The sky was showing the hint of change in the east. Soft sunlight slowly erasing stars that had burned bright only moments before. Through the empty streets an orange blur sped by, barely a blink before it was long out of sight. From city to city he burned a path as though his life depend on it.
I have to hurry. Barry pushed himself to take each step, his body exhausted from everything that had happened while he was gone. I need to see him. Familiar streets started to shift by but he kept his pace the same. Every second he wasted was a sharp pain in his chest. Though that could have been from overworking himself and refusing to catch his breath. He didn't bother to stop and knock on the door, instead phasing right through it in his desperation.
The thumping of his heart was deafening as he moved from room to room. The bedroom was empty, Sheets messed but cold and vacant. He could smell the faint musk of the other man's cologne that brought a tightness to his chest. Also missing was the worn leather jacket that made its home on the back of the couch, no matter how many times he asked Hal to put it away.
Pausing only to check that the other was not off planet. And thank God he wasn't, Barry didn't think his poor heart could take it if Hal had been called away on a mission. He made his way to the one place he knew the other man would be.
It wasn't uncommon for people in their line of work to have trouble sleeping. It was normal to wake up in the middle of the night. After all, the nightmares and guilt tore them all up inside. And though you wouldn't often guess it, Hal's failures cut him deeper than most. Sometimes Barry would find him curled up on the deck, staring off into the trees while his mind was galaxies away. But the nights that were worse or when Barry was absent and the house too confined. He would escape into the night to the only place that could give him peace.
He had once told Barry that nothing made him happier than flying. And though he had the ability to do it with the aid of his ring, nothing could compare to the feeling of his plane. In a rare moment of vulnerability he had whispered that it made him feel closer to his father.
Reaching Ferris Air, he caught sight of a glint in the air. A small plane was making its descent at what most would consider a dangerous speed. It couldn't be said that Hal liked to play it safe. Waiting as the plane touched down and made it's way to the hangar, Barry sped up alongside it, slowing down so he could wave and catch a glimpse of the other man's face
"Bear. what the he-"
His sentence unfinished as the other man launched himself into his arms. Head burrowing into Hal's neck he let himself finally calm down. All of the exhaustion and sadness that he had pushed back finally let itself be known as he took in the scent and feel of his lover.
"Hal please. Just hold me."
"I…" Hal always understood what he needed and this time was no different. Folding Barry into a hug, he ran his hands soothingly up and down his back, "Hey it's alright Bear. I got you."
After there would be questions. And Barry would sit down and explain everything that happened. The alternative lives he had seen, the destruction. Reverse Flash. His mother. And the knowledge that you can't change the past, no matter how much you wanted. The only place to go was forward.