Fallen Friend

Alone In The Dark

The silence in Jameson's office was almost unprecedented in that moment. Peter and his old friend, Harry Osborn, were seeing each other face to face for the first time in three years. Jonah, who was completely oblivious to Peter and Harry's past relationship and how long they'd not seen each other, seemed both clueless and frustrated at the long silence in the room.

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?" Jonah demanded, which thankfully managed to get the attention of the two young men back to him.

"Um, sorry, Mr. Jameson," Peter stuttered. "Just that...I know him." He felt his stomach twisting; he didn't want to look back at Harry. That watershed night when Harry unmasked him still haunted his mind.

While Peter was having inner turmoil, Jonah eyed Harry after hearing Peter's reply. "Really, how come does he know you?"

"...Old school friends," Harry replied, though his voice did seem somewhat threatening, his gaze fixed on Peter.

"Ah," Jonah nodded. "Well...no need for any formalities and greetings for you two. Anyway Osborn, tell Parker the news about Oscorp backing the Bugle."

Harry's mood suddenly lightened after hearing Jonah speak, though his eyes were still locked on Peter. "Of course Mr. Jameson. Peter, from this day on, Oscorp will be one of the biggest, if the not the biggest, sponsor the Bugle would have ever seen."

For Peter, this was strange, even for Harry. After returning from a long exodus from New York (and maybe the country as Peter guessed), why would Harry suddenly go from a company that was trying to make new scientific inventions to suddenly being a sponsor for a newspaper company that wanted to smear Spider-Man's name...? Then it hit Peter like a ton of bricks why Harry would be supporting the Bugle. If Harry and Jonah had anything in common other than being the head of a business, it would be their mutual hatred they had for Spider-Man. While Jonah hated Spider-Man for thinking that he was a criminal ever since the Web Slinger appeared in the city many years ago, Harry hated Spider-Man on a personal level, and one that Peter sadly knew that relationship would never be truly healed, even if he had come clean about what happened to Norman.

"That's...good to hear," Peter said reluctantly, he didn't dare want to lay eyes on Harry as he found the situation too awkward.

"You're damn right it'll be good!" Jonah butted in. "A miracle really, the Bugle wasn't doing too well lately, so it's nothing short of a godsend that Osborn has agreed to step in and help us out.

"Y-yeah, that's great," Peter replied, he really didn't want to be there in that moment, he had to get out of there now. "Um, sir...sorry, I need to go now, just remembered a little something I have to do back home." He quickly began heading to the door. "I'll promise I'll get more photos of Spider-Man when I get back."

"Very well then, on your way, Parker" Jonah replied rather strangely cheerfully.

"Damn, he really is a good mood today if he's letting me out that easy!" Peter thought in amazement that Jonah was being casual with Peter (escaping) leaving his office. As he left, he didn't dare lock eyes with Harry. In that one moment, he had lost his backbone over the return of his old friend.

Harry didn't say anything as Peter rushed past him, that only made the freelance photographer more nervous around his former friend as he had no idea what might happen next. As he quickly left Jonah's office and the surrounding members of staff such as Betty and Robbie asking him what was going on while ignoring them, he was really wanting to get out of the building asap. As he headed over to the men's bathroom from when he entered the building in the first place, he didn't know if he was being followed in that moment, only person he did past was the resident janitor moping the floor and who seemed completely oblivious to what Peter was going through in that moment.