When Kori had flown Silvia home she hadn't expected Clark to be back for at least another hour, even less for him to be sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"Hello, Kal-El!" Kori chimed and Silvia flinched at the name. "I shall come back to visit you soon, yes?"

"We'd like that, Princess." Clark replied with a gentle smile.

Silvia wasn't sure why Starfire didn't stay for a bit longer. She must have either been in a rush to get back, or known something that she didn't. Either way Kori had disappeared into the clouds before Silvia could get an answer.

Clark stepped behind Silvia, fingers gently wrapping around her mask and pulling it off. The top half of her blonde hair was a mess, not unlike the hat hair Clark sometimes got at the farm. The bottom half of her hair was no better, if anything, it was worse. The long tangles were knotted and matted from the wind.

Clark couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, patting down the strands with little success. "Congratulations, Sil."

The girl finally turned to look at him, eyebrows knotted together in bewilderment. "You... knew about this?" She asked, holding up the transmitter.

"Of course. I'm one of the founding members, after all."

Silvia glanced down at the high tech earpiece, lips curling in concentration. "So you were the one that convinced them to make me a member?..."

"I didn't convince them of anything." Clark replied with an amused smirk. "Diana and Arthur valued your... 'warrior' spirit. Hal insisted that you've proven yourself more than capable of being a member, Barry agreed though with less enthusiasm that he trusted you, and J'onn voiced his faith in our decisions."

Silvia, at first, looked a little touched that they had all put their faith in her. This expression quickly darkened to something more like mischief and amusement at the next thought she had. "I'm sure Bruce wasn't too happy about this."

Clark pressed his lips against her forehead, entwining his hand in hers and leading her into the kitchen. "No, but he was outvoted."

This only brought the girl from being slightly entertained at the prospect of Batman's protests, to completely overjoyed at his annoyance. She could imagine the whole thing so clearly in her mind, she might as well have been there.

Bruce would argue that she couldn't be on the team because she's 'untrustworthy'. She's killed in the past, and a killer never changes. Then Diana would say something along the lines of "She wouldn't be the first killer accepted into the league." directing towards herself as proof. Hal would add "Thought you'd be a bit more understanding, Bruce. Seeing as one of your closest companions now murders the villains he catches. Red Hood, that's what he calls himself these days, isn't it?" he'd have a smug look on his face that would only irritate Bruce further.

Argh! Now she really wished she had actually been there.

Silvia was distracted long enough for Clark to pull something out of the fridge. Once this task had been completed he noticed the dazed look on his girlfriends face and cleared his throat. Nothing. She didn't react to it at all. Clark frowned and tried again, a little louder this time, and Silvia jumped back into reality.

"Oh, sorry... Did you say something?" Silvia asked sheepishly.

"Luckily not." Clark stepped closer to her with a grin stuck on his face. He directed towards the item in his hands and Silvia finally turned her attention to it. "I was just about to celebrate your new position."

Silvery eyes fell to the box balancing on Clark's palms, inside was a cake... but not just any cake. It was made entirely of ice-cream. It brought back fond memories of their first official date.

Silvia bit her lip to hold in the giggle that had started to form in her throat. It made a buzzing sound but was never permitted to leave her lips. The cake was one of the brands that parents brought their children for birthday parties. The ones with Superheroes and princesses on it. This, fittingly, sported a Justice League design... despite the fact that it only presented the three most popular members and discluded the rest.

This meant that Superman was in the middle, chest out and grin draped across his face. Wonder Woman was on his right, proud, tall, and holding the lasso of truth beneath her long fingers. Silvia looked to the left, expecting to see the bat that she despised but only found the symbol. It said 'Batman' but the fondue image of him was nowhere to be found.

"I took the liberty of removing Bruce. I'm sure you don't want to see him during the celebration... even in cake form." Clark answered as if he had read her mind. He knew her so well that sometimes it felt like he could.

Silvia beamed up at her boyfriend. Eyes sparkling in a way that only happened when she, or in this case Clark, did something that would annoy Batman if he found out. The man exhaled heavily but kept his smile plastered on. Usually he wouldn't encourage her dislike for Batman, but today was more about her than anyone else. He could let it slide.

"You're wonderful." Silvia sighed in awe, and suddenly ripping Bruce's face off of things didn't seem so bad to him. At least, not if it was going to elicit this kind of reaction from her. "Can I get the slice with your crotch on it? I'm getting really hungry!"

