ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ (parasitics) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2020-01-09 19:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, eddie brock (venom), tj hammond |
WHO: Eddie Brock & TJ Hammond
WHERE: TJ's place
WHEN: {backdated} Late November
WHAT: TJ invites Eddie over for drinks and chating.
WARNINGS: PG13
STATUS: Complete
When TJ had said that his apartment was well stocked he had not been lying. He had all sorts. Beer, whiskey, scotch, vodka, gin, even a highly illegal and expensive bottle of absinthe along with a myriad of other things that when combined made lethal cocktails. All of these were laid out over the nearby kitchen counter for ease of reference and selection.
The coke however? Hidden.
Less questions about that the better.
Clad in low rise clearly seen better day jeans with rips across the knee and thigh and a dark t-shirt with his hair slightly less than styled was evidence that TJ felt at least enough relaxed at home to not give a flying fuck about his appearance. He did however still look good because genetics had in fact blessed him with that much if nothing else.
Waiting for Eddie he was hanging out on his balcony, looking out across the OC and slowly smoking his life away.
Although San Francisco had a similar vibe to Orange County, with them both being that California chillness, getting used to the OC was still a little daunting at times. Meeting people through a screen was still somewhat new in some senses, most of the time as a journalist, he met people face to face. But this network thing really helped with a lot of new connections.
He was telling MJ to get out more, he should probably do that himself too.
While he wasn’t intending on getting too drunk, the invitation seemed like it was something to take him out for a while. And it was a nice place, so he wasn’t too worried about getting murdered. Heading up to the address given, Eddie was glad he’d at least worn a clean shirt, even if it was just drinking at TJ’s apartment.
Having brought a bottle of whisky himself, even if TJ did have plenty, it was polite, Eddie gave the door a few quick sharp knocks as he waited.
TJ turned his head as the knocks came and pushed away from the balcony to take a gander at the video footage outside his door. Never could be too careful these days especially living in Orange County. Thankfully the visitor was exactly who he’d been expecting so TJ had no issues unlocking the door and greeting Eddie with a slow, warm, boyish smile.
“Come on in,” he remarked with a wide sweeping gesture towards his home. “Feel free to take off your jacket, shoes, and whatever else strikes your fancy to be more comfortable.” Flash of teeth and a flirtatious twinkle in his eye before TJ strayed over to his kitchen area to rummage out glasses.
Sure, he’d slung alcohol back direct from the bottle before, but he could at least pretend to be something approaching civilised in another person’s company.
Eddie was pretty sure he’d just been invited to strip if he wanted, but didn’t really take it overly serious, shedding his jacket and shoes just for politeness, and leaving them neatly squared away. “I’ll maybe keep a few layers,” he automatically followed behind TJ, although he remained in the doorway, “keep a little mystery at first.”
He was somewhat better at catching when people were flirting, although not perfect, and it was something he was routinely teased for. “Can’t be jumping right in without a little bit of liquoring up after all.” At least it was easy to just roll with, Eddie at ease enough to smirk softly.
Eddie was not wrong. He had in fact been invited to strip. TJ might not be “out and proud” because of pressure from his family and a whole other mess of unwanted emotions and issues but in the privacy of his home? All bets were off.
Glasses were laid out on the nearby counter and TJ unscrewed a bottle of scotch before filling both glasses plentifully and generously.
“Mystery does make things more fun,” he agreed with a smirk as he lifted his glass and took a sip. “Imagination is a lot of fun.”
Moving from the doorway to the counter, Eddie took the other glass, nodding slightly, “As a writer, imagination is definitely important.” Although around here it seemed like imagination ran a little wild in certain areas, but that probably made life a little more interesting at least.
“But I guess that can be half the problem too.” Orange County really seemed prone to doing a number on some people, and he was in the midst of hoping that didn’t become something he really needed to worry about personally -he didn’t have the money to have a drinking problem that these so called ‘Dreams’ might give him.
“Something tells me that imagination isn’t something you’re lacking, though?”
TJ’s lips slid into an easy effortless and altogether quite charming smile that if you knew the signs well enough just screamed trouble. “No, I can’t say that’s something I have ever been accused of being lacking in.” Life would be boring if you had no imagination and just accepted your dull reality without spicing it up a little, that was what TJ was good at.
He sipped at his drink and hitched his shoulder up towards his ear.
“Of course I never actually stopped to consider that the shit in my dreams might manifest itself here like-” he gestured in the direction of the piano.
If Eddie were more aware of what he should and should not wade into, he’d know to keep himself alert here. His tendency to just find trouble and fall headfirst into it wasn’t new, not by a long shot, but he really should start to recognise what he needed to avoid.
“Well that part certainly seems like its exclusive to Orange County. Otherwise I’d have woken up to numerous bottles of whisky, a yacht or a unicorn at some point in my life.”
No, this was all very localised, and there was absolutely no plausible explanation for it all either. “At least it’s not live animals?”
“Mmm,” TJ agreed around another mouthful of alcohol as he trailed in the direction of the piano and idly dragged his fingers across the keys to give a surprisingly tuneful and musical rendition of whatever was passing through his head at the time.
He placed his glass atop the piano and slipped onto the seat in front of the piano, turning idle play into something a little more constructive.
“I think it says something that I slept through its arrival.”
Leaning against the nearest sturdy surface, Eddie just considered how he ended up in these places before promptly ignoring any inner voices and their input. “Either that you’re a heavy sleeper,” which probably wasn’t that possible, given the size of the piano and the likeliness of things being moved in order to fit it in there, “or whatever puts it in here was considerate enough to be very quiet.”
