Venom was gone… Had sacrificed himself for Eddie. The feeling of complete loneliness and despair hit Eddie as he crashed into the black water. Above him the sky was still burning and fiery debris from the rocket fell all around him hissing as the water claimed it.
For a moment Eddie just lay in the cold wet darkness, sinking. Having lost what had become such a big part of him he couldn't move and didn't want to. But his body wouldn't let him give up and gasping he breached the surface. Just as he did so there was a small splash quite near him and it wasn't like the other debris, he could feel it. Swimming to it and grasping a piece of thick blackness he then swam to the harbour. Apparently it was his lot to end up wet and confused on concrete harbours.
He looked down at his hand and opened it. There lay Venom, or what was left of him. Eddie just couldn't grasp the thought of the symbiote being dead but apparently it was either dead or too drained of energy to even merge with him.
‘I need to do do something’, he thought. So not really knowing what he was doing he pressed the little black goo to his chest. Pressed, and after a few moments it yielded and sank into his skin. There was still no sign though, no life sign.
Breathing deeply Eddie got to his feet, staggering and almost losing balance but bracing himself on some scaffolding. Surveying the place he saw that he was not far from the launch site. ‘Anne,’ he thought. ‘She must be around here. Have to find her.’
But he did not have to walk or rather stumble far, Anne was the one to find him.
“Eddie! Omg, how are you, you look terrible!”
“Aw thanks I have felt better actually…”, Eddie talked on autopilot. “Venom…” but he couldn't continue. Was the symbiote still alive somehow? Or was it just a lifeless piece of it that had some kind of biological trigger so it could still merge into a host?
“Oh, Eddie, I know,” Anne said. “I saw him save you as you fell. But he burned up right? In the explosion.”
Eddie just nodded mutely. If there was even a slight chance of saving Venom, he did not want to get his hopes up just yet. Anne just patted him and that felt comforting.
“Let's get out of here huh?”, Anne said. “There are definitely cops and probably other authorities coming soon and it would be best for you to not be around then. I'll drive you home ok?”
Eddie tried to nod and smile but the smile was so feeble it barely showed. Anne walked him to her car that was parked by the entrance at one of the employee spots with a note in the window saying “Wont be long, just gonna get a symbiote and my ex back together”. That almost made Eddie laugh but then he thought about Venom and then tried not to think at all. Anne, seeing the note quickly took it away with a worried look at Eddie.
“Sorry, too soon”, she said.
“No, no it´s alright…”
In the car together they did not say much but Anne looked worried when she occasionally glanced at him. It was not a long drive and soon they were outside his apartment.
“Will you be alright? Do you want me to stay with you for a while or you could have the guest room at my place?”
“No, home is just fine really. I'm probably just going to sleep now for a long time.”
“Sure, but do not hesitate to call. I will check up on you tomorrow.”
“Ok, thank you. And thank you for everything.”
Anne took his hand and squeezed it briefly before Eddie left the car. She gave him one last worried smile and then she drove off. Eddie stood for a moment undecided. He was extremely tired and all he wanted was to get into bead. But he knew that there was one thing that he could do to fuel the little hope that still remained of Venom being alive. He had to get something to eat. And lots of it. Going by autopilot to his usual local store. Mrs Chen greeted him as usual with her almost too honest remarks but soon let him be as she noticed how gone he was.
Usually he just went here for a few items at a time but this time he even took a basket and started to fill it. Everything went in there. Chips, chocolate, cookies, bred, fruit, and so much more. He could always just go out and eat someone's head but… That thought felt so absurd and also so crazy real that he started laughing hysterically inward. He almost dropped the bag of tater- tots he was just about to put in the basket. Mrs Chen helped him to bag everything and was kind enough to not give any clever remarks on why he suddenly had to by so much. Eddie put a pile of soggy bills on the counter and didn't wait for the change. In a daze he went back to his apartment building.
The apartment was well cleaned after his fight with Drakes men. Apparently someone had wanted to erase all evidence of a fight and Eddie had actually forgotten all about it until he opened the door. It felt very strange to be back. And he felt lonely.
Dropping down on the sofa with the bags still in his hands he turned on the TV. Not because there was anything good on but because sitting by himself eating felt better with the TV on. And he ate. Ate so much and to be honest he cried a little, ok, a lot while doing it out of pure exhaustion. He finally fell asleep there on the couch in baby position. He must have been sleeping for a few hours when he turned and fell off the couch. He landed in what was left of the groceries. Picking himself up he scrambled over to the bed. Somehow he got his pants and sweater off and clambered into bed.
He was still so dazed and was just about to fall back to sleep when he felt a movement. A movement inside him. And there was no mistaking that. It was a movement that he had gotten very familiar with. Hugging himself and hugging Venom inside him he finally felt calm. Thank you Eddie, he heard the familiar voice say just as the warm sleep took hold of him.
The morning broke with soft warm light on Eddie's face. He blinked as he opened his eyes and first all he could see was whiteness. Then some contours became clear and then he could make out someone lying beside him, facing him. He blinked again and saw Venom lying there. He was just a head with tendrils holding all over Eddies chest but he was real and there.
Gingerly Eddie reached out a hand and touched the symbiote. He was not really sure of how Venom… Worked. Like, now he seemed to have closed eyes but at the touch he opened them.
Eddie, he said showing all his teeth. And something in that made Eddie feel so ridiculously happy that he could not help himself. He wrapped his arms around the symbiote and held him close.
“I thought I lost you…”, he murmured.
Not happening, said Venom. But thank you for eating.
Eddie chuckled,
“Yeah, I thought I did a pretty good job there. But it was easy to pity eat at that moment I can tell you.”
No, more. We are together again and I´m not going anywhere.
“Good.”
And they lay there, in each others arms/tendrils. Eddie thought ‘I could stay like this.’
But I will need food soon though.
And Eddie just laughed and hugged Venom tighter
No but seriously, food. Maybe a head or two.