Work Text:
Harley woke up slowly, his head throbbing and a sharp pain in his wrists. Confusion set in as his brain sluggishly tried to piece together what was happening. The rope that bound his wrists behind a steel chair was rough and itchy and the columns that made the back of the chair dug into his back. His neck felt stiff and a dull pain radiated from it hanging limp for too long. He looked around, taking stock of the situation he was in. Harley figured it had to be some storage unit, steel walls and the chill of the winter air breaking through them. They must have taken his coat, he figured, as he was only in his MIT sweatshirt and sweatpants. The room was bare and dark, save for a single naked lightbulb that hung over his head, flickering slightly.
Harley pulled against his bounds, but they were too tight to untie himself. To make matters worse, even if the storage door in front of him was unlocked, it would make a lot of noise if he tried to open it. If his captors were anywhere nearby they would hear and there was little chance he would be able to outrun them tied up. The only other option was a small window right below the roof behind him, but he couldn't fly or climb up walls like…
Harley groaned, annoyance settling in his gut. He knew exactly why he was here. Before he could wallow in his predicament too long, the garage-like door opened and loud sheet metal noise filled the space. Inside walked three men, all holding guns. They all looked jacked, even though they were wearing thick coats to protect them against the winter weather. Harley shivered against the wave of cold that blew over his body. He was ironically grateful when they closed the door behind them.
“Harley Keener,” the first one started, his inflection the forced positive that Harley hated in a captor. He preferred if they were just honest with their true temperament; it made his time a lot more bearable. “How nice to finally meet you.”
“You want Spider-Man, right?” Harley said, ignoring the all too common beginning ‘niceties’.
If the man was shocked by Harley’s calm and collected response, he didn’t show it. His lips upturned slightly. “Clever one, you are.”
Harley sighed. “Not really. Look, unfortunately you are about 2 months too late. Spider-Man and I aren’t a thing anymore. You’re wasting your time here.”
“I have a hard time believing that.” He responded, crossing his arms, while the other two glanced at each other worryingly.
“Me too.” Harley rolled his eyes, huffing.
“He broke up with you then?” The guy's eyebrows lifted high. “I can’t imagine him willingly giving up someone who looks like you. What, you weren’t into a weird spider-kink of his?”
Harley didn’t dignify that with a response, squinting his eyebrows in order to express the most judgement he could at the man. He just laughed.
“Oh come on, Huckleberry Finn. Why did the spider break up with you? You got something weird about you?” He squatted down, pressing the cool metal of the gun along Harley’s cheek, turning it slightly.
“You’re just wasting your time. He ain’t comin’. And please pass that around to your criminal buddies? I didn’t think I’d have to send out a newsletter to get left alone.”
The man’s grin grew wider and he shifted forward, his hot breath only inches from the blonde’s ear. “I have a feeling he’s going to come, break-up or not. And if he doesn’t, well, we’ll figure out some way to make our time worthwhile.” As he spoke, he dragged the gun slightly down Harley's jaw, under his chin, tilting it up. Harley’s jaw clenched, keeping his eyes on the man.
Harley understood his predicament, really. There was no feasible way to get out of this without help. However, Harley really, really, really, did not want to see his ex for the first time since their break-up like this. It was incredibly embarrassing, especially since he planned to look so incredibly handsome the next time he saw Peter that he would regret leaving him. He was going to do that as soon as he stopped crying himself to sleep every night and he could work on the massive bags that built under his eyes. A little bit of Harley was vindicated too, remembering the night of their break-up clearly.
“I don’t understand.” Harley argued back, dread and sorrow filling his stomach. The ice-pack he was supposed to be putting on his eye was discarded and melting on the coffee table. It was a day after Peter had saved him from another kidnapping, and this one actually went pretty well. He sustained no injuries other than the punch to the eye, and Peter got him out in under an hour. The hero now stood on the other side, his body tense and nervous.
“I-I don’t feel like I’m safe for you, Harley. This is the third time this year.” He responded.
