Use Me (Save Me)

Peter Parker didn't want to be here. He'd been dragged along to this stupid party by his best friend, Gwen Stacy. She'd brought her girlfriend, Laurel Ammadeio, with her, but neither had wanted to be alone. Two lone lesbians at a high school house party drew too much unwanted attention. Gwen had convinced Peter that the couple needed a protector for the night, but he was 90% sure she'd just wanted to get him out of the house. 

Almost immediately, he'd lost them. It wasn't easy to keep track of two petite young women who were already on the wild side! And anyways, he wasn't making a concerted effort to find them; in fact, he wasn't even with the majority of the people!

Peter had wandered upstairs, not particularly wanting to be around the group of 10 who were snorting coke off the coffee table or the straight couples having very audible sex in the pool out back.

On top of that, there was just... Too many people! Ever since he'd been bitten, his senses had been dialed all the way up, plus some! He'd already had problems with overstimulation before because of his ADHD, but now it was even worse. Sometimes you just need to find a nice quiet corner and let yourself escape for a while.

As he wandered, he couldn't help but wonder... Having a lesbian best friend in a committed relationship with another girl made him think about his own first relationship. He wondered how Harry was doing. He'd never really understood why they'd drifted apart. It just felt like one day he was there, in love, experiencing new things and feelings neither boy had felt before, and the next he wanted nothing to do with Peter! 

He'd tried to move on, yes, but nothing had ever lasted. Peter knew it was because his heart was still being held tightly by someone else. Harry really was extraordinary. No one could ever hold a candle to how wonderful he'd made Peter feel, even if they hadn't lasted. 

Peter sighed and slid down the wall, taking out his phone to text Gwen. As he unlocked it though, he felt a massive tingle run up his spine. Goosebumps rose on his arms and his whole body shuddered. He raised his head and looked around. Something had made his spidey-sense flip to overdrive! 

Peter put his phone back in his pocket and stood up, keeping one hand on the wall in case something else made his spine shake. He closed his eyes to listen and started filtering through all the audio input his oversensitive senses were throwing at him. 

He turned his head to the right and took a tentative step forward, letting the tingly feeling at the back of his neck lead him through the maze of upstairs hallways. He kept his eyes closed, brows furrowed as he extended every sense he could to lead him to whatever was wrong. If something bad was happening, he owed it to himself and whoever needed help to do everything he could for them. He paused for a half second, letting himself smile ruefully. He really was a hero, wasn't he?

He continued to walk around the top floor, keeping his fingertips pressed against the wall. As he drew closer to one hallway, he felt his heart begin to race and the tingle increased. He turned down that hallway and let his senses guide him to one particular door. 

His eyes flicked open and he stared at the polished oak. He pressed one ear to the wood and willed the blood pounding in his ears to stop and let him listen. 

Nothing... Nothing... Noth- There. It was barely audible, but it was definitely there. A faint moan, a quiet word, and something else. Click. Was that a camera? 

There was another moan, this one louder than the last, and something like, "Stop," being whispered over and over again. Peter shook his head. There's no way he couldn't get involved now! 

Peter slid his phone out of his pocket, turning it on and opening the camera app. He quickly flicked off the light that came on as he started recording. Very slowly, he grasped the door handle and gently turned it, not wanting to scare off whoever was inside. He'd rather catch them red-handed than have a he-said/she-said situation on his hands. But he knew that something was definitely wrong here.

He cracked the door open and slid his phone inside the crack. He almost withdrew in embarrassment as he saw a boy and a girl on the bed together. She was scantily clad, straddling his waist, with her hands in his hair, pulling sharply at the short brown strands, and kissing up and down his neck and throat. Peter unconsciously wrinkled his nose as he saw how she was pressing herself into the other kid, like she was trying to absorb him into her own body.

However, something stopped him from leaving. There was something strange about this but he couldn't quite- the boy wasn't moving. It hit him with the force of a semi truck. The boy wasn't moving! That wasn't how normal sexual interactions went! Then again, Peter didn't have any experience in that arena, but he knew enough to know that this was definitely wrong. 

Just then, a dark silhouette blocked his view of the couple before moving off to the side. Click and then a flash. It was a camera! But why-

And then Peter's world started crashing down around him. The next flash of the camera illuminated the figures on the bed. He didn't recognize the blonde girl, but he'd know that mousey brown hair anywhere. The way his bangs fell into his eyes, how his smile could light up his whole face, how his stunningly beautiful blue eyes could capture the heart of another young man and never let it go, he knew all of it like the back of his hand! 

