Sewers, the place where all human waste goes. A relatively still place; as you would expect, there isn't a lot of movement down in the sewers.
Except for today.
A puddle was moving, black as pitch, the obsidian surface rippling in an unseen breeze as the entire mass crept along; A giant mass of transparent green sludge with two yellow eyes zipping through the tunnels as fast as it could possibly go; and, finally, a golden haired mountain of a man chasing after.
As the green sludge fled, it rolled its yellow eyes back to check the tunnel behind for the pursuer, so preoccupied that it didn't even notice when it slithered right through the black goo, or when it drew in, seemingly absorbed into its own green mass. Even if it did notice, it wouldn't have cared; it was far from the first bit of filth to be sucked up from these sewers.
Seeing the coast was clear, the yellow eyes rolled forward, widening as they found opportunity. An access ladder! He flew up the ladder and brought himself to the surface, which happened to be in the shadow of a bridge. Eyes rolling about, he spotted the perfect place to hide: a small, green haired boy in a black middle school uniform.
"Hey, you!" the sludge shouted, freezing the child in place. With all the speed he can muster he surges over the boy, shoving an oddly black tendril into the boy's mouth.
"Thanks for your meatsuit, kid! You're my hero," the villain quipped at the struggling child.
Just as it seemed hopeless, the blond haired man exploded out of the manhole. Faster than the eye can see the man punched the air, creating a shockwave that splattered the sludge over the interior arch of the bridge. The boy collapsed, the black tendril still inside.
Izuku woke up to someone rapidly patting his face. Opening his eyes, he sees the Number 1 Hero: All Might standing over him with his trademark smile.
"YOUNG MAN, ARE YOU WELL? YOU SEEM QUITE PALE," said All Might, never dropping his smile.
Now that he mentioned it, Midoriya was feeling rather sick. His throat felt as though it were burning and his stomach was twisting and churning.
"I'm just feeling a little queasy." Midoriya said, not quite noticing who he was talking to yet. He snapped to attention, eyes wide. "Wait a second! You're All Might!"
The hero laughed, a large sound from a large man. "HAHA! YOU MUST BE A FAN!"
"Oh, yes sir!" Izuku chattered. He reached for his bag, pushing his hand down into it immediately, only to freeze, a dismayed look on his face.
All Might noticed, and his grin grew even wider, if that were possible. "LOOKING FOR THIS?" He pushed his hand forward and in it was Izuku's notebook, the last page now filled with the hero's large autograph.
Izuku was on his feet in a flash, snatching the book and bowing ninety degrees at the waist. "THANK YOU SIR! I WILL TREASURE THIS ALWAYS!"
All Might boomed another mighty laugh. "HAHA! I APPRECIATE THAT, YOUNG MAN! IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO MEET MY ADMIRERS!"
Izuki stood from his deep bow, only to sway as his vision swam. All Might reached out a beefy hand and steadied his young fan with a touch on his shoulder, his brow pinched in concern.
"YOUNG MAN, ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE ALRIGHT?"
Izuku shook his head, trying to clear the fuzzy feeling away. "Ye-yes, sir! I'm fine!" He straightened his back and shoulders, determined to be strong in front of his idol.
The big man didn't look entirely convinced, but he backed away. "IF YOU'RE SURE. SORRY I CAN'T STAY, BEING THE NUMBER ONE HERO COMES WITH A TIGHT SCHEDULE. AWAY!"
With a flex of his mighty legs, All Might was gone. Izuku would have loved to spend more time with his hero, so badly in fact that once upon a time he may have done something foolish in pursuit of that goal. But this time, his stomach heaved and lurched, and it was taking all of his concentration just to stay on his feet, rather than fall to his knees and puke his guts out all over the street in front of the Symbol of Peace.
Now that he was alone, he did just that.
Funny, he thought idly as he painted the sidewalk with green ooze, when it was going in, I thought it was black.
Head spinning, stomach rioting, and sweating with fever, Izuku stumbled home. Unlocking the door, which usually only took a few seconds, was now a task of some minutes as his vision swam before his eyes so badly that he had to lean on the door to keep from toppling over. His weight was still on the door when the knob finally turned and he spilled into the apartment, crashing down on his front stoop. The step's edge digging into his ribs and his backpack landing on top of him knocked the breath from his lungs.
"Izuku?!"
Izuku barely had the energy to raise his head as his mother bustled over to him, pulled his backpack off and set it to the side.
"H-hey, mom. Don't worry, I just fell. I'm fine," he wheezed.
