Chapter Text
Harley Keener wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand, smearing a streak of grease across his cheek. He didn’t care. The internship at Stark Industries was a dream come true—he got to work on cutting-edge tech, and Tony freaking Stark had given *him* a shot. Sure, he’d been talking to the guy for years, exchanging emails, calls, and the occasional sarcastic insult, but working here? *This* was a whole new level.
Stretching, he rolled his shoulders, feeling the ache in his muscles. Hours hunched over an engine would do that to you. Deciding to take a break, he grabbed a towel to wipe his hands and wandered into one of the SI break rooms.
The first thing he noticed was the smell—coffee and something sweet. The second thing? A guy, standing by the counter, stirring sugar into a mug.
He was *cute.*
Soft brown curls, warm brown eyes, and wrapped in a sweater that looked way too cozy for a New York summer. The kid—well, probably not a kid, but definitely younger than Harley—glanced up and gave him a small, polite smile.
"Hey," the guy said.
Harley tilted his head, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Hey yourself."
The stranger raised an eyebrow but didn’t look away. Confident. That was interesting.
Harley leaned against the counter, crossing his arms, flexing just a little. "So, you new here? Haven’t seen you around."
The guy huffed a soft laugh. "I could say the same about you."
Fair enough. "Harley Keener," he introduced himself, sticking out his hand.
The other guy shook it. His grip was firm, but Harley could tell there was a hell of a lot of strength behind it. "Peter Parker."
Parker. Parker. *Where had he heard that name before—* Oh. Oh, shit.
*Peter Parker. As in Tony Stark’s adopted kid. As in Spider-Man.*
Harley barely kept his composure. Instead of blurting out something dumb like *holy hell, you’re Spider-Man*, he smirked. "So, Parker, you work here, or just raiding the break room for snacks?"
Peter shrugged. "A little bit of both. My dad owns the place, so technically I don’t need permission."
Harley almost choked on air. *My dad.*
He knew Tony had adopted Peter after the whole Thanos situation, but hearing it casually dropped like that was... kinda wild.
"Right, right," Harley said, trying to play it cool. "Your *dad*."
Peter gave him a weird look, like he was trying to figure out if Harley was messing with him. (Which, to be fair, he kind of was.)
"You good?" Peter asked.
Harley nodded. "Yep. Just didn’t expect to run into *the* Peter Parker."
Peter sighed dramatically. "Oh god, what has Tony told you?"
"That you’re a nerd. That you stress him out. That you’re ‘surprisingly competent for a teenager.’" Harley grinned. "And that you eat an alarming amount of junk food."
Peter groaned. "Sounds about right."
Now that the initial surprise had worn off, Harley took a moment to actually *look* at Peter. He was smaller than Harley—well, shorter, at least—but lean, like a runner. And his sweater? It looked *soft*.
Too soft.
Harley narrowed his eyes. "Okay, I gotta ask—why the hell are you dressed for winter? It’s hot as hell outside."
Peter flushed slightly, tugging at the hem of his sweater. "I like being comfy, okay?"
Harley smirked. "Comfy *and* cute, huh?"
Peter froze.
Harley internally winced. *Too much, Keener.* He hadn’t meant to flirt *that* obviously, but damn, Peter just—
Peter blinked at him. Then his face went red.
"Oh," Peter said.
Harley waited, watching Peter’s brain short-circuit in real-time.
Then Peter cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders, forcing himself to look Harley in the eye. "Thanks," he said, voice slightly higher than before. "You’re—uh, you’re not so bad yourself."
Now it was Harley’s turn to freeze.
Peter Parker—aka Spider-Man, aka Tony Stark’s *kid*—had just called him attractive.
Well.
This summer was gonna be *real* interesting.