My body feels like it's been through a meat grinder as Spider-Woman practically carries me down the street. Each step sends fresh jolts of pain shooting through my ribs, a souvenir from my spectacular five-story plummet courtesy of Shocker's gauntlets.
"You sure nothing's broken?" Spider-Woman asks, her arm steady around my waist as we limp toward Empire State University. She's been uncharacteristically quiet since we left the scene of destruction, her usual quips replaced by concerned glances.
"I don't think so," I grunt, wincing as we navigate around a fire hydrant. "Regardless, Ellie will fix it."
Spider-Woman sighs, the sound heavy with something I can't quite identify. "Why wasn't Ellie with you today?" she asks, adjusting her grip to better support my weight.
"Class," I reply simply, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other without passing out.
"And she was just fine with you super-heroing without her?"
"I didn't ask her," I admit. Spider-Woman's body tenses beside me.
"You didn't…" She stops walking abruptly, forcing me to halt my painful shuffle. "Shane, do you really think you should be patrolling alone? Look what happened!"
Something inside me snaps. "You patrolled alone when you were new," I shoot back, wincing as I pull away from her support to stand on my own. "You don't dictate your heroics to anyone else. Why should I?"
I can feel the surprise radiating off her.
"Besides," I continue, my voice gaining strength despite the throbbing in my ribs, "before I even fought the Goblin today, I stopped an armed robbery at a pizza place. Knocked the robber out cold with one punch. Saved the day. I'm not just some helpless civilian."
Spider-Woman stares at me for a long moment, the white eyes of her mask unreadable. Then her shoulders slump slightly.
"That's... different," she says, but her voice lacks conviction.
"How?" I challenge, swaying slightly but refusing to lean on her again. "Because I don't have super-strength? Because I need to teleport instead of swing? Or is it just because I'm a guy?"
She flinches at that last part. I've hit a nerve.
"That's not fair," she says quietly. "I'm just worried about you."
The fight drains out of me as quickly as it came. My legs wobble, and I grudgingly accept her support again.
"I get it. But I'm still going to be a hero, Spidey. I don't care what it takes."
We walk in silence for a while, my mind racing despite the pain. Something's been nagging at me since the fight, a connection I can't ignore.
"Green Goblin is probably Harriet's mother." I state, watching Spider-Woman's reaction carefully.
She sighs, her shoulders slumping under the weight of the question. "I know. Norma Osborn."
"You know?" I stop walking, shocked by her casual confirmation.
She nods, her mask hiding whatever emotions are playing across her face. "And she knows who I am, too. Has for years."
"Fuck," I whisper, the implications hitting me all at once. If Norma Osborn knows Spider-Woman's identity...
"She killed my boyfriend in high school when she found out," Spider-Woman says, her voice suddenly hollow. "His name was Gwyn."
The name hits me like a physical blow. Gwyn. Gwyn Stacy. I know that story from the comics, though in my world it was Gwen Stacy. The tragedy that defined Spider-Man.
"She threw him off the Brooklyn bridge," Spider-Woman continues, each word clearly painful to speak. "I webbed him, but I was too late…"
"I'm so sorry," I say, genuinely aching for her loss. Even knowing the story from comics doesn't prepare me for hearing it from her lips, feeling the raw pain still present after all these years.
"Why don't you tell people?" I ask gently. "That the Goblin is Osborn, I mean."
Spider-Woman's laugh is bitter, completely devoid of humor. "She threatened to kill Uncle May if I did. Plus, she has deep political ties. There are rumors she might run for president."
She kicks at a piece of can on the sidewalk, sending it skittering into the gutter. "I doubt anyone would believe me anyway. I have no proof. People like her seem to get away with everything."
We turn onto campus grounds, the familiar buildings of Empire State University rising around us. The normalcy of it feels surreal after what we've just been through.
"What if we just killed her?" The words tumble out of my mouth without much thought.
Spider-Woman goes completely still beside me, her body tensing like I've slapped her. She turns to face me fully, those white mask eyes now as wide as can be.
"Listen closely, Shane," she says, her voice dropping to a serious tone I've rarely heard from her. "We don't kill people. Jumping right to killing isn't what a hero does."
There's something in her voice, a weight of experience, of lessons learned through blood and tears, that makes me feel small and naive. Years of fighting, of loss, of restraint, all condensed into that single statement.
"I'm sorry, you're right..." I start to say, shame washing over me.
A heavy thud interrupts my apology as something massive lands on the sidewalk in front of us, cracking the concrete beneath its weight. My heart leaps in my chest as I recognize the hulking form of Venom, her empty white eyes somehow more unhinged than usual, the symbiote rippling across her body in agitated waves.
Spider-Woman doesn't hesitate. She carefully transfers my weight, essentially handing me over to my girlfriend.
