Archive of Our Own

His head hurt. It's not something Clark was super familiar with, but whatever Luthor had done… It felt as if something burrowed itself into his brain.

Escaping wasn't the hard part. It's- Whatever was happening to him now was the issue. Kryptonite never felt this way before.

He needed to get to the safety of his apartment. 

Clark staggered, battered cape dragging after him as he landed in a shadowed alley, not too far from his own apartment. Just– Just a little more. He just had to hold out, until–

There were black spots in his vision. They danced in front of his eyes, and maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he should have trusted Jimmy with his identity. Or– Or maybe Lois, something in him still holding out hope that she could reciprocate his feelings, even if he didn't want it to be because of Superman. But even now the thought of somebody knowing just who he was behind the hero that had grown so much bigger than he ever imagined twisted something uncomfortably in his gut.

The black spots have grown, head splitting pain making Clark topple over, hands buried in dark strands of hair.

The last thing he saw was the rapidly approaching ground, before even that was taken over by darkness.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

”-erman.”

There was a distant, low sound of a voice. Someone… Saying something?..

Calling his name?..

“Superman.”

Who was he?..

The light was dim, but it didn't take long at all for his eyes to adjust to a dark figure looming over him, the set of their jaw stern and displeased. For a moment, he just stared at their lips uncomprehendingly, something in him familiar with this action, almost as if he'd tried to ascertain something that way many times.

Superman. Was he.. Superman?

But as he looked more, eyes flitting to the white, glowing eyes of a dark, vaguely terrifying mask and long, black cape with some grey, tight armored suit underneath he'd finally come more to himself. He froze, staring at this strange shadow of a man whose clawed glove with sharp looking fins remained hovering over his shoulder.

And he was in a dark alley.

On the ground.

With only this strange, costumed individual.

“Um- Hello?” He tried, smiling meekly, only to see the mask's eyebrows move downwards, “Please don't rob and kill me..?”

The man before him didn't move, only white, glowing eyes blinking.

Superman – and wasn't that a strange name? – tried to gently scoot away, his attempt at sitting up thwarted by long, red fabric. And–

Huh. He was also wearing a cape. But why was his own costume so bright..?

“Superman,” The dark stranger repeated, rising up to his full height. The dark cape fell around him like liquid shadow, hiding both his hands and the emblem-like bat on his chest, along with the yellow belt. A little awed by the display and finally managing to sit up, Superman stared at him, hoping his mouth was not hanging open.

The white lenses narrowed.

“What's the last thing that you remember?”

And– Yeah. That made sense. Hurrying to stand and probably not managing it nearly as gracefully as the bat guy, he really tried to concentrate, only to come up blank.

“Um…” He said, feeling studied under the man's watchful gaze. “Not… much? Like, nothing at all, really.”

He didn't remember anything, actually. His head felt weird, some dull, barely noticeable ache disappearing. But other than that… Nothing.

“Are you… A friend of mine?” He hazarded, seeing how they were dressed in a similar fashion.

The man's lips tightened.

Oh.

Superman wasn't sure why he felt so disappointed.

“...But I'm here because Robin thought you might need my help.”

At that, Superman immediately perked up.

“Yeah?”

At the far end of the alley something metallic fell with a loud, echoey clang, and they both zeroed in on it immediately. The bat guy's expression darkened before he turned back to Superman.

“We need to move. They might still be on your tail.”

“‘They’..?” Superman's brows furrowed in concern, but the man was already passing him, moving further into the shadows and away from the glittering street Superman could see in the distance, as if he expected him to simply follow.

Something in this situation really screamed of Superman being an imminent kidnapping victim.

Although when he actually looked, at the end of the alley stood a small, dark and, funnily enough, bat-themed plane that Superman somehow managed to miss in all the confusion.

“Get in,” Bat guy instructed, gracefully hoisting himself up and into the pilot seat. Superman didn't manage it quite so effortlessly, “Do you remember having a safe house in Metropolis?”

Bat guy turned on the engine, the plane rearing to life with a surprisingly quiet hum. The question almost didn't register with how glued Superman was to the window. Outside, buildings were becoming smaller and smaller, bat guy piloting them in a strange, winding way, sticking as much as he could to roofs and shadows. Still, the city glittered beautifully under the setting sun, something about it feeling almost painfully familiar. 

So this was Metropolis.

Superman wasn't sure of much, but the city felt fitting with the brightness of his costume.

“I… No, I don't remember anything like that.”

By the way the man’s frown deepened, it wasn't the answer he'd been hoping to hear.

After they were finally up in the clouds, the dark gloved hand pushed some buttons on the screen of the plane.

“Penny-one, do you copy.”

There was the slightest noise indicating that the other party was listening. 

“Loud and clear, sir. How did the rescue mission go?" said the voice of an older man with a heavy British accent. Superman blinked.

“I’ve got Superman with me,” Bat guy explained gruffly, flicking on a few more buttons. The screen that almost looked like a radar flickered, expanding, probably as he made sure that they weren't followed.

“Very good. I see you're enroute to Gotham..?”

The person on the radio trailed off, questioningly. It seemed that things were really a lot more complicated than Superman assumed initially. And he wasn't really sure whether it'd be appropriate for him to speak, so he stayed silent.

“...Superman has lost all his memories,” Bat guy finally answered, after one long moment.

“Ah,” came the reply,  “That does rather complicate matters.”

Superman looked towards the man who had rescued him, bat guy throwing him a short glance over his shoulder.

As he looked back, his hands on the wheel tightened.

“Sir..?”

“... Prepare the medical room for an examination.”

It only took a moment for the British voice to respond.

“As you wish, master Batman.”

Batman pushed another button to cut the channel, plunging the plane into silence.

“Your name is Batman?”

Superman received another over the shoulder glance for that. They were flying through the dense cover of clouds, completely concealed from view and prying eyes, nothing but the slowly darkening mist around them.

“Yes.”

Superman smiled. Somehow, knowing the name of the person that found him made him feel more at ease with all of this. Like he could finally trust him.

And it…it actually felt pretty nice; that their names matched.

“Thank you. For uh, for helping me.”

Batman was quiet for a moment. Like he didn't expect that, or maybe just wasn't used to people thanking him.

“I'm only doing this because of Robin.”

Still, Superman beamed.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The plane ride was pretty quick, the aircraft descending over water until it flew straight into a dark, well-hidden cave.  Not long after, a seemingly normal cave wall opened up right in front of them, Superman being amazed all the way.

And Superman's day had already been quite bizarre, but still, he wasn't exactly expecting to see a whole giant cavern filled with vehicles and strange mementos like a giant Penny and an animatronic looking dinosaur. The plane hovered in the air for a moment before lowering onto a landing pad, Batman already unlatching his seatbelt and Superman scrambling to follow his lead. But the sight that greeted him upon stepping out was, perhaps, even more bizarre than anything had been today, so much so that he'd completely missed the way Batman tensed beside him.

“Superman!” A kid who didn't look to be older than ten exclaimed excitedly, jumping down from a height that was decidedly not normal for a kid – or even adult – to be at and landing in a perfect summersault before rushing forward to greet him. He was wearing a domino mask and a very bizarre, legless bright red, yellow and green outfit that was matched by a long cape. And beside him, an older gentleman in what seemed to be a butler outfit materialized, making Superman just blink at them in confusion.

“Robin,” Batman growled warningly, “You're not supposed to be here.” That last pointed part almost seemed directed at the older gentleman, who simply lifted an eyebrow.

“You didn't tell me you're going to bring Superman to the Cave!” The kid countered, scowling back at his – father?.. mentor?... – and putting his hands on his hips. The scowls certainly seemed very similar, even if it looked a lot cuter on Robin.

“So you're Robin,” Superman said, smiling brightly at the kid who was the sole reason Batman went out of his way to look for him, “Hi. We must have met before, but I’m sorry, I don't really remember it at the moment.” 

Robin gasped.

“You lost your memories?!” He turned the white eyes of his domino towards Batman, “Is this why you brought him to the Cave?”

“Yes. I need to run some tests to figure out why and if we can reverse it, and flying to the Arctic would not have guaranteed gaining access to the Fortress.”

Arctic…?

There were so many questions in Superman's mind, but for now he chose to stay silent. Finally, the older man in a pristine, butler-like outfit cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention to him.

“I dare say this is a rather big step for you, sir,” He stepped forward, extending a hand for Superman to shake.

“Welcome to master Batman and Robin's base of operations, sir.”

“Thank you, uh, sir Penny-one, right? I'm very grateful for everyone's help,” Superman smiled, Robin beaming at him too. With a scowl that was quickly becoming familiar, Batman hovered close by like a watchful gargoyle, before finally stepping between them.

“Superman. Follow me. I only brought you here out of necessity, and you are not permitted to wander around as you please.” 

“Oh- Of course. I wouldn't want to impose. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Both Robin and Penny-one exchanged what seemed to be familiar looks of exasperation, Batman already striding past them. 

“Don't take it personally, he's always grumpy,” Robin joked, poking him in the arm before following after his parent. It stopped Batman in his tracks, the man sending another warning glance to the kid.

“I don't need your help with this, Robin. Go upstairs.”

Robin seemed aghast as he pointed a finger at him.

“You can't forbid me from helping out Superman! Not after you brought him here yourself without even telling me!” He even puffed up his chest, “He lost all his memories! He needs us right now!”

Batman's lenses narrowed. For a while, it was just tense silence, but whatever battle of wills they were having, it seemed as if Robin won in the end, even if it was through gritted teeth on Batman's part.

It wasn't long before Superman found himself in what seemed to serve as a medical room, strapped to a lot of strange machinery, Batman and Penny-one both working quickly to examine him for any possible sign of head trauma. Superman just did his best to be helpful and unobtrusive, answering all their questions while Robin happily provided him with information about who he was before losing his memories.

It still didn't really feel real, learning that he was apparently an alien superhero with multiple, seemingly improbable powers, but at least Robin seemed excited as he recounted everything he knew about him, from Superman's first interview with a reporter by the name of Lois Lane to his protection of the city of Metropolis from intergalactic threats and the likes of Lex Luthor. He'd also produced a small tablet out of somewhere, the images he was showing definitely feeling familiar, in a way. Even if he never remembered seeing them. But try as he might, Superman couldn't really remember much, only a dull ache starting in the back of his head as he tried to recall any of it.

“And you're like– You're the coolest hero ever!” Robin proudly proclaimed, legs dangling over the back of the chair he was sitting incorrectly in, “Just last month you fought this giant space lizard – or something like that, and the way you punched it back into space was so cool!”

He mimed out the series of punches, Superman watching with a smile. He was really quickly becoming fond of this kid, the way he was treating him actually making him feel like someone… A little less lost and confused on who or what he was supposed to be, if what he really did for a living was just flying around helping people.

“Did anything Robin tell you actually help you recall something?” Batman cut in harshly, the glower he suddenly sent Superman leaving him unsure if he'd done something wrong.

Robin somehow conveyed the fact that he was rolling his eyes through his mask before leaning closer to Superman with a conspiratorial whisper.

“Don’t worry, B’s just jealous because he can't fly.”

Superman let out a nervous chuckle.

He supposed Robin was right, but not entirely for that reason. Who wouldn't be jealous, when your own kid called someone else their favorite superhero.

“No, still nothing,” He said, bringing a hand up to his temple and closing his eyes for a moment, “But my… my head starts hurting a little when I try to focus.”

Batman's constantly downturned lips somehow conveyed contemplation.

“How many of the powers Robin listed do you feel you've retained?”

“I… Hm,” Superman tried to concentrate to see through his own hand, but that amounted to nothing. The hearing also wasn't as… ‘super’ as Robin described at the moment, even if he could definitely hear the distant teetering of bats and the hum of machinery. Nor was there any heat behind his eyes.

Penny-one helpfully handed him some chunky metallic plate, which bent under his hands when he applied a little more pressure, but it didn't feel entirely effortless.

“I think… The range of my powers is limited. But some of them are still here. I definitely don't feel like I can even hover off the ground at the moment.”

It was strange how natural it felt using them, but then again, if he'd had them since landing on Earth, then he must have had some time to master these new abilities.

