Chapter Text
Eddie felt hollow, like a broken egg shell yawning open. Eddie hadn't eaten a single thing in three days, but that wasn't why he was feeling so empty. Venom was gone.
Eddie held onto the small relief that Venom was okay, probably jumping from host to host at the moment. However, this worsened Eddie's own feelings. He felt pitifully lonely, and just so empty now that Venom wasn't in his mind and body. Eddie felt a bit stupid for missing a literal parasite, but he reminded himself that Venom wasn't just some tapeworm feeding on him. Venom was his Other, his stabilizer, and his hero on more than one occasion. Eddie's smile couldn't last long when the hollow feeling made itself known again with even stronger conviction.
Eddie was currently in a decent sized concrete room, which just furthered how small and alone he felt. When his eyes gazed over the walls he had seen hundreds of times, he felt worse. Then his stomach rumbled, loud and aching, and Eddie's eyes began to sting. Venom had always fed him, even if it was disgusting heads of bad people; Eddie hadn't felt so hungry in a long, long time.
The door opposite him opened suddenly, smacking loudly against the wall behind it as Samuel kicked it open. The man's hands were occupied with a large tray, and when Eddie saw that it was piled with food, Eddie jolted up into a sitting position. His wrists ached from the shackles encasing them, but even they were loose and left him feeling small.
Samuel, his captor, smiled at him in that unsettling way that only he could. The door was closed behind him by someone Eddie couldn't see, and he heard the bolt lock clear as day. If only Eddie had his Venom. The shackles and door would be nothing, and Eddie was sure Samuel would at least taste okay...
“Hungry?” Samuel asked, and Eddie hated himself for finding the man's voice calming. Eddie knew he should be alert, but it was hard to be aware about anything but his current physical state.
Samuel was a decent looking man, and his speech was elegant in a non-snarky sort of way. He hadn't said much about himself, hadn't given one single damn reason why he had kidnapped Eddie. With all the time that Samuel spent with him, it was clear Eddie was his only prisoner.
Setting the tray down just out of reach, Samuel got on his knees without worrying that his dress pants would get dirty and picked up a random piece of food. Samuel saw Eddie struggle, and he smiled sympathetically, so much different from the smile before that Eddie briefly wondered if the man had different personalities.
Then, Samuel opened his mouth, and his elegant voice dripped with poison;
“Beg.”
*
Eddie couldn't remember just how many times he had thrown up, but it had been a lot. One of Samuel's men cleaned the mess, shooting him glares the entire time. Eddie had passed out for most of the cleaning, and when he came to, the room smelled like diluted lemons.
Samuel had forced him to drink and eat too much, and after days of not having a single scrap, it had been too much. Samuel had known that from the start, Eddie realized with shame.
Samuel had even fed him cake and cookies, and despite how ridiculous it sounded Eddie felt guilty that he had eaten chocolate without Venom. Maybe throwing it all up was his punishment, in a weird coincidental way.
From what Eddie knew by the crevice of light beneath the door, at least a day had gone by. Either evening or morning light was now shining through and creeping along the floor towards him.
Warm sunlight or simply some fresh air sounded so good to Eddie, but he knew he wouldn't get either. Even when Samuel let him out to use the bathroom, the hallway was stuffy with dust and it was usually nighttime.
The metal chains from his cuffs clanked against each other as Eddie pulled himself up into a sitting position. Samuel had let him put his hands in front of him, so his arms were no longer as sore as when they had been pulled behind his back. Eddie looked down at them. His hands were rough and dirty, which was no surprise to him.
Eddie whipped his head up and stared at the door as he heard voices getting louder. He knew how scared he must look with his knees drawn up to his chest, and his eyes opened wide.
He heard the bolt, and the door opened not a second later. Samuel walked in, his key chain attached to his pants like always, and the keys jangled as he walked over. Samuel smiled and crouched down, his face close to Eddie's. “Good morning, Mr. Brock. I've got some news for you.”
Eddie didn't ask what, like Samuel wanted him to, since Eddie hadn't talked in days and was afraid he could only make strangled noises.
Samuel smiled all the same, and he elaborated while patting Eddie on the shoulder. “We've contacted your friends. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that they're doing well. However, they're unable to pay the price that we've so kindly asked. I personally believe that you're worth a lot, but...” Samuel shrugged. “Oh well, though. Miss Anne may not-”
“Leave her alone,” Eddie croaked out, barely a hissed whisper. It hurt his throat; he could kill for some water.
His outburst surprised Eddie and Samuel both, yet Samuel chuckled. “Don't worry, my friend. I only spoke with her over the phone, never laid a hand on her, nor that boyfriend of hers.” He suddenly shifted his weight and smirked knowingly. “I only ever want to lay a hand on you. You know that, don't you, Mr. Brock.”
Eddie averted his gaze, staring at the stained concrete floor instead. He felt sick, his stomach twisting in such a way that he couldn't even explain to himself. It was that certain way that only occurred when he dreaded something completely awful, something he felt helpless with.
Samuel reached for his keychain. “Let's go somewhere else, shall we? One of the more comfortable rooms.”
Eddie wondered weakly if he should fight it this time.
*
It was at times like this- late at night, his body sore and his thoughts dangerous -that Eddie wondered if Venom was out there looking for him.
Part of him knew that Venom had to be, that he was Venom's, Venom's perfect host. Part of him still doubted that an alien parasite would drop everything so easily to be with him, that it would drop its very purpose to live his life instead.
Currently, it was nighttime, so Eddie only saw darkness even when he had his eyes open. It reminded him of Venom's color, and of what it was initially like for Venom to take over his body or to form his own around him.
