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Harley knows every customer who walks through his doors. 

His Bakery is the best-kept secret in the entire city- on purpose. To the point where he’s almost sure if it wasn’t for a certain financial backer in the form of a superhero who liked his blueberry muffins, he’d be bankrupt and forced to move back home to Tennessee. It’s not that his baking was bad, actually, rather that it was too good and the aforementioned superhero had made sure to keep it safe. Which he really wasn’t too mad about, considering Tony funded his entire building and bought more than enough product to help him stay moderately afloat. 

There are twenty-three other customers that frequent his store besides Tony and his brood of superheroes. He knows all their names, has their orders down by heart, and even knows which ones will want to try something new. He’s learned them. He’s learned them because he loves his work, loves his bakery, loves the people who come in and chatter over a cupcake and tell him stories about college and their lives. Harley knows these people and these people know Harley. 

Harley does not know the boy- man?- who walks through the door.

It’s not unusual to get a new customer every now and then, so he doesn’t feel like somethings wrong until the boy- again, he wonders if boy applies to this person because he looks young but he towers over Harley, just slightly- gives him a double-take and rakes his eyes over the store like he’s cataloging every aspect of it. He must like what he finds because he turns back to Harley and gives him a small smile.

“Welcome,” he chokes out after a second because wow that’s a cute smile, “Welcome to A Keen Bakery. What can I get for you today?”

The boy- one more time, he questions if this is a boy or a man because he looks like he can’t be older than twenty-one, but Harley can see his biceps hidden in the sleeves of his sweatshirt- offers a grin, “Um, I’m not really sure. You got any recommendations?”

“That depends… what do you normally like?”

“Anything without mint,” The boy reaches up to run a hand through his hair and effectively makes Harley swoon because, um, wow, his hair is really curly, he hadn’t noticed how curly it was before. “I’m allergic to it. But generally, I like everything.” 

Not a lot to go on, if he was honest, but he made sure to pick something away from his mint chocolate muffins. Scooping up the raspberry scone he gently placed it on a plate before humming, “A raspberry scone then. Mint free. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Uh, I’ll take a coffee- um black, thanks…” He trailed off, eyes wandering up and down Harley again before catching on his nametag. “Harley.” 

There was something in the other boy’s voice that made him want to shiver. He couldn’t really tell what it was, but he assumed it had something to do with the fact those pretty brown eyes were still sweeping over his body. “And a name for the order?”

“... Peter,” The boy- Peter, he corrected in his head, wow, Peter was a really good name, honestly- gave him after a second. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Turning his back, he began to fix Peter his black coffee with little mind to the other boy. When he had finished, Peter had leaned in closer to the counter, watching him slyly. It made Harley shiver again, then grin. Handsome boy checking him out. Very nice. “That’ll be 6.05, Peter.”

Peter bit his lip before pulling out his wallet and handing over a ten-dollar bill. Their fingers brushed when he took it and Harley wanted to swoon again. It wasn’t like he was inexperienced, he was a twenty-year-old man who had been in a few serious relationships, but something about this ridiculously cute customer in front of him made him feel like a high schooler with a crush on the star football player again. 

Handing Peter back his change, he held his breath, hoping their fingers would brush again like some sort of creep. They did and Peter offered a grin in response before taking his coffee and scone and sitting down at a table near the register. 

It made his heart pound. 

God, one cute boy and he turned back into a blushing kid with no self-confidence. They hadn’t even said more than thirty words to one another and somehow, Harley couldn’t get the way that he’d said his name out of his head. Or the brown eyes. Or the curls. Or the grin. Sparing a glance at the customer, he was pleased to find that Peter was looking back at him, only to look away dramatically when he’d been caught. 

Harley forced a grin down. Hopefully, Peter would come again and he could learn more about the other boy. Like if he was single. And if he was into boys. And if he’d want to go out on a date. Just simple things for a simple boy. 

Shaking his head, he pulled away from his staring to grab a broom and begin to sweep behind the counter. No need to daydream about a boy he didn’t know at all when he had to clean more before he could slip into the back and begin baking some new batches. The avengers had promised to stop by and he was out of the rosemary and lavender cupcakes that Bruce liked so much. 

He could still feel Peter’s eyes on him and it made him blush. 

The Spider is on the roof of his bakery and Harley knows this because he had caught a glimpse of him when he had brought out his garbage. 

Which. Holy shit. Holy fuck. Oh shit. Oh fuck. The Spider was on his roof and had seen him leave the bakery to bring out the garbage of the day. He had successfully made eye contact with the most wanted supervillain murderer in New York state. What the fuck. Holy fuck. Oh no. 

