Because these two kind of go together as the "Christmas chapters" I decided why not do a double? Also, there's a chance I might not be able to post on Tuesday. If not, I'll do another double on Thursday.
Parker VII: The First Christmas After
Parker had an idea. His entire life, when it came to giving gifts, he'd focused more on sentimental value than monetary, especially given that he was young enough to never have a large pile of savings to splurge on other people. Given all that had happened this year, he wanted to do something special for the friends that had gotten him through it. Without letting on the purpose of this activity, he texted each of his friends individually to ask a very simple favor: Write one kind word or phrase describing each person in their group. He collated all their answers and chose his favorite five words for each, though every one of them melted his heart.
If anyone asked, Parker lied and claimed it was for a school project.
He ran the idea by his dads and enlisted their help in painting the backgrounds. It turned into a fun family project the weekend before Thanksgiving. The three of them put on old T-shirts, covered the kitchen table in newspaper, and set about painting nine personalized pictures for each of Parker's friends—and himself, because he wanted one too. He'd spent ages figuring out what to do for each of them, attempting to freehand the outline for the paint jobs but resorting to tracing for some of them, to make sure they came out just right.
At the moment, each of them set to work on their first canvas. Parker handed the one with the mountain range to Alex and the one with the pencils to Russell, taking a third for himself. While most of them were simply paint on canvas, he had something different planned for Nick. For him, Parker used puffy paint to create the tactile patterns across it, filling in the words gathered from their friends with Braille. He double checked every letter before he dotted the paint to make sure it would be legible for Nick.
While Parker knew who had written each word about whom, he had no intention of revealing that information to his friends when they received their gifts. Part of the fun would be wondering who said such nice things about them. To Nick's he added the words unafraid, genuine, confident, funny, and honest. It took ages to place all the dots close enough together in the right formation, but Parker succeeded without having to start over.
"Who's this one for?" Russell asked as he painted in the third of the five pencils on his canvas. Parker had sketched them strewn artfully across a desk, wide enough for the words to be written inside of them but no so wide that they looked ridiculous.
"That's Steve's. He's the artist of the group, so make sure his is good."
"I'm trying my best."
"I'm serious," Parker jokingly threatened. "If you so much as get one drop of paint outside the lines…"
"I won't."
As much as Parker knew Nick would appreciate his accessible artwork, he looked forward to moving on to a project with color. It was just more fun. He picked up Clint's and started painting in the rings of the target.
"Do you want me to do the words for this one, or just do another background so you can do the words?" Alex asked, holding up his finished painting. He'd filled in the contours of the mountains in stunning shades of gray.
"I'd like to do the words, if it's okay," Parker replied. "Plus, the background needs to dry before we paint them on."
"Sure thing. Which one should I do next?"
"Since you probably have the steadiest hands, you can do Natasha's." The fine details on the Russian nesting dolls were probably the most difficult of the painting tasks. Alex switched his paintbrush out for a fresh one and started on the red shells of the dolls. Russell finished the pencils for Steve and moved on to the silhouette of the one-armed goalie with five soccer balls flying towards him. Of all the designs, Parker was most proud of that one. He really hoped Bucky liked it.
Parker carefully filled in all five arrowheads with silver and painted the shafts dark brown, then set it aside to dry. He moved on to Bruce's, coloring in the different regions of a periodic table modified so five of the squares were big enough to fit his words. Of all the Avengers, Parker felt like he knew Bruce least and had scrambled for a design for his gift.
"Can I do the one for you?" Russell asked enthusiastically.
"Sure, Russell." Parker had designed his own with five planets floating in starry black space, the color of each planet inspired by one from Star Wars, of course. Reading what his friends said about him when they answered nearly brought happy tears to his eyes, and he couldn't wait to have a permanent reminder of their kindness. Parker already knew the place on his wall where he would hang it.
Parker took over Tony's background, which was a bunch of hologram projections. Tony had shown him the lab one time and Parker was obsessed with the cool tech there. He used a very thin brush and painted many tiny dots to give the effect of a holographic projection, and the result looked even better than he'd hoped.
"Is that the last of them?" Alex asked.
"Have we all done nine?" Parker asked back.
"I think so," Russell said.
"Then that's all. We just have to let them dry and then I'll add the words."
"Have I mentioned how much I love this idea?" Alex inquired.
"Yes, several times actually."
