umbrellajackassery | you can't go home again

Entry tags:

number five/n5

you can't go home again

[ It had been a while since Eddie had been around. It wasn't really intentional, exactly, but time passed and things got more and more Complicated. The Umbrella kids got more Heroic even as they started to splinter, and Eddie mostly just stayed the same. Carved his own way, tried to figure things out on his own, but his particular flavor of Weird wasn't exactly benign. Venom wanted to eat and destroy, no matter how hard he tried to reign it in, and over time they found middle ground, for better or worse.

That, and his chosen career, put him at odds with Peter, because Eddie wasn't allowed to keep nice things. After it came to a head, Eddie opted for a change of scenery; not great for public relations when you end up catching the wrong guy. But it's gotta be better now, right? Must have blown over, and Venom was getting Nostalgic. He'd been on friendly terms with at least some of the Umbrella kids once, maybe there was something of it left.

They went on a patrol once they got there, Eddie because he wanted to see what had changed, Venom because...well. It was hungry. Like always. But Venom stayed inside, at least for the moment, kept to a nagging voice in the back of his head.

Granted, an incredibly annoying voice in the back of his head, but still. ]

HUNGRYYYYYY.

We just got here, V. I'll get you something later, just enjoy being back right now, okay?

ASSHOLE. WE ARE HUNGRY.

In a minute.

[ For now, he lingers around the Academy. Waiting for what, he doesn't really know. Curiosity, maybe? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Charlie had always said, since they were children, that people had an Emotional Thumbprint. Not everyone's emotions ran exactly the same, and even their baseline constant emotions stood out as different. She could tell her siblings apart, just by examining those 'thumbprints', just like she could tell which friend was which. Eddie was one of those handful of people that she could tell were nearby, just by reading emotions.

And oh, how badly his twisted towards the end. Peter and Eddie had been friends, constantly around each other since day one when Peter wasn't running around with Diego, trying to save the day and be heroes. But even Peter and Eddie'd done the hero shit together, until somehow it became competitive and then everything...every stupid thing was some dumb competition. Who was the better photographer? Who could save the person faster?

Who was going to stop Murder Magician first? That one had been the breaking point. That one had ended when Eddie caught the wrong person and Peter found the villain.

There'd been an argument in the foyer that day, Peter and Eddie shouting at each other, Charlie sitting on the front hall stairs with her hands clamped over her ears, soaking up every negative feeling until she hit a breaking point and then...

"SHUT UUUUUUUP!" her shout had echoed through the house, there'd been a telekinetic blast from her that shoved both boys back and away from each other and Charlie'd run from the house, not showing up until a day later when Eddie was officially gone and the house had calmed some.

And now, here Eddie was. Hanging out near her old house. She had half a mind to just march past him and into her home, but she really couldn't. That'd be rude and Charlie, for as much as she doesn't want to like Eddie, wasn't rude. ]

So, how long has it been? How's your uh....friend?

[ His ability was about as terrifying as Bens, but the differences there were Ben hated his abilities. Eddie? Probably not so much. ]

[ He doesn't exactly startle; startling would imply he hadn't been aware of her, and Venom makes very sure that Eddie's aware of a hell of a lot. Constantly. Whether or not he wants to be. Venom had known Charlie was approaching them before Eddie did, muttered about it before she got close enough, but nevertheless "startled" is still mostly how he comes across when she addresses him.

Things had been pretty shitty when he left. Between all of them. He wouldn't have blamed her if she just kept walking, honestly. ]

Oh. Hey! Yeah.

[ He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly as he turns to face her, sheepish over being caught, or...whatever other reason of the moment. ]

A while, I guess. V's good, you know. The usual. Uh. You?

[ That was probably one of a very scant few things Charlie liked about Venom; that he knew of threats and could tell of their surroundings much faster than they could register it. It was certainly helpful when they ran through the city, trying to fight crime and keep people safe.

The other thing she liked? He hated fire. That worked out for her, too.

