Eddie blinks. Stares. Blinks again. Slowly and carefully processes what she’s been told. Then, finally she’s able to put some words together. “How... just... how?” She stares back up at him, doesn’t know quite what to think, or feel. Although, she’s not as panicked as she thought she would be, she’s still reasonably concerned for her friend.
“Carnage was able to form instantly, because he was a mutation, because together, Eddie, our DNA is special... A natural spawn, however, lies dormant until the bond with its host is fully formed. And that can take days, weeks... or months. The longer it takes, the stronger the connection.” Venom explains as he floats in front of her and watches her for the tiniest reactions... mainly to see how horrified she is. Although, he must admit, he feels no such thing, only slight concern coming from her end of their bond... and curiosity.
Eddie nods, though, wears a confused frown. “Is that why you only felt it the first time last night?” She’s curious, but she has to be careful about this if Venom is right.
“I am right, Eddie.” Venom tells her, voice low and serious. “But yes, that is why – I can feel the new symbiote. We are hive, remember? Patrick will be like us soon.”
“Fuck.” Eddie whispers, doesn’t know quite what to do. “Do we... kill it?” She knows what symbiotes do to their “parents” by what Venom has told her and by literally almost living it through Carnage.
“Only if it tries to kill us first.”
“Fair.” Eddie nods, then, shoots her symbiote a slightly dreaded look. “It won’t... kill Patrick if we kill it... will it?”
Venom gives a firm shake of his floating head. “I will simply eat it...”
Eddie shoots him a curious glance when she feels an oddly soft feeling through their bond. She doesn’t ask about it outright, not right away anyway. Instead, she asks, “Well, what do we do for now? Does Patrick even know?” She doesn’t think he does, thinks he would have come to her in a panic by now.
“I don’t think so, no. But he knows something is different.” Venom fights back the urge to scoff when she shoots him another curious glance. “You clearly had too much fun to notice, but he was rather jittery tonight.”
Eddie rolls her eyes, but can’t help smirking. “Just because I have a good time without you, doesn’t make you any less special to me, V.” She chuckles when he merely hums in response. Finally then, she asks another question, slowly leads herself up to what she really wants to ask him. “Do you think this new symbiote will be evil?”
Venom doesn’t know why, but he stupidly feels almost stung by her words. That is, until he registers her genuine curiosity through their bond. Still, he begrudgingly manages to say, “Patrick is a good man... as pathetic as he is... so, I am hoping he will be a good influence.”
“Wow. That almost sounded like a compliment to the Detective.” Eddie teases, grins when Venom simply lets out a loud scoff. “So, we just have to keep an eye on him for now. OK... We can do that.” She feels oddly optimistic, and doesn’t dare to question it.
“If the spawn is not evil... can we... keep it, Eddie?” Venom almost melts at her soft smile as she stares back up at him.
“I mean, I don’t think we can ‘keep’ the Detective as a pet, or a...” Eddie’s smile widens, because now seems like the time to finally ask what she really wanted to ask him. “You want a baby, V?”
Venom hopes the surprise look on her face is a good kind of surprised. “Technically... it would be my grand-baby...” He doesn’t know why he says that likes it new information, but his nerves start to suddenly take over. Thankfully, Eddie laughs her pretty laugh for him, and he instantly feels calmer, because it’s not her usual mocking laugh.
“Sure.” Eddie nods, finally leans back into the couch to relax a little. “We can keep little baby Venom as long as he doesn’t turn out like his charmin’ father.”
“Really? You promise?” Venom is now more surprised more than anything. He really thought he would need to practically beg her. Especially after what happened with Carnage.
Eddie’s smile can’t help but widen. “Wait...” She shoots him a playful look a horror as she asks, “Do baby symbiotes, like, vomit, and poop, and stuff?” She laughs when he lets out a playful growl. And when he shoots down to head-butt her knees, she laughs again and slaps him upside the head.
Venom gasps as he pulls back to shoot her a wide eyed look of offence. “How DARE you?!” His tone is snappy, but his entire being is buzzing with affection.
“Get over it, bitch.” Eddie drawls out, smirks wide when he scoffs again. She then chuckles, because – “I can’t believe you wanna raise a kid. Symbiote or otherwise.”
Venom grins back at her. “This spawn is the second milestone of my lineage, Eddie. Every 500 years, our lines evolve onto the next step. This spawn will be the 1000th of my line, Eddie. It will be special.”
“I think you should name it, V.” Eddie smiles brightly when he arches a brow and looks rather surprised again. “It obviously means a lot to you... besides, when Patrick finally finds out what’s happenin’ to him, I think namin’ the alien kid livin’ inside of him will be the least of his worries.” She sees the rather blank expression and then feels rather nervous again. “I mean... if you wanna... or... or do you guys... y’know... just name yourselves...?”
