Volume 1: First Arrival Chapter 74: Emotional Injury Is Hard to Heal
Kirk: "Is emotional trauma so painful that comics can't heal it?"
Nate: ???
Nate suddenly raised his head and looked at Kirk in surprise.
Kirk patted Nate's shoulder, shook his head gently, and expressed his comfort in a serious tone.
"What era is this now? It's not a sin for a man to cry. There's no need to hide it."
"That woman just broke up with you, right?"
"You both have serious looks on your faces. I can see from a long distance that you have been absent-minded until now. You were not paying attention even when choosing comics."
"Before when you were with Bruce, you wouldn't even look up for an hour. Today, you only stayed for fifteen minutes and you finished it hastily."
"Bruce will be sad if he is treated so perfunctorily."
"Well, that's right. You've grown up, and you've reached the age where you can worry about love."
Nate looked at Kirk expressionlessly with dark lines on his face. After going through the five stages of denial, anger, negotiation, despair and acceptance, his eyes were filled with despair, and finally he regained his calm.
"That's my boss, Kelly Hampton," Nate said.
Kirk: ...
Nate: ...
I am most afraid of the air suddenly becoming quiet.
Sure enough, the distance was too far and they couldn't see clearly, so they made very, very outrageous judgments. Even Kirk couldn't predict everything and be always right.
Kirk blinked his eyes, as if he suddenly understood something. "Oh, so that's Prosecutor Kelly Hampton. It's better to meet her in person than to hear about her. Her aura is indeed different."
"It's a pity that I just missed the chance to say hello."
Nate glanced at Kirk and said, "Because someone made a presumptuous judgment and mistakenly thought that was my date, and then hid behind a tree trunk and secretly observed, so I missed the opportunity to introduce him to someone."
As he spoke, Nate couldn't help gritting his teeth, and the sound of teeth clashing against each other surged in his mouth.
Kirk, however, was all smiles and calmly waved his hands, "It's okay, it's okay. Since we've met today, I won't make the mistake again next time. There will be other opportunities in the future."
Nate continued to give Kirk a death glare.
Kirk didn't care at all and changed the subject, "But where's your car? Why did the prosecutor send you back?"
Nate didn't speak right away. He didn't want to answer, so he let Kirk's topic go cold. But in the end, he couldn't help but said unhappily, "The car broke down and has been sent for repair. The prosecutor happened to see it and gave it a ride."
On the way?
Kirk didn't believe it.
To be honest, Kirk did make a wrong judgment because he couldn't see clearly at the distance; but the atmosphere between Nate and the prosecutor was not that simple.
Moreover, taking a step back, the fact that the prosecutor dropped his assistant off on the way home also revealed something fishy. Kirk couldn't help but think back to the scene just now.
"If you weren't dating, the atmosphere would still be so tense that you would be distracted the entire time, without any sense of joy from having won."
"Also, at the end the prosecutor will give you a document proving that your work is not over even though your court appearance is over today. You may need to work overtime tonight."
"The best explanation is that something unexpected happened during today's trial."
"But!"
"The evidence in this case is solid and it can almost be said that it is a done deal. It is not easy for the prosecution to lose the case. How could there be any surprises?"
"Could it be that the defense attorney is presenting brand new evidence?"
In just a few words, Kirk had outlined the whole process of what had happened, from the "premonition" that started in the morning to how it had finally turned into reality.
Nate was speechless for a while.
He didn't say a word, but Kirk still noticed it.
"It was not the defense lawyer who submitted the evidence, but our side..."
He opened his mouth to argue subconsciously, but just as he opened his mouth, Nate realized that he seemed to have fallen into a trap.
Looking at Kirk, Nate lost his temper, "You know I shouldn't discuss the case with non-related people, right?"
Kirk didn't care. He shrugged lightly, looking calm and composed. "You also know that this trial is open to the public and anyone can attend. Even if I don't have time to go, I won't miss the news reports. I should be able to search for the news on the Internet now."
Nate: ...
"So, what do you want to know?" The harsh words were not good-tempered.
"Nate, I don't want to know anything. I'm just worried about you. Just chatting. Do you know that you're like a pufferfish that could explode at any time? I don't mind you exploding, but I'm worried that our apartment might be a little bloody. If you don't want to discuss work, just tell me."
"Yeah, I don't want to discuss work."
Countless complaints and rebuttals whizzed through his mind like a thousand horses galloping, but in the end, Nate still controlled himself.
Kirk didn't continue arguing. He just nodded obediently to show that he understood, and then shut up.
It ended very suddenly.
Nate: That's it?
Why do I feel like I can't catch my breath and an urge to cough is surging in my chest?
My anger and irritability were clearly rising and I was about to get angry at any moment, but they suddenly stopped for no apparent reason. Is it really okay to force myself to stay calm?
To be honest, Nate had the urge to strangle Kirk -
He remembered that the brother in his childhood memories was not like this. Why did he become like this when he grew up?
How could it be like this!
but!
In the end, Nate gritted his teeth and, for the sake of the comic book, didn't say anything more, closing his mouth tightly like a clam protecting a pearl.
silence.
Quiet.
Until the end of dinner.
Nate was practicing silently alone, but Kirk was curled up on the sofa watching TV, laughing heartily, as if what had just happened had long been thrown into the sky, and only Nate was humming and groaning and remembering it in his heart. What was going on?
Nate was very depressed. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was more angry with Kirk or himself.
Can he swear?
Take a deep breath.
Take another deep breath.
Nate finally managed to regain his sanity.
Glancing at Kirk's doomsday room, Nate thought he had gotten used to it, but he was still frightened every time.
Out of sight, out of mind!
Nate closed Kirk's door, but he still couldn't get rid of the irritability and confusion in his mind, so he couldn't help but start cleaning.
When faced with stress, some people get angry, some exercise, some overeat, some sleep... but Nate cleans.
Clean the house, clean every corner inside and out. Looking at the brand new and tidy space, you can regain the feeling of being in control of the situation. You can sort out your confused thoughts and even get inspiration to find solutions to some problems.
Starting with laundry, Nate tossed the dirty clothes into the laundry room in the basement and began to show his skills.
He cleaned his own room, living room, bathroom, kitchen, balcony...even the windows, as if dust was an enemy.
Finally, looking at the tightly closed door of the room——
After much torment and struggle, Nate finally couldn't control himself and opened Pandora's box. He cleaned every corner of the room inside and out.
I put away all the washed and dried clothes, and my chaotic thoughts finally seemed to be sorted out.
But…really?
