Spiderman: Venom

Naturally, Peter had no problem with Gwen's attempt at a little blackmail. He'd had a crush on her since they started school together, though he'd never worked up the nerve to say anything. Plus, her dad was kind of intimidating every time Peter ran into him.

They exchanged an awkward look for a few seconds. Then Peter's brain finally caught up to his mouth.

"So, uh… if you're my girlfriend, then…?" Without waiting for a response, he leaned in and softly brushed his lips against hers.

Gwen was stunned that this quiet "does-he-even-like-me?" Peter had actually kissed her. It wasn't an intense or possessive kiss, but a gentle, testing-the-waters kiss, and she didn't mind it at all.

It was refreshing to see Peter wasn't just a single-minded academic. He had layers and imperfections beneath his anxiety. Her thoughts froze for a moment as she looked down. His hand rested on her waist, and just as she thought about making sure it stayed in a respectful spot, she noticed he had an erection.

Holy crap, she thought, Peter's got something going on here, and she felt her cheeks heat up.

She'd never dated before and had gotten plenty of "boys are bad news" talks from her dad. This was as new for her as it was for Peter, but even she had a limit.

She pulled back and turned away, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Yeah, that's… good, good, Pete, good," she stammered, cringing inside.

She didn't want to discourage him, but geez, get it together, Pete. We've been "together" for all of a minute. "Uh, Pete? Go clean up. You kinda smell."

Peter took a sniff and realized his clothes were covered in dust and grime—and, yes, he did smell. He'd been cleaning inside two of the older office units, and while they were now spotless, he wasn't.

He quickly shuffled over to a barrel filled with cold, clean water. Get it together, Parker, he thought. His heart had been pounding hard, and as he went in for that kiss, Gwen's scent and perfume seemed to go straight to his head—and lower.

He splashed himself with the cold water, grateful for the cooling effect it had on both his body and his thoughts. The barrel was all he had for now; though there was plumbing, most of it was damaged, and repairing it was on his to-do list.

Gwen watched, blushing, but stayed silent. He didn't even notice her staring as he splashed his face and ran the washcloth down his front.

Holy heck, Pete, where were you hiding all that? she thought.

She kept watching as he pulled a fresh T-shirt from a pile and sprayed himself with deodorant. He gave her a smile when he saw she was still looking his way.

Peter, being Peter, had no clue why she was staring. He sat on the edge of the central section and started explaining his plans for the apartments. To Gwen, he was adorable, like an eager puppy. Once he got started, all his usual awkwardness melted away, and he could go on for hours.

He had more units planned, a list of everything he still needed to do, and even a timeline. He'd also ordered carpets and sketched out a shared area for tenants.

Gwen started to feel a bit overwhelmed by how much planning he'd already done. Meanwhile, her only plan was to graduate with honors.

All she'd done was check out a few rentals with Felicia. She'd even asked MJ if she wanted to join them, thinking splitting the rent three ways would help. But with Peter building new places, it felt strange to ask her now.

Peter and MJ's relationship was complicated. They'd grown up next door to each other, lost contact when Peter and his aunt moved, and reconnected later.

Then, when Flash and MJ began dating in junior high, Flash put an end to MJ's friendship with Peter.

Gwen had never really liked Flash. He was loud and arrogant, thinking money meant he could do whatever he wanted.

Her own family had money too; an inheritance allowed them to live above her dad's commissioner salary. But she never let it get to her head.

She'd tried to get MJ to talk about Flash and Peter, but nothing seemed to work. MJ was closed off. Even inviting her out with Felicia didn't get her to relax—she'd either back out or sit there sullenly while they enjoyed themselves.

Gwen could see the worry on MJ's face. She knew MJ's home life was difficult, and Flash certainly wasn't helping her situation.

Then there was her dad. He was a whole different story. At one time, he'd had no opinion about Peter; he was just another smart kid. But as Gwen got older, her dad's opinion shifted.

Even though Peter was always polite when they met, her dad often looked at him with suspicion, as if half-expecting Gwen to announce she was suddenly pregnant and that Peter was responsible.

If she was honest, though, if she ever did end up pregnant, it would definitely be Peter's. Maybe her dad sensed that somehow—a fatherly instinct that buzzed every time he saw Peter.

It was the classic overprotective dad routine she'd read about in so many books, but it was exhausting in real life. When her dad found out about Peter's suspension, he'd lectured her on her own behavior, warning that Peter might become a delinquent and drag her down with him.

"Gwen? Hey, uh, Gwen. If this is boring, we could…" Peter checked his pockets, pulling out a few fives and singles. "I dunno, get a burger or… yeah, a burger," he said, realizing he had maybe twenty bucks on him.

Gwen smiled. "Yeah, but maybe change into clean clothes first?" she teased, imitating his usual pauses. "That deodorant isn't exactly a wash."

His pants were still dirty, with bleach stains around the bottom edges from cleaning up the offices. He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked as he reached for his top button.

"Oh my god, Pete. No. Nope. Not happening. You're so bad," she said, shaking her head. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

It was strange. One moment, he was the sweet, nerdy guy she'd been crushing on for ages, and then, when his guard was down, he was suddenly confident and mischievous, stealing kisses and having bold thoughts.

Holy crap, she thought. So much for "I'll be the one wearing the pants in this relationship." He's bad… ridiculously hot, but so bad.

