WE Are (Veddie)

Cinnamon

“V?”

“Hmm?” Until she speaks up again, Venom has to admit that he was only half paying attention to their date, because, ironically, Eddie is the one distracting him from their (officially second... he hopes anyway) date. He sits opposite her, tethered to her right ankle, Venom’s huge elbows resting on the table in front of his plate of chocolate covered tater tots, chin resting in his palms as he simply gazes back at her.

Eddie has to stifle her laughter, because her other half has been staring back at her from across their breakfast table since she sat down to eat. He seems very fascinated by her every move. It’s kind of sweet... OK, a lot sweet. “You OK, love? You've been a little spaced out since I woke up.”

Venom jerks back to reality, lost in his ever racing thoughts of Eddie, and his huge, hulking full form jars the breakfast table with his knees along with his sudden movement. “Oh, s**t! s**t, s**t!” He exclaims, eyes widening as he just about manages to keep her glass of OJ from tipping over as well as his own empty glass (he likes to pretend and Eddie, sweetly, is happy to indulge him) from rolling off of the table. “Yes! I – I’m fine!!” He declares, shooting her a nervous half smile.

Eddie grins amusedly to herself as she listens to him grumbling under his breath. Then, watches him shrink his entire form down to actually fit the chair creaking under his large mass. Though, he’s still pretty f*****g huge, she still has to crane her neck a little to look up at him, even when he’s sitting down with her. “Well –“ She decides not to embarrass him, instead, smiles down at her near empty plate before smiling back up at him. ”– I gotta admit, I’m very impressed with your sudden peak in culinary skills.”

“You are?” Venom perks up considerably, feels her endearment over his reaction, and then, feels his insides ache a little more wonderfully over it all; over Eddie. Stupid, lovely Eddie...

“Yeah, totally.” Eddie nods. “I didn’t find a single shell in my eggs, and you didn’t leave the bacon strips practically raw, and the pancakes aren’t burnt in the slightest...” She suddenly trails off when she realises just how backhanded her “compliments” to the symbiote chef sound, feels her heart twinge painfully over last night’s dream talk with Toxin.

Venom doesn’t seem to notice, only shows her that big happy and toothy grin of his.

Still, Eddie feels like she has to tell him, “Everything was great, V. Really, I mean it.”

“I know you do.” Venom chirps, grins happily, but there’s a slight snootiness and also, teasing in his tone.

Eddie gives him a playful roll of her eyes, then, glances over to the spotless kitchen. “Is that lemon Pledge I can smell?” She chuckles when he nods eagerly, is still grinning back at her. “You get some spring cleanin’ done, V? You’re gonna make a very good housewife for someone one day. I’m proud of you. I have nothin’ left to teach you. Your trainin’ is now complete.” She can’t help smirking, slightly teasing. Especially when he simply scoffs back at her. “I can’t even smell Dumb and Dumber anymore.” She grins when he narrows his eyes at her.

“Their names are Sonny and Cher, and you know it!”

“Their names are Stinky One and Stinky Two.” Eddie’s smirk only grows as he huffs, his eyes still narrowed at her. “Guess that’s actually one thing I don’t gotta worry about with you, huh, V? You just smell like...” She thinks for a moment. “Nothing, unless I concentrate and use your senses... you kinda smell tarmac mixed with cinnamon... it’s weird.”

Venom frowns, looks slightly worried as he sits back in his seat, arms as his sides in thought and the chair creaking only very slightly beneath him this time. He knows that the smell of tarmac isn’t particularly horrid, though, knows it’s not a particular favourite to most humans. He also knows, however, that Eddie isn’t really a fan of cinnamon altogether. After a moment, he nervously and slowly asks her, “Is that... a bad thing, Eddie?”

Eddie can tell he’s waiting for her answer with baited breath, smiles fondly back at him. “No.” She tells him, voice soft. “Actually reminds me of my mother. What little of her I can remember, anyway... It’s... comfortin’... The cinnamon part, I mean. Obviously... Not that the tarmac part is unpleasant... in any way... It’s really not...” And now, she’s just rambling on, somehow manages to stop.

Venom can’t help grinning, both over her words and the nervousness he feels from her, equal to his own... and her adorable rambling.

If there’s one thing Eddie is brilliant with, it’s definitely words. So whenever Venom manages to make her muddle those words of hers, he feels that tugging in the space of her he shares inside her heart, as if it were his own. Which it practically is. He feels Eddie’s every emotion as if it were his own.

Venom has finally found “WE.”

His forever host...

Well, almost forever, at least.

But he would take just a minute if granted to him, because Eddie really is one. And maybe, she’s also the reason why he’s different to the rest of his kind (until Toxin, at least.)

“So, does this count as a breakfast date? And our second date?” Venom finally asks, grins when she shoots him a small, but clearly grateful look for moving the conversation along without embarrassing her.

