Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

The first thing Peter did was make sure that everyone at the warehouse knew where he was, and that he was safe.

Fixing a neural bridge to stop it from being destroyed by Pietro's power would take time and experimentation. As Pietro used his powers, they also destroyed Peter’s diagnosis tools so he was going to have to do this the gross way.

"Dude, I can't feel it, so just warning you if hurricane Pietro comes to town," Pietro was lying face down on the bed. His back was bare down to the top of his buttocks, and Peter was holding his hand over the implant in his spine.

Peter snorted, "It's fine. I coated that area in sealant, just need to stop it from coming out the other end."

Pietro grunted, "Saves me waxing. You know how hard it is to wax your own ass?"

"And it looks like I failed. Still talking a lot of crap." Peter pressed down and then lifted his hand. "Can you feel that?"

Pietro nodded "Hey yeah, I can. It's not as numb."

"Right. If it's still numb it's not working."

Pietro wasn't happy that Peter was manhandling him. Peter would touch the device, grab Pietro’s leg, twist and pull it, and make the necessary adjustments.

“Hey, I know you’ve got a thing for my sister, but that smile doesn't work on me.”

Forge hid a smile while Peter laughed. “And that roguish charm you've got going on doesn’t make my heart go boom boom either. Now shush, unless you want to run into walls all day.” 

Pietro hadn't taken his injuries too badly. His legs worked, just not great, and it was a thick numbness that stopped his powers from working. On the upside, Angel had been around most days to keep him company while Forge had tried to get the implant to work.

“The problem isn't the implant, it's your powers. And, that's why this might hurt.” 

Pietro tensed, and Forge watched in amazement, as Peter stabbed a symbskin blade into his back. He had tried to connect wirelessly, and that had failed. The device needed to be reset and completely rebuilt. Something he needed direct contact for. It also made him feel better that he got to stab Pietro.

“Sorry, but the fused part of the nerve was the issue. Everything else was trying to move super fast, and it was stopping it. Instead, it transferred all that power into the implant.” Peter concentrated and sent micro-tendrils into the implant and surrounding area. The whole thing would be bloodless and painless, and Peter would heal the injury as he went. He was becoming adept at microsurgery. Using his powers to sense where each tendril was, like a tiny hand. He had even met with Stephen a few times, to discuss medicine and not mysticism.

“Uh, can I ask what you are doing?” Forge said, leaning over Peter but unable to see more than just the black skin over the shiny metal CLS.

“Right now, I'm severing and micro-suturing the CLS directly into Pietro's nervous system. The implant was working fine, it wasn't coping with all that power. So I've tied it into his nervous system, and tricked his powers into thinking the device is just a weird bit of spine.”

As Forge’s powers were technopathic and non-enhancing, he couldn't see the work being done. “Put your hand on my shoulder.”

As Forge touched Peter, he shared his senses with him and Forge marvelled at the level of surgery being done. "One moment." It was Peter's turn to be impressed. Forge grabbed what looked like a camera, let his hand glow blue for a moment, and then slid it over his head. "Can you connect to this?" Peter nodded and a tendril of symbskin attached to a port. "There, now I can see and record what you are doing."

“Right. Now, slow lift yourself, and try to move your foot,” Peter said as he washed the incision with symbcells. Once it had vanished he rubbed it with alcohol to sterilise the area, just in case.

Pietro took a breath and let it out. “Woah, I can feel my foot.” His big toe began to vibrate. “I can feel my legs.” Before Peter could warn him about using his powers and taking things slowly, Pietro was gone.

Peter leaned back and tensed himself. As he felt Pietro distort the air around him, he grabbed Forge. As Pietro went from one to sixty in a few microseconds, the shockwave exploded outwards. The equipment in the lab was trashed, and Pter sighed as he removed glass and plastic from his armour.

Peter, what the hell was that? We’ve got alarms going off all over the place. I wanted you not to mess around with things up here, Charles angrily messaged him.

