Just Give It A Shot
Descirption: Takes place within a sideverse where Harry was able to keep his company and befriended Max along the way. Of course being Harry Osborn himself he always has a few suggestions along the way to approve Max's life. At least, Harry thinks so. Which, of course, he is always correct.
Pairing: Max/Harry friendship with a few hints of mutual interest here and there.
Rating: K+
Warnings: There are mentions of a characters psychological disturbance and deluded habits but other than that it's totally clean.
Other: The Amazing Spiderman 2 Movie verse only. This is POSSIBLY going to be in a series of drabbles going to lead up to Electroborn. It all depends.
Sometimes, just sometimes, Harry could be really intimidating.
Alright... It wasn't just sometimes it was most of the time... For a twenty year old kid he could have you frozen in place and yet wanting to get on your knees and ask for forgiveness over whatever it was you did that made him give you that look. Most of the time you just held in place like some scared animal, awaiting in the defensive position until it was done. Usually, the strength of his glare, or really, gaze, was just over something trivial.
He just had a strong look in his eyes that would slowly soften once he left whatever subject he felt a little too strongly about. Or really, just was lost in thought over and you happened to be the subject that his eyes rested upon while you thought. That was honestly the worst part. You never had a single clue where it was going to lead and were left in the dark until he was kind enough, merciful enough, to tell you.
Right now, Max couldn't place together a single clue about what could be making the kid fix his gaze like that. Max continually fussed with but did not drink his own while he was stared at. He was just about ready to ask what he'd done or just excuse himself from Harry's household all together when he FINALLY spoke.
“Ya know, Max...” His tone was surprisingly light for the intensity from before, finally lowering the cup of coffee he'd been looking over while he was lost in thought, “You should really consider shaving your head. You're not fooling anyone with that comb over.”
There it went. Tremble worthy stares over something completely trivial.
Max slid a hand over the top of his subconsciously trying to cover up the balding parts of his head so he didn't have to face the inevitability of age and its decaying results, “I... I don't... I don't know what you're--”
“Oh c'mon Max.” His stammering was interrupted, he'd already been caught in the beginning of a delusion fueled lie and Harry Osborn absolutely never let him get away with those. He stopped him straight in his tracks and called him out on each thing, “You don't gotta put yourself down about it but you're not doing yourself any favors by covering it up!”
Max's hand carefully began lowering from the top of his head now that he was aware of where it had been. He didn't answer to Harry's claims yet, though. He didn't want to. He tried to tell himself Harry didn't know what he was talking about. Yes, he was able to take care of himself quite well but he also had a habit of grooming himself beyond the normal standards. He was beginning to become suspicious the boy did so to the point of putting on cover up in order to hide any acne scarring that came from his teenage years.
Which happened not too long ago he quickly reminded himself. This was something he was feeling the need to remind himself of more and more often nowadays.
“Hey.” Harry nodded upward, calling his attention to him with movement, Max's head moved in one swift movement a sign that Max was already moving to the defensive side, so Harry slowly lowered his voice a bit, something comforting, “Hair grows back, right? Try shaving it off.” He attempted to make it sound more like a suggestion, “You've been getting a pretty good track record of trying out new stuff lately so why not try a new hairstyle.”
Harry sat up from his previous lounging position on the couch and moved to cross his legs, looking equally relaxed, choosing to continue on to fill the silence Max was leaving behind, “Ya know, one of my... Many, many on hand hairstylists.”
He paused for comedic affect and it easily hit its mark, when Harry made fun of himself over his grooming habits it usually broke some of whatever tension had built up.
“She said to try new hairstyles every year. She said that it... Let's see...” His thumb swiped just beneath his nose while he thought, one of those compulsory habits that always seemed to come in hand gestures for Harry, “Ah yes. She said that it brings you a new perspective of self! And thus a new perspective of life.”
