|Towards the Endgame|

•Chapter 119• Gone, Boy, Gone

Tony stood up and left; he needed a moment outside. Harley assured him it was alright if he wanted to leave for a couple of minutes. They were underground and it was hot here. No windows or anything like that. Harley was alone with Y/n. He held her hand between his tightly to keep her fingers warm. He wasn't certain what to do or say. Should he talk to her? Tony did when they first came in.; he kept asking her to open her eyes or at least move her fingers. He couldn't magically snap her out of it and force her to open her eyes. But he had a feeling about how she would react if she were awake right now. "You think I should've stopped Parker, huh?" He mumbled. He wondered if Y/n had heard him and Tony talking before. And even if she heard anything at all, how much did she really hear? He imagined that look on her face. She has that way of looking at him that really bothered him sometimes. "Shouldn't have brought Barnes back here. Tony's crushed. He saw them together. Parker got into Barnes' car and drove off." He told her. Was he supposed to tie Peter to a chair and keep him here? The boy has super strength. He wouldn't be able to keep him inside unless Peter wanted to be there. "Toomes... that guy's made everything worse for you. I think Parker lost his mind a little bit when Banner told him that. At least someone's with him, you know?" Yes, Bucky might not be the most trustworthy person to snap Peter out of it if necessary – the man has killed more people than Harley had bullies in his life and that was saying something – but he couldn't have stopped him from going. He is not Peter's babysitter. He looked up but still didn't see any movement. He felt the same desperation as Tony; if only she would open her eyes so they could talk to her about all of this. "I don't know what to do, Y/n," Harley said. He blows some hot air onto her hand again to add a little extra warmth. "I want to help Parker. God, Y/n, Toomes might have killed you." he leaned a little closer to her, "If you never wake up again... Damn it, Stark, do you have any idea what you've done?" Still, nothing happened. She lay there still as a corpse.

"Parker's going to kill that guy if you don't open your eyes again." Harley tells her, "He will kill him and I won't be able to stop him." Spider-Man doesn't kill people. He slipped one time, almost killing the Green Goblin, but he didn't. He wanted to, though. But the problem is, there isn't anyone there to stop him at the right moment like the other Spider-Man was. "I can't stop him." Harley could only hope that Peter wouldn't do something bitter. He wouldn't listen to Harley if he tried to talk him out of it. "I really don't know what to do, Y/n/n. Should I call someone to search for Toomes? Should I have gone with Peter and Barnes?" He squeezed her hand tightly and held it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles a couple of times. "If you would just wake up..." he whispered. Harley suddenly felt a buzzing in his pocket from his phone. The quiet ringtone felt very misplaced at the moment. "Parker?" His left hand was still holding her cold one tightly.
"We found it, Keener. Everything. Names of his crew, receipts from all the weapons he has sold and made over the past years, even the location of their current hideout. It's all here." Peter told him through the phone. Harley didn't even realize he had stood up from his seat until a few seconds later when he started pacing around. He still hadn't let go of Y/n's hand, which halted him in his movements. "Parker, are you insane? Barnes said we had to wait before we broke in to search for that stuff." He looked at the stairs that were still dark at the top. Tony hadn't come back yet. He wouldn't like this if he heard. "Barnes was with me. We were careful. No one saw us." That was a bit of a relief. "We are on our way back." Peter paused for a few seconds, "How is she doing?" He finally asked. Harley glanced down at the young Stark lying on the table still unconscious. Her chest was moving up and down very slowly as she breathed and her heart was still beating. "She's alive. We're watching over her while Banner and Strange are getting some sleep." He answered. "Good... good... we are uh- we'll be there soon." Peter ended the call before Harley could tell him about Tony. That's Peter's problem, not his.

Harley lowered himself back into his seat and looked at Y/n. "Hear that?" he started pulling the blanket over her body again, "Your boyfriend's coming to see you." He gently tucked her in a little tighter to keep her warm. After a few minutes, Tony came back down the stairs. Not one glance went Harley's way. He walked over to his seat and sat down beside his daughter. Harley could see his red, puffy, and irritated eyes from here. "I'll give you a moment with her." Tony needed some time alone with her. Harley stood up, pressed a small kiss to Y/n's forehead, and left without saying anything else. Just before he reached the top of the stairs, he heard Tony breaking down again. His cries and pleas seemed to bounce on and off every wall. Harley left and let the entrance get sealed tightly leaving a broken man, a grieving father, with his daughter.