Spiderman: Venom

Peter was in the middle of sending a message to MJ when Gwen returned. She hadn't been back yet, and he had been getting worried. Peter knew Harrison could be difficult to deal with, and he was concerned about how she was holding up.

To his surprise, Gwen walked in and said, "You actually bought it?"

She shrugged casually. "You could help, though," she added, turning to reveal several more bags strapped to her back.

It turned out she had indeed purchased a microscope. As Gwen disappeared into her room with her bags, Peter picked up the box she had left behind and inspected it. The equipment looked pricey.

He suspected George had footed the bill, even if he wouldn't realize it until the credit card statement came in. Peter waited for Gwen to come back out so they could begin setting it up.

The rest of the day was spent configuring the microscope. It required numerous adjustments and calibrations. While Gwen focused on fine-tuning the machine, Peter relocated a small table and shifted the kitchen counter into one of the vacant apartments. This work needed to remain private, and MJ couldn't know about it—at least not for now.

The apartment next door to his was unoccupied. Peter had plans to expand the building, with new units above his and the neighboring space, plus two more above the apartments on the east side. Until he found tenants, the two upper units would make excellent offices and workspaces.

As the microscope finished calibrating, they decided to conduct physical tests first. While analyzing cells would reveal the symbiote's structure, it wouldn't explain how it was influencing their bodies.

The initial tests were simple. Peter brought in containers filled with varying amounts of water. Since one liter of water equaled one kilogram, this makeshift weight set would allow them to measure their strength effectively, even without professional equipment.

Peter gripped the handle of a container and lifted it with ease. Gwen, though initially doubtful, surprised herself by doing the same.

When completely filled, the container could hold up to 3,500 liters. Gwen managed to lift one full container and another half-full one.

Sleeping! No work. Eat, then sleep! Poison complained.

"Not bad, huh?" Gwen teased Peter as he filled another container to its brim.

"Not bad at all," Peter replied, effortlessly lifting two full containers—one in each hand.

Gwen scoffed. "I can do that," she said, gripping both handles. She strained, managing to lift them just slightly off the ground before setting them down again.

Peter laughed, stepping forward to scoop her up, along with the barrels.

"Are you calling me fat?" she asked, pretending to be offended as he set her down.

"If I could find even a single ounce of fat on you, I'd be amazed," Peter said, giving her a playful once-over.

Gwen couldn't deny it. Whatever Poison had done to her body, it had left her lean and toned. Her stomach was completely flat, and when she flexed, a set of defined abs appeared. While she had gained muscle, she was convinced her breasts were slightly smaller. Despite consuming dozens of pastries, she never felt bloated or gained weight—just occasional queasiness.

Next, they tested their spatial awareness.

With his eyes shut, Peter tracked Gwen as she moved across the warehouse, pointing accurately to her location. When she tossed a ball at him—even when he faced the wrong direction—he sensed the disturbance in the air and caught it with ease.

"Kinda cheating, though. I can hear you move," Peter admitted.

Gwen discovered she had a similar ability. No matter how quietly Peter moved, she could sense exactly where he was in the space.

"So, like a super-spatial perception?" Gwen suggested.

Peter nodded. "Yeah, but be careful. Loud noises or strong smells will throw it off."

"Okay, vision next?" she proposed, jotting down a series of phrases on index cards. "Go stand by the main door and read these."

Peter moved to the entrance while Gwen stepped into the office. Holding up two cards, she called out, "Repeat what's on card two, and you'll win a prize."

Without squinting or straining, Peter read, "Gwen is great, and I…" He burst out laughing. "I suck. So, what's my prize?"

Gwen smirked. "You'll find out later."

Peter was tempted to claim his reward right then, but the microscope beeped, signaling that it was ready.

With the calibration complete, they moved into the empty apartment and began preparing their samples.

They decided to test saliva, blood, and—on Peter's side—semen, while Gwen would provide similar samples of her own.

The kit included sample bottles, swabs, and other medical tools. Gwen had also purchased latex gloves and cannulas—small needles for collecting tissue samples.

"Don't be shy, and don't chicken out," Gwen teased. "I'm doing it too, Pete." As she spoke, she unbuttoned her pants. "At least you get to enjoy yourself."

Peter offered a sheepish smile as he removed his own pants. Gwen bit her lip, watching as he began to stroke himself. Poison stirred within her, sending waves of tingles and an overwhelming sense of arousal through her.

Pete?

Not now. Later.

She'd seen him naked before, but this moment felt far more personal, far more intimate. Not that Peter could complain—Gwen spread her legs slightly, letting him see her arousal.

