"Peter, no, I uh, stay, no, yeah, stay." MJ's mind was a mess right now, Gwen's little reveal added to just how amazing this place was had sent her brain spinning, her chance to be free was right here. MJ took a breath, "Peter, stay. I'll sign as I trust Gwen and I know you won't do anything, you're not skeevy as Gwen put it," even Peter raised an eyebrow at that.

"Skeevy?" he mouthed at Gwen as MJ leaned forwards to sign each part of the lease, Gwen tapped him on the arm, scowling and shushing him.

"But, phew, okay. but uh Flash bullying you was my fault. I told him uh, that we were friends and uh, he got jealous I guess, he never told me what he was doing and I never asked him to do. It was all done behind my back but um, I'm sorry Peter, I was scared, everyone loved him, no one gave a crap about what he did or who he did it too."

It was a lot for Peter to take in. Flash bullying him made his life hell after he started High School, he had few friends if any, and once Flash made himself known everybody began to avoid him. Even Gwen had gotten a few snide comments from Flash's crew, her only shield was her dad. So to hear MJ admit it was her fault threw him for a loop.

Did he want to forgive her? Hell did he even blame her? and as he thought about it, he didn't. If she'd asked Flash to keep him away then yeah, she'd be on her ass in the street right now, but could he really blame her for how Flash behaved? He never bought that ‘guilty by association’ crap and he wasn't about to start now.

He listened as MJ fumbled through an explanation, about how Flash kept her on a short leash and her father never helped, of course, he wouldn't. Dating the son of a millionaire would be payday for someone like him. For Peter, it wasn't MJ's fault, even if she blamed herself.

"MJ, stop, Flash wasn't your responsibility, he did those things himself, he did it to both of us, so no, stop."  Peter said, MJ was almost on the verge of tears now and Peter needed to get things back under control, "It's fine, I don't blame you." and MJ wiped her eyes.

She pulled out a tissue from her bag and blew her nose, "Sorry," and Peter shook his head and handed her the lease and smiling she signed.

Gwen was sitting between the two of them. She wants him, smell it, and it wasn't until she took in a slight sniff through her nose that she realised that she could. MJs fear, her guilt and even her slight dampness were all open to Gwen, Even from Peter she could smell the heightened adrenaline in his scent, his rage bubbling under his calm demeanour as usual, 

kill her, eat her, Poison whispered in her ear 

Shut the fuck up, right now she mentally slammed back, 

mate her too. If the Gwen wouldn't listen to her she could only make more reasonable suggestions. 

Now that, Gwen mused as she spied Peter and MJ slowly coming out of their shells towards each other, is a much better idea.

MJ and Peter talked late into the afternoon, MJ only having to leave to get her things packed away while her father was out at his job. While he was what they called a high functioning alcoholic, his mall cop job allowed him to keep his drinking habit going, even if he still took whatever money he could from MJ. 

Gwen had left the two of them alone and had been working out while studying, sit-ups and push-ups while reading various biology and chemistry textbooks, preferring to download them overpaying. Giving the middle finger to not only the extortionate book prices but to her father, as the money stayed in a separate account and bought her and Peter little treats now and then.

Peter too had been studying hard, getting his General Education Development, the G.E.D. was easy enough. He walked into the night class, did a mock exam in front of the lecturer, who marked it and told him to come back in 6 months when he would sit the real ones. He still had to pay of course but it still left him free time for other things.

One of those was trying to save money. He'd discovered an alternate route to get qualifications, vendor exams. The big tech companies offered specific exams using or fixing their software and hardware, routers, engines, anything that ran from a computer had an exam. The situation was even easier than the G.E.D., buy a book, install the software and once you'd completed it go and sit an exam. The problem was each one cost $5000 and if you failed you needed to pay again. Peter was nowhere near having that kind of money and since the accident, even Alexsi had been skimping on the wages.

The rent money he was receiving from Gwen and MJ was going to help but he needed to make sure he had spare in case anything happened as well as paying his own bills. He was strapped for cash, not helplessly poor but if he didn't get a good-paying job soon he wouldn't be able to afford his exams.

He had been sketching various designs onto draft paper, thinking of some way to get into the tech industry. The problem was not just funds but the designs themselves. Anything used for public use would be rigorously tested and anything medical needed to be certified after years of trials. He was looking at maybe 5 to 10 years of just R&D on anything he built, even licencing it out to another firm wouldn't save him from that.

He had no idea how long he had been drawing and stressing over Parker Inc when Gwen appeared behind him and kissed him on the cheek, "You look tired Pete," she said and he shrugged. He had to admit to himself that he felt tired. Nothing was working out how he planned, a lack of money was holding him back, and with MJ's sudden apology and revelation about Flash, he had been making no progress on any designs, his head full of thoughts on punishing Flash. 

