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Hal knew that he felt lonely, despite the fact that there were people around him who loved him and whom he loved with all his heart so much that he was ready to die for them with the thought that they would live at least a moment longer. He knew that downloading himself like this was very selfish, but there was nothing he could do about it, because Hal, according to his mother, had always been and would always be a real selfish child who still hadn't grown out of his own desires and thoughts, for which he had turned a blind eye to many things. This was the case with his dream of becoming a pilot, then his dismissal for fighting, the death of his mother, his brother's accusations, a ring that did not belong to him, a relationship that fell apart only through his fault, and many many others that he destroyed with his own hands only because of his stupid thoughts and desires harming around.
But even so, he was surrounded by people. They were good, kind, but with their own vices and sins, but which he loved and appreciated for longer than he could actually show. His friends, the ones who became his family instead of the bloodline, which was replaced by Barry, Oliver, Wally, Roy, Kilowog, Aya, Razer, League and many others, for whom he remains a lifelong worry. It was only because of them that he could still be here, saving more lives than he was originally capable of, and he was so grateful for that that the thoughts that haunted him now made Hal sick.
He's sick of himself.
For ignoring messages from everyone again, without even reading them, swiping away with one touch from the broken phone screen and turning off the sound completely, just not to hear another notification or call. For the fact that when his ring flashes and informs about another message from other lanterns, Hal simply takes off his legs and puts them on the bedside table, standing next to it and completely empty, from the inability to find his vaunted willpower to simply make it clear that he is fine and just tired after a long, many months missions in the distance of space. He could have done it in just a couple of minutes and everything stopped right there, no calls, no messages, and no emails, because they understood how Hal needed a break after such a long absence.
The stomach rumbles uncomfortably when the pilot stretches, yawning with the desire to fall into a long sleep, but there is nothing he can do about it - a mouse almost literally hung itself in the refrigerator, and what was left was spoiled and completely inedible.
No one came to see him during the time that he was gone.
My stomach turned over uncomfortably again. Hal doesn't want to think about it now, no, never again. He had been too spoiled for so many years that he was used to small gestures of kindness, even such ridiculous ones as a slow meal and a clean apartment, to which he, like Pavlov's sabaka, was so used that now he could not accept the fact how much had changed after all.
He doesn't like the direction his thoughts are heading, and so, deciding to get rid of them, he quickly throws on his flight jacket, grabs the apartment keys from the table and the last crumpled twelve dollars, leaves the musty, dirty apartment, which had practically nothing but the essentials, but which still seemed terrible and rotten.
Surprisingly. Hal could save the universe every Monday, diplomatically cross countless conflicts, protect entire planets, and everything he had fit into an ordinary decrepit shoe box.
It always made him laugh a little. The greatest green lantern almost every time he returns home, he is left without an apartment due to non-payment. If any of the other lanterns had known about this, they would have roared with laughter and the situation would have escalated even more than it already is.
If anyone knew what was going on, they would....
Hal shakes his head and runs his hand over his tired, unwashed face, closing his eyes filled with sand, as if they had collected the entire desert and did not want to bring back a grain of sand even after seven hours of sleep.
As soon as the door of the old entrance slammed shut behind him, the first thing Hal felt after a light puff of the late evening wind was the warm rain falling in large drops from the clouds in the overcast dark sky.
A smile appeared on his lips for a long time as he raised his head and let the drops roll down his face, feeling all the tracks on his skin and the hair they left on him.
Hal loved the rain, although for some reason many people thought that he liked the blazing sun more.
Rain in Coast City is very rare due to the hot weather and the city's location near the sea, which made Hal unable to help but enjoy the coolness and sense of calm that blossomed in his chest like petals with every drop that fell from the sky. This kind of weather is a real luxury, and perhaps the only thing at the moment that could please him.
If only it could rain forever.
Maybe My father would have created it for Hal, but he couldn't ask the planet for such stupidity, knowing full well that he would have done anything the pilot asked for without hesitation. And that's why he won't mention it to him when they meet again.
Thoughts of Me pleasantly settle in my head and chest from the anticipation of seeing them again after a few months. Maybe it wasn't a long period of time for the planet, almost an instant, but for Hal they lasted like years of long lonely torment among billions of stars and planets, but none of them was Mine. No one will ever be more beautiful than him.