With a ‘hm’ Batman gestured for his hand, the syringe he'd brought up to it breaking off without piercing skin.

“You need the sun to get them back!” Robin explained, “It might even help with your memories. Right, B?”

Batman put aside the broken needle, frowning at the data they'd already gathered.

“It's possible,” He agreed, before straightening, “We need to take blood samples.”

“Oh- Um, of course, but how…?” He trailed off, gesturing at the remains of a syringe.

“There is a way,” Batman answered, Robin soon frowning as he'd caught on to what was going to happen, “But you're not going to like it.”

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The shard of kryptonite was finally sealed in a led container and swiftly picked up by Penny-one, Superman finally taking a freeing lung full of air. The dizziness and pain in his limbs had finally ebbed, although now his head was practically throbbing, the pain in his punctured arm almost absent in comparison.

He looked towards Batman, who was meticulously collecting his blood in separate vials, the squeeze of his dark gloves on the bared skin of his hand almost… Grounding.

And his face was so close. Even closer than it'd been when Superman first woke up, something fascinating in the downturn of his pale, pink  lips and the set of his brow as he concentrated. And the bat ears he'd first assumed were kind of terrifying were… actually kind of cute up close.

This whole ‘bat’ look definitely suited him.

They were alone, now, too, with Penny-one disappearing with the kryptonite and Robin hurrying out soon after, saying that he's going to bring some snacks which were good after bloodloss.

“Not going to ask why I have it?” Batman asked in a level voice, putting aside the vials. With quick, efficient movements that Superman was starting to associate with him he pressed the disinfecting pad to the place where the kryptonite shard cut into Superman's skin, cleaning away the remaining blood.

“..?” Superman furrowed his brows in confusion.

“No? Not really. As soon as you told me about it, I kind of assumed,” He confessed, flexing his arm slightly. Even with the short amount of time that had passed the cut already seemed to be closing. He stilled his arm as Batman pressed another pad into it, wrapping a bandage around it despite knowing that would probably be pointless in less than a minute. The realization of that was still hitting Superman. He looked towards the other man's eyes, “Not everyone would be comfortable or trusting towards an invulnerable man from another world that can kill you or those you love in less than a second. I don't blame you.”

For a few long moments, the medbay was plunged in silence, Batman getting up and quietly moving back to his work station and plugging in the blood samples to be analyzed.

“You shouldn't give away your DNA samples so readily.”

Superman blinked, surprised at the sudden change of topic. Batman wasn't looking at him, still busy analyzing the readouts.

“You're… probably right,” Superman agreed, finally, “But I trust you.”

That got Batman's hands to still momentarily, before they continued moving on the mouse and keys, running some complex analysis.

“For now.”

And maybe Superman was starting to get used to his standoffish nature, because he simply smiled sadly.

“We didn't really get along before, did we?”

Batman's reply was curt as ever.

“No.”

Again, the room plunged into silence, a sudden wave of exhaustion hitting him after everything he had been through today. And maybe it was naive of him to trust Batman, like the man thought, but honestly, it was kind of hard not to, with the man's actions revealing a surprising dedication to helping him.

He tried not to focus on his own anxiety about not being able to remember anything about himself. But in the quiet, and with nothing to really do, it was slowly growing, along with a dull ache in his temples.

Thankfully, Robin and Penny-one didn't actually take all that long to return, the butler bringing with him a serving table with four covered plates on it and the kid carrying a plate with what looked like dessert.

“We brought dinner!” Robin said, Batman barely even reacted, simply grunting, much to Penny-one's quiet displeasure. He simply rolled the serving table in front of a surprised Superman, Robin putting down his own weight and rearranging the chairs in the room around it.

“I do apologize for the lack of accommodations, but I'm afraid master Batman would have a conniption upon me showing you to the actual dining room,” That, at least, received a scowl from Batman, Penny-one simply ignoring it with the ease of a professional, “And young master Robin insisted we all dine here, to keep you company. Also, as it is turning quite late, I will soon arrange for some toiletries, along with more comfortable bedding for you”

The plates of roast dinner looked and smelled wonderful, and Superman hadn't actually realised how hungry he was before now. Robin was already eagerly pushing his plate closer to him with a big smile.

“Try it! Al- I mean, Penny-one's cooking is the best!”

Superman smiled, ignoring the kid's tiny slip-up and feeling his own growing gratitude for all that these people were doing for him.

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

“You are very welcome, sir Superman,” Penny-one said, eyes twinkling with something like approval.

And indeed, after everyone but Batman finally finished their portions it didn't take long for Robin and Penny-one to bring in some pillows and a blanket, along with clothes and amenities that he was instructed to later change into. Batman finally had to step away from his research, citing a necessity to go on a late patrol with Robin. Superman didn't intend to listen in, but he still heard something about a bat-signal.

Before the duo of heroes finally headed out, Batman again reiterated to him that Superman shouldn't step far from the medbay, showing him the metaphorical line of his dwelling and the way to the showers. But as Superman returned to his temporary quarters he'd found a change of clothes and a discreet, passwordless tablet lying on bed.

Not knowing what else to do, and hoping to see at least a glimpse of Batman and Robin again after they returned from however long their patrol was, he reached for the tablet, intending to scroll and actually read up on himself and Batman a bit more. But as the minutes ticked by the weight of the day and the week he'd apparently spent in captivity finally caught up to him, sentences on the screen blurring together until his head finally hit the pillow.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The first thing he'd registered is that he was warm. The bed itself wasn't too comfortable, but the blanket and pillow were softer than anything he'd really felt before, even through the layer of clothing. He snuggled further into that comfort, the one that still smelled like fresh laundry.

But, as everything that had passed started registering, the strange sensation of not intrinsically knowing something he should have – something so simple as what his own bed would have felt like – his eyes blinked open, staring at the metallic table in front of him.

There was a tablet he was given yesterday. Even though he didn't remember putting it there. And a red, battered cape, that someone had managed to take off his shoulders and fold into a small rectangle shape.

Next, his eyes landed on the blanket.

He definitely didn't even unroll it before. Someone, probably Penny-one must have noticed that he'd fallen asleep and covered him with it during the night. He made a small mental note to thank him later.

The Batcave (as Robin called it yesterday) was unusually quiet, something almost feeling like it was missing from it without any of its inhabitants. There was a clock display in the wall that told Superman that it was still relatively early in the morning. Feeling a lot better after getting some sleep he'd taken the amenities Penny-one previously provided him with to the showers near the medbay, careful to not step out of bounds Batman previously set.

A shower was nice, and he'd felt refreshed as he stepped out, even if the simple black T-shirt and grey sweatpants were a little too tight on him. As he returned back to the medbay, he'd picked up the tablet and along with it his research on Batman again.

Unlike himself, Batman was a mystery. He didn't talk to the press, had almost a mythical, cryptid status and operated only during the night. He was apparently allergic to cameras, and often struck fear in the hearts of criminals. Superman had already picked up on his somewhat.. overly careful personality, but in context, it made sense. He didn't have powers, and besides, he'd also had a family to protect. Batman was… In simple terms, admirable. Even if maybe a little more violent and terrifying than Superman. He'd also appeared on the scene a little earlier, but stayed in the shadows throughout; that is excluding a few major Gotham catastrophes. There was also exactly one photograph of Superman and Batman together, taken in Metropolis a year or so back, according to the poster, but it was blurry enough that the majority of people online doubted its validity.

Superman had been so invested in his research he almost didn't register the approaching footsteps from somewhere upstairs. Still, his powers must have been slowly returning, because soon enough Robin and Penny-one both entered the medbay after a short knock.

“Good morning!” Robin said, cheery despite staying up late the previous night. He wasn't actually in his hero costume, surprise flashing on Superman's face. The kid was wearing a simple white shirt, along with a red vest, a simple pair of jeans and matching red snickers. Although his eyes were still covered by the domino. Penny-one looked as perfectly put together as he'd always had in an immaculate, three piece suit and wheeling in that same serving table from before. But it was one plate short this time.

“Good morning, sir Superman,” The butler echoed, “Care for some breakfast?”

“Good morning,” Superman smiled, grateful. It was as if Penny-one somehow predicted when he would be hungry, even before he himself had, “Yes, thank you so much, Penny-one, sir.”

“Just Penny-one is fine,” The man corrected, smiling with just the corners of his eyes, and Robin was already pulling up two chairs and jumping onto one, sitting in it correctly after a single reproaching glance from the butler.

“How are you feeling today?” Robin asked, curious, “Did you remember anything?”

“I’m feeling good. Better, actually, I think,” Superman answered. The dull ache he'd been feeling in the back of his head yesterday was practically gone, his body also feeling much stronger, “But no, no new memories.”

Robin scrunched his nose.

“Bummer. But don't worry, B will totally help you get them back!”

The simple conviction, simple belief in Batman with which he said it brought another smile to Superman's face. Although, there was still something that bugged him.

“Is he not joining us for..?”

“Nah,” Robin was already shuffling the restaurant-quality looking omelette into his mouth, Superman tentatively taking his own knife and fork. Mister Penny-one was serenely cutting into his own portion, “He'll probably be asleep until noon, if not later. I think he crashed pretty hard this time.”

Upon seeing Superman's concerned and questioning glance, he elaborated:

“B didn't sleep for almost a week, I think. First, it was a case, but then we realized that you were missing and. You know.”

Superman stared.

The pieces… The pieces didn't line up. Batman told him that they did not get along, and it's not like Batman wasn't clear that he didn't particularly like him, but…

“I–” He was at a loss for words, honestly, “I didn't think he would…”  He trailed off, gathering how best to put this, “...worry, that much. It's just– He said he was only helping me because of you, and…”

Robin cackled.

“Oh, B was totally worried. He even did this creepy thing where he tracked all your flight patterns and sent a few drones to the Fortress.”

Although, after a moment of thought, he quickly added: “Just don't tell him I said that.”

Huh.

Somehow, it felt like something in the picture he'd created for himself about Batman… Shifted.

Penny-one was smiling at the two of them warmly, before meeting his eyes.

“Prior to this, Master Batman and yourself may not have exactly seen eye to eye, but I assure you, sir, that he holds you and what you are doing for the world in much higher regard than you think,” He said, simply, and… Well. It made something inside his chest feel strange.

It felt like he needed time. To actually process all this. So, he finally took a bite of his eggs.

The rest of the breakfast passed peacefully, Robin telling him about the first time the two of them met, which was apparently during a case that led Batman and Superman to the same warehouse, Batman telling Robin to stand back at first, but Superman noticing the kid, and confronting Batman about it. Robin didn't actually describe it like that, but Superman picked up enough from the context and his own perception of himself now and prior to losing his memories to surmise that his arguing with Batman and refusal to leave probably stemmed from his worry for the kid and not actually the fact that the people they fought were technically ‘his villains’. Of course, they were ambushed, and Robin actually proved himself to be extremely capable, and Superman even said that he was ‘glad to have worked alongside him’ which Robin described proudly, even if his cheeks had gone a little red. After that, they only saw each other a handful of times. And then the topic switched to Robin's more mundane concerns.

“School is lame,” Robin grumbled after being reminded of the fact that he had twenty minutes before having to go get ready by Penny-one, “I keep telling B that he should just homeschool me so I can help him every night, but he keeps on saying something like ‘social skills are essential’ and ‘you need a proper education’. As if I can't just learn it all and more while staying here.”

Superman took in his words seriously, contemplating on what he knew about schools, and what he felt was right.

“I think I agree with him,” He said eventually, “School is a lot more important than you think. It prepares you for becoming an adult, lets you form life long bonds and discover yourself. I know what you're doing for the city at night is important, too, but I think Batman just wants to give you at least a somewhat normal childhood.”

Robin's brows furrowed, the kid looking at him consideringly for a few long moments.

“...Maybe.” He conceded, words probably meaning a lot more from his favourite superhero. “I just– Ugh, math is so lame.”

Superman laughed.

After they'd cleared their plates and it was finally time for Robin to get going Superman helped pile the dishes together, wanting to at least somewhat repay their kindness.

“I shall take master Robin to school,” Penny-one announced, “I imagine Master Batman will still be asleep by the time I return, but if he comes down here before that and decides to act cross with you because of us sharing breakfast, be sure to remind him that I will not allow any guests to not feel the proper hospitality.”

