A/N: That's right, another double update. I promise this won't be a permanent thing. I'm just finding myself with more time. Let's see... today's warnings include child abuse/neglect and underage substance abuse. I kid you not, we're going to some dark places in this chapter.
Issue Eleven: Old Wounds
"10,000!?" Gwen's jaw dropped. "Dollars? As in U.S.?"
"I know, right?" Peter muttered. As it was the end of another school day, the trio were hanging around the courtyard outside of Midtown. They had picked a secluded corner to talk without the usual gossips to hear them. Peter was cleaning his glasses as he seemed to be deep in thought. "Not sure how much he usually sells, but I guess that's a good number…"
"It sounds like neither of you listened to me about not listening to him!" Gwen scowled, nose wrinkled in frustration. "It's clear he's lying to you! Plus, even if you did show up with that much, you would be buying drugs!"
"Not to use them," Sirius pointed out. "I could, say, drop them off with Mr. Stacy, or at a local police station."
"Sure sure," Gwen rolled her eyes. "Why not add a note, too? 'At Home Delivery, signed Your Friendly Neighborhood-"
"You're making too much out of this," Peter commented, replacing his glasses.
"And you, for someone so smart, aren't thinking enough about this!" Gwen hissed. "Eddie was just stupid before, but he should know better know! Getting involved with that brain-dead, impulsive, two-faced pothead is just gonna start another incident again!"
"Guys, hello?" Sirius cut in on the two's bickering. "Let's calm down a little. Remember? Drugs in New York? Face-eating addicts? The reason we're doing this at all? Can we focus on that?"
"Fine," Gwen huffed, placing some stray hairs back into her hairband. "So, fearless leader, what now?"
"Well, we still have some leads. The dirty cop from… well, the night of the party…"
"Yeah. Him," Peter nodded, his face unreadable.
"And there's Johnny Storm," Sirius added. "Let's go talk to him."
"That… might be hard," Gwen looked away, adjusting her glasses with a finger. "I… tried to talk to him at lunch."
"And?"
"…I punched him in the nose." The blonde raised her hand to show her hand was red, white around the knuckles.
Sirius looked at Gwen flatly, while Peter sighed. "So, still hate him for that prank, huh?"
"I-it's not like that!" Gwen defended. "I was trying to move past that, let bygones be bygones." She then added with a modicum of shame, "Flaming-headed piece of crap brought it up like it was funny, and I lost it…"
Peter groaned. "And how did you convince the teachers not to call Captain Stacy this time?"
"Said he instigated it," Gwen shoved her hands into her pockets. "And he actually apologized. Made me feel small. Anyway, his sister looked ready to make me disappear on the spot, so… we can't get near him for… about a week? Maybe two?"
"We don't need Johnny anyway," Peter threw out. "We have a lead. Just bring Eddie the money, and he'll take us right to the supplier."
"Which isn't an option," Gwen pointed out again. "Because we don't have $10,000!"
"We can get some. Easy," Peter pragmatically waved his hand. "Sirius has the proportional strength of an arachnid. He could walk into any bank, open the vault with his bare hands, and-"
"Are you suggesting we rob a bank?" Sirius asked incredulously. "That I rob a bank?"
"A-as a suggestion!" Peter amended under Gwen's glare. "Just spit-balling ideas. Sirius could do anything with his powers, and we can't take anything off the table."
Gwen scoffed. "Why not ask Harry for a loan, while we're at it?"
"Hmm…" Sirius scratched his chin in thought. "Now that sounds…"
"I was kidding!" Gwen threw up her hands. "We can't come to Harry about this! I don't want Harry anywhere near this drug crap!"
"Well, it's a better option than robbing a bank," Sirius pointed out.
"Actually," Peter raised a finger as if to get attention in the conversation. "That is a bad idea. We… don't want Harry to know about this. We ask for a loan, he'll ask why, and… it's not an option."
"Geez, and this is what they agree on," Sirius muttered. "Okay, well… back to the dirty cop – Gargan, I think. He took something from the Bodega Bandit after… ending him."
"Tailing a crooked cop?" Gwen hummed. "It's… risky, but it's mostly legal."
"Mostly?"
"Well, stalking is bad, but it's hard to catch a stalker that can stick to walls. Bad guys never look up."
