"He tried not to think, not to understand: could there be any understanding of this? This had come, had crushed, and was roaring. If you thought about it-you would throw yourself through a hole in the ice.
In his soul something bellowed piteously like a bullock under the knife in the slaughterhouse."

"What is that?" balked Eddie, "James Joyce or something?"

"No," responded the man in a thick Russian accent, "Andrei Bely. One of the great voices of the Symbolist movement. Translated for your benefit, of course."

"And what's that nonsense supposed to mean?" asked Eddie.

"It is a poetic commentary on the suffering you are soon to endure," said the Russian.

"The more you know," scoffed Eddie.

The towering beast of a man turned to face Eddie. He wore a large open vest that bore the face of a lion across the front. This may have been the most noteworthy part of his ensemble if he were not bare chested under the vest and wearing what appeared to be a long lion's mane across his back. His black hair and beard looked as though they had been cut with a machete. He was at least a head taller than Eddie, though he seemed even bigger now that Eddie was on his knees before him.

Eddie was without his symbiote; he was completely naked. Two dark scars from his top surgery underlined either of his pectoral muscles. The only article on his body was the fine leather cuffs around either of his wrists that were tightly chained together behind his back. His ankles were cuffed in the same way, leaving Eddie helpless to do anything but kneel before this animal of a man. He tried to keep his knees together to feel less exposed, though it did little more than hurt his balance.

"You are very… Vocal for a man in your position," said the large Russian man, "The beast has abandoned you, after all."

"Yeah well," sighed Eddie, "It's better than spewing bad Russian poetry."

"Do not insult Bely," said the Russian harshly, stepping forward and grabbing Eddie by the jaw, forcing him to look up at him, "You will regret it."

Eddie jerked his head away. The Russian scoffed.

"The… symbiote, as you call it," said the Russian, "You will tell me everything that you know about it."

"What do you want with him anyway?"

The Russian took a deep breath and walked back toward an ornate chest. They were in a lavish bedroom. Animal skins of all kinds lined the floor and walls. Finely carved wooden arm chairs and desks rounded out the room's exotic design. The Russian had only recently brought the chest into the room. Eddie instinctively pulled against the cuffs again. He didn't want to know what the chest was for.

"My name," said the Russian, rummaging through the chest, "is Sergei Kravinoff. The Kravinoff line dates far back into Russia's history. We were nobility before the revolution. Rulers and hunters, all. Though my family name no longer holds the same reverence it once did, I still carry on my family's legacy."

Kraven drew a long whip from the chest and turned to face Eddie. Eddie tried to hide his fear of the pain the whip would surely bring.

"I am Kraven the Hunter," announced the man, "There is no animal I cannot hunt. That includes that… symbiote. Now tell me, where can I find it?"

"Bite me," spat Eddie.

"Perhaps in time," chuckled Kraven slowly walking up to Eddie.

Kraven brought back his leg and swung it forward into Eddie's chest, knocking him completely over and onto his back. Eddie coughed away the pain and instinctively brought his legs together to hide his vulva, face coloring with the rush of humiliation. Kraven laughed as he placed his animal skin boot firmly down onto Eddie's chest, pressing down on it and making Eddie gasp and cough.

"Why do you protect this beast so?" questioned Kraven, "It abandoned you in our battle."

"Maybe," grunted Eddie, ignoring the increasing pressure on his chest, "Maybe I just hate Ruskis. You ever think of that?"

"Hm," smirked Kraven, pushing down on Eddie one more time before walking back to the chest, "I do not want to hurt you, you know. I mean, I'll enjoy it, certainly, but I believe in solving problems in a civilized manner. Simply tell me everything you know about the symbiote and you'll be free to go."

"You're really that dedicated to hunting?" said Eddie, "You'd really torture me just to get his head mounted on your wall?"

"If you will not tell me where to find the beast," said Kraven, returning from the chest with a horse bit in his hand, "Stop talking."

