Eddie, I'm HUNGRY

"I know Venom, just-," Eddie let out a low sigh, the cold winter air exhaling from his lungs forming a small white cloud in front of his face, "Shut up."

We want food, Eddie. NOW. We HUNGRY

Eddie rolled his eyes, each time Venom spoke out his name he got more and more annoyed and frustrated. He couldn't help it, it got on his nerves. All Venom ever talked about was food, eating heads and if not that, he was insulting Eddie. It was getting old by now and it had only been a half year since Riot and the explosion.

Don't ignore us Eddie!

Eddie's temper and patience were running very thin at the moment and he's sure Venom knows that, he could read his mind after all, so why bother responding verbally. He felt the presence in his chest tighten and a huge wave of negative emotions washed over him. He felt is breath hitch in his throat, and stopped in his tracks.

"Will you stop doing that?" He grunted and bit his tongue to keep is voice down, aggravation clearly audible. He got no answer, instead the pressure in his chest swirled around in his body towards his guts and it stayed still there, still letting its presence be known by radiating small waves of contractions causing Eddie to bend forward in pain.

"Seriously?" He asked with a troubled breath, "I'm so done with you!" He groaned and started walking towards his shitty apartment again, ignoring the contractions which were way stronger than before, this time. "No heads for a month!" He muttered under his breath, which he regretted immediately.

He suddenly was pushed against a wall in an alleyway, not being able to move, he felt Venom contracting out of his chest, only the shape of his head as he hung in front of his face. His long sharp teeth only inches way, he turned his head sideways, holding back a breath.

What is it that's bothering you? We are concerned about us, your feelings are all over the place

An aching feeling swelled up in his chest, but it wasn't Venom this time, it felt heavy and uncomfortable. His eyes started itching and tears welled up in the corners, "I, I don't know Vee, it's... I need some time alone..." Eddie took a deep breath and tried to hold back his tears.

We can feel you're anxious and overwhelmed, maybe food can help

That struck a nerve with Eddie as suddenly anger overtook him, "Is food really all you can think about!? Unbelievable!" The change of mood took Venom by surprise giving Eddie a chance to gain control again. He walked faster this time, a trillion of thoughts roaming around in his mind. He wished he had never met Venom, that he didn't exist. That all the shit that happened with Riot didn't happen. He would still have his job, he would still have Anne! Ever since Venom he lost everything he ever cared about. His anger calmed slightly along with the dropping temperatures surrounding him.

Venom stayed silent for the rest of the walk, which Eddie appreciated.

Once they arrived at their apartment, Eddie immediately went to the kitchen to eat some tater tots. To his surprise Venom stayed quiet, Eddie felt quite empty but he shrugged the feeling off. Heading over to his bed he fell face down and curled up, closing his eyes, yawning tiredly. The room felt cold, even though the heater was on, or it broke down because he can't afford to pay his bills anymore. He felt a shiver running down his spine, he felt lonely. He missed the presence of Venom resting underneath his skin in his chest, or Venom's tendrils wrapped protectively around his thigh, or resting on his waist. The warm soft feeling of the black texture calmed him. Eddie whined slightly at the thoughts, as he pulled his icy blankets tightly around himself. Hoping he could feel a graze of Venom' presence in his head, but there was once again nothing. He slowly fell asleep, leaving the shitty world behind.

Pain, danger, not protected, scared; knives, blood, loud sounds, loud beep, venom. Where's Venom? He can't feel him, he isn't there. Pain, a lot of pain. And darkness; everything's dark. Venom's gone-, gunshot, blurry, darkness-

Eddie shot upright, choking on his own breath. His forehead covered in sweat, his bed sheets trashed, and his pillow damp. It's then he noticed he had been crying, his fingertips touching his cheek carefully. His chest hurt and his lungs burned, with every beat of his heart his chest contracted together more and more, squeezing tightly. His breath became more and more ragged, he was having a panic attack.

Venom always noticed when he was in distress and he would wake him up from his nightmares, his upper body shaped, as it held Eddie tightly, trying to comfort him by cracking some jokes, still not understanding humans and their tornados of emotions. Where was Venom now?

