They treated work like a date, making the most of every single minute and second, even utilized the Dream Station.
Even if Colt's legs were weak from exhaustion every night, he would still crawl up, wrap himself in his pajamas, fly to New York to continue working through the Shared Dream.
..
With only 27 days left on the countdown, they finally finished a thorough inspection of Gotham, the thick list of debuffs was enough to make even Red Robin feel afraid.
"I thought you said you didn't dare gaze into Gotham, that the fear of tentacles growing in your throat was just a metaphor," Timothy sighed.
"When you gaze into the Dark Abyss, the Dark Abyss is also gazing at you. I used to be afraid that I would turn into a madman. However, lately I've discovered that my sanity automatically refreshes once it drops to a certain level, so there's no need to worry about tentacles growing out of my mouth." Colt nuzzled Timothy's cheek, taking the opportunity to nuzzle some sanity.
Timothy was his Sanity Refresh Stabilizer.
"Resting tonight," declared Timothy, who had a person growing on his liver.
Resting meant they were going to sleep together.
"Awesome, can I sleep while holding you?" Colt sprawled his entire body across Timothy's back, acting like a ghost clinging to someone, his fingers writing on Timothy's chest: You can hold me while you sleep too, even sleep inside my *.
Timothy's eyes instantly lit up with an alarming intensity, fully unleashing the Vigilante Forum's inhuman physical strength.
If someone hadn't come to visit at midnight, tonight would have been the best night they've had in over half a month.
Hey, is Birdie in?
Red Hood knocked politely on the window, but the person inside did not respond; instead, they pulled the quilt up to cover their head.
During these past two weeks, aside from taking half a day to sit for the SAT, they had been plagued even in their dreams by crises like curses, demons, evil gods. Now that they finally had a chance to rest, they only wanted to hold each other and sleep.
Colt stirred.
"Ignore him, the Bat-Alert didn't go off, it's not an emergency," Timothy muttered.
Hey, is Birdie there?
Red Hood received no response; he kept knocking and knocking, as if he could knock all night.
Chirp
Angry chirping rang out, the Birdie in the study was woken up.
The soundproofing in this house needs to be redone!
Timothy climbed up with a dark expression to get dressed, pressing down on Colt, who was trying to get up, kissed his forehead.
Don't move, I'll be right back.
Hey, Birdie, ever heard the saying 'Paradise is a hero's grave'? You've been worn down by Ghost's paradise to the point where your reactions are slowing down. I knocked for a full ten minutes before you even got dressed." Red Hood crossed his arms and looked Timothy up and down, letting out a whistle. "Thermal imaging shows your body temperature is too high. Oh, you have four hickeys on your neck. Being so indulgent at such a young age—be careful that when you're older, your heart doesn't want more than your body can handle.
Timothy closed the terrace door, having no intention of inviting Red Hood inside to sit.
Big Red Bird, you'd better have something important to say.
Alright, Little Red Bird, you've been missing from night patrols for a bit too long. The Teen Titans are starting to suspect Ghost ate your brain, so I came to check on you.
Get to business.
Oh, Old Bat said you have a major mission on your hands that will keep you busy until at least after Easter, so he told us not to disturb you. To be honest, is this 'major mission' just an excuse you made up to fool Old Bat so you can go on a date?
Business.
Dick spent the whole day complaining to me, saying that he called you several times, but either you rejected the calls or your AI gave him perfunctory replies. When he came to find you in person, he was coldly driven away." Red Hood finally stated his purpose: "He suspects you are trying to break away from the Wayne family.
“I'm very busy. Every time he calls, it's when I'm unable to answer, didn't I reply to him afterward?” Timothy gritted his teeth. “If you were woken up from a dream at three in the morning, only because someone needed the embrace of a brother who already has a lover to comfort him through his second heartbreak of the month, you wouldn't just drive him away—you would beat him, you'd beat him every single time, making him too afraid to come near you for at least a month.”
Red Hood nodded in agreement. "Well, he does deserve a beating, but sleeping at three in the morning? Isn't that routine a bit too healthy?"
