A/N: Thanks for all the adds and follows! Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts *nudge nudge*
"I think we're all good here, J'onn," said Superman as he adjusted his comlink. The cool autumn wind rustled his crimson cape in the wind as he and his colleagues quietly stood in the dark street.
"If there are no signs of any problems," the martian's deep reverberated in his ears, "I can beam you up in T-minus 20 seco" -
Batman tilted his head. "That won't be an issue. I'll stay behind and check the perimeter."
"Of course you will." Zatanna placed her hands on her hips and clucked her tongue. "Crime never sleeps."
The magician wasn't a permanent member of the League, but her powers had been needed that night due to Circe and her mischievous tricks. Then again it was Halloween and tricks seemed to be the only thing that mattered that night. That and cheap store candy. Superman repressed a sigh. True, she had been helpful but the tension and trivial bickering between her and Batman almost made him want to beam himself up halfway during the mission.
"Any objections?" Martian Manhunter began setting the coordinates from the Watchtower.
Superman shrugged. "I don't mind accompanying Batman." He ignored the Caped Crusador's snarl and turned around. "See if there's any continuing action. Hopefully it'll be a quiet night. Want me to snag you some chocolate?"
The smile in the martian's voice was evident. "It would be of no use. I am sure Flash will consume it in its entirety. Zatanna, I presume you are ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. Superman." She tipped her top hat but merely glanced at Batman, eyebrow raised challengingly, before a soft glow surrounded her and her body slowly blurred away.
Superman blew his curl out of his face. "Whelp that was fun."
"I'll take Addison. You can monitor Belmont." And with a swish of his cape, Batman stalked down the dimly lit street. The Man of Steel rolled his but went the opposite direction anyways. Sometimes he realized that there was no use in arguing with Batman. Either he was in a bad mood or a worse mood. It had been a long night as the three earlier had to catch magically transformed animals and switch them back to children. Circe had thought it would be funny to transform any costume resembling an animal into the actual thing. Needless to say there had been some sightings of wandering lions and bears that the police thought were questionable.
Superman hovered in the sky, a small grin toying at his mouth as he watched the remaining trick-or-treaters meandering down the streets. The cops that were on call rested at a nearby diner as a few parents lingered on porches sipping hot chocolate. He pressed his earpiece. "All quiet on the western front."
There was a soft crackle. "Funny."
"I can tell you're struggling not to laugh."
"More like gag. There seems to be some activity a few blocks down. Probably just some punk teens."
He swooped down near a cul-de-sac. "Going to go deliver some justice with a side of respect?"
But static was all that answered.
Normally, Superman would be somewhat peeved by Batman's nonresponses but Halloween always had the effect of getting the farm boy in a good mood. He remembered Pa helping him as a boy dressing up – sheets for a ghost or face paint for a zombie – and competing with his friend to see who could get the most candy. He flew a few blocks down the street making sure to avoid any watchful eyes. The Kryptonian chuckled as he saw two little superboys run past a house, large pillow cases spilling some candy in each arm. They even got his signature curly-q right!
"Question," he said into his earpiece, "how many Supermans do you think are out there versus Batmans?"
He assumed to be met with silence – he had long grown used to Batman's one-worded responses or, well, lack of response – but raised his eyebrows when the detective actually answered.
"Seems to be a ratio 2:1 with you being ahead. Silly."
"Oh?" he hovered a few inches.
"You would think that they would try to go for the menacing look."
Superman laughed. "Well, apparently boy scouts are all the rage now. What did you dress up as during Halloween?"
"Hmph. I'm heading over to Fullerton."
But his nonresponse was enough of an answer. The Man of Steel frowned. "Don't tell me you never dressed up for Halloween?"
Superman groaned at the silence that winded up answering him instead. It was like communicating with a brick wall. "You're crazy."
"It's been said before." There was some ruffling. "I don't really see how" -
If Batman was startled at Superman's swift-like appearance, he didn't let it show. He merely paused before continuing his monitoring on the east end of Fullerton, blending in with the shadows cast by local post office buildings and small banks. Soft chatter and laughter echoed from the nearby subdivision, causing Superman to cross his arms.
"Candy, Batman. Sugar." He shook his head. "What kind of childhood did you have?"
And the second the words escaped his lips, Superman cringed. It was a pretty stupid question to ask Batman, of all people, about his childhood. However, his colleague simply paused.
"The fact that you're trying to debate with me about dress-up is even more absurd than my apparent candy-lacking childhood."
