#especially if it includes parkner

[ninugh29]

After reading a shit ton of fics under the tag “Peter Parker’s field trip to Stark Industries” i have come to the conclusion that most people don’t seem to understand the difference between being an intern and being a full time employee

[chaosisorderao3]

20 questions for fanfic writers tagged by @nachtwaechterin Thanks for the tag!!!

How many works do you have on AO3? 42 as of now, which is wild considering a year ago I had like. 10 and didn't think I was going to start any new ones! I was purely a longfic writer back then and now I've really branched out.

What's your total A03 word count? 1,035,021 words hehehe

What fandoms do you write for? Well right now I almost entirely just write MCU fic (particularly Parkner) and also HP foefic, but I've also written quite a bit for Naruto, BNHA, Bleach and KHR!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? What it Takes (Naruto) - AU in which Naruto grows up knowing what it takes to achieve his goals and being a fair bit more competent as a result. Still an ADHD gremlin, also genderfluid in this one. Feat. Naruto And The Boys polycule including queerplatonic Naruto/trans guy Hinata and romantic NaruSasu

Shared Power (BNHA) - fic in which Midoriya unlocked Blackwhip instead of super strength at the entrance exam, and progresses through unlocking the stored quirks of OFA. Feat. t4t gay tododeku with demisexual demiromantic Midoriya

Daisy Evans, the Girl Who Stood True (Harry Potter) - trans girl potter gets taken in by the Tonks family after finding her way to a trans Meetup when Hagrid first brings her to Diagon alley. Intending to write all 7 books, currently almost finished book 2. Feat. t4t Daisy/Ginny and also me having lots of fun with autistic good!ravenclaw!Draco getting character development and a safe environment (eventually, and he doesn't start out good or in ravenclaw)

Scrapyard Tinkering and Bisexual Awakenings (MCU/Parkner) - a fic idea I wrote out on a whim and then kept writing, in which a 14yo Peter fresh back from Germany encounters new transfer student at Midtown, Harley Keener, and has a bisexual awakening there and then. Very soft and fluffy! I have plans to one day write some more in that fic setting, and ideally write a sequel fic that features a prom for queer teens in new York that gets interrupted by an alien invasion. In which I will write my very own rarepair I thought of, Ned Leeds/Kurt Wagner!

Tales of a Scientific Ninja (Naruto) - my probably abandoned very first ever fic I wrote. In theory I would like to finish writing it because I have the whole plot roughly outlined for what is now a 150k word fic and could be a 300-400k word fic but I just don't know if I'll have the inspiration or time. Isekai OC becomes Naruto's twin and houses the other half of Kurama. By the power of autism, develops a special interest in fuinjutsu and achieves mastery at a 'young age' (in reality they retained their cognitive maturity from their past life and accordingly had a head start)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes! When I have the spoons I try to respond to as many comments as I can. I really appreciate comments because I love engagement with my readers <3

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Other than my oneshots and scrapyard I have literally not finished a fic ever but none of them have an angsty ending. I would say that maybe Tales of a Scientific Ninja would have an angsty-ish ending if I finish it, largely because it'll end after a literal war and there are gonna be deaths.

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Lol all of my fics I love happy endings way too much. If I had to decide out of all my fics I've finished I would have to say maybe one day i can forget the past and be one of those girls of honey and glass (MCU/Parkner) because Harley and Seraphina get to be so so happy!! Especially Seraphina in her transition progress <3

Do you get hate on fics? I used to get a bunch back when I posted on FFN and I have gotten one memorable piece of hate on AO3 when someone was very upset that I gave Sakura a different story path than they wanted in What It Takes, but otherwise nah. I do sometimes get people posting comments that cross my boundaries but I usually respond by explaining my boundaries and then deleting if need be.

Do you write smut? Kind of? I have a couple works in progress that didn't get very far and I do plan to complete both of them at some point. Not sure when though.

Do you write crossovers? Wjdueudhdhsidushd welllll kind of? I have this one crossover fic that I fully planned but never actually got very far in writing. It's called The Heroes' Aid and it's set in the Naruto world. The four main characters are from HxH, Bleach, Fire Emblem Three Houses and KHR. They're all isekai'd into the Naruto world by the sage of six paths, to help Minato and kushina during the second and third wars.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of!

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not yet, but if anyone wants to translate my fics that would be so cool hehe

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I haven't, and I'm maybe open to trying it but it does sound kind of stressful.

What's your all-time favorite ship to write for? Parkner my absolute beloved!!! I quite like tododeku too but Parkner, especially my post NWH Parkner fic set at MIT, is just aaaaaaaaa

Oh and an absolute honorary mention to one of my rarepairs, HaruChrome (from KHR). I am responsible for 2 of the 11 fics for it on ao3!

What's A WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Lol so many. What it Takes and Margin of Error are probably the main two though

What are your writing strengths? I can really get going with my writing speed and hit word per minute scores of about 30-50 on sprints, and thusly write over 5k words in a day on my good days! Once I have my idea I kind of just run with it and see what happens and pump out a lot of content.

What are your writing weaknesses? I tend to struggle with painting visuals with my writing; character outfits, scene descriptions and such. It's often something I have to remember to remind myself to do.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Yeah! It's definitely something I want to be able to do, but I also don't want to botch languages. I may just specify that the speech is in another language without writing it in that language directly, but it'll really depend.

First fandom you wrote for? Naruto! I mostly got into fanfic reading naruto canon rewrites and SI-OC fics on FFN, and then I found the light and started reading more stuff on ao3 and branching out in fandoms. But my first fic was a... well, not SI, but an OC insert naruto fic. I'm quite attached to it even if I may have to abandon it

Favorite fic you've written? Well this is an evil question. I kind of want to say all of them so you know what? All of them.

I'm tagging @vulpineamethyst and @neonandfuckinggarbage, and who ever else wants to do this!

List of questions under the cut for ease of copy-pasting.

How many works do you have on AO3?

What's your total AO3 word count?

What fandoms do you write for?

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Do you get hate on fics?

Do you write smut?

Do you write crossovers?

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

What's your all-time favorite ship to write for?

What's A WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

What are your writing strengths?

What are your writing weaknesses?

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

First fandom you wrote for?

Favorite fic you've written?

[sarah-sandwich]

Sarah's Fic MasterList

Complete on AO3

(visit the link above for all works, including one-shots!)

Don't Freak Out - 136k parkner - Getting kidnapped isn’t usually the best way to start your summer (especially your last summer before college) but honestly? It kinda worked out.

(Or the one where Spidey saves the day in the first chapter and they spend the rest of the fic falling in love)

You're Freaking Out - 166k parkner - sequel to Don't Freak Out - There’s a new spider kid on the block and it’s up to Peter to teach him how to deal with his newfound abilities and keep him from getting in over his head. One thing is for sure, he owes Mr. Stark some serious apologies.

Then he falls through a portal into an alternate universe and things get… complicated.

Paradise (spread out with a butter knife) - 72k spideypool - The one where Peter and Wade are literal soulmates but don't realize it for literal years because they're literal idiots.

Peaches Ain't Pretty - 16k Gen -> pre-parkner - Rated M - Harley and Abbie don't have the greatest childhood. Call it what you will--rough, character-building, a fucking tragedy--as long as they have each other they can make the best of anything.

A Peach Like You - 73k parkner - Rated T - sequel to Peaches Ain't Pretty - Peter Parker never considered himself special. Maybe, yeah, having radioactive blood and spider-like abilities makes him different and his vigilante career is out of the norm and fine, yeah, he's on the autism spectrum. Call that "special" if you want. But under all that, he's a regular college student juggling three jobs, an internship, a sad mockery of a social life, and saving the city day and night. The usual stuff.

