Chapter 22 An Angry Father? He has absolutely no idea what he's angry about. ...
Just as Dick finished his night patrol, changed his clothes, and hurriedly prepared to go to the hospital to pick up his boyfriend, he suddenly received a message from his boyfriend, Dr. Oatmeal.
[You know Nightwing, right? —from doc.Oats]
A seemingly random sentence nearly gave Dick a fright; he thought his identity had finally been exposed.
Well... he's not ready to reveal his hidden identity to Allen yet.
Dick shook his head with a wry smile; he couldn't explain why he wouldn't be open and honest with Allen.
This tactic may have been learned from Batman; he doesn't like to reveal all his cards before he has a definitive answer.
There are too many secrets between him and Alan. The chainsaw officer and the cereal doctor can get along well, cooperate closely, and even become a sweet couple.
But Dr. Osborn with his mask off and Nightwing in his uniform... their relationship probably won't be very harmonious.
Thinking about it, Dick couldn't help but sigh deeply about his bumpy relationship and impending breakup.
Forget it, let's take it one day at a time. We'll talk about it when he's really being hunted down by the cereal doctor.
Then she mustered up the courage to reply to her boyfriend:
[Honey, why are you suddenly asking that? Your adorable cat suddenly appears.gif]
Allen stared at the 'baby' on the screen and couldn't help but feel a chill.
He knew that some people used to use saccharine words like "baby," "darling," and "sweetheart," but he didn't know when Dick had picked up this habit too.
Never mind, let's be lenient.
After carefully and rationally considering for ten seconds whether he should also politely add a word like "sweetheart" or "sweet little pumpkin" when replying to Dick, Alan decisively chose not to integrate into the rules of human etiquette that he could not adapt to.
"Nothing, just asking." Allen quickly changed the subject. "I have some things to do tonight, so I'll be staying at the hospital."
Actually, he suddenly remembered that Dick's old colleague who had been hospitalized (he had forgotten his name) seemed to have said that Dick and Nightwing had a close relationship. So he suddenly had the idea to try to contact Nightwing, this 'superhero,' through Dick, but after sending the message, he wanted to withdraw it immediately—he didn't want to involve Dick in this matter, even though Dick was a policeman.
The chainsaw cop's daily concern should be how to get some fries at the docks, not how to flush Luther down the toilet and wash his bald head full of stupid ideas. The latter is what he should be thinking about.
Dick keenly sensed that Allen probably wanted to contact Nightwing, so after thinking for a moment, he replied:
[Honey, do you need Nightwing's help? He did give me his contact information before. (Silly seagull nodding.gif)]
Allen stared at the meme, his fingers clicking "save" uncontrollably. Then he selected one from his own meme collection and sent it to Dick.
[A serious cat contemplating its existence.jpg]
Need not. ]
All his emojis were stolen from Dick. If a plagiarism check were performed, the overlap rate between his and Dick's emojis would probably be as high as 99%.
He used to think using emojis was boring, but now he scrolls through his chat history and can't help but save one after another of the long strings of fancy GIFs.
The Seagull series is very similar to Dick's.
Dick felt that the green-eyed Maine Coon series and Alan were very similar; they both looked like cats but were actually dogs.
Her boyfriend, Dr. Osborne, appears to be an unattainable, aloof beauty, but in reality, he loves to sleep in, is an avid collector of antique treasures, reads fairy tales to her to lull her to sleep, and has an extremely heavy idol image to maintain.
So he didn't expose Allen's intention to hide it at all, and decided to change clothes to see his boyfriend and play with the uniform fetish.
He was actually quite curious whether Allen would recognize him... Although he wasn't planning to admit his identity, if Allen found out on his own, then he couldn't be blamed.
Dick felt a little excited.
His intuition told him that he could see another side of Dr. Osborne today.
**
Dr. Osborn, now in a completely different guise, is ruthlessly directing another superhero he knows.
