And what are these supposed to be? Came a deep, growly voice from inside her mind, sounding equal parts confused and unimpressed.
"They're facehuggers, V. Just watch the movie." She answered out loud into her empty living room before taking a large swig from her bottle of coke.
Facehuggers? That does not sound very frightening. How could anyone scream and wail like that over something with a name so… He seemed to be struggling with finding the right word, and she could almost imagine him tapping a clawed finger against a table as he searched for it.
"Cuddly?" She finished his sentence, eyes still glued to the screen in front of her.
Yes. Cuddly.
She shrugged as she stretched a leg out across the couch.
It was a couple of hours after Eddie had left, and they were now watching "Alien vs. Predator", since she'd thought it was right up Venom's alley, being an extraterrestrial himself and all. But as it turned out, all watching this movie really did was trigger a stream of questions from the symbiote. Like if humans really had been known to offer themselves willingly to be an alien's host like the sacrificial chamber in the movie so strongly suggested.
He had been somewhat disappointed when she had told him that, as far as she knew, this was not actually thing.
"I suppose when your face is being covered by a gross, spidery, egg-laying oral-probe you don't tend to think about whether it has a cuddly name or not." She answered casually.
Another swig from the coke bottle.
Point taken.
They managed to get all the way to the point where the baby aliens burst out of their hosts' bodies before Venom piped up again, this time with a most disapproving tone in his voice that she had ever heard from him before. Like an adult who was disappointed at the eating habits of undisciplined youngsters.
What a waste of perfectly good flesh and bones, and they do not even care about the delicious brains! What is the point of them hunting humans if they do not even eat them?
"Man, I'd love to see you direct an alien movie." She stated with a chuckle instead of answering his question. It was no surprise to her that Venom would be appalled by the apparent waste of, what was to him, perfectly edible human bodies, even if she had already told him that they weren't actually real. Just special effects and props to make it look believable. "You'd show them how it's done."
Of course I would – I have knowledge these humans could never hope to obtain. The symbiote agreed soundly within her mind before he began considering the things he would do differently with a movie like this, listing them to her through the link they shared. I would exchange these frail-looking things for something far more fearsome, for starters, and have them display a realistic behavior. No point in hunting humans, or anything for that matter, if you do not intend to eat them, after all. That is just lazy writing! Unacceptable!
She nodded along at his words, even if she knew he couldn't actually see her doing it while still squirming around inside her body, which then prompted her to hum out loud in agreement, just to be sure.
For a brief moment, she considered the fact that this was what Eddie basically did every day, even when outside, on the streets, among other people, seeming to everyone around him like a complete nutjob when in fact he was just having a… well, more or less normal talk with Venom. It probably didn't help matters that their topic of conversation usually touched upon whether or not Venom was allowed to eat this or that person, which was bound to startle anyone who would overhear Eddie as he walked down the street.
Then, we would get rid of all these 'props' you speak of and get some real flesh on the screen. But bad guys only, of course, otherwise Eddie will throw a fit… again.
Her eyes widened at that idea, which must have looked incredibly comical since she wasn't really looking at the person she was talking to (obviously), which left her to just stare at the tv screen in mild horror as she wondered what this 'again' was referring to.
She decided after a moment or two that she really didn't want to know.
"Okay, maybe we should just leave the movie-directing to the professionals… Seems safer for everyone involved…"
You think of the safety of bad guys?
"Nah, I was thinking more about the mental health of everyone else involved. Like camera crew and actors."
Why would we concern ourselves with the weak-minded? I do not see what difference it makes that the blood and intestines are real and not props. You humans are strange…
"Yeah, but you're kinda stuck with us, remember?" She chuckled and, for no other reason than because it felt right to do so, she patted her sternum, right on top of where she assumed Venom would be nestled, between her lungs and heart. "If you're gonna live with us, you gotta deal with our weird quirks."
It was quiet in her head for a while after that, as Venom seemed to mull over her words. There was a strange feeling coming from him, somewhat melancholic but also strangely fond.
I suppose that is true.
He decided to come out after a while and rest his head on top of her stomach, just as the movie was about to reach its climax, his oily, black mass pooling around his chin. She didn't know why he had decided to take form now, when the movie was going to end, but in any case, it made her feel a bit less like she was talking to the walls rather than the symbiote himself.
Perhaps that was the reason – she really couldn't tell, despite sharing a body with the alien.
