Hal Jordan touched down in Coast City a little before 9:00pm. He flew into an empty Ferris Aircraft hangar that he'd 'accidentally' disabled the security cameras to and powered down his ring, feeling his Green Lantern's light retreating from around his body. Hal jammed his arms into his flight jacket and shrugged it tighter around his shoulders, wincing a little when he agitated the giant bruise currently occupying his right shoulder blade. He'd taken a small meteor right to the side while protecting the planet Ramnos from what would have been a fatal meteor strike.
He'd have to put some ice on it before he went so sleep.
Sneaking out to where he'd discreetly parked his car, Hal dodged a handful of hired security guards and was on his way home before they even figured out someone was on the premises after hours. He made to his apartment building in record time thanks to the lack of traffic and was sticking his key in the lock right at 8:50.
He kicked the door shut behind him and carelessly tossed his keys on the floor where he kicked off his shoes. The apartment was dark, just like he'd left it, and he didn't bother turning on any lights. Hal just made his way passed the sparsely furnished living room and glanced at the answering machine as he went by. The indicator light was silently blinking red and a number flashed on the screen in time with it.
Thirty-three messages?! Hal caught himself on the doorframe and stared down at the phone in disbelief. He picked up the receiver and pressed the caller ID button, groaning when it displayed over fifty missed calls.
Well, crap. That meant something big had gone down while he was off planet on Corps business. He doubted that the messages were all from beautiful ladies calling for his affections. He'd only been gone three weeks and he'd broken it off with Carol again right before he left, so he hadn't had a chance to break any hearts lately.
Speaking of Carol, Hal noticed one of her shoes lying beneath the coffee table. He raised an eyebrow at the offending shoe and dropped the phone back into the cradle, stalking into the kitchen and opening the fridge to grab a beer. He popped it open with a ring construct and strolled lazily back into the living room, downing half the bottle before reaching over to hit 'play' on the machine.
The answering machine beeped and Hal reclined in the moonlight glowing through the window, tipping the bottle to his lips tiredly.
"You have…thirty-three messages. Playing March 11th, 4:00pm. 'Hey, Hal. It's Janice. I just wanted to know if you were going to be able to make Jack's birthday party tomorrow. Give us a ring when you get this, thanks.'"
Hal squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back with a groan. He'd forgotten his brother's birthday. Again… That would take some smoothing over.
"March 12th, 11:45pm. 'Hal, it's Clark. We've tried to get hold of you several times. Call me when you get this.'"
Hal chewed on his lip, counting the days in his head. The twelfth was something like a week and a half or two weeks ago. Whatever 'crisis' they'd had was definitely solved by now. He propped his feet up on the coffee table, hooking one ankle over the other comfortably.
"March 13th, 1:06am. 'It's Clark again. I really need you to call me back. As soon as you can. It's important.'"
Hal just rolled his eyes, already thinking about taking another vacation day to recover and sleeping in tomorrow.
The next message played, and this time it was at 1:30am from Diana. 'Hal. Pick up your phone. Now. You didn't tell any of us you left and no one knows when you're coming back. Contact us immediately when you return.'
Jeez, she was such a ball-buster. Hal wrinkled his nose at the Amazon's voice, wondering what kind of disaster they'd needed him for so early in the morning. Typhoon? Alien invasion? Starro again? Robot doppelgangers?
"March 13th, 3:00am. 'Hal. We have been unable to hail you on your communicator. Contact either Happy Harbor or Central City as soon as you are able.'" That time it was J'onn. Hal's curiosity was piqued now. Did that mean whatever went down happened in Barry's city? He felt a little bad about not being there now, but Barry was the best. He could handle anything.
The next twenty messages continued in the same fashion: Clark, Diana, or J'onn asking him to respond all day and into the 14th. Diana's messages were downright hostile and Clark's were pleading. Eventually, it came to 9:00pm on the 14th and Batman's voice came over the answering machine – grim and terse, 'Jordan. You left without your communicator and this will not happen again. There's been an emergency. Call someone the second you get this.'
That one was a little unnerving. Hal didn't really want to be on Batman's bad side – although he seemed sort of destined for it. The League had only been around for a year and he'd already managed to tick off Batman and Wonder Woman at least a dozen times.
The next message played and it was Clark again. He sounded different this time, not harried or anxious, just…sad. 'It doesn't look like you're going to make it back in time, so I might as well tell you so that you know as soon as possible.'
