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At this point, it was unavoidable. The same face was plastered every local television channel, the same pictures in the same place with the same distressed expressions. Peter couldn't deny that he had aged well, even though his eyes were sunken in and ringed with purple circles, and overall he looked exhausted. His Hollywood side swept haircut never changed, and his hair was still a shimmery dirty blonde. Peter felt hurt when he flipped the channel and saw the same depressing pictures of his old friend, but it was inevitable that they were popping up everywhere on the internet, and that his name was being dropped all around the city.
This meant the moment Peter had been yearning for had finally arrived: Harry Osborn had made his way back to New York.
Peter had thought about giving him a call or dropping by his old house or checking into Oscorp for a surprise welcome home visit, but something in his brain was holding him back. Maybe it was that Peter found himself detoxing himself of Harry as time passed, forcing himself to forget the memories and try to move on, but he knew that would never happen. Peter had to see Harry, to tell him he missed him and he still loved him, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Part of it was because he was scared, but then there was that possibility that Harry had fallen out of love with Peter, more than likely finding a gorgeous Brit boy or girl that was better suited for him than plain Peter Parker.
But thankfully, an opportunity presented itself to Peter. On an early Wednesday morning in his cubicle of the Daily Bugle, Peter heard a few of his coworkers discussing a party that was happening this weekend. Peter eavesdropped, of course, because what else was there to do in at work? After listening in on their conversation for a few minutes, one of them gave out the address, and believe it or not, it just so happened to be Harry's old (or current, Peter doesn't know) address.
Dying to interject, Peter tapped his finger wildly on his desk as he waited for someone, anyone, to say who's party it was. Peter knew deep down that it was Harry's party, that some sick twist of fate was hopelessly trying to bring the two absent lovers together again. Or maybe he was just hopelessly waiting for an opportunity to pop up right in front of him so Peter could just casually see Harry out somewhere, disregarding the awkward encounters of meeting again.
"Peter, have you heard about this?" Peter's coworker, Gwen, asked, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder scandalously, "His father wants to through him a welcome party, since Harry just graduated and has come back to New York. I don't see why he would, though, Norman is going to force Oscorp on that poor boy so fast he won't have any idea what happened." Gwen Stacy commented, rolling her eyes to Mary Jane, the coworker she was gossiping with prior to including Peter in the conversation.
Pretending not to give it much thought, Peter let out a somber, "Really? How interesting." But deep inside he could feel the flicker of an old flame sparking wildly.
"You don't sound very interested," Mary Jane scoffed, "What the hell happened between you and Harry, anyway? You guys were like, so close I thought you were in love with each other or something." Mary Jane laughed, and Gwen chuckled behind her computer monitor.
If they only knew, Peter thought.
"Grew apart when he moved away, I guess. It's a part of life." Peter frowned, because this time he really was upset, both by the comment MJ had made and how he had let Harry slip through his fingers so easily.
Gwen looked apologetic, and then her expression shifted to something much more light.
"Hey, why don't the three of us drop by Harry's party? It can be just like old times, you know. Maybe you guys will meet eyes across the room, and instantly you'll become friends again. Or something. Whatever. You should come," Gwen suggested, and Mary Jane nodded while piquing her eyebrow.
Peter shrugged, "I don't know. I'll have to give it some thought. Plus, I might be busy."
Mary Jane laughed and almost spit out the fruity water she was drinking, "Peter you don't go anywhere, ever. You go to work, and then you go back to your apartment to order pizza and watch reruns of Law & Order. It would be so much fun to finally get to go somewhere with you, other than this stuffy old office."
"And Harry will be there too," Gwen winked, and Peter felt a little part of him die.
"Fine, fine, I'll go." Peter responded, smiling a little as Gwen and MJ celebrated, and he silently wondered what he was getting himself into.
✺ · . · · ⊹
On Friday night, Mary Jane and Gwen had dropped by Peter's apartment at around six. Both girls were completely decked out head to toe in colorful attire, while Peter felt lackluster and boring in his casual t shirt and a pair of jeans.
"You're changing," Mary Jane said as soon as Peter opened the door.
"Why? What's wrong with my outfit?" Peter asked, letting both of the girls inside.
