Timothy waited for him to finish wrapping the gift. As he prepared to write the card, he took the gift box and stuffed it into the storage compartment in front of the driver's seat, saying righteously, "We all signed the gift card for the Magic Gourmet Pot, so you can't give an extra one. Red Robin is also a bird, wings suit him too; I'm going to save it as my birthday present."
Colt fell silent.
Timothy's birthday is on July 19th. Whether the plan succeeds or fails, he won't be able to celebrate Timothy's birthday.
As the countdown drew closer, Colt had to keep the dangers of leaking his home universe's coordinates at the very forefront of his mental interface to prevent the thought of "staying" from swelling.
Yes, he had thought about staying.
Colt had long since lost all his kin in his homeland; his greatest resolve was to return with the knowledge from this place.
But does knowledge necessarily need him as a carrier?
Even without Du Zhe, knowledge could still be sent back, becoming a flash of inspiration for the scientists of his homeland, allowing his country to reach for the stars just the same!
Du Zhe was not an indispensable one; Colt would much rather stay in Gotham, where his family and lover were.
Colt had calculated that if his will was strong enough, the success rate of staying versus returning to be Du Zhe was 50:50. Perhaps because his desire to stay was too intense, Colt suddenly received a set of search signals.
To be precise, it was a set of life detection signals, equivalent to a looping "catch me" signal wave, coming from the Interstellar Warp Ship designed by Joseph and Tony, which was specifically used to detect high-dimensional life.
The source of the signal isn't the real world, but the Dimensional Rift!
They have found me!
It felt as if a thunderclap had gone off in Colt's mind.
Timothy had some idea about the coordinates of the Dimensional Rift, Tony had discovered abnormal signals while exploring the High-Dimensional World.. Was the Interstellar Warp Ship being built to find him? Was "Catch me" a search and rescue signal sent to him by his father and Tony?
Should he respond?
What will happen after responding?
Once the coordinates of the Dimensional Rift are determined, the coordinates of his hometown will inevitably be found by them; even if he returns in the future, Timothy will still be able to find him.
Colt looked at the 50:50 red and blue PK bar displayed at the front of the interface in his mind, his heart wavering.
What are you thinking about?
Timothy's voice sounded as distant as if it were coming from another world.
"I was wondering what gift to prepare for you for your birthday. By then, I'll be home and finished with my college entrance exams, so I'll have plenty of time to take you to see the scenery of my hometown.." Colt seemed to split in two, one half typing warm, affectionate words full of anticipation, while the other half coldly cut off the "catch me" signal transmission.
He triggered dimensional warping, causing disasters and destroying precious High-Dimensional World exploration interstellar warp ships, severing his own future.
He could not reveal the coordinates of his hometown, or he would allow the super villains of this world the possibility of invading his home!
..
The car drove into Wayne Manor Estate.
Bruce was still sleeping, while others were off to school or work; the Manor Estate was very quiet on a weekday morning. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Birdie flew out of the car window, circled the house once, then landed back on the open car door, chirping at the two people who were grabbing things.
Damian has gone to school." Timothy pulled a carnation from the bouquet and handed it to the bird, "Go find Alfred.
Birdie flew toward the greenhouse with the carnation in its beak, as if it knew the way.
Timothy carried a large box of birthday party decorations out of the car, just as he stepped onto the stairs, the doors opened, Bruce's Baby appeared at the entrance.
We're back," Timothy greeted with a smile. Seeing Bruce's overly formal attire, he raised an eyebrow slightly. "Bruce, are you going out?
Since this is the first time you've brought Colt home seriously, Alfred suggested I adopt a formal attitude." Bruce straightened his sleeves and cleared his throat. "Tim, Colt, welcome home.
Timothy put down the suitcase, stood by Colt's side, said once more, "We're back."
Colt handed over the flowers, the loudspeaker clipped to his lapel made a sound: "Hello, Bruce, it's good to see you, I hope you like them."
Bruce opened his arms to give Colt a hug, then took the flowers, "Thank you, the flowers look wonderful. Alfred has always felt that tonight's dining table was missing something, I think these will be perfect."
