~~~

CLARK, 

JORDAN & JONATHAN KENT

~~~

They were all in a large bus, like the ones you'd rent out for a school trip, with the reclining cushioned seats with weird patterns on them, to hide stains.

Clark, Jonathan, Jordan and the whole football team packed into a thirty seater bus, it was cramped and Jordan could think of fifty odd different places he'd rather be than on the road right now that including his therapist office from when he was twelve years old and that therapists office smelled perpetually of old people and dying hope.

Jordan wasn't sitting next to Jonathan, he was sitting at the back of the bus while their father, Clark, decided he would sit by Jonathan at the very front of the bus with all of the chaperones for the trip.

Jonathan didn't seem to be happy about that but didn't make a fuss about it knowing he didn't really have anyone but Jordan to sit next to anyways.

~~~

Clark looked awkwardly towards his son Jonathan who was strung out on the window next to him as Clark was sitting by the aisle seat, Clark wondered if he should talk to Jonathan about it all.

About Edge, the note.

Clark knew he should.

But he couldn't bring himself to, it was like him knowing the truth was worse than him speculating about it.

Like the confirmation would make it all a reality.

Clark noticed Jonathan looked tired, he wondered whether the bags of sleep under his eyes was a result of what information Edge had against him.

It was the same look he had in the car recently when Clark was taking him to and from school.

So bothered yet unbothered at the same time.

Clark had been thankful when Jonathan had gone to Sarah's house thinking the outing would do him some good, it didn't seem it had done much good at all.

Clark leaned back and closed his eyes.

Clark thought to ask but he and Jonathan hadn't been on the best of terms, for a decent amount of time now.

Clark could see how that conversation would go.

He asks and then Jonathan would deflect and then Clark would ask again and again.

Then Jonathan would get defensive and then they would argue.

And Clark would be right back in the same position he was a few weeks ago.

With Jonathan refusing to talk or be in the same room as him no matter how hard he tried.

Having to let him off despite his bad behaviour, sneaking out in order to make it up to him.

Thinking he was the reason as to why Jonathan needed to clear his head.

So he didn't ask.

Letting the sound of rowdy school boys keep him awake, as his head drifted back on the headrest of the seat.

~~~

Jonathan thought that it was way too early in the morning, six o'clock, to be where he was sitting next to his dad with bags up to his knees.

Jonathan could feel his fathers gaze at the back of his neck, he didn't look at his dad as he was still feeling the effects of Finley's feeding from the day before.

His shoulder pain had dulled down to a light throb in the morning and his head dizziness had gone.

He had thought that his mother almost noticed this morning that there was something wrong.

When he walked down stairs and caught her staring at him and his oversized hoodie.

But she didn't say anything, just like how Jonathan knew his dad wouldn't say anything to him either.

~~~

They won.

After a tense match and yes Jonathan got some play time in with the coach finally letting him on the field towards the end half of the game, sure he didn't have the chance to do much but Jonathan loved it being out on the field again.

With Jordan no less, Jonathan thought he'd be more jealous of the fact that his brother was starting the game before him but he didn't, well a little maybe?

But nothing in comparison to when Jordan first started playing.

As they came off the pitch yelling and shouting in joy their father came up to them in the same manner though looking a little distracted.

"Dad?" Jordan asked.

~~~

Clark looked down at his phone.

He had a message.

Sam

18.00 PM

Clark I'm going to need your help finding Edge. 

He wasn't at any of his office locations. 

We think he might have gone AWOL.

Sam

18.20 PM

We have a warrant out for his arrest.

Clark looked back at Jordan and Jonathan again.

"Work calls, won't be able to stay ... it was a good game, you guys played great"

Jonathan knew from the look on their dad's face that 'work' was going to be more than his father behind a laptop typing up an article or two.

By the look on Jordan's face they both knew it had something to do with superman, their dad didn't even work for the Daily Planet anymore and spent most of his free time on the farm so that meant whenever he was out doing anything else he was covering for his superman duties.

Coach must have overheard because he jogged over.

"Don't tell me your running out on us now Clark, we won"

"Not running, a huge story just broke a town over. Sorry" Clark said, not wanting to have to go either.

"If you have to, I'll make sure the boys get back to the hotel"

Jonathan smiled at his dad reassuringly.

There was no need for Clark to think that they would miss his presents though the thought of Edge on the run did make him think twice before leaving the boys on their own.

'But since they are in the hotel room for the night, nothing bad could happen.'

Clark thought as he made his way out of the way of the football pitch and passed many disgruntled parents of the opposing team.

Flying away, under the cover of a dark alleyway.

'Right?' 

~~~

JONATHAN & JORDAN KENT

~~~

The hotel they were staying in was on the side of fancy that didn't put too much of a hole in their parents pockets.

