Unsurprisingly, Venom chose to play as Krieg, the psyco-class character (good thing she had the DLC's, really), while she chose to play as Maya the siren. What did come as a surprise was that the two of them actually made for a splendid team. She couldn't quite tell if it was because they were basically two sentient beings sharing a body and mind, or if they were actually just that good at communicating.

"I will need a revive."

"Coming right up, big guy."

Venom's head was once again resting atop her right shoulder while two rather hand-like appendages, extending from her flanks, were holding a controller just below her own two hands.

"Behind you."

"I see it. They are dead meat already."

They had been playing for around two hours now and Venom hadn't even mentioned food in this time. Not a single word or thought at all concerning the subject.

And better still, barely a thought about Eddie had crossed their shared mind either.

Suppose this means playing games is a good distraction, she thought absent-mindedly as their characters got into their vehicle to head back for their quest-reward. Venom was, for once, too focused to give his usual reply to her thoughts as he picked up a new weapon for his character.

"This one has excellent stats." He spoke with satisfaction before he began shooting at a wall inside the game, spelling out his name with bullet holes.

"Neat." She commented approvingly once his little in-game signature was finished. "I got a skin for your character, V. Wanna try it out?"

"Of course!"

It was while Venom began going through different skins to customize his character that her phone vibrated on the seat beside her and since the symbiote was occupied, she quickly grabbed it to see who it was that wanted her attention at this hour.

And as soon as she read the name on the screen, Venom, too, was looking at the little screen, obviously having kept tabs on her thoughts and heartrate.

It was a text from Eddie with a picture attached to it – a selfie of the reporter with his back turned to the stage and a crowd of people behind and around him. He was holding a beer in his hand in salute and wore an amused smile.

Eddie: Hope you guys are doing okay without me!

"He looks to be enjoying himself." Venom commented somewhat fondly as he stared at the screen.

"Wanna send one back?" She asked, closing the message from Eddie to find the camera on her smartphone. "We don't want him to worry, after all, now do we?"

"Sounds fair. Just make sure you get me from my good side."

"And which side is that?" She asked teasingly, earning herself a gentle, nuzzle-like shove from the symbiote's head against her jaw. "Okay, okay, here, take it, would you? I have an idea for an awesome picture we could send him."

A long, oily-looking tendril came out and took the offered phone, Venom knowing perfectly well how the device worked – he had seen his host use it plenty of times by now.

The picture they managed to take was, in her opinion, quite sweet, though she was sure others might not be of the same opinion. It showed Venom's head perched on her shoulder, his mouth open in an impossibly wide grin with his tongue lolling out to the side. She had tried to mimic the symbiote's expression, though it looked rather silly in comparison, and they each held up a controller with both hands in front of themselves.

To Eddie: Don't worry about us! We're playing videogames and eating junk, having the time of our lives!

She added a winking emoji to her message and pressed send, sharing a knowing grin with Venom.

It only took a minute or so for them to receive a reply, which was basically just the word 'aaaw', followed by a typed-out heart and an emoji crying with laughter.

She smiled as she put down her phone and returned to the game with Venom, who had all but finished choosing his preferred character skin and upgraded his arsenal of weapons.

And off they were, on yet another mission.

"I must make Eddie buy a machine like this, it is immensely entertaining!"

"Or you could just come over here whenever you want to play. At least then you'd have a good excuse to visit." Her voice sounded casually as she phaselocked yet another attacker on the TV screen.

It wasn't like the two usually had any other reason to be at her place than dinner or a movie – but why not include game-night on the list as well? She'd accept any reason for them to come over, really.

"We do not need an excuse to come here. You belong with Eddie, after all. With us."

He made it sound so easy. Like it was a fact. Like how one might state that the grass is green, or the ocean is wet. Like it was something that couldn't be disputed or even questioned.

It just was. At least in Venom's mind.

"Whoah, that's quite a bold claim, big guy!" She exclaimed, though she couldn't keep her amusement at bay anymore. The symbiote sort of reminded her of an alien kid with a single parent, trying to play matchmaker and set his dad up with the nice lady next door. What a movie that would have made. "Don't I have any say in this?"

"It is the truth." He spoke firmly as he went about shooting up another wave of bandits in the game. "And I do not see why you would want a say on this matter in the first place. I can tell from your thoughts that it would not bother you in the slightest to be ours."

