Don't Worry About Her (Eddie Brock x Reader)
Summary: They always say, when a guy tells you not to worry about his girl best friend, you probably should. Izzy's wild and free-spirited nature has always contrasted with her best friend Eddie's quest for stability. Now that Eddie is engaged, he never expected Izzy to complicate things for both of them.
TW: Smut, creampie, lots of making out, teasing, Awkward family encounters, Explicit Words, Cheating, Minors DNI.
Word count: just dont count. it's ending. don't. okay it's around 9k but hold on.
A/N: okay. There's a lot going on. So before u guys get sick of reading this long ass chapter, let me just say thank u for staying with EZZY til the end. That's it. See A/N in the end bc 😮💨😮💨😮💨
Oh also, smut's going to be the first thing that'd hit you.
No pressure tag 💕 @jelly-rei @potter-solomons @feveredvisions @tickettride @rach5ive @lovebydaylite @dreamygirli3
Divider from @/plum98
Previous Part
Part 9 - Grilling Knightmares
"Are you still watching?"
The two are occupied again.
While the tub of Izzy’s self-proclaimed life-changing popcorn had been emptied long before she had found herself on her elbows and knees spread apart on her bed with Eddie holding her and snapping his hips from behind, lost again in the gravity of each other.
"Oh god, Eddie... that's it. That's it." her voice muffled since her face was buried against the pillow. "Don't stop! Don't fucking stop!"
Her back arched, feeling her stomach coil from Eddie thrusting inside her velvety walls from behind. "Not stopping, baby... Gonna blow soon, yeah?" he huffed.
They were just watching, coincidentally, "Friends" and as soon as they finished the popcorn, Izzy bit her lip and purposely stretched like a cat infront of Eddie. He did not need to be told anything, just spanked that naughty ass hard, pulled down her pajama shorts, spit on his palm, pumped his cock with it and slammed right into her.
"Mm-hmm... Cum inside me, big guy." she mumbled, gripping on her sheets.
Eddie turned his head sideways, staring at their reflection in her vanity mirror, her tits bouncing along his rhythm. Fuck, she was so hot. He just wants her all to himself and fuck her in all the ways imaginable. He slowed down his thrusts while watching their image in her mirror. Him fucking her from behind with no sense of remorse. Another sound came from his palms landing on her ass, leaving a clear red mark on her skin. A fucking slap again, causing her to moan.
"What's that baby? You like it when I fill you up, don't you?" he cooed, rubbing his palm gently from the area he mercilessly hit.
"I do..." she cried. "I really do, Eddie..."
He bit his lip and groaned when he heard his name from her mouth like a sinful wail, his cock twitching inside her. He gripped on her ass, parting it slightly as he looked at his glistening cock, throbbing and veiny, sliding in and out of her slick walls. Hitting her spot repeatedly, her walls clenched around him tighter, making Eddie shut his eyes and tilting his head back in pleasure. He was edging out.
"god you feel so fucking good baby.."
Just when he thought it couldn't get any better, Izzy tossed her hair, arched her back a little more, lifting her ass, and craned her neck just enough for her sultry eyes to meet his. Those dark eyes he'd never tire of drowning in. Ones that held him captive with any emotions it conveyed.
"Damn, Iz..." he groaned, leaning down capture her lips deeply, his tongue flicking across her lower lip, parting her mouth slightly. His palms rested against her sheets, the muscle in his knees tightening as it kept him stable, while his cock was still drilling in and out of her. She kissed him back, moaning in between as she gets close to her orgasm. His big and muscular figure towered over her while his lips trailed kisses on her back, his fingers playing with her nipples.
"So fucking tight, baby..." he groaned, shoving inside her deeper, making her gasp and grind him from behind. Her body quivered when she reached her orgasm, coating his cock with hers and burying her face into the pillow while screaming his name.
Eddie gulped. Reaching his as well while still driving inside from behind, grunting like a lusted animal. He slapped her ass again, making her whimper. "Please, Eddie.."
"Mmm.. you ready?" he asked, and she nodded.
Eddie felt it welling in his groin, deep within his balls, as he continued to thrust in and out, slowly, but then he rammed it one last time deep into her pussy, his balls throbbed and pulsed. He letting out a guttural moan and gripped her body, and she cried out loudly one more time until his hot cum exploded inside her, rope by rope.
"Fuck yes... yeah, baby..." he whispered, jerking his hip and thrusting all of it inside her before finally sliding onto her back, both panting. He kissed her shoulders, then the back of her ears, and whispered, "you're perfect, Iz. So fucking perfect."
She was far from that, and Izzy knew it. She was a mess. Emotionally wrecked, mentally unstable, and even physically—a cum dripping mess. Still in their post-sex haze, they naturally settled themselves sitting up her bed when his phone vibrated.
And again.
The messages from Anne were relentless and he hasn't looked at a single one ever since. He turned on his phone's Do Not Disturb mode, refusing to talk to anyone other than the people within the four walls of this mansion. Aside from the more frequent vibration of his phone caused by his fiancé, what truly caught his attention wasn’t that.
It was Izzy’s silence.
Sure, she chuckled at his joke when he poked fun at her magical popcorn before they started watching, but he could tell it was half-hearted. She would usually have a snappy comeback, but tonight she hadn't. He watched her shift beside him, bringing her blanket to her chest, her breath had been heavier since she stepped inside the house after grabbing her snack, and again now when their moment had collapsed.
That wasn’t normal. Eddie was not about to let it slide.
“What’s wrong? Popcorn’s lost its touch?”
Izzy shook her head, sighing deeply before finally speaking. “Anne was here earlier.”
Oh.
Eddie couldn't find his jokes now. It was serious. He sank deeper into the mattress, already knowing where this was going.
“She asked about us.”
“You told her."
She nodded. “I told her.”
After months of going behind his fiancé's back, he knew it was only about time that Anne knew. Eddie shut his eyes briefly, sighing deeply, rubbing a tired hand over his face. Finally realizing the reason why his phone was buzzing a lot more tonight, and why Izzy's mood was off. He's got a lot of things going inside his mind right now yet he's unable to find the right words to say so he let the silence stretch between them.
