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IT’S TOO BIG.
“It is not.” Eddie frowned as he looked at himself in the mirror, hiking his pants up to his waist, frowning when they sagged back down. It may not be overly obvious, but he wasn’t all that thrilled with potentially showing his ass off when he was chasing down leads.
IT IS SO. IT IS FALLING.
“Well, maybe if you didn’t insist in a diet consisting of chicken brains and chocolate then maybe I wouldn’t have gone up a half size and now can’t fit into anything,” Eddie flashed. He removed his hands from his hips only for the pants to fall all the more, hanging loosely off of his frame.
One of Venom’s heads materialized from Eddie’s shoulder, attached by a few threads of black goo. He bounced between Eddie’s shoulders before wrapping completely around so that he hovered in front of Eddie’s face.
YOU NEED THE ROPE.
“The rope?”
THE HUMAN ROPE THAT HOLDS UP PANTS.
“A belt,” Eddie asked with an unmistakable shudder.
Venom’s head dipped eagerly up and down. YES YES YES. A BELT.
Eddie waved him off, and when that didn’t work, he forcibly grabbed Venom by the face, despite the Symbiote’s vocal complaints, and pushed him away. “We don’t need a damn belt. What do you think we’re going to be doing today, huh? Chasing down suspects? Hunting down leads like we’re what? The police?”
Venom untangled himself from Eddie’s grasp, teeth shining in a wide smile. It reminded Eddie of a shark. A very eager, overbearing shark.
YES. YES. YES. WE SHOULD BE DOING ALL THAT TODAY, EDDIE.
“Yeah, no way in hell that’s what we’re doing.” Eddie reached to the back of the shower where a shirt was hanging. He was rather impressed with himself he had went through the effort to actual hang up his clothes. Self-care was something he was trying to be a little more proactive about, no matter how difficult it was when he had a needy alien whispering in his ears all hours of the day about how hungry he was.
I AM NO LIKE THAT.
“Yeah? Really?” Eddie pulled the shirt over his head and tugged it over his jeans. Perhaps that would hide the fact that they were nearly falling off of him. “Well, I’d beg to differ. Bet ya I could do a perfect Venom impression.”
COULD NOT.
“Oh, I’m Venom. I want brains and chocolate and was here to rule the world. Now I’m here to ruin Eddie Brock’s life by making everything that he does exponentially harder. Har, har, har.”
A tendril shot out from Eddie’s side and wrapped around the edge of the wall. Before Eddie could process what was happening, Venom carried them both forward, releasing Eddie at the last possible moment so that his skull collided with the wall. Eddie gasped in surprise and stumbled back, rubbing his forehead and muttering under his breath.
TAKE IT BACK. I DON’T SOUND LIKE THAT.
“You definitely do. You’re just too busy in my own head to realize it!” Eddie tapped on his own forehead for emphasis. He couldn’t help a pleased smile from stretching over his face when he felt Venom shift from his skull to lower in his shoulders. “C’mon, it was just for fun. Why don’t you pick what we have for breakfast?”
Eddie could hear Venom humming, ever so indecisive when Eddie actually asked a question. Eddie took that opportunity to grab his toothbrush and squirt out a generous amount of toothpaste. He began to scrub at his teeth while eyeing himself in the mirror. The bags under his eyes didn’t appear as noticeable as usual, to which he was grateful. Venom often had them up at all hours, hellbent on this whole ‘saving the world’ thing, and Eddie detested the day when the rest of his inner circle realized that.
Venom let out a soft purr as he wriggled under Eddie’s raised arm to hover at his ear. CEREAL. FRUITY PEBBLES.
“Fruity Pebbles, huh?” Eddie mumbled around his mouthful of toothpaste before spatting it into the sink. “I’ll see what I can manage. Would Apple Jacks be an acceptable substitute?”
NEVER!
Eddie couldn’t help but chuckle as he swiped the back of his hand over his mouth to wipe the residue from the toothpaste away. “Yeah, yeah, ya big baby. Can’t even handle different cereal.” He shifted to leave the bathroom, hooking his thumb against the waistband of his jeans to hike them back up.
WE NEED A BELT.
