"Nice car." Honestly, Max wasn't sure about getting in. Would it scorch the leather? Not really enough time to consider, so he finally just got in, closing the door as well. Nothing had set on fire yet, so that was a win.
he thought about how electricity would affect a car and relaxed a little. As long as he kept it to himself, kept it close and in, there shouldn't be any damage. Admittedly, the radio was freaking out a little, but he was working on that. Eventually the music came out the way it was meant to, no more crackling. Huh. That was the kind of music Harry Osborn listened to?
Max looked at him from the side. Sad little rich boy. Angry little rich boy. Easier to relate to than he'd have thought. "So. I get us into Oscorp. What's the plan then?"
Harry pulled out of the space he parked into and turned his head back, bracing himself and turning to Max. "Hold tight, it's going to be a little bumpy." Mostly because everyone in that shithole was down and the barrier was too so he had to basically smash his way out of it. Not that he cared much, what did a car matter right now? He could get another. Steal another. There was always a way, apparently. Nothing he couldn't fucking do.
As they pulled out onto the road, he sped off immediately, trying to get that place as much in the distance as he could. He would say his neck hurt from the hit or something but everything hurt so what did more pain matter?
"So we go, we confront the complete asshat that set me up, we get all we need from Oscorp and then we go kill a spider. I just need the research department, the experimental shit, you know? I can handle that alone and you can -- I don't know, what do you want? More power?" He wasn't sure what to offer Max but he would give him anything at this point. "I can give you access to the power grid."
While Harry talked, Max watched him. He watched him closely, starting to see the electric currents running all through his body. His brain, his heart, everywhere. He moved his hand as if to touch him, but then abandoned the movement. His fingers were blue and glowing like the rest of him. He wasn't sure whether even just one touch might not be enough to damage Harry.
And he didn't want to damage Harry. Harry needed him. "I'll stay with you."
Harry was so fragile. Seemed stupid to leave him alone. "They've taken it all from me, Oscorp. I want to take from them." And staying with Harry was the obvious way to keep doing that. "If Spider-Man shows up, I can handle him for us."
Because he just didn't see Harry being able to do much damage.
"Do whatever you want, man. You don't have to stick with me but we're friends, yeah? We have each other's backs. I want what you want so if you wanna go nuclear, just say the fucking word. I'm not attached to any of this shitty world." If he wanted to trash the whole of New York, Harry wouldn't miss a scrap of it. He had no fondness for this place, all it meant to him was betrayal and pain.
Harry pulled off towards Oscorp and double checked no security was on their tail before he slowed his speed a little. Just a little.
He raised his hand, rubbing at the patch of skin was was always open on his neck lately. The sores were painful - how did his dad live with them? "Oscorp just takes and takes. Like my dad. He takes from everyone. He took from you, didn't he? I saw that. No one else did, huh? Well, I did. Cause the schematics, for the power grid, they were submitted like a year ago to my dad and he has the files on his drive. Yet at Oscorp, new files, same shit - all in the name of Norman fucking Osborn."
Max was just as screwed as he was so he got it. The anger. The hate. It was good. A good emotion. "They screwed you, Max. That's gotta suck."
"They all saw it, they just didn't care." That was the difference. Harry was here, caring that he had been screwed. Max had to smile for a moment, shaking his head. "Wouldn't have ever bet on some rich white boy giving a damn."
That was unexpected. That was almost enough to make him think it wasn't real, but he had heard that despair in Harry's voice. Was seeing it even now. He didn't think Harry was faking. Wasn't lying about that any more than he was lying about needing him. "See, I got used to being screwed. But this, this I'm not used to."
He moved his hand and there were sparks. Electricity crackling. "I have power now. I've never had power before. I want to make them feel it. Give them a proper reason to fear me."
"I'm just so tired. It's so -- it's so dumb, isn't it? They just fucking use people and then throw them away and want them buried. They want them gone. If you're too difficult, if you don't fit, if you're not doing exactly what you need to then you're thrown aside." And Harry was stuck in a place where he never got to get any catharsis from his dad and the company was all he had left to be angry at, to care about.
