Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

With the trial over, Peter was slowly recovering. He fought the impulse to build, and soon enough, his dreams stopped being haunted by numbers.

Now the last of the compulsions had cleared, and he was catching up with everything he missed. With the good news, that he was finally healed, came the bad. He would never be able to use the Danger Room.

Which was why, he was sullenly eating a bowl of cereal.

Liv, Gwen, Felicia, MJ, and Yukio all came in, laughing, after setting out early to get breakfast at a diner. They knew Peter was in a bad mood, and left him to it.

“Still sulking?” Gwen asked as she slid next to him.

"I did just spend ten million on a room I can never use." He had tried to cut off his powers, but it was as easy as cutting off his sense of direction. He took in everything, and could only lessen its effects. The amount of data transmitted by a Danger Room was just too much unless he wanted to be spewing numbers for a month.

“Well, we've got something to cheer you up.” They had also snuck out to visit the publishing house. While the issue had been out for two weeks, they had been out to collect their own special editions. These were signed, a request for a set of collectables to auction for charity. The last thing they had taken was a USB drive with the unused shots.

Gwen slid her copy onto the table in front of him. She had asked for an extra, with Peter in mind.

“PlayDude. Super Star Edition.”

Peter raised an eyebrow and began to flick through it. He raised an eyebrow as he reached Yukio’s article, but paused when he got to Gwens.

“It was for a good cause, and the proceeds are going to charity. It is a hefty sum, Peter.” Liv explained and she slid the check across the table. Peter did blink as he saw the figure, “Plus, could you resist that look?”

Yukio beamed at him and furrowed her brow and lips in a cute pout.

Peter flicked through the magazine. He ignored the adverts and the articles and mainly focused on the pictures. After he had finished, he looked at the expectant faces of the group.

“So, let me get this straight. You four did interviews, nude shoots, and are waiting to get a royalty check that is going to be in the millions. All because Yukio asked nicely?”

It was their choice, but he knew Negasonic, or Ellie, had taken offence. Yukio was here as she was avoiding the mansion.

He had checked the news, and seen news of the battle. He had seen the 'hottest selling issue' reports as well. Even after a month, the Playdude issue was selling reprint after reprint. They couldn't keep up with demand, it was so popular. Not just the issue, but the fallout as well. There was the usual sexist backlash but it paled in comparison to the positive.

Not only the donations to both charities, but more and more heroes were willing to speak to the press. Some were even signing up to do their own shoots. Peter had even been contacted, by Tony, to see if he had been given an offer. He hadn't as his identity was secret, which Tony was rubbing in his face.

“Well, it was all done very tastefully,” Liv said with a small smile, “you can see for yourself.” She handed him the web address of the site, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Twenty bucks to see the pictures? Liv, everyone. I love you, but I’m not paying twenty bucks to see what I’ve already seen. And I am not choosing a side either.”

Gwen and Liv looked at each other, “What side?" They asked together. 

They laughed, but it was Yukio who said, “Jinx.”

“Before we get to that, Yukio? Not that I mind but uh?” Peter asked.

“Oh, Ellie and I broke up, she got mad and I need a place to live,” Yukio explained.

“Right. And the royalty check? I mean, they did say multi-million dollar.”

Yukio stared at the table, “I caused a huge blackout and had to pay a huge fine. One officer lost a leg, which I paid to be replaced.”

“That I know, I got the contract to replace them all, which I did pro bono.” Peter opened one of the drawers, looked at the selection of keys, “Up or down.” and at the ‘down’ reply, took out a set, lifted the key rack and slid out an envelope. “Thousand five hundred a month, utilities are your own, and the bathhouse is by rota or appointment.” He said as he handed over the keys and the lease. “No deposit.”

“Yukio will be interning with me and paid for allowing me to test her powers. I’ll bill it as an expense, and deduct her rent from her wages, fair?” Liv asked Yukio who nodded. 

It was exciting. She had a job and a new home. It was just sad that Ellie was mad at her. Yukio nodded. “And um?” She smiled as she tilted her head at the bathhouse.

“Nope. Family only. Unless you get an invite and don’t mind seeing everyone naked.” Yukio grinned. “That does include me.” 

She frowned slightly and shrugged. “It is only a little more than you can see in the magazine. I am not a prude or going to scream if I see a penis.”

“Then move in when you like. Rent’s due in advance, and someone else can give you the tour.”

Yukio beamed, found a pen, signed the lease and bounded away to see her new place.

“Right, so sides.” Peter flipped his tablet around. “Your pages have a like button on them.” He showed them the page. Every six months the current models had a popularity contest. You could sign in and ‘like’ your favourite. It was nothing more than bragging rights.

Liv snorted and began to laugh as she saw her page had a few hundred more hits than Gwens. “It’s your mask. I am bearing my soul to the world,“ Liv teased her.

“Baring your ass more like. My shoot was tasteful. You practically shoved a camera where the sun doesn't shine,” Gwen retorted, “and we’ll see about that. Pete, you don’t mind we did it right?”

Peter was eating cereal, and just shrugged, “Nope. I said that to MJ years ago. Your body, your choice. But uh.” He could see Gwen and Liv scowling at each other. “Okay, Gwen, stop fretting over it, and Liv, no hacking the server and increasing your likes.”