She did not have any words to say to him either, other than the fact that she felt guilty again. Not because she slept with Eddie for the hundredth time—no, that's already out of the window.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.
Eddie quickly glanced at her weirdly. This was rare. What he meant by that was he did not even know this woman knew how to say "sorry" or even had that word in her personal dictionary. Even during their biggest fight, she doesn't know how to accept she was wrong.
“I said it because... I couldn’t stand the thought of you going home to get hurt again. I acted on impulse, and maybe I shouldn’t have. I should’ve let you decide that for yourself.”
He saw her fingers curled into the sheets, unable to look at him, evidently looking guilty. “If you want to go home, talk to Anne and fix things, I won’t stop you. I shouldn’t have said it. It should’ve come from you.”
Eddie watched her closely, his gaze softening. Then, he took her hand, his thumb brushing gently over her knuckles.
“Stop that,” he said quietly. "You don’t need to be sorry.”
“I do. I think I just ruined your engagement. I truly am sorry, Brock.”
Eddie didn’t let go of her hand, and with full conviction, he said:
“Well, I’m not sorry.”
Izzy stared at him, processing and trying to understand what he meant. He knew what it felt spending almost all your life regretting, fixing, and making things right even if it wasn't necesary. That meant ensuring she didn’t have to be either.
He looked at her and gave her a warm smile, then squeezing her hand, bracing himself into something inevitable.
They were still tangled in sheets, half-covered, and the TV was idly asking if they were still there on the screen. It was not the scenario he had in mind when he imagined this happening since they were in college. Eddie got tired of waiting and imagining this moment and he was determined to let it out of his chest.
Izzy was not stupid and she could already feel it settling in her stomach when Eddie straightened his body, fully turning to her.
"I used to think it was just protective instincts," he started with a stupid smile on his face. "You know, us growing up together. Watching your back, making sure you didn’t get yourself into too much trouble even though I always ended up cleaning your messes anyway."
Izzy snorted softly but didn’t interrupt.
"But then… it wasn’t just that." His fingers hovered over the sheet, absentmindedly tugging on it as his attempt to ground himself. "It became more than just making sure you didn’t end up at a random police station after doing something reckless. It became me needing to see you and talk to you every day. My whole damn day felt off if I didn’t."
Eddie inhaled, glancing at her, he looked so utterly unguarded that it nearly knocked the wind out of her. His eyes were sparkling, his smile was automatically blending along with his words, and his voice was raw.
"You know how your eyes do that thing?" he said, gesturing vaguely to his own eyes. "They turn into crescents when you smile? I swear, Iz. You could ruin my whole week, but if I see that smile, hell, it makes everything better. And don’t even get me started on your laugh—"
Izzy felt her cheeks burn, her heart hammering in her chest like some little flustered high school girl getting asked to prom by her crush. Oh god. He was really doing this.
Eddie chuckled at her silence, shaking his head. "You’re the funny one, Knight. But I swear to God, I feel a stupid amount of accomplishment whenever I make you laugh. Like, it’s better than getting a great scoop for the next Brock Report episode."
Her mind was swirling with so many colliding thoughts and she couldn’t take it anymore. Her ears were hot. She huffed, covering her face briefly before pulling her hands down, leveling him with a look.
"Brock, are you really doing this?"
He grinned and nodded. He expected her to attempt to deflect.
"Yes, Knight, I’m doing this."
Izzy exhaled in amusement and defeat, waving a hand in surrender. "Fine," she murmured, trying and failing to hide her smile. "Go on, Brock."
He did not need to be told twice and neither of them had to pretend anymore.
Eddie let out a breath, running a hand through his hair, pacing himself through the truth settling between them. Izzy was still sitted beside him, fingers grasping the sheets in her chest.
“I don’t know if I’ve got a bad case of Stockholm syndrome or something,” Eddie teased, glancing at her, “because you drive me insane.”
She chuckled, thinking to herself what a dumbass this man was right now.
“But whenever you leave, it’s like I can’t breathe.” Eddie exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. “All I do is just wait for the day you come back and yell at me again over something petty, or get me to run to you during the most ridiculous hours."
He paused, meeting her gaze. "But I wouldn’t change a damn thing.”
Izzy raised a brow, but smiling like she knew it. She knew she loved all of those things and just waited a long time to hear this.
"Fucking hell, baby, I never knew I could love, hate, and want the same person at the same time."
She snickered, shaking her head. “Wow, thanks.”
Eddie laughed softly at that, then, without hesitation, he cupped her face, thumb grazing her cheek, refusing to break the moment now that he's about to say it.
"I know exactly what kind of person you are," he murmured while his eyes searched hers. "And I love every goddamn bit of it."
"You never stick around long," Eddie continued, his fingers lingering and holding her firmly to grounding her in place. He wanted her to soak every word coming out of his lips. He wanted to see how she takes it all in. "You’re the same dove I’ve loved then and now. And maybe I’m tempted to lock the doors, throw out the keys somewhere you won’t find just to keep you to myself, but I wouldn’t do that."
His grip softened, thumb brushing against her jaw, his tongue briefly running through his bottom lip to dampen it, preparing for his next words.
"Because a dove knows where its home is." he said calmly and his eyes are filled with nothing but adoration. "And I know you’ll always come back to me."
Damn right she will.
She raised a brow, lips curling slightly, challenging him. "So you think I’m that predictable?"
Eddie chuckled, shaking his head.
"Baby, you’re a freaking tornado. By all means, no way in hell predictable." he answered with his confident and crooked smile. "But I’ve been managing the eye of it since we were kids."
"And I don’t mind doing that for the rest of my life because—"
Thump.
“I love you,” he breathed. “Chaos included.”
Finally.
Eddie Brock has said the magic words.
Izzy didn’t respond with words.
Instead, she leaned in, letting go of the blanket around her chest as her fingers threaded into his hair and kissed him deeply. He returned each kisses with the same passion, if not more, his arms circling around her waist, pulling her closer.
Because there was no way he was letting her go.
