Meta Care-Soar Again

by Cosmic Sky

The underground was the last place Alex expected to run into a person like the infamous Hawkgirl. Turns out it was somewhat fitting considering the things that were still weighing her down. Naturally, he did want he could ton relieve her of those things. After all, hawks were meant to fly, and this hawk had an idea of how to thank him for reminding her of that.

Hey, everyone. After the positive reception of my previous DC Lemon, I've decided to keep them going. I went back and forth for a little bit on who'd be next, but I've finally settled on Hawkgirl, another character that made an impact thanks to Justice League cartoon. Shayera had one of the most pronounced arcs during the show's run, and I loved her relationships with other league members. Amongst them, I'll say that I do ship her with John Stewart, one of my favorite Green Lanterns. That said…they won't be an item for this story. Like my previous Meta Care story, this one takes place post JLU, and follows a timeline where Shayera and John remain separated. Now that you all know (and hopefully accepted that), read on and I hope you all enjoy the story!

I do not own anything.

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Meta Care-Soaring High

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When Alex told his family he was going to be going to college in Metropolis, he knew the reactions he'd get. Fear, raw fear that he might not be able to quell. Still, he'd tried, and he'd succeeded enough that he'd gotten his mom's permission to go.

"For the love of God Almighty, Alex, just promise me you'll be careful? Please."

"I promise, mom. I swear it, I'll call you every week if I have to."

While he'd been entirely honest in telling her that, Alex was half-hoping that it wouldn't need to be the case. Yes, Metropolis was an epicenter of metahuman weirdness, but rarely was that weirdness the sort that engulfed the entire city. Then again, a scuffle could have happened as far away as on the other side of town and his family still would have called to check in on him. Alex knew he could have just have easily been in the wrong place at the wrong time. That'd happen to him before, and he'd came to know countless others who were in the same situation.

It was commonly joked about that the phrase could sometimes extend to everyone on the entire planet. Some days, it just sucked living on the planet Earth. Some days though, it really sucked to be living on a certain city.

More often than not, that city happened to be Metropolis. This was one of those days.

Alex saw spots ins his vision as he forced his eyes open. Rather than clarity, those spots continued to dance across his vision. Colored dots that obscured whatever was in front of him. He couldn't even tell what was in front of him. Everything was a blurry haze that almost reminded him of ripples in water. Compounding that was the ringing in his head. Overall, he was disoriented, potentially even from a concussion given the pain he felt. It was enough to override the rest of the pain throughout his body.

Second by second, or rather by the minute, it all began to fade. "Come on, you've been through worse than this." He groaned to himself. Shutting his eyes, he put all his focus into quelling the pain-filled tempest battering his mind. Breathing was hard, but he managed to do it. Each breath became easier despite the air he was breathing was filled with dust and debris. Alex's nose rustled as he caught the faint odor of blood. He wasn't surprised, the scent told him that he had to get up. He had to survive. After one final breath, his brown eyes opened while his arms pushed his body upward.

Groaning, he finally saw the world through clear eyes, albeit that wasn't much. The lights of the subway were just barely staying on. Any second, they were likely going to die out completely. Alex knew it was going to fall to his powers to illuminate the darkness, and probably heal up any wounds he had. Or the rest of the passengers.

A series of groans and screams caused him to turn to his left. To his relief, he saw the other passengers were alive, albeit several of them were nursing wounds, including bruised heads like him. No one seemed to be injured, at least no one he could see.

"Arrrgggh, h-h-hey, A-Alex, y-you still with me?"

His lips curved upward into a brief smile. "Stay kickin', Julio."

The Hispanic man chuckled. "Mind kicking us a way out of here? I mean, you are the ones with superpowers."

With his cleared up vision, he took stock of the situation around him. Luckily, the subway car they were in had avoided the worst of the damages. For the moment anyway. Even now, Alex could faintly hear the rumbling going on outside of their dented-up subway car. There was a battle going on, one that had probably made its way down to the subway.

So much for those reinforced subway cars, then again, everyone here is alive. Now fully back on his feet alongside Julio, he well and truly took stock of their situation. Their subway car had survived, but it'd taken a couple dozen hits. Looking further back to his right, he saw that they were lucky. The car behind them had either detached or been completely crushed. He wasn't the only one who saw that, several passengers who were further down saw it as well and scrambled away, as if scared that something was going to come crawling out of the rumble. Which wasn't exactly an unreasonable assumption. His eyes continued to look around him, noting that such a thing could happen anywhere. As he looked around, he took note of how many people were injured.

"Julio," Alex called.

The Hispanic shrugged his shoulders while giving him a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I know. Do your thing, buddy. Just…be careful."

His hands became alit with fiery light as he called out. "Everyone, stay still! I'm going to heal any injuries that you've got!"

"Gah! Over here! I-I think my arm's broken!" A woman called.

"H-Hey, c-c-could you take a look at me? I-I think I might have a concussion." Groaned a man nursing a bloodied forehead.

Gone was the confusion, and replacing it was a sense of purpose that guided him from person to person. Many of them were more than eager for his healing light, though some of them also seemed to just want the light. He couldn't blame them as it was pretty dark down there. With every minute the lights in the subway car continued to flicker. Everyone predicted that any second they were probably going to flicker out completely.

Cra-ack!

"And there it goes." Alex murmured while tending to a man with a shard of glass formerly embedded in his shoulder. Thanks to his powers, the wound was healed, a fact that he became quite grateful for as he worked his left arm. Stepping back, he held up his hand and emanated a candle-like light that illuminated the subway car. Though the light gave people a glimmer of hope, Alex could see the dirt and grime that still cloaked everyone's faces.

That included Julio, who walked up beside him. His tan-colored skin glowed brighter than normal thanks to his light. "You know we can't stay here. Especially while they're still brawling up there." His own brown eyes moved upward, beyond the ceiling of the subway car. He'd heard it as well, just like several others had. It led them to looking up in thinly veiled fear.

"Yeah, I know." Alex replied. Who was it that was fighting up top? Superman? Was it against one of his rogues or someone else? Maybe even some new villain testing their luck against the Man of Steel. Either way, Alex was confident that the heroes would triumph like always, but before they did there was apparently going to be quite a bit of collateral damage. That had become routine enough that various cities had started to take precautions for when metahuman fights broke out. It was said that building the bunkers hadn't been cheap, but they had saved enough lives to make up for the cost.

At least the lives of ordinary people, anyway. Rumor went that some of the wealthy had private bunkers built back when people were still struggling to accept that superpowered brawls were a thing.

As the passengers got organized and began to leave the damaged subway car, Alex quietly wondered were those wealthy people were. Odds were, when the first punch was thrown topside, they got themselves sealed away. He couldn't exactly blame them, but he would say he'd rather already be in a bunker than heading toward one. Especially underground.

Growing up in New York City, he'd became well acquainted with the underground at a young age. As he got older and the world became a place filled with people able to destroy buildings in a single punch, being underground became a bit of a scary concept. Especially since some of those people seemed to be really fond of causing localized earthquakes, or triggering them as a byproduct of punching something or someone.

His candle-like flame provided more than enough light for the group, which had nominated him to be at the head. It was a task that Alex quickly accepted. He'd always been told he had his powers for reasons like this. It was a privilege, a burden, and duty that he had to carry; it hadn't always been easy, but Alex had done it. He was doing it now.

Sweat quickly began to pour down his brow. It could hot underground, and nothing caused a person to sweat like nervousness. He had every reason to be nervous, but all he could do was put one foot in front of the other. When he looked back, he saw that the subway car they'd came from was a long way's off. Hell, it'd practically disappeared into the darkness. Whatever lights that had remained had completely flickered out. The same would soon be true for those ahead of them.

The beads of sweat hadn't stopped falling from his brow. They likely wouldn't until they were safe in a bunker, and Alex felt even that was fifty-fifty. Despite being bastions of safety, being in those bunkers could be downright nerve wrecking. Hearing the vibrations from blows shaking the earth itself, the thunderous roars and shouting of the combatants, and between them silence. Pure, bone-chilling silence that left one just as scared, if not more so than the clamoring. Silence seemed to invite more of people's imagination, specifically the dark side. Once you went there, it seemed easy to get lost there, or trapped in there.

Alex tried not to do that. The physical world around him was dark enough, and he had people depending on him, so he doubly couldn't afford to let himself get trapped.

Someone used their phone to pull a map, and to the group's relief, they seemed to be getting closer to one of the bunkers. People started crossing their fingers that they weren't already full. Admittedly, Alex did so himself, metaphorically of course.

Julio caught up to him with an apprehensive look on his face. "How are you holding up?"

Smiling, he replied, "I can make it, pal. Don't worry, I've faced way worse than this." Again, he'd practiced for moments like this, especially when he decided to go to college in Metropolis. Knowing how to handle yourself in a crisis had become common in the city despite the public support for Superman. It was an interesting dichotomy that Alex had came to observe first-hand. He wasn't against it though. Looking back, he whispered to his friend, "Just glad that people are holding it together."

"Hey, this is Metropolis. This is just another Thursday afternoon, buddy. Now, all we gotta do is keep on going to make it to the weekend. I'm asking Ava out once this is over with."

He couldn't help but chuckle, his slight laughter reverberating through the darkness of the tunnel. It drew him attention leading him to sheepishly shrug his shoulders. It wasn't like they were the only ones talking. So were plenty of other people-topics unrelented to their current situation, something to keep them off the invisible hammer that could come down on them at any second.

"Need a wingman?" The former New York native asked.

"Well, I like to think she likes me well enough…but hey, better safe than sorry. Especially with the guy who can heal injuries." Julio ribbed with a grin.

"Not those kinds of injuries, my man, but I still think I can help." The thought of Julio asking out his longtime crush brought a smile to Alex's face and kept it there. He knew that Ava was more into his Hispanic friend than he knew. If anything, she was going to make the first move if he didn't before May was over with. She probably wanted to have a boyfriend to spend the summer went, just as Julio probably didn't want to spend all summer kicking himself over not asking her out. "So, to keep things hypothetical. Got any places in mind if she says-"

While he didn't have any actual precognitive powers, Alex would say he had a good 'ole sixth sense, honed over the course of an…interesting life. Seconds before the walls began to shake, that sixth sense went off. His light went out and everyone ducked, huddling together while they were at it. The fear that they wouldn't make it to the bunker had seemingly materialized, dashing any hope of survival. Alex's hopes hadn't been dashed though, not yet.

Seconds later, he realized that what was keeping his hope alive wasn't a good thing. He heard the noises, voices shouting at each other. Rising, he looked to his right, having immediately pinpointed the source of the noises.

"Everyone, get away from the right-side wall!" He was grabbing Julio and a nearby woman, pushing them away. True to his prediction, the wall to his right exploded in debris that scattered everyone, not to mention kicked up a cloud of dust. Naturally, everyone scuttered as far away from it as possible, especially since they heard a noise coming from it. "Ah, shit." Alex murmured, watching a shadowy figure make itself seen through the smoke. Hold his hands up, preferable in a threatening manner, he summoned up his powers and illuminated the scene.

