Sins of the Father

[cloned]

[For sunday_reveries using this picture prompt. I felt like we needed the third mentor's perspective. Kal kind of surprised me, though!]


Kon sat on the roof of the House of El in New Krypton typing out an email to Tim and Cassie. New Krypton was weird. People were flying all the time, and everyone whispered about him and it was generally not so cool. Thara Ak-Var was pretty cool, but Alura kept talking about him like his half human status was -

"Conner?"

Kon jumped a little. "Hey Kal," he said, scratching the back of his head. He closed his computer. "Didn't hear you there."

Kal smiled at him nervously and his hands twitched as if he were eager to futz with his glasses. Oh, great. Kal was in full-on Clark mode. "I thought maybe we should talk. It's been a while, you know?"

"Sure, whatever." Shit, did Kal know about the threesome thing? Of course he knew, he was Superman.

"Fly with me?"

Kon shrugged. "Let me just put my laptop away."

A few minutes later, they were flying out around the sun. Deep space always scared Kon a little. His TTK protected him, and formed a bubble with air in it, but it was just another reminder that he wasn't a full Kryptonian.

Kal cleared his throat as they landed gently on the moon. "So."

"Yeah." Kon looked down at the moon's surface.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Oh, they were going to play this game. Kon mustered a small smile. "Not really!"

"Ma says you're really helpful around the farm."

Kon shrugged. Any minute now...

Kal sighed. "Conner, you know I see you like a son - "

Kon couldn't help it. He gave a derisive snort.

"I do!" Kal insisted. "I know I haven't always been there - "

"Haven't always been there?" Kon turned around and gave Kal a disbelieving stare. "Kal, you've never been there!"

Kal looked down. "I know. I'd like to... I want to change that, if I can. I'd like it if you could see me as a father."

"Yeah, Luthor wanted that too." Kon said, glaring down at the moon under his feet. He pretended it wasn't so obvious that what he said had hurt Kal. He really did need to work on the not blurting things out thing.

Kal reached forward to touch Kon's arm. "I - look. Kon. I'd like it... you can talk to me, you know. I won't judge you. Even if... even if I don't understand something. I'll try."

"We both know what this is about," Kon said bluntly. "You could just ask."

Kal looked down. "I don't want to make you talk about it. I mean, I don't want you to think that I'm opposed to... I know you're all responsible adults, and, well, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't unusual, but I'm not going to try and stop you."

Kon scowled. "You couldn't if you wanted to."

"Well, er, yes. I just..." Kal dropped his arm. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm happy to listen. Even if you don't see me as a father, I see you as a son."

Yeah, right, Kon thought, but he just nodded.

Kal smiled at him and pulled him into a quick, tight hug. Kon hesitated, then hugged him back, tightly. He wasn't convinced that Kal was going to stick with his "good father" routine, but for a second he let himself think about it. Because it would be nice. His friends were great, but sometimes... it didn't matter. He was fine. He was going to be off to college next year and he'd lived parentless for years already. Who needs Superman as a dad?

Kal let go and looked at him. "Well. I need to get back. My break's over in just a few minutes."

"Yeah, sure." Kon sat down on the moon and looked down at Earth. His vision wasn't good enough that he could make out individual people, but he could at least look down at the planet and miss them. "I'll be there soon."

Kal patted his shoulder. "Just... anytime you want to talk."

"Yeah. Thanks, Kal."

Kal nodded and watched him for a few seconds, then flew off.

Kon stared at the Earth and tried not to think about how what Kal had said was kind of the perfect reaction. He'd kind of thought that Kal might be all small town about it and disapprove, or try to make sure he knew about safe sex or whatever the hell the Kryptonian version of the birds and the bees was. But instead Kal had been all understanding and perfect. Like always.

Kon sometimes didn't know what was worse; being Superman's clone or Luthor's clone. No one thought for a minute that maybe Kal's DNA would drive Kon to do evil, and Kal would never brainwash him. But he never had to worry about living up to Luthor's image.