Spider-Man. The House Of Venom

Peter returned home with a smile on his face for once.

While Aunt May didn’t question him, she was happy to see him actually smiling. Matt had contacted her again, and the case was proceeding slowly, but it was proceeding. He had given her the same warning and she knew that Peter was in for a rough time.

They talked about school over dinner, but Peter decided he was going to hold off telling her he had a job.

He had no idea if it was a real job or just a scam to get work for free. More importantly, he would wait until he had actually been paid.

The next morning, he headed out to his warehouse first. Right now all he could do was make more lists of supplies he would need.

With the idea of making them into homes, he added in items he needed for that. Plumbing and electrical necessities.

He started by measuring out the office he had and marking on the floor in the dust where two would sit side by side.

The ones he found online were modular. Designed to slot together with a simple joining kit, which was only a few plates and some bolts. As Peter checked around his own single office he found the holes. Measured them and knew he could make something for much less than the hundred dollars per kit.

After a small seat and a little snack, he headed through the light traffic and down the waterfront to Aleksei’s. Where he met him opening the gate to his yard.

Aleksei laughed when he saw him, “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to come.”

Peter shrugged and followed him in,

"The yard and the stores are for finished goods. You get to work upstairs, in your own private office." Aleksei said with a smile.

He led Peter past his own office and up a set of stairs where he unlocked the door. "You can get the key from me before you start. This door stays locked though."

Aleksei opened the door, and flicked on the lights, “great huh?”

Peter's face fell. Whoever had organised this room was an idiot. That was the nicest thing Peter could think of to call them. A disaster would be more appropriate.

He stepped inside and the musty smell of water-damaged electronics made him scowl. Not helped by the small black dots scuttling between them.

He sighed and Aleksei raised an eyebrow, “What? Too good for you?” He wasn’t happy this little punk kid was being disrespectful this early, not after the chat he had with Bennie.

Peter sighed, “No offence Sir, but uh.” and he moved to one of the piles. “Electronics need to be separated out. What's dirty but works. What’s dirty and doesn't. What's broken and what's definitely unrepairable.” To prove his point he found a laptop and a games console, both piled together.

“This laptop looks like it’s been run over, and is junk, but this could be fixed with a good clean.” Until Peter shook it and then stepped on the black insects that fell out. “But piling them like this means everything is now dirty or full of bugs.”

Aleksei looked at the two items in his hands. “So, whoever sorted them was a lazy bastard and it’ll now take what? A few weeks to sort this mess out?”

Peter nodded. There were seven tables and they were all filthy.

Peter continued, hoping the bad news wasn’t about to cost him his job. “Sorry but uh, it gets worse. Laptops and phones need specialised equipment and a lot of time to fix. Whoever bought these, they.” but he stopped.

Aleksei was clenching his jaw and had clenched his fists. He would have killed Bennie after finding that out, but well, there was no changing that now.

Peter looked at the floor, and put the laptop and the console back on the table, “Sorry. I’ll just uh. I’ll leave.”

As he approached Aleksei put a hand on his shoulder. “No kid, I ain’t mad at you. I was told this was workable, and to hear it ain’t. Well.”

Peter nodded, unsure of what to do now.

“Look. there ain’t no paying for sorting this crap out right. I mean, I’m sure you could cherry-pick the best stuff and make a few hundred easy.” Aleksei moved out onto the stairwell and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one, lit it and took a draw. “So, a hundred. You clean it all up and you get a hundred. After that, we go back to the deal right?”

Peter paused, “So, I’m not fired?”

Aleksei laughed, “fired? You clean that shitpile up an’ you definitely ain't fired.”

Emboldened, “I need a toolkit and money for parts. Consoles might need a new drive, plus cleaning supplies.” He looked at the bugs crawling between the piles, "and gloves. definitely gloves."

“Yeah yeah. Look. Spend the morning doing your best, write a list an’ how much an’ I’ll see, alright?” Aleksei said as he took a final drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out on the wall. “But, I ain’t in a good mood kid. Don’t screw me.”

Aleksei patted Peter on the shoulder and headed back down.

Peter laughed to himself, as he heard Aleksei mutter, “dead bug bullshit,” as he walked down the stairs.

Good for you, you dont have to clean them, but that's why he’s the boss and he headed back inside and closed the door.

⁂

Peter spent most of the morning simply cataloguing. He had headed downstairs after a few minutes, found a bucket and a box of latex gloves and headed back up.

If this was Bennies idea of organisation he really would hate to see his apartment. Peter looked at corroded and snapped cables piled on top of dirty consoles. Everything had been heaped into piles. Phones and all manner of electronic and mechanical items.

Even large items, capable of damaging the smaller electronics were just scattered everywhere. Cursing and pulling on a pair of gloves, Peter sighed and got to work.

He sorted them into tables. The room was plain white, with a simple grey carpet and eight office-style benches. Simple rectangles with steel-framed legs.

First, anything corroded went into the trash. Electricity and corroded cables were not a good mix. Even with powers, being electrocuted didn’t seem like a good way to find out if he was protected against it.