It was an alien, definitely an alien. Little over six-feet dressed in a mangled uniform that matched its face, purple blood pouring down its nose and lips. Its cold white eyes focused on the group and immediately narrowed in anger. Whatever this thing had gone through, it was pissed off about it, and it was going to take its anger out on them.

Or, it would have if a gray blur hadn't slammed into it.

"Hey, I told you we're not finished yet!" Cried a feminine voice. It caught the alien's attention making it turn.

Alex winced watching the spiked mace crash into the creature's face sending it crashing against the opposite wall. It made the tunnel shake, but thankfully not by much. He watched as the alien slumped against the wall, a dull groan coming from its lips. The invader wasn't dead, but he certainly wasn't getting back up any time soon, which was an incredible good thing.

"Mierda, mierda, talk about a knockout." Julio muttered having watched the scene unfold beside him, right down to its aftermath. Like Alex, he turned his head to the being that had knocked the alien out. He wasn't the only one.

"You can say that again." Sneered a new feminine voice, the woman beside him and Julio. Alex briefly glanced at her. Around their age, maybe their age too, and a college student. Alex didn't recognize her blonde hair and her piercing blue eyes, which were filled with animosity. He briefly dwelled on the fact that she knew Spanish as well, and her statement wasn't made with any sort of respect for their apparent savior.

Said savior was an angel, or at least she looked like an angel. A pair of avian wings that belonged on a divine being. He supposed in a manner of speaking their owner was divine, or rather, celestial.

Despite the varying look she received from some of the civilians she'd just rescued, Hawkgirl remained composed. Just like the last time he'd seen her on TV, she was maskless, and in the light of his powers, he could see every inch of her face. Her rather beautiful face, even marred with a little bit of blood and grime.

It was his first time seeing her in person, and he had to admit, those reports that compared her to an angel were accurate. And yet, they hadn't quite done her enough justice. While she had a certain sternness to her, it was compounded by a beauty that he found somewhat hard to put into words. The sight of her made him remember stories of Celtic warrior woman like the teacher of Cú Chulainn, Scáthach. Her wings brought to mind stories of the Mόrrigan, but the resemblance was only surface deep. The war goddess was a harbinger of calamity while this woman was a harbinger of hope and justice. Even if a decent chunk of the world didn't believe that.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked in a stern voice contrasted by the naked compassion in her eyes.

"Y-Y-Yeah, f-f-for the most part." Answered the railcar driver. "Your little brawl scared the daylights out of us, but we're all alright." Alex saw the swirl of relief that the man's words invoked within her. "We were on our way to one of the city bunkers."

Hefting her mace, which sparks with bright white sparks of electricity, she responded, "Alright, I'll escort you the rest of the way. Some of these things have infiltrated the subway lines."

That sent a wave of fear and anxiety through the group, though some of it came from an unexpected source.

"God, not more aliens! And we've got one trying to protect us!"

"B-B-But we're underground, her wings won't be-"

"Forget her wings, her loyalties are what we need to worry about."

"Can she really get us to the bunker?"

"More like will she lead us to the bunker and not to another alien trap."

Alex knew she heard every whisper of doubt toward her. Her expression never changed though. She simply held fast to her mace and took point. Watching her, Alex knew that he had to do so as well.

The blonde stopped him. "H-Hey, are you sure about this?"

Keeping his cool, he nodded. "Yeah. Besides, if something comes at us, we're still going to need some light once she starts swinging."

The blonde made a face. "Provided she's swinging at those things to save us."

"I can't think of any other reason she'd be swinging it." Alex casually hit back. The girl gave him a downcast frown, but eventually let him go none the less. He looked back at Julio, who gave him an encouraging smile. Holding out his right hand, he ignited a candle-like flame once more and walked to the forefront of the group. His fiery light contrasted to the electric glow of the Justice Leaguer's mace.

"You don't have to be up here." She solemnly said.

"I'm assuming you heard my last conversation. If one of those things attacks, you need to do your thing. I'll hang back and make sure these people aren't left completely in the dark." He replied. Her green eyes flickered as her lips briefly curved into a thin smile. "I know you may not need to be told this, but don't let what any of those people behind me are saying get you down. They…they're just scared."

"I don't blame them." Her solitary voice spoke. Despite its quiet volume, it had an echo.

That echo lasted for just a few nanoseconds. Alex felt that his sixth sense flaring up, warning him of coming danger. Evidentially, so did Hawkgirl as she immediately fell into a battle-ready stance. Seconds later he saw flashes of light illuminating the darkness. The beams of energy raced toward them; they'd have pierced Alex and everyone behind him if it hadn't been for Hawkgirl deflecting them with her mace. She did so with all the precision of a pro, which she undoubtedly was. Despite knowing it was impossible, Alex tried to follow every deflected shot, but all he saw was the singed aftermath of each one. By the time he refocused himself on the redheaded woman, she'd thrown herself into the fray. Her mace found new targets, their pained faces illuminated with each flashing strike.

"Keep them going!" Came her commanding voice.

Alex and the former driver quickly followed suit, so did everyone else. Despite the severity of the situation, a handful stopped to stare at the knocked-out aliens. Alex caught a couple of people even taking pictures with their phones; he'd been noticing a lot of them recently whatever something incredible happened. Sure, people had done it before, but Alex had noticed a steady increase over the last year or two, like a trend that was catching on, fast. Briefly glancing to the side, he saw neither of his two companions were indulging in it, much to Alex's quite relief. There was no way he was stopping to take a picture that he may not even live long enough to do anything with.

Second by second, it seemed like his odds of survival, and those of his fellow survivors, were looking better and better. They made it closer and closer to the bunker, as evident by the flashing emergency lights and directional signs. It seemed like they'd made it to safe territory.

Until he heard the walls cracking.

By the time he turned his attention to the crack, it'd turned into a full-blown hole, and something had burst through. It went straight for Hawkgirl, her cries of shock and frustration becoming the new focus of his attention. His eyes honed in on the scrambling ball of violence that was Hawkgirl wrestling with another alien. While not the first time he'd seen two aliens duking it out, it was the closest he'd ever been to such a brawl. And it was perhaps one of the most terrifying things he'd ever experienced.

Hawkgirl was slammed into the wall as she attempted to smash her face into the newest enemy. "G-Go! Get to the bunker, now! I'll be fine!" She shouted while still keeping up her struggle.

"Alex! Alex, come on, man! You heard her, we've got to move!" Julio yelled, grabbing his shoulder and tugging him along.

Even as he ran forward, he couldn't help but look back. He'd seen fights, and been in them, but what he was witnessing just…felt like something else. Something terrifyingly new. What made that so? What made this fight different from the others?

THUUUUNK!

He'd heard the sound of bones breaking before, it was a noise he was uncomfortable familiar with. Looking back, he saw that the alien warrior had managed to get a hold of Hawkgirl's left arm and ahd crushed it. He saw the momentary pain on her face, and how she pushed through it to slam her head into the brute's face. It stunned him long enough for her to strike at him with her mace. Even from several yards away, Alex felt the impact of the mace. He was pretty sure that the alien had a broken nose at the very least. Unfortunately, he saw that it wasn't enough to stop the brutish alien.

The winged woman was thrown back several yards as she took a punch to the gut. She skidded across the ground, pain undoubtedly racking every part of her body. She still managed to move, just in time to avoid the alien bringing his fist down upon her again. The ground shook from the impact nearly knocking Alex off his feet. Julio kept him steady, and continued to haul him further down the hallway.

It was back to nothing but sounds, the sounds of battle. Each tremor made Alex's ears ring as if he were back there, ring-sized for the brawl. He didn't know if it was his imagination or if he was really hearing Hawkgirl's pained screams.

"Oh, finally! We fucking made it!" Julio yelled as they stood before the towering, steel-colored doors that marked the entrance to the bunker. The subway driver was yelling into an intercom. Whatever he said, it seemed to work as he heard gears turning. Slowly but surely, the doors began to slide open, much to the relief of the survivor group. "We made it, man, we made it."

"Yeah…we did." Alex whispered. His friend looked to him, his relief melting as he seemingly read his mind. "Julio,"

"Alex," he repeated. "Man…we made it, you got us here."

"With some help from Hawkgirl, who's now got a broken arm." A part of him couldn't believe the words he was saying. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to do something so ridiculously stupid?

Julio reached over and grabbed his shoulders. "She's fought through worse, Alex. I'm sure she has! You don't have to go back there!" As if the Almighty himself heard his words, the hallway shook again. Intermixed with it was the faint scream of a person-a woman-in pain. Julio's eyes widened, even as he looked back at Alex. All he could do was stare back with silent resolution. "Goddammit, Alex! You don't have to play the hero!"

"Listen to him!" The blonde from before yelled as she stepped forward. She'd been listening to their entire conversation, and understandably, she was just as reluctant to let him go as his friend was. "You don't have to go back there! And definitely not for her!"

Amazingly, he still kept his cool, even as he felt a spike of anger rise up within him. "Yeah…I do."

Julio bit his lip, threw back his head, and then proceeded to curse in Spanish. Alex chuckled as he recognized every word being spoken. Upon looking back at him, the tan-skinned man gripped his shoulders like a vice. "Look, you better come back alive, you hear!"

"Got it." He affirmed. "Anything else?"

"Just…come back alive, you dumbass New Yorker. I'm not explaining to everyone how you died down here trying to do something stupidly brave." As he spoke he pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on putting you in that spot." Alex whispered back. As he pulled away, Alex then looked to the blonde. "Um, Alex, by the way."

"Katie," she introduced, a slight smile on her face. "What you friend said. Just…make sure to come back alive, okay? This…this isn't your fight."

He'd heard that before, to himself and multiple times on the news. It wasn't his fight, it wasn't humanity's fight, it changed a little but the intent was always the same. Always someone else's fight, and always someone either sticking their nose into it or getting dragged into it. In this case, Alex would say it was both. Humans getting dragged into another alien brawl, and him sticking his nose in it instead of running for the hills and waiting it out with the rest of the civilians. He may have had superpowers but he wasn't a superhero. Ultimately, he'd just decided that he could help another hero keep him and everyone else safe.

With a trail of destruction, it was easy to follow the squabbling pair. Alex was cautious as he maneuvered his way through piles of rubble, being ever mindful of the walls around him. Specks of dust would sprinkle down upon him, always reminding him of the danger he was in. It was added to the danger that he was steadily heading toward.

Using his powers, he spotted splotches of blood on the floor. Those weren't a good sign, but a sign none the less that he followed. They led him to a massive hole in the ground that he recognized as the next milestone of his journey. Taking a deep breath, he tried to separate the flames from his hands. It'd been something he'd practiced as a teenager-now, like many other things, it was time to put it all to the test. To his quiet joy, the flaming orb lifted from his palms and hovered right in front of him. With a mental push, he moved it from side to side. Once he was pleased with his makeshift torch, he began scaling down the hole.

