Chapter 15 Superhero War? It's an "coming out" war, oh well, never mind then. ...
Alan's bedroom door was pushed open without warning, and the poor wooden door was grabbed by the handle before it could hit the wall and wake Alan.
The person entered the room and gently knocked on the door.
The blind lawyer, carrying a white cane, looked wary.
"Allen?" he asked. "Are you awake?"
Allen was clearly still half asleep. He rolled over, buried his head under the pillow, and stopped moving.
Dick, inside the closet, was itching to bang his head against the wall, but he didn't dare move for fear of being discovered by people outside.
He gave up and squatted in the cabinet, quietly reaching out to smooth out the wrinkles he had made on the doctor's shirt, wondering what posture he should use to iron the doctor's clothes so that the doctor wouldn't think he was a pervert.
He shouldn't be discovered hiding here, right?
If he's discovered, he'll have no choice but to come out.
Dick pondered sadly what image he would have in Dr. Osborn's mind, and whether he still had a chance to win him back.
However, the more important thing right now is this man's identity. Dick didn't immediately suspect the man was a bad guy, because he knew how vigilant the doctor was. So... besides him, who else could freely enter and leave his doctor's bedroom?!
Allen's room was simply furnished; aside from a wardrobe and a bed, it was practically bare. Books and clothes were arranged similarly to those in the living room, piled haphazardly without any order. However, unlike the living room, this room contained many of Dr. Osborn's personal collections.
Femurs, toe bones, carpal bones, and various animal bone models were among Dr. Osborn's favorite collections. Dick even once saw Dr. Osborn making mouse skeleton specimens by hand with loving eyes and gentle movements.
The man slowly walked in through the doorway. In the dim light filtering through the curtains, Dick could see the white cane in the man's hand and his unfocused eyes through the narrow gap in the wardrobe.
The white cane tapped on the ground, making a faint clicking sound.
The large mass of doctors on the bed stirred slightly.
The blanket was lifted by a slender hand, revealing a sleepy-eyed baby, Allen.
"Matt, is that you?...I'm hungry." Dr. Osborn rolled over, making a whimpering sound that he would never make when he was fully awake.
Dick watched as the man walked straight to the bedside, then ruffled the head of the unsuspecting Dr. Osborn, saying in a doting tone, "Then get up and eat something. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."
Dick watched as Allen smiled at the stranger without any suspicion, even though the stranger couldn't see it.
In reality, Allen was just dazed as the lawyer pulled him out of bed, and he pursed his lips in grievance because he hadn't had enough sleep.
In Dick's eyes, it looked like the doctor was smiling 'brightly' at another man, and he was even acting coquettishly towards that older man!
Even a slight upturn of the corners of the mouth is a smile! No arguments allowed!
The blind man was also smiling; the two seemed to have known each other for a long time, and the atmosphere was unusually intimate and warm. He rarely met a doctor who was so gentle and homely.
Allen was still half asleep. He stared blankly at the lawyer for a moment, then closed his eyes and fell back onto the bed.
"...Let me sleep a little longer, please."
The thoughtful lawyer dad said, "How about I make you cream of mushroom soup after you wake up?"
Dr. Osborne's hazy, sleepy mind processed for a moment: "Also, roasted pineapple with foie gras."
Nightwing's mind was buzzing. The bitter tears in his heart were turning into a flood that was about to fill the lonely harbor of Broodhaven, and with a little effort, it might even be able to sweep away Gotham.
Dr. Osborne's expensive shirts eventually turned into pickles in his hands, because Dr. Osborne never asked him for foie gras.
He hugged his shirt sadly, as if he were hugging his shattered heart.
He thought to himself, "Is my journey of coming out about the closet about to be sealed off with cement and dumped in Bu Harbor before it even begins?!"
No, no, no. Dick buried his face in the doctor's shirt, took a deep breath, and reassured himself—he and Dr. Osborne were so close, he knew everything about the doctor, and if the doctor really had a lover, he would have found out the clues long ago.
Besides, doctors are so busy every day, how could they have time to develop an intimate relationship with him?
He knew perfectly well that since he met the doctor, the doctor had never accepted any advances from anyone—the doctor couldn't even tell if anyone was trying to date him—so there was absolutely no way the doctor was in a relationship! Besides, that man looked almost a full twelve years older than Allen!