Eddie tried to roll away, but Kraven quickly came down and pinned Eddie to the ground with his knee on his chest. Eddie tried to turn his face away, but Kraven shoved the bit into his mouth and pressed it in tightly, straining the straps against the sides of Eddie's lips. Kraven grabbed the top of Eddie's head by the hair and jerked him up so he could fasten the bit straps behind his head. He then gave Eddie's cheek two firm claps of affection before getting up.

"Grn!" strained Eddie.

The bit didn't fully muffle his mouth, but it forced his teeth apart and pressed into his lips enough that his annunciation was a joke. Eddie clenched his teeth down on the bit with indignance and frustration.

"It is interesting," said Kraven, "You continue to refer to the beast as 'he.' Everyone else I've spoken to about these symbiotes refer to them as 'it.' Why is that?"

Eddie curled inward on the ground, turning his face away from Kraven. Kraven let out a snort of amusement. Then he knelt down, grabbed Eddie's hair, and brought the man back up to his knees with a forceful pull.

"Rrrgh!" grunted Eddie through the bit.

"Oh," grinned Kraven widely, picking the whip back up, "You're more than the beast's host, aren't you?"

Eddie tried to react as little as possible.

"No use hiding it," chuckled Kraven, "It is written all over your face. That is why you will not give up the beast. He didn't abandon you, you sent him away. You care for him, maybe even love him."

Eddie's eyes widened as he clenched his teeth down hard on the bit.

"Ah," smiled Kraven, "Confirmed. It is beautiful, really. Love is a wondrous thing."

Eddie watched carefully as Kraven slowly walked around the room to get behind him.

"I am in the middle of it: chaos and poetry; poetry and love and again, complete chaos. Pain, disorder, occasional clarity; and at the bottom of it all: only love; poetry. Sheer enchantment, fear, humiliation. It all comes with love."

Eddie's muscles tensed up. Kraven was standing directly behind him now.

"That was Anna Akhmatova," said Kraven, "in case you were curious."

Eddie heard the loud crack! an instant before he felt a searing pain across his back.

"NNNGGGHHH!" he moaned through the bit, biting down hard to deal with the pain.

"It matters not," boasted Kraven, "You will tell me where to find the beast in time, no matter how dearly you love him."

Crack!

"RNNNNGH!"

Crack!

"RRRRGGGHHHH!"

Crack!

Spider-Man rolled up his mask and lifted the gyro up to his mouth, leaning forward to take a big bite out of it and spilling tiny bits of pita and lamb onto the rooftop on which he was squatting. It wasn't often that Spider-Man ate on the job, but he had skipped dinner to get some coursework done before heading out that night. Frankly, the street food was infinitely better than Empire State University's cafeteria anyway. This was a treat.

"Spider-Man…" growled a deep voice from behind.

Spider-Man whipped his gyro aside and spun in place to face the voice. Whoever it was, they hadn't triggered his spider sense. Spider-Man didn't like that. He brought his hands up, ready to fight.

"I mean no harm…" said the voice.

Spider-Man realized the voice was coming from below him. He looked down at the rooftop he was standing on and saw a puddle of black ooze slowly making its way toward him. The liquid formed a head with a sinister face that looked right at Spider-Man.

"You're a symbiote," realized Spider-Man.

"We've met before, Spider-Man…"

"You're Eddie's symbiote," concluded Spider-Man, "What are you doing here? Where's Eddie?"

"In trouble," said the symbiote, "There is a crazed mercenary obsessed with capturing me. Eddie sent me away, sacrificing himself so I could escape."

I wish I could have used that trick when my symbiote was possessing me, thought Spider-Man, recalling the experience of being unwillingly bonded.

"Please," said the symbiote, "Bond with me and help me save him."

"Why me?" asked Spider-Man, not super excited at the prospect of bonding with another symbiote, "Can't you bond with anyone?"

"No," said the symbiote, "only Eddie. But you were compatible with the previous Venom symbiote. That means we'll be compatible as well."

