Eddie sat on the couch in his apartment a few days later watching television. Venom was with him, of course, an ever present companion and friend. The symbiote was resting his head against his host's shoulder, not unlike like how a child would sometimes cuddle with their mother.
A few tendrils loosely snaked around Eddie's midsection to provide him with safety and comfort, keeping him close and secure, wrapped in Venom's protective hold. His breath was warm on Eddie's throat.
He hadn't heard Eddie laugh in days, not even seen him hardly smile as of late. It filled Venom with worry for his friend. He felt how much he was still hurting from when Anne broke it off with him, and the things she had said to him. It had hurt worse than when Riot had stabbed him through with his axe.
Actually, that had hurt much worse from a physical sense, but emotionally, Anne won by a landslide.
'Eddie. You must stop feeling like this. It has been too long.' Venom nuzzled his host's shoulder. 'You should know by now that I hate seeing you so unmotivated. This I cannot fix, cannot heal. That is all on you. You need to let it go,'
The human sighed and adjusted his position on the couch and settled back down, his eyes never leaving the television screen. "I can't. I know its been a few months since it happened, but whenever I visit her and I see her with Dan, I just get…" He trailed off, at a loss for words.
'We know. You get sad.' Venom finished for him, his voice sympathetic and quiet. 'You become reclusive. Thinking if you are not good enough for her, then you are not good enough for anyone else, either.' He lifted a tendril to direct Eddie's gaze away from the TV and onto him. 'But you need to know something, Eddie. You were good enough for me.'
Eddie nodded as Venom continued speaking. 'You are a perfect match, and I chose you as my host for a reason. That reason has changed into something else now, but my point still stands. You are mine, and that will NOT change. You will always be mine.'
"I just don't feel like I belong here anymore." Eddie itted as he tried to stop the tears that wanted to spill from his eyes. A stray tear got past his defenses, and Venom wiped it away as it fell.
'We know how you feel, but we can only do so much to help, and the only way you will feel better is if you allow yourself to. You are not letting yourself be happy, only reflecting on bad things, and that is very unhealthy.'
Eddie picked up the phone. "Yeah, maybe you're right."
'We know we're right. There is no 'maybe' about it.'
The reporter shook his head and turned off the TV, getting his coat on to go for a walk when his phone rang. He answered it. "Hello?"
"It's Anne." The caller said, and Eddie felt that familiar pang of longing in his gut when he heard her voice.
"Anne. Hi, how have you been?" Eddie answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"Doing fine, Eddie." Anne said dismissively. "Dan and I were wondering if you would like to come over for dinner tonight? We're having steak and potatoes, and Dan made a cake for dessert."
Eddie pauses for a moment before answering, considering his options. He didn't really want to go if it meant another day of lounging around in his apartment doing nothing important and feeling sorry for himself.
'Say yes.' Venom whispered in his mind. 'It will be good for you, and the air will help you feel better.'
"Fine." Eddie answered into the phone. "I'll be there in a few hours. Say, maybe around 7 or so?"
"Great!" Anne said, sounding relieved that she hadn't had to push him any harder. "See you then!"
"Anne, I-" he started to say, wanting her to know how he felt, but Venom silenced him by starting to slide one of his tendrils across his side, his back, his stomach, and repeated the action. It was warm and soft, gentle and almost loving.
'She doesn't need to know just yet. Now is not the time for that.'
"You what, Eddie?" Anne was saying, her voice questioning and patient.
Eddie cleared his throat as Venom's tendril wrapped around his free hand, gently squeezing it in a calming gesture.
"I…" He paused. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again."
"Yeah, me too." Anne said, and Eddie could hear the smile in her voice. "It's been a few weeks, hasn't it? It'll be nice to get together and catch up. I'm curious to know what you've been up to."
"Alright, see you soon." Eddie hung up. Sighing, he threw his phone on the couch and sat down again.
'We should start getting ready. We don't have much time until we have to be there.' Venom suggested.
"Right. You're right, Vee, we probably should." Eddie said as he got off the couch and stood up. Venmo's tendrils retreated into his body, leaving him feeling empty and slightly more alone than before.
'We told you, not alone. Never alone. That is true.' Venom said softly. 'It will always be true.'
Eddie breathed in deeply, Venom massaging his diaphragm again, regulating his breathing. He felt calmer now, more relaxed. Safe. He knew he was safe with Venom, would always be safe.
'I hope they have things there that are not dead. I hate eating dead things. You know this.' Venom muttered. 'If we have to eat one more dead thing I will bite that doctor Dan's face off.'
"I'm sure that they will, buddy." Eddie said, smiling a little, but it didn't reach his eyes. "They know you pretty well by now, and I've told them about your eating habits and love of live meat."
'I do like live meat. Especially if it's squirming.' Venom said, only half teasing.
A few hours later, they were dressed and ready to go. Once they got to Anne's house, Eddie took a deep breath and made his way onto the front porch. As he knocked, Venom spoke up.
'One more thing, Eddie.'
"Yeah, what's that, bud?" Eddie questioned.
Venom was silent for a few moments before he replied, 'Try to be happy. Smile more, it might help you. Laugh, even if it's not humorous. Just do it for me.'
Edde nodded. "Okay. I'll try."
The front door was opened, and they both stepped into the house. Together, as one.
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