Spider-Man: Homeless

Ch. 12: Coffee Chats

"Where are you going?" May asked as Peter began to walk out the door.

"Coffee with Harry." Peter said. "And before you say anything, I'll be careful May!"

"You better be." May said. Peter closed the door and headed to the city.

...

Peter walked into the coffee shop Harry had told him to meet at. He saw Harry on the phone and smiled. Harry smiled back.

"Sorry, got to go." Harry said, hanging up the phone as Peter sat down. "Hey Pete."

"Hi Harry." Peter said, sitting down. "So..." Peter began. "Is there something you needed to talk to me about?"

"No, just thought it would be nice to catch up a bit more."

"Oh okay." Peter said.

"So, how's it going? With all this framing nonsense, we haven't really gotten to talk about everything that has happened since the first grade." Harry chuckled.

Peter laughed. "Yeah, I guess a lot has happened. I mean, I kinda became an Avenger."

Harry smiled. "I know about all that, but what about life not as a superhero? Is it hard to juggle both identities?"

"Before this whole Mysterio thing, it was a bit difficult just to keep it from everyone. My best friend Ned found out when he was in my room once. I didn't know he was in there and climbed through the window, luckily May hadn't found out."

"How did May find out?" Harry asked.

"Tony gave me my suit back and I put it on again, but kinda forgot to close my door. She saw and started screaming curses. It was not very pretty." Peter laughed. "It did explain to her all my bruises and why I'd always go missing. It wasn't until Tony called her and told her he'd make sure I didn't get myself killed that she was okay with the whole thing." Both the boys laughed. "So, what about you? You still got girls swooning over you like you did in first grade?"

Harry laughed. "I've had my fair shares of girlfriends. Only problem was at the private schools my dad sent me to, all the girls were there for actual learning." Harry smirked. "I was the 'bad boy' that would always flunk out. But right now I'm living the single life." Harry sighed. "What about you? Did you have any girlfriends before MJ?"

"I mean, I took a girl named Liz to homecoming last year- actually more like six years ago now I guess. You know, before the blip." Harry nodded. "But that ended as quickly as it started when her dad ended up being a villain who had tried to kill me and I had to send her dad to jail."

"Yikes." Harry said, holding back a laugh. "Things are going better with MJ I presume."

"Yup, gosh she's amazing. It's weird cause we weren't really ever super good friends, just kinda acquaintances. And I don't know what exactly it is about her, but she's just different then all the other girls. She's super smart but also sticks up for herself and her beliefs and I really like that about her."

"You guys are super cute together." Harry smiled. "Not gonna lie, kinda jealous you found a girl so good for you."

"You'll find someone someday, Harry." Peter said.

Harry laughed. "Maybe." There was a pause between the two. "So, weird coming back from the blip, right?"

"Pfft, tell me about it." Peter laughed. "I woke up on an alien planet and was immediately brought back to Earth to fight Thanos."

"Gosh, that's tough. I just came back in my room. My dad didn't get blipped, and he never did anything with my room because he found the memories to painful."

"May came back in our old apartment, but another family had moved in during the time we were all gone. It was a funny story to hear."

"I bet." Harry said. "The blip is the reason I'm single, though. I was going pretty steady with a girl named Hailey, but came back from the blip to find out she was five years older and engaged."

"Oh my, I'm sorry about that." Peter said.

"Nah, it's good."

"So, how is it working for your dad?" Peter asked.

Harry shifted in his seat. "It's- it's got it's perks." He paused for a moment. "Everybody gives me a lot of respect, mainly just for the fact that my dad owns the company and can fire them whenever he feels like it. But it's nice getting to see how the business is run."

"Do you like it?"

"At times, yeah. It's a fun job, and the company is great. There are some things that, I don't know, aren't exactly the best."

"Like what?"

Harry hesitated before slowly answering. "When part of company is selling weaponry, it can get a bit crazy. Some of the technology doesn't seem like it should even exist, let alone be used against another being."

Peter nodded. "I understand that. Tony changed Stark Industries from creating weapons after he saw the damage they did firsthand... and after he basically got blown up by his own bomb." The two laughed as they continued their conversation. "So, how was it when you first transferred to private school?"

"It was kinda rough. I wasn't used to any of it and didn't really have any friends, and definitely did not want to be there. That's why I kept flunking out. I didn't care about being there, so I may have gotten a little bit out of control." Harry laughed.

"Well you never were the 'I want to learn everything!' type."

"True." Harry's phone began ringing and he looked at the caller ID. "It's my dad, sorry I have to take this."

"That's ok." Peter said.

Harry stood up and walked outside the coffee shop, answering the phone. "Yes?"

"You're having coffee with Peter, right?" Norman asked, as he paced his office.

"Yes," Harry answered, shifting uncomfortably.

"Good. Have you figured out where he is staying?"

"No." Harry answered. "We were just talking about-"

"Harry, you need to find out where he's staying. If you can't ask him without it being suspicious, then use the tracker I gave you." Norman stopped his pacing. "If we are to bring Spider-Man to justice, I need to know this crucial information."

"Of course, father. I'll find out where he's staying."

"Thank you, son." At that, Norman had hung up the phone and left Harry outside the coffee shop to think about his situation.

...