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Clark had deliberately forced himself not to listen out for his family while he and John Henry took on Morgan Edge. It went against every instinct that he had, and used every reserve of self-control. Although he had tried to project calm to Jonathan and Lois before he left, he was more anxious than he could say - terrified that Zeta-Rho would realize Lois was in his mind, that ‘Jordan’ would wake up and overwhelm his family. He wanted nothing more than to listen for every sound that came from the barn, to be able to rush back and the first sign that the plan had failed. Yet he knew he had to trust Jon and Lois. And that they were trusting him to do his part and defeat Edge. So he tuned it out, focusing his energy on Edge and refusing to be distracted.
As soon as the Edge was down, though, and he and John Henry safely on Earth again, he turned his attention back home, listening for anything to tell him that his family was safe. What he heard made his heart finally begin to unclench in a way he hadn’t allowed since the moment he saw Jonathan standing frantically next to the car wreck last night.
He could hear all three of them - Lois, Jon and Jordan - chatting quietly in the living room together. They all sounded subdued - the energy that usually came through a house with teenage boys was muted, but they were all there. They were safe.
Standing next to him, John Henry knew precisely what had Clark’s attention. “Are they okay?” He asked urgently “Did it work?”
Clark gave him a relieved, exhausted smile. “They’re okay. They did it. They got him back.”
Irons offered a sigh of relief and clapped Clark on the back. “I’ll deal with him,” he offered. “Go be with your family.”
“Are you sure? I could -“
“Clark, go. You need to see them. They need to see you too.”
Clark didn’t need telling twice and immediately flew off, leaving John Henry with Edge. Almost instantly he had landed at the farm and rushed through the front door, pausing only momentarily to change back into his regular clothes. To be at home, around his boys - he just wanted to be Clark right now.
He stepped into the living room and took a moment just to look at his family. Jordan was laid out on the couch with his head in Lois’ lap as she gently ran her fingers through his curls. Jonathan was in the armchair opposite them, eyes closed in apparent exhaustion. As they heard Clark come in though, all three quickly stood up to greet him, relief evident on their faces.
This wasn’t the jubilant reunion that they’d had after he broke free of Zod’s control. Today all four of them were too shattered, too overwhelmed by the trauma of the past 24 hours. Clark could see the three of them had been in tears, and knew from experience that what Jordan had been through would leave him drained and scarred. Still, as he looked at them in front of him, he was filled with unimaginable pride as he considered the impossible feats they had achieved.
For a moment they all simply stood, staring at each other, no one quite knowing having the words to acknowledge everything that had happened. It was Jordan who broke the silence. “Dad-“
That was all Clark needed to break the spell. He rushed forward and held his son tightly, feeling Jordan grab onto him in return. “You did it” spoke Clark into his son’s ear. “You did it.”
They stood there for a long moment, father and son, as Lois and Jonathan stood back and gave them space. Both of them knew how important it had been for them to simply cling on to Jordan, to assure themselves that it was really him, that he really was safe. They knew Clark needed that moment too.
Jordan suddenly pulled back from his Dad with a stricken look. “Dad, did I…? Did he…? I don’t remember much from when he…when Zeta…was in there. Did we fight? Did I hurt you?” Jordan’s voice started to spiral into panic “Dad, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to I promise, I couldn’t stop-“
Clark gripped Jordan’s shoulders tightly in reassurance. “Jordan, I’m fine. You didn’t hurt anyone. You stopped him. You fought him and you won. You won, Jordan.”
Jordan nodded slightly reluctantly, still not fully buying the reassurance his dad offered. Clark turned to his other son and enveloped him in a hug, which Jonathan gratefully returned. As Clark held him tightly though, he heard Jonathan’s sudden gasp of pain. Clark quickly pulled back and studied his son closely.
“Jonathan, what happened, are you okay?” Lois and Jordan immediately looked at Jon with concern at Clark’s words, and he tried to ignore the scrutiny.
“Just some after effects from the accident, I think. I’ll be fine.”