He'd only gone rock climbing twice, both times had been in high school. First had been during his freshman year, and the second had been during his sophomore year. As he slowly descended down the hole, Alex found himself wishing he'd done it a little more. In retrospect, he probably should have done it in preparation for his move to Metropolis. Climbing was just as important as being able to run.

His hands weren't quite bleeding by the time he reached the bottom floor, but they were dirty as hell. Still, he'd take the dirt over any potential cuts. Looking around, he found more traces of destruction, which served as guideposts for him to follow. He did so with a quietly drumming heart. His gut was telling him at the end of this trail he was going to find Hawkgirl and the alien she was brawling with. That suspicion was confirmed by the eerie silence that permeated the tunnel. Frankly, Alex would take any sound, even if it were a blood-curdling scream.

Unfortunately, his wish was fulfilled. Fortunately, it wasn't quite as bad.

The second his ears registered the faint sound of pained moaning he broke into a run. It was a sound that he knew well. Someone was in pain, and he was moving to help them however he could. Alex took a small bit of solace in having the registered the moan as human, as feminine.

That solace vanished as he rounded a corner and came upon Hawkgirl. She was alive, albeit buried beneath a ton of rumble that Alex knew he didn't have a snowball's chance of moving. Her wings were obscured by the tons of rubble that had fallen atop of her. With that much rubble, he honestly wondered if her wings would still be recognizable. With an internal breath, he moved toward her.

"Y-Y-You…you were…with the rest of the group." She groaned upon seeing him. Blood dripped from her lips, her nose, and her forehead. Even though she was alive, she'd definitely been put through the ringer; it meant that she was in no shape to lift herself up or dig her way out. "The others-"

"Are fine. They made it to the bunker, thanks to you." Alex explained while his eyes took stock of the situation. Looking over the pile of debris, he knew that he couldn't move it. It covered Hawkgirl's back, pinning her to the ground. He bit his lip wondering how much damage had been done to her legs too. She couldn't fly, and walking was probably out of the question too. The fact that she was even still alive with that much rock and steel atop of her was undoubtedly due to her alien physiology. She may not have been a Kryptonian, but she was still tougher than an ordinary human.

The redhead looked at the floating torch that hovered by his shoulders. "You're…a pyrokinetic?"

"Well…something like that. Yeah, you could say that. My real talent though is this." Gripping her hands, he out all his focus into revitalizing her. That caused the shoulder torch that he'd had with him to dissipate. All of that energy was transferred into the alien woman's body, along with his own extra-large reserves of energy. Light emanated from their interlocked hands, still providing illumination for the two of them.

"You're…damn, one hell of a healer." She murmured.

"Not good enough." He countered as a bead of sweat rolled down his brow. "There's…something inside of you, some kind of poison."

"Urgh, you're right about that. It's…an alien venom that I'm ashamed to say that bastard over there got me with."

While still keeping his healing up, he turned around. For the first time, he noticed that the winged heroine's mace was missing. It lay embedded in the alien she'd been fighting several yards away. Smashed into a wall with the mace stuck in his chest. Alex guessed that the brute had managed to down Hawkgirl, then tried to move in to finish the job only for her to get in one last shot.

"Listen, go get my mace. With it, I can…urgh, dig myself out of this. Afterward, I'm taking you back to the shoulder where you'll be safe."

Alex didn't fancy the idea of leaving her while this venom was still in her system, but he had a feeling that now wasn't the time to argue with her. Breaking off, he walked over to the alien, being careful of it as he caught its lingering breathing. It was shallow though, making Alex wonder how much longer the creature would leave. Ultimately though, it wasn't his concern. Not less the creature got up and tried to attack him or his patient.

The second he touched the mace, he felt…woozy. It wasn't just that the metal felt warm, something about it just felt…off to him. Still, he held onto it and returned the weapon to its owner. He watched as she attempted to lift it up, though it quickly became evident she was too weak to lift it properly.

"Hey, let me finish treating you. Once I'm finished, you should be able to lift it and use it to dig yourself out." At her nod, he took hold of her hands and began the healing. Even as he transfers his energy into her body, he felt a creeping feeling. Turning to his left, he laid eyes on the mace. Sparks danced across the tips of its spikes.

It didn't go unnoticed by the redhead. "Hey, this power…you're…using magic to heal me, aren't you?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

She hung her head, a bit of an exhausted sigh leaving her lips. "Well…my mace is an anti-magic weapon. It might be messing with your powers. S-Sorry about that."

"Hey, it's no problem. I'm still able to use it to heal you up, so it's nothing to worry about."

His words didn't appear to have her convinced. His actions though also had her curious. "Y-You've…ran into this kind of problem before?"

He shrugged. "Once word started to spread about my powers, some people…got a little nervous. Others wanted to make it so that I couldn't use them to treat all kinds of wounds." Their eyes met for a moment. Alex was surprised to see a sliver of unease, anxiety even, in them. Coupled with the slight stuttering that she was slipping into, Alex wagered that she needed something to keep calm. "I'm from New York City, by the way. Name's Alex."

"Alex," she repeated. Her lips curved into a brief smile as she gripped his hands with tightness. "I-I…t-t-thank you for this."

"Just trying to give back to one of the people who's saved me and the whole planet countless times. It's the least I can do." Again, the truth was in her eyes. Illuminated by their shared hands, he saw the flash of joy in her green eyes. Tailing it was doubt, shame that made her look away. Alex spoke before his mind could properly formulate a proper response. "You're still a hero. I know it may not seem like it, but more people consider you a hero than a…than a-"

"Traitor." She bitterly finished. Hearing her say it made Alex kick himself for hesitating. He felt a tightening of his hands. "Look, I've…I've made peace with that label. It's never not going to be true. I am a traitor, to both Earth and my home world."

Whatever had really happened to Thanagar hadn't been revealed to the public. Alex was at least willing to believe they were at war with another race. Without Earth as their foothold though, all interest in that war had ceased for Earthlings. Still, people had theorized about it. Alex himself quietly wondered what had happened to the Thanagarians after their occupation of Earth was thwarted. Looking at the one in front of him, seeing the shame and heartbreak on her face, Alex concluded that it hadn't been good. He briefly thought back to what happened to losing countries in wars. Well, what happened when a whole planet lost a war?

His gut tightened at the possibilities.

Breathing out, he gave her hands a squeeze of his own. "That…may be true, but you're a hero to Earth. You've proved that over and over again." Her slightly widened eyes focused on him as he looked down at her. With total resolution, he spoke, "You're more of a hero than a traitor, always was and always will be, Hawkgirl."

"Shayera," she whispered. He wondered if he'd heard her right when she spoke again. "P-Please, Alex, call me…call me Shayera. That's my real name. It's…one I prefer to that one. I…I'm not really a fan of it anymore."

His cheeks burned a little realizing he'd just been given a rather personal piece of information. Though he felt it might be best not to push his luck, a part of his curiosity got the better of him. "I…um, okay. How's about…Hawkwoman then? Kind of surprised you never took that as your codename."

She laughed. It was an amazing sound that surprised him. Her laughter was also the happiest he'd ever seen her. At all. Illuminated by the light of his touch, her laughter was even more melodious.

"Hawkwoman…heh, I'll admit, I have thought about it a few times." She admitted.

"I mean…there's already Wonder Woman. I always felt it was a little strange that you, the other founding woman of the Justice League gets to be called girl and she's…well, you know."

She laughed again. Though he was the pyrokinetic, it felt like she was the one providing the light in this dark tunnel. "You know, I have thought about that a couple of times too. Seemed like the issue died down once I came back, but every now and then, it does cross my mind."

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, why you go with the name Hawkgirl in the first place?"

Somehow, they felt it at the same time. For her, Alex was betting it was her warrior instincts. For him, it was just a sheer gut feeling. Breaking off from her, he whipped around, just in time to see the hulking figure approaching them.

"A little girl is precisely what she is. A little damaged, but she'll fetch a fine price. I can say the same for you, human." The thick, masculine voice made his skin crawl. As the creature came into the light, he felt his skin crawl even more. He never had a problem with reptiles, but he knew they shouldn't have walked on two legs and shared traits with frogs. They also shouldn't have smiled in a way that would have made the Charles Manson look like a baby-faced kid. "You're a healer, huh? Hmm, perhaps I'll have some use for you instead of selling you off."

The light that once healed glowed brighter in his hands, brighter and hotter. "No thanks, scaly."

"Alex, no! Run!" Shayera screamed as he threw his hands up, unleashing the accumulated power. It shot forth not as a flash of light but burst of luminous fire that crossed the distance between him and the alien in a heartbeat.

It was fast enough to catch the monster in the chest, and he found that his flames hurt. A scream of surprised agony tore through his lips and echoed throughout the tunnel. Alex actually felt a spark of pride at the screams of pain. That pride was muffled as he shut off the attack, his attention going to Shayera's mace.

Please work! Please work! Please work! He mentally chanted as he grabbed the handle and held it up. Answering his prayers were the arcs of white lightning that jumped between the tips. Mustering all his remaining strength, he swung it at the pile of rubble atop of Shayera. Pieces of debris flew in all directions forcing him to close his eyes. He still took that as a good sign and kept on smashing. The more he could clear away, the more Shayera could probably wiggle out. Through his swings he saw her doing exactly that.

Until she stopped and turned to him. "Alex! Behind you!"

Already knowing what she was talking about, he immediately changed the trajectory of his next swing.

Sadly, he wasn't fast enough.

The alien's hands were cold and dry, not to mention rough thanks to his scales. Alex immediately tried to wiggle out, but his grip was like a vice. Now that he had a hold on him, he wasn't going to let go.

"Now, now, enough of that, human." Growled the extraterrestrial invader.

CRA-ACK!

"Gaaaarrgggh!"

Foreign words flew from Shayera's lips; Alex was pretty sure they were curses, and threats.

"You'll pay, Thanagarian." The alien snarled at her. "I've changed my mind, I don't think I'll be selling you off. No…I'll end your life using that Nth metal you pigeons love so much!"

"Stay away from her, asshole!" His shouting came with a plan. It was one he thought up completely on the fly. Rather or not it worked was a coin toss, one that his life, and a Justice League founding member's, depended on.

Yeah, definitely no pressure.

As he hoped, the alien turned to him. "Silence, human! Don't make me-!"

The energy, the ancient, mystic energy that had been passed down to him coursed into his eyes. Despite being closed his eyes were glowing with a building luminescence. That buildup exploded as he threw them open. He heard the alien scream in alarm, releasing him.

"Shayera!"

He heard the sound of something scrapping across the ground, then footsteps. By the time his vision refocused, he saw her grabbing her mace. Cuts and bruises marred her body, yet she moved with the speed and ferocity of a raptor in motion. Her talons-her mace-flashed as she dashed toward the alien.

Alex tried to scramble aside, not wanting to be in the way.

The blinded alien never saw the attack coming, but he sure as hell felt it. Shayera's attack slammed him against the wall, causing cracks to form in it. The tremors spread from the walls to the ceiling, slightly unnerving Alex.

