Chapter Text
“We are Venom.” The creature voiced. It still had that scary smile on his face that kept Peter shaking on the spot, rational thought flying out the window.
“Wh-what?” he finally squeaked.
“We are called Venom, little spider.”
It was a testament to how out of it Peter was, and of his questionable self-preservation skills, thanks to the combination of anxiety, fear, and adrenaline in his system that the first thing that popped into his mind was, “What kind of name is Venom?”
Peter’s eyes widened and he let out a small ‘eep!’ of distress once he realized the sheer stupidity what he just did. He covered his mouth in reflex, an action that was little too late to stop the offense he had already verbalized. Did he just insult the name of the very large, very scary creature that was standing right before him? Yes, he did. Was it a good idea to vocalize his thoughts on the very large and very scary creature’s name? Absolutely not. Was he borderline suicidal or just plain dumb? Verdict still unsure on that one chief.
Apparently he didn’t find it very offensive because Venom just gave low snicker, a rumbling sound like the purr of a jungle cat. So maybe Peter gets to live another day?
“Yes, Venom is my name little spider. A name I am very much proud of.” Venom said in an almost growling voice. He didn’t sound angry with the large grin on its face, but Peter wasn’t an expert on inhuman facial expressions so he couldn’t be sure.
Okay, maybe he was gonna die tonight.
“I think- I think it’s a very cool name!” Peter whisper-shouted in a rush, limbs still locked in place no matter how hard Peter was forcing himself to move. Venom slowly crouched forward, low enough that Peter could feel its breath on his mask-covered face.
“Peter your heart rate is very high. Calm down.” Karen suddenly spoke up in a calm voice. Peter momentarily forgot she was there and almost jumped. Which was a bad idea since Venom was close enough that he could chomp Peter’s head off.
“Don’t worry little spider, we’re not gonna bite.” Venom purred. The way he said it could almost pass for something seductive if it weren’t for the mouth filled with sharp knives. Peter felt his heart rate spike at the large, and frankly, creepy grin. But then Venom was moving away, standing to his full height. The small distance gained made Peter give out a small sigh of relief.
“So what is Spider-man doing all the way out here?” Venom’s question came out as a deep rumble that made Peter wonder if the guy had a car engine for a voice box.
“I could ask you the same thing.” Peter puffed, deepening his voice and crossing his arms across his chest to retain some semblance of the confident superhero persona and not the scared college student he actually was. Under his breath, he discreetly whispered, “Hey Karen, can you give me anything on who this guy is?”
“Already on it Peter”
“It’s not a normal thing for me to see guys like you around here.” Peter continued as he waited for Karen to get to work. Peter could see Venom cock his head, night vision bathing him in green through his mask. Which actually brought him back to the question of what the hell is Venom?
“Wait, are you a guy?” He asked. Was it a he? She? Robot from the future? Asexual alien goop monster? Which wasn’t the most important question at the moment but Peter’s adrenaline filled brain was running a mile a minute so sue him.
“Yes I am. And too answer your question little spider, we are here for business.” He answered smoothly. Peter’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“And your business here includes what exactly?” he asked boldly, fear momentarily forgotten. The show of bravery seemed to please Venom because he suddenly purred and gave Peter a creepy smile.
“We have a feeling that you already know.”
“No not really. I can walk on walls, not read minds.”
“Hmm.” Venom hummed, before starting to circle him. Peter took on a ready stance, hands poised to web the other guy in case he attacked.
“We’re here because of rumors of suspicious activity. How about you?” Venom replied, still walking around him. Peter watched him prowl and followed his movements, muscles clenched in preparation for any sudden attack.
“I heard of something going on. Came here to check it out.” He replied, voice hard, muscles tense like a bow string.
“I found no records of any individual known as ‘Venom’ Peter.” Karen suddenly said. “I was only able to find reports about a similar looking creature from San Francisco that was related to the Life Foundation disaster a few years prior.”
A small segment of a newspaper appeared on the screen of his mask. Keeping his eyes on Venom, Peter quickly scanned for any relevant information that could help him identify what he was up against. The only thing the article said was that something was seen scurrying in the launch pad of the Life Foundation. Beyond that were multiple pictures of a creature causing destruction in San Francisco that looked like Venom. A search for any other, more relevant information lead to thing. All the other sources Karen found had nothing on whatever Venom was. This wasn’t looking good.
“So you do know already. About Tombstone.”
Venom knew about Tombstone. Was the guy after him too? Or was Venom working for Tombstone? Peter tensed up at the thought. He didn’t know anything about the guy in front of him. Not knowing was a bad thing in his business. If he just happened to be working with Tombstone, he was going to need a strategy quickly. His tension must have caught Venom’s attention despite the darkness of the dock because he chuckled mirthfully before stopping in front of him once again.
“Lighten up spider, we’re on your side. We want to stop the bad guys too.” Venom assured him. Peter wasn’t comforted in the slightest.
