Hey everyone! I finished ANOTHER big project today! Yes, a positive in the otherwise gloomy week I've been having. Sorry if I sound so disengaged last chapter, my lovely and wonderful readers; let's just say that I had something happen to me earlier this week that has been bugging me a lot, but I'm sorry if my negativity had affected the updates of my stories. I will be better next week for two reasons: I get to go home this weekend to spend time with family, and the new the Spider-Man movie is coming out this Friday. I'm looking forward to those two things cheering me up, so again I'm sorry if I seemed so bland these last few days. I promise I'll be better next week, but I will update this story two more times this week in honor of the new Spider-Man movie coming out so hope everyone will be stoked about that. This chapter is where things really start to get ugly. As in Venom ugly; I know, bad joke but at least I tried! :) Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter of 'Under the Mask'! Sit back, enjoy and tell me what you think! I always love reading input from my readers; you all keep this writer going, plus I get ideas and suggestions to make the story better which is awesome! I want to make every story I write a great experience! Read and enjoy! :) Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush! I just love them and writing stories about them, particularly AUs! I also don't own Spider-Man or any of other Spider-Man related characters! All I own is the plot of the story! I hope this chapter turned out to be longer than the last one!
Kendall looked up from the book he was reading when he heard the front door open and close, signaling the return of his brunet roommate.
Wait, was roommate the appropriate term? Or apartment-mate?
The blond shook off that silly train of thought and got to his feet, smiling when he found a tired-looking yet also smiling James sitting on the couch.
"Hey, you're back. How was work?" Kendall asked softly, taking the empty seat next to James. The brunet let out a dramatic sigh and rested his head against the shorter boy's chest, bringing his legs up to dangle over the couch's right arm.
Kendall chuckled and wrapped his arms around the taller boy, playing with his short chocolate hair.
James rarely let anyone touch his hair, but he never hounded Kendall when he did. He was the only one who could mess up his hair and get away with it, apart from the boy's own mother.
James shifted slightly so that his soft hazel-green eyes met the bright bottle green hovering over him, his smile still in place but a tiredness was heavy in the lines marring his forehead. "It was okay, but Dr. Conners wasn't there today. Something about being sick, that's what I heard from the receptionist in the lobby. I hope he's okay, he rarely calls in sick." He replied, biting his lower lip.
He was genuinely worried about his mentor, don't get him wrong, but he was also disappointed about not being able to talk to him about Venom.
James was 99.9 percent certain Jett had something to do with Venom. The fact that the blond had managed to snatch his notebook without touching him, plus the fact he felt really uneasy around him during English, has not left the brunet be. Normally James was weary of his surroundings; almost getting killed three times by big time baddies and being Spider-Man's tech wiz can do that to a person, make them suspicious of anything and anyone they meet. You don't survive New York City without street smarts and guts. It was like the number one rule of these alleys, twists and turns: know how to fight, or be killed.
But this feeling, this spine-chilling sensation did not come around on a regular basis...
"James, James what's wrong? I can tell something's bugging you, what's up?" Kendall asked, his facial features now strained with worry. James sighed again and sat up, though he reached out and took one of the shorter boy's hands.
"Kendy, I...I think Venom's back. He's back, and he's nearby. Really nearby."
There, he said it. He didn't sugarcoat it nor stalled the inevitable.
Yet it still broke his heart to see a mixture of fear, anger and surprise light up Kendall's eyes.
"H-how do you sound so sure, Jamie? I mean I'm not doubting you, but what happened? What happened, did that thing hurt you?!" James shook his head and moved his hands to the blond's shoulders as if to restrain him.
"No, no, n-no! Nothing like that Kendy, please don't freak out! I wasn't hurt, it's just...something happened. With Jett." That only made Kendall's eyes shine brighter in alarm.
"What about him?" He asked, voice hard and steely now. James swallowed hard, feeling a little uneasy again.
Even though he knew Kendall didn't mean to hit him while...while he was under the black suit's influence and that he'll never do that again, but that look in his eyes right now...
'It's the same look he had while the Symbiote was attached to him.'
"Jett...I, you know that notebook I keep on Venom?" Kendall nodded at this, tightening his arms around James, which were still at his waist.