"You…bastard!" The redhead yelled as she swung her weapon over and over again into the reptilian creature.

"Rrrraaawaaah! Damn Thanagarian! I'll kill you just like the rest!" Screamed the opposing alien. Though he caught the mace, its electrical arcs jumped onto him, shocking him once more. Shayera pressed her advantage with another knee to the abdomen. She went in for another attack, but this time the alien was able to muster up the strength to catch her. Growling, he spun them around, slamming her into the wall.

Panic flooding his system, Alex held up his left hand, fiery light amassing in his palm. He let it fly as a bright fireball that hit the creature in the back. For a second, it seemed like the alien might turn away, but he didn't. His focus unfortunately remained on Shayera. Even worse, his focus seemed to be on her damaged wings.

"Hey…asshole! I said…get away from her!" The pain in his right arm was immense, but he pushed past it. His legs carried him the short distance between him and the alien. His left arm came down on the monster's head. The up-close fireball definitely got the alien's attention.

The second his feet touched the ground, he tried to back away; he knew that a counterattack was coming. A heartbeat later and he was right.

"Damned human! I'll kill you!" He meant it. His haymakers were wild and uncoordinated, but they were close to him. Too close.

With the pain in his right arm still eating at him, he was more sluggish than usual. That cost him as the alien managed to land a punch on him. It was a gut punch that knocked the air out of his lungs. Alex felt the pain reverberating throughout his whole body. A moment later it was magnified as the beast grabbed him by the head then slammed him down. It felt like his brain was yanked to the back of his skull. He knew he had a concu-

CRA-ACK!

"Aaaarrgggghh!" The pain in his head was immediately overpowered by the agony in his sides. At least one of his left side ribs was broken, maybe more. "F-Fuck…aoh, fuck, that hurts." He groaned tasting blood on his lips.

"I'm sure it does, human, and it's a about to hurt a lot more!" True to his words, his foot came down again, potentially cracking another rub. Alex could feel himself getting dizzy from the pain. At this rate, he had a feeling he was going to pass out from the pain. Biting his lips, he held that agony back; he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to for long. "You stupid little human! I'll kill you, then I'll hunt down every one of you know and make sure they're-"

"No! You're done hurting people, you overgrown lizard!" Through his hazing vision, he saw something silver slam into the alien's head. Alex heard a snicking crunch, though the reptilian creature remained standing. Angry, he tried to spin around, but Shayera swung her mace in a horizontal arc.

Arcs of white lightning flew from it in all directions, a representation of the sheer power that the weapon was channeling. It all went into the next blow, which sent the alien skidding across the tunnel. He crashed through more walls, and this time, Alex had a feeling that he wasn't going to be getting back up.

As the pain worked through him, he realized he wasn't going to be getting up either. It just hurt too much.

"Glad I…got to see…the…knockout blow." He wheezed. The pain in his abdomen was getting to be too much. Alex tried fighting it, especially as Shayera hovered over him. She was calling out to him, probably begging him not to close his eyes. As much as he wanted to listen to her, he found he just couldn't. The darkness that surrounded him closed in, and then it was all he knew.

---

The light was deem, but it was something at the least. He felt air slipping into his lungs through his parted lips. With that intake of air, Alex felt a sliver of strength return to him. He tried to use it to move his body.

While he was able to lift his arms, it wasn't nearly as much as he'd have liked. Dropping his arms, he tried to lift himself up, and that led to pain. He shut his eyes as the pain raced through him. Alex immediately recognized it to be centered on his left side abdomen. Foggy as his mind was, he tried to recall what was the reason he was feeling such agony. Broken up pieces of his last moments of consciousness returned to him.

He groaned remembering the sight of the alien's ugly face as it retaliated against him. If nothing else, he'd succeeded in pissing the bastard off. Naturally, he'd responded in kind-beating the shit out of him to the point that Alex had slipped unconscious. At least he hadn't been killed.

His muttering of a quiet prayer was interrupted by the voice of another. Turning to the left, he noticed that he wasn't alone.

Alex's eyes fully widened as he drunk in the sight of Hawkgirl sitting beside him. She was sleeping, just like he'd been, albeit she seemed to be in a deeper slumber. Her presence alone was surprising, but quite welcomed.

He had a superheroine sitting beside him, apparently having waited on him to wake up.

"…Hehehe." The laugh slipped out as he went over it again and again in his head. It was one hell of an odd situation. He'd apparently gone from one odd situation to another.

And his current one began to develop as the redhead began to stir. Alex watched as her head rose from its previous slump. He couldn't help but feel like he was watching the sunrise itself. The moment her green eyes met his brown, she smiled, completing the comparison.

"Glad to see you're awake, Alex." She said in a rather jovial tone.

"I'm happy I'm awake at all. Honestly, I went into that fight knowing that my odds of survival weren't that high."

"Then why'd you go?"

The curiosity in her question was genuine. Alex could see it on her face too. It was shining bright like her mace did in the darkness of the subway tunnel. She seriously wanted to know why he'd came back for her.

Alex could immediately put the pieces together on the cause of the near burning curiosity she had. All that said, there were still pieces that he was missing, pieces that he had a feeling he had no right to know of. It wasn't like he was expecting his response to give them to him.

"I…thought you were in rough shape, so I…came back to help you any way I could." Of the stories involving Hawkgirl, some of the most well-known involved her temper. Having known people like that, he knew he had to choose his words careful, yet he had a feeling that this woman wanted honesty from him. Not to mention she struck him as the type that might be able to tell when he was lying.

To his relief, she took her words with a neutral nod. "I see…well, I've been in tougher fights, but I appreciate the sentiment." Her smile grew. "Thank you, Alex. Alex Farrelly, right?"

"If you don't mind, how long was I out?" His eyes moved across the room, ending on the window to his left. Based on the lack of sunlight through the curtains, he was willing to guess it was nighttime.

"Couple of hours. You've been out most of the night." She replied.

"And you've been here since then?" He somewhat coyly questioned.

She replied with a coy smile of her own. "League privileges."

Either that, or you can be very, very persuasive. He contemplated in his head. "You…didn't have to."

"I know, but I…honestly felt like I owed you." She answered with a humorful laugh. Alex had to say, this was a side of the (in)famous Hawkgirl that he never knew existed. Actually, he suspected that it did thanks to her place in the Justice League, but seeing it in person was…a pretty incredible experience.

Her eyes had a gleam to them that he recognized as relief. She wasn't saying it, but she was clearly happy that he'd came back to help her. Him, a seemingly ordinary guy had came back and put himself in mortal danger to help her.

Remembering his internal musing, he opened his mouth again. "I…also felt compelled to come back to show you that…you're still a hero to people."

The smile fell, yet the relief in her eyes shined even brighter.

"Look, I've got a gut feeling that you've already been through a lot. I know that I probably don't-"

"It means something to me, Alex." She interrupted. Now in the light he could see her uniform, or what passed for her uniform. Sweat pants and a matching, black and yellow undershirt. Both of them were brand-new. "As I'm sure you know, I…still haven't been accepted back by everyone. Not the world at large, and…not quite at the League. I'm working through both though."

"That's good to hear. I-I mean, on both fronts." It was idyllic to imagine the whole League getting along, even after Hawkgirl's betrayal and then return. The truth wasn't that simple though. Things were never quite that simple, especially when betrayal was involved. "The important thing is that you're out there, every day, proving that you're still a hero. I mean…it'll never be enough for some people, but…for others…"

"Alex, where did you stand on me?" The question hit him like a bullet to the heart. It was sudden and left him having to deal with the aftermath. "I heard the others talking about me. Frankly, I don't blame them, but…I…just want to know about you. What's your opinion? What was it on my betrayal?"

Again, back to honesty. Alex contemplated. "I was…shocked to say the least. Shocked and a little angry. I mean, luckily, the Thanagarians didn't make too big of a mess of New York City when they invaded. Still, living under martial law wasn't fun." Her eyes immediately fell, sorrowful shame consuming them. "I was angry about that, but…I mean…I heard stories that you turned against them. When you showed up stopping Solomon Grundy, I knew they were true. When I saw you getting attacked and not fighting back, I knew that you regretted what you did. I knew that…it wasn't something you'd do again if you had the choice."

The laugh she let out was humorless, pitiful even. "Don't be so sure about that. In choosing Earth, I…I gave up my home world. Thanagar needed to use Earth to help in invading another planet we were at war with. Gordania. The alien we fought in the tunnels, he was a Gordanian."

"That explains why your fight seemed so…personal." That was only the tip of the iceberg. She'd given him another piece of the puzzle. Her statement about choosing Earth at the expense of her home world sunk into him. "I'm so sorry about your home planet, Shayera. I…I'm sorry on behalf of the people of Earth."

She smiled again, but it was one laden with pain. "You know…you're the first human being who's said that to me."

Chuckling didn't hurt him as much as he thought it might. By the end of his short, attempted humorful laughter, he saw that the redhead's expression hadn't changed. That struck him. Then he saw a lone tear slide from her eye onto the floor. Alex felt his jaw drop with it.

"I'm…no one has…"

She shook her head. "I swear, you're the first, Alex Farrelly."

He was silent at first, then he spoke again. "You deserve better."

"No, Alex, I don't. I betrayed this entire planet and everyone on it, including my teammates. People who…people who I was proud to serve with, people that I felt deserved to be called heroes."

Now fully sitting up, he fixed her with a comforting yet stern stare. "Shayera," he called. "You do too."

"No, I don't."

"You came back and you fought for this world, even after it condemned you as a traitor. I've seen you fight and bleed for people who still haven't forgiven you, and…might not." The pain in him had dulled, dulled enough that he was able to swing his legs over the side of the bed. Shayera looked ready to stand up to stop him, but he held up a hand to stop her. "Any person willing to do that, over and over again, knowing it might never be enough…I'd say that person is a hero. What I'm actually saying is…you are a hero."

A few more tears fell as her mouth dropped.

Alex merely smiled at her, reinforcing his words.

The next thing he knew, he was being hugged by the winged woman. He noticed that he hadn't seen her wings, probably hidden thanks to some harness as he'd heard she wore. At the moment, he wasn't complaining, her wings being somehow suppressed made it easier for him to hug her back. He didn't try to search for them, he just focused on the woman hugging him, the woman that he'd apparently been able to comfort.

She felt warm, like a hearth that took away the last vestiges of pain from his wounds.

Well, this is one hell of a crazy place to be. Still, it's definitely not so bad. Shayera pulled away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she gazed at him with her green eyes. Alex felt his cheeks heating up as he stared back. Wonder Woman was who everyone talked about, but amongst the two female founders, the Thanagarian was quite beautiful herself. Especially when she had such a tender expression. Eight times out of ten, she didn't have such a look on her face.

"Alex," she murmured. He patiently waited for her to speak again, but something seemed to be stopping her. More accurately, it seemed that she had something on her mind.

