Summary:

NEXT CHAPTER!

And guess what!?

This chapter was also beta-read! Many thanks to:

PineappleoftheLordAssbutts ( u/5026976/)

How do I tag someone in this?

ALSO!

I'm leaving this chapter nameless, 'cause I have no idea for a chapter title...
If any of you know a good chapter title, please comment!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Deep Space

"I thought you might be hungry," Thanos speaks softly while handing his eldest daughter a tiny cup filled with food.

Gamora takes it, staring at the giant. Her thoughts run back to several hours ago when she had been with her friends, her real family. For a second, she is thrown back to that moment. She sees the despair and sadness that appeared in Peter's eyes when he pulled the trigger. The fear that settled in when Thanos swept her up and away, leaving them all behind.

So for a second, she weighs the cup in her hand.

And in the next she has thrown it against Thanos' throne, shattering the cup and spilling its contents all across the floor. Like Thanos had done with her heart all those years ago. Even now, he was still here ruining and destroying everything she loved.

The crash of the broken pieces rings through the hall off the spaceship before silence settles again, Gamora's ragged breathing the only sound.

"I've always hated that chair," she says through gritted teeth, her face filled with hatred.

"So I've been told," Thanos replies calmly. He slowly walks past her, gazing forward blankly. "Even so," he continues. "I'd hoped you'd sit in it one day." He stares llongingly at the throne, a strange look of sadness on his face.

"I hated this room... this ship. I hated my life," Gamora spits at him, looking away again and turning around. As she starts walking away from him, Thanos turns towards her.

"You told me that too."

And she stills.

He ascends the small stairs towards the throne, "Every day for almost 20 years," He continues, sitting down upon the highest step. He clasps his hands together in front of him, resting them on his knees.

They both remain quiet for a while and silence fills the halls again.

Then the old argument starts up once more. The familiar words and accusations fly across the room, before the topic comes down to the soul-stone.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you," Gamora whispers, looking away and hiding her face.

"I am disappointed, but not because you didn't find it," Thanos replies softly, stroking Gamora's hair out of her face. He then leans towards her, still towering over her but bringing his face on the same level as hers and turning his giant face towards her.

"But because you did. And you lied."

Earth, New York

"Is something wrong?"

She's here again... always watching, always listening in on him. Always telling him what to do.

I'm sick of it.

His eyes fly through the room, searching for an escape route. He knows he's being ridiculous; he's got nothing to fear from her. She's only human.

And I am not Drake... You better remember that.

The voice hisses relentlessly in his head. Riot will never let him forget that he saved his life.

But then...

Neither will she.

For had it not been for her, he wouldn't be sitting here today, in this comfy chair behind a luxurious desk. Turning his chair, he gazes over New York. He stares at the towering spirals, glancing at the yellow and black bugs that crawl on the ground beneath them. The tiny bugs that he knows are people, but who don't feel that way to him anymore.

That's because you are no longer human anymore Drake. You are more. You are-

"You are spacing out again..., Mister Drake. Should I get you something to drink? Perhaps that will help you concentrate on our conversation." She stands up and walks towards the bar on the side of the room. From within a hidden compartment, she pulls out a cooled bottle and ice.

The ice rattles when she puts it in the glass and Drake has to hide a flinch from the sound of it. The sound is so much the same as that of breaking glass. He stares at the golden amber liquid as she pours it into the glasses. His mind miles away. The sound in his ears that of burning explosions, flames licking at his skin.

It was I who got ussssss out.

She is staring at him again, two glasses in her hand and a knowing smile on her lips. Oh! Not a full-on smile, just a corner of her mouth quirked up. A display of knowing, and that this knowledge is amusing to her, the knowledge that he is a monster.. a freak.

BETTERRrrrrr...

If it wasn't for Brock being captured... it would have been him on that metal table. It would have been his flesh that burned, pierced and sliced. It would have been his breath that would have been taken. His head that would have been shoved down under that dark water, his desperate screams cut off, just like his breath.

What if Brock hadn't chosen the boy? Chosen to be captured and imprisoned? It would have been me, he thinks. Starving, cold, locked up, there in the place where no light shines. And he knows she isn't finished with Brock. Oh no, she is more creative then he would have thought; their conversation has revealed so.

Doctor, if I didn't know better, I would have guessed you feel sorry for Brock and the things you've done. Even though they were, indirectly, done against him. Then again, it's a good thing I know you only care about yourself and you are affffrrraid...

Even though Riot isn't facing him, or even corporal, Drake can see the Cheshire cat's grin on the creature's face. The joy sparking in those cold white eyes, his smile stretching even further and those teeth-

He cuts himself off and shivers. Then twitches again and he knows she saw it, for she rests an elegant and well-manicured hand on his shoulder.

