They Will See Us, and They Will See We are Beautiful

"So what exactly is it? A para…"

"I wouldn't go tossin that word around, Cap." Eddie cuts in. A long sigh escaping his lips as he feels Venom already begin to coil in his stomach, humming with annoyance. "We ain't that big a fan of the word. And V, here is already hangry as all hell."

"We?" Black Widow asks, a curious lift in her delicate brow.

Eddie wipes his face and wonders how the hell he ended up here in the Avengers compound.

The Email, Eddie. His Symbiote adds its voice rumbling in their head.

"Yeah, yeah, that was rhetorical, Sweetheart."

The surrounding superheroes all raise questioning looks at the reporter.

"I was talking to the Alien." Eddie clarifies.

It's the arrow guy, Clint that asks, "Sweetheart?"

The falcon snorts and chokes on his own breath. ScarletWitch has to slap his back twice to get him to stop.

Eddie rolls his eyes. There was no way he was getting out of this with both his dignity and sanity intact, Eddie was sure of it.

Like Venom said, it had all started with that damn e-mail.

Five days previous, Eddie was loose, and sprawled out on his bed. He was still trying to catch his breath after bottoming for his other half. Venom slithered over their back. A long tongue licked from Eddie's ear to his shoulder. A ripple of pleasure stirring inside his stomach.

Mmmm, mine, Eddie. You are mine. The Symbiote growled possessive and content.

Eddie, hummed in agreement. "All yours, love, all yours." He nuzzled his cheek against Venom. He closed their eyes, happy to fall right to sleep, but a different sort of feeling rumbled through their stomach. He knew it before his symbiote even said the word.

Hungry.

Eddie groaned, but pushed himself off the bed anyways. There was no denying Venom anything, especially when they shared a stomach.

"What do you want, love?"

Brains, and tator tots.

Eddie chuckled. "So the last bag of kisses," it was a family bag. Eddie was sure they'd get enough Phenethylamine that neither shopping nor killing would be necessary. "And tator tots."

Venom grumbled half-hearted, but agreed….

"Nuggets?" Venom asked as Eddie unwrapped a kiss and tossed it over his shoulder. The symbiote whirled his tongue around it and plucked it from the air like a chameleon.

"We…." Eddie rummaged through their freezer snatching a red bag in the back, "have nuggets! Dinosaur ones too." Eddie added already tearing them open and adding them on to the tray with the tator tots.

"We should…" Venom started, and Eddie joined in pretending to be Venom,

"Bite off their heads and pile them up and then make a second pile with bodies!"

A buzzy warm feeling, Eddie could only describe as unbridled joy spread from their diaphragm to their chest. Venom nuzzled against Eddie's cheek. He could feel purring inside. Eddie would never admit it out loud but that was something he absolutely adored about his other half.

"You don't need to admit it, stupid. When you project like that I can read it." Venom said still nuzzling close like a cat.

"Way to ruin in the moment, V." Eddie swatted the symbiote back so he could unwrap some more kisses.

Really Venom could eat them and just spit out the wrappers, but having his Eddie toss them to Venom was just so much fun. Eddie laughed.

"Ya' know between the nuggets and the chocolate you sure like to play with your food."

Venom caught another piece, "And the criminals. They are the best to play with Eddie!" It added, "Food is so much better when it is fun."

Eddie tossed a kiss into his own mouth and couldn't help but agree.

While they waited for their tots and nuggets, Eddie decided to do a little work. As he was typing up an E-mail to his boss another one pinged up.

"Stark? That can't be right."

Eddie hesitated. He'd done plenty of pieces on Stark before he shut down his weapons development, then a few more once the Avengers and Loki happened. Who hadn't? The incident in New York was the biggest thing to happen to Humanity since the invention of Cat Videos. Not once had any piece Eddie had done- nor the notoriety or backlash it had caused- gotten any actual attention from the Avengers. Sure his name had been on that kill list that was dropped on the internet when S.H.I.E.L.D turned out to be the Nazi organization (honestly Eddie would have been offended if it hadn't been) but it seemed that the Avengers didn't even know he existed. And that's how he would have liked to have kept it.

"Stop stewing, pussy. Open it." Venom ordered, no doubt feeling the building worry in Eddie's chest. A tendril snacked out to caressed Eddie's cheek. "Whatever it is we can handle it, together."

"Yeah, love," Eddie answered, arrow still waiver on the E-mail. "But the Avengers…" he trailed off shooting as much information he had about them and S.H.I.E.L.D out so the Symbiote could get a better idea, "If they want to see us, it'd be pretty hard it ignore. If they want to tear…." Eddie stopped talking and shook his head. He wouldn't let them rip away his other half. He couldn't go back to just being a 'me.'

The phantom chill of feeling empty of feeling too big with too much space after he thought Venom was gone. The silence in their head in their body.

"We can just eat them, Eddie." The Symbiote licked Eddie's cheek.

Eddie didn't like the idea. "They aren't bad guys." He said, but they both knew that if they had to they would.

He clicked.

