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Summary: 4th in ‘Come Home' series. Rewrite of 1x05-07. More dominos. Jordan and Jon learn how alike and how different they are from their father and each other.
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Chapter 1: Absorbing

Jordan and Jonathan stood somewhat impatiently between their parents as Lara appeared before them.

Lara had just finished analyzing the scans of Jordan and Jonathan, both the set done by Jor-El and the more thorough and comprehensive scans she just took.

“Have there been any changes since the scan father did?” Clark asked.

“Yes, there have. The absorption rate of Jonathan's cells has increased by 12%, and that rate has spread evenly across his whole body,” she answered.

“What does this mean? Will he develop powers?” Lois asked.

“At this rate, no. It is not high enough to sustain abilities. Currently, he only has access to 2 millionth of a percent of the power Kal has. However, when compared to an average human, he is more coordinated and far more durable. And if he applied the energy he has to an action, such as lifting something, he would be at least ten times stronger than an average man,” Lara explained.

Jon blinked. “So . . . my being part-kryptonian is why I'm good at football?”

“Possibly, though we don't know what your levels had been before,” Lara said. “Granted, if they had been as high as you are currently, you shouldn't have suffered a concussion in the accident.”

“So Jon is absorbing more solar energy than before? What about Jordan?” Clark asked.

Jon and Jordan grinned excitedly at each other.

“Yes. As for Jordan, his absorption rate is far higher, but it is not consistent. In certain areas of his body, it has increased by 120%, while in others it’s as low as 4%.”

“Wha–what does that mean?” Jon asked, suddenly concerned as Jordan glanced uncertainly at Lois.

“Is that bad?” Jordan asked.

“It's not ideal. The imbalance can contribute to many issues with biological functions,” Lara answered. “Everything from physical responses to mental wellbeing.”

Clark stiffened. “Would this have been an issue before, or can it only be an issue now because of the scale?”

“Any imbalance, even a fraction of what it is now, could cause difficulties,” she said, not understanding the implications of what it all meant as she raised her hand and quickly reevaluated Jordan’s scans. “And yes, there was a minor imbalance in the scan a few months ago.”

“You mean . . . this was why I was put on pills?!” Jordan gasped, growing frantic. “This is what’s really wrong with me?!”

Clark tentatively placed his hand on his shoulder. “We'll figure this out, Jordan,” he said, hoping that was the right thing to say.

Lara frowned at the exchange. “I don’t understand.”

“Last year, Jordan was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder,” Lois answered softly.

Lara looked at Jordan, who was now covering his face with his hands. “If I may inquire, what led up to that?” she asked.

“A lot,” Jordan said, frustrated, relieved, angry, and confused as he lowered his hands. “For as long as I can remember I've had night terrors, and I’ve always had trouble with . . . I get–” He took a deep breath and Clark gently tightened his grip on his shoulder in encouragement. “–overwhelmed easily. I can't really explain it; it doesn't even make sense to me.”

“I see,” Lara said. “This imbalance likely contributes to much of that.”

“Can anything be done to correct the imbalance?” Clark asked.

“There may be. I will run some tests,” she said. “It will take some time, but I believe we will be able to at least reduce the imbalance, which will improve Jordan’s overall health.”

“Okay,” Clark said, before moving directly in front of Jordan and gripping both of his shoulders with his hands as Lois came beside him. “We’ll figure this out together, and Jordan?”

Jordan looked up at him, tears in his eyes.

“I'm so sorry we didn't learn this sooner,” Clark said regretfully before pulling Jordan into a hug.

“But now that we have–” Lois interjected, knowing Clark was blaming himself, “–we can properly address it. This is nobody's fault, but like your father said, we'll get through it together. No one ever dreams about life's problems, but every life has them — even the extraordinary ones.”

Lois joined in on the hug, and Jon soon followed.

O o O o O

John Irons looked at the screen, not sure what to think anymore.

Sam leaned against the side wall of John's cell.

He had just shown him several videos, including the recent interview between Lois, Superman, and Superman's half brother, as well as several other videos taken from different vantage points of a man attacking Superman in a park before Tal-Rho violently landed and stopped the man – stopped but didn't kill.

“This doesn't prove anything,” John stated.

“Our Superman is different from the one in your world,” Sam repeated.

“They're lying! They're biding their time, giving the world a false sense of security,” John argued, but inside he wondered. . . .

“Do you truly believe that? They laid out everything in that interview. Revealed information even you hadn't known, disclosing where all the Kryptonians had come from and how your world had been overwhelmed. What would they gain by doing that?” Sam asked.

John looked away.

Sam was wrong. Superman was a threat! Him and his brother. They had to be!

But why would they admit to there being a device? Why would they tell the world about their family? Why would they expose so much about themselves and express so much . . . emotion?

They really did appear to care for each other, which was more than the Kryptonians had expressed to one another in his world where they had always been so . . . brutally mechanical. Even when some of their number were killed right in front of them, they didn't appear to be all that affected. They certainly hadn't shown the fury and concern Tal-Rho had displayed for his brother when he stopped Killgrave.

