saudade

“Do you think I can go dressed like that?”, Harry asked after he stood in front of the mirror for a while now. “Do you think I should wear the black suit? Or the dark blue one? Or are they too serious for the occasion?” He had to make a good impression, since he was the son of the CEO.

“You look beautiful in every suit, Harry”, Peter assured him, “But I think the light grey one you’re wearing right now is perfect. It matches the weather conditions and the occasion.”

“Are you sure?” Harry eyed his reflection in the mirror critically.

“Yes, I am and you’re way too critical with yourself. You look great and now come back from that mirror, it’s driving you insane”, Peter instructed.

“But what about the tie?”, Harry began and went back to the mirror in panic.

“Harold Osborn, if you don’t leave that damn mirror alone, I’ll have to kiss you to make you shut up”, Peter threatened.

“Do it, then”, Harry smirked, “But seriously, shouldn’t I wear a darker tie?”

Peter shook his head in disbelief. His boyfriend could really drive him mad. He pulled Harry away from the mirror and kissed him. “I told you.” He kissed him again. “You look great.” Another kiss. “End of discussion.”

“I’d be lost without you”, Harry said and took Peter’s hand as they left their flat.

When they arrived at OSCORP, Harry took Peter inside the building and explained the different departments to him or introduced him to certain people. He didn’t want to be alone with all those businesspeople and he was sure Peter didn’t want to be alone either. He shook hands with people he has never heard of and tried to brush them off in a polite way.

They went on the balcony to get some fresh air and distance from those people who forced a conversation onto them. The streets were full of people who enjoyed the live music or the different offers of entertainment. Harry wished he could blend in with the crowd so Peter and him could enjoy the festival like normal people.

“Woah, the look from up here is amazing”, Peter said and took a few pictures of the crowd and the guests but also a secret picture of Harry’s side profile to catch the little smile on his lips. “But I’ll also have to take some pictures from below.”

“No, don’t let me alone with all those people and their fake kindness”, Harry whispered pleadingly.

“I’ll be right back, I promise. You can do it; I know you can. Try to keep your eyes fixed on me if it helps you.” Peter took his hand and squeezed it gently. When Harry nodded, he left the balcony.

As soon as Peter was gone, a bunch of people wanted to start a conversation with Harry. It made him nervous that he couldn’t find his father anywhere. Usually, Norman Osborn was the one talking, and Harry just stood next to him. When he found Peter in the crowd, he got a bit calmer. Like Peter said, he could manage all the conversations with people he couldn’t even remember the name of.

“Harry!”, a voice behind him called.

Harry turned around to discover Mr. Fargas, a board member of OSCORP in his wheelchair. “Oh, hello, Mr. Fargas. Have you seen my father?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure if he’s coming today.”

“What? That doesn’t make sense. Why would he call me if he’s not even coming himself?”, Harry asked in total confusion.

“Well, uhm … didn’t he tell you?”, Mr. Fargas replied, obviously in discomfort.

“Tell me what?” Harry frowned. Was his father hiding something? Did something happen to the company? His father recently told him he got five new contracts.

“Well, things aren’t that- what is that?” Mr. Fargas pointed at a green thing up in the air.

The other people discovered it too. “That’s our glider!”, someone from the company shouted. The crowd cheered.

What the hell was that and why was it approaching the balcony? Harry stumbled back from the edge of the balcony, just in time before the wall above exploded and the balcony broke. People were falling off the balcony and Harry clung to the wall desperately. The people next to him turned into skeletons as soon as a green ball exploded. He wanted to get back into the building, but he couldn’t move. The wall behind him was shaking and before he could move, a big brick fell on his head. Harry fell on the floor where he lied motionlessly and unconsciously.

Everything happened so fast, but Peter could save a few people by pulling them from the spots where the pieces from the balcony were crushing into the earth. He had to stop that guy. Harry was still up there, and he had to save him. That Peter couldn’t see him anymore made him nervous. What if something happened to him?

He ran away from the crowd to quickly put on his Spider-Man suit before he swung down from a building nearby to kick that green criminal in the face. He achieved a short break from fighting in which he had to save a child from being squashed. But he wasn’t the only one in the crowd. The criminal in the goblin costume had followed him and kicked police officers out of his way.

