Archive of Our Own

His dad left. He just up and LEFT them. Harley was young – too young for his mom to really think he could understand what was going on, meaning she lied to him about it and tried to make it look like his father wasn’t a complete jerk even though he definitely was. Too bad her son was too smart for his own good, even at the age of five.

The fights he always woke up to in the mornings made Harley’s head pound and he usually ended up with Abby curled close to his chest, whining about being woken up from her nap. But he was used to it. He was used to turning a blind eye on everything that had to do with his father being a jerk and his mother taking it the best she could without snapping at the world as a whole and crushing to the ground, boneless and lifeless. She did her best. It’s just that her best with Harley’s dad around… it just wasn’t good enough.

Sometimes he felt like Abby was his responsibility more than she was their parents’. Harley ended up comforting or playing with his baby sister more than he could count and his mother was always nowhere to be found. His father wasn’t even a factor when it came to the baby. Harley was actually surprised he managed to survive his years as a baby with how little attention he could see his sister was getting. He wished he could really help her, somehow, but he was just a kid himself and despite being smarter than the average kid, he was still a needy five-year-old that couldn’t do everything by himself.

And now his father left and his mom was trying to make it seem like he was going to come back. Harley’s brain knew what was going on and he was aware of the fact that he might actually never see his dad again, which wasn’t much of a problem, but it was something he still cringed at. His heart, though, seemed to ache and thrum with the hope that his dad would come back, happy and loving in a way he never has been. It was a stupid thing to hope for, but it was something.

You’d expect Harley’s mom would be more around her children now that her awful husband was away, but now she was always at work, in that diner. At first Harley believed her when she said they just needed the money because now she was the only one to provide for them. But then time went on and his mother almost seemed to be trying to avoid Abby and he the best she could. They were left to handle the world on their own while she busied herself with her work.

Apparently cruddy costumers were better than her own flesh and blood.

The only good side to all of this was that Harley had someone to share it with. He’d sometimes find himself sitting in bed, the lamp next to him shining brightly on his inner arm. Baby Abby would be in the crib, lulled to sleep and peacefully unaware of the horrible world around her, and his mom would be at work, scrubbing tables and serving strangers to wipe away those feelings she didn’t want to share with her family.

During those nights, Harley would take a pen and scribble three dots down on his arm, forming a little triangle. A few moments later there’d be a line under all of them, creating a smiley face Harley’s heart would warm up at the sight of. The first time he did it, he didn’t expect anything to happen. Soulmates usually waited until they were sixteen before starting to talk because the world sort of looked down at soulmates who knew each other beforehand, unless they didn’t choose to know each other and it was a coincidence.

But his soulmate did reply. More than once Harley wondered whether soulmates could share emotions, because sometimes he felt like he could stare at the smiley his soulmate had finished (yes, with a nose! Sue them!) and a burst of support and care would flow through him. He knew, realistically, that it was his own feeling, but he could dream about his soulmate helping him from afar. It was magical, how a simple line could make Harley’s heart that much lighter.

And after confirming that his soulmate would talk to him despite the world disapproving of that, Harley scribbled down the things he had to go through. His handwriting wasn’t the best since he was just learning how to spell words and how to draw the letters correctly, but his soulmate always seemed to understand and he (it was a he. They made sure of that at the beginning) always read what Harley had to say and tried to help without actually being her to support him.

His soulmate’s handwriting was a little better than Harley’s, but not by much, so they were probably born around the same time. His soulmate was from New York and he was an only child with two parents. He was smart, too. Smarter than Harley. At first Harley wanted to chalk it up to him being a little older than Harley, but he had to admit the boy was just a genius. If Harley was smart, his soulmate was a level above him. Or five levels above him, really. But he never gloated. Never tried to make Harley feel like he was stupid or a fool. He always tried to make it seem like they knew the same things, nothing more. It was nice of him to try and make Harley feel okay with it.

But the best thing his soulmate did, was that he actually took the time to hear Harley out. He didn’t complain about Harley blasting him with too much information or depressing him. He didn’t try and wriggle out of those conversations. He was there for Harley to pour his heart out and he collected the information and helped the best he could. Despite being smart, his soulmate was still just a boy, so he couldn’t do much and he wasn’t wise enough to give Harley any sort of advice, but him being there, listening and attentive was enough.

So Harley’s dad left. His life didn’t get instantly better. They didn’t really get that much worse, either, so that was surely a plus. But Harley had Abby and he had his brain and he had his soulmate, so he was going to be okay.

A few months after Harley’s dad left, his soulmate wrote to him, letters almost unreadable. Harley needed a minute to decipher the words his soulmate was trying to pass on to him. And when he did, his heart sank. Apparently there was a plane crash and his parents were on that plane. They both died. His soulmate was an orphan.

Harley was awake all night to comfort his soulmate the best he could while also keeping an eye on Abby who was a little sick and woke up all the time, crying her lungs out in her misery. It was hard and Harley wished his mom was home to actually do something about her daughter, but Harley managed. At least with Abby he did. He wasn’t so sure about his soulmate. He hoped he was doing well because he wanted the boy to feel better. And his soulmate said he was helping him a lot, but it still felt like he wasn’t quite doing the right thing.

And it didn’t end there. His soulmate was, justifiably, miserable for at least a month before he seemed to pull himself together and try and enjoy life again. He wrote to Harley every day, looking for someone he was familiar with to make things better. He said he lived with his uncle and aunt now and that they were really nice and he loved them, but they weren’t his parents. They never would be. He missed them. Harley didn’t really miss his father and he wasn’t sure what he was feeling towards his mother, but he assumed most kids would miss their parents once they died.

I wish you were here, His soulmate wrote one day when Harley was in school. He glanced up at his teacher and the other kids in the classroom to make sure no one was paying him in mind and then went right back to reading the words on his arm. I feel like people are trying to understand me but instead of putting themselves in my shoes, they’re all trying to put themselves in a dreamlike situation that’s similar to mine, but is also really, really different. ‘Cause they don’t really feel anything – they just know someone’s gone. It’s not the same.

Harley pressed his lips together and sighed. He looked out the window and rubbed his arm self-consciously. He wished he could fully understand his soulmate. He wished he could just know what to say to make him feel better. But they didn’t know each other that well, yet. They only knew surface-level things that didn’t tell Harley how his soulmate’s brain was operating. If he could read his mind maybe he could actually do something to improve the situation and relieve some of the grief and loss off his soulmate’s shoulders.

He picked up his pen and scribbled quickly, hiding the movement behind his pencil case so no one would be able to tell what he was doing. I wish I could be with you, too. He wrote and received a smiley from his soulmate – nose and all.

When Harley was eleven Tony Stark crashed his garage and acted like it was no big deal. Harley was awestruck, but also fairly certain that the man was supposedly dead. He was talking to a zombie. A corpse. He wished, for the first time in his life, that Tony Stark wasn’t Tony Stark. He wished he was his soulmate’s parents, coming back from the land of the dead with bright smiles and hugs waiting to be given to their son.

But no, it was definitely Tony Stark and not his soulmate’s dead parents, so Harley did what he could to help the man, because his life appeared to be about nothing other than helping others and getting nothing in return. Except for his soulmate – his mere presence was enough to lift up Harley’s spirits. It was like a sunshine cutting through a veil of clouds. It was magically comforting.

Okay, so maybe Harley did make Tony panic once or twice and made his breaths hitch like he was after a long, tiring jog. But he also pulled him out of those attacks and made sure he was alright and ready to continue. Tony didn’t act like it, but he was clearly thankful for Harley. And for once in his life, Harley felt like he could just be a kid and not be responsible for half the people he knew in this world. It felt like one adult in the whole wide world was finally doing his duty as an adult and seeing that Harley was, in fact, a kid and not someone who was supposed to handle everything on his own.

And then Tony left and let Harley keep an eye on his suit. Abby was luckily old enough to not always need him to supervise her, so Harley just made sure she wasn’t going to poison herself somehow and then went back to tending to the suit Tony’s left in his care for now. He watched the screen in front of him passively and then his eyes landed on a pen nearby. He grabbed it before he could even decide to what he wanted to do.