When she finally pulled back, lips barely inches from his, she murmured, “I thought you’d never say that.” followed by her signature teasing smirk, “So what, you finally found your balls?”
Eddie scoffed, shaking his head, eyes softening. “You’re lucky I love you.”
Izzy’s smirk widened as she leaned in again, pressing another slow kiss against his lips, whispering against it, “I know, big guy.”
She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. “You said it twice.”
Indeed he did. It felt so damn liberating. Eddie sighed, realizing yet again, he had actually lost the verbal sparring match with his best friend and he did not mind.
Sunday morning.
The day of the annual Knight Family Barbecue. Izzy's parents have always hosted this in their backyard. It started when her dad was still in the military, often deployed to other parts of the world. So whenever he was home, at least once a year, they'd gather the family around to catch up, strengthen their bond, and introduce little Isobel to other members of the family. When she became friends with little Eddie in elementary school, she insisted inviting her shy friend over until, eventually, it became a thing.
He was officially a part of it. Her relatives knew Eddie well and he knew them; they were practically a package deal, from her cousin's wedding, one of her aunt's golden anniversaries, grandparent's funeral, Eddie was Izzy's plus one.
The smell of both burning charcoal, and marinated meats are mixing with the voices of the old couple arguing whether they would set up an extra table or not. Eddie loved it. He liked the rhythm of setting up tables under Mrs. Knight’s meticulous instructions, whether the table linings matched her precious plates. He liked tossing charcoal into the hot grill pit beside Mr. Knight who was mentoring him about the precise heat control to cook the meat while ignoring how much steak juice splattered onto his shirt. Eddie was figuratively flying in and out of the mansion to the backyard.
This was the Knight family in its element and if you've come this far, you should know who is in the thick of it.
The honorary son himself.
As tradition dictated, Eddie Brock was the one doing all the damn work.
The only person missing? Isobel Knight herself.
Yup.
The so-called darling only child of the mansion, the one who thrived on disorder, the one who picked a fight with her dad yesterday at the grocery store about the difference between short ribs and baby back ribs was still asleep, dead to the world upstairs, blissfully unaware of the hurricane of preparations happening just outside her room.
Without fail, this system happens and Eddie knew exactly how this was going to go.
Soon, relatives would arrive. Aunts, uncles, cousins who are both old and young would start filling up the backyard, some screaming greetings over the fence, others immediately launching into discussions about who's brought the better dish.
And the woman he just confessed his love to last night was going to wake up to all of it.
He adjusted a tray of marinated ribs for grilling. Eddie was starting to pity himself after doing all the grunt work. "Your daughter’s still sleeping, you know," he muttered to Mr. Knight.
Her dad barely looked up, flipping a steak like Eddie hadn’t just given him damning evidence of his only child’s complete lack of responsibility.
"As she should," he said simply.
Eddie stared at him, with tongs snipping on his hand, completely unimpressed with his answer. "You’d think royalty would need to contribute at some point."
Mr. Knight smirked, shifting the meat again. "And yet, you contribute for her every year."
"I’m starting to think I was tricked into this decades ago."
The older man just hummed, clearly amused but offering nothing in the way of sympathy. Not expecting his beloved daughter to even lift a finger. Izzy would help indoors, but knowing how pissy her daughter is under the scorching sun, he knew he'd just waste his breath in scolding her. The stubborness within Isobel came from someone afterall.
Mrs. Knight passed by, setting another tray of side dishes down on the serving table before shooting Eddie a knowing glance. "Why don’t you go wake her up?"
Eddie huffed, shaking his head. "Oh, I will."
Because if he had been working all morning, Izzy was not getting away with another two hours of beauty sleep and shameless avoidance.
Not today.
Eddie stomped up the stairs with zero plans of tolerating Izzy's slacking while he spent the whole morning covered in charcoal and grease. He didn’t even knock nor ease the door open like a civilized person. Just shoved it open with his shoulder, standing in the doorway like he had just come back from war while the house princess slept peacefully in her bed.
She groaned immediately, rolling over, burying her face into her pillow.
"Get up."
"No."
"Izzy."
Izzy flopped onto her back, cracking one eye open to peer at him looking like he was a stray dog that had wandered into her bedroom, seeing him standing beside her bed, just staring back at her looking completely done.
"You smell like ten hours of labor," she muttered with her voice thick.
"And you smell like luxury and privilege."
Izzy huffed, turning onto her side, tucking the blanket closer. "Tragic. We could never work."
Eddie did not dignify that with a response and yanked her blanket away, making her gasp, feeling offended considering she was naked under those sheets.
"Eddie!"
"The barbecue starts in two hours. Your parents are downstairs. I’m sweating through layers of grueling, unpaid labor, and you’ve done nothing but sleep."
Barely awake, Izzy sat up, running a hand through her disheveled hair, sighing like this was the greatest injustice she had ever suffered. "You love doing all that," she muttered, not even apologizing.
"That is not the point," he shot back. "You’re stalling."
"You gonna do something about it?" Izzy smirked and leaned back against the head board.
Oh Isobel. Today is not the day to press on Eddie. Without any warning, he grabbed her ankle and yanked her forward off the bed, making her yell at him in outrage.
"Brock, stop!"
Eddie did not stop and dragged her halfway to the edge of the bed.
"You should’ve gotten up when I said," he muttered, hoisting her off the mattress easily, and dragged her towards her closet.
Fucking hell. This would be hot in another circumstance.
Izzy flopped against him, fully refusing to put in any effort now. This man was insane. He's gotten so comfortable just flicking her anywhere.
"You’re carrying me like a sack of flour."
"You deserve it."
"I hope my parents disown you."
Eddie sighed, finally dumping her onto her feet, pushing her toward the closet, done with this fight.
"Get dressed, princess."
Izzy groaned, but finally moved to grab a shirt. He thought that his job was done so Eddie turned toward the door while shaking his head. He was already halfway to the door when Izzy’s voice stopped him.
"You know," she mused, grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "I mean, you could leave now. But then I wouldn’t be able to kiss you."