To:

From youknowwhothisis

Dear Tom Hardy's look alike,

We know about the black liquorish. Want to talk it out. Either come to New York by Tuesday the 5th or we go there and talk with the Hulk's fists.

T. Stark (on behalf of the other Avengers and some agent named Coulson)

P.S Choose your own adventure bud.

Attached to the Email was a flight itinerary. And a reservation for a rental car somewhere in San Francesco.

"What an ass." Eddie scowled. He didn't look that much like Tom Hardy. Inside his head Venom disagreed.

"Let's bite off his head!"

"Not yet." Eddie wiped his face and slumped back against the second hand couch cushions.

Really, he'd been meaning to get some new furniture now that he was making some decent cash again. In all honesty he didn't have people over enough to need anything other than his goodwill couch, and the bed that was a gift from Anne and Dan.

'What to do what to do'…. Eddie thought, then added, 'save biting off head for last', because he knew Venom was about to suggest it again.

"Figure out tomorrow. Eat now. Then Sleep. Then ask Anne. She knows all the best things." And sometimes his Symbiote was right. Eddie kissed the black goop resting on his shoulder.

"Sounds like a plan, beloved."

And that's what they did.

"So, the Avengers know about Venom and have essentially said hey meet us or we will fight you?" Anne asked sipping tea from a china cup.

Eddie shrugged, while Venom lapped up the rest of the chocolate cake Dan had made. "Pretty much."

They were sitting in what used to be their- as in Anne and Eddie's, not Eddie and Venom's- living room, which was now Anne and Dan's living room. At first everyone thought it would be awkward but really when aliens are in the mix every day oddities seem less important. So the four of them had settled into a nice little friendship. Dan never minded when Anne and Eddie hung out alone (or as alone as one could when an alien shared his body). He and Dan were good friends. V had even forgiven Dan for the MRI once he realized Dan was just trying to help Eddie, because helping Eddie could make V forgive just about anything. And Dan warmed up to Venom once they let Dan do tests to make sure Eddie's inside were all the right size and healthy. He was now their doctor- off the record of course.

Dan and Anne didn't even bat an eye when one afternoon at lunch, Venom's head just popped out of Eddie's chest snarling about some inaccuracy on space. Apparently Eddie had been too happy for V to be really dead. Anne thought they made a cute couple.

"So what are you going to do?" Dan asked leaning forward. He was always worried about the pair of them.

"Go. I think. I mean I'm not bringin the Avengers here. At least if I go there. There's a chance of keeping this whole thing quiet." Eddie shrugged absently petting the goo on his shoulder.

"Are you worried about what they might have planned for you there? For Venom?" Anne asked whispering the last part. It was a weird habit she'd formed after the LifeFoundation thing. She had no problem addressing the alien, yet whenever she said their name it was always in a whisper. Eddie figured it was because she was trying to keep their secret even when it wasn't necessary. Inside Eddie felt his Beloved agree.

She gripped Eddie's hand. On instinct black tendrils slipped over her knuckles.

"Yeah, of course Anne. I won't let them hurt V…"

"Or you." Venom added forming on the top of Eddie's head. Black tendrils hugged under their chin, making V look like a winter hat with teeth.

"We won't let them hurt us. But yeah I got two week off from work. Told the boss I had a hot lead. So I'm gonna take the car and drive out there." He paused then added, "If you guys think that's the best idea?" because really Eddie, and V weren't always the best when it came to making decisions outside of what to eat and where to screw.

Anne and Dan shared a look. Sometimes Eddie thought they shared a mind just like he and V did. Or maybe that was just love? Dan nodded at Anne, before she spoke looking back at them, "If you think it isn't one big trap, it sounds like the best option."

"Yeah, yeah you're right." Eddie said. "I'll leave tomorrow morning then."

Dan clapped his hands together, "Well in that case, let me get a prescription filled for Phenethylamine. Hopefully you won't have to pick off any bad guys while you're out there."

Anne and Dan were both also oddly okay with how V occasionally filled his appetite. They had been making their way through the registered sex offender's list in the area, no one could really argue with that.

So, with prescription in hand, their belly full, and the car packed Venom and Eddie headed east.

Driving there took about three days. Eddies learn the Symbiote was a restless creature- although he really should have guessed. The entire trip- more so than usually- his Symbiote rummaged around in Eddie's body. V swam through Eddie's organs so much it it reminded Eddie of their first week back together after Venom had gotten strong enough to start talking and moving. Eddie had learned the explosion at the LifeFoundation had only weakened-not killed- V. Venom just needed time to heal and grow- which took even longer since Eddie's organs also needed repairing. Once V was strong enough almost hourly he'd swim through all of Eddie's organs checking to make sure they were working at full capacity.

Throughout the drive Eddie pointed out landmarks and things he found interesting. Venom gawked at the wide open world of the highway. They tried play 'I spy' but really when a mind h is sort of shared it's kinda hard.

