|Towards the Endgame|

•Chapter 104• Swooping In

Harley couldn't help but glare at her as soon as they were alone. He didn't like the idea of Peter and Ned snooping around all the time. And with that man that might show up, Y/n was already nervous, she didn't need Peter to make it even worse. "So, you've checked everything, right? No Toomes in sight yet?" Harley shook his head. "Nope. Nothing has shown up on our radars yet. I've got two people upstairs who are checking the camera in case Friday misses something or if anything happens." He answered. Y/n narrowed her eyes slightly. She felt as if Harley wanted her to get onto that stage as quickly as possible. The doors were already open for the guests to come in. Mostly students, Stark Industries mutuals, school staff, and possible sponsors. But there was no need to rush. She caught Harley looking over his shoulder at Peter and Ned. It clicked. "Harley-"
"I just don't get why they have to be here. You have a job to do and I do too." Harley said, "I don't want to get distracted in case you need me. Or the other way around. They can't mess up your presentation. You'll lose mutuals and possible sponsors." Y/n's gaze softened. "Lee, they won't. Peter and Ned both promised they would behave and stay put." She realized she made them sound like toddlers, and perhaps she should have used a different phrasing. "Don't worry about it too much, Lee." She told him. Harley shook his head. "I just don't want them to mess something up. This is important to you and your work. You've worked so hard, Y/n/n." Harley cared about her ambitions because he shared the same ones. She could appreciate that. "Stop fussing, Lee. I swear they won't bother you or me. And after this, and after we cleaned up, we should grab a bite to eat. How does that sound? I'm sure I might close a deal or two after this. Blake is supposed to come as well." Harley's eyes widened. "Kyle Blake? Is he interested? How did I not know about that?" He asked her. "No one knows about that, that's the point. He's working on his counseling policy at MIT. He's the new head of that department and he wants to make it easier for the kids to get help if they need it." She explained to him. Kyle Blake is one of the staff at MIT, he helped Tony get all the school materials he needed along with licenses to get Y/n through at such a young age. Now he was working together with the principal, almost sharing the position. "Might be best if you keep that quiet for now, okay?" She suggested. Harley nodded. "Of course, ma'am," Harley replied.

Y/n stepped toward him, closing the gap between them. "Hey, I mean it. Don't worry about Peter or Ned. I invited them here. Peter feels better because of Toomes and Ned is my friend. I know he loves it when I include him. They'll be good, I promise." He sighed and gave her a slight nod. "Sure, sure. I don't want them to get in my way, though. This needs to go smoothly. Apparently, you've got MIT watching your every move." Harley chuckled, "How did you not tell me?" Y/n laughed and readjusted the microphone on her top. "I wasn't supposed to until we closed a deal. We're supposed to discuss some things after the presentation." Harley saw how her face lit up with pride and he couldn't help but feel the same. He was happy for her. She was really doing something important, something that was important to her. "Well, I'm here for you, you know that." Harley smiled at her.
From a little further away, Peter and Ned were watching the whole scene unfold. Peter didn't listen in on them. He wanted to give them their privacy. But he still wondered what they were talking about. He saw them both glance over at them at least twice. Y/n parted from the young man and made her way back over to him and Ned with a big smile planted on her lips. "What are you so happy about?" Peter asked her whilst returning the grin. "Just excited. Are you two enjoying yourselves?" Ned and Peter nodded their heads. "Yeah, yeah, we were just talking about Voldemort." Y/n frowned at them a bit. "Voldemort? Why Voldemort?"
"Because of that Toomes guy. If we're talking supervillains we shouldn't forget about him. We were thinking about how and if Peter's webs would stop him or not." Ned was careful to not mention the webs too loudly for anyone else to hear. Moments like these reminded Y/n how much she loved them both. "I'm sure that if he shows up, we'll be perfectly fine." Y/n smiled at them. She needed this before the presentation. She wasn't too nervous but this took some of them away nonetheless. It's always a bit scary to stand in front of a crowd full of people, no matter how many times you've done this. Y/n hoped that she could keep up the cool exterior her father had whenever he had to presentations or anything like this at all. "You boys will behave back here, right?" She asked them. Harley's worries were not misplaced, knowing Peter and Ned. "Well, the snacks are here, so, yes," Ned answered as he looked at the table with food on it. "We'll behave, baby. I promise." Peter added.