Mercy ▷ Peter Parker

TWENTY EIGHT. BE MORE CHILL

It took her a week to realise that Rafe didn't go to bed before she did anymore.

She didn't notice, but the week she didn't don the Mercy suit, Rafe never went to bed before she did. Nora though nothing of it, he was nearing the end of his college years, projects and papers probably took up every hour he had. He was probably up at all hours actually committing to being an adult, which was a rare occurrence. Sometimes, though, she'd linger in the kitchen before going to bed, waiting to see if he'd get up off the dining room chair and walk up the stairs to his room. He never did.

Alarm bells started going off in her mind on the Sunday morning before the second week of school, when Leo came to the door.

She had been awoken by the doorbell, something that never happened in the Mendes household. Usually, the place was bustling with life. Her dad in the kitchen cooking breakfast, Rafe and Aliya singing along to one of their mother's Selena CD's. Now, that didn't happen. Every now and then Lily would stop by, cook breakfast and play music, but it wasn't the same, no matter how hard she tried. Nora couldn't get herself back into that mindset that life was supposed to go back to normal. So, when the bell rang throughout the house, it was both startling and yet, painfully normal.

After a few seconds of silence, the bell rang again, prompting Nora to get up and answer it. Through her yawn, she asked. "Come on, it's too early."

"It's ten thirty am." the voice stated, humour in their tone.

Nora grumbled. "Too early." blinking her sleep away, she found the source of the voice to be Rafe's boyfriend. "Oh, hey Leo. Everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." He was twiddling his thumbs one minute, then rubbing at imaginary dirt on his hands the next. Nora raised an skeptical brow. "Is Rafe at home?"

She recoiled slightly at his question. "Oh, I, uh, I think so." she looked back into the hall, frowning. "I mean, I didn't see him leave." she turned back him, noticing the concern present in his eyes and movements. "Was he supposed to meet up with you?"

"Uh, yeah, we had a date. He never showed up."

That really made the alarm bells ring in Nora's mind. "I can check right now, you wanna come in?"

"Thanks, but I gotta go to work, but if he's home, tell him to call me."

"Yeah," Nora nodded, "I will." He smiled at her, before saying goodbye and walking away. Nora closed the door, confusion and worry fogging up her mind. With her back against the door, a sense of dread began to creep it's way into her system. Rafe never missed dates with Leo, that was the only thing that Rafe considered a constant. The fact that he didn't show up, made things even more worrisome. Pressing her lips together, she pushed off the door, about to start her mission to find her brother. Upon reaching the stairs her attention was swayed by the sound of a loud snore. Nora froze, actually startled by the loudness and severity of it. It didn't sound like Aliya, so she knew exactly who it was. She took a breath, thankful that her brother actually wasn't missing, and to calm herself down from the fact that her mind instinctively went to the worst possible scenario.

Walking into the kitchen, sitting with his head buried within piles of paper and a long since cold cup of coffee was her doofus of a brother. Nora stared at him a moment, how long had he been here, and how come she hadn't noticed? For a moment, she couldn't help but snort, he looked like something out of a movie, like the struggling writer who couldn't get his great American novel to work out. Leaving him sleep for a few more seconds, Nora cupped her hands around her mouth, before waiting for the perfect moment to scream. "Up and at 'em, Mendes. Let's go!"

To say Rafe jumped out of his seat was an understatement. He flew three feet out of his chair, paper following him. His coffee tumbled, but it didn't completely fall over. He woke with a shriek, eyes wide and panic written across his features. "What?!" he cried, looking around him as if he didn't know where he was. His eyes drooped slightly when they landed upon Nora's smiling face. "God, you gremlin."