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Chapter Text

The nights seem to pass a lot quicker now. Especially after Venom came along. Eddie wasn't sure if the Symbiote even slept most nights.

     Usually, he caught Venom creeping around his organs late at night, no intention of malice or hurting him but, just creeping along as if he was exploring further inside of him, which usually woke Eddie up with a stomach ache when he crawled too far, or for too long. This usually occurred when Venom seemed unsettled, or when Eddie himself was unsettled within a nightmare or overall uncomfortable. Though tonight he seemed to be settled rather well, when Eddie woke up in the middle of the night for a drink like he usually did, Venom didn't stir or make a sound. Seemed like the Symbiote was fast asleep for once which made Eddie happy.

When Eddie got up, he did it carefully. He could feel Venom resting deep against his spine somewhere, and he didn't want to wake him up. Usually the Symbiote awoke every time he did, called it an 'instinct' most times but Eddie knows he can feel him getting up. Eddie creeped quietly out of the door and into the kitchen, where the dim light above the stove was flickering so he didn't tumble into anything when he needed to get up. Eddie carefully opened the cupboard and grabbed a glass, placing it silently on the counter. It felt like trying not to wake up a baby, with his careful movements and the creeping through the kitchen, even if Venom was inside him and supposedly felt every moments. Eddie turned on the tap and filled the cup almost to the brim with water and drank.

    Eddie..

"Ah shit." Eddie muttered to himself when he heard the deep rumble. "Sorry, Vee. I didn't mean to wake you." He quietly apologized.

    We are tired, Eddie. Back to sleep...

"I know love, we will. Just give me a minute." Eddie turned off the tap and quickly shut the cupboard door, it made an annoying creak every time it opened. Eddie made sure everything was neat once more then doing what Venom wanted and creeped back into the bedroom. One tendril slowly emerged from his back and shut the door after him, then slipped back inside. Eddie could feel Venom getting cozy once more, burying deep against his spine like before. "You really need to learn to go back to sleep when I need to do something, love."

    Can't, Eddie. We feel every movement. Sleep now.

Eddie slipped back into bed, placing the water on the desk besides them and wriggling a little to get comfy. His pillow was a little warm which made him uncomfortable, it was a warm night so that didn't help either. Two tendrils emanated from Eddie's shoulder and pulled the duvet over him, then gently brushed his face. Venom seemed to have got into the habit of that ever since a few nights ago. After Venom got a few strokes on his head from Eddie on the couch one evening, he found it comforting return the gesture, especially when it made Eddie happy. He saw himself as his protector, and saw Eddie as something to protect. Eddie never complained about the habit, it put him to sleep very quickly. "Night, Vee." He mumbled quietly, nuzzling his cheek into the tendril that stayed curled on his face.

-

The next morning came too soon. Eddie squinted at the light that pooled on his face and buried his head under the duvet, grunting a little in protest to getting up. He found it very difficult to wake up in the mornings ever since Venom came along, he wasn't sure if it was because Venom wanted to sleep longer, or that he found comfort in him being there with him. Eddie knew deep down that he had a job to do, he had a big report today and an article write, so he couldn't miss it or be late. So, reluctantly, Eddie threw the cover off himself with his foot and was about to sit up, when he was pulled straight back down with an alarmed yelp. "Hey! What the-"

    Too early, Eddie. We sleep more.

"Darling, come on. We have a big day today, we can't miss it." Eddie said and tried to get back up, when he felt Venom pool his jelly-like body over him and pin him down. Despite being made of something that wasn't necessarily hard to the touch, he was extremely strong. Especially when he decided to be stubborn like this, which happened very often. "Seriously?"

    Yes, seriously. Ten more minutes.

"You say ten but it always ends up being way more. Come on, Vee. It's not like you have to wake up anyways, you can sleep some more." Eddie said, which was always true. Venom insisted on waking up with him though, it was very rare that Venom went back to sleep for a few more minutes while Eddie got himself ready in the morning. Venom rarely seemed to sleep more than him, they always had to rest at the same time, even if it was a nap. 

    Venom didn't budge. Despite his jelly-like state it was very strong, so Eddie was rather stuck. He sighed a little. "I'll look like shit going to that report if I don't get ready now."

You always look like shit. Affectionately. We love it.

    "Gee, thanks." Eddie said, he knew Venom means no insult. Eddie sighed again, knowing he wasn't going to get his way. He felt Venom creep along his wrist and to his hand, forming his own hand and grabbing it, holding it tight. Eddie stopped his straining to get up and relaxed now, laying back against the bed and leaned his head back down to the covers. This felt good. "Alright, alright. Ten more minutes."

Chapter Text

It felt like forever.

Eddie had been laying on his back wide awake for what felt like a few hours now. Venom was restless, squirming around inside him which kept Eddie wide awake. One of the downsides about having a Symbiote is that their attention span seemed the same of a cat. They were constantly on alert and seemed to have one braincell at times. And  tonight was one of those nights, where Venom seemed absolutely restless despite how much Eddie tried to calm him down.

    Eddie, how many tater tots could we fit in this room?

"I don't know, love. Please, can you go to sleep?" Eddie was desperate at this point. Venom had been asking him some weird questions all night, he thinks he may have watched a channel by himself when he fell asleep on the couch this afternoon. That might explain why he woke up to the teleshopping channel. Another downside of having a Symbiote, they do what they want when you aren't looking even if you tell them no. Just like a cat.

    Answer the question, Eddie.

"Pssh, I don't know, hundreds? Thousands? Depends if you stack them? Look, please, just sleep, I'm tired." Eddie pleaded. He had no idea what sort of question Venom was asking, why on earth would he even think of filling a room with tater tots? Unless he was absolutely bored out of his mind, this was a thought that didn't occur on the daily.

    We should fill this room with tater tots, Eddie. We will never run out of food.

"As much as you would love it, I would prefer keeping my bedroom the way it is, mkay? Plus, it would stink." Eddie rolled onto his side, feeling Venom's head resting snuggly in the nape of his neck. Venom never usually emerged in just his head form at night, the Symbiote preferred to be cozy and comfortable inside him somewhere, but Venom was extra wide awake for whatever reason and now he had to suffer with the consequences. Consequences of actions he didn't commit? Yes. This seemed to happen often nowadays. 

    If we were to eat a bad guy, it takes just us. How many chickens would it take?

"W-What? Chickens? Chickens can't kill people. At least I don't think they can." Eddie blinked in disbelief at all these questions Venom was coming up with. He knew it was going to be a long night. Can chickens kill people? Maybe if enough of them came together and pecked to death, probably? But if it was just one chicken, no way would it kill a person. It would take at least a hundred of them, right? Plus, the human has to be unarmed, or that wouldn't be a fair fight.

    Sonny and Cher could. 

"I will passionately disagree." Eddie shook his head. Those chickens seemed to enjoy climbing all over his counter nowadays and pecking at who knows what. Eddie found Sonny running around with a sock in his beak one night and it took him roughly an hour to get it back. Chickens are a lot faster than you think. Venom also was no help, he found it oddly amusing watching his other run after a chicken. "Is that enough of your questions now? Can I sleep?" However Eddie waited for no answer and pulled a pillow over his head, where he hoped to block out his talking. Though he forgot that Venom is a voice inside his head sometimes, so no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get rid of him. It's not like he wants to, he loves Venom dearly, but there were times like this where he just wanted them both to be quiet and sleep.

    Which orange came first, Eddie?

"What?"

    Orange is a fruit, is it not? Orange is also a colour. Which was an orange first?

