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[[[Important stuff]]]~ So, a first fanart happened! The person I dedicated this chapter to edited a photo of Ruberman Rodriguez (Venom), and I edited that edited photo into what you see to the right :)) The person's fanart is the image in the corner, and the thing I edited is the bigger one :D As you might of guessed, that's Venom holding his scraped arm. Thank you IzzyAndXavier for the fanart~! 

     Now, if anyone else wants to do fanart for this book, please feel free to do so :)) I will edit them a bit and use them in a chapter (in case they fit the happenings) and I'll dedicate said chapter to the devoted fan :3 Yush... I just used the word -edit- five times. 6 with this one. 7 with the one at the very very end. Damn am I being professional ;3 

     Enjoy~! 

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     Through the darkness surrounding him, Venom's senses went wild when the taste he never dreamed of getting to feel again invaded his mouth, leaving a fiery warmth on its trail as it flowed down his body. His hand instinctively followed the wave, sliding from his collar bone to his abdomen, which was contracted as his hips raised in need. His throat vibrated as he let out a muffled moan, which slowly escalated to a whine soaking wet in pleasure. The taste beyond description brought with it blossoming memories of the last time he felt it.

     The crystal clear sight of the hero panting above him as his arms started shaking, the liquid leaking from his throat like a waterfall of rose red ink. It was quickly poisoning the villain's remaining sanity, corrupting it with a lust that didn't give him a chance to think.

     Consciousness interrupted his flashback like a switch, and his eyes opened to greet the ceiling. His mouth was parted widely, fangs deeply shoved in flesh.

     The hero froze as he watched the process. Venom's brightly blushed cheeks, widened teary eyes, raised hips, panting chest... There it was... Emotion... Even though he couldn't sense it with his powers, it was plain and obvious emotion. Lust, for his blood. He did that to Venom. Broke his shield of emptiness, even if just for a minute, turning him from a cold, gracefully craved statue into a... feline was the only thing he could compare him to at the moment. White sharp fangs and big round eyes surrounded by ruffled, messy hair...

     Shaking his head at his own thoughts, Klaus spoke. "Behave, kitten...". He then pulled the arm back from his mouth, wrapping his wrist with bandage.

     Venom sat up slowly, reaching to scratch his arm, the healing cuts tickling him. A hand grabbed his before getting the chance to, though. Moving his eyes to the bandage, he gasped as he realised it had been replaced. Trailing up the hand gripping his wrist, he eyed the hero. "Keep your paw back if you want them to heal." Klaus scolded teasingly.

     Venom tried his best to not let his panic show. Looking at the detective, he saw the pity in his eyes. "Please don't send me back to that place..." he begged quietly, eyes moving back to his arm.

     "Venom, you need help. " Josh spoke, as the villain predicted. Shaking his head, he shot him a pleading look.

     "I don't... I can explain... I just..." he huffed, searching for an excuse, which proved to be difficult under the daring gaze of the hero. "I felt bad about having killed all those people before entering the mental hospital... So I just... Wanted to feel at least a tenth of the pain they felt-"

     "That's bullshit." snapped Klaus, having had enough of his lies. He hated him and the way he could easily influence everyone- his friend Josh included- with that blank face of his. Ever so blank, empty, unfazed... How can his mask be unbreakable under all that silent madness he must go through? How did he freely answer their questions as if the cuts weren't there, as if they didn't hurt. How did he freely lie, having had all those peoples' deaths on his conscience? "He is not sane..." Klaus whispered.

     Josh sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Klaus, people don't just get over things. It takes time, give him a break." he continued, then rubbed his jaw in thought. "Look, Venom. We'll agree to let this slip, but we'll have to take all your weapons away."

     Venom gripped the blanket, lowering his head in obedience. He could feel himself shaking slightly, and dropped his head on his knees, wrapping his arms around his head in despair. He couldn't give his weapons away. He just couldn't! He spent years collecting all of them... Each one having its own history to tell, its own list of souls to have taken, Venom's evolution visible in the reflection they offered as they shone under drops of blood...

