American comic book: My Father is Superman, am I just an NPC?

Chapter 2 instilled fear in Superman!
There was silence in the office for a long time.

However, Dr. Hannibal noticed all of Ian's changes in expression.

"You are very wary of me... but that's normal, after all, today is our first meeting, and it takes some time to build trust between us."

"That's enough for today. I need some time to properly study your situation," Dr. Hannibal said to the boy in a calm tone.

"Is my illness very strange?"

Ian couldn't help but ask.

"No, it's just psychological stress, not a mental illness. Don't put too much pressure on yourself." Dr. Hannibal put down his notebook and pen, stood up, and straightened his clothes.

"I recommend that you try writing, or drawing, which is also a good option. Expressing the stories in your dreams can help reduce their impact on you."

"Being plagued by nightmares is not necessarily a bad thing. It may help you become a great creator. I know that many famous writers' timeless classics come from dreams formed in the subconscious."

Dr. Hannibal finally offered some highly professional advice.

"Maybe, I'll give it a try." Ian raised an eyebrow. He had long had the idea of ​​becoming a plagiarist, but he hadn't found the right opportunity yet.

"Great, I look forward to our next meeting."

Dr. Hannibal, with a gentle smile, escorted Ian to the front door. Outside, Ian's adoptive parents, Clark Kent and Louise Lane, had been waiting for some time.

"Ian, how are you feeling?" Louise has the capable temperament typical of a strong woman, but when facing her family, she is not as assertive as she is in the workplace.

"good?"

Ian accepted his mother's hug and then looked at his father, Clark Kent, behind her. This man, who possessed the power of a "god among men," did not look particularly imposing when he wore glasses; on the contrary, he looked quite refined. If he were in a gym, he would probably be mistaken for a newbie by the gym veterans.

“You two can come into my office and talk,” Dr. Hannibal said, glancing at the two adults and pointing to the waiting area outside his office.

“It won’t take too long. Mr. Kent can play with some toys over there.” Dr. Hannibal’s suggestion made Ian roll his eyes inwardly—he wasn’t really a child. He had lived to be fourteen years old. How could he possibly like playing with building blocks?
Simply ridiculous!
Despite thinking this, Ian went over anyway. He turned around and saw Clark and Louise go into the office, and then Dr. Hannibal closed the office door.

"Is something wrong with Ian?" Clark looked at the doctor closing the door and couldn't help but show a slightly worried expression. He had clearly realized that the situation might not be simple.

"It's a huge problem."

Dr. Hannibal's response made Louise's heart leap into her throat.

"What kind of problem?"

She asked quickly.

Dr. Hannibal walked to the table where his notebook was placed. "First of all, many of his words prove that he believes there is a real world in his dreams."

"And he also felt that both his dreams and the world we live in were very dangerous..." This doctor was indeed professional, grasping the details in Ian's words.

"Perhaps it's because we're both journalists, and we often write about negative social news from home, that's why little Ian is so anxious?"

Louise felt a pang of self-reproach and guilt upon hearing this. Clark, standing beside her, gently embraced his wife and looked at Dr. Hannibal with a slightly worried expression.

"If we try to be more careful and prevent him from accessing that information, will his condition improve?" Clark's voice had the magnetic quality characteristic of a mature man.

“This is something you have to do, and it will indeed help to some extent, but it still needs to be combined with medication. He is already in the stage of transitioning from paranoia to schizophrenia.” Dr. Hannibal took out a prescription and quickly wrote down several medications that he thought were suitable.

He had clearly already sensed the boy's fear of him.

"We can try to mix it into his food so he can eat it, avoiding any resistance or unnecessary psychological burden," Dr. Hannibal said, handing over the prescription for the medication.

"Okay, we'll do as you say, doctor."

Louise took the prescription and carefully put it in her purse. She and her husband exchanged a glance, both hiding their worry, and went out to pick up Ian with smiles on their faces.

"It's time to go back, little one."

Clark patted Ian on the shoulder.

Ian, who was building a Gundam with blocks, quickly stood up and patted his butt.