There's a shift in her weight, from one foot to the other, out of how surreal this situation was. ]

The usual, hmm?

[ That's just not what she wants to think about. ]

Nothing too thrilling. I make money making cosplay videos and selling costumes. Dad died. Ben is...well, I can't say alive again. Apparently, he never actually died...just kinda...got stuck somewhere.

[ A shrug, like this is just not a big deal, but she's lying and keeping her emotions in check. ]

Weird week.

[ Weird? Weird. She's gonna underplay it like that, huh? ]

Also, somehow, there are several Klaus' in the house, one of them about sixteen.

Sorry about your dad. Is that what I'm supposed to say? I mean, I know most of you didn't really like him, so...

[ Yup. Awkward is the name of the game right now, deal with it. ]

Good about Ben though. I think. But...the Klaus thing is gonna need more explanation.

I walked into the house and I could practically see joy and relief floating off of Klaus. Can’t really blame him, though, what with dads idea of ‘training’.

[ Klaus got locked into a mausoleum. Charlie spent hours burning bigger and bigger things with diodes and thermometers attached to her skin and the walls of her training room. Reginald sucked. Charlie doesn’t seem particularly phased that he’s dead. ].

Ben was in a pocket universe. Apparently there was a kid there with him. We got her out a couple days after we got Ben out. Along the way, somehow, we temporarily ripped a hole between universes and time and now we have several of my brother running around. Adapting to all that... [ constant emotional energy from many, many sources ] has left me with a migraine a time or two.

[ Strange individuals lurking around a house are suspicious on principle but when said house contains a grumpy old time traveling hitman, it doesn't bode well for anyone involved.

Sure, Five might not look like much since he was in a 13 year old body, casually munching on a marshmallow-peanut butter sandwich and was wearing shorts. But the way his eyes narrowed at the strange man outside the house when he caught another glimpse of him were not childlike at all.

He teleported to one of the trees outside, sitting on a thick branch and looking down at Eddie as if he's always been there and the man didn't notice. Nothing odd about a little kid playing outside, right? ]

Do you always talk to yourself?

[ Venom rumbles at the sudden appearance of the kid, at least pointing it out before he speaks, but Eddie's still surprised. Granted, Eddie's surprised and startled by a lot in life, but that's not really the point right now. ]

BEHIND YOU.

[ He rolls his eyes at the growling in the back of his mind, but obligingly looks around before locating the kid. ]

Sometimes. Doesn't everybody?

[ Five raises his eyebrows in a practiced way that says 'Okay yea, that's fair'. His only comfort for the last 45 years has been a mannequin, he's not about to start pointing fingers. His next question is said in a much sharper voice. ]

And do you always do that while trying to spy on people? It's not very subtle.

[ What are you here and what do you want?, Five doesn't ask, but his eyes are narrow. ]

[ It's not an easy question to answer, implications or not. SO he shifts back and forth on his feet, and rubs the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable at being called out so quickly. ]

I'm still working on getting a handle on it.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'GETTING A HANDLE ON IT.' EXPLAIN.

[ Eddie huffs, because of course Venom can't make this conversation easy.

So instead he opts to ignore him. ]

I'm not spying on anybody, anyway.

YES WE ARE. WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

Nobody asked you.

[ It's hissed through clenched teeth. Nobody noticed, right? ]

Edited 2019-04-01 13:16 (UTC)

[ Professional assassin here, Eddie. Noticing people before they can go and kill his family or him is what Five does. ]

Obviously.

[ The answer is dry but there's a small layer of amusement. If this man is a hitman from the Commission, then he's not exactly doing an excellent job at it. Five tilts his head to the side, studying Eddie up and down. His expression is that one of long suffering moms that screams 'I am being very patient with you in hopes something will make sense soon even though the bar is literally on the floor'.]

Then what are you doing here? [ Five takes a bite of his sandwich, no point on wasting any good food. ] Share it with the class and maybe we can do something bout it.

Can you maybe come down from off there first? It's a little awkward trying to have a conversation with a kid in a tree.

