Now she's falling asleep and I'm calling a cab-

"No."

Du du dada da dum dadadada dum

"Please!"
It was only a kiss, oh it was only a kiss.

Desperate Eddie rolled over, shooting a glance at the mocking green of his alarm before burying his head under the pillow once more, trying to block out the noise echoing inside his head.

"Please love, please let me sleep. You've been singing the same three lines for-" Eddie stared at the clock, mind sluggishly ticking over the numbers before him, brow furrowed, "two hours. I have to sleep."

Why?

"I have an article to write tomorrow so we can go on our trip this weekend. It will take me longer if I can't think properly because my darling beloved kept me up til 3:30 am singing three lines of Mr Brightside!"
Why do you need to sleep Eddie? I can take care of you.

"I don't want you poking around in my neurotransmitters again unless you absolutely have to love," Eddie warned, pulling the blanket back over himself after it became dislodged during his twisting and turning.

"Dan still hasn't got rid of his nervous twitch from the last time he read my test results."

Fine, love.

A few moments of blessed silence, the faint sounds of traffic hurtling past outside and Eddie felt himself sink deeper into sleep, mind growing dim and hazy as he hurtled towards the abyss of sleep.

And I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more~

The pillow did not make as satisfactory of thunk as Eddie hoped it would have as he chucked against the wall, two hours of hysteria bursting out of him in a strangled scream, hand clamped over his mouth so to not wake the neighbours. They already thought he was strange enough in this new neighbourhood, and he didn't need to add: screams at half three in the morning for no reason, to that list.

Eddie collapsed back with a groan, too tired to move, too tired to think, but too tired to sleep. His own thoughts began to roll through songs, a radio on the fritz. His pillow was gently deposited on the bed next to him, one of Venom's tendrils lifting his head up to tuck the offending piece of fabric and feather to it's rightful position.
"Please love, please just five minutes of quiet so I can sleep. Do you not need to sleep?" Eddie begged,

pressing his face into the pillow once more.

We don't have sleep. It seems boring. You lie for hours and do nothing, but twitch and drool and snore.

"I don't snore you liar," Eddie protested, waving one hand in the air in protest, Venom gently tugging the limb down with a laugh somewhere in the middle of Eddie's head.
"I dream when I'm asleep sometimes. Can't you see them? You can read my thoughts normally."

Those are dark and bad. We don't like those thoughts Eddie.

"Oh love no, those are different. That's why I go talk to Dan's friend and you stay with Annie for a few hours. That's why I take those tablets. They help those thoughts."

What are dreams Eddie?

"They're like…" Eddie paused, pushing himself up, rubbing a hand over the scratchiness of his beard, feeling Venom copy the movement a few seconds later.

"Tell you what, I'm going to get a drink of water. Do you want anything?"

A bagel love.

"A bagel. Why not?"

The floor was cold underneath his feet, a reflexive hiss drawing Venom out to cover them, the symbiote morphing into a pair of woolly socks. Eddie padded over to the small kitchen. His life had changed so completely over the course of just a few months, from acquiring an alien symbiote that was bonded with him so completely , to a new job writing for a print newspaper and then in a way that seemed so natural it was almost like breathing, falling head over heels for his alien partner.

He felt the small itch of Venom extending himself, the symbiote almost invisible in the darkness of the early morning. A faint clink of glass against glass and the rush of the tap running followed. Eddie smiled, twisting his head to where the symbiote emerged to press a small kiss to the black surface, ozone lingering on his lips.
"Thanks darling. You didn't have to."
Wanted to Eddie.
"You want cream cheese on your bagel?"
Salmon too please Eddie.
"Good boy."
Eddie ignored the thrill of pleasure that rushed through him at those words, the sensation all emanating from the symbiote. Venom manifested next to his face as Eddie assembled the bagel, humming small snatches of the music floating through his head, watching intently over his shoulder. He coiled down Eddie's arm, a living twisting tattoo of black, not to control but to feel, to squeeze. The symbiote brushed his cheek against Eddie's, teeth hard and dangerous, to feel the thrill roll down Eddie's spine.

