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Life isn’t always fair.If it was fair, Eddie would have been a happy child with two loving parents, he wouldn’t have grown up with a desperate need to prove himself, he would have married Anne and had a couple of kids, his career would have flourished and his stories would have taken down corrupt tycoons, aliens would just be an urban myth, and most of all, if life was fair the product of his love wouldn’t have been a sadistic and deranged mass murderer.But life wasn’t fair, and thus Eddie had lost his mother at birth and spent his childhood with father who pretended he didn’t even exist and blamed him for all their sorrow, he watched his only uncle die a slow painful death, he destroyed his own career (twice!) in his haste to be the hero at any cost, he ruined his relationship with Anne, aliens nearly killed him, and just when things were starting to look up Carnage happened.That isn’t to say everything was bad.Eddie would have preferred the fair happy dream but as it was, all his mistakes and screw ups taught him to grow up, he had even saved the world and somehow it had all led to Venom.It’s true that adjusting to each other was a harrowing process, there was huge learning curve for both of them, Eddie found the absolute lack of privacy jarring, the symbiote found his host’s moral restrictions annoying, the power and invulnerability were amazing but they bickered and they struggled.And then one day, Eddie realized he loved being Venom.It just hit him one day out of the blue while he showered, the symbiote being unusually quiet and casually extending tendrils to smooth away soap suds. It was so simple but Eddie felt complete and so did the symbiote.Eddie didn’t think he could ever go back to being alone in his own head, he couldn't bear the idea of being so alone and vulnerable and utterly human. The symbiote too had already decided they didn’t just need this host, they care for this stupid dumpster fire of a man that would stop at nothing to defend them.It was inevitable, being so close and so intimate, a bond beyond physical had to develop in some way and it did.What surprised Eddie was that this bond didn’t start sexually, with no privacy and a shape-shifting goo monster prone to poking tentacles all over his body and rummaging through his head enough to know his every kink, it was just the logical conclusion. Yet, that wasn’t it at all, sure, the symbiote enjoyed when Eddie felt pleasure because they felt it too and the taste of adrenalin and oxytocin were basically the Klyntar equivalent to cocktails and candy, but everything started with actual affection, comradery and protectiveness.Love wasn’t far behind.Anne was the first to notice. Saving the world together from the megalomaniac who got her fired somehow helped her get over her anger at Eddie and Dan’s constant fanboying just sealed the deal on their friendship, add keeping a secret like Venom’s existence to the mix and they were basically family.So maybe life wasn’t fair but it had its happy moments and Eddie found those in his Other and his found family.And then Carnage came along.Venom defended that if Carnage had had a proper chance to grow, to be taught, and a decent host, they wouldn’t be anything other than an average symbiote. Yet, Carnage bonded with Kassady far too soon, the bond had to be deep, molecular even, they were too stuck together to survive being parted and Cletus warped and corrupted Carnage completely so that all it craved was death and blood.After the murders, the fights, the sorrow, Eddie felt guilt and sorrow; by then he already knew that those emotions weren’t all his and it was easy to understand them- they made Carnage so they felt responsible for all its rampaging, but they made Carnage so it was their child that they lost to insanity and blood-lust.Venom explained to Eddie that their species, the Klyntar, were not what he imagined- yes, initially they were created to be used as tools of destruction and some alien species still used them like weapons, but they evolved and grew past that. Now they were a neutral and peaceful kind that shared genetic memories and stored DNA, they had a hive mind and reproduced asexually but also had extremely plastic DNA and evolved rapidly when bonded to hosts in ideal conditions outside their own planet, creating a myriad of hybrids.Eddie pointed out a lot of flaws in logic in this story- the comet, the desire for conquest, the host-eating symbiotes, and Carnage themselves.Venom confessed that the comet was an exile community where aggressive or corrupted Klyntar were shoved to avoid polluting the gene pool of the hive, and had created their own society and goals. Venom was there because he was too prone to emotion and easily corruptible and Riot himself had been born on the comet already. Carnage was partially a result of that exiled culture and partially a result of Kassady’s extremely deranged mind.Still, Eddie feared any further spawn of his Other, but Venom guaranteed that any further spawn would be more evolved and part Eddie too due to the ideal evolving conditions. Eddie still wasn’t convinced, he was still determined that all they needed was each other, their friends like Mrs Chen, Dan and Anne, no more, no less. It was the right thing to do.But as we already established- life isn’t fair.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The envelope was pristine white with a small blue logo in the corner. Eddie didn’t recognize it at all but it seemed to be from some clinic in New York and it was addressed to him. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe they were looking for another Eddie Brock in San Francisco, or maybe… No, it had to be some mistake.He walked into the apartment, still rummaging through the mail while the symbiote manifested just enough to shut and lock the door. It was habit by now, after 6 tumultuous years together they just completed one another and read each other easily, they lived a single life.“Eddie. You are distracted.” Venom pointed out the obvious while redirecting the host’s body enough so that he would trip over the coffee table.Eddie didn’t answer, he sat haphazardly on the couch, tossed the rest of the mail aside and ripped open the flawless white envelope. The more his eyes scanned each line the stiffer his body became and by the end of it the letter was crumpled in his fist and he had slid from his seat to kneel on the floor, gasping wildly for air.“Eddie? EDDIE!” Venom called loudly but their host wasn’t listening so the symbiote had to force their lungs to expand slowly, leveling out the breathing while sticky black tendrils caressed over the reporter’s body in an attempt to grab his attention and snap him out of his panic.“Fuck… Fuck. FUCK!” Eddie grew more and more agitated and finally stood up only to kick the coffee table across the room. “This is bullshit. IT’s not happening!” The couch was next, slammed so hard into the wall that the window broke and rained shards down to the alley floor. Nobody would care, Eddie did not live in a nice neighborhood.Venom remained quiet, watching their host explode and wreck their meager belongings, intervening only when the reporter was about to smash his laptop to bits, after all it was the tool of his trade and the symbiote knew he would regret destroying it, so it froze Eddie’s body and pinned him to a corner, forcing the host to breathe and cool down.The letter was still crumpled in his fist, and after several moments coming down from his adrenaline high, Eddie was allowed to move, to smooth out the paper and read it all over again until he was hiccupping and staining the lined page. 
My sweet Eddie,

I know this will make you angry and I know it’s unfair of me but please try to understand that I just didn’t want you to worry, I didn’t want you to see me like this after what happened with uncle Roy.

I’m sorry, Eddie, I should have been there for you more often, even after we left dad behind, I should have been part of your life. Instead I was off chasing my dreams, remembering you only when I needed you, and yet you never once complained- you were there when I fought cancer the first time and won, you were there to give me away at my wedding, you were always there when I called and almost never asked for anything in return.

I know all you wanted was to make me proud, to impress me, but Eddie, my dear little Eddie, I was always impressed, I was always proud, how could I not be with a brother like you?

I even know you stole those toys in kindergarten just so you’d “find them” for the owner and be a hero and I honestly never felt any less proud of you then, it was cute. I know about the accident and how you wanted so badly to tell the truth and admired you for it. I know that the Sin-Eater debacle was due to your haste to expose wrongdoings and not ill-will. I know you liked boys as much as girls but never dated one because you were terrified of what I’d think but I loved you anyway and wouldn’t have cared. I know you screwed up with Anne but I also know that it helped you grow.  I know with Drake you only wanted justice, not fame. I even know about your hungry little “partner” because you trusted me enough to confide in me and that meant everything to me.

I know all your flaws and I always still admired you for picking yourself back up and being so relentlessly strong.

I know that you feel like the only time you asked a favor of me that it was something too great to ever pay back, but you still tried so hard. I’d like to tell you that all the money you sent every month is saved in an account, I never needed it, Eddie, and it made me happy to share all those little videos and photos with you every week.

I’m sorry those photos stopped coming, I’m sorry I’m giving you these news in the mail, I’m sorry I was too much of a coward to tell you in person or through a faster method.

Eddie… I’m dying.

The cancer came back, it spread, I’ve been through every treatment possible but doctors tell me it’s a matter of days now so by the time you get this letter I’ll be gone. Please forgive me.

I worry for Richard, his grief has been destroying him, he wants to use our work contacts to go get a special oncologist from Cuba… It won’t do any good and I fear that my death will destroy him. I’m getting my last rites while he’s away and arranging to be buried next to mom here in Brooklyn, I’ve made peace with it all but Richard doesn’t know when to give up, he’s like you in that sense.

But you need not worry about Peter, I made sure that he will be well taken care of. Richard is a good dad and until he recovers from his grief, his brother Ben and his wife will happily care for little Pete. Dad will never even lay eyes on him… Then again, why would he care? He disowned me for caring for you, I wouldn’t even want him at my funeral.

As you’re aware Richard knows who you are, and I’ve asked that he keep sending you updates on Peter. Please try not to be upset if it takes him a while to remember to do so. In fact, why don’t you visit, Eddie? Peter doesn’t have to know, you can just be uncle Eddie. He’s such a sweet boy, I’ve told him so many stories about you and we keep all your articles in a binder. He loves you already, Eddie.

I never wanted to write this letter but now that I am, my God, I can’t stop crying.

I want to be strong but I’m so tired, Eddie. I understand now how mom felt and that’s why I can tell you with certainty that her death was never your fault, dad was just a huge dick looking for someone other than himself to blame, mom would have wanted you to be happy, she would have wanted us to be strong.

