Eddie Brock, Venom's host, was fired from the newspaper due to the Life Foundation incident and fell into Hell's Kitchen. However, he later returned to the newspaper because of the Eternal Life Factor incident and even became the editor-in-chief.
But because of Venom's presence, Eddie didn't choose to move back to his upscale apartment, settling instead in Hell's Kitchen.
Eddie and Matt had worked together during the Life Foundation incident, and they had good impressions of each other.
After all, Matt wasn't the type to be rash; he'd plan before acting. Eddie, possessed by Venom, was a bit of a schemer as well. The two would often discuss strategies together, and quickly became good friends.
Eddie rented a house on the edge of Hell's Kitchen. The location was much better than Matt's previous base, so Matt often stayed over. Eventually, they became roommates.
Both Eddie and Matt are the quiet but serious type now, so they get along well. But don't forget, there's a third party in their apartment - Venom who lives in Eddie's body.
"You have no idea how annoying he is!" Matt, who had come to the hospital to visit, put his briefcase aside, straightened his suit collar, and started complaining to Shiller.
"That gooey thing often fights over magazines with Eddie when he's in the bathroom. They could argue in my bathroom for a full 20 minutes!"
"Eddie is an editor. He goes to work at 10 in the morning and has his own transportation. I'm just a regular lawyer. I have to go to work at 8:30 and practically have to cross the whole Brooklyn Area. Every morning, I have to use the restroom in the restaurant downstairs..."
"If it was only arguments, I wouldn't care. But they start fighting and the black goo clogs my toilet. After I come home at 10 pm, I have to find someone to unclog it!"
With a long sigh, Matt continued, "Just yesterday, it didn't just clog up my toilet, it clogged up all the pipes in the entire apartment building. All the neighbors asked me what happened..."
"Do you know the looks they gave me? For God's sake, how could I possibly poop a ton overnight!"
Unable to hold back his laughter, Shiller chuckled. Matt's face turned sour, and he continued, "I don't know what grudges Venom has against the symbiotes. Every once in a while, they start a fight in Hell's Kitchen and create a mess."
"You know how ugly they are, like the words 'I am an alien' are written on their faces. Even though the people of Hell's Kitchen are more accepting than others, that doesn't mean they can tolerate these monsters running amok."
"Many people took photos and posted them online. Although most of the comments praised their good looks, it also caused a bit of panic. After all, even thieves and robbers are human, but those symbiotes are obviously not from the Human race and look scary."
"Shiller? ...Shiller!" Matt suddenly called out as he noticed Shiller drifting off. Shiller shook his head slightly and looked at him, "Oh, I'm listening... So what do you plan to do?"
But Matt didn't continue speaking. He stood up, adjusted the hospital bed to a flat position, then looked down at Shiller and said, "I'm sorry... I got used to complaining to you about these things..."
He looked around the room and said, "It's not your job to alleviate our worries. You're a patient now, and you should rest."
Matt turned around and started to fix the bouquet he had brought. In that short moment, Shiller's eyes started to droop. Matt looked worried, but Shiller quickly rubbed his eyes and chuckled,
"Now, you and Peter are employees of S.H.I.E.L.D. I can ask Nick to reimburse your medical expenses. I hope you guys stay longer. The look on the One-eyed dragon's face when he sees the reimbursement form would be priceless."
Matt chuckled as well, and after a few more conversations, Matt said, "I have to prepare for court tomorrow afternoon, so I'll come to see you another day."
He then picked up his briefcase and left. But as he walked out of the room, his face turned serious. After leaving the hospital, he didn't head towards his law firm but turned towards the Avengers Base.
He arrived at the base just as Steve was on his way out. Sensing Matt's serious expression, Steve, who knew that Matt had visited Shiller beforehand, helplessly said,
"You didn't get into an argument with Shiller like Tony, did you? He's a patient right now. And even if he weren't, everyone has their own opinions about this kind of issue. Arguing won't lead to anything..."
"Tony? He visited Shiller too? Did they have a fallout?"
"You can't quite call it a fallout." Steve was a bit helpless recalling the incident. He briefly explained to Matt what Shiller and Tony had been arguing about. But surprisingly, Matt didn't join the conversation. He just said with a bit of anger,
"Seriously, doesn't Tony realize that Shiller is sick? Plus, he just came back from the dead. Even a normal person would be mentally unstable after such an experience. He should avoid any stimulation..."
Steve frowned and asked, "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with Shiller?"
"I feel like he is kind of sleepy. More accurately, it seems like he's experiencing symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. During our conversation, he was dozing off constantly. You know, this isn't normal..."
"Usually, he is up and at 'em by five or six in the morning. He could spend hours lecturing Peter and Pikachu who stay up all night gaming, but now..."
