Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

The summer flew in. Peter had settled into a routine. While Gwen was with Felicia, he and MJ were up to the same, and then he would head out to patrol at night.

MJ and Gwen had been right. Once Peter got back into a proper routine, hastened by the jar being constantly waved in his face, he felt better. Of course, having two incredible girlfriends helped. The guilt he once felt over the accident at the bar quickly vanished. Reassured that nobody blamed him in a pile of never-ending escapades in the bedroom.

He started to get out of the mindset he realised life had stuck him in, Victim. He could bench press several tonnes with no effort but he'd spend too long under Flash's thumb. Under the impression that even being strong that he was weak and little by little, he began to realise that was a lie.

Each time he went out he proved it. With each patrol, he grew in confidence and skill. The muggers had grown bolder. Knowing that Venom wasn't kind to his victims he started to face retaliation. Thankfully, Knives were nothing against his symbskin. The one mugger who pulled a gun pissed himself and shook so much that he almost shot himself before he could aim.

He figured Black Cat was avoiding him because she knew who he was. The way she gave him side glances at the warehouse, and a certain wariness always hindered their conversations. Peter didn’t care though. If Felicia was going to act weird but still sleep with Gwen, then it was a Venom/Black Cat issue and it would resolve itself. Spider-Man was also keeping his distance, but Peter really didn’t care about him.

He did care about the Bugle. JJ’s articles never stopped. It was always a slight dig at Spider-Man, no matter how much he tried to repair his image. A huge dig at Black Cat and then the usual menace and name-calling he’d come to expect as Venom. 

To Peter, it was the circus. A staged villain to sell more newspapers. As long as he stopped crime, he didn’t care what anyone thought of him. Gwen, MJ, May, and, in her own way, Felicia all showed they cared about him, and that was all that mattered. It was just irritating.

He was trying. Even after the bar fight and his fight with Sandman, the rage had died down. On patrol seeing a woman or a scared kid cowering in fear as some asshole relit that fire. He always made sure they would never touch crime again.

Life began to move forwards. Once summer was over, it was time for college for Gwen, and enrollment for Peter. Soon the lazy summer haze drained into crisp autumn.

Peter's modifications to the warehouse kept the inside at a constant temperature. Air-conditioned and solar-powered heating kept the homes warm and the bills low.

The warehouse improvements also continued.

While Peter had college coming up he still had time on his hands. His powers not only increased his physical prowess but lessened his need for sleep. Three or four hours a night was enough and trying for more only left him restless and full of nervous energy.

The meeting table where they all ate got an upgrade as well, with Peter adding power and water to the kitchen unit. There was now a row of them, from one side to the other, with a gap to walk through.

One side was for cleaning, the other for cooking and prep. All fitted out as a proper kitchen. More often than not, the trio would eat together, sharing not just the meal but the cleaning as well.

Deciding he also wanted more space for work Peter bought four more offices. Topped his own with two, and added two to the empty ones.

The homes now sat in a U shape around the outside wall of the warehouse. MJ and Gwen were on the east wall, with Peter at the top. The four now empty homes sat on the remaining wall, keeping the door clear.

With the settlement from the city, Peter decided to grant both MJ and Gwen's wishes. 

Above their homes, with properly bolted wrought iron walkways now sat a deck with a fully plumbed hot tub. The tub became a firm favourite of the trio. After their morning workout, they would spend time just soaking tired muscles. It was a domestic model, big enough for six people but for three, it was heaven. Gwen added some loungers and a few small tables, letting them relax and dip in and out as they pleased.

It was expensive but not as expensive as what he bought himself.

A multilayer three-dimensional nano micron printer, and a circuit board printer. Both industrial models, both from Stark, they were the cutting edge in small manufacturing. The printer would allow him to build delicate parts, with a multipurpose extruder that would handle a multitude of liquids. The circuit board printer would let him design and print off boards without having to order them. To crown it all was the computer-aided design software to allow him to use both to their fullest. Parker Industries was now an actual company. It might only have a staff of one, but it was a start.

It also cost him most of his settlement, and once more Peter was broke. 

With one above his home claimed, Gwen took over the other. After discovering that their new metabolisms shrugged off alcohol. Even the stronger stuff barely dented the symbiotes and so Gwen built herself a brewery in one lab.