Spider-Man let out a short breath and thought. He really didn't want to bond with a symbiote again, but he knew this symbiote and Eddie were good people. They had worked together with Spider-Man once before. If Eddie was in danger, Spider-Man had to be brave enough to help him.

"Alright," conceded Spider-Man, "but take it easy. The last symbiote that bonded with me psychologically manipulated me and took over my body."

"I promise to form only a mutually beneficial partnership," said the symbiote.

"Right," said Spider-Man, holding out his arm, "Let's just do this."

The symbiote latched onto his arm and soon the black slime had engulfed Peter's entire body, sliding up under the mask and filling his mouth with a warm rubbery taste. After a moment Peter looked down at himself and saw he looked just as he had when the last symbiote bonded with him: all black with a large white spider on his chest. Suddenly Peter felt a rush of pleasure start deep within him and spread throughout his body.

"Ah!" he yelled out, "See? That? Don't do that!"

The last symbiote had used that pleasure as a way to manipulate Peter.

Got it. See? We're already setting boundaries. We're off to a great start!

Let's just go get Eddie.

Eddie's teeth tightened around his bit as his labored breaths hissed through his mouth. Eddie's entire body was tensed up, muscles glistening with sweat as his back rose and fell with his increasingly weak breathing. The pain hadn't stopped. Even between whips, it felt like something was burning into Eddie's back.

"You are a strong man," conceded Kraven, walking around in front of Eddie, "I must admit, I'm quite impressed. However, there is more punishment to endure."

Eddie glared up at Kraven. He snorted in frustration, doing his best to ignore the lingering pain.

"Let's try this again," said Kraven, brandishing his whip, "This symbiote. He must have some sort of weakness, yes? Which of my weapons was it that forced him to retreat? Was it my spear? My poison gas? My stun grenades? Ah!"

Eddie turned away. He must have visibly reacted. It was indeed the flashbangs that had forced Eddie to send the symbiote away. The loud burst of sound from the device hurt the symbiote badly and the heat posed a threat as well.

"Interesting," mused Kraven, "Very interesting. So your companion is vulnerable to light, is he? Or is it the sound?"

Eddie did his best to avoid eye contact with Kraven, but the large man knelt before Eddie, grabbed his jaw, and forced him to look him in the eye.

"I will kill the beast one way or another," assured Kraven quietly, "It is merely a question of how long it will take. Is this torture worth prolonging the life of that parasite?"

"Hsh nn prsh…" muttered Eddie through the bit.

"He speaks," grinned Kraven widely.

Kraven reached around Eddie's head and unfastened the strap, releasing the gag from Eddie's mouth as he let out a breath and moved his lips and jaw to work out the residual aching sensation.

"Now say that again?" requested Kraven politely.

"He's not a parasite," whispered Eddie weakly.

"You are commendably persistent," frowned Kraven.

Kraven went to stand, but swiftly turned back and swung the back of his hand into Eddie's face. The blow let out a loud slap as Eddie was thrown completely onto his side from the force of the blow, reeling in pain. Kraven gently massaged the back of his hand.

"Now," he said, "as we were…"

"Hey Boris!"

Kraven and Eddie both looked over to the window from which the voice originated. Spider-Man was squatting on the sill of the open window in an all black suit, casually waving at the two of them.

"It IS Boris, right?" said Spider-Man, "I find that it's usually Boris."

"Look at that," beamed Kraven, tossing his whip aside, "The beast returns for his loved one."

"Listen," said Spider-Man, "We're just friends, pal."

Speak for yourself. Eddie and I have been making love since our first night together.

TMI!

Right. Boundaries. Got it.

Kraven drew a hunting knife from his belt and threw it at Spider-Man. Spider-Man dove into the room, dodging the knife, and leapt up at Kraven. The hunter drew another knife as Spider-Man tackled him to the ground, finding Kraven to be surprisingly strong enough to wrestle on par with him.