Matt continued, "It's almost noon now, and he is still feeling drowsy. This is completely not normal."
Steve was wearing a coat and carrying a somewhat old briefcase, appearing as if he was about to leave. Matt asked, "Where are you headed?"
"I'm just off to see him," Steve replied, one hand on his hip as he turned around. "I'm sure I won't end up like Tony, getting into any dispute with Shiller. I just want to comfort him a little."
"You and Tony mentioned before that he might have some childhood trauma? But now it seemed like some of his mental illnesses might be recurring and I think you better observe him," Matt suggested.
"Don't worry," Steve reassured, patting Matt's shoulder as he turned to leave the base. Watching him depart, Matt shook his head and then entered the room.
When Steve arrived at the ward where Shiller was staying, a nurse had just exited. As Steve was about to push the door open, the nurse stopped him and said, "Are you sure your visiting time is right? The patient is already asleep."
Steve glanced at his watch. It was just after one in the afternoon. He had never known Shiller to take naps, be it in the little clinic of Hell's Kitchen or in the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s office. At this time, Shiller should either be eating or just finishing his meal and taking a walk.
"Has he had his lunch?" Steve asked.
The nurse shook her head and said, "He didn't even eat breakfast. He seems to have lost his appetite. I'm about to review his medication dosage with the head doctor to see if that's the cause..."
Steve's frown tightened. He knew that Shiller was not merely a typical human being, common tranquilizers wouldn't have much effect on him. It shouldn't be the medicines causing adverse reactions.
Moreover, the fact that Shiller was not eating was rather alarming. Steve had always felt that Shiller was not very typical of an American. He had a high standard for meals, always preparing them himself, never resorting to fast food or takeaways, and would even frown upon seeing a pizza box.
With these thoughts, Steve nodded at the nurse, carefully pushed the door open, and went inside. As expected, Shiller was sound asleep on the hospital bed.
Steve's brows knitted tighter when he noticed that despite Shiller's deep sleep, he seemed rather uneasy, deeply frowning, and muttering something as if he was talking in his sleep.
Steve took a seat beside him as the atmosphere in the room turned somewhat tense. The sleeping Shiller seemed nonresponsive. But when Loki walked in and saw such a scene, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.
Today, Loki was not in his usual suit but dressed in traditional attire of Asgardians. What caught the most attention was the typical Earth-style file bag he was carrying.
"Um, good afternoon, Steve, are you here to visit Shiller too?" Loki greeted, extending his hand. To his surprise, Steve gave his hand a pass and just nodded and turned back to look at the sleeping Shiller with concern.
Loki walked over to the other side of the bed, glanced at the sleeping Shiller, and then at a worried-looking Steve. He instantly pieced things together.
He rubbed his face, putting on a look of sadness, and said, "Actually, I'm sorry I'm late..."
"You know, the fight for succession was life and death. The feud between Thor and myself grew deeper. I was imprisoned in a dungeon and didn't know about the incident on Earth, thus, I couldn't assist..."
Loki looked remorseful and said, "Shiller is also a friend of mine. What he's going through now, I feel responsible for."
Steve looked up at Loki. His look of remorse seemed genuine. In fact, Steve knew in terms of relationships, the members of the Luminous Alliance were closer to each other.
Especially the trio of Shiller, Loki, and Doctor Strange, the big three of The Sanctum, Shiller and Stark were simply friends; Shiller and Peter held pupil-teacher relations, but Shiller's relationship with Loki and Doctor Strange was largely collaborative on top of the friendship. They understood each other on a deeper level because of common shared interests.
Gauguing from what Loki had said, Shiller's mental state must have significantly deteriorated.
Just as Loki finished, Shiller twitched his eyelids and opened his eyes in a daze. Taking a deep breath, he sat up, looking somewhat depressed.
He glanced at Loki standing nearby, then turned to look at Steve sitting on his other side. Before Steve could say anything, Shiller said, "Could you please leave us for a moment? I have some matters to discuss with Loki."
Steve looked at him with surprise. Until this point, he had never recalled Shiller speaking to him in such a stiff tone. However, Shiller simply kept staring at him and then pointed to the door.
What shocked Steve even more was, Shiller turned around and said to Loki in an irritable tone: "Why are you here now? Did you plan this with him?!"
"Wait..." Steve quickly got up and said. "Don't be angry. I'm leaving right away."
Not wanting to upset Shiller, Steve left promptly without saying any more. And just when Steve finally moved beyond the range where their conversation might be overheard, Shiller swinged his pillow in frustration.
"What a rock in the latrine — stink and hard!"
He looked up at Loki with frustration.
"Are you dumb? Running into Captain America, the conscience of the Avengers. What more? Did you want him to find out I sleep just so I could deal with those annoying sales and harassment calls?"