Work Text:
When Barry had knocked at Hal's apartment's door and not gotten an answer, he had let himself in with his spare key, concerned for his friend.
Hal was bad at taking care of himself - as many superheroes were - and he had looked quite unwell when he returned from Astare-9 two days ago. He hadn't even answered Barry's messages since then so it seemed it was time to stage an intervention, just in case Hal had been sicker than he had let on.
Barry had crossed the hallway silently and pushed the first door on his left open.
He hadn't been ready for the sight that greeted him in Hal's living-room. Hal was there, asleep on the sofa… with another man's arms wrapped around him.
Quicker than Barry would have expected from non-meta humans, they had both reacted to the sudden movement in the room - and the creak of Hal's floorboards.
Hal's guest had rolled on his side to shield Hal with his body and Hal had willed a glowing barrier between them and Barry into life. The construct looked less vibrant than Hal's usually looked but Barry didn't doubt its solidity.
"Relax, I've come in peace," Barry had said, palms up.
Hal and the other man had shared a pointed glance and Hal eventually dropped his construct just as Barry's brain finally registered the identity of his companion.
"Hey, Hal. Bruce. I didn't know you were there." he said, waving but a bit troubled.
"Barry," Bruce nodded as he and Hal sat up more comfortably, leaving some space between them.
There was an awkward silence. Bruce and Hal looked at each other again and they seemed to reach some kind of agreement as Hal gestured for Barry to take the armchair facing them and Bruce volunteered to make tea.
"You felt a bit off two days ago and then you didn't answer when I texted you so I thought I could check on you," Barry said. "I didn't know you had company."
Bruce's presence resonated as a bit strange in his mind but Barry was having a hard time figuring out why. He knew Bruce and Hal had been getting along better with the years, they were probably friends at this point.
Maybe it was because he had thought the man hugging Hal to his chest could be a boyfriend before he recognized Bruce and figured they had just fallen asleep unexpectedly.
Hal still looked quite tired, dark circles obscuring his eyes.
"Um, yes. I'm doing fine," he said.
Hal started bending forward to reach for the blanket which had fallen on the floor. He winced and Bruce got it for him and wrapped it around his shoulders carefully.
"Here," he said softly and Hal smiled at him a bit feverishly.
"Hal's sick with the flu again," Bruce explained.
Hal rewarded him with a dirty glare, crossing his arms on his chest. Hal seldom wore sweaters but he had put one with the logo of some company or another on.
"So soon ?" Barry pointed out.
They weren't even in November yet.
"It's space flu," Hal said as if it was an evidence, shrugging and then making a face, obviously in pain.
"You shouldn't see an alien doctor for that ?" Barry asked.
Bruce's gaze suddenly focused on Barry as if he was surprised by his reaction.
"I did the first time I've got it but they assured me it wasn't worse than the variants we get on Earth. I tend to get it most years. It's okay most of the time," Hal said and Barry had to wonder about the other times.
"You mean that you've dealt with it alone until -" Bruce asked, and there was something akin to sorrow in his eyes.
"It's okay," Hal said, wrapping a hand around Bruce's wrist.
Something passed between them that Barry couldn't quite grasp.
"Weren't you supposed to go back on a mission soon ?" Barry asked.
"My doctor says that I have space influenza and that I am therefore excused from saving universes," Hal said, looking at Bruce.
Barry felt like he should have gotten that reference but he was mainly concerned by Hal's wellbeing. He frowned.
"His mission was reported," Bruce clarified. "You wouldn't have been fit for Lantern work. You've barely slept in two days," he told Hal reprochfully.
"Look who's talking. And I've just slept," Hal said, rubbing his eyes.
"I've been reading for hours when you started dozing off. You didn't sleep much," Bruce observed.
"I did. I feel much better," Hal protested.
His voice was a bit raspy and Bruce didn't look convinced as he handed Hal a hot mug of tea after adding a spoonful of honey to it.
"Hal, we were reading the fourth book in the series when you fell asleep," Bruce said, showing him a book on the coffee table.
"Why does nobody read my favorite book to me when I'm sick ?" Barry complained.
Hal hesitated and looked at Bruce, who shrugged.
"Perks of being married," he said, covering Bruce's hand with his.
Suddenly, Barry's brain started to connect the dots, all those strange little details.
How considerate Bruce was being with Hal. The familiarity between them. The way they kept touching each other one way or another. How domestic they looked. Oh. The sweater. Barry could now bet he knew what that W stood for.
Not to mention that Bruce had apparently known Hal hadn't been sleeping and had been reading a whole book series to him. He had been staying at Hal's apartment.
And then Barry had to remember how they interacted. On the battlefield, at the Watchtower, at dinners with the team.
How many times had he seen them together and had dismissed it as them continuing some petty argument ? Their arguments had been fewer recently but before that… had they been flirting ? When Hal was invading Bruce's space, when Bruce pushed him against the wall…
Oliver had labeled it as sexual tension once and they had laughed about it. But what if…
"Barry, you're okay ?" Hal finally asked.
He was leaning on Bruce's side. He looked a bit pale.
"Ah, yes. It's just that I should have seen that one coming. You two together surprisingly makes a lot of sense if you give it some thought. Wait, Hal didn't say together. You said 'married'. Really ?"
"It's quite new." Hal said, smiling before he started coughing.
Bruce rubbed his back
"You should get some sleep. I'm sorry I woke you up," Barry said. "I'd better go."
He looked really embarrassed. Hal smiled at him weakly.
"Yeah. Sorry about that Barry. I'll call you when I feel better," he said as they said their goodbyes.
""Hal should start getting better in a few days. You're welcome to the Manor next week," Bruce told Barry on the doorstep.
Barry looked at him in puzzlement.
"Hal lives there most of the time," Bruce explained.
"Of course. Thank you, I'd love that. Well, you should get some rest too. Goodbye !"
"Goodbye," Bruce answered back, but Barry wasn't there anymore.
He sighed and went back to the living-room. Hal leaned against him fully as he sat back on the sofa.
Bruce moved them in a more comfortable position and grabbed the book on the table.
"I think you had fallen asleep by chapter 5," Bruce said, and he started reading again, his free hand running through Hal's thick hair.
Hal closed his eyes and let his husband's voice lull him back to sleep.