etrayalogs | Cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon (closed)

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Cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon (closed)

WHO: Lois, Clark, Jon Kent
WHEN: Pretty soon after leaving the snake mingle
WHERE: Rooftop of the Daily Planet
WHAT: A family reunion of sorts

[Clark is on a mission like never before, and no one is even in danger. Except for a little boy's heart, maybe.

It makes sense to do it this way. He can fly faster without having to hold back to ensure Lois' comfort and safety, and this way she can secure their housing situation while he searches Etraya for their once-and-future son. It's the most efficient way to do it. That doesn't change the fact that he wishes she were with him right now, because even if he's feeling steadier about the whole thing, Clark is still more than a little unmoored. But that can't be the priority now.

The scouting trip becomes something of a reconnaissance job. He learns the lay of the land from above even as he searches for a kid with a mop of black hair and a familiar outfit. For the most part, Clark is looking down at the streets below, occasionally using x-ray vision to look through buildings. (Because what, maybe he'll recognize Jon's bones? He'll use the tools he has available.)

It takes longer than he'd like. What, did he think there was some kind of mystical dad connection that would lead him straight to Jon? Maybe. In the end it takes well over an hour of searching at high-speed before he spots a tiny figure on the rooftop of the Daily Planet and thinks — of course.

He turns around immediately, hoping that Jon didn't see him too, and heads back to the apartment building he'd dropped Lois off at. It's considerably easier to find her inside it.]

Got him. He's hanging out on the roof of what looks an awful lot like the Planet building, if you can believe it.

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( Lois has four keycards shoved into her pockets when Clark finds her on the top floor. At this point it's more because she found two consecutive apartments unclaimed on that level, both facing away from the hospital. Exactly what kind of secret Superman can be here remains to be proven as... incompatible with concepts of reality, but she's not going to say that right now. She's going to keep four keycards on her for two apartments and nod, mixed feelings swirling a little outsized in her chest.

Okay. This is fine. It's good, because now they know where Jon is, and bad, because Jon doesn't deserve to be here. This arguably means his world doesn't deserve to be on the proposed chopping block either, but that's true for all their worlds. )

The Planet building. Really? They have anything like that here?

( When that one kid had told her Etraya had a bunch of mixed pieces all brought together, she hadn't imagined the Daily Planet's building being among them. Why?

Maybe there's a hint inside it, maybe there isn't. She walks up to Clark and goes onto the balls of her feet, wrapping her arms around his neck. It's a hug first and foremost, something she feels he needs and thinks she might too, but also it's the best cue she'll have for them getting going.

Which yes, she also made sure the sliding doors to the balcony in both apartments here work, because the windows are painted shut. They can fix that later. )

Let's go get Jon.

[Clark lets out a huff of laughter as he wraps his arms around her in return. It is ridiculous, and he thinks maybe he'd feel more perturbed by the sight of something so familiar in such an alien place if he weren't so relieved to have found Jon. That feeling might come later, he supposes.

He lets it go on just long enough for his shoulders to relax a little before shifting to scoop Lois up, one arm under her knees and the other around her back. It's the most comfortable way to take her with him, and if she tucks her face against his chest he can fly a little faster. Either way, it won't take as long to get back to Jon now that he knows the way.]

Let go.

[And they're off.]

( it’s not that he’s lost — how can he be when etraya isn’t home to begin with? it’s that he doesn’t exactly know where he is currently. etraya looks and feels a lot like earth or the earth he’d been on before coming here but isn’t at the same time. there’s few things he recognizes here on etraya, much like that other earth, but the daily planet? he recognizes that and while it’s not exactly the one from home, it’s still familiar enough for jon to have made his way there, curious.

eventually he’d ended up on the roof, sitting on the ledge with little legs dangling over, red cape gentle in the way it blows in the breeze up here. hands hold to the ledge, head ducked down as he stares out beneath him — sees exactly how high up he is and he… sighs. he needs to find damian. figure out what to do here even if his friend doesn’t know him like that anymore. it’s a bummer, but. he’ll manage. he has to after all. also the whole having to prove his world is worth saving thing… he doesn’t really like that and what it means for the other people here and their homes. he wants to talk to aurora or echo — ask them if they can’t find a way to save everyone’s home because it just doesn’t seem right to determine one planet more worthy than another based on… he doesn’t even know really. again, he sighs.

