Black tie events were stuffy and draining but crucial to attend. As the son of a very important businessman, Harry was always required to show up. It didn’t matter that he was only 16, he was the future face of the company. Harry’s life was laid out for him like a concrete road. Solid, manmade, and pre-planned. It had never once been a question that he would take over after his father one day. It was just expected.
That was how Harry found himself sulking off to the side in a ballroom on a Friday night. It was the third week in a row that he’d been in this position instead of watching Star Wars on his best friend’s couch. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but Friday nights had become the Parker family’s annual movie night. Well, they called it the Parker family movie night but mainly because it took place at his best friend Peter Parker’s house but it was mainly for friends.
Peter Parker had been Harry’s best friend for longer than he could even remember. Peter was a little younger than Harry at 15 instead of 16 but they’d always been in the same grade. He was a bit small for his age and had milky skin, rosy cheeks, hazel puppy dog eyes, and a contagious smile. In the summer, the sun would bleach the tips of his caramel hair blonde and it would always curl at the ends when he let it get long enough. Peter knew Harry better than anyone else. He’d been there when his mom died just like Harry had been there when Peter’s parents died and then a few years later when his uncle had died too. He was a golden retriever boy and everyone knew it. He was always late and constantly forgot things, but he showed up when it counted. He was also wicked smart in math and science. The only times he didn’t bring home As were when he slept through too much class. Peter didn’t have anything close to the money Harry had and always declined Harry when he offered to help. He shared a small but cozy apartment with his aunt in Queens. It wasn’t anything compared to Harry’s penthouse but he often preferred it to own home. May, Peter’s aunt, was probably one of Harry’s favorite people in existence. She was a nurse and couldn’t always be around but she always made the time she did have matter. Peter and May were closer than most kids and their parents. It was Peter and May against the world. To Harry, Peter’s life was free, like grass that grows and flourishes wherever it lands.
Though Peter was Harry’s best friend, he had others too. Like Ned for example. Ned was Peter’s other lifelong best friend, so naturally, they’d met through Peter. Ned was easily excitable and sweet like Peter. He was a little bit clueless too but he tended to make smarter decisions than Peter. He had chestnut skin, dark brown hair, another very contagious smile, and he loved Star Wars. He was a heavier-set guy and extremely huggable. In fact, it had taken Harry a little while to adjust to how physically affectionate both Peter and Ned were.
MJ was a newer member of the group. On the outside, she was quiet, antisocial, and judgmental, but once he got to know her, she was actually awkward, thoughtful, and very passionate about things like current events and social issues. She had long curly dark brown hair that was usually frizzy and caramel skin. She also really loved books and appreciated the classics. Harry usually lent her books from his dad’s library. She and Peter were crushing on each other so hard that their obliviousness was painful sometimes.
Harley was the last member of their little friend group. He was a little older than Harry and a few inches taller too. He was closer to 17 than he was 16 and was a grade above the others in school. He had a mop of curly dirty blonde hair and wore sweatshirts or flannels most of the time. He looked a little like a skater boy and acted a bit like one too. He was from Rose Hill Tennessee and had a southern accent that wasn’t terribly strong most of the time but the others still playfully picked on. Just like Peter, he was extremely smart but he favored mechanics and engineering more than science. Harley was a stark contrast from Peter and Ned with harsher humor and a more closed-off personality.
Harry himself was more like Harley. He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve like Peter or Ned and he was typically the one to listen rather than talk in a conversation. He felt much more comfortable with his friends and, like MJ, opened up more around them. He had a slim frame and was taller than Peter by several inches but he wasn’t exceptionally tall. He still hadn’t passed his dad in height and didn’t think he ever would. His hair was dark brown, like his dad’s, and just long enough that it curled at the end too. His eyes were blue like his mother’s had been. He wore lots of neutral-colored sweaters and jeans but always from higher-end stores per his dad’s request.
Harry checked his unnecessarily expensive watch and sighed when he discovered it was only 10:00. He still had at least two more hours of this and his dad would never let him leave before it was over. It was “improper”. Harry’s eyes danced around the room impatiently and he shoved a hand into the pocket of his dress pants. His fingers met a piece of paper and he pulled it out to discover an old business card that he had no recollection of. Knowing Harry, he’d probably smiled politely and promised to look at it later when in reality it would never cross his mind again.