"Well...I was getting that notebook from my locker this morning before English, because I wanted to see if I could talk to Dr. Conners after school about the Symbiote, well talk to him more about it. I had my suspicions about some possible abilities the Symbiote may have learned while on its own, but I wanted to run them by him before telling you anything more. And well, as I was heading to English to meet up with Gwen and Peter...Jett caught me in the hall. He started making small-talk and I was doing a good job rejecting his lame attempts, until he practically waved my notebook in my face. The notebook I can swear to you right now I had put away in my backpack; there was no way he could have taken it from me without tipping me off...
"But he did?" Kendall asked as his friend's voice trailed off; that got him a big frown from the brunet.
"Y-yeah, he did. I don't know how, but I think Venom's responsible. I mean, the Symbiote was able to move things on its own, but I think this time not just move on its own but actually take things and move them. I think the Symbiote can move things on its own, with or without a host, but also use camouflage. It can possibly blend in well enough to look like regular, normal clothes. If it can do that, then it can bond with anyone around us; I also think that because the Symbiote attached itself to you, a mutant of sorts, that it learned to copy your Spider-Man powers. I-I remember I was able to stick to walls, web-sling, and all sorts of things while under Venom's control. Whoever is the Symbiote's host now may have the same powers you have, which means they know how to avoid being picked up by your spidey sense. You depend a lot on your spidey sense when fighting baddies, so thinking that the Symbiote has found a way to not set it off is a pretty good indicator that ANYONE can be a potential suspect. A-and there's something else!
"What, what is it James?"
"I...I-I think the Symbiote also knows how to duplicate itself. You said that the...group that attacked you after the failed robbery getaway, you said there were five of them but you couldn't exactly tell right? That alone has been bugging me a lot, since it made no sense. At least, not at first; I was thinking about small-time baddies, maybe they got hold of some tech from Oscorp that they've been waiting to use on you...until Venom popped into my head. If what I'm thinking of is correct, if the Symbiote wants to reattach itself to you, then it will need more than just itself to do the job. If it has learned to duplicate itself, it means it can spawn more of itself meaning it can have more than one host. It can spawn, reproduce whatever you want to use, the thing is though that more parasitic Symbiote means more Venoms. It can possibly duplicate itself to match an army...!"
"And if it does that, once it gets through with its sick obsession over me it can take over the entire city!" Kendall finished for James as his own horrified expression came into play.
"A Venom army..."
"That won't happen though, because we'll find out for sure if your hunch is correct. Listen James, I'll go to school tomorrow and you go visit Dr. Conners at his house. I'll cover for you, but the only way we'll know for sure if Jett is Venom now is to get the say-so from Conners. I'm sure he'll have you come over since this is an emergency; I'll keep an eye on Jett tomorrow while you're gone."
"B-but Kendall, what if Jett IS Venom?! You're still too weak from facing the Symbiote, what if he tries something?! You'll be easy prey if he does!" James said, shaking his head in rebuttal. That didn't discourage Kendall, though.
"James, it's a risk I have to take. Like you've told me before, I have a responsibility to the city. If there's a chance millions of innocent people could be at risk, then I have to do everything that I can to protect them. We can't let Venom become an army, if that happens then we're screwed. We can't let what happened to us happen to other people; I know you're worried, you're worried not only about an Venom army but about me too. I know you're worried about...about the chance that thing attaching itself to me again, but I promise that won't happen. It won't happen again, I promise.
"K-Kendall..."
"I promise, James. I promise I won't let that happen again. I...I l-love you and-"
"N-no, please stop." James cut him off suddenly, detangling himself from Kendall's arms and bolting straight to his bedroom.
"James, James wait!"
-Page Break-
James was on his stomach in bed, arms crossed under his chin. Tears shined in his soft hazel-green eyes, which were slowly turning a smoldering golden-red. He hugged a pillow close, biting his lower lip to hold back the sobs at the back of his throat.
"...James?" Said brunet flinched at the sound of his name, pushing himself up into a sitting position with ease. He tucked one leg under him, the other dangling over the edge of his side of the bed, hugging himself as he looked up.
Kendall was in the doorway, one hand on the ajar door. His eyes held confusion, confusion but also pleading.
James' tears finally broke at seeing the hurt in those eyes, he ducking his head as Kendall took a seat in front of him and cupped his right cheek.
"James, Jamie what's wrong?"
"P-please, don't ever say those words again...please, Kendall." The brunet whispered, trembling now.
"W-why...?"
"Because it's not right, that's why!" James hissed, his now puffy, red-rimmed eyes meeting the confused blond's.
"It's not right, we're j-just teammates that's all! Roommates, best friends, teammates but nothing more!"
