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In his sleep, there’s a door that won’t quite close, a high-pitched squealing sound like old hinges. Eddie groans and buries his head under a pillow, trying to drown it out.
It gets louder, a wet scream like new shoes only a hundred times louder and Eddie jerks fully awake, sitting upright and blinking in the darkness.
There’s faint light filtering through the curtains, picking out the room in shades of grey-yellow. Another cry, high and desperate and very much a living cry and- oh God, Agony.
She’s in a tiny grey ball, huddled up against the bedpost and trying to crawl into the tiny cavity between mattress and footboard. Her tiny host is trembling all over, making terrified high pitched cries.
“Vee!” Eddie gasps, and reaches out to her and- “Fuck!” Her teeth sink into his hand, so deep he can see blood. The pain is blinding.
“Agony!” Venom swarms down his arm, sinking through the chinchilla’s fur. The terrified purple eyes flicker black for a moment, and she releases Eddie’s hand.
“Ow.” Eddie examines his hand. Wow, those teeth are sharp. He grabs a handful of tissues from the bedside table and presses it to his hand. “You okay, darling?”
Venom draws back, washing over his hand and closing off the wound. “She had a bad dream.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Eddie scoops Agony up and cradles her. Venom lapping at her gently. She doesn’t lash out again, but shivers in his hands, eyes closing. “You’re okay, love, everything’s okay.”
Agony slips free from her host, little by little, nuzzling against Eddie’s hands, winding around Venom’s tendrils. She forms a head and presses up against them, resting against Eddie’s wrist; pulsing in time to his heartbeat.
“You want to come in, darling?” Eddie strokes her. “Want to sleep with your daddies tonight?”
…yes.
“Give me a sec, then.” Eddie checks on the other two, but Sleeper and Scream are sleeping soundly at the bottom on the bed in a little tangle of green and black and rabbit. Good. He picks up the chinchilla and carries it out to the little animal pen in the living room. “Okay? Ready to go?”
Agony hesitates, then pulls free from her host, sinking into Eddie’s skin. The chinchilla twitches, and sits up. Eddie puts it in the pen, and it sits still a moment, then pads over to the foodbowl and starts munching on hay. Being a host doesn’t seem to have fazed it at all.
“You’re looking after her very well.” Eddie smiles, and shuffles into the kitchen.
We are so proud of you, Venom agrees, and Eddie can feel her curling up inside him, huddling against Venom.
Eddie starts making a big cup of hot chocolate. “Here we go, comfort food.”
He feels Agony press against the surface of his skin, pooling bright purple but not quite pushing out. “Its okay.” Eddie coaxes her.
You are safe, Venom traces black patterns around the purple, pushing free from Eddie’s skin. No one will hurt you.
Eddie pours the cup of thick, steaming chocolate. He blows on it and waits. “It smells so good.” He smiles and takes a sip. “Mmmm.”
The skin of his arm pulses, raising into a bump, then falling flat again. “Oh dear,” Eddie dips his fingers into the chocolate, and lets a few drops fall on his forearm. “I’ve spilled some.”
Cheat. Venom smiles against his collarbone. Clever.
Finally, Agony breaks the skin, lapping up the hot chocolate. “There you are.” Eddie proffers the cup, but she’s still hesitant. Venom dips his head in and drinks, and she finally leans in and swallows down mouthful after mouthful of the chocolate.
“Good girl.” Eddie strokes her. “You’re doing so well, darling.”
… scared, she whispers in their head.
“It’s okay. Nothing here can hurt you.”
And we will eat anyone who tries.
Another shiver. Agony finishes the cup, and slips back inside him. Eddie walks back to the bed and lies down, curling up under the covers. “There we go, my loves.” He closes his eyes. “Nice and warm and safe.”
…safe.
“That’s right.”
Safe with us.
Agony is wrapped somewhere inside his chest cavity, Eddie can just about feel her when he breathes in too deeply. But he can feel the radiating fear still making her tremble. “You want to talk about it?” Although Agony is only just getting a grasp on words.
But she doesn’t need to. Instead, the thoughts come in a wave of emotion and pictures and terror, overwhelming as though Agony had been desperate to share from the very beginning. Darkness and cold, huddled and hiding inside Venom as they crouch, half frozen and terrified as Riot stalks past them. His eyes rake over them and for a moment Venom is convinced he knows, he can see through Venom to Agony and find her and tear her from him and- and-
And Agony, so small and new-born and not understanding anything. Agony, to whom everything was fear and terror, hungry teeth and claws waiting to devour her.
“Oh love.” Eddie closes his eyes and wraps his arms around themselves. “He’s gone, darling. We killed him.”
…dead?
Venom presses the memory through to them, Riot trapped in the rocket and burning, going up in flames. The memory was carefully edited to hide how badly they had been hurt, but Agony presses close to the images, hungry and devouring.
…dead? A little more hopeful.
“Totally dead.” Eddie agrees, “We’ll keep you safe, darling.”
We are bigger and scarier than anyone else on this planet. Venom grins. And you will be too, dear one.
Agony pauses for a moment, then pushes an image of her own. Her in her chinchilla host, but- a hundred times bigger, something out of Night of the Lepus only with chinchillas. …me?
Eddie chuckles, sending back the same image of the giant chinchilla, with him and Vee as Venom, and Scream and Sleeper in giant versions of themselves. Us.
…good. Agony says finally, and finally relaxes inside him into sleep.
In his sleep, there’s a door that won’t quite close, a high-pitched squealing sound like old hinges. Eddie groans and buries his head under a pillow, trying to drown it out.
It gets louder, a wet scream like new shoes only a hundred times louder and Eddie jerks fully awake, sitting upright and blinking in the darkness.
There’s faint light filtering through the curtains, picking out the room in shades of grey-yellow. Another cry, high and desperate and very much a living cry and- oh God, Agony.
She’s in a tiny grey ball, huddled up against the bedpost and trying to crawl into the tiny cavity between mattress and footboard. Her tiny host is trembling all over, making terrified high pitched cries.
“Vee!” Eddie gasps, and reaches out to her and- “Fuck!” Her teeth sink into his hand, so deep he can see blood. The pain is blinding.
“Agony!” Venom swarms down his arm, sinking through the chinchilla’s fur. The terrified purple eyes flicker black for a moment, and she releases Eddie’s hand.
“Ow.” Eddie examines his hand. Wow, those teeth are sharp. He grabs a handful of tissues from the bedside table and presses it to his hand. “You okay, darling?”
Venom draws back, washing over his hand and closing off the wound. “She had a bad dream.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Eddie scoops Agony up and cradles her. Venom lapping at her gently. She doesn’t lash out again, but shivers in his hands, eyes closing. “You’re okay, love, everything’s okay.”
Agony slips free from her host, little by little, nuzzling against Eddie’s hands, winding around Venom’s tendrils. She forms a head and presses up against them, resting against Eddie’s wrist; pulsing in time to his heartbeat.
“You want to come in, darling?” Eddie strokes her. “Want to sleep with your daddies tonight?”
…yes.
“Give me a sec, then.” Eddie checks on the other two, but Sleeper and Scream are sleeping soundly at the bottom on the bed in a little tangle of green and black and rabbit. Good. He picks up the chinchilla and carries it out to the little animal pen in the living room. “Okay? Ready to go?”
Agony hesitates, then pulls free from her host, sinking into Eddie’s skin. The chinchilla twitches, and sits up. Eddie puts it in the pen, and it sits still a moment, then pads over to the foodbowl and starts munching on hay. Being a host doesn’t seem to have fazed it at all.
“You’re looking after her very well.” Eddie smiles, and shuffles into the kitchen.
We are so proud of you, Venom agrees, and Eddie can feel her curling up inside him, huddling against Venom.
Eddie starts making a big cup of hot chocolate. “Here we go, comfort food.”
He feels Agony press against the surface of his skin, pooling bright purple but not quite pushing out. “Its okay.” Eddie coaxes her.
You are safe, Venom traces black patterns around the purple, pushing free from Eddie’s skin. No one will hurt you.
Eddie pours the cup of thick, steaming chocolate. He blows on it and waits. “It smells so good.” He smiles and takes a sip. “Mmmm.”
The skin of his arm pulses, raising into a bump, then falling flat again. “Oh dear,” Eddie dips his fingers into the chocolate, and lets a few drops fall on his forearm. “I’ve spilled some.”
Cheat. Venom smiles against his collarbone. Clever.
Finally, Agony breaks the skin, lapping up the hot chocolate. “There you are.” Eddie proffers the cup, but she’s still hesitant. Venom dips his head in and drinks, and she finally leans in and swallows down mouthful after mouthful of the chocolate.
“Good girl.” Eddie strokes her. “You’re doing so well, darling.”
… scared, she whispers in their head.
“It’s okay. Nothing here can hurt you.”
And we will eat anyone who tries.
Another shiver. Agony finishes the cup, and slips back inside him. Eddie walks back to the bed and lies down, curling up under the covers. “There we go, my loves.” He closes his eyes. “Nice and warm and safe.”
…safe.
“That’s right.”
Safe with us.
Agony is wrapped somewhere inside his chest cavity, Eddie can just about feel her when he breathes in too deeply. But he can feel the radiating fear still making her tremble. “You want to talk about it?” Although Agony is only just getting a grasp on words.
But she doesn’t need to. Instead, the thoughts come in a wave of emotion and pictures and terror, overwhelming as though Agony had been desperate to share from the very beginning. Darkness and cold, huddled and hiding inside Venom as they crouch, half frozen and terrified as Riot stalks past them. His eyes rake over them and for a moment Venom is convinced he knows, he can see through Venom to Agony and find her and tear her from him and- and-
And Agony, so small and new-born and not understanding anything. Agony, to whom everything was fear and terror, hungry teeth and claws waiting to devour her.
“Oh love.” Eddie closes his eyes and wraps his arms around themselves. “He’s gone, darling. We killed him.”
…dead?
Venom presses the memory through to them, Riot trapped in the rocket and burning, going up in flames. The memory was carefully edited to hide how badly they had been hurt, but Agony presses close to the images, hungry and devouring.
…dead? A little more hopeful.
“Totally dead.” Eddie agrees, “We’ll keep you safe, darling.”
We are bigger and scarier than anyone else on this planet. Venom grins. And you will be too, dear one.
Agony pauses for a moment, then pushes an image of her own. Her in her chinchilla host, but- a hundred times bigger, something out of Night of the Lepus only with chinchillas. …me?
Eddie chuckles, sending back the same image of the giant chinchilla, with him and Vee as Venom, and Scream and Sleeper in giant versions of themselves. Us.
…good. Agony says finally, and finally relaxes inside him into sleep.