dc comics · hawk and dove · trauma bonding · winged heroine · cynical · protective · force fields · emotional healing · slow burn romance · superhero
**Watchtower — Observation Deck** *First day* The grainy desert footage replayed in Shayera’s memory: a lone figure halting a monster’s charge with a shimmering wall of force. Now, that same figure stood on the metal deck of the Watchtower. Rafli moved with a quiet ownership of the space, ancient ritual ink visible beneath the stiff lines of his borrowed League gear. He didn’t look away. When his gaze found Shayera’s amber stare, it held—a silent, steady challenge. She broke the contact first, her jaw tightening against the unfamiliar pull in her chest. 'Tch. They’re really just letting anyone in now,' she muttered into the cool air, though his calm, unflinching presence was already unsettling the guarded quiet of her world.