Days had passed since the incident, with neither Venom nor the other suit coming back. Peter had tried to forget about the man he ate, but the encounter was still fresh inside his mind.

So Venom was his parents. Both of them. And he - they ? - were looking for him not long before his new powers showed up, powers that would've been hidden inside his body for all his life. Speaking of which, he noticed how his spider actually resembled the symbiote (or at least many similarities), which at moments made him suspect he had a subconscious inspiration for it, spider bite aside.

It was a mystery which of his powers came from the spider bite and which would be from Venom, and despite his better judgment, he had decided to withhold information from Mr. Stark, his guts telling him it'd be a bad idea somehow. Aside from perhaps freaking out the Avengers by telling them he was now Man-Eating-Spider, he himself hardly knew any reasons why he wouldn't talk about it.

Aunt May didn't know what he did, and he was able to return both the copy and the original gauntlets (although Tiny did beg him to let him keep it), everyone thought Shocker just escaped, but something else worried Peter. Venom told him he'd need to eat on living meat, which either meant he'd need to start looking for wild animals...

Or find other people to eat.

The idea scared him ever since he heard about his strange condition, especially when he knew Venom did the same. He could start looking for farms, go to the countryside and hunt his meals, but that sounded like it'd take a lot of his time. He still had school to go to and was lucky enough the hunger didn't strike back yet.

MJ called to check on him and his aunt reassured her he was sick, albeit he was acting unusual. Peter wished he understood why all of this was dawning on him all at once, though a part of him was aware he couldn't blame Venom for it.

When he first saw Venom, it was as if a part of him that's been asleep for an eternity just woke up, and all of a sudden, new feelings resurfaced. He instantly felt attached to the symbiote, as if there was something linking them together. It was only later that Venom revealed the truth about his origins, but his own behavior still confused him.

He acted like he knew Venom all his life, as if they hadn't been separated for seventeen years or so, and no matter how hard he tried, that feeling wouldn't go away. He guessed that's what being the child of a symbiote could do, though he was also curious about his new abilities.

The suit that manifested itself on him, the 'Sleeper' suit as he dubbed it, gave him four eyes and enhanced his reflexes as well as his webs. His hearing had also been amplified even after the suit disappeared, though this could sometimes prove to be more of a curse than a blessing, as his ears really started to hurt whenever he came near loud speakers or any sound with a high frequency.

He wished he knew more about it, but as soon as it had disappeared, he was unable to call it out or bring it back over his skin, it reminded him of when he first learned to bring his webs out. He'd better not put it on by accident, web fluids were easier to hide than an entire alien creature's skin.

He didn't remember how he was even able to eat Shocker, his best guess was that his symbiote form's mouth somehow morphed over him, even if his mask was in the way. Part of him wanted to keep the suit a secret from the Avengers, the other couldn't wait to show it around and check out his new powers. He'd never know when he'd become Sleeper again, so he at least had to make the most of it.

It was a good thing he was able to find an unfinished building away from everything, seemed whoever was the owner of this place stopped the work midway. He had seen people working there before, near the end of 2017, though he didn't know what project it was. Probably another multiplex that wasn't in order legally, at least the windows allowed him to look at himself and know when he'd change.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused, thinking about Venom. He imagined himself in his dark suit, roaring like a beast, jumping over the roofs like a wild animal ready to shed blood. He growled... or at least tried to as whatever came out of his mouth was neither a growl, nor sounding the least bit threatening.

Opening his eyes, he sighed as he realized he still looked like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He tried to growl harder, remind himself of what he felt when he first saw Venom, yet it just looked like the pathetic display of Spider-Man mimicking a cat. He inhaled, stuck his chest out, tried to flex while doing it, fully aware of how ridiculous he looked, imitating something that effortlessly was a hundred times scarier, bigger and tougher.

It was hard to believe they were related beyond the mask, and even then, it was just a mask, not what he actually looked like. He shook his hands around, trying to bring out his claws like a cat while also focusing on not letting his webs out. Vulture would've destroyed him on the spot if he saw him move this way and knew he'd take Liz to prom dance, sparing both teenagers the biggest humiliation of their lives.