"I give up." Eddie hissed and gently hit Venom with a pillow, who sprung away quickly with a little growl of surprise. Eddie sat up, rubbing his tired face. "Where on earth are you getting these questions from? Did you watch some weird program this afternoon while I was asleep?" He looked at his Symbiote who was hovering in front of his face, white, pupil-less eyes wide awake with curiosity as he asked these absurd questions. Eddie however had bags under his eyes, they were dropping closed every second he tried to keep them open. He really was exhausted, but he didn't want to sleep without Venom. 

    Maybe. Interesting program called 'Stranger Questions'. Lots of thoughts, Eddie. We need to know the answers. 

"So it's going to be a long night of asking them, yeah?"

    Exactly, Eddie. We are not tired. Still much to ask. Still much to know.

"Right." Eddie said and collapsed back against the bed, a pillow on his face and there and then he accepted defeat. He wasn't sleeping tonight.

Chapter Text

"Remember, Venom. This place is full of children, so please, for the love of myself and Sleeper, don't materialize." Eddie talked to himself as they walked, hands in his pockets. Sleeper was Venom's child, that together they look after. Anne and Dan wanted to take their toddler to the soft-play for the day, and invited Eddie to come along seen as they were the only ones who knew about their little Sleeper. Eddie was hesitant at first, because Sleeper was a Symbiote like Venom, but it wouldn't hurt for Sleeper to just chill inside him for the time being while they watched. Anne and Dan called Eddie 'Uncle Eddie' around their kid, so it would sort of make sense for him to just be around, if anyone questioned it.

    Human spawns are loud. Why so loud, Eddie?

"Well, they aren't in much control. Children are fearless and have no chill, so they will be very loud, and reckless, so we need to be careful." Eddie continued to speak, feeling Sleeper slink down his arm and to his wrist. Sleeper was partially achieving Symbiosis with Eddie for the time being, until they got back home where Eddie kept a cat temporarily for him. It would be weird bringing a cat into a soft play area for children. Plus, allergies. So for now the young Symbiote had to make do with what he had.

    Anne trailed away a little from Dan and her toddler for a moment, coming to Eddie's side. "Is Venom going to be okay in here?"

    "He'll be fine, I've already set the rules with him like five times. Not allowed to snack on anyone or emerge." Eddie said, trying his best to reassure Anne. "I also made sure Sleeper knows to stay with me and Venom. I don't want him achieving Symbiosis with Jacob or any other child in the soft play, and potentially losing him in said child."

    "Okay, good, thank you." Anne smiled at Eddie and trailed back next to Dan and Jacob, entering the soft play area. Already the sound of screeching children made Eddie wince a little, or was it Venom who winced? Either way, neither of them seemed to like listening to screaming children. Eddie felt Sleeper become unsettled in his palm and stroked over the Symbiote with his thumb to keep them calm. It seemed to be working for now. The soft play area was every kid's dream, with a huge tower of soft obstacles to overcome, slides, ball pits and food. As soon as they walked through the door, already Eddie almost walked into a child that zoomed passed him.

    Smell food, Eddie. We are hungry.

"Yeah I smell it too, love. We'll get something to eat soon." Eddie spoke as the six, well, four of them walked inside. Anne took Jacob by the hand and led him over to the play area for the younger children, seen as those aged ten and up were a lot more... Rough in the jungle gym. The screaming from the soft play towers said it all. Dan and Eddie went together to find a place to sit for now, finding a comfortable spot a little further away from where all the other parents and families were sitting, so Eddie could talk to Venom rather comfortably.

    Sleeper is becoming restless, Eddie. Wants to play.

"I don't exactly see how Sleeper can play, love." Eddie said to himself, feeling Sleeper squirm from the palm of his hand to his shoulder. "He can't really Symbosize with anyone.."

    Sleeper wants to play, Eddie. Go see Jacob. Play with him.

"Sorry, Dan. I'll be back in a few, Sleeper wants to see Jacob." Eddie apologized to Dan who dismissed him with no hard feelings. Eddie walked across the soft play where Anne was sitting with Jacob in the ball pit, playing with the other toddlers in a colorful ball-pit where other toddlers were sat with their parents. Eddie came over and crouched down. "Hey."

    "Hey." Anne greeted, looking up at Eddie who sat at the edge of the ball pit. "Jacob's having a ton of fun in here. How is Sleeper?" She asked curiously but quietly.

"Okay, becoming rather restless seeing all the other kids running around." Eddie chuckled. "Wanted to come and see Jacob for a minute." Eddie sat there and watched Jacob and the other children playing within the ball pit with their parents. Sometimes Eddie wished he could have experienced something as fun as this when he was a kid. He never went to soft play areas, Carl called them a 'waste of time' or a place that good kids went to. While Eddie was lost in his thoughts for a moment, he felt Venom seep through a little so he was closer to his skin for comfort, a hand forming from under the sleeve of his hoodie and holding his wrist. He smiled.

    You are sad, Eddie. Don't be. We are okay.

"Yeah... Yeah, we're okay. I have you and Sleeper to thank for that, right Sleeper?" Eddie said quietly, waiting for the baby Symbiote to respond with a wriggle of excitement. Nothing. "...Sleeper?" Eddie repeated, looking at his shoulder where Sleeper had been keeping but he couldn't feel him there. "Uh, Venom.. Where is Sleeper?"

    Looking, Eddie. Sleeper. Come out. The Symbiote was circulating within Eddie trying to look for their baby, but he wasn't anywhere to be found. Uh oh. Sleeper is gone, Eddie. Where is Sleeper?

"Ah, fuck!" Eddie hissed and stood up quickly, looking around him for a baby Symbiote anywhere. No where. Eddie could feel Venom growing anxious, he wanted to front and look for his offspring but he listened well to the rules and remained hidden. "Don't worry, love, we'll find him." He looked around quickly and into the ball pit. There, Eddie! Sleeper is in ball pit. Get him.

    Eddie didn't want to suddenly run into the ball pit and pick something invisible out of it, that would look very suspicious to the other parents. Instead, he looked at Jacob and quickly asked Anne if he could take him a little further into the pit, and explained that Sleeper was in there. Anne agreed, letting Jacob toddle further into the ball pit with Eddie. Together they sat there while Eddie was searching discreetly for the baby Symbiote, pretending to chuck the balls into the air to make Jacob giggle and squeal with excitement, a way of keeping the child distracted.

    Sleeper is close, Eddie. Look for him, make sure he is okay. Miss our baby.

Eddie felt Venom's tendrils emerge from his lower back that was covered by the balls in the pit, which made him a little nervous. Venom slithered his tendrils around the area searching for his offspring, frantic. Venom came in contact with the baby Symbiote deep within the ball pit and scooped Sleeper up with his tendrils, bringing him back to Eddie and into his lap where it was hidden. Eddie sighed in relief when the baby Symbiote was found and curled him in his palms so he couldn't escape. "Sleeper, you need to stay with us! Don't you dare go off like that again." Eddie hissed gently while his index finger stroked the Symbiote, soothing him back into Eddie's wrist where he was now safe. 

    Do not do that again, Sleeper. Had us worried. Will die without us. Lucky we did not bring time-out jar.

Venom scolding Sleeper always made Eddie chuckle. He lead the young boy back to Anne and gave her a relieving nod that he found Sleeper, sitting there with the two of them as Dan came over with drinks and sat with them as well. Everything was calm now, and happy. They all were.

Chapter Text

It was a special night.

