Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

"Holy Shit, Pete," MJ slumped back in her chair, "you killed someone." She looked over at the body, "You killed two people, Peter, two. Do you know what that means?"

"I'm fired?" Peter replied and Gwen snorted.

MJ just shook her head, "This isn't the time for jokes. Shit Pete, we could all go to jail for this." The three now sat around the table on Gwen's deck.

Felicia had been moved into Gwen's home by MJ. Peter and Gwen had poured bleach over the table and given it as good a clean as they could. They just dumped the invader's body in the space between the empty homes. Right now, if anyone else came in, they would see a messy table and not much else.

"MJ, it's fine, Gwen, Poison can create a caustic bleach right? Cover the agent guy in it, I’ll web him up then throw him into the bay." 

Gwen nodded and started to work.

"That's, that's not what I meant Pete. This is a crime scene, we, we need to call someone." MJ curled herself up, holding her legs.

"And what MJ? Tell them that I'm Venom and you two are infected as well. Tell them that Alexsi Sytsevich was Rhino and he sent a kill squad after us? That Felicia is Black Cat? Tell them we have Olivia Octavius here and are harbouring a wanted felon?”

Liv had been sitting quietly. She wanted to explain more about her dealings with Norman and Aleksei. Every time she tried she felt the compulsion of the collar. Whatever damage had been done was permanent. She bit back tears as she tried to hold herself together.

“You can turn me in if you like. I deserve it,” Liv admitted. “You can blame all this on me. He was here for me, I used the harness and killed him.”

Peter looked over at her, “You know that won't cut it Liv. Not with Felicia hurt, not with his get-up. They won’t care who killed him, they’ll care who he worked for and why he was here. Norman will send another group, and we won’t be as lucky. So no.”

Peter sighed. He closed his eyes and leant back for a moment. The weight of killing Aleksei was weighing on him, as was the agent. Aleksei would have blackmailed him into doing much worse, and the agent would have killed everyone. The guilt could wait. Right now he needed to be practical, right now, he needed to be strong.

“It sucks, but these people tried to kill me, tried to kill us. Felicia is dying and probably won't make it. This isn’t over yet, and we need to make sure this is dealt with. None of us are safe right now. I love you I really do but you're being stupid."

Peter motioned around him at the warehouse. "This keeps us safe, and right now I doubt the cops are looking for either a secret agent guy or Felicia. Sure, they'll want to talk to me but I've got two alibis, you and Gwen, and if you keep your shit together, then we'll be fine."

"Wait, you love me?" MJ was blushing and she leaned forwards excitedly.

"Of everything going on, that's what you take?" Peter was exasperated, he would do anything to keep them safe and murder was a small price for that.

"Oh well, excuse me for finally getting the words from the one person I wanted to hear them from. Sorry it took you killing two shitheads to say it." MJ had stood up and was shouting at Peter.

"Look, emotions are high enough, we all need to calm down and it'll be fine." Gwen had finished the task and had climbed back up to her deck. "If you two are gonna fight or fuck, please do it in your own house. I'm not cleaning up after you."

MJ stared wide-eyed at Gwen, and Peter just laughed. The tension in the air was gone, MJ rubbed her arm, "love you too, stupid shithead," she whispered.

Peter smiled at MJ, “love you too Gwen,” but she just rolled her eyes. The symbskin flowed over Peter. "We will be back," and leaping down to the table, lifted the cocoon under one arm. He leapt up and out of the skylight exit in the roof.

“Is it going to be like this more often?” MJ asked Gwen, who shrugged.

As she sat staring at her cold coffee she really didn’t know. “We both knew Pete was Venom, we both knew that he went out at night. Can we complain now? I mean, we knew Rhino and those assholes attacked him, that he wanted to get back at them.” Gwen looked over at Liv, “uh sorry. I mean, you did make a huge mess.”

Liv waved a hand, “I was under,“ and she twisted in pain, shaking as a seizure hit.

“Shit. Liv?” Gwen rushed to her side and grabbed her hand, “Liv!”

Gwen held her hand until the shaking subsided. She brought up a hand to wipe her nose. “No blood is good.”

Gwen shook her head. “That was what happened when you tried to fight?”

“The collar reinforces commands with shocks. Eventually, it conditions the response without even being attached. I cannot talk about certain things.” Liv explained. She could still feel its effects, even as she slept. All the horrible things she had been forced to do were tightly locked away. Even thinking about telling them about Harry brought a shivering pain up the back of her neck.

Gwen cupped her head in both hands, peering into her eyes, “Not a doctor but it looks like a petit mal seizure. You should lie down and rest.”

Liv nodded, and Gwen helped her into Peter's home. With no spare beds, he had volunteered his own.

Gwen flopped down on the couch next to MJ, “Some night right?” she said as she cuddled closer to her. For once, MJ had no issues with it.

MJ sighed, “I know. I didn’t think it would go this far. It’s Peter you know, stupid dorky lovable Peter, not some monster, not a killer.”

Muse twisted and MJ's outfit changed into something more casual. She had been dressed for going out but now back in the warehouse, she wanted to be comfy. "But I don't want to fight, Gwen. I've had enough of people like Flash," she rubbed her arm, "like my father, but this, this whole thing. Why is Felicia in a costume? Why are people trying to kill us?"