His eyes landed on the now folded Superman suit, and he gestured to it, “Oh, and if you don't mind me taking care of mending that for you as well, sir.”

“Yes, of course, thank you,” Superman smiled, the image of an angry Batman in his mind somehow not as intimidating as it was before this breakfast, “Oh, and thank you for the blanket yesterday, too.”

Penny-one simply looked at him, before smiling.

“Of course, sir. And if you will think of anything else that I could provide you with to make your stay more comfortable, I'd be more than happy to.“

With that and a “Bye, see you later, Superman!” from Robin, the two were gone, the medbay in the Batcave immediately feeling a little lonelier without them.

After thinking for a moment, Superman stood, thinking that this would be a good time to get a feel for his own strength and limits of his current abilities.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

Batman, indeed, didn't come down until way later, carrying in a big lamp of some kind, an unrepentant looking Penny-one calmly following at his heels. Just like the butler predicted, when Batman finally opened the door to the medbay, he did look more annoyed than usual, but did not actually say anything about Penny-one's and Robin's little indiscretion to Superman, only freezing slightly upon seeing him, for some reason, before marching forth silently and depositing the lamp on the least cluttered table. A little self-conscious, Superman fiddled with the hem of his borrowed shirt.

“Hi,” he greeted with a tentative smile, only to receive a grunt of acknowledgement, the man immediately going back to the computers and lab of the medbay. Penny-one let out a huff. Batman gestured for Superman's wrist again, beginning the procedures that Superman had already been through, like checking his vitals.

“How are you feeling?”

The question sounded detached and clinical, Superman snapping his eyes up from his mouth and chin, which he was trying to use to determine how much rest did the man actually get and how angry he actually was with him.

“Um, better. My head doesn't hurt anymore when I try to concentrate and remember anything.”

Another grunt of acknowledgement.

“No new memories?”

Superman shook his head.

“No.”

Batman pressed a few more keys on the computer he's been using, before stating about his vitals:

“No great changes from yesterday, which might mean that it's close to your baseline, or at least what it would be like in a relatively depowered state,” He looked up at Superman, “But I think I've figured out why you've lost your memories.”

Superman's breath caught under the attention of those white lenses. Batman clicked on a few files, opening up some results on the monitors and pointing out what seemed to be the results of his blood test. Then, he opened up some formulas.

“It is also connected to the partial loss of your powers. There are traces of a strange chemical compound in your blood that somewhat resemble the molecular structure of kryptonite. Luthor must have been experimenting with it again. But at the rate your body processes it, it is hard to find what exactly caused it, or how you were exposed. By now, any leftover traces are probably already flushed from your system,” He explained, clicking through a few more things, “When I finally located your whereabouts I was headed for a facility of his, where I suspected that you were being held. If there remains any data about what Luthor did to you, it's going to be there. Later tonight I'm going out to retrieve it. For now, you just rest and recover as much as possible.”

He was already reaching for the lamp he had brought when Superman cut him off by saying: “I'm going with you.”

Batman's hand hovered over the lamp’s surface.

“No.”

Resolute. Broaching no arguments.

Superman's brows furrowed.

“Why not? I can help. And besides, I was the one Luthor held there. I need to know what happened.”

Immediately, Batman spun on him, brows drawn and expression angry. 

“No. You're not going. I don't need a liability, Superman.”

And despite knowing that Batman wasn't entirely wrong with his loss of memories, it still stung.

“I’m not going to be a liability,” In demonstration, Superman's fingers left a dent in the metal table, Batman's gaze briefly flitting down to it, before returning to his face, “I've read up on kryptonite. Even if I don't remember, I've dealt with it before. And besides, you're not the invulnerable one here.”

“So you just want to willingly march into a trap? Might as well present yourself to Luthor on a silver platter,” Batman growled, standing and Superman's own anger flared as he followed, now looming over the other man slightly.

“So you want to walk into it instead?"

“Unlike some people, I know what it's like to be stealthy and not rush in without thought.”

“I can be stealthy,” Superman insisted hotly, even though he didn't really have any data to back that up,“ And Lex Luthor is my responsibility, right? I can't let you put yourself in danger for me like that. I'm going.”

Batman's eyes narrowed, another rebuttal no doubt ready to form on his lips when suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat made them both still.

Standing next to Superman's cot, Penny-one lifted an eyebrow. And only then did Superman realise how close he and Batman had been standing, practically breathing into each other's face. Immediately, Batman stepped away, Superman left standing there with his cheeks getting increasingly hotter. That was– He didn't–

He didn't actually intend to argue with Batman like that, just…

“If I may, sirs,” Penny-one said calmly, his eyes slowly moving from one to the other, ”Both of you have raised valid points. But, if I were to state my own thoughts on the matter… Sir Superman does deserve a chance to try and resolve this with his own efforts, does he not?”

Batman opened his mouth to argue, but Penny-one lifted a hand, effectively signalling that he wasn't done, “Master Batman, I get your concerns, but imagine yourself in sir Superman's position. Wouldn't you want to know what had happened to you for yourself and not sit idly by while trusting the people you barely know with not only your past, but your future?”

These simple words opened up something rawer inside Superman, something he'd been trying to ignore ever since waking up in a world that he didn't remember. Did not even fit in, not completely.

And judging by Batman's grim silence, he understood the sentiment, too.

Superman looked towards him, determined and hoping that his face did not actually show just how much this mattered.

For a moment, Batman remained still. Then, his shoulders loosened, even if his jaw was still clenched tightly, and he moved back towards the lamp.

“.. Fine,” He conceded, tersely, “But we will have to go over the plan. And you have to listen to everything I say while we're on the field. Without question.”

The lamp was quickly connected by deft hands to the power source and then pointed at Superman, who simply blinked until it turned on, suddenly, a warm, familiar light shining straight at him.

Sun lamp.

He realized, suddenly, thinking back on what Robin said prior today and looking towards Batman’s stoic figure, the man already moving back to his computer and opening up some documents.

“Sit down.” He ordered, and Superman complied, easily, basking in the rays that already made him feel more powerful, more like himself, and as if he didn't entirely lose his footing.

Penny-one smiled with his eyes at the two, before quickly dismissing himself to go tend to his duties.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

Batman's operations turned out to be a lot more complicated than Superman imagined. To be fair, they did not know much about the recently discovered facility, but the man had already tracked most security routes, explaining them to Superman in extensive detail; focusing on entry, on how they were supposed to navigate in the building and what they were presumably looking for. He'd also opened up an entire profile he had on Lex Luthor, one that painted an admittedly alarming picture, even if Superman found the meticulous thoroughness of it to be a bit of an overkill. 

Superman spent a lot of the day under the sunlamp, feeling a little like a lizard that just found a warm spot, and the rest practicing his abilities again when Batman stepped out to deal with something.

Things were still a little tense between them, but as soon as Robin arrived it was as if the Batcave itself had gotten brighter, the kid even doing his homework by Superman's side so that he ‘wouldn't get lonely here, with B’s stupid rules’. Penny-one came and went, providing Superman with anything he needed and just keeping a quiet, watchful eye over things. But, close to the time that they were supposed to be heading out and after they'd all had dinner(Batman actually eating his own portion this time, if begrudgingly) Penny-one disappeared for one final time before finally presenting Superman with a mended version of his costume.

“You're going to need this,” the butler said, Superman beaming at him gratefully, before taking it. Outside the medbay, Batman seemed to be preparing his own equipment, Superman's ears picking up on the distant sounds of Robin pouting about him not being able to go ‘kick Luthor's butt’ because of it being a school night and Batman rummaging and rearranging his utility belt.

The suit felt like it fit perfectly when he finally put it on, taking a moment to figure out how to reattach the cape.

As he finally stepped out of the medbay, Batman leading him to that same plane they arrived in, he waved goodbye to Penny-one and Robin, the butler wishing them well in their operation and saying that they'll both stay on comms if need be.

Batman didn't waste time. Soon enough the plane was out of the cave and in the evening air, deploying some cloaking technology until they arrived at their destination.

Down below, the more dark, desolate and less developed part of Metropolis spanned, the glittering skyscrapers Superman had remembered from last time glittering with nightlights in the distance. Quietly, the plane landed on an inconspicuous rooftop of an abandoned building on the outskirts, Batman jumping out of it with as much confidence as he did everything. Superman followed, trying to orient himself on their target location.

Batman glanced back at him, hand resting on his utility belt.

“Remember. You follow my lead.”

Superman nodded.

Next thing he knew, Batman jumped onto the next rooftop, moving with quiet efficiency and grace, and Superman hurried to follow. He wasn't nearly as graceful as they made their way across rooftops, but his enhanced abilities allowed him to jump further than any human could without any damage to himself, even though he didn't understand how Batman did it so quietly. Still, soon enough he'd gotten the hang of it, even if this kind of movement felt entirely new, the seconds he'd been in the air resonating within him with some kind of deeper yearning. As both Batman and him got onto the final rooftop, the building he'd seen in Batman's plans just up ahead, Batman motioned for him to lower himself, both of them kneeling by its edge as Batman took out binoculars.

Superman glanced at the roof ahead. It was a lot further than would be possible to jump even for someone like Batman. He wasn't actually sure if he could leap this distance himself, but before he could say anything about that, Batman had already taken something from under his cape, the sound of the retracting cord swishing and the metal hook catching on the roof of their target building.

Batman stood, Superman rising with him, but somehow not expecting the fact that he'd step right up to him, in his space. Just like when they were arguing. For a moment, his mind just blanked.

“Hang on,” was the only warning he'd gotten before Batman grabbed him around the torso and threw them both off of the roof.

Superman's breath caught, hands automatically winding around Batman in turn, the few long moments they'd been in the air making his stomach swoop, Batman swinging them on the line with practiced ease until they ended up on the rooftop.

Batman was the first to step away, doing something on his gauntlet to scramble the cameras and quickly moving towards the door to the roof and kneeling to pick the lock. Just as planned, Superman trained his hearing on the inside of the building, carefully listening out for anyone that could be near.

“We're clear,” He confirmed after a moment, Batman cracking the door open and the two of them slipping inside.

“I suspect that the building is just the front for the actual Lex Corp research facility underneath it, probably concealed with lead shielding,” Batman explained, showing him the available maps, “So, when we get there, our first priority would be finding out how to infiltrate it.”

“My x-ray vision is still unreliable,” Superman said, not able to focus his eyes on the arm he was trying to see through.

Batman let out a grunt.

“That's why we have to be careful. First, we focus on finding the security room, and take care of the guards.”

The gas that enveloped the room after a small object was dropped through the door made the two security guards jump up from their seats in panic, only to drop on the floor moments later, without even making a sound.

“Take care of…?” Superman's brows furrowed, Batman glancing up at him briefly. 

“I don't kill,” He stated.

Slowly, Superman nodded, relieved at this statement.

Deft fingers flicked through the camera feeds quickly, Batman examining everything and Superman keeping an ear out by the door. On the way they'd had to knock out a few more security guards, but this late night the building was mostly empty, the main forces probably concentrated on the lower floors.

It didn't take long.

“Found it.” 

Batman announced, Superman stepping closer to see what he was looking at, the screen showing an inconspicuous looking elevator, one that would have looked just like any other if it wasn't for the suspicious looking dents on either door. Dents that could have been made by someone really strong prying it open.

Batman was already flicking through other camera feeds, mapping out the way there in his head.

“It's going to be a lot harder to go unnoticed once we make it inside the facility. Essentially, we are going in blind. But knowing Luthor, there will be measures that are made to specifically counteract you,” Batman explained, Superman's brows furrowing.

“But I still managed to escape.”

Batman nodded.

“And that's exactly what we're going to use to our advantage.”

Just like Batman predicted, Luthor hadn't yet patched up all the destruction Superman left in his wake while escaping, leaving a path for them to follow.

He pried open the reinforced door to the elevator, hands fitting almost perfectly in the dents already left in the metal. There was also a sloppily patched up hole in the elevator, and after reopening it again by denting the metal with quiet efficiency they soon ended up in what looked to be an underground bunker.