Gwen frowned, “Did you cheat?”

Liv scoffed and looked insulted, “How rude. I have you know I didn’t even know. I just assumed the website showed the more adventurous shots we posed for.” She leaned back and raised an eyebrow. “If I knew it was a contest, I would have been more daring.”

“More? I was in the room, you were almost humping the camera. It stopped being tasteful and was almost porn.”

Liv tutted, “I never. We have the shots to prove it. I touched myself a little and that was it. Peter, can we ask people to vote for us, I mean, I can, as I didn’t hide my face,” Liv asked with a small smirk.

“Nope, because that isn't fair on Gwen. You know why she wore a mask, and she was right to. The NYPD would catch hell if George Stacy’s daughter did a nude shoot. And while they can suck it, I really don’t want a bunch of angry cops giving Gwen crap.”

Liv huffed, “Fine, I’ll behave.” 

Peter smiled as he lifted his bowl to sit in the sink. “Still, would be nice to see the originals. You did get them right?”

MJ nodded, “Of course. I made sure we had rights to everything they didn’t use. I have the files on a hard drive.”

“On the main server or are we keeping this offline?” Peter asked. The server was secure, but why risk a hack when the files were easily accessible just by plugging a drive in?

“Offline. Some of them have our faces, and other things. Fel!” MJ teased Felicia, who had gone farther than she dared but chickened out at the last minute. She had posed but only allowed the topless pictures to be used. The full frontal pics were digital only.

“I still want to see them. Leave the drive upstairs when you get the chance,” Peter said with a small smile. MJ already had the USB drive on her, and slid it across the table.

“Pete, you see us naked pretty much each day. Why do you need to see a picture when I could flash you right now?” Felicia asked.

Peter shrugged, “I see the sunset most days, still think pictures of it are neat.”

Gwen huffed and sat next to him, “I think you should see the pictures and decide whose you like best.”

Peter wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap, he gently kissed her on the side of the neck, “Nope. All beautiful, all equal.”

She huffed softly, “Not fair, you should,”

Peter kissed her again, “nope.”

“Peeeete,” she whined, but all he did was pepper her neck with kisses.

“Nope, stop asking or I’ll start being mean.”

“Fine” Gwen huffed, “mine are still awesome though.” He just laughed and hugged her tight.

Even he didn’t know just how bad it would be. As each reprint sold out the list refreshed, pushing Gwen and Liv into the top spots for over a year. They sometimes swapped places, with each taunting the other in response. They even caused a huge argument about who the hot blonde was. A few even guessed correctly, but Gwen never revealed it was her.

He took the drive and his tablet upstairs and plugged it in. The pictures were split into several folders marked, 'Shoots', 'Unsuitable', and finally 'Denied'. so he checked the one marked 'Unsuitable' first.

He could see why. A shot of Yukio that made her look like she was being electrocuted, and was horrifying, not sexy. MJ, covered in Muse, looking like a monstrous creature, and not a model. One of Felicia, looking mortified as she stiffly posed for the camera. And a follow-up, where a pair of hands had cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples. Felicia was frozen, half yelling, half laughing, at a clearly visible Gwen. It was a great shot, but not suitable for printing.

Not wanting to disturb them, he shot Liv a quick text,

Hey, some of these are of Yukio, does she know?

Yes, and she is fine with you seeing them. We were asked if we wanted individual drives and she didn’t care. She says there is nothing to be ashamed of, even the naughty ones.

Wait, she says you can look but she gets to use the bath house.

Peter laughed, tell her fine, just no guests.

In the 'denied' folder, he found the shots the models had refused to allow to be published. One of Yukio, where she had one leg stretched, showing off her cleanly shaven mound, with everything below on display. One of Liv, where as Gwen said, she had her fingers spreading her labia. Even one of Gwen, bent over, spreading her ass cheeks, with a clearly aroused pussy on display. She might have teased Liv, but she was just as daring.

It was the folder full of Felicia's rejected pictures that gave Peter pause.

Felicia had the courage to do a full spread, and there were a lot of shots of her fully exposing herself. She was a little stiff at first but had relaxed and the shots showed it. She was stylish, graceful and sexy as hell. She just changed her mind at the last moment. The contracts allowed the model to have the final say, and Felicia had said no.

While he would never admit it, her shoot was his favourite. In one, Felicia was suspended, upside down, from the ceiling by two web lines. She had held her hands behind her back, pushing out her very ample chest, but was holding her legs in the splits. It was honestly one of the hottest things Peter had ever seen. It was erotic but not over the top, and the more he stared at it.

Oh screw it, he thought to himself.

He lifted his phone and sent Felicia a text. He didn't want to play favourites but he knew they would ask. Was it better to just say they were all equal, when he knew that he had favourites? There was no escaping his fate, and he sucked it up and decided to take it like a man. Even if it meant Gwen and Liv were going to be mad at him. He would figure out how to make it up to them later.

As he sent the message he heard Felicia shout from below.

"Hell Yeah! Suck it Bitches. I'm the sexiest!"

Yeah, he was in trouble.