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!!
Then, Dick saw the old man skillfully pull Allen out of bed again, put his arm around Allen's shoulder and put his coat on him, and then pinch the doctor's face!
Dick's face was serious and his expression sorrowful, but inside, a little voice inside him was rolling on the floor, tearing at his hair: Aaaaaaah! Ah! God, can you hear the agonizing, dark, and twisted screams of Nightwing?! Ah!
Dr. Osborne did not resist; instead, he patiently and gently climbed out of bed, following the other man's force.
The little voice inside Dick stopped screaming; he set himself on fire, burning himself to ashes of sorrow. The little deer of love, which had just been frolicking, lay dead on the doctor's bed, its eyes wide open in death.
Matthew heard the changing breathing sounds coming from inside the closet and gripped his white cane even tighter.
He knew that if Allen had offended a gangster, they would have already made their move and wouldn't have hidden in the closet just because of his presence.
So he decided to send the peeping tom in jail.
Matthew patted Allen's head again, instructing him to switch the slippers he had put on the wrong feet back on, and subtly blocking the view of the cabinet.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly turned and walked toward the wardrobe: "You should change your clothes, Allen. I'll get them for you—the wardrobe is over here, right? What you're wearing... go to the living room and take it off so Foggy can wash it."
Allen gave a nonchalant hum and then let out a large, listless yawn.
I don't want to move.
I'm still so sleepy, so sleepy, so sleepy.
Matthew's hand was about to touch the wardrobe door.
Dick's heart was in his throat.
Dr. Allen, exhausted and sluggish like Lightning from Zootopia, was completely unaware that a storm was brewing near his wardrobe, about to turn into a battlefield between Nightwing and Daredevil.
He stretched out one arm to reach for the phone he had thrown on the ground, then shrank back onto the bed without moving, his long arm like he was trying to catch fish in the sea.
Dick's heart was being tossed around by that arm, swaying back and forth.
As he looked at her, he thought to himself, "She's so cute. I really want to take her away."
The light from the phone screen helped Allen wake up a little.
It's 7:00 PM, time for dinner.
Alan glanced lazily at Matthew, then his gaze paused: ...
His wardrobe had been opened a crack at some point, and a pair of pitiful blue eyes peeked out from the dimly lit closet, looking at him with pleading eyes.
Allen: ...?
A chainsaw-wielding police officer grew out of his closet?
...Wait, did Matthew go into his room?! His specimen!
The chainsaw officer kept mouthing strange words like 'please~sorry~help~', which Alan couldn't connect to the context at all.
Allen ultimately had no idea what Dick was up to.
However, he remembered what Emily had said when he was a child: freedom is not to pry into other people's behavior, as long as they don't harm you.
Allen thought about it for a moment. Although it was a bit strange, it didn't seem like a big deal if Dick liked to sleep in his closet. After all, there's diversity in the human species.
However, he knew very well that Matthew had a bit of paranoia.
When the lawyer was in New York, he was often paranoid. He would often mistake street thugs for criminals, or relentlessly pursue Kingpin's minor offenses that had successfully escaped legal punishment—even though the judge did not find Kingpin guilty. This led to the lawyer frequently being targeted by retaliatory attacks.
A highly skilled and experienced psychologist he once knew, Hannibal Lecter, told him that this might be because the lawyer had suffered from PTSD due to past trauma.
Allen knew that Matthew often couldn't control himself and got into fights because of his PTSD. The worst time was when he gave Matthew two doses of adrenaline.
Therefore, taking into account Matthew's possible overreaction, he had reason to believe that if Matthew found Dick living in his closet, he would definitely beat Dick up without saying a word, treating him as a criminal who had broken into his home, and might even call Daredevil to join him in beating him up!
Dick is quite skilled, and if he fights back, he'll definitely make a mess of his bedroom.
By the time he finished explaining, the two men who started fighting might have already smashed the wrist and toe bone models he had hidden in the corner.
That won't do!
Allen's eyes immediately sharpened.
He leaped up and opened the wardrobe before Matthew could.
Dick crouched low, and the moment the closet door opened, he scrambled out from under Allen's arm, bravely emerging from the closet.
He carefully moved to the other side of Allen, distancing himself from the blind customer, and then secretly hid the doctor's shirt, which he had forgotten to put down, inside his coat.
Matthew: ...
His mind was in turmoil, filled with rage; the intensity of his emotions was beyond words.
The brief interaction between the two made him realize that Allen and the pervert had a close relationship.
He initially thought some clueless thief had broken into Allen's place, but it turns out his precious Allen knows the peeping tom in the closet?! When did this happen?!
Uncle (Dad) Absolutely not!
Dick gave the doctor an awkward smile again, but because Matthew was there, he could only cover his mouth and dared not make a sound.
Even though the person who almost discovered him was blind, the current situation was so embarrassing that Dick couldn't help but dig his toes into the ground!
He pointed to the balcony in shame, telling the doctor that he was going to go home first.
As for why he suddenly crawled into the doctor's closet?
...Let him bury his head in the sand first.
Allen breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded, signaling Dick to leave quickly, making sure the shrewd lawyer didn't find out. He felt his bedroom would be in danger if the lawyer's PTSD was triggered.
However, Matthew, who had been pushed aside by Allen, suddenly turned and walked to the vicinity of the balcony.
He pulled back the curtains and then used his body to block the balcony door.
Matthew: "Alan, the sun is shining brightly today. I remember there's a balcony here, right? How about we have dinner here tonight?"
Allen glanced at Dick, who was frozen in the corner and dared not move, then at Matthew, and finally at the tiny balcony that was less than a square meter in size. He wondered if Matthew really did it on purpose.
Probably not. Matthew isn't Daredevil; he's just a lawyer. And Dick's movements were so subtle; he definitely wouldn't be noticed.
His specimen will surely be preserved, as long as Dick sneaks away quickly.
"...I thought every place had its proper function. Although I don't have a dining room, why don't you consider using the living room or kitchen?"
"...Because I want to breathe the air that belongs to Brudhaven?"
Allen: ...
It seems you have some serious illness.
Dick stood in the corner of the room, caught in a dilemma.
With his keen hearing, he could hear someone tidying up the room and doing housework in the living room outside the bedroom door, and the only exit from the bedroom—the balcony—was blocked off.
Dick thought for a moment, then tiptoed around to the side of the lawyer, clinging to a sliver of hope as he tried to squeeze through the gap between the lawyer's feet and the balcony.
At the same time, Allen sprang into action, trying to pull the lawyer back to the living room to save his innocent specimens.
Matthew brushed aside Allen's hand, intentionally or unintentionally blocking Dick's path, then pretended to scout ahead and swung his cane.
Dick gasped, narrowly avoiding the cane that nearly cracked his skull. Covered in cold sweat, he rolled to Dr. Osborn's feet and grabbed his trouser leg.
Allen and Dick exchanged a nervous glance.
Allen: You saved my life! Matthew's cane almost hit his mouse and laptop!
Dick: That saved my life! He could hear the wind whistling through the air as the white cane was being swung around!
Alan tried to remain calm: "Let's go to the living room, Matthew! I want your creamy mushroom soup!" Please, leave my specimen alone!
He certainly couldn't let Matthew find out that all his salary was spent on those bone collectibles... well, some of them he did go through shady channels, like that crocodile tail.
Matthew will definitely nag him endlessly, and might even confiscate his collection! Last time, Matthew confiscated a death row inmate's head specimen that he had collected before he even had a chance to enjoy it!
Matthew's hand, gripping the white cane, twitched. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and his fist was clenched even tighter than the night he single-handedly stormed the Hand.
He gritted his teeth in exasperation, forcefully loosening the muscles in his jaw with the acting skills he used when facing Kingpin, and forced out a terrifying smile: "...Alan, baby, didn't you just say you wanted potato and bacon soup?"
Alan watched in alarm as Matthew's cane nearly poked into the eye socket of the skull he had collected, and immediately nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes, yes, okay!"
Matthew: "..."
You brat, you clearly hate potatoes the most! Now you're willing to eat potatoes for some random guy who came from who-knows-where?
"Allen, are you hiding something from me?" Matthew continued to press, then gracefully and seemingly unintentionally blocked every possible escape route Dick might take with his cane.
Incidentally, he could also use his cane to strike Dick's legs and head at tricky angles.
