#harleypeter

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i feel you like a wildfire in the downfall of snow

He realized he has feelings for Peter when they were seventeen.

Actually, that’s not quite right.

He accepted that he has feelings for Peter when they were seventeen, but he’s fairly certain that those feelings developed not long after their friendship began. It was forged in admiration, in fondness, in the exasperation of being spammed with shitty puns and bad jokes in the middle of class in Rose Hill while Peter, sitting in his very own classes up in New York, fifteen and dorky beyond belief, hid his snickers while sending the texts. He remembers thinking that Peter was probably his best friend when he was sixteen.

He remembers stepping off the Quinjet when coming to New York for the first time and seeing his friends—seeing Peter—waiting for him. Remembers Peter enveloping Harley in a hug that had left him reeling.

He remembers thinking, Oh, shit, and quickly admitting that what he felt was a lot more than what the average person should probably feel for their best friend.

OR: harley and peter are driving back to new york when a snowstorm gets in the way. the only motel they’re able to find has one room left. a room that only has one bed.

Peter: Oh, it's just eyeliner. Do you like it?

Harley: … Looks okay… I guess.

[later]

Harley, sobbing into MJ's shoulder: It looked so good.

MJ: I know.

Harley: I'm so gay

Some rando: “Wow, Peter, Harley is so intimidating. He’s just so cool, and I don’t think I would be chill enough to date someone in college.”

So I wrote this back in November of 2020 and then forgot about it until now. I am pretty sure it was for Parkner week but this is the only prompt that I completed. With a bit of editing I now bring you this little story based on the prompts: “2029, that’s not a real year” / time travel / future au 

Peter takes a moment to survey the scene from where he’s perched atop one of the many trees within Central Park. The sturdy branch that he stands on is far different than the usual skyscrapers that he perches on but today’s mission is a far cry from his usual patrols around the city. 

It’s true that the world had adopted a new normal after the events of the blip. Peter’s definition of normal had changed more drastically than most after being brought back only to have to fight to save the earth in a massive battle and then nearly losing Mr. Stark in the snap. But the battle was won, earth was saved, Mr. Stark recovered, Peter settled fully into his role as Morgan’s older brother and partner in crime, and Peter became close with the one and only Harley Keener. The world adjusted to its new normal and Peter found himself adjusting with it. 

However, the scene unfolding before him in central park was so bizarre that neither the world’s new definition of normal nor Peter’s new definition for it could make it seem any less strange. An alien ship that somewhat resembles a snowflake if it had been painted in a grotesque shade of mustard yellow and accented in a muddy green color is hovering just above Central Park. The ship itself isn’t the largest that Peter has ever seen and neither are the aliens that are pouring out of it. In fact, Peter is fairly certain that the creatures would only come up to about his hip if he took a moment to stand beside one. The idea of standing beside one to properly gauge its height is completely lost on Peter when the ship lets out a loud creaking sound before releasing a fuchsia beam of light. 

Peter’s spider senses flair and he dodges away from the beam fast enough that it misses him. He turns his head to follow the path of the beam but he can’t see any noticeable damage. He opens his mouth to ask Karen to patch him through to the Avenger’s coms so he could update them before they arrive on scene in a quintet but he is cut off as his senses flare loudly in the back of his mind once again. He attempts to lunge out of the way again but it seems that the aliens have taken note of Peter’s quick reflexes and broadened the width of the ray they are targeting him with. 

Peter finds himself encapsulated in a blinding fuchsia light. He tries his best to call out to the Avenger’s to let them know that he has been hit and is in need of backup but he feels as though the air has been ripped from his lungs. He remains aware long enough to feel the startling sensation of being weightless for just a moment and then beginning to fall rapidly before unconsciousness finally pulls him under. 

-

Waking up on the floor of the lab is not an unfamiliar feeling for Peter but the half finished projects around him are so technologically advanced that Peter has to wonder who on earth has been working in the lab. He groans softly and slowly sits up so that he is now sitting cross legged on the floor just beside his usual work bench. He looks around blearily to try and figure out how he’d ended up in the lab. The last thing he remembers was being hit by the fuchsia ray from the alien’s ship and now he’s sitting on the floor of the lab. 

“Uh, hey Friday?” Peter calls out into the empty lab, hoping that the AI could shed some light on whatever situation he’d managed to get himself into. His eyes sweep curiously around the lab as he takes in the sight before him. On top of his work bench is what looks to be a half finished spider suit but it’s a design that Peter can only recall barely beginning to plan the logistics of let alone actually building the suit. He steps closer to the table and begins to inspect the composition of the suit and is relieved to find that it is not much different than the suit that he is currently wearing. 