The rain intensifies, as if sensing his emotions, and the smile gets a little wider when Hal slows down a little more and continues walking, looking at the dark sky above his head.
The hunger in his stomach has subsided a little and he stops hurting, but he doesn't really want to eat anymore, so the man decides to just take a walk and maybe buy something at the convenience store around the corner a little later, because in the morning he doesn't really want to get out of bed for breakfast, which already means that in the principle of waking up.
Taking a deep breath with a full, slightly aching chest, Hal closes his eyes and stops completely to just enjoy the feeling on his skin and inside for a long time, which now makes him completely unwilling to move, as if he was rooted to the carpet under his feet like the roots of a tree, holding him in one place for many centuries.
God, he no longer feels like a tree, but just some old bent driftwood that lives out its days somewhere on the outskirts of the forest. After all, he can already boast of gray hair in his early forties, why not feel like he's in his nineties?
Well, at least Hal knows someone who likes his gray hair, and that comforts his ego and ego about his appearance.
Taking another deep breath, the pilot listens to the sound of raindrops hitting the hard surface of the earth, roofs, houses, glass, and everything he could reach, which rattle loudly, creating their own symphony, understandable only to Mother Nature herself.
That's why he almost missed the quiet squeak, so imperceptible that through the rain, if he hadn't been listening, he would definitely have missed and wouldn't have noticed the sound coming from somewhere nearby.
Hal opens his eyes and immediately looks around, trying to hear what he heard again.
Or perhaps it seemed to him that lack of sleep can work peculiar miracles with people.
But the instinct inside him whispers to look, so he strains his ears again, trying to catch a strange squeak that came from almost nowhere on an empty street with dark alleys and mentally regret that he left the ring at home again.
After a while, through the noise, Hal finally heard the soft squeak again, and now that he knew what he was looking for, it somehow reminded him of the meowing of a kitten. Maybe there's a mother cat with kittens here somewhere?
Without hesitation, the man immediately went in approximately the same direction in which he heard the kitten, continuing to listen and trying to catch at least one more hint of something other than the drops pouring from everywhere.
So much for relaxing in the rain, heroism, even if it just involves checking if the poor homeless creature is okay, does not leave him even when he leaves the apartment for a regular grocery store. The life of heroes is not easy, what can you do.
After just a couple of minutes, a squeak, or rather something like a kitten's meow, sounded a little closer. Hal began to look for some kind of lump of wet fur on the asphalt, looking into a small alley with a trash can, but he would not see anything, the man was about to continue searching, when the squeak came again from the smelly trash can.
- It's amazing, if the universe wanted to hint that I needed to wash up, it could come up with something else instead of making me stink even more.
After saying this under his breath, Hal walked with a sigh to the trash cans, perfectly aware of this unpleasant, nasty smell of garbage, dirt and something rotten and rotten.
First, he examines the front side that was closer to him, hoping that he will not have to climb further, but he will not see even a hint of something alive or in its likeness, he regretted that his heart is so kind and ready to help all those in need.
Walking around the large container, Hal bends down and looks into the small gap between it and the brick painted wall. He hears the squeak again, much louder than all the previous ones. There is no doubt that the kitten is somewhere nearby, perhaps he hid under the tank somewhere in this place or got stuck in search of a dry place to hide from the rain.
He felt a little sorry for the poor creature, even if he hadn't found it yet.
- So, come on, kitty kitty kitty, come here, I won't hurt you, come on, don't be afraid.
Leaning even lower, Hal realizes that it's too narrow, so with a sigh, he gets down on his knees, already seeing and feeling those disgusting stains from all those waste that floated in puddles, peeks into a small crack.
And bingo, he sees a small ball of trembling fur, which continues to squeak/meow and try to do something with its paws, but it was hard to see because of the darkness, perhaps it could not find a way out or tried to get out, or got stuck.
Hal chuckles to himself and puts his hand in where the supposed kitten was lying, which, as soon as he touched his wet fur, squeaked, although suspiciously very quietly, unlike the cats he always met. Those were loud, but this one barely made any sounds.
