#am&fl

Your dad walks into the room a few minutes after Peter has left, giving you no time to think about your situation yet.

“That seems like it was an interesting conversation. Care to share what he was talking to you about after two years?” He asks, taking a long sip of his coffee. You’re convinced he only did it for a dramatic pause.

“He was upset I didn’t tell him about my hand. We were arguing.” You roll your eyes. 

“Oh? And is that why I saw him leaving your room this morning?” He hums, arching an eyebrow at you. Your cheeks burn.

“That’s not what you think, dad! He was comforting me last night because I had a rough night. That’s all.” You glare at him, cheeks still hot from the accusation.

“Mhm. I don’t want to see that happen ever again, (Y/n). If word gets out that you and Parker are going behind my back again...well, this time you have a fiancé. This cheating scandal would cause an uproar for our family.” He grits his teeth, giving you a stern look.

“I’m not having an affair, dad!” You growl, taking a defiant step toward him. The fact that he would even put it out there as a possibility for you is insulting. Sure, you had a thing with Peter before Harley was even your boyfriend, but you haven’t spoken to Peter in years. Surely he has more faith in you than he’s letting on, right?

Then again, you are trying to choose whether or not you’re going to marry Harley or run away to be with Peter right now.

“Whatever you say, (Y/n)...you and Harley are going to brunch today, so get dressed and ready for that.” He informs you, giving you one last skeptical look before he walks out of your room. You groan and throw yourself on your bed, clutching the blanket from earlier in your hands. You wrap it around yourself, wishing to go back to last night. Even though you were in pain, you could just enjoy Peter’s embrace without the mess of everything else.

You get ready for your brunch date, putting on a pair of jeans and a cute blouse. 

“There she is.” Harley holds out his arms warmly once you step out of your room. You give him a small smile, but everyone in the room knows it’s fake. Harley knows that you’re mad at him. Things haven’t changed since last night.

“Where are we eating?” You hum, not letting your true emotions show. You don’t want to be here.

“I was thinking we could just order in and sit out on the balcony. How does that sound?” He crosses to you, grabbing your hand in his. You gulp and nod, not trusting yourself to say anything.

“I’ve already ordered the food. You two go ahead and go to the balcony, we’ll bring the food out when it arrives.” Tony gives you two a smile, but you see the threatening undertone to it. 

Harley leads you out to the balcony. You see a small table has been set out for the two of you. He pulls out your chair and you sit down.

“This is nice.” You say lightly, looking to the closed glass door beside you. Harley nods.

“Why don’t we get a little more privacy, huh?” He chuckles and closes the blinds to the glass door, leaving the two of you completely alone on the balcony.

The same balcony that you, him, and Peter were standing on last night.

“We’re not exactly in private no matter where we are, Harley. You should know this.” You point out the paparazzi below that are trying to get pictures of the two of you.

“They won’t be able to see up here that well, darling. Don’t worry about them.” Harley sits down across from you and grabs your hand in his.

“Trust me, I’m not the one who has to worry. Tell me, do you think I don’t know why you brought me to this specific balcony?” You muse, slipping your hand out of his grasp to take a drink of water. He grits his teeth and sits back in his chair, crossing his legs and arms as if to say ‘go ahead’ to you.

You say nothing.

“Well? Why did I bring you to this specific balcony?” He asks, grabbing his own water to sip on.

“To finish the conversation from last night. You thought I was hitting on Parker, did you not? Well, you specifically thought he was hitting on me, but I know you don’t think I was innocent in the matter.” You smirk. He sighs.

“I...I want to know the truth.” He gives up his high and mighty demeanor, opting instead to let his shoulders sag and head fall.

“I wasn’t hitting on Peter. As you already know, Peter had previously told me that night that he was still in love with me. I...I declined his advances.” You swallow hard, not knowing what to say next.

“I know. I also know that...you still love him, don’t you?” He asks, raising his head to look you in the eyes. You bite your lip.

“I...I do.” You nod once before looking down at your mechanical hand. It’s covered by a glove, as it always is.

“I was afraid you’d say that. I, uh, I’m sorry for the way I acted last night. It was out of line and...I was being an idiot. I shouldn’t have told Peter your secrets that I was supposed to keep. I understand if you don’t trust me anymore…” Harley trails off, a sincere look of hurt in his eyes. He’s truly sorry.

It doesn’t change what he did, but it is a start.

“I can’t forgive you quite yet, Harley. Not after you exposed my secret and lied to me for two years. But...I’m not cruel and I will try to eventually forgive you.” You whisper, laying a hand over his.

No, you don’t trust Harley completely. However, you do know that he acted rashly when he exposed your secret to Peter. That, and he was just trying to protect you and himself when he lied to you for two years.

He was being dumb, but you have to strategize what you’re about to go through with. And, unfortunately, he has to be part of your strategy. Even if you can’t fully trust him.

“Thank you.” He squeezes your hand.

“I do want you to know that I’m not going through with this marriage, though.” You frown, leaning back in your chair.

“I’m sorry, what?” Harley almost spits out his water.

“I’m not in love with you Harley. Besides, as you said, I can’t trust you right now. I don’t know how long it will be until I can trust you again. I can’t marry a man I don’t love or trust.” You explain, running a hand through your hair.

“I understand…but your father won’t like this.” He frowns, mulling over your options. He would never admit it now, but he was starting to fall in love with you. If you’re not happy, though, he doesn’t want you to stay.

“I don’t care. Peter and I…” You trail off, realizing you had just told him your intentions. Harley’s frown gets deeper, but you can tell he’s not surprised.

“You and Peter what?” He prompts you, waving his hand nonchalantly. You know this is hurting him, though.

“Peter and I are going to run away or...or something. I just need you to know that the wedding will not happen, no matter what I do. I-I can’t stay like this. I’m sorry.” You apologize, looking him in the eyes.

“It’s okay. Maybe since you and Peter will be gone, I can finally go after MJ.” Harley cracks a joke. You giggle. 

“You did always fancy her a little bit back in high school.” You nudge his leg with your foot. You’re glad he’s not taking this too hard. 

“I did, didn’t I?” He blushes, running his fingers through his curly hair. The two of you stay in comfortable silence for a few moments.

“If I plan to run away, I will say goodbye to you beforehand. I swear it.” You promise, leaning forward to intertwine your fingers with his again. You may not love him in a romantic way, but he will always be like a brother to you.

“I’m holding you to that.” He chuckles, and this time he’s the one to pull his hand away from your grip. 

“I keep my word and you know that!” You laugh. Harley rolls his eyes jokingly.

“Yeah, okay, says the girl who has told her father for years that she’s going to marry a guy that she never intended to marry.” He sticks out his tongue at you.

“Oh, so we’re already joking about the situation? Okay, I see how it is.” You crinkle your nose and kick him lightly in the shin.

“Unfair! That’s foul play!” He kicks you back. You laugh.

“It’s not unfair if you kick back!” You kick again. The two of you laugh and kick the night away until your food comes, and even then you still do it sometimes.

Even though the rest of your world seems like it’s crumbling, you’re glad that you can enjoy your time with Harley again, and you’re glad that he’s okay with the decision you’re making.

Maybe things will work out after all.

---------------------------------------------------

Later that night, after everyone else is asleep, you lie awake in your bed. Truthfully, you’re waiting for Peter. He told you he would come back later today, so you’ve been waiting up for him to return. You know the decision you’re going to make, and that’s to be with him. You can’t wait to tell him.

A few minutes later, you hear your window slide open, and a stealthy boy in a spider suit makes his way quietly up your wall. You hold back a chuckle as he closes the window and hangs down from the ceiling, silently dropping to the ground.

“Took you long enough.” You smirk and swing your legs off your bed.

“Ah-- I didn’t know if you’d be awake. I was trying to be quiet just in case you weren’t.” He blushes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“So, what did you do while you were away?” You hum, sitting on the end of your bed, facing him. He takes his mask off and looks down at you.

“I broke up with MJ.” He fiddles with his mask, almost seeming nervous now. You can’t contain your shock.

“What? You were confident enough that I’d say yes so you broke up with MJ?” Your eyebrows shoot up, shock written all over your features.

“I wouldn’t say confident is the right word for it. Even if I knew you were going to say no, I would still do it. I broke up with her because I don’t think it’s fair for me to date her when I’m in love with someone else. I thought I was over you, but I’m not, so I’m not going to pretend like I am. I’m not going to lead her on like that, I can’t do that to her.” He frowns. He’s still unsure of your answer.

