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When Hal woke, it was to a pounding headache and no memory of anything leading up to that moment. Beneath him was a cool smooth surface, soothing the general uncomfortableness of his body, and it was rising and falling in a steady rhythm. It took a long moment for the significance of that movement to register.
Wary of his latest bad decision, Hal cracked one eye open and immediately wished he hadn't. Throbbing pain was smashing into his head and the bright light hadn't done anything to help. All he'd seen was a very familiarly coloured expanse of skin.
The chances of Hal lying on top of any Korugarian other than Sinestro were very slim. In actual fact, Sinestro was the only Korugarian Hal wanted to be lying on top of because to consider the other options was way too weird. Whether or not it was a situation he'd regret was yet to be decided but for the moment, Hal was content enough not to scramble away as fast as he could.
Braving the stabbing lances that went through his eyes and into his head, Hal peeked open both eyes and squinted around. The place was absolutely trashed. Broken dishes, splashes of alcohol, scraps of food and of course, discarded clothing which was mostly underwear, all lay strewn around. It looked like the result of the most epic party and Hal was disappointed he couldn't remember any of it.
Some people around were in the same state as Hal, squinting through a hangover, while others were making half hearted attempts at cleaning up or putting their clothes back on. Concerned, Hal looked down at himself, wincing as the sudden action made him hurt all over again. He at least, was still wearing clothes, although his Green Lantern suit had vanished from sight. A quick glance at his hand revealed he still had his ring. It was only empty of charge.
Contemplatively, Hal turned his gaze on the body beneath him, though he was careful about it so his head wouldn't explode again. The two of them were curled up together on the floor. Sinestro was using Hal's discarded jacket as a pillow, while Hal was using Sinestro as a pillow.
With great caution like it was some kind of spy movie high stakes mission, Hal crept his fingers down to Sinestro's left hand, fumbled a bit, but finally snatched up the yellow ring. Then he proceeded, struggling immensely, to shove the small object into the tight back pocket of his jeans. It was a real mission, the kind of thing his training as a Green Lantern had sadly never covered.
When Hal deemed the ring safely out of Sinestro's reach, he went to relax back down and found Sinestro was staring at him. "... Hi?" Hal tried. His fingers came up in a little wave.
Instead of responding, Sinestro rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in his makeshift pillow. That dislodged Hal who was forced to shift position and throw himself down over one side of Sinestro's back instead where he snuggled in with as much overbearing obnoxiousness as he could muster.
Muffled by Hal's jacket, Sinestro made an exasperated sound. "Why must you be you?" he asked but it was more of a lazy complaint. If he'd really been annoyed, he could have easily thrown Hal off.
Head buried in Sinestro's shoulder, Hal grinned to himself. "It's natural talent, babe," he teased. "You should try it some time."
The curve of Sinestro's vertebrae was fascinating to Hal, sharp angles beneath bare smooth skin. Curious, he traced a line across that spine with his fingers, massaging into the ridges.
Somewhat sleepily and very much whining, Sinestro murmured, "Leave me alone."
Smiling, Hal withdrew his hand but otherwise didn't go anywhere. "You're so sweet," he cooed. "And such an incredible way with words. The eloquence of your speech... It's a wonder the universe isn't deeply in love with you."
Maybe missing the sarcasm, Sinestro made a pleased hum. "I'm aware," he said, all arrogant satisfaction.
Where Sinestro couldn't see, Hal rolled his eyes but still he was delighted by the civil conversation and that he hadn't been pushed away yet. Almost absently, his fingers went back to stroking along Sinestro's spine. No comment was made about it that time.
In the lazy silence that followed, Hal marvelled at Sinestro's relaxation. It could've been that Sinestro was hungover too, or that they'd been cuddling before Hal passed out.
Disappointed he didn't remember, Hal tapped his fingers against the back of Sinestro's head to catch his attention and asked, "Do you know what happened?" It didn't matter too much. Given the chance, Hal would have been happy to replace his missing memories with new ones.
"Yes..." It was a bit of a resentful mutter. "You derailed my plans with your impromptu party. As I recall, the Green Lanterns that accompanied you were not pleased. I believe they left when you began to take off your clothes."
The words sparked Hal's memory and though his head pounded while thinking, he could confirm the truth of Sinestro's words. It had been Hal's idea of a distraction to break up a very tense politically fragile situation. Happy to have a good time, the civilians had been pulled into it, especially when Hal had mentioned the Green Lanterns would generously pay for everything. Not much fighting had managed to happen after that.
At some point between the loud music and large amounts of alcohol, Hal had dragged Sinestro into the fun. Out of the group of Yellow Lanterns and Green Lanterns, Sinestro was the only one who was willing to play along with Hal.
All the time after was a whirlwind blur of intoxication and overwhelming emotion as Hal had danced with Sinestro. Every brush of skin had drawn Hal in deeper, seduced by Sinestro's lips on his neck and the breath on his jaw. It was the closeness he appreciated most however, the intimate press of Sinestro next to him.
"You're a good dancer," Hal offered his compliments. "Did I step on you?" That was the usual occurrence whenever they danced together but Hal only remembered his hands all over Sinestro, not his feet.
"More than once," was the apathetic response. Sinestro didn't sound too broken up about it. "As you can see, I survived."
Muscles tensed under Hal in preparation to move and he sat up the moment before Sinestro did, only to press himself back up against Sinestro's side. No attention was paid to Hal as Sinestro rubbed sleepily at his eyes. There was only a slight pause as Sinestro's gaze fell on the finger where his ring should have been.
