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Another lonely day, followed by yet another lonely night. Well, not exactly. Eddie Brock was never truly alone these days. Still, sometimes he missed having a different kind of company.
Nonsense, Eddie. Two's company, three's a crowd.
There it was, the constant presence in Eddie’s head, always roaming in the back of his mind, always just a whisper away. The music and all the noise at the bar not quite loud enough to drown it out. Eddie swirled the contents of his glass and downed the rest of his drink.
“Shut up, will you?” Eddie muttered. The bartender shot him a dirty look. Eddie smiled apologetically and slid a couple of bills his way. “Night, man.”
Where are we going now, Eddie? Venom asked, sounding something very much like cheerful.
“Home, we are going home because we drank too much.”
You drank too much, I feel fantastic, The symbiote boasted. They walked in silence for a few blocks, but muffled music reached their ears every time they went by a bar. Eddie hummed an indistinct melody to distract himself from thinking about how he missed being with someone.
Eddie wondered if he could risk going into the next bar and flirt shamelessly with the first person who caught his eye until they agreed to go home with him and then…
What are you thinking about, Eddie? Eddie could feel Venom expanding, getting closer to the surface and he could also feel the heat rising to his face. He blamed the alcohol and the cold air.
“Nothing,” Eddie lied.
Not nothing. We know.
“Why are you asking then.”
They made it home. Eddie was still humming that improvised melody, a little bit for himself, a little bit to keep Venom quiet. He closed his eyes and swayed on the spot to his own rhythm.
I thought you weren’t that drunk, you’re losing balance. Venom’s head was hovering over Eddie’s left shoulder.
“It’s called dancing.”
No, I’ve seen humans dancing, this is certainly not that.
“Well, I can’t do it properly because I don’t have a partner,” Eddie said, annoyed. “I need a partner.” Venom’s head disappeared and then re-emerged, fully formed from Eddie’s chest.
I am your partner. We can dance. Venom held out a hand --a claw?-- to Eddie.
“You don’t need to do that.”
But you do. You said you need a partner. You want to dance. You want to…
“Alright, alright! It’s bad enough that you hear my thoughts, you don’t have to repeat them out loud, damn it!” Eddie interrupted. “Let’s dance then.”
My pathetic little human. Venom laughed. Eddie glowered at him but he stepped closer and let Venom embrace him.
They swayed slowly at first and then, as they grew comfortable with each other, the imaginary song in their head sent them twirling around the apartment, slipping on chocolate wrappers, crashing on walls and furniture and one another. Eddie felt lighter than he’d felt in a long time. Maybe he wasn’t that lonely after all, maybe they could work it out, maybe…
Eddie’s thoughts ran out of control, his heart racing, he stumbled and pushed Venom against the fridge. They were much too close, but Eddie could tell it was not just him that was enjoying this.
Is this dancing then? I can see why you like it. Venom licked a droplet of sweat off Eddie’s face. Was Eddie imagining the sudden change in the air between them? What else do you want, Eddie, what else do you need?
“I need a beer. Then maybe we can talk about what else I... no, we need.”