"No thanks." Timothy quickened his pace as he walked away.
He looked somewhat angry and frustrated.
Colt followed, waiting until Timothy had rounded the corner and left the sight of the Bat Family, then Colt casually flicked his hand, lightly touching Timothy's hanging left hand.
'Calm, restrain, forbid the past, don't pull him into the Ghost field.. Calm, restrain, forbid the past, don't pull him into the Ghost field..'
Colt chanted incessantly in his heart. The spiritual power reluctantly retreated the way it came, settling within the Spiritual Space.
Colt used the same old trick again, touching the back of Timothy's hand once more. This time, the spiritual power did not rush over on its own, Timothy was not pulled into the Ghost field.
“Tim, I did it.”
Colt approached Timothy again, but this time, before he could even touch him, Timothy suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand.
Colt looked at his grabbed hand, his mind feeling as if it were split in two—one half used to soothe his spiritual power, the other half used to wonder if Timothy had realized he had intentionally reached out to touch his hand.
"You did it, I knew you could. That is your power, of course you can control it." Timothy held onto Colt, taking three steps at a time as he ran upward.
Colt was being dragged along by him like a kite.
..
Evening, at Little Reed's home.
Colt drifted cautiously into the room. The lights were on in the living room, but only Birdie was watching the last show on television today. Birdie gave him a condescending glance, then tilted its head and opened its beak.
The soft yellow beak was pinched, Birdie was manually muted.
"Quiet, quiet, you can watch ten more minutes of TV today." Colt made a deal with Birdie with a look in his eyes, then carried the ingredients to the kitchen.
Joseph came up from the basement, saw the sumptuous dinner on the table, said nonchalantly, "I thought you would wait until the Merfolk were sent home before coming back."
"Red Robin invited them to a private island owned by the Wayne family to recuperate for a while before returning to the seabed." Colt prepared healthy bird food for Birdie, specially adding an extra spoonful of millet, a few sunflower seeds, three large blueberries.
Joseph set the table and served rice for the two of them.
Colt watched Joseph's expression closely and asked cautiously, "Dad, did your friend find out that you were the one who destroyed the underground Merfolk pavilion? Did your conversation go smoothly?"
"It's fine, I told him it was to rescue the Merfolk, so he should believe me." Joseph ate calmly.
Aside from Robin Birds, I don't want to raise any other creatures," Colt tried to brainwash Joseph. "Humans and Atlantis have already established diplomatic relations; the law cannot treat Merfolk as pets. Morally speaking, Merfolk are intelligent beings, so they certainly cannot be pets.
Joseph explained kindly to Colt, "This is Gotham; Gotham has neither morality nor law."
But you aren't some mad scientist who ignores the law and disregards life. You are the greatest scientist in the world, the one who will be recorded in textbooks and written into history," Colt stared at Joseph, his face full of longing. "Just the thought of thousands or ten thousand years from now, when Joseph is seen by future generations as someone perfect in both knowledge and character—maybe even I'll leave a name in the history books as your son—it makes me so excited I want to do two more difficult problems.
Joseph looked at his son's shining eyes, swallowed his rice with difficulty, said in a weak voice, "Of course, Daddy does physics to make this world a better place."
Colt buried his head in his food, eating with satisfaction.
Joseph didn't rush back to the basement after his meal; instead, he made himself a cup of coffee with two spoonfuls of sugar, half a cup of milk, half a cup of ice.
He took a sip, still frowning with dissatisfaction.
Colt cleaned up in the kitchen, wondering how he should answer if Joseph asked whether the coffee machine was a gift from Timothy. He finally decided to say it was a prize from the supermarket, that the coffee beans were also a gift. Martha's Supermarket, under Wayne, was not a membership-based establishment; they held lucky draws every Wednesday, so he only needed to forge a supermarket prize record.
Joseph didn't ask anything, he just finished his coffee in a few sips: "We're all leaving on the 3:00 PM flight tomorrow. It wouldn't be convenient to leave Robin Bird home alone. Is that friend of yours who takes the bird to the vet willing to look after him for a while?"
"New York isn't far from Gotham, I can skateboard home," Colt answered innocently.
Joseph chewed on some ice. "Do you think you'll have time to go home and sleep every day if you want to keep up with me and Stark?"
