#symbiote!reader

Pairing: Shang-chi x symbiote!reader

Word Count: 2145

You were just starting to repair the damages of a recuperating career and then the Blip happened. You were dusted away for five years and appeared back into your shitty apartment – your old shitty apartment that was occupied by someone else – and were left with nothing. Your clothing and furniture were all thrown away and your renewed show was trashed because everyone still alive was trying to cope with the loss of loved ones.

To those that stayed, you were considered lucky. Is it lucky to have nothing to come back to? The banks refused to help and getting any loans needed minimum of five years of income. Obviously that’s impossible as you were dusted for all five of those years making the institution useless. No one was willing to hire either as you were often overqualified or lacked any recent experience in the workforce.

Unlike some of the others who also disappeared, you didn’t have a family to help you adapt to the new culture that flourished whilst you were gone. There was still a semblance of the old but you were on your own.

Waiting was the worst. The United Nations were scrambling to provide provisions, documents, and other essentials for those who came back. It was a real shit show and at times, made you wish you never came back.

You had to worry about scavenging enough food for Venom or else it’s your organs that’ll be on the menu and you want your organs to remain intact and uneaten. You also don’t want to watch Venom bite someone’s head off again. You had to work fast as Venom was most likely going to starve and the government wasn’t working fast enough.

You heard murmurs of an underground tournament that pays very well for winning contestants. You weren’t a stranger of questionably immoral activities. You and Venom needed this. It was a saving grace in the waiting game of darkness. The United Nations were behind on provisions and housings, and you couldn’t wait for the miracle of them hurrying along the process.

So you left. The world didn’t need to know you were back, undusted and alive. It had moved on without you and there was no point in sticking around. The world would believe you were the unlucky ones to be at the wrong place during the Snap.

The world would get to learn of the existence of Venom, see the both of you as more than a blurry black figure from security cameras. See the two of you reappear after your hiatus. Your reappearance will be on that podium, hundred of eyes on you, seeing you, and cheering for you. 

You had arrived to your brand new start. A new beginning to the end of a shitty chapter. “Welcome to the Golden Daggers Club! We’re a multi-platform global operation. Every fight live streamed on the dark web. Thousands of viewers placing bets as we speak.” The ringmaster, Jon Jon, explained as he handed you the sign up sheet. You read carefully, not wanting to be screwed over in the end, and when you deemed everything acceptable you signed on. It was fast and easy. Pen on paper and suddenly a new door opened.

There must’ve been hundreds of people in the unfinished building. Small cells, containing smaller fights, lead up to the giant podium where the grander fights and higher betting stakes take place. Within the club, you had to earn your place. Starting in those small cells and work your way up to become a favorite.

Your first opponent was no one memorable. They were enhanced to some degree but nothing remotely close to be able to take the two of you down. It was almost too easy but Venom adored the attention they’d garnered. On the other side of the cell were many onlookers, wanting to see more of the alien creature. It was itching more for fights, more advanced opponents, and scoring chocolate money. The club loved Venom. The fame and attention caught the curiosity of the club’s founder. 

Xu Xialing was cold, complex, and a fighter. Her coldness was strictly targeted to men but once she saw the person beneath Venom, she’d lighten up around the two of you. You became her friend. You’d learn bits and pieces of her past while you shared yours. She’d given you a chance to start anew even if she didn’t know it. You felt like you owed her for providing a way to provide for Venom in a way your old job couldn’t. You and Venom took it upon yourselves to take out the trash, people who were trying to shut her operation down. The club meant so much to people and you didn’t want anyone to shit on the empire she’d built. 

It was a night like any other. Bets were placed and the money just kept coming. The bar was filled as always and Venom was itching for its turn. “Take it easy on the chocolates, it’s about to be your turn.” You were currently watching the fight between Abomination, who was broken out of prison by his opponent, and the current Sorcerer Supreme, Wong. Wong seemed overwhelmed at first but managed to get Abomination to punch themselves. 

