Chapter 16 Confirming the Relationship? It's not official, huh? That's fine then. ...

The next morning at the breakfast table, Dr. Osborne, who had lost two precious babies in one fell swoop, turned his grief into appetite and ate a bowl of cereal with relish.

Despite the threat of potatoes, Allen refused to compromise and stubbornly refused to touch the huge pot of sticky, incomprehensible stuff that Matthew had made.

The three people sitting around him were speechless and unable to eat.

The violent lawyer from New York, carrying a white cane in one hand, remained indifferent and silent, clearly showing strong aversion to the guests sitting at the table and the cereal they had prepared.

The disliked guest held another bowl of cereal, pretending to enjoy it.

He was actually digging into a bat hole in the floor with his toes.

There was no other way; even if he escaped Allen's bedroom, he could only end up going back into Allen's... the large living room they shared.

Dick felt that the awkwardness of the scene was comparable to the time when Batman and Catwoman forgot to turn off their family communication channel while flirting through a prison window in mid-air.

It's even more embarrassing than that.

Elite lawyer Matthew Murdoch exudes a cold and hard aura, as if he were standing in court against lawyer Kingpin, sharpening his knives.

He certainly recognized the jerk who had suddenly popped out of the hole in the living room, claiming to be Allen's roommate. He just couldn't believe that Allen was already living with this jerk, and making no attempt to deny it!

Although he was looking forward to Allen's growth, he didn't expect it to be at this pace!

Virgil Nelson is in a state of shock, completely absorbed in the fact that his kid has grown up to be able to make friends with other people.

The scene fell silent for a moment. Everyone except Allen was caught in a strange atmosphere, wanting to speak but holding back, feeling that every word was inappropriate, yet remaining silent seemed even more awkward.

This atmosphere began when Dick jumped out of his bedroom to 'formally' meet the doctor's uncle.

At that moment, Sheda Nightwing gave Uncle Matt a bright, sunny smile, trying to pretend he had just come home rather than just come out: "...Uh, hi? The weather's nice today. Are you Allen's friends? What a coincidence, me too...ha, haha."

Knowing nothing, Foggy slowly typed out a question mark.

Huh? So the area next door isn't Allen's territory? Luckily, he and Matt haven't had time to go there and clean up yet.

Then he thought to himself, wait... what's wrong with you, neighbor? Your room is just as messy as my wretched kid's? Could this be the legendary "birds of a feather flock together"... oh wait, is it?

Finally, he realized: his roommates... shouldn't be communicating with each other through the huge hole that was blown open in the middle of the room?

Matthew immediately turned to look at Allen, who then naturally told Dick on the other side of the hole that he wanted cereal and fried eggs.

Matthew felt a lump in his throat. He was holding a potato, his white cane poised to strike, but he hadn't yet figured out how to avoid Allen hitting him.

Allen didn't want Matthew to know that he had eaten too many bones, so no matter how much he felt sorry for him, he could only pretend that the small battle in the bedroom had never happened, otherwise he was afraid that he would not be able to save the rest.

Dick introduced himself to Matthew, who then introduced himself through gritted teeth as a lawyer who specializes in sending voyeurs, perverts, and street punks who deceive young men into prison.

Dick touched his full head of black hair with lingering fear.

Virgil: "...You're too modest, Matt Dick. Don't listen to him. Our firm usually handles economic disputes and criminal cases."

Matt: "I'm actually quite good at handling emotional disputes and divorce cases, and I'm not bad at domestic violence cases either."

Dick took a step back: "Haha, that sounds really good. Good luck with your work... If you need to catch a peeping tom, I think I can help, after all, I'm a cop."

Great, it's basically confirmed that he was caught red-handed by Ellen's uncle when he came out.

Matthew continued, "Anyone who dares to deceive Alan's feelings, I will use all legal means to send him to prison and make him regret ever being born. You agree, right, Alan?"

Allen: ...?

I have absolutely no idea what Matthew is talking about.

After briefly embarrassing Matthew, Foggie continued his enthusiastic and friendly conversation with Eren's roommates: "Is your living room decorated in a post-war blast-themed style? It's quite unique... Have you had breakfast? Would you like to have some with us?"

He thought to himself, "Alan has really grown up this time. The boy that even Matthew and he couldn't stand before can now share the living room with others."

That's wonderful, sob sob! So let Uncle Foggy help you maintain this precious friendship!

It was this one sentence from Virginia that brought the doctor, the police, and the lawyer together again in the living room after their party in the bedroom.

Allen looked up, oblivious to what was happening: "Aren't you all hungry?"

Dick habitually pushed his fried egg toward Allen, then took a cherry tomato from Allen's plate.

After he finished, he belatedly realized that the aura around 'Uncle Matt' had become even more terrifying. Just a moment ago, the sky was overcast, but now it was filled with thunder and lightning.

Foggy, oblivious to everything, stared innocently at Allen and Dick, completely oblivious to the unusual chemistry and atmosphere between them.

He was once again moved to tears by Allen's growth; his little Allen had made normal friends besides Lex Luthor, Kingpin, Bullseye, and Deathstroke!