“You always were looking out for everyone. How did she take it?” You ask, your voice low.

“She took it fine. She was a little upset, as I expected, but she was very understanding.” He plays with the eyes of his mask, not looking at you. 

“She’s a very down-to-earth girl. Give her some time and she’ll get over it. What did you tell her?” You ask, putting your hand over his. He stops messing with his mask and looks up at you. He wraps your hand in his.

“I just told her that I was still in love with you and that I couldn’t lead her on. I told her I’m sorry. I am sorry. I didn’t lie about anything.” He shrugs, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. You nod.

“Well, I’ve got my answer.” You stand up, letting your hand fall from his grasp. He sighs.

“I-I’ll go.” He starts to back up. You stop him.

“No, um...my decision is that I want to be with you.” You whisper. He freezes. You look up at him to see him staring wide-eyed at the wall, unable to move or form any words from his shock.

“Really?” He finally answers, eyes still wide as he turns his gaze back onto you. 

“Really.” You promise, grabbing his hand. He squeezes your hand as his face breaks out into a smile. You smile back just as brightly.

He picks you up into a hug, twirling you around as you quietly laugh, trying not to wake everyone else in the compound.

“You’re never going to regret this. I swear.” He hugs you tightly. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, relishing his embrace. You would never be separate from him ever again.

“I need to pack a bag. If we’re going to work, I can’t be at the compound anymore. My dad is too controlling. We leave tonight, okay? I’ve already said my goodbyes.” You tell him, kissing his cheek.

“Meet me at my apartment in an hour?” He asks. You nod. 

“I’ll see you then.” You smile brightly at him. He grins.

“Oh, and one thing before I go…” He grabs your waist and kisses you, tangling a hand in your hair. You kiss back with the same fervor. 

“See you in an hour, Spidey-Boy.” You laugh breathlessly as he pulls away and winks, climbing out the window once more.

Things are really going to work out.

~+~

Almost an hour later, you have your entire bag packed. Everything you could ever need is in your bag and you’re ready to go. You’re ready to spend the rest of your life with Peter.

You open your window and let out a small breath, your fingers hovering over your watch to form your suit around you. One leap and you’ll be on your way to freedom.

“Young lady, what do you think you’re doing?” Your dad barges into your room. You spin around, eyes wide with fear as your dad towers in the doorway. You feel your heart thumping rapidly in your chest.

Busted.

“Dad, it’s not what you think--”

“Oh, so you’re not running away to be with Peter? Don’t think you’re sly, (Y/n). I heard the whole thing.” He growls, stalking toward you. 

“How!? I haven’t told you a thing!” You yell, gripping your bag tightly in one hand.

“I literally have a system hooked up to this whole compound, you think I can’t hear conversations wherever they are?” He hums disapprovingly, eyes ablaze with rage. You catch a glimpse of Harley in the doorway, his eyes going wide as he realized he’d been caught.

Harley.

“You sick son of a gun, Harley! I told you this in confidence, how could you betray my trust!?” You scream, watching Harley wince as he walks into view. 

“I...I’m sorry, (Y/n).” He whispers.

“No you’re not, don’t lie to me!” You rush at him, but your dad holds you back.

“You’re not going anywhere, (Y/n) Stark, you hear me? You’re locked in your room indefinitely. FRIDAY?” He yells.

“Yes, boss?” Tony’s AI responds.

“Once I’m out of the room, lock (Y/n)’s doors and windows so she can’t get out.” Your dad demands. 

“Yes, sir.”

“You can’t do this! This is cruel!” You yell, shoving your dad away from you.

“Oh, I can’t do this? Too bad, I just did. Come on, Harley. We’re going.” Your dad walks out of the room. Harley gives you one last apologetic look before following him out.

Once they’re gone, you make a break for the window. You grab your bag and try to lunge out, but a metal sheet slides in front of your window, blocking your path. Unfortunately, you saw it too late, so you slam your face into the metal wall.

“Oh my gosh, this is literally a prison. I’m trapped in my own room, being treated like a prisoner.” You scoff, throwing your bag in your closet. 

Realizing that Peter is still waiting for you, you take out your phone to tell him what happened.

You: SOS, tony found out about the plan.

Message not delivered.

“What the heck? Not delivered--” You check your service. 

No cell service.

“DAD!” You scream in frustration. 

Things are not working out as you planned them to.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“(Y/n)?” There’s a knock on your door. You stay silent, trying to stop the tears that are already flowing freely down your face. You raise your head to see Peter walk in, a grief-stricken look on his face when he sees the tear stains on your cheeks.

“Pete…” You cry, voice cracking. You break down in front of him, not able to hold it in any longer. You sob as the pain in your wrist grows unbearable. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?” He shuts the door behind him and goes to sit down by you on the bed. You don’t stop him, you don’t have the energy right now. Instead, you lay your head on his shoulder as he wraps a comforting arm around your waist. 

“M-My wrist…” You unwrap your hand from around your wrist, showing him your mechanical right hand. He frowns, studying your hand. There’s no visible scar where the flesh meets metal, it looks normal. You feel the metal digging into the center of your wrist, mostly, not the outside. 

“Hey, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Peter pulls you into his chest as he leans back, laying you down on the bed with him. You curl into him, not wanting to put up a fight right now. He’s trying to be there for you, so you let him. 

You want him to be there for you. You want this to be normal, for there to be an unspoken thing between you two like there was before. You want so badly for him to be yours again, and for you to be his again. You know that can’t happen, but this is the closest you’ll get to it. So, you take it. You lay down with him and you relax into his embrace as his arms wrap around your torso and pull you flush against his chest. You let him pull a blanket over the two of you as you slowly drift to sleep, feeling safe in the one embrace you never thought you’d have again.

~+~

The next morning, you wake up to your wrist feeling fine again. The pain has subsided and you feel okay. For now. Except for the fact that the space next to you is cold and empty. 

Peter is gone.

“Hngh…” You groan, sitting up in your bed as the blanket bunches up around your waist. You kick your legs off the side of the bed and get up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You trudge over to your door and slide it open, stepping out into the cold hallway.

“Oh, you’re awake. Is your wrist feeling better now?” Peter walks up to you, a small smile on his face. Your heart speeds up. You haven’t held a proper conversation that didn’t involve yelling or crying in two years.

Then, you catch your father’s eye over Peter’s shoulder. Well, it’s more of a glare.

“Peter,” you lower your voice, “if you think last night changed anything between us, you’re mistaken.”

“What?” His eyes go wide with hurt as he stares at you. You spin on your heel, turning away from him as you choose your next words carefully.

“You caught me in a vulnerable position. I didn’t want to fight at the moment. That’s all it ever was, we’re still not on speaking terms.” You murmur, walking back into your room. Peter follows you and shuts the door behind him, much to your dismay.

How would this look to your father?

“You can’t tell me that’s all it was. I know it wasn’t.” He furrows his brows, looking to your bed which is still disheveled from the two of you laying on it.

“It was, Pete. I-I’m getting married soon.” You screw your eyes shut, not ready for this conversation. You don’t want this to happen yet, you’re not ready. You just spoke to him for the first time in two years yesterday. Everything is happening so fast and you’re not prepared for any of it.

“Look me in the eyes and honestly tell me right now that you’re in love with Harley and that you want to marry him,” Peter demands, staring at you. You can’t look into his eyes.

“I want to,” You whisper.

“That’s a load of crap. You can’t even look at me when you say that.” He scoffs, running a hand through his curly, bedhead hair. 

“Go away.” Tears prick at the corners of your eyes. You’re not ready for this confrontation yet. You’re not ready to deal with the pain of the past, to reopen wounds that you thought were finally healing. You’re not ready for him to know that you’re still in love with him.

“No, I’m not going away until you’ve convinced me that you aren’t still in love with me.” He leans against the door, arms crossed and one eyebrow arched.

“P-Peter, you can’t...I love Harley, that’s the end of it. You have a girlfriend, anyway.” You groan, glaring at him. He raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“Last time, you had a boyfriend--”

“This is different and you know that!” You argue, pointing a mechanical finger into his chest. His chest rises against your finger, causing a blush to settle on your cheeks as you realize the close proximity between the two of you.

“I saw the way you looked at me after I told you I was still in love with you, (Y/n). I know you feel the same, so what’s stopping you?” He whispers, wrapping his hands around your mechanical one. You slip your hand out of his grasp, insecure about it.