The sample stick was inserted, swirled, and sealed in a bottle. Gwen let Peter enjoy the view until he filled his own container, both of them taking pleasure in the experience.

Did you shave me?

We know Pete likes it that way, so we got rid of the fuzz for him, Poison replied.

You could have asked. But… can you do it everywhere? My legs and armpits too? Pete would like that.

Yes, yes! Make Gwen more attractive, so we get the sploosh and the whizz-whizz more!

With all the samples collected, they began with the cheek swabs.

Peter's were analyzed first. As the original host, his results were expected to reveal more.

Under the microscope, his cells showed unique traits: every cell was surrounded by a strange black coating.

"Holy shit, Pete," Gwen exclaimed, leaning back in her chair. "Your cells have double nuclei and extra mitochondria. And look at this—there's a black layer surrounding each cell." She pointed at the screen. "This is wild. I mean, I know you've got stamina, but… wow. I wish I could take biopsies of your organs and muscles. I bet they're just as affected."

They watched as one cell's black layer flowed inward, consuming its contents. The cell walls burst, leaving the cell shriveled and dead.

"That black stuff must be trying to survive outside your body. Without a host, it consumes the cell and dies. This is incredible—but also concerning. If it's happening here, it's probably the same with the other samples."

Peter shrugged as Gwen glanced at his crotch. "So, uh, I'll need another sample," she said.

Peter rolled his eyes. "You're working for this one," he teased, unzipping his pants.

Gwen winked and leaned over, her warm hand wrapping around him as she began stroking gently.

When Gwen analyzed his sperm, she found the same black coloration. The cells were more vigorous and mobile than normal.

"Well, that's… different," Gwen muttered, watching the same self-destruction process play out.

"Good different or bad different?" Peter asked with a grin.

Gwen shrugged, unsure. She couldn't deny the pleasure she'd felt earlier, but she wasn't sure if it was due to Poison or his cum. Both, big woosh, big tasty, yummy yummy, makes us whizz whizz splat!

Gwen shook her head.

Not helping! she snapped internally.

If she were being honest, it didn't matter to her. There wasn't any pain or discomfort after sex—no irritation, no swelling. If his semen had been harmful in any way, she was sure she would have noticed by now.

"All right, blood next." Gwen frowned at the dark residue left in the bottom of the sample bottles. "Sorry, Pete, but we need to redo these as well."

She tied a rubber tourniquet around his arm, inserted the cannula, and let his blood drip steadily into a fresh vial. Opening the back of the machine, she removed the tube containing the blackened sample and replaced it with the new blood sample.

"All set," Gwen said as she waited. The machine whirred softly, and soon the screen displayed the magnified image of the sample.

"Wow, Pete, look at that," she said, her voice tinged with amazement. Among the normal red blood cells, clusters of black single cells floated ominously. There were no white blood cells present at all. "It looks like the black stuff has completely taken over your immune system. I'd bet anything that if we introduced bacteria or a virus, those little guys would devour it instantly."

Gwen was awestruck. This was exactly the kind of groundbreaking research she had dreamed of conducting at Oscorp, not the mundane grunt work her infuriating boss always assigned her.

She'd never do anything Peter wasn't comfortable with, but she couldn't deny how fascinating this was. His unique biology challenged everything she thought she knew about bioengineering.

"Okay, my turn." Gwen swapped out the sample with her own cheek swab, but the results left her disappointed.

Her cells lacked the striking features she had seen in Peter's sample. While there was a similar fluid encircling her cells, the distinctive external structures were absent. She wasn't a direct clone of Peter's abilities—more like a watered-down version.

Is that me? I'm so tiny! Poison giggled. I can do more! Watch this!

Gwen frowned as the white fluid around her cells began to absorb the cell's internal contents and then moved on to another.

You can control parts that have been separated from you?

Yes, yes, until I can't. But we stay whole until we're not!

The rogue cell merged with another, seamlessly continuing its cycle, searching the sample bottle for more material to consume.

We can join again, become even better!

Shaking her head, Gwen removed the bottle, opened it, and allowed a small amount of the white fluid to drip onto her finger. It quickly absorbed back into her skin.

See? The machine is buzzy and yucky! Poison said cheerfully.

"So, not a clone of your powers, Pete—this is a completely different organism," Gwen mused aloud, scratching her head. Peter had definitely infected her, but why were the results so dissimilar?

"Pete, I…" Gwen hesitated. "My powers can talk to me."