So when he somehow catches the eye of a casually gorgeous country boy with an accent that could turn even Aunt May's brick-hard mashed potatoes to mush, he's only thrown for a minute before he writes it off as a fluke. What could a guy like that see in a guy like him anyway?

The Distance Between (You and Me) - 29k parkner - When Pepper offered to begin training him to become CEO of Stark Industries, she warned Harley it would put a target on his back. He didn't take her seriously until after he'd been left chained and shivering in a dark hole for three days.

Rescued but with his kidnappers still at large, Tony recruits a bodyguard to shadow his every step and keep him safe until Tasha can hunt down his kidnappers. Harley isn't impressed. If he wasn't already at his wit's end muscling through nightmares, dissociative episodes, and pretending like he's handling everything like a champ then maybe he'd be able to figure out what exactly makes Peter Parker so special.

For the First Time, Eye to Eye - 47k parkner - Two boys, both alike in dignity--by which I mean they have none. Harley is lying to his family about why he hasn't come home in years. Peter is lying to everyone about pretty much everything. Together they can make everything worse by lying together (heh) in Rose Hill while Harley pretends to his family that Peter is his long-term boyfriend and Peter pretends that he hasn't had a crush on Harley since the day he met him--or no. He DOES pretend he has a crush-- Wait, no he doesn't pretend because he HAS a crush so he pretends to pretend that he--

It's complicated.

michelle.mp3 - 32k Michelle Jones/Gwen Stacy - Rated T

It’s the song that does it. The stupid song about the wrong MJ.

Overnight Michelle’s email is flooded with messages from fans demanding to know if she’s the MJ that the The Mary Janes wrote the song about. She’s not. She was four years behind Gwen Stacy at Midtown Tech and as far as she knows they never crossed paths. Besides, why would a senior have a secret unrequited crush on a freshman? Wouldn’t it be the other way around? It’s probably just a publicity stunt to get The Gays(TM) to listen to their dumb band. It’s fake and she doesn’t need a half hour time slot on her true conspiracy podcast to prove it.

She just wishes she wasn’t caught in the crossfire. She wishes the yearning ache of that song hadn’t made her think, made her wonder what she was missing out on. She wishes it hadn’t made her realize that marrying her high school sweetheart and settling for a life of more of the same was a mistake.

OR: The one where Michelle makes some hard choices that lead to her moving to a house in the country where she meets Gwen, her insufferable neighbor.

Works in-progress

Lemon Boy (currently posting!) - parkner - 103k

Harley is adrift, bitter, and resentful after losing Tony and his family as he knew it three years ago. When he inherits a rundown house in Brooklyn, he abandons the shattered remains of his dreams, his family, and himself for something he can fix.

Peter grieves as he always has; he buries himself in responsibility and pretends everything is fine. It works until he moves in with Harley, who doesn't suffer fools or liars. The problem is Peter has been fooling himself for so long he can't separate the mask from the truth.

[lyssismagical]

moments of gold and flashes of light

Parkner Week Day 3: “I am very small and I have no money.” / college au / no-powers au

(This is like a Rhodey/Tony!MIT Parkner AU)

(TW: Implied Child Abuse)

 Working at a café on the outskirts of a college campus meant good business, decent tips, and weird hours. A good job for Harley who needs to work weird hours to keep up with his classes, and he makes enough to afford essentials and to keep his head above water in the debt.

It also means he sees a lot of very tired students at those strange hours.

He gets an elbow in the ribs from his coworker, Cassie, who points across the café at an occupied table.

“An order?” Harley asks, forehead creasing. They don’t normally take orders from tables.

“No, we have a policy about sitting in here without ordering. I need you to ask him to either buy something or leave before our boss notices,” Cassie says. She glances down at her watch, frowning at the time. “There’s only a few hours until we’re done, anyways.”

Harley hates the policy. It makes sense why they have it, they’re going to lose a lot of business if the café is always full but nobody’s buying anything, but it doesn’t make it any easier to kick tired teenagers out in the middle of the night.

He sighs and lets Cassie take over the registers as he makes his way to the boy at the table, straightening his deep purple apron as he goes.

“Excuse me?” he says, wincing when his voice cracks.

The boy at the table’s head jerks up, eyes wide behind a thick pair of glasses. He looks young, younger than most people Harley sees coming into the café, but he’s hunched over a stack of textbooks and papers, what looks like a year three astrophysics textbook on top. There’s no way he’s old enough to be in his third year of university.

“Yeah?” the boy asks. He tips his head to the side in question, the light hitting his face and showing off the deep, dark bags under his eyes.

“We have a policy here, you have to buy something to stay.”

The boy winces, hands patting the pockets of his jeans. He pulls out an old wallet, faded Stark Industries logo on the back barely visible, and pops it open.

He rifles through the things in his wallet, dropping a few on the table including a library card, a Booster Juice loyalty card, and a Stark Industries ID. He finds a dollar bill, but otherwise comes up emptyhanded.

“Shit, sorry, I don’t have any money,” the boy says, eyes wide and glassy. He grabs his backpack from between his feet and starts going through the pockets, but they seem just as empty. “I’m so sorry, I guess I used the rest of my cash on rent, and I don’t- I’ll just pack up and head home, no worries-”

“You like coffee?” Harley blurts before he can stop himself. It’s not like he really has much leeway with his budget, but a couple dollars for an obviously stressed, very cute boy seems like a good investment. “I’ll cover it for you. Give me just a moment.”

As soon as he gets a confirming nod, he heads back to where Cassie’s working, and makes a quick coffee with extra caramel, and digs out his wallet to drop a few dollars in the register.

“You’re buying coffee for him?” she says, amused and shaking her head.

He shrugs, looking over his shoulder at where the boy is still watching him with his wide, doe eyes. “He had a third year astrophysics textbook. I felt bad.”

Cassie laughs, rolling her eyes at him. “The store’s pretty quiet anyways. You should make yourself one too, and take a fifteen.”

Harley’s not about to pass up that opportunity, so he moves quickly to make himself a matching coffee, and then he heads back over to the boy.

“Mind if I sit?” he asks, sliding one of the coffees over to the boy. “I’m in my second year at MIT, so maybe I could lend you a hand? Or at least be a nice distraction?”

The boy smiles, nodding and gesturing to the chair opposite him. “I’m Peter Parker. Third year at MIT.”

“You seem… young.”

Peter laughs, fingers curling around his coffee with a pleased hum. “Yeah, I’m eighteen. Graduated high school at fourteen, started here at fifteen.”

Harley’s jaw drops open in surprise. He’s nineteen, and in the year below Peter. It’s a bit of a shock. “You’re graduating university at nineteen? Isn’t that a bit scary?”

“I’ve got a job lined up at Stark Industries in New York. I’ve been an unpaid intern every summer for four years, so it’s not as scary as you’d think.” He looks down at his homework, textbooks and binders and loose papers, and frowns. “Stressful, for sure. But scary, not so much.”

As much as he wants to comment on a lot of that, especially about how he’s apparently been interning for SI since he was thirteen, he doesn’t want to overstep any boundaries and he doesn’t have a lot of break left.

He sips at his drink, listening intently as Peter starts rambling about how annoying one of his profs had been the other day, the reason he’s up all night studying at the café. Peter’s pretty, especially when he gets passionate about something, eyes lighting up behind his thick frames, blush high on his cheeks, hands gesturing vaguely. Harley hasn’t made many friends since he left Tennessee, only Cassie and Kate from an off-campus extra-curricular. Peter seems like the kind of person Harley would really enjoy being friends with.