"No need to worry about that now, do we? Brock is where he needs to be and the results were pleasing," she says through a smile. She sits down in her chair and sips from her glass, rolling the ice around.

Sometimes he wonders whether she can read his mind or not and his fear rises up again. But what if they hadn't been pleasing enough? What if his plan hadn't worked and Brock had chosen for himself?

He wouldn't. And you know it. Brock isn't like you and Venom isn't either. Nor am I like him! Those weak, soft hearted, pathetic pieces of shit!

"Mister Drake, if you are capable of continuing this conversation?" She smiles at him, but he knows it's a mask. She's a shark. Her pearly white teeth are pointed. Her eyes, wrinkled with tiny crow's feet hidden beneath makeup, are dead. There sparks no joy in those brown irises. Or are they blue? She is fake, for she changes her shape constantly: her hair, her eyes and eyebrows, her lips always different shapes and colors. One day she has a mole under her eye, the next it's gone. Even her voice changes. He still doesn't know how she does it. The only thing that remains the same is the look in her eyes, and only because he knows who she is.

She scares him and she knows it to.

We can take her out in a heartbeat… Can't you hear it? The steady drumming of her heart. The sound of her blood, flowing through those pretty little veins in that pretty little body of hers? Who cares what she looks like or how she changes? I bet she tastes deliciousssssss.

Drake feels Riot moving through him, curling around his ribs and voice hissing in his ear. He swears that he can feel Riot's warm breath, brushing against it. The way Riot rolls his r's and hisses his s's. The deep and dark tremor of his voice that trembles through him and leaves him shaking in his seat. He flinches again and quickly stands up, moving towards the giant window, hiding his shaking hands in the pockets of his suit pants.

I'm not scared of you. And I'm not scared of her.

If that's what helps you through the night, dear doctor.

I'M NOT!

But who is he kidding? Drake knows that, between these two predators, he's the prey. There is one thing that helps him calm down a bit. He knows that between these two hunters, Riot will always win.

Deep Space

"We gotta turn this ship around," Strange says, voice echoing through the now quiet spaceship, his cloak settling down upon his shoulders

"Yeah, now he wants to run! Great plan," Tony sneers, crossing his arms in front of him. He positions himself so that he can see Peter from the corner of his eye.

"No, I want to protect the stone," Strange replies , annoyance clear in his voice.

Starks raises an eyebrow, "And I want you to thank me. Now, go ahead. I'm listening."

Strange huffs in disbelief. "For what? Nearly blasting me into space?" he asks incredulously.

"Who just saved your magical ass? Me!" Tony snarks back, waving his arms around.

"I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet," Strange snaps back, just as sarcastic.

And on and on it went until the two finally came to a decision. It takes a few minutes, a lot of screaming and arguing, occasionally Peter pipes up with a word or two while Strange's cloak remains silent, the two watching as both men plead their case.

"So I say we take the fight to him," Tony finishes, crossing his arms in front of his chest, glaring so hard he might as well be trying to bore holes in the Sorcerer Supreme's head.

… Who remains quiet. He tries again, a frown growing on his face as he does, "Doctor... Do you concur?"

The wizard now fully turns towards him, heaving a deep sigh. "Alright, Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand: If it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone, I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the universe depends on it."

Tony feels his frown growing deeper and shoots Peter a quick look. The kid is listening breathlessly to them. "Nice. Good moral compass. We're straight," Tony quips, trying to lighten the moon, slapping Peter on the back. He taps his arm once, twice, across each of Peter's shoulders.

"Alright, kid. You're an Avenger now."

The Raft

Eddie...

Eddie...

Eddie?

EDDIE!

What?

Hungry, Eddie.

I know buddy...

With a deep sigh, Eddie turns around on his cot and faces the wall, his mind miles away from the prison he is in. But the hard edge that presses painfully into his skin, the cold that slowly seeps into his bones, refuses to let him forget where he is.

His stomach rumbles as painfully as it has been for a while now. Ever since Stark and the others locked them up in here, they have received only the minimum of the food Venom needs to keep the both of them functioning. Lately, the stomachaches had turned into painful cramps that leave him retching from the side of the bed. Taking deep breaths and drinking a lot of water don't work anymore.

He is glad that there is no mirror in his cell; he doesn't want to know what he looks like. His thought goes back to last Christmas, back then everything was dark, too, but then...

Then Peter turned up and with him many others, filling his –their– life with light and happiness. Eddie remembers how lovely Anne had looked in her new dress, or how Dan's couldn't keep his eyes off her, their hands joined together under the table.

Now he can't even remember how long he has been here.

Or how Peter had laughed because of some smartass joke Marc had made.