Rows of fermenting fruit juices lined the walls and sat over vats of fermenting hops. She had Peter build her a small still, grinning as she anticipated making her own moonshine.

MJ used the four empty ones to practice. She was far enough away that she could rehearse her lines without disturbing anyone. Some parts had embarrassing dialogue or required her to shout or yell. Being at the side gave her a small amount of privacy, but it slowly gave her more confidence in acting in front of people. 

⁂

MJ settled into a routine as well. She had found work in a small mom-and-pop diner over the water in Staten Island. With Muse, a bike ride was now nothing for her.

The hot tub was a reward she would make sure she paid Peter back for in full. Her reward for a hard day was warm water and bubbles that soothed her emotional tiredness. Muse took care of any physical aches she suffered. Working at a diner was more stressful than demanding. Some customers were not as polite or as respectful as they should have been.

MJ had forbidden Gwen and Peter from having sex in it though. She had come home one day to find Gwen between Peter's legs, her head bobbing up and down. She didn't mind sharing the tub or sharing Peter in the tub, but he was messy during sex and the clean-up was always a pain.

Life with both Gwen and Peter was fulfilling and rewarding. She enjoyed watching Gwen and Peter. Enjoyed it as they both used him, and even went so far as to initiate small touches and kisses with Gwen. That was her limit though. She didn’t mind Peter swapping beds at night, Gwen’s lack of stamina was apparent but MJ could go for hours.

She even made a discovery one evening as Peter wandered into her home, asking if she wanted some company. After kissing and using her mouth on him she asked what the strange taste was.

She quietly admitted to herself that she enjoyed the taste of Gwen on Peter. Her sweat had a tang to it that Peters lacked and it became a favourite of hers to lick him clean before they began. Even going so far as to request that Peter spend time with Gwen before visiting her.

She performed several different acts for Peter to keep it a secret. It wasn't a big issue. She had no doubt that Gwen would simply smirk and laugh it off but it was a naughty game she found she enjoyed.

She admitted to herself that she used it to experiment. Even as he lubed her up and slid into her behind, she loved that too. Every inch of her enjoyed the attention Peter gave her. There was nothing Peter wanted that she hated. Even Muse purred and tingled with her as they succumbed to the pleasure he brought them.

There was only one issue. Felicia.

⁂

“Hey Pete,” MJ asked nervously as he was busy rewiring what looked like a new set of fuses.

Peter nodded as he finished soldering on the last connection.

“Pete,” she said again impatiently, "this is important."

“Okay, okay.” Peter lay down the soldering iron and allowed the magnifying glasses to fall down into his hands.

“Uh,” MJ had no real way to say this, “I think Felicia hates me.”

MJ knew Gwen really liked her and was into girls. The noises and giggling coming from her home when Felicia visited made that obvious. The problem reared its ugly head every time MJ went to have a conversation with Felicia. She would always bring up Flash.

It started small. A comment about something that happened at school or something about Peter. But it had escalated. It wasn’t just her she was taking a dig at anymore. She had made comments about upgrading. Comments about bagging another rich kid. The final straw. The one that had MJ calling on Muse to keep her calm until she could break down in private. The comment about how she was lucky Peter and Gwen were so brilliant, and how she would never need to work if she wanted.

How to be a fucking whore one oh one all over again.

Peter sat stone-faced as MJ rubbed and wrung her hands, recounting the stories.

“I’ll speak to her, but. Why me? I mean, Felicia can be grating but” and he sighed, “maybe talk to Gwen?”

MJ shook her head, “I’m not dumb Pete. Gwen loves her, like with the big L. She won't listen, and,” it was MJ’s turn to sigh. “Muse will get involved, and so will Poison, and then so will you. You like her but you aren't you know.”

“Friends?” Peter asked,

MJ raised an eyebrow, “fucking.”

Peter could only shrug at that. “Fine. I’ll talk to them both.”

MJ smiled, laughed, and pulled out a piece of paper, “Your reward.”

‘for being so damn nice.’

As he smirked when he saw it, MJ was already naked and stalking towards him.

⁂

While their personal life was strong, she had been working as well.