“We can’t.” You mumble, looking down at your hand.

“Why won’t you let me hold your hand? Your mechanical one, specifically.” He asks, reaching for it again before you pull it away from his reach.

“It’s not a real hand. It’s...It’s metal, and it’s weird. It’s mechanical, it doesn’t feel the same. Y-You shouldn’t hold it. Besides, we shouldn’t be holding hands in the first place.” You look up at him, eyes pained as you stare into his sad brown ones.

“It’s not weird, (Y/n). So, what, it’s mechanical? That doesn’t matter, it’s pretty cool that you have a fully functional mechanical hand. You lost it fighting valiantly against a man who attacked you. I don’t care if it doesn’t feel the same as a ‘normal’ hand. I want to hold your hand, (Y/n), because I want to hold you. I love you.” He steps closer to you, almost chest to chest, as he reaches between both of you and grabs your mechanical hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. Your breathing hitches in your throat as he does this.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” You look down at your intertwined hands.

“That didn’t stop us last time, did it?” He asks, voice lowering as he stares at you. You look up and realize that his face is much closer than it was.

You want to kiss him. You want to wrap your arms around his neck and resume your relationship from college.

But this isn’t college anymore, and you still have a duty to uphold. You still have a man you have to marry.

“I’m sorry, Peter, but I can’t.” You step away from him, letting your grasp fall from his. He sighs and runs another hand through his hair.

You wish you could run your hand through his hair.

“I have to go. But...I’ll be back, soon. Please think it over. If you think it over and still say no, then fine, I won’t bother you anymore. But if you know that you still love me and that you still want to be with me, then tell me when I get back. We’ll figure things out like we always do.” He gives you a small smile and presses a soft kiss to your cheek before he’s gone. 

You raise your left hand to your cheek and brush your fingers over the spot that he kissed. Butterflies fill your stomach at the thought.

You know what you want to do, but will you follow your heart or your head?

-------------------------------------------------

“(Y/n)?” A voice calls out from the balcony door behind you.

“Harley, I told you I need a breather for a second. I’ll be back inside in a few minutes, I just need a moment alone--” You turn around, coming face to face with a man who is definitely not Harley.

“I-I’m sorry--” He stares back at you, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Peter?” Your eyes go wide as you look at him for the first time in two years. He’s been around the compound, but thanks to your dad, you never saw him. You were never even close to him. Tony made sure of it.

“H-Hey.” He waves shyly, a small smile on his face. Your heart speeds up in your chest against your will.

Even after all this time, he still manages to make you giddy and nervous.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” You look away, turning back to the railing and looking out at the sky again. You can’t face him. Not after everything that happened. Everything that you did.

“I came here to congratulate you. I, um, came out to the balcony purely because I needed to get away for a minute. I didn’t expect to find you out here, as well.” He jokes slightly, standing next to you and staring out at the city. 

A semi-comfortable silence falls over the two of you.

“Thank you for coming.” You gulp, fiddling with your glove over your right hand. 

He still doesn’t know about your hand.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You still mean a lot to me, (Y/n), even after everything.” He smiles and reaches into his pocket. You see him pull out a ring box and your heart drops.

“Peter…” You want to say something, to stop him, to run away, but you’re stuck. You feel like you can’t move.

“I, um, I want to give this to you as a gift. I was going to give it to you the night that...that we, um, broke up. Here.” He slides the ring box across the railing to you. You cautiously pick it up and stare at it, not daring to open it.

“I-I can’t--”

“It’s not what you think. We hadn’t even said-- um, listen, I wasn’t going to propose. It was a promise ring.” He whispers, turning to look at you. You open the box to find a small silver band with two hearts on it. One heart is the color of your birthstone, the other the color of his. Both of your names are etched into the sides.

You tear up, a hand covering your mouth as you look at the beautiful ring. It probably cost a lot of money, and he didn’t even get to give it to you.

“It’s beautiful…” You stare at it, choking back tears. You want to tell him you still love him.

“I still want you to have it. It’s yours, after all.” He smiles at you, a sad smile. You look up at him, a single tear making its way down your cheek.

“Pete, I-I can’t…” You protest, closing the ring box.

“No, seriously. Please, keep it. I can’t...I can’t continue to carry it around, hoping that one day it’ll come to use again. You’re the only one it was meant for. I want you to have it.” He whispers. You can see that he’s trying not to cry, too. Your heart aches for him.

“Thank you.” You take the ring box and slide it into the pocket of your dress.

Another silence envelops the two of you as you both turn to the railing again. You’re holding back the urge to hug him tight and tell him you never wanted to let go of him.

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you before I never get the chance to again,” Peter speaks up. You look over at him, but he continues to stare out at the city.

“Hm?” You hum, slightly concerned but curious.

“I’ve wanted to say this for almost three years now. You didn’t let me two years ago.” He chuckles, finally turning to face you. Your brows furrow.

“What are you talking about?” You murmur, eyes searching his for answers.

“I love you.”

Your heart bursts in butterflies.

He loves you. He didn’t say he loved you, he said love. That means he still loves you. Just like you still love him. There’s only one problem.

You’re at your engagement party.

“Pete…” You struggle for words. You’re afraid you’ll say the wrong thing.

“I won’t apologize for saying it, (Y/n/n), because it’s true.” He looks away from you, fiddling nervously with his hands.

A long awkward silence ensues as you stare at him, unable to comprehend anything. You want to scream at him that you love him, that you would follow him anywhere. You want to scream that you would run away with him, but the logical part of your mind, the one you follow most, stops you.

“We’re at my engagement party.” You breathe out, not knowing what else to say. 

“...I figured you’d say something like that.” Peter chuckles sadly, looking into your eyes again. He stills, stopping his fiddling to just take you in for what you both think will be the last time.

“(Y/n), you’re needed at the stage. We’re giving speeches,” Harley pokes his head out, noticing that you’re not alone, “oh. I didn’t realize you were out here with...Parker.”

“We were just catching up,” Peter mumbles, looking to Harley. You tear your eyes from Peter to look at Harley.

“Oh? About what?” Harley steps fully out onto the balcony now, arms crossed and face sour.

“Harley now’s not the time--”

“No, I think now is a fine time to discuss. Were you hitting on my fiancée, Parker?” Harley growls, standing by you. You let out a sigh, mentally kicking yourself for letting this happen. You should have left the moment Peter came out to the balcony.

“I wasn’t hitting on--”

“Bullcrap, Parker. You were. I can tell by the tension. Listen, I know we’ve had a silent feud going on since high school but I thought by now we’d both be mature enough to get over it. Stop trying to ruin my life.” Harley narrows his eyes at Peter. Peter’s eyes go wide.

“I’m not trying to ruin your life, I’m trying to make something out of mine--”

“By stealing my soon-to-be wife away from me? That’s messed up, Peter. Even for you.” Harley scowls. You screw your eyes shut, wishing this would just stop. You don’t want them fighting, especially not over you.

“That’s not what I’m trying to--”

“I heard you confess your love before I got out here! You’re not exactly quiet, you know!” Harley glares. You break.

“Harley, stop!” You yell at him, turning to look at him.

“No, I want to say this, so I’m going to. Peter, You’re here with MJ, your girlfriend. So why are you out here telling (Y/n) you still love her?” Harley growls. You go still.

He’s here with his girlfriend, MJ?

He’s MJ’s boyfriend again.

“You guys are back together?” You whisper, turning to Peter. His eyes are apologetic as he looks at you.

“I bet he left out that part, didn’t he?” Harley snarls, uncrossing his arms.

“(Y/n), I’m sorry, please--”

“I don’t want to hear it. From either of you. Let’s just put all of this behind us.” You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose in frustration.

“No, I want to end this once and for all. Peter Parker, stay away from (Y/n) for her sake and yours. We don’t want any more trouble.” Harley hisses, grabbing your arm. You wrench it out of his grasp.

“Stop speaking for me, Harley! I can make my own decisions.” You scream, wanting desperately for all of this to stop. All you want is to have both of them back, as friends at least. You want them to put all of this nonsense behind them.

“What I say goes right now, (Y/n), and I say that Peter needs to get out of this party before I kick him out myself.” Harley dismisses your comment. You clench your jaw in determination.

“How long have you been speaking for (Y/n)?” Peter asks, brows furrowed in deep thought as he asks Harley.