The tone of his voice and the subsequent long pause made Hal sit up a little straighter and had him listening closely.
'Barry's wife was murdered early yesterday morning… The funeral is tomorrow and I was really hoping you'd be back for it. He's not doing well and I know how close the two of you are.'
Hal froze and the bottle almost fell from his hands.
'You probably know by the time you get this that we want you to call us – or Barry at least. The funeral's going to be at Central Memorial Park at 2:00pm.'
Iris was dead…?
Hal shot to his feet and bolted to the calendar he'd nailed to the wall, fumbling to flip to the right month with one hand and dig his cell phone out of his pocket with the other. What day was it?! He stuck his finger on the square marked 15th, awkwardly holding the previous months up with his elbow as he looked up the date on his phone.
Today was the 27th…
Hal gaped in open-mouthed horror at the numbers, feeling his stomach drop into his knees. This had all happened two weeks ago. He dropped the calendar and clamped his hand over his mouth. The answering machine beeped again. "March 15th, 8:27am."
'Hal…' a quiet, dead voice issued from the speakers.
Hal turned around slowly to look at the phone in dread. That was Barry's voice – no doubt – but it was so dull and listless. He waited silently through the pause, still able to hear Barry's broken breathing.
'I…Hal, I can't do this. I have to bury her, but… You have to be here-I really need you here right now. Please. I don't know how to do this,' Barry stumbled through the words like he'd never spoken before.
Hal didn't stay to hear the rest of the shaky, whispered message. He let the machine run and sprinted for the front door, dropping to his hands and knees to find the keys. Where the fuck had he put them?! He groped under the table and caught the key ring on his index finger, grabbing them and jumping back to his feet. He was outside and locking the apartment behind him in record time, activating his ring without so much as a single glance to see if anyone was watching.
He reached into the pocket dimension inside his ring and produced his Justice League . Hal jammed it into his ear and took off east towards the Midwest as fast as he cold. He hated wearing the bulky earpiece – they really needed to upgrade it. It was not subtle. But now he regretted leaving it off. The range probably wouldn't have extended all the way to Ramnos, but it might've picked up signals on his return trip.
Barry was always complaining about how irresponsible he was and Hal wished he'd listened. He felt like a failure and an awful friend. He wasn't there when Barry needed him the most. They'd been friends long before the League was formed and Barry deserved better from him. All he'd had to do was deal with an annoying earpiece.
"Green Lantern to Mt. Justice. Anyone there?" Hal held down the microphone button as he soared high over California. The border to Nevada was approaching fast. He tried to mentally figure up how long it would take to get to Central City and had it pegged at just under three hours when Aquaman's voice came through the communicator.
"We've been trying to-"
"Reach me for weeks, I know!" Hal interrupted him impatiently. "I just got back and I listened to Superman's messages. Can you tell me where Flash is?"
"Central City," Arthur reported in a quiet, careful voice. "He's been there since the funeral; he took a leave of absence from the League and I think from heroing altogether. The first Flash has been patrolling the gem cities for the last few weeks."
That would be Jay Garrick. He and Barry were really close, ever since he got his powers. Sometimes Hal sort of wished he had the same kind of relationship with Alan Scott, but Alan was an insufferable, condescending jerk. So…no.
"Jeez…" Hal sighed in worry for his friend. Barry never took breaks from patrol. He didn't know what kind of shape he was going to be in mentally when Hal got there. "Do you know what happened? Who killed her?"
"It was Professor Zoom," Arthur told him.
Hal almost stopped in mid-air. Eobard Thawne had showed up two years ago and had been gunning for Barry's throat ever since. If he'd killed Iris… Was it random or in retaliation? If it was the latter, then that meant Zoom knew who Barry was, "Is he still on the loose?"
"No. Superman caught him early the next morning. Zoom is sitting in Belle Reve Penitentiary right now with two crushed legs and a freshly wiped mind," Arthur's voice crackled over the earpiece.
"Isn't that a bit overkill for Superman and Martian Manhunter?" Hal frowned down at the Earth speeding by below him. That sounded more like something he would do.
Arthur agreed with him, "I don't think Zoom even knew his own name when the Martian was through with him, but it had to be done. He'd figured out Flash's identity somehow and he couldn't be put in with the rest of the incarcerated villains there with that knowledge."
