Big Damn List, first of 2012
...Hal/Kyle fluff. (Still stuff from NaNo 2009.)
Title: Snowfall
Fandom: Green Lantern Corps
Characters: Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner
Prompt: 067 - SNOW
Word Count: 871
Rating: PG
Summary: This is why you don't hit the road during a blizzard.
Author's Notes: Part of the Alkyl Halide 'verse.
“I can melt the snow from under the car,” Kyle said through the open window. Snow was still falling, although not as rapidly as before, and the blowing wind had swept a lot of the snow right off the road. It was their poor luck to have driven straight into one of the snowbanks still on it.
Hal was standing behind the car, pushing as Kyle pressed down on the gas. The wheels spun, spraying snow in a lovely white arc, but it didn’t budge. Hal shook his head and stood up.
“We agreed, no powers. Just us. Four days.” Hal had wanted to leave his ring behind, but Kyle had pointed out that Ion was part of him, and that the power would come with them whether Hal left his ring in a locker or no. Besides, having it in case of an emergency was the smart thing to do.
“That was before the worst blizzard on record came to say hello.” The worst blizzard on record didn’t mean much, when one considered where the Grand Canyon was. They’d barely gotten on the road from the airport in Phoenix - Hal had even insisted they fly commercially, to be perfectly normal, and Kyle had agreed for the sake of harmony - when the sky had darkened. After an hour, white flakes had started falling, and now that they were almost there, the car had skidded nearly off the road. “You know, Hal, we’re lucky this thing didn’t go off the other side.”
The guard rail supposedly keeping vehicles from going down a lovely high cliff looked as if it had already been on the receiving end of a few automobile mishaps; Kyle wouldn’t have trusted it to hold the weight of a small dog, much less an entire vehicle.
“Yeah, yeah.” Hal dug around in the trunk, coming out with a crowbar and a pleased expression.
“What are you going to do with that?” He’d never owned a car, and certainly never in a snowy climate, but he couldn’t fathom what Hal might want with a crowbar. There was nothing but snow to lever the car against.
“No shovel,” Hal said, and started scooping snow away from the front of the car.
What Kyle wanted to say was, You can’t possibly be serious and It’s fucking cold out here, Hal, let’s just melt the damn snow and drive to the hotel or possibly Why don’t we just fly home, but something about doing this trip like a perfectly normal couple had been important. He couldn’t explain it, and he didn’t understand it, but if Hal wanted it he was willing to do what he could. After all, it wasn’t like they were about to freeze to death.
“Let me have your gloves.” Hal had brought sensible warm gloves, and if he was going to be digging the damn car out with his hands, he was going to try to avoid frostbite while he did it.
Hal grinned at him, once he realized what Kyle was doing. Between digging out the wheels and scattering sand in front of them - “For traction,” Hal explained, and that was why he’d insisted on bringing it - the car lurched forward. It nearly skidded up to the guard rail, but a gentle correction put it back on the road pointing forward.
“Have you been here before?” Hal asked, once they’d reached the park proper and were nearly to their hotel.
“I’ve flown over it,” Kyle said. He hadn’t actually been as a tourist, he realized. “But I never stopped to look.”
“It’s…” Hal started, and trailed off. The hotel parking lot was covered in white, and when Hal parked the car, Kyle thought it was a fifty-fifty chance as to whether or not there was an actual parking space under the wheels.
“It’s what?” he prompted.
“You have to stop and look,” Hal said softly. “To remember why we do what we do.”
More than anyone, Kyle understood that feeling; it was too easy to forget why he had worn the ring and why he carried Ion now. “I know,” he said, but Hal didn’t answer; he didn’t even look as if he’d heard Kyle. Kyle shrugged and got out of the car. Hal didn’t follow; he just sat in the driver’s seat, an uncharacteristically melancholy expression blanketing his features. Kyle waited for a moment with the door open, but Hal just stared at the swirling snow.
“Hey,” Kyle said, and when Hal finally looked at him, Kyle threw a snowball. He missed, splattering it on the window. “Oops.”
“Hey!” Hal scrambled out of the car after that, scooping up his own snowball. His aim was perfect, and Kyle ducked behind another snow-covered car to wipe the slush out of his eyes. By the time they actually made it the twenty feet into the hotel, they were both soaked and laughing.
“This, too,” Kyle told his partner once they’d reached the elevator, and pulled him into a tight hug. “Remember this, too.”
“Ffft,” Hal said, but his arms tightened around Kyle for a moment before letting go.
It was definitely shaping up to be a pretty good weekend, all things considered.
