A/N: Set after the JL Episode: Wild Cards but before Taking it Slow.
Shayera was fumbling with her food in the seat across the table, trying to get a handle on the chopsticks. Her head was bent over the Chinese takeout container. Her eyes gleamed in concentration as she fought with the two thin sticks masquerading as utensils. Having finally somewhat balancing them in one hand, she brought them down slowly to reach the the food. She lightly twisted her hand, determined and seemingly very intent on her goal. Slowly, she clenched her hand to bring the sticks together and just as cautiously brought it up. In between the two sticks was one lone noodle. Shayera's face lit up in triumph and she quickly moved her hand up towards her mouth. Her sudden motion caused the noodle to slip from the grasp and back into the container. Her face scrunched up in frustration and disappointment. John found the whole situation to be entertaining and adorable.
"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Shayera frowned as her lo mein fell from her chopsticks for the tenth time within sixty seconds.
"To amuse me?" John suggested with a grin as he took a bite with his chopsticks at a mockingly slow pace. In the past few weeks she had become a frequent guest to his apartment. Not that he was complaining, he enjoyed her company. Especially during moments like these. He found her lack of Earth etiquette to be amusing.
The Green Lantern watched as the Thanagarian once again struggled to grasp the noodles that was ensnared loosely between two chopsticks. It slipped from the weak grip, causing Shayera to cry irately, "Damn it!" This in turn ended with John laughing. Shayera snapped at him, "Who the hell are you laughing at Lantern?"
"You can't eat with chopsticks, can you shee-ahr-ah?" Shayera gritted his teeth, deepening her glare at John.
"First off I can and second if you're going to call me by my name you could at least pronounce it correctly. It's shahy-eer-uh," she drawled out the syllables.
"Really?"
"Yes! Now shut up and let me eat," she looked down quickly, even more determined not to let the food slip through the wooden sticks this time. She swore, again, and again, and again, until eventually she managed to grasp a small piece of chicken awkwardly. "Ha!" She shouted triumphantly, causing the chicken to slip and land back on top of the noodles. Shayera clenched her fists and John laughed again.
"Shut up!" She cried again, blushing with humiliation. "I don't even know why the hell I'm here." Shayera slammed her chopsticks down and leaned back against her chair with a pout.
"You wanted to try other types of Earth food, remember?"
"Shit that's right." she muttered through her clenched teeth. "Thanks for reminding me, now shut up! You're giving me a headache."
"That's probably because you're hungry since you can't eat with chopsticks," John innocently quipped.
"I can too!" Shayera snarled, glaring at John.
"Prove it," he simply stated as he gestured towards the chopsticks.
She irately grabbed her chopsticks again and attempted to pick up something out of her chicken lo mein container. After failing twice, she jabbed the sticks in the container, almost groaning from frustration when nothing stuck to the ends. "Damn it all to hell."
He held a piece of his own general tso chicken before her in between his own chopsticks, as if to mock Shayera by showing her the simplicity of the task. "Say ah."
"Get those away from me! I'm not a child!"
"I know that. Do you want me to teach you?" She mumbled something he couldn't hear. "What was that?"
"I said yes!" She shouted in defeat and John smirked
"Ok, pick them up." The Thanagarian did as she was instructed, causing him to chuckle.
"What?" She scathingly asked.
"No wonder you couldn't hold anything up!" Her hand was balled into a tense fist around the chopsticks. It was a miracle that she was even able to keep anything in the air for more than a second. "Hold them like me," the Green Lantern grinned, holding up the pair in his hand. "See?"
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.
"Almost but..." John reached across the table and took her hand in his own, readjusting her fingers. "Not so tight. There, you got it."
At this point Shayera's cheeks had turned red, John's hand was warm compared to hers. She swallowed the lump growing in her throat as he continued to hold her hand. "Now try it like this," John maneuvered the chopsticks by squeezing and guiding Shayera's hand. "Got it?"
"Yeah, let go," Shayera brushed his hand away.
"Now you try."
Shayera positioned her hand, which tingled from the absence of the warmth that John's hand had left. She was able to lift and eat the noodles with ease this time around. "It's not that hard."
"Right...but next time if you want me to hold your hand you could just ask Shayera." He said this jokingly only because he knew she wasn't too keen on physical contact yet. Aside from their previous kiss on the Watchtower, Shayera seemed reluctant to let him physically touch her. He figured it was her being prideful and too stubborn to fully admit to herself that she fell for him. It was as if she didn't want to admit she was in a relationship with him. Though this could be a cultural thing with Thanagarians that he didn't know about so he brushed it off. She was slowly starting to come around.
"What!? I don't...why would? You...but I...you ass!" She muddled out in a flustered rant.
John just grinned in response and continued to eat. It took Shayera two minutes to position her hand into what she remembered as the proper arrangement, then she picked up the piece of chicken and smirked at it.
She ate it; savoring her triumph. John watched, amused as the Thanagarian's emerald eyes expressed everything. He admired her eyes, something he couldn't do when her helmet was on and the lenses covered them. Even if her face was unreadable, he could see what she feeling simply by her eyes. They went from confused, to determined, to proud, and then finally content in that one moment. "Your eyes show a lot of your emotions Hawkgirl. Did you know that?"
"Shut up!"
"Oh you know what...I almost forgot about this," he picked up a napkin and pulled out the fork he had hidden underneath it. "Want it?"
"Damn you Lantern!" The Thanagarian leapt up in an attempt to reach the fork but then froze. In that split second she'd opened her mouth, John had managed to plant his chopsticks in her mouth.
"Taste good?" John asked smugly.
Shayera turned a deep shade of red. The Green Lantern pulled his chopsticks away from Shayera and smiled. "Chew Shay, before you choke."
She remained silent for a moment before finally swallowing. "Why did you just call me that?"
He looked at her, puzzled, "What are you talking about?"
"Why did you call me Shay?"
He shrugged, "Well I figured I butchered your name enough earlier. I only shortened it, a little nickname I could use for you." She remained silent. "You don't like it, do you?"
"No, it's not that," she seemed to be contemplating something. "No one has ever given me a nickname like that before."
"Well that's probably because no one has ever adored you like I do."
Though it was said in a mostly joking tone, Shayera inwardly agreed with his sentiment. She then smiled, "You're absolutely right. No one has until now."