"Good God!" exclaimed Spider-Man, "What are they putting in the vodka these days?"

"I never drink," hissed Kraven back with a smile, "It impairs my senses."

Kraven rolled backwards and kicked Spider-Man in the gut with both his legs. Spider-Man flew across the room and crashed into one of the dressers, breaking it open and sending animal pelts sprawling out across the floor.

"That is," said Kraven as he returned to his feet, "with the exception with the occasional glass of wine with a fine meal."

"Who is this guy!?" said Spider-Man, getting back to his feet.

Some sort of hunting-obsessed mercenary. He calls himself Kraven the Hunter.

And what, he wants to mount you over his fireplace?

Something like that.

"Enough of these games," said Kraven, pulling a small metal cylinder out of his belt, "This ends now."

Kraven tossed the cylinder in the air toward Spider-Man.

Oh no…

What?

BANG!

A bright light filled the entire room as Spider-Man's vision went completely blank. An instant later the powerful vibrations of a sonic burst wrecked Spider-Man's ears. The entire symbiote writhed and screamed. The screams echoed through Spider-Man's head along with an unbearable and nauseating pain.

That was rough, thought Spider-Man, He must know about your weakness. Any idea how?... Hello? Symbiote?

There was no response. Spider-Man looked down at himself, seeing his usual red and blue costume instead of the symbiote black. The sound and heat must have forced the symbiote away. Spider-Man went to stand up but a rush of dizziness sent him right back to his knees.

"What!?" cried Kraven, "Where!? Where did he go!?"

Spider-Man struggled to get to his feet, but the whole world was still spinning. This was worse than any sort of sound had ever affected him before. Being bonded to the symbiote must have amplified the flashbang's effects on Spider-Man as well. The next thing Spider-Man knew a fist was colliding with his face and everything began to go dark.

Whatever the symbiote's plan is, thought Spider-Man as he passed out, It better be good.

"Thanks for coming," said Flash.

"Yeah," said Carlie nervously, "Can I ask why you asked me here? It seemed kind of out of the blue."

"I'm sorry about that," sighed Flash, "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about who I am and what I can do to make up for it and change."

"Yeah?" asked Carlie, bewildered.

Flash adjusted his posture. He still wasn't used to this kind of thing. The two were sitting at a bar in a quiet restaurant. Flash had ordered them both non-alcoholic drinks that neither of them had touched. He had reached out to Carlie to meet up and was pleasantly surprised she had agreed to it.

"Yeah," nodded Flash, "I can't get into the details but some… stuff happened that made me leave ESU. Rough stuff. Like, really, really rough stuff."

"...sure," said Carlie cautiously.

"I'm sorry," frowned Flash, "This is all probably weird for you, right? I mean, I've been nothing but mean to you."

Carlie blinked, clearly confused.

"I was wrong for how I treated you," said Flash, "I was… jealous of how smart you are."

"I… Really?"

"Yeah," said Flash, "Is that hard to believe?"

"It's hard to believe you're admitting it," scoffed Carlie, "You were pretty mean, Flash."

"I know."

"You dumped brown paint on me in the middle of the quad."

"I know."

"You told everyone I had an intestinal problem that made my breath smell like vomit."

"I know."

"You've only ever called me 'Four Eyes,'" said Carlie, "I'm not even sure you know my real name."

"Of course I do!"

"..."

"...Carla."

"Carlie!"

"Right!" said Flash nervously, "I knew that!"

"Flash…" sighed Carlie.

"Listen," said Flash, "I was wrong to do all of that! You're beautiful."

"Are you hitting on me?"

"No!" insisted Flash emphatically.

"Wow, don't sound so repulsed."

"I wasn't- I didn't mean-"

"You know what?" said Carlie, "I'm good. I'm glad you're going around and making amends, Flash, but I'm not interested."

