Chapter Text
Trying to manage interdimensional portals, especially your own interdimensional portals, was a dizzying experience. Spot landed on a solid surface with a painful sound, the impact rippling through his whole body as he stared up at a foreign ceiling. Trial and error was the game, which he seemed to be losing, or winning depending on how you looked at it.
"You again?!" An only partially familiar voice cried, turning his attention to the woman behind the counter.
"Here again." He sighed, pushing himself up on shaky limbs.
"You better be here to pay for that gum you stole!" The woman waggled a finger in his lack of a face, making him cringe and pull back.
"About that..." He began, patting his pocketless and pantless form.
"How's it going, Mrs. C-" A man paused in the doorway, the bell jingling as the door swung closed. "Who's this?"
"This guy is messing up my store, Eddie!"
Eddie shot the humanoid a disappointed look as he shook his head. "I don't know who you are, but c'mon. Leave the nice lady alone."
Spot cleared his throat and stepped away from the woman, puffing his chest out as he rested his hands on his waist. "I am...The Spot."
The man's brows furrowed. "The spot of what?"
They both stared at each other for a moment, and his posture crumbled as he fumbled for words to explain. His half-formed mumbles were interrupted by a finger snap as the human's expression changed.
"Ah, that's your undercover name or whatever. Got it."
"Sounds stupid." Mrs. Chen commented, not even feigning remorse as both men turned to her then back to each other. "What? It's true."
"Yeah, it's stupid." Spot sighed heavily and nodded, the desire to leave overwhelming him. This wasn't his day, or his week, but it was his life, wasn't it?
"Hey, you okay, man?" The man asked, giving him a serious look filled with concern.
"Yeah, I mean, yeah! Why wouldn't I be?" He shrugged and scoffed, waving his hands around as he tried to settle on an intimidating pose. "I'm like a, a super cool, powerful, awesome, villain!" His arms partially crossed and outstretched awkwardly while his finger guns were accompanied by his pinkies sticking out. He looked down for a moment and fidgeted with his fingers, trying to get them to cooperate.
"Uh huh." The man uttered in that tone he'd been hearing way too much of lately. It made him bristle as the emptiness inside began to simmer with irritation.
"I am!" He yelled, slapping a stand filled with magazines and scattering them all over the floor, some flopping into other aisles as they slid in the miscellaneous holes he had left behind.
"Alright, okay! I believe you." Eddie raised his hands placatingly, once again proving anger got results.
"Hey! Be nice to Mrs. Chen's store! She gives us chocolate!" Another voice shouted as a black substance bubbled over the man's skin, threatening to overtake the human, who just barely managed to keep control of the situation.
"It's okay, we've been there, right, V?" He directed the question to his partner before turning to the odd and slightly startled humanoid. "Why don't we get out of here? Take a walk and do some talking, alright? No need to mess up the store." He tilted his head toward the door and waved Spot over.
Spot stood there for a moment, his arms properly crossing this time as he thought about it. His curiosity was at least somewhat piqued by this world and situation, and there wasn't much else for him to do anyway.
"Yeah, okay." He sagged, following along.
"There we go, awesome, alright." Eddie pumped his fist with enthusiasm while his other hand hovered over the humanoid's back, guiding them both through the door. "Night, Mrs. Chen!"
The store woman appeared with a broom in hand and muttered something in response, but she made no move to stop them.
Spot ducked out of sight as soon as he was able, breaking the intense glare directed at him before sighing in relief and turning his attention to the strange man abiding him.
"No, we're going to see what's up with him first." Eddie mumbled into the air, earning an unreadable look from his physically present company. "I don't even know what he's made of, stop it."
"So, what's the deal with that angry ooze?" Spot piped up, swinging his lanky arms as he waited awkwardly.
"Right, about that." The man began, gaze shifting for a moment before motioning him over into a darker section of an alleyway and farther from prying eyes.
His intrigue and own need to keep himself hidden kept him compliant, the florescent city lights rolling off of his ivory complexion as he was swallowed by more shadow.
"I'm only listening because I'm interested, okay? So, no funny business. I will fight you." He rambled despite his lack of defensive display as his attention moved around his surroundings until he settled back on his company.
The dark ooze returned and began to creep up the human, the mass rippling and expanding. He craned his neck as he watched the man grow taller, less human, and much more intimidating. His instincts told him to get away and his curiosity demanded he get closer, resulting in him stepping back while his hand reached out.