    Saturday nights were often the nights where Eddie plans to make something special to eat. It was even more exciting for Venom because he was always allowed to help. Now that they had Sleeper who took the form of a cat that he can achieve Symbiosis with, it was a lot more crowded than usual, but Eddie never seemed to mind it.

    While Eddie was cooking, Venom kept multiple tendrils extended for extra help when he needed, or when Eddie had to do another task, Venom could take care of another. They were both very coordinated, and learned to use it to their advantage when it was necessary. While they were cooking together, Eddie felt Sleeper rubbing against his leg and purring loudly.

    "What's up?" Eddie peeked down to the feline who was meowing up at him. Sleeper stayed in his feline form, never once emerging in his Symbiote form unless they had to travel somewhere that didn't allow pets. He found it comfortable inside of his host, that seemed to bond well with him. Eddie didn't complain, he preferred it a lot more. Sleeper seemed to be a lot more affectionate as a feline, constant nuzzling and curling on the bed with him and Venom. Sleeper meowed some more and gently scratched at his leg. "I don't know what to do if you won't show me."

    He is hungry, Eddie.

"It won't be too long love." Eddie said to them both. Sleeper hissed a little in annoyance and climbed on top of the counter next to the sink, sitting there with his black tail curled to his paws. Sleeper didn't look like your average cat, he had four eyes and covered in sleek black fur with yellow stripes. He did look rather magnificent though. Sleeper peered into a jar on top of the counter next to him, noticing a pile of cookies at the bottom and reached a paw in to grab one. "Hey, Sleeper, no." Eddie scolded quietly and walked away from what he was doing, picking Sleeper up who meowed in protest. Eddie held the feline for a minute and stroked his head, getting a few purrs out of him. "You get full easy, so I don't want you eating anything for now. Mkay?" Eddie gave Sleeper a peck on the nose and placed him back down on the floor, washing his hands and going back to cooking.

    Sleeper sat on the floor, sad. Venom saw their offspring sadly sitting on the floor and made sure Eddie was busy while he extended a tendril out and to the jar. Eddie paid no attention, he was too busy doing something else while Venom stuck his nub into the jar and picked out a cookie, dropping it on the floor in front of the feline. Sleeper purred happily and snatched the cookie up in his fangs and ran off. Eddie heard the thump and peered down, watching as Sleeper ran off with a cookie. "Hey, what did I say about no eating? And how did you get that?!" Eddie looked at the jar that was now open, raising an eyebrow. "Vee..."

    We did nothing, Eddie.

"Venom."

    Okay, maybe we did. But Sleeper was hungry. Wanted a snack.

Eddie raised a brow at Venom's head that emerged from his shoulder, and rolled his eyes. He couldn't be mad, really. Not at him, anyways, or at Sleeper who was happily munching on the chocolate cookie on the couch. Eddie gently knocked his forehead between Venom's eyes. "If he doesn't eat his dinner the blame is on you, gotcha?"

Chapter Text

It was one of those rare afternoons.

    Where Eddie and Venom could chill for once together. No fighting bad guys, no sudden urges to eat. No. They were laying together in a hammock that Eddie strung up in the living room a few days ago, something Venom had seen on a gardening program they watched a few nights ago, and wanted to try for themselves. Ever since, it was one of the things that kept Venom the most calm.

    Eddie laid there in silence, his eyes shut peacefully with one foot hanging off the edge of the hammock, gently rocking himself and Venom who was laying on his chest for once. Eddie rest his one hand gently on his head, his thumb stroking between his two large eyes that were shut. They had been laying in silence for a long time now, the rare occasion where Venom didn't have a lot to say. Eddie knew that when he was in deep sleep like this, the Symbiote felt safe. He was happy. And so was he.

    It was one of these times that Eddie also felt the most safe. He was never rocked like this to sleep, he never had anything as comfortable as this or someone he could be this comfortable with. Venom felt like the missing puzzle piece in his life, someone he could intimately share emotions and thoughts with, someone he could be vulnerable with and not feel bad about it. Becoming mentally and physically close to someone like Venom took time, a lot of time. But he was accepted, loved, and never again did Eddie have to feel like he was alone. 

    The pair didn't move for what felt like a few hours. Eddie continued to gently rock them on the hammock while Venom curled asleep in a pool of comfort on his chest, one of his tendrils curling around his arm and turned into a hand, where they both held on tight. Venom had grown fond to holding his hand ever since a few months ago, and Eddie loved it. They loved each other, and that's all that mattered to them.

Chapter Text

Eddie seemed to never sleep peacefully anymore.

    And to his surprise it wasn't Venom's fault anymore. Usually he would be woken up by Venom saying he was hungry, or feeling him writhing a little too much inside of him, which usually disturbed his sleep. This time though, Eddie started to have nightmares, worse than what he has had before. It's happened for a few days now. He would wake up in a cold sweat, or panicking to the point of hyperventilation.

    Venom was always there to comfort him. Always awake when he was, always there to lend a tendril and keep him calm. Always there to remind him that he was safe.

This time though, Venom was wide awake during one of these episodes where it was a real bad nightmare. Venom was in his head, creeping through his memories and his past. It was his father, Carl Brock, yelling loudly behind a closed door. His words were muffled, so Venom couldn't really hear anything. As he creeped further within the memory and opened the door, a young boy was stood there in front of the bigger man, head down in what looked like shame. It was Eddie. Venom could tell, and he could feel his fear. Carl was yelling at him, leaning down in a very intimidating position while he shouted abuse at his son, who was on the verge of crying. Venom could see tears spilling on the ground from the child who hung his head in shame, or was it fear? Maybe both.

    Venom came closer. They couldn't see him, because this was a past memory, Venom didn't exist here at the time, so he was pretty much invisible. Venom came close to the young Eddie, peeking at his face. Oh, the horror... Seeing how upset he was. How distraught the young child looked. Eddie was full of fear, standing there with his father, no child should feel like that.

    It's okay, Eddie. We are here. Won't let him hurt you.

Eddie couldn't hear him, however. Venom then looked at the man who towered over the child, his face scrunched up in fury. Venom knew a lot about Carl through Eddie's memories. Sometimes the Symbiote did a memory dive throughout the nights where he felt restless, to learn more about Eddie. Most of his horrific memories included Carl. Venom felt the need to protect the child. Carl suddenly raised his fist during the argument, and immediately Venom sensed the danger. He strung out one tendril and wrapped it around the man's wrist, keeping it still. He wasn't supposed to meddle with past memories, but this one was one he couldn't leave untouched. The father and son froze, and the floor below them cracked and they fell.

Eddie suddenly woke up in a cold sweat. He was hyperventilating again, his chest raising and heaving, eyes wide in fear. Venom also jumped after he fell out of the past memory, his head materializing out of his shoulder and came face to face with his host.

    Do not panic, Eddie. You are safe. Always safe with us.

Venom allowed a few tendrils to emerge from Eddie's back, all coming together to gently soothe his panicked face, while one stretched out of the room to get water. Eddie couldn't speak, it was visibly clear that he was upset, on the verge of tears. Venom let a tendril creep through his hair and stroke.

    Carl will not hurt you no more, Eddie. We will keep you safe, always.

Venom placed his tendrils on his chest and laid him back down slowly, fluffing his pillow and came to lay his materialized head on his chest to keep him soothed, almost like a weighted blanket. Venom placed the water next to the bed on the stand, and brought his tendrils under the covers to hold his hand. Always safe with us, Eddie. Never let you get hurt again.

    "...Thank you, love." Eddie finally mumbled, leaning his chin down a little on top of Venom's soothingly cold head and held his hand. He knew he was safe. Always safe with him.

Chapter Text

Eddie's favourite time of year had to be Halloween.

    Everything was spooky, and he was a big fan of horror. He loved watching scary movies on Halloween, especially in the night. Seeing everyone trim their doors up and their windows with webs and witches always fascinated him. Eddie never trimmed up himself, the reason is fact he lived in an apartment complex, and he didn't really have anyone to celebrate it with. Now that Venom was around it was different. This year could be a little more special, someone to share this holiday with.

    Where are we going, Eddie?

"Halloween Prop Shop." Eddie replied, his face buried into Venom who was coiled around him like a scarf. Venom's little head was tucked at the back of his neck, where Eddie had his hood up, so the two of them were warm. It was very chilly around this time of year in October, having Venom as his little scarf was very effective. No one seemed to detect a thing, just a big black scarf over his mouth.

    Halloween? Prop Shop? What are you talking about, Eddie?

"Huh, guess I haven't really talked to you about it yet then. Halloween is kinda like Christmas in a way, it's a tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. But it's kinda more important to children around here, they knock on doors for free candy, while dressed as spooky things like ghosts, witches and vampires." Eddie explained to him, hands tucking into his pocket as they walked down the streets of San Francisco. Eddie knew where this Prop Shop was, he eyed it a few times a few months ago.

    Free candy? We can get on board with that. Let's go knock peoples doors for candy, Eddie.

Eddie laughed quietly. "No, love, we won't be doing that, it would be very weird." He shook his head, pushing open the door of the store they wanted to browse. "So instead, why don't we just string up a few things in the apartment, maybe? Watch some spooky movies even." He felt Venom rumble in approval against his neck, feeling him submerge back into his body once they entered the store. The prop shop was rather dim, which fit the theme of Halloween. Eddie pulled down his hood now that Venom was safely sheathed and browsed around the many shelves. There were specific shelves for specific props. Things like scary Halloween masks were rather high up, but it wasn't a struggle for them to reach if they decided to try one for funsies.

    Lots of things, Eddie. What are they for?

"These are decorations, love. You hang them in your house, like in the window for others to see, or your doors. Like this," Eddie picked up a Halloween wreath made of twigs and beautiful orange flowers of different kind. "You would hang this up on your door for others to see, it also makes your door look nice. Isn't it cool?"

    Very cool, Eddie. We need one. Put on our door. Lets buy it.

"Alright, if you want to. No one will really see it though." Eddie held the wreath that was hooked on his left arm and together they kept browsing. Venom was extremely curious to see everything, and wanted to touch everything. Despite their rule about him not materializing in public, Eddie decided to let it slide for now as they stalked to the back of the store away from everything and let Venom's little tendril touch a few props, he was very sensory when it came to new things, it was often a struggle to get him to stop touching everything in the stores they went in. Eddie wandered around the costumes, looking at them all curiously. Sometimes Eddie wished he could have celebrated Halloween properly as a child, he was always jealous watching from his bedroom window as kids knocked on doors in his neighborhood, with their parents dressed in spooky outfits and buckets of candy.

    You feel sad, Eddie. What is wrong? 

"Nothing much, love. Just wishing I could have celebrated Halloween properly as a kid." Eddie looked away from the costumes and down another aisle. He could feel Venom slithering a little closer to his heart, as if he was trying to hold it, a way of protecting it. His heart was fragile to Venom, something he didn't want hurting.

    Keep you safe, Eddie. Never let you get hurt again. We celebrate Halloween together.

Eddie couldn't help but smile. He felt happy, much happier than he was before he met Venom, like the Symbiote was a missing puzzle piece of him and now everything fell into place. Having Venom around made everything feel better. Eddie twitched his fingers as a silent indicator that he did whenever he wanted them to hold hands. Venom obeyed and materialized a hand into his, holding it tight. "I love you, Vee."

    We love you too, Eddie.

Bonus Chapter:

The wreath they purchased was hung up on their bedroom door. After Venom insisted they wanted to be the only ones to look at it, and that he didn't want the wreath to be stolen, Eddie gave in and hung it up on their bedroom door. He had to admit though, it did look better there. Together that night they decided to do something fun together, before deciding to watch scary movies. Eddie got some supplies from Mrs Chen's and the local store to bake some small chocolate treats. They mainly looked for pinterest inspiration and went in without any instructions. To their surprise however they came out good, the presentation wouldn't have mattered anyway because they would have been gone in seconds with Venom around. Eddie baked little gingerbread and used an icing pipe to make different Halloween themed people. Like a witch, wizards, ghosts, zombies and different characters from his favourite horror movies. Venom found it extremely entertaining and gave the piping a try. He did his best.

    They had a night in. Eddie curled up with a blanket on the couch and Venom resting on his shoulder, a bowl of the treats they made on Eddie's lap. Venom occasionally extended a tendril to grab one and put it in his mouth, and Eddie's. To his surprise Venom didn't eagerly dive in and munch on them all, they both took their time and he liked that. Venom got scared every now and then during the movies they watched, which Eddie found very amusing. They enjoyed tonight, it was peaceful together and they loved it that way.

Chapter Text

Eddie had begun to loathe Valentines Day ever since the messy breakup and getting over things. 

    He used to love buying Anne special things and doing special things together for the whole day. Now he just found it lonely, and he grew okay with that. He was happy, Anne was happy. That's all that seemed to matter. Venom however became curious after walking down the street and seeing lots of these Valentines flyers and gifts being advertised in windows, or seeing the mass amount of lovey-dovey couples in the streets. Eddie was on his way back home after finishing a report early, when Venom stopped them dead in their tracks to look at something in one of the store windows.

    "What is it? What do you want?" Eddie said, turning his head to the left where he was met face-to-face with a heart shape stuck on the window. There were lots of them, scattered in different colors and sizes to advertise their products for the special romantic day. Eddie grimaced a little. "Why are we looking at these for?"

    These were not here before, Eddie. Why are they here now?

"Er, Valentines Day, I guess." Eddie shrugged, letting Venom look a little longer. "Just advertising their products like they always do. Any particular reason why you seem so intrigued?" He asked. Venom was always easily intrigued by different topics and holidays throughout the year, he was still 'getting used' to the way human society works.

    What do we do for this Valentines Day?

"It's just a day where couples can be extra lovey-dovey and not feel sorry for it. Just something sappy they can do once a year for each other." Eddie explained, walking away now from the story but they passed plenty more on their way to the apartment complex. Venom made them stop every time to browse the windows, he had become fascinated with the things they used to advertise their romantic products, especially when it came to chocolate being displayed in the window. Eddie could feel him practically drooling at this point. 

    Chocolate is very popular on Valentines Day?

"Yes, love. Very popular." Eddie said, peeking at the rich chocolate boxes wrapped in silky red and pink ribbons. He could tell Venom was a little excited about Valentines Day after seeing so much chocolate on display.

    We should do Valentines Day, Eddie. Lots of chocolate.

"I guess we could do." Eddie replied, letting Venom look at the chocolate a little longer before walking to their apartment and up the stairs. Eddie found it rather difficult to make decisions nowadays with Venom in his head, especially surprises. He knew Venom would find out about them sooner or later and it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. So he was a little stuck on how he would do this. Eddie knew that Venom loved chocolate, it was something that was keeping him alive and he seemed to eye the boxes of them eagerly in the windows. Maybe he could do a little DIY, seen as the boxes are as pricey as $40. He would spend that money on Venom in a heartbeat, but he felt like it would be more special to do it himself. The question now  was how.

    Eddie thought about it a little more while Venom was taking a nap on his lap. Maybe they could do it together? Seen as Venom enjoyed cooking and baking so much, he often begged to do it, and it would make Eddie feel pretty guilty for leaving him out. Eddie thinks Venom would appreciate being able to help, too. He continued to think some more while Venom was napping, a hand stroking through his smooth tendrils. The Symbiote barely took naps by himself, he always felt the need to sleep whenever Eddie did, but today he seemed extra tired so took an hour or so by himself. Eddie didn't mind, it gave him time to continue planning what he could give him for tomorrow.

    Once Venom finally woke up an hour later, he was a little drowsy and didn't say anything for a few minutes after he woke up. It was like a cat taking a nap, he needed a few minutes. Eddie decided to fill him in on the idea. "Hey, Vee? Wanna make some chocolate with me?"

    Yes Eddie. Want some chocolate now.

"It's not for now, it's for tomorrow."

    Why not now?

"Well, I kinda thought it would be nice if I could make you something, for Valentines... I would have done it myself to surprise you but you would have found out eventually, so maybe we could do it together?" Eddie asked a little flustered. 

    Would want nothing more, Eddie. Would love to help you.

That made him smile. Much more than it should have.

-

That afternoon they spent standing in the kitchen, listening to the radio and making different chocolate snacks. Thinks like biscuits, brownies, fudge, chocolate bites and chocolate molds like hearts. Eddie let Venom attempt using the pipe to ice over the hearts, and he did a good job to their surprise. After every chocolate treat they made Eddie kept his promise and let Venom lick the spoon clean as usual. No doubt was it one of his favourite parts about baking anything chocolate. While Eddie was sat down in the living room waiting for the last batch of chocolate to bake, Venom insisted on staring at the oven until they were done, even if there was twenty or so minutes left. Eddie left the Symbiote to his devices though, he could feel that he was happy, and that made him happy.

    Once the last batch had finished baking, Eddie let Venom wrap them in some plastic wrap and store in the fridge with the others when they cooled down a little. Venom was eager to eat them now, but he understood patience and knew they were for tomorrow. That night it was all Venom was talking about, the chocolate and the day itself. 

    We will have something special for you too, Eddie.

"You really don't have to, my love." Eddie said through a mouthful of toothpaste, spitting it out while Venom was using a comb through his hair. Seemed to be part of their nightly routine now, while Eddie brushed his teeth Venom liked to comb through his hair. Venom had been very patient today while they baked, usually he would protest and eat the chocolate but he seemed to be more excited to eat them tomorrow. Eddie finished cleaning and nuzzled under the blankets, eyes shut. Venom began caressing his cheek gently with a tendril which always soothed him to sleep. "Night, love."

    Night, Eddie.

Though while Eddie slept, Venom had other ideas. He stretched out multiple tendrils, and went to work in the living room.

Venom finished his little project early in the morning, around four o'clock. He was thankful that Eddie decided to have a little lie in, because Venom didn't bother him for once, they both needed a sleep in. At around nine, Venom started to become restless after he had slept, a tendril brushing Eddie's cheek in hopes it would wake up. After a few minutes, it worked. Eddie stirred awake and stretched up his arms, then sat up.

    It's Valentines Day, Eddie. Have a surprise for you.

"For me? What are you talking about?" Eddie mumbled, still groggy. "A surprise?"

    Yes, Eddie. Get up. We must show you.

"Alright, alright." He chuckled, throwing the covers off him and let Venom slip on the gown. He walked out, rubbing his eye and the first thing he noticed was the mysterious shaped figure on the coffee table, covered with one of his towels. Eddie raised an eyebrow and walked over, sitting down on the couch in front of it. "Is this it?"

    Yes. Made it all last night, take a look. We think you will love it. Venom materialized his head next to him, excited to see his reaction. Eddie pulled the towel off the figure gently and immediately he froze in surprise. It was a beautiful bouquet of flowers but instead of the usual alive ones, it was made of Lego, which surprised him even more. They were made of all different colours, light pinks and violets, red roses and tulips. Even the leaves were built to perfection. Eddie stared, and Venom watched, wanting to hear what he wanted to say.

    Do you like them, Eddie?

"I-I love them, Vee. How did you do this without me knowing?"

    Emailed Anne on your laptop. She helped buy them. She put them in front of door yesterday and we grabbed them when you were taking a nap on couch, then hid them from you. Built them last night for you. 

Eddie started smiling, much more than he usually would. To him, it made it even special knowing this was something Venom built by himself. And it would be something that could last forever unlike fresh flowers that would wilt and shed their petals. No, this was much more special to Eddie, and it was much more special to Venom.

    "I love it so much, Vee. Thank you, they're beautiful." Eddie gave Venom a kiss on the side of his head and carefully moved the Lego vase back to the middle of the coffee table, where it could be seen whenever they walked into the apartment. "The best thing about these is that they won't die."

    Exactly, Eddie. Wanted to make them myself, fake ones last forever. Always show how much we love you.

"And I love you too. Now let's go get your stuff, hmm?" Eddie got up. "But you need to stay here. Don't look, okay? Promise you wont look." 

    Won't look, Eddie. Hide under the towel. Venom laid his head down on the couch and put the towel over his head and patiently waited, which made Eddie smile. He walked to the fridge to grab the multiple trays of chocolate treats and grabbed a special box he kept hidden. It was a heart shaped box, that he knew Venom had taken a particular liking to when they passed those multiple stores on the way home. Eddie had gotten the box way before that, when he was sleeping and made it himself. Eddie put the chocolates in the box and put the lid over, then walked back to the couch and sat next to his other who was still hiding under the towel. Eddie placed the box on the coffee table and lifted off the towel. 

    "You can look now, love." Eddie said, and Venom got up eagerly and saw the special box in front of him. Eddie could tell he was excited, there was a loud rumbling that sounded a lot like a cat purring which always let Eddie know Venom was happy. The Symbiote didn't touch the box for a minute or two however, he was too busy admiring the box that he seemed to like so much. Then, he extended his tendrils and lifted the lid, and it was filled with lots of his favourite chocolate treats that they baked together yesterday.

    Love this, Eddie. Lots of chocolate. Special box. Thank you, we love it. Venom rubbed his head against the side of Eddie's face affectionately, which made his other smile. Happy Valentines Day.

"Happy Valentines, my love. We can have tater tots for lunch today, specially for you."

Chapter Text

Eddie didn't have a lot of hobbies in his free time. Most of the time? He just spent time alone in his apartment doing nothing. Occasionally he would just sit and watch TV, sometimes he would get up and go for long walks which is what he seemed to enjoy the most when he was alone.

    Ever since the messy breakup with Anne, he spent all of his time alone. It had been a few months after, but it still hurt, even now. Even more knowing he had no one to talk to about it. He had no relationship with his father after everything that happened as a kid, his mother was gone and he had no contact with his older sister Mary. Eddie's family felt like broken glass, no matter how many times you tried to repair it, it would just fall apart again and smash into even smaller pieces. It was impossible to mend, and at this point Eddie seemed to be used to it, being alone that was. 

    Eddie was taking up journalism and creative writing in college, he wanted to help his career as a reporter. He made this decision a few months ago after his breakup and wanted something to do with his time, so he went to college for a little and studied more into journalism and media studies. Outside of his career though Eddie seemed to enjoy things with horror, and paranormal activity. Lately Eddie had been awake late at night watching paranormal discovery shows and all things to do with spirits and ghost. It was something he was passionate about and something he wanted to take up as a side hobby.

-

Eddie decided one night that he wanted to check out an abandoned factory a little further outside of San Francisco. Eddie took his motorbike, driving his way through the city until he got to the suburbs where there was mostly abandoned buildings like factories from the 80s and old residential houses no longer in use. Eddie wanted to check out the factory due to its history and in hopes to find anything useful or worth reporting about. Even if there wasn't anything exciting, Eddie knew it would be a fun experience.

    When he got to the factory, the state of it was horrendous. Every window was smashed in with shattered glass on the ground below, the double doors were on their last hinges and no doubt would they fall off should you even poke them. Eddie took a minute to observe the outside of the building at first, walking around near the grimy and mossy walls for anything that he could write down in the notepad he carried in his hands. Eddie found nothing, nothing but the spray-painted graffiti that was now covered in moss. Eddie walked back to the entrance of the factory and ducked under the door hanging by a single hinge, stepping inside. Immediately Eddie felt his nose scrunch at all the dust in the air, as well as how thick the atmosphere felt around him. This place has been untouched for years, so it was expected. Eddie took a few steps farther into the factory and looked around with the torch in his free hand.

    Almost everything in sight was broken in some way. The walls were torn and metal was split, either from vandalism or from rust. Windows were smashed and glass was scattered along the floors, so Eddie was sure to be careful. He coughed into his elbow, the air full of dust still that made his nose tickle terribly. Eddie fumbled with the paper notepad in his spare hand, flicking the paper up and over so it was a fresh page. He was looking around every corner and every wall he could approach, looking for any suspicious markings or writing on the wall, anything that gave him a clue something may be here. Most people don't believe in the paranormal, but Eddie does. He believes in the paranormal that roam empty buildings and that each of them have a story. Maybe if he found something useful, he could write an article about it.

    "Nothing yet." Eddie said to himself, roaming farther and farther into the factory, prodding his torch light at everything around him. People would usually call him insane for going into such a place like this alone, even more so at the dead of night. Eddie stalked up the old stairs to the second floor, deciding to stalk around, unaware of what was creeping around with him.

-

At the top of the stairs where Eddie had passed, there was a old, dusty bucket next to the railings. Reaching out was a black tendril, dripping black goop down the edges of the bucket that tipped it over and made a clash on the ground. Eddie from the other room jumped in alarm, quickly turning back behind and poked his torch at the fallen bucket. There was nothing inside of it now, which Eddie had no idea about beforehand. "Weird..." Eddie mumbled, looking around the bucket for any sort of fingerprints or scratches but all he could find was dust.

    The black goop was gone, it had disappeared after the startled fall of the bucket and watched Eddie from the wall. Whatever it was that watched Eddie, it had been in the factory for a long time. Alone and by itself. It followed Eddie, as the man walked through numerous different rooms hunting for anything he found out of place or interesting to tell a story about. He wasn't equipped as one of those fancy paranormal investigators you see on television, with their spirit boxes and EMF readers. Eddie was rather content just walking around with a notepad writing what felt wrong about the factory, instead of making immediate contact with whatever lurks around him. It's not like Eddie wanted to purposefully disturb the dead anyways, it was disrespectful.

    The goop on the wall continued to follow, watching. This was the first time it had gotten any contact with a human in what felt like a long while, and it was slowly dying. Whoever this person was, the creature knew it had to bond with him. The black goop crawled on the floor, making its way over to Eddie who was crouched down observing something. The goop crawled onto his foot and seeped into him slowly. It only made Eddie tingle, making him feel like it was a draft from the broken roof window above his head. Unfortunately for Eddie he hadn't found anything special to mark down or write about, but he was okay with that, it was an interesting experience either way. Eddie got up from where he was crouched and walked back down the rickety stairs and out of the factory that could have collapsed on him at any given moment. The goop seemed to be hitching a ride with Eddie, who suddenly felt rather hot and bothered as he mounted his motorbike and stuck his helmet on.

-

When Eddie got back to his apartment, it was around 2am at least. He chucked his keys on the coffee table and put his helmet down then turned on the kitchen light. Eddie grabbed a glass, suddenly feeling very thirsty and drank an entire glass of water in what felt like mere seconds. Unfortunately, he was now hungry, even though he ate something maybe an hour or two ago, but his stomach wouldn't stop rumbling. "Damn.." Eddie said to himself with a little grunt at the tightness in his stomach, crouching down to his freezer and grabbed some chicken bites. He shoved a few into an airfryer for 10-15minutes and wolfed them down faster than usual. The goop inside of him seemed satisfied now, and left the man alone when he went to sleep and decided to do some rummaging in his mind.

    What they found however wasn't something they expected. The goop thought that Eddie would have the usual human memories that he found in other hosts before him, but no. This seemed like a special occasion. The goop rummaged further and found something painful, it was grief. Most of these memories contained something that made this man sad, whether it be someone called Carl, who was his Dad, or his ex-fiancé called Anne. Eddie seemed to have a problem with smoking and drinking too, very heavily. The goop continued to search and find more memories, but only found more heartbreak.

    The goop planned to use Eddie as his ride, something he can use to snack and drink, and travel without the fear of dying... But, this felt like a special occasion. But also, Eddie hasn't died yet, after being bonded with him for so long. Maybe he was special? Whatever he was, he wanted to learn more about him.

Chapter Text

"How did you enjoy trying sushi for the first time, love?"

    Good, Eddie. Loved the sushi.

"Good, I'm glad. I was scared you wouldn't like it." Eddie said with a smile on his face. They were walking back home after an evening out for dinner, one of their special treats that they did on Saturday nights. Usually Eddie would cook, but he was a little stumped tonight and decided to go out instead. "I hope you don't mind the rain too much. Sorry I didn't bring an umbrella with us." 

    You like rain, so we like the rain too. Venom was curled at the back of Eddie's neck, his little head hanging over his collar under the hood pulled over Eddie's head, where he was kept fairly dry until Eddie's hood became rather damp. Venom didn't seem to mind though, Eddie loved the rain. Why do you like the rain so much, Eddie? See lots of it in your memories.

    "It's peaceful. It always rained when I was a kid, since my Mom died. That's what my sister said. There's always something familiar about it. But it's also very therapeutic to walk in it too, or to just sit on a window and listen." Eddie preferred the rain over sun any day. It was tranquil and made him happy, so walking through the streets in the pouring rain with Venom curled on his neck made him feel good. Eddie could feel Venom shifting slowly from the back of his neck to the front, where he was peeping from his shirt to take a look. The streets were soaked, people running passed them frantic to find dry shelter, most without their coats seen as the weather wasn't expected. It seemed like Eddie was the only one taking his time in this weather, 

    Everyone is rushing, Eddie. Should we be rushing too?

"Nah. Unfortunately not everybody likes the rain. They call it gloomy or miserable but it really is beautiful if you look at it the right way. Most people prefer the hot, sticky and sweaty weather. Yuck." Eddie was hunched over a little so his hood stayed on firmly against the wind, mostly to protect Venom. The Symbiote was still curiously watching from the front of his shirt as they crossed the street towards their apartment complex. The Symbiote had never seen weather as wet as this, it was usually dry in SanFran. 

    Really like the rain, Eddie. 

"I'm glad you do, love. I'll bring an umbrella next time so we can talk in it together for a little longer." 

   Why not now?

