#easter fic

Curiosity had gotten the best of you, so you rose up out of bed, reaching out to grab the pastel purple egg from your bedside table. It rattled softly as you picked it up; he went through the trouble of filling these damn things too?

You popped it open to find a Hershey's kiss, as well as a tiny piece of paper that has nothing more than a poorly drawn bunny face on it. You laughed softly to yourself at the sight, unwrapping the candy and popping it into your mouth. Sure, it was 10 in the morning, but you couldn't help yourself.

It's only when you got up out of bed that you spotted the fact that that was not the only plastic egg. In fact, there was a trail of them on the floor, leading out the door into the hall. You almost missed the tiny basket right by the door, wrapped in a ribbon.

Had he been planning this out for a while? What a dork. Your dork.

This was far too cute to ignore. You grabbed the basket, picking up each egg and placing it inside.

You followed the egg trail as it went down the hall, downstairs, and into the living room, leading to Noah as he lounged on the couch, phone in hand. His head perked up, but he didn’t look at you, as if he was trying to pretend he didn’t notice.

“Someone had fun this morning.” You greeted him with that statement, and he couldn’t stop the smile that crept up onto his lips.

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” He kept his eyes glued to his phone. For the frontman of a band who has made some cinematic music videos, he sure was a terrible actor.

“You absolutely know what I'm talking about. When the hell did you buy these eggs?” You shook the basket a little. The eggs made little clattering sounds as they hit against each other.

“I'm as surprised as you are. You should've seen my reaction when the bunny ran through here.”

“The bunny, huh?” This oughta be good.

“Yeah, he told me not to tell you he was here though. So if you find me dead tomorrow after choking to death on jellybeans, you know what to tell the cops.” He couldn’t even try to hold back his laughter as he told his silly little story. Halfway through, he was chuckling through his words, and finally he looked up at you with a stupid grin on his face. 

“Let me guess, the bunny told you to keep the eggs where he hid them so I could find them, too?” You approached him slowly, brow raised in pure amusement.

“Yeah, crazy shit right— ow!” His nose scrunched up as you flicked it with your fingers. Noah's eyes narrowed in a playful glare. “What was that for?!”

“Spill the beans, bunny boy. How many more eggs are there?” You sat yourself on the arm of the couch, looking down at him with an amused smile on your face. His gaze immediately softened as he met your gaze, as if what he wanted out of this endeavor was already achieved.

“How many do you have now?” He reached to pluck the basket from your hands, quietly counting them. “That issss… 12 eggs? There’s 12 more in the backyard, then you get your prize.” 

This alone told you that he absolutely put a lot of thought into this whole little egg hunt thing. After all, it’s Noah Sebastian; he puts 100% into everything he does, even if it’s something cute like this. You’d come to love that about him over the years. Making new music? 100%. Cleaning the house? 100%. Taking care of you when you’re sick? 100%. Playing Easter bunny? 100%.

“Don’t tell me you—”

“The Easter bunny.”

“...The ‘Easter bunny’... got me a basket too.”

“Of course he did. He said you’ve been very good this year.”

“I thought that was Santa’s thing.” You stood up from the arm of the couch, stretching your arms as you prepared for another round of looking for eggs. Never a dull moment, being married to Noah.

“Well, it could be an Easter bunny thing too.” He fell silent for a moment, the gears turning in his brain. “It’s- it- don’t think about it too much, okay? That’s what he told me, don’t shoot the messenger.”

You burst into a fit of laughter, bending down to press kiss to his lips, which he happily reciprocated. Noah rose from the couch, but rather than stretch along with you, he was already walking elsewhere.

“You go head to the backyard, I’ll be there in a sec.”

“Where are you going?” You tilted your head, watching as he was already halfway down the hall. 

“I have to pee so fucking bad, it’s not even funny.”

“Why didn’t you go to the bathroom sooner?”

“I didn’t want to risk going to the bathroom if you were going to be up any minute! Then you would've come down here to an empty couch!” His voice grew more and more muffled as he descended down the hall, yelling his explanation to you as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

“You're a dumbass!” You called back.

“You love it!”

There’s a dozen eggs in your backyard.

You hadn’t done an Easter egg hunt since you were a kid, and quite frankly you didn’t think it was going to be nearly as fun as it was. Dressed in your pajamas, hair unbrushed, equipped with only a basket of colorful eggs, you began your search. You walked in circles around the yard as Noah watched you, a cup of coffee in his hands that he sipped on as he observed. The smile hadn’t left his face since you came downstairs, and it most certainly wasn’t going anywhere now.

“That’s one!” You called out as you found your first egg, holding it up triumphantly. 

“That’s my girl! 11 more to go!” He called back, sitting himself down on, you guessed it, the hammock. Noah had eagerly insisted that it should be put back up in the springtime, and one look into his excited puppy dog eyes made you cave and agree. 

“Make that 10!” You responded about two minutes later, holding up your second egg before placing it in your basket. 

“Who knew you were so good at finding things?” Came his response, his foot planted on the ground as he gently swayed himself on the hammock.

“You did! I’ve found your keys so many times it’s not even funny!” You gave him a look over your shoulder, and he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, well…” He had nothing to say to that one, so he shut his mouth.

The next 30 minutes continued like this, you announcing each egg you found and him giving you words of praise in return. Admittedly, you thought at first he hadn’t hidden the eggs very well, but now that you were at 2 eggs left, you were totally stumped. You had to give him credit, he’d put some serious work into this.

“You stuck?” Noah asked as he approached, noticing the way you’d started wandering aimlessly in search of your last two eggs. You turned around to face him.

“Yeah, I didn’t take you for a master at hiding eggs. You got me.” You admitted as you knelt down in the grass, counting out all of the eggs just in case you were off in number. 

“Well, of course the Easter bunny is something of a natural.” He struck a stupid little confident pose, hand on his hip as he basked in the ego boost. He laughed as you muttered “fuck off” under your breath in response. “I see an egg, though. I know where it is.”

“You do? Where?” You snapped your head up, standing up straight in an effort to follow his eyes to the location of it. Unfortunately for you, he immediately looked away. 

“You have to find it, that’s the rule.” He shrugged, moving to take a step back. 

“Oh, come on! Least you can do is help me find it. Please?” Noah had puppy dog eyes that could make you agree to just about anything, sure, but so did you. You made sure to really play it up while you were at it, batting your eyelashes and even putting on a little pout. 

“Okay, fine, don’t look at me like that!” He laughed, admittedly not putting up much of a fight to resist. It was you, after all. How could he ever resist you? “Right now, you’re pretty warm.”

Hot and cold system it was, then. You nodded, turning around and taking a few steps forward.

“Warmer.”

You walked even further forward, then took a step to the left.

“Colder.”

To the right?

“There you go, warmer. Almost got it, babe.”

You felt silly, taking these short steps, but by now you’d stopped worrying so much about acting like an adult. This was fun, the most fun you’d had in quite some time, and you could spend hours hunting for these stupid little eggs if it meant spending quality time with your husband.

“You’re hot! You’re so hot!” He suddenly exclaimed, nodding at you encouragingly. “In more ways than one! You’re like right there!”

“Where? Where!?” You looked around quickly, your hair hitting you in the face as you frantically searched your immediate area for the egg. “You’re fucking with me on purpose! It’s not even here!” 

“Look up.”

You slowly lifted your head, and that’s when you spot it in the tree, well hidden around the spring flowers. A damn good hiding spot. You reached up, grabbing it and putting it in your basket in a dramatic way, as if throwing a basketball into a hoop.

“We have an egg hunt champion right here, and it’s my wife!” Noah jogged up to you, wrapping his arms around you and lifting you off the ground in a hug. You screeched like you always did, terrified he’d drop you despite knowing he would never let that happen. Only a few moments later, he sets you back down gently. “C’mere, check out what I got you.”

Noah took your hand in his, interlocking your fingers as he took you to the little outdoor table set, where a basket of goodies sat in one of the seats. He pulled it up and set it on the table. From what you could see, it was full of snacks and candies, a rabbit stuffed animal, a hoodie, and a white headband with bunny ears on top.

“Oh my god, this is so cute… all this for me?” You were overjoyed by the sight of it, digging through the basket of treats eagerly to see everything that was inside. Everything you enjoyed was here, and the hoodie was something you put on immediately after taking it out of the basket. The cool morning breeze was starting to make you shiver.

“Of course it’s all for you. Do you like it?” Noah stood beside you, fixing the hood of the hoodie for you, then planting a kiss on the side of your head.

“I love it, are you kidding me? This was so much fun, too! You didn’t have to go through all this trouble, if I’d known you were doing this I would’ve made you a little basket!” A kiss on the side of the head was not nearly enough for you in terms of affection, which didn’t surprise him in the slightest. You wrapped your arms around him and he held you, resting his chin on your head.

“I got what I wanted out of this, don’t worry.” Noah spoke softly, and a silence hung in the air after he said that.

Every time he had something personal to share, or a feeling to express, the emotion would hang in the atmosphere, and it would take a few moments for him to muster up the courage to talk about it.

You never pressured him to open up, never demanded he elaborate any further on anything, so just like every other time, you simply waited in silence. Even if he wouldn’t say anything at all.

This time, he did.

“You know how I am with holidays like these. But the last thing I wanted was to be bitchy and crabby all day, so… I figured I’d do this for you. I’m happy when you’re happy.” He breathed out a sigh, looking down at you with that soft gaze you’d grown to understand was only for you. “So I got what I wanted.” Noah’s smile wavered, as if there were still a wave of emotions he was keeping to himself.

“I’m proud of you.” You smiled back up at him, and he nodded, not able to get the words of thankfulness out of his mouth. “I’m glad you did this. I had so much fucking fun, too. I mean, shit, I guess egg hunts never get old.” 

“Good,” Noah let out another sigh, perhaps of relief, “I’m glad. Maybe this’ll have to be a tradition for us. Our special little Davis family tradition.” His tone held a bit of pride at the mention of a ‘Davis family tradition’. Ever since you two got engaged, he was attached to the idea of you both being a family, of merely having something he could call a family of his own.

“Sounds like a plan.” You agreed, reaching over to the basket to grab the bunny ear headband. You placed it on his head, stepping out of his arms to admire your work.

“What’re you-” Noah reached up to touch the ears on his head, raising a brow at you. “These are supposed to be for you, that’s why they’re in your basket.”

“Oh, but you’re the Easter bunny, aren’t you? You said so yourself, Mr. ‘Easter bunny is something of a natural’.” You did a poor mimicry of his voice, flexing your arms and puffing out your chest.

“...Yeah, I guess I did say that. Fine, whatever.” He rolled his eyes, though judging by his smile you knew he didn’t mind. After all, it was making you happy.

“You look adorable. Look at you! Maybe I should start calling you Noah Bunbastian.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Noah Sebunstian?”

“No.”

“I got it.” You stepped back once more, a mischievous grin on your face. “Nobun Sebunbun!”

“You’re just making it worse!” He plucked the headband off of him, shaking his head so his hair would fall back in place. He held it out to you expectantly. “Don’t think I’m cut out for this bunny life. No reason to be the Easter bunny if I have something sweeter than candy right in front of me.”

“You are so fucking corny.” You took the headband from him, putting on the bunny ears.

“You looove it.”

“I do, unfortunately.” You let out a dramatic sigh, before once more pulling him closer. “And I love you. Thank you for this, really. I’m so happy I get to do things like this with you.”

“I love you too, more than anything.” Noah cupped your cheek with a hand, his thumb stroking your skin as if he were worried you’d shatter like porcelain. You two basked in the moment as the sun shone down upon you, as if the world itself was observing the happy life you and your husband shared.

“Only 23.” But something was still on your mind.

“...What?” He blinked at you in confusion.

“The eggs. I only collected 23 of them. So we should probably grab the last one before we go in. You know where it is, right?” You’d assumed that he just got too excited and wanted to give you your basket. He could be like a golden retriever sometimes, it wouldn’t be the first time he spoiled a surprise for you.

He just stared back at you, not saying a single word.

“...Noah. You know where the last egg is, right?” You repeated, slower.

“...Um... yes?”

“Oh my fucking god, you don’t know where it is.” You pulled away from him, covering your face with your hands as you began laughing all over again. Noah’s face was red with embarrassment at the realization that he had completely forgotten about the final egg.

“Well, this backyard isn’t massive! We can find it! C’mon, let’s search together. Stop laughing at me, I’m just one guy! Stop it!” His efforts to make you stop laughing only made it worse as you picked up that little basket of eggs, with him in tow trying to explain away his little mistake.

You both searched for that egg for an hour, figuring that the combined effort would make it easier to find. In the end, neither of you found it, and ultimately gave up the effort in favor of going inside and enjoying the rest of your Easter together.

Neither you nor Noah would find that egg, and would eventually forget about it, until it showed up in October when you raked the leaves in the yard. You’d remember that day as you held it in your hand, and place it on his bedside table for him to find the following morning.

No matter how many times John told you that this was Annette's idea, that they were amicable, and there was nothing to worry about, you couldn't help it. The nerves, as the day grew closer and closer, were eating at you. What if Annette didn't like you? What if you didn't fit into the family? What if you made an absolute fool of yourself?

This could potentially be a make or break meeting. John and Annette had agreed they had to meet the new significant other and, more importantly, approve of them. It was a great plan, really. Make sure that mom and dad are okay with someone else being in Emily's life.

But when it was you the ex-wife was deciding on, it didn't feel as great.

So that was why you had risen from bed before the alarm went off. It had been a feat to unwind yourself from John's arms, every time you thought you were free, he'd tug you right back against his chest, muttering about it being too early.

"How many shoes do you have?" John asks as you sit on the bed and change into another pair.

"Too many," you answer with a sigh as you stand up and size up the look in your full length mirror, twisting this way and that. "I don't know, I can't decide."

"Annette is not going to judge you by your shoes," John teases lightly as you sit down hard on the bed again and stare at the half circle of rejected prospects.

"First impressions are everything, John," you insist as you bed down to snatch up a heel you had discarded a while ago. "It's not just about the shoes."

"Here," he says, snatching up a pair of tan wedges that wrap around your ankle. "I'll decide for you. Drink your coffee before it gets cold," he states, tilting his head toward the nightstand to the neglected cup he had brought you.

"I know you're nervous," John says gently as he kneels in front of you and unzips the boots you had on before slipping one of the wedge shoes over your feet. "But I promise it's not going to be that bad," he continues as he wraps the strap around your ankle and does the buckle.

"What if she doesn't like me?" You finally dare to ask out loud. "What if she says I'm not good enough, that she doesn't want Emily around me..." you trail off as John flicks his eyes up to you after securing the other wedge.

"We'll deal with that if it comes to it," John answers as he runs his hands up the back of your calves. "But it won't. She's already heard so much about you from me and Emily. She wants to meet you because she's excited to meet you, not to automatically hate you," he grins and kisses the inside of one of your knees. "At worst, she'll say you have tacky shoes," he jokes and laughs as you swat his shoulder.

The car ride over is uneventful. Most people are still at church, so traffic getting out of the city was lighter than usual. Annette apparently had kept the house she and John shared in the divorce. It made sense for her to have the house since Emily mostly stayed with her mother, given John's unpredictable job schedule, for her to have the house. It kept Emily in the same school and was a little safer than living in London proper.

"John," you breathe out as he pulls into the drive, his hand slipping from your thigh to shift the car into park. "You used to live here?" You ask, a bit shocked, as you take in the large house.

"Annette wanted out of the city with enough room for a family to grow in," John says simply as he twists in his seat to grab the small Easter basket the two of you had put together for Emily.

"Were you planning on having a horde of kids?" You ask as you lean forward in your seat a bit to look up at the second story.

"Something like that," he answers with a small shrug, perhaps a bit of sadness behind the smile. "Emily has plenty of toys to fill the space, along with the pets. It's not as spacious once you get inside and see all that."

Just as you open the door and step onto the gravel driveway, smoothing out your lavender dress, the front door opens. It's Emily who comes running out, her braided pigtails flying behind her as she makes a beeline for John. She's in a smart pink dress, and as she flings herself into John's arms, he lifts her up for a hug, and you grin at them before noticing someone else in the doorway.

"Hello," you call with a smile, hoping your voice isn't shaking as much as your knees are.

Annette is standing in the doorway, wiping her hands on an apron. She looks nice enough, with a smile on her face as she watches John come around the car with Emily perched on his arm on his side.

"Hello," she says back as the three of you hit the front steps and pause for a moment for John to do introductions.

"It's so nice to meet you," you state, taking Annette's hand that she has extended out to you.

"You as well, I've heard so much about you from these two," she grins, nodding at Emily and John, the latter who is currently keeping the basket of treats out of Emily's sight as she tries to lean this way and that to get a glimpse. "Go on," Annette states with a laugh as John moves to go past her into the house, pausing briefly to press a kiss to her cheek.

"Your house is lovely," you compliment as you follow Annette toward the living room where John is sitting on the couch with Emily as she shows him everything she got from the Easter bunny. "I've always wanted to live outside of the city," you confess as you take a seat in an armchair and look around.

You aren't sure what John is talking about with the house not being spacious, the living room is three times the size of yours.

"It's nice, though a bit cumbersome when it comes to work," she states as she takes a seat on the couch on the other side of Emily. "Emily loves it, so even if it's too much for just three people, we aren't leaving anytime soon."

Looking at the three of them on the couch, it's no secret who Emily's parents are. She has John's eyes and nose but her mother's complexion and smile. It's an even split, though if you were a bit biased, you would say you could see more of John.

Not too long after sitting, Annette's fiance makes an appearance with drinks and takes up the other armchair. The conversation is easy, surprisingly. John and Leonard, as you come to learn, are cordial with one another, talking about sports and other relevant news. It gives you and Annette a chance to get to know one another, and Emily is there to fill in the lulls of conversation, even if she doesn't do it intentionally.

When an alarm goes off, Annette excuses herself to the kitchen to finish prepping the meal, dragging Leonard with her for help and sending Emily off to set the table. This gives you and John a few minutes alone, and you take a second to breathe, letting out a shakey breath of nerves.

"How am I doing?" You ask quietly as John gets up and walks over to you, extending his hand to help you stand.

"Perfect," John replies with a smile, bending down to give you a soft kiss. "Annette is not a hard win," he explains as he tugs you closer to him, his hands wrapping around your waist. "She's just protective of me and Emily, but the fact we both like you is already a huge positive."

"Have you had others she didn't like?" You ask, not out of jealousy but to know exactly what you're up against.

"I haven't brought anyone around," he confesses, which makes you go wide eyed. "No one was worth the time...and I knew Annette would dislike them. You're the first one who met Emily."

"You didn't tell me that!" You hiss. It's a nice feeling knowing you are the first one he trusted and wanted around. But it's also added another layer of needing to impress. While it was obvious Annette had moved on from John, there was still that history. "What if she says she doesn't like me out of principle?"

"If she didn't like you, she would have asked us to leave already," John replies as he reaches a hand up to brush his knuckles on your cheek. "You're doing great. She likes you. We may not be married, but I know Annette better than she would like. I can still read her like a book."

You frown a bit but nod, doing your best to not let this new information sike you out. John was right; you made it this far without any awkward questions or being called to the carpet about something. You could get through lunch.

They opt to set the table in the garden since it's such a nice spring day, with the rain clouds holding off until later. It's a delicious meal, and as time passes, everyone starts to feel more comfortable, and the conversation becomes less formal and stiff. It probably helps that Leonard makes the drinks a little stronger than what you would find at the bar. Emily entertains herself in the yard, swinging on a set John had built her or dragging one of the guys out to play.

"We have to head out soon," Annette says with a small groan.

"Your parents?" John asks, laughing a bit as he holds your hand under the table. You had been careful to not be overly affectionate with him; this wasn't the time nor the place. But he had gripped your hand under the linen and pressed a kiss to the back of your hand at one point, which Annette clocked instantly.

"Emily's the only grandchild," Annette explains, looking at you, "so she gets triple of everything now. And my mother loves Easter."

"Oh, to be the only child of the family," you tease. "My family is so large, we have to do a head count in the car whenever we get together to make sure no one is missing."

"Explains why you are good with kids, then," Annette answers, and you do your best to not smile too widely at the praise.

"Well, don't let us keep you," John says as he stands and pulls out your chair for you. "Tell them I said hello."

"My mother is still insisting you stop by for the next one," Annette answers as she hugs John goodbye. "Bring her with you," she smiles at you before offering you a hug goodbye as well. "She loves meeting new people, means more food to cook."

"Next time, then," John offers before kissing Emily goodbye and sending her upstairs to get cleaned up from rolling around in the grass.

"Next time?" You ask once you are back in the car and on the road. "I guess it went well? You think she liked me?"

"If you want, we can go on a big family outing," John replies as his hand dutifully rests on your upper leg between shifting gears. "And yes, I think she did. She wouldn't have extended that offer if she didn't. Her family is very welcoming, if a bit much."

"Sounds like my family," you offer before John takes an exit that is far too early to be yours. "This wasn't in the plans," you state as he grins over at you.

"Too nice of a day to just go right home," John answers as he slows for a light. "And you look too lovely in the dress to not show it off."

"John," you sigh while smiling. "Where are you taking me?"

"Just for a stroll," he answers as he pulls into a park. I used to take Emily here a lot. It's beautiful in the spring, has a small pond, and plenty of benches for your feet," he teases as he looks at your heels.

"If I had known, I would have brought flats," you state as he walks around and opens the door for you. "You may end up carrying me," you joke.

"I'm not above throwing you over my shoulder," John replies as he takes your hand, lacing your fingers together, and leading you to the park path.

"As long as you promise," you tease, which makes him give you a crooked grin, thinking about the other implications of that.

"There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," John confesses as he leads you to a bench right on the edge of the pond after a bit of walking. He still has a smile, but you can feel the shift in conversation.

"Okay," you answer a bit apprehensively, scooting a little closer to him as he rests his elbows on his knees and stares out across the pond.

"I have to head out on a job," he explains, twisting his head to look at you for a moment. "Longer than last time."

"Oh, well, if you're asking me to get your mail, I can do that," you joke, though you feel your stomach drop. When he doesn't laugh, you hesitate. "How long?"

"Open ended," he replies, which doesn't help. "Minimum best case scenario, a month," he continues.

"But you aren't thinking best case, are you?" You ask as you twist on the bench to look at him better.

"No," he answers, dropping his head for a second before picking it up to look at you. "I don't know how in touch I'll be, but I will reach out when I can. Annette is still my emergency contact in case something happens. I've asked her to reach out to you should it come to that."

"When do you leave?" You ask, not wanting him to linger on that very scary thought as you slide your hand into his.

"Ship out Wednesday morning. I haven't told Emily yet. I am picking her up from school on Tuesday to take her to dinner and tell her," he explains. "She takes it worse every time I leave," he sighs a bit as you squeeze his hand.

"Well," you try to sound resolute and not terrified, "we'll just have to make the best of the next day we have together. Then I guess I'll brush up on my letter-writing skills," you grin as he raises an eyebrow.

"If we can't talk much while you're gone, I can write to you. Have you tried that with Emily? It may help her to still feel like she's talking to you if she writes you letters that you can read when you get back."

"No," he answers, "but that's not a bad idea. I'll run it by Annette."

"It may just help pass the time. Make you feel less far away," you reason. "At least it will for me."

"I know it's not easy for others...the waiting and wondering," John replies.

"I knew what I signed up for when I agreed to that date," you answer quietly as you nudge his shoulder. "I'll be here when you get back, whenever that is."

"Thank you," he answers before leaning over to give you a chaste kiss, followed by another that lingers as he searches your eyes and a third that is anything but innocent as he cups your cheek.

"Don't thank me," you say quietly between kisses, "just come back."

"Deal."

—————————

“I've got eggs.” you call out, closing the refrigerator door with a carton of eggs in your hand. Eddie barely holds his head up to look, a dumb smile playing on his face. “We Should Eat Them” the gruff voice said, the symbiotes head pulling itself out of Eddie’s shoulder to look at you- or more likely the eggs. “N-no, buddy,” Eddie stutters, adjusting himself on the couch to sit up more “It's sun- easter, easter sunday.” While he slipped up his words that didn't stop him from catching Venom’s attention.

He's heard the name before, Easter, but from where goodness only knew- human customs never say well in his memory. “What Do We Do With The Eggs Then?” Venom questions, maneuvering his neck away from Eddie to get a closer look at the carton of eggs. His neck stretched across the room to do so.

“You paint them,” you nod at your answer “you can boil them after- which means you can eat them.” Venom seemed excited at this, turning back to face Eddie and then back to the eggs. He repeats this a few times before the both of you get what the symbiote wants. “Alright,” you walk over to Eddie, Venom’s head following behind, and grab the joint in his hand; taking a deep inhale of it and prolonging your exhale. “lemme see if I've got paints.” And you exit the room after handing Eddie the joint back.

Venom’s head goes to follow you before turning back and looking at the joint that sits back in Eddie's hand. “I'm not sure.” Eddie says, staring out the window like he's seeing something fantastic. “Can-can a symbiote get high?” He takes another drag, a small cough follows his exhale of the plant. Venom doesn't respond, simply looking at the rolled up joint in Eddie's hand and contemplating.

Either way it's a fun holiday all the same! And filled with many many surprises! One such surprise arose on this very holiday in the Anderson-Beachwood household.

“Johnny Dorian!!” Jade called to her husband in a single songy voice, the two had been wed for about two years now following the Mount Rageous incident. John Dory had spent most of those two years recovering from the ordeal, Easter was supposed to mark the start of their belated honeymoon, finally. A nice calm start to two fun filled months! Two months… They may need to cut the honeymoon short, though.. or perhaps postpone it once again, they'd already waited two years, what's a few more months?!

“I have a surprise for you!!!” Jade sang a bit more anxiously, juggling her surprise behind her carefully. Would John be okay with putting off the honeymoon again? Would he even like the surprise? Would he stay with her or run away again? Well he didn't run because of her last time, but STILL-

“What a coincidence- I also have a surprise for you, my love!” John Dory sang back to her as he popped his head into the room through the doorway. The teal haired troll took slow, long, and, careful steps into the room holding a hidden object behind his back. John Dory had his signature square smile on his face, though Jade could see a slight wave in them as if he were just as anxious as she was. Sweat dripped slowly down her husband's cheek though it was clear he was trying to keep a level head.

The two stared at each other in a bit of an awkward yet curious silence, both waiting in anticipation to see what the other's surprise was. Jade was sure hers would be the most shocking of the two, it was a double surprise after all-

“Do you want to go first?” John Dory asked using one hand to gesture towards her, his other still hiding his surprise. Jade rocked on her feet unsure if she should go first, she didn't want to upstage her husband after all.

“Maybe not… my surprise is pretty… surprising!!” Jade stuttered with a shrug almost at a complete loss for words to explain herself.

“Well who knows maybe mine is even more surprising?” John Dory waggled his eyebrows mischievously at her, Jade could tell he was still just as nervous underneath. The way he was talking made Jade feel like he was challenging her..

“I don't know, Johnny, it's quite a doozy!” Jade laughed coyly, John sensing her challenge took a step forward.

“Show them at the same time?” John suggested, Jade giving a nod in response.

“On 3” The two stood ready to reveal their hidden surprises.

“One.” The air was tense, silent, sweet. An incredible anticipation hung between the couple.

“Two.” The pressure was ramping up, both parties locked in deep, excruciating, eye contact.

“Three!” Both their hands fly forward, both were left with their mouths agape, eyes once locked on each other now focused on the items in either of their hands. In Jade's two sparkling eggs, one a deep blue like the night sky, speckled in bright white and yellow spots, a blue sparkling tuft of hair poking out the top. The other egg in Jade's hands was a sage green, brighter green patterns resembling leaves stretched across the surface, a blonde tuft of hair poking out the top.

In John Dory’s hand was a real egg, with reddish pink flowers dotting its shell, a nearly identically colored tuft of hair poking out of the top.

“You know what, you were right, yours was crazier.” John Dory said in a bit of a dead panned voice.

“THREE?!” Jade cried out, she was absolutely elated, of course, at the prospect of more children but three? THREE? That's so much more than she was expecting! What will they do with three little trollings? How will they all fit in her hair? Will they have to stack?! Is she going to have to Jenga their babies?!

“Jade,” John Dory chuckled, putting an arm around her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. “What’s the stress about? You were already prepped for two, I should be the one panicking, I thought we only had one!” John's voice wavered, betraying his attempts to comfort his wife with a bit of humor; she had to admit he was right. Jade had twin eggs, fraternal twins, but twins nonetheless, she was already ready for taking care of two babies. The two cribs had already been ordered, the clothing, the diapers, and even the toys were locked in a closet just waiting for the twins to hatch. It shouldn't be too hard to get one more crib, one more set of clothes, heck she could make them herself!

“You're right, I'm just so scared! Three babies! Oh Johnny! We're going to have three babies!” Jade's voice shifted from a soft tremor to excitement, setting her eggs in her hair to grab John's face and pepper it in kisses.

“Wow, I can't believe we hid them so well…” John Dory spoke impressed with their skill, also a little bit concerned with how easily they'd both lied to each other for however long the eggs had been with them…

“Well, it's not my first rodeo,” Jade prodded John with her elbow, referencing their first child who was notably hidden from most for nearly the entire duration of his incubation. John perked up tapping his finger against the tip of Jade's nose.

“Speaking of! We could totally kidnap him to help us with the kids when they hatch!”

“You're right! I mean, what else are adult children for anyway?” Jade and John laughed together, the realization that they'd have to tell the whole family about the eggs very very soon…

“We've got time right?” John asked, patting the surface of his own egg. Jade brushed a hand through the tiny tuft of hair, it was incredibly soft..

“Yeah, we've got time! Plenty!”

Crack… crack.. crack..

“Or maybe not-”

_________

Introducing the triplets!

Sprig and Asher are the twin eggs, and Lucielle is John Dory's!

They were originally noncanon kids that were born in the sims before Jade was killed in a terrible accident (drowned on purpose after she failed to die in 4 other ways, she was too fucking strong) but now they're canon!! (Jade was resurrected and was killed 3 more times)

Lucielle is John Dory's little twin! She's a definite daddy's girl and the most levelheaded of all the triplets

Sprig is a momma's girl, she's incredibly temperamental, she experiences every emotion as a ten and can't stand to be away from Jade for too long