Eddie noticed things changed after the fire incident. Some things made him happier like the fact Venom was being more affectionate to him. In his own way, of course. He would materialize more to interact with him, touch him in a playful way with his amorphous shape and he complimented him, not one, not two, but three times one the past days. They had this strict policy of mocking each other and deprecating humor going for so long that this was a huge change. Having Venom say something with direct intentions of flattering him was indeed a thing Eddie didn't expect but that he would love getting used to.
Still, with their symbiosis giving room to faster heartbeats and some blushes, Eddie couldn't avoid being concerned about him. Venom was having some dreams that made them wake up with a lonely feeling. In the last one, Venom was in space and every planet he reached was dead. There was no life, no animals, plants, it was just nothingness, didn't matter where he went. And everything became dust as soon as he left the planet for a new search. Venom would turn back and observe the dust spread across the surroundings.
On his lunch hour, Eddie got a table at a simple Italian restaurant they would always go on Wednesdays. He chose one in the corner, where the few customers won't hear them. After ordering the dish of the day, he got his phone and opened their conversation.
"V, I want to talk to you about some things" Eddie texted
"What things?" Venom said on his mind, although Eddie wasn't sure if it sounded out loud
Eddie got his earphones that had a microphone and put them on, pretending he was on a call with someone.
"Can we talk about this dream you had last night? We're still gloomy from it" Eddie said in a low tone, but not whispering. "You can be very honest, just say whatever you need to" he continued
"Ok" Venom answered simply
Silence.
"Uh… aren't you going to say something?" Eddie asked slowly and carefully after a moment
"What do you want to know?"
"Maybe what it meant to you? And why we woke up with his… emptiness?" Eddie suggested
Eddie sat a bit back on his chair to make Venom more comfortable. He didn't want to sound demanding.
"My kind always destroys things, Eddie. One day we will have killed everything there is out there. I don't want to be like that"
Venom's words were unexpectedly deep, Eddie never imagined Venom had this kind of consciousness about his own species.
"You helped me save the Earth, V. You are not like that at all" Eddie answered
"But I caused you pain. And discomfort. I still do" Venom answered in a rather sad way this time
This was a bit more touchy. Eddie was still struggling with the perception of his body. The bad days were less often, but they were still as bad as they have always been.
"It's not your fault" Eddie said as the waitress brought their two dishes of the day
"It is. You wouldn't have that if I weren't here" Venom said bluntly
Eddie breathed in deeply and sighed but Venom continued before he could say anything.
"I put you in danger, you wouldn't be in a risky place like the fire if it weren't for me as well"
There was a heaviness to what Venom was saying. Now the dream they had made more sense, maybe Venom was afraid to destroy things that were in touch with him. Eddie never really considered that killing his previous hosts due to lack of compatibility was something the alien even cared about.
"Look, I'm... sick, ok? I was depressed and a real mess when you found me and here I am, able to lift cars with my hands and do amazing things with you… but I'm still sick. It is not your fault I'm this way. In fact, I got a lot better after you showed up. I never thought I would be this happy again" Eddie said before he began eating, they were really hungry
"Do you mean it? I don't want to make you suffer"
"I mean every word. My life is better with you, don't get upset about it, we'll figure this out eventually" Eddie said while he ate in a more distracted way now
They ate their first dish in silence after that conversation. The place had this really good tomato sauce, it was worth it every time and Venom was enjoying the food as well. When they were starting the second dish, Eddie questioned why Venom was suddenly so quiet.
"I have something else to say. Talking about feelings is a good human practice, Eddie. I understand it now"
Eddie smiled looking down, Venom had this brutally uncomplicated way to see things sometimes. And it made sense on most occasions.
"Go ahead, I'm all ears" The human answered playing with the corner of the table cloth
"I'm homesick" Venom stated
Eddie stopped touching that old read and white fabric instantly.
"Homesick? I thought you guys were always changing the planet" He said taking the last sip of their drink
"I miss Space, Eddie"
Ok, now this was more complicated than eating three meals in a row and instructing Venom he couldn't eat people's pets as they walked on the streets. His so-called home was Space, there, up high. How could they remotely solve that?
"What do you miss about it? Do you miss anyone, you know, from your past?" Eddie asked truly interested to know more about Venom, realizing he never asked about it
"I don't know… I miss the silence, how it feels to float. The stars. I miss that glow they have. But I didn't have any friends there. Nobody misses me"
Eddie felt some melancholy reaching his heart with that last sentence. He also knew how that felt. If there was one thing that made his life unbearable when he was depressed was the feeling of being forsaken. That desolating thought that the world would be better of without him.
"I would miss you a lot if you weren't here" Eddie said in a soft way.
"I don't like to think about it" Venom answered
Eddie thought for a while and decided maybe this was a good moment to ask Venom if he was ok since the fire incident. It would be awkward since they didn't really mention it again ever since.
"V…I've noticed you've been different since that day we helped people on the fire. Not that I don't like it or anything, I actually do… I just… want to know if you're ok. You seemed really upset that night. I've never seen you like that before" Eddie tried saying without stumbling on his thoughts
"You could have died, Eddie. It scared me… When I saw you jumping in the middle of the flames I thought I would lose you... I don't want to be without you"
"Oh… Hand, please" The human said quickly
Eddie put his left hand over his thigh and watched it be covered by Vemon's form. The human caressed the dark fingers in a meaningful way, feeling his chest getting warmer and smiling on the corner of his mouth. It was such a beautiful, fulfilling thing to have his partner say how much he wanted him.
"V… do you feel this?" Eddie asked while involving Venom's hand with both his hands
"Yes…" Venom answered, paying more attention to it and letting it resonate on his core as well. "How is this called, Eddie?"
The human smiled and looked up, blinking heavily. Maybe this was the right moment.
"Love, Venom… It's called love"
They stayed silent for a moment, enjoying each other's company, never letting go in their crossed fingers.
"Eddie, can we go inside the restroom?" Venom asked in a light-hearted manner
Eddie left the money to pay for the lunch over the table and went inside the bathroom. As soon as he locked the door behind him, Venom materialized his upper part in front of him. The alien had such a light aura coming from him and his huge eyes were very expressive. He looked deep into Eddie's eyes and stayed silent while doing so. When he realized Eddie didn't quite understand what this was all about, he spoke.
"I love you too, Eddie. I just wanted to look at you say it out loud" Venom said while touching Eddie's face as he got closer
"Oh, you…"
Eddie was starting to get nervous since Venom didn't say he loved him back at the same moment. He wasn't sure Venom understood the concept of love or if he was even capable of it. Hearing the words coming from him changed everything, it made his own feelings even more intense.
They kissed. And it almost felt as if it was the first time. There were no second intentions involved, no teasing or trying to establish control. It was only affection and a need to show the other how intensely they loved. Venom had his long fingers all over Eddie's hair and he took another look at him after kissing. Eddie seemed to have his head in the clouds and Venom was aware his own expression wasn't too different.
"How about I take the hottest alien in town on a date tonight?" Eddie teased
"You know, Eddie, to me… you're the alien" Venom answered shrugging to tease him back
"Ok… you're not wrong. Still, what do you say?" He insisted, knowing the answer already
"Sounds fun. Where are you taking us?" Venom asked returning to their symbiosis
"Don't worry V, I'm sure you have clothes for that"
On their way back to work, Eddie started thinking about what they could do during the night. They had been out to eat and do fun things so many times, making this one something special would be a challenge. And yet, if they just decided to stay inside and have a beer, it would certainly be romantic enough for them. Eddie was only certain that the plans had to include ice cream, Venom was craving it since they passed by a pretty gelato place two days ago.