"Because I'll get soaked and become sick." Eddie said and pushed the apartment complex door open with his shoulder, pulling down his damp hood and walked up the stairs and to the door. When they were safely inside, Venom materialized from his shoulder and hovered there for a minute or two as Eddie got changed into more dry clothing. While Eddie was getting dressed Venom was stretched to the window, watching the rain behind the curtains that kept him hidden. Eddie saw Venom intently watching the rain and smiled a little, giving his little tendril a soft tug and gestured for him to come into the bedroom. Venom obeyed, following after Eddie who sat down on his windowsill and pulled back the curtain, patting his lap where Venom laid his head and peeked to see the window. Together they sat there, content and warm watching the rain and listening to it thundering against the window.

    We like the sound of the rain, Eddie.

"I'm glad. I love it too." Eddie said quietly to his other, stroking his head while they watched the rain together, curled comfortable against the window. "Maybe if you're up for it, we can go for a longer walk later with an umbrella, hm?"

    We would like that very much, Eddie.

Chapter Text

Lately Eddie had been staying up a lot later than usual.

    Usually, he would be in bed by around 9pm, read something on his phone or browse through whatever social media he had, and dropped off to sleep. But lately he had been kept awake until late, around 3am or even 5am. Things were bothering his fragile mind and he felt like the reasoning behind it was pointless, or dumb. Maybe it was? But Venom started to notice this pattern, and the way his hormones have been playing up lately and one night, snaking out of Eddie's back and nestling into the nape of his neck. Eddie was laying wide awake on his side.

    You are not okay, Eddie. Something is bothering you. Tell us.

Eddie stayed quiet for a moment. He felt a little bad, keeping his other up like this at a ridiculous time. Eddie raised his hand gently and placed it on top of Venom's head, stroking him gently as a silent thank you for keeping him company. "I don't know... It sounds stupid..."

    It has been on your mind for a long time, Eddie. We have done our best not to pry, but now it is bothering you. 

Venom snaked his tendrils down his bare torso, curling around his hips and stroking them slowly. A few more snaked down his arm, circling his palm and interlocking his gooey fingers with his. Eddie immediately felt relaxed, his eyes shutting a little but he remained awake, knowing Venom wasn't going to let him sleep until they talked about this.

    We should go for a drive, Eddie. Always keeps us calm. Drive somewhere quiet, and talk. Yes?

Eddie thought about it for a minute, he wasn't wrong. Riding his motorcycle with no destination in mind always helped calm his nerves and his anxiety when he was having a bad day. Maybe this would help, some cold air on his face and a chance to talk to Venom about the things that were bothering him. So, reluctantly, he gave Venom's head a pat of affirmation and kicked off his covers, getting dressed into an old grey shirt and sweats. On the way out Venom grabbed his keys and his helmet, plopping it on Eddie's head and snaked his tendrils around his shoulders and gently squeezed, like a massage. He knew he was still upset.

    Eddie mounted his bike and they took off, down the streets of San Francisco in the dead of night. The roads were quiet, the odd car or two passing by to do their nightshift most likely. While he was driving, Venom snaked a few tendrils down his sides and hugging his hips, as if he was sitting behind him. It made Eddie smile. "Are we going anywhere specific?"

    No, Eddie. Keep driving, we will let you know when to stop.

-

They did just that. Together they kept driving for roughly another ten or so minutes until Venom unsheathed his arms and took the lead now, turning a few streets or so until they came to this quiet park. Eddie parked the bike, taking off his helmet and sat down on a bench with Venom materialized in front of him.

    What is bothering you, Eddie? It is about us, we can tell.

Eddie sighed quietly, biting his tongue for a moment or so until his throat didn't feel so tight. "I don't know... I just feel kinda, fucking bad y'know? Not for me but, for you." Eddie ran a hand through his hair, stressed. "You're stuck with a constant fuck-up like myself and you're persistent to stay no matter what, yknow? No matter how many people would be better for you, you kinda just, stick with me." Eddie felt his nose scrunch a little, he was trying not to cry. "And I wanna know why, the reason why you're so stuck on being with me?"

    Eddie, we do not care if you are a fuck-up. We are also a fuck-up. I am a loser back on my planet, you are also a loser here. You are perfect to us, Eddie. Venom drifted closer to his other's face. We do not care about your mess, or how you claim to be a walking disaster. We love you the way you are, we are also a disaster, so we are a perfect match. Perfect Symbiosis such as ourselves is hard to come by, no body has ever achieved it. No one but you, Eddie. Venom snaked two tendrils out and cupped Eddie's face, so they looked at each other. You are perfect, Eddie. We will walk to the ends of the earth with you until we die.

    "But... Are you sure you want to stay with me? Like, forever? You won't get sick of me, will you?"

No, Eddie. We will never get sick of you. You are perfect to us. Does not matter if anyone thinks otherwise, we love every part of you and will do so until the end. We love you, Eddie.

    Eddie felt his eyes brim with tears, hearing those three words from Venom was rare, he knew he loved him, but he was more physically affectionate than he was verbal. Eddie leaned his forehead against his own, crying quietly. "I love you, so much. Thank you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Vee. I really mean it." Eddie murmured to him, feeling Venom curl a tendril or two around his hands to hold them.

    We love you too, Eddie. We may have betrayed our kind for you, but it was worth it. You are special, to us. Venom rumbled affectionately, nuzzling their faces together. We will go to the ends of this planet for you. Do anything to keep you safe with us, always. We love you, Eddie. We do not say it a lot, but we do.

    Fuck. Now Eddie was an emotional mess. Venom said he loved him five times, and reassured every worry about him getting bored or sick of Eddie. He cried, his face buried against Venom's head gently who made a loud rumbling sound, that sounded an awful lot like a cat purring. "I love you too, I really, really do."

    We are okay, Eddie. Let's go get hash browns from McDonalds. Hash browns will cheer us up. Maybe some nuggets.

"You're right, let's go get some hash browns." Eddie stroked his head, and together went back to the bike and went to the nearest McDonalds, which was only a five minute drive. Felt a little weird walking into McDonalds at 2am to get some hash browns but he was sure the workers have had weirder orders at even later times. Eddie didn't go straight back home after, they decided to stay outside a little longer and sit on the grass a way away from the restaurant, where Venom could comfortably materialize and share the hash browns and the box of twenty nuggets. They were both happily munching together in the night, it was nice and chilly. 

    We love hash browns, Eddie. We should make some.

"Alright, love. We can make some tomorrow, hm?" Eddie scratched the top of his head. Venom was laying on his lap while Eddie sat in the grass, feeding him hash brown and nuggets. "Thanks for this idea, Vee. I honestly don't know what I would do without you." Eddie murmured, giving his head a few more pats and strokes then chucked their wrappers in the bin. "Do you maybe want to just, ride around for the time being?"

    We would love to.

-

Eddie and Venom were out for hours, riding around the city together looking at the lit up skyscrapers and stores they passed, the nightclubs that were raving and drunken people whistling at him as he passed. Eddie took this as a little sightseeing date, because Venom was peeking from his neck watching all the lights and the colours around them as they drove. Eddie smiled.

    It was around 6am, Eddie and Venom decided it was time to go back. They rode up to the apartment complex and went back inside, and as soon as they did Eddie collapsed on the couch, exhausted. He didn't bother taking off his jacket, or his shoes, he just laid there and twitched his index fingers. Venom understood that gesture and snaked a tendril down and held his hand, while a few other tendrils pulled off his jacket and his shoes. Eddie laid still, eyes shut as he was dropping off, not before murmuring a little "Thank you." to Venom and dropped to sleep. Venom finished tucking his jacket on the door and putting his shoes on the ground, then snuggled up on his chest, and together they slept way until midday. 

