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“It’s just me,” Harley raised his hands in defence as Peter sprung out of bed.
Harley had never seen his Spider Sense in real time before, and for just a moment, he was caught on the way the hairs on Peter’s arms stood tall, dancing in the low moonlight.
“You know we have a front door,” Peter sighed, dropping his guard, “you don’t need to use the window like a murderer,”
“I didn’t want to wake May,”
“You could’ve text me,”
“I didn’t want to wake you.”
It was wishful thinking, Harley could see now. Of course Peter would wake, he should’ve known that, with his heightened senses and all. He felt a little bit guilty now, but he wasn’t sorry. Seeing Peter, sleepy, with wild hair and pillow lines across his cheek make Harley instantly feel better- and fall just a little bit more in love with his best friend.
“What are you doing here?” Peter asked, crashing back down into bed,
“Hoping to stay the night,” Harley shrugged,
“What’s wrong with your room?”
“You ever find that Stark Tower just feels… overwhelming?”
Peter froze, and considered for a moment, then looked at Harley with a soft nod.
He knew Peter would understand. They may have grown up dreaming of having Tony’s resources to play around with, but when you come from nothing, then walk into Stark Tower, it can be a lot. It’s intimidating, and some days, Harley just feels so guilty about how much they have, then there’s the pressure to do amazing things not to waste what he’s been given.
Peter offered Harley a corner of the blankets, and Harley was quick to strip himself of his shoes and jacket, pouncing at Peter’s bed and crawling under the offered covers. Peter had already rolled over and settled as Harley joined him, which was perfect, because it meant Harley too could lay down and snuggle right up against Peter’s back, arms wrapped around the Spider-Man’s waist.
Peter shrieked, “Harley, cold hands!”
“Sorry,” Harley moved to rub his hands together, desperately trying to warm them without letting Peter go any,
“Here, let me,” Peter took his fingers between his palms, and just held Harley there for a while.
Harley felt himself start to doze, and fought the urge for a while. He nosed at the back of Peter’s shirt, shifted so the arm stuck under Peter only supported the boys head, rather than his full weight. He enjoyed the comfort Peter’s room brought him, the way the boy in front of him made any place feel like home.
When Peter let his hands free, Harley drew the Spider-Man even closer, more than happy to bury his face in Peter’s hair and forget about everything else for a while.
“You smell good,” Harley mumbled into the silence, enjoying their rare moment of quiet,
“You hitting on me, Keener?”
“Maybe,” he was.
“Stop flirting with me and go to sleep,”
“Stop being so cute and maybe I will,”
“We’re not starting this,” Peter warned, because they’d done it a million times before, “not at this hour, not when you scared me half to death crawling in my window. Sleep. Now,”
“Okay,” Harley gave in, because sleep actually sounded really good, “night, Baby,”
It was a new thing for them, but Peter didn’t seem to mind when Harley called him ‘Baby,’ so he just kept with it.
“Night, Harls… sweet dreams,” Peter mumbled back.
~~~
Harley had been aware of his phone buzzing against the floor for the past fifteen minutes, but he really wasn’t ready to open his eyes yet. He was more than half asleep, and with Peter cradled in his chest, nose buried in Harley’s shirt, there was absolutely nothing that could convince him to move.
“It’s probably Tony,” Peter mumbled at some point.
If Harley was any other kid, that probably would’ve scared him right awake, but he was Harley Keener, his job was to piss Tony Stark off, he wasn’t worried.
“I know… he can wait, Darlin’,”
“What if it’s important. Maybe he’s worried about you. Did you tell him you were leaving?” Peter stirred,
“I’m a big boy, Pete.”
Peter sighed, and reached an arm out from between them and out of the covers. Harley heard the familiar sound of a web, and Peter caught the mobile with ease, answering it and bringing it up to his ear. Good, Tony won’t be angry with him if Peter answers, at least he wouldn’t have to hear about it later.
“Hey, Mr Stark,” Peter’s voice was still weak with sleep, and Harley couldn’t help but pull him closer, “everything okay?”
“Harley’s with you?” He heard Tony ask,
“Yeah,” Peter yawned, “he came to stay the night,”
Harley could heard Tony’s relief, and suddenly, he felt a little guilty,
“Okay… can you tell him to tell me before he leaves in the middle of the night next time? I’m too old to have this much stress on my heart,”
“Sorry, Mr. Stark,” Peter apologised, “I’ll let him know… you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay, Pete, he just scared me, is all.”
Back home, Harley came and went as he pleased, never questioned on his intended whereabouts or checked up on when he returned. He wasn’t used to anyone caring about his safety, had never had anyone worry about him in the early hours of the morning. He hadn’t pictured Tony to do any of that either, and the truth hit him like a truck.
Harley snatched the phone then, pushed himself up on an elbow and, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m-“
“It’s okay, Harley,” and Tony sounded like he meant it, “I know it’s not cool to tell me everything, but when you leave, just a heads up would be nice- I don’t care especially if you’re going to Peter’s, but it would be nice not to find an empty bed in the morning without so much as a note,”
“I know. I’m sorry… I’ll make it up to you,”
“There’s nothing to make up, Harley… it was an accident. The main thing is you’re safe, that’s all I care about. I’ll see you later?”
