Thank you again for all the love and support with this story! All the amazing feedback has helped me feel more confident with my writing!

As always, a huge thank you to rotasha!

TW! Emetophobia. Lois makes a joke about how Clark being in love is going to make her sick, but nothing happens.

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, Superman, or any other DC characters.

"Remind me, how long did the restaurant say it would take for the delivery to arrive?" Lois asked. She was sitting on the couch in Clark's apartment.

"Less than thirty minutes. Why? Are you starving?" Clark asked, a tad amused by Lois' impatience. It had only been twenty minutes since Clark had placed the order for their dinner, but in her defense, he was also starving. His normal time for dinner had long passed; both of them had been forced to work overtime at the Daily Planet tonight so they'd decided to order food and eat at his apartment once they'd been cleared to leave.

"I could eat a cow," Lois groaned before taking a sip from her glass of wine. Clark didn't drink alcohol, but he always kept a bottle of white wine for her in the fridge.

"The expression is about eating horses, not cows," Clark corrected her.

"Well, I'm craving the beef pad thai I ordered, not a horse. Keep up, Smallville," she stated in her no-nonsense voice.

Clark chuckled and was about to retort when he suddenly heard a knock on his front door. "Speak of the cow!"

Lois rolled her eyes at his joke. Even he had to admit it was a weak one, but he couldn't help himself. A certain ten-year-old's sense of humor had been rubbing on to him.

Clark got up from the couch and made his way to the entrance of his apartment. With one hand, he reached out to open the door while he grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket with his other hand.

"Delivery for Clark?" the woman delivering the food asked as she held up a large brown paper bag.

"Yes, that's me," he confirmed.

"That'll be $42.97," she told him.

Clark handed her two twenty-dollar bills and a ten-dollar bill, telling her to keep the change as a tip. She thanked him as she handed him his bag. Clark then closed the door and locked it once she had turned around and left.

"I'll grab the plates and utensils," Lois offered.

The two of them made their way to the small kitchen. Sharing takeout food in Clark's apartment was something they'd done countless times, leading them to develop a routine. Lois grabbed the cutlery while Clark unpacked their food and refreshed their drinks. It didn't take them long to get everything in order. They then settled back on the couch, their food nestled on their laps and their drinks on the small coffee table.

It was quiet for the first couple of minutes, the two of them lost in devouring their food. They'd ordered from their favorite local Thai restaurant. Lois always ordered the pad thai while Clark usually went for the green curry. Between the two of them, they shared some spring rolls.

"So, Clark," Lois started asking. Half of her pad thai had already disappeared. "How are things going with Wayne?"

"You're allowed to call him Bruce outside of the office," Clark replied after he swallowed a bite of food. "And things are going really well."

"That's good." She gave him a warm smile. "But I believe I've earned bragging rights as well as some sort of gift in payment."

Clark raised an eyebrow in amused confusion.

"Well, I was right. Bruce was flirting with you during those interviews. If it hadn't been for me pointing it out to you, who knows what would have happened. I basically helped set you up with your soulmate."

"I'll be sure to buy you a gift on our one-year anniversary," Clark joked. Lois never missed the chance to prove she was right. But she was only partially right.

After Batman's accidental identity reveal, Bruce and Clark had agreed to start dating, but only in their civilian personas. The decision was the product of a long discussion that took place in the Cave after Dick had been sent up to bed. Bruce had been methodical in his list of every single pro and con they were up against. No matter what conclusion they'd come to, there would be risks. But they'd decided it would be best to date as Clark and Bruce. That way they didn't need to hide this information from Clark's friends and family. And Dick wouldn't have to keep any more secrets than he already did. Batman and Superman were going to just remain occasional (and reluctant, in Bruce's case) partners.

The story they'd agreed on was that they'd met when Clark had interviewed Bruce about Wayne Enterprises' remodeling project. After a couple of casual dates, they realized they were soulmates. They didn't go public, but they weren't exactly hiding it either. It was just easier to keep their relationship private. And at the end of the day, the cover story they'd come up with wasn't that far off from the truth, so it was easy to remember.