Harry looked at Max, eyes wide and admiring, taking it the beautiful blue and the crackling static. It made his hairs stand on end - he loved it.
"Max, man, you're amazing. You know that? Look at you. You beautiful bastard. You could do anything. You will. And you'll hurt anyone who ever hurt you." And he was excited to be there for it. "And look, yeah, I'm not exactly 'disadvantaged' or on your level in that sense but like... I get it. In a way. I've always been weak, I just want to turn the tables. Just once." He wasn't asking for more.
"We'll fucking fry those tables," Max promised, watching his own hand as he moved it, still trying to figure out his own body. If it could even be called that. He wasn't mourning any loss there, he knew he had been a weird loser all his life before this. But now he'd never be a loser again. Looking past his fingers, he looked at Harry. He really did look broken down. He wanted to change that.
"They won't get to hurt you any more either." There, that was a promise. "Let's do your thing first. Then we can go to the grid. I think-- I think I need more power. There's more potential. I can be more. I feel it."
"Exactly, Max. We gotta get ready for war." Harry promised him as he pulled up to the building and turned his head, smiling at Electro. "We're gonna go in there so you have to scramble all their cameras or some shit. Kill anyone who comes at us. We'll get to my office and find out where my cure is. My dad worked on that thing for years, he had all the pieces, he tested so much on me and I just -- I just think they have to have something, right?"
It made sense. They had to have a lead or a direction to go. Some of those weird fucking spiders or Spiderman's blood or something.
With a pause, Harry exhaled and then turned to Max. "Do you like that, by the way? Max. Cause I like Max, it's a good name. It's cute. Or would you rather Mr Dillion or -- I dunno, you got a super villain name yet?"
"Not really. How do you get one?" He supposed the news usually took care of that. "What are they calling me? They probably got something." He had fought Spider-Man, after all. Almost won too. Dumb little spider. "You can call me Max. If I had friends, they'd have called me that."
He had never really had friends. He had thought he had one once, but clearly he had been mistaken about that. Harry was different though. He knew that.
Looking forward to the building, he closed his eyes briefly. It was easy to follow the right current. Change the flow. Scramble the cameras, as Harry wanted. "It's safe to go in now."
"Come on then, Max." Harry pushed the door open and got out, walking towards the door and making sure Max is with them. He considered what Max had said, tilted his head to the side a little and then smiled at Max when it came to him. "Electro. They said Electro. In the paper I read. I kind of like it, it has a spark of something."
With a playful giggle, he walked inside his old headquarters and didn't bother to check for danger or worry. If anyone had questioned his trust of Max, this was the test and he passed because he didn't seem concerned at all. He knew Max had his back.
"We need the 8th floor." He tilted his head up and frowned. "Elevator?"
"Electro." Not exactly original, but he had to smirk anyway, nodding his approval. "It will do."
He watched Harry, who seemed to be in a good mood. Made sense, didn't it? Things were going exactly the way they wanted. He looked over to the elevator and moved things so it'd come down, walking Harry towards it. When the door opened, he let Harry step through first. "I'll be with you. Don't touch the walls."
With that he vanished. Well, he stopped clinging to a human shape, instead pure electricity followed behind Harry, creating a crackling forcefield around him as the elevator went up. Max was testing his limits.
When the door opened, he appeared again just outside it, gesturing for Harry to come out. "I am testing my control." He wanted to find out what he could do without hurting Harry.
"You know, everything around you just crackles and pops. I love it. You're like how it feels on crystal. It's just, you know, it's just electric." He laughed, amused by his own joke as he came to stand in front of Electro, looking up at him. "You are amazing."
Just a simple, clear statement before he moved into his old office, letting Max handle any security.
Talking to his rival turned boss was relatively easy. Once Max stopped his heart, anyway. He had offered Max the chance to ditch and go play but no, Max was really gonna stick with him. Harry didn't mind. He marched the bastard towards the elevator and kept his gun pointed at the fucker.
