Author's Note:

Okay, this just bounced around in my head after I recently got to watch the 2018 Venom movie and I just had to write it down. It began as a crackfic when I first came up with it, but of course I had to add some romance and feels, because why not? ;)

I've seen that other fics in this fandom use different pronouns for Venom, but since he's often referred to as 'he' in the movie and that's what I'm basing my fic on, that's what I'm going for here. :) (also, I find the they/them-form really confusing to use for a single character when there are other people present too (which, in Venom's case, that's kind of a requirement for him to stay alive xD ))

I kept the female character nameless here because I'm not particularly fond of writing either second person or [Y/N] formats - also it can still function as a reader self-insert that way for those who enjoy that.

Venom speaking out loud will be marked with bold writing in quotations, while him speaking 'inside' the person is bold writing but without the quotations.

Hope you enjoy it! :)

It had all started two weeks ago, when Eddie had mentioned that one of his favorite bands would be in town and the reporter had spoken about how he had never had a chance to see them live. She could tell by the way his lips quirked and his eyes brightened for a brief moment that it was something he really, really wanted to do.

"Why don't you go, then? Have a good time for once, Eddie. You've been working so much lately, you deserve a break." She had said with a raised brow.

It was true – Eddie did work hard and more often than not she would come over to his place to find him hunched over his laptop, typing so viciously that she thought the thing would catch fire. Most times, when she would ask how long he had been sitting there, he would get a far-off look in his eyes as he tried to remember, only to sheepishly answer with some absolutely ridiculous number of hours. When that happened, she would stride across the room with purposeful steps, lay one hand on his shoulder and close the lid on his laptop with the other, and then order him to go take a shower while she found a movie for them to watch and got them something to eat.

The fondness and relief that would show on his handsome face when that happened always made her weak in the knees and her heart beat just a little bit faster inside her chest.

Oh yes, she liked Eddie.

She liked Eddie a lot.

A lot more than what was appropriate for a friend – even a best friend.

That fact aside, she sometimes wondered how the reporter had ever managed to survive without her and Venom helping him keep a somewhat normal daily schedule. It was great to see he was passionate about his work. It was one of the many reasons she found him so attractive – his passion for what he did and his eagerness to dig for the truth, even if it was an ugly one. But even so, forgetting to eat and sleep because of it just couldn't be healthy.

Which was why she thought it was only fair he got a night off just to enjoy himself. Get out there and see something new – do something different for a change.

But aside from the excitement, his tone had also made it sound like there was no way in hell he could go.

Like something was stopping him.

"Nah, I can't." He had confirmed her suspicions with a shake of his head. "Venom wouldn't be able to stand it for a minute. He hates really loud sounds, and you know how concerts are. It would be agony for him"

Oh yeah, of course that made sense. And yes, she knew how concerts are. The feel of the heavy bass going through your feet and up into your chest cavity. An awesome but screeching and overly loud riff on an electrical guitar. The ear-splitting noises from the sound equipment when a microphone gets too close to a speaker. The list goes on.

Nope, it was definitely not something she could see Venom enjoying.

Eddie chuckled half-heartedly at her look of realization.

"I was even thinking of writing a review and see if any of the papers wanted it." He had said before tapping his stomach with his index finger. "But this guy comes first. I can't take him with me and I can't leave him alone, or he'll die before I get back."

That had got her thinking. Being Venom's host, there were just certain things that Eddie simply didn't get to do anymore, even if he really, really wanted to. And then there were other things that he had to do, but which he certainly didn't enjoy one bit – like the whole business of Venom hijacking his body to go and eat people. That was definitely something that made Eddie shudder whenever the subject came up, bad-guys-compromise or not.

She had stared at him searchingly. He was a nice guy and a very close friend. He deserved a night just for him, really.

"Why don't I just look after him that night, then?" She had suggested as if she had simply been offering to look after his puppy, not his man-eating, body-sharing symbiote.

Eddie had almost choked on the coffee he had been sipping on just then, beating his chest violently with a fist to clear his airways. Venom had been quick to help, though, clearing his host's airways before he had manifested his ever-grinning face moments later, the black, liquid-like mass suspended in the air, rising from Eddie's shoulder.

"It is not a bad idea, Eddie." He had said. His voice was dark and gritty as ever, but his tone was sincere enough. He really did seem to think that her suggestion had been a good one.

"You're actually okay with this?" The reporter had asked, bewilderment clear on his ever-stubbled face as he looked back and forth between her and the floating head beside him. She hadn't known then if he had been asking her, Venom or both, though she had just shrugged all the same, as if it was no big deal.

"Why not? If Venom is cool with it and you're cool with it, I'm sure we'll be fine until you get back."

Sure, the prospect of taking care of Venom, even just for a night, should probably concern her more than it did, but she knew the symbiote almost as well as she did its host by now. So well, in fact, that she liked to believe the alien thought of her as a friend.

Honestly, the thing she was most worried about was whether or not the two of them would be okay being apart. They bickered almost constantly but were obviously very attached to each other, co-dependent, one might even say. She had actually been surprised that Venom had so readily agreed to her idea from the very beginning, even if he did seem to trust her.

She cared very much for both of them – maybe a little too much, if she was honest with herself. Maybe Venom knew? Maybe that was why he had agreed.

She couldn't rightly tell in that moment.

"So, let me get this straight." Eddie had spoken, still so adorably baffled by this whole thing. "You're actually, seriously offering to look after my organ-eating, brain-munching-", "The brain is an organ too, loser.", "-loudmouthed alien parasite?"

"PARASITE?!" The hovering head had roared indignantly, opalescent eyes narrowing sharply at Eddie.

"Shit, sorry, roommate, my alien roommate." He had quickly corrected himself, appeasing the angry, black mass of goo and teeth. Then, he had turned back to her once more, the utter disbelief still present in his blue eyes. "You do realize he'd have to, you know, be inside your body the entire time, right? Squirming around your organs and shit?"

"Hey, it's not like I don't know how this all works with the two of you by now, anyway. And as for the organ-eating, I'll just stash a ton of sweets for the night, so he won't even feel tempted to go for my insides." She had laughed good-naturedly, earning herself a delighted-looking expression from the alien in question.

"She clearly knows how to handle it, Eddie." He had agreed with an approving nod.

Eddie's expression had turned slightly hopeful as the conversation had gone on, though he still looked somewhat in doubt about the whole idea.

"Ah, I don't know." He had said slowly, scratching the back of his neck in thought.

She figured it was a lost cause, if he was doubting even after Venom himself had agreed to the idea. But at least she had tried. She had given him an option and she supposed she could just come over and have a movie night with them in any case, so that Eddie would forget how restricted his life had become. She still wanted him to have fun, after all, and she would never say no to spending time with these two goofballs.

But then Venom's hovering head had turned to Eddie, staring him directly into the eyes with his unnerving, white slits.

"Eddie, you should go to that thing." The symbiote had said, regarding his host with an expression that seemed almost serious, despite the gleeful arch of his mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth as usual. "I feel that it is a special thing to you, to go and to listen to this loud, obnoxious music."

Eddie had seemed even more surprised at Venom's sudden considerate urging than he had been at her offering to babysit his symbiote, and she hadn't been able to keep her chuckle at bay as she observed the pair.

"And you'd be okay without me for an entire night, V?" He had asked almost softly. Concernedly.

The hovering head on gooey stalks had swayed gently for a few seconds, as if thinking hard about this question, before bobbing up and down in a nodding gesture.

"Given copious amounts of chocolate and a willing, temporary host, we will be fine." He had declared decisively before turning towards her with an even wider, fear-inspiring grin.

She just smiled back, knowing that despite his frightening appearance, there was no threat behind that expression.

He must have made a smartass comment inside Eddie's mind then, because in a split second's time, the reporter's expression had turned from relief and tentative excitement to utter embarrassment, and as he slapped his palm against his forehead.

"Goddammit, V, behave yourself for once, would you?" Was all Eddie had said, the sentence itself a low murmur that she could barely hear.

Nonetheless, he had eventually agreed to the arrangement, bought the ticket and seemed exited to go throughout the next two weeks.

He had, just to be sure, also written a comprehensive list of what she should be aware of concerning Venom – the word 'parasite' had been underlined with red ink twice on that list as a big no-no, with skulls and crossbones drawn around it. She suspected those were the curtesy of the symbiote himself and had sniggered when she first saw it.

As if she didn't already know about everything that was on that list and more. She did spend the majority of her free time with the two these days, after all.

Nevertheless, the evening of the event had arrived now and that afternoon, the time had come when Eddie had to transfer the symbiote to her.

They were sitting on her couch, as per Eddie's request. He had said he didn't want to risk her being floored once the symbiote had transferred to her. He had told her it could be rather… unsettling to experience the first couple of times.

Venom scoffed loudly at that, his head resting lazily on top of the reporter's left shoulder before he melted back through his host's skin – probably in preparation for leaving.

Then, Eddie reached out for her hand, only to withdraw it slightly once she, too, had reached forward to grab a hold of it.

