His Detka

8. Familia

Papa, Mama, Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel came running into the kitchen from the tarmac around 7:00 PM that evening. Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel were the first to get to me. God, I had missed them so much. I had only gotten to see them every now and then during the academy. I could only go home every now and then. Papa would come over to my apartment in the city at least once a week to visit. Nothing beats having them close though.

My siblings released me and then Dashi, my Golden Retriever, leaped into my arms and I knelt down to the ground enjoying all the doggy licks she was willing to give me. Her tail was wagging at high-speed. Once she was over me, she then realized there were other people around us. She then decided to make her way over to each member of the team for pets.

Mama and Papa made their way over to me and engulfed me in a group hug. As they held me, I felt okay for the first time in two weeks. Both of my parents were here, and I was wrapped in their embrace. Mama pulled back and grabbed my cheeks and kissed my forehead with a teary-eyed smile. Papa kissed my temple and held me tight.

I might not be a biological child of theirs, but they didn't care. I was their first baby. They loved me from the moment they met me, and they would protect me with their lives. When Nanny & Papa decided that I should go and live with Papa & Mama, their love only grew. They had watched me for my dad every now and then when he was on a mission. Granted, Laura wasn't in the picture right away, but when Uncle Clint finally brought her around, I knew she was it for him. I was only five when they met, and I knew he had girlfriends in the past, but no one was ever serious enough for him to bring them around. I was so thankful for every single person in this room.

Tony walked in with Pepper on his right side while he held Morgan on his left hip. "Clint, Laura, kids. So happy to have you all here with us. How long are you staying this time?"

Morgan was chomping at the bit to go play with the kids, but it was dinner time so it would have to be after.

"Well, it depends on a few things right now, but definitely for this week." said Mama.

"You know y'all are welcome anytime, Laura. It's not a problem. We love having you all here. Y'all are family." said Pepper.

Happy walked in with his famous cheeseburgers straight off the grill and I was salivating. "Dinner's ready, y'all have a seat and we'll pass everything around."

Steve, Sam, Clint, and Thor grabbed the "kids" table from one of the closets within the common area and the four foldable chairs and placed it not too far off from the dining table.

I turned around to go grab a water bottle from the fridge before I sat down.

"Now that everyone is all here, why don't we dig in before the food gets cold?" said Happy.

I walked back in from the kitchen, and I went to take my seat in between Papa and Mama. I served myself two cheeseburgers with all of my favorite toppings, along with a side of some crispy tater tots.

Tony looked over at you as you were mid-bite on one of your cheeseburgers and said "I heard you had to see Bruce today. Is everything okay, Detka? Maybe for some happy pills?" he questioned which earned him a hard nudge from Pepper.

"Ow, Pep! I was just asking."

"The last part was unnecessary and NONE of your business." stated Pepper.

"No, it wasn't for happy pills, Tony." I looked down to the other end of the table at Steve who gave me a nod and a reassuring smile, as well as Nat and Bruce, who did the same thing. Mama and Papa each had a hand on my leg and squeezed.

"Actually, Tony, team, there's something I need to tell y'all.."

Everyone got silent and set their food and silverware down, anticipating my next words.