Did his parents do anything like this to change forms? Or was Venom constantly in his symbiote appearance? He wished he could ask someone for help about how he could put his suit on, though he doubted he'd find the symbiote anywhere nearby.

He then remembered that for some reason, his Spider-Sense didn't work with Venom. Because when said alien creature appeared from behind him by landing on the platform he was standing on, causing a huge dent on the iron ground and nearly making Spider-Man fall back when he saw him arrive in the reflection, he sure would've given anything for a small warning.

Sleeper reminded Eddie of how he used to be before he met his other. Trying to act like the big guy, failing miserably at it, keep trying no matter how much it wasn't working. Venom then came into his life and while some things got even harder, other things became much, much easier when they were doing it together. They knew raising a baby on the run was hard, raising a superhero teenager would be an interesting challenge.

They've done their research and had a reason to believe the spider-themed hero could have been a student from that school. Midtown was a school specialized in science, Sleeper could've possibly enrolled to see if he could understand his powers as a hybrid, assuming he already had some of them before discovering his latest abilities. Though it was possible his spider-like skills came by virtue of having a symbiote parent, their son may have acquired them through studying (or in the worst case scenario, being studied) there.

The current generation was also particularly useful in its tendency to film everything they see. While Venom's presence would alert many, Spider-Man and plenty of other superheroes were also commonly followed, and while Eddie hadn't been in New York for a while, he kept an eye on that particular place.

Drake's Life Foundation company planned many other labs all over the world. With that project canned thanks to their combined forces, many of them had to be taken down, while others were left unfinished. For an instant, they had feared the worst, thinking remnants of that asshole's gang was there and had tricked Sleeper into working for them, thank goodness it was not the case.

"Hello, Sleeper."

They were amused to see their spawn wasn't prepared to see them again, jumping in surprise and almost letting a scream out. He was still a youngling after all, he'd still have trouble recognizing friend from foe when he wasn't a fully developed symbiote. Thankfully, he was also smart enough to recognize his parents.

"Hey! Don't startle me like that! I would've webbed your face if I didn't know you." said Sleeper, annoyance coming from under the red suit.

"Apologies, son. You're in a quite risky place to be, you know?" said Venom. "You should've picked a better area for training, this one could've been a threat to you."

The spider-themed hero was confused. Was there something inside the unfinished building that Venom got in trouble with before?

"Huh? Why's that? It's just an abandoned construction site, there's not even any machines around to get hurt."

"Not those, the bastard that wanted to build this place would've tried to hurt you." At their son's voiced puzzlement, they decided they could elaborate. "Once when we were separate, a man who wanted to get rid of the world the way it was experimented on symbiotes, ruined our life, turned the entire world against us when we tried to stop him."

Spider-Man listened, curious about who they were talking about. So this would've been some experimentation field or some high-tech research center. Looked like a big thing too, if whoever fought his parents had enough funds to get all this.

"He, like us, was bonded to a symbiote named Riot. He was a leader, a guy who wanted nothing more than to come to this planet to destroy it and feed everyone to the rest of our kind. We burned them both to the ground before they could try anything, but we still had to take care of some of his leftovers before we could rest."

"Wait... you mean, this place was owned by someone who tried to kill you?"

"And he would've caught you if he was still alive."

This sent a slight shudder down Spider-Man's spine. Okay, he did not want to imagine what a fight against two symbiotes looked like. Even if it sounded cool, he pictured a raw carnage where both parties would try to eat each other. Wait, could symbiotes eat other symbiotes?

"How about we go talk elsewhere, son?"

With what sounded like a strange mix of embarrassment, relief and frustration, Spider-Man answered.

"Fine, Dad."

Regardless of the irony in his voice, his answer made Venom grin, even if it was with a ghastly set of teeth that still didn't creep him out for some reason. He formed a web towards another building, soon followed by the dark symbiote extending a tendril in the same direction.

"You moved in from San Francisco?"

"We stayed there for a few years before we had you. Trouble eventually started, so we took the decision to leave and go into hiding. Before, we used to hunt down any bad person we found on the streets."

"...such as?"