Something churned in his gut; it seemed a well-kept secret was suddenly not kept at all. 

What Harley didn’t understand was how The Spider found him. It wasn’t exactly like anyone but his regulars knew that the Avengers had a tendency to camp out here and Harley knew those people. They wouldn’t- none of them, not any of them- leak the knowledge that he had ties to the superhero group. That he was friends with those said superheroes. His mind flashed to Peter, who had been showing up every day for the past three weeks but it couldn’t be him. 

Because- because- because well, Peter Parker was a dorky photojournalism major at Queensborough community college and had quickly cemented himself as Harley’s favorite piece of eye candy. So it couldn’t be him, no matter how short the amount of time they had known each other was. Besides he’d only seen the Avengers there once, not enough to assume that they were regulars. 

Wait- there was a very real chance that this was all just coincidence. This could just be, this could just be The Spider on the hunt who made a pit stop and happened to catch Harley’s eye. This could just be that and not The Spider realizing that he’s a cohort of the Avengers, who, if he remembered correctly here, The Spider had promised to kill one day. 

Right. Yes. 

He counted his breaths, trying to calm himself down now that he had his rational answer. 

There was still baking that needed to be done before he closed up shop. Normally, he would wait and bake tomorrow morning but some of the dough needed to sit and rise for a night. Turning back in he tried to put the Spider out of his mind and instead focus on the baked goods he was known for. He wasn’t the best at bagels, but he was told that every batch he put out got better and better and- and last time Peter was here, Peter had complimented his lemon poppy bagel so- so he needed- 

The backdoor opened and the air around him felt sickeningly cold. 

Eyes were watching him now. He could feel it in the back of his neck, the way his hair stood up. Someone was in here and Harley knew who it had to be. There was- he had thought- the air dropped another few degrees as footsteps radioed from the back.

Harley had his back to the door, focused on his workstation, but now with trembling hands, it was because he couldn’t bring himself to turn around, to look back at what would be his death. He was twenty, he was only twenty, he was about to fucking die at the hands of this murderer- who would find his body? The store sign would read closed and the regulars he’d grown so accustomed to would just assume he was out of town for a week while his body lay rotting in the back of his shop, strung up like a god damn puppet- like a fucking spider in a web- 

“You think loud,” The Spider murmured and Harley could feel how close he was- could feel the breath on his neck, “It’s cute.” 

Pushing himself away  from the counter he turned to meet his death, “I- you- are you here to kill me?”

“Oh, no, of course not.” 

The red and blue suit would have been charming in some other life, Harley thought numbly. The Spider was taller than him, more built than him. But that didn’t even matter because everyone knew that he had more super strength than Captain America himself. He was faster too- at least that’s what the news reports said, that he was faster than any man. Harley couldn’t even see his backdoor from here let alone reach it before The Spider got him. 

“I don’t- I don’t believe you.” He finally managed, voice trembling more than he’d like to admit. “Please, I just- I’m just a baker-”

“Shh,” The Spider cocked his head to the side, humming. “You’re not just anything, I think.”

“What?”

Harley pressed himself into his counter, trying to put some distance between him and the serial killer who was steadily pressing closer. The Spider seemed to notice this, masked eyes clearly trailing over his body. “You’re not just a baker. I don’t think you’re just anything.”

“I- I don’t understand.” 

“I’m not here to kill you, Harley,” The Spider’s voice was a murmur. “I simply… wanted to meet you.”

“I don’t- What?”

The Spider tilted his head further, taking a step closer. There was barely two inches between them now and Harley’s heart was bursting through his chest. “You’re cute.” 

The words vibrated around his skull and made his vision swim. If he was hallucinating then this was the weirdest fucking hallucination he’d ever had. If he wasn’t then he had a literal mass murderer calling him cute. He couldn’t decide which one was worse, which one was scarier. 

“Please, don’t be scared of me.” The Spider said softly. “You don’t ever have to be scared of me, I won’t hurt you. Ever.”

“You kill people for a living.”

“I kill bad people for a living.” 

“Why do you get to decide that?” His throat felt tight, and his eyes were stinging. He shouldn’t be talking back to a killer but something in him wanted to provoke. That part of him should be squished in fear but it wasn’t. “Why do you get to decide who lives and dies?”

The Spider shrugged but didn’t even seem upset that Harley was pressing the issue. If anything, the way he leaned in made Harley feel like he was enamored with the question. “One day, when we’re closer, I’ll tell you.”

“We- we will not be closer.” 