Chapter Text

Eddie..

    It was a late night on Saturday. One of those cozy rainy nights where Eddie just stayed in his bed browsing on his phone, while Venom laid on his chest. Though this time Venom had been rather, weird lately. He had been acting strange for a few days now, he rarely materialized his head anymore and was awfully quiet. This was the first time he had talked in a few hours. 

    "Yes, love?"

We have been hiding something from you, Eddie.

   Oh no, Eddie thought. What's wrong now? Why would he feel the need to hide something from him? Immediately, Eddie felt his stomach flip upside down anxiously. What could possibly be bothering him so much that he couldn't talk to him? Did he want to find a new host? Or just break up? Or suddenly want to eat his brains?

    Nothing like that, Eddie.

Shit, he forgot he could read his mind when he wanted to. "O..Oh, okay... What's wrong love? You can tell me anything, you know that." Eddie sat up, knowing this is serious and put his phone down, and watched as Venom appeared from out of his shoulder and came in front of him. This was the first time since yesterday that he took on this form. "Are you okay?"

    It is hard to explain, Eddie. But, when you found us, we left something behind. Something important to us.

"Why? What did we leave behind?"

    In the Life Foundation, we was forced to give birth. Five Symbiotes. Riot, Lasher, Phage, Agony, and Scream. Took my seeds, Eddie. Hatched them in the lab and used them. Despite the fact Venom wasn't the most facially expressive, Eddie could see that he was upset. They really must have meant a lot to him. We want to find them, Eddie. We know they are alive in there. We must find them.

    This was a lot of information to take in on a Saturday night, but Eddie could understand how much this meant to Venom, losing his children for so long and being away from them all this time. Eddie sat there and thought, how are they gonna do this? Surely the Life Foundation was in bits and pieces, right? How would he even get in? Would those little Symbiotes even be alive in there after all this time?

    We will take care of breaking and entering, Eddie. We will get inside, no matter. They are alive, we can feel it.

"Alright, alright. Let's go, I just hope you know what you're doing." Just as Eddie was about to get up and change to leave, Venom stopped him for a brief moment.

    Before we find them, we must adopt cats, Eddie. Cats are good hosts, good symbiosis for them.

Shit shit shit, Eddie wasn't the biggest fan of cats, he was more of a dog kinda guy after Mr. Belvedere didn't take a particular liking to him. But dogs would be even more hard to handle, right? Cats can just be left to their devices in an apartment, just feed them, make sure they have a place to do their duty, give them a few pets and they'll be okay. Then again, Eddie knew this meant a lot to Venom, so he nodded in agreement. 

-

After successfully adopting five damn kittens at the dead of night - totally not sketchy, all by Venom's colour choice seen as it didn't matter so much to Eddie, he kept them safely in a carrier and debated for a minute or so whether he should keep them safely at Anne's for the time being. Surely it was too dangerous to bring five kittens inside of the Life Foundation. But Venom wasn't taking his time, he was autopiloting and taking control of Eddie's legs straight towards the Life Foundation while holding a carrier of meowing kittens. While Venom was autopiloting, Eddie took a peek at the kittens. One had fluffy orange fur, another smaller one was grey, one was black, another was a paler shade of orange, like sand, and the last was white. Cute kittens.

    They reached the Life Foundation, and Venom quickly took over Eddie's body and made a leap up into the highest window that was smashed in, like the rest of them. They landed inside safely, along with the kittens who were now meowing a little louder, most likely in fright. Eddie didn't blame them. This place looked like a dump, pretty much everywhere they looked there was a dead body, but the thing that made him even more curious was the fact they looked fresh. "Hey, Venom, are those bodies fresh?" Eddie quietly asked, noticing that neither of them had their heads either. 

    Yes Eddie, freshly eaten. They are here. Must be here. Look around.

Eddie looked around carefully with his phone flashlight, stepping over the bodies scattered on the floor, peering into the human experimentation pits that he once found Maria in, but all he could see was dead bodies, blood and some more blood. The farther they searched, Eddie felt his nose sting with the stench of very fresh blood, and Venom hurried him forward to peek inside of one of the pits where somebody was rocking back and forth against the wall. Whoever it was, they didn't notice Eddie standing there staring in both terror and confusion. One step on the glass though, and the person looked up faster than normal, and backed against the wall hissing at him. 

    Eddie jumped out of his skin, literally, because Venom took over and crouched into the pit, and started purring. The person, who looked like a teenager, stopped their hissing and sat still, staring intently at Venom who was now fronted and coming slowly closer to the person. Venom sniffed.

    It is safe, we are here. You can come out. 

After a few seconds, the body of the teenager toppled to the side, dead still, and out of their chest came an orange goop that slid towards him slowly. Venom stayed crouched and outstretched a hand towards the orange goop, stroking it gently. His baby was alive after all this time.

    My babies are here, Eddie. After all this time.

Eddie smiled, and Venom slowly sheathed back inside of him but materialized a head, tendrils emerging to feel the Symbiote and make sure they were okay. At the sound of his voice, a bucket in the corner of the room started to rattle and suddenly fell over, and pooling out of it was many colours of goop, that separated and squelched over to Venom's voice. Eddie watched the goop come closer, the rest of his Symbiotes. "Riot, Lasher, Phage, Agony and Scream... One, two three, four... Five! All of them are here!" He could feel his other's relief as the Symbiotes squirmed their way over and started pooling at Eddie' feet, as if they were desperate for something. Eddie glanced to the teenager body that laid there now, dead, and thought for a minute. "Have you guys been sharing a body all this time?" He murmured and looked down at the pile of Symbabies at his feet, hesitantly letting a hand down and stroked one of them, but they shrank away very quickly. "Sorry, sorry... Won't do that again. Here, look, you may feel better in one of these." 

    Eddie placed the carrier of kittens down, and opened it. The kittens, cluelessly wandered out of the carriers and sniffed around the pit they were in. The Symbabies were watching them, as their pile of goop, and crept over to one of the kittens they took a particular liking to. "Which Symbiote is who, Venom?"

    Phage is the orange, Riot is the grey one, Lasher is the green, Agony is purple and Scream is yellow.

It made sense, because Phage had squirmed over to the fluffy orange kitty and sunk into it's fur, starting the bonding process with the clueless kitten. Riot made their way over to the grey kitten, Lasher went towards the black one and clambered into it's skin, Agony made their way over to the white one and Scream went to the sandy kitten. Eddie and Venom watched carefully as the Symbabies began their bonding process with the clueless kittens, and noticed when the kittens eyes rolled over completely white that they had successfully bonded with their new host. Phage came over first, and rubbed against Eddie's leg. 

    Thank you, Eddie. Without you, we would have never found them again.

Eddie gently nuzzled the side of his head against Venom's, a little smile on his face. He watched as the rest of the Symbabies finished their bonding process and meowed, coming over to Eddie in a pile of kittens and rubbed against his legs. He stood up, hesitantly stroking their heads for a brief moment and ushered them into the carrier. They were unsure, until Venom made a deep rumbling sound, almost like a purr, and climbed into the carrier together in a pile, curled in the back. "Let's get you little babies back home and fed, hm? Sharing a body to feed on a bunch of these people must have been rough." 

-

Back home, Eddie opened the carrier and let the kittens run free. Agony and Scream seemed to be a well-coordinated pair, they walked side-by-side most of the time they were together around the apartment. Phage and Riot were wrestling on his carpet in the living room, while Lasher sat comfortably on the kitchen counter. This was their home now, and Eddie had to get used to having six Symbiotes around.