"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea," Peter admitted, though looked a little sour for some reason. "If that's where you want to head, okay then. Good luck to you."
"'Good luck?'" Sirius and Gwen looked over at the skinny teen. "Got somewhere to go?"
"Yeah. Looking up backup plans in case this falls through. Plus," Peter pulled on the straps of his messenger bag, his eyes lighting up with some excitement. "I've got some… projects to look after. If you need me, you know where to find me." And with that, Peter waved goodbye and began the trek off-campus.
"Projects?" Sirius muttered, before looking over to Gwen. The bold blonde had an expression of discomfort on her face. "Gwen? Something wrong?"
"Not really," Gwen shuffled her feet, before looking him in the eye. "But. I am… look, I'm sorry about putting you in this position. It's your powers and all. You chose to bring me in when you could have kept it to yourself. So… yeah, thanks for trusting me."
"What, are you kidding?" Sirius grinned. "I don't think I could have gotten this far without your help. The suit you made, plus that time with the cops. You're the best partner I could ask for!"
"O-oh!" Gwen's ears got red, but she didn't start tapping her fingers on anything. This time, she gestured wildly with her hands. "Y-yeah! Totally! Partners… that's fine with me." She paused, looking at Sirius' amused expression. "Shut up." She punched him lightly in the chest, but her face matched Sirius' smile.
The quiet moment didn't last though; down the street, police sirens could be heard. Any students still milling about, looked over to see several police cars blaring down the road. As Sirius watched as they passed, Gwen elbowed him. "You should-"
"Right, yeah," Sirius nodded. "Think I will." He paused before moving. "Do you-"
"I'll head home," she answered the half-finished question. "Call me later?"
"You bet! Stay safe!" Sirius gave her a thumbs-up and ran back into school to change.
Just as he reached the doors, Harry stepped through as he exited the school building. Sirius stopped before running into him, but that didn't stop Harry from being startled. "Jesus, Sirius! You nearly gave me-" He cut himself off, something akin to realization on his face. "Hey, man. I need to ask-"
"Sorry, Harry," Sirius cut him off, trying to get around him. "But, I… need to do something."
"Right, yeah, sure," Harry said, though he was still standing in Sirius' way. "It's just- I need your help with something, like for five minutes? Please? If you do this, I'll pay you back."
'Five minutes?' Sirius glanced back to the road, the sirens only increasing in volume.
"Um, yeah," Sirius shrugged. "Sure, I got time." 'It's not like the city'll blow up in five minutes…' Considering what happened last month, the thought did not give the teen peace of mind.
"Oh, great," Harry released a sigh that seemed to let go of some tension in his posture. "Um, let's talk somewhere more private, yeah?" In a few moments, Harry led Sirius over to the Midtown High Sports Stadium. They only stopped long enough for Sirius to get his bag from his locker (So he could change as soon as this little talk was over).
When they got there, Harry sat down at a random bleacher, trying to look relaxed. His anxious expression was impossible to fully ignore. "So… nice weather we're having?" Sirius crossed his arms and gave Harry a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm stalling. This is… gonna be hard to say. You know how I was grounded for a month after that party at the Baxter?"
"To the point your dad wouldn't even let you call us," Sirius nodded. "What about it?"
"There… is more to all that." Harry shifted uncomfortably, looking away from Sirius. "The truth is… Okay, so- this is, like, the first time I've told anyone about this ever. Usually, like with Pete or Gwen, they sort of… stumbled into this."
"Stumbled into what?" Sirius asked.
Harry opened his mouth, paused, then shook his head. "Let me start from the beginning. You know, back in middle school, me, Gwen, and Pete were friends with Eddie Brock. The 'Drug Lord' of Midtown?"
"This again?" Sirius groaned. "Is this about that 'incident?' Pete told me about it. Eddie took a charm bracelet from Gwen, right?"
Harry laughed morosely. "Looks like Pete glanced over a few details. Yeah, Brock stole that from Gwen, but it has way more value than just a bracelet. It belonged to her mother."
"It… what?"
"Yeah. Definitely skipped that detail," Harry messed with a loose thread on his sleeve as he continued. "You know, you guys… have it lucky. Your parents died. You don't have to question if they… even care about you. You and Peter's- car accident and plane crash. Gwen's mom died from cancer. Me and Eddie… we're more alike than I'd care to think about.
"In middle school, me and him bonded over rotten parents. Over mothers that leave… and the bastards that stayed." Harry's gaze was miles away, the thread on his sleeve torn off as he kept tying and untying it around his fingers. "I watched as Peter and Gwen had each other, had their families… and all I felt was angry. How lucky could a guy be? Losing his parents, but having some spares? Or a father, just as busy and important, but still makes time for her. Because, if they're both busy, but one makes the time then… why? Why doesn't he have time for me?
By this point, tears had begun rolling down Harry's face, the thread now unwound into six strands. "While Pete and Gwen were living happy lives in warm homes, I went home to nothing. Just a large, vacant penthouse, with a man who doesn't see me as anything more than a disappointment. But, I guess I got lucky." Harry laughed hollowly, no humor to be found in his tone. "Eddie wished his dad was never home. Or would forget him. Hell, he told me himself that every time his father passed out from drinking, he hoped he'd just… die. Choke on his vomit and never wake up.
"One day, Eddie came to school. Whole side of his face was swollen. Like he was slapped by an elephant. School couldn't ignore that, so they called his father. Eddie begged- I mean, tears and snot running down his face. Well, the good side, anyway. He did not want to go home, because he knew… he knew what was waiting for him. So, with Dad out on a business trip, he stayed with me. It was… fun to be miserable together. Plus, he knew a lot of fun things to do. Most of it was wrecking shit and covering it up, but that was cool. I had money, I could fix whatever we bought or went missing. A few priceless vases, the locks on the liquor cabinet… the liquor in that cabinet.
"Dad never noticed the charges, not really, but…damn, I felt a little bad about lying. Not for him, but because I ditched Pete a lot during those times. And there were others. Sometimes, he brought friends… sometimes, he brought beer… sometimes, he brought something stronger. Norman Osborn noticed then. Oh boy, did he notice then. But not before…" Harry paused to take a shuttering breath, wiping at the tear streaks on his cheeks. "So, one day, Gwen brought a silver bracelet to school. It was old, and valuable – been around enough stuff like it to know that. She said it was the last gift her mother gave her. A literal example of how much she…cared." Harry looked up, clearly ashamed of whatever he was about to say next. "It ticked me right the hell off," he said through gritted teeth.
"Ticked Eddie off too. Enough that he convinced me to do something after he gave me… something from an orange bottle. I can't remember everything, but I do recall breaking my foot kicking a locker door in, and waking up in a hospital bed. Oh, and police were there too. Asking about all the vandalism done to the school. Felt pretty messed up, wanted to confess to everything. They already knew, though. They knew… everything. They just needed a confession. And if dear old Dad hadn't barged in, barked at everyone to get out, they would have gotten it. Learned later, they lied. The guy on the case had nothing, and he just wanted to record a confession and move on. There was me, and there was Eddie. And they couldn't get to me…
"I was laid up for a week. Doc said having your stomach pumped is nothing to sneeze at. Dad never visited after the first day. Just told me to shut up, and don't say a word about it. When I did get back, I was scared. I knew Gwen was gonna hate me. I knew Pete would never look at me the same again. Imagine my shock when they welcomed me back with open arms. Pete told me his aunt and… his uncle wanted me over for dinner, wanted to make sure I ate a good meal after everything. Gwen demanded I spent the next five weekends gaming with her. She wasn't taking no for an answer.
"They knew about everything, but… everyone blamed Eddie. The school, the police, my friends. Gwen said her dad had seen toxic situations like this before. That… I was as much a victim as anyone else. All I had to do was reach out and tell someone, to not handle my thoughts alone. Norman said it was crap, that an Osborn doesn't ask for help, that we figure out how to handle business like men. So, I broke into his medicine cabinet, took whatever I liked, and handled it my way." Harry fell silent after that, his voice hoarse from talking for so long.
"So… the party wasn't the first time, then?" Sirius said, face fixed in thought.
"Party?" Harry blinked at his friend. "Did I tell you about…?"
Sirius flinched and mentally facepalmed. 'Way to go, Spider-Man! Sirius wasn't at the party, you dingus!'
The pair sat in silence for a few seconds, before Harry laughed flatly. "Right, of course. Should've guessed…"
"Harry, I-"
"Gwen and Pete told you, right?" Harry said. "About… some of it?"
