Chapter Text
Clark’s face was flushed and slick with sweat and he felt his heart pound in increasing intensity. His legs felt heavy and slow as he pushed forward, each footfall on the gravel road sending a jarring shock through his body. It was like he couldn’t get enough air, and a sharp stabbing pain suddenly cut into his side.
“Hold up!” he gasped, falling back and hunching over his knees. “Give me a sec.”
Jonathan turned his head around, eyebrows raising as he caught sight of Clark. His feet slowed, shuffling on the gravel as he jogged back to where Clark had stopped.
“Are you okay, Dad?”
“Yeah,” Clark wheezed. “I just need to… catch my breath.” He dug his fingers into his ribs, trying to get some relief from the pain. He was pretty sure it was from exertion, but there was still a small flutter of unease at the sensation. It had been a month without his powers, and he was still getting used to stuff.
“Got a stitch in your side?” Jon cocked his head towards Clark in sympathy. Although he had been working hard to keep up the pace of their run, he wasn’t nearly as winded.
“Oh.” Clark took another purposeful breath. “Yeah, that’s probably what it is. I’ve never… Well, you know.”
“You gotta stretch it out. And it helps if you keep moving even just a little.”
Obeying the voice of experience, Clark paced around, tilting his body away from the stabbing pain.
Jonathan was smothering a smile, wiping the sweat off of his own flushed face. Maybe the smug expression wasn’t a great look, but Clark could hardly begrudge Jon of it. It had been a tough year and he deserved to have a little fun, even if it was at Clark’s expense.
“So, I guess you can still beat out your old man,” Clark said, blowing out another deep sigh to try to get his breathing under control.
Jon’s smile grew. “I think you’re getting faster,” he offered, checking his watch. “We’re at twenty-three minutes now and we’re almost home.”
Clark nodded wordlessly. It was still strange for him to think about taking almost half an hour to run the route around Schuster’s field. Before Ally, he would have crossed that distance in the blink of an eye and not even thought about it. He had been running the loop with Jonathan for a few weeks now, and he could notice some improvement in his human-level stamina, but it had been hard-earned.
His relationship with Jon had been much the same. Bit by bit, Clark had managed to crack the hard, protective shell that Jonathan wore. The conversations they had had on these runs ranged from light-hearted banter to serious discussions about some of the feelings that Jon had been dealing with. Now that he had this with Jon, Clark realized how surface level things had been between them up until now. Although he knew his powers would eventually come back, he was glad for this time to be able to lay a strong foundation between the two of them.
Jonathan was watching him curiously. “Does it still feel weird? Being without powers?”
“A bit,” Clark admitted. “My abilities started developing when I was four; I never really got a chance to experience life without them.”
“It’s a pretty big downgrade, huh?”
“It’s different,” he corrected. “And, hey, I finally learned what it’s like to have a sore throat.” It had been a surprise to everyone when he had caught his first cold last week, and moving through the spectrum of mild symptoms had been a strange experience to say the least.
Jon snorted. “Yeah, that’s not really anything to brag about, Dad. How’s your side? Does it feel any better?”
Clark took stock. “Yeah, it does. Thanks for the advice. You’re a good coach, Jon.”
“Well… I guess that after sixteen years, I’ve got the whole ‘human’ thing figured out.”
“It’s more than that,” he insisted, not wanting to let his son sell himself short. “Not everyone would have your patience and understanding with this. It’s something you’re good at.”
Jon shrugged a shoulder, dropping his eyes down to the gravel. “Okay,” he agreed awkwardly. “Uh, well, are you ready to keep going?”
“Sure,” Clark agreed easily, feeling that he had pushed things as far as he could for the time being. “Just maybe slow up the pace a little?”
“Yeah, sure, Dad.” Sparing one more glance over to Clark, Jon kicked off again, this time at an easier jog that Clark could keep up with.
Within seconds, their strides synced up, footfalls crunching on the ground as they made their way home.
Lois checked her phone again for the time and then lifted her eyes to scan across the quiet Smallville street.
Clark was late.
She was more than used to that, of course, but she had figured that Superman taking a sabbatical would mean that her husband would actually be reliably punctual for the first time in their relationship. He was supposed to be at the Gazette office for a one o’clock meeting with Chrissy, and that had been almost ten minutes ago.
Had he run into trouble somehow? A car accident or health issue? Worrying about those things with Clark was new to her, and Lois tried to keep her simmering anxiety at bay. Thankfully, his familiar well-cut profile rounded the street corner, cancelling out her fears.
Well, most of them.
“Are you hurt?” she asked urgently as she closed the distance between them.
“Huh? No, I’m fine.”
“You’re walking funny,” she insisted.
“Oh. Yeah.” He nodded wryly. “Something’s weird with my knee. I think I tweaked it running with Jonathan earlier. Sad thing is, I was so out of breath that I didn’t even notice until later.”
Lois’ shoulders relaxed. “Welcome to your forties, babe. We can ice it down later tonight. Is that why you’re late?”
Clark winced. “Partly. I got back from that run and realized I needed to shower before I came here. It all took longer than I thought.”