"Well I'm mentioning it again. I am so proud of you." Alex threw his arm around Parker's shoulders in a side hug. Parker leaned his head into his dad's chest, cherishing the moment. He'd waited so long to belong to a family again, and sometimes he still couldn't believe he'd actually made it.
They poured the dirty paint water down the drain and replaced it with clean, washing the brushes so the paint wouldn't dry in them while they waited for the canvases to be ready for the words to be painted on top of the backdrops. Parker gazed at the nine canvases laid neatly out on the table and bounced on the balls of his feet in anticipation. This might be the best idea he'd ever had, and he couldn't wait for his friends to see them on Christmas day. He checked on them every five minutes to see if they were dry, unable to contain his eagerness to complete them.
After an hour and half, they were finally ready. Parker pulled up his compiled list with his five favorite words for each person. There'd been a couple repeated, so he'd whittled down the list of eight words for each person to the five he thought best represented them.
He began with Clint, painting the letters meticulously along the shafts of the arrows headed for the bulls-eye of the target. Helpful. Resilient. Strong. Positive. Brave. Parker had spent all day yesterday practicing his lettering with a paintbrush, and it paid off. The font looked consistent across all the words, each letter even and steady. He completed the work by painting Clint's name across the top. These he didn't do freehand, but filled in the pencil lines he'd drawn earlier. Each name was written in a different font, one he thought represented its owner.
Natasha's he completed next, having run all the words though a trusted translator. Parker painted the Cyrillic characters across the base of each doll, careful not to mess up the designs Alex had painstakingly painted earlier. изящный. Graceful. остроумный. Witty. наилучший. The best. внимательный. Thoughtful. добросовестный. Diligent.
He wrote Thor's within each peak of the mountain range. Easy-going. Fun. Resilient. Loving. Bubbly.
Figuring out Bucky's was somewhat difficult, since he could paint in neither black nor white on the soccer balls. Ultimately he decided to add the words in red, which stood out against both colors. Relentless. Strong. Supportive. Fun. Determined. Parker never got tired of painting letters, surrounded by the love his Gravesen friends so clearly displayed for each other. He wished he'd done this earlier so he could hold onto the canvases a bit longer before wrapping them up and distributing them. Completing the project at this time ensured he'd have time for international shipping to get Thor's and Natasha's to them before Christmas.
He filled in the blanks in Bruce's periodic table, even adding made-up atomic numbers and masses. Brilliant. Patient. Wise. Reliable. Crazy smart. Then he added Tony's to the holograms, making it look like they projected the words into the air. Genuine. Caring. Genius. Constant. And finally: my first friend. Parker knew who that last remark came from, and it both broke and melted his heart to know that was how he felt.
Taking extra care to make Steve's perfect, Parker painted the words within the pencils, ensuring to stay within the narrow lines. He worried that as an artist himself Steve would find his every little mistake. Hopefully the genuineness of the gift made up for any lack of craftsmanship. Parker smiled with every word he added to Steve's canvas. Dedicated. Awesome. Caring. Strong. Stalwart. That last one had been his own description.
He saved his own for last, adding words in the center of each of the round planets. Affectionate. Kind. Sweet. Passionate. And, his favorite one, courtesy of Nick: stronger than he looks. Parker made one of the planets extra big just to fit the whole phrase. As he set the brush back in the cup, he stepped back to admire his handiwork. His excitement grew just looking at them. Christmas couldn't come soon enough.
His dads helped him wrap them up carefully once they'd dried, and they placed each in its own box. Parker took extra care not to mix anybody's up, knowing that would spell disaster. To each, he added a note explaining where the words came from. They wrapped each in candy-cane patterned wrapping paper and slapped name tags on them. Parker hadn't gotten anybody a real gift for as long as he could remember, unless he counted that card he'd wrote for Carol last Christmas, so it felt good to sign them all "From: Parker." Natasha's and Thor's they then packaged in another box and sent them off for international shipping. He held onto the rest of them until a little closer to Christmas, and then had Russell drive him around the city to deliver them.
"Don't open it until Christmas," he instructed them all. They all promised they wouldn't.
~0~
Parker had a strange relationship with the Christmas season. On the one hand, Christmases growing up had been nothing but cheerful, except for the one right after Ben's death. May had picked up a shift at the hospital and he'd spent most of the day alone, curled up in his room missing his uncle. The year after that, he'd been with the Jones, and while they tried their best, he couldn't help but wallow. The LEGO Death Star had helped somewhat rouse him from his grief haze.
