sixthiterationlogs | He's achieved symbiosis!

Entry tags:

humans: niska elster

He's achieved symbiosis!

Who: Eddie Brock/Venom (With a few locked threads)
Where: around the village during off-color and the rest of February
Open To: All (But again, a few locked threads)
Warnings: Possible mentions of Child Abuse, Eddie being bold.

At the Inn; Recovery and Becoming Red

Eddie has dim memories of the mountain. Every time he opened his eyes it was cold and hard and everyone was struggling and he just - gave himself into Venom entirely. He has dim memories of Venom and Anne talking and Anne frustrated and Venom telling her something that left him anxious. He wasn't nearly as skilled as Venom was, picking through the other creature's memories. Venom's abilities far outreached his own.

Once they're back, settling in for winter, he has a dream that leaves him shaking. Venom yelling at Anne and telling her about the moment at the bridge. Holding the ring he gave her that Christmas. Thinking about just how much he wanted to go, how he didn't have any reason to keep going on and how she'd feel if he were gone.

"I can't believe you told her about that."

She was making me angry! You were hurting and the two of you discuss nothing and you stand there, whining like a little bitch-

"Hey!-" On the path to the Inn, Eddie stops, shouting seemingly at nothing, "You don't get to call me that you lousy parasitic son of a bitch!"

Apologize!

Eddie is thrown to the dirt, seemingly by nothing as the two argue. Eddie's fury gets no further as he bursts into the Inn and sits, fighting back furious emotions. Tears, rage, fear, all of it and it...

"You son of a bitch..."

Something runs through him and he glances down at his wrist to see a dark red band around it. He raises an eyebrow...and ignores it.

"Ugh." Eddie drags a hand through his hair, "We're not done talking about this. Lunch first - and when you feel like actually talking we can talk." And he's a little straighter, his skin a little ruddier, looking less twitchy and more...normal? Confident? Powerful even? "...Since you're going to be a brat. I swear man, it's like you're five."

You mentioned lunch. That sounds good to me. Look, I did what was best for you and you know it don't argue.

"...We're going to talk about this later." Eddie's voice is uncharacteristically firm "...After lunch."

You've got red on you; and such (power testing)

Edward J Brock is a lot of things. Son, Brother, ideal symbiotic host, sometimes cannibal (but you know what seriously fuck it Venom's got to eat too and - ugh - as long as he didn't tell him he didn't ask questions.) reporter, ex-fiancee. He's deep, enigmatic.

Only Venom's danger sense is on the fritz and Eddie's scanning the network and hey he's...red now? And red can generate force fields so...

Okay. Test test test. He's found a private space of south village (he thinks) bracing himself against the sunset. Anyone who passes by gets a nod and a quip ("Hey how are ya." "Don't mind me, just standing here like an asshole." "What's goin on.") before he spreads his hands out and-

The moment the sun sets Venom oozes over him quick and straightens.

OKAY. OKAY. And venom runs to the nearest person, Try and hit us. Just try. We promise not to hurt you.

We could be heroes (just for one day) for [Anne]

This is reassuring himself that Anne is okay. That's it. Honestly y'know the mountain was some kind of fucking ridiculous and he hasn't checked on her in a couple of days and fuck all if when she opens the door he smiles.

It's a dashing smile. A debonair smile. Slightly feral but also put together and concise.

"Okay so the weather outside is frightful and I come bearing warm tea, from the inn." He holds it up, "But Baby. I'll only stay if you want me to. And that, is a promise. Just doing a neighborhood check in."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Anne really did want to continue this conversation with Eddie, but not immediately. Once they've gotten back, once they're recovered from the cold and the trip down the mountain.

She's back in her house now, having spent a couple nights platonically sharing Foggy's bed and warmth. It'd been nice to just wake up next to someone again, to have a steady presence throughout the night. But now she's back, nursing warmth throughout her own home with Lyn running about underfoot.