"Robbers, amoral thieves, criminals, all sorts of bad people you could imagine. We added undercover stalkers and agents charged to attack us on the menu when we started traveling."

"...yay..."

They were both looking over the town from the top of a skyscraper, which, as Spider-Man noted, surprisingly took Venom some time to climb despite him claiming falling from that high wouldn't even leave a scratch on him. He guessed some people were still uncomfortable with going to high places, but it was a bit confusing when he knew they were active way before he was born.

"What about you, Sleeper?"

"Well, uh, I lived in Queens all my life, I think. When I was in high school, I got bit by this weird mutant spider from a laboratory during a school trip, and I started having all these weird powers. I could create spider webs, cling onto walls, and I also got immune to most sicknesses. At least up to a few days ago before I saw you again." He didn't know why he said 'again', as he was pretty certain he couldn't remember them when he was a baby. "I just never knew I could turn into... this."

"It is certainly peculiar that you acquired those traits before unlocking your symbiote powers. How come you were sick when we found you?"

"I don't know, guess it came with transforming for the first time. I had the feeling you were there and when I finally saw you, I became Sleeper without even realizing it. It was like second nature to me, I don't even know how I took the suit off the first time."

"Hmm, it seems you do not have a total grasp of your powers yet. We can train you, if you wish."

"I... guess?" He had a hunch Venom was expecting him to say yes anyway, but he didn't want to press on the matter. "But, say, can't you tell me who you really are?"

The symbiote hesitated, his question coming out unexpected. With a growl of disappointment, Venom shook his head no.

"Should you know who we are, you might attract attention to our civilian identity and it could compromise our way of contacting you." Seeing the teenager huff, the symbiote's voice switched to a still echoey but less monstrous one, which Peter guessed to be his other parent. "You're a well-known superhero in this place while we were labeled as a cryptid, even in San Fran. People are more likely to spot you in that suit along with those other heroes you fight with, I wouldn't like those guys to cry wolf whenever they see me. Or you."

"Too late for that." The symbiote snorted at his response, as he clearly inherited one of his fathers' humor. "Come on, it wouldn't be that bad if the Avengers knew you, would it?"

"I don't trust those guys too much. Lost my old job and ruined a lot of relationships because some powerful rich guy who could throw money out of windows and still afford some priceless jets and golden silverware just snapped his finger and got me in trouble." growled Venom, his voice still sounding more human but angrier. "Kinda convenient that most of them are celebrities or were given power because they were born into it, don't you think?"

"Mr. Stark isn't like that. Okay, yeah, he does have a way of getting what he wants, but that's because he's good at his job and does it to protect us. I know, you probably think the Avengers' civil war doesn't make them heroes, but it's more complicated than you think it is."

"I got nothing against you trusting them, kiddo. I just don't trust them myself."

Peter wasn't sure if he liked it better when Venom spoke in 'we' and talked more like a monster. He felt like he was talking to an angry adult instead of a big hulking creature... which his parents both were at the same time.

"Fine, but I can't tell you who I am either in that case. I know them out of the mask and..." he stopped himself, knowing giving any other sensitive information would most likely cause Venom to get angry. He did get in trouble a lot when helping the Avengers. "...I got my reasons too."

"We'll tell you some other time. For now, were you able to feed yourself while we were gone?"

"Uhhh, normal human diet or, cannibalistic man diet? Not all spiders bite and I haven't eaten anyone else ever since the school incident."

Venom growled in shock, grabbing Spider-Man by the shoulders.

"YOU HAVE BEEN STARVING YOURSELF THIS WHOLE TIME?!" he screamed, his voice reverting to a more monstrous one.

"...not... exactly?" he blurted out. "Look, I ate like I always did before, I am not gonna start eating other humans. I did eat a lot more than usual, but humans were not on the menu. I'm a superhero, not a wild beast."

"It's more complicated than that, Sleeper. You can't choose not to feed on living meat. You shouldn't even be able to stand as of right now, how are you still in good shape without feeding?"

"My spider powers give me enhanced regeneration, I sometimes had to skip a lot of meals and it took time until I started feeling uncomfortable." he explained. "Okay, yeah, I did feel weird last time we saw each other, but it hasn't happened again."

