Chapter Thirteen

Summary: Set after Avengers: Endgame. People realize it’s better not to hold back when it comes to being with those you love.
Warning(s): Explicit adult/sexual situations. Disciplinary and erotic spanking; Heavy Domination/submission; M/m, F/f, M/f; Mild spoilers for Endgame; AU

###

The ship's upgrades had hit a snag, adding on a few more weeks onto the timetable for when they'd be able to go back into space. It wasn't a bad thing, though. Everyone made use of the time to make sure they had ordered everything they could possibly want or need once in space (they didn't want to burden Stephen or Mordo with opening portals unless absolutely necessary) and it enabled everyone to get to know the newcomers better. It also enabled them to make certain their quarters were exactly as they wanted and that the common areas of the ship were going to be the most useful to them. One useful addition was the 'Danger Room' that Logan and Bobby had requested. Tony had got the blueprints from Charles Xavier and somehow managed to get it onto their ship. It would take care of any type of recreational need they had but didn't have room for.

Danny grinned at Ward and wrapped his arms around the other man. "I think everything's ready for the ceremony and party tomorrow. You got everything you need?"

"Yes. I have everything I need... and... Joy contacted me. She... she's going to come..." Ward said with a mixture of hesitant hopefulness, uncertainty, and honest surprise.

"That's a good thing, right?" Danny kissed his lover's neck. "I love you." He let the feelings flow through the bond.

"I don't know..." Ward answered honestly. "We've been estranged for so long and I know a lot of her anger was directed at you, but... She viewed me as having betrayed her as well. And I just don't know. I want to believe she's let go of her anger, but... after she joined with Davos... I guess we'll see?"

Danny tightened his embrace a fraction. "Would it make you feel better if we met her before the ceremony? Get a feel for what she thinks in relative privacy?"

"Think maybe meeting her before the ceremony would be good. But... maybe meet in the common area here? So, if she's up to something, Friday can get help?" Ward blushed. He didn't want to think the worst, but Joy had proven a bit vindictive. If she wasn't truly over what she perceived as his and Danny's wrongs....

"Yeah, you're right," Danny agreed. "Better to be safe." He nuzzled Ward's ear.

Ward let himself relax against Danny, shifting so that his lover was 'spooning' him... even though they weren't in bed. "Love you..." he whispered, slanting his head so his ear and neck were open and vulnerable.

"I love you." Danny sat on the bed and pulled Ward onto his lap. Through the bond, it was clear just how much he enjoyed cuddling the other man...just giving him affection.

It was clear through the bond how much Ward enjoyed... needed... Danny to be affectionate.  He let out a happy sigh, shifting again so that every part of him that could was pressed into Danny.

Danny untucked Ward's shirt and undid his pants, pushing them down just enough to make the other man a little bit exposed; a little bit vulnerable. He then began to stroke, caress and squeeze the bare skin.

Ward shivered and whimpered softly, shifting again so that the areas Danny exposed were easily accessible. He lay his head backward against Danny's shoulder, his throat bared.

Kissing Ward's neck, Danny's hands slid down his lover's buttocks and over his legs, pushing Ward's pants down slowly. He continued to caress and squeeze every time he exposed a bit of skin.

Ward shivered again and groaned, lifting his hips up just enough that Danny could push his clothing down to his knees; at which point, he toed his shoes off and gently kicked, until the pants fell onto the floor and left him bare from the waist down.

Danny leaned back on the bed, gently pulling Ward down on top of him, and began to firmly squeeze and rub down the other man's back, his bottom, thighs, feet.

Ward had started out with his back to Danny's chest, but by the time his master had reached his feet with his questing hands, he was on his stomach on the bed, having slid off with all of Danny's movement to reach various parts of his body. He couldn't help but laugh. "I love that you can't make up your mind which part of me you want to hold onto..." He grinned over his shoulder at his lover. "Also love how you look towering over me while you claim..." he added, in a throaty voice, blushing slightly.

"I want to touch and claim all of you." Danny kissed him. "So, you can feel that every part of you belongs to me. So, you know that you belong. That you're loved."

"Every part of me does belong to you..." Ward agreed, kissing back gently. "And you will never get a complaint that you want to touch and claim any part of me. Even my feet. Although that tickles, so I might not be able to hold still, or keep from giggling like a loon...." he said, with an impish tilt of his mouth.

Nuzzling his cheeks, Danny murmured, "I like the idea of affecting you so much, you can't control your reactions." He gently pressed his thumbs along Ward's calves, down towards his feet.

Ward nuzzled back but stayed in place when Danny went back to stroking his legs. He couldn't help but tense up as Danny got closer to his feet, though. He hadn't been lying when he said it tickled.

Danny didn't touch his feet, instead going back up Ward's calves, over his thighs, and began to rub his bottom in slow circles, one hand on each cheek.

Ward closed his eyes and groaned at feeling Danny rubbing his backside. "Yours..." he whispered, in a voice that made it clear how good it felt; and that it was getting him worked up.

"Mine," Danny murmured, rubbing his lover's bottom firmly a bit more before moving his hands lower and beginning to rub Ward's thighs.

Ward muffled his moan in the bed, shifting only enough to open his legs so that Danny could rub his inner thighs and calves; or, if he was inclined, settle between his legs while he claimed them.

Taking the invitation, Danny settled between Ward's legs, continuing to stroke and squeeze a bit more. He then opened the drawer next to the bed and took out a bottle of baby oil. Pouring some into his hands, he rubbed them together to make the palms slick and then resumed rubbing Ward's bottom and down over his thighs.

Ward's groan was a mixture of pleasure and relief. He hadn't realized how tense he was... how tight his muscles were, but Danny's impromptu massage had begun loosening him up and the underlying headache, that he hadn't even realized he had, began to ease. "Feels good..." he mumbled, as his body began to relax under Danny's hands.

Danny kissed his lover's shoulder. "I want you to feel good. You deserve to feel good." There was a note of sadness in his voice, remembering how Ward admitting the truth had made sense of a lot of things. Had shown just how messed up his best friend's life had been. "You've always been so important to me. The whole time I was gone, I thought about seeing you again. Looked forward to it. That's the goal I worked towards. The thing that kept me going...the person who kept me going...was you."

"I wish I could say the same..." Ward admitted sadly. "... Was too emotionally walled off, too focused on surviving, to think past myself. I was selfish and horrible to you...." He relaxed further under Danny's ministration. "I still can't understand how you could overlook how horribly I treated you and manage to save me... from my father... from myself... you saved me, even though I did nothing to deserve it," he whispered. "I'll spend the rest of my life making certain you don't regret it..." he promised firmly, if quietly.

Danny pressed a kiss to the base of Ward's spine, even as he continued the massage. "I don't blame you for how you reacted. I know that wasn't you. Not the real you." He kissed again. "This is the real you. Letting me take care of you. Submitting to me. I forgave you and would forgive you for everything."

Ward slumped into the bed, boneless, lying still and accepting while Danny massaged, rubbed, squeezed. His body quivered as his spine was kissed... quivered again when Danny repeated the action. When he answered, it was in a nearly breathless voice, filled with need and desire. "Submitting to you is the best and easiest thing I've done; even when it's difficult, it's easy... I love you so much... need you so much... and... and I'm so thankful you could forgive me, because I can't live without you...."

"It's the same for me." Danny whispered the words against Ward's back, emphasizing each with another kiss to his spine. "I can't live without you. Even when we were kids...not sure I understood fully how I felt then, but I knew how much I loved being with you. I looked forward to it each and every single time." He continued to kiss, whispering the words against Ward's skin, stroking, squeezing, rubbing his lover's bottom and thighs.

"Thank you... for not giving up on me. You could have so easily..." Ward said, voice shaky. He shifted slightly, beginning to get aroused at Danny's actions.

Danny slid his hand beneath Ward, gently grasping the other man's member. "I could never have given up on you."

Ward's quick intake of breath and almost sobbing whimper made it clear that Danny grasping him like that was a mixed pain and pleasure. He found himself widening his legs further in invitation, wanting and needing his master to possess all of him.

Continuing to stroke and caress Ward's member, Danny whispered loving words into the other man's ear. He told Ward how happy it had made him when they'd finally started dating; how he'd been so excited, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. So, everyone would know. He told Ward how much he was valued. How important he was and always had been.

Each loving word that Danny spoke went straight to Ward's heart. By the time his member was at full arousal, aching and needing release, he was crying visibly from his overwhelming emotions. "...Danny..." he whispered, in a broken voice filled with need. He needed Danny to protect and hold him close... to keep him safe... to love him. In that exact moment, he needed his lover to bring him to release and then take him. He loved Danny so much and needed him so much and his emotions were out of control; he didn't know how to put voice to what he was thinking or what he needed, so he opened himself up to the bond and swamped his lover with the feelings and emotions and left Danny to separate them all and figure out what to do with it.

Danny had taken note of the self-lubrication as Ward had become fully aroused. He kissed his lover's neck and stroked firmly over Ward's member. Let go, my love, he sent through the bond. My heart, my soul. You're my whole world. He kissed the other side of his lover's neck.

At being given permission, Ward immediately obeyed. His release tore through him, causing his body to quake under Danny for several long moments before he slumped, boneless and satiated. He could feel the self-lubrication pooling in place and shifted slightly; the ache he felt this time in a different location but needing to be taken care of just as strongly. ...Master? he thought hopefully.

Waves of love and reassurance came through the bond as Danny grasped Ward's hips. He removed his own pants and underwear, revealing his member was already hard, and pushed carefully inside his lover.

Ward let out a satisfied sigh as he felt Danny filling him. If he could have his way, he'd feel his master filling him every waking moment. It wasn't possible, of course, but he loved feeling Danny control him in this way, show that he owned him and wanted him. "Love you... love being owned by you... love feeling you..." he mumbled, in a slightly dazed voice, still coming down from his release but reacting to Danny's claiming him in a positive way.

"You feel so good surrounding me. Sheathing me." Danny leaned over and kissed the back of Ward's neck. "I love you so much." He began to thrust inside his lover.

A sense of warmth and well-being flowed through the bond at Danny's words. Ward was happy... proud... that Danny was able to feel pleasure in taking him this way. Glad that he could give this to his lover and master. It felt right and good.

It didn't take long for Danny's release to hit him. He held onto Ward's hips, kissing the back of his lover's neck, as his body shuddered and shook with the force.

Ward groaned softly as he felt Danny's release flood him inside. It felt good; warm and soothing and another aspect of belonging that he needed. He made certain Danny felt that he needed it, slumping into the bed and accepting staying in place so that Danny would stay inside as long as possible and none of what his master released would be lost outside of him.

Danny hugged tightly, waves of love coming through the bond and flowing into Ward. He pictured one of the other objects he'd bought: a butt plug. So that Ward would be able to keep his release inside for longer.

Ward shivered at the image from Danny. "...Please?" he found himself begging out loud, his voice wrecked and needy. He wanted to feel full for longer. Know that it was Danny who had filled him.

Danny reached out and retrieved the plug from where he'd left the supplies. Then, carefully, he pulled out and replaced his member with the plug.

Ward groaned as he felt the implement pushed into him, laying still until Danny gave him permission to move. It felt... odd. Not unpleasant or uncomfortable, though. And he still felt full of his master's seed, so that was the most important thing. "Thank you..." he whispered, waves of love and contentment flowing through the bond.

"I love you." Danny stretched out next to Ward and wrapped his arms tight around the other man, kissing him firmly.

"Love you too... so much!" Ward kissed back, a tiny grin on his face. "Um... can we take a quick shower and change the sheets?" he asked, with a blush. "I'm lying in a wet spot..."

"Of course." Danny stood up and helped Ward to stand as well. Wrapping his arms around his lover, he herded Ward into the bathroom.

***

Steve had woken up fairly early, but didn't immediately get up, instead wrapping his arms a bit tighter around his mate.

Brock always liked when Steve held onto him tightly. He liked any moments when Steve was possessive and physically demonstrated that Brock belonged to him, but he especially liked being held. It felt safe and warm and perfect. He let out a happy sigh, snuggling close to the super soldier. "So... Tony said the main changes have been done and all that's left is the decorating? So, we'll be going back into space in about two weeks?"

"Yeah." Steve let his hands stroke slowly over Brock's back. "Ceremony and leaving party during that time too."

"You invited everyone you want to be there?" Brock asked curiously.

"Most of those are already here," Steve admitted. "A few people like Sam, I sent out invitations to."

Brock nodded. "I can't wait till we're legal. I mean... I know I'm yours... belong to you... with you... that you're my family. But... having it be legal...."

"It'll feel better to have it be official," Steve said.

"Yeah. I agree..." Brock said. He didn't say how having it be official would help him feel more settled and connected; other than Steve (and the rest of the 'space-avengers'), he didn't have anyone. No family at all. Knowing that it would soon be official was helping him feel more secure; which was surprising to him, because he hadn't been aware of feeling insecure. He didn't say any of that, but he knew his feelings would carry to Steve.

Steve brushed a kiss over Brock's hair and hugged him a bit tighter. I love you. I brought you home with me. He moved one hand a bit lower to gently but possessively squeeze his lover's backside.

Brought me home with you through space and time.... Brock thought back fondly. Claimed me in every way possible. I don't mean to be ungrateful and insecure... he finished, with a wave of shame.

You're not ungrateful. And it's okay to feel insecure. Steve tightened his embrace, even as he kept up with the possessive squeezing. When we went back in time and I saw you, I knew I had to bring you home. That I couldn't leave you again. Like I said...I was through ignoring what I wanted. Who I wanted. I wasn't going to mess up again.

Brock shifted so he could nuzzle against Steve's chest, leaving his bottom accessible to the larger man's hands. I'm so happy you wanted me. Can't imagine being with anyone else... belonging to anyone else.

I always wanted you. Steve let his hands move a bit lower, gently squeezing Brock's thighs. Briefly, he thought about some of the toys they'd purchased; about moving his lover across his lap and using enough of the baby oil to ensure that the resulting spanking would feel more intense on sensitive skin.

Brock nuzzled some more, the spike in his temperature as well as sudden desire flaring through the bond at Steve's thoughts giving away his interest in what his master was thinking.

Kissing him firmly, Steve slowly sat up and draped Brock across his lap, securing him enough so that he wouldn't fall.

Brock let out a tiny sigh, relaxing over Steve's lap, trusting the larger man not to let him fall.

Steve rubbed and squeezed his lover's bottom a bit, then opened the drawer and took out a small bottle of baby oil. Pouring some onto Brock's bottom, he then began to rub it in all over; from the crest down to mid-thigh.

Brock shivered as he felt the oil rubbed in, slicking his skin and making it highly sensitive. He moaned softly. "Feels good, master...."

"Good," Steve murmured. "I want to make you feel good." He continued to rub in the baby oil, making Brock's whole backside glisten.

"You do. Constantly. Like... never ending good..." Brock babbled. The more sensitive his bottom became from the oil, the more aroused he became. He wasn't trying to hide the fact, either.

Steve rubbed a bit more and then let his hand slap down gently on Brock's right cheek, before delivering a matching smack to the second.

Brock shivered and let out a tiny whining sound at the smacks. The oil made the sting more intense. It didn't hurt, but it felt more. His member immediately went to full arousal.

Keeping a continuous series of smacks, covering his lover's bottom down to his thighs, Steve moved his other hand underneath Brock, beginning to stroke and rub his member.

Whimpering and whining with each smack, Brock began to squirm for Steve, the feeling of need, want, please... carrying through the bond.

