Raw
“That’s...kind of gross.” Eddie mused as they sat at the kitchen table.
Mere inches away from them Sleeper was in his high chair pawing at the cubes of cut up raw steak in front of him.
“Not gross. It is good for him and he likes it.”
Sleeper picked up a small cube of meat and dropped it again, smiling at the quiet plap sound it made.
“I don’t think he knows what to do with it.”
Eddie pinched a piece of the squishy raw food between his fingers and brought it in front of his mouth.
“Eat it Sleeps, like this: Aaaaah!” He mimed eating.
Sleeper watched Eddie before picking up a little piece of meat with both hands and putting it in his mouth.
Sleeper’s entire face lit up.
“See! He likes it!”
Sleeper was already eating a little bit of small solid foods everyday along with milk but this was sort of different. Sleeper had been biting Eddie a lot lately and not even just while feeding, he’d bite Eddie’s hand or arm, even his neck, for seemingly no reason. This is where the symbiote side started to make itself known, Sleeper was starting to crave one of his father’s favorite foods- flesh. There was no getting around it. One solution was for Eddie to start shoveling raw meat into his mouth every day and going out criminal hunting every night to get enough of the stuff into his system to satisfy both Venom and Sleeper or they could let Sleeper try it for himself. The latter was much easier. They’d been through the same thing with Carnage and were willing to bet the other kids had the phase too. With Carnage they actually had tried the ‘eating raw meat everyday and hunting every night’ approach- it didn’t go great.
They watched the attempting rapist from the fire escape before jumping off and landing in the grimy alley beside their equally grimy apartment building. The politely stepped aside as the woman he was victimizing gratefully dashed passed them and out of the alley. The criminal backed up until he hit the fence closing the alley off halfway, trapped. His heartbeat and breath sped up, it was delicious. Venom was almost giddy with excitement, their preferred diet still made Eddie’s stomach roil a bit but love was about compromise after all. It didn’t help that they were doubling down on the human body consumption lately because their precious and beloved child required it from him now.
The criminal was sniveling and shaking like a cold chihuahua when demanding little cries came from the open window several stories above them. They looked up at it sighed. It was really hard to find time for themselves with a baby, especially one as bossy as Carnage. Venom hastily rushed through their usual anticipatory playing with their food and decapitated the man before finishing him off.
Climbing back in through the window Carnage growled at the two of them from their little activity gym, no longer distracted by the colorful, jingly toys.
“Sorry, kiddo. We’re back now.” Eddie apologized.
“No!” It was the only word Carnage could say at five months old and they were very fond of saying it.
“We know, we know. It’s time to eat.” He assured the baby.
Carnage just growled impatiently again.
They opened up the fridge and pulled out a bottle- Carnage had been biting him so much lately that a bottle was a much better option at the moment.
“Ah! V, they’re biting me again!”
“Carnage, we’ve told you biting Daddy isn’t nice.”
When they turned around from the fridge Carnage was gone.
“Oh God, not again.” Eddie groaned.
This happened a little more often than they’d like to admit. They baby proofed the ever loving Hell outta the place but the kid just kept slipping away. The vents were closed, the crib bars were blocked off, the crack under the door was sealed. There was nowhere they could escape to where they could get hurt at least so for the most part they were sort of okay with letting them explore the apartment most of the time. But only the apartment.
"Eddie, I do not wish to alarm you but the window is still open.”
They ran to the open window and leaned so far out of it that they almost fell face first into the alley below.
“Eddie!”
To their left little Carnage was slinking across the brick wall like a sticky octopus on the run.
“Carnage! Carnage you come back here!”
They didn’t listen however as they kept groping along the wall and slipped into the neighbor’s apartment window that was also open.
“Car!” Eddie hissed.
Venom covered his hands and knees so they could wall crawl after them. The neighbor’s apartment was dark and empty meaning they must be out thank God. He couldn’t imagine the hysteria a baby alien symbiote crawling in through the window would cause. This apartment was tiny studio too so they would easily see the whole thing and sure enough there was Carnage raiding the fridge and pulling out a package of two raw steaks.
“Carnage, that’s not yours! Put it back!”
He knew of course the baby was too young to understand even half of what he was saying but he could still try. Carnage’s little sharp toothed mouth tore into the wrapping as they started munching on the raw meat- plastic and Styrofoam packaging and all. They rushed over and pulled the food out of his grasp.
“Dada! No!” Carnage cried out and they stopped everything.
“Car! That was your second word! Say it again.” Eddie grinned.
“Daaaa!” Carnage wanted their steak back and was very cross with him for taking it.
They scooped their little one up and made the climb back into their own apartment where Carnage chomped down on his defenseless bicep.
“Car! If you keep biting me I’m grounding you forever.”
"NO DADA!” the baby seemed to be calling his bluff and he groaned.