Peter chuckled, but when he saw her serious expression, his smile faded. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah. She makes me eat random stuff and, uh, she really likes you."

"So, it's like a parasite?" Peter asked, frowning.

Gwen shook her head. "No, more like a symbiote. She gives me power, but…" She trailed off, unsure how to explain. "She can be… overwhelming at times."

"All the snacks and the fainting during sex?" Peter guessed.

Gwen nodded in agreement.

"You need to teach her some control. It was funny the first time, but it really worried me."

"I'll try, Pete," Gwen promised, though she had her doubts. If Poison could manipulate her biology so profoundly, what else was she capable of?

Peter's expression hardened. "I'm serious, Gwen. I won't let anything—not even some alien creature—hurt you. You hear that?" he said, directing his words toward Poison. "Stop it, or I'll find a way to get rid of you."

Nooooooo! We love Gwen, and Pete. We'll behave—for cookies! Yes, more cookies, and we behave!

Gwen couldn't help but laugh. "She says she'll behave if she gets cookies and your love."

Yes, yes! More Pete, more Pete!

"Why don't I have something that talks?" Peter muttered to himself.

Uh, hello? he thought, but the silence in his head persisted.

"Maybe you're the mommy bug?" Gwen teased, nudging him playfully.

Peter paused. "When I got sick at Oscorp, maybe the infection didn't take properly," he admitted. "I don't remember much, but I know I was taken somewhere after I got sick. I didn't get home until three in the morning. Aunt May was furious."

"If you were exposed to some mutagenic compound before the symbiote, that could explain the difference," Gwen speculated. "You're not fully human anymore—you're a hybrid of human and symbiote. I'm just a host."

She wished she could access better lab equipment. A more advanced microscope might reveal the subtle differences between their cells, or even what Poison really was.

But there was no way she'd take these samples to Oscorp. If anyone found out, both she and Peter would end up as lab rats, even if Oscorp wasn't directly involved in the infection.

The symbiote didn't resemble anything she had ever studied on Earth. If it was natural, it had to be extraterrestrial. If it was artificial, someone had created it in a lab and accidentally let it loose.

"We should check the other samples."

Gwen slid her blood sample into the machine. Her blood still contained normal white blood cells, but a few were tinged with black.

"Looks like a boosted immune system too. Okay, don't freak out," Gwen warned Peter.

Peter shrugged, only to shout in alarm as Gwen stuck a needle into her thigh and winced while pulling it out.

"What the hell, Gwen?"

"Muscle sample, Pete. Sorry, I wasn't going to ask first." She smeared the blood onto a slide and placed it into the machine.

"I would've let you if you'd just asked," Peter said, guilt creeping into his voice.

"I know, but you know—physician, do no harm," Gwen replied with a smirk.

"That's the Hippocratic Oath, and you're still just an intern. No doctorate yet."

"Yet, Pete," Gwen corrected him confidently.

Her muscle fibers appeared on the screen. Tendrils from the symbiote cells extended into her muscles, weaving through the tissue and integrating themselves.

"Not as efficient as yours, but still providing extra strength—and probably boosting my organs too."

Peter placed his hand over hers. "No more stabbing yourself for samples, okay?"

Gwen patted his hand reassuringly. "Not this time. Now, let's look at the last one—Gwen goo!"

What they saw on the screen stunned them. Gwen's symbiote cells were attacking and consuming the black cells in Peter's semen.

It usually took two days for her body to process the material naturally, but since they'd had sex just hours ago, there was still plenty left.

Tasty tasty! We love when he goes splat and we get a yummy treat!

"Well, I guess protection isn't really necessary," Peter joked, earning a chuckle from Gwen.

They hadn't been diligent about using condoms, but now it made sense why Poison hated them.

No, we protect Gwen. The wrapping is nasty to us. It makes us sore!

So I'm allergic to latex? Or the spermicide?

Yes, nasty wrapping—bleh!

"Uh, yeah, I don't even know how to deal with that," Gwen admitted, shaking her head at the screen.

"I mean, you did say you wanted to eat me, but I didn't think you meant literally," Peter quipped.

Gwen cuffed him playfully on the shoulder. Symbiotes were incredible—they made her feel powerful—but Peter could be such a pain. She loved him anyway, the smug jerk.

"Yeah, thanks, Pete. You get super strength and sexy muscles, and I get super birth control. Nice to see how the super-powered patriarchy works, huh?"

She was joking, though she wouldn't deny that condom-free sex was a definite perk. Watching Peter's sheepish expression, Gwen realized she finally had something to tease him about. Stupid powers.