Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the following story. They belong to DC Comics.
Happy Birthday, Superman!
Superman was flying somewhere above the state of Wyoming, heading into space and toward the Watchtower. J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, told him there was an emergency and he never exaggerated so needless to say, Kal-El was in a rush. After the longest minute of his life, Superman finally sees the Justice League Watchtower. "Well, it's still intact, at least" Clark mutters to himself, somehow not very comforted as he swiftly flies to a door and enters the satellite. The lights were off and the only thing Superman could hear was a collection of steady heartbeats coming from the Crow's Nest. Kal-El sprints to the top, thinking the worst and he breaks the metal door down, too anxious to wait for them to open. The sight the greets his eyes is…All of his friends gathered around a large cake.
"Surprise! Happy Birthday, Clark!" They all shout, laughing at his overreaction.
"You scared me! I seriously thought you were in danger!" Superman exclaims with a bark of laughter, relief immediately soothing his adrenaline-filled heart.
"Was breaking the door down really necessary?" The Flash asks as he runs to the destroyed door, inspects it, and runs back to Kal-El in less than two seconds.
"It shall be repaired, for now please enjoy the gathering we have prepared for you" J'onn says in his calm, good-natured voice. It was impossible to refuse.
"The Titans and the Outsiders are taking care of things on Earth so we at least have a good hour of fun" The Green Lantern informs him with a grin, making it even more impossible to walk away.
"Thank you all so much. This means a lot to me" Superman says happily, feeling more loved and accepted than he ever thought possible.
"It was out pleasure. You are a friend, a comrade, and you deserve to have a good birthday" Wonder Woman tells him, giving him a tight hug. "Now, it's time for you to open your presents."
"I call first!" Barry Allen states, a red blur rushing to a nearby table before moving in front of Clark and going still. "Here you go!" The Flash says enthusiastically as he shoves a very badly wrapped red present into his hands. Superman carefully unwraps the present to find a new cell phone. "I saw that your old phone was broken in a fight so I got you a new phone that is nearly indestructible from Star Labs. They're calling it a Gokia" The Flash explains, searching Clark's face for any sign that he didn't like the present.
"This…This is a very thoughtful gift, Barry, thank you" Superman says sincerely, putting the phone away and fully intending to check out all the features later.
Barry beams at Clark when hearing this as Wonder Woman drags a large box to him. It was as tall and as wide as he was.
"Good Lord, Diana, what in the world did you get me!" Superman nearly shouts, eyes wide in shock.
"Every warrior needs a suit of armor" Wonder Woman tells him with a laugh as she opens the front of the box to reveal a set of silver armor. "It's resistance to Kryptonite and very resilient. Part of it was made in my homeland and part of it was made in Atlantis. Arthur sends his best wishes and regrets that he couldn't make it to the party."
"It's amazing. Thank you, Diana and thank Arthur too" Superman tells her, examining the armor and admiring the craftsmanship.
"Looks like I'm up" The Green Lantern says as he hands Superman a small box.
"You aren't going to propose to me, are you Hal?" Clark asks as he arches an eyebrow when he sees that there was a green ring inside the box.
"No, I'm afraid not!" Hal Jordan laughs, smirking at Kal-El. "It's a shield ring that you can activate with your thoughts. It's like my ring but it's limited to shielding."
"Thanks, Hal, you scared me for a minute" Superman chuckles as J'onn suddenly hands him a box of Chocos, his favorite snack.
"I was not sure what to give you so I decided to give you something that has brought me much joy…" The Martian explains to the Kryptonian, eying the box almost longingly.
"Oh…Um…Thank you…Are you sure you want to give them to me?" Superman murmurs when noticing the look in J'onn's eyes.
"Yes, I want you to enjoy them as I have" The Martian Manhunter says as he tears his eyes away from the sweets and forces himself away.
Superman smiles at them all before looking around and noticing that Aquaman wasn't the only Justice League member that was missing.
"Where's Bruce?" Superman asks worriedly, knowing that he promised to spend some time with him on his birthday.
"Gotham. He was busy with Scarecrow, I think…" Barry informs him, frowning.
"Oh…I see…" Superman mutters, hiding his disappointment. They had just begun their relationship and already their responsibilities as superheroes were tearing them apart.
"Don't worry about him, Clark, let's cut the cake and eat" Wonder Woman says suddenly, interrupting his train of thought and handing him a plastic knife.
Superman forces out a smile and takes it from her.
-About an Hour Later
Superman walks out of the Crow's Nest, letting the false grin slide off his face. If only Bruce had been able to come to the Birthday then it would've been perfect but without him, it just wasn't as special. Either way, his time was up and Metropolis needed him.
"How was your party?" A familiar voice suddenly asks from nearby.
"Bruce?" Superman asks in disbelief, turning around quickly to face the Dark Knight that was currently leaning gingerly on the wall.
"Who else would it be? Happy Birthday. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the party in time" Batman says regretfully, frowning at Clark.
"It's okay, you have a city to protect. We all know how that's like" Kal-El says with a smile, not caring that he was late and only concerned with the fact that the man he loved was here with him.
"It's no excuse" Batman tells him, being hard on himself as usual and grabbing Clark's hand gently. He places something inside and closes it. "It's not much but I hope you like your gift".
Superman looks at Bruce questioningly before opening his hand to reveal a steel chain with a Kryptonian pendant on it. The pendant looked worn with age but no less beautiful, the intricate designs reminding him of the home he lost. "What…Where in the world did you get this?" Superman asks in surprise, unable to take his eyes off of the gift.
"I found it on a thief; however, I honestly don't know where he found it" Batman says with the slightest of smiles, knowing Clark liked his gift. "Now, you have a little piece of home."
"Thank you, Bruce, this means so much to me" Clark says gratefully as he pulls the necklace on and hugs Batman tightly. The man chuckles and hugs him back.
"I'm glad you're happy, Clark" Batman tells him before pressing his lips against the Kryptonian's. Superman kisses back eagerly, his eyes slipping closed and his body relaxing. After a good minute, they both pull away, panting breathlessly but happier than they've been in a long time.
"You know something, Bruce…" Clark starts when he had enough breath in his lungs to speak.
"What, Clark?" Batman asks after a few deep breaths.
"I love the necklace, but my best present today was you" Superman tells him with a loving grin as he wraps his arms around Bruce's waist. "You are my little piece of home."
Author's Notes:
Dark: You have no idea how difficult it was to write this...I changed the plot three times and rewrote it completely twice...And I still think it sucks :-(. Please review and have mercy on me...