And when they had spoken kryptonian during the interview. . . . There was no way that had been done for show when they likely believed no one on earth would be able to understand them. . . .


“Oh, nothing really. I just realized I might be grateful for being stabbed,” Superman answered Lois.

Kal-El’s brother laughed before grabbing his shoulder and giving him a hard shake.

:You better never get stabbed again because I might just kill you after I save you again!:

Kal-El grinned in response before pulling Tal into a half hug. “I love you too, Brother.”


Could this Superman truly be different?

Circumstances were different here, but were they different enough?

What if Sam was wrong? What if Sam was right?

“I want to speak with Lois,” John finally said.

Sam stared at him for a long moment. “I'll see what I can do.”

O o O o O

“Guys, we got your favorite pizza,” Clark said cheerfully the moment they entered through the back door after school.

“I’m not hungry,” Jon said, before hurrying up the stairs to his room.

Clark blinked and looked to Jordan in confusion.

“Eliza dumped him this morning,” Jordan said. “Over the phone.”

“She what?!” Clark gasped, offended for Jon.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Lois said, before Clark stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“I think . . . it might be best if I talk to him first,” Clark gently countered.

Lois looked at him, taking in his expression. “Okay.”

Clark gave her a soft but grim smile before following after Jon. A moment later, he gently knocked on his door.

“Jon?” he asked.

“Jordan just had to go and announce it to the world, huh?” Jon huffed.

Clark cracked open the door. “Even if he hadn’t said anything, it’s clear something has upset you.”

Jon rubbed his face, trying to hold it together. He did so by getting angry. “I can’t believe she just dumped me over the phone!”

“I know, bud. I’m sorry,” Clark said, stepping further into the room and sitting beside him on the bed.

“We’d been together for over a year,” Jon muttered before clenching his jaw.

Clark didn’t say anything to that, but instead put his hand on Jon’s shoulder.

Jon heaved a heavy sigh.

“Maybe I should just be happy she didn’t do it over a text,” Jon said sarcastically.

“I doubt it would have been any easier face to face,” Clark said. “All break ups are rough, one way or another.”

“Have you?” Jon asked.

“What? Been through a break up?” Clark asked.

Jon nodded with a brief, hesitant glance up.

“Yes. I pretty much crawled into an REA Speedwagon rabbit hole for over a week,” Clark said.

Despite himself, Jon chuckled, baffled by the completely unfamiliar reference. “What? ‘Speedwagon’? ‘Rabbit hole’?”

Clark sighed in defeat. “They’re an old rock band.”

“Rabbit Hole?” Jon asked, still confused.

Clark laughed. “No, REA Speedwagon.”

Jon shook his head, now more amused than anything.

“I can dig out my cassettes if you want to listen to them,” Clark offered. “I think I still have a cassette player.”

“No, no, that’s fine, Dad,” Jon said quickly, now smiling.

“Okay,” Clark said, happy to see Jon's mood improve. “Well, I know it’ll take a bit of time to process things, but trust me, things will get better. It sucks right now, of course, but you won't feel like this forever.”

“Because I'll eventually get over it like you did?” Jon asked incredulously, his emotions yo-yo'ing back down before he looked thoughtful. “Who was she?”

“My first girlfriend? Rachel Harris. Very kind, fun, generous. And no, not related to your friend, Tag. Anyway, we had been together for a few months. Looking back, I can see she actually let me down as best she could, and that she did what she knew was best for both of us,” Clark said.

Jon frowned. “Huh. I wonder what she would think now, if she knew she had broken up with Superman.”

“I wasn't Superman then,” Clark pointed out.

“No, but still . . . you've always been–” Jon cut himself off, suddenly nervous.

Clark waited for him to complete the sentence, but when he didn't, Clark slowly nodded in understanding.

“You're right, I've always been different,” Clark finished for him, his eyes suddenly unfocused as he came to a realization himself. “And while I hadn't known it at the time, I've always been Kryptonian.”

Jon nodded.

“It's not something I think about much, but I suppose it's important to acknowledge,” Clark admitted.

Jon tilted his head. “Why?”

“Why it's important to acknowledge or why I don't think about it much?” Clark asked.

“Both, I suppose.”

Clark took a deep breath. “I always knew I was different. My first memory is coming to Earth and feeling the sun on my face for the first time, and hearing the voices of my parents, the Kents.”

Jon's eyes widened.

“But it wasn't until I met Jor-El that I learned why I had been sent here. Before, I didn't know if I had been sent away because I was unwanted or what. And when more and more of my abilities began to surface, I had even feared I’d been sent here as some sort of start of an invasion. There were many times I wished I had been like everyone else: normal, with no abilities,” Clark said. “But your grandparents were steadfast. They always told me I was sent here for a reason and that I was meant to use my abilities to do great things. Of course, there was a question of timing, of when I should do those things, but they had always been supportive and assured me not to be afraid of my powers.”

“Wow,” Jon said, before looking down at his hands as Clark continued.

“But all of that uncertainty was sort of what made my first break up so rough for me, I think. At the time, I was afraid there was something wrong with me. That somehow Rachel had figured out I was . . . alien, and that that was why she had broken up with me. Of course, that wasn't the reason at all, but at the time I hadn't been able to really think beyond myself and consider things from her point of view.”

