Competition
Which one of Sleeper’s siblings’ names he would say first had become somewhat of a high stakes competition between Carnage, Agony, Lasher, Phage and Scream. Since Eddie had won first place with Venom claiming second, the kids were all vying for third. Eddie being just a tad smug about being Sleeper’s very first word (even if said word did initially flabbergast and embarrass him a little) by playfully rubbing it Venom’s face despite his spouse coming in at number two by literal seconds. After a few days the kids’ competition was starting to turn a little aggressive.
Phage had started using a classical conditioning approach by saying his own name to Sleeper and then giving the five and a half month old a sip of juice so Phage’s name would inevitably equate to getting sweets. Much to Eddie’s chagrin and Venom’s amusement, Sleeper liked this tactic very much. Scream was using some kind of strange subconscious sleep therapy method which she employed by repeatedly whispering her name to her younger brother whenever he fell asleep and because of his very young age and need for naps this happened several times a day.
Lasher (as usual) was the most easy going about the whole thing, not really the type to buckle under the pressure of heated competition. He would just casually narrate playtime with Sleeper like he always did. If you didn’t know Lasher you wouldn’t even think he was participating in the game but Eddie and Venom were his dads and did notice the very slight- almost immeasurable- uptick in how much Lasher was speaking out loud to no one in particular the last few days. While Carnage (as usual) was the one nudging things into less friendly fire. They weren’t so much saying their name to Sleeper more but instead loudly interrupting anyone else saying his or her own name. Or someone else’s name. Or even just words in general that weren’t Carnage’s name. It was becoming a little vexing for the whole house.
Their daughter Agony was at both an advantage and disadvantage here. The disadvantage with her name being a full syllable longer than anyone else’s and therefore more difficult for baby hybrids to say. The advantage being that she’s been talking to Sleeper about every last thing she could think of to tell him every single day since before he was even born.
Over the two and a half months leading up to Sleeper’s arrival it didn’t matter how early they woke up or how quietly they snuck out of bed, Agony would always hear them and always come running down the hall each and every morning since learning of her impending new sibling’s existence. She’d start off by pecking and saying good morning to the round bulge of his stomach and proceed to talk to it almost nonstop through breakfast, getting ready and even while brushing her teeth until she was dropped off at school. If it weren’t for the school day Eddie probably wouldn’t have gotten any work done at all for the whole two and a half months. Then she’d come home from school and tell his stomach all about her day and keep talking even when Eddie inevitably dozed off on the couch while Venom kept an eye out because the six year old made it clear that she really wasn't talking to either of them.
"Then I told Scream that if she wanted to play then she had to be the bad guy-" Agony was rambling.
"Why would you make your sister be the bad guy?
"Dad, its rude to eavesdrop and the baby can't hear me when you talk." She paused her chat to inform her father of their rudeness and Venom took the rejection with a surprised sulk.
When they finally brought Sleeper home she continued their one-sided conversations without missing a beat.
Turns out all that dedication to brother/sister bonding pays off because they were all sitting at the table when Agony bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Good morning!” She beamed the greeting like she always did and it must have triggered something deep in Sleeper’s consciousness because he instantly looked up and pointed to her.
“Aaaaa!”
It wasn’t her full name or even half of it but every one in the room knew what he meant and who he was talking to.
Venom was grinning wide just like Agony was as Eddie tried to reel in his own equally huge thrill for the sake of their other kids who looked pretty disappointed right now.
“That doesn’t count it’s not a word!” Carnage protested.
“It’s a word to him.” Was Venom’s verdict.
Agony excitedly climbed onto the chair next to Sleeper and clasped his face making him shriek out a little laugh before kissing his forehead, ecstatic to finally have her baby brother talking back to her.