evolve - symbrock

11

"this isn't gonna go well" eddie thought anxiously to himself.

in one hand the man clenched a pad, and in the next a pen. he nervously twirled it about whilst still keeping up a calm demeanor. how the reporter managed to keep such a neutral expression when his mind was swarming with a million different inquiries, he didn't quite know. he didn't have to worry, however, as a familiar voice boomed from within his head. "in and out, remember in and out."

"hey, i told you that" eddie tugged at his lip, "it's not me that im worried about."

he sipped his coffee quick enough to burn his tongue, but he didn't really seem to care. eddie had been sitting at this barely operational coffee shop for a mere fifteen minutes before his mind started to plague him with complaints. for some ungodly reason, the man had concluded that meeting with someone who claimed to have witnessed a "big black alien" chomping down on a mans skull in a quaint convenience store was perfectly fine. this individual, whom up until this point had gone by the name "darcy," was nothing but a paycheck to eddie. he'd sit, ask his questions, and then retreat to the safety of his apartment to spit out a thousand or so words on the incident. regardless, the man sat and wondered why the world aligned so exactly to get him in this seat at this exact moment, ready to converse with someone spouting some nonsense on how the aliens are coming to get us.

venom let out a small growl. "they're here..." the voice lingered in their hosts ears.

"hi! you're eddie brock, right? i mean—uh—i know you're eddie brock, i just—" the man stuttered over his words.

"yep, im eddie brock." eddie stood to shake the other mans hand. as he arose from the cheap cafe seats, he looked him up and down. he was adorned in a basic pair or jeans and a light blue shirt that complimented his caramel skin well. "you must be darcy."

the two sat in unison, gazes never leaving each other. eddie could hear a small grunt from his boyfriend, which earned him a small pet on the thigh from their host.

the other man dryly chuckled. "i—well, uh...my names not darcy. i can't let my family know im—uh—talking about little green men in the sky, you understand? i think it's best to keep my—uh—name out of it, huh?" he spat out quickly.

it took eddie a second to register what he had just heard, but he gave a nod in response regardless. the man continued to blabber on as eddie pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened his voice memos. he waved it in the mans direction. "do you mind?" he motioned to the record button.

"oh—no, not at all..." the man gave an obviously fake smile. for someone who reached out to eddie, he seemed like he rather be doing anything else.

"he is weird." eddie unfortunately had to agree. for a seasoned and well accomplished reporter, eddie had seen his fair share of crazy. every time he thought the person he was interviewed was strange, he instantly reminded himself of the times he had to chat with crackheads and drug lords and even carlton drake. if he was being completely honest with himself, he had no right to accuse anyone of being weird. this was the same man who jumped into a fish tank and took a chunk of a live lobster, got stabbed through the chest and survived, and worst of all, was now engaging in romantic relationship with the same alien who ate human heads for fun. "i am not the worst one, you were an idiot before you met me" eddie gave his thigh a squeeze.

notes readied, eddie began the conversation carefully. "now, you say you saw—"

"an alien. a big, black alien in mrs. chens convenience store in china town. fuck—uh—i forgot the name..." he fidgeted about in his seat.

"it's okay, i—uh—think i know it." eddie raised the notebook to his eye level, hoping to mask his discomfort. he, however, could never seem to catch a break.