Their kind have long lifespans. Venom knows this. They have been to countless planets, taken hosts on each one. Some do well, others don't last long enough for symbiosis to occur. There's always the question of compatibility. They have learned to go in without any expectations of the host. It may live or die, either way it makes a good meal.
The trip to Earth is a curious one. Riot manages to cause the rocket transporting them to crash into this new planet. They learn quickly that the creatures of this place seem obsessive about them, desperate for knowledge of where they come from and why. They call themselves people, and seem to be ruled by a weak specimen who they refer to as Carlton Drake. This one gives commands, much like their own team leader.
They are not surprised when Riot escapes. That much is to be expected. They are left with their brethren in Drake's custody, prepared to attach at the first available moment.
That moment comes only in controlled environments. They are locked away for the most part, listening to people talk.
Humans. They also refer to themselves as human.
Their leader stands behind some sort of protective shield, always separated. Eventually though they start to send others into the room. First it is beings of other species, small things that walk on four appendages. They aren't suitable hosts, but they are covered in soft follicles and the symbiote likes the taste of them. The leader Drake is impatient, and soon he sends his own species into the room. Those that come in seem confused, unsuspecting. The leader likes to talk to these people, before releasing the door of their enclosure.
Drake watches them try to symbiose, and always seems equally disappointed when it doesn't take.
Humans are not a species meant to last, with minds easily broken and bodies that are in a constant state of degeneration. They are useful though, food for the hive. Riot will come for them and together they will bring the others here to feast.
The first human they successfully fuse with is a female. She is terrified, cowers as she sees them and shrieks when they latch onto her. They find blood and bone, strange muscle that doesn't stretch. They understand then that humans are inferior, not only to them but to most of the species they've found in the stars.
This humans name is Maria, and she cries when they speak to her. She tears at her hair and beats against the walls, begging for help. No one on the other side of the glass pays her any mind. No one except for a pretty doctor with kind eyes. She watches them with pity.
Still, she doesn't help.
Maria crumples into the corner, hands pressed firmly against her ears as if to block them out.
Funny humans. They are inside her, nestled in her head and learning all she knows. After they are satisfied it will be time to feed.
They are full by the time someone else stumbles upon their enclosure. The lights went out hours ago, always at the same time every night. A curfew. No one should be by to run tests until early the next morning, several hours from now.
An intruder.
The symbiote prods their host. She is gasping now, shallow intakes of breath. She doesn't know that they have eaten her from the inside out. Her body may not last until the morning. No need for them to worry though. Maria watches the intruder warily, and they feel the moment recognition takes them.
Eddie!
Eddie has come!
Eddie with the nice smile and pretty lips, who gives her money and talks to her like a person. Eddie will save her!
Eddie will save them.
The symbiote has nothing to do with its host pounding against the glass, so hard they can feel the vibrations up both arms. She does this on her own, desperate and certain she's finally being saved.
And as she expects, Eddie knows her face and he immediately comes to the rescue. They feel a surge of her gratitude before the man is suddenly pressing buttons and sending off alarms. The humans must have already learned of their vulnerability to noise, have set the alarms to ring at a specific frequency. It causes instantaneous agony. Maria is begging Eddie to make it stop, they don't acknowledge that for just a moment they were pleading for it, too.
Eddie is desperate as they are. He finds an object, uses it to successfully break the barrier that had been keeping them trapped all this time. Glass shatters like rain around them. Eddie seems stunned.
They are not.
Maria's hands are small but they are strong, and Eddie isn't expecting them anyways. They are able to knock him over, and while he's so blindly preoccupied with trying to shove her away, they make their move. It's easy to seep into this humans chest, and to their delight he doesn't have any adverse reactions, It is a perfect symbiosis, so smooth Eddie doesn't even realize they are here.
They have already passed humans off as inconsequential and weak. This one is proving to be different though. He is not so feeble. His body is able to comply with them, and they escape Drake's recovery team by climbing to the top of a tree in merely seconds. Their host is in shock. He doesn't question what they have done. Eventually Eddie meanders down the tree, legs wobbly and unstable the entire walk back to his apartment. They aren't ready to speak yet, still trying to learn from this particular specimen. It would be a shame for this one to descend into madness just as their last host had. Maria was convinced the voice in her head was her own, would not even consider the possibility that they could be real, nesting inside her body.
It turns out that this human is strong in the mind as well.
"Eddie," They finally say his name in greeting some time later, when he is looking in the mirror and they can see his face.
He notices them and promptly backs himself into the bathtub, into unconsciousness. They wait for him to wake up, prodding through memories and general information on the planet. They especially pay attention to the man's thoughts, somewhat pleased to find that while Eddie had been afraid, there was no disgust or rejection. Only the stark and sudden thought that something bad had happened to him back at the life foundation.
The symbiote feeds on their adrenaline, content with this new host. At least for now.
As it turns out, they like Eddie. He is sweaty most of the time and complains for the majority of it, but he feeds them and talks to them as he would one of his own kind. Of course they know better than to like him too much, he is going to be their dinner eventually. It's not logical to make friends with food. Eddie keeps talking to them though and they keep talking back.
Turns out he doesn't take orders well.
"Do not open that door." They have already sensed the impending danger, expects the host to obey. Eddie takes no heed of his words. The fool opens the door without hesitation, and even then the symotie is only mildly annoyed. He's been in captivity on this planet long enough to understand what these creatures are capable of, and while they certainly pose a threat its nothing they can't handle.
