Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

Flash felt angry, nothing but angry since he woke up in the hospital. It didn't matter that his life was on the line, no one understood that football was his life.

So when his father made the call to have his already smashed leg amputated, he had ended more than just his career. He had ended his future too.

Flash didn't care about the latest prosthetics or that he would be able to walk or play ball again with them. He felt like a freak, less than a man and his dream of professional football was nothing but that now, a dream.

One he had woken up from to find a new nightmare had taken its place. He'd tried to connect with MJ again, but even that was impossible. Every time he looked at her he saw the diner, and every time he tried to touch her, she flinched. She was supposed to be there for him. She was supposed to be his.

"Look Flash, you've been bottling up so much stuff. All I'm saying is that you need to see the therapist as well as the physio," MJ stated.

She had finally come back to visit, a day after he had woken up. He'd listened to his father rant on about her for hours. How she had abandoned him, how he should put her in her place. How much of a disappointment he was.

He didn't care and stared sullenly at the end of the hospital bed where his foot used to be. Where his hopes and dreams had been cut off from him, all because of that damn Venom, all because of that damn Parker.

He'd even taken MJ away. She had told him she had signed a lease and had already moved.  He'd had enough in junior high. Listening to her go on and on about damn Parker for hours. Even when he asked her out, it took three attempts for her to say yes. Even then he never felt like she was his girlfriend.

They never did anything serious, nothing like the other guys bragged about. They held hands and she kissed him once after a big win but that was it. He'd tried to be subtle, thinking maybe she would be sacred, but she never responded. She never let him touch her for more than a few seconds.

"Flash, are you even listening to me? I can't, I can't do this Flash. You say nothing, you do nothing. It's too much."

He’d saved her when the ceiling came down. He knew that it would have crushed her if he hadn't pushed her out of the way. If he hadn't saved her he would have been fine. He felt the rage bubble up once more.

"Your fault, it's your fault," he screamed at her and she flinched backwards, scrambling to move away from him.

MJ could see that this was more than anger. His fists gripped his blanket turning his knuckles white from the pressure. His face went red as he yelled.

MJ paused and gave him a confused look, “Saving me was my fault? Being trapped under a building was my fault?” Muse stirred within her,

Say what you feel, we will keep you safe from him.

Since Muse was there she’d become braver when facing people like Flash. Even if he yelled or screamed she knew Muse would protect her.

Peter had shown her some simple moves. Enough to defend herself. With Muse, she could defeat Flash easily.

"No, Flash you saved me. You dont get to lie there and blame me. Take some fucking responsibility for once, you spoilt little shit.” MJ marched over. “I stayed with you, I let you rant and shout and now, once it all goes to shit it’s my fault? Fuck you Flash. Fuck you and fuck this. I’m leaving.” MJ grabbed her bag that had been dumped on the floor. “Grow the fuck up.”

Harrison stood in the doorway. He was holding two cups of coffee, and calmly he set them on a side unit and closed the door behind him.

“Young lady. I think you owe my son an apology.” He said with no emotion on his face,

He is ready to attack but we will not let him hurt you.

“Harrison, get the fuck out of my way. I don’t give a shit what I owe him, or you.”

Harisson clenched his fist and pointed a finger at MJ, “now listen here you fucking bitch. If you had been a quiet, attentive girlfriend, he wouldn't be in this mess. He’s right, it's your fault and you will stay, and you will learn your place.”

MJ laughed, “this isn't the fifties you dumb fuck. Watch.” MJ stepped back and clapped her hands together, as hard as she could, and it echoed around the room. “Explain that to the press you fucking asshole,” she whispered.

In a flood of tears, MJ grabbed her bag and ran from the room, cradling her face. The nurses in the hallway heard their altercation. It wasn't the first time there had been yelling from that room.  and while Flash was angry there was no need for him to lash out at her.

