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Hal had known from an early age that he would never find his soulmate. Indeed, how could he, without wings ?
For a long time, he had envied people who had them.
His Mom's were beautiful dragonfly wings that had Hal half-convinced that she was a fairy in his early childhood.
But when the doctor had told them that something was off with Hal's genes and that he would never get wings, his mother had stopped showing her wings so often at home in a show of solidarity with her son. In all honesty, it had only made Hal sorrier for his lack of wings.
Hal's parents weren't soulmates. Martin Jordan didn't have butterfly wings. His were eagle-like. However, they were happy together or so Hal had thought until he found letters in the false bottom of the second left drawer of his Dad's desk.
He had been fifteen at the time and looking for writing paper to pen a letter to his girlfriend and had accidentally found the false bottom and a bunch of letters underneath.
The letters were kept in their envelopes and tied with a piece of string. When he had seen the round handwriting that was definitely not his Mom's on the first envelope, Hal had known he shouldn't read the letters. But he had.
He had been angry at his father for a long time afterwards. Martin had been dead for years and Jessica was still grieving, how could he have done that to her ? The letters were clearly love letters. Martin Jordan's mistress started most of them with this form of address : "Dear soul". Whoever this woman was, she had probably been his Dad's soulmate.
She signed her letters "L" and apparently worked at Ferris Air. Hal could have looked more into it when he got hired and tried to find out if there was a woman with eagle feathers who worked there at the same time as his father. He never did.
He didn't tell anyone about the letters either. His brothers would have been angry and he didn't want to sadden his mother even more. So he had meticulously torn them apart over his paper bin and none had been the wiser.
He had told Bruce, after they had started seeing each other. The number of deeply personal things he had revealed to Bruce as they laid in bed next to each other in the middle of the night was quite concerning.
Only trusting a handful of people with the biggest part of his life seemed to have turned Hal into an oversharer when Bruce was concerned and Bruce encouraged that, whether he realized it or not - he listened without judgment and gave thorough insight.
Bruce had even comforted Hal a couple of times, holding him tightly against his chest as Hal told him about his mother's depression after her husband's tragic demise and their last falling-out after Hal had joined the Air Force.
Bruce had even started sharing information of his own lately. Hal had come to realize Bruce was a proud parent and could talk about his family for hours if prompted.
Bruce's eyes lit up and his face came to life when they talked about his kids. It was a sight to behold.
They seldom talked about wings and never about theirs. Wings were a personal matter, people usually didn't show theirs in public but many spread their wings freely in their homes or even in front of their friends.
Most lovers who had known each other for a while had seen their partner's wings a few times. Hal was grateful Bruce had never asked to see his, or even asked what kind they were.
Sparrows, doves, swifts or web-footed birds' wings were quite common.
Many kids wished they could have ostrich or flamingo wings. Hal would have settled for the wings of a domestic chicken at the time. He used to tell his friends that he would only show his wings to his soulmate to explain why he'd never showed his wings to them.
Thankfully for Hal, his best friend at the time had pigeon wings and was just as reluctant to show his own wings.
It didn't mean nobody had suspected he didn't have wings. There had been a girl in tenth grade that had magnificent dragonfly wings. Half of the students in her year were in love with her. Hal was a bit in love with her too, to be honest.
It wouldn't have been a problem if Hal hadn't been dating her best friend. Hal had dumped Tara over the phone and she had been quite upset about it, which could be understandable.
Naomi - the dragonfly girl - had then started rumors about Hal being soulmateless and unlovable. To her credit, Tara had tried to stop the rumors but Naomi had been too popular for that.
So Danny had called her stupid in the middle of a crowded corridor and told everyone who was willing to listen - and some others - that she was jealous because Hal had got the greatest wings he had ever seen. He had pretended Hal had eagle wings just like his father and that he only showed them to people he deemed worthy of them.
Hal had been very moved by this show of friendship. Years later, he had told Danny about not having wings and asked why he had made up such a lie for him.
Danny had looked at him for a long time and told him he had known for a while.
