[ CLOSED ]

[supersweet]

who: Jon's CR + anyone who knew Clark Kent
what: Reaction to Clark's departure
when: 10th of August
where: The Superfam House
warnings: sads?? sads.


[ Jon didn't know what to do. Every action feels robotic. He sent out what texts he could about his father's departure from his phone and checking his father's contacts. He didn't bother checking for the replies. It buzzed quietly in a corner and it wall he could do to melt it down. He must have cried for hours when he found his father's letter, holding onto Annora until she protested his strong grip. After the sadness, the fear had finally sunken in. He was alone. There were no contingency plans, no promises he could follow. He didn't know what to do.

What about the house? Was Jon meant to protect it? Would Miss Jones take it away now that his father had left? He didn't want to leave. He couldn't leave. He curls up tighter with his blanket, trying to block out all the fears and doubts that plague his mind. Everything was so uncertain and Jon . . . Jon was scared. He didn't know how to stop. ]

Comments

not like i was writing this while we were talking or anything

[unmakeme]

Natasha hears about Clark being gone from his son, a short text, a statement of fact that doesn’t ask for a reply. The son she knows he has, but has never met, because children are… complicated. Not even in the way most of her life is complicated. In unique and mind-bending ways. She and Clark weren’t close enough for it to be strange that she didn’t meet his son. Not by a long shot. The most casual of casual friends. There was never any reason to meet Jon. His father took exceptional care of him, she was sure, and it wasn’t her business or concern.

Except now Clark is gone, and logic tells her that a guy like Clark has plenty of friends, that some of them will know his son, know him well, and take care of him. Logic, however, is rarely as helpful as one would like it to be. The moment her thoughts begin to wander, turn to Cooper or Lila alone in a strange place without their parents, it’s decided for her.

Which is how she ends up standing in front of a cute little house, the address pulled from the database at work, to see a kid she’s never met who just happens to be currently muddling through the loss of a parent. Perfect. She knocks, though, because the only thing worse than this situation would be turning away from it.

[supersweet]

[ The knock on the door startles him. Jon must have been in a deeper fugue than he realized if he could not pick out the heartbeat and the quiet footfalls. Concentrating on his hearing, Jon realizes who it is. He waffles, wanting to be alone and knowing that being alone was too much to bear.

Finally, Jon gets up from his bed and heads down to open the door. Just a little. He peeks through uncertainly. ]

Hey, Miss Nat. Uhm.

[ He flounders, the grip of the door slack and uneasy. ]

Dad's not here so . . . so . . .

[unmakeme]

Well, that's interesting. Not the slightest hesitation or question. Natasha very much doubts that Clark talked about her, and she would be floored to hear that he did so often enough for his son to just know her immediately. There is absolutely no chance she is the only one he texted. Is there? No. That's ridiculous.

"I know. I got your text. I'm sorry." And she really is, though now she's also incredibly curious. Which, all right, it's not a noble reason for having her interest in this boy increased exponentially, but noble is highly overrated. "Is anyone else here with you?"

[supersweet]

[ Normally, Jon would notice the slip almost immediately, but his head is heavy from all the crying and he looks exhausted, even for a boy with super strength. Shaking his head slowly, Jon glances at her quietly. ]

I'll be okay. It's not so bad.

[spellslots]

[Taako knows before he gets the text from Jon; he tried to call Clark earlier about something stupid and unrelated, the ping back from the device telling him everything he needed to know. Things are tricky with his own family right now, but that doesn't matter, he just tosses a bunch of stuff into an overnight bag and heads off.

A combination of locate person and teleport means he shows up only a few feet from Jon.]

Hey, bubbale.

[He doesn't know what to say. He's bad at this.]

[unmakeme]

Of course it's not so bad. Distraught child who has obviously been sobbing all day in an empty house that until very recently contained his father? What could possibly be bad about that. Natasha reaches out her free hand, places it against the door. She doesn't push, but she's prepared to keep it from closing on her. "May I come in, then?" And, because she's absolutely not going to come right out and say it's because she's worried and he's obviously not ok and someone needs to be here, she holds up the hand that isn't free. It's not free, because she's got a paper bag, dotted with grease spots and wafting the distinct aroma of burgers and fries. "I brought you some dinner. Have you eaten today?"

You're supposed to bring food, when someone is grieving a loss. Usually, it's supposed to be home made, but Natasha wouldn't subject the kid to that on top of everything else.

[supersweet]

[ Jon barely starts. Even the use of magic doesn't elicit a carefree grin. Instead he starts bawling as he runs up to Taako, wrapping his arms around his waist. Jon thought he was done crying, but already he's sobbing away, trying to stem the flow of tears. ]

[supersweet]

[ He chews on his lip, unsure. Miss Nat was one of his dad's friends, which meant a certain amount of trust was automatically given. Jon had liked her too. And he was hungry. His hand lingers over his stomach as Jon weighs his options and opens the door for her politely. ]

Thanks. I was gonna order something.

[ He glances at the house. The emptiness of it almost brings fresh tears in his eyes which he valiantly tries to blink away. ]

Uhm, do you want some water? A drink? I think we still have drinks.

[unmakeme]

Natasha doesn't need an ounce of her skill to tell what Jon is thinking. Kid's an open book, and the story currently on those pages is nothing but pain. "Water would be nice. Maybe you should drink some, too. We don't want you to dehydrate." Natasha steps inside and closes the door behind her. She wants to tell him that he can cry if he needs to, but she's not sure if that will help or hurt. Cooper's face in her mind again, trying to keep things bottled up, trying to be brave. Damnit.