"Listen, if you've changed your mind, it's fine. I don't want you to feel obligated to do this sort of thing…" He spoke gently, obviously trying to make it sound as casual as possible.

She saw right through it, though, knowing that this was difficult for him. It was probably strange to have to separate from someone who basically lived inside your head, no matter how short the separation might be.

She also knew Eddie didn't want to trouble her or make her feel uncomfortable. He was well-aware that taking care of a symbiote wasn't exactly like taking care of a pet or even a kid. Those didn't have to take up temporary residence inside your body for the duration of the night, after all, squirming and squiggling about your insides, feeling your very heartbeat and knowing every thought passing through your head.

She was honestly totally fine with this. She was more worried about Eddie being able to enjoy his night out – completely alone in a way he hadn't experienced for just about half a year now.

She flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Eddie, I offered to do it, didn't I? We'll be fine for those few hours, I promise. Go enjoy yourself, Silly!" She spoke brightly, the wave of her hand dismissive.

He seemed reassured by that and began slowly extended his hand once more for the transfer.

Her heart did an extra beat when his large, warm hand closed around hers, and she knew, in the back of her mind, that it had absolutely nothing to do with how the symbiote slowly started to emerge from within Eddie's sleeve on its way to her.

Now, the transfer itself, that was a very… unique experience.

Venom slowly slinked across his skin in a big, shiny mass, tendrils reaching out to grab hold of her hand as he made his way from his host to her. The mass was warm to the touch as it slid across her arm, where it finally began to seep inside though the pores of her skin, making her shiver violently in discomfort.

This would take some getting used to.

Eddie looked on with worry in his eyes, though once she gave a final, decisive tremble, almost as if actively deciding to rid herself of the sensation and was once again able to stare up at him, he seemed to calm down.

He hadn't let go of her hand then and she briefly allowed herself to revel in that fact… at least until Venom decided to sprout forth from her back to rest his face on her shoulder as he spoke, making her yelp in surprise. It was quite a different experience to have the symbiote emerge from within oneself rather than Eddie.

"Hmm, this body is smaller for sure, but it is very warm and cozy!" He declared with obvious satisfaction, his teeth right there, in her peripheral vision, making her inch her head away, just to be safe.

Eddie's hand immediately let go of hers then, making her feel somewhat colder. Luckily, Venom made no mention about it, which she found a bit odd – she knew he could read Eddie's mind, so she saw no reason why he couldn't read hers now. Surely the alien wouldn't pass up an opportunity to make a joke of her reactions to his host? He hadn't in the past, after all.

Perhaps he was just being tactful, though she really couldn't see that happening at all.

"Uhm… Glad you like it?" She said with a lopsided smile as she redirected her stare towards the alien's head, black and sleek on top of her shoulder. Her words sounded more like a question than an actual statement, but Venom hummed appreciatively all the same.

"So…" Eddie spoke up just then, getting up from the couch and checking his pockets. "I better get going. They're gonna start letting people inside in about 45 minutes."

Even as he said it, he didn't seem to know what to do with himself, his blue eyes darting all around the room, never settling in one place for too long.

She nodded as she got up as well, walking towards the kitchen. Venom was already chanting the usual hunger, hunger, hunger inside her mind and she hadn't had lunch that day – big mistake.

"Sure thing, Eddie. Now, take care of yourself out there and stay out of trouble, you hear me?" It sounded a bit reprimanding, she knew, but with him being an investigative reporter she also knew he had quite a knack for getting into trouble. Something which simply wouldn't do now that he didn't have his near-indestructible alien armor/bodyguard with him for the evening.

The smile he sent her way brimmed with humor and fondness and she fought to keep a blush at bay as she grinned back at him.

"Don't worry, I won't." Eddie spoke with a playful wink as he turned towards the door. "I'll see you two later. Be nice to her, V!"

"I am always nice, Eddie!" The symbiote called back, making the reporter release an amused chuckle.

"See you, Eddie." She waved casually, her eyes briefly wandering across his form as he made for the door.

He wore an assortment of leather bracelets and rings on his wrists and hands, a dark-brown leather jacket over a simple, grey t-shirt, accompanied by a worn-looking pair of jeans and his usual, plain sneaks.

Tall, broad shoulders, sturdy frame and a nice-looking rear, she thought appreciatively as she allowed herself to study him on his way out. Yup, I could definitely get used to this view.

And then, just as her front door clicked shut and Eddie was out of view, lo and behold, Venom's head popped up in front of her face, his menacing grin in place.

"I heard that!" Came his gritty voice, sounding for all the world like he had just made the greatest discovery in all of human history.

Well, shit…