REMEMBER ME; peter parker

ten

"Any questions?" Talen had finished walking her team through her past.

"So, you're immortal," Talen nodded, "half-synthetic, and have a stone for a heart." she nodded again in response to Sam's train of thought.

A beat of silence passed between the group.

"Talen, why are you telling us this now? Did something happen?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, so, remember how I told you about Deviants?"

"You said the Eternals killed them all." Natasha spoke.

"Okay, so apparently we didn't. There was one on my walk home earlier, and I may have ran into some other eternals."

"What?" the rest of the team exclaimed at once.

"Don't worry, no one got hurt." Talen put her hands up in surrender, then into the pockets of her jacket.

Her fingers brushed a slip of paper that wasn't there that morning. She pulled it out and read it silently.

we could use you

come to the same spot as tonight before ten am tomorrow morning

- sprite

After all this time? Talen thought.

"Shit," she muttered, but Natasha heard her.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"It looks like they need me. I need to meet them tomorrow at ten."

"They abandoned you for centuries, what makes them think they need you now? You're better off without them, Talen." Sam was very against her going.

Another beat of silence passed between them.

"I need to go."

"Tal-"

"No. You don't know what it's been like, all these years. I haven't felt like I belonged anywhere since I left them. This is a chance to prove myself to them. To prove that they never should have abandoned me. I need to show them that I am worth it." Somehow, Talen managed to say that without the tears in her eyes spilling over.

The team seemed to understand her need now. None of them responded.

"I'm...gonna go pack my bags." Talen was worried that her spiel made another team doubt her abilities because of her emotionality.

She managed to stop her tears until she reached her room. Then, they came pouring out, clouding her vision as she shoved things in her bag.

A knock came from the door. She quickly wiped her tears before opening it to see Steve's face.

"Can I help you, Captain?" Talen didn't make eye contact with Steve.

"You don't have to show them anything, you know that, right?"

Talen shook her head with a snarky smile on her face.

Steve continued, "You do not have to prove yourself to them, to anyone, Talen. If anything, they have to prove themselves to you. They're the ones who abandoned you, not the other way around. I know I can't talk you out of going, but I can tell you that this fight is your fight alone. You do not owe yourself to them."