" Second Orbit. "
pairing: superfamily ( clark, lois, jon ) x unintentionally neglected! gn! eldest child! reader
gifted with kryptonian genes from birth, you are blessed with superhuman abilities powered by the sun. but it just came too late. It doesn't matter anymore, does it? no one will care, Y/N.
cw: typical neglected reader stuff / cussing and stuff / use of Y/N in the last POV / jon being weirdly attached to the reader, but nothing full-blown yandere yet
a/n: I was planning on making the first post a standalone concept, but yknow what? since people liked it so much, I couldn't just let the people starve!! this fic is more chill than anything since I'm still thinking of where this story would go but yeaaahhh
taglist: @serenityrjd , @leahgokam , @seanwalbrecht , @miserablyethereal , @akanescrustyashes , @aimonnova , @cz19y , @fandomhoppershxt , @numbu5 , @holyfishbailiffpeanut
part 1 , part 2 ( you're here! )
The days leading up to you moving, you've been feeling... weird.
A slow throbbing in your stomach—not quite a stomachache, definitely not bad enough to be worrying, but enough to be annoying. Your head is constantly pounding, not quite a headache, but more like something akin to someone constantly tapping from the inside of your skull. And, of course, pain in your joints. You're not old, it's more like the kind of pain you'd get if you stay in the same position for too long, when your muscles beg you to stretch and move.
But, really, these are nothing you've never experienced before. You simply brushed them off to the usual symptoms you'd get from lack of sleep—you did pull several consecutive all-nighters the past few nights due to exams.
But exams are over!
The last thing on your list—moving out—was checked off just a few minutes ago. You've just finished moving all the boxes inside your new, and honestly quite spacious, apartment.
A fresh start, and after you set some things up and decorate some part of the apartment, your precious bed will be waiting for you, and you will finally get those well-deserved sleeps for the rest of the summer break.
Ah, home sweet home.
You spoke too soon.
The next few days, you're busy with renovating the apartment (and by renovating, you really meant simply decorating the place to liven it up) and going out to explore around your new neighborhood, taking notes of all the nearby cozy-looking cafes and the library just a few blocks away. Yeah, you're gonna be using those a lot for study sessions.
Which would've been fine and all, if not for the fact that right now, you're stuck in some random supermarket while shopping for some groceries to stuff in your fridge, because some random criminals are holding everyone in this damn place hostage while they rob the shit out of the cashier... or something.
They're not even scary... — You gulp to yourself awkwardly, looking at the cheap gun in one of the thugs' hands.
Maybe it's the fact that you grew up seeing your dad bench press a kaiju every other Saturday, along with lately also having your younger brother running through walls all by accident—it's all just kind of... normal.
And then you gulp again, because despite that fact, you have to remind yourself that you are not Superman. Your skin definitely isn't bulletproof.
You stand behind one of the shelves, where those dumb robbers aren't even paying attention to. What are you doing? Uh, busy deciding between two products, actually.
Corn Flakes or Corn Flakes Strawberry Flavour...
This is a very important question, okay? Your budget's a bit limited, you already got all the fresh ingredients you needed in the basket in your arm, and you're now going to indulge yourself in some unhealthy stuff for the next few breakfasts that are to come.
"Hey, you over there! Get the fuck down!"
One of the robbers screamed at you, pointing his gun at you and drawing literally everyone's attention to you. Some random young adult who's literally trying to make the hardest decision of their life.
"Aigh!" You just grumbled out loudly, swatting your arm at the guy to tell him to shut the fuck up for a moment. You're a bit busy here! Are they fucking blind or what?
This particular robber was too dumb to notice your sour mood, though, so, like the dumb little thing he is, he continues to yell at you.
"Are you fucking deaf or what? I said get the fuck dow—"
"Bro, leave me the fuck alone!"
You shouted back, the way your voice boomed and echoed throughout the supermarket scared the shit out of everyone, but definitely not as much as when you pointed at the group of robbers in rage, and something just... goes off.
A deafening boom rang through the supermarket, and could probably be heard outside as well. Light exploded from the tip of your fingers, but surprisingly, your eyes... aren't really affected?
Your eyes are still wide open, some weird colours dancing in them, but mostly fine, as the light dies down, and wow, that felt so... good. Refreshed, like you've just taken a bath in a hot spring and slept for ten hours straight, uninterrupted. The annoying hum inside your skull and the throb in your stomach are gone.