I’ll give you ten bucks if you can guess who just broke into my garage. Three guesses – go!

He waited for about four minutes before a tingling on his arm let him know his soulmate was finally free to write back. He pulled the sleeve of his shirt up – because they agreed to never write too close to the palm in case someone saw and told them not to contact each other anymore – and stared at the letters that appeared there, slowly but surely creating words which created sentences.

You’re on. Is it… Bob Odenkirk?

Harley stared at his hand. I don’t know who that is. One strike out of three.

He’s an actor. Okay, so not Bob Odenkirk. How about someone cooler – Darth Vader! It’s him, right? I know it is. It has to be him because who else would be rude enough to crash my soulmate’s garage. That’s just politeness 101. I’m right, right?

A chuckle escaped through Harley’s lips. Not even close. Try again. One last try, darling. Make it count.

There was a pause on the other hand as his soulmate really tried to think about it for a while but then the words came back. Your mom? Your sister? His soulmate seemed to hesitate. Was that out of line or was this an okay guess? I never know when it comes to dysfunctional families. Are you okay? Did I ruin our friendship forever? Are you never going to forgive me now??

Relax. It’s fine. And it really was fine. Harley didn’t like bringing his mom up in conversation with anyone, but his soulmate talking about her somehow felt like Harley himself was talking about her. Even if they had different things to say about her, his soulmate was a part of him. If he had something to say, he could say it. But no. I’m sorry, but you owe me ten bucks. I will give you a hint now – this person is dead.

His soulmate drew a blank smiley, the one with his eyes shut and his mouth in a straight line. Did you summon a ghost?! More importantly, did you summon a ghost without me?? I can’t believe you would betray my trust like that! Oh, the pain! I’m never going to recover from it, dots. Harley smiled at the nickname. At first his soulmate called him Dots as a tease, meant to mock his way of starting conversations with the same three dots. But over time it just stuck and now that was his name.

Harley shook his head fondly. Didn’t summon him. He just came on his own. Come on, try and guess again.

If I guess correctly, do I get my ten bucks back?

Sure.

His soulmate was quiet for a few moments, as if thinking seriously about what he was going to say. But then he wrote his answer. Walt Disney. One hundred percent him – guaranteed.

Harley burst out laughing. Ding ding ding! Wrong again! Wow, the smartest person I know but you can’t win a guessing game. Guess you can’t have it all. He wrote and could almost hear the amused huff of his soulmate coming all the way from New York. The correct answer would be Anthony Edward Stark, also known as Tony Stark, also known as

Iron-man!!!!! His soulmate cut him off excitedly. OH MY GOD YOU MET TONY STARK?! NO WAY!!!! Yeah, he was definitely over the top with this new information. Harley couldn’t blame him. Tony Stark was awesome. And he was HELPING him. That was like the cherry on top of the cake. And frosting. And whipped-cream. I actually met him once when he saved my life in the stark expo, but oh my god! Dots, you have GOT to get us to meet! I’m gonna give you all the ten bucks you ever want if you just grant me this one wish!!!!!

If only he could. But Tony Stark wasn’t even around anymore and Harley was fairly certain he won’t be back if he could help it. Meaning his time with the superhero himself has ended and he was just helping him from afar now. It was a shame, since for the first time in his life, Harley felt like there was an adult in his life that actually acted a little like a parent should. And now he was gone, even though Harley guilt-tripped him the best he could.

That’s a lot of ten bucks. He wrote eventually, unable to say anything else. His chest was heavy with the realization that Tony was really gone and he wasn’t coming back. Just another person that left him.

Tony kept in touch after all. At first there was the garage full of advanced tech and so many things Harley could mess with, all of it gifted to him by the mechanic. And then he noticed the phone number scribbled on the back of the card and his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he checked to see if it was the real deal.

It was. Tony Stark answered the phone on the second ring and opened with: “Took you three minutes longer than anticipated.” Then he mellowed down. “What’s up, kid? Still stuck at home with your sister? I’m alive, thank you for asking.”

So he was in contact with Tony Stark. His soulmate was so envious, he kept on asking about Tony Stark here and there, desperate to hear about his hero. Harley couldn’t even blame him. Had this been the other way around, Harley would have asked his soulmate all the time what was up with the billionaire. The playboy. The philanthropist. The mechanic.

So he answered his soulmate the best he could and even delivered a message to him from Tony once, though Tony had no idea it was his soulmate and just thought it was Harley’s friend. A regular, Internet friend. The man sent him an equation to solve when Harley said he was freakishly smart. His soulmate solved it immediately and Tony said he was impressed, which made Harley’s soulmate faint, probably, because he didn’t write anything for the rest of the day, too excited to concentrate all of his thoughts into actual words.

The best thing about this new situation was that for once there was someone on Harley’s corner that could HELP. His mom was basically out of the picture, but Tony noticed how much Harley struggled with taking care of his own life and his sister and assisted the best way he could.

He paid for whatever Harley needed, he helped with Harley’s homework whenever the boy needed help and didn’t have anyone to turn to (well, he had his soulmate, but he felt so stupid sometimes, he didn’t want his soulmate to think that about him, too). He even visited with Pepper from time to time, spending time with Harley and Abby like they were actually a part of the same family. And maybe they were. Maybe family had nothing to do with blood, after all.

“I’m going to be a superhero, too, one day.” Harley said one day. Tony was with him, taking apart the engine of a car to show Harley how it worked exactly. Harley watched with interest but mostly just daydreamed.

Tony hummed, too distracted to really pay attention. “Hand me over the screwdriver.”

Harley passed it to him and then continued. “I’m going to wear my own tin can and fly around and save people. You’re gonna be all worried and upset but secretly you’re going to be really proud of me and every time I get hurt, you’re gonna scold me and work with me to improve my suit and make sure it never happens again.” He said confidently.

“Yeah?” Tony took a step back from the engine and wiped his hands on his pants. Harley just grinned smugly at him when he turned to face him. “You know, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that your soulmate would be less than happy to hear that you wanna risk your life on a daily basis like that, kid.” He said and Harley rolled his eyes. “Oh, please, don’t believe me. But know this – you are not going to like his reaction to you getting hurt all the time. It feels like someone is trying to rip your soul in half. All the goddamn time.”

Suffice to say, Harley wasn’t convinced.

Harley was lying in the spacious bed in Avengers Tower, his eyes trained on the ceiling above him and his hands rubbing the fabric of the sheets underneath him as if it could distract him from everything he had to think about. Well, he didn’t HAVE to think about it, but he was thinking about it, so what could he possibly do, right?

See, his mom died in a car accident on her way to the diner one night and Harley and Abby’s father never really came back for them to make sure they had somewhere to go. His kids were homeless and he didn’t care. But someone did care. Tony heard the news, somehow, and showed in Tennessee in no time, Pepper in tow. They both hurried over the Harley and Abby, their faces showing how much they were sorry about what they had to go through.

Pepper went over to Abby and hugged her tightly, even though it took her a while to pry the girl off of Harley. And then Tony sat next to Harley and he told him they weren’t going to be left with no place to live because he managed to locate his father – the jerk – and made hm sign over the rights of guardianship over the kids to Tony and Pepper, meaning Tony could actually take them with him. It was the only good thing Harley could find in this darkness he was stuck in – he could now stay with Tony and Abby will have more people to take care of her constantly instead of only Harley.

Well, there was another good thing. He was going to move to New York, the city where his soulmate lived. They were going to breathe the same polluted air. They were going to be upset because of the same crazy traffic. They were going to cruse the same rude people and eat from the same food vendors. They were going to be so close to one another, it was a miracle Harley wasn’t jumping up and down in excitement at the prospect.

And he was going to tell his soulmate about it, he really was. But then his soulmate beat him to it and told him about this new development in his life – he was dating someone. A girl in his class. And Harley felt like breaking down all over again.