Eddie felt so pathetic to be missing an alien so much, but he figured being imprisoned and messed with would make someone miss even their enemies or their most annoying coworker.
Eddie just didn't want to be alone, or alone with Samuel. He wanted to be home, on the couch, eating tater tots or a hot pocket with his symbiote laying on top of him like jello.
He wanted Venom to be in his mind and body again, wanted Venom to take care of him, simply wanted Venom to be there.
Eddie also wanted Venom— no, he and Venom —to eat Samuel feet-first.
*
There was no more news from Dan and Anne. Eddie was just glad that they were being left alone.
He didn't know how many days it had been, but it felt like years. He had stopped counting the light changes under the door for what seemed like a long time now.
Samuel had been absent for a while. Eddie didn't know what that meant, but it was either something good or something dreadful.
The other two or three men were still there, still moving about, still babysitting him. They never spoke to him, and whenever Eddie tried to reason with them, they ignored him. Eddie quickly gave up on that.
He was tired, unable to sleep on the cold hard floor, unable to close his eyes and forget everything that had happened. He could feel himself acting strange because of it, feeling almost in a drunken state. Delusional.
There was a sound echoing from down the hall, low and rumbling, and at first Eddie thought it was in his head. The noise continued though, and Eddie could hear movement close by. He sat up quickly, pulling against his chains. There were shouts; someone was rescuing him.
Eddie stumbled to his feet, almost falling from how low the handcuffs kept his hands. He stood, hunched over, eyes fixated on the door. The shouts had stopped as quickly as they had began, and everything was quiet now.
A shadow interrupted the light under the door, the person stopping in front of it. Eddie didn't know whether to call out to them or not, unable to find his voice, unable to think reasonably. He felt afraid, worried that it wasn't someone there to save him but to kill him.
The shadow moved slowly. A familiar voice broke out, making Eddie shiver. “...It's him.”
Without warning, the door came off its hinges and Eddie shrieked. It hurt his throat, but he didn't have time to care when Venom burst through. “Eddie,” Venom roared in his ear as he broke the chains with ease. Before Eddie could find his voice, Venom lifted him up with tendrils and threw him onto his shoulder. “We are here Eddie. We killed them all, for you, for us.” Venom bursted through the small doorway and into the hall, windows rushing by in a blur as the symbiote ran.
Eddie felt sick as he watched the ground go by beneath them. He weakly punched Venom's muscular back, “Put me down, put me down!” Everything seemed to flow once he found his voice; “Venom?! Who's with you right now? How did you find me? Are you okay? Is-”
Venom grabbed him with his claws and set him down on the ground once they got outside the building. Dead, bloody bodies were strewn about. Venom seemed to grin, tongue flicking out of his mouth. “We are fine. You are with us again. That's all that matters.”
“Yes,” Eddie agreed weakly, helplessly. He stared up at his symbiote, his Venom, his hero yet again. “Who's...?” He gestured vaguely.
“We found him, a good host, while on the way here. Had to use a dog before that.” Venom moved closer. “He isn't you, though.”
“No, he isn't.” Eddie felt stupidly jealous.
Eddie frowned, then. “How'd you escape? They, they took you...”
Venom reached out with thick tendrils and curled them around Eddie's arm, his chest, his torso. He let go of the host and slipped into Eddie completely.
Eddie couldn't console the guy crying about how he had just eaten people, because Venom was in his mind and body again, finally. Eddie felt Venom push into his mind, felt him roam his thoughts, his memories. There was nothing for Eddie to say, and he liked things being that way.
Venom was upset, making Eddie's skin prickle, making Eddie's mind feel fiery. He hurt you. That man.
Hearing the compassion while feeling Venom's presence caused Eddie to cry. A tear ran down his cheek, and then another. He wiped at them uselessly with his dirty sweater sleeve. “I missed you, Venom. I felt so powerless, so alone. You have to stay with me, always. You're mine, you know?”
Venom growled. Tendrils shot out to wipe the tears, and Venom's body immediately followed until the symbiote had formed completely, Eddie safe and cocooned within. “We are yours.”
Venom started running again.
Where are we going? Eddie asked within Venom's mind. He tried to peer through Venom's vision.
We are finding Samuel and eating him. Feet-first. You want this.
Yes, I do. He's a bad person.
Horrible.
Yes.
Venom grinned as he imagined Samuel's death. His tongue hung free and his sharp teeth glistened at the image.
Eddie imagined it too, and he felt no remorse, the deed as good as done already. He relied on Venom to do it, of course, and relaxed against the symbiote. He was just relieved that they were back together, that they were one again.
Eddie didn't feel any shame now. Perhaps Venom's feelings had calmed him, but regardless, Eddie wasn't ashamed of missing the alien. Venom had helped him so much, had always protected him, had sacrificed himself before and would gladly do it again.
Venom loved him, and there was no room for shame in that. Eddie loved Venom.
Mine, Venom growled quietly.
Yours. Always.
Right. No Samuel. No one else. Mine, Eddie.
Yes. Eddie smiled at Venom's protectiveness. Venom had seen everything that had happened to him, of course he'd be protective and outraged.
You know, killing Samuel will be fun and all, but I'm starving. And thirsty. Can we stop somewhere first?
Anywhere you want, Eddie.
Eddie felt a happy warmth spread through his chest. He had been scared in that little concrete room, but in the end he didn't have to be afraid. Venom would always protect him. Venom was his. It had been a two-way street from the start, Eddie just hadn't known it back then.
Tater-tots? Venom asked, and Eddie could nearly hear the grin in his voice. He could hear the love, too.
Anything you want, Venom.