Chapter Text
Of course, drowning in a murderous pile of sludge intent on using his body for camouflage was not how Midoriya Izuku planned on spending his afterschool time. Not that anybody really planned on spending their time like that, but that was just how his day was going so far. His ex-friend had just told him to jump off a roof, and he was struggling against a Sludge Villain because his own physical prowess wasn’t currently helping. He had dodged the initial attack, only to be caught in the followup.
His ability to think coherently was quickly fading as his consciousness gave into the lack of oxygen in his system. That was not halted by the sudden appearance of the Underground Entity known as Black Death. Seen even more rarely than Eraserhead, this being has had reported sightings as far back as 300 years ago, denying its existence as a Quirk. This led Midoriya to the only logical solution; he was hallucinating.
This was, fortunately, false.
Venom was in full control. The simple phrase ‘The Universal Host is near’ , which is far from a simple matter on second thought, had sent Eddie into a near catatonic state of shock. He had simply given in to the Symbiote’s near-oppressive will. He knew that their bonded form could be considered downright terrifying for humans, but Eddie’s complaints were cast aside as he raced towards the mental tugging of the Universal Host’s frantically beating heart. He had no doubt that it was one of these ‘Quirks’ that had appeared over the last 200 years, but that wasn’t his current focus.
Eddie went completely silent as the hulking form of Venom burst around the corner to find a sewage-green Sludge Villain attempting to drown a child. Venom let loose a monstrous snarl and rushed forward, his ink-black claws cutting through the sludge but achieving no purchase. The child reached out as the Villain spat out a gargled insult that went ignored. Pulling the child from the Villain’s grasp, and effectively passing the climax of the situation, Venom turned his attention inward to Eddie.
“Eddie…. This child is the Host. He and I could survive indefinitely together. You could finally live that life you want.”
“It sounds a little too good to be true, Venom. Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Eddie. I can be strong with this one. You can be human. Rest. Return to America. Live a normal life again. You tried to hide it from me, but outliving everyone hurt you. You would be completely human again. I want to be strong. To protect. It feels… good to protect the weak.”
“Goodbye, Venom. Next time I see you, you’ll be a Hero.”
“Goodbye, Eddie.”
And with that short conversation, if it could be called that over an acceptance of the facts, a symbiotic relationship of over 250 years was ended with the ease of untangling himself from Eddie’s body and latching onto the, still airborne, body of Midoriya Izuku.
Izuku watched as the hulking black thing ripped him out of the Sludge Villain. He then watched as it was separated, seemingly willingly, into an attractive, if somewhat average, American and an ink-black amalgamation of tendrils. Said tendrils wrapped around his wrist and began to sink into his wrist as he neared the ground, his feat moving to position themselves beneath him seemingly of their own accord.
Time slowed as the ink-like substance sank into his skin, rushing along his veins like that Trigger drug he’d heard about. Then he heard it. A menacing voice that echoed slightly but held no malice for him. It slithered in his mind like the inky tendrils from before.
“Izuku…. A strange name, though probably not for you. You do not have a useful Quirk…. No power to call your own. You must rely on your own body…. But what if you didn’t?”
“W-What do you mean? Who are you? Why are you in my head? What’s happening?”
“I think you know, Izuku. You’re smarter than you act. I am Venom. I am no Quirk, but I could be yours…. You are the perfect host. The only living being capable of properly binding with me. Not even Eddie could manage it. The Balance could not be achieved…. As for why I’m in your head… partners need to communicate, do they not?”
“I… I suppose? Wait. I know you aren’t a Quirk. You’re too old to be a Quirk. How are you with me, and not the other guy? What do you mean, ‘Host’?”
“I am a being of symbiosis. Some would call me a parasite, but I despise that word. I cannot survive on this planet without a host body, and now that host is you. Eddie and I were partners for about 250 years, but now we’re done. You are mine now and, if you want the power, I am yours.”
“Ok, Venom. I’ll accept your power. It may seem foolish, and you probably have an agenda, but I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. In all my research, you seem to be heroically minded, and you haven’t tried to hurt me yet, so I’m going to trust you. You have a deal. My body as a home and a partner for as long as I can manage. In return, you share your power, and we can be a Hero. That sound good to you?”
“Yes. To protect the weak. Striking fear in the hearts of our foes, we
are Venom.”
