Timeline: Current.
Venom: Eddie blinked awake, stretching awkwardly as he took in his surroundings. The air tasted of morning dew and the bench beneath him was cold, damp and wet from the thick fog in the air.
Venom: He frowned a little bit. This was....Central Park? This bench was where he and Liza had their first kiss the previous year. Ah. Liza Maloney. The girl who he'd left without a second thought on his vendetta. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest, his hand reaching for it beneath the fold of his coat. How had he just turned his back on everything so simply?
Venom: He let out a sigh, sitting back as he just thought about things. What had he done to end up here....why was he even doing this?
Cassie: "Your mind seems troubled." Her arms wrapped around his chest from behind, their bodies resting against each other. "Why don't you share your burden with me."
Venom: "Cassie.....", Eddie breathed, smile creeping across his face as he noted her warm embrace. Leaning against her, he closed his eyes, "...I just...I had to hurt someone I care about. And I got to thinking m-...m-maybe this is too much. I-I mean I was a hero before. Is this the right thing?"
Cassie: Resting her head on his shoulder, she smiled at him, while her hands roamed his chest. "If you had to hurt them, then only because you had to. They're scared and weak. They'd rather watch their own die and bask in their own moral superiority instead of admitting that you're right."
Venom: Nodding, Eddie turned to her, "B-but....I-I just....my Dad said 'With Great Power comes Great Responsibility'. A-am I taking the right meaning of that? I mean, am I being responsible?", he shook his head, "I don't know....maybe Cessily, Bobby, maybe they were right. Taking a life....it's everything I stood against. Is it ok for me to do that?"
Cassie: "Would it responsible to not make a change that benefits all, even though it lies within you power to do so?" She slipped into his lap, straddling his hips. "Fighting for those we care about sometimes requires sacrifice, but not always in the way we expect. Sometimes, we have to sacrifice our own innocence so others don't have to."
Venom: Eddie's hands stroked the sides of her body, "I know....I-I know, it's just....I don't know if I can do this. I'm scared. M-maybe....maybe there's another way? Maybe if I find Kraven first I can....I-I can-..."
Cassie: Reached up, she framed his face with her hands, lifting his gaze to meet her own. "Eddie, have you already forgotten what he did? Could you live with the knowledge that, one day, he'll do it to someone else? There is only one way to make sure this never happens again. That no one else has to suffer a loss such as yours."
Venom: "N-no, no, I didn't forget. I-I just...", he looked away, biting his lip, "I...I'm sorry.", he noted the strength of her grip and it scared him more than he wanted to admit, "I-I'm sorry, please don't be angry..."
Cassie: "Then you have to remain strong," she reminded him, her intense stare on his face. "If you allow yourself to become weak, you will fail. And if you fail, others will have to pay the price." She smiled, then leaned in to kiss him. "I have faith in you, Eddie."
Venom: Kissing her back, he nodded, hugging her and nuzzling her neck affectionately, "I know. I know...I'll be strong, I'll finish this, I promise.", he leaned back to look at her, smiling, "I'll do what I have to. I'll do what's right."
Cassie: Her lips formed an encouraging smile. "I have no doubt that you'll do," she said, before her smile began to fade again. "I'm not so sure about your new friend, however."
Venom: Eddie blinked, "O-ooooh, oh, you mean Hope...", he shook his head, "Nah, Hope's....she's on our side! She is! She knows how much I....I-I mean, she knows how much I care about you.", stroking her face, he smiled, tilting his head to one side, "You know I won't let her stand in my way if she tries to back out..."
Cassie: She fixed him with an appraising look, her brow slightly furrowed. "I trust you to do what is right," she reminded him. Her fingers traced lines down the side of his face. "How could she ever understand, though? She doesn't know what you truly feel, what you really lost, and never could."
Venom: "But Johnny Storm...he was captured too. She knows what I went through when I lost you, and she knows what you meant to me.", Eddie explained, stroking her side gently, "....she thinks I loved you, you know..."
Cassie: "Did you not," she asked, revealing a smirk as she shifted in his lap. "Tell me you don't believe you and me are meant for each other." The tip of her thumb stroked over his lower lip. "No one else could understand, because no one could become as close as us. We're one."
Venom: "We are....aren't we?", Eddie let out a little laugh, sighing as he felt her touch, "I love you. I love you so much.", he blinked free a tear, leaning closer to kiss her, "I never, ever want to be without you...I don't want anyone to take you from me. They did once, and I can't...I-I can't be without you..."
Cassie: "And you know I love you too, Eddie." She returned the favour with a gentle kiss of her own. Then she leaned back and smiled. "You won't have to be without me, ever. I'm a part of you, and I'll never let anyone take me from you."
Venom: Letting out another laugh, Eddie nodded, "I knew...I knew you did, I knew you loved me.", he kissed her cheek, "I'm never, ever gonna let you go. I promise you. I'm sorry I doubted this course, I won't do it again. I'm sorry."
Cassie: "Don't worry, I know you won't," she replied, her smile brightening. "Now you've got me to guide you, no? I can be with you forever, and we'll never let anyone get between us."
Venom: <@Venom> "We'll destroy anything that tries to...", he affirmed, kissing her neck, "I love you..."