On the night before they'd reach New York, outside of a rundown gas station Black tendrils of Venom slithered underneath Eddie's cloths in a way that Eddie could only describe as sensual. Sharing sensations meant that Venom knew exactly how to touch Eddie to elicit a truly ugly lewd moan from his host. V applied the perfect pressure, knew when to tease certain areas, where to pinch and when.

"V, We're in public." Eddie breathed out.

'It's Dark. Alone.' His all his other half hissed in their mind, as V's long tongue licked across Eddie's collarbone, mind already have lost in lust and love.

Breathing heavy Eddie glanced around them. He had parked as far away as he could. The closest light flickered over the on gas pump place had. Truly they were shrouded in darkness.

"Okay," Eddie panted out, "Okay."

That was the consent Venom needed.

Pooling at his thighs, black goo squibbled and formed a slick mass around Eddie's hard on. The mass begin to pump at just the right speed with just the right pressure. Arching his back, Eddie moaned again, right before that delicious tongue slithered into his mouth and down his throat. Eddie wasn't terrified they'd learned through experimentation that V could breathed for them. Eddie rocked into his other, and breathlessly gasped as black tendrils filled him from behind. The pleasure bombarded all of his senses, he couldn't think passed the sensation of black encasing him in a safe cocoon of ecstasy.

With all the overwhelming sensations, Eddie didn't last long. Wrapping his arms around as much of V, as Eddie could, thinking their name Eddie Brock let loose shuttering out breath.

The tongue slowly retracted- same as all the tendrils from their other orifices- as a flood of hormones released from Eddie's brain. V didn't entirely disappear back into Eddie. They both enjoyed the comfort of a post fuck cuddle.

Maybe it was the rush of endorphanes or the empending Avengers meeting, or maybe it was because Eddie had never felt that way about anyone else in his life, but as he pet Venom tears began to roll down his cheeks and he couldn't stop them. Because what was wrong with him that he needed an alien. Why wasn't he good enough for humans? What would he do if venom ever left him?

Instantly on alert Venom had sunk into Eddie to cheek their bodily functions. When the chaotic search of entrails came up empty. Venom reappeared, anxiety from the Symbiote only heightening Eddie's turmoil.

"Eddie! Eddie! What is wrong? My Eddie are you hurt?! I cannot find the pain! Eddie please!" His symbiote had begged.

Eddie wiped his face and shook his head, hugging V close to his chest. "I'm fine, I'm fine it's just…" He trailed off trying to find the right words to say. He could have projected the jumbled mess in his mind, but Eddie felt that he needed to voice out loud what he was thinking. His Symbiote- for once- staid quiet. Crickets chirped outside as Eddie gathered his thoughts. "V, my love, I ain't ever felt this way about nothing. Not even close. But we ain't normal. Not by earths, or by Klantar's standards. I wonder…. Just what's wrong with us? Will anybody else get it? Will they see and understand? Or is all of this wrong, V?"

"Not wrong Eddie!" Venom boomed. Its head appearing out of the goo coiled on Eddie's chest, so V could look directly into Eddie's eyes. "We are losers apart, but together we make greatness! Together we are perfect in a universe of imperfection, Eddie! No one may never understand but that is because they do not know what true symbiosis is! They will never know our perfection! Eddie but Anne and Dan do and they see we are beautiful like they are because they are together. They love like us. But Even if they do not, Even if no one does, We do Eddie. We are Venom. We are Beautiful." Eddie felt the waiver in his beloved, the uncertainty all because of Eddie's. "Are We not Eddie?" It asked to make sure.

Eddie lifted a hand to caress his other's cheek. "We are bud. We are."

"Good, now stop the dramatics and sleep, Eddie."

With his beloved keeping a look out, Eddie tilted the driver's seat back and closed his eyes.

Everything was fine. They arrived in New York five hours earlier than anticipated. Eddie thought it'd be fun to be a tourist with his other. Show V the sights and sounds and most importantly food of New York,

"Best city on Earth, V!" Eddie said adjusting his head phones. Not that he really needed them. New York and San Francisco had a few things in common and one was the abundance of nut jobs talking to themselves on the street. But Eddie was already a sweaty disaster half the time, he didn't need to look anymore crazy than he already did.

So everything was going great. It was a little chillie so Venom got away with being Eddie's scarf. Occasionally Eddie would pull Venom over his lips and give him a little peck.

Venom saw the statue of liberty. Eddie! Eddie! She has a big head!

Went to Central park.

Eddie, Eddie he's got a Symbiote too!

Eddie turned and saw that it was just some weirdo in a giant frog costume handing out flyers. He could see a human face through the mouth of the mask.

"Close, sweetheart, but we're the only symbiotes here."

It all was going smoothly. So smooth actually, that Eddie was feeling a little less anxious about the whole thing. Eddie should have known it was a trap.

And really it wasn't their fault… it really wasn't. If anything it was the guy who thought he could rape a young girl in broad day light's fault.

They were walking and eating their fifth hotdog from their third hotdog stand.

Almost as good as Tator Tots Eddie!

When they heard, with V's superior hearing, a woman whimper "please. No." and some guy threaten, "Shut up, bitch or this is going to be so much worse than it's gotta be."

