*In captain American voice*

Patience. Sometimes patience is the key to victory. Sometimes it leads to very little, and seems like it isn't worth it. And you wonder why you waited so long for something so Disappointing.

But thank you for your patience anyway.

(Chaos, I'm working on your idea and I've had several different drafts, but I don't want to publish it until I get it right. It should be up soon.)

Welp, here y'all go.

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   Peter had simply been chilling in the tower, enjoying his day, when he shows up. The Spider-Kid had been in the common room of the tower, watching a movie with Tony. Peter had finally convinced him to watch Big Hero 6. Unfortunately, they were interrupted when they heard FRIDAY's voice ringing throughout the penthouse.

"Sir? We have Harley Keener waiting at the elevator."

"Harley? He wasn't supposed to be here until next week." Is Tony's reply.

"Shall I let him in?" FRIDAY asks.

"Of course! Don't keep him waiting." Peter sends Tony a confused look, which goes unnoticed.  Who's Harley? What's he doing here? Peter speaks these questions aloud,  but they fall on deaf ears. Tony is already up and moving to the elevator. The doors open to reveal a kid a few years older than Peter. The Spider's enhanced hearing catches the entire conversation.

"Harley? I thought you weren't coming in 'till Wednesday. "

"Mom said I could come early. She said since I was 18, I could make my own decisions." Tony just laughs and puts a hand on the boys shoulder before leading him out of the room, the two still joking and laughing. Peter looks back to the screen. The movie is still playing, the light of the TV casting shadows across the room. A bowl of popcorn sits on the couch beside him, still full.

Peter waits a little while longer in hopes that Tony will return and finish the movie, but after half an hour Peter realizes that isn't going to happen. With a disappointed sigh Peter turns off the TV and takes the snacks back to the kitchen before retiring to his room for the night.

After Peter's in bed and tucked under a pile of Star Wars blankets, he thinks about what just happened. 

Tonight was supposed to be his night with his father figure,  like every Friday night. It was supposed to be the night they put away all things work/school related,  and just hang out. But instead, it was just pushed to the side. In fact, this hadn't been the first time this had happened.  It seemed like the billionaire had been distracted over the last few weeks, and Peter felt as if he was somewhat invisible.

The teen tries to ignore the thoughts as he drifts off to sleep...

[[[[]]]]

Tony walks back toward the common room after showing Harley to his own room and giving him a tour of the penthouse. Harley, after weeks of begging, had convinced his mother to let him intern at Stark Industries for the summer. Tony had sent out the invite a few months ago, and so here they were. Harley was his newest intern.

The man walks around the corner and into the common room, ready to finish the movie with his kid.

"Hey Kid-" He stops in his tracks.  Peter's gone? The TV's turned off and everything is put away, the blankets they were using neatly folded and left on the couch. Why would the kid just leave? "FRIDAY, what time is it?"

"10:49 PM." Tony sighs. He didn't realize things had taken that long. Now the kid was probably feeling left out.

The man turns on his heel and walks to Peter's room before gently opening the door, trying to be as quiet as possible.  Looking inside, he sees his kid bundled up in his Star Wars blankets and his IronMan build-a-bear tucked under his arm (a gift from Tony of course). He can hear the teens gentle snores as he steps farther into the room.

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed, thankful that Peter's a heavy sleeper. Unless Peter's Spider-Senses are going crazy, that kid could sleep through just about anything. Tony gently runs his fingers through the kids soft brown curls, and he can't help but smile as Peter leans into his hand.

"I'm sorry Pete." Tony whispers. "I'll make it up to you."

In a moment of vulnerability, he gives the kid a gentle kiss on the forehead before standing back up and leaving the room, ready to go to his lab for the rest of the night.

<><><><><>

When Peter wakes the next morning,  the smell of pancakes takes over his senses, flooding in from the kitchen. Still dressed in his Spider-Man pajamas (another gift from Tony), he stands up and makes his way toward the smell.

When he arrives, he sees some of the others already seated at the table. Not only that, but the kid from yesterday, Harley, was in his seat. He was laughing at something Mr. Stark had said, and Mr. Stark was laughing right along with him. As much as he hated it, he couldn't help but feel that little twinge of jealousy.

To distract himself he instead focuses on Natasha who is standing in front of the stove piling pancakes onto a plate.

"Good morning baby Spider." She says without turning around.

"Good morning Mama Spider." Peter says with a yawn while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stands next to her and takes the plate, but instead of sitting down he just eyes Harley who is sitting in Peter's seat. Natasha must notice, because she just pulls him into a side hug before whispering.

"Why don't you and I eat together in the common room. We can watch a movie." Peter just nods as Natasha grabs a plate of her own and they move to the next room. As they sit down and set their plates on the table, Nat sends the teen a knowing look. She doesn't say anything, knowing he probably doesn't want to talk about it. Instead, she starts the movie. The beginning credits to Big Hero 6 begin to play when Peter speaks up.

"Can we watch something else?" Peter asks quietly, poking at his food with the fork. He wouldn't say anything, but this is still a movie he'd been waiting to watch with Mr. Stark.

