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Hal jerked awake, bolting upright and knocking the blankets away and off the side of the couch. He paused, looking around the dark living room in confusion. He could’ve sworn he’d heard something. There it was again, muffled by the distance but undeniable. Cursing under his breath, Hal stood up from the couch, holding his arm slightly in front of him to use the glow from his ring to light his way to and up the staircase. He listened again, hearing nothing but the unmistakable sound of a distraught infant. Once he made it up the stairs, he looked around, anticipating Barry to already be up and checking on him, like he usually does.
Taking a few steps down the hall, he peaked in the open door of Barry’s bedroom, surprised to see him lying in the bed, still sound asleep. The bed was much too large for a single person, only emphasizing the stark absence of his wife. It’d only been a month since Iris’s death, and Barry wasn’t coping well - He wasn’t sleeping, eating, or taking care of himself the way he needs to be. Even if Hal hadn’t been staying with him since it happened, it was clear by the bags under his eyes and the way his clothes were hanging off of him. He was laid out on his back, one arm wrapped around his stomach while the other was splayed out near his head. His face was toward the door, showing an expression pinched with - perhaps worry? Discomfort? Hal wasn’t sure. Taking in the scene before him, with the blankets and sheets strewn all over the place, he guessed that the speedster had likely struggled to fall asleep tonight or had experienced a nightmare. Hal wished he’d known, he could’ve tried to help. Or at the very least, to distract him. That’s what he’s been hanging around here for, and will be continuing to hang around here for, until Barry kicks him out, or it becomes glaringly obvious that Barry is okay. Hal predicts the first option happening much sooner than the latter, but for Barry’s sake, he hopes it takes longer than he is anticipating. He knows he can be a lot to deal with, but he genuinely wants to, needs to be there for Barry right now. Carol, who’d been acquainted with Barry and Iris after Hal had forced them all on a few double dates in the past, had been kind enough to offer him 3 weeks of PTO and as much leave as he needed to help Barry. It was extremely generous, considering the way things ended the most recent time they’d attempted a relationship, but Hal was grateful nonetheless, and didn’t question it. She’d always liked Barry and Iris, so he assumed it was more for their, specifically Barry’s, benefit than his own. He’d even managed to get a few months leave from the Corps. Well, Guy and John had managed to get it for him - He wasn’t willing to leave Barry long enough to fly to Oa to demand it himself. Not only was Barry struggling with the sudden loss of his wife, but he was currently in custody of Wallace- though they only called him Wally, Wallace was a little too formal for a baby - his infant nephew. They had been given temporary custody of Wally after his parents had been deemed “unfit” by the state after the doctor had found a cigarette burn on the baby’s chest. Iris’ brother, Rudolph, had been irate at first, but now, nobody had heard from him or Mary in months, including authorities. Hal didn’t know the full story, but apparently drugs had been involved, and Rudolph had gotten in with a bad crowd. At the end of that story, no matter how you look at it: Wally is now in Barry’s care, the only question is for how long. He and Iris had taken Wallace in when he was only 3 weeks, and in the 3 months since then, Barry has become very attached. Especially since the accident that took Iris, he was very adamant about figuring out how to adopt the child and give him a home for good.
Hal hadn’t tried to talk him out of it, like he would’ve had it been anyone else. He knows Barry, they’ve been friends for a long time. If any one is going to make a life altering decision like that and actually take the time to weigh out the pros and cons and be 100% sure that is what he really wants to do - It’s Barry. Though Barry is only two years older than Hal, and he could never imagine himself being a father in his mid-twenties, he knows Barry is ready for this role. He’s a nurturer by nature, and with Iris gone, he needs something to put that energy into. Wally is the obvious choice - it doesn’t look good for his parents.
Another cry, closer and louder than before, jerked Hal out of his thoughts. Sparing Barry a final glance, watching as his breathing remained steady and his sleep undisturbed, he carefully and quietly closed the door to the bedroom, hoping the blond man could stay asleep. The very fact that Hal had woken to the sound of the crying, while Barry hadn’t even been roused is extremely telling in just how tired the speedster has to be. He’s been running himself ragged between trying to handle every single crisis that the league and Central City have thrown their way, his full time job at the CCPD, and adjusting to his new normal - being a single father to a three month old. Despite the League and CCPD’s insistence that he can and should be taking time to mourn, grieve, and adjust - he just can’t. He needs to keep moving, to keep his mind and body busy so he can’t think about how Iris is gone and she isn’t coming back and he saves all these people every single day so why couldn’t he save her? His mind isn’t a nice place to be right now. Hal is especially bothered by this knowledge, because if there is one thing in this world that he is 1000% certain about - it’s that Barry Allen is a good man. A good person who genuinely cares about others and doing what is right. He deserves to be happy - so why is the world always shitting on him? Hal wishes he knew so he could try to fix it - but he doesn’t and he can’t. All he can do is be there for his friend, and that’s what he intends to do.
