Author's Note: So. Uh. Guess who's back? It's obviously been more than a hot minute. I've had HUGE writer's block. Like, I literally wrote nothing for... five months? And before that I was on-and-off RPing with a friend. No fanfic of any sorts, which is sad to think of.

Then Tom Hardy's Venom came along. I was obsessed with it when it came out. And then, of course, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was released and I watched it twice in the theatres because I could. [And I'm set to watch it a third time tomorrow LOL.] Suffice to say, brain juices are a'flowin' & I figured I should enjoy it while it lasts. As posted on my profile, though, I'm also working on re-editing/posting for my Supernatural & Sherlock fanfic [even if they do say "Indefinite Haitus" on them].

Anywho, this particular story takes place in Venom: Let There Be Carnage & I am doing my best to avoid major spoilers, but just in case you don't want to ruin the movie for yourself in any way, skip this story until you've watched the movie. ALSO, this is my first attempt at writing a non-binary OC! This comes from the fact that a.) quarantine allowed me plenty of time to question my own gender/sexuality & discover I am, in fact, non-binary/omnisexual & b.) I don't think I've ever seen any story with a non-binary character on here? Or any queer characters outside of gay/bi/lesbian characters. So, this is my attempt to remedy that! (: Now, onwards!

To avoid any hassle or being called out, this will be a disclaimer for this whole story: I do not own any of the movie's characters and deviations from the story line/characters (if any) are my own invention. I do not make any monetary gain from this, as this is purely for my own amusement (and hopefully, yours).

A glance at the watch was unnecessary. Judging the lofty position of the moon in the sky was enough to show it was far too late to be out, once again. With a sigh, Metztli Vives – better known as Metz – rooted around their purse to locate their keys while walking down the sidewalk. All the parking spots close to their building were invaded due to a very visible party taking place on the first floor when they first rounded the block.

Three months.

That was the length of time they'd been in San Francisco, and already Metz regretted their decision. They'd dreamt of two things all their life – teaching and living in California. The first was everything Metz had ever imagined, even when it was a bit overwhelming. The latter… Well.

Glancing up at the building coming up before them, Metz eyes scanned the tall, dilapidated structure, the flashing lights and the pounding music coming from the first floor seeming to shake the complex itself. The whole block – hell, the entire neighborhood – was deteriorated buildings crowding together, dim and flickering street posts washing out the streets in a dirty yellow light. This certainly wasn't the type of place they imagined they'd end up living in, but once again, they're impulsive, reckless nature had gotten the best of them.

Raucous laughter caused Metz to jump and a second glance over their shoulder showed a gaggle of people coming straight towards them without regard for their position. An exasperated sigh escaped as Metz barely managed to sidestep into the alley right as the group squealed and quickened their own steps to greet the other party goers hanging outside the front door of the building with loud kisses and hugs.

The inability to locate the keys to Metz's apartment turned annoying and they sidestepped again into some stray light from the building as they dug further into the purse, eyes on it as they muttered to themselves. Distracted, they missed the shadowed figured approaching and theyjumped when a pair of hands snatched at the purse, clamping it shut in the process.

"Hey!" Metz blurted out, surprised yet still clinging to the purse.

Any normal person would've let the attacker take it, common sense guiding them to give up material items in lieu of keeping their life intact. But Metz's purse contained their first and much needed paycheck from their side job as a waitress. The need to keep food on the table was as much a priority as staying alive and Metz's grip tightened on the strap. "Just drop it, lady!" the gruff voice said. It sounded young, though, and Metz gritted their teeth.

"Fuck no!" Metz shot back, yanking roughly on the strap now. "And I'm not a lady!" The reply caused a momentary slack in the thief's hold, his expression confused, before his grip tightened. Before the struggle could resume, though, Metz found both the purse and the assailant suddenly jerked back by an invisible hand, leaving only an empty space before them.

Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger! Every nerve lit up with alarms, warning Metz to forget the purse and the thief and the money and pretend this wasn't happening and never happened, period.

Instead, Metz looked up.

Standing some feet away was a behemoth of a somewhat human shape. The light from the windows around them glinted off the form and Metz's eyes widened whilst taking in the sight of what they were one hundred percent sure was some ebony monster holding the thief upside down. They could see the thieving man's face now, twisted in terror as he held the purse out like some warding talisman, shrieking all the while. The thing was speaking, but the sound meant nothing to Metz's ears as items started to fall out of their open purse.

Eddie couldn't see the person Venom came to "rescue", but the eerie silence behind them made him assume they had skedaddled the moment the symbiote came into view. That was good, seeing how he had much bigger fish to fry now. He didn't need to add 'traumatizing civilians' to his list of regrets. "Put him down, now!"

"We need sustenance! This is a bad guy! It is a win-win!"

"You know the deal! My body, my rules! You are not eating him!"

The argument continued as Metz blankly stared at the contents of their purse fanned out around the creature. Of course there was the urge to run, to escape whatever fucked up nightmare or hallucination or what have you was transpiring at this very moment. Except, the bite of the air on their flushed skin, the thief's screams growing hoarse, the way the thing cast a shadow… If there was even a chance this was real, could they really escape its clutches if they tried to flee?

With this, Metz's eyes went back to the thing and the creature opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth and a elongated, salivating tongue. Dream or not, Metz snapped into action at the oncoming possibility. A quick scan allowed them to catch sight of the rolling air horn slowing down to a stop next to them and they snatched it up, pointing it at the monster. "Hey! Hey, drop him!" Metz screamed, their hand shaking but aiming at the being still. When it turned to them, Metz's heart dropped to their feet and their finger flinched on the button. Its stare dragged back memories they wished would just stay down, but if nothing else, those flashes of the past solidified their resolve. "If anyone should be biting his head off, it should be me," they added, wincing at the choice of words. Metz and their big mouth.

There was a beat before the thing dropped the man, its shoulders shaking and its hands on its hips as a thundering yet astonishingly genuine cackle escaped its mouth. The thief didn't hesitate to take the sudden freedom, forgetting the purse and its items and speeding off deep into the alleyway, out of sight. "Well," a muffled voice came when the sound of laughter died out. "That's a first."

"Is… is this a joke? Some sort of costume?" Metz asked, once more eyeing their purse and the belongings scattered on the ground around the monster. Just to the right of the monster's foot was the familiar blue envelope and Metz gritted their teeth. "You know what? I don't care. Your business is your business. I just want my shit. So, how about you back up so I can get them, then I'm out of your hair. Well, metaphorically speaking," they added when they noticed the smooth scalp. "One misstep, though, and you'll be hearing nothing but jingle bells. I'm not afraid to use this thing, alright?"

"You are not scared?" This voice was altogether different from the muffled one, though it came from the same thing standing before Metz. There was a hint of disbelief in the words as it stood in the same spot still. Metz was scared plenty, scared out of their wits if their decision to confront this thing was any evidence. It seemed the best course of action, though, was to deflect.

"Buddy, I've had a long, long day. The last thing I care about is some dude in a costume playing vigilante. Granted, you really did help me out there, Hannibal vibes aside," Metz acknowledged begrudgingly. "But, all I really want is to go home and sleep." The thing – person? – tilted its head as that muffled voice came again, too quietly for Metz to make out what it said, and then it looked down at the ground. Metz stiffened and took a step towards it, pressure now building on the air horn button. "Hey, hey! That's mine! Just fucking –"

Before Metz could continue, what looked like tentacles shot out from the thing's arms that grabbed all the items around it, along with the purse. It pushed all the belongings into the purse as Metz watched with mouth agape and it turned towards her again, holding out the purse. "Here." The voice was clear, deep, but with noticeable bestial gravel to it.

A minute stretched out, the thing holding out the purse and Metz's eyes flickering between the purse and the thing's face. "How about you place it right there on the floor," Metz said after gaining control of their tongue, the words vibrating from the tremble in their muscles. The grip on the air horn tightened and they added pressure to the button, just in case. "And you leave? No offense, but I literally just got mugged. And while I'm somewhat grateful with your interference, I'm not ready to just dally right up there to another stranger who threatened cannibalism just a minute ago."

"We are the good guys," the thing said in an offended tone.

"You're not exactly the poster boy of heroes, buddy," Eddie said quietly, keeping that between him and the symbiote. "Just do it."

Whatever the thing was muttering to itself, Metz couldn't make it out. A sense of relief flooded them, though, as the creature lowered the purse to the floor. "Fine. We will leave. But just know that I am a good guy."

The thing turned away without waiting for a reply and shot out a tentacle towards the top of the building, pulling itself into the air. Metz's eyes widened, jaw once more slack as they watched the thing meld into the night sky and disappear. Metz scurried to grab their purse a minute after and dashed out of the alley, carelessly shoving people aside to get into their building. When they were in the relative safety of their apartment with the multiple locks secured at the door, Metz pressed their back to the wall and slid down to the ground, clutching the purse to their chest.

Once they got their fingers to stop trembling, Metz opened the purse and studied the contents carefully, a deep exhale of relief escaping at the sight of the blue envelope, still sealed. With that verified, Metz let their head fall back onto the door. "Fuck the deposit. I need a new place."