(A/N: I do not own Spiderman. That right belongs to Sony.
It's good to be home and good to be finally cured of jetlag after about a week or two. It was nice visiting Europe for the first time in my life and I hope to travel internationally more in the future.
Also thanks to the guest for catching the Midtown Mustang/Magnets mix up. I fixed it. That was my bad.
This is probably the longest chapter I've written for this story so far and if it turns out it's not, it's at least one of the longest. I hope you guys enjoy)
Despite the symbiote not having a proper face, one could still easily see its uneasiness through those bright white lenses that emulated Spiderman' person before them was one that the symbiote hoped would never have to come across again. However, here he was in the flesh (In a sense): One Benjamin Franklin Parker, Peter's Uncle Ben before them once again, who despite the fact that he was face to face with a dangerous alien lifeform just had a bright smile on his face.
"Well…I just can't leave you two boys alone for 5 minutes without you causing trouble for yourselves, can I?" Uncle Ben asked, chuckling.
"U….Uncle Ben. I…I thought I saw you for the last time just a few minutes ago" Peter said, bewildered and once again thrilled to again see the man who had inspired him to become a superhero. He wanted to run up and hug him but he didn't really know if the symbiote being present and holding Eddie in a vice grip called for it
"I'm always here for you, Pete. For both of you. I've told you that before and it's just as true now as it was then" Ben said, smiling warmly towards his nephew.
"You! You have no purpose here, ghost. Leave us or-" The symbiote screamed, demanding that the older man cease and desist. However, the person in question shoved aside the monster's commands, interrupting it as it spoke.
"I'm not here for you, you wretched thing. I'm talking to two boys whom I consider to be sons. Now I normally don't raise my voice but if you don't put Eddie down right now, I just might have to. Now give me space with them. Now!" Ben said, approaching the symbiote and pulling Eddie down from its grip.
The symbiote seethed as it made contact with the man. Despite the alien's strength, the man who had pretty much been Peter's second father was a threat to them as he was the source of a lot of positiveness that they couldn't stomach from a host. They stepped back, allowing themselves to recover.
"You won't keep us from our host forever, old man. You may be powerful here but we still reign supreme" The symbiote claimed to which Ben rolled his eyes.
"Can it, didn't I say I'm not talking to you? Eddie, are you alright, son?" Ben asked, giving the younger man a small smile. As he said this, The symbiote proceeded to step back even further until it flat out disappeared from sight, leaving the three of them alone for the time being.
Eddie could only sputter at this point. Despite all his time with the symbiote, he had never experienced anything like this…then again he never tried to end the bond between it either. It was almost too much for his brain to process all at once. Ben noticed this and chuckled.
"I know you have many questions, Eddie but we don't have a whole lot of time, so let me answer some of them for you. I'm not really Ben Parker, the one you knew anyway. I honestly don't really know what I am…but I do know I am much like him. I know all of the memories he shared with you, good and bad. I've seen you grow up into the fine young man you became up until my…parting" Ben said, rubbing the back of his neck as he said the last part of his statement.
Eddie, now slightly recovering from his state of shock of seeing Ben outside of a flashback, started speaking. "This is a bit surreal for me"
"Peter went through the exact same thing you did so don't feel too bad" Ben said, giving a little chuckle.
Peter walked forward towards Eddie with a new found sense of hope. "It's true, Eddie. Uncle Ben was the one who helped me break free from the symbiote when I was first bonded with it. He can help you too"
Ben turned his attention from Eddie to Peter as his head turned with a bit of a frown. "It is true, Pete, that I'm here to help Eddie….but I'm also here to help you as well"
This caused a great deal of confusion to swell up within Peter as he looked up towards his uncle (Or at the very least the personified memory of his uncle) with an eyebrow raised. Help him? How exactly did he need help? Wasn't Eddie the one who needed to be freed from the symbiote's grasp?
"But I don't-" Peter started to say before Ben interrupted him mid-sentence.
"Peter, you need to remember the symbiote isn't bonded with just Eddie right now. You're in this mess just as much as Eddie is right now. Despite the fact that you think you know the symbiote inside and out, you're still conflicted with a lingering amount of fear and doubt which is only strengthening the symbiote even as Eddie tries his best to break free from its grasp. In order for the both of you to get out of this mess, you're going to have to get out of it like you have other jams in the past: Together" Uncle Ben explained to his teenage nephew.
