Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

It was his first night out again as Venom and the warming spring air felt good against his skin.

The nights were beginning to brighten once more as the year moved on. The cold winter was a memory, turning into a bright spring. And as the weather heated up, and May came to a close, it was slowly becoming a warm summer.

Before he set off his first job was to finish installing a new roof hatch. He had added an extra security layer to the simple one already installed in the hatch. It was now wired shut with a physical lock holding an electronic one.

There was no key for either. The only way to open it was to extend some of his symbskin into the mechanism. That would unlock the keypad, which had a separate code.

It was then hardwired into the power and if the lock was cut or pried open it would trigger an alarm in the three homes.

Once only he could unlock it, it was good to go and he activated the power before sealing the whole thing up.

There was no reason for anyone but him to be on the roof. There was no fire escape down and the main warehouse had a sprinkler system installed in case of a fire.

Paranoid he was not. Cautious was Peter's keyword when it came to the security of the warehouse and the people within. He wanted them to be safe if he wasn't here.

With the video of his fight, and the fact someone was following not just him but Black Cat, Peter was concerned. Shielding it from electronic snooping was easy. Protecting it from physical intrusion was a lot harder and potentially illegal.

He needed a security system that could go from lethal to non-lethal and still look to be legal. Although if they had to kill anyone he doubted they would be advertising the fact. Villains attacking his home would know he was Venom, and it would be self-defence.

Venom mused on that as well, the one thing that plagued his thoughts. If he had to, would he kill to keep them safe?

Where was the line?

If anyone threatened Gwen or Aunt May he knew he’d have no problem crossing it. Even thinking about it caused a fiery rage to bubble up in his chest.

Where was the line though? He knew he wouldn’t kill for fun or pleasure, he wouldn’t steal or hurt anyone innocent. Breaking into his home wouldn’t necessarily be a death sentence, just a really bad idea. The line had been drawn, and for now, at least, Venom was confident he wouldn’t cross it.

He hadn't stretched his webs for a while. So rather than setting out to hunt he simply swung from building to building. Letting the world pass him by as he regained a sense of adventure.

Swinging from rooftop to rooftop was freeing. He could close his eyes and let the world around him become a buzz of activity to his other senses.

He passed a hotdog cart that the dogs were going off. A nightclub that stank of stale booze. he used his hearing and nose to guide him around New York acclimatising his senses to the bustle of the city.

As he swung he never missed a web line, never hit anything or came into contact with another person. It was peaceful.

His thoughts drifted to his relationship with Gwen.

They still hadn’t had sex but were getting close and on a few occasions, the temptation was there. He was waiting for Gwen though.

Making out and the few touches here and there hadn’t gone far. They had touched and explored but under clothing and that was as far as they went.

The warehouse was going to be their new home but for now, it was still a work in progress. While Peter was slowly filling his with furniture, Gwen still had to move in.

With no bed for sleeping neither wanted their first time on a couch.

He did need to make more time for her though, and with summer around the corner, wanted to see what he could do.

Finding a purpose Venom began to swing over the more populated areas. He saw camera flashes and had attracted some attention but he wanted to see what things were on offer. If anywhere was doing a show or exhibition Gwen might like he would come back as Peter and see what it cost.

As he swung over a flower stand and the sharp floral scent hit him,

not flowers though, definitely not flowers.

That was one disappointment she would have to live with. His superior sense of smell went crazy at the overbearing perfume coming from them.

He was enjoying the freedom. Enjoying just simply swinging without a care in the world and he laughed as his stomach growled. Landing in an alley he let the armour slide back and found the hotdog stand that had the best smell.

As Venom sat on a gargoyle, eating a hotdog, he felt the other approach him. There was a subtle shift in air pressure as Spider-Man swung into view.

As he got closer he could smell the man's cheap cologne. Peter refused to wear any for that very reason. Why hunt if you're gonna smell like flowers or a cheap date on prom night and let anyone know you're there?

The question was, was he here for a friendly visit or something else?

"Tarantula, or well, Venom?" asked the surprisingly well-spoken but garishly dressed Spider-Man.

"It’s Venom and you damn well know it, Spider-Man," Venom replied. He didn't even bother to get up as the red and blue-suited idiot crawled towards him.

Spider-Man watched carefully as he approached the dangerous and somewhat elusive criminal. He was unsure if this was a trap or not but so far his spider-senses hadn't given him any warning of danger. So while he was relaxed, he was also prepared.

Venom looked over at Spider-Man. He was more muscular than he was, and taller, which made Venom instantly hate him. Sure, he had a girlfriend but it was always the same.

How tall are you?

How rich are you?

Blah blah, stupid tall muscular Spider-Man.

"So, what do you want? I'm not in the mood for a photo op, my hair’s a mess and I've not done my makeup." To make a point he stretched his maw wide, letting the gigantic tongue roll over his razor teeth.

"Just to talk, Venom, just to talk.” Spider-Man sat perched on another gargoyle not too far away.

close enough, Venom thought, close enough to attack or defend if the need arose.

