Looking over his status screen, Maguire thought to himself: his power had already surpassed S-grade. Unreal.
Just then his phone rang—Harry was calling.
Maguire picked up.
"Peter, can you come over? I've got something important to discuss."
"Of course."
Soon, Maguire was at Harry's door. Harry answered the bell, no longer the wreck he'd been—sharper, steadier, like he'd stepped out of the shadows.
They sat in the living room.
"What is it?" Maguire asked.
"I want to join the Spider Alliance."
"Why?"
"You know what my father did. A lot of people died. I want to join the Spider Alliance and use my strength to protect people—to atone for my father."
The words hit like a struck bell. Of course. Maguire had people he wanted to protect—Uncle Ben, Aunt May…
Then a thought landed hard: if he was here in this world, he was a living person in it. Without anything to protect, no matter how strong he became, he'd be nothing but a killing machine. At that moment, he finally settled into this world. If he was going to be here, he'd live with some flavor.
He nodded heavily. "Since you've decided that, I'll help you. We're still best friends, aren't we, Harry?"
Harry smiled and nodded. "Then please—show me the ropes."
"In that case, I've got a task for you. Our Spider Alliance still doesn't have a proper base. That should be right up your alley." With Obadiah's death, and Kingpin not getting involved, Oscorp still ended up in Harry's hands. Right now, Harry was a bona fide multi-billionaire.
"No problem. I'll build the Spider Alliance a headquarters."
It was already close to eleven—lunchtime was near. Thinking of Aunt May waiting, Maguire stood. "I'll arrange a meeting with the other Spider Alliance members."
Harry, excited, nodded. A perfect base—that was the plan.
Maguire left Harry's and headed for Holland's place.
Inside, Aunt May kept glancing toward the door. "Why isn't Maguire here yet? Did something come up? Is he not coming?"
A black Bentley rolled into view. Aunt May brightened. "He's here. Maguire finally came."
A moment later, a motorcycle pulled up—Garfield. Aunt May blinked. "Garfield? I didn't ask Holland to invite him…"
Holland stepped out from behind the door, saw Garfield and Maguire, and waved. Aunt May turned to him, mock-aggrieved. "Holland, did you call Garfield?"
"He's a good friend too. Of course I invited him."
Aunt May sighed. "Holland, are you trying to make sure you never get an uncle?"
Maguire and Garfield reached the door. Aunt May smiled politely. "Come in—the food's ready."
The table was loaded with dishes. Garfield sprinted for the spread; Holland chased after him. As they passed Aunt May, a hand lightly tapped her on a certain spot. She started; color rushed to her cheeks. She shot Maguire a look.
They gathered at the table. Holland and Garfield ate like a storm until Maguire raised a hand.
"Garfield, Holland—hold up. I need to say something. May, brace yourself. This might be a lot to take in."
Aunt May looked at him, heart thumping. Was Maguire about to… confess? With Holland right here?
She nodded shyly.
Garfield and Holland traded a startled glance. Was he going to tell Aunt May who we are?
"May," Maguire said, "Garfield and Holland… are both Spider-Man."
Aunt May froze—so not a confession—then stared at the two boys, stunned.
"As for me," Maguire went on, "that so-called Hellblood Demon—that's me."
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810