The warehouse was quiet. While Norman had gotten away, they had removed him from both the glider and the goblin armour. Hiding them they had managed to smuggle them back to the warehouse undetected. The emergency services were all wrapped up dealing with not just the ETF casualties, but as they watched the news, the mounting civilian ones as well.
Norman had escaped into the sewers, but not after Flash and Gwen had some revenge. Gwen wanted to kill him but he stopped her at the last moment. He wasn't like them, he wasn't like her, and while she had been thankful he stopped her, a part of her hated him for it. She didn't want to just kill Norman, she wanted to take her revenge, just like the rapist, long and slow.
She found herself staring at the coffee Flash had made her, silently the pair sat and just looked at Felicia and Peter as they moved the wrecked Goblin armour into the warehouse storage office they used. It was strange though, she didn't feel sad or lonely, she didn't feel anything other than a lack of his presence and in that she felt more guilty than anything. Liv had come over and was keeping an eye on her. She knew that she should be sad, she knew she should feel 'something' but she didn't
He was dead and she knew that, she just didn't feel it. Even as Poison, when she watched him die she felt nothing but rage, rage at Norman. That he'd taken something from her, rage that he dared to hurt someone in front of her.
Even asking Poison if she was suppressing any pain, or hiding it she was told no, Gwen is Gwen was all Poison said and went back to sleep. Gwen stared at the steaming hot mug of coffee in her hand, wondering if she was broken, if something was wrong. You were supposed to grieve, supposed to cry and wail but she didn't. She never thought she hated her father, never thought she would be so cold to his passing. It was Liv that snapped her out of her strange mood.
"It's not you, it's the world," Liv told her. "We're given social norms and expected to follow them, parents die so we're supposed to be sad. Personally, I pissed on my fathers grave, or well, if I'd had the courage I would have. I hated that man. We're brought up to treat them with respect. They raised us and gave us a home, ignore the ones that abuse their kids, ignore the deviants and the sexual predators that shouldn't be within 100ft of a child, let alone be raising one. Gwen dear, if you don't feel anything then take that as normal, and tell anyone who says otherwise to fuck off." and Gwen had stared for a moment and then burst into tears. The stress of the fight finally bubbling to the surface.
Even as the tears fell she knew didn't need to feel bad about her dad, she loved him but it never went beyond that. She would grieve in her own way and once it was over, move on. Looking over at Peter and Felicia hoisting the armour and the glider up the stairs to the second floor of offices she realised she was fine with that.
Oscorp was gone, her chances of another internship like it had gone with it. College life went on and so did life in the city. Even with the Green Goblin on the loose, life marched on regardless. It had to and now so did she. Her life was here, not Oscorp, not her schooling, and as hard as it was to admit, not her dad.
What was weird though was Flash, not just the fact that Flash had come back and helped with Norman, they both had a grudge against the man who killed both their fathers, but that Flash seemed the same as her. Now that Norman had been pummeled and beaten, he was taking the death of his father in his stride and seemed at ease in the warehouse. He was even trying to make Gwen feel better, as if the shared history they had was forgotten and nothing more than a childish illusion.
Gwen wondered if that was what Peter had felt when a naked and frightened Liv tumbled into their lives. There was no fight to be had, he'd won, taken out the group that humiliated and beat him, and when Liv cried he knew there was no need to take things further. Even with Flash here, wary of Peter, but making coffee and acting as if he belonged, it was strange. Was conquering your enemies a literal thing? If she had fought with her dad would he have respected her more, or just pushed back until their relationship broke even more?
Gwen was brought out of her musings by a shout,
"What the fuck is he doing here?" MJ yelled from the warehouse doorway and Flash stood and backed up from the table. She had gone out to get food for everyone, feeling useless as Gwen, Felicia, and Peter all fought and chased Goblin over the city. If a warm meal was waiting for them, then they could unwind, relax, and decompress after the events of the day. Without her phone and no headset, she had no idea what had happened to Gwen, or her father.
"Oh Hey MJ, uh, look, I don't want trouble," Flash raised both his hands, but she dropped all the bags she was carrying and screeched at him.
Muse slid over her like cloth and she leapt the 50 meters right at him, landing on his chest with clawed hands and feet, Gwen grabbed the table and slid it back, out of their way. Webb responded to the threat and covered Flash in his armour but Flash refused to fight back. Muse pushed herself off of him, throwing him to the floor and as she landed she sprinted forward, leapt up and drove her elbow into his stomach. As she knocked the wind out of him, she straddled him and began to rain blows down on his chest and face.
Muse split open her maw and as Webb grabbed her wrist to stop her from punching him, she bit down on it. He hissed in pain but his thicker armour protected him from her razor-sharp teeth as they dug into the flesh of his arm.