I love you, baby boy, I always did. You were always worthy of love, you were always my little hero.

With all my heart,

Mary

By the time he finished reading the letter a second time, every other line was smudged with wet stains. Eddie’s hands were trembling so hard that he buried his face in the septic smelling paper and sobbed, curled up in the corner of the room.Venom felt at loss, not certain where all pain Eddie felt was coming from and therefore not sure how to heal it, so instead the symbiote wrapped all around it’s host, his snake-like head bumping under Eddie’s chin, trying to reveal his face and licking up the tears that leaked past the crumpled piece of paper.“Eddie…” The symbiote called, sounding concerned. “Eddie, tell me how to fix this.”“SHUT UP! IT CAN’T BE FIXED!” The reporter cried out, slamming his hand so hard into the wooden floor that he broke some bone his Other was quick to repair. “JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!”Eddie continued to hiccup and sob, curling up further and barely breathing, the letter was soggy and crinkled, held against his chest, and though Venom understood why it distressed Eddie (it distressed them too) they did not know how to help with a pain that was not at all physical. So they did the next best thing.Before Eddie could realize what was happening, he was asleep and the symbiote had taken over his body enough to drag him to bed, then it picked up the cellphone and texted Anne: «Eddie needs help. Please.»It was probably the please that did it because even though it was 2am on a Tuesday, Anne and Dan were letting themselves into the apartment with their spare key in less than 20 minutes. They found Eddie still passed out in bed in a fetal position with the symbiote shimmering around him like living ink, it turned its opal eyes to the couple in what could only be described as a sorrowful expression and extended the letter to Anne with a sticky tendril.“Oh… Oh no.” Anne gasped as she read with Dan skimming the text over her shoulder. It occurred to them briefly that maybe they shouldn’t be reading this without Eddie’s consent but for his own good they didn’t care, after all he’d done the same to them before.“My sister lives in New York with my stepmother. I’m sure Darcy could take Eddie in for a few days for the funeral.” Dan whispered softly, always practical and kind.“Yes, but when is the funeral? By the looks of this letter, it could have passed already!” She hissed in return.A minute later they were using Eddie’s laptop to search obituaries. As it turned out, Mary Brock-Parker, had passed away earlier that very day and the funeral would be at the church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Ironically, it was place Eddie and the symbiote knew well, it was where they reunited years ago after being separated by S.H.I.E.L.D.“V, we’re going to need to talk to Eddie now.” Anne requested politely.
“No! Eddie’s in pain! We can’t fix it!”
“I know, V. But we need to see if he wants to go say goodbye.” Anne reasoned, by now even she knew that the Klyntar ate their dead as a way to honor them absorb their knowledge, but this also meant that Venom had also already learned that humans had different death rituals.“No. No. No. Eddie will cry, we want Eddie happy. Safe.” Venom practically growled, teeth suddenly sprouting from their oily form.“Shouldn’t that be his choice, V?” Dan pointed out before his tone lowered carefully. “Besides, if Mary is no longer there to watch over Peter… Aren’t you worried?”The symbiote remained quiet, eyes falling onto the reporter’s unconscious form in sadness while they squirmed in distress. “You need to help.”“We will, V. Of course we will.” Anne’s soft voice assured, already reaching for Eddie and his Other, hugging what small serpentine part of the symbiote she could reach. “Wake him up.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

«What am I doing here? What am doing here? I shouldn’t be here. Why did I let Anne drag me here?» Eddie thought to himself as his feet steadily paced down a deserted street in the middle of Queens. It was so late that only the flickering streetlamps showed any signs of life.

«Eddie. Stop being a pussy and shut the fuck up.»

«We need to have a conversation about your vocabulary one of these days.»
«I learned it from you, dad.» The symbiote snapped sarcastically.«God, please don’t use that word. Not even as a joke.» Eddie shuddered, trying not to think of what he was doing there in that empty little street.«You are far too uptight.» Eddie could almost feel the imaginary eye-roll in the symbiote’s mental voice.
«My sister just died, I was driven across the country by my… by Anne and Dan because a certain someone can’t handle the noise of planes, I’m in the middle of motherfucking Queens looking for people I never met to see a child I swore I’d stay away from! Pardon me, if I’m cranky.»
He couldn’t help but snap a little, it was better to be angry than start sobbing again so he stuck with his annoyance.«There.» Eddie felt his feet stop against his will, he was used to it by now but it was still annoying.“What?” Mumbling out loud, Eddie blinked looking around.«O-ver. The-re. Numbnuts.» The symbiote emphasized the syllables sassily and turned Eddie’s head towards an old but cozy little house with a short chain-link fence. The number indicated it was the address they were looking for.“Ok. I can do this. I can totally do this.” He said that out loud, but… «I can’t do this.»“Eddie…” His Other warned, feeling his desire to leave.«Let’s just go the church instead.» Eddie turned to leave but his legs wouldn’t cooperate.“Goddamn it, Eddie.” Those same legs climbed up the porch instead, heading to the door and Eddie’s arm extended before an eager little tentacle stretched from his fingers and rang the bell.The ding-dong rang much too loud to Eddie’s ears and he found himself panicking.“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Why would you do that?” He hissed at his Other, arguing with the sentient goo that grinned at him from within the shadows of his coat.
“You’re a coward.”
“I’m not a…” Just as Eddie was about to argue the door clicked gently open.“Hello?” A brunette woman not much older than himself peaked over the chain. “Can I help you?”“Oh. Hm…” Eddie fumbled, facing the woman, “I’m looking for the Parkers?”“Found them. I’m May Parker.” The woman smiled as she undid the chain and took a good look at him. “And you must be Eddie.”“What? How did you…?”“Mary showed us your old show. Very impressive.” May gave a gentle but sad smile.“Ah…” Eddie stuttered, unsure what to say to that, after all the show was long time ago.“Come in, come in. It’s freezing out here.” May Parker waved him in, almost pulled him in.The home was cozy but small and frail, the white walls had pieces of plaster suspiciously missing in some spots and there were toys scattered by the dining table but other than that the place was immaculate with it’s flowery canvas sofas and cheap but sturdy furniture.“Darling? Who is it?” A man with intense blue eyes and a caring face peaked from what seemed to be the kitchen, he was wiping his wet hands on a cloth and had gray at the temples of his chestnut hair.“Eddie, meet my husband Ben. Ben, this is Mary’s brother.” May introduced with an easy smile.“Oh, the hotshot reporter!” Ben Parker grinned for a moment before more seriously extending a hand to Eddie. “How are you doing considering the circumstances?”“Well, considering the circumstances… Not great.” Eddie shook the man’s hand.“You have our condolences, Mr. Brock.” Ben replied while May guided him to the loveseat in the middle of the room.“Eddie. Please.”“Eddie. Would you like some tea?” Ben inquired, glancing at the kitchen.“Sure.” Eddie shrugged and took a seat while Ben shuffled into the kitchen.“So… I drove two days straight to catch the funeral. Is it still tomorrow?” Eddie swallowed awkwardly and avoided May’s eyes even as she sat directly in front of him.“You drove?” May looked confused. “From San Francisco?”“Well, my…friends drove, in turns. I have an issue with planes.” He hesitated but shrugged again, trying to divert the topic. “So the funeral?”“It’s still tomorrow, yes… The bodies will be buried at Green-Wood Cemetery.” May sighed softly, clearly worn down as much as she was sad.“Excuse me, did you say bodies? Plural?”“Well, yes? Mary and Richard?” May stared at him in confusion.“Richard died?!” Eddie gasped in shock, spine straightening so quickly he heard it crackle.“Oh my. You didn’t know. You poor man.” May raised a hand to her chest before placing over Eddie’s on his knee. “Richard chartered a private plane to South America, he thought he found someone who could help Mary but the plane crashed just past the border. He passed away a day before Mary, to be honest I think her poor heart might have lasted longer if not for that.”“Jesus Christ!” Eddie had no idea how loud his voice was at that moment but he stood up, suddenly unable to sit still.“This must come as quite the shock.” May stood too, reaching for him gently. “It certainly did for poor Ben.”“I’ve been trying to avoid even thinking of my sister these past two days but I just assumed Richard would have been there… To hold her hand or something.” Eddie was pacing, raking his hands through his dark blonde hair. “She really loved him.”“And he loved her so much that it was the death of him.” Ben murmured as he returned to the room holding a tray with a kettle and tea cups.“Oh, sorry, I… I’m sorry for your loss.” Eddie stumbled on his words, not sure if he should touch Ben or sit down or just keep pacing.“It’s ok. It hasn’t really set in yet, I’m still expecting him to show up in that stupid beige overcoat to come pick Peter up.” Ben spoke casually, as if trying very hard to be nonchalant.“Peter… Is he…?” He couldn’t help the sudden spike of hope in his voice.“He’s alright. He still trying to grasp what mortality really is, poor child.” May muttered worriedly.“I… Can I… Where is he?” The hope turned slowly to composure as Eddie cleared his throat.“Asleep upstairs. Would you like to see him?” May wondered kindly.«YES!» Venom perked up immediately, yelling in Eddie’s head.“Hm… No, I better not. I don’t want to confuse him.” He coughed softly, trying to hide the emotion in his voice.“Well, you’ll have to see him sooner or later.” Ben piped in.“At the funeral.” Eddie completed, nodding at the obvious.“No, I mean in the long run.” Ben frowned, apparently confused.“What, why?”“The will. You’re Peter’s legal guardian now that both Mary and Richard are gone.” The explanation was even more confused, as if Ben thought Eddie should have known all this already.