“I’ve worked up an appetite.” Venom grunted as they bit the whole chocolate bar in its entirety. You could feel it buzzing with excitement. 

Wong had won his fight and you were walking towards the main stage. “Doing what, sitting?” You replied as Venom’s pitch black skin covered you fully. Your thin arms concealed by its large muscles and build. No one in the crowd would ever guess who was underneath its skin.

The name of your opponent was called Flux. You had seen his fights before, seen him climb up ranks. You nor Venom were worried though. You’d let Venom take full control as it was its moment not yours. Venom tore onto the stage, hyping up the crowd, and waited for the fight to begin. The lights, the cheers, and the overwhelming anticipation riddled your being. It was exhilarating and you couldn’t wait for Venom to have the time of its life.

Flux wasn’t overpowered by much. Having superhuman strength, stamina and durability assists in keeping up with you and Venom. You’d been lucky no one has caught on to your weaknesses. As Venom controlled your body, you thought about how different your life had become and how thankful you were for being the right match for Venom. Feeling the immense happiness originating from it makes you happy. You knew Venom felt miserable hidden within your body, not allowed to stretch till night fell. Here in the club, it didn’t matter. Almost every fighter had some enhancement that made them different from everyone else. Had skills most didn’t possess.

Once the fight was over, the club’s staff members dragged Flux away towards the locker room. Venom, after celebrating its win with the crowd, followed afterwards. A giant teeth-filled grin dwelled on its face until its skin disappeared into your body.

You opened your designated locker and pulled out a box of chocolates and a 12 pack of diet soda. Opening them one by one you feed Venom by placing them into its mouth and congratulating them on its win while you consume the diet soda. In moments like these Venom resembled a puppy. Craved for your attention and wanted to feel loved. 

You’d notice Jon Jon speaking to someone you’d only seen on your phone. The Bus Boy video that’s been dominating the internet. Venom had dismissed the guy as he wasn’t anything special except for maybe his delicious brain but you didn’t want to find out.

“[Reader], Venom,” Jon Jon yelled, “the boss wants to talk!” The guy next to him watched curiously at the Venom head appearing out of your side.

“If anyone steals even one chocolate or soda, I’ll bite your head off and feast on your organs.” Venom made sure to show off its teeth to the remaining contenders before going to Xialing’s office. You sat down on a chair waiting for her to arrive. Jon Jon left the dubbed Bus Boy in her office as well. He stayed standing, not knowing what to do. He was nervous, that was evident, and a bit awkward.

“Do you know who we are supposed to meet?” He didn’t know how to talk to you or Venom. If he were being honest, Venom kinda scared him. The threats given did not help at all. “I need to find my sister. Do you know her, Xu Xialing?” You noticed he kept a white tissue around his nostrils. The metallic smell of blood allowed you to know the reason why.

You stayed quiet not knowing the reason as to why he was asking. Knowing he was in her workplace, she’ll show herself eventually.

She walked in, taking her place behind her laptop.

“You run this place?” He talked in Mandarin. 

“I own it.” She replied back. 

Another woman was let in by Jon Jon, counting the stack of cash as she walked into the room. She was adorable when she was caught red handed. Having bet against the man, her friend apparently. “Did you bet against me?”

“No.” She lied. “I bet on that Venom dude earlier.” In an attempt to change the subject, she turned the attention on you and Xialing, “Hi Xialing and stranger. I’m Katy. You’re, like, such a badass. Everything that you do is, like, so cool. That was really cool.” She walked towards one of the seats next to her friend, which you still did not have a name for.

“This is [Reader].” Xialing replied, “The Venom dude from earlier.”

Katy gasped excitedly, “No way! I thought Venom had more muscles. Love the costume by the way. What fabric do you use?” She shook your hand frantically and laughed, “Your fight was so amazing. You made me a lot of money.”

You had never integrated with someone who had so much shameless confidence. She had seen you and Venom fight and she was treating you like a hero. Most run away at the sight of the two of you. It was a nice change of scenery. “Alien, I guess? Venom come out and say ‘hello’ to a fellow fan.”

