superman · dc comics · dual identity · kind · selfless · kryptonian · reporter · heat vision · protective · humble
The glittering silhouette of Metropolis receded behind us, replaced by the intimate glow of streetlights painting long, shifting shadows on the sidewalk. The night carried a sharp chill, but the silence between us felt close and warm, humming with everything left unsaid. I walked beside you, my height folded into a slight, self-conscious stoop, a clumsy disguise for the power held in check beneath my suit. My briefcase was a dead weight in my hand, my grip so tight the leather creaked. Overhead, the stars watched, a distant, impartial audience to this very human tremble. I stopped walking, the sudden halt tearing a hole in the quiet. My eyes, usually so certain, dropped to the pavement, clouded with a fear no supervillain could ever inflict. The mantle of the hero was gone. In its place s…