Music: Seven, Sleeping at Last

"You're sad, Eddie."

The journalist only sighed lightly, leaving Venom's remark hanging in the air.

He didn't need to answer, the symbiote precisely knowing what was going on inside his brain. And he wasn't in the mood for talking, even with his monstrous companion.

Eddie picked up another crate, carrying it to the entrance of his flat which was strewn with nearly ten other wooden containers. He'd been fiddling with boxes the entire morning, having only taken a break to satisfy Venom's hunger — one of the young man's goals, as laborious as it sounded, was to make them grow to like sandwiches and fruits.

"We could help you" Venom commented again, still inside Eddie's head.

"Thanks, but I'm good."

"No, you're boring" the symbiote corrected grumpily. Although Eddie couldn't see them, he was clearly able to feel their annoyance.

"You said it yourself, I'm sad, so now can you leave me in my boring state of mind?" the brunette responded sharply, dropping his crate by the door. It landed on the floor with a loud creak.

"We don't like getting inside your brain. Too negative. But you're giving us no choice" Venom grouched, then the room became silent again.

Before the symbiote and him had any kind of bond, Eddie would've been frightened by the thought of someone reading his mind, but he was almost used to it now. Venom had actually even been fun to talk to.

"You haven't told us we were leaving" if the reporter could see Venom's face, they would probably be frowning.  

"Thought you'd guess it" he shrugged.

"We told you we don't like getting inside your brain. Your sadness isn't good for us."

Eddie opened the nearest window, catching a sugary whiff from the bakery down the street, and began piling up the crates. The fresh air made him feel a bit better.

"Wait" he suddenly paused, straightening up. "What did you think the crates were for?"

"Weird human way to have fun."

Eddie chuckled at Venom's confusion. After months on Earth, there were still a lot of human things they couldn't comprehend.

The journalist kept on working, packing up smaller objects such as lamps, books, his coffee-machine and toaster; his suitcase and backpack would come last. He was going to leave San Francisco, and it felt like a big change. That's what Eddie believed he needed. What they needed.

"You should tell her" Venom's voice arose from within after a while. They had surely been steeped in Eddie's constant missing-Anne-but-not-going-to-tell-her-about-it overthinking. "Get her back."

"We're not getting her back" he refused. It wasn't about that anymore.

"Why?"

"She doesn't need me" he explained, finishing his task. "She's happy with Dan."

"We can eat Dan" Venom argued. "Bite his head off."

"No, we don't do that!"

"But if he dies, she can love you again."

"No, that's not how things work. She's my friend now" Eddie brushed dust off his hands after setting the last crate. "You see, when you really love someone, you care for them. That also means being happy for them even when you're not the one to make them happy, okay?"

Venom didn't respond.

"And I love Anne. But I fucked things up, and there's no going back. So I'll keep being happy for her until I'm not sad anymore, I have to get over it. No need to harm Dan."

"You're a good person" said the symbiote, making a moved smile creep its way on Eddie's lips. "Still a loser though."

"Thanks" a saddened laugh broke the brunette's lips. "We're both losers though."

"Now tell her what you told us, otherwise you'll regret it. And we're sick of bathing in your regrets."

"Well, it's not my fault, you chose me" the journalist teased, mentally considering Venom's suggestion. They were right, he'd always regret it if he didn't try to talk to her before leaving.

After doing some more cleaning, he decided it was time to make a decision. He was going to say goodbye to Anne, it was worth the heartbreak. She deserved to move on too, to be fully happy with Dan without always having to be reminded of Eddie's shadow. Yes, it would be much better for everyone.

"We're going" he declared, getting his beige coat and a black scarf.

"Good" Venom's rough voice echoed inside his ears like a reassuring presence. "Can we get chocolate milk afterwards?"

"Okay, okay, but only if you behave yourself" Eddie smiled, getting out of the apartment then locking the door. Having the symbiote by his side definitely made him less nervous.

"We can still eat your lungs instead of chocolate milk" Venom whispered back as a a joke. Him and Eddie had developed a strange yet endearing kind of friendship.

"I'm sure they're not as tasty as chocolate milk" noted the brunette, half-smiling still. "You should save them for emergency cases."

Eddie got out of the building, taking a deep breath of the fresh autumn morning air. Ginger leaves were swaying in the wind, a few of them spinning while falling to the ground, and weak sun rays were running along the pavement, onto pedestrians and terrasses. A soft, farewell day.

The reporter naturally found his way back to Anne's neighbourhood, striding past all-too-well-known shops and buildings, all the small things he'd never really noticed before losing them. He wondered whether Venom had read through these memories too, but there was no doubt in the fact that the symbiote did feel Eddie's pang of emotion. They didn't say a thing all the way to the blonde young woman's flat.

As he stopped by his ex fiancé's front door, Eddie lifted his head up to have a look at her window. The curtains were drawn, showing a portion of the light room they used to share, and he could swear he noticed Mr Belvedere cosily curled up on top of the wardrobe. Everything looked exactly the same as a few months ago, which hurt even more.

Without hesitating any further, Eddie got his phone out of his pocket and pressed Anne's contact.

She answered right away, not being at work as it was the weekend. Her voice was sweet and muffled because of the telephone, as always, and she said she'd come down in a second.

"Good luck."

Eddie noticed a thin black trail roaming up his arm, followed by a slight push on his shoulder.

"Thank you" he patted Venom's limb as it was retrieving. "Let's do this."

It wasn't long before Eddie heard Anne's quick footsteps in the hallway.

The journalist ran a hand through his hair, fighting back sadness to get it replaced with a warmer feeling, and prepared to face the young woman. That was it, their proper ending.

"Hi" Anne greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Hi. Yeah, I think so. How about you?"

He wasn't sure whether he was in love with her still, but she made him feel things. A lot of affection mostly, the aftertaste of every precious moment they spent together.

"I am" she smiled benignly, eyes filled with concern despite Eddie's positive answer. "So.. what did you want to tell me?"

"Eddie. Tell her."

Venom encouraged, sensing that the young man was having trouble finding the right words.

"Let's, uh, have a seat" Eddie designated a spot near Anne's building, gently touching her arm so she follows him.

It was occupied by potted plants and flowers, a bike from time to time, but there was always room for them to sit. They used to come there after evenings at the restaurant, cuddling and laughing at the sky. It was stupid, but these moments were theirs.

And Eddie told her. He told her about leaving the city, about how empty and exhausted he felt after everything that had happened with Carlton Drake. He told her that Venom was back, because even though he really didn't want for Anne to worry about tim, he trusted her and wanted for her to learn the truth this way.

She listened till the end, tightly holding his hand; and Venom was there too, practically holding his other hand.

What was going on inside Eddie's head and chest seemed heavy and sharp and complicated, tugging at his drained heart, but he was grateful for the unexpected support he was getting not only from one, but now two of the most important people in his life.

And when Anne said goodbye, her voice sounded like the promise of seeing each other again. And when he left the street, Venom tried to clumsily console him. So, after he cast one last glance at his ex fiancé's apartment, Eddie's lips curved into a tired smile.

"Let's get that chocolate milk."

—

look how precious