They never really talked about it – what they wanted from their relationship. Some soulmates were platonic, some were romantic. Others were matches that could have been great but ended up terrible, like his parents. And Harley knew it was his fault for never really saying anything, but he always wanted… he always thought… well, he assumed his soulmate wouldn’t wanna be with someone else. Then again, maybe that was just Harley projecting. Maybe his soulmate didn’t even like guys this way. Maybe he was completely straight and didn’t feel like dating Harley. He just saw him as his friend.

Well, after that Harley couldn’t tell his soulmate the truth, so he just congratulated him and ditched the conversation as quickly as possible. He knew it was probably suspicious because his soulmate kept on asking him if he was okay, but Harley just didn’t have the energy to reply. His soulmate was there to help after his mother died. Harley couldn’t really ask him to not date anyone, even if he didn’t feel anything, because Harley just couldn’t handle another heartbreaking reality.

“Har?”

He raised his head a little and saw Abby standing at the doorway, her eyes glancing around the big bedroom before locking on him. She looked uncomfortable. Harley just motioned for her to get in and Abby didn’t waste one moment. She just ran forward and jumped onto his bed, snuggling closer and closer to him, as if trying to make them into one person instead of two. Her head eventually rested on his stomach and she breathed in and out, her snotty nose making nose each time. It let Harley know she was alive.

She shifted a little and Harley winced when her elbow picked at his ribs. “I don’t wanna have my own room.” She whispered into his shirt. There was probably a sightly wet mark on it, shaped like her mouth. As someone who was covered in her puke, Harley just wasn’t bothered at all. “It’s too big. It’s too different.”

“I know.” He said, staring back at the ceiling. This time one of his hands brushed through her hair and the other held her tightly, like an awkward hug. “We can talk to Tony. He can probably get your bed to fit in here and then we’d share a room again.” She sniffed. “Would that be better?”

“Yes.”

He breathed in deep and Abby’s head lifted with his body and then fell down when he exhaled. His arm tingled again with a new message from his soulmate but he ignored it. He couldn’t deal with that right now. He couldn’t talk to his soulmate as if everything was alright when he wasn’t alright. He wasn’t alright at all and he didn’t know how to explain that to his soulmate without coming off as that awkward soulmate who wants something different that his soulmate can’t afford to give.

“You know, they say sometimes when soulmates have trouble with something and disagree with each other, they might look a little ill.” Tony said and turned around on the swivel chair he was sitting on at the lab. Harley was sitting on a table, his legs swinging back and forth, his arm itching from how much his soulmate was desperately trying to write to him without getting a reply and his eyes downcast.

He sure felt a little sick. It was like his entire body was weaker than usual. The energy was gone from his muscles and bones and he found himself just aimlessly staring at the hands in his lap, trying to ignore the familiar feeling of his skin being written on. He just wanted his soulmate to stop trying, but whoever he was – he was determined to get Harley to talk to him again. Even after Harley told him to stop – to just stop – his soulmate asked why, and when Harley didn’t reply, he kept on going.

Tony tapped his knuckled against the desk, next to Harley’s thigh, and observed him. “You’re only twelve, so you don’t actually talk to your soulmate, yet,” He assumed, and Harley wasn’t going to correct him. He wasn’t stupid enough to reveal the truth. The only one that knew about Harley’s conversations with his soulmate was Abby and she kept her mouth shut about it. “So I wonder how you two managed to not see eye to eye already. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me.”

“Well, I don’t ask you.” Harley snapped and then exhaled and closed his eyes. “Sorry.” He shook his head. “I just feel like shit – “

“Language.”

“ – Right now and I’m sick of thinking about it, but I also can’t STOP thinking about it, you know?” He let his head fall backwards and his eyes opened to stare at the blinding light of the workshop. “It’s like trying to not think about elephants after telling myself not to think about elephants. It’s impossible.” He closed them again. “I just want to live in a world where soulmates aren’t a thing. I mean, if there really is a multiverse, I bet there are plenty of worlds where we exist but we don’t live our lives with soulmates. We just all… find someone we get along with and we believe that’s enough. Because it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”

There was a shift and Harley looked back down to find Tony eyeing him suspiciously. “Okay…” He drawled out and then squinted his eyes at Harley. “You DIDN’T try to talk to your soulmate yet, right? Because let me tell you, when I was thirteen I tried it and Pepper wouldn’t have it. She ignored me until I was seventeen instead of fifteen just to punish me.”

“Isn’t she just a year younger than you?”

Tony waved a dismissive hand. “The point is, don’t try it – it’s no fun.” He said grimly and Harley grimaced before he quickly looked away. He didn’t have that problem, that’s for sure. His soulmate was eager to talk back to him. He never let Harley down when it came to making contact. Right now he was actually the one trying to reach out to Harley! And… Harley was doing exactly what Pepper did to Tony when they were kids. “So what is it really? What’s wrong? Do you know?”

He couldn’t tell him the truth without revealing to Tony that he was speaking to his soulmate despite what everyone had to say, so Harley just shook his head, pretending to have no clue what it was all about. Tony didn’t look like he believed him but instead of prying even more, he just threw a couple of parts at Harley.

“Alright, quit moping around. Be useful for a change, Keener. Build something.”

Dots? Dots dots dots dots dots dota dots! Hellooooooooo?? Is anybody home? Please, I’m sorry about whatever I did, I really am, but I can’t fix it if I don’t know what it is that bothers you. Wait, are you dead?? Is that it? Dots, tell me you’re not dead!! Pls, I’ll stop bothering you if you just tell me you’re alive. Well, I won’t really stop, but at least I won’t get on the first plane to Tennessee to make sure you’re not a corpse that gets messages from a dumb kid in Queens. Dotsssssss!!!!! I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysor

I'M ALIVE! Stop doing that – it’s annoying.

Where have you been?! What happened? Did something happen or was I out of line at some point? Did I do something wrong? Was I irritating? People tell me I’m irritating sometimes. I’m so sorry about whatever it is I did, dots. I swear, I never meant to hurt you or push you away.

I know.

Come on, you can’t tell me nothing’s wrong and then barely talk to me. I know people always say I’m oblivious, but I’m not THAT oblivious. Please tell me what going on, dots. I just want to fix it if I can. I miss you.

You can’t.

I don’t understand. Is it something I did? Just TELL me. Even if I can’t fix it, don’t you think I should know what it is so that I can learn not to do the same in the future?

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Don’t act like we’re never going to meet face to face. We both know we’ve been dreaming about it ever since we started talking. You can’t fool me, dots. And I can’t believe I’m going to be sixteen in three years, but I just don’t want to see you for the first time and then immediately piss you off somehow. You’re my best friend – you know that. Why are you trying to shut me out now?

Tony was right. Everyone was right. Soulmates shouldn’t talk too early. We should wait.

No, don’t do this. Don’t do this to me, dots, or I swear I’m gonna actually board that plane and find you right now. Dots? Dots! I’m walking to my computer. I’m stealing my aunt’s credit card. I’m getting a ticket to Tennessee. I’m trying to get Tony Stark’s number to ask him for your specific address. I’m dialing. Okay, it went to voicemail, but I’m still trying. I’m gonna check every address in Tennessee where there are two orphan children. I’m packing a backpack with everything I need. Do you think I should take six energy bars or should I just take the whole pack? The whole pack it is, thanks dots. I’m walking out the door. I’m running down th

Harley covered his arm and closed his eyes tightly. They were all right. Writing to his soulmate before they were sixteen was wrong. He shouldn’t have expected things to go smoothly for the two of them just because they were both so similar. Obviously, there were things they should have thought of beforehand and now Harley was hurt because his soulmate wasn’t interested in him in the same way he was and his soulmate was hurt because Harley couldn’t stand the thought of speaking to him again. It just felt like his chest was being cut open each time.

So he put the pen down and moved on.

