Chapter 4
Peter, the girl who turned out to be the MJ of this universe and the boy called Ned guided the other Peters and Harry to the lab. It all looked different from the Midtown High Harry was used to. Teenage Peter put the broken devices on a table. “We need to cure Connors, Dillon, Marko and Harry’s dad.” Harry nervously looked at the floor and tried to hide his blushing cheeks. He was still ashamed of his father’s actions.
“I’ll make the cure for Connors. It’s no big deal. I’ve already cured him once”, the other Peter said which caused everybody to stare at him. “What?”
Peter cleared his throat. “I think I could do the cure for Norman. I often thought about it …”
“I’ll help you”, Harry said. “And please, can you guys get nicknames or something? It’s really confusing.”
“Peter 1.” MJ pointed at her boyfriend. “Peter 2.” She pointed at Peter. “And Peter 3.” She pointed at the other Peter.
Harry and Peter grabbed some chemicals, test tubes and safety goggles.
“What did you mean when you said you often thought about a cure?”, Harry asked.
“I, uhm, I thought if I would have been able to cure your dad instead of him dying, it would’ve prevented what happened between us”, Peter explained but Harry had the feeling he didn’t tell the whole truth. Some aspects were missing.
“I’m sorry, Pete. I’m sorry about everything. I only learned the truth some hours ago. Okay, this sounds weird since you’re in your late thirties or something but for me, it’s been a few hours since Bernard told me everything. And I was on the way to help you save MJ. I wanted to make up for how I treated you. God, I’m so ashamed of myself.”
“I forgive you, Harry. I forgave you years ago when … doesn’t matter.” Peter’s eyes darkened for a few seconds.
“What happened that night? Did we save MJ?”, Harry asked. He needed to know.
“Yeah, we saved her, and we killed Brock.”
Harry knew Peter left something out. Something that had to do with him. Peter had aged but he didn’t. And the way Peter’s eyes darkened … Harry was sure to know what Peter didn’t tell him.
Harry was pretty sure he died in the fight.
The realisation hit him like a punch in the stomach. He died. Harry didn’t know what he would have expected but he hadn’t even considered dying as a possible option. He had only hoped that after having saved MJ, Peter would agree to try being with him again.
Maybe it wasn’t too bad if it went that way. What did he even have to stay alive for? A company he didn’t want and an old butler.
But who knew what was about to happen in this universe?
Harry helped Peter with the experiment and broke the silence between them. “Did you find someone who’s worthy of you?”
“You were worthy of me”, Peter made clear.
Harry shook his head. “I wasn’t. I wanted to kill you. You deserve someone who treats you right. What about MJ?”
“We’re friends but I know she likes me more than a friend.”
“What about you?”
“It’s complicated”, Peter cut him off and Harry understood that Peter didn’t want to talk about that topic any further.
The cure for Norman was finished.
“Do you think it will work?”, Harry asked anxiously.
“I hope so.”
“If it works, does that mean we’ll still be in a relationship once we’re back home? Will I age as well? Would you even want to be with me again?”
“Of course, I would. I miss you, Harry”, Peter assured him. “Don’t you remember that I promised you to love you forever?”
Of course, Harry remembered it. How could he forget it?
Harry has had a really bad fight with his dad and stormed out of the mansion. He couldn’t bear staying there any longer, but he didn’t know where else to go. He didn’t want to be a burden for Peter, and he knew he couldn’t stay at MJ’s house. So, Harry wandered through the streets of New York, hoping to find a place where he could stay the night.
Harry found a bench under some trees and decided to sit down. He was tired from walking and a break was a good idea to think about what to do next. But his ringing phone interrupted his thoughts. It was Peter. So, Harry picked up the call.
“Harry?”, Peter asked.
“Yeah, what’s up?”, Harry said and tried to sound as normal as possible.
“You didn’t answer my calls. I just wanted to check on you. Are you okay?”