Peter and Eddie looked at each other and tried to digest the information that Ben was trying to give them. They understood what he was saying but they weren't entirely confident they could go through with it, especially after everything they've been through with each other lately.
"Ben, I…I don't really know if that's possible for us to do right now. You see, Pete…Pete and I aren't exactly on the best of terms right now. I mean…I'm not really angry with him as much as I was before anymore but that doesn't mean I can just forgive and forget right on the spot" Eddie said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was kind of embarrassed to say all of this.
This was definitely a more pressing issue than whatever petty issue Eddie had with Peter at the moment but it also didn't change how he felt. He was still a bit peeved at the person he once and maybe will again someday consider his little brother. He wasn't exactly confident he could do this given the current status of their relationship.
Ben, however, looked unconvinced. "Don't give me that nonsense, Edward Brock. Do you think family is always going to be happy with each other 100% of the time? No. That's a load of bull you get from old sitcoms from back in the day. Being family and friends takes patience, understanding and no matter how much you may quarrel, the brotherly love you guys have for each other outweighs whatever petty feelings you guys may have for each other at any given point in time. That's why the symbiote seems to be winning right now because you both seem to have forgotten this little fact. I've watched the both of you grow up to both be fine, talented young men. As individuals, you're strong but together, you guys are something else. When you work together as partners, that's when I've seen you both work even stronger. So…to put it simply: if you want to be rid of this thing forever, you're both going to have to fight it as a team"
Eddie stared at Ben and blinked with hesitance in his eyes. He understood what he was saying, he just had trouble accepting it. Eddie wasn't accustomed to asking for help in his life. More often than not, he flat out detested it. From the moment he was old enough to tie his shoes, he had to fend for himself on almost everything. He got himself through his days at the Catholic orphanage, enduring many ruler beatings from nuns, he had to stick up for himself to get through school as the friend of a 'nerd', he had to work to make ends meet at ESU and he had to keep his head down at Ravencroft so he wouldn't be bothered by any of the insane criminals that resided there. He had to earn practically everything in his life down to the clothes on his back and now he was told he needed help to earn his own freedom? It wasn't really welcome news.
"I know this isn't the situation you expected yourself to be in, Eddie but you've let the symbiote take so much control of your life and allow it to grow so strong. Like it or not, you can't beat it alone nor should you. Even some of the strongest men alive have help from time to time. It doesn't make them any less of them to accept it nor does it make you weak. You're one of the toughest guys I've ever met and that will not change after today. I promise you that" Ben said, grabbing onto Eddie's shoulder and squeezing it.
Eddie stared at the hand on his shoulder and back to the smiling old man. It had been so long since he shared a moment like this with Ben. It felt really nice to have one again after all this time with him gone. He couldn't help but feel a certain warmth in his heart that no doubt made the symbiote angry as a certain hiss went throughout the dark void.
"Peter, come over here. Now" His uncle gently ordered his nephew to do just like he used to when he was…around. The younger boy obeyed and walked up to his uncle and friend (At least that was what he considered Eddie to be. He honestly didn't really know how Eddie felt about their relationship at this point).
"Now…I can't stay for too much longer. I may have been able to get some time alone with you guys but if there's one thing that animal was right about, it's that this is his courtyard. So there's one thing you need to remember: You guys need to stand together and be a rock towards this thing. These are your lives to live. It's not up to the symbiote to decide how you live and you have to remind it of that. Show it you will never be its puppet and you'll nail this thing down easily" Ben spoke almost like he was talking to team players at the 2nd half of a ball game as he lifted his hand on Peter's shoulders much like he held a grip onto Eddie's.
A tingle went up Peter's spine at the contact. This was something he solely needed tonight after all the tension and fear that came over him for the past several hours. He put on a smile as his uncle gave him a new sense of confidence. However, it started to fade as he realized that this was only temporary. That he would soon be gone just like before. The sudden remembering of this fact caused his smile to fade a bit as a frown started appearing on his face.
The spirit-like form of Ben Parker noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "Something the matter, Peter? This isn't the time to doubt yourself"
"No…no. It's…it's not that. I…I just miss you so much every day. I…I just can't help but think this may be the very last time I see you. I wasn't really ready to let you go when you ... .you…left and…I'm not really sure I'm ready to do it now" Peter said, his head lowering, his frown going only lower as his happiness at seeing his uncle once again turned into sadness.
Ben saw this and looked down on him in sympathy. In response to the young man's concerns, he tilted his chin up with his hand, seeing his eyes water up in the process.
"Now come on, Pete. Don't do that to me. You know as well as I do that you will never be without me. I will always be in your heart and I will always be proud of the young man you've become…that goes for you too, Eddie. The both of you will always have me by your side and I will never, never leave you two" Ben said as he tried to lift the teen's spirit.
It appeared to be somewhat successful. Peter's frown disappeared although he didn't necessarily smile. He understood what the man told him and nodded, knowing that he spoke the truth. He couldn't help but hear echoes of the same message had told him when he had first detached from the symbiote and his confidence had once again grown within him. He was ready to take on this son of a bitch of an alien now and he had hoped Eddie held the same fire within him.
Peter looked towards the tall blonde man and gave him a weary smile and held his hand out, asking for Eddie's hand to fill it, feeling a bit uneasy as he didn't have a clue how Eddie would react to this. "What do you say, Eddie…partners?"
Eddie looked down towards Peter's hand with a raised eyebrow. From Peter's eyes, he seemed a little uncertain as to what he should do here which made the younger brunette cringe a bit at first. However, Eddie's eyebrow lowered as his uncertainty turned into a confident look as he put on a bright smile.
"Ah, what the hell…partners" Eddie said, grasping Peter's hand as they shared probably the first genuine moment of companionship they had in almost a year.
"Now those are my boys" Ben said proudly, looking back and forth between the two. Even though he knew he was a memory and not actually the genuine Uncle Ben, he couldn't help but shed a tear at the two of them finally being friendly towards one another again. However, the intimacy ended when the hiss that had previously rang around the domain they were in returned. That got all three of their attention as their heads turned in the same direction.
"Well…I guess that's my cue to leave. I can't stay anymore, guys. You have to face it yourselves from here on out but just remember as long as the both of you have the other's back, you're never alone. Now get to it boys and kick some serious alien ass" Ben said to the both of them, wrapping up his pep talk.
After a nod of confirmation was given by both of the guys, Ben began to disappear, his body fading away. As he became more transparent, Eddie just sat there, still looking a bit confused and nervous.
"Hey…Ben, wait-" Eddie tried to say but Peter stopped him, placing a hand on his chest and shaking his head.
"No, Eddie. He can't fight for us anymore. We have to stick together and fight the symbiote by ourselves now" Peter said firmly. Like Eddie, he wasn't comfortable with Ben just disappearing like he was and leaving them on their own but he knew it was for the best.
Eddie looked between Peter and Ben's fading body. As Ben finally drifted off into the darkness, he realized Peter was right. Like it or not, they were on their own now. He just took one last look at Peter and nodded.
"Well…I guess this is it, then" Eddie said, looking back towards the noise that had forced Ben to take his leave. They both continued to look down the same path as they saw another lifeform begin to appear, this one looking much less friendly. It continued growing until it was the one and only symbiote, in his preferred form as the black suited Spiderman. It quickly started making its way toward the both of them.
"We're going to get through this together, Eddie. I swear to you" Peter said, aiming to give his bro one last boost of confidence before all hell began to break loose. Eddie said nothing to this but instead had a look of determination on his face. This was his last chance to win his life back.
Surprising the both of them, when the symbiote finally reached the both of them, it didn't start trying to fight them. It just stopped in its tracks in front of both of them, looking back and forth between one and the other.
"We told you that he wasn't going to stay forever. Now it's just you and us" The symbiote said, its eyes narrowing as it then focused its attention on Eddie, whose eyes never lost their determination no matter how much fear was bellowing inside him.
"Shove it up your ass, you oozey pile of trash. I'm not going to be your slave. This is my life and I define it. Not you or anyone else" Eddie said, practically spitting at the creature's face.
