David Copperfield?
Locke rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The name rang a bell.
"Anyway," Locke said, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder, "thanks, Lionel. You've helped me out a ton."
Lionel perked up at that. "Well, since you're being so grateful, Locke… I'm not gonna pretend anymore!"
"?!"
Locke took a cautious half-step back. "What're you up to?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lionel rolled his eyes. "I just want you to show me your superpower!"
He set his coffee cup down, his blue eyes glinting with almost childlike curiosity behind his gold-rimmed glasses, mixed with a hint of eager excitement.
Locke sighed. "Lionel, this isn't some circus act."
"Come on, Farmer Joe," Lionel said, crossing his arms and tilting his chin up. "I saw that highway with my own eyes. No car crash could've caused that kind of damage." He paused, lowering his voice. "And don't think Gray didn't tell me about Dio vanishing into thin air on that helicopter."
Locke glanced at Gray, who was doing her best to blend into the shadows behind Lionel, trying to make herself invisible. He stayed quiet for a moment before shaking his head in resignation.
"Fine," he said, raising a hand. A faint purple silhouette flickered behind him, visible only to him. "But just a little demo."
"What kind of power is it?!" Lionel's eyes lit up as he leaned in closer. "Telepathy? Telekinesis? Energy blasts?"
"You could say that," Locke replied after a moment's thought.
Then, Star Platinum struck.
Snap!
Lionel's coffee cup vanished from his hand, reappearing a second later on a side table across the balcony, not a single drop spilled.
"Holy—!" Lionel's jaw dropped, a rare moment of him losing his cool.
He hurried over, inspecting the cup before whipping his head back to Locke. "That speed, that precision—it's like you paused time and swiped my coffee cup!"
Locke raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, This guy's closer to the truth than he knows.
Lionel took a deep breath, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Locke, ever thought about—"
"Nope," Locke cut him off firmly. "I'm not joining any of your science projects, Lionel."
"Tch, I didn't even finish!" Lionel protested.
"Your eyes already gave you away," Locke said, crossing his arms. "Last time you had that look with Dio and Clark, they ended up with a whole box of kids' science experiment kits the next day. Nearly blew me and Jonathan to kingdom come."
"That was an accident!" Lionel coughed, trying to cover his embarrassment. "Who knew our R&D team would actually put that in the kits…"
He cleared his throat. "Anyway, our surveyors found a small crystal deposit in the Afro-Asian region—"
Splash!
A loud crash came from the pool.
"?!"
Both men leaned over to look.
Dio's smug laughter mixed with Lex's furious protests. The bald kid was clinging to the pool's edge, soaking wet, while Dio stood on the deck, Lex's flip-flops somehow dangling from a palm tree.
"Your son," Lionel said, rubbing his forehead, "is getting more mischievous by the day, isn't he?"
Locke shrugged. "What if that's just who he is? Dio's only cold to strangers… well, and maybe Clark. Speaking of, didn't your son release a bunch of lab rats on my farm a couple months ago?"
The two men exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.
"So," Lionel said, picking up his coffee with a suddenly serious tone, "that superhuman who was after you—did they have similar powers?"
"We checked the SUV wreckage. It was just a standard build. Our engineers said there's no way that thing could've kept up with a Lamborghini. They called it less 'tech and hustle' and more 'straight-up magic.'"
Locke's gaze darkened as he recalled the SUV chasing him like a relentless shadow. "Let's just say," he said quietly, "that guy's power came from… somewhere else."
Lionel caught the phrasing. "Somewhere else?"
Locke pointed downward. "Hell."
"Hell?" Lionel squinted thoughtfully. If anyone else had said it, he'd have laughed it off, but coming from Locke… he didn't press further.
"Either way," Lionel said, raising his coffee cup with a slight smile, "thanks for trusting me, Locke."
"Same to you, Lionel," Locke replied, clinking his cup against Lionel's. "Thanks for trusting me."
Clink.
The crisp sound mingled with the poolside chaos and the soft coos of Saraphiel from the baby crib, creating a surprisingly pleasant harmony.
---
The afternoon sun lazily spilled across the gravel path of Kent Farm.
Bang!
The pickup truck door swung open.
Dio reluctantly slid out, cradling Saraphiel, who was squirming in his arms, tiny hands yanking at a strand of his blonde hair.
"Ow, ow, ow—!" Dio growled through gritted teeth. "You little punk, let go!"
"Dio," Locke said, chuckling as he smoothed out his son's tousled hair. "You're a big brother now. Be nice to the little guy."
Dio shot him a withering glare. "I never signed up for big brother duty," he muttered, but adjusted his hold to make Saraphiel more comfortable anyway. It was the only way to keep the kid from pulling his hair out.
Ignoring his son's grumbling, Locke strode toward Jonathan's white picket fence.
Jonathan's urgent call from the road had told him to come straight over. The guy sounded suspiciously excited, so it probably wasn't anything serious—maybe even good news? Like Clark buying a lottery ticket on the way home and hitting the jackpot?
Bang!
Locke stepped onto the porch and pushed open the wooden door.
Pop!
A shower of colorful streamers rained down on him. Jonathan, holding a confetti cannon, grinned ear to ear. "Welcome!"
Clark peeked over his dad's shoulder, standing on his tiptoes. "Where's the new member?!"
You guys…
Locke's heart warmed. So this was all to celebrate Saraphiel's arrival.
He stepped aside, revealing Dio holding the baby.
Jonathan's grin froze.
He stared at the tiny bundle wrapped in blue. "That's the new member?"
"What else would it be?" Locke asked, puzzled.
"Hahaha!" Jonathan burst into exaggerated laughter, slinging an arm around a confused Clark. "Come on, son, let's welcome the new member!"
"But…" Clark tilted his head, studying Saraphiel before looking up. "Dad, didn't you say I was getting an aunt? How's it a…"
"A tiny baby?"
Silence.
The kind of silence where you could hear the living room clock ticking.
Jonathan's face turned redder by the second.
Locke suddenly realized why the neighbors had been giving him those knowing looks on the way here.
"Jonathan Kent!" Locke growled, spitting out his brother's full name. "You didn't—!"
---
A few minutes later, in the Kent family living room.
Martha sat on the couch, cradling Saraphiel, gently patting the bundle as the baby cooed contentedly.
"Grown man, still so impulsive," she said, shooting her husband a teasing glare before giggling as she played with the baby. "Good luck cleaning this one up."
Jonathan slumped into the couch, looking deflated. He glanced at Locke. "Total misunderstanding, brother."
"Misunderstanding?" Locke rubbed his forehead. "What kind of misunderstanding has you spreading the word in a matter of hours that 'Locke Kent, the guy we all watched grow up, finally ditched the bachelor life, found a girlfriend, and the Kents are throwing a wedding soon, so everyone better show up'?! The whole town of Smallville knows by now!"
"You're going door-to-door to set this straight," Locke declared. "We've got a new family member, not a new girlfriend!"
"Jonathan!"
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