"Smartass alien." She mumbled in fond exasperation, accepting her defeat on the matter. There was no arguing with this symbiote.

She might as well not even try.

And it wasn't like she wanted to, either.

"Smartass alien who can tell by your heartrate that he is right."

"That too…"

"So, you finally accept defeat?" Damn, he sounded too smug for his own good and yet, all she could do in response was to sigh and nod.

A triumphant cackle sounded within her mind, dark and gritty, and she couldn't decide if it had been triggered by her admitting that he was right or if it was because he just made an oil tank in the game explode or if it was the fact that this fire couldn't hurt him.

Maybe it was a combination of all three – this was Venom, after all.

It was the sound of her front door unlocking which first alerted her to the fact that Eddie had returned at last, and both her and Venom's head turned towards the sound as soon as the handle began to jiggle.

Good thing they were in a safe area in the game right then, because neither had had half a mind to pause it as the door was pushed open.

And there he stood, a positively goofy smile on his face and with flushed cheeks, presumably from the few beers he had had. In his hand he held a thin plastic bag, which she could only assume was filled with last-minute supplies for Venom and maybe, possibly, a little trinket or two from the merch store at the concert.

"Hey guys! I'm back!" Eddie called, sounding both tired and happy, but with that slight catch in his voice that always sent her spine tingling.

She immediately rose from the couch, tossing the controller onto the cushions as she moved towards the reporter to welcome him.

"Hey yourself! How was the- AH!"

"Eddie!" A rather enthusiastic symbiote interrupted before he suddenly extended several tendrils towards his host, pulling the two humans towards each other.

"Holy shit!" Eddie exclaimed in surprise, dropping the bag in his hand in favor of extending his arms to catch the smaller body unwillingly charging towards him.

It was a good thing the two had already made it halfway across the room, shortening the distance between them – otherwise the impact as their bodies collided would have been much more jarring.

Either way, they both gave a resounding grunt as they bumped into each other and several tendrils wrapped around their bodies, forcing them into an almost uncomfortably tight hug.

"Well, this is quite a warm welcome." Eddie choked out breathily, looking down at her and the writhing, black mass that surrounded them like thick vines.

"Safe to say you have been sorely missed." Her voice sounded just as winded as his did.

She winced briefly as Venom flicked the back of her head with a tendril. It was nowhere close to hurting, and the groan she gave in response was more for show than anything else.

"You said you would not tell!" The hovering head spoke accusingly as the rest of the symbiote's black mass began to swirl and wrap further around the two.

At that, both she and Eddie laughed, much to Venom's annoyance.

"Hey, I missed him too, you know!" She teased, taking advantage of the position they were in to squeeze Eddie extra tightly. "And I think he figured it out anyway by the way you practically leapt at him, V."

She definitely wasn't complaining, though, if the alien's joy at seeing his preferred host meant that she could be stuck in Eddie's embrace for just a little while longer. Their usual hugs were always brief, fleeting things, and only ever happened as a means of greeting or bidding each other goodnight after yet another evening of binge-watching various series.

Eddie shook his head in amused exasperation.

"I missed you guys too." He assured with a soft chuckle, and she could have sworn she felt his fingers clutch slightly at her back. It was quickly shoved to the back of her mind, though, when Eddie's teasing voice sounded once more. "So, have you two been playing nice while I was away? I hope my alien has been on his best behavior."

"Of course, I have!"

"Oh, he was exemplary. Very well-behaved… most of the time, anyway." She agreed with the symbiote, sharing a playful look with the serpentine head still hovering about a foot to her right. Venom's grin widened, and he winked at her conspiratorially.

Eddie raised a brow at the exchange.

"And you? Have you been a good symbiote-babysitter?"

"She has done exceedingly well!" Venom was quick to answer before she could even think to speak, his disembodied head bobbing along in a nod of agreement. "We watched a movie with aliens, ate a lot of good food full of phenethylamine, took a shower, then ate some more and played games on the PS3 the rest of the night!"

Eddie looked quite taken aback by his symbiote's enthusiasm and she couldn't help but giggle and feel a small spark of pride. So, Venom had had a nice evening with her, it would seem. She had managed to keep him happy and distracted after all.

And now he was like a kid who had just had the best play-date of his life and was eager to tell his parent about it.

That thought alone made a giggle bubble up from her gut.

"And she did not use the P-word even once, Eddie." The symbiote exclaimed happily, though she could sense an underlying, accusing tone towards the reporter, who she knew would sometimes resort to that insult when Venom was being particularly difficult to deal with.

