Chapter Text
Wheat and Barley... What's the difference?
After saving Metropolis without much difficulty (Clark likes to think), the Kent family has decided that maybe a rest is overdue. But, Life on the farm isn't so easy. I mean, Ma is already asking Clark to sort the wheat grains from the barley! God, can't he catch a break? What's the difference, anyways?
As it turns out.... a lot.
Taking one look at Clark Kent, journalist for the Daily Planet, bent over double on a stump of wood and shifting beige grain from beige grain, wheat from barley, you might think he's bored to death of this. Probably a punishment for missing a deadline, a dull story about the differences between the pain scale of splinters in the behind versus splinters in your fingers. But, it's really rather the opposite; If you listen closely, drowning out the constant background noise of cicadas and wheat crops swishing in the dry air, you can hear him humming a happy little tune to himself. A work song, one that Pa used to hum as he drove the cattle round and scattered the seeds, the same one that Ma used to whistle as she peeled potatoes and shucked corn. A song that Clark knew very well, very well indeed.
God, Clark has missed this; The hot Kansas sun beating down on the back of your neck, the occasional butterfly and the more-than-occasional horsefly whizzing around your head, and the feeling of dust under your fingernails. It was all so familiar, so homely and comforting. Being in the hustle bustle of the big city was wonderful, but it couldn't beat the quiet of the country. Lois had always been drawn to the city, and that's why he stayed. Sure, it was nice to have a constant stream of human buzz, but could it really beat the feeling of waking up to nothing more than a rooster's crow, and not a car's horn? He'd spent hours trying to convince Lois to come to the country, to come back to where he'd grown up and let her have a taste of his own home-grown medicine. Besides - Jon was itching to ride a horse anyhow, so why not give the kid a go?
The drive to Kansas was slow, a grueling twelve-hour crawl from one end of America to the other. Jon laid his head against the window and let the vibration of the glass lull him to sleep, the car engine and hushed smalltalk from his mother and father proving to be excellent white noise. He'd argued against the drive at first, trying to convince his mother that 'I can carry the bags, and dad can carry you! Krypto can fly by himself, he'll be fine.' But a stern scolding from both of his parents (Thanks for really sticking up for your son, Dad.) soon set him right. But, it really wasn't all that bad, Jon reluctantly admitted to himself. It was nice to just sit in the backseat and look out the window, watching as the surrounding landscape changed from city skyline to farmland. Krypto was laying on his lap, the dog drooling onto his jeans as he snored.
Looking behind her, Lois smiled gently as she saw how quickly Jon had fallen asleep. She'd taken a nap earlier herself, taking the chance to recharge her batteries while she was still passenger side. The family was only five hours in, and at the halfway mark she'd have to switch. She looked to her left to see Clark looking straight ahead, his glasses tilted slightly to the right as they always were, a small lock of his hair flipping down to grace his forehead with a curl. He was always so focused when it came to driving; A little too much super-powered pressure on the accelerator and the car would go flying. She looked back to her right, enjoying the view while she still could. They'd gotten going at 11 in the morning, and it was already reaching 4 in the afternoon; She could see the cows settling under trees, the birds beginning to slow as they made their way back to the nest, and the corn stalks filtering the last slivers of the midday sun through their leaves. It was a nice view to fall asleep to.
Waking up a few hours later to a gentle hand nudging her shoulder, Lois looks around to see Jon still passed out in the backseat, his head slumped and his arms around Krypto, and finally a friendly, yet tired, face telling her that 'Its your turn to do the driving. I let you sleep for an hour or two more; you looked like you needed it.' Sighing, she reluctantly switched sides, gripping the steering wheel as she started off into the night. It was dark, but the moon provided enough light to ensure that she wouldn't hit a stray deer along the way. She looked to her right to see Clark already slouched over, his head leaning on the window and his glasses slipping off his nose. With a small smile and a shake of her head, Lois glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 8:00. A couple more hours, and they should be pulling into the Kent driveway, gravel crunching under the cars wheels and dust covering the radiator grille. But, for now, there'd be a long road of tar and yellow lines ahead.
Yawning, Lois took a sip of the coffee in the tumbler sitting in the cup holder; it was far past cold by now, but the flavor was still there, and so was the caffeine. She blinked, rubbing her eyes and getting the remaining sleep out of them. Nobody else was on the road, so she let her foot press down on the accelerator, speeding up. Trees and fields became a blur, the only thing remaining constant was the dull shine of the moon high up in the sky as it watched her small sedan speed across the long country road..... A boring last stretch, Lois could be sure of it.