The amount of security cameras and guards here was almost absurd, Batman using whatever he had installed in his gauntlets to temporarily loop their footage as they rushed past, Superman quietly impressed at how easily and quietly Batman managed to incapacitate highly trained operatives, Superman quickly helping get them out of the view of the cameras.

“We won't have much time. As soon as our presence gets discovered, Luthor's men will be on us. But what you need to focus on is feeling for any traces of kryptonite. As soon as you start feeling even a little weak, you immediately pull back. Got it?”

Even after only having felt it once, that excruciating pain was not something Superman could ever forget.

“Yes. But I'm not leaving you there.”

Batman's lips thinned in a displeased frown.

“Fine,” He conceded, knowing that the man before him simply won't back down easily, “But you will keep as far as you can until I can secure or dispose of it. And if the amount is too great, you pull back and wait.”

The nausea hit him first. Immediately, his body stopped involuntarily, and Batman noticed, pausing in his stride too in front of a big, metal laboratory door.

“Here,” He breathed, squeezing his teeth and meeting Batman's white lenses. The man nodded. Superman concentrated as much as he could on the door, trying to listen. But even this small amount of kryptonite made it much harder.

“Back,” Batman's quiet, gravelly voice instructed, the man coming closer to him, until Superman finally conceded, stepping away from the door, but not far enough so that he wouldn't be able to get there in seconds, if the situation demanded it.

Whether Batman wanted to or not, Superman couldn't leave him alone in this.

With a quiet tsk of annoyance, Batman quickly made his way to the keypad, quietly examining the biometric lock system before pulling out a strange device and attaching it to it. It made a few tiny, almost imperceptible beats, before frying the entire thing, Batman stepping away from it just as the door opened.

“Terry? Is that y–” 

With a half-formed shout, Superman could hear Batman knocking out a few scientists that were still working there at this late hour, their bodies laid carefully on the ground, the force of that green rock hitting him stronger now that the door was open. He could hear Batman quietly and efficiently search for the kryptonite, a wave of relief hitting him as soon as he heard the sounds of a small box opening and closing, the awful feeling gone with it.

Mere moments later, he'd been standing with Batman in that same laboratory, frowning at the sterile, metallic and oddly megalomaniacal looking interior. There was a broken, metallic table, the restraints on it clearly ripped through by someone with an immense force, some other mechanical bits and pieces that were supposed to somehow attach to it scattered around the floor in a manner that suggested at least some attempt at cleanup. All of it looked vaguely… 

Like it was meant for torture.

Superman barely registered all the computers and tech lining the walls, or the knocked out scientists that Batman left in the corner.

Batman was already examining the place with the clinical eyes of a detective, a discreet malware flashdrive already doing its job of extracting information and deleting it from Luthor's servers. He picked up something that looked like remnants of a needle and stored it away in his many pouches, prodding at things here and there and eyes occasionally returning back to the flash drive.

“They must have already started disposing of evidence. As soon as we get out of here, I'll have Penny-one contact the MPD,” He said, for the first time glancing at Superman, only to notice that the man had been frozen, staring at that same metallic experimentation table.

“Superman..?” Batman's distant voice called, in an echo of how he'd found him, a sudden, sharp pain in his head making Superman fall to his knees, clutching at his head.

The image of the table in front of him blurred, a distant, blurry figure of a man in a suit looming over him, other people in white coats flickering before his eyes and pain-

“Superman!”

Superman came back to himself again with Batman's face in front of him. The pain was slowly dissipating, and Batman must have been trying to reach him throughout, his gauntleted hands clutching onto his shoulders tightly and face right in front of him twisted with an expression of unguarded– worry?..

For a moment, it was all he registered, simply staring at the man in front of him, before his ears picked up on approaching footsteps, an alarming, annoyed voice making him stiffen.

“And you've still not found him?! What, pray tell, do I pay you for?”

Luthor.

Was his first thought. It had to be Luthor, a lot of security trailing him by the sounds of it. And they were headed here.

“Superman..?” Batman asked again, trying to look him in the eyes.

The decision took a split second. Really, his body moved before he'd even processed it– Tapping into some reserve he didn't know he had, Batman's eyes widening as they ended up in a corner, squeezed together closely behind the large computer servers, with Superman practically pressing Batman into the wall, bracketing him in with his arms. It was the only position that wasn't immediately noticeable upon entering the room, an instruction on tactical assessment Batman had in his plans, even if Superman had to improvise.

For a moment, Batman seemed to have stopped breathing entirely, but Superman's eyes were already on looking at the metallic object that hid them, almost as if instinct was telling him that he should have been able to look through it. Batman caught on quickly, the steps soon becoming audible even to him, his gaze shifting from the man in front of him and to the side.

“You go to the right. I’ll take the flashdrive.” He whispered, nearly inaudible and reaching for his utility belt.

Superman nodded.

“What is this?” By the door, Luthor stopped, his men already on high alert and soon stepping into the room, led by a blond, confident looking woman. Upon noting the knocked out scientists, some of them stopped, kneeling to check their pulse. Infuriated, and ignoring the cut off “Mister Luthor–” Luthor pushed past them, looking at the state of the room, eyes glinting angrily upon noticing the fact that the kryptonite that was held here was now gone.

“How the hell have you missed an intruder?!” He said to some guy who must have been the head of security, practically hissing in anger, before his eyes had caught on something small and black, that was attached to his servers. He immediately stalked towards it, intent on ripping it out.

And that was when the small, round sphere hit the floor with a clang in front of the distracted guards, all of them pointing their weapons at it immediately only to be blinded by the hissing, rapidly expanding layer of smoke.

“They're here!”

“Don't shoot!”

Panicked shouting of orders filled the room,  Superman speeding through the dissipating smoke and knocking out the blond woman who must have been Mercy Graves and a few other guards as gently as he could and heeding Batman's prior instructions on pressure points, while Batman gracefully jumped over the servers, landing in an intimidating crouch over Luthor, his cape falling down slowly. Lex took a small step back, surprise and fear flickering on his face for a moment, before he shouted: “What are you doing, you idiots, shoot them!” only to be decked in the jaw with a gauntleted fist immediately, Batman slipping past him and sending an electric batarang towards his servers for good measure. He ducked under the open gunfire, covering himself with his cape before knocking the guy out with an expert jab to the stomach and neck, but the alarm had already been sounded.

As the building’s defense systems triggered, no doubt more people would rush them as they fought to get out, Batman and Superman knocking out the three last men simultaneously, their eyes meeting in understanding before they both rushed for the door. Over by the computer servers, Luthor staggered to his feet, clutching at his jaw and eyes blazing with hatred.

As predicted, fighting to get out was difficult. Luthor's men had weapons that could harm Superman, and that meant they weren't tankable by Batman's armor either. A few more guards have fallen unconscious as they rushed for the elevator, but a sudden grunt from Batman made Superman snap to attention, noticing a rip in his gauntlet. And just like last time, he didn't think. He just allowed instinct to take over, rushing forward to the other man so fast his legs lifted a little off the ground and grabbing Batman in his arms, the gravity that felt like it's been dragging him down this whole time finally giving way, allowing him to lift higher, speeding through corridors and past more of Luthor's thugs and out of the elevator, up, up until he'd broken through the ceiling of the building, their capes suddenly fluttering wildly in the wind.

Batman, who'd been clutching onto him in a way that would probably hurt a normal human, with his clawed gauntlets digging into invulnerable skin, let out a soft, startled gasp, looking at the ground, the small buildings down below them, the night sky clear and starry over this darker part of Metropolis.

And Superman couldn't help it. He let out a laugh, exhilarated from the fight, from being able to finally fly, the picture around them at this height absolutely beautiful. 

“We did it! Ohmygod– Luthor's face, when you– When you–”

Batman's hands were around his shoulders, the man finally looking at him, his mouth half opened and white lenses wider than Superman had ever seen them, and it almost felt like the moment froze, just their intermingling breaths and the distant, brilliant stars.

Superman's face heated slowly, the awareness of the hands that were tightly gripping onto Batman's torso and hugging him close to his body or the fact that they were pressed chest to chest hitting him all at once.

And it didn't take long for Batman to stiffen too, distancing himself as much as he could from Superman, the hands that wound themselves around his neck slowly lowering, pushing for some space. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry, I– I didn't think,” Superman apologized immediately, Batman just letting out a quiet grunt in response.

“Put me down.”

“Right. Right, I–”

As his elation passed, it was easy enough to lower them both carefully all the way to the plane, Batman jumping off before they'd even touched the rooftop and heading towards it, Superman hovered in the air uncertainly. By the plane, Batman paused, looking at him over the shoulder.

“Are you coming?”

Hurriedly, Superman dropped to the ground.

“Yes, yes, I am.”

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The flight back to the Batcave was quiet, Superman still feeling a little embarrassed and Batman only briefly notifying Penny-one and Robin that everything went well, with subsequent instructions to contact MPD, the two meeting them upon entering the cave just like last time.

But this time, Superman floated gently down, Robin gasping in delight.

“You can fly again!”

His energy was always contagious, and Superman laughed, finally relaxing after what ended up being a very busy day.

“I can,” He confirmed, offering the kid his hands who happily jumped on the opportunity, Superman lifting him up to the roof of the cave and spinning them, and Robin soon climbing him up like a jungle gym, both of them laughing.

“B! Catch me!” Robin yelled to Batman, who was watching the exchange quietly with Penny-one.

“Wait– Robin–” But the kid had already jumped off, Batman catching him easily, like it was second nature, frowning at Superman's quick dash and subsequent careful hovering.

“Your arm,” Superman pointed out with a worried crease in his brow, Robin frowning in concern too, where he'd still been held in his father's arms.

“It's fine,” Batman scowled at Superman, Robin quickly getting off and sending his own little scowl at his father when he'd noticed the injury, partially hidden under the cape. Penny-one also lifted a careful eyebrow at his employer.

“Master Batman,“ He said, reproachful, the two of them exchanging in a battle of wills for a moment, before Batman finally relented, Robin already trying to tug him in the direction of the medbay.

It was a little strange, seeing Batman without his gauntlet and with his cape unclasped, the picture of a victorian lady flashing a scandalous view of an ankle not leaving Superman's mind. And, just like any man of that era, he admittedly couldn't stop staring at Batman's bare hand, his pale skin and long, deft fingers, or the few thin, old scars he'd noticed on the man's forearm. Next to those, there was a sizable, singed gash, which wasn't bleeding a lot, but looked painful having gone through muscle.

After properly disinfecting it, Penny-one applied medicine, Robin helpfully fetching anything he needed without even being asked and Batman sitting like a grumpy stone statue on the only other available cot. As soon as it was done, he was already standing, fishing for something in his belt with his other arm.

“Thank you,” he said, Penny-one watching him with familiar exasperation.

“It would do you some good to not put a lot of strain on your arm, sir,” He called, Batman having already fished out that same flashdrive he'd used to steal data from Luthor and plugging it into the computers of the medbay. The download was ticking incredibly fast, but Batman just frowned at it for a moment, before straightening.

“I'm heading out,” he said.

“At least take me with you!” Robin protested, pointing at his injured arm.

“No. It's a school night.”

“So? You're injured! You need me out there!” The kid, still wearing his civilian clothing and a domino, stepped in front of his dad, blocking his path. Judging by Batman's calm reaction, it was familiar waters for them.

“I said no, Robin. We made an agreement.”

Robin's lips tightened, frown betraying his worry. He didn't back down. Superman hovered next to the kid, showing his silent support. To him, Batman just sent a scowl.

“It was just a graze,” He said, looking back at Robin, “It doesn't even hurt.”

Somehow, Superman doubted it, and the kid clearly knew that too. But still, he seemed to have been calmed by Batman's words, a little, despite it.

“Just… Promise you'll be careful,” He mumbled, finally, scuffing his shoe.

Batman gave him a serious nod, placing a gentle hand on the kid's shoulder.

“I promise,” He said, giving it a light squeeze before finally stepping around Robin and heading out. It wasn't long before Superman heard the purr of a car's engine start, tracking it all the way to the exit of the cave with his hearing.

Penny-one was already packing away the medical equipment.

