Chapter 38: Look Back

"Just... Go in."

Harvey spoke to himself as he stood in front of his hotel room. The battle back at the expo was far easier than opening the door to his room. With a shaky breath, Harvey leaned his forehead on the door and stayed still.

"Just open the door." Harvey whispered. "Just get this over with!"

It's been an hour after the battle back at the Stark Expo ended. Harvey received a text from Alex telling him they all returned to the hotel unhurt. She also told him that everyone was waiting in his room for him. Harvey replied with only one word: okay; he didn't know what else to say. Even now, he didn't know how to explain his situation to Haley, Phil, and Claire.

"Harvey."

Harvey's eyes widened, and he slowly turned to the right. Haley was standing in the hall with a bag of water bottles in her hands. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was in a deep frown. Pushing himself off the door, Harvey saw Haley's eyes glisten.

"H-Haley... I'm... I don't know what to say." Harvey spoke weakly. "I never meant to lie or hurt you or-"

Harvey was silenced as Haley dropped the bag of water bottles and raced up to him, engulfing him in a tight hug. Not expecting the action, Harvey fell back and landed on his backside; he caught Haley so she wouldn't fall and injure herself.

"H-Harvey..." Haley cried into Harvey's shirt as her shoulders started to shake.

"...Haley. I'm so sorry."

Haley shook her head in his chest as she continued hugging him. Lifting his arms, Harvey hugged the girl back and squeezed her. Harvey just enjoyed the moment and sat with her, resting his head on her head.

"Are... you not scared of me?"

Haley just shook her head again and continued to hold him. Hervey nodded and rubbed her back slowly. After a minute, Haley let him go and sat on her knees; she just stared at him with tear-stained cheeks. Slowly, she smiled at him and reached out to hold his hand. She was interrupted by his hotel room door swinging open. They turned and saw a surprised Luke.

"Harvey! You're finally back!"

Harvey nodded and stood up. Looking down, he offered Haley his hand. She smiled and grabbed it, helping her up. Harvey grinned at her and let her hand go. Haley held on for a second more but let him go.

"There's a bunch of holes in your clothes." Luke said as he looked at him in concern.

Harvey looked down and saw that his friend was right. Shaking his head, Harvey walked over to the dropped bag and picked it up. Stopping next to Haley, Harvey stayed silent and looked over to the room.

"Alex and I tried to talk to our parents, but they didn't want to listen." Luke said. "They wanted to hear it from you."

Harvey nodded and looked down at his worn-down shoes. Feeling Haley grab his hand, He looked at her and saw her smile.

"It's okay. We have your back." Haley said. 

Luke nodded and smiled. With a deep breath, Harvey looked into the room. Staying outside wouldn't solve anything. He had to go in and face the people he grew to think of as his pseudo-parents. No matter what happens in there, he wouldn't regret exposing himself to protect everyone today.

"Okay."

•••

How long has it been since she met that young man in that grocery store? It was just another random trip to pick up ingredients to cook dinner for her family, a typical night. But when Claire accidentally crashed into Harvey, she never expected the boy to grow so close to her family.

It started with her inviting Harvey and his family over to dinner; after all, they were neighbors. It was only natural that you would like to learn more about the people living around you. Yes, she was a little miffed when Harvey's parents never called to set a dinner date. Claire thought they were probably too busy to have dinner, or maybe they didn't want to meet her and her family.

The day Luke and Manny told them about almost being robbed, she was shocked to hear that Harvey was there to help them. The story she was told was practically unbelievable. Hearing about a young man who could take on a small group of men by himself and win was hard to believe. But it was true; Harvey was no average teenager.

That night, she learned from her brother, Mitchell, that Harvey was an orphan. Claire felt her heart reach out to him when she learned what happened to his mother and father. The boy was all alone in that big house of his. It was too sad. Claire couldn't imagine one of her children in that position.

After Harvey joined them for dinner that first night, she grew to like the boy; he was very mature for his age. But, of course, he was. He had no parents to rely on. Her children loved the boy; Luke looked up to him, and Alex made a good friend out of him. It was shocking to hear she loved him, but Claire overcame her overprotective motherly instincts to shield her from him. Harvey always treated her daughter with respect and listened to her intently, and he never did anything that would hurt her.

From that point, it was common to have him over for dinner and for him to hang around and hang out with her kids. Haley even started warming up to him, and at some point, they were like four peas in a pod. Phil enjoyed spending time with Harvey. They talked together and horsed around whenever Harvey wasn't with any of her kids.

Their peaceful time together ended the night Alex was kidnapped. It still hurt to think about, but Claire grew to appreciate Harvey even more after she heard of him never giving up on getting Alex back. He was only stopped due to being shot. Claire was sure he would never have stopped running after her little girl. After they got Alex back, she saw how attached she became to Harvey. She didn't even want him to leave her side that first night.