Oh, also, there's now a crater in the middle of the supermarket.
You look around in panic, making sure nobody is hurt and that you're not going to accidentally become a criminal, only to notice that everyone is out cold.
Oh.
You did flashbang everyone.
Not dealing with this, ohhh nah.
You gulp for the third time today, quickly taking the basket in your hand and skedaddling out of that fucking place.
...Only for you to slowly slide back in and place the correct amount of cash at the register. Papa ain't raise no bitch, okay? You're a good citizen and will continue to be, even if you just accidentally knocked out like thirty people.
At least nobody died, and the CCTV was already out because the robbers were at least smart enough to mess with it. Heh.
Okay, what the fuck was that.
You're now back at your apartment, the lights in your room aren't even turned on as you sit in the middle of your bed, elbows on your knees and hands in your hair.
Seriously, what was that? You were just annoyed, you didn't mean to blast anyone's shit into next week—hell, you didn't even know you could do that!
Your eyes zeroed in on your own wrist, or more specifically, the faint lines of your veins under the skin.
Kryptonian blood runs through you.
Fuck it. Fuck this.
You've long come to the conclusion that you'll never be anything special, that you're just going to be another face in the crowd, that you won't be blessed with all those cool things your father and younger brother have.
You are powerless—you're not even strong the way your mother is.
But Kryptonians couldn't do that.
Your ever-so-kind father had sent you a full PDF document file when you asked him about Kryptonians. Perhaps that was partially your fault for shooting him ten questions under five seconds, like you were the one who was a professional nosy journalist interviewing Superman— okay, but you did read through those documents.
Kryptonians store solar energy in their cells to later convert them into power.
Raw power, not fucking magic.
Is this my call to be a magician or what? You joked to yourself to lighten up the mood, but it didn't really help. You're too stressed out thinking about... this.
But honestly, you're glad that you did whatever that was, because all those annoying symptoms that you thought were from lack of sleep went away completely.
...Can Kryptonian cells become "too full"? Like, y'know, that feeling when you feel like you're going to explode when you eat too much. Is that what was happening? Because your cells were too full so they were torturing you for it? How were you even supposed to know?!?!?
...Whatever.
You've accepted at the ripe age of fifteen that you're going to live your life like some background character. You're going to go on about your day for the rest of your life like a normal person—get into law school, tire yourself out until you're dying, then if all thing fails, you're probably going to work some mundane 9-5 job until retirement.
Depressive, but simple.
You did not account for juggling university life while having powers.
You aren't going to become a superhero, holy shit, you aren't built for that! This is your power, your responsibility, anyway. No one can tell you what to do with it.
And it's not like you're going to become some big bad villain either. Surely, no one is going to be mad if you just... continue living your mundane life, only now with powers, right?
Right.
Okay, but first, what can you even do?
To be honest, you wished that instead of solar power, you would've gotten something electric-related.
Is it just so you could freely charge your phone without having to pay the electric bills? Oh, hell yeah. Your ass is not rich enough to install a solar charger on anything.
Or... wait.
You put your index finger up and focus... or tried to. You tried to redo what you did in the supermarket, only this time on a much smaller scale, and making sure that it wouldn't explode.
Slowly but surely, after making yourself feel like a lunatic with schizophrenia, a small sphere of light slowly conjures up from the tip of your finger, and you let it illuminate the room before leaving it to float freely on the ceiling.
You assumed it'd last for a pretty long while...
Yeah, I can still save the electric bills this way.
No more turning on the light bulbs, you need the money for so many other things.
Holy shit, you can buy both flavours of the cornflakes now. Oh, hell yeah.
You feel like a lizard, sprawling your upper body on the cool, laminated table top in the café as you bask in the sunlight from the window right in front of your face.
You spent the next few days all holed up in your room, too caught up in decorating your new apartment, until you woke up this morning feeling like absolute shit.
You completely forgot that Kryptonians' cells feed on sunlight, and after continuously using your power as a light source for days on top of blasting the supermarket to shit a week prior, you were drained.
So now you're soaking up all the sunlight you'd ever need in the cool air of the café, all the while nursing the drink in your hand—mocha, extra chocolate, with whipped cream.
Your mother had always teased you about your sugar addiction for that.
Your mother...
