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Dust filled Hal's nostrils and he violently expelled it right back out again through his nose. Shaking his head, he searched the dark surroundings helped only by a soft glow of green light from his ring.
Another source of light lay on the ground beside Hal but Sinestro wasn't moving. The sight clamped a cold hand around Hal's heart.
If there had been an actual hand in Hal's chest, he would've really known about it. As it was, he scrambled to Sinestro's side, kneeling in the dusty ground and trying to rouse him with, "Sinestro!" His voice echoed strangely in the collapsed rumble.
Ingrained instinct was telling Hal to keep his hands off Sinestro, who didn't appreciate being touched. So he was hesitating, hands hovering uncertainly, until he finally came to the decision that he'd rather be sneered at and shoved away than the alternative that he didn't want to think about.
With an audible thunk, Hal rapped his knuckles against Sinestro's collar bone. "C'mon, Sin. You gotta wake up." In his tone was a painfully desperate note.
At last, Sinestro stirred, and he sat up quite suddenly. One hand lifted to clutch at his head before he was on his feet.
Startled but also relieved, Hal sat back. "You OK?" he asked. Dust was falling from Sinestro's hair as Sinestro ran his fingers through it and that dust was showering onto Hal so he shuffled out of the way.
There was no response from Sinestro which wasn't surprising. Nothing bothered Sinestro. Whenever Hal asked, Sinestro was perfectly alright.
It did make Hal feel better to know Sinestro was awake, even while they were stuck together in the dark and dust. With Sinestro around, nothing could be really bad. The more experienced Green Lantern was amazing and infallible, much better than Hal though he supposed he wasn't too bad himself.
Using his ring like a torch, Sinestro was looking around. That left Hal to get up off the ground where he'd continued to uncomfortably kneel. While he watched Sinestro, Hal scratched dust from his scalp. Something small and leggy shifted against his hand.
Squeaking in alarm, Hal brushed frantically at the bug and the little black blur wriggled onto the ground. "Ew," Hal complained. "That's disgusting." The bug scuttled away, leaving Hal to stare, while wrinkling his nose in distaste, at the place the bug had disappeared from.
More bugs could've been hiding in Hal's hair but he couldn't see any in the strands of brown hair falling across his eyes. Even when he thoroughly ruffled up his hair, nothing fell out but dirt.
Just in case he'd missed something, Hal bounded over to Sinestro. "You see any more bugs?" he asked, presenting his head so Sinestro could have a look.
After a brief pause, Sinestro assured, "There are none." He didn't ask Hal to look through his hair. Being the very intimidating and powerful Green Lantern that he was, Sinestro had probably scared off insects from thinking about going anywhere near him.
As Hal brushed more dirt from his hair, his fingers brushed against a sore spot on his skull. The explosion he and Sinestro had been caught up in had thrown Hal against falling rocks and his vision had briefly gone black. The bruise forming had been the point of impact.
"Using our rings to escape would be unwise," Sinestro told Hal. "It may collapse the ground further. I would suggest..." He trailed off.
When Hal looked up, he was ready to either engage in fighting Sinestro's enemies, or be pulled into Sinestro's suggestion. What he hadn't expected was for Sinestro to be across the dark space and completely fascinated by some ugly bit of old wall.
Long thin fingers with the prettiest nails were brushing dust from the stone. It brought a heated flush to Hal's skin, spreading out over his body, as his eyes followed the path from the tips of Sinestro's fingers to his wrists and arms and the whole wonderful figure.
Putting an end to where his thoughts were going, Hal averted his gaze. His newfound interest in the ground helped him to pick his way across the rubble, eventually flying when he remembered he could and landing at Sinestro's side.
The fascinating thing Sinestro had found to look at in the old rock, enough that he was completely absorbed in it and hadn't even acknowledged Hal's arrival, was some kind of scribble pattern. It looked a little like a rat had been drowning and had tried scrabbling up the wall to escape. Alongside bugs, Hal warily looked around for rats too.
It was possible Sinestro had lingering side effects from the explosion but it was more likely that Hal just didn't understand. Lips pursed, he looked from the wall to Sinestro.
Rather than being annoyed that Sinestro still wasn't looking at him, Hal just allowed himself a small smile. It was, admittedly, pretty cute that Sinestro was so fascinated. "You going to explain to me what all this is about?" Hal prompted from his place at Sinestro's side.
That did catch Sinestro's attention. "As ever," he said, snootily affronted, "you fail to see beyond the surface." Nevertheless, he seized Hal's bicep and pulled him closer.
Getting a closer look didn't help Hal to see what was so exciting. There were still scribbles in the wall, although he thought maybe they'd been carved by a rock rather than a rat. It could've happened when all the debris had fallen.
"This here -" Sinestro indicated to a series of scribbles on the wall "- is the history of the alien civilisation we have been speaking with. My ring has no such records. It may be possible that we are the only outsiders to learn of this information. This section -" he pointed to another series of scribbles "- recalls a being that fell from the sky, likely of another planet, and the civil war that resulted."
It might have all been very interesting to Sinestro but Hal was a little lost and couldn't really follow along. All he saw were a few, and not very good, crude drawings of stick people while Sinestro somehow extrapolated a whole other world from it. That was an amazing skill of Sinestro's but it didn't help Hal at all.
As much as Hal had begun to focus more on the melodic tone of Sinestro's voice rather than what he was trying to explain, he could tell Sinestro hadn't lost interest at all. Those cool fingers would occasionally wrap around Hal's wrist to direct his attention to a new part of the story and there was so much energy in Sinestro's voice. It was endearing.
Since he didn't want to be raining on Sinestro's parade or anything, Hal tried to engage with the enthusiasm, asking a few questions and humming acknowledgement when appropriate. If they hadn't been trapped under rubble and everything, Hal would've been happy to do it again.
That rubble above them shook suddenly, and a few rocks fell down. Though Sinestro hadn't seemed to notice, Hal did.
Without thinking, Hal grabbed Sinestro's hand but let go instantly as he was glared at. "Sorry," Hal muttered, but then urged, "We need to go. This place is going to come down any moment."
"You may leave if you must," Sinestro dismissed Hal with a wave of his hand. "I would rather complete my reading."
The position Sinestro had taken was very clear, emphasised by the way he'd turned his back on Hal. Used to listening to Sinestro's advice, Hal was torn. Somehow, this story had become more important to Sinestro than his own life or even the aliens in the present who might've needed their help. While Sinestro was ready to die, Hal wasn't going to let him be squished by a falling ceiling just to fangirl.
A few wild ideas passed Hal by, including picking up the wall Sinestro was so interested in and taking it with them.
More tremors shook their underground trap and a rock slammed into the ground nearby with a nasty crack. They were running out of time. Determined not to leave Sinestro behind, Hal shoved him aside and waved his ring over the rock wall.
"There," Hal said, flashing his ring in Sinestro's direction. "I've copied it so you can read it later. Will you leave now?"
Like any Green Lantern, Sinestro was stubborn, but he also had the ability to see reason. After a brief pause, he tilted his head in agreement and brushed past Hal. "Of course."
All composure had been returned to Sinestro as he beckoned for Hal to follow him. It was, ultimately, a good thing, because it meant Sinestro could stay safe. Still, Hal was a little disappointed. He'd liked Sinestro's enthusiasm and he hoped he'd see it again in less deadly circumstances.