he doesn’t notice their approach at first — lost in so many thoughts a kid his age shouldn’t be having and yet, he is. the moment he does notice them, though, it takes him a second to realize it’s not his parents from home but the ones he’d come across on that other earth. still, the image of them coming up… it’s so familiar and makes his chest tighten for a hot second.

blue eyes blinking, he gently stands there on the ledge, wanting to drift over to them and wrap his arms around them but he… hangs back. not sure if he should. especially with how his last interaction with his dad had gone. yeah. )

( Before Clark's even touching down, she's turned her face forward — lowered speed is a pretty good indication he's about to land. She blinks away the last of the wind in her eyes, already shifting herself to be set down with a pat to Clark's chest in the process. She's as windblown as she ever is when flying's involved, but she's smiling before she's got her feet on the rooftop. She takes a few steps forward, opening her arms in a sort of invitation: if nothing else, Clark had needed a hug earlier. She doesn't think Jon would be feeling that steady to not appreciate the same offer. )

Nice to see you again, Kiddo.

( She knows his name now, but it feels like she should start there, with where she'd last left off with Jon. )

Think you've got time to listen to a pretty important apology from a guy who'd love to get to know you better?

( blue eyes blink slowly as strands of dark hair blow in front of his face a little when a particularly cool breeze drifts by. his cape flows around him, gentle and soft with its movements much as his own are as he brushes his hair out of his face. ordinarily, this would be nothing. but it’s definitely something and he doesn’t want to overstep or make either of them uncomfortable. he remembers the way his father looked at him — how bewildered he was with his existence and how adamant he’d been about not having any children, never mind being married. but here they are. the both of them and his mom is opening her arms up for him and he… gently hops down from the ledge, sneakers scuffing at the concrete of the roof as he makes his way over with that cape flowing behind him, and gently buries his face against her. arms are gentle in the way they wrap around her, holding tight to her in a way that isn’t hurtful and he stays like that for a long moment before he finally mumbles some against her. )

I didn’t know if you were here, too.

[They haven't agreed explicitly that Lois will take the lead with Jon, but it feels like the most natural thing for Clark to hang back just a little and let her do it. Not because of some innate motherhood thing, she's just already built more of a bond with the kid, and she's easily the steadiest on her feet right now despite being the only one on this roof who can't fly. And he needs a minute, still — maybe not even that, maybe just a few seconds.

It would be a lie to say that Clark has no more reservations about having children, fulfilling his biological parents' wishes even in some small way. He still feels something uneasy in his gut when he thinks about it. But after talking with Lois, and now looking at her and Jon holding each other, the uneasiness feels farther away.

Clark watches them for a moment, taking in the sight of Jon and seeing him in a way he couldn't that first time. The messy black hair is familiar, yeah, a smaller version of what he sees in the mirror every morning, but he thinks he can see Lois somewhere in Jon's face, and it sends a sort of choking sensation down his core that doesn't actually feel bad at all.

It's really hard to actually look at Jon and feel like he could ever be part of some world-conquering agenda, actually. He's not a weapon, he's just their kid, even if he also isn't.]

We wanted to look for you as soon as we got our bearings here.

[Clark steps forward, bending down on one knee to get more on Jon's level as the embrace between him and Lois loosens. Words are still rattling around in his head, but he can't wait for the exact right ones to come to him, not when Jon needs to hear something better from him this time around. The details matter less.]

Jon, I am very sorry for how I reacted when we met before. I was — the way I was shocked was not your fault at all, and I should have handled it better. I'd like to try again, if that's okay with you.

[Clark doesn't hold his arms out in a clear invitation like Lois did. He's not at all sure it'll be welcome, and he desperately does not want to hurt this child again. But they're open, a little, and he is not going anywhere, and if Jon wants a hug from his dad, too, then he can have one.]

