Joseph gnashed his teeth: "You two can fall in love, but before Colt takes the initiative, if you dare put your XX in his OO, you're dead, your Bruce, who failed to set a good example, is dead too."
You're being far too blunt!
Tim lowered his head, his face flushing slightly. "I'll be careful."
Joseph snorted, rolled up the car window, left Timothy in a cloud of exhaust.
Perhaps all fathers are this contradictory, both hoping their children will experience happiness and joy in love, yet worrying that their children will be hurt in love.
Tim encountered another father at the company.
Tim signed the documents, looked at Bruce, who was leaning against the door in a formal suit, asked, "Are you planning to attend the luncheon?"
Bruce nodded, reached back to close the office door, walked over to the desk, took out a folder labeled "Top Secret," sliding it in front of Tim.
Tim laid down the company reports and cautiously opened the folder. Upon seeing the contents, his mouth twitched. He flipped through a few pages before quickly closing it and politely returned the file to Bruce.
“Thanks, Bruce, you can keep it for Damian; I don't need a complete encyclopedia on adolescent physiological knowledge.”
"I've kept the draft, once Damian is old enough, I'll print a copy for him." Bruce toyed with the lush green potted plant on his desk; thanks to Poison Ivy's years of tireless efforts, his knowledge of plants was sufficient to make him a botanist, he could recognize that this was a very well-grown scallion.
It wasn't Narcissus, nor was it a Haemanthus, but indeed a small green onion meant for cooking.
A very un-Wayne potted plant.
"Green, healthy, is the Adonis that Colt raised handsome?" Timothy asked, as if showing off his own child.
If it were Narcissus, calling it Adonis would be somewhat reasonable, but it is just a small pot of green onions.
"Not bad." Bruce nodded respectfully.
"I can treat you to a taste when it's time to harvest; Adonis's cooking tastes even better." Timothy used a small watering can to give the green onions a bit of water, his smile as bright as if he were admiring a token of love.
Bruce didn't have any particular preference for Chinese food, but he was still respectful: "Thank you, I'm looking forward to it."
Tim laid down the small watering can, took a thermal lunch box from the drawer, opened it, pushed it toward Bruce. "Colt was worried I wouldn't be full after lunch, so he made an extra portion of breakfast for me to have as a snack beforehand. If you're going to the banquet, it's not good to drink on an empty stomach; have some?"
Do you eat steak and braised pork ribs for breakfast? It smells delicious and is still warm, garnished with a few bits of green onion and red chili threads; it looks very appetizing.
Bruce unconsciously reached out to take the small fork and tasted a piece of braised pork ribs.
Sweet, salty, fragrant, savory. The texture was rich, tender, juicy.
Bruce wanted to continue, but Timothy had already closed the lunchbox and said with feigned apology, "I forgot Alfred said you can only eat light meals lately; this is too greasy for you."
Bruce was certain he was doing it on purpose and sighed, "You look like you want to announce to the whole world that you're in love. He is a good man, you two are deeply in love."
Tim gave a thumbs up. "As expected of the world's greatest detective, your insight is truly keen."
Anyone with eyes could see that.
Bruce thought to himself.
Timothy's methods would only work in front of him; if it were Jason or Stephanie, the lunchbox would be snatched away, even the green onions would be plucked to be stir-fried. Of course, in front of his siblings, Timothy would definitely use a different way to show off.
Bruce cleared his throat and tapped the [Top Secret] file with his finger. "Tim, we need to talk about this."
Timothy stood up to make room for Bruce. "If you insist on giving me a lecture, I'm listening."
I trust your knowledge of the human body; you even got an A in your physiology class, so we can skip the introduction and get straight to the main point." Bruce opened the folder and began his lecture seriously, "Do you know what men do with other men?
Timothy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I know."
Bruce said seriously, "If your so-called 'knowing' is intelligence you obtained through internet searches, then the material you've collected is clearly insufficient, the instructional videos you chose are far too detached from reality."
Timothy said expressionlessly, "You promised not to check our search history."
"Oh, you also said that as long as you aren't caught, it's as if it never happened." Bruce spoke about invading others' privacy with such righteous confidence; after all, this was a Wayne tradition.
Chapter 55
Bruce asked seriously, "So Tim, are you a TOP, or a BOTTOM?"
Timothy: "TOP."
Bruce nodded, "So you are the more proactive one, with the responsibility of giving your lover a wonderful experience."