“Mind if I…?” Clark gestured at Jon, and he had to keep from rolling his eyes. He knew if he didn’t let his dad check over him with his X-Ray vision, he’d just be dragged off to the medical centre again later. Better to get it over with now, he supposed, and nodded his consent.
As Clark’s vision drifted over Jonathan and reached his neck, his eyes widened with concern. Jon knew what he was looking at.
“Jon -“ he began, before Jon caught his eye and gave him an almost imperceptible shake of the head, flicking his eyes subtly towards Jordan. Father and son seemed to have an unspoken conversation as they held eye contact.
Clark looked concerned, but nodded in understanding. “Just a bit of bruising, it seems. You should heal up soon.”
Jordan had watched the exchange with some interest, but now, as Clark turned and held his wife, his attention went back to his phone, which was lighting up with messages. “Mom, Dad - It’s Sarah, she wants to know if I’m okay. Can I go call -“
Lois responded “of course, honey. Just be careful not to-“
“I won’t tell her any details, Mom, I know, I know.” They’d already spoken briefly about what they were going to tell people. That he’d been taken by Edge to try to distract Grandpa and the military, and Superman had found him. No one needed to know about the eradication, or why Jordan had been considered the ‘perfect vessel.’ Just another secret to add to the litany the family held onto. Jordan clapped his brother on the shoulder as he headed out to the balcony for privacy, a small grin on his face as he began to call Sarah.
As soon as Jordan was outside, Clark turned to his son with a grim look on his face. “Jon, be honest. How badly does it hurt right now?”
Lois looked confused. “His arm, or -“
“His throat. There’s a huge amount of internal swelling. I’m surprised the bruises aren’t showing yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time. I imagine it’s hurting pretty bad right about now?”
Jon nodded reluctantly. “It’s not great.” His parents suddenly realised how hoarse his voice was. Lois had noticed he hadn’t said much since the barn, but she figured he was just processing everything. “It hurts to swallow, and to talk. Getting a bit harder to breathe, too.”
Lois immediately swung into action and went to the kitchen, pulling an icepack out of the freezer. She held it to her son to hold against his neck. “These should help. I know it hurts but you should really drink some water too.”
He nodded his thanks. It’s felt as though he and Jordan had spent too much time this year sitting around with his parents holding ice packs to their injuries.
Clark knew he wouldn’t like the answer, but he had to ask. “Jonathan, what happened?”
Jon took a drink of the water his mom handed him. “When Mom was in Jordan’s head, he, um, he woke up. Not Jordan, y’know, the other guy. Zeta, or whatever. I tried to fight him, make sure he didn’t get to mom like you said. I, um…I had to shoot him.” Jonathan looked down at the ground as he said it. He knew it was irrational, but he still felt ashamed at having pulled a weapon on his brother.
Clark was quick to reassure him, just like he had been with Jordan. “Jonathan, you did the right thing. You protected your mother and you saved your brother. You should never have had to do that, but you did brilliantly today.”
Jonathan nodded, still looking at the floor. “Even after that, he was just too fast and he grabbed me.” He gave a small chuckle. “Gotta say, Jordan really does have perfect timing. One more second and -“
Clark could barely let himself contemplate that possibility. He knew the prospect of having come home to find his whole family destroyed by Zeta-Rho would haunt him long after today’s victory had sunk in. They had got lucky today, and even then they hadn’t come out unscathed.
Apparently that short explanation had taken its toll. Jonathan descended into a coughing fit, suddenly gasping for air as his mother rubbed his back. Clark rushed forward, desperate to do something to help, but Jon held up a thumbs up to show he was okay, and the coughs slowly subsided.
Lois looked distraught as Jon’s breathing went back to normal and he took long gulps of water. “Honey, why didn’t you say how bad it was?”
Jonathan looked at her as though she had lost her mind. “You saw how Jordan reacted when he though he might have fought Dad! How do you think he’s going to react to thinking he did this? I can’t do that to him.”
“It wasn’t him though, Jon”
“I know that! You know that. But Jordan’s not going to see it that way. You know how he feels about his powers. He’s terrified he’s going to hurt someone with his strength or with his laser eyes going haywire. Even if it was Zeta-Rho in control, Jordan’s just going to see this as more reasons to be scared of himself. Please, this’ll heal up soon. There’s no reason to let him know. I’ll wear scarves or whatever - can we just not tell him?”
Clark sighed. He was always struck by how empathetic Jonathan was, and how protective he was of his brother. Jonathan’s distress when Jordan had been taken had been one of the most heartbreaking sights of the whole ordeal, and the care the two of them showed to each other went beyond most sibling relationships. He just wished that care didn’t come at the cost of Jon hiding his own pain.
Although Lois hated the idea of Jon hiding his injuries too, she found herself agreeing. She had seen the depths of Jordan’s self-loathing when she’d gone through his mind. He’d overcome it then, of course, but she knew it would always be a part of him.
Before either parent could respond, the question resolved itself as Jordan wandered back in before any of them had expected. It didn’t take him long to see the icepack and the looks of distress on both his parents faces.
“Sarah says everyone in town is okay. A couple of the buildings are damaged, but no one - Jon?! Are you okay? What happened?”
Jon rushed to reassure his twin. “I’m fine, Jordan. Mom and Dad are just being over protective.” He rolled his eyes jokingly and tried to laugh, but the act was undermined by another coughing fit, Clark jumping in to rub Jon’s back comfortingly as it subsided.
Jordan’s eyes widened in realization. “Your throat! From when I - when he - did I do this?”
“No.” Came Lois’ definitive and quick reply, as Jon shook his head frantically while trying to catch his breath again. “Jordan, this was not your fault.”
Jordan barely paid attention to Lois’ words. “Jon, I’m so, so sorry. I promise I didn’t mean to - I would never, I swear…”
Clark cut Jordan off with his own reassurances. “Jordan, you are not responsible for the things that Zeta-Rho did while he was in your body. Just like I’m not responsible for what Zod did when they tried to eradicate me and Kyle Cushing is not responsible for the things he said and did when Edge experimented on him.”
Jordan looked unconvinced and tears formed in his eyes, his breath quickening. Guilt and self-recrimination were already clawing at him, and his family could see him shrinking back into himself. Jon stood up shakily, pushing aside his Dad’s concerned hand, and placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders, his face serious.
It was rare for the twins to have meaningful, emotional conversations, although they’d become more common since learning the truth. Mostly their spoken relationship comprised light hearted teasing, or joking about their parents or complaining about school- each knew how much they cared about the other and the depth of the connection, but they rarely spoke it aloud.
Still, Jon adopted as sincere a tone as he could, trying to stress to his brother the importance of what he had to convey. “Jordan -“ Jordan winced at how hoarse Jon’s voice was now, but Jon carried on. “You didn’t hurt me - you saved me. You fought him, Jordan. You fought him and you beat him. It was nearly impossible, but you did it. You came back. You saved me from him.”
Clark and Lois glanced at each other and turned away from the conversation, letting their boys have a moment without the self-consciousness that came with an audience. Plus, they knew the twins would mock them for days if they saw the tears of parental pride in each of their eyes.
When Jordan responded it was barely more than a whisper. “Only because of you, Jon. I heard you - what you said. Mom was in my head and I was trying so hard to fight, and then I heard you. You brought me back.”
They held eye contact for a moment, until the sincerity of the moment became slightly too much for the two fourteen year olds to bear. “Yeah, well,” replied Jon, punching Jordan lightly on the shoulder, “You were trying to kill me. Would have said anything to get you to stop. You ever tell the team I said something that corny, you’re a dead man - superpowers or not.”
“Deal. And Jon?”
“Yeah”
“Love you too.”
——
It wouldn’t have taken either boy by surprise to learn that their parents each checked in on them half a dozen times that night, reassuring themselves that both their sons were safe.
Just like it didn’t take Clark or Lois by surprise that, when they did their checks, they found Jon had dragged his mattress onto the floor in his brother’s room, needing that same reassurance.
And if a coughing fit in the middle of the night had led to Jordan insisting on swapping with Jon and forcing him to take his place in the bed, neither parent was going to mention it in the morning.