"We're not trying to run your life for you, Eddie nor make you a slave to us. It's actually quite the opposite. We want to help you, work for you. We're just trying to make sure you get everything you deserve out of life. Think about it, Eddie. When you were dropped off at the orphanage, the Parkers didn't even try to bring you into their home and make you feel like one of their own. They just said there wasn't enough room and shoved you off no matter how much you needed them. The Connors didn't even hesitate to fire you when it became an inconvenience for them. They knew you needed your job to pay your tuition for school and they pushed you off to the side. Your so-called 'bro' didn't think twice about betraying your trust and plastering your boss' shame all over the front paper as well as making him look like he couldn't even stop a robbery along with putting you out of a job. All the while, you hardly have any friends in school as well as no girlfriend. Don't you see, Eddie? We're the only ones that truly care about you. These people that claim to love you constantly turn on you the moment your back is turned…but not us. You deserve more…so much more. Fame, glory, riches…and we intend on giving it to you. So…come on…give us another chance. We promise we'll be good this time around" The symbiote drawled out, reaching out its artificial arm towards Eddie as it waited for his hand to grasp it and shake it.
Eddie looked down at the hand and back up towards the symbiote's white lenses. Even without proper eyes, he could see nothing but bullshit in both of them. Even after everything it did, it was still so arrogant that it felt it could trick him with its charming and persuasive ways. Not this time, Eddie thought. He was done following the orders of this thing and anything else. He did indeed reach out towards the symbiote but it was to shove its hand away instead of shake it. The symbiote just stared plainly at Eddie, not reacting one way or the other at this.
"I don't think you heard me the first time: Fuck. Off. You're nothing but bad news wherever you go whether you're 'bonded' to either me or Pete. I'm gonna make sure you don't take over me or anyone else ever again" Eddie said, defiantly, his demeanor unchanging.
Both of the young men could hear nothing for a while after Eddie said these words. However, they could hear the distinct sound of the symbiote breathing. This was a bit peculiar to the both of them as they didn't really even know the symbiote could even breathe. It was a bit…unsettling.
"Well…it's a shame Ben Parker and the others were able to manipulate you like they have. No matter. You'll see reason once we take back control" The symbiote said. At that moment, it finally struck.
The parasite jumped forward and grabbed onto Eddie's arms tightly, the ooze already starting to engulf a small portion of his arm just like last time it had a hold of him. However, this time, Eddie wasn't holding back. He kicked the symbiote straight in the chest, knocking it back off of him for a bit.
"Oh we love it when hosts get feisty. Makes it all the more better when we finally take full control" The symbiote said, unphased by Eddie's actions. After all, this wasn't their first rodeo.
The symbiote tried a different approach. With a powerful jump, it was able to do a flip over Eddie's head. Before Eddie could even turn around, the creature shot a web right at Eddie's back. Using the web as a sort of rope, he pulled himself towards the back of the blonde man, stretching out its leg so it could perform a very strong kick at his back, sending him right to the ground. Eddie groaned as his body collided with the floor.
The symbiote made itself comfortable as it crouched on Eddie's body. He held down his arms so he could restart the process of engulfing his body over again, this time with no possible way the prospective host could resist. Eddie groaned as he felt his body being covered with ooze once more.
However, Peter wasn't going to sit back and do nothing. Just like Ben said, they needed to work together on this. He used his super strength to run up to the symbiote that was still lying on top of Eddie and jump high up into the air, stretching out his legs and aimed right at the symbiote's back. The symbiote let out a cry as Peter's foot collided with its body and collapsed right on top of Eddie, the engulfing stopped as he had been forced to let go. Using the opportunity to his advantage, Eddie managed to push the symbiote off of his body and get up from the ground, recovering.
"You alright" Peter asked Eddie as he took deep breaths in and out.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Let's just keep going" Eddie said, not losing his determination which Peter was happy to see. The both of them faced the symbiote again as it managed to stabilize itself from Peter's kick. It faced them just like they were facing it as the alien lifeform looked back and forth between them.
"So you both managed to grow a backbone. Good for you. However, we're not leaving here without a host. We refuse to be alone again" It simply said before running towards them again.
Peter ran towards it and tried to punch it. However, this time, the symbiote was too fast and did an uppercut right at Peter's jaw, the sheer force of the uppercut forcing him to fly up in the air. However, that was not all the symbiote had in mind. While Peter was in mid-air, it shot more ooze-like webs towards Peter that had collided with its body. With a swing of its arms like a sort of lasso, the symbiote sent Peter flying towards the ground. This may have been his and Eddie's subconscious but it sure did hurt like it would've in the real world. He sat there and groaned as pain began to overwhelm him. Eddie just looked and watched with his jaw wide open.
However, even after all that, the symbiote still wasn't done with him. It used this opportunity to get on top of Peter and like he did before in the real world, cover his neck with both of his hands and began to squeeze, choking him once more.
