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After nearly a decade in the hero business, Barry was used to bad missions. Fortunately, they weren’t too often, but every once in a while one had him going home with a bad taste in his mouth, and a fleeting thought wondering if any of this was worth it. Of course, once he got home to his two favorite guys, had a hot shower, and consumed a few thousand calories - the answer was always a resounding “of course it is”, and he usually felt a bit guilty for ever thinking otherwise.
Today, however, his son was still with Jay and Joan’s house across the river in Keystone, and as far as he knew, Hal was still radio silent on the far side of the galaxy working on something for the Guardians, and he wasn’t sure when he’d be back. They’d been friends for nearly a decade, and just recently crossed over the line into something new, something more, when the Lantern had been pulled away into space. Barry knew what he was getting into with that. He didn’t mind- he’d much rather do hard with Hal than easy without him. They brought out the best in each other, Hal had practically been living at his house for years now, ever since Iris died. Wally had come to view his Uncle Hal as a second father, and Barry was more than okay with that - more surprisingly, Hal was more than okay with that, at least it seemed that way so far. The four year old redhead hadn’t taken Hal’s frequent absences well at first, but he’d adjusted and was handling this current one better than any so far. Hal had been gone a little over two weeks, and Barry missed him. Especially after a mission like that, all Barry wanted was the Lantern to be home so he could vent to him. There had been a terrorist threat on a massive fishing vessel, of all things, and both he and Clark had been asked to assist Arthur in dealing with it. All in all, it was a pretty simple mission, if you take out the part where they decided to blow the vessel with crew still on it. Luckily, no one had been killed and a few injuries were the worst of it, but The Flash isn’t meant for working underwater. After a near-drowning and being too close to way too many dead fish, he was just happy it was over and he was home. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get the smell of fish and salt water out of his uniform, but at the end of the day it was a small price to pay for another successful mission. At least, that’s what he’d normally tell himself. He grumbled to himself and sighed as he opened the front door to his house, pulling off his cowl and instinctively reaching over to turn the light switch on before he realized they were already on. Not only was the living room light on, but the TV was on with the volume up way too loud, and their were noises coming from the kitchen. He gently shut the door behind him, freezing in place as he noticed the familiar flight jacket hanging on the rack near the front door.
Hal.
Seeing as the Lantern hadn’t greeted him or even acknowledged his arrival, he figured the brunet hadn’t heard him - unsurprising since the volume of the TV really was extremely loud. He must have been trying to listen to the game while in the other room - something he did often. Barry went ahead and grabbed the remote, turning the volume down to a reasonable level. As he set the remote back down on the coffee table, he turned back towards the kitchen only to be met with a tall, handsome figure leaning against the wall of the entryway looking back at him, a small soft smile gracing his lips.
“You’re back” That was all Barry could say, feeling all the emotions and frustration from the day getting caught in his throat, making it difficult to speak without his voice cracking. He could tell his eyes were starting to water, and he didn’t even care. Hal was home.
“I am.” Was all all the other man said back, taking a few steps towards the blond.
“When did you-,” the speedster was cut off by strong arms wrapping around him, and he melted into it, instinctively hugging the other man back. Hal smelled amazing, like a mixture of soap, old spice, and a hint of ozone.
“Hmmm, an hour ago?” Hal guessed, voice soothing and calm. He rubbed a hand up and down Barry’s spine a few times, physically feeling the tension leave the blond’s body with the touch. With just these few seconds of interaction, he could tell Barry was worked up. From where his chin was resting on Hal’s shoulder, he asked, “Did you go home first?”
“You’re home.” Hal said without hesitation. Barry felt his heart skip a beat, because - yeah, that was a very cute thing to say, Hal was much better at that than he ever expected him to be and he always seemed to catch the speedster off guard when he dropped a simple comment that would send Barry’s heart flailing.
Pulling back a bit and giving the other a small smile, Barry clarified, “I meant to Coast.”
Hal shook his head, pulling the speedster back into his embrace.
“What for?”
And you know what? He guessed the pilot has a point there - Most of Hal’s belongings are here now. He’s kind of slowly moved in over the years, and now that He and Barry and kind of, sort of, definitely seeing each other in every capacity and meaning of the word, it only makes sense that he moves in and lives with Barry and Wally. They’ve never really had a conversation about it, it just kind of happened. Barry had been too afraid of bringing it up and scaring the other off, and Hal just wasn’t the type to bring it up or make a big deal out of it. He just wanted to go with the flow, and let whatever happened happen. Hal’s always been a doer.