“And you saved me the third time this year. Baby, I knew this came with the territory-”
“That’s the problem!” Peter shouted. “Being with me is hurting you.” He frowned, his eyebrows knitted as he tried to keep himself from crying. “I can’t let this happen anymore.”
Harley shook his head, stepping around the table to approach his lover. “Pete, I’m fine. We are working on a solution, just give it time. You said yourself that everything has just been…extra chaotic recently.” Harley put a hand on Peter’s cheek, and the brunette leaned into it.
“I said that two years ago Harley. It’s not getting better. It’s getting worse.” Peter put a hand on Harley's wrist to push it away, but Harley put his other hand to Peter’s other cheek, cupping his face.
“We will get through it together.” A small smile ghosted his lips, even though fear pounded at his chest.
Peter started crying then, bringing Harley’s lips to his. It was salty and desperate and almost brought Harley to his knees. Harley went to deepen it, but Peter pulled back, resting their foreheads together. Harley ran his hand through Peter’s curls.
“I love you so much. That’s why I can’t-” Peter’s voice cut off, and he pushed away from Harley. Harley caught his wrist, his heart hammering even faster, his fear beginning to choke him. “I’m sorry. I- I love you.”
“Peter” Harley's voice broke, but Peter just pried out of his grip and walked towards the door. Time felt like it moved slow, Peter’s light steps away sounding like gunshots to Harley’s heart. “Don’t leave me.” Harley managed out, his throat barely letting him speak as hot tears ran down his face. He saw Peter tense, pausing for only a second before he opened the front door and walked out.
A hard punch with the heel of the gun shocked Harley out of his memory. “Fuck!” Harley shouted, looking up at the man.
“I really don’t think you understand the position you’re in. You listen when I speak and you answer when I ask. You better hope your ex comes for you, blondie, otherwise your next date is with death.”
Harley flexed his jaw, trying to ease off the pain. “How long did it take for you to come up with that one?” He shot back, only to get the same punch again. Shit, that hurt.
“That’s why Spidey left you, huh? He didn’t want to deal with a mouthy bitch.”
“He actually really liked that part.” Harley smiled bitterly, feeling the taste of iron pool in his mouth.
“Just knock him out again if you don’t want to listen to him, Herman.” One of the other guys said, looking extremely bored.
“Your name is Herman? No wonder you're such a miserable ass.” Harley joked. The man raised his arms again, anger in his eyes, and Harley prepared himself for the hit. As he was just beginning to swing down, a white line cut into Harley’s vision, attaching to his hand and pulling it back.
“He does have a point there, Herman.” Herman flew back and hit the ground groaning. Peter quickly ripped the guns from the other two, webbing them together and sticking them to the wall. “Your parents really set you up for failure, dude.” Herman had gotten back up, his gun pointed at the hero. “But they do say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so you aren’t giving them raving reviews either.”
“God shut up! You’re just as mouthy as he is.” Herman shot at Spider-Man, but he quickly dodged, grabbing the gun with a web and sticking it to the wall next to the two men.
Spider-Man groaned. “Don’t talk about that now, we just broke up, man.”
Harley rolled his eyes in response, his heart beating faster. He couldn’t tell if he would be more upset if he was serious or not. The hope that he would come back tore Harley apart, but if he was making fun of their relationship already- Harley thinks that thought hurt worse. Before he could register that Herman got closer to him, a sharp blade pressed to his throat. He looked in front of him to see Spider-Man still, his arms up.
“Silent now, huh? Give me what I want Spider-Man and I'll let him go.” He huffed out.
“Okay, okay. I’m going to take it out of my pocket now.” Spider-Man said. He reached into his hidden pocket and Harley prepared himself. He knew exactly what the other was planning. Harley felt Herman’s grip loosen, relaxing just slightly. Within a split second, Peter took out his hand, shooting a web at the knife, and Harley moved his head back as hard as he could, simultaneously getting his neck away from death and throwing Herman off-balance. The knife clattered to the side, and Peter made quick work of tying up Herman as he stood up in an effort to run.
After that was done, Peter took off his mask, untied Harley, and helped him stand. It was eerily quiet as he worked, neither wanting to acknowledge the thick awkwardness that clung in the air. Peter grabbed Harley’s face, checking out his neck and the growing bruises on his cheek.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” He asked, breaking the silence. Harley shook his head.
“Let’s get you home then.” Peter sighed, going to the door to lift it up.
“Surprised you aren’t leaving me here to make my own way back.” Harley grumbled.
Peter stood up and turned around, anger and guilt radiating off of him. “That’s unfair.”
“Is it? You left me, Peter. You promised you’d never do that.” Harley, to his mortification, couldn’t stop the tears that formed in his eyes.
“I did it to protect you.” Peter defended himself.
“Yeah and how much good that did.” Harley waved around to the people webbed up around him. “Seems like the bad guys didn’t get the memo.”
Peter sighed. “I don’t-” He swallowed. “I don’t know how to fix this. I tried everything to keep them from you, Harley, but they won’t stop.” He gritted his teeth, spitting the last part out. Peter’s rare bout of anger, when he let it trickle past his carefully set control, used to excite Harley. He loved every part of Peter, even the ugly animalistic parts that he tried so hard to hide. Now, as much as he still loved it, it made him sad.
“We were doing it together-”
“Harley!” Peter interrupted him, looking at the blonde with wild eyes. “I had to deal with the fear of you getting kidnapped over and over again, not knowing if this time they decided to kill you immediately. Then getting you back and seeing you hurt- it was too much. ”
“I get it-” Harley started before Peter cut him off.
“No you don’t!”
“ Yes, I do.” Harley retorted. “I was the one getting kidnapped, in case you forgot. But none of that mattered because I knew you were going to save me. I knew I was going to get to come home with you at the end of the day. Cuddle with you in our bed as you kissed away the pain. I don’t feel safe or happy without you, Pete.”
Peter was silent for a moment, Harley’s sniffles and shivering filling the silence. Peter looked up, his eyes red. He came over, bringing his hands to Harley’s arms, rubbing them up and down to warm the other up. “I haven’t been happy without you too. I keep reaching over for you in the bed- and you’re not there.”
Harley breathed, watching the other. “I could be.” He said tentatively.
Peter sighed before shaking his head, his movements stopping.
“Don’t- don’t say no. We are both miserable Peter. And it’s not like I’m any safer without you.”
“I can’t- I can’t see you get hurt again.” He choked out.
Harley sighed, watching the other for a second. Then, he leaned down putting his lips to the others. Peter crashed onto his lips like a life-line, pushing their lips together as Harley breathed in the smell of Peter’s sweat and vanilla face-cream. They broke apart.
“We’ll figure it out. A way for me to be safer. We’ll do it together, okay? I don’t want to be apart from you anymore.”
“I don’t either.” He agreed, pulling Harley in for another quick kiss.
“Just don’t leave me again, please.” Harley added in a whisper, his thoughts hazing over with every touch of Peter’s lips. Peter pulled back and a guilty frown pulled on his lips. He wiped a tear from Harley’s cheek.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t want to hurt you-”
“I know.” Harley whispered back, cutting off the conversation, pulling their lips back together to kiss away his frown.
“I- won’t- ever-again.” Peter said in between kisses. Harley shushed him. Peter pulled back again, Harley chasing his lips. His face was serious. “I have to say it. I won’t stop apologizing- I’m so sorry. You’re the best thing I have, and I don’t intend to ever let you go.”
Harley smiled, hugging Peter, who gripped him back tightly. Harley always felt secure in Peter’s arms, and this time it felt no different.
“Take me home.” He replied.
“I am home, wherever you are, I’m home-” Peter replied.
Harley laughed. “That’s sweet baby, but I’m cold and my cheek hurts.”
“Oh! Yeah, okay. Come on.” Peter jumped to life, opening the garage door. Together they walked out, hand-in-hand, and Harley leaned into Peter as he led them home.