Everyone needs sleep." Colt felt something was wrong. "We can bring him along. It's inconvenient to check him in on the plane, so I'll just hold him the whole way. Tony won't mind us bringing an extra bird.
Tony's home could raise not just a bird, but an elephant.
We won't be at Stark forever; once the plan is finalized, we'll definitely have to go to the Experimental Base to conduct experiments." Joseph shook his head. "It's fine if you want to bring him along, but once we reach the Experimental Base, we'll have to leave him behind in unfamiliar New York.
Colt looked at Birdie. Birdie had learned from someone, lately having fallen in love with using the sofa to sharpen his claws and beak, pecking small holes into the sofa and then planting little flowers in those holes.
A little bird without company will get depressed. Colt answered with difficulty, "I'll send him to a friend's house."
Joseph brewed a cup of coffee and instructed Colt, "You take care of the Robin Bird's things, clear out the contents of the refrigerator as well. I expect to be away for at least a month; I'm going downstairs to handle some matters."
With no one around for a long time, the instruments need to be powered down, the cultivated bacteria and rats all need to be dealt with.
Colt sent a message to Timothy.
【139, 0, 255: I'm going to New York with Dad. Can I leave Birdie with you for boarding?】
No problem, even if I forget to eat, I'll remember to feed him (*￣￣)
Birdie has a lot of things, but for short-term foster care, he only needs a nest, a birdcage, bird toys, bird food, bird diapers, a bath, a comb, a comforting little handkerchief..
It was a complicated feeling, as if he were sending his son off to foster care, but fortunately, the foster family was quite reassuring. Although Timothy couldn't even take care of himself, Alfred was very skilled at being a bird keeper. Moreover, since Red Robin loved animals so much, he certainly wouldn't let Birdie's life go to waste; perhaps by the next time they met, Birdie would have already learned multiplication and division.
Colt organized two large travel bags of bird supplies, stuffed a bird-feeding guide into each bag, then began cleaning the refrigerator. He planned to turn the vegetables stored at home into freeze-dried treats, make fruit jellies or fruit candies from the fruit, turn the meat in the freezer into jerky, vacuum-pack the rest of the meat for cooked meals, leaving only a small amount of perishable instant food in the refrigerator.
Joseph came up for a midnight snack at ten-thirty, then brewed a cup of coffee without sugar, grabbed a handful of freshly made jerky, went back downstairs to keep working; it looked like he intended to stay busy all night.
Colt was also busy until one in the morning, when he went out to take out the trash, he happened to run into Red Robin, who was passing by after finishing work.
Red Robin had originally intended to snag a cup of coffee, but in the end, he didn't get any coffee; instead, he was fed cooked food and jelly, only to end up as a laborer washing the kitchen and vacuum-sealing everything.
"Did you run into trouble during your night patrol?" Colt noticed that the Red Robin suit and boots had been washed, but traces of blood still remained on the hem of the cape.
Red Robin sighed, "I've discovered a serial murder case; all the victims are middle school students from well-to-do families."
Colt thought of his rarely used ability. "Give me a victim's name, I can find a way to uncover clues from the time of his murder."
Red Robin shook his head. "I already have a suspect, I have already arranged for someone to protect the child who might become the opponent's target."
Colt was a bit disappointed. He didn't like staring into the abyss and always closed his eyes to avoid looking at Gotham's darkness, but occasionally he would miss the feeling of night patrolling with Red Robin.
His heart raced, his blood surged; it felt so incredibly alive.
Red Robin naturally knew that Colt possessed special abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked him for intelligence on the school shooting back then, nor would he have entrusted the vaccine research mission to Colt.
The answers submitted by Colt exceeded Red Robin's expectations. Setting aside the oral vaccine, even Batman praised the infrasound specifically targeting Brain-eating worms and the insecticidal light radiation that was harmless to the human body. However, Colt's high fever and subsequent fainting also frightened Red Robin; he regretted entrusting him with the task without first understanding the cost of his abilities, he would not make the same mistake a second time.
"When I encounter trouble I can't solve, I'll definitely come to you for help," Red Robin said.
For example, in a dream.
The price of a Dream Gift was merely a deepening of the connection, Red Robin would make good use of it.
Red Robin used a tissue to wipe his hands, seeing the water droplets splashed on Colt's face, he reached out to help wipe them away.