But now he wasn't smiling. His face was scrunched up, his mouth open in a silent cry, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, which were screwed shut. He was whispering, "stop, stop, stop," which, Peter realized distantly, was what he'd heard from his spot in the hallway.

Peter didn't remember throwing the door open. He didn't remember dropping his phone or shooting a web at the lamp on the bedside table and propelling it directly into the girl's face. He didn't remember springing at the man with the camera or shoving him into the wall with enough force to leave a body-sized dent. He didn't remember any of it. 

He came back to himself almost as soon as he'd left, standing in the middle of the room, breathing hard. He'd never felt as angry as he was right then in his entire life! He took a few steps towards his phone, picking it up and shutting the camera off.  He was almost irrationally angry, but he knew he couldn't be recording as he took care of the... situation.

The girl was laying on the floor, her arms over her head. The man, who was still clutching the camera, was slumped on his side. Peter stormed up to his prone form and snatched the camera from his grasp. He dropped it on the ground, then raised his heel and brought it down over and over until all that was left was a pile of wires and metal. 

He webbed both of them up, before dragging them closer to each other and webbing them together. Then, slowly, after making sure his phone was not recording, he turned to the boy still laying on the bed.

"Harry," he whispered. His voice was shaking as he made his way to the other's side. "Harry, oh my-" he had to stop and swallow back a sob. This was never supposed to happen.

He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, very gently brushing Harry's bangs out of his eyes. He wanted to scream as he saw him flinch and try to turn his head away from Peter's hand. His eyes, those beautiful eyes that Peter could never get out of his head, were open, but there was no recognition in them. Peter doubted that he even knew where he was, let alone recognize who was trying to touch him!

He shot the two people on the ground rage-filled glares, wishing he could get up and beat them senseless. He wanted to, oh how he wanted to, but he knew he couldn't. The police would take care of them, he'd see to that. 

He turned back to Harry, wanting nothing more than to scoop him into his arms and hold him close, protect him from everything the world had to throw at them. But that was impossible right now. 

Peter stood from his spot on the bed and gently reached over Harry's body, grabbing the other side of his unbuttoned shirt. Quickly but gently, trying his best to ignore the other's distressed cries, he worked his way up the buttons, covering Harry's chest. He really really didn't want to see, but he had to look down at his waist eventually. His belt and the zipper on his skinny jeans were undone, but it didn't look like those animals had gotten any farther than that. With the way that girl had been grinding down on him, he was surprised. 

He released a sigh of air he didn't know he'd been holding. If they had gone that far, if they had dared to touch him- Peter wasn't sure if even God could stay his hand from ripping them apart himself. He knew he could and the temptation was increasing with every passing second.

He knelt down next to the bed, resting his head on his arms. He wanted to reach out and grab Harry's hand but he didn't know if he could just yet. Instead, he just started talking. 

If you'd asked him what he said in those minutes? Hours? He would say he didn't know. That wasn't the truth. In that small, second-story room, filled with demons just waiting to pounce from every shadow, Peter Parker spilled his entire heart and soul to Harry Osborn. 

He told him that he loved him over and over, that he would always come back to him, that nothing could stop him from loving him. He'd whispered sweet nothings, reassurances of safety, anything he thought of, just to fill the silence with his voice. 

He wasn't sure how long he'd been kneeling there, but he'd cried and those tears had dried, only to be replaced with fresh ones in a seemingly endless loop. 

Sometime, Peter wasn't sure when, he heard movement behind him. He looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowed and lips curled.  The girl was stirring.  

"W-what-" she muttered, "What's going on?" It didn't take long for her to realize that Peter was there. "Who are you? What did you do to me?" He couldn't help but think how annoying her voice was. She sounded like every stereotypical teenage girl ever, high pitched and entitled. A true Karen in the making. "Do you know who I am? Untie me, right now! I demand that you-"

Without a moment's hesitation, he shot two rapid-fire webs to cover her eyes and mouth. Her head shop back from the force and smacked the wall behind her. Peter closed his eyes and ground his teeth together. He wanted to cover her nose and let her suffocate so badly... He took a moment to congratulate himself on how well he was holding himself back. The resounding thump of her head had felt good.

He quickly did the same to the man with the camera, covering his eyes and mouth so he couldn't see or speak. He couldn't deal with them just yet.

Peter turned his attention back to Harry, deciding to pretend that two bodies weren't currently occupying the same room. He was talking about something random, interspersed with little "I love you's" here and there, when he heard a tiny whisper. 

"Peter..."

He sat up, his head whipping around to look at Harry's face. "Harry," he said, the desperation he was feeling becoming evident in his voice, "Harry, oh thank heavens. Are you alright? What's hurting? Do you need anything? What do you want me to do?"