"V-Vee?" Eddie whispered, feeling very vulnerable. Nothing, he heard nothing, he felt nothing. He was scared, he didn't know what to do, he was worried.

Suddenly his phone started ringing throughout the dark gloomy room, he glanced at the screen, seeing the name 'Anne' illuminating on it. He sighed and decided to pick up.

"Eddie?!" Anne's sharp voice ringed through the speakers of his phone, "Where have you been?! Are you okay?! Why didn't you pick up your phone for the last weeks?!" She inhaled a deep breath, "Eddie?" She asked calmer, concern evident in her voice.

All Eddie could do was sigh, "Sorry Anne, please, don't worry about me." Eddie choked on a sob he tried to hold back and pressed the red button on his phone. Staring at the blank screen, a water droplet falling on top of it.

"Vee?" Eddie tried again, nothing, "Ven?"

"Ven??" He frowned, his hands becoming sweaty.

"Venom?" His heartbeat fastened, and he could feel it thumping against his ribs. He had trouble breathing.

"Parasite!" Now he was just desperate. "Venom!" He cried out swinging himself off the bed, trying to get his malfunctioning body towards the bathroom. He splashed some cold water in his face, and leant onto the edges of the sink, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked like a mess, his eyes were bloodshot red, his skin was pale, and he just looked sick.

"Vee?" He said almost above a whisper, but it was so quiet it was barely audible, his voice was so hoarse and broken, he didn't sound like himself at all. "Vee, please," He said as tears rolled down his face.

He took a deep shaky breath, and closed his eyes trying to calm himself. He realized how insecure and scared he felt without Venom, but he didn't know if he disappeared or if he was just hiding.

An idea popped up in his head, he felt a small sad smile creep onto his features. He walked towards the living room and took his headphones and IPad, plugging it in, he put on the headphones and opened YouTube, he chose some loud death metal music, and put his sound as loud as possible.

At first he didn't feel anything but after a while his eardrums started to ache, it felt like his heart stopped for a moment and time stood still. He was sure if Venom was still there he would've said something.

"Ven?" Eddie called out as he gently put the headphones down onto the kitchen table. "Venom?" He shouted louder this time, but nowhere was a black blob to be seen. Before he noticed he saw two tears fall onto the floor, he slowly fell to his knees as he curled up onto the ground.

He didn't know what was happening any more.

He woke up to someone knocking on his door, angry, furious knocking. Once he gained enough consciousness he heard someone screaming his name. He stood up and stabilized himself on the kitchen counter, "EDDIE OPEN THE DOOR!"

It was a male voice, suddenly Eddie was fully awake, leaping towards the door. Maybe it was Venom, maybe it was an accident that he left or maybe a sick joke that he took too far-

He was met by Dan and Anne, "Eddie!" Anne tackled him into a hug, "Don't ever make me worry like that again Edward." She said in a motherly tone, Dan invited himself inside, closing the door behind him.

"Eddie, what's going on?" Anne pulled back but kept a firm grip onto his shoulders so he couldn't escape. He didn't know if there were too many thoughts in his head or none at all. The only words he could mutter were;

"Venom's gone."

Another tear, another sob, Anne pulled him into a hug, and they just sat there on the ground. Dan locked the door and went into Eddie's kitchen, probably to get a drink. His cabinets and fridge were mostly empty though.

"It's going to be okay, you can pick up your life again." Anne had said like it was so easily done.

Weeks pass, and instead of his life becoming easier it was falling apart. He couldn't function properly anymore. He missed venom so much, he missed the warm presence in the small of his back like a comforting touch, it was Venom's favourite place to be, he liked it there. Or by his hands, the nerves of his fingertips tingling, or on his shoulders like an arm protecting him.

He was desperate for the warm sensation, his voice in his head, he missed going out hunting, catching bad guys. He missed the way Venom said his name. He had cried himself to sleep each night that had passed and the nightmares had never been so gruesome.

But they had come true, Venom was gone and Eddie couldn't do anything about it. He had fucked up, it was all his fault. He shouldn't have shut Anne and Dan out, he should be happy Anne still cared about him and Dan is truly a good bloke. Even though Venom could read everything about him, he should've still communicated verbally with him.

Now he sees all the signs, all the hints Venom had given him. Venom cared about him, Eddie finally realized what Venom had meant with 'you are mine'. Eddie was his home, and he rejected him. He took him for granted because he was selfish to only think about himself. It was never Eddie dealing with Venom but Venom had to deal with Eddie, because he chose when they ate, where they went.

"V-Vee," Eddie cried quietly, swallowing back his tears. It was eleven at night, it had been more than a month, and Eddie couldn't take it anymore. He got up whilst his weak body protesting. He pulled on his shoes and didn't even bother to take his jacket. He sprinted down the stairs of the apartment complex and ran down the dim-lit streets.

"VENOM!!" He screamed on top of his lungs, his hot tears dampening in the cold night air.

"VEE!"

After an hour he ended up in a park, out of breath, his voice had given up on him and his lungs ached terribly. He fell down by the lake, staring at the reflexion of the stars and moon, some ducks still paddling without a worry. Eddie leant above the water, staring at himself, "Venom," He whispered as tears fell in the water making small ripples. His vision was blurred by thick salty tears, but when the water stilled he saw a figure standing above him.

He leant back and looked up sideways, "Goodnight, young lad." The old man looked at him with a sad smile and walked towards a bench a few meters to the side. Eddie sat up slowly, and followed the man towards the bench, sitting next to him.

"You were making quite some noise, are you alright?" The old man asked, now more clear under the lamppost by the wooden bench. "Uh," Eddie sniffed and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his sweater. "M'fine, thank you."

"I'm not sure I believe that," The man chuckled. "You broke up with your girlfriend recently?"

"Sort off," Eddie admitted, "My uh, roommate left me without saying anything. It's my fault though."

"Roommate?" The man questioned, "Sounds like they meant more than that didn't they?"

"I suppose so," Eddie finally relaxed and chuckled softly, leaning backwards, looking up at the night sky. "Why are you here?"

"Me? I have nowhere to go, so I decided to go on a walk. Then saw you running hysterically," The man laughed quietly. "Any idea why your roommate might've left?"

Eddie sighed, "Took him for granted. I," Eddie rubbed his eyes, "I love him so much," He let out a breathy laugh allowing the stream of water to glide down his red, bothered, cold cheek, "I only realized today, he's long gone though. I was selfish and only thought about me and-"

"And I miss him so much, we were partners in crime you know? I only now realize how fond I've grown of him, how he became a part of my daily routine," Eddie laughed sarcastically, angry with himself.

"He seems to have scored a good host then," The man chuckled, as he patted Eddie's shoulder, standing up. Eddie progressed the words he looked up in surprise.

The old man smiled down at him, holding out his hand as a black mass started shaping on top of it.

"V-Vee?" Eddie managed to speak clearly, his stomach twisting in an uncomfortable way. This man knew about Venom, they were also compatibles. Eddie felt hurt and he just wanted to go home and curl up on his bed and cry.

Hello Eddie

He was now facing Venom's shaped head, but in a smaller version.

You look like shit

Eddie huffed out a breath, "Thanks." He fumbled with his hands, nervous for some reason, he didn't know what to say.

Did you miss us?

Eddie opened his mouth to say something but he slowly closed it again and frowned, frustration and anger now playing his prior emotions. He heard a growl, he knew it was Venom; he didn't look up, "I see you've found another host, huh?" Anger dripped from his words, but also hurt. Venom chuckled loudly, making Eddie look up with an angry face.

We did, he is very nice.

"Does he feed you well? You haven't been eating innocent people, have you?" Eddie was still concerned about Venom's health, and the good citizens of the city.

Since he has no money we can't eat proper humane food, we've ate no heads

Eddie raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms giving Venom 'the' look.

Nor people, we hungry

"Well," Eddie hesitated, "At least that's good, keep that up." He sighed, not bring able to look at Venom.

There was silence.

How's Anne and Dan?

"They're doing fine."

You're not doing fine

"How'd you find me anyway?" Eddie snapped, his eyes narrowing. "It's not that hard when you hear a guy screaming 'Venom' through the entire city." The man chuckled, he didn't look that old now that he stood right in front of Eddie. His guts churned and turned inside out. He couldn't take this, he just couldn't.

"I should be going, it's late." He stood up and walked past the guy and Venom, towards the exit of the park. Once there was a great distance between them he felt something wrap around his wrist, pulling him back.

WAIT!

Eddie turned around, his chest felt like it was possibly going to explode any moment now, "What do you want from me?!" Eddie didn't even notice he was once again crying his eyes out.

You. We want YOU, Eddie

"Oh, really?! Doesn't look like it! You seem perfectly fine with that dick wad, what do you need me for huh?! You left me without saying anything!"

Eddie- Please, listen-

"NO!" Eddie took a deep breath, glaring daggers at Venom and the stupid man, "Why? Tell me why I should?! Do you know what I've been through without you?!" His voice broke, water dripping down like waterfalls, breath shagged and ragged and he couldn't hold back.

"All the panic attacks, the nightmares?? I've felt so alone and empty! I wish I was dead! I felt useless, broken, I-" He wasn't able to finish because a strap of black covered his mouth, Venom was so close to him, if he just reached out he could-

Eddie

Oh how he loved the way Venom said his name

You said you wanted time alone

Eddie remembered his thought, Venom sent it to him via their connecting skins,

You said you wished you never met us, that we were a bother, you would be better off without us

Venom stared at him, directly, with these huge white eyes of him and those sharp teeth, Eddie had really missed him. He slowly retreated the tendril covering Eddie's mouth, gently caressing his bottom lip on the way.

"I," Eddie didn't know what to say, he just stood there, dumbfounded. "I was overwhelmed and I didn't mean it like that." Eddie finally said after thinking over his sentence.

We know

Eddie frowned again, and Venom sensed his anger, he put an extended tendril on his cheek, the end slowly caressing his cheek bone.

We're sorry Eddie

Eddie just looked down, he felt like shit. Venom had moved on of course, he never meant anything to the symbiote anyway, he was just another compatible host.

Eddie didn't know that Venom could read his thoughts, and Venom snarled.

NO

Venom said harshly, making Eddie look up in shock, "W-What?"

NO EDDIE, NO

Venom started to become unsettled, he didn't like the way Eddie was thinking. Before Eddie could say anything Venom interrupted.

I am sorry Eddie

Another tendril brushed some strands of his hair out of his face, Venom barely referred to himself as 'I', which confused Eddie. He felt a warm feeling in his chest, which had been cold and lifeless ever since the night Venom had left. But the twisting feeling in his guts still remained strongly.

You are the only one for me

Again referring to first person, Eddie finally looked up at Venom again, his eyebrows knitted together.

Always been the only one

Venom almost whispered, his deep voice normal but still groggy.

"We only bonded because I wanted to help him find you, but he forgot where you lived. We've been walking around the city in search for you but it seems you never left your apartment." The man said and Venom nodded his head along with what the man was saying.

Eddie despised the way that disgusting scumbag referred to him and Venom as 'we' and that he said 'bonded', he wanted to punch the dirty fucker in the face. Venom sensed his distress and burning anger.

I love you Eddie

Venom said lovingly as he leant in closer, the tendrils tightening around his face.

Please forgive me

"You-" Eddie wanted to shout, say Venom betrayed him. He was supposed to be Venom's, but Venom was also supposed to be his'. But it seemed so stupid and unfair to blame Venom to bond with another, he wouldn't have survived otherwise for this long.

Eddie

Venom tried to get his attention, in which he succeeded

Only did it to find you, never leave you again, please

Venom had never begged for something that wasn't food

I'll even eat veggies!

He sounded so desperate, Eddie couldn't' hold back his chuckle,

"Really?" Venom nodded his head, rubbing it against Eddie's chest softly, "Promise?"

Promise, forever. Won't leave you until you die, die with you

Eddie couldn't hold back his smile, water droplets falling down again, like rain, before the rainbow will appear. He reached out his hand and stroked Venom's head and held it there, "I'm sorry too."

Forgiven, I love you Eddie, more than anything

Eddie leant forward and rested his forehead against Venom's.

You are mine and I am only yours.

Eddie's thumb caressed the side of Venom's floating head, the tendrils tenderly wiped away the tears, "I love you too," Eddie pulled back an smiled at venom, "You parasite."

TAKE THAT BACK!

"How about," Eddie giggled, "no."

Before Venom could say anything, the man interrupted their moment. "I think it's time to give back what's yours." He stepped towards Eddie and laid his hand on his forearm, Venom looked at the man and he nodded. Venom crawled onto Eddie, rubbing his head against Eddie's neck as he seeped into his skin, completely demerging from the other man.

The man looked immediately paler after Venom left, he looked older too, his skin withering. He smiled and patted Eddie's shoulder, "Good luck, you two. If I'm still alive, invite me to the wedding." And with that he left the park.

EDDIE!

Venom sounded mad, "Hm?" Eddie looked at the head that had emerged from his shoulder,

Your body is a mess!

"What? I'm a mess without you, thought you'd figured that out by now." Eddie rolled his eyes and started heading towards his apartment as if the previous hours never happened.

Idiot.

Venom hissed, and Eddie smiled, "Parasite." He expected to feel pain but he felt a ticklish feeling in the pit of his stomach until a warmth spread throughout his entire body, he stopped in his tracks almost moaning from the sensation.

Venom emerged from his back between his shoulder blades, he gently licked Eddie's cheek.

I ate his liver

Eddie snorted, "Really?" he raised his eyebrow, amused.

Yesss, he had no food and I was hungry

Eddie shook his head and laid his hand on Venom's cheek pulling his head towards him and kissed the other side. Venom trilled and Eddie could feel it go from Venom down his own spine. He let his hand fall to his side, as he felt a tendril crawl down his arms, a hand shape formed on his hand palm, black smaller tendrils intertwining with his own fingers. A warm sensation swirling in the small of his back and Venom's head resting on his shoulder.

Eddie sighed in satisfaction and relief, he felt completed and content. Venom purred, "You hungry now?" Eddie asked squeezing the make shift hand in his, his other hand in the pocket of his hoody. Right now they didn't care who saw, to them they were the only two on this floating rock in the universe.

It can wait, just us now

Eddie smiled and pecked Venom's head again, they walked in silence, towards their home.

Once they arrived home, Eddie headed towards the showers, he smelled and he wanted Venom to be cleaned too. The water hitting his back as venom was floating around him, the water also hitting the black mass that formed his head. Venom produced a calming feeling, stimulating his nerves. He was completely relaxed. Once they get out he got ready for bed and went straight towards his room, he changed the covers, then plopped down onto his bed. Venom purred in contentment.

Eddie curled up under the covers, Venom's form still outside of his body, he produced some tendrils to tug the sheets more snug against them, making sure Eddie was comfortable.

"Hey, Vee?"

Yes Eddie?

"Cuddle with me." Eddie thought about venom wrapped around him, the way he liked it the most.

Gladly

More tendrils left Eddie's body as Venom formed his chest behind Eddie, pulling him against the black texture, both of the inky arms wrapping around his waist, Venom's head buried in the back of Eddie's neck. Eddie could feel a tendril wrap around his thigh and a hand form in his as it intertwined with his fingers again.

He sighed, another tear slipping from his eyelashes, a happy one. He felt a warm tongue lick it away, as he leant back more against Venom.

He'd never let this go, he'd never let venom go again.

His apartment didn't feel right without his symbiote.

His.

Mine, yours.

Venom whispered, right, he could read Eddie's thoughts. He smiled.

This felt like home.

When he was with Venom he was home.