dick is too wrapped up in his own anxiety to hear the way her heartbeat threatens to break out of her ribcage. also he doesn’t have super hearing. also he’s staring at the floor like it will answer his questions. like it will save them some great tragedy. kori swallows back her saliva until her mouth is dry, until she knows she can’t stall anymore. wordlessly, she sits beside him, rests her head on his shoulder and takes a selfish moment to steady herself.
bruce was good for running the tests for her. for keeping a secret for her. for doing what she’d asked and offering more. she hopes he doesn’t feel compromised or used. notes that this is a thought for a different time, turns and takes dick’s hands in hers.
“ i requested that bruce run a few extra tests for me. ” liar. it was just one. the only option left that didn’t mean impending death. she almost wishes she had been wrong, just to spare the drama. awash with feelings, she waits until dick’s eyes can focus, until they’re clear enough that she knows he hears her instead of his own fear. another swallow, trying so hard to run her mouth dry that she doesn’t think about it anymore.
“ the symptoms line up with one other… condition from tamaran. i did not think it was–possible. ” silence, tense and worried. “ i am with child. it is yours. ”
oh. oh, god. uh. holy shit, dick’s blood is rushing in his ears. this is not the direction he had been expecting. he doesn’t know whether he feels relieved or more scared. he just knows that he’s about to fucking vomit one way or the other. objectively, this isn’t a bad thing. it’s...it’s just ten times what dick can handle at this particular moment.
“ you -- mine ?? ” how can they even...even procreate? she’s a flipping alien. and it’s not like they haven’t generally been careful anyway. they’ve both had more than a few lovers between them, it’s just a hygienic thing to be careful. dick looks down at their hands, sienna against brown. he closes his eyes for a few seconds, allows himself to think about how infinitely preferable this is to kori being seriously sick.
“ --- kori, ” dick says, no more eloquent than a few seconds ago. thankfully, they’re both tactile creatures, and he doesn’t have to hesitate when he pulls her against his chest, hand resting lightly on the back of her neck.
frozen like that, dick can’t even begin to imagine what this is going to mean for their lives. he loves kori so much it sometimes aches, but generally speaking when he thinks of her, its as his best friend. it’s been a long time since he imagined this kind of future between them. he’s not disappointed, of course. there’s just a whole lot to process in a second. and he doesn’t know what to say to make this easy.
there’s no good or right reaction for this, is there ?? “ you’re okay, though ?? that’s what matters right now. ”
