The house was quiet, the kind of stillness that only came in the dead of night. The soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen was the only sound breaking the silence, aside from the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards. The city outside was alive, of course—Metropolis never truly slept—but within these walls, the world was peaceful.
Everyone was asleep.
Except for James.
Tucked away in his room, barely older than twelve, James wasn't in bed like he was supposed to be. Instead, he was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, his wide, excited eyes fixed on something very special—something new.
In front of him, resting on his lap like some strange, living mound of red goop, was his new friend.
At first, it had just been a strange substance, something he had discovered a few nights ago on his arm. It wasn't quite liquid, nor was it solid. It pulsed, like it had a heart of its own, shifting and moving with a will that James could feel deep inside him.
And then, one night, it spoke.
Not in words, at first. No, the first thing James had felt was emotion, a strange but warm sense of curiosity and attachment. Then, slowly, the voice came, whispering in his mind, soft and almost childlike, just like him.
"You… are my host?"
James had giggled at that. "I dunno, are you my friend?"
The answer had been instant.
"Yes. We are… bonded."
James, being young and adventurous, wasn't scared. He didn't think of it as weird or dangerous. He just saw it as something cool—something his.
Now, tonight, he was showing his new friend all of his favorite things.
"Look, this is my favorite one!" James held up a T-Rex toy, its mechanical body powered down for the night. "Dad got me this a while ago! It's super strong, but I only use it when I wanna play dino fights!"
The red goop pulsed in response, shifting slightly.
"Dino… fights?" the voice asked, curious.
"Yeah!" James grinned, grabbing the toy and making it stomp around the floor, his imagination running wild. "T-Rexes are the strongest dinosaurs! Way cooler than any superhero! Well, except Dad… but he's not a superhero, he's just awesome!"
The symbiote seemed to hum in response, shifting slightly, like it was thinking.
Then James picked up another toy—this one a Batman figure.
He wrinkled his nose.
"I don't really like this one." He held it up, shaking his head. "I mean, Batman's cool, but he's not a dinosaur. If I could make my own superhero, he'd totally be part T-Rex!"
The symbiote twitched.
"You like… dinosaurs?"
James nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Dinosaurs are the best! I wanna be one if I ever get powers like Dad!"
There was a brief silence, and then the voice spoke again.
"Walk to the mirror, James… and close your eyes."
Becoming Something New
James blinked. "Huh? Why?"
"Trust me. I want to show you something."
James hesitated for only a second before his excitement won over. He jumped to his feet and walked over to the mirror on the wall, his reflection staring back at him. His messy brown hair, his bright green eyes, the pajamas he was wearing—it was all normal.
"Now… close your eyes."
James did as he was told.
The moment his eyes shut, he felt it.
A strange, but not uncomfortable, sensation spread over his body—like warm liquid, yet it didn't soak into his skin. It moved, shifting, wrapping around him like a second skin. It wasn't cold, nor was it heavy. Instead, it felt… right.
Like it was meant to be there.
And then—
"Now."
James opened his eyes.
What he saw in the mirror made his jaw drop.
His entire body was now covered in red symbiotic material, sleek and smooth like liquid armor. His small frame looked bigger, stronger, but it wasn't just the color or the texture that caught his attention.
It was the design.
Across his chest, stretched a green spider emblem, standing out against the crimson hue. But even cooler were the T-Rex-like features—clawed fingers, thick, powerful toes, a long, muscular tail that wagged behind him.
And then there was his head.
It wasn't just his normal face covered by the symbiote—it had changed completely. His head now had the distinct shape of a T-Rex, his mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, yet he still felt like himself.
James stared.
Then he grinned.
"This is so cool!!" he shouted, his tail wagging wildly behind him.
The symbiote's voice laughed softly in his mind.
"I am Rexx."
James tilted his head. "Rexx? That's your name?"
"Our name."
James beamed. "That's the best name ever!"
James twirled in front of the mirror, lifting his clawed hands, flexing his new muscles, and even stomping the floor a few times. It felt natural, as if this form had been inside him all along, just waiting to come out.
"As long as we keep this between us… alright?" Rexx said, his voice holding a hint of playfulness.
James paused, looking at himself in the mirror.
"Why?"
"Because… we are still young. Still growing. If we reveal ourselves too soon… others might fear us."
James pouted slightly, but he understood.
"Alright… but we can do this every night, right?"
"Every night."
James smiled, feeling a warmth in his chest.
He had a friend. A friend who was always with him, a friend who understood him in ways no one else could.
"One day… we'll tell Dad, right?"
There was a pause.
"Later. For now… enjoy it. I'll be with you, James. Whenever you need me."
James nodded, stepping back from the mirror. His clawed fingers flexed, his tail swayed, and his new T-Rex-like form stood proudly in the dim light of his room.
He didn't feel scared.
He didn't feel worried.
He just felt right.
And so, with a happy wag of his tail, James turned away from the mirror, climbed back into bed, and drifted off to sleep—his new best friend wrapped around him like a warm embrace.