"You wanna see what Oscorp is hiding, Max? I wonder how much they have kept away from us all."
"Whatever they haven't destroyed yet. Your father managed to be an evil bastard for decades without getting caught, why are these new bastards all so incompetent?" Seemed like a good question to ask. This time, different from before, Max did physically enter the elevator. He leaned against the wall, moving his hands a little bit above the buttons instead of pressing them directly. His arms crossed, he kept his eyes on Harry. Had to wonder whether he had ever even held a gun before.
Didn't really matter, he supposed. He was doing a good, unhinged show of it. "If they don't have anything to help you down there, we'll find something somewhere else."
"I don't know why but I'm feeling lucky. Are you feeling lucky, Max?"
Harry smiled, a little irrationally optimistic but determined. As they headed to the lab below, he ignored the head of the board's half hearted protests and insistence that it wasn't the cure, that it was a trial but nothing would stop Harry. Not even the risk. He didn't even consult Max but he did look at him, not waiting, just putting it right into his neck with a smile. And it worked. It fucking worked. His hands stopped shaking for the first time since he was ... God, 11? 12? he couldn't even remember.
"They had it the whole fucking time. My dad died and they had it the whole--"
Something hit him like a ton of bricks and he felt an unstoppable, painful itch rip through the inside of his body. He lost his footing and dropped to the floor, curled into himself. "... Max?!"
"No!" Max moved over to hold Harry without thinking, but his hands went through his arms at the first attempt and he was afraid that he was shocking him. His eyes wide he stayed as close as he could, glaring up at the asshole that had brought them here. "What have you done to him?!"
There were protests again, but Max didn't hear them. He yelled as he pulled it all in, all the power he could reach. The man's body was scorching when he hit him with a wave. Only around Harry's fallen body stayed a circle of air that wasn't crackling. Everything else was electricity, gathering inside Max. He was not sure what he was reaching for, but he felt it like a meter being filled. And when he reached it, he reached for Harry again.
This time he had a body, something solid to use to gather Harry against himself. He looked down at him, desperate. "Don't leave me! I-- You said you needed me!" So he couldn't just leave. Not like this.
Harry cried out in pain as he felt his body do something to itself, he had no idea why. It felt like bones were moving and muscles were ripping. He felt like every inch of himself was being torn open. He cried out for a few moments, twitching and writhing, until the pain changed. It didn't hurt the same way, it didn't feel the same. It almost felt good. The screams turned to laughs and Harry opened his eyes again.
Instead of a beautiful blue, they were green.
He smiled up at Max, his face twisted into a horrible grin. "I think I'm better now." It felt better so it was - right? He looked at Max, mesmerised. "I'm alive."
"...you are alive." Had to give him that. But he was different. He saw it with how the electricity moved through his body now. Max stroked the side of Harry's face, merely to get a feel of him. To figure out what had happened. "Something changed with how your brain is receiving signals."
That was the closest he could give to an explanation right now. Sparks came from Max's fingers and it was when he realised, finally, that he had fingers again. His old ones, no longer blue and transparent. "Huh. Guess I changed too."
"You look so handsome but I gotta admit, I'm missing the blue." Harry confessed as he slowly managed to find his feet, staggering a little as he walked towards the panels in front of him, eyeing up the technology with fascination. "It's miliary weapons. Should have fucking knew it, they got the contract and they hid it from me."
Harry picked up one of the green bombs and playfully tossed it up and down, catching it as he looked at Max. "You know, buddy, me and you could do so much together." They had weapons, Max had powers and they clearly got each other. "Hey, handsome - wanna kill a spider together?"
Max frowned, unsure what to make of being called handsome repeatedly. In the end he decided to make nothing of it, instead focusing on watching Harry. Watching the ideas spark to life, wondering just what he was really thinking. There was an excitement over being included in his plans. Devious little fucker, he knew that much. And that was exactly what he wanted.
