Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Nine. When I Get That Feeling
Liv pressed a finger against Gwen's neck and nodded. "She's asleep, her pulse is normal and I can draw some blood to check that the Symbiote poison is really gone. Ah, the Anti-Venom." Liv paused, "yes, that'll be confusing. So, while the AV is cleared from her system it still might be a few days for her to recover completely." Liv was greeted by a warm hand brushing against hers, as Gwen stirred and taking it rubbed it against her face.
"I’m fine Liv," and she turned her head and kissed Liv's hand, “I'm fine.” While Gwen said she was fine Liv still held her eyes open and gently flicked a small light back and forth over her eyes.
“You say that dear, but let’s keep you in bed until you are really fine okay?” Of course, she was fine. As well as Peter's blood and the formula, she had been given morphine.
Gwen smiled at her and patted her hand.
Felicia let Huntress retract and with wet eyes lent down and nuzzled her hand against Gwens. “Stupid, stupid.”
Gwen reached back and patted Felicia’s head. "Love you too, love you both, and you, Mr Parker, love you as well.”
Peter grinned but he did notice Gwen's eyes were a bit glazed. She was high as a kite from whatever Liv and Curt had given her.
"How's Poison?" he asked.
Gwen lazily waved a hand. “Sleeping. That stuff was worse for her, she'll be fine though, we'll all be fine,” she said sleepily as Felicia stroked her hair.
Peter stood and found that Curt was pacing outside, smoking a cigarette. Peter raised an eyebrow but he shrugged and stubbed it out under his shoe.
He did get a look from Liv as he came back in, but he glanced over at Peter and she frowned.
Gwen was quiet as he drew blood and checked the sample under the microscope. "You are both fine. Your blood work is clear of any Symbiote tissue other than Poisons, and she seems to be recovering as well."
The sample showed that the decay caused by Ravage was halted. Poison was slowly rebuilding Gwen's cells but slower than anticipated.
"She will be hungry, and that is an understatement. Poison and Gwen both need to rebuild the damage. And um," Curt looked over at Liv. "We can't keep giving her morphine. Poison is already adapting to it, and I refuse to use something stronger."
He knew that ketamine would probably work, but was also a very stupid idea. Once she was healed, he could set a task of creating a new painkiller. One that worked on Symbiote hosts without the horrendous side effects opioids had. That was for a later date though.
"Food?" Peter asked and Curt nodded, "Can you go, so we uh, have peace for a bit?" Curt looked at Liv who gave him a nod and then back at Peter. He gave Curt a fifty "Food trucks are a straight line from here, get whatever. Gwen isn't picky."
Liv gave him a sly look and after the pair spoke she came back positively glowing. Peter shook his head, knowing exactly what she had asked him to buy but other than the smell he really didn't mind.
⁂
Gwen slept for another hour and woke up sniffing as Curt returned laden with food. With five to feed he had hit several trucks, but they just laughed when he told them who it was for. Large orders were not unusual for the warehouse. He had also been to the convenience store, grabbing chocolate, cakes, and soda. He knew how much food he would consume, and the Symbiotes were even hungrier than Lizard. He was just thankful that this time, it wasn't rats.
It was a nice mix of protein, carbs and fat to help with Gwen's recovery. She was healed enough to sit and eat. Curt watched as she devoured the burgers but destroyed two two-litre bottles of soda as well. He wondered if she needed it actually breathe anymore as she inhaled the food and soda. It seemed that at normal meal times, they had been quite sedate in his presence.
Curt was the epitome of clumsiness as he handed the pack to Liv who hid it within her coat. Peter just shook his head, she knew he'd smell it on her so the subterfuge was unnecessary. He was more focused on Gwen's recovery.
“So?” he asked and she sat up, rubbing her stomach and smiling,
"Am I like you?” She asked pointing at Peter. “You?” She pointed to Curt. “Or you?” Then to Felicia. "Hmm, I don't know. Poison feels different.”
yes we do, we feel good, clean, she spoke in her mind.
“I think it's a bit of you all, can we?” She asked her Symbiote and after a pause,
Yes, we are healed.
Gwen stood and the symbskin leached out of her body. Like Venom she grew taller, her limbs and torso thickening, taut muscles tightened in her skin. Now at over six feet tall, with a physique that would shame a bodybuilder, she flexed. As she felt her arms she began to chuckle, then giggle and then screamed into the warehouse, "We love this!"
Poison flexed a few times and then threw a few jabs. The speed blurred her arms and she ducked and weaved around. Poison laughed and she threw out web lines, swinging and pulling herself up to the rafters.
“Yes yes. We are stronger, faster." She kept up, touched the top of the warehouse roof and did a somersault, landing perfectly on her feet. "We are strong."
"Not to be a downer but uh, urges?" Curt asked.
Gwen laughed and let Poison retract. "No doc. I'm fine, no urges.” She smirked as she looked over at Peter and Felicia. “Well, maybe one but you are most certainly not invited,” she said with a grin.
Curt clapped his hands together. “Right then, I think I'll go visit your Aunt. Peter, Gwen is fine and uh, yes, goodbye.” Once more the good doctor fled the warehouse, eagerly encouraged by the Lizard.
“Great, now, first, I'm gonna fuck you,” and then she pointed at Peter, ”then you,” and then at Liv, “and then you, and then all of you.” Gwen hoisted Felicia over her shoulder. "Hi Ho Silver," and ran into her home carrying the laughing and struggling Felicia.
Peter laughed and shook his head, “And how about you Liv?"