Harry tried lifting his head, but he couldn't seem to muster the energy. His eyes were still leaking tears, but Peter didn't know if they were from pain, trauma, or something else. From the light of the hall reflecting on his irises, Peter thought they almost looked silver. He was so beautiful- 

Peter got up from the ground and sat next to him again, hesitating before slipping his hand into Harry's limp one. He squeezed tightly, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. It was very very light, but he felt the responding squeeze. 

"Harry," he breathed. It was all he could bring himself to say right then. Carefully, he lifted Harry's upper body into his lap, noticing how his eye lids were fluttering as he fought to remain conscious. 

"Hey, hey," Peter said, "It's ok. Don't stress yourself out, Har. Let yourself rest. You're ok. I'm going to leave you with my friend for a few minutes so I can take care of those people." He tried, but he couldn't hide the disgust seeping into his words. 

Harry seemed to have used all his energy by that point, unable to even nod. But he looked up at Peter, dead in the eyes, and told him without using words that he trusted him. 

Peter leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead. "You'll be ok, Har," he whispered, "I promise you that everything will be ok." But Harry was already gone, his breathing evening out as he lost his last remains of strength and slipped into darkness. 

ಠ◡ಠ

Peter slipped his phone out as soon as he could and called Gwen. She picked up after a few rings, but it was so loud she couldn't make out anything Peter was saying. She gave up and texted him to just tell her what was happening. 

Spider-Gwen
Hey what's up? Can't hear u. Just text.

Spooders
I need you upstairs. It's an emergency.

Spider-Gwen 
Emergency, you say?

Spooders
Yes. Bring Laurel if you want, I just need you.

Spider-Gwen
Peter? What's going on, are you ok?

Spooders
I'm fine. But there's some spider related things I need to take care of. 

Spider-Gwen
I'm on my way. Give me a sec.

Only a few minutes later, he heard Gwen and her girlfriend calling for him from somewhere nearby. He called as loud as he dared, not wanting to wake Harry up. It was loud enough, apparently.

Gwen appeared in the doorway, casting a long shadow into the room. She took in the mess, from the shattered lamp, to the two bodies wrapped in spider web on the floor, to the unconscious boy Peter was cradling.

Her jaw dropped and Peter could tell the second she recognized who it was. "Oh my word, Peter, is that Harry Osborn??" 

Laurel seemingly appeared from thin air right behind her girlfriend, her almond-shaped eyes peering over Gwen's shoulder. "Who, now? What's going on?"

Gwen squealed and recounted to her girlfriend the importance of the name Harry Osborn and the power he held over their friend. Peter let her go on for a moment before clearing his throat and whispering, "Gwen? Emergency, remember?"

She sobered up almost immediately, walking to his side and bending down to look at Harry's face. "What happened to him?" She asked, all business. 

Peter gave her a shortened version of the events of the night, leaving out some of the details but giving her the gist of it. When he finished, Laurel was crying but hiding it well, letting her long, dark hair fall over her coffee-colored skin to hide her face. Gwen, on the other hand, looked down at the two bodies near the wall, her lip curling with disgust. 

"Can I kick them?" She asked, "I really want to kick them. Or kill. That would work too."

Peter bit his lip. "I want you to kick them too. But-" he interjected, stopping Gwen mid swing, "The police will take care of them." He smiled at the groan and childish stomping that followed. 

"Fine," Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes, "Justice must be served, or whatever." 

Peter nodded. "I need you to stay with him while I go take care of these..." He grit his teeth and muttered, "These two animals."

Gwen and Laurel both nodded in sync. "We've got him, Peter. Go take care of what you need to."

Peter nodded, thankful for their conviction, but hesitated to get up. He didn't want to leave Harry's side. Carefully, he slid Harry off his lap and pressed one more kiss to his hairline before standing up and turning to the sons of devil's who'd dared to hurt the one person who held his heart so completely. 

Stepping out into the hallway, he quickly took off his jacket and blue jeans, leaving him in his Spider-Man attire. He took out his phone and called the police, introducing himself as Spider-Man and explaining that a friend of his had called him from a party saying that they needed help. He gave them the address and some basic details, before hanging up and reentering the room, pulling his mask over his head. 

Gwen and Laurel were curled up on either side of the unconscious Harry. Gwen had one arm around Laurel's shoulders, the other resting flat on Harry's chest, and had rested her head on the top of her girlfriend's. Laurel was curled close to Gwen, her eyes wet, with Harry's head in her lap. She was gently running her long fingers through his hair, every now and then stopping to wipe away a stray tear that slipped from the corner of his eye. 