The soft melody of a violin danced through the room accompanied by ambient chatter. Harry peered out into the large ballroom. The floor was well dressed in an elegant brocade carpet that had seen years and years of parties before this one. Giant glass chandeliers sprouted out of the white gold-trimmed ceiling and illuminated space. They hung proudly as if it was their sole purpose and pleasure to show just how exclusive of a place this was. The walls matched with gold trim of their own and along them stood many long windows. The windows were so long that they reached up and nearly touched the seem of where the floor met the wall and where the wall met the ceiling. Long heavy red velvet curtains accompanied every window. They were gathered at the top in a way only old fancy curtains are. Tall circular tables were placed throughout the large space and covered in white tablecloths that were tied in neat bows at the bottom. Atop them sat fancy dessert plates, champagne glasses, and bouquets of Narcissus* flowers.
The majority of the crowd was middle-aged or elderly. The few teenagers that attended followed whoever they’d come with around. The even fewer amount of kids that had come were sitting off in their own corners playing with their phones, trying to take over the dessert bar, asleep, or standing impatiently by their adults. Harry wished desperately that he was still the age where it was socially acceptable for him to sleep or hide in a corner. Instead, he was more of the “stand impatiently beside your adult” age but also the age where he had to look like he was enjoying it. The adults didn’t ask him about kiddie things anymore either, it was always all the grown-up things that stressed him out.
The men at the party wore stiff tuxedo suits that were usually black if not a dark blue. They were custom made and woven with silks, wools, and velvets. Some of the younger women wore suits too but in dull shades of more adventurous colors. However, the majority of women wore dresses with conservative necklines and skirts that didn’t venture much above the knee in length. The most popular colors were golds, blacks, reds, purples, and blues. They wore their most prised jewelry and put their bleach blonde hair in fancy updos. They’d better hope there weren’t any matches lit too close because Harry was sure their hair contained enough hairspray to be highly flammable. Many of the older women wore long mink coats and red lipstick. Harry didn’t know if the fur was real but, either way, he knew that his friend MJ would have quite a lot to say about it. She’d go off on a whole essay about animal abuse that Harry would probably agree with.
Harry bet that if he added up all the prices of everyone’s outfits, he’d have enough money to buy like 30 private jets. His own outfit would probably get him a nice car. He was in a simple black suit with cuffed pants, a light purple dress shirt, and a dark purple bowtie. He’d somehow gotten away with not only cuffing his pants but also black converse. His dad had shot him many disapproving looks but it was too late to change. He’d smiled at his silent rebellion many times throughout the night.
He shifted again. Peter, Ned, MJ, and Harley were probably halfway through Revenge Of The Sith by now. He could picture it as if he was there; MJ curled up on the end of the couch with Peter’s fuzzy blue blanket, Peter squished between her and Ned with the popcorn, and Harley on the end rambling about how all the special effects were done. MJ would roll her eyes and Ned would shush him and tell him not to “ruin the movie magic”. Peter would spill the popcorn halfway through and then Harry would- Harry wouldn’t do anything because Harry wasn’t there. But he could even smell Ned’s hot Cheetos by thinking about it.
Bzzz.
Harry’s phone lit up with a message.
‘Hey man. I know I already asked but you never answered. Wanna come sleepover after you’re done? We miss you!’
Harry shifted uncomfortably. Yes, he wanted to… but he’d missed enough already. He wouldn’t even be done before midnight anyways. May (Peter’s aunt) would just be coming home from her shift by then and he didn’t want to disrupt anything. But maybe… He started typing a response.
‘Yeah su-’
“Harry, I told you to stay off your phone.” Harry’s head jerked up at his dad who seemed to have teleported over. “This is an important event and we have a reputation to uphold. You’re the future face of the company. You can’t stalk off in a corner like some angsty teenager.”
“Sorry, dad. I was just texting Peter back. You know it’s Parker movie night and even though I missed the first few movies, he invited me to still come over after this is done,” Harry began to gesture to the room but stopped midway and fidgeted with the pop socket on his phone instead. He didn’t meet his dad’s piercing green eyes.
