Chapter Text
Clark looked up at the red neon sign above Victoria May's, pausing for a moment to gather some strength. He gave his wife's hand a gentle squeeze before turning his gaze towards her. Looking down into her eyes, he couldn’t help but smile at her knowing expression.
It said, ‘You’re Superman… You can handle Taco Tuesday.'
‘Do we have to do this?’ Jon mumbled through the sleeve of his hoodie.
Jordan looked just as apprehensive, gaze fixed on the diner door like he was trying to force his x-ray vision to come in. Both of his sons looked like they'd rather be anywhere else.
‘Come on boys,’ Lois pleaded, ‘this is the first chance we’ve had for some family time in months. Can we at least try and have a nice, normal night out together?’
‘But everything's not normal. Lucy's still missing. Ally’s still out there,’ Jordan pointed out.
‘And your Grandad and the entire DOD is searching for them,’ Clark reminded them. ‘There’s nothing more we can do right now. Besides, you guys love Vicky's Tacos!'
His son's rolled their eyes at each other and Clark felt a twinge of guilt at their reluctant expressions.
He had no doubt this was the right move; they needed a night off from all the bizzarro world craziness, and he was beginning to realise, if they waited until there was no danger on the horizon, it might never happen.
Still, he understood their reluctance.
Both boys had good reason to want to avoid their neighbours right now. They'd been dealing with a lot of scrutiny these last few months, and Clark had missed a huge chunk of it.
Lois had gone over everything that had happened in the 33 days he'd been missing. The knowledge filled him with regret. His family had been struggling... and he hadn't been there to help.
Jordan had even started training with Sam in his absence. He'd done an amazing job as a hero, even saved Kyle's life... but stepping up had already cost him his relationship with Sarah.
And Jonathan – well, he'd become the town pariah after the football season was cancelled. Not to mention, he'd been left thinking that his Dad hated him.
Of course Clark didn't hate him!
He loved both of his sons more than life itself. He was just... scared. Jon risked his life taking that experimental space drug. And Clark’s fear of what that meant was causing him to react in ways he wasn’t proud of.
He knew he had a lot to make up for. And as hard as tonight might be... it was a first step towards showing his sons he was here for them.
Besides, with everything going on, their family's lives had started to become hot Smallville gossip. They needed to do some damage control, and this was a perfect opportunity to show up to something as a normal, nothing to hide family.
'Fine, whatever,' Jordan grumbled.
'Let's just get this over with,' Jon agreed.
Clark sighed at the sad irony of it all. They’d moved back to his home town in the hopes it would bring them closer together. That it would be a quieter life.
Turns out trouble seemed to have a way of finding them wherever they went.
Lois finally made the first move, crossing the street and pushing open the diner doors, his sons following obediently.
The mouth-watering smell of fresh Tacos hit Clark immediately, filling him with a sense of olfactory nostalgia. It was almost enough to make his concerns melt away.
Almost.
Sharon Powell took another swig of whiskey from her flask, calming her nerves. She’d been waiting for this day for so long, she could hardly believe it was finally happening.
In fact, for the past few months, this was basically all that she’d been living for. She’d just about given up completely when Johnny found her in that bar, consumed by grief and hatred, drinking herself into oblivion every night. He’d listened to her when no one else gave a damn anymore, shared her anger and her pain. He’d given her a reason to fight, a way of taking back some power after feeling so utterly powerless.
Now, the day they’d been preparing for was finally here – they were going to get real justice for her son.
‘You okay sweetheart?’ Johnny asked.
He watched her carefully as he checked the straps at her side. Sharon nodded, giving him a look of steely determination.
‘Oh, I’m ready,' she said.
‘Good, 'cause there's no going back now.'
Johnny leaned forwards, reaching a hand through her hair and tipping her head back.
‘There’s been no going back since I met you,’ she breathed, his face drawing closer to hers.
The distinct sound of a machine gun being cocked beside them interrupted their lustful haze.
Sharon turned to see their so far unpleasant partner scowling at them in disapproval.
‘Can you two just keep things professional, please? This isn’t a Bonny & Clyde movie.'
Johnny rolled his eyes. ‘Kurt, I’m no amateur, alright? I know what I’m doing.' He turned his attention back to the bomb vest he was securing around her waist.