Daredevil, I'll hire you as my bodyguard for ten days. Name your price. And get Spider-Man here too. —from Allen
Matthew, who was in the hospital discussing the case with Mrs. Laura in front of Alan, was suddenly poked by Foggy: ...
Fergie glanced at Allen, who was busy in other wards, and sighed deeply.
He felt that he had sighed countless times since he arrived in Brodhaven, and that he had almost filtered out the chemically polluted air in Brodhaven with his own lungs.
He was considering breaking off relations with Matthew.
Then sever ties with Daredevil.
Matthew took the phone, switched to the account he had specifically given Allen to use in contacting him, and personally typed a reply:
[Yes, we can discuss this in detail tonight.]
The next second, another aggressive text message arrived:
Are you still spying on me? Do you know where I am?
Matthew dreamt of the days a few years ago, of the time he spent with his sensitive and thoughtful teenager.
Allen acted as if someone had read his secret crush diary.
[I didn't. But you've appeared on the social news three times.]
Allen: ...
Damn, I forgot about that.
He had barely finished cursing in his mind when Matthew's next text message arrived:
[Language!]
Allen: ...
This is so annoying. This sensitive, suspicious, and seemingly menopausal middle-aged man is so annoying.
Allen dreamt of the days a few years ago, of the time he spent with that irritable and gloomy middle-aged man.
Allen angrily slammed his fingers down on the touchscreen phone, making a clicking sound.
[I didn't swear. Also, if you come to Brudhaven, you're forbidden from meeting with Murdoch alone, understand?]
Matthew frowned in confusion.
He almost never revealed the connection between Matthew Murdoch and Daredevil to Allen, not because he didn't trust Allen, but because he knew very well that if Allen knew about it, he would definitely stay far away and refuse any opportunity to meet him.
When a cat encounters someone it doesn't want to face, running away and hiding is its instinct.
He really didn't want to spend another few weeks figuring out where Alan would hide in the world.
"[...May I ask why?]" Matthew hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question that had been bothering him.
Allen pointed out incisively (in his own opinion):
[Did you know that Catholics oppose homosexuality?] I noticed a long time ago that you used to hang out where Matthew worked and lived, but you two are not related. After analyzing it according to normal human behavior, I can only come to one valid conclusion—you, this weirdo in the tight-fitting clothes, have a one-sided crush on lawyer Murdoch.
Alan had already figured it out, but he had kept it from Matthew. He didn't want Matthew to know that a perverted, body-tight-suited weirdo had his eye on him, a devout Catholic.
Matthew: ...?
I know Catholicism opposes same-sex relationships, but I also know that people have free will and the law allows for freedom of marriage and love. Religion and reality are not contradictory, and everyone should respect others' thoughts and preferences. But why did you suddenly bring this up? What does it have to do with Daredevil?
Matthew brainstormed, wondering if Alan was planning to bring her boyfriend Dick Grayson along when she met Daredevil, but was afraid he would tell Matthew about it? That didn't seem impossible. Grayson was the police officer in charge of the Squid case and knew more about the police department's internal affairs. Maybe Grayson was also planning to get involved in protecting Mrs. Laura.
hateful.
Why is Allen so willing to agree to everything when facing Grayson?! Did Allen tell Grayson about his upcoming plans? This kid used to always be a loner and never share information with anyone!
Matthew was furious again, but he didn't dare to ask directly.
Allen's next text message has already arrived:
[This is the rule: if I find out you went to see Matthew, I'll go see Kingpin.]
Matthew: ...
Allen, on the other side, decisively put away his phone and unilaterally ended the conversation.
Matthew sat in the hospital room for a long time, pondering. Aside from the last few sentences that left him scratching his head, he had a rough idea of what Allen meant—the safety of Laura and her daughter couldn't be handled by Allen alone; he needed to find a reliable person to help within a limited pool of resources, and he and Spider-Man were the best choices. It seemed Allen's plan was to have Dick Grayson handle the overt protection, while Daredevil would deal with the covert threats.