Hitting a large chunk of gravel, Lois jolts slightly in her seat and blinks, clearing her head. She'd zoned out for the last three hours and had been running on autopilot, keeping her foot at a steady rate on the pedal. Now, she was stopped at the entrance to the Kent driveway. It was a long, winding thing; running along pastures full of tufty grass and rabbit holes, with several cows poking their heads eagerly over electric fences to sneak a look at the newcomers driving in - they didn't get many visitors. She spun into the driveway and began the slow crawl up the road, glancing in the rear view mirror to check whether Jon was awake yet. Krypto's ear was pricked up, an indicator that he had felt the decline in speed and deduced that they would be stopping soon. Jon, however, was much less aware of his surroundings, and was still deep into his nap, his mouth slightly open and his head tilted far back against the headrest.
She turned back towards the front, seeing as the Kent family house came into view over the hill. It was quaint, a stout brick farmhouse with two stories and a thin chimney that always had a thin trail of smoke curling out of its top. Clark had always spoke of it fondly; the gentle noise of the farm around you as you went to bed, the warm summer nights where you left your window open to let a cool breeze blow by, knowing exactly which stairs made the creaking sound as you sneaked downstairs to watch the fireflies dance on the grass. Lois hadn't really paid much attention to these stories when Clark had first told them, but now she was eager to experience them herself - to hear the birds whistle their morning call, to see the horses buck at each other as they played in the fields, to feel the morning dew on the grass under her fingertips. It all felt so homely already, and she hadn't even parked the car.
She parked next to the front of the house, the stones under the wheels crunching as they slid to a stop. Krypto poked his head through the gap between the front seats, already awake and far more alert than anyone else in the car. His tail, wagging back and forth, whacked Jon in the eye, causing him to jolt awake.
"bgh- huh? What? What happened?"
He said quickly, looking around, before eventually landing his gaze onto the house. He looked over it with a careful eye, before slumping back into his seat tiredly; Lois could only assume that he approved. She chuckled, turning back to nudge Clark, who woke largely the same way. It was amazing how clumsy they both were - superhumans, capable of lifting buildings, yet completely shattered after a simple road trip.
Unbuckling her seatbelt (and hearing the click of two others following suit), Lois stepped out of the car and took a minute to stretch. Her limbs felt like lead, and her eyelids even heavier. She'd finished her coffee ration far too early into the trip.. she should have been more careful when she had it. Ah, well, no time for complaining. Soon, she'd be curled under crisp white sheets, a thick floral duvet and a soft pillow behind her head, with a more wildly-patterned decorative pillow set on the floor... Just the right conditions for a aching body to recuperate. But, right now, they needed to unpack.
Jon couldn't stand the tediousness of unpacking things. It slowed the world down tremendously; What was even the point of putting clothes into a drawer when, in two weeks, they'd be folding them right back into the suitcase? It was far more efficient to just leave them in there. But, as always, a mother's scolding set him right, and he was tossing socks into the top drawer of Ma's old dresser. He'd been given the attic room, one with a nice big window on the side that let the moonlight in and a big old bed sitting nicely in the corner. It was cozy, and he could share it with Krypto since Ma didn't mind having a dog in the house as long as he didn't sleep in one of the nicer guest rooms. Having finished unpacking all his belongings, Jon settled into his bed. The old metal frame creaked a little, a needy whine for a drop of oil that he didn't have; it'd have to quench its thirst a few nights longer. Krypto followed suit, digging into the duvet and plopping down next to Jon's legs. The moonlight streamed through the window onto the floor, casting a faint light across the whole room - it was comforting, and Jon fell asleep quickly.
Downstairs in the guest master bedroom, Lois and Clark were having one last cup of tea before heading off to bed themselves. Their bedroom was large, with a King bed and two dressers on either side. A large bay window with a day bed sat on the other side of the room, but it'd been blocked off by the curtains when they'd closed them for the night. Finishing her tea, Lois set the cup down and settled into bed... she tossed the decorative pillow onto the floor, wriggled into the crisp white sheets, pulled the thick floral duvet over her shoulders and sighed contentedly into the soft pillow behind her head. Her eyelids almost seemed to close on their own, and she could feel Clarks' strong arms wrap around her waist as he laid beside her. The crickets outside sung their delicate melody until even they tapered off into a doze, and all was quiet on the Kent farm.