Ready Now
F.R.I.D.A.Y. wakes Tony up at four-thirty in the morning.
"Sir, it appears there is an adolescent requesting you." She says. Tony grumbles, blearily wiping sleep from his eyes, and turns over, half-checking to see if F.R.I.D.A.Y. had woken Pepper as well. Nope. The love of his life sleeps as peacefully as she can manage.
"Pete?" He asks, still slightly disoriented.
"No Sir. Mister Parker-Honorary-Stark is currently asleep in the room of Mrs. Parker." That seems to rouse him. His brow is furrowed as he pulls back his covers, glancing feverishly to Pepper as he exits the room.
"Then who the hell is it?" Tony asks, rubbing his face as he walks down the hall. He rings up a mental list in his mind, grabbing the empty coffee pot as he passes it. May as well since he's already up. What other adolescents does he know? Ned, Scary Spice, Bartons kids?
"He is referring to himself as 'Harley Keener', Sir."
The coffee pot breaks. Tony's jaw is dropped. Jesus Christ. The kid. The kid he'd been working the past three days trying to find where he'd Snapped back to life.
"Mr. Stark?" He hears after a second, and it draws him from his stupor.
"Where is he, F.R.I?" He manages.
"Mr. Stark?" The voice tries again.
"Outside the doors to the lobby, Sir."
"Let him in. Send him up in the elevator." Tony breathes. There's a pause.
"He's on his way, Sir." Tony lets out a relieved exhale and the world comes back to him.
"Mr. Stark?" Tony jumps, turning his head to see Peter holding pieces of the broken coffee pot. Shit.
"Pete." He says. "Hey kiddo." He loves this side of Peter, the bleary-eyed, bedheaded teenager. Peter frowns, looking from Peter to the blinking clock on the stove.
"Are you okay?" He asks, and Tony melts a little bit. God he missed his kid. He nods.
"I think so," He says, and doesn't get the chance to say much more, because in that instant, the elevator dings. Both Tony and Peters heads swivel towards it just in time for Harley Keener, built two years older than Tony remembered, stumbles into the living room. Tony's jaw drops and he's rushing forward. "Jesus!"
"Nope." Harley shivers. "Just me."
He's completely drenched, head to toe. His hair and clothes are sticking to him and he's got one black eye complete with a blood smear on his opposite cheek. He has nothing with him except for what's on him and a broken phone that he desperately clutches to in his right hand. He sees Peter and nods, who looks on baffled and wide-eyed.
"Hey." He says, and promptly passes out.
He wakes up in the softest bed he's ever slept in. There's a sort of scratchy, thinly knitted blanket thrown over him, and he hums. He opens his eyes to soft daylight, and there's an IV taped to his hand. He makes a face at it and shifts, looking out the glass door his bed is laid opposite to. He can see Tony on the phone through it, and the woman he knows to be Pepper Potts, watching him pace. Her hair is gently draped over her right shoulder, and she wears a bunchy hoodie with pajama bottoms. Slowly, the events of the morning come back to him.
"You're awake," A voice says, and Harley jumps, twisting toward the voice next to his bed. There is a boy, looking small and around his age in the chair near his bed. The boy winces. "Sorry." Harley swallows, his mouth feels dry.
"No problem," He says. There's an odd silence. The boy shifts.
"I'm Peter." He says then, and Harleys head tilts. He takes in his appearance; Hello Kitty pajamas and a faded MIT sweatshirt. Presentable.
"Harley," He replies. Peter nods.
"Mr. Stark told me about you," He says next, making Harley raise a brow. "About the Mandarin and Rose Hill." Harley nods.
"Bum-fuck, Tennessee." He agrees. The corner of Peters lip quirks. Harley shifts in his bed, wincing slightly. "So, you Tony's kid or something?" He asks. Peter flushes, and Harley is quick to note it.
"Or something," He says. Harley opens his mouth to say something else when Tony bursts in through the door.
"Oh thank God you're awake." He says, phone still pressed to his ear, and then hums something. Harley grins. "I'll call you back." Tony says, and hangs up the phone, tossing it half-heartedly to Peter before moving to Harley's bedside.
"Tony!" Harley smiles. The Mechanic doesn't return it, instead, his eyes are still charting Harley's face.
"So that was your mother I was just talking to." Harley's smile falls.
"Please don't make me go back," Harley says, and Tony's head drops. When it lifts he sighs.