Matthew suddenly felt a surge of relief.
Because Alan seems to have finally learned teamwork, he formed an action team with Dick Grayson and was even willing to share action plans with each other.
Moreover, if it were in the past, Allen would definitely not have asked for a 'commission' but would have directly threatened Daredevil to help.
He didn't know exactly how Grayson had changed Allen, but... he felt it was a good development.
It would be even better if Alan could break up with Dick soon.
**
night.
On the rooftop of the emergency room in Brodhaven.
Allen stood there with a sour face, waiting for Daredevil.
When Matthew appeared on the rooftop carrying a stick, Allen was expressionlessly chewing coffee beans.
Matthew's blood pressure spiked again: "You're a doctor now, you must know the consequences of excessive caffeine intake, right?!"
Look at your behavior, chewing raw coffee beans! Are you trying to meet your maker before I do?!
Allen glanced at the old acquaintance indifferently and popped another one into his mouth.
"Panama Meisha coffee beans, produced at the Boquete Emerald Estate. Would you like one? They wake up in five minutes, perfect for people who work continuously for more than 24 hours."
Oh, he's sharing snacks!
Matthew's loving gaze fell on the bag of coffee beans.
Just as he was about to reach for it, his expression changed, and he grabbed Allen and pulled him behind him.
In the night breeze, the man, squatting on the railing without any safety measures, smiled brightly at the two people present.
Hi! Good evening!
The newcomer was dressed in a black and blue bodysuit and wore a domino mask. A smirk played on his lips, his posture was dashing, and even without seeing his face, one could feel the sexiness and power emanating from his uniform.
Matthew felt the other person's gaze fall on Allen, and then on the bag of coffee beans.
The man wore the same disapproving expression.
Matthew heard the other person's deliberately lowered, deliberately deep voice: "Darling, excessive caffeine intake is bad for your heart. You should take care of your health!"
A gentle night breeze stirred, and in the subtle atmosphere, Matthew caught the scents of Allen's shampoo, shower gel, hand soap, and laundry detergent. The aroma of the same coffee beans wafted from him as well. A jumble of information flooded his mind, allowing him to be absolutely certain without even needing to pay attention to Allen's heartbeat—
This bastard and Allen are so close they're living together!
In that instant, the topics Allen had mentioned about Catholicism and homosexuality came to mind. Various psychology books he had studied arranged themselves in his mind, and cases of ASPD patients becoming masters of emotional manipulation and SM experts perfectly overlapped with Allen's image.
Matthew's mind was a jumbled mess, a jumble of thoughts that made him overlook the somewhat familiar outline of the crouching figure... He simply didn't have time to think about it anymore.
He immediately turned to look at Allen.
Allen's cold gaze seemed extremely aggressive in the night.
Allen scrutinized Nightwing from head to toe.
He didn't know why Nightwing had suddenly appeared, since he hadn't notified anyone...
Could it be that Dick notified them?!
How come he didn't know that Dick and Nightwing were so close? So close that if Dick just waved to them, they'd come running over like little lambs?
Allen stepped forward, staring intently into Nightwing's eyes hidden beneath the Domino mask: "You shouldn't be here. Go back to where you belong, and don't make me say it a second time."
The atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense, and Dick's figure, who was crouching on the railing, swayed slightly.
Matthew clutched his aching heart, only to find that the two of them were practically locked in a silent, almost painful stare.
"no!!"
Allen turned around and saw Daredevil rushing angrily towards him, then grabbing the coffee beans from his hand and throwing them into the trash can in a fit of rage.
Allen: ?
He hesitated for a few seconds, but found that Daredevil's expression towards him became increasingly distorted in his silence.
Allen couldn't help but take a few steps back, and asked hesitantly, "...Do you...would you like to make an appointment with the psychiatry department at our hospital? Dr. Charles should still be at get off work."
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