“What?” Harley’s confused, getting defensive.

“How long have you been making decisions for (Y/n) when she hasn’t been around to say otherwise?” He repeats his question with more clarity, looking Harley in the eyes this time.

“I don’t know what you’re getting at.” Harley lies through his teeth, grabbing your arm and making his way to the balcony doors with you.

“The compound infirmary. The day she got hurt. I went to see her, to make sure she was okay but you told me she had requested not to see me.” Peter purses his lips, confronting Harley. Harley stops in his tracks.

“Wait, what? Harley, you told me that my dad--”

“I think you’re remembering it wrong, Parker. Tony was the one that said that.” Harley grits his teeth, eyes dark in anger.

“No, I’m not. I remember it vividly. I was furious with you, Harley. I wanted to see her but under no circumstances would you let me. It was ‘what’s best for her’ you had said. She didn’t request to not see me, did she? You made that up.” Peter narrows his eyes at Harley.

“I wasn’t even awake yet.” You confirm, taking a few steps back from Harley. He lowers his face from view, pure anger evident in his body language.

“Yeah, well, she was going through a traumatic time, okay? She had just lost her hand for goodness’ sake—” Harley starts. Your eyes widen as he says that last bit. 

Peter doesn’t know about your hand.

“She had just what?” Peter’s eyes go wide as he stares at your right hand, your gloved hand. You grab Harley and in one swift move, his back is pressed against the railing and your fist is balled up in the lapel of his suit jacket.

“Harley, for once in your life, shut up about secrets that aren’t yours to tell.” You growl at him, your tone dark and angry. 

“You have a mechanical hand? Is that why I haven’t seen your bare right hand in any pictures of the past two years?” Peter murmurs, looking at you with pity and sorrow in his eyes. You suck in a short breath, letting go of Harley and taking a few steps back.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You clutch your wrist where the metal hand connects to your flesh. It starts to ache.

“(Y/n)--” Both Peter and Harley reach out to you, but you take a step back from them and shake your head.

“Please, just let me have the rest of this afternoon to myself in peace.” You whisper, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. 

You weren’t ready for Peter to know. You didn’t want things to happen this way.

You wanted your engagement party to be fun, not sad. It’s a party, after all.

“We have to give speeches…” Harley trails off, surprised that he forgot the entire reason that he even came out there in the first place.

“Tell my father that I’m not in the mood to give a speech right now because of you, Harley. He’ll have to figure out a way to cover it up with lies like he usually does.” You give Harley a death glare, still holding on to your wrist.

“Are you okay?” Peter murmurs, looking at your hand holding your wrist.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” You spit, turning around and walking back inside. You make your way to your room, ignoring everyone who tries to talk to you or congratulate you. 

“Oh my god, (Y/n)?” MJ walks in front of you, a look of surprise on her face. You stop this time, surprised to see her.

“MJ.” A real smile makes its way to your face.

Your father had cut you off from the real world for two years. You haven’t talked to any of your friends, including MJ, which has been tough.

“Did your dad cut you off from the real world?” She guesses, enveloping you in a tight hug. You hug back, glad to be around a familiar face that you aren’t angry at. 

“Yeah, he did. Can we hang out soon? Like, really soon? I’ve missed you.” You murmur, still hugging her tightly.

“Yeah, of course. I’m free any time you need me, just call.” She promises, pulling away and squeezing your left hand. You made sure to keep your right hand away from her.

“That sounds great.” You breathe a sigh of relief, glad to have at least one stable friend in your life. Ned and Betty are great, too, but they haven’t been there for you like MJ has before. She was your first friend outside of the compound besides technically Peter. But back then you didn’t know it was Peter.

“I expect to see you a ton before the wedding, anyway, okay? And I better be the maid of honor. I’m gonna throw the best bachelorette party a woman can ask for.” MJ winks at you, trying to lift your spirits. Somehow, she knows you’re upset. A best friend’s intuition, you guess.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” You chuckle genuinely, giving her a small smile.

“Well, it looked like you were on your way somewhere before I stopped you. I’ll let you get back to that. Call me soon, okay?” She squeezes your hand again before stepping back. You smile.

“Of course. Thank you for coming, I’ve missed you.” You nod. She disappears into the crowd again.

You wince as the ache in your wrist grows into a sharp pain. You find your room and stumble into it, sitting down on your bed. You take the glove off and see the irritated skin around the metal. 

The pain increases and you cry out, holding your wrist as tears start to streak down your cheeks. It’s painful.

You sob quietly as the pain only increases, knowing that medication can’t dull the pain in this situation.

So, you tough it out. You cry silently and try to wait out the pain because eventually, it’ll stop hurting. Eventually.

But not soon enough.

----------------------------------------------------

It has been two years since Harley comforted you that night. Two long, painful years and you haven’t talked to Peter at all in that time. It’s been hard, much harder than you’d like to admit. You miss Peter every day, but your dad and maybe even Harley would freak if he ever heard you say that. Harley thinks you’re over him now.

So you keep it to yourself. You stay silent and do as your father wishes. You’ve become docile. These have been the worst two years of your life.

You and Harley have been dating for six months, and to the public eye, everything is going perfectly. If you’re on the inside, though, you can see that you don’t love Harley in that way.

But the facade lives on and the two of you are forced to put on a smile and act like a couple in public. 

“What would you like to drink?” Harley asks as he pulls out a chair for you at the coffee shop you’re at. Your father forced you two to make a public appearance today, so you obliged. Here you are, at a plain coffee shop, surrounded by paparazzi that you’re trying to drown out.

“Just a black coffee, please,” You tell him. He leans down and kisses your cheek.

“Coming right up.” 

Harley walks to the counter, ordering your drinks. You sigh dreamily, putting up an act of love as you gaze at your soon-to-be fiance.

“You’re too good to me.” You hum, giving him a small peck on the cheek as he hands you your coffee.

“Only the best for the love of my life.” He boops your nose. You giggle.

Once the two of you are done at the coffee shop, you make your way back to the compound whilst holding hands. It was a must in your father’s eyes to always be affectionate with each other, especially in the public eye.

You always made sure to use your left hand. It’s easier that way, and it keeps your secret from the public. Even if you have gloves on, the mechanical hand is still machinery so you don’t like to use it if you don’t have to.

Plus, your wrist on that hand hurts most of the time because of the metal digging into the flesh, so you make a point not to use it if it’s not necessary. It would only cause more pain.

You get home and make a beeline for your room. Your father tries to speak to you, but he isn’t able to get a word in as you march past him. Harley follows you to your room.

“Are you okay?” He asks, reaching for your right hand.

“We’re not in public anymore, Harley, you don’t have to hold my hand.” You hiss, pulling it away from him. You don’t let anyone touch that hand. Not after the surgery to get it replaced. Not since it’s not a real hand anymore. He sighs and sits down next to you.

“Would you like to have dinner tonight?” He asks, turning to you.

“Harley--”

“Just answer the question, (Y/n).” He frowns.

“I have no other choice than to say yes, so yes.” You narrow your eyes at him, turning away.

“Meet me in the lobby at six, please.” He whispers, standing up and walking out of your room. You check the time.

4:00 pm. Great, you have two hours to get ready.

~+~

Two hours later, you walk into the lobby where Harley is already waiting for you.

“You look beautiful,” He says as he holds out his arm. You link arms with him, staying silent as the two of you walk to the car and get in. He drives to a fancy restaurant.

You walk in, arm in arm. You’re immediately seated. Your father probably planned this date weeks in advance. That, or he bribed them to seat you immediately. You wouldn’t be surprised by either.

“This is nice.” You fake a smile, grabbing his hand from across the table. He plasters on a smile of his own, knowing that you’re trying hard to fake it.

“Isn’t it?” He orders two glasses of champagne.

“Splendid. How has your day been, darling?” You hum, rubbing circles on the back of his hand. You keep your right hand under the table, tapping against your thigh to calm yourself down.

“It’s been amazing. Coffee with you was the best. As long as I’m with you, I’m having fun.” He grins at you, kissing the back of your hand. Your glasses of champagne arrive. 

You reach for it, ready to take a sip when you see something in the bottom of it. You take a closer look, seeing a diamond ring at the bottom.

No.

“What’s this?” You ask, eyes wide as you set the glass back down. Harley takes his fork and gets the ring out of the glass.

“(Y/n), I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time.” He starts, a small smile making its way onto his face.

