus ride home with too loud laughter and so much noise; after sleeping over each other, on top of each other, scrunched up in the small seats of the bus; they arrive in their school's parking lot where the parents of our fine heroes (both those who traveled with them and those unable to make it) wait and usher the tired teen athletes into cars and diverge to their own homes.

So it's not until Kaldur wakes up the next day and checks his email that he sees the message.

AQUAMAN HAS INVITED YOU

He clicks on it and the inside message is short.

WILL YOU ACCEPT THE CALL TO ADVENTURE?
Accept

Kaldur yawns and takes another bite of his oatmeal.

Accept

-x-

For those who aren't restrained by Sidekick Glass Ceiling, the creators of City of Adventure open up the Rank Guilds. They are for the best of the best, they say in a letter to the players. Some have different specifications, like experience, missions previously taken, or types of powers that you are confined to. (Some can even be created specifically for people who happen to like each other both online and in real life, as presented by the Fantastic Four.)

This was in response to how the Lanterns (the entire spectrum) were the only ones who were officially unified, meaning that they could draw power from one large source and accumulate experience as a collective.

So people began to divide themselves up and started to pledge themselves to groups like the Avengers, Doom Patrol, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the X-Men.

Batman, the Flash, and Aquaman are one of the first to form the Justice League, along with unknowns that go by the aliases of Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.

After a few missions completed together as a team, they are able to expand their roster, letting in Green Arrow, Black Canary, Captains Marvel and Atom, Zatara, Hawkman and Hawkwoman, another Green Lantern, and Red Tornado. The Justice League continues to expand.

But not so far as to let sidekicks in.

"And that's why I'm not online anymore," Roy Harper explains to Dinah Lance, a young florist who is currently in a (off-and-on again) relationship with multi-billionaire Oliver Queen. They're in said billionaire's office waiting for Ollie to come back from a meeting with the board.

Well, Dinah is. Roy only came back to collect some things he left behind before...the break.

"Are you still waiting to be approved for new membership?"

"It's been a month, D. A month. I wouldn't care so much if it weren't so damn addicting."

Dinah grinned. "I know. I promised myself I would only play for an hour. Three hours ago."

Roy rolled over in his chair to see her battle a female avatar that went by the name of Lady Shiva.

"I just need one more level," she explained. "One more level and I can go train with the best fighters in the world and unlock new fighting techniques."

There was a pause before Roy asked, "And it involves shoes. Doesn't it."

"Kicking ass in three-hundred dollar heels? I think yes. I don't care if you can't do it real life, it's too awesome of an idea to pass up."

Roy snorted.

"Besides, it increases the power of my attacks. They're pretty and practical."

"Sure," Roy drawled. He hefted up his backpack that contained his things and headed towards the door. "See ya, D."

"Hey, wait up a sec."

She's behind him before he realizes it, pressing a key into his hand. "Look, I understand you're going through some macho-male independence thing with Ollie right now, but you should both know it's...well, it's unnecessary."

Roy looks at the key cradled in his hand and hands it back to her. She doesn't take it. "I've already got my own place ready. And I'm helping someone with their business, so there's my income."

"It's just there in case of emergencies."

Roy moves to the door.

"Why do you have to do this, Roy?"

He hangs back, looking at her over his shoulder.

"he's giving you the company, Roy. If you had anything to prove, you've already done it."

"No, Dinah. He just wants to put the company somewhere safe while he goes off to play mayor. Once he comes back, he'll just take it back. I've read the paperwork, Dinah."

Dinah stomps over to Ollie's desk in her kitten heels, digs around in his desk for a folder and waves it at Roy. "It's for co-ownership, you stubborn idiot. You'll work as partners. If he wanted to hand off the company only temporarily, he would have given it to... someone like me."

She slams the papers down, hands on her hips, accusatory look on her face. Roy glares back.

"It's not that simple - "

Dinah groans in frustration, the heels of her palms coming up to cover her eyes. "It never is, is it?"

"I've never had a job, Dinah. I've been pampered since Ollie took me in. I've been to wild parties every weekend, some going on for entire weeks, some of them I can't even remember. I've been addicted to crack, letting some insane girl help lay waste to Ollie's fortune. And we still have no idea where she's disappeared to with some of that stuff."

Roy's in her face now, just an inch taller than her. "I'm twenty years old; for two years now I've been going to a college that Ollie had to bribe to get me because of my record. Everything I've ever been involved in had someone helping me along and I'm not sure how many of the choices I've made weren't because of someone else's influence. This whole 'striking out on my own?' This isn't about proving anything to Ollie or you or the media. This is something I have to prove to myself, that I can take control of my life."

Dinah just looks at him sadly. "Ollie's doing this so you can be safe and secure. That's what parents do when they care about - "

"That man is not my father," Roy growls. He turns and finally opens the door, only to find a perplexed Oliver Queen standing behind it.

Roy doesn't even give him a chance to react and by the time Ollie comes out of shock, Roy is already in the elevator, back facing them.