From Allen's perspective, he could almost hear the sound of the specimen shattering. His bedroom was so small that Matthew's cane and feet had already brushed against his precious item several times!
"Matthew...I...I'll take you to the living room!"
"Allen, I think we can talk about your bedroom first..."
Thanks to the small house that Allen rented, Matthew single-handedly and with a stick firmly guarded the bedroom, preventing the peeping tom from escaping.
Alan looked at the skull that Dick had kicked out with a painful expression, rushed over with all his might, caught it, and hugged it to his arms: "Please... Matt! Let's go eat!"
Matthew now not only wants to slap the giant cockroach flying around the room to death, he even wants to beat Allen up.
"What did you say, darling?"
"I said I want your potato and bacon soup! Come on, I'm starving, Uncle Matt!"
Matthew got even angrier.
Allen rarely calls him Uncle Matthew unless he needs something from him.
Now, his eldest son is begging him for the sake of a damned peeping tom!
What have you done to deserve this? You damned cockroach, you peeping tom, you little rascal who deserves to be torn to pieces! You'd better eat my cane!
Dick used all the gymnastic moves he had learned in the cramped space to maneuver around, but was eventually forced to climb onto the top of the wardrobe by the terrifying lawyer.
As Allen followed Dick's footsteps, he watched with heartache as his mouse and notebook scattered like stars in the sky.
The doctor's world has finally collapsed.
The key point is that he didn't dare to say anything.
Dick dodged him but couldn't help but smile happily—oh, it's your uncle, then it's alright.
No, that's even more complicated!!
Matthew gritted his teeth, feeling Allen following Dick closely, as if afraid the peeping tom would get hurt, and his anger completely overwhelmed him. Not only towards Dick, but also towards Allen—
He just wanted to beat that guy up, not kill him. Look how much you care!
The white cane slipped from his hand as if by accident, spinning and flying toward the top of the cabinet.
Allen couldn't help but cover his eyes and mourn for his poor snake bone specimen.
Dick dodged with a leap, his hands gripping the roof beam tightly, his feet finally landing pitifully on the door frame.
Poor Dick was as panicked as a big, fat bird that had mistakenly wandered into human territory.
Chased around the house by a vicious and evil human lawyer, it flew wildly, shedding fur all over the floor in its panic.
He suspected he had been discovered.
Allen's expression was deathly, because he ultimately failed to save the snake bone model he had placed in the corner, and instead almost got hit by Matthew's stick.
The three parties are deadlocked.
Dick felt the protection and cherishment of his beloved doctor, Alan felt the despair of losing Gu Zi, and the lawyer was so angry that his hands trembled.
Footsteps approached from the doorway, and Virginia's voice grew louder as he drew nearer.
The bedroom door was slowly pushed open again, and in Dick's desperate eyes, his feet lost their footing once more.
Virginia stood in the doorway: "What are you two whispering about in the bedroom? Is there something I can't know?" He suspected the father and son had started fighting.
Allen looked at the buttocks hanging above Virginia's head, and turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.
"There's nothing here. We're going to eat." Allen's tone was one of utter despair.
He picked up the white cane from the ground and shoved it into Matthew's hand, desperately pushing him out. "Hurry up, I'm hungry. You must be hungry too, Matt! Uncle! Uncle!" The remaining grain couldn't be wasted!
Matthew suddenly sighed.
He eventually gave in to Allen's force and left the room pretending he knew nothing.
Fergie, completely unaware, shut the door behind the two of them—
The door won't close.
He turned the door panel back and forth a couple more times in confusion, and found that the door seemed to be broken.
Knowing nothing about it, Foggy looked at Allen with a pained expression and said, "Baby Allen, I'll fix your bedroom door for you later."
Allen looked at Dick's backside stuck in the door crack: ...
Matthew's lips twitched.
"Maybe that damn door will figure out what to do on its own soon enough! Let's go, I'm going to make that damn potato and bacon soup!"
Allen's lips twitched: "...But I don't want to eat potatoes..."
Under the lawyer's silent threat, Allen shut his mouth, becoming increasingly certain in his heart that Matthew was unpredictable.
I really don't understand, why is Matthew angry again? He's the one who should be angry!
His precious grains!
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