Allen dissolved the shield formed by Clown Crown; in front of him was the burnt park and trees ablaze.
Allen's white mantle seemed to have a life of its own as it moved, defying gravity. He could transform Clown Crown into any type of clothing, although, for practical purposes, a cape, a mantle, or a trench coat were more effective for defense as they covered his entire body.
He stood up, carrying Gwen in his arms. They looked at each other for a moment; there were a thousand things she wanted to ask, but she knew it wasn't the right time.
Allen looked around without feeling any danger. He also asked the system if it could detect the fire mutant but found nothing.
"He disappeared. Did he run away or burn himself out with his power?" Allen didn't know the answer and could only give up on pursuing the fire mutant.
Reflecting on what happened, Allen realized that the amount of power used in the last moment and the wounds he inflicted should be a heavy burden for Pyro. Even if Allen doesn't pursue him, it's possible he won't survive.
"We need to get out of here, Gwen." Allen smiled at the girl in his arms, making her blush, remembering the kiss they had a moment ago. Allen jumped into the sky, and shortly after, Clown Crown enveloped them before disappearing.
...
Just as Allen deduced, Pyro leaned against the wall of an alley a couple of streets away from the park, bleeding.
"Damn, what bad luck to encounter that guy... Ugh, I used too much of my powers... and these wounds are serious... was it a mistake? Should I have kept hiding?... no, this is the price of liberation. Agh!" Pyro looked at the hole in his stomach and felt he might not make it. "I don't regret it. In the end, I could die as what I am... that guy was very strong, haha."
Pyro knew who Allen was; it was hard not to know when Allen had been trending and in the news since yesterday. To not know about him, you'd have to be like Gwen, who doesn't use social media much, or be busy all day.
Pyro fell to the ground, slowly losing consciousness.
"Are you sure he's here?" a male voice entered John's ears.
"Yes, trust me, look, I was right! There he is! Damn, we're late! Magneto will be mad!"
Pyro heard voices beside him but was too weak to even look at them.
"Wait, he's still alive! We must immediately get him help."
Pyro eventually lost consciousness, but one thing he was sure of was that these two would help him. However, upon hearing the name Magneto, he felt things wouldn't be so easy. Nothing comes for free.
...
On top of a building, Allen landed with Gwen in his arms. He placed her on the ground, and she silently watched Allen as Clown Crown enveloped him.
"This is a surprise... I don't know if it's good or bad, but it is a surprise," Gwen nervously laughed.
Allen breathed a sigh of relief. "Gwen, for now, I'm just glad you're safe... and I'm sorry for hiding the fact that I have superpowers from you."
Both remained silent for a moment.
"Thank you for saving me... Allen." Gwen said with a mix of happiness, affection, confusion, and concern.
"Of course, I would save you, Gwen." Allen touched Gwen's cheek. "You are part of the most important thing I have in this life."
Gwen blushed. "Okay, Superman, stop saying such embarrassing things. Tell me everything, don't hide anything from me, and after that, I'll decide if I give you a liver punch or a kiss, hahaha."
Allen laughed. "Ask me anything you want; I look forward to that kiss!"
"It was an expression!" Gwen was embarrassed by her own words.
...
Gwen leaned against the ventilation beside him. She had to process everything that happened to Allen in less than a week.
"Trips to another world, superpowers, a miraculous entity, a talking doll..." Gwen looked at Allen and narrowed her eyes. "But what bothers me the most is the relationship with that princess and MJ... Allen, what does that mean?"
Allen gave a bitter smile. When he was telling her everything, he decided to mention that too. "I... I'm sorry. It seems I'm quite a son of a..."
Gwen interrupted Allen. "You don't have to apologize; we're not dating..."
"It's not like that... you are, I..." Allen smiled, not knowing how to continue explaining.
Gwen approached and rested her head on Allen's chest. "You know?... I always felt there was a part of you I couldn't touch, no matter how close we were. There was always a gap between us. Don't smile; you don't need that mask with me, you fool..." Gwen spoke breathlessly, burying her face in Allen's chest.
Allen hugged Gwen. "The truth is, I'm afraid of losing you. Maybe if we had started dating earlier it wouldn't have ended like this... I'm sorry, Gwen."
"Maybe?" Gwen moved away from his arms and looked at him angrily. "What do you mean 'Maybe', you jerk?! Are you going to leave me?!"
Allen was shocked. "Aren't you upset about Diana and MJ?"
"Of course, I am... but I never said I hated you... I..." Gwen shook her head, unsure how to respond. "No, wait, what am I saying?"
Tears welled up in Gwen's eyes. "I should be very angry, and I am, but I don't want to! I don't want it yet! We haven't started anything together! Isn't it very unfair to end like this?! It's your fault! What am I supposed to do when the man I love has another woman... women?! Damn it!."