Timothy straightened his collar, revealing the hickeys on his collarbone. "I have a lover, so naturally I can't compare myself to you single people. I need to synchronize my schedule with my boyfriend; I have to sleep early and wake up early."
Red Hood clenched his fist: "Listening to you talk makes my knuckles itch."
Timothy cleared his throat: "What exactly are you here for?"
Red Hood let out a strange laugh. "Oh, Little Red Bird, you never used to ask me 'what I'm doing' before. The second I stood in front of you, you'd give me the answer to my question before I even opened my mouth."
"My current focus and my top priority is my boyfriend; I've even moved Bruce to second place, easing my surveillance of you two. If you feel neglected by this, I can.." Timothy narrowed his eyes.
Red Hood grew anxious: "No need, it's fine as it is. Just focusing on your boyfriend is enough; just don't start watching me! If I ever find your surveillance in the Safe House again, I'll come knocking on your windows every single night."
Timothy smiled. "What I mean is, I can apologize. You haven't been in a normal relationship, so you don't know that being a boyfriend means understanding male virtues—you can't just go peeking at other men, not even your brothers.."
Red Hood was afraid he would vomit inside his helmet, so he hurriedly interrupted someone's disgusting display of affection: "Enough! I don't want to know what a qualified boyfriend you are! Anyway, I'm just here to notify you that tomorrow is Dick's birthday. He has been crying and shouting since last year that he wants to have a birthday party, no one from the family can be missing. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Timothy returned to normal: "I haven't forgotten, he wasn't crying; it was just some eye drops, I happened to film it."
"So, will you return to the Manor Estate tomorrow?" Red Hood wanted an answer.
"Yes, I'll bring my boyfriend with me," Timothy answered.
This had been agreed upon with Colt long ago.
Red Hood left while cursing under his breath; it was only thanks to a shred of brotherhood that he didn't curse his friend, who was constantly showing off his boyfriend, to lose his boyfriend.
After seeing Red Hood off, Timothy returned to his room only to find that Colt had already climbed out of bed.
Where do you want to go?
Colt, wearing only a shirt, pointed downstairs.
"I once made a pair of Nanomechanical Wings that can use optical cloaking; they'd be perfect for Nightwing." Find them and perform some maintenance and testing; they could serve as a birthday gift for tomorrow.
“Don't mind him, just bring a book or a bag of cereal.” Timothy pulled him back onto the bed. "Joseph has a 6:00 AM flight tomorrow morning; if he doesn't sleep now, he won't meet the Dream Treasure Chest's loading time."
Colt was very obedient, rolling into Timothy's arms and closing his eyes.
Tomorrow is a workday, Dick has to work. Since the birthday party is in the evening, there will be enough time to pick up Joseph and then head to the basement to find a gift.
The second the alarm went off, Colt opened his eyes, but Timothy woke up even faster than him, the two spoke at the same time.
“Good morning, Colt, I love you.”
“Good morning, Tim, I love you.”
Timothy strictly upheld his promises in his love letters, telling him "I love you" five times a day—morning, noon, afternoon tea, evening, late-night snack—and he never missed a single one.
Colt was initially a bit too shy to say he loved her, but now he was used to confessing his love out loud.
The two of them lounged in bed for three seconds before rolling off on either side. They didn't mind the crowded bathroom, waiting for each other, finally ended up squeezed together in front of a single washbasin to wash their faces, brush their teeth, shave.
Wait, Colt, the crew just notified me that Joseph got off the plane mid-journey." Timothy spat out the toothpaste foam in his mouth and pressed his communicator to ask about the situation on the other end, his expression gradually relaxing. "It's fine, he only got off when the plane docked in New York; the car picking him up belongs to Stark.
Colt also received news from Joseph.
Dad said Tony found an abnormal signal in the High-Dimensional World and went to check it out. He's not sure when he'll be back.
The two looked at each other.
Yesterday, while they were calculating the crash rate of flights to Gotham, Timothy knew Joseph's return time from Switzerland and asked him if he wanted to go to the airport to pick him up. Colt had never participated in such an activity before and felt a bit excited and expectant; he prepared a bouquet for the pickup in advance and even set an alarm for five o'clock, fearing he might be late driving.