“Harley!” Cassie calls out, much too soon for his liking. “Your fifteen’s up.”

Peter frowns noticeably, finishing off his coffee. “I’ll probably stick around for a bit, if that’s alright?”

“Yeah, of course. And come back whenever, yeah?”

“I’m sure I’ll be back in no time, in need of quiet and caffeine.”

* Turns out, Peter’s not lying. He starts showing up every Thursday night and every few Wednesdays like clockwork, always with his old backpack filled with books and binders, and always with enough for a coffee to make sure he can stay.

Whenever Harley takes his fifteen, he spends it at Peter’s table, sitting across from him and chatting about anything and everything. They trade numbers after three weeks, texting every so often whenever they’ve got the chance. It’s nice to have finally made a friend outside of Gwen and Kate. (Especially a friend as kind and pretty and genius as Peter Parker.)

“Everything okay?” Harley can’t help but ask when Peter shows up, nearly two months after meeting.

Peter’s the same as he always is, backpack slung over one shoulder making his posture lopsided, eyes wide behind his pair of thick glasses, hands shoved into the pocket of his oversized MIT sweater, buying a coffee with extra caramel. Except his eyes are red-rimmed and his voice is thick and scratchy like he’d been crying.

Peter shrugs, shoulders hunched up around his ears. “Not really. When do you take your fifteen?”

“He’s taking it right now,” Cassie buts in, elbowing Harley in the ribs. She’s already got Peter’s coffee ready, sitting on the counter, and she’s pouring a second for him. “Take your thirty, I’ll cover for you.”

Harley won’t argue with that, wanting to comfort his new friend. He links their arms together and heads for one of the booths in the far corner instead of their usual table, worry squeezing his chest. It’s only been two months but he cares about Peter a lot. More than he thought possible.

“It’s stupid,” Peter says, but he clutches his drink close to his chest, eyes watery and hands trembling. “My parents want me home for Winter Break.”

“So?”

Harley would kill to be able to afford a flight home to Tennessee for Winter Break. He has to save up all year just to afford making it home for the summer, winter and spring breaks have to be spent on campus or with Gwen who has an apartment in the city. He misses his mom and sister like crazy when he’s away for so long.

Peter scoffs, glassy eyes rolling. “They suck. I’m sure you’ve heard of Richard and Mary Parker before. Yeah, they’re not about to get Parent of the Year awards.”

“Why not?” Harley asks. He certainly knows the two of them, they’re famous scientists, alumni from MIT as well. It’s hard not to know them. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

“They don’t care, they never did. Most of my childhood was spent with nannies or babysitters while they were out for business or other things they wouldn’t tell me about. The only time they ever cared was when they were telling me off for blemishing their reputation, or to tell me I needed to work harder if I was ever going to be allowed to get their company.”

Harley frowns, trying to empathize with his pain. He’s never been in a situation like that. In Rose Hill, you could get away with doing pretty much anything, nobody had reputations at stake, consequences were few and far between. Harley once landed himself in jail for a stupid night with people who weren’t really friends. Nobody cared, Harley even became pretty good friends with one of the officers who arrested him. His mom didn’t even have to pay to get him out.

“That really sucks, I’m sorry,” Harley says.

Peter shrugs again, chewing on his bottom lip. “I got a B on a test in astrophysics a month ago.”

“I remember.”

“They’re going to kill me for that. A B is essentially an F in my house. To them, I failed.”

Harley’s frown deepens and he reaches across the table to grab Peter’s hand. “You studied so hard for that test, you were sleep-deprived and upset because of that argument with your roommate. That wasn’t your fault. And either way, a B’s still a good grade.”

“Not to my parents, it’s not.”

“Why does their opinion matter? You’re an adult, they don’t have to control you anymore.”

Peter lets out a humorless laugh, eyebrows furrowing as he tries not to cry. “I don’t have a choice. I have to go home for the holidays and I have to take over their company and I have to do what they tell me to do. They control my money, they pay for my tuition, they’re all I’ve got. I don’t have anything else.”

“I’m sorry,” Harley says again, he doesn’t know what else he’s supposed to say, doesn’t know how to make this any easier for him. “Well, if you need anything, feel free to call. I’ll be here all Winter, so I’ll be available to talk if you need to.”

“Thank you.” Peter’s voice breaks and he doesn’t catch the tear in time for Harley not to see it. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. It probably looks like it, but I’m not just using you for coffee.”

Harley smiles, squeezing Peter’s hand. “And I promise I’m not using you for answers to future tests. You may be a genius, but I’m not a cheater.”

“Good because I have a proposition. I only leave on Saturday, and I need an extra set of hands to pack up my dorm room? My roommates already gone, so it’ll just be us and we could watch some movies afterwards? If not, don’t worry about it-”

Harley grins, finishing off his coffee. “I’d love to. Tomorrow afternoon? I have the day off work, but I’ve got a class until two, so I’ll come over after that?”

“Sounds perfect.”

* “I’m going to miss you,” Harley says, watching Peter make a little pile of the bags they’d packed the night before from his bed. Peter’s got a mid-afternoon flight, so he needs to be out by noon. “That’s three Thursday nights without you at the café.”

Peter smiles softly, turning from where he’d set down his backpack at the door. “I’m going to miss you too. Three weeks and I’ll be back to bothering you all the time.”

Despite knowing it’s a joke, Harley rolls his eyes. “You’re never a bother.”

“I’ll call you? I live out in California, so I’ll try to remember the time zone differences, but don’t hate me if I accidentally call you in the middle of the night.”

Harley turns his head into the pillow, smiling dopily at Peter. “I told you, call me whenever. I want to hear all the gossip about your stupid parents.”

“Well there will be plenty of gossip, so be careful what you wish for.”

There’s a pause as the reality of everything sets in. Three weeks without each other after only two months together seems unfair. Harley’s going to miss Peter a lot. He’s been ignoring the crush that’s been festering over the past couple weeks especially. He doesn’t want to hurt their very new, budding friendship, especially not when Peter’s under so much stress as is, but last night, watching movies on Peter’s bed together on his laptop, it really solidified the crush.

“I should get going,” Peter says miserably. He slings his backpack over his shoulder again, glasses askew on his nose, dark circles under his red-rimmed eyes, hands shaking.

“You want me to drop you off instead of taking a cab? I wouldn’t mind driving. We probably even have time to stop for a quick coffee.”

Peter smiles brightly, big enough to show off his dimples and light up his eyes. Harley gets off the bed, taking off his red MIT sweater, leaving him in an old t-shirt from the diner his mom works at, and hands the sweater over to Peter.

He wants to say so you’ll remember me or a reminder you’re not alone but he can’t say it. Instead he says, “You look a bit cold.”

“Thanks,” Peter murmurs, flushing softly. Harley reaches out and straightens his glasses before slinging the duffel bag on the floor over his shoulder.

“Let’s get going then.”

Peter picks the music, old Disney movie soundtracks, and Harley drives, paying for coffees on the way to the Boston airport. They don’t say much, humming along to the music to keep from saying too much, but linking their hands together which says just as much.

When they get to the airport, Peter insists on Harley staying in the car.

“Three weeks,” Peter promises, blinking back tears.

Harley offers a smile, squeezing Peter’s hand. “Call me, it’ll feel like no time at all.”

The younger boy opens his car door and looks like he’s about to slip out of the car, but he turns back to Harley, eyes wide and glassy. He leans across the center of the car and kisses Harley hard.

“I’m sorry-”

Harley reaches over, cups Peter’s face and pulls him back in to kiss him again. “I really like you, like a crazy amount, I didn’t want to say anything because I love having you as a friend, but I do really like you.”