Eddie froze, his entire brain short-circuiting immediately much to her entertainment seeing the way his shoulders tensed and his fingers twitched slightly against hers. See? Puppy dog knows his treats.
"Look at you," she teased, tilting her head again, voice sounding overly sweet and innocent in the most dangerous way possible. "I think you want me to kiss you." Leaning in and testing him.
"All you gotta do," she whispered, squeezing his wrist, "is shower."
No one was as efficient as Eddie Brock was.
Since Izzy was that insufferable, he did what any man in his position would do: he walked straight into her bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the water run hot. She barely had time to react before he was pulling his shirt off, tossing it onto her desk chair and removed his shoes.
Her eyes widened slightly. "What are you doing?"
Eddie turned toward her, unbothered, undoing the button on his jeans and pulling it down, revealing his boxers. "Showering."
"Now?"
"Well, you did say you’d kiss me after." Now removing his boxers showing his dick and bush in full view. She gulped down and did her best to put on a straight face.
"I said I could."
Eddie tossed them aside, completely ignoring that response and stepped into the bathroom. He even had the audacity to flash her an evil grin before completely stepping inside and closing the door shut.
Last night, he admitted to her that he loved her. Izzy can't stop smiling like a fool while listening to Eddie humming a song insider her shower while she got dressed as well. She glanced over his phone placed on her bedside table, tapping it lightly to check: 15 missed calls, 22 messages, all from Anne. She let it be. Maybe he was not ready to face the reality of his life for now.
Izzy barely had time to register the sound of the bathroom door opening before Eddie stepped out, damp and smug, towel slung loosely around his waist like he had no concern whatsoever about the current circumstances.
She had been pretending not to care nor notice him the moment she heard the faucet squeak closed until Eddie moved too fast towards her, barely even had time to shove him away before his arms were wrapped around her waist, tackling her down on her bed. The water droplets coming out of his hair were hitting her face. She gasped, laughing despite herself, pushing against his chest.
"Eddie, you're wet."
"Ahh. My baby's observant." he said as his arms locked tighter around her waist.
"You’re gonna get me soaked." She attempted to wiggle herself out of his arms.
"I’m okay with that."
Izzy groaned, throwing her head back, but before she could get another word in, he pressed his lips against her neck, lingering just long enough to make her really regret her own existence. She tensed, breath hitching, fingers curling against his shoulders.
Eddie laughed softly, lips ghosting against her jaw now. "Oh, so now you’re quiet?"
She was trying so hard to summon even an ounce of resistance because she was getting turned on again. His hands felt on her waist, the way his voice had dropped slightly, the way his hair was still damp, and HE KNEW what he was doing to her. He leaned in again, lips brushing the corner of her mouth.
"I did shower," he murmured.
Thank god, I had my birth control shot. Izzy thought.
She pressed her lips against his, arms circling around his neck and he sighed against her mouth, melting into their kiss. It lingered for a while, slowly and deliberately with him letting Izzy settle the pace. Her fingers grazed against the back of his neck, pulling him closer.
Eddie smiled against her mouth, barely, tilting his head slightly to ease into the kiss, keeping it steady and unrushed. He could feel her heart hammering in the way he's pressing against her. She slid her arms tighter around him, finally giving in completely and he took that cue immediately, his knees spreading her thighs and hitching up her sun dress.
Izzy huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head slightly, breaking the kiss just enough to murmur against his lips. "You’re way too smug right now."
He nudged her nose with his, gaze flickering between her lips and her eyes. "You haven’t pulled away yet." Leaning in again to press another kiss behind her ears to test the waters even more.
Then he heard a clank of silverware downstairs...
Eddie had one job when he came up here. One simple mission which he completely forgot: Wake Izzy up. Drag her downstairs. Get her to contribute to the barbecue instead of sleeping until noon like the most spoiled child in existence. He was not supposed to be sucked in her bed, fresh out of a shower, arms still wrapped around her waist, and actively contemplating terrible decisions.
"You know," she murmured, fingers tracing slow patterns against his shoulders, "I think I’m officially awake now."
"That was the goal." He answered, trying to reset his brain.
"Yeah, but now I feel energized."
"That’s great, Knight. Time to put that energy to use downstairs."
She dismantled the towel wrapping around his waist and threw if on the floor. With her gaze still fixed on his, she sensually licked her palm and slid her wet hand to grip around his already hard cock, pumping it slowly.
"There are plenty of ways to put this energy to use." she purred, still working him out underneath.
Eddie closed his eyes, feeling how good she was in giving him a hand job as he silently prayed for strength. He opened them again and immediately regretted that choice. Seeing her biting her lips, and raising her brows like asking for confirmation if they're going to do it or not.
He weighed his options like a man at war. Her parents are waiting for him to go back downstairs to help. Izzy saw his restraint and contemplation.
"Wow," she said, tapping her fingers against his chest. "You really have to fight it, big guy?" her thumb drawing circles on the tip of his cock, leaking with his pre cum.
Eddie groaned, dropping his head against her shoulder for a second, fully aware of his own weakness. She brushed her fingers up into his hair, knowing very well that it was a way of getting him to submit to her.
"Come on, big guy. Fuck me. Fuck me hard."
God. He wanted to. His hips were automatically bucking towards her entrance but he stopped. Eddie shook his head, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her grip away from his cock. Pushing himself up from her, and walking towards her closet, with his cock still hard and aching.
Her eyes were wide. What did just happen?
"The fuck was that?!" She yelled.
Eddie did not flinch and pretended he didn't hear anything as he slipped on his fresh clothes. Ignoring the whining woman on the bed.
"Baby let's get you downstairs before I make a terrible decision." he muttered in defeat, adjusting his stance in discomfort around his pants as he reached his hand out to Izzy.
"You owe me one, Brock." she grabbed his hand, pulling herself up from bed and rolled her eyes at him.
It was worse than he thought.
Worse than the blue balls he painstakingly shook off...
The second the cars pull up infront of the mansion's driveway, Izzy's little cousins bolted through the main door and tackled Eddie to the ground, climbing onto him like human jungle gym, screaming his name, demanding attention. He took it in stride, tossing one over his shoulder playfully while another clung to his arm, laughing through the overwhelming energy of it all.
