Three years.

THREE. YEARS.

For three years, Batman had been forced to endure ritual humiliation in front of his so-called peers in the Justice League. Three years ago, he had made a bet with his 'friend' Clark Kent over the outcome of a football game between the Metropolis Meteors and the Gotham Knights- a bet he had lost. As a result he had been forced to sing "I'm a little teapot" in front of the senior members of the world's premier superhero team. That had been bad enough, but a few months later, the Metropolis Monarchs had had a baseball game against the Gotham Gargoyles. At a meeting of the League, Superman had asked Batman if he felt anymore confident in this game, and whether he was willing to back that confidence up. Batman would normally have ignored this, except that the Kryptonian Bastard had mentioned that he (Bastard) would understand if he (Batman) were nervous about risking his pride on, quote, "such a sad collection of has-beens, never-wases and overhyped losers". Well, Gotham's defender couldn't let that pass, and two days later the Dark Knight had been forced to sing "I feel Pretty" on the Watchtower PA.

The next three years had brought Gotham defeat after defeat- no matter how good the team from Gotham was, Metropolis always won no matter the sport. Batman had been forced to sing many, many humiliating songs, culminating in last night when he had been forced to...rap.

Enough, he decided, was Enough.

The moment he returned to Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne put through a call to his business manager Lucius Fox. After some light pressuring, Fox had agreed to go along with his employers latest whimsy. Over the next few weeks, Wayne Enterprises began setting up a number of small shell companies and using them to quietly accumulate a controlling interest in the Gotham Knights. All was done slowly, and with the strictest devotion to secrecy- allegedly so that Bruce didn't end up "looking like Lex Luthor, plastering his name on everything in sight" but in actuality, to prevent snoopy reporters (or their wives) from figuring out who now owned the team.

After a few weeks, a meeting was called for the shareholders in the Knights franchise. There, the executives who represented the dummy corporations expressed their dissatisfaction with the team's performance and proposed a solution. At great cost, a famous physical trainer was brought in from Eastern Europe. This man, a former trainer of Olympic champions, was tasked with turning the Knights into an unstoppable force. Moreover, a renowned college football coach was coaxed out of retirement for one season. All of this was done quietly, and when the season began no one seemed to be the wiser. The season began well, with the Knights winning most of their games but without any spectacular victories. The new coach had, on his own, decided that the team should save the new plays for later in the season in order to surprise the tougher competition- a decision Bruce Wayne was happy to agree to.

Eventually, the inevitable game between Gotham and Metropolis arrived. With his usual casualness, Clark Kent called Wayne Manor to ask if Bruce "felt lucky". Batman allowed himself to be baited into once more placing his dignity on the line but this time he had a new wager to make.

"I'll take your bet Clark" he said, with a savage grin "But there are two conditions. First, you and Lois must be my guests to watch the game in my skybox"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be able to force ourselves" Clark said, smiling at the thought of the fine food and excellent view that the box would undoubtedly have.

"Good. Second, if by some fluke I win, you have to dance. Not in front of the League, but I pick the dance and you can't back out. Don't worry about technique, I'll see to it that you learn to dance perfectly. Is it a deal?"

Clark's well-honed sense of peril was going off at this, but the conditions seemed pretty minor compared to some of the songs he'd forced the Dark Knight to perform. Besides, Gotham hadn't won a game against Metropolis in years. "It's a deal, Bruce."

When Game Day arrived, Clark and Lois Kent flew into Gotham aboard Wayne-1. Ostensibly, the pair were going to be there to cover the billionaire playboy's latest charity soiree- which was being held that night. In actuality, neither one could care less- both were too focused on the game. The entire flight was spent going over possible strategies and line-up changes and how those might affect the game. Lois, who was a huge Meteors fan, was convinced the team was unbeatable today- Clark wished he could share in her certainty.

An elderly gentleman in a chauffeurs uniform met them at the airport. Lois dropped her bag and raced to kiss Alfred on the cheek. The staid Englishman accepted this with a friendly smile, and shook Clark's hand in welcome. After brief 'hellos', the group made their way to the Knights home stadium for the game. The vintage Rolls Royce made excellent time through downtown Gotham, and within minutes they arrived at Gotham Memorial Stadium.