"Uh, yeah!" Sirius latched on to Harry's assumption. "Well, kind of. Peter told me about parties at the Baxter, but they both said the bigger stuff was yours to tell me."
Harry nodded in understanding, completely missing how Sirius sagged in relief. "Yeah, I probably shouldn't be taking anything Eddie gives me anymore. But, it was a party. Wanted to fit in. Make some connections. Maybe score if at all possible…"
"Are you… talking to anyone about all this?" Sirius asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Harry's pity party.
"No, but I might be. Soon." Harry's expression looked somehow lower. "Dad… he's mad, Dog Star. This party, police involved – I've never seen him so disappointed. He's always looked like I was gum on his good shoes, but this time… he looked ready to scrape me off."
"Meaning?"
"…He wants to take me out of school," Harry explained. "Go to a rehab facility. Cut out… everyone. He thinks you guys are bad influences."
"He's calling us bad influences?" Sirius said in half disbelief. Truthfully, he'd never been in a room with Norman Osborn long enough to have an opinion either way about the man. But he'd side with Harry if he had to choose between his best friend or the invisible parent. "You know, if he actually talked to people below his 'social standing,' he'd know how wrong he is. Does he even know that Pete was there to try and help you?"
"He's never… really listened to me. Least not often enough to make a difference," Harry said, scratching the back of his neck as he looked away dejected. "But, that's where you come in. Hopefully."
"Me?" Sirius was taken aback. "What's that mean?"
"Like I said, he doesn't listen to me often," Harry fiddled with his hands again as he spoke. "Once in a while, though, I can get his attention between meetings and deals. All the more important things in his life." Harry spat it out, a sour look on his face. It passed back to forlorn quickly. "It's late, but I convinced him that… Uncle Ben deserved a memorial dinner. Since, you know, Pete and his aunt could barely afford the funeral."
"Okay…"
"He's gonna invite all of you – your mom, Gwen, and Captain Stacy. So… maybe you could convince him to not send me away?"
"Harry-"
"Y-you don't gotta answer now!" Harry stood up suddenly, hands shooting into his pockets. "It won't be until this Friday, so… just think about it, alright?"
Sirius looked at Harry Osborn, noting his nervous demeanor. Was this always under his bravado and teasing nature? Was he always putting on airs, or was this him at his lowest? "Harry…" Sirius tried again-
Only to be cut off as what felt like a small earthquake shook him in his seat. Harry stumbled but maintained his position. "Whoa! What was that?"
"No clue," Sirius muttered, as their phones blew up. Checking his own, Sirius saw news alerts and posts on social media.
wat was tht
omg! smtg blu up!
bldg gone
what build
Midtwon
*Midtown
its the bank!
is anyone hurt?
lol. robbing banks? guy should use crypto
"What the…" Harry muttered as he looked at the screen of his device.
'Aw, shit!' Sirius frowned. 'Why do I get the feeling I might have missed something big?' "Harry, I'll think about it," Sirius grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Right now, I gotta get going."
"You sure?" Harry looked up as he was leaving. "Seems dangerous out there-"
"Yeah," Sirius answered, thinking up an excuse on the fly. "But… I need to go and pick something up for Mom. Need to hurry before whatever that was ties up traffic."
"It's New York. It can't be anymore tied up," Harry tried to joke, but his heart clearly wasn't in it. "Well, good luck. And, uh, thanks. For listening. I… I don't like to bug Pete or Gwen with this stuff. It's… all kind of messy since it's connected to… you know, and all."
Though Sirius was in a hurry, he looked a Harry with a soft expression. "Harry, you've known Gwen and Pete longer than I have. Do you really think they'd hold what happened against you?"
Harry made to answer, paused, and seemed to ponder on it before realization struck his face. "I… I guess they wouldn't."
"Then if I'm going to talk to your dad, you need to talk to them. Got it?" Sirius held out his fist to his dark-haired peer.
Harry hesitated for a moment but relented and tapped a bro fist in solidarity with Sirius. "Okay. I'll give it a shot. Thanks, man."
"Anytime. Just call me." Sirius nodded before running down the steps of the bleachers. "Now, to answer another call."
A/N: So, for any Harry Osborn fans, here's his screen time. On lighter fare, can you guess what classic Spider-Man rogue would use their powers to hold up a bank? Actually, that list is longer than my arm...