“You have an important meeting tomorrow morning. You have to be rested.” Norman, Harry’s dad, said sternly.
“But this is already going until like midnight!” Harry exclaimed.
“Which means you have to go to sleep the moment we get home.” Norman put a firm but not unkind hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Now stop hiding in the corner and come talk to people.”
“But dad-”
Norman gave his son a look that made no room for argument. He started back towards the middle of the room and looked back expecting Harry to follow. Harry sighed in defeat and followed his dad to go stand awkwardly as people talked to him. His life was a concrete road and he had to follow it.
~ A few days later ~
Harry’s eyes were going cross the longer he stared at the machine in front of him. The light AC/DC in the background was probably the only thing keeping sane. He was making a sword with a blade that was on fire but every time he turned it on, sparks went everywhere and the fire went onto the handle. It was such a simple thing to fix but he couldn’t figure it out no matter how many times he looked at it.
“Your eyes are gonna go crossed if you keep staring at that.” Harry jumped in surprise at the unexpected voice that had seemingly read his mind.
Tony Stark, the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist but most importantly superhero Iron Man, had invited him to come over with Peter and Harley after school to work in his lab.
The lab was an inventor’s dream: versions of his famous Iron Man suit were displayed along the back wall like a museum, tables were cluttered with advanced technology, and several robots sat scattered around the room. Harry recognized some of the tech from his dad’s lab while others were entirely new to him. Notably, two of the workstations in the room were personalized with a few photos, notes, and unfinished projects. He noticed himself in a polaroid taped onto the edge of one of the computer screens. The ink was slightly faded and worn with age but it was undeniably the 12-year-old versions of himself and Peter both smiling brightly at the photographer.
Harry knew it had taken a bit of convincing on Peter and Harley’s end to get Harry invited in the first place. After all, Mr. Stark and Harry’s dad were the biggest business rivals in the city. However, Peter was Mr. Stark’s intern and Harley was living at Stark Tower while he attended Midtown High School of Science and Technology. Harry still had no idea how either of those things had come be or why both Harley and Peter had some sort of a developing father-son relationship with the billionaire, but he never got clear answers so he’d stopped asking.
Anyways, back to Mr. Stark.
“I’m just trying to fix the flames on this. They keep going on the handle.” Harry replied as he fidgeted with a screw.
Mr. Stark looked over at his notes. “Ah, I see the problem. The equations are wrong. There should be a 5 here instead of an 8.” He reached over and pointed at the numbers with a pen.
“Oh.”
Mr. Stark stepped back and studied Harry as if he was trying to figure something out. Harry fidgeted under the calculating eyes. He knew he’d made a simple mistake and he knew he should be better than that. Tony Stark probably expected much more from the son of Norman Osborn. In fact, one of the only reasons Norman had even let Harry go was to show Tony Stark how smart the future of Oscorp was. He was supposed to impress Tony. Peter and Harley would’ve never made the mistake in the first place.
“You know,” Mr. Stark said after a moment, not seeming upset or disappointed in the least, “I wasn’t too sure about you at first but you’re not half bad.”
“Yeah?” questioned Harry.
“Yeah. Just don’t go giving your dad all my super-secret tech.” He winked playfully.
Harry let out a slightly awkward laugh. “You haven’t even shown me anything.”
Tony smiled smugly. “Exactly.”
“Aw come on you promised you wouldn’t bring Oscorp up,” Peter whined from his workstation.
“I didn’t!” Tony put his hands up in surrender.
“You so did.” Harley piped in.
“Ok ok fine.” the man relented.
Harley rolled his eyes and went back to whatever he was working on.
Harry didn’t quite understand Tony Stark. He knew he was cocky and arrogant but undeniably a genius. He knew that Tony had partied back in the day but had cleaned up his act since then; since then May wouldn’t have let Peter over here if he hadn’t. He was an average-sized man who wore Graphic Tees with fancy suits, ray band-style sunglasses, and a famous goatee. Harry had expected him to be intimidating but it was really only his status and confidence that made him appear to be. Other than that he was just a guy. A very sarcastic and unpredictable guy, but a guy nonetheless. It was both unsettling and comforting.