Before he can further examine the suit, a familiar voice sounds from the ceiling, “Peter, would you like me to alert Mr. Stark of your presence?” The AI asks and Peter cannot help but notice that there seems to be the slightest hint of confusion in Friday’s tone, well as much confusion as a AI’s voice can hold. Peter contemplates the question for just a moment and decides that he doesn’t want to worry Mr. Stark if not necessary and would rather question his boyfriend about what is going on. 

“No thanks Fri, but could you maybe ask Harley to come down here? I’ve got some questions for him.” Peter replies and makes his way over to sit on the comfy couch in the lab. He pauses in his steps when he finds that the couch in the lab is not the slightly oil stained tan couch that he was expecting but instead is a very cozy looking grey couch that has a very soft looking maroon blanket strewn over the back of it.

“Hey Friday, how long has this couch been here?” Peter asks in confusion, he tries to ignore the dread that is beginning to pool in his stomach as his mind begins to piece together the clues that his surroundings are giving him. 

“That particular couch has been in the lab for four months. The prior one had to be replaced after an accident involving Harley and Morgan adding a bit of food coloring to your web fluid as a prank but the compounds did not react well to each other and created a slightly acidic explosion of web fluid.” Friday explains and Peter’s mind races as he takes in the new information. He definitely would not have forgotten something as memorable as an explosion of colorful web fluid capable of dissolving parts of his favorite napping couch. He is also aware that he would have noticed if he’d been taking naps on a new couch for the past four months and yet Peter can’t think of a single memory of ever seeing this grey couch before. He nods slowly and takes a seat on the plush grey couch before addressing Friday again. 

“Fri could you tell me what the date is?” He asks quietly and sucks in a shaky breath of anticipation. Peter’s heart is beating rapidly in his chest and he thinks that someone without super hearing like him would be able to hear it. The response he receives silences his thundering pulse for just a moment as an icy wave of anxiety washes over Peter. Panic takes hold in Peter’s chest as the teen attempts to process Friday’s reply. 

“Today is August 1st, 2029.” Friday replies in a gentle tone as if she is expecting the answer to startle Peter. Peter such in a sharp breath and curses quietly under his breath. He shakes his head and pulls his knees up against his chest, curling himself into a small ball as he tries to fully comprehend what has happened. His hands grip the fabric covering his shins just a bit too tightly but Peter is more focussed on the way that the familiar walls of the lab around him seem to be closing in and making it harder and harder to breathe. 

“That can’t be right. 2029, that’s not a real year…” Peter breaks off with hysteric burst of laughter. “I’ve been through a lot of crazy stuff recently but time travel can’t be one of them. Aunt May is gonna kill me…” Peter groans as he finally releases his hold on his suit to run his hands through his hair only to find that he has yet to remove his mask in the chaos of waking up in what apparently is the future. He pulls the mask over his head and balls it up in his fist. He mentally curses his Parker luck as he thinks about how the hell he managed to get thrown into the future by some alien time travel gun. His downward spiral is interrupted but the sound of the lab door sliding open and part of him hopes that his Harley will walk through the door, grinning about the hilarious joke that Friday just pulled on him.

All hopes of the situation being a joke are shattered as the door opens fully, making room for a muscular figure to step through. Peter’s mouth falls open in shock as he undoubtedly recognizes the man as none other than Harley Keener. A much more muscular, older, and taller Harley Keener. He looks over the man and notes the slight beard that Harley is sporting and the way that his hair is cut into a shorter and more mature style than he’s ever seen his boyfriend wear. 

Harley pauses in his tracks as well and simply stares at Peter for a moment before letting out a surprised chuckle. He runs a hand through his hair, in similar way to the Harley that Peter is used to does when he is unsure of what is happening, Peter sits up a bit straighter and lets his knees down so that he is no longer curled into a ball. His spider sense aren’t going off so he knows that this not some kind of trick and he is not in any danger but the whole situation still has him on edge. 

“Wow, okay… I thought Friday was kidding when she said you were here. Like really Pete, this is crazy even for you.” Harley teases gently and Peter is taken aback for just a moment. Harley’s voice is familiar but so different. It’s deeper and has lost most of the southern drawl that Peter loves so much. Harley seems to notice the way that all the subtle changes are putting Peter on edge and smiles gently at the enhanced teen before him. 

