Tragedy in Tennessee - A Parley/Parkner Story

Chapter 12

Peter's POV-

Peter kept looking out the window, trying to figure out what was going on. Soon, they pulled up to a very upscale Italian restaurant.

"Guys, this is too much..." He said, frowning.

"We want you to feel special, Peter." Tony said. "And trust me, you will definitely enjoy this." 

They walked inside as a group and were soon led back into a room with a banquet table and a projector screen. Ned and MJ were already there, Ned in a clean black suit and MJ wearing a silver knee length dress.

"Sup, loser." MJ said. "You look good."

"Thanks, MJ." He said, looking around nervously. Harley took his hand and rubbed his knuckles.

At first all it was was them all eating together. Talking and laughing together like a big family.

Then Tony stood and moved to the wall, tapping something. The lights dimmed and Peter frowned.

"Wha-" He was cut off by a video beginning to play on the screen. His eyes widened when he saw Harley apparently setting up the camera before backing up to sit on his bed. The blonde smiled at the camera before beginning to speak.

"Peter. I've been here in New York for four months now, and... you have made this city, this place... feel more like home than Tennessee ever did. It was rough at first, but I had you. You helped me through the... grief and the pain. You were right, you know. It doesn't go away, but it does get easier to deal with. The reason I think it's so much... easier now is because I have you. I don't know if you know this, but even before we started dating, I knew I had already fallen for you. It took 2 weeks. 2 weeks and I'd already fallen for you. I wondered what made it so easy to be around you, but it's not just one thing. I'm making this video so that you can realize that you are truly one of a kind. I'll start off and say... You have this way of making people's cares... melt away. It's easy to be around you. It's easy to talk to you. It's near impossible to not like you because of how... caring you are."

Peter already had tears streaming down his face as he watched it, then the video shifted.

"Ok, so what's one thing that you really appreciate about Peter?" Harley's voice said. The camera was focused on May this time, Harley being off camera.

"He's always so strong. Even after Ben passed, he stayed strong. He let himself cry but he picked himself back up. I was a wreck for weeks and... he stayed by me and kept me on my feet."

The video shifted to show Ned.

"He was my first friend. He's... so self-sacrificing. Flash always bullied me at first and Peter didn't even think twice about making himself the target, just so Flash would leave me alone."

MJ appeared on screen.

"He's understanding. He doesn't push too hard. He knows I'm not one for emotions, or touching, and he doesn't push it. He's a friend, no matter what."

Steve was next.

"One thing? Wow, you're really making me pair it down." Steve said, chuckling. "I guess... He showed me how to live life again. For a long time, everything for me was fighting battles, training... He showed me how to relax again. He helped me remind myself that at one point, I was an art student from Brooklyn. He showed me that there's more to life than just a war."

Next, Natasha appeared on screen.

"About Baby Spider? He's Peter. He's not fake. He doesn't change depending on who he's around. He's just... Always Peter. Always constant."

Next, it was Clint.

"He's... Wait, just one, fuck, uh... Well, the biggest one is he's always ready to help. I had a nightmare one night and... FRIDAY decided to inform him since he was awake and he just sat with me and talked me through it. God, he even sang a fucking lullaby. The kid's got a heart of gold."

Bucky was next.

"He's not afraid of me. He knows that, if something were to go wrong, if I were to... switch suddenly, I could hurt him, but he still isn't scared. He even told me 'If the winter soldier hurts me, I will still forgive you, because that's HYDRA, not Bucky.' He's too forgiving, that one."

Peter was full on sobbing. He watched as Wanda appeared on screen.

"He taught me so much. He was patient when he was teaching me that I don't need to be afraid of my powers. Even though he didn't have the same issues, he was understanding and let me cry, get angry, rant... He just... He helped."

Sam was next.

"He's so grateful, for everything. I can't tell you how many times he's thanked me for something so small I don't even think about it. When I first met him, I swear, he thanked me for 'serving our country' at least two dozen times."

Scott showed up next.

"He's always there, really. It doesn't seem like much, but it meant a lot to me... I had needed to run out for my job one evening and he didn't even hesitate to step up to watch Cassie for me. It meant a lot."

Bruce was next.

"He's one of the only people who can put the Hulk to sleep. He's a brave kid. Even though he knows I could accidentally snap him in half as the Hulk, he never hesitates to calm me down."

Tony appeared on screen next.

"Goddamn, where do you even start with him... He's... an absolute fucking angel. Knows exactly what you need whenever you need it... He helped me get over my alcoholism. I haven't even touched a drink in a year because of him. He encouraged me to start going to therapy for my PTSD. He knows how to calm me down from a panic attack, and he helped me learn that it's ok to ask for help. That... It's ok to not be ok."

The video ended and the lights raised as Peter sobbed into his hands. 

"I-I l-l-love you g-guys so m-much." He stuttered. They smiled and all gathered around him, hugging him tightly.

"We love you too, Peter." Harley whispered. "I love you so much."