What she could tell, however, was that when the movie ended, and the credits began to roll, something about Venom seemed… off.
Emotions kept swirling around in her chest and she knew for a fact that they weren't coming from her. A feeling of slight anxiety, occasional pangs of sadness and a constant stream of worry coursed through her, prompting her to pull her gaze from the tv and redirect it towards the pile of inky black goo nestled on her stomach – only to discover that he had risen from the area, now balancing his smooth head on writhing, ever-changing stalks.
She frowned softly at the look on his face, noting that his signature grin was covered up, leaving only his eye-slits visible and making him look surprisingly subdued.
"Hey, you okay there, buddy?" She asked in a gentle voice, tapping her finger against her sternum to help draw his attention.
For a while, he said nothing, though she could feel through the link they shared that he had heard her – so instead of probing further, she simply waited. She hadn't really seen Venom in this sort of mood before and found now that it unsettled her quite a bit.
"… Miss Eddie…" He spoke at last, his white eyes looking almost forlornly towards her front door which lead to the hallway that separated her apartment and Eddie's.
Eyes softening and with a gentle, lopsided smile, she reached up and let a hand slide gently over the crown of his head in a soothing manner, almost like she would a dog or a cat.
"I know you do, big guy. Just remember he left you here so that you don't have to go through something awful."
It was weird, having to comfort a being which was basically capable of eating her up from the inside or snap her head clean off her shoulders to munch on if it so desired. But she had known the reporter and his… co-pilot for so long now that she knew Venom was so much more than just a mindless killing machine. He was very attached to Eddie and didn't like being separated from him. Right now, she could literally feel the symbiote squirm under her skin with slight anxiety, though he didn't seem unhappy at being left with her – just peeved about the fact that he was separated from his preferred host, not knowing exactly where he was or if he was in danger or not.
"Yes. Eddie really wanted to go, I could feel it. But he didn't want us to suffer from the loud noise, so he said he would not go anywhere. Good host. Considerate."
She felt a sudden surge of appreciation run through her from Venom and patted his head again. As fearsome, forward and downright rude as the alien was, she really found it sweet how he and Eddie could be so thoughtful with each other.
It was the strangest bromance ever, but sweet nonetheless, in its own, bizarre way.
"But do not tell him I said that. I do not want him to think that his sentimental pussy-ways have rubbed off on me!" The symbiote spoke pointedly, narrowing his opalescent slits briefly at her before he pushed his head into the palm of her hand, the sound leaving him almost like the purr of a cat.
A very strange, alien cat… who lived inside of people and ate humans, chocolate and tater tots.
She barked out a laugh at him. For all his tough talk, this guy – for she had decided in her mind that this was a guy, if for nothing else than making referring to him less… mean-sounding – he could be as mushy and gooey on the inside as he was on, well, the outside.
"Sure thing, V, I promise I won't tell a soul." She replied as she reached another hand up to point towards the kitchen. "How about we go and get something to munch, huh? Then I'll go take a shower afterwards."
She had been at work for most of the day and hadn't had time to do it before her neighbor had come over to drop off his 'roommate' for the evening, prompting her to put it off for as long as possible until she could stand it no longer.
As if to underline her question, her stomach rumbled underneath the floating mass of black, sending ripples through the stalks that made out Venom's neck.
"Splendid idea! You are way more responsive to your hunger than Eddie is – and have good taste in snacks too!" He agreed heartily, his wicked grin getting impossibly broad.
Another bout of laughter left her.
She had bought all the best snacks she knew for this occasion – and she did believe herself to be somewhat of a snack-and-junk food connoisseur at this point. Chocolate bars, ice cream, brownies, a wide assortment of cookies, chocolate milk and, well, anything really that she thought tasted amazing, she had bought to share with her unusual house guest. He had been literally quivering inside her ribcage when he had seen the contents of her fridge for the first time – a freaky feeling for her, sure, but honestly, she was just glad he didn't demand her to go out and eat brains instead. This was far more preferable.
"Well, what's the point in having a babysitter if you don't get to go a bit overboard on stuff like snacks, huh?" She replied cheerfully, moving both of her hands to the symbiote's face to squeeze it playfully.
The grin she received in return was absolutely gleeful.
She rose from the couch with the alien still sprouting from her stomach, his head bobbing almost merrily as she made her way towards her kitchen. They had already eaten a fair amount of sweets and junk food, having ordered a pizza with every possible kind of meat on it – just as Venom liked it best, even though it was dead meat and not alive and fresh.