«What is legal guardian, Eddie?»

“WHAT? No, that’s not… No, I thought you were…”  Eddie gesticulated frantically, not understanding at all.“Eddie… We know.” May placed her hand on his shoulder cautiously, trying to stop him from panicking.“Know what?” He stuttered.«Answer, Eddie.» The symbiote annoyingly insisted on their previous question.“Mary couldn’t have children after the first fight with cancer, the radiation therapy ensured that. And then one day she and Richard return from California with a little baby that looks just like Mary and they put you up as the legal guardian in their will? It’s easy to connect the dots.” Ben rubbed the back of his head nervously.

«ANSWER ME, EDDIE!»

“SHUT UP!” Eddie yelled at the symbiote and the noticed the horrified looks on the faces of the humans. “No, not you. I’m sorry. My… I panicked for a moment there.”“It’s a lot to take in.” Ben shrugged, handing him a cup. “Here, drink. It’s chamomile, it helps with the anxiety.”«It’s just hot leaf juice. Want chocolate.» The symbiote grumped.“Actually, chocolate would help a lot more right now.” Eddie muttered in agreement.May chortled into her own cup. “You even sound just like Peter.”“I do?” He blinked confused.“Yes. Most kids get sugar rushes but him? One cup of cocoa and he’s a sleepy camper.” She snickered playfully.Eddie felt himself smile honestly for the first time since… Well, since he received that letter in the first place. “What’s he like?”“He’s just the sweetest little thing. So clever.” May sighed with a dreamy smile of her own. “Special.”“Special how?”“Ah… Well, we aren’t sure how to explain.” Ben intervened, glancing at the ceiling as if he thought the sleeping child might hear.«Like us, Eddie?» The symbiote perked, excited.“I see…” Eddie swallowed nervously, hoping Venom wasn’t hitting the nail on the head on this one. “Does he… Has anything weird ever happened with him?”Ben and May traded looks for a moment, hesitating to reply and looking into their tea to avoid his eyes.“It has. What was it?” Eddie could be impulsive, even naïve, but he was an experienced reporter and intuitive enough to understand those looks.“We... We aren’t quite sure, Mary never said, we just suspected.” May sipped her drink, looking shifty.“Suspected what?” He insisted, now very focused.“We’re not sure how to explain but we love him so it doesn’t matter.” Ben stated with finality, trying to divert the subject.“What if I tell you things might get a whole lot stranger as he grows?” Eddie tested the waters, wondering just how much he could trust the Parkers.“How so? What’s wrong with Pete?” The other man startled, straightening up in his seat with alarm on his features.«WRONG? WRONG?!» The symbiote clearly misinterpreted the use of the word and took it too hard, Eddie hadn’t heard them this offended since he called them parasite and it was noise in the back of his brain that was very hard to ignore.“Well, you know all the talk of mutants and the X-gene on the news?” Eddie didn’t want to tell the truth, so he chose the safest yet most believable lie available, one Dan had actually suggested in the past.“Peter’s a mutant?” May Parker frowned, it was not an upset expression but rather a confused one.

«One way to put it.»

“Something like that.” The reporter shrugged, agreeing with his partner.“Well.” Ben took a slow tense breath. “That’s a relief.”“What?” Eddie turned to stare at the man so fast he got whiplash.“Nothing wrong with mutants, we were afraid he might be sick or disabled.” Ben justified a little sheepishly.«What?!» Again, the symbiote misinterpreted the words and took offense.“Since you know this, we feel a lot more confident letting you have him.” May added in, hand to her chest, sighing in relief as well while she nodded to Eddie.“No! I can’t take him. I’d be a terrible parent, my life is just… not kid compliant.” Eddie rambled nervously, raking his hands through his hair. This was NOT where he wanted the conversation to lead.

«Shut up, Eddie.»

«It’s true, love.» He replied internally, finally trying to sooth his Other.

«But we want…»

«Shh….» Eddie mentally cut the symbiote off and with a sigh turned his attention back to the Parkers.“Well, maybe we should discuss this after the funeral?” Ben pipped in diplomatically and much too casual.“But I….” Before he could finish, Eddie was startled by a little creaking sound near the stairs.“Uncle Ben?” A small boy, big for his age but still small, with disheveled brown hair and eyes, and pink chubby cheeks and stood in rumpled Captain America pajamas, rubbing a sleepy eye and looking around the room.Eddie felt his heart stop for a moment at the same time as the symbiote did an internal cartwheel of joy.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Peter! What are you doing up?” May asked gently, walking to the little boy.“Hungry.” Peter replied with big Bambi eyes.«EDDIIIIIIIIIIIE….» The symbiote drawled, Eddie could almost feel his Other figuratively melt all over his insides at the cute sleepy voice of the toddler, he wasn’t quite immune either and it showed on his stricken face.“It’s late, sweetheart. Let’s get you back to bed.” May Parker spoke patiently, trying to herd the boy back upstairs.Peter rubbed his eyes again with a little yawn before his gaze settled on the visitor, he paused and blinked owlishly.“Pete? What’s wrong?” Ben looking at the boy with some concern, he kept waiting for Peter to finally grasp that everything was suddenly wrong and his parents were gone for good.“Are you mommy’s Eddie?” The little boy tilted his head examining the reporter closely without moving from May’s side.“Yeah… Yeah, I am. Hello, Peter.” Eddie’s mumbles turned into an awkward wave as he moved a little closer, he could barely look into those huge brown eyes without feeling a pang in his chest. “Hm…” Peter looked curious but shy, almost as shy as Eddie was feeling all of the sudden.“Go ahead, Pete. Say hello.” Ben coached softly.“Hello…” The child waved half-heartedly but continued to stare.«He’s adorable! Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, look. Look, how big he is now.» The symbiote’s gravely voice was almost squealing in Eddie’s brain, the excitement and affection instantly infectious.“You hungry, huh?” Eddie asked with a ghost of a smile; he kneeled close to the boy and pulled a candy bar from his pocket, some Swiss brand of dark creamy goodness. “Here.” He offered the chocolate but then glanced politely at May. “If your aunt and uncle don’t mind.”“What to say, Peter?” May coached, once again with infinite patience.“Thank you…” Peter mumbled, slowly accepting the candy but devouring it at a surprising speed without leaving so much as a crumb or smear. His little cheeks immediately turned pinker and his big round eyes more alert than ever.«We should teach him how to hunt, love.” The symbiote supplied excitedly, examining the boy through Eddie’s eyes.“Don’t forget to brush your teeth before you go back to sleep, ok?” The reporter advised, still focused on the child instead of the voice in his head.«He should have fangs, Eddie.» The Other was scrutinizing the boy.«He does NOT have fangs. He’s a normal kid.»  Eddie defended at once, trying very hard to keep this little dialog internal.«That likes phenethylamine.» The symbiote preened.«Every kid likes chocolate, darling.» The reporter repressed a sigh, his eyes still memorizing every detail of the child in front of him, the child Mary and Richard had named, while hoping against hope that his assessment was accurate.“Eddie?” May Parker snapped him out of his reverie suddenly.“Hm? Sorry, I got distracted.” Eddie stood, wiping non-existent dust from his jeans and giving them his most charming smile.“It’s very late. Say night night, Pete.” She encouraged, already directing the boy upstairs.“’Night.” Peter waved, a little more confident and stumbled up the stairs a bit more cheerfully.“Sleep well, kiddo.” Eddie called out after him.He was still looking at the empty stairs, thinking about those little blue Captain America pajamas and those Bambi brown eyes, that reminded him dearly of Mary, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.“He likes you.” Ben Parker commented with a grin.“I hope I wasn’t overstepping any rules by giving him candy at night.”“Oh no, it’s perfectly alright. The boy deserves to be spoiled in these though times.”“Is he…? Does he ever…?” Eddie stammered, a hundred questions burned on his tongue, he settled with the least suspicious one. “Did Mary talk that much about me?”“So much.” Ben laughed softly, clearly reminiscing. “She had a whole clipping book with photos and your articles.”“I see…” The reporter looked away, absently eyeing the little patches of broken plaster on the ceiling to keep his eyes from leaking.«Tell them, Eddie.» The symbiote demanded, they didn’t need to say what they meant, Eddie knew and it scared him to death.«I can’t. I have to keep you safe, hon.» He silently retorted, still unfocused with stinging eyes.«Tell them SOMETHING. He’s staring.» The alien inside him snapped, and indeed they were right- he was stared at with a mix of concern and understanding.“He looks… Healthy.” «Normal.» The word he wanted stayed locked in his head, healthy would have to do.“He is. Quite an appetite though, he eats A LOT.” Ben commented, making a slightly distressed face.“Oh?” Eddie wasn’t all that surprised but the scrawny child he had just seen bellied the comment.“Oh yes, he can eat more than me.” The older man commented with a thoughtful expression. “Quite literally.”“All done. He’s asleep.” May Parker returned with a delicate smile on her playful features.«Let’s tell them, Eddie. Better, LET’S SHOW THEM.» Eddie could feel slippery tendrils snaking over his skin, his not-clothes sticking a little to tight and almost vibrating with excitement.“I should be going too. It’s late, I’m so sorry I bothered you.” Eddie excused quickly, heading rapidly for the door, afraid that Venom wouldn’t stay contained much longer.“Wait, Eddie…!” Ben called after him, the couple was suddenly confused and a little concerned.“I’ll see you at the funeral.” He waved, reaching for the door handle.“Do you want to stay tonight?” May asked, causing Eddie’s hand to still for a second. He was being rude.“No, I’m staying at a friend’s house.” Eddie excused and finally opened the door. “See you at the church tomorrow.”“But…” Ben hurried to the door as he left. “Eddie!”“Good night.” The reporter waved, already walking down the sidewalk at a brisk pace.