After a moment, he headed out to provide Batman with comm support, Robin staying in the medbay area with Superman a bit longer to ask about how their mission went, laughing in delight at the part where Superman described Batman decking Luthor in the jaw. He couldn't help smiling at that himself, Robin eventually getting sleepier as the night dragged on, even if he stayed awake, stubbornly, up until Batman finished patrolling and returned to the Cave.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

By now it was becoming a routine, having breakfast with everyone in the medbay. Superman found it… Nice, especially because Batman seemed a lot less on edge around him, too, even showing up without his cape and gauntlets. Superman suspected that he either hadn't slept at all again today, or slept very little, because he still heard the soft clacking of keys on the keyboard yesterday before falling asleep on his cot. And it also seemed that throughout breakfast today, Robin had been actively hinting to Batman about something, something that displeased Batman greatly, even telling Superman the fact that Batman apparently had to come into the office today and was going to drive him to school. Robin had also been talking a lot about his favorite breakfast cereal, the long-suffering look on Penny-one's face at that making Superman unable to hide his laugh.

He… He wasn't sure that he actually had something like that in his own life, before losing his memories, the thought of going back to the lonely Fortress in the Arctic he'd heard so much about after this feeling like someone was scraping out his insides.

After breakfast, it was those same tests, Batman making some quiet noise to himself which Superman interpreted as everything remaining unchanged and asking about if he'd had any headaches.

“Oh– Actually, that reminds me, when we were in the lab–” Batman's gaze sharpened, Superman's mind flashing back to his worried expression, “I think I remembered something.”

And while everything he'd seen after looking at that table had been blurry…

“– It was just a flashing image, but… I think I saw Luthor. In my memory.”

“Because of that room,” Batman said, looking at him with the weight of his full attention.

“Yes,” Superman nodded, Batman just letting out a quiet, contemplative hum.

Before he left to take Robin to school, he again switched on the sunlamp.

With not much to do after that, Superman continued basking under it and trying to gauge the extent of his powers, the amount of them steadily growing, so far so that he'd managed to blast the ground with heat vision and even form some crystals of ice in the air with his breath.

Penny-one was gracious enough to visit him pretty often, bringing in another change of clothes that actually fit him this time and looked brand new, along with a few books he thought Superman might find interesting. He smiled warmly when Superman immediately opened the one book he offhandedly mentioned as being one of his favorites, before saying that he'll be close by in case their guest required anything else.

Batman and Robin returned in the evening, Batman immediately sitting down to continue rifling through Luthor's stolen data. But, for the first time, Batman allowed Superman to step out into the Cave proper, without it being just a quick trip from the plane (‘Batwing’, Robin corrected) and back.

Robin looked particularly excited to show him around, pointing out the giant monitors and numerous buttons, Superman hovering in the air, feeling a tad nervous.

“This is the Batcomputer!” The kid announced proudly, “Batchair,” He pointed out next. Superman cracked a smile. He was starting to get a bit of a feel for the naming conventions.

“And the little bat throwing knives?”

“Batarangs, duh,” The kid grinned, “We also have the Batmobile, – before me, B just called it the car, by the way, can you imagine? – the batrope, batcopter, bat shark repellent–”

“Robin, your homework?” Batman grunted, Superman's brain still stuck on the bat shark repellent and Robin just showing his dad his tongue childishly before ducking off somewhere that definitely did not include his homework. Superman laughed, Batman's quiet exhale sounding so entirely dad-like he couldn't help feeling incredibly endeared to the pair.

And he'd had to admit that the Batcomputer setup was… Admittedly, a lot more impressive and comfortable than the one in the medbay, even if they were all apparently linked. A part of him wanted to believe that Batman chose to work somewhere less comfortable to keep him company, but, realistically, it was probably to just keep an eye on him.

He smiled at Batman, the man looking away from him and pointing out yet more formulas on the screen.

“I think I've figured out what Luthor’s plan was.”

Immediately, the mood had grown serious.

“It looks like he was trying to brainwash you, using a small, controlled dosage of highly experimental kryptonite-laced drugs, but he didn't entirely account for your alien immune system, or the rate at which your body expels toxins. After so many unsuccessful attempts at killing you, it seems that he decided to switch gears and try to turn you into his loyal puppet.”

“But I ended up losing all my memories instead…” Superman said, quietly, and Batman nodded.

“His calculations clearly weren't as good as he thought, even if he managed to synthesize liquid kryptonite. And it is highly unstable.”

Batman clicked through a few more documents, some robot schematics flashing that Superman remembered seeing in the footage of his last fight before his actual disappearance. He'd successfully stopped the attack on Metropolis, according to news coverage, but then…

“But… How do I get them back?”

He looked towards Batman for answers, the man steepling his fingers.

What if he couldn't?..

Batman threw him a glance.

“It's only a hypothesis,” He said, white lenses boring into Superman's eyes, “We've been trying to jog your memories already by simply explaining what we know. But you didn't react until there was a strong associative visual and spatial component.”

Superman looked down.

“Luthor’s lab…” 

He could still remember the sight of that experimentation table, the one Luthor held him at, like he wasn't even a person.

“If we somehow find something like that to trigger your memories, that might be the solution to it. Something important or meaningful to you,” Batman continued, voice even, “But we don't know how successful that might be, or how long it will actually take for you to remember. The methodology is similar to that which was proven to work on patients with head trauma. We're just going to try and purposefully speed up the process. But even without it, the memories might even come back to you on their own over time.”

Sadly, Superman smiled at this man, the man who'd so readily taken him in and helped him, despite his own reservations and their tense history. The man who he'd been learning more and more about with each passing day.

“Thank you. I… Everything you and your family are doing for me, I really appreciate it, Batman. I… I don't know what would have happened to me without you.”

For a moment, Batman was still, before turning back to the Batcomputer. 

“Don't thank me yet,” He said, Superman tilting his head questioningly at that reaction, but at that exact moment Penny-one appeared, as if by magic. He seemed to somehow always know when he was needed.

“Master Batman,” He said, Batman's back stiffening before he finally glanced at the butler, who was looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, “Don't you think it is finally time to properly introduce ourselves to our guest, if he is going to continue staying with us for some time?”

Superman stilled, watching the silent staring contest that seemed to be a common communication method in this family. Finally, Batman stood, Penny-one’s eyes creasing in a way that signified him being pleased with the outcome, the other man heading somewhere in the direction of the showers.

Unsure of what was happening, Superman turned to Penny-one, who was already smiling at him.

“You will understand soon, sir,” he just said kindly in response to his silent question.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The wait didn't actually take all that long, even if it felt like hours, Superman getting a lot more nervous as seconds ticked by. He'd even started reading more into Luthor's files that were still open on the Batcomputer while trying to distract himself, Penny-one calmly dusting the surfaces of a nearby shelf, and that is exactly why he'd been entirely caught off guard as he finally caught the sound of Batman returning, the man always moving so quietly that even he had to strain for it.

“Batma–” Half formed, the word died on his lips when he turned, heart stuttering at the sight. Because, in front of him, there was an incredibly handsome raven haired man with striking, ice blue eyes, chiselled jaw and sharp, aristocratic features. He was wearing a black turtleneck and a dark grey jacket, with matching pants and expensive shoes. The frown on his face and the pale downturned lips were the only things that really gave away his identity.

Batman, – because this was unmistakably Batman – looked up at him, Superman's brain still buffering, because, – oh no, he was very pretty, and also he actually was a lot younger than Superman assumed at first, looking like they were about the same age, with Batman maybe being a few years older. After getting settled in on the first day Superman spent some time just looking at himself in the mirror, trying to gauge any information he could from his own familiar-yet-unfamiliar expression. He was clearly somewhere in his late twenties, twenty seven or twenty six, maybe, and with an around ten year old kid and Batman's general stoic attitude he thought that the man would be at least thirty five, maybe forty.

“Superman.” Batman said, in a Batman voice, with his toned arms crossed over his chest, and yup, the reality of this was still hitting Superman.

Superman snapped his mouth closed, trying and failing to not stare so openly, especially when Batman's frown deepened.

Eventually, Batman offered a hand.

“Bruce Wayne,” he said, curt and to the point, and Superman was quick to shake it, applying just enough pressure and trying to not focus on how calloused Batman's hand felt under his own.

“I'm– You, you didn't have to…” He said, flustered, but still trying to convey just how much this meant to him, “But thank you, for trusting me.”

Batman's eyes stayed on him for one moment, handshake lingering, before he turned, calling out: “Robin!” the kid soon popping his head out from one of the numerous Batcave corridors.

“Oh!” Robin exclaimed, before quickly jogging up to them with a big smile, “Finally!”

He slipped off his mask with some fanfare, grinning brightly up at a still hovering Superman, the kid's big blue eyes reminding him of the summer sky. Without the mask even his face looked rounder.

“Hi again! I'm Richard Grayson, but you can just call me Dick. I'm so excited to finally show you the Manor,” After shaking his hand too, he turned to Ba– to Bruce Wayne. Superman really had to try and get used to that,  “I can, now, right, B?”

Bruce let out a little agreeing hum, hands once again crossed over his chest, Penny-one finally stepping forward too, for the final introductory handshake.

“Alfred Pennyworth, I am the Wayne family butler, as you've no doubt surmised.” The man said, “But please, just call me Alfred.”

“I promise to keep your secrets.” Superman said earnestly, eyes taking in everyone in this little family and lingering a little on Bruce, before Dick started tugging him forth, towards the stairs that apparently led to the Manor.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

Somehow Superman didn't expect the Manor to be… Well, an actual Manor. Despite quite literally being from a different planet, he couldn't stop marvelling at all the expensive, old furniture, the vases, the portraits and rooms, Robin, no, – Dick – showing off each of them matter-of-factly, with Bruce – Mister Wayne…? and Alfred following close behind them, the latter occasionally adding some commentary about an interesting portrait or a specific room's purpose. The fact that the entrance to the cave was hidden behind an old grandfather clock also felt quite grand and spy-like.

“And this is Bruce's room!” Dick said, swinging open a dark door, Superman not quite being ready to see it and glancing briefly at an unreadable looking Bruce. The room itself wasn't as grand as he expected. It was tidy, and quite minimal, with a large bed and two nightstands, as well as a chair, a dresser and a balcony, but it had a few doors, which Dick was quick to point out as ‘the closet’ and ‘the bathroom’. 

The kid's head whirled to Alfred. “Actually, Alfy, where is Superman's room gonna be?”

Superman blinked, not having expected that he would be allowed to relocate from the medbay.

“I– I get a room?”

Alfred almost looked scandalized.

“Of course, sir. We are happy to have you as our esteemed guest for as long as you may require,” His judgemental eyes flicked to Bruce, who frowned, probably knowing what's coming, “I dare say, we would have received you as a proper guest from the start were it not for Master Bruce's… reservations.”

Dick snorted, quietly mumbling ‘paranoia, more like’ under his breath and making Superman crack a smile.

Alfred, looking as unflappable as always, stood forward, “Please, follow me.”

His room actually ended up being not too far from Bruce's own, Alfred noting that it should have an adequate amount of sunlight, ‘as much as Gotham's weather allows’.

Superman stepped inside of it, still a little awed by the sheer size of it. It didn't actually differ that much from Bruce's room in terms of amenities, being just a tad smaller and less lived in. For a few minutes, he just explored, taking everything in, until finally noticing what he'd been doing, looking abashedly at his hosts.

“Sorry,” he said, noticing the way Bruce leaned on the doorframe, Robin sitting on the bed and swinging his legs with Alfred beside him.

Robin smiled.

“Come on! I'll show you my room.”

Robin's room ended up being really cozy, and Superman couldn't help thinking that it matched his personality well, with athletic posters on the wall, a gaming console and a bit of a chaotic, messy vibe. A flattering amount of Superman merch, too, which made Dick's cheeks a little rosy, but he still showed off proudly.

The last steps of the tour were the garden and kitchen, along with the dining hall, Alfred leaving them a little earlier in their tour and Superman only briefly pausing in front of a grand portrait hanging at the top of the staircase, a traditional, well-posed picture of a beautiful family of three, with the dark haired man, a brown haired woman and a small, somewhat familiar kid with the same dark hair catching his eyes, until he realized what he'd been looking at. For some reason, when he looked at Bruce and Dick, the kid seemed more sheepish, even though before he readily provided explanations to everything that caught Superman's eye.