Since Lois didn't know Clark was Superman, she was only half-right when she'd said it was because of her that they'd discovered they were soulmates.

"You've only been dating for two months and you're already thinking of your one-year anniversary? I guess he really is your soulmate," Lois remarked.

Her tone wasn't judgemental; she was just teasing her best friend. Yet Clark couldn't stop himself from blushing at her comment.

"I don't know how to explain it, Lo," Clark told her as he placed his plate on the coffee table. "I feel like myself when I'm with him. He makes me comfortable and happy. Sometimes I think we couldn't be more different, we have such contrasting upbringings and lives, but I think that's what makes it work. We balance each other out." Clark knew he was giving Lois the dopiest smile right now, but he didn't care. "I find myself wanting to be with him all the time. Even if we're just sitting in silence, working side-by-side, I feel happy. And I love spending time with his son; he's so much fun to be around. And—"

Clark noticed that Lois was grinning at him as she tried to bite her tongue. He abruptly stopped talking. He'd been rambling anyways.

"You sure went over the word count for someone who didn't know how to explain it," Lois joked. She also placed her plate on the table. "But I'm seriously so happy for you Clark. You deserve nothing but the best and I'll gladly listen to you chatter on about how madly in love you are."

She reached across the couch and rested her hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Clark smiled back in response.

"Thank you."

They were quiet for a couple of seconds. Lois took a sip from her wine and Clark grabbed himself a spring roll from the box in front of him.

"I'm glad you're fine with me gushing about Bruce. I haven't even told you about how good he is in the bedroom," Clark told her, trying to stay composed and not burst into laughter. Lois' eyes widened in surprise, shocked that he'd make a risqué joke like that.

"Don't you dare! You're going to make me throw up in my pad thai!" she yelled, flinging her wooden chopsticks at him. He easily dodged them as they both burst into laughter.

The rest of the night was spent talking about their projects and work, updating each other on their families, and retelling funny things that had happened in the office while the other had been away on a project.

Lois left not too long after their dinner. Clark walked her back to her apartment, which was only a couple of blocks away from his building. They said their goodbyes and wished each other a good weekend. Then, instead of going home, Clark ducked into a nearby alley, careful not to be seen, and changed into his Superman uniform. He wanted to make sure there weren't any world-ending situations going on before he called it quits for the night.

It was the next logical move for Batman. Poison Ivy's motive, although misguided, wasn't all that wrong. Bruce had concluded that maybe Pamela had been right when she'd said that the scientists and businessmen that'd created the chemical would stop at nothing to produce and use it.

But maybe Batman could be the one to try and fix the situation. After several hectic weeks in Gotham – there'd been a major breakout at Arkham – Batman was now in Metropolis heading back to the newly rebuilt factory Poison Ivy had destroyed.

His plan was simple. He just needed to enter the factory to grab a sample of the chemical they'd produced and its recipe. Afterward, he could return to the Cave and start developing his own product that could be used as a countermeasure. Or, at the very least, create something that would help any damaged greenery recover and regrow. Maybe he could get Wayne Enterprises to subtly investigate the Metropolis factory and see who the mysterious benefactor of this project was. Whoever was behind this had to have a reason for wanting to destroy nature.

Batman entered the building after hours; all the employees were long gone for the night and the only ones left were the security guards.

He'd planned for the possibility that his presence in the factory would be detected, but it had been for nothing. Not that this would stop him from ever being prepared for any future situation. Breaking into the building, stealing samples, and hacking into the computers had been a piece of cake.

In less than ten minutes, he was back outside in Metropolis' cool, night air and making his way back to the Batmobile. Bruce was just about to drive away to return to Gotham when he heard something tap on his window.

"License and registration?" Superman asked jokingly as he hovered outside the Batmobile. "I think it's illegal for Batman to be in Metropolis. It's only fair if Superman isn't allowed in Gotham."

