Hobie cursed as he entered into apartment and saw the pot bubbling on the stove. 'Got too lax… to lazy. Stopped being on edge.'

The last two years had been… interesting… to say the least. He had been offered a chance to assist with the new group that was monitoring the Multiverse (NOT the Spiderverse… Spinneret had been VERY clear that they would protect all of reality, not just ones with Spiders in it) but he had decided to pass; it had been clear from how quickly they accepted that they had been hoping he'd make that choice.

The fact simply was that Hobie needed to get back to basics. The Spider Society had been a mistake… him trying to fight one too many battles. The fascist government run by Prime Minister Fisk and propped up by his ally President Osborn, along with their cronies… that should have been what he was focused on. He had preached it so many times to members of his group (which didn't have a name because that was stupid; you name something and people could learn about it easier and, in turn, try and tear it down): Start small. Everyone saw him taking it to the man and had believed that they could change things overnight. They didn't see that Hobie had worked hard to reach the point he was at, starting with small corruption and building up to speaking out and causing problems for the true root causes of pain and suffering.

Going to the Society and trying to deal with that… it had all been too quick, too fast, too messy. He had thought he understood what was going on, that Miguel was fighting against the 'man' in the most primal sense. Trying to deal with the universe itself oppressing people. When he'd realized that no, Miguel was trying to BE the man, he had decided that he would take him down, just like he was tearing down Fisk and Osborn… ignoring the fact that he didn't have the resources or allies that he had on his world.

It would have been like some Yankee bloke coming in trying to come into his neighborhood and stir things up. Would take the poor bastard twenty times as long to get things set up and ready. Wouldn't know how to speak to people, what to do in order to get them follow them, what tech was needed. That's the situation that Hobie had found himself in and it was why he had become even more abrasive than was the norm for him.

So he had turned down the offer to join them and instead decided to focus on himself and his world.

And it had worked like a bloody charm.

His music had never been better and the crowds he attracted at his pop up concerts had only swollen up. He'd taken to using the internet to connect with his fans and the underground message boards were lighting up; of course he had to screen everyone but it was worth it when he got some kid who just wanted someplace to belong admitting that they'd actually had a good day after spending time on the boards.

His work as Spider-Punk was even better. While it had been wrong for him to join up with the Spider Society it had taught him a lot of things when it came to fighting and he'd found the jack boots that Fisk and Osborn sent at him weren't that difficult at all. He'd managed to take them out rather easily and that had only encouraged others to join up. He had utterly befuddled yet bemused when a young tough from the streets named Petey Parker had decided to become The Prowler to help him out.

Hobie had even managed to find a politician he could trust, much to his own shock. Betty Brant had raised herself up from the slums but never forgotten where she came from, which was why she had been stuck with a tits job in the government. But Hobie had quietly been helping her and she, in turn, had been helping him out, feeding him information even if it meant ruining her chances at raising up. It was odd but wonderful to find someone doing what the government SHOULD have been doing.

All of this had meant that he had become more relaxed… and thus slipped up.

He tensed, ready to go on the attack. While some might have scoffed at the idea of FOOD being a danger sign there was no one that Hobie would trust to make him a meal that would actually show up at his place. Chris sent him updates but he was still mad about Gwen… the two were working on it and hoped, with the two years now nearly up, they might work out their friendship again, but he hadn't come to make him meals. Gwendy certainly wasn't showing up as her world had been locked down, preventing her from going anywhere or getting guests.

Hobie had been the one to suggest that and he'd only felt guilty for a short while over that.

His friends knew better than to break into his place. He met them at safe spots; he didn't go to their homes either, for that exact reason. People's homes had to be kept an utter secret.

So an intruder then. Someone who didn't know the rules. Who wanted to lure him into a false sense of security.

Hobie crept forward… only to hear someone singing to themselves followed by the flush of his loo.

'Alright, a very dumb assassin then or a very smart one,' he thought as he prepared himself-

-only to blink at the sight of an Indian to come walking out of his water closet wiping his hands.

"OH! You're home!"

"…Pavi, right?" Hobie said, trying to place the Spider that was walking up to him with a grin. He remembered the Spider as he had a rather distinctive look-

"Yes!" Pavi declared rather loudly. "Yes yes yes… now, sit down, please. The curry is nearly done and I thought you could do with something to eat. I arrived here-" Pavi began to move around the kitchen, grabbing spoons and bowls and such, "-after you had left and while I was waiting I noticed the horrid state of your kitchen. Truly dreadful. You have nothing at all to eat in here!"

-and distinctive personality.

"So I've been told," Hobie admitted. Gwen and Chris had both complained about that, though for different reasons. Gwen because she was a teenager ('was she though? Weird to think Gwendy is an adult now…') and thus was always eating and Chris because for as much of a rebel as he was the man was also a fussy dad who wanted to make sure his pantry was filled.

"So I darted to the store and got you some food."