“Oh, um–” He looked towards Bruce, whose face had gone carefully blank. And Superman couldn't help thinking that he'd accidentally stumbled on a sensitive topic.

Bruce, too, looked towards the picture.

“My parents,” he said, in explanation, Superman looking at his profile, before his eyes too returned to the picture, “Thomas and Martha Wayne.”

Superman didn't ask anything else, the three of them just standing there for one long moment.

When he finally looked towards Dick, the kid's eyes had gone a little distant, too, even though he still smiled.

“So, the garden?” he asked.

The tour ended with all of them having dinner in the dining hall that did, admittedly feel a little too big for just four people, Dick calling dips on getting to sit near Superman and Alfred simply outdoing himself with the casserole and a delicate ice cream dessert that admittedly looked more like something that should have been served to a king than to a simple, alien guest. Bruce certainly looked pretty royal at the head of the table, Superman shooting him fleeting glances throughout the evening. After that, Alfred announced that they should help sir Superman settle in before patrol, Bruce and Dick helping him move all of his admittedly feeble belongings that were all basically stuff the residents of the Manor provided for him upstairs.

“I have taken the liberty of choosing and ordering some clothes on your behalf.” Alfred said, appearing again with the stack of said perfectly folded and freshly laundered clothes as Bruce set up the sunlamp. “You are also free to explore and read any books or use any appliance in the Manor if you so desire. And, again, if you require anything at all, sir, please do notify me, so we could procure it for you.”

“I– Thank you, thank you again, so much,” Superman answered, a little overwhelmed by all this and lifting his arm up to his face in some strange, unconscious gesture, “I don't know how I could ever repay you.”

“Don't worry about it,” Robin said, once again perched on Superman's future bed, “B is like… Stu-u-upid rich.”

Superman chuckled, having guessed so much already by the Batcave, and the Batwing, and the Manor, and, well– Everything. With a warm smile, he looked towards Bruce.

“Still, I feel really grateful for your help. If there's anything at all you need me to do, I'd gladly do it.”

Bruce's face didn't change, but he huffed out a breath.

“I need to go prepare for patrol.” He said, already heading out, Alfred staying just a little longer to remind his young master of his bedtime before following Bruce, Dick eventually asking Superman if he wants him to teach him how to play videogames.

And if later, once Dick had gone to bed Superman decided to see if he could find anything on Bruce Wayne and accidentally discover a lot more than he ever thought he would, having to actively ignore the images tab and all the juicy gossip including ‘Gotham’s favourite billionaire prince’ Bruce Wayne and his latest escapades, well.

He at least hoped that Batman wouldn't know, his face absolutely on fire and heart racing.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

Superman spent the next few days mostly just acclimating to the Manor and its residents and spending time with them, an apparent case hitting Batman hard, and burying him in a huge workload, the man's regular job as a CEO of a huge company occupying most of his days, too. Superman's powers seemed to have returned almost fully, because it was on his fifth day there that he'd heard a familiar yet unfamiliar sound of rumbling, body rising up in the air and brows furrowing. It didn't take long to figure out that that was an Earthquake, Superman flying out to help deal with it after taking a quick pitstop to warn Alfred. And of course Bruce already knew of it when he came home, the tabloids celebrating ‘Superman’s return’ and ‘new citing’ plastered all over the news. Bruce didn't say much on the matter, just asked how was the situation and let out a quiet grunt after Superman had described it. Thankfully, there ended up being no casualties.

He'd flown out a few more times to help with some other disasters, keeping an eye on Metropolis and staying away from Gotham, having already heard Batman's warnings about his own city.

He'd also accidentally stumbled upon a half-dressed Bruce in the kitchen one early morning, the man tiredly lifting his eyes at him from where he'd been attempting to stare his coffee machine into submission, a three-o’clock shadow on his face, and a magenta robe half sliding down one of his shoulders, revealing a lot more scarred, pale skin than Superman had seen even in the Bruce Wayne magazine photos, his long legs bare with only a pair of black slippers and dark boxers peeking out from underneath. Superman had never gotten out of somewhere so fast, only managing to mutter out a quick apology beforehand. And only when he finally managed to calm his racing heart down some incredibly slow minutes later had he realized that he'd completely forgotten what he wanted to grab from the kitchen in the first place.

Dick and Superman managed to build an easy rapport, the kid even starting to call him ‘Big Blue’ because saying Superman each time was just too long, and they haven't learned what was his kryptonian name yet, or if he even had one.

Overall, things were starting to feel truly… Domestic, even though not a lot of time had passed since his arrival.

A knock at the open door of the library made Superman lift his head, startled. He wasn't actively listening out for Bruce, having been completely engrossed in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, after, admittedly, initially picking it out because of the science fiction setting and now feeling a little embarrassed about his choices. Bruce's eyes lingered for a moment on the cover of the book, and Superman wasn't entirely sure if it was his imagination or if the corners of his mouth lifted.

“I have narrowed down a few places we should try and visit in Metropolis.” He said, simply, and Superman perked up.

“Now?”

Then again, it was the weekend, so Bruce's time was a little less limited.

“Yes. If you're up for it.”

“Will we be going as Batman and Superman?” Superman questioned, putting a little dried flower bookmark he'd borrowed from Alfred inside the book and closing it.

“Yes. And Robin wants to come along as well.”

That last part made Superman smile. 

But…

“I thought Batman didn't come out during the day..?”

Bruce's eyes lifted back to his face, something inside of him holding his breath under that icy stare.

“Only when I have to. And it would make sense for Superman to remember these places in a daylight setting. Even if we would have to be careful about avoiding detection.”

Not long after that the three of them were up in the air, Robin having successfully negotiated being taken there on Superman's shoulders and laughing as the kryptonian indulgently did all sorts of loop-de-loops and Batman keeping quiet watch from the Batwing.

Before heading out Superman was given a communicator, which now rested snuggly inside of his ear, Metropolis' skyscrapers glittering in the midday sunlight.

“First, the Daily Planet.” Batman's voice came, Robin helpfully pointing out a building with the giant globe and somewhat familiar letters on top, one Superman had noticed on a few of his flights through the city, gaze inexplicably drawn to it.

There was no one on the roof, currently, and when the three of them drew closer Superman couldn't hear anyone going up to the roof access either.

Batman got out of the hovering Batwing before jumping, his cape dramatically flaring out in the shape of bat-like wings as he glided downwards. He'd adamantly refused to be carried along with Robin, even though that probably would have been a lot more inconspicuous.

Batwing, remotely taken over by Alfred, veered away, probably to find a less conspicuous position to park for the time being.

Superman slowly lowered himself and Robin to the roof, Robin jumping off of his shoulders in mid air, just like his guardian, and landing almost as dramatically.

As Superman's boots touched the ground, cape flapping in the gentle wind, he allowed himself to really take the roof and the globe in, something tingling in the back of his mind.

Batman was right. This… This felt familiar, as he walked around on the rooftop, with Batman and Robin both watching him carefully, in case the splitting headache he'd experienced before suddenly hit him once again.

“So… Are you remembering stuff..?” Robin asked, rolling back and forth on his feet.

“Before you've had sparse, but regular contact with the Daily Planet reporters,” Batman explained, “And the flight patterns I've tracked do tend to circle the building.”

“Yeah! Everyone knows the Daily Planet as the ‘Superman paper’,” Robin added helpfully, rolling forward into a one-handed handstand.

Papers. Journalists.

Something about it pulled even more at Superman's mind, the hero stopping as soon as he reached the spot around the back of the rooftop access. 

That's when it happened. Suddenly, a few memories of him taking off from here, or carefully hiding a spare suit under a loose panel just under the globe flooded his mind, his head splitting, but thankfully, not as badly as it did the first time.

He didn't even notice when both of the other heroes ended up by his side, Batman supporting him with a hand on his shoulder and a fierce frown that Superman was starting to learn meant concern.

Robin's plain worry, meanwhile, was written all over his face.

“You okay?” The young hero asked, and Superman smiled reassuringly, straightening and trying to piece together all those loose memories.

“I… Yeah I… Work..?” That word especially seemed somehow fitting, “I worked with people from here, I think. They– they helped me with some hero business.” Superman guessed, the thread of more memories feeling like it slipped through his fingers.

Batman nodded.

“Lois Lane,” he said, neutrally, stepping away, and Superman couldn't exactly explain the pang of disappointment he felt at that.

They spent a little more time on the roof, but nothing else really came to him, so Batman jumped up to stand on the railing, Robin climbing up Superman's shoulders with the grace of an acrobat. They smiled at each other, Superman flying up in front of Batman and extending his hands.

“Sure you don't want a ride to the next building?” He asked, with Batman sending him an unimpressed stare, Superman's smile only growing.

The door on the Daily Planet’s rooftop suddenly screeched, just barely, a ginger haired, youthful looking guy staring at them with wide eyes, and Batman seemed to sense him too, because in the next second he was already jumping from the building, Superman only taking a second longer to follow with Robin, the sounds of the camera shutter coming seconds before that.

Left alone on the rooftop, Jimmy Olsen fumbled with his camera with shaking hands, scrolling through empty shots until he'd found the exact one frame he'd managed to capture, with Batman – actual Batman, no flipping way, – slightly blurry but there, Superman with a little kid vigilante perched on his shoulders and looking towards the camera.

He got it.

No flipping way, he got the shot.

His hands were still shaking. He had to tell someone – tell Lois immediately.

… Was Batman going to kill him now…?

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The fact that they were almost photographed worried Superman a little, something about the ginger haired guy also pinging in his mind as almost painfully familiar. But Batman, at least, seemed nonplussed, and Robin acted just as cheery as they visited yet more buildings, the kid switching to his own grappling hook so that he could show off some impressive aerial maneuvers. None of the other buildings really helped Superman remember anything else, even if he did find Robin explaining one of them as the ‘Superman diner’ (which he apparently visited at least twice) really funny.

But in the middle of heading towards some apartment complex, Superman froze mid air, his hearing picking up on panicked screams and sounds of armored boots rushing into the building.

Immediately, he frowned, looking for the source of the sounds with his x-ray vision.

Batman, always quick to pick up on stuff like this, was already looking back at him from the neighbouring rooftop, Robin perched beside him.

“What is it?”

The police were already on their way, sirens blaring.

“There’s a bank robbery in progress.”

“Hostages?” Batman asked and Superman nodded.

“At least twenty hostages. But they're somewhat scattered throughout the building. I think the robbers are planning to use explosives–”

When Superman looked towards Batman he didn't expect him to suddenly step up to the ledge, extending his hand.

“Take us there.”

Catching on quickly, Superman grabbed onto his hand, Robin once again jumping up to perch on his shoulders. In no time, the three of them were already near the bank, looking down at it from a higher vantage point, with Batman quickly assessing the situation.

Slowly, police cars were trickling in, the officers setting up a line around the perimeter.

“Superman,” Batman said, looking at him, “What are the exact positions of people inside the building?”

“Most of the hostages are in the main hall, but a few workers had been taken with the robbers into the vault. The other robbers are scattered. But there are also three people, one woman and two men hiding in the out of order bathroom on the top floor and another woman that managed to hide under a desk in an office on the second floor, second to last door in the corridor.”

“And the explosives?”

Superman scanned for anything that looked even remotely like a bomb, noting more locations.

“Half currently in the main hall with the most hostages, but it seems they are planning to deposit some inside the vault itself and possibly throughout the building.”

“Speak with the officers and after that, take the front entrance. Act like you're willing to try and negotiate. If they're doing it so brazenly out in the open, they might have weapons that could counteract you, so be careful. They're going to try and leverage the hostages. Robin and I are going to come in from the back. They won't be expecting us.”

Curtly, Superman nodded.

Batman turned to Robin, whose face had gone serious.

“Robin, you are going to lead those who are hiding out. Don't engage in any fights unless absolutely necessary, and if anything goes wrong, signal immediately.”

His gaze turned back to the sight of a surrounded bank.

“I'm going for the vault. As soon as I engage with the people there, which in itself might create a distraction, Superman, you act accordingly.”