Bruce rolled his eyes but unlocked the doors to let Clark enter.

It didn't take long for Clark to fly in and sit down in the passenger seat. Bruce relocked the doors out of habit.

"Is everything okay, B?" Clark asked, a look of concern on his face. "Where's Robin?"

"He's sick. He's at home resting," Bruce replied. He hadn't missed the nickname Clark had used. He'd started calling Batman "B" after having heard Dick use it several times on the field.

"Oh, poor kiddo. I hope he feels better soon."

Bruce nodded, touched that Clark was concerned about his son, but he couldn't help himself from asking a question. "Why are you checking up on me?"

He watched as Clark blushed, his cheeks almost turning as red as his cape. Bruce cocked an eyebrow, perplexed by Clark's sudden display of emotions. But of course, under his cowl, Clark didn't see this movement.

"I noticed you were in Metropolis, and I decided to meet up with you since we haven't seen each other in a couple of days," Clark replied. It did technically answer his question honestly, but Bruce could tell Clark was trying to hide part of his answer.

"Do I need to give you the same speech I gave Dick about spying?" Bruce asked. Once again, he found himself obsessively curious, wanting to know how Superman had managed to find him. There hadn't been any issues in the factory, so Clark couldn't claim he'd heard a disturbance like the last time Batman and Robin had been in Metropolis.

"No. I wouldn't say I was spying." Clark awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Promise you won't get mad?"

"I'll try," Bruce mumbled, not liking the direction this conversation was going. At least Clark hadn't made him pinky promise like Dick did.

"From time to time, I listen to your heartbeat. It's not because I don't trust you. You're more than capable of taking care of yourself and I obviously know you deserve your privacy. But your heartbeat is steady, strong, and comforting, so I sometimes find myself listening to it."

His heartbeat was comforting? Clark had memorized his heartbeat and unconsciously listened to it from time to time? It wasn't often others told him he was a comforting presence. Although Bruce didn't have the power to memorize heartbeats, he could understand the desire to make sure the ones you loved were safe. He'd gone to great lengths to protect both Alfred and Dick. He also found it reassuring to check in and make sure they were safe. So no, he wasn't mad at Clark.

"I noticed it seemed louder and realized you were in Metropolis, so I thought I'd come to see you. Obviously, I made sure you were alone and done with your mission before I came so I wouldn't bother you..."

Clark was rambling now Bruce decided it was time to put him out of his misery.

"Kal?" Bruce whispered. It was softly spoken and barely audible, but he knew Clark would hear him and it had the effect he'd intended. Clark stopped talking midsentence. His mouth still hung open, whatever words he was about to say had died on his tongue. Bruce had yet to call Clark by his birth name.

"Yes?" Clark replied, a bit breathlessly.

"I missed you too," Bruce decided to say. He wasn't sure if he was ready to vocalize everything else he was feeling, so he hoped this was enough to convey his emotions.

Clark smiled. His mood instantly changed. Bruce counted that as a romantic win, something he took pride in.

Bruce watched as Clark seemed to hesitate for only a second before leaning over the console that separated their seats. Clark's large, soft hands cupped Bruce's face as he started kissing him.

Maybe Clark had originally planned to only give Bruce a small peck on the lips, but when Clark started to gently pull away, a small moan escaped Bruce's lips.

Bruce hadn't meant to moan, but he'd thoroughly been enjoying the kiss and didn't want it to stop. Clark immediately understood the assignment and reignited the kiss. This time his hands started to roam gently through Bruce's hair.

In hindsight, the Batmobile wasn't the best place to make out. It was a tight fit for two large men and there were a lot of buttons that could cause damage if they accidentally leaned on them. Bruce knew how unprofessional this was. It felt somewhat wrong, as if he had a boss that would fire him for making out during office hours. Alfred could technically qualify as his boss, but he wouldn't care, he'd only give Bruce a knowing look. Alfred knew everything.