He could sympathize. Though he tried to keep it brief, his eyes kept on being drawn to her lips. Slightly parted yet no words leaving them. After a few seconds, he looked back into her eyes, and yet again found himself lost in them.

The silence between them dragged on. In order to break it, something was going to have to be done. Alex thought of how he could do it-and then he remembered that there were still some basic questions he hadn't asked. Like had his family been informed of what happened to him. What time was it really. Which hospital was he at?

So many questions, and they were all thrown out the window as the redhead broke the silence herself. "You…showed some real grit down there. Including with your powers. If you want, I could…teach you how to throw a good punch."

Though relieved, he couldn't help but choose to playfully press his luck. "Throw a good punch?"

"You were pretty good, but trust me. I can help you learn how to hold your own. That is, if you want to."

It was like seeing a ray of light in the middle of an overcast sky. "S-S-Sure! Awe-I mean, I'd love to do learn how to do that!"

Giggling, she stood up, giving him a view of her full imposing yet attractive figure. His eyes couldn't help but roam up and down, namely over her exposed stomach. When he finally tore them away, he went straight up, finding himself once more enticed by her green eyes. She was still smiling-no-she was smirking. She knew he'd been unable to control himself and looked her over. Not only had she known, but she apparently liked it. Was she intentionally trying to turn him on?

If so, it was working.

"Just so you know, I don't come easy." She challenged.

Alright, either it's my imagination, or she's seriously flirting with me. Not that I'm against it. "I can handle it." He confidently affirmed. What sort of physical training did an alien warrior woman do? He was about to find out, and the thought made his heart race with excitement.

Hands on her hips, she leaned in close, shortening the distance between their faces. Alex felt his heart slamming against his chest, his cheeks blushing a hot red.

"Really, Alex?" She coyly pressed.

"You can ask me all you want, my answer's not changing." He replied with shocking confidence. It was genuine or was it simply him trying to look cool in front of a beautiful woman?

Either way, it was seemingly enough for her.

Smiling, the redhead pulled away. "Then I can't wait to see you prove those words. I'll be in touch, Alex."

He was seconds away from asking her what she meant, but as she walked to the window, his jaw dropped. Some invisible harness was undone and her wings began to emerge as she stepped out the window. In opening the curtains, he was surprised to see it was sunrise. He'd slept through the night, and apparently woken up just in time.

"Like I said, I'll be in touch." The alien woman promised before flying off into the brightening sky. Alex immediately threw off his bedsheets and rushed over, watching her fly away.

She was an angel, coming down from the heavens and saving as many people as she could. Even if she didn't think of herself as such, that what she was. Alex would affirm that to her again and again, no matter how hard she knocked him on his ass, and that he knew was coming.

---

"Next year, you're trying out for some sports team, aren't you?"

An eyebrow was raised at the Hispanic, which only caused him to chuckle even more. Alex already had an idea of what was running through his friend's head, but he wanted to be humored. "Any particular reason why? You're not planning on gambling on me, are you?"

"Nope, at least not with anything above double digits." He answered throwing up his hands. "Trust me, those stories you told me have done the trick in warding me off."

"Good to know." Alex remarked. As they exited the building, he looked straight up at the clear blue sky. Still no more than just a handful of clouds drifting along. Of course, that also meant little in the way of shade. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd sparred under a harsh afternoon sun; he was frankly getting used to it.

Over time, his circle of friends and classmates had likewise gotten used to his…new hangouts.

Julio kept his eyes on the sky as well, an optimistic smile on his face. "You know, it's kind of ironic that you're getting these free fighting lessons and there hasn't been one major incident since you got them. I mean, you haven't needed them, but damn they're a blast to have." Looking back at Alex, he grinned while jabbing him in the side. "Plus, you're spending a lot of personal time with a freakin' Justice League member, and one of the originals to boot!"

"Yep, and it was all thanks to it just being another ordinary day here in Metropolis." Alex added in a near sing-song voice. The past three weeks had indeed been spectacular, fantastical even. Even with all the times he'd been knocked on his ass, he'd had the time of his life. Of course, it helped that Shayera often brought medical supplies to patch him up; she never went too far though, remembering she was still teaching a "rookie".

They were a block away from the university, having reached their splitting up point. Just as Alex had things to do, so too did Julio. In his case, he had a rather enticing job at the Metropolis Aquarium. It seemed funny that they seemed to be diverging in two polar opposite directions, him to the air and Julio to the sea.

"See you tonight, oh, and try to come back with a couple less bruises!" He called as he hopped onto the passing bus.

"I'll do my best! Try not to come back smelling like fish!" The brown-haired university student shouted back. Once the bus sped off, he took off down the street, a thump of excitement in his chest.

Like a bird, Shayera preferred to be high-up. In a city like Metropolis, that was easy-the question was finding a private little skyscraper for private use. That normally only came about through money, but somehow, the redheaded woman had procured one for her own private use. He wondered if she had called a favor to the Man of Steel himself or if she herself had arranged it. Either way, as he headed up the elevator to the rooftop exercise field, Alex felt his foot tapping against the floor in excitement. A floor below, he'd changed clothes, going for a pair of gym shorts a t-shirt, perfect for the intense physical sparring he was about to engage in.

The second the doors parted Alex felt that excitement cease, particularly as he laid eyes on the figure who was going to spend the next several hours slamming him into the training mat. One look at her and he knew she'd already taken a beating, an emotional one.

When her gaze didn't once divert from the cloudless sky, nor did her voice sound off, Alex realized how deep in her thoughts she was.

Without uttering a word himself, he made a decision. He silently stepped back inside, his retreating going as unnoticed as his arrival had. Several minutes later, his second entry went much the same.

Silently, he walked up to the bench and took a seat beside the winged woman. His physical presence was finally acknowledged. "A-A-Alex? S-S-Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. I was…just lost in thought." At the end of her statement, her eyes drifted down to the beer that he'd offered her. An apologetic smile grew along her face as she quietly realized how his presence had gone unnoticed. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. It's fine, everyone gets like that at least once in their lives." Looking out to the blue sky, he let a wistful smile spread along his face. "I can tell you I've been in that state of mind a few times myself." Clasping his hands together, he looked back to her. "Whatever it is, you can talk to me about it. If you don't want to, that's fine. I'll just sit here with you."

Near immediately, a smile bloomed on her face as well, but it was one of heartfelt relief. "I…Alex, that's…thanks."

It was the least he could do for her. Actually, he had a feeling that she needed someone beside her now more than ever. He'd seen these types of depressions before. Wounds of the spirit didn't need any physical treatment or magic power (not always), but just a calming presence. He could provide that; he'd always been able to provide that before he'd awoken his powers.

"…Green Lantern and Vixen have…they're-"

"Getting married?" he immediately answered. He made an apologetic look. "Sorry, is it that or they're…"

"They're getting married. Actually, they announced it to the League last week. They told me earlier than that." Looking at him, Alex could see there were no tears in her eyes, just a linger of sadness. It was like a flickering flame, the last remnants of a great fire that had finally begun to run out of fuel. Or rather, had finally begun to die down. "I'm happy for them, I really, truly am. It's just…I guess I'm just coming to terms with the fact that…the relationship we used to have is truly finished." Her hand went to her chest, resting over her heart. He wondered how quickly was it beating and how much sorrow it was beating with.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Shayera. I really am." He earnestly replied. It was never easy for a relationship to end. From what he'd gathered, there'd been a flicker between the Thanagarian and the Green Lantern even after the Thanagarian's invasion, but now that flicker had been truly snuffed out. He thought about the five stages of grief, it seemed Shayera was in the depression phase. Not as bad as anger, but still painful-perhaps the most painful stage of them all. "You know…it's…I think it's okay to be angry. You're still happy for Green Lantern though, right?"

She tucked a strand of vibrate, fiery-orange hair behind her ear. "Yes, I am. Him being happy still does make me happy. If he finds happiness with another woman then…I can accept that. I have to accept it."

Her guilt was talking. Alex had a feeling it might never leave the winged woman, but he wanted to make sure it didn't rule her. "You have a right to being happy too, you know." He raised his right hand, tightening it in a representation of his resolve before reaching over. It came to rest on her left leg-not the most intimate place, nor was it considered too much of a breach of her personal space. Alex at least hoped not. "Putting someone else's happiness is important, it's admirable, but you have to remember that you have a right to be happy too. You've earned it." Turning to him, he saw her about to speak, but Alex cut her off. "Whatever wrong you did before, you've made up for it. If it wasn't when you turned yourself into the government over the Watch Tower misfire, it was when you stood your ground and fought off the last Apokolis invasion."

"Alex, those were-"

"A lesser person wouldn't have done either, and that's not mentioning all the crisis you helped resolve in-between them." He pressed, his eyes filling with a determined fire. "I know I'm far from the best person qualified to speak about this, but you're redeemed yourself. With that redemption…like I said, you have a right to be happy. That may not be with Green Lantern, but the possibilities still exist. There's dozens of men out there, on this planet and beyond it. I'm…I'm sure you'll find him one day."

"You think I'd find someone willing to accept me after everything I've done?" She asked, a slight down tick in her voice.

His stern expression softened as he answered. "You have friends and colleagues willing to do the same, don't you?"

Her eyes widened, then closed as a reassured smile graced her face. If Alex had to guess, she was feeling a bit embarrassed. Normally, she wasn't like this, but he could tell that this marriage news was still working its way through her system. He was sad for her, but he was happy that he was beside her to help her work through it. She needed someone, and of all the people in her life, she'd happened upon him. He valued that, but he valued being able to help her even more. That's what mattered.

That's what made the sudden and unexpected hug he received so much better than it would have been on its own.

"Thank you, Alex. I…I just really owe you one. I told myself that I wouldn't need too many of these pick-me-ups, but here I am." She whispered to him.

"Well, life's full of unexpected twists. I never thought I'd be spending an afternoon on a rooftop with a Justice League member." His arms had slowly wrapped around her waist. "I wouldn't change it for anything."

Rather by his words or something else, the embrace carried on, not that Alex minded. Apparently, neither did Shayera. She seemed content to be in his arms, and he was more than happy to be able to hold her.

"You know, I just thought of something else we could do besides sparring. I've actually been meaning to change things up a little with these little get-togethers." She said. "You up for it?"

"Heh, sure thing." He kept from saying the more time he could spend with her, the happier he was. As Shayera pulled away, he saw the excited glint in his eyes. Though he only had a second to acknowledge it, it was enough for him to prepare himself.

Smiling, she grabbed his hands and took off from the rooftop. Her avian wings spread out and carrying her, and him, into the afternoon sky.

"Ahhh, here I was hoping I'd get a louder scream out of you!" She yelled. Her left arm lay wrapped around his waist, holding him against her while her wings kept them afloat. He knew that her physiology violated every biological law of birds on Earth. The thing was, she wasn't from Earth, so he knew that the rules for her were different.

"Your eyes gave it away!" He shouted back.

"Quick, aren't you!" She laughed.