     "What's the problem? It's not like you need them for anything, right?" Klaus spoke challengingly, the grin on his face audible in his tone. But the grin faded instantly when Venom raised his head, expression once again stone like.

     "They're in the bathtub's surround." he spoke quietly.

     Klaus remembered having noticed one of the surround's tiles being off a little when he went to the bathroom upstairs to get the first aid kit, so, with a glare, he stood up and went towards the stairs, leaving the detective alone with Venom.

     Josh just stood on his place next to the couch. Normally, he would feel awkward in a situation like that- the tense silence at least uncomfortable-, but he didn't. He didn't feel like discussion was needed, seeing as Venom acted as if his existence was another crack in the ceiling. After darting his eyes away from the statue like villain, his mind wondered to Klaus.

     He kept insisting the villain was the criminal, and it wasn't like the detective didn't trust his friend's instincts. Josh just... knew him. There was a big possibility that Klaus only suspected Venom because of his powers being useless on him. He must be feeling intimidated by the shield protecting Venom's emotions, the detective concluded. The hero never came across a person he couldn't read like the back of his hand before, so he just automatically assumed that Venom was the criminal. There was no convincing him otherwise...

     Looking at the man on the couch, Josh squinted. He remembered the sight of him 9 years ago, on the day he was sent to the mental hospital. He couldn't believe he was watching the same man... His deafening screams of madness, seemingly endless as they kept piercing his lungs echoed in the detective's ears as he recalled the moment... The angles the villain's body managed to twist at as he struggled in the strait jacket... The wild, demonic look on his face...The horns...

     And there he sat now, on the couch, calmly gazing through the walls, lifeless. Josh thought he was done, his soul too empty to embrace any will to kill. He was now just a lonely man, remaining to pass through the endless days of his endless life...

     Well, he was wrong...

     And Venom knew to well the way the detective thought. He didn't need to be a mind reader or a genius to figure that out. The one fact that Josh stood next to the couch unfazed, as if the villain presented no possible harm, was enough to justify his trust on him. Another clueless human, counting on the law's word; No proof, no killer. It was ironic, really, the way law was the one thing preventing the villain from being busted...

     Oh, Klaus... Venom thought later, as he watched him standing in his doorway, holding the weapons covered in the blood stained towel. Why lower yourself to help humanity? he wanted to ask, honestly curious. "Sorry for the bother" he spoke instead, politely, then looked the hero in the eyes. "And thank you."

     Klaus knew he was referring to the blood he offered. The only reason he accepted to do so was because Josh kept telling him how Venom was just another citizen until proof was found, and him being a hero meant he had to do his best to save him. And save him he did, thought which brought the scene back in the hero's mind; the sight of the villain as he woke up not having been forgotten. "We'll meet again soon, kitten."

     He watched as the villain tilted his head to the left in a gesture of confusion, only adding to the mental image of an actual cat. "We sure will, My Hero." Venom teased back- also reffering to the hero's doing- with that closing the door.

     "Burn." commented Josh.

     Days later, Venom was walking along the street leading to the town's centre. It was 8 in the evening, but the coal black clouds made it dark enough for light of the old style street lamps to be required. They were edging the long pavement leading to a circular area, where an old cinema and many shopping centres were placed.

     Venom wasn't particularly interested in either; the purpose of his walk was just to register the town's changes. He hadn't been in the view for many years, and he just wanted to catch up with the surroundings. He liked to know his territory.

     People were, of course, avoiding him like the plague, which was understandable- preferable even. The vampire, despite presenting an unfocused face, had to clench his hands in the pockets of his black Burberry coat in order to fight against the smell of blood alluring him. He didn't want problems.

     But a stranger seemed to want, much to his disappointment. A man around 35 was, unlike the others, glaring at him darkly as he walked his way, holding the hand of what appeared to be his kid. But Venom ignored the child, instead focusing on what the man held in his other hand. A baseball bat, of course, what other day could he choose to have father-kid baseball time?