“While it seems to be a popular word today, I’m fine dear. It's strange though, I didn't think I would be okay with this, after the,” and she paused and cleared her throat. “After the harness, I never wanted anything to do with this life again. No fighting, no experiments, and no Symbiote but it's fine, and I'm not just saying that. The harness was cold, a lock and a clamp around my thoughts but Ravage is, uh, like a kitten, warm and comforting.” She ran a hand over her clothing tenderly. She could feel the almost imperceptible difference between cloth and the symbskin.
“Hey, that's great isn't it?" Felicia asked Liv, who raised an eyebrow
“Uh, Gwen got into bed, made herself comfy, and then fell asleep,”
Peter laughed, “Yeah I was out for a day and sick for a while.”
Felicia laughed, “Yup, two days till it cleared for me but for her, it might be different. I'll keep an eye on her, but Liv?”
“I’m fine dear. As I told Peter, it's just an adjustment, I've been powered before. It's just a different kind of harness.”
“No Liv. This time you have family, friends, and loved ones who are here for you. It's not a harness, not a collar, you'll need to join in, even if it's just to get a grip on your new abilities.”
Liv nodded, “I know dear. I've been thinking about that a lot. With Harry still acting like a little shit, and the threat to the Symbiotes, I think it's all hands on deck time." She too in a breath and sighed. "I thought I’d never fight again, but I have something to protect, someone. No. A lot of someones I want to protect." Her eyes hardened. "Harry will be back, and if he knows his AV works he will use it." Liv stood and stretched, letting Ravage slide over her. Felicia walked around her, giving her small nods as she saw the difference in Liv's build. "I know you have your Black Cats but this is much different Peter dear. Harry is a psychopath and there is no telling what he’ll do, and he knows everything.”
"Does Ravage?" Peter asked. "Is she happy to stay with us? I mean, She was made to kill us."
“I can feel her, I do now realise how much different it is. Heightened smell, sight, touch, and taste. I’m stronger, faster, and it’s strange having a welcoming voice in my head. and not the cold command the collar gave.” Liv's eyes drifted off as she talked unheard to Ravage. “Ravage seems to like it here, she’s happy to be free and,“ Liv's eyes darted down, and she clasped her hands, “no longer in pain. We really need to talk about what Hary is doing dear,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s monstrous.”
Peter nodded. “I guess as the mastermind behind the whole Symbiote experiment that he would be. Chopping up living things is barbaric."
Liv sighed. "There is so much Ravage is sharing with me, Peter. So many things we need to know about what Harry is doing to figure out how to stop him but right now, we all need some rest. Once Gwen wakes up we need to make sure that the formula has no side effects and that she’s really okay.”
“We need to work on the formula as well. If Gwen isn’t mutated like Curt, we need to figure out why and then I want it too.” Peter nodded, “Harry is using the Symbiotes for the worst things, Peter. Not just this Anti-Venom but for making some kind of new Symbiote as well. Ravage only has bits and pieces but he is planning something, and it’s big. We need to be prepared and I won’t sit idly by as he takes my home from me.“
⁂
While they talked, Felicia ducked back into her home to keep an eye on the sleeping patient. Even if she said she was fine, they knew from not the formula could have a delayed mutagenic effect. Lizard, Prowler, and Silverback all proved that. No one wanted a Poison-enhanced Gwizard rampaging across the streets of New York.
Even if Peter would be there to stop her, Felicia knew it would be unfair to ask him to. She silently swore that no one would ever hurt her family again, not if she had anything to say about it. The others would be mad though, as this newfound power needed to be harnessed and tamed.
Even MJ would be getting a stricter regime. Norman, and now Harry, proved that enemies could pop up from anywhere and they needed to be prepared. She sighed as she settled in next to Gwen. She mumbled something in her sleep and latched onto her. Felicia cuddled up close and nuzzled her face in Gwen’s side. As she lay she gently stroked Gwen’s hair, trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong. She close her eyes trying not to think of all the things that had already gone wrong.
⁂
Liv sighed and as they cleaned up the mess the table was in she balled up the paper towels Gwen had been lying on. As they bagged the trash, it was quiet in the warehouse. After the rush of emergency after emergency, the quiet brought a nice calm to the once-busy area.
As she watched Peter working, she smiled and quietly huffed. She could now also smell the pheromone they had all warned her about. She knew it existed. She could feel its effect but now she could actually smell it. As could her new partner.
Ravage was growling and her own feelings were leaking out into the Symbiote. Taking small but deep breaths her lungs were filled with the sweet scent of Peter. It was more than intoxicating and she was almost dripping as she watched him work. Clearing her throat he looked quizzically at her and she gave him her best smile.
“Peter dear, you own Ravage and me a little one-on-one time,” and she grinned and winked at him. "I am almost healed."
“I remember,” said Peter with a twinkle in his eye, ”but if you stick a tentacle up my butt, I'm zapping you with a Taser.”
Liv recoiled, faking being hurt but laughing, “Yes I think I might need to reign her in a bit with that.”
He just smiled and shook his head. “I mean it though.” That kind of play had driven away Elektra, and he was worried that Liv would feel the same way. As he pulled Liv into his arms she felt not just his lips on hers, but Ravage purr within her as well. She finally understood by the women loved to be with him so much. It wasn’t just a connection through themselves that they shared but the symbiotes as well. Each time he touched her, Ravage tingled as well.
“I know Gwen’s hurt, but please dear, I need you. I. I can’t hold back any more.” As she pulled him into her home, she relished what new experiences they could give her.