Steve's sense of satisfaction...his possessiveness for Brock...came clearly through the bond. He opened himself up fully, allowing his lover to feel those emotions; to share with him how Brock looked from his perspective.

Warmth pooled in Brock's belly as he viewed himself through Steve's eyes. He saw his reddened backside, his legs slightly parted as if inviting more exploration, his back arched slightly so Steve could reach under him and stroke his member. He looked wanton and needy and owned. He sent back his own image of how it looked to him when he looked at Steve over his shoulder; his master larger than life and so in control, powerful. It made him feel small and fragile, safe and wanted.

You are safe. Wanted. Desired. Loved, Steve sent back. He resumed the gentle smacking, every so often allowing his fingers to dip between Brock's cheeks.

Owned... Brock thought back, with a sense of happy contentment. Every time Steve's fingers dipped, he shivered and let out a tiny whine of need.

Mine. Steve covered every inch of Brock's bottom, down to his thighs, in the smacks and then allowed his fingers to dip between his lover's cheeks once more, coating them in the lube that had been triggered. He pressed one against Brock's entrance.

Brock sighed softly as he felt Steve's finger pressing against him. He could feel how wet he was now just from Steve spanking him. He knew there would be no resistance when Steve decided to push the rest of the way. There wouldn't be any resistance if Steve decided to just pick him up and slide him down onto his member. Brock was as wet as could be, thanks to the bond preparing him for his mate.

Steve didn't push in straight away, instead letting his fingers gently and teasingly press against Brock's entrance. His other hand continued to stroke and caress Brock's member.

Brock's whimpers and moans of need grew louder the longer Steve toyed with him, but he didn't push for faster. He was enjoying the fact Steve was in complete control and would decide what he'd get and when.

Finally, slowly, Steve pushed his fingers inside Brock. At the same time, he lightly squeezed the other man's member; not to hurt, but to indicate, without words, that it was okay for his lover to let go.

As he felt himself stretch around Steve's fingers, Brock felt his master's hand squeeze around his member. It was all it took, and he was releasing with a sob, his body spasming for his lover as the tight ring of muscle clenched around Steve's fingers, pulling them in deeper and holding them in place.

Good, Steve encouraged gently. That's good, love. He pulled Brock in closer and tighter against his stomach, so there was no risk that his lover would fall.

As the last spasm shook him, Brock lay limp over Steve's lap. He felt completely safe in the larger man's grip. He could feel Steve's fingers, still inside him. Belong to you... he thought in response, squeezing around them; gently this time.

Always and forever, Steve agreed. No matter what happens, I will never let you go. He leaned forward to kiss the nape of his lover's neck.

Brock slanted his head, so his neck was completely open and vulnerable to Steve's mouth and he gently squeezed around his master's fingers again. Even if all Steve did was hold them in place, stretching him and letting him feel full, he was happy with it. It was a sign Steve owned him.

Steve was perfectly content just to touch, caress and hold his lover. Through the bond, it was clear that this was a perfect moment for him. I would hold onto you forever, came clearly through the bond.

Brock let out a contented mewling sound, not moving in the least. He was happy to be over Steve's lap, completely under the larger man's control. Being fingered like he was made it even more obvious who he belonged to and knowing that Steve wanted to keep holding onto him? Safety and love and a sense of belonging spread through his body. I want you to hold onto me forever... and I'll hold onto you... he thought back.

When we're back on the ship, I'm not going to stop taking control of you, no matter who's around, Steve promised. If I had my way, you'd be naked whenever we were together.

On the ship... I could be naked for you all the time. It isn't like everyone hasn't seen everything I have already anyway... If it pleases you to have me naked and ready for you at all times... Brock thought hesitantly, not wanting to seem like he was pushing the idea, but now that it was in his head, he found himself very interested in it. If he was naked all the time, after all, Steve could just come up and bend him over at any time he wanted and push in. Chances were, Brock would be ready for him because it seemed like the bond made sure he was always ready for his mate.

The response brought forth a wave of desire...but it was tempered with concern. You aren't a tool for me just to take pleasure from, Brock, Steve said seriously. Wanting you naked isn't about letting me bend you over every time I get the urge. It's about being able to see you, to see all of you, all the time. No barriers.

Brock blushed. I wasn't thinking about you being able to bend me over at any time and take me because I thought I was your tool... he thought, a sense of sheepish embarrassment and borderline shame bleeding through; he wasn't sure it was okay to want what he wanted, but... I was thinking it cuz I like the idea of you being able to bend me over and just push into me at any time. I... I like you in me, Steve... Like you in me so much, even when I'm not aroused it feels so good having you in me and I just like the idea of being able to do that... He deliberately used Steve's name, because this was serious, and he needed Steve to know he meant it. Even if he was thinking he probably shouldn't want that and was beginning to feel ashamed of himself.

Steve gently squeezed each of Brock's thighs, speaking softly. No need to feel any shame or embarrassment, love. I just don't want you to only define yourself as my submissive; to feel like that's the only thing you're good for. I fell for you long before I made you officially mine and became your Dom.

"I... I know that, Love..." Brock said out loud to give the words more weight. "If I thought the only way you wanted me or that the only thing, I was good for was being your submissive, this wouldn't work. I'm too dang opinionated and obstinate to let it only be that. I know I'm worth a heck of a lot more than just a fantastic lay!" he retorted, a sense of impish pride bleeding through the serious tone.

"A whole lot more," Steve agreed. "I've been with you on missions. Even...before." He managed to keep his voice steady. The memories of that time were painful. To him, they were a sign he'd failed Brock. Even if it hadn't happened to his lover in this time, Steve still carried the memory of how utterly he'd failed the other man.

"We've gone on missions since you brought me back too..." Brock said softly. "Maybe not as many, but just as important. There's no one I'd rather have on my side... at my back..." he said firmly, his confidence in Steve clear.

"I'd never let anyone other than me be at your side or back." Steve had never put voice to it, but a small part of him sometimes worried that HYDRA would make a move; would take Brock away from him again. Not all or even most of the time...but the times he did worry, he never let his lover out of his sight.

"That's good, cuz I plan to stick to you like glue... if you take care of me, I take care of you too..." Brock stated calmly. Now, he wasn't a sub; he was a mate. A partner. Steve needed to know Brock would do everything to protect and support him as much as Steve did for him.

"We take care of each other," Steve said seriously. "Partners. Mates. Lovers. We belong to each other."

"Forever..." Brock agreed, shifting slightly, then grinning over his shoulder at Steve. His master hadn't removed his fingers. He'd been so focused on the discussion and making sure Steve knew how much he valued him and loved him, he'd ignored them. Shifting had brought what they'd been doing to the front of his attention again. "Wanna put something bigger in me, Soldier?" he said, in a sassy voice, before laughing gleefully at being able to tease Steve.

Steve grinned at that. "I think I can manage that...."

***

Mordo sat a bit closer to Stephen on the couch, wrapping his arm around his lover's shoulders. "Can you think of anything else we might need on the ship?" he asked.

"We've got all the supplies for any spells we need to cast. We have the relics that we don't dare leave unattended that Wong doesn't want to be responsible for..." Stephen stated. "...We went shopping and bought any clothing items we thought we might need, as well as entertainment that can be done in our room for if we don't want to socialize. We've got our favorite snacks to keep in our quarters. I'm really surprised Tony hasn't made a food replicator like there is in Star Trek..." he muttered in an aside, as he was mentally going over the list of things they'd got. "I don't think we've forgotten anything...."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he's been working on one." Mordo squeezed Stephen a bit more firmly against him. "It also seems like we don't need to worry about lube." He referenced their newest discovery.

Stephen grinned at that and blushed. Snuggling close, he said, "That's good. I'd have hated to do without when the bottle was empty. Makes me wonder what else might have changed, though...."

Mordo pulled Stephen into his lap. "You have extensive medical files on everyone. Including Yon-Rogg, now that he's been scanned and examined. If anything, else does change in any of our physiology, it should be easy to spot."

"True. And I get the feeling any changes the bond makes won’t be detrimental. Well, not to health, anyway. Lifestyle, who knows?" Stephen agreed with a crooked smile.

"Have you noticed any changes in yourself?" Mordo took Stephen's hand, running his fingers over it.

"Other than natural lubrication? Not yet. I can't help thinking there might be more, though..." Stephen admitted.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Mordo commented. "I've noticed increased desires in myself to take you."

"I... I've had more desire to be taken, if I'm confessing things..." Stephen admitted.

"It's not unusual for me to desire you," Mordo admitted. "But it's become common for me to want it, to want you, regularly."

Stephen grinned at that. "There are worse things to have happen than an increased libido for both of us...."

"Just so long as you are not forced into anything," Mordo said, voice filled with concern.

Stephen gave Mordo a semi-chiding look. "Just because the urge is there, doesn't mean I'll act on it. I'm not a masochist. I can refrain from doing things that might harm me. And as I know you would never force yourself on me, I think we are safe from my being forced into anything."

Mordo wrapped his arms tighter around his lover. "There is still a lot we don't understand about this bond and how it works. I hope you will tell me if anything begins to feel unnatural or scares you."

"Of course, I will. I know how important it is to let you know these things." Stephen nodded.

"Good." Mordo kissed him firmly. "I love you."

"And I love you..." Stephen returned the kiss eagerly.

***

Bobbi had done her level best to obey all orders without question, after the 'medical questionnaire confrontation' as she thought of it in her head. She hadn't liked the feelings of guilt that had plagued her after seeing Coulson's worry and disappointment in her actions. On top of that, she wanted to be cleared for duty so Coulson wouldn’t feel obligated to take her up into space with the rest of them. She was sure that was the only reason he'd decided to take her along; SHIELD counselors believed she had severe PTSD and that, if she went out in the field, it was a powder keg waiting to explode.

So, she'd obeyed every order and request, no matter how small, been on perfect behavior and shoved down every inclination she had to argue, disagree... do her own thing. And the stress of hiding her true emotions was beginning to wear. It didn't help that everyone was preparing for the weddings of the century. As happy as she was for everyone else, all the happy hubbub just reminded her of what she had lost with Lance because of the snap.

It also brought into unwelcome clarity her own body's traitorous response to her superior officer. It was highly inappropriate. Or... if it wasn't inappropriate, it was unfortunate, because there was no way Coulson would ever be attracted to her. And she wasn't sure she could trust her own attraction. What if it was just because she was lonely, and he made the effort to make sure she wasn't alone too often? She wasn't that starved for affection, was she?

At any rate, she had needed to get out of the compound. She was so tightly wound from not letting herself be anything but agreeable, obedient and happy that she had a migraine. She needed to escape somewhere and vent... even if it was only to the trees.

Cameron had been cleared to leave the medical bay, but he didn't really know what to do with himself. He found himself outside, on the grounds, wandering towards the trees.

Bobbi had found what she thought was a secluded spot, far enough away from the compound that screaming out her frustration and confusion wouldn't be heard. Taking a deep breath, she let it tear through her throat. The sound was angry, heartbroken, frightened... it was filled with every negative emotion. And it went on and on, only stopping for very brief moments so she could catch her breath. She'd be lucky if she had a voice when she was done. Only the fact she knew Coulson would immediately see any wounds and chastise her for hurting herself kept her from pummeling the nearest tree with her bare fists.

The sound was enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck and cause his skin to pimple. Not sure he was doing the right thing, Cameron headed towards the source of the sound... finding his undercover partner there. "Bobbi?" His voice was low; laced with concern.

Bobbi spun around in a defensive posture before she realized who it was. Her eyes were red rimmed, and it was obvious she'd been crying. "C... Cameron. I... I didn't think anyone else was out here..." she said, in a very rough voice. It was obvious she was embarrassed.

"I'd ask if you're okay, but I think I know the answer already." Cameron cleared his throat. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I... I just got overwhelmed..." Bobbi hedged, her voice cracking in spots. "They won't let me back in the field. Coulson wants me to join everyone in space and while I was really excited at first, now it feels like he only asked me because he doesn't know what else to do with me. And the upcoming wedding has me thinking of what I lost. And I feel really selfish and like the worst... not everything is about me. I should be grateful I even have a job and a home, given what happened...."

"I know how you feel." Cameron ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe not exactly... I guess I didn't really have anyone waiting on me. But it seems to me like the Director actually wants you with him. He... seems to like you a lot."

"I... I was on his team for a while before everything. I don't doubt he cares about me or wants me there... I just doubt it is because he needs me there. It feels more like it is just to keep me out of trouble because my head isn't on right now. I don't... don't want to be a burden or obligation. It doesn’t help that... that I've developed a slight crush on him..." she admitted reluctantly and blushed. "It's hard enough knowing there's not a snowball's chance in hell he'd feel the same, without being stuck on a ship where there is nowhere to escape, and I can't distract myself with other men..." she grumbled.

Cameron gave an uncertain smile. "Things have changed a lot since everyone disappeared. Maybe it's not so hopeless as all that." He hesitated. "If it makes you feel any better, Agent Hill wants me to join you all. I figure, I don't really have anywhere else to go."

"That does make me feel a little better." Bobbi smiled. “At least we worked together before, so there's a little familiar. I won't feel like I'm bothering Coulson or Maria too much if I can hang with you."

Cameron's smile grew a bit happier. "Yeah, I think we might need to figure out somewhere to hide when all that sex fills the air. I saw Cap and Rumlow. It was...intense."

Bobbi wrinkled her nose unhappily. "That and make sure I've got a decent toy to help when I can't escape..." she muttered.

"I was planning to use the danger room when it gets too much," Cameron admitted. "You're welcome to join me."

"That seems like a good idea. I'll join you if I don't get caught in a situation, I can't leave..." Bobbi laughed gently, wincing when the laugh sounded worse than when she talked.

Wincing in sympathy, Cameron suggested, "Why don't we take a look at the ship? I'm fairly sure they've all thought of everything, but maybe we could take a look at our quarters. I don't know about you, but I've got a couple of personal items I want to bring with me. There's some advantage to knowing people with so much influence," he added, thinking of how much he'd thought he'd lost of his belongings in five years.

"Does Maria want to keep you close in her quarters? Just in case?" Bobbi asked, in a sad tone. It was clear Coulson had suggested it to her. "He thinks I'm broken, Cameron... like a wounded animal. He wants to take care of me and help me get better. He cares about me a lot, maybe even loves me. But he'll never be in love with me. Why did I have to go and fall for my boss?!" she whined softly, even as she turned and leaned on Cameron, indicating she would follow him to go explore the ship.

Cameron wrapped an arm companionably around her shoulders. "Maria did ask me to stay in her quarters," he admitted. "I... I don't want to read too much into it. But she's...safe, I guess. In a sea of upheaval, I don't know about you, but I need something, or someone, to cling onto."

"Maybe you're right. It's obvious I need something or someone to help ground me till I can get myself back together. If Coulson wants to be that for me, maybe I should just let him. Even if I have to hide my crush on him," Bobbi agreed softly, as they walked together.

"Maybe just see how things go?" Cameron suggested, leading her back into the compound.

"Yeah... guess that's all I really can do..." Bobbi agreed, with a hesitant smile. "Until then... I better refrain from talking in front of anyone." Her voice wavered, cracking and disappearing for a second mid-sentence before coming back is a raspy tone. She winced again.

"Let's get you some water or juice too," Cameron commented, concern filling his voice.

Bobbi nodded, giving Cameron a grateful smile. It didn't take long for a short detour, where she got herself a can of ginger ale. Soon, they were at the ship, stepping in to take an impromptu tour.

***

Since his son and Kara were together, Coulson had tracked down Maria to chat with her. They'd come to a mutual agreement to check the status of the ship and were now headed there.

