Author's Note: A little bit of fluff for Halloween's Eve! Enjoy and be safe, y'all!
At first, the crashing and screaming were indiscernible from Metz's dream. As they struggled their way out of the grips of the nightmare, though, Metz realized the cacophony was joined by the piercing blare of a smoke alarm. Their eyes popped open at this and they jumped out of bed, searching their room for a fire before they dashed out into the living area to check that as well.
The alarm died out seconds later, silence reigning once more and Metz took a moment to reorient themselves. They were in their apartment, alone and safe. Pressing a hand to their chest, they plodded towards the bathroom now and ran the faucet, splashing cool water on their face before trying to explain the short burst of the fire alarm. "Must've been someone's burned toast," they assured themselves, grabbing some facial wipes when another sound made them cock their head. It was coming from the street, it seemed, and they soon caught the sound of Eddie's screaming, smothered by the walls between them.
Dropping the makeup wipes altogether, they sprinted to their door and yanked it open, jumping the short distance to their neighbor's door and banging on it. "Eddie! Eddie?! Are you alright?!"
All sound stopped altogether and they were getting ready to slam their fists against the door again when it creaked open an inch. "Hey, Metz," Eddie greeted in a calm voice, keeping his face half hidden by looking down.
"What the fuck, Eddie? There was all this noise, then I heard you scream, and–" They pushed on the door before Eddie could brace himself against it. The sight before them caused their eyes to widen. "What the fuck?" Eddie's apartment was, in the shortest of terms, completely trashed. "Eddie, what the hell happened?" Metz's asked, their gaze sharp on Eddie now. Their eyes grew big when they noticed a smearing of blood under his nose.
"You should see the other guy," he tried joking, and then relenting under their gaze. "It's no big deal. I had a spat with someone, and he's gone now. Go back to your apartment." Metz's eyes gave the place another sweep and Eddie felt a flush race up his neck. "Seriously, it's fine, I promise. No major damage. I'll clean up tomorrow."
Metz didn't speak. Instead, they grabbed Eddie's wrist and dragged him out, shutting the door of his apartment after. "You're not sleeping in that dump," Metz said curtly. "I doubt you even have to lock it. Anyone who took a step in there thinking there's anything of value will be sorely disappointed by the display alone. My couch is better than your apartment right now, anyway. And if you fight me on this, Eddie, I swear to any deity that exists, I'll box your ears off." A laugh escaped him, but he quickly shut it down when he noticed the glare Metz threw at him. "We'll deal with that tomorrow."
"We?" Eddie asked confused.
"Yes, 'we'," Metz said, daring him to contradict them. The two stepped into Metz's apartment and Metz locked the door behind them. "Who did that, Eddie?" They paused, adding, "And were those chickens?"
"Yeeeeah, long story on the chickens. And it was some asshole. I swear you'll never see him around here," he replied, his eyes scanning the apartment as if it was his first time there. "If that was your whole reason for lugging me into your place. I promise they won't be returning to finish the job or whatever your racing brain is telling you right now."
"Yeah, well, for the sake of my sanity, you can stay put here one night," Metz said as they padded towards a small closet and pulled out extra pillows and a blanket. "Why was this asshole mad at you? And how did he find out where you lived? Are you like, in debt with a loan shark or something?" They stopped at this and pivoted to Eddie. "Was it, like, some rabid fan of Kasady?"
Eddie flushed again, shaking his head vigorously. "It was someone I sort of worked with. And it was about Kasady, but not the way you think," he said as he stepped up to Metz and took the pillow and blanket. "He was spewing some stuff about defending me against Kasady, but his shit is what caused Kasady to react so badly to me during our visit."
"That doesn't explain why he would trash your place, though," Metz said, their brows drawing together.
"It just sort of escalated, you know?" Eddie said with a sigh. At that, Metz's eyes were lasers on him again, taking hold of his chin and tilting it up to see his face under better light. The sight of the dried blood made Metz flinch, but before they could finish inspecting him for more injuries, Eddie carefully removed their hand. "Stop. I told you I'm fine. It was my stuff that took the brunt of it, and I didn't care about that as much as wanting him to get the hell out of my place. All that stuff is replaceable anyway."
"Couch. Now," Metz ordered and headed to the kitchen sink, grabbing a hand towel and running it under water. They heard Eddie sigh again, but he obeyed as Metz opened the fridge to grab a bag of frozen veggies before joining him on the couch. "You need to report this. Place a restraining order or something."