"But-"

Flash was left reaching out to Carlie as she left a few dollars for her drink on the bar and walked away. Flash sighed in defeat. No matter how hard he tried to do the right thing, he was still haunted by the things he had done in the past.

Flash left the restaurant a few minutes later, zipping up his leather jacket to walk home through the brisk wind. He had been walking for a few minutes when he felt his foot stick to the ground. He pulled it free and looked down to see his gym shoe dripping with some kind of black slime. Flash made a sound of disgust and tried to shake it away, but his eyes widened in horror as it climbed up his leg and sped up his chest and into his mouth.

Hello, Flash.

Oh no, thought Flash, Not again…

Wait! Listen-!

Leave me alone! I want no part of any symbiote stuff!

I'm not like the last one you encountered, I promise.

Flash paused. He had just spent a futile half hour trying to convince Carlie he wasn't as bad as she thought he was. Now he was starting to realize how she felt.

I found out about you from Peter's memories. He needs your help, Flash.

Parker? What the hell does Spider-Man need my help with?

The symbiote shared his memories with Flash. Flash saw images of Eddie, Kraven, and Peter as thoughts filled his mind and explained everything that had happened to the symbiote in a matter of seconds.

"Wow…" whispered Flash.

So will you help?

Count me in. I say we just make one quick stop first to pick something up.

"Grk!"

Peter grunted as Kraven threw him to the floor beside Eddie. Kraven had removed Peter's mask and fastened a bit tightly into his mouth. He had also bound Peter's hands behind his back with a cable capable of holding his super strength. His legs were equally tightly bound by the same type of cable. Eddie grimaced at Peter in frustration. He was unable to speak however, as Kraven had replaced his bit gag with a noticeably larger and tighter one that painfully forced his mouth open as it painfully tugged back on his lips.

"So," mused Kraven, "both of you bonded with this symbiote…"

Peter struggled to his knees, looking up defiantly at Kraven.

"Rnh," he huffed.

"I am Sergei Kravenoff," declared Kraven, grabbing a fistful of Peter's hair and pulling him up until his back was completely straight.

"Nnnnh!" grunted Peter in pain.

"Tell me, Spider-Man," continued Kaven, "Does that name mean anything to you?"

Peter looked back blankly. It did not.

"No?" said Kraven, "How about this name? Dmitri Smerdyakov."

Peter's eyes widened. His heart stuttered to a stop.

"So you do remember."

Kraven shoved Peter onto his back. Peter grunted through the bit as his head slammed down onto the wooden floor. Kraven pounced on top of Peter, pinning him to the ground and grabbing his jaw with one of his large hands. Peter went to fight back, but he couldn't do anything but strain against the cables holding him down.

"Innnnh!"

Peter did remember Dmitri Smerdyakov. He was the Bratva captain who had captured Spider-Man to turn him over to Wilson Fisk, who proceeded to brutally torture him. Peter had one other encounter with Smerdyakov when he attempted to kill Peter and Frank Castle. Frank ended that encounter by executing Smerdyakov.

"He was my brother. You and your associate Jessica Jones ruined his auto theft ring here in New York," explained Kraven, leaning down closer to Peter, "Not long after that, he was found dead. One could say that it was your fault."

Peter bit down harder and tried not to let his fear show as Kraven stared deeply into his eyes. He remembered Dmitri's death as clear as day. He had been too slow to stop Frank, otherwise he would have. Now Jessica's words from the incident were ringing out in his head.

"He needed to do this. Otherwise the Bratva would come after us. All of us."

Peter stared back into Kraven's resolute and unwavering glare. This was even worse than he or Jessica had feared. Killing Dmitri had only made the situation worse. Now not only was someone after them, but they wanted revenge. Was Peter only the first? He didn't want to imagine what Kraven had planned for any of them.

Suddenly Kraven's face broke into a small smile. He released Peter's jaw and gave him two firm claps on the cheek.

