If you want to help me financially, you can do it on
https://ko-fi.com/neverluckysmile
In a flash of light, Arthur appeared in the alley with Venom and Brock.
Venom, having completed his task, retreated and said, "I'm full. I want to take a nap. Don't call me unless it's important."
Brock returned to his normal self and anxiously shouted to Arthur, "Hurry, hurry, Anne!"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this here?"
"Then let's go home! Let's go!" Brock exclaimed as he rushed to the roadside to hail a cab. He awkwardly climbed in when Arthur pulled up in Little Black.
They drove straight to the Schuler Apartments and entered Brock's room, which was still a complete mess.
"As a human, I really admire your ability to survive," Arthur remarked, surveying the chaos. He sighed and, with a thought, released Anne from his portable space.
Brock rushed over to examine Anne's condition. After a moment, he asked, "When will she wake up?"
"In about ten minutes," Arthur replied casually.
Not one to be polite, Arthur tidied a corner of the sofa before heading to the kitchen, only to find the refrigerator completely empty. In the end, he pulled out a bottle of wine and a goblet from his disassembler's space, poured himself a drink, and said while sipping, "So you came back today just for her?"
"Mm." Brock nodded.
"Even though she already has a new boyfriend?"
"That doesn't matter to me," Brock sighed. "It's just… I made some mistakes. We were already planning to get married."
"Sounds like a sad story," Arthur shrugged, standing up. "She's about to wake up. I'll get out of the way."
"Have you ever loved someone in your life?" Brock suddenly asked.
Arthur paused at the door, then turned and rolled his eyes. "Duh!"
"It always feels like superheroes don't have much of a personal life. Do you have a girlfriend?"
Arthur didn't want to answer such a pointless question. In a flash, he disappeared, reappearing in the driver's seat of Little Black. He took out his device and sent a message to Lily.
As for what was happening upstairs, Arthur didn't want to know or care about it, and he certainly wouldn't use the Eye of Horus to peek. Sometimes, people need a foundation of trust, especially since they will be working together in the future.
So, at that moment, Arthur chose to trust Brock completely, allowing him and Anne to have their privacy without worrying about whether he would spill the beans about the Superhero Alliance.
In fact, in this world, whether it was a small-time reporter or a low-level lawyer, any information they might reveal wouldn't significantly impact the current Superhero Alliance. Even if it did, it could be wiped out without a trace.
Through this, Arthur demonstrated his trust in Brock, which was certainly worth doing.
Time passed slowly. Anne still hadn't come out. Arthur sat in the car, occasionally glancing up in anticipation. At first, he didn't think much of it, but soon his curiosity began to surface.
However, his curiosity wasn't really about what those two were doing upstairs; after all, they were both adults. What he was more interested in was when exactly Anne would leave the apartment.
To keep an eye on things, he had Little Black watch while he immersed himself in a lively conversation with Lily. She seemed quite satisfied, occasionally throwing in a playful complaint about how Arthur was affecting her studies.
Arthur thought to himself that if Lily truly had aspirations for her art, then no matter how much he disturbed her, it probably wouldn't be a problem. But if it was just a means to make a living… well, then she should treat it as a hobby and learn it casually.
He wouldn't take away the joy that belonged to Lily, but he also didn't want her to exhaust herself painting just to make a living. However, he kept these thoughts to himself, unsure if they would come off as male chauvinism. He worried that saying it might make Lily uncomfortable.
…
In the end, Brock was unable to convince Anne to stay the night. By evening, the two of them emerged from the room together, both clearly having cried. They shared a simple dinner before Brock walked Anne home.
Arthur parked the car by the roadside, watching as Brock stood downstairs, not taking his eyes off her until the light in Anne's apartment turned on.
This made Arthur reflect: 'Maybe this is what love is?'
Everyone sees love differently. Arthur and Lily had reached a level of mutual understanding, willing to nurture and improve their relationship, making it harmonious. It was a beautiful and rare way to connect.
Brock's unwavering devotion was also a form of love. Though it seemed a bit tragic, perhaps what Brock enjoyed was some kind of masochistic pleasure. Shaking his head, Arthur felt that if he kept pondering like this, he might start becoming inhuman. So he didn't disturb them; he just sat in the car and waited.
After about half an hour, Brock finally returned to the car, looking utterly dejected. He opened the door and got in. "Sorry."
He apologized as soon as he sat down.
Arthur was puzzled. "Why are you saying sorry?"
"Maybe because I made you wait all day." Brock gave a bitter smile. "The only comforting thing is, I got what I wanted."
"You two got back together?"
"No…" Brock shook his head. "I just confirmed that she still likes kind, helpful people."
After a pause, he looked at Arthur and said, "Now, I can honestly declare that I'm willing to join the Superhero Alliance!"
"Great." Arthur smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "No need to be too sad. This isn't life or death. In fact, I plan to let you stay in San Francisco, but that'll be a little later. You know, there's currently a woman in the base who's swamped with work, so starting tomorrow, you'll be temporarily assigned to assist her. At the same time, business here in San Francisco will begin as well. I mentioned before that we're going to start a media company. That's going to become a reality!"
Brock was dumbfounded. "So… I'll still get to see her in the future?"
"Here's a piece of advice," Arthur said. "Make sure you're constantly visible in front of her. Otherwise, I worry that the next time you see her… it'll be at her wedding."
"If that's a curse, then it's the most vicious one!" Brock exclaimed, stunned.