If I Could Say I Love You

Ninth Chapter

Trigger Warning

"I still can't believe you're Spider-Man," Harley said in shock as he and Peter walked up to the party at the beach. After the events at the warehouse, Peter and Harley had a long talk about Peter's secret identity, before Harley said he had to go home to let his family know he was okay.

When Harley got back to the tower, his family totally freaked out about him and what happened. Harley just told them that the dragon lady took him to a warehouse and Spider-Man saved him. Harley's family was still skeptical, but they believed what Harley said. And after at least three hours of Bruce and Tony making sure Harley was completely healthy, they finally let him go about his business.

And Harley snuck out again the next night so he could go to this party thing with Peter. Harley wasn't getting any clues on how much Peter liked him, or what Peter hoped they would be, but Harley couldn't help but fall deeper in love each moment they were together.

There was a bonfire lit up on the beach with people dancing and sitting around it as a boom box was playing music. There was a table beside the boom box where a girl was shaking up containers, probably making drinks for the man standing in front of the table. Looking at the girl, Harley recognized her as Melody, the girl from no where.

"This is awesome," Harley said wishing those galas his parents had where like this instead. Peter was just wearing a hoodie, shorts, and flip flops. Harley was wearing a t-shirt, athletic shorts, and tennis shoes, not a suit with a tye.

"First time at a party?" Peter laughed making Harley blush again. Harley couldn't believe that's how he sounded to Peter, even though it was almost the truth.

"Not one like this," Harley admitted with a smile, getting another laugh out of Peter, and more obnoxious blushing from Harley. Harley wished that he would just stop doing that, feeling even more embarrassed by it.

"Come on, let me show you what a real party is like," Peter said grabbing Harley's hand and pulling him closer to the fire, and towards the music. Peter had to shake Harley to get him to start dancing, but after a while Harley was laughing and dancing with Peter. The teenage Parker was also laughing at the weird moves Harley did, but Harley was having to much fun to be embarrassed or even blush.

"When was the last time you had this much fun?" Peter asked with a smile, making Harley's heart skip a beat. And Harley knew that wasn't scientifically possible, but that's the only way Harley could explain what happened to his heart.

"I can't even remember," Harley admitted with a shrug and another laugh. And he really didn't. Harley loved his family, but they rarely did anything this fun or exciting. Either they were at missions or doing business for Stark Industries, so he rarely saw them, meaning the fun wasn't always there either. "But I'm thirsty, so I'm going to go get something to drink. You want something?"

"Water, please," Peter said with a smile. Harley nodded, walking away to where Melody and that man was. The man had blonde almost white hair and stormy gray eyes. The man was swaying as he held on loosely to a brown alcoholic bottle.

"Hey, kid!" The man said his words sloshing together in a slur of words. Harley just nodded, asking Melody for two waters. Melody nodded, going to the parking lot to get the water bottles from the back of a truck.

Once she was gone, the man beside Harley grabbed his hand, pushing Harley against the table. Harley tried to fight against his grip, but he couldn't do it. The man started messing with Harley's brown hair, a look in his eyes that told Harley what was going to happen next, and Harley couldn't get himself to scream or cry for help.

But something pried the man off of Harley, turning the man around. Harley backed away, seeing Peter push Skip against the table, but Peter had an angry, violent look in his eyes.

"At the end of this, you know that you will be lying on the ground, and I'll be the one to walk away," Peter said darkly, his fists clenching as he stared into the man's cold, almost dead eyes.

"Oh, hey, Einstein. You are a lot more violent now that your older, but I wonder if you still moan," The man said with a smirk. And that was what broke Peter. The Parker punched the man across the face, and started beating him up.

Harley grabbed onto Peter, trying to pry him off before he killed the man. Melody grabbed onto the man, pulling him away as Harley wrapped his arms around Peter's neck, crying softly into his shoulder. "Don't do this."

Peter let his fists unclench, staring at the hair of Harley, regaining the ability to think properly. Peter hugged Harley back, staring at Melody as she dragged the man away, cussing him out and threatening to call the police.

"Who was that?" Harley asked quietly, glad that Peter was no longer in his violent frenzy. Harley didn't like that side of Peter, it being drastically different from the kind, hero like person Harley had first met. But Harley was touched that Peter would leave his moral compass if someone was messing with him.

"No one important. No one you should have ever met," Peter said still staring at Melody and the man as she dragged him away from everything and everyone. Harley didn't reply, instead staying there with his arms around Peter, his head finding a sense of safety in the crook of Peter's neck.