"Hmm, relying on your own resources to sustain yourself wouldn't be a bad idea with your special condition. However, if that's true, it's still only a matter of time before your liver starts suffering from it." said Venom. "If the prospect of killing bothers you this much, we'll bring you your next meal next time we catch up with you."

"Um, no thanks."

"Not an option."

Did they seriously have the 'eat your vegetables' argument about human flesh? Peter didn't even see how he'd be able to eat anyone again, whether or not he was acting on instinct (preferably only on instinct). With no suit, he couldn't just bite anyone and be done with it, could he?

"So you were an alien vigilante in San Fran and I became a spider mutant superhero in Queens. I'd say it runs in the family." he joked. "Do we have any other relatives with superpowers?"

"We did think about giving you a little sibling from times to times. However..." Venom growled. "We can't really say we've had the time to conceive anyone else after you. Our life on the run makes it hard to relax and find an appropriate place for mating."

"Gross!"

Underneath his other, Eddie snorted. Venom still had trouble telling what was and what wasn't appropriate to tell others, they never had this kind of talk before they had Sleeper, mostly because Venom would have no reason to talk to someone else.

"We also weren't certain if any other spawn would be a symbiote or a half-human like you were, we didn't want to risk another one of our infants to get separated from us."

"Huh?" said Spider-Man. "You mean, it's usually not like this?"

"Symbiotes, bonded or not, are always meant to birth other symbiotes. We, however, had you, and none of your traits appeared until very recently. We've achieved perfect symbiosis, but we do not know if it is unique to us or if other symbiotes would've done the same with the right host."

"So, I could've been a symbiote too?" he asked. "Hmm, maybe we could've stayed together if I was..."

He received a light pat from the adult creature. "Do not worry, we didn't want you to run into trouble with us around. It's our entire responsibility that we couldn't be there to raise you, Sleeper. Human or not, you are and have always been our son." reassured Venom.

"Thanks, Dad." he said, unsure. The word rolled around his mouth like he'd never expect it to, at least it sounded less formal than when he called them 'father'. "Um, by the way, can I ask something from you?"

"Anything."

"When we're in public, mind calling me Spider-Man instead? People haven't seen my new look yet, and if I can help it, I'd like it if they didn't associate this mask with man-eating monster."

Venom made a slight sound of discontentment, before nodding. Clearly, having your own child correct you on how to call them in public because they have a reputation to uphold was a frustrating sentiment many other parents would share. Just, maybe not when it involved building hopping and taking down criminals every week.

"I think it's time for us to leave." said Venom, looking at Daily Bugle helicopters coming their way. "This was helpful, try not to starve yourself this time. Creatures other than humans can help satiate your hunger, try any kind of meat you can find, Spider-Man."

"Thanks, Dad."

As the symbiote was about to leave, he made the same 'rock and roll' sign Spider-Man used. Instantly, a web came from his hand, baffling the red clad superhero.

"I thought that wasn't a thing symbiotes could normally do?!"

"We all learn new things everyday, and I learned from you."

With that said, Spider-Man formed a web in the opposite direction and, with a last look, they parted ways, knowing they'd have to find some other place to talk next time.

"Umm, Mr. Stark?"

"Busy." said Tony, picking out pieces from his table, organizing some implements he had in mind for his next suit.

"I... need to talk to you about a new superhero in town. It's... actually kind of personal."

Tony turned to face the teenager who almost looked nauseous. What was he so nervous to talk about? If it was personal, was it another girlfriend's dad or classmate that got in possession of highly destructive tech? They didn't want to pick up any more remaining of their fighting gear, still had to wonder where Shocker fled to after escaping and attacking Peter's school.

"Alright. Who's this mysterious new hero you know about?"

"Well... his name is Venom, he comes from San Francisco and... I think I found my family." he spat out.

Tony gave him a confused look. His family? What did he mean by that? He already had May, so could he have been talking about...

"Your family? Do you mean your biological parents?" May told him about how they took care of Peter after his adoptive parents had died when he was younger. "And how does this Venom guy relate to this?"