"You knew about mine and you never told me about your wings. What could make a kid more ashamed than having pigeon wings ?" Danny had said, shrugging. "And you punched a few guys for me when the others found out about my wings, so I guess we were even."
A few years after, Danny had married a woman with quetzal wings. Hal had seen Danny's wings for the first time when they had invited him over a few months after their wedding.
His wings actually looked quite good. Teenagers were really stupid. Brisa's own set of wings was among the most beautiful he had ever seen, and he had seen quite a few.
Many of his friends from the League had quite nice wings they didn't mind exhibiting when they were around each other. Most thought Hal was just a bit shy about his wings. They probably thought he felt self-conscious about them. Considering the others' wings, he could easily have been.
Barry had bright red, blue and yellow parrot wings that matched his wife's and made many people jealous.
Oliver's peacock wings and Dinah's swan ones were also the subject of envy even if they weren't soulmates.
Diana and Clark didn't have any feathers because of their alien inheritance and Hal was secretly glad for it. It made people more hesitant to talk about soulmates around them and the absence of his own wings weighed less heavily on his heart.
Bruce had told him once that all his Robins had robin wings of different color shades and they had laughed about it.
Apparently Catwoman's wings were those of a magpie. How fitting.
People said your wings usually matched your personality, or your soulmate's.
In any case, Bruce had always been tight-lipped about his own. Hal had wondered if Selina knew about them but hadn't pried. Bruce's lack of interest for his wings was a blessing, Hal wasn't going to harass him over his own.
They had been working together for more than ten years and quietly dating for ten months when Hal had seen Bruce's wings for the first time.
He had seen unusual wings before : Victor's were half-bird and half-metal, for example. Most people had wings and Hal had seen his fair share of them in his lifetime but Hal had never seen the likes of Bruce's until then.
Bat wings. Of course. Hal had expected it. Well, he hadn't expected that, exactly.
They were as black as a starless night and even more impressive than Hal had thought. Magnificent.
Well, Hal hadn't had a chance to get a good look at them first, because the reason Bruce had spread them open in the field in the first place was because Hal had been knocked unconscious and had gone into free fall when his last construct had dissolved into thin air under his feet.
Hal had woken up to people screaming and cursing on comms and strong arms wrapped around him.
They were Batman's arms, he noticed. And they were flying, he realized as the sound of flapping wings reached his ears.
"Hal, it's me. You took a blow and blacked out. We're going to land and I'll check on you," Bruce had said against his ear. "Don't try to fly on your own, we need to check if you have a concussion first."
Hal would have complained but soon enough he felt the ground under his feet. Well, a rooftop, actually.
"Don't we have to go back quickly ?" Hal had asked hopefully, wishing to avoid a detailed examination.
Superheroes made the worst patients.
"They don't need us to deal with this."
Bruce took a few instruments out of his utility belt and assured him he was fine after a few minutes of intense examination despite Hal's protests.
Bruce hadn't made his wings disappear yet and Hal was watching - staring at - them as discreetly as he could in utter fascination, wishing he could run his fingers over them.
He was dying to touch Bruce's wings but he doubted Bruce would like it. Chances were Bruce didn't even like them - Hal had never seen him use his wings in the field before.
Indeed, Bruce had been quite disappointed when he had been old enough to realize his wings would never morph into a bird's wings and were doomed to stay featherless.
He loved it when his mother tickled him with her pretty blue jay wings, the same as his father's. He had often yearned for colorful, fluffy wings like theirs instead of the ugly bat wings he had got.
Thomas Wayne had told his son that his wings were the coolest he had ever seen but Bruce had always had a hard time believing it and had taken great care to keep them hidden from a young age.
A smart idea, since it would probably have been commented upon if Bruce Wayne happened to have similar wings to Batman's emblem.
He had had to use his wings once or twice as Batman but there had never been witnesses. It was for the best. Bruce avoided relying on his wings - some superheroes did but it was quite dangerous. Reinforced cloaks were easier to replace than body parts.
He was glad that since he had been the one training them, the kids didn't use their wings either.
Bruce had looked into making wings' protections when he was a brand new vigilante and not yet so adamant against using his wings as Batman if he could find a way to not make them an obvious weakness.