That made Hobie VERY nervous. "You went to the store?" he said slowly. Considering how garishly Pavi was dressed Hobie didn't doubt for a second that anyone seeing him would have realized he was a Spider, tied him back to him… and then followed Pavi right back to his place. 'They might be on their way right now with some jack boots to storm the place,' he thought, suddenly looking about trying to decide what he wanted to save. 'I have to bail. Its my own choice. But bloody hell there isn't time to save all I should, let alone wants.' Gifts from friends. Records that he realized in that moment he had been stupid to keep there. Gear that he would need in the next few months-

"Oh yes!" Pavi said, not at all noticing the growing worry and stress Hobie was feeling. "Miss Surjit was very kind to make some suggestions."

Hobie locked eyes with the other Spider. "Who is Miss Surjit?" He needed to know who had been talking to Pavi. Who had seen him. Who-

"She is Miss Surjit!" Pavi said with a laugh. "She runs the corner store near my auntie's home."

That made Hobie frown, his brain slowly piecing together what Pavi was saying… and his shoulders slumping in relief. "You went back to your world."

"Of course," Pavi said, moving over to check the food he was cooking. "I do not have money to spend in your world and I wasn't going to steal it!"

Hobie nodded at that, feeling rather stupid for not having considered that little part. Yes… that had been an issue even when he had worked with the Society. It was why there was the massive cafeteria in the Tower, as webslinging burned calories. And a Spider couldn't just go and grab a hot dog as how would they pay for it? There were no banks that converted their currency to whatever was used on the Earth they were currently on. Most Spiders also looked down on stealing… Hobie had gotten Gwendy to do it a few times. He had always made sure though to hit one of those giant faceless super stories where the owners would never step foot in the building, the lighting seemed designed to steal one's soul, and the employees had to run donation drives just to be able to get enough to feed themselves. He didn't feel any guilt at stealing from those places and had taught Gwendy the fine art of snagging free food.

He smiled as he remembered the two of them walking through a store, grabbing a cup of chicken bites from the deli and wandering around 'browsing' the clothing section as they ate before they quietly dumped the packaging in a trash can and were on their way, no one the wiser. Sure, it wasn't moral AT ALL… but he'd always made sure to do a bit extra crime stopping before they left that universe, just to tip the scales back into his favor.

'Gwendy…' he thought and not for the first time he found himself thinking fondly of his times with Gwen. It was odd… he had never understood the old timers that could think about their friends who had left the streets and become part of the oppressive regime that sought to grind everyone into dust. He had scoffed and rolled his eyes (discreetly… old lady Winters had a mean slap and wasn't afraid to use it if she thought he was sassing her) when they would wax on about their friends who had grown up playing in alleyways and in broken down homes who now had positions of power in Fisk's cabinet. He just couldn't understand it! Why would someone even think for a second kindly about such a person! They were traitors! They had forgotten who they were and where they came from!

And yet… within the last year, back at home and with his first friends and bandmates… Hobie found himself thinking about Gwendy and the fun times they'd had together. How giddy she got when she learned about new music and they would sneak into a concert just so she could hear something different. How she would mock the dumb fruity drinks coffee shops would sell. The two of them sitting in his flat trying out different makeup, painting each other's nails. He remembered one world where all of existence seemed to be themed around Halloween...

"What's this, what's this?" Gwen sang as she began to point at different shops. The entire world had such a weird design; there were stores CLEARLY ran by ACTUAL witches… but while they had the dark insides and spider webs and cauldrons bubbling they also advertises what their wi-fi password was on a sign out front. Hobie spotted a vampire walking around, blood on his face… only for someone to stop him and point it out, causing him to pull out a wet wipe and hurriedly rub it over his face before heading into a Bloodbucks to get another half frap bloodcino. Zombie parents telling their zombie kids they weren't going to McBrains, they had brains at home.

"The Big Poofter would fit in well here," Hobie muttered as he thought of Miguel wandering around with his fangs out and no one saying boo. Or maybe they would say boo…

"We need to go down there!" Gwen declared with giddy delight. "Its Halloweentown!"

"It's… what now?" Hobie said.

"This great series of movies about kids discovering their grandmother's a witch and that she lives in a town where all the people are different monsters! But its magical and fun!" She grabbed his arm, vibrating in delight. "We should go down!"

"They are vampires and monsters, Gwendy… they will eat us."

She let out a scoff at that. "No way. We're SPIDER people. We show off how we can stick to walls and are super strong and they'll treat us like anyone else."

"Are you trying to compare us to monsters?"

Her smile fell at that.

He knew what she wanted to say without her even muttering the words.

'We are monsters.'

The misunderstood. The different. The freaks.

"…I'm not wearing a cape," Hobbie said and at once Gwen was back to being so hyper and giddy… he'd never seen her so excited before.

He still had his cape.

