Hal Jordan had the almost insurmountable task of considering the safety of an entire sector of the universe. In spite of that, he was beginning to get used to it. Sort of. It had been some years since he'd inherited his ring from Abin Sur and the Green Lantern Corps had begun to show him the ropes. The task wasn't easy, but nothing in his life ever had been. So it goes.

However, when attempting to cover such a large area, oversights can happen. Like forgetting about the safety of your own home.

Hal's apartment was small and modest, but he was hardly home as it was anyway. Between working at Ferris Air and his missions as Green Lantern, anytime he could sleep in his own bed felt like a vacation rather than a normal part of his day. It only felt like home when Barry Allen was over and, for a change, the pair were able to spend some quality and intimate time together.

That was the only time it felt like home for Hal, when he and Barry were wrapped up in his bedsheets and blankets with their legs and arms wrapped around each other, asleep to the sound of each other's heartbeats.

Hal was in a deep sleep, wrapped around Barry, and content as he could be. At some point, he vaguely remembered Barry's warmth leaving him, but at that point he'd already been so relaxed that he didn't move or fully wake up. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it couldn't be morning yet, so Barry and his warmth would return soon.

Seconds passed. Everything was quiet and then, suddenly, the sound of a gunshot ripped through the silence. Hal's body jolted awake, immediately registering that the sound came from the living room and he bolted out of bed.

He got to the living room to find a stranger collapsed on the floor, unconscious, and just a few feet away was Barry on the floor as well. Hal felt his heart go cold as he took in the sight of Barry clutching his chest and convulsing. The blond's face was strained as he looked up at Hal with a deeply concerned and pained expression.

Hal fell to his knees next to him. His hands were shaking as he reached for Barry's arms, trying to get a good look at his chest. "No, no, no, no, no. Goddammit, no."

Barry had a much greater chance at surviving an injury like this than most people, but that didn't mean he was safe from danger at all.

Hal moved Barry's hands to see the blond's chest covered in blood. There was no way he could tell by looking just where the bullet was, but Hal was never empty handed. The lantern sprang to his feet, dashing off to the bedroom to retrieve his Green Lantern ring and then sprinted back to Barry's side, kneeling at his side again.

"Ring, scan him. Where is the goddamn bullet?"

"It appears the bullet went through his body just a couple of centimeters from his heart and exited out his back. He is slowly healing, but further aggravation will worsen the injury."

Barry tried to move his mouth, like he was trying to speak, but the only sounds coming from him were pained breathing.

Hal grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. "Don't talk. Don't talk. Focus, Barry. Fight it."

The blond shut his eyes, continuing to convulse. He squeezed Hal's hand in return as his little way of letting his boyfriend know that he wasn't giving up. He wasn't going down without a fight. Just as Hal would want for him.

Hal placed a free hand over the wound, applying pressure. While he knew that Barry was healing, the blood he was losing was still significant. As soon as Barry was in decent enough shape to move, he would probably have to get him to the Justice League Watchtower for further recovery just to be safe.

Barry's head rolled to the side, his eyes still shut. The movement made Hal panic, causing him to cry out.

"Look at me, Barry. Barry...," he said, his voice beginning to break. What if Barry's body didn't heal properly? What if the bullet hit him in such a way that it couldn't heal and he'd….

No, no, that wasn't an option. That was not going to happen.

"Barry, look at me. Barry. Please…."

A tear fell onto the hand he had placed on Barry's chest and it took several seconds before it registered as his own because he was crying. It only registered when Barry's injured form beneath him began to blur in his vision.

"Don't give up, Barry. Don't you dare give up on me."

Barry's convulsions were beginning to slow down. It was clear he was still in an incredible amount of pain, but Hal could see that he was in fact healing. He squeezed Hal's hand again, which seemed to allow him to focus. As far as Hal was concerned, he didn't want Barry to ever let him go.

"H-Hal….," Barry finally managed to choke out. "I'm...s-s-sorry…."

Hal shook his head quickly. "Don't you dare apologize. I can't believe you got fucking shot in my apartment. Fuck, Barry…"

"Heard...something. Ch-checked. C-c-couldn't let...him get to you. I slipped…"

"For fuck's sake, you should have woke me up when you heard something."

"B-better me...than you."

Hal's head fell. This whole thing was his fault. He should have implemented some kind of security system. There were lots of ways he could have done something like that, but he'd neglected to do so. He looked over at the fallen shooter, wondering if it was someone he'd recognize. It wasn't. Seemed to just be a guy looking for some poor sucker to rob. Barry must have knocked him out cold as the gun went off. From the sound of it, Barry hadn't been entirely focused because he didn't want the invader to get to Hal, which was how he'd failed to avoid the shot. Truthfully, Hal didn't know what would have happened if it had been him instead. But seeing Barry like this just hurt in so many ways.

His hand that was clasping Barry's was still shaking. "I don't want to be without you…"

"You won't….I'll pull through," Barry said, voice still weak but gradually getting stronger. He actually managed to put on a small smile. "N-never give up. Yeah?"

Overcome with emotion, Hal leaned down, leaning his forehead against Barry's. He continued squeezing his hand and applying pressure to his chest. "Bar, if you smile at me one more time before you're healed, I swear to god…."

Barry laughed. It was a weakened, pained laugh, but still a laugh. How could one person be so incredible even when going through hell? Was it possible for Hal to love him more than he already did? Because he already felt like he might burst from every emotion he was feeling right now.

Hal stayed with him like that, determined to be by his side as long as it took for him to heal. Eventually, Barry was able to take long, even breaths and speak with a lot less strain in his voice. Relief began to slowly wash over Hal as Barry showed stronger signs that he was healing. He didn't know what he'd do if Barry hadn't been able to heal for some reason. It was bad enough that the image of him on the floor like that was probably going to give him nightmares for months….

"Hal," Barry whispered, voice more steady now. "Hal, I love you."

Hal took a deep breath, squeezing Barry's hand again. His face was puffy, eyes still moist, but he didn't care. Barry was okay, that was all that mattered.

"You're an idiot," he choked. "Next time you wake me up when you hear even a pin drop. I'm taking you to the Watchtower."

Barry nodded.

Hal looked at the fallen shooter again and used his ring to form a pair of handcuffs around the man's wrists along with shackles at his ankles. That would keep him still until Hal got back.

Turning back to Barry, he wrapped his arms around him and gingerly picked him up. Yes, he was in fact going to carry him all the way to the teleporter. Thankfully, one wasn't far.

"Bar...I love you, too."

Barry rested his head against Hal's chest. "I know."