8/28 Instance: With You

[puppygirl]

Timeline - Right after 'I Predict a Riot'

It took him an hour or so, but Venom had finally arived at Empire State High. He perched on a rooftop across the way from its enterance and simply looked down on it, thanking God under his breath that it seemed the riots had missed here.

Today was a Saturday, ergo: Liza would probably be working late on the various projects she was a part of. Venom suddenly gasped a little; what if she'd tried to go out taking photos? She could still be out there!

Luckily, Liza wasn't out there, she'd been working on her term paper when she'd checked facebook to discover that rioting had been happening! She was gonna head straight back to her dorm and get her costume out and film it! She emerged from the main doors, wrapped up in a thick coat and started walking quickly home.

"I never doubted you.", Venom shook his finger up at the sky. "Thanks.", he then hopped down, swinging across the green and landing on the wall above Liza. He hung himself upside down from a strand of webbing and slipped down maybe three yards in front of her. "Bit late for a walk, surely?"

Liza jumped at the voice, then spotted Eddie, "Eddie! You scared me!" She ran forwards and gave him a hug, "Are you okay?"

Eddie grinned as he was hugged. "I love how I'm upside down and it's like a vertical '69'.", he snickered, flipping himself around onto his feet and looking around before reverting his form. "I'm fine, really.", he embraced Liza again.

"Jesus, I was worried about you..."

"Me? I was worried about you! I just heard about the rioting! Are you okay?" She snuggled her face into the crook of his neck.

There was something so amazing about being near her. "I'm fine. It's...it's been a rough week or so, I won't lie.", Eddie stroked her hair a little, "Come on, I have super powers, I'm alright. But...God, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"Me?" She gave him an innocent look, "Why would anything happen to meeeeeee?"

"Oh, trust me: some of tha bastards I've met in my life'd find a way.", Eddie shuddered, scratching his back where he'd been stabbed earlier. "I rescued an innocent mutant girl from a horde of armed men tonight: she couldn't even speak English and they tried to hurt her."

"What? Really!? That's so fucked up! Is she okay?" She gave him a tight squeeze and kissed just under his jawline.

Eddie squeezed her back, "She's fine! I took her home to her family, she's ok!", he coughed, "Can't breathe..."

"Oh, sorry!" She let him go and stood back a little, stroking down the side of his face, "You really are my hero, saving little girls from angry mobs," she frowned, "I still can't believe people would do that! What'd she ever do to them?"

"She was a mutant. Far as they were concerned it was ok.", Eddie smiled, sighing softly at Liza's touch and doing the same to her face. "It just...hurt to see her crying. I know I was needed there but I worried so much about you: I know how you'd have been out there taking photos etcetera, helping people..."

She couldn't deny it and she nodded, smiling wryly, "Yeah ... but I can look after myself you know, and you'd be there to save me if anything really bad happened, right?"

Eddie nodded, "Of course.", he kissed her on the forehead. "I won't let you get hurt, I swear it. I'll always be there for you.", he pondered something for a moment. "In fact..."

"In faaaaaact?" She gave him a quizzical look.

"Hold on...", Eddie backed off a moment, rummaging in his jacket and revealing a small stainless steel spider amulet, "It's a spare. Uh...it's a tracer. A 'Spider Tracer', of you will."

"Wow...that's so lame...", he facepalmed. "L-look, I just...want to make sure you're safe and if you keep this, I can keep track of you. A-and it seconds as an affectionate gift - double points!"

Screwball looked it for a few moments before giving Eddie a wary look, "You're not gonna use it to find out where I live and sneak into my room to watch me sleep, Edward?" She gave him an evil grin.

Eddie blinked, "Wh-...what? No! God, no!", he sighed, closing his hand, "Look, maybe it's a bad idea..."

Screwball giggled, "No, I was only joking! Silly, I really like that," she pried his hand open, "I could hang it on a chain and wear it as a pendant, I've never had a boyfriend get me jewlery before you know?"

"W-...so we're official then?", Eddie blushed a little, "I-I mean, I know the whole Brotherhood-slash-Rose thing ties my hands but...", he wiped his face, "Ugh, so tired. I'm failing so much right now."

"Well, un-officially offical, you don't want me blowing your cover huh?" She frowned, "Are you tired? You look tired, do you wanna ..." she blushed a little, "Um ... do you wanna come back to mine for a bit? I'll get you something to eat and you can relax some?"

Eddie's eyes widened a little. "Ahm....I...suppose it'd be good. I just...are you sure about it? I don't wanna move too quickly and...", he sighed again, laughing at himself, "God, listen to me, huh?"

She slapped his arm playfully, "Hey! Nothing has to happen you know! I'm just trying to be nice," she giggled, still blushing.

"I just don't want to get this wrong.", Eddie said, holding her hand. "I want this to be perfect. Special. You deserve it.", he frowned a little, "I worry way too much..."

"Yeah, you do," she squeezed his hand, "Come on, i'll make us some hot chocolate and we can curl up on the sofa for a bit huh?" She kissed his cheek.

Eddie nodded. "That sounds amazing, I'd love to.", he smiled, following her off. After this week, he'd earned some R&R.

--- Time Passes ---

"So, I was really worried untill she called me to say that she didn't feel safe in NY anymore so she was transfering schools, which I was kinda sad about but on the plus side it means I don't have a roomie asking me why I've brought a super-hero back home," Liza finished, sitting down next to Eddie on the sofa and handing him a mug of hot chocolate before leaning on his shoulder.

Eddie took the mug and blew on the contents, leaning on Liza's head. "You know, I think that worked out for the best. In the long run, like.", he sipped the drink. "Mmn, tasty and warm..."

"I make good hot chocolate," Liza smiled, "if I do say so myself ... soo ... are your rooms like this at the school you guys are at?"

"Similar...", Eddie nodded, "God, I once shared a room with this guy, Wade? Man, he was a character to say the least!", he had some more hot chocolate - it actually was incredible.

"I met him on the roof: he was playing golf with what I assume were stolen golf clubs and balls...", Eddie shrugged. "Fuck if I know, Wade was...is one strange little creature."

"Playing golf on the roof? ... Was he just hitting the balls off the roof or something?"

Eddie nodded. "Yup. Then he fell off the roof."

"Was he okay? ... Well, I assume he didn't die since like ... you said that was when you met him and then you were roomies, right?" She sipped her drink.

"Oh, he was fine. Healing factor as good as mine as it ends up.", Eddie shook his head, "Guy's still a total headcase, but you have to love him."

"Sounds it," she kissed his cheek again and fingered the tracker on it's chain, "Heh ... it's a good thing I'm not arachnephobic isn't it?"

Eddie laughed, "Did you not know? I'm shit scared of spiders.", he leaned back, putting an arm around Liza.

She laughed, "No way! Seriously? Then why all the spider moti-" she paused and then gave him a sideways look, "... You totally did the Batman thing, didn't you?"

"Oh, my God. I...never registered that.", Eddie blinked, staring into space, and then laughing out loud. "Oh, my God I actually did!"

"A superhero and a geek! I'm getting the best of both worlds with you," she poked his nose before snuggling some more into him.

Eddie giggled, snuggling down with her some more. "Oh, I'm sure there are better men out there than me..."

"Naaah ... unless any other of the cute X-guys are geeks as well?" She teased playfully.

"They're all better than me in some way or another.", he sighed a little. "Me and my fail life."

"You totally don't fail, stop being such a downer," she poked him, "Everyone things your a great hero, look at all those people you've saved, you can't say that's a failure huh?"

Eddie shook his head, "I'm just taking something a little badly...Jean-Paul, Northstar, he...upped and left last week."

"What? Why? What happened? Is he okay?" Liza liked Northstar, he was a firm fan favourite!

"Rumors that he's one of the Brotherhood, people being assholes...he couldn't hack it."

"Northstar? No way! I didn't think he'd be the type, why'd they think that?" She protested, taking another mouthful of hot chocolate.

"Considering that Raven, Mystique, was there, who's one of the people I think is in the Brotherhood?", Eddie clasped his cup softly, "I reckon it's because she helped stir it. They want us to doubt each other..."

"Bitch! Do you want me to go public about this? Wait ... no, not a good idea ... I guess it'll look bad if I start saying some of the X-men might be terrorists ..." she trailed off fretfully.

"Yeah...look, I'll figure it out just as soon as I track down JP.", Eddie snuggled into Liza some more. "You could help me track him down, though."

"I'd love to help you find Northstar!" Liza insisted.

Eddie yawned, smiling. "Yeah...I know. Because you're awesome.", he settled back and let his eyes close, drinking a little more chocolate as he did so. "I feel so free when I'm with you. You're like...heaven or something...", he mumbled a little.

"That is the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me," she cooed softly, taking his nearly empty mug out of his hands as it started to tip.

"D-...d'you promise not to be gone if I fall asleep?", Eddie half whined, turning to hold Liza gently. "I just want... this. Please."

Liza smiled, "The sofa isn't that comfy, why don't you take your boots and jeans and shirt off and we can continue snuggling in my bed?" She blushed, "Just snuggling though, okay?"

Eddie sat up slowly. "Yeah. I...would actually prefer that to just about anything.", he smiled at her before going to remove his coat. "Can I...ask you something?"

"No, you can't watch my put my night shirt on," she poked her tounge out at him, "Sure you can, sweetie."

He stopped mid way through removing his second boot. "...have you ever...you know, been there with anyone?", Eddie looked at her, he had been curious.

Liza blushed bright red, "... Once, why?"

"Well, I just...I don't wanna cheapen what we have.", Eddie confessed, patting the boot in his hands. "You're...amazing. And I'll kick myself forever if I ruin this. I just know this has pottential if we work at it and...well..."

"Fuck it: I want to be with you. I want to say that you're my girlfriend. That I'm with you.", Eddie took a deep breath and turned to Liza again. "Sex and everything else aside; I just want you. And I want to be yours."

A warm, tingling sensation went through Eddie's insides. He hadn't felt this way...ever. "...wow, that just kept coming, huh?", he smirked nervously.

Liza leaned forwards and gave him a soft kiss, "I think you are the sweetest man alive ... and I also think you'd look better with that shirt off and that you're over-tired," she started to steer him towards her bedroom door, "but for the record, I'm no so good at like ... saying how I feel, but I agree with everything you've said, okay?"

Eddie walked with her after dropping his boot, when they reached Liza's room he went to sit on her bed. "I know what you mean. Usually I find it difficult but...there's something about this that I trust completely.", he smiled. "Feels so good to say."

She blushed and smiled goofily at him, before grabbing some clothes and vanishing into her bathroom, re-emerging a moment later wearing an oversized shirt and some shorts, "I know what you mean," she gave him another kiss before snuggling under the blankets, "Are you okay getting the light?"

"Sure.", Eddie stood, pulling off his shirt as he did so and dropping it beside the bed, approaching the lightswitch and hitting it. He turned in the dark to Liza's bed. "Uhm...right, I can't see anything now."

Liza flicked on the bedside lamp, "We need to get you some night-vision goggles then don't we?" She giggled.

"Got some.", Eddie smirked, climbing into bed beside her. "Remember that Punisher guy I mentioned? Totally jacked his."

Liza flicked the lamp off. "Really?" Liza wrapped her arms arounf Eddie and snuggled into his back, "Okay, you can tell me all about that while I make you breakfast tomorrow morning, okay?" She kissed the tip of his ear.

Eddie nodded, settling himself in and smiling. "Sure. This is....thank you.", he closed his eyes and let his mind wander. As he drifted he couldn't help but ponder that word....he hadn't used that in so long. But...

"Goodnight, Liza."

"Sweet dreams, Eddie."