Wrangling the gremlins were added to his list of responsibilities that day.
The backyard was now filled with family members. One table designated for Mrs. Knight and the infamous aunties, talking about everything they set their eyes on. The uncles gathered near the cooler, exchanging beers, Mr. Knight laughing at something one of them said.
Izzy finally emerged, after getting ready, slipping beside Eddie and helped him out with the kids. They worked together instinctively because they had been doing this for years. Eddie watched her unapologetically play roughly with one of the kids, looking like he's always been that helplessly in love with her, completely forgetting he's still, technically, engaged.
That was when the murmurs started.
Nothing escapes the sharp eyes of the aunties. They wondered why a young woman like Izzy who was vibrant, beautiful, and charming had not yet settled down whereas Eddie, her best friend, is already to be married to Anne. When the perfect opportunity arrived aka when Eddie had found himself taking over the grill once again and momentarily separated from their rowdy niece, the aunties hovered like seasoned interrogators.
(Face card reference for Izzy's Aunts)
The meat wasn't the only thing getting grilled today.
"Leave my sweet boy alone." Mrs. Knight hummed towards the aunties from her seat on the table as if she was expecting the vultures to feast on the carcass that is Eddie Brock.
He looked up and found three pairs of pair of eyes sizing him up which he found so uncomfortable so lifted a piece of cooked meat using his tongs from the grill.
"Uh... would you like some stea—"
Aunt Samantha, the oldest sister of Mr. Knight, who refused to have kids of her own, touched his biceps and said, "Where is Isobel? Why isn't she helping you?"
Eddie looked around and saw that the little cousins were back to bothering their respective dads, and Izzy slipped somewhere again. Probably evading her responsibilities once more. He was internally screaming at her again for leaving him alone to deal with her dad's sisters.
"Oh please. That girl has been making Eddie do all the work." Aunt Claire scoffed, taking a sip of her martini, and continued, "I'd say you even the score, Eddie. Make her do all the dishes later."
The youngest one, Aunt Beth, with her usual no bullshit tone said, "It's not like Brock here was forced to do all that. He's been willingly suffering for her for years."
Eddie would take police interrogations and public scrunity over this any day. He was suffering and his Knight was nowhere to be found. It feels like Izzy's three split personalities has morphed into their own beings.
"The problem," Samantha began, dragging her fingers lightly down Eddie’s bicep as if that were part of the discussion, making the young man shiver inwardly, "is that you’ve ruined our dear Izzy for other men."
"Excuse me?" Eddie blinked, genuinely thrown off.
Claire sighed dramatically, swishing her drink. "It’s true. That girl hardly entertains suitors these days. And why? Because you set the bar too high, Brock."
Eddie glanced toward the house instinctively, as if Izzy was going to magically appear and take over this conversation.
Surprise surprise. She didn’t.
Beth’s gaze remained unflinching. "So tell us, Brock. What exactly did you do to our niece to make her so unimpressed by every other man?"
Eddie did not have a proper answer to that. Instead, he did what any smart man would do: he focused on the fire, flipping a steak with just enough force to pretend he wasn’t feeling the weight of their words.
"You ladies really like stirring the pot, huh?" he muttered nervously, shaking his head.
"We don’t just stir, darling. We set the whole damn kitchen on fire." Aunt Sam said.
"I'd hate to be the guy to compete with you, Eddie." The ever-competitive Aunt Claire pointed out.
Beth raised an eyebrow, watching how the young man was painfully tensed at the conversation. "They're fucking." she blatantly said without any reservations.
Every single person within earshot, all of them, including the two other aunties, Mrs. Knight, and Eddie snapped their heads towards her with their jaws slack.
"Beth!" Mrs. Knight hissed, putting her drink down at the table.
"What? It's obvious. They're having a good fuck. Right, loverboy?" Aunt beth smirked, tipping her beer bottle to cheers.
Suddenly, Eddie just wants to be buried alive right then and there considering how he just felt his soul left his body. He would happily dig up his own grave. "We're not—" he scrambled for an answer, but Claire was already waving her hands towards her sister in exasperation.
"Beth, we don’t just say those things out loud!"
Samantha, thoroughly entertained, raised her brows and tightened her grip on Eddie's arms. "I mean, she’s not wrong. That's the great thing about youth." Turning her face to look at the young man, "It's alright, honey. Fuck our niece's brains out as you please. Fuck her real good." And winked at him.
Oh dear god.
He's heard of the word fuck too much today and he doesn't expect it to come from Izzy's aunts.
When he had a moment to compose himself, he finally found his voice, throwing his tongs onto the table beside the grill. "Okay. No. That’s not what’s happening."
"I didn't peg you for a liar, Brock." Beth scoffed, not buying it.
Mrs. Knight was equally mortified as her honorary son was. She stood up from the table, walked towards the grill, taking the tongs from her son's hand and gestures him to go away and save himself.
"Sweetheart, go inside before you pass out from all this grilling." she said, trying to diffuse what's left of the situation.
Eddie sighed in relief, and muttered a quick 'thank you' before beelined straight to the kitchen. He had to gulp down a cold glass of water after that uncomfortable (understatement of the year) conversation. What the hell was that? He thought as he leaned against the kitchen counter, letting out an exhausted sigh.
He looked up when he heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen. It was Izzy. In a fresh set of clothes, and hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. She paused the moment she set her eyes on him. "Here I thought I was in hell having to scrub off some gremlin puke off me." she said, eyeing him. "You look worse. What happened?"
"Your aunts."
Eddie did not need to explain more. Izzy was caught up and laughed. He narrowed his gaze at her, annoyed as to why she's laughing at his sufferings and said, "They think I’ve set the bar so high that you refuse to settle for anyone else," he muttered, rubbing his face. "And then Beth decided to announce to the entire family that we’re screwing."
She stared at him.
Then she burst out laughing.
A full, unrestrained, gleeful laugh that Eddie could only hear whenever he suffers like her own personal entertainment. He glared at her with his arms crossed but it only made her laugh harder.
