Jonathan lay awake, staring at the very solid canvas above him. Grandpa's snoring filled the tent, making sleeping an impossibility.
Jordan was out somewhere with Dad, and once again he was feeling very left out. They didn't mean to leave him out. It was even necessary sometimes, but that didn't make it suck any less.
He'd gotten to spend time with John Henry, who showed him how to shoot and how powerless humans could do great things like building a war suit that gave you powers. That was all going to be over now that his daughter was back, not that he hadn't been in the process of leaving, but he was feeling very adrift, unsure of where he fit into this newly opened world of superheroes.
He was still awake when Jordan came back in. "Got it under control?"
"I think so. And it was easier than the hearing. At least this power is not painful. You have no idea how much it hurts to hear everything at once."
He shouldn't have been envious of that comment, but he was. "Yeah, well, good night."
Shockingly, Grandpa let them sleep in for once. Though it became clear why he had when they got up. "A scavenger hunt is on the agenda today," he said, making a game sound like a task to be completed.
"A scavenger hunt?" Jordan echoed.
"It builds camaraderie or teamwork. In this case, friendships. I thought we'd switch it up from last night and put all the Js together, so Jordan, Jonathan, and John Henry are one team, and Lois, Clark, and Natalie are another."
Jonathan nodded. It was a solid team with a good chance of winning though he would have liked to have been with Natalie. She was just starting to open up a little and though he was beginning to accept they could never be siblings, he was hoping that they could become good friends.
Each team was given a clue. John Henry read it out loud. "Run. Don't walk. Don't forget to look by a big rock."
"So, we're looking for a big rock?" Jonathan said.
"Looks like," he agreed.
"Aren't there like a hundred big rocks in the woods?" Jordan asked.
"Yeah, but you can look right through solid objects now, right?" Jonathan asked with a grin. "Might as well use what you were given."
"That would be cheating, Jon."
"Now you decide to follow the rules." He was only teasing though. "Guess we'd better get moving then. The other team's already gone."
He wouldn't say they ran per se. More like walked very quickly, but Jordan tripped over a rather large root from a tree. "Too bad you didn't get a superpower to help you see where you're walking," he ribbed.
"Shut up," he retorted, holding his ankle. The fact that he didn't have a better comeback than that proved he really had hurt himself.
"Seriously, you okay?" he said, squatting down beside his brother.
He shook his head. "I don't think I can stand on it."
"How did you hurt your ankle?" John Henry asked with surprise. "Aren't you Kryptonian?"
"Half Kryptonian," Jordan grunted though the pain.
"Jordan's human side is still very much there," Jon said. "It's not like he's the Kryptonian twin, and I'm the human one."
"Of course, boys. Sorry. I should know better." He pulled the first-aid backpack off his shoulder and took out a bandage and an ice pack. He tossed the ice pack toward him. "Here. Squeeze this to get it cold, and I'll wrap."
It wasn't that hard to activate the ice pack. Jordan could have probably done it himself, but it was nice to feel useful. He passed it to Jordan. "On the bright side, you won't have to go on any more early morning hikes with Grandpa."
That made him chuckle and took his mind off the pain for a moment.
Jon watched as John Henry tied off the compression bandage. "Where'd you learn how to do that?" he asked despite knowing he didn't like a lot of questions. He couldn't help it; the man was so interesting.
"Military, remember?"
"Oh, right."
"You know you have a good bedside manner," he said, offering up a rare compliment.
"Thanks."
"No, I mean it. Ever thought about a career in the medical field?"
"Not really, but I guess that's a possibility. I do like helping people."
Jordan muttered under his breath something about Dr. Kent and that's when Jonathan realized that he was jealous of him even with all the incredible things he could do.
And then another thought occurred to him about Jordan. His career choices were probably more limited. No one said he had to be Superboy, but how could he not follow in Dad's footsteps? He would be looking for a job that fit his interests but that he could also leave at a moment's notice unlike him whose options were wide open.
Jonathan made a decision in that moment. He didn't want to be envious anymore. Having superpowers came with its own set of problems. From now on, he was going to try harder to realize that neither one of them was lucky or unlucky. They were different, and that was more than okay.