“So kid,” Mr. Stark began as he grabbed a swivel chair and plopped down into it, “what do you like to do? What’s your thing? Give me the 411.”
“Don’t interrogate him,” whined Peter.
“I’m not! Can a guy not get to know his kid’s friends?”
Harley shrugged and Tony directed his attention back to Harry. Harry looked pleadingly over to Peter for help but Peter just shrugged and smiled encouragingly. His eyes were filled with the same kind of “I’m sorry” as a kid whose dad was meeting their boyfriend for the first time. Great.
“Uh…” Harry began, “I mean… I do this a lot.” he gestured at the dismembered metal scraps that were supposed to be a machine.
“Other than this is what I meant kid. Not that I don’t respect a man of mechanics myself.” He winked at Harley who smiled back as if there was an inside joke there that only the two of them understood.
“Harry’s really good at art.” Peter chirped.
Harry shot him a look.
“What?” Peter questioned innocently, “You are.”
“Now that’s what I mean by thrilling extracurriculars!” exclaimed Tony, “Thanks, Pete.” Peter shot Tony a single finger gun in response before the billionaire looked back at Harry, “Any masterpieces I can see?”
“Um…” Harry directed a slight glare towards Peter before reluctantly taking a sketchbook out of his backpack “I’m not the best but this is some stuff I’ve been working on.”
Tony took the worn book and flipped through the pages. His eyes widened in awe.
“Not the best? Kid, you’re like Leonardo da Vinci. And yes Harley, I do know who that is.”
Harry blushed in a way Tony had only ever seen Peter blush when anyone mentioned MJ.
“Really? My dad has some of his collection and my stuff isn’t nearly as good as that.”
“Not as good? Harry, you’re literally Picasso.” Peter exclaimed.
“Who’s Picasso?” Pepper, Tony’s fiance and the CEO of Stark Industries, asked as she entered the lab.
“Mr. Ozzy Osbourne over here,” replied Tony.
Pepper made her way over to Tony, kissed him on the cheek, and looked over his shoulder at Harry’s sketchbook.
“Wow, you really are. Are you in any art classes?”
Harry was blushing even more now. “Oh, thank you, Ms. Potts. No, I’m just in robotics and stuff like that.”
Pepper studied his art once more before looking back at him. “Well, you’re really good. I would look into some art classes if I were you. If you want to of course.”
Harry bashfully ran a hand through his dark hair. “Thanks.”
“No problem Harry.” Pepper smiled sweetly.
Harry was reminded so suddenly and unexpectedly of his mom that it set a dull ache in his chest. Pepper was smart, calculated, and organized but also kind and observant. She balanced Tony out perfectly, not so different from the way his parents used to be.
Harry snapped back into reality at a sudden thought. “Oh, um. Please don’t tell my dad.”
“Oh?” That was Tony.
“Yeah um, he doesn’t really love the arts so much. Thinks I should be spending more time on schoolwork ya know?” he chuckled awkwardly.
He didn’t miss the way Peter shot him a sad glance or the way Pepper’s eyes reflected it, but he ignored them both.
“Ok,” Pepper said after a moment, “your secret’s safe with us.”
***
Lab days had been going great. Harry found himself at Stark Tower nearly every day after school and Tony found that the boy was growing on him. Harry was becoming noticeably more comfortable over time but remained more closed off than Tony would’ve liked. On this particular day, Ned had joined them and the four boys had quickly become deeply invested in a Star Wars debate.
“Leia undeniably has the single brain cell of Star Wars,” Ned stated as he popped a skittle into his mouth.
“Well duh. Without her, they probably would’ve died in A New Hope. I was talking to the new kid, Miles, about it in English today and he totally agreed.” Peter rolled over to Ned in his swivel chair and grabbed some skittles which earned a “dude!” in response.
“Oh, for sure. Plus she’s undeniably the most attractive character in the entire original trilogy. I don’t see what the Han hype is all about. I mean… look at Leia. Also yeah that Miles guy is cool.” Harley stated as he screwed something onto a robot he was building.
“Yeah,” began Harry, “Leia was definitely the coolest and most attractive character in the original trilogy, but can we talk about Finn in the new movies? That’s my character crush right there.”
