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When moving to New York, Harley wondered how he could let go of so much green, and so much nature. An internship with Mr. Stark hadn't looked like he could go waste time in any green place New York might have to offer. Which had been, in his mind, Central Park and nothing else, consisting of a few trees and some lonely patches of grass.
He could barely remember the last time he walked through an open field, wild flowers in full bloom and their scent in his nose, while their leaves brushed against his outstretched hands. He didn't carry two coffee cups from a small place wedged between tall buildings then, nor were there as many people lounging on the grass and chatting away, or an ice cream stand where screaming children demanded a scope and drowned out the birds. Not that Harley could've heard them anyways, what with the music blasting through his headphones.
Still he could appreciate the white and pink blossoms on the cherry trees.
Blooming season had started just a few days ago, approximately when Peter came running into his private lab, holding one of said bright pink petals and jumping up and down, demanding Harley take time out of his day for this. Which, at first, had prompted the question, "so where's the mysterious cherry tree?"
But it wasn't just one. Harley would never get over the fact that Central Park actually was green. Not right now, when the trees and flowers weren't in full bloom yet, but soon it would be. His first spring in this city wouldn't be as depressing as he had thought. All around him were cherry trees, pink and white petals swirling under the bright blue sky, lifted up by the chilly wind.
And there the most striking sight was.
Peter just stood there in his hoodie jacket and jeans, simple as anything, but right now he looked downright beautiful to Harley. How come he had never seen him like that? Peter looked up with arms outstretched, as if trying to catch the petals. His grin didn't falter for even a second as he finally spotted Harley, who stacked the coffee cups and shoved the headphones into his pocket. Instead, it seemed to grow even wider. "There you are!"
The cherry blossoms seemed forgotten as Peter came over to give him a quick hug and grab one of the coffee cups. The wind ruffled his hair and his cheeks were pink from the chill, but after the first sip of the hopefully still hot coffee, his whole posture relaxed.
"You ever been to Central Park?"
"Nah. Didn't have time until you dragged me here." Harley shook his head before trying his own coffee. Yeah, still hot."
"Huh." Peter raised an eyebrow at him before his easy smile returned. "Then let me give you a tour. I swing by here every other day."
Harley could see himself coming by every so often, too, especially as Peter slipped a hand into his own and led them down a gravel paths. The wind died down and a cherry petal landed on top of his coffee cup.