Batfam Bonanza

Chapter 7: Lanterns

This had been supposed to be a nice quiet night with his friends, in as much as any of the Lanterns were his friends, they were supposed to chat and have a drink together. At least that was what Hal had told him, Bruce knew the Lanterns, and it wasn't like they hated him. Plus, Hal had said, Hal himself would be there to make things less awkward.

It all worked in theory. Except Bruce had been at Guy's bar for half an hour and had spent those thirty minutes with Guy Gardner breathing down his neck, with John Stewart and Kyle Rayner doing absolutely nothing to discourage him, and there was still absolutely no sign of his boyfriend.

"Do you have a wine selection?" Bruce asked, trying to deflect away from Gardner's questions about exactly what Jordan was like in bed. Hal might have been shameless, but Bruce couldn't exactly see him being enthused about Bruce telling his coworkers that he was a greedy bottom.

"Want me to go out and buy you a decanter to go with it, rich boy?" Guy sneered, and again Bruce thought that Stewart really should be doing something to stop this. A quick glance told him that John was smiling into his glass. He was enjoying this. "Now see," Guy continued, cutting off Bruce's comment about how any decent bar would sell wine, "everyone knows that Jordan got fucked by Kilowog this one time, see, it was in the training room, so the sound of the moaning carried, and Jordan was limping for a straight week, so I'm thinking-"

"Guy," John warned, because apparently, he would interrupt to protect Hal's honor, but would do absolutely nothing to help Bruce.

"Johnny, it's fine." Guy continued, but he was more of a foolish man than a brave one. "I was just sayin' no way can Bats satisfy a man who's taken a Bolovaxian prick!"

Luckily, Bruce's phone rang at that exact moment, and he raised up one finger to indicate that Guy should shut the fuck up for five minutes.

Hal was on the other end of the line, and Bruce had already guessed that it wouldn't be good news: "Hey, so, there's been a bit of an emergency at work..."

At that point, Tom Kalmaku's loud voice drifted over the line. "I cannot believe that you put all your paperwork off until the end of the month! Again!"

Bruce couldn't stop himself from sighing. He should have known.

"I promise," Hal continued, although he sounded stressed, "I promise that I will get out of work soon."

"Not fucking likely!" Tom crowed, and Bruce got a distinct feeling that he was enjoying this, probably he had been reminding Hal for weeks and weeks to do his work, and was now pleased to see the Lantern get his comeuppance. "Hal's gonna be here until midnight at least."

When the call ended, Bruce dropped his head down to the bar and began knocking his forehead against the wood.

John was clearly trying to pretend he wasn't laughing, he had the palm of his hand pressed against his mouth. "I asked him two days ago if he was sure that he had everything done. He said he was good to go."

"So, he lied to both of us." Saying that had been a mistake.

Bruce saw the way John stilled in slow motion, watched the way his shoulders stiffened and how he took in a breath. "Hal forgets," John said after he calmed down. "I don't think he lies. He's never been the same since he was Spectre. He takes so much onto his shoulders that I think being a human being falls through the cracks."

John was right, of course. Hal stretched himself way too thin, dealing with his Earth Villains, dealing with his Space Villains, and then there was League business, saving the universe with the Corps, and trying to keep Ferris Air afloat. After Arthur had fished him out of the sea, half drowned and shivering because he'd accidentally let his ring charge get down to zero again, Bruce had offered to let him move into the manor full time, Hal had adamantly refused.

John might have been right, but that didn't mean that Bruce liked how he'd said it. There had been tension simmering between them since Bruce had started dating Hal, something about the situation annoyed John, and it was time to address it. "Say what you want to say," Bruce said.

"I don't understand what you mean," John replied, with the air of someone who understood exactly what was meant but was avoiding the argument.

"You what? Don't what me to be with Hal?" Bruce asked, keeping his eyes on John's face, he saw the way the man gritted his teeth.

"Honestly? I don't. You were on his ass for years about Parallax. No matter what he did to redeem himself, not even when it turned out it wasn't him, you never forgave him. You even used him as bait for some kind of sin obsessed serial killer. I don't trust you not to hurt him, and if you do, I swear-"

Before Bruce could even speak, Kyle continued. Bruce hadn't even been sure if he'd been listening. "Sorry Bruce, but I'm not sure either, he tried to kill himself when he was Spectre, and he sacrificed himself to save us, but you said..."

"I know what I said," Bruce snapped, he knew what he said, and he'd regretted saying it every day of his life since then.

"Oh no," John's eyes flashed green with his willpower, "I want to hear exactly what you said."

"Also," Guy chimed in, apparently upset when all the attention wasn't on him, "Bruce punched me in the face!"

Uncertain of how that was related to the present conversation, Bruce bit back on the other points. "You expect me to apologize for being upset with someone I had cared about when everyone thought he was a murderer?"

"Yes," said John.

"It might be nice," said Kyle.

"Someday, when you aren't paying attention, I'm going to jump around the corner and punch you," said Guy.

Bruce definitely regretted coming.

"Hey, did I miss roasting Bruce?" Hal's voice came from the door. "Because I have a few complaints, first of all, he used up all the hot water in my apartment this morning, and second, he keeps on saying that Alan's his favorite Lantern, even after I give him amazing blowjobs."

"It's not me?" Kyle looked offended.

"Blowjobs can't outweigh you refusing to follow orders, Hal," John commented, and Bruce shot him a glare, he was being a hypocrite.

"But John, Bruce hasn't mentioned Parallax in years, and he has apologized, in a way. You don't need to worry about me. I'm happy."

John looked uncertain, changing the subject. "Did you leave Tom with all your paperwork?"

"Yes, and I swear I'll go back, only, you need to know that I love Bruce." Hal swallowed. "I like being with him, and he hasn't done anything to hurt me."

John grunted, but nodded, getting up to shove Hal back out the door.

"I call dibs if Bruce hurts him!" Guy, as always, needed to have the last word.