Clark's hands started moving around a bit more desperately, trailing down from Bruce's head to his chest. He seemed like he'd love nothing more than to remove Batman's suit. Bruce couldn't say he wasn't sharing the same sentiment. His own hands ran up and down Clark's body and he was very close to removing his gauntlets to better feel Clark, even if through a suit.

Clark shifted his body closer to Bruce's, cheating by using his powers to levitate himself a little off the seat.

Bruce regretfully forced them to break apart for air, Clark didn't seem to remember non-Kryptonians needed to breathe. Bruce's brain had almost forgotten about basic human needs; it would have been content with blissfully kissing Clark to death. Luckily, Bruce had the brain capacity to remove the keys from the ignition. He had a feeling this was only going to get more intense, so he might as well cover all his bases by making sure they didn't destroy anything when they inevitably pressed some buttons.

As soon as he tossed them to the floor, Clark practically pounced back on him, seemingly unable to stay away from him any longer. He was eager, wanting to get as much of Bruce as he could. Bruce's lips parted slightly, allowing Clark's tongue to slip inside his mouth.

Suddenly Clark pulled away from him. Bruce opened his eyes in surprise, wondering what was going on. Clark's head was tilted to the side, he was clearly listening to something far off in the distance.

"I uh... I need to go. Not that I want to stop, but there's an earthquake—" Clark started rambling, but Bruce quickly put an end to it.

"It's fine, I understand," Bruce told him as he blindly reached down to grab the keys. He unlocked the doors so Clark could leave.

"Okay," Clark replied. Bruce felt the soft kiss Clark planted on his cheek before he quickly flew out of the Batmobile.

Bruce finally managed to grab the keys off the floor. His heart was still racing; that had been exhilarating. If Clark wasn't so focused on saving civilians right now, he'd probably be freaking out over Bruce's elevated heart rate.

He glanced at the clock on the small console and noticed he'd been parked here making out with Clark for a good five minutes. There was no doubt Alfred would know what had happened. He needed to get back to Gotham. Hopefully, he'd have time to compose himself on the ride back home.

Once back in the Cave, Bruce tried to be as efficient as possible with his time. It was late; his unexpected rendezvous with Superman had put him a bit behind schedule.

He quickly input the information he'd acquired from the newly rebuilt factory into one of his computer programs. It would run different tests to check out the composition of the chemical and theorize which ingredients he should use to make a remedy.

Normally, he would have taken the time to write a report of all the events of the evening. He always found it best to do it while the memories were still fresh in his mind. But it would have to wait. Dick needed him and that took precedence over anything else.

Bruce jogged over to the locker room and set a personal record for how long it took him to remove his uniform. He also snuck in a quick shower, just to wash the scent of Gotham off of him.

Satisfied that he was clean and freshly dressed, Bruce took the stairs two by two as he exited the Cave and returned to the Manor. When he'd left for patrol, Dick had been lying on the couch in the living room. Bruce suspected that was still where he would be. It was late and he would have preferred if Dick had been already in bed sleeping, but he'd had a fever all day and he wouldn't sleep. Alfred had tried to get him to at least take a nap, but Dick had refused. The boy tended to get a bit clingy when he was sick, so Bruce hoped his presence would calm Dick down enough to try and get some sleep.

Exactly as he'd predicted, Bruce walked into the living room to find Dick curled up on the couch watching a movie. Bruce recognized the movie, How To Train Your Dragon. Dick watched it whenever he was sad. The floor around the couch was covered in used tissues and on the coffee table, there was a half-full glass of water and some cough drops.

Bruce wordlessly slipped into the living room. Dick was half-asleep and so transfixed on the movie that he only noticed Bruce's presence when the couch dipped under his weight.

"Hey, chum," Bruce said as he sat down beside Dick. Wrapped up in a giant blanket, Dick silently repositioned himself so he could lay on Bruce's lap. The fact that Dick didn't respond meant that he must have been feeling really sick. Dick was normally always happily chattering away.