Look at how sunny and upright the police officers across the street are; they clearly have nothing to do with the dark world.

Allen was stuffing a fried egg into his mouth, his cheeks bulging so he couldn't speak. Dick handed him a tissue to wipe away a bit of runny yolk from the corner of his mouth.

"How does it taste? I learned how to make Russian omelets from YouTube. Would it taste even better with goat cheese?"

Allen, with an egg stuffed in his mouth, said, "Mmm."

"Okay, then let's eat this again tomorrow."

Allen took another big bite: "Mmm."

Virginia Nelson stirred the cereal in her bowl with a spoon, then turned to Allen with a completely unappetizing look: "Allen, don't tell me you eat this every day? I'm not saying cereal is bad, it's just so lacking in nutrition."

Allen swallowed the food in his mouth and replied contentedly, "Sometimes I eat something else too."

"for example?"

"The hamburgers and Cokes provided by the hospital, the spicy hot dogs and burritos recommended by Dick, the frozen dumplings in Dick's freezer, Dick..."

Virginia: "..."

Isn't the qualifier "your good friend Dick" appearing a little too frequently?

Matthew couldn't hold back any longer: "You're a doctor, you should know those aren't healthy! And can you please stop calling me Dick all the time?"

Dick: "..."

Allen defiantly took another big bite: "Oh."

Matthew: "..."

Alan certainly knew those things were unhealthy. But like Dick, they were both too busy to care about healthy eating.

The immense pressure makes people in this profession more prone to self-indulgence than the average person. Just a couple of days ago, the head of the respiratory department, who constantly advises others to quit smoking, was reported for smoking an entire pack of cigarettes on the hospital rooftop.

Compared to other senior doctors, Allen is in very good condition. His stress resistance is top-notch, he never experiences anxiety during surgery, and he never loses control of his emotions late at night when a patient dies.

Dick brought Allen a glass of lemonade, while Virginia and Matthew watched with mixed feelings as their kind-hearted neighbor, the police officer, cleared the table and then directed Allen to throw the dishes into the sink.

The key point is that Alan didn't have any objections at all, and was so obedient that he didn't seem like the rebellious son who was about to fight with his father just now. He even followed Dick's instructions and sorted the clothes by color before throwing them into the washing machine.

Foggy: "...Alan, what do you want for your birthday this year? How about I get you a dishwasher?"

Allen thought for a few seconds and decided it was a good idea: "Hmm, let's put it in Dick's kitchen."

Dick immediately gave an OK sign.

Fergie finally realized something and asked in a low voice, "...Allen, I thought you would like girls... Well, you said before that you don't like humans."

Allen: ?

He doesn't like humans, is there a problem?

Foggy hesitated for a moment, then asked Allen again to confirm, "So... you two have been dating for a long time?"

Allen automatically took the "relationship" that Foggy mentioned as the literal meaning, and nodded to accurately count: "Six months and three days."

Virginia did the math and thought, "So, you got a boyfriend right after you came to Brudhaven? That was so smooth!"

Suddenly, Foggy thought of another possibility—could it be that Alan came to Brudhaven in the first place because of Dick? He must be afraid that Matthew wouldn't accept his relationship.

Matthew must be having a hard time accepting this. What do Catholics think about homosexuality?

It seems that... the Vatican just issued a decree last year prohibiting priests from blessing same-sex marriages?

Virginia looked at Matthew with concern and, sure enough, saw immense anger on Matthew's face.

Matthew never put down his cane, and taking advantage of the opportunity to get up, he seemingly accidentally but actually deliberately retaliated by hitting Dick with the cane. Virginia gasped, feeling that their law firm could then play "Modern Family," "Shameless," and "Desperate Housewives" on repeat.

Dick clutched his calf, on the verge of tears.

Allen kindly reminded him, "...You hit Dick, Matt."

Fergie also said cautiously, "Don't say that, Matt. The kid's all grown up; he'll have his own ideas."

Matthew gave a forced smile: "Oh."

"...Aren't you going to apologize?"

Why should I apologize?

"I'm sorry, Dick, I apologize on Matthew's behalf. He was so careless!"

Dick: "Ha...no...it's okay."

Virginia thought to herself, "I'm really worried sick about this family that's about to fall apart."

Allen thought to himself, Matthew's PTSD is getting worse and worse. The look on his face now means he must think Dick is a street thug.

So let's ask Hannibal if he's free to come to Brodhaven for a consultation tonight. Also, we can sign Dick up for a Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) class so he won't be unable to beat the lawyer next time.

Matthew, unaware of what his son was thinking, picked up his white cane and said he was going to help Dick wash the dishes.

Dick dared not trouble Uncle Matt, so amidst the shoving and pushing, he was once again hit hard on the back and calf by Matthew.

Allen: "...Matt, do you have a problem with Dick?"

Fergie: ...You're only just realizing it?

Watching Matthew wield the stick with such skill and the policeman nimbly dodge, Fogg finally sighed.

He looked at Allen with a complicated expression: "...Is it really him? So how did you and Dick get together?" Dick was clearly the type of person Allen would never have wanted to associate with before.

