Harry didn’t think he was a jealous person-if anything, he was only rational.
Okay, maybe he got a little “jealous” whenever he saw Peter talking to MJ, or when he had to hear kids at school gawk over Spider-Man, but he’s only human. And, besides, if Peter says he’d never leave him then he believes him. Mostly.
No, this isn’t jealousy. As far as Harry’s concerned, he’s just looking out for his boyfriend.
There are fewer things in the world that Harry loves more than seeing Peter excited about something. He could listen to him ramble about science and movies for hours and not get bored. In fact, he’s watched endless documentaries just to see Peter get so invested in them. When they were younger, Peter’s obsession with the Avengers was just another thing for Harry to hear him talk a lot. His room was decked with Hulk merchandise, and he owned more than one Captain America t-shirt. Harry was personally a little on the fence about them, but he wasn’t about to stop Peter from geeking out about them as often as possible. Harry never minded it. After all, it was adorable.
But that was before Spider-Man. Before Peter actually had the option of working with the Avengers and Harry didn’t have to worry about him getting himself hurt.
Maybe it was pathetic-Harry thought it was. Peter’s been given a lot of amazing opportunities lately that he’s never had before, even as Spider-Man; Harry should be happy for him. He is, in a way. Honestly, he wouldn’t even mind it if it weren’t for-
“Mr. Stark gave me new tech for my web-shooters,” Peter excitedly told Harry one day while they were hanging out in his room. “You have to check this out, Har, they’re way better than my old ones.”
That name-“Mr. Stark”. Every time he heard it Harry wanted to punch a hole through the wall. Peter had always liked Iron Man, of course, but he was far from being his favorite Avenger. That is, until recently. The billionaire had been inviting Peter to go on a few missions with the team lately and it was all he ever talked about. Harry rarely saw him nowadays, and when he did he had to hear all about the latest cool thing Tony Stark did.
“I thought you made your own web-shooters,” Harry responded, not looking up from his homework.
He could see Peter’s expression falter out of the corner of his eye and immediately regretted it.
“I mean, I can,” shrugged the brunet. “But these are way more high-tech.”
Harry shifted his eyes, hoping Peter wouldn’t notice. Every day he had to hear about how cool Mr. Stark was, how much smarter and richer and better he was than basically anyone else on the planet. It drove him nuts-but, if hanging out with the Avengers made Peter happy then that was that.
“That’s great, hon,” Harry tried to distract himself by watching Peter practice shooting webs around his room. He had to admit, the new ones did move a lot more smoothly than the last.
“I know, right?” Peter grinned. “Remind me to thank him again next time I see him.”
Harry tried not to break the pencil he was holding. If he didn’t have the cutest boyfriend in the world, he’d probably be really ticked off right now.
“Wanna watch a movie tonight?” He suggested, hoping Peter would pick something good enough to distract them both.
“Sounds great!” Peter agreed, not really paying attention. “We could watch the new documentary they made on Mr. Stark-“
“It’s my turn to pick the movie,” Harry blurted out.
Peter stopped moving around for a minute, looking at Harry doubtfully. “But you picked it last time.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Yes you did,” Peter protested. “We watched Indiana Jones.”
“I let you pick from a selection of movies though, meaning it’s still my turn.”
“That’s not fair,” the brunet crossed his arms.
Harry smirked, sitting his books aside. “Look, we can argue about this all day bug, but we both know I’m right.”
Peter had two angry expressions-a cute one and a scary one. Harry had only seen the scary one aimed at him a handful of times but he was sure he infinitely preferred the cute one either way. It made it hard for him to stay serious during their arguments.
“If you want me to pick something else, just say so.”
“Okay, I want you to pick something else.”
“But why?”
Harry groaned, caught in a mixture of frustration and subtle adoration-the latter being something he usually felt around his boyfriend.
“Isn’t there something else you’d rather watch?” Harry asked, dodging the question.
Peter moved to sit on the bed beside Harry, titling his head to the side. Harry hated that he could never bring himself to be mad at him, not really. Maybe once upon a time he had blamed Peter for some things he shouldn’t have, but the idea of genuinely hurting his feelings nowadays…Harry doesn’t think he could bring himself to do it even if he wanted to.
“What’s wrong?” Peter questioned.
It infuriates Harry because of course Peter knows this isn’t just about the movie, of course he can tell when he’s mad about something. He honestly can’t believe he expected Peter not to notice something was up.
Long before radioactive spiders came into the picture, Harry knew there was something special about Peter. His optimism and jokes never failed to make Harry smile even on his worst days. From the moment they’d met, Peter had become Harry’s entire world. He followed him around everywhere he went like a lost puppy, craving that sense of familiarity and home.
They were both kind of social outcasts, but the fundamental difference was that people liked Peter. Even the kids who bullied him usually ended up realizing he wasn’t so bad. What’s not to like? He’s a spectacular person with a fascinating personality and Harry’s just the spoiled son of the deceased Norman Osborn. Peter could honestly do so much better.
“Harry?” Peter prompted, gently cupping his face. “What’s wrong?”
Harry let out cold and forced laugh, playfully shoving Peter away. “It’s nothing. If you wanna watch some documentary about Iron Man, we can do that.”
“Do you not like Iron Man?” Peter’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.
Harry rolled his eyes, moving to stand up. “No, Iron Man’s great.” He couldn’t help but allow a hint of sarcasm to slip into his voice.
“Harry,” Peter repeated, more sternly this time. “Be serious.”
He doesn’t know how Peter’s so good at this relationship stuff, how he has the patience to talk stuff out even when they both know Harry’s being irrational. It’s no secret that he’s had more relationship experience out of the two but it still makes Harry a little insecure.
Some of it comes naturally to him-doting on Peter, joking around like they’ve always done, being generally affectionate. But there’s a softness to the whole charade that he’s not quite gotten the hang of yet. He can offer Peter all the unconditional love and support in the world and there still seems to be something he’s missing.
“Fine,” he admitted, “I don’t like Iron Man.”
Peter reached over to gently pull him back onto the bed so that they could talk. Harry realizes in the back of his mind that he’s trying to help him relax.
He sits back against the pillows and motions for Harry to lay between his legs so they can spoon. Harry reluctantly obliges, resting his head on Peter’s stomach and letting the other man wrap his arms around him.
Once they’re properly situated in what Peter would deem a proper vent position, the vigilante smiles.
“Why do you hate Iron Man?” Harry doesn’t even have to look at him to tell he’s holding back laughter.
“You’re laughing at me,” Harry accuses, resulting in a series of giggles from his boyfriend.
“I can’t help it,” Peter apologizes. “You’re so darn cute when you’re angry.”
He turns his face into Peter’s hoodie because he is definitely not blushing right now and Peter laughs again, fingers running through his hair.
Why did Peter always have to make it so difficult to not fall in love with him?
“I don’t hate Iron Man,” Harry huffed. “I just-you’re always hanging out with them and I know you do lots of dangerous stuff on a daily basis anyways but the Avengers are kind of known for causing a lot of damage and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“Spider-Man is known for causing a lot of damage too,” Peter points out. “I’m fine, Har, really. Besides, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Harry holds Peter a bit tighter, trying to avoid looking at his soft expression. Every stupid thing Peter does makes Harry’s heart melt and he doesn’t think he can stand any more of that right now.
There’s always the initial instinct to push Peter away, to tell him he can’t just make dumb jokes and expect Harry to do whatever he wants. But then he actually does start making dumb jokes and Harry realizes it’s pointless. If Peter wants to cuddle him while he’s mad and tease him relentlessly, who is Harry to stop him?
“It’s not just that,” Harry continued. “You’re always talking about them and hanging out with them and it’s just-you’re friends with the Avengers now, Peter. What are you still doing with me?”
Peter blinked, taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Harry took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. “You’re wonderful, Pete. So wonderful-too wonderful. Everyone loves you and I can’t really blame them but it’s just…why me, of all people?? I’ve done horrible things to you, I have way too much baggage, I’m so unlikeable, it just-it doesn’t make any sense for you to be with me. You could be with anyone else in the world and I’m terrified that one day you’ll wake up and realize you don’t need me. You’re all that I have.”
There were tears in his eyes now and Peter pulled him closer, rubbing his back comfortingly. Harry shook, throat sore from holding back tears. He felt like his whole world was crashing around him, like Peter was the only safe place in the room.
“Baby…” Peter began, ignoring the displeased noise Harry made at the nickname. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? And you’re not unlikeable at all-you’re kind and funny and cool and you’re my best friend. Nobody’s going to take your place. Especially not the Avengers dude, most of them are way less awesome than they seem.”
“I thought you and Mr. Stark were practically attached at the hip? It sounds like he’s one court meeting away from adopting you.”
Peter laughs at that, kissing Harry’s forehead. “Mr. Stark isn’t my father, and he certainly doesn’t have any plans to adopt me. Besides, I already have Aunt May. He’s a cool dude, but Banner is the only one of them I really get along with.”
“Really?” It takes Harry by surprise, considering how highly he talks of all of them.
“Yeah,” Peter admits. “Everyone else is cool, they just don’t really like me all that much. But that’s not the point-Harry, you’re an incredible person. I love you, and nothing is ever going to change that. And, believe it or not, there are lots of people who like you. Gwen, MJ, Miles…you have more friends than you realize.”
Harry smiles, weakly. “Thanks, Pete. I’m sorry you have to put up with me like this, I know I’m not exactly the easiest person to date.”
“Having emotions is just a normal part of life, Har. It doesn’t make you a difficult person and it definitely doesn’t throw me off in any way.”
He leans up to kiss the vigilante, slow and comforting. When he pulls away, Peter laughs, pricking Harry with slight annoyance.
“What?
“I can’t believe my boyfriend is jealous of the Avengers.”
“You ruined the moment.”
That only draws more laughter, and once again Harry is stuck in a state of both infatuation and irritation.
“Can I make it up to you with a movie marathon?” Peter offers.
“Only if it’s nothing about Iron Man.”
“Deal.”
Harry waited on the couch downstairs for Peter to get some snacks ready, absentmindedly wondering what time Aunt May would be back from work. He figured she wouldn’t mind him staying the night, since he didn’t really have anyone to go back to except for a few butlers. He was 18 now, after all. If no one waited up for him when he was 12, he figured they definitely wouldn’t notice now.
He pushes the thought out of his mind, not wanting to go down that road for a second time tonight. Before he can even begin to entertain such thoughts, Peter is back with sodas and popcorn.
“Miss me?” He grinned.
“You were literally in the next room.”
“Yeah, you missed me.”
Harry rolled his eyes, leaning against Peter’s side. The vigilante threw an arm over his boyfriend before reaching for the remote.
And, just for a moment, things were perfect. They were best friends and would always be best friends, had always been. Nothing could ever change that-no matter how insecure Harry got sometimes or how complicated Peter could be. Even before they’d started dating, their relationship with each other had been a priority for the both of them. Things may be slightly different now, but Harry’s starting to get the hang of it.
“You know it’s still my turn to pick the movie, right?”