Chapter Text
Eddie has had some weird days.
Today might just be on the top of that list.
It all started when a strange circle of flaring sparks suddenly appeared when he was trying to enjoy a little island vacation. Now, he was in some bar in Mexico listening to a man desperately trying to explain what had happened in the past decade.
He grabbed some spare clothes that had been laying out forgotten by some unsuspecting tourist. It was chillier here than the island. The ‘Mexico’ embroidered across the front of the cap clearly indicated to others that he wasn’t a local, but he guessed his lack of Spanish would have made it apparent in any case.
Venom taunted him for not understanding, but how was he supposed to react to learning that the multi-verse was very real and that somehow he was now in an Earth that wasn’t his own. One where purple men who love special stones, billionaires in suits that could rival a symbiote, literal gods and magicians who could alter space and time were a common occurrence.
*Eddie* the parasite complained in his mind *he has been trying to explain it to you for the past three hours* .
As of now, it seemed like the best course of action would be heading to New York, maybe ask this “Spider-Man” a couple of questions. He didn’t necessarily feel the need to return home anytime soon, given how his secret friend had been revealed and they were now running from the law. It would still be ideal to have a Plan B incase things went to shit here too.
Super-powered individuals were far more common here than his own world, which he had mixed feelings about. He might finally get some understanding about his situation, however it also meant there were more people qualified to take him down. Venom could easily be seen as a villain, and they didn’t want to fall victim to any misunderstandings.
Now, it came to the matter of his bar tab. *We could just eat him*
Before common sense kicked in, Eddie quickly retaliated against this idea “No! No! No eating people!”.
This seemed to be the final straw for the bartender, who instantly put down the glass he was cleaning and shuffled into a back room. A clearly distressed man who didn’t know any history from the current time was one thing, one who started shouting at himself that he couldn’t eat people was another.
*Problem solved Eddie, we should do that more often*
“Yeah well, I enjoy not being seen as insane every once in a while! Is that so bad?”
*Yes, I suggest we eat him anyways. That was a very boring explanation*
Eddie chose to ignore that as they left the bar in an urgent pace. No need to cause anymore issues for themselves by sticking around.
An old Jeep sat parked outside. They would have felt bad for stealing if it was the start of their relationship, but with what they’ve experienced, they’ve learned that sometimes it’s okay to do bad things for a good reason.
Eddie climbed over the door with a small boost from Venom and got into the driver’s seat.
Venom’s tendrils snakes into the keyhole and the engine sprung to life. New York was only a multi-day drive away.
The sun beat down on their skin through the thick heat of the day. Venom was getting hungry, and Eddie appreciated the small things in life, such as having all his vital organs intact.
A lone gas station came across the horizon. Venom had discovered $30 dollars in the glove compartment while snooping to kill time and the notion of finders keepers was very strong this time of day. It wouldn’t last them long, but they could stock up on enough chocolate to survive the trip with it. Eddie would just have to use his reporter skills to get some money once they reached New York if they were to stay here any longer.
The bills in his own wallet didn’t match the ones here, meaning that any attempts to use them would just end with either him in cuffs or two headless cops. His phone freaked out on him as soon as it was powered up.
$30, some useless bills and a fried phone weren’t ideal, but they were better than nothing. The phone could be used for scraps and they could maybe trick some sucker into exchanging the bills if they didn’t look too closely.
They pulled in and hopped over the door again to get out. The station wasn’t decent, one of the windows was patched with cardboard and it looked as though it had been through a zombie apocalypse. The grimy glass door squealed as they pulled it towards them and the clerk didn’t even acknowledge their presence as they walked in.
The chocolate was priced at what was probably a loss. $1 for a single sharing bar or $3 for 5. Eddie grabbed them in bunches of 4, before taking them all when he realised that there weren’t even 50 bars.
The cashier didn’t even blink as the counter was flooded with nothing but chocolate and a single bottle of water.
She counted and scanned each individual bar, totalling in 36 overall. She passed the water across the scanner, but no beep sounded out to validate it had truly been scanned. The woman just stared at the screen in front of her for a good 12 seconds before calling out that the total was $21.
Eddie handed over $25 in a $20 and a $5 bill. The cashier handed back $10 and he didn’t feel the need to point out the mistake. It was truly a surprise how this place was still running, but it benefited them and they weren’t so keen on investigating money laundering in the Texan wilderness.
Back on the road to New York they go, chocolate acquired for the safety of Eddie and everyone around them.