"I did score a couple of hits on you during our sparring matches." He grinned. "I may not have wings, but that's no reason to count me out. You know that, Shayera."

With a flap of her wings, they rose up higher. The warrior woman's green eyes remained focused on him though. They shined with the most joy that he'd ever seen them. Having the sun on their faces, Alex almost felt like he was Icarus, except he wasn't the one with wings, it was someone else, someone who'd flown to, around, and beyond the sun.

Not to mention he was sure that the real Icarus wasn't this beautiful.

---

Alex had seen city lights from above four times in his life. This time made five, and five had turned into a special number. The fifth time he saw the city lights from above, it wasn't from an airplane, it was from a woman with wings. It was the most pleasant landing he'd ever hand, a perfect end to the best flight he'd ever hand.

"Sorry about that. I might have gone just a little overboard." Shayera offered once their feet touched the solid ground of the rooftop. Not a thing had changed since they'd left seemingly hours ago, save for the night lights which had switched on automatically.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Flying up and down the east coast has never been so awesome. Hell, I never thought I'd feel so safe flying over Gotham." He chuckled.

"Well, I'm just glad that Batman was out of town on business."

"Exactly how close are you to him?" She crossed her arms and fixed him with a daring smirk. "I-I mean, you told me that there was a vote to let you back in and he…he seems like the kind of guy with the memory of an elephant."

"An elephant could only dream of remembering half the things he does." She answered. "It's got its positives. I can't tell you the number of times he's saved the team, people, or the whole world because he remembered something the rest of us had forgotten." Her smile deepened as she wrapped her arms around herself. "You're also right in thinking he's the type that'll hold a grudge, but he's also the type that can move past it."

He smiled at the clear implication that's what had happened between the two of them. Maybe one day he'd hear more of the details.

"Anyways, back to your original question, we're…he's someone that I feel I can talk to more so than most others. Believe it or not, he's quite the conversationalist."

"I give you credit for having the nerve to speak more than five sentences to him." The university student chuckled.

"Five sentences? That's become the new standard? I'll have to tell him he's slipping."

"Could you do me a favor and not mention me?" His eyebrows suddenly rose as a thought struck me. It was one that left him feeling like he'd been struck by lightning. "H-H-He…he…a-a-already knows about me, doesn't he?"

Shayera chuckled in amusement while he continued to shiver in anxious fear. "He probably pulled your name and history that night I chose to stay with you at the hospital. He's…meticulous like that." What started as chuckles turned into full blown laughter as his head fell in defeat. "Relax! It's not like you're on some hitman's list!"

"No, I'm on Batman's. That's even worse."

When he lifted his head, he was frankly surprised to find the Thanagarian right in front of him. Her hands reached out and helped him fully lift himself up-he inevitably found himself staring into her green eyes, so filled with life and amusement. Her touch sent a flutter through him. The already warm night breeze grew warmer as he remained transfixed on the alien woman in front of him.

"And if I told him to stay away from you, would that put you at ease?" She asked in a soothing tone. It still made his heart flutter. Slowly, he nodded, his frown morphing into a slight smile. "Alex, relax. You're a part of my life, and he knows unless it pertains to world security, to keep out of it. You're…you're a part of my life that I just want to keep for myself."

Did she know how she sounded? Did she know how she was making his heart beat like a drum at a rock concert?

"Shay-"

He'd learned that Shayera was a woman that preferred action to words, albeit she could use those pretty well when she wanted to. This time though, it was action-the action of kissing him. Alex was completely caught off-guard, his eyes widening significantly before closing. He gave into the bliss that the kiss brought; it lifted him up into the clouds like a tender whirlwind.

As he kissed her back, he felt the winged woman lean against him, her legs even rising to caress his right leg. It led to a muffled moan that turned into a verbal one as she pulled back.

"Hmmm, you're not too bad." She whispered with a teasing smirk. When he didn't respond, she playfully slapped his cheek. It knocked him out the post-kiss stupor he'd fallen into. "Hey, what about me? How does a kiss from a bird feel?"

There were dozens of things he could have said, but Alex chose to be honest-again. "Like a kiss from heaven."

With a hearty laugh, the older woman threw her arms around him, her lips finding his in another sweet kiss. Without the shock, he was able to immediately return it. Shayera's moans of bliss rose from their attached lips. He felt her hands moving to comb the back of his head. His own lay comfortably around her waist. Distant in his ear was the flutter of her wings. Alex wondered if it was reflex or if Thanagarians did this.

The kiss ended, and in each other's arms they remained.

"Alex," the redhead began. "I…I want to make this clear, I'm not doing this because I'm lonely or desperate. I'm…I've…genuinely come to like you. An afternoon like we just had, like we've had before and…I…want them to continue."

Hearing that made him breath out in relief. "Since I want to keep on seeing you too, I'm happy to hear that. I know that this wouldn't be easy. Dating a superhero is never easy."

"Well, the good news is new secret identities to create some bizarre love triangle, right?" She coyly asked. As he laughed, he realized that as a Justice League member, there were probably dozens of stories involving such a scenario. A feeling in his gut told him that one such story involved the Man of Steel himself. "Alex, I…we may not have that problem but…there are still Thanagarians out there who might come after me for revenge."

"Then they'll have to go through me." He immediately and passionate replied. The training she gave him might not be enough, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't use it to protect her. He'd use everything in his power to protect her despite the power difference between them.

"That's…Alex, as a woman, that's so comforting to hear." Her hands slid to his cheeks, caressing him as she stared into his eyes with amusement. "Although…you should know that I can get pretty violent, especially when it comes to protecting people. If you're going to be my boyfriend…"

"You know, I honestly think you look great swinging that mace. It's just…you."

"Hmm, so you want me to swing it some more?" She teased.

"Hehehe, maybe not today, or shall I say tonight." He replied.

"Good…because I can think of something else I'd rather be doing tonight, Alex." He saw the gleamer in her eyes and immediately knew what she was thinking. While by no means a promiscuous woman, she was very clearly riled up, and after agreeing to a relationship with him she now had an outlet.

Potentially, she also wanted to see if this relationship was going to be worth anything in bed.

He'd only seen the bed that this rooftop apartment twice before-the first time when he first came to the apartment and the second out of sheer curiosity regarding the bedroom. It went largely unused…until now.

His hands hit the end of the bed as he was forced to sit down on the edge, Shayera standing over him. Her breathing had a heaviness to it that was unmistakable. It preceded the next kiss they shared, one where she took full dominance. She bore down on him, slowly pushing him down against the bed.

While her lips remained fastened to his, her hands were moving all over the place. Specifically, her right hand was moving-straight down. Shayera smirked as his lips as she found her prize and squeezed. Alex broke the kiss to let out a rumbling moan. All he could do was stare at the Thanagarian's smirking face as she continued to massage his cock through his shorts. It dawned on him that the "workout" he was going to be getting wasn't going to need his clothes, his workout clothes.

"Hmmm, not too bad." She whispered straight to him. "I'm liking what I'm feeling, but I won't know until I see it with my own eyes."

"Have you always been able to do this?" He spoke through a racing heart.

"Do what? Alex, you're going to have to be specific." She questioned back in a sing-song voice. This Shayera was such a contrast to the one he'd gotten to know over the last three weeks. She was practically a completely different person wearing the same face, the same gorgeous face at that.

Maybe he really had only gotten to know one side of her, and now he was seeing another side. One that he'd been told was no more than two people, now three counting him. "S-S-Se…duction." He grounded out. "I…never would have pegged you…for being the…type."

"Maybe because you didn't know me as well as you hoped you did." She challenged. When his gaze remained unbroken, she halted her groping of his member and kissed him. It was a tender kiss filled with wanting-as if a manifestation of the regret of her words. Or maybe it was a reward for him seeing past them.

Though she wasn't stroking his crouch anymore, Alex was still hard-was still getting hard. The kiss was doing a great enough job of arousing him. Even the short breaks for air they took he still felt the raging boner between his legs. When their lips connected again, a stray impulse overtook him. His hands wrapped around Shayera's waist, he pressed them against his as he thrusted his hips forward.

It was her turn to break the kiss to moan out in bliss. The sound sent a shuddering wave of hot excitement through the black-haired man.

"A-A-Alex," She whispered into his ear.

"You got me all riled up, so don't act surprised." He shot back in a low, sultry voice. "You've gotten me hard and ready."

She rocked her hips against his, making him groan. Deciding to return the favor, he got another moan out of her. His cock was getting harder by the second, but at least he didn't feel himself on the verge of cumming as he had before when she was stroking him. Alex started to entertain the possibility of making her be the one to cum.

"Shayera," he called. She pulled away and looked at him, confusion on her face. Seeing it made Alex realize there was no going back. "Could you…lie on your back? I mean, if it's not too much trouble." The way her eyes widened told him that she knew what he was planning. Just as she was about to speak, he interrupted her with a kiss. She melted into it, and remained somewhat awe-struck after its end. "You always told me actions have a way of speaking of themselves, well let me show you I'm not all talk. On any front."

Amazingly, her cheeks flushed red as the implications truly sunk into her.

Seeing it, Alex couldn't help but seize the opportunity to have a little fun of his own. "Feeling a little nervous?"

"W-W-What? No! I…I…" Despite trying to act tough, he could see it all over her face. What had started out as a pink tint had changed into full redness. "I'm not some virgin who's never been with a man before, ya' know!"

Unable to help himself, he grinned. "I never said you were. I was just asking if you'll let me show you that I'm not all talk about accepting you, and wanting to be with you."

The fiery anger disappeared like a snuffed out candle. Replacing it was a near shy, awe-struck gaze that Alex found impossible to resist. He'd closed the gap between their lips and began a new kiss; Shayera welcomed it, wrapping her arms around his neck to deepen it. Muffled yet tender moans emitted from each of their mouths. As the kiss ended, so too did their moans, replaced by heavy panting that filled the space between them.

Recomposing herself, Shayera looked to both sides of herself. "Right or left?" she whispered.

With his head, he beckoned to his right, her left. With more ease than he thought possible, she laid on her backside, her wings spread out on either side. It was quite a sight, but when taken as a whole Alex was left speechless. She wasn't even trying to be sexy, she just…was. Perhaps it was some alien charm, though Alex was willing to guess it was more her natural beauty. Beauty that had made a fellow Thanagarian warrior a Green Lantern fall for her. He could see why…and she hadn't even taken off any of her clothes yet.

No sooner after he made that realization did he watch Shayera reach behind her back. His ears picked up the sound of a zipper being undone. The next thing he knew her yellow shirt was pulled off leaving him gawking at her bra-covered chest. It was a jet-black sports bra that seemed like a perfect choice for her. Alex spent what felt like hours looking at it, only faintly registering the amused giggles of the redhead who it belonged to. His eyes snapped up to her face. She had a slight blush on her cheeks.

"It's yours to take off." She told him when their eyes met.

Just before moving in, Alex had an idea. It was more of a theory he wanted to test more than anything.

