" Second Orbit. "
pairing: superfamily ( clark, lois, jon ) x unintentionally neglected! gn! eldest child! reader
how do you live your life with superman as your dad, a mom who's strong and fierce, and a little brother who inherited your father's superpowers—but you were born with the misfortune of inheriting none?
c/w: eughh neglected stuff, you know the deal.. / also the Jon getting lost in space then coming back 3+ years older or sumn oh hell nah that's not happening here, I won't let an author who changed things just because they didn't want to write about kids as heroes dictate my writing thank you very much
a/n: heyyyaaa 👅 tell me if you guys like it, comments are appreciated I love reading yall replies!
part 1 ( you're here! ) , part 2
A circumtriple planet — that's what you are.
A planet that orbits around three bright, dazzling suns.
But you weren't like this before; it didn't start out like this, no.
You were your parents' firstborn, a child bearing a perfect resemblance to both Clark and Lois. You were loved, adored, and you still are!
Your father had always been open about his being Superman, Humanity's Greatest Hero, fully expecting you to inherit his powers—his genes are in you, after all. You will surely do great, just like your father.
But... That never became true.
You've never woken up one day and realized you're floating above your mattress, you've never accidentally broken a metal spoon by gripping it too hard, you've never been able to move at immaculate speed.
Your father reassured you that it would be okay, that maybe you're a late bloomer—but those reassurances died down as time passed. Your family accepted that you, despite having Kryptonian genes, inherited no power.
But no, your father has never blamed you for it, of course not! Your parents still love you, your mother still kisses you on the forehead before bed, and your father gives you a big hug before school. Your parents have never let you feel shame or insecure for not being a superhuman like your dad.
At the age of seven, your parents have another child—a son, your younger brother.
Jonathan—they named him—, or Jon for short, bears the same curly black hair and baby blue eyes like his father, but his face is as soft and pretty as his mother's.
He was sunshine-incarnate even as a baby! He rarely cried, and he loves clinging to his parents, especially you.
The first time you held him in the hospital room, with your mother helping guide Jon into your arms, you knew you were going to love him forever.
And Jon loves you back just as much, always giggling and babbling for you as a baby. And when he learned how to walk, it was a nightmare for Clark and Lois, because Jon kept crawling out of his playpen and started taking a tour around the house, determined to find you.
And when they came back to an empty playpen, they learned not to panic and go to their eldest child's room instead, knowing you'd be sitting in there with your baby brother clinging to your lap and reading to him a random book.
Your life was perfect. For seventeen whole years of your life, everything is as perfect as you could wish it to be.
Okay, there were nights during middle to high school when you wanted to give up because everything was too stressful, but your family was always there for you.
Jon sleeps in your bed with you for practically every night, so it almost feels like his own room was only for decorations in the house, because the very owner of said room never used it. No, instead, your room was also his room—everything he needs is there! You are there!
Everything was perfect.
Until just a year before you graduate from high school, your baby brother Jon got his powers at the age of ten.
And you wished you were as kind-hearted and optimistic as your dad, sometimes, but the first time you heard the news, there was a pang of jealousy that struck you deep in your chest.
It reawakened your want deep inside you that had gone to slumber since all those years ago—the desire to be just like your father, to have his powers so you could help him save the world, bond, and do all that stuff you used to imagine doing together with your dad. Like hanging out in the sky, eating fast food with stained fingers while you both talk about random stuff.
That would never happen.
But you quickly pushed all those thoughts down, shaking your head before smiling at your baby brother and scooping him up into one bigggg hug. All the while, he clings back to you, grumbling about how he's "a big boy now", even though he's hugging you back even tighter.
Things changed after that. But not suddenly, no. Even you yourself didn't notice anything until it's too late.
It wasn't noticeable at first how your parents started pulling away, unintentionally. Even Clark and Lois didn't notice, not when they're exhausted already from trying to keep a little boy who inherited the destructive strength of Superman out of trouble daily.
You didn't notice until it was too late. Until the gap between your relationship was too far apart that you couldn't even remember the last time you had movie nights together, as a family, anymore.
These days, your father and Jon are often out on adventures, and Jon always comes back home, bouncing on his feet as he clings to you and going on and on about this new friend he got—"Damian". Yeah, he seems nice, even if a bit scary sometimes.