Usually she wouldn't go all in like this, but she figured she'd had to tonight, given her guest and his tendency to… well, nip at people's organs whenever he felt peckish.
Besides, she didn't think she could ever get tired of chocolate, even with Venom on board, hauling it down by the bucketload.
"I would not nip at your organs. Eddie would not approve of it." Venom spoke as she rummaged through her cupboard, twisting his head around to look directly up at her face as he stayed attached to her stomach. "He has 'the hots' for you, after all."
She stopped her movements briefly to look directly down at the gooey mass, a chocolate flavored wafer cookie trapped between her teeth. She had been about to take another one out of the package for the symbiote, but now her hands were stuck mid-action as she starred down at the alien with a dumbfounded expression.
Before she could even begin to form a reply inside her head, Venom smiled deviously, and his head came up towards hers. He snatched the wafer cookie right from her mouth, yanking it out from between her teeth to gulp it down his mighty maw.
He then licked his teeth with his obnoxiously large and dexterous tongue in obvious satisfaction and suddenly, one of the opalescent slits that were his eyes narrowed in a winking gesture up at her.
Cheeky bastard… She thought, and finally managed to shake her head in disbelief. As comfortable as she was with Venom by now, it was still unnerving to have his teeth so close to her face, even if he hadn't actually touched her as he had taken the cookie.
"It's not nice to read people's minds, you ass…" She mumbled reproachfully as she placed back the package of cookies, deciding instead to go for a couple of chocolate bars in the hopes that they'd weigh down a bit more inside her stomach and fill the dark void that was Venom's everlasting appetite.
"Eddie tells me that as well. I still do not see the problem." He replied with what looked like a roll of his eyes before he snapped his mouth at the chocolate bar she had unwrapped and offered to him.
She shook her head in exasperation and dropped the treat into the awaiting mouth just beneath her hand.
"There are just some things that people would rather keep to themselves, V." Her voice was a soft grumble as she made her way to the bathroom, deciding that they had had enough snacks for now and it was time for her shower.
"Like how you are keeping your emotions towards Eddie to yourself?" The symbiote asked, and it sounded almost as innocent as a four-year-old asking an adult why the sky is blue.
"… Yeah, like that…" She conceded at last, a sigh of defeat leaving her as she reached the bathroom, shoving the door shut behind her with her foot. "Listen, V, can I have some… erh, privacy for about twenty minutes? Or a semblance of it, at least? Then we can do something else when I'm done."
The movement Venom's shiny, black mass made against her stomach seemed almost like a shrug before it disappeared into her gut.
Whatever. Came his voice dismissively, though she could tell this discussion wasn't over. His tone told her as much.
Making the preparations for her shower, she picked out a towel and washcloth before she turned on the faucet to let the water get the right temperature.
She didn't really know how it worked – if Venom saw through her eyes or if he somehow managed to watch his surroundings without her sight to aid him – but she certainly didn't fancy the thought of Venom sneaking peeks at her during her shower. Just like she didn't fancy discussing the rather personal matter of her feelings with him either.
So, just to be sure, she refrained from looking down at herself or into the mirror as she undressed.
It seemed to amuse the symbiote.
You do realize that I am inside your body, right? I already know it in and out. I do not need to see it to emulate its shape down to the smallest detail. Every curve and crevice. He drawled, now inside her mind, with no small amount of pride in his dark, gritty voice.
"And just why would you want to do that in the first place, huh?" She questioned suspiciously.
I did not say that I would. Just pointing out that it is possible for me to do so. To make you understand that your ridiculous counter-measures are meaningless.
Something was off about this. The way Venom said it. It was like he wanted her to stop minding herself and let her eyes wander.
She frowned as she stepped under the spray of water, stubbornly keeping her eyes directed at the white tiles.
"Or maybe you just want me to let my guard down, so you can feed Eddie's brain with a first-person view of me showering later on? Could that be the case, huh, V?"
It was quiet in her mind for a short while, the only sound around her that of the running water hitting the shower curtain.
Maybe… Came Venom's voice at last, and though he didn't exactly sound ashamed, he did seem peeved at having been caught.
"I knew it!" She exclaimed in exasperation, the sound of her voice reverberating in a hollow manner against the walls. "You're such a damn pervert!"
Says the one who stared at Eddie's ass earlier today! Venom shot right back indignantly. Do not think I have forgotten those thoughts!