Maria was enjoying being with her longtime friend- one of her best friends outside of Fury- and was carrying on general chit-chat, catching up with Phil and finding out about life on the ship, since he'd already been in space with the group prior to them returning. As they walked to the ship to check it out, she found herself saying, "So... Bobbi Morse. It doesn't surprise me that you've taken her under your wing. You always were protective of those you considered yours. You planning to adopt her like you did Grant?"

If she were honest with herself, she was asking for an ulterior motive. She'd found herself drawn to Cameron in a decidedly non-motherly way but wasn't certain if she should approach the scientist with her feelings. She'd already told Cameron that she wasn't the submissive sort. While he was perfectly willing to follow orders from his boss, he didn't seem like the sort who would want to submit in a relationship (although she could be wrong). And they were about to embark on a trip on a spaceship filled with Dominants and submissives. Even the non-sexual pairings were Dominant and submissive. She wasn't going to ask him to embark on a relationship like that (unless he wanted it) but was afraid if she approached him with her feelings, that's what he'd assume she wanted. And yes, it would be easy enough to explain to him that she just wanted a relationship. A normal, partners, everyone is equal and supports each other but no one is in charge type of relationship. But... she felt like she was back in high-school and every interpersonal relationship skill she'd learned and perfected in her years of adulthood had just flown right out the window. She was bashful and uncertain and afraid of rejection. She hadn't felt like this in so long, she didn't know what to do about it.

Coulson took his time answering; not because he was reluctant, but because he hadn't talked about his feelings to Bobbi. Wasn't sure how to, if he was honest. Not without pushing her into something she might not be ready for, considering he was in fact her boss. But if he couldn't be honest with one of his long-time friends, one of his best friends, who could he be honest with? "I don't feel like a father to Bobbi," he admitted. "I had feelings for her even before half of our world disappeared. Those feelings just slipped under, resurfacing when she came back into my life."

"Really?" Maria sounded faintly surprised. "I never noticed..." she said, with a hint of embarrassed pride that her longtime friend had kept such a thing hidden and she hadn't picked up any clues at all. "I'm assuming she has no idea. She was with Lance for so long and I know you aren't the type to go after someone in a committed relationship."

"I kept them buried and hidden for a long time," Coulson replied. "And then people disappeared, and I figured there was no point in trying to wish or hope for something that couldn't be possible. Even now, though, I'm still the director and she's still an agent. I'll keep her close, because I want to look out for her. But I won't force her into anything."

"Easy way to fix that. Put her under Fury, Cap's, or my supervision. Not directly under you," Maria suggested.

Coulson nodded. "That's probably for the best," he agreed.

Maria smiled. "You should talk to her. I know she's still adjusting, getting used to the fact life moved on without her, but I get the feeling she wouldn't be against the idea of you wanting her. It was obvious your opinion means a lot to her. That she values you...."

"I just don't want her to feel forced into anything," Coulson admitted. Changing the subject, he asked, "What about you and Cameron?"

"I have no clue what to say or how to bring it up..." Maria admitted forlornly. "I know he wouldn't feel forced. If he's interested at all, he's probably going to have to parse the nonsense I say to even figure out what I'm on about..." she huffed. "Everything else in my life, I'm confident. Don't know why my nerves have disappeared for something that shouldn't be scary at all...."

"It's making yourself vulnerable to another person, even if all you're doing is admitting to them how you feel," Coulson said gently. "That's always a bit scary."

"Well... true as that is... I can't help feeling a bit like a coward." Maria winced. She didn't say anything else, though, as they'd reached the ship by this point and the chance of being overheard by those doing the remodeling increased.

Coulson raised his eyebrows as he heard the familiar sound of two voices. "Of course, if you want to talk to him now...."

Maria's own eyes widened. "Uh... quick! Any ideas?" she whispered furtively to him.

Coulson's smile was amused as well as gentle. "I'll take Bobbi with me. Give you two some privacy."

"What?! That's not what I meant!" Maria's eyes were wide and almost panicked, though she schooled her face quickly as soon as Cameron and Bobbi came into view. Only Coulson would know how nervous she was. At least she hoped.

Bobbi's own eyes widened as she saw Maria and Coulson and she suddenly clammed up. She didn't want Coulson to hear her wrecked voice. With her luck, he'd make her gargle salt-water or something else that would make her gag-reflex kick in, because it was 'good for her'. Although part of her liked when he took care of her and 'made' her do what was good for her.

Coulson smiled at the two of them. "Did you have the same kind of idea? To check on the living quarters?"

"Yeah." Cameron grinned at Coulson and then looked at Maria, clearing his throat. "What do you think of the arrangements?"

Maria blinked. "Which ones? Do you mean the living quarters? I haven't actually seen them yet, so I haven't formed an opinion..." She shifted to stand next to Cameron. "Want to show them to me? I know originally, we'd set it up so Phil's and my quarters connected; we wanted to make it easier for Kara and Grant... but when you and Bobbi joined us, we asked them to rearrange them again...."

Bobbi didn't say anything, just nodded her head vigorously and grinned, hoping like hell Coulson didn't ask her a direct question that required a verbal answer.

Coulson stepped closer to Bobbi and smiled at her. "Did you get a chance to look at our living quarters? Perhaps you could show me," he suggested.

Cameron nodded and smiled at Maria. "Yeah. They're this way." He began heading in that direction.

"Great!" Maria quickly followed Cameron.

Bobbi, knowing that Phil's and Maria's quarters were right next to each other (and that Tony had connected them by giving Kara and Ward a room of their own that was between the two) smiled brightly at Phil, grabbed his hand and pulled him with her, following Cameron and Maria. She still didn't say anything but was beginning to get a bit nervous. Coulson wasn't stupid. He would notice her not speaking; if he hadn't already noticed, which she was pretty sure he had. But she wasn't about to let him hear what she'd done to herself any sooner than she absolutely had to. She wasn't sure where it fell on the scale of 'dangerous' activity, or 'taking care of' herself and... well... she didn't want a spanking.

Coulson let Bobbi pull him along, but couldn't help asking worriedly, "Is something wrong with your voice?"

Swallowing hard, Bobbi shook her head no, but refused to look Coulson in the eye. She knew her time was about up; and she'd rather be in his new quarters, so he could either get distracted by all the renovations... or in his new quarters so no one else would hear him chide and scold her like a naughty little girl.

Maria followed Cameron into their new quarters, leaving Coulson and Bobbi alone.

Coulson reached out and closed his fingers around Bobbi's wrist, stopping her movement. He kept his voice gentle as he said, "Hiding matters about your health isn't going to end well, Bobbi. I need to know when something's wrong so I can help you."

Bobbi didn't really expect to get free when she began tugging at her arm and pulling toward his quarters. She just really wanted to be out of the hallway, where contractors and workers were still walking by. If she tugged a bit more forcefully than intended and risked minor bruising or abrasion if he didn't let go, that wasn't her intent. She liked him holding her firmly. It made butterflies in her stomach and her womanhood achy and wet. That was another very good reason to pull away. She was lucky her nipples weren't hard yet, at least not noticeably. That would be fun to explain.

Coulson frowned and wrapped his other arm around Bobbi, pulling her close and tight against him. "Stop trying to pull me along and let me know what's going on," he directed, a stern note creeping into his voice.

Bobbi winced. They were so close to being inside, where no one would be able to witness what she was sure to be a firm dressing down. Blushing darkly, she weighed her options. She was strong, but Coulson was stronger and had her in too firm a grip for her to break free without causing a scene; which was the whole reason she was trying to get into his quarters in the first place. Swallowing hard, she looked up at him, eyes tearing up and a begging look on her face. She pulled, gently this time, toward the quarters, in the hopes that he'd have mercy and take her in there before making her talk.

Even though he relented at the pleading look and followed her along to the quarters, Coulson's face was still stern; even though he was quite obviously worried.

As soon as they were inside the quarters, door shut behind them and Bobbi was certain no one else was there... she slumped and looked at the ground, no longer pulling against Coulson's grip. She figured she deserved whatever she got. How she'd thought she could avoid talking to the man without him knowing something was up was beyond her and the fact she'd behaved so ridiculously in an effort not to talk... well, she'd obviously worried him; and it was for no real reason. "Nothing's really wrong with me... I just... I got frustrated and went out and was yelling at trees..." she said. Her voice sounded horrible and it was clear she really shouldn't be using it at all.

Coulson frowned in concern. "Try and avoid talking." He took out a pad and paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "Why were you frustrated?" he asked, in a much gentler tone.

Bobbi's face turned scarlet at that. She quickly wrote down, Don't wanna tell you!!!! with numerous exclamation points to make certain he knew she was really, really serious about not wanting to tell him.

Sighing, Coulson commented, "No matter how frustrated you are, there are far safer and healthier ways of getting rid of it than by screaming yourself hoarse. You could have damaged your voice. I'm going to take you to the medical area."

Bobbi wrinkled her nose and pouted. She quickly wrote, Can't I just drink cough syrup or suck on lozenges? I don't wanna go to medical… Even without speaking, the words sounded whiny. She didn't know why she was being so difficult. Going to medical and not arguing would be the better way to ensure Coulson never found out the reason she'd been screaming at trees: because she wanted him so badly it was a physical ache sometimes... like right this moment.

"You have two choices," Coulson said. "You go with me to medical and get checked out. Or I spank you and then we go to medical for you to get checked out. Your health is non-negotiable, Bobbi."

Bobbi looked down guiltily. Despite not wanting a spanking, she couldn't help writing, Prolly deserve a spanking. I knew I shouldn't a been yelling like that. Could feel my voice getting bad...  Biting her lip, she stared at the ground and waited for his disappointment to be made clear. She hated disappointing him; worse than she hated being spanked. But for some reason she couldn't understand, she felt it was important she admit she'd known what she was doing was wrong; and accept whatever consequences came.

"I want to get your voice checked out first, before anything else." Coulson wrapped his arm around Bobbi's shoulders, drawing her into a hug.

Swallowing hard and blinking back tears at the obvious care Coulson was taking with her, Bobbi nodded in acceptance. She wouldn't argue.

Keeping her close, Coulson led her out of the quarters, heading to the exit and back into the main area of the compound. He continued to hold onto her even as they reached the medical wing.

Bobbi wasn't happy when the doctor ordered strict silence for the next week, along with gargling a saline solution every morning and night. Sighing softly, she gave Coulson a pathetic look.

"You need to follow the doctor's orders," Coulson said, his voice gentle but still firm. "If you don't, you risk making yourself even worse."

Bobbi wrinkled her nose and winced, then nodded resignedly. She might be a bit childish when it came to her health, but she wasn't stupid, no matter how immature she might act about getting medical attention. She'd do as ordered. It didn’t mean she'd like it or be gracious about it, but she'd do it.

Coulson wrapped his arm around Bobbi's shoulders, squeezing gently. "Grant's still with Kara. Why don't we head to my room and watch a movie together?" he suggested.

Bobbi bit her lip and glanced at Coulson, as if trying to figure something out. She would love to watch a movie with him. Any time in his presence made her almost giddy inside and she was positive it had to be written all over her face. He didn't act like he knew her stomach was knotting up with nerves, or that she needed to squirm at the arousal she was trying to keep hidden. So maybe she wasn't as obvious as she feared. Or he was being kind and pretending he didn't notice. Swallowing, she quickly wrote on the pad she now carried. 'I'd like that, sir. But am I not in trouble?' She bit her lip again and blushed as she looked into his face hesitantly.

"I would have preferred you not to lie and hide matters to do with your health from me," Coulson said seriously. "But as long as you don't do anything to further damage yourself, I'll let you off with the scolding I already gave you."

Bobbi gave him a small, grateful smile and nodded to show her agreement to his terms. It was more than fair. And it was a relief. She didn't think she'd be able to hide her attraction to him if she was bare bottomed over his knee.

Hugging her a bit tighter, Coulson began leading her from the medical rooms and towards his own quarters.

By the time they had reached her quarters, Bobbi realized not speaking at all for a week was going to be very difficult. So many times, she almost said something and stopped herself just in time. By the time they reached the room, her shoulders were hunched over in miserable frustration at herself.

"I know it's difficult," Coulson soothed, leading her inside. "But I can tell you're doing your best and I'm proud of you."

Bobbi let out a tiny sigh and gave Coulson a weak smile. She pulled out the pad and wrote, 'Really?'

"Of course." Coulson led her over to the couch so they could sit down. "Even though you're frustrated, you're doing the right thing. Using the pad and not trying to speak."

Bobbi flushed, an embarrassed look on her face. She wrote, 'I don't want a spanking....'

"No matter what the reason, you're still doing the right thing," Coulson said gently. "Now...what do you want to watch?"

Biting her lip, Bobbi shrugged. If she were honest with herself, she'd be too focused on Coulson to pay much attention to the movie anyway.

Coulson leaned back on the sofa, wrapping his arm around Bobbi's shoulders, and picked out a movie he remembered Bobbi mentioning she'd enjoyed in the past.

Despite how dangerous it was for her nerves... how could he not feel or hear her heartbeat racing?... Bobbi relaxed against Coulson, going so far as to snuggle close so her head was on his shoulder.

Coulson held her close, managing to resist the urge to kiss her head. He did let his fingers brush through her hair, though.

A bittersweet feeling speared through Bobbi at feeling his fingers in her hair. If she were brave enough, she'd shift her head just an inch... kiss him. But she wasn't that brave. She'd accept what she was given and be happy.

Content to hold her close, even if he wanted to move further, Coulson continued stroking her hair as they watched the movie.

***

Cameron waited for Maria to finish looking around the quarters before asking, "Do you think they're the right size? I can already imagine where I'll put my few belongings I can't leave behind," he admitted, a little sheepishly.

"There's a small kitchenette for when we don't want to join everyone else, a small living area, a decent bath, two small bedrooms... and then the small bed with bath that is between our room and Coulson's." Maria sounded bemused at the last. She was still getting used to the fact they had a small connecting bed and bath between them for Kara and Grant. "I don't have a whole lot to bring either, so I think it will be enough."

Cameron nodded. "I'm pretty excited to see how the danger room will work," he admitted. "I've seen technology similar to it, but from what I've heard, it's been a pretty major breakthrough."

"I am too, really. I've heard Logan talking about it and if it is even half what they say... " Maria grinned.

"We'll get plenty of recreational activity even when we're on the ship." Cameron grinned back before asking, somewhat uncertainly, "So...do you have any plans for later?"

"I don't... Kara made plans with Grant, so I find myself free tonight..." Maria blushed and found herself tongue tied. "I... would you... I mean you obviously don't have to, but..." She stumbled over her words.

"Get dinner with me?" Cameron asked the question shyly, but it was obviously honestly meant.

"Yes!" Maria blurted, her voice an excited squeal, before she blushed and cleared her throat. "I... I'd like that a lot..." she said, in a more natural, calm voice.

Cameron's grin was wide and heartfelt. "Great. Maybe we could go out? Take advantage of one of the restaurants here on Earth before we leave?" he suggested.

Maria smiled happily. "Yeah... I'd like that. A lot."

"Me too." Cameron grinned again and then asked, "Did you want to see any more of the ship?"

"You know... I think I'll wait till they're completely done. What do you say we go clean-up? Change? Head into town?" Marks grinned in a flirty manner. Having Cameron show interest had got rid of her insecurity. She had the confidence to go after her goal now: convincing Cameron they belonged together.

Cameron's smile grew and he nodded quickly. "Yeah. I'll meet you at the garage in...." He paused, thought about it, then asked, "How long would you like to get ready?"