The feeling of being sick never left him after that and Harley just got used to it. He also got used to the daily feeling of his soulmate writing things on his skin. Most days he managed not to peek at the words written there, the familiar handwriting waiting for his eyes only. Other days… well, he wasn’t strong enough to stop himself from looking.

And with his luck he somehow ended up reading the words of his enthusiastic soulmate that claimed he got bit by a spider and now had spider-powers. It wasn’t fresh – the words were smeared and were probably written a day or two before Harley saw them, but he was certain that was the gist of it. And he just gaped at that, feeling strangely like he was looking at something incredulous. He didn’t know how to digest that. Was his soulmate serious or was he just trying to make him finally talk to him by bringing up the weirdest thing that came to his mind? Both options sounded fitting enough for the boy he grew to know.

Abby thought he was stupid for ignoring his soulmate, berating him constantly and claiming he was making himself sick for no reason. He wanted to tell her it was ridiculous, but there was truth ringing in her words. He just didn’t know how to confront it, so he didn’t. Instead, he just kept on going through his gray days, his soulmate accompanying him every single day with those tingles on his arms.

Sometimes, maybe to annoy Harley, Abby would come to him and read what his soulmate had to say to herself before taking a pen and replying. Harley winced at the sharp feeling of the pain on his skin but didn’t really have the energy to stop her, and she always seemed to brighten up when his soulmate spoke to her, like she already liked him. And it sounded like his soulmate didn’t mind talking to her about anything, even though Harley himself wasn’t taking a part in those conversations.

Tony and Pepper noticed the change in Harley, too, and tried to get some answers from him, but he just said that he did, in fact, talk to his soulmate before. He said it didn’t go well and that now he was living with the consequences. Tony’s reaction to that was to lead him to the workshop where they could build whatever and pass the time, not thinking about soulmates at all. Only machines. Only building. Only Harley’s superhero suit that was growing and growing with every passing day.

At first Pepper put her foot down about never building that suit and allowing Harley to risk his life, but at his misery, she relented and let them work on it together, though she did make them take precaution. Tony, instead of building everything on his own, told Harley how to build things and then let the boy do it all on his own. It was probably to make it take more time than needed, but Harley didn’t mind. It was nice, working on something as complicated as a working iron-suit.

And then there was Spider-man. It didn’t take a genius to put together that Harley’s soulmate that had new, spider-powers, was Spider-man – the vigilante who swung around Queens, saving kittens and protecting people who went home from work like a guardian angel. Harley was really proud of him, even if every time he showed up on the news he felt this pang of bitterness spreading in his stomach and creating a pool there, replacing the bile.

Unfortunately, Tony was interested in Spider-man. He was VERY interested in him. He spent weeks in his workshop, trying to figure out who the guy was and why he was doing what he was doing. Harley just stood by and let him wonder because he didn’t want Tony to find out the truth. He didn’t want to meet his soulmate. He didn’t want to face the music, not yet.

In the end, he didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

Harley and Abby both left their homework happily when FRIDAY told them Tony wanted them to come to the workshop. Usually, Abby had nothing interesting to do there ‘cause she didn’t have the same interest in mechanics as Harley and Tony, but she was still glad to stop working on her homework, Harley assumed, so she practically skipped down the hall to the workshop, her legs barely touching the ground.

He heard her gasp of surprise and then the squeal of delight and arched an eyebrow. He had no idea what made her react this way. Well, he didn’t until he got to the workshop, too. There, standing next to Tony and pouring some kind of liquid from one flask to another, was a teenager wearing a Spider-man suit without the mask. It was so random, Harley found himself just speechless and motionless for a long moment, his eyes never leaving the teenager. A teenager in a spider-suit. It couldn’t be a coincidence, even though Harley wished it was.

Tugging at his hand, Abby bounced in her place on the balls of her feet. “Har, Har, that’s Spider-man! That’s him!” She whispered loudly. The boy in the room looked up at that, as did Tony, and the two of them took in the stunned Harley and the enthusiastic Abby. Tony beamed at them while the teen next to him shuffled awkwardly, suddenly looking sheepish. Though he did look a little excited at Abby’s reaction to seeing him.

“Ah, there you two are. Kids, this is Spider-man. Though maybe you should just call him Peter, because it would be weird if you always said Spider-man. Don’t you agree?” He glanced at the flustered boy next to him. “Let’s say you agree. We agree.”

Harley’s heart was pounding loudly in his chest, every single beat making him tremble in place. He took in the brown, curly hair of the boy and the warm, inviting eyes that seemed to emit kindness on their own. His face had this feature that Harley couldn’t pinpoint, but it made him look like a little child, wonder in his eyes. He was shorter than Harley even though he knew he was older by a few months.

His name was Peter. Harley wanted to sink into the ground, even if it meant going through all of the floors of the tower on his way down. He knew Tony kept on talking and that he was introducing Harley and Abby as his kids, not elaborating on it. But he wasn’t really listening. He was too engrossed in the urge to run, run, run away from here RIGHT THIS SECOND AND NEVER COME THE HELL BACK!

He blinked his eyes and realized Peter was looking at him with this strange look on his face. He started sweating. Was Peter aware of who Harley was? How many kids Tony Stark would take in, after all, right? It wasn’t a common thing. But Abby never did tell his soulmate that they now lived at the tower, respecting Harley’s boundaries to some degree. So maybe Peter didn’t figure it out?

No, he was probably looking at Harley this way because Harley was freaking staring at him like he’s just seen a ghost. Unlike Abby that hopped up and down in place, her face clear and open and happy, Harley knew he was pale and gawking and absolutely terrified to his very soul. He wondered whether Peter could feel it, too. But yeah, if anyone looked at him this way, Harley was pretty sure he would have looked at them like Peter was looking at him right now. It made sense.

And the worst thing was, Harley looked at Peter – Spider-man, his soulmate – and he knew without a doubt that he was never going to get over this crush of his. He was never going to look at his soulmate and not feel like he was staring at the person he was meant to be with, because the universe was cruel and decided he should be hopelessly in love with someone he didn’t stand a chance with. Haha, *insert curse word here* from the universe.

Harley forced himself to look for other things in Peter. Like, for example, his pale skin – paler than it probably should have been. And the bags under his eyes. There was even an aura around him that usually surrounded sick people. He was feeling just as bad as Harley because of everything that’s happened and he was still saving the city every day.

“Harley, are you okay?”

Tony’s voice snapped him out of his staring contest with Peter. He looked away from the boy. Vigilante. Soulmate. He looked away from HIM and then glanced at Abby and Tony. “I’ve gotta go.” He choked out and stormed out. He didn’t mean to storm out, but he was pretty sure that was the result. He could still hear the unfamiliar voice from the workshop – probably Peter’s – asking Tony, or maybe Abby, if he was okay.

No, he wasn’t.

Whenever Spider-man came to the tower, Harley left. Abby rolled her eyes at him but joined him most of the time to keep him company. Harley was pretty sure she wasn’t scolding him for being stupid solely because he was the one who took care of her for years. She told him that sometimes it made her feel like she owed him. He told her it wasn’t true, but didn’t push her away. He loved her company and wasn’t going to turn it down to prove a point.

Tony was less subtle about it. He kept on trying to get an answer from Harley as to why he was avoiding Peter when the boy hasn’t done anything to him. Harley kept his mouth shut, though, refusing to say anything. His heart did skip a beat when Tony told him once that Peter asked about him. He didn’t want to feel like that, but it warmed his entire body to hear that Peter took an interest in him, no matter what he told himself.

Pepper tried to talk to him, too, her bright eyes scanning him like she would be able to see right through him and cut him open without the use of a knife. She couldn’t really do it, but Harley still found it incredibly hard to lie to her. She seemed to always know when he was bluffing, so Harley could only pray she wouldn’t bug him about certain things because he wasn’t, under no circumstances, ready to tell Tony and Pepper that Spider-man – Tony’s beloved prodigy – was his soulmate. The one he's been ignoring for months now. Heck, it’s almost been a year.