"Wh…what are…you doing?" Peter asked as he once again that night began to gasp for air.
"We need to get you out of the picture permanently before we bond with Brock once more. We can deal with him by himself as he doesn't have your strength but with you here? You're too much of a nuisance around while we're trying to regain our host again. We have to admit this isn't how we imagined you'd go out but we're satisfied with it all the same" The symbiote proclaimed.
Peter just sat there, gasping for air again as he failed desperately to get up as the symbiote continued to once again choke him as he had tried to do many times before tonight. Eddie, not knowing how to approach this, just started running towards the symbiote, desperate to get him off the younger teen. He ran towards the symbiote and tried to shove him off Peter. However, the symbiote didn't even move as it still held its firm grip on his neck.
"You're not even strong enough to even slightly be a threat to us, Brock. Now be a good boy and stay put while we deal with Peter. We'll be with you in a second" The symbiote said and without a second to spare, it did a swift side kick to the front of Eddie's chest, knocking him back. Peter just watched through squinted eyes as he saw Eddie fly backwards, fumbling on the ground until he landed flat on his stomach.
At that point, Eddie didn't know what to do. It all seemed so pointless. He knew what Ben said: That together they were even stronger than they were on their own but what difference did it make. They were in the symbiote's backyard and both of them seemed completely vulnerable and at the symbiote's mercy. He wanted desperately to act but he didn't have any sort of idea of how to proceed. Like several other times in his life, he seemed completely and utterly alone. Helpless.
Eddie just stood on the ground as he heard the sound of Peter gasping for air and it made him sick to his stomach despite everything that had happened between them. Actually, it was a lot worse than some stomach bug. He felt as if someone had reached into his mouth and ripped out organ after organ one at a time at the sight of someone he was in diapers with being killed right before his eyes. Damn it all to hell, if only he had a gun or something. Then he could blow this monster away. He couldn't just stay on the ground like a sniveling coward. He needed to do something.
At that moment, despite all the logic within him screaming against this, he ran up to the symbiote again. However, he didn't make an attempt to shove off the symbiote. There wasn't any point anymore. The symbiote probably won and he was going to be his slave again. Before he did…he needed to do one more thing. He approached the both of them and kneeled down at Peter's side, grabbing onto his arm.
"Grab my hand, Peter" Eddie said, gently ordering Peter to do what he said like he would when they were younger.
"What are you doing, Brock?" The symbiote asked, confused. What exactly was going on here? They didn't like this and wanted to put a stop to it but they couldn't lose their grip on Parker.
Even when he was losing air, he could still see through his squinted eyes up to his brother figure throughout the years. He didn't exactly know what Eddie was doing. Nonetheless, he did exactly what Eddie said and took his hand. He tensed up as he felt Eddie squeeze it rather hard. However, there was something far more interesting that had caught his eye. At that point, he saw Eddie do something he hadn't done since he was very young.
Peter…could see him crying. Like…literally crying. A small tear fell down from each one of Eddie's eyes. It was pretty surreal if Peter was being honest.
"I'm sorry, Pete….I'm really sorry. I promised your uncle I would always be there for you and I failed. I turned my back on you and I let myself turn into some sort of monster. If I hadn't overreacted a year ago, you wouldn't be here right now and your aunt wouldn't be in the hospital right now. What…what I'm really trying to say, Peter is….I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. I…I'm sorry I can't save you…but I just want you to know that you will always be my little brother and I will always love you…and I only wish I had realized how important you were to me before you…you…" Eddie said, not even able to finish the last of his speech.
Peter just stared. It wasn't like Eddie to be so emotional like this. He honestly couldn't believe what he was seeing. Eddie was always the tough guy, the guy that always protected him from Flash and his gang when they were both at Midtown. It was…honestly touching. That on the brink of death, that he would say this to him. He was still in the process of being choked to death but he couldn't help but get a little teary eyed himself, touched at his big brother's words.
Actually…now that he had come to think of it, he could actually breathe a lot better than he had before just a few moments ago. A lot better actually which confused him. Looking from Eddie to the symbiote, he could see the alien look extremely tense and was actually breathing pretty heavily itself. Out of nowhere, it completely loosened its grip on Peter and then jumped off of him, seething in what appeared to be pain.
"Ah…this…these emotions you both have. It…it hurts so much" The symbiote cried out, still loudly hissing. Both Peter and Eddie looked at each other before looking back at the symbiote.