Instead of removing her spirts bra, he removed his shoes and socks, then his shirt. Once it was off, he closely watched Shayera's expression. It was benign, but he saw the way her eyes twinkled with satisfaction. Her green orbs moved over every inch of his rather well-muscled physique. While he was sure he was less muscular than her previous lovers, he seemed to be enough to satisfy her. It helped that she'd added three weeks of physical workout.

Satisfied with her reaction, he crawled over her, leaning down and slowly kissing her. Her hands rose and nestled in his black locks. He felt her own orange-colored strands behind her back. Alex ran his hands through them as he subtly took command of their current kiss. Shayera encouraged him with her provocative moans and sensual grindings. Though her legs were still covered by her pants, their brushing up against his leg still sent a shiver of excitement through him. Eventually, it was both legs, a silent demand for him to hurry up while getting him riled up.

Breaking the kiss, grabbed at the back of her bra and began to pull it upward. Shayera herself sat up. To his amazement, he found the material perfectly slid over her wings. It took a little bit of a time, but he got it off with none too much fuss. Rather than looking at her now naked chest, he looked at the black-colored garb, surprise clear on his face, even as he looked back at her.

"It's a little tricky, but I got used to it…and I'm sure you'll get used to it, Alex." She chuckled.

Grinning, he leaned in, "I'm sure I will." The distance was closed, their lips connected, and so did their chests. Alex felt a jolt as her harden nipples pressed against his bare chest. His hands roamed the naked splendor of her backside, right up to where her wings connected to her body.

"Keep going, feel…feel your way around them." Shayera whispered to him with quiet excitement. "T-T-They're not as fragile as they may look."

"They never looked fragile to me. Strong and beautiful, just like you." He spoke back.

"Heh, flattery?" She joked.

Chuckling, he pecked her on the lips. "Just being honest with you. It's what I've been since the day I met you, and it's served me pretty well so far." His lips next went to her neck, dotting them with soft kisses that had the normally stoic and fierce woman crying out in short bursts of ecstasy. Her wings did move, short flutters back and forth. They felt soft yet warm, incredibly warm, just like the rest of her skin.

"Alexxxx," she cried. His chest had rubbed up against hers long enough. It'd been a while since she felt another man against her. Alex took solace in the fact that he was acceptable to her.

Granted…he wasn't finished showing her what he could do. Not by a long shot.

His lips began a gradual move downward. From the nap of her neck he moved to her chest.

She didn't have the largest set of breasts in the world, but Shayera was by no means flat-chested. Her chest was about right for what he believed to be a woman in her late twenties to thirties at best. Not that he'd ever seen a real life pair on such a woman beyond a computer screen. What he saw before his eyes was his first, and it was jaw-dropping.

He was snapping out of his short stupor by a hand atop his head. It titled his head up so he found his brown eyes staring up in Shayera's. Her cheeks sported a pink tint that complimented the rapid pants that left her mouth. Smiling, he moved his head back down and sank his lips into her right-side tit.

"Ooohhhh~!" Cried the winged alien.

As his mouth quickly, and eagerly, dug into her right-side breast, he moved his right hand to tend to her left. It was just as hard as her right, and thanks to his actions both grew harder by the second.

"A-Aaaahhh~ Aaaahhh~ Aaaaahh~! A-A-Alex~! Y-Yes! I-I…I…never knew…y-y-you were…this good with your hands." She whispered through the shots of ecstasy he injected into her via his actions. "Ooooohhh~! Y-Y-You're…enjoying yourself, a-aren't you?"

Grinning, he flicked his tongue across her right tit. The alien let out a piercing moan of pure bliss, her back arched with her wings seemingly shaking like they were in flight. She seemed to be trying to lifted herself off the bed as an outlet for her mounting joy.

Alex continued for several more minutes, or what he thought were minutes. It was hard to keep track of time when he had something so…delicious to nibble on. When he pulled away, he chuckled at the sight of Shayera's right tit coated in bite marks and saliva, both belonging to him. His lustful eyes swerved to her left, his ears ringing with the sound of her smitten moans.

"Aaaahhh~!" One such moan turned into an outright scream of ecstasy. Her back arched up, her hands grabbing at Alex. One hand went to his back while the other latched onto the back of his head. It seemingly pushed him down against her breast. Alex used the leverage to press his tongue against the harden rose bud. "A-Al-Alexxxxx~!" Shayera yelled again as his teeth bore down on her flesh. "I-I-I…ohhhh~ Y-Y-You're…b-b-better than…I-I…thought you'd be."

An unseen grin preceded him biting and licking her nipple, a double douse of euphoria that had the alien woman arching her back straight up and her wings fanning out. Like actual limbs, they held their spread eagle position, the ecstasy pumping through her keeping them temporarily frozen in place.

"You taste good." He whispered giving just a little space between him and the nipple, now also marked by his predatory lips.

"Y-Y-You still haven't…gotten down to my…" She murmured.

"You're looking forward to me eating you out?" The college student joked. "Maybe you're more horny than I thought." Looking up, he saw that heavy blush on her face that he'd came to be smitten with. Alex could tell that he'd hit the nail on the head, and he had this little birdy pinned. "Shayera," he beckoned.

"I never told you to stop." She challenged.

A shit-eating grin split his face as he took hold of both her breasts, his fingers fiddling with the twin mounds. His face became level with hers. "You can tell me, you know."

Her hands rose, clawing at the sheets above her. The fierce superheroine was increasingly being overwritten by the horny woman that she still was. Shayera fought it for as long as she could but the latter was winning out. "Y-Y-Yes, f-f-fine! M-M-Maybe I…maybe I am a little hornier than I'd like to admit." The confusion got a laugh out of him; Alex knew this was the part where he'd get a headbutt that would likely break his nose. That never came, only a continued glare offset by the fiery blush on her cheeks. She sighed, seemingly surrendering to the truth that he'd subtly coaxed out of her. "It's been…five months since I had a good tryst."

Despite his attempt to keep his cool, his eyes rose in surprise. "Five months?"

"C-Come on, look at me, do I look like the type of woman that's easy to approach?" She defended. With the blush still on her face, it came across as pretty cute.

"No, but that's kind of part of your charm." Her stern expression held for a second longer, then broke. With it, he leaned forward and kissed her. It escalated in seconds, thanks in no small part due to his continued kneading of her breasts. Sultry moans were funneled into the younger man's mouth. They parted after they were forced to broke for air. "I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of, Shayera. If so, well…I'm in the same boat. I told you that my last relationship ended over a year ago and I haven't been with anyone since."

Her hands rose to either side of his face, framing it while she spoke. "Yeah, thinking about it, seems like both of us are getting back into the game, huh?"

"Seems like it." He affirmed. Their faces morphed into mutual smiles before they pressed their lips together. Alex kept moving his hands-kneading supplying the Thanagarian beauty with more of the pleasure that he'd promised her.

Shayera's hands moved to encircle his neck, intensifying the kiss for its last stretch. "Alex, this…I don't want this to be a tryst." She repeated, feeling that she had to after such a confession. "You're worth so much more than that."

"So are you." The kiss that followed was brief but passionate. Shayera moaned in disappointment as the kiss ended by Alex's hand. He dotted kisses down her neck, to her breasts, and then moved lower. Gripping the waistband of her pants, he pulled, watching closely as her muscular yet feminine legs were finally revealed to him for the first time. "Just as beautiful as the rest of you."

Rather than dismiss his words as flattery, she seemingly took them to heart, her cheeks flashing red. They grew redder as he began to pepper them with kisses. His hands eventually began stroking them.

"Y-Yes, oh, yes, Alex." Affectionately begged the redhead.

Alex had a feeling that not too many people focused on Shayera's legs. Unlike her fellow founding member, she kept them covered at almost all times. Like her…victorious love rival, she also didn't show them off even when not doing hero work.

"Like I said, beautiful just like the rest of you, Shayera." He whispered again after he finished peppering her right leg with kisses. Now, he moved onto her left. Her cries of joy continued to play in his ears. As he kissed her left leg, his hand stroked her right, running over the warmth that lingered from his kisses.

"Alex," she called after several minutes. Sitting up, her angelic face was marred by an overwhelming blush. "I-I…I want you to…"

She didn't need to say anymore, he already knew. Personally, he was getting a little thirsty himself. His hands settled on the sides of the jet-black panties that shielded her womanhood from his eyes. A moment later and it was no more, revealing her wet snatch with a shaved patch of orange hair above it. Alex was stunned, his eyes drinking in the sight of Shayera, Hawkgirl's, shaven pussy.

"You…like it, don't you…Alex?" Shayera questioned, her legs still split apart, inviting him.

He rose just a little, looking straight into her eyes. "Yes, I do, Shayera." Quick as a raptor, he dove down, the avian woman his helpless prey.

"OOOOHHH~!" She clawed at the sheets, her eyes screwing shit as his oral assault began. The same legs he'd been kissing and caressing to their mutual contain immediately closed in on the college student's head. "Aleeexxxx~!" Shayera howled. It seemed that her first taste of vaginal bliss was hitting her hard, harder than she ever expected it to. "Aaaaahhh~! Aaaaaaahhh~!"

Alex's tongue went in hard and fast, flicking against all sides of her cunt. Each flick caused the superheroine to shudder atop of him. Her legs squeezed on his head, yet it did nothing to stop him. He pushed deeper into her vaginal hole, his tongue marking it with his saliva. From this moment onward, it was his, his to explore and his to enjoy. His tongue was likewise free for her to enjoy as well, whenever she wanted it, however she wanted it.

Her legs continued to tighten on his head, but again, Alex didn't let that stop him. In the minutes since he'd began, he felt the redhead's vaginal walls starting to tighten on his tongue. He was just a little surprised at how fast her orgasm was coming on, though as she said, it'd been five months since she'd been with a guy. What had she done in that time when an urge struck her? Was he unleashing a pent-up storm?

"AAAAAAHHH~!"

Guess that answers that question. The young man thought before he stabbed his right index and middle finger into the older woman's cunt. Her erotic scream grew louder, making him glad that they were alone on this floor, or maybe even the entire building. Given how loud Shayera was screaming, someone definitely would have noticed and came to the conclusion of what was going on. His inner self grinned in triumph as he circled back to the fact that he was the one making her scream so loudly. With his tongue and fingers working in tandem, the tightness of her pussy kept on growing. Her voice never waned, seemingly shaking the room itself.

"A-Alex~! Alex~! I'm…going to…cum~!"

Unsatisfied with the sheets, her hands shot down to his head, holding it as her pussy exploded in love nectar. It blasted Alex in the face, smothering him from his nose down to his chin. As he'd told her, it'd been a while since his last relationship; the feeling of a woman's juices splashing into his face was almost entirely new to him. Almost, but not quite. Instinct came back to him leading him to reacting accordingly.

Shayera's juices were sweet and warm, just like her once she let her walls down. Her orgasmic wail continued to echo in her ears. It was a sound that so sharply contrasted the fierce battle cries she was known for. Accordingly, the feel of her sweet, warm thighs squeezing his head were at odds with the harsh blows she'd landed on him in the past during their sparring.

