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“Hal.”
It was such a small, vulnerable call, so different from the way he usually called Hal, that Hal almost didn’t hear it.
“What is it, Snake?” Dave blinked slowly, his mouth opening and closing a few times, but no words came out. “Is something wrong? Does it hurt a lot?”
Dave only shook his head. “Hal,” he said, “come closer.”
He said it so earnestly that Hal’s legs moved before he knew it. He sat by Dave’s side, careful not to touch his wounded body, his hands yearning to touch the face he had come to love so dearly but not daring to.
Dave licked his lips. Hal reached for the glass of water on the nightstand but Dave shook his head. “Stay with me.”
Hal shouldn’t feel that burst of warmth in his chest every time Dave said he wanted him close, but he did, and it brought a smile to his face.
“I’ll be right back. I’m just grabbing my laptop from the other room.”
“No more work.” Dave emphasized each word carefully. There was an unfamiliar sheen in his eyes. Must be the lighting. “Lie down with me.”
Hal was about to argue that there was a lot of things to be done with the information they almost paid for with their lives when realization hit him. They almost paid for the information on the next weapons of mass destruction with their fleeting lives. They saved millions and almost lost each other. Hal ducked his head. His nose stung and he bit back the tears. His glasses slipped down to his nose but he didn’t push it back up, afraid that Dave would see how hard his hand was shaking.
“Alright,” Hal whispered. “D-Don’t complain if the blanket gets hogged or something.”
Dave probably didn’t buy his faked cheery voice but it gave him enough courage to turn away and strip down to his boxers and shirt. The reason he wasn’t covered in bandages right now was because his partner took most of the damage for him. Hal turned off the light and hesitated, his back to Dave, but then he realized he shouldn’t make him wait any longer.
Hal slid into the bed and carefully reached over to make sure that the blanket covered Dave properly, fussing more than he should. Dave was probably close to dozing off as the painkillers kicked in, and Hal would stare at his peaceful sleeping face until sleep came to him, if it came at all. After one last look at Dave’s feet, he lied down and turned to face him.
Dave was still awake and blinking slowly, obviously resisting sleep. Hal wanted to smile because Dave actually looked goofy when he was sleepy, but stupid tears welled up instead and he didn’t know what to do with all these feelings.
“Hal.”
“Yes, Dave?” Hal tried to not sniffle.
“You okay?”
“The bruise on my ribs is going to look nasty tomorrow but otherwise I’m fine.” Hal gave him a reassuring smile.
“Then don’t lie on your side.”
“But I want to look at you.”
The words were out of his mouth and there was no taking them back.
“Hnngn, you see me everyday. Shouldn’t you be sick of my face now? Anyway, turn onto your back or stomach or the pain will get pretty annoying.”
Hal rolled onto his stomach under Dave’s insistent gaze and also because the throbbing was becoming sharper. Damn himself and his low pain tolerance.
“And take off your glasses too.”
“Go to sleep.” And leave him to his own misery already. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Under the pale moonlight streaming through the window, he could make out Dave’s face but not the color of his eyes. The tension usually present on his face had mellowed out with drowsiness. His beard could use a shaving. Hal’s was probably the same. The tears didn’t come anymore. Good. Let’s just go to sleep and forget how close he was to never seeing Dave doing something as simple as breathing.
Hal waited for Dave to fall asleep.
“Hal, I…”
“Yeah?” Hal let out a yawn.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn't made it.”
Hal planned to answer with whatever witty retort his exhausted brain threw at him, but Dave’s serious eyes shook him awake. The blanket shifted and something touched Hal’s arm underneath. Hal held his breath as he panicked over whether Dave simply wanted to stretch his arm or meant to tell him something or the painkillers weren’t working because Dave’s metabolism was a monster. It was definitely one of these three things and not what Hal was hoping for. What Hal was stupid enough to hope for. In his wildest dreams.
His breath hitched when his partner’s calloused fingers entangled with his cold, bony ones. He let out a choked sob and squeezed back so hard he must be hurting Dave, but he couldn’t help it, and it was such a bad idea to lie on his stomach because he couldn’t even speak properly.
“Dave… Dave, I…”
He trailed off, his throat raw and his eyes burning with unshed tears. What was he going to say? I have always been in love with you? I hope to be with you for however long that we have? Maybe one day you’ll have someone else but I wish that person would be me?