( he's sure damian would call him a baby for this, but. he can't help but need it — need the warmth of the embrace from his mother, even if she is a past or alternate version, and the reassurance that he's not alone here. that he doesn't have to be like he thought.

the way he turns his cheek to face his father there coming down on bended knee is both curious and innocent, arms still there around his mother despite their coming to loosen some. quiet, he listens — stares to him with those bright blue eyes he shares with his father and drops his gaze down in contemplative thought for a moment. it had been a shock for them both. his father, for not having had him with his mother where he's from. for him, with ending up in a strange world and coming across his father who didn't know him. they'd both been caught off guard and both hadn't known what to do. but at least now they're here, on the rooftop of this daily planet.

gaze lifting to meet his father's again, he slowly nods against his mother and, unwrapping himself from her, he takes a couple steps over to clark, stands there, then gently wraps his arms around him in a slightly more tighter embrace; he knows he can handle it. mouth pressed to clark's shoulder, he mumbles again. )

I'm sorry I flew away.

( a hand squeezes at the red material of his father's cape as he holds a little tighter. )

I didn't know what to do.

( Lois just stays as she's been, letting her arms be loose around Jon until he's ready to move on his own. She doesn't know if Clark would realize it's much of what she's started doing with him, very recently. Being physically present until the person she's trying to offer some form of comfort to is breaking away, to face whatever it is they need. Then Jon nods, and Lois wonders why she feels like her heart's in her throat when he steps over to Clark, and then, inevitably, wraps his arms around the man who may or may not be his direct reality father, but is, regardless, still Clark Kent. Or in this moment, with the both of them in their uniforms, Super. Man or boy, it doesn't really matter.

Lois trails behind him after a moment, finding herself surprised when she reaches out to rest a hand on Jon's head. She gently rakes her fingers through Clark's hair before doing much the same. They need this moment, or whatever comes after. She just wants them both to know she's also here.

Removing her hands after a few heartbeats, she takes a step back, in the easy periphery to them both. No, she has no idea what she's doing. She loves Clark, admits it to herself now, and she's fond of Jon even if that's also a strange, uncertain feeling. Not because she feels like a mother, since she doesn't. She wasn't joking when she told Clark there's usually a nine month adjustment period to the idea. Instead, she supposes they're getting more of the Kent experience, and why that doesn't make her heart feel any less in her throat, she doesn't really understand.

Hell. She's already getting attached, and it feels backward, because she's not ready to marry Clark, let alone have kids with him. Not because she doesn't love him, but because they're not there yet. They're still working on having arguments he doesn't just walk away from. None of that is anything Jon needs to handle. That's for the adults, being adults. So is it fine, in the end, to be attached to a boy who is probably some other her's son? Lois doesn't know. She supposes it's one of those things she'll have to investigate over time, or like with his father (whatever the reality), be surprised when she realizes just how deeply he's gotten under her skin. )

[Clark loves kids, has hugged or picked up or ruffled the hair of little ones countless times as both Superman and in his daily life, when the opportunity presented itself. More as one than the other these days.

This is different. Call it a tie of biology or fate (actually, he'd prefer not to attribute it to the latter, but picking one is not important now) or some other nebulous thing, but Clark knows down to his bones that this hug matters.

Luckily, it's not hard to embrace Jon. It's very easy, actually.]

It's okay. I didn't either. I'm sorry I didn't go after you.

[Clark lifts one hand to rest against Lois' even as he keeps the other arm around Jon. He'll leave it there as long as the kid needs it. It's fine. This time, he's staying.]

( he holds tight to his father — finds himself not really wanting to let go, but. after another minute, he finally does — pulls himself back and rubs at his cheek with his knuckles a little. no, he's not crying. it's just been a really disorienting week or whatever!

he stands there in front of his father, cape blowing behind him at the gust of wind passing by and he stares a little more closely to the man there in front of him. to this clark kent. this version of his father who is younger than the man he has for his father. same with his mother, but. it doesn't matter to him. they're still very much clark kent and lois lane, he's already seen that firsthand. )

I found mom after and she told me you just needed some time to figure things out. I guess I did, too.

Edited 2025-08-25 18:34 (UTC)

[Clark lets him go but doesn't otherwise back off, giving Jon an equally searching look. He's got a lot less to compare the kid against — absolutely nothing, really, since he's never had cause to even imagine his biological children until less than two weeks ago — but that doesn't make this any less..fascinating, or whatever the right word is. Not that one, but he's not sure he has a better choice. (He's a writer, he should be able to do better, but these are exceptional circumstances.]