Concerned, Bruce gently placed his hand on Dick's forehead, trying to distinguish if he was still running a fever or not. Dick was burning up. When was the last time he'd taken some medication? The fever hadn't been this high when Bruce had left for patrol; if it had been, he never would have gone out.

"Are you hot, Dick?" Bruce asked as he gently ran his hand through Dick's hair. "You're running a fever."

"I guess," Dick mumbled.

"Let's try getting you out of the blanket, maybe you'll feel better," Bruce suggested. Dick was intricately wrapped up like a giant burrito, so Bruce had to help him untangle himself.

Bruce was just about to get up from the couch to go grab some meds from the kitchen when Alfred walked in. As if he'd read Bruce's mind, he had the bottle of children's liquid medicine with him.

"Master Dick, it's time for your next dose of medication," Alfred told the boy. "Are you feeling up to eating now? I think you'd probably feel a lot better if you ate something while taking your medicine."

"Did you not eat dinner?" Bruce asked Dick while Alfred shook the bottle and poured out the right amount of liquid into a medicine cup.

"I wasn't hungry," Dick replied softly. His eyes were still glued to the television screen, but he seemed to barely have enough energy to keep them open. Bruce knew how exhausted Dick was right now, and normally he would have sent him off to bed, but he agreed with Alfred. He needed to eat a little bit of something, if only to keep up his strength.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Bruce asked. He reached for the remote that was resting on the coffee table and paused the movie to get Dick's undivided attention.

"Everything hurts my throat," Dick mumbled as Bruce helped him sit up.

"Something soft and cold then? Maybe some ice cream?" Bruce suggested, hoping to get Dick to agree.

Dick seemed to ponder this for a moment, which was another cause for concern. Dick normally jumped on the opportunity to eat sweets late at night. But luckily, he finally approved and gently nodded his head.

"I'll have to go to the store to grab some," Alfred said after he handed the medicine cup to Dick. Dick dutifully accepted it and swallowed it in one go. He handed it back to Alfred.

Bruce could tell Alfred wasn't bothered that he had to go out and buy some ice cream. He cared about Dick as much as Bruce did. But Bruce didn't like the idea of Alfred going out this late at night. None of the nearby grocery stores would be open at this hour, but they might have luck at a convenience store or a fast-food restaurant that was open twenty-four hours a day. One of those places had to be selling ice cream.

"I'll go buy the ice cream, Alfred," Bruce said as he stood up from where he'd been sitting on the couch. "It's late and you've been taking care of Dick all day."

"No, I don't want you to go," Dick suddenly exclaimed as he reached out to grab Bruce's hand. "Please stay with me."

Bruce and Alfred exchanged a concerned glance. Dick was much clingier than he normally was. Was that a sign that something was wrong? Was Dick sicker than Bruce had originally thought? Should he be taking him to the hospital?

"Okay," Bruce said in a reassuring tone. "I'll stay. But let me go to the kitchen and find you something else to eat. Maybe some pudding?"

Dick slowly nodded, but he looked disappointed at the thought that Bruce would be away from him for a couple more minutes. Bruce would love to stay with Dick to comfort him, but he needed to speak in private with Alfred; something was going on.

"I'll be right back," Bruce promised as he turned the movie back on for Dick.

Bruce walked away from the couch and towards the kitchen. Alfred followed him without question. He took the medicine bottle with him, as well as the glass of water, most likely to refill it.

"Did something happen?" Bruce asked once they'd entered the kitchen. He wasn't worried about Dick overhearing them; he was too tired to eavesdrop tonight.

"The young lad fell asleep shortly after you went out for the evening. Since he needed to rest, I left him alone and went to the kitchen so I wouldn't disturb him. I assume he had a nightmare because he woke up in quite the panic not thirty minutes later. He was frantically calling out for you," Alfred explained. The man was normally the expert at controlling his facial expressions, but there was no hiding the pain behind his eyes as he told Bruce what had happened. "It took me a while to calm him down, but his fever was high when he woke up, so I assume it worsened his nightmare."