"That's different! Completely different!" She defended with a deep frown, still mindful of where she directed her gaze.
How so? The symbiote challenged, sounding doubtful.
"Well, for one, he wasn't naked at the time!"
You wished he was.
"…I'm so done with this conversation."
Because you know I am right.
"Argh! Okay, you know what? Those twenty minutes start now! Just let me shower in peace already."
She hadn't meant to snap, she really hadn't, but it was quite frustrating to continuously be called out on like that – especially when she knew perfectly well that everything Venom had said was true. Completely and utterly true.
That still didn't mean she thought it was okay that he had basically wanted to peep at her with the intention of showing it to Eddie later. Now, that was just rude and intrusive and downright creepy!
She squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to calm her racing heart, focusing on the feel of the droplets as they splashed against her flushed skin. It wasn't that she was beginning to regret offering to babysit the symbiote for Eddie, but damn, it was getting bothersome to have someone able to read your every thought, sense the very quickening of your pulse and pick up on even the slightest change in hormones.
A heavy exhale left her then as she went about her shower, starting with running her hands repeatedly through her hair to make sure it was properly wet before washing.
Thankfully, Venom had decided to comply and keep quiet after her little outburst, though she could still feel a disquieting churning inside her chest and gut. She recognized it as a sign of him sulking, based on the feelings subtly streaming from him, but paid it no mind as she reached for her shower gel.
The bottle slipped from her grasp halfway through the motion, and she cursed when she heard the pathetic 'plonk' of the half-filled plastic container hitting the wet bathroom tiles.
Great… just great…
It wasn't like she couldn't pick it up without actually looking down at it – it'd just be a bit more bothersome than normal. She was beginning to feel a bit foolish about this whole thing, but there was no way she was going to look down and risk catching a glimpse of her naked self after the discussion she had had with the symbiote just five minutes ago.
But before she had even begun to bend forward in her blind search for the bottle, a black, gooey tendril had shot out from her lower left arm. It easily swooped down and picked up the pesky item before lifting it up in front of her eyes, where she stared at it dumbfoundedly for a few seconds.
Her hand then came up hesitantly to clasp around the offered bottle of shower gel, and the inky, black tendril immediately let go and slinked back through the pores on her arm as soon as her hand closed around the offered item.
"Uhm... Thanks, V." Came her voice, small and unsure, though it sounded loud to her as the words reverberated against the walls of her bathroom.
You are welcome.
The rest of the shower went without a hitch, Venom still being uncharacteristically quiet. She figured his help with the shower gel had been a sort of subtle peace offering while he had decided to respect her request for privacy.
He could be considerate when he really wanted to, after all.
Stepping out into the relative coldness outside the steam-filled confines of her shower stall, she quickly went about drying herself off with a fluffy towel and wrapping it tightly around her body.
"You can come out now, if you want. I'm more or less decent again."
No answer. Odd.
Was he actually still sulking about her snapping at him before?
"Venom? Come on, don't be ma-AAAAAAAH!" Her sentence ended in a shriek of surprise as she went to wipe steam off her mirror and, instead of her own reflection, came face to face with the symbiote.
Trust Eddie to forget to mention his hitchhiker-alien could do that! Geez!
Apologies. I could not resist. Came his smug, not-sorry-at-all voice, his mouth moving as he seemed to speak to her through the reflection in the mirror.
"… You're such an ass sometimes, you know that?" She managed to breathe, hand held against her chest to help calm her raging heart.
His only reply was a dark, amused chuckle, his shoulders subtly shaking in the mirror, to which she decided to just roll her eyes and get on with her usual post-shower routine.
Which meant shaving her legs.
So, without further ado, she closed the lid on the toilet, planted her foot firmly on top of it and began swathing her shin in shaving cream before turning on the tap by her bathroom sink.
The serpentine head on oily stalks sprouted once more, from her shoulder this time, and lowered in curiosity down to her leg. She had no idea what he was doing but watched in quiet wonder and amusement at his rather cat-like behavior.
And then, the symbiote's large tongue lolled out and gave the white foam on her leg an experimental lick, swiping that area of her skin clean.
Seconds later, his face contorted in disgust, eye-slits narrowing to almost nothing and his mouth almost sealing entirely shut as the mass of black tendrils seemed to shudder with revulsion.
"Disgusting…"
A chuckle left her as she began gliding the razor across her leg, rinsing it under the tap ever so often.
"It's shaving cream, V."
"… I knew that."