“Some of us do. I escaped before that could happen. I only named myself when I first found you, Eddie.”
“You did?” Eddie doesn’t know why she feels so shocked by that.
Venom nods, seems slightly gloomy to her until he grins widely again. “WE are Venom, because we do not stop until the bad guys are all good and dead, Eddie... because you never stop until the right thing is done... When I found you, the name was instantly brought to me. It is not just my name, Eddie... it is OURS.” He slowly floats closer to her lovely gazing ocean orbs, enjoys the lovely little hitch of breath he both hears and feels. “It doesn’t matter how many times we separate, or for how long... WE are WE... and we will always be drawn back to one another.”
Eddie is like a child sometimes, she knows this – because she is simply too flustered by his words not to make light of it all. Like she so often does, she ignores her ridiculously heated cheeks and pounding heart, and instead, she’s teasing him again (though playfully, not mockingly.) “I really do think you watch way too many romance movies, V, because you’re gettin’ real good at those little speeches of yours.”
Venom backs away to let to her breath, though, not by much distance... he can’t help being constantly drawn to her. And not just because of their bond.
Maybe this is what love feels like...
Hm.
Venom grins. “How about Poison? ‘Venom and Poison!’ How badass does THAT sound, Eddie?”
Eddie wrinkles her nose. “No.”
Venom lets out a little scoff. “And why not?”
“Because it’s cliché as shit.” Eddie drawls out, shoots him a pointed look.
Venom huffs, because... she has him there. Damn it. “Fine.” He mutters out through another little huff.
“So, how many times can you guys respawn?”
Venom notes her curious tone, smiles slightly as he floats down to hover beside her on the couch. “Considering how violent my kind are towards one another... as many times as necessary. It happens automatically sometimes, a last line of defence when we feel threatened enough. I... I have never had a natural spawn...” He swallows down his anger as he tells her, “Drake forced me to produce Riot and the four others we destroyed... it was... painful...”
“Son of a bitch.” Eddie mumbles, tries not to linger on how fucked up that really is – how angering and painful and terrifying it must have been.
“It’s fine, Eddie. I got over it when we killed him.”
Eddie can’t help chuckling at his dopey-ass grin. “You mean when you killed him... after savin’ my life.”
Venom lets out low grumbling sounds, slightly strained sounds. “Do not remind me, Eddie.” His voice is quiet, slightly upset as he floats closer to her, as he nuzzles into her shoulder. “Because of Drake, my spawn almost killed you.”
He really does try so hard to forget about Riot’s blade sticking out of their chest... out of her chest. He really does wish that making himself (and Eddie, of course) forget horrible memories was one of his many talents.
“It wasn’t your fault, V.” Eddie knows he’s just feeling sorry for himself now. Even so, she snuggles down into the couch beside him, opens one side of her red fluffy robe to let him get in on the snuggling action and can’t help chuckling when he grins and practically flies forward.
“I do not wish to be used as a weapon... and I do not wish for that to happen to... Toxin.” Venom grins, looks up at her when Eddie smirks, and rolls her eyes, but ultimately nods her approval. “I am lucky to have found you, Eddie. You... balance me... like no one else can.”
His voice is slightly muffled as he nuzzles his face into her side – and with the robe wrapped around them both – and that in itself makes Eddie’s heart swell with affection (at the cuteness over load, of course.) “I balance you? What – like a tray full of beer, or...?” She laughs when she hears his muffled little huff, then jumps and squeaks when she feels him gently nipping at the side of her left breast. “You little fucker!” She hisses out, though, through broken laughter.
“Do not mock me when I am trying to be sweet while I court you!” Venom growls when she only laughs at his muffled voice. Instead, he pokes his head out just enough for his large milky white eyes to be peeking out with a clear glare.
Eddie, however, just thinks he looks adorable. With his usual large noodle-head head, now shrunk down to almost kitten size and that adorable little black shiny face peeking angrily out of her robe up at her... it’s just too much. She can’t help laughing again, can’t help teasing him. “How come your voice stays the same the smaller you get? Shouldn’t it, like, shrink with you, too?” She grins when his little glare only intensifies. “It’s kinda freaky with that deep scary voice comin’ out your apple sized noggin.”
“I hate you.” Venom huffs out before burying himself back under her robe and nuzzling his little face into her hip.
“No, you don’t, babe.” Eddie’s voice is soft a cooing, and only very slightly teasing. She chuckles when he only grumbles unintelligible noises into her side. “Wanna watch Xena? There’s reruns on Prime now...” She waits patiently into the silence that follows, because she knows him too well, even if he won’t ever admit it.
Venom grumbles and huffs, but finally, he can’t help himself. “Yes... please.”
Eddie chuckles as she leans over the table to grab the remote. “So polite.”