“Hey, this ain’t a big deal. We kept the time travel tech around just in case any of us got into a situation like this so we can have you back home to your time in well, no time at all.” Older Harley reassures Peter. Peter finds himself nodding dumbly and taking another deep breath to try and collect himself. 

“Sorry, it’s all just so different here but at the same time like not different at all.” Peter murmurs as he looks around the lab again before returning his gaze to Harley who is simply smiling at Peter as if he’s finding Peter’s reaction to be absolutely adorable. 

“Yeah well, the lab hasn’t really changed much other than upgrades to tech but I don’t want to mess up any timelines by showing that stuff to you so lets get you home. Come on, get up. This is probably gonna be a lot easier than you expected but the time travel tech is embedded into some bracelets now and you’re just gonna slip it on and I’ll do the rest.” Harley says and guides Peter over to Mr. Stark’s work station. He rifles through a few drawers before finding what he is looking for and passes a sleek looking band over to Peter who gives it a once over before sliding it on to his wrist. 

Harley grabs a stark pad off the work station and opens up a tab that Peter has never seen before. The logo looks slightly familiar and he thinks he might have seen it once before on some drafts on Mr. Stark’s table but he never payed it much attention. Peter finds his attention drawn to as simple silver band on Harley’s ring finger. 

Harley glances over at Peter for just a second and registers exactly where Peter has focussed his attention. He grins slightly before returning his attention to the StarkPad and typing in the last few details of whatever information he has to input into the device. 

“Is that a… are we… did we get married?” Peter stumbles over his words as he tries to fathom the idea that maybe, just maybe his future self overcame his awkwardness to ask Harley to be his husband. Harley smirks at Peter once again and simply shrugs his shoulders. 

“I feel like that is apart of the spoilers that I am not supposed to tell you but you’ll just have to figure that out for yourself.” Harley replies and cuts Peter off before he can protest. “Alright, I hope you’re ready to head home. Legs apart and knees slightly bent unless you want to end up on the floor again. Deep breath in, this damn thing always knocks the wind right out of you. It was nice to see you again Pete.” Harley rushes out all in one breath and gives Peter a cocky wave before pressing a button on the StarkPad in his hands. 

Peter feels a tugging on his wrist that quickly encompasses the rest of his body. He feels the weightlessness of zero gravity before he is once again falling through time. He manages to remain conscious this time but his reeling mind leaves him feeling just as disorientated as waking up in the future had. His feet connect with solid ground and the dizzying feeling of falling subsides and Peter finds himself standing beside his team. 

“Man of Spiders, it is nice of you to join us! Where have you been?” Thor’s booming voice alerts the others of Peter’s presence. Before Peter can even begin to explain what happened to him, he is being pulled into a ferocious hug by his lover who is still clad in his Iron Lad suit. The face plate on the suit flips up to reveal Harley’s worried face. 

peter parker is a child of war- harley knows this, has seen evidence in the form of bloody noses and straight-through bullet wounds and bloodshot, tired, nightmare-worn eyes after eight hours spent hiding from the darkness lurking in his closet.

he’s a child of red and blue and purple, of torn fabric and screamed curses and death. of waking up in terror and gripping harley’s forearms so hard they bruise with imprints of his fingers and sobbing into his shoulder. 

peter is a tragic character in this tragic novel of their tragic lives.

but the thing is, harley keener happens to be a child of war, too. 

not of the obvious war, of course- not the front lines, the battles, the high-speed fights and catastrophic injuries. harley is born of a different kind of war, a silent war, where the only time you’re fighting is when the tears sting your eyes and you know- you just know- that any kind of weakness you show can and will be held against you.

he’s a child of empty glass bottles and amber liquid and the sound of angry voices in the living room. of the thump of a fist hitting the wall, an open hand slamming against a small ear.

of lottery tickets that never find their way back to the kitchen counter.

of half-siblings he didn’t even know existed until he was seventeen, and of a younger sister who doesn’t know how to adjust to the knowledge that the man who had stood as a shadow in their doorway and screamed and screamed and screamed because the dishes hadn’t been done properly had left them for his other children.

THEY HAVE A CUTE NEW YORK APARTMENT AND ARE MARRIED AND HAVE A LAB IN THE BASEMENT ANDIJUSTCANT

both of these playlists are kind of getting some traction, so i figured enough people who don't know about 'em may also want the link? both are by me, so enjoy 😁