Eddie was still coming to terms with all this Orange County stuff. Nothing first hand at this point, which he was just as curious about, but he wasn’t really in a rush to have more crap to deal with too. His life was messy enough without additions thrown in.
“There’s always the possibility it just, you know, appeared.” Like magic was left unsaid, thank you very much. He’d need more drink to go down that road.
“Mm,” TJ hummed as he passed his deft fingertips over the keys of the piano, the tune melodic and easy, it was clear that TJ didn’t really need to think about what he was doing. That came with years of practice and experience, music was quite literally the only thing he’d managed to stick at. “God only knows how the fuck this stuff works in the OC.”
He exhaled a breath and withdrew his fingers from the piano before he leaned forward to rest his arms atop of it, chin resting on his forearms, and eyes lifting to regard Eddie where he rested against a nearby sturdy surface.
“Weirdest thing that’s ever turned up for you?”
It was hard to really comprehend how Orange County worked, like how this entire dream thing was so widespread and not just some weird hallucination thing people had. And even then, shared or similar hallucinations were only a conspiracy theory that Eddie wasn’t getting too caught up in. That way led to madness, and he didn’t need to tank his career so early in the rebuild. Again.
“So far, no one has offered an explanation that actually holds up, so I don’t think anyone knows.” God or otherwise. Least of all since the insanity that happened around here could potentially be next to Godly destruction at times.
Taking a healthy gulp of his drink, Eddie considered TJ just as carefully as he was being regarded, it wasn’t a size up, but a casual consideration. “I’ve not actually had any of these dreams. Not sure if they’re going to affect me at all or not.” He supposed there had to be some people around here who were aware but unaffected, surely. “I’m not sure if I should be worried or not.”
“Only a matter of time it seems,” TJ offered with a small roll of his shoulders. “Maybe yours are just taking a little longer to catch up with you.” There was no way to live in Orange County without being affected by the dreams even if you wanted.
He snagged his glass as he rose rather gracefully to his feet and with a slow but distinct swagger he trailed in the direction of the nearby double doors which when opened took them out onto a patio overlooking the sprawling nature of Orange County.
“I could do without all the illegal substances turning up.”
“Seems like it.” Eddie was not under the impression that he was completely immune, it wasn’t like he had that kind of luck. No, Eddie was the kind of person who’d end up with this dream nonsense going into overdrive when he least expected it or needed it. “Most likely, mine are waiting until I don’t need distractions and then they’ll hit me all at once.”
That tended to be how things went for him.
From the looks of it, TJ wasn’t terribly good with being stationary, not that Eddie had a problem with it. He was used to trailing after people, especially connected people. This was just far more casual and far less forced. Leaning out by the patio while drinking steadily with TJ wasn’t a hardship in the least.
“At least it keeps things interesting?” Even if illegal substances could be a little tricky for a Hammond.
"Let's hope not, huh?" TJ offered with a sympathetic smile before he took a sip from his glass, resisting the urge to knock it back.
He glanced out over the view of Orange County which given that he was a Hammond was pretty magnificent. "Mm, it does keep things interesting." He smirked over at Eddie. "Of course my friends might disagree. Some of them weren't overly impressed with the sudden arrival."
The fact he had something of an issue with addiction might have something to do with that.
Illegal substances showing up to someone, especially someone with some kind of public image, probably wasn’t the best thing. It was understandable to be somewhat worried about that kind of thing just appearing. “I can guess why,” because who wouldn’t be a little concerned for that? “It’s probably not something that anyone really needs just turning up with no explanation.”
Eddie could see it going horribly wrong for many reasons.
“Hopefully that’s not a regular occurrence though?”
“Hopefully,” TJ remarked with a devil-may-care smile and a languid roll of his shoulders. “I mean at this point I’m not putting anything past the dreams. I am eternally grateful that my folks are of the age where the idea of getting online and looking at a network is not really something they’re comfortable with.”
He tilted his head and ran his sharp bright blue eyes over Eddie.
“But enough about me, tell me about you.”
Eddie, knowing exactly who TJ’s parents were, could understand where that sentiment came from. Bud Hammond was definitely a personality.
Although, the attention turning to Eddie wasn’t exactly something he was incredibly fond of.
“Not a lot to tell.” At least he didn’t think so. “I’m a freelance writer,” which was a nice way to say mostly unemployed, “originally from New York, but I’m living out here with a fellow New York displaced.” As much as Broadway starlet MJ Watson could be displaced. “I guess, since there’s none of those dreams, I’m a bit boring.”
“Well,” TJ drawled as he turned to face Eddie, a smile on his lips and a slow clearly appreciative look being passed over the other man. “I wouldn’t say that.”
Of course he was aware that some men weren’t comfortable with outward appreciation from another man but honestly when had that ever stopped him at least privately? Though if his dreams were to be believed he seemed to be very out and very proud of that fact. Maybe a lesson worth picking up?
“Let’s get another drink and you can tell me as much or as little as you like and I’ll be the judge of whether or not you’re boring. Deal?”
There were some things that did make Eddie uncomfortable, when he noticed them. People ‘checking him out’, not so much. Half the time, Eddie wasn’t aware that’s what it was, Anne always laughed about how she’d had to kiss him to get him to notice she liked him. It wasn’t untrue either.
That wasn’t so much a problem with TJ, as blatant as it was, and while Eddie felt a very brief flash of heat in his cheeks, it wasn’t like he minded at all. A tiny bit of embarrassment from the attention and he was past it mostly. Because he might be slow on the uptake, but he wasn’t blind.
“Everyone is a little more interesting with alcohol, but I can take that deal.” Eddie wasn’t in a rush to head off, frankly a few more drinks and company wasn’t a terrible way to spend the day.