Okay, fine. Maybe Hal had been trying too hard. He was so concerned about the possibility of letting Barry down at such a crucial moment that he'd gone and messed up. It may not have been entirely his fault that Barry took off, but he'd certainly been the catalyst.

What was clear now was that Barry needed space. He knew that Barry had told him he could go back to the house, but that seemed to be the opposite of what Barry needed right now. So Hal knew what he needed to do.

He finished his meal, paying for it and leaving a tip with the money that Barry had left. Afterwards, he stopped at Barry's house, making his way inside with a lock-picking construct, which he didn't like doing but he was only going to be here for a minute. Once inside, he made his way to the kitchen counter, where he left the change from the restaurant along with a note:

"Barry,

Look to the skies if you need me.

-Hal"

He refused to leave the planet when he got so little time here as it was, and he was still determined to make the most of his temporary leave from the corps. Barry might need space, but there was something else Hal loved to do. So, after leaving the note, he left Barry's house, put on his lantern uniform, and flew across the country to Coast City.

Carol was probably going to kill him for walking into Ferris Air for the first time in...several months, but surely she'd let him test some new plane, right? There was still no better pilot than Hal "Highball" Jordan. It had been too long since he flew an actual plane and not just a construct of one. Truthfully, he missed it.

Seemed like the best way he could spend his time right now, if Carol didn't kill him first.

Carol did in fact get pretty angry at Hal walking into her office, after having been gone for several months, hoping she'd let him test some new plane. They argued a bit back and forth, and Hal's case wasn't much stronger than "I really miss flying, it'll just be this once" but in the end, Carol caved. But only this one flight, this one time, and he had to do exactly what she said.

There was a brand new model fighter that no one had touched yet. Carol hadn't had the chance to get it tested yet, but she figured that Hal would be the right person for the job. Though, of course, she didn't say that out loud.

When Hal was finally in the sky, things somehow felt right again. Everything just made sense in the sky. There wasn't anything he couldn't deal with or get past. All the crap on his mind would somehow work out in the end. It was different from flying in space and it was hard to explain why. The only way to understand was to experience it.

He didn't get too crazy in the plane, but he certainly pushed his luck. He went faster than Carol said, a higher altitude than she wanted, but not by much. Well, he was testing it right? And this was one of the most expensive models they'd ever had, so they had to make sure it was good to go.

Carol met him in the airfield when he finally landed. She looked a little annoyed, but not as pissed off as he thought she sounded over the comms during his flight.

Hal climbed out of the plane, removing his helmet. "This is a real solid plane, Carol. One of the best I've ever had the pleasure of flying. Have you been in this thing? If not, you really should. You'll love it."

"Where have you been?" Carol asked, with no acknowledgement that she'd heard anything he said.

Hal looked around for listening ears before looking back at her. "With the corps, mostly."

"You haven't been by in months."

"And you kinda threw me out of your house last time I tried to talk to you."

Carol stopped for a moment and sighed. "Yeah, I did. In any case...it's good to see you, Hal."

Hal smiled a little, leaning on the plane. "You too."

Carol seemed to hesitate, staring at Hal for a moment before she spoke again. "I know I said I wouldn't do this but...do you wanna get some coffee?"

Oh….boy. In the past, whenever this happened, Hal jumped at the opportunity. Each time him and Carol would try again, he told himself it would be different. He wouldn't screw it up this time, they would find a way to work it out and they would be amazing together. No matter who else Hal had crushed on here or there, he always seemed to be unable to move on from her.

But as she was staring at him, her black hair blowing in the wind, all he could think about was Barry. He may or may not have a "thing" with Barry, he didn't know. They both said they wanted to try, but with this whole thing with Iris...Hal was ready for Barry to change his mind. But whether he did or didn't, he was still all that Hal could think about. Something had changed in him recently, and he couldn't explain it, but this was his reality now. The "L" word was still difficult for him, but what he felt for Barry was real, and he couldn't lie to either Barry or Carol.

His face fell and he looked at the ground. "Carol, I...I didn't come back here for….this."

"I see," she said slowly.

"There's….someone else. I think. I don't know, it's a whole thing, but I—"

"Hal," she interrupted. "It's okay. Really."