No, the symbiote doesn't experience anger until one of the enemy specimens shove Eddie backwards into the room, all forceful and rough.
"Who the hell is this guy?" The alien bristles with barely contained rage. Eddie slowly raises his hands, compliantly following orders.
"What are you doing?" Venom hisses in retaliation. It takes them only a moment of sifting through his mind to realize that this is a gesture of surrender.
"I'm uh, i'm putting my hands up." Their host answers them hesitantly, heart rate climbing as he takes in all the guns pointed at them. Eddie has sweat gathering on his forehead. If not for them, his hands would shake.
"You are making us look bad!" Their voice comes as an accusing roar this time, starling Eddie and giving them a chance to take control of his arms, jerking them back down again.
"No I - No im not!"
Eddie's protests are weak. He is nervous, possibly even afraid. The symbiote is unconcerned about his feelings. They only care about staying alive, keeping this host alive, preferably until they reach Drake's rocket. Riot will be trying to get there as well. With any luck they will meet. If not, Venom will go without him.
"Yes you are! Why would you do that?" They are losing patience with their host. It was enough humiliation having been a loser on their own planet-
They refuse to be one on this planet as well.
"Because it is a very sensible thing to do." Eddie sounds exasperated now, but he hasn't forgotten about the men surrounding them. There had been a time after Anne left where he wouldn't have minded a quick death by firearm, but now he has all this evidence and an alien living in his chest.
Eddie wants to live, and Venom is going to make sure he does, for now at least.
"I will take care of this myself!" It's all the warning they give before taking over. Eddie is too shocked to even try resisting them, and together they take out an entire specially trained team.
Most of it anyways. Venom winds up throwing them out of a window after a bullet comes a little too close for comfort. Of course the symbiote doesn't let them fall. Throughout everything Eddie just trusts them, lets them take the wheel while all he does is run.
They make it outside easily enough. Eddie has a motorcycle waiting in the alleyway. They start towards it, but only make it five steps before their host has frozen. Eddie is gazing into the tinted window of a nearby car, stunned by the sight of their face.
This is his first time truly seeing them. Those few seconds in the bathroom hadn't counted for much. It had only been a glimpse, and Eddie had shocked himself into unconsciousness only moments later. This time he actually looks, sees the creature inside of him-
And he isn't disgusted by it.
"Eddie?" They can feel his fear, but unlike the others it's not a fear of the symbiote itself. Instead Eddie is instantly on edge because he worries his mind is slipping away.
"You're not even real are you?" It's a stupid question. They have spoken to each other, they have saved Eddie's life. It's infuriating to see he isn't more grateful.
"I'm just seeing things. You're in my head, 'cuz you're just a parasite." The man is stunned and probably in shock, he doesn't mean it to be offensive.
They roar anyways, offended no matter Eddie's intention.
"Parasite!" How dare he disrespect them like this! They have kept him alive! Sure, they are slowly consuming him but he doesn't know that.
Eddie's body gives a dull thud as it slams into the brick wall behind them. He is well off his feet now.
I don't do well with heights.
They raise him further up the wall.
Their host lets out a near pitiful whimper at that, immediately stuttering through an apology. He might only mean it out of fear, but that's enough for them.
"I'm sorry that I called you a parasite! We can discuss this." The human curses sharply, eyes widening on something approaching from the mouth of the alleyway. "Let me down. L-Let me down!!" The urgency of his voice is what actually convinces them to let go.
They end up being chased through the city on motorcycle. To Eddie's credit he does quite well, even if all he actually has to do is sit passenger and let them get past all the obstacles being thrown their way. Their host has several scares along the journey, they only have one. It comes when two sleek black vans managed to get on either side of them, effectively boxing them in. The vehicles are attempting to crush them, and Eddie's heart is in his throat when he says, "I am going to die!" He says it as though he knows it's coming, no way to stop it. He doesn't count on Venom.
"You are not going to die!'
They are shocked to find that they mean it.
The vehicles are taken out by tendrils to the wheel, turning them both away so that they could escape with Eddie on the motorcycle. It seems as though they have won, did a good job even. Eddie is laughing, all emotional and choked with the adrenaline rush.
"Woah man, that was pretty cool actually, i'm not gonna lie."
It's the first compliment they've ever received, not just from a human but from any being. Their kind do not interact in this way. They function only to feed. They do not care how well their brethren does.
This human has nearly died. He should be more terrified, not worried about them and how cool they are.
It throws their focus. They stop paying attention for only a fraction of a second.
That's all it takes.
Something hits them from the side. They don't know what it is but Eddie does. He won't respond to them though, maybe he is simply unable. Pain has blossomed at their legs, other places where bones snapped on impact. Eddie can't think coherent thoughts.
A man is approaching.
The symbiote hisses and gets to work, realigning bone and sealing skin. Their back is a blister of road rash. They expect Eddie to pass out, he is only a weak human after all.
To their genuine surprise, Eddie does not lose consciousness. He stays lucid enough to be a smartass to the man who approaches them, the one who had just run them down.
"You have been a serious pain in the ass for me Eddie." This human has cruel eyes. They look upon Eddie's broken body and shine with glee over it.