She did owe Eddie a regular check in; are you alright? How's Venom? Do you need anything? But then there had been an odd little beep and her wrist device seemed to reset and change color from black to teal. It'd left some confusion, but also a building frustration over the next couple days about their current situation. She'd put in so much time and energy - years, decades - for a life that didn't matter anymore. Her law degree was useless here, worrying about housing prices in San Francisco, it was all moot now. Wasted.

Anne pulled in on herself. She hadn't been on her morning run, she hasn't checked in with any of her friends, she's just been home trying to reconcile her own existence.

That someone knocks on her door is surprising, and she opens it a fraction to look at Eddie on her porch. Lynn is tucked against her chest, although he growls at Eddie and then jumps down and runs further into the house.

"Yeah, come in, " she stands aside to let Eddie in, closing the door and watching him, perplexed.

There's a box by the door, lid askance as she's started looking through it, but nothing immediately visible. That was also something she would have to deal with. "You didn't have to do this." She looks at the tea, wondering why he had bothered with her, and then up at him. He seemed different, but she couldn't quite place her finger on why.

Edited 2019-02-09 09:24 (UTC)

"Yeah I did." He's sincere, focused, assured and it feels good. He used to put on a persona when he was on TV and this feels like that except he's less - intent on proving himself. Why?

We don't need to prove shit to anyone.

Agreed.

"I was worried about you after that whole mountain bullshit." He shakes his head, "That whole situation was wild. You have a few minutes?"

"It certainly was." She tugs at the sleeve of her sweater, drawing it further over the bandages on her arm and her teal device, and then reaches up to take one of the mugs from him with her good arm and cradled it with both hands. It's not steaming hot - probably a result from the trek from the inn - but it's still warm enough to be comforting.

"I can spare a few minutes for you." She offers him up a smile as she heads over to the couch, but there's a clouded quality to it. She's been thinking deeply about a few things, and just because he's visiting doesn't mean her brain has decided to stop.

"You didn't have to worry, though; I was with some good people. A little cold, a little tired, nothing worse than what can be expected."

"...They okay?" He winces, "...I know I can trust you to hold the fort together. Hell I mean you keep me and V together. Shouldn't have to but you do." His tone is sincere and tender, "Thank you for that."

He winks and relaxes. Venom swims across his features for a moment before his familiar blue green eyes appear.

"...V's concerned."

"They're fine, they're good, strong people. Reyes navigated us down the mountain and Seifer and I were able to boost people. Seifer and Vanille had actual fighting experience." And Anne ... had pilates and basic self defense, which hadn't amounted to much against a fox. She frowns slightly at her quiet assessment, and masks it with a sip of tea.

"Tell Venom not to worry about it. We were all being ran through the ringer up there." She didn't want to have that conversation now, not now when she herself still felt wrung out.

"Ohoho." He sighed, "I have vague memories of Venom yelling about something but I saw my Dad and that uh-that time I told you about after that therapy appointment? Y'know with my...uh... Klepto-problem?"

He sighs, "God I never figured I'd get over that shit, I just tried to block it out but I feel great getting it off my chest. It got me thinking about things. What I can do to stop...being a burden you know?"

That over focus on himself...he frowns.

"Anne talk to me. You look like shit."

She remembers that. She'd had to be pretty stalwart for him in that moment, but it feels so far away right now, that version of her feels like a different lifetime almost. She chews on his words until he focuses on her again, and then steels against it out of a fresh instinct to close herself off.

"How else would you expect me to look after a trip like that? It's not like I can just pop a bath bomb in for a hot soak after a day in Muir woods." It's taken days to get her house a liveable temperature, she hasn't been to see Zevran about her hair yet, she's tired, her arm hurts, and those are just the things she's dealing with related to their recent 'vacation' to the shrine.

She huffs a sigh and sets the mug down on the table. "It's just - I'm starting to feel that everything I've done, the energy I'd put in my life goals, are all so pointless here. Go to college, get a good job, get married, buy a house - none of it matters. I wanted to be comfortable and happy and I've been the farthest from it here."

What do we tell her? I'm at a loss. There's nothing to...there's nothing in your head about this. Eddie I think this burst of confidence means there's...something wrong with us.

