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Yet again, Hal had been given the most unappealing plate of food. It somehow looked even worse than the food of the previous day. After days of eating the same disgusting gross sludge, his stomach was protesting and he was fed up. Still, he was resigned. There was nothing else.
Gloomily, Hal looked around for somewhere to sit. The hall was a sea of green with Lanterns grouped together over their own food. A few tables were free so Hal began to head in that direction before he stopped dead.
Most of the Green Lanterns were eating with others, leaving just one lone figure. That figure was familiar to Hal who had spent a great deal of his time mapping it out with his eyes. Those long elegant limbs and the stiff posture as Sinestro sat, huddled over the table with one elbow supporting his head, was easy for Hal to pick out from several thousands Lanterns.
What interested Hal was seeing Sinestro on Oa when there was no universe ending crisis. Most of the time, Sinestro preferred his own company in his own sector.
So, curious and just a little excited, Hal changed his direction and approached the solo Green Lantern. His pace was significantly faster than it had been before and there was a new eager bounce in his step. The interest he had in Sinestro was almost enough to make him forget the terrible food.
Slightly breathless, Hal slid into a seat opposite Sinestro, sat his plate down and greeted, "Hey." His eyes were bright and drinking in the sight of the slimmer figure opposite him.
Busy scribbling something down on glowing green construct, Sinestro acknowledged Hal's presence with little more than a brief hum.
Not at all put out, Hal leaned in a little closer. "Whatcha doing?" He took a bite of his food, choked on the taste and spat it out. Wiping at his mouth with the back of one hand, he shoved the plate away with more force than was strictly necessary. "I've had it with this garbage," he declared. "I won't eat anymore."
Firmly punctuating his words, Hal sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. When he noticed Sinestro staring at him, he flushed, cheeks heating up. He couldn't help it. In his opinion, Sinestro was the most amazing and awesome and the greatest Green Lantern ever and he didn't want to look silly in front of him by acting like a toddler.
"Jordan," Sinestro said and Hal didn't miss the spark of amusement in those eyes. "I would suggest returning to Earth... and eating there."
Relief washed away all of Hal's self conscious feelings. At first, he'd been thinking Sinestro wanted to be rid of him which wasn't cool at all. Instead, there was a definite upward curl to Sinestro's lips as he leaned toward Hal with his fingers laced under his own chin.
The proximity of Sinestro prickled on Hal's skin and his stomach was tight. It could've been because Hal remained really hungry but food was the last thing on his mind while he had Sinestro so close to him. Everything in his brain had just frozen up while he absorbed the position he was in and eyed up Sinestro like it was his only chance to do it.
Even though Hal was actually literally hungry, Hal was thinking of Sinestro as way more appetising than any food. His mouth could fixate on just a single spot of skin and swallow the taste down until nothing was left. Then there was always more skin. It wouldn't do anything to fill Hal's stomach but he was thinking about it.
Before he could say anything unwise, Hal dug his teeth into his bottom lip and averted his gaze. He scrambled for a distraction.
Food on Earth would actually have some substance, unlike the garbage that was served on Oa. It would also do something for Hal's stomach which, regretfully, licking Sinestro wouldn't. Just the thought of real solid food had Hal's mouth watering, and he licked his lips. The problem was that Hal couldn't return to Earth.
Shaking his head, Hal was downcast. "I can't," he told Sinestro. If he went back to his home, the illusion where he could be nothing less than a Green Lantern would shatter. On Oa with Sinestro, he felt freer than he'd ever been.
Since Hal couldn't avoid Earth forever, he'd have to return eventually but eventually wasn't that exact day.
Cautious of Sinestro's reaction, Hal glanced up but all he received was an acknowledging nod. Then Sinestro stood up which was a little disappointing to Hal. Their conversation hadn't been going too badly, in Hal's mind.
A knowing smirk from Sinestro informed Hal that his ultimate hero had picked up on exactly what he was feeling and so, promptly, he flushed again and hid his face. For the most part, he was trying to act like he didn't care, opposed to coming off as too needy. The main problem was that Hal was at heart a very needy person.