FINIS
Nalanzu's Big Damn Table.
Title: Snowfall
Fandom: Green Lantern Corps
Characters: Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner
Prompt: 067 - SNOW
Word Count: 871
Rating: PG
Summary: This is why you don't hit the road during a blizzard.
Author's Notes: Part of the Alkyl Halide 'verse.
“I can melt the snow from under the car,” Kyle said through the open window. Snow was still falling, although not as rapidly as before, and the blowing wind had swept a lot of the snow right off the road. It was their poor luck to have driven straight into one of the snowbanks still on it.
Hal was standing behind the car, pushing as Kyle pressed down on the gas. The wheels spun, spraying snow in a lovely white arc, but it didn’t budge. Hal shook his head and stood up.
“We agreed, no powers. Just us. Four days.” Hal had wanted to leave his ring behind, but Kyle had pointed out that Ion was part of him, and that the power would come with them whether Hal left his ring in a locker or no. Besides, having it in case of an emergency was the smart thing to do.
“That was before the worst blizzard on record came to say hello.” The worst blizzard on record didn’t mean much, when one considered where the Grand Canyon was. They’d barely gotten on the road from the airport in Phoenix - Hal had even insisted they fly commercially, to be perfectly normal, and Kyle had agreed for the sake of harmony - when the sky had darkened. After an hour, white flakes had started falling, and now that they were almost there, the car had skidded nearly off the road. “You know, Hal, we’re lucky this thing didn’t go off the other side.”
The guard rail supposedly keeping vehicles from going down a lovely high cliff looked as if it had already been on the receiving end of a few automobile mishaps; Kyle wouldn’t have trusted it to hold the weight of a small dog, much less an entire vehicle.
“Yeah, yeah.” Hal dug around in the trunk, coming out with a crowbar and a pleased expression.
“What are you going to do with that?” He’d never owned a car, and certainly never in a snowy climate, but he couldn’t fathom what Hal might want with a crowbar. There was nothing but snow to lever the car against.
“No shovel,” Hal said, and started scooping snow away from the front of the car.
What Kyle wanted to say was, You can’t possibly be serious and It’s fucking cold out here, Hal, let’s just melt the damn snow and drive to the hotel or possibly Why don’t we just fly home, but something about doing this trip like a perfectly normal couple had been important. He couldn’t explain it, and he didn’t understand it, but if Hal wanted it he was willing to do what he could. After all, it wasn’t like they were about to freeze to death.
“Let me have your gloves.” Hal had brought sensible warm gloves, and if he was going to be digging the damn car out with his hands, he was going to try to avoid frostbite while he did it.
Hal grinned at him, once he realized what Kyle was doing. Between digging out the wheels and scattering sand in front of them - “For traction,” Hal explained, and that was why he’d insisted on bringing it - the car lurched forward. It nearly skidded up to the guard rail, but a gentle correction put it back on the road pointing forward.
“Have you been here before?” Hal asked, once they’d reached the park proper and were nearly to their hotel.
“I’ve flown over it,” Kyle said. He hadn’t actually been as a tourist, he realized. “But I never stopped to look.”
“It’s…” Hal started, and trailed off. The hotel parking lot was covered in white, and when Hal parked the car, Kyle thought it was a fifty-fifty chance as to whether or not there was an actual parking space under the wheels.
“It’s what?” he prompted.
“You have to stop and look,” Hal said softly. “To remember why we do what we do.”
More than anyone, Kyle understood that feeling; it was too easy to forget why he had worn the ring and why he carried Ion now. “I know,” he said, but Hal didn’t answer; he didn’t even look as if he’d heard Kyle. Kyle shrugged and got out of the car. Hal didn’t follow; he just sat in the driver’s seat, an uncharacteristically melancholy expression blanketing his features. Kyle waited for a moment with the door open, but Hal just stared at the swirling snow.
“Hey,” Kyle said, and when Hal finally looked at him, Kyle threw a snowball. He missed, splattering it on the window. “Oops.”
“Hey!” Hal scrambled out of the car after that, scooping up his own snowball. His aim was perfect, and Kyle ducked behind another snow-covered car to wipe the slush out of his eyes. By the time they actually made it the twenty feet into the hotel, they were both soaked and laughing.
“This, too,” Kyle told his partner once they’d reached the elevator, and pulled him into a tight hug. “Remember this, too.”
“Ffft,” Hal said, but his arms tightened around Kyle for a moment before letting go.
It was definitely shaping up to be a pretty good weekend, all things considered.
FINIS
Nalanzu's Big Damn Table.