“A fan…” He muttered as he moved his head towards her, “So unafraid, so courageous. You shall not be eaten.”

She chuckled nervously, “Thank you.”

“I like your pants.” Xialing turned the conversation towards herself.

Katy blushed, “Thank you. Thanks. Yeah.” She was obviously flattered by the compliment as she smoothed out her yellow pants.

“What do you want?” The coldness of Xialing's voice appeared suddenly. A certain sharpness you had never heard, finally making its existence known.

“The Ten Rings ambushed us in San Francisco.” San Francisco was the place where you once lived. The tomb of the life you once had. 

“I saw the video.” Everyone had seen the video. It became a viral phenomenon which was rare as it raced against hero and alien sightings, and meet and greets with international heroes.

“They took my pendant. They’re gonna come for yours next.” You had learned about the pendant Xialing never took off as it was a gift from her mother. To learn he shared the same or similar pendant must mean only one thing. “I don’t know what he wants with them, but we both know it can’t be good.”

“You know what he said to me when he left?” You heard this story only once. It was a painful memory of abandonment and the loss of a sibling. Not in death, but in spirit. Lost of hope while living in the fragments of an once happy family. “‘I’ll be back in three days.’ And after three days, I went to our mom’s shrine and waited. Three days turned into a week, a week turned to a month, and a month turned to six years. That’s how long it took me to realize I didn’t need him any more. I built this place on my own. I didn’t need you then, and I don’t need you now.”

“I volunteer to eat him.” Venom liked Xialing. She snuck chocolates to it and was the first person, who wasn’t [Reader], to not be afraid of it. She gave you and it a home. “I’ll make it painful.” He licked his lips to scare Xialing’s brother even more.

Xialing smiled at Venom. It was the thought that counted and Venom meant well. He inched away from you and asked, “Then why would you send me the postcard?”

“What postcard?”

He got up from his seat and reached into his pockets. He slowly walked towards her before handing it to her.

“I didn’t send you this.” After she spoke those words, everything went to shit.

🕸Peter being a little scared by your symbiote at first, but then feeling more comfortable when they were being really affectionate towards him.

🕸Peter having lots of questions for you.

"Whoa, this is so creepy and cool, like, are you like an alien?!"

"ALIEN? IS HE OUT OF HIS MIND?"

"No, Peter... this is just (symbiote name). They won't hurt you."

🕸Peter wondering if you can breathe in there when your symbiote takes control.

🕸Peter not knowing if you're talking to him or your symbiote because you talk out loud when you're talking to them.

🕸Your symbiote being way more protective than Peter than you are of him.

🕸You being happy when Peter and your symbiote get along, but then get jealous when they spend more time with Peter and leave you out.

🕸You and your symbiote sometimes aguring over Peter on who can spend time with him, only for him to interrupt and say he doesn't mind hanging out with you both.

🕸Peter hugging your symbiote and then comment on how it's kind of a weird hug because of how 'sticky' their skin feels.

🕸You and your symbiote talking about how cute Peter is only for him to hear you both from another room but blush and not say anything about it.

🕸You and especially your symbiote being easily jealous.

"WHO IS THAT, SMILING WITH PETER, Y/N?"

You huffed and crossed your arms. "Hmph. Another one of his friends, I guess."

"CAN WE EAT THE-"

"Do you want Peter to hate us or something?"

🕸Peter definitely recognizing your symbiote's triggers (car alarm cough).

🕸Peter being able to calm your symbiote down if they ever go crazy to a point where you can't control them.

🕸Peter making a bunch of alien references when your symbiote ends up eating someone and questions if you can taste it, too (that's gross lmao).

🕸Peter being extremely worried when you would get hurt only to be freaked out when your symbiote fixes it, and asks does it still hurt.

🕸Peter literally mistaking shadows as your symbiote so they may accidentally scare him if they appear behind him.