“Yes, we will, Harley.” A step closer. Harley had nowhere to back into. “Otherwise, why didn’t you call Tony the second you saw me looking at you from the roof? Even if it was just a pass by… I’m sure someone as smart as you would’ve called.” 

A shiver ran down his spine. “I- I didn’t want to-”

“Next time,” The Spider reached out just to gently brush his bangs out of his face. Something twisted in his gut at the gentle touch and another shiver went down his spine. “Please call them. Not on me, but if you see one of their other villains looking at you… I want you to be safe, Harley.”

Shock coursed through him, making him tremble as The Spider’s gloved fingers brushed against his cheek gently cradling the skin. “You-  I don’t understand.”

“You interest me.” 

“I don’t- what’s-”

“Harley,” He murmured, thumb swiping over his cheekbone. “You interest me. I want you safe because you interest me.”

“I don’t-”

“You don’t have to understand.”

For a terrifying second Harley really really wanted to lean into The Spider’s hand. It was pressed to his cheek, the palm flat to the skin and it was warm. The Spider’s hand was warm and it felt like comfort. Which was terrifying because those were the same hands that murdered without care or reason. He leaned away from the hand and watched as the other man let a displeased little sigh. 

“I wish you didn’t pull away, Harley,” The Spider murmured. “But I do understand. You’re scared right now. But I promise you- I swear to you, Harley, that I won’t hurt you. No one in this world will. You don’t have to understand why but do you understand that?”

No, he wanted to scream, no! No! You’re a serial killing murderer and you want to protect me and I don’t understand! 

Harley nodded instead. 

He could swear The Spider relaxed, and if he squinted he could make out a smile under the mask. “Good. Good… that’s- good.”

“Yeah,” Harley swallowed. “I don’t- can you explain to me why you won’t hurt me?”

“You’ll understand one day, Harley.”

“And- how do you know my name?”

This time he was sure that The Spider smiled, “I know a few things about you. I’ll tell you how, one day. If you want.”

A shiver ran down his spine one more time with the implication that The Spider had been stalking him. Fear flashed through his mind- this man must have known about his regulars, his friends must’ve seen the way he blushed around Peter- he could take everything from Harley.

And then he met the lidded eyes of The Spider and somehow he knew that the supervillain wouldn’t. The realization sent waves of terror rushing through him because why was everything in his gut telling him to trust this mass murderer. 

“I uh,” The Spider reached to brush his bangs away from his face again. “I have to go. But I’ll see you again. Be safe.”

Just like that, not waiting for a response, The Spider walked out of his bakery and into the night. 

Harley stood for another minute before his knees gave out and he succumbed to the panic that had grown into his chest since the very second he had seen The Spider on the roof. It was all too much information to process, too much information to carry in his head.

What the fuck had just happened?

If he was smart, he would fess up immediately to Tony about The Spider. 

But now that he was actively standing in front of the superhero he- he couldn’t do it. Which is stupid and deranged and makes a low pit of anxiety form in his gut but god damn he just couldn’t seem to get the words out of his mouth or even in his head. It’s like logically he knew that he needed to report the fucking mass murderer that had captured his attention but he couldn’t. Something in his chest panged at the thought and honestly, that was the scariest part. 

“Are you getting sick, Kid?” Tony asked, voice thick with concern. “You look pale.”

Snapping out of his head, he gave the hero an apologetic glance. “I’m alright, Tony. Just… didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I can relate to that.” The sympathy in the older man’s tone made the anxiety in his gut whirl. What did he do to deserve this when he couldn’t even manage to speak out on how the fucking Spider had stopped by to- to- he wasn’t exactly sure what to call last night. “Is everything alright?”

“I…” He should tell Tony. 

Tony was asking because he cared. Tony Stark was one of the only real adults- not twenty-year-old fuckers that Harley called his friends- that cared about him. After his mother and sister’s deaths, he wasn’t exactly sure he would ever have that again. Lord knows his grandparents didn’t give a shit and his dad had left when he was barely five. So he should tell Tony what had happened, who had stopped by, the pounding feeling in his chest that hadn’t left since that night, the way he kept pressing his fingers to where The Spider had pressed his palm.

But he couldn’t. Something in him was clearly broken because he couldn’t manage to even form a thought about what he should tell Tony. What he should tell the superhero who was actively hunting down the mass murderer. Some part of him was clearly vile and wretched and evil because he didn’t want to tell Tony. He didn’t want to tell Tony anything. 

His head was pounding now and his vision swam momentarily. He gripped his side of the counter letting out a shaky breath. 