Peter laughed, I like how I'm getting the blame, that was Pietro. He can run again, I’d like to say walk but he thought he’d start at full speed and work down. Uh, he's also naked from the waist down.

Peter could hear the exasperation in Charles's message, fine, fine. I’ll send someone to find him before he either smashes through a wall or hits someone.

Peter helped Forge upright, “You okay?"

Forge nodded and brushed himself down. “I think you should have given us more warning though,” he said as he looked around in dismay.

“That wasn't me. I only fixed the damage, not whatever the hell that was. We already know that enhancing an Augment is fatal, I never touched anything else.” As Peter finished Pietro zipped into the zoom, blowing everything over again.

“Guys, this is amazing. I feel like, like, I dunno, like I'm juiced or something,” Pietro said with a huge grin.

Charles walked into the room. “Yes, we noticed, and that is a problem. Pietro, you need to control your powers while on Avalon. But, ask Blink if she can take you back to Genosha, you have plenty of space to run there.” and hopefully tire yourself out, Peter caught him thinking as Charles grinned at him.

Leaving Pietro to zip around, Peter discussed the device with Forge. Forge was ecstatic to meet another technopath and wanted to compare their powers. Forge could recombine any device into what he needed but was fascinated by Peter's ability. Forge was a creator, while Peter was a controller, but both shared a passion for electronics.

They talked until dinner, and then Forge headed to his quarters. The invitation had formal wear, and so Peter changed his outfit into a casual suit. Thankfully black with a white shirt was within his colour scheme.

At dinner, Charles and Erik all sat and smiled as Jean walked in, but her face fell as she saw Peter. He heard her hiss at Charles, “you didn't tell me he was here,” she said, before turning and walking out again.

Peter shook his head. He had been trying to get hold of Jean for months and been either blocked or received the briefest of messages. With the almost angry look on her face and her reaction to seeing him, he had a good guess as to why.

“Well, that went badly. I'm sorry Peter, Jean has been-” but Erik cleared his throat, “Yes, I shall stop interfering and leave that to Jean. Dinner?”

Peter went to stand, but Charles raised a hand, "I am sorry Peter. Jean needs time to adjust. We may have not mentioned your presence, and she has taken it rather badly."

Reluctantly he sat back down, "I thought half the reason for my visit was to see Jean."

Charles served a small plate with rare steak and steamed vegetables, and set it down in front of Peter, "it was. Jean has been rather broody, and in a word, lonely. The X-Men were not as welcoming as I thought, as they were hoping she would return. Scott refused to visit, and well."

Erik snorted, "She's upset with us that you weren't allowed to visit."

Peter nodded. "Well, I should go after her then, I mean," Charles gave him a forced smile. "Believe me, she needs time, please, just eat and then we can discuss Jean."

The meal went slowly. Peter wanted to chase Jean and Charles and Erik were both acting strangely. “Charles, do you have psychic dampeners installed?”

Charles nodded. “Unless you are programmed into the system it blocks any psychic interference. Not as a defence though. Some young telepaths struggle to keep their thoughts and emotions from others. As you are aware.” Peter knew exactly what he meant. “We also found a young Augment who can use his own powers to block another. We have several key systems guarded by not just power dampeners but security as well. We do realise that there is a fine line between being safe and blind stupidity.“

“Seems like you’ve got everything under control. And the government?”

Charles laughed. “Until someone invents a decent way for us to fly here within minutes, then we aren't worried. Even Starks repulsor technology has its limits, Peter. It would be no different than attacking anywhere else. Here the population is a bit more capable of defending itself.”

Peter nodded. The failure of the Sentinels was a testament to just how capable Augments and Enhanced were.

“But, that is not what this dinner was supposed to be for. Rather than sulking and picking at that steak, why don't you go find Jean, and actually talk to her?” Charles said, smiling as he lifted a glass, “It was supposed to be a heartfelt reunion. I believe Jean even had plans, but."

Peter nodded. She had chickened out at the last moment. He grinned, wiped his hands on the napkin, and made his way to try and find her.