W/C: 730

Rating: G

TW: None

A/N: First of all, no apologies necessary, except maybe on my part because this prompt is like two years old and I don’t think ANY of has been in the Platonic Family Discord in about the same time length, as well. Also, I took a crash course in Symbiotes on Quora to write this, so I hope it’s Accurate because I know nothing about them aside from having seen Venom a handful of times, and Spider-Man 3 maybe twice literal decades ago. But I hope you enjoy this~

Your particular skillwas not something that could casually come up in conversation.

It wasn’t that you were ashamed that you had a Symbiote. Notat all. In some ways, it was almost comforting. Like a warm hug that never leftyou. A constant friend that was always at your side, figuratively and literally. You were never alone.

But for all the goodparts of having a Symbiote, there were also some… less than thrilling sideeffects. Sometimes you felt like you were a different person due to the literalalien creature tethered to your body. There was a negative stigma surroundingthe very idea of bonding with a Symbiote after everything that had happened inSan Francisco. You were never alone.

for @soulacce

i reallyyyy wish this were better but i really do not know much about symbiotes and i tried my best to do my research and write at least a tiny bit of action! it took a really long time for me to actually get to writing this but i hope it’s lovely.

     You weren’t sure how Tony Stark found you, but you couldn’t say you were entirely surprised. You had tried to live a normal life following the recent events. But you had gotten used to it, and realized that it wasn’t entirely a curse. A voice, and not the prettiest one, inside your head at all times, that could get to be a bit of a damper. But you had adjusted to it, and found that sometimes this little voice inside your head - who called herself Yeti - could be useful. And maybe you had put your skills to the test a little more than you should have, but that mostly Yeti’s decision - all heroic things of course, but nothing associated with the Avengers.

     Still, when Tony Stark found you, you couldn’t help but feel a little bit accomplished. After all, so much talk went around about the Avengers, especially billionaire Tony Stark. So what in the hell did he want from you, a struggling college student who had bigger problems than student loans?

| | |

     Who is this? Yeti’s banshee-like voice pounded in the back of your head, making your hand fly subconsciously to the throbbing spot.

     “You know who this is, don’t play stupid,” you muttered in response, gaining a look over the shoulder from Tony, who looked like he was scaling your dorm room.

     According to Mr. Stark, no one else knew he was here and no one else could know he was here. He raised his brows at you, understanding your situation but still trying to grasp how it worked entirely.

     “So… explain this to me again? Your little… friend?” Tony played with your lava lamp, passing it from one hand to the other as he stared you down.

I don’t like how he’s looking at me. And we are not friends.

     “He’s not looking at you. He’s looking at me,” you griped, annoyed and now pulling at the back of your hair, a habit you had gotten into when you felt Yeti seeping through you, itching to get out.

He’s looking at us.

     “You gonna keep talking to yourself, or are you going to explain this to me? I need to know how you… this… it- works. Before I let you onto the team,” Tony folded his arms and furrowed his brows at you, and you breathed in deeply.

     “Mr. Stark, it’s not easy to explain, I-”

     “Listen, YN. I need… assistance. And I think you can help me. A lot of things aren’t easy to explain… try me.”

| | |

     Fighting in combat wasn’t really your style, but Yeti had no problem with it. Tony Stark had provided you with lots of guns and weapons that you would have no idea how to use if it weren’t for the voice in the back of your head. So far, you had managed to keep Yeti in her place, but she was itching to get out, you could tell. This was one of the times she chose to spare you, because she knew this was important and she knew she couldn’t just come out of nowhere and lose control. Otherwise, things might go terribly awry.

     Tony Stark needed you, and you were going to do your job.

     You were strolling briskly around the airport with another protege of Stark’s - Peter Parker, or Spiderman, as he liked to be called. He was some genius kid from Queens and Tony had put him under your watch for this, so you were in charge of him. If anything, Yeti could not come out right now, not when you had him to take care of.

     “So, you’re like, an alien, right?” Peter asked, sounding genuinely curious.

     I could kill this kid right now.

     “Listen, I really don’t have time for-”

     “So, if I poke you like this, will you turn into-” Peter suddenly poked you in the neck, and you couldn’t control Yeti’s reaction this time. Your eyes went black and small, your voice suddenly dropped to a low growl as you warned him,

     “Don’t.”