The day of your graduation was a bit awkward, really. There were moments when no one spoke a word, and each of you realized that something just... wasn't the same anymore.
Although you guys tried to cling to the lasting warmth of familiarity of it all. Partly for you—since it's your day—but mostly for Jon. He's still too young to really understand everything that was happening, and you're not about to sour everyone's mood just because of something trivial.
Was it really trivial, though?
After graduation, you immediately decided to move out. You got a scholarship for the university that you liked, and that just happened to be far from your home. Well, you're eighteen now, so no harm in that, right?
Your parents were proud, but they were... awkward, unlike before. Maybe if you guys hadn't drifted apart before all of this, they would be in tears sending you off. But the one who was the most emotional was your baby brother.
When you mentioned moving out to the family, Jon tried to stay happy. His eldest sibling is going off to do their own thing; he should be happy!
But then one night, he goes into your bedroom to cuddle like always, only to see you packing your bags. Most of the stuff on the walls and decorating your shelves is all gone, already packed somewhere in one of the boxes, and he just... started crying.
Poor thing clung to you for the entire night, begging you not to go off without him. His super hearing could only reach so far. What if he couldn't hear your heartbeat? What if you're injured or dying and he doesn't know immediately?
He never understood why his father remembered the exact rhythm and sound of his loved one's heartbeat until now, because what if he forgot what your heartbeat sounds like?
You groaned as you put the last box onto the ground of your new apartment, sweat rolling down the side of your cheek as you heaved—it's been a long day, full of nothing but moving into your new home.
You looked around your apartment, taking in the spacious yet empty place. Yeah, you're gonna need a lot of work to liven this place up.
Today was a lot, actually. This morning was, at least. Jon couldn't stop crying, not wanting you to go and begging you to either stay home or let him go with you—but all you could do was kiss him goodbye on the forehead before letting go.
Your parents looked at you with soft eyes, but you couldn't bring yourself to hold their gaze, only giving them a quick goodbye before hurried getting into the car.
And completely missing the way your mother looked like she regretted the things that happened in the past few months. Now that her eldest child is moving out, Lois was reminded that you weren't a baby anymore
And completely missing the way your mother looked like she regretted the things that happened in the past few months. Now that her eldest child is moving out, Lois was reminded that you weren't a baby anymore—that you're an adult now, and you're going off on your own, spreading your own wings and flying out of the nest.
She realized that you had been so distant for the past few months. She couldn't remember the last time you hugged her willingly without stiffening up, as if you didn't hate her, but rather didn't know how to act close to her anymore.
And you completely missed the way your father looked like he was about to cry, wondering if it's too late to postpone this for at least a few more days, just so he could take you out to eat at your favourite restaurant again. Without Jon or Lois this time, just you and him, father-child bonding time.
He stopped doing that around when you started high school, because you were already stressed enough, and you were already happy to eat dinner with him at home.
But then family dinner became rare as well. It's not really uncommon for a teen to pass out earlier than dinner due to exhaustion, right? Besides, sometimes you also bring food back into your room to eat while doing your assignments.
So, in conclusion, they realized too late that maybe they hadn't been the best parents ever in the last.. year.
And Clark frowned every time Jon begged him to let him go to your place for just one night, because Jon still wasn't used to sleeping alone without his big sibling. It was just too sudden a change.
But not because he's annoyed, but because he wanted to do that too—but just as he thinks of going to visit his eldest child, it seems like another threat just keeps popping up.
Is that what has been happening without him even noticing? Because he has been so distracted by saving the world that he couldn't even spare his own child a glance?
He wanted to bond with them, but what can he even say? He's embarrassed, really. Not of you but of himself. Because the longer he looks at it, the longer he realized that maybe, he hadn't even been paying attention from the start.
What's your favourite colour? Favourite food? What kind of movie do you like? What's your favourite restaurant?
And whenever he mentioned that, Jon just looked at him like he was being ridiculous. Because, truly, he was. Because it couldn't be possible that Jon knew all of that while Clark had been so clueless for years, right?
...Oh no, he needs to talk to you. Right now.
a/n: I wrote this not with yandere!superfam in mind, so should I make another version...