“Really? And the freaking me out and threatening to eat me part was all for show?”
“Of course.”
“May I ask why?” Peter asked, equal parts suspicious and agitated, with a hint of exasperated.
“Because it was funny.” The other said with a wicked yet clearly tame smile.
Peter did not agree and grumbled his dissent. “No it wasn’t.”
“Oh relax. We aren’t going to eat you.” Venom joked. It wasn’t really appreciated, not in the least bit because of the mini heart attacks he already experienced. Plus, Peter could still feel the hum of his spidey sense, not loud yet incredibly buzzing under his skin like a constant itch, unsure of the danger Venom now possesses but had no questions with his capacity to be dangerous. His attention was brought back caught once again by Venom speaking up once more.
“Not unless you want us too.” Venom said in a light tone, adding a wink at the end. The strange comment and wink threw Peter out a loop and he was left looking at Venom in confusion.
What did it mean by ‘unless I wanted to’? Did Venom mean that ‘unless I wanted him to eat-
And then the comment finally registered, causing Peter to blush profusely under his suit.
“Excuse me?!” Peter squawked loudly. Venom gave a soft yet echoing laugh that Peter could almost feel reverberate through him. Venom crossed his massive arms and grinned down at him. If he wasn’t in the middle of staking out a possible site of human trafficking, he would have found the situation funny and mortifying. A 10ft tall black goop monster was flirting with him. Honestly what was his life.
“Can we please focus on the fact that we’re here for Tombstone?” Peter hissed quietly, remembering that he was on a stealth mission for God’s sakes. A mission that was being rudely interrupted by a David Cronenberg suit prop who liked to flirt. Venom gave him another smirk before acquiescing.
“Okay Spider-man. We came here because rumors were floating of Tombstone and his friends doing business here. That means something big and something bad is happening.” Peter nodded in affirmation, already knowing this part.
“So why are you interested? Did Tombstone hurt your girlfriend or something?”
“I’m here for the same reason you are.”
“Oh? What’s that then?”
“To stop him.” Venom said simply, like talking about the weather.
“So you’re some kind of vigilante? You know that’s illegal right?”
“And yet you’re here, an unregistered superhero waiting to thwart Tombstone’s evil plans.”
Okay, point taken. Even though the Avengers had gotten back and Spider-man became part of them, Peter never disclosed his full identity. Sure he shared it with the Avengers since they were practically his work mates (and trying to hide something from Natasha was just asking for trouble). But that didn’t mean he had to share it with the public. Despite the rules of the Accords, Spider-man had yet to divulge his public identity to the government. He was technically breaking the law, only nobody arrested him since he managed to ensure that the super freaks of New York didn’t turn the city to ashes.
“Fine. So we’re both vigilantes. But that doesn’t answer my question. What’s your interest with Tombstone’s operation here?”
“If you already know who Tombstone is, then we don’t have to explain why it’s important.”
That Peter totally agreed with. Tombstone was one of the most dangerous criminals in the West Coast and currently had an iron grip on most of the mobs in New York. The only reason he wasn’t behind bars was that he was too clandestine. Tombstone’s operations in New York, his own backyard, was too underground that not even Peter knew how extensive it got. Add the fact that he had so much influence and hands in so many pockets made him even more dangerous. He understood perfectly what he was up against. But still.
“That doesn’t answer my question. Sorry buddy, can’t help but be suspicious.”
“We understand spider. But have a little faith when we say that we want to stop whatever criminal activities he has here just as much as you do.”
So Venom wasn’t aware of what Tombstone was doing here then? That meant that Peter had a leg up against Venom, something that slightly comforted him. But should he share his intel? After all, Venom did say he was after the guy as well. The fact that he had nothing on Venom made it even harder to trust him. But miracles could happen, so maybe?
“Why don’t we work together Spider-man?”
“What?” Peter asked.
“Work together. You’re already here, and for the same reasons as we are. We see nothing wrong of the two of us teaming up.”
Did he honestly think he would just agree? To work with a stranger, a thing that he wasn’t even sure counted as human?
“It’s less stress to you to have us as back up than fight us and deal with Tombstone. And we can assure you we can be quite the handful.”
Peter simply said nothing and stared at Venom with scowling eyes. Large eyes of pure white and no pupils stared back, paired with a giant creepy smile. In times like this, what would the Avengers do in this situation?
Confront the guy. Make him leave. Try to subdue him if need be. Get into a large fight with lots of collateral damage. And work together with him afterwards.
Okay, maybe he could skip the first four steps.
He let out a silent groan and, hoping that he wasn’t going to regret this, decided why not? It’s not like he couldn’t take the guy if it came to it. He did survive almost becoming barbequed superhero.
“Fine. Just, don’t get in the way I guess. I wouldn’t want the extra work.” Peter really didn’t want to try arresting Venom, especially since he was as big as the Hulk.
