REMEMBER ME; peter parker

twelve

Kingo took the four (plus Karun) to his private jet. Talen had never been on a plane, let alone a private one, so it took some getting used to. 

"Seven thousand years," Talen looked up from the book she was reading when Kingo whispered ominously. Karun followed him, filming. "That's how long the battle between Eternals and Deviants has raged for." 

Kingo and Karun made their way down the aisle to where Sprite and Sersi were sitting. 

"You think I'm a movie star. Well, I am. But I am also... an Eternal." Talen had to give him mental applause for the dramatics. 

"Kingo, what are you doing?"

"I think we should be remembered, so... I am making a documentary about us. You are about to meet my fellow Eternal, Sprite. Sprite, tell them about yourself."

"Oh, wait," she began digging through her jacket, then gave Kingo the middle finger, and disappeared. Talen and Sersi coughed to hide a chuckle at the girl's antics. 

"Okay, well we'll circle back to her." Kingo sighed to Karun. 

"This is Sersi," Kingo began talking to her, but Talen drowned them out. She pulled her headphones over her ears, blasting her music. 

Talen wanted to distance herself from the rest of the team. She wanted to be able to fight one more time, and then be done with them forever. Getting close to them again would mean going through the same pain she went through all those years ago, and she wasn't sure if she could do that again. It probably wouldn't have been hard, given that the team didn't seem to care about her anyways. 

Her phone buzzed. 

ONE NEW MESSAGE FROM: tasha

Talen's lips curled into a small smile that disappeared before any of the others could notice (not that they were paying any attention to her).

how you holding up, kiddo? 

as good as i can.

call me when you can. i miss you, T.

i will, i miss you tasha.

For the rest of the flight, Talen tried her hardest to sink in the background of the plane. Her music was on full blast and she stuck to watching the clouds. 

. . . 

Australia was a lot hotter than she remembered, but she was in the desert this time. Ikaris drove everyone to quite possibly the most remote place in Australia.

As they were walking up to whatever was waiting for them, the carcass of a Deviant laid in the sand.

"Is this the Deviant you fought in London?" Kingo asked.

"It's different. There must be more out there than we thought."

Karun and Kingo stopped at the carcass as Karun started raving about how beautiful it was with Kingo shutting him down. 

Kingo instructed Karun to begin filming. "You're about to meet two of the greatest warriors the world has ever known." 

Talen's heart skipped a beat. Thena and Gilgamesh. The only two who constantly stood by her side. She hadn't seen them since that day. She couldn't stop the hope swelling in her heart and the smile on her face. 

"Thena, legendary, deadly, fashionable. And her trusty friend...a mighty powerhouse of strength, the fearsome Gilgamesh!"

The doors swung open to reveal Gilgamesh in a robe that said 'Kiss the Cook'

"What took you so long?" Gilgamesh stepped out of the house. "You look younger today, Sprite." He hadn't noticed Talen's presence until then.

"Talen...oh my god." Gilgamesh stopped in his tracks when he finally did see her. 

"Hey, Gil." She hadn't spoken in so long. Gilgamesh marched towards her, engulfing the girl's small frame. After their hug, Gilgamesh just stood there, taking in the fact that Talen's here. 

"It's been so long, I-I was so worried." 

"I'm okay, Gil." She smiled, but Gilgamesh could tell that it wasn't real. 

"I have the same apron," Karun commented. 

"Who the hell are you?" 

"I am Karun, Kingo's valet." 

"Oh, valet. Like Alfred in Batman!"

"Gilgamesh," Ikaris interjected before Karun could continue. "The Deviants are back." No matter how many times Ikaris has said that, it always sent a pang through Talen's heart. 

"No shit. I could have used some help."

"We were attacked by a Deviant in London, too." 

"Even Ikaris couldn't kill it." 

"You couldn't?!"

"I was distracted." Ikaris tried to defend himself, to no avail.

"Sure, man. Hey, you guys wanna try my pie?" Gilgamesh pulled a steaming, delicious-looking pie out of the brick oven.

"I'm sorry, Gil. Ajak's dead."
"It's true, buddy. We lost her." 

Gilgamesh looked to Talen, who simply slightly nodded. 

He dropped the pie, took a seat, and crushed the pan. After that, everyone dispersed to take a minute. Talen sat next to Gilgamesh. 

After he regained his composure, he began talking. 

"So, kid, tell me about you. How have you been?" 

"I've been great, Gil. Recently, I found this group of people- heroes. They're amazing. I was in a fight in Germany, then I got broken out of prison which I guess makes me a fugitive right now but it's alright." 

Gilgamesh laughed.

So did Talen. It was a feeling so foreign that it almost scared her. Of course she'd laughed with Steve, Sam, Nat, and Clint, but that felt like years ago. She felt...warm. Since she'd been with the Eternals, there'd been this stinging cold in her heart. A fear that they were going to reject her once again. But, sitting here with Gilgamesh, Talen didn't feel that fear. She felt comfortable, young, alive again.

She felt happy.

She was home. 

. . . 

a/n

i'm back