"He's hurt," she tells Venom, her voice professional despite the tension crackling between them. "I'm not sure how bad."
Venom's massive head swivels between us, those blank eyes now full fury. The symbiote pulses across her form in violent patterns, tendrils whipping through the air.
"What the fuck happened?" she snarls, her voice a nightmare chorus. "I saw on the news you were fighting with Green Goblin. What the fuck were you thinking?"
I grimace feeling from the inevitable lecture I'm about to receive. "It's still day time. People will see," I mumble, squinting up at the bright sky. "Can we go somewhere?"
Without a word, Venom wraps a tendril around my waist and launches us upward, not even bothering to thank Spider-Woman. The world blurs around me as we soar through the air, landing with bone-jarring force on top of my dorm building.
The symbiote recedes from Ellie's face like a curtain being drawn back, revealing her blazing blue eyes and clenched jaw.
With surprising gentleness, Ellie reaches forward and pulls my gold mask off. The cool air hits my sweat-drenched face, and I wince as her fingers accidentally brush against a tender spot on my cheek.
"We need to get you inside," she mutters, her voice tight with barely controlled fury. "This costume is way too conspicuous."
Her movements are efficient as she helps me reverse my jacket so it looks like an ordinary hoodie. She folds my mask before tucking it into my pocket, her fingers lingering for just a moment.
"Come on," she says, wrapping an arm around my waist to support my weight.
We make our way down the stairwell, Ellie checking each landing before we continue, navigating the path of least resistance. She practically carries me through the hallways, timing our movements to avoid the few students wandering around mid-afternoon. By some miracle, we make it to my room without encountering anyone who might question why I look like I've been hit by a truck.
The second my door clicks shut behind us, Ellie explodes.
"DO YOU HAVE A FUCKING DEATH WISH, SHANE?" she roars, her voice vibrating with rage even as she carefully guides me to sit on my bed. "YOU STUPID FUCKING BIMBO!"
Despite the volume of her tirade, her hands are impossibly gentle as she eases me onto the mattress. The contrast is so distinctly Ellie that I almost laugh, which immediately sends pain shooting through my ribs.
"It wasn't that bad," I protest as she starts carefully removing my clothes.
"Not that bad?" she hisses, helping me out of my shirt with methodical precision. Her eyes widen as she reveals the tapestry of purple and blue blooming across my torso. "Jesus Christ, Shane."
I glance down at myself and have to admit it looks pretty bad. Bruises cover almost every inch of my chest and abdomen, some already darkening to an alarming shade of purple. The impact point from Shocker's blast is the worst, a perfect circle of angry red surrounded by mottled bruising right between my shoulder blades.
"I had everything under control," I mutter, knowing how ridiculous it sounds even as I say it.
Ellie's eyes flash dangerously as she helps me out of my pants, cataloging each new bruise with increasing fury.
"Under control?" She laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You got thrown off a fucking building, Shane! I saw the footage. The whole thing is all over social media."
My stomach drops. "There's footage?"
"Of course there's footage," she snaps, gently pressing her fingers against my ribs, checking for breaks. "It was on the news, Shane."
I wince at the reminder of my very public hero debut. "I was trying to help people. The Goblin and Shocker were tearing up the street."
Ellie continues her inspection, fingers probing my injuries with clinical precision despite the fury radiating from her. "You could have been killed."
When she finally removes my boxers, I'm left completely exposed, my battered body on full display. She steps back, taking in the full extent of my injuries, and lets out a deep sigh that seems to come from somewhere deep inside her.
"Scoot over," she commands, her voice softer now but still edged with anger.
I shift painfully toward the wall as the symbiote flows across her body, dissolving her clothes until she's completely naked. Without another word, she slides into bed behind me, her warm body pressing against my back as she pulls me close in a protective spoon.
The symbiote responds immediately, spreading from her skin to mine in a liquid wave of darkness. It envelops me completely, a cool, living cocoon that hums with alien energy. Almost instantly, the pain begins to subside, replaced by a tingling sensation as the symbiote works to repair my damaged tissue.
Ellie's hands can't seem to stay still, roaming over my body in a strange mix of worry and possessiveness. I can feel her naked skin against mine through the thin layer of symbiote between us, her warmth seeping into my aching muscles.
"All that teleporting you were doing. You must have been like a dog in heat out there, huh?" Her breath hot against my ear.
Before I can respond, her hand slides down my stomach and wraps around my cock. The symbiote parts to allow her direct contact, her grip firm and deliberate.
"I'm so fucking angry with you right now, Shane," she growls, slowly beginning to stroke me. The sensation is overwhelming, the symbiote's healing energy flowing through me while her hand pumps me.
