Would You Miss Me? || parley

Part 2

oop guess who had a nice panic attack today

Actually it wasn't nice but

Anyways

TW: mentions of sh, mentions of death,

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

3rd Person P.O.V.

Harley walked into the lobby of Stark Tower, suitcase rolling beside him. He was stopped by the receptionist, who looked tired, almost bored.

"Sorry kid, you can't go up there until I see some ID," she yawned, examining her manicure.

"Oh, I'm actually a personal friend, I'm sure the Old Man wouldn't mind-"

"Nice try, but I'm not falling for it." Harley frowned, pulling out his phone. He pressed a few buttons, holding the phone up to his ear.

"Would you mind letting me in?" Harley asked. The receptionist looked confused, glancing at the message on her computer. Her eyes widened, gasping.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir, you may go up," she handed him a personal ID, apologizing profusely. "Forgive me, usually when people come in here saying they know the boss..."

"No problem, I get it." The blond boy got in the elevator, going up to meet Tony Stark on one of the highest floors.

"Well, if it isn't Harley Keener! You look older," Tony observed.

"You too, Old Man," Harley grinned, greeting the billionaire. "So, I guess this is my home for awhile, huh?" They both laughed, Harley's smile faltering for a split second.

"Why don't I show you to your room?"

~

Peter groaned, cracking open his eyes. He frowned, before it all came flooding back. His eyes flickered back to the razor, its sharp blades practically taunting him from his place on the bathroom floor. Peter forced himself to turn away, closing his eyes. He took a slow, shaky breath, trying to maintain the little self control he still possessed.

Peter stood up, leaning heavily on the bathroom counter as his head spun, his vision spotty. Once the dizzy spell had passed, he looked up, staring at the stranger in the mirror. Peter closed his eyes tightly, turning around. He blinked a few times, walking out of his bathroom and heading straight to his bed.

The brunette laid down on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling above him. He was immediately reminded of the night he began his permanent residence at Stark Tower. His aunt May lost her battle with pancreatic cancer, just four months after being diagnosed. Towards the end, Peter had barely visited her. He was scared, she looked sickly pale and had barely any meat on her bones. May hadn't been much more than a skeleton in her last month of life. And yet, everyday Peter regretted not being there for her.

can't do anything right...

He closed his eyes, trying to rid his mind of the image of his dying aunt. It had been over a year, but the wound never fully healed. Peter couldn't help but pick at the scab, not letting himself move on. The idea of death, to him, was terrifying, yet oddly inviting. He hated the idea that you didn't have control over it... and so, Peter had already decided he would die on his own terms, the way he wanted to. He just wanted to have some control over death, as if it was a choice.

~

Harley sat down on his bed, in his new room. It was a lot bigger than he was expecting, with a personal bathroom attached. It was pretty overwhelming, the transition from his countryside house to the largest building in New York City. He wished he had someone to talk to about it, but he didn't really have much of a choice, since he didn't have any friends left.

He really should be grateful, who wouldn't want to live with a billionaire? Harley had to keep reminding himself that he was lucky to be here. Not many teenagers from Tennessee got the chance to meet a celebrity, much less live with them. He sighed, unzipping his suitcase. He hadn't brought many of his belongings, he simply didn't have enough time to pack them. Harley put his clothes away in the dressers, setting up a single picture frame on his nightstand.

The picture was of him and his little sister, Abby. Abby was in seventh grade, and already following in Harley's footsteps. She was one of the top students in her grade, taking all honors classes and quite involved in her school drama club and orchestra. Harley was so proud of her, and smiled sadly at their picture together. Abby was easily what the blond missed most from Tennessee.

Harley was nervous for dinner, after getting the message from FRIDAY (which scared the living daylights out of him) that some of the Avengers would be there. He contemplated dressing up- would that be weird?- but found that he had forgotten to pack his fancy clothes. Harley shrugged, checking his reflection in the mirror. No need to make this an occasion, it was just dinner, it would be fine.

~

Peter sighed, hearing his stomach rumble. He was hungry, but he wasn't going to eat. One, because his tummy wasn't as flat as it used to be, and two, because he frankly did not care if his body wanted food. It was barely even to the point where it got painful, so eating wasn't really a top priority for Peter. However, it looked like he would be eating tonight, or maybe pretending to eat, because he wasn't allowed to get out of dinner. Mister Stark had said it was special, although Peter couldn't figure out what exactly would be special about it. But, at 6:30, the brunette trudged down the hallway to the dining room.

"Oh, Peter, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Mister Stark gestured to a tall, blond teenager, who had a slice of pizza in his hand. "Meet Harley. Harley, Peter." Both boys stared at each other, Harley seemingly frozen in time, while Peter just looked uncomfortable and mildly upset.

"Oh." Peter ran off, escaping back to his room. He locked the door, then locked himself in the bathroom. He could feel the tears coming, his head feeling hot with a mix of strong emotions. Was Mister Stark trying to replace him? Was Peter not good enough?

nobody loves me

The razor blades once again taunted the brunette, almost sparkling under the fluorescent bathroom lights. Peter stared at the sharp piece, eyes focused. No, he couldn't... someone would find out for sure. But on the other hand...

~

"...Meet Harley. Harley, Peter."

Harley's eyes landed on the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. He froze, completely lost in thought, staring at Peter with longing in his eyes.

"Oh." Suddenly, the brunette made a run for it, startling Harley out of his trance.

"Wait!" He lunged after the boy, but Peter was already out of sight. Harley sighed, frowning. Did he do something wrong?

"Sorry, kid, I don't know what got into him. I'll go check on him later." Tony waved it off, grabbing a slice of pizza. Harley didn't answer, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Hey, wait." Tony turned around, eyebrows raised in question. "What if I went to check on him? Maybe I could reintroduce myself?" Harley suggested. The billionaire seemed to think about it for a minute, shrugging.

"Yeah, sure. If something goes wrong, just let me know. His room is across the hall from yours." Tony turned back to his pizza, chatting with the other Avengers. Harley nibbled on his pizza, lost in thoughts of the strange boy.

love me some parley so that's being added :)