But he knew his luck would run out eventually and that he would end up facing Peter at some point. He couldn’t avoid his soulmate forever, especially when that soulmate kept on showing up at his home by Tony because Tony loved him and Pepper loved him and even Abby loved him. Heck, they had dinner together once, which meant Harley stayed out even longer, munching on a stupid hot dog from a random vendor he came across.

It happened in a way he didn’t expect. It wasn’t at the tower. It wasn’t because Tony invited Peter. It wasn’t because of anything planned out. It was just Harley’s terrible luck. He just went out of a store, a bottle of chocolate milk in hand, when he noticed the five men eyeing him from across the street. Heart racing, Harley decided it was nothing and began to walk away but the men just followed him quickly, surrounding him from all sides. There was nobody else around to save him.

Not thinking straight, Harley turned to the nearest alley, attempting to escape. He tried to fish out his phone in order to call for help – why couldn’t he just finish his suit sooner?! – but in his hurry it slipped out of his hand. He didn’t stop to pick it up, too panicked to consider it. And then he was in a back alley that was also a dead end. He felt like he might just end up dead in here. When he turned around he found all five men standing there, grinning devilishly at him like they were hunting a slippery animal. Harley shivered.

One of the men – clearly the leader of this gang – demanded his wallet. Harley pursed his lips but didn’t object. He wasn’t particularly strong and he didn’t feel like testing his luck in a fist fight right now. After that, the man held his hand out for Harley’s watch. He tried to object and tell them it wasn’t really anything they’d want but they didn’t listen and pulled out a gun and four knives. Harley threw his watch at them. It was a Dora the Explorer watch – one Tony gave him as an inside joke. The man who caught it eyed it warily and then threw it over his shoulder.

Well, shit. Harley and Abby just shouldn’t ever get Dora the Explorer watches. Not with this track record, at least.

And then there was a thwip and Harley blinked when the gun was yanked out of the leader’s hand. The man blinked in confusion at his empty hand, the others looking just as surprised, before they all looked up. Harley followed their gazes and found himself staring at the white goggles of a familiar vigilante. His racing heart seemed to both calm down and speed up at the same time. Harley swallowed.

“Hey, guys. What’s up? Just another lovely evening of committing crime as a group of friends? Family?” He seemed to squint at them from his perch on top of the alley’s fence. “I can’t tell. You all look the same from up here. You know what? It doesn’t matter.” He flipped down from the wall to the ground, standing between Harley and his attackers. Harley stared at him, eyes wide. “I would’ve asked you to dance, I really would’ve, but you see, dancing with knives isn’t really my thing. Here, let me take care of that for ya.”

He was talking. So much. Harley stood there and admired the way Spider-man seemed to gracefully use his webs to remove the weapons from the scene. He webbed it all in a huddle to the wall, far above their heads, and the men all scowled at him and charged. Harley winced a little at each hit Spider-man delivered but he was really relieved Spider-man didn’t get hurt. He wasn’t even aware of the smile that crept onto his face during the whole thing. Not until he found himself with only Spider-man standing, the others stuck to the wall next to them, grumbling loudly.

Spider-man looked around before he nodded to himself. “Okay. Okay, I made it. Wow, can’t believe I did.” He shook his head and then his entire body seemed to shiver all the way to his feet. Harley’s expression hardened a little when the vigilante finally turned around to face him. His expression was unreadable through the mask so Harley didn’t know what to expect. “Nice watch.” He didn’t expect that.

Self-consciously, Harley bent down to pick up the discarded Dora the Explorer watch from the ground. It was a little cracked, but nothing major. He put it around his wrist and then lifted his gaze only to find Spider-man right next to him, way too close. “Whoa, what are you – “ He shut his mouth abruptly when Spider-man handed him his phone. The one he dropped earlier. Harley took it awkwardly. “T-thanks.”

“I’m gonna take us away from here. Just… hold on one moment.”

And before Harley could object, Spider-man grabbed him, his hold firm but gentle at the same time, and they launched into the air. Harley screamed for a solid minute before he decided this wasn’t THAT scary – more like a ride in the amusement park. He snapped his mouth shut and smiled at the amazing view of the city as Spider-man and he passed by quickly, zipping between the buildings and skyscrapers with cars and people below, unbothered by the force of gravity. Well, they did swoop down every single time, but it was part of the charm that was swinging around the city.

Eventually Spider-man landed on top of a building and let Harley stumble onto the rooftop, his legs a little shaky. Spider-man sent a look around and then pulled his mask off his face, revealing a flushed Peter. Harley looked away quickly. “I wanted to talk to you.” Peter said. Harley refused to look at him. After a few moments Peter seemed to realize that because he sighed and continued. “I asked Mr. Stark and I asked Ms. Potts, but they don’t know why you’re avoiding me – and I know you are. It’s just obvious. And your sister… I think she knows, but she won’t tell me. So I needed to talk to you. And then I saw you were in trouble from, like, all the way over that tower over there and I thought – well, might as well.”

Harley shifted a little. “Yeah. Uh… hm. Uh, thank you. For saving me and all that, you know.” He shrugged a little and his leg started tracing invisible patterns on the concrete.

“You’re welcome.” Peter said, though he sounded a little annoyed. “Will you PLEASE just tell me what I did to you? Do you just disagree with vigilantism? Because that I can get. I mean, my aunt doesn’t like Spider-man too much, either. She doesn’t know it’s me, but she doesn’t like it.” He took a step closer to Harley and the younger teen stumbled back blindly. Peter stopped. “I mean, is that it? Is that why you always go out to not run into me?”

He could lie and let him think that yes, Harley just didn’t like what Peter did as Spider-man. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t lie to him like that, right to his face. So he just shook his head and clenched and unclenched his fingers, his eyes trained on them as if they were the most incredible thing in the universe. They weren’t. That thing was standing right in front of him.

Peter blew out some air. “Why, then??” He asked, pressing more urgently. When Harley just shrugged, Peter scoffed and threw his hands in the air, which drew Harley’s attention and he finally looked at the other boy. And now that he was looking at him, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. “I’m so sick of people being upset with me without telling me what I did.” He stared right into Harley’s eyes. “Tell me. Please, I NEED to know. I’m gonna drive myself up a wall if you don’t, and I actually CAN climb walls.”

It was quiet for about forty seconds. Peter’s shoulders dropped and he pulled his mask back over his face. Harley’s heart clenched right along with his fingers.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” He muttered and then hopped off the edge. Harley moved closer to watch as Spider-man swung away. His movements were sharper than before, he was sure of it. And it was because of Harley. Everything Peter was struggling was Harley’s fault. He didn’t know what to do.

Curse Tony Stark and his sinister plans!

Harley glared a hole into the side of Tony’s brain, but the man didn’t seem to notice, too focused on telling Peter what to do to make sure Harley was safe. See, the suit was finally ready and since Tony needed to go to a meeting and couldn’t join Harley on his test round, he called Peter over to keep an eye on him and make sure Harley was safe.

Instead of saying anything, Harley observed from his place. Harley didn’t have his suit on, but he did have his web-shooters. He was standing in place, awfully rigid, and kept his eyes trained on Tony alone, not straying towards Harley even once. It was like he took the message that Harley didn’t want him around to heart. He just kept his distance and Harley was worried he’s just ruined their entire relationship forever. Whatever their relationship even was. He wanted one thing. Peter probably, clearly, wanted another. Honestly, there was no relationship to ruin.

Later on, after Tony was done with his warnings, Peter and Harley made their way to the training room, silently stepping forward alongside one another. When their arms brushed once, Peter pulled away like he was burned and stared up ahead, his jaw set into a straight line. Harley felt terrible.

And then they were facing each other in the room, both of them just standing there, not sure about what to do. Harley could see the anxiety in every one of Peter’s features. It was like he could read him better than he could read himself. It took them a long time before Harley took off in the suit. He was less than graceful and crashed into just about everything. Every time he found himself plummeting down, Peter caught him in his webs wordlessly. He had a little smirk on his face, like he enjoyed seeing Harley fail.

And so, it was on.

