Chapter 90 - A request for trust

"Man, I gotta wonder if this was a good call" Prime commented, still in his transformed state, as he made his way back home.

From the get-go, Prime's aim wasn't necessarily to scrap with Ross. Sure, he expected some showdown, but things spiraled more out of control than Prime initially figured. Plus, in the end, Prime had to dip without resolving the situation. Though Ross seemed buddy-buddy post-brawl, who knew how long that'd last.

(Think we should've offed him?) Sara queried in Prime's mind.

Hearing Sara's question, Prime pondered why she'd think that way. From an objective standpoint, it seemed like he was regretting letting Ross live, so he couldn't blame Sara for thinking along those lines.

"Not the decision I was referring to. Talking about us bailing without hashing things out better. Still unsure if he sees me as a threat. Technically, I bested him while he was in monster mode with unknown strength. If he no longer views me as a threat, guess I've upgraded to humanity's enemy" Prime retorted, with a hint of irony in his tone.

Hearing Prime's words, Sara let out a brief sigh. Though she understood his intentions, she wasn't keen on Prime trying to shield her by shouldering all the responsibilities alone.

(Why do you always try to do everything by yourself? Am I that unreliable?) Sara questioned.

Hearing Sara's words, Prime was puzzled. Why did it feel like Sara was giving him a lecture? Prime couldn't grasp it.

"What do you mean?" Prime asked.

(Why don't you ever try to rely on me and always feel like you need to do everything alone, Prime? Please, answer me this: are we partners?) Sara inquired, in a serious tone.

At that moment, Prime seriously wondered what Sara was driving at. For now, he opted to just answer honestly.

"Why are you asking that? Of course, you're my only partner" Prime responded, resolutely.

(Hmm... I'm glad you think so) Sara said with a smile. (But honestly, it often doesn't feel that way, Prime. Sometimes, I feel like you see me as someone to protect, both me and Annie and Ema) Sara added.

Once again, Prime couldn't understand where Sara was going with that. From Prime's standpoint, it was obvious he should protect them; after all, it was his duty. It was thinking about this that Prime realized something.

"When did I exactly start considering this as a duty?" Prime wondered, more to himself than to Sara.

(Exactly, I think you didn't realize, but we've become a duty to you. Both me and Annie and Ema. Prime, I'm your companion, not your baggage. We're in this together, and if Ross wants to come, let him come. We'll face him repeatedly until he learns. As long as we're together, we're invincible) Sara said, convincingly.

Prime could deny many of the things Sara said; after all, he was more realistic than idealistic. Prime wasn't sure how far his abilities and powers could go, not even knowing his true identity. However, when these words came from Sara, he simply couldn't deny. Somehow, they seemed really plausible.

"Sorry, guess I focused too much on protecting you when I should've thought about how we could work together" Prime said.

(It's okay, I understand your perspective. You just want to protect us, and Annie and Ema want the same. You know, they almost coerced me into letting them sneak along today. Honestly, glad I refused. Situation got way uglier than we thought it would be) Sara said, echoing in Prime's mind.

With that, Prime and Sara continued their journey back home, chatting along the way. Though Prime couldn't foresee what the future held, from that moment on, he decided to rely on Sara instead of trying to do everything alone. While grateful for Annie and Emma's support, Prime decided to wait until both of them also had their own symbiotes before taking action.

As they approached the apartment, Prime descended into a deserted alley. With no one around, he exited Sara's body, reassuming his human form next to her. They exchanged a nod before leaving the alley and then walked down the street as if nothing had happened.

"What are you doing?" Sara asked as she noticed Prime messing with his phone.

"Me? I'm calling Bruce. I think he should know what happened, since he technically has a part in this" said Prime, already holding the phone to his ear.

Putting that aside, Sara and Prime walked side by side. Sara looked up at the sky, noticing several dark clouds approaching. Her mind soon turned to the forecast of rainy days. This reminded her of the conversation she had with Annie days ago. Although they both experienced relatively similar experiences, from Sara's point of view, Annie faced many more difficulties.

But like Annie, Sara also received help, someone who reached out to her. Slowly, Sara turned her gaze to Prime, who was now talking on the phone. She couldn't help but think how lucky she was to know him. She wondered what would happen if she hadn't met him. Would she still have a future? Sara couldn't find an answer to that question, but she realized that she didn't really need one.

With that thought in mind, Sara approached Prime and rested her head on his shoulder, earning a confused look from him. Sara didn't say anything, just smiled, but that was enough for Prime to put his hand on her head. She felt she could always count on him. They were best friends, and if they said their destinies were intertwined, Sara would believe it without hesitation.

"Daddy!"

Upon arriving home, Prime was greeted by Emi, who was waiting for him in the living room. Within seconds, Ema was in Prime's arms, smiling to see him back.

"Hello, sweetheart" said Prime, looking around. "Where's your sister?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Upon hearing her father's words, Ema pointed towards the bedrooms.

"She's in her room" said Ema, in an innocent tone.

Nodding, Prime kissed Ema on the cheek and then headed to Annie's room while Sara chatted with Ema in the kitchen. Upon opening Annie's bedroom door, he was surprised to see Annie sitting on her bed, with her eyes closed and legs crossed, as if she were focused on something.

"Ema, remember I asked not to come into my room for a while? I need to concentrate if I want to use the power Dad gave us to save him"

Listening to Annie's words, Prime let out a low laugh just quiet enough so she wouldn't hear. He then approached her and sat beside her on the bed.

"Who did you say you're going to save?" Prime asked beside Annie.

After these words, Prime watched Annie jump so high she almost touched the ceiling, while he laughed. Annie looked at Prime with wide eyes and, without hesitation, jumped on him, enveloping him in a hug.

"Dad! I'm so glad you're back. You took so long, I thought something had happened to you or Sara. I was really worried"

Annie's reaction was unexpected, even for Prime, who seconds before was taking the situation lightly. With a calm smile, he put his hand on Annie's head and stroked her as he spoke.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Sorry for worrying you and your sister. I promise I'll try to do things differently from now on" said Prime in a calm tone.