"You were too close to that building when Clark took out the support beams," Hal said absently, digging his fingers into Barry's hair. "You could've gotten caught in the debris."

Barry looked up at him from where he had his head resting in Hal's lap, "Really? You think I'm going to be done in by rubble?"

"I'm just saying," he dragged his nails along Barry's scalp just like the speedster liked it. His hair was always a wreck after taking off his helmet, so Hal didn't feel too bad about making it worse. "You could be a little more careful."

"And you could make your shield constructs a bit bigger," blue eyes rolled back in bliss, fluttering shut. Barry turned his face into the crook of Hal's arm and shifted uncomfortably on the floor.

They were both still in uniform - too drained from their last mission to bother changing…or budging from their current spot on the Javelin hangar floor.

"What does that mean?" Hal frowned at the lightning bolt on Barry's chest.

"That missile that was coming at you earlier," Barry yawned and swirled his arm around in the air like he was having trouble coming up with the right words. "You only made a teeny little shield to cover your front. You never protect your back. You're worse than Clark."

Hal exhaled in a helpless laugh, "It wasn't coming at my back."

"The missile wasn't, but you never know what else is sneaking up to get ya," Barry nodded sagely. He cracked one eye open to fix Hal with a look. "One minute, you're minding your own business helping a friend, and the next, you've got a seizure bullet lodged in your spine."

Hal hissed in through his teeth at the memory. His fingers stilled a bit in playing with his boyfriend's hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry babe," Barry grimaced apologetically. "Too soon?"

"Yeah, a bit."

He brought Hal's hand to his mouth and kissed each knuckle softly, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I still love you," Hal mumbled quietly. He slid a bit further down the wall he'd propped himself up against and tightened his arms around Barry.

Somewhere across the hangar, a certain exhausted archer pretended to gag.

Both Hal and Barry went quiet, eyes snapping open to stare at each other in irritation.

"Do you think you two could maybe go out in the hallway if you're going to drool all over each other?" Ollie was lying flat on his back on a worktable a few yards away, one arm dangling over the side. He'd kicked off his boots and thrown them by the fueling station. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Someone's peanut butter and jealous…" Hal huffed in amusement. He rubbed circles into Barry's hairline, unable to help smiling when he felt the speedster chuckling deliriously.

"I'm not jealous," Ollie turned his head to glare at them. "Relationship or not, the way I see it, the three of us are all in the same sad, little boat: New Year's Eve and we're ten minutes from falling asleep in Mt. Justice. It's not even 9 o'clock."

"We just finished fighting Black Adam and Sinestro at the same time," Barry groaned. "We're tired."

"The real cost of being a hero," Hal sighed dramatically. "Too exhausted to go out partying and drinking and acting our age."

Ollie snorted, "You two don't do that anyways. You're boring, old parents."

"I'm sorry, what?" Hal made like he was going to get up, but his legs failed him, erupting into pins and needles.

Barry smacked him in the shoulder to get his attention back, "He's right; you're a parent now, which reminds me… Not only do you need to watch your back better, but you need to stop rushing headlong into fights before there's a plan in place."

"We're back to this?"

"You did start it," Ollie chimed in.

"Shut your face," Hal blindly threw a wrench in the general direction of his friend's voice. It didn't hit him, instead clanging loudly against something that hopefully wasn't too expensive and skittering away. He turned his focus back to the sleepy speedster in his lap. "Okay then, you quit chatting up your Rogues and giving them openings to attack you."

"What are you talking about?" Barry genuinely looked confused.

"You're always trying to convince them to give up the life of crime and reform!" Hal pointed out. "Newsflash: Captain Cold is never gonna stop stealing stuff. The Trickster is going to keep holding supermarkets ransom with exploding toys. They are going to be doing the same old song and dance fifteen years from now. They're simple creatures, and you ain't gonna change that."

"Hey, that's not fair. Leonard is usually trying to get money to take care of his sister, and James just needs to stay on his medication. Once his pills start working really well, he thinks he doesn't need them anymore, so he stops taking them. He's not a bad guy." Barry argued earnestly. He guided Hal's hands back to his neck to coax him into rubbing the muscles there.

"Barry. You should not be on a first name basis with your supervillains," Hal said very slowly like he was trying to explain a difficult concept to a child.

"They're people too, Hal. And taking the time to learn personal things about your villains isn't a weakness," Barry shot back. "Maybe you should try it sometime."

"He may be on to something," Ollie said. "Barry's still the only mask I know who can end a battle by talking the bad guys into giving up."

"Oh yes, I'll get riiiiight on that. The next time Arkillo shows up, I'll ask him about his childhood. And then maybe I'll head on over to Oa's prison cells and gab with Sinestro about his dead family. That should go over well," Hal deadpanned.

Barry was not impressed, "Fine. Let's make some New Year's resolutions then."

"About what?"

"About this," Barry gestured between them like that explained it all. "About what makes each other anxious during fights. Just one small thing each."

Hal thought about it for a minute, trying to decide if it was a trap, "Alright... I'll make yours and you make mine?"

"Deal."

From off to the side, Ollie had to put in his two cents, "I'll just make my own then. Don't worry about me. I don't feel excluded at all."

"Good," they both said in unison.

Barry reached one arm around awkwardly and jabbed it into Hal's chest very seriously, "Harold Jordan. This year, every time you go to make a shield construct, you're going to drop a whole dome over top of yourself. No more stupid arm shields the size of a dinner plate. I'm talkin 360 degrees of protection, you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear ya," Hal cracked up. He smacked Barry's hand away. "And you, Barrence Allen-"

"Oh my God, please don't," Barry cringed at his full name.

"-will keep your guard up when you're having social hour with your Rogue's Gallery. I don't care if Heatwave is 'super duper serious this time' or if Weather Wizard just needs a hug. You keep a good 50 feet away unless they're in an inhibitor collar. Capisce?"

"…capisce…"

"Now, give me a kiss," Hal couldn't keep the smile off his face. He bent his head down and leaned in for one, even when Barry turned his head away so that all he could reach was his cheek.

"It's not midnight yet," Barry laughed.

Hal wasn't deterred at all, kissing his way along his boyfriend's jaw and murmuring into the soft skin below his ear, "We gotta seal the deal, babe. Come on."

It didn't take much more convincing before Barry tilted his head and brushed his lips against Hal's, happy and pliant in his arms. After the angle started to hurt his back, Hal moved them so that they were lying side by side, foreheads pressed together and eyes closed.

"My New Year's resolution is to finally stop being a goddamn third wheel," Ollie's sarcastic voice drifted over in the silent hangar.