"And why can't we be, because I'm not stupid! I'm not stupid, James! I know you feel the same way, I-I know you do!"
"That doesn't matter, Kendall! The fact is...that y-you're Spider-Man. You have a responsibility to the city, to the people of New York City! I'm nothing, nothing on the scale of importance for Spider-Man."
"If you weren't, then why would Venom try to go after you?! Huh, why would he go so far to hurt the person I LOVE if I didn't?! If I DIDN'T love you, then why?!" Kendall exclaimed, frustrated. Tears shined weakly in his eyes too, they small physical signs of just how badly his heart was breaking right now.
His heart was breaking, breaking...
"He's after me possibly because I'm your tech wiz, Kendall. I know everything, your secret, how the suit works...everything! My brain is a vault of information for him, but that's all! It has nothing to do with your feelings, nothing! It's a parasitic substance; the only feelings it cares about are its own." James retorted, expression hard now.
Kendall's eyes went wide at this. James was usually someone who went with his heart instead of logic, well except when he was in tech wiz mode. The brunet was famous for wearing his heart on his sleeve, for knowing pain but also for chasing after what he wanted.
James Diamond wasn't a quitter, he fought for what he wanted until there was nothing left in him.
But then why...
"W-why are you giving...me up?" Kendall asked, James' lips turning upwards into a sad, watery smile.
"...You only know you love someone if you let them go. This isn't about me, Kendall; this is about you, and being the hero that everyone looks up to. You need someone like you, with powers and that won't run the risk of being bait to get to you. Spider-Man can't let his enemies close, which is why he can't have someone. He can't have someone waiting for him, telling him...how much he l-loves him, nothing. I was used as a bargaining chip before for Spider-Man simply because of rumors that I was his friend; if it got out that I was DATING Spider-Man, then your life would turn into a complete hell.
"No one will find that out, Jamie! I would protect you with my life, US with my life!"
"Nothing in the world is worth dying for, Kendall!"
"It IS worth dying for it's something I want! If it's something I want, and I want this chance to be happy! I want to be happy, James, happy with YOU! There's more to Spider-Man than the NYC's hero! Spider-Man has a heart, I have a heart! I-I want to be happy with the most amazing, beautiful and loving person on the planet! My best friend, my partner in crime, you! You feel the same, I know you do!"
"AGAIN, THIS ISN'T ABOUT HOW I FEEL! I'M DOING THE RIGHT THING, I WON'T TAKE NEW YORK CITY'S SUPERHERO AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE WHO NEED HIM! I'M NOT THE TYPE TO BE SELFISH, I WON'T ASK YOU TO PUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES IN SECOND PLACE JUST FOR ME!" James screamed, pulling away from the blond and curling up more into himself.
Kendall let his hands drop to the soft, warm sheets. His eyes were wide and wet, breathing uneven. He was speechless; his voice was gone, lost among all the pain, confusion, and soon enough numbness he was feeling well up inside.
James rose from his bed, carrying a pillow and light blanket. "I-I'm sleeping on the couch tonight, take my bed and please rest..." Was all he said before he walked out, closing the door behind him.
Kendall collapsed, falling into the full, sweet-smelling sheets face-first. He clutched them between his fingers, body shaking as he softly, silently cried tear stains into the light creme-colored sheets.
James leaned against the door, one hand pressed to his mouth as he sat there crying as well, on the floor with his bare feet tucked under him.
'J-James...'
'Oh God, I'm sorry Kendall...'
-Page Break-
Gwen Stacy was fast asleep in her bed, bright blue eyes hidden under her light lids.
She was curled up under the blankets, white-blonde hair out of its ponytail to trail her pillow cases with feather-light touches. She was in deep sleep, resting up for another day of school tomorrow.
The Symbiote sample that had snuck into her backpack began to crawl up the bed frame, resembling an ink stain spreading fast among the sheets. It climbed up her legs, crossed over her arms like bridge before reaching her collarbone, all the while she beginning to struggle as her peaceful slumber soon became a nightmare.
Gwen groaned and kicked in her sleep, trying to fight off whatever that was feeling like...it was trying to drown her but sadly to no avail. It wasn't before long that she woke up with a start, yet her pale, angelic face was soon lost under a wave of black, stringy, web-like goo.
She couldn't cry out for help, scream for her parents or turn on her lamp. All she could do was gasp as everything soon went black, followed by a weird shriek of a laugh echoing in her ears.