Venom glowers at the idea of anyone taking pleasure in their hosts pain. Eddie makes a noise of his own, though it's nothing close to the symbiotes bristling. What he makes can only be described as a pitiful whine. It's the broken legs, bent at odd angles.
They won't let him suffer any longer. Eddie's wellbeing should not matter to them but it does, and they try telling themselves it's only because he will make a good meal later. He will be more useful in good condition.
The cruel man sent to kill them isn't so cocky when Venom reveals themselves. They tower over the human, intent on playing with him before actual consumption. He would have been a nice snack, if not for the spray of bullets that settle into their back, distracting. To their dismay it's enough for the cruel man to escape. They eat his friend though, vengeance for Eddie's broken bones.
"Holy shit, you just ate that guys head off?" Eddie is whispering to himself while they are underwater. They had dived in to avoid the bullets raining down around them.
"We did. It was tasty." One thing to be said for this particular species is that they make very delicious brain chemicals. Eddie shivers at the implications of them enjoying their meal, and they feel how his stomach churns at the thought of being next on the menu.
Their host doesn't speak anymore until they have made it to land, almost on the other side of the city. It will be a while before anyone is after them again. They can plan for stealing the rocket, maybe give Eddie a moment to breathe.
The human wobbles pathetically once they've released him. They settle back into the hollow of Eddie's chest while he staggers towards somewhere to rest. He stops as the shock wears off, hands flying to pat down his legs as though to reassure himself they aren't broken despite having just walked on them.
"My legs. Oh god, my legs were broken and now they're not broken?" He sounds hesitant, confused and almost...thankful? The symbiote isn't accustomed to this feeling, does it's best to ignore it. They have a mission. Worrying for this humans wellbeing is not part of that.
Best to go ahead and introduce themselves, make these things clear to the host.
Eddie squawks in surprise as a head manifests itself from his chest, long and black and grinning at him. The teeth alone should make his skin crawl, but they don't. The tongue is a little disturbing, gives Gene Simmons a real run for his money. Eddie takes him in, and unlike all the others he does not cower away from them. He stares back, transfixed on this being he now shares his body with. The humans acts like he wants to learn, so they will teach.
"What the hell are you?" He doesn't sound particularly disgusted. They feel he is mostly alarmed by the head eating thing. Possibly the alien living inside him thing. They don't care enough to distinguish it.
"I am Venom. And you are mine."
They wait for him to protest this, just as every other host has, on every planet they've ever been to.
Eddie does not. He accepts it like he accepts that he is a dead man walking, like he accepts that Anne is better off without him and maybe the world will be too.
All he has to say is, "You bit somebody's head off." As if that is the worst thing they have done, as though that is his biggest problem at the moment. Like a symbiote claiming him and bullets being aimed his way are inconsequential.
They smile, all long jagged teeth and pink tongue
"Fuel in the tank." They are playing with him and he knows it, but still he doesn't flinch away. They are starting to wonder if he ever will, how far they can push before he breaks.
"Listen carefully Eddie. You did not find us. We found you." They want to make this clear. This union is not of Eddie's choosing. He belongs to them, they call the shots now. The human obviously doesn't see it this way. He is still asking questions, looking at the symbiote as though they are together instead of separate.
"You gonna eat anybody else?" He might be questioning them but at least he isn't attempting rejection, even after essentially being told that his life isn't his own anymore. It's theirs.
"Most likely. That's why we are here" They don't lie to make him feel better, and Eddie doesn't seem as though he would want them to. They respect this. Eddie is brave for his species. Maybe not the loser they think.
"Cooperate, and you might just survive. That is the deal."
They are calling the shots now. Most of them, anyways. Eddie says he has something he needs to do, and they let him without any argument. It doesn't so much matter to them that Carlton Drake is found out for the snake he is. It won't matter to anyone when they bring the swarm to earth for feeding. But for now it matters to Eddie, so they go along with it. Its rationalized by telling themselves the human doesn't get many wins, they could allow him at least one before he died.
The office building is larger than it seemed in Eddie's memory of the place. A man inside stops them from going up, to wherever Eddie feels they need to be. It would be a simple fix, if Eddie would just let them consume him.
"Lets eat his brains."
"No! you do not touch him, he is my friend!" The response is immediate and loud. They notice the door man is looking at them strangely, stepping closer while Eddie steps back.
Their host spouts off some reason about how they cannot eat this man. The symbiote doesn't listen to any of that. They do not care about this man or the family he is trying to feed. All they care for is what Eddie says next.
"We're going!" Eddie says it without any hesitation, never once stops to correct himself. He said they are we and he meant it.
"We?"
"Yeah, we're leaving." Eddie walks them out, cursing softly under his breath. He is still unaware of what he's done, but knows that now he feels a strange rattling in his chest. It's not at all unpleasant. A sort of purring almost.
It's the symbiote that brings his attention back to the matter at hand, speaking in its deep rasping voice, "You want up?"
Eddie lets his eyes drift up the length of the industrial skyscraper he works at, used to work at. He really doesn't want up, but he says yes anyways.
"Yeah bud, take us up."
Those words were a mistake. The moment Eddie agrees they are flying through the air, or at least it felt a lot like flying to him. The symbiote climbs them all the way up, where it takes perch on top of the building. They take a moment to appreciate the view.
It might've been beautiful. Eddie doesn't know, he is far too busy regulating his heartbeat and trying not to let the terror of such a height kill him.
