A/N: Thank you for all your lovely reviews and sorry for the long wait! Please review to help me continue with this story! :) Hope you enjoy!


Peter and Harry spent the next few days texting each other, with Peter sending a lot of funny pictures to the young CEO. Harry wished he could spend more time with the intern, but being a head of Oscorp had him barely catching an shut eye. The week was quickly becoming brutal, with meetings after meetings, with file work becoming monumental. There were still people trying to bring him down from his throne, and they didn't mind playing dirty.

The workload and the sheer level of stress was taking a toll on its body as well. His hands shook more often now, which sent him on the verge of a panic attack. His father's haunting last words kept ringing in his head. What if the shaking wasn't because of the copious amount of coffee he'd been drinking? What if it was all the result of the goddamn Osborn curse? And that thought alone placed his body under more intense stress. It was a vicious cycle, and the only breaks he got were Peter's silly little texts.

Peter, on the other hand, spent his days interning at Oscorp, spending perhaps a bit too much time looking through funny things on the internet. He sent a few good ones to Harry, figuring the guy needed some fun in his life. The guy seemed so...stressed and tense, and Peter made it his personal duty to sprinkle some smiles onto the other's life.

He did want to send kitten videos, because really, who didn't like kittens, but something told him that Harry wasn't a furry animal kinda guy.

It was now Saturday. Peter made sure to remind Harry about the party and their burger dinner. Gwen couldn't make it to dinner and said she was going to join them at the party, which a shame, because Peter wanted his best friend to see his new "friend." He was fairly sure that they were going to hit it off quite nicely.

Peter arrived at the burger place at around 8, and when he did, he immediately spotted Harry. He was dressed casually again, which had Peter wondering why the other guy was dressed all formally the first time they saw each other. Harry looked tired. No, haggard. Absolutely worn out and drained of all energy. What the hell had happened in the last few days? Harry had bags under his eyes, a tired frown marring his features.

"Hey Harry," Peter greeted awkwardly, suddenly feeling guilty or having invited the other to the party. Why didn't Harry just tell him that he was too tired to go out? He wouldn't have minded going without him. Now he just felt bad.

"Hey," the young CEO greeted back with a smile that looked almost forced.

"You look tired," Peter blurted out before he could stop himself. "We don't have to go to the party."

"We?"

"Yeah, we can do something else, or you can go home and sleep or something," Peter suggested with an awkward smile.

"No, I'm fine."

"You know what? Let's just do something else. I didn't feel like partying anyway," the intern continued with a more confident smile. "But first, we eat, 'cause I'm starving, and trust me, you're going to want to try this."

Peter led Harry into the burger place, where a petite woman greeted them.

"Hey Pete!"

"Hey Mary! How are you?"

"Better now that you're here!" she replied with a good-natured laugh.

"Do you know every waiters and waitresses in New York?" Harry asked quietly in amusement. He watches as Peter laughed bashfully and scratched his head.

"Just a few. I talk a lot," Peter replied with a sheepish grin. "So," he began once they were at the counter. "We'll take two to go."

"Coming right up!"

Peter pulled out his wallet, ready to pull out a twenty, but Harry stopped him.

"I got this. You got the pizza last time," Harry reasoned, handing Mary a twenty. She took it with a twinkle in her eyes and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Ah, I see, Peter! You never told me you had a boyfriend!"

"Oh jeez, he's not my boyfriend. We're not dating," Peter interjected, looking utterly flustered. "We're just hanging out."

"Oh? My bad!" she barked out a laughter. "Now you boys wait here for a second."

"How does everyone know you're gay?" Harry asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as he watched Mary's retreating figure.

"I don't know. People seem to just know," Peter paused, looking serious. "Is it my face?"

"I doubt it."

"Is it my voice? The way I talk?"

"No, I don't think so. By the way, which burger did you order?" Harry asked as he glanced at the menu. He couldn't recall having picked something off the menu.

"Shit! I'm so sorry, I just ordered two of what I usually get, I totally forgot. Let me fix that, uh, what would you like?"

"No, it's fine. I'll give it a shot."

"No, I can get Mary."