For once, he'd been the one to leave her breathless, beaten, vulnerable. That's what she was as he stood up, licking the feminine juices off his face. His brown eyes drunk in the sight of Shayera Hol, Hawkgirl, lying before him stark-naked. Her chest rose and fell in heavy pants, her hair as disheveled mess and her green eyes trying to focus on him. Her wings weakly beat at her side, as if they too were affected by the orgasmic shock the rest of her body had undergone.

Alex crawled atop of her, closing the distance between their mouths in just a few heartbeats. Her hands shot up to his face, caressing his cheeks.

"We're definitely doing that again." She declared. The words nearly made his heart explode in joy, though he liked to think he channeled a good chunk of it into the kiss that followed. It might have been the best one that they had yet. "Right after I finish seeing just how good your cock really is."

This time, she caught him off-guard. He yelped in surprise as she flipped the two of them over. Alex sat up just in time to see Shayera making quick work of his pants. It shouldn't have been surprising how fast she could move, but it did surprise him. His jaw dropped as his cock stood straight up, exposed to the hungry leer of the mace-wielding superheroine. Alex was a second away from speaking out when he felt her touch-her loving touch-against his manhood. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head as the one stroke became many.

"S-S-S-Sha…S-S-Sha…yera…w-w-wha…w-w-w-wait a second. I-I-I…a-a-ahhhh~ oooohhh~" He called, feeling his heart racing like lightning.

"Ahhh, Alex, are you sure you want me to stop?" She faux-questioned. Her tone and the way she tilted her head while batting her eyes at him…she'd done this before. Alex mentally kicked himself remembering that this woman had shown a seductive side of herself that the world never could have dreamed existed.

"N-No." He answered.

"No, what, Alex?" Again that faux-question with that same damn voice, and those eyes.

"No, I don't want you to stop, Shayera! K-Keep going! Please!" Alex yelled, sweat starting to drip down his forehead. It was a battle of iron will to keep from cumming. While Shayera pulled him into this seductive Q&A, her hands never stopped moving. All of it was part of her plan to get him off, and by God, was it working in spades.

Smiling at her accomplishment, she leaned her head down and pecked his tip with her lips. Alex practically beat his cheek to keep from cumming on the spot.

Moments later, his mouth flew up as a hot scream tore through his throat. "Gaaaaaahhh~!" He couldn't see it, but he felt her. The Thanagarian's lips were at least half-way down his cock; it was more than enough though. He felt his restraint come crashing down-as if Shayera had pummeled it into dust with her mace. Shots of his seed burst from his tip straight into her mouth, which suckled his cock like a lollipop. She stayed on him as he came. Eyes hooked on the sight, Alex had to mentally slap himself to make sure what he was witnessing wasn't a dream.

"Mmmmm~! Mmmmmmh~!" Came the redhead's muffled cries as he started working his hips against her mouth.

He was cumming, but Alex still wanted more, and so did Shayera.

Her green eyes looked up at him, transmitting a smile as he began thrusting his hips in earnest. From his end, it was unexpected, but he was more than happy to roll with it, and so was she.

Alex gripped her head with his right hand, roughly his thrusts roughly evolving into an outright deepthroating. Shayera took it like a pro though, which he was certain she was. That said, Alex didn't think about her past relationships, nor did he think about his own. All he thought of was this wonderful moment and how he wanted it to last forever. But it couldn't last forever, not when he was still limited to a human's stamina.

The stream of cum eventually ended. Shayera pulled away as it did, cum dripping from her lips; they curled into a lewd smile that made his spent cock twitch. Watching her sensually lick up the residue was already getting him back into fighting, or rather fucking, shape.

Her hand stretched out and caressed the back of his head. "You're perfect, Alex."

His own looped around her waist, bringing her naked body up against his. "Thank you, Shayera." He whispered to her. Their lips met in a brief but tender kiss. She knew about the insecurity that had quietly developed within him. It was undeniable that he was a stepdown from her previous boyfriends, but she availed his fears.

Her wings fell over the two of them as a sort of makeshift blanket. She gently encouraged him when curiosity led him to lifting his hands up to stroke them. Though she'd let him do it before, there was something undoubtedly different this time. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact they were both lying in bed stark naked. Several minutes of that were a great way for him to regain his strength, and that's exactly what Alex did.

Sitting up, he spoke no words, only looking to the alien beauty with a silent, leering gaze. Smiling back, she raised herself up and positioned her still wet cunt above his cock.

"Impress me some more, and then you'll get the right to be on top." She declared in that sultry tone.

Alex latched onto her hips, grinning at her. "Sounds like I've got something to aim for." As for the first step in that, he brought her down. Shayera let out a cry of happy surprise, which morphed into a long, hot moan as her vaginal hole was filled up with his member. The latter sang in joy as it finally found the place it'd been longing for. Alex himself groaned in joyful surprise. "You're so fucking tight…tighter than…" When his eyes met, Shayera seized on the opportunity to kiss him. It reminded him of how long she'd gone without sex and how much pent-up frustration she had. He looked forward to helping her work it off, and ensuring she never went that long without sex again.

With the fury of his efforts, Shayera's whole body shivered like a leaf in a storm. Alex thrusted his hips up, feeling the tight squeeze of her pussy. He hit her again and again, feeling that same squeeze, each time it intensified. In minutes, he found a rhythm with the alien warrior following after him. They parted lips, though their gazes never broke. Another kiss began, accompanied by the synchronized thrusting of their hips against one another.

Between their warring tongues and their mating hips, the Thanagarian's wings were beating. It must have been an instinctive thing for her race. They seemed synched to every thrust they made-would they create a miniature whirlwind here in this apartment? Alex couldn't help but wonder that, though he realized that he may be finding out regardless. Like Shayera said, they were going to do this again. This.

Her atop of him, and one day him atop of her. One look at her face and he knew he'd probably earned that right. Her face was split in a lewd yet sweet smile. It spoke of all the joy she felt as he thrusted his dick in and out of her womanly silt. She squeezed it with the same force that normally went into her mace swings. The green of her eyes were twinkling bright like polished emeralds. He took a second to admire the near celestial glow of her face before he took her hips. She immediately pushed back, bringing herself down hard atop his hip. Their muffled, shared moans filled the apartment bedroom, as did the sound of the bed rocking beneath them.

"GAAAAAHHH~! OOOOOHH~!" Shayera suddenly screamed, pulling her head back as he hit her g-spot. Alex hit it again, following her advice about pressing an enemy's weakness. He grinned watching the result such a tactic had on the one who'd instilled that piece of advice into him. A string of alien curses spewed from her lips as he continued his assault. Eventually, she worked her way back down to ones he knew quite well. "Fuck! FUCK~!"

"I am…doing it well, Shayera!" He called.

Gripping his head, she gave him a near maniacal smile as her hips continued to work against his. "Fuck, yes!" A new kiss began, long and intimate, yet still not long enough for either of them. "Alex," she whispered at the end of it.

He nodded, "Me…too!" His cock had been going hard, his seed building up within him. It was going to burst, and right into the Thanagarian's womb. He already knew she was on some sort of birth control; she'd told him once that it was a superheroine thing. The multitude of implications hadn't been lost to him, though in this moment they were cause for relief. "Shayera," Alex spoke.

"Inside of me, Alex." Her hips rose, nearly sliding free of his cock before she brought herself back down atop of him. "EVERY LAST DROP, ALEX!" Came her sudden yell.

"THERE HERE, HAVE IT! EVER LAST FUCKING DROP, SHAYERA!" He thundered as he thrusted his hips upward, the cap coming undone and his masculine seed shooting straight up into the superheroine's pussy.

"YESSSSS~! FUCKING YESSSSSSS~!" It was the loudest he'd ever heard her scream, and for it to be in such orgasmic joy. Alex found proud, proud and happy as her love nectar spewed down his tower. They mixed together in a hot blend that poured down the university student's hips.

Seconds passed, perhaps half a minute, then Alex was lying on his backside, panting hard. His alien lover was panting as well, though not nearly as much. Her stamina was triple his, something he'd have to work on in the future to satisfy her. She knew that too, though when she looked down at his sweat, exhausted vestige, she merely smiled.

Shayera fell flat against his chest, her wings once more covering the two of them.

"I…promise that I'll…get better." He wheezed. Alex guessed he might have had it in him to go another round or two after he caught his breath.

"I know you will, I'll be right there beside you. When you're at your best…and your worst." Soothed the redhead. Her green eyes found his. Strength surged throughout his body, and not just his member. "You'll do the same, won't you, Alex?"

His hold on her tightened. "Damn right I will, come what may." Despite the words, he knew it wouldn't be as easy as it sounded. She was still hated by pockets of humanity, and Alex had a feeling she'd remain forever scorned by her own people. Regardless, he resolved to be one of the people who stood beside her through it all. "Shayera Hol, I-mmmm~" Cutting off his verbal vow with a kiss was pretty in-character for her. It was something about her he hoped would never change.

"If you want, I can set an alarm, or…" She trailed off, letting the thought hang in the air for him.

Chuckling, he looked up at the ceiling in contemplation. "Well, I wouldn't mind taking the whole day off. Classes are wrapping up so I'm free. It's you that I'm worried about. I don't want you taking time away from saving the world to be with me. You're still a hero."

"I am." Despite the gloom at the thought of less time together, she shared his joy in that statement. She was a hero, and no one would be able to tell her otherwise. "But I'm also a woman with a social life, one that I know I'll be able to make time for." The affirmation was made with her eyes looking straight into his. Laughing, Alex pecked her on the cheek, much to her joy. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Drop me off by the dorms, maybe a little ways' off. I'll be able to walk from there. Afterwards…call you sometime around eleven?" he offered.

She didn't peck him as he had her, it was more of an outright kiss. "You bet on it, Alex." Shayera answered. Her wings flapped in excitement that likewise raced through his body. Come together, he was sure that both of them would be in motion, soaring through the skies of the world…and then coming home to rest on cloud nine.

Fin

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I dragged my feet with this one a little bit. Though she does have a more seductive side, Shayera's generally a more serious person and that was a bit harder for me to work on. For content, I still had a couple things I could work with regarding her. First and foremost was the Thanagarian Invasion, which I'm pretty sure would stick in people's memories for a whole generation or two. Even with the numerous other alien invasions Earth has had, I think Shayera's involvement in it would cause it to have some staying power in people's memory. That said, people have begun to move past it. I chose to write Shayera doing more of the same, coupled with the realization and acceptance that her relationship with John is a thing of the past as well. Including him and Vixen deciding to tie the knot felt like a way to give Shayera the push needed, and Alex was the one to comfort her over it as an outside voice. As the saying goes, out with the old and in with the new.

That's the second of my Meta Care series, I hope you all enjoyed this one! Like I said, it took me a little time to find some footing with it, but I did my best. The next entry should come in a few weeks. As for which DC heroine it'll feature, I'll leave you all to guess that! Let me know what you thought of this one and keep safe, readers!