That made sense, too. Although Clark rarely used his powers for household tasks, he still had some advantages that the average person didn’t. Since being without his abilities, Lois had noticed a few times that he had struggled with time management.
“Did you at least remember to eat lunch?”
The expression on his face told her everything she needed to know.
“We’ll grab something at the diner after,” she decided, steering Clark towards the doors of the Gazette. “Right now, you have an interview to get to.”
Chrissy thankfully had the same small-town sensibilities around punctuality as everyone else in Smallville, and she wasn’t put out at all by Clark’s tardiness. As she took Clark into the conference room, Lois settled in at her desk to listen in.
It wasn’t like she was being sneaky. The office had terrible soundproofing. Lois knew it, Chrissy knew it, everyone knew it. So, really, Chrissy had to expect that Lois would be paying attention to the interview.
“I’m actually surprised you have the time to work here,” Chrissy commented. “Summer’s busy on farms, and harvest is going to be here before we know it.”
“We don’t have a ton of crops yet,” Clark explained easily. “Still working on getting things back up and running.”
“Okay…” Chrissy didn’t sound overly convinced. The story was maybe a wearing bit thin after almost two years of them living here, but it was as close to the truth as they could get. Ally had thrown a wrench in Clark’s spring planting, and there wasn’t much they could do about it now.
“And anyway,” Clark rallied, “I think that most of what you need is human interest stuff from around town, right? I can easily work that around the things I need to do on the farm.”
“I guess Lois told you exactly what we’re looking for, huh?”
Clark huffed a soft laugh. “Try to see it as a positive. We already know we can work well together.”
Lois smiled to herself at her desk. The world may love the man in the blue suit and cape, but her heart would always belong to Clark Kent: the charming, slightly dorky guy that was so effectively making his case right now.
There was a bit more back-and-forth between Clark and Chrissy before the two of them emerged from the conference room. Clark was wearing a wide grin and Chrissy was also smiling cautiously.
“I know this is going to be great,” Lois said.
Chrissy sighed indulgently. “Of course you do. At least we know that you’re not going to scare him off right away.”
Lois had already finished the next edition’s layout pending Chrissy’s approval, so there was enough time for her to duck out of the office for a late celebratory lunch with Clark.
“I’m really glad Chrissy’s on board,” Clark said after they had put their order in.
Lois waved his uncertainty away. “Of course she’s on board. You’re a great reporter and the Gazette is lucky to have you.”
“I haven’t worked as a reporter in almost two years,” Clark reminded her.
“That doesn’t change the skill and experience you have. And you did work for the Gazette last year even if you didn’t take a writing credit.”
He reached his hand across the table, wrapping it around hers. “I think I’m just lucky that I have you. It’s been, well, a really big adjustment in the last month and you’ve helped me so much. There’s the job, of course, but also just… functioning.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I never realized how much was actually different for me and learning to go without—”
“They’re going to come back, Clark,” Lois assured him. “That’s what your mom said, right?”
“Yeah. Although she’s still not sure when that’ll be.” He frowned down at the tabletop and then shook his head abruptly. “Anyway, I think I owe you more than the lunch special at Victoria May’s.”
“Oh yeah?” She leaned forward in her seat. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, anything exotic is out, obviously,” he admitted, adjusting his glasses.
“Clark. I didn’t marry you for the international travel possibilities.”
He smiled softly. “I know. Okay, how about a date night at home on Saturday? I’ll cook?”
“Perfect.”
Even though the diner wasn’t glamourous or intimate, it was still an enjoyable lunch. They hadn’t had a lot of time together as a couple, Lois realized. It seemed like both of them had spent too much of last year running around responding to the latest crisis. She was sure that something else would be coming around the corner for them at some point, but for now it was nice to be able to just connect in this simple way.
“I better get back to the office,” Lois finally announced once they had finished their coffees.
Clark grinned as he pulled out a few bills. “Yeah, we don’t want Chrissy to regret hiring me on my very first day.” He winced when he stood up from the booth, testing his weight on his left leg.
“Sometimes that kind of thing locks up when you’ve been sitting for a while,” Lois explained. “You should stretch it out when you get home.”
He sighed, eyebrows raising disbelievingly, and Lois smothered a smile. The initial shock of not having his powers had long passed, but there was still a lot that Clark needed to adjust to.
“Just give it a couple days,” she advised, patting his chest supportively. “And remember that you’re going to need to be a little more careful with that kind of thing than your sixteen-year-old son.”
“Right.” He flashed her another grateful smile before he leaned in for a kiss. “I’ll see you at home?”
“Mmhmm. Can’t wait.”
Jordan slowed down to a regular pace as he reached the house. The cloud of dust he had kicked up made his nose itch, and he sneezed, waving away the dirt.
“That’ll happen less if you concentrate on making your steps lighter.” Jordan’s dad was coming out of the barn, eyes taking in the plume of dust.
Jordan flushed. “I’m trying. I just can’t keep my balance at the same time and…”
“Yeah.” Clark shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I know it’s hard when everything’s moving that fast. I’m sorry I can’t—”
“No, Dad, it’s okay.” Jordan scuffed his shoe in the dirt. He had seen that guilty look from his dad plenty of times in the last month, and he didn’t want to wallow in it now. “I’m figuring it out.”