He had come to the conclusion that the best way to protect your wings during a fight was to not use them.
A wounded wing was also harder to dissimulate than a bruised torso. Dick had blocked an attack with his wing when he had started his Nightwing gig. He had to sleep on his stomach for weeks until he was fully healed.
At the time, Dick had said it was an accident, that he had acted impulsively. Bruce believed that the fact that the kid had been so angry at him at the time may have contributed to him defying his instructions.
However, wing wounds hurt like hell and Dick had been much more careful for the rest of his vigilante career. His unfortunate experience had also served as a cautious tale for the others. Dick hadn't been too happy about it when he had found out.
Something about keeping his dignity and credibility with "the baby Robins". Dick had babbled about it until Bruce couldn't stand it anymore and had to ban him from the Cave for the rest of the day in order to get some work done.
Dick had never asked what his wings looked like. Of all the kids, only Jason had, not long after Bruce had made him a Robin.
"Do you have robin wings like Dick, Barbara and I ?" Jason had asked then.
He had sounded hopeful, as if he hoped it would make their bond stronger.
"No," Bruce had said, but he hadn't shown him.
When they were at the Manor, the kids didn't keep their wings hidden.
Dick had even used his as a means of expression when he was younger. The first time he had dyed them, he was mad at Bruce and had hoped to get a reaction. It hadn't worked much but as a teen Dick had kept dyeing the tip of his wings in bright colors occasionally.
None of the current residents of the Manor had picked this trend. Cass and Tim didn't mind having similar wings and Damian kept his hidden. Probably to do like his father, since nothing was wrong with his wings. They were probably more ordinary than he would have liked, but they were soft and looked fine. It didn't sit right with Bruce.
Talia had falcon wings she was quite proud of. Had she ever made Damian feel less because of his common wings ?
Or was Bruce the one responsible for his uncomfort ?
Bruce kept his wings for himself. Alfred and Hal too. Diana and Clark didn't have any. There weren't many more adults in Damian's life.
He lacked role models exhibiting their wings freely. He should do something about it. Maybe ask Dick if he could talk to his brother about it.
It was something he had yet to figure out. Soon, preferably but first, he and Hal should have a talk.
Before he could voice this thought, right after declaring that Hal looked okay, Hal had led him to a darker corner of the roof and kissed him with intent.
Bruce had been quick to stop him.
"Hal, we shouldn't do this. You've seen my wings," he said, shaking his head.
"Yes," Hal retorted defiantly, forcing Bruce to offer an explanation.
"Our wings won't match," Bruce added unhelpfully.
Hal knew that. Bat wings were rare enough and Hal actually didn't have wings. Not that Bruce knew it, but it might be the right time to change that.
"I don't have wings. If we could only match people who had wings like ours, I'd be doomed to be alone. Some people would be happy with that, but -"
Hal wasn't sure how he was going to finish this sentence but Bruce helped him out.
"Not you."
"Not me," Hal confirmed. "Listen, that thing between us, whatever you want to call it… I'm really getting attached to it. To you. And please tell me if I'm imagining things but I was starting to think it might be mutual."
Hal repressed the urge to look at his feet as he opened his heart to his winged partner. They were facing each other, Hal's uniform being their main source of light.
"We make our own soulmates, Bruce," Hal said, allowing his ring to bathe him in green light.
He didn't have to turn around to know his construct looked just as he intended it to. The quiet awe on Bruce's masked face and the sound of flapping wings were enough.
Two large, glowing bat wings were now attached to Hal's back, almost identical to Bruce's.
Bruce stared at them for a few seconds of quiet contemplation before reaching for Hal's face and pulling him into a scorching kiss.
"We make our own soulmates," Bruce repeated when they finally let go of each other.
He liked the sound of it. Hal nodded, his head resting on Bruce's armored shoulder.
"We do."
Bruce's dark wings had wrapped around Hal of their own volition as they kissed, bringing them closer. Hal's glowing ones had closed around them.
Darkness and light were wrapped in a lovers' embrace. In both Bruce and Hal's minds, it sounded like the greatest match there could be.