"But if I *had* it done, then it wouldn't be a problem. I could even play sports," Lir-El stormed. "I know you don't like the term 'GF' but that's what I am!"
Jor-El sighed. They and their son had had this argument countless times, Rao knew, with growing vehemence. Maybe the boy was old enough now to be told. "Son, there's a reason we've not discussed yet. You're not from here," he started, mentally grinding his teeth at the feeble euphemism he'd chosen.
"Yeah, you found me out east, I'm adopted. What does that have to do with it?"
"We found you, but you came from a different world." As Lir stared, Jor clarified. "A different planet."
"And you're only mentioning this now because--"
"Because that's why we can't let you have any genetic modifications!" He immediately winced at his shout, but the frustration of too many years was too hard to keep dammed. "Because if we took you to a modifier, they'd find out immediately that you're not Kryptonian." He looked away from his son as he muttered, "Your mother and I don't know what they'd do. It might...be nothing, or they might take you away from us." He smiled grimly. "*That's* why we've not let you enhance anything to make you become normal. Not just parental capriciousness."
Lir was staring at the ground as though there was an answer there, then raised his eyes in challenge. "How do you *know* I'm from another planet? Maybe I'm just so feeble you don't want to think that I'm Kryptonian?"
"The ship that brought you seems a fairly clear indication."
"There's a ship?" Lir's eyes were wide and he looked dismayed rather than excited. But then, that was just confirmation of what he'd felt all his life, that he didn't fit. To see proof that he wasn't just alienated from most normal activities, but a genuine alien...it would give him the combination of knowing that he belonged somewhere and knowing that the somewhere he belonged was far distant and unknown.
"Your mother and I hid it." He turned and left the room and Lir followed.
***
A/N
For the purposes of this story, I moved Jor-El and Lara to the early third age of Krypton's history, just before cloning was discovered.
Rao is the early Kryptonite sun god.
Jor-El sighed. They and their son had had this argument countless times, Rao knew, with growing vehemence. Maybe the boy was old enough now to be told. "Son, there's a reason we've not discussed yet. You're not from here," he started, mentally grinding his teeth at the feeble euphemism he'd chosen.
"Yeah, you found me out east, I'm adopted. What does that have to do with it?"
"We found you, but you came from a different world." As Lir stared, Jor clarified. "A different planet."
"And you're only mentioning this now because--"
"Because that's why we can't let you have any genetic modifications!" He immediately winced at his shout, but the frustration of too many years was too hard to keep dammed. "Because if we took you to a modifier, they'd find out immediately that you're not Kryptonian." He looked away from his son as he muttered, "Your mother and I don't know what they'd do. It might...be nothing, or they might take you away from us." He smiled grimly. "*That's* why we've not let you enhance anything to make you become normal. Not just parental capriciousness."
Lir was staring at the ground as though there was an answer there, then raised his eyes in challenge. "How do you *know* I'm from another planet? Maybe I'm just so feeble you don't want to think that I'm Kryptonian?"
"The ship that brought you seems a fairly clear indication."
"There's a ship?" Lir's eyes were wide and he looked dismayed rather than excited. But then, that was just confirmation of what he'd felt all his life, that he didn't fit. To see proof that he wasn't just alienated from most normal activities, but a genuine alien...it would give him the combination of knowing that he belonged somewhere and knowing that the somewhere he belonged was far distant and unknown.
"Your mother and I hid it." He turned and left the room and Lir followed.
***
A/N
For the purposes of this story, I moved Jor-El and Lara to the early third age of Krypton's history, just before cloning was discovered.
Rao is the early Kryptonite sun god.