“You will realize that we can handle ourselves all on our own.”
Ok not exactly what Peter was trying to say, but who cares.
“I heard that Tombstone might be trafficking enhanced people through here.” Peter supplied as a change of subject. Better to put them on track.
“Oh? We just thought they were smuggling goods. Turns out they’re doing something much worse.” The way Venom said it, tongue flicking out and smiling widely, almost made it seem that he was eager. That the very idea of Tombstone and his gang doing worse than petty smuggling was something to celebrate. God he was regretting this already.
“Err... yeah... Anyways I’m here to check out if there’s anything I could use as proof.”
“We’ve scoped the area. There’s nothing of worth here.” This caught Peter by surprise. How long had Venom been here in the first place?
“Well, I wasn’t expecting that either. I was just waiting for Tombstone to make an appearance.” Peter told Venom, settling himself down on the shipping container, senses strained on both Venom and the empty dock.
“Then maybe we can wait together.” Venom was suddenly sitting right next to Peter. There was at least two feet of space between them but Peter, still a bit jumpy, startled at the sudden movement. It was like one moment Venom was on the other side of the container and then suddenly he was right beside Peter, all quiet and silent.
“Um, ok?” Peter said awkwardly, trying to discreetly increase the distance between them. Hey, he had personal space issues.
And there they sat in silence, the two of them watching the pitch black dock for any signs of incoming ships, goons in suits driving big black vans, or albino mob bosses. Peter discretely asked Karen for the time, her replying that it was already 1:45 am and ‘Peter it’s time for you to sleep’.
Venom stayed silent beside him, barely moving an inch. In the gloom of the night, Venom blended perfectly well with the shadows even with the night vision. And with him so stull, Peter wouldn’t have known he was there at all. It made Peter wonder if he was high or something when he agreed to work together.
“So...” Peter began awkwardly. “I hope this doesn’t offend you...”
He saw Venom turn his head towards him, mouth smiling though teeth hidden, much to his relief. Peter coughed lightly, debating whether to proceed with the question. Venom simply cocked his head like a curious dog, and the image was enough for Peter to move forward. “What exactly are you?”
Venom blinked at him in silence. He wasn’t glaring which was a good sign that Peter hadn’t pissed him of yet. Or maybe he just didn’t understand the question? “I mean I know you’re a guy. And that you’re big. But like, what are you? Government experiment gone wrong? Supernatural beast from another dimension? Alien parasite that fell to earth-”
“We are not a parasite!” Venom growled, suddenly inches from Peter’s face. Peter was left scrambling away, spidey sense ablaze, and hand ready to swing out of there.
“Woah chill big guy! I didn’t mean it. Is that a bad word? Sorry.” Peter said frantically. For a moment, thought that he might have to fight the guy, Venom glaring at him and lips curled into a snarl. But Venom slowly backed away, looking less ready to commit murder and more grumbling in irritation. In a weird way, it reminded Peter of an irritated toddler, a 10ft toddler that looked like he could bench press a truck. Peter was suddenly struck with an image of a pouting Venom in diapers.
It took a few moments for Venom ease up on the glare. “Just don’t use that again. We don’t like that word.”
Peter nodded rapidly, barely containing a sigh of relief. “Okay. Understood.” Peter picked at his glove awkwardly. He coughed lightly in his hand before he continued. “So what are you then?”
Venom gave him a toothy smile, bad mood quickly forgotten. “A creature not from here. You could say I’m from outer space.”
“Wait really?! Like you’re not joking? You’re for real an alien?” Peter squealed, doing a full 180 from awkward to enthusiastic. He was understandably excited at this news. Forgetting that he was talking to a large alien with very sharp teeth, he was suddenly crossing the small space between them, vibrating in excitement.
Venom simply laughed, a pleased tone at the younger hero’s enthusiasm. “Yes. We are an alien from another galaxy. We journeyed here through one of your ships who came in contact with our world.”
“Did you come here to take over the world? Did it not work because we had the Avengers?” Peter whisper-shouted excitedly, eyes of his mask as wide as his own underneath.
Venom made a face that looked like he was raising an eyebrow, if he had any. Or maybe he was snarling? His lip was curled back after all. Peter couldn’t tell. “We would have done it by now if we wanted to little spider, just so you know.”
“Did you come here in peace then? Like share your knowledge and try to learn from us?”
Venom hummed quietly. “Not really. When we arrived here, we didn’t exactly have...diplomatic intentions.”
“So world domination then?” A classic alien plot. Did he have to call the Avengers though?
“No. At least not anymore.” Now that stopped Peter’s thoughts on having Venom arrested. Head tilted, Peter voiced his curiosity.
“What changed your mind?”
“I met someone who changed my point of view.” Venom replied, an expression on his face that Peter could have described as almost fond. It was so adorable, Peter had to call him out on it.
“Awww. Did you fall in love? Like an alien version of Twilight?”
