Chapter Text
After a few days of discovering who's left after the Snap, Steve and Natasha find Fury's pager. "He never left anywhere without it." Natasha says. "We almost abandoned missions for this thing." Rocket examines the pager, and with Bruce's, Rhodey's and Harley's help, amplfies the signal and tries to keep the battery running. "And now we wait." says Rocket. Harley goes back to Pepper, who's been getting sick so much lately. He finds her in the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet. "Mom, are you okay?" He says rushing towards her. "I- I think so." But before she can get up, she's crouching over the bowl again. Harley swiftly holds her hair and rubs her back. "Maybe we should get Bruce to give you a check-up." He offers, handing her a tissue. "No, I'll be fine." She replies. "I think I'm just stressed out. And I want all hands on deck to bring Tony and Peter back." She demands. "Okay, but once we do, you go to Bruce okay?" She nods and he helps her to the bedroom.
It's not Tony and Pepper's room that they're in. They've taken to sleeping in the same bed in a spare room in the Compound, Pepper not wanting to sleep in that room without him. She tried once and Harley had to wake her from her nightmare. "You know, I'm so used to him working in the lab for hours and hours and only coming to bed at around 3 or 4 in the morning." She admits one day during their sleeping arrangement. "You'd think I'd be used to not having someone in the bed with me." Harley doesn't say a word. He struggled to sleep alone too. The loss of Abbie was killing him inside. He was supposed to protect her. Not to mention the unknown whereabouts of Peter. "That day he was telling me about a dream he had about us, Harles." Both of them are laying on their backs, staring at the ceiling. The only comfort they have from each other is their clasped hands. "He had a dream that after we were married, we had a kid." Harley turns to look at her, face bright with the moonlight pouring through the window, and sees a tear fall. "He was so excited about it. He was gonna name him or her after my uncle. Our little Morgan. I never thought he would want one but I think you and Ab- your sister changed his mind." Harley faces her, laying on his side. "Abbie would've been so happy to have a little brother or sister." He says, getting choked up now. "They would have been so smart. Peter and I...," His voice cracks on his name. "We would babysit and take 'em to Central Park and Abbie..." He sniffles, tears falling again. "Abbie would be the best big sister any kid could ask for."
---
Since the snap, the Avengers were in charge of relief efforts around the globe. The sudden disappearance of half of the world's population caused massive unrest, damage and panic to countries all over and the now the remaining leaders were looking to what was left of the Avengers for help and guidance. Those who could, travelled to places that needed the most help to conduct search and rescue procedures. Pepper pushed most of Stark Industries resources towards sheltering those who lost everything, with Happy guiding them to the Tower in New York. She also pushed resources to conduct a census to help families who may have been separated find some semblance of comfort. Rhodey and Harley focused on writing and pushing a software update to every SI location that would keep that building's power sustained. "It's what Dad would have done." Harley said when he suggested it to Rhodey. Even Rocket offered to help with his expertise. They worked tirelessly to ensure that there was a place people could go to feel safe and every building around the world soon became a relief center. Stark Industries really became a beacon of hope.
Carol Danvers crashed into their lives two weeks after half the world disappeared. She flew into the compound, deflecting every security measure until she came upon it's inhabitants. She walked around like she owned the place, demanding to know where Fury was. Most of the Avengers had their weapons at the ready, aimed at her glowing form when someone recognized her. "Holy shit, hold on, stand down, boys. I know who she is." Rocket says, lowering his gun and walking towards her. "I've heard of you before, while I was on Xandar. An ex-Kree soldier flying around with Skrulls." He says when he gets closer. "Coulda used you here, blondie." "Who are you?" Steve asks. Rhodey lowers his repulsor and takes his helmet off. "Colonel Danvers? Carol Danvers?" He says. "Who's asking?" She fires back and Rhodey stands at attention, saluting her. "Colonel James Rhodes." She gives him a lazy salute back. "I've seen your file. You disappeared years ago. Some of my commanding officers mentioned you when I was in boot camp. Apparently, you were one damn good pilot." She smirks and Rhodey is starstruck. "Where's Fury?" She asks again. "He's been dusted." Harley says, speaking up for the first time. "The pager was near a pile of ash." Steve supplies before Carol can ask how they know. Rhodey, on the other hand, seems to still be taken by her mere presence. Harley avoids teasing him and instead approaches her, against Steve's warnings. "You can fly in space right?" He asks, wasting no time, and she nods. "There are two individuals from earth who went up in a ship to Thanos." He pauses, swallowing thickly. "We don't know where that ship was going but we need you to find it, find them, and bring them back to earth." Harley urges. "They have to come back." Carol looks unfazed, then her expression turns serious. "If Thanos succeeded, and it looks like he did, then you have to be prepared if that ship is empty." Harley doesn't shrink under her gaze. "It won't be empty. They're coming home."
