Chapter Text
Peter is fine.
Tony’s right about the fluids and the cookies. Apparently, the snap was harder on Peter than most other people; he disintegrated a lot more slowly than the others because of his powers and when he came back, it made all his senses and powers haywire and left him perpetually exhausted, burdened with injuries from his fight with Thanos the first time around. But he’s fine. The hook him up to an IV, feed him sugar, give him fluffy pillows, and let him sleep.
Harley’s there when May comes around. It’s not until May bursts into tears, holding Peter like she’s his life that he realizes he is. This is her son. And she has him back.
He misses his own mom.
But May still spares Harley a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she eventually leaves Peter to get more rest.
His friends Ned and Michelle, they come by, too. They sit and talk while Harley continues to linger in the corner, a protective arm around his sister as she sinks against his side, nearly asleep. He doesn’t belong here, he knows this. He may vaguely know Peter’s friends, but he’s not a part of his life and he doesn’t have any right to witness these...personal reunions with the people he loves.
But Peter came with Tony and Tony...Tony’s his responsibility, in a way. Not forever, not in every way, but he wants to be assured he’s still all in one piece before he and Ariel go home.
And Harley isn’t the only one lingering. Tony is on the opposite end of the room collapsed in one chair, feet propped up in another. He sleeps most of the time but when he’s awake, Harley catches him staring at Peter, a soft smile on his face. It’s not until May, Ned, and Michelle all leave does Harley see Tony scoot his chair over to a sleeping Peter’s bedside.
They don’t say anything. Tony simply flashes gives him a smile before he lays his head down on the foot of Peter’s cot and goes to sleep.
“Harley?”
He’s in the middle of braiding his sleeping sister’s hair when he looks up to find Peter awake in his bed. Tony’s still asleep and Peter has copied Harley’s game of mess with the sleeping person’s hair, attempting to knot little braids in Tony’s hair. It’s not going so well.
“Can you show me how to do that?” Peter whispers, pointing to Ariel’s hair. “I’m trying to give Mr. Stark a makeover.”
“Unfortunately, you cannot make braids of a balding man’s hair.”
Peter snickers. “I’m telling him you said that.”
“Please don’t. I’d rather say it to his face myself.”
His grin broadens before he stops messing with Tony’s hair. “Mr. Stark told me a lot about you.”
Harley forces himself not to bow his head in embarrassment. He’s not one that’s ever been talked about a whole lot. “All terrible things, I’m sure.”
Peter smiles, shaking his head in amusement, before he looks down and pokes Tony’s cheek. The man lets out a loud snore that has both boys laughing. But Tony doesn’t wake.
“Thanks for looking after him.”
That’s….unexpected. “I didn’t really do anything.”
“You helped. That’s everything.”
Harley lets out a long sigh in attempts to cover up feelings . “No problem. I’m no stranger to babysitting,” he pats Ariel’s arm and Peter laughs again.
There’s a groan and then Tony says, “You guys suck.” His voice is thick with sleep and his eyes are still closed. He refuses to lift his head from Peter’s bed.
But Peter seems determined to get him to do so. He pokes his cheek incessantly before Tony snatches out and grabs Peter’s index finger, mumbling some half-hearted threat about breaking it. Peter’s still laughing at his own antics as Tony’s hand relaxes around Peter’s, giving it a soft squeeze. Their hands remained intertwined for a moment before Tony lets go, hand falling against Peter’s knee, and falls back asleep.
“So you’re his kid, huh?”
Peter take a moment before he looks up, embarrassment flushing his cheeks and causing him to fidget. But then Tony lets out another snore and Peter relaxes.
“Yeah,” Peter answers, meeting Harley’s eyes. “I guess I am.”
“Good,” Harley grins, “I’m glad.”
“Do you have everything?”
Harley rolls his eyes for the umpteenth time as he finishes packing up all of his stuff into the Mustang. He gives the trunk an extra push, making sure it closes with a slam. “Yes, good Christ. Tony, you are worse than Ariel.”
Tony looks down at his sister as he reaches into his jacket pocket. “Here,” he tells her, handing her a Stark watch. It’s pink, just like she asked. He sticks another blue one into Ariel’s pocket and adds, “You can give your brother his when he quits being so mean.”
“Soooo, I keep the watch forever,” she looks over and blows a raspberry Harley’s way before she says, “How much do these sell for on Ebay?”
“Wow. That hurts. You both suck. Must run in the family.”
Ariel just keeps smiling her stupid smile as she puts her watch on. She doesn’t object when Harley comes over to nab his. “You should make them like, slap bracelets.” He says, fiddling with the notches on the straps. “Remember slap bracelets? Watches should be slap bracelets.”
“Do you ever stop talking?”
“Not really, no.”
Beside them, Peter laughs. It only took a day or two and then he was back on his feet like nothing had ever happened. The Avengers & CO. were still in the compound upstate, getting things ready to disperse back to….wherever their lives were before this whole mess. It gave Peter enough time to show them all these cool Spider-Man tricks, including his suit and web shooters, and gave Ariel enough time to fall in love. Peter Parker has definitely taken Thor’s spot in marriage outlooks, especially when he gives her and Harley his phone number.
“I put extra jugs of gasoline in the back seat,” Tony says. He won’t meet his eyes and instead fiddles with Harley’s jacket, dusting off the sleeves. “Just in case.”
“I know.”
“Tucked a few dollars in your wallet, too.”
Ariel immediately reaches into Harley’s pocket - he slaps her hand away. “I know.”
“Don’t drive the whole way. I want you to stop and sleep.” He pauses and starts messing with his phone. “Maybe I can call a hotel -”
“Tony. I can get me and Ariel bunked up in a hotel.”
“He’s lying,” she sing-songs, running over to give Peter his sixth goodbye hug. “He’s gonna drive the whole way.”
Peter clicks his tongue, feigning disapproval, before he gently tugs on Ariel’s braid and taps her nose. “That’s why you’re in charge.”
She beams. “Aye, aye, Spider-Man.” And there’s a seventh hug.
Harley’s halfway to rolling his eyes so hard they fall out of his head when Tony reaches forward and pulls Harley in for a hug. “Be careful, kid. Call me when you get there.”
He nods, suddenly craving the hug, and squeezes back. “I will. Tony?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for getting our mom back. For getting everyone back.”
“Saving the world. It’s what I do.”
Harley pinches Tony on the arm and just like that, the mushy stuff is over. The pull apart, but not without one last pat to his shoulder. Ariel climbs into the car, settling in for a nap, before Harley jumps in to join her. As he puts the keys into the ignition, he watches as Tony and Peter settle closer to each other, one arm around Peter’s shoulders.
Without another word, Harley pulls out and heads for home. He watches Tony and Peter wave goodbye in his rear view mirror before they disappear.
Fifteen hours later, a near midnight sky, and possibly twenty-five spam-like text messages from Ariel in the Tennessee Outreach for Spider-Man group chat, his sister finally gets bored with talking Harley’s ear off and turns on the new radio they put in the car before they left New York. She fiddles endlessly, Harley nearly twitching with the constant sound changes and static, before she finally settles on a station.
“Hey y’all. This is DJ Rocket Man -”
Ariel smiles, leaning her head against Harley’s shoulder. “She’s back.”
They don’t know if she even left. But that’s okay. Because she’s there, just like Harley’s mom and the rest of Rose Hill. It’s familiar, it’s routine, it’s home.
He pushes down on the gas pedal a little harder.