The new being didn't pull away from him when his curious fingers brushed over the writhing coating, finding the viscous goo to be solid but also malleable. Even in the dim light it held a reflective sheen, but the texture wasn't nearly as slimy as he had been anticipating. He couldn't get over how alive it felt as flowing muscle stayed firm but soft beneath his palms. The stranger almost seemed amused by his mumbled observations.
"Fascinating." He uttered, looking up at the unexpected monstrosity. "What are you?"
"We are Venom." A dual toned voice replied before a section of the mass peeled away to indicate to itself. "I am from a different planet and I am hungry." It spoke then returned to its previous shape and loomed over him with a fanged grin. "Are you a bad guy?"
"I'm trying to be. Well, bad guy is actually pretty vague because I wouldn't consider myself a bad guy, even with my goals, y'know? Sure, I plan to do some pretty awful stuff, but why would I label myself a bad guy? I prefer antagonist, or-or villain! No, no, super villain." He rambled in response, his gaze shifting between the slathering maw and towering form with only fascination even as his tone softened. "At least some day."
"Hm. Can't eat him, not a bad guy." Venom seemed to conclude, looking down at the humanoid. "He looks like a loser." They continued almost dryly before perking up. "Like us, Eddie!"
Spot instinctively bristled at the insult before pausing at the almost affectionate way it was said, as if this powerful creature was proud to be deemed a loser. Being a loser was a bad thing, wasn't it? He had certainly had it thrown at him enough times to understand it as such, but the way it was said this time...didn't make him feel as offended as it should have. Rather than an alienation, it was an inclusion. One of them.
Processing the strange reaction, he paused again as he fully registered the whole exchange. "Wait. Hold on a second. Did you just say you'd eat me? I don't think so, pal!"
He had been quickly learning to roll with the punches each new weird experience put him through and this time he took the initiative of throwing the first one. His fist went through a portal, directing it at the alien who reacted with surprise, but still managed to lean back in time and catch his hand before it could connect with anything important.
Releasing a frustrated sound, he tried to rip his arm free, but large claws wrapped around his wrist, keeping it in place. His struggles increased, but there were no attempts to hurt him as his arm was guided further through the hole.
"Fascinating." The alien echoed, inspecting the portal and seeming to forget about his attempt.
He gave one more fruitless tug before exhaling and giving himself a momentary break. Wearily, he watched as his hand was turned over and a large thumb pressed into the palm of his hand. His long fingers peaked above the much wider claws, awkwardly proportioned hand in hand. The dot centering his face widened in lieu of eyes as the solid touch remained gently curious. When was the last time anyone had established physical contact with him without aggression? When had anyone intentionally touched him even before the accident?
His swirling thoughts were interrupted by the other hand releasing him and the return of Eddie, who seemed to observe the portals surrounding him with his own eyes. Spot also looked at them in surprise, unable to remember when he had made more.
"Why do you want to be a villain?" Eddie questioned, sticking his hand through one of the holes and finding it waving at him from one of the rooftops.
"Do you really want to know?" Spot asked as he watched the man grip one of the brick walls with dark claws and begin to climb up it. "Like, are you genuinely asking? Are you really going to listen if I tell you?"
"Of course, come on up." The human paused long enough to wave him up before continuing to the top. "Probably a better view up here than in the alleyway."
He paused then shrugged as he pulled open one of the portals and used it to get himself onto the roof. Peering through, he nodded upon finding himself in the right place, and began to climb out. His foot caught, tripping him over the hole border. He stumbled toward the roof edge before his shoulder was caught and he was pulled back.
"I'm still getting the hang of it." He said sheepishly, patting the hand until he was let go. "I am better though, a lot better, and one day I'm going to be very powerful."
"What made you decide on the bad guy route?" Eddie prompted again, beginning to walk and watching his company do the same. "Most people I know would want to use their powers for good if they got any."
"That's boring! Being a hero always comes with these expectations. People want something from you when you do good deeds. At least when you're a villain you can do what you want, take what you want, and no one can push you around anymore."
He eyed the humanoid, his expression communicating words before his mouth did. "What about when you want something from someone you can't take? You never want anything from anyone?"
Spot avoided the look and wrung his hands together. "Well, yeah, but I never get it anyway."
"You wanna tell me your life story?"
"Desperately!" He replied, unable to fake it anymore as he finally confirmed he was given permission. No phones, no distractions, just a captive audience of two.
