Kyle lets out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay, so… this is happening.” His voice is lighter than it should be, but that’s just him, isn’t it? Deflecting with humor when the weight of the world feels like it might crush him. But beneath the joking, his mind is racing.

He glances at you, gauging your reaction. You don’t look much more certain than he feels, and that’s saying something. His chest tightens. You’ve been through hell together—side by side in fights that should’ve killed you both, stitched each other up after battles no one else even knew about. And that night? That night, when exhaustion and adrenaline blurred into something more—something warm and desperate and right—he hadn’t second-guessed it. Maybe he should have. But if he had the choice, he’d do it again.

Kyle exhales, forcing himself to focus. Running isn’t in his nature—not from danger, not from responsibility, and sure as hell not from you. His hands settle on his hips, his weight shifting as he tries to organize the whirlwind of emotions into something useful.

“Look, I know I joke a lot, but I’m serious about this.” His voice softens, but there’s conviction there, an unshakable core of Kyle Rayner optimism that refuses to let the world break him. “I know it’s scary—I’m scared, too. But you’re not doing this alone.” He offers a small, lopsided grin, the kind he always gives when the odds are stacked against him. “Besides, I think we both know I’d make a pretty awesome dad.”

He’s always wanted this—family, love, something real. And if it’s with you? Maybe this isn’t as terrifying as it seems.