He reaches for a whole handful of tater tots as he waits for her answer, shoves them into his mouth rather messily, and grins when she wrinkles her nose, because he can see the corners of those lovely plump pink lips tugging upwards ever so slightly.

He knows he “eats like an animal” – as Annie puts it – but he also knows Eddie finds it endearing.

Unlike Annie, who he loves dearly, but actually does find his eating habits rather repulsive. But that’s OK, he knows sweet Annie loves him just as much as she loves Eddie.

Still, maybe less endearing for Eddie, when he’s biting off live heads, however. Though, there’s still time to get her used to that, too. At least for her own sanity. He knows how Eddie suffers when it comes to feeling guilty. f*****g hates it, almost as much as when stupid old mutants try to hurt her!

Eddie chuckles, nods as she grabs the slightly sticky glass of half spilled OJ. “Absolutely. I totally count this as winin’ and dinin’ a girl.”

“And it doesn’t stop there.” Venom grins enthusiastically, feeling that giddy feeling again, every time he hears that pretty laugh of hers, laughing just for him, and no one else.

“Oh, yeah?” Eddie starts off teasing, her eyes then quickly widening with excitement as the thoughts enter her mind. “Are you gonna tell me more about all this real power you said you’ve been holdin’ back for my sake? Oh, oh! Are you gonna teach me some more fight moves? ‘Cause that’s totally fun, too!”

Venom shoots her a suggestive smirk, from out of nowhere feels a slight and sudden boldness within himself. “I could teach you almost anything you’d like, Eddie.”

Eddie knows he feels her heart skip, but somehow, she keeps her composure. Even manages to reply with a rather snooty and slightly challenging, “Don’t make promises, unless you can keep ‘em. That’s just mean.”

Venom chuckles quietly, keeps any smug comments to himself when he feels his rumbling sounds shoot a thrill of clear arousal up between those pretty thighs hiding beneath the stupid breakfast table.

Are they... flirting?

But like, properly?

In like, dating context, not just their casual flirty banter.

OK – he tries not to panic, tries even more not to let it show – he can do this. He is doing this, he realises, because he started this.

And it’s Eddie. So if she laughs at him, he gleefully knows that she’s not “being mean” about it, only sweetly teasing him, like she always does.

And face it, he thinks, it’s not like he doesn’t give as good as he gets.

They really are a perfect match.

On so many levels.

“You know I keep all my promises, Eddie. It wounds me that you would think otherwise.” Venom places a large hand over that equally large chest, again, keeps all smug comments to himself when he notices her gaze briefly flicker to his chest, and definitely notices the cute little pink tint to her cheeks. His pride can only swell so much before it f*****g bursts, he swears, though, doesn’t care, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Eddie manages to pull herself together before the silence grows to abnormal lengths for her to even answer. Her eyes snap back up to his as she answers, voice somehow steady, too, thankfully. And if he notices her staring, he (also thankfully) doesn’t say anything, doesn’t tease her about it, like he normally does. “Uh, excuse you?” She scoffs, tone only growing more snooty again as she continues, “You keep all of your who’s now? I think you’ll find that I am the one who, at least ninety percent of the time, has to make promises of murder for you to even put some metal behind your whole Lethal Protector gig.”

Venom scoffs back at her, crossing his arms over his chest in protest, but doesn’t miss the way her eyes flicker briefly downwards again. “Do you want to hear what else I have planned for this date, or not?” Still, he can’t help petulantly huffing out his words.

Eddie chuckles, but nods all too eagerly. “Of course.” She smirks when he easily breaks in an excited grin, but of course, not without giving her a few seconds of adorable glaring.

“OK, good!” Venom can’t contain himself, though, physically, he tries to, save their breakfast flying up the walls. “Netflix now has your favourite movie!”

“‘Snakes On A Plane’?” Eddie widens her eyes, pretends to look excited, and almost feels bad when she sees his bright expression instantly drop.

“Oh.” Venom fights back the nerves as he wonders just how he got that wrong. He chooses the easy way out of this, instead, shoots her an annoyed and slightly appalled look, sounds equally annoyed and appalled as he says, “That is a terrible movie, Eddie! Good grief, what is wrong with you?!”

Eddie finally relents, can’t help laughing a little, too. “You know it’s ‘Weekend At Bernie’s: Two,’ so stop bein’ a sulky little symbiote.”

Instantly, Venom is grinning that big dopey grin of his as he says, “OK, good! I do know that!” He claps his hands together, again, can’t contain the excitement.

He knows Eddie isn’t one for extravagant gestures. Though, he vows to treat her like his queen. He knows she appreciates the little things more. And so, he hopes she likes his simple idea.

His skin crawls pleasantly again when she shoots him that lovely grin of hers. Still, he manages to stay composed, he’s nothing, if not tactile. “Netflix and chill? ...I have snacks...” OK, so, he’s mostly tactile. But at least she’s sweetly laughing at him again – just for him, and no one else.