Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Time skip
Five Years Later
The passing years had been both a blessing and a curse for Kal.
Being trapped in an infant's body while retaining his full consciousness had been a special kind of torment. He was the most powerful being in existence, yet completely helpless. The simple act of walking, talking, or even controlling his own bodily functions had taken years to develop properly.
But if there was one thing that tested his patience the most… it was bath time.
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Kal had never been the type to let things get to him. But as the years passed, he had been subjected to something far worse than any cosmic threat—
Watching Martha and Kara bathe… while being utterly powerless to act.
It was humiliating.
Every time Martha gently scrubbed him down with a loving smile, he wanted to scream. She had no idea what was going through his mind—how he wanted to worship every inch of her, yet all he could do was babble like a child.
And Kara? She often bathed with him when they were younger, her young, growing body completely exposed before his unwillingly eager eyes.
The worst part? They thought nothing of it.
To them, he was just an innocent child.
To him? It was hell.
He had to remind himself—just wait.
Just a few more years.
---
Beyond the torture of his situation, Kal had also earned a reputation for mischief.
He hated being cooped up.
Even as a toddler, he had mastered the art of escaping from cribs, playpens, and even locked doors. It wasn't out of rebellion—he simply hated being treated as fragile.
Martha, however, didn't see it that way.
"Kal-El Kent, you get back here this instant!"
He had lost count of the number of times she had scolded him, arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.
And the punishments? Brutal.
No dessert. No bedtime stories. Being forced to sit in the corner while Martha gave him the 'mom stare' of disappointment.
Each punishment left a bigger wound on his pride than anything else.
Jonathan, on the other hand, usually laughed it off.
"Boys will be boys," he often said.
But Martha was different.
She was determined to discipline him. And Kal couldn't even argue back.
---
While Kal suffered his own struggles, another issue had begun to emerge.
Kara's growing affection for him.
At first, Jonathan and Martha had thought it was cute. Kara was protective, always watching over her younger cousin.
But as the years passed, her devotion only grew stronger.
She would hover around him constantly, holding his hand wherever they went. If another child tried to play with him, she would glare them down until they backed away.
She slept in his room, often holding onto his small body as if afraid he would disappear in the night.
Jonathan had once joked about it.
"Guess you're your little brother's personal bodyguard, huh?"
Kara had smiled sweetly. "Of course. He's mine to protect."
Martha and Jonathan had exchanged worried glances.
It wasn't normal.
And they feared what it might mean as she got older.
---
But the true turning point came when Kara's powers awakened.
She was 12 years old. Kal was 2.
It had started as a normal day.
Kara had gone outside to help Jonathan on the farm. She had always been strong for her age, but that day… something had changed.
Jonathan had given her a large bucket of water to carry.
She lifted it with one hand—effortlessly.
For a moment, she had stared at it in shock. Then, curiosity took over.
She tried to jump.
And soared fifty feet into the sky.
She panicked.
She crashed back down, slamming into the ground with enough force to shake the earth.
The entire field erupted into flames.
Jonathan had rushed to put out the fire, while Martha had grabbed Kal and shielded him with her body.
By the time the fire was out, the entire field was scorched black.
Kara had sat in the middle of it all, trembling. Her eyes had glowed with heat vision she couldn't control.
And Kal had watched with mild amusement.
Her powers had finally awakened.
And she had no idea how to handle them.
---
SHIELD had, of course, been watching.
For years, Nick Fury had kept a file on the two strange children. He had seen the reports of their crash, but aside from their alien arrival, they had seemed… normal.
He had ultimately decided to leave them alone.
But this incident changed everything.
The heat signatures from the explosion, the recorded energy spikes—this wasn't normal.
Something was different about these kids.
Fury exhaled, staring at the satellite images on the screen.
"We need to keep a closer eye on them."
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