"Oh, impressive!" Eddie answered in mock-surprise, looking down at her with raised eyebrows. "How did you manage that?"

"Must've slipped my mind." She spoke with a small shrug, the movement slightly hampered by Venom's grip on the two of them, though it was loosening up.

He was beginning to seep back into Eddie.

I had fun. His voice rang inside her mind, growing faint towards the end as the vines around her uncoiled and disappeared under Eddie's clothes and skin, making the man shiver.

Me too, buddy. She only just managed to relay before it hit her – the strange feeling of emptiness as Venom completely left her body and she was, once again, entirely alone with her thoughts.

It was… unnerving, in a way. Like something was suddenly missing

She had thought it would be a relief to finally have her mind and its secrets to herself again but… Now it just felt lonely.

No wonder Eddie was so attached to the symbiote, even with the constant bickering and brain-consumption. It was nice to have someone who understood you that well and was just always there, no matter what.

It had been nice, really, in its own, intrusive, creepy way.

And then, she became acutely aware of something else.

They hadn't let go of each other yet, even though Venom's black vines had retreated into the reporter's skin already. They were just standing there now, wrapped up in each other's arms.

Well… This is odd…

"Uhm, Eddie? Not that this isn't nice or anything but…" She looked down between the two of them, silently bringing attention to the fact that Eddie's arms were still locked around her body.

The grip wasn't as tight as when the symbiote had been coiling around them, but it was still enough for her to feel the press of his biceps through his jacket and the hardness of his torso against her front.

Eddie followed her gaze, a look of surprise slowly overtaking his features as he realized what she meant.

"Oh! Yeah, um, sure!" He stuttered, only to fall eerily silent when his arms remained around her form, no matter how much his muscles flexed as he tried to pry them off. "What the…?"

A few experimental yanks later and she was still held stubbornly within his grip.

Admittedly, she wasn't actually trying all that hard to aid him in his endeavor, resorting instead to just stand there with a confused look as Eddie's breathing quickened ever so slightly.

And then, just as she turned her gaze up to stare into his eyes, he tensed, every single movement ceasing as the reporter went completely still.

It all happened in a split-second, then.

After the two shared a brief moment of panicked eye contact, those sleek, black tendrils they both knew so well by now sprang forth from the reporter's shoulders and wrapped around the back of both her and Eddie's head, pulling them together.

Their mouths crashed against each other and both emitted a startled groan, surprise clear in their widened eyes as they stared at one another.

Venom, you fucking sneaky parasite…! She cursed inside her mind, knowing she wouldn't get a reply this time around. She should have seen this coming, really, what with how he had been so keen to discuss the subject for most of the evening.

And of course, because of this, she hadn't gone through the evening without calling him a parasite just once – she was just glad he hadn't been inside her head to hear it.

At first, both she and Eddie had tried to pull back, but soon discovered that the black tendrils wouldn't budge – there was no escape, even if she had wanted to…

Which she quickly found that she definitely didn't – and judging by the way Eddie quickly began to relax as well and eventually ease into the kiss rather than pull away from it, neither did he.

And soon, the groans of surprise was traded for those of enjoyment as their lips began to move against each other and their eyes slowly closed. The grip of her hands on Eddie's back began to tighten as she clutched the fabric of his jacket, and the kiss quickly turned heated and open-mouthed when one of Eddie's hands was finally free to move up to rest against her jaw.

Neither of them noticed when Venom shrunk back under the reporter's skin once more, the two being so absorbed with the feel of the other's lips that all else fell away. There was only them and what they did, Eddie's soft lips moving in tandem with hers, his alluring scent drawing her in while his arm tightened around her and the little sounds of pleasure coming from him every now and then.

It was like an electrical current sparked up and down her spine with every passionate drag of Eddie's lips, warm and hungry as they were pressed onto hers.

It was everything she had ever thought it would be and more, and she moaned quietly into his mouth with sheer enjoyment. Nothing had ever felt this right.

Hours seemed to have passed by when the heat began to ebb away in favor of a slow, unhurried pace until, reluctantly, the two drew apart, opening their eyes to stare hazily at each other.

Eddie still hadn't let go of her jaw, choosing instead to gently trace a thumb over her cheek.

