Chapter Text
A couple weeks later, Jonathan and Lois were finally on their way to the optometrist she knew in Metropolis. The doctor was apparently really high profile, making it hard to get an appointment on short notice. But when your mom is Lois Lane, things often have a way of working out.
Also, she had been really determined to make the weeks before his appointment as easy as possible. Almost every evening, Lois asked Jon if his head or eyes hurt, if he needed any pain medication, or if he wanted to take a homework break to rest his eyes. The answer to any of her questions was usually no and the incessant badgering had gotten annoying by the second day. Even though he had a great family, Jon was used to taking care of himself, so the constant hovering from his mom made the inevitable appointment feel worse.
Clark was no help. He kept saying that things would be fine, and that Jon would get used to the glasses if he needed them. Every time his dad made one of those comments Jon had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Clark Kent may have worn glasses, but they were just for show. He knew nothing about what it was really like to have vision problems.
Jordan was the worst. Every time something about his brother’s upcoming appointment was brought up, Jordan could be seen smirking, or trying to cover up a laugh. Jon knew his twin was amused by the irony of the whole thing, but he wasn’t.
They had just pulled into the city limits of Metropolis when Lois broke the silence. “I think you will like Dr. Tyce.”
“Oh yeah, for sure.”
“There’s no need to be sarcastic, Jonathan,” Lois scolded.
“Sorry,” he said, still not meeting his mom’s eyes. When they were stopped at a red light, Lois took a moment to look at her son. He was very tense and kept biting his lips the way he often did when he was nervous.
“Honey, are you alright?”
“Yep. Fine.”
Yeah, right, Lois thought to herself. So when the light turned green, instead of continuing straight down the main road like she was supposed to, Lois swerved into the turning lane, then took a side street until she found a random parking spot. She stopped the car and turned to her son. “How about you tell me what’s really going on.”
“Mom what the hell? Aren’t we going to be late?”
“We have a few minutes. Sweetie, I know you. You’re not fine. So what’s going on?”
“Nothing. It’s stupid,” he mumbled.
“How about you tell me anyway.”
Jon took a deep breath. She was relentless. “Did you know when I was little, I actually wanted glasses?”
Lois raised her eyebrows in surprise, that was certainly not what she had been expecting. But she had a feeling Jon was leading somewhere. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah, it was a phase I went through because I thought…it would make me like dad,” Jon admitted quietly. “When I was five I wanted to be just like him. He was my hero.”
Lois had forgotten about that, but when Jon mentioned it, those memories came flooding back. It was true, Jordan may have looked more like Clark, but for a couple of years, Jon had absolutely idolized his dad. He dressed like him, talked like him, and always wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. It only made sense that he would have thought wearing glasses made him more like his dad.
“Oh yeah, I do remember that,” Lois said, remaining patient.
“Well back then I thought just wearing a pair of glasses would make me be like dad. And now…I know that it actually makes me even less like him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dad’s glasses aren’t real, because he’s Superman and he doesn’t need them. But I probably will need them because I’m…I’m not like Dad. And this just proves it,” he whispered. When he looked up, Lois could see the pain in Jon’s eyes. Sure, he was probably nervous about getting glasses, but there were some much deeper issues going on here.
“Oh Jonathan, come here,” Lois said, pulling him in for a hug, despite the small space of the vehicle.
“I told you it’s stupid. I’m not five anymore. I shouldn’t be so upset.”
“Sweetie, it’s not stupid,” Lois said, rubbing gentle circles on Jon’s back. “Believe me, I remember how much you looked up to your dad as a kid and that you still do.”
“I guess a part of me still feels five years old, especially now that I know he is a superhero.” Jonathan pulled back, trying to get a handle on his emotions. Lois reached over and wiped away his tears.
“I can understand that. And I know it may not seem like it right now, but Jonathan, you are just like your dad.”
Jon scrunched his face in confusion. “What? No way, Jordan is literally a mini- Dad.”
“They might share the same Kryptonian powers, but personality wise you have so much in common with him.”
“Sure, Mom, whatever you say.”
“I’m serious!”
“Okay, name one thing,” Jon said, still not quite believing his mom.
“I can name five,” she answered, with a glint of determination in her eyes. “The easiest one is that both of you have a huge love of sweets, because I promise, that didn’t come from me. There’s also the way you both have trouble relaxing. You always have to be doing something, or looking forward to the next thing. Let’s see what number am I on?”