Tony’s brow creased hard, hands coming out to rest on his elbow, “Kid, talk to me. What’s wrong Harls?” 

“I can’t-” His voice was a tremble in his own ears for a moment before he pulled back and pressed his palms to his eyes. “Nothing. Nothing. I’m alright, Tony.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’ll be alright then.”

“Kid.” Harley glanced up at him and Tony gave him a firm look. “If something’s going on I can help. If- If money’s tight in the bakery or something, you know I’ve got you. After all, where else am I gonna get the best white chocolate raspberry muffins in the city? Me and the Avengers count on you for baked treats. We’re gonna do everything to make sure this place stays afloat.”

A sickening realization settled over him. Tony thought- Tony had no idea what was happening. Tony thought he was stressed about finances or the bakery and not the fucking mass murderer that had made it clear he’d been stalking Harley. It wasn’t even an unreasonable thought too because Harley had been way too tight in finances before in this New York city rent. He had “ loaned” money from the billionaire before so it made sense that Tony thought it would be that. 

It made tears well up in his eyes even if he refused to let them fall. 

Tony noticed though because of course, Tony did. He slipped around the counter and pulled Harley into a tight hug, “It’s gonna be okay- I’ve got you-”

“What’s going on here?”

Peter stood in the doorway, jaw flexed and eyes hard and Harley jerked, “Peter-”

“Are you alright?” The boy crossed the store with wide strides. “Is this guy bothering you?”

It makes Tony choke and Harley let out a wheezy laugh because honestly the idea of Tony Stark bothering anyone in the way that Peter’s tone implies is ridiculous, “No- No. He was just offering to um, help out with a problem. Which I don’t need help with.”

“Problem?” Peter stands up straighter, eyes worried and kind and wow his curls look good today. If it wasn’t for the fact he had a Mass Murderer stalking him, maybe he would attempt to reach out and play with them or something. But there was indeed a mass murderer stalking him and, yeah, he was still struggling to process that. 

“Money issues,” he says instead of thinking too hard about it all. 

“Oh,” The boy relaxes, glances at Tony- then does a double-take, eyes wide. “Oh. I- I’m so sorry- I didn’t realize who you were- I just-  I just saw he was upset and-”

“Kid,” Tony lets out a warm laugh, even if he still looks a little shocked at the implication. “You’re okay, I’m glad Harls has someone in his corner.”

The words make both him and Peter go bright red in embarrassment and oh he’s definitely gonna get interrogated by Tony and the rest of the Avengers at some point about what’s going on between him and Peter- which nothing is going on, and nothing can be going on, because Harley has a fucking mass murderer stalking him. 

He seriously doesn’t know why the idea of telling Tony makes him want to squirm away. 

“Yeah- I- I’m always gonna be in Harley’s corner,” Peter says and it drags him out of his thoughts almost immediately, because Peter’s holding himself like he needs approval for something. Just a little straighter, with his chest puffed out a little more. “He’s pretty, um, um cool. Special.”

With an amused look, Tony just nods. “Mhm. I agree, kid.”

Harley flushed, looking in between them with suspicious eyes, “What’s happening here?”

“Acceptance,” Tony hummed, grinning at him before patting his back. “I’ll write you a check kid. For now, just hang with- Peter was it?- and have a good time.”

“You don’t need to-”

“I will kid.” The older man walked away with a wave, before turning to stick Peter with a look. “Careful with him, he’s like my son you know?”

It was Peter’s turn to flush as Harley felt himself sputter and cough at the hero’s statements, “Yes sir.”

They stood in silence for a second, just looking out the door to where Tony had disappeared. Harley’s heart raced with what just happened because, um, what? Had Tony just implied that he and Peter- 

But that couldn’t be happening because there was a literal killer stalking him and something in his gut told him that The Spider wouldn’t take kindly to his fraternization with anyone. He was terrified at the idea of the murderer finding out about this boy, this boy with soft eyes and soft curls who had seen him crying and stormed up to make him okay and- and-

“You really okay, Harls?” Peter spoke softly, gently reaching to cup his elbow. “What kinda money issues? I thought the bakery was flourishing?”

A part of him wanted to tell Peter. A part of him really wanted to tell Peter about the Spider. The same part of him that had denied telling Tony ached to open up the truth to this boy. But the more rational- the more terrified- part of him that recognized that he was prey for a hunter, was afraid, was reminded that Peter was all soft edges really. So instead of admitting what was happening, he just offered a weak smile. 

“Nothing you need to worry about Peter.” 

Harley dreamed about a red and blue suit and a hand on his cheek. It burned him, in the dream, but he had leaned into it. In the dream, he head pressed his cheek into that hand and let it guide him into leaning forward and it had felt like heat. Something tugged in his gut making his head spin slightly. 

When he woke up he was sweating, his blankets tangled up by his ankles and the heat in his room sniffling. He hadn’t remembered to close the window before going to sleep and the spring into summer hear had managed to creep into his bones and make it hard to breathe in his room with the suffocating way it overpowered every inch of his systems. He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the way it was slightly damp with sweat

It wasn’t a good night. 

It got worse, he realized with a sinking feeling in his gut, because someone was sitting at his desk and he knew who. 

“What were you dreaming about?” The Spider called, voice genuinely curious. “It seemed nice. You were mumbling.” 

“I-” something that he had absolutely no name for thrummed through his veins and vaguely he thought it was fear laced with an emotion that he couldn’t pinpoint. “Nothing. It was nothing.”

“Alright,” Shrugging, he leaned away from the desk standing now. “You didn’t tell Tony.”

He wondered how The Spider knew that he hadn’t told anyone. He wondered if the Spider knew how close he had been to telling Peter. That sinking feeling grew worse and the fear that was coursing through him felt stronger. More tangible. “I didn’t.” 

The Spider’s head tilted slightly and Harley could feel the way his eyes traced over his body. “Why not?”

“I- I don’t know.” 

“That’s okay.” Every time The Spider stepped closer, he found himself leaning more and more towards the wall next to his bed. “It made me really happy to see that you didn’t.”

“I-” Another something burned in his chest a mix of shame and an unnamed emotion. “I didn’t do it for you.”

“Why didn’t you do it then?”

“I don’t know,” The shame turned to anger. “I don’t know, and I should have considering you’re a mass murderer whos been stalking me.” 

The Spider gently kneeled on the bed, the space between them limited now. Harley pressed further into the wall. “Harley-”

“Get the fuck away from me!” He said, anger festering and every confusing thing he’d been feeling since last night boiling up to his chest. “Why are you stalking me, huh?! You said you weren’t gonna kill me but why?! Because I’m interesting?! That hasn’t stopped you from slaughtering before you fucking monster! Why me- why-”

“Harls…” The Spider sounded sad and it knocked the wind out of him. “Please- I- don’t be mad at me. I know it’s scary and that I’ve killed before but… I’m never going to hurt you. I wouldn’t do that, not to you. Please, Harley, I don’t want you to be mad at me.” 

“What the fuck,” his throat felt small and hot tears lined his eyes again, “Why do you sound so fucking sad at the idea that I’m mad at you. I thought you had no feelings.”

Shaking his head, The Spider gave him what must have been an absolutely pitiful look from under the mask. “You don’t mean that. You really don’t. You’re upset and angry but you know that I have feelings. And I’m sad because you still think I would hurt you.” 

“Why?” Harley felt himself choke out. “Why are you not hurting me?”

“I told you- one day you’ll understand.” 

“Why can’t you just explain to me what’s happening, explain to me why you’re here, why you- why you-”

“One day,” The Spider murmured, then reached out. Harley froze but all that did was give the other man more access to him as he cupped his face and brushed a tear away. He hadn't even realized his tears had fallen. “Can you wait for that day, beautiful?” 

His breath caught in his throat. 

The Spider had called him beautiful. The Spider was cupping his face and brushing away his tears.

What the fuck. 

Slowly, as if he was taking Harley’s frozen start as permission, the web-slinger pulled him close wrapping his arm around his back. For a moment Harley wanted to fight back against the grip, wanted to struggle and scream loud enough to alert his neighbors. And then he sank into the warmth of this mass murderer’s chest and wondered what the fuck was wrong with him if he couldn’t manage to fight against this monster. 

“One day, beautiful, one day. You just have to be patient.” 

Hands ran through his hair, and Harley choked slightly. “Why are you doing this?” 

“I told you, beautiful,” The Spider whispered and the action of it made his chest rumble. He leaned into it despite every rational part telling him not to. “You’ll understand one day.”

Harley wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to understand. 

Understanding probably meant unpacking the reason why he was currently pressing himself closer to the killer rather than away. Understanding meant unpacking why he hadn’t told Tony the second he could. Understanding meant unpacking the feeling in his chest right now as The Spider gently held him to his own body. 

Harley didn’t want to understand. 

Inside of his own head, he was conflicted because almost everything he had seen on The Spider told him to be terrified. That the man was a killer who could snap his neck in seconds. That he was stronger than Captain America himself and could destroy Harley within seconds. But for some god damn reason, all he could focus on was the way that The Spider had cupped his face the last night. The way that The Spider had gently hummed. How he had brushed away his tears just now. The way his voice got so so sad when Harley had let out a burst of anger. 

And he had absolutely no motivation to understand why that’s what his brain was focusing on. 

“I’ve got you.” The Spider rumbled, gently pressing his masked face into Harley’s hair. “It’ll be okay, Harley. I’ve got you and I’m never letting you go.”

The words shouldn’t have made him want to relax. It should have made him revolted, should have made him want to push back against the warm arms around him. The small, ever quieter, voice inside of him demanded that he push away this man, this killer, that he didn’t know. 

But he didn’t want too. 

He hadn’t been held like this in so long… and The Spider had never been mean to him… The Spider called him beautiful and touched him gently and even now with Harley in his lap, he didn’t seem anywhere close to the monster he had always heard about. 

“Shh, beautiful,” He hadn’t realized he was crying harder now until The Spider gently pulled him away from his chest and wiped away his tears again. “There’s no need to cry. I’ll always protect you. I’ll protect you, my Harley.” 

“I don’t understand,” The tears overwhelmed his senses. “I should be defending myself from you. I should be running away. I should be telling the avengers what’s going on. Why aren’t I? Why aren’t I?” 

“Only you know that, Harley.” The Spider spoke softly voice achingly familiar in his ears. “But thank you for not running. Thank you for not telling. I’ve got you, beautiful. I’ve got you.”

It shouldn’t have comforted him. 

It shouldn’t have comforted him at all. 

It should have made him fear and hate and angry. 

But here, in The Spider’s arms, tears streaming down his face he… he couldn’t find it in himself to not relax into the words and the warmth around him. The Spider pulled him closer again, humming a song that sounded vaguely familiar, and Harley let himself rest his head on the monster’s chest. 

It made him feel warm. 

The Spider shows up every single night for the next three weeks and Harley feels like he’s swimming through fog. 

It’s not hard to sleep, really, but he finds that he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to sleep because The Spider comes at two sixteen sharp every single night and he wants to be with him when he gets there. It goes the same way every single night, where Harley gets scared- increasingly less every single god damn time- and The Spider whispers soft compliments to him before pulling him into his arms and holding him there in his grip until he eventually nods off. 

The killer is always gone when he wakes up. 

It’s... it’s not hard to remember the fact the man who has been holding him every single night is a mass murderer who has the capability to change his mind and kill him at any second. The Spider never has blood on his hands or suit when he comes to Harley’s room but every single night without fail there’s another report of someone he’s beaten half to death or someone he has ripped apart with his bare hands. Sometimes Harley wonders if he does it before or after coming to his window. The thought makes his head spin. 

He’s still baking every day. His regulars come in when they do and he listens to their lives but never says what’s going on in his. Peter comes in every day and they chat and he tries to place why he feels the same way with Peter as he does at night. The Avengers pop in and out when they can and he never tells any of them what’s going on. Who’s crawling into his bed and holding him tightly until he falls asleep. 

It makes his chest ache. 

Harley isn’t a liar and he’s never been but he just can’t force the words out of his mouth. He can’t betray The Spider-like that. He can’t do that to him. It makes bile rise in his throat every single time he thinks about doing that to the man who holds him and whispers soft words. So he deflects. It makes everything in him burn. 

Because there are moments like this- moments where he’s looking over the team of Avengers, because no matter how rare it is for them to be in the same place all at once they all come to his bakery together at least once a month- he wants to burst. 

Thor is laughing at something Bruce has said and Natasha is devouring her cake next to Bucky and Steve who have decided to split a rather large tart that he made just for them. Clint is rambling something or another to anyone whos listening and Harley isn’t exactly sure anyone is. 

Tony is staring right at him with concern lacing every single one of his features. 

It’s overwhelming. It’s almost too much. For a moment, just a brief one, he wishes it was already two sixteen and he wishes The Spider’s arms were tight around him and he was listening to the rumble of his chest. He’s terrified that he’s started associating that with comfort but he has no idea what to do to change it. 

Well. He knows what he can do to change it. 

But he can’t. He can’t tell anyone. 

He can’t betray The Spider. 

His bottom lip has gone raw from chewing at it by the time Tony decides to walk up and gently grasp his elbow, “Kid.” 

“Hey,” He murmurs, not meeting Tony’s eyes. Everything in him wants to but he’s afraid of breaking down. Breaking at all. “Everything alright?”

“I should be asking you that.”

“I promise… I’m okay.”

“You’re usually a better liar,” Tony says dryly and for some stupid and dumb reason, it makes him flinch. The motion doesn't go unnoticed by the older man whose concern seemed to double. “Kid.” 

Shaking his head, he glances at the other Avengers. They’ve yet to notice the tiredness in his bones or how Tony is trying to talk to him about his mental state. He really would like to keep it that way, so in a silent gesture, he motions towards the back with his head and leads the hero into the baking space. 

It smells like warm spices in a way that the front of the shop doesn't because it’s stronger here and that’s grounding. He presses his forehead to a cool metal cabinet and leaves his back to Tony instead of looking at him. A large part of him is so so so tired that he can’t breathe; he just wants to go back to the way things were before The Spider. That same large part of him immediately feels guilty for thinking that. 

Tony shifts and a hand touches his shoulder. He tries not to lean into it. “Harley. What’s going on?”

“I-” He almost spills his gut right then and there but that feels like a betrayal and the very idea makes him sick. Breathing sharply he has to count the number of times his chest expands and deflates. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. 

“Harley…” The concern feels like it’s burning through his skin and he just wants to rest, now. He wants to be- something in his brain tells him he wants to be in the arms of a mass murderer instead of talking to the one person who could probably help him. “Please, kid. You’ve been getting paler and paler for weeks. Skinnier too. What’s going on?”

“I haven’t-” Bile rises in his throat and he breaks by leaning into the warm touch. “Haven’t been sleeping well. I feel like- I feel like I’m being watched all the time.”

It’s not a full lie. It’s not a full truth.

“Kid…” Tony murmurs in an Un-Tony like way. Like Harley is glass and fragile. “Do you- do you want to stay in the tower for awhile? Until we can figure out what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on.” Lie. “I just haven’t been sleeping well.” Half-lie. “And I’m sure no one is actually watching me all the time.” Half-lie. 

“But you still feel like it.”

“Yeah… I still feel like it.” 

He knows that if he looks at Tony’s face it will be laced with concern based on the tone of voice he’d been speaking to him in but it hits him hard in those next words. “I- Harley, you’re like my kid. Like the one me and Rhodey always wanted but never had time for. I just- if you feel like somethings off, I want you to be safe.” 

The words set a familiar ring that they shouldn’t in his head. Of The Spider. Of his voice saying the words “I want you to be safe, Harley,” from their first conversation. Something creeping and fond grows in his chest before he remembers he’s supposed to hate the one person who’s been making him feel, well, warm. 

Instead of voicing what’s been going on, he just shrugs. “I am safe. I’m just… tired.” 

“Are you sure?”

“No,” He admits. Honestly. “I’m not sure. But I know I have... I have people watching out for me.” 

What he doesn’t voice is that it’s both the Avengers and The Spider. He doesn’t dare even really think it, but rather just lets Tony assume what he will and pretend like it’s just about the gaggle of superheroes he’s managed to collect. Harley feels raw. 

Tony’s hand rubs his back and it’s nothing like the warmth from The Spider but somehow it’s just as comforting, “You’re right. We’ve always got you. So- let’s cut a deal kid.”

“Deal?”

“Go sleep on the couch in your office, alright?” The tiredness in his bones agrees and he doesn’t really know when he got so sleepy, only that he is. “I’ll make sure no one is watching. That you’re safe.”

Humming his thanks, he turns to the older man and tugs him into a hug that’s quickly returned. 

He hates his mind for thinking it’s nothing like The Spider’s hugs but he really really loves the way Tony gives hugs too, no matter how rare and elusive the vent is. It makes him feel warm. Not the way The Spider does. But warm. 

Slowly, he pulls away. Slowly he makes his way to the couch and he crashes onto it, tugging the blanket over his body. There’s no one to run the store, Harley realizes, it’d be open with no one running it. He’s way too tired to care. 

He hugs himself as he starts to drift off. 

His mind thinks of his Spider. 

As soon as the chill had settled into his bones it was replaced by warmth.

This was a warmth that he was so achingly familiar with after long nights of being tangled up in it that it just makes Harley melt without a second thought. He leans into it, pressing his cheek to The Spider’s chest and listening to the steady ba-dum of his heart. 

It’s not until he registers the screaming does he remember why there had been a chill in his bones in the first place. 

The Goblin, his mind is reverbing his own thoughts in his head, echoing them in his skull till it pounds, The Goblin had taken him when he was opening up the store, and now- 

He hears the Iron Man repulsor and it forces him to open his eyes. The Spider’s chest fills his vision and he’s- he’s not as disgusted as he should be to find that part of the suit is covered in blood from where the man had- had- had- Harley tries to move his head, to see what was actually done to the Goblin. 