Eddie snorted at this then exhaled sharply when Metz began wiping under his nose, their face close to his. He turned his eyes away to try to keep from blushing even as he kept his head still. "Trust me, he's not coming back." Metz glared at him again, cleaning him up fully before slapping the bag on his face. "Jesus!" Eddie yelped as Metz grabbed his hand to force him to hold it in place. "What the hell?"
"Thought you said you were fine, tough guy," they said sarcastically, standing and walking back to the sink to wash out the cloth with soap.
Another laugh escaped Eddie and the sound allowed Metz to release some of the tension in their shoulders. "I am, but hitting someone in the face with frozen goods ain't a pleasant feeling." He glanced over at Metz, watching them grab pans along with cooking utensils, and he noticed how stiff their movements were still. "Come here, Metz."
His neighbor turned to him with a hot glare, but something in his eyes must've worked because they dropped the things and crossed back to the couch, dropping into it with crossed arms. "Yes?"
Maybe it was the fact Venom was gone – really gone – and that they were truly alone for once. Or maybe it was the deep concern Metz was displaying, despite being so obviously livid with him. Or the fact he hadn't properly slept for so long that his whole body begged to give into the warm, safe feeling of Metz's apartment. Whatever the reason, Eddie didn't really have the energy to think about it right then and there as he shifted to lie down, resting his head on Metz's lap with a relieved exhale. "Just, stay put for a bit, will you?" he asked, his voice closer to a murmur as he closed his eyes. "Five minutes, max."
Metz's body went rigid, but Eddie didn't notice. Or if he did, he didn't seem to care. They glanced down to find his features clear. Soft, even. A soft sigh slipped passed their lips and, tentatively, they began brushing the hair away from Eddie's brow, leaning over to secretly examine him for bruises or cuts. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards, just for a second, as if he knew what they were doing, before resuming their natural, relaxed state. Metz could hear his breathing slowing down, his whole body melting into the couch. They sighed again and rested their head back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
Whether it was the rush of adrenaline fading or the troubled sleep they'd woken up from earlier, Metz found themselves nodding off as they sat still. They rubbed at their eyes before looking down at Eddie and frowning when they noticed his creased brow and the twitch of his lip down towards a grimace.
"You're safe," Metz whispered to his sleeping form as they caressed his cheekbone lightly. "Relax, Eddie." They were surprised to see his features smooth out once more and a sigh escaped when they realized they wouldn't be able to stand. Not if they wanted to allow Eddie what looked like the first actual rest he'd gotten in a while. Tilting their head back once more, Metz closed their eyes and told themselves they would wait ten more minutes before rousing him from sleep as gently as possible. Even with this thought in mind, they weren't aware when they slipped into sleep themselves.
It wasn't until an hour passed that Eddie woke with a start, blinking hard to examine his surroundings. He turned his head and caught sight of the sleeping Metz, their head rolled to the side and their chin resting on their shoulder. Wincing, he lifted himself to a sitting position with a soft grunt. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, simply enjoy the actual silence in his head without too many outside sounds.
His eyes travelled over Metz's features, taking in the strands of hair falling over their face, the shaved side peeking through. They were still in the sweatshirt and jeans they wore to the prison, he noted, and figured Metz must've fallen asleep as soon as they got home. Eddie sighed. They must've woken up due to Eddie's and Venom's fight and he quietly cursed the symbiote for the millionth as he stood, stretching momentarily. Leaning down, he gently worked his arms under their shoulders and the bend of their knees, shifting them to lean into his chest and lifting them from the couch.
A slight groan from Metz brought Eddie to a standstill, and he looked down to find a small frown on their lips. It seemed he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping lately. Once he was sure they wouldn't wake up, he padded towards their bedroom, thankful the door opened with a slight push from his foot. He laid Metz down on the bed then looked down on the thoughtfully. Keeping the movements slow and gentle, he worked the sweatshirt off their body after confirming they were wearing a shirt under, folding the article and placing it on the desk. With that done, he pulled the free side of the blanket over them.
"Even in your dreams you over think, don't you?" he whispered when he noted the frown still on Metz's lips, their brows drawn together. Swiping a thumb gently over the creased skin on their forehead, he leaned down towards them, close to their ear. "I'm here, Metz," he murmured, running his thumb lightly over their cheek next. "I'll keep you safe."
The words seemed to have an effect as Metz's features softened and they cuddle into the new warmth of the blanket. Smiling at his handwork, Eddie tiptoed out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him, making sure to do it as silently as possible. He returned to the couch, settling the pillow on one end of it before lying down and covering himself with the blanket. He figured sleep would take some time to return, but he was sound asleep once again before he could think on it further.