Hal nodded, unsure of what else to say.

"So, who did you manage to drag into your mess now?" Her tone was teasing. She was even smiling a little. Yeah, getting turned down sucked, but with their history…she'd been through much worse.

Hal smirked, placing a hand on his hip. "A hot blond."

Carol rose a curious eyebrow. "Anyone I know?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

Carol rolled her eyes, playfully pushing Hal's shoulder, and turning to head back to her office. "Whatever, Highball. Make you return my equipment ASAP."

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

"Oh, and Hal?" She called, looking back over her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Good luck with your…'hot blond.' Don't be a stranger."

Hal chuckled. Whatever you say, Carol Ferris.

As much as Hal wanted to go back to Central City and check up on Barry, he'd promised himself he'd give him space, so that was out. After having been to Ferris Air and tested a new plane, he found himself a bit lost and, well, bored.

Might as well see how the Justice League is doing.

The particular wing of the Watchtower that Zod had shot himself through was still under repair, but the rest was still usable. However, they didn't currently have a med bay and were using sub-graded equipment for their monitoring system until the repairs were done, but it was better than nothing.

Hal entered the Watchtower and headed to the current conference room that was also serving as a monitoring station. Clark was there in full uniform, standing with his arms crossed as he kept an eye on the monitors and not bothering to look back when Hal entered the room.

"What are you doing here, Hal?" Clark's tone was friendly. If it were Bruce asking the same question, the tone would be a lot different.

Of course Clark would recognize his footsteps. Hal approached and stood next to him, mocking his arms-crossed stance. "Oh, you know. Just seeing how you guys are faring without me. I know it's a big loss, but I believe in you."

"So...you're bored."

"Very much so."

"I thought you were staying with Barry."

"Iris got into a car accident and she's in a coma. Figured I'd give him some space."

Clark finally peeled his eyes from the monitors and looked at him, shocked. "What? When did this happen?"

"This morning, on her way to work. Head trauma. It doesn't look good, but Barry said it could be worse."

Clark frowned, looking genuinely concerned. "And your bright idea was to run away?"

That was not the response that Hal was expecting, and he glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean? I tried to talk to him, but he wasn't into it. He knows he can contact me if he needs anything."

"He's your best friend, Hal. You should know that talking isn't always the answer."

"Then what am I supposed to do, genius?"

"Just be there. If something happened to Iris, he needs you now more than ever. You don't get this opportunity often, Hal. Don't blow it."

Damn. Clark was right...as usual. Hal didn't respond, looking down, feeling a little ashamed of himself.

Clark placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's not too late. Actually, you came here at the right time."

Hal looked up at him again. "What do you mean?"

"Because Barry has monitor duty in about five minutes. If he'd told me about Iris, I would have given him time off, but I haven't heard anything."

Hal's eyes widened. Barry didn't mention having monitor duty today, but then again, Hal had just gotten back last night and their morning had been completely derailed. But was Barry out of his mind? Most of the league would be willing to cover for him in an instance like this, Hal himself included, even though he was currently a reserve member.

"Well, when he gets here, I'll just tell him I'm working for him," Hal said simply. Problem solved, right?

Clark smiled. "I know you care about him, but let him decide what he wants to do. Just keep him company. That's all he ever really wants from you. Trust me."

Hal averted his gaze, glancing at the monitors instead. "Yeah, well. Barry is Barry."

Barry's voice called from the room's entrance. "What does that mean?"

Hal and Clark exchanged glances before looking back at Barry. Clark, of course, let Barry's question hang in the air while Hal struggled to come up with an answer.

"It means, well...it's a compliment, Bar. There's no one else like you," Hal finally said.

Barry rose an eyebrow, joining them at the monitors. "Uh-huh."

Clark finally cut in. "Hal told me about Iris. If there's anything I can do, let me know. Do you need to take the day off?"

Barry shook his head quickly, which surprised neither Clark nor Hal. Barry intended to work through this, just as he always did, like the true workaholic that he was. It was hard for Hal to tell if that was actually healthy or not, but he was finally starting to understand it. Hal's approach to problems like this was different, but that was probably true for everyone, wasn't it?

"No, it's fine," Barry said. "Thanks anyway."

"Alright," Clark said. "Anything comes up, call me. I have to go. See you guys later."

Barry and Hal exchanged goodbyes with Clark, who left the room to head back down to Earth. Afterwards, Barry looked at Hal with a hint of guilt on his face.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't trying to make you run off. I just needed—"

Hal placed his hands on Barry's shoulders. "What in the world are you sorry for? Don't sweat it, Bar."

That seemed to be some weight off Barry's shoulders. "Thanks…"

"Actually….I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to—"

Barry shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Hal. It's okay."

"Since you're stuck here for the next several hours, you might as well be stuck with me. What do you say?"

"Alright. It does get pretty quiet up here…"

With his ring, Hal formed a comfortable chair construct behind Barry. The chair hit Barry behind the knees, causing him to fall backwards onto the chair. The chair moved to sit in front of the monitor, and Hal took the actual chair that was sitting nearby, seating himself next to him.

"Hal, you know we have more chairs here, right?"

"Yeah, but they're not as comfortable as that, are they?"

Barry took off his cowl, running his hands through his hair as though he were exhausted. "No, they sure aren't," he said idly.

Hal frowned, unable to take his eyes off him. "Any news about Iris?"

Barry shook his head, forcing himself to look at the monitors. "No. Wally said he'd call me if anything came up, but that probably won't be for a while yet."

Hal didn't know what to say. He wanted to promise Barry that she would pull through, because was a strong person and everything, but that wasn't his promise to make. There was no sense in giving Barry false platitudes that would only make him feel worse in the end. Maybe Clark was right. Maybe all Hal needed to do was just be here.

They both fell silent. Hal didn't want to force conversation if Barry wasn't up to talking, and Barry….wasn't up for much talking. Normally, Hal was uncomfortable in situations like these and hated silence, but somehow with Barry he didn't mind. Maybe Barry didn't expect anything from him and was just glad he was here. And maybe Hal was finally beginning to understand the value in a comfortable silence.

The silence lasted for several minutes with the pair studying the monitors until Hal heard a soft but profound sob coming from Barry. He looked over to find Barry's head in his hands and had to resist the urge to change his chair construct into something that could give Barry a comforting hug. Instead, he scooted his chair closer to Barry and slid his arm around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Bar."

"She can't go out like this. I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't make it."

Hal swallowed hard, giving Barry a gentle squeeze. "I know. I'm pulling for her, too."

Barry responded to the gesture by leaning into Hal's shoulder, which surprised Hal a bit, but the lantern was more concerned with the fact that Barry was actually crying. Something within Hal was moved so deeply and it made his heart pound harder than it had in a very long time. Unable to help himself, he wrapped both arms around Barry, cradling his head against his shoulder gently and shutting his eyes to focus only on the speedster's presence. Monitors be damned.

"I don't care how mad at me she is," Barry said, his voice breaking. "I just want her to be happy."

"I'm sure she knows," Hal said. He meant it. It was Barry, after all. He made missteps sometimes, but it was all out of the love that he had. Iris understood that, right?

"I hope she does. I really hope she does."

"I don't know what happened with you guys, but I do know that you've always done your best to look out for her no matter what was on your plate. At the end of a day, someone like Iris isn't going to forget all that, even if there was some other trouble along the way."

Barry tried to calm himself down upon hearing that, pulling himself from Hal and wiping his eyes. He looked a little embarrassed about breaking down like that, but Hal didn't mind. Not in the slightest.

"You remember when you told me to tell Iris that I'm Flash?"

"Yeah," Hal said, trying not to stare too much at Barry's puffy eyes.

"I was...too late. She found out I'd been keeping secrets from her, so she decided she couldn't trust me anymore."

Hal frowned, glancing at the monitors. "I'm sorry to hear it."

"Listen, Hal, there's something I want you to know."

Oh, boy. Here it comes, Hal thought. Here comes the part where Barry tells him that he's decided it's not going to work out between them. The part where almost losing Iris has made Barry decide that his heart really lies with the woman he's been with the better part of the last several years. Who could blame him? Iris was a good woman and Hal would never try to interfere with that. If that's what made Barry happy, then so be it.