Bruce's lessons were extremely useful. He taught Timothy to discard those overly exaggerated or romanticized pieces of knowledge found online—certain types of art were even worse—and instead focus on reality: how to explore a new world in a healthy and safe manner. He spoke bluntly and realistically, covering what preparations were needed before exploring, how to handle unexpected situations during the process, how to ensure that neither party would suffer psychological trauma..
“That is all for now. If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask me at any time. Of course, if you are willing to overcome problems and seek answers together, that could also be a wonderful kind of intimacy.”
Bruce announced the end of the lesson.
Thank you, you're the best father." Tim hugged Bruce, who was fulfilling his paternal duties, "I will treat this love seriously. No matter whether the final result is good or bad, I am already mentally prepared.
If you have any problems, you can come to me. I wish you happiness." Bruce patted his shoulder. "You didn't sleep last night either, so go back and get some rest. Young people won't grow tall if they don't get enough sleep.
Tim wanted to say that pulling an all-nighter was nothing to him, but hearing about not growing tall made him suddenly serious: "Alright, I'll head back now. I'll leave the banquet and the afternoon meeting regarding new energy industry standards to you. I can attend the real estate industry dinner tonight."
Tim didn't forget to take his heart-shaped insulated lunch box when he left, he also instructed his secretary not to water the potted plant on his desk. He didn't return home, but rather to Oak Tree Manor; he passed by a supermarket and even pulled over to buy some things.
Colt had already grown used to sleeping with his hearing aid on. He heard the sound of a drawer opening, followed by the splashing of water in the bathroom. Before long, the Cole Duck pillow in his arms was snatched away, a damp body slid in beside him.
Is it evening already?
Colt felt like he hadn't been asleep for long. He struggled to open his eyelids, wanting to get up and go home to have dinner with Joseph. His dad said he would bring takeout home to eat together; if he couldn't wait for him, he would definitely charge into Timothy's house with an ion ray gun to commit a massacre.
A hand covered his eyes, a soft kiss followed.
Sleep, it's not even night yet; it's only 11:00 AM.
Colt's struggling stopped. He nuzzled Timothy, adjusting his position to press even closer to him, before falling into a deep sleep once more.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.. it was the best lullaby.
..
Joseph confirmed that children, no matter how well-behaved they were before, would always push their luck once they hit their rebellious phase.
Ever since Colt received permission to date, although he stopped bringing Timothy home, he started going to live in Timothy's house himself. They even set up a mailbox together and named the house "Ghost and Robin's Home."
Hmph, he's not even afraid of having his secret identity discovered!
The two houses were separated only by a lawn and a wall, Joseph kept his eyes closed as if he hadn't seen anything. Colt, however, brazenly ran an electric wire from his house to the neighbor's, using his home's small reactor to provide power to Timothy's room!
Joseph was busy with the wires in his hands, muttering, "He is a Wayne; are you afraid he won't be able to pay the electricity bill?"
"But if we don't use all the electricity in the house, it's a waste. Letting him use it keeps the benefits within the family. It's better for us to make a profit from the electricity bill rather than letting Gotham Electric profit." Colt connected the power supply.
"You're still charging him for electricity?" Joseph looked at his son as if he were meeting him for the first time.
Can't we not charge him?" Colt calculated. "According to the Gotham Electric bill, he would have to pay at least 3,000 dollars a month, he frequently has line failures. I offer a monthly plan for only 1,500 dollars; it's a great deal.
“Great, you give him a billion-dollar Vibranium motorcycle, then charge him 1,500 dollars for electricity.” Joseph couldn't understand the young man's views on romance.
Colt nodded. Even between brothers, accounts must be kept clear; falling in love isn't the same as marriage—gifts are gifts, but he still had to collect the money.
"So you installed that homemade groundwater purification device for him, you still charged him?" Joseph asked again.
That's right, the water purifier he uses was bought from a supermarket, the purification isn't thorough enough. Mine is much better, I only charged him for the cost of materials," Colt said with a beaming smile. "He even commissioned ten sets from me to give to his family. At market price, each set is 10,000 USD. It's very simple to make; I just use Spiritual Power to mold and assemble the materials. By running ten processes at once, I can finish them in a single night.
"Love back then wasn't like this. Couples shouldn't be so petty about money. I was paying off Alisa's student loans before I even got married, we could even carry a mortgage together.." Joseph began to feel relieved that his son's partner was Timothy, as Wayne had enough wealth to sustain their love.
"Timothy would definitely be willing to pay off my student loans and mortgage." Colt didn't know what Joseph was obsessing over.