"Ellie," I gasp, my hips instinctively pushing into her touch despite my injuries. The healing process intensifies the pleasure, nerve endings firing signals of both relief and arousal.
"You like this?" she asks, her voice dangerously soft as her pace increases. "Getting off while we fix what you broke? While we heal the body you were so careless with?"
I close my eyes, surrendering to the dual sensations of healing and pleasure. "I love you," I whisper, the words escaping on a shaky breath.
Her hand falters for just a moment. "Are you sure about that?" she challenges, her voice tight with emotion. "Because I think if you loved me, you wouldn't be so fucking stupid."
"I do really love you," I whisper, my voice breaking as the symbiote continues healing my bruised body. "More than anything."
Her fingers tighten around me, squeezing until I let out a soft whimper.
"I know, I know," she murmurs, her voice softening despite her anger. "I love you too, you idiot."
She works me faster, the smooth glide of her palm drawing embarrassing sounds from my throat. The symbiote pulses between us, somehow amplifying every sensation tenfold as it continues knitting my bruised tissue back together.
"Fuck, Ellie," I gasp, arching into her touch despite the protest from my ribs.
I can't hold back anymore. The pleasure builds to an unbearable peak and then crashes over me like a tidal wave. I start cumming hard, my whole body shuddering as the release pulses through me. The symbiote moves with eerie intelligence, wrapping around the tip of my cock, creating a perfect seal as it swirls and undulates, capturing every drop I release.
"Oh god," I groan, my hips bucking involuntarily.
Ellie's teeth find my earlobe, biting down with just enough pressure to send another jolt of pleasure through my already oversensitized body. I thrust deeply into her hand, writhing against her as wave after wave of intense pleasure crashes through me.
"You like it when I do that for you?" she purrs, her voice a dangerous mix of tenderness and possession.
"Yes," I gasp, barely able to form coherent words as the symbiote continues its intimate dance.
Her grip tightens slightly, her palm still working me through the aftershocks. "Then no more going out alone," she commands, her tone making it clear this isn't a request.
Despite the bliss still coursing through my veins, her words cut through the haze. "No," I say firmly.
"What?" The single word is razor-sharp, her body tensing against mine.
I take a deep breath, wincing as my ribs protest. "Before the Goblin, I saved someone else," I tell her, my voice steadier now. "At a pizza place. Stopped an armed robbery."
"Oh?" There's dangerous curiosity in her voice.
"Yeah," I continue, emboldened by my small victory. "One punch, and she was down. I helped people, Ellie."
"I don't care," she says flatly. "You're not qualified to go out alone."
The dismissal stings more than any of my injuries. "I did great today," I insist, frustration building in my chest. "I only approached the Green Goblin and Shocker because no one else was there. And to stop them from attacking people, I had to attack them."
"I DON'T CARE!" she roars, the symbiote rippling violently across her skin in response to her anger.
Something snaps inside me. I pull away from her grasp and turn to face her. Her blue eyes are blazing with fury, the symbiote swirling around her in agitated patterns.
"I don't care if you don't care," I say, meeting her gaze without flinching.
"You're going to get yourself killed," she hisses, reaching for me again.
"Ellie, listen to me," I say, my voice softer now. "I'm not going to stop being a hero."
"You're going to die!" she shouts, the symbiote rippling violently across her shoulders. "Is that what you want? To leave me alone?"
The raw pain in her voice makes my chest ache. I lean forward, pressing my lips gently against her neck. She freezes, clearly caught off guard by the gesture.
"I'm going to be a hero, Ellie," I whisper against her skin, moving to kiss her ear. The symbiote pulses beneath my lips, warm and alive.
Her breathing hitches as I trail kisses along her cheek. "Shane, don't…"
I silence her with a kiss on the lips, pouring everything I feel for her into it. When we break apart, I rest my forehead against hers. "Being a hero means sometimes I'll go out alone when you're not around," I say between gentle kisses. "I truly want to help people, Ellie."
She stares at me, those fierce blue eyes swimming with emotions I can't fully decipher. The symbiote has gone still around us, sensing the importance of this moment.
"You almost got raped today," she says, her voice breaking on the words.
"But I didn't," I counter, holding her gaze steadily.
She looks utterly helpless, an expression I've rarely seen on her face. The vulnerability makes my heart constrict painfully.
"If you keep fighting like this..." she trails off, unable to finish the thought.
I take her hand, placing it over my heart. "Look at how much stronger I am than I was when we met, Ellie. I'm learning, getting better every day."
She rolls her eyes, but there's less anger in it now, more resignation. "Please just don't go out without me. Just for a while."
I smile, feeling the tension between us finally begin to ease. The symbiote responds, flowing more smoothly across our connected skin.
"Fine," I say, pressing another kiss to her lips.