Friday morning sunshine hits my face like a bright high-five. The bruises that decorated my body yesterday have vanished completely, thanks to Venom's symbiotic healing powers. My skin doesn't even have the faintest yellow tinge to remind of my Green Goblin beatdown.
Ellie's arm is wrapped possessively around my waist as we cross campus toward Masters' training room, her fingers digging into my hip with just enough pressure to remind who I belong to. Her blonde hair catches the light as she scans our surroundings with predatory vigilance, those blue eyes missing nothing.
"Stop looking so smug," she mutters, catching my expression.
"I can't help it," I reply, leaning into her embrace. "I'm walking across campus with the hottest woman at Empire State. Plus, you're holding like I'm your favorite toy."
Ellie's fingers flex against my hip. "You are my favorite toy," she murmurs, then imdiately shakes her head. "Wait, no… That ca out wrong." Her eyes soften as she looks down at . "You're not a toy, Shane. I don't see you as disposable."
I lean into her, unable to suppress the smile spreading across my face. "I know," I reply, my heart doing that stupid flutter thing it always does when she shows her vulnerable side. The symbiote ripples briefly beneath her jacket sleeve, a subtle acknowledgnt that both halves of her agree.
When we reach Masters' training room, I'm surprised to see Sensei isn't alone. She's deep in conversation with a woman. This woman is impeccably dressed in a designer suit. There's sothing vaguely familiar about her sharp features and the calculating look in her eyes, but I can't place where I might have seen her.
Masters glances up as we enter, her expression shifting from professional interest to slight annoyance. "Sorry, Osborn," she says, straightening her posture. "My students have arrived. We can talk more later."
My blood turns to ice as the woman's na registers. Osborn. As in Norma Osborn. As in the Green Goblin who tried to kill yesterday.
The woman, Osborn, gives us a dismissive glance before turning back to Masters. "Just let know if you hear anything interesting, Toni," she says, her voice smooth as expensive silk but with a razor's edge beneath it.
"Will do," Masters replies with a curt nod.
Osborn strides past us toward the door. As she passes, her eyes lock with mine for just a second, and for a mont I wonder if she figured out.
Masters walks over and flips the lock, then turns to face us with her arms crossed.
"So you work for the Green Goblin?" I say nervously.
To my surprise, Masters doesn't deny it. She just nods, a slight smile playing at her lips. "Sotis. She pays well."
Ellie's arm tightens around my waist, the symbiote rippling beneath her sleeve in agitated patterns. I can feel her preparing for a fight.
"Actually," Masters says, her eyes narrowing as she looks at , "Osborn was asking about you specifically."
"?" I blurt out, my heart rate instantly doubling.
Masters shakes her head. "Well, Skip Step. She wanted to know if I'd heard anything about your little alter ego since our confrontation at Fisk Tower."
My mouth goes dry. A cold sweat breaks out across my forehead as I process this information. Norma Osborn, the Green Goblin who nearly killed yesterday, is now asking questions about my superhero identity to soone who knows who I really am.
"What did you tell her?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Masters raises an eyebrow, looking almost amused by my panic. "Relax, kid. I told her I hadn't heard anything. Said I was hired for a one-ti job at Fisk's and that was it."
I can feel Ellie's entire body tense beside , the symbiote churning visibly beneath her skin like black lightning. Her fingers dig into my hip hard enough to bruise as she steps slightly in front of , placing her body between Masters and mine.
"If you sell him out..." Ellie starts, her voice dropping to that dangerous register that usually precedes violence.
Masters waves her hand dismissively, not even bothering to shift into a defensive stance. "If I wanted to sell either of you out, I would have done it by now."
The casual confidence in her voice makes believe her, even as my heart hamrs against my ribs.
"Kid," Masters says, her tone softening just slightly, "you're my student. And beyond that, I'm genuinely curious to see what you’ll beco."
"Yeah, yeah," Ellie cuts in, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Just don't flirt with Shane, alright?"
Masters throws her head back and laughs, a genuine sound that I've rarely heard from her.
"Don't be jealous, Brock," she says, amusent dancing in her eyes. "Thanks to , you're both probably going to have the most mind-blowing sex of your lives today."
"So what exactly is the plan for today? You ntioned sothing about not fucking, which sounds... challenging."
Masters walks over to the center of the training mat, motioning for us to follow. "Today we're going to push your limits, Steele. I want to see how much teleporting you can do before you lose control of yourself."
I let out a long sigh. "It's going to be really hard holding back with Ellie as my partner."
Ellie's lips curl into that predatory smile that makes my stomach flip. "It's always hard when I'm around," she purrs, her hand sliding down to brush against my ass.
"True.”
Masters rolls her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't fall out of her head. "Focus, people. This is serious training. Steele, I want you to teleport continuously and attack Brock until you physically can't anymore. Brock, your job is to get punched by your boyfriend and compare it to the punches that co before it."
Ellie cracks her knuckles, the sound unnervingly loud in the quiet training room. "Easy Peasy."
I glance around the training room and spot sothing I hadn't noticed before, a small webcam mounted in the corner, its red light blinking steadily.
"Uh, Sensei? What's with the cara?" I point toward the device. "You're not planning to record us, are you?"
Masters follows my gaze, then shrugs casually. "No, I'm not recording you. But I can't be in the room with you two when things... escalate. That little device is just so I can monitor from outside and know when it's safe to return."
"Safe to return?" I ask, though I know exactly what she ans.
She gives a flat look. "We can't have all three of us losing control, can we?"
Ellie steps forward, eyes narrowed dangerously. "You better not record anything," she warns, the symbiote rippling beneath her skin like agitated water. "Or I swear to god…"
"Relax, Brock," Masters cuts her off with an exasperated sigh. "Would you rather I just stay in here while you two go at it? Stand in the corner and watch like a creep while you devour each other? Because that's the alternative."
The image that flashes through my mind makes my face burn. Ellie's expression shifts from suspicion to sothing darker, more possessive.
"Fine," she concedes, her eyes still locked on the cara. "But if I find out you've recorded even a second..."
"Yeah, yeah," Masters finishes, waving her hand dismissively again. "I got the mo the first dozen tis. Now, are we going to train or what?"
"Yes Sensei."
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