*TRIGGER WARNING - SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HATE SPEECH (part 2 of the previous chapter)*
*PETER'S POV*
The back of my neck tingled. I felt a dropping sensation in my chest.
Something bad is happening.
I don't know where. But something bad is happening.
It doesn't even seem like it's near here... this feeling isn't the same as my usual Spidey sense...
"Hey Pete... you okay?" Tony asked slowly. I just now realize that I'm crouching on the floor.
"Uh... yeah." I stand up, confused and disoriented. "I just got a weird feeling."
"Like your weird danger sensor?" He flipped the words around with his hands and waited for a reply. "Yeah," I breathed. "This one felt weird though, not like the rest of them."
"Are you sure everything's okay?" Tony asked again. "Tell me if it's not."
"Yeah, I think."
"You think?"
"Yes, everything's fine. At least here."
"You're hopeless," Tony muttered and walked out of the room.
I pulled out my phone and decided to call Harley. I don't know why but something deep inside of me is telling me I should. It's a sickening feeling.
It's ringing. And ringing...
Please pick up, I thought wearily.
*HARLEY'S POV*
I feel my phone buzzing in my back pocket.
Eric has me pushed up against this desk so hard that I don't think I can get it without him noticing.
"What's that?" Eric asks. "Turn around."
I hesitantly and slowly turned around. He grabbed my phone out of my back pocket. "Well look here, Harley," he shoved the phone in my face, "your prince charming coming to save the day."
Peter.
I tried to grab it quickly but he snatched it away. He pressed the accept button and put the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Peter. This is Eric. I'm busy banging your boyfriend, try calling back later." He hung up and threw my phone on the carpet a few feet away.
"Okay, Harley," he grabbed me and forced me to bend over. No matter how hard I struggled, he wouldn't budge. "It's showtime."
"I'm going to call the police right after this," I warned him. "You're going to go to jail."
"You think they'll believe a fag like you?" Eric laughed. "I dare you to try."
He's right, I thought bitterly, who would believe me?
"Why are you doing this?" I choked.
"Because," he unzipped his pants, "maybe I can change you. It'll be worth it. Just stay quiet and it'll be over soon."
*PETER'S POV*
"Hey Peter, this is Eric. I'm busy banging your boyfriend, try calling back later."
"Wh-"
Dial tone. He hung up.
What the hell?
I try calling Harley again but nobody answered this time. I send him a text:
What was that about? Please call me, we need to talk.
I feel tears start to burn my eyes but I won't let them fall.
It's probably just some joke, right?
Maybe he's just hanging out with friends and they're being stupid.
I'm getting worked up over nothing...
Right?
"Hey we're having a meeting down the hall in like, 5 minutes-" Tony cuts off when he sees me sitting on the bed with eyes full of tears.
"What's wrong?"
"Um, nothing. Let's go to the meeting, we shouldn't be late." I wipe my eyes as sneakily as I can and start to walk to the door but Tony stops me gently. "Sit down."
I sit down slowly and sniff as silently as possible.
"Tell me what's wrong."
I glance up at him and then back down at my sneakers dangling from the side of the bed.
"Um... it's just..." I sighed.
How do I say this?
"Someone I care about might not care about me as much as I thought." I sniff again and wipe my eyes with my sleeve.
"Well then you don't need them. Screw them, you're Spider-Man. You shouldn't have to deal with their bullshit."
I nodded. "Thanks."
He clapped his hands together. "Ready to go?"
"Mhm," I slid off the bed and he wrapped his arm around me. "You're a good kid, Peter."
"Thanks, Mr. Stark." I smiled.
*HARLEY'S POV*
Eric zipped his pants back up and I stood up straight and sniffed.
"Feel better?" Eric smirked.
"Fuck you," I snapped.
"I think I helped you, Harley, I really do. Maybe now it'll be hard for you to be a fag." He smiled maliciously. "As for Peter... maybe I'll do the same to him when he gets back."
"If you ever so much as touch a hair on Peter's head," I hissed. I was close to his face. "I will fucking kill you."
"Well obviously we know who the stronger one is..." he smiled at me and winked. "Considering I just held you down while you struggled with everything you had in you."
"Oh, trust me, if you even get close to Peter, all the anger I have bottled up inside, all the hatred," I whispered with fury, "will come pouring out. It's different when you're hurting somebody that I love."
Eric raised his eyebrows.
"So stay away from him. Got it?"
"Well, look who's standing up to me now. I guess I know how to get to you," Eric hissed. "All I have to do is mention Peter."
"I bet you don't even know what real love is," I ran my fingers through my messy hair and tried to stop crying. "You don't know what it's like to actually love someone."
"Maybe I don't," Eric said, "but frankly, I really don't care."
"I'm leaving," I said. I bent down and picked up my phone from the floor. I had a missed call and one text message from Peter.
"Wait a second," Eric grabbed my arm and I flinched. "We've got to go over the rules."
"What rules?"
"Sit down."
"I can't sit down thanks to you."
"Fine." He sighed. "You're not going to the police."
"No worries, psychopath, I'm not." He seemed pleasantly surprised. "Oh?"
"Yeah," I sniffed again, "the police don't need to get involved."
He smiled but I stopped him. "There's something worse coming your way."
He scoffed and looked me up and down, "like what?"
"Ever heard of Spider-Man?" I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out.
*PETER'S POV*
After the meeting I walked back to my room. I was waiting impatiently to hear back from Harley.
At that moment, like magic, my phone started ringing. I hurriedly answered.
"Harley?"
"Hey Peter."
He sounded like he'd been crying.
"Is everything okay?" I asked worriedly.
"Um... we'll talk when you get home, okay?"
"No, let's talk now." I shut the door to my room. Nobody else was in there yet. "I'm worried about you."
"Something bad happened," he started crying again and my heart broke in two.
"What happened?" I asked darkly.
"I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop him-"
"Harley, listen. Take a deep breath, okay? Just breathe."
He paused for a minute and then continued, a lot calmer. "Eric raped me."
My heart fell. I felt nauseous. "He-he raped you?"
"Yeah. Everyone was gone after work and he told me l-lies about you, I guess to make me stop liking you but I knew they weren't true. And he could tell I didn't believe him so he got f-forceful and I was struggling b-but he wouldn't let me go. He was stronger than me. He made me feel so w-weak."
I was silent. Listening to his story. Thinking about what to do.
Harley continued, "he called me a fag and told me I was a s-sinner and that's why he did it." He paused. "To h-help me."
I was furious. There were angry tears falling down my face and my hands were balled up in shaking fists.
"You need to tell someone."
"I'm telling you."
"I mean the police."
"I'm not going to the police, Peter. This could ruin my future. I mean why would they believe me?"
"It wouldn't ruin your future, Harley. He needs to be put behind bars for what he did to you."
"N-No. It isn't that easy."
"Are you going to tell your parents?"
"Absolutely not. They'd freak and make me come back down to Tennessee." He sighed. "And I'm not backing out of this internship either. This is one of the best things to ever happen to me and I'm not giving it up."
"You're so strong," I said. "But I'm kicking his ass when I get back."
Harley chuckled lightly. "I know you will."
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(A/N this was a shorter chapter and a quick chapter because I wanted to kind of do a part 2 to last chapter so here it is. hope you guys liked it and don't kill me lol. Peter's going to give him what he deserves.)
bye for now✱
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