Gwen plopped down on Peter's couch, putting her spiked heels on top of Peter's end table, responding, "Peterella, you can't simply go to ball in rags! Let your fairy godmothers help you transform into a gorgeous doll before you meet the prince!"
Peter laughed audibly, "Alright, okay, do your magic. Bibidi Bobbidi Boo," Peter said, mimicking the movements of a magic wand.
Mary Jane was already in Peter's bedroom, sifting through the clothes in Peter's closets and drawers until she found something that looked somewhat formal. MJ often came out of the bedroom with clothes and hangers draping her arms to consult Gwen's opinion while Peter watched all of his nicest clothes be picked apart by the girls.
Finally, Mary Jane and Gwen decided on a black button down paired with khakis and dress shoes. Mary Jane had even gone as far as suggesting cologne and a different hairstyle, prepping Peter so he looked drop dead gorgeous.
"Do you have contacts?" Gwen asked as Peter was admiring his reflection in the mirror.
"He doesn't need them," Mary Jane answered for him, "With the glasses on he has that kind of sexy, rugged look, but not scruffy. Glasses suit him, Gwen."
"Alright, are we done now? Can we go before the party ends?" Peter asked restlessly, the anxiety of seeing Harry again exiting his body and being replaced by excitement.
Gwen nodded, putting her purse over her shoulder and saying, "Let's go."
✺ · . · · ⊹
If Peter was being honest, this party was the last place he wanted to be. He knew already that he was going to feel completely out of place, tagging along with Gwen and MJ and hopelessly trying to find the guest of honor. Part of him wished he wasn't sitting in the backseat of Gwen's car while she and MJ blasted the top 40 hits radio and sang along, but then there was the portion that told him everything was going to be alright. Peter was going to reunite with Harry, and they would all be happy.
Peter watched the street lights whiz by as they sped through the city, and he suddenly became aware of how at the end of the night, his life could be completely different. Peter was subjecting himself to change, putting his heart on his sleeve, and readying himself to fall either in love or apart, both for the second time.
Before he knew it, Peter was standing outside of the large brick mansion he had been in a million times before, but this time, he felt like a stranger instead of someone who belonged there. Inside he heard muffled music and loud voices, and the curtains outside the door barely revealed moving bodies and a fairly lit room. Peter sighed, raising his fist to knock on the door, but then he stopped himself.
"I don't know if I can do this," Peter admitted, biting his lip.
Gwen crossed her arms over her low cut silk shirt, "Peter don't be ridiculous. We're going to go in there, find Harry, and everything will immediately be like it used to. The end."
Meanwhile, Mary Jane had already knocked on the door while Gwen distracted Peter.
The other side of the door revealed Harry's old Butler, Bernard, and he let them in without hesitation. Bernard and Peter shared a glance for a moment, and Peter immediately picked up on the way Bernard's eyebrows were pushing his wrinkles up greatly. Peter could tell that he looked alarmed to see him, and Peter would be too, since he had barely made an effort to keep up with the Osborn residence for so long.
"Alright so we're in," MJ commented, "Now all we have to do is find Harry."
The plan sounded simple enough, but the atmosphere of the party looked like the task would be near impossible to complete. People in fancy, yet revealing, attire were socializing and dancing to the fast paced music that was coming from the DJ Harry had hired (of course Harry had hired a DJ, he was filthy freakin' rich). The mass of people was overwhelming, and somehow, everyone looked exactly the same: young, wealthy, and full of life. Peter immediately knew that finding Harry would be a challenge like no other.
"Let's have some fun first," Gwen suggested, nodding her head toward the bustling makeshift dance floor.
Peter's face twisted up, and MJ rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Peter, we can't not have fun here. I know we're on a super secret mission, but fun at a party is a necessity. Now come on you two, let's dance!" MJ exclaimed, grabbing both Gwen and Peter by the hand, and leading them into the mass of people.
The trio danced (well, Gwen and MJ danced while Peter awkwardly bopped along to the beat) for about twenty minutes. However, this didn't stop Peter from scanning the crowd for the familiar porcelain skin and dirty blonde locks, but he was having no such luck.
Eventually the DJ dedicated a slow song to 'all those lovers out there' and Peter excused himself from Gwen and MJ, who were already making their way toward each other to participate in a goofy slow dance. Peter smiled at the sight of his two best friends, and vanished away from the dance floor, hoping to get a breather somewhere secluded.
