Repairing an old tractor was honestly a bit too simple for John, a seasoned mechanic.
But this kind of work, the feeling of communicating and merging with machinery, made it impossible to put down.
He had even found a beat-up red and blue pickup in the countryside with Teddy, and when they couldn't find the driver, he got the itch to see what was wrong with it...
As a result, he poked around, and a heavily injured Optimus Prime popped out.
Then...
He and Teddy were surrounded by Autobots.
And on impulse, John brought them back to his family's barn.
To be honest, he felt he had been influenced by his adopted brother, Clark.
This kind of meddling when seeing injustice had always been Clark's personality, not his.
"Phew, all done."
John wiped off some sweat, sat on the tractor, and started it.
"Clatter, clatter, putt-putt-putt-putt-putt..."
"Perfect."
Watching the tractor go from completely broken to roaring back to life, even if it was just a simple repair, John was very happy.
He was the kind of person who genuinely loved his work.
He put the wrench back in the storage cabinet, covered the tractor with a tarp, then stretched and walked out of the warehouse door.
Even though he had only been busy for a short while, it was already evening when he and Teddy had arrived.
It was normal for the sky to go from a red sunset to a crescent moon within a few minutes.
It really did get dark all of a sudden.
There were only a few dim lights on the farm, barely enough to see the path home.
John had grown up on Kent Farm, and he was more familiar with it than his own farm.
He could walk back with his eyes closed.
He returned home with ease, pushed open the door, and passed the entryway.
Then he saw Martha and Teddy laughing heartily at the TV.
"Hahaha, this is too funny."
Teddy pointed at Chris Rock on the screen, who looked bewildered but kept an instinctive smile, and the whole bear was practically rolling.
"If I had known Will Smith would throw that punch, I would have found a way to sneak into the Oscars. Even if it meant being a mistress to those Hollywood pedophiles, I would have gritted my teeth and endured it."
"Hey, Teddy, watch your mouth." Martha poked his cotton head, pretending to be angry. "No filthy talk at home."
If anyone else had spoken to Teddy like that, this trash-talking bear would have fired back with even more vulgar and violent lines.
But only with Martha did Teddy behave like an obedient good boy.
This was Teddy's survival rule.
He could anger anyone, except his mother.
Martha also noticed John walking into the living room.
"John, come sit and rest a bit." She looked at her adopted son, who only came home a few times a year, with some heartache. "Jonathan is too much. How can he make his own son work as soon as he's home? Aren't his arms and legs still working?"
"Martha, you know I've liked this stuff since I was a kid." John shrugged. "For me, this isn't work. It's entertainment."
"How did you spend so many years in the big city and turn yourself into a reclusive old man?"
As Martha spoke, her eyes started to redden.
For years, John had a habit of only reporting good news.
But his adoptive mother could see through the hermit shell in one glance.
He didn't want to unpack himself right now, so he chose to change the subject.
"Speaking of Clark, even if he drove from Metropolis, he should be back by now, right?"
"Oh, about Clark." Martha wiped her eyes. "He just called and said he's almost here. Besides his girlfriend, he's also bringing a few mutual friends to stay for a few days."
She pointed toward the kitchen. "So Jonathan went to make a few more dishes."
John was curious.
Although Clark was approachable, bringing out-of-town friends to the farm was a first.
Still, John never doubted Clark's judgment in friends.
His mind was upright and kind, and as a Kryptonian with super hearing, no matter how much he restrained himself, he could hear his friends clearly.
If someone acted one way to his face and another behind his back, Clark would never keep them close.
John's only concern was...
There didn't seem to be enough tables and chairs at home.
"Martha, Teddy and I will head back and bring over some tables and chairs."
"Right, we don't have enough. Go ahead."
John smiled and nodded, then called Teddy and headed back to his own farm.
While gossiping with Teddy about how dramatic this year's Oscars were, he loaded all the tables and chairs onto the old pickup and drove them to Kent Farm.
"Hey, what a coincidence."
After Teddy hopped off the truck, he pointed to the west side of the house, where several expensive-looking cars were parked.
"Looks like while we were moving furniture, Clark and his friends arrived."
So the man and the bear unloaded the tables and chairs at the entrance, planning to move them inside in batches.
Just then, the door opened from the inside.
"Oh, John, Teddy, need a hand?"
"Oh, why would we need a Boy Scout's help? We each have four hands..." Teddy rolled his eyes at Clark. "Nonsense, of course we need help."
Clark didn't hesitate. He smiled, picked up a table with a few chairs on top, and walked in first.
John took the remaining chairs.
What about Teddy?
He wasn't even as heavy as a chair.
As a guy with no cattle, providing emotional value was enough.
As John passed the living room with the chairs, he heard Clark's friends chatting energetically with Martha, men and women crowding the space.
He only had time to glance and saw a black-haired man with his back to him.
The voice, though, sounded familiar.
Very recent, too.
The thought was cut off by Clark.
"John, come on, let me introduce you to my friends."
John put down the chairs and nodded.
Forget it. There are too many similar voices in the world. Maybe he heard someone on TV and felt déjà vu.
Following behind Clark, John walked into the living room.
As soon as he entered, he saw Teddy already sitting next to Martha, frantically winking at him.
John was confused for a moment.
Even with his telepathic sync with Teddy, he could not read that plush face.
He only knew one thing. The bear was so anxious he was about to explode.
Based on experience, Teddy needed to smoke a little to calm down.
"Everyone, this is my adopted brother, John." Clark introduced. "John, these are all my good friends."
The man who had his back turned turned around at the sound and looked at John with a kind, gentle smile.
John instantly knew why Teddy had that expression.
Isn't that Dante, the FBI Agent who caught Teddy?
John took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
He felt he also needed to smoke a little to clear his head.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)