A/N: Pre-Wild Cards.

They glared at each other again. They just couldn't help it.

"Asshole."

"Jackass."

It was common for them to name call under their breaths when they passed each other in the hallways of the Watchtower, on monitor duty, on a League mission, or even during fights with super villains.

"Move out of the way!"

"You move out of the way!"

They ordered each other around and the arguing started all over again.

They were nasty, childish, catty, and rearing to go by the time they spent just ten minutes together in the workout room in the Watchtower.

"See that GL, you couldn't even do that if you practiced for the rest of your life and then eternity on top of it."

"Do you set aside a specific time in the day to think of ways to be annoying? Or does it just come naturally to you?"

"You're just jealous."

"Yeah right, get over yourself Hawkgirl."

They knew how to annoy each other too.

They both knew how to dig under the other's skin and cause damage until fists were about to fly and one of the other League members would have to break them up.

What bothered Green Lantern was Hawkgirl's impatience, her loudness, her aggressiveness, her ego, her sarcasm, her stubbornness, her attitude, her idiocy, her courage, her strength, her wit, her smirk, her grace, her hair, her sense of humor, and the fact that she had shown him up plenty of times.

What bothered Hawkgirl was Green Lantern's calm demeanor, his condescending tone, his haughty remarks, his pinpoint stare, his no-nonsense attitude, his brush-offs, his willpower, his sense of duty, his perfection, his smile, his good looks, and the fact that people seemed to like him better than her.

They really did hate each other. There was no way around that.

They were just too different. They were too stubborn and too proud.

They were like fire and ice. Things that just didn't mix.

Whoever had first said opposites attract obviously had not anticipated on them ever meeting when they had come up with that life philosophy.

"At least put up a fight. The punching bag looks bored."

"You're not even trying. I've seen kids lift more than that."

They worked harder. They tried to outdo each other.

They kept getting frustrated because it was a seesaw and no one was the definite winner.

They fought and argued harder.

They hated each other even more.

But they couldn't stop themselves from watching the other when they executed a flawless fighting move and it annoyed them even more. Their eyes refused to blink; they just stared and tried to capture that moment in their unflinching eyes. It felt like their heartbeats were in their heads when Hawkgirl literally tore apart the punching bag and Green Lantern bench pressed double his own body weight.

They hated how much they respected the other after every workout, after every mock fight. The glaring, begrudging acceptance of the other's fighting capabilities and raw strength.

They just still couldn't look away.

They wanted the other to fail and succeed within the same breath. They both cringed when they witnessed the other faltering in a fight.

They secretly cheered each other on. They wished they could experience what the other could do.

Green Lantern wanted to know what it felt like to soar in the sky without his power ring. He wanted to know what it would feel like to have her strength.

Hawkgirl wanted to know what it felt like to be a normal person for just one day. She wanted to know what it would feel like to be an average human.

"How do you...you know?"

"It's...you have to punch this way and..."

They were awkward with each other when John asked her for help and Shayera had to explain the fighting technique she had just used. They tried to be sincere and patient with each other. They tried to gauge each other's responses and they got easily flustered when they didn't know what to say next.

John remained quiet.

Shayera remained annoyed.

They stared at each other and wished the other would just fall of the face of the Earth or stopped being so damn obnoxious.

"You're wasting my time."

"Not like you have much of a life."

"Idiot."

"Bonehead."

"Fool."

"Imbecile."

"Moron...would you just get the hell away from me?"

"Make me."

"You want a piece of me GL?"

"Please, I doubt you'd be much of a challenge with just that mace. Wouldn't want to waste my time."

"The great Green Lantern too scared to take on a lone Thanagarian? I can think of a million better things to do than deal with you."

"Then why are you still standing here?"

"I can stand wherever the hell I want!"

"You're so annoying."

"Like you aren't."

They really hated each other, there was no doubt about that. But what really ticked them off, what really bothered them was that they knew they were best friends.