Chapter 3 – The Hunt

'Peter?' his aunt's voice carries through the door, echoing round his head. 'Peter you aren't up yet? You need to be leaving for school in five minutes!'

'Not going,' he grumbles, burying into the covers, 'head hurts.'

'Still?' May opens the door and comes in, a worried frown on her face. 'This is the longest you've been sick in a couple of years, Pete.'

'It's a migraine, May,' he snaps, 'I just haven't had time to sleep it off because everyone keeps trying to check in on me and make more noise.'

Just learn to leave us alone.

'Do you want me to call Tony?' she asks, lowering her voice. 'Maybe there's something they have in the medical department at the facility that could help?'

'No May!' he snarls, 'I just want to sleep. Now please just leave me alone!'

He wants to go and wrap his arms around his aunt at the hurt expression on her face, wants to tell her he's sorry and he didn't mean what he said. But it feels like something is holding onto his voice, stopping him from saying anything else.

'Alright, I'll leave you alone. Just let me know if you need anything,' she closes the door softly behind her and leaves him to his darkened room.

I didn't mean it, May, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm getting so angry, he thinks, but can't say the words.

We don't need anyone else, that voice inside pipes up, we're better alone. No one to meddle.

His phone starts vibrating and Peter looks over, seeing Wade's name come up on the screen. A small smile creeps onto his face and he raises his arm to reach out and pick it up; only for him to pull it back, almost like a reflex. He blinks in surprise at his hand. What?

We don't need anyone else, Peter, the voice says again, only us. Anyone else is not necessary. Anyone else will hold us back.

Before he can reach out for his phone again it rings out and Peter feels tiredness creeping back up him; before he can stop himself he closes his eyes and falls back onto his pillow, letting sleep claim him.

The apartment is silent. Peter heard May leave earlier, the door clicking shut softly behind her.

Peter, the voice is back again and he resists the urge to hold his head in his hands, I am hungry. We should leave and find food. The thought of eating turns his stomach, and Peter swallows back on his gag reflex. I cannot be satisfied with the food you need. Put on your suit, we need to go somewhere else to find food for me.

'But I don't want to go anywhere,' he huffs. 'I just want to stay here, I don't feel so good.'

That's because I am hungry, the voice insists, if we do this you'll feel much better. Trust me. Get into your suit, we need to leave soon. You don't want me to die do you Peter?

'Of course not,' he sighs, begrudgingly throwing the covers off of himself and pushing himself to his feet he shuffles over to the closet where his suit is hanging and pulls it on.

'Peter are you alright?' Karen asks as he pulls the mask on. 'I'm not sure you should be going out. Your vitals are very strange.'

'I'm fine, Karen,' he sighs, 'just trust me alright?'

'I think I should notify Mr Stark.'

'No!' he shouts, surprising himself with the venom behind his reply. 'Sorry, Karen,' he shakes his head, 'I just don't want him to worry over nothing. The whole team have enough on their plate planning for Thanos' arrival without adding my migraine to their problems. I'll let you know if you need to get hold of him, though. I promise.'

'Alright, Peter,' Karen says, and if an AI could sound worried she would win the prize.

'I'm just going to go for a bit of fresh air, why don't you go into standby alright? I'll let you know if anything comes up,' he's not entirely sure where that idea came from, he's never put her in standby before, always preferring to have someone to talk to on patrol.

You have me to speak to now, Peter, the voice responds.

'Alright,' Karen responds to his instruction, 'let me know if you need anything or if you start to feel worse.'

'Will do,' he says, a small smile at the fact that even an AI that Tony makes cares so much about the person it's been made for.

Food, Peter, the voice insists again, I'm so hungry.

Moving almost without thinking, Peter opens his window and slips out, hurrying up the side of his building before swinging out across the city. As soon as he starts to move he feels a lot better, and all of his senses seem to focus in a way he's never known before.

This is what it feels like when we work together, Peter, the voice says, we can be so much more and be so much more powerful. I can help you focus your senses for their real purpose.

'What do you mean their real purpose?' he asks, finding a thrill in the new way he sees the city as he swings through it.

The purpose you've already started to find, the voice replies as he lands on a railing on a building and looks around, suddenly very aware of just how many people there are in New York city. The hunt.

Bending over Peter takes shuddering gasps, trying to bite back on the bile rising in his throat, mask held tightly in one hand.

'What the hell was that?' he demands shakily, arms hugging his stomach tightly as he fights back the images in his head.

Why did you ssstop usss? The voice demands, the 's' sounds now beginning to elongate in its rage. We are sso hungry, Peter!

'You wanted to eat-' he swallows, bile rising again at the thought. 'You wanted to eat that woman.'

