Hey, guys!
I hope you're all doing well! It's been awhile!
So, the doctor said that there's nothing damaged in my wrist and that it's wrist pain caused by my hypermobility syndrome. He has me in a brace for the next few months. I'm still able to write, but it's much slower. I'll also be out of town on vacation from the 11th to the 21st and I don't plan on writing.
All of that aside though, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Twenty One
Jon-El tried to stay in his room as much as possible.
Part of it was because he didn't really want to move. The pain medication that the doctor had prescribed him not only left him exhausted, but it made him feel heavy and unfocused.
It was also because he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He didn't want anyone to know how weak he was. He knew that any Kryptonian that wanted to could beat him up even when he was at his peak physical state, but he hated even the idea of being so vulnerable around them.
There wasn't much for him to do though. There weren't many books in the room, and there definitely wasn't a television. And he had cleaned his room before he had been taken back to the cell, so it wasn't dirty.
He closed his eyes as he rested his head against his pillow. He didn't really want to sleep again, but his body was exhausted.
This wasn't the first time that his ribs had been broken, but it was the first time he'd ever been given real treatment for it. It helped sometimes, but he didn't like feeling so out of it.
He wouldn't be able to protect himself if he was slow.
His eyes were closed for no more than a couple of minutes when there was a knock on his door.
To the best of his ability, Jon-El tried to sit up. Laying flat on his back would show how weak he was, and that he wasn't completely awake.
"Yeah?" He called out.
To his surprise, it wasn't Clark. Instead, Jordan popped his head in, his eyes hidden behind the mop of curls.
"Hey," Jordan said. "Jon and I were gonna play some video games and we wanted to invite you."
Jon-El hesitated. He was still trying to get used to this new version of Jordan that had suddenly appeared in the past couple of days. He wasn't used to the kindness, or the lack of heat vision.
"What are you gonna be playing?" Jon-El asked. Admittedly, his question was to buy him more time to decide. He hated being put on the spot, which was exactly what Jordan had done to him.
Jordan shrugged. "We hadn't really decided, but we have all kinds of stuff," he told him. "We have some older consoles and games too if you wanna look at them. Jon and I can set those up if any of them are interesting to you."
"Okay," Jon-El said after another moment of consideration. After his conversation with Lois and Clark the night before, he knew that this placement was more permanent. It would probably be a good idea to get closer to the twins if he was going to be here for the next couple of years.
Jon-El followed Jordan to his bedroom. It was his first time in there, but it didn't really look any different from what he had expected.
Jordan's room was covered in band posters and other things that Jon-El had no idea what they were. Maybe he could ask at some point. It could be a conversation starter.
There was also a conveniently placed poster covering a hole in the wall. Jon-El didn't have to ask what caused that.
"Hey, Jay!" Jon greeted.
Jon-El's head snapped towards Jon, his mind blanking at his doppleganger's words. "What did you call me?"
For a second, Jon stopped working on setting up the game console and looked up at him. "Sorry," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't exactly call both of us Jon… So, uh… I thought Jay would be a good nickname?"
Jon-El shook his head. "No, it's okay," he told him. "I kinda like it."
He had no problem having a nickname. He definitely understood how weird it was saying his own name, but talking about someone else.
Besides, it was only the twins calling him that. It didn't really change anything.
"So, what game do you wanna play?" Jordan asked. "And you can sit on the bed if it's more comfortable, I don't mind."
Jon-El shrugged as he sat down on the bed. "Uh… It's up to you guys," he said. "I don't really know any."
Jon and Jordan exchanged a look, and Jon-El felt his heart ache. He knew what was happening. The silent exchange between twins that he would never have again.
There would never be anyone who understood him the way Jordan-El did, or anyone who he understood like his own twin.
He wouldn't get a chance to see his brother again. The last time he had seen him had been when he broke into the DoD for the X-K… He had severed the last of his family ties that day.
The next time he would see his mother, she would duct tape X-K to his chest. She would abandon him and side with the others.
His brother hadn't been there.
He would never get a chance to apologize for what he had done.
Did Jordan-El even know that he was alive? Did he care?
Jon-El let out a shuddering breath that he had tried to hold in. The twins wouldn't understand. They couldn't…
Luckily, neither of them seemed to notice. His twin would have noticed…
"Did you choose one?" he asked them as he avoided the urge to pull his knees up to his chest and cry out the ache being around such close twins was giving him.
Jon nodded. "We did." He said, then held up the game.
Jordan began to explain what it was to Jon-El, but none of the words he said really made sense. Something about a multiplayer sandbox game, if he heard that correctly.
In a way though, it didn't really matter what they played. Jon-El knew he would be bad at it, but it was nice to have the chance to not worry about the real world and focus on the video game world.
It was also nice to talk to Jon and Jordan. A lot nicer than he thought it would be.
A few weeks ago, he had been at war with Jordan, but that seemed to be over. When Jordan had asked for forgiveness that seemed to be the end of all of the hostility on Jordan's part.
It was definitely nice not to get the heat vision stare from Jordan all of the time now.
