and in his face, i saw the sun | {kieran oneshot}

He was proud.

Not in the way that he'd always been known for, with his chest puffed out and his chin raised and his shirt crisp and clean. Not in the way that he looked back on now and felt ashamed of.

In some way different; a way that could only fairly be described in a positive way.

He stood in his own yard, a yard he kept. And in front of him was a beautiful house, a house he'd built himself. And inside that house? His smile broadened. He was proud.

And also, so profoundly happy, if only for a fleeting moment. If only for a blink of this existence. If only for today. If things changed some time down the road, so be it. He had this instant, walking into the house on a saturday afternoon and seeing the love of his life folding baby clothes. He still wasn't sure how exactly he'd fooled Paige into falling in love with him. Even then, as prideful as he had been, he knew she was out of his league. Years older, years more experienced, radiant and intelligent. And he'd asked her to dance beneath the stars, and she'd agreed. And Kieran owed everything that followed to that one decision that she'd made, all those years ago.

He was hers; she was his.

"I'm meeting Dad for lunch," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he leaned down to kiss her on the top of her head. He met her gaze and chuckled.

"And yes, I'm going to change first."

He bounded up the stairs, shrugged off his working clothes, and slid on a button-up and some slacks. No time for a shower: he was late already. Last night was his night, which meant he'd gotten a late start. He spritzed what he hoped was either perfume or air freshener onto his shirt, ran a comb through his hair, and made his way back downstairs.

"Is he up?" he asked, tone hasty.

"Not yet. You'll have to take the carrier," Paige said with a cheery smile. "The diaper bag is by the front door."

They called their current state the bubble. Everything was safe, and happy, and airy, and free here. Like they were floating inside a bubble. Peaceful, in a way. Neither of them ever dared to bring up the likelihood of popping, but it was there. Things couldn't always be this good. Mace warned Kieran of the terrible twos, Aunt Reggie still had to write down dinner recipes, and the baby would grow up eventually. There would come a day when he didn't need them, and Kieran didn't like thinking about that.

He walked over to the bassinet next to the couch, and got to see, yet again, the most precious thing he would ever see in his life. He was so tiny and fragile, no bigger than the size of his forearm. His little hands clasped at the air as he slept; he wondered if, maybe, he was dreaming of him holding him. He lifted him up and kissed Paige on the lips, slow and easy.

"I love you," he said, "Get some rest while we're gone. Okay?"

He shrugged the diaper bag over his free arm and closed the front door as quietly as he could with one of his feet.

"Come on, Emerson. Let's go see Grandpa."