«Rude.»

“No, rude was what YOU did in there.” Eddie snapped, annoyed at the still squirming symbiote that rapidly formed a hood with a mini head inside.
“But Eddie…”
“Don’t. I don’t want to hear it, we are going to go back to Dan’s stepmother’s house and maybe, just maybe, Annie and Dan won’t mind sharing the only spare bed with us.” Eddie wanted to at least feel them close, feel a comforting warmth of his only remaining family on his skin, warmth that was more than just the symbiote’s slick form.“No.” The Other stopped Eddie’s body on its tracks in the middle of the empty street.“Excuse me?” The reporter almost growled, struggling somewhat to move.“Not yet.” Suddenly Eddie’s legs had a will of their own and where turn around and walking right back into the heart of Queens.“What the hell are you doing?” He demanded angrily.“Want to see him.” The symbiote retorted, making them walk faster but silently.“V, don’t even think about… Unf.” Eddie found his mouth abruptly gagged by black goo as Venom rapidly formed around his entire body.“MY TURN, EDDIE.” The normally booming and threatening voice of Venom was more snarky than usual and uncharacteristically whispered as they approached the house they had just vacated. The lights were out, indicating that the inhabitants had finally all turned in for the night.The Parker home was very quiet, so Venom had to be extra careful scaling the back wall as silently as possible. They didn’t need to peek into the windows to find the right room, the symbiote could feel what it searched for and its tendrils slipped under the windowpane to unlatch it and allow them a discreet entry.Peter was asleep in a bed that was clearly meant for someone much bigger, in a bare room with scattered toys that was obviously meant for guests and not a child; the kid in question was sprawled with the blankets tossed aside and mumbling every once in a while. Upon closer observation, Venom’s crouched form realized he was talking to his mommy in his sleep with a pinched face of distress.Eddie’s heart was breaking, if he hadn’t been enveloped in his Other, he would be crying his eyes out. He missed Mary so much, she was only a few years older and had basically raised him, and if he felt so distraught as a grown man, what was this poor little child supposed to feel?“Mommy… Daddy…” Peter mumbled, rolling around and curling into a ball.«He needs to know, Eddie.» Venom reached for the comforter and draped it over the child in a gesture of gentleness that was very much at odds with it’s terrifying appearance.«No, he doesn’t.» Eddie thought, angrily and somewhat distressed but tying very hard not to articulate his thoughts out loud.«I say he does!» The symbiote argued just as heatedly, echoing in Eddie’s head.
«We’ve talked about this! We decided…»
“THINGS CHANGE, EDDIE!” Venom interrupted out loud with a growl.“Hmm…” The child stirred and flopped towards them, slowly opening his sleepy eyes. “Hello…?”«Now you’ve done it, you damn tapeworm.» Eddie chastised, quickly taking over the vocal part of Venom.“SHH, YOU’RE HAVING A DREAM, PETER, IT’S ALRIGHT, DON’T BE SCARED.” The grumbling and only mildly threatening voice was low as to not wake anyone else.“’m not scared.” Peter slurred sleepily.“YOU’RE NOT?” Venom, well mostly Eddie, was skeptical at this revelation. What child isn’t terrified of a big shadowy monster with lots of sharp teeth leaning over their bed in the dark of night?“Was never scared of you.” The little boy snuggled into the comforter but his big brown eyes stayed focused on the hulking beast.«What the hell is he talking about?» Eddie wondered, utterly befuddled.
“NEVER?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“WHEN DID YOU SEE US BEFORE?”
“Dreams.” Peter yawned, eyes drooping slightly.«He’s sensed us, Eddie! Like we sense him!» The symbiote trilled over their mental connection.“SLEEP, PETER. YOU’LL HAVE BETTER DREAMS IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES.” Venom whispered, the sound coming out gravely and hissed.To their surprise Peter’s arms slipped out of the covers and he made grabby hands, the universal sign every child used when asking to be held. Venom was confused to say the least but before Eddie could decide on a course of action, the symbiote was already guiding them to the bed and kneeling, letting the boy grab their arm like a teddy bear and finally settling down.The sudden electrical current that surged when the two touched skin-to-skin…Well, skin-to-alien mass, was instantaneous and in a second they could feel and see emotions, abstract concepts and even colorful dreams that weren’t from their own mind. Peter might not realize he was doing it but he was communicating like a symbiote spawn to its parent.«SEE? We have to tell him!» The symbiote almost preened with pride.
«Fine. You tell me how to explain to a three year old that his beloved dead mommy is never coming back and that she was actually his aunt and he’s really the child of his uncle and his alien body partner. Tell me, V, how can a child understand that?»
The bitterness in Eddie’s mental voice as he put his biggest fear into words was palpable, like sour coffee breath on the back of his tongue, his Other did not like it one bit but it deflated a little.

«My kind has always coped just fine, inheriting the memories of the hive.»

«Peter is not your kind, his only part you, remember? You’re the one that made sure he would be spawned mostly human from my DNA, you’re the one who decided it would be safer that way after what happened with Riot and Carnage. Well, guess what? Human children don’t cope that well with change, they aren’t self-sufficient, they don’t understand complex things. He probably doesn’t even know how babies are born, for crying out loud, much less how your kind is spawned!»
«…But we love him, Eddie. He’s ours.» The symbiote basically whined like an out of tune cello rattling in Eddie’s skull.
«Yes, and we are such a mess that we agreed it was best for him to stay with Mary. We can’t just back out on that decision now.»
«YOUR DECISION!» The symbiote’s anger sizzled like acid under their shared skin.
«YES, MY DECISION! THE RIGHT DECISION! If it were up to you this kid would have grown up without so much as a bed to sleep on and parents that are always flirting with danger, both in and out of the vigilante mask. That’s no place for a baby. I made the best choice.»
Eddie was furious too, he could feel his adrenaline pumping so hard that keeping still for Peter to hold their hand and keeping his thoughts quiet were a gargantuan task that tensed his every muscle like steel cables. They needed to leave before his temper finally got the best of them.

«CHOICE OVER- SHE’S GONE! NO MORE MARY.»

“That… I… Low blow, parasite.” Just like that the fury deflated like a popped balloon and Eddie was left feeling miserable and hollow all over again, whispering and berating in a stammering voice. The symbiote had always known just where to strike to cause the most pain.«…Sorry, Eddie.» The Other apologized hesitantly but earnestly, almost scared, somehow Eddie’s temper could make even a flesh-eating alien feel guilty. «Love you, Eddie.»“Whatever.” The derisive mutter wasn’t nearly as bitter as he intended it to sound but it would do for now.«We’re the best for him. Please, Eddie.» The symbiote begged, heartbreakingly desperate.«We can’t handle this, love.» The endearment slipped out automatically but with far more feeling than any insult.

«Well, we’ll get to find out now, won’t we?»

«No way any judge is giving this kid to me no matter what that will says.» His internal voice sounded so tired, so weary.«Why can’t you get off of your high horse for a moment and just do what we both want, Eddie? Please?» The symbiote pleaded further, running glossy black fingers through Peter’s hair in a soft gesture of affection and dedication.
«V… Jesus Christ, I’m so tired.»
He really was, Eddie couldn’t argue that he loved the kid, he had cherished every photo and video Mary sent him even more than his own awards and articles, making enough copies to ensure nothing could destroy the precious records. But why couldn’t his Other see that he was just thinking of Peter’s well-being?
«Let’s go. We’ll see him tomorrow.»
«But Eddie…!» The symbiote whined, unwilling to let go of Peter’s tiny hand.
«New York is full of bad guys, I’ll let you much on a few and maybe then you’ll understand why us raising a kid is a bad idea.»
«Fine.» The Other snapped, Eddie could feel their shared form pouting despite the rows of razor sharp teeth.«Fine.» Eddie mentally spat back. Dear Lord, he just hoped Anne and Dan could talk some sense into his beloved about all this.“SLEEP WELL, LITTLE ONE.” They murmured softly, slowly slipping their hand out of Peter’s arms and making sure to tuck him in more securely.They left out the window and made sure to lock it behind them, Eddie remembered some newspaper memory about kidnappers and open windows that made the symbiote nervous enough to double check the locks before finally hopping to the ground and giving Eddie back his autonomy, at least until they entered the seedier sides of the city, heading to Hell’s Kitchen, prowling for a well-justified meal before dawn and a distraction from the upcoming funeral.It was bound to be a very long night.