Hal's heart sank. So it had been retaliation. Barry was going to be blaming himself for Iris' death, "Has anyone talked to him about it? What was he – did he seem…okay? Like, is he a danger to himself? Is anyone keeping an eye on how he's doing?"
"I can't see him hurting himself, especially since he's got that kid now."
Hal had forgotten about Barry's nephew, Wallace. No, they called him Wally, didn't they? He'd only met the kid a handful of times.
"I think Flash is pouring every drop of himself into taking care of him. It's helping him keep his head above water, I think, but just barely."
"Thanks, man," Hal pushed himself to fly faster. "Tell the others I'll be in Central for a few days, will ya?"
"Good luck."
He reached Central City just before 1:00am – his best time yet. The bustle was clearly dying down; west coast cities kept going all night by comparison. Hal flew towards Danville and landed carefully in a park around the corner from Barry's block. He stealthily dodged through a couple backyards before reaching the right street and sneaking up onto the front porch.
Hal checked over his shoulder and tucked his Green Lantern ring into a pocket before knocking on the front door hurriedly. Again, he glanced around at the quiet residential area, expecting lights to start turning on inside the neighboring homes. When no one answered, Hal knocked a little louder, rapping on the wood and trying to see into the dark house through the glass panes until he heard footsteps from within. He stepped back a little and took a deep breath, bending his knees a little impatiently.
A lamp flicked on behind the windows and Hal heard the sound of the lock turning. A second later, the door opened and Hal saw his best friend standing there looking…tired and defeated. It was in every line of his body and the way he took a minute to recognize Hal was there. His normally bright blue eyes were dull and heavily shadowed from lack of sleep, unfocused and detached from what was going on around him. His short blond hair stuck out messily like he hadn't even tried to do anything with it in days and the old Central City Cougars t-shirt and sweat pants hanging off him suggested that he'd lost a lot of weight since Hal had seen him last.
Barry's eyebrows turned downwards in confusion and his eyes flickered up and down Hal's figure, "Hal…?"
His voice sounded dead – like someone had ripped out his soul and expected to get away with it without anyone noticing. Hal's eyes widened in worried alarm and he stepped forward to hook an arm around Barry's shoulders, pulling him into an awkward sort of hug. Barry let go of the doorknob in surprise and stiffened up when Hal whispered 'I'm sorry' in a choked voice.
He pulled back, moving aside so Hal could come into the house and closing the door behind him, "What?"
"I'm sorry I wasn't here when it happened," Hal cleared his throat with a cough and found it very difficult to look his friend in the eyes. "When Iris…"
Barry's almost stoic expression shifted suddenly as he was caught off guard and Hal watched in dismay as it crumpled. Shit. What the hell kind of guy says the name of his friend's recently deceased wife this soon after she was murdered?!
"I'm sorry!" he bumbled frantically, holding out his arms like he could reach out and snatch the words back. Barry's slumped shoulders were the only remaining tells about how he was really doing after he finished recomposing his face into a tired mask seconds later.
"It's not your fault," Barry tried to give him a reassuring smile, but the result was sad and hollow. "Didn't take us long to figure out that you were off planet on a mission. How did it go?"
Hal cocked his head to the side and he stared at Barry with narrowed, uncomprehending eyes. He was asking how Hal's mission went? The question was so absurd given the current circumstances that he just floundered about for a response for a minute until Barry hung his head and sank down on the couch with a shaky sigh.
"I'm sorry…" Barry mumbled tonelessly, letting his fingers slide through his hair and knot at the roots. "I don't know how to….?"
He was so broken that Hal didn't have any idea where to start.
He rested a hand on the back of Barry's neck and knelt down to eye level, "Are you okay? You look really bad."
Barry didn't look up. He shut his eyes and leaned against Hal's arm, shaking his head slowly, "I can't sleep. At all. Every time I try…I just see Ir-her face and all of a sudden I've got all this energy and I can't get rid of it, so I run. I just circle the globe over and over to tire myself out, but it doesn't work. I don't know what else to do – I'm restless all the time. Nothing helps."
"Sounds like your powers are all messed up," Hal let go of Barry and sat back on the carpet in front of him.
He nodded, "They've never been this bad before. It's a little better when Wally's around, but I haven't been able to control them. Jay's had to take over as the Flash again until I get it figured out."
"Well, yeah…" Hal deadpanned like it was obvious. "You did take off some time from work, didn't you?"