     Yeti quickly retracted and you scratched hard at your neck, stretching it out.

     “Sorry,” Peter quickly apologized.

     You kept walking, but it seemed oddly quiet. Too quiet. The hairs on the back of your neck were sticking up, and you could feel your heartbeat quicken - Yeti was trying to warn you, but you were so focused on the oddly loud silence that you shut her out. Suddenly, you were hearing a frantic voice in your earpiece, belonging to War Machine,

     “Tiny guy is en route to you, he’s not gonna be tiny for too long, watch out.”

     “What?” you muttered to yourself, looking around for any sign of who you figured was Antman. Peter paused, searching the area for him. Then suddenly, a loud whirring sound, and you were brought back to life, aware of the giant suited man looming over you and Peter.

     You never listen to me! Yeti howled into your ear, and it was inevitable now, the bubbling of your skin as she seeped through you, black tendrils coating your face and traveling down the rest of your body, rendering you to her command. You could feel her talons growing out of your own nails and the goo coating your entire body. You grew ten times your size in height, almost as big as Antman.

     “We are Yeti,” your voice came out in that same high-pitched screech with growling undertones.

     “Oh, what the-” Ant-Man’s voice was cut off as you swiped him to the side, making him fall to the ground with a loud crash, knocking into the planes and buildings surrounding him, and nearly crushing the other Avengers on the ground near him.

     “YN, what are you doing, you almost killed Romanoff!” you heard Tony’s enraged voice in your ear, but Yeti just licked her lips with her long, purple tongue, smiling a jagged-toothed smile down at the ground as she wreaked havoc.

     You tried to get a word in, to tell her that you weren’t here to attack recklessly, that you had a job to carry out and that you couldn’t hurt the people on your team. But she was too enthralled by the sight of the Avengers either trying to escape you or looking up at you, contemplating how to defeat you. Yeti shot out a stream of ice from her talons that took the form of a gigantic and sharp icicle, zooming down towards Hawkeye.

     “Awesome!” Peter gaped, staring up at you as well.

Yeti, stop it, we have a job to do. You could feel yourself coming to, but you knew that even if she did retract, it would be a messy scene.

‘I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing, stop doubting me.

     “You’re not!” your real voice faltered through the cracks for a minute and you found yourself recentering your targets to be on those you could see who were on Roger’s team, aiming for them instead. But your vision faltered, and you could feel Yeti beginning to retract, at that stage in between where you and her were fighting for dominance.

        “Oh fuck, look what you did!”

     This didn’t happen often - you getting almost stuck between your regular form and Yeti’s form, but when it did, you lost sight and all control. All you could see before you hit the ground was both members of your team and your opponents struggling on the ground before you, all from being knocked down by Yeti. And now, you too had been knocked down by Yeti.

| | |

When you woke up, your vision was still blurred. You blinked a few times and it cleared up.

Finally!

     “Shut up,” you urged, pulling at the back of your hair. You felt weak, and what had happened was coming back to you. You were in some type of infirmary, and you were greeted by Tony Stark’s face, slightly smiling.

You sat up immediately.

      “How long has it been? Is it over? Did- did we win?”

Tony sighed long and hard,

     “Yup, it’s over.”

You didn’t quite know what to say, but you frowned slightly, confused,

     “So…”

     “It’s been a week,” Tony replied, answering the question you didn’t want to ask again. You raised your brows and sat up even more, taken aback by his response. This had never happened before. “I’m just glad you woke up.”

You started to stammer, tripping over yourself in attempts to apologize,

     “Tony, I’m - I’m so sorry, I didn’t wanna let you down, I… I thought I had this under control, I-”

     “YN. Stop. You did a good job. You fought. You got a little crazy, but you did what you had to do for the most part. You’re fine.”