     Venom sighed as the man left the kid behind, approaching him determined. The stranger then wasted no time in swinging the bat before hitting the villain in the temple. His head snapped violently, body following its movement as he fell to the ground, face first. He saw the hit coming, but the crowd around them didn't, that was obvious by the amazed gasps that followed.

     Everyone was waiting for the big boom. The moment Venom would stand up and tear the man's head off, maybe shove it down the child's throat and then maliciously laugh as he disappeared into the sunset.

     But it didn't happen; the villain just propped up on his arm, rubbing his temple gently, much to the crowd's surprise. "You son of a demon! How dare you show your face like nothing happened! You killed my wife, you bastard!" the man yelled loudly, kicking the villain in the stomach. Looked like grudges didn't fade even after all the years. Venom didn't know the man, of course, but he guessed his wife was one of his victims a long time ago.

     Meanwhile, Klaus was approaching the scene, having felt the multiple matching emotions of shock and amazement. One specific one stood out the most, being anger tangled with hatred. He considered it to be coming from the offender, of course, but he couldn't place his finger on what the victim felt, which was unsettling. As he reached the crowd, it parted to let him through.

     The moment he saw a man with his arms raised above his head, bat ready to hit, he instantly grabbed his collar and punched him. The man was taken aback, and the moment he saw the hero, his face showed plain disappointment.

     "My hero..." Klaus heard a teasing voice from behind him, and turned around to confirm that on the ground was, indeed, Venom. His arm was clenching his stomach, the other one used to support himself. Despite his bruising face, his lips were forming something close to a grin.

     "Fucking authorities." the offender spat, regaining Klaus's attention. "First they release that maniac and let him freely walk around like he owns the damn place! And then you, the fucking hero of this town, stand up for him! Well you know what? If he can kill and get away with it, then so can I!" he yelled. The hero didn't stop him as he pulled out of his grasp and went for the villain.

     Venom caught the baseball bat just as it was about to hit him and snatched it, spun it, then shoved its tip in the man's solar plexus. While he stumbled backwards, breathless, the villain had time to stand up and widely swing the bat. He then hit the man in the head violently, his head instantly cracking open after the powerful blow and his body hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Venom let the bat drop from his grasp to the ground, the inertia of the swing sending him into a swift pirouette.

     He stomped his feet the moment he fully turned around, and shot the hero a victorious look through intelligent eyes. He raised a finger, pointing at the unconscious man on the ground, and spoke. "And that, was self defence. Legal stuff." he accentuated as to underline the irony, well aware of the fact that somehow law was by his side- once again.

     It was what it took for the hero to snap. He stumped to the villain, his jaw as clenched as the grip on Venom's elbow while he dragged him away through the parting crowd. He heard the police cars approaching the scene and his cell phone singing Josh's ring tone, but he ignored them, constantly tugging Venom as he kept stumbling, unable to keep up.

     As he was about to fall down, Klaus grabbed him by the collar of his fancy coat and slammed him roughly against a nearby tree, having reached a small park. He was holding him eye level, the top of the villain's feet barely touching the ground. Klaus watched his bruised face, still indifferent even under the injury. With a grunt, he pressed his forehead on the villain's, pinning his head against the tree.

     "What do you think you're doing." Klaus spoke through clenched teeth.

     "I was just out for a walk, like the citizen I am..." replied Venom innocently. The hero let him go, only to then grab his hair with both hands, pulling it mercilessly to continue eye contact.

     "You are not a citizen. You are a killer." deadpanned Klaus, shivers going down his spine as he felt lucidness slowly slipping through his fingers like dust.

     "Then again, so are you... Criminals are persons, and you kill them. Killing persons makes you..." Venom spoke slowly, as if talking to a child, then continued animatedly. "... a killer."

     "Criminals are not persons." Klaus spat, then started clenching and unclenching his jaw.

     "Don't be so hard on yourself..." murmured the villain, then continued. "Klaus, don't tell me you don't enjoy the feel of warm blood sprinkling your skin, and the way they struggle. Don't tell me you stop hitting as they fall into unconsciousness. Don't tell me you hesitate throwing mud on them as you bury their bodies in the woods... the woods in the west, perhaps?" he spoke cleverly. Back when Klaus accused him of having killed Zack, he knew the hero was the one to have found the body. From there, it wasn't hard to figure out what he had been doing before discovering the corpse.

