[Ellie Brock's POV]
My fingers dig into the couch cushions, knuckles white as I struggle to contain the rage boiling inside me. The symbiote churns beneath my skin, its darkness pulsing with bloodlust that matches my own. Every cell in my body screams for vengeance, for Norma Osborn's blood on my hands.
'We must stay calm for Shane, Ellie,' the symbiote whispers in my mind, its voice a soothing current against the storm of my fury.
'I know,' I respond silently, forcing myself to take a deep breath.
"You're not fucking taking this seriously, Ellie!" Piper paces in front of me, her maroon symbiote rippling across her shoulders with agitation. Her voice cuts through the apartment like a blade, too loud, too sharp.
My eyes dart toward the bedroom doorway. Shane sits motionless on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing, just as he's been since he woke up this morning. The sight of him, hollow-eyed and broken, makes my chest ache in ways I didn't know were possible.
"Be quiet," I hiss, grabbing Piper's wrist. "I don't want him to get nervous."
Piper follows my gaze, her symbiote momentarily stilling as she takes in Shane's condition. Something softens in her expression, but when she turns back to me, the anger remains, just at a lower volume.
"We need to put him in a fucking bunker," she says, her voice lower but no less intense. "It's the only way to keep him safe."
I stand up, towering over her. "He just got rescued from a bunker, Parker!" The absurdity of her suggestion makes me want to scream. "You want to lock him underground again? After what she did to him?"
Now my symbiote bubbles beneath my skin, tendrils threatening to burst forth. I force them back, unwilling to frighten Shane with a display of the monster that shares my body.
"That's not what I meant and you know it," Piper counters, stepping closer. "I'm talking about somewhere secure. Somewhere with protection. Somewhere Norma can't reach."
"I can protect him," I snap, my hands balling into fists. "I was caught off guard last time! He's safe here with me in this apartment." My voice rises with conviction as I step closer to Piper. "In fact, he's not going anywhere without me. Period."
Piper crosses her arms. "Ellie, be reasonable. I have plenty of connections with the Avengers and SHIELD. We could…"
"Fuck no," I cut her off, the words sharp as knives. "SHIELD stays out of this completely." I tap my temple meaningfully. "My symbiote has some of your memories, Parker. There's no fucking chance I'm letting shady-ass Fury sink her teeth into Shane."
Piper's eyes narrow behind her mask, but I can see her weighing my words.
"Alright, yeah..." she concedes reluctantly. "But what about Avengers Tower? That's the most secure building in New York."
I let out a bitter laugh. "And what? Let him near Ms. Toni Stark and her best friend Jessie Epstein? Absofuckinglutely not."
The maroon symbiote suddenly pulses across Piper's body, dark veins spreading across her exposed skin as her anger flares. "Then what's your brilliant plan, Ellie? Keep him locked in this apartment forever?"
'Letting him waste away inside will not help him,' my symbiote whispers in my mind, its thoughts curling through my consciousness like smoke. 'Our Shane needs to get back on rooftops. He was always happiest when he was being a hero. We are strong enough to watch over him properly.'
"Shut the fuck up," I snap, not at Piper but at the intrusive voice in my head.
Piper's eyes widen, her symbiote momentarily rippling with surprise. "Excuse me?"
"Not you," I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I was talking to my other."
She tilts her head, the maroon symbiote settling slightly. "You two aren't in agreement?"
I sigh, glancing back at Shane's motionless form in the bedroom. "It's complicated. My other thinks we can protect him while letting him..." I wave my hand vaguely, searching for the right words.
The symbiote's voice flows through my mind again, gentle but insistent. 'Protecting him like this will just delay his recovery, Ellie. We love to see him smile. His heart needs to heal.'
"I know," I whisper, my voice strained as I struggle against the truth of those words.
Turning back to Piper, I cross my arms defensively. "Look, I don't want him to go outside either, but I don't trust anyone else to watch him besides me."
Piper steps closer, her form pulsing with an intensity that matches the strange gleam in her eyes. "Listen, you and I... our symbiotes... we're practically sisters right now, Ellie."
There's something manic in her voice, a desperate edge that makes my skin crawl. The symbiote beneath my skin recoils slightly, sensing my discomfort.
"Sisters?" I echo, taking a small step back. "That's... not how I would describe it."
"But it is," she insists, the maroon substance rippling more aggressively across her shoulders. "We share the same genetic material now. My symbiote is literally born from yours. We're connected in ways no one else could understand."