Through the night vision, Peter could see Venom’s skin crawl. Literally. “Please don’t compare us to Twilight.” Venom said in disgust.
“Hey Twilight is not that bad.” Peter defended. He actually liked the book series despite how trashy they were. Venom clearly didn’t share the same sentiment because he just made a face in revulsion.
“I mean yeah it had a very terrible romance, and had weird backward ideas on love, plus Bella was practically worthless throughout most of the series. But they had really cool vampires!” Peter tried to explain. Sue him for liking trash.
“The vampires had glittering skin. Why is that cool?”
“Because they’re made of stone and can’t burn in the sun.” How was that not cool? “Their only weakness is fire which is the weakness of practically everything else.”
“We hate Twilight. So please stop talking about it.” Venom ended the conversation at that and turned away to stare at the empty dock. They lapsed into silence for a while, the sound of the ocean waves filling the quiet. It was only when a quiet hum came from Peter that Venom looked.
“What?” Venom asked.
“Why do you do that?” Peter asked unexpectedly.
“Do what?”
“Whenever you refer to yourself, you always use ‘we’. The entire time we were talking, you kept using ‘we’. The only time I heard you use ‘I’ was when I asked you about what changed your plans for Earth.”
Venom simply gave him a condescending smirk.
“That’s a secret.”
Peter gave a frustrated groan. “Come on,” Peter whined.
“Nope.”
“Please?”
“No.”
“Pretty please?”
“Not gonna change my mind no matter how pretty that please is.”
“Fine,” Peter pouted. “I’ll respect your privacy,” he grumbled under his breath. He finally got to talk to another alien that wasn’t Thor, and it just so happened to be the one with a tendency to mess with him.
Venom took in the hero’s indignant posture and asked, “Why are you so intent on finding out?”
Peter let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head shyly before answering.
“It’s just that you’re an alien. And I don’t always get to talk to aliens. The only alien I do get to talk to is Thor, his brother, and his friends. And they all look human so it’s not much of a change.”
He turned to Venom then, eyes almost alight with curiosity even under the mask.
“But you? You’re different. You’re unique. And I’m just so curious to learn more.”
Venom gave him a searching look before asking, “And why should I trust you?”
“Because I’m Spider-man?” said Peter in tone that clearly said that it was obvious. Not to Venom apparently. Said alien just looked down at Peter.
“I wasn’t born yesterday little spider. Information is valuable. Trust even more so.”
“Dude, I’m a superhero. I’m literally the most trustworthy person ever.”
“Yet I don’t personally know you. You may be a trusted superhero, but you’re a stranger to me. What if you find out something about me that makes you sic the Avengers on me?”
Okay, point taken. But still.
“The only reason I could possibly do that is if you did something illegal. I’m not gonna randomly arrest you just because you’re an alien.” Peter voiced in a tone that showed how dumb the notion was to him.
“Maybe. Still, we prefer keeping it close to the vest. We’re not all used to being treated with respect.”
Peter winced at the comment, which was thankfully hidden by the mask. He didn’t actually garner respect at the beginning. That came after long hours of hero work proved that he was serious about what he was doing. Still, he could remember a time when police officers would try to arrest him thinking he was a lunatic in pajamas.
“I understand. Sorry for prying.”
“None taken.”
There was a moment of silence between them where the only sounds Peter could hear was the lull of ocean waves and the far of noise of New York. Peter felt himself slowly relax as time wore on. He thought he would have been tense all night with an alien right beside him but their conversations had slowly put him at ease enough that he wasn’t even crouching anymore but sitting comfortably on the container. He could feel his eyelids get heavier and was reminded how late it already was. Guess he was just gonna sleep in between classes. Again. Ugh.
A sudden burst of his spidey sense had Peter lose all his sleepiness. He shifted positions from to crouching again, ready to leap into action. He saw Venom look towards him, head cocked to the side.
“What are you doing little spider?”
Peter deigned to reply and instead open his senses to catch anything.
“Peter, Spidey-bot detected 2 black SUV’s and a nondescript truck is headed to our direction. They’re still 8 minutes away.”
Ah. So they were here.
“Someone’s coming.” He answered Venom, attention focused around him. He wasn’t picking anything up from his hearing and nothing was appearing through the night vision. He heard Venom shift beside him. Looking back, he saw Venom shift positions so that he was on all fours. For a split second, he reminded Peter of a black panther, ready to pounce.
“How did you know?” Venom asked, shifting his gaze to catch something in the darkness.
“Drone. Been flying around trying to see where Tombstone would come from. It detected 3 SUV’s headed here.”
Peter turned his attention to his AI. “Karen is Tombstone with them?” He asked, spidey sense starting buzz loudly in the back
“Scanning now.” Karen replied. After a few moments, his AI spoke up again. “Scans confirmed presence of 12 assailants. Heavy firearms detected. No sign of Tombstone though.”