"Sounds like a fun party." He smiled back, lifting his hand. It only took a thought for it to turn blue again. The lights flickered and Max looked at Harry. "Think the spider will come out to play?"
"Trash the grids, mess with the electric. You know the power station? Go there. Stay there. I'll be right behind you. You need to draw him out now or we'll never get to him." Harry insisted as he started pulling weapons from the shelving, excited to hurt someone, his whole body thumping and vibrating with exciting. He felt different. He felt good. And it was time.
It was time to end that stupid bug and crush him down for what he did. He would have revenge, that much he was sure of. "Then we attack together. Make him think you're alone, cause he'll think it. But you're not alone, Max." He felt his arms out, laughing. "I'm always gonna be with you."
"Promise." Max knew it was childish to demand it like that, but he asked anyway, holding out his pinkie finger. And then, after Harry made the pinkie promise, Max smiled. His body turned blue again, transparent and electric, pure power. And he left, but only so they could reunite again.
Everyone thought that he was gone. Destroyed. Dead. Max had thought it himself. He wasn't sure when he felt consciousness again. When he became aware of who he was, what he could do. But, as it turned out, electricity was everywhere. It could not be turned off that easily.
And so, Max found himself again. He had no way of telling how much time had passed, but he knew he had one target. One goal. All he wanted was to find Harry.
He got out long enough to find the information he needed, reading an article in a newspaper in a rest stop he destroyed. Then, within seconds, he travelled the distance he needed to travel.
It was before lights out, just before, and the lights in Harry's cell flickered. There was a faint crackling in the air.
Harry would have said he was bored but honestly, his mind was so active that it was hard to be bored. He had about a hundred ideas and he was making plans in his head, every second of every hour, his mind on one thing. Fucking Spiderman and how much he wanted to kill him for what he had done. For the lies, the betrayal, the fact that he had destroyed his beautiful Max. Lots of things to hate the bug for.
Lying back on his bed, Harry stared up at the ceiling and imagined his next potential move when he felt it.
A crackle. A spark. Static. It was static. He sat up suddenly and licked his lips, looking curiously around. "The feel of static, man. They always get to me." He spoke aloud to himself, he always did, it was nice to just verbalise thoughts sometimes. "I'm an electrical whore. Bad storm? Dodgy lighting? A gift from above?" He was open to all. They all screamed 'opportunity'.
Max had to laugh, caught off-guard. Harry often did that. He could never quite predict what he'd say next. The sound of his laughter was audible in the room. He hadn't known that it would be.
With more finesse by now, he froze the video recording Harry. Started to loop it instead. He wasn't sure what the plan would be, so this seemed safest. He appeared, slowly, at first only an outline forming. Skeletal more than anything.
He reached out, too eager to control himself, his fingers hit with an immediate and familiar zap. Unlike most people, he didn't react with terror or hurt, he just shuddered excitedly and brought his hand to his mouth.
"Nothing good about this place, bit dry and boring, no fun art on the walls or windows to look out of. It's just so ... blah." Harry huffed in annoyance and came closer to Max, feeling his hair stand on end. Ah, yes, there it was. The power. "Did you miss me?"
"No." It was very direct honesty, but luckily Max added on immediately. "I came to find you as soon as I reached awareness." So he didn't have time to miss him. He knew his place was by his side.
Max didn't quite trust Harry's self-preservation, so he kept on focusing until at least one arm materialised more properly. Enough for him to reach for Harry's wrist and hold it, to keep him from trying to touch again. "You missed me?"
He knew Harry had said it, but he still asked. No one had ever missed him before. "I'm here. I'm with you."
"Yeah, well, I missed you for a while cause I thought the spider wrecked you. Where have you been? Hiding out on me?" Did Electro make him wait? Surely not. He didn't think electro would do that and it was a relief to think that 'reaching awareness' just meant he was blown away from this world and not able to be here for him. He had been worried, in the back of his head, that Max could be out there. Could have ditched him.