"I'm all ears," Hal said, his voice even, without looking at him.

"Iris has been an important part of my life for a long time."

Yup.

"And there's no denying that she always will be."

Here we go.

"But the person I want to be with…"

Just rip off the bandaid, already.

"...is you, Hal."

Yup, just as he thought.

Wait a second. What? Hal looked over at him, unable to hide his surprise.

"Don't look so shocked," Barry said softly. "I don't know, something's changed in me. I still care about Iris, but with you, I….This is what I want now."

Hal's heart was fluttering so much he swore it would fly right out of his chest. "You want….to be with me."

"Yes," Barry said, looking straight at him.

"Even though the corps keeps me away from Earth all the time."

"Well, you're the one who said we'd find a way, so...yes."

"Even though I basically have no identity on Earth right now."

"Yes."

"Even with my horrible track record in relationships."

"Don't ruin it."

Hal frowned, but Barry laughed.

"I'm just kidding," the blond said. "Yes. Look, I know things are...strange right now. It must be weird for you to hear me talk about Iris and then tell you this, but I mean it. I mean it more than I've meant anything in a long time." Barry took Hal's hands into his own before he continued speaking. "I want this...so long as you still do, too."

Hal turned his hands, squeezing Barry's gently. "I was….so sure you'd change your mind."

There was a brief second where Barry smiled at him before leaning in and giving Hal a deep kiss, to which Hal responded readily.

After a moment, Barry broke the kiss, still holding Hal in his arms. "Wait….Bruce checks the cameras here…."

"Bats is engaged to Catwoman. He has no room to talk," Hal said.

Barry chuckled before leaning in to kiss him again.

The end of Hal's leave was nearing. As far as the lantern knew, he was to report back to Mogo the day it was over.

Barry knew that Hal was a bit mixed on it. On one hand, he could tell that Hal was getting particularly stir crazy, especially when Barry was working. And he couldn't patrol Central City With Barry too much because he was afraid of bringing bigger creeps into the area than Flash was used to handling. Not that Barry was any weaker than him, but there was no sense in giving him more trouble than he already had on a regular basis. On the other hand, it wouldn't be often that the two of them would be able to enjoy each others company like this.

It had been about a week since Iris went into her coma. Barry stopped by daily, but the news was the same each time. The doctors couldn't tell him anything definitive one way or another. Playing the waiting game was really hard, and the only thing Barry could do to keep from going too crazy was to work or...let Hal distract him.

He supposed it could have been worse.

He woke in the morning with the sunlight coming in through his sheer curtains, hitting him in the face. As beautiful as that was, it wasn't nearly as beautiful as the brunet laying on his bare chest, sleeping soundly. He wished he could let Hal sleep longer, but there was no way for himself to wake up without also waking Hal. And...after all the fun the night before, they both probably needed their rest, but Barry was hungry. Sorry, Hal.

"Hal," he whispered.

Hal groaned. "Five more minutes."

"Suit yourself," Barry said, amusement in his voice. He gently moved him off his chest and climbed out of bed. Hal whined momentarily and flopped back in bed.

Childish, but cute.

Barry threw on some clothes, as he and Hal had sorta decided to forgo clothing last night, with the intention of making breakfast for them both. However, halfway through changing, his phone started ringing on the nightstand.

Hal ground louder at the disruptive noise, which Barry ignored as he retrieved his phone. Wally. This could either be very good or very bad. Barry answered the phone quickly.

"Wally?"

"Barry! You have to come to the hospital! She's starting to wake up!"

Barry froze, his insides flooding with relief and joy. "What? Really? I'll be right there."

"She's not fully awake yet but the doctors think she will be soon. Get down here!"

"I'm on my way. Hang tight."

As Barry ended the call, he noticed that Hal had sat up in bed, his attention on Barry in light of hearing his side of the call. "What is it?" The lantern asked.

"Iris is starting to wake up. I have to get down there."

Hal climbed out of bed and gave Barry a quick kiss. "Go."

Barry nodded. "I'll be back soon."

"Take the time you need. Go. She'll be looking for you."