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Eddie didn’t really sleep, he arrived at the house at dawn after eating enough pimps that he ended up throwing half of them up again in a glob of half-digested flesh, clothing and hair that was hastily disposed of in the river. Eddie was right, there really were a lot more criminals in New York and overeating turned out to be a terrible coping mechanism.Anne had been desperately worried but resisted the urge to give him an earful considering the circumstances, and then Dan had herded him into a shower to wash up the traces of blood and vomit before the owner of the house noticed. They got Eddie into bed with them for a full two hours (during which he didn’t sleep a wink, still thinking about little Peter) before they shoved him out of bed and helped him dress for the funeral. The reporter was pretty unresponsive to their efforts, as he had been during most of the road trip cross-country, but he was making an effort and that’s what mattered.The funeral itself was… unusual to Eddie. It seemed to move in hiccups- one moment he was sitting down with a mob of people, the next the priest was droning on and Anne was crying, the next moment they were asking family to say a few words before they carried out the caskets.Eddie didn’t say much, both the symbiote and Anne encouraged him and shoved him up to the pulpit but once he was there all that came out was Mary’s strangled name and a couple of warbled words before he spotted a little wide-eyed sniffling boy right in the first row and had to swallow back sobs and excuse himself, stopping only to kiss Mary’s cold and hairless sheet-white skin, the only one with an open coffin to display.He did, however, offer to be pallbearer and carry Mary out to her final resting place. He could have probably carried the coffin alone, would have preferred it that way, but it was too conspicuous, so members of Richard’s distant family were there to help.He managed with grit teeth and only minimal tears thanks to his Other murmuring constantly in their shared mind-space.

«You said she’d be in a better place. I trust you, Eddie.»

«If we cry, Peter might cry too.»

«We’ll be fine, we always are.»

«I’m here, Eddie. I’ll take care of you.»

«Love you, Eddie.»

«So strong, Eddie.»

«Eddie, Eddie, Eddie…»

Each growled word filled with affection and concern and strange type of alien awe at the whole ritual helped Eddie breathe through the procession; he could still remember explaining to the symbiote why humans didn’t just eat their dead like Klyntar did and the reminder strangely made him snort.Again, time moved strangely, it seemed like forever until they reached the graveyard even though it was just a few minutes, the last goodbyes as the coffins were lowered basically sped by Eddie almost too fast to register, and next thing he knew it was over- they were in the dirt, fully buried and people were leaving flowers and candles and dispersing.Anne and Dan gave Eddie a wide berth as he stood in front of the graves, almost paralyzed as he stared at nothing and just thought, about what he wasn’t sure, his mind was a mess of mourning and memories all mashed together, he wasn’t even sure what stage of grief he was in… Was apathy a stage?The couple even left him alone when it started to rain in a shimmering drizzle and since Eddie wasn’t moving, his Other surreptitiously formed themselves into a waterproof hoodie to hug and protect him from the offensively cold droplets of moisture.When Dan finally tried to get Eddie’s attention, he didn’t even have to open his mouth, the reporter sensed him right away, or maybe the symbiote told him Dan was coming, and he spoke without turning around.“You and Annie can go home, Dan. I’m staying for a little while, I feel like walking and I know how to get back.”With a soft sigh the doctor agreed and retreated with Anne to their car, hesitantly driving away.At some point they were back in the church, Eddie and his Other. He didn’t really remember making a conscious decision to go there nor did he remember the walk there but he settled on one of the empty seats in the back, listening to rain outside echoing in the deserted church.For the first time in… Eddie didn’t know how many years, he prayed. Then he just hung his head on the front pew and stayed there a while, wallowing in his misery with the symbiote in companionable silence.“You know, that will give you a heck of a crick in the neck later.” A smooth male voice advised from a few feet away, they didn’t even hear the man approach in the echoing space. Odd.“I don’t really care.” Eddie didn’t move from his slouched position but from the corner of his eye he saw and heard the tap of a universally recognizable white cane before the stranger sat not a foot away. “How do you know how I’m sitting anyway?”“Wild guess.” The man retorted with a small smirk. “Come here often?”“… Not in a long time. Years.” Eddie had no idea why he bothered to reply but the stranger intrigued him.“Well, I’m sorry you had to return on such sad conditions.”“You a friend of the Parkers or something?” Eddie turned his head to observe the profile of the man with dark brown hair and red sunglasses even in the gloomy dark starting to settle in the church.“Actually, I’m Matt Murdock- Mary and Richard Parker’s attorney. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about their will, Mr. Brock.” The stranger, Matt, reached a hand blindly for Eddie to shake.“I’d rather not do this right now.” Eddie ignored the outstretched hand and didn’t even ask how the attorney knew who he was.“Me neither, Mr. Brock, this is not my usual work.” Matt shrugged one shoulder and leaned back, as if settling in for a casual conversation. “But I need to be in court tomorrow for an old friend with a temper problem so I’d like to speak to you about this matter as soon as possible.” “Speak about what?” Eddie surrendered.“The Parkers divided their substantial assets and life insurance between you and Mr. and Mrs. Ben and May Parker. However, they left custody of their son to you.” Matt’s voice was all lawyer in that moment, he reached into a briefcase Eddie hadn’t even noticed and pulled out a thick folder, he then began to skim the bumpy pages with the tips of his fingers as if to confirm his data.“Why would they do that? I’m a single freelance worker in San Francisco. There are better options.” Eddie muttered, ignoring the symbiote’s inner protests and projected feeling of affront that he would feel so lowly of himself... Well, that and that he called himself single.“There might be but the will claims, confidentially of course, that you are the child’s biological father so legally you would get custody anyway.” The lawyer tapped a section in his white braille folder that Eddie had no clue how to interpret.“I’m sorry but how does that work when I gave up all my parental rights when Mary adopted Peter?” No use denying it at this point, he was getting tired of the denial anyway, might as well just stick to the practical things while his grief was temporarily numbed.“You didn’t. You couldn’t do a direct adoption in California, only closed adoptions. Mary found a loophole to be the legal guardian but not the true mother.” The lawyer explained this calmly with practiced confidence.“She never told me that.” Eddie would be lying if he said he was surprised but at the same time he also felt weirdly conflicted by his sister’s actions.“I figured as much.” Matt nodded, kindly, and continued to caress the pages. “Either way, Peter is legally still your son, mother unknown, so you have custody back.”“You talk shop with all your clients in churches?” He diverted, trying to buy time to think.“Not really but here we are.” The lawyer shrugged, waving a hand at the empty expanse around them.“I can’t raise Peter. I’m not right for him.” Eddie insisted but inside his resolve was cracking. It wasn’t just his Other, Eddie wanted Peter too and his self-righteous excuse that he was leaving for Peter’s own good was starting to feel ashy and bitter in his own mouth.“How about you just try before giving up?” Matt reached out and patted the reported on the shoulder with surprising gentleness.«He has a point, Eddie. Don’t be a pussy.» The symbiote all but silently pleaded.“I don’t even have the funds to care for a kid.” Eddie was running out of excuses.“Mary’s inheritance and life insurance should take care of that.”“What if I screw him up?” At that Eddie’s voice cracked.Matt balked for a moment to think and then, as casually as someone commenting on the weather, he hit the core of the situation.“Do you love him?”“Yes.” «Yes.» Eddie and his Other could at least agree on that much, they did indeed love Peter to the moon and back, that’s why they let him go in the first place.“Are you aware he might be a mutant?” Matt enquired bluntly, clearly reading from his folder again.“Er… Yes, I am.” Eddie swallowed a little nervously at the lie, but at least mutants, as discriminated and hated as they were, were still more acceptable and easier to explain than alien halflings.“Is that a problem for you?” The lawyer seemed particularly serious about this question, his head was tilted slightly towards Eddie, as if trying to hear some lie in his answer.“He got it from me, why would it be a problem?” Eddie huffed, slightly offended that anyone even had to ask that.“Would you ever consciously hurt him?” Matt’s voice was still in chillingly serious lawyer mode.“Jesus Christ! Of course not!” Eddie sat up with a jolt, his spine stiffening and his inner monster tearing at his soul and sanity at the very idea of harming Peter. His tone was outraged by the very implication of the question.“I believe you.” Matt nodded solemnly, relaxing his posture once more. “And thusly, I think you can’t really screw him up, to put it in your own words. Just try, Mr. Brock, if he turns out to be a mutant you might, ultimately, even be what’s best for him.”«He’s right, Eddie. Please.» The symbiote spoke in small voice, even in their shared head space, as if it was afraid of hoping and yet wanting to beg at the same time.Eddie sighed, a long drawn out exhale through his nose as he tipped his head back on the pew.“Ok. Ok, I’ll try. But if Peter decides he prefers his aunt and uncle later on, I’m letting him stay with them.” He surrendered to his own desire at last, feeling like the weight of a collapsed building had just been lifted from his chest.“That’s your prerogative.” Matt agreed with ease.“So what do I have to sign?”“Just a couple of papers.” The lawyer reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card that he handed to Eddie, it was printed in both braille and simple typed font stating to belong to the Murdock & Nelson office with the address and phone number at the bottom. “Give me a call when you’re ready to handle it.”“Hell’s Kitchen?” Eddie noticed from the address with some surprise. “You must have your hands full, Mr. Murdock.”“Call me Matt, please.” The attorney smiled almost connivingly. “And yes, I do, but so do you from what I hear.”“Hm, sometimes.” Eddie muttered, hoping the double entendre wasn’t too obvious. “Goodbye, Matt.”“Goodnight, Eddie.” And with that the lawyer stood, retrieved his cane and made his way out. He was right though, night had fallen and Eddie hadn’t even noticed, so he picked himself up too and walked to the door, hiking up his symbiote collar against the drizzling rain and casting one last mournful look towards the cemetery.«Want to hunt some bad guys? I hear Kingpin’s people have been dabbling in peddling new narcotics lately.» Eddie projected to his Other, trying to find something, anything, to do that meant he didn’t have to be in control for a while.«Not tonight.» The symbiote retorted, it’s hooded coat form wrapping tighter around Eddie in a facsimile of a hug.“You? Refusing a meal? Are you sick?” Eddie chuckled darkly.