I guess anyone would.

[Including Lois, who deserved more time to think about her own feelings than she probably got, who continually amazes him but is now doing so, like, extra-hard. She's pretty much been the glue keeping him from cracking up completely. He's going to have to find a way to thank her later.]

( well. you'd think that'd be that and everything's peachy now, wouldn't you? except jon seems to be mulling over something in silence — the cogs and wheels in his little head turning as he tries to find a way to say what he wants to say. correction: what the right thing to say is. because that's how it is — that's how superman is and how he wants to be as superboy: to always do the right thing even when it's difficult. )

I'm sorry I made things weird for you both.

( his existence being both the result of shock and confusion on top of a plethora of other complicated feelings they probably both have. )

If it's easier, I can stay with Dam— I mean Robin. He's my friend back home and his dad is here, too.

( he's just... never lived with mister bruce THE BATMAN wayne. although nightwing is here, too, so. maybe dick? he really likes dick. also, he has to go through the whole getting damian to know him again because damian is not thirteen but ten here and from a time before they met, so. that's fun.

but he needs to do this — needs to not make them feel obligated to have him in their life. even if the way he fidgets a little shows he'd rather not, but. it's the right thing to do. )

( Lois steps forward, shifting to be at Clark's back she she can brace one hand on his shoulder when she leans down to get on Jon's eye level. Partly this is to present a united front, whatever that means in context. Partly to back up Clark, whatever that means in this context. Lois is figuring it out as they go. There's no manual for this.

So while she also files away that there are people here who Jon knows, kids around his age presumably, and that kid has a dad here too, which means she needs to learn more about Dam-somename with the superhero name of Robin and his father, that's not the priority. Not right now. But soon, all things considered. By default, Jon will need friends and they are certainly going to need a babysitter, which is a consideration she's way too recently a girlfriend to a childless guy for, but here they are. )

Jon. You didn't make anything weird for us. Echo or whatever's behind Echo bringing all of us here is the only one making things weird.

( Then what's underlying that is... worth a deep breath in. At some point, she knew what coming to find him and actually finding him would mean. Lois might not have admitted it to herself, but now in that moment, staring into eyes as blue as Clarks or her own, it settles somewhere in her chest that this is one compromise they're going to learn to live with. )

We have spare bedrooms in those apartments over by the hospital. Which isn't to say you shouldn't spend time with code-name Robin or his dad. It's good you have a friend here. You should get to have as many of those as you like.

( Generally good for kids, right? Kids in this situation, even more so. She smiles, even as she squeezes Clark's shoulder the once, because goddamn. This was never in the adult handbook she wasn't given. They need to write one up. "How to Handle Alternate Realities and the Family that May Find You There, by Lois Lane and Clark Kent." )

But Jon, you're wanted where we are too.

( Wanted feels important. More than being welcome. Wanted means he has a place to go. Always. And if this is a little too speaking for Clark, she figures at least the wanted, for as weird as the situation is, holds true for Clark too. )

Edited (left a sentence unfinished, caught it!) 2025-08-25 19:44 (UTC)

[If they were still holding hands, Clark would be doing the Morse code supportive squeezing thing back, but he thinks Lois knows. It doesn't matter much because he's right there with her, nodding along as she speaks.]

Absolutely.

[To Jon not making it weird. To him coming home with them — for as much as it counts as 'home' when Clark's barely even set foot in the apartment building. But he trusts Lois' judgment, and the only way to make a house (or apartment) a home is to live in it, so.]

There's a lot about what's happening that's strange, even compared to the lives we usually lead — I'm guessing that's true for you, too.

[Because Clark would really have to question his own parenting skills if he/possible other-Clark regularly let his son hop realities. Whether or not there's an upper limit on strangeness, they're reaching a pretty high level.]

So we're probably all going to be playing a lot of this by ear. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I do think it can only be good if we face it together.

( he's relieved to hear that. as much as he'd try and make it work with the waynes — or dick?? — his family is where he wants to be, regardless of version, and to know they want him there with them. well. it means the world to a kid whose ten years old.

so, with that seeming to be settled, he rubs a knuckle at the corner of his eye and nods with a smile that brightens his face. )

Yeah. As a family.