"No worries," said Kraven, "My brother was, as you Americans say, a huge douchebag. I do not mourn his loss. However…"

Kraven drew a knife and held it close to Peter's face. Peter glanced over at the knife and briefly saw his own frightened expression in the reflection in the blade. Kraven rested the cold metal against Peter's face.

"There is a certain poetic irony to this, no?" smiled Kraven, "You being at Dmitri's brother's mercy?"

"Nngmph!" interrupted Eddie.

Kraven turned to Eddie, who had turned to the two of them and was staring Kraven down. Still naked, wrists still tied behind his back, and bit still in his mouth, Eddie was undeterred in his attempt to intimidate Kraven. All it earned from the hunter was a hearty laugh; the boy was still on his knees.

"So noble!" he beamed, standing up and striking Eddie across the face with the back of his hand.

Eddie grunted in pain as his entire body was knocked onto his side, face stinging and aching front he impact of the blow. Peter, still on his back, let his body loosen with relief and let out a short sigh. It was unconsciously followed by an intense shutter across his body.

"Providence has given human wisdom the choice between two fates: either hope and agitation, or hopelessness and calm," explained Kraven, "Yevgeny Baratynsky's words seem quite fitting for you two now. So long as you hold out on this pain, the more you will prolong your suffering. Give in to the hopelessness however, and this will seem almost peaceful."

Kraven grabbed a fistful of Peter's hair and jerked him to a full standing position. Peter winced and held in any reaction to the pain, but the moment he was standing Kraven delivered a powerful uppercut to his gut. Peter coughed out as he keeled over, falling to his knees.

"Your precious symbiote will be back," said Kraven, "but in the meantime I will have to entertain myself."

Oof. That's a raw deal.

What? thought Flash.

Flash and the symbiote were on their way to save Eddie and Peter, swinging through the city.

That whole thing with Carlie. I mean, you kind of deserve it, but still.

Hey! Give me a break. Things have been pretty rough since I bonded with the last symbiote.

I can see that. Also, you miss Liz.

Exactly how many of my thoughts can you read?

I mean this is all just already on your mind. It's hard NOT to read it.

Yeah, I miss Liz.

There you go, buddy. Let it out.

Aren't we supposed to be saving Parker and your pal?

We're more like lovers than pals.

I… didn't need to know that.

Eddie was sexually frustrated too, but I fixed that. You know I could ask him if he'd be comfortable with me pleasuring you.

"What!?" cried Flash aloud, "That's not- I don't-"

You don't have to decide now. Here, this is the place.

Flash dismissed his surprised discomfort and focused. He and the symbiote squatted on the edge of a building, looking up at the closed window of the condo on the building across. They leapt over to the building and began their ascent up the side.

Flash and the symbiote crashed through the window and into the large room. Peter and Eddie turned their heads in surprise as Kraven turned on his heel to face the intruder. He grinned and pulled a flashbang from his belt.

BANG!

"Argh!"

Kraven screamed in pain as he clutched his bleeding side, falling to his knees. Flash and the symbiote stood over him, still holding the pistol aimed directly at him. Kraven looked up at the two.

"It was a beautifully fought battle," said Kraven with a smile, "I proudly accept defeat."

Flash and the symbiote struck Kraven in the side of the head with the gun, knocking him out. They knelt down and applied some symbiote webbing to stop the bleeding. Then they turned to Eddie and Peter and froze in place. The sight of the two of them bound in such a way had caught Flash off guard, particularly with Eddie being naked. He shook off the discomfort and went ahead to untie and ungag the two, relieved the suit hid the unease on his face.

"Of course," said Peter, "A symbiote with a gun. Why didn't I think of that?"

Flash cut Eddie's wrists free. Eddie stood and opened his arms. The symbiote leapt off of Flash's body and onto Eddie's, slowly wrapping every inch of Eddie's skin before forming Venom once again.

"Holy-!" cried Peter, as he saw his childhood bully's face revealed, "Flash!?"

"Peter," smiled Flash awkwardly, "Oh, I mean Spider-Man."