"You know, asking a man to cut his own crotch off probably isn't the way to get what you want." Clark teased, stepping back to slide the box into the fridge. "Besides, I've decided to take you out tonight. We can have the dessert when we come back. And no, before you ask, you don't need to wear a dress but you'll feel very out of place if you don't."

Silvia watched the cake disappear into that cold, cruel food prison and felt her whole posture droop. She made a noise that sounded a lot like a groan, but also a whine. It only increased in volume at the stern look Clark was giving her. She knew when she could talk her way out of something... and this she couldn't.

The blonde didn't exactly verbalise her agreement, but the fact that she quickly turned and walked into the bedroom implied that she wasn't going to argue against it.

While waiting Clark turned on the television. It was more out of habit than any desire to actually watch it. He kept it on the same channel that coloured his screen, it was a talkshow with four people sitting around a large table. Ironically, they were discussing Superheroes. More specifically, the public's favourite Heroes.

At the moment they were talking about Flash. They had even gone to the streets to ask random civilians what their thoughts on him were. The response was positive, for the most part, though many of them had never actually gotten a glimpse at him.

Next up was Batman and curiosity stopped Clark from switching channels. Bruce wasn't exactly the most social man in the world when cleaning up the streets of Gotham. Despite this though, people seemed to love him. The hosts raved about him becoming a pop culture classic and the people they interviewed all adored him. They called him 'mysterious', 'edgy', and 'relatable' as if beating people to near death was something to be admired.

Finally when Batman's image flashed off the screen, it was replaced with that of Superman. Clark wanted to turn the television off right then and there, but found himself watching it regardless. At first the hosts spoke about his background, putting a lot of emphasis on him being an alien.

"Even to this day many people are skeptical about his purpose here." A man on the show said, patting down any loose strands of brown curls that escaped the gel he'd combed through it. "To some degree he's the most social of all the heroes. He always stops for interviews and appears in court, but somehow he still remains the biggest unknown."

"There has always been debate circled around the Man of Steel." One of the women added, folding her hands on top of the desk in front of her. "With many groups protesting their disapproval, but what does the average citizen have to say about him?"

The image changed on his screen, now showing a bustling city with people rushing to get to their destinations. An interviewer stood on the side lines, microphone gripped tightly in his right hand as he pulled people out from the chaos of their everyday lives. He asked them all the same question; 'What are your thoughts on Superman?'

The response was largely the same... but not as positive as one might expect.
Many seemed uneasy about him being from another planet, others talked about him like he was some overrated cartoon. They said he was 'overpowered' and 'boring' as if he wasn't brooding or gritty enough for their liking.

"What the fuck?!" A voice came from the direction of their bedroom and Clark instantly regretted having turned the television on at all. "What are those dickheads talking about? How can someone be 'overpowered' and 'boring' at the same time?!"

Clark stood from the couch, shrugging with an obvious lack of care compared to Silvia. "I don't know. It really doesn't matter though-"

"You've saved those people more than any of us, and from much larger threats!" Silvia interrupted, on the verge of a rant. "You interact with them more as well! How could they say that about you? They'd be dead if you weren't here!"

"Sil, I really don't think-"

"I mean, you shoot friggen lasers out of your eyes! When did that become boring?!"

"Well, they're not really lasers." Clark muttered lowly. "It's solar energy stored within the body through my eyes, it focuses in beams of heat that then-"

Silvia brought her hand up to silence him, eyes narrowing. "Don't start with me. They're lasers."

Clark didn't even try to argue, she wouldn't hear him even if he tried.

"And you can freeze people with your breath! You can bench press the weight of the Earth! How is that boring?!"

Clark gave a heavy sigh, stepping forward and placing a hand on her cheek. "It doesn't matter, Sil. I don't do this for the popularity or praise, I do it because it's right."

The blonde leaned into his touch with a small shiver. "Exactly. That's why they should like you... They don't deserve you."

The television continued to blare in the background, and before Clark could even murmur a reply, the name 'Reaper' was brought up amongst the hosts.

Silvia's gaze snapped in the direction of the television. "Oh... This should be good..."

Though said in sarcasm, Silvia at least thought she'd be entertained by hearing the criticisms people had about her... but there wasn't any. They started off by stating that she was an ex-vigilante, then mentioned that she had developed a cult following through that. Since changing tactics she'd been in the public eye more than she was accustomed to and so when they asked random people off the street they all seemed to know who she was.