"Peter. It's fine," Harry repeated reassuringly, trying not to laugh at the silly expression on the other guy's face. Peter looked so genuinely apologetic over something so trivial. "But why are we not eating here?"

"Because we're going somewhere nice to eat."

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Never in a million years did Harry think he was going to end up eating a burger by a pier. It was dark, with only a few streetlamps keeping the place lit. They were in a secluded area near the pier, sitting a top of a giant container (Harry assumed it was one). Harry grimaced at the notion that his expensive designer jeans were touching the dirty surface. The likelihood of him sitting on a stranger's puke was matched only by the likelihood of the two being mugged, but the notion quickly disappeared once the young CEO took in the view.

The view was amazing.

It wasn't scenic or beautiful in the conventional sense, but it still held a sense of beauty to it. He could make out the gentle waves brushing up against the pier. There was no spectacular display of lights like the one he was used to seeing from his office, but there was beauty in the emptiness.

"It's nice," Harry began, before taking another bite of his burger. The burger was fantastic. Peter really knew his food.

"Yeah, I come here sometimes when I need a break. Not that I have so much to worry about, but you know what I mean."

"I do."

"I just thought that you might need something like this," Peter added softly, and even under such dim light, Harry could make out the gentle smile on the other's face. Harry swallowed slowly as he looked into Peter's eyes. It was as if they were lookin right into his soul, reading his every thoughts and memories. Normally, he'd feel invaded, violated even, but right now, he felt a strange sense of comfort in knowing that someone understood what he was going through.

"...You're right," Harry replied after a long stretch of silence. "Maybe I do."

"I know we've only hung out like a couple of times, but...you can talk about things if you want. I'm a pretty good listener," Peter continued with a grin.

The two sat in comfortable silence, finishing their burger. Harry wondered how Peter would react if he told him here and now who he really was. Every minute spent with Peter had him feeling increasingly guilty. Peter was so real. So honest and sincere, but here he was, not even using his real name. It was a horrible, unsettling feeling, but a bigger part of him wanted to keep this moment a bit longer. For as long as he could keep it.

Because for the first time in so long, someone actually cared about him. Not as the new standing CEO. Not as the heir of Oscorp. Not as the son of Norman Osborn, but as an individual. He was free here with Peter...and he would have to be an idiot to lose something that was given to him purely out of luck.

"Come on, lie down," Peter offered as he lied flat on his back. Harry raised his eyebrows. He was not about to lie down on something that might give him an infection.

"It's not that bad, just lie down," the intern continued, rolling his eyes. "You'll like it."

Harry obliged, albeit reluctantly. The two were now lying side by side, looking up into the sky. Harry inhaled sharply when he realized that he was looking at stars. Actual stars. The young CEO continued to stare in awe, mesmerized by them.

"Told you," Peter added with a triumphant grin. "Yeah, you don't get to see a lot of stars when you're in the city."

"It's nice."

"It makes your troubles seem...not so bad. I dunno, that's what I think everytime I come here and look at the stars. I think...man, I'm just some random guy on this one planet out of the entire universe, why do I even worry so much?"

Harry chuckled lowly. It was a strange logic, but it suited Peter somehow.

"I know, it's stupid, but-"

"It's not stupid. Maybe I can learn from it."

"Yeah? And just think. You just had the best pizza and the best burger in the world in a single week. Tell me how life can get any better than that."

This time, Harry laughed, crinkling his nose.

"I don't know how you don't have a boyfriend," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. It was supposed to come off as a compliment but came out more as shameless flirting.

"Why, thank you Mr. Harry Wilson. If you know any great guy, you can fix that," Peter replied jokingly, tapping the other's shoulders lightly. "You're pretty cool too, man."

Harry internally sighed in relief. He was worried that he had made things awkward somehow, but Peter being Peter was cool about it. The young CEO closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so relaxed and carefree. The air was cool against his skin, the peace so welcoming.

Harry closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

And when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. He rolled his eyes slowly, trying to register his current location. He held his breath, his shoulders tense. There were a million possible scenarios playing in his head, and the most probable seemed to be that he got kidnapped. Afterall, he was Harry Osborn. He was in constant danger of being either being taken for ransom or being killed.