“No belts,” Eddie argued with pitiful shake of his head. “C’mon, let’s get us some breakfast.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie trailed down the sidewalk, pen in hand that he tapped rhythmically against his notepad. “One more question, Mr. Wrongmire. I just wanted to know if you were aware of what your company was doing, or are we to believe you just didn’t know that millions of dollars was funneled out of your company to fund a war overseas?”
The man he was interviewing briefly turned to glare over his shoulder, top lip curling to reveal stained, yellowing teeth. “As I’ve already told the other reporters, I have nothing to hide. Goodnight!”
“So that means you wouldn’t mind having a longer conversation with me just to clear somethings up?”
Mr. Wrongmire lifted a hand to dismiss Eddie as he quickened his pace, hands shoved into his pockets as he rushed across the crosswalk in front of him.
Eddie bunched his muscles, ready to leap after him, but when he took a step his left pant leg dropped low enough to almost expose his thigh. Eddie swore under his breath and attempted to haul it further up his hips, almost dropping his notepad in the process. By the time he looked back, the man was gone and Eddie was left with nothing. He swore under his breath and slammed his notebook against his leg.
IF WE HAD A BELT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
“Will you shut the hell up,” Eddie snapped, much louder than he intended. A few people who passed by swung their head to look at him while Eddie looked away shyly. He growled under his breath, head ducked down into his chest. “See what you’re doing? You’re making me look like an utter fool.”
YOU DON’T NEED HELP WITH THAT.
“That’s it!” Eddie tucked his notebook into his back pocket, hands shoved into his front ones, and took off down the sidewalk. He could still feel Venom moving around, roving just under his skin. Mercifully he didn’t speak, to which Eddie was thankful. He wasn’t sure he could tolerate any of Venom’s quips right now when he already knew what the Symbiote was thinking. Truthfully he could probably read his mind to figure things out.
Eddie wasn’t even aware where his feet were leading him until he shouldered his way into a storefront that had several pairs of jeans hanging in the window. He bypassed the fancy ones with rhinestones and tears in favor of the plain dark blue jeans that were near the back. He swiped through each rack, frowning at the choice of sizes. Sure, jeans fit differently depending on the brand and even style but it seemed that the size of his thighs compared to that of his waist seemed to be the issue. He would blame Venom for that, but he was sure it had something to do with his stockier build and not the alien he held in his body. Still, it was much easier to blame Venom than it was to realize it was just a fact of live.
He grabbed two that he thought might fit and took them back to the dressing rooms. He slipped into the first room, the curtain tugged across the opening and secured to a hook with a tiny clip. He didn’t dare look at himself in the mirror as he dropped his current pants with ease and slid into the new ones rather easily. One look at the mirror told him why as they were as saggy as his current ones, especially in the back. He stifled a groan as he tried on the other only to find himself in the same predicament, shoulders slumping in frustration.
BELT.
“You say one more damn word and I’m going to force us to eat a salad,” Eddie threatened as he pulled his original jeans on, buttoning and zipping them with ease. He half expected Venom to comment something else, but was pleasantly surprised when he grew quiet.
However, it was short lived.
Eddie felt his pants tightening around his waist. A feeling of helplessness briefly filled him until he finally coaxed himself to look down to find one of Venom’s tendrils wrapped around his jeans, easily threaded through the loops. He even created a buckle in the front, dark and round at the center. Eddie’s blood ran cold as he slammed his eyes shut, back hunched over as he prepared for blows that he was certain would come.
Venom slipped another tendril around Eddie’s shoulders, this one with one of his heads attached to. He rubbed briefly against Eddie’s jaw, only for Eddie to stumble back until his back collided with the wall. Slipping slowly, Eddie struggled to find his footing with his gaze darting around the dressing room. It felt as though he was drowning as the world pushed around him at all angles. He could barely fight the panic, even when he heard Venom’s resounding timbre in his ear.
WHAT IS WRONG, EDDIE?
“No, no, no. Get the hell out!”
Eddie’s shout caught Venom by surprise and he slipped from Eddie’s belt loops. He retracted into Eddie’s body while Eddie looked away, unwilling to look down to make sure that Venom left despite feeling him pool around his abdomen. It was the place that Venom tended to hover when Eddie was cross with him. He never said why, but Eddie would guess it had something to do with being far enough away from his head and heart that he couldn’t feel the tension in his abdomen.