"Yeah of course.  What do you wanna watch?"

"I don't know. Let's watch Looney Tunes."

With another nod, Natadha starts the show. They sit in silence as they eat their breakfast, and it's just as they finish when Stark walks in, Harley.in tow.

"Peter!" Tony says. "I want you to meet my newest intern, Harley Keener. He's gonna be working with us in the lab." Peter stands to his feet and extends his hand. Harley does the same, and they shake hands.

"I'm Peter Parker. " Harley looks at Peter,  eyeing the pajamas the teen is wearing.

"Don't you think you're a little old for Spider-Man?" Harley asks. Peter can't help the blush that rushes to his cheeks as he instinctively crosses his arms, covering the Spider-Man emblem on the front of his shirt. Peter doesn't get the chance to respond before Harley speaks a second time.  "How old are you anyway? 12?"

"I'm 16." Peter replies defensively.

"So when do we start working?" He asks.

"Just as soon as Peter's ready to go." Peter just looks between the two of them, and he can tell that there's some kind of history that he doesn't know about. And he can already tell he's going to be the third wheel of the group.

"Actually Mr. Stark..." The kid says. Tony nearly flinches. Peter hasn't called him Mr. Stark in months. He only calls him that when he's upset or feels like he's done something wrong.

Peter struggles to find something to say,  but once again Natasha saves the day.

"He was going to go spend the day with me." Peter just nods, and for a second he could've sworn he saw hurt in his mentor's eyes.

"Oh...okay I guess. Have fun. Let's go Harley." The two then leave the room, leaving the two Spiders alone once again.

"Thanks Mama Spider."

"No problem. Now go get dressed.  You and I are gonna have the best day ever."

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

Harley and Tony are working in the lab,  Tony showing Harley the new and improved suits he's made sense that night in Tennessee. They had been working for a little while when Tony decided to bring up what had been bothering him.

"You know Harley, I don't really appreciate the comment you made to Peter earlier. " He says, eyes still focused on the task at hand.

"What do you mean?"

"About his age. And his pajamas. I bought him those. That's why he wears them."

"Oh." Harley replies. "I'll apologize later. Who is he anyway?"

What was Tony supposed to say? Honestly,  he didn't know. Peter was the closest thing he had to a son, but he hadn't told Peter yet. And he figured he should probably tell him before he told Harley.

"He's...an intern."

"Does he live here or something?"

"Yeah, but so do you."

"Well that's because I really dont have anywhere else to stay. Unless I wanna go back to Tennessee. I mean if he's already from New York, then he has to have somewhere else-"

"He doesn't." Tony snaps, a little more harsh than he should've been. "He doesn't have anyone else, Harley. We're all he has left in this world."

Harley feels guilt creeping in. For the comments he made, for how his and Peter's first meeting went, and even for spending so much time with Tony.

Yes, Harley's dad had left,  but he still had his mom. And a new mentor looking out for him.

"Can I ask what happened?" Harley asks timidly.

"He...He lost his parents in a plane crash when he was younger.  After that he went to live with his aunt and uncle. He lost his uncle in a robbery gone wrong, and then his aunt ended up dying of cancer a few years later. That was about 6 months after I met him."

Harley's response is cut off by none other than Pepper Potts walking in, a stack of papers in her hands.

"Hey Pep." Tony says, standing to give his wife a welcoming hug and kiss.

"Hey, where's Peter? I thought he would be down here with you."

When Tony remembers that he's spending the day with Natasha,  he can't help the jealousy that seems to be running through the tower.

"He went with Romanoff."

"Really? That's odd. I knew he was looking forward to spending the day with you."

"Apparently not."

"Well I was just bringing down his college acceptance letters we got in the mail." Pepper says, glancing at the envelopes in her hand.

"Really?! Any from MIT?" Tony asks in reply, eager to know about his son's choice of school. He and Pepper begin the discussion of Peter's college education as Harley looks on from the sidelines.

The two seem so happy. Like it really is their kid they're sending off to school in a few years. And that jealousy that has become all too common in the Stark household once again makes it's appearance.

Harley watches as Tony proudly looks through the letters hoping to know which ones the kid applied for, and he can't help but wish that those were his college acceptance letters,  and that he were the one the Starks viewed as a son.

His mood ruined, he returns to his work. Yes, he felt bad about the things he said to Parker. But jealousy is a powerful thing, and right now it only made Harley resent Peter more than ever.

<><><><><><><><>

When Natasha and Peter arrive back at the tower, Peter goes straight to his room.  He had told his mama Spider everything, from the Jealousy to the feeling of being abandoned. Like something better came along and Peter had been left in the shadows. It helped him feel somewhat better, but he had an idea on the way home that he was determined to carry through.

After finding some cardboard boxes,  he begins taking down all of his Star Wars posters,  boxing up his Lego sets,  and folding up his science pun t-shirts. After he boxes it all up, he carefully places his Spider-Man pajamas on top and stores it away in his closet. His room seems somewhat bare, but less like a 12 year old's room. At least that's how he hopes it looks like.

When he's finished, he starts toward the lab to do his homework, only to find Pepper, Tony, and Harley standing there, both Pepper and Tony sporting proud smiles. They're looking at some sort of papers, probably something to do with Harley's internship.

So instead of walking inside, he just leaves the way he came. Trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes, he just goes back to his room and closes the door behind him.

[][][][][]

The next morning, Peter's exhausted.  But his attendance has suffered enough, and he has no choice but to go to school. So he reluctantly gets dressed and ready to face the day. Because all of his Science pun t-shirts are now boxed up in his closet,  hes wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of faded Jean's. He's on his way out the door when Rhodey stops him in the hallway.

"Hey Pete, have a good day at school." Peter gives a brief  'I will' before trying to leave again, but is again stopped by the man. "Whoa, no Punny t-shirt today?"

"Nope. Not today."

"Why?"

"I outgrew them." With that said Peter leaves for school, eager to be anywhere but there.

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Pepper walks into Peter's room, the stack of letters in her hand. Her plans were to leave them there for Peter to find. However, when she steps inside she drops every one of them to the ground.

Peter's room wasn't Peter's room anymore. Every poster had been taken down, every Lego set, and every comic book. Gone. The only personalized thing in his room are the pictures. There's one of Peter, May, and Ben. There's the picture of Peter and Tony when Peter had gotten his internship certificate, and a few of Peter, Tony, and Pepper.

"Tony!" The red-head calls out into the hallway. Seconds later Tony is at her side.

"What?! What's going on?" He takes one look at the room and is immediately overcome with worry. "What happened in here?:

"I'm not sure, but we're going to find out."

<><><>

Peter's head was pounding as he made his way home later that day. Flash had cornered him in the hallway afterschool, and now Peter was on his way to the tower with a black eye, a bloody nose, and possibly a bruised rib.

There was no possible way he would be healed enough by the time he got home, despite his enhanced healing. So he puts his good up and keeps walking, keeping his face hidden. It isn't much fun walking home with a bruised rib, but he didn't feel like bothering Happy by asking for a ride.

When he arrives at the tower, Tony is sitting in the common room. Peter immediately glances around, looking for any sign of Harley. When the other kid is nowhere to be found the Spider releases a subtle sigh of relief. He really didn't feel like dealing with both Flash and Harley in one day.

Pulling his hood further, he tries to sneak past Tony and keep his injuries hidden. He's almost made it when-

"Hey Bambi. How was school?" Peter freezes.

"Fine." He replies,  not daring to meet his mentors gaze. Mr. Stark can't know about Flash. Peter doesn't want to bother him with some stupid bully.

"Really? Then why are you trying to sneak past me?"

"My day was fine, okay!" Peter snaps, annoyed at the billionaire's sudden concern.

"Why do you care anyway?" Peter mumbles under his breath.  Unfortunately, Tony hears him. The man stands and begins walking toward his kid. As he steps closer Peter takes a step back. Tony just stops and let's out a tired sigh.

"I care because you're my kid. And I miss you." Tony says, a hint of sadness in his voice. He and Peter had barely spoken to each other over the past week.

"Really?" Peter's voice is shaking, as if he's on the verge of tears.

"Really."

Peter doesn't hesitate before tackling the hero in a hug, nearly knocking the both of them to the ground.

"I missed you too." Peter's crying freely at this point, the exhaustion and stress of the past week catching up to him.

It's when Tony hugs him only a little tighter that Peter feels the sharp pain from his ribs. A hiss of pain escapes his lips, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

Tony backs away instantly. He not only notices the tears on the kids face. But the bruises littered across the teens face, and the way he's clutching his side.

"What happened!?"

"Oh well... you see..." Peter struggles to find something to say.

"Peter. Answer me." Tony says, taking on the role of responsible parent.

"I-" Peter is saved by the bell. Well, by FRIDAY. 

"Sir, you have a call from general Ross. I suggest you take to the conference room." Tony sighs.

"We're not finished with this." The man leaves the room, and Peter can't help but sigh in relief. That is until he realizes what FRIDAY said...

"General Ross." Peter mutters.

"Who's Ross?" A voice sounds from behind him. Peter turns to find Harley standing in the doorway, Leaning against the frame. His arms are crossed over his chest, a defensive stance obvious.

"General Ross. He helped with put the Sokovia accords into place." Peter replies. If Harley noticed the condition Peter was in, he didn't show it.

"So what does it mean if he called?"

"It can't be good whatever it is. Da- uhh, Tony seems stressed about it." Harley doesn't reply, so Peter continues. "Listen Harley, I know you don't like me, and I don't really like you, but can we get along for just a little while? For Tony?"

Harley just gives a slight nod. Things won't be perfect, but they have to try.

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So, I really really liked writing this one. I hope you all liked reading it. I'd never read one where Peter and Harley start out as enemies, so I wrote one.

I feel like all I've been doing is requests and I felt like you all might like something original.

I promise I'm still working on requests.

I larb you all my amazing arachnids,

Nat

(I'm gonna start signing off as Nat since that's my username. Let me know what you think.)