Harley did his best in all of their training sessions – Tony was busy a lot. Which was absolute bullshit and Harley knew it. This was all a scheme to get them in the same room together and solve whatever it was they were dealing with – to improve and get better. He learned to fly without falling down or losing his power. He learned to navigate. He learned how to avoid obstacles Peter threw at him half-heartedly.

And then Peter started sparring him, too. They weren’t evenly matched. Peter had a lot more experience and his instincts were naturally better than Harley’s. But Harley learned and got better and Peter’s attacks no longer hit him all the time but only sometimes. And he managed to land a few hits as well. He was so proud of himself and he was so frustrated and annoyed and angry and upset, he just let it all a little loose during those sparring sessions. Peter seemed to be doing the same.

“You’re not even trying to hit me!” Peter called after him once, his body swaying after Harley on his webs. Harley was in a weird mood that day. His soulmate – Peter – wrote to him all the time and last night he spoke to Abby through Harley. When their conversation was done Abby told him that he had to fix things with his soulmate. Harley tried to ignore her voice. “Come on, what’s the point if you’re just flying around?” He picked up a tennis ball from the ground with his webs and threw it at Harley. The boy dodged. “Stop evading and do something!”

“I don’t feel like it!” Harley called over his shoulder.

Peter threw another ball at him. This time a bigger one – a volleyball ball. Harley groaned when it hit him and faltered a little before regaining his balance in the air. “You know what?” Peter picked up another ball. Harley accelerated. “I think it’s not about training. I think you’re just trying to run away from something.”

“What are you? My therapist?”

“I think you’re trying to escape something and you use this training session to do it.” He threw the ball and Harley swirled in the air to try and dodge it, but it still hit his arm. He set his jaw and kept on flying. “I think you’re always running away from something because you’re afraid and you NEVER talk to people about it because it scares you. The question is, what are you running from, Harley Keener?” He threw three tennis balls at Harley again, one after the other. Harley shrieked and dove towards the ground before quickly pulling back up. He avoided the balls but his stomach was forgotten somewhere else behind him. “Are you running from school? Stress? A bad grade? Are you running from your past? Your future? Your present? Are you running from someone? A person? Is it Tony? Pepper? Your sister, maybe? Is it me??”

Harley dodged another volleyball ball and found himself flying too fast towards the wall. He cried in alarm and hit it, hard. His body seemed to shudder inside his suit before he began to fall down. “PETER!!!” He called and the boy quickly crossed the room and caught him mid-swing. He had a frown on his face, like Harley’s actions just confirmed whatever his theory was.

He set Harley on the ground and then let go of his web and landed in front of him, his face more serious than ever. “What did I ever do to you??” He asked, desperation in his voice. Harley flinched and his faceplate lifted up. He felt like his heart was hammering and cracking and shuttering at the betrayed and hurt expression of Peter. “I’m serious – what is it?? I really wanna know. Just lay it on me.”

Gulping, Harley shook his head.

“Come on, Harley. You can’t run away from everything forever. Just TELL ME.” He stepped forward sharply and put both his hands on Harley’s shoulders before the teen could step back and get away. He squeezed, maybe a little too hard. He did have enhanced strength. “Go on, spill it out. I’m not leaving this time until you tell what I did.” Harley kept quiet. “Harley, what is it?!”

“You dating that girl!”

Harley covered his mouth with both hands, blinked at the surprised Peter and then twisted sharply and freed himself from Peter’s hold. He turned his back on his soulmate and concentrated on breathing because he was most certainly NOT breathing right now, which was problematic since he was a human being and when human beings wanted to survive they needed to let air into their body. It was this crucial part of life.

Behind him he could hear the silence from Peter. It was almost alarming. Peter wasn’t this quiet. He usually was a lot more… talkative or twitchy. He wasn’t quiet or still. He just wasn’t. And then he spoke up, but his voice was quiet. Still annoyed, though. “I… You mean MJ?” He asked, sounding baffled. “The girl I went out with for, like, less than four days?” He huffed. “You didn’t know me back then. How is this relevant? How do you know about that?”

“Because…” Harley bit his lip and then closed his eyes and without turning back to Peter, he made his suit retract. He pulled up his sleeve and revealed the arm filled with messages from Peter. There was a gasp over his shoulder. The secret was out. “I did know you.”

He didn’t need to look at Peter. And he didn’t. He still heard the silence. Tense and dreadful and choking. He still heard that first step. Hesitant and small and scared. He still winced at the way Peter just ran out of there, leaving him all alone. Lonely and miserable and afraid.

He messed up.

When Peter didn’t show up for his next lab time with Tony, Harley explained to Pepper and Tony what happened. They were surprised at his revelation that he knew all this time that Peter was his soulmate, but mostly… they just kept quiet at his way of dealing with everything.

Abby snuggled close to him every night, as if trying to keep him company now that his hand was no longer tingling. Now that his soulmate was no longer interesting in writing to him anything else. Peter just pulled away and Harley didn’t know when he’ll come back, if he ever would.

So his days consisted of staying in his room doing nothing because Harley couldn’t concentrate on anything when he knew that his soulmate was somewhere out there, wanting nothing to do with him. He wished he had a way of knowing when Peter was ready to hear from him again, but without talking to him, Harley was as blind as… something blind. He was too engrossed in his drama to think about a proper allegory.

And then came Abby. Not like in the movie And Then Came Polly because Harley didn’t love his sister that way, but she did come to their room and hopped on Harley’s bed even though she had her own. She crossed her legs and stared at him with her wise eyes that shouldn’t have belonged to someone as young as her. Harley propped himself on his arms to look at her, his expression as blank as the days before.

“You’re pathetic.” She declared.

Harley’s lips twisted and he nodded at her once. “Thanks. I love you, too, sis.” He let his head drop again with a grunt and his eyes focused on the ceiling Abby put glow-in-the-dark stars up there but since the room wasn’t dark right now he could just see the yellowish stars staring at him, seemingly not special at all. “Do you need something or did you come here solely to let me know I’m a lame brother?”

She sighed theatrically. “You’re the opposite of lame. You’re Harley Keener. You’re the best big brother in the world. You’ve taken care of me ever since I was a baby all by yourself since you were five. You didn’t even break down when Dad left or when Mom died.” She shifted a little in place and Harley noticed her serious tone and lifted himself until he was sitting in front of her, mirroring her position. “You’re Harley Keener and you’re the coolest, smartest and kindest person I know.”

He took her in and then shook his head. “Are you high on something?” He asked. “Did you drink from Tony’s bottles??”

“I did, but not this time.”

“Abs!” He scolded, though it came out more as a laugh than anything else. Abby grinned and lifted her chin proudly. “He’s such a bad influence on you. I knew we shouldn’t have come here. Pepper’s cool and all, but Tony has corrupted you to your very soul.” His eyes unwillingly glanced down to her own bare hands. She never did contact her soulmate – so she was actually following the rules, for once. Harley couldn’t find it in himself to regret talking to Peter in the first place. They’ve been there for one another for years before he ruined everything.

Abby shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. The point is that you’re pathetic because you’re missing the point.” She pointed at his arm, where there were still faint words left by Peter from before he stopped writing. It was surprisingly hard to take down ink. Harley had the feeling people who produced ink did it purposely so, because that way people could remember their conversations with their soulmates. “Peter has been reaching out to you for months. He never gave up on you, not even once. Not even when his uncle was murdered and you weren’t there to help him through it.”

Wait. His face paled at once. “His uncle died?”

His sister rolled her eyes and scoffed. “See, that’s what I’m talking about! He’s been through a lot all on his own because you wouldn’t talk to him and he still tried to fix things. He reached out to you.” She waited but Harley just stared blankly at her. She leaned in, her palms pressed against the bedsheets. “HE reached out to YOU.” She emphasized.