“So what was the reason? Did you ever learn it?” Jon asked, leaning forward.

“She realized that she needed to figure out who she was before she could even think about having a serious relationship with anyone. And, I think subconsciously at least, she knew I needed to do the same,” Clark explained.

“Oh,” Jon said, processing. “That makes sense at least. It's important to know yourself, even if it's not easy.”

“Yeah,” Clark agreed, glad Jon had followed his answer.

“So. . . .” Jon started before trailing off.

“What?”

“Uh. I know you dated mom sometime after that, obviously, but was there anyone else?” Jon asked, trying not to sound too curious.

“I dated a few other times after Rachel, but no one as seriously until your mother,” Clark said easily.

“Really?!” Jon asked, surprised.

“Really. And, since this is as good a lead-in as any, I’m going to take this opportunity to talk to you about something else,” Clark said.

Jon immediately blushed as his eyes widened, correctly concluding the subject. “No! Dad, it's fine! We don't–”

“Yes, we do, especially since your brother is listening in from the hall,” Clark said.

Jordan's loud gasp immediately followed.

“Jordan!?” Jon asked.

Jordan shyly stuck his head in the room. “Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt.”

“How long have you been there?” Jon asked, exasperated.

“Since ‘speedwagon’,” Jordan said sheepishly.

“Come on in, Jordan. And don't worry, I don't think it'll be as bad as either of you are thinking,” Clark said.

Jon and Jordan looked at each other doubtfully as Jordan sat down opposite them.

“Now, you both are 15, and, as I'm sure you already know, wanting to become intimate with someone is a natural feeling to have as you get older,” Clark said, amazing both Jon and Jordan by his matter-of-fact tone, though they still wanted the floor to swallow them. “However, I want to tell you something I've never fully verbalized to anyone before.”

Jon bit his lip, curious but embarrassed, while Jordan was failing to hide his interest despite the topic.

“I waited until after your mother and I were married, and it’s one of the best things I've ever done for myself,” Clark stated.

Jon and Jordan's jaws dropped.

“You . . . you, uh . . .” Jordan was flabbergasted and Jon wasn't much better.

“What?! Why?” Jon exclaimed.

“As you know, my parents were pretty conservative, especially in that regard, and instructed me accordingly, which, after everything I've seen and experienced, I must admit I fully agree with now. Intimacy is an adult decision, so comes with adult feelings and adult consequences – and those consequences can include serious regret and permanent, life-altering events that are less than positive, especially if not done under certain conditions,” Clark explained.

Jon swallowed and Jordan looked stunned.

“Look, I just want you both to be responsible and to be able to enter that stage in life, whenever that is, without any regret,” Clark said. “So just consider and remember what I’ve said.”

“So it wasn't because . . . you're different?” Jon hesitantly asked.

“That did play a role, but probably not as much as you might expect. I–” Clark blushed and cleared his throat before pressing on. “I have the same impulses as any other guy, and they're likely more intense because of . . . my heightened senses, so. . . .” He pursed his lips. “Anyway, being . . . what I am was less than half the reason why I waited. The other reasons, on their own, had already been enough to convince me to wait until after I was fully committed to someone and they to me.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Jordan said slowly.

Clark took a slow, deep breath and looked at them both. “Unfortunately, there is something else. Fair or not, our family secret will affect your future relationships – friendships and otherwise. I wish there was something I could say that would make it easier, but it’s a dangerous, heavy secret that can't be shared without careful consideration and involvement from all of us.”

Jon and Jordan glanced at each other, both processing what that might mean for their future.

“So, uh, how long was it before you told Mom?” Jordan asked.

“We’d been dating for a few months when I told her, but I had known her for over a year. I had been very sure,” he said.

“Wow,” Jon said. “How did she take it?”

“Was she angry?” Jordan asked.

“Well, she actually took it all in stride pretty well, though she was certainly flabbergasted,” Clark admitted. “Before asking a million questions.”

Jon and Jordan laughed.

“I'll bet!” Jon said.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Jordan asked.

“Yeah! Can you?” Jon pleaded.

Clark laughed. “Okay,” he agreed, happy to share one of the most memorable days of his life while also knowing it would provide Jon with another distraction from the breakup with Eliza.

So he told them about bringing Lois home to meet their grandmother, Martha, before taking her outside to the cornfield where he had landed. He revealed how he had told her and how he had hovered before regaling them with her reaction.

“Wow, Mom is epic,” Jon said as they laughed.

“What's going on?” Lois asked, knocking lightly on the door and peeking in.

“Just telling them how I told you my secret,” Clark said. “And how you handled learning it.”

“You told them I called you a dork, right?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said, grinning, before looking at the twins. “Well, pizza is downstairs if you want any. And if either of you want to talk more or anything, let me know.”

“Okay. Thanks, Dad,” Jon said, far lighter than he had been, and pleasantly surprised a certain conversation had been easier than he had ever expected.

O o O o O


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Last edited by Blueowl; 04/19/24 08:33 PM.