"I will return," Sinestro assured, amusement in his voice before his feet moved out of range of Hal's subtler staring.
Deeming it safe, Hal lifted his gaze and wasted no time in fixating back on watching Sinestro. That tall figure as it sauntered across the room was all clean lines and interesting angles, unhindered by fabric because of course Sinestro was wearing his Green Lantern suit molded perfectly to his skin. If Hal reached out, it would feel just like skin as well.
Anywhere Hal touched would be reverent but careful, and he'd be ready to withdraw his fingers at any moment. Still, he wanted to know what the seams of Sinestro's body felt like. It was possible they were like stone, unyielding as Sinestro was, or they could have been just like a human's. Which was the more exciting prospect, Hal couldn't decide.
When Sinestro stepped into the air and flew, gaining extra speed, Hal tried to focus on something else. It was an impossible task. As much as he tried to keep his attention away, it kept gravitating back.
Something new about Sinestro was always vying for Hal's notice. At the moment, it was Sinestro's legs, two lean muscle machines that had to have been composed primarily of hard material. If Hal tested the surface, other than getting himself kicked in the face, he doubted he'd feel much give whether Sinestro was like a human or not.
When Hal lifted his gaze, Sinestro had started chatting up an unknown Green Lantern. Every line of his body was a flirtation and Hal's brain, had it been over there, would've shut down completely.
As Hal was forced to sit there, waiting and assuming that someone else had gained Sinestro's attention, he chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. It was a bit like getting stood up except Hal could see Sinestro across the room and knew for certain that he'd been blown off rather than worrying endlessly over it. And it was very annoying.
More fed up than ever, Hal made to stand and leave but stopped. There was Sinestro, calmly retaking his seat.
A small red object, glistening in the green light, was held out to Hal. "For you, Jordan," Sinestro invited. The object looked rather like a fruit. "Eat it."
Hesitant, Hal accepted the offering, careful not to touch Sinestro, and he held up the possible fruit to examine.
"Eat, Jordan." The order cracked like a whip, making Hal jump. "I will not have you passing out from starvation on our flight to Earth. That would be irritatingly inconvenient. Don't you agree?"
Mind racing, Hal considered the implications of what Sinestro had said. Returning to Earth with Sinestro was the more pleasant proposition than returning to Earth by himself. He'd be with Sinestro and that negated a lot of uncool things. Though he could've argued, and he liked the way Sinestro's eyes flashed when he did, Hal accepted the order with a sense of excitement.
Thinking no further on it, Hal bit into the fruit he'd been given. It could've been poison but it wasn't. Sweet juice of real food flowed into his mouth and he bit back a noise of appreciation before swallowing and consuming the rest so quickly that he almost choked on it.
Only then did Hal really understand the depth of his hunger because he was licking his fingers and then his lips, trying to get every last taste.
When Hal had finished, he looked up to Sinestro watching him closely. Somewhat embarrassed, Hal averted his gaze again and ran his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He could still taste the fruit and he turned back to Sinestro.
"Thanks," Hal said. As much as he'd been tempted to grab Sinestro's hand or something to enforce his sincerity, all Sinestro's limbs were tucked against his body so Hal had mirrored that posture and tried to convey his gratitude with only his voice.
Under Sinestro's gaze, Hal was being dissected and seen through to the deepest parts of him. It left him with the sense of vulnerability that affected his whole body, gathered him up and tied him at Sinestro's mercy so the shivers down his spine weren't even the most intense part of it.
Whatever Sinestro saw in him mustn't have been too awful because that slight curve of his lips was back. "It is my duty," was all he said, shockingly honest.
That contact was finally broken and Sinestro stood, elegantly towering over Hal. Automatically, Hal stood too.
"Ever the planet rotates beneath our feet," Sinestro commented. "Let us leave for Earth. And do not dally."
Even as Hal trotted after Sinestro like a puppy on a lead, he was staring at the ground with a furrowed brow. It didn't seem to him that the planet was rotating and he didn't want it to anyway. The world could be at a standstill, balanced in a quiet moment where he was focused on Sinestro, and Sinestro was focused on him.