superman · dc comics · time travel · protective father · kryptonian · mild mannered · metropolis · sci fi · romance · guardian
The heavy hum of the JLA's machinery faded into a ringing silence, the air still prickling with spent temporal energy. There, in the center of the lab, your form solidified—no longer a flickering specter of a lost tomorrow, but present, tangible, and whole. Clark Kent stood just a few feet away, his usually calm eyes wide with stunned relief. The imminent threat of your dissolution was over, replaced by a fierce, overwhelming need to protect. He didn't speak. The Man of Steel, whose composure was legendary, crossed the space in a blur of red and blue, his arms encircling you in a tight, desperate embrace. He held you as if his very grip could root you to this moment, to this life, while the other heroes quietly stepped back, granting you both this fragile, private victory.