Peter sighed. He walked over to where Kraven had discarded his mask and pulled it back on. Venom slowly transformed so that Eddie was wearing the symbiote as a set of black jeans and biker jacket.

"The symbiote wanted someone who had bonded before," explained Eddie, "I guess your friend here qualifies."

"Never thought I'd be saying this," said Spider-Man, "but thank you for saving my life, Flash."

"Don't mention it," said Flash.

"We need to go now," said Venom, approaching the window, "Those gunshots will have the authorities here any minute."

"Uh…" realized Flash uncomfortably, "One of you is going to have to carry me…"

"Not it!" called Spider-Man as he swung away.

"A Coke," said Jessica as the waitress stood beside their table taking orders.

"Just water for me," said Peter.

"I'm going to need a chocolate sundae," said Eddie, "with as much chocolate sauce as you are allowed to put on."

"...okay," said the waitress after a moment.

"Just a big bowl of chocolate ice cream with as much chocolate sauce as humanly possible," clarified Eddie, "I can't emphasize that enough."

Jessica, Peter, and the waitress were all giving him a strange look.

"I have a, uh," muttered Eddie, "blood sugar condition."

The waitress nodded and walked away. Jessica raised an eyebrow to Eddie.

"Listen, the symbiote gets hungry, okay?" he said defensively, "And it's either chocolate or human flesh."

"You're both being pretty blasé about this whole situation," said Jessica, "Kraven escaped. He could be after both of you."

"I don't think so," said Peter, "He accepted defeat. I think he'll honor that."

"I still can't believe he's Chameleon's brother," said Jessica.

"I know," said Peter, "Small world."

"Hey guys."

Jessica stood suddenly and brought up her fists. Flash, who had just approached the table, winced and took a step back. Peter placed a hand on Jessica's arm and guided her into sitting back down.

"It's okay," said Peter, "He saved us, remember?"

"Whatever," said Jessica, "I still don't trust him."

"I can't really blame you," frowned Flash, "I guess I'll be going."

"Come on, Jessica," said Peter, "He really has changed."

Jessica huffed, but nodded. Flash offered a weak smile and took a seat next to Eddie.

"So," said Flash uncomfortably, "How is everyone?"

"...I'm fine," said Eddie after a long and awkward pause.

"Those Mets," chuckled Flash, "Am I right?"

"What are you doing?" asked Jessica plainly.

"I don't know," sighed Flash, "I'm still getting used to this whole 'being friendly' thing."

"You'll get there," assured Peter.

"What are you even doing here?" demanded Jessica.

"I invited him," said Eddie, "or rather, I guess, we invited him."

"The symbiote?" said Peter.

"He seemed to quite enjoy bonding with Flash," explained Eddie, "We… thought we might do it again."

"Yeah," grinned Flash, "Then I could be... Agent Venom!"

"We'll workshop the name," said Eddie.

"You're not jealous?" smirked Jessica, "Your partner bonding with another man?"

"Come on," said Eddie, "We're all mature adults."

"It works for me and MJ," shrugged Peter.

"You're welcome to bond as well, Peter," added Eddie.

"Excuse me?"

"The symbiote quite enjoyed bonding with you too," said Eddie, "He'd be happy to do it again."

"Uh," muttered Peter nervously, "No thanks."

"Sir?" said the waitress, approaching the table, "We are all out of chocolate ice cream at the moment."

"Shit," cursed Eddie, getting up to leave.

"Oh come on!" shouted Jessica after him, "You're leaving over that!?"

"Trust me," called Eddie back, "You don't want to see what happens when I don't satisfy his sweet tooth!"

The alarmed waitress blinked in bewilderment.

Peter chuckled. So did Flash until Jessica glared at him. Then he folded his hands and looked down into his lap. Peter continued to smile. Maybe Jessica would lay off in time. Until then, Peter was happy that his former tormentor had made the transition to superhero.