"I tried to go in, but Captain Frye kicked me out and forced me to take a month's leave," Barry said dejectedly. If it wasn't so sad, Hal would have laughed. Only Barry Allen would think he had to go in to work right after his wife died. He was so utterly lost right now.
"How's Wally?" Hal looked over his shoulder to the rest of the dark house where he assumed the young boy's room was.
Barry's depression seemed to weigh down even heavier on him, "He doesn't understand why she's gone and he's old enough to miss her. I don't know how to explain it to him right…"
"Is he awake? I can try if you want," Hal was offering before he even knew why. The last thing he wanted to do was explain death to a three year old.
Thankfully, Barry shook his head, "He's at the Garrick's in Keystone. They've been taking him about three times a week to help me out – and they insist that they just adore him – but I feel bad about it. Plus, it's actually kind of easier when he's here. He gives me something to focus on."
"But are you ignoring yourself in the process?" Hal chewed at the inside of his lip. Barry wasn't quick to anger at all, but he still felt the need to tread carefully with this subject.
"Probably," Barry admitted with another empty half smile.
Hal sighed internally. He was going to have to be here longer than a couple days in order to help Barry, "What are you going to do about Wally?"
Barry looked up at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Carefully, carefully.
"Uhh… Well, it was one thing when you and…um, when you had help, but you're so young to be raising a kid by yourself on top of being the Flash and working full time – and now you only have half the income you did before," Hal winced as he spoke gingerly – the words sounding worse and worse as he went on. "I just didn't know if – if you were still…uh-"
"If I was going to keep him or not?" Barry finished the sentence incredulously.
"Well…yeah."
"Of course I am," Barry looked deeply unsettled at the idea. "I can't give him up. Iris loved him so much and I have to take care of him for her. I- He was ours; he's family. He's my son."
He trailed off and looked down at his folded hands again, eyes beginning to water. Hal immediately regretted saying anything. His first concern had been for Barry's well-being, but he hadn't realized how important Wally was to him. He was the only thing Barry had left of Iris and it was obvious now how much he loved Wally.
It wasn't Barry and Iris anymore, or even just Barry by himself. It was Barry and Wally. And if Wally was important to Barry, then he was important to Hal too.
"Alright," Hal didn't argue with him. "I think it's great. How can I help?"
"What?" Barry looked taken off guard.
"Well, Jay can't help you every day of the week, can he?" Hal spoke matter-of-factly. "I'll help out the other days that he can't."
Barry's eyes narrowed and he still looked like he didn't understand.
"Y'know… babysitting…uh, picking him up from school or daycare? Does he go to school yet? Nevermind. Just…kinda whatever you need," Hal explained awkwardly. Jeez, he was complete crap at this…
To his relief, Barry cracked a smile and actually laughed, "I'm supposed to let you babysit a child? Hal, you are a child."
"Shut up," Hal muttered, rolling his eyes. "You'll need me to one day and then you'll be eating those words. I can be responsible when I want."
"I still can't believe you want to watch Wally," Barry just shook his head slowly.
"Yeah, well, I want to help you," he shrugged like it was nothing. "I've tackled more difficult things than childcare for you before."
"No," Barry said with a quiet laugh like he had some great big secret that Hal wasn't privy to. "No you haven't… You sure you wanna do this? Wally's actually really adorable; you might get attached to him if you're not careful."
Hal dismissed the playful warning with a scoff, "I think I can handle it."
They both fell into a comfortable silence then with Hal leaning back on his hands and watching Barry's temporary good mood quickly dissolve as soon as he had time to think about everything that had happened. Damnit. He was slipping back into depression really fast. Hal needed to do something to keep Barry's mind off of Iris.
What did he do when he was depressed about something?
Hal looked up suddenly and slapped the carpet with a smile as an idea came to him, "Alright, get up. No more moping; we're going out."
Barry didn't look excited. He cocked an eyebrow at Hal and made a face, "Go out? It's 1:00 in the morning."
"That's not that late – and you said yourself that you can't sleep anyway, so why not?" Hal was already on his feet and pulling a reluctant Barry up as well.
"I'd rather just go get Wally," Barry put up minor resistance to Hal's manhandling.
"It's 1:00 in the morning," Hal mimicked his words with a teasing smile. "He's not going to be awake. Let's just go out, get your mind off everything, and we can go get Wally tomorrow."
"We?" Barry frowned.
