The media were pulling up in their vans. Day was breaking over the city skyline. In short, it was not a good time for Batman to have an argument with Superman out in the open.
"Hello, Bruce," Superman said. "What, may I ask, are you doing here?"
"What does it look like?"
"It looks like you're doing my job."
That did it.
"YOUR job?" Batman yelled. "Who in the hell died and made you dictator? I've been in this just as long as you have. "
A reporter got out of her truck. Batman melted further into the shadows. "In case you can't tell, I just took down two of "your" problems, and I did it more efficiently than you probably could have."
Superman glanced at the other two non-powered heroes watching the scene unfold from another rooftop. "Is that what this is? A non-meta team?"
"It should be obvious."
"So this is what you do?" Superman said. "Try to best your friends?"
"Friends?" Batman asked. "How in the world are you—or any of you up there—my friend? You kicked me out."
"Bruce," Superman shook his head. "We're trying to protect you. That day, when you nearly got killed in that fire…for all the good you do, sometimes I wish you'd stop. All those times we go up against interplanetary madmen and people who are practically gods…" he trailed off.
"And do you know what that's like?" he continued. "All the time I keep hoping you—none of you—will get hurt and it's too much."
Batman muttered something under his breath.
"What?" Superman asked.
"I'm not good enough for your little clubhouse, that's what this is. I'm too human, I'm too insignificant."
Superman's face softened a little. "Bruce, we didn't mean to make you feel…"
"Oh, don't give me that look," Batman snapped. "I know you too well. You'll try to say something sweet and nice and be a damn boy scout, always avoiding arguments. Like hell you didn't mean to make me feel like…"
Batman cut off. He was revealing too much.
"Like what?"
Batman grit his teeth. "Like Luthor was right when he said I'm a traitor in your Olympus."
"That's not true."
"Oh, no?" Batman's voice rose a little. "Then why am I down here, while you're up there? You haven't given a very good reason. 'Protecting' me? When I go up against a Jokerized army of wolves in Gotham, that's not dangerous? And without the Justice League, the only back-up I have is in Bludhaven."
Superman started to say something, but Batman cut him off.
"And what about you?" he snapped. "How many times have I saved your life?"
"And mostly gotten hurt in the process."
"So you'd rather die than have me snap a wrist?"
Superman glared at him. "Look, Bruce, if you don't understand, fine, I'm sorry for that. But this is for your own good. You'll appreciate it someday."
"How many times have I said that to you?"
"Mostly you've been right," Superman said as he vanished in a transporter beam. "And now I am."