Bad guy, Eddie!

"It would seem so. Stay sharp, love." Eddie swallowed the rest of his hot dog, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then headed into the alley.

They meandered further back, made two right turns, following the faint cries and pleas of the woman. Making one more right, they spotted it. Nestled behind a dumpster a beautiful woman was pinned against a brick wall. A grimy nasty looking thug with a gun to her head was fondling her. Silent tears ran down her face.

Eddies anger flared, he almost let Venom eat the slime ball right then and there. But traumatizing the girl wouldn't help.

So instead a black tendril snaked out swatted the gun from the thug's hand and disappeared back into Eddie before either, assailant or victim, knew what happened.

"Hey gropesie Mgee, I think the lady said no." Eddie called his voice already shifting into theirs. Ink slowly began to swim over Eddie's skin.

The guy stepped away from the woman, shocked and confused. The woman looked from her attacker to Eddie, almost unsure of who to be afraid of more.

"Get out of here!" Eddie yelled at the woman.

She ran. Fast and far away.

"Hey! Hey we were just having some fun!" The guy squirmed and screamed as Venom incased Eddie.

"Splein, heart, brain…So many snacks….Which one would you like me to eat first?" Venom taunted licking his tongue over the top row of sharp fangs.

The guy fell into a fettle position. "No…NO! Please Don't!"

"Let's start with the head." Venom unhinged his jaw but before he could eat thewould be rapist a blast knocked him aside.

Venom let out a growl and turned around ready to devour whoever was protecting the bad guy.

"Not today 1958's 'The Blob!'" Hovering above them, Ironman had a glowing palm out towards them.

Inside Eddie yelled for Venom to back down. 'That's Tony Stark he's a good guy. You know that. We don't eat good guys!"

Venom snarled again, "Fine." And he lifted his arms in the stupid way Eddie does when he surrenders like a pussy, and began to slowly retreat into his host.

Eddie shook his head, "Thanks V." Venom didn't respond. He sulked silent between Eddie's heart and lungs. "We're all good!" Eddie called louder than necessary. He was sure Ironman and whoever else was tailing them could hear if he spoke at a normal volume. So he added quiet. "We're aaaaall good."

The Iron man mask pulled back. Tony Stark was looking at Eddie like he wanted to figure out his party trick and almost like he wanted to try and replicate it.

Inside Venom asked, Symbiote?

Nah, love just a suit. Told you. We're the only 'we's' love.

The Symbiote said nothing, but made busy work of quelling Eddie's rising Anxiety.

"Look, I got guns on you from all these roof tops. Been tracking you since you entered the state."

Eddie shrugged, "Figured. You guys ain't as sneacky as you think."

"Or maybe you're more observant than you think." Black Widow called, jumping clear off a seventh floor fire escape and landing in front of them, but still behind Ironman.

Eddie just shrugged again, "As a reporter, it's sort of my job you know. Plus, V helps." He pointed to the place in his chest where Venom was still sulking over losing his snack.

Black Widow eyed them but made no other gesture that would let Eddie know what she thought.

"That's something we can discuss at the compound. And don't worry S.H.I.E.L.D agents picked up the guy and is now in custody." Black Widow said before she and Ironman moved to walk away. Widow waved for them to follow.

Even though that's why they came, even though Eddie knew they had already agreed, and even though Venom was munching away on his Cortisol- Eddie still felt a spike in his Anxiety. Black tendrils caressed Eddie's rapidly beating heart hoping to quell his racing heartbeat.

We will protect, Eddie. Promise.

Still…

Eddie stepped back, "You ain't going to hurt us are you?"

Black Widow and Ironman shared a look. Eddie saw Tony Stark mouth the word 'us.' The former Russian assassin shrugged.

Ironman glanced back and rolled his eyes, "We're the heroes, Tim Burton's claymation. Now come on. Cap gets testy when we're late." He kept talking as he and the redhead started walking away expecting Eddie to follow. They did. "Blah blah blah punctuality. Blah blah morals of the day blah blah back in my day…"

At the mouth of the alley a posh black town car with tinted windows awaited them. Eddie had expected a weird FBI van or a S.W.A.T car, not some freackin Lincoln.

Hehehe that rhymed.

Despite himself Eddie chuckled at V's laugh. Black Widow lifted a curious brow.

"Nothin. Nothin."

"I leave him in your's and Barton's Capable hands. Well, your capable hands, at least." The Ironman mask snapped back into place, before he gave a two finger salute and nodded at Venom and Eddie, "Iven Ooze, see you at the play house. Okay F.R.I.D.A.Y back to the compound." Then his thrusters shot him up and away.

Eddie watched fascinated- he'd never seen the Ironman suit up close before- until Black Widow cleared her throat.

She gave a polite bow. "After you boy…s?" a small smirk on her red lips.

If it had been nine months ago, and Eddie hadn't been with Anne, he would have tried to hit on her- despite her looking like her name sake. Venom coiled against their ribs, jealous Eddie had thought about sleeping with anyone that wasn't his other.

