Work Text:
Eddie?
Eddie glanced away from the laptop. His fingers, absently stroking Venom, paused briefly. Venom's mass swirled slightly beneath his touch, prompting him to resume. “What’s up, V?”
Want you to— Venom hesitated. Eddie thought he detected faint frustration in their bond. I will show you.
Eddie clumsily tried to send Venom his agreement.
Venom slid easily into the nerves of Eddie’s arm. He bent the wrist just a little, until the fingers left slight indentations in his surface. Then he flexed and extended the fingers a few times, dragging their tips through his mass.
“Oh,” Eddie said. “You want scritches?”
I am not a dog, Venom said quickly.
“I wasn’t saying you were. That’s just what they’re called. Or scratches, I guess, but that sounds like an itch.” He felt Venom reluctantly accept the indignity.
Eddie took back the arm and repeated the motion. “Like this?” Venom gave a staticky purr in answer. Eddie went back to work for a moment, continuing to scritch his partner with his free hand. Venom's mass bunched up slightly around his fingers, Eddie noticed, almost as if he were leaning into it.
“So what exactly’s the protection benefit of scritches?” Eddie asked with a smirk.
Do not make fun! Venom admonished. You are not allowed to make fun of your other. It is the rules.
"What rules?"
The soulmate rules.
“Hm. I dunno, sounds fake.”
You make up fake human rules all the time.
“Do not!”
Venom collected his mass and made a face in front of Eddie, eyes narrowed in doubt. It wasn’t often Eddie actually saw Venom, and he found himself smiling at the double row of fangs inches from his face. God, his life had gotten weird.
"Really? Like holding weaker predators hostage? Does it make you feel tough, Eddie, to know they cannot kill you?"
"You've seen pets," Eddie argued. "You know I didn't make that up."
"Fine. What about courting romantic partners with sharp bits of paper?”
“For Valentine’s? I told you, they’re hearts.”
“False. Hearts are not pointy.”
Eddie laughed. “Okay, so I'm not allowed to tease you, but you can make fun of stupid human stuff as much as you want. That in the rules too?”
“Exactly. I am always right and there is nothing you can do about it.” He snagged Eddie’s mostly-empty coffee with a tendril and poured it down his throat before Eddie could react.
Eddie mock-gasped. “Parasite!”
Immediately he stilled, prepared to apologize, waiting for Venom to snarl in his face—
But Venom’s growl was playful, not angry. “Bone varmint,” he retaliated. “Useless, squishy jerk.”
Eddie temporarily put aside the question of where Venom had learned 'varmint' and clutched a hand to their chest with a gasp. “Take that back!"
"No. You brought this on yourself."
"Give me a second chance!"
Venom pressed his forehead against the hand on their chest. “Hm. I might consider it if I get more scritches. For your protection, of course.”
“Well, guess I got no choice, then.” Eddie scritched at the side of Venom’s face and Venom gave a noisy purr as he leaned into it.