There was carpet in the hallways with lavish looking rugs that made rushing down them in a sprint, an adrenaline rush, like they were track stars still running off the high of their win.

The team was lucky that they didn't get any noise complaints.

Jordan and Jonathan entered their hotel room that was fitted out with two double white sheet beds and a cable television.

Kicking their shoes by the door Jonathan couldn't help but start to feel his body hurt again, the day's events catching up on him.

Jordan however didn't seem to have the same problem laying on his bed flicking through channels like he had just taken a nice walk in the park instead of playing a full game of football for a couple of hours, they had run into overtime.

Jonathan unthinking removed his hoodie that he had kept on throughout the trip so far only taking it off when changing into his football uniform and even then making sure to cover his self inflicted feeding injury that he had given himself for Finley, before putting on his football kit.

Though due to the heat that had accumulated now that he was inside instead of outside in the cold.

Jonathan tossed his hoodie to the floor.

Leaving him in a plain t-shirt that sat low on his chest.

Lying on his bed looking towards the television.

What was playing wasn't profoundly worth mentioning really or what Jonathan would choose to watch in his free time but for where they were he could put up with it.

It took Jordan a while to notice to engrossed in what he was watching to look at his brother.

Distracted by his T.V. channel surfing only trying to look at Jonathan when he couldn't find anything else to watch and when to get his phone that he had at his bedside.

Stalling himself when he looked at Jonathan and saw an amalgamation of bruises on his collarbone.

'Maybe an old team member of Jonathans, wasn't taking it too well Jonathan had to move schools?'

Jordan thought about it realistically then amended his statement.

Looking at the colour of Jonathan's bruises.

'But they look to old, dark and blue, they couldn't have come from today'

Now that Jordan thought about it even deeper, that was probably the reason as to why Jonathan had been so secretive recently.

Wearing layer upon layer like it was winter since the start of the trip, no since ...

'That boy'

Jordan turned full towards Jonathan sitting up on his bed.

"Since when have you had -" Jordan said as he gestured towards his neck then back at Jonathan.

Who moved to cover his lower neck, where the bruising had spread to.

"It's nothing" Jonathan said, going to take the television remote control from Jordan who snatched it away from him before he could take it.

"It's clearly not nothing," Jordan said, pulling down Jonathan's shirt collar, stretching it out seeing the colourful haze that had spread down to Jonathan's chest.

Jonathan was just thankful that Jordan hadn't insisted that he take off his shirt.

He wouldn't be able to find a reasonable explanation to explain away the large cut he had on his collarbone.

"Well I'll be more carful next time ok" Jonathan thought he could rely on Jordan's squeamish nature when it came to sentences that referenced sex but he wasn't in luck this time, Jordan wasn't going to let it go.

"Next time? You look like you've been mailed by a bear, this is no next time" Jordan said sternly.

Jonathan didn't say anything and stood staring at Jordan in silence.

Knowing that giving Jordan a half assed answer wouldn't solve any of his problems and would only make Jordan more insistent and when Jordan got insistent it meant that he got worked up leading to their mum and dad finding out about whatever was going on.

Jonathan couldn't have that, for Finley's sake.

Jordan stared back, and let out a breath.

Jordan knew he shouldn't mention it, that fact that he knew Jonathan was seeing someone.

That someone being a boy.

He knew that he should wait for Jonathan to come to him with that information, and then act all surprised and offer support and stuff.

But he couldn't just not say anything.

What Jonathan looked like was more than just some teenagers snog leaving one too many hickeys in a corner of a hallway type of bruised.

He looked hurt and raw.

Jordan couldn't just let it go, maybe if Jonathan knew that Jordan knew about the boy.

Then maybe he'd tell him what was going on.

Even if it turns out to be the whole teenage snog thing, at least Jordan would then know that he had nothing to be worried about.

"I know,"

'Know what?' Jonathan thought.

'About Finley, about Edge, Finley's eating people thing'

Cause it was one thing for Jordan to know about Finley not really being missing or presumed dead and a whole other for him to know about the rest.

"What do you know?" Jonathan didn't want to jump into conclusions and tell Jordan something he didn't already know and then have to spin a web if lies out of it.

"About your relationship," Jordan said, rocking back on his feet a little.

"What about it?" Jonathan said defensively, only making Jordan power forwards in what he thought might have been a fruitless endeavour.

"Jonathan I know it's a boy, who you're with" Jordan thought Jonathan would deny it.

Run maybe, or Jordan didn't know hit him or something but Jonathan seemed more relieved, sagging his shoulders, the stress in his body language dissipating.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jonathan said with a sigh.

Jordan's words didn't really sink in because Jonathan was more relieved than anything that Jordan didn't know more.

What would Jordan have done if he had thought that Finley was alive? Or that their family's Edge problem was drawing closer to home everyday, with each passing murder.