( and at that, he holds his hand out, palm facing down. totally expecting them to both place their hands atop of his. a promise to stick together. )

[As a family.

They're not married, not even close to ready for that. They haven't conceived this child, and if Lois hadn't already showed Clark exactly what she's made of, he'd be worrying a lot more about her feeling trapped, obligated. Yet somehow — this feels right. Not easy, not perfect. But still right.]

Just like that.

[He puts his hand on top of Jon's. Yeah. They can do this.]

( Lois Lane can mentally insert a "found" into that family, because family family is something she's not unraveling for herself or with Clark for an indeterminate amount of time that is definitely not happening today. But sure. Jon needs that family, and they can be part of it, even if it's not the part Jon thought they'd be.

Lois leans her weight against Clark's back as she likewise leans over and manages to place her palm on top of Clark's hand. They're all in.

For better and worse. )

One for all and all for one.

( United we stand, divided we fall. )

( yes. they get it. the smile he wears shows how pleased he is and he even goes so far as to put his own hand on top of his mom's then, pushing them all down before they break apart. they're a team. just like he and damian — robin and superboy — are partners. they have to stick together here and help each other in any way they can.

stepping back a little, those cogs and wheels start turning again and he scratches at his cheek in thought for a moment before he's dropping his hand down to his side. )

Uh... is it... ok for me to call you mom and dad?

( he has to ask this now. )

I can... not... if that's better.

( although calling them clark kent and lois lane also feels... really really weird. )

[Clark casts a quick glance at Lois, because he knows how he'd answer, but to reply in the affirmative and then have her feel obligated to do the same or force to backtrack would be terrible.

Maybe it's a good sign for them that even three months in, they can manage some kind of silent communication, because he can tell from looking at her what the answer should be for both of them.]

Yeah. It's okay, Jon.

[It's going to feel weird, there's no getting around that. But hearing 'Clark' from Jon would would also feel weird. So if there's no avoiding it, the kind of weird that Jon's more comfortable with is the better option.]

( Three months in, and a touch of three years working in the same office, though only one of them was fully themselves at all times in there. The fact she's attuned enough from a still-new dating life when she'd also been uncertain if they had a future together should have been telling.

Lois will allow in the moment that maybe it was. Not for Jon-level implications, but for I love this man level ones. )

Wouldn't have it any other way.

( ... Because Lois is stranger, from a kid who she already knows calls another Lois mom. She knows it's fine to call your parents by names which aren't pointing out they're a parent, but it does create barriers, and it can be a bit of a pain in the ass.

It's fine. She can be "mom" for Jon.

Pushing herself back, with a brief, leaning in press of her lips to Clark's temple before she's standing again, she arches her eyebrows and settles one hand on her hip. If there's one person who isn't going to care that Lois is kissing Superman, it's probably their Superson. )

Not that the view isn't impressive, but what do you both say to getting off the roof for the moment and down to a less windblow part of Etraya? Jon, you still don't have a change of outfits, do you? Clark, you have to want something other than what I picked up from the convention.

( Lois would also love to go find anything to change into in this free economy (what the actual hell) they're stranded in now. Guess it's the upside to being interdimensionally kidnapped into a world-saving-justification-merit-system run by an absentee entity against their collective wills. No money worries. )

( well, now that all that's settled.

seeing the way his mom kisses his dad's temple is also familiar and makes him feel more at home, strange as that is to say when being on another planet — in another dimension?? — entirely, but. he's going to take the little victories he can find here and make do with whatever challenges or difficulties and even frustrations that come with being on etraya.

a glance down to his getup, he scratches at his cheek again. )

Not really, no. Just this.

( and, well. it really could use a wash, he thinks.

quick to turn, sneakers tap against the rooftop as he hurries his way back over to the ledge and hops up into the air, drifting there, cape blowing behind him as he twists around to face them. )

Can we get something to eat, too? I'm starving.

( the child kryptonian appetite is a real thing. )

[Nothing about this is normal, but the casual affection from Lois makes it feel closer to that, as does the request for food. They haven't been here long enough to establish anything like a routine, but this could be the start of one.

