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Maintaining the Oscorp company was more challenging than the media press made it seem. Whenever The Daily Bugle wasn't mass producing false accusations regarding the Spider-Man dilemmas, the Osborn name and the related company was being deformed on the printed front page. Countless false claims regarding the board creating relations and pursuing deals with restricted institutions that were hidden from public research.
Downing his third Whiskey shot of the afternoon, Harry Osborn stared down at the newspaper that was staring back at him. His own face was on the front page, shoved in the corner, from a seeming photoshoot he didn't immediately recognize. The board tended to steal his name on behalf of engaging in undercover projects that the remaining staff didn't want the highest level of permission for. It frustrated Harry beyond belief, but he knew he didn't have much authority considering the age difference between him and the rest of the board.
About to flip over the front page of the newspaper to read inside, Harry's phone begins to ring and buzz around on the glass office table. Too distracted by the newspaper, and under the constant illusion that the caller is a business he can't afford to miss, he answers without double checking the caller ID.
"Hello?" he asks in a monotone tone, keeping his mentality in that of a professional mindset.
"Hey, Harry."
Harry's shoulders immediately slump down, ridding him of any professional persona. After day in and day out of constant, obnoxious meetings, it was nice to hear the warming voice of a lover.
"Peter. To what do I owe in return for this pleasant surprise of a call?"
Harry could sense Peter's head shaking from the other side of the line, but Harry didn't smile at the probable annoyance of the other boy. There was no detection of a smile from the other line, either. It was a sadly seeming dull reaction exchange.
"Hey, um, so, remember how I told you I'd pick you up from the office at ten? Well, something came up. I can't make it. I know we've been looking forward to just having a date night for ourselves, but, jeez, Har, I just can't. I'm so sorry, and I'll make it up to you whenever I can." Peter was rambling endlessly, almost too scared to stop speaking in case Harry got angry in return.
It'd be a lie to say the news Harry just received didn't upset him. The two of them have been planning a date night for the longest time. Between Peter's Spider-Man identity, and Harry's frequent meetings, they never had time to consciously be themselves together for extended amounts of time. Today was the only day when Harry would be free, and Peter was willing to make a crime fighting exception. Now, Harry would be booked up for months with little to no escape.
"No, Pete. It's fine. You gotta save the city somehow, one way or another. Just, make it back home safe to the wife and kids, alright?"
"The wife and the kids? No, Har, there's only you—" Harry hung up before Peter could finish the full thought. He was tired of the same, overused excuse over and over. Spider-Man this, Spider-Man that. The police force existed, why wouldn't Peter just let them do their job for crying out loud?
The skylights that signaled the night was beginning were starting to show, and Harry had nothing but time to kill. And, Harry knew exactly how to turn his own petty greed into guilting Peter's submission.
Finally downing the shot he never truly finished due to the phone call, Harry began to shrug on his leather jacket that was previously hung around the back of his chair. He was about to have a night out, and not the kind of night anybody of his age typically would have.
Saying goodnight to Felicia and some secretary who asked him to sign papers on his way out, the New York streets is where Harry went. The plan he had in mind couldn't occur just yet, which made Harry wander into a random diner he found nearby. A type of joint Peter would like because it reeked of cheap stakes and poor service.
Ordering a simple coffee, seeing as the diner didn't serve alcohol, there was not much to do while sitting around. Glancing up, Harry noticed a small television huddled in the corner. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out what the vision screen was displaying. It was a news broadcast, and the constant red and blue colored schemes gave it away regarding who it was about.
Spider-Man was fighting some villain Harry didn't care enough to figure out, experiencing a battle that Harry would still argue the police could handle. Through the pixels Harry could make out, Peter seemed to be managing through in good shape. That was always good enough news. Even better considering it seemed the battle was already coming to an end, and Harry's plan could begin in motion.
Taking the time to slowly finish off his coffee, Harry made sure he would have enough for Peter to recover after the finished villainous battle for everything to go according to plan. The waitress who initially served Harry kept giving him weird glances, watching Harry fixate between the television and dragging his finger along the restaurant table in odd patterns.
Eventually, though, it was showtime. Scooting out of the booth he previously resided in, he shoved a fifty dollar bill towards the nearest waitress he could find. He didn't order much, and the service was below his taste, but was sympathetic enough to give them that much. He immediately turned the corner once exiting the building, heading towards the more sketchier parts of the streets.
He was Harry Osborn. Well known business owner and millionaire. A celebrity, almost. Walking the streets alone at night without any bodyguards. This was just what he wanted in order to set himself up. He turned into an alleyway, and that's when his plan was strung into action.
Harry felt a mysterious pair of hands wrap around him, one hand over his mouth and the other over his waist. He closed his eyes instinctively, his heartbeat racing as he was thrown up against the brick wall of the supporting building.
"My, my. If I don't believe my eyes. It's Harry Osborn!" A strange voice cackled, followed by the small laughters of at least three other voices. When Harry opened his eyes, he noticed two separate knives pointed towards him. "By God, it is." A separate voice cried out.
There was no idea for Harry to know how any of this was going to play out. He didn't know if his plan was going to work, or if he just lured himself into the worst trap of his life.
The male who Harry assumed was the leader of the group, considering his demeanor, stepped closer towards Harry, leaving a lingering hand on Harry's left forearm. "You're prettier up close. But, I suppose all the women in your bed love to tell you that." Harry couldn't help but cringe at the statement. "Now, I'm a straightforward guy, and I presume you are, too. So, let's get down to it. Consider this a robbery, if you will. You hand it all over without our fingerprints getting on anything, and you leave unharmed. Otherwise," the leader reached out to grab a knife from a follower, pushing it up against Harry's throat enough to sting but not harsh enough to draw blood, "we'll have a clean up on aisle four."
Whenever Harry didn't reach for his wallet, the leader proceeded to get more frustrated, pushing the knife closer into Harry. At the same time, a different follower kneeled in front of Harry and traced hands up his thighs. He wanted to cry, in all honesty. And, as a man who never cried, it gave a lot of suggestions towards the pain he was in.
That's when he realized his plan finally worked. Suddenly, there were no hands nor knives on him. Instead, he was being swept into thin air. Harry's eyes closed again, trying to process what just happened while holding onto the spandex wearing hero.
Harry was dropped off at his penthouse within the Osborn mansion. When he finally reopened his eyes for the second time, he noticed Spider-Man staring back at him. Peter removed the mask off once he noticed Harry functioning, revealing Peter's softened, sympathetic eyes.
"Harry," Peter started, trailing off subtly.
"Spider-Man," Harry sarcastically stated, his voice drawing out in venom. This was all a part of the plan. "My hero."
"Oh, come on, Harry. You don't have to do that. What were you even doing in the streets so late? If I hadn't rescued you whenever I did, you could've died." Peter's voice died out towards the end, horrified by the thought of Harry dying. He never wanted Harry to leave him under any circumstances, especially not via death.
"No. Why were you out so late? Were you ignoring me? I saw the news. You finished your battle long before ten. You had time. And, you chose the city over me?" Harry scoffed at the end, looking down and shaking his head.
Peter cocked his head to the side in confusion, baffled by the fact that Harry was arguing Peter's self acclaimed duties to the city. "The people of Midtown have been scared to death recently. With all these attacks, I'm the only thing that gives people hope anymore. I want to help people see that everything will be okay."
"Then, help me see it, Peter. I don't feel like everything's going to be okay. In fact, everything is far from okay. You know I risked myself in those streets for you? For you, Peter! All. For. You. And, what do I get? Nothing! It's almost as if I could fly off back to Europe, and the strangers there would treat me even better than my own boyfriend. Is that what you want?"
"Harry, you're getting ahead of yourself." Peter opened his mouth to continue speaking, but was abruptly cut off.
"No, you're just behind." Harry paused, gathering his thoughts as Peter took various steps closer towards Harry. Peter always chose the peace route, and he's experienced Harry's poor anger management more times than he can count.
Though, Peter's patience was running low. He had to come back after the fight to an empty living space unoccupied by Harry, and fix up his battle wounds by himself. Peter checked both the mansion and all throughout Oscorp without a trace of Harry. It coaxed Peter to stay on patrol just in case he spotted Harry. Peter stayed out for Harry, just like Harry stayed out for Peter.
"Tell me," Harry started, his voice slightly softened, "do you even want to be here right now? Do you even want me to be here?"
"Stop it, Harry."
Instead, Harry continued with a fire burning in his stomach. "Did you truly want me to leave boarding school? Was eight years not long enough? Should I have stayed and continued to fuck—"
"Shut the fuck up, Harry!" Peter exploded without warning. He wanted to drown out Harry's self hate. To show Harry how much he means to him. To show Harry how much better Peter's life has become now that Harry has returned for seemingly good.
"God damn it, Peter Parker! Why won't you just admit it? Admit your despise and hatred—"
Harry was cut off again, but this time by a pair of lips. Peter had grabbed Harry by his expensive shirt collar, pulling him close and connecting their lips in a burning passion. Harry responded eagerly, kissing back Peter with a matched amount of affection. His fingers tangled in Peter's hair, pulling him closer.
When their lips detached from each other, they could only stare and marvel at one another. When Harry couldn't stand the tension any longer, he leaned up to kiss Peter yet again. It lasted longer than the first, and even rivaled to be better than the first.
Peter smiled a dorky grin once he could pull back and see Harry's face clearly again. All the previous tension that was built up inside Harry had noticeably been released. It satisfied Peter knowing he had that sort of effect on Harry.
Noticing the new attention he was receiving, and realizing his more relaxed state, Harry states, "I hate you."
The remark made Peter smiling more, instantly noticing all the sarcasm surrounding Harry's statement. "Oh, you love me."
Harry shook his head, suddenly wincing at the fact that Peter still had his Spider-Man suit that must have the most uncomfortable spandex feeling. He shooed Peter off, giving a silent message for Peter to go change.
As Peter was walking towards Harry's— their occasionally shared bedroom when Peter wasn't wanted at Aunt May's— to change into clothing of his he knew he kept stashed in the complex, Harry mumbled in response to Peter's previous remark an "I do."
Peter smoothly called out, "Save that for our wedding day!"