Taking a hold of the solid arm, he moved it around so he could bring the hand up to his own cheek, looking him in the eyes.
Harry's eyes were blue, not green, obviously more stable than last time but that was a low bar and he was still tripping on it. "Did you come for me?"
"Of course." Max stepped closer, looking into Harry's eyes. They were the blue they had first been again, but maybe he looked a little better? A little less sick? If he was less sick, would he still need him? What would he do if Harry ever stopped needing him? "I wasn't hiding out. I was-- scattered, I think."
He didn't truly understand it either. "Do you need me?" That was all he wanted to hear. "I can break you out."
"I always need you. I need you now and I'll need you later. I want to get out. I'm better than I've ever been and I have nowhere to put the energy." He smiled at Max and wished he could hug him close and hold him but he knew the danger of grabbing a live wire for a cuddle so he wisely held back.
"Let's get out of here. Find somewhere nice, some good digs. We can work out what our next move it. Together." Cause he wasn't about to let Max get away from him. Not for a second. Even if he had to manipulate his pathetic need for love, he would. He knew how to, he had a pathetic need for love himself so hey, no judgement. "Me and you, friend. Always."
"Always." Max wasn't sure whether he still had a heart, but it felt as if it was hurting from all this. He smiled at Harry and then, after giving his hand a slight squeeze, he stepped back. Stepped back, floated up, moved towards the nearest cable and was gone.
Of course, only seconds later the prison was plunged into darkness. The crackle of electricity was everywhere and there were shouts, gunshots. And the screams of people being electrocuted.
The door of Harry's cell sprung open, the hallway just outside lighting up. A steady hum of electricity, otherwise nothing. When Harry walked along the hallway, other prisoners came up to their doors. When they touched the bars, they were shocked. One, who insulted Harry, was electrocuted on the spot.
Electro had a way of making his presence felt. He lit Harry's way, guiding him until he could walk out the exit. Then he appeared again, blue and smiling at his friend. His partner. "Do you want to get a car?" He gestured. "I think there's some parking spots over there."
Harry could not think of a better thing he had ever done in his life than approach Max. It was the only way he could survive in this world, someone weak and lacking any power just needed a strong, unstoppable friend who could do it all for them. And that's what Max did. He was so happy as he walked down the hallway, he practically danced to the exit.
Once he saw that beautiful blue glow in the distance, he started running towards Max with a bright, excited smile.
"Let's get a car! A cool one though, no suburbantanks or electric cars. Just something fun, you know. Maybe red. I like red." It was a fun colour. He came over to Max's side and looked at him. "Thanks for the help, handsome. I won't ever forget it."
"When you need me, I'm there." He said it simply and meant it. They had promised, after all. Max moved a hand up and the streetlights around them started to go out. He pulled himself together, at least that was how he pictured it. There he was then, no longer glowing blue. And he pulled Harry in for a hug, simply holding him for a moment or two. Maybe three.
That was what people did, right? Friends. He moved away, turning to head for where the cars were parked. "We can get whatever car you want. I used to jack them, you know? Back when. First time people used me."
When he'd been young, a geek, experimenting with electricity. He had only ever been made fun of for it, until someone had been smart enough to realise that he'd be able to jack cars with that knowledge. Almost landed him in jail, because they ditched him. Of course they did.
"Well, I'm not going to use you, Max. I'm just doing shit with you. You ever think like, I don't know, I'm being a dick or whatever, just tell me. Cause we talk and communicate. That's what friends do. So many people don't get that, that-that you just -- just talk." And yet, Peter couldn't fucking do it with him. He wouldn't have the same issues with Max, they would share. Tell each other stuff. Maybe hug more. Max was good at that. Hugging. He had a strange solidness that felt comforting and safe.
He picked his car, checked it had a satnav inside and then gestured to it.
"That one. Show me what you got, Max." He was genuinely excited, watching with great interest because the things Max could do were amazing.