Peter found himself wandering to the dusty old library in the west wing of the house. Back in their younger years, Peter and Harry would set up forts and whatnot around the area of the library, and as they got older, Harry let Peter borrow (and keep) as many books as he pleased. Peter hadn't been in the room since Harry left, and he was sure that no one would be occupying a library when there was a party happening just a few rooms down.
Pushing open the door with extreme force, Peter was welcomed with complete darkness (aside from the two story window at the back of the room) and a musty smell of old books. He sighed, thinking he was completely alone, until-
"This room is occupied," A deep voice said, and Peter just was able to make out a silhouette in the shadow of the moon.
"Oh, I'll just be on my way then," Peter apologized, awkwardly standing in the doorway.
There was a beat, and then the voice asked, "Wait, this might be a complete long shot, but Peter? Is that you?"
Peter's heart started pumping rapidly in his chest, "Yeah, uh, Harry? If that's you, can you turn on a light?" Peter laughed, and seconds later, a desk lamp illuminated the room.
Time had slowed for what seemed like forever, the universe mending and pulling Peter and Harry back together, healing what had been hurt.
"Hey, I never really thought that you'd come here tonight," Harry admitted, a smile playing across his thin lips.
Peter felt his chest well up with happiness, and immediately knew that everything between him and Harry was going to turn out alright.
"Well, I was hoping I would run into you here, since this is your coming home party and all," Peter joked, admiring the way Harry giggled, and then Peter continued, "Shouldn't you be out there, meeting your guests and catching up with everyone we went to high school with?"
Harry rolled his eyes, and shook his head, "My father is throwing this party to help secure the family name. Of course, I haven't grown out of my rebellious teenager phase, and I'll do anything to disobey him. If that means choking on tainted air from dusty novels, so be it. But trust me, Peter, it's better now that you're here."
Peter felt himself blushing, and silently wished the light in the library wasn't so bright.
"You deserve to have some fun tonight, though," Peter said, moving closer to the couch Harry was slumped on beside the window. "But it doesn't have to be here, you know."
This caught Harry's attention, and he turned his electric blue eyes toward Peter's.
"Go on," Harry said, a smirk starting to form on his face.
Peter sighed, plopping down on the couch next to his best friend, "We could go out on the town. Anywhere you want. It's like, 10 o'clock, and clubs and some restaurants could still be open. We could hang out at the park, without any little kids running and screaming around. Come on, it could be just us if you want it to be."
"Wanna know what I haven't done in a while?" Harry said, waited a beat, and then answered his own question, "Drove to a diner late at night, and ordered a greasy hamburger and fries. Remember how we used to do that in middle school? Without the driving, of course, we were like, fourteen."
Peter smiled, stuck out his hand, and said, "Then let's go."
✺ · . · · ⊹
Peter led Harry out through the back door of the Osborn residence, and the both of them giggled as they maneuvered through the dark. They finally reached Harry's garage, and Harry turned his car on electrically (of course he didn't need a key) and he and Peter got into the front seats of the car.
"Where to, Har?" Peter asked, instinctively pulling up the GPS app on his cell phone.
"How about the Polka Dot on Monroe street?" Harry suggested, and Peter agreed, setting up his GPS to be audible.
Before they drove off, Harry put on the top 40 radio, and for the first time in possibly forever, Peter found himself singing along. He didn't know all of the words, but the harmonies were fairly simple and lyrics were predictable. Harry rolled down the windows, letting the starry skies and cold wind become part of their atmosphere. Peter felt himself smiling against the wind, and his adrenaline was rushing. After all these years, without Harry, without happiness, Peter was starting to feel whole again.
When they arrived at the Polka Dot, Peter and Harry took a booth in the corner of the empty, vintage restaurant. Their waitress was blonde and chewing gum as she took their order, and Peter could have sworn that nothing had changed. He and Harry's relationship started right where it left off, and the years in between didn't seem to exist.
"What kind of trouble did you get into in England?" Peter asked, taking a sip of his chocolate milkshake.
"Just the usual. Getting drunk and tipping cows," Harry smiled, and Peter laughed.
