Reconnecting

Seeing Eddie’s apartment took you by surprise. Sure, it was clearly a bachelor’s apartment, but it was still shockingly messy to say the least.

“Not a word,” you suddenly heard him say as he threw his keys on the kitchen island.

“But I didn't–”

Eddie turned around to give you a warning look with a finger held up. “I know you and I know you were about to say something. Don’t.”

“Okay, fine, but… Whatever.” It was easier to drop it than to start some stupid fight. He was an adult man and if he was comfortable living here you had no right to tell him it wasn’t right or that he deserved better. You walked over to the window and took a look at the table next to it. “This plant is practically dead, you know that, right?”

“Maybe it will get better if I keep watering it,” he replied with an awkward smile before returning his attention to the search for a bowl to put the popcorn in.

Letting out a sigh, you simply shrugged. “If you say so.” With your hands folded behind your back you walked over to the kitchen island and stopped across from him. “What do you want to watch?”

Your friend let out a low, humming sound as he thought about it. “How about Shaun of the Dead?” he asked eventually while he took out the bag of fresh popcorn from the microwave and poured it in the bowl.

“Sounds good. It’s been a while since I last saw it,” you replied with a smile.

Without thinking much about it you reached for the popcorn but Eddie quickly pushed your hand away. You gave him a questioning look to which he only responded with a playful smirk.

Rolling your eyes, you went to sit on the couch with your legs pulled up and waited for your friend to join you. Once he did, he quickly connected his laptop to the television and started the movie before occupying the other end of the couch.

But about fifteen minutes later loud music began to play somewhere near and you couldn’t hear a word from the movie. When you looked over at Eddie you noticed the annoyed look on his face as he closed his eyes. “It’s the asshole who lives across the hallway,” he eventually told you.

“We should ask him to turn it down a bit,” you suggested but he only shook his head. “Why not?”

“I tried before, several times, but he couldn’t care less.”

He looked so tired, as if he’d already given up this fight with that neighbor a while ago, and it made your heart ache. He wasn’t even close to the cocky Eddie Brock with the big mouth you used to know. Letting out a sigh, you stood up. “Eddie, this is ridiculous. I’ll talk to him.”

“No, don’t,“ he quickly said, reaching out to take your hand so you wouldn’t leave. "It would be pointless.”

“It’s worth a shot,” you replied with a shrug before pulling your hand away and walking toward the door.

Shortly after you were already standing in front of the door across the hallway, waiting for the guy who lived there to finally open it. “Who are you?” he barked once he did and stood face to face with you.

Forcing the sweetest smile you could manage in this situation on your face, you said, “Turn down the music, please, because I can’t hear the movie I’m watching.”

“It’s not my problem,” he replied with a shrug and was just about to close the door when you put your foot in the way. "What?”

“Have you ever been tazed?” you asked him, the sweet smile still present on your lips.

“What?”

“Have you ever been tazed? You know, with a taser.” With a confused look on his face he shook his head. “Listen, if you don’t turn down the music now, I’ll fucking taze you the next time I come here. And I won’t care about whether or not you’re listening to music at the moment.”

In the end he only laughed at you. “Whatever,” he said then shut the door in your face.

For a few seconds you just stood there, staring at the door while you thought about what had happened. According to Eddie it wasn’t the first time it happened and by now he seemed to have accepted there was nothing to do about this.

Eventually you turned around and found him standing in the door with his arms folded over his chest. “I told you it’s pointless,” he pointed out once you stopped in front of him.

“You know what?“ you asked as you walked inside with him right behind you. "Pack some clean clothes, we’re going over to my place for tonight.”

“Do we have to?” You raised your eyebrows once you looked at him and Eddie let out a sigh of defeat in response. “Alright, fine.”

Almost half an hour later the pair of you were already standing in the hallway of your apartment building. After you finally managed to open the door, Eddie walked inside and whistled as he threw his duffel bag on the floor.

“Wow, how can you afford this apartment?” he asked with a confused look.

You weren’t surprised to hear this question because you would’ve asked the exact same thing if you were him. In the end, though, you only said, “I got divorced.”

“So you took half of everything he had?” he asked with a knowing smile.

“No, we signed a prenup before the wedding, but he was only willing to sign the divorce papers if I accepted the money he offered,” you explained dryly, avoiding his gaze by going to the kitchen to collect some snacks.

“Hush money?”

You let out an annoyed growl upon hearing this–presumably innocent–question. “No, and I don’t want to talk about it,” you told him sternly.

“Okay, I won’t force you,” Eddie replied before he got comfortable on the couch.