Bruce sighed. He could only imagine the horrors Dick had dreamed about if it left him so shaken. That explained why he was watching his comfort movie and why he didn't want to let Bruce out of his sight.

"He's been sick with a fever for thirty-six hours now. Should we take him to the hospital?" Bruce asked worriedly. Alfred had always had more experience when it came to stuff like this, so he trusted his opinion.

"It becomes a cause for concern once he's gone over forty-eight hours," Alfred explained seriously. "But we should keep a close eye on him, especially if his temperature rises any higher than it currently is. I hope the medicine will help reign it in."

Bruce simply nodded, not sure what else to say. He currently had at least ten different worst-case scenarios running through his head as well as gameplans on how to quickly get Dick to the hospital if need be. He was worried. He hated seeing Dick in pain. His little ray of sunshine was trapped behind dark clouds right now.

"Do we have any pudding?" Bruce decided to ask instead of voicing the fears that were threatening to take control right now.

"No. We have yogurt and applesauce, which would be similar, but Dick already turned them down when I offered a couple of hours ago," Alfred told him. He looked as stressed as Bruce.

Bruce still didn't want Alfred going out this late at night, but it might have to come to that if it meant getting Dick to eat. Unless...

He suddenly had an out-of-the-box idea. To some, it might have seemed like overkill, but Bruce would do anything for his son. After all, what were soulmates for?

"Clark, I need your help," Bruce suddenly spoke up. He wasn't shouting or whispering, he knew Clark could hear him just fine. "Do you have time to buy some ice cream and bring it to the Manor?"

Alfred, unphased by the fact that Bruce was seemingly talking to himself, went over to the fridge and refilled the glass with fresh, cold water.

"I'll bring Master Dick his drink and keep him company while you wait," Alfred said once Bruce had finished speaking. He then left the room, not needing Bruce to respond.

Left alone and without distractions, Bruce was forced to face his thoughts and worries. Was it a little overboard to be asking Clark for help? When they'd parted ways in Metropolis, Superman had left to help innocent civilians who'd been struck by an earthquake. It wasn't fair to be pulling him away from his work there. Those were real people in need. Bruce was just one man who had failed to be there when his son needed him.

If Clark did come to the Manor, he would definitely be annoyed that Bruce had bothered him with such a trivial issue. For God's sake, Bruce was the Batman! He should have been able to fix this by himself.

So lost in doubt and self-deprecation, Bruce only heard Clark after he'd entered the kitchen. Maybe he'd been flying inside the house and that's why Bruce hadn't picked up on it.

Bruce turned to face Clark as he approached him in the middle of the room. He had a tub of vanilla ice cream tucked in his arms. Clark looked worried and Bruce didn't know what to say.

"Bruce, is everything okay?" Clark asked, clearly concerned. He placed the ice cream on the counter.

He wasn't in his costume, so he'd been at his apartment in Metropolis when he'd heard Bruce call out for him. It was a small consolation that he hadn't bothered Clark while he was still rescuing others.

"Dick is getting worse; his fever is almost out of control. And he won't eat or leave me out of his sight for too long because he's scared," Bruce suddenly unloaded, unable to hide how he was feeling. Normally, he would have hated showing such vulnerability to someone, but for some strange reason, it felt good to voice his concerns, even if it didn't fix anything.

"I'm so sorry," Clark said as he gently pulled Bruce in for a hug.

That was something else Bruce had always hated: physical contact. The only people he'd ever let hug him were Dick and, on rare occasions, Alfred. Clark was a hugger and since they'd decided to give dating a chance, Bruce had lost count of the number of times Clark had hugged him. Once again, Bruce found that Clark was the exception. His hugs were gentle yet strong and they were always comforting.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Clark questioned without hesitation. They were still hugging, and Bruce had felt his muscles relax as the time passed.