"You—" Izzy gasped, trying yet failing to recover, "you got grilled by the aunties and Beth just said that?"
"Without a doubt she did."
"And what did you do?" Izzy wiped at her eyes all watery from laughing.
"What do you think I did?" He huffed, gesturing vaguely toward the backyard. "Your mom saved me before I could die on the spot."
She looked at him at horror now. Their dirty little secret was slowly getting exposed to the people around them. Her mind was already working on possible pre-emptive strike or retaliation to troubleshoot this mess. They strategized in the kitchen like people going back to the war zone at the backyard. Her plan was simple, Eddie should settle down and eat at their own table, while Izzy brings out the big guns—her dad.
Eddie watched the scene unfold while he tries to focus on scooping the sides on his plate, and instinctly, one for Izzy as well as he watched her strut past her aunties with that signature smirk of hers, one that practically screamed 'watch this'.
"Oh what is she going to do now?" Aunt Claire said while the three of them squinted their eyes at Izzy. Her mom, on the other hand, just shook her head, already knowing what's going to happen.
Settling down their curated plates on the table, Eddie witnessed the moment she reached her dad, she had leaned in, whispered something conspiratorial into his ear, and just like that, the old man’s grip on his beer tightened. She even paused and pulled back to pout at her dad like she suffered so much in life. He can't believe her dad was even buying this. Not long after, Mr. Knight got up from the uncle's table and walked towards his sister's. His daughter, on the other hand, looked smug sitting down beside him.
He was just about to ask Izzy what did she do until he heard her dad scolding his sisters about talking nonsense and leaving his daughter alone. Again, Eddie barely had time to process the absurdity of it all when he saw Izzy happy munching on a cob of corn from his plate, feeling smug that her aunties wouldn't bother her anytime soon.
While being lectured by Mr. Knight, Samantha rolled her eyes, Claire kept justifying their grilling, and Beth was having a stare down with Izzy like she was saying she knew she was right and they could pretend all they want.
Unable to question the head of the family's final verdict, the aunties had no choice but to obey. Izzy's dad wasn’t having any of it. "I don’t wanna hear another damn word about my kid’s business," he declared, his tone final. "You women have better things to talk about."
Eddie, still stunned by the efficiency of Izzy’s maneuver, slowly turned his head toward her. "You just—" Eddie gestured vaguely toward her father, who had successfully shut down the grilling session. "That's cheating, Knight."
Izzy shrugged, already halfway through the ribs on her plate and licking some sauce off her thumb. "It’s called strategy, Brock. As if they didn't expect what's coming. You should know."
Yeah. He should've known.
That's how Eddie survived this year's chaotic barbecue.
-
After the Knightmares had gone home, Eddie was left to do all the grunt work again. Izzy may be just inside the vicinity of the mansion but she does escape a lot. Mrs. Knight was carefully placing back her treasured pieces of plates to its designated closet while Mr. Knight was already snoring his usual armchair in the living room. Eddie finally found her outside, leaning against the porch railing, a cigar between her fingers.
He paused, watching her for a beat, before stepping up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.
"You smoking now?" he muttered against her hair, eyebrows furrowing as she blew a slow stream of smoke to the side.
She tilted her head, giving him a lazy grin. "Beth gave it to me before she left. Told me it was the best vice there is."
Eddie pressed his chin against her shoulder, watching the way the smoke curled into the air. "And?"
"I don’t think so."
She turned in his hold, facing him now. He glanced over his shoulder instinctively, scanning the doorway, checking for any sign of movement inside the house. They had managed to evade scrutiny for now, but after the day they had? He wasn’t ready to risk another round of grilling.
"You ever tried anything else?" he asked, studying her. "Any vices I don’t know about?"
Izzy hummed, exhaling the last of the smoke, flicking the cigar onto the steps before pressing closer against him.
"I don’t need another one," she murmured, a slow smile curling at the edges of her lips as he raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain. She reached up, brushing her fingers along his jaw. "I’ve already got the best one," she whispered.
"You."
And then she kissed him.
Eddie barely had time to process it before his hands found their place on her waist, pulling her closer, the weight of the day dissolving into the press of her lips. He didn’t know how long they stood there, wrapped up in each other, only that time had slowed enough to make it impossible to care.
Izzy’s hands had found their way into his hair, pulling him closer, demanding for more. He had one arm curled around her waist, the other braced against the railing, keeping her stable. Her lips tasted like beer and faint cigar smoke, but she, herself, was intoxicating enough.
He thought about the years he spent pretending this was just another fleeting moment for them.
He also thought about every line they had drawn between them including every excuse, dismissal, and half-hearted attempt to pretend this didn’t mean something. All of that felt like it had been obliterated the second her lips touched his.
Right now, all he knew was that the woman he loved was in his arms, pulled close against him, her hands in his hair, both of them melting into each other.
Then it slipped from her mouth.
Between kisses and breaths, she said,
"Hmm.. I love you.."
It felt like a giant boulder had crushed them. Both of them halted in their kiss, their lips still brushing against each other, his hands tightening instinctively on her waist. Izzy stilled too, eyes fluttering open just slightly, because she hadn’t even meant to say it, but her damn feelings were all over the place and she can barely hold it together.
She didn’t move away. Instead, she lingered, staring at him through half-lidded eyes. His eyes slowly creased with a smirk forming in his lips. Izzy knew he was about to be a pompous ass any second now.
"You wanna say that again, Knight?"
She deadpanned him. "No. That's all you get."
He stole a quick peck, caging her. "Come on baby." Another kiss on her cheek. "Say it again." Then another one on her other cheek. "I said it twice."
Izzy squinted at him, pretending to look bored, but Eddie saw the way her lips twitched and how she was trying way too hard not to smile. Because she definitely loves the hell out of him.
"You're not going to budge? Fine. I'll kiss you again until I hear it." Eddie grinned, leaning into her and capturing her lips once more for a deep kiss. Izzy let out a muffled laugh against his lips, shaking her head, thinking about how silly they both are.
If this was going to be her everyday, she would die happily with crows feet on the outer corner of her eyes.