“Right?!” Peter exclaimed as he pointed towards Harry in solid agreement.
“Oh, and Padme in the prequels,” Harry added without looking up from his sketchbook.
“Padme for sure man,” replied Ned as he tried to keep his skittles away from Peter, who was trying equally as hard to get them. Ned had the skittles in a death grip at his side furthest away from Peter. Peter was both trying to reach over and pull the bag open from Ned’s grip. Harry snickered, slightly concerned and amused at the idea that it may very well become a tug of war soon.
“Boys!” Tony tried to hide his chuckle “If you spill that, you get to deal with Pepper.”
Peter and Ned’s faces immediately washed over with embarrassment and they momentarily stopped fighting over the skittles. Peter giggled at the starstruck look on Ned’s face. Ned had been overjoyed when he first got to hang out in the Tony Stark’s lab and was still not over it.
In moments like this, Harry felt free of his concrete pathed life. Concrete was solid and unbending but here with his friends, Harry was free to sprout up like grass however he pleased.
“Ok ok,” Harley began, clearly unphased “speaking of the prequels, can we talk about C-3P0? I mean, in the original trilogy there are other droids like him but in the prequels Anakin made him.” He sighed in exasperation while gesturing with some sort of tool.
Ned snapped out of his daze as if he’d never been in one. “Dude! Those prequels were all over the place. I mean Padme and Anakin in the first movie- what the heck was that?!” Ned passionately flapped his hands around as if that would further convey his point.
“EXACTLY! She was so much older than him but they still hinted at a future relationship.” Harry replied equally as passionate as Ned. Peter smiled at how the conversation had lured Harry out of his shell.
“Oh, and did you know that the guy who played Obi-Wan is also in this movie called Moulin Rouge and he SINGS?! It was so weird when I first saw it, but not gonna lie he was actually really good.” Peter rambled on and grabbed a handful of skittles while Ned wasn’t paying attention.
“Plot twist, Star Wars is now a musical.” Harry laughed.
Tony smiled at the boys’ antics.
Harry’s phone started buzzing out of nowhere. His smile fell immediately, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Tony.
“Uh, I’ll be right back.”
Tony was returning to the lab from a quick conversation that Rhodey had called him up for when he heard Harry still talking on the phone.
“But I’m supposed to be here until 9,” Harry whined in frustration.
Tony stayed at the top of the stairs.
“But Bernard is picking me up.” Harry ran a hand through his hair as he listened to whoever was on the other side of the line.
“I said I have it covered. Ms. Tanner just hasn’t entered those grades yet. No, I’m not slacking off!”
Tony knew he shouldn’t be listening to this. He was about to just go back up to the living room but stopped in his tracks at what Harry said next.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with Peter!” Harry nearly shouted before seemingly realizing that Peter would most definitely hear him. He looked more frustrated and upset by the second before he just deflated entirely. “Yeah ok, dad. I’ll try harder. See you soon.”
Harry shoved his phone back in his pocket angrily but didn’t make any move to go back to the lab.
Tony descended the stairs.
“So what was that all about?” He asked.
Harry jumped in surprise. He hadn’t had enough time to put a mask of indifference on and just stared at Tony blankly.
“Um,” He started after a moment “just my dad. I have to leave early. Another meeting I have to go to or whatever.” He shoved his hands into his designer jean pockets and glared down at his oddly expensive sneakers.
“Ugh, those are the worst. You know, Pepper gets mad at me all the time for not going to them.” The billionaire half-smiled in an attempt to cheer the kid up; to let him know they were on the same level.
Harry gave a small smile in response. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”
“You know, Rhodey was just telling me about some meeting he’s been roped into tonight too. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same one. Trust me, it’ll be less boring if you count how many times he rolls his eyes.” Tony chuckled, “Oh, and tell him War Machine is much more of a badass name than Iron Patriot.” He winked.
Harry smiled a confused smile. “Okay.”
The two started back towards the lab but Harry stopped right before they got to the door.
“Oh, and uh, thanks, Mr. Stark.” Harry ran a hand through his hair bashfully.
Tony smiled. “Sure thing Harry Potter.”