The worst part was that they liked her, a murderer, more than they liked Superman. She was compared to Batman of all people, and that only infuriated her further. They were 'dark' and 'cool' because they told the media to fuck off every now and then. They were being praised for having no respect. It was absolute insanity to Silvia.

"These people... seriously." Silvia hissed. "I'm nothing like Bruce, he's an asshole... I'm just mildly annoyed."

"Mildly?" Clark raised an eyebrow at the girl. "I'd say severely."

"This really doesn't bother you, does it?" She replied, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Of course not. If the worst thing they have to say about me is that I'm a 'boy scout' then I think I'm doing pretty well. Besides, I think I remember you calling me something similar when we first met."

Silvia flushed bright pink. To this day she still called him that. "Y-Yeah, but I never thought you were boring! Knowing you could kill me with one finger kind of prevented that."

Clark chuckled at the flustered girl and she turned her head to the side, just in time to see a picture of the familiar Guy Gardner appear on the screen. He had a goofy smile stuck to his face and the most horrendous hair Silvia had ever seen. It was like a bowl cut... but shorter and shaved on the sides.

A boy was being interviewed, he looked no older than 12 but appeared delighted at the mention of this hero. "He's so awesome!" He swooned and this finally gave Silvia enough encouragement to press the 'off' button on the remote.

"How can anyone be awesome with that haircut?" She scoffed as the screen turned black.

Clark shrugged, taking the remote from her hands and throwing it onto the couch. "If you're done complaining, I believe we had a date."

"Oh... right." She quickly responded. "Well, you'd better get ready then."

Clark directions toward himself, he was already wearing the usual loose-fitting coat and pants. Silvia blinked in surprise. When had he gotten dressed? She couldn't help but think he had been ready since she returned... and maybe she was just too distracted to notice. Either that or he'd done it with that inhuman speed of his while she was watching the television.

-------------

Night rolled over the streets of Metropolis but it was still no darker than Gotham. When the light disappeared there was still an aura of calm in the city, but in Gotham it always remained chaotic. A chill had appeared with the moon, running through Silvia's body and making her skin feel like a thick slab of ice.

The girl leaned into Clark, motioning for his arm to wrap around her shoulders. When he complied she sighed contently. She could already feel his body heat chasing the cold away.

"So, where exactly are you taking me?" She asked curiously.

Her boyfriend smirked and pointed to a building right in front of them as if it should've been obvious.

She huffed when her eyes caught sight of the movie theatre. "Oh god... we're not going to watch another one of your old, sappy romances again. Are we?"

"Don't tempt me." Clark grinned, sauntering up to the ticket desk and saying "Two adults for Terminator: Judgement day, please."

Silvia's face slacked, mouth slightly opening, body unmoving, and color rushing to her face as she stared wide-eyed at the man retrieving their tickets. The surprise washed away quickly and finally she couldn't contain the smile that forced its way to her lips.

"Terminator 2? But that came out ages ago!" She said, excitement seeping into her tone.

"They do re-showings here from time to time." Clark answered smugly as he lead her into Cinema B.

"I... never thought I'd be able to see it on the big screen." Silvia mumbled in astonishment, not realising that Clark had lead them to one of the front rows despite how much he hated those seats. "I know every single word to this one..."

"I'm aware. I hear you quoting it in the living room whenever you watch it."

Now Silvia's grin had spread so far that it showed every one of her teeth. Honestly, it would have probably looked a little terrifying on her to anyone else but Clark adored it.

"You... but you don't even like Terminator, or action movies in general."

"Yeah, but you do."

"A-And you always say that the front seats annoy you because you're too tall for them..."

"But you're not."

Silvia stared at him incredulously. He had always been too good for her, but this was a completely new level. She bit her lip, not knowing how to express her gratitude beyond a simple 'thank you'. She didn't need to though. Clark could tell that she was thankful, and that only made the need to repay him even more fierce.

The moment the movie had started Silvia's eyes were glued to the screen. Clark, however, seemed more interested in watching her reaction to the show. The way her lips moved to whisper each word, and the way her eyes lit up during the fight sequences. She even teared up at the end despite how many times she'd seen it.

The date had been way beyond her expectations after the movie, but when Clark had insisted he take her out for dinner as well she was beginning to feel spoiled.