From that day forward, Harvey became a mainstay at her home. No one even questioned when he came over; it was natural by that point. Everyone enjoyed having him around. Claire even found it odd when he wasn't around some nights. She really grew to love the boy. Even if she's only known him for around half a year.

It wasn't until tonight's events that shook her beliefs about Harvey. The boy had supernatural powers! Claire couldn't help but ask herself just how long he was the way he was. But if it wasn't for his abilities, Luke could have been seriously injured by that large chunk of falling glass. Several people tonight could have gotten seriously hurt or worse if it wasn't for him. 

This wasn't the first time he was there to protect and save people. The memory of the fight at the mall flashed through her head. Alex, Haley, Lily, Cameron, and her Brother could all have been killed that day if Harvey hadn't stepped up and done what he did. He made sure to use his power to do what was right.

"Claire." Phil said as he shook her out of her thoughts. "He's here."

Claire turned away from the city and walked back inside from the balcony. She saw Harvey standing awkwardly in the room; his clothes were covered in holes and burns. He kept looking down, refusing to look up at her or Phil.

"Claire. Honey?" Her husband whispered as he held her arm.

Claire continued to look at the boy, unmoving. The silence in the room was unbearable to everyone. Looking at her children, she saw them all stand close behind Harvey, united. 

Alex and Luke told them they had been aware of Harvey's powers for quite a while. They tried to assure her that he was not a danger to anyone; he only did what he did to protect people. Claire told them that she didn't want to hear it. She only wanted it all to come from Harvey himself. He deserved that.

"…Mrs. Dunphy." Harvey whispered.

Claire said nothing as she started walking up to the boy. Her kids looked at her worriedly, almost fearing she would do something to Harvey. Phil tried to call her name, but she ignored him.

"I am so, so sorry. I never meant to-" 

Claire interrupted Harvey as she hugged him tightly. They just stood there in silence as his eyes were open in shock.

"Claire... Just call me Claire." 

Claire whispered as she held onto the shocked boy. After a few seconds, she let him go but left her hands on his shoulders.

"So, I hear you have quite an interesting story to tell us."

It didn't matter to her if the boy had powers. To her, he was already someone she deeply cared about. No matter what new aspects of his pop-up, he would always be Harvey: the kind and sweet boy who inserted himself into all their lives.

"… It's a long story." Harvey said with a small smile.

"We have all night."

•••

"Where are you two staying?"

Harvey asked the Maximoff twins as they all stood in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. They were near the Japanese Hill and Pond. Wanda sat on a bench holding a flower. She looked happy and at ease. Pietro was chewing on a power bar as he looked at the pond. Harvey himself sat on the grass between them.

"We have a hotel room nearby, booked for a few more days." Pietro said after swallowing his food. "Now that we no longer are looking for ways to kill Stark, we'll just use this time to explore the city and learn more about this country."

"After that, I guess we'll head back to Sokovia." Wanda said as she looked over at him. "We only saved up so much money to be here."

"I see... What will you do there?" Harvey asked.

"Like you said, we'll train. Get stronger." Pietro stated as he looked down at his fist. 

"…why don't you two stay here?" Harvey asked as he looked out to the pond. "Train here."

"Harvey. We can't. We only brought so much money to visit." Wanda said as she looked over at him. 

"How about you two stay with me?" Harvey smiled as he looked at Wanda and Pietro. "I have a big empty house. I wouldn't mind having you two stay with me."

"Harvey… that's very generous, but we couldn't do that." Pietro said as he sat down next to him. "What about that roommate of yours?"

"Amy? Don't worry about her; she'll love you two." Harvey told him. "Plus, she's only around when she wants to be."

"I'm not sure… It feels like we would be taking advantage of you." Wanda said as she walked over and sat next to her brother. 

"You wouldn't. I promise. I can help you two train your abilities." Harvey said as he looked out to the scenery. "This way, we can be ready when Fury tells me about what happened back in Sokovia all those years ago."

Wanda and Pietro grew serious at his words. Their mission of avenging their parents hadn't been forgotten. They wouldn't give up on their mission. The three stood in silence as they mulled over what Harvey said. Wanda and Pietro looked at each other and nodded.

"Then… we'll accept your offer, my friend." Pietro said as he placed a hand on Harvey's shoulder.

"Yes... we'll be in your care." Wanda smiled as she looked at him.

Harvey beamed and nodded. He hoped his new friends would have agreed; he honestly enjoyed their company and wanted to keep them in his life. After all, they were the only other people his age with powers. They shared a connection that they couldn't make with others.

"Great! Now grab your stuff, and I'll open a portal for you two." Harvey excitedly said as he stood up. 

"You… can make portals?" Wanda asked incredulously. 

"Yup." Harvey answered with a proud smile.

The twins were shocked at his statement. Pietro was the first to get over it and smiled widely at him.

"Very cool."