"Quick shower and change... meet you in the garage in thirty minutes?" Maria asked.

"Great," Cameron said happily, going to do just that.

****

It was a week later, and the ship's renovations had been completed. All that was left was to move in. Everyone had done their shopping and had everything they thought they'd need. All physical and mental examinations had been performed and medical files were updated. And with all of that, the weddings had been planned and arranged for (although Pepper and Tony had helped largely with that.)

Cameron and Maria had quickly become a couple. Maria hadn't smiled this much in forever, it felt like. She glanced around at all the guests standing witness to their friends making their relationships legal.

Every one of the couples had written their own vows. While they were having a shared ceremony, each of them had some time focused just on them, where they were the ones in the 'spotlight'.

There were enough family and friends there that the ceremony had ended up being outside. It was nice and warm, the weather holding off on any sign of rain. And as soon as the ceremony was over, they headed to the hall in the compound that had been prepared for the reception afterwards.

***

Tony was talking with the 'leaders' of the ship. "So, everything is ready. Almost everything has been moved on board. There are several empty quarters for if you pick up guests or new crew. You planning to leave at the end of the week?"

Steve nodded. "That's the idea, I think. We've got a few flight maps, thanks to Thor and Loki and Yondu."

"Exciting stuff..." Tony sounded vaguely envious. Only vaguely, though. He believed it was better for Morgan to have a normal childhood with friends her age and there was no way he'd go to space and leave her behind.

"We'll come back and visit you all regularly," Fury said. "After all, you're family."

Tony grinned at that. "You better. Morgan isn't going to want her honorary grandpa and uncles to be gone too long..." He left it without saying that he'd miss them just as much.

Steve smiled and reached out to gently squeeze Tony's shoulder. "We wouldn't want to stay away from you for long either."

"So... big goodbye party later this week?" Tony asked.

"I think that's the plan," Fury commented, with a warm smile.

"Well, looking forward to it. I'll let you get back to what you were doing. I've got to go to a board meeting..." Tony made a face.

Steve couldn't help but chuckle at that. "We'll let you get to it, then. But let me know when you're free this week, Tony. I'd like to spend a bit of 'family' time together, without everything going a bit crazy. It'll give me a chance to say a proper goodbye to you all."

"I can do that right now!" Tony grinned and quickly pulled up his calendar on his phone. He began to give Steve all the times he was available.

It didn't take long before Steve had arranged an evening with Tony and allowed Fury to do the same...and then the three of them separated. Back to what they needed to do to either prepare for the trip or, in Tony's case, his meetings.

***

After seeing how badly things had gone for Eddie in particular (himself notwithstanding), Carlton had ended up putting a stop to his attempts to find a way to exist peacefully with the symbiotes, instead turning his mind to other ways of extending people's lives. Of healing what was currently incurable.

But he was still keeping some tabs on those who had come into contact with the symbiotes. Checking hospitals to make sure no one was harmed. Looking into police reports of anyone acting suspiciously.

And the latter was what had him driving to Eddie's apartment. A police report about a huge oil-like monster with a huge mouth and sharp teeth that had attacked a would-be robber. Killed him and left his partner alive, but in a bad state.

Eddie had convinced people that he was no longer host to Venom. Drake was convinced now he'd lied.

***

Eddie had convinced Venom to limit his eating people to only 'bad guys'. He figured it was better than the alternative... Venom moving to a different host, who wouldn't insist on limits. He didn't know what it said about his morals that he had convinced himself of that so easily. The fact was... he didn't think he could be happy living without Venom. Not anymore. Wasn't sure if he could live without him, even unhappily. And he wanted to live, so taking that chance wasn't really an option. So... Venom stayed and Eddie kept it hidden.

***

Drake got out of his car and headed to the apartment building. He rang Eddie's number and then waited, trying hard not to let his impatience show.

It was quiet for a moment and then banging could be heard inside, along with whispered arguing, though the voices and words were indecipherable. A minute later, the door was thrown open and Eddie stood there, disheveled, five o'clock shadow and bruised eyes, white undershirt and low-slung jeans over bare feet. He blinked in surprise when he saw who was there. "Drake..." he said uncertainly.

Drake raised his eyebrows, taking in Eddie's disheveled appearance. "You look like you're in bad shape."

"Yeah... well... saving the world from aliens wanting to take over humanity didn't change the rest of my life..." He shrugged and stepped back, so Drake could come into the apartment.

He smells suspicious, Eddie... he knows... Venom said, in Eddie's head.

Drake stepped into the apartment. He waited until the door closed behind him to speak. "Venom's still there. Isn't he?" It was phrased as a question, but there was a note of certainty in his voice.

"What? Why... why would you think that?" Eddie tried to sound confused, but he was tired, and Venom was jabbering and laughing in the back of his mind, distracting him. He knew he wasn't convincing.

"You don't sound even halfway convincing," Drake said. "And the latest witness to Venom talked. No one's listened, but a few more people start saying similar things and others are going to take notice."

"I'm famous, Eddie!" Suddenly, an oily black form rose out of Eddie's shoulder. A wide eyed, toothy grin loomed over him and stared at Drake. "Can we eat him, Eddie?

"What?! No, Venom! He's not a bad guy. Besides... You just ate!" Eddie said, a hint of worry in his tone. He could only control Venom so far.

"You let everyone who knew anything believe that Venom was gone." Drake focused on Eddie, remembering his own experiences with the symbiote. It had taken that for him to realize what he'd been doing and how it would impact everyone. He couldn't let another person die because of his mistakes.

"Of course, I did! Do you think they'd let him live if they knew he was still here? Would let me live? I'd be lucky if I spent the rest of my life in an asylum. They'd make sure he died." Eddie swallowed. "I couldn't let that happen. He turned on his own people to help me..." Eddie's voice caught.

Drake took a step forward, closer to Eddie. "I understand that, but you didn't tell me. Which I would have understood before, but since I helped you..." At least once he'd realized what the symbiotes really were.

"I didn't tell anybody!" Okay. Maybe he sounded a bit more defensive than he needed to, but it wasn't like he and Drake were bosom buddies... best friends... he'd been Anne's boss and, for a long time, the person he'd blamed for Anne and his relationship falling apart. He knew better now, but still. Trusting was difficult for Eddie. He'd seen too much in his life. Trusting immediately was infinitely more difficult. What did Drake expect?

Venom, picking up on Eddie's confusion and distress, leaned closer and sniffed Drake. "Can we eat him now, Eddie?"

"What?" Eddie blinked and stared at Venom. "No! He's a good guy. And now he knows... so maybe he'll help. He won't want people to find out and panic." Yes, he was not so subtly manipulating Drake. If he hadn't been so tired, he might not have. Would have thought of a better option. But he was tired. Making Drake feel guilty about people panicking so that he'd keep quiet was mild.

"Help," Drake echoed. "If you want my help, there needs to be trust between us, Eddie. I know I didn't give you a reason to trust me before, but I think I've proved myself now. No lying to me from now on. No hiding things."

Eddie grimaced. "And if I do lie or hide things? You'll tell?" Great. The situation had just gone from Eddie manipulating Drake to Drake blackmailing Eddie. Or something. He was so tired.

"No." Drake's voice was calm. Firm. In an almost conversational tone, he continued, "I'll punish you."

Eddie just stared at Drake, uncomprehending.

Venom got tired of waiting for a response. "What's that mean, Eddie? How will he punish you if you lie or hide things? Will he lock you up?"

"He can't... doesn't have that authority and can get into trouble himself..." Eddie finally answered, with a hint of disbelief. "Dunno how he thinks he will, though...."

"Spanking." Drake answered without hesitation. "I will punish you with a spanking."

Venom stretched out further so he could look at both Eddie and Drake before focusing on Drake. "What is a spanking? Eddie has lots of feelings to that. He does not believe you. He also... feels of desire. Both of the emotions and between his legs..." Venom lowered his head and sniffed at Eddie's groin like a dog, ignoring Eddie's furtive protests at his words and what he was doing. "Perhaps you should spank him and see what happens?" he asked helpfully. He was curious if this 'punishment' would help his host. His friend. His Eddie.

Eddie turned scarlet and a mortified and slightly scared look crossed his face. "H... he doesn't... that... that's not...."

It would make things a lot easier if Venom cooperated, that was true. Nodding and making his decision in a split second, Drake reached out and closed his fingers around Eddie's wrist. Glancing round, he then proceeded to tug the other man towards the couch.

"What? No!" Eddie protested, beginning to attempt to get away.

"I want to see if it works, Eddie!" Venom cajoled, encasing himself around Eddie's feet so he could walk him after Drake and prevent him escaping. "What I see in your memory is very interesting and the contrast of your feelings is delicious!" The symbiote was almost purring.

Reaching the couch, Drake sat down and guided Eddie across his knees. He made sure the other man's body was well-supported and that he wouldn't fall, even without Venom's 'help', and then tugged Eddie's pants and underwear down.

"No... I... you can't spank me! I wasn't bad!" Eddie found himself arguing, even as Venom wrapped around his feet and hands and held him immobile for Drake.

"Spank him hard, so he can't sit without thinking about it!" Venom urged. "I need to figure out why I feel him wanting it and not wanting it at the same time..."

Drake let his hand run over Eddie's backside, squeezing low down on one cheek before delivering a firm smack. "You planned to destroy me, Eddie. In that interview. Not because you disagreed or thought that it was dangerous, but purely because you could." He delivered a firm smack with each word and then paused, hand rubbing over the reddened skin.

"I was right, though! It... it shouldn't have been going on! It was dangerous!"  Eddie argued. Even if that hadn't been his true motivation in the beginning, it didn't make it less true.

Venom had risen from his shoulder and was wrapped around to stare over Drake's shoulder, watching avidly. "He... he feels guilty..." he whispered to Drake. "Guilty and relieved you aren't listening to him...."

Nodding to indicate to Venom he'd heard and understood, Drake rubbed a bit longer and then resumed smacking. "Do you think things would have gone differently, better, if you'd actually talked to me rather than play games?"

"I... I..." Eddie winced and wriggled as much as he was able, which wasn't much. Venom held him immobile. He didn't want to answer Drake's question, though. He knew, deep down, he'd handled things badly. Had he spoken to Drake, maybe the other man would have paid attention. Maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe it would have, but at least he would have been able to be certain he'd done everything possible to prevent it, instead of contributing to the problem.

Venom whispered again, "The guilt is increasing, along with a bit of distress. He has realized you are right and doesn't like it." He paused and let his head drop down to where he was staring at Eddie's backside from directly behind and slightly low down, then moved back up to whisper in Drake's ear again, "When you rub him, it soothes and distresses him both; it makes him feel small and helpless and controlled. I think he likes it!"

Drake listened to Venom's comments, pausing to rub Eddie's bottom and then resuming the smacks. While he didn't swat nearly as hard as he could, they were definitely enough to be felt; ensuring the sting would last past the time he stopped spanking.

Eddie wasn't sure what to say or do. Struggling was fruitless; Venom held him in place. It was clear the symbiote wanted him punished, no matter what he said. He finally gave up trying and lay limply over Drake's knee, resigned to accepting his fate. And that's when his focus became less about getting away because 'Drake had no right' and began to focus on why Drake was doing this to him... began to focus on the fact he deserved this and it hurt, but he deserved worse and how he was as much at fault for people dying as Drake, maybe more; and... before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face and he was making heartfelt apologies for what he'd done to Drake. Admitting what he'd done wrong and acknowledging how he could have handled things better.

Venom purred again and lay his head on Drake's shoulder, tongue licking at him like a snake as he watched Eddie's bottom turn darker with each swat, pinker with every rubbing squeeze. Neither man could have been blamed for questioning his feelings for Eddie; for as much possessive claim as he'd taken over the man, he seemed to be relishing his pained, guilty misery. "He... he feels truly repentant. Sorry. But you mustn't stop yet..." he whispered to Drake, with open excitement. "You must continue until you've pushed him to admit what he needs..." he added cryptically. "...So, he cannot hide it from you or himself any longer!"

Again, Drake listened to Venom; assuming that the symbiote knew Eddie's feelings and emotions and, despite what seemed to be almost sadistic pleasure in the punishment, was putting voice to what Eddie needed when the other man couldn't put voice to it himself.

Drake raised his leg to expose the creases between bottom and thigh; the sit spots. He used his other hand to part Eddie's legs and began to swat his sit spots and inner thighs, turning them the same shade of red as the rest of his backside.

Eddie sobbed as his sit spots and inner thighs were targeted. The sting was all encompassing. His bottom felt aflame and his emotions were tearing him up inside, because... as much as it hurt to hear, Venom was right. He needed Drake to punish him. To make it clear his lack of control over himself had been noticed and was being corrected... by Drake taking over that control for him.

"He's almost there..." Venom hissed. "...A few moments more and you can make him yours. Well... except for what is mine!"

"You are mine, Eddie." Drake was responding to Venom's comment along with stating his claim over the other man. "From now on." The other man's entire bottom was a deep red, bordering on scarlet, now. Drake didn't swat as firmly as he had been, though the smacks were far from pats.

Eddie didn't know what to say... not that he could say anything. His throat was closed from tears and breathing took what little time he had left between choked sobs. He heard Drake's words, though and instead of frightening him or angering him that the other man thought he could just step in and take over his life... he found himself slumping in acceptance. A feeling of peace overcame him, and he dropped hard and fast, his entire life in Drake's hands.

Venom jerked up at that, his eyes wide. "Eddie? Why are you no longer fighting? I do not understand!" He was talking as much to Drake as to his nonresponsive host. "He was feeling guilty and afraid and needy... then suddenly, there was peace and acceptance and now he's all floaty and numb and unaware. It is as if you drugged him!" He looked all over Eddie's body for signs of drugs and then searched Drake to see if he somehow slipped something to his host.

"He surrendered." Drake's voice was calm as he let his hands rub gently over Eddie's back, bottom and thighs, feeling the heat rising from the punished skin.

"Surrendered? Do you mean he gave himself to you? He will obey you now?" Venom asked curiously. "Will you be able to make certain he feeds us enough now? We are always hungry, but he doesn't let us eat!" The symbiote was pouting.

Eddie remained still and quiet, only whining softly as very sore skin was rubbed, claimed, by his new master, but it was an involuntary response. He wasn't aware enough to knowingly respond.

"I'll do whatever I can to take care of both of you," Drake promised, still rubbing Eddie's bottom and thighs and squeezing possessively every so often.

Venom relaxed at that, letting his head rest on Drake's shoulder again as he watched him rub and squeeze Eddie's heated flesh. "He's really sore, but instead of making him cry, what you are doing is keeping him all druggy...." A thin black tendril reached out and caressed Eddie's bottom, before rubbing between his cheeks curiously. "He imagined you poking into him... before you came to the door. He didn't like me seeing those thoughts." He reached down further. "And he is swollen. That means he needs to make little meat sacks, does it not?"

"He is turned on," Drake answered. He shifted slightly, to make his own erection more comfortable, rather than try to hide it. In no hurry or rush, he continued to touch and explore Eddie as the other man lay across his lap. It was clear that he felt a sense of satisfaction from colouring and warming the other man's backside.

"Yes... arousal leads to baby meat sacks… right?" venom looked up at Drake, before leaning down and nuzzling against his arousal. "Do you want to poke into him?" Venom purred. "I can hold him in place and open for you. If his thoughts are right, it will feel very good to him."

"I would prefer him to be fully aware when I take him," Drake said honestly, his voice slightly hitched as Venom nuzzled his own arousal. "Even if it felt good to him, I wouldn't want to do so without consent." He paused before adding, "If we were to sleep together, though, it wouldn't result in babies. That's not possible for two men."