"Can you relieve Alfred and keep Dick company while I prepare him his ice cream?" Bruce asked him.

"Of course," Clark happily agreed. He finally released Bruce from his bear hug and Bruce felt he missed it. "It'll be okay, Bruce."

"Thank you for your help, Kal," he whispered.

"Anytime," Clark reassured him, smiling a little when Bruce called him by his birth name. He gave Bruce's shoulder one last reassuring squeeze before he headed to the living room. He'd most likely used his x-ray vision to see where Dick and Alfred were.

Bruce made quick work, not wanting to keep Dick waiting for too long. He grabbed a bowl and a spoon as well as the ice cream scoop Alfred kept tucked in the back of one of the drawers. He noticed the tub of ice cream wasn't sealed, strange. Given that Clark hadn't been in his Superman suit upon arrival, Bruce assumed he'd not actually gone out to buy the ice cream but grabbed a tub from his own freezer to save on time.

He confirmed his theory when he scooped two balls of vanilla ice cream out of an already half-empty container. He then rinsed the ice cream scoop and placed it in the dishwasher. Alfred wouldn't be impressed if he just left it out on the counter. He also put the ice cream in the freezer, all the while making a mental note to remind Clark to grab it on his way out later.

Bowl and spoon in hand, Bruce walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Dick was still lying on the couch, but Alfred had now left. Bruce was glad he had retired for the night; he deserved to rest. Clark was sitting on the floor in front of the couch. He was facing Dick and listening to the boy as he chatted away.

"You've never seen How To Train Your Dragon before?" Dick asked, sounding shocked at the possibility that Clark hadn't yet watched this masterpiece of a movie.

Clark softly shook his head. He looked like he was trying to hold back his laughter at Dick's flabbergasted tone. "No, I haven't. But it looks fun."

"I'll restart it!" Dick exclaimed. This was the most energetic Bruce had seen him since he'd fallen ill. "You'll love it!"

"I'm sure I will," Clark smiled fondly at Dick. "Are you still feeling really hot? I can make the room a bit colder.

"I feel less hot now," Dick answered as he worked on setting up the movie.

Bruce paused a couple of feet away from the couch. Dick's back was to him, so he hadn't noticed that Bruce was in the room now, but Bruce was sure Clark knew he was there, even if he was busy chatting with Dick.

The room was significantly colder than when he'd left. Clark must have used his powers to make the room a tad cooler for Dick.

Once upon a time, Batman might have been angry at Superman for so freely using his powers without thinking of the possible consequences. What if the temperature caused the pipes to freeze? What if someone were to unexpectedly visit Wayne Manor and realize it was unnaturally cold? But Bruce didn't care about any of that. Bruce cared that Clark had helped Dick feel better.

Once upon a time, Batman had questioned why the universe would curse him with having a soulmate. There were too many risks. But Bruce knew the universe was right for making Clark his soulmate. He couldn't imagine being with anyone but Clark. Bruce didn't often admit he was wrong, but he was glad he gave himself this chance. Maybe he did deserve happiness. And Clark was the one who could give it to him.

Dick was smiling again, Clark smiling back. Both of them were rays of sunlight shining through the abyss of darkness that used to be Bruce's life.

"Here's your ice cream, chum," Bruce said as he finished walking over to the couch. He handed Dick the bowl once he sat up. "Make some room for us."

Bruce sat down on the couch and watched as Clark hesitated. Bruce could see him thinking. He was stuck between politely leaving so he didn't overstay his welcome and sitting down on the couch to watch a movie with them.

"Hurry up and get up here," Bruce instructed Clark. "Dick needs to educate you on why this is the best movie ever."

Clark smiled at him, finally getting up from off the floor. "I'm ready."

Bruce was ready too.

Yay, I finished it! I hope everyone enjoyed the ending. And I hope to publish more SuperBat in the near future! So maybe subscribe if that's your cup of tea!