Their partner didn't seem remotely convinced. Uncomfortably hunched over in the back of the blacked-out van, he was meticulously inspecting several automatic weapons that Johnny had already checked five minutes ago.
‘You’d better hope so,’ Kurt said, ‘If the boss finds out we messed this one up, we’re all dead meat.’
‘How are we going to mess this up?’ Johnny retorted, ‘Even Superman’s not going to see this coming.’
‘Superman’s not the priority here. We get them to hand over the X-K and the other kryptonian – that’s the mission. Our little surprise for the man of steel is just a contingency.’
There was something about Kurt's tone when he mentioned Superman that seemed a little off. The way he kept his eyes trained on his gun, the nonchalance in his voice sounding just a little too forced... but Sharon decided to brush it off for now.
Whatever the man was hiding, as long as it didn't get in the way of her own mission, she couldn't care less. Besides... if their boss really did have a secret agenda that involved hurting Superman, well, that suited her just fine.
She’d had a lot of time to go over the events of last year in her mind, and it wasn’t long before her resentment turned into blind rage. Superman, Lois Lane, the General – they’d all known her son was dead, how he’d died, who was responsible… and they’d kept her in the dark, wondering if he was still coming home, begging for answers.
Sharon had seen Superman’s fluffy speech for the Smallville Gazette last year, about how proud he was of Smallville. The whole thing made her sick. She could see right through the charming smiles and cheesy platitudes now.
The truth was, he and his people were dangerous. They were the reason her son was dead, and General Lane and his daughter had been covering that up.
‘I say let him come,’ Sharon said, her voice brimming with vitriol. ‘He’s just as guilty as the rest of them.’
‘Damn right he is,’ Johnny said, looking satisfied with his handiwork as he stepped back from the green tinged bomb. 'How's that feel?'
Sharon stood up slowly, doing a couple of cautious twists from side to side, making sure she had enough room to manoeuvre around without the vest slipping too much. They didn't want to leave room for someone to easily yank it from her body.
Johnny whistled. 'Looking good babe.'
He held out his hand, inviting her to do a twirl for him, and Sharon did so with a devilish grin. Johnny beamed back at her before finally turning around to their store of weapons, grabbing a pistol and tucking it into the back of his belt. Then he lifted one of the machine guns and rested it against his chest.
Their partner, weapon already raised, opened the van’s back doors and looked back at them expectantly. 'Are we ready?'
‘For Derek,’ Sharon said, with conviction.
All three of them stepped out of the van, Johnny pausing just outside the door to help her down. Eyes wide, they scanned their surroundings for any sign of movement.
Thankfully, the street was completely deserted, shadows already beginning to envelope their path as the evening dusk descended.
It was time.
Finally, everyone responsible for her sons death would pay for what they’d done.
As soon as the diner doors were open, all eyes seemed to fall on Jon, animated conversations quickly turning into hushed whispers. His heart seized in his chest. He knew realistically that some of what they were saying would be about the rest of his family... but he was pretty sure most of the hate filled glares were meant for him.
His parents were obviously a bit taken aback by the blatant judgment coming from every table in sight, but his dad shook it off quickly, jaw setting in stubborn determination.
Jon knew that look, he'd seen it enough times lately. His dad wasn’t backing down on this, no matter what happened.
He felt a bit guilty admitting it, but people questioning his dad's perfect reputation felt... kind of satisfying in a way. The truth may not be what they thought... but his dad hadn't exactly been a model parent so far this year, and Jon was tired of being the only one calling him out on it.
Coach Gaines voice boomed towards them, breaking him out of his thoughts with a jolt.
Of course he'd be the first person they had to talk to.
Jon was surprised the whole football team weren't lined up at the counter, ready to give him a hard time.
‘Hey, it’s the mysterious Kent family. When did you come out of hiding?’
His old coach was perched at the counter, generous plateful of overstuffed tacos in front of him. He held a half-eaten one in his hand, it’s contents looking about ready to spill as he turned towards them.
Jon looked up at his dad, who was already putting on an impressively breezy smile as he said, ‘No hiding, Coach. Just been a busy few months at the farm. How've you been?’
‘Oh, well... coaching a disqualified football team isn’t quite how I pictured finishing out the year.'
Jon bit his lip, making his own stubborn commitment not to bite, even with the coach staring right at him. He did not want to make things any worse.