Bruce was friendly and warm, neither being startled by the clothed Ghost nor staring at the air beneath his clothes.
Colt breathed a sigh of relief and glared at Timothy, who was smiling at him.
It's normal to be nervous the first time you visit a parent. Even someone as composed as Timothy couldn't help but be nervous in front of Joseph. Most importantly, this parent happened to be Batman.
Batman wasn't scary at all.
"The birthday party is in the evening; we'll decorate together once everyone is back this afternoon. Tim, go to the greenhouse and tell Alfred that we have fresh flowers to decorate the dining table, while you're at it, take Colt to see the flowers you've grown." Even though Bruce clearly couldn't see Colt, he seemed to be able to sense Colt's emotions, smiling as he sent them off to play.
Colt held Timothy's hand and swayed back and forth, "You can grow flowers too?"
It wasn't that Colt looked down on Timothy. When Colt went on a business trip with his father back then, he had entrusted Timothy with the care of the easiest-to-grow green onions. Timothy had ended up rotting their roots and secretly replaced them with a similar pot; Colt had simply pretended not to notice.
"If scattering flower seeds and mixing nutrient solution counts, then I did indeed plant them, but it has always been Alfred who looked after them," Timothy said with a somewhat shy smile.
This expression appeared on his face, making one wonder if he was planning something mischievous.
Colt saw the flowers Timothy had planted, a large patch of seedlings that took up almost half of the nursery. They had not yet reached their flowering stage, so all that could be seen at a glance was various shades of green, with the varieties being mainly roses and violets.
Alfred walked over from the connected greenhouse, carrying a flower basket and holding a pair of pruning shears. Because the flower wall obstructed his view, he did not see Colt standing behind Timothy.
“Master Timothy, their blooming season is in twenty days. Are you certain about the wedding date?”
Is this the flower intended for the wedding?
Colt stole a glance at Timothy: Had he lost his memory again, happened to have forgotten the marriage proposal he had promised Timothy?
You'd better not ask me who I'm marrying; you might not even know the person," Timothy warned, lowering his voice to Colt, before instantly changing his expression and turning away with a smile. "Alfred, I've brought Colt.
Colt wasn't that stupid! Although he liked to tease Timothy about the feelings of his counterparts while organizing data from parallel worlds, that was just for fun; he wasn't so foolish as to ask Timothy who he was going to marry!
Timothy actually thought about marriage, had even started planting the flowers needed for a wedding!
Colt chewed on this truth, as emotion and guilt expanded in his chest simultaneously, making him want to run, to scream.
Damn it, it must be that his eye sockets are too shallow to hold the water in his body.
Birdie flew over, carrying a Calendula Molecule in its beak.
Colt felt grateful once again that his voice wouldn't betray his emotions; while greeting Alfred, he reached past Timothy to catch Birdie, burying his eyes against the bird's back and nuzzling it.
Birdie tucked a flower behind Colt's ear and shook the water droplets from his feathers.
“Master Colt, lunch will begin at 12:20. Until then, you may enjoy yourself freely within the Manor Estate.” Alfred did not mention the wedding again, but instead made recommendations to Colt: “The flowers in Greenhouse No. 3 are blooming quite well and are worth a look, the cinema has the latest and most complete collection of films, Master Timothy's private collection room is also a fine place to visit..”
Alfred carried a basket of fresh flowers and left with an elegant bow.
To not waste Alfred's kindness, Colt followed Timothy to see the flowers in Greenhouse No. 3.
I..
You forgot to convey Bruce's words.
Both spoke at the same time, though Colt's speaker was not a mouth, it only stopped working after broadcasting an entire sentence.
Timothy brushed aside the flowering vines hanging in the corridor to let Colt go first: "Bruce was just making an excuse to let you make a fool of me."
Colt felt as if something hard was stuck in his throat, something he could neither spit out nor swallow, leaving him gasping for air.
This was the ever-rational Red Robin! How could Red Robin call himself a joke?!
Colt stood in place, refuting seriously, "That's not a joke."
"If your brain is being controlled by hormones, you're fantasizing about a wedding before even establishing a relationship, then what is it if not a joke?" Timothy said with self-deprecation.
"It's not a joke, Tim." Colt took a step closer.
Tim let go of his hand, golden floral vines draped over Colt's shoulders, complementing the Calendula Molecule near his ear, making him look like an ancient Greek deity stepping out of an oil painting.
Colt's violet eyes shimmered with emotion. "Tim, I've thought about it too, for a long time. Holding hands, hugging, kissing, dating, weddings.. We'll have a little villa, just like our Ghost and Robin home, just the two of us, raising a bird, perhaps a dog, with a pool, a badminton court, a treehouse.. There might be troubles in life, but no Super Villains, no life-and-death separations, just a very ordinary and simple life.."
These words had clearly formed one by one in his mind, but as they were spoken aloud, scenes began to flicker before his eyes.
Colt thought that these scenes were ultimately just illusions, the thought of the future he had destroyed with his own hands caused sadness to surge forth like a bursting flood, uncontrollable and overwhelming.
He held Timothy tightly, burying his face in the side of Timothy's neck.
Timothy felt something hot falling on his shoulder, the body beneath his palms was trembling slightly.
He didn't want to make Colt cry.
Colt's desire to leave had remained steadfast; he had no reason to stop him, nor did he intend to. But at this moment, the tears that felt like they were searing his very soul told him that Colt had also fantasized about their future, would also grieve for their parting.
It is highly immoral to take pleasure in the sorrow of others.
Timothy warned himself.
But Timothy could not suppress his base selfishness; it was as if he had thought it impossible to see the carefully planted seeds bloom, only to have the seeds suddenly burst into brilliant roses. How could he not be ecstatic?
Timothy tilted his head up, tracing the line of Colt's back, "There will be, there will be everything."
That's impossible!
Colt couldn't hold it in, his nose made a sobbing sound.
I'm sorry." Colt hugged Timothy tightly, apologizing repeatedly, "I'm sorry, Tim.
Don't apologize. I know what you mean, but you never have to apologize to me. I was the one who liked you first and reached out to you first; whatever the outcome, it is not your fault.
Timothy kissed the top of Colt's head, his tone sounding so steady and reliable: "No matter where you go, I will find you. You have to trust Red Robin's abilities; if I can travel through worlds and time to find Bruce, I can certainly find you. I know a mercenary who can break the fourth wall, as long as you can endure his big mouth.."
Red Robin is already so busy, why would anyone want to create more work for him? With such a wonderful Red Robin, who could bear to make him sad? With such a wonderful Timothy, who could bear to let him go?
Of course, he can't bear to let him go!
Then I'll stay!
The thought of staying swelled in Colt's heart, becoming more and more resolute.
Then I'll stay!
Choosing to stay was much easier than choosing to leave.
Colt made his decision, the painful sorrow clinging to his heart dissipated like smoke, leaving him feeling lighthearted.
"I believe in you. All comics should have happy endings." Colt took a deep breath, pushed Timothy aside, turned to use a Calendula Molecule to restructure into a tissue, wiping his red eyes and red nose.
Timothy also turned around to grab a handkerchief to wipe his eyes, blinking rapidly and forcefully to clear the remaining moisture from his eyes, while rubbing his face to adjust his expression. By the time Colt turned back, he was the steady and reliable Timothy once again; his handkerchief was folded into a neat square, with the damp part folded inside, he used a clean side to wipe Colt's face.
Colt threatened in a fit of embarrassment, "If you dare laugh at me, I'll generate the footage of you screaming like a baby when you were seven because of a big rat and send it to everyone in the Wayne family."
We are lovers, not enemies," Timothy sighed. "At a time like this, a kiss from you would be more effective than a threat.
Colt kissed Timothy: "You're not allowed to laugh at me."
Timothy laughed, then Colt grabbed him by the hair. He hurriedly pleaded for mercy: "Wait, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing because I'm happy. At the very least, I'm not the only one fantasizing about the wedding."
Colt laughed along as well.