Consciousness hits me like a freight train as I bolt upright, my lungs desperately gulping air. My heart hammers against my ribs, the remnants of some forgotten dream slipping away like water through fingers. The familiar surroundings of my dorm room slowly come into focus. Ellie is sitting at my desk, the blue glow of her laptop illuminating her face.
She turns at the sound of my gasping, a smile playing across her lips. "Hey, sleeping beauty," she says, her voice warm with affection. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
I run a hand through my hair, still feeling disoriented. "How long was I out?"
"About six hours," she replies, closing her laptop and stretching. "You passed out right after... you know."
The memories come flooding back, the training session with Ellie, teleporting until I couldn't think straight, and then... that explosive finale. My face flushes hot as I recall the intensity of what happened.
"Training was insane," I mutter, shaking my head in disbelief. "Was Sensei happy with the results?"
Ellie stands up and crosses the small room, the mattress dipping as she sits beside me. "Yeah," she says, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my forehead. "She got all the data she wanted."
I lean back against the headboard, my body feeling strangely hollow yet energized at the same time. "I can't believe how much I came," I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. "It felt like it would never end."
A smug smile spreads across Ellie's face as she stretches out beside me, her body warm against mine. "The symbiote absorbed most of it," she says, her blue eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
I glance down at her arm where the symbiote shifts beneath her skin, moving in fluid, dark patterns. "Does it like it?" I ask, genuinely curious about the alien's preferences.
As if in response, the symbiote makes a deep, vibrating sound, almost like a purr, that seems to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Ellie laughs, the sound rich and genuine. "It loves it," she confirms, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on my chest.
I reach out tentatively, running my fingers along her forearm where the symbiote swirls beneath her skin. It feels warmer than usual, almost vibrating with contentment. "That's kind of hot," I admit, watching as it responds to my touch by flowing toward my fingertips.
Ellie's eyes darken as she watches my fascination with the symbiote. "Oh, you like when my alien other half drinks your cum?" she purrs, her voice dropping to that dangerous octave that makes my stomach flip.
"Hell yeah," I breathe, unable to tear my gaze away from the undulating darkness beneath her skin.
Without warning, Ellie leans forward and captures my lips with hers. The kiss is deep and possessive, her tongue sliding against mine with practiced precision. The symbiote hums between us, a vibration I can feel through our connected mouths.
When we finally break apart, I'm breathless, my mind still fuzzy from both the kiss and my six-hour power nap. Ellie runs her thumb across my lower lip, her eyes studying me with that intense gaze that always makes me feel like I'm the only person in her universe.
"Masters had an interesting suggestion," she says, her fingers trailing down my neck. "She wanted to know if you'd consider using guns with your powers."
"Guns?" I blink, surprised by the sudden shift in conversation. "I mean, guns are cool, but they kill people. I'm trying to be a hero, not a murderer."
The symbiote shifts beneath Ellie's skin, flowing like dark water as she shrugs. "Masters said there are plenty of non-lethal options out there. Rubber bullets, tranq darts, stuff like that. She thinks your teleporting ability would be a perfect fit for that kind of combat style."
I sit up straighter, my mind suddenly racing with possibilities. The image of me teleporting around a battlefield, appearing and disappearing with tactical precision, taking down bad guys with non-lethal shots before they even know I'm there...
"Oh damn," I breathe, excitement building in my chest. "I never even considered that. That would be incredible." The thought hits me suddenly, deflating my enthusiasm slightly. "But I don't know anything about guns."
Ellie shrugs again, her fingers absently playing with my hair. "I assume she'll teach you. That's kind of her thing, right? Teaching you how to fight?"
"Oh." The excitement returns full force, a grin spreading across my face. "That would be fucking awesome."
"Would that make you feel better?" I ask, watching the excitement reflected in my own eyes through hers. "Having some real equipment to go with the teleporting?"
Ellie's expression shifts, her enthusiasm dimming slightly as she considers my question. She goes quiet for a long moment, her blue eyes turning distant as she thinks.
Finally, she sighs. "I don't know. I imagine it would cost a lot, and I don't know how we'd pay for it?"
Something in her phrasing catches my attention. "We?" I shake my head firmly. "No, it would be my problem, not yours."
A flash of hurt crosses her features, quickly replaced by irritation. The symbiote surges across her forearm, agitated by her sudden mood shift.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks, her voice taking on that dangerous edge I've come to recognize.
I backtrack quickly, realizing how my words sounded. "I just mean I wouldn't expect you to help fund my superhero equipment. That's all."
Her eyes narrow, studying me with predatory intensity. "So you don't want my help? You think we're not in this together?"
"That's not what I meant," I say, reaching for her hand. The symbiote feels warm beneath my fingers, pulsing with her emotions. "I just don't want to be a financial burden on you."
Ellie's expression softens slightly, though her eyes remain watchful. "You realize I could just steal whatever you need, right? The symbiote and I could walk into any gun shop in the city and walk out with whatever we want."
I can't help but laugh at her casual suggestion of theft. "Yeah, that's exactly the foundation I want for my superhero career, stolen weapons."
Her lips quirk into a small smile. "Just offering alternatives."