"Oh, baby! You are not fine," Inko Midoriya fretted as she pulled her son up off the step and laid him on an open bit of floor. "Look at you! You're so pale and," she laid her hand on his forehead only to pull back as if stung,"you're burning up! Oh, my poor baby! I need to call an ambulance!" She stood to put action to words when a voice in Izuku's head spoke.
DON'T LET HER!
Too delirious to recognize the voice as not his own, Izuku surged up, grabbed his mother's hands in his own and drew her back down to kneel next to him as he laid on the floor.
"Mom, I'm fine," he assured, gently squeezing her hands and smiling through the pain. "It's just the flu. Once I get some sleep, I'll be fine."
"Oh, Izuku…" she fretted, squeezing his hands in hers. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, mom," he reassured, still smiling. He went to sit up, and his mother hurried to help with an arm around his shoulders. "Thanks. And I'm fine, really. I just need to go to bed..."
"Do you want something to eat?" she asked as she helped him to his feet.
Izuku clutched his gut as his stomach growled an angry warning. "I don't think that's a good idea," he gulped.
Shortly, his mother had hustled him to his room, given him something for his fever, gotten him changed into his sleepwear and tucked him in. She was scarcely out the door before he slipped into a fitful slumber.
He was thrashing in an ocean of black ooze, desperate to keep his head above the abyssal depths. The ooze was alive, cold tendrils reaching up to wrap around his limbs and pull them under. Kicking and screaming with all his might, he was inexorably drawn under. When only his face remained, he watched as a great black coil rose up to loom over him. Two white splotches formed two alien eyes; lips split open and drew back, revealing rows of crooked needle teeth; An inhuman tongue spilled out of the maw to moisten the teeth with a monstrous hiss. It drew back, the demonic maw spread wide, then it came down on him with a beastial shriek, teeth digging into his skull-
In the dark of his bedroom, Izuku flew off his bed with a shout, tangling in his sheet and blanket and hitting the floor with a muffled thump. After a brief, desperate struggle, he tore the grasping cloth off, scurried blindly to where he thought the light switch was and scrabbled at the wall until he finally found it. When the light came on, he pressed his back flat against the wall, gasping, eyes flying to every corner of the room like he expected the shadows themselves to leap out and devour him.
After a tense minute of silence, broken only by his ragged breathing, Izuku finally relaxed. Sliding down the wall, he sat on the floor, holding his head with one hand and clutching his chest over his thundering heart with the other.
"A dream?" he panted incredulously. His ruminating was interrupted by his stomach letting out a ferocious growl. Hunger made itself known, so intense it caused him actual, physical pain.
Clutching his gut with one hand, Izuku forced himself up and moved to leave his room. As he opened the door, he noticed a note flutter down from where it had been closed in the frame. His hand adroitly plucked it from the air before he'd even fully processed what was happening. Pausing, he blinked at the - for him, anyway - strangely dextrous act.
His stomach growling loudly reminded of the gnawing hunger. He read the note as he walked to the kitchen.
Izuku, I let your school know you're not coming today.
I made breakfast. It's in the microwave, try to eat even if your stomach is still upset, you need to keep up your strength.
I'll call to check on you during my lunch break, but please call my work if you feel any worse than you did last night.
-Love, mom.
Beelining for the microwave, Izuku dropped the note on the counter and pulled open the door, revealing a traditional breakfast of a fish filet, fried eggs and miso soup. Not even bothering with reheating, he grabbed the filet and stuffed it into his mouth. The eggs followed just as quickly, then he washed it down with the lukewarm miso.
His stomach roared its dissatisfaction. Turning to the refrigerator, he threw the door open. Eyes alighting on a box of microwaveable breaded fish patties, he snatched it out, tore it open and ate the eight fish shaped patties straight out of the box, one after the other and barely taking the time to chew. When the bready snack dried his mouth, he dropped the empty box, grabbed a carton of soymilk and drank the whole thing in a single long drought.
Feeling better but still not satisfied, Izuku dropped the carton and resumed his search. A two pack of uncooked pork cutlets practically jumped off the shelf into his hands, the plastic shrink wrap barely slowed him down and before he knew it, he was biting into the cold, raw meat.
It was possibly the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted.
Eyes rolling back, Izuku groaned with pleasure. Much too soon, the first bite was gone. He demolished the rest of the first cutlet in two bites, cheeks stuffed as he forced himself to chew more slowly, so he could savor it more fully. He'd scarcely swallowed and was about to tear into the second cutlet when the phone rang.
Startling, Izuku whipped his head around to stare at the wall mounted device. Blinking confusedly, he slowly reached out, lifted the handset from its cradle and held it to his ear.
"Uh, Moshi moshi?"
"Izuku! There you are, sweetie. Why aren't you answering your cell?"
His mother was calling? Looking at the electric clock, he was surprised to note it was just after twelve thirty. It was only then that he noticed the midday sun streaming through the little window over the sink. Then her question registered in his mind.
"My cell?" he questioned. Setting the package with the remaining cutlet down on the counter, he used his newly free hand to check the pockets of his shorts. They were empty. "Sorry, mom. I must've left it in my room."
"Oh, that's alright. I'm just glad I got a hold of you. You sound much better than you did last night. How are you feeling?"
Izuku did a quick internal check, holding the back of his free hand to his forehead. "I'm still a little warm, but I feel fine otherwise."
"That's great, honey! You're in the kitchen, right? Did you get something to eat?"
The answer died in his throat as Izuku looked upon the empty boxes, crumbs and spilled soy milk that littered the kitchen floor. Mutely, he reached out and closed the refrigerator door that he'd left hanging open.
"Izuku? Are you there?"
"Oh! Yeah. Sorry, mom. I, uh, yeah." He stared, hard, at the package that held the remaining raw pork cutlet, identical to the one he'd just finished eating. Raw. With his bare hands. "I've eaten plenty."
"That's good. I'm so relieved that you're feeling better. I love you. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Yeah, mom. See you soon. Love you."
Izuku placed the phone back in its cradle, still staring at the package with the raw cutlet. Lifting his other hand, his nose wrinkled as he looked closely, disgusted to confirm that, yes, it was smeared with bread crumbs and greasy, uncooked pork bits.
Dropping the hand back to his side, he stared at the mess he'd made while he'd gorged himself. After reviewing what he'd eaten and how he'd eaten it, he only had one question for himself.
"What is wrong with me?"
After cleaning up his mess and taking a quick shower, Izuku decided to go to the store and buy replacements for everything he'd consumed. He knew his mother wouldn't mind that he'd eaten what he had, especially since he was sick, but he just didn't feel right about blowing through so much food and then expecting his mother to go shopping to make up for it.
After changing into some black cargo shorts, a white t-shirt with 'casual T-shirt' printed across the chest in bold black letters and his favorite red shoes, he grabbed his wallet and stuffed his meagre savings inside.
"So much for that new All Might figure," he grumbled to himself as he turned to leave. He paused just as he got to the door, then stepped back to dig through one of his drawers for a face mask. He didn't think he was too contagious, but he didn't want to risk spreading around… whatever it was he had.
Pausing by the front door, he grabbed a green hoodie off the coat rack and locked up. Then it was only a ten minute walk to the closest store.
It started off fine. He went to the frozen section, grabbed a box of frozen fish patties. Then it was a short walk to grab the soy milk.
Then he was in the refrigerated section, confronted by an entire wall of raw meat.
"Hnng!" Izuku doubled over as his stomach roared to life, groaning as insatiable hunger clawed at his insides. He staggered away, terrified of what he'd do if he stayed. Just as he was about to escape into a less stimulating area of the market, movement caught the corner of his eye.
The live fish tank. A label in the corner marked them katsuo, but all Izuku could see was fresh, wriggling, juicy flesh.
Before he knew what was happening, Izuku was plunging his arm into the tank. Then he yanked it out, splashing water everywhere and revealing a fish half as long as he was tall thrashing in his grip.
A hand with webbed fingers clamped his wrist. Izuku looked up to see a fish-faced man glaring down at him from over the counter.
"WHAT THE HELL, KID!?"
Izuku stared, stupefied, wondering if he was hallucinating that a fishman had come to save his fish brethren. Then he noticed the fishman's wearing a white cap and a dark apron with the market's logo and realized it was an employee with a mutation quirk.
"WELL?!"
Izuku started, mind racing as he glanced down at the fish that was still wriggling in his hand.
"I… I need to buy this!" he slapped the fish down on the nearby counter. Seeing he wasn't being robbed, the ironic fishmonger let him go.
"Goddamn right you're buying it," the fish-faced employee muttered crossly as he wrapped and weighed the fish for sale.
There was a register next to the prep station, so Izuku dug out his wallet and paid for the fish and his other items(which took nearly all of his cash). Plastic sack with the groceries hanging from one arm and the fish tucked under the other, he fled the store and down the nearest dark alley.
On the corner, a tall, thin young man in dirty white sneakers, ripped blue jeans, red shirt and black jacket with the sleeves rolled up was crouched in the shadow of the building, back resting against the brick. A lit cigarette hung from his lips, casting his face in a dull red glow, revealing no remarkable features except for two stubby, red horns that grew from his forehead. Though his head didn't move, dark eyes tracked the other, shorter youth in the green hoodie and surgical mask as he disappeared behind a corner. The horned hooligan stood up and followed.
He found his mark exactly where he thought he would, standing before a brick wall with no means of escape. The kid in the green hoodie was facing away from him, shoulders hunched, head bobbing and jerking.
"Hey, kid!" the hooligan called without preamble. "I noticed you coming from the store. I bet you have some change leftover, right? I bet you wouldn't mind sharing, right?"
When his target didn't answer, just carrying on with whatever he was doing, the horned delinquent frowned. Grabbing his cigarette, he flicked it angrily away before reaching forward to grab his mark's shoulder. "Hey! Hey! I'm talking to you, dammit! It's rude to ignore someone, right?"
The kid spun and the punk barely jerked his hand back in time to save his fingers from snapping jaws. Startled, the horned teen jumped back, lost his footing and fell on his butt. Above him, the kid in the green hoodie glared down at him with huge, blank white eyes and snarled with a mouth with way too many sharp teeth. A tail fin hung from one hand, all that remained of what was once a twenty kilogram fish.
"Get lost!" the little monster snarled.
The delinquent nodded rapidly in agreement and squeaked, "Right! You bet!" Then scrambled away, face white with terror.
Izuku walked into his apartment, placed his groceries away in the fridge, threw his used face mask away, went to the dining table, pulled out a chair and sat down. Then, placing his elbows on the wood, he sank his face down into his hands.
Though his body was still, his mind raced. He'd been willing to accept his strange episode in the kitchen as merely a lapse in judgement, caused by his fever. The strange behavior in the market, though? Not to mention the alley. He'd eaten that fish raw, bones and all, and if his receipt was to be believed, that was over twenty kilograms! What kind of illness causes such ridiculous hunger?
And he'd scared that guy with the horns. His memory was a little blurry, but did he try to bite him?!
No, this was not some flu. This was something else entirely. Hadn't that sludge villain from yesterday come up out of the sewer? Who knew what kind of freaky diseases-
Wait.
Wait.
What had that villain said?
"'Thanks for your meatsuit'," Izuku muttered to himself. As the full implications sunk in, his face slowly rose from his hands, wide eyed and pale. "Meatsuit?" he whispered.
"MEATSUIT!" he shouted, shoving away from the table. As he stood, he knocked his chair over with a clatter and stumbled over it. As he fell, his arm snapped up. A thick rope of black goo shot from his palm, stuck to the ceiling, yanked him up and withdrew back into his palm.
Izuku was left standing in the middle of his kitchen, staring blankly at the back of his outstretched hand. He turned his trembling hand, glanced at the palm, saw it was empty. Hands shaking, he slicked back his sweat soaked hair and clutched his head.
"I thought All Might got that villain?" he muttered to himself. "But I puked a bunch of slime after, so definitely not all of him. Could he regrow inside someone, like a parasite?"
PARASITE!?
Izuku jumped, then whirled around, looking for the origin of the voice. "Who said that!?"
There was no one there.
There was no one there, and that meant the voice he had heard came from… inside.
"I… have to call the police!" Izuku cried as he lunged for the wall-mounted phone.
NO!
Izuku's body froze, fingertips hovering millimeters over the plastic. He groaned and strained and pushed, but with all of his effort, he only just managed to touch the handset with the tip of a single finger.
"Why… can't… I… move…?"
He felt… something between his shoulder blades, and a long black tendril of writhing, rippling black goo pushed out of his back. It slowly curled around his body to hover in front of his face.
Two white splotches formed two alien eyes; lips split open and drew back, revealing rows of crooked needle teeth; an inhuman tongue spilled out of the maw to moisten the teeth with a monstrous hiss.
Izuku's eyes were wide and bloodshot as he stared at his literal nightmare come to life. And then it spoke.
"Midoriya Izuku," it growled, "I am Venom, and you are mine."
End of Chapter notes: Venom translated to Japanese is Dokueki, literally "Poison Liquid". Doku is "Poison". Deku. Doku. Whatever, I thought it was clever, so it stays.
Anyway, the only Marvel influence here are the Symbiotes. No other Marvel characters will appear. Also, I only picked the Ultimate Spider Man category because it was the only one that let me pick Venom as a unique character.
Hit me up on Discord, either DM or on the FFNet server.
ADeadMissionary#4037
Many thanks to amaranth for her beta work on this chapter.
P.S. YES, I am working on my other stories again, but the larger ones, especially Electric Eldritch Eidolon, are going to be down a while longer while they go through a rewrite. Be patient with me, I'm only just now finding time to write again.