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The past couple of days became a total blur.
Eddie had been discharged from the hospital and told to live his life like nothing had ever happened. Like he had not just lost Venom for the world.
It became harder to get out of bed, make a coffee and just… Exist.
Existing felt too much of an effort without Venom there to take some of the weight off his shoulders. To be the constant voice inside his head when he needed it.
And now that was gone. He was all gone. And he was never coming back.
Eddie felt like he was existing for the sake of existing, which wasn’t very fun when you put it into perspective. Eddie was alone now, there was no alien to talk to when he needed it the most, and even when he didn’t.
There was no comforting swirl through his veins, the familiar presence of what used to be the symbiote he loved more than anything. Now, he felt empty. Utterly empty.
Eddie boards the ferry and hands his ticket to the ferryman, slotting his closed fists into the pockets of his jacket. Sauntering to the back, Eddie takes a seat on the far inside so he had the best view.
Hearing the gentle chatter around himself, it reminded Eddie of how he hadn’t uttered a word for the last two days. He almost forgot the sound of his own voice.
But there was nothing to talk about now. No one to talk to.
It wasn’t the wisest decision to board this boat. Eddie had awful motion sickness, but he had to do this. Eddie had already been putting it off.
His eyes drift to the passengers boarding and bustling down the narrow aisle to their seats. Eddie watches how most of them are holding hands, assuming they were young couples. The smiles on their faces gave it all away.
Eddie watches a woman pull her partner towards their seats, making giddy noises with a smile on her face. She tugs him down onto the seat and they embrace, an arm around each other’s shoulder.
Eddie’s skin suddenly started to burn around that specific area, reaching up to rub it uncomfortably through his jacket. Like there was a lingering presence trying its hardest to replicate the feeling he was seeing.
It made the loss that much harder the longer he stares. They could never have had something as public like that, but God did he wish they could.
“Hello.” The elderly voice startles Eddie from his daydream, glancing up at the elder woman who was looking at him with a small smile on her face. “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”
Eddie looks around himself unsure for a moment, swallowing a lump in his throat. “N-No, not at all.” He politely shuffles against the side of the boat a little more and she sits down, not too close thankfully.
Eddie’s eyes remain averted to the open sea to his right. The ferry was moving now.
It was a boat tour that took them to see the Statue of Liberty. Something Eddie had been putting off for the last few days.
“Do you have a special somebody?” The elderly woman was looking at him now, when Eddie turned his head towards her. The question caught him off guard. “Sorry. I just, saw the way you were looking at them over there.” She nods her head towards the couple who were still embraced, looking out to the left of the boat. “I didn’t mean to be so nosy.”
“Not anymore.” Eddie answers with an uncomfortable swallow, averting his gaze once more to the view. He really didn’t want to say anymore, but there must be a reason why this stranger decided to sit next to him amongst the many empty seats. “...What about you?”
“Same here.” She chuckles. “You seem to have a lot more in common with strangers than you think, eh?”
“I suppose so.” Eddie nods along slowly.
“You have a dead look in your eye.” The old lady was still intently watching him, “Did you lose them recently?”
Why is she asking me all these questions?
Eddie rubs at his grown out stubble, keeping his head turned away while his leg bounces uncontrollably. “Maybe.”
The old lady nods her head slowly and adjusts herself on the bench, looking out to the view now towards the statue. “My partner loved the Statue of Liberty. We often came here once in a while to admire her. It was one of our favourite past times.”
Eddie hones in on the conversation a little, glancing back at her slightly then turning his head away again. “That must have been nice.”
There was a silence that washed over the conversation for a brief moment as the wind picks up.
“M…My partner liked the Statue of Liberty too.” Eddie contributes hesitantly to the conversation, thumb to his lip. “Never got to see it themself, though.”
The elderly lady’s face furrows sympathetically at him, a comforting smile on her face. “I’m sorry to hear that, darling. What else did you two like doing?”
“There were a few things.” Eddie adjusts himself in the seat a little more now, sitting up. “Midnight walks, I guess. Um… Movie nights?” It felt a little silly saying it out loud. “Nothing exciting, I suppose.”
“Well, you don’t need to splash any cash to have a good time, now do you?” The old lady smiles again, and this time Eddie smiles back slightly with a timid nod. “I’m sure they’re here now, admiring Lady Liberty in all her glory.”
The pressure in Eddie’s shoulders suddenly overcame him, like a snake being draped over the nape of his neck and his shoulderblades.
“Yeah, I hope so. I guess that’s why I’m here now. I wanted to do this for them.” His shoulders shrug despite the weight, while Eddie fiddles with his fingers. “I promised we would see this together, but I couldn’t keep that promise, and now I feel shitty for it.”
“Life happens, sweetheart.” The old lady places her palm comfortingly against his knee. “There’s no predicting what will ever happen next. Like you never expected to lose them. But life goes on, and they live through you. Like a symbiotic bond.”
Eddie’s entire body stiffens.
“And when you start to think about them, your skin may start to burn in the places where they left a permanent mark. A kiss on the cheek, an embrace, a held hand.” The old lady looks out to the view. “But that’s love. It leaves a permanent stain somewhere on our bodies, so we can never forget them no matter how much time may pass.”
“That stain may also be in here.” The hand on Eddie’s knee moves to his chest, directly over his heart. “Everyone you have ever come to love leaves a mark one way or another. Some bigger than others. But the familiar look in your eye tells me this person meant a lot to you.”
Eddie nods slowly, sucking up the tears that threatened to prickle at his eyelids. “He was amazing.”
“He?”
Eddie turns his head to face her in alarm, his cheeks growing hot at the slip-up. “I-I didn’t mean–”
But the old lady smiles even more. “Love is a beautiful thing.” She leans in with a whisper, “My wife would have loved you.”
Eddie’s body physically relaxes, watching how she pulls out a charm necklace from beneath her coat and opens it to reveal a beautiful picture of two younger ladies embraced.
“I hope wherever they may be, they’ll continue to guide us through life even though they aren’t here anymore.” The old lady clasps the charm back tight and tucks it under her shirt.
The boat stops and rocks a little in the water. Eddie watches as the crowd bustles down the narrow aisle to the exit in order to get the best spot for viewing Lady Liberty.
“Venom would be proud of you.” The elderly lady pats his heart gently with her gloved hand and stands up, clasping tight of her cane. “I wish you the best, Eddie. I’m awfully sorry for your loss.”
Eddie’s mouth opens to exclaim how she could have possibly known his identity, but he shuts it quickly as she toddles her way after the crowd out of the boat. He was left to sit there and ponder her words, sucking in his lip.
Venom may not be there physically, but the comforting pressure in Eddie’s shoulders when he needed it most made up for it. It rests now against his shoulderblades as Eddie steps out of the ferry and walks along the paved footway along the gates.
Venom would have been ecstatic to be here, standing in front of the Statue of Liberty. The mere thought of his excitement made Eddie smile the longer he stared at her, and the pressure grew in his shoulders.
“I know you can see her, babe.” Eddie mumbles to himself as he leans against the gate, staring up at her unblinking. “I just wish you were here so I could see you.”