Apprehensive, Hal fidgeted, but Sinestro just rested his hands in his lap and stared at the ground. When he looked up and met Hal's eyes, there was no desire to fight there.
It was an empty victory for Hal that he'd succeeded in stopping whatever Sinestro might've been up to. The hangover was making his head pound again and he was feeling bad that he'd stolen Sinestro's ring while Sinestro had been defenceless. All he'd done was postpone the fighting, because that was what always happened. It was an endless cycle.
Lips twisting sadly, Hal dropped his head onto Sinestro's shoulder and sighed. In their little bubble, he wanted to remain.
Fingers slid into Hal's hair and Sinestro's ethereal gaze was studying him intently. "Jordan, I... find myself conflicted. I have no wish to fight you."
They were forehead to forehead, noses brushing, so Hal's own breath was reflected back at him when he scoffed. Still, he couldn't forcibly crack the fragile atmosphere, couldn't pull away from the soothing balm that was Sinestro and would have preferred to capture his lips, push him down and lose himself in the touch.
The alcohol still in Hal's system was probably affecting him, and it was definitely making his head hurt when he quipped, "I wouldn't want to fight me either."
Those eyes flashed, narrowed, and Hal felt it shiver through him. Regardless of Sinestro being without his ring, he was still dangerous and it could've been only the aftermath of the party that had kept him so friendly.
Sharp black nails dug into Hal's upper arm and Hal dropped his gaze, grateful for the excuse to look away. He knew what Sinestro was doing and where the conversation was going but he was opposed to it, would have wanted to talk about anything else. In his chest, his heart was racing. It could never have the outcome he wanted.
"Why do you care nothing for me?" The intensity of it startled Hal and he was motionless as Sinestro's thumb briefly caressed his cheek. "Am I nothing?"
Though the fingernails in Hal's arm stung and the headache of his hangover throbbed, it was Sinestro's words that hurt Hal the most. Coaxing forward Hal's longing, Sinestro's touch lingered, and Hal was sure how affected he was had to be visible.
Vicious satisfaction sparked in Sinestro's eyes and Hal, teeth gritted with his annoyance, finally slapped away Sinestro's hand.
The proud emotion faded from the Sinestro's eyes to be replaced by something far more subdued as he held his rejected hand to his chest. "I don't want to hurt you," he told Hal, almost resentful and upset himself.
"You are!" Hal snapped. Nearby to him, one of the civilians woke from their snoring with a start. Making an effort to be more considerate, Hal lowered his voice and repeated, "You are hurting me. You have to know that."
They were close together again but Hal kept his gaze down, examining the delicate form of Sinestro's collar bone. If he looked at Sinestro too much, he'd start to feel bad again and sympathise because he knew how it felt to believe himself to be the only one who cared. It was the exact thing he was thinking about, that Sinestro was only trying to manipulate him.
The tight grip on Hal's arm released and he winced, sure there'd be a mark left. Sinestro was like a cat in that he was unaware his grip would hurt humans, or he just thought of himself as more important than Hal's comfort. It couldn't have been that he knew how desperately Hal wanted Sinestro dug into his skin.
Bright red marks did indeed decorate Hal's bicep, stinging a little, and he stared at them so he could keep avoiding looking at Sinestro.
"It is not my intention," Sinestro told Hal, "to hurt you. Ought you not to know that?"
The confession didn't surprise Hal. It was its validity he questioned, and that was the question he wanted to avoid answering. The truth, either way, would only distress him.
A shudder shook Hal when Sinestro's fingers slipped under his shirt and travelled up his chest, while Sinestro himself was leaning all the way in. It was like ice melting through his skin and seeping into his blood, spreading to every part of him until there wasn't a single cell that was left unaffected by Sinestro. It was perfect and terrible.
There wasn't much more that Hal could take. Haste making him clumsy, he shoved his hand in his pocket and searched around.
Before Sinestro could try anything else, Hal shoved the yellow ring at him. "Go." His throat was uncomfortably dry. "Please just go."
Expression unreadable, Sinestro halted his exploration of Hal's chest and gazed at his ring. It could've been that he'd not realised Hal had it or maybe he hadn't wanted it back so quickly.
Desperate for some indication of what Sinestro was thinking, Hal searched his face. "Sin?" The name was spoken uncertainly as had become the custom. Sometimes, Hal couldn't connect the two versions of Sinestro as the same person. Right then though, he could feel the conflict in his friend.
Finally, Sinestro stirred, retrieved his hand from under Hal's shirt and took the ring. It was weighed in his hand for a moment of consideration before Sinestro leaned in close to Hal and his lips brushed Hal's cheek. "Thank you," he said quietly.
In the brief pause that would precede Sinestro pulling away, Hal couldn't stop himself from grabbing on. His arms wrapped around Sinestro's torso, skin on skin, and he buried his face in Sinestro's neck.
For just that moment, Hal could feel properly content, one with Sinestro. Then he shoved away the figure who was supposed to be his enemy.
Smoothly, Sinestro rose to his feet, and Hal was hit with a very deep sense of regret. He bit down on his tongue, partly to stop himself from speaking and partly to give himself something else to think about as he had to watch the yellow light reform over Sinestro's body like an impenetrable barrier between them.
The shimmering light was bright, too bright for Hal and his sensitive eyes. Squinting again, he turned his head away. It was a relief not to have to watch Sinestro leave.
Of course, Sinestro had to have the last word. "Do not think you have won this time, Jordan." The arrogant disinterest might have sounded a little bit forced or that could have been Hal's imagination. "This is but a small delay."