Spider-Man squatted with his legs splayed and hands between them. Anchoring himself to the gargoyle in a pose he could leap from, either up and out the way or forwards, towards Venom.

"So talk then," Venom was already annoyed. He could hear the whirring of the automatic camera nearby. The safety feature of the shutter noise was evident to someone with super hearing but muffled by a bit of gum?

He thought to himself, who clogs a speaker with gum? oh so Spider-Man's probably a moron, well, that explains Tarantula.

"You don't have to be a bad guy Venom. I mean, the city has enough crime, enough bad guys that one more, one more like you tips the scales. It doesn't have to be like that though. You could, you should be a force for good in the city." Spider-Man sounded convincing and it was a well-written speech.

Probably an English major, wait, was Spider-Man a reporter? That would explain the camera, the angled shots, and the exclusives.

Venom laughed, No wonder Eddie Brock's pictures were so great, and no wonder he was able to get footage of both of them. He was Spider-Man.

"A bad guy? I'm not the bad guy Spider-Man. The city, the city was already rotten before I got here. Tell me, how many of those punks get a conviction? how many defence attorneys argue that even you don't have the proper procedure? That you taint evidence, that your interference isn't," as he made air quotes, "Due process."

Spider-Man knew he had him there. He had checked court records and that was a firm favourite. He had taken a while to learn to stop interfering in crimes. Now he always recorded the crime. Always provided evidence, and never interfered until he knew it was safe too. Unless the crime was violent. He always stopped those, unable to watch as some got hurt.

"It doesn't work like that. It makes things better Venom. More and more petty crooks get jail time, and more people get their savings back or their memories. You take the money and leave the crook beaten, and broken. Look what you did to that guy, what's next? You decide not to stop? Not to let someone live cause they're a rapist or a murderer? then you're no better than them."

"You're wrong Spider-Man. No murder, no death and sure, we take the cash, so what? Does the city return it? Ask yourself, all the lost or stolen wallets with no address, no owner, does the city give the money to charity? Feed the homeless? No, it doesn't. It buys a new tank or a cop gets a new piece of kit bought from the military reject pile. Stop trying to sound better than me. Stop trying to impress your readers."

Venom lifted an arm and after correcting his aim, let out a squirt of webbing. The hidden camera spud for a moment before it tumbled and fell as he knocked it off its perch.

"Stop using me to get a scoop, Spider-Man, or I'll expose you to the world. I'm sure ‘Spider-Man, the big mystery solved’ would be a great scoop for the press, but you'd know all about that huh?" Venom stood up and stretched. "Don't follow me. Don't try and stop me, you know this city is rotten as well as I do, I'm just better at cleaning it up than you are."

Venom whipped out a web line and gave Spider-Man a fake salute, “Eddie.” and then swung out into the night.

⁂

Eddie was sweating. Venom had heard his camera, supposedly silent, taking photos and recording their conversation. Venom was wrong though, the city wasn't as bad as he made it out to be.

Where he was right though, Venom kept mentioning the press. Said his name.

Was he too obvious? Was he facing someone who was involved with Oscorp and knew about the break-in? Gathering the smashed pieces of his camera, Spider-Man swung out into the night. He had the evidence he needed but was unsure of what to do with the scuffed but undamaged memory card.

If anyone else took Venom's words as fact, would he reveal himself to the world, or was it a bluff? He shook his head, bluff or not, his mission was too important to risk. He'd stay away from Venom, only stepping in if he got too violent or if he got too bloodthirsty.

Neither man was willing to allow the other to reveal their identity to the world. Both were willing to fight to protect what was theirs, two sides of a single coin, on one side Spider-Man.

By the book. Out for justice. Serving the people the way he thought best, by being their shield by using the law to get them what they deserved.

'Just your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Keeping the streets safe for everyday folk' was his message.

On the other was Venom. Out for revenge. Taking back the fear and the pain given out to the innocents of New York and sending it back to the criminal element.

‘harm my citizens and suffer my wrath' was his.

Both believed they were right. Both knew deep down that their conversations would go around in circles. Neither willing to back down.

Spider-Man was unsure of that outcome. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He didn't want to be the reason another hero turned to crime. Especially when he knew they could do good in the city.

If Venom was the same as him, then why were his powers so different?

Spider-Man made a note to investigate who else had been affected at Oscorp. He already knew there were others like him in the city.

If he could persuade Black Cat as well. He could show Venom that by working together they could do more good than alone. That violence never solved anything.

⁂

As Venom watched him swing away he grew excited.

Was Spider-Man stronger or faster than him?

Did he have training like Black Cat?

Was he like him, an alien hybrid, or did he have different powers? like Rhino or those other idiots.

Peter knew he wasn’t perfect but he was trying. He knew, with Flash and everything else that life wasn’t as rosy or clean-cut as Spider-Man put it. They would butt heads, and it would end in a fight. He knew there would be no peace between them. He was a typical do-gooder, and the villains like Doc Ock would eat him alive.

His excitement grew at the thought of taking on Spider-Man. He could feel their showdown would be legendary.