Max moved close, some sparks going from his hand to the car door. "I'm just jacking the OBD board." Pretty standard stuff, things he'd done before. But this was different, obviously. He looked at Harry. Talking and communicating. "It's all in me. Or maybe everything is outside me. I can feel what it's doing. I can guide it. I know what electricity does, I understand it. I am it, now, so I just... Make it work my way."
The car sprung to life and Max opened the door, holding it for Harry. "Do you want to drive?"
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he thought about how electricity would affect a car and relaxed a little. As long as he kept it to himself, kept it close and in, there shouldn't be any damage. Admittedly, the radio was freaking out a little, but he was working on that. Eventually the music came out the way it was meant to, no more crackling. Huh. That was the kind of music Harry Osborn listened to?
Max looked at him from the side. Sad little rich boy. Angry little rich boy. Easier to relate to than he'd have thought. "So. I get us into Oscorp. What's the plan then?"
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As they pulled out onto the road, he sped off immediately, trying to get that place as much in the distance as he could. He would say his neck hurt from the hit or something but everything hurt so what did more pain matter?
"So we go, we confront the complete asshat that set me up, we get all we need from Oscorp and then we go kill a spider. I just need the research department, the experimental shit, you know? I can handle that alone and you can -- I don't know, what do you want? More power?" He wasn't sure what to offer Max but he would give him anything at this point. "I can give you access to the power grid."
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And he didn't want to damage Harry. Harry needed him. "I'll stay with you."
Harry was so fragile. Seemed stupid to leave him alone. "They've taken it all from me, Oscorp. I want to take from them." And staying with Harry was the obvious way to keep doing that. "If Spider-Man shows up, I can handle him for us."
Because he just didn't see Harry being able to do much damage.
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Harry pulled off towards Oscorp and double checked no security was on their tail before he slowed his speed a little. Just a little.
He raised his hand, rubbing at the patch of skin was was always open on his neck lately. The sores were painful - how did his dad live with them? "Oscorp just takes and takes. Like my dad. He takes from everyone. He took from you, didn't he? I saw that. No one else did, huh? Well, I did. Cause the schematics, for the power grid, they were submitted like a year ago to my dad and he has the files on his drive. Yet at Oscorp, new files, same shit - all in the name of Norman fucking Osborn."
Max was just as screwed as he was so he got it. The anger. The hate. It was good. A good emotion. "They screwed you, Max. That's gotta suck."
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That was unexpected. That was almost enough to make him think it wasn't real, but he had heard that despair in Harry's voice. Was seeing it even now. He didn't think Harry was faking. Wasn't lying about that any more than he was lying about needing him. "See, I got used to being screwed. But this, this I'm not used to."
He moved his hand and there were sparks. Electricity crackling. "I have power now. I've never had power before. I want to make them feel it. Give them a proper reason to fear me."
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Harry looked at Max, eyes wide and admiring, taking it the beautiful blue and the crackling static. It made his hairs stand on end - he loved it.
"Max, man, you're amazing. You know that? Look at you. You beautiful bastard. You could do anything. You will. And you'll hurt anyone who ever hurt you." And he was excited to be there for it. "And look, yeah, I'm not exactly 'disadvantaged' or on your level in that sense but like... I get it. In a way. I've always been weak, I just want to turn the tables. Just once." He wasn't asking for more.
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"They won't get to hurt you any more either." There, that was a promise. "Let's do your thing first. Then we can go to the grid. I think-- I think I need more power. There's more potential. I can be more. I feel it."
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It made sense. They had to have a lead or a direction to go. Some of those weird fucking spiders or Spiderman's blood or something.
With a pause, Harry exhaled and then turned to Max. "Do you like that, by the way? Max. Cause I like Max, it's a good name. It's cute. Or would you rather Mr Dillion or -- I dunno, you got a super villain name yet?"
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He had never really had friends. He had thought he had one once, but clearly he had been mistaken about that. Harry was different though. He knew that.
Looking forward to the building, he closed his eyes briefly. It was easy to follow the right current. Change the flow. Scramble the cameras, as Harry wanted. "It's safe to go in now."
As could be seen when the doors opened for them.
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With a playful giggle, he walked inside his old headquarters and didn't bother to check for danger or worry. If anyone had questioned his trust of Max, this was the test and he passed because he didn't seem concerned at all. He knew Max had his back.
"We need the 8th floor." He tilted his head up and frowned. "Elevator?"
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He watched Harry, who seemed to be in a good mood. Made sense, didn't it? Things were going exactly the way they wanted. He looked over to the elevator and moved things so it'd come down, walking Harry towards it. When the door opened, he let Harry step through first. "I'll be with you. Don't touch the walls."
With that he vanished. Well, he stopped clinging to a human shape, instead pure electricity followed behind Harry, creating a crackling forcefield around him as the elevator went up. Max was testing his limits.
When the door opened, he appeared again just outside it, gesturing for Harry to come out. "I am testing my control." He wanted to find out what he could do without hurting Harry.
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Just a simple, clear statement before he moved into his old office, letting Max handle any security.
Talking to his rival turned boss was relatively easy. Once Max stopped his heart, anyway. He had offered Max the chance to ditch and go play but no, Max was really gonna stick with him. Harry didn't mind. He marched the bastard towards the elevator and kept his gun pointed at the fucker.
"You wanna see what Oscorp is hiding, Max? I wonder how much they have kept away from us all."
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Didn't really matter, he supposed. He was doing a good, unhinged show of it. "If they don't have anything to help you down there, we'll find something somewhere else."
He wanted to reassure Harry.
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Harry smiled, a little irrationally optimistic but determined. As they headed to the lab below, he ignored the head of the board's half hearted protests and insistence that it wasn't the cure, that it was a trial but nothing would stop Harry. Not even the risk. He didn't even consult Max but he did look at him, not waiting, just putting it right into his neck with a smile. And it worked. It fucking worked. His hands stopped shaking for the first time since he was ... God, 11? 12? he couldn't even remember.
"They had it the whole fucking time. My dad died and they had it the whole--"
Something hit him like a ton of bricks and he felt an unstoppable, painful itch rip through the inside of his body. He lost his footing and dropped to the floor, curled into himself. "... Max?!"
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There were protests again, but Max didn't hear them. He yelled as he pulled it all in, all the power he could reach. The man's body was scorching when he hit him with a wave. Only around Harry's fallen body stayed a circle of air that wasn't crackling. Everything else was electricity, gathering inside Max. He was not sure what he was reaching for, but he felt it like a meter being filled. And when he reached it, he reached for Harry again.
This time he had a body, something solid to use to gather Harry against himself. He looked down at him, desperate. "Don't leave me! I-- You said you needed me!" So he couldn't just leave. Not like this.
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Instead of a beautiful blue, they were green.
He smiled up at Max, his face twisted into a horrible grin. "I think I'm better now." It felt better so it was - right? He looked at Max, mesmerised. "I'm alive."
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That was the closest he could give to an explanation right now. Sparks came from Max's fingers and it was when he realised, finally, that he had fingers again. His old ones, no longer blue and transparent. "Huh. Guess I changed too."
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Harry picked up one of the green bombs and playfully tossed it up and down, catching it as he looked at Max. "You know, buddy, me and you could do so much together." They had weapons, Max had powers and they clearly got each other. "Hey, handsome - wanna kill a spider together?"
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"Sounds like a fun party." He smiled back, lifting his hand. It only took a thought for it to turn blue again. The lights flickered and Max looked at Harry. "Think the spider will come out to play?"
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It was time to end that stupid bug and crush him down for what he did. He would have revenge, that much he was sure of. "Then we attack together. Make him think you're alone, cause he'll think it. But you're not alone, Max." He felt his arms out, laughing. "I'm always gonna be with you."
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And so, Max found himself again. He had no way of telling how much time had passed, but he knew he had one target. One goal. All he wanted was to find Harry.