"Although..." I pause, a new thought suddenly forming. "What if we didn't have to buy them at all? What if we just... borrowed some from people who wouldn't miss them? Like arms dealers?"
Ellie's face lights up with a wicked smile that sends a thrill down my spine.
"Masters probably knows a few arms dealers," she says, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief. "She could point us in the right direction."
I shake my head, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the direction this conversation is taking. "We can't ask her to give up names like that. It would be so awkward. Plus, she needs to buy her own guns from somewhere. We'd be screwing up her supply chain."
Ellie throws her head back and laughs, the sound filling my small dorm room. "Are you seriously being considerate of a murderer right now?" she asks, clearly amused by my moral quandary.
I think for a moment, weighing my words carefully. "Well, you're one too," I finally say, meeting her gaze.
Instead of getting angry, Ellie just keeps smiling and leans forward, pressing her lips against mine in a soft, surprisingly gentle kiss. When she pulls back, her expression is playful.
"I see myself more as a lover than a fighter, Shane," she says with exaggerated innocence that makes me snort.
"That's because I fixed you," I reply sarcastically, unable to keep the smile off my face.
She raises an eyebrow, the symbiote swirling beneath her skin in curious patterns. "Oh? You think you fixed me?"
"No," I say, reaching out to trace the movement of the symbiote with my fingertip. "Fixed certainly isn't the right word... maybe addicted would be more accurate." I look up, meeting her gaze with newfound confidence. "You're simply too addicted to me to do anything bad, aren't you?"
Something shifts in her expression, her eyes darkening with an emotion I can't quite name. The symbiote surges across her arms, flowing toward my touch like it's seeking connection.
"Maybe we are," she admits, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. "But addiction is dangerous, Shane. It makes people do crazy things."
Her words carry a warning that sends a shiver down my spine, but I can't bring myself to pull away. Instead, I lean closer, drawn to the dangerous current that always seems to flow between us.
"Good thing I'm not scared of crazy."
Ellie's eyes flash with something predatory as she leans closer. Her lips hover just inches from mine, breath warm against my skin.
"You really should be," she whispers, her voice like velvet wrapped around steel.
My heart hammers against my ribs as her hand slides up my chest. The symbiote follows her touch, extending tiny tendrils that brush against my skin with feather-light caresses. I'm about to pull her down onto me when she suddenly freezes.
"Shane," she says, her voice taking on an unexpected serious tone. "How did you get your powers?"
The question hits me like a bucket of ice water. My mouth goes dry, and I can feel my pulse quickening for an entirely different reason now.
"I... never told you?" I stammer, suddenly unable to meet her intense gaze.
Ellie shifts back slightly, studying my face with renewed interest
"No," she says, tilting her head. "You didn't."
I swallow hard, trying to organize my thoughts. How do I explain that a literal demon from hell gave me incubus powers in a frozen moment of time while a psycho assassin was trying to kill me? That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
"It's... complicated," I manage, running a nervous hand through my hair. "Kind of a weird story, actually."
"I like weird stories," Ellie says, settling back against the headboard. The playful mood from moments ago has vanished, replaced by an intense focus that makes me squirm. "Tell me."
I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain my origin story without sounding completely insane.
"So, one day, I was being chased through this museum by this random woman trying to either rape me or shoot me, I wasn't really clear on her endgame. She called herself Scourge."
"So I was running from her, and I ended up in this weird exhibit with some demonic statue.
I tripped, and touched this random necklace. Then everything just... froze." I make a gesture with my hands, trying to convey how the entire world had just stopped. "Like, time literally stopped. Scourge was frozen, dust particles suspended in the air, everything."
Ellie leans forward, clearly captivated despite her obvious anger at the mention of Scourge. The symbiote flows across her shoulders, coiling and uncoiling with curiosity.
"And then what happened?" she prompts when I pause.
"Then this... being appeared. Called himself Lileth. Looked like a demon straight out of a horror movie, wings, horns, the whole package." I shiver at the memory. "He said I'd summoned him, and he decided to help me out by giving me powers."
"A demon?" Ellie's voice is flat with disbelief. "You're saying a literal demon gave you your powers?"
I nod, watching her face carefully for signs that she thinks I'm completely insane. "He called me a 'new type of incubus.' Said it was some pet project he'd been working on."
"An incubus," she repeats slowly. "Like the sex demon?"
"Yeah." My face burns hot with embarrassment. "That's why the teleporting makes me... you know."
Understanding dawns on her face. "So that's why you get so horny when you use your powers. And why you give off those pheromones."
"Exactly." I exhale, relieved she's connecting the dots. "The more I teleport, the more it affects me. And apparently, other people too."
Ellie stares at me, her blue eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and fascination.
"Huh... I didn't see that coming at all," she says finally, shaking her head slightly. "A demon. An actual demon gave you your powers."
"Does that upset you?" I ask hesitantly, watching her reaction carefully.
Ellie studies my face for a long moment.
"Of course not, Shane," she finally says, her voice surprisingly gentle. "I don't mind at all. I just didn't assume you would make a deal with a devil."
"I didn't," I clarify quickly, relieved by her reaction. "There was no formal deal, contract, or even blood oath. Lileth just... gave me the powers and disappeared."
A slow smile spreads across her face, predatory yet somehow comforting. "Even better then, I guess."