Chapter Text
Eddie has had some weird days. You don't end up with an alien parasite as a body-mate without seeing some real weird shit.
Today might be the newest and most extreme example of how his life has become some weird fucking fantasy conceived by an overworked and alcoholic author.
It had all started when a strange circle of flaring sparks suddenly appeared out of thin air when all he was trying to do was enjoy a little island vacation. No cannibalism involved. Now, he was in some run-down bar in who-knows-where Mexico listening to the bartender desperately trying to explain what had happened in the past decade with little success.
He grabbed some spare clothes that had been laying out forgotten by some unsuspecting tourist. It was chillier here than the island, and Venom was going to start being an even bigger bitch if it was left to 'keep his puny flesh body alive', a complete overreaction to a bit of cold. The ‘Mexico’ embroidered across the front of the cap clearly indicated to others that he wasn’t a local, but he guessed his lack of Spanish would have made it apparent in any case.
Venom taunted him for not being some genius capable of processing all this insane shit, but how was he supposed to react to learning that the multi-verse was very real and that somehow he was now in an Earth that wasn’t his own? One where purple aliens who love special stones, billionaires in tech-suits that could easily rival a symbiote, literal gods and magicians who could alter space and time were a common and well-known occurrence.
*Eddie* the parasite complained in his mind *he has been trying to get this through your thick skull for the last three hours* .
As of now, it seemed like the best course of action would be heading to New York, maybe ask this 'Spider-Man' a couple of questions. He didn’t necessarily feel the need to find a way to return home anytime soon, given how his secret friend had been revealed and they were now running from the law. Though, it would still be ideal to have a Plan B incase things went to shit here too. It seemed that they did often, and Eddie would've died from heart palpitations if it wasn't for Venom, he can't deal with anymore bullshit.
Super-powered individuals were far more common here than his own world, which he had mixed feelings about. At least it seemed that they were more often heroes. He might finally get some understanding about his situation, however it also meant there were more people qualified to take him down. Venom could easily be seen as a villain, and they didn’t want to fall victim to any misunderstandings. (Although, was it really a misunderstanding if the heroes had an issue with them eating human flesh?)
Now, it came to the matter of his bar tab. *We could just eat him* was Venom's incredibly awful advice, right on schedule.
Before common sense kicked in, Eddie quickly retaliated against this idea “No! No! No eating people!”.
This seemed to be the final straw for the bartender with some survival instincts, who instantly put down the glass he was cleaning and shuffled into a back room. A clearly distressed man who didn’t know any history from the current time was one thing, one who started shouting at himself that he couldn’t eat people was another.
*Problem solved Eddie, we should do that more often*
“Yeah well, I enjoy not being seen as insane every once in a while! Is that so bad?”
*Yes, I suggest we eat him anyways. That was a very boring explanation*
Eddie chose to ignore that as they left the bar in an urgent pace. No need to cause anymore issues for themselves by sticking around.
An old Jeep without its roof sat parked outside, the paint scratched and peeling, and the interior looked as though it had never been cleaned in the last decade. Still, a car was a car. They would have felt bad for stealing if it was the start of their relationship, but with what they’ve experienced, they’ve learned that sometimes it’s okay to do bad things for a good reason.
The door was locked, so at least the owner cared about it in some small way. Eddie climbed over the door with a boost from Venom and got into the driver’s seat.
Venom’s tendrils snaked into the keyhole and the engine sprung to life. New York was only a multi-day drive away.
The sun beat down on their skin through the thick heat of the day. Venom was getting hungry, and Eddie appreciated the small things in life, such as having all his vital organs intact, and not being on the run from charges of serial murder.
Crossing the border into Texas was easier than Eddie had ever experienced. Clearly this universe didn't care too much about borders when there were invasions from outer space all the time.
A lone gas station came across the horizon. Venom had discovered thirty US dollars in the glove compartment while snooping to kill time and the notion of finders keepers was very strong this time of day. It wouldn’t last them long, but they could stock up on enough chocolate to survive the trip with it. Eddie would just have to use his reporter skills to get some money once they reached New York if they were to stay here any longer.
The bills in his own wallet didn’t match the ones here, meaning that any attempts to use them would just end with either him in cuffs or two headless cops. His phone freaked out on him as soon as it was powered up.
Thirty dollars, some useless bills and a fried phone weren’t ideal, but they were better than nothing. The phone could be used for scraps and they could maybe trick some sucker into exchanging the bills if they didn’t look too closely.
They pulled in and hopped over the door again to get out. The station wasn’t decent, one of the windows was patched with cardboard and it looked as though it had been through a zombie apocalypse. The grimy glass door squealed as they pulled it towards them and the clerk didn’t even acknowledge their presence as they walked in.
The chocolate was priced at what was probably a loss. A dollar for a single sharing bar or three for five. Eddie grabbed them in bunches of four, before taking them all when he realised that there weren’t even fifty bars.
The cashier didn’t even blink as the counter was flooded with nothing but chocolate and a single bottle of water.
She counted and scanned each individual bar, totalling in thirty-six overall. She passed the water across the scanner, but no beep sounded out to validate it had truly been scanned. The woman just stared at the screen in front of her for a good twelve seconds before calling out that the total was twenty one dollars.
Eddie handed over twenty-five dollars in a twenty and a five dollar bill. The cashier handed back ten dollars and he didn’t feel the need to point out the mistake. If six whole dollars was the difference between the place going under, then clearly they wouldn't be standing in the first place.
It was truly a surprise how this place was still running with food on the shelves that appeared to be expired and absolutely no life to be seen other than Eddie, his body-passenger and the cashier who was probably so high off her head she was seeing little elves dancing in the air at, but it benefited them and they weren’t so keen on investigating money laundering in the Texan wilderness. Nobody fucking cared and no paper would use precious space for that over running some pharmaceutical ad that will show up in documentaries in ten years time.
Back on the road to New York they go, chocolate acquired for the safety of Eddie's brain matter and anyone unfortunate enough to be around them if Venom got the munchies.