A/N: First part is post Wild Cards and Pre-Starcrossed. Second part is set shortly after Alien Chapter 27.
"John...John...wake up," she whispered softly, shaking his shoulder lightly. "John, come on, get up."
The Green Lantern groaned and rolled over under the sheets, turning on his other side, and away from her.
"Hey," she whispered again, nudging him. He opened one eye, fully knowing what he would find. A rather awake and alert Thanagarian staring at him. She most likely had been up for an hour or two already.
He closed his eye again and incoherently mumbled, "Too tired. Need sleep. Go away."
Shayera had heard those words before several times within the past half hour. She simply rolled her eyes at this and again shook him with a bit more force this time. "John, come on."
He sighed. There was no way he was going to get any more sleep, knowing her persistence wouldn't lessen. "Fine, fine," he said, throwing back the blankets. He slowly stood up with reluctance and said, "I'm up."
She smiled and said quietly, "Good, now hurry up." She walked out of his room.
John was getting used to having Shayera stay over but what he could not get used to was her need to get up ungodly early every single morning. He didn't understand the appeal of getting up so early every day.
He was met with a rather eager Thanagarian in his living room. John raised an eyebrow when he saw she hadn't put on her mask nor was she dressed in her Hawkgirl outfit. Opting rather for shorts and a t-shirt.
"Going rather casual for going out in public Shay."
She shrugged, "No one in this building is up this early. I don't have to worry."
"No one except us," he gave her an unamused look.
"Come on John," Shayera said as she dragged him out of his apartment and up the stairs of the apartment complex. John rolled his eyes; he was irritated with his girlfriend for waking him at six-thirty in the morning for reasons he still did not know. Though John couldn't complain as he loved spending time with her like this. When the world wasn't relying on them as superheroes. Where they could just be John and Shayera together, not Green Lantern and Hawkgirl.
"Where are we going?" John asked. Shayera shushed him and pulled him out the door to the roof of the building. They stopped near the edge of the roof.
"You wanted to know what I do so early every morning," Shayera turned her head to John with a small smile before turning it back forward. "I watch the sunrise."
"But that's-" John started but was abruptly stopped when Shayera planted a kiss on his lips.
"Quiet John," she murmured to him as she gave his hand a light squeeze. "Just enjoy the moment."
Shayera groaned as she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow. "John, come on, I want to stay in bed."
John glanced back at her and gave her a grin to match the amusement in his eyes. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her out of bed. "Come on Shay, get up."
She sighed tiredly, "Alright fine, I'll get up."
He shot her a smirk which was returned by a scowl. She begrudgingly got out of bed and stretched.
Next thing Shayera knew she was being dragged out of the apartment and then up the stairs of the apartment complex. John knew she was glaring at his back but it only made him grin wider. His hand gripped hers a little more tightly as they stepped out onto the roof of the building.
When they got to the edge of the building, he slowed to a stop. He stood there, holding her hand. He looked down at their hands and intertwined their fingers.
Silently, they stood there, surveying the peaceful city around them. The tall buildings leading to a dark horizon. It was truly beautiful. They were both accustomed to seeing this and even Shayera had to admit that it was the most calming sight she had ever known.
He heard her sigh quietly and rather contently next to him and he stopped admiring the city. He turned his head to look down at her petite figure next to him. At 5'6", she stood a good few inches below his 6'1" frame.
As she studied the view she had seen a million times before but couldn't quite get over, she felt his gaze on her. She turned her head to look up at him and lightly smiled back when he graced her with a grin. She then turned her attention back to her gorgeous surroundings, squeezing their intertwined fingers as she did so.
He then moved behind her, causing their hands to separate. He wrapped one arm over her waist and the other over her shoulders so he could pull her against him. Shayera turned her head back slightly as he did this, as she had done so many times before. She willingly leaned back against him, resting her back against his chest. He smiled while this took place, watching as she settled herself against him. He chuckled lightly to himself in the dark.
"Do you remember the first time you brought me out here?" A small smile graced her features as he asked that.
She let out a chuckle, "I remember that morning and each morning that I managed to drag you out here. Every time I brought you out here, you would always fall right back to sleep when we went back inside, remember?"
"And then you would immediately try to wake me up again. I would mumble something along the lines of 'just five more minutes' but you didn't want to let me," he spoke softly, his head lowered close to her ear. "And then you would nudge me again, to which I would just pull you into bed."
She lightly chuckled, the soothing and familiar sound of his voice right in her ear as he spoke. She closed her eyes, listening to his voice, as he recalled the routine they went through every time she stayed over his place back then. It was still dark and the air was still cool. Shayera snuggled closer to him and nodded her head just a little, to let him know that she was listening.
"And with me holding you like this," He stated as he tightened his arms around her a bit. "We would watch the sunrise. Each and every time we came and did this, I would tell you that you were crazy and I could have easily just stayed in bed and slept."
The city below them was ever so slowly becoming less dark, the long awaited sunrise appearing in the horizon. This is what they had waited for. This is what they always waited for. It was beautiful.
"And then I'd tell you that I don't know why you liked the sunrise so much. That they're exactly the same every single morning. That they never change," he said, watching as the windows of the buildings slowly turned to a golden, shimmering color. The sky was a pinkish orange color, surrounding the sun as it slowly made it's way up and into the sky.
He let out a low chuckle, his gaze now fixed on the colorful sight in front of him. Just the tip of the bright, golden rays were visible now, light ascending on the shadows of the city.
"Yup and then you would fall asleep," she said as she opened her eyes. "And while you slept, I would be thinking about how beautiful it was out here," she paused. "We should start to do this again."
"I'm certainly not against it," he kissed her cheek. "As long as you're ok getting up this early. I don't need you forsaking sleep to see a sunrise."
"Usually I'm not this resistant to get up in the morning but there have been exceptions," she stated and then added in a teasing tone, "Especially when I've had minimal sleep."
He laughed a bit. "I know," he moved the arm that was around his wife's shoulders and wrapped it over her stomach. "Believe me I know."