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Hal is starving. His stomach clenches and growls at him. It can almost be heard over the sound of the last pile of debris he drops into a nearby dump truck. He didn’t get to eat before he returned to Earth, and when he finally got here, some sort of robot uprising was tearing apart the East coast. It’s been a good fifteen hours since his last meal. He wants something good, and lots of it.
A flash of white and blue catches his eye. He darts his gaze to the blur, curious, before he realizes its Barry and grins.
Blue Lantern Barry. It’s still weird for him to think about.
He’s running in and out of buildings, doing one last check for any civilians that need help, or structural damage that needs to be taken care of. Hal watches him dismantle a crumbling wall in less than five seconds and knows that he’ll definitely need some chow, too.
He floats over idly, waiting on his approach until he’s sure Barry’s finished his share of clean up. His eyebrow raises curiously when Barry stops beside a pile of debris, and slouches into it, red faced.
“Ba—Flash!” he calls out, and darts over quickly, “You, me, dinner in Shanghai?”
Barry huffs a few times, actually needing to catch his breath for once, before answering.
“I don’t know.” He breathes, “After that workout, and the calories I’d burn just running there, I think I'd need at least ten pounds of dumplings to refuel.”
He pulls his cowl away from his face a bit and reaches in to wipe away some of the sweat from around his eyes. Hal’s eyebrows pinch together in concern.
“Yeah, you should take it easy, man.” He says, reaching out a hand to steady Barry when he sees him sway a bit. “We can just fly somewhere nearby, let the ring do all the work.”
Barry’s eyes flick down to his own hand briefly, and he looks almost startled to see the blue covering himself instead of red. He grabs at his ring hand with the other, as if to hide the object there.
“Uh, yeah.” He says, then clears his throat, “My ring is probably low on juice, though. Be safer just to run.”
Hal raises an eyebrow at that. The most he saw Barry do with it today was make a few shield constructs to protect innocent bystanders from falling debris. He shrugs it off, though. While he keeps his buddy in his peripherals most of the time, he’s can’t always be watching his every move, and as far as he knew, Barry could have used it dozens more times.
But no matter how low it is, Barry’s physical power is even more so. Hal can see it in the tremble of his fingers, and the red, heated sweat on his face. He’d be better off letting whatever power was left bring him someplace where he could eat and rest.
“Dude, you’re about to collapse,” Hal argues, “Just fly with me to the nearest Big Belly and we’ll get you a couple dozen cheeseburgers.”
Barry averts his gaze again, letting it flit to his ring before staring off to a distant point beside them. He sways a bit more, and Hal’s almost ready to just drop the whole thing and carry him himself.
“There’s one around the corner.” Barry says quickly, cutting off Hal’s thoughts, “Let me get my energy up and we can get some Chinese after.”
And then he’s gone. Hal’s not even fast enough to catch the after image or leftover sparks of lightning. He blinks, and throws his hands out to the side in exasperation.
“Alright whatever. Meet you there, I guess.” He says to no one before taking to the air and speeding off himself.
He didn’t even bother trying to talk to Barry when they were at the burger joint. His friend was inhaling burger after burger, fry after fry, and half the restaurant was staring at him in awe. Phones were out and recording the two superheroes, and even if Hal could get his friend’s attention away from the food for even a minute, he figured it wouldn’t be the best time to discuss personal shit.
Right now is perfect, though. They’ve decided to stay in Metropolis after they were wrangled back to help with clean up. Barry complained about being too tired to go halfway across the world after Hal suggested them flying to China. Hal wondered about it, but agreed to stay anyway.
They’re sitting in a secluded area of Fort Hobbs Park, on a bench that overlooks the West River. Their empty take out containers sit between them, piled neatly there by Barry until he’s ready to speed them to the nearest garbage. The two of them lounge tiredly, legs outstretched. It’s too dark to see them now, but the sound of the waves is calming, would make Hal even more homesick for Coast City if he wasn’t dwelling on the burning question in his mind.
“Bar, why won’t you fly with me?” he asks casually, as if he wasn’t thinking about it for the past few hours. Barry shifts beside him. His hands, resting gently on his stomach, tense and move to tap a quiet, short rhythm there.
“What?” he asks, innocently.
Hal frowns at him, “You never wanna fly with me. Or at all now that I think about it. What’s the point of having that power if you don’t use it?”
Barry sighs heavily, over exaggeratedly, and shrugs.
“I just don’t see the point.” He explains, “I can get anywhere just by running.”
Hal scoffs, he gets up and moves to float in front of his friend.
“Yeah, but flying is so much different, Bar.” He says, then floats high enough to do a small aerial backflip. Barry’s grinning up at him when he’s done, eyes soft, and Hal feels his heart skip.
