Not Alone (Venom, Secret Santa for Sitruuna)

[monochrome]

Hi @Sitruuna! I'm your secret santa (though admittedly, it's a bit past Christmas rn)! I'm hoping the new year is treating you nicely (and that you like this fic).  

---

 

The heartbreak, like everything else, fades with time.

He’s not sure if he can even call it that anymore. Back when he stood outside of Anne’s house, alone, hands at his sides and heart in his throat, he’d thought that nothing in the world mattered except for her, convinced himself he would never be moving on even though she already had. Nowadays he tells himself he’s been too preoccupied with Venom--he’s never technically alone anymore, and somehow, that helps.

He even manages to congratulate Anne and Dan--no swallowed feelings, no bargaining--when they tell him about the wedding, surprises himself when the thought of her with him doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste for the first time in months. He’s happy for them, he really is.

Venom watches suspiciously on the day of the wedding: if you wanted, we can eat him, looking at Dan.

“No, no, don’t do that,” Eddie says, “she’s happy with him.” and she really is. And he’s happy she has him, too.

Besides, things are going better for him. He’s gotten himself a larger apartment, scored a few interviews, and now he’s working on the cases that interest him--he’s respected as a journalist, he works on his own terms; it’s comfortable. He finally feels like he’s got things figured out.

---

The interview is a twenty minute drive away from his new apartment, which is one of the reasons why he’d accepted it, in the first place. When three days before the interview, he wakes up with a sore throat, cancelling the interview is the last thing on his mind.

Then the sore throat turns into a cough, settles deep into his chest like an ache. He feels something sting in his airways every time he takes a breath. He can feel Venom’s displeasure, when he says, What are you doing?

“Coughing.”

Why?

“It’s an involuntary reflex.” He clears his throat, which, inconveniently, makes him cough again. “I can’t control it.”

But why do you keep doing it?

“I dunno. Must be something in the air.”

You have never had a problem with the air in the apartment before.

“If it’s something to worry about, you’ll know,” he says. Venom makes a sound, dissatisfied, but slinks back into him, regardless.

---

The night before the interview, the cough gets worse. Suddenly, Eddie’s scrambling to grab tissues every time he sneezes--it's almost bearable until he finds his fingers scraping the bottom of the now-empty box. He groans. He doesn't know if there's another box in the whole apartment.

When he stands, the world tilts in a direction it shouldn't be tilting. Venom steadies him instinctually--it's so familiar it might as well be muscle memory.

Did you just trip over nothing?

“No,” he insists, “I got dizzy. Can you feel… uh, all this?”

Venom pauses, contemplative. I feel that we are hungry.

“That’s all?”

I feel that you are more tired than usual.

Eddie swipes at his eyes, stifles a yawn. “That’s about right,” he says, before his breath hitches again and he doubles forwards, muffling a sneeze into the crook of his arm. He sniffles.

You need food. We should get food.

“What? No. We--we can get food tomorrow, buddy.”

You are unsteady, and it is because you are hungry. His body moves without his permission, towards the door. He’s about to voice his complaints, when control over his body snaps back to him, abruptly and forcefully enough that it feels like it's being pushed back.

He exhales, slumping against the wall. “What was that for?”

I felt it. Your human ailment. And this time I have not been eating your organs.

“So maybe I might’ve caught something that's been going around,” he grumbles, “It'll pass. Just don’t try to get me to the store and we’ll be fine.”

You still have not eaten.

“I don’t know if you could tell, but I'm not really in the mood for junk food right now--”

What will you eat, then?

"What?"

You need to eat something. What do you want to eat?

"Nothing," he says, then realizes that's not entirely true. “You know, I’d kill for Anne’s chicken soup right now--”

Kill who?

“No, not literally. Maybe if I call her I--” the realization hits him, suddenly. “She’s out of town,” he corrects himself, deflating. She’s on her honeymoon with Dan--she won’t be back for another couple of nights. "Never mind."

We'll get Anne's soup.

"No, we won't."

We'll ask her how to make it.

That's not such a bad idea. He digs his phone out of his pocket, squinting at the screen, and wonders if a phone call would be too invasive. She's on her honeymoon, after all. Instead, he settles for a text.

---

 

TBC (soon, I promise!) Thanks for reading! 

[facet]

.

Edited November 1, 2019 by facet
Removed by user.

[Sitruuna]

Aaa such a nice start. Can't wait to read more (but also no pressure to hurry, not from me anyway). I'm sorry my comment is so short and all, I'm not good at writing responses, but I really do like this. Thank you

[SterlingSilver]

This is lovely!! I'm really looking forward to how this continues >w>

[Guest]

Hey, I'm starting to like this! I find so cute the fact that Eddie explains to Venom what coughing is and how he almost falls over while standing up! Looking forward for more, I like where this is going and the way you write 

[AngelEyes]

I love the Venom/Eddie interactions. Very nice.

[Wolfwings22]

This was incredible! I love the way that you wrote them together and I can’t wait for more!