[Something short and sweet for my symbrock muse (hope I'm not out of line for saying that 😅) @ask-symbrock based on their most recent post. 🥺]
It had been a while since Eddie was in a festive mood.
After their whole Halloween outing, they were back on the run, hopping from state to state —sometimes, from country to country, depending on their mood. They went wherever the "Lethal Protector" was needed, Eddie begrudgingly accepting the title as it gained traction amongst the media, mostly thanks to V and their apparent knack for publicity.
They were surprisingly good at crafting their public image, something that was sorely needed, given the fact that they were an alien that snacked on human heads for a living.
To be able to find something cheerful to take part in was a welcome distraction for both.
Which was exactly why they might or might not have "borrowed" a Christmas tree from a store close to their current apartment complex.
V had been generous enough to carry it back home.
Of course, that had been on the condition that Eddie would help decorate it, and he would have been an idiot to say no to an offer like that.
While he worked to untangle a string of lights, V was busy doing their own thing. Several tendrils emerged from Eddie's body. One fiddled with the radio station on a busted up stereo, another was busy heating up some hot cocoa, and the final of the trio was working on baking gingerbread cookies.
Eventually, his Other found a station with non-stop Christmas songs, leaving it there as they joyously sang along.
Eddie rolled his eyes at them, but even he joined in with a lighthearted hum, unable to contain his smile.
"Hey, V!" Eddie called out, not that he really needed to. After all, his Other had a front row seat to Eddie’s thoughts, but it was a comfort to be able to speak with them aloud rather than internally. "All I ask for tomorrow is that you act surprised when I give you your gift, okay?"
"Gift?!" V gasped dramatically. "You got me a gift? And here I am. I didn't get you anything!"
"Liar," Eddie chuckled. "You got something shipped to that P.O. box, didn't you?"
"My lips are sealed. I have no clue what you're talking about."
As Eddie wrapped the last line of lights around the tree, he muttered, "Uh-huh."
Plugging them in, he quickly tested them. Only a few didn't work, so he grabbed a few of the spare bulbs to replace them.
Once they were all set, it lit up like a —uh, well, like a Christmas tree!
As the fragrant aroma of cookies and chocolate permeated the apartment, Eddie focused on the tree's finishing touches. Soon enough, it was dressed up in an array of colors, ornaments and garlands of various kinds adorning its frame.
It sparkled, dazzling in its own right.
Stepping back, Eddie tried to dust any excess glitter off his hands and admired his handiwork.
"There," he stated, beaming with pride. "The tree's all set up." Tapping a tendril, the three appendages returned to his body at his silent request, replaced with his Other's face instead. His symbiote appraised the tree at his side, taking it in from top to bottom. "Well, what do you think, V?"
They were silent for a moment, screwing around with Eddie, before suddenly declaring, "It looks good enough to eat!"
How could one compliment cause Eddie to feel such a simultaneous spark of joy and horror.
"No, no, no..." Best to nip that in the bud. The thought of the indigestion alone caused him to shudder in revulsion. "We do not eat tre—"
"I'm gonna eat it!"
Eddie narrowed his eyes at them, pointing at them with a glare.
"Don't."
V huffed.
"What a killjoy," they sighed, but Eddie could thankfully feel their responding amusement. They had only been joking around.
Hopefully.
Of course, they wouldn't be his beloved symbiote if they didn't press their luck.
"Do we get to eat the mistletoe, though?" V teased.
Eddie scoffed.
"Maybe later," he said, noncommittal. V started to take shape beside him, towering over him with their bodies still connected by a multitude of tendrils. They hugged Eddie from behind, idly running their hands over the soft fabric of Eddie's sweater. "You know, the mistletoe does serve other purposes."
V caught on, playing along with glee.
"Really?" they asked, voice rumbling throughout their bodies. "What is that, I wonder?"
"Well," Eddie hummed, "perhaps it would be better if I showed you."
Turning in their arms, Eddie grasped at a stray tendril, dragging V along into the kitchen and dining area.
Above their small table, there dangled one of the very culprits in question.
Reaching out, Eddie cupped V's cheeks, standing up on his tiptoes. While his Other didn't have lips like a human, they covered their teeth enough for Eddie to press a light kiss over where their mouth should be. Eddie lingered yet still pulled away too quickly for V's liking.
In the blink of an eye, V had scooped Eddie up and set him on the edge of the table with ease. Eddie instinctively tossed his arms around broad shoulders, his legs wrapped around his Other’s waist.
V rested his forehead against Eddie's, a soothing hum emanating from their core.
"I love you, Eddie Brock," they murmured, said with much more confident and ease compared to when they first said it.
Eddie swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat, his heart pounding out of his chest.
Even now, even when Eddie was more certain of his feelings and theirs, it was difficult to comprehend that someone actually accepted him —that someone actually loved him, flaws and all.
Eddie leaned in close, took in a deep breath.
"Love you too, V." All at once, his breath left him. He smiled, little webs of black clinging to his fingers. His lips ghosted over V's mouth in a soft tease of a kiss. "Merry Christmas, darling."
"Merry Christmas, Eddie."
With that, they closed the distance between their lips, crashing together into a passionate kiss. V instantly deepened it, eager to explore Eddie’s mouth at his behest. They traced the tip of their tongue along the seam of his lips, trilling low in the back of their throat when Eddie parted them.
Their tongues brushed tentatively against one another at first, right before V's tongue ventured deeper. The dark alien mass emitted an excited, high-pitched squeal. Tiny tendrils caressed every inch of exposed skin that they could reach.
Body and mind merged together. Both of them melted into the comfort of a familiar embrace, unable to distinguish where one of them started and the other ended.
Although Eddie readily succumbed to the flow of their kiss, his Other let him take charge, guiding them through pace and passion.
They clung to each other until the very end. When Eddie finally broke the kiss, he gasped for air, pressed flush against his Other.
V smirked, watching as they dragged their claw down along the outline of Eddie's face.
A shiver raced down his spine.
"On second thought," V stated, "I think that I'll forgo eating the tiny plant. Apparently, it has its benefits."
Eddie barked out a breathless laugh.
"Apparently, so." That was when he got a whiff of an unpleasant odor, wrinkling his nose before he sniffed pointedly at the air. "Uh, V? I think the chocolate is burning."
Their eyes widened.
"Oh, shit!" They rushed into the kitchen, still connected by the thinnest of strands. "Not the chocolate!"
With a shake of his head, Eddie jumped down, helping salvage what they could.