Yeah, almost fifteen years, you think to yourself.

“Yeah?” You force a small smile onto your face as well. He gets down on one knee, to the side of the table you’re sitting at.

“You’re the most amazing woman I have ever laid eyes on. I love you, more than anything in the world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?” He asks, tearing up. You bring your hands up to your mouth in a gasp.

“Yes, of course, Harley! A million times yes!” You hold your hand out, shaking from nerves and fake excitement as paparazzi crowd you and Harley.

He slides the ring onto your finger and stands up, pulling you close and giving you a passionate kiss. You press your lips against his roughly and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer.

After a moment, you pull away breathless.

“You’re going to be Mrs. Keener soon.” He gives you a proud smile. You grin back.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” You press another chaste kiss to his lips. You try to push away the nagging thought at the back of your mind,

I would rather be Mrs. Parker.

Trying to make the best of the situation, you spend the rest of your evening having a nice dinner while avoiding the paparazzi.

~+~

That night, you get home exhausted.

“The paparazzi wouldn’t give it a rest.” You groan, shoving your coat onto the coat rack by the door.

“I mean, we did just get engaged, (Y/n). I wouldn’t think they’d give it a rest after that.” He frowns, gently taking his coat off and setting it on the rack.

“Whatever. Where’s my dad?” You growl, plopping down on the couch.

“On the phone with the party planners. They’ll be over tomorrow morning to get ready for the engagement party tomorrow night.” Tony waltzes into the room, phone to the ear as he flashes you his dazzling smile. You roll your eyes.

“Flaunting everything with a party, as always. I’ll be in my room if you need me. But please, for the sake of my sanity, don’t need me.” You scoff, walking off to your room. You sit on your bed, your mind a mess at the moment.

You don’t hate being engaged to Harley, you don’t, but you’re unhappy. You’re unhappy but your father won’t do anything about it because he wants to do what’s best for his company. It’s twisted, but it’s your life right now.

And unfortunately, that means you have to deal with it.

So, yes, you have to be married to Harley. Yes, you have to act like you’re in love with him when in reality you’re just fed up with this act. Yes, you just want to be Harley’s friend again instead of hating him because you can’t get over the fact that he’s not Peter Parker.

And yes, you’re still in love with Peter Parker. That’s the truest fact of all.

There’s a knock on your door.

“I said don’t bother me.” You yell. Harley walks in with a small frown on his face. You sigh and your angry demeanor melts away.

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to be engaged to me-- I wouldn’t have done it if Tony had given me any other choice. He really wanted it to be done today, though. Are you doing okay?” He sits down next to you, setting a hand on your shoulder. 

You want to hate Harley. You want to distance yourself from him so it’ll be easier to hate him. You want to hate him so you don’t have to deal with your other emotions. But you can’t, so you give in to his embrace and lay your head on his shoulder.

“I’m okay, I’m just upset.” You whisper.

“I know. I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do.” He soothingly strokes your hair. You sigh contentedly and close your eyes.

“You’re fine, just being supportive. I know there’s nothing you can do, there’s nothing anyone can do. I just haven’t yet resigned to the life I know I’ll eventually have to live.” You let out a half-laugh, tears pricking at your eyes.

You want a life you know you’ll never get.

“You’ve always been stubborn.” He jokes, nudging your side. You chuckle.

“The Starks always are.” You nod, opening your eyes. You take your head off his shoulder and look at him.

“Are you going to be okay for the engagement party tomorrow?” He murmurs.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll power through, it shouldn’t be too hard with you by my side. And I’m sorry I was such a jerk tonight. You didn’t deserve it, I was just extra upset about my situation. Our situation.” You apologize. He smiles.

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it. You’re completely fine.” He hugs you. You hug back. 

“I should get some rest. I’ll need it for tomorrow.” You chuckle, getting up and stretching. Harley follows your lead, getting off the bed as well.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.” He waves, walking out the door.

“Goodnight.” You whisper as he leaves.

Something tells you that you’re not going to get much sleep tonight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake up to a loud banging on your door.

“Go away!” You yell, shoving your pillow over your head.

“I’m coming in.” Your dad tells you before opening the door and walking in.

“I’m trying to sleep,” You groan, throwing a pillow at him. It hits him and falls to the ground harmlessly.

“You’re still sleeping? You need to get up, you’ve got things to do today.” He sighs, rubbing his temples.

“Like what?” You mumble, turning over to look at him.

“Lunch out with Harley, and then get ready for your engagement party tonight. (Y/n), it’s already almost noon.” Tony arches an eyebrow, waiting in anticipation for you to get up.

“One more hour?” You smile innocently at him. His worry fades into a smile as he chuckles.

“I’m sorry, honey, but no. I’ll let you sleep in more tomorrow, I promise. Maybe the two of us can get some ice cream tomorrow once you wake up, my treat. No paparazzi.” He ruffles your hair. You give him a small, genuine smile. You’ve missed moments like these recently. You haven’t had very many of them.

“Yeah, okay.” You nod and get out of bed. He leaves the room and you get ready for your lunch date.

~+~

As the time for your lunch date rolls around, you step into the living room. 

“Harley?” You ask, seeing Harley standing there with a rose in his hand. He turns around, breaking into a smile when he sees you.

“Hey, (Y/n). Ready to go?” He crosses over to you and grabs your hand, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“Yeah. Is that for me?” You tease, pointing at the rose. He blushes, smiling again as he hands it to you.

“Of course it is. A beautiful flower for my beautiful fiancée.” He links arms with you as the two of you walk through the front doors. You try not to frown at the word fiancée. You get in the car and head to lunch.

Your father made reservations at a fancy restaurant in the middle of New York City. Of course.

“Tell me if it gets to be too much. We can leave whenever you want.” Harley whispers into your ear as you’re sitting down in the chair he pulled out for you. You give him an appreciative smile.

“Thank you, Harley.” You nod. He sits across from you.

“So, are you excited about our engagement party tonight?” He asks, grabbing your hand across the table. Your right hand twitches under the table, the dull aching in your wrist rising to slight pain.

“A decent amount. I’m not dreading it, at least. I’m still actually engaged and I’m still getting married, so it’s still an exciting process, you know?” You hum, thinking it over deeply. He nods.

“I get that. Sorry that I’m not Pete.” He chuckles dryly, letting go of your hand to look at the menu.

That must be a sore subject for some reason. You’re not sure why he gets upset at mentioning Peter when he’s the one who brought it up.

“Got a problem with him?” You ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Huh? No, Parker’s fine. Haven’t talked to him in a while.” Harley shrugs, eyes scanning the menu even though you can tell he’s not focusing on the menu.

“Sure. And I didn’t hear you arguing with him the other day?” You put a finger on top of his menu, pulling it down so you can make eye contact with him.

“Fine, fine. He and I are in a little dispute right now, but it’s nothing to worry about. It’s not like you can talk to him, anyway.” Harley shrugs, reminding you of a sore spot of your own.

“Low blow, Keener. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone is jealous.” You tell him, half-jokingly.

“I’m not jealous, (Y/n/n). Besides, what do I have to be jealous of? I’m the one marrying you.” He chuckles, but you see the small frown he has before he puts the menu in front of his face again.

“You may have me but we both know you don’t have my love, that’s reserved for P--” 

“Can we stop talking about this? We’ve both said our piece.” Harley lowers his menu, making eye contact with you once more. He’s still smiling, but the smile is turning slightly more threatening than loving now.

He’s trying to save face in front of the paparazzi. 

You know Harley would never hurt you. That’s not the type of man he is. But, like every man, he can get angry. He doesn’t want to look like he’s angry at you in front of the paparazzi right before your engagement party, but you’re pushing his buttons and that can get any man riled up.

As you said, he would never dare to even raise a finger against you, but the two of you can have some nasty arguments on occasion.

Maybe he is jealous, you think to yourself. That would explain his small outburst, at least.

“Okay, we’ll change the subject.” You sigh, glancing over the menu even though you already know what you want.

Both of you stay silent for a long time.

Both of you stay silent for the rest of lunch. You instead look at each other lovingly, giggling like you’re so in love.

Even though it’s all an act.

~+~

You get home from lunch and immediately go to your room to get ready for your engagement party. There’s already a team full of professionals there waiting to do your hair, makeup, and outfit. They have a display of dresses laid out for you to examine and choose your favorite. You end up choosing a gold to black ombre dress that you like the most. You like it mostly because it’s beautiful and it has pockets. You have to have a dress with pockets. That way, you can keep things on you, and you can hide your hand.