'Suppose that's how it is,' he thought. 'You aren't around someone so the edges that had formed are softened and other times you forget the bad and just focus on the good.' It was a fact of life he supposed, one he wasn't for sure about. 'I don't want to forget the crap she pulled. How she was so willing to beg for scraps from O'Hara and Drew.'

All the same… the fact remained… he missed his friend. Even if that wasn't who she really was, had never been like that… he still missed her.

"So," he said as he came out of his thoughts, watching Pavi putter around the kitchen, "I assume this isn't a social call?"

"Why can't it be both?" Pavi asked as he grabbed the bowls and started with the rice, filling each about half full before he moved on to chicken that smelled so delightfully spicy that it was already making Hobie's mouth water. "It isn't pressing what brought me here so we can talk a bit."

"And what brought you here?" Hobie asked as Pavi ladled out the chicken. He moved to his fridge and was surprised to see that Pavi had filled it with milk, water, some Indian soda whose name he couldn't really pronounce, as well as stock staples like butter and the like. "I'll pay ya back for all this," Hobie said as once.

"No need, no need. I am more than willing to help out! Things have been working out well for me… I was awarded more reward money by Mayor Prem for my help in taking down the Shikra!" He shook his head and chuckled. "Sometimes I have far too much money that I don't know what to do with it. I beg people that I am Spider-Man just to help them and I need no reward but they like to help out all the same. The Old Prabhakar Curse."

That made Hobie snort as he pulled out a beer (the only thing he had bought himself). "Most universes it's the Parker Luck and it brings about bad things."

"Which is very sad. Everything works out for me!" Pavi declared happily.

Hobie shot him a dark look. "The Council hasn't taught you to be a bit more humble yet, have they?"

Pavi started at that before smiling bashfully. "They… they are working on it."

"Sure," Hobie said dryly as he walked over to his couch and flopped down; it was only his agility and body control that kept his curry from splashing out onto his lap. Which was a great thing because the first bite was nearly orgasmic. "And things are going good in the multiverse?"

"Oh yes," Pavi said. "They have had me running around quite a bit!"

That Hobie knew. Pavi had never joined the Society and had been snatched up by the Council of Mary Janes before the battle against the Spot. It had been made clear to everyone that the new organization that would be replacing the Society would have select agents they would call upon for help and Pavi was one of the lucky, or unlucky, first ones.

"You here for a mission then?" Hobie asked.

"Oh, no no no. Though yes, in a way, but nothing that threatens you world and nothing that threatens any other world."

Hobie, rather than answer, just had another bite of curry. Pavi would figure out what the hell he was trying to say soon enough.

"It has been two yearrs," he replied, "and we are slowly beginning to open up the multiverse. Chris and his group has managed to find a way to stabilize everyone's forms, so they do not glitch out when they travel to another reality. No more need for devices."

"That's good," Hobie said. "That had been a pain in the arse. Don't like weaknesses that don't need to be there."

"Yes yes," Pavi said, nodding rapidly before taking a bite of his own curry. "Anyway, we are going to do it slowly… reach out to others and see if there are old friends they want to check in on and the like. We thought you might like to…"

The boy trailed off and Hobie understood why.

'Do I want to see Gwendy again? Or is it better just to have the memories? On one hand its going to bug me if I don't see her again… but on the other I'm afraid that if I do I'm going to dredge up all that bad stuff and… well, that won't be good at all. '

And in that moment Hobie felt utterly disgusted with Pavi while at the same time feeling respect.

'He might not have been the one to think of it but… his group, they created the perfect trap.'

It was simple and sinister and brilliant. Take all these people that had been broken down by what had happened with Miles and the Spider Society, all the stress and the pain they had felt, and give them two years where it all went away. Remove the system of support the Society was but also the system of complicity. The people they leaned on when times were tough, who understood… but also the people that dismissed their worries and their complaints. Who told them it was okay to do things they felt were wrong.

Remove all of that.

And then place them in a world they understood. There might be problems. Issues. Drama that they had to work out that they had been running away from (his mind once more turned to Gwendy and her dad). But it was also the familiar. The normal. The reliable. Give them all that and let them settle into a healthy routine on their own worlds… and then offer them the chance to return to the multiverse.

Some would return, healed and ready. Others would be broken by what they had been forced to endure on their worlds and be eager to accept whatever terms the group now monitoring the multiverse set up.

But many others would find that now that they had seen the wild world and returned home to the safety of their reality… that they didn't need the adventure and the excitement.

'How many of Miguel's most sycophantic followers suddenly found themselves looking around at their actual friends and family and realizing that they had no business following him amongst the universes?' Hobie thought. 'Its brilliant and its sinister… hats off to all of you. And a bowfinger.' But that then led him to quietly chewing on his curry, Pavi proving that despite his boisterous attitude he could be quiet and let others think when needed.

And Hobie needed it.

'Stay or go mate,' he thought to himself. 'Stay… or go.'