Dylan jumped as the movie reached a climactic point, the Boogeyman took out another of the people trapped in the building. Sleeper, in cat form, lay next to Dylan’s thigh as he watched the movie. Every so often Dylan’s fingers brushed over Sleeper’s head, and he rubbed back lightly in response.
The pair had gotten more used to each other since their team-up, and explored the boundaries of their new friendship slash family-adjacent-ship.
Originally, Dylan had gone to pet Sleeper out of a habit of petting animals, until his brain caught up to him and he’d paused. Sleeper had tilted his head curiously and Dylan explained, and Sleeper considered it before giving Dylan the go-ahead. Dylan had brushed his fingers through Sleeper’s fur cautiously at first, and then with a smile as Sleeper seemed to enjoy the contact.
That had been several months earlier, and now that sort of thing was normal. At one particularly tense part, Sleeper’s tail curled around Dylan’s wrist reassuringly, and Dylan scooped Sleeper up onto his lap. Sleeper didn’t seem to mind, and found a comfortable position with his head on Dylan’s leg as he returned his attention to the movie.
When it finished, Sleeper cast a glance to his 'human' counterpart. “Do you enjoy being afraid?”
Dylan was a bit confused. “Huh?”
“The movie, it frightens you, but you watch it with interest.”
“Ohhh.” he thought of how to answer. “Uh, well it’s pretty fun since it’s just a movie. It’s like a safe scare, cause you know you won’t really get hurt. It’s exciting to see what’ll happen, I guess.”
“I see.” Sleeper stretched a bit before he regarded Dylan with a thoughtful glance. “You seemed upset when you arrived. Did something happen?”
Dylan’s smile slipped a bit and he hesitated before he shrugged. “Not really…just school stuff.”
“’School stuff’?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Still.” Sleeper said, with a flick of his tail as he set a paw on Dylan’s arm. “I would like to hear of it.”
Dylan looked down at the little cat that was also a pretty terrifying symbiote, and he thought about the fact he didn’t really have anyone else to talk to. And Sleeper wasn’t going to repeat what he said to anyone. Was there any reason to hide it? “I…I’m not really popular at school.”
The concept didn’t mean much to Sleeper. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Kind of. I get…” he bit his lower lip and debated how to phrase what he wanted to say next. “I get picked on sometimes, I guess.” he could see Sleeper was about to ask for clarification. “Bullied.”
“They are cruel to you. Your classmates?”
Dylan supposed that was as good a way as any to put it. “Sometimes. Some of them. A couple in particular…they were pretty mean today.” he shrugged and tried for a casual tone. “Like I said, not a big deal.”
“Why would they choose to bully you?”
“I don’t know, guess they don’t like me?”
“I find that hard to imagine.”
Dylan chuckled. “And why’s that?”
“I like you.” Sleeper said simply.
“Oh.” Dylan hadn’t expected that answer, and Sleeper didn’t seem to expect a reciprocation. But he felt he should make one and he said. “I like you too, Sleeper.”
The cat-symbiote gave a flick of it’s tail and straightened in a way that Dylan took to mean he was pleased. “Thank you.”
Dylan curved a finger under Sleeper’s chin and stroked him, and Sleeper’s expression grew more relaxed as he pushed into the touch. “Does that…feel nice for you?”
“...Yes.” Sleeper said after a moment. “That would be an accurate description. I think I would not like it if you were not the one doing it though. You are my partner.”
Dylan’s brows rose a little as he took that in. He wasn’t sure if Sleeper considered that sentimental or not, Sleeper didn’t have the same perspective as humans, although he seemed a little more human-like than Eddie’s symbiote. In Dylan’s opinion, anyway. “I’d pet other cats.” he admitted. “But I wouldn’t want another symbiote.”
Dylan got the impression Sleeper smiled at that, as much as his cat face could. “I appreciate that.” Sleeper paused a moment before he asked. “The couple of children you said bullied you particularly…what are their names?”
“Why?”
“If I ever meet them I will scold them vehemently.” Sleeper said. Dylan laughed, and did not intend to take it seriously but Sleeper looked at him expectantly and Dylan humored him.
“Travis Whitmore and Kyle Jones.”
Sleeper’s tail curved a bit and then he laid back down on Dylan’s lap. “You are always welcome to talk to me, Dylan. About anything.”
That put a warm fuzzy right in Dylan’s chest and he smiled as he ran his hand along Sleeper’s back. “Thanks, Sleeper. You too."
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Sleeper knew that Dylan had a list of classmates and their phone numbers provided by the school. He perused the book while Dylan slept, found the names he sought, and used the computer to correlate the phone numbers to addresses. From there, he ensured Dylan was fully tucked into his covers before he headed out to do a bit pre-emptive protection for his human counterpart.
He visited both addresses, and found both boys asleep in their beds. Sleeper altered his form to look more like the Boogeyman from the movie they’d watched, and mimicked some of the frightful lines from the movie. He told the boys that he was watching, and if they bullied any more students, he would be back…to eat them.
Of course, he wouldn’t actually, but they didn’t need to know that.
When Dylan came home from school the next day he told Sleeper with enthusiasm that even though he’d had to work in a group with those boys, they barely spoke to him. He thought maybe a teacher had noticed their bullying and said something. Sleeper let him think so, and contentedly curled up next to his partner.
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Years later, Dylan and Sleeper needed information from a man and Sleeper did something similar to what he’d done that night. Afterwards, Dylan had laughed about it and asked. “Now where did you get the idea for that?”
“I have done it before.” Sleeper explained.
Dylan shot him a quizzical look. “When was that?”
“When you were younger.” he could see Dylan trying to work it out in his mind and he added. “Travis Whitmore and Kyle Jones.”
Dylan paused a moment to consider those names, it was on the tip of his tongue…and then he remembered. “Wait…wait…from when I was in middle school?”
“Yes.”
Dylan was confused. “What do they have to do with the Boogeyman?”
Sleeper finally had occasion to explain what he’d done, and Dylan seemed taken aback before he burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s…that’s amazing. I can’t believe you did that. Why did you never tell me?”
“I was not sure if you would be pleased.” he admitted. “And it never came up.”
“Oh, I’m very pleased. Even now, hearing about it is…that’s hilarious.” he grinned.
“One of them, Travis, wet himself.” Sleeper added, since he decided Dylan would find that amusing also. And sure enough, Dylan laughed again and knelt down to ruffle Sleeper’s fur affectionately. “You’ve always had my back.”
“I always will.” Sleeper said, in a factual tone that was belied by the fond curl of his tail over Dylan’s hand.
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Later that day, the pair were curled up on the couch to watch a movie. Sleeper was on Dylan’s lap, Dylan had one hand resting on Sleeper’s back while the free one stroked his head and scratched his ears and chin while Sleeper nuzzled him.
Eddie arrived then, and when he saw the movie they’d just started, he grinned. His other half chimed up from inside of him. “We like this one, Eddie!” It was a classic, movie tastes seemed to be a bit of a family trait. “Mind if we join you guys?”
Dylan grinned and gestured to the couch. “Go for it, but you gotta make your own popcorn.”
“You drive a hard bargain, son.” Eddie plopped down and Venom reached a thin tendril out to brush over Sleeper’s head in a warm greeting. Sleeper brushed his nose against the tendril. Eddie smiled warmly at the display before he heard his other half. “Chocolate, Eddie?” Venom asked hopefully.
“Of course, darling.” Eddie hopped up to head to the kitchen, where he acquired the requested chocolate and a bit of ice cream and sat down to watch. He felt Venom snake a few tentacles and tendrils around various spots of his body as they settled in together. “Comfortable, love?”
“Yes, Eddie. So good to us.” Venom praised lovingly.
Dylan and Sleeper exchanged a glance, parental PDA garnered a similar response from them.
At the most frightening scenes in the movie, Dylan hardly jumped, and Eddie laughed, and the symbiotes enjoyed the presence of their partners and each other.
Eddie for his part loved these moments when he could have them, for all that he sometimes felt undeserving of them. Their little family unit was more than he could have ever hoped for, and he loved them dearly.
Venom apparently sensed the turn of his feelings, because he murmured. “Love, Eddie.”
Eddie put a tender hand over his chest where a tentacle was stroking him lightly. “Love you too.”
“Get a room.” Dylan muttered, and Sleeper seemed amused.
Eddie grinned. This peaceful, happy moment was worth any ill that had come before it, and he would do anything to protect that.