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This was a terrible idea, is Peter's only thought as the van pulls up to newly renovated movie theatre, feeling extremely uncomfortable in his fancier shirt, a nice blue flannel button up, and dress pants.
He doesn't know why he allowed Betty to wrangle him into this situation. She had begged and pleaded with him to go on a double date with her and Ned while him and his ex were together, and Peter had refused every time, not really knowing why at the time, he just didn't want his ex meeting his friends for some reason.
Now that that relationship has crashed and burned into the ground leaving Peters heart shattered into tiny iddy biddy pieces, Peter knows exactly why he never went, and why he was never going to go. Peter was dead set, he was done with dating and the complexities that came with it. At least until he was out of college, had a stable job/career and had done all of the things he had wanted to do, without the burden of someone elses opinion, someone else's feelings, on his shoulders. He had a plan, and he was going to stick too it, dammit.
And yet.
A few nights ago, Betty fricken Brant had called him up, and continued to beg him to come along with them. When he had brought up the fact that he no longer had a partner and, therefore, couldn't go on a double date, Betty had reassured him that she had *someone I wanted you to meet anyways, come on please!', and when Peter adamantly refused stating that he was 'never going to date someone ever again', Betty had just told him to stop being dramatic and that 'you don't have to date, just be friends with him, get to know him, pleaaaase'. And Peter had finally, finally relented, against his own will.
So here he was. Outside of the theatre that they were going to have their 'date plus two', because Peter refused to call it a double date, regretting every decision he's ever made in his lifetime.
"Are you just gonna stare at it, kid, or are you actually gonna get out at some point?" Happy tease shakes him out of his thoughts, and he turns to glare at the man, only a bit of heat in his gaze. When Happy and Aunt May's relationship grew, so had Peter and Happy's relationship, especially after Tony's death. Happy had been there for Peter during the rough times, had helped picked him up when he was down and had helped him adjust to a time he felt like he didn't belong in anymore after the blip. And now, after four or so years, Happy was almost like another father figure to Peter (though he refused to say that, it seemed to bring bad luck), and he couldn't be happier with it.
"Fine, I see how it is!" Peter huffs out in faux irritation, the small smile donning his lips betraying his incredible acting skills, and opens up the car door flamboyantly, being extra as he huffs and puffs out of the car, slamming the door behind him.
He hears the electric window go down behind him, but he doesn't turn around, keeping up his hurt, betrayed act, but it breaks as soon as he hears his step-dad, his Aunts husband's voice calling out, "Have fun, drama queen. Love you!"
He looks over his shoulder then, smile wide as he calls back, "Love you too!" just as the window starts to shut again and, with one last wave and smile, Happy was gone, driving off down the street, back towards the his old apartment.
Peter watches him until the car is out of sight, before turning back to the entrance, blowing out a sigh, the anxiety of the situation creeping back in steadily.
Well, he's here. No turning back now, right? He doesn't even know why he's so nervous, because it's not a date and he's probably not even going to like the person anyways. He's going to be courtious, polite, he's going to spend some time with two of his best friends and then he's going to leave, and finally get Betty off of his back about this. Easy peasy, no problem.
Like it was ever that simple for Peter Parker. It's called 'Parker Luck' for a reason.
As soon as Peter walked in and spotted his friends in the semi large crowd, he could feel his stomach drop while simultaneously filling with butterflies, his heart aching but also beating faster, a frown growing on his face while a blush litters his cheeks. Because goddamn it, of course Betty fucking Brant had to go and find the hottest guy on the planet to be Peter's plus one.
Seriously. Slightly curly blond hair, put up into a small ponytail, softer jawline, more angular features, thinner lips, and the brightest blue eyes Peter has ever seen. Like. Holy shit. Not to mention what he's wearing, a darker blue v-neck t-shirt, with tighter fitting jeans and a fucking leather jacket that gives him a rocker, motorcyclist kind of vibe, but somehow doesn't make him seem tough, or make him look like a dick, like it does to some other people. Nah, it just makes him look... good. Hot. As hell.
Jesus, this isn't supposed to be happening! Peter isn't supposed to be smitten with this guy, he's supposed to be making friends with him, only friends with him. He's supposed to be focusing on his studies, focusing on himself. That was the plan! But as those baby blues connect with his, and a small, careful, but open smile lights up the man's face, Peter can feel that plan slipping out of his fingers like sand, bit by bit by bit.
"Peter! You're here! Took you long enough, dude!" Ned grins at him, and immediately pulls him into their special handshake.
Peter grins back as they finish the handshake, turning to Betty and Handsome Mc Hot Face, raising an eyebrow in question, feeling a bit of guilt and worry creeping in. "You weren't actually waiting that long for me, were you?"
"No no, jeez, ignore him." Betty rolls her eyes, and hugs Peter tight, Peter returning it gently, making sure to keep his strength in check. He looks at Hot Stuff again over Betty's shoulder, and sees that he's staring at Peter intensely, his head tilted, a smirk now planted on his gorgeous little face.
It makes Peter flush even more, and he pulls back from Betty with a cough and a head tilt in the man's direction. "So...?"
"Oh, right!" The woman chuckles, tucking some of her loose, long blond hair behind her ear. She then points to the man. "This is Harley, he's your 'not date' for the night." She winks to Peter when she emphasizes not date, and he grimances as he realizes that she knows about his inconvenient, stupid ass feelings. Great, just what he needs, his friends on his ass too. He's on his own ass about it enough, thank you very much.
Also, Peter finds it hilarious that the guy who's wearing a leather jacket, like a motorcyclist, is named after a fricken motorcycle brand. Well, the brand is Harley-Davidson, but its close enough. Peter could only hope that he actually owned a motorcycle too.
Instead of laughing in the hot guys face like he wanted to (what a great first impression that would be), he holds out his hand, and puts a large, beaming smile on his face as Harley reaches out and shakes it, hand strong and firm. "I'm Peter."
Harley squeezes his hand tightly, 'what things he could do with that grip-', then he lets go, placing his hands into his front pockets, making him look way too good, this isn't fair, like what- "Nice to meet ya, Peter."
And oh wow Peter didn't realize he had an accent kink until right this very moment. Seriously, is this guy perfect?? Fucking gorgeous exterior, long and slim but with some definition, some muscle, and he has an accent too? A country accent, it seems? Peter is a goner. And he's probably a really fricken nice guy too, Peter would bet any money. Just so that fate (and Betty) can rub it in and laugh in his face when he inevitably falls for him.
"We still gotta get to the movie tickets, so we should do that first before we get the popcorn and stuff, right babe?" Betty looks over to Ned with a soft smile, her eyes gentle and caring.
"Yeah babe." His best friend responds, pecking her on the lips once before grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers, dragging her gently to the lineup for tickets. "Come on!"
Peter looks to Harley, who just grins and shrugs, following after them. Peter doesn't take a second to stare at the man's backside, he does not, before jolting into action and falling into step beside him.
There's a bit of a lineup in front of the four of them, and Betty and Ned are chatting to themselves, so Peter, hating awkward silence, decides to try and break the ice a little. "So," As soon as he starts talking, the icy blue eyes lock onto his own brown ones, and his breath hitches for a second. "Uh, h-how did you and Betty meet?"
"In Communications." He shrugs, her smirk softening into a smile, seeming happily nostalgic at the memory. "She saw me sitting by myself and just came up to me to say hi, and we've been talkin' ever since. I had just moved here, so I didn't know anyone until she did that. It was sweet of 'er to do."
"Yeah, that seems like something she would do." Peter chuckles, scuffing his foot on the ground to distract himself from his racing heart and fluttering stomach. "Always the extrovert." When Harley looks at him quizzingly, Peter shrugs back, grinning cheekily. "She was in my high school, head of the student council, she was always pretty extroverted. We just kinda grew up together."
"Ah, gotcha."
They made it to the front of the line now, a older, kinder looking woman sitting at the ticket booth. "Four tickets for GhostBusters 5, please!"
After the lady rang up their tickets, Ned paid for his and Betty's tickets, and Peter was just about to pull up his wallet to pay his own way through when he feels a hand grabbing gently at his wrist, and tugging his hand away from his pocket. "Don't worry about it, darlin', I got it."
Peter glaces up at him, soft blue meeting wide eyed brown, his face flushing from the pet name, 'holy shit I could get used to that- no, bad Peter!', and his wrist burning where Harley had grazed it. "A-Are you sure? I can-"
He shakes his head, chuckling. "I got it." He presses, a gentle, reassuring smile on his face as he takes out his debit card and taps it on to the machine, the loud beep! marking the completed transaction.
Peter feels his smile widen, as he murmurs out a small, greatful "thank you" to the man, who just waves him off in return.
The lady watching the interaction has a glint in her eyes as she hands all four of them their tickets, and chirps out, "Have a nice double date!"
The other three thank the woman cheerfully, while Peter sputters behind them. "I-It isn't a double date!" He blurts out, feeling mostly shame and motification as all four of them, Ned, Betty, Harley, AND the woman behind the country all stare at him, unconvinced. "We're-" He waves to both him and Harley, and Harley just raises an eyebrow at him, clearly amused by the situation, "Just... third and forth wheeling." He ends lamely. He couldn't even convince himself with his poor, poor excuse.
The woman just grins at him, knowingly. "Whatever you say, doll."
She waves the next couple forward as they walk away, towards the concession stands, Peter's face burning and his friends laughing at him. What great friends. Why did he come to this again??
Right as they get into line and Peter goes to move forward with Ned and Betty, there's a gentle, but firm grasp on his arm, holding him back. He looks over to Harley, tilting his head to show his confusion. Harley waits for Ned and Betty to go ahead a bit, before looking back to Peter, face soft, but concerned, eyes eerily serious and earnest. "Hey, Peter. I uh- just wanted to say that we don't-" He pauses, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away, and is that a faint blush on his cheeks? 'cute, so fricken cute, goddamn it'. "This don't gotta be a date if you're uncomfortable with it, darlin', this can just be a friends thing like Betsy said."
The answer should be obvious. Peter should say yeah, that would be better, and then they'll just to be friends and then they can get back on track, Peter can get back on plan. But, he finds himself hesitating for some reason, as he stares into those genuine, kind, caring baby blue eyes, crinkled in the corners showing that his small smile is true and real.
Harley is... nothing like his ex. His ex, the Devil Himself, was rude, brash, inconsiderate and full of themselves. Peter doesn't even remember why he fell for them in the first place, he doesn't even remember a time where they had been nice to him. But Harley... From the small amount of time they've been around each other, Peter can tell how kind and caring the man is, how gentle and considerate. He's literally going out of his way to make sure Peter isn't feeling bad or uncomfortable right now. He seems like a genuinely good guy, and Peter kind of maybe sort of wants to get to know him more. In a more than friends way.
And with that, the final grain of sand from his original plan slips from his grip.
He shakes his head, smiling shyly at the handsome man beside him. "No, no. Its just- uh..." He pauses, should he tell Harley this? Eh, fuck it. "My ex was kind of a-" He chuckles humorlessly, "a bitch is the nice way to put it. And after we broke up, I didn't- I wasn't planning on dating for a while." Harley nods at that, seeming resigned but understanding, amd he opens his mouth to say something, probably a reassurance, but Peter runs over him quickly, wanting him to understand, even as his face flushes a bright red. "But, I-I think you're really pretty, and kind, and I wouldn't- wouldn't mind giving dating another try? I-If you want to?" He darts his eyes away, before looking back up at Harley, nervous but cautiously optimistic. Hopeful.
Harley just gives him that beaming grin of his, and Peter instantly melts. "I would want to. Very much so. But only if you're sure, sweetheart."
He looks into those ocean eyes, calm, soothing, soft, careful, kind but also full of hope and joy, and Peter has a hunch he's making a good choice for once. He smiles back shyly. "Yeah, I'm sure."
The rest of the evening (because he still refuses to call it a double date, he isn't giving Betty the chance to gloat) goes really, really fricken well. Like, amazingly well. While they wait to get and buy the food, Peter paying this time ("You paid for our tickets, it's only fair I pay for the food."), he slowly learns more about the boy adorned in leather. He learns that Harley is going for a Major in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in physics, that he is originally from some random small town in Tennessee but is living with a family friend for the time being, and that he has a little sister who he adores with all his life. When they get into the movie, Harley does that cliche move that you'd only see in movies (ironically), slowly shifting closer and closer to Peter before pretend yawning and wrapping his arm around his shoulders, pulling him a little closer. Peter secretly loved it, even through all of its cheesiness (though he refuses to admit it). And when the movie is over, they leave the theatre hand and hand, ranting about the stupid parts of the movie and rambling about the amazing parts, almost completely agreeing with every point the other person says. Betty and Ned send him knowing, teasing looks, but he resoundly ignores them, not giving them the satisfaction of knowing they were right.
By the end of the night, Peter is laughing and smiling wider than he has in months, feeling lighter than air. All of dread and stress weighing on his shoulders all this time seems to have dissipated, and it feels like he can finally breathe again. He suddenly realizes, as they step outside and see Happy's car parked outside waiting for him, Betty and Ned having already gone, that he doesn't want this night to end. He doesn't want this to end.
"That your ride?" Harley nods to the car, seeing Happy in the front waving to Peter with a shit-eating grin on his face. He wonders why he has that expression on his face, until he realizes he's still holding Harley's hand.
"Yeah." He murmurs quietly, squeezing Harley's hand one last time before letting go and stepping back, ignoring the pang in his heart at the loss of contact.
Harley seems to have felt it too, if the small glint of sadness in his eyes is anything to go by. He blinks once, the glint disappears, and he puts on a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "I'll see you around then, yeah?"
Peter nods once, and Harley gives him one last smile before turning around and beginning to walk off down the street. The pang in his heart grows, he can't leave it like that, they can t just have a night like this and walk away, never to see each other again. Peter's gotta do something, he's gotta- gotta- "Wait!"
The man stops, turning back around and tilting his head, a questioning, but relieved look on his face. It seems that it wasn't just Peter that didn't want to leave it at that, and that makes him feel more relieved, more relaxed, but he still ends up rambling due to his nerves. "Do you wanna, like, maybe possibly go get lunch sometime? I-If you arent busy, of course! Or- Or even just coffee, if you don't have a lot of time? Because I know university is a lot of work, especially Engineering, I've heard engineering is a lot of work-"
"Yes." Harley cuts him off bluntly, quieking an eyebrow as Peter shuts his trap and flushes a bright red again.
He smiles sheepishly, but interally he's jumping for joy. "Yeah?"
His expression softens again. "Yeah, I'd love to. Get my number off of Betsy and text me the details."
Peter nods rapidly, now grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Cool. Sweet. Will do. Yeah."
He grimances slightly at his dumb, stupid awkwardness, but Harley chuckles lightly, the sound like music to Peter's ears, and all of his embarassment fades away. He sends one last, cunning, gorgeous grin Peter's way, before he says "See you later, darlin'." and continues his trek down the street, with a little more pep in his step.
Peter smile probably looks dopey, dreamy as he stares after him for a few seconds, before he santers to the black car, getting in and shutting the door behind him. He takes one look at Happy's face, and groans, placing his burning face into his hands, still smiling wide. "Not a word, Hap! Not a word!"
The man just laughs, and pulls out onto the road, driving away from the theatre and back to the apartment. Back home. Peter lifts his head out of his hands and stares back at the theatre quickly going out of view, a small, happy sigh falling out of his lips, a complete contrast to earlier that day. He entered that building full of regret, nerves, and a plan to never date again, to just be friends with the person he was stuck with, and he left feeling better than he has in a long ass time, carefree, hopeful, and with a future date to plan with a guy he really likes. And honestly? He couldn't be happier. While earlier, he had regretted ever accepting Betty and Neds invitation, now he was so fucking thankful he took it. He was so glad he took that second chance, that leap of faith. There's something about Harley that Peter is drawn to, and he knows the man feels the same way. They're gonna be together for a long, long time, Peter just knows it.
"...so, what's his name?"
"Happy!"