Peter breathed a sigh. Harry was in good hands. He could do this. 

He turned to the two people he'd incapacitated earlier. His heart was heavy with rage as he picked up the large man who'd had the camera. 

"I'll be back soon." He said. Both girls nodded and gestured for him to go. 

"We'll be ok, Bug Boy," Gwen assured, "Just go make sure they pay for this."

He still hesitated at the door, everything in him telling him to drop the man and run back for Harry. But he couldn't do that. The police were already on their way and he had to have everything done before they got there!

He made his way to a balcony overlooking the pool and the backyard. There was a round patio not too far away from the window. He jumped up onto the balcony and attached a web to the man's back. He then lowered him onto the ground before springing down after him, landing neatly on his feet. 

Peter picked up the man again and walked him to the round patio, ignoring how silent it had gone and how many people were staring at him. 

"Hey guys!" He said brightly, "some friends of mine called a bit ago with a little bit of a predicament. I'm just cleaning it up for them, that's all!"

He jumped up onto the railing and webbed the guy to the ceiling, letting him hang there as he ensured the man wouldn't fall. 

Peter swung back up onto the balcony he'd jumped from and turned to face the awestruck crowd. "Also, I should probably mention this, the police are almost here so if any of you have any incriminating evidence you don't want found or any outstanding warrants for your arrest, I would suggest leaving now. Thanks folks!" He waved happily as pandemonium erupted among the party goers.

He ducked back inside and made his way back to the room to pick up the girl. He made quick work of her, webbing her up next to her partner in crime. 

As he slipped his jacket and pants back on, hurriedly stuffing his mask back into his pocket, he heard distant sirens growing closer to the house. 

Gwen and Laurel made room for him as he knelt beside the bed. Peter took Harry's hand and gave it a quick squeeze, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "I'll make this right, Har," he whispered, "I promise."

He stood, looking at Gwen. "Thanks," he said, trying to communicate his gratitude effectively with just the one word, "I'm going to go get help."

They both nodded their assent. "You didn't drink anything, right?" He heard Gwen whisper as he left. Laurel laughed a bit, answering that she hadn't and asking the same of Gwen. "Oh, I'm in trouble..." 

Peter smiled and shook his head. Of course. 

It only took a few more minutes for the police to arrive. They I got there before the ambulance and by that point, most of the party guests had evacuated at the speed of light. When they finally knocked, he was waiting on the bottom step for them. 

Peter let them in and took them up to the room, where Harry and the girls were waiting. One officer took a quick look at Harry, making sure there was nothing they could do until the paramedics arrived.

While they waited for the ambulance, which was still a few minutes out, one of the officers broke into conversation. "The call we got said Spider-Man was here," he said, "is he still around?" He sounded hopeful, with a little spark in his eye.

"Sorry," Peter said, "I think he left a few minutes ago." He hoped no one noticed how he zipped his jacket up a little bit tighter. 

"Oh, ok." The officer looked down, shuffling his feet. "It's just that it's my kid's birthday on Saturday and she loves him. I was just hoping I could get a signed card or something for her."

Peter ducked his head a little bit and smiled. "Uh, actually," he said, "I know him."

The officer's eyes widened and, if it had been possible, Peter could have sworn his pupils turned into hearts.

"Do you think you could get him to stop by for her party?" He asked, sounding like a little kid himself, "I can't imagine a more perfect gift for my little Sammy!"

Peter couldn't hide his smile now and assured him that he knew Spider-Man would do his best to be there. He snuck a peek over at Gwen, who had a rueful smile plastered on her face. 

Peter led them out to the backyard, showing them the work Spider-Man had done to the two people who'd orchestrated the crime. The two officers bundled the web-covered criminals into the back of their patrol car before taking down Peter's, Gwen's, and Laurel's statements. 

Soon after, the ambulance arrived and they loaded Harry into the back. They let Peter ride with them, after he'd explained their connection, and Gwen and Laurel followed in their car. 

A few hours later, with all three friends still at the hospital, the worst of the multi-drug machination was starting to wear off. 

Peter hadn't left Harry's side since the doctors said they could see him. They warned it was likely that he wouldn't be able to recall most or any of the events of that night. Peter hoped they were right. He didn't want Harry to have to remember any of it. 

They also said they couldn't understand how Harry wasn't in a coma at best and brain dead at worst. 

"The combination of all those drugs should have done some serious damage," one nurse told Peter, "but it's a miracle! We haven't detected any major abnormalities in his biological state!"

The only adverse side effects they were worried about was the damage to his lungs caused by a mixture of GHB and Rohypol. They had hopes that it would work itself out, but if it didn't and the difficulties persisted, then an inhaler should help to sort out any remaining issues.