"We hate you," she yelled and struggled in his tight grip. Muse pulled herself forward, using the fact Flash had both her arms as a lever to drive her forehead into the bridge of his nose. As he shook his head, taking the blow he looked at the struggling woman in his arms. She snarled and snapped at him as he held her fast but he was unwilling to hurt her, not again.
"MJ, I'm sorry, I'm sorry okay, please, stop." Flash tried to reason with her, "fuck Parker, help me you dick," he yelled over.
"Unresolved issues there buddy, how about you stop her?" Peter just shrugged, he'd beaten Flash and had no more to prove, apparently MJ really hated him though, and Muse was just making that worse.
"MJ look, I'm sorry okay, the hospital, everything I said, I was wrong, you know. Wait, when the fuck did MJ get a symbiote? Shit Parker, you're an asshole you know that?" and he sat up, flipping Muse round and holding her arms around her sides.
"MJ. Stop!" Flash shouted "I don't want to fight you okay?" but MJ had other ideas. She had been training with Felicia and brought a heel backwards and Flash wanted to scream in pain as she heeled him incredibly hard in the balls.
As he let go of her she turned and smashed a fist into his jaw, sending him flying.
"Do you know what they did to me? Do you know what you put me through?" she yelled, and Flash rubbed his jaw looking up as she stood over him.
"Know what? I thought you were mad because of the hospital thing, so uh no?"
Muse stood and morphed into a beautiful raven-haired girl, "Oh your so lucky MJ, Flash is our school's hero, you should make sure he's happy, if you know what I mean," and another, a blonde girl, "So, gave Flash your v card huh? Lucky bitch, if that was me I'd have done more than just that," and Muse copied her laughter. On and on, changing into various different girls, Flash suddenly understood.
"No, I didn't, not one of them." He shook his head, "I never."
"You didn't have to, the school worshipped you. The school sucked the fucking cock of Flash Thompson, and screw anyone who got in his bad books. Peter suffered and me, oh, I knew, I was made to realise. Flash Thompson's little whore. Know your place, on your knees, smile and nod and swallow. I HATE YOU!" she screeched once more and Muse leapt again, as Flash rolled to one side and as he got to his feet and brought his hands up she landed and crouched in front of him, swept the legs out from under him, and as he fell she kicked him across the warehouse floor.
"And you two, you bring him here. You laugh and drink coffee like he never touched Peter? Like he never did anything wrong, do you hate me? Do I not mean anything to you?" She stared at Gwen and Peter. "Do I not have a home here? That Flash fucking Thompson can waltz in and be sat where I eat?"
Peter shook his head. "He came for Norman and saved Gwen. Flash and I have no issues. We sorted them on that rooftop but MJ, anything, anything you want, anything," and Peter slid into Venom, his bulk shifting and towering over the trio. "Anything," he hissed and walked over to Flash. "Just say what you want," and crouching put a massive clawed hand on Flash's head.
"What the fuck Parker?" but Muse shook her head,
"No, not like that, but no, we don't forgive you Flash, not for school not for anything, but no Peter, leave him alone." and as Venom shrunk back into Peter, he patted Flash on the shoulder. "You made my life hell Flash, you and your fucking bitches, I never want to see you again. Ever!" and Muse stomped over to her home, Felicia heading to the door to gather the bags of food she had bought. Gwen followed Muse as she needed to explain, needed to tell her the bad news.
"No hard feelings huh?" Peter lifted Flash by the shoulders onto his feet.
Flash was dumbfounded. "Would, would you have killed me?"
Peter shrugged, "Flash in the scheme of things I respect that you saved MJ at the diner. I respect you didn't turn me in to the cops, and I respect that you helped Gwen take out Goblin, but if MJ says one word. If Felicia, or Gwen, or Liv say the word I will burn this world to the fucking ground for them. Do you understand?" and Flash could do nothing but nod.
"I, uh, yeah, I get that now," Flash stepped back from Peter and brushed himself down, clearing the dust from his clothes, "raincheck on that coffee Parker, uh, yeah, see you around." and he walked to the warehouse main door shaking his head.
Muse watched him leave, shaking her head and staring at the group, "He gets a pass if he saved Gwen, but not again, not again." she said, the anger in her voice thick. "But you," she pointed at Peter, "burn this world to the ground huh?" and as the skin slid back MJ was stood crying, she'd never told anyone that while Flash had been an arrogant asshole to her, that the groupies who idolised him were much worse, making sure she was up to their standard of what they thought the high school heroes girlfriend should be.
"Yeah," and he shrugged and stroked her hair, "but we can go throw web balls at Cindy Moon's house if you'd rather do that instead?" and even through the tears MJ laughed and held onto him.
"Only if we can have sex after," she said, her voice muffled in Peter's chest