“Hal, I want you by my side. Always. Not just as a partner, but also as someone I care for and love.”
“L-Love?”
“In every iteration of the word, I love you.”
Dave held Hal’s gaze as he spoke, calmly, like this was just a briefing and Hal wasn’t wearing his heart on his sleeve. But Dave’s hand was trembling and sweaty in his and there were tears in his eyes too. Hal’s tears rolled down his face hotly, messily, and the words tumbled out of his clumsy mouth before he even knew it.
“Dave, I have always been in love with you.”
It came out all throaty and uncool but Hal couldn’t care less. Dave loved him. Dave loved him and it felt like the singularly most important discovery in Hal’s life that he was both crying and laughing. He said it again, with all his might, because he wanted Dave to hear it loud and clear.
He turned to his side and held Dave’s hand to his chest and used his other hand to wipe the tears on his partner’s face. Dave was smiling wide too, and Hal couldn’t wait a second longer to feel that smile on his lips. He shifted slowly until their faces were barely apart and closed his eyes, letting his feelings guide the way.
Hal trailed small kisses up Dave’s nose, forehead, cheeks, chin and his mouth with that goofy grin and everywhere in between, until Dave took longer and longer to open his eyes, and finally allowed sleep to claim him. Hal wanted to keep holding his hand but released it to let it rest. Dave loved him. He wouldn’t mind all the handholding they were going to do from now on. And all the kisses too. And the weirder anime stuff that Hal hadn’t shown him yet.
The sun was high and bright when Hal woke up. It was such a wonderful dream that he could feel the dried tears on his face and how swollen his eyes were. He didn’t remember taking off his glasses but they were gone and he had to squint his eyes to see if Dave was still out cold or not.
“Here.” Dave handed his glasses over.
“Oh, thanks.” Hal put them on but he couldn’t quite meet Dave’s eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got run over by two Metal Gears,” Dave grumbled and made to sit up. Hal helped him lean back against the headboard, knowing he wouldn’t like lying still for any extended period of time, and checked the bandages. The wound on Dave’s stomach seemed fine so Hal leaned over to check his shoulder. A sharp pain shot up his side. He yelped and lost his balance but Dave’s arm caught him.
“Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch.” Hal lifted his shirt up to peek at the bruise. Yup, it had turned into such a deep purple it might as well be black.
“I told you to sleep on your back or stomach.” Dave frowned and pulled his shirt this way and that to look at the other bruises.
Huh, this conversation sounded familiar. Hal shrugged internally and sat down with his legs crossed to let Dave inspect him all he wanted. His partner’s protective streak was almost as bad as his own.
“Why is your face so red?” Hal squinted his eyes. “Do you have a fever?”
“I-I don’t, idiot.” Dave sputtered and released Hal’s shirt, looking away.
“Hey!” Hal squawked before he touched Dave’s forehead with his hand and the memories came rushing back. His eyes widened as he remembered the insane amount of tears he had spilled and the fact that Dave said he loved him.
He withdrew his hand but Dave caught it and now they were staring at each other blushing with their hands awkwardly hovering between them. Hal kinda wanted to bolt out of the room and hid under the sofa to contemplate his life for the next 24 hours or something but he also needed visual confirmation that Dave was well and alive despite feeling like he was run over by two Metal Gears. Only Solid Snake could survive being run over by two Metal Gears. While engaging genome soldiers. And dodging Revolver Ocelot’s bullets. It sounded impossible but this was Dave he was talking about. And Dave loved him too.
“What’s so funny?” Dave growled but it sounded nothing close to intimidating when Dave was honest to god blushing, the flush running all the way to his neck and chest.
“You,” Hal giggled.
“Hnngh?”
“You said you love me.” Hal stroked his thumb over the back of Dave’s hand. “I’m very happy. That’s all.” He was smiling so big his cheeks hurt.
“Me too. Uh…” Dave cleared his throat. “Can we…”
“Yeah?”
Dave leaned forwards, glancing between Hal’s eyes and his lips.
Oh.
Oh.
Hal was sure his entire face was trembling when he closed the distance to let their lips meet. It was gentle and perfect and different from the desperate joyous kisses from last night and they both needed to shave and brush their teeth and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Dave’s breath fanned against his face when they pulled back and he opened his eyes to look into warm blue.
With confidence this time, Hal said, “I love you.”
And Dave answered, “I love you too.”