Harley opened and closed his mouths a couple of times, not sure about what to say to that. Peter has been reaching out to him. He’s been constantly nagging him with his smooth handwriting and curly G’s. He kept on BEGGING for an explanation as to what happened and he never gave up on Harley. Not even when his uncle passed away. Murdered, Abby said. He Peter must have told her at some point. Probably when she used Harley as her canvas. Her phone to contact his soulmate.

Eventually, Abby leaned back and gave Harley a long look. “He did his part, Har.” She said. “And I think now he’s waiting for you to do yours.”

Why was his little sister so smart?

Harley went out to search for Spider-man every day, every chance he got. But he wasn’t out there. He considered giving up, but Abby was right. Peter never gave up on him before. Now it was Harley’s turn to show up. So he went out. Over and over again. He flew in his suit above the city and looked down for any flash of red and blue, but Spider-man hasn’t been seen by anyone ever since that fateful day in the training room.

Which led Harley to sneaking into Tony’s workshop when the man was busy with a conference Pepper made him attend against his will. So, just another Tuesday. Only it wasn’t a Tuesday. It was a Thursday. Harley tip-toed into the room, feeling awfully like he was stuck in an old spy movie. A lame one where the risks were pretty low and unthreatening. But he still kept on going.

Using Tonys computer and FRIDAY, Harley looked for Tony’s info on Peter. He skipped over the personal parts that he was pretty sure Peter didn’t reveal to Tony on his own accord and instead focused on the part where there was an address. In Queens. Harley wet his lips nervously and then copied the address to his phone. And then, remembering his run in with those five men a while back, he decided to also write it on a little note he shoved into his back pocket, just in case.

On his way out he noticed Abby walking by. Well, she was actually dancing away, like she couldn’t walk like a normal person – she had to make a show of it. She didn’t even notice Harley, but he felt like is his baby sister could feel so good today, maybe he could, too.

The elevator was busted, meaning Harley had to climb seven flights of stairs. He didn’t have a mirror, but he could tell that his face was as red as it could get and that he was sweating like crazy. But he still pushed forward and went down the hall to the right apartment. He glanced down at the note and at the screen of his phone, doubt checking he got the address right. Then he stopped in front of the door, shoved his phone into his back pocket and tried to smooth his hair. His hand came back down soaked with sweat.

Yep, just what he needed.

He tried to get his breath to not be so erratic but he was absolutely exhausted and he was terrified of seeing Peter again because who knew what his soulmate would do. What if they ended up like his parents? Always mad at each other, always upset? They would manage for a while but then drift away. One of them would leave forever and the other one would be too hollow to stay home and drown themselves in their work.

The sound of his knuckles knocking against the floor was the only thing that alerted Harley to the fact that he just KNOCKED ON THE FREAKING DOOR! He panicked and his absent movement but then the door opened and he was just about ready to bold right out of there. He wasn’t sure whether it was good or bad that the one who opened the door wasn’t Peter. It was a woman with brown, long hair and confused eyes. She looked at Harley with a polite smile.

“Yes?” She asked and when Harley just looked at her, she lifted an eyebrow at him. “Can I help you? Do you need something?”

Speak, you idiot! Harley coughed and it came out breathless. He was still out of breath after this absurd climb, then. “Hi. Sorry. I, uh…” He shuffled awkwardly and managed to glance over her shoulder. It was an ordinary living room. Nothing unusual. No Peter in sight. “Are you…” He trailed off and then began again. “Are you Peter’s aunt?”

She took a moment before she nodded. Her eyes seemed to take him in all over again, as if she was seeing him for the first time. A spark lit in her eyes and she smiled a little softer, stepping aside to let him get in. “Harley, right?” She asked and when he stared at her, eyes blown wide, she chuckled. “Here’s one thing I can tell you about my nephew – when he likes someone, he won’t stop talking about them. You came up a few times.” She said suggestively and Harley’s already red face turned even brighter. “And he described you to me. And tried to copy your accent so many times… it was actually good entertainment.”

Harley didn’t know where he should dig his own grave. Then ‘when’ part was obvious, though. “He what?” He asked weakly.

“Yeah,” Peter’s aunt smiled and shook her head fondly. “He was so frustrated when you didn’t even give him a chance, he came to me to complain. It was really sweet.” She pointed towards a hallway with closed rooms. “Second door to the right – that’s Peter’s room. He’s probably still sulking in there.”

“T-thanks.”

He glanced one last time at Peter’s nice aunt and then followed her instructions and stopped in front of Peter’s room. This time he was hyper aware of the way he lifted his hand to rasp his knuckles against the wooden door. There were a few thuds from the other side and then a yelp and a groan. Harley didn’t hear what he said, but Peter was clearly grumbling to himself.

“Not hungry!” Came Peter’s voice. From the living room, Peter’s aunt laughed. Harley just knocked again, his voice lost on him. “You’re… not May, are you?” Peter’s voice was a little more hesitant this time and then the door opened and Harley came face to face with Peter. The teenager looked at him with wide eyes. His hair was all messy, like he just got out of bed. His clothes were wrinkled and he had different-colored socks. Behind him, his room was a complete and utter mess. “Oh.”

Okay, that was a terrible idea. Harley opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again and instead of saying anything, he just turned around, prepared to leave, run away and never come back. But he didn’t even make one step. He imagined Abby, dancing around like she couldn’t imagine life messing with her, not even a little. She was so carefree. And she believed in him – she always did. It was time he believed in himself, too.

So Harley ignored the sweat and the awkwardness and everything else that was completely wrong with him right now and turned back to face Peter. There was a strange look of disappointment on his face that was quickly replaced by a wonderous smile, like he couldn’t quite believe Harley actually stayed after all. Frankly, Harley was just as surprised.

“I’m not… I’m not running away this time.” He said, and it was as much to himself as it was to Peter. His soulmate smiled and moved aside to let him enter his mess of a room. Harley didn’t really mind. That was what his house looked like, before he moved out of Tennessee. He was used to everything messy and out of order. And this was honestly low scale. Harley was still hesitant to enter the room, though, because he was still with this rocky relationship with Peter and this was Peter’s space.

He was allowing Harley in. Abby was right, huh? It was Harley’s turn to reach out and it looked like Peter’s been waiting for exactly that. Doesn’t mean his heart wasn’t beating like crazy in his exhausted chest.

From the living room, Peter’s aunt – May – called out for them to keep the door open. Harley felt the heat rushing to his face at her words but Peter just rolled his eyes and obeyed, keeping it wide open for her to be able to see and hear everything if she decided to come close. Harley didn’t know what to do with that. Was there anything he shouldn’t talk about where Peter’s aunt could hear them or was every subject approachable?

Clearly not as bothered as him, Peter just moved away from the door and sat on the chair next to his desk, his legs bending up so he could rest his chin on top of his knees. Harley just stood awkwardly in place, taking everything in. The computer that looked like pieces of scraps put together, the clothes thrown all over the floor, the unmade bed and the sheets of paper tossed all over it, the posters on the walls, showcasing that Peter loved Star Wars and the Avengers and lame science puns. This room… showed Harley who Peter was, in a way.

“You can take a seat.” Peter said after a few moments of silence. Harley’s body, itching to obey, nearly threw itself at the bed and he quickly composed himself, avoiding Peter’s eyes. He felt so out of his depth, he didn’t know where to begin or what to say or what Peter was expecting from him. Was he messing everything up already? Was there anything to save? Was his soulmate going to hate him forever or was it possible for Harley to make him see that Harley was just an idiot who didn’t know what he was doing?

So many uncertainties.

“I don’t…” He shuffled his feet awkwardly and stared at them. He winced a little when he nudged a T-shirt. What if Peter got mad? But of course he didn’t – it was just a T-shirt, and Peter was a nice human being who wouldn’t snap at someone for touching their clothes with their feet. “I don’t really know where to begin. I just came here on a whim. Kinda. Not exactly. Uh…” He shook his head. “Stop talking.” He berated himself quietly.