Harley watched Peter for a moment, brow furrowed as he tried to wake up. An arm was thrown across the pillow above his head, and he looked like an innocent little kid there.
Harley didn’t know why he’d been so drawn to Peter, they were vastly different, and Harley didn’t usually go for that. He didn’t like having to cradle, to hold someone’s hand and guide them. He wasn’t patient, or affectionate, he struggled opening up to people, and he’d rather spontaneously combust than talk about his feelings seriously. Harley hid behind humour, and closing himself off, but with Peter, everything was different.
The moment they met it was like two halves of one whole, total opposite shapes that fit together perfectly. He didn’t mind that Peter was a ball of nervous energy, very touchy and wore his heart on his sleeve. Harley didn’t mind holding his hand in crowded rooms, reassuring him over and over, had learned to appreciate affection in a way he hadn’t before.
Now, Harley’s idea of a perfect day was staying home with Pete, tinkering with tech or a lego set, preferably with an excitable, cuddly Peter giving Harley all of his attention. Turns out, Harley doesn’t hate feelings or affection, as long as he was on the receiving end of Peter Parker’s.
And he was pretty sure he had the perfect plan to show Peter and Tony how much he cared about them, even though he’s usually awfully bad at showing it.
“Actually…” Harley sparked Pete’s interest with a peak in his direction, “are you busy right now?” He reached out and played with a few strands of Peter’s hair,
“…No,” Tony answered after a beat of silence,
“Good. Come over, and bring breakfast- but let Happy order, I don’t trust your choices-“
“You’re on thin ice-“
“And bring iced coffee- Thanks, bye!”
Harley hung up before Tony could get another word, and Peter laughed as he rolled closer, settling at Harley’s side as the boy laid back down.
“What do you have planned?” Peter wondered, looking up at Harley from where he rested against the boys shoulder,
“Have you ever built lego with Tony before?”
“No,”
“I bet you he’s probably shit at it-“
“Nah-Uh!” Peter argued, “there’s no way-“
“He’s gonna suck at it,” Harley insisted, “It’ll be so simple he won’t know what to do with himself,”
“You’re wrong,”
“We’ll see.”
A half hour later, the teens dragged themselves out of bed, Tony at the front door with breakfast and desperately needed coffee. They didn’t even change from their pyjamas as they settled in the living room with Tony. The man fit into their dynamic well, like an older version of Harley- hard on the outside, and soft in the middle only for Peter Parker.
“You two are coffee addicts, I swear,”
“Big words, Old Man,” “says you!” Harley and Peter sassed in unison,
“Do as I say, not as I do,” Tony relented and handed over their caffeine fix, “so… not that I’m not happy to spend time with you, but what are we doing here?”
Harley shrugged, “hanging out,”
“You didn’t want to come to the tower?”
“You play in our streets today,” Harley got up, half a muffin in his mouth, “you ever played uno?”
“No-“
Peter shrieked so loud it echoed down the hall, and Harley had to laugh. The three of them played four, boarder-line violent games before Peter suggested they try something new- like lego. Harley thought Tony might actually combust into flames if he got served another draw 4 card.
Harley had missed this side of him, the man he met as a little boy. The Tony who wasn’t showing off to anybody, who had no masks on and was just being himself. He liked how the man looked in the Parker’s apartment, completely undone and present with them, far from stress and pressure of responsibility.
For a moment, Harley wished the three of them could never leave again.
With a lego Iron Man built in the middle of the coffee table, they decided a movie break was in order, Peter insisted on choosing, and who were Harley and Tony to argue with that? Peter had pushed Tony into the corner of the sofa, setting him up like a parent would a child, before the teen sat down himself.
Harley would use the excuse of the couch being small if anyone pointed it out, but rather than sit in his own space, he crashed in front of Peter instead, wriggling his way between the boys knees, and collapsing back into the Spider-Man’s chest.
It wasn’t unusual for them to cuddle on the couch like this, in fact, Peter gave very good scalp massages from this angle, but they didn’t usually put it on show, especially in front of Tony. Harley was just glad Peter was happy to still wrap his arms around him regardless of their audience. All Harley could hope was Tony wasn’t feeling cruel today, and didn’t intend to throw him under the bus-
“You guys are cute,” Tony mumbled, “it’s gross.”
Harley felt his cheeks blush, and for a second, he felt the familiar urge to flee with the realisation. Once upon a time, he would never have let anyone see his cheeks red, a weakness he didn’t want to show, but now, with these two, it wasn’t so bad- but he still hated it, it sent him shy, and Harley Keener wasn’t shy.
Harley hadn’t expected the kiss Peter pressed to his cheek, and for a second, he froze as the other teen laughed against his cheek, then turned to look at the boy just in time, almost bumping into Peter nose to nose.
“Shh,” Peter hushed Tony around a grin, “Harley hasn’t asked me out yet,”
His heart dropped, then returned three times the speed, “Wait. Really?” The excitement that Peter might like him back like that, Harley felt a jolt of electricity dash through him,
“Yes, you dork,” Peter looked at him.
Harley didn’t waste another second before he lunged forward and kissed Peter for the first time, pulling him even closer and kissing him deeper- until Tony threw a pillow straight at their heads.
New York was home after all.