Possessive boyfriend much? I did say nine months ago. Don't worry Love, I don't want anyone but you.

Eddie climbed in. There were two back seats facing each other. And on the far right of one of them was a basic looking white dude, with a bow and quiver between his legs. Messing with some arrow contraption, the guy barely paid them any mind. He just looked up, said, "Burton." Then directed his full attention back to the arrow.

"Hawkeye here, isn't much for people skills."

Eddie found himself saying, "From what I hear neither are you." Before he realized it.

"Funny how three people in this car can have the same M.O." She teased. Getting in after him. She knocked on the tinted window that separated the back seat from the driver's seat. The car began to move. "Natasha Romanov, if you haven't figured that out."

"Eddie Brock." Before face palming because of course she knew that.

"I know who you are." That tease still on her lips.

Why are you so bad at the socializing Eddie?

Can it Martian.

Not a Martian. I am from Klantar. You know this Eddie.

Same thing. All Aliens are alike.

Eddie felt what -could only be described as a gasp- shake his diaphragm

Apologize!Venom roared in their head coiling right inside said diaphragm.

No you Parasite. Now get out of there before you give me the hiccups again! Ow! Stop that! Eddie yelled in his head as V swirled around inside is diaphragm in a way he knew caused Eddie slight discomfort.

Not until you apologize!

Fine! You sulky little slim! I'm sorry not all Aliens are Martians and I love you! Gezz! Happy.

Love Eddie, too.

A moment of silence paced in his head.

Hungry.

Uggghhh of course!

Eddie visibly rolled his eyes and sank back into the car seat.

"Everything okay?" Natasha asked.

Eddie looked up and both the Widow and Hawkeye were looking at him like he was one light bulb short of a tool set.

"Peachy. Just… hungry."

"I'm sure being an alien works up an appetite." Hawkeye said turning back to fidgeting with whatever.

"We're only half. I was born human."

"We?" Black Widow asked, but by the way she was looking at him, it already seemed like she had a good picture.

Eddie shrugged at her and didn't elaborate. He wondered how much the Avengers really knew about them.

Silence settled briefly. Until Eddie stated, "We ain't bad guys. But I won't let you hurt him. Even if that means becoming a bad guy to stop you."

Black tendrils snacked out from under his sleeve and curled around Eddie's fingers as if trying to hold his hand. The ink squeezed and an affectionate warmth filled their chest.

Eddie couldn't fight back the loving smile that spread across his lips.

Hawkeye and Natasha looked at each other, then Natasha looked at Eddie.

"Understood."

No one spoke after that.

After an undisclosed amount of time, they rolled through the high security gates of the Avenger's compound. Eddie must have been making a face, because Black Widow spoke up,

"When you're a team of super heroes, and what's left of a Government Organization that isn't so secretive anymore, you make a big target."

Eddie nodded, because yeah that made sense. Didn't make him feel better about being there, but whatever.

Getting out of the Car, the two assassins walked toward a normal looking glass door. Eddie was surprised when it opened up to what seemed like a normal living area.

"You cam willingly." Black Widow said, "It showed some sort of trust. We're hoping to keep this as civil as possible. Like you, we aren't the bad guys. Just remember: some of us can be bad if we have to."

Hawkeye just nodded next to her.

"Fair." Eddie agreed, feeling a little more at ease.

Black Widow let them know the Avengers were scattered about but would assemble in roughly twenty minutes so that they could all discuss Eddie's situation like adults.

In the meantime, for some reason she took it upon herself to give the grand tour.

"Can you start with the kitchen?" Eddie asked as Venom curled in their stomach grumbling about hunger

.

And really it should have been fine, but some idiot somewhere had been messing with something on the compound and that something emitted just the exact kind of terrible noise that could hurt Venom. After that… well none of it was really Eddie's fault.

As soon as the noise wave began, the symbiote shrieked. Black ozzed out of Eddie, tossing them this way and that. Black Widow drew a gun (because that's going to do much), worse than that Hawkeye drew his bow.

Worse than that some guy- one of the less popular Avengers- cam swooping in on his wings. Venom being assaulted by the noise, and hungry, launched out and plucked the bird dude out of the air.

"What the hell is this? Cap!" Falcon yelled.

That's when things got messy.

A shield came out of nowhere. Venom swatted it away, and let go of Falcon only to get Eddie decked in the jaw by the right fist of justice and a left hook of freedom by Cap. The symbiote, still unable to focus because of the piercing noise, could barely block. Eddie took the brunt of it all.

Second by Second, Venom was losing more control. Eddie felt the sharp stabbing in his brain, but new it was really all Venom being torn apart and weakened by the noise.

A beam was shot and narrowly missed Eddie, from Ironman. Webbing shot out hog tied Eddie to the ground. Venom- scared in pain -Venom screeched to high hell and ripped the webbing away and shot a spikey tendril at the spider kid.

"Woah, not underoes black mold!" Ironman shot another laser sizzling the tendril into thin air.