"Sure you did." She hummed, unconvinced. "Wait, doesn't Eddie use something similar when shaving?"
"He shaves his face, not his legs." Venom argued, as if it was the most logical explanation as to why he didn't connect the dots immediately.
"And you thought it'd somehow be different when shaving the legs because…?" She couldn't help the amusement in her voice
"Human females seem to do a lot of things differently than their male counterparts." He spoke, the stalks making up his neck rippling in a shrug-like gesture. "Like the scent of your shower gel. It is very different from Eddie's. He refuses to use the ones I suggest when we are shopping. He always argues that they are 'for women', no matter how many times I tell him that they smell better."
She frowned in mild confusion, honestly not seeing anything wrong with the smell of the reporter's choice of body wash. To her, it smelled very nice, fresh and masculine with a faint hint of sandalwood to it that she very much appreciated. It was, as the man himself, very alluring.
Shaking her head at herself, she continued to repeatedly glide the razor against her leg, hoping that the symbiote hadn't caught on to her train of thought.
"What did you even think it was in the first place? Whipped cream?" She decided to ask half-jokingly, her eyes focused on what she was doing.
"Well…"
It was pure luck that the razor hadn't been against her skin in that moment, or she would have probably cut herself by sheer surprised as Venom flooded her mind with… images.
Images she could only assume were memories from Eddie's point of view, as he watched a rather explicit video on a laptop screen while sitting in a darkened room – probably his bedroom, if she were to have a guess. The video in question involved, among other things she was definitely not going to acknowledge, a male actor sensually licking whipped cream off his partner's skin, which she assumed was why the symbiote had even chosen to show her this particular memory.
"Okay, I did not need to see that, Venom!" She squeaked, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she tried to rid her mind of what it had just been subjected to.
"You were asking for it."
"I was not!" Came her meagre defense.
"You were thinking of Eddie's smell. You find it attractive." Venom pointed out, as if it was the simplest truth there was, narrowing his eyes at her mischievously.
Ah, so he had been reading her thoughts, then.
"And you decided to give me a glimpse of what kind of porn he watches because of that?!" Her voice was a tad too shrilly and her cheeks were still burning. If her neighbors next door were home to hear her, they'd probably think she was a nutjob by now.
Really, she didn't have a problem with her friend watching porn – it wasn't her business and she supposed most men, or people in general, did that when the mood struck them. She just didn't want things to be awkward between her and Eddie because of Venom showing her such… personal things.
"You mentioned whipped cream. I was only picking out a memory I have about it from Eddie." He reasoned, completely undeterred by her protests and incredulous tone of voice. "Visually, it does not seem too far removed from this substance."
"You're incorrigible…" It came out as a heavy sigh, because what else was she supposed to do at this point?
All he did was flash her that wide, Cheshire cat-like grin at her as he retreated back onto her shoulder, coiling up against it and watching her post-shower ritual with keen eyes until she was done.
As expected, Venom did most definitely not like her hairdryer. Not one bit. Especially not at its highest setting, which was why she agreed to let the symbiote use his tendrils to shuffle her hair dry with a towel. He did that to the best of his ability, though she still had to use the horrible apparatus for at least a couple of minutes to get her hair completely dry.
Still, she managed to do so on the lowest setting, trying her best to be considerate of her passenger for the evening. Besides, what hurt him would hurt her, making it a whole lot easier to reach a compromise.
"If Eddie ever gets long hair like this, I am going to cut it off when he is asleep!" The symbiote declared with a growl once the ordeal was over, nestling as far into her shoulder as he could while still leaving his serpentine head out in the open. It reminded her of a disgruntled hen puffing up its feathers.
She chuckled, exiting the bathroom and going towards her bedroom instead. It was time to get settled in some more comfortable clothes. A nice, clean tank top, her old, washed-out, knee-length sweatpants and a cozy, oversized hoodie.
The latter was actually Eddie's. He had thrown it in her face one evening when she had complained about being cold while over at his place for a movie a few weeks ago. She had kept it out of spite, though he didn't really seem to mind all that much. It still held a hint of his scent on it, which was part of the reason why it had quickly become one of her favorite articles of clothing.
"I don't think you have to worry about that, V. He seems like the kind of guy who likes to keep it short and simple." She offered with a smile as she hoisted the towel further up on her chest.
"Not when it comes to-"
"Don't even think about it!" She interrupted as she raised a stern index finger at him.
