Rising Power ~ p. parker

Unmasked

He noticed his teammate staring and sent a little wave to make sure she didn't totally zone-out. "Hey, Kylo? You okay?"

Taylor put a hand on the assistant's arm to let her know she did not need any more help. Nearly losing her balance, she stood up and shrugged off the ice pack on her shoulder. Her fingers numbly fumbled with her mask as she tried to unlatch the back. She let it fall to the floor and did not hear the clunk it made when it made contact with the tile.

The only secret they have ever kept from each other hung heavy between them.

The two best friends could not look away from the other. Neither could think of any words to say. All the red in Peter's face drained as it was replaced with a ghost white. Taylor's eyes brimmed with tears she tried, and failed, pushing down.

"Peter?" Her voice cracked. His heart began to shatter at the sound.

He barely managed to get his voice about a whisper. "Taylor."

Tony looked over at Natasha with wide, confused eyes. She pointed a thumb towards the door and he eagerly nodded. She snapped at the medical assistants to get them to follow.

In the hall, Natasha nudged Tony's side with her arm. "Do you still think that tonight is a good time to tell her that you're her dad?" she quipped.

Tony groaned, "well now I don't."

Taylor got over her moment of shock and it quickly transitioned into anger. "So, were you just never going to tell me?"

"Woah, don't put all this on me! Were you ever going to tell me?"

She scoffed, crossed her arms, and shook her head. "How long?"

"Right before uncle Ben died," he sighed.

She remembered that. That was when he started acting different. She asked him about it and he said he was fine, so she dropped it.

How could she be so stupid? He grew three inches overnight, normal people don't do that. Why did she believe him when he said he just outgrew the glasses he needed for as long as she's known him?

"What about you?" Peter mumbled.

"What?"

"How long have you been doing your thing?" He walked over to her slowly.

"Since we were twelve."

Peter's face dropped and he stared at Taylor. "Are you serious?"

"I didn't start the bad stuff until a few years later."

"What kind of bad stuff?"

"Oh, so are we actually telling our secrets now?" She snapped. After looking back at the hurt filling his eyes, she rubbed her face and gave in. "Started stealing and pickpocketing around the start of middle school. A few years later, the money still wasn't good enough, so I started taking cash under the table for other things."

Peter's heart fell. He could have helped. He could have shared some of his food and invited her to live with them. May already adored her, so that wouldn't have been a problem. He cleared his throat, "money for what?"

She thought about how to word it for a second. "Whatever I was requested to do."

"Jeez, Taylor!" If May and I knew you were struggling, we would have helped." He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "You had a code, right? Like no kids?"

Her gaze flickered to him with regret. She wanted to make him feel better, but she didn't want any more lies. "No, as long as they paid, I did it."

"And if they didn't pay?"

"I'd make them."

The two went silent for a moment. It was a lot to take in for the two. Their worlds were just flipped on them in a second. Both of them realized hating the other just wasn't worth it.

"Who else knows about you?" Taylor asked quietly.

"No one. Except for everyone here. May has no idea and I'm afraid to tell Ned."

She laughed, knowing that Ned is the absolute worst at keeping secrets. Although, she was proud of him for not telling any others. He was almost as bad as Ned.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit down on the bench. She rested her head on his shoulder. The small gesture made Peter's chest fill with butterflies.

Taylor whispered, "I'm sorry. I should have told you. You had the right to know."

He let out a light laugh that echoed in her ears. It was her favorite sound. "You know, I was about to tell you I was Spider-Man."

"Really?" She turned her head slightly to look at him, "when?"

"Last Friday at the park. I had no idea everything else was going to happen. If it didn't, you would have known."

Last Friday seems like forever ago. So much has happened since then.

"I hope you're not waiting for me to tell you when I was going to let you know about me. I was planning on dying with that secret," remarked Taylor.

"I wasn't, but good to know you trusted me so much." He felt his lips curl upwards when he heard her soothing laugh. "So, you can move things with your mind?"

"Yeah, it's a mutation, I guess. What about your spider powers? Where'd those come from?"

"Remember that field trip Freshman year?"

"To Oscorp?"

"Yeah, that one. I snuck off and got bit by a radioactive spider."

"Damn. Did it hurt?"

Peter thought back to the day it happened. His head hurt, he felt dizzy, and his body felt like he got hit by a train on the bus ride home. He went to sleep early, feeling like his body was burning itself from the inside.

"A little bit."

He mindlessly let his hand hover over Taylor's. Something in him urged him to hold it. They always held hands while walking down the street or when watching a scary movie, but something was different this time.

Just as he went for it, a magenta man in a sweater entered the room through a wall. Taylor immediately jumped up from their seat and flung a scalpel to the man's head using her mind. She held out a hand to keep the scalpel suspended in the air. Peter's jaw dropped at the sight of his best friend using her powers. It was certainly a thing he would need to get used to.

"Excuse me," the man said, not at all intimidated.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

"Taylor, it's okay. That's Vision. He's part of the team."

She kept her eyes on him as she slowly lowered her sad excuse for a weapon. "Sorry, man. It's been a long day."

"I understand, miss Taylor. Mr. Stark sent me in to check on you two. He was worried.

She looked around the med bay and for the first time noticed that everyone was gone. She locked eyes with Peter and he sent her a small smile.

"Yeah, we're good."

Though I tried not to hurt you
Though I tried
But I guess that's why they say
Every rose has its thorn

*~*~*

Writers block is kicking my butt rn but I'm working on it. Hopefully I'll be able to bust out a few more chapters before my Coronacation is over.

-Rosie