"It is amazing your species has not gone extinct... being limited in who can have these babies..." Venom nuzzled Drake a little longer before shifting to nuzzle against Eddie. "You both smell different... but not bad..." he declared. "Under the druggy feeling, he feels achy where he is swollen. Is that dangerous for him?"

"That isn't dangerous, though being in that headspace for too long can be," Drake explained. "I'll let him stay dropped for a few more minutes before I start guiding him out."

"What could happen if you do not pull him out?" Venom sounded worried.

"It could hurt him emotionally. It's a state of mind call subspace. You're not really aware of what's around you." As he was speaking, Drake was slowing and then, finally, stopping the rubbing and squeezing.

"And staying down too long could hurt him emotionally? How? By making him afraid?" Venom worried. "Will I need to help him?"

"Afraid. Vulnerable. If this is the first time it's happened, he's likely to be more scared," Drake said. "He'll just need help staying calm and settled. Knowing this wasn't a bad thing." He began to gently call to Eddie.

"I... I think it was his first time...," Venom whispered, not wanting to interrupt as Drake helped his host. "All the thoughts I observed, none of them were memories. And his fear is growing, the more aware he becomes. He needs you, not me. I will speak with you later. Take care of him!" Venom ordered, before withdrawing completely into Eddie, not even holding him in place any longer.

Eddie slowly became aware of everything; his very sore bottom, his aroused state, Drake's hand resting on his body but not doing anything, Drake's voice firmly but gently talking to him, giving him an anchor to focus on. As soon as he became aware enough to realize he'd dropped, he began to sob softly, ashamed and feeling broken. "I... I'm sorry..." His voice was hurt and lost. He knew Drake couldn't want him after how badly he'd messed everything up. Would he use this new knowledge of how messed up Eddie was to punish him further? It wasn't like Eddie didn't deserve it.

"For what?" Drake let his hand rest on Eddie's lower back; his other hand on one of the other man's hips. "You let go. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with you." He kept his voice pitched low. Reassuring.

"I... I did everything possible to stop you in the most damaging way possible..." His voice was strained, as he tried to calm enough to speak. "I... I deserved to be punished," he choked out sorrowfully. "...Now... you sh... shouldn't h... have to take care of me!" He cried softly.

"I spanked you." Drake's voice was firm, even though he kept it gentle and reassuring. "If I wasn't prepared to take care of you afterwards, I wouldn't have punished you in such a personal way."

"I... I don't un... understand... I... I lost focus..." Eddie was calming, sniffling instead of crying. He hadn't attempted to get up from Drake's lap. He was afraid to move in case his arousal became obvious. "I was being punished and lost focus. I didn't mean to...."

"You dropped," Drake soothed. "I recognized it for what it was. It wasn't a bad thing. You weren't being bad." He rubbed slow, large circles on Eddie's back, the need to touch strong.

"I wasn't bad?" Eddie blushed at how hopeful he sounded. "You... you aren't mad?" He meant about his dropping, but also in general. Drake had been rightfully upset when he arrived, but he didn't seem upset any longer.

"I'm not mad," Drake answered. "I've punished you for lying. Being punished means you've paid for what happened. Clean slate. Forgiven."

"Th... thank you..." Eddie whispered, slumping slightly. He thought he should move, even if it gave away his arousal, but he felt incapable of doing anything if Drake didn't order it. Emotionally, he was drained, nervous, needy. He wondered if he should confess that but was afraid of what it meant.

Clearing his throat, Drake said, in a soft voice, "The attraction's mutual." He didn't directly draw attention to either of their arousals, but still made it clear he felt the same way.

Eddie swallowed as he realized what that meant. He wasn't sure what to do with that information, though. He knew what he wished he could do with it, but the possibility of rejection was still very high, and he didn't feel that brave. Especially not when he was technically a virgin when it came to what he wanted.

Venom was impatient and not willing to wait for Eddie to get his nerves up. He poked his head up out of Eddie's shoulder again. "He's afraid to say, but he wants you to put your arousal into him and make his inside sore like his outside," he announced, ignoring Eddie's whimpering protest of embarrassment. "I think that means he wants to belong to you?"

"I agree," Drake commented. "And that feeling's mutual too." He gently squeezed one of Eddie's hips. "Do you have anything I can use?"

Eddie took a quivering breath. "Y... yes. T... there is olive oil in the kitchen..." he whispered uncertainly, not sure if he was understanding correctly, or just projecting his wishes.

Venom suddenly surrounded his body, holding him in place, then lifting him just enough Drake could slide out from under him to go get the oil. "You get the oil? I put him back when you return?"

"Thank you." Drake carefully slid out from under Eddie, heading through to the kitchen to get the olive oil and then returning with it.

As soon as Drake was sitting on the couch again, Venom lowered Eddie back down onto his lap, then withdrew back into Eddie's body, except for his head. He continued to tell Drake what Eddie was afraid to say. "He's getting a bit anxious... excited? His heart rate and breathing are increasing. And he imagined your fingers in him, but he seems nervous to have thought that. I don't think he's ever had anything inside him before. Have you, Eddie?"

Eddie whimpered and tried to ignore Venom.

"We'll go slow." Drake's voice was soft. Soothing. He stroked over one thigh. "And you'll tell me if it's too much or unbearable. Won't you, Eddie?"

"Y... yessir..." Eddie's voice was small, nervous and very deferential. He hadn't expected to answer that way.

Venom chuckled. "He didn't think he was going to be a good boy for you. He wonders if he belongs to you now?"

"Yes." Drake's voice was very firm. "He does belong to me...you do belong to me, Eddie." He poured a generous amount of oil onto his finger and began to slowly rub it between Eddie's cheeks, pressing gently against his entrance.

Eddie whimpered softly, unable to keep from tensing up in anticipation and nerves. He didn't try and get away, though. He lay still so Drake could touch how he wanted.

"He likes that. That you own him now. He's still nervous, but really wants it..." Venom shifted so his head was back on Drake's shoulder and he could watch curiously as Drake's finger rubbed. "Looks good... all wet and slippery..." He let a few tendrils come from Eddie's hips, moving them in such a way as to pull Eddie's cheeks apart so he and Drake got a better view of Eddie's tight entrance being slicked up by Drake's finger. "It feels good to him."

Eddie whined softly as he felt his sore cheeks being tugged apart, opening him... exposing him...to his master.

Drake continued to take his time, circling Eddie's entrance a bit more before he began to slowly push the finger inside the other man.

Eddie groaned as Drake's finger pushed in. It was uncomfortable at first, but emotionally, it felt perfect. Drake was claiming him. He belonged now and all his secret wishes that he thought would never be real were starting to come true. His member was fully aroused by this point, leaking precum.

"He's really happy..." Venom whispered. "He feels like he really belongs to you now."

"That's because he does," Drake murmured back. He moved his finger in slow, gentle circles inside Eddie, waiting for the other man to relax fully before he pushed a second oiled finger inside.

Eddie's breathing became more ragged, even as he relaxed for Drake. As the other man gently opened and loosened him, his trust grew, enabling him to relax further. "...Master..." he breathed out, in a shaky whisper.

Venom remained quiet, content to watch as Drake manipulated his host's body, stretching and filling him with his digits. "It looks really good, Eddie..." he said, sending Eddie a mental picture of what he looked like spread over Drake's knee with Drake's fingers exploring inside him. He chuckled at the loud, begging whine Eddie gave.

"Very good," Drake agreed, carefully exploring and rubbing inside Eddie. He was content to take his time; prepare the other man fully. His own erection was quickly hardening and growing, straining against his own pants.

The longer and deeper Drake rubbed inside of him, the more Eddie relaxed and loosened for his master, enabling Drake to add a finger or two. His own arousal was full and obvious, pressing into Drake's thigh.

Venom continued to watch curiously. "Are you going to fit your whole hand in him?"

Drake's smile was soft. "No. But I want to make sure he's completely ready when I take him fully." With his free hand, he began to unbutton and lower his own pants.

"He feels really achy inside. He needs you to take care of him..." Venom observed, as he continued to watch Drake stretch his host. "I bet you could fit your hand in, if you wanted. He'd let you... might take a while, but right now, he'd let you do anything without protest."

Eddie moaned softly at Venom's words but didn't disagree with them. At that moment, he'd take whatever Drake chose to do.

"I might save the whole hand for later. But right now, I want to take care of the need we both have." Coating himself in the oil, Drake moved Eddie enough so that he could push inside the other man.

"Oh... I see. He really likes that. It... makes him feel full and like he belongs. And... there is a spot inside... you hit and his whole body sparked with awareness...." Venom sounded enthralled. "Make him spark again! I like him sparking!"

Eddie moaned softly as he felt Drake push in, stretching him further and filling him... stuffing him... it felt so good. "Please, master..." he found himself begging.

Carefully grasping Eddie's hips, Drake began to thrust deep inside the other man. He wasn't rough, but he wasn't exactly gentle either.

Eddie groaned and clenched around Drake, holding tight as much as possible. He didn't need gentle. He needed to feel possessed. "Th... thank you, master," he breathed out, as he felt Drake going deep, marking him inside. "Never belong to anyone else... ever 'gain..." he promised.

"You're mine," Drake promised in return. "You belong to me now." His voice was highly possessive.

Eddie finally realized all his efforts to take down the other man, ruin him, was because, deep down, he'd wanted to belong to him and didn't know how to deal with those needs. He'd confess once he could form a coherent sentence again. Moaning loudly, he felt himself tightening around Drake, preparing to release. It felt so good. "Master... can't hold back..." He whimpered.

"Let go." Drake's own voice was rough, indicating that his own release was close. He tightened his hold on Eddie. "Let go for me."

With a gasped sob, Eddie did just that. His release splattered the couch underneath them as his greedy hole clenched so tightly around Drake, the other man was stuck in place.

Drake's own release came over him at the same time and he tightened his grip even more, letting out a low groan as he came inside Eddie.

Eddie was surprised at the feeling of safety and satisfaction he felt as he felt Drake's release coating and filling him inside. "So good... thank you, master..." he whispered gratefully.

Gently squeezing Eddie's hips, Drake murmured, "You feel good."

Eddie swallowed, letting out a tiny sigh. For once, it was him telling Drake his feelings instead of Venom. "I... I feel full. It's comforting. For the first time in forever, I... I don't feel anxious or uncertain or afraid..." He flushed faintly in embarrassment. "I thought what you were doing was wrong and dangerous, but I was too much of a coward to tell you the right way and I made things worse. I was too cowardly to talk to you in person, because every time I saw you, I wanted... wanted..." He closed his eyes. "It confused me, wanting like that, so I avoided you and treated you horribly. Tried to ruin you. It wasn't right or fair... and... I really am sorry. And now... I know it isn't anything to be afraid of and I'm sorry I wasted so much time instead of giving in..." he huffed sheepishly.

Biting his lip, he focused on his body. His bottom felt raw, it was so tender. He knew it wasn't... Venom had taken great pleasure in sending him mental pictures of what his bottom looked like while Drake spanked him... making sure he had a good angle of Drake's hand connecting to flesh, so it was clear he was in charge. He'd done the same as Drake claimed him, with the result of Eddie watching himself be stretched and filled and rubbed inside while feeling it. Just remembering caused him to moan softly. So, he was sore, inside and out, but he was happy and calm. And relaxed and felt safe and wanted and... "Do you really want me? Do you really want to own me? Be my master and... and take care of me and correct me and...? I'm an adult and I need to be responsible for myself and my actions... everyone always tells me that... it doesn't upset you that I have a hard time with that and need you to...?" He wasn't explaining things well at all and explaining too much at the same time. He blushed darkly. If Drake didn't want this, Eddie had just set himself up to fall hard.

"Not everyone feels so comfortable taking care of, taking charge of, themselves," Drake murmured, gently squeezing low down on Eddie's legs, past where he'd spanked the other man. "When I arrived here, I knew exactly what I was doing. I need to take over you, to take control of you. I need you. And I'm not going to ignore my needs any longer," he promised.

"I won't fight myself any more... lie to myself or you..." Eddie promised quietly. "I belong to you now and... I won't be bad, because instead of lashing out when I'm afraid, I'll come to you..." He shifted slightly... very slightly. He didn't want Drake to pull out until he absolutely had to.

Venom poked his head out of Eddie's back.  "Eddie is mine... but I will share with you. If you hurt him, I will eat you!"

"I won't hurt him," Drake promised. He gently squeezed Eddie's thighs again. "You don't need to stay here anymore. In fact, I'm going to insist you come home with me. Both of you. Obviously."

Eddie glanced around the apartment he'd called home since breaking up with Anne and losing his job. It was bare and in need of repair. It was all he could afford. "You... want to bring me home?" He asked for confirmation.

Venom was blunter. "You can afford to feed us?" he asked. He really meant feed him. Without Venom, Eddie's appetite was a third of what it was with Venom. It wasn't easy, keeping the symbiote fed on no income... hence his agreeing to eating bad guys. It had been the only compromise Venom was willing to make when Eddie couldn't buy enough food that wasn't people to fill him.

"I want you." Drake's response was simple. Honest. Heartfelt. "I have money. Influence. I can make sure you don't go hungry." He was addressing both of them. Eddie and Venom were a package deal. He'd take care of both his lover and the symbiote attached to his lover.

"We will come, then." Venom answered for Eddie, as the human was having difficulty forming words. He was very emotional. "Eddie is having difficulty speaking. Knowing you want him has made his chest tight and achy and he is fighting water draining out of him. I thought water draining only happened when humans were sad...."

Eddie took a shivering breath and swallowed, trying to get enough control so he could speak. He gently squeezed around Drake.

Drake stroked his fingers along Eddie's hips. "I want you," he affirmed. "I need you. I love you, Eddie. No tricks. No games. I'll take care of you," he promised.

"Love you too... need you so much... thank you for giving me another chance... for forgiving me..." he finally whispered.

"We both made mistakes," Drake said quietly. "I thought I was doing the right thing. It was almost too late before I realized the truth."

Eddie sniffled and whispered, "If I had handled things better, you might have believed me or found out faster. I... from now on it will be different."

Venom popped his head up again. "Are you both going to be 'sappy'? I think it will be easy for Eddie to be 'sappy'... that's when a tree has lots of liquid juices in it right?... He can be sappy easy cuz you put lots of liquid juices in him. It felt really good and still does. Can you make him sappier?"

Drake moved one hand to the nape of Eddie's neck, gently stroking, even as he responded to Venom. "Sappy in humans has a slightly different meaning. It means emotional. Romantic."

"Well... Eddie is already sappy enough, in that case. He pretends not to be, but inside, he's just a great big ball of goo..." Venom commented. "Too bad it isn't the other kind of sappy, though. Wanted to see how much he could actually hold inside."

Eddie grunted at that. "I am not a science experiment Venom..."

"That would only last for as long as I stayed inside anyway," Drake commented. "Without something else to hold my release in, as soon as I pull out, the fluid will leak out."

Venom grinned his toothy grin at Drake before a strand of oily black came up out of Eddie's lower back. The thin arm formed a 'plug' at the end, a little larger than Drake. "I can take care of that!" the alien crooned.

"I'm sure you can," Drake responded. "Before we do anything else, though, I want to take you home."

Venom pouted. "He'll lose what's already there!"

Eddie wrinkled his nose and tried to look over his shoulder. "What are you on about, Venom?"

"Nothing, Eddie!" Venom purred, with a toothy grin.