After rummaging around a bit, humming a song softly to himself, as if it could calm the unfortunate creature, the man is relieved to take out a trembling lump, turning it over to face him.
As soon as Ash's face comes into view, Hal blinks once.
Was he imagining it?
Then the second one blinks .
Third.
-You're not a fucking kitten.
In front of him, face to face, in all its smelly, wet beauty, appeared a real little baby, the mother of his sloth, who again makes a squeak and then pulls his huge clawed paw into him as if a dying man in the desert is crawling to an oasis.
Sloth.
Blinking again, Hal quickly picks up the cub like a small child and puts it to his chest, rolling up the cold animal with his jacket, the lump continues to squeak, while the man himself quickly thinks how it happened.
Lowering his gaze, he examines the creature a little closer and my God, how disgustingly cute. His fur is covered with clumps of wet moss embedded in gray, even slightly brownish fur, his eyes are wide open and because of the running water on him, his muzzle is completely open for all to see, and to be honest? Hal has seen many aliens of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, but a wet sloth is still a sight to behold, especially one so small.
Hugging him a little more to himself and pulling his unbuttoned flight jacket more tightly, Hal smiled and ran his index finger along his wet, dirty, smelly fur over his head, completely not caring what had become of his clothes right now.
The baby raises his head slowly, in a manner typical of his species, and then reaches for the finger still hanging above his head, wrapping his clawed paws around it as if it were a twig, and pulls him to himself, as if hugging and hugging him to his chest in the same place as Hal himself hugged the sloth.
He smiles, looking into those beady eyes, which, through a haze of animal stupidity, seemed to be filled with happiness and kindness, stroking his wet stomach.
-Well, I can't leave you here alone, can I, baby?" Let's go to my house, it will be warmer there than behind the trash can.
And turning around, as if by design, Hal headed back to his empty apartment, sheltering his new traveling companion from the rain, wondering if he still had the blanket Barry had given him many years ago to wrap baby sloth in.
The whole way that they walked, the long clawed paw never let go of him for a second.
The cub....little. This is the first time Hal sees a mini sloth, and in principle, the sloth itself, too, so he examines it with undisguised curiosity, periodically adjusting the baby on his chest and restraining himself so as not to start cooing from this cute animal that looked as if it had climbed out of hell itself and come to earth to take people's souls. But even so, a smile still plays on his face, as soon as he looks down at this miracle again.
Hal reached his apartment pretty quickly and greeted a student smoking under the eaves at the entrance to a multi-storey building, practically jumping over the steps like some kind of child, he did not notice how he was already at his shabby door and closing it behind him, not bothering to lock it. After all, who would steal from a man who already has practically nothing?
Once inside, Hal immediately went to the gym, which served as his main place of residence, and picking up the first T-shirt he came across, he immediately sat down and began to wipe the baby's wet fur, loosening his finger from the tenacious grip, and there he took off his jacket, which most likely already smelled of everything possible. find it on an animal and in that alley.
With one hand, he sighs, turns on his phone with a minimum percentage of charge, and immediately types into the Internet what sloths eat, and on each side his eyebrows frowned more and more, because frankly? He's in complete shit.
Looking at the baby lying quietly in his lap, Hal can only let out another long, drawn-out sigh.
- Well, baby, what can I say, I don't have eucalyptus or milk that I could feed you.
He crumbles the fur on his stomach, stroking the sloth, which makes it snort comically and squeak softly, starting to reach for his hand again, as if for branches. The sight made his heart ache. How can Hal leave such a harmless, incapable child hungry after all he's been through? The man does not know how he ended up in the city in the first place, because sloths are not found in the vicinity of Coast City, even close, or how the baby ended up behind the trash can? Maybe someone threw him out or he got lost during transportation from some zoo? There were too many questions that would stop unanswered today. He can't think about it more than he needs to right now, his priority at the moment is food.
His head hurts a little, and out of desperation, Hal puts his head on the back of the sofa on which he is sitting and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths with a full chest, trying to concentrate and come up with a plan of action.
One of his arms is wrapped around familiar paws. A man doesn't need to look at a sloth to see how it gets up with his help and begins to rise very slowly, a little absent-mindedly, and seems to crawl over him, creating holes in one of his favorite old T-shirts with its claws, but he wasn't going to do anything with these or stop the vandal at all.
The baby is squeaking again, and Hal has put his other free hand on his back, gently stroking it, holding back the laughter inside so as not to shake his chest and scare the animal away.
-Well, well, I'll figure something out, I promise.
But what exactly?
Hal has nothing. Absolutely nothing. He can't take care of an animal in his right mind, not even a goldfish, but here is a real baby sloth that feeds only on eucalyptus, which does not grow in his city. And besides, he was still wet and shivering a little from the cold of the street and, most likely, fright, clinging to Hal as if for hope, not realizing that if anyone else had been in his place, the baby would most likely have been sold or, worse, left to fend for himself.
His heart aches uncomfortably at the thought of what would have happened if he hadn't found him at such an unseasonably late hour today.
But what can he do now, except to warm this little creature on his chest and try to restrain the rush of strong emotions from the very real hopelessness? God, if Ollie saw him now, he would definitely have forced Hal to move in with him and joked and scolded for a very long time that he had brought himself to such a "deplorable" state. Barry.... Barry would just smile at him and maybe hug him, trying to hide his concern behind caring.
Carol....
No, he wasn't going to think about her now, it was over, once and for all. He had already brought too much grief and problems to her life, which burned out faster than a lighted match from a box called a relationship. Hal missed her. Too much, perhaps to his own detriment, but it would be better for both of them, and that was the only reason he wouldn't call or text her. She deserves a little time and someone who won't be a bright star lighting up and fading every time.
Mogo....
The thought of the planet does something to his heart, which makes Hal have to take a deep breath and open his burning eyes, looking up at the white ceiling, covered with spots and small cracks.
He wants to see it. I want to hear it, and it's not even that he doesn't talk, no, it doesn't matter to him that he doesn't make a sound or even a semblance of it. No. He speaks with everything, from the rustle of the grass to the quiet humming of the earth, smoothly shaking his whole body to the very tips of his fingers, enveloping him in such a familiar but lost sense of calm, which only he can give Hal.
As stupid as it may sound, Hal could no longer see the edge of what his heart could feel for others. He had seen a lot, tried, studied, and for so many years being a Green Lantern, something in him had inexorably changed.
And his feelings for the one he couldn't fully touch were proof of that. But he's only in his early forties, and Wally and Roy would say he's having a midlife crisis in full swing.
Hal became weak to some things, one of which was a planet he didn't know how to feel about, no matter how many long space flights he spent thinking about.
The sloth on his chest meows and squeaks, slowly pressing his muzzle into the tip of his index finger, running his tongue over it, as if trying to get something out of it.
Yes, the baby is hungry, and Hal is lost in his thoughts about strange feelings for a living planet again.
In order not to get bogged down in this even deeper than he already is, the man will get up from the couch, summoning all his remaining willpower and taking a quick glance at the rain outside the window, goes straight to his only bedroom, where a semi-charged ring lay on the bedside table, which glowed with a dull pleasant green hue.
With careful movements, Hal removes the baby sloth from himself and carefully places it on his only pillow, from which it began to squeak and meow softly again, raising its head as if trying to concentrate and find where the source of heat had disappeared. The sight and sounds made his chest tremble, but it was this feeling that gave him more strength and confidence.
- I'll be back soon, believe me, you won't even have time to crawl a meter, as I will already bring you food. Just wait for me here, okay?
After looking at the top of his head, Hal immediately put a koltuo on his finger and a bright green light illuminated the room.
Without wasting any time, the man already opens the window and, after examining the surroundings, soars into the air, closer to the covers and the stars, at the same time bringing his hand with the ring closer to his face.
- Ring, do you know where the nearest eucalyptus trees are located?
It responds almost immediately, giving the coordinates of what it needs.
The flight was sobering after everything that had happened to him in that short period of time. Sometimes he feels a strong, almost leaden weight on his shoulders, spreading throughout his body when his feet step on the ground after a long time. And even so, Hal is still drawn to the sky. Closer to the clouds. Closer to the stars and something far, forgotten.
Maybe he was born to live in the sky instead of being trapped on earth.
Mogo understands this feeling.
In principle, he understands a lot, even if he cannot express it in understandable words, but the way he shows that he listens, that he understands, touches his soul more than everything said by others combined.
If he contacted him now, would I accept him without hesitation? Most likely it would have been, because despite the lack of a heart, the planet's soul was hundreds, thousands and millions of times larger than itself.
Maybe he would have given him some advice on how to deal with the baby. Should he contact animal welfare tomorrow? Or call the zoo and report an uninvited guest from the trash? What should he do in such a situation? Hal doesn't know what to do at all. If the baby were an alien or a human child, or even a dog or a cat, it would be much easier to find a way out than to figure out what to do with the baby sloth that is now squeaking on his pillow, voicing it and leaving wet footprints everywhere, looking for Hal as much as possible.
The baby is waiting for him, and from this thought something creeps into his head that he tried to avoid all the time spent with the cub in his arms.
The ring shone and announced that they were there. Looking down, Hal sees a huge forest in front of his tired eyes, and on the side, almost on the outskirts, there are pieces of eucalyptus trees, swaying casually from a slight wind.
He should have brought the baby here, where he definitely wouldn't have gone hungry and maybe found a family and a mother who would teach him everything and feed him properly, instead of being cooped up in Hal's apartment.
It's selfish of him, he can't keep the baby for himself, there would be too many problems with his maintenance, living and living conditions, food, toilets and much more, which Hal could have huge problems with due to constant sudden flights into space or a change of residence, if he had one at all.
There are too many "buts" in those places that he will die to come up with in his head in such a short time.
Surrounded by eucalyptus trees, Hal looks at the green leaves for a couple of moments and without hesitation grabs one of the branches, tearing it off the trunk, which caused a piercing crack to resound through the quiet forest. It will be better if it immediately brings long, large branches than bunches of leaves that will quickly run out. They wrote on the Internet that sloths eat a lot, and since Hal doesn't know how long the baby has been eating, he decides that the best solution would be to just pick as many as he can, and then sort out the rest.
When his hands were completely filled with eucalyptus, he covered himself with a small shield so that the leaves and branches would not be damaged at high flight speed and immediately took off into the air, trying to get back to his house as quickly as possible so that the baby would not fall asleep, because if he did, he would sleep for too many hours hungry. which Hal didn't really like. He knew better than anyone what it was like to sleep as long as possible and at the same time feel a strong hunger in his stomach with an unpleasant sultry cold in his extremities.
Hal didn't want anyone to experience this disgusting feeling, even an animal, especially one so small and completely independent. He didn't deserve it.
The way home turned out to be faster than the time he spent flying to the forest, but most likely it was the important factor of the hungry child in his apartment that played a role.
As soon as his feet touched the wooden floor of his apartment again, Hal immediately went to the couch, where the baby was still lying, making funny noises and slowly shaking his head, as if looking for something.
Hal smiled at this sight, carefully coming closer to him and sitting down on the sofa next to him, gently stroking the top of his head, from which the baby squeaks and begins to reach for his hand with his paws, and a peculiar, slightly silly smile began to bloom on his muzzle, as if he saw the sun itself in front of him and could not restrain himself. to stretch his smile as much as his facial structure would allow him to.
The man is also smiling, but fatigue has begun to permeate his body more strongly and freeze mountains of sand in his eye sockets. He had to stifle a yawn and a laugh at the same time, while with one hand he carefully tore the leaves from the branches, and with the other he was still stroking the cute creature in front of him, mentally hoping that he did not get sick after all he had experienced during the day.
Slowly and carefully, he brought a small bunch to the muzzle, ostentatiously passing the tips of the leaves in front of his nose and in front of his mouth. The sloth visibly perks up, as much as possible for him, and is already reaching for the cherished food, grabbing it with its roots and immediately pulling it into his mouth, slowly biting and chewing.
It was amazing to watch such a silly, cute animal practically glow with happiness, eating its unfortunate leaf as if it were the ambrosia of the gods, but Hal couldn't condemn it, after all, it most likely looks exactly the same when it eats something after a long time in space.