Both Clark and Lois came from fairly modest backgrounds, and subsequently were a bit overawed by the treatment they received as guests of Bruce Wayne. They were met halfway to the skybox by a team of valets who took their coats and led them to the box. Along the way, they were offered food, drink, a guided tour of Gotham, and "personal time" with any of the players or cheerleaders or both- the last offer made Clark blush and Lois guffaw. Eventually they reached the skybox and were once again stunned by sheer opulence.

The box was easily the size of their apartment back in Metropolis. Cream colored, deep shag carpeting covered the entire floor, and was so soft Lois exclaimed that it was almost like walking on a cloud, to which Clark smirked. The far side of the box was dominated by a tremendous window, which gave an unparalleled view of the stadium, beginning at the Meteors Endzone. Just in front of this was a large, cream colored couch and several matching recliners.

Opposite this window, a large wet bar stood, stocked with truly vast amounts of drink. Lois, knowing her husband would be thirsty, quickly fixed drinks- a Martini for herself and a White Russian for him. For his part, Clark moved to the huge buffet table that occupied one wall of the room. Barbecued ribs, deep fried shrimp, broiled lobster and fresh salad were among the many delicacies offered, and the Man of Steel lost no time in loading up a plate.

Just as the couple got settled in, Bruce Wayne walked in with his date- a tall, blonde woman of fantastic beauty. "Sorry I'm late" the billionaire said, in the slightly vapid tone of Gotham's most famous fool "Candi and I got a little lost. Isn't that right, sweetie?"

"Oh yeah!" squeaked Candi "This place is just so BIG!"

Lois gave a strained smile and moved to introduce herself. "Hello, Candi, I'm Lois Lane from the Daily Planet"

"Oh?" Candi replied blankly "What's that? A new dance club?"

Lois' smile got a little more strained. "Er, no, we're a newspaper. One of the most important ones."

"Oh" Candi said, turning away "I don't read much."

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" Lois muttered into her drink. Clark snorted at that, but managed to cover it with a cough.

"Now that everyone's here, why don't we settle in? The game will be starting soon. Clark, why don't you and I pick up snacks for the ladies?"

The moment the two were out of hearing, Bruce Wayne disappeared and Batman took his place. "I trust you haven't forgotten our bet, Clark?"

"No, I haven't" Clark said distractedly. He was staring at the seat area, where Candi was telling Lois how nice her hair could look if she 'did something with it', while Lois smiled fixedly. Turning back to his friend, he said "Bruce where in the world do you FIND these women?"

Batman snorted quietly. "Girls, Clark, not women. Little girls playing dress-up because they've never had to do anything more in their lives. As for where to find them, go to any high-society ball and you'll find at least six of them. I met this one at the charity ball last evening- it would have been suspicious if Bruce Wayne came alone"

Clark nodded and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You're a braver man than I, Bruce."

The pair took their seats just in time for kickoff. The game began with a bold play by Metropolis- a long pass, which gained them significant ground against the Knights. Clark and Lois both whooped in joy and made faces at Bruce. The playboy just smiled and silently mouthed 'watch the game'.

Almost immediately, the Knights took control of the field. Metropolis was soon forced onto the defensive, as the Gotham team executed brilliant plays and masterful defenses. By half-time, it was clear that the game was pretty well over. Gotham had a 21 to nothing lead, and the Meteors had been thoroughly demoralised. The team had come onto the field with a three-year winning streak against the Knights- they'd expected an easy win. Instead, they were being creamed and humiliated. The rest of the game was a complete slaughter, as the Knights racked up another two touchdowns before the final gun.

The Gotham crowd was ecstatic- their cheers and victory cries were heard even within the allegedly sound-proofed walls of the skybox.

Lois and Clark had both slumped back in their seats resignedly. They'd been so sure of victory! Clark leaned over and asked Bruce what the dance would be. His blood chilled at the Batman's dark grin.

A/N

I see Clark as drinking White Russians- I think the milk (or cream) base would appeal to him.

Yes, there will be another chapter fairly soon.

No, I don't know much about football games. American Style football isn't popular here, and while I do know the rules, I've never seen a game live.

To those watching my other stories- UPDATES ARE COMING AND COMING SOON!