A live feed appeared in his vision, showing a scan of the interiors of the cars. Peter cursed. He’ll just have to interrogate the thugs then, he decided. Though he doubted that it would lead to anything useful.
“How far are they Karen?”
“ETA is in 4 minutes.”
“They’re getting close.”
Peter looked at Venom in surprise.
“Wait did you hear?”
“I sensed them. You’re not the only one with extra senses little spider.” He replied. Then a smirk bloomed on his face, showing of his large teeth. “Though, I doubt that they’ll pose a challenge.”
Peter almost rolled his eyes but decided to simply keep his focus on preparing for the possible fight. He didn’t have to wait long. Five minutes later saw bright beams of headlights piercing the veil of darkness around them, followed by the arrival of the SUV’s and the truck. The sudden brightness had Peter turn off his night vision. Their engines rumbled in the quiet of the dock, soft enough to not be noticeable from the outside but loud enough that Peter almost covered his ears from the sudden change in decibel, even from his vantage point from far away.
Finally, the cars made their appearance. Like black metal beetles skittering in the dark, the SUV’s drove into the empty clearing and parked just beside the actual dock itself, bordering the wooden structure on both sides. The truck followed just behind them, black all around. Two pairs of headlights suddenly went out, along with the sound of their engines The truck’s headlights remained open and directed at the open sea. Even though it got darker, Peter had enough light to see the thugs coming out.
Stereotypical burly goons stepped out of the vehicles, wearing usual criminal couture of black leather jackets, black sweaters and shirts, and black boots like they all decided to shop at Hot Topic. Peter could even see some shaved heads and large tattoos peeking out of their shirts. He wanted to almost tsk at their lack of creativity. Not that Peter minded, but couldn’t they have at least tried to dress up in something that didn’t scream ‘suspicious gang member’?
“Peter, Spidey-bot just picked up a ship coming up by the dock. ETA is 10 minutes.”
A live feed suddenly appeared in his vision, showing a shipping boat silently moving across the water. It didn’t have any lights on, keeping a low profile so no one would notice. Too bad they didn’t expect the arrival of a superhero.
“Can Spidey-bot get a closer look Karen?”
“Not without compromising its position. I did however take the liberty of scanning the ship for the possible location of the victims.”
The live feed suddenly switched to showing infrared images of the ship. Even the Spidey-bot was far away, Peter could still see the people on board. A few figures were moving around in one room, which he assumed was the bridge. The rest of the ship showed some momentary movement of assorted people moving about. But it was one area in particular that caught his eye. A group bodies were huddled close together near what looked like a cargo hold near the center of the ship. There were a lot of them, packed in just one place. He had no doubt who those were.
Movement below caught his eye, and Peter saw the gathering of bad guys suddenly bring out guns from their car. Ah, those must be the heavy firepower Karen saw. Looks like it was time to get the party started. He looked towards Venom, poised to attack any second and crawled towards the other. Venom looked at him questioningly.
“The ship’s about to arrive soon,” he told the alien. Venom looked at the group below, holding their weapons at the ready, and towards the open sea, trying to find the ship hiding in the darkness. Peter wondered if he could actually see the ship headed towards them with his alien eyes. “The victims look like they’re hiding in the cargo. I counted 5 bad guys in the ship. Not sure if they have guns though.”
Peter then turned to Venom. The other noticed him staring and turned to him as well. Peter gave a searching look in Venom’s empty white eyes and said, “If we’re gonna do this, work together I mean, I’m going to need you to promise me something.”
Curious, the alien cocked his head tot eh side. “What is it then little Spider?”
“Promise me that you’re gonna put the lives of the people above anything else. No putting anyone in unnecessary danger.” Peter’s voice took on a serious tone as he said this. “Since I don’t know what you can do, I’ll just give you the job of dealing with the bad guys. I’ll make sure the people can get out safely and subdue anyone in the way. Remember, their safety is the most important thing here.”
Venom gazed back at him silently, before smiling. He brought his hand up to his chest, like he was taking a pledge, and answered, “Of course Spider-man. Can’t be much of a rescue if they’re all dead.”
Peter wondered for the nth time if this was a good idea, and decided to think of it later when Karen told him that the ship was only 5 minutes away. He checked his web shooters one more time before turning back to the crowd below him.
“Get ready,” he told his companion.
The answering smile Peter got sent shivers down his spine.
“Showtime.”
Robbie felt himself stir from his fitful sleep by the sound of movement outside. He tried to stretch in the cramp space of the shipping container, trying his best not to elbow the people right next to him. He blinked the exhaustion from his eyes, which wasn’t much since he couldn’t remember when he wasn’t tired or drained ever since they got on this stupid boat. He wondered, not for the first time, how he found himself here.
People crying out in fear. The sound of police sirens. His rapid breaths as he kept on running. Him asking his friends for help. Him begging his family, that they’re after him, that he didn’t mean to, that it was an accident, that he needs help. They scream. The door breaking. The heat in his hands going out of control. And then fire. Fire everywhere. Burning and burning and burning and they’re all dead, oh God they’re all dead, mama I’m sorry. Papa please, I don’t want to go. Oh god, what had he done. I’m sorry I’m sorry, please let me out, help helphelpohgodsomebodyhelpme
“Wake up freaks.” A voice came from the now open doors of the shipping container. Robbie squinted at the sudden brightness of their flashlights. He could see seven guys, all in black, in front of the entrance, big guys that look like they lift his slim 18-year-old body like cardboard. They all had sneers on their faces that made Robbie’s skin crawl. A gangster with a shaved head barked orders for them to get out. No one did, still trying to get their bearings with the sudden change. One of the brutes got impatient and started pulling at one of them brutally. The man, whom Robbie recognized was from Brunei, let out a cry for help, yet still no one moved out of fear. Robbie himself was trembling.
“If you stupid fuckers don’t get a move on,” the man with the shaved head growled, “we’re gonna shoot you’re fucking faces and dump your sorry asses into the ocean.”
If Robbie was a braver man, he would have found the threat funny. It would have been more effective if they could actually understand what you were saying, Robbie thought. Then one of the guys brought out a gun and Robbie decided to stay quiet. They walked out of the shipping container as a procession of miserable expatriates, moaning from the brightness of the headlights. Robbie was busy covering his eyes from the light, which was why he didn’t notice the commotion behind until he was suddenly shoved to the ground.
As he lifted himself up, he saw the man from before running away from them. He heard loud shouts all around him, three of the men with guns running after the Bruneian. The men who stayed behind pointed their guns at their group. Everyone cried out. The men were shouting louder to “Get down freaks!” and “If any of you move, we’re gonna blow your fucking heads in!” Robbie could feel cotton in hears and his heart racing and heat in his hands, and the heat is fire and oh god not again, not again, he has to stop it, they’re going to die, they have guns and they’re all going to die-
There was a loud shout and suddenly the three men who ran after the guy reappeared. Or rather, they were bodily thrown into the clearing, covered in white rope.
“Now while I don’t like it when people try to leave a party early,” a voice came from above, “I’m pretty sure that shooting people isn’t the best way to deal with that.”
There was a sudden commotion in the darkness where the cars were parked, random shouts and gunshots that had all of them tensing on the spot. The four gangsters that were visible to Robbie raised their guns to the darkness, shouting and cursing loudly, before a body was thrown to the clearing. The remaining gangster pointed their guns and let loose, faces less angry and more afraid, trying to find the source of the disturbance. Robbie looked back at the subdued gangsters and realized something. That wasn’t rope that kept them bound. It was white and thick, it’s appearance reminding him of glue. Or, as Robbie took note of the fiber-like texture, spider webs. Robbie’s eyes widened.
There was only one person who used that.
Suddenly, all their weapons were yanked from their hands, pulled by thin tendrils of silk. They started scrambling for handguns that were hidden in their jackets, but before they could whip them out, a figure emerged from the darkness. Moving swiftly and quietly, the figure fell gracefully from some high perch in the darkness, instantly knocking out two of the assailants. The remaining two pointed their guns at him, but something shot out of the figure’s hands. It made a straight line towards the guns, which the figure used to pull the weapons away. In a quick display of acrobatics, the figure closed the distance to one of the men in a single leap, knocking the guy out with a kick to the face, while simultaneously subduing the other with another shot of spider webs. With all four assailants down, the figure finally turned to them, proudly wearing the brightly colored red and blue suit etched with a familiar symbol.
“How you doin’ folks?” Spider-man greeted them cheerfully. The sight of the familiar suit and mask made Robbie feel a relief so palpable that it he felt tears spring in his eyes. He heard a few kids cheer beside him, yelling out ‘Spider-man’ and clapping happily. A few of the adults started to whisper, still shaken by the near-death experience yet feeling the same elation at seeing the superhero. They were safe, he thought as Spider-man walked towards them and started helping them up. They were going to be okay.
Peter let out a sigh of relief as he checked the last one of the scared human trafficking victims, and finding them to be uninjured. He was worried that the thugs’ careless shooting might have accidentally hurt someone. But other than some severe trauma and a desperate need for a bath, they were all fine. Thank goodness for small miracles, he thought.
“Peter, I have just informed the police of the incident. They’ve sent a squadron to our destination.” Karen spoke up smoothly.
“Thanks Karen,” he replied. A bunch of kids suddenly caught his attention when they all decided to gang up on him, all of them suddenly grabbing his legs. They were pulling at him and grabbing at him and speaking so quickly in a bunch of languages Peter didn’t understand. But it was clear that, whatever they were saying, it was of gratitude because of how big the smiles were on their faces, how pure the laughter was. Sure they were yelling excited shrieks of ‘Spider-man!’ loud enough to make him wince under his mask. But Peter didn’t mind, not one bit. In fact, decided to retaliate by suddenly lifting all of them up in one big hug. Something they obviously appreciated because the kids squealed louder and giggled uncontrollably, and Peter felt warmth fill him. It was good to know that, despite the ordeal that they went through, these kids still managed to smile.