Is your self-positioning just 'wife'?" Joseph was furious. "Listen, Colt, you're a boy. Being a TOP or a BOTTOM only refers to your position; it doesn't mean you can just take it for granted that you can depend on him.
Colt asked in confusion, "Is using his electricity considered being dependent? Tim pays it very happily, we even set aside a drawer specifically for this money, using it to buy snacks and pay for newspaper subscriptions."
Joseph gritted his teeth: "So you're mooching off the house's electricity to save money for a household fund! That's nothing but living off your parents! If it were me, I'd be happy too!"
It was the end of the year, the villains had all, more or less, suffered a few broken bones and were lying in hospital wards recovering. After Batman sent Mr. Freeze, who had several broken ribs, back to Arkham, Gotham finally experienced a brief moment of peace.
Gotham Sweetheart and Wayne Junior appeared at various banquet venues, Colt also tagged along for a luncheon.
A celebration banquet hosted by Wayne Enterprises.
As an outstanding employee, Joseph received the Best Contribution Award. The reward was a check with a very impressive amount, as a family member of an outstanding employee, Colt also received a small check. Of course, the award ceremony was conducted in secret, as there were many media members present; leaving behind photos or videos could easily lead to robbery or kidnapping upon leaving.
As the boss, Bruce took the opportunity after the award ceremony to offer some official words of thanks to the outstanding employees. He even took Timothy's hand and placed it in Joseph's, saying shamelessly, "I'll have to rely on you to look after this child in the future."
Joseph didn't even want to maintain his hypocritical smile, casting a glance at that pair of lovebirds who were already pressing their heads together in silent communication the moment they met. Heaven knows they had only woken up in the same bed this morning, after being apart for only a few hours, they were already as clingy as if they hadn't seen each other in months.
Timothy wanted to cry injustice; he had only looked at Colt for a few extra moments because he was curious to see how Colt looked while flying a kite with a leash.
He had always been very restrained in front of his elders.
"Uncle Joseph." Timothy looked well-behaved and sincere.
Joseph nodded perfunctorily and spoke of serious matters with Bruce: "The application of the Four-Dimensional Origami System in interstellar leaps has been confirmed to be able to traverse.."
Bruce suggested going to the lounge to talk in detail.
Joseph walked a few steps, but was nearly tripped by the motionless Colt. He glanced back at his son, who remained fixed by Timothy's side and was no longer following him, chose to take off the restraint bracelet, releasing Colt. In the next second, the released Colt directly snapped the restraint bracelet onto Timothy's wrist, leaving Joseph gasping for breath from the shock.
Colt saw off his grim-faced father and stuffed his notebook into his backpack. Not wanting to disturb Timothy's socializing, he transformed from a kite into a spirit, hanging directly on Timothy's back and rendering the leash redundant. He controlled his Spiritual Power to perfection, ensuring Timothy didn't vanish from reality into a Ghost Field, but instead merely lowered his presence.
Timothy was satisfied that fewer people were staring at Wayne. He happily made his way through the venue, grabbed a cup of healthy, low-sugar milk tea from the parent-child buffet area, took a glass of non-alcoholic champagne for himself, headed to a surveillance blind spot. He handed the milk tea to Colt, put on his spare hearing aid, struck a pose as if to whisper.
Bruce and Joseph are friends.
Because they share a common secret, Batman knows of my existence," Colt pulled Tim into the Ghost Field, lowering his voice to a very low decibel, "When I had just become Quantum Ghost, Batman even wanted to capture me and lock me inside his phone.
Tim knew that he even had Colt's AI data cluster from when he was Quantum Ghost.
"And then you got so scared that you ran off to New York to learn how to be an AI from Stark's butler." Timothy also lowered his voice.
Colt frowned: "How do you know?"
Timothy raised an eyebrow: "Because I am Detective Drake."
Colt suggested, "You should say, 'Because I am Red Robin.'"
Timothy shook his head. "That would get me reported for plagiarizing the 'Because I am Batman' universal response format."
But even if the name is changed, hasn't that universal answer formula remained the same?
Colt took a sip of milk tea, finding the sweetness acceptable, decisively ended the small talk to start a new topic: "I was just chatting with Oracle."
Timothy had a bad feeling about this and answered cautiously, "I didn't give her your contact number."
Colt sipped his milk tea. "Oracle is one of the administrators of the Vigilante Forum. She sent a private message to my forum account, so we added each other as friends."