Allen felt a pang of guilt, regret, and pain; he already knew Gwen's feelings. That "we're just friends" was an excuse to not feel guilty when he accepted MJ's feelings.
Allen took a deep breath; he was supposed to be prepared for this and it wasn't the time to chicken out. "Gwen, this might sound very unpleasant and selfish..."
"..." Gwen looked at Allen in silence.
Allen wiped Gwen's tears. He remembered the system's words, and although there were slim chances, he decided to try his best. "Even now, I don't want to let you go, Gwen..."
"Huh? What does that mean?" Gwen furrowed her brow.
Allen didn't back down and held her shoulders. "It means I like you, I love you, for a long time... I don't know when it started, but when I saw you one day, reading while the light from the window made your golden hair shine, I realized I had fallen in love with you..."
"So... why?" Gwen was moved but also confused. She didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry... I think I'm a complete jerk, a hopeless womanizer, and a bad man... because even knowing this is wrong, I still don't want to give up on any of you..."
Gwen clenched her fist, and Allen closed his eyes, accepting his due. He was ready to bear Gwen's anger if she chose to retaliate. But to his surprise, the blow never came; instead, he saw Gwen's melancholic gaze.
Allen moved closer to kiss her; it was a foolish idea, but seeing that she didn't hate him or leave, he discovered he had a chance.
Allen's lips met Gwen's tender ones; surprisingly, she didn't resist the kiss. It was a kiss with a hint of tears, but to Allen's pleasant surprise, it was warm.
This was a gamble on Allen's part; would Gwen's feelings be able to overcome that moral barrier?
[Host, trust me...]
Even the system's voice couldn't completely calm Allen, but it gave him more confidence.
After several minutes of affectionate kissing, the feeling of warmth emerged more, but the anxiety didn't disappear.
"Allen, I want you to take me to her..." Gwen referred to MJ, of course; this can also be considered a failure as MJ's friend.
Allen picked up Gwen and jumped off the building. The girl approached Allen and rested against his chest; Allen felt a wave of happiness that at least she didn't hate him.
...
At Allen's house, MJ and Gwen sat facing each other in silence, with Allen and Natasha watching from the side. MJ wasn't nervous or scared. Her face remained impassive; she had already accepted that this would happen sooner or later.
She winked at Allen, and with a reassuring look, she signaled him to trust her.
Natasha dragged Allen away, leading him to the bathroom. She was annoyed by his sudden disappearance but understood that her nephew had issues with his girlfriends.
"Let's take a bath while your girlfriends talk," Natasha said playfully.
"I don't think it's right," Allen replied, but Natasha didn't let him refuse.
Natasha whispered in Allen's ear, "Hehe, silly boy, listen to your aunt. If your relationship with the blonde girl had broken, do you think she'd come to this house?"
"..." Allen nodded; he knew that was true.
"Just trust your aunt's intuition; everything will be fine..." Natasha took Allen's hand and led him to the bathroom. "Girls, you talk, we'll take a bath."
"Tsk," MJ clicked her tongue, now unable to interrupt that.
Gwen widened her eyes at this and gave Allen an ashamed, red-faced, and angry look. 'Did you dare to put your hands on your aunt?!'
Allen made a helpless expression; he felt trapped between a rock and a hard place. This was the reason why he could never see Natasha just as family. Even though she occasionally acted like a loving mother, most of the time, she was a succubus ready to devour him.
Allen didn't know how to face Natasha. Since she had always been the most important woman in his life, he had always denied that temptation, fearing to tarnish their relationship with something like lust. However, Allen couldn't deny being attracted to her as a man.
MJ looked at Allen's uncomfortable face and sighed. Gwen just puffed her cheeks but didn't say anything.
"See, I told you," Natasha whispered teasingly. Allen also noticed that Gwen's reaction wasn't one of total rejection but of jealousy. Allen left with Natasha.
...
"MJ, what do you think about that relationship? It's ridiculous, the jerk already has you and still goes after his aunt!" said an indignant Gwen, banging the table in front of her.
"He also has you, Gwen," MJ teased the blonde girl.
"That's not true!" Gwen pouted with red cheeks.
"Don't bother with her, Gwen. I think she was unlucky, and we were lucky," MJ played with her hair, but there was a hint of displeasure in her own words.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
MJ smiled bitterly but immediately her face turned determined. "If Allen had met Natasha as an adult or her being younger, I'm afraid you wouldn't even have had a chance with him."
"Really? Is their relationship that absurd?" asked the confused and amazed blonde girl.
"Yes, but the past can't be changed. We're his girlfriends, and although I won't come between them, I won't be pushed beneath her," MJ declared confidently.
