[ catchall for april/may ]

[supersweet]

who: Jonathan Kent, Communal Housing; Floor 6 + You
what: Fireflies, meeting the neighbours, other catchall events
when: Late April/Early May
where: Prompt-dependent
warnings: None. Prose is fine but I'll be responding in action brackets. Other prompts may be added later!


[ CLOSED to denizens of Floor Six ]

[ The Kents didn't have much in the way of neighbours. Hamilton was a quiet town and they preferred it that way. And while Jon enjoys Hamilton County, he often daydreams of having friends close by or even playing team sports together. Kathy was great (and it helped that she knew his secret and kept it for him), but it never felt like it was enough.

So having neighbours around was both terrifying and exhilarating. After settling himself, Jon decided to visit each of his floor mates with a large bag of sour candies. After all, it's not like he can buy beer (adults drink beer right??) for them. When he runs into someone, his grin is casual. ]

Hi! I'm Jon. I'm your neighbour. Person.

[ Around the city ]

[ Like his father, Jon's hearing was sensitive. Thankfully, the intensity of the sounds tends to waver from loud to the normal range of a human being. Clapping his hands on his ears as Jon heads back home, he wishes it would remain in the normal range a little longer. He was not used to living in the city and he had only made a few trips to Metropolis when he was younger, none of them long enough to be memorable or familiar to him.

And right now, the city was deafening.

He runs right into anyone standing in his way, bowling them over completely. His expression is unfocused and glazed before clarity sinks in. ]

S-Sorry.

[ Jon claps his hands back over his ears with a wince. ] I'm sorry!

[ Fireflies ]

[ Jon had wanted to see the fireflies, watching the colours weave in and out. He hadn't thought it merited telling anyone he had gone out. After all, it was only fireflies. But then they drifted closer and Jon started to feel nervous.

One yellow firefly stung him on his neck and a flood of repressed feelings come rushing to the surface. Of other realities and forgotten memories. Of fading away. Jon hurriedly wipes away the tears that were starting to spill from his face. He needed to — Where was his dad? Why hadn't he come? He promised Jon. He promised he wouldn't let go. With a hiccup, Jon sits down, trying to wipe away his fears and regain his composure. All the while, hearing the laughter of Mr. Mxyzptlk in the back of his mind. ]

[ Mission, CLOSED to Steve Rogers (MCU) ]

[ Normally, Jon isn't all that keen when it comes to hanging out with grownups. They're boring and they hang over him, trying to keep an eye on him and be responsible. It's no fun and it gets tiring very quickly. But Steve had been nice and had reminded him of his own dad back home. The idea of doing a mission, a real mission meant he could be a real hero.

Plus Steve offered ice-cream, a sure-fire way into Jon's heart. After checking with Miss Jones and his parents, Jon takes part of his allowance and heads over to the ice-cream shop where they were supposed to meet. He climbs onto the stool with a jump in his gait. ]

Hey Mr. Rogers!

Comments

[finethanks]

Four, you could say.

[As he slides the cheesecake down at his table in front of him, and with a cute looking crepe in his own hand for himself, he sits down, too.] I perform at four different clubs during nights, you see. They offered them to me immediately when I came here, so it was a little surprising.

[supersweet]

Wow, four jobs? Don't you get tired?

[ That seems like a lot. Jon can't even picture working like that. ]

[finethanks]

Extremely so. But that sort of energy that comes from a "job well done" is unbelievable, you know?

[supersweet]

I guess?

[ Jon has nothing to compare it to. ]

School's hard enough as it is.

[finethanks]

Do you have to go to school here, as well? I've wondered how the school system worked here compared to Japan.

[supersweet]

Yeah. The Riverview Elementary School. S'okay. It's like my fourth school.

[ The joys of being a superhero kid in hiding. ]

[finethanks]

Wow, fourth? For someone like me who's lived in the same place my whole life, that's a surprising thing to hear. Do you enjoy any of it?

[Classes, subjects, friends? He might as well ask as they eat.]

[supersweet]

[ He digs his spoon into the cheesecake thoughtfully. ]

Sometimes. It sucks to keep moving and never make friends though.

[finethanks]

Making friends can be so difficult, can't it? But if you make yourself known and move forward with confidence, people are bound to be in awe of you. I think you can do it, Jon-kun.

[supersweet]

[ Jon has a hard time picturing anyone being in awe of him. His dad is Superman, after all. ]

How do I make myself known? I'm just a kid. Nobody wants to know a kid.

[finethanks]

Thinking like that, you're only becoming your own enemy. Fufu, but to make yourself known... That's something you have to discover for yourself. A passion, or a dream. If you follow it without giving up, that sort of thing is bound to happen.

[supersweet]

[ His dream . . . To be like his father, to be worthy of the mantle. ]

I won't give up. I just don't know where to start.

[finethanks]

Let's start from the beginning. Do you have a dream or a goal, Jon-kun?

[supersweet]

I . . . don't know. I'm not sure.

[ He couldn't fully voice his dreams, intangible and wrapped around his secrets. ]

[finethanks]

Then that's the first step. That moment when you feel "this is it, I've found what I want more than anything else," then you'll know how to move forward. Fufu, for some time, I locked myself away and refused to look for anything, but by chance, I found him. The one who would inspire me to step on stage myself and reach out to touch hearts and inspire dreams.

[He pauses to take a bite of his crepe, smiling afterwards.] You're still very young, so it will come to you.

[supersweet]

[ It'll take time. That's what everyone says. But Jon isn't known for his patience. He's not actively seeking out crime or doing his part like the Robins. He's stuck in limbo. ]

Who inspired you?

[finethanks]

He was someone who was on the other side of the television screen. An idol named Wataru Hibiki— he had such raw, natural talent that I couldn't believe a person so perfect could exist. He managed to bring such life to his performances that the entire audience was moved, and I realized that I wanted to be able to do the same.

Fufu, it's a little silly when I say it aloud like that.

[supersweet]

It doesn't sound silly.

[ He pokes his cake. ]

My dad's kinda like that. Larger than life. I want to be like him. But in a way, I want to be me too.

[ Jon can't find the right words. At ten, his vocabulary is limited and his feelings haven't cemented themselves. ]

[finethanks]

[His own dad. That must be nice, in a way, but it's so foreign to Eichi that he doesn't know how to imagine it.]

Mm, I understand that as well. Rather than just following and filling footsteps, I wanted to create my own, larger and stronger than even his, and surpass him. I managed it, you know?

[supersweet]

Yeah. I don't think that's going to happen with me.

[ Surpassing Superman is impossible. ]

[finethanks]

What's impossible about it? You know, my idol was someone naturally beautiful and talented. I, who have been sick from birth, had to work three times as hard as everyone else to even get to a normal position.

[He's going to leave out that he caused an idol war and crushed the dreams of many to surpass his own idol, but that's not important right now anyway. Surely.]

[supersweet]

[ Probably for the best. Jon absorbs this. ]

I dunno about beautiful, but my dad is kind of . . . super. Everyone looks up to him.

[finethanks]

I don't see any reason why they can't look up to you in time.

[supersweet]

Yeah.

[ Jon smiles faintly. He's not that down about it. But it remains a niggling issue Jon can't quite formulate into something solid and game-changing. ]

But it'll be a long time from now.

[finethanks]

It's important to always consider and work towards your future, but you're too young to be worried about time, Jon-kun. If even I, who have a limited time on this earth, can get to where I am now, then you surely will succeed.

[His words, as corny as they're chosen, are honest sounding. He never says anything fake or flowery just for the sake of making someone feel better. They're always genuine.]