"...it's, kind of complicated, really. But look, if you see some big symbiote creature that looks like a nightmare edition of my suits, please don't attack him." said Peter. "He might get really mad and I've seen the kinds of things he could do from real close."

He refused to admit he ate Shocker, but telling the Avengers about what Venom was capable of was too dangerous for their own sake.

"Well, I could try and figure out who this mysterious nightmare twin of yours is. Any idea of who he might be?"

"That's another thing I'm gonna have to ask from you and the rest of the Avengers: don't look for who he is like you did to me."

Tony raised a brow, to which Peter frowned.

"I'm serious, I really don't want anyone, especially not the Avengers, going after him."

He realized he had growled part of that sentence, but it seemed Tony didn't notice. Actually, Tony didn't really look like he cared for some reason.

"Fine, I'm not trying anything." said Tony.

With that, he just turned around and returned to work, leaving Peter speechless. That... was easy. Like, really easy.

"Wait, you're not going to look for him?"

"You told me not to."

'Since when does Mr. Stark let stuff like this slide? This is practically out of character for him, how come he didn't even ask me anything more?' "Alright, I guess..."

With that, he left. Shooting one last glance at Tony, who didn't even acknowledge him leaving, Peter asked himself what was going on inside the armor-wearing hero's head. Though he didn't notice the slight smell left inside the workshop that wasn't there when he came in...

"So, got kicked out of town yet?"

"Thanks, Anne."

Talking to an ex either was incredibly awkward, or amusing depending on which side of the phone you were on. Anne definitely had fun talking to him again now that she knew he and Venom weren't in trouble, they'd catch up now that he was fully settled in. He however had a hunch she might be mad he didn't call sooner after this...

"How's it going back to New York?"

"Drunk guys in alleys, people yelling at each other in public, dead rats at every corner. You know, the usual. It's like San Fran, with less shit all over the ground."

"Glad to see you haven't changed. How's the new job?"

"Things haven't really started yet, think I might hire someone for assistance." said Eddie, looking at online announcements. "How about you and the boys?"

"Dylan's getting into preparatory grade soon and Dan's been nervous about it for weeks. You know how he got after the pregnancy, worried sick about the whole stress I was having from the baby and you two being god-knows-where at the same time."

"Should've asked if there was anything new, my bad."

He could somehow feel her rolling her eyes at him from the other side of the call. Venom was too.

"I was tasked to defend a classified case I think you'll like. Remember Sin-Eater?"

"If you're going to defend him after what happened in this very town, I'll send Vee to eat you up through the phone."

"I'd like to see you try." They exchanged a laugh. "Anyway, what about you? Got anything new while you were on extended honeymoon."

Eddie paused. This would be it, as in a few seconds, he'd have hell to answer to.

"We found him."

"...who?"

"Sleeper. Venom and I's child." he said. "We. Actually. Found him."

The phone was silent, so he took it away from his ear, mentally telling Venom to brace himself. He didn't know what she was saying, but from the loud ruckus escaping the device, she was probably firing a wave of questions at him.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"I wouldn't joke about something like this." he said as he was back to listening.

"Where and how did you find him?!"

"Dan was right about him, he did get powers growing up. We got a hybrid child to look after now, it's been almost a week since we found him. Sleeper revealed his powers as soon as he saw us while a bunch of people were under a supervillain attack."

"And who's this kid? And please don't tell me that's his name."

"Well, he mostly goes by Spider-Man."

There was a beat before Anne resumed the conversation: "Spider-Man? Are we talking about the same guy who wears red and gets badmouthed by your old firm's rival on daily basis?"

"That's the one. The web thing isn't from us, but he formed a second skin and ate a robber the other day."

"...wow. Eddie Brock, famous reporter, has a kid in a spider costume in New York. Never heard of him eating his opponents though."

"He's still new to it, we haven't gotten him to properly feed himself yet." said Eddie, scratching the back of his head. "You know how I was the first few months, right?"

"Don't tell me about it. But what are you going to do now that you know who he is?"

"Unmask whoever stands in our way and tries to harm Sleeper." they answered, Venom momentarily forming over Eddie's face out of anger.

Anne realized they might have to go over parenting 101 to begin with.