Peter ran towards him to hit him, but his attempt failed, and he got kicked in a table full of dishes and a lamp post. The glider tried to bomb him, so Peter swung upon one of those inflated flying figures. From here he had a good look on the balcony. He found Harry lying on the floor, but the floor began to crumble. Harry would fall at any moment.

Peter jumped from one figure to another to get to the balcony, but he was thrown into a window. The goblin smashed his head into the glass again and again. He fought back and slammed his fist into his enemy’s face, but he got thrown off the edge. Peter fell on the balcony and carefully climbed down to the place where Harry was lying. Just in time, he could feel his enemy approaching so he shot a few webs into his face.

Now, he focused on Harry. Peter placed his ear next to Harry’s face to check if he was breathing. To his relief, he could hear him breathe. Carefully, he turned Harry on his side and pushed his head back a little so he couldn’t choke on his stomach contents. “Harry, wake up, please”, he whispered.

The mad laugh behind him made Peter extremely furious. His boyfriend was unconscious, and that madman laughed because he terrorised thousands of people?

Peter jumped on his feet and slammed his fist in the bottom of the glider to rip out a lot of electronics. The goblin just laughed and flew away. “We’ll meet again, Spider-Man!” It was a promise and a threat. The piece of balcony finally broke, and Harry was falling.

“Harry!”, Peter screamed, his voice full of fear, as he jumped after him. Harry couldn’t die. Peter could never forgive himself if he didn’t save him.

Peter used one of his webs to catch him. He wrapped his arm around Harry and shot his web on a building next to the company to swing forwards.

When they arrived at their flat, Peter laid Harry on the floor carefully. Again, he checked on Harry’s breathing that was still there. He turned him in the stable lateral position and got the first aid kit to take care of the laceration on Harry’s forehead. Harry was already unconscious for too long. Peter decided to undress himself and put his normal clothes back on and if Harry was still unconscious when he gets back from their bedroom, he’ll take him to the hospital. He was worried about his boyfriend. What if he had serious brain damage or other serious internal injuries?

But to Peter’s relief, Harry opened his eyes as he returned.

“Harry? How are you? Do you feel any pain?”, Peter asked as he knelt down next to his boyfriend.

“What happened? There was this green thing that attacked us and turned at least half of the board members to skeletons.” Harry tried to sit up, but his banging headache forced him to lay down again.

“Don’t move”, Peter instructed softly, “That guy in the goblin costume disappeared after I … after Spider-Man arrived. I could get you from the balcony just in time.” He almost revealed his secret, but Peter didn’t want anyone to know. They’d just worry about him, but he knew he had to tell Harry about his second life one day.

“Are you mad? You shouldn’t have risked your life for me”, Harry exclaimed.

“Should I have let you die? Of course, I risk my life for you! I’d do anything for you.”

“What was that thing?”

“I don’t know. Somebody has to stop it”, Peter said.

“Thank you for saving me.” Harry sat up, ignoring the dizziness that set in immediately, and leaned forwards to kiss Peter. He will never get enough of the feeling of his lips touching Peter’s.

“You should go to bed. You need some rest”, Peter said and helped Harry to get up.

When Harry stood on his feet, he almost fell over again if he didn’t have Peter who caught him.

“Do you feel dizzy?”, Peter asked worriedly.

Harry nodded. “My head’s going to explode.”

“Maybe I should take you to the hospital.”

“No, that’s not necessary”, Harry replied.

“Okay, but if it’s not better tomorrow, I’ll take you to the hospital”, Peter determined.

When Harry’s dizziness became worse, Peter carried him upstairs and laid him on the bed after Harry changed his clothes. Peter handed him a glass of water and put the blanket on him.

“Pete”, Harry muttered, already half asleep, “Will you come to bed with me?”

“I’ll put on my pyjama and then I’ll come to you, okay?” He kissed Harry’s forehead.

“Okay, but do it fast”, Harry grumbled.

Peter smiled and quickly changed his clothes before he snuggled into bed with Harry who fell asleep as soon as his head laid on Peter’s chest.