Infelicity [P. Parker x Reader]

t h i r t y - t h r e e

| i n t e r l u d e |

Death's a funny thing.

I don't think I realized that it happened, or maybe my memory's just too fuzzy to recall.

One moment, you're in your own body, crying your eyes out because your best friend just confessed their love to you before dying. The next thing you know, a wave of sleep hits you like a truck. Not like your emotions weren't already doing that.

Life also seemed to hit harder in these moments, the place between life and death.

I'm guessing we're stuck here because we technically weren't supposed to die today, if it is still that day. Where the hell is "here"?

Better question: what if we're stuck "here" forever?

13 Years Ago:

"Hey, Daddy?" I asked, sitting next to him on a park bench.

He hummed, hinting for me to continue.

"What's it like being stuck in the ice for fifty years?"

"Well," he paused. "It's kinda like going to sleep and then not waking up for a long time. It doesn't hurt."

"Is that what Bucky felt?"

This seemed to shock him more than my last question and silence persisted longer.

"Yeah, that's what Bucky felt." It felt at that point, he was trying to convince himself more than myself.

"Did you think you'd be stuck there forever?" I ran my hand along the park bench, feeling each ridge from daily use.

"Nah," Dad said, shaking his head. "I knew something would change eventually."

"What was that something?"

"You're a very inquisitive four year old, you know? Never letting things slip past you." He picked me up, before gently placing me on his right knee, a sturdy hand keeping me from falling. "Just like your mother."

I stared up at him with the biggest smile I could muster. Mom was only ever brought up so many times, but always in the best light.

"Now," his face contoured away from a serious expression. "How about we go get some pizza?"

If I was older, would he have given me different responses?

Then again, why would it change? Bucky would have always been remembered in a good way, no matter how much pain he might've been in.

Is Dad still even alive, or did he dust like many of us did? I don't really think it would be fair for him if he did, but when was life ever fair.

Who else on Earth survived? Did Ms. Farina make it? She's too strong not to have. Nothing could stand in her way of anything, even six infinity stones.

Ms. Farina has always been one of my favorite people, and I wouldn't take any time I spent with her for granted. She's definitely become a role model ever since I started spending most Sunday afternoons with her.

6 Years Ago:

The apartment complex felt alive with the smell of spices roaming in the air. Dad had just gotten back from a weekend trip and Ms. Farina and I were going to surprise him with a nice, home-cooked meal.