Superman knew that if he were anyone else, Batman would have released the signature Bat-Glare or an insulting comment before slipping off into the night in silence. Yet, he was still there, tolerating the Man in Blue as he surveyed the neighborhood. Maybe years earlier Batman would have left but it was evident how things had changed that much.
He placed a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the sudden tensing of muscle. "We'll have to fix that."
A gust of wind rustled Batman's cape as Superman sped off to the nearby subdivision where there were still a couple of trick-or-treaters left. It was the type of night where Superman could walk in the open without anyone questioning him or staring at him in awe. Halloween nights like this almost made him feel normal with everyone else surrounding him dressed as dinosaurs or monsters. It had been a while since he last trick-or-treated but his costume was pretty believable.
Superman rang the doorbell of a white picket fenced house. The door swung open, revealing an elderly woman leaning on a crane for support with one hand and the other cradling a nearly empty bowl of wrapped caramel candy.
"Goodness!" she cried. "If it weren't for my glasses, I'd say that you were the real deal!"
Superman laughed. "I get that a lot. I'm part of the neighborhood watch – a street over – and was just checking to see if everything here was all right."
"Besides the strangest gossip that there were wild animals roaming the parking lot of Sal's Groceries, everything seems to be in shape."
"Glad to hear it." He shuffled a few steps down but didn't have to turn around to sense that Batman was nearby. Superman could always detect his presence from a mile away. "Well, you have a good eve" –
The woman extended the bowl out before her. "Why, I can't let you leave empty handed. I insist!"
"I'd say I'm a little too old…"
"Nonsense! The least I could do."
Superman gave another wave as he walked past her lawn and unwrapped one of the pieces of candy he clutched in his hand. He paused by the bushes, taking a moment to suck on the sugary substance before Batman emerged.
"You're really going to go through with this, aren't you."
"F'is sh'andy!"
Batman blinked and wiped the lone drop of spit that flew onto the edge of his cowl. "And you're an adult."
"You may be a brooding caped crusader, but I know you want some." He shrugged and looked to the side. "You don't have to stop being a kid forever."
Batman snorted but didn't say anything as he watched Superman approach the next house, a good-natured smile already plastered onto the boy scout's lips. In fact, he remained silent the whole time as the Kryptonian continued his polite version of trick-or-treating. Maybe it meant something that he followed him regardless of whether or not he agreed. Maybe it meant something when he finally accepted the fourth piece of candy – a peanut butter cup – that Superman offered him. And maybe it meant something when Batman walked up the steps with him on the fifth house, arms crossed and lips pursed in an obvious attempt to radiate displeasure. But Superman knew otherwise.
"This is ridiculous."
Superman grinned and nudged his colleague's stiff arm. "Sure, it's ridiculous. But ridiculously fun, too."
"GL's going to laugh."
"Tastes like shit though."
Superman chuckled and licked the green hard candy ring once more before making a face. "Flash'll probably eat it all anyway. Ready to leave? I haven't seen any wild animal sightings in a while now."
The two superheroes nibbled on the few pieces of candy they had tucked under their arms. Superman had suggested earlier that they hide them in Batman's utility belt before being responded with a grunt and cold shoulder. They had gone to two more houses, and all the while Superman kept his smile in check as he watched the Caped Crusader in his peripheral vision. There was no way that anyone in the League would believe that he got Batman, the Dark Knight, to go trick-or-treating with him on Halloween.
"Probably for the best. I…I don't think Zatanna would want to come back regardless."
Superman nodded, trying not to look surprised at the sudden reveal, and fiddled with his comlink. "You two were seeing each other?"
"Not exactly."
The crickets chirped softly in the night, the streets deserted. Halloween had officially ended almost an hour ago as the children and rowdy teenagers headed back home, tucked into bed. Superman glanced up at the stars and squinted. He knew the flickering one in the distance was the Watchtower and wondered how long they could avoid going up to give their report.
While Batman had the reputation of being an intimidating loner, Superman realized that Gotham's Knight couldn't quite repress that playboy quality of his. He never said anything about it - always remaining silent while the other superheros would talk about him and his penchant for having a "thing" with any of the other female heroes or villains. Superman never knew exactly what to say so he opted to stay out of it. It was his life. But now with Wonder Woman expressing some interest...he frowned. Batman was a friend (of some sort) but the guy needed a warning sign.
"I'm sure she'll get over it."
"I'm not worried."
"Never said you were." Superman crumpled a wrapper. "But how about you?"
He waited for a bit before contacting J'onn, signaling that their mission was complete. And if it wasn't for his super hearing, he was sure he would have missed Batman's soft response when the glowing beam surrounded them.
"Candy has the effect of making everything better."
