SPIDERMAN 2: MARK LEE

3

𝟯: 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘
𝙅𝙐𝙇𝙄𝘼𝙉𝙀 𝙈𝙊𝙊𝙉

After attending my lecture regarding Biomolecular Engineering at NYU, I made the decision to go home straight.

I walked through the streets of Queens, with my hand holding onto the straps of my tote bag, secure and firm. The cool autumn air swept through, causing the fallen leaves to rustle and crunch beneath my feet. It was a reminder that the seasons were shifting, with summer making way for autumn. Lost in the moment, I soaked in the ambiance of the fall weather and the picturesque surroundings. However, it was interrupted when someone struck up a conversation with me.

Venom: Being in that auditorium was torture! We should've skipped.

Upon hearing Venom, my eyes involuntarily rolled. "We can't. Remember what Mark told us yesterday? It's time for us to stop falling behind... And plus, I can't just neglect my future."

Venom: Juliane, you're too rich to even care about your future.

My brows knitted together in confusion. "What are you saying? Are you suggesting that I should just rely on my dad's money for the rest of my life?"

Venom: Yeah, I mean even after everything, Mr. Moon is still thriving. So just depend on your daddy.

I scoffed a laugh and shook my head. Sometimes, I was surprised that I still get surprised to hear Venom's questionable advices. I should have gotten used to these. "Yeah, not happening. My parents worked hard to give Taeil and me this life, and I won't waste it. I want to be able to repay them in the future."

Venom only groaned in response, sounding irritated and dissatisfied.

No one told me that having a Symbiote in your body could be a handful. I must confess, Venom was the most fascinating and incredible creature I have ever encountered. He possessed a variety of extraordinary skills and abilities that were beyond description. Hell, I considered myself lucky to be his host.

However, there were occasions when he could be a bit irksome.

Venom was a bit nosey. He tended to involve himself in situations where his presence wasn't necessarily needed. He enjoyed gossiping a lot. He was always willing to listen to me talk about my issues with my boyfriend, family, and school. He had an opinion on everything and everyone. He had a way of deciding whether someone was a positive or negative influence in my life, which he referred to as his "Venomous gut feeling". Initially, I was skeptical, but he eventually proved me wrong.

During the first day at NYU, a random guy accompanied me the entire day and Venom revealed that he didn't approve of him. Venom's reasoning was that he sensed the guy had ulterior intentions that Mark wouldn't approve of. The following day, the guy practically begged for my phone number and suggested to study at his place with a very suggestive tone, and I obviously declined. From that day on, I relied on Venom's instincts about people... well, most of the time.

Nevertheless, Venom was still one of the best companies I could ever ask for.

Venom: Can we please skip tomorrow? The heads of your classmates are beginning to look very tempting to me.

I crossed my arms and stomped down the street, looking like some grumpy old grandma. See how unbearable Venom could be? I shook my head and replied. "I'm not falling for your little trick of 'eating human brains' again, Venom. Please quit it."

Since I was inexperienced with hosting a Symbiote in my body, I was frequently controlled and exploited for his personal gain.

During my initial weeks at University, Venom convinced me that sitting in the auditorium for long periods triggered his cannibalistic tendencies and advised me to skip. Foolishly enough, I followed his advice because I was frightened of losing control and devouring my classmates' brains. Eventually, I discovered that it was all a ploy to avoid attending lectures. Venom didn't actually need to consume brains to survive; chocolate could serve as a suitable alternative due to the sustaining compound it contained. I hated him for that. Well, whenever I had lectures, I could always hear Venom complaining out of boredom in my mind and there wasn't really anything I could do about it.

What a pain, am I right?

Venom: Okay, fine then. But can we establish a rule that I am allowed to devour an entire block of chocolate after lectures? Perhaps two? Pretty please?

The only way I could get him to stop talking was by agreeing with him. I was fed up with his constant complaints. And so, I reluctantly agreed. "Fine fine. There might be some chocolate left in the snack cabinet at home."

Venom: Perfect~ You're the best Juliane!

I could finally walk peacefully down the streets without hearing Venom's complaints or anyone disturbing the peace... Or so I thought.

Amid my stroll, I was caught off guard to see a new presence walking next to me. It was Spider-Man, or just Mark, attired in his regular clothes. He dropped from the air as if he had just completed a swinging marathon, as if that was the most natural thing to ever do. Without any fuss, he ambled casually beside me and greeted me with a smile. "What's up?"

"What the-" I stammered. I quickly scanned our surroundings, realizing that no one else seemed to have seen this unusual entrance of his. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Mark kept his beam as he cautiously slipped off the tote bag from my arm and wrapped it around his own. "I just submitted a few photographs to Daily Bugle." Mark then held my hand and interlocked our fingers. "What about you? How were your lectures?"

Mark's smile was charming and endearing. He carried himself with charisma and charm, his attitude confident but friendly. I couldn't help but feel this rush of admiration for Mark. It never got old. Everything about him was just perfect. Perfectly perfect.

I couldn't resist the smile on my lips.

Damn. I was so lucky to have Mark Lee as my boyfriend. So damn lucky.

I started to gently swing our hands back and forth before answering. "It was okay, enjoyably informative in fact, but someone might not agree." I shrugged. When I said "someone", Mark already figured that it was Venom, and he wasn't sure if he should pity or laugh at the Symbiote. In the end, he just cackled.

"Taeil said everyone visited. All of them are at our house: Naomi, Donghyuck and Taeyong." I looked up at him and grinned. "You wanna come?"

Mark lifted his arm to wrap it around my shoulder. He smiled and pulled me closer, then gave me a small kiss on the forehead. "For sure man. Why not?"