And of course, the Christmas after that, he'd spent with Carol. Parker never dreamed that after losing both his parents and his aunt and uncle he'd have yet another person to miss on Christmas. He remembered how she'd selflessly offered to include him in her family gathering, but he'd said no out of fear of imposing. When he saw her with her brother, he couldn't help the small bubble of jealousy that floated up within his gut. The only brother he'd ever known was all the way in Arizona. Last time Parker talked to Ned, he bemoaned the lack of snow yet again. Parker told him he just needed to convince his parents to spend Christmas in the mountains somewhere.
The Weavers had their own set of Christmas traditions which they eagerly shared with Parker all month. They watched a different cheesy Hallmark movie every Friday and Saturday for the entirety of December, and now among the three of them they had countless stupidly romantic quotes that they spouted at each other almost daily. The best part, however, was decorating the apartment. The Weavers kept a massive trunk of ornaments and other knick-knacks to cover the mantles. Christmas ornaments served as a three-dimensional scrapbook of a family's lives, and Parker asked the story behind each and every one of them to the point where he worried he annoyed them.
"That one was a wedding gift from my college best friend."
"That's a spider. We got it because it matches our last name."
"I made that one during a pottery date."
"That one's from a vacation we took in Yellowstone a few years ago."
"That's an elementary school art project that my mother kept for sentimental purposes despite the fact it looks like the aftermath of a crayon orgy."
"Alex, don't say that! He's fourteen!" Russell scolded with a smack to his husband's bicep. Parker struggled not to giggle. Then he found his favorite ornament of the bunch. It depicted a calendar month, with the date of his official adoption highlighted. Above it stood the words, "Officially a Weaver," and below it his name. He nearly started crying.
"And that one's from the day we made our family complete," Alex said. Parker hung it up front and center on the tree. Once they unboxed all the decorations, Russell brought out three Star Wars-themed stockings embroidered with their names. That time, Parker did cry, but they were happy tears.
In the weeks leading up to that Christmas, he smiled more than he had in years.
The morning of December twenty fifth, he woke up early and rolled over to stare at his LEGO minifigures, which he'd left on his nightstand in preparation for this occasion. Steve, Bucky, Carol, and now Tony after his birthday. They reminded him of the good parts of last Christmas. He hoped any kids in the hospital this Christmas managed to have a good day.
In all the excitement of last night, he'd forgotten about the time difference. Natasha and Thor already had their Christmas mornings, and when he checked his phone he found messages from both of them.
"Parker your gift is so beautiful and kind. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it," he wrote back with a smile on his face. Making his friends happy was all he'd aspired to do with this gift.
"Parker you've outdone yourself!" Thor wrote. "This is the coolest thing ever!"
It was still early, so he decided not to wake his parents yet. May and Ben had always insisted Christmas morning didn't start until seven thirty at the earliest. He certainly didn't expect Alex and Russell to burst into his room blaring Christmas music.
"I'm up, I'm up!" he cried, shielding himself with his pillow as they threw tinsel at him. He scrambled out of bed and looked back at the mess scattered across his sheets. "I'm not cleaning that up."
"You don't have to. Now let's go while the cocoa's still hot."
Parker followed them into the living room, where the tree sat populated by more presents than had been there last night. He rolled his eyes and asked, "You don't seriously think I'm young enough to believe in Santa, right?"
"Of course not. But it's still fun to be surprised, isn't it?"
"Absolutely."
But it wasn't the prospect of opening his own gifts that excited Parker, it was watching his dads open theirs from him. And, of course, waiting to hear from his Gravesen friends. Parker had been thinking about what to get them since he moved in, wanting to devise something to show his immense appreciation for them.
One of the first things they'd done after making his adoption official was take family portraits, but as of yet they hadn't done anything with them, except for Parker placing a small printout in his locket. It now contained one of him with his parents, one with May and Ben, one Happy had taken of the Gravesen gang at Bucky's Farewell to Arms party, and now one of his adopted family. Parker thought getting picture frames for them would mean a lot, given the only framed photos they had already were just the two of them. He chose a custom one that said, "The Weavers," at the bottom.
Russell nearly started crying when he opened it. "I thought we could put the picture in it that we used for the Christmas card," Parker suggested. Neither May and Ben nor the Jones had ever partaken in sending out holiday cards, but the Weavers did. And they obviously had a lot of friends because they ordered a hundred of them, but they'd also asked Parker if he knew anyone he wanted to send them to. He sent one to Ned, Mr. Harrington (his case-worker, not the Quizbowl coach), all his friends at Gravesen…and the Jones. He'd asked MJ at school if their address was still the same and she said yes. Parker looked forward to letting them know he was okay after everything that happened.