"Shoes on or off?" It shouldn't matter, doesn't really, but that's not the point. It's a simple thing that he'll have the answer to. It's one problem, tiny and presented in the moment, that he can solve. Does she keep her shoes on, or leave them by the door? What's the house rule? Because it is his house, even if his father doesn't live in it any longer. It doesn't just become empty and meaningless. It's still his.

Though that subject also will require some working through. She consoles herself again with the knowledge that a nice, friendly guy like Clark had to have a ton of friends. It'll be fine.

[supersweet]

Shoes are off.

[ They're an outdoorsy family. With all the muck and grime his dad and Jon bring into the house, Lois has a very clear "no shoes" in the house policy. His other dad hadn't discussed it but the habit was drilled into Jon at any early age. Politely, Jon heads into the kitchen and brings back two tall glasses of water. He hands it over to Natasha while he holds onto his own, taking a quiet sip. ]

I'm not crying that much. Dad — He had important stuff to do.

[spellslots]

[Carefully, Taako eases Jon away just for long enough that he can kneel down for a proper hug, figuring it's the kind of thing that Clark would do.]

I got you.

[It's not enough, it won't even be enough with Clark gone, but it's the best he can offer right now.]

[supersweet]

[ He nods weakly. Whether Jon believes it or not is debatable. His head is full of cotton wool, trying to assuage the deep sorrow that wells up in him. ]

M'sorry.

[spellslots]

Nah, kiddo, you got nothing to be sorry for.

[Taako can only imagine how heart-wrenching this must be. If he was Jon's age and Lup had been here and then she hadn't, it would've hit him hard. He's not going to blame Jon for being upset.]

Just take it at your own pace.

[supersweet]

[ He sniffs, scrubbing his face with his hands. ]

What — What do I do?

[spellslots]

Hell if I know, but we'll figure it out. There's a lotta people that care about you and most of 'em are probably smarter than me.

[He's not going to lie to Jon, even if maybe that would be easier in the short term.]

Right now, I'm just gonna stay with you, yeah? You won't be alone.

[unmakeme]

In response to it being a shoes off house, Natasha lifts each foot up behind her in turn so that she can tug down the zippers of her boots, then she wiggles her feet out of them and leaves them near the door. While Jon is gone, she shrugs out of her jacket and leaves that by the door, too.

"There's nothing wrong with crying," she tells him, taking the glass of water, and then taking a sip. "Thanks." She wishes she were better at things like this, wishes she had Laura's instinct to nurture. "You're important, too. He's your dad. You miss him." It's in the way he talks, the pattern and timing of his speech. It's familiar. She doesn't forget things like that. Still, it's not her primary concern. Not when he's looking at her with those big eyes a knife's edge from tears again. "And you should eat." She nods her head, settling a question that hasn't been asked. "Living room? Someplace comfy. You'll feel a little better when you eat." Not much, but a little.

[supersweet]

[ Jon's grateful even if he can't fully voice it. Taako, after all, was part of his father's inner circle, a person his father trusted completely. He rubs his eyes, looking faintly peaky. ]

Did you bring any cookies?

[spellslots]

We're fresh outta cookies, sorry, but if you're hungry we can whip something up. What about pancakes?

[They're quick and easy and knowing Clark, the appropriate supplies will be in the kitchen.]

[smokedout]

[Damn it... he'd thought this would happen eventually, with people disappearing every so often, but when it does he just happens to not be able to leave the house. He's pretty sure Reaper is out and can't supervise him, too. So he's stuck sending a phone call to Jon.]

Hey, are you okay?

[He knows he isn't, but... out of compassion he's giving him the chance to pretend he is.]

[nikolaievich]

Illya doesn’t take long to be knocking on his door.

He knows he’s not the best at this kind of comfort. Or… any kind of comfort, really. He’s good at being there, at listening because that’s what he always does but that’s the extent of it. And that’s probably not what a child who’s just been left behind by both his parents needs. But he can’t not help, he can’t stand on the side. And Jon isn’t answering his texts, so.

Going directly to his house is it.

"Jon? It's me, Alexei."

[supersweet]

[ There's a quiet hiccup on the end of the line as Jon struggles to muster up a response. ]

Wanna go home.

[smokedout]

[Yep. Yeah. That's the voice of a kid that is far from okay... Dodger lets out a nervous little noise under his breath before speaking.]

I know, kid, I know... listen, let's get you outta the house, okay? You can come here and... I don't know, we can talk. Or watch a movie. Or... raid the kitchen, I don't know- whatever you want.

[He can't pretend he knows how to handle this... he just doesn't want to feel like he isn't doing anything to help.]

[supersweet]

[ Alexei. Jon was fond of Alexei. He didn't treat Jon like he was dumb and listened to what he said. He even agreed from time to time. So the door opens fully instead of the half-shut approach Jon was utilizing earlier. Still, Jon didn't want to seem weak or a crybaby in front of him, so he valiantly attempts to square his shoulders and look tough. ]

You didn't have to come.

[supersweet]

. . . I don't want to leave the house. What if they take it away?

[ The nebulous they. The people who manage Riverview. Jon doesn't believe they're bad people, but he knows they'll never let him keep his house on his own. ]

[supersweet]

[ Jon considers this quietly before nodding. ]

Pancakes sound good.