He shook his head, “I’m fine Gwen, just a lot today you know?” Screw it, MJ had apologised and Flash could go fuck himself. Time to stop living in the past and time to just start moving on. Living together with MJ would mend the bridges he thought were long gone but that he wished weren’t.

"Come on, it's MJ's first night, we're having a small party." Peter inwardly groaned, he'd forgotten to plan something and felt like an ass. While he and Gwen had celebrated in their own way it was still stupid and inconsiderate for him to ignore her, just because he was mad at Flash. He hadn't seen an article in the Bugle and he guessed Jack must have paid off the editors, getting the story binned.

MJ was sat at the huge table and Gwen had got pizza, they had discovered a family place that made their pizzas from scratch and while they were expensive they were amazing. Thick pepperoni slices decorated three large pizzas, and as Gwen stuffed a whole slice into her mouth MJ looked at her, "waat?" Gwen said with a full mouth.

"We're doing keep fit, it's fine," Pete said as he grabbed a slice of his own, "To you MJ," and he raised the slice in a mock toast. She grinned and raised her own, damn the pizza was good they both thought.

"Ooh, oh I made mock-geritas." Gwen said, bringing over a huge jug of pale green juice, "uh yeah, work tomorrow so I can't drink sorry, but they're good, honest." Gwen's love of chemistry extended to drinks as well and Pete knew her cocktails, even the virgin ones would be amazing.

Pouring each of them drinks Gwen acted as host and handed them out. "So?" She said, "Dating yet?" MJ almost spat out her drink and began to cough.

"What?" she glared at Gwen, "I'm sorta still dating Flash"

she lies, smell it, wants to mate, yes, yes

"Look, let's get his out the way," Gwen said, "You've always liked him, so just admit it and we'll all move on, look, I'll start, Pete and I are dating, we've had sex, like a lot and uh, I kinda like you MJ, you know, that way. So why not make it a threesome?"

Even Peter didn't know what to say, he knew Felicia might be gay but Gwen, "Uh, Gwen, are you?"

"Bi, Pete and yes, since, you know, it's been on my mind and living together, well, I don't want it to get weird." She admitted.

"Uh-huh," MJ was quiet, looking at her drink.

"Get weird? you mean, admitting we're having sex, that you like MJ and that she should date me so we can have a threesome weird?" Peter asked.

"Oh stop being a drama queen Pete, we're all adults now, so what, would you rather sit and mope about hurt feelings and unrequited love, or just admit it and get over it?"

Pete clenched his jaw, staring at Gwen, "now's not the time for that, is it? Gwen. Maybe you need a time out."

"It's uh, warm in the homes huh?" MJ began to strip her top off, Peter turned as her sluggish movements lifted the thin camisole she had under her jumper up to bare her breasts at him

"Uh no, I've got the air-con hooked up, it shouldn't be that warm, Gwen?"

"Nah, it's Hawt!" MJ declared, trying to put her glass down on the table and missing. Peter sprang forwards and caught the glass, "wooo, way to go tiger," MJ clapped and cheered.

"MJ, are you, are you drunk?" Peter raised an eyebrow at Gwen, now taking a drink from her own glass she tilted her head and shrugged. Lifting the glass, Peter sniffed the concoction, but it was just lemon and lime juice. There was a strange smell though, something familiar but at the same time alien to him.

MJ swayed back and forth, "You know Pete, you know, I was hurt. Hurt!" she slurred, "I mean, we were best buds, the two amigos and then poof, you forget me, yah know, you left me with that asshole and dumb bitch me just let you." MJ reached for her glass but swaying she missed, knocking over the pitcher instead. Seeing the fruit juice everywhere, she giggled, "ahh oops".

Peter sprang up, "Gwen, get MJ some water and I'll clean this up." He grabbed some paper towels from the kitchen, he'd scored an industrial roll from a bulk warehouse and had plenty. Angrily ripping paper from the roll, he made sure to get enough for all the spills before heading back. Before that he cornered Gwen, grabbing her arm, pulling her into the apartment.

"Really? you think I can't smell that, you think I wouldn't know there was something else in there?" There was a perceptible growl to Peter's voice as he fought the rage.

Gwen struggled in his grip, "Pete, you're hurting me."

Peter let her go, she was right and he was starting to lose control. "Sorry, Sorry, but did you think I'd be okay with you drugging MJ? What were you thinking?"

Gwen rubbed her arm, "Pete, I didn't, I would never, that's MJ, sure, I admitted I like her but drugs?"

Gwen took the glass from Peter and sniffed it, she could smell the lemon and lime plus the few other ingredients she mixed together and he was right, there was a slightly strange smell underneath it all, and as she shrugged at Peter, they could hear MJ thrashing around and the sound of smashing glass.

~

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