Drake reached out and stroked his fingers over Eddie's cheek. "Venom doesn't want you to lose any of my release. But when we're at home, I can take you again. A bit more comfortably this time."

Eddie blinked at that, then grinned. "Is there a reason you don't want me to lose it?" He glanced at Venom.

"Because it makes you feel good, Eddie! And when you feel good, I feel good!" the alien responded. "Besides... it is something I can eat that won't hurt you...."

Eddie wrinkled his nose, uncertain if he should be worried about that comment or not. "You promised! No more eating my organs!"

"Silly Eddie. I am not eating them. I sometimes eat what is inside of them, though...."

"That... that's not... you know what. I'll worry about it later. I wanna go home..." Eddie shook his head, squeezing gently around Drake.

Drake carefully pulled out of Eddie and reclothed him. "What do you want to bring home with us?" he asked, tugging his own clothing back into place.

Venom pouted but didn't push the issue. He'd learned enough to know Eddie would get stroppy if he just did what he wanted without asking first. And Eddie wasn't going to allow him to do what he wanted if Drake had already said no. He withdrew into Eddie.

"My laptop... some clothes. I can come back and pack tomorrow... if that's okay. I don't really have much...." Eddie answered, almost shyly.

"I'll come back with you." Drake helped Eddie to stand and then stood up himself.

Eddie leaned on Drake, walking with him into the bedroom. There really wasn't much there. A bag's worth of clothing. A photo album. Some old CD's. He could easily grab everything that belonged to him and take it without coming back. He gave Drake a sheepish look. "Guess I had less than I thought."

Drake wrapped his arm around Eddie's shoulders, drawing him close. "You'll have everything you need, everything you want, with me."

Eddie leaned on Drake. "I think you'll take better care of me than I took care of myself...."

"You're mine now." Drake turned Eddie's face towards him; kissed his lips.

Eddie returned the kiss eagerly. When they finally pulled apart, he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you." Drake grasped his waist and squeezed it possessively. "Get what you need and then we'll go home. My car's outside."

"Yessir..." Eddie grabbed a small bag and threw in enough clothes for one night and day, plus toiletries. He'd return for everything else tomorrow when it was daylight and he could turn the key in to his landlord.

Drake waited for Eddie to finish packing and then pulled him in for another deep, lingering kiss before taking his hand and leading him outside the apartment, towards the car.

Eddie waved at the elderly lady who lived across the hall when she peeped outside the door. "Did your prince charming find you, Eddie?" She was beaming.

"You know it, Ms. Betty. He's taking me to live in his castle. Maybe I can invite you over for tea, if you promise not to steal him from me..." he whispered conspiratorially.

"Oh, get out of here, you charmer! You know my heart belongs to my late Johnnie. But I would love that tea when you are able..." She smiled, before nodding at Drake.

"Ms. Betty, may I introduce you to my prince, Carlton Drake. Carlton, this is Ms. Betty Jones. Ms. Betty made sure I didn’t starve or give myself food poisoning when I first moved in and had to relearn how to fend for myself." Eddie made introductions.

"Mr. Drake. Are you taking my Eddie away for good?" the old woman asked.

Drake smiled and reached out to shake the older woman's hand. "It's good to meet you, ma'am. I'm taking Eddie home with me, but you're more than welcome to come and visit us any time you would like to." He took a card out of his wallet, which had his name, contact number and address and passed it to her. "Just call when you'd like to visit, so I can make sure we're in."

Ms. Betty took the card and patted Drake on the hand. "I will do that, young man. You take care of my Eddie. He's a good boy, even if he seems to find trouble." She winked at Eddie. "Goodnight, dears..." She stepped back into her apartment.

Eddie waited until he heard her setting the locks before turning to follow Drake to his car.

Drake took Eddie's hand and led his lover outside and to the car, only letting go long enough to bundle his lover into the passenger seat and then head round to get in the driver's side.

"This... it's surreal. This morning, I would have never dared hope..." Eddie whispered, as he looked out the window, watching his old life be left in the rearview mirror.

"Venom mentioned you were fantasizing. Before I came." Drake glanced sideways at Eddie for confirmation, even as he kept most of his attention on the road.

Eddie blushed. "I... after everything. I thought you were furious at me for what I'd done. I was angry because of what happened. I wanted to blame you for not listening to me, but deep down, I knew I was as much, if not more, to blame for the way things unfolded. Every time I started thinking on an angry 'revenge' fantasy... it always ended up being you gaining the upper hand and finding some way to punish me for my failure. Granted, none of them involved you spanking me, but they almost always ended with us having sex. It was never as good in my dreams...."

"It was about claiming you for mine as much as punishing you." Drake gently squeezed Eddie's leg. "As I said, both of us made mistakes. But we're together now and I believe that's the most important thing."

"It is... as long as we're together, I can handle anything. And you know and can accept Venom, which is a big relief..." Eddie admitted.

"You're a package deal." Drake took his hand and squeezed it. "Not accepting him wasn't an option."

"Not too many people would view it that way... I'd pretty much resigned myself to not being with another human ever again..." Eddie admitted, holding tight to Drake's hand.

"Well. You're not going to be with anyone else now. Only me." Drake sounded possessive.

"Only yours... no one else can have me..." Eddie agreed...promised.

Drake kept a tight hold of Eddie's hand as he reached their home. Then, parking the car, he only let go of the other man long enough to get out of the car and move round to the other side to get Eddie out.

Eddie grabbed his bag, letting Drake hold onto him and lead him where he wanted. He liked the possessive behavior. It was what he needed to feel safe...secure.

Unlocking the front door, Drake led Eddie inside, arm wrapped around the other man's waist. "I've got food in the cupboards, if you want or need to eat anything."

Suddenly, Venom was poking his head over Eddie's shoulder. "Is there Tater-tots?"

Drake smiled. "I'm fairly sure we can manage that." He led Eddie into the kitchen.

Eddie smiled, following Drake into the kitchen. "He likes tater-tots and pizza rolls. He has very unsophisticated tastes..."

"You like what you like." Drake began to prepare the food, positioning Eddie so that he could touch the other man easily every so often.

"Yeah, true. It isn't like I could afford to feed him better, so it's as much my fault as it is his," Eddie admitted, with a laugh. He stayed where he was put, enjoying Drake's attention. If the other man wanted him to help, he'd give him instructions.

Venom, feeling how good Eddie felt when Drake touched him over his clothes, loomed up over both of them. "Do you want Eddie naked? I can get him naked for you!" He sounded like an eager puppy.

"Wait!" Eddie interjected quickly. "When you are in a hurry, stuff gets destroyed. I need these clothes. Least till I can find a job so I can get more..." he told Venom and indirectly Drake, because he didn't want the other man thinking he was having second thoughts about belonging to him.

"If Eddie would like me to touch him while he's naked, I'm sure he could remove his own clothes without tearing them." Drake squeezed Eddie's hand, adding, "Everything that's mine is yours. Until you can get a job, you're more than welcome to buy what you need using my accounts."

Eddie swallowed, squeezing back. "Maybe... I feel like a bum next to you, so maybe a few things so I can go out with you and not be ashamed..." He looked down, blushing.

Wrapping an arm around Eddie's waist, Drake pulled him in to kiss him firmly. "You don't need to be ashamed. No matter what you look like, no matter what you wear, it will change nothing of how I feel about you," he promised.

"That helps..." Eddie admitted. Despite Venom's urging, he stayed dressed. He wanted more than sex with Drake. Just being with the other man and affectionate was novel and he wanted to experience it fully.

Drake kissed him a bit more deeply, a bit more thoroughly, and then began to plate up the food.

"Looks really good," Eddie said, noticing that there were more than just tater tots.

Venom sniffed at the healthier food. "It is good for Eddie?"

"It's better than eating a lot of junk food. Even if you do burn through calories quickly." Drake guided Eddie towards the table so they could both sit down.

"You will eat it all!" Venom ordered Eddie imperiously.

Eddie went where Drake directed, sitting down. He waited for the other man to sit before beginning to eat.

Drake sat down next to Eddie, close enough to touch, and began speaking. "Tomorrow, I figure we can go shopping for anything else you might need, as well as pick up the rest of your things from the apartment."

"Thank you. It means a lot..." Eddie said. "I don't know how I'd make it if you didn't..."

Drake placed his hand over Eddie's and squeezed gently. "I'm going to look after you. Take care of you," he promised.

"Probably better than I ever took care of myself." Eddie smiled bashfully.

"Eddie? Can I look online?" Venom asked, bored with watching the two men being so snuggly.

"Uh... yeah. Sure. Do you need me to set it up, or can you handle it?" Eddie asked, curious if Venom could solidify long enough to do what was needed.

"Really, Eddie?" Venom's voice was amused.

Eddie blushed. "Yeah. Okay. stupid question. Have fun...."

"Is there anything you would like to do now?" Drake asked Eddie, still holding his hand.

"I... to be honest, I think I'm in a bit if shock... I never expected to..." Eddie smiled crookedly. "Maybe we could just get to know each other better? And you can let me know what you expect...."

"I don't expect a slave." Drake put that out right away. "Even though you now belong to me, it's a relationship. So, if something upsets or frightens you, I expect you to let me know."

"That's good. I'm totally incapable of keeping quiet when something bothers me." Edie smiled impishly.

"That's good to know." Drake smiled at him before adding, "One thing I won't budge on is making sure you take care of yourself. If I don't realize you need, you tell me."

Eddie nodded slowly. "I'll do my best. I'm as bad about doing that as I am good at letting people know how I feel...."

"We'll work on it," Drake promised. "And it works both ways. I won't hide things from you."

"Thank you," Edie said. "If I do something I shouldn't?"

"I'll punish you," Drake replied.

Eddie blushed. "Like before?" His voice was hesitant.

"Yes," Drake replied. "Though given that it might turn you on too, I suspect true punishment will need to be handled a different way."

Eddie blushed darker. "Yeah... I mean... I don't like that it's punishment... that just means I disappointed you or screwed up badly enough for you to step in. But... it still turned me on."

Drake squeezed his hand gently. "There's nothing wrong with being turned on by it. If it needs to happen for punishment, we'll figure that out when it's time."

Eddie nodded. "Some... some of the stuff Venom wanted you to do... is it stuff you're really interested in, or were you just trying to get him to slow down?"

"I'd be interested in things you're interested in trying," Drake replied honestly. "But if it's something that worries or scares you, it won't happen."

"I probably don't have fear for half the things I should. If you want to try it, I'll want to do it..." Eddie asserted, though it seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than Drake. Like he thought nothing should scare him.

"I'm content with just being with you. Taking care of you," Drake said. "I won't do anything Venom pushes for unless you give the go ahead."

"That... yeah. Thank you. Venom... he thinks because he can heal me, that means I should do anything...." Eddie whispered; aware Venom was in the next room.

"I think maybe we should talk to him about consent," Drake commented, aware he'd already had to have one such conversation.

"I've tried. It doesn't seem to have sunk in. Other than him being willing to not eat just anybody he thinks looks yummy. He thinks we're one. That means if he wants it, I must want it too." Eddie sighed. "You actually got him to listen to you, though, so maybe...."

"As I said. I'll make sure you can consent to anything," Drake promised.

Eddie nodded before a worried look crossed his face. "He's been very quiet...."

Drake frowned. "Well, he can't go far or do much without you."

"True. But he's online. He's like a twelve-year-old. It makes me nervous." Eddie snorted

Drake shrugged. "Anything that goes wrong, I'll put right. Trust me to clean up after him if I need to."

"You're choosing to take on a lot of responsibility between the two of us..." Eddie slanted his head, eying him considerably.

"What's on your mind?" Drake asked, responding to the considering look.

"Just wondering how I got so lucky that you'd not only forgive me, but you'd want to take me and my stray alien both in..." Eddie admitted. "Seems like you aren't getting much from the deal."

"Don't sell yourself short," Drake said seriously. "I'm getting to be with you and that's a big thing I'm getting from this. And besides, you wouldn't have picked Venom up at all if it hadn't been for me. Your life changed completely because of me."

"Turns out on a good way, so... you helped me..." Eddie commented.

Drake wrapped his arms around Eddie, drawing the other man in close and tight. "I love you."

"I love you too... let's say we clean up from dinner... go take a shower? We can ask Venom about his research when we... finish." Eddie grinned impishly.

"Sounds good to me." Drake kissed him, firmly and deeply, and then stood up to clear their plates and utensils.

Eddie stood to help and soon, they were heading back to the shower, a long tendril trailing from Eddie to Venom. "Hey, buddy. If being apart becomes too much, let us know..." he said, as they passed where Venom sat reading messages.

"Okay, Eddie..." the symbiote agreed.

Drake wrapped his arm around Eddie's waist, guiding the other man upstairs to the bathroom.

Eddie followed where Drake led, in no hurry. He liked having Drake's arm around him.

Inside the bathroom, Drake began removing Eddie's clothes, pressing kisses to bare skin as it was uncovered.

Eddie shivered as Drake undressed and kissed him. The actions affirmed that he now belonged to the other man and it felt wonderful.

As soon as Eddie was naked, Drake drew him into a tight embrace once more, kissing him deeply, letting his tongue slip into the other man's mouth.

Eddie returned the kiss eagerly, reaching to begin removing Drake's clothes as well.

Drake shifted to allow Eddie to remove his own clothes, letting his hands slide over the other man's back.

"I'm not so far gone this time... I'll be able to make you feel as good as you make me feel," Eddie said, in a husky voice, kissing where he had removed clothing

"You do that just by submitting to me," Drake whispered, pressing their bodies closer together.

"It's easy to submit... I want to belong to you. Obeying you feels good..." Eddie admitted, pressing closer himself, as much of him as possible rubbing against Drake.

"You feel good when I hold you," Drake whispered, kissing his neck. "You feel good in my arms. Pressed against me. Where I can touch and kiss you." He let his hands glide down Eddie's legs.

"It feels good being held close, tight, being touched by you... feels good being claimed as yours in whatever way you claim me..." Eddie whispered, between fevered kisses.

Drake carefully guided Eddie into the shower, turning it on to a comfortable temperature. He then began to carefully wash the other man.

Eddie moved as directed, but he also washed Drake, even if his movements were more submissive and following his lover's lead.

Drake smiled and drew Eddie in for a deep, lingering kiss once they'd washed each other. He then turned the other man round to face the wall, reaching for a bottle of baby shampoo.

Eddie leaned into the wall, feeling Drake behind him, controlling everything with him not knowing exactly what was going to happen, even if he had a few ideas, was scary and exciting and he felt himself slip a little more into his submission. He took a deep breath, quivering in place where Drake had put him.

Drake poured a small amount of the baby shampoo onto his finger and began to carefully clean inside Eddie, taking his time.

Eddie whimpered slightly, very softly, as he was still sensitive inside from earlier that night. He didn't move, though, or ask Drake to stop. Even with the slight sting, it still felt good; and it was his master doing it. It was worth any discomfort to have his master handling and claiming him.

Drake stroked and touched Eddie as he rinsed out the shampoo. Crouching down, he took hold of the other man's hips and pushed his tongue inside.

Eddie closed his eyes and let out a tiny, gurgling moan. If Drake hadn't gripped his hips, he would have instinctively pushed back, his master's tongue felt so good. His legs shook from the sudden spike in arousal and he found himself begging, "Please, please, so good master...."

Drake gently grasped Eddie's hips, thrusting his tongue deeper inside the other man as he held him still; made sure Eddie wouldn't slip or fall.