Smiling tenderly, stroking the top of his head with one finger, Hal closed his eyes, enjoying the fact that the light in his apartment was turned off and he didn't have to get up anywhere to turn it off. He is completely too lazy to change clothes, he will deal with this tomorrow, as well as with other accumulated problems, but still he has to do one thing before he is finally led into the realm of Morpheus.
Concentrating a little, Hal speaks softly to the ring, as if someone could hear him here in an empty apartment except for the baby, who is now completely absorbed in eating everything that was.
- Ring, connect me to the green lantern of sector 2261.142.Mogo .
Immediately, a slightly dim green glow of a structure in the shape of a planet familiar to him appeared from it. While waiting, Hal listens to the rain pounding on the window, without taking his eyes off the structure, which he felt a restrained impulse to touch, as if it were real.
The design lit up a little brighter, then dimmed, and so on several times with breaks, short and fast, which made Hal smile again, this time feeling all his crow's-feet wrinkles around his eyes.
- And hello to you, buddy, I'm sorry that I didn't contact you sooner, I was too exhausted to contact you, you know.
Mogo blinks again, a little faster this time, but Hal, even with his sleep-clouded brain, can translate what he says without any problems, which makes one chuckle escape his lips.
It was a great idea to teach Him Morse code, which he mastered very quickly, which made it much easier for both of them to communicate, because now they were not separated by the language barrier. The man was very proud of him for the efforts he made to learn a language in which both could communicate without problems when they were away from each other.
It sounded sentimental, but Hal couldn't help himself as he watched the flashing structure in front of him in a dark room, which vividly told him about how beautiful the field had grown on it after Hal brought him new plant seeds from earth again.
- If you want, I'll come back soon and bring you more lilacs. You liked her the most, didn't you?
He smiles coquettishly and winks, which makes Me blush more brightly than before, making it clear about his embarrassment, which he was trying to hide. This caused a small laugh from the man, but he tried to restrain himself so as not to tease the planet even more.
- Okay, okay, I won't. This time I'll bring a white one, it's also very beautiful, believe me.
Mogo nods approvingly and blinks at him again, which makes Hal himself choke on air a little from such words addressed to himself.
If a man had told anyone that the planet considered him "the most beautiful thing that had ever been on him," he would have roared with laughter. Ollie and Wally definitely wouldn't let go of this situation for the rest of Hal's life, which made him really start thinking about moving.
But they are completely alone here, so Hal can just gently laugh, and then wink at the construction, gently stretching out his hand and running his index finger over it as if it were a living person's face, feeling its slight coldness on his skin.
The real Me is warm, and a fake projection during a conversation will never replace him in all his glory and warmth, he gives a bonfire to everyone he can.
Even though I didn't have a heart, the planet instead had a huge core inside, but that didn't stop him from having a soul bigger than his own shell could hold.
That's why he loved him the most. Such a vivid willpower towards other beings throughout the cosmos makes us admire the living planet and love it with all our hearts, trying to give the same sense of security and tranquility that It gives to others, including Hal himself.
The structure vibrates a little under his hand, and after it stretches out a small tentacle that reaches out to his own cheek and gently follows the movement he was making with it now.
No matter how many times they said it over and over again, every damn time Hal's heart was filled with joy, like flying a fighter jet through the clouds at high speed and he couldn't do anything about it, even when he tried at first.
But what's the point? If he's happy, then why should Hal try to explain something to someone or listen to what's right and what's wrong from others? But he never liked the norm that people imposed on each other, always struggling with it all by themselves.
And Mogo understands that. They have a lot of difficulties that have already passed and that await them ahead while they figure out what is happening, but when did Hal Jordan stop before something that threatened him on the horizon?
It may not end well, just like his other feelings for other humans and aliens, but Hal can't help but try again and again until one of the endings of their story catches up with them, be it bad or good. That will be later. Maybe tomorrow or in years, but Hal will never stop trying, and he knows that Mogo will too.
And this is what helps him to cope with difficulties in the darkest nights of his life.
Slowly, Hal takes the construction in his palm and, closing his eyes, gently touches it with his lips, feeling its billions of small vibrations and coolness on himself, but this does not stop him from kissing Me over and over again, while the planet blinks furiously, from which flashes of green are imprinted on the retina of lightly closed eyes.
- Yes, dear, and I love you too.
After kissing him for the last time, Hal regrets that he is not with him now, so that they both feel each other completely and completely in this moment of intimacy. But now they're thousands, maybe billions, of light-years apart, even though the ring could have carried him to it in the blink of an eye.
He can't do it now, but later, when all the business is done and Hal figures out what to do, he will definitely return to Me, who will wait for him as long as it takes, never talking about it.
- If you want, I'll come back soon and bring you more lilacs. You liked her the most, didn't you?
He smiles coquettishly and winks, which makes Me blush more brightly than before, making it clear about his embarrassment, which he was trying to hide. This caused a small laugh from the man, but he tried to restrain himself so as not to tease the planet even more.
- Okay, okay, I won't. This time I'll bring a white one, it's also very beautiful, believe me.
Mogo nods approvingly and blinks at him again, which makes Hal himself choke on air a little from such words addressed to himself.
If a man had told anyone that the planet considered him "the most beautiful thing that had ever been on him," he would have roared with laughter. Ollie and Wally definitely wouldn't let go of this situation for the rest of Hal's life, which made him really start thinking about moving.
But they are completely alone here, so Hal can just gently laugh, and then wink at the construction, gently stretching out his hand and running his index finger over it as if it were a living person's face, feeling its slight coldness on his skin.
The real Me is warm, and a fake projection during a conversation will never replace him in all his glory and warmth, he gives a bonfire to everyone he can.
Even though I didn't have a heart, the planet instead had a huge core inside, but that didn't stop him from having a soul bigger than his own shell could hold.
That's why he loved him the most. Such a vivid willpower towards other beings throughout the cosmos makes us admire the living planet and love it with all our hearts, trying to give the same sense of security and tranquility that It gives to others, including Hal himself.
The structure vibrates a little under his hand, and after it stretches out a small tentacle that reaches out to his own cheek and gently follows the movement he was making with it now.
No matter how many times they said it over and over again, every damn time Hal's heart was filled with joy, like flying a fighter jet through the clouds at high speed and he couldn't do anything about it, even when he tried at first.
But what's the point? If he's happy, then why should Hal try to explain something to someone or listen to what's right and what's wrong from others? But he never liked the norm that people imposed on each other, always struggling with it all by themselves.
And Mogo understands that. They have a lot of difficulties that have already passed and that await them ahead while they figure out what is happening, but when did Hal Jordan stop before something that threatened him on the horizon?
It may not end well, just like his other feelings for other humans and aliens, but Hal can't help but try again and again until one of the endings of their story catches up with them, be it bad or good. That will be later. Maybe tomorrow or in years, but Hal will never stop trying, and he knows that Mogo will too.
And this is what helps him to cope with difficulties in the darkest nights of his life.
Slowly, Hal takes the construction in his palm and, closing his eyes, gently touches it with his lips, feeling its billions of small vibrations and coolness on himself, but this does not stop him from kissing Me over and over again, while the planet blinks furiously, from which flashes of green are imprinted on the retina of lightly closed eyes.
- Yes, dear, and I love you too.
After kissing him for the last time, Hal regrets that he is not with him now, so that they both feel each other completely and completely in this moment of intimacy. But now they're thousands, maybe billions, of light-years apart, even though the ring could have carried him to it in the blink of an eye.
He can't do it now, but later, when all the business is done and Hal figures out what to do, he will definitely return to Me, who will wait for him as long as it takes, never talking about it.
A sloth nearby squeaks loudly, which makes both Hal and Mogo flinch. He completely forgot about the little creature, completely absorbed in thoughts of the planet in front of him, but immediately corrects the situation when He flies a little closer to the baby and blinks in surprise, examining it, flying around.
The kid is also watching the ball flying next to him with interest, but it's too slow for you to keep up, so he tries to slowly turn his head back and forth.
Hal laughs, and then picks up the baby, giving him another leaf in his paws and stroking under his chin, fingering the fur in this place.
- This baby sloth is an earthly animal that is very slow, eats a huge amount of eucalyptus leaves, sleeps twenty hours a day and goes to the toilet once a week, meet me.
Mogo was even more curious about the little creature in Hal's arms, beaming with delight at seeing another new life form in front of him.
He blinks, but tries to dim the light from the structure, as if trying not to scare the baby in front of him, for which the man is very grateful to him. Mogo is very caring and kind, he would never want to hurt anyone on his own, and for this Hal respected him very much.
And he loved her too.
He loves him for a lot, the pilot understands this and accepts everything that the planet could give him and others, practically without demanding anything in return. But how could Hal not repay him for all that he did for them?
The planet is still chirping around the sloth, which is slowly watching the strange glowing green thing in front of it with a fraction of curiosity, periodically raising its paws as if trying to reach it, but its strength seems to be running out, as the baby slowly begins to close his eyes and tilt his head, preparing for sleep.
Suddenly, my father calms down and blinks cautiously, after which Hal sighs heavily, looking back at the back of the sofa and closing his eyes.
- no....I don't know. I can't leave him, you know? It will be better for him if I take him to his relatives and he will live with his own kind where there will be plenty of food suitable for him.
He has to open his eyes to see the answer, but Myo doesn't say anything, just touches his face with the help of a tentacle design, gently stroking his cheek and pushing his disheveled greasy hair behind his ear. Hal is pleased with this place, and he presses his skin a little closer, putting his hand on the top and squeezing it with his fingers, burying his nose and sighing softly.
-I... I can't
He blinks and flies closer, carefully moving their intertwined limbs to the baby lying motionless and running his fingers like a comb through wool.
She's so soft and warm.
-Oh, you're driving me to sin, honey.
The planet just puts a new tentacle on his face again, gently stroking it and continuing to blink while Hal looked at him, and then looked at the baby.
Mogo could be convincing about some things, especially when it came to what Hal wanted.
- And you could do all this for my childish whim?
He just nods, and then gently strokes the sloth on the fur, beaming happily and looking from the man to the baby.
How could he refuse? Despite his great willpower in the entire universe, Hal was weak to those he loved, becoming like a wet bag in the rain, because they all always knew which buttons to press and what to say to make him feel better.
-Okay, maybe...You're right. But it's not because my parents forbade me to keep my pets! Do you understand me?
It just glows brighter.
The rain outside was even heavier than it had been when Hal had gone outside a few hours ago. This sound, in the pleasant silence between them, created a special atmosphere of calm and peace that he had missed so much in all this long time.
The hand gently strokes the baby when his eyelids gradually began to stick together, and his head slowly emptied. He had to get comfortable, taking the fetal position in the corner of his sofa, still holding the sloth curled on his chest and already sleeping sweetly and having a third dream.
Mogo was shining dimly now, but still nearby, making himself a little smaller and laying it next to Hal's head, wrapping tentacles around the back of his head, smoothing his protruding hair.
Almost falling asleep, Hal still opens one eye and, smiling, speaks softly, almost hoarsely.
-If I leave him....Then he needs a name, right?
A slow moment and a nod, Mogu digests it slowly now, immersed in an almost approaching sleep that is catching up with him closer and closer.
- I think so... I'll call him Yuni.
The pranet trembles before him, but still dimly, for which Hal is very grateful
- It's from the word Universe, it suits him, doesn't it?
Baby, no, Yuni was sleeping soundly, sometimes snoring, but it didn't bother Hal at all, on the contrary, it became somehow easier and simpler when there was something alive and warm nearby. This way he didn't feel lonely, it wasn't much, but it was enough to free up a little more space in his heart for this sweet creature, whom he selfishly took himself away only because Hal decided that he needed him at such a difficult hour.
Either it will end in disaster or victory, the man does not know for sure which side will win, but he definitely will not give up, because now he has another creature nearby, which he will take care of with all his strength.
- Hey Mogo
He shines dimly and hums softly, not disturbing the sound of rain in the world outside on all surfaces, but listens attentively. If Mogo had been different, had a uniform, then Hal would have bet his last money that he was also very sleepy right now.
"I love you."
With one last smile, sleep finally caressed him completely, dragging him away with bright green vines to himself, to a place where Hal could really rest for a long time.
He didn't need to see the answer, he already knew it by heart, almost on a subconscious level, no matter how it sounded.
"and I love you,"
and that's enough.
✮ ✮ ✮