"Fine.. mmm.. i love you, Eddie." she muttered between kisses, but she wasn’t stopping him.
He smirked against her mouth. "Good girl."
Izzy groaned dramatically, tilting her head back completely annoyed at his answer, only for Eddie to take full advantage and pepper another kiss along her jaw and neck. They seem to forgot that they were on a public space. On the Mansion's front porch which was accessible to anyone still awake. Oh they did forget until...
GASP.
They both quickly turned to see her mom standing a feet away from them. Her hands covering her mouth, eyes wide in shock. Her daughter was wrapped around the arms of her supposed 'son' and his lips were on her neck. This was definitely NOT a sibling dynamic.
But Eddie was on cloud nine. He didn't care. Fully drunk on Izzy's magical words. He turned casually, arms still wrapped around her daughter and with zero shame in his expression, and said,
"Oh, hey, Mrs. Knight! Your daughter just confessed that she loves me."
Izzy jerked her head toward him immediately, horrified.
"You IDIOT!" she hissed, smacking his arm.
Boy, Eddie did not care since he was still riding the high of what had just happened, failing to recognize that he had just signed his own death warrant.
Mrs. Knight pointed at them both voice sharp. "Inside! Now!"
And they both straightened up and walked inside the living room where the even bigger gun was snoring. While walking inside, Eddie chuckled and said, "Guess the secret’s out, huh?"
Izzy glared at him, fully ready to strangle him, before groaning as she dragged a hand down her face. She wasn't planning on coming out to her parents today. She could barely process her own feelings.
For a good five minutes, they sat there. In a couch near the armchair where her dad was peacefully sleeping. Her mom paced in front of them, her mind boggled with all the questions and the fact that her sister-in-laws were right. Sensing the tension, Eddie the menace, has decided to speak up first.
"Mrs. Knight," he started, attempting to charm the older woman, "before you say anything—"
"Oh, I’m gonna say a lot, Eddie Brock," she snapped. She was on full name basis now. "Starting with how long has this been going on?!"
Her daughter groaned, throwing her back to sink on the couch, rubbing her temples like she was about to endure the worst lecture of her life while covering her face with a throw pillow. She refuses to meet her mom's eyes.
While Eddie was enjoying every second of it.
"Depends on what you mean by ‘this.’ If you mean the actual confession, that happened, oh, about five minutes ago."
Making Izzy smack his head using the throw pillow she's been using to shield her face.
Mrs. Knight was not amused, and narrowed her eyes on them. "And before that?"
Izzy was silently praying to every known god that Eddie would be smart enough to lie. Please let him have functioning brain just for this second. Please God. Please.
"Oh, years."
"EDDIE!" Izzy yelled and launched the pillow at his face.
Oh my. Beth was right.
"You mean to tell me," her mom muttered, voice dangerously calm, "that I have been living with this under my roof?"
"If it helps, Mrs. Knight, you’ve been an excellent mother-in-law this whole time."
The older woman was too stunned to speak, just looking at them like they had the audacity to be this calm. Meanwhile, Isobel just wanted to throw herself out of the window when her dad stirred on his chair, awakened by the noise around him.
Good fucking luck, Eddie Brock.
He was still alive. But it was 2AM and Eddie Brock was driving back to his apartment using Mr. Knight's pick up truck.
The old man's terms were simple. He is not about to stay there and continue their affair, not until he settles everything with Anne because the former military man refuses to have his one and only beloved daughter become a professional mistress. By all means, he had to do it right.
And that also means, properly ending things with his Anne. The woman he also loved.
Eddie halted the truck on his usual parking space just infront of their apartment building. He looked up the windows and saw that the lights were off. She was probably asleep. It was the third night since she invited Carl over, and the place has never felt more distant to his heart. He lived here for years, yet for some reason, it felt like it wasn't his home anymore.
Before he drove there, he finally checked her messages. Anne sent a lot. From guilty, longing, begging, to disbelief, anger, disgust, curses, all range of emotions he would considered as valid. He did cheat on her. That was a piece of history he could never change. Until he saw her last message that she sent a couple of hours before he came back to their apartment—Anne sent his father away and wanting him to come home so they could talk. Properly.
He used his keys to enter their shared space. It was clean, though some of his father's empty beer bottles have been evidently piled around the trash bin, it did not look like Anne messed up the place. His legs moved to check their bedroom, there she was just as he predicted, sleeping.
Choosing her, stopping his affair with his best friend, and just proceeding with his life like nothing happened was surely the easy way out.
But easy does not necessarily mean happy.
He could've married her in a couple of months since all wedding preparations have been settled and paid for. The invitations were already sent months ago. Catering, flowers, cake, his tuxedo, her wedding dress, the wedding rings—all are ready to go. Stable and convenient. Eddie imagined it all happening and in every scenario, it ends up with him being miserable and longing for the same person he'd always wanted his entire life.
"Annie." He brushed his hands softly along her arms, waking her up.
Her eyes squinted, seeing his blurry figure at first. Blinking a few more times later, she realized her fiancé was there. In the flesh. Standing beside their bed.
"You're home." she faintly called out, smiling.
"No, Annie." he gently shook his head, returning the faint smile. "I'm here to make things right... and apologize."
Eddie did love her. He made that clear when they started talking like proper adults in their dining table over a cup of coffee. Neither of them would be sleeping anytime soon anyway and this conversation has been long overdue. Anne was a smart woman. A lawyer.
She already knew she lost this case.
Still, that did not stop her from asking all the questions that has been running through her mind. Was the problem her? Was it something she did that pushed him to cheat? Was he ever truly there? And he answered that straight up. He did not try to defend himself nor justify what he did.
"I love her, Annie. The biggest mistake I have ever done was not to fight for it. Dragged you into this mess when I knew she was still lingering somewhere in my mind." Eddie said, not looking at her. "I know what I did what unforgivable. I don't expect anything from you. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry I hurt you."
Anne knew that for the first time in months, Eddie Brock was being honest with her. But that does not change the fact that her heart is shattered into pieces she had no idea how to rebuild. She was made a fool by the man she loved and she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with.
