evolve - symbrock

12

eddie took one solid glance into the restaurants foggy glass window before concluding he looked abysmal. despite attempting to fix his crumpled up shirt and ill-fitting slacks, he still still felt like shit.

the man took a glimpse—once again—into the not-so-reflective surface to adjust his top button. his face twisted violently into a frown; he hated everything about this night.

if it hadn't been for his stupid heart eyes and anxious acceptance of everything vee said, he wouldn't have agreed to let anne help their relationship. even worse, he didn't expect anne to agree to help. in spite of only sending anne that brief text that went along the lines of, "hey, double date?" she just had to say yes. eddie feared it was simply just to gawk or poke fun at their bond, but his ex had taken the time to actually make a pep-talk phone call prior to this date.

"so..." eddie whimpered into the cellphone.

he could feel the frustration radiating through the call. "so, we'll meet at freddies at eight, ok? be. on. time." he could sense she was already prepared to hang up the phone and leave to the helpless man to his own devices.

"wait!!" he pathetically screeched, "don't you wanna...uh....well, what's the plan??" he cocked his brow, yet he was the only one around to see it.

"plan?? there's no plan. i show up with dan, and you two get to do whatever it is you do, got it? just don't—don't make it like last time, please?" her voice sounded like crumpled paper, undoubtedly being interrupted by the bustling city streets.

eddies ears perked up. "huh??"

"the lobsters, eddie. remember? you took a chunk out of one, the shell and everything." eddie rolled his eyes.

with his hand already placed above the "end call" button, eddie blurted out a bit of reassurance of his civility and hung up. now it was ten-to-eight, and eddie stood alone on the sidewalk, nervously adjusting the plastic fixings on his sleeves and fiddling with his hands until a familiar car pulled up to the valet. as soon as he heard a high-heel crack on the pavement, his heart sunk. this dinner was sure to be a catastrophe. he was so caught up in his thoughts that it didn't even register with him when they were hurried to their tables, not a word yet to be uttered besides some small greetings. once seated, however, the silence between the group become unfathomable.

dan was the first to break the ice. "so...how did—uh—you and, uh—"

"venom?" eddie completed his question.

dan nodded awkwardly. "yeah—uh—how did you two meet??" anne hunched over, forehead already resting in her palms. just as he thought, an utter disaster.

"well—uh—at the life foundation...they, kinda—uh—killed my friend...and forced her to attack me...but then they saved me, so it's cool" he stuck his nose into menu, praying that the waiter would arrive soon and ease the agony that was this conversation. if dan opened his mouth one more time, eddie was sure vee would eat him from the inside, out. "don't give me any ideas." eddie gave a small slap to his thigh, a signal that had come to mean shut up. regardless of his pleas, the alien crept along their boyfriends legs and arms and eventually exposed themself on eddies fingers. the man knew venom, for some unknown reason, wanted to be very present.

dans mouth opened slightly, and already eddie was prepared to abandon ship. sure, the man was only trying to be nice—which was incredibly surprising considering the rather unorthodox circumstances—but when it pertained to something so unexplainable, it just made all the poking and prodding even more unbearable.

despite eddies unheard cries, dan continued to speak. "i didn't hurt it, did i?"

"huh?" eddie was caught off guard, mind already teeming with escape plans.