Peter thought helplessly to himself as well.
——A losing game for werewolves?
I'll drive you home," Finn said with a smile. "Don't refuse me; I have other things I want to talk to you about.
Finn had asked Peter before if he wanted a ride, Peter, of course, felt too embarrassed to let Finn go out of his way to pick him up, insisting that he could take the subway. Since Finn had put it that way, Peter no longer refused and obediently sat in Finn's luxury supercar, his gaze drawn to the rhythmic, flashing lights inside the car, his eyes filled with a hint of novelty and excitement.
Finn had also mentioned the light entertainment competition show "Rat Rise: The Great Human Challenge" to Peter, Peter knew that Finn had been busy designing the image for the show's [代言鼠] these past few days. Naturally, Peter thought the show sounded quite interesting, he had also told Finn that he could be a contestant for the first episode if needed.
After all, when it came to this kind of obstacle course competition.. as Spider-Man, Peter had quite a bit of confidence in his own physical abilities.
Peter had originally thought that Finn wanted to continue discussing the show with him, but he didn't expect that Finn wouldn't be in a hurry to drive; instead, he said with a smile—
I'll perform a magic trick for you.
Finn's green eyes held a hint of a smile as he mysteriously reached into the back seat and pulled out a small box he had prepared long ago.
Look closely, there's nothing inside." Finn held the box in front of Peter, showing it off deliberately, then struck a magician's pose, solemnly chanting a magic spell he had made up, "Fly Pillow, Fly Pillow, blink your eyes, surprise gift, appear before my eyes!
"Take another look." Finn smiled and handed the box back to Peter.
Peter saw at a glance that it was a magic box with a secret compartment; this was a basic magic prop. However, when his fingertips touched the object appearing inside the box, Peter still feigned a look of surprise, though his heart was filled with anticipation.
Once he pulled the item out, Peter realized it was a cardboard box printed with star patterns, just the right size to be held in his hand, looking like a packaging box for postcards.
Peter carefully opened the lid of the box, in the next second, the fake surprise on his face was replaced by genuine delight, his eyes instantly lighting up—
Inside the box, a stack of hand-drawn cards was neatly arranged, ten in total.
Each one was a chibi version of "Flying Pillow" based on him, the texture of the cards felt smooth and comfortable to the touch.
When they were at the Osborn Building before, Finn said he would send them to him once they were finished, but there had been no word since. Peter thought that Finn had forgotten about it, he himself felt too embarrassed to bring it up, but he never expected to receive a stack of hand-drawn cards like this.
The little boys based on the image of "Peter Parker" on the cards were in various shapes and sizes, yet all of them were incredibly vivid: one sat on a Flying Pillow with arms outstretched, his curly brown hair tousled by the wind, still looking excited while catching the breeze; one wore mini goggles and held test tubes and beakers on the pillow, conducting scientific experiments with great rigor; and another held the corner of the pillow, head tilted and nightcap sliding down his shoulder, eyes squinting sleepily as if he were about to crawl into bed.
Every single one was drawn with exquisite detail and vitality, featuring soft lines, bright colors, brushstrokes brimming with undeniable cuteness.
Peter gently pinched the cards between his fingertips, flipping through them one by one, the corners of his mouth curling into an irrepressible smile.
It felt as if, when he went out at night, he only quietly hoped to see a few stars dotting the night sky.
Unexpectedly, what he looked up to find was a brilliant galaxy densely studded with stars, a surprise that made his heart swell with warmth.
It seemed that no one had ever given him such a creative and thoughtful gift before.
"Finn, do you give all your friends such.. special gifts?" Peter couldn't help but ask.
No," Finn said candidly, "I only gave this to you.
[Spider-Man is special.]
Finn's inner thoughts clearly reached his ears. Peter was stunned for a moment, then, connecting it to Finn's unconventional way of thinking, he suddenly understood—
This is the special treatment of a [Life-long Nemesis].
Spider-Man's mood began to turn complicated; he had hoped to build a great ship of friendship with Finn, but Finn hoped that one day in the future, he could strike him with heavy blows.