Eddie leaned against the shower wall, body shaking faintly as his entire focus shifted to what Drake was doing to him, inside of him. Soft moans of pleasure filled the room, along with the quiet begging. "Please... belong to you… all of me yours... take all of me... forever... yours, master...." Tears ran down his face, but they weren't of pain or fear. Eddie had thought he’d submitted as much as he was able, but he found himself giving more of himself, of his heart, to Drake as the other man took care of him... made him feel so good.

Venom had felt Eddie's surprise and then intense pleasure through their connection and, wondering what had caused it, had returned to the two men. He loomed silently, looking over Drake's shoulder as Drake took Eddie in this new way. He managed to keep quiet, though, having learned from the other times he'd commented that Eddie was affected by his presence and comments in less than positive ways sometimes. Especially if it had to do with sex and what Eddie got pleasure from.

Drake couldn't respond to Eddie with words, but he did squeeze the other man's hips tightly. He did push his tongue further and deeper inside the other man, seeking that spot inside Eddie that had made him 'spark' before.

Eddie groaned loudly as he felt Drake licking deeper, gasping as he felt a spike of intense need from his prostate being stroked. "There..." he whined in a shaky voice, his arousal hard and aching.

Venom let his tongue lull out as he watched. Curious, he ran his tongue between Drake's cheeks and licked at his entrance, hesitant in case Drake acted like he didn't want it.

Drake shifted a little, the sensation a surprise, but not unpleasant. He didn't try to stop Venom or pull away, content to let the symbiote explore in his own way.

Sensing that Drake wasn't against it, Venom slowly pushed his tongue into Drake, using the mental images he was taking from Eddie's own thoughts at being licked in such a manner.

Eddie was only standing because of Drake’s grip. His body felt like electricity was sparking from where Drake's tongue connected to him and running through his body. He was incapable of speech, moaning and sobbing out his need.

Drake's member began to grow and swell, responding to Venom's actions. He shifted, not holding back his responses, allowing Venom to continue his own actions.

Eddie's member was full and swollen and he twitched with the need to get friction on it. He was so close.

Venom found the tiny bundle of nerves inside Drake and began to focus his attention there, rubbing his tongue over it quickly and firmly.

Drake's groan was muffled, somewhat, but still audible. His fingers clenched tighter on Eddie's hips before he let go with one hand, reaching round to lightly grasp Eddie's member and begin stroking it.

Eddie would have been embarrassed at how quickly he released, if he hadn't been so aroused, it was painful. Having Drake grip him felt as good as feeling his master's tongue licking in him.

Venom felt Eddie's release and heard Drake's groan. It made him feel good and powerful that he could make the man Eddie loved feel good.

Triggered by Eddie's release and Venom's own actions, Drake's release overcame him almost instantly. He tightened his grip on Eddie's hips, his orgasm making him need to keep hold of the other man otherwise it would make him collapse.

Eddie leaned weakly against the wall for support. Even though Drake was using his grip on him to keep himself upright, it had the added benefit of pressing Eddie more tightly against the wall, so he didn't slide down.

Venom, sensing that Drake had released, slowly withdrew and let out a happy little sound. He could feel that Eddie was lethargic now. Tired. He couldn't feel that from Drake, but he sensed that it was probably the case with him as well. He withdrew into Eddie, waiting to see if they were finished in the shower before making any other moves.

Drake carefully withdrew from Eddie and stood slowly, wrapping his arm around the other man's waist to offer support. He guided Eddie from the shower so they could dry off.

Venom waited until Drake had dried both of them off, then suddenly surrounded Eddie so that he was hidden from view and only Venom could be seen. At which point, he picked Drake up and carried him into the bedroom. Setting Drake on the bed, he crawled up next to him, then withdrew again, completely, leaving Eddie lying beside Drake with a bemused look on his face. "Apparently, Venom was worried about you being as tired as I am?" he whispered, with a hint of amusement.

"We did just manage to tire ourselves out," Drake commented, drawing Eddie into his arms and kissing him.

Eddie grinned and snuggled close, kissing back before putting his head on Drake's chest. "What a way to get tired..." he said, in a pleased tone.

"I love you." Drake kissed Eddie's hair, holding him close and snug.

"I love you so much. Feel so lucky..." Eddie said softly, his eyes falling shut.

Closing his own eyes, Drake tightened his embrace around Eddie, letting sleep overtake him.

***

The next morning, Venom was ready to get up bright and early. "Eddie! Eddie! Drake? I have a question. I heard something. Wake up!"

Drake stirred, blinking at the symbiote as he wrapped his arm a bit more firmly around Eddie. "What is it?"

"I found a signal yesterday," Venom said. "From symbiote like me... I want to go look for them...."

"Like you?" Drake frowned. "Or like the others of your kind who wanted to wipe out humanity?"

"I... I do not know. But I think they want to live like me. With hosts and not destroy..." Venom sounded hesitant. "The message was calling all symbiote to the planet where hosts would welcome them. It did not sound like destruction...."

Drake frowned, clearly concerned. "Is the planet close to Earth?"

Venom slanted his head. "I do not think so. I have coordinates...."

Eddie shifted before mumbling, "Wassup?"

Drake stroked Eddie's hair, murmuring softly, "Venom wants to visit some other symbiotes."

Eddie shot up in bed, alarm on his face. "I thought we stopped the invasion!"

"Not to invade." Drake spoke in a calm, reassuring tone. "We're going to them. Not the other way round."

Eddie's nose wrinkled. And he almost asked why they would do that when a look of understanding crossed his face. "You want to go see your own kind... you... you want to leave?" His voice sounded worried.

"Not leave, Eddie. Find out. If they are okay. If it is a good place..."  Venom said uncertainly. Eddie could feel the hope in him, though.

"How would we get there?" he asked no one in particular.

Drake shrugged. "I have resources. I can provide a ship for us to use. Get a new one built."

"Take too long!" Venom disagreed. "Find another ship to leave now! Please?"

"I... uh... I still keep up with my reporter friends and contacts..." Eddie hesitated. "The Avengers... or some of them, at least... have a ship and are preparing to leave for space in a week's time. We could contact them...." He looked at Drake. "If we really want to do this..."

Venom turned a big eyed, toothy grin on Drake, trying to convince Eddie's master that going was a good idea and to contact the Avengers.

"We can ask. But we'll have to see if they'll accept the three of us," Drake said seriously. "We wouldn't be able to hide you, Venom."

Venom seemed to droop at this but nodded. "They like that big green guy. They should like me..."

Eddie wrinkled his nose. "Can't believe we kept you hidden for over five years and now we're gonna announce your presence to the Avengers." He paused. "You haven't asked what all you missed in the five years you were gone. Maybe I should catch you up?" He looked at Drake.

Drake nodded slowly. "I've had some insights, but I would welcome your version of events."

Eddie rearranged himself so he was looking at Drake instead of draped over him, though he kept in touching range. He then proceeded to give a more personal account of what he'd witnessed after the snap.

Drake ran his fingers down Eddie's arms, giving the other man his full attention.

"I had a lot of time to think about how I handled things... how I hurt people and made things difficult when they didn’t have to be." Eddie finished the explanations in a wry voice.

Drake squeezed the other man gently. "Everyone's made mistakes. But we're together now and that's the most important thing."

***

After Eddie had contacted them and requested that they join the 'Space Avengers', Steve had chosen to set up a meeting in one of the main rooms of the compound. As no one had any idea how dangerous a symbiote could be, he'd advised most of the others to keep their distance and only asked the advanced members of their group to join him.

Eddie was nervous... but it wasn't entirely just his nerves. Venom was nervous as well. If Drake hadn't been walking beside him, he might have turned and gone the other way. But Drake stayed beside him, giving him the needed boost in confidence.

When they walked into the area Steve Rogers had given them as the meeting place, he looked around. Venom unabashedly poked his head out of Eddie's shoulder and looked around the room like a curious child

Steve quickly hid his reactions at seeing Venom's face and walked over to meet the three of them. "Eddie, Drake and Venom, I assume?" he asked. "I'm Steve Rogers." He proceeded to introduce the others he'd asked to stay.

"He smells odd, Eddie. Not like all the other humans I have met...." Venom leaned over and sniffed Steve, to Eddie's horrified embarrassment.

"Venom!" he spluttered. "What have I said about smelling people?!"

"It is rude and not to do it..." Venom retreated with what could only be termed as a pout.

"We appreciate you agreeing to meet us," Drake said to Steve. "I know what Eddie mentioned to you on the call, but we're not interested in endangering anyone. Or putting anyone else in the same position as Eddie. Venom's curious...."

Steve nodded. "Tony mentioned he knows about both of you, though he wasn't aware of Venom's existence."

"Eddie hides me. He is afraid if people find out..." Venom said, as he looked around the room curiously.

"We appreciate you considering it. Venom thought he was alone and then to find out others of his kind found a new home...." Eddie smiled crookedly.

"A lot of us going on the ship are in very specific relationships," Steve said. "It's something you need to keep in mind if you're considering joining us."

"What kind of relationship?" Drake asked.

"Dominant and submissive," Steve answered frankly. "And we don't hide it. On the ship, you're likely to walk in on public displays of affection and sometimes more in the common areas."

Eddie swallowed and darted a glance toward Drake. It was Venom that interjected, though. "That's no problem... I watched Drake blister Eddie's bottom and Eddie wanted m..."

"Venom... remember what we've talked about, you telling things about me that should be my decision to tell?" Eddie jumped in, blushing furiously. Yeah, Drake spanking him was very dominating behavior, but what if that wasn't the type of Dom and sub behavior they participated in? They might be offended.

Steve relaxed visibly, commenting, "Most of us here use spanking for both punishment and pleasure. I'll introduce you to my husband, Brock."

Eddie visibly relaxed as well. That seemed to encourage Venom. "Husband? You are married?" He turned his head toward Drake. "Why are you and Eddie not married? You both love each other...."

"We only just admitted we loved each other recently, Venom. Give us a few days to get used to that before jumping straight to marriage..." Eddie laughed faintly, giving Drake an adoring look. It was obvious, to everyone else, at least, that if Drake did ask, he'd say yes immediately.

"I haven't been able to ask yet," Drake answered, leaving unsaid that he wasn't sure if Eddie would want that kind of commitment.

Steve smiled. "From the sounds of it, I think you will all fit in very well here. Is there anything we need to know about? Special diets, for instance?" He glanced towards Venom.

"They need to eat a lot to sustain themselves," Drake said. "But so long as there's enough food, it doesn't need to be exotic."

"If there are bad guys around, can I eat them?" Venom asked curiously.

Eddie winced. "I only agreed to that because I couldn't afford a lot of food and if I didn't, you'd take over and I'd have no control over who you ate..." He sounded guilty. He hadn't really had much choice- he'd been lucky he had enough influence to get Venom to agree to that compromise- but it had never sat well with him that he and Venom had become judge, jury and executioner.

"I know, Eddie... I'm sorry I made you do that. I didn't know how much it would hurt you..." Venom apologized. He'd been influenced enough by this point, he at least cared about his host's feelings.

"No eating of anyone, bad guy or not," Drake said seriously. "You don't need to now, as you'll be fed enough. And I'm sure the Avengers would take a very dim view of that."

Steve nodded. "Exactly right," he agreed.

Venom sighed and the pout could be heard in his voice, but since he could see relief on Eddie's face, he agreed. "Okay, Drake... I won't eat anyone. Even if heads taste so good...."

Eddie turned slightly green and swallowed, remaining quiet.

Drake just wrapped his arm around Eddie's shoulders and drew him in for a kiss.

Steve stepped away long enough to tap out a quick message to Brock. While his husband was a really good agent, he hadn't wanted to risk the man he loved to be around someone who might be a threat. He was letting Brock know it was safe to join him.

Eddie leaned into Drake, returning the kiss while Venom proceeded to look around the room and ask questions of everyone there...mostly to do with food.

Five minutes after receiving Steve's text, Brock was walking into the room and straight to Steve's side. "What's up, cap?"

Steve smiled at Brock and wrapped his arm possessively around his husband's waist. He turned towards Drake, Eddie and Venom and began to make introductions.

Eddie smiled crookedly at Brock, recognizing someone he might have something in common with.

"So... do you have to live in a host? Or is that just on Earth and you can live outside of one when you aren't on earth?" Brock asked Venom.

Drake glanced at Venom and then at Brock. He didn't answer, choosing to let Venom reveal what he felt comfortable with.

"I can be out of a host for a little while, but not long. Only on my home planet, but atmosphere is very particular there..." Venom admitted. "I am compatible with Eddie, though and he doesn't mind me joining him...."

Steve nodded. "How do you know who's a compatible host?" he asked curiously. "Or is it something you know only when you're inside someone?"

"I haven't figured out exactly what brings compatibility, but when it is there, I know almost immediately... why?" Venom asked.

"I'm just thinking, in case you and Eddie need a break from each other, however temporarily," Steve answered. "Or if Eddie needs some privacy."

"I was able to go to Annie for a short while, when Eddie was taken by the soldiers at the hospital..." Venom slanted his head. "Do you want to see if you can take me?"

Brock glanced from Venom to Steve. "If a super soldier can't handle you..."

"We aren't sure yet what makes compatibility or not. It could be blood type in which case he and Steve couldn't match..." Eddie cautioned.

"We need to make sure any experimenting is done in a safe, controlled environment," Drake said. His tone was remorseful as he added, "A lot of people died because of me. I don't want to risk anyone else."

Eddie moved close to Drake, wrapping an arm around his waist. "We won't do anything that isn't safe..." he promised.

Drake nodded and wrapped his arms around Eddie, taking comfort in the other man's presence.

"We'll make sure nothing dangerous happens," Steve promised.

Venom glanced around curiously. "Do you want to try now?"

"A lot of us are here, but perhaps it would be better to ask Tony and Bruce to be there too," Steve commented. "So, we've got as much protection as possible."

Brock nodded. "You know they'd want to be here anyway." He glanced toward Drake. "Why don't you join the rest of us in our common area while we contact Tony and Bruce? Some more stuff can be explained."

Drake nodded. "Sounds good to me," he agreed, holding onto Eddie as he waited for directions.

Brock smiled, turning to head to the common area.

Eddie shrugged and followed.

Steve sent a message to Tony and Bruce, asking them to come meet him.

Everyone was in the common room. They were leaving in a few days and all but the barest essentials had been packed and moved onto the ship. When Brock walked in, Eddie trailing behind them, all conversation stopped.

Brock grinned. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Eddie, Drake and Venom..." He turned to notice Drake was still with Steve, who hadn't reached the room yet. and Venom was hiding.

Steve caught up with his husband, closely followed by Drake, who looked towards Eddie. "It's safe to come out, Venom."

"If you're sure, Drake..." Venom said, as his head sprouted from Eddie's shoulder.

Bobbi, still a bit on edge from her experiences and suffering from PTSD, squeaked and drew her weapon, automatically putting herself between Venom and her nearest 'superior officers'... in this case Coulson, Maria and Fury. Her eyes were wide, and her face was pale.

"Hey... hey..  whoa now... Venom won't hurt you!" Eddie held his hands up in a non-threatening manner, giving Bobbi a concerned look when it appeared she was about to hyperventilate.

Coulson moved quickly to place his hand on Bobbi's shoulder, squeezing gently, even as his other hand clasped the hand that held the gun and gently lowered it. He spoke in a soft, soothing tone. "It's okay, Bobbi. No threats. Nothing you need to defend against."

Almost automatically, Drake moved forward, placing himself between Venom and Eddie and the rest. Venom might not be able to be hurt by bullets, but he still didn't want the symbiote shot at.