But he had already passed the thought through her mind and she fought hard to subdue another blush before it had the chance to show on her face – not that Venom wasn't privy to that little fact too, but she liked to pretend that he wasn't, at least for her own dignity's sake.
Her clothes were thrown on hastily, her eyes staying determinedly focused on the painting above her bed's headboard. It was better than looking at a bland, white wall, at least.
"Eddie likes it when you wear this." Venom mentioned off-handedly as she pulled on the reporter's old hoodie. She didn't bother to close the zipper, leaving it open and casual-looking.
"Does he, now?" She rolled her eyes at the symbiote. Would he ever drop this subject?
"Yes, very much. He does not say it, but I can always sense it by the chemicals his brain releases. It is like a claim. A mark to his territory. It pleases him that you wear it of your own volition." Venom spoke, not bothering to acknowledge her sarcastic tone from before or her internal pleas for him to just shut up about this whole thing. "And do not act like it does not interest you. It is becoming old very quickly."
She stopped dead in her tracks on her way back to the kitchen, eyes wide and mouth agape as she turned her head to stare at the smooth mass full of teeth just beside her face. She had never thought Venom could look this unimpressed about anything that wasn't vegetables on a plate but here he was, eyeing her with those narrowed opalescent slits of his as if she was the one being ridiculous.
But well… of course she was interested in this. Eddie was her best friend, her neighbor and, undeniably, a good-looking and kind man to boot. The idea of him being interested in her like that was… exciting.
A scoff left her, and she began to walk through her apartment once more.
"Oh, fuck off…" Came a shy mumble as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her borrowed hoodie in the brattiest manner she could muster. "I thought you were his symbiote, not his wingman?"
The reporter hadn't made any advances of his own at all, despite the two of them having known each other for such a long time. They had become the best of friends after his old, trashy-metal-playing-at-three-in-the-morning neighbor had moved out and she had moved into the place instead. From then on, it hadn't taken them long to get to know each other and fall into a certain routine. Whenever he wasn't out chasing a story or bad guys for Venom to munch, the two- erhm, three of them would spend their evenings watching movies, joking and talking together, either at his or at her place.
She figured that if Eddie was as into her as Venom made it seem, then he must have a pretty good reason to keep it to himself, though she really wished he wouldn't.
In any case, she had decided to keep her own feelings locked away, not wanting to mess up a good thing. She would be whatever Eddie needed her to be and if that was restricted to only ever being a really good friend, then that's how it was going to be – no matter what Venom said.
"He has made plenty of advances, but he is too much of a pussy to do so more openly and you are too oblivious to even notice in the first place. It is quite pathetic to witness."
"Say what now?" Her eyes narrowed at Venom, a slight frown of confusion on her face.
"Continuously inviting you to our apartment for no other reason than to enjoy your company. Initiating physical contact. Offering you his clothing for warmth, just to name a few." Venom listed, somehow managing to sound both smug and annoyed at the same time. "You two are hopeless."
"So, tell me, then, what is your role in all of this?" Her hand flailed around in front of her in a general gesture. "Why are you so hell-bent on getting us to fess up to one another, huh?"
She just had to ask. It was pretty evident that Venom had taken a liking to her, not only because he hadn't bitten her head off already, but also by the simple fact that he had agreed to let her be his host in Eddie's absence. He joked around with her, engaged in long conversations with her and, somewhat, respected her need for privacy.
She understood what all that meant – they were friends.
What she couldn't quite get was why he brought up her and Eddie's relationship (or lack thereof) so persistently.
The answer to that, however, came very promptly from the symbiote himself.
"Happy Eddie, happy life." He spoke as she opened her freezer in search for the chocolate ice cream she had bought earlier.
A pleased ripple went through the black mass on top of her shoulder and she felt the sensation vibrate through her entire being. It wasn't gross or unnerving per se – just an odd sensation in general.
A smile graced her lips at what he had said. What a sweet, little, monstrous alien blob he was sometimes.
"The saying usually goes 'happy wife, happy life', V. It's supposed to rhyme." She informed him as she practically threw herself backwards onto the couch and turned on the tv on a random channel.
There was an episode of NCIS playing and though it wasn't her favorite show by a long shot, she decided that it was still better than watching the same news that had been on all day.
"But Eddie is not my wife. He is my host."
"…Point taken." She conceded, amused once more as Venom began experimenting with rhymes, trying to come up with a similar saying that would fit his relationship with the reporter.