He'd changed his tone dramatically when quoting this person, if he was even quoting someone who existed or just making something up on the spot to make his point, once again sliding a bit of amusement in with the awkward subject of Max's self-forced hairstyle. Not even hairstyle, just a cover up.
They both sat laughing quietly, but it couldn't last for long before Max's shoulders tensed up again, he hated being on subjects he'd rather just completely drop and he would if he could, but he was so terrified of any conversation he had going being dropped that it was nearly impossible to just say no, “I... I just don't know... I'm fine with it. I'm fine.”
“Yeah, just fine.” Harry rolled his eyes a bit, leaning back against the arm of the chair on his side of the couch, he set back into thinking mode for only a few moments before the coffee cup was set down on the table just before the couch and hands clasped together in its place, “It's not like you'll be bald if that's what you're so scared of.”
“I'm not scared.” Max interjected swiftly, defensively. This was the point where territories had to be tread VERY carefully and Harry got that by this point.
“Right, right, it was just a little phrasing.” He slid his hands from side to side in the air as if that would help his emphasizing, “There's a difference between being bald and having a shaved head. A shaved head is a hairstyle. Max, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're not a bad looking guy. You've got your but...”
He made a slight hiss noise between his teeth, “What you've got going now... It ain't exactly attracting too many ladies now is it?”
Even when Harry tried to be as light as possible about things he usually ended up becoming fairly blunt at one point or another. And even though it hurt he usually was able to introduce it in just the right way that really knocked you off your pedestal where you'd placed yourself higher and higher above the world in order to escape with those little comfortable lies.
“No... No no I can't... Harry, I just can't...” He had a hard time denying people but when it came to actually doing something right by himself … That's when he became so much more resilient. He'd gone on little... Adventures with Mr. Osborn and done many things that broadened his scope of life and the world itself. It was, of course, easier to do when one had an actual paycheck like Harry did and always insisted on letting him show him 'the delicacies of life' as he once phrased it.
But Harry had never talked about CHANGING his appearance. He made comments on his wardrobe here and there, told him he'd need a suit for certain things, and gave disapproving glances at this or that, it could be hard to tell, but among all the new things Max had been trying as of late, changing his appearance had not been one of them.
“Harry, I.”
“Say no more.” He made a single dismissive gesture, but he didn't look all that disappointed, “I get it. You're not ready. Or, it's just what you want. Whatever you want man it's not my place to talk about. But...”
He wasn't letting it go yet, “If you change your mind and you wanna take me up on my offer just say the word and I'll make it happen.”
“Does it really look that bad...?” Now he was feeling downcast. He didn't need to know his appearance was so unsavory that it needed to be adjusted with such persistence.
“Hey, hey.” Harry scooted over toward the other, closing a lot of the distance that Max was generally the one to set and put a hand over his shoulder, “It's not THAT. Nothing like that, man. I'm just trying to look out for you, alright. That's what friends do.”
When Max began to fall into his own self loathing there were little ways to pick him up... And honestly, easy ways to manipulate him toward believing what you were saying was the correct thing. It was a little cruel at times to use it but Harry tried to keep it to a minimum... But as the owner of a company and raised in the environment he had, in and out of school, he knew you had to play a few dirty tricks to get things to go your way.
Max was almost desperate... Not almost, completely... To hear someone two things.
You're my friend. I need you. Even down to his own name.
He had some sort of loss of place in the world with people that resounded about not being needed. He wasn't quite sure where it specifically came from but he could only guess it had to do with how intelligent Max could be and yet how he went unnoticed and pushed around. Harry couldn't quite put a marker on it.
But the moment one of the above was mentioned, Max was convinced.
“Yes, yes of course that's what they do, of course!” He acted as if he knew every aspect of 'friendship' when his ideas of it were sort of skewed and could even be downright obsessive, delusional, and almost creepy at times without Max even realizing it.
They were working on that...
Max had a lot to catch up on. Harry wasn't exactly an expert of friendship but he definitely knew more than Max...