Clark is glad. He has a feeling that days and weeks to come will include very un-routine times, and not in a good way, considering the purpose for which they've been drawn here. But here and now, he'll take it.]

I would love some more clothes. Even just the two outfits is getting old.

[Mostly because of the convention clothes, not the suit he's in now. Too much polyester in those.]

And food. We should probably pick up some things to bring back with us, too.

[He can at least make a futile attempt at weaning Lois off grab-and-go only. And if Jon is already taking after Clark this much, oh boy. He's going to need to start meal planning or something.

He steps closer to her then, opening his arms so she can get hers around his neck and he can scoop her up.]

( With practiced ease, Lois steps into his open arm embrace, throwing herself up because damn if she's not a foot shorter than he is, and that's attractive to her, personally. Jon does not need to know that. If Clark doesn't, he's denser than his physical mass.

After a scoop up, it's fairly easy to decide: food first, and then clothes. And any of the other annoying necessities none of them have, like toiletries. It's like showing up to a work convention after your luggage was lost by the airline, and Lois can channel that very effectively once it hits clothing-etc time.

The diner and island over in Charronway has a larger menu than what's on offer out at WcDonalds, and in all honesty, she's glad to skip the snake infestation for a moment. The whole retro aesthetic is cute in its own way, and while the coffee she orders isn't anything incredible, it's also less oil-derived than what gets stocked at the Daily Planet (which she did not peek back at when they left, they can tackle the Daily Planet another day) and the sugar sufficient that she could offset the not-horrible into more-tolerable-than-before. It also means both Clark and Jon can order as much as they like, and they even have one of the bigger booths so table space doesn't need to be at an extreme premium.

Kudos to alt-or-future-Lois-and-Clark for keeping two super appetites appeased. She sips at her less horrible sugar with coffee, and notes that she might have her own super appetite, but it's highly unrelated to food. For the most part.

If Lois smiles to herself for no particular reason while they're eating, well, Jon need never know why.

Clothing has one bigger stop closer to the apartments on consultation from Clark, based on his conversations on the trolley and his flybys looking for Jon. Roxx is an eclectic mix of more styles than Lois knows what to do with, but it's enough to make sure (what do kids need?) Jon has a few changes of clothes, yes find the underwear and socks, yes find the pajamas, and after staring for a long moment at the lingerie unexpectedly slotted inbetween the pant and suit sets, deciding maybe she can come back later.

But since they're all serviceably supplied in clothing for the moment, it's easier to head back to the apartments, entering through the same sliding glass door left open that Lois and Clark had exited through some time earlier. Lois is making a mental list on what basics in toiletries they'll all need (beyond what she'd found pre-stocked, like the joy of toilet paper) when she's set down, arms full of everyone's clothes in one giant canvas bag (because it'd seem more practical at the time) and noting: )

Right, Clark, did you want to claim this apartment or the one next door? Jon, do you want your clothes in with Clark, between both, or over with me?

( Before patting at her pocket with all four keycards in it, looking to make sure Jon has one to either place. Because they have two apartments like reasonable, three-months-dating, just-official-last week dating people do.

Because clearly, no one's using the same closet. At any point. At all. Don't worry about it, Jon, this is just dating couple life. )

Edited (small corrections for my own sake) 2025-08-25 23:51 (UTC)

( he’s appreciative of the food he scarfs down — and it’s not too bad! — and is rather playful in the way he circles around his mom and dad while they make their way through the air. no, they’re not the clark kent and lois lane he has for his parents back on the world he’s from, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t his parents. it’s just… a little different. but when isn’t life as a super — or bat — a little different from the norm?

the moment they make it to the apartments, he taps down gently and hurries his way through it, only to come back and start rooting around in the canvas bag for his clothes they’d picked up. next on the list? games this place may or may not have and yeah, he’s DEFINITELY going to rope damian into finding some with him. for the moment though, to be determined! but with his pile of clothes messily in his arms, he looks up to the both of them before giving a quick look around. )

Why’s there two apartments? Aren’t we all staying together?

( Lois pats Jon on the shoulder as he stands back up and asks a Very Relevant question, but her answer is also entirely blithe: )

Clark still needs a man cave to retreat to when we're arguing.

( And she's heading off with the bag to the bigger bedroom in this apartment without further comment. Love you! )

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