Bobbi shook in place, slowly realizing that the threat wasn’t real and what she'd just done. "Oh, god... I'm sorry! I didn't..." She turned toward Coulson, both because he had his hand on her shoulder and to gingerly hand him the weapon. "...I'm sorry..." she repeated, sounding lost and broken.

Eddie winced at the tone. "She one of the ones who came back in a bad place?" he asked, not certain he wanted to hear the answer, but figuring they'd need to know if they needed to be careful not to trigger her.

Steve nodded. "There's more than a few in that position," he warned. "We have a lot of members suffering from PTSD or other things caused by traumatic events."

"You understand that, Venom?" he asked the symbiote.

"No surprising people? And stay where they can see me till they get used to me?" Venom asked helpfully.

Steve smiled at the symbiote. "That about sums it up," he agreed.

"Can I jump out when they are used to me?" Venom asked hopefully. He'd never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed startling humans. They made such interesting sounds.

"I think we'd better wait and see on that front," Drake murmured. "But even if you can't eat the bad guys, you can jump out at them."

"If they have heart attacks, can I eat them?" Venom asked curiously, not keeping his voice down. "They're already dead then...."

Eddie turned green again.

So did several of the others in the room who overheard.

"No," Drake answered, before adding, "You don't want to make Eddie uncomfortable, do you?"

"No... don't wanna do that, Drake..." Venom agreed, with a sigh.

At that moment, Tony walked in. "Huh... so the news of a big, scary man-eating monster was only partly untrue, instead of completely untrue as I first believed...."

"Tony." Steve smiled at the other man. "This is Eddie, Venom and Drake." He moved so he could make introductions. "We were talking about testing people who might be willing to be hosts for Venom," he explained. "I thought you and Bruce would be best placed to help Drake figure out safe tests."

Tony's eyes widened slightly. "Other than making certain Bruce is nearby in case we have a medical issue... I'm assuming Venom can quickly return to Eddie if the host he is currently in turns out to be unsuitable?" He glanced toward the three.

"Yes... I can switch over easily if Eddie touches whoever I am in. It is easier to shift over with a kiss... but holding hands will work," Venom agreed.

"No offence to any one of you, but I'd prefer the holding hands option..." Eddie muttered.

Drake didn't respond with any words, but his arm snaked a bit more possessively around Eddie's waist, pulling the other man tight against his side.

"I think everyone here would be in agreement with that option," Steve commented. "A lot of us are...well, possessive."

Tony snorted at that. "Understatement of the year..." He grinned. "Do you know who is open for the testing? No sense in all of us traipsing to medical... unless you want everyone tested."

"I've not checked with everyone yet," Steve answered. "Though I'm willing to get tested myself." He glanced around at the others in the room.

Bobbi bit her lip. She was nervous at the idea. She was more nervous that her nerve was failing her and felt inclined to volunteer just to make sure it wasn't.

Grant smiled at his father, then at Kara. "I'm willing."

Maria noted that everyone seemed inclined to at least offer to test.

Kara hesitantly glanced at her mother before looking at Grant and then saying, quietly, "If you think it's safe and won't make my mind even more screwed, I'll volunteer."

"I'm not sure how well our physiology would mesh, but I'm willing to offer myself too," Talos said.

Eddie blinked and looked around at all the offers of help.

Venom's head swayed as he took in the offers himself. "Humans are very generous..." he said curiously. "I am glad I helped stop riot. Such people should not be taken over...."

Steve smiled. "I'm sure we're all very grateful for that." He looked towards Tony. "Do you know if Bruce is already at the labs?"

"Yep!" Tony said, with a 'popping' sound at the end. "He said he'd meet us there. If you'll follow me, please?" He motioned toward Eddie and Venom, before quickly spinning and heading to the medical wing.

Eddie blinked, but quickly followed.

Drake still had his arm wrapped around Eddie's waist and he walked alongside the other man, running his fingers gently over Eddie's hip. After all, everyone here was apparently open with their feelings and affection.

Steve headed after them, with the others who had volunteered to try bringing up the rear with their partners or family members.

It didn't take long to reach the room where Bruce was. Professor Hulk smiled at Eddie and Venom when they came in. He then glanced at the others. "Who's first?"

Steve stepped forward. "I'll go first." He didn't say it out loud, but his own physiology would mean that any problems would hopefully be slowed without danger to any of them.

Eddie shuffled nervously before moving forward and clasping Steve's hand.

Venom waited just long enough for Steve to brace himself before slithering out of Eddie's hand and into Steve.

Steve didn't feel any weakness or pain, but it didn't really feel right, either. There was a huge sense of wrongness; like his body was trying to push out the unwanted intruder. It wasn't long before Venom had to retreat into Eddie.

Venom wrapped around Eddie completely, as if hugging, before retracting. "You feel different than Eddie or Annie or even the puppy..." he commented.

"I've been enhanced," Steve commented. "That might be what you're feeling."

It didn't take long before the volunteers had each tried. Out of most of them, only four were compatible with Venom: Grant, Kara, Yon and Ward.

Venom had retreated into Eddie again by this point. "What makes you all different to everyone else?" he asked curiously.

Grant shrugged, blushing. "A lot of us are enhanced or have a mutant gene. Us four don't have any of that... but we are also very... very..." He glanced around for help explaining.

Coulson placed a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Certain events may have made them less likely to subconsciously resist," he commented.

Venom nodded. "There was less resistance. Less resistance means easier assimilation and less chance of injury."

"It felt...strange," Kara said. "But not painful or uncomfortable."

"It... it did feel unusual. But I felt no nervousness or desire to fight, so it wasn't bad," Yon agreed.

Ward winced slightly. "It feels faintly like when I was on drugs. Any aches and pains I had are numbed...."

Danny wrapped his arms around his husband and kissed Ward's neck. "If it's too much, you don't need to do it again," he murmured.

"I... if it is ever needed, I can handle it. But maybe only in an emergency..." Ward pressed closer to Danny.

Danny let his hands rest gently on Ward's hips, nuzzling into his neck. While he wasn't like Steve with Brock, he was always openly demonstrative with affection towards his husband.

"Thank you. For being willing to do this..." Eddie said to the four who had shown compatibility and agreed to take Venom so he and Drake could have some alone time together.

"I'm glad we're able to help." Grant smiled.

Mordo cleared his throat and stepped forward. "If you haven't already, you will notice that we and our partners can communicate without needing words. As you will be joining us on the ship, it might be worth considering whether the two of you would like to bond in the same way we have with our partners." He proceeded to explain what the bonding was and what it entailed.

"I'd like that...but would it affect Venom?" Eddie asked, with a hint of worry.

"This could be one of those times when he can move to one of us." Yon suggested.

Drake nodded. "It sounds like that kind of bonding is different to the way Venom and Eddie bond, so I can't imagine it would cause any harm."

"Would it possibly bind him to both of you as well, though? We have not ever had this situation before..." Stephen said.

"I will move to Kara, if she allows..." Venom offered. He didn't want to be the reason Eddie and Drake didn't bond. But they really didn't know if his presence would cause a problem, even if Drake thought it wouldn't.

Kara nodded. "Yes. I mean, I am willing." She shifted a little closer to Grant, almost pressing against his side.

Grant wrapped his arm around her tightly. "Either of us is willing," he told Venom.

"Then there is no worry, Eddie!" Venom grinned. "You and Drake can bond when you are ready!"

Eddie looked at Drake. "When?"

"As soon as you'd like to," Drake answered. "I don't want to wait, but I don't want to force you before you're ready."

"I don't want to wait either..." Eddie admitted quickly.

"So, I should move to Kara now?" Venom asked.

Drake nodded. "Yes please," he answered.

Eddie shifted closer to Kara and Grant, holding out his hand. Venom swirled around Eddie's hand.

Kara held her hand out to take Eddie's, even though she held onto Grant with her other arm.

Shortly, Venom was peering over Kara's shoulder between her and Grant.

Eddie smiled at the symbiote and their newest friends before moving into Drake's arms. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"One of us will have to be there when you bond." Mordo indicated himself and Stephen. "Do you have a preference over who?"

Drake drew Eddie in close and tight, even as he answered, "I don't have a preference. Do you, Eddie?" He looked at the other man.

"Not really," Eddie said.

"If you really have no preference, I will stay here and find out more about Venom and how he interacts with human bodies while Mordo helps you..." Stephen said, the doctor in him curious.

Drake nodded. "That's fine with me."

"If you will follow me, I'll take you somewhere a bit more comfortable." Mordo began leading the way out of the lab.

Eddie waited for Drake to follow, moving with him so that he didn't have to leave the other man's arms.

Mordo led the way to one of the guest rooms, only pausing long enough to gather a jar and a book. He then opened the door to the guest room, so that Drake could lead Eddie inside.

Mordo followed them in and closed the door. "Take your time and do whatever you need to," he directed.

Eddie gave Mordo an uncertain nod, then looked at Drake, not sure how to start. This was the first time they'd been together without Venom playing backseat driver. If Drake was going to know how he felt, he'd have to tell him.

Drake let his hands slide slowly over Eddie's shoulders and down his stomach, then up under the other man's shirt so he could touch and stroke bare skin. He let one hand slip round behind Eddie, beginning to tug his pants down.

Eddie shivered, automatically leaning into Drake as he unbuttoned his jeans, so they were easier to remove. He toed off his shoes as well, letting his hands begin to roam over Drake's chest.

Drake began to strip Eddie, touching, stroking and kissing where skin was revealed. He slid his hands down the other man's spine, squeezing gently.

Eddie explored as much of Drake with his hands and mouth as possible, removing his mate's clothing as well.

It didn't take long before they were both naked and Drake carefully bore Eddie down onto the bed, pressing kisses to every part of his body.

Eddie responded by caressing and kissing back wherever possible. It didn't take long before he was teetering on the edge. "I... I'm going to... please...."

Mordo moved forward and quickly handed the jar to Drake.

Nodding to the sorcerer, Drake positioned the jar and then stroked Eddie's face. "Let go for me. It's time," he directed.

If Eddie hadn't been so used to Venom's presence in every aspect of his life, he might have been caught by surprise when Mordo moved closer to hand Drake the jar. Instead, he kept his eyes on Drake and, as soon as ordered to, his body went into spasms of release, filling the jar.

"Good," Drake murmured, kissing Eddie. "You're being so good for me." He retrieved the lube Mordo had placed, coated a finger in it and then began to gently rub the finger over Eddie's entrance.

Groaning softly, Eddie shifted so Drake could more easily do what he wanted... what was needed. "...Love you... easy to be good for you..." he mumbled.

"I love you," Drake whispered in return, kissing Eddie deeply before carefully pushing his finger inside his lover.

Eddie's moan was swallowed in Drake's kiss. It felt so good, what his mate was doing. He loosened up so Drake could more easily move and control him.

Drake pushed a second finger inside Eddie, even as he slipped his tongue into the other man's mouth, claiming Eddie thoroughly.

Eddie found himself opening his mouth for Drake, moving his own tongue in acceptance of Drake's tongue taking its spot in his mouth, widening his legs in acceptance of Drake pushing into him. He belonged to the other man and wanted to give everything he could.

Drake squeezed Eddie's hips, pulling back enough to whisper, "My good boy." And then he coated his member in the lube and pushed inside the other man.

Eddie shivered at the praise, flushing with warmth at both the possessive words and the fact Mordo might hear them. He wanted to be Drake's 'Good Boy' and he wanted everyone to know it. He held still for his mate as Drake pushed into him, letting himself go boneless in complete surrender and trust. Drake met no resistance and was easily able to slide in. Eddie moaned with need.

Drake kissed him, hard and deep. "I love you so much," he whispered, beginning to thrust inside his mate.

"Love you too... so much..." Eddie breathed out ruggedly, shifting slightly so Drake could press deeper and closer. "Need you forever...."

"I need you too." Drake pressed kisses to Eddie's face, even as he continued to thrust deeper and harder inside his lover.

Eddie continued to kiss Drake back, tiny moans and whimpers escaping. His hands were roaming over his mate, stroking and clinging wherever Eddie could reach. It didn't take long before Drake's actions resulted in full arousal again.

Drake's own member grew and swelled inside Eddie. His fingers tightened on his lover's hips as his release grew closer.

Mordo moved enough to begin chanting.

Eddie heard the chanting, but his focus was entirely on Drake and how it felt having his lover on and in him. A feeling of safety enveloped him, stronger even than what Venom gave. Just as Mordo's voice ceased its chant, Eddie lost all control, releasing in a long, drawn out spasm, his seed spraying onto Drake and soaking into the other man's skin.

Mordo's chanting allowed Eddie's release to be drawn into Drake's skin, at the same time as Drake's release came over him. He let go inside his lover, holding onto Eddie tightly.

Eddie felt as Drake released in him, the warmth spreading into his body and increasing the feeling of love, safety and belonging. And then, suddenly, his emotions felt as if they were doubled; feelings and emotions belonging to someone else, Drake, just as clear to him as his own. His eyes widened and his grip on Drake tightened, a tiny spear of fear threading through him; he'd never be able to hide anything again. Even though he didn't plan to, the fact he couldn't was daunting. And then he saw the glowing mark on his hand and curiosity overcame the fear. He held his hand up and out so Drake could see.

Drake took Eddie's hand, stroking along it and then turning his own hand so that his lover could see the mark that Drake now carried. "Neither of us can hide anything from the other ever again," he murmured.

Eddie smiled crookedly at that. "That's a good thing, right? Even if it scares me that you'll know immediately whenever I mess up..." His insecurity leaked through.

"It's a good thing," Drake agreed, stroking his free hand through Eddie's hair. "Not bad. You can feel what I feel about you."

Eddie slanted his head, focusing on Drake's feelings. He didn't feel any discontent or regret in the fact he'd taken Eddie as his. It eased some of the fear. Even if he messed up, that didn't mean Drake would leave him. I love you, he thought, shifting slightly so he could feel Drake inside him. He felt content.

I love you. Drake opened himself through the bond fully, so that Eddie would feel how much he was loved. He kissed the other man a bit more deeply; a bit more thoroughly.

I'm yours now. In every way possible... Eddie thought, a sense of awe overcoming him. If Drake hadn't still been inside of him, holding him tight and close, he might have been tempted to hide for a bit, his senses overwhelmed with all the feeling and emotion of both men.

Take as much time as you need, Drake said soothingly. It's a bit overwhelming for me too.

Do you think Kara would mind keeping Venom a bit longer? So, we can adjust? At least the rest of today? Eddie wondered.

There's no harm in asking. Drake stroked the side of Eddie's face. None of those who were compatible with Venom seemed hurt or upset by him.

Yeah. He seemed happier knowing he could move to someone else if needed... Eddie acknowledged.

It gives you some needed space. Drake's focus was entirely on Eddie, though he did notice, out of the corner of his eye, as Mordo slipped out of the room, giving them privacy.

Eddie smiled up at Drake. Should we go and see everyone... tell them we're bonded and then ask Kara to keep Venom for a little longer?

Drake nodded. That sounds like a good idea to me, he agreed, carefully withdrawing from his lover.

"After we talk to them, I think a shower and some food might be good... in whichever order you think best..." Eddie chuckled.

"We can see how hungry we are after we've talked to the others." Drake stood, fixing his clothing, and then helped Eddie to stand.

Eddie stood and began to put his own clothing back on. "That sounds good. I... I'm glad we came here. I know we weren't expecting this, but... I think this is going to be good for us. All of us...."

"Yeah. I think it's the right thing for us to do." Drake kissed him deeply, then led him out of the room, returning to the others; and to their new lives, now bound together.