Bells and Burdens
Eddie’s sister Mary was getting married to her long term boyfriend Scott and of course he, V and the kids had been invited. The wedding was in their hometown of San Francisco so they had waffled on it for a while because traveling with kids was a hassle to say the very least. Especially when you had six of them who’d never flown before including a two month old. But he made a promise to her to be closer and he knew she’d come to his if they ever had an official one.
Shockingly it was going really well. Carnage, Agony, Lasher, Phage and Scream were incredibly well behaved on the plane and Sleeper didn’t cry at all, in fact he slept through the whole flight which was a miracle in itself. They were even staying in swanky hotel because he’d charged the trip to a SHIELD travel account (they wouldn’t notice). The children didn’t really care about how fancy or expensive the hotel was though, they were just excited that there were new beds to jump on and a pool.
The ceremony was at the same church his Roman Catholic family attended in his childhood and it felt weird a little and upsetting to be entering it again. Venom picked up on this and helped soothe his conflicted thoughts through their connection and he kept glancing at his family to remind himself he had turned his life around. After looking around a bit he found Mary in the bridal suite, before he entered Venom made sure to form him a classy suit. Opening the door the kids ran in before he could stop them.
“Guys!” He hissed quietly making ‘stop it right now’ gestures.
“Eddie, it’s okay.” Mary laughed.
"Mary you are glowing." Venom complimented her smoothly.
"You've never called me glowing and I was carrying your child not three months ago, V." He glowered internally at his other.
“You look like a princess!!” Scream bounced up and down holding the train of her gown.
His sister had always looked like a goddamn supermodel but it was especially standing out today. She was blonde with piercingly hazel eyes and they both had the same full lips. Meanwhile he had a sweet dad bod but the lips thing was true.
“Thank you, sweetheart!” She grinned clearly flattered.
“She’s right and I have two six year old daughters so I’m an expert on princesses.” Eddie winked at her.
“Thanks you big dork.”
He hugged her lifting her off the floor a bit.
“Why did you pick this church of all places? Thought you’d never want to come here again.”
“I don’t know, I guess I’m sentimental.” She shrugged one shoulder.
“Speaking of sentimentality I demand to hold the baby right now.” She added.
“Go for it, pretty sure he’s sick of us after the flight. But he will definitely pull your hair and earrings.”
“Worth it.” She decided.
(Sleeper lasted a whole minute before going for her hair to put it in his mouth.)
“Hey Eddie, I have something kind of huge to ask you.” She shifted her weight from side to side.
“What’s up?” He asked as he checked his email on his phone.
“Will you walk me down the aisle?”
“Me? Are you sure?” He asked nearly dropping his phone.
“Well duh, you’re my only brother. Who else would I want to do it?”
“Of course I’ll do it.” He answered her important question enthusiastically.
"Do you think I'll trip and eat shit on the walk down?"
"Don't worry, I'll catch ya." He grinned.
Even though it was far from his favorite place in the world he did have to admit it was a beautiful building as the wide wooden doors opened and the music started softly as his sister wrapped her arm around his. He was watching her smile until about halfway to the altar her face suddenly dropped.
“What? What’s wrong?” He asked almost inaudibly.
“Dad is here.” Her voice was stiff.
“What? Why wouldn’t you tell me he was coming before I flew out here?!”
“Because I didn’t invite him! He’s the last person I want here!”
They were whispering at each other through their teeth with their eyes glued to the man neither of them had seen in more than a decade. He no doubt knew about Venom because they used to be on the news a lot but he didn’t know he had grandchildren and he and his other really wanted to keep it that way. Their father was sitting in the first row exactly across the aisle from where their kids were sitting, there was no way he didn’t notice them and his throat dried up. His heart raced and felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“Who the Hell does he think he is?!” Mary hissed.
The groom, Scott, was looking at them both with concern having noticed the ongoing conversation they were apparently failing to hide. Nobody here knew what their dad looked like except for the two of them so nobody could know what they were freaking out about. The ceremony proceeded despite his massive panic and Mary’s massive rage. He stood behind her as the priest spoke and desperately avoided eye contact with his father whose eyes were torturously drilling into him.
“It’s okay, Eddie. I am with you always.” Venom assured him inside his head.
He was trying really hard to believe them as he looked anywhere but at the man who raised him.
The ceremony ended in the usual romantic way and seamlessly flowed into the celebratory reception at a nearby dance hall. Their young children didn’t know who the stranger staring at them was or why he was so interested in everything they were doing even when they weren’t doing anything. It annoyed Carnage while it made Lasher uncomfortable enough to stick closer to his parents.
Eddie sat at their table nervously mashing his cake slice with his fork. Mary sat at the head table with her new husband and had requested for Sleeper to sit with her. She said that being with him calmed her down and would stop her from doing anything rash. Babies tended to have that effect. They managed to tear themselves away because she hardly ever got to see him and it was her day after all. She was savvy enough to face the car seat away from the guests so their father couldn’t see him. Despite Sleeper’s presence and the welcome distraction of keeping him entertained she still glanced at her unwanted guest every few minutes or so.
“Eddie you are destroying the cake I was hoping to eat.” Venom pulled him back out of his racing thoughts.
He mumbled an apology sticking the frosting covered fork in his mouth.
“Eddie, I’m kidding. I don’t give a shit about the cake. I am worried about you and if that asshole keeps staring down our kids I am going to dismember him.”
“Venom, promise me you will not maim my father at my sister’s wedding in front of our children. SHIELD wouldn’t even bother to get us out of that conviction.” He pleaded with his husband because that was the absolute last thing he needed today.
“Dad why does that old man keep staring at us?” Carnage asked, their irritation bubbling up.
“Don’t worry about it, Carnage.” He forced a smile.
Carnage leaned over, glared and stuck their tongue out at the stranger making Eddie groan mournfully and drop his face in his hands.
He jumped when he was tapped on the shoulder fully expecting that his father had finally come over to put him through the wringer for old time’s sake. But to his relief it was his sister and Sleeper hovering over him.
“We’re about to have our first dance so I have to temporarily return him to you.” She said
She departed to meet Scott and minutes later their first dance song started to fill the dance hall. Eddie recognized it instantly and it felt like his breath had been knocked out of him.
“Eddie, what is it?”
It was a song he never knew the name of but his sister had dreamily sung along to it throughout their whole adolescence. Memories of that time flooded forward and he couldn’t stop them, memories of isolation and dread and humiliation. He could barely breathe as he clawed at the collar of his shirt, flushing hot. Before he could move himself Venom was moving him, completely taking over their shared body and navigating through the maze of white-clothed tables.
They stumbled inside the empty bathroom full of stalls and he regained enough control to press his back to the wall before helplessly sliding down to the floor. He concentrated on catching his breath as he held Sleeper against his body like he’d lose him if he let go. Venom wrapped around him, the steady pressure of their hold calming him down significantly.
“V...V…” He gasped.
“I’m here, it’s okay. Just breathe. You were not expecting that.”
Sleeper whined softly in his arms sensing his distress. They sat there for a while, five minutes or maybe twenty, until the panic passed.
“Okay...Okay I think I’m alright now.” He finally said feeling himself come down.
“Are you sure? We can just leave, you know. Take the kids and get the next flight home.”
He shook his head.
“No, no way. I’m not leaving Mary alone with him.” He stated resolutely and he could feel Venom casting a shade of doubt and apprehension.
“Eddie, I’m sorry. I will not allow you to put yourself through this. Not even for your sister. We are leaving.”
Venom hauled them up against his will, completely immune to his struggling for return of control and pulled the door open. Turning the corner they came face to face with the man who’d given him the attack in the first place and his other snarled violently inside him.
“What in God’s fucking name are those abominations?!” He demanded furiously.
Venom must have relinquished some authority because he was able to turn his body away at the sound of the cruel word as if he could shield his young son from it by putting physical space between him and it’s speaker.
“I came here to see my only daughter’s wedding and I’m met with those vile, abhorrent deformities.” He spat.
He was almost a head taller than his father now but he felt like a child.
“You’ve always been my worst mistake but this tops it... Whatever perverse life you’re leading with that goddamn parasite, whatever you did to bring forth those degenerate things, you’re going to burn for it, Eddie.”
His father snatched Sleeper’s arm, whether to hurt him or to pull him away from them he couldn’t tell but in less than a heartbeat, before Sleeper could even react to being grabbed, Venom spread up his chest and neck, covering the lower half of his face and splitting it open into their razor sharp, fatal jaws.
“DO NOT TOUCH HIM.” Venom’s overwhelming, blood freezing roar drew the attention of everyone in the hall and he didn’t know if he’d ever heard that kind of wrath come from them before now.
His father had the most logical instinctual reaction to being confronted by an advanced alien predator. He snapped his hand back and stumbled slightly, his pupils so constricted they were barely visible. Eddie’s eyes darting behind the man he saw Mary poised protectively in front of Carnage, Agony, Lasher, Phage and Scream as they stared, her bouquet dropped to the floor and forgotten. Before the situation could escalate any further Scott gripped his father’s shoulder and turned him around.
“You’re leaving right now. My wife doesn’t want you here. No one wants you here. You can go yourself or the cops can take you for intent to harm a child.” Scott made his demand clear.
Scott didn’t know this man and never even seen him before today. He had no reason to be afraid of him or care what happened to him. A few minutes later they all realized that Scott wasn’t really giving him a choice when a pair of officers approached them. Scott explained what had happened, the way his father had threatened his brother-in-law and tried to hurt his nephew and several other reception guests told the officers that they had seen the incident too. Mary told the officers their father had a history of abuse and Eddie agreed with her account when they asked him about it (Venom now tactfully hidden under his skin). They handcuffed the older man and read him his rights before leading him away as Mary clasped his hand in hers.
“I have to go.” He said remorsefully.
“I know.” She exhaled.
The kids didn’t understand why but he was exhausted the whole trip home and for a few days after.