An/ Back to the good times :p

On stolen time

Below them she could see the rolling landscape change and mutate as they flew, urban cities of grey becoming rural patchworks until finally becoming Earthy and ragged. She cast her eyes below at the tapestry of raw land that clearly remained untouched by human hands. It appeared as if a watercolour painting had been sprawled out below her but as riveting as it was, Shayera's interest was mainly devoted elsewhere, that is upon the man who accompanied her. Earlier on when the beaks of boredom had been picking at her and irritating her with their squawks of silence, an alert had finally arisen and J'onn had suggested that she and Green Lantern take care of it. She could find little problem with that arrangement. The alert had been a simple scuffle during a botched bank robbery, nothing that a Thanagarian warrior or an experienced Green Lantern couldn't handle, and soon enough they had been on their way again. Although neither had said a word since taking off and leaving the police to handle what remained, the two of them had silently agreed to spend a little stolen time together.

From the corner of her eye Shayera looked to him as he flew along beside her giving ample space for her wings as he always did. An unreserved smile began to tease the corner of her mouth. Beside her John Stewart was completely fixated on the land before them, eyes focused and steady as he remained poised for anything out of the ordinary. For the moment the Green Lantern was still stuck in his serious mode, the frown of his eyebrows forming a notch between them, his eyes still unwavering. Even with her blatant watching of him he continued to remain attentive and she wondered where exactly he expected danger to come from, there was nothing out here except for them and the animals below them living amongst the untouched land. A part of her however knew that he was just being vigilant if a little crafty. They had only been together for a few short weeks but already she had discovered that he sometimes feigned his Marine look in order to catch her off guard when he decided that he wanted to be playful. Shayera was a grown woman but even she had to confess that she liked playful, in fact she liked it very much.

At last he seemed to notice that her attention was fixed solely on him and although she could glean nothing from his expression, she knew from the sparkle in his eye that he liked it. After a few moments of flying alongside her and looking at her without averting his eyes, John finally lifted away the serious expression that had adorned his features. Shayera couldn't help but laugh as he grinned at her and waggled a suggestive eyebrow, coming slightly closer to her before he flew over her and around, finishing up beneath her on his back. Looking down on him she raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked as if completely unaware of what exactly it was he was doing, his eyes upturned to look into her face as he continued to fly beneath her.

A further smile alighted upon her lips before she adjusted her feathers an unnoticeable amount and slightly dropped in height, enough that she leaned her weight onto him if not completely. As close to him as she was she leaned ever closer until the beak of her mask touched the tip of his nose, her lips mere inches from his as she gently breathed warm air onto them. Of course his face had changed from one of playful humour to one of excited expectation, but as she pressed her palms into his shoulders and playfully shoved him away with a victorious smile, his expression dropped to that of disappointment.

"That wasn't fair." Was his mumbled retort as he straightened out and resumed flying along beside her. He sulked then as if he were a child who hadn't gotten what he had wanted.

"I don't remember ever saying that I would play fair." Shayera replied still smiling.

At that he grinned wolfishly "Where'd the fun be in that?"

That earned him a playful slap to the arm and he chuckled amused by it as he reset his attention on his flight path, even if it was a little more broken than before. Shayera meanwhile turned her attention to the feel of the wind around her, enjoying the breeze while amongst her blissful happiness. The breeze today was cool, lavishing her in gentleness and quiet companionship because that was what the wind and its cousins was to her, it was her companion, her friend and aid. To her the presence of it made this simple flight with John worth even more, she felt as though she was sharing something with him, sharing the companionship of the element that seemed to be as much a part of her as her wings. She closed her eyes and not due to the wind in her face as the lenses of her helmet protected her, she shut them through contentment and through the temporary sense of peace and tranquillity that she felt.

When she did finally open her eyes it was to find John watching her attentively, a silly smile on his face.

"Why are you grinning like the Cheshire Cat?"

His smile only grew "I was watching you flying."

A gentle blush began to creep up across her cheeks, she was thankful that it was for the most part hidden beneath her mask. "Why?"

"Because you looked so beautiful." And he meant it. There was nothing quite like watching Shayera fly, she was always so tranquil and peaceful...she belonged up here.

"John..." She rolled her eyes to try to show her irritation but as she looked away from him her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. In truth she really loved it when he complimented her, not that she would ever admit as much.