"Hmmm it is peaceful up here."
Yeah, sure. That's not what Eddie would call it but okay. Instead of telling the symbiote of his fear though the man only grits out, "I'm not very good with heights."
The symbiote is decidedly ignoring him.
"Your world is not so ugly after all. I'm almost sorry to see it end."
Eddie almost let it go, but there was a small gnawing at his gut. He opens his mouth to ask what the symbiote means when some aircraft flies over head, sends out a vibration of sound that causes them to slip. The symbiote is howling at the airplane, entire body spasming in agony.
"Where did you go!? Where did you-"
Eddie doesn't expect it will be able to catch them. This looks like the end, and he should be more distraught about it but he's not. At least he got to live long enough to know aliens exist. He even got to meet one, in an overly intimate way.
He's shocked to realize they've stopped falling.
"I got us." The symbiote had caught the very edge of the roof. It has every opportunity to be smug having saved them, but it only sounds reassuring.
The symbiote gets them in by hurling themselves through a window. Glass shatters around them and the sound alone is enough to make Eddie's stomach hurt.
"Again, really? You're gonna get me killed." Not that he is so much worried about that now. It just kinda seemed like something he should prepare for since he's become a host to some space alien.
"You die, I die." The creature reminds him, caressing the length of his spine and settling at his chest.
Eddie scoffs at that. "Yeah well, you could always just shed my carcass and exchange it for another one whenever you need." He hasn't forgot about that. In the end, Eddie expects it will make all the difference. There's no way the symbiote would go down with a sinking ship. If anything were to happen, he would most likely be a goner while the alien latched onto whatever poor soul was unfortunate enough to be closest.
"Why would I do that? You are far too good of a match to throw away so soon." The symbiote knows what he is thinking and its all true. Or at least, it had been. "Plus im starting to like you. You and I are not so different." They mean the words genuinely. The thought of consuming Eddie is growing less and less appetizing by the moment.
"Thank you?" Eddie keeps writing his letter. The symbiote keeps thinking about what it will be like to lose him as a host.
Neither are satisfied by the time they get to the first floor only to have guns aimed at their face.
Anne shows up, intent on taking them back to the hospital. The symbiote agrees with this line of thinking, only because it makes Eddie's brain secrete those delectable chemicals. They have no reason for worry until she mentions the MRI.
Eddie is defending them even before they start roaring their rejection of the idea.
"No. No MRI."
They tell Eddie about the things they are vulnerable to, sound frequencies between 4 and 6 thousand hurtz. Anne is waiting for an answer on why they will not be in the MRI, but Eddie doesn't tell her everything. Just that some sounds hurt
"Eddie, why is this? You want to be honest with Anne. It was lying that got you in trouble." They flip through his memory, certain they've got it right. Flashing certain images across his mind as if to show him proof.
Eddie grunts his discomfort, surprised when the symbiote actually stops because of it.
"Yeah, I do want to be honest. But not at the expense of someone hurting us." He waves it off, like it's just second nature for him to keep the symbiotes best interest in mind.
"Hurting us?" The alien echoes curiously, a silky tendril prodding the inside of Eddie's chest for information. "We do not understand. Why would Anne do that?"
"She wouldn't!" He almost hisses these words aloud, disturbed by the sensation of being touched from the inside. "Or I don't think she would anyways, but just in case I didn't want her knowing how."
"Eddie is protecting us." They aren't asking. They are part of Eddie, they know his feelings. They are new and strange, but very strong. No host has ever felt such devotion.
Nor inspired it.
"Yeah bud. I'm trying to protect us."
Dan is staring at them, a strange mix of pity and awe twisting his features. He is sitting beside a machine, pointing to the images displayed there.
"Eddie, im sorry."
Their host seems startled, blinking as though he doesn't understand what Dan has to be sorry about.
"What?"
"Eddie, I got your labs back. Your heart has atrophied."
They are convinced now that the human known as Dan is a bad person. He shows Eddie some tests on the screen, explains in detail how he thinks the symbiote is slowly killing him.
And he is right. They had been killing him, feeding off his organs as needed. But they were fixing it! They had already been working on repairing all the damage they've inflicted. They are not killing him, not anymore. They are saving him.
But it doesn't matter. Eddie is deeply hurt by this. They can feel his stomach bottoming out, something akin to a hole opening up in his chest. Venom experiences that too, and it makes them cold all over. They don't like it. They are trying to fix this. He has to let them fix this.
His voice is small and scared when he stutters, "W-What?" It seems to the only word he can muster.
The symbiote is raging now, doing everything in its power to keep Eddie's attention on them and not the concerned eyes of the doctor.
"Do not listen to him! We can fix it!"
"Fix it?" Eddie doesn't sound very convinced. They don't understand why he doesn't trust that they can heal him. They've healed everything else.
It takes a wave of nausea for them to realize that Eddie does not care about his damaged organs. Sure, he doesn't want to die. But his hurt stems from knowing his only friend in the world has been killing him slowly and not caring about it. They could have been fixing him this whole time, why weren't they?
"I can heal you!" They are in his chest, working to repair the heart that keeps trying to go out on them. Eddie isn't listening to it anymore though. He has turned his attention to Dan, eyes wide and frightened.