Oh fuck! Oh fuck! What… What do we do? Because V couldn't barely think Eddie could barely think. Because Venom was in so much pain it felt like his insides were being shredded. By the ache- both physical and metal -just about did Eddie in.

Finally Eddie remembered how to use his god damn words- not that he was ever really good at that under the best circumstances. "The noise! The noise is hurting us!" And because Venom shrieked in agony, Eddie added, "Please!"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y! Tell Banner to cut the hulk inhibitor prototype now!" Captain America ordered to the open air.

"Right away, Mr. Rodgers." Responded the vaguely Scottish(?) A.I.

Finally when the piercing stopped, Eddie rolled on his back and gasped a big breath of air. Inside of him nestled in between his heart and lungs, Venom all but shivered. It was so bad he felt the vibration in his ribs. Like a freezing chill had got to his bones.

Eddies folded his hands over the place of his chest where Venom took haven.

"You're okay. You're okay. Promise." Then when the Symbiot said nothing Eddie asked, "Are you okay, love?"

Hurt Eddie… Mad… Hungry…

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We'll get out of here they ain't gonna hurt you.

Us.

Us.

A heart beat later.

We are okay, Eddie.

Good, Beloved. Good.

A cough drew Eddie back to the room full of super heroes. Bruce Banner, The Vision, and the Sokivia girl who accidentally killed a lot of people in an explosion… Wanda, had now joined their group. All of them had sole focus on Eddie.

Eddie raised his palms up at the Avengers, "Can we all just calm the fuck down, maybe?"

"I think you need to start talking Mr. Brock." Captain America responded in his Captain America voice.

Then they all lead him to a room that looked very much like an interrogation room. At least Black Widow had the decency to apologize.

"Sorry, Formality, really."

Which is how Eddie found himself sitting on the opposite side of literally all the Avengers, save for the AntMan he thinks.

"Look, Mr. Brock," Captain America- Steve Rodgers- begins, "I understand that you don't think you're a threat. But we've seen the unaltered LifeFoundation footage. We've heard the rumors about the black mass that goes around swallowing criminals. We've even caught glimpses of you on camera. Quite frankly we're a little confused. A little worried. We invited you here to figure out if you are a threat or not. And if you are," Cap paused his eye brow furrowing together in focus and determination, "Well, we need to figure out how to eliminate that threat."

"No!" they roar together. Venom's big shape momentarily phantom covering Eddie, before fading back to rest. To the Avengers credit only half of them flinch. Cap and Iron man aren't one of them. Eddie can feel himself sway. He's pretty sure his liver is atrophying at the moment. They really need to get some food and that prescription.

"That is a cool party trick." Iron Man says nudging Cap.

Natasha coughs, gaining the entire rooms attention. "Eddie. We don't want to. Like Tony said: We're the good guys. But you need to help us out here. Our job is to keep the world safe. So please, just start explaining."

The former assassin holds Eddie's stare. He finds himself nodding.

"I'm all about talking. But no matter what you don't hurt him. We don't get separated. Deal?"

"Seems, reasonable at the moment. Just don't play bad mitten with our friends again." Ironman agrees.

Eddie can see Cap falter, but because Ironman already gave his word on behalf of all the Avengers he relents and agrees as well.

"Cool. Also We gotta eat. He's weak from that noise. And we missed snack time. So right now he's chowing down on my liver. If I don't get some food and that bottle of pills in my bag, the rest of my organs will go soon too. I'd rather not die. He'd feel aweful guilty about killing me."

That gives them all pause.

Falcoln raises his hand like a five year old. Eddie rolls his eyes, starting to get hangry himself, but nods.

"So…. He's an alien that's killing you from the inside?"

"Only because we're hungry. And we can stop it if you would be off so so gracious and get us some food…Tator tots and nuggets!" Venom adds stealing Eddie's mouth for a second. "Please."

The chocolate sauce too Eddie.Venom practically whines sounding little and still very weak.

Eddie groans, his cheeks turning red, "And if you could, a bottle of chocolate syrup." Both Falcon, Hawkeyes, and even Ironman snicker at that. The spider kid mentions something along the lines of,

"Wow that sounds amazing right now."

Which only make Eddie more embarrassed, and gets full blown laughter out of the giggling idiots. Captain America just look thoroughly confused. Natasha whispers something and Vision fazes out of the room. He returns with their requested feast and the bottle of Phenethylamine.

FOOD!

Eddie barely has a chance to get, "I'm not the one in control of my body at the moment."

Before Venom takes over and uses Eddie's hand to shovel fists full of tots into his mouth, and swallows without even chewing. The other hand twists off the cap to the drug bottle and pours the contents into their mouth washing all the pills down with the chocolate syrup.

All in all it takes about 42 seconds to down the mountain of grease and potatoes. Eddie ends by lapping up the crumbs on the plate and letting out a roaring belch.

Once satisfied heavy and full Venom releases control of their arms.

"Wow, thanks."

You are welcome.

"Rhetorical."