Breath coming in uneven pants, Eddie summoned his strength to stand. He could only imagine who had heard his outburst, especially because he was alone in there to everyone’s knowledge. He rubbed the side of his face, pure adrenaline coursing through his veins. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest until he was certain it would burst right from his chest. It had been a lifetime and he still couldn’t get over it.
Just when Eddie was about to be resigned he was about to curl into a ball for the remainder of the day, he felt something heavy, yet familiar settle around his heart. It pressed on each chamber in turn with each beat, steadying the fluttering feeling until Eddie could open his eyes without feeling like the world had been swept out from under his feet. His breathing was next to follow, the Symbiote stretching himself so that he cupped around each lung the same as he did with his heart.
Eddie was still too furious to speak to Venom, no matter how much he was helping. His lip curled as he projected his thoughts much harsher than he meant. However, the damage was done before he could stop it.
‘It’s not like you can’t just look into my mind whenever you want, so stop fucking asking about it.’
Venom grew quiet under his skin with Eddie briefly wondering if he had been too harsh. He shook those thoughts away and stormed out of the dressing room. He laid the jeans he tried on back on the rack and padded out, thankful that the cashier didn’t attempt to speak to him. He didn’t want to have to explain he couldn’t wear anything because he refused to wear a belt when the solution seemed so simple.
The cool breeze immediately sent shivers down his skin as he eyed the bustling sidewalk. He could attempt to chase his lead again, or work on one of the countless other stories he was working on. However, nothing felt right when he didn’t feel comfortable in his own skin. Eddie hiked up his pants yet again before setting a route back to his apartment. Whatever he needed to work on he could do so from there and spend tomorrow pounding the sidewalk for those leads that he was missing. He was usually a reporter who always preferred to be in the field, wether it was due to interviews or even typing up a final draft in the library, but ever since Venom that just felt unobtainable.
It didn’t take long for Eddie to reach the door of his apartment building, climbing the stairs while keeping one hand hooked to his pants. He could feel them sliding even with him attempting to anchor them to his skin. The thought about stepping into some pajama pants had never been more appealing.
When he finally made it to the front door, Eddie unlocked it and stepped through. Almost immediately he slipped out of his pants and grabbed a pair of sweats that were draped over the couch, already waiting for his return. Tension seeped from his shoulders, his entire body slumping as he took to the couch to flop down. Head buried in his hands, he breathed deeply, knees bouncing with a thousand thoughts racing through his brain.
Eddie was so consumed with his own thoughts that he hardly noticed Venom’s protrusion extended from his shoulder, hovering in front of him. White streaks stretched throughout the thick, black glue. Rows of sharp teeth parted even without Venom speaking. His white eyes shifted from glancing at Eddie to somewhere past him. It wasn’t typical for Venom to be tongue tied, and if Eddie was in a better mood, he would’ve teased him just a bit over it.
I’M SORRY, EDDIE.
Eddie finally looked up to his companion, gaze softening. “I know,” he murmured softly. “It wasn’t your fault, man. This is about me.”
I DON’T UNDERSTAND.
These were dangerous waters he was about to traverse, but for once, he didn’t want to retreat into his own head without voicing how he was feeling.
“Look, man, you know about my dad, right? You know how he used to be.”
Immediately, Venom bared his teeth at the mere mention, lips peeled back to reveal the full size of his teeth.
Eddie shook his head to clear it before slumping back on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. “This is a little hard for me to talk about, buddy. Do you mind just doing your thing and seeing for yourself? I think that would make it better on both of us.”
Venom let out a sound that Eddie could only assume was one of agreement as he closed his eyes and brought up the memory that he continued to dread to this day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A small boy, only eight or nine, crept forward into the pale light of the lamp from the corner of the living room. A man was hunched over in the corner in an armchair with a newspaper spread over his lap. He licked the tip of his finger to turn the pages slowly, completely immersed in the reading.
The boy took in a heavy breath before attempting to sulk forward, feet placed down lightly so not to make a single sound. Perhaps if he was absolutely silent then he would be able to slip easily across the living room and up the stairs to his room. Holding his breath, the boy started forward, heartbeat roaring in his ears.
“Edward Brock.”