Honesty was the least that he could do for ruining everything between them.
She made sure he knew how deeply it hurt her. How she sleeps every night dreaming that things were finally okay between them. How she dreams of marrying him and waking up with a sharp stabbing pain in her chest. How she dreamt that the reality she was in was just a nightmare she just woke up in.
How the existence of Isobel Knight had put her intro shreds.
"Do you know what’s worse than catching you in a lie, Eddie?" she muttered coldly. "Whenever I close my eyes, I will always remember how you lived in it. I would remember how you stood next to me every day like you weren’t thinking about someone else the second I looked away."
Anne finally stood.
"Tell me honestly," she muttered, crossing her arms, standing right in front of him, "was it ever going to be me, Eddie?"
Eddie looked up to her with his jaw tight, his pulse thrumming at her question. She shook her head and scoffed, watching him fail to answer immediately.
"Give me the truth, Eddie. Everything is broken anyway."
He exhaled hard, swallowed, and said,
"No."
Anne nodded in defeat, pursing her lips as she held back her tears but failed anyway. She cried. And that was the moment Eddie felt every ounce of her heartbreak, because for all the time he had spent pretending, for all the months of carefully balancing the lie, it all came down to this.
It was done.
"That’s all I needed to hear." she said, wiping her tears away.
When Eddie left that night, Izzy had a long talk with her parents. It was not your typical "who's the lucky man our daughter had chosen?" conversation since they knew the guy she loved.
For the hundredth time, they raised him.
Skipping all the getting to know part and whether or not they liked the man, and straight to "Are you serious?" , "Have you two lost your goddamn minds?!" , "When are you planning to tell us?" , "Did you realize that he was in a committed relationship before you started another one of your madness, Isobel?!".
Her parents rarely yelled nor scolded her despite the well-known fact that she's an instigator. They brushed it off sometimes as her being bored as an only child, or being raised too comfortably that's why she had to seek out trouble. However, this wasn't a mere prank on someone like egging their windshields or wrapping their house in toilet paper... Their daughter whom they loved so much was a mistress. What Izzy did not realize until then was how it broke both of her parent's heart to know she did such an awful thing.
And Izzy apologized. Climbed on her parent's bed and hugged the both of them, sobbing her heart out. Not just play pouting to get her way, but a genuine cry. Feeling sorry for disappointing them because of her choices, but she made it clear that she truly loves Eddie. She loved him so much and hoped that they would see past what they did, stating that more than anyone else, she only needed their approval.
Of course, Mr. Knight was the first one to say yes. He only wanted his little girl to be happy, and Eddie makes her more than just that. Her mom followed, saying she was honestly starting to worry when her aunties expressed how her daughter can barely maintain a guy. As any mothers would think, she worried that when the time comes that they are no longer in this world, she'd have no one.
Despite her mom's initial reaction, she was relieved that Eddie would always take care of her daughter.
Izzy's parents saw them grow up together, cry together, fight each other, study, play, laugh, make jokes, be each other's confidante, and love each other in a way that's pure and burning brightly.
Not long after, they heard the familiar hum of her dad's truck from the driveway as he pulled up in front of the mansion. Eddie killed the engine, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he stepped out of the truck. All of his things were stuffed at the back. His heart pounded in his chest, a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, but there was a quiet determination in the way he stepped forward.
The front door creaked open before he even had the chance to be near it. Izzy ran from her parents' room and stepped out, her messy hair tied back with exhaustion evident under her eyes but it was nothing to the breathless relief that washed over her face when she saw him a few steps down.
“Hey, Knight,” he said. “Can I crash here tonight? If you’ll take me.”
This dumbass.
She just let out an incredulous laugh, tears forming in her eyes as she shook her head. Then, without warning, she bolted down the steps toward him in her bare feet.
“Idiot,” she murmured through a chuckle as she threw herself into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist like they had countless times before. Eddie stumbled slightly but caught her with ease, his arms anchoring her against him, naturally kissing her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and the familiar warmth of her body against his felt like home.
Eddie Brock.
Izzy cupped his face with her hands, her thumbs brushing the rough stubble on his jaw. She looked at him like he was the only person in the world. Then, she leaned in and kissed him deeply. Eddie responded instantly, his hand lifted her up higher as he held her closer.
This was it.
They're not just best friends anymore.
When they finally broke apart, their foreheads pressed together, Izzy couldn’t help the mischievous smile that curved her lips. “Sorry, Brock. The house is full tonight.”
Eddie arched an eyebrow, his smile mirroring hers. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because,” she said, her voice dropping to a playful whisper as she leaned in, “some idiot just happened to finally use his brain, and he’ll be staying there.”
He let out a surprised laugh, his grin spreading wide as he shook his head. “Sounds like a pain in the ass.”
“Oh, buddy. You have no idea,” Izzy teased and kissed him again.
Unbeknownst to them, her parents stood by their bedroom window upstairs, watching the scene unfold. Her dad muttered something about not wanting to see that, while her mom swatted his arm, a knowing smile on her face. “Let them be,” she whispered. “It’s been a long time coming.”
A/N: YOU STILL THERE? YOU HAPPY NOW? 😭 cuz I am and idk if its bc they finally said it after fucking 100x or its because the next chapter wraps it all up. 😭 my messages are open for questions and everything under the sun. I seriously don't want to let go of them but every beginning has its end. Can't make a slow burn material with regards to the fucking but emotionally, it was a very very long ride. 😂 Let's see our babies in a short 3-part (here we go again with the false promises, then it becomes more 🙈) prequel (or bits of sequel) of DWAH soon! 😩❤️ my heart is so full. THANK YOU ALL!
"Tragic. We could never work." HELPPP I LOVE THEM SO DAMN MUCH
And the way she calls him big guy??? I’ll never get over it 🥲 it’s always such a pleasure to read your works, I can’t believe it’s coming to the END #irefuse
Fuck I loved that chapter so much
Because ehem Eddie Brock is a BIG GUY 🥵 and Izzy could attest to that! 😂 Thank u for the love, boo! 🥰🙈❤️