He was well aware of the fact that Peter had enhanced senses, though, and could probably hear his every heartbeat. This was a lot of pressure put on his shoulders, wasn’t it? He really needed to figure it all out and quickly. Peter shifted a little on his chair and gave him this long, assessing look, his brown eyes wide and earnest. He didn’t look upset – just curious and patient. He was giving Harley time, and if Harley knew his soulmate even a little, Peter was going to give him all the time in the world if he needed to.

For some reason, this only stressed him out even more.

Harley let his fingers fidget a little before he inhaled sharply and furrowed his brows. “I’m sorry I stopped talking to you without explaining anything.” He said eventually and Peter blinked, listening intently. “I was just… I don’t really have a good excuse that you could understand. I was being ridiculous and I jumped to conclusions and I… I don’t know, Abby always says that when I put my mind to something, I go through with it and no one can persuade me to do otherwise. I guess she was right.”

“She’s smart.” Peter said, finally pitching in. He had this small smile on his face that made Harley’s tense muscles to relax a little. He couldn’t explain it, but something in Peter made him feel safe and secure despite the last few months. He hesitated before smiling back at him. “You can definitely see she’s your sister.” He bobbed his head as if agreeing with himself.

Harley’s lips twisted but he tried to hide the pride he felt. Then he sobered up. He needed to explain things now, not chat with Peter about Abby, even if this line of conversation was much more pleasant. “We started talking when we were really young even though everyone said it wasn’t a good idea and it’s kind of the Status Quo to not reach out to your soulmate until you’re sixteen.” He said and Peter’s smile fainted a bit as he nodded. “And since we knew each other for such a long time, we never really talked about…” He hoped his face wasn’t burning up, but from the feeling in his cheeks, he was beyond that point already. “You know, about what we actually wanted this to be.”

“This?”

“You know what I mean!”

Braving a glance up, Harley looked at Peter as he grinned in amusement. The jerk! “Yeah, I know what you mean.” He pressed his lips together for a moment and then leaned back in his chair. It creaked a little but otherwise the room was quiet. “I figured that was it. Not because anyone told me – I just added the pieces together in the last few days. You did say it was because I dated MJ.”

Harley looked away again.

It was quiet for a few moments and then Harley blinked in surprise when Peter’s chair squeaked again before a weight weighed on the bed in the space next to him. He went completely still for a moment or two before he glanced sideways and found Peter sitting there, looking comfortable on his own bed, right next to Harley. His legs were crossed underneath him on the bed, his eyes trained directly on Harley. He was smiling softly, reminding Harley a lot of people who tried not to scare terrified animals away.

He nudged his side gently. “We could talk about it.” He said and when Harley just sort of gawked at him, Peter nodded encouragingly. “We probably really should. Because I’m not letting you quit talking to me again. That’s not an option, Dots.” He said, voice almost coming out as a whisper at the nickname. Harley couldn’t help but smile a little. “What DO you want us to be?”

“Soulmates.”

Peter fixed him with a flat glare. “Elaborate, please.”

Harley shifted nervously next to Peter and flinched a little away when his shoulder accidently brushed against his. Peter didn’t seem to mind, though. “How come you’re not upset with me right now?” He asked eventually. It wasn’t the answer Peter was expecting, but it clearly didn’t surprise his soulmate, either. “I thought you’d be more… I don’t know… pissed? Annoyed? Angry? You seem fine.”

“I was upset.” Peter said simply and shrugged. “It’s why I left. But then I had some time to think about it and figure everything out. I guess I just… I can relate? Or at least understand you. To some degree.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Don’t get me wrong, it really hurt to be ignored, both as your soulmate and just me,” He nudged him again when Harley looked down in shame. “But you’re here. Which means we can work it out together.” He straightened up at Harley’s hopeful smile and his own grin brightened. “Alright, back to our previous subject – what do you want?”

Oh, yeah. That. Harley’s lips tugged down in discomfort. “I don’t know.” He lied and he could tell Peter knew it as well. He didn’t budge, though. “What about you?”

Peter had this crooked smile on his face, like he couldn’t believe Harley actually needed to ask that question in the first place. For a fearful moment Harley was worried Peter will refuse to answer, too. But then Peter sighed and rolled his eyes, as if answering this question would take a lot out of him. “We have two real options, right?”

“I mean, we have plenty. We could be the kind of soulmates who never see each other. Or the kind of soulmates who fight all the time. Or the kind of soulmates that walk on this fine line between hatred and love, because they really are pretty close, aren’t they? I should know – my father practically wanted to tear my mom to shreds every single day of the week – one thing I could have lived without remembering, to be honest.”

Snorting, Peter waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. “Nope. We’re not doing any of those.” He stated casually and Harley just sat there, his brain yelling at his lips to stop smiling like an idiot. “It’s either we’re platonic soulmates – but best friends, because how could we not be?” He grinned happily and Harley ducked his head. “Or,” Harley’s eyes widened a little when Peter’s hand grabbed his, squeezing just enough to make his heart race again. He was still sweating! Now he was probably going to sweat even more!! “Romantic soulmates.”

The room fell silent. Harley didn’t have super enhanced hearing like Peter did, but even he could swear his heartbeats were loud enough for him to be able to hear them. And I he could hear them, there was no way Peter couldn’t. Yet Peter didn’t look like he minded too much. He just looked at Harley, his hand still holding his. It was surreal. They were holding hands after months of avoidance and fear and anger and frustrations. Mostly from Harley.

Their eyes locked.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Harley asked, his voice not raising above a terrified whisper.

Peter squinted his eyes at him. “What, you think you’re the only one who’s nervous?” He huffed, keeping his voice just as low as Harley’s. “I’m a few months older than you – not a magical being that knows the answers to every question about the universe. Give me a break.”

Harley glanced down at their joined hands again. Peter did the same a moment later and gulped audibly. “But you know what I want! Otherwise why would I be freaked out by this whole… what’s-her-name thing??” He noted.

There was a beat. “Her name’s MJ.” Peter shifted on the bed a little before he sighed. “And I don’t know, I made a wild guess about your motived. I never actually confirmed them or anything.” He widened his eyes at Harley. “What if I’m wrong, huh?”

“You’re not wrong.”

“But I could be.”

“But you’re not.” Harley pressed.

“You don’t even know what my guess is!” Peter objected

Then he shut his mouth when Harley just stared at him, eyes wide and earnest and open, as if trying to tell him that it was okay. Because it was. Harley had a hard time trusting people after what happened to him with his parents, but Peter’s been there all this time. It was like this realization just dawned on him right this second, making it so very obvious that the boy holding his hand was the same one who tried to cheer him up almost every day when life was cruel and seemed hopeless.

Other than Abby, Peter was his main constant in life. Even after he stopped talking to him, Peter never stopped. He was still there, ready to hear from Harley even though Harley didn’t believe there was anything left to talk about. He knew about Harley’s fears and still stayed. He knew about Harley’s family and terrible luck and still stayed. He knew EVERYTHING Harley tried to keep from most other people and he still stayed. So if Harley couldn’t count on Peter to not tear him apart with one choice, he probably couldn’t count on anyone.

He didn’t want this kind of life. So Harley decided to take a leap of faith and try and trust his soulmate. Whatever Peter’s preference is, at least Harley would know for sure and they’d be able to work together to find their footing. But it wasn’t all on solely one of them. They were soulmates – they were in this together. Harley had to remember that.

Peter bit his lip and then bowed his head a little, his curls falling into his eyes. Harley felt restless by the time Peter glanced back up at him. “I think we want the same thing, then.” He said, much less frantic than before. Harley released the breath he had trapped in his chest and a weight lifted off his shoulders. Peter smiled at him.

And then Harley pulled his hand out of Peter’s hold and wiped his palm on his pants. “Okay, this is really amazing and heartwarming and whatnot, but I’m still very much awkward and sweaty after climbing those seven freaking floors. Why the heck is your elevator not working?”

Peter blinked at him and then laughed.

And of course Abby was right – Harley needed to contact his soulmate and he needed to reach out to him this time around instead of waiting for Peter to make the first move. But, well, Abby was only smart because Harley was the one who taught her everything she knew. Obviously.