"Can you give us a minute or two, Pete?" He asks, and Peter nods, smiling once more at Harley before getting up and going out to meet Pepper. Tony watches him go, then turns back to Harley.
"Kid-"
"I don't know how to live there anymore," Harley says, and suddenly he's blubbering; face red and sweaty, and tears rolling down his cheeks. His vision goes blurry, and he doesn't know if it's the panic or the tears. "My Dad came back and my sister is the same age as me and I don't know where I fit anymore." Tony sits on the edge of Harleys bed and pulls him into his chest.
"Breathe," He shushes, and slowly but surely, Harley is able to see without going cross-eyed. "Kiddo, that's when you ask for help." Tony says, and Harley figures he's close to tears as well.
"I can't," Harley sniffles. Tony pulls away from him and looks into his eyes, hands tight on his shoulders.
"You have to," Tony says, firmly, and behind his eyes are a type of fear Harley's only ever seen his Mother wear. "You have to, because otherwise, you give me, your mom, and your sister heart attacks when you show up half-starved, drenched to hell, and sporting a black eye." Tony makes sure to enthuse the last part, and Harley feels suddenly guilty. He drops his head and wipes his face, wincing when his hand brushes over his bruised eye.
"I'm sorry," Harley sputters. "I planned to come straight here, but then I got mugged, and then it starting raining-" It isn't long until the tears return to stream down his face. Tony pulls a grimace.
"You're fine," He says. "Christ, how did you even get here?" Harley sniffles.
"Hitchhiked."
"For ten hours?! God, kid." He sighs, and blinks away watery eyes. "Next time, you call. Okay?" Harley nods stiffly.
"Yes, sir." He says, and Tony sighs again.
"C'mere," He mutters, and then Harley is wrapped in his arms again. When they pull apart again, Harley's face is still red and blotchy, but dryer.
"So, what happens now?" He asks, sounding croaky. Tony stands and fetches him a glass of water before answering.
"I just sent a jet to collect your folks, so they should be here in about four hours." Tony says. "After that, I'll talk to your mom; try to figure out how we can help you." Harley nods and sniffs again.
"Okay." He says. Tony nods and claps his hands together.
"Right, what do you say we get you up to the penthouse?"
The penthouse was nothing at all like Harley was expecting, and that's justified. He reckoned Pepper Potts (no, Potts-Stark now), and the famed Happy Hogan would be there; maybe even Colonel Rhodes. What he didn't expect to see was a second woman buttering toast, nor the same kid that was in his room when he woke up. Harley paled a bit when he realized that they were having breakfast, and wondered just how he fit into whatever family Tony had built. The woman and Peter both looked over to them as Tony led him into the room, and Peter lit up.
"Hey Harley," He greets, a piece of peanut-butter toast in his hand. Harley nods.
"Peter," He says, somewhat oddly. The woman nursing the toast smiles at him.
"Harley Keener?" She asks. Harley nods and rubbed his hands together.
"Yes, ma'am." He answers. The woman smiles even brighter.
"Oh Tony, I like him," She says, then leans across the island and smacks Peters arm. "Why don't you ever call me ma'am?" Peter yelps and frowns at the woman.
"May!" He whines. The woman, May, grins and shakes her head. She looks back up to him.
"Do you like Peanut-Butter, Harley?" She asks. Harley swallows and shakes his head, feeling more at ease.
"No ma'am, I'm allergic." He says. May nods.
"How about jam?" Harley nods, and she mirrors it a moment later before whirling back around to the toaster. Tony claps Harley's shoulder.
"I'm gonna go get Pep, feel free to sit with Pete." Tony says, and Harley nods.
"I don't bite," Peter says, and Harley quirks a grin. Tony leaves the room and Harley moves to slide into the chair next to Peter.
"Nice pajamas," He says, and Peter grins.
"They're from Mr. Stark." He informs, and Harley grins.
"The man has impeccable taste." He says, and this time it's Peter who grins. A plate is placed in front of him then, met with a piece of toast, and a paired glass of OJ. "Thank you, ma'am." He says to May, and she smiles.
"Just May is fine." She says, and Harley smiles. May reminds him of his mother. Harley takes a bite of his toast.
"So how do you know Mr. Stark?" He asks. Peter looks to May, who shrugs.
"I'm Spider-Man." Harley nearly chokes.
"No fucking way!"