With the plan formed, Batman and Robin immediately went to the side and around, moving like shadows across rooftops and Superman flew down to the police line, smiling reassuringly at the immediately somewhat more relieved looking officers.

The plan went off without a hitch.

As soon as Superman stepped into the bank with his arms raised, guns were trained on him and the hostages, the robbers cocky and careless enough to mock him, Superman speaking with calm, careful assuredness, hoping to at least somewhat soothe the terrified hostages on the floor. He could hear Robin making his way in through the window and then the vents until he reached the small bathroom, making sure not to startle the people there and then leading the baffled adults safely towards the nearest exit, which just so happened to be a window, the smartly placed line of his grappling hook helping the people get out. Batman, meanwhile, made his way through the building and towards the vault, taking care of some straggler robbers before they could even utter a sound.

It didn't take long for Batman to reach the vault itself, half the robbers busy with stashing away money, the explosives already set up and the employees of the bank huddled together in a corner. Soon enough, Robin reached his last destination too, kneeling in front of the hiding woman and softly speaking to soothe her, admiration for this kid once again flaring inside of Superman's chest.

After a well aimed batarang that cut off the lights in the vault, Batman pounced, the screams of terror and gunfire coming from the walkie-talkies distracting the robbers in front of Superman for a split second, enough for them all to end up in a heap on the floor, with their guns mangled beyond recognition. Superman focused on the explosives next, quickly taking them away from the bank and letting them blow high up in the sky, the sound of Batman cutting some wires quickly and efficiently in his ears, Robin also managing to safely help the last woman out.

After that, the stragglers in the building were easy enough to take care of, deposited by Superman right in front of the police, the hostages slowly coming out towards the light, awed and soothed by a brightly smiling Robin, with Batman saying a few of his own words to a particularly scared mother and child, the latter of which ended up with a big purple lollipop.

As the EMTs and police took care of the rest, Batman clung to the shadows of the bank, the workers sending him both scared and awed looks, the press behind the line absolutely losing their mind about the apparent team up between Superman, Batman and Robin.

Superman just sent them a smile and a wave, before grabbing Batman and Robin and superspeeding them all out of there. And despite not giving him explicit permission to do so this time, Batman only huffed, Robin finally allowing his glee about their successful thwarting of bad guys show and laughing about how the police and the press had reacted at seeing him.

The sun slowly creeped towards the edge of the horizon.

“That was– That was so cool, we're like the best superhero team ever!” Robin exclaimed, his cape fluttering in the wind dramatically. 

“We are,” Superman confirmed, smiling widely and ruffling Robin's hair affectionately, making the kid laugh.

It was then that out of the corner of his eye he'd noticed the small upturn of Batman's lips, his breath momentarily taken away as Robin kept on talking. 

And Superman couldn't look away, the actual, small and content smile on Batman's lips making his heart speed up inexplicably.

It suits him. 

He thought, distantly, broken out of his reverie when the white lenses of Batman's eyes suddenly met his, the smile vanishing off the man's face as if it had never even been there. And Batman must not have expected it, too, because for a moment, the two just stared at each other, only snapping out of it because Robin tugged on Batman's cape.

“I’m kind of hungry,” He said, eyes narrowed and scanning the streets below searchingly before stopping on some fastfood place, the kid lifting his head to look at his guardian and pointing to it, “Can we get some burgers?”

“..Yes,” Batman answered, the picture of composure once more and letting out a hum of contemplation. He fished out a simple burner phone from his utility belt and gave it to Robin, the kid immediately plopping down on the edge of the roof with it to look through the menu. 

“I definitely want the keychain toy from the kid's meal,” Robin said, “And the big chicken burger with fries. And a juice box. What do you want, Superman? I know B usually gets the biggest burger with coffee."

Robin turned the phone screen to him.

“O-oh, let me get it,” Superman hurried to suggest, Batman's lips suddenly quirking a little in an absolutely devastating way, the hero suddenly realizing that he didn't actually have any money. His cheeks tinged as red as his cape, Batman's smirk only adding to the confusing fire inside of him, “I can go down there and ask for everything you want, that is,” He amended, a little sheepish.

And maybe he just really wanted to prolong this strange moment a little more, because he added, jokingly:

“Make this a ‘Superman fast food place’, to match with that one diner?”

Batman's lips parted briefly, a soft huff of air he let out making Superman's heart try and break out of his ribcage with how fast it was beating. Robin laughed, too, something inside Superman strangely giddy.

“Let them keep the change,” Batman handed him a few crisp hundreds from his utility belt, Superman soon flying down to the fast food place Robin picked out and quickly placing their order, too in his own head to notice the absolutely starstruck employees and customers.

It was probably the best day Superman could have ever imagined, the three of them ending up sharing fast food on the rooftop, with Robin indeed getting the silly little keychain he wanted and a warm, content feeling settling deep inside Superman's heart, even if a small part of him still screamed of something vital missing.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

Over the next few days, he explored Metropolis by himself, with some locations feeling more familiar than others, but not much progress on the recovering any new memories part. He even talked to a few civilians, in case that might have brought something up and kept the communicator Batman gave him with him at all times, just like the man instructed. But as more days passed by with no progress, that feeling of losing something important to him intensified, even if he kept it to himself so far.

One evening, Robin said something that really stuck with Superman, as well, a half-joking:  “You should just stay with us forever,” muttered sleepily as they were finishing watching the kid's favorite film. And Superman didn't actually expect to want that so badly, either. To want to be a part of this little family, even if he never really felt entirely complete again.

“We’re going to the Fortress,” Bruce said the next morning, after Robin had already been driven to school by Alfred. Superman dropped down to the ground of the garden where he'd been basking in the rare Goatham sun.

“We are?” He asked, Bruce nodding curtly in response before uncrossing his arms and leading the way back into the Manor.

 “That almost feels like the last resort,” Superman joked, wanting to lighten the mood a little. In a way, Superman couldn't help but notice over this week and a half that Bruce still kept a careful distance between them, but even with that distance, it felt like something changed, like there was something that even the tactically minded Batman had not accounted for.

“Almost,” Bruce answered, leading them down and into the cave, the grandfather clock sliding into place behind them in a way that had become quite familiar.

Superman tilted his head, surprised.

“Then… What's the last last resort?”

Strangely, Batman's icy eyes flitted to him briefly on the stairs before glancing away.

“Lois Lane.”

Superman blinked.

“Lois Lane?”

He'd read up on her in his own research, the woman Superman rescued probably more than any other, because her fierce determination to expose corruption and reveal the truth to the public often got her in hot water. She was a young, but already incredible journalist, with no doubt many awards in her future, and even if Superman worried about her slight penchant for provoking powerful, shady people, he found her incredibly admirable.

Batman hummed, not actually answering his question. Superman lifted an eyebrow.

“Why her?” He asked, more directly, the two of them stepping out and into the Batcave itself.

Slowly, Bruce's stride came to a stop, the man half turning to look at him with a carefully neutral expression.

“Don't tell me that you didn't find any information on this in your own research," He said, as if expecting Superman to see and connect some dots. When Superman only frowned in confusion, Bruce scrutinizing his face for a few moments longer, he elaborated:

“It’s mostly rumors, but there is high possibility that you two might be… involved.”

Superman’s mind blanked.

“We–” He stammered, “We what..?”

Did he..?

Were he and Lois Lane…?

Bruce's eyes never left his face, their intense, affixed gaze making Superman want to protest this notion, somehow, for some reason, that he and Lois Lane were…

But… But he didn't actually know, did he…?

Superman swallowed down a strange, complicated  ball of feelings. And Bruce seemed to take his silence as an answer, because he swiftly turned away and continued, voice monotone to the point of it seeming somehow… wrong: “Setting up a meeting between you two wouldn't actually be difficult, but we don't know for sure if bringing her in on the situation would prove fruitful. That's why she is the last resort.”

“I see.” Superman smiled at him weakly, before the man disappeared in the direction of the changing rooms.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The icy wind was tearing at their capes, Batman's breath coming out in white little puffs from the sheer cold. The Fortress was supposed to be somewhere here, but besides them, only the Batwing stood out; a dark patch in the endless white snow. Superman frowned, eyes still busy scanning the horizon.

But where was it?..

Batman pulled out one of his gadgets, wading carefully through the snow with Superman following closely on his heels, still scanning the ice until his x-ray vision suddenly stumbled on something, taking a small intake of breath, Batman stopping as well, having detected something.

And at that exact moment the glittering, beautiful blue crystals that he'd seen beneath the ice started rising up to the surface, a magnificent, alien structure forming right before their very eyes.

The last thing that appeared was the giant, diamond shaped door, the insignia on it lighting up as Superman made an unconscious step towards it, something tugging at his mind in a way that he'd learned preceded a memory.

He looked towards Batman, whose mouth was set in a grim line, his posture tense, ready in case there were any otherworldly security measures.

Still, Batman nodded at him, Superman taking in another short breath before stepping towards what was supposed to be his Fortress, the door opening up in a strange, alien way before him. Cautiously, Batman followed.

Inside, the Fortress of Solitude was truly as breathtaking as it was on the outside, all crystalline floors and ceilings, numerous corridors leading away from the main entrance. But it also felt a bit… Hollow. Empty.

He couldn't imagine himself actually living here. 

He looked towards Batman, who seemed to be taking in the new environment with a reserved, but palpable interest, something about him being here, sharing this moment with Superman making the kryptonian's shoulders loosen a little. At least while he learned about whatever this was – whatever this meant for him, Bruce was with him.

Batman, as if feeling the weight of the other man's gaze, met his eyes.

“Anything?” He asked.

“No,” Superman smiled a little, “Nothing yet.”

It wasn't long before they found the main console, or at least what seemed to be serving as one – the intricate crystalline structure of it making Superman feel a bit pensive about touching it at all. But Batman's quiet ‘try it’ and the subsequent interested humming at the structure lighting up in an unfamiliar language gave him the needed encouragement, even though it made something inside his chest tighten looking at the presumable records written in the language he didn't know. Didn't remember. And something about that too, felt bone achingly familiar. Like an old weight he'd carried with him throughout his life.

Given enough time, Batman was sure that he could figure out how to navigate that console, but for now they left it alone, not wanting to accidentally trigger something that could potentially be dangerous.

The fact that the Fortress seemed to have been responding to Superman still astounded him. They moved through numerous, mostly empty rooms and corridors, only some of them containing some strange artifacts or weapons, until they finally reached a big hall with what seemed to be two giant statues of a man and woman, holding up something that looked a lot like a planet.

Beside them, Superman froze, eyes trailing the familiar ‘S’ symbol that was woven in their uniforms.

Those– 

Those couldn't have been…

The splitting pain was almost expected this time, flashes of him erecting the statue, of him wandering the Fortress' halls, finding it in the ice…

When it finally stopped, when the flood of new memories that was only filled with longing, filled with a deep, unknowable pain of being the last remaining kryptonian made him look back at the statues.

His… His birth parents.

The term fit oddly right, even though he couldn't remember their names, his eyes stinging a little at the realization.

A hand on his shoulder tightened, Superman looking up at a tight-lipped looking Batman, whose mouth formed a silent ‘o’ but did not let out any sound. They were both kneeling on the ground now, Batman's breath still coming out in small white puffs.

After looking at his own hand, Batman quickly removed it, rising to his full height, the reinforced, warmer cape falling around him.

“Have your memories…?”

Something cautious in his eyes, Batman offered him a hand up, which Superman gladly took.

“No. Not… Not entirely. It's… Still mostly flashes, but I… At least I remember what happened to my home world now. I think.”

Superman said, smiling sadly at Batman. Both of them looked towards the statue.

“This symbol… I remember now,” Superman said, looking at the stylized ‘s’ on their robes before moving his own hand close to his chest, “It means hope.”

In the next hour or so, they explored the rest of the Fortress, from the living quarters to what seemed to be the start of some alien zoo, but with no new memories resurfacing. It was strange, because Superman was pretty sure that he would have remembered everything in a place he called home.

Quietly, and with a frown of deep concentration Batman had been poking around the crystalline console, with not that much progress so far besides finding a few interesting features that let them somewhat control the shape of the room.

