SKULLS / CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CONFESSIONAL!

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"SKULLBOY? YOU, TALK TO ME, PAY ATTENTION TO ME!"

They're on the same cliff as they were that night, when Silas came so close to knowing who he was, before the mask came back on and he had to fake not caring.

But now he knows.

"What? I'm tired, go away." He bats a hand at the other boy, one eye shut so all he can see is the stars and everything beyond. "I'm going to sleep in this hillside and never move again."

Peter punches him lightly, before laughing to himself and lying down as well. "There's a criminal, remember that guy out by the bridge? He's got information I need. We can fight him together!" Upon seeing the indecisiveness etched onto the other boy's face, he adds "It'll be fun!"

Silas smiles towards the sky, before shaking his head. "Uh, no. I need to rest up a little, you know? I'm not some sort of videogame character that can just go for forty-eight straight hours without having to eat or sleep or... eat again."

Despite the mask, Silas can see Peter's face fall instantly, and something twists inside him. It's the constant mantra of putting himself first and doing what's best for him and him only, but the sadness is already tearing him limb from limb.

"Oh. I just thought you'd... enjoy it."

He isn't sure where the following harsh laughter comes from, but it sure as hell doesn't feel like him. "I don't enjoy this shit! It hurts. It hurts to have to constantly worry if I'm... I'm going to get murdered and what's going to h-happen to my mom. I don't know... I don't know how you can find risking your life every day fun."

Silas doesn't realise he's crying until he's choking on air and the sensation of bringing all of this to the surface. It hurts, the compression in his chest pressing down and down until his heart is non-existent and his ribcage is shattered, everything unreal collecting in that moment.

"I-I'm going to go home." He sobs, standing up and turning around sharply before Peter can say anything back.

— 💀 —

Silas stumbles through the door, too caught up in his own sudden emotions to realise that he's walked through the middle of a crowded city in his Skullrider jacket, potentially exposing himself to everyone he's been anonymously protecting.

"Hey! Hey-- Wait, Si, what's wrong?"

Without even thinking, he pulls his mother into a hug as tightly as he can, still crying into her shoulder. She looks shocked at first, but still running her fingers through Silas' black curls. He isn't exactly the kind of son who's into displays of affection, but when he does, it's fierce and borderline unstoppable.

"I love you. I-I'm going to be in my room. I love you."

She continues to look confused, only stopping to nod once and mutter something about dinner that Silas only half catches. He's halfway up the stairs already, his mind swirling wildly, trying to comprehend who he's become. All it's taken is a few weeks, and past Silas is a hologram that he can't seem to understand anymore.

— 💀 —

"An open window is an invitation for me to come in, right?"

The voice echoes off the empty walls of Silas' bedroom, and he makes some sort of squeaking noise as he struggles to pull on his mask before turning to look Peter in the eyes.

"Uh, no. Not at all. Why are y- Can you leave, please?"

He looks a little attacked, to be honest - Silas is beginning to hope Spider-Man isn't Peter Parker, because Spider-Man is frankly acting like an asshole at the moment and he can't bear to have Peter's image ruined like that.

"I just want to talk. Take your mask off." With this, he swings into the room and lands on Silas' bed perfectly. There's something about the action and the closing space that makes the dark-haired boy even more uncomfortable. He wants to take this infernal fucking mask off, it feels like it's choking him, but he can't reveal himself yet. He can't do that.

"I'm not taking the goddamn mask off."

"Why?" Peter tries to shout, but it's pretty much the opposite of angry. "Why are you so scared? You got yourself into this situation, and the second someone else can do it for you, you're done with it? Why are you... Why don't you want me to know who you are?"

Silas can't see it behind the eyes of the Spider-Mask, but all his darkest fears are running through Peter's mind. What's stopping Skullrider from being one of the universe's greatest enemies, here to combat him? It's conceited, he knows, but that doesn't stop the thought from residing in the corner of his mind.

"Because I've confided everything in you. Stuff I'm too scared to tell anyone. Stuff I can barely even admit to myself, Peter! I don't know what it is, but something is just stopping me from living and not being absolutely scared of everything."

The Spider-Man doesn't hear the end of his speech. All his brain registers is his name, coming out of this boy's mouth. It tastes metallic, wrong.

He can't know. Nobody knows. Nobody I'm supposed to protect knows.

Silas is still crying, as he carefully grips the edge of his own mask. "I-I know. I know it's you. Everything... Everything I've ever said has been about you. And I'm so, so sorry about everything. I h-hate myself for it. So can you leave now, please?"

Too shocked to say anything in return, he exits out the window, and Silas cries.

word count: 972!
( apologies for the
wait on this, i lost
my motivation for
a while :/ )