Whispers in the Winter Wind (Ultimate Spider-Man Cartoon)

Chapter 2

"The game of Thrones has begun," I whispered, glaring at them over the tops of my cards as Miles set a blue down.

From their bunks, White Tiger and Ka-Zar got up and sat at the perimeter of our circle, greedily cashing in on the light it offered. When the books got boring and Ka-Zar bamboo stick was needle sharp, they switched to watching the game, occasionally peaking over peoples shoulders to see their cards.

Outside, the howling wind picked up. Well, it was less like howling and more like a banshee screaming. Which might've been on Dagger and Cloak's minds as well. They grimaced unpleasantly. Cloak seemed to draw closer to Dagger--if that were possible--whereas Dagger was softly rubbing the dark cloth with a finger in a soothing manner. I looked back down at my cards. Couldn't bring it up without it getting awkward again, but it didn't sit right in my stomach to just ignore it either. Dagger and Cloak were tough, they survived times in the Dark Dimension and trained with Taskmaster for crying out loud. How in the world could loud winds make them scared

It took a few more minutes of worried glances before Cloak sighed. "Please stop watching us,"

"Huh?" I said, rearranging my cards innocently. "Watching who? I wasn't watching anyone."

Neither of them looked very convinced. "Look, maybe you are worried," Dagger said. "But we're not talking about it."

"I know, I know. But when people looked worried then I start to worry and you all know I have a problem with leaving well-enough alone," I conceded. "I won't push guys, honest. But seriously, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Dropping it." Cloak suggested.

"...anything else?"

They glared at me.

"Fine, fine, how about a trade." I offered. "You answer my question and you both can ask me a question that I have to answer. That sounds fair, right?" They shared a look. "You can even go first," I added. They still didn't look convinced. "Come on, ask me what my hobbies are. Ask about my first crush. Heck, ask me my most embarrassing secret, I promise I'll answer it honestly."

Dagger's eyes narrowed, almost as if challenged. "Fine," she said. "Who are you, Spider-Man?"

"Uh...what?"

"Let me elaborate, who is it under the mask? Your name, your hair color, your eyes. Who are you when your not Spider-Man?"

Oh...

Well shit.

Walked right into that one, didn't I? 

She smiled wryly as if already convinced I wasn't going to answer. Not that I could blame her because I wasn't going to. I had Aunt May to look out for, and Harry and MJ. The fewer people who knew my real name, the greater chance I had of keeping my family safe.

From across the circle, Nova chuckled, "Walked right into that one Webs."

"Is there anything else I could answer?" But I knew my plead was futile.

Dagger shook her head, "Nope. If Cloak and I are going to trust you enough to let you in on our past, then I want to at least know the name of the person I'm trusting. That's my condition-"

"Mine too," Cloak agreed.

"-so if you take off that mask then I'll tell you what's bothering Cloak and me. That's the deal."

I groaned. Well, that went down the toilet. So much for finding out what was wrong. Why did we have to bring the secret identities out on this?

Maybe because it involves their identity too. You don't know their names either, and you wouldn't want to give up facts about yourself to someone whose name you didn't even know. A voice whispered in my head. It sounded a lot like Angel Spidey.