"I don't need a sister," I snap, my patience wearing thin. "What I need is for you to back off. I appreciate your help finding him, but I don't want your help watching Shane."
For a moment, I think she might actually attack me, the tension between us crackles like electricity. Her hands clench into fists, the symbiote forming sharp claws at her fingertips.
But before either of us can escalate further, a soft shuffling sound draws our attention.
Shane appears in the bedroom doorway, his thin frame hunched as he slowly makes his way toward us. My heart breaks seeing him like this, so different from the energetic, smiling man I fell in love with. He leans against my side, his body warm but lacking its usual energy. His eyes, though physically healed, look hollow, distant.
"Oh, hey Piper," he says quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't know you were here."
The change in Piper is immediate. The maroon symbiote recedes from her face and hands, melting back beneath her skin until she stands before us in her fully human form. Her expression softens from rage to gentle concern in an instant.
"Hey Shane," she says, her voice suddenly tender. "How are you feeling?"
Shane doesn't answer her question. Instead, he presses closer to me, his fingers curling weakly around my arm. "Do you mind if I have some alone time with Ellie right now?" he asks, not quite meeting Piper's eyes.
I can practically see the gears turning in Piper's head. Her eye twitches slightly.
"Ellie and I are just discussing what we should do for you to keep you safe long-term right now, so…"
"Can you come back in a few hours?" I interject, wrapping a protective arm around Shane's shoulders.
Piper's face freezes. Her smile is so fake it might as well be painted on.
"Of course," she says, her tone artificially light. "I'll check in later."
She moves toward the door with careful, measured steps. With one last lingering look at Shane, she slips out the door, closing it behind her with deliberate softness.
As soon as she's gone, Shane's shoulders slump even further.
"I don't think I can go to class this week," Shane whispers, his gaze fixed on some invisible point beyond the apartment walls.
I squeeze his shoulders gently. "Of course not. That's no problem at all."
Relief flickers across his face, just a momentary spark before the emptiness returns. He turns toward the bedroom, and I follow, my heart aching with each shuffling step he takes.
We reach the bed, and he collapses onto it, immediately curling against my chest when I lie beside him. His fingers clutch weakly at my shirt, like he's afraid I might disappear if he doesn't hold on.
I wrap my arms around him, feeling his breath warm against my collarbone. He's so fragile now, this man who teleported across rooftops and faced down villains with nothing but brass knuckles and courage. The contrast makes something twist painfully inside me.
God, I feel completely at a loss. It's been less than twenty-four hours since we found him, and I have no fucking clue how to help him. The uncertainty is making me furious with myself. I should know what to do. I should have answers. Instead, I'm just fumbling in the dark, doing what I think might help rather than knowing what will actually help.
Every decision feels like I'm walking through a minefield. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I trigger another flashback? What if I somehow make everything worse? The fear of hurting him paralyzes me.
'Just hold him and rub his back,' my symbiote whispers in my mind, its voice gentler than usual. 'That's what he needs right now.'
I mentally scoff. 'And what, you think you're suddenly the expert on empathy? Where the fuck would you have even learned that?'
The symbiote's response comes with an unexpected softness. 'From when I was bonded with Piper.'
The answer catches me off guard. Of course. It's seen how Piper comforted others, felt what worked through her nervous system, her biochemistry.
'Fucking Parker…'
Swallowing my pride, I begin to gently rub circles on Shane's back, feeling the knobs of his spine beneath my palm. His breathing gradually slows, some of the tension melting from his shoulders.
For several minutes, we lie in silence, his head tucked against my chest.
"I want to kill her," Shane whispers suddenly, his voice so quiet I almost miss it.
"What?" I pull back slightly, searching his face with surprise.
His eyes meet mine. "Osborn," he says, his voice stronger now. "I want to fucking end her life. I want her hurt."
My heart skips a beat, both from shock and a surge of savage joy. "I'll kill her for you, Shane," I promise without hesitation. "I was already going to."
He shakes his head slowly, fingers tightening in my shirt. "No. I want to do it. I want to see her eyes when she realizes it's all over."
I run my fingers through his hair, cradling his head against me as I process this transformation. This is the man who once lectured me about no more killing.
"What happened to 'heroes don't kill people'?" I ask gently, careful to keep judgment from my voice.
"I don't want to be a hero anymore. I just want Osborn to die."