«Eddie is more important. Eddie needs our family.»

“We’re not bothering Peter or the Parkers tonight.”“Not that family, Eddie.” The symbiote whispered in his ear, sending mental images and memories of Anne and Dan with their arms around them into his mind.Eddie didn’t not reply, he knew his beloved was right, but it felt pitiful to admit it, he didn’t want to be burden on his… How did Venom put it? His family. But still, when his Other was right, he certainly was right. Besides, if anyone deserved comfort right then it was him and he knew it and wanted it even while denying it.“Ok. Ok, let’s go home.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Eddie arrived at the apartment, Anne and Dan were alone, and for the first time in years they were arguing. Eddie could guess the topic.“It’s so late, what if he did something stupid?” Anne hissed through the thin walls, pacing by the sound of it. “Why did you talk me into leaving him there?”“He just needs space to grieve, Anne.” Dan sounded tired, as if he’d said this far too often already.“No, what he needs is support! He needs our help!”“Anne, you can’t control everything. Eddie…”“Is fine, thanks.” The aforementioned reporter finished, tone as dry as he was soaked while he walked through the door- hair dripping on his face, clothes sticking to his skin and droplets of rain on his lashes. Luckily, the symbiote kept him fairly warm despite the buckets pouring outside.“Eddie! We were so worried.” Dan rushed to him, giving a cursory examination and quickly rushing to grab the quilt from over the back of the couch.“Where were you?” Anne interrogated in her scolding voice.“Anne.” The doctor spoke warningly, trying to coach Eddie out of his wet clothes.“What? It’s past midnight again, can’t blame me for wondering.”“I was just in the church, Annie.”  Eddie sighed and allowed Dan to fuss over him, removing his clothes until he was just in boxer shorts under the warm quilt. “Some lawyer showed up about Mary’s will.”“The will you’ve been refusing to talk about?” Anne questioned, still frustrated.“Anne! Space.” Dan snapped, already herding Eddie to the couch and passing Anne so he could get a towel for the reporter’s hair.“No, Dan, she’s right. I… I want to talk to you both about it.” Eddie’s voice cracked when he accepted the fluffy dry towel and buried his head aggressively in it.The couple reached forward on impulse, both wanting to towel his hair dry more gently and both stopped themselves at the last second when tendrils of black took the task from Eddie’s hands and caressed the fabric through his dark blond hair.In the end, Anne and Dan simply sat on either side of Eddie, waiting nervously until he was ready to talk.“Is anyone else home tonight?” The reporter wondered.“No, they’re spending the next few days touring Darcy’s new campus and getting her settled in.” Dan clarified softly, coaching Eddie to keep talking.“Good.” He nodded quietly, hunched over and looking at the floor.“Eddie… What’s going on?” Anne ran her hand up Eddie’s back, mirroring the symbiote tendrils rippling around his skin.“Mary named me as Peter’s guardian.” He blurted out suddenly before clearing his throat. “Well, actually she outed me as Peter’s father in the will but that’s confidential, apparently.” “Oh… What are you going to do?” The lawyer’s voice was soft and serious, clearing thinking about what legal details were in the will.“I… I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I think… Well…” Eddie mumbled, trailing off.“We’re keeping him.” The symbiote announced, finally manifesting a head next to Eddie’s own.“Trying. We’re going to try and see what happens.” The reported corrected sternly.“Are you sure you’re ready for that, Eddie?” Anne worried, Eddie could barely care for himself, much less a mini human.“No, but… It’s complicated.” He shrugged with a tired sigh.“I, for one, think it’s a great idea.” Dan’s voice was caring as always but he was smiling too.“What?” Eddie and Anne asked in unison.“Peter is bound to be different, who better to teach him about himself and take care of his needs than you?” The doctor placed a hand over Eddie’s in a reassuring manner.“See?  Dan is the smart one.” The symbiote snarked.“Dan… It’s just… I don’t think I can do it alone.” Eddie stumbled on his words, looking from Dan to Anne as furtively as possible, he didn’t want to pressure them but he hoped they would at least support his decision.“Of course you can’t. Why on Earth would you ever do it alone?” Anne sounded astonished that he would even worry about such a thing.“Huh?” The reporter blinked, confused.“We’ll be there to help, of course.” Dan wrapped his arm around Eddie’s shoulders and smiled.“In fact, given the hovel you live in, maybe you and Peter should move in with us.” Anne pointed out, looking thoughtful and rubbing little circles on his lower back. “Dan is great with children.”“Woah, woah, woah. Aren’t we going a little too fast here?” Eddie startled, unwilling to move away from their touch but suddenly too shocked to stay still. His leg bounced nervously and the symbiote coiled soothingly around his hands, squeezing the lightly to keep them from fidgeting.“Eddie, we’ve all been together for years, this is just the next logical step.” Anne reached up to pet his still humid hair.“We’ve been together…?” Eddie trailed off, looking from one human to the other, even the oil-slick that was the symbiote’s head was looking intrigued and suspiciously quiet. “Is that what you call it? I was just the best man at your wedding.” And the occasional fling for each of them but he didn’t want to say that part out loud.The fact was Eddie wasn’t sure what to call this little family of theirs- the symbiote was his love, his Other, but he couldn’t deny he had feelings for Anne and Dan too, complicated feelings. ‘Friends’ just didn’t cut it.They had a bit of an unspoken agreement not to talk about the complexity of their arrangement, at least not when Eddie was around, he was pretty sure they shared everything with each other like he did with his Other, but they seemed afraid to scare him off if labels started being flung around.Yes, he had been the best man at their wedding; yes, they had each other’s house keys; yes, he cooked for and ate with them often when they worked late; yes, Dan sneaked him supplements for Venom and often gave him access to morgue brains when he was particularly injured and Venom needed to recover strength; yes, Anne fact checked his legal info for work; so yes, they were close in all regards.But then there were times when things got confusing, times Anne was away on work and Dan and Eddie would eat dinner on the couch and then fool around like randy teenagers, the symbiote coiled around both of them in curious exploration; times Dan worked late and Eddie and Anne would drink too much and end up in bed only to be woken up by Dan the next morning with freshly brewed coffee. Times he spent much too familiarly with both of them teaching the symbiote the intricacy of human anatomy and intimacy.Eddie liked to think they loved him but he didn’t dare ask, he didn’t deserve them and he was afraid that would come to light if he ever said anything out loud.“Just? You were always more than that, Eddie. Or do you think we have dinner with you four times a week just for your cooking skills? Do you think we’d drive you cross-country to a funeral for fun? Do you think we just sleep with you for the heck of it?” Anne frowned but her voice was gentle and mildly confused.“You… I thought that was… I don’t know!” Eddie sputtered and Venom snickered at his embarrassment. They were really having this talk now of all times, weren’t they?“You thought we had an unspoken agreement not to talk about it? You thought we just saw you as a friend with benefits all this time?” Anne tutted and rolled her eyes.“Well…”“Oh my god, you did.” Anne’s mouth hung open and resisted the urge to smack him up the head.
“He did. Eddie is, as you say, dense.”
“Don’t be mean, V.” Dan interjected, shooting the lawyer a warning glance too.“V is right, I told you he was too daft to get it. We should have had the talk ages ago.” She said to Dan, tossing her hands in the air in exasperation.“What exactly are we saying here?” Eddie feared being hopeful, but he still was as he glanced at the two of them, absentmindedly caressing his fingers through his Other’s disembodied amorphous form.“Eddie, it was clear enough how much we love you. We never kept anything from each other.” Anne stated with mild frustration, cursing herself for taking so long to approach this.“You and Venom are part of our family.” Dan agreed with a one-armed hug, around Eddie’s waist this time.“Lovers.” The symbiote interjected, happy to bluntly say what everyone tip-toed around.“Yes, that too.” Dan agreed with a casual nod.“Deep down you must have known that.” Anne took Eddie’s face in her hands, making sure he was looking her in the eye, wondering if she could see into his thoughts.“I… I didn’t want to assume.” Eddie shrugged lightly, blushing slightly at all the attention. The symbiote took on a small toothless snake-like appearance and wrapped around his neck smugly.“Eddie! It’s been years and it never occurred to you to ask?” The lawyer scolded without much bite, pressing her forehead to his with a sigh of defeat.“We feared rejection.” The symbiote reply when Eddie hesitated.“Idiots. I’m in relationship with a bunch of idiots.” Anne rolled her eyes, finally letting go of Eddie but staying close to his side and smacking the black serpentine blob playfully.“Hey! What did I do?” Dan put in, feigning hurt.“Take it back!” The symbiote said at the same time.“Can we get back on topic?” Eddie cleared his throat, cheeks flaming and eyes firmly fixated on the rug beneath their feet. “I thought you didn’t even like kids, Annie.”“I never thought about having them but that doesn’t mean I don’t like them.” Anne threw her arms in the air, as if reiterating her comment about their idiocy.“We’ll be there to help, Eddie. All the way.” Dan smiled, patting the other man’s back reassuringly.“How do we explain that to Peter?” Eddie pursed his lips, as happy as he was to be part of this weird polyamorous little family, he wasn’t sure how to explain such a relationship to a child.“Oh Eddie… You’re still so clueless.” Anne sighed dramatically. “Children just want family that loves them, they don’t care how many people that involves.”“I can vouch for that, I grew up with two fathers and two mothers.” Dan, the son of divorced parents, pipped in helpfully.“You consider your stepparents....” Eddie trailed off, looking curiously at Dan. If Carl Brock had ever remarried, and Eddie pittied any poor soul that accepted such, he wasn’t sure he could see such a woman as his parent.“My parents too.” Dan finished with a sagely nod. “I was very young when they split up and after the divorce they raised me as much as my birth mother and father. I loved having four happy parents who loved me instead of two miserable parents that resented each other too much to notice me.”“So you want to be Peter’s parents too?” Eddie suggested, half playfully, half serious.“Why not?” Dan shrugged with a chuckle.“At the very least we can help. It takes a village and all that.” Anne agreed, patting Eddie’s thigh as if that was the end of it. “Now, it’s late and you’ve had a long day. Let’s go to sleep, Eddie, all of us.”Eddie’s head was still reeling with the surreal conversation they had just had so he let them guide him to bed, cuddled between the married couple. The symbiote flattened itself like a blanket over all of them, getting cozy but probably waiting until they fell asleep to go watch tv in secret, for once Eddie didn’t mind.As nervous as he was to talk to Peter about all this, for the first time since that dreadful letter arrived, Eddie felt some semblance of peace.