[ But he doesn't actually wait for that to happen; the kid looks like he means business, and while he also looks like a kid, Eddie also knows all too well that appearances can be deceiving. ]

I used to be friends with some of the kids who lived here. Just got back after being away for a while, figured I'd check it out. Nothing weird or nefarious, I promise.

We weren't allowed to have friends. [ There's a whole lot of bitterness in those simple words because of daddy dearest wasn't exactly one to promote companionship.

Five does get down the tree after that, teleporting himself from the branch to a few feet in front of Eddie in a flash of blue. If the man really knew them as kids, then there's no point in hiding what he can do. His posture is a bit more relaxed, though, as he has a feeling that the man isn't lying. ]

Ok, let's say I trust you. Your name is...?

So you're the one who disappeared.

[ Makes sense. He doesn't blink when the kid teleports, only crosses his arms over his chest and doesn't budge. ]

Eddie Brock. One of you, but not an Umbrella Kid.

Hm...yes. It's complicated.

[ And he's clearly not going to get into details, they're irrelevant now. Besides, a lot of people has trouble believing him and Five hates repeating himself. ]

God, consider yourself lucky for that. [ Sincerity rings in his tone, Eddie dodged a bullet in his opinion. ] My name's Five. Let's get inside, there's more privacy there. Do you want a sandwich?

[ He might as well offer one. Eddie is not longer labeled as an immediate threat but Five wants to keep an eye on him until he can have a chat with his siblings. ]

YES. SANDWICH. WE WOULD LIKE A SANDWICH. MAKE HIM GIVE US A SANDWICH.

What did we say about manners? Stop yelling at me.

[ The words seem to be directed at someone out of the realm of Five's vision; not really as much 'talking to himself' as Eddie claimed. Deep breath. Of course he's going to accept the sandwich; never argue with a hungry Venom. But that doesn't mean he's going to just take the symbiote's demands. ]

Nice to meet you. A sandwich sounds great.

[ Five can tell the difference, that with seeing his brother Klaus do a similar thing before Ben returned from the land of the not-quite-dead. ]

Do you see ghosts too? [ It would explain Eddie's odd behavior, answering to someone who isn't visible. ] Welcome. Just, follow me.

[ Maybe after getting into the house it would have been more polite to stay in the living room but Five wanted to get himself some coffee and he has offered food, so the kitchen it is. There's also a lot more sharp things for him to grab and use in there if things turn sour. ]

Which one of my siblings you were friends with? the house has gotten quite crowded lately.

Nah, I've just got Venom.

JUST?!? YOU TAKE THAT BACK, EDDIE, WE ARE NOT 'JUST' ANYTHING.

You know I didn't mean it like that, V. Relax.

[ He follows Five without complaint, looking around the space, all the ways it's different and completely the same all at once. ...granted, he's probably not as welcome there as Five might assume, but hey. That's a conversation for later. ]

It's kind of like Ben's thing but I've got it all the time. And it's a talker. But, uh. I was friends with Charlie.

You've got poisoned? [ Five blinks at him in confusion, for once the way he acts and his body matching. He looks so much like a kid when he's not acting driven by wariness. ]

Ah..ok, that makes a little more sense. I think Charlie is out but she should be back home soon.

[ She's gone to buy more fabric for the clothes she sews, Five's not fully sure. From all his siblings, she's one of the few who can take care of herself. Truly a miracle in this family. ]

Do you want coffee too? [ Five is space jumping around the room, grabbing all he needs to make the sandwich and then filling himself a mug already. ]

Oh, okay. Yeah, that's...fine.

[ Not like he knows how exactly she's going to take it anyway. Might just kick him out, and it's not like he could really blame her for that.

But anyway.

With Five putting his abilities on blatant display, Venom gets a little restless; he doesn't try to fight for control or anything, but he does snake a tendril out to investigate, winding down and around Eddie's arm towards the countertop. ]

Coffee sounds good, yeah.