“Three,” Jon said sheepishly, realizing that he had made a mistake by challenging his mom.
“Right, okay number three.” Lois flipped her hair back, totally on a roll. “You keep everything, trophies, pictures, whatever, you want to save every little thing. The attic is full of evidence that your dad is the same way. Also, when you smile, your eyes crinkle at the corners, just like his do. And lastly–”
She took a moment to pause, knowing he needed to really hear this one and softened her voice a bit. “Lastly, you are selfless, just like him. Powers or not, your dad is always putting other people first and you do the same thing.”
Lois reached over and took his hand. “When you agreed to move to Smallville because it would be best for Jordan, even though it wasn’t so great for you, that is exactly something your dad would have done. Putting other people’s needs before your own, that’s one of your dad’s best qualities. So as far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who’s Clark’s mini-me.”
“I never thought about it that way.” Jon squeezed his mom’s hand. “Thanks.”
“Of course sweetie, I’m always there for you. Are you ready to head to the appointment?”
Jon let go on his mom’s hand and nodded. As she pulled out of the spot and weaved back into traffic, Jon let his mind wander. Lately, he had been so focused on the ways that he wasn’t like his dad–the lack of powers made it pretty obvious– that he didn’t even stop to consider how many things they really had in common.
About ten minutes later when they were pulling into the parking lot, Jon was feeling a bit better. Lois was lucky enough to snag a spot close to the entrance. She put the car in park and grabbed her purse from the back seat. “Alright Jon, are you ready?”
“Yeah. But first, Mom, can I say something?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
“I know I said I was bummed about not being as much like Dad, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t…that I wish... If I have to get glasses I’m not sorry that it makes me more like you,” he said in a rush, anxious to get his thoughts out.
Lois looked at him in confusion, so Jon clarified. “I was saying having bad eyesight makes me less like Dad because you know, he’s practically perfect. But it’s probably something I got from you and I don’t want you to think…I mean I’m not sorry, you know, that I’m like you.”
Lois softened. What a sweet, precious boy she had raised. He was facing the prospect of getting glasses, which had to make him nervous, but he was also worried and wanted to make sure she didn’t feel bad about his unintentional thoughts.
“Oh, honey, I never thought that. I know how much you idolized your dad growing up. Of course you wanted to be like him. Besides, you inherited a lot more from me than poor vision.”
“Like what?”
“Well, your stubbornness for one thing,” Lois said, as she pushed open her door. Jon did the same. “Apparently I also passed along my tendency to get into trouble,” she said with a smirk, which elicited a chuckle and a sheepish smile from Jon. “But I also like to think that your bravery, determination, and work ethic are things you got from me as well. And the snarky attitude,” she added, making the conversation light again before things got too serious. “That’s definitely something you got from me, not Clark.”
“Alright, you made your point,” Jon said with a smile. He was relieved his mom didn’t feel slighted because he had wanted to be like his dad.
Lois walked around the front of the vehicle and gently grabbed her son’s shoulders. “Jonathan Kent, you may have inherited things from both me and your father, but I promise, you are exactly who you are supposed to be and perfect the way you are.”
Jon smiled again. “Thanks Mom.” He let her pull him in for one more hug, knowing they didn’t have a time for comforting moments very often, since they were all so busy. Lois was actually thinking the same thing, so she gave her son a quick kiss on the cheek.
“You could have combed your hair a little, though,” Lois said, pulling away from him.
“Aww Mom–”
“I mean it.” She took her hand and combed it through Jon’s honey curls so they laid nicely. “Did you even look in the mirror this morning?”
“Geez, Mom, it’s fine,” Jon protested, pushing her hand away.
Lois smirked. Jon had been so sweet and sensitive that she just wanted to run her hands through his hair the way she used to when he was little and had said something sweet. But being a teenager now, he didn’t always take too kindly to random displays of affection, so she had to be clever about it.
“Oh Jonathan, what am I going to do with you,” she said jokingly, looking at him fondly.
“Well, I hope you keep me around. I am a lot like you after all,” he joked with a smirk that was similar to her own.
Lois laughed again and put an arm around Jon. “How long are you going to be throwing that back at me to get your way?”
“Probably as long as I can, to be honest.”
As they made their way toward the front entrance Lois and Jon continued laughing and joking with each other. It didn’t have to be said that Jon was still a bit nervous, they both knew. But Lois would be there for him, the way she always had been. Instead, they both kept the situation light, knowing it would be easier all around.
After all, they were very much alike.