The stroll quickly turned more into a pace as he recalled everything in a flood of information. He ranted and raved, shaking his fists and throwing his hands up in the air as he spoke. A few prompting questions interrupted him, but again he didn't feel irritated by it. However, he began to grow self-conscious as the unexpected engagement caught up to him.
"Why do you care so much?" He demanded, turning the tables on his company.
"I'm a journalist. I listen to people's stories and I'd say you have the most interesting one I've heard in a while." Eddie shrugged and leaned back on the radiator box he had chosen to sit on. "And, I mean, besides the punch and messing up Mrs. Chen's store. We don't usually meet people like us who aren't immediately trying to kill us."
Spot flexed his hands at his side as he looked away. "Well, did I prove my motivations?"
"I get that, really, I do, but it seems like such a waste." Eddie said, pushing himself back to his feet.
"Y'know, everyone says that, but then they follow it up with something that just completely misses the point of what the person is talking about."
"Well, lets see..." He started, beginning to count on his fingers. "Feeling like and being called a loser, check and check. Not feeling like you belong, check for V, and I've spent plenty of time feeling isolated from everyone. Rejected by society, for the most part, yes. People running and screaming when they see us? Yes. Not being taken seriously, seen as weak? Yep and yep. Losing everything? V betrayed their species and can't go back home. I lost my job, my fiancé, my house, my cat, my reputation, and my friends. I have no idea who Spiderman is, but did I miss anything?"
"Or...not. Hey, that's not fair. You are supposed to prove me right so I can get mad and storm off to get back to my plotting or scheming or whatever..." Spot grumbled, earning a casual apology as he sulked. "I guess you do get it." He mumbled this time, his head still tilted toward the ground before he threw his hands up. "Wow, why couldn't I have met you earlier? Like at any point before now."
"What's wrong with now?"
"Well, y'know, I have my whole evil plan thing that I have to do. I can't just, not do that right? I should probably do that. I mean, I talked this whole big game, why throw in the towel now?" He chuckled weakly and gestured around vaguely.
"Listen, man, we've both been in that dark place before. You just want to tear down the whole world for dealing you a shitty hand, but what happens after the evil plan? Where do you go from there?" Eddie asked, earning a nod from Venom who materialized from his shoulder.
"I don't know. I didn't plan that far..." The humanoid admitted. "It's all I have, I don't have anything else to do, or anywhere to go."
"Ever been to San Francisco before now?"
"Just once. For like a minute."
"If you are looking for something to do, we could show you around. And if you need somewhere to go, our apartment is shit, but you've got choices between a terrible couch...and an equally terrible bed." Eddie motioned between the invisible options before offering out a hand. "Your pick."
"Really?" Spot looked up hopefully, tilting his head as he tried to read any deception in his new allies words or body language. "And you're not going to try to eat me in my sleep or something? Actually, I don't even know if I need sleep. I haven't tried that yet."
"I won't eat you." The man chuckled before pointing a thumb at the alien. "They might-"
"Yup." Venom piped up again.
"But we'll stock up on chocolate on the way."
Spot hesitated and weighed his choices as the pair began walking again. Maybe it would be good for him to take a break from his plotting? His absence could really build the anticipation for his inevitable return and he liked the thought of that.
"...Alright." He agreed, taking on a quick pace to close the distance before matching his strides with his...friends?
"Where do you want to go first?" Eddie asked then cringed and covered one of his ears as his partner began excitedly making suggestions within his mind.
"Anywhere. Show me what changed your mind." Spot replied, his attention continuously going to them instead of the scenery.
"Well, we found each other." The man explained, jumping to another roof top while he used a portal to get across. "The world really opened up from there."
"We also defeated our enemy because we are badass." Venom said, earning a disapproving look.
"We were fighting an asshole billionaire hellbent on getting everyone eaten, so, little different from making—what sounds like a kid—your mortal enemy."
"He's not a kid. He is my nemesis!" Spot declared before pausing in thought as they all crossed to another building. "At least...I don't think he's a kid. I don't really know..."
"Based off the description you gave, sounds like a kid to me, man. Doesn't matter, we're focusing on this world, okay?" Eddie responded, directing it at all of them.
Spot gave a half-hearted agreement, but his mind remained divided as he processed all of the new information he had to work with. He didn't like questioning himself and his motivation, but the scientist in him still eagerly absorbed the new data. Even as he found himself crashing on Eddie's couch, staring up at the dilapidated ceiling while the night life continued to buzz outside the windows.
There was a promise of more adventure tomorrow if he stayed. He wanted to be more reluctant about it, but he didn't get up and he didn't leave.