JLU Fic: Silver Lining
Title: Silver Lining
Author: nancybrown
Fandom: Justice League Unlimited
Characters: Green Lantern, Zatanna, Vixen (JLU ensemble mentioned)
Pairings: John/Mari, past John/Shayera
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Words: 950
Summary: The stares John could get used to. The laughs, not so much.
A/N: Trope Bingo square: wingfic!
***
The stares John could get used to. The laughs, not so much. Most of the regulars - Superman, Diana, J'onn - he could count on to be professionals about his new predicament. Flash couldn't even be in the same room without grabbing his gut and having to turn away. Batman just got that Face, the impassive thousand-yard stare indicating he knew, and on the inside, he was laughing his ass off, but he was Batman, and so here was his manly scowl of "I'm Batman."
As for the new League members, there just wasn't any hope. Supergirl thought this was the best thing ever. Green Arrow gave him friendly smiles of commiseration whenever he made eye contact.
Mari refused to look at him. So did Shayera.
Possibly, just possibly, John was going to lose his damn mind before he managed to get rid of his damn wings.
"Okay," said Zatanna, trying her professional voice. "Let's go over this again. From the top. You went out on a retrieval with Hawk and Dove."
John groaned. "It was a meteor strike in New South Wales, nothing major, but J'onn had started picking up readings and wanted a team to check it out, make sure there wasn't any danger."
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Those two started bickering, so I told them to hold the perimeter while I went in. I got a good look at it, ran my scanner over it to check for radiation, and...." He trailed off. He'd passed out, truth be told, like a rookie. "When I woke up, I had these."
John managed to rustle his wings behind him, much as he'd seen Shayera do from time to time when she wanted to point out she wasn't human.
Zatanna made a gesture asking for permission, then carefully stroked the cinnamon-colored feathers of one wing. "Well, I can tell you, it's not magic. Dr. Fate and I have been over the meteorite with everything we've got. Etrigan says it's not demonic in origin, either. I can try to change you back, if you want."
John folded his hands uncomfortably in front of himself on the table. He hated asking for help. It was one thing to rely on his friends and colleagues, using this skill and that in combat, but this felt too much like going hat in hand to a pal, and John hated how weak he felt doing it. Thus, with a heavy voice, he groused out a small, "Please?"
Zatanna smiled warmly at him. "Hang on. Enog eb sgniw!" She raised her arms and made swirling motions, which looked nice, and drew attention to her assets up front rather than her equally fine assets below, so this was probably a stage magic thing. John closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. He had enough trouble with a girlfriend who was pissed off at him for showing up looking like his ex, who was also pissed off at him for the same thing. No use compounding his problems today.
He risked peeking his eyes open. "And?"
But as soon as he spoke, he shifted, and he felt the terrible things still there, still attached.
"Sorry," said Zatanna, with real sympathy. "Look, maybe this is a test or a gift or something. We deal with superintelligent species who want to test humanity all the time. Maybe you're supposed to fly."
"I could already fly," John pointed out, brandishing his ring. Rings and wings. Dammit.
She sighed. "I've got nothing. Go home, rest, maybe it'll wear off." Which was exactly what J'onn and twelve medics had told him, which was why he'd dragged his butt to ask the magic-wielders.
"Okay." He scraped up gratitude from the bottom of his annoyed soul. "Thanks for trying."
On his way back to his quarters, he was aware of the stares even more than before. Bad enough everyone knew his romantic history, now he was wearing it on his back like a visual STD or something. He let himself inside to his room. The light was already on, and he wasn't alone.
"Hey, Boo," said Mari, looking up from the book she'd brought. "Figured I'd wait for you here." It was the first she'd really said to him since he'd come back.
"Hey." John was swimming in unknown waters. Was he in more trouble? Was she here to break up with him?
But Mari was smiling, and he thought no, she wasn't here to fight. "I wanted to see if you were okay. It's got to be strange, walking around in a new body."
"It's not the first time," he said, remembering too well his week or so as Jane Stewart. "I'm fine."
"Not getting all upset because everyone's staring and you kind of look like your ex-girlfriend?" Her smile was a little forced, but Mari had forged a sort of friendship with Shayera which John found in turns refreshing and worrisome.
"I'll be fine."
"Because I was thinking, since you're here, and I'm here, and you've got whole new nerve endings you've never even met before, it might be nice to be here together." Her smile had widened lasciviously. And fine, John knew about several wing-based erogenous zones thanks to his last relationship, but watching his new girlfriend stand in front of him now willing to take him as he was and look deeper into said zones?
Not a terrible prospect at all.
For the first time since he woke up with his wings, John managed a grin of his own. "It might."
