Symbiosis: Chapter 1

Peter woke up suddenly to the alarm clock. He groaned, still exhausted from the previous night. He had spent hours looking for the symbiote, but without any sort of tracking mechanism it was futile. He ended up getting barely any sleep, getting home only a few hours before his alarm was supposed to go off.

"Ugh, gotta get to school." He reminded himself, getting up to shower. He looked into the mirror before he stepped in. His face was rather pale, at least compared to how it usually was. There were dark bags under his eyes, and a few half-healed bruises along his neck and chest. He was thankful that his powers helped him heal quicker than most, or those bruises would still be bleeding.

After showering and putting some clothes on, he walked into the kitchen for breakfast. Aunt May didn't take long to realize her nephew's condition.

"Jesus Peter, you look terrible. At what time did you get back?" She asked, pulling the boy into a hug.

"M'sorry. I was looking for the symbiote after it escaped... I- I just don't want it to hurt anyone. When I got back it was late and I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry if I made you worry." Peter apologized, breaking free from the hug. Aunt May put her hands on his shoulders reassuringly.

"Peter... you know I will always worry. What, with you fighting villains with four arms and half alien monsters. But I'm proud of all the good you do, and I'm sure Ben would be too... Don't worry about the symbiote, if it finds another host, I'm sure that you'll be able to stop them, just like you stopped Eddie." She said, planting a kiss on the boy's forehead. "Now go eat breakfast or you'll be late for school young man."

Peter's POV

I managed to get to school just before the bell rung, heading for my locker to grab some things. Next to my locker was MJ's locker and Y/N's locker. The two were talking about something I couldn't hear as I walked to them. "Hey guys!" I greeted them, reaching for the locker's door.

"Hey ma- Holy shit you look terrible." Y/N said, noticing the dark circles under my eyes.

"Yeah Pete, you ok? I've never seen you this bad." MJ agreed, worried about my pale skin.

"I'm fine guys, really. I just didn't get much sleep last night." I said, trying to calm their worries before they suspected something. MJ was smart, she'd inevitably figure out my secret, but until then, it didn't hurt to try keeping things under wraps.

"Yeah no shit. You sure you're ok? I haven't seen you so pale before either." Y/N insisted. I appreciated the concern, but I really couldn't have them suspect.

"Y/N, I'm fine, I mean it. I just stayed up late studying and I lost track of time I guess."

Y/N frowned. "Well, if you say so..." I had a feeling he wasn't quite convinced, but he decided not to press. MJ simply narrowed her eyes and glanced at her watch.

"Oh, time for first period. I'll leave you to it. See you both at lunch!" She said as she walked off into the hallway. I could swear she just gave me a wink as she did. For the longest time MJ has suspected of my little "situation" with Y/N. Something else to worry about.

"Hey Pete... Earth to Peter... We gotta get to class!" Y/N said, waving his hand in front of my face. Must've blanked out.

"Oh, right. Wouldn't wanna be late."

Lunch period, 3rd person

Of all the places I could come rushing to, I pick Midtown High... Venom thought to himself as he slithered through the school's vents. The very same place where Parker studies. The symbiote could still feel the rage bubbling up whenever he think of the wallcrawler. But he needed to find a new host. The previous separation was too sudden, too violent. It left him weak, and without a new host he would be helpless. Through the vents, he managed to catch a glimpse of Parker sat down with his friends.

"So guys, I was thinking, you busy this saturday? My dad's leaving for the weekend and we'll have the penthouse to ourselves." Harry suggested.

"You wanna throw a party, Har?" Peter asked, unsurprised.

"No no not this time. I was thinking just all of us? Maybe some movies? It's been a while since we've done anything like that."

"I'm pretty sure I can go" MJ was the first to reply.

Gwen spoke up next. "Sure, I didn't have anything planned."

"Sure".

"Sounds good".

"Y/N? You in?" Ned asked, noticing how distracted his friend was. Y/N blinked and turned to face the others, as though he had been pulled from a day dream.

"Uh yeah sure, I'm pretty sure I'm free." He replied.

"Cool, so I'll buy some snacks on Friday. We can discuss the details later." Harry said, feeling satisfied.

As Venom watched the group through the vents, one of the boys caught his attention. The one they called Y/N. The H/C haired boy intrigued him. He didn't seem too special at first glance, but something about him just screamed potential to the symbiote. He seemed like a rather shy kid. Not scrawny by any means, but simply the sort of boy that lacked the confidence to stand up to those that looked down on him. He was sure that deep down a person of that certain characteristic would have a fine appreciation of the power that he brought. He was no Eddie Brock by any means. Eddie had been a tough guy even before they bonded, and that eased the bonding process and complemented nicely with the symbiote's own strong biology...

But this was a teenager.

If he bonded to this boy without their knowledge, would the bonding process hurt them, cause them pain? What would he think when he realized what had bonded to him? Would he be rejected once more? Exactly what sort of burden would he be placing on the boy's shoulders by bonding to them? Venom asked himself all these questions. As someone who tried to kill Spiderman on many occasions, it painted him as a rather undesirable individual to the eyes of the public.

Whether Spiderman deserved it or not was another question entirely. A part of him felt amused at the idea of turning on of Parker's friends against him, but he couldn't focus on revenge now, only survival. He may be a monster in the literal sense, but he wasn't a monster, he didn't wish to bond with someone if it brought with it all these variables to consider. Deep down he disliked the idea of harming an innocent, it had only ever been Spiderman he'd wanted to hurt. Now that he thought back on it, perhaps he'd gone too far. He'd threatened to have Parker's friends and family slaughtered by the Six after exposing his identity. Eddie had made it easy to hate, he still hated, perhaps he wouldn't ever stop, but it was then during these dire moments that he realized he could've gone overboard, put innocent people in danger for a conflict that wasn't theirs.

This isn't the time to dwell on maybes... Venom thought to himself. Even with everything to consider, his separation left him weak, nearly helpless. If he had even the slightest wish of surviving in the long run he needed a host. Without one, he wouldn't recover. He needed to turn things back from I to WE, and perhaps this boy was his best shot. He could consider the variables and consequences of the bond later, when he could make his presence now. For now, even after bonding, he needed to stay under the radar.

It was then that he made up his mind, and it was then he knew he found a match.

Now all there was to consider was how to get TO the boy...