LOSH Sunlight Naptime

[priestessofnox]

Sunlight Naptime

Not many people knew this but Superman was a lot like a cat. Brainy first noticed it the first week Superman had joined the Legion when they were having a meeting in a room with windows facing the sunlight. While the others were listening to Lightning Lad go over their last mission, Brainy noticed that Superman looked drowsy and, whenever he thought no one was looking, would stretch out and try to rest himself in a beam of sunlight from the window.

At first Brainy didn’t think anything of it. To him it was only logical that Superman would seek out sunlight when he was tired. Yellow sunlight was the source of the kryptonian’s strength, whether he knew it or not.

The second time Brainy noticed it was when most of the Legionnaires where in the lounge together. Lightning Lad and Bouncing Boy where playing a video game while all three Triplicate Girls cheered. He and Saturn Girl were reading at a safe distance and he really didn’t know where the newly joined Timber Wolf and Phantom Girl were.

Looking up from his reading, Brainy saw that Superman had fallen asleep on the couch, spread out in the sunlight from the window. It was an interesting sight; Superman bathing in sunlight like a cat with his cape over him, making it look like a blanket. He looked around, noting that no one else had noticed.

It would be easy to allow Superman to nap on, but he knew from Lightning Lad’s complaining after falling asleep on it that the couch was uncomfortable. Then again, Superman was invulnerable. Soreness may not be an issue. Then again, if either Lightning Lad or Bouncing Boy noticed Superman sleeping they would probably take the opportunity to draw something crude on his face.

Walking over, Brainy shook Superman’s shoulder.

Sleepily, Superman opened his eyes and gazed up at Brainy.

“Wha?”

“You probably don’t want to sleep here. The couch is known to cause injury and Lightning Lad and Bouncing Boy are known for their pranks,” said Brainy.

Sitting up, Superman yawned. He then gave Brainy a small smile.

“Thanks Brainy.”

After watching Superman leave, possibly to continue his lap elsewhere, Brainy turned to go back to his seat, seeing Saturn Girl watching him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” said Saturn Girl, returning to her own reading.

The third time Brainy noticed it was when he went looking for Superman to give him his report about the scavenger threat. When Superman was not to be found in the usual places, he went to Superman’s room. He had been vaguely surprised when he went to knock on the door and it automatically opened. Superman might have not figured out how to lock his door yet.

Walking in, Brainy’s eyes immediately landed on Superman, or rather Clark, sleeping on his bed, again in the sunlight. He would have walked right back out, but he noticed Clark was still wearing his glasses. Walking over, he reached out to take off the glasses, pausing when he saw Clark looking at him.

“Your glasses could get bent,” said Brainy, taking the glasses with him as he withdrew his hand.

“Thanks,” mumbled Clark, falling back asleep.

Brainy observed Clark for a moment longer before putting his report and the glasses on Clark’s desk and leaving the room.

After that Brainy began to wonder if there was something affecting Clark and his powers that was making him tired on a regular basis. He began to think about possible tests he could administer, but put them on hold when Superman became friends with Alexis. They were then forgotten when Superman cut off Brainy’s attempt to contact him and Brainy got injured, resulting in the scavengers escape.

In the chaos that followed, half of the headquarters had been damaged. It took all night and some of the following day to complete repairs. Soon after that Brainy completed his report along with strategies to counter another scavenger attack, even though it was unlikely they would be lead by Alexis again.

When he was hunting down everyone to give them their copies, Brainy gave two of them to Saturn Girl.

“Give one to Superman when you see him.”

Saturn Girl handed the spare right back to Brainy.

“You give it to him.”

“I don’t know where he is,” said Brainy.

“He’s in his room,” said Saturn Girl, and left Brainy in the hallway.

Arriving at Superman’s room, Brainy hesitated but went to knock on the door, unsurprised this time when it opened automatically. He walked in, placing the report on the desk and turned to leave. Yet, curiosity held him back.

Turning back around he saw that Superman was sleeping in the sunlight, crunched up on one side so his entire body could bath in it. He wondered if Superman had done it on purpose or if he did it instinctively.

Walking over to the window, Brainy pulled back the curtains so as much sunlight as possible shined into the room. He glanced at Superman one last time before leaving.

Before Brainy knew it, checking in on Superman in the afternoon had become a habit. He reasoned it was to make sure that Superman wasn’t wearing his glasses if he had changed into his normal clothes, or to open the curtains further so he could get the most sunlight possible, but he couldn’t find the reason why he cared.