Next, they choose a makeup look inspired by the dress.

After a long time of sitting in a chair and getting a dress on, you’re finally ready for your big party.

And exactly on time, too, because you can hear guests milling about in the area. You slip out of your door and see Harley standing there, a shocked look on his face as he checks you out.

“Oh, hey, didn’t realize you were already here. You ready to make our big entrance?” You murmur, grabbing his hand with your left one. 

You’re insecure about people touching your right hand. It doesn’t look or feel like a normal hand, so you’re self-conscious about it. That’s why you hide it. You don’t want the public to know about your imperfections. That’s why you’re wearing a thin gold glove on your right hand. It looks fancy, but it’s for an entirely different reason than everyone thinks.

“Y-Yeah...you look beautiful, by the way.” Harley clears his throat, finally tearing his eyes away from you.

“Thank you.” You smile at him, blushing slightly. 

Listen, there’s not nothing between the two of you. Sure, you don’t love Harley, you’re not sure you ever will. But, on the other hand, he is an attractive guy. You can’t deny that. You might’ve had a small crush on him before you met Peter.

But now that you’ve known Peter, you can’t bring yourself to love anyone else. It’s a curse that you have to deal with. You’ve loved, but you’ll never love again.

“And now, introducing the couple of the hour, (Y/n) Stark and Harley Keener!” You hear your father announce. You and Harley walk into the room, hand in hand. Your engagement ring on your left hand glints in the light. You look at the large crowd of people and surprisingly, you don’t have to force a smile onto your face. You’re genuinely happy for a minute.

You forget about your situation, you forget about the fight you had with Harley earlier, you forget your pent up frustration inside. You look at the room of people and you relax. 

Your friends are here, somewhere. They know how to distract you for one evening.

“I just want to say something before we continue with the party. (Y/n), my daughter, I am so proud of you. I love you and I am so proud of the strong woman you have become. Harley, you’ve been like a son to me this entire time and now I’m going to have you as my son-in-law. I couldn’t be happier. Thank you.” He smiles at the two of you.

Bull.

“Thanks, dad. I love you, too!” You smile at him then look over to Harley and press a kiss to his cheek. He blushes at the small lipstick mark you leave on him.

“Let the party commence!” Tony throws his hands in the air, putting down the mic as he walks off the stage.

“You can go find your friends, honey, you haven’t seen them in so long. I’ll go talk to people for a bit.” Harley pulls you to him and whispers into your ear, pressing a peck to your cheek as he walks away. You purse your lips and start searching the crowd for your friends. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, you see Ned.

“Ned!” You call out, walking up to him. He turns around and sees you, the largest smile covering his face.

“(Y/n)! Oh my god, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” He hugs you tightly. You pull away and smile genuinely, tears pricking at your eyes.

This is good. You are happy.

“I know, it’s been a couple of years!” You laugh, grinning from ear to ear. Betty waves from Ned’s side.

“Hey, (Y/n)! Congrats on your engagement!” She smiles at you.

“Oh, thank you so much! I haven’t seen you since high school, Betty!” You hug her.

“Yeah, you’re getting married! I felt like such a stranger seeing everything happening with you in the tabloids instead of getting real updates. Thank goodness you invited us to this party or else I would’ve wondered if you were stuck here against your will.” Ned laughs, patting you on the back. You chuckle.

If only they knew.

“Ha, that’s funny. No, I’ve just been stuck at the compound recently doing some stuff on the business side. Unfortunately, I’ve been rather busy so I haven’t had time to reconnect with friends. I’m sorry, guys.” You give them an apologetic smile.

“Don’t be! Life happens, people get busy. You know you’re good friends when you can go years without talking a lot then the next time you see each other, it’s as if time never passed. Time hasn’t passed with us, (Y/n), everything’s cool.” He grins. You smile.

“That’s so sweet, Ned. I’ve missed you so much. We’ll have to hang out now that I’m getting some more free time.” You promise. He nods.

“For sure. Just text me when you’re available.” He nods.

“Oh, by the way, are you guys together?” You ask, smirking at the two of them. They connect hands.

“Yeah, we are. We got together almost a year ago and so far, everything is going amazing.” Betty blushes, leaning her head on Ned’s shoulder.

“You two are such a cute couple. Maybe I’ll be going to you guys’ engagement party soon.” You wink at them, nudging Ned. He laughs and looks over at Betty, pure love in his eyes.

“I hope so.” He smiles at her.

You envy his relationship. You envy that he’s in love with the person he’s with.

“Do you guys know where MJ is? She is here, right?” You ask them.

“Uh, I haven’t seen her here yet, but she did text me and tell me she was coming. She’s either fashionably late, or she’s somewhere in the crowd.” Ned tells you. You nod.

“Thanks, I’ll have to find her--”

“Hey, (Y/n), your dad wants us to say hi to some people.” Harley taps your shoulder. 

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you guys later!” You call back to Ned and Betty as you make your way around the party. You say hi to different guests all around.

~+~

After an hour of saying hi to people, you tell Harley that you’re going to take a breather. You break away from the party and find a remote balcony.

You walk to the railing, setting your champagne glass down as you take a few deep breaths and look up at the stars.

You like it like this. Calm and peaceful as you look up at the night sky. It’s nice, it makes you feel a little less like a stranger in your own home. 

Sure, you like the party scene. You used to party a lot back in high school, and a little bit in college. But sometimes you need a break. Especially when you’re faking everything. Right now, you need that break.

You close your eyes and steady your breathing, a small smile working its way onto your face.

“(Y/n)?” A voice calls out from the balcony door behind you.

“Harley, I told you I need a breather for a second. I’ll be back inside in a few minutes, I just need a moment alone--” You turn around, coming face to face with a man who is definitely not Harley.

“I-I’m sorry--” He stares back at you, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Peter?”

------------------------------

It’s been two years. You’re now seventeen. Almost nothing has changed. You still go on patrol every night with Spider-Man whose identity is still a mystery, you’re still in an arranged marriage with your best friend Harley, and MJ has been your best friend outside of the compound ever since the night you helped her.

Scratch that, one thing has changed. Instead of private tutoring, your father wants to send you to a real school now. Specifically, Midtown High School, where MJ goes. You comply, mostly because you want to see MJ more.

So that’s why you are where you are now: walking into a party with MJ. 

It’s at a girl named Liz Allen’s house, but you don’t know who that is. Apparently, she’s some popular girl.

“Come on, I’m gonna make myself a piece of toast.” MJ heads immediately to the kitchen, which is just a bit down the hallway from the door. You snort, that’s such an MJ move.

“Make me a piece while you’re at it, yeah?” You grin at her and she chuckles.

“Miss Stark, am I a slave to you?” She jokes, elbowing you in the side.

“Absolutely.” You wink at her. She laughs and gets to work making her toast. Your eyes scan the room. You see mostly faces staring at you in awe or gawking that the (Y/n) Stark is at their party. A few boys come up to talk to you, but after seeing your glare, they all back down. You don’t want some preppy know-it-all boy to try to swoop in and steal your heart when you know your heart is too guarded for them.

You’re already married, in a way.

So, instead of partying like a normal teenager, you zone out. You know you’re staring at the wall a little bit too long, but you can’t help it. Your mind is elsewhere.

Like, for example, your mind is on the fact that you’re at a party for a school that you’re about to transfer to. In the movies, this is the time where the heroine meets their love interest. They bump into one another and maybe the love interest accidentally spills some alcohol on the heroine and then apologizes, helping them clean it up later. They’ll find each other later at school and confess their love, knowing right away that they were meant for each other.

You roll your eyes at these clichès. You’ve never believed in love at first sight, and at one point you didn’t even believe in love. You changed your mind about love not being real whenever you took the time to look at Tony and Pepper’s relationship, though. They clearly loved each other. One point has stayed strong throughout your entire life, though, and that’s the point that love, at first sight, is non-existent. Love, at first sight, is a myth.

So why is it that you question every time you’ve ever told yourself that as soon as you see him across the room?

“(Y/n)?” MJ asks, waving a hand in front of your face. You blink a few times then turn your body toward her, but keep your eyes trained on his face. He’s not looking at you yet.

“Hm?” You hum, too enamored by this boy to actually focus on her.

“Why are you staring at Peter?” She asks, giving you a weird look. This tears your gaze from the boy.

“Peter? Peter Parker? Like, your crush of a year Peter Parker?” You snort, eyes going wide.

“Keep your voice down! But...yes.” She takes a bite of her toast. You gulp.

“I’m going to go say hi.” You spin on your heel, looking back at the boy. This time, though, he’s already staring at you. You feel your cheeks heat up slightly.

MJ says something but you’re already walking away and toward Peter. The two of you meet in the middle of the next room, gaze only now breaking as the two of you fumble for words.

“Hi.” He smiles at you and rubs the back of his neck nervously.

“Hi...I’m, uh, (Y/n) Stark.” You hold your hand out. He shakes it lightly.

“I know who you are. I mean- like, I’ve seen you on TV. Um...you’re a Stark. I’m not creepy. I’m...Parker. Peter. Peter Parker.” He stutters, being painfully awkward. You don’t mind. In fact, it’s endearing.

“It’s nice to meet you.” You blush.

“What are you doing here?” He blurts, seeming surprised by his own question.

“Oh-- right, sorry. I’m here with a friend since I’m about to transfer to Midtown. She already goes here.” You explain. He nods.

“That’s...really cool. I would have thought that a Stark like you would be tutored.” He jokes, relaxing slightly.

“Haha, very funny...but you’re right. I was in tutoring until now.” You laugh, running a shaky hand through your hair. Why is this boy having such an effect on you? 

“So I was right!” He chuckles, his eyes crinkling when he smiles. You give him a wide smile.

“Don’t act so surprised, Peter.” You scrunch your nose up at him.

“I’m not! In fact, I get things right all the time, you’d be surprised.” He pouts slightly. You can tell that he’s warming up to you fast, although you don’t know why. You’ve never met him before, have you? No, you would remember meeting Peter Parker.

“Right...sure you do.” You tease, poking him lightly in the arm. You feel so comfortable with him after only knowing him for a few minutes.

“So what’s your favorite subject?” He switches the subject, his eyes lighting up.

“Well, I love chemistry. I’m...okay, since my dad is Tony Stark, I know all of the Avengers. That includes Spider-Man. I help him make his web fluid sometimes and it’s really cool. I also love working with machines, mostly because of my dad.” You answer honestly. 

“Really? You know Spider-Man? That’s super cool. What’s he like?” Peter asks, suddenly interested in the red and blue clad hero.

“He’s pretty chill, kinda awkward sometimes. Super funny, though.” You tell him about Spider-Man. He nods.

“Sounds like a cool dude.” He bites his lip.

Oh, my. The things this boy does to you already.

You turn back to look at MJ. She’s already staring at you and Peter, a lovestruck look on her face as she focuses on Peter.

You immediately think of three reasons.

“Come with me.” You grab Peter’s hand, ignoring the spark you feel when you touch it. You don’t catch his blush.

“Where are you taking me?” Peter laughs, a joyous thing that you wish you could hear every day.

“I’m about to change your life.” You turn back to look at him, sending him a friendly wink as you lead him over to MJ.

“Then, by all means, lead the way.” He grins at you. You turn back around, letting your thoughts run wild.

Three things. Three reasons why you can’t be with Peter.

Number one: You’re a girl in a world in which your only job is to get married to Harley. That, and run the company. Your father has no sons, so you’re the one who has to take over and run it when he’s gone. Plus, you’re technically engaged.

That doesn’t mean you want Peter any less.

“MJ, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” MJ extends her hand toward Peter. He shakes it, returning to his nervous state. You didn’t realize you had already walked all the way over here.

“MJ?” He asks, a quizzical look on his face.

“Short for Michelle Jones, she’s my best friend.” You explain, discreetly nudging MJ in the arm. She ignores you.

Number two: He could be after you because you’re Tony Stark’s daughter. That would definitely elevate his status, and he could just want to use you. Maybe that’s partially why you introduce him to MJ since she’s an honorary daughter of Tony’s but she isn’t blood-related to the man.

“It’s nice to meet you, although a party isn’t exactly my scene.” MJ looks around, making you feel like you’re not there anymore.

“If it takes going to a party for us to meet, it will have been worth it.” Peter jokes although you can see a crush taking place. You sigh.

“I’ll leave you to it.” You force a smile onto your face, stepping away from them.

Number three: You know MJ like you know your own mind. She’s the kindest soul you’ll ever meet, even though she masks it with sarcasm. If you told her how you feel about Peter, she’d let you have him with no debate. He’d be yours. She would say she’s fine, but she’d be lying. You can’t do that to her.

However, that does not mean that you won’t fantasize about what would have happened if you had been selfish and kept Peter for yourself. It would’ve worked for a while until he found out that you’re to be married to another man.

At least MJ’s going to be with him now.

At least you’ll be friends with him.

“Hey, MJ, Peter? I’m gonna go. I’ve got...uh, some stuff to do for my dad.” You tell them quickly. You forgot about having patrol tonight, so you need to leave quickly.

“Oh, crap--” Peter’s eyes go wide.

“What?” MJ asks, concerned.

“I forgot I have something to do. I’ll see you at school, yeah?” Peter gives MJ a dazzling smile which you wish you could be on the receiving end of. She smiles slightly and nods back.

“Yeah, of course.”  

And then you’re both walking out of the party, side by side. It’s a lot more awkward than it was when you were both talking before.

You want to tell him everything but nothing all at once. It’s killing you inside. You get to your car, seeing his parked two cars down from yours.

“I’ll see you at school, too, right?” He asks, his eyes lighting up a bit when he meets your gaze. You give him a soft smile.

“Yeah.” You nod. The corner of his mouth twitches up.

“Great. I can’t wait.” He gives you a thumbs up before running to his car.

You can’t help but feel bad.

Once you’re home, you immediately suit up and go on patrol as Obsidian. Spider-Man is already waiting for you outside your window.

“Spider-Man is waiting on me? I feel special.” You mock fainting, falling in midair slightly before catching yourself and flying back up.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Spider-Man says. You hear the hesitation in his voice.

“What’s wrong?” You ask, leading him to the top of the roof so you can sit down with him.

“It’s not that something’s wrong...it’s that I want to show you who I am. Who I really am.” He fiddles with the ends of his mask, getting ready to pull it off.

“Spider-Man, we said we wouldn’t--”

“You gave me your identity the first night we went on patrol. It was by accident, but it happened. I’m returning the favor, just two years late. I want to do this, it’s not your choice anymore.” He takes off his mask.

Your jaw drops as you stare at the one and only Peter Parker.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve known you this whole time, Parker?” You gasp, shoving his shoulder. That’s why you felt so comfortable with him at the party.

“Heh, y-yeah I guess you have.” He nods, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“I can’t believe it, I never would’ve guessed. That’s crazy.” You giggle, relaxing a lot more with Peter. You’ve known him for two years, you’re practically best friends already.

“Yeah. Crazy. Look, no one else can know, alright? Not even MJ. Ever.” He stares into your eyes. 

You could get lost in his eyes.

“Got it. Never tell MJ. I promise.” You pretend to zip up your lips and throw away the key. He breaks into a smile.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to tell you who I am. I figured that after that party, now would be a great time.” He laughs, his knee accidentally nudging yours. You blush heavily, and for once you’re glad you have a mask on around him.

“Now was a good time, but since it’s over, we have to patrol. Come on, Spider-Boy.” You grin, watching him put his mask back on. 

“Watch this!” He runs and jumps off the building, whooping and yelling as he swings across the street. You giggle and jump off the building after him, flying to catch him.

You wake up in a brightly lit white room, Harley and Tony sitting in chairs next to the bed you’re lying on.

Wait… this is a hospital room.

“W-Where am I?” You look around, blinking rapidly to make sure you’re not in a dream. Your throat hurts to speak, but you’re too curious to take caution.

“(Y/n/n)?” Your dad wakes up first and grabs your hand, tears coming to his eyes.

“Oh my-- you’re awake.” Harley gasps, hands flying to his mouth as he stares at you in shock.

“Where am I?” You repeat your question, staring at the pair.

“We’re still at the compound, we’re just in the emergency medical wing.” Your dad explains, gripping your hand tightly. It hurts for some reason.

“What happened?” You ask, furrowing your brows as you see your wrist wrapped in gauze. You put a hand to your neck and notice that there’s gauze there, too. And around your waist. And your calf. And your ankle.

There’s gauze pretty much everywhere.

“You got in a fight with a man who had powers. Don’t worry, you’re safe now.” Harley brushes away a stray hair in your face. You look at yourself, realizing something missing.

“Oh my god, where’s my hand!?” You gasp, bringing up your gauze-covered nub wrist into view. Your breathing quickens and you hear the heart rate monitor speeds up as you realize you don’t have your non-dominant hand.

“We...the burns were too severe on that hand. We couldn’t save it.” Your dad explains, paging a nurse to help calm you down.

“Couldn’t save-- I don’t have a hand anymore, dad!” You yell, putting your other hand in front of you as you stare at the two differences. Tears threaten to spill from your eyes.

“I’m sorry, (Y/n/n), but there was nothing we could do!” Your father argues. Harley stays silent, knowing that this is a hard thing to go through.

“We’ll make you another one,” Harley promises, grabbing your still-there hand to reassure you.

“Make me a...Harley, I don’t want-- I don’t want a mechanical hand. I want my hand.” A few tears spill over and Harley’s face contorts in pain. You stare at where your hand was, shock coursing through your body, making you unable to actually comprehend what’s happening to the full extent.

“I’m so sorry.” He pulls you in for a tight hug. You hug back, letting the tears fall. You’re still emotionally drained and nothing has helped. It has been one bad thing after another, and you haven’t forgiven Tony yet.

It’s too early to bridge that gap.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Your dad gets up and walks out of the infirmary. Harley stays there, hugging you tight. You close your eyes and dig your hand into the cloth of his sweater he’s wearing.

“You need some rest,” Harley whispers, pulling away from the embrace slightly.

“I-I don’t want to be alone.” You admit, not letting him go all the way. He chuckles and pulls away. This time you let him.

However, he only pulls away so he can get onto your hospital bed with you.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep.” He murmurs, laying down next to you. You tuck your head into his chest and let yourself relax a bit. Nothing bad will happen if you’re next to Harley, right?

You’ll never be 100% positive.

~+~

A couple of weeks have gone by and you have “officially recovered” according to your father. He made you a mechanical hand that is now attached to your wrist on your right hand. You’re still getting used to it since you’ve only had it a week. It’s not the same as a real hand, but Tony made it as close as technology would allow him to get. Thanks to him, it’s pretty close to a real hand. 

On the other hand, you’ve been doing online schooling for the past couple of weeks. You wanted to go back to school but your dad wouldn’t allow it with your hand. You didn’t put up too much of a fight. This way, you would get to avoid Peter and you wouldn’t have to deal with the stress of your hand in a public space.

“Dad, I’m tired of this!” You groan as he throws an apple at you again. You go to catch it with your mechanical hand, your right hand, but you just barely miss it.

“It’s training, (Y/n). Do you want your mechanical hand to be fully functional or would you rather not have a hand?” He hums, raising an eyebrow as if to say ‘fight me on this I dare you.’

“Fine.” You sigh and throw the apple back with your mechanical hand, hitting your dad in the face on accident.

Mostly on accident.

“If you’re that annoyed, we’ll stop for today. I expect better results tomorrow, though.” He gives you a pointed look before walking away. You sit down on the nearest bench and let out a frustrated sigh. Your wrist hurts where the metal and flesh meet. Your father told you that there’s nothing he can do about that right now, that you’ll just have to live with it until he can figure something out.

“Irritated?” Harley rounds the corner, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Like you wouldn’t be.” You scoff, taking out your specially made glove and placing it over your right hand.

“I don’t understand why you cover up your hand. Besides, doesn’t it seem weird to you for someone to have a glove on in early fall?” He sits down next to you, reaching for your gloved hand. You pull it away from him.

“What’s weirder, having a light glove on one hand in early fall or seeing someone with a fully functional mechanical hand at any time?” You ask, giving him a side glare.

“I see where you’re coming from, but I stand by my original statement.” He shrugs.

“Is there a reason you found me or did you just want to torment me?” You question, reaching down to your shoes to practice tying them. Harley chuckles at your banter.

“There’s a reason. Tony told me about you and Peter’s relationship at Harvard.” He mentions nonchalantly. You stop in your tracks.

“He did?” You suck in a breath, coming back up from your hunched over position.

“Yeah, he did, and I only have one thing to say,” You get ready for the hurtful thing he’s about to say, “You shouldn’t be pouring so much into him when you know you won’t get anything out of it.” 

“I-I’m sorry, what?” You sputter, shocked by his words. You thought he would say something along the lines of ‘why didn’t you tell me’ or ‘we’re supposed to be married.’ 

“(Y/n), you caved so easily for your dad when he told you to give Peter up. You can’t dedicate so much of your life to Peter just to give him up like that.” He chastises you, crossing his arms. Your mouth drops.

“Are you kidding me? I didn’t have a choice. Did Tony tell you that he threatened me?” You defend yourself, brows furrowing.

“Yeah, he did. But I also know you, (Y/n). Why did you back down this time? When you had the thing you love most at stake?” He asks, worry seeping into his gaze.

“I don’t love him--” You growl, glaring at him.

“Don’t give me that crap. You do and I know it so you don’t have to hide it. Now, tell me honestly, why did you give up to your dad this time?” He gives you a stern look that’s still concerned.

“I’m tired of the fight, Harley! God, I’ve been fighting it for years now and every time I get shot down. This time wouldn’t have been any different.” You yell, your voice cracking. You blink back tears thinking about the loss that you had when you gave up Peter.

“You’re wrong, it would have been different. Do you know what happened after you passed out in that alleyway?” He asks, reaching for your hand. You let him hold it softly as he gives you a pitiful look.

“What happened?” You whisper, malice still evident in your voice.

“I came and got you then brought you back to the compound’s infirmary. As soon as you were stabilized, Peter swung in asking for you. I told him you were in the infirmary and he demanded to be let through. He needed to see that you were safe, (Y/n), but your father wouldn’t let him through. Tony said…” Harley trails off, regret shining in his eyes. He didn’t mean to mention your father.

“Tony said what?” You press on the subject, anger edging at your voice again.

“Tony said that you had requested not to see Peter. That’s why Peter didn’t get to come in.” He tells you, pursing his lips. You frown.

“My dad told Peter that I didn’t want to see him?” You rub your temples. Harley nods. Fire sets ablaze in your heart. Your father continues to try to ruin your life.

“I’m afraid so. Peter wouldn’t take it, though, so he kept trying to force his way into the infirmary. You should’ve seen it, he was banging on the doors, screaming, and crying for you the entire time. It was a sad sight.” Harley’s face goes stone cold as he recalls the memory.

“He...cared that much?” Your voice goes tender, realizing that even after you broke his heart Peter still loved you. He still cared. Peter still loves you.

“Yes. He was also worried about your mental state.” He sighs, closing his eyes and rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand.

“My mental state? Because I lost my hand?” You look over at him, a wave of confusion hitting you again.

“No, he doesn’t know about your hand. He was worried you’d be traumatized because that’s the first guy you’ve killed.” He furrows his brows at you.

“K-Killed? Wait, I killed the guy?” Your hands grow clammy and a cold sweat covers you.

“You didn’t know?” Harley’s eyes widen.

“N-No, I thought he went to p-prison or something.” You stutter, pressing your mechanical hand to your heart. Harley grips your shoulders. 

You get lightheaded.

“(Y/n), stay with me, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” He tries to console you. He tries to ground you to reality.

“I killed a man…” You breathe out with realization as darkness settles over you.

~+~

You wake up in your bed as Harley walks through your bedroom door, a bowl of hot soup in his hands.

Your heart sinks as you remember what happened.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper, sitting up and accepting the soup.

“It’s okay, I’m here for you. I shouldn’t have said anything about it.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair as he sits down next to you on your bed. 

“No, I-I’m glad I know now, I just…” You set the soup aside and hug Harley tightly.

“I know, I know. Shh.” He rubs your back soothingly. You cry into his shoulder again.

“I shouldn’t have let Peter go.” You sob, balling your fists in the back of Harley’s shirt. Your right wrist aches. He traces his hand up and down your spine, calming you down the slightest bit.

“There’s nothing we can do about it now.” He whispers, pulling you closer to him. You think you feel his jaw clench, but you don’t know why. Instead, you cave, slumping onto him as he comforts you. Both of you lay down on your bed, holding each other close. You’re grateful for Harley.

He’s been here for you when no one else could be, whether they didn’t want to or you pushed them away before they could

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