The Spider holds it in place against his chest, “Shh, shh. You don’t need to lookup. You don’t need to look at it. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.” 

“What,” Speaking feels like thick syrup and all he wants to do is close his eyes, “What… happen’d?” 

“Don’t you worry, beautiful, it’s taken care of.”

And Harley almost accepts it like that. Almost leans into this man whos been taking care of him for weeks and weeks on end now, holding him, loving him, calling him beautiful, and closes his eyes. But then the Iron Man repulsors whir again and some tiny part of his brain that’s still acutely aware that he was in the arms of a murderer demanded he finally face Tony. 

So he pulls away again, trying to look over his shoulder the best he can with The Spider still cradling him to his chest and he’s met with the fear-filled eyes of a man who had told him only a week ago that he was like a son to him. 

“Spider.” His voice isn’t shaking yet but Harley knows the hero well enough to know that under the suit his hands are. “Let him go.” 

In the back of his mind, he knows he should say something, but he’s so tired that he just leans more into the grip of his Spider. The Spider’s chest rumbles when he speaks. “I was wrong to ever think you could keep him safe.”

“You- what?” 

“How dare you let him get taken,” There’s so much more venom in The Spider’s voice than Harley’s ever heard and even in his drained state he suddenly is filled with fear. “The only reason I left you fucking alive was because I thought you could keep him safe and now he was almost hurt.” 

“Don’t hurt Tony.” His voice is weak even in his own ears and it’s trembling with the fear that has overwhelmed him. “Please.”

The Spider tilts him slightly, pulling him away so that he’s looking Harley in the eyes. When he squints he thinks he can make out the outline of The Spider’s real eyes under his mask and the thought makes his heart race with want. Finally, The Spider hums softly, “Alright. Alright, beautiful. But he’s the only one, okay? I know how much he means to you.” 

All of the venom that had been in his voice had melted away and left Harley feeling warm and safe again, opting to willingly rest his forehead back on the man’s chest. His Spider shifts, and suddenly he can see Tony looking at him with terrified eyes from his place in those strong arms. They make eye contact and the hero looks like his head is swimming with emotions.

“What,” he croaks. “What have you done to my son?” 

“I’ve protected him.” The Spider says the words like they’re a fact. Harley thinks they are. “And I’ve loved him.” 

“You’re what’s been making him lose sleep-” Tony speaks like his whole world is tilted. “Why he’s been so pale- why- you fucker, let him go!” 

Harley doesn't really understand why Tony’s so panicked. Yes, The Spider is a mass murderer but that’s… it’s different when he’s with Harley. It just is. He’s softer and more loving and just maybe he’s someone who truly loves him. The thought makes him give a half-smile into the other’s chest. 

Hands come to run through his hair and he knows his Spider is calming himself and Harley down. “No. He needs me, Stark, and I need him.” 

“What have you done to him?!” 

“Showed him that I love him,” he’s shifted again to meet The Spiders eyes one more time and it makes him feel so so very warm. “That I can protect him. That I can keep him safe. Because he’s mine and I’m his.” 

Harley lets out a little laugh at that because it’s the first time The Spider has said anything like that and wow does it make his chest ache. Normally the farthest The Spider goes is to shower him in soft praises and loving nicknames that make him melt. Hearing it spelled out like that well… 

He feels like he’s in a very nice dream, all hazy with warmth and affection.

“He’s his own fucking person,” Tony says a million miles away. “Let him go.” 

The Spider sighs softly, “Nope. One day, though, he’ll wanna see you again and I won’t stop him from that. But for now… he’s coming with me.” 

“No- NO!” 

Harley’s not exactly sure what happens next if he’s honest.

The sleepiness that’d been overwhelming him for days sinks into his brain and makes him hum quietly into the chest he’s still cradled in. He thinks he hears the roaring of wind and the smell of the city but he’s not too sure if he’s honest. He’s much too comfortable. 

Glancing up, he catches the bottom half of The Spider’s face. The man rolled his mask up- who knows when- and was now placing his lips on his hairline. His skin is a familiar shade of tan that he knows he’d be able to pinpoint if he were more awake, and he can just about make out brown curls on his neck. Harley sinks into the feeling of being trusted, finally, with The Spider’s face with a tiny smile. 

It’s nice to be loved. 

He’s almost asleep against the gentle beating of his Spider’s chest when he remembers what the other man had said that first night they met, that one day he’d understand why The Spider had sought him out and loved him. 

Looking up through half-closed lashes, he realizes that he does finally understand.