Neither of you spoke after that. You put some snacks and drinks on the coffee table then started the movie as you sat down next to Eddie. He didn’t wait long before he lied on his back and rested his head on your thighs, using you as a pillow.

After a while you absentmindedly put your hand on his chest, gently stroking his skin over his shirt. When you looked down at him you noticed a heartbreakingly sad expression on his face as he focused his attention on the movie. He wasn’t himself these days and you wished you knew exactly how to help him.

You didn’t move right after the movie ended because he fell asleep a while ago and you didn’t want to disturb him, but eventually you moved your hand so you could gently stroke the skin on his cheek, waiting for him to wake up and look at you.

“Morning, sunshine,” you said with a small laugh once his eyes met yours. “The movie ended so I’ll go to sleep now. The spare room’s at the end of the hallway. Make yourself at home, Eddie,” you added after he sat up.

“Thanks for letting me stay.”

“Listen, you can stay whenever you want. Hell, I have a bedroom I don’t use, you could just as well move here.”

But Eddie only shook his head. “No, I’m good on my own. And I don’t think I’d be the best company in the world now.”

You stood up and looked down at him with your hands on your hips. “Don’t be an idiot, being around people is exactly what you need now,“ you told him. "Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he said, flashing a grateful smile at you.

You were dead tired, so once you reached your room you climbed into the bed and pulled the blanket up to your neck without taking a shower or changing your clothes first.

It wouldn’t have taken you long to fall asleep if the door of your room hadn’t opened unexpectedly. Only a second later you saw and felt as Eddie’s body fell on the bed next to you, his face turned to look at you as he lied on his stomach.

“Why are we like this?” he mumbled quietly.

“Like what?”

Eddie let out a short laugh. “Pathetic losers.”

“We’re not losers, Eddie,” you assured him with a half smile. “Pathetic? Maybe. But definitely not losers.”

“Oh, really? Maybe we should look at the facts. They took away your press credentials and kicked you out of the White House because you asked some uncomfortable questions. I was kicked out of my own show after I asked Drake about his experiments and all the people who died because of them. So yeah, let’s just be honest to ourselves: we’re losers.”

Closing your eyes, you let out a long sigh and reached out to take his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. “Eddie, this only means that we’re investigative journalists who got close enough to uncover something big that it made some powerful people pull certain strings to get us fired. If you don’t believe me, talk to my dad.”

“He would only agree with you because he wouldn’t want to make me feel any worse… if that’s even possible,” he added with a dry laugh.

“Come on, dad’s always been proud of you and he loves you like you were his son. If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have let you stay with us that summer. Point is,” you went on with a supportive smile on your lips, “he would never lie just to make you feel better.”

Suddenly he let go of your hand and launched forward, resting his weight on his left forearm as he put his right hand on the side of your face and kissed you hungrily. You had no idea what was going on or why he did this, and your mind was so clouded in the first few seconds that you automatically returned his kiss.

But after a while you realized it wasn’t right so you put your hand on his and pulled your lips away. “What are you doing?” you asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, resting his forehead against yours. “If you want me to stop I'll–”

“No, it’s not that, I’m just not sure you wouldn’t regret it later,” you said after interrupting him.

He let out laugh that sounded carefree and desperate at the same time. “It’s not like we haven’t done this before.”

“That was a long time ago.” Following a short break you pushed him away a bit so you could sit up. Once he did the same, you spoke up again. "Okay, listen, we should talk.”

“Now?” he asked with a frown.

“Yes, now. I think it’s time for you to get professional help.”

Eddie opened his mouth to say something but in the end he remained silent. For long seconds he was only watching you but then he asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You should go and see a therapist,” you explained slowly, hoping he wouldn’t get too upset about this. “Maybe you would even get some meds to take.”

“I’m not crazy,” he stated.

“Honey, I know you’re not, but you went through a lot lately and you need to learn how to properly cope with it. Trust me, I know from experience that it can help. And if you don’t want to do this alone, I’m here by your side and I can even go with you.”

Silence followed your words and for a second you thought he would jump up and leave without saying anything. But in the end he leaned forward to kiss you gently once again, this time placing both his hands on the back of your neck to keep you close.

“Eddie–”

“No, please, don’t,” he mumbled before slowly kissing you again. A few moments later his lips hovered just above yours as he added, “Let’s talk about this tomorrow, okay?”

You nodded, even though you had a feeling it wasn’t the right decision. Eddie was in a very fragile state of mind at the moment but you didn’t know what would hurt him more in the end: if you said no and pushed him away, or if you let him do whatever he wanted to do that night. This time you chose the latter and could only hope it wouldn’t end in a disastrous mess.