Work Text:
I.
Kyle had seen them before back when he was still a rookie stealing sideways glances at Guy every chance he got. That’s how he’d discovered them—dark little dots decorating a pale expanse of skin. They were a part of Guy he knew now, a part him he could reach out and touch. Not just a teasing glimpse of skin peeking out of a torn suit. It was something so uniquely special that made him feel warm inside, as he knew Guy better than anyone else. And mostly other things Guy would no doubt tease him about for weeks if he’d ever brought it up.
‘Always so damn sentimental, kid.’
Guy peeled off his shirt, tossing it into the growing pile of clothes on their bedroom floor.
“We should probably do something about that before it overthrows the empire. Like starts hassling our clean clothes. That is if we have any left.”
“Hmph.” Guy responded, throwing himself down on the bed.Kyle sighed, scooting closer to Guy. It was like watching a child throw a fit, except said child was your 30 some-year-old boyfriend.
Some days were better than others. It was as simple as that. Once the adrenaline was gone, leaving you with nothing but aching joints and a sense of heaviness you couldn’t quite shake; even the toughest guys in the universe were entitled to a fit or two then.
Kyle swept his fingers across Guy’s back drawing sloppy circles along the way, watching goose bumps form in their wake. Some touches lingered longer than others; certain places that made him shiver. It had become a soothing mechanism, something Guy needed when he was face down in bed mumbling what seemed to be alien swear words into the comforter. Tracing his fingers along each freckle, Kyle created an impromptu game of connect the dots, carefully constructing a map of constellations across his back, which overtime he had memorized as well as the ones in the sky.
Eventually Guy’s face reappeared from the covers, turning his head to the side, eyes closed, humming as Kyle’s fingers brushed across his sides. “Feels good.”
“You know,” Kyle said trailing his hands from the base of Guy’s neck slowly down to the small of his back, “you basically have a galaxy map painted across your skin.”
“I hope you mean that metaphorically and not that you’re turning my back into your next art project or something.”
Yeah, that was Guy he knew—A little less temper tantrum and a little more sarcasm. Kyle chuckled then pressed a kiss to a small freckle on the side of his neck, just below his ear. “It’s good to have you back.”
II.
Guy's freckles had popped up suddenly one summer while they were away on shore leave, on alien beaches with artificial sun and artificial earth food that still tasted somewhat better than what was passing as edible back on Oa. Guy had been running around on the beach all day, bringing him exotic seashells to sketch and at one point had come running back with something 90% tentacles, plopping it down on Kyle’s leg. ‘It’s your anime fantasy.’
A couple drinks later and lot less tentacles, Guy had finally settled down next to Kyle in the sand, flipping through his sketchbook. “Man, I love shore leave. I was thinking,” Guy started, peering over his sunglasses at Kyle, “maybe we could retire early, commission our hero statues right over there next to those weird lookin' rocks, open a new bar here and everything. Hell, even Jordan can come visit—”
“Whoa,” Kyle interrupted, removing Guy’s sunglasses from his face, “did your grow those freckles overnight or—”
“Stupid scientifically modified sun.” Guy rubbed his face in frustration as if sheer determination could scrub them away.
“Hey, stop before you rub your face raw.” Kyle cupped the side of Guy’s face in his hands, “Besides, I think they’re really cute.” Kyle kissed the freckles spread across the bridge of his nose, “I like them a lot.”
Guy grinned. “God you’re such a dork, Rayner.”
“Coming from the guy who’s been asking me to bury him in the sand all day.”
III.
“Guy is like the king of freckles.”
Hal laughed, “They must need a king for everything these days.”
“Har har har Jordan, real funny.”
“They’re on his back and everything.”
“Rayner— ”
“He even has this one, lone freckle on his butt.” Kyle said grinning into his glass.
“That’s it.” Guy pulled Kyle into a headlock, tousling his hair. “Maybe Hal wants to know all about your butt.”
“Whoa, you invited me out for a drink and now I’m getting up close and personal with your butts?”
Kyle laughed, wrestling his way out of guy’s grip, “I just assumed if Batman had seen it, so have you. An ancient JLA tradition or something.”
“The day that becomes a tradition is the day I turn in my ring.”
“I hope you know you’re both paying for those drinks now.”