‘I'm sorry, it must have been really difficult finding out so many of the boys were using,’ his mom said, her tone just empathetic enough to veil the pointed comment.
Jon felt a swell of gratitude for his mom's subtle defense, but he knew it was pointless. Pretty much everyone in town saw the whole X-K thing as his fault. It didn't matter that half the football team had been using the stuff... he was the one who'd been caught with the supply. They'd made up their mind what that meant about him.
‘Yeah, well… nothing’s been the same since Edge opened those mines,’ Coach added. ‘I mean, space drugs? It’s not like there’s a test for that...’
‘Uh, so, how are the Tacos tonight?’ his dad asked, unsubtly swerving away from the topic.
Thankfully, the Coach accepted the exit route. ‘World’s finest Kent, you know that!’ he beamed. ‘Weren't we still in high school when Vicky first started up Taco Tuesdays? Now we’ve got people driving over from New Carthage, just to get a taste.’
‘Smallville's always had more to offer than people think,’ Clark said. ‘You remember those amazing wood sculptures Mr Grantham used to make with chainsaws?’
As his dad started enthusiastically sharing Smallville stories with the coach, Jon glanced over at Jordan. With an exaggerated nod towards the counter, his brother peeled away from their parents, and Jon followed discreetly behind him.
They headed over to the till, where a waitress stood with her back turned.
‘Hey, can we get two large cokes please?’ Jordan asked. He started pulling out one of the stools, then fumbled, almost knocking it over in shock as the waitress turned around.
‘Omg, Nat?!' Jon blurted out. He couldn't contain the amused smile that broke out on his face.
Nat froze, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed for a second, but she quickly composed herself, giving them both a threatening look.
‘Wha… what are you wearing?’ Jordan stammered.
All the waitresses in the diner wore a pastel pink dress with a white collar, and, well, admittedly... it wasn’t exactly Nat’s style. She looked seriously uncomfortable in it, a faint blush creeping across her face.
Jon's eyes darted from the dumbfounded look on his brother’s face to the death glare Nat was directing at him. He brought the sleeve of his hoodie up to muffle his own laughter.
‘Don’t!’ she warned them both. ‘Yes, I am wearing a ridiculous uniform. Yes, I am working in a small town diner and serving Tacos. No, I do not feel good about it. So please, just... don’t make it worse.’
‘But... I mean... why are you doing this?’ Jon asked.
Natalie looked around warily before leaning over the counter, her voice barely a whisper. ‘I needed money to buy some materials for my suit. I couldn’t keep stealing from my dad, he was going to notice eventually. Besides he didn’t have everything I needed.’
‘Does your dad know about this?’ Jordan asked.
‘Not yet, but I guess he will soon,’ she said, gaze drifting behind them
Jon followed her attention over to where their mom and dad stood, still awkwardly trying to break away from the conversation with Coach Gaines. The man continued shovelling in bites of Tacos between words.
‘Yeah sorry, it looks like your secret might be out,’ Jon confirmed, rolling his eyes slightly. ‘Our parents are all about honesty lately.’
‘That’s okay. I knew I couldn’t live this double life forever,’ she sighed. ‘Two cokes, right?’
Natalie handed them their drinks, straws bobbing in the bubbly liquid.
They headed over to their usual booth about halfway down by the window, sliding in next to each other. Once their parents finally broke free, they crossed the room to join them, taking their seats on the opposite side with a sigh of relief.
‘Well, that didn’t go too badly,’ his dad said.
‘One down,’ his mom added, ‘Just... the rest of the town to go.’
Jon looked around, noting the sea of faces that still kept sneaking glances their way. Yeah... they had a way to go before that was going to stop. Guess he couldn't blame them. It wasn't like there was a whole lot of excitement going on in Smallville.
‘Hey, is that Natalie?’ his dad asked. His mom followed his gaze curiously.
Jon felt his brother eyeballing him in panic. He was never good at lying on the spot.
‘Yeah, um, she started here a while back I guess.' Jon shrugged. 'No big deal.'
‘That's weird,' his dad said. 'John Henry never mentioned anything.'
‘Well, good for her!’ his mom added, ‘It's great to see her going for a bit of independence.’
His dad smiled at his mom in that sappy way he often did, and Jon quickly snatched a nearby menu, hiding his face behind it in case they were about to kiss. He'd seen enough of that for a lifetime.