“I’ve carried you around in constructs, but actually being in the open air, surrounded by nothing but your own willpower—or hope.” He holds his arms outstretched beside him, let’s his light shine a bit brighter, “Bro, it’s the best.”
An inkling of interest colours the lines around Barry’s eyes, but it’s offset by the hesitation around his mouth. He bites his lip, says almost wistfully, “I bet it’s amazing.”
Hal floats his way closer, his excitement amping up at the thought of maybe -- just maybe -- getting Barry into the air with him, “It is! You’d see that if you just did it yourself.”
And Barry shifts again, this time to sit up. He stares off to a distant point, fingers tapping at light speed while he thinks. In two seconds he’s looking back at Hal, uncertain.
“I’m afraid of heights.” he says.
Hal crosses his arms over his chest, “Dude. Lamest excuse I’ve ever heard.”
“No, really.” Barry asserts.
“You expect me to believe that?” Hal asks incredulously, “I’ve seen you run up the sides of buildings hundreds of times. Hell, I’ve seen you jump off of a building at least once.”
Barry blinks at him, remains silent for a moment because he knows that’s true. There’s a spark of disappointment and hurt that flares in Hal at the thought of catching him in a stupid, seemingly irrelevant lie. Because everyone knows what flying means to Hal, that it’s a huge part of his life. And he’s always wanted to share that love with his best friend, tried to when he’d wrap him in his own protective aura or carry him in silly constructs. Now Barry has the power to carry himself, the freedom to fly beside him whenever he wants to but—
But he doesn’t want to.
Hal frowns, hugs his arms closer to his chest in an attempt to quell the rising sense of hurt there. But it must show on his face too, because suddenly Barry’s standing in front of him, holding out an earnest hand.
“I’m really being serious here. Heights absolutely terrify me.” He insists, “In those times, when I’m in the suit--it’s different. I’m not thinking about it when it’s a life or death situation. I can’t let it bother me when I’m the Flash.”
Hal relaxes a bit, the explanation easing his doubt a little, but things still aren’t adding up to him.
“So you can fly with me in battle and not think about it.” He says, hating how childish it sounds coming out. Barry’s mouth twists as he thinks about it before he shakes his head.
“Not exactly.” He says, “My speed—it’s quantifiable. I know the physics of being able to run up the side of a building. It helps, being able to tell myself—with proof—that I’ll be okay.”
He shakes his head again, looking at Hal in a way that’s almost apologetic, “I can’t quantify a magic space ring.”
“You don’t trust the ring.” Hal clarifies. Barry doesn’t respond, just keeps guilty eyes on him, “Do you trust my ring?”
“I trust you.” Barry says quickly, “That’s why when you’re around, I can fall out of the sky, or launch myself off a roof -- because I know you’ll catch me.”
All the doubt and disappointment Hal feels melts away with the warmth that statement brings, with how sure Barry sounds when he says it. It’s replaced with a thrill, an excitement that brings Hal to touch ground in front of his friend, hands on his hips.
“Well, I’m here now.” He says, “I’ll be here to catch you.”
Barry’s eyes widen in realization, and he takes a step back.
“No, I don’t—”
Hal steps forward.
“C’mon, Bar. Overcome great fear.”
He follows Barry as his friend keeps moving away.
“That’s your schtick.” Barry says, before his knees hit the bench they were just sitting on. He looks down at it, then back up at Hal, who’s standing closer than he should be, trapping him.
“Fine.” Hal concedes, “All will be well.”
He can see the dread in Barry’s eyes, and feels a bit bad about his insistence, but he’s too excited to stop. He didn’t realize how much he wanted this, to fly with his best friend. He tries not to think about that too hard.
“I don’t even think the ring has enough power.” Barry tries.
“Ask it.” Hal retorts.
Barry lifts his hand, staring at it like it’s the first time he’s ever seen it, and turns it so he can look at the ring.
“Uh, ring?” he says, so uncertainly that Hal’s sure he’s never talked to it before, “Power levels?”
[Power at 95%.]
“Definitely has enough juice.” Hal grins, while Barry frowns, “Alright, let’s do this!”
He floats up until he’s a few feet from the ground. When he looks down, Barry’s just staring at him.
Hal frowns, “Barry.”
He’s met with a distressed gaze, and he crosses his arms over his chest. In the back of his mind he wonders at this turnabout, where he acts like the disappointed parent instead of Barry. He thinks about whether Barry feels that overwhelming sense of guilt at it like he always does.
Finally, Barry gives in. He sighs and shrugs, arms stretching out beside him.
“I don’t know how.” He admits. Hal’s brows furrow in confusion.
“There is no ‘how’, you just do it.” He says, like it’s obvious.
“That’s not really helpful.”
Hal floats down more, until his feet are only inches from the ground.