The boy flinched and halted where he stood. He turned around as he heard the man rise from his spot on the recliner, paper set aside.
“Yes, Dad,” a young Eddie croaked.
“What’s this I hear about you fightin’ at school?”
Eddie looked down, hands shoved into his pockets as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “It was nothing. Just some other kids.”
“What did they say to you?”
Eddie took a trembling step back as his father was now standing over him, nothing but contempt in his eyes. It took everything in Eddie not to immediately run in the other direction. It was rare for him to actually have a conversation with his father where he was looking at him, and now he wished he never had.
“What did they say to you?!”
“That I killed Mom,” Eddie all but sobbed. His breath hiccuped, throat feeling as if it was closing. “They said it was my fault mom is dead.”
His father briefly straightened. He seemed to take in exactly what his son had just told him. His eyes raised to the ceiling, a deep sigh shaking his frame. His eyes briefly misted over before his hands dropped to his belt, undoing the buckle and easily sliding the leader strip through each hole. He bent the belt in half and held is tight in a raised fist.
“They’re right, you know. Her death was all your fault.”
Eddie’s head shook as he tears threatened to fall. He couldn’t let his father see him cry. “Daddy, I—“
“You’re the one who makes me do this. If only your mother could see you now. How disappointed she would be in you. It might be a good thing she isn’t around to see what a waste of space you really are.”
Eddie fell to his knees. Wetness shone on his cheeks as the tears streamed down his feet. His head bowed forward as he felt his father come to stand over him again, arm poised above with his belt dangling until it lightly brushed his skin. He knew what was coming and would be powerless to stop it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STOP!
Eddie reached up his hands to grip either side of his head, Venom’s scream resonating through his skull until he feared it may split. “Okay, okay, buddy. You don’t have to see anymore. Just don’t kill us in the process, alright?”
Venom materialized out of Eddie’s shoulder and pressed their foreheads together. Eddie pressed back, knowing how much Venom responded to that deep pressure. The two stayed close briefly until Venom finally did pull away, swaying from one area of Eddie’s lines of vision to another.
“You can ask questions if you want to,” Eddie encouraged. A silent Venom was never a good thing. It was always best just to allow him to express his thoughts no matter how messy or offensive.
I WILL EAT HIM!
“I appreciate that, man.” Eddie rested a hand on Venom’s side and gave him a gentle pat. “But he’s already dead. There wouldn’t be much left, and nothing tasty.”
A deep growl rolled in Venom’s throat. His teeth bared, hatred aglow in his ghostly eyes.
HE HURT YOU, EDDIE.
Eddie leaned back on the couch, unable to stop the sigh that lifted his shoulders. “Yeah, yeah he did. He was an asshole, and I still have to deal with the shit he beat into me everyday of my childhood. Just because I’m out doesn’t mean that I’m able to forget everything that happened to me.”
BELT?
“Yeah, wearing a belt is one of them. I just never quite got over it.” He could feel Venom’s gaze scorching through him, prompting him to say more. “So that’s why I was acting strange earlier about it all. It reminds me of him and I just can’t handle it, I guess. I know it’s stupid.”
Venom shook his head intently and wrapped various tendrils all around Eddie’s body, bounding his arms and legs with a weight settled against his chest. It was the alien equivalent of a weighted blanket, shifting and moving over Eddie’s flesh and holding him close. Eddie found his arms raised to wrap around his Symbiote, face buried into the black goo that stretched and contracted like one giant muscle. It was a comfort he had never experienced before, not even when he was engaged to Anne.
Eddie was almost certain that Venom didn’t completely understand Eddie’s reasoning for things, nor why he felt the way that he did. However, for him to be willing to adapt in anyway possible while knowing just how much his touch meant to him was a relief. If only they could stay this way forever.
Eddie wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when he finally opened his eyes, he realized he had been asleep. Giving his head a shake, he realized that Venom stretched himself across the living room to the dining area with a black screen of his body obstructing Eddie’s view.
“Pal,” Eddie questioned as he shifted from his spot on the couch, slightly sore and disorientated.
DON’T LOOK. NOT READY.
Eddie was almost worried to ask what that meant. He gave a small shake of his head as he leaned forward with his elbows propped on his knees. “Didn’t peg ya for the arts and crafts kinda guy. What brought this on?”