She likes a quiet spot around section fourteen B, intersection twelve. You can see the earth, and it is a very popular place, especially for the more amorous young couples. Charles said.

Following his directions, Peter approached the intersection Charles mentioned. It was a corner of one of the geodesic domes, where two panels met. From here you could see the whole Earth but Peter was too busy watching Jean to care.

Jean was there, pacing back and forth, rubbing her hands. It was obvious she had styled her hair and applied fresh makeup. Charles's stall tactic was so she could change after she had left, not to give her time to escape.

The breath was caught in Peter's throat as she changed outfit. from casual to smart, and then to racy and daring. 

Unwilling to embarrass her, he retreated a few steps. He could also hear her, muttering, “I can do this,” over and over. If he hadn’t seen the outfits she had tried, he would have suspected she was going to give him terrible news. As she tried on more and more clothes, the last one was a breathtakingly daring scarlet number. Its front barely covered her ample chest, leaving little to the imagination. Not only that but its long flowing skirt was split at the side and there was no doubt she was not wearing underwear. Peter had no idea clothes like that even existed, let alone that Jean would wear one. Whatever Jean's plan was, it was not to break up with him.

As he watched, she seemed to settle on an outfit. It was her more casual red and white tracksuit that she liked to wear. As she seemed to be happy with it, he approached with a small smile.

“You saw?” He shrugged and nodded. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered. 

Peter just smiled, “I don't remember Jean Grey being so nervous.” 

Jean snorted and shook her head. “You don't remember Jean Grey at all. I finally got rid of all the blocks. This is me, stupid, nervous, and apparently a bad girlfriend.”

Peter frowned, “Can't argue with that Jean. Two months.”

Jean slumped against the bulkhead, “Sorry, but uh I was helping build Avalon. Long days of training, building, and using my powers so that Augments had a place to live. I lost track of time-”

Peter lifted a hand. “Jean. I’m glad you’re safe, I’m glad you're happy. But spending almost two months out of contact was a nightmare. The Sentinels-”

It was Jean's turn to interrupt him. “I don't want to break up,” she blurted out. As she turned red, “I'm sorry. I uh, are we even dating? I mean, I want us too, so uh.” Jean looked apprehensively at him, “So I uh, I've been practising my powers, in space. So I don't hurt anyone. I can uh, survive in the vacuum.” 

Peter was amazed. “Uh, not breaking up. I mean." Peter didn't want to lose anyone else. Emma was still fresh, especially after she saved him and he needed to explain about Arcee. He was drailed in his train of thought though. "Uh, why are you trying to survive in a vacuum?”

Jean nodded but bit her lip, “So uh, you promised, and I want a request.” Peter shrugged. She had been distant all evening, and now standing in front of an airlock he wasn't exactly sure what was going on.

“Sure, anything,” he said, and Jean leaned over and pressed the top button on the airlock.

“Do you trust me?” Peter was hesitant but he nodded. “Then out we go.” She hit the button on the bottom and the air cycled out.

Peter slid into his armour but Jean's fiery aura enveloped him. As she lifted them both up, the outer doors cycled and then opened, and she took them out onto the surface of the moon.

“I've tested this with rats, dogs, and one cow. You should be fine.” 

Peter laughed, “Yeah, tell my stupid lizard brain that. Hurr Durr space bad.” 

Jean laughed with him, “Took me a few attempts to come out here as well. But I tried underwater first, like the astronauts.” 

Peter realised that a vacuum was easier on his armour than being underwater. There was less pressure to deal with and the biting cold just required more insulation. The radiation might be a problem but right now, he was fine.

“So, a test to show me your powers are stable, and you can control them?” but Jean shook her head.

“I already know my powers are under my control Peter, and I really don't need to prove that to you. Charles might have the wrong idea about a lot of things, but we decide how to control our powers, not anyone else.” 

Peter frowned, “So, this is what?”

Jean turned to face him, a bright fire burning in her eyes, and an unmistakable look on her face.

“Want to join the million-mile high club?”