Hearing Peter’s voice made Harry want to cry again. Peter actually cared about him. “I’m fine”, he said but as he heard his own voice cracking, he knew Peter wouldn’t believe him.
“Hey, what happened? Where are you?”, Peter asked worriedly.
“I had a fight with my dad, and I don’t know where I am. I just wanted to get out of there.”
“Can you send me a photo of what you can see in front of you? I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I don’t want to be a burden for you, Pete”, Harry sniffled but did as he was told.
“You’re not a burden. I want you to know that. You’re a blessing, not a burden”, Peter stated. “I’ll be right there.”
As Peter ended the call, Harry couldn’t help but smile. Peter was there for him. Peter cared about and loved him. Peter was his real home.
It didn’t take long for Peter to arrive. As he approached the bench, he eyed Harry in concern and looked for any physical signs of hurt. Then he wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him closer. “What happened?”
“He yelled at me that I’m the problem. It’s my fault that the private schools didn’t accept me and it’s my fault that I’m not successful. He said I’ll be an embarrassment for the company and-“ Harry had to pause because sobs interrupted what he was saying. Peter pulled him closer, and he snuggled up to him.
“That’s not true. It’s bullshit. He is the problem. He and his horrible parenting skills. If he wants you to be successful, he should’ve been there for you.” Peter could feel the anger rising in his chest. He hated and worshipped Norman Osborn at the same time. He stroked some streaks of hair out of Harry’s face and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
“I think he might even regret my birth”, Harry whispered, and Peter’s heart broke into pieces. “How can you love me?”
“How could I not love you?” Peter kissed Harry’s nose. “You’re the most wonderful human being this world has to offer. I will love you forever, Harry.”
A mix of vulnerability and hope was visible in Harry’s eyes as he looked up to Peter. “Promised?”
“Promised.” Peter smiled and kissed the last tears on Harry’s cheeks away.
But before Harry could respond to Peter’s question, Peter 1 interrupted them. “I’m finished.”
“Me too”, Peter 3 said.
“Us as well”, Peter informed them.
“So, what’s the plan?”, Harry asked.
“We lure them someplace and while they’re trying to kill us, we cure them and send them home, right?”, Peter 3 summarised.
“And use a magic box”, Peter added.
“What?”, Harry interrupted. “Magic magic like wizard magic?”
“Yep”, Peter 1 confirmed. “Sorcerers are real, by the way.”
“Sure. Totally normal”, Harry muttered. “How do we lure them and where do we lure them?”
“I thought of going live on the internet. I’m sure Jameson and the Bugle won’t hesitate to play it on their big screens in the whole city. I’d do it on the Statue of Liberty.”
“Sounds like a plan”, Peter 3 said.
Harry cleared his throat. “So, I think nobody will deny that my father is the most dangerous of all the villains which is why I will distract him so you can cure the others.”
“No!”, Peter immediately said.
Harry sighed. “Pete, he won’t seriously harm me. He’ll humiliate me or slap me, but I can deal with it. I’ve had years of training. I know him best.”
“Harry, please, it’s too dangerous.” Peter sighed in frustration and his eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want you to …” die again. But Peter couldn’t say it out loud. And he didn’t want Harry to know.
“Peter”, Peter 3 said and laid his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Harry’s right. He knows him best.” Peter 1, MJ and Ned nodded in agreement.
Harry gratefully looked at Peter 3. He needed to confront his father. He needed to sort things out with him. He needed to express all the anger and hate but also the sadness and grief his father’s death had brought over him.
Peter sighed. “Fine. Just be careful, all right?”
“I promise, Pete.”
“So, how do we get there?”, Peter 1 asked.
“We can portal there”, Ned said. “I’m magic.”
“What?”
“Dude, I’ve got Doctor Strange magic.”
“What?”
“He is magic”, Peter 3 confirmed.
“Let’s kick some ass then”, MJ said.
“Cure some ass”, Peter corrected, which made Harry laugh.
“Yeah, let’s cure some ass!”, MJ shouted.