He knew Max would warm up to the idea within the next week. He'd go home, look at the result of his hair laying in patches over his head and clumsily combed over and he wouldn't be able to stop looking until he would politely suggest that he MAYBE take Harry up on that whole hair thing.
Harry could be patient if he wanted to be.
“But, for now you gotta get out of here. I'm still your boss and I know you've got a couple'a projects you've gotta get done, right?”
“Oh... OH!” Max practically leaped off the couch with unusual agility than normal when any unfinished work was finished, “Oh no I have to go. I have to go right now.” He was in panic mode now, whipping around and muttering about where in the world his bag was.
“Max, Max, chill.” He snickered in his words, “You hung it on the coat wrack by the door, remember? Right when you got in here.”
“Oh...” Max felt those flustered feelings come back upon remembering this, adjusting his glasses as if this would stave off any embarrassment, “Yes, yes, silly me. Of course by the... By the door.”
Harry shook his head while he kept a toothy grin on his face, he gave Max a strong few pats on the back, “I'll walk ya. Just in case you get lost, it's a big place you know!”
He gave Harry a look back at the teasing remarks but followed the shorter man along down to the exist of the living room, “I could rewire this entire household and make a light switch upstairs turn on the garbage disposal downstairs. I am more than certain I could find my way to the door on my own.”
Taking a few steps so that he was walking backward and facing Max he pointed at the man joining in on a few more remarks, “Sounds pretty cool, I'd like to see you try. But. You can't forget you still lost your briefcase in the most OBVIOUS place in the world, Max.”
“Yes...” His tone was still slightly in the play but defeated, “Yes I suppose you're right there.”
Since Harry was a bit up ahead of him he'd swung the briefcase off of the coat hanger and offered it out to him, “That's part of being an Osborn, you know. I always gotta be right.”
Max smiled fondly at the lively boy, surprised by all the energy he could have given... Given the state of health he was in... He pushed the thought out of the way for now, “I think that's more of a Harry thing over an Osborn thing.”
And all he could do was shrug his arms outward, “Alright, yeah you got me there.”
There was a long pause. Those always happened when they were just on the way to saying a farewell to one another. Silence reigned and neither of them really looked at each other just existed in the same space for reasons beyond them to waste so much time.
“Well I will... See you around.” Max began.
“Yes! That, see you around!” Harry practically jumped at his voice, grabbing at the doorknob he swung it open in order to let Max out. He stepped out onto the front entrance as Max made his way out, “Don't forget to think about my offer! I think it could give you a good turn about on that whole 'perspective' thing!”
“I'll think about it!” Max called back. Yes, Harry did look out for the best of him... He ran a hand over his head feeling skin among hair... It really was that noticeable wasn't it? It was in that brief second of pondering that Max had recalled Harry saying he was good looking and the shave could give him a better appearance.
Harry wasn't exactly what you would call 'nice'. If you did he'd probably make some half cracked but offended joke about what being nice was really considered in the world and then finalize on the fact that he wasn't nice. So what was Harry?
Caring? Pitying?
Max had troubles considering anyone who even gave him a single hint of kindness to be someone who wanted to befriend him. But when Harry stuck around and didn't just disappear off the map like he was use to... So utterly use to... He began having troubles figuring out how or why. The more Harry talked him down from things like his dangerously plays of pretend on other people and played him up in other aspects of his life.
That was where he was caught. Was Harry nice or did he just have pity for the invisible man that Max recognized himself to be even more so since having a singular person to speak to. Harry couldn't mean a word of it. He just couldn't.
Not something like that. It was easier to live in a world where you could play pretend with others rather than get to know who they really were. Make real life bonds that were... He shook his head denying himself anymore access to those thoughts. Put a passcode on there just like a computer and he wasn't allowed to make a code for it.
He had to get home. There was a lot of work to be done and a lot of time to be spent obsessively trying to fix his hair to appear in a proper, more appealing, manner