In a sudden flourish of wind and static electricity, Barry was fully dressed and had even combed his bed hair.

"Thanks, Hal."

"Not a—"

Hal blinked, and Barry was gone.

"—Problem. Alright. I'll just hang out here then."

For once, Barry wasn't late. He and Wally were by Iris's bedside when she gained full awareness. Before they could talk much with her, the doctors did some checks on her, and everything came back soundly. She'd have to stay in the hospital for a while so they could run further tests, but for the moment, things were really looking up and she was expected to make a full recovery.

Iris was delighted to see Wally, and Wally couldn't hold back his emotions in how thankful he was that she was okay. Barry let them have a moment, standing off to the side in the room, counting his blessings that Iris had pulled through.

Iris eventually asked Wally if she could have a moment alone with Barry, which actually surprised Barry. Wally sounded a little reluctant but understood, and left the room, leaving the two alone.

Barry moved closer to the bed. "I'm really glad you're okay."

"Thanks. I can't believe I was out over a week. I feel like I've missed so much."

Barry hesitated. Yeah, she'd missed a little bit. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts, but I guess I can't complain at this point."

Barry frowned, finally pulling up a chair to sit at her bedside. "Listen, I know you just woke up, but I just wanted to apologize for everything."

Iris sighed heavily. "Barry, don't. I know you are."

"I'm serious. I need you to know that. I can't believe I almost lost you without...making amends."

Iris's expression softened. "Barry...I know you mean it. I really do. I'm sure this has been driving you crazy. Just...it's different now. Between us, I mean. I'm sorry."

Barry took in a deep breath. It was almost crazy now to think about how badly he once wanted her back. But now, he'd accepted what had happened. He knew they were over. She didn't feel the same way about him anymore, and now his heart was with Hal. All of those things were true, but it didn't mean that they couldn't rebuild a bridge between them. Barry still wanted to have her in his life, even if it wasn't the same anymore. It wouldn't be easy, it would probably feel awkward for awhile, but he didn't want to forget about all of their history. He hoped she felt that way, too.

"I know it's different now. I...I'm okay with that. You're still important to me. Do you know what I mean?"

Iris glanced at him curiously. "Something's changed, hasn't it? Something seems….different about you."

Barry hesitated. Iris had just woken up and he didn't want to bother her more than he likely already was. Now didn't seem like the right time to have a conversation about Hal, but he didn't want to lie to her either.

"Yes," Barry admitted. "We can talk about that later. I just want….that opportunity."

But Iris, with all of her journalistic instincts, didn't like waiting for details until "later."

"Tell me now," she said. "If you're worried you'll shock me into another coma, it's not gonna happen."

Barry bit his lip, debating on how much he should tell her. "There's….someone else."

"Oh." She paused. "Are you happy with them?"

Barry gave a half-hearted smile. He was very happy with Hal, but bragging about that to Iris right now felt wrong and weird. "Yeah. I am. Look, I'm just saying I still want us to be...friends."

Iris paused, studying Barry's expression like she was looking for some kind of clue. "Yeah. Yeah, we can."

Barry's smile grew wider. "I'm really glad to hear that."

"A piece of advice, Barry."

"Huh?"

"Don't keep secrets from this person."

Barry swallowed. "Yeah. I think I've learned that lesson."

"Then you'll be just fine. Good luck, Barry. I hope it works out for you."

"Thanks, Iris. Thank you."

Hal wasn't completely helpless. Just because he couldn't cook something super fancy didn't mean he couldn't cook at all. For example, he could make spaghetti. That was mainly because it was easy, but it was still food, damn it.

There was no telling when Barry would be home, but Hal didn't mind. He still made enough for both of them (taking into consideration Barry's massive appetite) and Barry could eat it whenever he was ready.

It just so happened that as Hal was draining the noodles, Barry came walking in the front door. "Whoa, something smells good. Are you cooking?"

Hal scoffed, combining the noodles with the sauce. "I lived alone for a long time, you know. I didn't just eat takeout everyday."

Barry walked further into the kitchen in front of the oven, watching Hal stir the sauce and noodles together. "Well, I'll be. It smells really good."