Meat iss meat, the voice counters, you have no problem eating your ssteak. Why do you deny me my food?

'Because I don't eat people!' he snaps, the memory of craving the young woman's flesh still very close to the front of his mind. 'I mean what the hell? What even are you? Get out of my head!'

You can't get rid of me now, Peter, the voice snaps back, we are one you and I.

'I'm calling Tony,' he decides.

No! the voice growls, and he suddenly finds his hands don't want to obey him.

'What-'

'Baby Boy!' Peter turns at the familiar voice and feels a rush of relief at the red-clad mercenary approaching across the rooftops.

'Wade!' his shout is cut off, almost like someone is grabbing hold of his throat.

'What are you doing out here?' the man asks, coming to a stop in front of him. 'You're definitely supposed to be in school and last I heard you still weren't feeling well. Your headache gone?'

'Why don't you stop poking your nose in where it doesn't belong? I'm fine,' he snaps in response. What? Why did I say that? He thinks. No I need Wade to help me, what- dread fills him when he realises what's happening. No! Don't you dare talk to him! Don't speak to him. Give me back my voice!

Sssorry, Peter, the voice replies, but I need to make sssure that I sssurvive. This partnerssship is now at an end and we'll do what I ssssay.

'What the fuck, Pete?' Wade's mask's eyes widen. 'I'd think my partner not feeling well is definitely high on the list of things that are my business and so nose is poking. Now what the fuck is wrong with you?'

Peter tries to fight it, but the being inside of him continues to have control over his voice and, if he was in control, he knows his eyes would be filled with tears of frustration. Out from his mouth comes a bitter laugh, a sound Peter isn't even sure he would know how to make. 'You a partner for me? Is that really something you believed?'

'Wha-'

Stop, please, Peter pleads with the voice.

'Come on, Wade,' the way it says the man's name has Peter screaming, 'I can barely stomach it when you kill someone trying to defend me, and you still kill people for a living. Do you really think that's something I was going to continue to put up with? Not to mention every time I have to look at you with the mask off it's like the freak show turned up in town. And don't even get me started on your frankly debatable sanity, the personality that's more irritating than I can describe, not to mention obsessive. I mean you basically stalked me for months before I thought we could start this little game-'

'Game?'

'-honestly I was hoping you'd just get bored and move on, like a child getting tired of its newest toy. But apparently not. Apparently I actually have to spell it all out for you.'

'Baby Boy-'

'God enough with the annoying nicknames already! Can't you learn people's names? Just get the hell away from me, Deadpool.'

'This isn't you, Pete,' Wade says, eyes of his mask narrowing, 'what the fuck is going on?'

'This is me, Wade,' it spits back at him, and Peter just wants to cry. 'This is me telling you to get the hell away from me. In fact get the hell out of New York. I see you around here again I'll stick the Avengers on you. The Winter Soldier would just love to send you packing.'

'Baby Boy, what's happened?' he starts to move towards him and Peter can't describe how relieved he is that Wade knows there's something wrong.

'I told you to get away!' the voice snarls and, before Peter can even try and stop it, it sends Wade flying over the side of the building with a full-strength kick.

No! Wade!

Quiet, Peter, the voice hisses, you know he won't die. Or at leassst if he doessss he'll come back. Maybe now he'll ssstay out of our businessss.

Why are you doing this? Why would you hit him with full strength? Peter demands. He was worried about me!

He ssshouldn't be interfering.

Wade, Peter cries, feeling blackness creeping over his awareness. Oh god, Wade, please don't leave me, please don't give up on me. I need you, Wade, I need your help.

You don't need anyone but me, Peter, the voice insists, as Peter begins to lose more and more awareness, struggling to keep seeing with his own eyes.

Wade, please, he begs before he slips out of consciousness.

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed the double update this week. Please don't kill me for what I did to Wade.

Please do let me know what you think about where this story is going, I think everyone has worked out that it's Venom who is taking over Peter and I'm doing a very free-form version of him to fit in with the plans I have for the series. I do love reading your reviews and I've had so many ideas for future instalments from requests I've had from all of you so please please do review and let me know what you think and what you'd potentially like to see from either characters or stories. Or if there are any other characters you'd like to see turn up!

Love as always,

L x

As always here's your sneak peek:

. FRIDAY interrupts their discussion. 'Boss? Wade Wilson has just arrived and wants to speak to you.'

'Wade's here?' Tony frowns. 'Tell him we'll meet him in the common area, FRIDAY.'

'Sure thing, boss,' the AI replies, and Loki is still trying to get used to it.

'Come on, team, look alive,' Tony claps his hands and climbs to his feet, 'let's go see what our favourite mercenary wants.'

'Favourite is a bit of a stretch,' Barnes mutters as they all climb to their feet.