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Harry.
Oh God, Harry!
Peter would have gotten up then and there and run to the mansion immediately if he wasn’t naked as the day he was born in a cathedral on the other side of the city.
Oh God. He was naked in a church, and he had a long way home, and his suit was some creepy ass black alien that he just escaped from. He was going to have to steal some priests’ dress and run as fast as possible so no one noticed him, didn’t he?
Well, contrary to Eddie Brock’s prayers (Christ, that dude was fucked in the head), God apparently didn’t hate Peter parker, because thankfully, he managed to find something other than a cassock in the back of the church. The trenchcoat was blissfully too big for him, which meant that he was still stupidly cold walking the streets barefoot but at least he didn’t look too much like an exhibitionist, probably. A part of him wanted to get on a bus to get home faster but getting caught naked in just a trenchcoat without his documents or the ticket would... probably just stall him, so he settled on one very awkward elevator ride and swinging.
He really hoped no one saw his nuts from down on the street. He could see the Daily Bugle headlines already. „Spider-Man exposed! The (un)Masked Menace trying to pervert the city!”
He sighed in relief the moment he found himself on his own roof and thankfully didn’t run into Ursula on the way to the flat. He was anxious to find Harry still but standing back on home turf, naked again and throwing the stolen trenchcoat out of the window (thankfully he lived in a weird enough neighbourhood for that to be ignored by any bypassers), he realized that in the time - days - it took him to become an asshole, woo Gwen, get rid of the black suit and return home, half an hour more would definitely not make a difference.
He took probably the longest shower of his life, shamelessly waiting for the warm water to run out, and dressed himself again, in comfortable jeans and a hoodie, and he didn’t actually stall when he realized he was now just minutes away from seeing Harry, he didn’t.
He just. Took the scenic route to the mansion.
And then stood at the door for ten minutes trying to brace himself to knock until Bernard opened the door for him and informed him they had a camera. He should have thought of that. He knew that. He and Harry have made stupid faces at that camera in high school more than once.
And Harry. Well. Safe to say that Bernard did not tell him he was coming since Harry was in bed, in his pyjamas, comforter up to his chin as if he was trying to hide that he was naked. Which he wasn’t. Because Peter could see his long sleeves.
„Bernard! Why did you let him in!”
„Yeah. Hi. I... wanted to check in on you.”
„Get the fuck out, Parker, did you come to finish the job? Or do you me to finish the job? One of us is gonna kill the other if you don’t leave.”
„Or...” Peter decided to risk his luck and step into the room, closing the door. „We could drop that killing thing and talk? I actually came to make sure I didn’t kill you. Because I didn’t want to do that. Because I wasn’t myself, and I like you and-- wow, you actually seem to have healed fast.”
He only realized that Harry’s face was scarred on one side now. That should have taken weeks, if not months to heal.
„I may have taken one of the performance enhancers.”
„That... explains a lot actually.” The silence hung between them, awkward and heavy. It’s been too long since they talked without it evolving into a bitter fight. „Why are you holding your covers like that, actually? Anything you have to hide? I thought you didn’t like secrets.”
Okay, that was probably a low blow and if Harry’s raised eyebrows were anything to go by, he knew that. Still, despite that, the covers were pulled down, and Harry stared at Peter pointedly as it revealed a pyjama shirt with little cartoon Spider-Man on it.
Peter really didn’t know what to say.
„It was the first clean thing that fell into my hands, you know. And I was half tempted to put it back but some part of me appreciated the irony. Because I loved you, Peter. I loved Spider-Man when he first appeared, and I loved you, Peter Parker. And if you didn’t murder my father, I would probably be so excited to find out you’re the same person. But you did.”
„I didn’t kill him. He tried to kill me, and his attack basically ricocheted back at him, I... I didn’t want to kill him, Harry, he was your father! He asked me not to tell you. He didn’t want you to know he became a villain.”
Harry was quiet for the longest time, and then it was like he deflated, falling back on the bed, staring at the ceiling pointlessly.
„I know.”
Peter looked at him, still so beautiful and elegant even in spider-man pyjamas, with scars all over his face, even when he didn’t want to see Peter anym-- wait, what?
„What do you mean you know?”
„I know. I saw you come in. I cleaned his wounds with Bernard. When I found the lair and the glider... I connected the dots. But it’s so hard to let go of it, you know? Of that easy target of my anger. Because the world where my father was an innocent killed by The Masked Menace is easier to live in than the world where the man I loved, loved you more than me, where he became a villain, where he killed himself through his own faults. But I’m not sure I want easy anymore. Because that easy got really fucking tiring when there was no Peter Parker in it anymore.”
„Harry... He loved you.”
„Maybe.” Harry shrugged and Peter went to sit down on the bed next to him. „I know he loved you more. And who wouldn’t? You just keep being so perfect, Peter. You’re even a superhero.”
„I’m not perfect.”
„You’re perfect for me.” And Peter looked into Harry’s eyes, really looked, and he saw honesty there that almost scared him.
„So does that mean we can be friends again?”
Harry laughed and took his hand.
„We can be whatever you want, I guess.”
And, well. Peter had taken many leaps in the past several months, so what was one more? Maybe it was stupid to risk his relationship with Harry just after he mended it, but at the end of the day, it was worth it.
He leaned in and kissed Harry.
And Harry?
Harry kissed back.