And for the rest of their late night dinner, they cracked up and exchanged old inside jokes. Peter found out that Harry was still single, and on a whim, Peter leaked that he was too. When he did, Harry got a kaleidoscope gleam in his eyes for a split second. This gave Peter a glimmer of hope that maybe they could fully return themselves to the relationship they had before, and it was clear that a lack of romance wasn't an absent factor between them.
After they finished eating and they were back in Harry's car, enveloping themselves in silence and full stomachs, Harry turned to Peter and said, "I'm not ready to go back yet."
"Then we won't." Peter grinned, "Where to next?"
Harry thought for a second, and then started up the car again, "I'll show you." He said, and then they were off.
The radio was cranked back up, and Harry down the roads, and Peter knew exactly where they were going. There was an old park secluded by a lake, and barely anyone ever visited it. Harry and Peter would force Bernard to drive them there when they were kids, and the poor butler was the one to clean up the scrapes and bruises they got from being to wild.
"Remember this place?" Harry asked, parking his car on the gravel road.
"Yes," Peter said, his voice leaking with obviousness. "Don't you think you're a little overdressed to be out playing in a park?" Peter teased.
Harry shrugged, "I'll just have my manservant take care of it."
Peter bust out laughing, but something in Harry's tone told him he wasn't kidding.
"Stop laughing at me and get out of the car," Harry said, getting out and slamming the car door behind him.
Peter followed, trying to hold back his giggles because obviously Harry would have a special servant to get dirt stains out of his Armani pants.
"Harry why are we here? I can't see fucking thing in the dark," As soon as Peter said this, a single rain drop plopped on his nose, "And I'm pretty sure it's about to start raining."
"Oh, what a shame," Harry fake whined, "Maybe we'll just have to make this better by dancing in the rain." Harry suggested, and Peter's hand got grabbed in the dark.
Peter thought he could die right then and there. Harry pulled Peter closer, and put his other hand on the small of Peter's back. Peter obliged to the invitation to dance, letting the rain sprinkle them with cold water, but between the body heat and attraction of the moment, they didn't even notice.
"You really drove me all the way down here just to dance?" Peter asked, barely seeing Harry's face in the light of the moon.
A moment of silence passed, and then Harry said, "No, I brought you down here to tell you I love you. Still. After all this time, you've been the only one for me. That party was a fucking joke, and the only person I wanted to reunite with here in New York was you. Just imagine where we would have been if I had never left? We could be taking on the world right now, finding the cures to everything wrong with the world."
"Don't think about what could have been because I've been doing that for nearly a decade," Peter admitted, "Let's just worry about right now, because that's where we are now. We were meant to take this on together, I'm sure of it."
"Then let's do it," Harry said, and then he met his lips with Peter's.
✺ · . · · ⊹
Peter and Harry stayed out at the park until they were completely sure everyone had left Harry's house. By that time, they were dripping wet, giggly, and their lips were puffy from making up for lost time. They talked the whole way home, and even though it was past midnight, neither of them were tired.
Harry drove Peter back to the Osborn residence, and decided for him that he would be spending the night.
Bernard didn't look too happy when Peter and Harry stumbled through the front door soaking wet and high on life, when he already had the task of helping clean up after the coming home extravaganza.
"There's the guest of honor," Bernard said, eying Harry displeasingly, and then he glanced over to Peter, "Oh, Peter, I thought you had stayed. Your friends were looking for you."
Oh shit, Peter thought, pulling his phone out of his pocket and immediately lit up the screen. Thirty two calls combined from MJ and Gwen, and at least a hundred texts. Peter sent a simple message off the both of them, saying, 'everything is great. i found harry :)', and then put his phone away for the night because there could be nothing more important to him than the boy standing next to him.
Harry and Peter offered to help clean up, and Bernard declined, telling them to clean up immediately before Norman came downstairs to check on everything. They trudged up the stairs, and when they got to Harry's over sized bedroom, Harry threw Peter an old t shirt from their high school and a pair of sweatpants. They changed quickly, and tucked in together in the king size bed, and even though there was tons of room, they laid as close as possible.
Peter held Harry close in his arms, using this as a metaphor to never let go again, but he knew under every circumstance, and in every parallel universe, he and Harry would end up together.
Always.