‘So, you boys know what you’re having?’
He slowly raised his head at his dad's dumb ass question. ‘Uh… Tacos.’
Jordan snorted, accidentally blowing bubbles back down his straw.
Their dad raised his eyebrows way too dramatically, his mouth hanging open in faux offense. ‘You should know by now, Vicky May's has a full range of taco options! Hard shells, soft shells, three different kinds of meat. All the fillings you can imagine. You’re spoiled for choice!’
Ugh, why was he so embarrassing!
And yet, Jon was having to feed off a half smile in spite of himself. As unbelievably cringe as his dad could be, he kind of preferred him like this. It was better than the bitter scolding treatment he'd had from him lately anyway.
It was hard to tell whether it was the nostalgic conversation with Coach Gaines or just the 'magic' of Taco Tuesday, but his dad seemed to be in a better mood than he'd been in months. Suddenly he was back to the corny, slightly awkward, and embarrassing version of their dad that they’d always thought he was... until they'd found out he was Superman.
In some ways, Jonathan realized he missed just thinking of him like that.
'Anything but the beef & bean for me,' Jordan said sheepishly.
Jon frowned for a second, then snorted a laugh, the memory of that first Taco Tuesday rushing back to him. The beef & bean had provided... disastrous consequences. He’d never been so glad their farmhouse had two bathrooms.
His mom bit her lip against a barely contained grin as his dad's face twisted in disgust. Of course... that had to have been even worse for him. He had super smell!
Jon locked eyes with his dad, and something about the look that passed between them broke a damn within him. Jon felt himself laughing uncontrollably, and his dad started chuckling just as much from across the booth.
His brother smacked him on the arm, but it was too soft to be anything but playful, and he could see the smile teasing at the corners of Jordan's mouth.
Jon had been dreading this, but he had to admit, it was kind of nice doing something ‘normal’ again, even with all the dissaproving glares.
Everything felt so hopeless lately, and he'd been struggling to believe it would ever get better. As he continued to talk and laugh with his family in their usual booth, he could feel a little bit of that hopelessness lifting.
The little bell over the diner door rang out, and his dad’s head pick up automatically. The smile immediately dropped from his face when he clocked whoever had entered.
Jon twisted round to see who it was. Standing in the doorway with an equally uncomfortable look of surprise on her face was Mrs Cushing, with Sarah and Sophie at her side.
Sophie bounded up to the counter, plopping down on one of the stools and saying something that made Nat smile. Sarah briefly glanced in their direction, spotted Jordan, and immediately tugged on her mom’s arm, urging her to follow Sophie to the bar.
Jon could see the hurt and rejection all over his brother's face as he slumped down on the bench next to him, descending into one of his trademark emotional spirals
Lana's gaze lingered for a moment before she turned away, following her daughters without so much as a nod of acknowledgment in their direction. His dad's face bore a similar hurt look to Jordan's for a second, but he quickly covered it, grabbing his menu and pretending to be reading intently.
'I think i'm gonna get the Pork Carnitas with extra cheese, how about everyone else?' he said.
His dad's tone was just a little bit too tight. His mom gave him a knowing look, placing her hand over his reassuringly.
‘She’s just doing what she thinks is best for her family,' she said.
‘I know,’ his dad sighed. ‘I just wish what was best for her family didn’t mean staying away from ours.’
‘She’s seriously overreacting,’ Jon offered, and he thought he saw a hint of gratitude in his dad’s eyes.
‘Maybe. But for now, we just have to respect her wishes and keep our distance.’
‘Can't we just get our food to go,’ Jordan muttered.
‘I know this is hard, sweetie,’ his mom said, ‘but you two are going to bump into each other sometimes. You'll have to get used to it eventually.’
‘I just don’t get why Ms Cushing wouldn’t just tell Sarah the truth. She knows I could protect her!’
‘It’s not that simple bud,’ his dad said. ‘Lana doesn’t want Sarah to have to lie to her father or her sister, and she has every right to protect her from that. This is exactly why I didn’t go around telling people when I was your age. Our secret comes with a lot more consequences than you realise.’
Jon caught his brother's sideways glance, but he diverted his attention, looking innocently around the diner again. He'd had more than enough heated debates with his dad lately, especially when it came to the importance of their families secret. He was staying out of this one.
