get your symbiote shenanigans here

[codicies]

Who: Dylan Brock codicies and you
What: November Log that I've been meaning to post for a few weeks oops
When: Throughout November (backdated)
Where: Everywhere
Content Warnings: None

--

I. Penthouse (CLOSED to Sleeper and Jason) - Takes place just after the confluence & Tim's near-death experience

Dylan had gotten surprisingly good at masking in the past few hours — It helps that within those past few hours, he's lived several months of very eventful life.

He might have been a little too delighted to indulge in some expensive Japanese food. If he teared up while eating his curry, it was just the spice, that's all. It's not like he was still reeling from experiencing months of homelessness in the span of a few seconds or anything.

By the time he gets back to the penthouse, though, his batteries are low. He's exhausted from keeping up a front all evening, and without the food to distract him, anxiety is slipping back into his thoughts. He's quiet and withdrawn as he goes about his business at home. The apartment feels both nostalgic and foreign all at once, another inconsistency his brain is struggling to reconcile.

He starts getting ready for bed earlier than usual, and lays down on the comfy mattress, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about everything he's been remembering for the past few hours.

-

II. The Descendant (OPEN)

Dylan is spending a lot more of his time at the Descendant actually working. He's bussing tables with impressive speed and skill. He'd done similar work at Jake's bar back home — Seems like no matter the reality, he ends up working in a bar at some point.

Besides... it feels nice to be doing something productive.

A: As the month goes by, he gets more and more comfortable waiting tables. He might even be taking your order when you sit down.

B: Of course, it's not all customer-facing work. In the alley behind the bar Dylan is taking out the trash, and the bag suddenly breaks just a few feet away from the dumpster. He makes a noise of frustration, then starts looking around for a solution.

C: At the end of a particularly busy night, Dylan's got a pretty hefty wad of cash from tips. As he starts winding down to start heading home, he pulls the cash from his pocket and stuffs it in the bartenders' tip jar without a second thought. It's not like he needs the money, after all.

-

III. Excelsior (OPEN)

There's a commotion at a little streetside cafe. Someone's trying to leave, the patron seems to have forgotten their wallet. As the friendly discussion with the manager starts to get more heated, they're interrupted when Dylan approaches and talks over both of them.

"I've got it," he says, loud but flat and apathetic. "How much?"

--

IV. Little Love (OPEN)

Dylan really, really misses the farm.

He couldn't justify moving back there, of course — So much of his social life was centered around The Descendant. But there was something about the open sky and fresh air that really brought him peace when he lived there.

He wanders around main street for a little bit, and feels a little pang of nostalgia when he realizes how many of the townsfolk still recognize him. He greets them happily, gets some pie from that bakery he likes ("Look how much you've grown," she told him as she handed him a slice) and just watches the soft hustle and bustle of a small town as he sits outside to eat it.

V. Wildcard

Start a prompt with me here :)

Comments

[robintohood]

Jason suspects Dylan masking something by how calm the teenager is trying to sound despite everything that had happened a few hours ago. Jason had been train to try to read what people don’t say and he himself has been guilty on multiple occasions of not being more forward with his feelings.

“Even with suddenly getting more memories from home and saving Tim?” Jason asks.

[codicies]

"The memories are... fine. Things are good here. I've got time to sort it out." He slings his legs over the side of the bed, his face stony. "When I was healing Tim, though..."

There's a pause. Does he really want to follow through on this? What if Jason suddenly changes his mind about symbiotes upon hearing this?

"I saw... some of Tim's memories. Did he tell you what happened to him?"

[robintohood]

“Not but everything,” Jason replies with a frown. “He did say he thinks something or someone controlled Blue Beetle to turn around and attack Tim and other teammates.”

[codicies]

"Something did. An alien. An alien bonded to Jaime and gave him powers, and then..."

He shrinks in on himself.

"It's stupid. I know it's got nothing to do with me. But I saw that and I just..." He shivers, wrapping his arms around himself. "I felt so gross. Tim was dying and it was someone like me who did that to him."

[robintohood]

It clicks for Jason why Dylan was so distracted throughout the day. There’s so much pain and horror he’s feeling.

Jason moves closer to Dylan to pull him into a hug.

“You’re not gross. Symbiotes aren’t gross,” He says. “What happened to Tim isn’t like with symbiotes. Dylan, you and Sleeper saved Tim’s life today. That’s so much more important than what one bastard did. I can’t thank you two enough for saving my little brother.”

[codicies]

Dylan doesn't resist the hug, leaning hard into it. "What happened to Jaime is like symbiotes."

It feels so strange, just calling him by his first name, talking about Jaime Reyes like he knows him.

Like he knows him the way Tim knows him.

"And it's — it's so stupid. I know this is different. My dads were bonded out of love. The scarab's using Jaime like a meat puppet. It's not the same at all!"

He raises his arms, reciprocating the hug and clutching at Jason's shirt. "So why do I feel like this? Why do I feel so ashamed?"

[robintohood]

Jason holds Dylan close to him. He sees Dylan as another younger brother so it hurts to see him like this.