She took enough shifts at the diner to cover her rent and bills, plus extra for occasional treats. This let her pursue her real passion. Acting. Her cheap but recommended agent got her auditions at least. It wasn't the best selection of roles, but it was a start.

She had even roped in Gwen and Peter to help. When the three of them hung out at night she handed out scripts and they let her use them as sounding boards. Most of the time, they devolved into laughter most times as they were stiff when trying to act.

Acting work was tough to find without encountering slimeballs. Even the more professional jobs could have hidden nudity clauses. A few times MJ requested Peter's presence at interviews, the ‘producer’ turned pale as he saw him there.

Too often a legitimate director was only a minor credit on a big film. I was enough though to get desperate actresses through the door for unsavoury roles.

While MJ knew that Muse would protect her, she still took Peter along. His presence was more than enough to stop even the pushiest of directors.

With training as well, Muse had also shown her her new trick. Her symbskin armour could change and shift into different clothing. A trick Peter huffed at as he failed but Gwen coaxed Poison into managing. Giggling, they spent an afternoon just changing into different outfits. They had bonded, and while Gwen had to reward Poison with doughnuts, Muse was happy to change. Especially when MJ showed her the underwear she wanted to entice Peter into bed.

⁂

Gwen also found her place in the world was slowly shifting. Not just their personal lives but her work with Oscorp had taken a deeper turn as well.

She had left her internship and been given a proper position, a colleague of her boss. Dr Olivia introduced herself and had her work on samples of genetic material. Sure it was just feeding them into a mass analyser and then collating the results.

Gwen felt that she was actually doing something worthwhile. It was part-time, counted towards credit on her college course and it paid well. It was the start of the life she imagined, even if sharing Peter hadn't originally been part of that plan.

As they grew closer, she finally told him what had happened during her internship. A scumbag had tried to grope her, making an implication that she'd be fired if she said anything. While Peter's face darkened Gwen hurriedly added that she'd been saved. Her new boss Olivia had come to her rescue and the man had been fired not too long after. He still made a mental note to find him, people like that needed to be taught a lesson in Peter’s mind.

Not just Peter. She got her friend back. MJ. Even though she was free of Flash, she had spotted the barely contained anger behind her eyes one day. MJ hadn't spoken a word, but she could tell Muse was trying her best to keep MJ calm as she spoke to Felicia.

It was strange as if she could feel the emotions of Muse through Poison. When she asked she got an equally cryptic remark back,

Little sister, always joined. Don’t care, eat treats, get Pete, or shut up.

So she was left to figure it out on her own.

She didn’t even wait to find him,

“Hey, Pete,” she called out as she slowly crossed from her home to the meeting area.

As he looked at her over his sketchbook, he lay it down and sighed. “Felicia right?” Gwen nodded, “yeah MJ already said.”

Gwen took a breath, “let me fix it okay? I mean. Somethings up,” Gwen moved over and he smiled as she slid into his lap. “Her home is weird.”

Peter raised an eyebrow.

“Like, it looks like a dorm room on those shows, trash and half-eaten food everywhere, but she gets calls and mail.” Gwen rested her head on Peter's shoulder, “but I don’t think her dad is there. I think she lives alone and is just pretending.”

Peter frowned, “But.”

“Yeah, four years,” Gwen said interrupting him, “I think it's been four years.”

Peter kissed her forehead, “So, I trust you, but MJ,”

“Can speak for herself.” came her voice from the doorway, “and okay, so she’s got it shit, but didn’t we all.” She was unusually brave today. Muse was helping keep her calm most days, but on good days she dialled it back. “I want you to fix this or choose. Us or her.”

“Not fair,” Gwen hissed, “I dont make you choose. She’s,”

“Fine, then no Pete until you fix your mess.” Muse stretched out her tendrils and lifted Gwen off Peter's lap, “no anything until you fix this mess.”

Gwen huffed, “not fair.” 

Looking over at Peter, he shrugged, “I am not getting involved. We knew this could happen, and we all said yes. Sort it out.”

Gwen huffed and crossed her arms, “not fair.” she said again.

MJ smiled and giggled, moved over and kissed Gwen on the side of the cheek, “and now we know where Poison gets it from.”