One, in particular, saw MJ’s red face, the angry look on Harrison Thompson's face and grinned. The tabloid paid good money for stuff like this. She picked up her phone, “Hey, guess what I just saw.”

⁂

MJ rushed through the hospital with tears streaming down her face. She slowed at the main entrance and searching for a cab, she ducked inside.

The cabbie looked at the tear-sodden young woman, mascara and makeup stains all over her face. "Hey, you alright miss?" MJ took a few deep breaths and nodded at the cabbie. Normally with pickups from outside the hospital, he knew better than to ask. If she wanted to talk she would, but sometimes the news wasn't the sharing kind.

While the cabbie looked at her in concern, she was too busy to reply,

Muse? Can you do that, I mean, all the time? Make me cry?

We can. We can make Mary feel whatever she wants, but we didn't. The Flash did that, we just made you feel it, to hide is to hurt more.

MJ is fine you know, we’re uh, close enough that Mary sounds weird, but do you? Do you make me feel things?

We can, but we do not. Peter is right, too much and you break, too little and you break. We make you happy when needed and sad when needed.

Am I broken?

You are you and we are us, no more no less. We taste you and we feel it too, but we love you and protect you.

Love you too.

Cleaning her face up on the ride home, she tipped the driver an extra ten for his concern. It was nice to know that there were some nice people in the world. Spending time with Flash and his friends had only shown her the bullies, and the selfish.

Stretching once she was sure no one could see, she strode up the freshly finished front entrance.

Peter was dedicated to making this a proper home for the three of them. With the nicer weather, he had filed and fixed all the cracked paving stones and then set out plans for the outside.

He had shown the pair plans to make the outside a rockery. Gwen pointed out that, with the traffic, sitting outside was pointless. The inside was spacious enough he should focus on that more. he should focus on the inside more.

Adding plumbing and power to the centre square was a must. Having to constantly charge the hotplate was annoying. Having to carry plates and cups back and forth was even more so.

Peter was hesitant, as it meant cutting a channel in the floor, but he did agree. It wouldn't be difficult, just messy. It would mean they could wire up a TV as well, and while he needed power tools, he was thinking about it.

There was also building up. He could make a comfortable area in the skyline so they could sit and look out the windows. Gwen had already picked out furniture for her deck, but MJ had been secretly looking at hot tubs.

Finding him shirtless again, she bit her lip and felt Muse approve as well. "I'm home," she shouted and waved before making her way along with one of the paths into her box house. Flash was now out of her life and she didn't even need to lie. No one would blame her for staying away if all he did was yell. He was now treating everyone that way, not just her, and breaking up with him seemed like a normal thing to do.

Gwen was at work right now. Her internship at Oscorp changed into a part-time lab assistant job over the summer. Which would continue while she was at college. It did mean the money she was now earning dwarfed both MJ and Peter's put together.

Not that either of them minded. With his job at the junkyard and the rent they both paid, he wasn't exactly rolling in money. It was enough the lights were kept on and his refrigerator was always full. Then she would head to visit Felicia, as they had agreed to her being included.

MJ had started to get auditions as well. When she was out hunting for a job closer to home, she had sent out headshots and had her agent look for anything. As long as it wasn't pornographic. She had had some success and even read for a few understudy parts. She had nothing solid so far, only understudy or the dreaded 'we'll call you' reply.  But, according to the other staff at the diner where she now worked, she was getting more interest than most.

Peter came in towelling himself off and it took her breath away. Muse stirred but she had to fight to remain calm,

No, we can’t. I want to as well, but we need to learn control.

Muse huffed, we know, but he is so incredible. It is not wrong to desire him, or others,

Shush, no. Just, just let me enjoy my time with Pete okay?

She hated being reminded that Gwen had kissed her. It was nice, but she knew it was Poison spawning.

