Work Text:
You make me think of
storms on the beaches
The liquor bottle swished around in your hand as your wrist went limp over the railing of your balcony. You hadn't even bothered to read the label or place it in a proper glass, getting home from your nightly patrol. Luckily, Manhattan was usually quiet when your mind refused to be.
"Spider," he called out to you in your mind. His voice lacked the familiar rasp you'd gotten used to over the years. His tone carried the sort of pitying worry that made you want to barf. "You look... upset."
No shit.
You tended to push people away, and today had been the day it had finally gotten to you how alone you were. Well, not alone. Never alone, no thanks to the parasite. Just... isolated. Distant.
Today was your birthday. No one reached out to you. No one gave you any gifts. Maybe the lack of contact from any of the people you used to be close to was on purpose, out of spite, but most had likely forgotten you even existed. Which was understandable, considering you'd cut off contact with the masses. You used the cover of wanting to 'keep them safe' and that you 'couldn't have any weaknesses' as a vigilante. It'd happened before, where people targeted your loved ones to access you. Realistically, you just wanted to be alone. You revelled in the comfort of being miserable and depressed forever.
At least, you used to.
"Spider," Venom called again. You tried to envision an annoyed expression on his face with your imagination, but soon, that proved unnecessary as the form of his head materialized, emerging from the same spot on your shoulder blade that he always did. "Talk to me, instead of thinking so annoyingly loudly."
"Leave me alone," you huff out, bringing the bottle up to your lips again before a rogue tendril of your symbiote's smacks it out of your hand. It goes flying down into the alley below, and you hear the faint noise of glass shattering and a cat hissing. Your chest feels hot with anger.
"What the fuck was that for?"
"You're drinking too much. You never drink."
"Who are you to decide I'm drinking too much?"
"Not the point. Talk," he growls, seemingly unwilling to give up the topic.
You just wish he'd stop bothering you. Always fucking bothering you.
"Stop cursing," he spoke, invading your mind again. His white, crescent-shaped eyes flickered over your face. The symbiote almost sounds... genuinely worried, but you try not to let your mind linger on the tone of his voice. "Why are you acting so different?"
"I'm... just... tired." That lousy ass excuse wasn't getting you anywhere, and why would you lie to something that could read your mind, anyway? You expected him to curse in frustration.
"Bullshit," he replies, rolling his head around. "I'm always going to be here, anyway, so just talk to me."
"I don't want you here," you hiss back, your frustration and impatience getting to you. Even if your words were partially true, you would've never said them sober.
His eyes flicker with something that almost seems like hurt, and he goes silent for a moment before glancing away from you. "So, you only want me here when you're able to use me? Is that it?"
You hadn't expected him to use that against you, especially not in this moment. You softened fractionally, though your resentment was still visible in your expression.
"Venom," you sighed, exasperation tangible in your tone, "that's not what this is about. And... when we... It's not like that. I'm just... frustrated."
His eyes turned to yours again, and, with a moment of consideration, his form materialized further before you. He was able to appear in a full, humanoid form, as long as one tendril was still connected to his host. Now, he stands near the railing by your side. You feel warmth radiating from him. He turns toward you, towering above you, and you look at him, wondering about his next move.
His hands slide over your hips, and his body inches closer to yours. In an instant, you're frozen in place, and your throat is dry.
"Frustrated?" He murmurs, and suddenly, the rasp in his voice has returned. One of his hands moves higher, under your shirt, his thumb tracing over your rib. "Let me take some of the edge off, then."
The idea doesn't seem horrible, but as you're letting his hand drift even further upwards, he stops, retrieving his hand with a solemn expression.
"... The edge is still there," you mumbled, albeit a bit petulantly.
He seems a little guilty. "... I thought that would make you want to talk about why you're so upset."
Your expression immediately shifts to unamusement.
"Listen, you..." he sighs, his large hand gripping the railing in front of both of you. "There's no point in trying to push me away. I'm stuck with you."
Your emotions got the better of you. "I never wanted this. I never wanted you."
A beat of silence passes, and his expression shifts to something of... hurt.
The truth was, Venom had changed your life. Definitely not for the better, and... maybe for the worse. He wasn't supposed to know that, though. You hadn't meant for him to ever know that.
"I know you didn't, okay?" He mutters, his tone rising now as the look in his eyes changes to something... vulnerable. "I hear it in your mind every day. But I need you to know, you're the only good thing in my life." He pauses, hesitating with his words as he looks away. He slumps, his hands falling away from the railing. "Even if I'm the thing that ruined yours."
Do what your heart desires
Love is always strange
when it just starts
Your breath hitches in your throat as you turn, your eyes trying to find his, only to discover that he's avoiding looking at you. Not to be petulant or grumpy, like normal, but because he genuinely believed you hated his guts.
Your gaze softens, but your lips purse. The need to isolate yourself comes nagging back at you. But can't he be the only exception?
"Venom," you murmur, and his eyes shift slightly your way. The mask you put on for everyone else is wavering. Another pause. "There's a reason why you're still here. I need you, just as much as you need me. Symbiosis, remember?"
He finally looks at you again, and you feel a sense of relief flow through your chest. You let out a breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding. But he doesn't look satisfied.
"I don't want you to need me," Venom says, shaking his head. His gaze seemed tired. "I want you to want me."
"You don't think I care?"
"You don't show it."
"I don't tend to show a lot of things."
You both stare at each other, and even as you stand right beside one another, it feels as if you are two worlds apart.
"I do care," you whisper. "I care about you. I can't think about what I'd do if... if..."
His hand lands on your face, his palm cupping your cheek. Strangely, it was comforting. Warm. He spoke softly. "You won't ever have to think about that." He inches closer, and for the first time in your life, you don't resist.
Everything is wrong, but it's alright
Everything is wrong, but it's alright
"I will not let anything take me away from you," he whispers, and you forget about the drinking, the isolation, the misery, as he presses his forehead to yours. Warmth fills your body. The pair of you let your eyes slip shut.
You're the only good thing in my life.