Archive of Our Own ^beta

Then God spake unto the fish; and from the shuddering cold and blackness of the sea, the whale came breeching up toward the warm and pleasant sun, and all the delights of air and earth; and “vomited out Jonah upon the dry land”; when the word of the Lord came a second time; and Jonah, bruised and beaten—his ears, like two sea-shells, still multitudinously murmuring of the ocean—Jonah did the Almighty’s bidding. And what was that, shipmates? To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood!

Venom looked down at the book gripped in his hands. He couldn’t remember the last time he gave it a read. No teacher had assigned him Moby Dick when he was younger, he read it of his own accord. He remembered enjoying the beginning and end of the book, where the plot moved. Later, he would understand the point of the thick and seemingly boring middle, and grew greater appreciation for it as he got older. The novel also made him think of his faithful servant, Pequod. Venom put his hand on his forehead and set the book down for a moment, a headache starting to brew. He couldn’t remember who gave Pequod his name.

A gentle breeze came over to Venom, swaying his hair. Night had fallen onto Mother Base, and he was alone at the command center, with a room near the top. The room was rather simple, including a large bed, decorations such as carpet and photos, shelves for a few items like medals or books, minor furniture, and a few windows. One of them was rather large, actually. If Venom were to be attacked in the middle of the night, it would not serve as the best defense, but it was bullet proof. Venom had opened it, the source of the wind.

With most of his camo and boots still on, Venom took a few steps towards the window. He gazed off down to his home, Mother Base. Things were going well. Multiple connections and support platforms had started and finished construction. More soldiers had been recruited and were faithfully and happily protecting each other. Huey hadn’t done anything suspicious, Ocelot’s “tendencies” weren’t flaring, even Kaz had cooled down after Code Talker joined.  Venom turned over to his right after a bit of thinking, and raised his eyebrows while making a kind of “hmm” sound.

A few had gone unmentioned on the list. Discarding her cloak, Quiet appeared from the shadows and revealed herself to be standing on the edge of the building, only fit for a lithe woman to rest on. She grinned at Snake, walking a little closer to the window sill and sliding her way right through. Quiet appeared a little different to Snake. Of course she was missing her rifle and ammunition, but her hair was brighter and cleaner, and her black “pants” did not have any tears through them. Of course, her top was a simple black bra. She still needed to breath from somewhere.

Quiet threw her arms around Venom and hugged him tightly. Her hugs were always soft and warm. Venom was a “father” to all those on Mother Base in some way, he took care of a few Diamond Dogs occasionally in an emotionally supportive manner, but Quiet’s hugs were different. It was hug not between comrades, but something deeper than that. Venom closed his eyes and remained quiet as the two of them embraced each other. 

It was their special time. The tradition had started maybe a month after Quiet had been brought to Mother Base. She would sneak into Venom’s abode and the two of the would have some “quiet time” together.

They had grown closer while fighting out in Afghanistan… but Venom wasn’t sure. Was she in love with the legend of Big Boss, or himself? Venom’s memory was tormented, especially looking at some particular photos - like one of him and the Medic with Kaz and the old pilot. The memories didn’t seem to connect. Venom remembered being a legendary soldier, certainly worthy of respect. But what was he before that? Did Quiet even see anything past himself? Maybe he was to blame for that. He had difficulty opening up already.

Quiet looked up at Venom with one eyebrow raised. Smiling, Venom leaned and gave her a small peck on the lips. He took her by the hand afterwards and the two of them came to a couch placed in the center of the room. They quickly assumed their typical layout. Venom took off his boots and Quiet helped him unbutton the top of his shirt and camys, leaving his bare chest. Then, Venom threw himself onto the couch, with Quiet laying on top of him, their chests melted together. Even though they were mostly quiet, they enjoyed the feel of each other’s skins. That was enough after a hard day’s work.

Venom wished that they could be this way every night, but it was much more difficult than it sounded. It would raise too much suspicion on Mother Base. Originally, Diamond Dogs had started writing graffiti near her cages and signs… “freak”. Though now they’d gotten used to her, Venom could still hear the whispers of his soldiers saying that she was untrustworthy and that her condition, “the vocal cord parasites” as Code Talker would say in his distinct voice, might mutate. Venom squeezed Quiet tight, causing her to purr and smile. He didn’t care. She was worth taking the risk.

Eventually, Venom’s hand would find its way into Quiet’s ponytail. He would undo the ponytail, taking the small band and throwing it to the ground, and scrunch into her long brunette hair. It would flow all over and fall down onto her sides and his own, looking like a brown octopus. In retaliation, Quiet took her hand and did the same with Venom’s ponytail and mane. Soon, the two of them were wrestling and giggling, trying to mess up one another’s hair without falling off the couch.

Their battle had the tendency of a man at sea, the rowboat crashing and bouncing from left to right against the waves, fighting just to stand still to aim that arrow at the wicked beast’s heart. Before long, one of them fell overboard, the one who had lost her ponytail first. As she lay in her defensive state, Venom went over and attempted to pounce for the kill. As he got over her like any male might lovingly claim his female, with his hands and arms propped up right next to her side and head, Venom started to shake and collapse on Quiet

Quiet perked her eyes and quickly attempted to slide to the side, avoiding her impending destruction by smashing. Afterward, she quickly sat on the floor, back against the couch, and grabbed hold of Venom, who had a hand at his forehead. His breathing had calmed down, but a headache roared inside him. Venom felt even tempted to rip out the hair from his head until not a single blade was left, even that stupid piece of shrapnel.

The whole incident had started to awaken some old memories. Memories that didn’t make sense. Venom felt like he was experiencing that moment Paz through herself out the helicopter, but not from his own eyes. He could see himself, and a hazy image of someone else, before the explosion occurred and rocked everyone aboard. Venom closed his eyes and pushed himself against Quiet’s chest and breasts, though the girl was much smaller than him in comparison, trying to piece together what really had happened.

Quiet was more than happy to help. As his eyes remained closed, Quiet closed her own but let out the black butterfly that decorated her eyelids. She tried her best to guess what was going on - she knew that Venom had memory issues from the explosion. They’d flare up sometimes, especially when things reminded him of the event, like some old photos. Quiet put his hand on Venom’s back and gently caressed him. Who was Big Bosses big Boss?

After a few minutes, Venom had regained his composure. He felt like he had a better understanding, but the journey was incomplete. He had gone from one sidewalk to another - not from one inch to one mile. But there was something. Some progress was made. He got up and shook his head, knowing that the guard routine would soon send someone to check on Quiet. “The Dreamer” - one guard who spent most of his time as warden sleeping - was off duty tonight.

Leaning into one another, Quiet and Venom gave each other a soft kiss, and embraced. As a few seconds had passed, Venom tapped Quiet’s back, causing her to raise her eyebrows and look up at him, before looking down. He crouched down for a moment and picked up her hair tie, a small casualty of their war. Quiet grinned and punched Venom in the stomach, but not too hard, before quickly trying to redo her hair. After finishing, Quiet snuck another quick kiss on Venom’s cheek before disappearing into the night.