Clark nodded somberly. “I never wanted you to have to handle this on your own, but you’re doing a great job. I’m proud of you.”
Jordan smiled as he brushed the dust out of his curls.
“And I’m glad you’re home.” Clark clapped his hands together and turned towards the barn. “I, uh, need your help.”
With a hint of trepidation, Jordan followed his dad until they stood facing the old tractor.
“Can you lift up the front for me?” Clark asked, grabbing a wrench from a nearby workbench. “I can’t get far enough underneath on my own.”
“Oh.” Jordan’s fingers twitched. “Uh, yeah, I, uh, I guess I can.”
A supportive hand landed on his shoulder. “I know you’re strong enough, Jordan.”
“Yeah…” Jordan knew it too, but he couldn’t get rid of the image of him suddenly losing his grip and sending the tractor crashing on top of his dad’s very vulnerable head.
“You got this.” He squeezed Jordan’s shoulder with only a fraction of the strength that he used to have.
Stepping forward and taking a deep breath, Jordan gathered his courage. The tractor lifted up easily enough, but he still felt his heartrate climb when his dad ducked underneath it.
“So how did things go with Sarah?”
Jordan almost fumbled his hold, squeezing tighter with his clammy palms.
“Uh, it was okay,” he replied shakily. “Things are still really weird, though.”
“They’ll settle out,” Clark replied confidently, voice carrying up from underneath the tractor belly.
“Dad, I went all ‘crazy laser eyes’ on her,” Jordan reminded him. “It’s probably the scariest way for her to find out everything.” He could still remember the overwhelming fear he had been gripped in at the time. His desperation to make sure Sarah got to safety had overrun any sense of control he had earned, and he knew it would have been terrifying and confusing for her.
“But she’s not scared of you,” Clark pointed out.
“No…” Truthfully, Jordan wasn’t really sure what Sarah was thinking. They had gotten together a few times since the incident, and she had seemed mostly shocked and overwhelmed, especially when he had clarified who his dad was. Today, Sarah had asked him what seemed like an endless number of questions about everything, and although he was glad to just be honest with her, he wasn’t really sure where it was all leading.
Was she wanting to get back together? That had been all he wanted when they first broke up, but something within him seemed unsettled about the idea now that it was an actual possibility.
“I think that about does it.” Clark climbed out from underneath the tractor and Jordan thankfully let it down, shaking out the last of his jitters.
“What do people on normal farms do?” he wondered.
Clark shrugged. “Probably get some kind of jack. We’ve never used one, even when I was growing up.”
Jordan nodded, flexing his fingers one last time. He was mostly feeling good about his powers these days, but the idea of him being the only one in his family like this was unsettling. Getting back to the old, familiar dynamic of his dad being by his side through everything couldn’t come soon enough. Speaking of which…
“When do you go to the fortress again with John Henry?”
“Not for a couple more days,” Clark replied, knowing exactly what Jordan was thinking. “But you do remember what my mom said last time, right? There’s still no sign of any residual solar energy.”
“Yeah, but that was a week ago. Maybe there’s been something—” Jordan cut himself off when he saw his dad wince with a deeply pained expression. “Dad? Are you okay?”
Clark blinked, tilting his head carefully. “Yeah, bud. But I think that—” He let out a heavy groan, sinking down towards the floor of the barn as he clutched his head.
“Dad!” The strained, panicked heartbeat echoed in Jordan’s ears. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s too much,” Clark gasped. “I can’t—” He squeezed his eyes shut, hunching inward. A pulsing glow start to coalesce at his temples.
It reminded Jordan of when his dad had suffered those debilitating visions from his alternate self, but that couldn’t possibly be happening again, could it?
“Dad, what should I do?” Jordan crouched down and put a tentative hand on his dad’s shoulder.
His dad’s eyes flew open as he sucked another tight gasp.
“You still have those headphones?”
“Yeah. Wait, does this mean—”
“Just go get them. Please.” The raw, pained tone of his dad’s voice spurred Jordan into action. He zipped out of the barn and into the house, barely steering himself around the walls. The headphones were buried near the bottom of his dresser drawer, and Jordan hastily dumped the rest of the contents in his search.
He knew all too well how painful superhearing was when it first set in, and he didn’t want his dad to be in pain for a second longer. Kicking up his speed a notch, he rushed back into the barn and shoved the headphones into his dad’s hands.
Immediately, Clark pulled them over his ears. His shoulders sagged in relief, and he sat back in his spot, drawing in a shaky breath.
“Thanks for acting so quickly.” His voice was quiet, but his eyes met Jordan’s firmly. “I’m okay now.”
Jordan nodded stiffly, still trying to calm himself down from the unexpected action. As much as his dad’s reassurance was nice, the whole thing didn’t really make sense.
His dad knew how to handle superhearing. He had mastered control over his powers a long time ago and Ally’s attack hadn’t taken any of that away.
Why had he struggled so much just now?
Whatever it was, Jordan knew one thing for sure: his dad certainly wasn’t okay.