Barry, however - is a thinker. He thinks about what this means for them, what this means for Wally, what this means for the League and everything in between. He’s always been the type to think too much and ruin something good, and he’s afraid to do that with this. He thinks that might be one of the reasons he and Hal complement each other so well, seeing as the Lantern is one the only people able to get Barry to stop thinking and slow down every once in a while. He snaps out of his thoughts when he feels hands gripping his biceps, squeezing gently. His blue eyes met concerned brown ones.
“Bear, stop thinking so much. You’re getting blurry on me.” Hal says, and just his reassuring voice is enough to send a wave of calm over the two of them. Barry hadn’t even realized he’d starting to slip. It still happened every once in a while, mostly when he was overly worried, stressed, or anxious. He always struggled with anxiety, since his mother had been killed, and his powers only made it worse. He’d had it under control for a long time, but after he and Iris took in their infant (at the time) nephew Wally, a villain named Professor Zoom who’s sole purpose seemed to be trying to ruin Barry’s life showed up out of the blue. He’d killed Iris years before, and promised to one day return to take the child from him as well. It’d been nearly 4 years since then, and Zoom hadn’t made an appearance since, but Barry found it very difficult to relax, especially if the redhead wasn’t in his sights. Hal had helped a lot, but it was still hard. There isn’t much he could really do to track down a villain who hides out in the time stream. Regardless of the threat, they had to move on with their lives. Adjusting to the loss of Iris had been one of the hardest things Barry had ever done, and without the support of Hal, the Garricks, the League, and his coworkers, he’s not sure it would’ve been possible. Wally is lucky, in some regard. He’d barely been a year old when it happened, so he doesn’t really remember Iris, therefore doesn’t really have to deal with missing her. But Barry does, every day. Hal too.
It’s funny - Iris always joked that if she hadn’t met Barry first, he would’ve married Hal. Maybe she was on to something.
Hal’s hand had found its way to the back of the blond’s neck, moving the downed cowl aside to play with the short hairs at his nape. He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his check, lingering there while his other hand wound around the speedsters back, pulling his closer until he was flush against him.
“Missed you,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. Barry’s head tilted to the side instinctively. Not one to ignore an open invitation, Hal trailed his kisses down his jawline and then to his neck, giving the pale skin his full attention, knowing that it was a bit of a sweet spot. Barry moaned while Hal let out a frustrated noise when he reached the red spandex of the Flash suit, one hand already reaching around to find the hidden zipper while the other cupped the side of Barry’s face, pulling him into an open mouth kiss. Suddenly, Barry was very glad he decided to come home and shower before picking Wally up from the Garricks. Hal was always a little extra handsy when he got back from space, regardless if the mission kept him away for a weekend, a week, a month, or God forbid even longer. He’d only been gone a few weeks, but had to be radio silent the entire time, and Barry hadn’t been sure if he was okay or when he’d be back. Barry and Wally had both become accustomed to Hal being around most days and spending the night at least 6 days per week. Wally didn’t know Hal was a Green Lantern, of course he didn’t. He just thought Hal had to go to Coast or something when he left, and didn’t always understand why he couldn’t call or talk to the man while he was gone. Barry, being a grown man, is in much better control of his emotions than the 4 year old redhead. At least it was only one of them breaking down crying and throwing tantrums when they missed Hal.
“Stop, Hal. I smell like fish.” Barry said, grimacing and pulling back as Hal started unzipping his suit and slipping a hand inside to feel the smooth skin underneath. Hal breathed out a laugh, resting his forehead on Barry’s newly exposed shoulder. Hal was two or three inches taller than the blond, so he had to strain his neck a bit, but he didn’t care. He wanted the contact. He pressed a kiss against the skin of Barry’s collarbone, causing the blond to shiver involuntarily.
“I’m serious, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a fish in my suit.” Barry said, petting the pilot’s brown hair before stepping back and away, “Let me go take a shower first. Then you can say hello.” He added a smirk and a wink, that had the Lantern’s sad look erased just as quickly as it had shown up. He followed after Barry, who was making his way up the stairs to the bedroom, while working to pull the top part of his suit off. The spandex was still wet and clung uncomfortably to his skin, and he was starting to feel cold as the cool air of the AC hit his wet skin. He set his Flash ring on the bedside table, being careful not to drip any river water on the bed. He hadn’t even noticed that Hal had followed him up the stairs until he turned around and saw the brunet shedding his shirt and stepping toward him, reaching out to grab his hand.
