POSSESSION ; INJUSTICE SUPERBAT

Chapter 15

Kal watched the sleeping child anxiously. Bruce slowly opened his sleepy eyes. He looked around his surroundings in confusion before turning his full attention towards Kal, who sat next to him.

"Kal...?" Bruce rubbed his eyes, yawning. "You're... back..?"

The child stopped in the middle of his words. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

He remembered greeting Kal, who came home. They spent the afternoon eating delicious cakes and sharing each other's stories. They also took a bath together! The water fight was fun!

Then...

Bruce couldn't remember what happened next. The rest of the memory was a blur. When Bruce tried to force himself to remember, his head began to ache.

"Are you having a headache?" Kal questioned, taking a bottle on the nightstand. He took a pill and placed it on Bruce's palm. "Here, have this. It should soothe your headache."

In the beginning, the child seemed reluctant. However, when Kal tipped a glass of water for him, the child swallowed his medicine obediently. At the sight of it, Kal was pleased. Meanwhile, Bruce was confused as he didn't understand the meaning of the adult's smile.

"Poor little one," Kal stroked Bruce's cheek. "The impact must have been hard when you knocked over the furniture. Don't worry, it will get better soon."

By instinct, Bruce wanted to pull away from Kal's touch. He didn't understand why, but the sight of Kal made him felt slightly uncomfortable.

"I... knocked over my head?" Bruce blinked in confusion at the sudden information.

Why didn't he remember anything about that?

"Yes, you did." Kal insisted. He pointed at the patch on Bruce's right cheek. "You also scratched your cheek. It might be the cakes. The sugar makes you too excited."

Really...?

The question popped in Bruce's mind. None of the words managed to wake Bruce's missing memory, and it began to frustrate the child.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Kal spoke up again, taking a package from under the bed. "I got you a gift, sweetheart."

However, before the child could think more deeply about his temporary short amnesia, Bruce's attention was diverted by Kal's unexpected present.

"It's for you. Open up." Kal gestured.

Bruce couldn't hide his pure glee. All of his exasperation was forgotten, as he ripped the gift wrap off.

It was something surprisingly decent for Kal, a Superman plush.

"Custom made." Kal pointed out. "It is illegal to imprint my logo on toys. But I make it an exception for you, my Bruce."

"Thank you." Bruce squeezed the doll in delight. "It was a really nice gift, Kal. I love it."

"You're welcome, Bruce." Kal ruffled the child's hair.

The only reason he decided to break his own rule was due to the guilt he felt. Even if Bruce didn't remember anything, Kal still felt like he needed to do something to make up his mistake. The sight of Bruce happily hugging his plush made Kal felt better and forgiven.

'It's going to be alright,' Kal told himself, watching the child admiring his new gift. 'He won't remember a thing.'

★

"Kal?"

The adult, whose attention was focused on the computer screen, averted his gaze to the child on his lap.