Besides the effects of the drugs, Harry really only had a few minor injuries.  They were all superficial and would heal on their own.  The bruises left on his waist and down his neck wouldn't leave any lasting marks, but they made Peter's stomach churn every time he caught a glimpse of them. 

He was seated right next to the bedside, holding Harry's hand with one of his own and brushing the other's bangs out of his eyes when they inevitably fell every few seconds.

Gwen and Laurel were falling asleep on a chair in Harry's room, both girls curled close together. Gwen had her arms around Laurel's waist, resting her head on top of the other girl's. Laurel was fast asleep but Gwen was fighting to stay awake, determined to be lucid when Harry finally came to. 

Despite her valiant effort, she wasn't. 

Peter was brushing away some stray hair when he heard a little groan. He straightened, his grip on Harry's hand tightening. 

"Har?" He whispered.

There was another groan but this time Harry turned his head toward Peter's voice and cracked open his eyes.

"Peter," he stated. He didn't look surprised to see him, which meant Peter's prayers hadn't come true: he must remember some of what happened.

"Hey, Har." Peter said, keeping his voice low, "How're you feeling."

Harry gave a tiny hint of a smile and said, "Like I was drugged." Peter was concerned with how weak his voice was, but he could only assume that that was just par for the course. He was, after all, supposed to be in a coma. It was a miracle he was lucid, let alone talking!

"Yeah," Peter said, squeezing his hand. "How much do you remember?" 

Harry looked at him for a moment before darting his gaze away. "I remember some of it. Not all, but certainly more than I'd like." He turned his head to look at Peter again, his eyes sad. "I'm sorry, Pete." 

"For what?" Peter asked, befuddled.

"For leaving you. I- I was scared. I heard everything you said in that room and I'm so sorry I left you alone. I love you too, I love you so much, and that scared me-" he took a deep breath and went on, "That girl, the one who- you know... She's my girlfriend. Well, ex I suppose. My father arranged it. Her parents are powerful investors and he wanted insurance that they couldn't run. That's what she wanted, too. They were going to use those pictures as blackmail, to keep me from going anywhere. I don't remember everything they said but I remember her saying something about how this was the last resort. I never slept with her because I don't love her so they couldn't get the pictures any other way."

Harry squeezed Peter's hand tightly. "If you hadn't have come along, I have no idea where I would be. So thank you, Peter." He grinned a sly, albeit weak, little grin and said, "And thank Spider-Man the next time you look in the mirror."

Peter's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "You... You remember that?" He asked. He wasn't ashamed to admit that his voice rose quite a few octaves.

A big smile took over Harry's face, temporarily stealing Peter's breath. He was just as beautiful as he had been the day he left. 

"Yes, you love-drunk idiot," he laughed, "I remember that. I don't think there's anything on this planet that could make me forget the realization of just how much I missed these last few years." 

Peter smiled too, shaking his head. "C'mon, it's not that much, Har. I was just transformed into your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, is all!"

Both boys laughed, their fingers still interlocked. Peter was staring and he knew it. He couldn't help it! He had missed Harry so much, but he hadn't realized how much his absence had ached until it was filled again. 

Peter rested his head on the hospital bed railing, looking up into Harry's eyes. "I missed you so much," he whispered.

"I missed you too, Pete." 

They just stared at each other for a few seconds before Harry groaned, rolled his eyes, and said, "Get up here and kiss me, Parker. We have a lot to catch up on."

Peter didn't need to be told twice. Within what felt like milliseconds, he was leaning over Harry, pressing a criminally long-overdue kiss to his waiting lips. His hands wound their way into his brunette hair, gently sliding around to grasp the back of his neck. They only broke apart when Harry needed air, his lungs still suffering from the effects of the drugs. 

They were both panting, but the smiles on their faces couldn't have been any wider if they tried. 

"Sorry," Harry laughed breathlessly, "I'd be running my hands everywhere they could reach, but the feeling has yet to come back."

Peter smiled and shook his head. "Leave it to you to make a joke of this." He pressed another kiss to his lips and mumbled, "You're absolutely ridiculous."

"Ah," Harry murmured, "But you're the one who puts up with me, so what does that make you?"

"It makes me head over heels in love with you, Harry Osborn. That's what it makes me."

Harry grinned and Peter forgot where he was. "So then, spider boy..." He whispered, "What do you say? Friends again?"

Peter pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. "And more, if you'll have me."

Harry smiled softly and tried to hide the redness blooming across his face by shaking his head and muttering, "Oh, just kiss me again, will you?"

Peter was more than happy to oblige him.