But it wasn’t just the kids. As he brought them down from his bear hug, he was immediately greeted by the adults thanking him profusely. Some were bowing, some were shaking his hand, and some were hugging him. And all of them had huge smiles on their faces as they whispered ‘Spider-man’ with reverently.
“Don’t worry everyone,” he started, using a deeper voice ala ‘Steve Rogers’, “you’re gonna be fine. I’ll make sure the police arrest these guys and you’ll all be brought back home.”
They continued thanking him, replying in other languages that weren’t English. This was when Peter realized that they might not actually understand him. This was gonna be a problem.
“Karen I think I might need some multilingual assistance.”
“I’ve already taken the liberty of analyzing the languages and dialects they use. The appropriate translators have been dispatched with the squadron.”
“You are a godsend Karen, thanks.”
“No problem Peter.”
He turned to from the people to check on the subdued thugs, and maybe knock out a few them if need be, when he noticed one of the victims staring at him. The teenager had a look of horror on his face as he just kept on staring at Peter. Which in turn made Peter nervous.
“You ok there?” he asked gently, trying not to spook him. This did the trick, because the guy shook his head and finally managed to talk.
“Is it true what you just said?” he asked in accented English. The strange question made Peter pause. What did he mean by that?
“Is it true you’re calling the police? That they’re coming here?” he continued. Peter responded with a reluctant nod. Which caused the other boy’s eyes to widen. He then started to shake his head and repeating the words ‘no’ under his breath. He then grabbed from Peter’s suited arms, and started speaking to him frantically.
“You can’t bring them here!” he whispered afraid. “If they find out about us, we’ll be put in jail!”
“What?” Peter asked, confused by the reaction. “No one’s going to put you in jail.”
“Yes they will!” he cried desperately. “They’re going to take us and then when they find out who we are, they’ll deport us back and then we’re all going to die because they’re after us too!”
Peter watched the scared teen, flabbergasted, and asked quietly, “What do you mean? Who are you guys?”
The teen didn’t respond. Instead he brought his hand out, palm open to the sky. Peter almost asked if he was waiting for a low five when a spark suddenly came to life in his open hand. Peter tensed as an orb of flame materialized, floating harmlessly above his skin. Peter stared at the fireball and to the teen who had a frightened expression on his face.
“We can’t go back,” he whispered mournfully, tears springing in his eyes. “We just can’t.”
And then Peter realized.
Refugees. Enhanced refugees. He forgot that he wasn’t just dealing with plain old human trafficking. They were people who had to get smuggled just so they could leave their home countries. These were people who were running for their lives from their own nations. These were people who faced death at home and possible harm overseas. These people needed help and approached the only one who could provide safe passage. Through illegal means using the mob.
Peter felt bile climb up his throat at the realization, the sensation staying even after the kid left to join the rest of the group.
“Peter,” Karen suddenly spoke up, breaking through the haze in his mind, “your heart rate suddenly spiked. What’s wrong?”
“Karen. I need help.” Peter answered quietly. “I’m gonna- gonna need a lot of help.”
“Is it because of what the young man said?”
Peter gave his affirmation in a small voice.
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I don’t know how I’m gonna help them,” he answered honestly. “I didn’t think this through.”
He could hear MJ’s question from earlier resonate in his mind.
Are you gonna stop them?
Peter didn’t know the answer to that. He only knew that if he let the police come, they would take the group and question them. That their status as enhanced would be revealed. That they would face both the justice system of two countries who both agree that to the restrictions on the rights of enhanced individuals. And then they would be deported back to their original countries. And they would be all alone to face the consequences.
Oh God, he realized, he was sending them to their death.
“Spider-man?” Venom asked, appearing from shadows on silent steps. Peter was turned to the alien, and saw that he didn’t have a smile on his face. In fact, his eyebrows were scrunched together, and he had a frown marring his features. Venom continued asking, wearing that strange expression, “Are you okay?”
Was he okay?
“No,” he answered quiet and honest. “I’m not okay.”
“Why is that? What’s wrong?” Venom asked softly. “We could sense your distress from far away.”
And because Peter was bad at feelings, he decided to forestall telling his inner turmoil.
“You sensed me? What, like you could smell me or something?”
“Actually we could just tell by the way you were standing. Something is wrong and it is bothering you greatly.”
Damn observant alien. He turned to Venom and stared at the white eyes who, that he now realized, were looking at him in concern. He debated whether he should talk to the alien about it but a loud cry of joy from the crowd and the sight of the teen shifting nervously at his feet causes guilt to spike through Peter.
“I-,” he stuttered, gulping a bit of air before continuing in a shaky breath, “I don’t know what to do.”
