* ʷᵉ'ʳᵉ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ —

“ well, you seem like you got more going for you than a lot of the people around here . . . ” sure, most of them were trying to do some good ; that’s why they were here, but it didn’t take long for eddie to realize that there were plenty of people in the mansion with pasts as complicated or dark as his own. eddie was under the impression, for all it was worth, that lois was one of the good ones. he vocalized his agreement with her next sentiment with nothing more than a gruff ‘ mhm ’. someone as good as him at working their way around the rules shouldn’t have much trouble bending to the needs of a situation ( he hoped ). “ i think he’s a little worse for wear on all fronts. ” the words came out matter-of-factly, like they were the only thing he was sure of in the situations ( which he had now deemed an exercise with the soul purpose of making him look completely incompetent ). “ doubt we got any spare puppy food randomly laying around though. they can eat rice, right ? i think i saw that in a movie or something once . . . we gotta have something we can feed the poor thing. ” 

eddie let out a sigh of relief with the discovery that he had some sort of help. the closest he’d ever come to having a pet was when he stole a neighborhood cat as a child, only for the praise that would come with ‘finding’ ( returning ) it later — which made it safe to say nurturing wasn’t a strong suit of his. and being stuck in 1974 meant he didn’t have the power to google all the answers he needed. “ you’re a saint ! ” he called after her as she briefly departed, making faces at the puppy as he waited for her return. he gave an amused huff at her last remark; 'good reporter’ wasn’t exactly how most would describe him. “ adapting is usually the big guy’s thing these day’s, but i think i’ll be able to manage. ” given the puppy’s shivering, it was easy to deduce what the towel she brought was meant for. untucking the tiny black canine from the crook of his arm, he held him out with two hands, ready to hand him off. “ you wanna do the honors ? ” a tiny bit of discomfort settled into him, whether that was due to his unfamiliarity with the situation, or to his recent revelation of the ( sometimes ) dog-eating nature of his other, he was still unsure.

knuckles rapped on the door anxiously as eddie rested a tiny black and white puppy in his opposite arm. “ you know anything about dogs ? ” were his first words when he was greeted by another face, forgoing a real ‘hello’. “ it was outside in the cold. looked like its mom was hit by a car… ” his gaze lowered to the animal, offering it a scratch underneath the chin ( earning a delighted squeak from the dog ). “ i’ve never had a puppy ; know about as much about taking care of one as i do about delivering a baby, but i couldn’t just leave it. ”

        it wasn’t a rarity for sleep to make itself a stranger to eddie, which was why he now stood in the kitchen of the mansion, nursing a cup of coffee ( generously spiked with chocolate syrup for his other ). he doubted he was the only one awake in the house; it wasn’t that late after all, and insomnia seemed to be contagious between the residents. but his fleeting moment of quiet solitude was appreciated — up until it was interrupted by another presence, and an unfamiliar voice drowning out the quiet hum of the refrigerator. eddie was silent for a beat after her request, looking the woman over in an inquisitive nature, before letting out a gruff “ uh yeah... here ya go. ” and tossing the can in question to the lady. he was entirely unsure whether her sunny disposition was a needed pick-me-up or more unsettling in nature, but it was matched with something resembling a friendly smile as he brought the mug of overly-sweet warm liquid to his lips. “ how’s that supposta help you’re hair ? ” clueless.

for eddie, working out was always an easy way to clear his mind. even before getting involved with the world of heroes and villains ( and alien symbiotes ), it was a way to blow off steam, to tune the world out for a moment. sharing a body with a blood thirsty creature made the need to do that more and more prevalent. he hadn’t been in the room for long before the unfamiliar woman spoke up, only having a chance to catch a glimpse of the end of her — seemingly rage-fueled — workout. he let out a ‘ hmph ’ at her remark. “ noted... just remind me to stay on your good side, so i don’t ever end up on the receiving end of that. ” 

        “ reporter, huh? ” eddie visibly perked up at the statement, interested in meeting someone in the mansion who he may have something in common with. “ me ? uh — same thing actually. used to be anyways. now i got a uh parasite, share my body with an alien as crazy as that sounds. ” he let out a quiet chuckle, trying to diffuse the uncomfortable air he felt with the last admission.                                 n͝ơt͢ a ̨pa̸r̷a̡s͝it͏e̸, eḑdie͢.̛ iņt̀erd̛e̷pęn҉d̕ȩnt́. a shake of his head acted as an attempt to dispel his other’s voice in his head. “ so if you’re just a reporter, how’d ya get mixed up in alla this ? ”

hearing the word hope in as much as the vicinity of edward brock was almost laughable — which is why he let out a wry chuckle at her words. all he could offer in reply was a shrug, a subtle shake of his head, and a, “things ‘round here might surprise ya ‘s all i’m saying...” eddie was never an optimist, and he wasn’t one for false hope, but his words felt true enough that he could say them with some semblance of conviction. “so what’s your deal anyways? you a mutant or somethin’?”

“sure sounds a lot like sulking...” there was no malice intended behind the words. however, that didn’t keep them from sounding entirely rude. but eddie was nothing if not familiar with the pain of being away from those you loved; he’d merely gotten used to it by now. his tone softened to something only a little less harsh — a normal tone for him. “’dunno if i know of this clark guy. but if he’s anything like the rest of us i’m sure he’ll make his way back sooner or later.”