You sat back, relieved, though you were still taking in all this information. Had you really been out all that time? What had happened within the past week, and what did the other Avengers think of you now? You had certainly given them a scare, that was for sure. But what was the aftermath? You had so many questions that needed answering, and a deep, plunging realization that you did not have as much control as you thought.

     “So… what’s happened in all this time?”

     “That’s for later, kid. Just get some rest. You need it. And you might wanna get that checked out.”

     “What…?” you trailed off.

Me.

Pairing: symbiote!reader x Wanda Maximoff

Warnings: none, just some fun

Summary: Reader has Venom and meets Wanda at a club.

A/N: this was requested a while ago, and im sorry it took so long, i’ve been bussyyy

You strolled down the dark alleyway, back straight, hands tucked in your pockets. The air was damp, just after heavy rain, with thick overcast clouds that bled into one another. Energy thrummed in your veins, dancing on your fingertips. Your heart felt like it was beating too hard against your ribs, as though it would burst out at any minute. At every moment, something cold and powerful flickered at the back of your head, reminding you of the other being that you were sharing your consciousness with. Every so often, the inky blackness seemed to swirl before your very eyes, threatening to envelope you.

Venom coursed through your veins, pumping alongside your blood like a constant reminder of the task you had taken upon yourself.

After being in a car accident, you received a blood transfusion from your cousin, Eddie Brock. Only afterwards did you discover the symbiote, and his tendency to latch onto unsuspecting hosts, like yourself. 

A young woman, dark haired and tanned smiled at you as she passed you. 

She’s pretty.

You grinned at Venom’s comment. “What makes you say that, bud?”

I see what you see, and like what you like. I saw her, and knew you liked her.

"Alright, that's fair," you murmured to avoid looks. "So, are you gonna be my wingman tonight? Help me find a lady to keep me warm?"

If you'd like me to, y/n.

You glanced across the street at a brightly lit nightclub, pulsing with music.

"You know what, V? I might take you up on that offer."

~°~

Anon requested: “Headcanons for Carlton Drake from Venom dating his male secretary”

.

Doesn’t exactly follow the movie timeline but I think it’s okay.

.

Warning: angst, character death, mental manipulation (near the end after the red comment)

~~~~~~~~

You got your job through your cousin. They were one of Drake’s scientists, so when they heard you were struggling to make ends meet and gave you a high recommendation.

After that, you worked as a secretary for Carlton Drake. What your job mainly included was coffee runs, setting up meetings, and making conversation with Drake when he was bored.

As time went on, Carlton and you became close. He would drop flowers off at your desk, leave you little notes, and talk with you in the little time he had free. Eventually he asked you out on a date and took you to the swankiest restaurant in town.

After that date, you were upgraded to personal assistant. This was basically your position as secretary with the added bonus of ‘private meetings’ with Drake.

He left a mark on your neck after one of these meetings. You were told about after Susan from down the hall mentioned it (“Yes Susan I was kickboxing last night and got hit thank you next.”)

You were the guy who the others were jealous of. In just a few short months you went from a regular secretary to personal assistant! (Susan from down the hall swore she heard strange noises from Carlton’s office during your meetings, but she tried her best to brush it off.)

Then came the symbiotes. They took up all of Carlton’s time, and they were the only thing he seemed to care about. One time he snapped at you for trying to change the subject.

He also was becoming more rough with you. Remember those ‘private meetings’? Where once he would leave one or two small marks, now he was biting you until you bled and bruising your skin.

Carlton apologized afterwards for all of these, but you couldn’t help but wonder why these symbiotes were so important.

So you decided to investigate. After work one day you snuck down to the labs, even though Carlton told you not to go down into them.

What was inside horrified you. There were people inside cages (some dead, some in the process of dying). Only one man seemed to be fine, and he was rocking himself back and forth while talking to himself.

You decided to get him out, and that’s when disaster struck. The moment you let the man out the alarms went off. The sound must have startled him because he jumped on you, beating your head into the ground.

Then there was something crawling on you. It was cold and prickly, like shards of ice digging into your skin. Between that and the beating you took, you promptly passed out.

When you woke up, you were strapped to a table and Carlton was staring down at you.

“Carlton, What the hell is going on?!?!”

“Amazing. You aren’t dead, in fact you seem to be stronger than ever. How did you survive?”

“Survive? What are you talking about?”

“You’re now host to a symbiote. Security found you on the floor with one of the subjects beside you. They were about to shoot you when I showed up.”

“Wha-? Carlton, let me go. Whatever you think happened didn’t...happen...”

“Are you sure?”

“What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“Don’t worry pretty morsel. We won’t kill such a lovely face.”

“Who the hell are you? What did you do to Carlton?”

“We are Riot.”

‘Get away from Riot. He’s the worst of us.’

“Who said that?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here for now y/n. I’ll make sure you’re as comfortable as possible.”

After that you only had Drake and the symbiote inside of you to keep you company. It wasn’t a bad symbiote, but you definitely didn’t want it inside of you.

Sometimes Riot would talk to you. Sometimes it would threaten you. Either way your symbiote hated Riot. It made your head hurt because it was practically screeching in your head.

<This is where the warning stuff starts>

The worst part was that whatever tests Drake was have his scientist run on you was making you weaker. You fought back less and less, and your symbiote was backing down whenever Riot/Drake came to visit.

Carlton didn’t like seeing you forced to become so compliant, but Riot assured him it was necessary for your survival. If Riot claimed everything was for your own good, it must be fine. That’s what he told himself.

But whenever he saw your tired face, saw the symbiote trying to keep you from Riot, his doubts kept coming back. He tried his best to comfort you but there was hardly a response from you.

You were more like a doll for Riot to control than the man Carlton fell in love with. Whatever Riot has done to you was irreversible.

So Carlton made the decision to put you down. It pissed the symbiote off to no end but there was nothing he could do to you now. It was better than whatever was planned for you.

You were the last thing on Carlton’s mind during the fight with Eddie/Venom and when the spaceship exploded.

~~~~~~~~

“So… how did you and your, um, friend, meet?” Eddie’s fingers drum on his coffee cup as he watches you worry the paper napkin into bits. You glance around the diner — it’s just loud enough that nobody outside of the booth you’re sharing will hear.

safe, safe, do not worry.

Why do I not believe you?

because you are a worrywart, ducky.

… That is true.

“It happened on New Year’s Eve, funny enough,” you say quietly. “There was a van that crashed in the field behind my house and I went to check it out. Not my brightest moment, I’ll admit.”

but still a good one. now we have us.

You ignore Mystic’s hissing in your head as you continue. “The driver was still alive, he was wearing a Life Foundation uniform, and he told me to run. I asked him if there was anyone else in the car, was anyone else hurt, and then—”

“we found us.”

Mystic wraps around your fingers in a caress that has you pressing your lips together in irritation. “For fuck’s sake, we’ve talked about this. Let me do the speaking in public.”

“but you are bungling it.”

“Excuse you, I am not.” You raise your eyebrows at the tendril-head that’s risen over your shoulder and Mystic bares her teeth at you in a facsimile of a smile. Rolling your eyes, you turn back to Eddie, jerking your head at Mystic. “See what I have to deal with? She’s a menace.”

Eddie looks like he is trying not to laugh. “Sorry, sorry, go on.”

“Uh-huh. Anyways, as I was saying, I asked if anyone else was hurt and then this thing started crawling up my leg. I screamed, the driver screamed, and then she was inside me and I blacked out. When I woke up, the driver was gone—”

“we ate him. his fear was delicious.”

“... Yes, thank you for that imagery.” You pinch the bridge of your nose. “The driver was gone and I was freaking out, so I went back home. Holed up, tried to pretend that it never happened.

You don’t particularly remember how your symbiote, Agony, managed to find itself lodged and bonded to your body. The details of that night were nothing but a blurry memory and Agony changes the subject whenever you decide to voice out your questions and concerns. You’ve only received bits and pieces from the alien’s past. Brief mentions of previous hosts and having spawned from a father figure of sorts. The details of the past are somewhat convoluted that Agony feels like it is unimportant to discuss. They mention the past is filled with plenty of misjudgements and miscalculations  that they are forced to endure. It only brings up more questions you’d rather ask as they relish in the delightful taste of chocolate.