The restaurant Clark took her to was luxurious, and much too rich for her blood. She now realised why he had requested that she wear a dress. Everyone else was draped in long, elegant clothing that likely costed hundreds of dollars... Silvia's dress, on the other hand, was ten bucks at a second-hand store.

Already feeling extremely out of place, a waiter lead them to a table Clark had reserved. The waiter then hurried back to escort another couple with a very quick bow.

"You know... Take-out would have been just as good." Silvia smirked.

"We always get take-out. Sometimes I feel like taking you somewhere fancier." Clark pulled the chair out for her and only took his own when she was securely seated.

"What exactly could be fancier than spaghetti directly from Italy?" Silvia teased, trying to forget just how much she stuck out in this sort of crowd. Like that goose that was trying to be a duck in the stupid kids story her brother use to like.

Clark's lips twitched into a smile and he shook his head. "I'm sure you'll survive this as long as you don't have to pay for it, am I right?"

Silvia slumped in her chair and now she looked even odder amongst the crowd. They were all so delicate and graceful - Silvia couldn't even breath without making a mess of something. "Actually, you paying for me at a place like this makes me feel worse."

"It doesn't happen often so you might as well accept it when it does."

Silvia grumbled something incoherent and hid behind the menu. She didn't have much time to skim the list of exotic foods before a completely different waiter strolled over to their table with a notepad and pen in his hands.

"Have you decided what you'll be having this evening?" The young man said in a clear voice.

Clark had opened his mouth to speak but Silvia did it for him, a smug expression plastered on her face. "He'll have a large bowl of Beef bourguignon."

The waiter nodded with a hummed 'mhm', hand moving across the notebook to jot the words down. Clark stared at her proud smirk and returned the expression. "How did you know they even had that here?"

"You wouldn't take me to a place without it." Silvia replied knowingly.

There was a moment where he just looked at her in absolute adoration. He wanted to drop down on one knee right then and there, but that would have to wait. He turned back to the waiter who was still standing there patiently for them to continue ordering.

"Do you serve nachos here?" Clark asked politely.

The waiter's eyes widened. He looked a little taken back by the question. Why would a high-end restaurant such as this serve something so untidy and common? "Umm... not typically."

He glanced over at Silvia and the blonde gave him a sickly sweet smile. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and the man felt saliva the size of a small rock become lodged in his throat.

The waiters face turned two shades darker and he tried to hide it by turning his gaze back to the notepad. "But... I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!" Silvia replied cutely. It didn't suit her, not at all.

Once their server had vanished into the kitchen Clark spoke again. "Anything for nachos, huh?"

"That's right." She grinned.

Clark feigned jealousy. "Why don't you ever look at me like that?"

"Because you're not nachos."

Clark knew that arguing this was pointless, but he tried anyway. Whenever he said that he'd get her nachos if she looked at him like that, she would retort with 'you'd get them for me anyway'. She was right, of course, she didn't have to fake sweetness for him to do something for her.

By the time their food was placed in front of them Clark had all but given up on getting the same eyelash flutter from Silvia. Instead he focused his attention to his plate, knowing that she wasn't going to talk with a mouth full of corn chips.

Their food was incredibly well made, every forkful should have been bliss, but nearing the final bites Clark was starting to get a little nervous. He had been planning this day for a few weeks now. He wasn't sure what to do or how to do it... until Terminator 2 started reshowing. He took it as a sign.

"So, what is it you want to tell me?" Silvia asked as if she had delved into his mind.

Clark dropped his fork with a quiet 'clank' and looked up at her in slight surprise. "How do you know that I have something to-"

"I spent the last decade reading people, it's how I survived. You can't hide from me."

"Oh, how reassuring." Clark teased, a nervous laugh arising in his throat.

Silvia's face wore an expression of seriousness and concern. She pushed the scraps on her plate away with one hand and stared at him. "... Is it something bad, Dorothy?"

"N-No, of course not, it's just..." Clark begun but paused for long enough to soak in the feeling of his own heart thumping against his ribs. "You know that I love you, right?"

"Yeah... I-" Silvia glanced at the people around her and lowered her voice so that none could hear the mushiness in her tone. "I love you too..."

Clark's chest tightened at her words, and suddenly he felt a surge of confidence in his decision. "I had a whole speech planned out for this, but I keep rewriting it in my head. I'm just going to have to jump into it... otherwise I might miss the opportunity."