The responses to his gift started rolling in at around nine in the morning. Most were just thank-you texts, but a few of his friends thought a text wouldn't cover it and decided to call or FaceTime him. Parker sat in the middle of their living room, surrounded by wrapping paper and wearing the new Star Wars socks his dads had gotten him to answer their calls. Unsurprisingly, Tony reached out first.
"Merry Christmas," Parker greeted.
"Oh, it sure is. Thanks to you."
"You like it?"
"Like it? Parker, I fucking love it more than anything. I was a little suspicious when you had us write nice things about each other, but I never suspected you would use it for this! How did you come up with this idea?"
"I don't know. I guess I just wanted a way to remind you all how much you're appreciated by all of us."
"Please tell me who called me their first friend."
"I can't do that, Tony," Parker said with a shake of his head.
"Was it you?"
"No. I can't tell you who wrote what, that's part of it."
"Fine. I'll bet you're pretty pleased with yourself, being the mastermind behind all this. You got to see what everyone wrote about you."
"Yes I did. It was really sweet. We all love each other so much."
"That we do. Did you have a good Christmas?" he asked sincerely.
"Absolutely. How about you?"
"It was pretty typical. Mom's been playing Christmas music on the piano all morning."
"That sounds really nice." Parker's phone buzzed for the third time in as many minutes, another message from Bucky begging to call him. "Listen, Tony, I gotta go. You're not the only one eager to rave to me about this gift."
"Okay. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
Parker hung up and immediately FaceTimed Bucky. He answered with the biggest grin on his face, wearing a new white hat with a wolf's face that he must've gotten for Christmas. "I guess I'll start off with a thank you," he said.
Parker laughed. "You're welcome."
"I mean, seriously? I'm used to awesome art from Steve, but this is that plus insane levels of heart."
"I'm glad you like it."
"I don't even know where to hang it. I feel like no wall in my room is important enough to bear such a piece of art."
"I'm sure you'll figure something out."
"Seriously, I will treasure this thing for the rest of my life."
"Good."
"Who called me relentless? Was it Steve?" he asked suspiciously.
"I'm not allowed to tell you who wrote what."
"Darn it. My money's still on Steve. I wrote 'strong' for him because I know it's what he wants to hear. There's nothing he hates more than people assuming he's a weakling."
"I'm sure he appreciated it very much. I haven't heard from him yet about the gift."
"He's probably not even up yet," Bucky said. "He's, uh…lately he hasn't been getting up early unless he has to. Needs the rest." Some of the joy in Bucky's eyes evaporated, replaced by concern, but he quickly pushed past it. "But I'm sure you'll be hearing from him as soon as he opens his."
"Yeah."
"Who are you talking to?" Alex asked. He popped into view behind Parker, a mug of hot cocoa in his hands.
"Bucky," Parker said.
"Hi Mr. Weaver," Bucky said with a wave. Alex waved back.
"Nice hat."
"Thanks. Tony got it for me. My old soccer nickname was the White Wolf."
"That's so cool!"
"Yeah. I have socks to match it too. My friends got me those when I started treatment. Also, I have to ask, do you by any chance have use for any single left gloves? I have a couple lying around that I don't happen to be using."
Parker chuckled. "I'll let you know if I do."
"Okay. My mom's calling me, so I've gotta go. Merry Christmas."
"You too."
"Your Gravesen friends are so nice," Alex said, handing Parker his own mug of cocoa.
"Yeah, they're the best."
The three of them had cleaned up the entire living room before Steve called. Parker picked up eagerly, hoping to hear that the most skilled artist of the group had enjoyed the artistic gift. "Parker, this is Carol-level special," were the first words out of his mouth.
"You really think so?" he asked, chest tight.
"Oh absolutely. She would be so proud of you."
"Thanks. That means a lot." Parker held back tears, not wanting to taint this perfect Christmas with sorrow. He talked to Steve for a few more minutes, and by the time they hung up he'd driven out the sadness with joyful nostalgia instead. Yes, he missed a lot of people, more so during the holidays, but he also had treasured memories and a veritable army of supporters still here on this Earth.
This gift was actually based on something a friend made for me. She actually did it for 120 people in my dance program, which is so beyond unbelievable. It was easily the kindest gift I ever received.