Don't forget Aunt May's cooking, Eddie!

Venom joins him in his thoughts, distracting him, and together they drift down memory lane. Reliving better times, trying to ignore how their stomach is eating itself.

They think of better times, happier times.

Of talking with Peter on the rooftop, discussing his school projects or Peter's new rescue of an old lady who got stuck in traffic. It was a very heroic tale, mind you!

Or racing through the streets of New York, Marc on the back of his motorbike, clutching his middle and screaming at the top of his lungs for Eddie to slow down!

Or just... peacefully chatting with Ann on the phone, while he can hear Dan cooking in the kitchen. Sometimes joining in on the conversation before hurriedly returning to his pans.

Eddie feels Venom relax in his mind and settle down somewhere between his ribs, filling him with the little warmth that the cell cannot drag out of him. He closes his eyes.

Their fly through the sky, the cold winter air whips around them, mercilessly cutting their skin. Despite the chill, Eddie can feel the grin growing on their face as they land on the rooftop. Their tongue lolls down through their teeth, tasting the air, before setting off again. No destination in mind for they are free.

There is no cell.

There is no prison.

There is just them.

They are Venom They are venom.

...

For a moment it works.

Then a loud beeping sound pierces the peaceful quiet and rips them out of their thoughts. Within moments they fly from their cot, Venom already half formed around Eddie in a moment of panic, the sound of their heart a loud drum beating in their ears, and for a second the both of them don't breathe.

There, in the corner.

Their eyes flick towards the small red light that is flickering in the corner of their cell.

"God," Eddie grunts out, groaning and falling down on the cot. His hands come up to rub at his eyes. They stare quietly as a hole in the wall appears. In it innocently stands a little box. A small food container.

Eddie...

Food...

Eddie doesn't reply, simply nodding silently and stands to retrieve it with a tired sigh. Weariness settles in his bones as he tries to open the lid on the box.

For a moment, he thinks wearily. V and I felt like one…

We are one, Eddie.

I know, V, Eddie huffs, a playful smirk growing on his face. This time it just felt... different?

His smile quickly falls when he sees their meal.

"That's it."

Eddie turns towards the glass wall of their cell, peering through it. There are no guards patrolling by at the moment, just the empty hall and its grey wall stare back.

"That's it?"

Venom peers into the small container and pulls a face of disgust. A low growl releases from his throat, and like a snake he descends down from Eddie's shoulders, snaking around his ribs until he is face to face with the little box.

"THAT'S IT?!"

Eddie howls as he throws the contents of the box into the glass wall. Venom hisses and twists around Eddie, rage flowing through them, as Eddie turns his back on the food. Half of a brain slides down slowly off the glass, leaving a strange trail in its wake.

Nothing happens.

Eddie's ragged breathing slowly turns even again and he huffs, a crazed giggle slipping past his lips. What was he thinking? Of course, they wouldn't feed them! They are a monster!

Even after all that we endured; the things done to us! Now this? Starvation? That's how they think to kill us?

Venom curls around his neck like a shawl, nuzzling his face against Eddie and dragging him out of his dark thoughts.

"Eddie."

"Food."

A shiver goes down his spine as Eddie glances over his right shoulder. His left hand petting Venom softly, who leans into his touch.

Empty eyes stare.

It takes a while before Eddie moves again. The brain, or whatever you want to call it, lies on the ground.

Venom disappears from Eddie's shoulder, to reappear around Eddie's legs. His jaws open up, impossibly wide, and in one bite the brain is gone, leaving a little puddle of moisture behind. Once Venom is settled on Eddie's shoulders again, he purrs and rubs himself against Eddie's scruff.

Eddie huffs, a small smile on his face, before he sits down again, grabbing Venom and placing him in his lap like a cat. He doesn't know how Venom does it, but he can, so Eddie will take full advantage of it. Sitting back against the wall, Eddie closes his eyes again. Venom is purring away on his lap and their stomach has stopped screaming. He can almost say he is content.

He drifts off slowly, trying to relive that strange feeling he felt when they were locked up here for the first time. Trying to recreate that sensations of being one, the speed, the power... Together... Alive.

WE US.

They breathe out as one, as Eddie now curls up on the cot, wrapping their arms around them. There is no blanket to cover them up with, they have nothing but the clothes on their body. There is no toilet, only a strange notch on the floor in the corner. After their first and last display of their strength, the guards had moved them to an even better guarded cell. Everything is cold now, and even though the light in their cell shines bright, it feels dark. Like the night never left.

Eddie lets their thoughts go back to the first day they got here, how the guards had made jokes and laughed with each other over their misery.

Never again...

