Thank you to Harliquinn for beta reading and editing

/\/\/\

Skye was sitting on a bench in Central Park. It was Saturday late morning, and she was waiting for Tucker. She had texted him the night before and asked him to meet her, and he said he would be there. She was people-watching while she waited.

She was there about fifteen minutes before Tucker sat next to her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," Skye said.

"People-watching?" he asked.

Skye chuckled softly and nodded. "We used to do it all the time."

"We did," Tucker said.

Skye let out a breath. "So this is your shot to explain why you did the opposite of what I asked."

"I was backed into a corner and panicked and caved to questions," Tucker said.

"What do you mean?" Skye asked, looking at him.

"A friend of Carly's, someone you go to school with who also knows me, saw us talking and told Carly, who told my aunt and uncle. They think I need to stay away from everyone I've been in trouble with," Tucker said.

"Are you back living with them?" Skye asked.

"No, they made the offer, but the expectations they have are. . . too much," Tucker said. "When I ran into you, I was considering it. When they found out there was a lot of yelling, I was forced into explaining our conversation."

Skye nodded. "You never mentioned you were considering living with them again when I mentioned I knew Carly and the situation. If you had told me I wouldn't have asked you to keep secrets that could risk your place to live. I'm angry you promised me you wouldn't say anything and then did, and you didn't even warn me. You just let me be confronted by her without knowing anything."

Tucker let out a breath. "You're right. I should have at least warned you and told you the truth about potentially living with them."

"I told you about Kate. I told you that if you broke my trust, it wouldn't end well for you, and you left me to be burned," Skye said.

"I fucked up," Tucker said. "I'm really sorry, Skye."

Skye nodded, "You in a group home?"

"Yeah," he told her which one.

"Ah, I was in that one," Skye said.

"I know," Tucker said with a chuckle.

"Okay, yeah, I know that was one of the good ones, and I lasted three days," Skye said, rolling her eyes.

"You worked your way through a lot of foster and group homes," Tucker said.

"Yeah, and if it wasn't for my dad, I would not be in New York anymore," Skye said.

Tucker nodded.

"You plan to still be in contact with your family?" Skye asked.

"As long as they accept that I'm not going to abide by their insane expectations, then yeah," Tucker said.

"What are the expectations?" Skye asked.

"Some of them make sense, staying out of trouble and focusing on school. But they wanted me to have no life; home, and school that would be it. No friends. They expected my grades to be all A's, and it was also said that I would need to start going back to church with them," Tucker said.

"Yikes," Skye said.

"And there was no wiggle room, it was these are the rules live by them or you can't live here. So I don't live there," Tucker said.

Skye shook her head.

"But, Skye, regardless, I pick your friendship over them. You have had my back more than once. They threw me out when I was going through the hardest things. You were there," Tucker said. "Assuming you can forgive my fuck up."

Skye let out a breath.

"Please, Skye," Tucker said.

"I get your situation, I'm just having a hard time getting over you not at least warning me," Skye said.

"Promise I will not do that again," Tucker said.

"Okay, it's forgiven. Once," Skye said.

"Thank you," Tucker said.

They sat in silence, watching the other people in the park for a few minutes.

"You have plans this afternoon?" Tucker asked.

"No," Skye said.

"Want to grab some pizza? My treat," he said.

Skye smiled "Sure." She texted Nat, who had taken her into the city to let her know what was happening before going with Tucker and walking to a place nearby with cheap pizza.

"Still like ham and pineapple pizza?" Tucker asked with a smirk

"Yes," Skye said. "You still like broccoli?"

Tucker chuckled. "Yes."

They both ordered a slice and a bottle of water, and Tucker paid. They left the shop eating their pizza as they walked.

"I have some questions about your abilities. Can I ask them, or is that not okay?" Tucker asked.

"You can ask," Skye said with a smile.

"So you, can do what Captain America does?" Tucker asked.

"Yes, and then some," Skye said.

"How? If you have your dad's DNA, shouldn't you just have his abilities?" Tucker asked.

"You're forgetting half my DNA comes from my mother," Skye said with a smirk.

"She was super, too?" Tucker asked.