Eddie hopped up on the counter, ignoring the slightly askew bar stools set in front of it and sipped his drink as Venom disentangled more fully from him, an odd itching pulling feeling, to eat his bagel in two decisive snaps.
"I'll need to add that to the shopping list," Eddie said, breaking halfway to yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.
Dreams Eddie? Venom prompted, watching him intently. Eddie could only see the odd shift of light on the symbiote's skin as cars drove past outside, but he sensed his partner there.

"People aren't really sure why we dream. I had to look into it for that article on the sleep study that wound up being a sweat shop a while back? We know we have to, and we can get very sick if we don't- for long periods of time" Eddie added hastily, sensing the symbiote beginning to panic, the light on his oil slick skin rippling as he twisted in mid-air, "but we don't know exactly why. Similar with dreams. They might be us making sense of the events of the day, a random interpretation of things we can't pick up knowingly, or just our brains tidying up."
Are dreams good Eddie?

Eddie took a long swig of his water, shivering slightly from the chill before Venom enveloped him, an embrace that was the perfect temperature.
"Thanks love. Dreams are normally good. The scary ones are called nightmares. Don't get many of them now thanks to you."
Can I watch one of your dreams Eddie?
"If I ever get to sleep love, then yeah sure."
Go to sleep now Eddie.

Eddie yelped as the symbiote manifested fully, simultaneously scooping the now smaller man up and placing the now empty glass into the sink. It was rather adorable as the symbiote easily crossed back to the bed in three large strides, placing Eddie down as if he was made of spun glass and pooling onto the bed around him.
"Thanks for the lift darling," Eddie mumbled, a wave of tiredness crashing over him as he swiftly fell once more towards the abyss of sleep. Any reply that Venom may have made was lost as Eddie finally fell asleep.

Shot through the heart and you're to blame!
"You give love a bad name," Eddie groaned, finishing the song as Venom rushed through his veins, the symbiote's sheer delight making him smile even as he burrowed further into his pillow, "Morning love."
Morning love. You dreamed Eddie! I was there! You dreamed a good dream about me!
"Did I love? I can't normally remember my dreams," Eddie yawned, hand emerging from the nest of blankets to tap around the beside table for his alarm clock. The green digits did not fill him with hope when he had dragged the offending object close enough to see it clearly.
"Why does 7am exist?" Eddie groaned to no-one in particular, feeling Venom ripple and pulse, the symbiote almost falling over itself in happiness.
We were in your dream Eddie! It was fun. Can we eat someone today?
"We'll see love. Who knows what the day holds? Definitely contains my article getting written one way or the other."

Eddie pushed himself up and stretched, Venom rolling through his back as it cracked and popped. He scrambled up, fishing clean clothes out the drawer and passing the dirty items to Venom to throw into the laundry basket, the symbiote humming to itself as it did so. And so, mint taste still firmly in his mouth and a toothbrush added to the shopping list after Venom got overexcited, Eddie paused in front of the mirror next to his front door.
"Would you mind love?"
Of course Eddie.

Eddie tilted his head as Venom manifested, curling around his ear to mimic a Bluetooth, one tendril rubbing against Eddie's cheek as a kiss. And with that they headed out of the apartment, locking the door securely behind them, glancing at the lift to confirm the 'Do Not Use Sign' was still in effect-

"I would like to have a word with you Edward."
Eddie pivoted on his heel, smile plastering itself on his face as he bit back a groan of frustration, Venom sliding unseen over his shoulders.
"Mrs Duncan. What's up?"
The older woman sniffed dismissively at that, her eyes narrowed as she glanced back at Eddie's closed apartment door.
"I don't know what kind of place you used to live in, but here I would appreciate it if you didn't have conversations with your foreign hussy at three am. My poor husband was quite disturbed by your voices. It really is most rude of you."
"Husband."
One thought, a nudge, because they were one and the same and the deed was done.
"I'm sorry?" Mrs Duncan demanded, her eyes flickering down to Eddie's left hand where, once previously bare, a black metal band enclosed his ring finger as he raised his hand to wriggle it at her.
"I was having a conversation with my husband Mrs Duncan, which I do believe is none of your business. Now goodbye, I need to get to work."

Eddie took the stairs two at a time, Venom twining round his legs to help.
"That woman drives me mad. The nerve of her!"
Eddie?
"Yes love? What's wrong?"
Who's your husband?
"You are love, only you."
Love you Eddie.
"Love you Venom."
Can we eat her Eddie?
"Please love don't tempt me."