"I don't know," Gwen replied, “but Pete is right, that guy had a gun, MJ. He was going to kill us to get to Felicia and then kill her, even if Peter didn't kill him what? We couldn't let him go, he knew where we lived, and he saw our faces. There’d be cops or who knows what else swarming this place.”

“You think Felicia knows more?”

"I don't know MJ. But we can ask her when she wakes up."

"If she wakes up," answered Peter.

He had only taken a few minutes to dive into the dock and secure the body to the riverbed. Using more webs he'd wedged it down with added rocks. Now with that Gwen's caustic web fluid had done its work, nothing would float to the surface.

He had also discovered a new power, as he dived down and his lungs burned he let out a breath and found he could breathe. His symbskin allowed fresh clean air to pass through it without him drowning. It was just the wrong time for sharing his excitement about a new power.

Venom slipped back and headed back to the deck. The trio stared at one another as his symbskin retracted and became a set of clothes again. Gwen looked at MJ and then at the floor biting her lip, and frowning.

"What happened?" Peter asked her.

“Liv is still affected by the harness. She can’t answer questions about things she’s been told not to.”

“How bad?” Peter asked. He poured himself a fresh coffee and sat back down.

“Seizures, and maybe brian damage. Without an MRI I can’t say.”

Peter sighed and leant back, “so no interrogating her about Aleksei or we might kill her anyway?” and Gwen nodded.

“And I thought Flash was an asshole,” MJ snorted.

Peter stared at her, “Flash is an asshole, Norman’s just had longer to practice.”

MJ and Gwen both laughed, breaking the tension. “So, Liv?”

Peter shrugged, “she saved Felicia, she gets a pass. We talked about this. Whoever that guy was, she had nothing to do with it.”

“Good, because there is more.” Gwen stood and beckoned Peter to follow.

They headed into his home. Peter was the only one willing to free up a bed for her. Gwen was currently occupied by Felicia and MJ point blankly refused. It was their mess.

Gwen stood in the doorway, “The seizure means we can’t ask her about Norman or anything else. I think it would kill her.” Gwen gently knocked on the door and waited until Liv answered.

Liv was sat up in Peter's bed, with a thin sheet wrapped around her.

“Liv needs her bandages changed every four hours. Her infections cleaned and dressed, and help to go to the toilet,” Gwen explained.

Peter nodded, “right, so I need to move in with MJ.”

Gwen batted him on the arm, “No you ass. You need to do it.”

Liv smirked while Peter just looked confused. “Why do I have to?”

Gwen crossed her arms, “well for one, you don’t have a job anymore. I have classes and my internship. MJ works twelve-hour shifts at the diner to pay for acting lessons. You have free time.”

Liv smiled “Plus, it's not like it isn’t anything you haven't seen dear.”

Gwen raised an eyebrow, “really? Want to explain that Pete?”

“Uh, she captured me, had me tied down. I was helpless.”

“I was asking for help you dolt and showed you how much of a mess I was. But I suppose show any young man a pair of breasts and his mind will go blank.”

Gwen giggled, “Yup, that's Pete. So. Every four hours, clean dressing. Toilet duty. I will concede to helping Liv shower though.”

Peter shook his head, “fine. And sorry Liv, I.”

Liv waved a hand dismissively “They are spectacular. Even I would be mesmerised.”

Gwen snorted, “yeah good luck there Pete. Now. Sleep. If you need help, Pete will be outside, but we need to talk about our other houseguest.”

Liv shuffled down the bed, and as Gwen switched off the light she was sure she saw her smile for once.

The pair headed back to the deck. MJ was waiting and looked over at Gwen guiltily.

A look Peter noticed, “What?”

Gwen raised her eyebrows and shrugged, “Not my call. That was you.”

MJ leant back and gave Peter a small smile, “I uh. Muse. Muse might have spawned.” MJ had asked but Muse refused to answer.

Peter rubbed both hands over his face. “Might?”

"She was dying Tiger, not just a little bit but really dying, so uh, we saved her."

"And by we you don't mean you two," he motioned between Gwen and MJ, who shook their heads.

"Muse told me how to do it, so don't give me that look. Two deaths are more than enough. I'm not a killer, and neither should you be." MJ poked a finger at him, her anger was evident and Peter knew better than to push it.

Peter rubbed his forehead. Gwen had been on purpose even if it was the first time, MJ was an accident but if it meant saving Felicia then it was fine. MJ was only just coming back into their lives. Felicia had saved him from Flash on several occasions. She even stayed in the maths club, even though Peter knew she was struggling. She was one of his best friends, his only friends. Making her a host like the others was not a problem. It might lead to a problem though.

"Fine. Damn," he swore and his shoulders slumped, "but if she acts like you two we could be in real trouble."

"Oh don't worry Venom, You’re not."

A Symbiote-covered Felicia limped up the stairs and joined them on the deck. Her symbskin was black with dark grey stripes, like tiger markings over her body. A long flowing ponytail, which glinted like fine silver thread, hung from the top of her smooth black mask. As her yellow crescent eyes narrowed she spoke, "We are Huntress and you have some explaining to do Peter."

However, her threatening demeanour was spoiled. The trio were more focused on what adorned the top of her mask.

Peter burst out laughing while MJ just grinned and shook her head,

“Aww. She’s got cute little kitty ears. Hey, no fair. I want little cat ears too.” Gwen huffed.