two sided | peter parker

XLVII | distraught

『dis·traught | adj. | deeply upset and agitated』

THE CROWD LOOKED LIKE IT WAS RAINED WITH BLACK, the people looking down upon the navy colored coffin that Charlie's body laid in. It was painful to remove it from the wreckage, but it would be even more painful to leave him there. Everyone was gathered, Y/n standing one of the very edges with Faye at her side.

Wren lingered a bit back, near the car that they arrived in. They already paid their respects and didn't want to overstep boundaries when it came to whose relation was closest to Charlie since they barely knew him. Viva was right behind Faye, along with Ebony as the two watched down in sorrow and Faye was forced to look away with tears in her eyes.

The most dreadful thing was how it wasn't raining. No, the clouds refused to obey and make it like any classic death scene. Instead, it was sunny and bright and warm, but that wasn't the reason why it irked Y/n so much. It irked her because she knew her best friend would prefer the cold of the gentle snow and the hanging icicles they'd break off to 'sword fight'.

It was stupid and dumb, but it was their version of love. Not exactly like May and Peter, and definitely not Y/n and Peter, but the friend type of love. The one where you can rely on them, spill everything to them, and can consider them another part of your family even if they weren't linked to you by blood.

Arm wrapped around her shoulders, Y/n dropped a white rose in and watched it contrast with the pretty color of his coffin. Scrunching her nose lightly, she whispered under her breath. "He never really liked red," The two walked away, making way for others that wanted to toss their roses in out of respect. 

Annaliese was the first person she managed to spot out of the crowd, the swarm of uncles and aunts that gave her hateful glares or thanked her were too similar for her to identify. On the other hand, she was able to pinpoint her family with ease. Jackson was by her side, as she figured, Anna dabbing her eyes with her tissue occasionally.

Lily was the first to spot her, eyes widening within seconds. "Mommy, Y/n!" She pointed excitedly and kicked her little three year old legs. Chase, on the other hand, didn't seem as psyched and cast his eyes downward with a bored look. Anna turned, eyes locking with Y/n's e/c ones and giving the girl a sad smile.

They shared a hug while Peter shared a handshake with Jackson, her husband. The two seemed to take to simple conversational chatter before Y/n brought it up shakily. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. Doing this entire funeral could put your family at risk and we were waiting to tell you, I promise. Then this media thing happened, and I-I'm so sorry." She stuttered.

Anna didn't say something at first, sharing quiet words with Jackson before letting him carry off both Chase and Lily. The little one let out a reluctant whine, but after a promised hug later, she stopped trying to fight. Jackson seemed to share a look with Peter too, the boy telling Y/n that he'd be back in a few before leaving with him.

Annaliese pulled her in for a hug, tears rolling off of both of their cheeks. "It's not your fault, you hear me? It isn't your fault." She clarified again, the two sharing another hug and small stories to cheer each other up before Tony was called to the tiny podium for people who wanted to speak about Charlie and Eden.

Eden's grave was just a foot away, his body buried in a sky blue coffin similar to Charlie's navy one. After paying respects to Eden, they'd moved on to burying Charlie right after. Faye was supposed to be first for talking about her brother, but she backed out when she could barely choke a word out on the stand.

"The first time I met Charlie, he didn't pull off a good impression." That earned a few chuckles as Mr. Stark offered a weak smile in return to the crowd of family he belonged to. "Not in a stupid way, but he was passed out and in dire need of help. I-I can't say much and pretend that I knew him completely, as if he was my own child, but he definitely felt like it." He continued.

"He was loving, caring, selfless, reckless, funny, all those positive things. Charlie could tend to be a bit off of his rocker sometimes, but he never failed to pull through. He was there for each of us somehow, and it pains me to know that he won't be there anymore. Chip, some of you called him, Charlie, idiot, dumbass, whatever it may be, we loved him nonetheless."

Tony couldn't take it anymore, swallowing back his load of tears and stepping off to allow someone else to speak up. Annaliese squeezed Y/n's hand, the girls looking at one another before going up to the podium together because they both knew they couldn't do it alone. "He was my brother," She laughed.

"And he was quite the idiot. I remember when we were younger, he wouldn't always do boyish things such as soccer or those other things that boys do. I remember, growing up, we had this Barbie dream house. It was bright pink and girly, but he always played with me, and I with him. He'd turn his dolls into superheroes, and I'd let him." Sniffling, she went on.

"I think that's when I realized how special Charlie was. It wasn't something that instantly kicked in because he's family. It's something you have to break down into a science, all people are complex and you simply can't just analyze them like that. It took me nine years to realize how lovely Charlie was," Anna choked out. "And it hurts to know I never told him that."

Stepping off, she got another hug from Y/n and a supportive smile. Jackson looked at her, nodding gently as she stood by Y/n's side this time. It was her turn to get choked up, throat closing and tears forming just like it had a million times before. "Charlie was an absolute idiot. He broke plates, smashed lights, got too drunk for his own good, and I'd snap at him."

"I remember telling him off because of some assignment that I got too stressed on. It was a weird thing to get annoyed with, but he seemed to understand. He didn't pressure me or yell at me, he offered his hospitality and left. That's all it took. I made the nickname Chip for him because he'd be the reason there would be chips on the table, edges of the plates, and more."

"And everyday, I miss him more than ever because I know there's no going back for either of them. They were absolutely pure and innocent. Eden was practically the epitome of that. He was always kind, full of hugs, and offered the best of advice. He never failed to show up and always seemed to be so selfless, even in the toughest times."

Glancing at the graves with teary eyes and back at the crowd, Peter gave her a silent nod and a ghostly smile. "And I love both of them so much for that."