Time sped up again and black enveloped Izuku’s body, filling him with power and strength he had never felt before. It was glorious, and oh-so-addicting. He didn’t want it to ever end as he rushed forward and leapt over the charging Sludge Villain, ripping his eyes and mouth out of him with a well-timed swipe of clawed hands. So wrapped up in his sudden acquisition of power, Izuku failed to notice as Venom, and by extension he , opened his fanged mouth wide and threw the Villain’s eyes in as if they were cherries. Of course, it was at the moment that he closed his mouth and ‘powered down’ that someone else chose to arrive.
Yagi Toshinori burst from the sewers with a bombastic laugh, as was his signature, and promptly came to a grinding halt as he examined the scene before him.
The Sludge Villain was slowly reforming a set of eyes and a mouth as it lay in a large puddle on the ground. On the other side of him was a teenager with inky-black claws and massive white eyes holding the Villain’s original mouth. There was no sign of his original eyes, but that could be addressed later.
“Never fear, for I am here !” He announced himself with all of his usual energy before rushing forward to scoop up the Villain in the blink of an eye. While he was at it, he signed the boy’s notebook before stuffing the two 2-liter bottles of Sludge Villain into his pockets. “Sorry for getting you caught up in my Heroing, Young Man. Musutafu’s sewer system is much more confusing than I anticipated. Now, please stand back. I must get our slimy friend here to the police. As they say, ‘A Hero’s work is never done!’”
And with that short interruption, Izuku turned his attention inwards again, absentmindedly retrieving his things from off the ground and returning them to his bag. He began walking home even as he attempted to speak with Venom again, completely ignoring the fact that ‘Eddie’ had slipped away without even a word. Unbeknownst to him, Venom had just finished finalizing his bond with the teenager, and his large white eyespots and claws had sunk back into Izuku’s body.
“So, Venom… that just happened right?”
“Yes, Izuku. It did. We are powerful together.”
“Well that’s good. It would kinda defeat the purpose of us teaming up, wouldn’t it?”
“Only partially, but in the sense you are talking about, yes. It would.”
“Do you mind if I ask some questions? I like to analyze Quirks, and you’re close enough that I can’t help it. Also, I kinda want to know what we’ll be able to do as a team.”
“I am capable of many things, Izuku. What would you like to know?”
It would be accurate to say that Venom was questioning his Host’s true intelligence. Some of the things he was asking were beyond the symbiote’s knowledge, and even more were about things he had never considered before. He answered what he could with words, but when the area seemed clear enough for his Host to stop moving, Venom would offer explanations in a slideshow of images and memories from his time with Eddie. It was after one of these moments that Izuku seemed to realize that he had effectively ignored the Symbol of Peace to revel in the feeling of his new strength.
The resulting meltdown had been promptly halted when Venom fed on the anxiety and fear coursing through his Host’s mind.
“Relax, Izuku. We shall surpass that man in our own time. The Faded King will hand over his throne willingly once he sees us in action.”
“Faded King? You mean All Might? Is this about his shorter patrol times over the last couple years?”
“Yes. The man you know as All Might was injured by a very powerful Villain by the name of All for One. We are not meant to know, so we musn’t share that information.”
“Who would I even tell? I don’t have any friends. You should already know this.”
“Yes. You are a loser, but that is good. Our rise shall be even more impressive. And you have one friend. I am here. Always.”
“Thank you, Venom….”
Feeling the twinge of fear in his Host, Venom mentally frowned, spreading himself throughout Izuku’s body. He laid just beneath the surface, his power increasing Izuku’s own and giving a sense of warmth. “You are welcome, Izuku.”
As Izuku’s steps slowed to a halt, Venom turned his attention outward, taking in the sights of Izuku’s eyes. Their shared vision caught the sight of one Bakugo Katsuki struggling against the Sludge Villain from before. All Might was nowhere to be seen, and at least one person in the crowd mentioned as much. The other Pros, were stood there talking about their weakness.
“Death Arms, Kamui Woods, Backdraft, and Mt. Lady. They aren’t doing anything…. They’re just… whining. Death Arms could be putting out the fires! Kamui Woods could be pulling Kacchan out of the Villain! Backdraft could be focusing on watering down the Villain! Even Mt. Lady could be being useful! Why aren’t they doing anything!?”
“Because they are weak, Izuku. They fear injury. They fear fire. They fear the loss of face.”
“Are we weak, Venom?”
“NO!”
“Then why are we still standing here?”
“Let’s go be a Hero.”