All the tension Harry had been holding onto melted away. “Oh my god-” he attempted to cover up a laugh with a sigh of exasperation.
Tony almost didn’t catch the way Peter was subtly watching Harry with a relieved smile when they re-entered the lab. As if he’d sensed Tony watching him, Peter looked away before they could make eye contact. Peter went in for a sneak attack on Ned’s skittles instead, this time with Harry joining in as if the phone call had never happened.
***
Tony wanted to know more about Harry. He’d only known the kid for a few weeks but felt connected to him in ways that he wasn’t with Peter or Harley. It was unnerving how much of Harry reminded him of a younger version of himself. Tony was impulsive but he always did research before approaching anything. He wanted confirmation before he took any big leaps of faith but decided that asking his AI system, F.R.I.D.A.Y, to pull up information on Harry was not the best course of action. Well, that was untrue. Tony had asked F.R.I.D.A.Y for a file on Harry but the AI had called him out and advised against it. So, hours after Harry left, Happy (Tony’s head of security) had driven Ned home, and Harley had gone up to his room, Tony decided to confront Peter. The 15-year-old had been friends with Harry since grade school and knew him better than anyone else. It was the perfect plan. Besides, Peter was so much of an open book that he often ended up spilling even his own secrets.
“So, what’s up with Harry?” Tony asked, rolling over beside Peter in his swivel chair.
Peter looked up with a confused puppy-like head tilt.
“You know what I’m talking about. What’s up?”
“Um…” Peter turned away from his project and fidgeted with the sleeves of his blue sweater. His features dimmed with a hesitant sadness which concerned Tony even further. “Well, if you’re asking what I think you’re asking… his dad is really hard on him. Harry’s supposed to take over Oscorp when he’s old enough so he’s got to go to meetings and parties all the time. It’s gotten a lot worse as he’s gotten older too. Like, he can never hang out anymore besides lab days. I know he feels left out. I keep inviting him to come over any time I can but he always says no. Even May’s tried but he always says he’s busy. He doesn’t like to talk about it but I know anyways.”
Tony remained silent for a moment before he carefully asked another question: “does he know you’re Spider-Man?”
Peter looked up with guilty doe eyes, “No.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust him or anything,” he added so quickly that his words nearly mushed together. Luckily Tony was fluent in Peter and by the looks of things, Peter was about to launch himself into another ramble. “It’s just… he’s not the biggest fan. Y’know, of Spider-Man. His dad really doesn’t like Spider-Man either so I think that’s why. I know I should tell him… he’s already left out of so many things but I don’t want to make anything more difficult.” He sighed, “Obviously don’t tell him I told you any of this, but he’s always trying to make his dad proud and his dad just never…”
“Seems to notice?” Tony finished, his eyes knowing and somber.
Peter looked up at his mentor questioningly. “...Yeah.”
Tony nodded. Peter waited a moment but sensed that Tony was not going to elaborate so he continued.
“He doesn’t know I have enhanced hearing, so he thinks I can’t hear a lot of things, but I do. Like today his dad was comparing him to me on the phone. Harry doesn’t have the best grades all the time.”
“And you do.” Suggested Tony.
“Yeah.” Peter huffed in frustration, “It isn’t fair. I wish his dad would just see how awesome he is. I mean, his dad isn’t terrible or anything but he just doesn’t see the way Harry’s always trying to impress him and Harry won’t talk about it.”
Tony pulled Peter into a side hug. “You’re right kiddo, it isn’t fair.”
Much to his displeasure, Tony’s suspicions had been confirmed. He was determined to help Harry, to do something, because Harry wasn’t much different than 16-year-old Tony himself. He’d once walked along an unrelenting concrete road too.
***
Harry huffed in frustration. He should be able to do his chemistry homework without any problems. Peter got it finished before class was even over. Of course, Peter was a mega genius, but Harry was supposed to be too.
“Need any help?” Tony rolled his chair over.
Harry shook his head.
“You sure?”
Harry hesitated before nodding.
Peter and Harley had gone off to help Pepper with something a little bit ago so it was just Harry and Tony in the lab. It was also the perfect time for Tony to attempt to somehow confront Harry.
The kid in question stared at the worksheet for a few more minutes before letting out another frustrated noise.