“I really like you too. I didn’t tell you but before you talked to me that one day, I was always going into your café just to see you but I didn’t think you noticed me.”

“You’re going to miss your flight,” Harley says, brushing his thumb over Peter’s cheekbone and frowning disappointedly.

Peter huffs out a breath, pushing open his door. “I’ll call you? We’ll talk about this?”

“Of course. Call me whenever,” Harley says, stealing one last kiss. “Go before you miss your flight.”

The younger boy grins so bright, finally slipping out of the car, backpack over one shoulder, leans back to blow a kiss, and then he’s gone.

Harley has to pause for a second, smiling up at the ceiling of his car, before he feels ready to leave the airport, and Peter, behind.

Three weeks.

* It takes a week and a half for Peter to call, and when he does, he’s crying.

“This sucks,” Peter starts, voice trembling and thick with emotion. “Being home sucks and missing you sucks and everything sucks.”

“Hi to you too, and merry belated Christmas.”

“Sorry, yeah, merry Christmas, happy holidays, hi, how are you, and all that. I wish I were in Boston so much.”

Harley lets out a short laugh, sprawling out on his bed, phone pressed against his ear. “I wish you were here too, if that helps. What happened?”

“My parents were totally pissed about my B like I knew they’d be. And when I tried to tell them about you because I was excited, they told me I’d find a nice girl to settle down with soon enough.” Peter chokes out a sob, voice tipping towards angry. “I know I’m bi, so maybe, but it’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not fair. Some people are like that. I remember coming out as gay in a small town in Tennessee, it wasn’t received very well.”

Peter sighs sympathetically. “I just- I don’t even want their company, you know? I want to work at Stark Industries like how I’d been interning, but I don’t have a choice. I’m the heir, the papers were signed, it’s mine as soon as I graduate so they can retire.”

“You’re a genius, and legally an adult, find a way to un-sign them. Or when you get jurisdiction, terminate the company. There’s still options, there’s still ways you can get where you want to be.”

“I know, I just- I don’t know. I wanna go home. I want to see you.”

Harley smiles softly to himself, shaking his head. “I know, I miss you too. But you’re halfway done, you can do it, and I’ll be there at the airport for you when you get back.”

“I know we said we’d talk about it but I really don’t think I can handle-”

“No, no, of course.” Harley doesn’t mind. He’s kind of liking this in-between stage they’re living in. Not dating, no labels, but definitely something more than friends. “In case you needed a confidence boost, you’re a genius. You’re the smartest person I know and I know a lot of people. According to Gwen, you’re the nicest person too, and I agree. You’re very sweet and kind. Plus, have you seen yourself? You’ve got a lot going for you.”

Peter laughs quietly, tears finally fading. “You’re too nice to me. Maybe being around you is going to make my ego too big.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Harley says, lightening up. “You’re too humble for that. Oh, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but apparently, Gwen did notice you first, and she purposefully sent me over to your table that first day.”

“Really?”

“Yep. She thought I was getting too lonely, after spending over a year in Boston and only making two friends, and not seeing anybody, so she was hoping something would happen between us, which I guess it did, so I owe her one.”

Peter laughs again, then goes quiet for a moment. “I need to get going soon. Dad’s taking me to meetings all afternoon. I hate going, people only see me as a stupid kid or as competition.”

“Prove them wrong, stand up for yourself, or at least get me on the phone so I can stand up for you.”

Far away from the door there’s a shouted, “Get your ass out of bed! We leave in thirty and if you’re tie’s on wrong and I have to reteach you, I swear to god, it’ll be the last thing you do!”

“Was that your dad? Threatening you?” There’s already a protective edge to his voice like Harley will fly all the way to California just to stand between Peter and his dad.

“They’re normally empty threats,” Peter offers like it’s no big deal. “He prefers yelling more than anything. Mom says he’d probably do worse if it weren’t for the cameras on us all the time.”

Harley’s mouth falls open, anger flooding through his chest like a wildfire. “You should stay with me this Spring Break and Summer. There’s plenty of extra space in Gwen’s apartment and in my childhood home. I don’t want you back there.”

“You’d want me around for that long?”

He nearly chokes in surprise. “Of course I would. I want you always, whenever. I don’t want you home again if I can help it. It’s obvious it’s not good for you.”

Harley doesn’t know how their relationship will fare, how they’ll be in two months, in six, he doesn’t know if he could convince Peter to stay away knowing the anger it would cause, he doesn’t know if it’ll be enough to keep Peter safe. But he knows he’d do anything to try.

“I’ve gotta go before my dad’s head explodes. I’ll call you as soon as I can and we’ll talk more about these plans, ‘kay? I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Only another week and a half left.”

* Harley has to wait at the airport for three hours because of a flight delay and the longer he waits, the more he itches to see Peter. They still haven’t talked, so Harley isn’t even sure if greeting him with a kiss is allowed, but he doesn’t know how much he cares. He’s been thinking about it for three weeks, lord knows Gwen’s losing her mind with his constant rambles about Peter, and he’s pretty positive Peter will be just as desperate.

He sends another text to Peter, letting him know the area he’s waiting in, and waiting to see if it switches to delivered which would mean he’s landed. It does and Harley can barely contain an excited squeal.

If I run, I can be there in 3

Harley sends back a quick, please, which goes unanswered.

He keeps half his attention on his watch, slowly ticking down, and half on the people walking around him, waiting for the mop of brown curls to make their appearance.

At two minutes, thirty seconds, he sees Peter.

“Peter!” he calls out, ignoring some of the dirty looks people shoot him, and lifting a hand into the air.

Almost immediately, the boy starts running faster down the last stretch of hallway, dropping his duffel a few feet away, before launching into Harley’s awaiting arms.

Harley has to take a few steps to rebalance them, arms winding around Peter’s waist and kissing him hard. Peter’s legs are around his waist, hanging onto him like a lifeline, hands in his hair. Eventually, Peter’s smiling too wide to continue kissing, pulling back to let out a giddy laugh.

“I missed you so bad. I know it was only three weeks and I know we’ve only known each other for a few months, but I really like you, and I didn’t think I would miss you as much as I did, but every day without you felt like a marathon. I don’t want to skip the conversation, but I just want to know that this is real,” Peter rambles.

Stealing another kiss, Harley tightens his grip on the younger boy. “Yes, god yes, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, every day for the past three months, and I want this to be real too. I want to be your boyfriend, I don’t care how soon or crazy it is.”

“My boyfriend,” Peter echoes, lighting up in a smile. He kisses Harley again and then hides his face in the crook of Harley’s shoulder, nodding. “Yes please. I would love that.”

They hold each other for a while longer. Long enough for the majority of the baggage pick-up to clear out, long enough for Harley’s knees to start cramping and his cheeks to hurt with how wide he’s smiling.

“I’m not letting you go back there,” Harley says because it feels necessary. “I’ll find a way for you to stay until you graduate.”

Peter smiles pulling back enough to kiss his forehead. “Good, thank you, I didn’t want to go back.”

“Time to go home, boyfriend?” Saying it makes Harley giddy with pure joy.

His mama’s going to freak when she hears about Peter, she’s only ever wanted what’s best for Harley, and Peter’s that. He’s the best for Harley. It doesn’t get better than him. And he’s going to do everything in his power to be the best for Peter too.

Taglist: @littlemissagrafina  @spideygirl2003 @romeoandjulietyouwish @c-artara @shadedrose01 @likeaphoenix13 @pj-hermes-tonystark-obsessed  @you-get-killed-walk-it-off @kitkatwinchester  @emo-girl10 @justme--emily  @hold-our-destiny @imalivebecauseirondad @spiderman-peterman @dykeragee @maryserrao @heeeyitskay {Let me know if you wanna be added or removed}

[emptycanoflizards]

Parkner snowed in at Avengers compound?

I fell in love with this prompt. It ended up being over 2000 words...

The night seemed like a dream to Peter. He was surrounded by his childhood heroes (Whom he had been with consecutively for the past two weeks almost, yet he still couldn’t get over it), cuddled up next to his biggest crush, wearing Christmas pajamas, and watching Christmas movies over a giant fireplace. There was just no way this was real! Of course, this wasn’t quite how the night was supposed to go. Originally, Natasha and Clint were due to go out of town tonight, Steve, Bucky, and Sam were going to go grocery shopping and grab dinner for everyone, Stephen was supposed to go back home, and Harley and Tony “Probably had some work to do or something.”But the snow came down hard, flights got canceled, roads were closed, Stephen just didn’t want to go home, and Peter had an awfully convincing look in his eyes that one particular blond couldn’t deny. All of which led to quite an amazing night of being snowed in. 

The group decided to come together and cook dinner that night since it hadn’t happened in quite a long time. Natasha taught Peter and Harley how to make Kutya, which was a type of thick pudding made of lots of sweet stuff that made Pete really excited. She taught them, after a fond glance around, that it symbolizes unity in families. After it was finished, the boys got to throw a spoonful of the pudding onto the ceiling to see their futures. Harley’s spoonful stuck, which was supposed to mean that a plentiful honey harvest was to be expected, though, he didn’t keep bees, so he had no idea what it really meant. Peter’s, on the other hand, dripped onto his nose after being tossed up. The older boy let out a snort and stepped closer to carefully wipe the dish off his face. “Guess you’ll just have to share my harvest, then,” he added quietly, as though it was just some secret between the two, which made Peter’s stomach do flip as he nodded back in agreement. Next to them at the stove, Steve and Bucky were trying to figure out how to make a meatloaf that Steve’s mother used to make them back in the day but seemed to be having little success, seeing as there was now ketchup and oats all over their side of the counter. But both of them were smiling so much that no one really wanted to step in and help. Sam was across from them, meticulously cutting out a mix of sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies into little Christmas shapes. Before they started cooking, he had boldly claimed that he could make the best Christmas cookies in the world, to which almost everyone challenged him on, because Stephen had brought home Wong’s cookies before, and everyone was convinced that those were other-worldly because of how good they were. Tony and Stephen were in their own little world by now as they put together a selection of drinks, including eggnog and holiday punch, both spiked and unspiked. They were in a deep conversation about which country had the best Christmas traditions, and which ones Tony was sober enough to remember, back in the day. Amazing how the man had changed. Clint, as though supervising everyone, wandered around to take pictures of everyone as they worked. It was rare that everyone got together to do something like this, and despite missing a few people, he absolutely had to document everything for later viewing. It was about an hour later that everyone had finished the dishes they were working on and finally sat down at the scarcely used dining room table. Harley had put on a playlist of Christmas songs, which ended up hardly being heard over the constant shouts and laughter of the conversation. They ended up realizing that no one here actually celebrated Christmas, even though the compound was decked out in decor, Christmas tree and everything. Steve had tried to argue that he was still a very fine Christian boy, but almost everyone agreed that they had heard, walked in, or seen the aftermath of activities with Bucky that absolutely no God was involved in, and he quickly surrendered with a guilty laugh. Sometime later, it had grown dark outside, everyone felt full and warm and fuzzy, and the snow continued to fall. Steve stood up and began to collect people’s plates when Peter piped up and suggested they all watch a movie. Everyone was in complete agreement, and voting went down without a hassle, unanimous agreement upon Elf for their first movie. So the Heros and such went back to their rooms quickly to change into more comfortable clothes while Tony set up the projector in the living room. Peter was off in a flash, just excited to get back and start the movie. Harley trailed behind him, laughing softly at how fast the younger boy moved. He had already changed and was waiting outside Peter’s door when the other came out, dressed in a pair of reindeer pajama pants and a Midtown High sweatshirt, which just so happened to counter Harley’s own Christmas tree pants and Rose Hill High t-shirt. “Well look at you, handsome!” He said, looking over him with a smile as soon as he stepped into the hall. The blush on Peter’s cheeks was obvious even in the dim light of the hallway, which only made the older smile wider. “I like your pants,” Peter responded, giggling softly as he looked down at them. They were pretty ridiculous; they each had a different set of eyes on them and had little speech bubbles next to them, aggressively shouting different Christmas phrases. “Thanks,” Harley responded with a chuckle. “Clint got them for me a year or two ago. We were supposed to get each other pajamas, so I got him a Pikachu onesie, and he got me these-”“That's where that came from?! He never would tell me!” He exclaimed, his smile lighting up even more. “I always thought he got it himself and didn’t want to admit it!” Harley shook his head, chuckling softly as he started walking towards the elevator. “Nope, all me. I’m really the mastermind behind his sense of fashion.” A piece of his blond hair fell across his forehead as he stopped to press the button and Peter had to consciously restrain himself from reaching up and pushing it back into place. Above the two boys, the rest of the Avengers were already set up with buckets of popcorn and kettle corn, mugs full of hot cocoa, cider, and eggnog, and blankets to spare. The previews before the movie were already starting, despite everyone still milling around and getting comfortable. By the time Harley and Peter got back to the living room, Bucky was laying across Steve with a bucket of popcorn nestled under his arm, his eyes focused intently on the screen, Sam was on the other end of the couch, slowly inching Bucky’s legs off of him with a glass of cider in his hands. Strange was in the corner, floating with a blanket around his shoulders and kettle corn in his lap, Natasha and Clint were sitting on the other loveseat, still arguing happily over how they were intending to sit, and Tony had disappeared into the kitchen. This seating arrangement left the boys to sit in front of the couches with the cushions on the ground. Neither of them saw this as a problem, as Harley plopped down on one and opened his arms for Peter to come and join him. Without thinking, the brunet sat down and leaned into his embrace, earning a soft, satisfied hum from Harley. He carefully shrugged a blanket around them and leaned back against the couch that Natasha and Clint had finally gotten comfortable with. Peter ended up laying his head on Harley’s shoulder, which he didn’t think about until the other boy started carefully playing with his hair. His cheeks flushed red, but he didn’t move an inch, deciding that this was just what he needed at the moment. Steve and Bucky were the first to retire that night, about halfway through the movie (right when Jody and Buddy go on their date), claiming that it had been a long day, and sleep was necessary. Next was Strange, coincidentally at the same time that they noticed Tony shuffling down towards the elevator. He left with no explanation right after the beginning of Love Actually, which was Clint's choice, for the record. A quarter of the way through the movie, Sam got up to hit the hay, which was right around the same time that Peter could hear Natasha’s breath even out, signifying that she had fallen asleep. Harley continued to make fun of the movie characters in a hushed tone, earning a good amount of quiet laughs from Peter, especially when he added whichever Avenger left next to his list of people to tease. By the time Clint picked Natasha up to carry her to her room, the boys had made a makeshift blanket tent over themselves and were giggling about god knows what. The older man just let out a chuckle and turned on some Christmas music as to not distract the boys. It wasn’t until later when Peter realized he only heard two heartbeats in the room instead of four or more, that they realized that they were alone. It was then that he realized just how close the two had gotten. Their noses were nearly touching under the blanket, which made his cheeks turn light pink. Harley glanced down at his cheeks, at least Peter thought it was at his cheeks, and chuckled softly. “Need some air?” he asked, motioning to the blanket that was now surrounding them. Apparently, Peter’s laugh wasn’t a good enough response for him, as Harley tossed the blanket off of them and scooted off of the couch. He offered his hand to him with a smug smile on his lips. Peter took it with a confused expression on his face, and let out a little yelp when Harley suddenly pulled him closer. He wrapped his arm softly around his waist and brought him so they were almost chest to chest. Peter’s cheeks were aflame now, much to Harley’s amusement. “Do ya know how to dance?” he asked in a low tone. The younger shook his head, his eyes glued to Harley’s blue ones, which only seemed bright with the reflection of the fireplace in them. “No.. Never really something I thought to learn about..” He let out a chuckle that seemed to warm Peter’s insides. “Smartest person I know, and you never learned how to slow dance? Seems fake. But then again, neither did I..” He started swaying them softly back and forth to the music, smiling down at the younger boy. He looked so beautiful in the lighting of the fire; it was almost un-earthy how the light of the fire played off of his dark curls, and how the shadows seemed to catch his cheeks at just the right angles. What really seemed perfect was when he carefully laid his head on the older boy’s chest, sighing softly. “Whatcha thinking about, Petey?” He asked, his voice just over a whisper. Peter shook his head and closed his eyes. “Nothing, really. What about you, Harles?” His grip around his waist seemed to tense up a little, but he let out a breath and it went back to how it was the second before. “Well… There's this boy,” he started, the usual confidence that resided in his voice seems to disappear for the time being. “And I can’t stop thinking about him. Haven’t been able to for a while. He’s super smart and super cute, and I really like cuddling and dancing with him. All that cheesy shit. And he’s a really good cook and he chooses really good movies to watch, and… I dunno, Petey. I can’t get this boy out of my head…” Peter didn’t move, other than to continue to sway to the music. He knew his own heart was beating at an unusually fast rate, but he could also hear how nervous Harley was. Was this real? Did Harley actually mean him? A million thoughts ran through his head as he listened to Harley’s heartbeat. He had liked him for what felt like forever. Since the first time Tony had introduced them in the lab almost two years ago now. The way that Harley was confident with everything that he did but caring enough to take a step back and make sure that it was okay. How chaotic he was but in such an effective, good way. How comfortable he seemed to make Peter feel, no matter the situation; he always made him feel safe and taken care of around Harley. He realized how badly he wanted to kiss him over a year ago, and from there it was just a downhill spiral for Peter. But it was around that time that Harley had gotten more affectionate too. There was more cuddling during movies, more hugs when they saw each other again after a long time, more accidental touching when they were cooking. But Peter had always passed it up as Harley getting more comfortable around him. Purely platonic. But was it?He felt Harley shift above him, looking down at him, nervously, almost. “I… I was thinking about telling this guy, ya know? But I don’t know if he would feel the same… Whatcha think?” he whispered, trying to keep his voice steady. “I-I think.. I think that this boy would be an-an idiot not to take you.. I think h-he would be really excited. I think he’s probably been waiting a long time to hear this..” Peter whispered back, not taking his head off his chest, mainly out of anxiety. Harley paused for a second, his heart racing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then looked back down at him. “Peter?” he asked, trying to get the brunet to look up at him. After their eyes met, he knew he couldn’t do anything else. Harley leaned down and brushed his lips tentatively against Peter’s, just testing the water. What he didn’t expect was for Peter to kiss right back. When their lips connected, it felt like everything was right in the world. Like nothing could go wrong, ever again. Neither of them ever wanted the moment to end. But after a second, the blond broke off, looking down at him with a nervous smile. “I… so uh… Wi-will.. Peter..?” He asked, still holding him tight as he stuttered. Peter only nodded, but he wasn’t sure if it was an answer or just encouragement. “Will you.. Do you uh.. Do you want to be my boyfriend?”Peter let out a small laugh and nodded more, this time it obviously being an answer. “Yes, you dork. I’d be stupid not to say yes!” Harley let out a breathy laugh as all the tension seemed to leave his body at his answer. “Holy shit..” he whispered, earning an equal laugh from the other. “Yeah… good holy shit, right?” “Fantastic holy shit,” He murmured, smiling softly at him, before ducking down and pressing another soft kiss to his lips.

[sunnysideofsaturn]

2019, oh how you’ve destroyed me.

basically i’ve seen a ton of posts like this, especially by one of my best interweb pals (lookin at you, C @hey-im-pan ) and it’s inspired me to make one of my own! i journal a LOT but it’ll be interesting to try and sum everything up in little synopsis.

*side note: i struggle with anxiety, depression, insomnia, and ocd, so those and their effects may be mentioned. be cautious. This also doesn’t include a lot of the more personal instances, so don’t take it as an accurate representation of what it is like living with these issues*

January:

Honestly, not much happened. I went on a college visit trip with a few of my friends to my dream school, which was stressful but informative, and my anxiety attacks were far and in-between. Sleep schedule was wack (has been since 7th grade), but i was functioning. Dysphoria (i’m nonbinary, but hadn’t really even come out to myself then) was pretty high this month in particular for some reason, so i finally started trying to convince my mom to let me cut my hair off. (I had like 2.5 feet it was a mess)

February:

Finally came out to one of my close friends as pan, kinda accidentally but she was chill with it :) My grandma had a weeklong sickness that scared the shit out of me, but she got better for the time being. I was constantly pushing myself academically and physically at practice, but my grades were taking a bit of a nosedive because i didn’t have the capacity to deal with everything, but i bottled it up because i hate feeling weak. I continued to explore my sexuality, and started to research the gender spectrum.

March:

School and Crew (rowing sport) were the only things on my mind at all times. I started having more anxiety attacks again, and decided it was time to talk to my doctor about going back on meds after 3 years off them. IB was kicking my ass, but i’m so grateful for all of my teammates for giving me an escape on the water. Started to accept I was non-binary.

April:

A month full of good vibes i really needed. Got my drivers license on 4/20. I hiked my grades up with the help of extra credit, held a “wedding” in a Dillard’s try-on section, and spent a few days of spring break at the beach with two friends. I finally cut my hair off!! That feeling was literally incredible and i try to get a haircut every other month to actually keep up with it now. Saw endgame, died inside, and competed in an art show! I was doing really well, so I went off my meds again (don’t do that without a doctors permission like me).

May:

BAdddd time to be off meds, anxiety and depression were dropping my health and IB finals kicked my ass and the class i had been most excited about taking had become my worst at this point, but I got through the exams without missing any. Went to Jr. Prom though! We actually used going to Jr. Prom as a coverup to throw a surprise birthday party for my best friend. I still have no idea how she didn’t figure it out. I also started talking to one of my internet buds, Rosie. She’s helped me through so much she doesn’t even know about, and it such a beaut inside and out <3

June:

MADE IT TO PRIDE MONTH!! I finished my actual finals with minimal panic attacks, and join a Parkner discord! That was short lived, but from it was born… The What the Actual Fuck Fam, whom i love dearly. You guys still crack me up, and i know i’ll always have people to fall back on ( or help me commit murder.) Turned 17 and watched Monty Python (again.) Was forced into not one, but tWo bible camps, but also went to my first pride in my city! I have never felt so loved by so many people i don’t know :)

July:

Depression hit me HarD. I was constantly in a bad mood and taking it out on other people and myself, and I was losing even more sleep. Went back on meds for a bit. I got to see Far From Home, but pretty much isolated myself from anyone in my real life. July is always hard for me to get though for some reason. On a happier note, I started talking to @winterrs-child , who I now love dearly and @exbrodokills , which started out by exchanging memes but i think we can now call a friendship :D

August:

More depression, yayyyy, but Rosie and my irl friends helped me through it so much, even if they didn’t know it was happening. I finally came out to my parents and grandma as pan. They honestly took it pretty well, even if my grandma thinks it’s a ‘phase’. Also came out to C, B, and T as non-binary. Ya’ll were the first people I told after a YEAR omg <3 developed a huge celebrity crush on a cosplayer i won’t name even though they’ll never see this :’) Also fell back into the kiribaku pit after finally stabilizing my Parkner obsession. Also, joined a sapphic server which is basically a big gay support group :) (thanks to Rosie)

September:

Started my senior year of high school. So far, it’s pretty much been one big panic attack but i’m managing. I’m a mentor on the crew team this year and have adopted pretty much every underclassmen on the team. I love them all equally (except for my favorites) Cut my hair even shorter! I love it! Got back into writing poetry and short stories after an intense writer’s and reader’s block that lasted for almost a year. Went off my meds again (I should stop doing that, ik) Went to a Harry Potter fest, which was great, but started building up major anxiety for planning the rest of my life.