Thinking back to the reason they had decided to go here, to stay here. Because they both knew that if it wasn't for Peter, they would have gotten out of here long ago. They wouldn't be here in the first place, because they wouldn't have let the Avengers capture them. If they hadn't met Peter and known he was friends with Stark, then they wouldn't have hesitated. They would have crushed those puny humans within seconds and feasted on their flesh like they had those guards. They would have enjoyed it! They would have-

They shake their head. There's no need for that now, is there? Or...

Their mind drifts off again to the words V spoke to him that day.

* Flashback *

Maybe...

We are thinking wrong Eddie.

What do you mean with that, V?

Maybe the one who wanted this and threatened Peter isn't really after Peter.

What...?

I will protect us Eddie...

What are you talking about, V? I trust you. Tell me!

Maybe they were after usss.

* End flashback *

Eddie can still feel that moment, how Venom was Eddie and Eddie was Venom and-

ONE, Eddie.

Venom hisses in their mind, slithering through his veins, pumping in his blood and breathing their air. He can still see the black tendrils that snatched up the guards and smashed them against the wall, their brains sliding down, like the pathetic meal they were gifted. Can still hear the dying screams, how the light and hope left the eyes of all humans, living or dying.

The power in their jaws as they crushed bones and mauled flesh, ripping, piercing, eating-

STOP!

Eddie...?

Venom whispers as if he was scared of him? HIM! Eddie presses his head against the wall, hugging them tighter. All these days in this damned cell are turning him crazy, his thoughts turn darker and darker with the 's brain starts overthinking again and he quickly catches another line of thought, a lighter one hopefully...

Who do you think it could be that put us here?

I… do not know, Eddie. But I have a very bad feeling.

How come, V? What is it you aren't telling me? Did I miss something?

Eddie hadn't had much time to watch the news before he ruined his life. Work had been insanely busy at the time, and he still had nightmares from the first and last time he had interviewed Kasady.

They do not know, Eddie.

Whose they, V? What are you trying to tell me?

They think they're safe. On their little planet protected by their little superheroes... We liked heroes, Eddie. We really did.

I know we did, Venom. We wrote those articles, remember? I still remember that when Thor was on the news, I wasn't allowed to switch to another sender.

I hate heroes, Eddie.

Eddie almost reels back in shock. Venom hating heroes? What? Could what Stark had done to them really changed Venom's opinion so directly? Or was he too affected by their tiny cell? The little food and movement that was allowed to them? Better not touch that subject, let's save that for a better time, why don't we?

Eddie lets the silence drag on for a little longer before trying again.

Hmmm, V, what did you mean with their little planet and their heroes?

Bad things are happening Eddie. Even now as we speak. The humans think they can defeat everything, but death. Death is inevitable, don't you think so Eddie?

All living things die, V. Animals, plants, humans. We're not special. Of course I know that! It's the circle of life, and I've come to terms with it ages ago. Like the moment you told me what you eat and I agreed because you need it and that's why we agreed only to kill those who are evil and I-

Eddie.

Venom cuts him off and Eddie realizes belatedly that he had started rambling. What was wrong with him? He shifts on the cot, trying to find a better spot on it, but the iron still bruises his sides. It's like both his mind and mouth just won't shut up.

Venom writhes inside of him, settling close to his lungs as Eddie tries to make his mind and body work again. Once he lays still, he feels bone tired. The cold eating away what little strength they had harvested from the food. Venom has been quiet for a while and Eddie feels his eyes closing, before he realizes Venom had started talking again.

The one who is coming, Eddie, isn't death. But he brings it with him and with it, a lot of trouble.

V?

Sleep Eddie, for it won't be much longer, and we will be free again.

While Eddie drifts off, he can still hear V whispering:

Times are changing, people are changing, worlds are changing. We feared him, Eddie. We knew him. Even from our place, our little asteroid in the dark, we knew what he was searching for. Knew when he found the ones he now holds in his hands.

Eddie feels himself sinking, the corners of his view darkening and his eyes now fully closing. His breathing slows and his face loosens with sleep.

And now? He has stopped searching. He has found it. Here. On earth.

He will come for it, and with it…

Death.

Notes

To all my readers!

Thank you so much for sticking to this story!

Let me know what you think of the part with Eddie and Venom! Is V to much out of character? Due to what he says/knows?

Also there may be some time between the updates, because I'm very busy with work at the moment.

My manager got herself into the hospital (she's okay and back at work right now), but thanks to things, she can only work like 2 to 3 mornings in the week so everything comes down to me and my college.

And let me tell you, running a store with only 2 people isn't very fun.
So until things have quiet down again, I won't be having much time for writting!

But so to let you all know I won't quit this story until it's done!

Thank you for reading and wishing you all the best of luck!