"I guess. I'm still learning about it. Even my dad was unaware of who she really was. There's lots to unload about that information, but you know how I am usually really good at reading people's feelings and emotions? Well, that's part of what I get from her," Skye said. "If I'm feeling a particular way I can use that emotion and turn it into energy. What the feeling is will determine what kind of energy, if that makes any sense."

Tucker nodded. "I think I get it."

"I'm still learning how to even make those abilities work," Skye said. "The stuff I get from my dad I can make happen ninety percent of the time and have decent control over."

"You've had a lot of training on those, I take it," Tucker said.

"I have, and still do a few times a week. I'm just starting to try and train with the Empathic Element Manipulation. That is what it's called," Skye said.

"That sounds intense," Tucker said.

"It is, but it's all a part of who I am," Skye said.

Tucker nodded. "And you're pretty great."

Skye chuckled softly. "So, is it my turn to ask you questions?"

"About what?" Tucker asked.

"Juvie," Skye said.

Tucker slowly let out a breath. "Sure."

"Was it what you expected?" Skye asked.

"Yes, but there were things I wasn't expecting," Tucker said.

Skye kept asking him questions about his experience as they continued to walk. They ended up outside of a music shop as their conversation started to end. They decided to go inside and walked around looking at the stacks of records.

"You listen to records?" Tucker asked.

"Yes, there is a record player at home that I have access to. I often play things from when my dad was our age," Skye said.

"Good music at least?" Tucker asked.

"Yes, but with record players becoming popular again, there is more recent stuff on records, too," Skye said.

Tucker nodded. "You still a Swiftie?"

Skye scoffed. "Like I'll ever not be."

Tucker chuckled.

"I've also been getting into alternative rock," Skye said.

"Finally," Tucker said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I guess your influence is taking its effect," Skye said with a smile.

They looked around the shop for about an hour before leaving and started the walk back towards the park.

"It's a pretty far drive from here to where you live, yet you go to school in the city?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, it's the only school of its type for high-risk students, so it's the only school that my dad was comfortable with me going to," Skye said.

Tucker nodded.

"Hey, I don't actually know. Why does your cousin go to school there?" Skye asked.

"My uncle is in politics. He's not high-ranking, so I don't think she needs to go to that school. But my uncle and aunt want her there for whatever reason," Tucker said.

"There has to be an actual reason for the school to accept a student, an actual risk or something," Skye said.

"Or the right amount of money," Tucker said.

Skye nodded. "I guess money talks."

"Yeah, my grandfather or something had money," Tucker said.

"Did your parents have money?" Skye asked.

"They did. I have a trust fund I can get when I go to college or what have you," Tucker said.

"Well, that's good," Skye said.

They got back to the park, and Skye texted Nat to let her know she was ready when she was.

Nat had wanted to go to the city that day, so it made sense for her to be the one to drive her in. When she got the text, she texted back that she would meet Skye at the west side entrance in about thirty minutes.

"Thirty minutes until my ride is meeting me at the west side entrance," Skye said they both walked towards that entrance and took a seat on a bench by it.

"What have you been doing other than school?" Skye said.

"Mostly school, and therapy," Tucker said.

Skye nodded. "Yeah. I hated going, and I hated that it was forced."

"You're not in therapy?" Tucker asked.

"Nope, my dad wants me to, but I don't," Skye said.

Tucker nodded. "You could find a therapist you like."

Skye looked at him. "Are you telling me you like therapy?"

"Yes," Tucker said.

"Wow, Tucker Nelson likes therapy; never thought I'd hear that," Skye said.

Tucker chuckled. "Yeah, well, people change."

"That is true," Skye said.

"As much as my opinion matters to you, I think you should consider therapy again," Tucker said.

"You don't think your opinion matters to me?" Skye asked.

Tucker shrugged.

"Does my opinion not matter to you?" Skye asked.

"Your opinion does matter to me," Tucker said. "Very much so."

"Well, your opinion does matter, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do therapy. Because my dad's opinion matters greatly to me, and he can't convince me," Skye said.

Tucker let out a soft chuckle. "Fair enough."

