Tainted Love (Carnage x Reader)

8: Past midnight

Cletus stared up at the ceiling, the silence of the house boring him to death, (Y/n) had gone to bed, leaving him alone in the living room. Of course outside he could hear all kind of action that got him wishing to be anywhere in the city but trapped in the house. He suddenly forgot why he wanted to stay in the first place.

There was a window in the living room. He could just slip out into the night and burn off all his excess energy. Perhaps catch someone off guard and have a meal he so desperately desired. All that and still be back before (Y/n) woke. Red perked at the idea, humming inside his mind.

Red and black strands of the symbiote trailed along his body and her head formed out of his chest, white wide eyes staring at him with an intense stare. “Yes, Cletus. Let's go outside. I am so very hungry,” She whined, her head bumping under his chin desperately.

“We can't leave her here unprotected,” He argued, his symbiote letting out an annoyed whine before nipping at his skin with sharp teeth. She wasn't being overly harsh with the biting, but he still got a couple jolts that felt like the string of a bee. “Red! Cut it out!”

He shooed her away with a couple swishes of his hand. “(Y/n) is more important than a snack,” He argued.

Red pouted, laying against his chest and letting out small sad mewls that reminded him of a kitten begging its mother for milk. He ignored her, focusing on other sounds that were around him. The gentle ticking of the clock, the sounds of New York's never quiet streets, his own soft breathing. Everything still seemed to quiet. Everything except his symbiote.

But he couldn't block out his others noises so he stretched at Reds visible body, knowing she would end up falling asleep if he kept it up. He was never someone who loved the quiet, but he felt good knowing that the quiet meant (Y/n) was safe and still fast asleep in her room.

He found himself blushing softly at the thought of her and just how peaceful she looked while she was asleep. He got lost in the memory of when he snuck in the night. He scoffed softly at himself, focussing in on his symbiote for a moment. She was now purring, enraptured by the soothing strokes of Cletus fingers against her silky liquid surface.

He paused as he heard footsteps. He almost immediately jumped up defensively, but reasoning took over and he sat up silently and slowly. Red, eyes still closed from having been so close to sleep, stayed cradled in one of his arms. He peered down the hall, seeing (Y/n) had entered the kitchen.

“Oh. It's you. You're lucky, I almost attacked you,” He replied, his spare hand going back to tending to Red. Her purrs were loud enough for (Y/n) to just hear them after she poured herself a cup of water.

“Yeah thanks for not damaging me further,” She replied, taking a few sips of her water before putting the cup back down on the kitchen island she leaned onto. “You not going to try and sleep tonight? I doubt someone's going to sneak in while you sleep.”

“Oh I can be fully alert while I sleep,” He assured her before looking down on the symbiote fast asleep while laying on his arm. “It's just Red doesn't like to stay still for long. She often has a lot of energy. Falling asleep is difficult with her,” He explained.

(Y/n) softly chuckled, the sound pleasing to Cletus. “Seems like you have it under control however,” She said with a smile, pointing down at the symbiote he held onto. “I suppose now she's kinda cute,” She admitted.

“Yeah. Suppose she is,” He replied before looking up at the clock than at (Y/n). “It's past midnight, what's your excuse for being up right now, babe?” He asked her, watching her stare into her glass for a long moment at his question.

“It's just that I've heard so many tales and stories of what Loki can do to someone,” She whispered, Cletus deciding the topic was important enough that he should join her in the kitchen.

He stood up slowly and walked over to stand across from her on the other side of the kitchen island. “Are you afraid hes going to get to you? Because he won't-”

“I know. You've told me all this. That you'll protect me and what not… But what if something goes wrong, and you die? Then what? Then I die?” She asked, Cletus feeling very tempted to hold her hand as he saw it clench on the countertop.

“Then you'll be left alone. Once I die, he won't have a reason to hurt you,” He whispered back, moving around the island to be by her side. (H/c) fell into her face as she looked down, so Cletus reached forward and softly brushed away the strands.

“No offence but… I doubt you'd die for me,” She whispered, her heart skipping a beat as he touched her. This time it wasn't from fear, but something else stirring deep down inside of her.

“Before you came around, there really wasn't anything to live for. I mean… It was just me and Red without a true goal ever in mind. Then I decided I could make you into something I could live for,” He whispered, a hand reaching down to the cross hanging still in the air from around her neck. He looked at it for a long moment. “So now that I've found myself something to live for, I don't want it to go away. I don't necessarily understand it, or understand anything really. But I do know I don't want to live the rest of my life never… Never feeling whatever it is that's inside me right now. If that means losing my life too keep it, so be it then.”

(Y/n) stared at him in shock for a long confused moment. He caught her gaze and dropped the cross, letting it swing back and forth on the small silver chain. He took in a deep breath and looked off to the side.

Red had one eye peeked open, watching the interaction between her host and (Y/n). She could sense the change of chemicals in his brain, but she didn't point it out. She didn't want to interrupt the moment they were sharing.

She didn't reply but she shifted closer to him until their sides met, Cletus seeming to automatically lean into her. They basked in the silence together, just enjoying the company of the others presence. (Y/n) took another sip of her water and she decided… Maybe having someone else in the house really wasn't that bad…

They spend ten minutes just relaxing with the other. They stayed like that until (Y/n) found herself finally growing tired and for the first time while being so close to Cletus and his symbiote, she felt safe, relaxed and just calm.

“I need to go back to bed, Cletus,” She told him, Cletus just whispering a small “Yeah…” in response. As she pulled away from him, he stood up straight. “Goodnight, Cletus.”

“Goodnight, (Y/n),” He replied, staring at nothing as he zoned out into his own thoughts. He heard the bedroom door close, and he sighed. “Why do I care so much?” He asked himself, Red shifting slightly from where she lay on his arm.

She quickly scanned through his thoughts for an answer. “You think you need her. Something about her makes you… Feel wanted. Feel as though you have a place you belong,” She replied with a soft purr at the end of her sentence. “A place where we both belong,” She corrected herself.

Cletus gave a small chuckle and walked back over to the couch. As he laid himself out on the cushions, Red readjusted herself and nudged at Cletus hand until it was moving across her skin once more in a slow rhythm.

“You're right… I do feel like I have a purpose…” He whispered. “And that feels pretty damn amazing to have.”

(A/n) a short fluff before I murder everyone.