Professor Wilson watched Alvin jokingly talk nonsense about Norman Osborn with amusement.
The old man loved the affection that filled the room. The bond between friends showed in how they reacted to jokes that crossed the line just a little.
Those reactions could end up catalyzing a friendship—or sparking its collapse.
Of course, friends should be considerate of each other's feelings, but there were many kinds of friends...
A lot of so-called "best buddies" were a bunch of like-minded idiots whose friendship had grown out of joking around.
A friendship as plain and pure as water was certainly ideal, but where were you supposed to find so many gentlemen—and actually meet one yourself?
If you had a buddy who was on the same wavelength, you ought to count yourself lucky.
Alvin was a strange case. He seemed to get along with everyone. Even setting his strength aside, he was the sort of friend most people were happy to make.
Professor Wilson cleared his throat to draw Alvin and the others' attention. He glanced at Ethan Hunt, who was supporting Benji on a sofa, and said sympathetically, "There's something wrong with Benji's body. An MRI at the hospital showed a beetle in his brain, and surgery would be extremely risky because of where it is.
"If you have any good ideas, you'd better use them to save Benji. Otherwise, I feel a little guilty seeing Ethan in such a daze all the time.
"After all, I was the one who gave him that address."
Alvin hesitated, then said, "First, we need to figure out what that beetle is.
"If it's connected to that Witch named Ahmanet, then this definitely isn't as simple as performing surgery."
As he spoke, Alvin looked at the dejected Ethan Hunt and said, "Buddy, I can feel