“Right, I’m talking to the king of overthinking shit.” He says, then reaches his hand out for Barry to take, “Just put all of your concentration on flying, I’ll help you out a bit. It’ll be second nature once you get the hang of it.”
It’s takes a moment of hesitancy before his hand is taken, so he gives Barry a reassuring smile. Barry gives him one back that looks more like a grimace, then he closes his eyes, cowl moving as his eyebrows pinch in concentration. Once Hal sees the blue aura surround him, he starts drifting back up to where he was before, just a few feet of the ground, then stops.
Barry opens his eyes slowly, blinks in surprise when he sees they’re not that far up.
“Okay.” He says, “This is okay.”
“See?” Hal smiles, “Now a little bit higher.”
He makes sure Barry’s eyes are open while they float higher. When they get about fifteen feet from the ground, the hand in his tightens a fraction.
“Still good?” he asks.
Barry nods, though his body is slowly growing tense, “Yep.”
They float higher and higher, and Barry gets tenser and tenser. He keeps his gaze steadily on Hal. His shoulders, the Lantern symbol, his nose—but never his eyes. It’s good, in a way, because Hal keeps them steadily on Barry. Traces over his features, looking for any signs that he might suddenly freak out. Wondering if he likes the blue on him more than the red. Thinking about whether he can convince Barry to try a different costume, one that showed off the blond of his hair. The pale colour would look nice with the blue and white—
“Okay!” Barry’s voice breaks through his reverie, “Wait, wait, wait!”
His other hand comes to grab at Hal’s shoulder, fingers digging harshly into the fabric of his uniform. Hal stops them, flits his eyes up to see Barry staring wide-eyed at the ground below them, now a good dozen miles away. He can’t hold back an irritated huff. They got so far.
“Stop looking at the ground!” He says, but Barry keeps doing exactly that.
“Hey!” Hal calls, snapping his fingers in Barry’s face, “Up here.”
Barry’s eyes snap to his. They’re wide and fearful, and Hal can feel his fingers begin to tremble where they grip to him. He immediately regrets raising his voice, knowing it probably didn’t help with calming him down, so he lowers it. Then, since they’re too high for anyone to see, he wills his mask away so Barry can see his eyes.
“There.” He murmurs, “It’s alright. I’ve got you, okay?”
He brings his free hand to rest on Barry’s waist. Hal thinks they look like they’re dancing, holds back any jokes he’d make until Barry’s relaxed. He keeps his gaze steady on Barry’s, trying his best to convey as much support and reassurance he can, and eventually he feels the grip on him relax.
Barry breathes heavily, and Hal’s just about to suggest going higher, but then his gaze flits back downward and he panics. He flings himself forward, pulling Hal into a tight hug.
“Oh shit!” he swears. It’s rare that Barry uses actual swears, so Hal’s a bit taken aback, and he can’t help the laugh that escapes him.
“I said don’t look down, dumbass.” He chides, but brings his arms to wrap around Barry anyway.
“Sorry.” Barry breathes into his ear. He doesn’t think about the shiver it causes, or how good it feels to be this close. Ignores it, because Barry’s freaking the fuck out and he needs to help.
“I’ve got you, dude.” he repeats again. They stay like that for a good while as Barry gathers himself again. Hal stares off into the night sky, at the lights of Metropolis and rubs a comforting hand over Barry’s shoulders. He tells his heart to settle down.
“This is probably high enough for your first time.” he says absently, and Barry hums in agreement. He’s considerably less tense now, so Hal moves back to look him in the eye. They’re a bit bloodshot, and he’s definitely not as relaxed and carefree as Hal would have liked him to be for this, but he’s breathing normally. And his smile looks less grimacing. That’s better than before.
“You okay?” Hal asks, and gets a nod in reply, “Cool, because I’m going to let you go.”
He moves back as fast as he can, but obviously it’s not fast enough, never could be. Hands grab his wrists in a bonecrushing grip. He doesn’t look Barry in the face because he can’t give in – he has to rip the band aid off.
“Hal, please.” Barry pleads.
“I’m letting go.” Hal responds, “And you’re going to let go, because you’re cutting off my circulation.”
The grip doesn’t let up, and Hal has to bring himself to look Barry in the eye. Just to reassure him.
“Calm down.” He says, “All will be well, remember?”
It seems to work. Barry takes a deep breath, repeats the words quietly to himself over and over. Hal can’t be too sure, but he thinks he sees the light of Barry’s aura get brighter, just a little. Then his hands loosen, enough for Hal to pull away, although he does it slower than really necessary. Barry lets him go, keeps his eyes on him has he floats inches away.
“You good?” he asks.
Barry lifts his shoulder in a small awkward shrug, “I’ve been better.”
