The Symbiote

Chapter Three - A New Face

Scathe and I have been moving constantly for nearly a week now. We wanted to put as much distance between us and the AlignTek facility as possible, and we've traveled hundreds of miles thanks to Scathe's amazing stamina and speed.

We've managed to make it to a small city, and discovered an old abandoned apartment building on the outskirts. Luckily for us, most of the building was still intact, and there weren't any squatters living there to possibly cause any issues.

Currently, we're living on the top floor of the building, in one of the smaller center apartments to avoid being discovered from the outside from the lights we use at night. While it's not the most comfortable of places to stay, at the very least we both feel pretty confident in how safe we are.

For the moment.

"Hey, kid; I'm back," Scathe's voice echoes through the empty halls.

I hurry out to meet him, watching in fascination as his human form disappears back under the shining black substance that was his true form. As the acid green lines settle into their normal patterns, I smile. I honestly preferred him this way.

"Welcome home, big guy," I say, and he chuckles.

"I know the only reason you're happy to see me is this right here." He waves the bag of fast food he'd left about an hour ago to buy.

"I mean, you're not wrong, but... I am still glad to see you back safe."

He grins, his triangular shark-like teeth glinting in the dim light.

"Aww, that's sweet of you, kiddo. Nice to know you care."

He tousles my hair with his huge, clawed hand, and I laugh, pushing it away. We head up to the roof, Scathe handing me the bag of fast food with a smirk as he sits down, back against the roof access door, patting his lap for me to sit in like usual.

It had taken me a little while to understand how oddly affectionate Scathe seemed; he never passed up an opportunity to have casual physical contact, and had developed a habit of just hosting me on his lap when we weren't doing much. Not that I'm complaining; he's extremely comfortable to snuggle against.

I carefully sit down, resting my back against his chest and abdomen, and he plops his chin down on the top of my head. I smile; he was so goofy sometimes.

"Hey."

"Wazzup, kiddo?"

"Did you eat something already?"

"Yeah, I found a little mom-and-pop dime store and wiped them out of gummies. I should be good until maybe the day after tomorrow."

"Wow."

"I know, right? It was like a damn buffet."

I chuckle and munch on my fries as he leans on me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He always got like this after he ate a lot; he'd even fallen asleep holding me one night, much to my difficulty. He was really heavy, and moving his arms proved to be too much effort. So, I'd just wiggled around until I was comfortable and slept in his embrace. It was weird at the time, but was actually pretty nice, and I thought about it a lot whenever I felt lonely.

My thoughts turn back to that day in the AlignTek township, and the way the research facility had just... been so utterly destroyed.

"Scathe..."

"Mmm?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Go for it. I'm all ears."

I take a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. Scathe takes notice of it and sits up, his manner becoming more attentive.

"Hey, you alright?"