At Jonathan's lack of a proper response Jordan laid his hands bare with his hands up like he was trying to calm a wild animal and said.

"I don't know maybe this, whatever's happening to you, is happening because of him" Jordan trailed off towards the end of his sentence not quite letting the implications of his statement out of his mouth.

Jonathan stilled.

Technically what had happened, the cut and the bruising, was because of Finley but not in the way Jordan was implying.

Finley hadn't taken advantage of Jonathan, he had practically offered himself up to him.

All too willing to bear with the pain in order to not have to see Finley's tired and starved expression as he tried to humour his presents that day.

"This hasn't got anything to do with him" Jonathan replied in a steady, 'I'm telling the truth' tone.

"You're sure?" Jordan asked, wanting to believe Jonathan.

"Absolutely"

Jonathan said now realising that Jordan had known that he was with Finley, well Jordan knew he was with a boy he didn't specify who and Jonathan wasn't about to tell him.

Stuttering up a half lie.

Not one that is too obvious but one that could be seen true if really necessary.

"It's just from football, the last couple of weeks have been ruff I didn't want dad to see. You know how he is"

Jordan did in fact know how their father was.

Even before Jordan had gotten his powers their dad had been a worry wart always carrying around extra bandages and alcohol pads when they were younger, it probably had something to do with the fact that he had never gotten hurt before doing normal 'human stuff' so he was always over prepared for everything, not really knowing how much falling down and scraping a knee can hurt.

It had only gotten worse since Jordan's got powers there wasn't a second where the boy's powers could act up even a little without 'Superman' there to help.

Jordan was thankful for it more times than not but he could see how Jonathan would choose to power though training rather than give their dad a reason as to why he shouldn't be playing.

There was a knock three times at the door.

That startled Jordan out of his thoughts as he went to check who it was.

"You know this doesn't change anything right? The whole you dating a boy"

Jordan wanted to make sure that Jonathan knew he'd be there for him even if no one else was, not that Jordan thought they ever would be in that position but even so.

Jonathan didn't look surprised at his brother's sincerity.

"Never any doubt in my mind, just don't tell-" Jonathan went to pick up his hoodie from the floor putting it on.

"Mum and Dad got it" Jordan said as he answered the door, almost reading Jonathan's mind.

At the door was ...

The entire football team holding up cheap beer bottles and snacks.

Jordan greeted them like he hadn't just formed some new type of snappy, chick flicks, bond with his brother

Going on to leave with them calling out for Jonathan behind his back.

Jonathan knew that they shouldn't leave the hotel, this clearly wasn't a sanctioned outing pre-planned by Coach but since his whole coming out, or rather Jordan telling him he knew he wasn't as straight as Jonathan thought Jordan thought that he was, had gone so well.

That he won't complain about a little celebration.

'How did Jordan even know?'

Jonathan wasn't too pressed to find out, so didn't bother asking, before he left.

~~~

Jonathan should have complained.

Jonathan should have torn the rooftops off with his complaining because this is how Jonathan should have expected things to go with him on the floor of a random street in Metropoles, his whole team standing around him while he cried on the floor.

His arm hurt, like hell.

Jonathan knew he shouldn't have stepped in front of Jordan when he was readying to throw a fist but he couldn't just let his punch that guy in that face.

'Who was he again?'

Jonathan swore he used to talk to him like all the time, but now couldn't even recall his name.

'Do I even remember half the people on my old football team?'

The answer was no.

It was also the answer to another question.

That being, could he see Jordan, a part of the team around him, calling for an ambulance?

No.

'Where was he?'

Good thing the pain distracted him from knowing whether or not Jordan even stopped his attack on their rival team.

Sure they deserved it, there were assholes and Jordan finally had the strength.

No, the power to stand up to them.

Jonathan couldn't let him, he knew Jordan would feel horrible about it even if in the moment it would feel good.

Plus they had health insurance, Jonathan highly doubted many of his old or new team members did.

So an all out drunken brawl wouldn't have been good for anyone, much less if the cops got called.

So there Jonathan was on the cold concrete being hauled up by the line-backers of his team and propped up on a brick wall.

Their opposing team having all dispersed back to wherever they came from when they saw and heard the crack that had emanated from Jonathan's broken arm.

~~~

'What have I done?'

Jordan thought as he backed away from Jonathan.

as Jonathan crumbled to the floor with a shout of pain clutching at his arm.

Jordan hadn't thought about his strength as he was going to punch the no named salty football player on an opposing team who couldn't accept the fact that Jordan was better than him now.

That Jordan's team was better than his.

All it had taken was a few mean words that made him reflect back to when he had no choice to rely on Jonathan to defend him and he snapped.

'What would have happened if it hadn't just been Jonathan's hand?'

'What if I hit that boy?'

Jordan didn't recognise his teammates' voices who crowded around him and Jonathan.

He didn't even really hear them.

Their voices