Inspired by the song of the same name

...

It seemed just like any normal day. Eddie drafting for the article he was working on, cross referencing his sources and everything. Venom usually kept to himself, letting Eddie do his work. But to night seemed different. The alien sharing his body seemed distracted or irritated by something.

"What's got you all buggered, Venom?" He made a notation on his papers.

WE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING, EDDIE

"And that would be?"

EDDIE, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT LOVE IS?

The question took Eddie off guard, he broke the point on his pencil. He cleared his throat and grabbed a spare. "What brought this on?"

WE SAW SOMETHING WHILE OUT TODAY, TWO HUMANS SAYING 'I LOVE YOU' TO EACH OTHER. WHAT DO THESE WORDS MEAN? WHAT IS LOVE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT?

Eddie put his pencil down and set his work aside, this wasn't going to be easy.

"Well V, it's not that easy to explain. The textbook definition of love is caring for someone and wanting them to be happy and just be with them. "

DO YOU LOVE ANNIE?

Is that what this was about? "Well, yeah. I love her."

THEN WHY DO YOU NOT WANT TO WIN HER BACK?

Eddie spent a long time trying to convince Venom that she wasn't just going to leave Dan to be with them. Something the symbiote didn't seem to understand. He had to word this carefully to get him to understand.

"Ok. There's more than one type of love, man. There's friendship and familial, which are usually fairly similar, and then there's being IN love with someone and wanting to be with that person forever. Being in love means you think about the person a lot. You are happy when they are happy; sad when they are sad. Two pieces of a puzzle that just fit perfectly. The love I have for Anne and Dan is friendship. I love them for just BEING there for me when I needed them, for just caring. But I can't say I'm in love with Anne anymore. She and Dan, they're in love with each other. They're perfect for each other." Eddie's voice cracked at the end, he coughed to try to clear it.

He felt Venom ponder on his words.

BEING IN LOVE MEANS WANTING TO BE WITH SOMEONE FOREVER, ALWAYS CARING FOR THEM?

Eddie nodded, reaching for his drink.

EDDIE, ARE WE IN LOVE?

The question totally caught Eddie off guard, that he accidentally inhaled the water. He choked on it only for a short moment before Venom cleared his lungs, quietly scolding him for trying to breathe his drinks again.

"I'm... Sorry, can you repeat that? I'm not sure I heard you correct." Even tho it was impossible to mishear him.

ARE WE IN LOVE?

Eddie was somewhat wishing he had the excuse of choking on his drink to avoid this discussion. "What... What makes you think that, V?"

YOU SAID THAT BEING IN LOVE WAS FEELING THE SAME EMOTIONS AS THEM. WANTING TO BE WITH THEM FOREVER. BEING TWO PIECES THAT FIT PERFECTLY. DOES THIS NOT DESCRIBE US?

Eddie was starting to feel light headed. He pushed his chair away to bend over, leaning forward on his elbows to cradle his head.

"V, man I don't think it's that easy."

WHY NOT?

Eddie sighed, rubbing at his face. "You've seen my memories, right? Of what happened between me and Annie?"

YES. THESE MEMORIES MAKE YOU SAD.

That was an understatement.

"Love just isn't simple. It's delicate; fragile. We were in love back then. I was madly in love with her for sure. Back then nothing could ruin it. Of course I never saw that *I* would be the one to ruin it. I squandered her love. I was... Arrogant. Selfish. I used her to get what I wanted, because I was too stupid to see the big picture. When we broke up, I was messed up pretty bad. This pain even just thinking about it. I felt that all the time V. " Eddie tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat.

THIS IS NOT A PLEASANT FEELING!

Eddie let out a breath. "No. It's not. Trust me."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

SO YOU ARE... AFRAID OF FEELING LIKE THIS AGAIN?

Eddie dropped his head in defeat. "I...I don't know. I guess... Maybe." He was at a loss for words.

He felt a shift in the symbiote's mood.

DO YOU ALWAYS TRUST US EDDIE?

The question seemed harmless, but it caught Eddie off guard. "I... Yes, I do. Hell man, I trust you with my life! It's thanks to you that I'm even here."

THEN CAN YOU TRUST...ME TO ALWAYS LOVE YOU?

That in itself caught Eddie by surprise, especially given the use of a singular pronoun, instead of the usual plural. He didn't know how to answer.

WE TRUST YOU, EDDIE. NO MATTER WHAT, WE... *I* WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. NO MATTER STUPID YOU CAN BE.

Eddie's heart skipped a beat. He... Could he do that? Could he allow himself to feel in love again? Could he dare to hope? The thought gave a lightness in his chest.

"Yeah, " he started voice soft. "Yes I think I can. But listen, Venom. I'm trusting you to take good care of my heart for me. Both physically, and metaphorically.

He felt a rumbling chuckle deep in his chest. His right hand was suddenly turned into one of their claws.

*WE* WILL TAKE CARE OF *OUR* HEART. *TOGETHER.*

There was a new much lighter feeling in Eddie's chest. The pain was gone, instead it was warmth. Joy. It was indescribable. He grabbed his hand in his other, bringing them both to his mouth, to place a small kiss on the palm.

"Thank you. My love."