***
The End
***
Author: nancybrown
Fandom: Justice League Unlimited
Characters: Green Lantern, Zatanna, Vixen (JLU ensemble mentioned)
Pairings: John/Mari, past John/Shayera
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Words: 950
Summary: The stares John could get used to. The laughs, not so much.
A/N: Trope Bingo square: wingfic!
***
The stares John could get used to. The laughs, not so much. Most of the regulars - Superman, Diana, J'onn - he could count on to be professionals about his new predicament. Flash couldn't even be in the same room without grabbing his gut and having to turn away. Batman just got that Face, the impassive thousand-yard stare indicating he knew, and on the inside, he was laughing his ass off, but he was Batman, and so here was his manly scowl of "I'm Batman."
As for the new League members, there just wasn't any hope. Supergirl thought this was the best thing ever. Green Arrow gave him friendly smiles of commiseration whenever he made eye contact.
Mari refused to look at him. So did Shayera.
Possibly, just possibly, John was going to lose his damn mind before he managed to get rid of his damn wings.
"Okay," said Zatanna, trying her professional voice. "Let's go over this again. From the top. You went out on a retrieval with Hawk and Dove."
John groaned. "It was a meteor strike in New South Wales, nothing major, but J'onn had started picking up readings and wanted a team to check it out, make sure there wasn't any danger."
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Those two started bickering, so I told them to hold the perimeter while I went in. I got a good look at it, ran my scanner over it to check for radiation, and...." He trailed off. He'd passed out, truth be told, like a rookie. "When I woke up, I had these."
John managed to rustle his wings behind him, much as he'd seen Shayera do from time to time when she wanted to point out she wasn't human.
Zatanna made a gesture asking for permission, then carefully stroked the cinnamon-colored feathers of one wing. "Well, I can tell you, it's not magic. Dr. Fate and I have been over the meteorite with everything we've got. Etrigan says it's not demonic in origin, either. I can try to change you back, if you want."
John folded his hands uncomfortably in front of himself on the table. He hated asking for help. It was one thing to rely on his friends and colleagues, using this skill and that in combat, but this felt too much like going hat in hand to a pal, and John hated how weak he felt doing it. Thus, with a heavy voice, he groused out a small, "Please?"
Zatanna smiled warmly at him. "Hang on. Enog eb sgniw!" She raised her arms and made swirling motions, which looked nice, and drew attention to her assets up front rather than her equally fine assets below, so this was probably a stage magic thing. John closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. He had enough trouble with a girlfriend who was pissed off at him for showing up looking like his ex, who was also pissed off at him for the same thing. No use compounding his problems today.
He risked peeking his eyes open. "And?"
But as soon as he spoke, he shifted, and he felt the terrible things still there, still attached.
"Sorry," said Zatanna, with real sympathy. "Look, maybe this is a test or a gift or something. We deal with superintelligent species who want to test humanity all the time. Maybe you're supposed to fly."
"I could already fly," John pointed out, brandishing his ring. Rings and wings. Dammit.
She sighed. "I've got nothing. Go home, rest, maybe it'll wear off." Which was exactly what J'onn and twelve medics had told him, which was why he'd dragged his butt to ask the magic-wielders.
"Okay." He scraped up gratitude from the bottom of his annoyed soul. "Thanks for trying."
On his way back to his quarters, he was aware of the stares even more than before. Bad enough everyone knew his romantic history, now he was wearing it on his back like a visual STD or something. He let himself inside to his room. The light was already on, and he wasn't alone.
"Hey, Boo," said Mari, looking up from the book she'd brought. "Figured I'd wait for you here." It was the first she'd really said to him since he'd come back.
"Hey." John was swimming in unknown waters. Was he in more trouble? Was she here to break up with him?
But Mari was smiling, and he thought no, she wasn't here to fight. "I wanted to see if you were okay. It's got to be strange, walking around in a new body."
"It's not the first time," he said, remembering too well his week or so as Jane Stewart. "I'm fine."
"Not getting all upset because everyone's staring and you kind of look like your ex-girlfriend?" Her smile was a little forced, but Mari had forged a sort of friendship with Shayera which John found in turns refreshing and worrisome.
"I'll be fine."
"Because I was thinking, since you're here, and I'm here, and you've got whole new nerve endings you've never even met before, it might be nice to be here together." Her smile had widened lasciviously. And fine, John knew about several wing-based erogenous zones thanks to his last relationship, but watching his new girlfriend stand in front of him now willing to take him as he was and look deeper into said zones?
Not a terrible prospect at all.
For the first time since he woke up with his wings, John managed a grin of his own. "It might."
***
The End
***