He closed his eyes and counted to three, trying to calm his nerves. Going into full blown panic wasn't going to help him now. He slowly opened his eyes and took in his surrounding once again.

There were posters. He doubted that kidnappers and hitmen had posters on their walls, so that was a somewhat safe sign. He slowly got off the bed he was in. He could make out random noises outside, low murmuring of voices. One definitely a man. Another a ...woman?

Harry's eyes roamed until they landed on a photo by a mirror. It was of Peter, and next to him was a blond girl. They were making silly faces and looked very close, so Harry figured it must be Gwen. Above it was another photo, of Peter and a middle aged woman. She had soft brown curls, gentle eyes, and he instinctively knew this must be Aunt May.

So he was in Peter's room. How the hell did he end up here?

Harry made his way towards the door and opened it gingerly. He immediately saw the woman from the picture and Peter leaning against the wall with a dopey grin on his face.

"Harry! Good morning sleepy head," Peter greeted, his hands still in his pockets. "Aunt May, this is Harry, Harry, meet Aunt May, the greatest person in the world."

"Nice to meet you Harry," Aunt May began, adjusting her glasses. "Why don't you boys take a seat. Breakfast is ready."

"How did I-"

"You fell asleep and I couldn't get you to wake up. Thought you were dead for a second," Peter answered, chuckling. "Hope you don't mind that I brought you here."

"Wow. I apologize Mrs. Parker for the intrusion, I..." Harry faltered, not knowing what else to say. How the hell did he fall that deeply in sleep? He was usually such a light sleeper, but he had actually fallen asleep on some container and didn't even know he was being taken miles away to someone else's home. How could he have been so careless?

"No need to apologize! Good to meet you Harry. Now, sit, sit!" Aunt May motioned towards the small kitchen table and made her way to fix up breakfast for the two boys.

"I am so sorry," Harry began as soon as he was sitting next to Peter.

"No worries man," Peter replied with a lazy grin. "You a coffee drinker?"

"Uh, no thanks. Not today. I've been drinking way too much of that stuff."

"Juice it is then. We have...orange and cranberry," Peter continued, picking up the two bottles already on the table. "Take your pick."

"Orange, please."

"You're super polite, you know that?" the intern commented as he poured the other a glass.

"I try to be well-mannered in public."

Aunt May brought them breakfast, which had Harry realizing just how hungry he was. God he was hungry. What the hell was with him today? He didn't eat breakfast. He couldn't even remember the last time he had breakfast, so why was he staring at a plate full of eggs, sausages and toast, ready to dig in?

"Thanks Aunt May!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Parker."

"So polite!" Aunt May exclaimed with a smile.

"I know right? That's what I said."

"You can learn a thing or two from this young man, Peter."

"I'm polite! Sort of."

All three at the table laughed and began their meal.

"So Peter tells me that you're also interning at Oscorp."

"Uh yes, yes I am," Harry answered, almost choking on a piece of egg. The guilt just kept on growing and growing.

"Can you do me a favor and make sure Peter doesn't get into trouble?"

"Come on!" Peter protested vocally, which was promptly ignored by her.

"I had to try so hard to keep him out of trouble ever since he was a little boy."

"That's not fair, I was such a good kid."

"I have videos to provide otherwise, Peter."

Harry stifled a laughter. He could picture a younger, smaller version of Peter running around, toppling over things, knocking things down and laughing uncontrollable. It was a strangely endearing image. And it made him think about his own childhood, which was lot more depressing and controlled.

Ever since he was a small child, he was taught manners, told not to trust people and was forced to study. He was never allowed to go out and play with others kids at the park. Instead, he had a string of nannies that followed him around the house and watched over him constantly.

But Peter. Harry was sure that Peter must have had a much different childhood. A much better childhood. One better suited for an actual child.

Harry watched the interaction between Peter and his aunt. There was a connection between the two that he had never felt with anyone. He wished he was a part of this family. A family so open and loving. Even his love-deprived self could see that and feel the warmth it provided.

Peter was good for him, that much was becoming quite clear.

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