"what did the doctor say?"

Ian began trying to gather information.

"The doctor thinks you shouldn't be so tense about studying all the time. Tonight you need to do something unrelated to studying." Louise's acting skills as a well-known journalist were superb.

She straightened Ian's collar.

“Yes, you might be able to learn car repair from me, just like your two older brothers did,” Clark suggested as he led his wife and youngest son back onto the street.

The metropolis is very prosperous.

Everywhere you look, there are skyscrapers and bustling traffic, but the people living here are also a bit impatient, perhaps because the metropolis is not far from the beautiful and talented Gotham.

"Beep beep beep!!" A large truck drove by and honked its horn frantically a few times.

Ian's body stiffened considerably.

"what happened?"

Clark, who had been supporting Ian's back, noticed Ian's reaction.

"It's nothing, I was just startled." Even after fourteen years, Ian was still a little traumatized by the truck, naturally because of the way he traveled through time.

Anyone who has ever traveled through time knows that the reason that leads to time travel is always unforgettable. Ian still remembers the last thing he heard before he traveled through time: "I thought it was just a speed bump, officer. My whole family is struggling to survive. You can't impound my car. Please trust my insurance company!"

I've had such an experience.

Ian was indeed left with deep psychological trauma.

“Honey, you really need to find something else to do besides studying.” A hint of worry flashed in Louise’s eyes. Neither she nor Clark could quite understand Ian’s strange reactions.

"Yes, the doctor gave me some advice."

Ian's answer relieved the couple somewhat.

soon.

The three of them returned home.

It's a small, detached house, not very big, but still a small, independent house. Because it's still school time, the two older brothers, Jonathan and Jordan, haven't come back yet.

"I still have a report to finish and need to go back to the newspaper office. Could you please make dinner for me tonight?" Louise, as a top reporter, is usually very busy.

In contrast, Clark sacrificed his career somewhat for his family.

"No problem at all."

The mighty Superman kissed his wife goodbye and put on a cooking apron. He was about to ask Ian what she wanted to eat that night and if she would like to cook dinner with him.

however.

As soon as he knocked on the door and entered Ian's room, he saw Ian writing something.

"Didn't you promise us you wouldn't study so hard?" Clark frowned, his voice taking on a slightly serious tone.

“No, Dad, I’m not studying. I’m doing some literary work on the doctor’s advice.” Ian turned to look at Clark behind him.

He moved his body to make room in front of his desk.

"Oh?"

Curious, Clark went closer.

He had originally intended to offer a few words of praise, but when his gaze fell upon Ian's so-called "literary works," his expression immediately froze.

The Overbearing Superman Falls in Love with Me

What a bizarre title this is!

"Later, I also plan to write 'The Domineering Batman Falls in Love with Me' and 'The Domineering Aquaman Falls in Love with Me.' I feel that my domineering trilogy will definitely become a classic of the era and help me achieve financial freedom." Ian felt that he was still very cautious and chose an opening that could, to some extent, avoid copyright disputes related to the characters.

"???"

Clark's face was full of question marks. He hadn't told his three children the fact that he was Superman, so he should have been happy that they liked Superman so spontaneously. However, when he saw Ian's book title, his intuition told him that this was definitely not a serious work.

"Why don't you try drawing? Comics are doing pretty well these days," Clark suggested with a strange and somewhat exaggerated expression.

"Forehead……"

Ian thought about it for a moment.

"also!"

The boy eagerly spread out his drawing paper.

pity.

He had only written a title for the painting, and before he could even start mixing the paints and putting brush to paper, Clark immediately clapped his hands and pressed down on the paper he had laid out on the table with trembling hands.

The old father's tone was even somewhat frightened.

"Forget it, Ian, I think you should just write a book to relieve the pressure."

It's no wonder Clark's attitude changed one after another; mainly because he really didn't want to know what "The Overbearing Superman Slept With Me" meant, as it was even more stimulating to his super heart than the previous "The Overbearing Superman Fell in Love with Me".

(End of this chapter)