‘Safe With Us’ CH.2

As Eddie exited his apartment building and began making the journey toward Mrs. Chen's place to buy some chocolate for himself and Venom, he couldn't stop thinking about what the symbiote had said to him a few minutes earlier. While it was true that he would never be alone as long as he had Venom for company, it didn't mean that he wouldn't be lonely. He had learned through experience that even the person with the most friends can secretly be one of the loneliest people on the planet.

While Venom certainly helped with that, he couldn't fix the issue completely. That was something that Eddie had to do.

"Eddie." Venom spoke from within his mind. "I can still feel you. You are still sad. What is troubling you?"

"It's nothing really important, Vee." The reporter answered dismissively. "I've just got a lot of things on my mind at the moment."

He felt Venom prodding at his brain, shifting and examining his memories, looking for the source of his host's discomfort. "Ah, yes, I see. You are still feeling lonely. How may I help to make you not feel this way?"

They arrived at Mrs. Chen's at that moment, the walk not far from Eddie's own apartment. "It's not that simple, Vee." Eddie responded as he entered the shop. "Humans need to be near other humans, It's in their DNA, the desire for company and companionship. Its something that is unavoidable, and once you hit a certain age, that feeling intensifies. We experience the desire and longing for someone to love."

Venom was quiet for a minute, apparently mulling over Eddie's words. He did not speak again until Eddie was in the middle of picking out what kind of ice cream he wanted. "That seems like a very complicated and tedious process. I don't think I would want to do something like that. Do all humans do this?"

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, most do. Some don't feel any attraction at all towards the same gender, or even the same species. It's difficult to explain, actually."

"Oh, I see." Venom went back to shifting through Eddie's thoughts and emotions, seemingly content with his answer.

Eddie found what he was looking for, chocolate ice cream with double chocolate chips mixed into it, and grabbed it, going to the counter to pay for it, also grabbing a few king-sized chocolate bars at the last minute. He felt Venom's pleased purr when he did so.

After conversing with Mrs. Chen for a few minutes after paying, they left the store and began to make their way back home. "Eddie." Venom said while his thick black tendrils made their way up the human's front under his shirt, stopping at his chest. "We are okay. We are perfect, we are whole. Together now, as one. Need nothing else, have each other."

The tendrils continued their crawl up Eddie's chest and around his body, shielding him and keeping him warm, protecting him from the chill of the night. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the night air and basking in the comfort of the dark. Smells lingered in the air, blooming flowers, food from nearby restaurants and cafés, coffee and pastries, enticing him.

"I know that, Vee, but sometimes… it's difficult to settle for that. I don't feel…. content."

"What will you have us do, Eddie? We do not like these emotions you are having. They do not make us feel like ourselves. We feel different."

Eddie sighed. "Sadness and other emotions, like guilt for example, make people feel differently and do things that they normally wouldn't do. I guess it depends on the level of emotion that the person is experiencing in that moment."

"You are not feeling guilt now. You are sad. That is not the same." Venom says as if Eddie wasn't aware of that fact previously.

Eddie nods. "Yeah, you're right, it isn't. But sometimes its easy to confuse the two, because guilt can feel a lot like sadness, or the person might be feeling both emotions at the same time."

"I see." Was all that Venom said before he fell silent again. Then, a tendril appeared and cupped Eddie's face while Venom's face materialized so that he was eye-level with his host. "Eddie. You are so much more than this. No one can ever hurt you while you are with me, and I would lay down my life for you. Together, we are whole. Together, we are one. Nothing will ever change that."

The human looked at the ground, averting his gaze fro the symbiote. "I would die for you, too, bud. You know that. You're my best friend, and you've definitely been a better friend to me than all of the other ones I've had in the past, and I appreciate that, I really do, and-"

"You are perfect," Venom cut him off softly, "we are perfect. I am everything you need and more. I could give you the world, all you need to do is ask for it, and it is yours. Whatever you need, whatever you want, is yours. Just name it."

"I…I want Anne back." Eddie whispered. "I want to be happy again. I want to feel like I matter, like I have a purpose again."

Another tendril stroked his hair, wrapping around him like a comforting embrace. "I once heard that the purpose of life is just that. Just to be alive. There is no other way to describe it, no other deeper meaning. Just live. That is your purpose. Just be you."

"No, that can't be all there is." Eddie said, reaching out to grab hold of the tendril, as it gently curled around his hand. "There has to be more than that."

"We help people. SAVE the good ones, eat bad ones. That's our purpose here. That's what we do."

Eddie breathes in deeply, feeling comforted and reassured by the Symbiote. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, bud. That is our purpose."

"You can be alone, and still be happy, Eddie. You will manage. I will help you be happy. We are one. You want companionship, and I can give that to you. I will give it to you. You'll be alright, you will see that soon." He retreated into Eddie's body, one final sentence echoing in the human's ears.

"We Are Venom, and we are perfect."