"You're damn right it does. Oh, watch out, I gotta pull the garlic bread out."

Barry moved aside, rather impressed with all this as he watched Hal make oven glove constructs from his ring, which he used to pull the cookie sheet of garlic bread out of the oven. It was all so surprising. He never saw Hal be so domestic before, but he loved it. There was quite a lot he'd give to have this everyday he came home.

"Do you...want some help?" Barry offered.

"Nope. Have a seat. It'll be ready in a minute."

It felt strange to have Hal Jordan of all people take total control of his kitchen, but since Hal seemed insistent on finishing this on his own, Barry supposed he should let him. He moved out of Hal's way, taking a seat at the dining room table. As he waited, he leaned his chin on his fist, with his elbow on the table, watching Hal with an admiring gaze.

It wouldn't be often he'd get a sight like this. He knew that. And that was fine, but he could take advantage of it in the meantime.

Hal pulled out a couple of bowls from a cabinet, along with a couple of small plates for the garlic bread. He dished everything up and sat it on the table with some silverware. To drink they had iced tea. Truthfully, Hal was pretty proud of himself. He didn't get the opportunity to cook like this very much, so he hoped that Barry liked what he'd thrown together.

"I would have set up some candles, but I couldn't find any, and I'm broke," Hal said as he joined Barry at the table.

Barry chuckled. "I think you did enough already, Hal."

Hal wasted no time in digging in his own meal. "So how's Iris?"

"She's good. She'll need to be there for a couple of days or so for some tests, but the doctors said she's expected to make a full recovery."

Hal flashed Barry a genuine smile. "I'm really glad to hear that, Bar." He was stuffing a forkful of spaghetti when Barry reached across the table, taking his head gently.

"I couldn't have done this with you," the speedster said softly. "It meant a lot to me that you were here, even if the circumstances were out of your control."

Hal paused. The soft, content smile on Barry's face was making his heart do that weird fluttery thing again. After swallowing the spaghetti he was working on, he finally responded as he rubbed the back of Barry's hand with his thumb. "I'm just thankful that a weird twist of fate left me here at the right time."

"Me too. Sorry you got kicked around by Zod, though," Barry said, pulling his hand away so he could eat.

"Please. It was just a scratch. It's fine. And the Watchtower repairs are almost done, so it's almost like none of that ever happened."

"Well, some of it happened," Barry said between bites, still smiling.

Hal grinned. "Hmm, I don't think I know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do. How about all those times where you made up some lame excuse with the corps just so you could come to Earth and see me? And then told me so?"

Hal took a large bite of his garlic bread, shaking his head.

"Or the time that you managed to concentrate enough to save my life when Zod hit the Watchtower? And said, 'I got you'?"

Hal swallowed. "Can't recall, sorry."

"Or the time you made fun constructs for those kids at the hospital?"

Hal shrugged.

"Are you sure you can't recall? Because those things….ended up being really important to me."

Hal finally paused and set his silverware down. It was true. He'd had feelings of some sort for Barry for several months now. Probably longer, but admitting it to himself had been difficult. Yet now, here they were. Their situation wasn't ideal or perfect, but they both wanted to try. Barry was just as crazy about him, something that was still blowing his mind. He couldn't help but feel like this was the start of something new and wonderful. A new chapter in both of their lives. They didn't know where it would go, but Hal hoped that this would last.

He had more faith than ever. Somehow, it all seemed so possible, despite his situation with the corps and having to be gone all the time.

"I have to report back to Mogo tomorrow," Hal said quietly.

"Then we'll have to make the most of tonight, won't we?"

Hal smiled a little, but it faded quickly into a look of concern. "You're still sure about this? I mean, I'll be here as much as I can, but...it's not going to be easy."

"Well, Hal, are you sure you still want this?"

"Well, yeah. Are you kidding me?"

"That's how I feel too."

Hal stood up, leaning across the small table to kiss Barry's forehead. "I'm glad."

In response, Barry placed his hands on Hal's cheeks, bringing him down for a real, more passionate kiss. Hal placed his hands over Barry's, melting against his lips. It felt like home.

Yeah, home. This was home now. He knew they would make it.