[ Five finishes his own sandwich, drinks a whole cup of coffee and the serves Eddie his own in a black mug with the logo of a white umbrella in it. The kid has a particular kind of nervous energy to him that has nothing to do with the caffeine he consumes, staying idle it's clearly not something Five enjoys doing unless he's spying on someone. He washes his hands before grabbing the ingredients he needs to make a new sandwich and then eyes Eddie. ]

You're not one of Charlie's ex, are you? [ Because if he is, her sister might not like it and her voice will do the high pitched things it does when she's annoyed.

It's only when the black tendril slides down the countertop that Five notices, eyes widening slightly. He pauses for a second, a slice of bread in one hand and a knife with butter in the other....and then slides a marshmallow in the direction of the tendril to see if something will happen. ]

[ A chuckle slips free at the question, like it's a ridiculous question to ask, but then it's not like Five would know, is it. ]

Nah, we're just friends, never got any further than that.

[ Eddie looks towards the marshmallow, but Venom's more interested in it than he is, especially when it's pretty clearly moved towards it. The tendril reaches further and further, creeping down arm and across the countertop, and when it gets close enough a bulb forms on the end. The bulb grows, large enough to accommodate a pair of eye spots and a large maw that opens, revealing a row of long, sharp teeth and a prehensile tongue that rolls out to scoop up the marshmallow. ]

TASTY. GIVE US MORE.

[ Eddie's words about not being Charlie's ex-register but he gets quickly distracted by the creature spreading out of the man.

To Five's credit, his eyes widen again and he looks taken aback because woah, that's a lot of teeth, but that is the extent of his freak out. Four decades in a post-apocalypse hellscape and some years as a time-traveler hitman left him a little numb when it came to weird things. ]

That's...really impressive. Ben's tentacles never spoke. [ His eyes go to Eddie's face briefly but quickly return to Venom. From the two, it's clear to the boys which one is the most dangerous. He snatches the whole bag of marshmallows and pushes it close to Venom. Not too close, though, he likes all his fingers, ok. ]

Bon appetit. Do you have a name?

WE ARE THE WHOLE, NOT ONLY PART.

[ Another tendril reaches out down the arm from under Eddie's sleeve and tugs the bag within easy reach, starts plucking a few free to eat while Eddie rolls his eyes at the theatrics. ]

THEY NEED CRUNCH. WE ARE VENOM.

Okay. That's...very cool. [ Congrats Eddie and Venom, it's not every day that Five is left so inarticulate. He shouldn't be, he's known since forever that powers manifest in all sort of ways but this is both freaky and neat. ] Hello, Venom.

[ At the demand of something crunchy, Five gives up completely in his attempt at finishing the sandwich and leaves the peanut -butter jar next to the black blob that is Venom's head.

Attention going to Eddie, Five looked like he had a million questions but the one that finally gets past his lips is just; ] Can you both take any shape?

[ Venom sniffs at the jar of peanut butter, and leans forward to better investigate, even if it mostly translates to the tendril forming something like a neck stretching out to accommodate. His tongue lolls out to swipe at its contents, alternating between peanut butter and marshmallow, perfectly content for the moment. ]

Just him, I'm stuck permanently human-shaped, unfortunately. He's more of an amorphous blob, so he can do whatever he wants, shape-wise.

You're far from home, aren't you?

[ Never mind the fact that the person this voice belongs to is also very far from home. Standing outside the door of the Umbrella academy, about to go for a run, Lara couldn't stop herself from saying something to the familiar face.

There's a brunette nearby that knows you, Eddie. Sort of. They've met once or twice for interviews and unlike the others? She's okay with him being here, even if she doesn't know the history of him and people in this place. ]

Vacation? Business?

[And, very much so teasing because she's not at all That Person, her hands going on her hips as she sighs like she just figured out why, a look of mock-annoyance on her face; ]

Are you stalking me?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

you can't go home again

well, let's think of it this way. out of everyone? She's the nicer one to send.

TRUE.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject