"You hid a toy bird in your pocket that day. I guessed it was a product of the Dream Station, I hope I didn't restore it incorrectly." Timothy picked up the Little Red Bird, bending its crest from a ninety-degree angle down to sixty degrees.
A voice rang out in the room: "Falling in love? The kind where you get married."
It turned out that sentence wasn't just Colt's imagination; Timothy had actually recorded it.
Colt nodded even more vigorously: "Okay."
Timothy finally opened the ring box. "Batman and Superman made us another ring, but it's just a souvenir. We're still young; in the future, you'll meet many more people, perhaps you'll make different choices. Of course, I'm just giving you the choice; it doesn't mean I'm accepting your choice of someone else. I hope that once our minds have cooled down, on a day that is more meaningful, I can propose to you more formally."
Colt reached out his hand again.
Timothy solemnly placed the ring on Colt's finger and kissed his hand, reminding Colt, reminding himself: "It's just a gift."
Colt embraced Timothy, they shared their first kiss since being reunited.
..
After a long time, Timothy stepped back slightly and pecked at Colt's lips.
You just made a sound, try it again.
Colt opened his mouth, but only produced a breathy sound.
Timothy opened his mouth to demonstrate: "Use the airflow from your lungs to push through the vocal cords, creating sound through their vibration. Like this, ah."
Colt tried several times in succession before finally letting out a high-pitched, abrupt "Ah," but he used too much force and ended up slightly hoarse.
"No rush, take it slow. Once you master the pronunciation, you'll be proficient in no time." Timothy pressed his forehead against Colt's, his eyes glistening with moisture, as he nuzzled his nose against Colt's.
"Ah." Colt let out another short sound, but this time he didn't use too much force and crack his voice.
Timothy let go of Colt and turned to look for something in the bookcase. He took a deep breath, waiting until the urge to run, jump, scream, roar had subsided within his heart, before finally pulling out a camera and aiming it at Colt.
Let's take some photos.
They thought of it together.
Colt held up the new smartphone, having finished taking photos of the treasures on the table, was now aiming the lens at Timothy.
"I want to take lots and lots of photos," Colt said.
Timothy gave his unconditional support: "We can take lots and lots of photos, just like when we were following Batman before. I can get an intern reporter's badge from the Daily Planet, then use it to follow the President for photos."
Colt envisioned, "I also want to take photos of myself, leave behind many, many photos."
Timothy was even more excited: "As long as you don't find it annoying, I can record everything about you anytime, anywhere, hang your photos all over all my Safe Houses."
I also want to post the photos online, so the whole world can see me." Colt raised both hands and made a heart shape toward Timothy's lens. "I love being the center of attention. Do you think I'm vain?
Timothy pressed the shutter: "No, I'll be your personal photographer. We are the Cole Duck duo; you are Colt, I am Drake."
Colt laughed, as he laughed, tears began to well up in his eyes again.
I'm so happy, Tim. I succeeded; I'm really back. This must be the happiest day of my life. No, I shouldn't say that, it's bad luck to jinx it.
Timothy put down the camera, embraced Colt, kissed away his tears.
I am very happy too, Colt. You're back, every day of our future will be as happy as today.
..
In the evening, Alisa walked through the hedge to call the children home for dinner, only to see Colt sitting in a flying wheelchair, playing badminton with Timothy on the lawn.
They looked full of youthful vigor, their eyes shining with light and their faces glowing with health.
Colt changed out of his pajamas and into Timothy's sportswear. His movements with the racket were not clumsy at all; he could even hit lobs and backspin, he would raise his hands and laugh loudly every time he won a point.
He laughed out loud.
Alisa could hardly bear to disturb them, but she still clapped her hands when a ball landed: "Children, it's time to go home for dinner."
Colt controlled the wheelchair to glide over to Alisa.
Mom, did you see that? I beat Tim!
"I saw it, but your flying mount is unfair to him." Alisa waved toward Timothy.
Colt was indignant; Timothy was Red Robin! He was a cripple, he wasn't even piloting a Leap Mech, so how was it unfair?
Even after finishing dinner, when they were sent off by Alisa to take their baths, Colt was still preoccupied with the matter of fairness.
“Tim, do you think it's fair for me to play badminton in a wheelchair?” Colt's limbs had become much more flexible; at least he had no problem bathing himself. He felt too embarrassed to ask Joseph for help, but since Timothy insisted on helping, he suddenly became a half-invalid, shamelessly and confidently demanding a soak in the bath.
Timothy seriously wiped his back for him, because parents could spawn outside the door at any moment, so he even kept his underwear on.
"As long as you don't fight me while piloting a Leap Mech, it's perfectly fair." Timothy gave Colt's nape a quick kiss.
Colt received a satisfactory answer and turned his head with a beaming smile, rewarding Timothy with a kiss.
Timothy's breathing became unsteady: "Alisa said she'll help us prepare clothes."
This was a subtle reminder from the parents.
The parents understood what couples in the honeymoon phase might do, since the children were already adults, they didn't want to interfere too much. However, Colt had only just awakened and his body had not yet recovered, so they hoped the children could exercise some restraint.
The two of them didn't fool around in the bathroom for too long.
Timothy carried Colt, who was wrapped in a bath towel, out like a child. Two sets of couple's pajamas were draped over the sofa by the door, along with neatly laid out clean underwear.
Colt wiped his waterproof Holographic Glasses, put them back on, scrambled from Timothy's arms onto the sofa, pointing at the oversized children's pajamas. "See, I told you Mom treats me like I'm eight, you're eight too."
"When I was eight, Janet wouldn't have prepared clothes for me to wear after a bath." Timothy quickly put on his pajamas, feeling the Batman pattern on his clothes, then looked at the pattern on Colt's pajamas.
It's Red Robin.
The fourth Red Robin, endorsed by the Demon Brat.
"You're not allowed to wear the Demon Brat's pajamas, the ones Alisa bought are off-limits too." Timothy stripped off his Batman pajamas and put them on Colt, then stuffed the Robin pajamas under the sofa and went to the wardrobe to find an old pajama set of Colt's.
"I want to wear Red Robin's," Colt said, kissing Timothy's cheek.
Tim smiled broadly. He used his phone to search for youth clothing brands under Wayne, ordering every Red Robin style item in the Bat series, from pajamas to jackets, even socks and slippers.
"Tim, look! Mom said she's tidied up your room. Are you going to sleep next door?" Colt held up a note.
While I think the current priority is to win your mother's favor, you can leave the window open for me." Timothy put down his phone to find a hairdryer, dried Colt's hair, kissed the top of Colt's head, made a suggestion: "Red Robin accompanying you for a night raid and sleeping by your side, are you satisfied?
"Extremely satisfied." Colt nodded vigorously.
Alisa sat in the downstairs living room, her ears perked as she listened to the sounds of goodnight wishes and doors opening and closing upstairs, whispered to Joseph, "You say the kids like staying up late and being stuck together every night; are you telling me that on purpose just because you want to separate them?"
You'll find out in a moment.
Joseph pulled Alisa back to the room, turned on the computer, connected to the home surveillance system, selected the monitoring feeds for the windows of the master and secondary bedrooms upstairs.
Joseph! How could you spy on the children's private lives!" Alisa angrily twisted Joseph's ear, "Turn off the surveillance!
Joseph wanted to cry out his innocence: these two surveillance cameras were clearly installed by Timothy himself!
"Wait, there's some noise, let's check it out first." Joseph hoped his wife would see through Timothy's true colors.
He miscalculated; the window making noise was not in the guest bedroom, but in the master bedroom.
Colt drove his wheelchair stealthily past the terrace and knocked on the window of Timothy's room.
Alisa closed her laptop and glared fiercely at Joseph. "They've loved night strolls since they were kids, now that they're adults, meeting up at night is perfectly normal. Have you been putting pressure on them? Otherwise, why is Colt so familiar with the behavior of Romeo and Juliet?"
I've never pointed a shotgun at Timothy," Joseph muttered. "Maybe it's just more exciting this way. I'll go dismantle the surveillance cameras tomorrow.
Colt knocked on Timothy's window, not being quiet at all: "Ghost night raid."
Timothy was on a video call with his parents, on the other end, Janet pressed him, "Who is that beside you?"
Colt wanted to run away, but he was caught by Timothy.
Chapter 75
"Mother, it's Colt, he wants to say hello to you," Timothy introduced to Janet.
Colt glared at Timothy, pushed up his holographic glasses, ran a few fingers through his hair, leaned toward the camera with a well-behaved smile for Janet on the other side: "Good evening, Aunt Janet."
"Good evening, Colt." Janet's smile was unnatural.
I'm sorry, Mom, Colt's situation is very complicated. I need to stay here to accompany him through his rehabilitation, so I won't be coming home for a while." Timothy's face was pressed against Colt's, "Once Colt's condition improves, I'll bring him back to see you.
Janet's smile froze as she instructed her son to take good care of his friend, then ended the video call.
Colt frowned. "Your mother doesn't like me."
Timothy kissed the adorable Ghost. "No, she likes you; she just needs time to accept her son's sexual orientation."
..
Colt slept very soundly on his first night back, feeling no sense of insomnia despite having slept for ten days straight, felt a bit of a sense of loss upon waking.
"I think I heard the sound of the Dream Messenger's progress bar." Colt's Spiritual Sea had improved significantly, but the Dream Station did not appear.
Good morning," Timothy said, kissing Colt, who was looking for his Holographic Glasses the moment he opened his eyes, "I went into deep sleep again last night, but I didn't dream.
Maybe the Dream Station will return as well.
It's very likely. Do you want to undergo rehabilitation indoors or outdoors?
I'll listen to the doctor.
I am your rehabilitation doctor. Come on, let's start with morning exercises, go.
Colt began his rehabilitation happily.
Timothy is an excellent physical therapist, arranging rehabilitation exercises that include climbing walls, climbing trees, picking fruit, playing ball, swimming, building blocks, modifying wheelchairs, building wooden houses..
Colt showed Timothy the orange grove he had built for him. It was currently orange blossom season, the bees were busy pollinating; before they could get to the orange juice, they would first taste the honey. There were 158 Smart robots at Oak Tree Manor, each performing its duties under the coordination of the robotic butler; it wouldn't be exhausting for one person to manage such a vast estate.
Colt also sent a dozen of the same Smart robots to Wayne Manor.
Alfred and Martha came to visit the day after Colt returned, bringing Birdie home as well.
Alfred spoke highly of the robot, lamenting with emotion that he finally wouldn't have to worry about the children relying on junk food for sustenance after his retirement.
Martha and Alisa discussed how to teach robots to do housework, Martha invited Alisa to a charity gala, along with Maria and Janet.
Colt and Birdie finished their grand reunion, with a bird-like swagger, he approached the mothers to express his enthusiastic support.
Mothers should have their own lives; that is the true meaning of resurrection.