"That's right... wait! I'm not a girlfriend of that womanizer!" Gwen almost got carried away by MJ's spirit.
MJ smirked mischievously. "Hehehe, I get it. So... who will be the first wife?"
"Huh?! I didn't want to talk about that!"
"Do you want to hit me?" said MJ, pretending to be scared.
"No, Allen told me everything, but he didn't explain why didn't you try to keep him away from me?" Gwen looked seriously at MJ. "Tell me, Mary Jane, what led you to accept all this? Why didn't you try to monopolize Allen when you had the chance?"
MJ broke her cheeky gaze and sighed bitterly. "I didn't have the right, Gwen... I'm the one who came between you both, but more than anything... I want to see him happy, and separating him from you is the opposite."
"..." Gwen lowered her head. "You're a blessing of a girlfriend to that idiot, a bad friend to me, but also a stupid woman. But why?"
"Hehe, maybe you're right... would you like to hear my story?" MJ asked sincerely. Gwen nodded in agreement.
...
"How am I supposed to hate Mary Jane? How am I supposed to hate Allen?" Gwen slumped onto the couch without energy. After hearing MJ and Allen's whole story, she didn't have any desire to fight.
"You don't have to accept this relationship so easily, Gwen, but give Allen a chance to prove that he can make you happy."
Gwen silently looked at the red-haired woman. "You're too good for this jerk..." Gwen was supposed to be angry and hate her, but she couldn't.
"Of course, because I love him more than anything," MJ smiled beautifully.
"Ahh, I give up..." Gwen smiled and looked at MJ. "I think I'm stupid too; since I came here, I have already shown that I'm also a fool, no matter how I imagined my future, I couldn't see myself away from Allen, and here I am..."
Both girls laughed and started to get along, but they heard loud and strange noises coming from the bathroom.
MJ felt anxious and looked at Gwen, who had the same expression. Both walked toward the bathroom where Allen was. Arriving at the door, they heard Natasha's honeyed and seductive voice.
"Darling, I want you to wash my back, be gentle, you know my skin is sensitive~"
"I will, aunt... but please, don't take this too far; I'll feel bad for MJ and Gwen."
"Darling, they love you for being a wonderful man~. They won't like it if you make your aunt sad~"
'That bitch!' both girls thought the same.
The fire in MJ's eyes made Gwen wonder if Mary Jane who insisted so much on Allen having a harem was a lie. Ironically, she didn't realize that her eyes were just like MJ's. Both girls entered the bathroom, and what they saw fried their brains.
MJ apologized to Gwen in her mind, 'I'm sorry, Gwen, we're facing the last boss, and I fear it's too strong for me alone; I need your help!'.
"...a" Gwen seemed to have short-circuited.
"Ara~ Allen, it's them... it seems they reached an agreement," Natasha looked at the girls at the door mischievously and shamelessly, leaning naked on Allen in the bathtub, seemingly using her entire body to wash him.
Natasha knew about Allen's hobby for anime and had deliberately investigated words like "Ara Ara". This, of course, took Allen by surprise the first time, but he ended up getting used to it.
Allen didn't react to Natasha's actions and instead looked at Gwen and MJ with a sigh of relief.
"I'll talk to you too, Gwen," the young man with white hair smiled. As the man of the house, Allen couldn't leave everything to MJ.
Both girls were stunned by Allen's shamelessness and immediately understood: Allen had bathed naked with Natasha many times, and they had done this so many times that he already considered it normal.
Natasha smiled smugly as she observed MJ and Gwen; to her, the fight between the girls was nonsense. From her standpoint, it was irrelevant which of the two were Allen's girlfriends or not.
Natasha approached Allen and kissed him in front of both girls. Allen had assumed that as long as there was no tongue involved, it wasn't an immoral kiss, so he didn't refuse, although he felt uncomfortable with Natasha displaying so much intimacy in front of them.
Natasha used her hands to wash that area too. The girls opened their eyes wide but couldn't react.
"Hehe~" Natasha chuckled.
As they crawled, Natasha walked, as they walked Natasha ran, as they ran Natasha flew.
Natasha's gaze only made them angrier. 'If you can't accept it, girls, the door is right there.'
MJ felt underestimated and she began to undress
"MJ?!" Gwen was alarmed.
"Gwen, we have to fight... it's not you or me, the real enemy is that woman," MJ muttered.
Gwen felt pressured and the situation too absurd but started to undress too, decisively. 'I've made up my mind! If I'm going down, I'm going all the way!'
Allen almost choked at this, 'Hey, aren't they moving too fast?'
If both girls could hear Allen's thoughts, they would shout, "Whose fault is it, jerk?!"
[Host, better not say that out loud or you'll be hit by them.]