Chapter Text
Earth’s atmosphere was like acid fumes slowly corroding their substance. That’s why they had to find a host, adjusted to the planet and willing to share a body. The biggest problem was always the ‚willing’ part. Unfortunately they couldn’t just latch onto another equal being and take control over them but had to be accepted in order to create a bond. An often very troublesome process with a low success rate, which was the reason that the Klyntar were almost extinct.
Venom was one of the few of his kind that were left and decided to try their luck on earth, where they had a huge population, overcrowding the planet. Surely one of the inhabitants would agree to become their host. It wasn’t like they were a mere parasite, they had to offer quite a lot in return. The ability to cure any sickness was just as impressive as their strength. Honestly their hosts should feel lucky to be chosen, yet they’d been solely met with rejection so far.
After the first few attempts they figured that their manifestation must appear threatening to humans, so they tried to figure out a more likeable shape. They couldn’t imitate the earthling’s shell good enough to pass as one of them, unable to hide their big, pale eyes and black, slick-looking surface.
They found a new, promising source of inspiration upon coming across a building that advertised to be a pet store. Inside were a bunch of different inferior creatures. They could probably be used as temporary shells, but weren’t actual hosts. The symbiote was desperate enough to give it a chance. Their life was already on the line, so there’s nothing more to lose. Most importantly humans seemed to be extremely fond of those pets. Every so often one or a whole group of them would stop in front of the shop window and utter all sorts of excited noises. They gestured at the fur balls and recorded their pathetic maneuvers to gather attention with those small devices they all carried around.
The symbiote used the opportunity to sneak into the shop while everyone else was distracted. Their amorphous body sliding over the ground, contracting to stay as small and inconspicuously as possible. They hid behind a row of tanks, observing their surroundings. What pet should they pick? The ones in the tank seemed to be very limited if they needed to stay emerged in water all the time. There were others with feather held in cages. They were awfully noisy and twitchy, not a decent choice either. The furry creatures were acceptable. Especially those who just lounged around but appeared to have a muscular body and fangs similar to their own despite possessing a lot less.
There’s a specimen that even had a completely black coloring. They’d found their prey and were quick to move towards them, avoiding people trampling them on the way before slipping in between the gaps of the small cell. The other creature eyed them curiously unsure what to make out of the unusual visitor.
The symbiote didn’t give them the chance to decide if they’re a threat or a companion. Black tendrils connected with soft fur and fused with the skin underneath. They allowed themselves to get absorbed, spreading through the whole organism within seconds. Carefully spreading their new limbs they moved into a sitting position, blinking a few times before their eyesight adjusted itself. The current vessel felt rather constricting and fragile. Hopefully they’d find a proper host soon. Meanwhile, they’re watching the other fur owners, silently studying their behavior.
One of them enjoyed playing with a stuffed piece of fabric while another sharpened their claws on a small post. The latter action at least made some sense to the symbiote. Always be prepared for a fight. The food that was offered in a bowl was disgusting with only the faintest traces of stale meat inside. What they yearned for were something bloody and fresh. Eating the other pets would certainly make a bad impression on any potential human host tho…
Every time someone came close to the cage they got their hopes up, getting on their hind legs and placing their front paws against the bars with a pleading look.
“Oh no, what’s with your eyes? Are you blind?“ A woman sent them a pitiful look, yet she didn’t take them with her. It was frustrating. At the end of the day the symbiote had become restless. The shop had closed some time ago and with no more humans milling around there was no point for them to stay around. They needed to find their host somewhere else.
Denting the metal bars until he could fit the new body through them wasn’t a problem. Now that no one was around to judge them for their actions they also took the opportunity to catch some snacks. They left three tanks empty until their hunger was somewhat satisfied. Extending a single tendril they managed to unlock the door and escape without causing further damage. The streets weren’t as crowded anymore but not entirely empty either. Not having a specific destination in mind they followed whatever street they came across.
They saw a group of young humans huddling together in a billow of smoke. Too young, not fully grown yet.
Humans nestled in doorways, sleeping or drinking. Too old. They could restore their health, but weren’t able to turn back time. The host he’s looking for wasn’t one of them.
Suddenly a man was stumbling into their path, forcing them to an abrupt halt.
//
“Woah, didn’t see you, buddy.“, Eddie apologized to the cat he’d almost ran over. Not like the cat could understand him and even if they could they definitely wouldn’t care. Mr Belvedere had taught him that lesson over and over again. Great, just when he’d managed to drink enough to forget his ex-girlfriend and their no longer existing relationship for a night he received a cat shaped reminder that brought back too many memories.
“I’m a dog person.“, he muttered to himself, rubbing a hand over the side of his face. They were loyal, good-hearted and forgiving as long as you were up for a round of fetch. A cat you couldn’t trust. One second they let you rub their belly the next one they randomly decided that they didn’t like the attention anymore and dug their claws in your skin. That’s one of the reasons Eddie didn’t attempt to kneel down and pet the stray. It might have vermin too.
“Stay out of the shadows.“, was his well-meant advice for the feline before he continued his way back to his flat. Home didn’t feel like a fitting term to describe his new accommodation. At least it had a bed he could fall into.
He’s about to turn right when someone bumped into his side, almost making him lose his balance. “Sorry!“, the other apologized, hastily walking past him into the alleyway where he just came from. Eddie didn’t care enough about the accident to dignify it with a reply. That was until he noticed that something was missing. His jacket felt lighter and upon rummaging through the pocket he couldn’t find his wallet. He couldn’t believe he’d just fallen for the oldest thief trick of all time. Turning back he could see the culprit, but the man was too far away already and there’s no chance he could catch up with him.
“Jokes on you, I’m dead broke, asshole!“, he shouted after the man, hoping that karma would kick his ass.
//
Venom had watched the whole exchange from a save distance. Upon observing what happened their first instinct was to figure out a way how they could turn the incident in their favor. If they helped the human in need he might feel grateful enough to become their host. Not immediately, but it was a good base to work on.
Glancing at their favored human one more time they started running, chasing the thief down the alleyway and beyond. The man only slowed down when he was sure that no one was following him, unaware of the small shadow right behind him. The cat’s body was too small to bring a grown adult down, so they had to reveal their real form. It’d take some energy of which they didn’t have much to spare to begin with, but they knew how to compensate for the loss.
While the thief busied himself by checking out the content of the wallet, complaining about the lack of money the symbiote drew themselves up to their full height. Tiny paws turned into big clawed hands and in the end there’s nothing left that even slightly resembled a cat. The movement caught the man’s attention, making him gape at the creature in front of them and drop the wallet.
“The hell…what are you?“
“We are Venom.“, the symbiote stated proudly with a face splitting grin, exposing their long, saliva dripping tongue. Finally, the man’s flight instinct seemed to kick in, jolting him out of his paralysis. Too late. They devoured him in a few bites, leaving behind nothing but a few blotches of blood. A wave of nutrients flooded their system, making them hum with delight. It was a real shame the feline’s body wasn’t able to store them. This way they needed to eat a lot more in order to stay functional. It was still the best meal they had since arriving at this toxic planet.
They retreated into the small bundle of fur and got a hold of the wallet with their teeth, awkwardly carrying in their jaws. Hopefully the other human hadn’t gotten away yet. They picked up speed, running back to where they came from. Of course the stupid man hadn’t waited for them but he could still smell traces of his scent in the air and didn’t waste any time following it to a side street.
//
Eddie was fumbling with his keys, grumbling half formed curses when one of them slotted into the lock, yet the door refused to open until he pulled at the door knob at the same time. His efforts were rewarded with a clicking noise, and he was able to push the door open. About to enter the hallway he heard another sound behind him that he couldn’t identify as easily. Tilting his head to the side his eyes landed on a familiar looking black stray. They widened in astonishment when he caught sight of the object the cat had brought along.
“That’s my wallet.“, he stated somewhat dumbfounded, taking the few steps that separated him from the cat to crouch down in front of it.
“How did you get it back?“, Eddie wondered aloud, not exactly surprised when he got a blank look instead of a verbal response. „Nevermind…thank you, buddy.“, he expressed his gratitude with a small smile before carefully extracting the worn piece of leather from the cat’s mouth. Luckily it didn’t put up a fight and hadn’t drooled on it that much. Shoving the wallet back into his jacket he unbent from his position and made for the standing open front door, when he noticed that he was still being tailed.
"Hey I'm grateful for what you've done for me but I'm not a cat person." Hell he barely was a person at all at the moment. More like a stumbling mess who could barely scraped together enough money to pay rent and feed himself, even less a furry parasite. Why was he even explaining himself to a cat? He must be more drunk than he felt, which meant he's going to have a head splitting headache in the morning. Just another regret he could add to his steadily growing list. "Nothing personal.", Eddie muttered before quickly closing the door into the cat's face, ignoring the stab of guilt he felt in doing so.
//
The symbiote let out an offended yowl, scratching at the door, demanding to enter. After all they’d returned the man’s belonging and punished the thief. Maybe they should’ve brought along his head as proof. A grave mistake on their part. Next time they’d do better and there definitely would be a next time because they didn’t intend to give up on their chosen one that quickly. Surely he just needed some time to become more comfortable with them, to realize that he was better off bonded to them.