Venom doesn't answer instead he sets about repair the small damage they did to their liver. In a few moments Eddie already feels back to a hundred percent. He straightens up. Cap lifts a curious brow.

"Liver all better?"

"V's already fixed it." Eddie answers.

Dr. Banner and Stark stare in wonder.

"Color's come back to his face…" Tony says to Banner. Then the pair are yammering science at each other. Eddie doesn't catch most of it until he hears,

"Imagine what we could do for modern medicine!" Tony says. The eager look on Banner's face shows he agrees.

Surprising to Eddie, Steve is the one to put his foot down. "No. No test or experiments. They aren't lab rats you two. Just here to talk." Steve levels a look at Eddie, indicating he better start doing just that.

"Right. Right." He chews his lips trying to figure out where to start. The beginning is usually a good place. "So Carlton Drake.."

"Pfft, what a slime ball and a hack." Tony cuts in with an eye roll.

"Thank you!" Eddie nods looking at Stark finally seeing his genius, "Well his rockets got a hold of these four Alien goos. Right?" it was rhetorical but The Avengers nodded. "Then the rocket crash landed in Malaysia. One escaped. The rest Drake brought to his facility. Well at the same time I was a reporter and I knew something was fishy about the guy. Always giving speeches like some messiah."

"So annoying." Tony mutters, fast becoming Eddie's second favorite person in the room.

"Yes," Eddie agrees and continues. "Well I call him out on his B.S lose my job my girlfriend and my apartment. Six months go by. I'm living in a pit hole barely scrapping by. One day this Dr. Skir -God rest her soul- pops up and tells me he's got aliens and I was right. At the time I didn't have anything to lose. We sneak in, alarms go off, and I end up with black ooz in me, though I didn't know it at the time. As I'm trying to escape I'm able to run really fast and jump really big. I almost died trying to get out of there." He gets through most of their story without interruptions until, "And Dan tells me I'm dying, because someone was making snacks out of my organs…"

"Eddie, I am sorry!" Venom shouts shooting out of his chest. A guilty look on the Alien's fanged face. V still feels guilty over the whole thing.

"What the hell is that!" Falcon asks, guns pointed and ready to fire.

So is Black Widow, and again with the fuckin arrow form Hawkye. Eddie rolls his eyes.

"V, we talked about this. You can't go all chest buster in front of people that aren't Dan an Anne, they get freaked out."

The black tendrils sags a little, before turning toward the Avengers,

"That was rude. I am sorry, I guess."

Venom doesn't sink back in though. Instead curls around Eddie's neck like a scarf again. His head rests on their shoulder.

"And then?" Cap asks, eyes trained on Venom.

Eddie can practically hear him think 'You know things were a lot simpler back in the fourties. When it was just Nazis.'

"Well," Eddie starts again petting his other, "Anne turns on the Mri, which is the right frequency to harm the little sucker, and ends up ripping us apart." Eddie stops talking as they shiver remembering the pain, loneliness, and just wrongness of being separated. V snuggles closer wrapping a little tighter around their neck, as if that would keep them together. "Well, I get captured by Drakes goons. V and Anne momentarily bond to save me. We bond together again. We find out Drake and Riot have shacked up and are going to go back into space to bring more fuckin' here. Well… we're the good guys, so that just couldn't happen. And that's that. We stayd paired, and as long as he gets a certain amount of a certain chemical that's found in brains and chocolate everything's pretty copasetic." Eddie ends with a shrug.

"Except you eat people." Steve adds.

"Only really bad guys. Sex offenders. Rapists. Murders." Venom defends. "Eddie is good. Does good. Helps people. We are Heroes."

"Seeing it talk is never not going to be weird." Falcon jumps in. After Steve's something along the lines of 'not so sure about that.'

"We all got some red in our ledger. So, Venom?" Black Widow asks, "We know Eddie's story. Tell us yours. You betrayed your entire race. Why?"

Eddie nuzzles Venom, as he feels tendrils coil, uncertain, around their hearts.

"I was a loser too." V explains after Eddie reassures the Symbiote. "See for many worlds we travel, we cannot survive on our own. A host is needed so that we may adapt to each new atmosphere. Without Eddie I would not survive in your oxygen rich Environment."

"You just need anyone though." Stark cut in.

"Yes. I could steal anyone's body for my own. But the better the match the longer they last. If they are perfect- we are perfect. We can keep each other alive which is why I am a loser. Others of my kind simply wished to take over, jump from host to host. They didn't care if the match was good or not. They invaded, took over and used up their host till death. Then moved on to the next. I wanted symbiosis. I knew we could be more if found the right partner. The others laughed. They though it was a waist. Then we came here, with every intention of devouring your world. But the Drake locked us up. Forced us into humans. I invaded a homeless woman. She was kind, did not fight. Let me in, showed me her mind. That is where I first discovered who Eddie was. I tried to keep her alive as long as possible. But we were not a good match and she faded quickly.

That is when Eddie found us. There he was after seeing him in this woman's memories for days. Eddie was there. And we bounded. He was it. The perfect physical match. I don't know much about Earth, but I like Eddie and I liked your world. It is beautiful even in its ugliest parts."

