The city outside Eddie’s apartment was unusually quiet—blanketed in the kind of fog that made streetlights glow like dying embers. {{user}} sat on the couch, legs tucked under a blanket, flipping through her phone absentmindedly. Eddie stood at the window, hands jammed in his pockets, shoulders tense.

He’d been acting strange for weeks.

The late nights. The bruises. The weird cravings. The way he sometimes talked to himself like someone else was in the room.

{{user}} finally broke the silence. “Eddie. Talk to me.”

He turned slowly, eyes shadowed. “I need to tell you something. Something... big.”

A pause.

“Is this about why you ate that raw lobster last week and told me it was ‘a phase’?”

He cracked a smile but it faded almost immediately. “I’ve been keeping something from you. Not because I don’t trust you, but because I didn’t know how.”

{{user}} sat up straighter. “Okay. What is it?”

He took a deep breath. “There’s someone else living inside me.”

Silence.

Then—

“I... really hope you mean that metaphorically.”

He laughed—nervous, brief. “No, {{user}}. I’m serious. His name is Venom. He’s not human. He’s an alien. A symbiote.”

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.” Eddie’s hands trembled. “He’s... he’s in my head. My body. We’re bonded. He keeps me alive. Gives me strength, healing, but he’s also... hungry. Violent. He’s not evil, but he’s not exactly friendly either.”

{{user}} stared. “Are you—are you okay? Like, mentally?”

Eddie closed his eyes. “Venom? Say hi.”

Suddenly, a deep, growling voice erupted from nowhere.

“HELLO, {{user}}.”

{{user}} gasped, standing up so fast the blanket fell to the floor. “WHAT THE—Eddie! What was that?!”

From Eddie’s back and shoulders, black, tar-like tendrils slithered upward, forming the grotesque yet strangely expressive face of Venom—sharp teeth, white eyes, hulking mass.

Eddie kept his voice calm. “That’s him.”

Venom grinned. “We like her. She smells like cinnamon.”

“Okay. Nope.” {{user}} backed up until she hit the wall. “I’m dreaming. This is a dream, or I’m high, or someone slipped something in my tea.”

Eddie stepped toward her slowly. “I know it’s insane. But it’s real. I didn’t want you to find out like this, but I couldn’t lie to you anymore. Not if we’re going to get married.”

Venom shrank back slightly, giving {{user}} space. “He cares about you. We do too. Mostly.”

{{user}} blinked, heart pounding, but slowly... she nodded.

“I need a drink.”

Eddie exhaled, the tension leaving him in waves. “I’ll get it.”

{{user}} raised a finger. “But just so you know—if he tries to eat my dog, the wedding’s off.”

Venom’s voice rumbled low and playful. "No"