"The way the scarab acted hits too close to home for you," he says. "You know what the best bonds are like and you know what the worst ones are like. It hurts to see a twisted version of something you know should be about care and love."

[codicies]

The word care sticks out in Dylan's mind as Jason says that. He knows his bond to the Venom symbiote back home isn't the same as the one it had shared with his father; He's felt that same comparison flit through the Symbiote's mind multiple times.

His own bond as Venom was... well, to use the obvious term, parental. The symbiote often seemed keen to take a backseat, allowing Dylan to learn and grow at his own pace, while providing support (both emotional and physical) when needed. They talked, they bantered. They were family.

Its absence now leaves an emptiness in Dylan.

"I'm glad you understand, at least. About symbiote bonds."

[definecat]

"The bond should never be a cage. You understand Klyntar enough for that. We grow together, but it is perfectly within the power to be more parasite than partnert," Sleeper comments, shifting to a larger feline shape to drape comfortably around both of them. They know what their family is, and how damaged they all can be.

"The kree I was using when we first met was definitely not a proper partner. Nor did he deserve that privilege."

[robintohood]

Jason leans against Sleeper. It has been an emotionally exhausting day for him and he always finds Sleeper comforting. He also feels very fortunate to have the kind of bond he has with Sleeper. From what he understands, it's the opposite of what the Blue Beetle scarab had done to Jaime.

"Yeah," Jason agrees. He and Sleeper have bonded enough for Jason to know what a monster Tel-Kar was. "Symbiotes are capable of good and bad. In that way, that's no different from any other species. And me and Sleeper choosing to bond is one of the best decisions I've made. We work together. We know how we feel. We know how to comfort each other. And I have you as family too. You two are family I love. I wouldn't change any of this for anything."

[codicies]

It's not the first time Jason's called him family, but something about hearing it right now makes Dylan tear up.

Sleeper's presence is warm and comforting like a weighted blanket that can also purr and dispense advice. Dylan sniffs, turning his head to bury his face in his sibling's ooze-fluff. Sleeper is always there when Dylan needs him, even when —

The memories are still integrating. Both the grief of his father's death and the conga line of betrayals from his not-actually-dead father tumble through his head. His emotions are a mess. He can't make sense of them. Best he can do is just... let them out.

Dylan lets a quiet sob escape his lips, his shoulders shaking.

[definecat]

Sleeper doesn't even try to make their usual face at being used for a place to cry. They can feel the wounds are too fresh and deep for that, even if they don't know exactly what's going on. But being what they are, bonded as they are, there's an option that doesn't require words.

It's an offer, like holding a mental hand out to take up some of the burden and share the pain more fully. If Dylan wants to open up, they'll share it between the three of them and make it more bearable if possible.

[robintohood]

Jason senses Sleeper offering a mental hand to Dylan. In response, he lowers his mental and emotional guards to show his own willingness to help.

It's only because of how much he trusts Sleeper and Dylan that he's willing to be part of a hive mind. It's not being used for manipulation or abuse. For situations like these, it can be supportive and comforting. Just having even just one extra voice could make a difference.

[codicies]

It's only been a day. Dylan hasn't reconciled with all these memories yet, and it's something he'll be working on for a while. For the moment, though, he's not bothering to try and make sense of them. He just lets them flow, lets Sleeper see the trauma as it comes. If Jason sees it too... it's fine. They are family, after all.

The memories are specific, coming and going in no particular order — The explosion that killed Eddie. The weird stuff surrounding his apparent return from the dead. Eddie's advice getting him and Sleeper captured and locked up. Restrained in a chair, being painfully experimented on by Liz Allan, someone he'd once trusted—

The fight with Bedlam. Bedlam running him through. Bedlam revealing Eddie's face underneath.

[definecat]

Sleeper's own grief and confusion and betrayal aren't quite as strong as Dylan's own, because they're trying hard to mute that side, to not inflict more harm than good. They don't, they can't understand all the implications, but just that start is enough to gain some insight.

But words? Those are not an easy thing to find. Comfort, on the other hand, comes in so many forms. Warmth, purring, the sensations of love and more they can share through the hive that may be much smaller here, but no less important.

"I'll always come for you. You know that, right?"

[robintohood]

Though there are filters in place, Jason feels enough of the miasma to know how painful and traumatic recent events have been for Dylan and Sleeper. He can't make sense of why Eddie, Liz, or anyone would do what they did but what he does know is that they're experiences no kid should have to go through and that Sleeper and Dylan are people he loves.

"I will too. We'll stay by your side," Jason says.

Ever since he and Sleeper became bonded, Jason finds him saying "we" more often. It doesn't disturb him though, given who he's referring to. It only feels natural, particularly in instances like this.

Though Jason feels hurt and angry on Dylan and Sleeper's behalves, another feeling comes into the hive, one of needing to protect and comfort.

[codicies]

Dylan leans heavily into the hug, the memories fizzling out into generalized anxiety as he just lets himself be held.

"Okay," he murmurs. "Thanks for... everything, you guys."