"Can-can-can you fix it?" The words come stammered and hesitant, as if he already knows that saving him is beyond Dan now.
"No, i've never seen anything like this before. This parasite is eating you from the inside."
"Parasite!" Eddie flinches at the sound of their voice, momentarily distracted.
Dan isn't helping. He seems more awed by the situation than anything, and Eddie's panic is beginning to bubble over the edge. He is trying to quell the symbiotes anger before it rises to the point of people eating.
Even in this state, he is thinking about them. Or maybe he is afraid they will devour his friends. They try to distinguish it but everything is white noise now.
Anne is kind. She is better than Dan.
She says the same things Dan had said though, albeit a little softer, with more understanding. She tells them that they are using him up, like they don't understand what they've done, what they are doing.
The symbiote is nearly frantic by now. Eddie has to understand that things are different. They have changed. They just haven't had the time to fix everything yet, hadn't realized this host was special until he'd called them we, all without prompting from the symbiote itself. They cannot lose him now.
"No! She is wrong!"
Eddie cannot be reasoned with in this state. His heart is doing weird little hiccups in his chest. The symbiote rushes towards the organ, silk tendrils gently urging it to keep pumping, steady and strong.
"Wait! Just wait, am I, Eddie, am I dying?" His voice wobbles on every word. They do not like the chemicals his brain produces in fear. They have to make this stop. He is their host. He belongs to them and they will make this right.
They try interjecting again, do not even get a chance to finish before Anne is talking over them, traitorous and trying to turn Eddie against them.
"You're killing him." Her eyes are shining, and they think now that this has less to do with turning Eddie against them and more to do with them having hurt him like this.
She has a right to be upset, but she is still wrong. They can fix this. They just hadn't been trying to before. They hadn't been a we before, not really. Not like now.
Dan is stepping towards them, reaching out as if to put a hand on Eddie.
"They do not know what they are talking about. We have to get out of here!"
They will not allow it. They need time to heal him. Dan and Anne are intent on keeping that from happening.
So they stop it, a hand shaped tendril whipping out to snatch Dan by his neck, keep him away from Eddie while they are fixing him. Anne acts quicker than they expected she could. They don't notice her though, so worried about keeping Dan from poisoning Eddie with anymore of his doctor talk.
Eddie was watching her though. They feel it when his stomach drops in fear.
"No, no- don't do that!" Their host sounds frightened for them, but there's nothing he can do to stop her.
She flips a switch.
The agony is immediate and consuming. They are completely helpless against this sound. The humans take advantage of this, putting a glass door in between them and their host the moment it becomes possible.
They are distraught, slamming against the wall in pure desperation to make it back to Eddie. He wont live without them. They didn't get to fix everything. His heart is still weak, organs only working at half their normal rate.
The humans must know that this is killing Eddie, just as surely as they were. But that's over now. They are different. Eddie changed them.
Eddie.
He is leaning into the glass, face screwed into a deep scowl. His words are hot with anger, and the way he says them is almost hateful. The symbiote knows the truth though. They were inside his head. Eddie is just hurt right now. He can forgive them.
But only if he lives long enough to do so. And right now, he is walking away.
They will not allow it. They'll chase him to the ends of this planet if they have to.
Slipping away from Dan and Anne had been easy. Symbioses with the small four legged beast had been fine.
Seeing Eddie stunned and dragged into the elevator by one of Drake's men is not so easy or fine. It's hard watching Eddie crumple to the floor. His body makes a brutal thud as it lands. They growl inside the new host, aware of how fragile the human body is. And Eddie's isn't even functioning properly. He is sick, possibly dying, and they have the audacity to handle him so rough.
The symbiote memorizes their faces, each and every one of them.
They will pay for this.
And they do, only hours later. They are nothing but a pile of bodies, a pile of heads in the woods. Eddie looks shocked, as though he'd never expected them to come for him.
Stupid human. The symbiote had told him long ago that he belongs to them now.
And maybe he knows that much, judging by the noise he makes when they kiss him. They had gotten it from Anne's mind that kissing is occasionally a show of affection and possession, the perfect tool. And the sound Eddie makes upon impact causes them to purr with pleasure. He never tries to fight them. The symbiote is always surprised by that, how readily Eddie accepts everything about them.
This is the greatest joy they've ever known. They feel as though nothing could take this away.
Well, nothing except for the team leader. Riot destroys their joy only an hour later. They had known the fight would be a harsh one, most likely impossible. They had been prepared to fight and die for this planet, for the host that lives on it.
They had not prepared to see Eddie skewered through the middle, ruby pearls of blood splattering like rain onto the platform beneath where their host is being suspended.
The symbiote shrieks at the site of it. They know his belly is soft, full of vital organs and the sticky red that keeps his heart pumping. It's spilling out now, each drop an echo of their failure. Riot throws Eddie to the side as though he is nothing more than garbage, not even a suitable meal. He is considered tainted meat now that Venom has loved him.
Riot whispers harsh words into Eddie's ear, shoves his face into the cold metal of the platform. Through all this, Eddie doesn't make a sound, never moves. He is a ragdoll with no strings, head lolling lifelessly to the side once Riot releases it.
The symbiote has never experienced grief before. Never even knew the word until they'd picked it from Eddie's head. And even then, they'd never fully understood. Only knew it meant a human was sad. They never expected they were capable of feeling anguish such as this.
