"Where the hell are we supposed to live then?" Mari yelled at John Stewart from across his room in the Watchtower. He had been spending more time there than usual because of the increased number of missions the League was taking outside of the solar system, and it was taking a toll not just on their relationship, but on their search for an apartment. They still hadn't decided on whether to live in New York or Detroit, so they had chosen to look for places in both cities and then pick their favorite together. Or at least Mari thought they had, "If you don't look at places in Detroit, then we won't have a choice but to move to New York!"

John, pulled off his sweaty undershirt and ran his hand over his smooth scalp. He was exhausted from the recent mission he'd just finished debriefing J'onn about, and all he wanted was a hot shower and a good nap. And to never talk about New York again. He sighed in frustration and tossed back, "You know I don't want to live in New York."

"You've made yourself very clear on that point." She said flatly.

"And you've made it very clear to me that you're only looking at apartments in Detroit to make me feel like I have a choice in this whole decision while you shove your options down my throat! What is so wrong with Detroit?" He shouted, "Is it the city or the fact that you weren't the one who chose it?"

"My life is based out of New York!" She grabbed a clean sweater off of a nearby chair and threw it at him.

"And mine is in Detroit!" He caught the piece of clothing effortlessly and slipped it on. It only took him a second before he continued, "But god forbid that my wishes come first. You prefer the East Coast, so by all means I should pack my things and follow you there!"

"I never said that. It's just that all my jobs are there and it would be so much more difficult if I was based out of Detroit. You can do your work from anywhere. In fact, you're barely in your apartment at all anymore! Even so," She crossed her arms stubbornly and flicked her short bangs out of her face, "I said that I was willing to consider options in Detroit and if we found someplace homey that I would take into consideration-"

"Settle!" He interrupted angrily, "You said settle!"

"An option which would make us both happy." She finished, "I've given you at least eight places to look at and you haven't even called a real estate agent to look into the possibility of finding a place in Detroit! It's like you're not even trying. John, we're supposed to get married in June! What am I supposed to do, just give up my place, move in with you in Detroit, and commute every single day?"

"I like my apartment!" He shouted.

"The point is to find our place!" She growled, "Someplace we both like and that works for us!"

"We can't even agree on a wedding venue, let alone somewhere to live permanently!"

"So what are you saying, then?" She cried, "That we just shouldn't get married?"

A tense canyon of silence stretched between the two of them, swallowing up any words of anger which John still had burning in his lungs. Mari stared at him, arms outstretched in anger, face flushed in horror. Meanwhile, John just frowned and stared right back at her indecisive on what to say next, both afraid of his honesty and of lying to her. His hands shook a little, but he clenched his fists just once, and stretched his fingers across the rough material of his denim jeans.

Finally, Mari whispered, "Is our engagement a mistake?"

John sighed, "Listen-"

"No." She quickly wiped away a tear before it could fall, "I'm not doing this right now. I just-" She grabbed her purse and jacket, "I just need a few minutes to gather my thoughts and figure out what I-" Without finishing her though, the model fled out the door, disappearing into the Watchtower.

John didn't even have the energy to follow after her.

"Don't even pretend like you didn't hear that." His voice called from her doorway.

Shayera laid flat on her bed, one wing sprawled out on either side of her with the tips hanging carelessly off the edge. Her damp hair was bunched into a messy knot on top of her head and she wore simple green pajama shorts with a plain tank top. Above her, she held a tattered book which J'onn had loaned her from his expansive collection of Russian literature. Until a few minutes ago, it had actually held her interest quite well. Until the shouting from a few doors down had begun echoing off of her walls just loud enough that she couldn't possibly ignore it.

She sighed as she turned the page, "No idea what you are talking about."

"Wow." John said as he walked into her room and sat down on the simple wooden chair she kept at her desk, "I thought we were past the point of lying."

She frowned as she closed her book, "I didn't think it was lying if the purpose is to be polite. Human culture is so complicated."

He chuckled, "What are you reading?"

Her frown turned from one of confusion to annoyance, "Poetry, I believe."

"Poetry?" He laughed in surprise.

She pushed a loose strand of hair out of her face as she admitted, "Apparently some others think that I am…brisk was the word Clark said. Personally, I thought the words they were using were self-centered and egotistical, but my hearing isn't as good as his. Anyway, J'onn thought that poetry would help me to keep a more positive outlook and improve my people skills. I guess that's what he uses."

"You aren't one to care what people think." John smiled.

"Maybe that's why I spend more time in the field than nearly anyone else." She sat up to look at him more clearly, placing the old book gently on her nightstand and wrapping her arms around her legs. His face was pale and exhausted, his eyes even drooped a bit at the edges where they would usually be filled with humor or serious thought. Tilting her head to the side, she quipped, "Want to talk about it?"

John shook his head, "I want to talk about anything other than that."

Shayera frowned, thought for a second, and came up with, "Flash fell in the ocean today."

There was a short pause as John processed what she had just said before he burst out in delighted laughter. He leaned back in his chair, holding his stomach to stop the pain in his sides from the force of his loud chuckles, and struggled to breath. Shayera giggled a little alongside, but it took John at least five minutes to compose himself enough that he could ask, as he wiped away tears from his eyes, "How?"

"Well," She began, "He was running and I was flying alongside, and like usual, he wanted to show off. We weren't doing much of anything, just needed to get out of the Watchtower for a while. Anyway, he was trying to run up a wave, but didn't plan for how uneven the water was compared to when it's flat. Rather than run over it, the water slowed down one of his feet and… well, let's just say when you're going that fast you don't just fall in. You kind of skip like a rock until you slow down."

"How long does it take to slow down?" John said between laughs.

"Longer than one would think." She smiled.

John started laughing hysterically again before Shayera had even finished. She smiled widely and asked, "Are you on duty tomorrow?"

He shook his head, still trying to compose himself, "I finally have a full day off."

She crinkled her nose, "You're going to miss out on all of the fun. I've got a good feeling."

He breathed out in relief, "And you're usually right."

She nodded.

"What was it last time?" He quipped.

"Giant tsunami."

"Giant tsunami." He said with a small smile of contentment. She chuckled a little bit and they held eye contact for just a moment more. Finally, he stood up and muttered, "Well, I'd better let you get some sleep then."

She smiled and whispered back, "Good night."

"Goodnight." He said as he slid her door shut.