His eyes don’t stray from Hal, so he takes it upon himself to make his way to the opposite side of him. Barry is slow to turn, so he takes his time until he’s where he wants to be. When Barry is finally facing the city. He can see his eyes widen a fraction, and dart to get a glimpse of what was in his peripherals.
“It’s beautiful.” He says. Hal turns himself enough to look at them again. They’re high enough that the city twinkles below them, the sphere on top of the Daily Planet building glimmers like a supergiant.
Hal smiles softly, “Yeah, like stars right?”
He looks back to Barry, who’s watching just as softly. His body is more relaxed, lounged back like when he was on the park bench. Except his arms are still out beside him, fingers moving to find purchase on something that isn’t there. Hal wants to grab them.
“Everything is sort of blending together, like the ground isn’t there” Barry says quietly, “—like we’re in space.”
He looks almost dreamy, and Hal can’t tell if it’s because of shock or not, but he figures if he’s not panicking, then he’s not going to worry too much. He finally got him up here, he doesn’t want to spoil it. It might be selfish, but Hal can’t bring himself to care at the moment. He’ll make it up to him somehow. Maybe he’ll let him drag him out to another jazz bar.
He takes advantage of Barry’s distraction, and moves around him again. This time flying down underneath him, and spiraling back up around him until he’s floating above. Barry doesn’t move an inch the entire time, but gazes up at him once he stops.
“What are you doing?” he asks. Hal glides back in front of him.
“Flying.” He states obviously, “You can do it, too y’know.”
“I am.”
Hal shakes his head, “Nah, you’re just floating, dude.”
Barry rolls his eyes, “What’s the difference?”
“Movement.” Hal retorts, then reaches out for his hands again, “C’mon.”
There’s less hesitancy this time when Barry gives him his hands, which Hal takes as a good sign. But when he moves himself, it feels more like he’s pulling Barry along with him rather than them flying together.
“Concentrate.” Hal reminds him, “Move yourself around.”
The drag let’s up, and eventually Barry’s moving by himself. They only fly in small circles, and every time Hal does some sort of aerial acrobatics, Barry stops completely until he can grab his arm or hand again. It’s kind of lame, if Hal’s being honest. He was hoping for something a little more fun when they’d fly around, like racing or maybe even an aerial construct battle, willing and hoping their own fighter jets. Or even just arm chairs for them to lounge in, maybe hang out and watch a sunset together or whatever.
He’ll take what he can get, though. While he doesn’t understand why anyone would be afraid to do this, or even a little bit hesitant, he gets fear. He knows what it can do to people. The fact that Barry’s doing this for him means more than any of that other stuff. They’ll get to do it eventually.
They continue for a bit, but at some point, Barry’s laughter and comments start sounding forced. He looks exhausted despite the smile stuck to his lips, and he’s tensed up again. Hal stops them both, pulling Barry in front of him.
“Need to land?”
Barry’s relief is almost palpable.
“God yes. I’ve been waiting--” he pauses, eyes widening in horror, “Oh god, how do I land?”
Hal smirks, a very, very bad idea popping into his head.
“Like this.”
He pulls him in, tight to his chest, then dives, barrel rolling towards the ground. Barry shouts his name, and screams at him the entire time, holding so tight he might break a rib. Hal laughs, and faces the oncoming dirt and grass with a grin.
Then a mile or two from certain death, he slows them, and moves so that they’re right side up again. Barry still clings to him, breathing hard into his neck. He doesn’t move for a long time. So long that Hal feels dread grow in his chest, and berates himself for being such an idiot.
But then, Barry pulls himself out of his shoulder and Hal hears breathy giggling in his ear.
“You’re—“ Barry chokes, then sniffs, laughing around the words, “You are an asshole.”
Hal grins, and squeezes him, “Sorry dude, you know I had to. You’re laughing, though.”
He pulls Barry back enough to look him in the face. And yeah, he’s laughing, but it’s bordering on hysterical, and there are tears forming in his eyes.
“Please bring me back to the ground.” He pleads. Hal nods furiously, hugging Barry to him again.
“Jesus, yeah okay.”
He floats the rest of the way down, trying to get Barry to the ground as quickly as possible without setting him off again. When their feet finally hit the grass, Barry immediately throws himself face first into it. Hal kneels beside him, stock still, and waits as his breathing evens out to something more normal. He’s not sure if he fucked up and broke his friend, and he’s anticipating—anything really. He just wants him to say something.
Finally, Barry takes a deep breath, and mumbles into the ground, “I hate you.”
There’s no malice to it, just a small edge of humour, and Hal breathes a laugh.
“Nah, that was fun.” he says, “We should do it again sometime.”
Barry moves his head enough to glare at him, and Hal just grins back. He sees the corner of Barry’s lip quirk up slightly.
“Maybe.”
Hal purses his lips. Well, that’s not a no.