You don't have to do it alone

Sirius followed her into the territory with thanks, still remaining silent on the real reason he found himself here. By now Hattori’s presence would be noticeably absent and Venom knew she was running out of time to announce her loss. She’d asked Plague what she should do, and his advice was the best. She just needed to tell the truth. This did not shine negatively on her, and however much none of the mess was her fault she wore the guilt like a badge of honor. Her family was broken irreparably, she lost her partner, but the worst part was that he left of his own volition. He made the decision to wash his hands of her and Ashen, and that fact tore her heart to pieces.

Venom made herself comfortable and Seer followed her lead. As she looked at him Venom could see the way the years were beginning to affect him. The man was still in his prime, his strength palpable with every small movement, but the wisdom of many years lived also took its toll. Had it been so long ago he was training the tiny puppy she had once been?

The Warlord the brandished a bottle from his bag, proclaiming its origin and vintage before giving her the honors. She knew he had to know what was going on. Hadn’t Kiyo taken up residence in the Armada for a time? Venom hadn’t spoken with her since before Hattori left her. Venom hadn’t tasted liquor since she gave her once husband that rare bottle of sake. Her chest clenched tightly, her eyes glazed over and she tried to hide the clenching of her jaw as she nodded acceptance instead of speaking. Afraid her voice would reveal too much.

He had thought he’d seen his wife die, he knew the pain of losing the one he loved, but he had seen her return. Hattori wasn’t coming back to her. Still , she knew the emotions had been real, Sirius knew much of the turmoil beneath the surface. Venom buried her emotions again and carefully opened the bottle and sampled the first taste. She was no expert, but it went down easier than the sake she had grown used to.

Venom let a refreshed sigh leave her lips as she pulled them from the bottle and offered it back to Sirius. ”Very nice,” her voice broke as the afterburn took her breath. Still feeling stiff as the liquor coated her throat it wouldn’t take much more for her belly to warm and Venom’s barriers would break down to Sirius completely.