After a moment, his arms stopped in their prodding, however, brushing each other in an unconscious gesture and Superman frowned in concern, only now noticing the fact that Batman seemed to be carrying himself a little differently, almost as if he'd been purposefully ignoring some discomfort.

Batman let out another breath.

Oh.

Superman hurriedly unclasped his cape, moving on some autopilot and carefully heating it up as much as he could with his heat vision, trying to be gentler than he'd ever been with it before, and then draping it around the man's shoulders.

Batman froze, staring, and Superman felt the back of his neck go a little hot, clearing his throat and simply explaining it by:

“You looked like you were cold.”

Batman didn't reply. But he didn't reject it either, hands coming to grasp at the warm, red fabric, not trying to burrow further into it, but not allowing it to slip off his shoulders either.

For a few more moments, it was just silence and the quiet, alien hum of the Fortress' console.

“I… I never asked before. But what was our first meeting like?”

Superman looked into Batman's white lenses, the man slowly meeting his eyes before looking back at the console.

“I mean, Robin told me about how I met him, but…” Superman trailed off, Batman letting out a quiet hum.

“We met when I came to Metropolis,” He explained, “One of my rogues, Black Mask, a crime lord, was trying to branch out, and you and I butted heads because of the difference in our methods.”

Superman perked up, a strange feeling of remembering and yet not remembering it in the back of his mind.

“Black Mask managed to escape because of that,” Batman lifted his eyes again, “After that, we kept bumping into each other.”

“I knew of you before, since I've been tracking you as a potential unknown alien threat for a few years since you made your first appearance.”

“I… Yeah. I get why you would,” Superman rubbed the back of his neck. But for some reason, Batman was just looking at him now, something in his expression calculating as his eyes tracked the movement.

“You just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and started helping people, with a vast array of knowledge on human culture, societies, and languages...”

Fully not getting where Batman was going with this now, Superman tilted his head questioningly. He did remember reading that first interview with Lois Lane, the one where he told the world that after observing Earth and its people for some time, he decided that he wanted to help.

“...And learned human mannerisms.”

The white lenses met Superman's eyes, now determined.

“You have a secret identity.”

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

Batman's stride was quick as he headed back to the Batwing, his brilliant mind working. In his haste, Superman's cape had slipped off his shoulders, Superman catching it quickly before it could hit the ground and reattaching it back to his own costume, as he floated after the human.

Batman was quickly typing on a small tablet that he'd pulled out of somewhere, eyes quickly scanning pages and pages of info. And, just as they reached the plane, he stated:

“Clark Kent. Journalist for the Daily Planet, has been reported missing by Jimmy Olsen after he failed to show up to work on Monday. His apartment was also found empty, and he stopped answering any and all calls just a day after Superman's battle with Luthor's robots and subsequent disappearance.”

Batman passed Superman the tablet after they both got inside the Batwing, already strapping himself in and pushing on buttons to turn on the engine.

Superman stared, the picture before him showing an admittedly somewhat similar looking man in glasses, some articles of his coming up as first page results, as well as a few somewhat active accounts on social media.

And it… Clark Kent.

The name just fit.

“I was a journalist,” he said, Batman's eyes flicking to him briefly over his shoulder.

That explained so much. His connection to the Daily Planet, why it felt so unnatural to be living in an isolated, crystalline Fortress.

Heart beating fast and head starting to get a little cloudy, Superman kept on looking through the pictures, accounts, articles–

Batman let out a hum, Batwing soaring through the blue skies of the Arctic.

He flicked on another switch, one that Superman, no, – Clark – had learned connected to the comm line.

“Penny-one,” Batman said, it only taking a moment for Alfred to reply.

“Yes, sir?”

“I need you to look up an address for me.”

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

The window to the apartment wasn't even locked. Slowly, Clark floated through it and into the small, well lit bedroom, taking in the made bed, the sparse, cheap looking furniture and small knickknacks that were scattered around various places. There was a somewhat bent looking alarm clock, a flannel hanging on the back of a chair, and a few posters on the wall for some band and a Metropolis sports team. And overall the place looked… Cozy.

As he slowly made his way through the small room, taking in all the details, from where the paint was chipped in places on the wall, to the way personal items were located in easy to reach places, that feeling of familiarity grew, the telltale ache behind his eyes starting.

He could feel Batman silently following him, his head also tilting to different things with restrained interest, the back of Clark's neck feeling a little hot at the fact that this was definitely nowhere near the luxury of the Manor that Bruce was used to.

Honestly, Batman looked a bit surreal and silly standing there in his full getup in the middle of Clark's small, well lit apartment.

The bathroom was just as simple, with no medical kit or razors, only some necessities like shampoo, cleaning supplies and a few bath bombs that Clark was sure were gifted. Having been left alone for almost three weeks the spaces were a little dusty, with a nice, not very well stocked kitchen and telltale takeout boxes in the garbage bin. A thought of Alfred finding it a travesty briefly brought a smile to Clark's lips. The living room was probably the biggest space in his apartment, with shelves filled with books and other such personal items, a small, old looking TV and a worn couch, a closed laptop lying in wait on the coffee table.

That's where the memories finally hit him, his vision blacking out completely before they flooded his head, glimpses of working here for his job, of flying out to deal with some Superman business, of watching some trashy shows making dinner.

It was a lot more than anything had been previously, his own groan that he'd let out drowned out by the buzzing in his head.

When he'd come to, he could see Batman kneeling before him like the man had so many times prior, a supportive, familiar hand on his shoulder as they sat on the dusty floor of his living room.

“Did you..?” A question trailed off, Batman's eyes searching, and Clark was selfishly glad that he didn't move away so quickly this time, the weight of his hand light but pleasant.

Still, he shook his head.

“No, still, only fragments.”

Somehow, this wasn't enough.

And the disappointment in the room was palpable, mood dropping as Batman stood, looking somewhere at the ground to the right of them, Clark taking a few more moments to come to himself until levitating to his feet.

The living room didn't change, the apartment not giving him back all those much needed pieces of himself, like he had hoped. Clark glanced around it once more, distantly taking it in.

Then, Batman cleared his throat, uncharacteristically hesitant.

“Then, Lois Lane…” He started, still studying that very interesting spot on the floor, but that was exactly when the kryptonian's eyes caught on something that he'd somehow failed to notice before, just three simple picture frames on the shelf, his eyes roaming over them, taking in every  detail.

The three pictures were of an older couple, one of them standing together, a picturesque, very Americana style farm in the background, and the others of them separately, with the woman posing in front of a fence with some work gloves on and a bucket, and a man sitting next to a tractor in some kind of barn, smiling at the photographer and covered in oil stains.

“It's them,” Clark breathed out, something in him knowing that this was the answer, this was what he was missing as he took a photo of the two of them in his hands. Batman's head snapped up, Clark looking at him with his heart pounding.

 “That– The farm. I– I know it. This is it.”

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

By the time they made their way to a small farm the sun was already setting over Kansas, cicadas singing their loud, screeching song.

A dark, sleek plane landed in the middle of a field, just behind the cozy three storied house and red barn from the photo, a deep, painful yearning that was growing in Clark for the entirety of this flight threatening to overwhelm him now.

After getting out of the plane, Batman quietly jumped down to the ground behind him, Clark pausing, unable to take his eyes away from the picture.

Because this was it. He was sure of it.

Home.

All too soon, probably having noticed the strange, menacing plane landing on his property from the window, an older man emerged from behind the house, shotgun trained on their uninvited guests for a few moments until he finally registered who had been standing before him.

The gun dropped, Clark's heart squeezing as the man's eyes widened, and the man yelled, loudly looking somewhere behind him: “Marty!”

It didn't take long at all for an older woman to step out from behind the house cautiously, too, before grasping her mouth and shock and saying:

“Clark!”

And Clark–

Clark staggered forward on unsteady legs, the edges of his vision blurring.

“Ma… Pa–”

In the next moments, the world had gone fully dark, Clark's world tilting even as the blurry figures of his parents rushed forward. But the last thing he registered before he was supposed to hit the ground was that someone had caught him.

____─ ·𖤓☾· ─____

Clark's head was absolutely splitting. It was painful, and he groaned, covering his eyes with his forearm, other hand curling into a fist on a familiar couch cushion.

And, that's right. He would know this feeling anywhere, the couch in Ma and Pa’s living room having always been one of his favorite spots to just relax on a sunny day, along with the mattress in the loft and a field next to the lake in a forest.

He knew Luthor had done something to him in that lab of his, but when the headache had finally abated enough so that he could crack open his eyes he was greeted by a sight he would have never imagined waking to.

Because, there Batman was, hovering next to the couch, mouth slightly parted and brows furrowed in unguarded concern, clearly having just rushed here because he was half-kneeling next to Clark, Ma and Pa stepping up beside him, their faces just as worried.

The light had already died outside, windows only showing the black, Kansas night, some time having clearly passed.

In the air next to him, Batman's gauntleted hand hovered.

Bruce.

Clark's heart skipped as the memories of the last two weeks he had spent with the man rushed forth in his mind, cheeks gaining color and Ma exhaled in relief, Pa taking a moment before his tense shoulders dropped, too.

“How are you feeling?” Bruce Wayne, – Batman – asked softly, eyes no doubt scanning Clark behind those white lenses.

And by now, the pain in Clark's head was almost gone, barely even registering, but his throat had gone dry, and it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest with how fast it was beating. He swallowed, giving Bruce and his parents a weak smile.

“I'm– I'm okay now, sorry to have worried you all,” He looked back towards Bruce, “I remember now. I remember everything.”

And he didn't know exactly what told him that it was relief that flickered on Bruce's face, because in the next moment, the man shut himself off, before straightening.

Clark sat up, resting his weight on one arm, and Ma came forward to smooth his hair, smiling warmly and gratefully.

“Oh honey, we are so happy that you're okay. We were sick with worry when you disappeared, and then we saw on the news that Superman was back, and yet you still didn't answer.”

“I'm so sorry, Ma. After that fight with the robots Luthor captured me. And whatever he did– It took away all my memories.”

“Yes, your dark friend over there was just explaining that. We're just glad to have you home, son.” Pa said, his eyes a little shiny.”

“But are you sure you're okay, honey?” Ma asked, still a little worried.

“Right as rain, I promise, Ma,” Clark grinned, standing up from the couch and giving her a big hug, Pa patting his back warmly.

“Speaking of,” Pa said, before turning his head. And only then did Clark notice that Bruce had moved a few paces away from them, the shadows almost clinging to him despite the brightly lit living room, “You never gave us your name, son?”

And maybe it was the warmth with which Pa said it, or the ‘son’ part, but it seemed to momentarily stun Batman, because he took a little too long to answer.

“Batman.”

“Well I'll be,” Pa said, eyebrows climbing up to his hair, probably because of the nearly cryptid status of the Gotham vigilante.

“Thank you so much for helping our boy, Batman,” Ma said, brightly, “Would you like to stay for dinner? Our Clark's never brought a friend from the big city with him before.”

At that last part, Clark blushed.

“I'm afraid I have some business to attend to, but thank you, Ma'am,” Batman responded politely, with Ma only shaking her head.

“Ah, that's a real shame.”

“Now, if you'll excuse–”

“Batman,” Superman said, stopping Bruce in his tracks, heart still hammering away in his chest. And he still wasn't sure exactly why, but he knew that Bruce thought that things would change for him, now that he gained back his memories, knew Bruce thought Clark would consider everything he'd done a ploy on Batman's part, a way to gain more leverage on Superman. And maybe just two weeks ago he would have been right.

He wasn't sure why his palms were so sweaty.

“Thank you,” He said, with a smile, the man remaining still for just a moment longer before finally nodding and slipping out of the living room, out of the house.

And it was hard to reconcile everything he'd learned about Bruce in this short span of time, all the confusing feelings that were warring inside his chest.

And he couldn't stop looking towards the door through which Bruce had disappeared just moments ago.

Oh.

Clark almost couldn't believe that just a few weeks ago, he'd still been stuck on Lois.

“Ma, Pa…” Clark said almost helplessly, with his heart beating wildly to the weight of his realization, “I…”

He swallowed.

 “I think I'm in love with him.”