"Dealing with Pain's Past"
By: Angelic Temptress
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, though I wish I did.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Hunter's Moon
vVv
"You know, it'll be different one day."
Shayera lifts her head from the pillow and props it on her arm, her red hair cascading over her hand. She smiles at her lover and dances her gaze over the strong muscles of his nude body, focusing on the area where feathers meet skin. He's standing at his large window, staring out at the city.
"It'll be different because you'll change it," she responds and pulls the dark sheet over her small breasts.
"We'll change it," he corrects and comes to sit beside her. "You'll be at my side, and we'll end this war together." Hro brushes hair from her face and tucks a strand behind her ear. She knows he's admiring the earrings he had given her only weeks earlier.
"What about Kragger? If you haven't noticed, the man hates me."
Hro laughs and lifts the sheet to slip beneath it. "Don't worry about him." After his request for Shayera to sit up, she chuckles and straddles his hips instead. A smile grows as she traces the scar on his face with her thumb.
"We will win, won't we?"
He nods. "Think, Shayera. Our children will be able to fly through the streets with no cause for worry." He presses his lips to the base of her neck.
Though Shayera is smiling, Hro doesn't see the hesitation in her eyes. He doesn't know she doesn't want children at the moment.
"You're beautiful," he whispers into her skin.
VvV
Shayera opens her eyes to see the ceiling of an all too familiar cave. The position she's been lying in caused her left wing to go numb.
Not to her surprise, an oxygen mask is over her nose and mouth. She'd been gassed by one of Joker's marbles. After she carefully sits up while uttering a small groan in the medical bed, Shayera pulls the mask off her face.
Alfred is seated beside her.
"How are you feeling, Miss?"
"Been better, Alfred." She glances over her upper body and notes the newly forming bruises and healing cuts she now possesses.
"You have a terrible gash on your thigh, Miss. I've already tended to the small cut on your shoulder but have yet to stitch the gash."
"Thanks. So, where's the boss?"
"Alfred," a deep voice interrupts. "You can prepare a room for Miss Hol to stay in for the night." Batman's form isn't visible to Shayera; the slits of his cowl are the only detectable characteristics.
The Bat's surrogate father stands from his seat and nods his head. "Very good, Sir. I trust you will tend to Miss Hol?"
Though Batman doesn't answer his question, Alfred departs, leaving the two alone. Her teammate then walks closer to her without any hint of concern on his trademark frozen face. He slowly pulls off his gloves and lays them onto a table.
"You were sloppy tonight. You attacked without any thought to your actions."
She makes sure to resist rolling her eyes before saying, "I have a lot on my mind."
"You cannot allow Talak's death to affect your performance," Batman states bluntly and sits down with a washcloth in hand.
"Forgive me for being…"
"Human?"
"I was going to say emotional or compassionate. Maybe even regretful. I'm sure you know what Earth's victory did to my people, what I did to my people." Her green eyes fall to the floor in anger as her jaw clenches. She focuses on his black boots, trying to eradicate any thoughts of ripping the ears off of his big head.
She knows J'onn and Clark have spoken to Batman about their conversations; they probably spoke with Diana, John, and Wally as well. They most likely held one of their "Inner Six" meetings and discussed the Thanagarian ambush and its revelations.
"If you need some more time off –"
"The moment I do more than crowd control, you want me to leave again?"
"Shayera," he growls and stands to look her in the eye. "I know how it feels to lose –"
"No you don't," she interrupts softly. "You don't know how it feels to sentence your entire planet to death, to know that the blood of millions is on your hands." She pauses for a moment and then says, "But I am not regretting my helping Earth because it was the right thing to do."
The Batman's expression does not change. He simply sits down again and asks Shayera to rip the leg of her pants.
VvV
Because she can't sleep, Shayera is squatting on one of Gotham's many ledges and looking over the city.
The wind tousles her red hair as she sullenly sighs.
She's already heard him land behind her.
"I'm ok. I just needed to fly for a bit."
"Understandable." Batman takes a few steps nearer.
"You know, I used to think you were the kind of person people couldn't confide in."
He almost smiles.
"Bruce," she says softly as the summer wind picks up. "I just need to work through it, but I'll be fine."
After a short silence, he asks, "Have you spoken to Lantern?"
"No. Why?"
When he doesn't reply, Shayera takes a glance in his direction.
He is already gone.
End