Now that the airport pickup had been forced to cancel, a whole morning had suddenly opened up, making the tight schedule feel much more relaxed.
Timothy said, "Open the treasure chest."
A rice cooker popped out of the treasure chest.
Colt asked in disbelief, "Did I starve you?"
Timothy's cooking could only be described as being unfit for human consumption, so Colt was always the one cooking at home. Following his personal habits, Colt would cook a pot of rice every day, the dishes were often a mix of Chinese and Western styles. There were no complicated dishes that were a hassle to make, but the home-cooked meals were always fresh and plentiful, occasionally Alfred would even come by to bring them extra snacks.
Colt has gained ten pounds and grown 3 centimeters since last year. Timothy's weight hasn't changed much, but his height is one centimeter taller than Colt's.
Perhaps there is a difference in food intake during puberty between ordinary people and Vigilante Forum members, he has also been too busy lately, eating somewhat perfunctorily.
Colt began searching online for the dangers of not eating enough during adolescence.
This isn't a rice cooker, it's a Magic Gourmet Pot." Timothy twisted the knob and ordered from the rice cooker, which was flashing a red light: "Scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Three seconds later.
Ding
The red light turned green, as the lid of the electric rice cooker was opened, a pot of tomato scrambled eggs was revealed inside.
"So you're still not full, that's why you thought of the Magic Gourmet Pot in your dream." Colt continued to search his boyfriend's thoughts, wondering if he was being picky and if he wanted to switch?
Hey, Colt, you can't make jokes like that!" Timothy said, losing his composure. "It's not your responsibility to feed me! I'm not three years old; I can find food for myself! The important thing is that I absolutely love your cooking, I'm definitely not a picky eater! This is a gift for Dick, to prevent him from becoming malnourished from eating too much cereal just to save trouble!
"I mean changing the recipe," Colt said with a smile, giving Timothy a quick kiss.
Timothy complained that he was so frightened his heart was racing and he needed some comforting.
Breakfast was provided by the Magic Gourmet Pot.
After the food was served, there was no need to wash the pot; you simply put it back, cover it, use the one-touch cleaning function. The inner liner would instantly become as clean as new without any lingering odors, which was incredibly convenient. It was a pity, however, that the Magic Gourmet Pot could only produce dishes that Timothy had eaten before, it was limited by its eight-inch size, meaning it couldn't produce grand delicacies like large lobsters or king crabs, the flavor of the food was inconsistent.
Colt's interest in the Magic Gourmet Pot immediately dropped by half.
"That's how business banquets are; many dishes look good on the outside, but the taste is mediocre." Timothy took out a Quantum Teleportation Device, adjusted the fixed teleportation code, held it up to the Magic Gourmet Pot for comparison.
Colt, help me mold a lid, with a material similar to the outer shell.
Although the Magic Gourmet Pot possessed magic, its exterior still consisted of stainless steel and a tempered glass panel. Colt found similar materials in the tool room and used molecular restructuring to add a lid to the pot, hiding a Quantum Teleportation Device inside the new lid according to Timothy's request, leaving only a small opening.
“What are you going to do?”
Timothy handed the receiver corresponding to the Quantum Teleportation Device to Colt.
To earn a living.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Gotham's debuffs come from the collection of Gotham curses circulating online.
Chapter 66
At ten in the morning, the car drove onto the Kane Bridge leading to Wayne Island.
Colt adjusted the rearview mirror, but there was no one in the mirror, only Ghost, fully clothed.
"Is this scary? Would a holographic projection be better?" Colt pressed down his hood, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the look of only having his jacket visible.
Believe me, their hearts are strong enough." Timothy's fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, but he was more concerned about something else: "You went to the basement before we left; did you take those Nanomechanical Wings?
"Yeah, Nightwing suits the wings." Colt pulled a palm-sized Nanoparticle Storage Box from the backpack in the back seat, wrapped it in some leftover colored tissue paper from the Magic Gourmet Pot, tied it with a blue ribbon that was also left over from the Magic Gourmet Pot.