"Jay!" Jon shouted. "Behind you!"
Jon-El jumped at his doppelganger's warning, but wasn't fast enough to save his character from death.
"Oops," he said, but he couldn't keep the laugh out of his voice as his side of the screen went red.
Jon chuckled along with him. "Sorry I couldn't get over there fast enough," he apologized.
"It's okay," he said as his character respawned and he joined the twins in the game. "I'll just stay by you guys this time."
This time it was Jordan who laughed. "Just don't lead all of the monsters to us," he told him, but then looked over at Jon. "Though, Jon always does that, so I wouldn't be surprised if his doppelganger did that.
"It was one time," Jon said. "C'mere, Jay. I've made you some supplies."
In a way, the rest of their time gaming went by in a blur. There were moments that Jon-El would hopefully never forget, like their house exploding, but it was over way too soon.
"I need to finish studying for a test," Jordan said as he left the game.
"Me too," Jon said. "Sorry we can't play for longer, Jay."
Jon-El smiled and he tried to ignore the stupid lump forming in the back of his throat. They actually wanted to spend time with him. When was the last time that somebody his age had wanted to spend time with him?
He swallowed the lump back, then shrugged. "It's okay," he said. "I'll go see what's for dinner, I guess."
"Thanks for playing with us," Jordan told him. "I had a lot of fun."
Jon-El smiled at his twin's doppelganger. It would hurt, but maybe he could be okay with being Jordan's friend. "Me too."
Jon-El hadn't really liked reading much before he came to this world. On his world, there were always much better things to be doing.
But here, books had been one of the first things the Kents gave him access too. He liked reading about fantasy worlds with dragons and elves, science fiction with its aliens and time travel, and he enjoyed the non-fictions too.
It was also easy to read in bed.
Jon-El wasn't confined to his bed at all, but it was much nicer to recover quietly in his room.
He was about halfway through the chapter of another fantasy when there was a knock on his door.
"Come in," he said as he looked up from the book.
"Hey," Clark greeted as he walked in and gently shut the door behind him. He always shut the door so quietly that Jon-El could barely hear the clicking of the metal pieces going into place.
Jon-El shifted so he was sitting up against the bed frame. "Is everything alright?"
Clark nodded. "Yeah, I just came to check in on you," he said, then gestured to the bed. "Can I sit down?"
This wasn't the first time that Clark had checked in on him, but it was still a shock every time. Had his own father ever cared to do that?
"Uh, sure."
Clark sat down, then smiled at him. "How are you feeling, bud?" he asked
Jon-El hesitated. For the most part, he was feeling okay. There was the pain in his ribs, but the medication had been helping, and it wasn't like he hadn't been through worse…
"Just a bit tired, I guess," he told him, though he wouldn't tell him it was from the medication. Would Clark make him stop taking it if he told him that?
Clark nodded. "Do you want to take a nap before dinner?"
Jon-El didn't understand it, Clark's voice was so gentle, so warm. His father's voice had been so cold, so unwelcoming…
But this was completely different. It was the voice Clark used on his own sons, which couldn't be right. Jon-El wasn't one of his sons. He just looked like one.
"I feel like all I've been doing is sleeping," he admitted as he looked down at his hands.
"That's okay," Clark told him. "You're healing. It's okay to rest. Your body needs it."
There were times when Jon-El had gone from party to party with his father, his body bruised… He had been forced to fake a smile, cover every wince, deal with all of it… There had been no resting then.
"Really?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"Of course," Clark said, then reached forward.
Jon-El tensed up as Clark's hand brushed through his hair. Just like his voice, it was soft and gentle. Too caring, too kind… He didn't deserve this.
Before he could push it away, a memory of his father appeared in his mind.
Jon-El couldn't remember how old he was, but he remembered that he was scared… He could remember his father's fire-hot breath on his face as he yelled at him…
He could still feel his father's harsh hands grabbing his hair and pulling him up.
Jon-El pulled away from Clark's touch, then burst into tears.
He didn't deserve this kindness, he never would.
"Jon-El?" He could hear Clark's voice. "What's wrong?"
He looked up at Clark, though he could hardly see him through the tears. He had so many questions for Clark, but he was only able to get out one. "Why are you doing this?"
Clark frowned, his concerned eyes hiding under a pair of glasses that Jon-El's father would have never been seen in. "What are you talking about?"
Jon-El inhaled shakily, trying to calm himself without much progress. "I don't deserve any of this," he said, then gestured to the whole room. "I belong in that cell, Clark…"
Clark's face suddenly went very dark, and Jon-El tried not to squirm under the gaze of the man who looked too much like his father now.
"Jonathan-El, look at me," he said. "You do not belong in that cell. You belong with a family, with people who will take care of you… Who love you."
Jon-El didn't want to say it, he didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to hope.
"Like you guys?" His voice was barely a whisper, but he knew that Clark could hear it.
The darkness was completely gone from Clark's face, and he was now smiling gently at him. "Yeah," he said. "Like us."
Thanks for reading! Love y'all!