He got out long enough to find the information he needed, reading an article in a newspaper in a rest stop he destroyed. Then, within seconds, he travelled the distance he needed to travel.
It was before lights out, just before, and the lights in Harry's cell flickered. There was a faint crackling in the air.
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Lying back on his bed, Harry stared up at the ceiling and imagined his next potential move when he felt it.
A crackle. A spark. Static. It was static. He sat up suddenly and licked his lips, looking curiously around. "The feel of static, man. They always get to me." He spoke aloud to himself, he always did, it was nice to just verbalise thoughts sometimes. "I'm an electrical whore. Bad storm? Dodgy lighting? A gift from above?" He was open to all. They all screamed 'opportunity'.
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With more finesse by now, he froze the video recording Harry. Started to loop it instead. He wasn't sure what the plan would be, so this seemed safest. He appeared, slowly, at first only an outline forming. Skeletal more than anything.
"I don't know if I like the new digs, boss."
He had to be honest there.
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He reached out, too eager to control himself, his fingers hit with an immediate and familiar zap. Unlike most people, he didn't react with terror or hurt, he just shuddered excitedly and brought his hand to his mouth.
"Nothing good about this place, bit dry and boring, no fun art on the walls or windows to look out of. It's just so ... blah." Harry huffed in annoyance and came closer to Max, feeling his hair stand on end. Ah, yes, there it was. The power. "Did you miss me?"
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Max didn't quite trust Harry's self-preservation, so he kept on focusing until at least one arm materialised more properly. Enough for him to reach for Harry's wrist and hold it, to keep him from trying to touch again. "You missed me?"
He knew Harry had said it, but he still asked. No one had ever missed him before. "I'm here. I'm with you."
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Taking a hold of the solid arm, he moved it around so he could bring the hand up to his own cheek, looking him in the eyes.
Harry's eyes were blue, not green, obviously more stable than last time but that was a low bar and he was still tripping on it. "Did you come for me?"
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He didn't truly understand it either. "Do you need me?" That was all he wanted to hear. "I can break you out."
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"Let's get out of here. Find somewhere nice, some good digs. We can work out what our next move it. Together." Cause he wasn't about to let Max get away from him. Not for a second. Even if he had to manipulate his pathetic need for love, he would. He knew how to, he had a pathetic need for love himself so hey, no judgement. "Me and you, friend. Always."
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Of course, only seconds later the prison was plunged into darkness. The crackle of electricity was everywhere and there were shouts, gunshots. And the screams of people being electrocuted.
The door of Harry's cell sprung open, the hallway just outside lighting up. A steady hum of electricity, otherwise nothing. When Harry walked along the hallway, other prisoners came up to their doors. When they touched the bars, they were shocked. One, who insulted Harry, was electrocuted on the spot.
Electro had a way of making his presence felt. He lit Harry's way, guiding him until he could walk out the exit. Then he appeared again, blue and smiling at his friend. His partner. "Do you want to get a car?" He gestured. "I think there's some parking spots over there."
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Once he saw that beautiful blue glow in the distance, he started running towards Max with a bright, excited smile.
"Let's get a car! A cool one though, no suburbantanks or electric cars. Just something fun, you know. Maybe red. I like red." It was a fun colour. He came over to Max's side and looked at him. "Thanks for the help, handsome. I won't ever forget it."
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That was what people did, right? Friends. He moved away, turning to head for where the cars were parked. "We can get whatever car you want. I used to jack them, you know? Back when. First time people used me."
When he'd been young, a geek, experimenting with electricity. He had only ever been made fun of for it, until someone had been smart enough to realise that he'd be able to jack cars with that knowledge. Almost landed him in jail, because they ditched him. Of course they did.
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He picked his car, checked it had a satnav inside and then gestured to it.
"That one. Show me what you got, Max." He was genuinely excited, watching with great interest because the things Max could do were amazing.
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The car sprung to life and Max opened the door, holding it for Harry. "Do you want to drive?"