The definitely broken items went on the floor. Then he tried his best to separate out dirty and not dirty, but Benny hadn’t made it easier.

At lunchtime, he stripped off the gloves, grabbed his bag and headed downstairs.  hoping to find somewhere to eat the small lunch he brought with him.

“Hey,” a tall square-faced man shouted, “You can clean up back there.” and he pointed into the first section of the building.

Peter waved in thanks and went to wash his hands before he sat on the steps of the building.

Aleksei came out of his office, tapping a cigarette on its box, “most of the guys order out, you want anythin?” but Peter shook his head, pulling out the sandwich he had.

Aleksei lit his cigarette, and as he blew out the smoke, “So, how bad is it?”

Peter sighed as he chewed, “not as bad as it looks. Cables I won't even risk, but” and he gave Aleksei an apprehensive look.

Alexis laughed, “Come on, out with it.”

Peter sighed “to test the consoles I need a TV. Nothing fancy but it needs to be modern enough that I can connect it up. I uh, also need a toolkit, and cleaning stuff.”

“TV, you can just take, box four, vacuum too if you need it. Tools, you need one of those repair kits right?” and Peter nodded, “yeah Bennie left his. So use that. He ain’t cummin’ back. Sick aunt or some shit.”

Aleksei stubbed out his cigarette, “Hey Flint.” he shouted and the same man as before appeared, “show the kid the locker, and let him grab what he needs.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, “what? You think we leave that shit out where someone can spill it?” but Peter could just shrug.

“I need isopropyl alcohol, and uh dish soap.”

Marko thought for a moment, “yeah we got that, maybe need to get more if the kid takes it upstairs. Need buckets? We only got small ones, if you need bigger ones,“

Aleksei waved a hand, “Yeah yeah, I’ll get the kid his stuff.”

Peter nodded and followed Flint to the storage cage where he could take what he needed. A bottle of alcohol with IPA written on it and a bottle of bleach, for the bugs.

As a delivery boy pulled into the lot and handed Aleksei a bag with sandwiches, he left after being paid and tipped.

“Sure you don’t want one? Some of those food guys around here are fuckin’ great,” Aleksei asked but Peter shook his head, “your loss kid, your loss.”

⁂

Peter finished his lunch, collected the IPA and Bennies tool kit and headed back upstairs.

There wasn't a lot to do while he waited for the TV. So pouring out some IPA, he decided to give the ports on the consoles that seemed fine a clean.

He was in the middle of wiping down one of the consoles when the door swung open and in came a muscular black man. He was tall and bald, and Peter could see a fern pattern of burns across one side of his face. He was carrying a TV under one arm and a small dust buster vacuum under the other,

“Peter right?” he said as Peter moved his bag and let the man set the items down, “I’m Max,” he said, offering his hand, and Peter shook it. Max looked around the room, nodded, “Cya later.” and left.

Not a big talker then.

And Peter moved from cleaning to setting up a proper workstation.

⁂

It was close to four o’clock when Aleksei came up, “So?”

Peter put down the console he had just finished checking. He stuck the label he had written out of the problems it had, and tore a list from his pad.

“I put post-its on what was broken, really broken. Uh, yellow for needs cleaned but working, pink for repairable, and blue for either broken or I can't fix.” Peter sighed, “and I did my best with the phones but I’m not a phone guy. Even if they work but have issues, I can’t fix them.”

Aleksei looked at the stacks of items that had stickers on them. If he was honest it didn't look like a lot. But, the bugs were gone, the corroded cables were in a trash bin, and the place looked a lot better.  It was his first day and he had seen the state of the place before Peter had started.

“Write that down, an’ stick it on the wall. My guys will keep track of it an’ not screw up your system. So.”

Aleksei leaned against the edge of the table. “I know you should be at school, cause my tax guy ran your social security number. What gives?”

“Suspended because of fighting,” Peter admitted,

“You start it?” but Peter shook his head, “cause really, you don’t strike me a fighter, Pete.”

“Bully.” was all Peter could say and Aleksei huffed and sucked in a breath.

“Word of advice then Pete. Nobody gives a shit you’re the little guy. You get mad and smash his fuckin' brains in, they won't care he pissed in your soda for years. Either toughen up, and make sure he don’t touch you again, or you get somebody to do it for you.” Aleksei reached into his pocket and pulled out some notes. “Here, wages. You did a good job, don’t let some shitbag fuck your life up, kid.”

It wasn’t the first time someone had told him that bullies only understood one thing. Strength. But Peter knew differently.

Flash didn't bully him because he was a jerk who thought he was better than he was. He did it out of perverse pleasure. Fighting back got him in a bigger mess. He might be physically stronger than Flash, but he couldn’t fight his father. More importantly, his father's money.

He grabbed his back and prepared to walk home. Speaking to Aleksei reminded him of his uselessness in dealing with Flash, but he was still happy.

He just made his first wage. Legally and honestly, and now he could tell Aunt May about it.

The job at least. The warehouse was nowhere near ready to let her know about it.