     Klaus, before he knew it, punched the villain violently. As he was about to fall to the ground, the hero pulled him -by the hair- back on his feet, then turned him around and locked an arm around his throat, from behind. "Yes, hero! Beat me into helplessness, take advantage of my body, shove some organ down my throat and explore me outside and inside.' Venom dared, playing around with his sanity.

     "I will." growled Klaus, to which the villain took in a short breath as he heard the graveness in his voice.

     Venom froze when Klaus started unbuttoning his coat. He reached his fingers to grab the arm around his throat, but he only managed to make it clench harder, blocking the lump he was about to gulp. As his coat was unbuttoned, a warm hand sneaked up his shirt, sliding from his abdomen to his chest in a delicate touch, unfamiliar to his skin.

     He screamed as nails scratched him, leaving five trails of stinging pain on their way while they lowered back down to his abdomen. The hero's habit of biting his nails gave them a sharp, serrated structure, making the scrapes unbearably painful. The villain managed to cover his scream in a moan, knowing he was close to fully waking the demon in him. "Yes, my hero, hurt me!"

     Klaus wanted do, he really, really wanted to hurt him, so he freely let darkness take over his actions, bringing his fingers to Venom's collar bone once again. Pressing his nails harder into the skin, he managed to reach blood this time, grinning widely when he heard the villain whimper. He slowly let his fingers tear his skin as they lowered down the shaking chest.

     "Klaus, what the fuck!"

     At the sound of his friend, the hero turned his head slowly, watching as the detective eyed them dumbfounded. "Let him go." Josh ordered, pointing a demanding finger to the man pressed against Klaus's chest. Let him go the hero did. Pushed him away, then walked towards the detective threateningly.

     In his fury, Klaus shoved him to the ground roughly, rationality long since lost. "Let him fucking go?! Like the mental hospital did?! You think that's a great idea, don't you, you traitor!" he yelled, then grabbed his tie, tugging him while raising his fist. When he was about to hit him, the villain grabbed his arm and pulled him back, giving the detective enough time to stand up. "Don't fall for it, the bastard is just trying to gain your trust!" Klaus yelled, pointing to the villain.

     "As opposed to you, who just lost it." Josh deadpanned, dusting his clothes off. His honest words shocked the hero, who just then realised that he did, in fact, just assault the person the closest to being his friend. "If there's anyone around here that needs help, it's you."

     And that hurt him. It wasn't just for the fact that he basically called him insane, but for the fact that he knew it himself. Hearing it only made it more real. Afraid he might do something he would regret later, he snatched his arm out of the villain's grip and walked away, eyes on the ground as he faded into the darkness of the evening.

     Josh approached the villain, rummaging in his pockets for a napkin. "Are you okay?" he asked, handing him the material. Venom took it and nodded thankfully, starting to wipe his bleeding lip.

     "All I wanted was a walk..." he murmured, shrugging, to which the detective offered a sad chuckle. With that, Venom walked back to the scene in order to head back home, the detective accompanying him silently.

     When they reached the crowd, an ambulance was taking up the most space, and the man Venom hit was on a stretcher, being carried to the vehicle. His child was desperately gripping the edge of the stretcher, crying, his hand still in the baseball glove.

     He was sobbing uncontrollably, shaking the man's arm as he tried to catch up with the ones carrying him. His cries broke the crowd's hearts, people giving him pitiful looks as they watched him stumble to the ground, his vision having been too blurry to watch his steps. With big, teary eyes, he watched the ambulance leave, and desperately yelled "Father!" between sobs.

     'Vater!'

     Venom shook his head, trying to brush off the memories that threatened to come alive, and kept walking, head straight even under the accusing glares of the others. 

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So that was it XD hope you like the image I edited. Took a damn while o.o Thanks -again- to Izzy for the original ^ - ^

 Sooo yeah :) Hope you liked the chapter ._. I think it was fine :] 

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