The little bell over the door rang out again, but this time it was his mom who seemed to tense up when she saw who stepped through the door. His dad looked confused by her flustered expression.
‘You okay?’ he asked.
She didn't take her eyes off the woman who'd walked in, responding in a low voice. ‘I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell you yet... it's Sharon Powell. She's been struggling a lot with everything that happened last year... the loss of her son, not knowing what happened to him. She came into the Gazette while you were away, and... well, sort of threatened us.'
‘Lo-is,’ his dad hissed. ‘Why wouldn’t you tell me that?’
‘In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a lot going on, Clark. It just completely slipped my mind.’
The woman, who Jon now felt safe to assume was Sharon Powell, stood by the diner door, accompanied by two men who looked like complete opposites of each other. One was tall and well-groomed, with short hair and a fancy-looking suit. His face seemed blank and emotionless, no trace of humanity. The other had messy blonde hair and a thick layer of stubble, eyes dancing wildly around the room like he was high on something.
Before anyone had time to react, the two men held what looked like machine guns up in the air.
Whatever they wanted, it didn’t look like they were just here for the Tacos.
‘Alright folks, this is a hold-up!’ the wild-looking man said.
Screams rang out throughout the diner. Jon saw Lana grabbing Sarah and Sophie, pulling them into a crouched position behind one of the tables. Natalie immediately ducked behind the counter, and the rest of the diner shielded themselves protectively in their booths.
Coach Gaines was the only one who didn’t move. He just sat there in shock, letting his half-eaten Taco slip slowly from his hand.
The screaming stopped abruptly, replaced by a fraught silence, interrupted only by occasional whimpers.
Jon's eyes flew to his parents in panic. He could see the tight grip his mom had on his dad’s hand like she was trying to keep him from jumping into action. His dad’s jaw was clenched, neck muscles taught, like he was fighting every instinct not to race over and tear the guns right out of their hands.
The wide eyed man stepped forwards, an amused look on his face that told Jon he was loving his moment in the spotlight.
‘Alright people, listen up! All you gotta do is stay quiet, don’t do anything stupid, and this ‘ere Taco Tuesday ain’t gotta end bloody, alright?’
The man paused as though waiting for a response from the crowd, but he was met only with silence. Seemingly, that was confirmation enough.
He continued, gesturing towards Mrs Powell. 'Now sweetheart, do you wanna take your jacket off and show the nice people you're pretty vest?’
The woman looked around at the terrified faces of everyone in the diner, and Jon thought he saw a flicker of doubt cross her features, but she obliged quickly, fumbling with her buttons.
Beneath the fabric of her jacket, a bomb clung to her chest, surrounded by a maze of boxes, wires, and tubes. Gasps of fear travelled through the room at the sight of the unstable looking explosive device. Jonathan felt dread begin to set in, but not just because of the bomb.
Some of it's tubes seemed to have a strange green liquid inside... and it was glowing.
Jon heard his dad's low grunt and saw faint traces of pain appear on his face. He watched him grit his teeth and squeeze his eyes tight for a brief moment, before snapping them open, eyes darting urgently towards Jordan.
Jon turned to see the blood immediately draining from his brother's face. He looked like he was struggling not to cry out. Jon didn’t know if his parents could see it, but he could feel his brother trembling with pain.
Trying not to draw any attention to the action, his mom grabbed the coat she’d slung next to her on the booth, and passed it under the table towards him. Jon looked over at her in confusion and she nodded her head towards Jordan insistently. Trying not to question it, Jon lifted the coat up and covered his brother as much as he could. Instantly, Jordan stopped shaking, and he started to become more lucid
Jon realized gratefully that his mom's favourite coat must be more tham just a fashion statement. It was blocking the effects of the kryptonite somehow.
His dad carefully survey every inch of the room, before tilting his head like he was using his super-hearing. His whole energy seemed to have shifted into something single minded. Confident. Jon almost couldn’t believe he was the same geeky small-town guy he’d been laughing with only seconds earlier.
‘Yes, that’s right, this is a bomb,’ the wild-haired man continued his speech. ‘Now, if everyone does exactly as they're told, then my beautiful lady here won’t need to let go of that hair trigger under her finger, got it?’
The gunman’s stiff counterpart raised his weapon menacingly, pointing it around the room for added emphasis.
So much for a nice normal night out as a family, Jon thought.