Equals

It was making a turn for a disaster.

"Look," Superman said as gently as he could. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Every punch I take is one that someone else doesn't have to."

"What are you trying to say?" Wonder Woman said, taking a step towards Superman. "That the rest of us can't handle it?"

"It's not that!" He was losing his intended words and others came tumbling out of his mouth. "I'm invincible, and I just—why should anyone have to take a hit that I can take without a scratch?"

"Because we all know what we signed up for!" Hawkgirl interjected, taking an angered step towards him.

Green Lantern followed her and took her shoulder. "No." he told her. "We can't start fighting now. We're supposed to be a team."

"Team?" She exclaimed, jerking her should out of his grasp.

Superman stepped towards her apologetically. "Look, I'm sorry. I know your every bit as tough as the rest of us." He paused for a brief moment trying to weigh his next words carefully. "But despite all of that, my body is just built to handle it all better than the rest of yours."

"Oh that's it!" Hawkgirl took her battle position, ready to leap on the other man and prove just how much he couldn't handle it.

"No!" Green Lantern forced her back with his ring's power. "Stop it! Fighting like this will get us nowhere!"

"Well unless you have some place to be, move." Hawkgirl said forcefully, prepared to strike down the force field his ring had created between her and Superman.

"She's right, Superman." Wonder Woman said in her usually soothing way. "You can't treat us like we're all so breakable."

Superman looked around for some sort of help that he knew wouldn't be there. With a defeated sigh he said, "Regardless of how breakable you are or aren't, I'm still the one here that can withstand the most. I won't ask any of you to carry something that I can do all myself."

Perhaps he didn't mean his words in the way the rest of the League took them, but they all fell silent around him. Everyone stared at him, as if waiting for him to make good on his word and leave right then and there. They all knew how wrong he was. He knew how wrong he was. Already he'd proven that he could not do this alone, which was the reason he'd come up with the idea for the Justice League in the first place.

Over time he must have built up unspoken, unrecognized resentment in himself. He always felt a duty to watch over his fellow League members because he knew he was the strongest of the group. He was so inwardly troubled because all of his fellows had been struck down in one way or another in battle and ended up in the medical wing of the Watch Tower. Except for him. He didn't find it fair to expect them to go into a fight time and time again when he knew he would be the only one to come out of it unscathed.

His words were true, however black and white they were. He was invincible.

Batman stepped forward. Usually he kept to himself, but Superman's arrogance was hurting the entire team. "Fine." He said, reaching into his belt. "You want to take all of the punches? Take them." And with that, swung his fist at the other man.

Batman's fist collided with his face and he was thrown across the room. Surprised, he looked up at the Bat and saw a Kryptonite ring on his finger

The rest of the League's mouths were hanging open. Batman stood in the center, unfeeling and frowning down on his fellow team member.

"You know that's not fair." Superman told him, managing to stand on his feet

"You said you wanted to take all of the punches." Batman growled, jumping forward and hitting him again. "So take them!"

None of the others would've dared do something like this. Everyone knew Superman's weakness, and everyone knew what it could do to him. Including Batman. But Batman wasn't any of the others

Superman fell to the ground in front of Batman. He returned the ring to his utility belt and just stood over the other man without a word

"Bats…" Flash started, but stopped as Superman began to stand.

The two men looked each other in the eye. Batman's eyes were black and cold. It was as if he was staring right into Superman's soul without even blinking.

Superman's eyes were narrowed at the other man. Out of all the members in this group, Batman was the most of a mystery to him. Batman was a mystery to everyone. This man with absolutely no special power fought the same monsters, the same battles, the same things as all the rest of them, and he was nothing but a man.

"You know what would've happened if you didn't have that." Superman said finally.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "The point is, I had it." He responded. "And you are not invincible. Now I suggest you get off your high horse and face the facts. We are all equals here."

"Batman is right." J'onn agreed stepping forward. "We are not equals because of what powers we have, but because of what we use them for. Superman…" He walked towards the two men. "We're all here for the same thing."

"I know that." Superman said, giving his alien friend a glance. "But Batman…" He turned back to the Dark Knight. "I can't ask you especially to take hits that only I can. You're only a man."

Flash took a concerned step forward. The rest were frozen where they stood

Batman's expression did not change. He turned away from Superman and looked at the rest of the League. "I don't have to prove myself to you." He said over his shoulder to the Kyrptonian

And with that, took his leave.

Superman knew he was right. He didn't need to prove himself. That man, the one who was just that and nothing more, had proven himself long ago as a hero.

This is the second version of a one-shot I wrote back on my other account before I moved my Batman stories here. I didn't post the first version because I read over it again and decided that it wasn't good enough to be reposted.

I wrote this when watching Justice League (the animated series) and the team got into a big fight and… I dunno. I was just inspired to write my own. Plus I'd been reading Hush and I just really wanted to write something where Batman punched Supes in the face. Because, as I think we've all come to terms with, I highly dislike Superman. Anyway! Here this is.

R&R
It makes me happy!
Katie