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Maybe this was what Eddie deserved for running away from his life in Texas.
He could've been at home with his wife and his kid, but instead he was bleeding out on a temple floor after what was supposed to be a safe stop.
His team was rerouted to Egypt, stationed there as they waited for the chopper that was supposed to take them to Afghanistan where they were meant to be.
They took shelter in what seemed like an abandoned temple, dedicated to an ancient, Egyptian god that Eddie never knew existed until then, when a gang of bandits jumped out of the shadows.
Everyone was caught off guard by the sudden visitors, weapons were out of reach and armor was in various states of being taken off, no one was ready to dodge the bullets and blades thrown at them.
Eddie stumbled back, feeling the full force of the round that just pierced his side, he tripped over the stairs leading up to an altar and landed on the ground with a thud.
The bandits left him to bleed out, finishing off the rest of his squad with brutal efficiency like they'd done this before.
He slumped against the foot of the god's statue, looking up at the faint moonlight coming in from the top of the temple.
'This is it,' he thought, closing his eyes. 'I'll never get to see my son again, he'll never get to know that I loved him despite the fact I left him. I'll never get to apologize to Shannon for abandoning her-'
"๐ฝ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ, ๐๐๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฏ." A deep, echo-y voice demanded from the darkened temple. The light from the moon seemed to flicker as the words were spoken.
Eddie's eyes flitted across the temple, trying to catch someone who might've said that.
"Greggs? Greggs, is that you?" He mumbled, dazed and confused.
He was cold, the blood loss had begun to set in.
Maybe he was hallucinating, it still seemed early for that to be kicking in though.
"๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช. ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐จ๐จ, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐..." The voice continued. "๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ฉ."
Eddie scoffed. "Yeah, I doubt that. But thanks for the offer, doc."
"๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐ค๐ฃ."
That made Eddie perk up. "Alright, I'm listening."
"๐ฝ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ, ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐จ, ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐. ๐ฝ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐๐ง๐จ." The voice instructed- demanded. "๐ฝ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐. ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฉ."
"Will this get me back to my son?" Eddie cut in before the voice could monologue any further. "I need to get back to my son."
"๐ฟ๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ? ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ง๐ข?"
"Yes, yes!" Eddie shouted, anything to make the voice shut up. "Just get me back to my son!" He begged.
"๐๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ!"
And maybe Eddie should've listened more, asked more questions, but he didn't.
He was too damn desperate to get back home to think about just what he was agreeing to.
ย
That night in the temple was years ago, yet Eddie could remember it like it was yesterday.
His frantic agreement haunted him every night when Khonshu sent him out to "enact vengeance on those who harm travellers of the night" or whatever that crazy bird wanted him to do.
He wished he didn't feel the slightest bit of glee flow through him as the man beneath him cried out in pain, he really wished he didn't.
"Woah!" A young cadence carried through the alleyway. "And I thought I was rough."
Eddie whipped his head in the direction of the voice, his eyes widening underneath the cowl.
Spider-Man stood a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest and leaning against a wall. He looked like he had no place better to be.
"Go home, don't you have..." Eddie bit his lip, the action hidden underneath the mask. The guy sounded guy, but not young enough to still be in school. "Don't you have a job you need to get to in the morning?"
"Don't you?" The spider asked, tilting his head to the side.
"This is my job."
"Your job is harassing purse snatchers?"
Eddie snorted. "My job-" Why was he explaining himself to this stranger? "My job is to protect the travellers of the night. I carry out the will of the god Khonshu."
Spider-Man paused, probably making a face behind his mask. "Khonshu? Isn't he Egyptian?"
"Yes."
"You're pretty far from Egypt here, bud."
"Travellers of the night don't just reside in Egypt, bud."
"Whatever." Spider-Man pushed himself away from the wall, stepping closer to Eddie. "Let the guy go, alright? He snatched a purse, he didn't burn down an orphanage. There's no need to punch his nose through the back of his skull."
"It is the will of the moon."
"No," Spider-Man jabbed a finger into Eddie's chest. "You have anger issues. Stop using some ancient god as an excuse to beat the crap out of people!"
Eddie smacked the hero's hand away. "You don't know a damn thing about me." He hissed.
"You're right, I don't. But I'm here to protect the streets of LA and right now, I see someone who needs my help." The man said, stepping even closer. They would've been nose to nose if their mask weren't in the way "You've taken this too far. I don't know where you came from, but the police here will be on your ass by morning when they find the man you beat to death. So, back off, Moony."
"Moony?" Eddie parroted with a scoff.
Man, Eddie would hate for Chris to see this.
The kid was obsessed with Spider-Man, it would break his heart to see the hero puffing up in front of Eddie like a jealous dog.
"Look," Eddie continued. "You do things your way, I do things my way. We're on the same team here, we just handle things differently."
"Fine." Spider-Man bit out. "But don't come cryin' to me when you need someone to bail you out of jail."
"I won't." Eddie smirked, watching Spider-Man become a fading blur of red and blue as he webbed away.
His eyes glanced down toward the shaky man still trapped beneath him, drugged out of his mind and smelling of piss.
Maybe Spider-Man was right about this one.