“Do you want to be alone?” He asked seriously, watching Barry’s reactions carefully. Maybe it was just the result of everything that had happened today and not being able to speak to or even check in on Hal for the past two weeks, but he was feeling emotional. Hal was well-known as being cocky, brash, flighty, and a plethora of other qualities that one didn’t necessary look for in their Prince Charming. Not with Barry though. Just the way he asked that - if Barry wanted to be alone - when he clearly wanted some physical time with Barry, showed how much he cared about him. Barry was quiet for a moment, lost in his thoughts, when Hal squeezed his hand. He must have been starting to go blurry again. Sometimes he can’t help it. Teary baby blue eyes looked up into brown as he shook his head. He wanted Hal.
The Lantern let out a sigh, reaching a hand up to cup Barry’s face.
“Bad day?”
Barry gave him a small smile, leaning his face into the other’s hand. “Better now”.
The Lantern leaned in for a chaste kiss before pulling back and moving toward the laundry basket, unbuttoning and pulling off his jeans, leaving him in just his boxers. Barry tried not to stare, but can anyone really blame him? Hal was an attractive guy - face like a model, and body sculpted by fighting intergalactic and domestic threats on a daily basis. This thing with Hal is new, and he didn’t have anything but memories from a few nights together to tide him over while he was in space.
“What are you doing?” Barry asked as he entered the adjoining bathroom. He turned the shower on, a bit warmer than usual. He felt Hal’s hands on his suit, helping to pull the uncomfortable fabric away from his body. He let it happen, wanting the suit off and knowing it would be easier with help. There hadn’t been any fish in the suit, just some sand and small aquatic plant or two.
“You don’t want to be alone. I want to be with you and you need to shower. So, let’s shower. Is that okay?” Hal said, meeting Barry’s eyes as he asked for permission to continue. This was new, they hadn’t done this before yet. A million thoughts raced through Barry’s head in the 2 seconds he took to answer, but as soon as he nodded, Hal was pulling his own boxers off, tossing them to the side, and stepping into the shower, holding the curtain out of the way and providing an arm for the exhausted speedster to use for balance as he stepped over the edge of the tub.
Hal maneuvered him under the spray, and Barry let out a relaxed sigh as the warm water hit his battered body. Firm hands started massaging the muscles under the speedster’s skin. After a few minutes of just standing there and silently letting himself be touched, Barry noticed Hal’s hands had left his body. His eyes had drifted shut at some point, but they snapped open when he heard the pop of a bottle opening. Hal had the bottle of shampoo in his hands, the brand that Iris had always bought for him when she was alive and he continued to get even now. Suddenly, hands were in his hair, massaging his scalp. Hal was washing his hair. Hal Jordan was in his shower, washing his hair for him. Barry felt his eyes start to burn, and he wasn’t really going to cry over this, was he? He might.
“When do you want to go get Wally? I miss him. We need to get dinner too - I tried to cook you something after I saw you were on a mission, but honestly - I’m not sure it’s edible. I cleaned everything up though, promise. My vote is Chinese. Guy kept talking about this Chinese restaurant he found the whole time we were gone and I’ve been craving it for a week.” He said, holding casual conversation as he led Barry back under the stream of water, holding a hand over his forehead to stop any of the shampoo from finding his eyes.
“That’s fine. Whatever you want is fine, I’m just glad you’re here” Barry said, leaning into Hal and pushing him gently against the wall of the shower, laughing softly when the water flattened his hair down and into his eyes. The brunet reached up to push the hair out of his face while Barry’s hands cupped the pilot’s face and neck. He pressed his entire body against the other, followed immediately by his lips.
“I was hoping you’d say that. Mostly because I already ordered it,” Hal said sheepishly with a smirk as he leaned in for another kiss, hands starting to wander lower once more. “What about Wally?”
“It’s already getting late, it’s going to be way past his bedtime before we could get him back from Keystone. We can go get him in the morning.” If Barry hadn’t been gifted super speed, he likely would’ve missed the look of disappointment that flashed over Hal’s features as he felt his hands cease their exploration. He really missed Wally and wanted to see him, which is adorable, really it is - but Barry had a feeling he could cheer him up for the night.
“Tomorrow is Saturday; we can spend the whole weekend with him…unless you have to work?” He trailed off, despite knowing that Carol never asked Hal to come in for a few days after a Lantern mission. Barry was grateful that Hal had been blessed with a boss who understood Hal’s situation and allowed him to work as needed and available - that is, once he trusted her with his secret identity and their attempt at any kind of romantic relationship had ended. Hal shook his head, confirming that he didn’t need to be anywhere tomorrow. Except here, of course.
“We should take him to the zoo in Keystone while we’re over there.” Hal said, hands resting on Barry’s bare hips, thumbs rubbing the skin gently. Barry smiled, nodding.
“That could be fun. He hasn’t been there yet, and the weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow.” Barry agreed, mentally preparing himself to spend an hour in a car driving back. Not much worse than putting a speedster in a car - they are so slow. They were a necessary evil when trying to keep his identity a secret, especially from his son, but that didn’t make it suck for him any less. Luckily, it was always a bit better when he had others in the car to help pass the time.
“It’s a date.” Hal replied with a wink, ready to move the conversation away from the four year old. He leaned back against the shower wall, grip on the speedsters hips tightening as he pulled him closer, rocking his own hips just a bit against the speedsters. They both let out a groan, one of Barry’s hands sliding up Hal’s slick chest while the other wrapped around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. He heard Hal groan as their tongues met and the kissing grew more desperate. He could feel how hard Hal was against him, and knew Hal could feel the same thing from him. Barry, who usually let Hal lead the way, reached down between them, holding the two of them together while the soap and water made the slide of his hand over them easy and smooth. Neither of them were going to last long, and they both knew it. They also both knew that with Wally out of the house for the night, this wasn’t going to be the only time they got off together tonight, so neither were all that worried about making this last. Hal, secretly (but not really) finding it extremely hot how Barry was taking charge, let his hands reach around to grab the speedster’s ass, pulling him in as they grinned against each other. He broke the kiss and immediately became completely enamored by the way that he could both hear and feel the way Barry was panting against his neck.
“The food is going to be here soon.” Hal said, and maybe for a normal person that wouldn’t be so sexy, but for a speedster who hadn’t eaten in hours and just returned from a mission - it only managed to turn Barry on even more. Barry groaned and bit down on Hal’s collarbone, rocking his hips one more time before he was coming, and Hal had gripped him at some point and was helping him through it, pressing a kiss to his forehead. After giving the other a few moments to recover, Hal reached over to turn the water off, but Barry stopped him. Hal shot him a questioning look for a brief moment before he saw Barry had already settled down on his knees and had Hal’s cock in his hand. He stroked it a few times before taking it into his mouth. When Hal had met Barry, he never in a million years thought that this was something Barry would ever do, let alone be so damn good at it. The pilot didn’t last another thirty seconds, and soon Barry was climbing to his feet, and his tongue was back in Hal’s mouth, and Hal could taste himself, and holy shit, this speedster was going to the death of him. After making sure they were both actually clean, Barry shut the shower off and stepped out. He grabbed a towel for himself and passed another to Hal, pulling him out of the shower toward him, pressing another kiss to his lips.
“I’m going to call Jay and let him know we’ll come by in the morning to get Wally.” He was grateful to Jay and Joan in his life to help out with Wally. They’d never had kids, and Barry was lacking in the parent department - at least, he had been. They’d practically adopted Barry as their son, and Wally as their grandson, and while the Garricks know and adore Hal, especially after how much the pilot did for him after Iris’ death, they don’t know that extent of their relationship. That wasn’t something Barry was ready to share with them just yet. The only people he thinks have any clue are the League and Wally, and that’s just because Hal has a hard time keeping his hands to himself sometimes. Somehow, despite the tragedies he’d been faced with, despite the amount of times Eobard Thawne had tried (and succeeded) at making him miserable, he’d been able to pull together his own little family, and believe it or not, Barry Allen was happy. He secured the towel around his hips as he reached for his phone and sat on the edge of the bed, watching Hal slip some sweatpants on. The sound of the doorbell ringing alerted them to their dinners arrival, and Hal took just a moment to push the phone away from Barry’s face and kiss him firmly and thoroughly before he was out the bedroom door and headed down the stairs to answer the door. Barry watched him go with a soft smile, and despite everything the other man had been through…He thinks Hal might be happy with their little family too.