Work Text:
“Don’t you get it? You knowing? This is only going to spell disaster for you.”
“Peter, I can handle my own. What If we told someone?”
Peter stared at Harley as if the other had lost his mind. “Are you mad? We will do nothing. You are going to forget you ever saw anything so we can move on with our lives.”
“But Pete, if someone knew, maybe-“
“Harley, do you not see that I am trying to protect you?”
“And I’m trying to protect you!”
Harley’s voice rang out throughout the room, the finality and strength leaving Peter to step back, wide-eyed and speechless. The two were silent, staring at one another waiting for the challenge. Peter broke the silence with a heavy sigh, one hand rubbing over his eyes.
“If anyone were to find out about my magic,” Peter started, “or your knowledge of it? We’d both be executed before dawn.”
“You don’t know that-“ Harley
“I do, Harley,” Peter interjected. “Ms. Maximoff? She was forced out of the village on threat of her own execution only this past summer, so do not tell me I don’t know what would happen.”
Harley huffed, and that seemed to only grate on Peter’s nerves even more. “You don’t seem to understand that this isn’t your secret to tell,” Peter said, breathing getting heavier. “I’ve had to live with these powers since I was born. I’ve seen enough executions of magic users to know that if anyone were to find out, I would be next.”
“Peter, you know Tony— those weren’t his doing. It was all Stane.” Harley moved to rest his hand on Peter’s shoulder, but he just stepped back, his own hands gripping his arms for support.
“But Mr. Stark listens to the King. Whatever the law is, if I’m found breaking it...” Peter shakily inhaled, tears flooding his eyes. “I don’t want to put Mr. Stark through that. Having to choose between his kingdom and me.”
“He wouldn’t be choosing. Your powers bring nothing but good and protection to the kingdom, he’d be blind not to see that.” Harley reasoned.
“Or killed for harboring a sorcerer.” Peter groaned, scrubbing at his eyes to rid of the tears. “See we’re just going back and forth on the matter. You can’t deny that my presence here and your knowledge of my magic doesn’t put us both in danger. It’s best for everyone involved if I just left.”
“And where will you go?” Harley grabbed Peter’s arm as the boy tried to escape, grip tight. “Queensborough is in Toomes’ kingdom. You are a member of the royal household here. If their guard found you, you would be even worse off there.”
Peter yanked his arm out of Harley’s grip, stumbling back into one of the weapon carts. He yelped as his hand slid against one of the swords laying about from after the knights' training, whimpering as he held up his now bloody appendage.
“Great,” Peter sighed, grimacing in pain. Harley grabbed his wrist before he could tug his sleeve over the wound to staunch the blood flow, looking at Peter curiously.
“Can’t you just heal it? You know, with your—“
“It doesn’t work like that,” Peter interrupted, jerking his arm from Harley’s hold, “You can only direct magic outwards, not inwards. And either way, only the highest-ranking sorcerers can do healing magic. It’s the hardest one to learn.”
Harley hummed, ripping off a chunk of his tunic and handing it to Peter. Peter’s lips quirked in the corner in thanks, wrapping the fabrics around his palm, hissing at the sting.
“So,” Harley started hesitantly, kneeling in front of his friend on the armory floor, “What are you going to do? Because I can’t just pretend I didn’t see what you just did.”
Peter bit his lip, eyes downcast, “Are you going to tell Mr. Stark?”
“No,” Harley started, and Peter looked up, “Not yet at least. You need to tell him.”
Peter groaned, “Why can’t you just let this go—“
“Because Peter, I care about you,” Harley interjected, “and so does Tony. You know he wouldn’t let anything happen to you, right?”
“That’s before he finds out he’s had a sorcerer as an apprentice for the last two years.”
Harley rolled his eyes, grabbing Peter’s arm and hauling him off of the ground.
“Believe me, Pete. Tony is not all that concerned with court politics and what the King will think,” Harley snorted, “do you forget that Tony was the first one behind the taxation bill to be enforced on the royals? I think he hates being a royal more than you do.”
“Harley…”
“What? It’s the truth!”
Peter sighed once more, tugging Harley to a stop just before they reached the door to the main hall, “You need to promise me you won’t say anything.”
Harley furrowed his brow, all joking gone from his features, “I can’t promise you that Pete. You have to tell him, or I will.”