John simply smiled triumphantly, clearly proud of himself for being able to make the esteemed and generally frightening Hawkgirl blush.

"Are you blushing?" He asked cheekily.

"No."

It amused him no end just how quickly she had answered him, not only was she blushing but she was trying to hide it. For the time being he decided to let it go.

When fully recovered Shayera decided to look back at him again, John had turned his gaze back upon the landscape and the sky before them, he didn't have much idea where exactly they were but for the moment he didn't much care. Shayera then mirrored his earlier actions and chose to watch him fly and in doing so, she came to realise something. Automatically she began to wonder just what his relationship with flying was, just how much he gained from it because she wanted to know if this shared moment between them meant as much to him as it did to her. As she considered it her eyes alighted on the ring that gleamed on his finger and the emerald aura that bathed his entire form from head to toe.

"Can you feel the wind?" Shayera asked with her head tilted so that she could get a better look at him.

"Hmm?" John had seemed to be someplace else but he focused on her and her curious expression "What?"

This time she gestured to his hand "Can you feel the wind through the ring?"

Bewildered by her line of questioning John humoured her and shook his head "No, my personal field protects me from all of that." He had figured that it was something she already knew.

He saw her frown and bite her lip slightly "So that's not really flying then."And she turned away as if the case was closed while he still puzzled, wondered what exactly had just transpired.

Deciding that her statement was completely illogical he chose to make a point of demonstrating his obviously groundless situation. Mockingly he stretched his arms out at either side of him and swayed his body from side to side in the air, waving them beneath him as if checking for some invisible surface beneath him. All the while she watched him and shook her head with a roll of her eyes immediately detecting his own personal brand of charming sarcasm.

"Looks like flying to me." John pointed out as if he had conducted a considerable amount of research.

Her reply was simple "There's more to flying than just getting from A to B, John."

John raised an eyebrow and tilted his head at her words, of course he knew there was more to it after all there was little that could compare to the sights of space and of the world from this perspective. Before he could ask her though just what exactly it was that she meant, Shayera had beaten her wings and lifted up above him, making him lose track of her exact location. Looking around to find her he was about to roll onto his back when a pair of arms came around his chest. Along his back he could feel her body pressed against him, her weight only barely upon him as she continued to flap her wings. She spoke softly into his ear.

"Do you trust me?"

His answer was immediate "Yes."

The lack of hesitation he had expressed surprised and even frightened her, but she carefully ignored the things that whispered in the back of her mind. Nothing would ruin this moment. Nothing would stop her from sharing this with him.

"Stop flying."

Again with a complete absence of hesitation he dropped his personal shield, releasing the emerald light that had kept him up until now, suspended. Instantly he felt his body drop slightly, Shayera adapting to the sudden change as she took on his weight, but it didn't hinder her, she was able to carry three grown men so John was of little issue. Without his ring, John had nothing but the deceptively strong yet slender arms of Shayera to hold him up, a thrilling if nerve wracking notion. Once he got past this however, he instantly became aware of the air that was around them, of the wind that blew into his face and eyes and took his breath away.

"Can you feel it now?" Shayera asked gently, the beak of her helmet now pressing beneath his jaw as she touched a kiss to his neck.

The combination of the wind and her touch sent a shiver down his spine "Yeah."

He could feel her smiling even as her arms tightened around his torso. The wind in his face wasn't a first time experience for John though, and neither was flying with Shayera for she had carried him before after she had broken him out of the advanced World War II jet that Vandal Savage had employed. What was different though was his perspective. Then he had been dangling from her hand, now he was completely beneath her as if he were experiencing it all through her eyes, it made him feel as though she was trying to show him something that was precious to her.

"You should relax a little." She coaxed gently.

"I am relaxed."

"No you're not." And as if to aid him she continued to softly kiss and nibble his neck until she felt his body ease in tension below her. "That's better."

"I see that you're still not playing fair."

"Of course not...where'd the fun be in that?"

John smiled at her reply and devoted his attention to the sensations he could feel, concentrating on how the wind caressed his face. During this he couldn't help but feel as if he were missing something, something very important and Shayera seemed to notice this as well. Carefully she withdrew one of her arms from around him, slipping her fingers over his hand where his arm was still pointed behind him. She took it and brought it around, lacing her fingers over his knuckles as she extended his arm out beside her and beneath her outstretched and beating wing. John's concentration automatically shifted as she had anticipated his eyes now focused on the movement of her wing as she kept them safely suspended miles above the ground. To her pleasure he freely stretched out his other arm to the other side, both of them mirroring the movement of her wings as if he were guiding wings of his own.