They lurch towards him, black mass trembling with something akin to dread. These are human emotions but they experience them so clearly.
Eddie is not breathing when they finally sink into him. His chest had ceased to move minutes ago. His eyes are open though, looking at them but not seeing.
It makes them burn, a rage worse than fire bubbling up as they rush to the injury. Eddie is inside them now, limp and lifeless. They feel the first shuddering breath he takes, the fear that seizes him as he tries to figure out what happened.
The symbiote roars, a sound that echoes jaggedly off the surrounding metals. Riot must know they will pay for this
"Did...Did I die just now?" Eddie's voice is a weak thing, hesitant as though he isn't sure he truly wants to know the answer.
"You did, but we brought you back." The symbiote growls, the sound reverberating around Eddie in a way that was almost comforting. They are in the air now, climbing up the rocket as it blasts off into space. Eddie feels a familiar dread tightening his chest.
Fuck, he's terrified of heights
"Do not be afraid Eddie, we will not allow you to hurt like that again." And a moment later, "We promise."
Who taught them to promise?
"You did, Eddie." He had promised to help Maria, their former host. He'd promised to protect them after Anne had mentioned another MRI. Eddie always makes good on his promises and so do they.
The rocket explodes. Hell fire is suddenly everywhere, shrapnel raining from the sky. They are prepared for it, creating a makeshift parachute to break Eddie's fall. The flames are eating them alive, searing the black mass of their body. Eddie is staring up at them, shocked and frightened and desperate, reaching as if he could somehow pull them back to him, protect them from these flames.
They know then he is worth it.
"Goodbye, Eddie."
Eddie cries out for them, ragged and distraught. He almost manages to grasp a single tendril.
It slips through his fingers.
They fully expect to die. The flames alone should be enough to wipe them out. Thinking back there are a hundred reasons they should have perished in the wreckage, but Eddie was relentless. He swam on pure adrenaline, gathering parts of them from the sea. He is foolish. They sacrificed themselves so he would not die out here. Eddie is built on determination though. He won't accept the loss. He gathers them until there's water in his lungs, until his arms are on fire with the strain of it. And even then, he swims towards the shore at their urging. Eddie takes care of them without even realizing he's doing it, running on pure devotion at this point.
And they are unable to thank him for it. He goes on thinking they have died, because they are too weak to speak with him right now.
It takes nearly a month for them to recover, refusing to consume any of Eddie's organs. Instead they subsist off of the chocolate he buys every night on the way home. Eddie eats it with cheap takeout while watching cheesy comedy shows on television, the sort of shit his symbiote enjoyed.
Eddie doesnt get out much anymore. He goes to work and does the bare minimum, comes home and cries over t.v. dinners. There is nothing they can do to comfort him, not without the energy to manifest or speak. The best they manage is curling around the man's heart, holding onto it while his body shudders through the sobbing. They do not cry, but they remember what it was like watching Eddie bleed out and they think they know how it feels to shed a tear.
They bide their time and they wait, dormant until they've regained enough energy to whisper, "We are here Eddie. No need to cry."
Eddie only sobs harder, hands coming up to tangle in unwashed hair. Great, now im hearing shit. The words come in broken hiccups, incoherent. It doesn't matter. He's the only one here to hear them.
"Eddie," They try again, slowly this time. "You are hearing us. We are able to speak again." The symbiote explains almost softly, even the rough of its voice lowered to a small scratchiness.
The human seems to still completely at that, spine going rigid as he realizes that the voice he keeps hearing is not imaginary. He hasn't gone insane.
Venom is back.
Eddie's chest explodes with warmth. He is relieved beyond coherent thought, so happy the symbiote can feel more tears brimming in swollen eyes. It stings, but Eddie takes no heed of it.
"Y-You're really here? The fire didn't kill you." Eddie is touching his chest, just a gentle caress of fingertips on skin as if he could feel the symbiote if only he tried hard enough. He still seems to be on some level of disbelief but it's getting better the longer he sits with this new knowledge.
He isn't alone anymore.
And he was never really alone to begin with.
"The fire would have killed us, if not for you, Eddie." The symbiote purrs, the sound tickling Eddie's chest cavity. It's a strange feeling, but a welcome one. "You did not have to save us, but you did. We are yours." The human has made that much clear through action alone.
"Oh yeah bud? That's uh, that's really good to hear." Eddie is still sniffling softly, one arm moving to swipe at his runny nose. There's no need for embarrassment though, this sight is nothing new to them. Eddie has been wallowing in his grief for nearing a month now. The symbiote is used to the tears. It does not like them, but it is not so much alarmed by them anymore, at least not right now. These are good tears, happy tears. Not salt droplets of pain and despair as the others had been.
"I'm still yours too, you know. Just like you said back on the bridge that day." Silly human. He doesn't need to tell them that. They already know. They've gotten good at deciphering Eddie's thoughts and feelings. They hadn't cared about that before. Not like now. Now it is of the utmost importance that they understand Eddie, everything he needs and wants.
"We know. That has never changed." A symbiote is not supposed to choose a host long term, but they did.
"Come Eddie, get cleaned up. We should be resting." They urge their human forward, until he's wearing clean clothes and settled into the overly large duvet on the mattress. It doesn't take long for Eddie to sleep.
