Ficlet: Emotional Response [1/1] Roy/Hal [Arsenal/Green Lantern]
Title: Emotional Response
Author: Perpetual Motion
Claim: Roy/Hal
Characters/Pairing: Roy/Hal, Lian [kid]
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 810
Prompt: red
Summary: The New Laws of Oa hit home. [Spoiler for GLC #32]
Disclaimer: Complete lies. I lay claim to absolutely nothing.
Author's Notes/Warnings: "Green Lantern Corps" #32 laid down a new law, and it's mentioned here.
Emotional Response
By Perpetual Motion
Hal breathes deep before he tells Roy the latest. “The law says we can’t have relationships.”
Roy, slowly stirring the pasta so it doesn’t stick to the pan, falters in his rhythm. “What?”
Hal doesn’t say anything else. He twists his ring around his finger and listens to Roy breathe. “I can’t-”
“If the next thing you say sounds like you’re calling this off, I’m going to punch you,” Roy says quietly. He turns off the burner and hefts the pot off the stove. The strainer is already set up in the sink, and he drains the noodles in sharp, angry movements. “Get the salads out of the fridge.”
“Roy-”
“Lian’s going to be home in ten minutes. You want this conversation going on where she can hear it?”
“No,” Hal says and gets the salads.
Lian comes running in the door at full speed. She hugs Roy around the knees and chatters about her day. When Hal turns away from setting the table, she runs to hug him. He scoops her up and smiles when she tells him she won the mental math game. “And then I got a red star on my desk with my name on it that said I won!”
“That’s great, kid! What else happened?” He follows her into the living room as she sheds her coat and drops her backpack and tells him about soccer practice and kicking drills. “We got to go on the trampoline!”
“Did you jump high?”
“Uh-huh.” Lian walks back into the kitchen and smiles at Roy. “I got to go on the trampoline, Daddy!”
“Oh, yeah?” Roy asks. “Was it fun?”
“Daddy, it’s a trampoline!” She puts her hands on her hips and gives him an exasperated look. “Trampolines are always fun.”
“I see,” Roy replies.
Lian’s face drops into a frown. “Daddy, are you mad?”
Hal’s almost certain that his heart has stopped. He watches the way Roy rotates his shoulders. “Daddy’s upset,” Hal says before Roy can say anything. “But not at you. He got some bad news, but nobody’s hurt.”
“Oh.” Lian looks at Hal. “Are you okay?”
The kid’s too smart for her own good, Hal thinks, and crouches down to pull Lian into a hug. “I’m a little upset too, but it’ll be okay.”
“Will it?” Roy mutters as he dishes out pasta.
“It’ll work out,” Hal says rather than offering an answer.
Dinner is quiet. Lian leaves the tomatoes on her salad plate and eats her noodles one at a time. She chatters on and off, but she looks dejected by the end of dinner when none of her chatter has been met with its usual enthusiasm. She puts her plate and glass in the sink and leaves the kitchen. Roy and Hal listen as she walks to her room and shuts the door.
“You have to tell her,” Roy says after a pause. “If you’re going to listen to those assholes, you have to explain to her why you’re leaving.”
“I never said I was leaving,” Hal replies hotly. “I just told you what the law said.”
Roy shakes his head and stands. His plate clatters when he drops it in the sink. “I’m not stupid, Hal. You’re not going to walk away from the Corps.”
“I could,” Hal says, but it sounds like a lie.
“Goddamnit,” Roy mutters and walks out of the kitchen.
Hal stands up and follows Roy into the living room. “What do you expect me to say? I won’t lie to you, and I can’t pretend I’m just willing to walk away.”
“From what?” Roy snaps.
“Anything.” Hal walks across the room to try and touch Roy. Roy steps to the side and slides along the wall. “Don’t do this,” Hal says quietly. “You can’t-”
“Don’t,” Roy tells him. “You’re considering leaving; you don’t get to tell me how I should be reacting to this.”
“I’m not leaving,” Hal says and realizes it’s true. “How could I leave?” He asks with a sigh. He sparks his ring and an image of Lian and Roy forms. “But the Corps…something’s coming, Roy. Other Lanterns are coming, and things are getting bad.”
“Not my problem,” Roy says with a shake of his head. “You want to go out and fight an intergalactic war, fine, but don’t you dare try to walk out the door and not come back because the Guardians say you’re not supposed to have emotions.”
Hal fakes left and moves right. He manages to back Roy into a corner, and he presses in so Roy can’t slip away. “I’ll fix this.”
“Greatest Green Lantern,” Roy says with a smirk.
“Biggest pain in the ass,” Hal corrects.
“You can’t leave. Lian won’t let you.”
Hal decides not to point out that it’s not Lian who’s having the fight. “I won’t,” he promises. “I’ll fix this.”
My Table
Author: Perpetual Motion
Claim: Roy/Hal
Characters/Pairing: Roy/Hal, Lian [kid]
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 810
Prompt: red
Summary: The New Laws of Oa hit home. [Spoiler for GLC #32]
Disclaimer: Complete lies. I lay claim to absolutely nothing.
Author's Notes/Warnings: "Green Lantern Corps" #32 laid down a new law, and it's mentioned here.
Emotional Response
By Perpetual Motion
Hal breathes deep before he tells Roy the latest. “The law says we can’t have relationships.”
Roy, slowly stirring the pasta so it doesn’t stick to the pan, falters in his rhythm. “What?”
Hal doesn’t say anything else. He twists his ring around his finger and listens to Roy breathe. “I can’t-”
“If the next thing you say sounds like you’re calling this off, I’m going to punch you,” Roy says quietly. He turns off the burner and hefts the pot off the stove. The strainer is already set up in the sink, and he drains the noodles in sharp, angry movements. “Get the salads out of the fridge.”
“Roy-”
“Lian’s going to be home in ten minutes. You want this conversation going on where she can hear it?”
“No,” Hal says and gets the salads.
Lian comes running in the door at full speed. She hugs Roy around the knees and chatters about her day. When Hal turns away from setting the table, she runs to hug him. He scoops her up and smiles when she tells him she won the mental math game. “And then I got a red star on my desk with my name on it that said I won!”
“That’s great, kid! What else happened?” He follows her into the living room as she sheds her coat and drops her backpack and tells him about soccer practice and kicking drills. “We got to go on the trampoline!”
“Did you jump high?”
“Uh-huh.” Lian walks back into the kitchen and smiles at Roy. “I got to go on the trampoline, Daddy!”
“Oh, yeah?” Roy asks. “Was it fun?”
“Daddy, it’s a trampoline!” She puts her hands on her hips and gives him an exasperated look. “Trampolines are always fun.”
“I see,” Roy replies.
Lian’s face drops into a frown. “Daddy, are you mad?”
Hal’s almost certain that his heart has stopped. He watches the way Roy rotates his shoulders. “Daddy’s upset,” Hal says before Roy can say anything. “But not at you. He got some bad news, but nobody’s hurt.”
“Oh.” Lian looks at Hal. “Are you okay?”
The kid’s too smart for her own good, Hal thinks, and crouches down to pull Lian into a hug. “I’m a little upset too, but it’ll be okay.”
“Will it?” Roy mutters as he dishes out pasta.
“It’ll work out,” Hal says rather than offering an answer.
Dinner is quiet. Lian leaves the tomatoes on her salad plate and eats her noodles one at a time. She chatters on and off, but she looks dejected by the end of dinner when none of her chatter has been met with its usual enthusiasm. She puts her plate and glass in the sink and leaves the kitchen. Roy and Hal listen as she walks to her room and shuts the door.
“You have to tell her,” Roy says after a pause. “If you’re going to listen to those assholes, you have to explain to her why you’re leaving.”
“I never said I was leaving,” Hal replies hotly. “I just told you what the law said.”
Roy shakes his head and stands. His plate clatters when he drops it in the sink. “I’m not stupid, Hal. You’re not going to walk away from the Corps.”
“I could,” Hal says, but it sounds like a lie.
“Goddamnit,” Roy mutters and walks out of the kitchen.
Hal stands up and follows Roy into the living room. “What do you expect me to say? I won’t lie to you, and I can’t pretend I’m just willing to walk away.”
“From what?” Roy snaps.
“Anything.” Hal walks across the room to try and touch Roy. Roy steps to the side and slides along the wall. “Don’t do this,” Hal says quietly. “You can’t-”
“Don’t,” Roy tells him. “You’re considering leaving; you don’t get to tell me how I should be reacting to this.”
“I’m not leaving,” Hal says and realizes it’s true. “How could I leave?” He asks with a sigh. He sparks his ring and an image of Lian and Roy forms. “But the Corps…something’s coming, Roy. Other Lanterns are coming, and things are getting bad.”
“Not my problem,” Roy says with a shake of his head. “You want to go out and fight an intergalactic war, fine, but don’t you dare try to walk out the door and not come back because the Guardians say you’re not supposed to have emotions.”
Hal fakes left and moves right. He manages to back Roy into a corner, and he presses in so Roy can’t slip away. “I’ll fix this.”
“Greatest Green Lantern,” Roy says with a smirk.
“Biggest pain in the ass,” Hal corrects.
“You can’t leave. Lian won’t let you.”
Hal decides not to point out that it’s not Lian who’s having the fight. “I won’t,” he promises. “I’ll fix this.”
My Table