Okay except. I'm going with it.

He focuses on her, just like he would if he were interviewing someone. That same focused intensity, only this isn't someone he can break.

"I'm sorry." His voice is soft, "What can I do? Honestly. For you."

She looks at him, and she aches. Whatever is going on - it's a good look for him, and in her current state she finds herself momentarily disarmed by it. They'd had something good, once.

Was it really necessary to push it away here?

Taking her mug, she shrugs with a sigh, "I don't know. You're here, maybe that's enough." She'd pushed him away enough here, it's surprising he came back after all of that.

"Anne I'm always gonna be here." He shrugs, "...Awkwardly, sometimes causing havoc, but you know I'll care. I'll always care."

We wanted this Eddie but this feels wrong. It's not Anne. Venom sounds confused in his head and Eddie calms the creature with a mental command, like a hand on an angry dog's head. We want to win her back.

I don't think so bud. It doesn't work like that. Every time he tries to access the torrent of emotions that exist within him there's only Venom and it's...comforting.

He rises, watching her intently before sitting closer to her - not by much.

"...Can I see your arm?"

Her eyebrows peak at his request, she'd hoped maybe he hadn't seen, but then sets the mug back down and takes her sweater off, leaving her in her scrubs top; her left arm is bandaged, but it's been well-taken care of, between the clinic and Foggy, and the wound wasn't exactly devastating to begin with. Still, it's not like she has access to a bottle of OTC painkillers here, and she's ginger with putting too much weight on it.

"Got a little too close to a fox on the way down. It's fine, though." She watches him as she holds her arm out, her heart's thudding in her chest. He may have only moved an inch or two but somehow he felt both exceedingly close and too far away.

She never stopped loving him. You can't when you have the kind of history, and as much as she'd told him past tense - past tense - it had been as much for his benefit as for her own, to establish that break right there.

But she'd never stopped, and right now, she's more than aware of it than ever.

He's not used to being gentle. Their lovemaking was like a puppy and an elegant dog, or two mature creatures, or one woman who knew what she wanted and one man who simply enjoyed the sport of it. He'd learned tenderness, He'd learned gentleness but never gotten it. Not really.

Now, as his hands move forward, he and Venom are one and he moves gingerly and gently, taking her hand and squeezing each of her fingers one by one.

"...Your poor hand." He smirks, then his features soften into a genuine smile, "See this's where I'd be making a joke about the fox surviving an encounter with you but I think...I think you work way too hard as it is keeping up with everybody and you deserve a chance...a chance to be ...I dunno."

He doesn't let go of her hand, stroking her fingers, his features confused when he meets her gaze, "...Loved? Taken care of?"

Eddie this is not Anne and this is not us.

Shut up venom. shut up. shut up. I want-

Eddie. Be realistic. This can't last. What are we going to do?

Learn from it!

It takes all of his self control to not squeeze hard. What should he do here? Go? Respect her wishes?

...Body language says stay

So he stays, quiet, waiting for her words and he's surprised to realize - if she asked him to go - he'd go. And be glad.

For as much as they've been intimate, this side of Eddie she hasn't seen; it's fresh, and it's exciting, and as he takes her hand and assess her health she finds her breath catching in her throat. She's got a retort about one fox not surviving (although it wasn't the one that bit her), but that was Seifer's doing and not hers, and Eddie keeps talking and all other words die on her lips.

He's not wrong.

She's alywas been the one doing the heavy lifting, especially when she was with him. Dan was more give and take, but Dan wasn't here. The past few months she'd been carrying herself and other people besides - Eddie, now Seifer and Foggy, whoever might need it.

She frowns briefly, wondering how she's gotten through it all this far. Gently, her fingers curl around his. Whatever's been going on has given her an awareness of everything she's been taking in without a proper outlet. She missed being touched, missed being part of something.

"You're not wrong." Her voice is soft, perhaps a little tentative. It's almost too much to hope what he's hinting at.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Power Testing

Re: Power Testing

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject