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Peter was the kind of person to take every responsibility. He was the kind of person to pile everything onto his own shoulders, uncaring of the amount of stress he was building. He was the kind of person to do everything selflessly and without complaint, always offering to do more, to help.
But it went the other way too. He never accepted the help he was offered. He wanted to do everything without burdening anyone else.
The thing is, there’s only so much somebody can hold up on their own before they begin to crumble. There’s always a breaking point.
A university student, working part-time, and singlehandedly caring for two kids? That’s the breaking point. That’s where Peter crumbles.
So when Harley opens his apartment door to find Peter standing in the hallway, daughter sleeping in his arms, holding his son’s hand, and a suitcase behind him, shivering and sopping wet from the rain outside, Harley doesn’t hesitate.
“I’m sorry,” Peter tries to say, teeth chattering and body shaking. Tears are streaking down his face, mixing with the rainwater that already clings to his skin. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have come if there was another option. I just- I got evicted and I had nowhere else to go.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You know I’ve always got room for you,” Harley says, offering an easy smile. He takes Peter’s suitcase and leads him down the hall to the spare room across from his.
Peter tries to smile but the tears won’t stop falling and his breath hitches with something that sounds too close to a sob. Harley takes June from Peter’s arms carefully, not knowing how to help but willing to try in any way he can. She stirs in her sleep, but easily sinks into Harley’s chest, back to sleep.
“Daddy okay?” Ben asks, eyes wide and staring up at his dad and Harley.
“Daddy’s okay, kiddo, don’t you worry,” Harley says quickly. “You hungry? I think I have some animal crackers in the kitchen.”
With his now free hands, Peter lets his head fall into his hands, trying to catch his breath. “I’m so sorry, Harley, I- I-”
“Don’t worry about it.” Harley grabs Peter’s arm, wishing he could offer any more comfort or assistance. “I’ve got the kids, okay? Go take a warm shower, take a breather, I’ll take care of everything else.”
MJ’s mom was a twin. Apparently, it ran in the Jones bloodline or some shit. That’s why when MJ got pregnant, young and body not prepared, when they found out it was twins, everything went to shit.
Harley and Peter have been best friends since they were thirteen and met at Midtown. Now, they’re in their third year at MIT, Peter’s run out of the money he got when May died, and Peter’s a single dad of twins.
Ben and June are two years old now, the cutest kids on the planet, but they’re at the age where the growing never stops. Harley doesn’t even want to think about how much money needs to go into clothing alone with the two of them, especially with the way June’s wearing one of Peter’s shirts like a dress and Ben’s pants cut short before his ankles.
“Let’s get you some animal crackers, yeah?” Harley says, turning his attention down to Ben who refuses to pull his eyes away from Peter who hasn’t moved, swaying on his feet and crying silently into his hands. “C’mon, kiddo.”
Harley takes Ben’s hand and leads the kid away from Peter into his kitchen. He lifts Ben onto one of the chairs at the table, gets him a bowl of animal crackers and tells him to stay put. He settles June down on the couch, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before hurrying back to where he left Peter.
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay,” Harley murmurs, catching Peter when his knees give out and they sink to the floor. He draws Peter into his chest, wrapping one arm around his waist and gently carding his fingers through Peter’s hair with the other.
“I got evicted, Harley!” Peter cries, words muffled against Harley’s shoulders. “Nothing about this is okay. I’m failing half my classes, we lost our babysitter, I haven’t been out as Spider-Man in forever, and we got evicted. How is this okay?”
Harley’s grip tightens on Peter. “It’s okay because you came to me for help, and I’m going to help you. You can move in here. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but there’s always room for you three. We can talk to Tony-”
Peter’s always had too much pride to ask for money. He’s never felt like he’s allowed to have money from Tony or Harley. He’s not surprised when he feels Peter shake his head.
“Either way, it’s going to be okay. Starting with you getting a shower, having some real food, and then getting a full night’s rest, okay? I’ll watch the twins tonight, no objections.”
“You’re too nice to me,” Peter says, pulling away just enough to offer a grateful smile, wiping at his eyes again. He looks exhausted, run down to the very bones. “You’re too good.”
Harley rolls his eyes, wanting to argue that this is the bare minimum of things he could be doing to help. This is nothing compared to what Peter does every single day, constantly giving and giving and giving.
But he doesn’t think Peter has the energy to argue, so he helps Peter to his feet and directs him to the bathroom, telling him to shower.
As soon as the door shuts behind him, Harley sighs quietly.
He’s had a crush on Peter since they were fifteen. It’s been five years of him hiding his crush on his best friend. When Harley realized, Peter was pining for Liz, so he didn’t say anything, and then after Liz, Peter was strictly not dating. He had decided to focus on his education and on the superhero gig.
But then Peter realized he had a crush on MJ and they got together when they were sixteen and MJ passed away at eighteen. Now, Peter’s nineteen and Harley’s twenty. Harley never wanted to hurt their relationship, so he didn’t tell Peter, and then Peter had been swallowed by grief, so Harley buried his emotions as deep as possible.
But now?
It’s been two years since MJ, and to Harley’s knowledge, Peter hasn’t seen anybody.
Harley can’t ruin their friendship. He couldn’t do that to Peter. But he’s tired of Peter feeling like he’s alone in this.
He’s tired of Peter believing he has to burden everything on his shoulders. Not when Harley’s there. Not when Harley’s always been there. Through everything. Five years and Harley’s never failed to be at Peter’s side through the thick and thin.
But if Peter wants him to play the best friend, if all Peter wants is a shoulder to cry on and a roof over his head, Harley will be happy to provide.
*
That night, Peter doesn’t take the empty bed in the guest bedroom. Instead, all four of them take Harley’s king-sized bed, the twins curled between the adults, at Harley’s insistence. He wasn’t sure how much Peter should be alone.
When morning comes, Harley makes chocolate chip pancakes with Ben on his hip and June sitting on the floor by his feet, letting Peter sleep in until nearly ten.
They eat breakfast together, June on Peter’s lap and Ben on Harley’s, and they pretend it’s normal. Like this is how they spend every morning.
And it’s nice. It’s the kind of thing that Harley’s been craving since he got his own apartment at the beginning of the year. It’s lonely. This is the first time his table has felt full, the first time his apartment has felt homely.
It’s unfair that he’s happy about the hell Peter’s going through. It’s unfair and the guilt makes him nauseous, but he just loves being surrounded by the people he considers family. Is that really such a crime?
Harley drives them back to Peter’s old apartment a few hours later, making Peter flustered when Harley reveals the two car seats he keeps in his trunk for the twins. Peter packs all of his necessities. He almost purposefully skips over everything that he wants to keep like photo albums and his Aunt and Uncle’s old things, his parents things, and MJ’s things, instead choosing to pack all of June and Ben’s things, before Harley notices and packs Peter a backpack filled with all of the memorabilia he shouldn’t be leaving behind.
They get take out on their way home, Harley insists on paying, and by the time they get back to Harley’s apartment, it’s already getting late.
Peter takes the twins to the bathroom to give them a bath, and while he’s alone, Harley calls Tony.
“Hey, kiddo, what’s up? You doing okay?”
Harley’s shoulders involuntarily relax, comforted by the knowledge that Tony’s there for him, he always will be. “I’m alright, I guess, it’s Peter who I’m worried about, actually.”
The change in tone is immediate. “Peter? Is he okay? Did something happen? Is it the kids?”
“They got evicted,” Harley says, keeping his voice low so Peter doesn’t have to hear him. “Showed up at my door last night. He’s staying with me for as long as he needs to, but I just- I don’t understand why he didn’t ask for help sooner. Why he waited until he’d been evicted to ask.”
Tony’s quiet for a long few moments. “You know Peter… This is, unfortunately, exactly like him. I’m just glad he went to you at all. You take care of him, you hear me?”
“You know I will,” Harley says, voice low and holding too many emotions. “Is everything okay at home?”
“Missing you boys.” There’s a beat of hesitation. “I know how you feel about Peter, Harley, and I know this is probably hard on you too, but I just wanted to let you know that following your heart isn’t always such a bad thing.”
Harley swallows thickly and sits down on the couch. “This is the worst timing to start admitting anything, don’t you think? Hey, I know you’re emotionally vulnerable and I know that you have nowhere else to go but here, but you wanna go on a date sometime? That sounds just great, doesn’t it?”
Harley can practically hear Tony’s eyeroll. “How do you think me and Pepper got together, kid? I’m pretty sure it sounded exactly like that. Either way, kid, Peter loves you, okay? I think it would be good for you to stop bottling everything up, I mean, how long has it been?”
“Five years,” Harley grumbles.
“See? Five years of bottling it all up. Either he rejects you, you carry on being best friends, and you can finally move on. Or he returns the feelings and you feel stupid for waiting so long to say something.”
Harley rolls his eyes. “You’re the worst, you know that? I hate it when you use logic and reasoning against me. It’s unfair.”
“I love you too, kiddo. Bring Peter and the twins home soon, would you? I miss my grandkids.”
“Yeah, whatever. I love you too. I’ll see you soon.”
Harley gets off the phone and listens as Peter talks softly to his kids down the hall and June giggling happily followed by a bunch of splashing and Peter trying to stop them from making too much of a mess.
When he hears the bath draining, he drags himself off the couch and to the kitchen, finding a bottle of red wine that Tony must’ve gifted him. They’re technically not legal, but a few glasses of red wine on a Friday night at home never hurt anybody.
June comes racing into the kitchen, nearly colliding with Harley’s legs, tucked in a little giraffe onesie and a stuffed elephant clutched in her grip. Her dark curls are clinging to her face, still wet from her bath.
“Hey, kiddo, you wanna watch a movie?” Harley says, scooping her up into his arms. “I think I have popcorn.”
Squealing, June kicks her legs, squeezing her elephant. “Yeah! I wanna watch… Hm, Toy Story!”
“We watched Toy Story yesterday, baby,” Peter says, turning the corner. His shirt is wet, clinging to his chest, and Ben is hanging onto Peter’s leg wearing a little lion onesie. “I think it’s your brother’s turn to pick the movie.”
Ben hops up from the floor, a little wobbly, and grins up at Harley. “Watch Little Mermaid!”
Peter rolls his eyes good-heartedly, offering an amused smile. “Sure, Little Mermaid again. You guys wanna find your blankies? I think you left them in Harley’s bed, and then get your butts onto the couch, alright?”
Harley sets June on her feet, watching the two kids race off towards Harley’s bedroom.
“They’re the best,” Harley says, shaking his head. “You’re a really good dad, in case I don’t say it enough.”
“Thanks,” Peter says, the wrinkle between his eyebrows smoothing out. “Wine?”
Lifting the bottle, Harley shrugs. “Figured we could use a little pick me up. I think Tony bought it for me.”
Something about Peter’s posture seems to deflate, shoulders drooping. “I miss him. It’s been… It’s been too long since I’ve been home. It’s just- I don’t know. MJ never liked Tony. She hated the way Tony made his money, hated big corporations and how he used to be a weapons manufacturer. I didn’t want to go home, show everybody that I was struggling and for Tony to throw his money at me. I just- I feel like it would be a betrayal, you know?”
“I think MJ would’ve preferred it if you accepted the help being offered. I don’t think MJ would’ve wanted you to be struggling this much.”
Peter sighs and scrubs a hand over his face harshly. “I guess… It’s just complicated.”
Harley turns away from Peter to grab two wine glasses, scared that if he kept looking at Peter, the words bubbling in his chest would pour out of him.
When Harley turns back, Peter’s eyes are glassy, nose crinkling to try to stop the tears that threaten.
“Hey, hey, hey, are you okay? What’s going on?” Harley asks softly, glancing down the hall where he can hear the twins’ laughter.
Peter shakes his head, pushing his palms against his eyes. “I’m just so tired.”
Wrapping his arms around Peter’s small waist, Harley draws the boy into his chest, gently shushing the apologies that try to follow.
“I knew it would be hard, but I just- I’m so scared I’m never going to be enough for them. I’m scared that I’m going to fail this year of uni and- and I just- I feel like all I’m doing is letting everybody down. I’m so tired, Harley.”
Harley presses a kiss to Peter’s temple, gently rubbing his back. “Well, lucky for you, you don’t have to do it alone anymore. I’m going to fix this. I’m going to make everything okay.”
“You promise?” Peter asks with such childish naivety.
It’s a huge promise. A bigger promise than Harley’s ever made. But he’s surprisingly okay with that. It’s for Peter, after all.
“Yeah, Peter, I promise I’m going to make everything okay.”
*
They drink wine and watch The Little Mermaid followed by Toy Story just because they can, all sprawled across Harley’s couch and each other, wrapped in warmth and love.
They end up falling asleep together, all four of them curled up close together on the couch, comfy and warm and content, even Peter who seems relaxed for the first time since they were in high school.
It’s the weekend, so they drive all the way to the Stark Cabin, the four of them, and spend the weekend having fun, ignoring all other responsibilities. Everything else can wait, for now, they just need a few days to breathe.
And Peter seems to have the time of his life.
He hasn’t been home since the summer, not even when Christmas rolled around because June and Ben both caught the flu. He finally lets Tony, Pepper, and Morgan take care of the twins and genuinely enjoy himself without having to worry about his kids for once.
They go swimming in the lake, have a wonderful barbecue, eat way too much junk food, binge all the Star Wars movies, and get some much-needed rest.
By the time Sunday evening rolls around and they have to be heading home, Peter seems to have a permanent smile etched onto his face.
Tony hugs Peter extra tight before they leave.
When they finally make it back to the car, June and Ben are already asleep in their car seats, blankets tucked around them. Peter rambles for the whole ride home, barely pausing even to take a breath, about how happy he is to see his family again and how he feels like he can conquer anything with this newfound strength.
It’s the first time Harley’s seen him that happy for a long time.
Harley makes it his personal goal to keep that smile on Peter’s face forever.
*
When they get home, they get the twins to bed without a problem, but it’s still pretty early, so they find themselves sprawling across the couch again, the same way they used to do all the time when they were teenagers living at the tower.
Harley misses the simpler times of being stupid sixteen-year-olds, making mistakes and never having to worry about much at all. But he loves June and Ben, and he loves Peter and the wonderful adult he’s become.
“I know I keep saying it, but thank you for everything you’ve been doing for me and my kids, you have no idea how much it means to me-”
“You don’t have to thank me, darling, I’d do anything for you, you know that.” It’s a touch too close to what Harley wants to say, needs to say, but he doesn’t know how. He doesn’t know how he’s supposed to admit that he’s been in love with his best friend for five years.
Peter pulls back a little, enough to properly look at Harley, eyes sparklingly bright and a dopey smile making him look young again, like the puppy-dog-eyed kid who broke down all Harley’s walls and made a spot for himself in his heart.
He tips his head to the side, curls slipping over his forehead. “I would too.”
Harley’s always been impulsive. He’s always been a bit too forward, too honest, too brash, so he forgoes words. He skips over trying to explain whatever it is that his heart is doing, and instead, he pushes his mouth against Peter’s.
It’s all he’s wanted to do for five fucking years, heart beating out of his chest and breath catching in his throat, hands shaking as he grabs the front of Peter’s shirt because Peter’s kissing back. He’s actually kissing back.
“Daddy?”
Peter pulls away, laughter bubbling up in his chest. He turns his head, looking over the back of the couch where Ben’s standing, little socked feet kicking at the hardwood.