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Eddie had expected resistance from Peter, he thought the kid would want to stay with his aunt and uncle, but as it turned out Peter was excited to go with Eddie, there was a sort of kinship between the child and the symbiote that seemed to compel them to be together and the reporter wasn’t going to complain if it made moving easier.Nonetheless, Eddie promised the Parkers that Peter would visit every summer, this seemed to appease them.The trip back to San Francisco was grueling. Even with three people driving it was so much harder with a toddler that constantly grew bored, or hot, or cold, or hungry or needed a bathroom and would cry for any of the aforementioned reasons and more. They ended up having to sleep at motels and took over a week to arrive home.Eddie didn’t move in with Anne and Dan, he wasn’t ready for that yet and wanted to monopolize Peter’s attention for a while. So instead, he upgraded from his crappy studio apartment to a bigger place in the same street as the couple, since as it turned out Mary’s inheritance was more than enough to cover it; he still spent most of his time at Anne’s rather than his own home but felt more comfortable having his own private space where it was just him and his Other and now Peter.The little boy cried every night for the first several days and when he wet his bed a week into the move, Eddie just sluggishly tossed the sheets in the wash and surrendered to letting Peter sleep with them with the symbiote wrapped around them like a blanket. Peter didn’t cry at night anymore after that.Still, this sleeping arrangement was a bit awkward when Eddie and the symbiote wanted to get intimate, they were pent up and floundering in their care of a humanoid toddler with human needs.A month into the move Eddie had to get back to work and Peter was still sleeping in their bed, wearing the same three outfits in rotation and surviving on lunchables and tv. It wasn’t going all that well, the reporter was exhausted and had no idea how to handle investigative work with a toddler at his heels, it just wouldn’t work.One afternoon Eddie was returning from a meeting with editor, Peter was with him in the cab (he still hadn’t upgraded from the bike even if that now had a safety seat for children) when he realized they were driving through his old neighborhood. He told the cabbie to stop, paid his fare and got out, carrying Peter on his shoulders as they walked down the street.Eddie paused in the corner Maria used to occupy and looked at the empty stretch of sidewalk with melancholy.“What’s wrong, Eddie?” Peter had taken to calling him by his name instead of “uncle” or any other title, Eddie didn’t mind but the kid called the symbiote Vivi and that Eddie found hilarious, much to his Other’s chagrin. “Nothing, Pete.” The reporter tried to divert away from the topic but Peter had the unique ability to sense his moods with ease, it was almost supernatural.“Yes, there is!” The child insisted, kicking his tiny little feet on Eddie’s shoulders.“I used to know a lady that sat here a lot, that’s all.” Eddie replied, grabbing hold of the kid more securely.«Sorry, Eddie.» The symbiote’s voice in his head sounded dejected.«Long time ago. Not your fault, love.»Then they spotted something that made Eddie smile. “Hey, let’s go say hello to a friend.”“Eddie! It’s been so long! You look like crap.” Mrs. Chen greeted as soon as they entered the little bodega. She looked up briefly. “Who’s the kid?”“Peter, say hello to Mrs. Chen.” Eddie pat Peter’s leg to get his attention.“Hello, missus Chen.” The child replied shyly.“Hello, little boy.” Mrs. Chen waved before looking back at Eddie. “You babysitting now?”“No, he’s mine.” The reporter stated as he put Peter down, then he caught himself. “I mean, er, he’s my nephew, but my sister passed away so now he’s mine.”“I’m so sorry for your loss.” She stated solemnly.“Milky Way!” Peter squealed suddenly, spotting the chocolates. “Milky Way! Milky Way! Eddie!”«Yes, Eddie, Milky Way!» The symbiote agreed.“Shut it, you.” Eddie snapped and then when he saw the look on Peter’s face he backpedaled immediately. “Oh no, not you Pete, I was talking to Vivi.”“Milky Way, Eddie!” The symbiote leaked out from Eddie’s side, forming his usual sharp-toothed face.“Pleeeease? Vivi wants it too!” Peter begged like the toddler he was.“Jesus, ok, go get your chocolates, fill the basket.” Eddie handed him a shopping basket bigger than the kid itself and Peter ran off to the candy aisle right away.“So the kid knows about your parasite buddy.” Mrs. Chen commented off-handedly, having lost her fear of Venom years ago.“Parasite?!” The symbiote growled.“He’s still sensitive about that word.” Eddie smirked and then looked around, examining the small changes in the shop. “Any troublemakers around lately?”“Not since you two became a local legend here.” Mrs. Chen nodded towards the floating head of Venom and then glanced at the way Peter was pilling up chocolates in the shopping basket. “All that sugar is going to rot his teeth out.”“I know but he’s sooo picky. All I get him to eat are lunchables, pizza and chocolate.” Eddie whined, relieved to finally have someone to vent to without the secret fear of being judged.“Eddie! That’s not a diet for a child! You’ll make him sick.” She scolded, slapping Eddie upside the head.“Trust me, he’s no normal child.” He replied with an eye roll.“That’s what I keep saying to Eddie.” The symbiote addressed Mrs. Chen, ignoring his partner.“Shut up, you would feed him nothing but chocolate and tots if I let you.” Eddie snapped.“Heads too!” The symbiote bickered.“No! No talk about that around Peter.” Eddie looked around at the kid to make sure he wasn’t listening.“More M&M’s, little one!” The symbiote called out.“I swear, it’s like having two children.” The reporter shook his head with a sigh.“You look like shit, Eddie.” Mrs. Chen reiterated.“Yeah, well, I’m still adjusting to being a parent.” He threw his arms in the air in surrender.“No girlfriend to help?” The store owner prodded.“Yes. And boyfriend.” The symbiote snickered.“What?” Mrs. Chen perked up for some gossip.“Nothing! He means we have friends but I’m trying not to lean on them too much, I want to bond more with Pete first.” Eddie attempted to divert the topic quickly.“More like you want to prove you can do it alone.” His Other snarked, clearly annoyed.“Would you get out of my head for a minute?” Eddie scowled. “Besides, Anne and Dan have demanding jobs, I can’t put too much on them.”
“They’re family, Eddie.”
“Perhaps you need to stop worrying about your feelings and focus on what’s good for the kid.” Mrs. Chen added in, trying to be helpful.“What is this? Doctor Phil?” Eddie was incredulous and starting to stress out.“Well, let’s just start with proper food for now.” The shopkeeper diverted, actually stepping from behind the counter and helping choose a healthier spread of foods.“He won’t eat vegetables.” The reported interjected as she chose what little fresh produce the place had.“Make him. That’s what parents do.” Mrs. Chen scowled but finished filling a basket with food that she then rang up. “There. Be sure not to put the kid in a sugar coma.”“Thanks, Mrs. Chen.”“And get a baby-sitter.”“Yes, ma’am.” The symbiote retorted before looking at Eddie. “What is a baby-sitter?”Eddie rolled his eyes and took Peter’s little hand, walking out of the store with a goodbye to Mrs. Chen.By the time they got home Peter had already consumed a bag of Milky Way stars and ran through the door straight to the tv for cartoons. Eddie put away the groceries and decided it was time to swallow his pride and follow the plan.“Hey, Annie?” He spoke into his phone a minute later. “You and Dan wanna come over for dinner?