"It…it hates what we were just doing?" Eddie asked Peter who was taking deep gulfs of air after being choked for the umpteenth time that night.
Peter was honestly confused himself. It hadn't seen the symbiote act like this since Liz had shot fire at it. The moment that he and Eddie had just shared seemed to deal an equal amount of damage (Or maybe more) to the symbiote as fire had. With this in consideration, something clicked within Peter.
"Of course…it hates it when its host loves something more than itself" Peter said, coming to a 'eureka' moment.
"What are you talking about?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow, still very confused.
"The symbiote hates positive feelings as it feeds on negative feelings but above all else, it hates pure and unfiltered love towards someone other than itself. It's practically poison to it. When you showed genuine brotherly love to me just then, it weakened the symbiote to the point where it released me despite all the strength it has here" Peter explained to Eddie. The wheels started to turn in Eddie's mind.
"...So that's what Ben was talking about earlier. He wasn't talking about us working together as partners to beat this thing. He meant that we should work-" Eddie said before Peter finished for him.
"As brothers, Eddie. The thing we always have been since we were toddlers" Peter said, looking up at Eddie with a soft smile.
Eddie looked down at Peter. This was a bit too mushy for his liking….but it honestly made sense. Throughout his entire time, the symbiote feeded not only on Eddie's hate but also on his love (Or more his obsession he would put it) for it. When he finally showed that he loved something more, a lot more than it, it couldn't stand it. It…was weakened by it. That's why it backed off when Ben was around.
"The answer was so simple this entire time…though I didn't see it until now" Eddie said, shaking his head. He was almost kind of ashamed of himself for missing something that should have been so obvious. Though he guessed his hatred was still blinding him.
"Come on, Eddie. Let's go beat this asshat once and for all…together" Peter said, holding out his hand once again to the blonde man like he did just minutes ago. Eddie once again grasped it but this time more firm and with more fire in his heart than ever before with a big smile on his face.
"Let's…bro" Eddie said, smiling down on the young man he could proudly call his little brother once more. After giving each other a nod, they then turned their heads and their attention towards the symbiote who had been facing them once more.
Deciding to skip the theatrics and speeches, both of them ran towards the symbiote that likewise was doing the same towards them. It threw a punch towards Peter but he quickly dodged it. Using the opportunity presented to him, he moved behind the symbiote and gave a big kick towards its back. It flew right towards Eddie's strong fist as the collision between both knocked the symbiote to the ground.
It tried to get up and fight back but Peter was too fast for it as he pounced on it and held it down. The symbiote tried to fight back but it was getting so weak. The brotherly love the both of them shared. It was too much. It could practically feel its power that it had gained from feeding off Brock's hate for Parker and his love for it disappear as if it wasn't even there. It couldn't even shove Parker off.
Eddie began using the situation to both his and Peter's advantage. He moved towards the head the symbiote created for itself. As Peter continued to hold it down, Eddie began going all out on the artificial head. Punch after punch he gave it as it could just sit and do nothing, getting way too weak. Its power slipping, it could almost feel itself peeling off the both of them in the real world. It had no other choice now. It only had one other option at this point.
"Eddie, please stop! Don't do this! We only want to help you meet your full potential! To have you experience fame and glory more than you could ever dream of! We want to be with you! Give us another chance. We'll even leave Parker alone. Just don't leave us! We'll be nothing without you!" The symbiote screamed and begged even more so than it did Peter when it unattached from him.
Eddie just glared down at it and shook his head. "Then you're nothing. I will never be your puppet again. Not now. Not ever. This is my goddamn life, punk and I'm tired of letting you live it for me"
As he spoke those words, he charged up for what looked to be one last punch. The symbiote couldn't even muster up another desperate plea before it slammed right into the symbiote's face. The collision between the fist and the symbiote caused the lifeform to disintegrate into a pile of ooze and slime, a painful wailing noise ringing throughout the darkness as it was reduced to a puddle.
With the symbiote officially losing its hold over the both of them, the darkness around them finally began to disappear with a bright light practically beginning to wash over the brothers.
It was finally over. The both of them had won their freedom once and for all.
Just as they were beginning to regain their consciousness and join the land of the living again, they could hear a familiar voice ringing throughout the back of their heads.
"I'm always here for you, boys. Whenever you need me. Remember that"