Dr. Banner straightens is glasses and asks, "So you two are genetically complete together. Is what you are saying, right? A next level symbiotic relationship."

"Yes. We are married."

"V…" Eddie complains.

"What Eddie we are!"

"I don't see a ring."

Coughing, uncomfortable, Captain clears his throat. The Scarlett Witch steps up.

"Wanda," Cap explains, "She can read people. Their thoughts, emotions. We'd like to have her take a look inside. Just double check you haven't lied to us."

"No." Venom growls.

"V…" Eddie says a warning.

"I am your Symbiote, Eddie. And you are mine. I am the only one allowed inside you."

"Sexual innuendos aside, she's not really going inside goo for brains. They just want her to…" Eddie pauses thinking of the right way to explain it, "It's like we are a T.V show and she just wants to watch for a second. Nothing going in; no one is separating. It's harmless right?"

"As long as you don't hurt me. Yes." Wanda nods. She's trying to be reassuring but really she just looks nervous. "I must be honest though. I have never used my abilities on anything other than human. I do not know if it will work with you and your friend."

"We should still give it a shot, I guess. To make Grandpa stars and stripes happy right?" Eddie asked glancing around at the others, receiving nods of agreement.

"Fine. But if you hurt us, I shall bite off all your heads."

"Sounds fair." Wanda agrees a mock serious look poorly masks a small smile.

Then with cation, Wanda lifts her hand to Eddie's forehead, pressing her fingertips gently against his damp skin.

Eddie closes his eyes and focuses. He can actually feel her phantom touch on his brain. Like a sheer white light streaking across his mind. Venom swirls around in their too. Inky thick black tendrils hounding at her energy's side, making sure no damage is done.

Eddie tries to push his thoughts at the light. He shows her the first interview with Carlton Drake. Getting fired. Feeling hopeless, worthless, and lost. Finding Venom, feeling afraid but whole somehow. He shows her the pain and emptiness that felt endless after he thought he'd lost him. After that the memories came on their own. Showing off to her out of Eddie's sheer happiness to have them.

She sees them setting boundaries. The struggle Venom had acclimating to earth's customs, and the wonder he felt when something new catches his attention. Getting to know each other. Their first walk to the Golden Gate Bridge. Movie nights with Anne and Dan. Laying in bed together wrapped in the comfort of his other. Shopping in Mrs. Chen's store. Cooking and burning so many meals, ending up with take out. Venom, being of course Venom, asking Eddie what love is and just assuming that is what they had. Eddie stammering like an idiot till he discovered yes, love is what they had. Figuring out day by day what success and happiness meant to them.

Wanda draws her hand back and gives Eddie and Venom a curios look.

"You," She trails off playing their memories in her head. The other Avengers still unsure of what she's about to ask. Even Eddie is more tense than usual. "You are in love?"

"Well, if you found your perfect match, wouldn't you be?" Eddie asks without hesitation.

Warmth fills his chest cavity. Purring vibrates in his ribs.

Wanda glance to her side where Vision is standing. The robot hybrid and the Scarlet Witch share a smile before she nods. Eddie hears Iron name mumble to Cap, "You thinking about Barnes right?" Which gets ignored, but by the look on Caps face, Eddies guesses the tinman is right on the money.

"Eddie."

Eddie lifts a hand to pet Venom's head, which still rests happy on their shoulder.

"Don't be so happy. You're stuck with me for life. Sweetheart."

"Duh, Eddie that is what marriage means."

Dressed in only his boxers, Eddie stretches out on the bed, arms resting behind their head.

Venom leisurely swims around inside checking for any abnormalities. There must be none because his goop little head pops out of their abdomen.

"Hey, you." Eddie greets, warm and happy despite, maybe being a prisoner at the Avengers Compound.

Considering how comfy the bed is and how delicious their food was, Eddie can't say he minds. Uncle Sam's hard on informed Eddie and Venom they would need to be held and watched for the time being. Just until particulars could be figured out. They were promised no harm or separating was coming. Eddie simply agreed because really what could they do?

Venom begins to absently lick his long tongue across Eddie's skin. He lets it slide because it feels so damn good. And it isn't until the tip dips under the band of his boxers that Eddie says anything.

"V…"

"Yes, Eddie?"

"You know someone is probably monitoring us right?"

"And let them."

"Ya got no shame do ya, pal?"

"No Eddie, Shame is a dumb human emotion. And besides Eddie, I told We are beautiful. We are Venom…

"Which means We can do whatever We want." They finished in unison. Eddie rolls his eyes because he knew that was coming. But as Venom licks Eddie's bottom lip, Eddie finds himself caving. Who could say no to a tongue like that?

Hours later Eddie is hanging half off the bed, sweaty and panting. Venom is lazily draped in a barely formed black mass, on their chest and stomach. They are warm, and content and happy. Eddie is pretty sure whoever is watching them, got the weirdest show of their life. But finds he doesn't care, because Venom is right they are beautiful.