"Yeah," Hal flashed him an impish grin. "I'm staying with you for a few days. You have no choice in the matter. It's gonna happen. Now, seriously, put on some shoes and let's go."
For once, Barry moved agonizingly slowly as he searched the house for a pair of sneakers. Hal just pulled up a list of all the bars in Central City that he'd ever been to while he waited. Rick's was walking distance – he didn't plan on being able to drive by the end of the night, and drunk flying was even worse. What day was it? Wednesday. Perfect. It was 'Drink and Drown' night at Rick's – all you can drink for $20. He double checked his wallet and smiled when he saw the fat line of bills in it. Thankfully, he'd been on good terms with Carol right before they broke up and the pay raise she'd given him couldn't be taken away. Never date your boss…
After Barry dug up a pair of shoes and they were outside heading to Rick's, he started complaining about going to a bar and repeatedly saying that he never drank. Hal just replied with a curt 'That's why we're going' and dragged him into town.
Rick's was still pretty busy when they got there, so Hal chose a secluded corner away from the crowds and sat Barry down while he went up to the bar. He opened his mouth to order and then shut it suddenly. Hmm… How would alcohol react with Barry's metabolism? He'd never actually tried to get the speedster drunk before. How much would it take?
"Uh…four of whatever's on tap," Hal told the bartender after some quick, mental math. He showed the green stamp on the back of his wrist to prove he'd paid at the door and wrangled the sloshing glasses in both hands. "I'll probably be back a lot."
The bar was moderately full for the middle of the week, which was just fine with him. The more people there were, the less anyone would notice two superheroes amongst them trying to get absolutely plastered. Hal made his way back to the booth and set three of the glasses in front of Barry.
The speedster looked at the beer distastefully and Hal just laughed, "Don't think, just drink."
"Your philosophy on life?" Barry asked dryly before picking up a glass and taking a sip.
Jeez, he was going to have to drink faster than that. Hal downed most of his own glass and flashed Barry a brilliant smile, "It's one of my ten commandments."
Barry just shook his head at him fondly and went quiet, his eyebrows pulling together into a frown. Something had reminded him of Iris…
"Come on, man." Hal sighed. "Don't make me the only one drinking. I want you to finish all three of those before I finish mine, okay? It'll be a race."
Barry responded by closing his eyes and ignoring him, "Why are we here, Hal?"
Hal set down his glass and fixed his friend with a sympathetic stare, "Because you need this, buddy. You're allowed to have fun, you know, and take your mind off of everything for a night."
"Right…" Barry mumbled unconvincingly, staring down at his beer for a long moment, but he drained it all at once and pushed the empty glass at Hal. "You'll make sure we don't do anything stupid?"
Don't be a bad liar. Don't be a bad liar.
"Mmhmm," Hal nodded with his very best 'innocent' smile.
It took exactly ten seconds of dead silence to crack Barry's poker face. Then he started laughing and shaking his head, "Whatever… Have at it."
He held out the second glass of beer and Hal clinked his own against it, "Challenge accepted."
And a challenge it was…
Barry had polished off all three beers with no trouble at all as well as two more that Hal had brought after those. He didn't even get a slurred sentence out of it. Hal was frustrated and a little disappointed at the lack of effect, so he changed tactics and started ordering the fruitiest, girliest drinks he could think of.
He was just a little bitter.
To his credit, Barry drank the bright pink strawberry daiquiri without complaint. He only smiled before downing the Appletini, and just raised an eyebrow at the Sex on the Beach and the Screwdriver. He was a good sport about it, but the cocktails were doing nothing. Hal ordered about twelve Jager Bombs and got Barry to throw back ten of them one after another – as fast as he could.
"How do you feel?" Hal asked curiously, watching his friend frown at the table.
Barry 'hmm'd' and examined his hands closely, "I think it's starting to work…"
"Starting to-?" Hal began incredulously. He shoved back from the table and all the empty glasses, answering Barry's quizzical expression with a signal to wait a second. He flashed his stamp again and leaned in close to the bartender, "Do you have anything 150 proof?"
The bartender jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the displayed bottles behind him, "Vodka and whiskey."
Hal crinkled his nose at the latter, "Better be vodka – I've got an inexperienced drinker. Can I get 2 bottles?"
He raised an eyebrow at Hal.
"Uh…there are a lot of us…" Hal said lamely.
The bartender bent down under the bar and didn't release his stare even as he handed over the clear bottles. Hal gave him a nervous half smile and quickly returned to the table. He cracked open one of the bottles and set it in front of Barry, "I don't think 'drink and drown' night was designed for speedsters. You may wanna down these fast before we get kicked out."
"What did you do?" Barry asked shrewdly, lifting the bottle to his lips.
"Nothing," Hal bristled defensively, keeping an eye on the staff. It looked like someone was onto them. "Just hurry up. I think we've reached the bar's limit."
"I thought 'drink and drown' was unlimited," Barry made a face as he polished off the first bottle, actually swaying in his seat now and blinking rapidly.
"Yeah, well, most people would have drowned by now," Hal hissed, sliding the second bottle to him without looking. He was busy keeping an eye on the bar. A few of the staff had grabbed two big, burly security guys and were pointing at the two of them. The owner appeared a minute later and made his way over to their table.
"How 'bout you boys call it a night," the owner grabbed his belt and 'ominously' hiked up the waistline of his pants like the movement was supposed to be intimidating.
Hal sighed, "Something wrong, officers?"
He never could resist being a smartass.
It looked like the owner didn't appreciate his humor, "Yeah – ever hear of alcohol poisoning? Cause that's where you're headed tonight."
"We're really fine," Hal reasoned. He only had a moderate buzz, and Barry was about the same. Of course, he couldn't tell the owner that the reason they were okay was because one of them was a metahuman. "I promise you."
"He doesn't look fine," one of the security guys pointed over Hal's shoulder.
He turned around in confusion and found Barry slumped face down over the table with the last half empty bottle still clutched in one hand and his mouth stretched wide in a goofy grin. Hal just groaned. Barry would pick right now to finally get drunk.
"Uhm…"
"You need to get him to a hospital," the owner said grimly, making it implicitly clear that there would be no arguing.
"Right…" Hal nodded, getting up and going over to Barry. "I'll take him there now."
He placed a hand on Barry's back and shook him a little, "Come on, man. Let's head out now."
"We getting kicked out?" Barry let Hal drag him to his feet before deciding to help out and actually stand on his own.
Two brisk nods from the security were all the proof Hal needed, "Yup."
Barry suddenly grabbed Hal's shoulder and almost knocked heads with him as he looked up suddenly, "Let's fight them!"
"What…?" Hal cocked an eyebrow at Barry. He couldn't believe he'd just said that.
The huge smile on Barry's face only got bigger, "Come on, I've fought Captain Cold before single-handedly. We can take 'em."
Before Hal had time to panic, one of the bouncers snorted with laughter and elbowed his buddy with a roll of his eyes, "Sure you have."
"We can take them," Barry tugged on Hal's collar and whispered very loudly.
"We probably could," Hal muttered to Barry before prying his fingers off and tossing a winning smile at the security. "But that would be bad. We're gonna go find you a doctor, okay?"
"Okay," Barry agreed easily, a content smile on his face. His legs didn't seem very steady, so Hal took on most of his weight and dragged him out of the bar. He tried to avoid looking anyone in the eye as they left. Geez, was this what it was like for his friends when they had to pick him up drunk?
Hal tripped on a raised up seam of sidewalk when they got outside, sending Barry into hysterical laughter, "Wow…this is a super interesting side of you, Bear."
Barry didn't really seem like he understood what Hal had said. He was just stumbling along beside him with his eyes mostly closed and the bottle gradually slipping from his fingers. Alright. Mission accomplished. Barry's mind was off Iris, and fortunately he was an extremely happy drunk.
"You should let your eyes show," he said suddenly.
Hal looked down at him in confusion, "What?"
"Your Green Lantern mask," Barry made a pulling motion at his forehead to demonstrate. "You should let people see your eyes like I do."
"I don't think I have a choice; the ring just automatically makes a mask," Hal steered them slowly along the correct route back to Barry's house. The inebriated speedster kept trying to wander off and Hal had to keep tugging him back.
"You should try. You've got nice eyes," Barry rambled over him. "Not as nice as mine, of course – mine are blue. Yours are sorta ugly."
"What?!" Hal laughed. "You just said they were nice like two seconds ago."
"Things change," Barry smiled like he was pleased with himself.
"Yeah, whatever. Open-eye masks are an awful choice anyways," Hal wrestled Barry out of the deserted street again. "They're not good secret identity protectors."
"Pfft," Barry cracked up again. "Says the man who signed a check as 'Green Lantern' once."
That shut Hal up. He'd done that way more than just once.
"Why are we walking?" Barry complained suddenly, apparently just now noticing how long it had taken them to go just a few blocks. "I don't wanna walk anymore."
He stopped moving altogether and Hal almost fell over as the speedster's sneakers started scraping across the concrete. He readjusted his hold on Barry's torso and tried not to get annoyed, "Hey, stop that. I'm gonna drop you. I'm not kidding. Barry."
He took a few more steps before trying to twist free of Hal's hold, "I want to run."
"No running – and we're walking because flying while even a little tipsy is a bad idea," Hal dismissed him quickly. Barry tried to shrug him off again, nearly fell over, and got into a slap fight when Hal pulled him upright. "I told you I'd make good decisions tonight. Remember?"
"I'm gonna go dead weight on you," Barry threatened. "I'll be a dead body – I know dead bodies. I examine them every day. They're heavy."
"Stop being morbid, you dork," Hal shook his head.
"I do what I want," Barry went completely limp, dropping through Hal's grip into a runner's crouch. "I can super speed us home."
Hal scrambled to block him from taking off. He really didn't want to chase down a drunk speedster, "No, no! Please don't – that's a terrible idea."
"You don't think I can do it?" Barry's grin got wider.
"No, I don't," he physically held Barry still, using his best 'serious voice'. "It's not a challenge; do not try to use-"
Barry shot off like a bullet and Hal made a grab for him but missed. He took about five lightning fast steps and then his speed cut out, sending him crashing onto his face.
Hal couldn't help it. He just stared at him and burst out laughing as Barry just sort of flopped over onto his back and groaned pitifully. Oh, he really hoped his ring was able to record everything that had happened in the last few hours.
He used an energy construct to pick Barry back up and dismissed it quickly, "I told you not to try it."
"Why isn't my speed working?" Barry just looked down at his hands in confusion.
"Three guesses," Hal said sarcastically, slinging one of Barry's arms around his shoulders. "I'll give you a hint: it's the alcohol."
"You may be right…"
Fifteen minutes later, Hal was dragging Barry's unconscious body through the front door while awkwardly fumbling with the keys. He stood in the middle of the pitch black living room and paused, trying to decide where to take his friend. The bedroom or the couch? Barry said he hadn't been able to sleep lately. What if that was because of the empty bed? Iris not sleeping there beside him might be the reason.
Better pick the couch just o be safe.
Hal hefted Barry onto one end of the couch and carefully arranged his legs so that his spine didn't twist. Barry made a delirious sort of giggle and it was so out of character that Hal had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing and waking him up. He struggled with the laces of Barry's shoes and pulled them off, feeling like he was tucking in a toddler.
He was never getting Barry drunk ever again. It was just weird.
Hal looked around in the dark, trying to let his eyes adjust before he went stumbling around and stubbing his toes on furniture. He'd crashed here enough times to know where Iris kept the spare blankets. Both arms were piled high with throw blankets a minute later and he was just passing the kitchen on his way back to the living room when something caught his eye. It was a grocery list stuck to the fridge with a magnet.
It was in Iris' handwriting.
Hal slowed to a halt and he frowned at the tiny paper intently. His eyes darted across the rest of the kitchen, taking in the purse lying on the counter against the wall, the GBS mug from the news station where Iris worked sitting beside the coffee pot, and the pair of grey heels placed innocently by the back door. Realization dawned on Hal as he spotted more and more things that were all evidence that Iris had lived here.
He looked up at Barry's sprawled out silhouette with sympathy. It wasn't the empty bedroom that was bothering Barry – it was the whole damn house. He wasn't going to get any closure while he was living here.
Hal padded back to the couch and carefully draped one of the blankets over his friend. He wadded up another for himself to use as a pillow and stretched out on the floor beside the couch. In the morning, he was going to try his best to convince Barry that he needed to find a new place. For now though, it looked like Barry would actually be able to get some sleep tonight. Hal felt a little better knowing that he's at least been able to do something useful.
He could definitely help Barry get over this. They just had to take it one step at a time. Hopefully, Hal wouldn't screw it up.
A small smile worked its way onto his face. Hal brought his hand up to his mouth and whispered, "Ring, did you record any of that tonight?"
"Confirmed," it said back in a tinny, robotic voice.
"Excellent…" Hal let his head fall back and he closed his eyes. Months later, when things were funny again, he would have blackmail.