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Dinner turned out to be nowhere near as awkward as Eddie expected. As it turned out, Anne knew him well enough to understand he needed space (even though she feared for Peter) and Dan was just glad to roll with the punches and wait for Eddie to come to them.Eddie cooked, he wasn’t half bad at it nowadays and managed a decent meal of sautéed chicken and veggies. Peter made a bit of a face at the vegetables but with some coaching from Anne (and a lot of melted cheese) they reached an agreement and Peter finally decided to eat some.It was then that Eddie realized why he needed help- he couldn’t say no to Peter, after the way he had been brought up he was simply incapable of being strict with the little boy without feeling like a villain. Anne was fine with being strict and bossy, she was a lawyer after all, and Dan had a little sister on top of being a doctor so he knew how to handle kids, both of them were wholly more well-equipped for parenthood than Eddie ever was and it hit him like a ton of bricks.~.:oOo:.~The next few days were full of activity.Anne started looking for kindergartens and found a few nearby that were promising. Unfortunately, it was hard to get Peter admitted halfway through the year but she was determined that Peter needed to be around other kids and thus went to war trying to find a place that would take the kid as soon as possible.Dan run a few blood tests on Peter to make sure everything was alright. As it turned out, Peter craved phenethylamine as much as Venom, hence the desire for chocolate and cheese and other specific foods, but he was still a mostly human little boy so he also needed a more stable diet and far more stimulation than just cartoons so Dan decided to buy Peter a bunch of educational toys.The symbiote, however, had other ideas about how Peter should be raised, often interjecting that they should take him hunting and teach him how to spot bad guys to eat. Eddie had to put his foot down when he caught his Other poking the inside Peter’s mouth for fangs while prattling on about how human teeth wouldn’t help decapitate a person so they have to find alternatives (luckily Peter had no idea what was happening).They had some trouble explaining to Peter that Eddie had to go back to work soon so the couple would be spending more time with the boy but the kid seemed happy enough to around Anne and Dan that they thought some separation from Eddie would be ok.They were only half-right.A mere week after that dinner, Eddie went out to do some work and all hell broke loose in Anne’s living room.Since the letter he had been on leave from work but it was time to go back in with both feet; after all, he needed to work in order to have money and his investigations helped him find people who were morally reprehensible enough that Eddie didn’t mind Venom snacking on them, the only problem was leaving Peter behind while he was out.One night, Eddie arrived at the Lewis household well past midnight to find Peter screaming his eyes out on the couch.“I…want…Vivi…!” The boy hiccupped, crying so hard that his face was beet red and his nose was snotty.“What’s going on here?” Eddie asked, reaching for Peter.The boy startled and ran right into his arms, burying his little face in the reporter’s shirt. The symbiote surprised everyone by taking over Eddie’s body and turning into Venom before picking up the child and patting his back. Somehow Peter always had the opposite reaction to Venom than everyone else, he actually felt safe around the huge toothy monster.“Peter refused to sleep without you, he just cried harder the more tired he got.” Dan sighed, looking visibly exhausted, Anne looked relieved and just about dead on her feet too.“There, there, Pete.” Venom’s low gravelly voice comforted in a way that made the two other humans exchange weird looks. It was odd to see a huge, sharp-toothed, man-eating alien being all comforting and cuddly.Peter’s crying quickly tapered off into sniffles and a few minutes later the kid was out like a light in Venom’s arms. Slowly, the symbiote receded and Eddie took over, he thanked Anne and Dan in a whispered a promise not to leave bedtime to them in the near future.“The tantrum wasn’t the worst part.” Dan stated from the kitchen, pouring himself some coffee. “You missed a milestone.”“What? What did he do?” Eddie readjusted the boy whose head lay on his shoulder, making sure not to jostle him too much.“We caught him crawling…” Dan began.“That’s not a milestone-…” Eddie interrupted in a whisper.“…On the ceiling.” Anne finished for her husband.“What?” The reporter looked between the other two, confused.“Oh yeah, he was digging his fingers into the wall and crawling up to the ceiling. Very much like Venom.” The lawyer replied with a tired yawn.“I wonder where he learned that.” Dan passed his wife a cup off coffee too and began fixing one for Eddie.“Not from us. At least I don’t think so.” Eddie blinked and turned his head towards nothing in particular. “V?”“Maybe us.” The symbiote slinked out of his skin.“V, what did you do?” The reporter sounded accusing as he accepted his own cup of black coffee.“Peter is very observant.” The Other replied evasively.“V…” Eddie warned.“Might have shown him some memories.” The symbiote did a little wobbly move, a makeshift shrug, before it curled around Peter.“Unbelievable.” The reporter hissed angrily. “Now we have to teach him not to do that in public.”“Preferably before he starts pre-school.” Anne added. “I found a place.”“Thanks, Annie, but how am I going to tell him that climbing walls isn’t normal behavior?” Eddie muttered the question, still holding the sleeping child that now sucked on his thumb.“I can handle it.” The symbiote hissed defensively.“You wanted to teach him how to crack a skull without using your teeth.” Eddie interjected.“It’s a valuable skill!” The Other did their best impression of a toothy pout.“He’s a toddler!” The reporter argued.“All the more reason to learn how to defend himself.” The symbiote sulked. “Our kind learns these things within hours of being spawned.”“He’s not your kind, not completely.” Eddie spoke loud enough that Peter stirred lightly.“Hey, hey, how about you stop bickering before he wakes up?” Anne scolded.“Can we worry about this tomorrow?” Dan stretched lazily. “It’s very late.”With that they all went to bed. The couple had gone has far as to convert their guest room into a room for Peter exclusively, so Eddie decided to spend the night there with the child. God, he missed the days he shared a bed with adults only.~.:oOo:.~It was a Saturday morning when Eddie was awoken with a newspaper being slapped onto his face. He bolted upright immediately, trying to wipe away the cobwebs of sleep from his mind while he looked around the room.Peter was asleep on his back with a little fist clenched around a handful of black goo that oozed from Eddie’s skin; Anne was standing angrily next to Eddie’s bed and Dan seemed to be just now catching up to his wife as he rushed through the door.“Annie? What’s up?” Eddie yawned, calmer now that he knew his partners had just left themselves in and he wasn’t under attack.“Are you insane?!” Anne pulled Eddie out of bed, dragging him into the next room.“What did I do?” The reporter stumbled, confused.Anne lifted up the newspaper she had smacked him with, the headline read: ‘CHILD TAKEN BY SAN FRAN’S OWN LETHAL PROTECTOR’.Beneath the headline was a grainy black and white amateur picture of a hulking black mass on the side of a building with a familiar toddler on its shoulders.“Somebody took a photo?” Eddie grabbed the paper, taking in the libel details in the article.“It was ten in the evening, Eddie. Of course someone took a photo!” Anne snapped. “What were you even trying to do?”“To be honest, I’m not sure.” The reporter rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I tried to explain to him that he couldn’t just climb walls in public but he didn’t get it and just started showing off more and I couldn’t scold him so… I don’t know, we tried to scare him a little with some heights but he just kept asking for more and laughing so next I knew we were on top of the Hobart building.”He could still remember Peter’s glee at the view and his complete fearlessness but the memory of people below him staring in shock was a bit blurry, he didn’t like to look down since despite his trust in his partner his fear of heights was still very much alive. Still, Eddie had hoped they had been too high up for anyone to see much but that hope was now dashed.“Eddie… This is a media disaster.” Anne ranted. “This isn’t a bunch of missing gangsters, someone is going to want to know who and where the kid is.”“You can’t even see his face that well.” Eddie tried to field the situation.“He was laughing, Annie.” Suddenly the symbiote was sprouting from Eddie’s back to argue too.“What if the Parkers see this?” The lawyer argued. “You could lose custody!” “Anne is right, Eddie. That was a very dangerous thing to do. What if he had fallen?” Dan added, worry tinting his tone. “Come on, you can’t even tell that’s Peter.” The reporter stated defensively. “And he was fine, Venom wouldn’t drop him.”“Eddie!” Anne snapped, loudly.“Ok, ok. I messed up, I get it!” Eddie raised his arms in surrender and used them to try to push down a growling symbiote.“Why would you do that, Eddie?” The lawyer tried not to shout but failed.“I didn’t know what else to do… I didn’t want to yell at him.” The reporter looked away nervously.“Peter is a child, he needs discipline and boundaries.” It wasn’t a suggestion, Anne’s tone made that clear.“Yeah, well…” He hesitated.“Eddie can’t discipline Peter.” The symbiote interjected grumpily.“Look who’s talking.” Sulked Eddie.“Why not?” Anne crossed her arms.“He thinks of his father.” The Other answered.“V, that’s private.” Eddie was the one to cross his arms now but defensively rather than accusingly.“No, this is good. We’re communicating.” Dan put it, trying to calm everyone down.“I know your father was abusive, Eddie, but you’re not him, you’re a better man.” Anne reached for Eddie, placing a hand on his shoulder.“Am I? We’ve eaten people!” Eddie angrily shook her off.“That has nothing to do with this.” She defended.“Yes, it does. It’s who I am, I’m a bad person.” The reporter refused to look at the others, even the symbiote. “Even if you ignore that.”“Eddie…” Anne and Dan spoke his name in unison.“Peter deserves to be happy, it’s the least I can do.” Eddie was about to argue further but then they heard shuffling and moments later Peter was at the door of the room looking sleepy and lost.“Hey, buddy. Good morning.” Dan kneeled down and opened his arms for the boy to hug him.“Danny!” Peter hugged the doctor and Anne at the same time, before turning to Eddie and spotting the symbiote slowly receding into his skin. “Where’s Vivi going?”“Nowhere, Pete. We’ve talked about this, remember? Vivi is always here.” Eddie pat his chest and the symbiote oozed out of his chest to form their usual face.Anne shot them a look that clearly stated she wasn’t done with the conversation yet but that was the end for now, instead of arguing further she suggested they have breakfast together and then, as they ate eggs and toast, she made plans to take Peter out shopping.