"Happy host brings home the toast? No, no, that is dumb, and toast is a boring food…"
"Pleasing Eddie makes life steady?" She offered with a giggle and immediately felt Venom's approval course through her.
"Good one. Very fitting." He used his teeth to help her pry off the lid on the ice cream tub.
She smiled at his impatience.
"I aim to please."
The change of topic was a relief, and she has always enjoyed bantering with Venom.
As aggravating and fixated on the seemingly trivial as the symbiote could sometimes be, his lack of understanding when it came to humans, their customs and their sense of moral could be utterly hilarious and, at times, even quite endearing.
"Thank you. That was a very kind thought."
"What did I say about sneaking peeks at my thoughts?" She tried to be stern, though she didn't really succeed at all as she placed the tub of ice cream in her lap and handed Venom a tablespoon. "Here, take this. We eat like people in this apartment, remember? We savor the taste!"
After having witnessed Eddie leaving a portion of ice cream double the size of this one beside him on the couch for Venom to devour, she had had to lay down some ground rules for tonight, because dammit that was an appallingly savage way to eat something as delicious as ice cream!
"Whatever you say." The symbiote replied as he extended a tendril and grabbed the offered spoon.
The addition of cutlery didn't really do much to slow him down, though at least she didn't have to bear witness to him eating directly out of the tub like a lion sticking its head into a buffalo carcass. The treat was gone before the NCIS episode on the television screen had reached its conclusion, and so Venom contented himself with piling onto her lap and letting her absent-mindedly scratch the top of his head like she would a cat, the slits that made up his eyes closing in contentment.
She wasn't really watching the episode, if she was honest with herself, her mind way too occupied with all the things Venom had been saying throughout the evening so far.
It made her think about how far her friendship with Eddie had come.
She didn't know about Venom at all in the beginning, seeing as Eddie worked very hard to keep his alien co-pilot a secret – as one would expect. After all, telling your new neighbor that you have an extraterrestrial pile of goo with huge teeth and a taste for brains living inside your body isn't exactly a good conversation-starter.
Even so, they had quickly become very good friends after that first evening she had invited him over for dinner, as a way to thank him for helping her with some of the heavier boxes during her move-in. Soon, they had become so comfortable with each other that they had exchanged spare keys to each other's apartments. Eddie was often out chasing a story for several days in a row and she would occasionally be out of town to visit family – it was good to have someone you could trust to make sure your stuff didn't get stolen while you were gone, and she trusted Eddie more than anyone by then.
As the months had gone by, however, Eddie's behavior had seemed more and more erratic and downright strange, be it his distracted demeaner during otherwise deep conversations or sudden, awkward jerks of his limbs or him appearing inside her apartment without her even having heard the front door. She hadn't spared it much thought, though – he had become her best friend and she would readily accept his weird quirks.
Then, one afternoon, she had come home from a trip to the store and intended to ask Eddie over for dinner – the tater tots had been on sale, and it seemed to be all he ate most days, so she had figured he would be up for it.
She hadn't bothered knocking.
And that had been the first time she had seen Venom.
Eddie had been sat there, on his couch with his remote control in his hand and the black, shiny goo that was his symbiote sprouting from his chest as the head hovered in front of the reporter's face, deeply engaged in conversation with the man.
They had both turned sharply to face her as she had opened the front door, standing there with wide eyes and her hand stuck mid-air in a greeting wave.
There had been no screaming, no storming out of there or barricading herself inside her own home in terror. Instead, she had walked in, quietly closed the door behind her as Eddie had scrambled to his feet, only to end up standing awkwardly beside his couch with Venom's head still swaying gently in front of his chest. He had struggled to find the right words, nervously scratching the back of his neck and keeping his distance like he thought she would bolt if he had come even one step closer.
Venom had had no such inhibitions. In fact, he had seemed rather pleased at her having caught them before he could retract back into his host.
"It is pleasing to finally make your acquaintance!" He had grinned at her and somehow, despite the fearsome rows of teeth and menacing grin, she had found it in herself to take a tentative step closer, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Eddie… What… Who is this, exactly?" She had asked, mouth agape and hands shaking slightly.
"Well, erhm, you see… Th-this is… Fuck, this is probably too crazy for you, but… I'm so sorry, just…!" He had stammered incoherently, anxiously wetting his lips as his eyes studied her face frantically for any signs of fright.
