Note:
This is not my own work. I simply decided to share it on this site. If you want to view the original story, search for Yevynaea on Archive of our Own. This is not a one to one copy of the original story, as I edited the spelling, grammar and sentence structure to make it more understandable.
Eddie and Venom have been bonded together for so long, that they no longer think of themselves as two separate beings. So, they chose a new name. Eddie Brock is long dead, or should be. Venom is a threat in the form of a name. Max is both and neither of them, a stranger, a story. Max is equal control and long silences born of conversations held only in their head.
Their main goal, their only goal, is to survive. Over the decades, they have lost everything, lost the luxury of being able to prioritize anything above survival. They need to eat, to hunt, but they cannot afford to be hunted back. Nothing has ever really changed in that particular regard.
When they are captured, they are too weak to get away, and determined not to draw attention. They think later, there will be an opportunity, there will be something, later, later. And then it is later, and they are not a blood bag but there is nothing, no one, to eat, no way to get their strength back because they cannot; will not, kill the wives, will not; cannot kill the imperator, could, but, reluctantly won't kill the war boy.
It is night, dust and heavy blue fog rolling across the wasteland, when they finally get to show themselves, get to eat, get to hunt. They bring back what is needed, for the others.
"You're bleeding." Toast is concerned for them. She doesn't need to be. They are the most satiated they have been in months.
"It's not his blood," Furiosa corrects her, so they don't have to.
They find the mothers. The few that remain, anyway. They go back. They lose people going back through the pass, but not as many as they could have, not as many as Max feared they would. The imperator is hurt, almost dead, but Max gives her their blood and Venom discreetly sliding into Furiosa to help heal her before sliding subtly back into Eddie. Venom's presence was only gone for a moment, but it felt odd to simply be Eddie again.
Furiosa takes the citadel, with the wives -the sisters- and the mothers at her side, but they cannot stay, cannot risk being found, being seen, being... known.
Yet, they keep coming back.
A rare quiet moment, and they're both, all, sitting in the ever growing green at the top of the citadel, watching the sun set over the world.
We like her, Venom thinks, fondly, because Venom has liked the imperator since the beginning, and Eddie knows it.
Stop it, Eddie thinks, fondly, because they are not in the headspace to add a third to their relationship, and Venom knows it.
"What are you smiling at?" Furiosa asks, glancing toward them. In answer, Max points to his own head, decades past caring whether people think he's crazy.
We should tell her, Venom thinks.
We will, Eddie replies.
Now, Venom insists, because they have been together much too long to be fooled by Eddie's vague assurances of things they will do. Max sighs.
"Tomorrow," they say aloud, a solid promise, to themselves and to Furiosa, who's still sat beside them. She doesn't question the lonely word, but they feel a need to explain it anyway. "We want to tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"Everything," Max says, shrugging, gesturing vaguely to themself. They aren't one for words, haven't been in a long time, but they want to tell her who they are, where they come from, want to explain Eddie and Venom and the life they have lived.
She gives them a long look. They don't know what she's searching for, or if she finds it, but she eventually nods and turns back toward the fading sunset.
"Tomorrow," she echoes, accepting the offer.
No running away, Venom warns, because the silent panic has already begun to set in, the gravity of the truth they've just agreed to tell.
Course not, love, Eddie replies.
Max sits with Furiosa at the top of the citadel, waiting for tomorrow to come.