Colt raised his head and closed his eyes, much like the white Maine Coon in the Wayne Company pet lounge—appearing cold and independent on the surface, but actually nudging his head under someone's hand, waiting to be petted.
Of course, the important thing was that he was beautiful.
Red Robin's hand lingered on Colt's face for a bit too long.
Colt opened his eyes, revealing a look of confusion.
"There's a little more here." Red Robin said in a calm tone, naturally wiping the tip of Colt's nose before withdrawing his hand.
Colt dried the last candy mold, looking at the food piled up on the dining table.
Is there any space left in your family's fridge?
"Yes." Timothy nodded. Even if there weren't any right now, he could just bring out some coffee and energy drinks when he got back, then there would be.
Colt divided the food into two portions, giving one for Timothy to take back. Seeing that the large and small bags would be difficult to carry, he helped deliver them over.
"The power in my house won't go out, there's some instant food in there. If you're ever passing by and you're hungry, you can take some out to eat. These pre-made meals can be kept in the freezer; just take them out and soak them in hot water when you want to eat.." Colt rambled.
Red Robin showed no sign of impatience, the smile on his face growing softer and softer. Being cared for by the person he liked made his heart feel as if it were soaking in warm water, the coldness brought by the serial murder cases vanished completely.
Colt could find no more matters to discuss, looking at Red Robin, who was gazing at him with a smile and merely nodding. Colt pursed his lips, suddenly not daring to ask for a goodnight kiss, so he deleted the "Goodnight" he had already typed out.
"It's getting late, you should get some rest." His voice had already fallen, but he remained standing there without turning around.
Red Robin took a step forward, placed his hands on Colt's shoulders, pressed a gentle kiss just half a centimeter away from the corner of his mouth.
"Goodnight," Red Robin said.
Colt's spiritual power surged toward Red Robin uncontrollably once again, but this time he did not stop it. Instead, he gently wrapped his arms around Red Robin's waist, lowering his gaze, not daring to look into those ice-blue eyes so close at hand. His lips were pressed tightly together as he tilted his head slightly and pecked Red Robin on the lips.
Fast, fierce, precise, the kiss was aimed straight for the lips.
Good evening.
By the time the voice rang out through Red Robin's communication channel, Colt had already vanished, leaving Red Robin standing there, touching his lips and letting out a low laugh.
Colt rushed back to his own backyard, stopped under the large oak tree, couldn't help but bury his face in his knees.
He actually really kissed, kissed, kissed, kissed..
Colt's mind went blank as everything that had just happened began to play on a loop; it was just like reading a book a hundred times until its meaning becomes clear—with every loop, new thoughts emerged.
The breath brushing against his cheek was warm, the dry, soft lips carried a faint scent of orange juice..
Colt licked his lips.
Sweet.
It must be that the orange juice was too sweet; eating too much sugar at night is unhealthy. I should add one less spoonful of sugar the next time I make orange juice.
Colt swallowed hard, trying to force his racing heart back down, but instead, that hint of sweetness invaded his heart. Bolstered by the surge of energy, his heart pounded even harder, his breathing grew increasingly rapid.
Red Robin's waist felt so powerful when lifted. If that uniform were removed, the sensation would be.. No, no, no, how could I describe Red Robin's waist in such a lewd way? Even for a homosexual, that's way too gay, way too gay, way too gay, way too gay.. It must be that the Ghost state caused such intense suppression in this young body, which is what triggered this hormonal explosion.
Colt shook his head vigorously to clear the thoughts from his mind and threw himself into the bed.
Just the thought of going on a business trip with his father, meaning he wouldn't be able to get his good morning and goodnight kisses for a long time, made Colt feel regretful.
If only he could go into Timothy's dreams.
..
Colt didn't wake up until eight o'clock. Five hours of sleep was a bit insufficient for him; as he sat up, his soul felt as if it were still in a dream.
He dreamed that he kissed Timothy, that Timothy had been the one to initiate it.
The second of contact felt like a year in the dream, the warmth and breath of Timothy seemed to linger on his lips.
It was just a case of thinking about it during the day and dreaming about it at night.
Colt touched his lips and sighed deeply, his legs instinctively squeezing together.
His underwear was sticky and cold.
Colt woke up instantly and rushed toward the bathroom.
Colt rubbed his underwear with a cold expression.