October:

SPOOP MONTH. October is my favorite month, so I was determined to make it good. Went on a couple more college tours, but also celebrated fall and halloween with my favorite people. Came reallllly close to stabbing my IB Bio teacher, but he’s survived, so far. Cosplayer mentioned earlier followed me on insta, cue gay panic. i also accidentally created a huge cuddle pile of 30 girls on my team in the captain’s backyard. It was as amazing as it sounds :0 Applied for 6 colleges

November:

CAVETOWN omg. I was also murdered with a bent hammer (don’t ask) and my mental health was pretty stable. I joined yet another server created by the cosplayer, and have made so many friends through it, plus gained a new dad figure :). Contemplated buying a binder on black friday, didn’t and deeply regret it (planing on getting one with the christmas money i get from my homophobic grandfather we pretend doesn’t exist) Discovered the goodness of Baby Yoda. Did pretty much no spanish homework. Solid 7/10

December:

Honestly, school wise december has been the most stressful month of this year so far, and the 2nd worst depressive episode. I’ve written 6 essays and done 5 projects this month and that was not a good time for the already low seratonin levels. i got waitlisted for the school i mentioned earlier, but was accepted into the other 5 :) I got to see an Of Monsters and Men concert, and I’m trying to push thorough til break, but my grandma has been getting sick more and more frequently over this year and now she’s been in a lot of pain for over two weeks and in and out of emergency care 6 times. Just hoping to make it to 2020 with everyone in tact and healthy :) I’m doing a secret santa with my friends im looking forward to. My friends have been amazing support through all of this mess, even if ii didn’t tell you about it, and i love you all!!

special mentions:

@donnaschaunamanon

@dawdlzdoodles

@harleykeenerprotectionsquad

@bumbblebeeeeee

@lykkesw

@chai-studying

@hey-im-pan

@pumpkinparkner

@everyone’s users i don’t know/remember

[parkerparts]

A Night out on the Town

Parkner Week 2019 Day Two: “They Were Roommates” / Prom / Jealousy

Peter’s type is pretty boys and girls who are out of his league, including but not limited to Flash’s prom date. It’s not his fault that Harley Keener looks absolutely irresistible.

Read it on AO3 here.

@parknerweek thank you endlessly for this event :)

The music in the gymnasium is loud, and it makes Peter cringe. If it weren’t for the earplugs and Ned’s steady grip on his arm, he’d surely be whimpering in a ball on the floor. 

“Remind me why we’re here again?” he asked Ned as they made their way through the crowd to the table MJ commandeered. 

“Because even losers like us crave a cliché high school experience,” Ned shouted back. 

Neither of them had a date. Peter had asked MJ. She fondly told him that dates were for the patriarchy but promised him a dance anyway. Ned and Betty, Midtown’s favorite on-and-off couple, were on a break. Betty was out dancing with a boy from a different high school, and Ned was hanging off of Peter’s arm. Technically, Peter mused, glancing at their matching Star Wars ties, they were each other’s date. The ridiculous number of tacky prom pose photos in possession of Ned’s parents and May sealed the deal. 

“Oh no,” MJ deadpanned as the two boys slid into seats next to her. “I’m third-wheeling with dorky and dorkier.”

“Aw, shut up, MJ. You love us,” Ned said. 

MJ made a face. “Love? Pfft, no. Tolerate, maybe. You doing alright, Peter?”

Peter, who had only been half-listening, jumped at the sound of his name. He reluctantly drew his eyes away from the pretty blond boy whose arm Flash was hanging off of and stared questioningly at his friends. “Hmm?”

“I asked if you were alright. Keep up. You’re clearly not. What’s on your mind?” MJ replied.

Peter nudged his chin toward Flash and his date. “Who’s that?”

Ned answered, “Who? The boy with Flash? That’s Harley Keener. Flash met him at that robotics workshop Stark Industries hosted over spring break.”

“And they were roommates,” MJ added, her lips twitching. 

Ned smiled. “Oh my God, they were roommates.” 

Peter glared at his friends as they high-fived each other He was supposed to have gone to the workshop, but a nasty run-in with an armed robber the night before it started left Peter with a gunshot wound in his stomach. He was bedridden for the whole week, even with his advanced healing. Tony’s orders. Peter hadn’t been that upset at the time, especially since Tony dragged a chunk of the lab up to his room and did a bunch of robotics stuff with him. However, looking at the blond boy dancing with Flash with a slightly pained expression, Peter couldn’t help but feel like he had missed out.

“Peter’s got a crush,” Ned teased.

“Do not!” 

MJ added, “And it’s on yet another person way out of your league. You’ve got a type.”

“Shut up,” Peter mumbled, burying his face in his arms. He ignored MJ’s tapping on his shoulder. “You weren’t that out of my league.”

He could hear MJ’s skepticism as she replied, “And yet who showed up without a date after I turned him down?”

“Touche,” Peter sighed, twisting to face his friends. “Besides, I do have a date. Ned’s my date.”

“Dude, are you kidding me?” Ned asked with a laugh. “If I’m your date, then I feel obligated to tell you that your promposal was lame. And by lame, I mean nonexistent.”

“Oh, come on!” As his friends burst into laughter, even the usually stoic MJ, Peter couldn’t help but laugh with them, despite the embarrassed blush painting his face.

He didn’t have a crush, he told himself as he watched Harley laugh at some joke Brad told. He just knew a pretty face when he saw one, and Harley was beautiful. He was all fluffy hair and freckled cheeks and sexy Southern drawl Peter could hear from across the gym, even over the blast of pop music. His smile quite literally lit up the room, attracting Peter’s attention as he tried to converse normally with his friends.

“Ask him to dance, Peter,” Ned suggested.

“What? No! He’s here with Flash, anyway,” Peter groused. “Stupid Flash.”

“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you,” MJ told him. 

“I’m not jealous!”

MJ sighed. “Come on, dance with me then. I promised you we would.”

Peter smiled and took her outstretched hand. “Then dance we shall, madam.”

“What about me?” Ned squawked.

MJ waved her hand vaguely. “Ask Betty for a dance. She’s waiting for Flynn or Phil or whatever the boy she brought’s name is to get her a drink, but what’s-his-name is chatting up Jenny Carson in the punch line.”

Peter threw a thumbs up and mouthed “Good luck” over his shoulder at Ned as MJ led him to the dance floor. An annoyingly familiar TikTok song was playing, but Peter did his best to move to the rhythm of it.

After a few songs, Peter and MJ went back to their table. Ned and Betty were sitting there beings disgustingly cute again, and Betty’s date was nowhere to be found. Peter shook his head. His friends were ridiculous.