He had probably found some – at first glance, it was impossible not to be frightened of Venom, or horrified at the fact that he lived inside her best friend. But her surprise and wonder at what she had seen had overruled her fear and so, instead of turning around and running for the hills, like any other person would have done, she had instead crept forward until she had been right in front of them.
And before Eddie could manage to introduce his symbiote further, a single, rather elegantly arched tendril had reached forward and grabbed her hand with a firm shake.
"We are Venom."
They had shared their first dinner as three rather than two a few hours later, after Eddie had made her sit down on his couch as he explained everything to her. It had been a lot to take in and she would readily admit that had he tried to tell her this without her having already seen Venom in person, she probably would have advised him to seek professional help. Asap…
Now, she could only smile fondly to herself at the memory.
Beneath her hand, Venom seemed to purr.
"I like that memory. It was a good day for us." He spoke in an uncharacteristically quiet voice as he nuzzled into her palm.
"Yeah, me too, V." She responded fondly as the credits for the NCIS episode rolled across the screen.
She meant it.
Sure, Venom made for a frightening image, but once you got over that and managed to get on his 'Friend-not-food' list, he was, much like Eddie, a very sweet and fiercely loyal friend to have.
It was quiet for a little while after that, the only sounds in the room being Venom's quiet purr and the jingle of some obnoxious reality show as the commercial flashed across the screen.
She almost didn't notice the slight sense of disquiet coming from Venom as the commercials dragged on and the symbiote became somewhat restless.
At least not until she felt his head twist around on her lap to look up at her, that is.
By then it hit her like a ton of bricks and she felt compelled to run the tips of her fingers soothingly across the smooth surface of his head to ease the feeling of unease coming from him.
"What's up, big guy?" Came her voice, quiet and inquisitive.
"How long do you think it will be before Eddie returns to us?" He asked rather innocently… well, as innocently as a human-eating goo-monster could, as he turned his head to stare up at her. The opalescent slits of his eyes had widened in what seemed to her as a poor attempt at puppy-eyes, though the two distinct rows of razor-sharp teeth kind of broke the illusion.
Her eyes darted across her coffee table to stare at the digital clock she had beside her TV. It read 9:24 p.m. and the concert wasn't supposed to end until 11:30 p.m. Then it would probably take Eddie at least half an hour to get home, if not more, depending on the traffic.
"It's gonna take a while still, buddy. At least a couple of hours." Her voice sounded apologetically.
The link between them allowed her to literally feel Venom's little pang of disappointment.
"You don't like it here?" She couldn't help but ask, feeling sorry for the symbiote currently in her care.
She had tried to make it as comfortable for him as possible, distracting the alien from the fact that he was not with his preferred host. Venom's bond with Eddie was something she knew very well that she could never replace – they were a perfect match, after all – but she had still hoped she would manage to make him feel more or less at home during this brief separation.
"You are doing a fine job at looking after me in Eddie's absence. Do not worry about that." The symbiote was quick to assure her, the black mass swirling briefly and grabbing on to her hand with a few, stringy tendrils. "I like it here. That does not mean I still do not long for home."
He didn't mean his home planet, where he had originally come from and where he had been a loser (Venom's words, not hers). She knew he meant Eddie the moment he had said the word 'home'.
It made her smile fondly and give a gentle pull at the tendrils still holding on to her hand. He really was a big softie once you got past all the teeth and brain-cravings.
"Remember not to tell Eddie…" He reminded her, and she didn't bother telling him not to read her mind this time.
Pursing her lips, she went about the task of looking for a distraction – something to take their shared mind off the reporter and ensure that Venom had a good time for the remaining hours it would take for Eddie to return to them. It would be preferable if it was something they could do together. Something more interactive than watching a movie. Something that didn't allow the symbiote's mind to wander and worry.
But what?
Then, her eyes landed on that something – the solution!
A grin spread across her face. This ought to be fun!
"Hey, Venom? Wanna play co-op on the PS3?" She asked with a bright smile on her face. "I've got Borderlands 2, so we can play split-screen if you want."
"What is a PS3?" He asked with a voice full of curiosity. He could search her mind for the information he needed but had seemingly chosen not to pry into her mind (at last!).
"Oh, you're going to love this, I'm sure!" Was all she said as she went over and pressed the button on her old console. She had considered exchanging it for a newer model but hadn't had the time or the money.
But for the purpose of distracting Venom from his 'homesickness', she figured it wouldn't matter if she had the newest console or not.
And boy, was she right.