“What do you mean?” was Venom’s confused reply.
“These people,” Peter gestured to the group, “they were trying to escape.”
“Escape from what?”
“From their own country trying to kill them.”
He then turns to Venom and speaks in a voiced laced with guilt.
“They’re all enhanced individuals. Illegal enhanced individuals who just wanted to live. And I think I just sent them to their deaths.”
“You’re overdramatic. You did not send them to their deaths.”
Peter turned to the alien with unbelieving eyes, reflected by the widening of his own mask eyes.
“Did you not hear what I just said? They are literally refugees seeking asylum because their own government wants to kill them!” he said wildly. “I just put them in jeopardy because no one is going to take care of them!”
“The police will handle this.” Venom tried comfortingly. Peter didn’t agree.
“No!” he cried. “They’re not going to take care of this. They’re just going to arrest them and ship them back to where they came from!”
“If you didn’t act, then they would either be dead right now or probably working for the same guys that we just took out.” Venom told him, voice calm yet growling and strangely comforting. He then gestured to the happy crowd and the webbed up bad guys and said, “This is a better alternative to them.”
“...how can you be sure?” Peter asked quietly. Venom looked at him with those large white eyes and, for a moment, Peter felt something almost warm was in his gaze.
“Because you’re Spider-man,” Venom answered simply. “You won’t let these people be in danger. Whether it’s here or in other places, you’ll do your best to help them.”
The sentiment was surprisingly genuine and sweet, and left Peter staring at the alien in a mix of surprise, confusion, and pure affection.
“Why are you so sure about that?” Peter asked.
Venom gave him a smile, still filled with sharp teeth, yet somehow filled with the same genuine warmth from before.
“Because we believe you can.”
Peter stared from his perch high above as the police did their business in the dock below. The place was now lit with lights from squad cars and assorted flood lights. Officers were arresting the different gangsters, who were now just hanging by thinner strings of web rather than the globs before. He’s had enough complaints from the NYPD about his webbing that they were willing to brand him ‘Public Enemy no. 1’ again.
As they busied themselves below, Peter was working himself into a worried frenzy. Would they notice, he thought. They were very thorough. They made sure that the police wouldn’t pick up anything. But it also made Peter worry if he just inadvertently pissed of whoever ran this operation. What if they came after them? Not that that was new to Peter, but what about the rest of the people? They didn’t have super strength and radioactive spider powers to protect them. What if-
“Relax spider,” said Venom right beside him, less tense and more lounging, “they won’t notice.”
“But what if we missed something? I just can’t help but be nervous.”
“Don’t be. The fact that you managed to use an Avengers aircraft is enough reason for them to be safe,” Venom answered confidently.
Peter deigned to comment on the fact that he wasn’t the one who controlled the unmanned plane, but Tony. After explaining the situation to Tony, he immediately sent a plane over. They were gonna handle it, Tony said over the phone as the hoverjet appeared. With a little help from Natasha and Fury, they were gonna set up the refugees in places far away from the police yet close enough so that they could be monitored in case something went wrong. Which felt really weird to Peter but it was better than jail time, and he was getting a little tired so he left most of the thinking to them.
The alien beside must have heard his thoughts, and maybe it could because it might have freaky alien powers, because he suddenly felt something pat him on the head. He turned to Venom and saw him grinning widely while he petted him like a dog.
“Relax little spider,” Venom crooned. “Everything will be alright.” Venom’s large hand should have made for an awkward experience. Instead it was surprisingly comforting, all thing considered. Peter was even beginning to lean into the alien’s hand, which had Venom chuckling.
“I guess,” Peter relented, letting the soothing hand pet his worries away. “I’ll let the Avengers handle it.”
“Yeah, you did your part. Now all you need to deal with is me.”
This had Peter tensing.
“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to Venom, stance ready to attack. Venom simply lifted his hands in surrender.
“I simply meant that what are you going to do since I know your secret.”
Peter had a sudden panic attack that Venom was referring to his secret identity until he realized that, no it wasn’t his secret identity but the refugees they were hiding. He gave Venom a searching look, who responded by opening his arms wider, trying to reveal his body.
“What are you gonna do with the information?” Peter asked honestly. Venom hummed deeply and stared directly at Peter, before answering.
“Nothing. We have no use for it.”
Peter smiled under his mask.
“Then I don’t see anything wrong with letting you go.”
Venom looked at Peter in curiosity, and maybe a bit of wonder.
“Just like that?” he asked. “You’re not even going to try and question me?”
“Something tells me that that’s gonna be a hard thing to do.”
He finally stood up, dusting the pants of his suit, turned to Venom and thrust out a hand.
“Besides, I can trust you to keep a secret right?” Peter smiled the smile that made his eyes crinkle, which was echoed by his mask. Venom simply stared at the offered hand, before grasping it gently with his own clawed on.
“Yes you can,” Venom replied with an honest smile.