Chapter Text
It was a good day. Peter got to hang out with Mr.Stark in the lab and work on all sorts of things. It was a good day. With it being summer he had gotten in a lot more patrolling while still having time for friends. Which really help, cause he had honestly really missed being just Peter Parker. Just a geeky kid with no worries aside form school. Not that he’d tell Mr. Stark that. He would put limits in his suit and order him to be a kid, and New York Needed Spider-man too much for that.
“Hey kid, come look at this!” Mr. Stark waved him over to look at the sketches he’d been drawing up for a cheaper and more accessible clean energy source. “Remember that article you showed me? About the solar-powered sidewalk? Well, this is similar. It takes the kinetic energy from people walking on it and turns it into electricity,”
“It's a nice theory, Mr.Stark, but it’d only really work in busy areas, and then what stops it from getting too much energy?” Peter supplies.
He looks over it once more before sighing. “You got a point, Pete. I knew there was a reason I kept you around,”
Peter debating about commenting how Mr. Stark actually liked him when he heard the elevator ding. Probably Miss Potts or Happy.
“Hey, Mechanic! Guess who?” Came a voice that was definitely not Miss Potts or Happy.
Peter turns around about the same time Tony did. In front of him was someone about maybe his age, dressed in grease-stained blue jeans and a t-shirt. He had dirty blonde hair and his skin was tanned in a way that could only be from hours in the sun and with his lopsided grin he looked like he belonged on a horse show. His hair was kinda thrown about, but also reminded Peter that he was due for a haircut soon.
“Are you on stilts or something?” Tony stood up and placed his hands on the kid’s shoulders, grinning. “It’s good to see you kid. But what are you doing in New York? Your kinda few hundred miles from Tennessee,”
“I got a scholarship to a good school up here. Apparently, a STEM school and an Arts school got together and decided that they were going to try an’ help the poor kids below the Mason-Dixon line,” He said the last part with clear sarcasm. “Said schools even bought a dorm room for us,”
Peter realized ‘he’s talking about Midtown and Marigold’s School of Arts’ They had announced that they were extending the borders of their scholarship at the end of last year. It thankfully didn’t affect his, but he didn’t realize that they were bringing in kids from across the country.
“Oh, Harley, I’d like you to meet Peter Parker. His my intern I told you about in my last email,” Tony turned the conversation to Peter. “You two actually have a lot in common,”
Harley stuck out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Sir,”
That caused him to wrinkled his nose. Sir? He was barely 17. “I’m not that old,” he felt himself say before shaking the offered hand.
“Oh, I wasn’t trying to say you were. I was trying to be respectful. I call the youngins at church sir or ma’am,” He waved his hands like he was trying to make his point as clear as possible.
“Harley is from a small town in Tennessee, Pete. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a bit of a cultural difference between you two,” Tony backed him up. “But I have no doubt that you two will get along. Come on let’s go up to the penthouse. I’m sure you could both use some food,”
It was quiet on Peter’s part while they made their way out of the lab. Harley talking up a storm to Mr. Stark.
“It’s actually move-in day at the dorms, but I arrived early so I thought I’d give the other kids some space to get their stuff in. I didn’t bring much anyway so it had worked out. I haven’t met my roommate though. I hope he ain’t real rude and all. I had enough of bullies in Rosehill, I sure as hell ain’t got time for ‘em up here. Though considering the lot of us are going to a STEM school or an Art school, he probably had his own trouble with dickheads where he’s from. Though I don’t know how I’d handle it if he was a Roll Tide fan,”
“Who knows, kid. Hey Pete, What do you think about lunch? We got leftover pasta and I’m pretty sure we have enough to make a few salads,” Tony opened the fridge up.
Lunch was long. Harley and Mr. Stark obviously had a lot to catch up on so Peter was going to head out and give them time to themselves. But Harley spoke up.
“Why don’t I walk you out? I need to be getting back to the dorm anyway,”
Peter really didn’t know about that. It’s not that he didn’t like Harley, he was just a little too much for him to be honest. “It’s okay, you don’t have too,”
“I mean it only makes sense since I'm headed out too. I promise I ain’t gonna kill ya or anything,” Harley joked.
“Well if you both are leaving then how about you both came back Wednesday after school next week? It’ll give you a chance to destress after your first couple days of school? Plus I could always use help in the lab”
“That sounds good, Mr. Stark!” Peter jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with Mr. Stark. And Harley was going to his school, so he would have plenty of time to get used to him before then.
“Sounds like a plan, Old Man,” Harley patted Tony on the back before making his way to the elevator. Peter said his goodbye and followed him.
The silence was a little awkward as they went down. Neither of them seemed to want to make the first move. Peter kept shifting his weight and avoiding eye contact, hoping Harley wouldn’t notice. But Peter has never had much luck. Harley looked over at him before sighing.
“I’m sorry,” He scratched the back of his neck, looking at his feet. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just didn’t have the mind to think there might be a bit of a social difference from where I’m from. I promise it wasn’t my intention to make ya mad,”
“What?” It took Peter a moment to realize what he was saying. “Oh no! That isn’t it at all!” Great now he’s a jerk. Peter sighed “Look, it was that you offended me or anything. I just didn’t expect everything is all. You’re honestly just a lot at once. I wasn’t prepared and you took me by surprise is all,”
“Oh thank Christ!” Harley breathed, tension visibly leaving his shoulders. “I was so scared you weren’t gonna like me or somethin’. Which I normally don’t care what people think, but it’d break my heart if the cutest boy I’ve seen were to think I’m just some rude Hick,”
Cutest boy? Peter could definitely feel the heat in his cheeks. Peter was thankfully saved by the elevator opening up.
“Well it was nice talking to ya, doll but I guess this is where we part,” Harley grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles. “Hope I see ya round, Sweet thang,”
Peter is quite literally frozen in place as he watches Harley walk off. Why is he blushing so much? Harley isn’t the first guy to hit on him, hell Peter has dated plenty guys, though he’s the first that looks like that. And wasn’t he just thinking that Harley was too much a moment ago? Why is his mouth dry? Harley had to be messing with him. This had to be a joke. He liked Peter? Like enough to kiss his hand? What?
The elevator doors closed and Peter realized he was still standing in the same spot.
“Peter? Would you like me to take you back to Boss?”
“Uh, Yeah Friday. That’d... That’s a good idea,”