The two continued to talk until Skye got a text that Nat was there. Skye looked at Tucker.

"My ride is here," Skye said.

The two got up and hugged, and Skye went and got into the car with Nat.

"Hey," Skye said.

"Hi, you work through things?" Nat asked.

"Yes," Skye said as she put on her seatbelt.

"Good," Nat said.

"You got your shopping done?" Skye asked.

"I did," Nat said as she started to drive.

"What did you do after pizza?" Nat asked.

"We walked while we ate and ended up at a music shop with records. We looked through the records for about an hour," Skye said.

"Find any you are interested in?" Nat asked.

"They had some Taylor Swift records, Imagine Dragon too," Skye said.

Nat smiled and nodded. "You're a big Taylor Swift fan aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm a Swiftie," Skye said. "Are you not?"

"I like her music, I don't know if I can call myself a true Swiftie, though," Nat said. "Yelena and Peter are. When she had her tour a couple of years ago, they went together to a concert with a couple of other people."

"Yeah, Peter mentioned it. I wanted to go, but it was not possible," Skye said.

"Were you in a decent home at the time?" Nat asked.

"It was decent I guess, yeah," Skye said.

"You guess?" Nat asked.

"It wasn't the worst, wasn't the best," Skye said.

"Okay," Nat said.

"But I asked about maybe being able to go if I could get tickets, and I was told flat-out no," Skye said.

Nat nodded, "Had you been in trouble around the time?"

Skye let out a small chuckle. "I was always in some kind of trouble."

Nat smiled and shook her head. "Well, if you continue to behave, the next time she or any artist you like goes on tour I will get you tickets."

Skye smiled. "Deal!"

"What did you two talk about?" Nat asked.

"His uncle, aunt, and cousin, my abilities, and what I've been finding out about my mother, his time in Juvie," Skye said.

Nat nodded. "Anything else?"

"I know what you're asking about and, no," Skye said shaking her head.

Nat chuckled. "Okay,"

"I don't want to risk the friendship. It's not worth it," Skye said.

"I get that," Nat said.

"You're not currently seeing anyone are you?" Skye asked.

"I'm not," Nat said.

"Anyone you're interested in?" Skye asked with a smirk.

"Do you think there is someone?" Nat asked, noticing the smirk.

"Maybe," Skye said. "I'm good at reading other people's feelings."

"I know, but that means you know the answer to your question," Nat said.

"True, but isn't it better to ask than say hey I know you have a crush on so and so," Skye said.

Nat smiled. "So, you're trying to be respectful while prying into my dating life?"

"You asked me about what Tucker and I talked about him. You opened that conversation," Skye said.

Nat laughed. "You're right I did. No, I'm not currently dating anyone. Like you, I worry about ruining a good friendship and making things awkward with someone I have to live and work with."

Skye nodded "Fair enough."

"Now, you know to keep the feelings and emotions that you can read from other people to yourself, right?" Nat said.

"I do, unless I'm worried about someone, and I am trying to work on shutting off the ability when I don't need it," Skye said.

Nat nodded. "Of course, if you think someone is in danger or something that is a situation when it's okay to tell someone who can help. And, yes, I imagine it's not fun to always feel other people's feelings."

Skye nodded. "When everyone is feeling upset or angry, yeah it sucks."

"When did you experience that?" Nat asked.

"During the team meeting after everything went down with Civicmax," Skye said.

"Ah, yeah, I think everything was upset and angry because you ended up hurt and we all care about you, and, yes, because you did something you knew you weren't supposed to," Nat said.

"Yeah, I know I had messed up. It was fair for everyone to feel how they were feeling. It just sucked to feel it on top of how I already felt like shit," Skye said.

"If everyone knew you could feel it, they probably would have done better to control it, and maybe gone easier on you," Nat said.

"I know, I should have said something. I just didn't think it was ability-connected," Skye said.

Nat nodded. "Well, we will know for the future."

Skye nodded.

Nat pulled in at home and parked.

Skye helped Nat bring her bags of shopping inside to Nat's room.

"Thanks," Nat said.

"No problem," Skye said before going to her own room.