"Damn…" He breathed in disbelief before a somewhat nervous chuckle left him. "Is this how I'm gonna be welcomed home every time I go out on my own? 'Cause let me tell you, I could get used to this."

She flashed him a shy smile as her heart hammered violently against her ribcage. The things this man did to her insides! She could swear it felt more invasive than having Venom take up residence in there!

"I wouldn't be entirely averse to that either." Came her voice, low and inviting as she stared up at him through her lashes.

Eddie's eyes positively sparkled, and he smiled brightly down at her. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him looking this happy, not even when he had been offered his old job back.

"Me neither. That was a delicious release of endorphins."

They both gave a start at the symbiote's sudden appearance and deep, gritty voice – which was quite comical, considering that Eddie at least should have been able to tell it was coming, even if his mind had been otherwise occupied.

The reporter grumbled light-heartedly at the symbiote's interruption, though she could easily tell that a smile was tugging at Eddie's lips all the same. After all, could he really be mad at the alien after he had quite literally pushed the two into their current predicament?

She knew she couldn't.

"Would you two boys be interested in staying for a while? V and I were in the middle of a mission when you came back." She offered, moving her hand to trace a curious index finger across Eddie's chest.

He shivered pleasantly with the action.

"Oh yes, we must finish that! And maybe get something to eat too, Eddie?" Venom was quick to agree, turning his head towards his host with wide, opalescent slits – yet another attempt at puppy-eyes, she assumed.

The reporter let go of her to put his hands up in mock-defeat, chuckling warmly.

"Fine, fine! Democracy wins. It just so happens that I stopped by Mrs. Chen's and got us some more supplies so… how about an all-nighter?" He offered good-naturedly, making Venom nod in approval as his host went to get the shopping bag.

She went over to sit on her couch, patting the spot beside her invitingly as Eddie made his way over to her.

"Sounds like a plan." She replied easily, leaning into his side as he sat down, draping an arm around her shoulders over the backrest of the couch. "Anyway, how was it being totally independent for one evening?"

She picked up her controller again, getting back into the game.

"Oh, it was great, yeah, I got myself a good place to stand and nice little buzz going on from the beer." Eddie replied with a cheeky smile, only for it to vanish after a few second and he rolled his eyes. "Aaaaand there it goes…"

"Venom?"

"Yep."

"It is poison, Eddie!" The symbiote protested as he extended a pair of hand-like tendrils to grab hold of his own controller.

The two humans both chuckled amusedly at the alien's antics before resuming the game, Venom eagerly showing off his efficiency at killing skaggs and turning enemies into 'dead meat'. This division of tasks seemed to suit the two perfectly, Venom shooting up in-game bad guys while Eddie occasionally bit a large chunk off a chocolate bar.

She nestled further against his side, content with how his hand squeezed her shoulder with the action.

"That hoodie looks really good on you, by the way." He commented off-handedly, and she turned her head briefly to see his lopsided grin.

She playfully raised a slender brow at him.

"I know." And then a thought struck her, making her good-natured smile turn into a devious smirk as her eyes returned to the TV screen. "You know what would look good on you?"

"Hm?" Eddie hummed in curiosity as he leaned in to nuzzle at the spot behind her ear.

Boy, did he get comfortable with this new situation quickly!

"Whipped cream." She replied casually, doing her best to keep her laughter in check.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the symbiote's disembodied head sticking out of Eddie's chest, and almost snorted out loud at the way his fearsome grin widened in amusement at her words.

Eddie's pulled back from her and even if she wasn't looking at his face at the time, she could very well imagine the look sported: one of definite interest but also utter confusion as to what had brought this on.

Then she heard him splutter, and she just had to turn and look because Venom was cackling now, and it sure wasn't because of something going on in the game this time – they were in a safe zone right now.

She found Eddie's blue eyes widened in horror and mortification once her eyes landed on his face, and she just knew Venom had shown their conversation from earlier that evening to the reporter.

"Venom! What the fuck, dude!?"

The alien just continued to cackle almost maniacally, not giving a single damn about Eddie's tone of voice.

She quickly leaned over to kiss the man's stubbled cheek to distract him, the action accompanied by a naughty wink before she returned to the game.

All Eddie could do after that was roll his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose.

He really had no idea what he had gotten himself into by agreeing to let her take care of his symbiote for the evening…

But judging by the fact that his arm was still affectionately draped around her shoulders, his thumb stroking through the hoodie, she figured he really didn't mind all that much either way.