Tony ran his calloused fingers over his watch anxiously. “It’s ok to ask for help you know?” he said softly, “Not that I’m the best example of that but my point still stands.”
“I don’t need-” Harry sighed in defeat before he even finished his protest.
“My dad was hard on me too.” Tony tried. Man, talking about feelings was hard.
Harry looked over at Tony with wide eyes full of surprise. Was he so easy to read that Tony had seen through him so easily? Oh-
“Did you talk to Peter about me?” He asked hesitantly.
“Maybe…” admitted Tony “I just want to help you, y’know? Break the cycle.”
Harry sighed.
“Peter’s made me such a dad,” Tony chuckled awkwardly. “Uh, don’t tell him I said that. My point is that I get where you’re coming from. My relationship with my dad wasn’t the best. It always seemed like he cared more about his work than he did for me. Anyways, I just want to help you, if you’ll let me.” Wow, Tony really did feel like a dad. Peter and Harley were going to be the end of him.
Maybe it was the way Tony had noticed him or maybe not, but whatever dam that had been holding Harry back broke. His next words spilled out in rapid floodwater “Um…” He began, “I just… Everyone expects me to be perfect. No one ever asked me if I wanted to take over Oscorp. I kind of hate math and I’m really bad at science. I don’t want to go to a school that specializes in science and technology and I really want to take art electives. I don’t want to move schools because I love my friends but…” Harry sighed heavily, “Peter is perfect at everything. He gets good grades without even trying. My dad loves him and he tells me all the time. I just… I’m not Peter. Or Harley or Ned or even MJ. There’s this kid at school, Flash, that makes fun of Peter a lot. At first, he was really mean but now it’s more of a frienemies thing. I’ve always stood up for Peter when he’s really mean because Peter won’t… but my point is that I think he made fun of Peter because he was jealous. Peter and Ned and MJ and Harley haven’t noticed, but Flash is a rich kid too and I don’t think his parents are around very much. I just… it makes me feel terrible to think that I’m not so different than the guy who made middle school hell for my best friend. And I never get to spend time with my friends anymore. I know I shouldn’t complain because my friends, especially Peter, don’t have what I have but, I’m just… miserable.” Harry felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The concrete that had been weighing him down was cracked now, exposing the earth underneath.
He looked back at Tony and blushed, “Sorry, that was a lot.”
Tony nodded in understanding, feeling deeply unsettled by the mirror he was looking into. For a moment, the light hum of rock music was the only sound in the room. Then, Tony said: “You’re not a bad person for having your own struggles. My dad was the same way. You’re not Peter but you aren’t supposed to be. From what I’ve seen you’re an amazing artist. Your dad might not understand, and honestly, I don’t really get art either, but a lot of people will. When you come here you can do whatever you want. Well, don’t burn the place down; Harley’s already almost done that. But you can do whatever art stuff while you’re here. I won’t tell your dad and we both know your friends won’t if you ask them not to.” Tony shifted uncomfortably, “Wow that got uncharacteristically sappy…”
Harry smiled softly, “I won’t tell anyone.”
Tony smiled and began going in for a hug but changed his mind halfway in and the two ended up sharing an awkward fist bump that made Harry smile.
“Thanks, Mr. Stark.”
***
Black tie events were stuffy and draining but they weren’t quite as bad as they used to be. Harry still didn’t have much of a choice in attending but he wasn’t alone anymore. He didn’t have a plan to talk to his dad yet but he was going to. Maybe he could recommend Peter for the role of taking over Oscorp after Norman retired, assuming he didn’t take over Stark industries instead. Harry didn’t sulk in the corner. He stepped out of his limo in a sharp dark green suit and made his way down the red carpet to Tony Stark. He didn’t turn to look behind him and Tony smiled welcomingly when he noticed the kid. Paparazzi asked questions, flashed their obnoxiously bright cameras, and tried to hold recorders out to him but Harry ignored it all. His concrete road had cracked and Harry was rising from underneath it like plants and flowers and grass. He’d been pressured underneath it for so long and now it was finally time for him to take the reigns. Would this piss his dad off? Maybe. But Harry wasn’t going to live in his shadow anymore.