“What’s up, baby?” Peter asks, face morphing into a soft, parental look. “You okay?”
Harley falls back against the couch, out of view, as he tries to catch his breath, tries to remember how to breathe at all because holy fuck he just kissed Peter.
“I wan’ed my nigh’ligh’,” Ben whines, hands lifting out for Peter.
Peter, who looks beautiful and happy and wondrously godlike as he pushes himself to his feet, leans down to press a second kiss to Harley’s mouth.
“We’re talking about this later,” he says, offering another one of his dopey smiles before he disappears to help his son.
Harley waits patiently. Or at least as patiently as physically possible when he’s waiting to… He isn’t sure what his plan is. Confess that it’s been five years of harbouring a crush on him?
“Hey,” Peter starts, flushing a soft pink as he sits next to Harley on the couch, folding his hands together nervously. “So…”
“So?”
Peter rolls his eyes and grabs Harley’s hand, intertwining their fingers, and lifting an eyebrow in questioning.
“I really like you, darling,” Harley says. He’s losing his southern accent after spending so long in New York and Massachusetts, but it’s noticeable now. “I have for a really long time, I just didn’t want to hurt our friendship. And it was always bad timing. I totally get it if you don’t like me or if you don’t want to try anything, I totally get it, and our friendship comes before anything-”
“Harley? I like you too.” Peter shrugs, blushing and smiling down at their hands. “I didn’t think you liked me, so I distracted myself with Liz and got over you.”
Neither of them say anything about MJ. About how if Harley had confessed sooner, June and Ben wouldn’t exist, MJ would be alive. The differences between what could’ve been and what is.
“You wanna go on a date with me?” Harley asks. “Tomorrow? We can take June and Ben to the zoo and get some ice cream?”
Peter’s smile widens, corners of his eyes crinkling. “You want our first date to be taking my kids to the zoo?”
“Course I do,” Harley says, shrugging nonchalantly. “Unless you have a better idea?”
“No, you’re just- It amazes me sometimes, how good you are, Keener.”
“Only for you, darling.”
Peter kisses Harley again then like he’s trying to make up for every missed opportunity over the years of pining.
“This is- You have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming of kissing you,” Harley admits, mind hazy with love.
And Peter grins, eyes sparkling and hand squeezing Harley’s. “You don’t have to dream about it anymore, kay? I’m right here.”
It’s all Harley needs to press his lips against Peter’s again.
*
“His name is Auggie!” June announces, showing off her brand new koala stuffie from their day at the zoo. “He’s gonna be best friends with Ellie the elephan’.”
“What’s this guy’s name?” Harley says, poking the monkey that sits on the table of their booth at the ice cream parlour.
Ben looks up, ice-cream smeared on his chin. “Boots! Like Dora.”
Peter leans across the booth to wipe away the ice cream and press a kiss to Ben’s forehead before intertwining his fingers with Harley’s.
“Did you guys have a good day?” Harley asks, grinning as the twins practically bounce off the walls to express their excitement.
“Can we go again?” June asks, Bambi-brown eyes imploring. “Pretty please?”
“We can go whenever you want, baby,” Peter murmurs.
Harley kisses Peter’s cheek, unable to stop smiling.
Peter’s going to be okay with Harley at his side. He’s going to be able to stop working as much, focus on his academics. He’s going to be able to actually attend his classes, between Harley and him, they’ll be able to work out a schedule. And with Harley using Tony’s money, not technically Peter, it doesn’t feel like a betrayal to MJ.
Peter leans his head against Harley’s shoulder, watching the twins play with their new stuffies across from them.
“You’re the best,” Peter murmurs, squeezing Harley’s hand. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Harley presses a kiss to his forehead. “I don’t know if I really have to ask it, but would you be my boyfriend?”
Grinning, Peter leans up to kiss his boyfriend. “Only if you’ll be mine.”
“Like you even have to ask.”
Yeah, they’d be okay.