This is a little something I pounded out for #jonkentweek, prompt: Siblings. This is based on the idea that Teen Jon traveled the multiverse, not just Earth 3, and learned to be stronger. This takes place in an alternate universe and is not Tom Taylor's Jon Kent.
--Doc
Jonathan Samuel Kent pouted in the way that only 11-year-old boys could. His nostrils flared with irritation, which only served to remind him that dinner was waiting. At the stove, his father was making the last few touches on the stew while his mother tapped away at a story.
“Mom, he’s late,” Jon whined. “I’m gonna call him.” He reached for the heavily modified phone at the center of the table.
Lois raised an eyebrow as she glanced meaningfully at him. Jon retreated from the phone.
“He’s not late,” she corrected him, noting the time. “He still has ten minutes.”
“He’ll be home, Jon-o,” Clark promised. “If not, I’ll have a word with your brother’s boss.”
Jon grunted, defeated by logic. He glared at the fourth, empty seat at the table. Maybe he could somehow wish his brother to appear right now.
It was such an odd concept, having a brother. For most of his life, he’d been an only child. Then again, for most of his life, he hadn’t been aware that his father was Superman, nor did he have powers.
And then, there had been that little “roadtrip” with Grandpa Jor-El. It was supposed to have been a 2 week-long affair.
Looking back, even Kelex couldn’t figure out what had been in that black hole. One moment, he’d been skimming the surface just before the event horizon. The next, he’d been flung lightyears away, nearly colliding with Space Cabbie. He also felt like he’d been torn in half.
Low on power, he basically begged the cabbie to bring him home. He figured that he could at least get to the Fortress and send out a signal to say he was OK.
It had taken a week to get back to Earth, Space Cabbie grumbling the whole time. His onboard AI navigator kept the peace, but everyone was glad when they arrived.
The happy moment lasted until Jor-El’s ship appeared before them. A very contrite, sorrowful grandfather requested that Jon come aboard.
-----
“Jon, something happened while you were away,” Lois said. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“Is everything okay?” Jon asked. His parents were here, as well as his grandfather. Everyone looked unhurt.
Jor-El waved some kind of scanner up and down Jon. He frowned at the results.
“There was some unknown element in the black hole,” Jor-El began. “From what I can tell, it split you in two.”
Jon blinked. “Okay, I’ve had that happen before. Where’s the other me?”
“Right here,” came an unfamiliar voice.
Jon’s jaw dropped. Before him was…him. Well, he was an older version of Jon, though not the paunchy, middle-aged version he’d encountered before. This Jon was lean and maybe seventeen years old.
“Hey,” Teen Jon greeted him nervously. “Look, you’re probably thinking that I’m some kind of fake, a clone, a dimensional counterpart or a time traveler.”
“Yeah…” Jon agreed uneasily. “You’re not?”
Teen Jon shook his head. “Grandpa scanned me down to the subatomic level. We’re—we’re both Jon Kent. I just spent the last six years bouncing around dimensions, learning from every Superman there. For everyone else, it’s been about a week.”
Jon looked lost. His heart thudded against his chest as he looked at his mother, then his father.
“Mom? Dad?” Jon’s voice was raspy. “Am I—am I the fake?”
Lois shook her head as she knelt down and hugged him. “No,” she whispered. “You’re both mine. Both of you.”
Teen Jon and his father knelt down as well. There were whispers and mumblings that he didn’t remember, but he felt…safe.
-----
It hadn’t been easy adjusting to the new family status. There had been friction and squabbles, but nothing apocalyptic. Young Jon would keep going to Reeves-West while Teen Jon opted to transfer to Metropolis University.
More than a few favors had been called in to create “Finn Connors,” Teen Jon’s new identity. Thanks to glasses with a holographic projector, “Finn” wouldn’t need anything like a wig.
Of course, there was the matter of Teen Jon’s part-time job. He hadn’t mentioned it at the time, but the guiding force for his dimensional travels had come from the guardian of Hypertime himself—Hyperman, aka another Jon Kent. Hyperman had offered Teen Jon the opportunity to become a dimensional troubleshooter—with the caveat that it was a dire emergency, and that weekends were off-limits.
Teen Jon had agreed. The arrangement had been working out well, so far.
He had to admit, it was kind of…nice having a brother figure. Every once in a while, they’d go on patrol and take a break on a rooftop.
-----
The patrol had been fairly uneventful. There were a few robberies, a mugging or two, but it had been a fairly slow night in the city.
They sat on a rooftop overlooking Hob’s Bay. Teen Jon had bought ice cream cones for both of them. They ate in relative silence.
“What’s bugging you?” Teen Jon asked.
Young Jon didn’t look him in the eye. Teen Jon knew that tactic very well.
“I missed this, you know,” Teen Jon said. He gestured expansively to the city. “I missed Hamilton, too. Other worlds…it’s just not the same.”
“But you got stronger, right?” Young Jon asked. He still didn’t look his brother in the eye.
“I learned a lot,” Teen Jon acknowledged. “There wasn’t any version of Dad that wasn’t willing to help me out.”
There was another bit of silence. After a few minutes, they finished their cones.
“Do you think I’ll be as strong as you?” Young Jon asked. His voice was shaky and tentative.
Teen Jon shook his head. “Nope.”
Young Jon glared at him. “Really?”
Teen Jon smirked. “Really. You’ll be stronger than me.”
Young Jon blinked. “Wait. Really?”
Teen Jon nodded. “Absolutely. You won’t have to hop dimensions to learn what I know. And you’ll have Mom and Dad around, too.”
“Huh,” Young Jon grunted. “So…when can I learn that super ventriloquism thing?”
“I wouldn’t recommend learning before your voice breaks. It really strains your vocal chords before then.” Teen Jon glanced in the direction of home. “Mom’s really tapping away at the keyboard. We’d better get home while she’s in the zone.” He paused and winked. “And we never stopped for ice cream. Got it?”
Young Jon managed a smirk. “What ice cream?”
-----
“Jon.” There was no mistaking the warning in his mother’s voice.
He blinked. He looked at the slight dent in the table he’d created by tapping his finger impatiently—at super speed.
Jon chuckled nervously. “Sorry.”
Lois sighed. “Fine, you can call your brother. I’m sure he’s okay, though.”
Jon heard the slight skipping of his mother’s heartbeat. She’d been nervous, too.
He dialed the first preset in the HyperPhone. A holographic rendition of Teen Jon’s face appeared.
“Hey, Big Brother,” Jon greeted Teen Jon. “When are you coming home? Dinner’s almost ready.”
Teen Jon smiled. “I’ll be there in a little bit. The Chief had me detour to talk to someone.”
“`Big Brother?’” came a voice to the side of Teen Jon—the same voice as the dimensional troubleshooter. “You have a brother?”
“Um, yeah, it’s a long story,” Teen Jon said. Then he turned his attention back to the camera pickup. “I’ll be right there; I just have to say a few things.”
“It’s beef stew night,” Clark said. “I made extra.”
“I’ll be right there,” Teen Jon promised. Then the holographic display winked off.
Moments later, Clark and Young Jon heard the faint whine as the dimensional walls were breached. Teen Jon sped through an open window and changed into jeans and a polo in a blur. He gave his parents a hug, then ruffled Young Jon’s hair. This elicited a squawk of protest before they got settled for dinner.
“Sorry I cut it so close,” Teen Jon said over his second bowl of stew. “The Chief wanted me to talk to another version of myself who had it rough. I think he’ll be okay, but he really needs to open up and maybe get some non-super friends.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine as long as he talks it out,” Clark said. “Which reminds me…your therapist called. He wanted to make sure you were still good for Monday.”
“I should be,” Teen Jon confirmed. “I don’t think the universe is going to end on Monday,” he joked.
“Isn’t your Journalism project due this Monday?” Lois reminded him. “Jane called and asked ‘Finn’ if he’d done his part.”
Teen Jon’s eyes widened. There seemed to be a palpable aura of dread surrounding him.
“Is that a ‘project isn’t done’ dread or ‘talking to Jane’ kind of dread?” Clark asked.
Teen Jon squirmed a little. “Not so much the first, but more of the second,” he admitted. “We broke up because I saw a lot of red flags.”
Lois leaned forward. “I get it. It’s kind of hard to talk to the ex, but at least you’re trying to get along.”
Teen Jon rolled his eyes. “It’s trying all right, Mom.” Then he diverted his attention to his little brother. “Learn from my mistakes, little brother. Exes are not to be trifled with.”
Young Jon shrugged. “I dunno about that. I haven’t had one yet.”
Teen Jon affected an expression of doom. “Yet,” he said dramatically.
The table broke out in laughter. Thankfully, nobody had snorted stew out of their noses.
Young Jon just smiled. It had taken a lot of work on everyone’s part to get to this new status quo. They lived a crazy life, but moments like this were worth it. It was good to have a brother.
Jon Kent Week will be held from September 23rd until September 29th. So you have lots of time to prepare, here are the prompts:
DAY ONE: Super Sons OR (Ray of) Sunshine
DAY TWO: A New Trinity OR Kryptonian Biology
DAY THREE: Love Languages OR Pride
DAY FOUR: Bi Panic OR Siblings
DAY FIVE: Symbol of Hope OR Civilian Life
DAY SIX: Mama's Boy OR Hand-Holding
DAY SEVEN: Family OR Free Day
Jon Kent Week starts today! The first prompts to choose from are SUPER SONS or (RAY OF) SUNSHINE. If you participate and want me to reblog your work, please tag this account or tag it either #jonkentweek or #jonkentweek2024.
