If I Could Say I Love You

Twenty Fourth Chapter

Trigger Warning

Harley was huddled into himself like a ball, playing with his seat buckle. Natasha and Tony told him to come with them to some place in Queens, where Peter used to live. That made the memories come swirling in his head, making Harley tighten in on himself even more.

The car stopped, and Harley realized that his Aunt Nat was in her SHIELD suit, cocking a gun right in the car. When Tony stepped out of the limo, his suit came charging at him, locking into place. Together the Black Widow and Iron Man stood in front of a brick house with determined looks on their faces. Harley slowly got out, his face masked in confusion.

"Harley, stay with us, and do what we say, okay?" Tony said his mask flipping up as he looked back at his son. Harley slowly nodded, walking around the limo to stand beside his aunt.

***

"You're mine today, freak," The man, Peter's caretaker said with a sick smile, looking around the room the dungeon room that Peter was staying in. The teenager was barely able to pick up his head, his arms tied in chains above his head. "And I'm going to do what we did back when you were a kid, Einstein."

The man walked towards Peter, gripping on to his pale, bruised face staring into his dull eyes. Peter didn't even react, feeling like there wasn't anything he could do. Peter had come to used to this, submission was something he learned when he first got there, and Peter didn't want the consequences coming back on him.

The man, Skip, was fixing to do something but the wall blew up, knocking Skip to the side. Peter just closed his eyes at the impact, avoiding any sort of eye contact with whoever blew the wall open. But Peter managed to look slightly up to see three figures, one holding onto Dr. Sought by her throat.

One of the figures rushed towards Peter, unlocking his cuffs as the figure started crying. Peter let his arms drop, the figure looking into Peter's dull eyes with his emotional ones, hoping to find something in the depths of them.

"Harley?" Peter croaked out, vaguely remembering the figure from the memories he was able to hold onto. Peter reached his hand up, slowly touching Harley's cheek. The figure, Harley, just grabbed Peter's hand with his own, gripping it tight beside his cheek. Harley smiled through the tears as he nodded, hoping that Peter knew who he was.

Tony and Natasha explained there theory to Harley in the hallway, and Harley just wanted to run away after that. But they all heard the woman, Dr. Sought, talk about HYDRA and the Spider, Peter, to someone. She even expressed HYDRA's plan for the second coming of the dragon.

Harley rushed down the hall with his father, leaving Natasha to take on the woman and her associate. Natasha met up with them when they came to the wall, holding the woman by her throat. Together they blew open the wall, finding Peter and someone else. Harley and Natasha recognized Skip the moment they saw him.

"Take the brat, I got the demon," The Black Widow said handing Iron Man the woman, before walking up to Skip, almost killing him as she beat him to a pulp, calling it punishment for what he did to Peter when he was a child. "You'll get the rest when you go to the Raft for working with HYDRA."

"I love you, Peter," Harley said, ignoring his aunt and Skip, keeping his focus on Peter. Harley watched his eyes start to crumble into emotion, even if just a little bit shone through. "And I still trust you."

This time, Harley was the one to kiss Peter's forehead, before Tony picked up Peter, taking him to the limo to get treated. Natasha and Harley stayed with Skip and Dr. Sought, along with whoever she was with, waiting for SHIELD to pick them up and take them away.

"He'll be okay, Harley, I know it," Natasha said softly, placing her hand on Harley's shoulder. Even if it had been a month and a half, Natasha was sure they could retrieve what was left of Peter.

"I hope so."