This gift suddenly felt a bit overwhelming, but it was truly well-liked.
“If one day Harry and I stand on opposite sides, who will you support?” Finn quickly presented a trap question.
"Why must we stand on opposite sides?" Peter Parker asked with a soft sigh.
"That is, of course, because—" Finn revealed his noble and aloof expression once again, speaking in a mocking tone.
[The choice of fate! The birth of a tragedy! The masochistic plotline is pushing me forward!]
At the same time, his inner thoughts entered Peter's mind.
“Father's legacy.” Finn tempered his tone, deliberately putting on an indifferent facade, “Between the two of us, one of us must become the loser.”
"Either I end up in a mental asylum, or I end up in prison!" Having been through countless battles, Finn had long since seen through his fate.
Peter: ".." You really are extremely ambitious.
I hope you can stand on my side. Although I'm not as wealthy as Harry, I believe you aren't the type of person who makes friends based on money," Finn continued, staring at Peter, his tone filled with hostility and mockery toward Harry. "Harry Osborn is cold and lacks humanity; it must be exhausting to be around him, right? Being with me is so much more interesting!
Peter looked directly into Finn's expectant green eyes, while at the same time, the young man's inner thoughts were pressing in—
[You wouldn't abandon your childhood friendship with Harry Osborn just because of such a small gift, would you!]
I have so many good friends! But Harry Osborn only has one best friend—you!
[Reject me quickly! See through my wicked intentions! Reject me right now with righteous indignation! Tell me that the friendship between you and Harry Osborn is unbreakable!]
Troublesome Spider-Man: ".." He always felt that there was a trap within this trap.
"Harry is my good friend, so are you." Peter could only give an answer from his heart.
[Heh, men, they really always want it all.] Finn, who had originally expected to be rejected, suddenly lost all interest.
Peter: ".."
"I've already sent the electronic invitation for tomorrow night's party to you, feel free to invite as many friends as you like." Finn had always been easygoing, so he naturally stopped dwelling on that trick question and started his vehicle to take Peter home.
On the way, they happened to encounter a group of night cyclists.
Peter was startled, as Finn braked, he instinctively reached out to cover the young master's bright, beautiful green eyes.
“.. Doing what?” Finn said hesitantly, “If they have it, then so do I.”
"Even if there weren't any before, there are now." The young man's inner voice carried a faint hint of pride.
"Mm." Peter replied perfunctorily, still pondering what exactly "did not have before" meant in Finn's words, but he did not lower the hand that was blocking Finn's eyes.
Finn sat there obediently, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
The young man's long eyelashes trembled slightly, their delicate sensation brushing against Peter's palm with a faint, itchy warmth.
Peter's hand did not move away for a long time, it was only when the naked riding convoy had completely disappeared into the night that he unnaturally withdrew it, feeling as though his ears were burning for some inexplicable reason.
"I'll make a naked cycling meme for Mr. Suit when I get back, too." Finn, however, was lost in thought, having come up with a new brilliant idea to increase Brother's level of disgust.
Peter: ".." Your ideas are dangerous.
Chapter 12: Filming Freak
Every morning at eight o'clock, Andrew Damon would receive a text message from Finn Osborn—
[I'm looking forward to your performance.]
Plus a sunglasses emoji.
When he first received it, Andrew would always struggle with it in his heart for a long time.
By now, he could subconsciously reply with a calm "OK."
At first, the mere thought of having to perform at Finn's party—at a party full of wealthy people—filled Andrew with repulsion and reluctance. However, he had no way to refuse Finn; as the other man had said, it was his presence that had caused that car accident. Since he couldn't afford the compensation, he couldn't, at the very least, refuse even something like this.
Even if Andrew felt that his character was not noble, he still could not bring himself to do something so irresponsible.
Andrew felt immense pressure at the thought of the magic performance. After much deliberation, he decided to tell Steve Montgomery and Matt about it. He also wanted to know if Steve Montgomery had told Finn Osborn about his magic performance at the school party, which was why Finn had requested him to perform at his party.
I didn't say that!" Steve Montgomery looked surprised, then added thoughtfully, "Finn Osborn isn't Harry Osborn. Most of the guests at his parties are internet influencers, he must be a social media expert himself. Finn can even stumble upon stray dogs online; maybe he happened to see your performance at the school party online and reached out to you because he genuinely appreciates your talent?
Andrew was very surprised: ".." Admire him?
But Andrew didn't know any magic.
—He relied on his powers to fake magic.
Moreover, he was not the only one with an ability. He, Steve Montgomery, Matt had also gone on an expedition late at night before, discovering a massive meteorite emitting a blue glow deep within a cave. After coming into contact with it, the three of them seemed to have gained the telekinetic superpower to manipulate objects freely.
After that, the three of them would often go out in the dead of night to test their abilities.
It was precisely because of this that they happened to run into Finn in the wild that night.
Andrew even wondered if Finn would agree to let Steve Montgomery and Matt go to the party to perform in his place. He could certainly tell that when he mentioned Finn wanted him to perform magic at the party, their expressions were even more excited than his own.
Montgomery had even gone out of his way to ask around for him: there had always been a magic segment at Finn's parties, but the previous magician had left New York, they were currently short of performers. It made sense now; Finn had likely just come across a video of Andrew's performance at a school party and chose him as a substitute.
This explanation sounded reasonable, but Andrew was completely resistant to the idea.
His previous performance at the school party was nothing short of a disaster.
That day, he performed magic using telekinesis, which indeed earned him a great deal of applause and praise. However, in that atmosphere, he became carried away, his expression turning wild and losing all composure. Later, he also drank a large amount of alcohol for the first time and vomited directly on stage; the entire incident was captured on video and circulated throughout the school, making it an utterly humiliating experience.
In addition to the title of Filming Freak, he also gained the nickname of the Vomiting Magician.
—Andrew Damon had deep psychological trauma regarding magic and the stage.
Andrew! You have an invitation from Finn Osborn now! Go ask the students at our school, who wouldn't be scrambling to get one?" Both Steve Montgomery and Matt thought this was an excellent opportunity and discussed it with him excitedly, "I've asked, there were a total of three magicians at the previous party. Matt and I can be your assistants; you don't have to worry about going on stage alone, we can go together.
How about you two go instead.." Andrew frowned, "I can't handle that kind of setting.
Didn't you perform quite well last time?" Matt said immediately. "Don't worry, just don't drink this time and there won't be any problems.
That's right, Finn invited you," Montgomery also said persuasively, "What does it matter if the two of us go on stage? Are we stealing your opportunity?
I don't think this is stealing," Andrew immediately said. "I don't need this kind of—
The thought of those self-important rich people staring at him with judgmental eyes, waiting for him to make a mistake or embarrass himself so they could mock him without mercy, made Andrew Damon increasingly nervous. The splitting headache and the feeling of nausea he experienced when he vomited in public at the last party rushed back into his mind instantly.
He didn't mind at all giving this great opportunity to make an appearance at Finn's party to Steve Montgomery and Matt; they were clearly more eager for and cherished this chance more than he was.
If you don't go, Finn will definitely be disappointed," Steve Montgomery said urgently. "You're the magician he has his eyes on, aren't you?
—Disappointed?
—Just because I'm not going, he will feel disappointed?
Andrew Damon was completely stunned, his mind filled with a sense of confusion and disbelief.
Would someone like him, who has always been ignored and constantly mocked with strange looks, truly be missed by such a person who is always the center of attention—would they even care, or perhaps even feel disappointed, just because he missed a single party?
Andrew didn't know, but he had long since grown accustomed to self-denial.
But every morning, Finn's short message, "I'm looking forward to your performance," would arrive right on time, without ever once being interrupted.
Like a gentle light, it repeatedly illuminated his dark world.
He couldn't help but think of Finn's bright green eyes in the night, so clean and sincere, carrying an unmasked warmth toward him.
Andrew couldn't help but wonder, was Finn really that much looking forward to his magic show?