Either way Brainy got a better look at the way Superman felt by seeing him sleep. For days after Alexis, Superman slept crunched up. Then, after the fight with Drax, the curling up had gotten worse and he had somehow arranged his blanket and pillow around him like a nest, fidgeting at the slightest sound. He only seem to relax after the Intergalactic Games where he, Phantom Girl and Lightning Lad had successively protected Phantom Girl’s mother, the president of the United Planets, from the Fatal Five’s kidnapping plot.

It seemed that everything was going well until the fear factory. It must have affected Superman more then Brainy realized for when Brainy made his usual visit the day after, Superman had not only kicked off his covers and pillow but was tossing and turning in and out of the sunlight as if having a nightmare.

Not realizing that he would have to explain his presence there, Brainy rushed over and shook him.

Waking up, Superman looked up at Brainy with only half-seeing eyes.

“Brainy?”

“Superman, you were-” began Brainy, but he didn’t get the chance to finish. Superman had sat up and pulled Brainy to him, bringing him back down to the bed with him was he laid back down. Needless to say, Brainy didn’t know what to say to such a unsuspected reaction to his presence. “Superman?”

Holding onto Brainy, Superman buried one of his hands into the other boy’s hair as if not hearing what he had said.

“I was so scared that I had lost you.”

“I-I’m sorry,” said Brainy, having not realized that Superman had been so scared of not being able to save someone that he would react in such a way, towards him of all people. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Always worried,” murmured Superman, falling back asleep.

Not sure what to make of it, Brainy was thankful that Superman’s hold on him had loosened when he had fallen back asleep. He untangled himself from Superman’s embrace and fled the room, thinking that there had to be something wrong with his heart.

Brainy didn’t return again until after Superman and Timber Wolf had saved him from horribly gone wrong alignment. It was the first time Brainy went to Superman’s room expecting him to be asleep and finding him awake. He couldn’t get over how… depressed Superman looked, sitting on his bed with his hands together and his head bent.

“Something wrong?”

Looking up, Superman half heartedly smiled.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“I’m fine thanks to you and Timber Wolf,” said Brainy, hopeing the pause that came before Timber Wolf’s name hadn’t been too noticeable.

“You almost weren’t,” said Superman, bowing his head again.

Walking over, Brainy sat on the bed next to Superman.

“Even if something happened and I had, expired, it would be by no means your fault. You didn’t have your powers and Zoon would have been a dangerous even with them. If I had been in my right mind I never would have asked you to go.”

Superman looked at Brainy in surprise.

“But you would have shut down permanently if we hadn’t gone.”

“My friends safety means more then my own,” said Brainy. “And I knew I risked death when I left Colu. Dying because of difficulties with the alignment would have been my own doing and I wouldn’t expect anyone to put themselves at risk for me.”

“You were brave to leave Colu,” said Superman, catching Brainy’s eyes with his own. “And we are your friends. We wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.”

Brainy softly smiled.

“Thank you.”

Superman smiled back.

“You said that already.”

“I meant it,” said Brainy.

For weeks afterwards Brainy continued to check in on Superman and, most times, he was sleeping peacefully. Other times, when Superman was awake, they would talk. Either way they were enjoyable afternoons.

Then came the Sun Eater. As devastating as the ordeal was, Brainy felt worse about Superman talking about leaving. He knew that Superman would have to go back eventually, but why did he feel so bad about it?

When Brainy went to Superman’s room, possibly for the last time, he almost didn’t go in. Superman didn’t need him checking up on him all the time. Yet this would probably be the last time.

Taking in a deep breath, Brainy walked in. He smiled when he saw Superman sleeping, not sure if he could handle conversation at the moment. He opened the curtains and glanced over at Superman, surprised to see that he was wearing his glasses with his super suit. It wasn’t like Superman actually needed the glasses, why would he be wearing them without the rest of his normal clothes?

Moving over to the bed, Brainy had barely reached out for the glasses when Superman reached up and pulled Brainy down to him, but unlike before Superman didn’t just hold Brainy to him. This time Superman, once Brainy was against him, quickly turned so they were both on their sides with Brainy away from the edge of the bed where he couldn’t easily escape.

Also, unlike before, Superman wasn’t asleep. He gave a shocked Brainy a smile.

“People always underestimate the glasses.”

“H-have you been awake all of those times?” asked Brainy, his mind racing with unfamiliar confusing as he watched Superman remove his glasses and place them aside.

“Not all of those times,” said Superman, becoming serious. “I thought this would be the easiest way to talk to you, before I left. I-I really like you Brainy. All those times you came here, they meant a lot to me. Thank you.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” admitted Brainy softly.

“Me too,” said Superman.

Their lips touched tentatively, and Brainy could have sworn Superman practically purred when Brainy buried his hand in his hair.