It's a bit weird, sometimes, living on your own now. Usually, you would visit the cafe near your home with either your father or your mother, or both. Later on, it's always with Jon, because he loves begging you to buy him the many pastries sitting on the display glass.
You started going alone after Jon got his powers, because he and your father were too busy flying around in the sky, and your mother kept being busy with work. Still, your mother tried to find time to go with you back then, but that ceased entirely when you assured her to focus on her work first.
You're getting used to the silence, you think.
Your stomach feels full as you sip the last few remaining liquid in the cup, your cells sharing the same pleasantly full feeling after you've been sitting in the same spot for an hour.
The first night that you discover your power, your finger hovered over your phone for far too long.
Over your father's contact.
But you decided otherwise, exiting the phone call app and shutting it off.
It's too late. Nobody cares. You know your father is out there with Jon, probably with other superheroes, and discussing their plan to stop another world-ending threat—another adventure.
You aren't needed. You can figure this out on your own. You're an adult now.
..But what are you going to do next, exactly?
"...Dad?"
Jon mumbled, tugging at his dad's sleeve as they stood in front of the entrance of his school. He had been going to this school since the start of his elementary school, but this is the first time he's not excited for it.
The thought of getting to hang out with his friends and having fun at school is all muddied and murky—dampened by a change in his life. A change too huge for his ten-year-old brain to keep up.
His sibling had moved out since last week, but his mood hadn't really lightened up.
He's still not used to sleeping alone. Or the fact that his sibling's room is now empty, devoid of their scent—that unique, flowery smell of perfume you loved.
"Yes, champ?"
Clark's voice was a deep and gentle thing, like a bird's soft coo to Jon's ears as the older man crouched down to his knee in front of his son.
"Will..." Jon trailed off, his lips pressed into a thin line. Hesitant, but he knew he couldn't stay silent anymore. "Will big sib come back?"
Clark frowned, a sad look on his face as his eyes softened at how upset his son looked.
The house has been oddly quiet and empty since Y/N, their eldest child, had moved out. Jon, the youngest of the house, was affected the most.
Even when going out on adventures with his father as Superboy, he just wasn't as happy as before.
"Big sib is busy with university and studying," Clark reasoned, although his voice was anything but cold. "Don't worry, we'll visit when we have time. For now, you focus on school. Big sib would be mad if you don't."
Clark reassured his son, petting Jon on the head as the young boy nodded slowly, slowly turning around to enter his school.
Yeah, it's going to be a bit rough for the next few months.
"And where are you going, young man?"
Later that night, as they were about to head home, Clark had to hold his son back by the cape as Jon was about to speed off to God knows where.
The young boy only huffed in frustration, trying to tear the cape out of his father's hand.
"Ugh— Let go!" He yelled, uncharacteristically so. "I want to go to Y/N! They're not far! I just want to—"
Clark's eyes softened as Jon's voice broke into a small sob, curling into a tight ball in the air. Both of them are high above the skyline, Clark's posture stiff and graceful, while Jon is anything but that.
"I want to— I just want to go see Y/N.." Jon mumbled, fat tears rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably.
He's attached, and he knows that. He's been with you all his life. For all his ten years of living, he had always remembered being attached to their hip since he was a toddler.
Being away from them without knowing when he'll see them again—it hurts. It makes him want to sob and throw a tantrum—all because his stupid dad won't let him go visit them. He's a big boy now! He's gonna be okay! Y/N's not far, he'll be fine!
...But he also knows his dad isn't in the wrong, and that he's too young to go anywhere on his own.
Especially if he's going to bother his sibling.
Bother? No, no! He's not a bother, is he? Definitely not, you wouldn't think of him like that. He knows you wouldn't—you love him just as much as he loves you!
Clark's heart squeezes at the sight of his son curled up into a tight ball in the air, tears soaking the jeans of his pants as he floats closer to the young boy. His arms wrapped securely around Jon, pulling the young boy closer until he was pressed against his sturdy, muscular frame.
"Soon, Jon. We'll see them soon."
The house has been cold and empty, devoid of the most important person in the family for a week too long.
You're too far away from your family.
He'll see you soon.
a/n: never let me cook again what is this.. also lois will be more relavant soon trust.. gulps / the part where y/n yelled "leave me the fuck alone" in the supermarket was inspired by this audio from tiktok: