Sector 2814

Aranel Took's DC Comics Fanfiction

Prompt Banner
Rebuilding

Hal looked over the city below him, watching the movement of heavy equipment as they repaired what had been broken in the war with the Sinestro Corps. People were pouring into Coast City, volunteering time and resources to help rebuild, and maybe some of them would even stay to bring it back to life.

Then his gaze moved to the man sitting on the hillside below him. Kyle was watching the construction, his knees drawn up and shoulders slumped. Hal had known this was coming. Kyle had tried hard to put on a brave face, mostly hiding behind his smartass humor, but Hal knew you didn’t escape Parallax unscathed. And as the days passed he had seen Kyle’s mask begin to drop more often.

He walked down the hill and sat in the grass next Kyle. He didn’t say anything, just put his arm around Kyle’s shoulders. Kyle sighed heavily and leaned into him. “Is it going to get better?”

Hal knew exactly what he was asking about. The nightmares with every fear laid bare. The guilt as you watched yourself murder your friends and comrades over and over again in your head. The constant questioning: What if I had acted differently? What if I had fought harder? “Eventually.” 

Kyle didn’t say anything, but Hal felt some of the tension leave his body. He wasn’t going to push him into talking about it. He’d just make sure Kyle knew he would be there whenever he needed him.  

They sat together in silence, watching the lights come on in the construction areas as the sun set over the ocean. Rebuilding a city was easy — it was just bricks and steel put together in the right order. Rebuilding a person — their confidence, their self-worth, their trust — was an entirely different matter.