Gwen had jokingly said that it would be alright if MJ joined in but she was strictly hetero. Even if watching Gwen and Peter go at it like animals made her wet. She was always willing that once Gwen was spent, she took over. It didn’t bother her Peter had just finished in Gwen, and it didn't bother her to taste her on his lips, or elsewhere. It happened enough that she was rethinking her ‘strictly hetero’ thoughts.

Shit, she thought to herself, can't do anything, gotta stop thinking about it.

Recently she thought about it a lot. Once she discovered the joy it could bring her, she understood she needed more control. She had always thought her father was weak. To be chained by something as stupid as alcohol. Now she understood.

If Peter let her, she would spend all day in bed, a slave to her desires, happily encouraged by Muse. The physical pleasure and closeness of joining with him were addictive. More than that though he was a rock for her. A safe place in the storm of emotions she was sometimes lost in, and she took comfort in that.

She knew she loved him, but sometimes he was as dense as the steel he'd been busy cutting up. Book smart, street dumb was how Gwen called it and it described him to a tee. She had no qualms about being the opposite.

It never bothered her when he got excited about some hexatexmexapoutine breakthrough. It was adorkable to watch them get excited over something new. To her, all it did was hum for a few days, went ting, and then printed out a piece of paper. To them, it was like discovering fire for the first time.

She had her own thing though. She got excited when she got an audition and they both chipped in to help her learn her lines. Most of the time it was more of an echo chamber as Muse helped her with a perfect memory. Muse took great joy in reading the scripts with her but she wanted to share that passion with Peter and Gwen as well.

"So uh how was the visit?" Peter asked her, unsure of how exactly to broach the subject. He carefully came into her home and sat himself down on one of the armchairs he had gotten for her.

"It was fine," MJ replied. "We broke up, and uh yeah. I might have yelled at his dad." she kissed him on the nose. "With Flash, that was just an act so I could get away from all the whining he'd started to do."

MJ pulled a face. The last time she had gone he'd tried to touch her breasts and she'd automatically pulled back. That started an argument. One of many they'd been having since the diner and one where he ended up yelling at her again.

She busied herself putting away her bag and making sure everything was still in there. She paid no attention as she had Muse morphed into a set of indoor clothes. The warehouse was empty, so she cheekily flashed Peter in the process of changing. Once she was more comfortable in slacks and a loose blouse, she flopped onto the couch.

"But enough about him, Flash is in the past. We broke up and it's not like he'll show up here, but Peter, Gwen and I are worried about you."

Peter frowned, "me?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"Yes you," she replied, cuddling closer to him. "It's been over a week since the diner, Gwen and I are moving on, moved out, but you're not out patrolling anymore. You stay here or go to the junkyard, so what's up? If you’re upset Gwen and I aren’t willing to join you, you should say."

Gwen had shaken her head when Peter suggested it. She was way too busy with work and college prep to even think about adding more to her plate. When MJ thought about having to fight she froze. The idea of hurting someone, having someone cry, or attack her, made her panic. It was Muse who calmed her down in the end.

Peter shifted uncomfortably, "I uh, you know, just trying to get myself started with Parker Inc,"

MJ put a finger on his lips, "Peter, if it's guilt about causing the accident then stop. It was four bad guys, they wanted something and Gwen could have been hurt or worse. It was that grey idiot that caused the building to come down, not you."

Peter smirked, "Yeah, I know." He hadn't told them about the two buildings that Black Cat had given him. He had been hesitant. What if all four were there again? What if he still couldn't handle it?

"Tiger, You need to get motivated. Even if you're not out hunting bad guys, get ready for when you are. So to encourage you, Gwen and I came up with a little plan." MJ reached behind the couch and pulled out a glass jar with folded paper in it. "Each time you pass a milestone, like a class or a project you're working on, you get one of these."

Peter frowned, "I get a bit of paper?"

"No you dumbass, take one and look at it."

Peter reached into the jar and took the first piece that came to hand, unfolded and read it. His face turned into a bright smile as he did.

"Are they all sex things?" He asked as MJ grinned.