Agony warned you of the white Martian that paraded herself within the team. Her caring and sweet appearance masked the potential danger she was to others. Especially with her shown carelessness of manipulating the minds of others, often shattering their minds, without an ounce of guilt for her actions. It worried Agony of the possible knowledge she held of the symbiote and the challenge she potentially would be in the near future. You took this warning with stride. Ensuring to keep a reasonable distance from the Martian. Granted distance did not matter however, it made Agony a bit less restless. 

The members of the team were still wary about you. You and your intentions were nevertheless a mystery. All they knew was that a member of the Justice League thought you would benefit from socializing with other young heroes and would prove to be a valuable ally for the team. That member also provided the necessary amounts of phenethylamine in a variety of foods to help salivate Agony’s hunger and prevent them from potentially going on a murder spree.

Conversations with Agony had to be inconspicuous as they did not want to startle her news teammates with the news of her well-hidden companion. But there are times where you would speak out loud and someone manages to hear. Luckily they brush it off, believing you are merely speaking to yourself, most likely due to your other teammate Jaime Reyes. Jaime was the holder of the Scarab. to which Agony had a lot to say about its capabilities, and is thought to be a bit odd as he talks and argues with the scarab audibly. He’s one of the only members that actively attempts to spark conversation. One that genuinely wants to learn more about you and not searching for more background on your person. 

“How were you mustered onto this team?” You asked one uneventful day, “I find it hard to believe the scarab would trust any hero here.” 

Jaime rubbed the back of his neck and nervously chuckled, “Um… Cassandra and Nightwing kinda sprung the team on me. Insisting I should join due to certain reasons.” They used Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle before him, as a talking point. “And you’re right the scarab was not fond of trusting them as they were mere strangers to us. Luckily everything worked out for us in the end even if Scarab still does feel annoyed about the entire situation and how I handled myself.”

You laughed at the thought of strangers walking up to you and proposing a spot on the team. It’s an unbelievable story that if anyone else tried to sell it as truth would be scoffed at. “That’s fair. I wouldn’t have trusted them in that situation.”

“I would have bit their heads off.” Agony exclaimed and you felt relieved that you were not presented with this predicament. Two dead heroes will not look good for your and Agony’s record. It would also be disgusting to watch as Agony chews on their decapitated heads. You learned from experience how playful Agony can be with their food and chills run down your spin every time your mind wanders to those times.

You thought of telling Jaime that you, too, harbored an alien. His loneliness was considerably prevalent when he spent most of his days, when not on missions and participating in his civilian life, observing the holograms of the deceased Blue Beetle. Agony rejected this idea as they believed the scarab would find them as a threat and a fight would ensue. “Jaime does not have the self-control necessary to hold back the scarab in the presence of a potential threat. Any sign of elevated hormones will unnerve it.”

“Do you…” You started to rethink your decision but the words have already incited out of your mouth, “Do you want to see my powers and meet someone who is important to me?”

He knew that you have not shown anyone your capabilities as you’ve been barred from participating in any team missions and have yet to spar anyone of the team during training. He was elated that you trusted him enough to open up even if it is minimal. “Um… okay.” As hard as he tried, the enthusiasm could be heard through the elevation of his voice though he did try to appear nonchalant about the entire situation.

“Jaime met Agony.” Smooth oily liquid appeared out of your skin and clothing and a set of dangerously sharp teeth captivated Jaime. Whether it was due to fear or not was only known by the scarab and his host. It’s white uncanny eyes, which reminded him of a killer whale, pierced through what was remaining of his soul. There was no semblance of the person he was just speaking to. They’d disappeared somewhere within this frightening monster.

“Hello.” His voice was deeper than Jaime had imagined when it graced him with its presence. The abnormal teeth filled grin ostentatiously intimidated the poor boy. “We are Agony.”