Somehow, they ended up discussing Harley Keener again. “I don’t think he really likes Flash,” Betty told them. 

“I didn’t know anyone could like Flash,” MJ said with a smile.

“Why’d he go with Flash, then?” Peter asked.

Betty shrugged. “Maybe he’s just nice. Flash is infatuated with Harley. It’s kind of funny, honestly.”

Peter ignored the sour taste in his mouth at the mention of Flash.

A boy dropped into the empty seat by Peter without warning, causing him to nearly leap out of his chair. Worst of all, it was Harley, and Peter’s heart was racing so fast he thought it would leap out of his chest. “Sorry for dropping in like this. Hope y’all don’t mind. My buddy who I’m here with is kind of getting on my nerves, and I’m trying to escape him for a few moments.”

“Whatever, loser. It’s fine,” MJ replied, saving Peter from needing to stammer out a shaky response. “We get it. Flash is kind of a dick.”

“Kind of?” Peter muttered under his breath. He looked up when Harley laughed, feeling his face heat at the sight.

Harley was so damn beautiful he literally took Peter’s breath away, and he choked on nothing. MJ patted his back roughly with an unimpressed face.

“I’m Harley Keener, by the way,” he said as an afterthought.

“I’m MJ. This is Ned Leeds, Betty Brant, and-”

Peter extended his hand, hoping no one would notice it shaking. “I’m Peter. Peter Parker.”

Harley shook his hand, and Peter tried to ignore the way Harley’s hand felt in his. Oh, who was he kidding? Even if he never saw the boy again, he’d probably still remember it for the rest of his life. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Peter Peter Parker. I like your tie.”

“Thanks.” Peter’s face was probably so red that it could substitute for a stop sign.

Their small group filled all the chairs that could fit around the little table, and Peter relished in the glares Flash sent their way.

Harley fit right in with Peter’s friends, and before they knew it, they had just fifteen minutes until they could leave. Harley stood up, and for a heart-wrenching moment, Peter believed he would go back to Flash. Instead, he held out his hand to Peter. “Dance with me?”

“Wh-what?”

“Dance with me, Peter. I’ve seen the way Flash has been glaring at you the whole night, and I want to make him jealous.”

“Why would you want to make Flash jealous?” Peter said, grimacing. He took Harley’s hand anyway and let the boy lead him to the middle of the floor.

“Because he’ll leave me alone, and I’ll be free to dance with the prettiest boy in the room, who somehow, luckily for me, came to prom without a date.”

“Oh, shut up. I am not the prettiest boy in the room.”

“Sure, honeybun, whatever you say. If it’s not you, then who is it?”

Peter looked up at Harley and took a deep, shuddering breath. “You.”

“Lord, you’re a walking cliche,” Harley said, rubbing his thumb in a maddening circle on Peter’s waist. “I like you.”

Before Peter could reply, the speakers crackled to life as Principal Morita announced that prom had ended. A cheer went up as the students began flooding out of the gym. 

“Wanna get out of here?” Peter yelled into Harley’s ear.

“Yeah. Follow me. I’ve got a car.”

Peter was impressed by anyone who could drive. He never had the time to get his license. Tony tried to teach him once, but by the end, Peter had almost crashed twice, and they both had whiplash. They never tried again.

“You’ve got a nice car,” Peter said, sliding into the passenger seat. He shot a text to his friends, letting them know that he was fine. He didn’t tell them he was with Harley. He’d face their teasing another day.

“Thanks,” Harley said, starting the car. “I built her myself.”

Peter gaped. “You what?”

“Built her myself. There was this wreck of a Camaro in the junkyard, almost nothing left. I took it and fixed her right up. She’s my baby, this car.”

“Brains, beauty, and brawn? You’re a package deal,” Peter said, blushing as soon as the words left his mouth. 

Harley glanced at him and flashed a smile. “And you’re flirty. I think it’s cute.”

They were quiet as Harley pulled out of Midtown and hit the road. “Where are we going?” Peter asked.

“I was going to ask you that. I kind of want to grab some food, if that’s fine with you.”

“Oh, that’s great! I’m pretty hungry myself. There’s this really good diner I know that’s close by. I’ll direct you.”

“Sounds good.”

They drove to the diner, chattering all the way about anything and everything that came to mind. Harley told Peter the story of how he met Flash, which had Peter in tears of laughter as they got out of the car.

“I was supposed to attend the workshop. I got in and everything, but I got sick and couldn’t go,” Peter said after they had ordered.

Harley sighed. “That’s a shame. I’d much rather have you for a roommate and prom date than Flash.”

“You’re sweet.”

“I mean it. I really like you, Peter.”

Peter blushed, and he felt his heartbeat pick up. “Well, that’s good because I really like you too.”

Later that evening, Harley took Peter home. Peter fell asleep in the car on the way, and he was woken up by Harley gently shaking him.

“Come on, sweetie, wake up. We’re here.”

Peter sighed and stretched out. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately, with the end of the term coming up, but his nap during thirty-minute car ride was the best sleep he had in a while. “Where am I?”

“In front of your apartment building. It’s time to go home.”

“Don’t want to go,” he mumbled, opening his eyes. “Hey, Harley?”

“Yes, Peter?” Harley was looking at him with a fond, faintly amused smile that made Peter feel like he was melting. He wished Harley would smile like that at him forever.

“Are you going to leave me?”

Harley sighed and looked away. Peter wished he had said nothing, but he watched Harley expectantly. “Yes, and no. I’m driving back to Tennessee tomorrow morning, but I’ll be back. I’ll come visit over the summer. I have a place to stay in New York, and I’ll stay the whole summer. We can spend the whole break together, if that’s what makes you happy, Peter.”

Peter smiled and took Harley’s hand. “I think I’d be the happiest boy alive.”

Harley squeezed his hand. “That’s it, then. See you in a few weeks?”

“It’s a date.” Peter squeezed Harley’s hand back once, then clambered out of the car. He heard Harley’s laugh through the car’s open windows as he drove off, and he stood in front of his building, watching the other boy leave.

The next morning, Peter woke to about a dozen notifications on his phone. He ignored the texts and calls from his friends, who somehow had found out he’d left the dance with Harley, and the only text that caught his eye.

Harkey K.: Can’t wait for our date. See you soon, sunshine. 

When Peter met his friends for lunch, they all asked him why he was smiling so much. He just shrugged and told them, “Harley freaking Keener.”

[chaosisorderao3]

Intro Post

Hi hi!

I'm redthevoid on Ao3, or just Red. I'm a trans, ADHD/Autistic, disabled and chronically ill writer who cares lots about including good, well researched representation that lets people feel seen in my writing!

Fandoms I write in:

MCU (especially Parkner)

HP (but specifically in ways that would make terfs sob)

Boku no Hero Academia

Naruto

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Hunter x Hunter

Bleach

I'm also working on four novels at the moment:

A fantasy novel following a runaway princess who didn't want to be a princess and certainly didn't want courtship, a young town healer who was always judged for his magic and his transness and a blind system who plan to return the favour of a cult attempting to indoctrinate them by bringing the whole thing down. (This will be a five book series hopefully!)

A modern supernatural fantasy book that follows a university student named Rain who has retired their secret moonlight identity of the country's most famous and powerful superhero thank you very much, they're done with all that and just want an ordinary life.

A queer YA romance following two autistic ace nonbinary Jewish teens who are wrapped up in the struggles of Life, but find joy and love all the same.

A modern fantasy novel following Astra, a 22yo education student who makes a living off tutoring, and their 13yo ex-student Harley as they flee the pursuit of a criminal organisation from the magical underworld (not in the afterlife way, the shady society way).

Anyway, see y'all around!