---
The waiting game was brutal. Harley tried to keep busy so he didn't spend too much time thinking about them. Between taking care of Pepper, helping Rhodey and Rocket with technical support in SI, and assisting Natasha and Steve coordinate relief efforts, Harley worked himself ragged. He only slept when he was dead tired and usually passed out wherever he was, leaving Rhodey to cajole him onto the couch in the lab or a comfier chair. A week after Captain Marvel left and about 22 days after the snap, Rhodey, Harley and Pepper are in the spare bedroom trying to pass the time. "A ship has entered the upper atmosphere." FRIDAY says. The three of them stop moving from where they are sitting on the bed (Neither Harley, Pepper, nor Rhodey had been able to sleep properly since Carol gave them this bit of hope). Even the rest of the compound is awake, despite it being the middle of the night. "Is it Danvers? Did she find them?" Rhodey asks. "Satellite readings detect a radiation signature that is similar to Colonel Danvers'." Harley and Pepper look to each other. "They're back."
The compound inhabitants run outside to see a glowing Carol slowly lowering a spaceship. Harley and Pepper are out there first and hold each other's hands tightly with Rhodey, Steve, Nat, and Bruce not far behind them. No one notices the somber look on Carol's face as she steps back from the ship. The door opens and two figures step out, both are slim and moving slowly but one of them is blue. The blue one is shouldering the weight of the other one as they shamble out of the ship. Harley keeps staring into the dark ship, waiting for another figure to exit. About halfway down the ramp, Steve and Pepper shoot forward realizing who it is. Steve gets there first, taking Tony from the blue woman and supporting his (too little) weight. "I couldn't stop him." He whispers to Steve. "Neither could I." A pause and a ragged breath. "I lost the kid." Tony adds. There's a moment of despair in Steve's eyes, then sadness and empathy. Then Pepper's there, holding his face and kissing his gaunt cheeks. "Oh my god. You're here. You're alive." She's whispering. He steps away from Cap to hug her properly. "I'm here." He closes his eyes and inhales her scent, kissing her (real, alive) full cheeks. He knows that she's holding more of his weight but he doesn't care. He's home.
"Where's Peter?" comes a small voice. Tony looks up and sees his son. Dark, purple bruises under his eyes, too thin, with greasy, messy hair. "Dad? Where is he?" Wide, blue eyes, shine with unshed tears. "Harley..." Tony steps away from Pepper and towards him but Harley steps back. "Holy fuck. You're alive." He says with relief. "Where's Abbie?" He looks between Pepper and Harley. Their silence and Pepper's small intake of breath says it all. "Abbie..." Tony trails off, voice sad. "Dad, he went up with you, right? Where is Peter?" The teen asks again. Tony can hear the hysterical edge to his voice see the fragile string of hope in his eyes. "Harley, I'm- I'm so, so sorry." Harley's face contorts into an expression of disbelief and sadness. "No.." He says, shaking his head and taking a step back. "No, you're lying. Where is he?!" Tony shakes his head. He can't cry anymore. His body won't let him but he feels every bit of pain and guilt written on Harley's face. "I wish I were, Harles."
Harley crumbles to the ground, chest heaving as he gasps for breath and sobbing loudly. He's shaking and he hears someone screaming (later, he'll realize they came from him). "No, no, no, no!" There are tears flowing down his cheeks. "He has to come back!" He screams. A blur that Harley realizes is Rhodey kneels in front of him. "Harley?" His voice sounds far away. "C'mon, Harley, you have to breathe." He reaches out but the teen shoves the hand away. Harley stands abruptly, avoiding the pitying looks from the rest of the group. "Harley, I'm sorry." Tony says again but it falls on unhearing ears. The teen is backing away from them and shaking off Rhodey's attempts to stop him. Then he takes off running. He runs as far away from the ship as he can. Maybe if he runs far enough, it won't be real. He runs until he can't hear the calls of his name. He runs until the wind in his face blows the tears away. He runs until only his racing heartbeat and gasps for breath sound in his hears. He runs until his feet and legs go numb from pounding the ground after so many days of staying idle. He runs until he can't anymore and he collapses to his knees, screaming at the air, still crying, still gasping, still hurting. He curls into a ball on the ground, wrapping his arms around his torso, holding himself together, hoping somehow this was all a dream.
---
Harley wakes up hours later, calling for Peter and Abbie. He briefly wonders how he got to a room in the Compound when he distinctly remembers being outside. Then he remembers why he was outside. He remembers what happened outside and it feels like his heart has been ripped out and all that's left is a jagged hole, bleeding and refusing to close. He sucks in a breath, but it doesn't even feel like he's getting any more oxygen. He's gasping and hyperventilating like this when Rhodey walks in. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, kid?" He rushes to the bed, sitting on the edge. "C'mon, Harley. You gotta breathe." He sobs and shakes and curls in on himself, trying to make himself smaller. Rhodey rubs circles on his back to calm him down. "A little better now?" He asks and Harley nods his head. When he does, Rhodey starts speaking in a low voice. "You know, that blue chick that came back with Tony?" Harley flinches. That was supposed to be Peter. Rhodey looks sad but he continues. "She says she knows where Thanos is." Harley doesn't even move. "Well, we're gonna find that son of a bitch and reverse all of this." He says it with such conviction that Harley believes him, but he can't bring himself to do anything more than turn his head to meet his gaze. "Bring him back." He says quietly. With a firm, determined nod, Rhodey leaves, taking Harley's sliver of hope with him.