Quickly tiptoeing down the hall to the guest room that had been abruptly transformed into a nursery a few months back, Hal pulled the string to turn on the lamp near the crib. He peeked over the side of the crib, quietly shushing the infant as he reached down to lift him out of the crib.
“Shh, shh, little guy, let's not wake up Daddy,” he whispered, cradling the infant against his chest like Iris had shown him the first time he’d met the kid. After Barry had canceled plans with him for the third time in a row with no explanation, he’d had enough and showed up at their house looking for answers. The last thing he’d been expecting at the time, was a barely one month old baby that looked suspiciously like Iris. He’s never really been one for babies, or kids in general, with the few exceptions of his nieces and nephews of course, but even he had to admit that Wally was a cute baby. Now, he had some questions about the name, but Iris had mentioned it was a family name, so he let it slide. The child in his arms continued to cry despite his best efforts to quiet him, so he started through the options, desperate to stop the noise and keep the blonde in the other room asleep. He laid him down on the changing table and quickly checked his diaper, ruling that out, before gathering him back up in his arms and heading down the stairs to the kitchen. The crying continued, and Hal had to set him down for a minute and grab a bottle and tub of formula - desperately hoping this was the answer. He didn’t speak fluent baby yet like Barry seemed to, and “wanting to be held”, “needing changed” and “hungry” were his only three answers to the “why is the baby crying” question. He stopped the microwave at the 0:01 mark to avoid the shrill beep and quickly finished preparing and testing the bottle.
“Are you hungry? Please be hungry, buddy,” Hal said to the infant softly, picking him back up and heading into the living room where his makeshift bed had been set up. “I’m out of options and I really don’t want to have to wake up Barry.” He flipped a light on, vaguely wondering if he remembered to turn off the lamp upstairs before heading down here. Oh well, hopefully he’d be back up there soon. He settled on the couch, offering the tiny redhead the bottle. He immediately calmed and began suckling, prompting a sigh of relief from the pilot.
“There we go, you’re okay, Uncle Hal’s got you,” he said, more to himself than the child, just happy that he was no longer crying. Hal won’t admit it, but deep in his chest, he is feeling a sense of pride. He can do this - he can help Barry. He can be there for his friend and his family. What’s left of them, that is. He winced at the thought. He was pulled out of his morbid thought by a tiny hand wrapping around his finger. He smiled to himself - even he, a self-proclaimed tough guy, can’t deny that this baby is cute. He could already see himself becoming more attached to the little green eyed infant every day, despite the crying, constant diaper changes, and murder of his social life since becoming a part of his life.
After a few minutes passed, Wally started to move away from the nipple of the bottle. The brunette offered it to him again, and when it was clear the infant was done eating, he sighed and reached over to place the bottle down on the coffee table. Rearranging the kid on his chest, he began to gently pat his back, helping the post-meal burping process along.
“Almost done, then it’s back to bed, okay?” He ordered, pretending the kid was capable of answering him, and continued to pat his back while Wally just made himself comfortable on Hal’s chest.
He wasn’t sure when his eyes slipped shut, but next thing he knew he was being gently shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder. He blinked them open, seeing the smiling face of one Barry Allen looking at him. Hal felt his heart skip - He hasn’t seen him smile in so long. Maybe they are getting somewhere. He smiles back.
“How long have you guys been out here?” Barry whispers, gesturing to both Hal and the sleeping bundle, comfortably resting against his chest. Hal sat up a little straighter, peaking at Barry’s watch for the time.
“Uhhh, a few hours, maybe? I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Hal replied sheepishly. “Little man woke up and was hungry so I brought him down for a midnight snack.’
“You could have woken me up,” The blonde took a seat next to the pilot, taking the sleeping bundle from him.
“When you were finally getting a little bit of sleep? Not a chance.” Hal said, a small smirk on his face to keep the mood light. Barry knew that Hal was concerned about him, and while he wanted to argue or shoot down his concern, deep down he knew the brunette was right. He wasn’t doing well. He wasn’t sure where he'd be without Hal right now. Instead, he sighed and looked down at his son, running a hand down the side of the infant’s face. Hal got up to go start breakfast for the two of them, pausing in the doorway sparing one last glance back at the two on the couch, where Wally had just started to wake up and the blonde was whispering something to him with a big smile on his face, and maybe it was mostly a show for the kid, but it was enough for now. Hal smiled to himself. They were going to be okay.