"You have to feel the wind John." Shayera whispered.

John was transfixed "I feel it." He replied softly.

She nodded "Adapt to it, work with it, don't fight it. Become one with it." For a fraction of a second she wanted to tell him that those words were the very same ones her mother had shared with her when teaching her to fly, but she kept it to herself not wanting to involve Thanagar in this wonderful thing she had found. She wanted to protect him from that part of her, immersing herself in this new person she had become, this person that had fallen in love with someone so passionate and moral and had been lucky enough that he had fallen for her too. Automatically she nuzzled into his neck protectively, never wanting to let him go.

"Shayera?" His voice was soft and warm "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine John." She paused and held him closer "Just watching you flying."

John smiled "Your perspective is a different one, I won't deny that."

"So do you understand that flying is more than about travel?"

"I think so." He admitted "But then again we are still technically travelling."

Shayera smirked "Oh really? So you wouldn't complain then if I did...this?" And she pulled her wings in against her body.

There was a brief second where they continued to move forward in the air until their combined weight tipped them forward. A moment later and they began to fall into a headfirst dive straight for the ground, Shayera's arms still holding him securely as he kept his own outstretched to either side. Together they raced toward the ground gaining speed with every passing moment, Shayera unfazed by the sheer velocity of their fall as she smiled widely, adrenaline beginning to surge through her veins as she suspected it did in John's. He let out a light whoop of exhilaration which pleased her no end, although she wasn't done yet. John's joyful whooping became a surprised whoa as Shayera slightly opened one wing and sent them into a turn, twisting them in a tight circle. For many minutes Shayera continued to put John through a number of acrobatics, various manoeuvres she had both learned and taught herself throughout her life and it was at the last moment that she fully spanned her wings and brought them up from their death defying dive.

"That was amazing." John confessed breathlessly as Shayera levelled them out into a slower and calmer glide.

"I'm glad you liked it."

She felt him nod before he asked her to let him go. Reluctantly she did so and witnessed as he became drenched in emerald light, a light that seemed to extend itself to her as he took her hand and tugged her closer. Shayera wasn't sure what to make of the shield that now surrounded her flesh as well as John's, with his aid she no longer needed to maintain her flight as he did it for the both of them, ascending them higher as he did so. She didn't get much time to contemplate what was occurring before John gently ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek, a tender look in his eyes. His fingers moved towards the edges of her helmet, brushing over it until Shayera closed her eyes and signalled that she was content for him to remove it. Like he did every time he removed it, John slowly grasped the edges and lifted it, keeping his movements slow as he savoured the process of revealing her face. No matter how many times he had done it before the removal of her mask always triggered a little breathless gasp of awe from him that in turn triggered a shy smile from her. Shayera opened her eyes and watched as he held her helmet to one side and the emerald shine of his light surrounded it and held it along with them so that it wouldn't become lost so far above the ground. Once her helmet was safely secure John returned his hand to her face, digits alighting over her features.

"So..." John murmured in a husky undertone, nose slightly touching hers as he took advantage of the helmet's absence "Don't you think you should kiss me?"

As alluring as he was when he looked and spoke to her in that way, Shayera managed to, for the moment, resist.

"I wasn't aware that it was expected of me." Her own voice had taken on its own low murmur even as she laced her fingers along his firm jaw until her fingers found his short cropped hair.

He smiled in such a way that what little of her resolve remained, was instantly melted, also aided by the touch of his lips to her jaw and ear.

"I think allowing you to beat up that robber earlier is reason enough, Shayera."

Saying her name was the last straw and within an instant she pressed her lips against his in an eager kiss. Kissing him always made her feel complete and whole as if they were two jigsaw pieces that were made for each other. Once they finally parted from one another, John smiled at her amused.

"What?" She questioned him haughtily as if he were accusing her of something.

"You're blushing again."

Her eyes widened before narrowing again "So?" The upturn at the corner of her mouth indicated that she wasn't as indignant as she made out to be.

He merely chuckled warmly, the sound rumbling in his throat as he held onto her more closely "I like it."

"I'm glad." Shayera agreed "So why don't you hurry up and kiss me again?"

Happily he complied.