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To say Kon was a little surprised to see Jon standing awkwardly out the front of the Titans Tower was an understatement.
The kid looked disheveled, red rimmed eyes and messy hair. His eyes were on the floor, hands pulling his shirt down like a little kid.
Kon was quick to usher him in, surprised the very presence of tears in Jon’s eyes hadn’t summoned Clark.
“Hey Jon, what’s up, is everything okay?” Kon suddenly was struck with fear, thoughts that Ma or Pa Kent might be hurt flashing in his head. But when his eyes met Jon’s, it didn’t feel like a catastrophic event had just shattered his life.
Sniffling, Jon wiped a sleeve over his nose. “Not really…” He winced slightly, flinching and hands coming over his ears.
It struck Kon as a weird motion. He himself hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary and he had super– oh, okay so it’s one of those days.
Kon slowly led Jon to the living room, careful to float just above the metal floor. If his suspicions were correct, he didn’t want to aggravate the problem. Jon easily followed, his eyes downcast when they’d usually be wide and open, looking around.
“Okay buddy, let's sit down, okay?” The older boy saw how Jon’s shoulders dropped in relief, the muffling of the room kicking in. It was a feature Tim had installed when Kon had complained that there wasn’t a place in the Tower he could relax in without hearing overwhelmingly. Over time he began to grow into his powers, but it was still useful.
As the two sat down, Jon looked up, lip trembling slightly. Kon only had to nod softly before it all spilt out.
“It’s all too much, I can’t not hear anything and Clark is in space and I don’t know how to deal with–”
“Okay, okay!” Kon placed his hands on his little brother’s shoulders. “I’m guessing a power kicked in and it’s really bad, huh?”
Nodding, Jon, leaned into his touch, looking so exhausted. Kon didn’t know how long this had been going on, but the idea Clark wasn’t available to help at all probably didn’t help his state.
It was pure luck Kon himself had the perfect solution for such a niche issue. Kryptonians were born fully able, but half Kryptonians half Humans had it a little different.
“Alright.” Kon smiled, already floating up. “You wait here, okay? I’ll be right back.”
The older teen wasted no time in getting to his room. He rarely had to use these and he thought it was only fitting Jon get to keep the crutch that Kon himself had relied on for so long.
As Kon entered the room, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Curled up into a little ball with his hands pressed against his ears was Jon. It mirrored himself, a twisted reflection that tugged at Kon’s heartstrings.
It was like placing the headphones on his younger self when Kon slowly lowered the device on Jon’s head. He didn’t have to be alone in this, not even when Clark wasn’t there to help. Kon wouldn’t let another kid suffer just because he wasn’t fully Kryptonian.
The switch was immediate, Jon’s head snapping up and fresh tears rolling down his face. It took a moment to register the near silence, but soon enough Jon was tackling Kon into the couch, face pressed into his neck.
Smiling, Kon let him pull away on his own accord. His hand came to the boy’s headphones, switching the dial. “It’s a special pair using small traces of Kryptonite to dull your senses. This dial can control how strong the muffle is.”
Sniffling, Jon smiled shakily up at Kon. “Thank you Kon.”
Kon didn’t hold back his affectionate look, heart aching at how happy his little brother looked.
“Yeah, no problem kiddo.”