After that things go back to normal- or maybe not really normal by human standards but they set a routine. Eddie doesn't so much like them eating people but he does tolerate it with the very bad ones. Their new favorite pastime is tracking these people down, serving up whatever justice Eddie will allow.
They've been fully restored for a little over five months when they slip up for the first time. Eddie had been expecting accidents to happen. He is human after all, a species made to prepare for such disasters. The symbiote believes he worries for nothing, just because it preoccupies him from actual money paying work.
It's a bullet that finally catches their attention. A well known murderer and their small gang. After eating the leader it seemed as though the others had fled, no one sticking around to actually try and help their so called friend.
Well, all except one. They'd only run partway down the street before pulling a gun and barrelling back. Eddie was unprotected, already complaining about the taste of brain matter on his tongue
They hear a bullet enter the chamber, and still they are not fast enough to stop it.
Eddie never makes a sound, not even when the gun goes off. He is stopped in something akin to shock, both hands drawn up as though to protect himself.
By the time they've crushed the man's head, Eddie is already crumbling. They are immediately surging to the wound, working to expel the bullet that hadn't gone all the way through. Eddie touches his stomach, and watches in a daze as his hand comes away slick and bloody. He feels the lead being pulled from his gut, wants to beg Venom to stop moving it but he knows the symbiote is trying to be careful, knows this needs to be done if he's going to survive.
"H-Holy shit, he shot me." The words come in shorts gasps, Eddie's expression slack in total disbelief.
He closes his eyes, does his best to relax. Even through the pain he can feel Venom's building panic, the cold fear that urges them to go faster. He trusts that they will fix this. All he has to do is keep them calm enough to do it.
"I-It's okay love. We've had worse, remember?" Eddie isn't afraid, not really. Venom has never failed to fix him.
The symbiote doesn't seem to hear his reassurances though. They work desperately, silent until the moment they know Eddie is no longer losing blood.
"Maybe you should let it scar. The ladies like a few battle scars, gives a guy character." Eddie is already trying to make light of the situation. It's getting dark around them. He must've lost a little time after being shot. They are safe though, hidden in a small alleyway behind several dumpsters. Eddie isn't concerned about anyone seeing them here.
Venom growls in response, offended Eddie would even joke about leaving marks on his body, their body.
"Maybe you should be quiet and learn to duck." The symbiote sounds strained, its body plastered over healing skin. Eddie finds himself at a loss. Usually he's the one worried about all the injuries they sustain while on the job. This is new and uncharted territory.
"Awh, you sound upset."
"We are upset."
Okay. Eddie wasn't expecting this level of honesty from the alien. It takes him by surprise.
"Why would you be upset? This was a complete fluke, and it's not even that bad. You've already fixed it." The way he sees it there was never really any danger, at least not any the symbiote couldn't save them from.
Their host is right, they had fixed it. But they are slowly learning that some things can't be fixed. What if their next fluke would be the one to take Eddie away forever? It does not matter what he calls it. What they had today was a dangerous slip up. Another one should be avoided at all costs.
Humans are fragile creatures after all. They are easy prey even for each other. At one point Venom had been glad for it, but not anymore, not now that he has Eddie.
"Come on dear, take us home. I think we could really use a shower." Eddie is looking down at the sticky stains left behind by his bleeding, disgust curling in his belly.
The symbiote has more to say, but for now they can go home. Eddie is not comfortable here, and they do not like his discomfort.
They don't talk about it until late that night. Eddie sings and showers, complains about the next big interview they have to do for his job. It would have been a nice night, except the symbiote is strangely quiet. It's been pretty still, too. Eddie is used to the constant sensation of movement. His love never stays in the same place for long.
Except tonight. Tonight it is still curled protectively at his gut, silent and brooding.
"You know dear, we will have to talk about what's bothering you sooner or later." He is crawling into bed, sprawled on his back with the cover kicked to their feet. It's hot out tonight. Anything more than his nice cotton boxers and he'd be waking up later in a puddle of sweat. He supposes maybe the symbiote could control that but he doesn't expect it to. His love could use the rest considering all the stress it's been under today.
The symbiote moves, just a tiny caress against the place a bullet had pierced.
"What are you thinking about?" Eddie wonders aloud, placing a palm directly over his stomach, where he can feel the symbiote settled.
He isn't expecting black tendrils to slowly rise from his skin, gathering at his chest until a small face has formed. It's mouth is a grave downward slash of teeth, and somehow it's still beautiful to Eddie.
"There you are love." He smiles, all soft and adoring. He thought he knew love with Anne but this is somehow different. This is something more.
The symbiote doesn't return his smile, but it looks like it wants to.
"Come on bud, just tell me what's wrong. I'm sure it's something we can fix." Eddie urges it on, a hand coming to gently rub against what would be the symbiotes cheek if it had any. It's strange to see his hand so close to those teeth and feel nothing but safe.
"We maybe might have thought of something....something bad." Venom huffs the words out, and Eddie can physically feel the stress of it's despair.
He is instantly alarmed by it, uses a shoulder to brace himself so he can better look at his symbiote. "What did you think about that could be so bad?" He is rubbing soothing circles into the inky black mass, surprised by the sullen expression on its face.
"You're a human Eddie." It says the words like they should explain everything.
They don't.
"Yes? I am human. That's not new. What about it?" They've always known he was human. Why does it suddenly matter now?
The symbiote bristles softly, stares at the wall behind him as though looking directly at Eddie would be too much.
"Humans are just walking bags of meat." They explain it slowly, their voice strained in a way Eddie has never heard before. "And we know what happens to meat. It dies and it rots. We do not want you to die and rot, Eddie."
Oh boy. This was definitely not what he'd been expecting. Eddie was thinking more along the lines of something simple, like maybe he'd been neglecting to give the symbiote enough chocolate or it had missed a new episode of some television show. Things he could fix or put to rest.
How was he supposed to comfort the symbiote about his looming mortality when his best techniques for dealing with it himself is just not thinking about it.
This is pandora's box and he's fucking gone and opened it.
"Well you see love, about that, there's not really anything to be done." The words are spoken soft, as if that could somehow lessen the blow. Eddie wishes he had a better answer for the alien but there's no comfort in this. "It happens to everyone. We mostly just try to accept it.
"No! not everyone. We will not accept it. It will not happen to us. It cannot happen to Eddie." They sound fiercely determined. Eddie watches the moonlight glinting off black tendrils and he finally understands. Venom is not made of meat. He will live long after Eddie is dead.
"Oh...Oh." Eddie seems to be struck dumb by that, mouth hanging open as he struggles to process. The symbiote is afraid of being without him, pure terrified Eddie will die prematurely and they will be alone for the rest of forever.
And honestly, Eddie is pretty scared of that too. Would the next host be good to his love? Would they feed it chocolate and shower it in affection?
Would they try to hurt it? Maybe use it for their own personal gain? Eddie shakes the thoughts away. A part of him wants to be jealous, thinking of his symbiote bonding with anyone else. Eddie shoves that aside though. He wants Venom to be happy, always. This world is pretty. It's full of destruction and death but it's beautiful and the symbiote should get to enjoy that, even long after Eddie is gone. Maybe he could say that. But as for his mortality? How is he supposed to tell a destructive and dramatic alien that there is nothing to be done. They can stitch him up all they want but there will come a day when a simple patch job won't save him,
"What will we do without you?" It's voice is soft and hollow, lost as Eddie has ever heard it. They'd been listening in on his thoughts, he just hadn't noticed.
"Well, you'll probably eat a lot more heads, for a start." Eddie tries for a joke but it only backfires. He looks wary in the moonlight, exhausted after today's events. The sight of him only seems to bother Venom more. It wears a dreadful expression, lips curling when it speaks.
"We might as well find a rocket and bring the rest of our kind to Earth. There is no point in staying here if Eddie is not with us."
Eddie can't help but smile at that. It's endearing, to know the entire planet is only safe because he lives in it. Because Venom loves him.
"Well you could do that I guess." They are on thin ice here. Eddie knows it wouldn't take much to further upset the symbiote, possibly cause it to have a tantrum. Venom is moody on a good day. Today has not been a good day. "Or you could do something less violent. Maybe keep a picture or something? Thats what us humans do when we miss someone."
The sound it makes can only be described as one of disdain.
"Eddie. You know that could not ever be enough." A photograph would not be warm. It would not sound or smell like Eddie. It can only look like him.
"Yeah love, I know." Eddie finally concedes, fingers tangled in silky ink. "But it's the best I can do for now." Hell, for all they know he could die tomorrow.
The symbiote intercepts that thought, screeches as though the possibility was something new and terrible, as if they had never expected their host could die at any time, for any reason.
They had known humans were fragile, but it was never important until now.
Eddie watches as they materialize from his chest, not surprised when the symbiote leans forward, teeth almost brushing against his lips.
"You better not. We would never forgive you for dying so soon." Eddie guesses they mean to be menacing. He can see through that though, knows Venom is merely desperate for some sort of comfort.
He can't really make these promises though, no matter how bad he wants to. With his luck he'd only wind up jinxing himself.
"Hey, I can't control that love." Eddie finds what could count as Venoms hand, large and clawed. It rests on his belly. Eddie moves to hold it instead. "But I do promise to try, okay? I won't go down so easily." The symbiote seems to consider this, claws tightening protectively over Eddie's hand. It only urges him on.
"Me and you, we're going to have a long and happy life together. And I don't want us to worry about me dying." For a moment it looks like Venom is going to protest, but Eddie doesn't give it the chance. He presses a chaste kiss to the creatures teeth, shudders when its tongue slithers out to greet him.
"Lets just....Lets just worry about living the best we can, yeah? Have a life so good that when I do die it won't really be a tragedy. It'll just be the end to a really awesome adventure." Eddie is smiling but the words taste like ash on his tongue. The symbiote seems to have settled down though, not quite content but not sulking either.
Eddie supposes that's the best he could hope for in this situation. He flips the television on so that Venom has something to watch while he sleeps. They still seem quiet, possibly even pondering over everything he said, or maybe they're planning a life without him in it. Eddie can't bare to think of it any longer.
"Goodnight my love." He kisses the creature once more, amused to see that Venom has already found some romantic comedy to watch. Slowly it sinks back into his chest, curling contently around his heart. Eddie lies back as though everything is fine, careful not to share his thoughts as he feels Venom finally resting.
The truth though is that It's hard to comfort the alien about his death when he dreads it so much himself. There will come a day when he is nothing but cold bones rotting in the ground. Someone else will be loving his symbiote, being loved by his symbiote. And he just has to be okay with that.