Chapter Text
Eddie Brock walked through the Financial District towards the Battery so he could get a good look at Lady Liberty. V, Eddie's constant companion for the past year, had wanted to see the statue. It was the symbiote's life wish. Only, V was dead now. He had died so that Eddie would survive being hunted by weird space dog things. Still, Eddie wanted to see the statue. He had lived in New York for most of his life, before getting his own show on the west coast, but he'd never taken the time to really truly see the things people come to see New York for. Stopping by a bodega quickly for some chocolate, he thought back to Mrs Chen, and to all the chocolate V used to make him eat to get the phenethylamine that V needed to keep going. Their only other options were brains and potatoes, and potatoes made Eddie gassy. Neither of them liked that. Eddie wouldn't need to eat chocolate any more, but he figured it couldn't hurt to have some while he looked out into Upper New York Bay. For old time's sake.
Looking out at the bay, looking out at the Statue of Liberty, munching on a full sized Snickers, Eddie felt all the good times with V come back to him. All the nights bowling at Lucky Strike, the double chocolate chip ice cream that V would make him eat too fast, and then complain when they get brain freeze. Beating Riot, beating Carnage. Saving Anne. Riding around the San Fransisco streets on a motorcycle, just to clear their heads after following some story or another. Watching preschool shows to teach V about Earth. Dancing with Mrs Chen. Studying Mandarin so they could communicate with Mrs Chen better. Cat sitting Mr Belvedere when Anne and Dan were away. Kissing Anne/V when they were cohabitating. So many good times. While he was chewing at the chocolate, Eddie felt something pulling at the back of his mind. It was hard to explain exactly, it wasn't another presence in the same way V was another presence but he felt somewhat spacey and he felt like he was being watched. He looked around, didn't see anyone watching him, and went back to his chocolate, as the pulling felt nearer and nearer. And then, just like that, it stopped. And then a car backfired and everything went dark.
Anne was getting ready for dinner at her hotel room. Even though they had come to New York to keep an eye on Eddie in his time of need, her and Dan were still going to have date night. Plus it was the first time since Eddie got run out of New York journalism that she'd been back and it'd be nice to go to a fine restaurant. Considering she and Dan were engaged, it would also just be a nice night out removed from alien nonsense. Hopefully. As Anne was doing up the back of her royal blue dress, she got a call. From Eddie. Hoping it was just him asking what time their dinner was, or if they wanted coffee, and not trouble, she picked up the phone.
"Yes Eddie?"
"ANNE IT IS ME!"
"Yes Eddie I know it is you, why are you yelling"
"NO ANNE IT IS ME! V! I AM IN NEW YORK AND I DO NOT KNOW WHERE THINGS ARE! COME GET ME!"
Just going along with whatever this is, though noting that V is speaking with Eddie's voice and not V's so somethingn, Anne decided to just make short work of this.
"V, I am here in New York too. You are staying at the same hotel as me and Dan," "OH I LIKE DAN!" "You have a key in your jacket pocket. I will text you the name of the hotel and you can use google maps to get here, OK? Dan and I will meet you in the lobby and we'll go from there"
"Can you stay on the phone" said V unusually softy. "It is a big city and I cannot use my powers and I am scared"
"Sure" Anne was somewhat frustrated by what her life has been the past few years, but she loved Eddie and she loved V, even if they were trouble magnets. She and Dan should still be able to make their reservation anyway, and if not, there was always Chinese food.
"So, you're V?" Dan was both confused and loving every minute of this. As a doctor he had never seen anything as strange as the symbiotes and even tough he had nowhere near the experience needed to work out what was going on, a mystery is still a mystery.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU DR DAN? DID YOU GET YOUR DEGREE FROM A BOX OF THE RICE CEREAL?"
"It's just, you died. And you're human. and you can't normally talk out loud unless you're suited up." V paused and thought for a moment.
"I do not pretend to know what is going on, that is why I am talking to youb because you are a doctor and I am a useless fleshy blob."
"My best guess is that you're not V." V gave an incredulous look. "Well, you are V but you're not. It's like, a mental imprint or something? Like you are Eddie but because of how long V, I mean you, has been attatched to Eddie it's like his brain, your brain, whatever, kept you around?" At this point Anne was just clutching her head. The world had gone mad.
"So it is like that movie we like what is it called Eddie?" Eddie did not respond "I KNOW! PERFECT BLUE"
"That is not what happened in Perfect Blue." Anne had strong opinions on Perfect Blue
"I have nothing else to compare it to."
"Look," said Anne, "We'll work this out." She just hoped Eddie would be back soon. It was going to be a long trip.