"Okay?..." Silvia's voiced trailed off in uncertainty. She looked a little more worried now but still waited to hear what he had to say.

One minute Clark was sitting opposite her, and the next he was kneeling on the ground. Silvia was concerned at first, even inching forward in her seat as if she was about to try and help him up... despite knowing that she didn't have nearly enough strength to do that.

"Sil..." Clark began, looking up at her to ease her mind of any concerns. "We've been together for a while now, and I know that I'd regret it if I didn't try this at least once."

He grabbed her left hand and ran his thumb along her palm. Silvia felt her breath hitch and her mind start to short circuit. She was plagued by one question, and one question only; What was he doing?

"You've got more layers to you than anyone I've ever met. You're stubborn, hot-headed, tough, and hard to get to know... but beneath that you're vulnerable, and as much as you try to deny it, you care about other people."

Silvia shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She hated when he saw through her like that.

"You were betrayed by the ones that should have been protecting you... but I promise that I'll never hurt you like that. If you'll allow me, I'd like to spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

Finally, Clark let go of her hand and dug into his suit pocket. From here he pulled out a small box and flipped it open. Inside was a beautiful gold ring with tiny diamonds decorating the exterior. It was old-fashioned and about as expensive as someone of their class could afford. Every single muscle in Silvia's body tensed, ever bone locking into place until it was impossible for her to move.

"This is the ring that my Pa gave to Ma when he proposed. I always wanted to give this to the woman I fell in love with, and that woman is you. Sil... will you marry me?" Clark looked so beautiful in that moment, eyes glistening with tears and a smile placed nervously on his face. He looked so happy, so sure of his decision, but Silvia's mind could barely comprehend it. She was shutting down, the shock and fear overtaking her.

The world faded, even the people staring at her and waiting for an answer were no longer being processed. Her eyes widened, she opened her mouth to speak but her body automatically closed it again. It felt like she was being barraged with bullets, all surpassing the speed of sound and piercing her body in unison. She probably would have preferred that, actually.

Marriage was nothing but a sham. It broke people apart instead of binding them together, at least in Silvia's eyes it did. Her own parents had an aggressive and abusive relationship. She grew up under the impression that all relationships ended up that way. Clark's parents were an exception but even that ended in heartbreak.

As for his promise, it wasn't him hurting her that she was afraid of... it was the complete opposite. She was scared of becoming her father - a cruel and unfeeling monster. Though it was impossible for her to physically hurt him, emotionally it would be too easy.

"I-I...I...don't...I'm not..." She stuttered.

Clark's humble and nervous smile began to drop...and Silvia suddenly felt the eyes of everyone in the room fall onto her. Although pained by the situation, Clark inhaled, then exhaled before starting "It's okay...if you need more--"

Silvia suddenly shot to her feet, mind running at a hundred miles an hour. She could hear people whispering...chuckling...laughing. She couldn't stand it. Without a single word to Clark, Silvia bolted for the door like a mad woman. Clark called after her...but the words never reached her ears.

It was all a blur for her...she lost track of how long she ran for. It seemed to be seconds for her, but in reality it had been minutes.

The streets were dark and sparsely populated at this hour until Silvia found her way blocked...by Clark. "Sil." His voice was stern but somehow still so weak. "How could you...?" He trembled. His eyes watered.

"C-Clark...I didn't mean..."

"I was more than happy to give you time to think. I love you. I don't want to force you into doing anything you weren't comfortable with...but you...left me there... alone." He was so baffled and broken, his face showed unfiltered emotions that stunned Silvia.

She continued stammering. "...I just...I don't know..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Silvia realised what she did wrong and she asked herself...why didn't she apologise?

Closing his eyes for a second and huffing, Clark tore the glasses from his face and threw them at the ground in frustration. The spectacles instantly shattered into millions of pieces, spreading across the entire street like frightened ants with a startling crack. "...Why didn't you stay with me...?" He almost sobbed, annoyance gone and replaced with sorrow. The water gathered in his eyes ran tracks down his face now, as his lips quivered.

Silvia tried to speak, but the words didn't come. She had ran out on him, left him to be ridiculed and stared at by the people in that restaurant that had already witnessed him being turned down.

Clark was left staring at her, heartbroken and alone. He gritted his teeth and floated up into the sky. As much as Silvia wanted to scream at him, to tell him to stay, nothing came. Clark, grimacing at her, shrunk in the night's sky, until he spun and vanished into the darkness.

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