Allen's favorite friends are the likes of Lex Luthor, who are highly intelligent, good at pretending, psychologically dark and crazy enough, much like himself.

Therefore, Fergie had to ask, "You like his face?"

Allen examined Dick's face closely and felt it was no different from anyone else's. So, although he didn't know why Foggy was bringing up Dick's face, he still tried to pick out Dick's good points to prove his consistent correctness: "His butt shape is better than others!"

Matthew turned around: "Superficial!"

Foggy ignored his furious father and began to worry about Allen's future: "...But you won't stay in Brudhaven forever. Aren't you really going back to New York? What will happen to Dick when you leave?"

"We'll see when the time comes." Allen suddenly felt a bit irritated. "Why don't I just take him with me?"

"Did you ask Dick for his opinion?"

Allen asked on the spot, "Dick, will you be living with me from now on?"

Dick kept his head down and worked hard washing the dishes, trying his best not to appear too smug in front of Uncle Matt.

“Ahem…aren’t we a little early to be talking about this? Uh, well, I mean, I’d like to be with you, and living together all the time sounds pretty good,” Dick replied somewhat hesitantly.

He suddenly realized that the doctor's plans seemed to be more far-reaching than his own; he was better at developing short-lived, pleasurable intimate relationships than long-term, stable ones.

'Dick, you always leave the people and things you don't want to face behind; maybe that's why you're so good at performing on the high-flying swing.'*

Dick suddenly recalled a friend's evaluation of him.

He turned to look at Allen, and suddenly felt a sense of excitement that was even more comforting than the adrenaline he experienced while performing on the high-flying swing.

He thought to himself, so the doctor had already tacitly accepted their relationship. It seems he was too slow to realize it... That's right, Alan just covered for him in the bedroom without asking any questions.

He felt he had received the positive signals the doctor was sending him, so he tried to respond: "Don't worry, Matt... Can I call you that? I'll take good care of Allen. You see, we're doing quite well here."

Allen immediately chimed in: "That's right, so you can go back to your New York now, we don't need you here."

Virginia felt she was witnessing an irreconcilable mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, which strengthened her resolve to move out after she got married.

He poked Allen in the back, frantically reminding him, "Be more tactful!"

So Allen said tactfully, "Please leave gracefully! Dick and I are already cramped enough here!"

Foggie cleared his throat: "That's right, Matt, kids need their own space!"

Matt said he was furious and pointed out every illegal thing in Allen's apartment, including but not limited to the crocodile tail and alien spine model that Allen had somehow gotten his hands on.

Matt: "Just the evidence in this room is enough for me to have Grayson take you away."

Without a second thought, Allen blurted out, "Dick wouldn't do that."

Matthew suddenly froze.

Because he had almost never heard such irrational words from Allen.

He imagined that, in the past, Allen would have told him he had enough incriminating evidence to ruin Dick Grayson's reputation, or that he had already set a trap in the apartment to prevent anyone from betraying him. Allen would have kept the destabilizing factor under control... No, Allen would never allow the destabilizing factor to exist; he would never, under any circumstances, blurt out 'he wouldn't do that' without reason.

However, Allen himself doesn't seem to realize that his words were a result of emotion overriding reason.

Faced with the aggressive lawyer, Allen decided to give up entirely: "Just mind your own business!"

Dick's smile was even harder to suppress than AK's. He hesitated several times, wanting to offer advice but feeling he had no right to do so. He could only secretly peek at his newly minted doctor boyfriend and grin foolishly.

Although he didn't know how long his relationship with the doctor would last, he was happy at least for now.

As for Alan, he was completely oblivious to what was happening. He was just inexplicably annoyed that Matthew and Foggy didn't want him living with Dick. He was perfectly happy with the situation and had no intention of changing it. He'd already said he wanted Dick to be his housekeeper, living with him and cooking him cereal every day—what was wrong with that?

"Of course there won't be any problems," Allen thought. "If anyone wants to offer suggestions, I'll deal with them."

Matthew stood still, staring intently at Alan and Dick. After noticing Alan's crooked tie, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

“Allen, what I mean is that this place is too small. I think you might need more space and a shorter commute... Have you considered using Osborne’s trust fund?”

Don't get me wrong, Matthew certainly wasn't planning to support Allen living with someone he didn't know anything about. He just thought that no matter how much he thought Allen was a cute kid, Allen was essentially a stubborn, arrogant, completely incapable idiot who couldn't take care of himself, and a little jerk whose sharp tongue could drive people crazy.

Living with him would definitely not be a good experience; he felt the guy next door couldn't put up with it forever. Perhaps he didn't need to worry at all.

The shrewd lawyer suddenly smiled knowingly and changed tactics: "Let me find you a nicer house, Allen, like one under Osborne's name..."

Allen understood what Matthew meant.

Norman Dennis is about to explode with gold coins.

Allen's eyes lit up.

Just then, Ms. Goodman's phone rang.

“Allen, I’m sorry to interrupt your vacation. But there’s something I have to tell you—Mr. Fitch Johnson is dead, just now.”

“As the attending physician, it is your task to communicate with the family. Mrs. Johnson is already here waiting for you, Allen.”