"Go change, you goof. I'll check out the samples you got. I'm calling dibs on this one," she said, pointing to the unit closest to the main door. "Oh, and just an idea: if you got some wood and used the steel for support, you could add a deck on top of the box."

Peter leaned back, glancing at the homes. He'd had a similar idea. "Money's tight, so maybe later," he replied, and Gwen nodded, a bit disappointed.

"You're not planning to stack more on top, right? Even if you did, that plastic roof looks pretty flimsy. Oh, I could also ask Felicia—she's got her own place with her dad, but he travels a lot, and you two get along, right?"

A tenant was a tenant, and if Gwen managed to get MJ and Felicia interested, he'd have three.

It was more than just a start—it paid better than most entry-level jobs.

He'd just have to think about living with three women around. Some people had a way of reading into things, and he didn't want to create problems for anyone.

"If Felicia's interested, sure, don't see why not," he said, standing up. "I'll get changed, then food?"

Peter slipped into one of the back offices and returned looking much better. Though the air was cool, it was warming up, so he'd put on jeans and layered a shirt over the clean T-shirt he'd just put on. He grabbed his backpack and demonstrated for Gwen how to lock and unlock the security door.

Once the warehouse was secured, they set off for food.

"Oh, I know a great spot for burgers. It's, uh, just a food truck, but you'd be surprised by the variety around here." Peter went into "explain mode" again, pointing out the spots where he'd found good food trucks—or, more often, not-so-good ones.

Gwen was surprised at how well-stocked the area was.

There was a small convenience store that seemed to focus mainly on cigarettes, but it still offered a decent variety of snacks and easy-to-heat meals. It even had a small laundromat with attached shower facilities.

With many truckers waiting to unload goods nearby, the place got plenty of people taking breaks. Of course, Peter missed some obvious details.

Out under the streetlights, there were scattered piles of cigarette butts, and Gwen noticed women in heavy coats occasionally standing in pairs.

Their shiny coats concealed a different reality, but Peter, lost in his own thoughts, didn't notice. Gwen hoped he'd remain blissfully unaware.

The more Peter talked, the more Gwen imagined herself living in this area. The more they explored, the more she thought it seemed like the perfect location for a hidden setup. It was remote but still had conveniences. If they kept things quiet, no one would suspect anything. That is, until some kids had decided to throw an impromptu party there, thinking it was abandoned.

They strolled along the waterfront, taking in the stunning view of Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Statue of Liberty. It was quite a long walk, so they paused in a large truck parking lot.

The food court was set up in an old warehouse yard. Peter had heard that a building used to stand there, but after it burned down and the insurance refused to pay, the owner had converted it into a parking lot.

Food trucks had taken over the lot, renting daily spaces, with a small picnic area in the center.

They ordered burgers that were a bit greasy for Gwen's taste, but the fries were fantastic. All washed down with generic but surprisingly decent sodas, Gwen realized she was enjoying herself. Even when the topic of school came up, Peter didn't seem too fazed by it, as if his plans no longer hinged solely on his grades.

"You know, Pete, I see you have everything planned out, but, uh, make sure you still come back to school, okay?" Gwen's concern showed as they sat on a bench by the burger truck.

"Of course. This is all great, but if you don't have that essential piece of paper, no one takes you seriously," he said. Whether it was a diploma or a degree, most places would look down on someone without formal credentials. Part of Peter's plan was still to attend college, maybe part-time as he could afford it.

"Nah, I'm good, Gwen. These two weeks have given me time to clear my head, figure out what's important, and, well, who's important. I sorted out a lot," he said. "Though I'm a bit jealous—I would've loved to check out the cybernetics lab at Oscorp."

She nodded. "Pete, I think you're set. I mean, you're eighteen, you've got a place, a plan, and… well, some of us don't have that much."

She wasn't putting herself down, just acknowledging her own experience as a woman in STEM.

At a networking mixer for interns and new hires, she'd noticed Flash talking to executives in suits, mingling with department heads while carefully avoiding the scientists.

She'd even overheard his "scientits" joke, which had, of course, gotten laughs.

While he socialized, her team leader had asked her to serve champagne. Most of the people in suits had ignored her, and the scientists seemed to be there just for appearances rather than real interaction.

Even they felt distant. One woman in particular, a thin, bespectacled figure with the wildest hair Gwen had ever seen, ignored her completely.

On a résumé, an internship at Oscorp looked great, but like Peter, she wanted to be a genuine researcher. She dreamed of working on actual biotech breakthroughs, not serving as a glorified assistant to someone who'd take credit for her work.

"Hey, no, that's fine, Gwen. I mean, once PTech is up, I might need a bioengineer." He tried to sound sincere, but she couldn't help laughing.

"PeeTech?" she repeated with a grin. "Oh no, there's no way you're calling it PeeTech. Let me guess—you even thought 'PP Tech' was a step too far?"

Peter frowned for a second, and then it dawned on him. He'd been thinking of it as "PeTech," but hearing it aloud, he realized it sounded like "Piss Tech."

"How about Parker Industries?" she suggested, forming an arch with her hands.

"Much better." He couldn't deny it, though she kept laughing.

"Oh god, PeeTech. Oh, Pete…" Each time she said it, she laughed harder, and seeing her bright smile, he joined in.

As their unofficial first date wound down, Peter called a cab. They parted at her front door. Peter ignored George Stacy's glare as he leaned in and kissed Gwen on the cheek.

It had been a wonderful day, and nothing tomorrow could change that. He had a girlfriend.