DON’T LOOK.
Eddie raised his hands in surrender and leaned back on the couch. “Fine, fine, just tell me when I can get up and take a piss.”
TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS.
Eddie cocked his head to the side. “Uh, usually you’re supposed to buy me dinner first. I thought those Romcoms you made me watch would’ve taught you to at least try and be a gentleman.”
One of Venom’s heads twisted back to glance at Eddie in pure exasperation. EDDIE. PLEASE.
Eddie could count on one hand the amount of times Venom had actually said ‘please’. It was foreign to his species and it took a while for Eddie to even attempt to encourage Venom to use it in his day-to-day language. Still, it rarely happened except it seemed when he really wanted something.
Stifling a groan, and mostly before Venom could attempt to take matters into his own hands, Eddie stiffly rose to his feet. He dropped his pajama pants to the floor and stepped out of them, standing exposed in just his briefs with his arms at his sides. “This is a little creepy, bud.”
PUT ON TOO BIG JEANS.
Eddie wasn’t sure he liked how this was going. However, Venom asked somewhat politely. He also knew better than to fight Venom too hard on these sort of things when he was dead set on something. That was how they ended up with chickens in his apartment that they were apparently unable to eat.
It took almost no time at all for Eddie to locate the jeans he wore that day and pulled them up over his waist, buttoning and zipping them next. He made a show of throwing his arms out to side with his left leg stretched out like he was at some sort of fashion show.
“Happy?”
TA DA!
Eddie’s mouth dropped as Venom turned around with something thin and long dangling from one of his outstretched tendrils. It took a closer look to realize that it was candy wrappers tied together into some display. No words came to Eddie’s mind to even comprehend what Venom did, so he decided to stay silent.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
“Uh yeah, that’s really something, V. Not quite sure it’ll work in practice, but thanks for thinking of this.” Eddie awkwardly took the makeshift belt that Venom crafted and ran his fingers over the wrapper material, feeling it crinkle under the slightest of pressure. He could feel Venom watching him as he attempted to slip the thing through each belt loop, pulling lightly so not to cause it to unravel. There was no telling what Venom did to make sure that each wrapper stuck together, and quite frankly, Eddie didn’t want to ask.
Once the makeshift belt was pulled into place, Eddie attempted to tie it. Venom attached what Eddie could only guess had to be some kind of paper straw situation to fasten a buckle. His fingers fumbled around before impatience won out for Venom and he spread out from Eddie’s skin to tie it for him.
Eddie wouldn’t admit it out loud, but it wasn’t as terrible as he anticipated. Sure, he doubted this would actually hold up in theory, not to mention if anyone actually saw. There were enough rumors swirling around without adding him using actual garbage to make a belt. His salary may be laughable, but he was still able to afford a secondhand belt.
DO YOU LIKE IT, EDDIE?
Eddie forced the most genuine smile that he could muster as Venom’s floating head stared him down. “Yeah, buddy, it’s great. You really put a lot of thought into this.” Eddie took one step and winced at the sound the belt made when he so much as angled his hips a different direction. “I just don’t know if it’s made for an active lifestyle you know?”
WE ARE LAZY.
“Yes, I know that, but not when we’re chasing down leads and such. What happens if there’s a bad guy and we need to jump into action?” Eddie clasped his hand into a fist and struck Venom playfully. “You don’t want to have to stop because I lost my pants, do you?”
Venom didn’t hesitate to shake his head lightly. The toothy grin he always sported turned to that of a scowl, looking down at his creation. WHAT WILL WE DO INSTEAD? WE NEED BELT.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Eddie tapped his foot against the cool tile, brain scrambling to come up with some type of solution. “Maybe we can try a softer one like cloth or something? Maybe that won’t be as triggering as leather, you know?”
WE WILL TRY ON BELTS TOGETHER!
“Yeah, yeah, I guess we can.” Eddie couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke Venom right behind where his ears would be. It always elicited a small purr in response, one that caused Eddie’s insides to turn to mush. “Where would I be without you, pal?”
DEAD.
“You’re not wrong there,” Eddie chuckled, finger digging deeper into Venom’s skin. “Still, I appreciate you more than you will ever know.”