APODEMIA ➣ ||P. PARKER||

•chapter eleven•

The moment I got into the living room the home phone started ringing, without taking off my dirty boots I ran to the kitchen and picked up the ringing phone, seeing that it was mom.

"Are you okay? Is everything alright?" Her voice was shaking and worried, and I knew she was talking about the information on HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D that was leaked, and the attack on the Triskelion.

"Yeah, you heard the news too?" I answered, trying to hide my heavy breathing.

"Yes- I saw it online everywhere after a twelve hour- whatever, the point is, are you okay? Do you need me to come home?" It felt nice that mom cared enough to end her shift early, not that she never not cared before. She was always the best mother anyone could ask for, but she was just a workaholic.

"No need, did dad call in?" I asked.

"Yes! Twenty missed calls from your dad while I was in my twelve hour shift!" She sighed exasperated, but sounded amused. "At least we're all safe. I'll be home in a bit and your dad is flying home right away. His business with a company ended a bit early."

"Okay, stay safe and avoid the highways," I said before I hang up.

The realization settled in that mom is on her way home and I'm still in my stealth suit. I took off my boots and ran up to my room and shut the door, taking off my suit piece by piece, off the shoulder and knee pads, off the gloves, off the top and the bottom. Now I wasn't sure what to do with the suit, Ms. Hill had been generous and let me keep it, probably because my clothes were still in the abandoned facility so I had nothing to change back into.

I stored it all in an empty cardboard box, even the boots, and stuffed it in the back of my wardrobe where many dresses casted over it. I changed into t-shirt and sweatpants, and untied my hair, brushing it out and checking for any injuries that I could've gotten.

I hear the garage open from downstairs and I bolted out of my room, almost tripping as I went down the stairs. When I saw mom in the kitchen, still in her work outfit, I pulled her into a hug.

"Woah- woah there!" she laughed, hugging me back and kissed my forehead.

"I missed you." I mumbled.

"Missed you too, honey," She fished out her phone from her pocket and said. "Dad will be home in about an hour. I should start making dinner."

It felt as if I hadn't tasted Mom's cooking in forever.

"Alice," Mom called me.

I hummed in response.

"Why are there dirty foot prints on the floor?"

I quickly thought of an excuse and cleared my throat. "Oh, I took a walk to the lake nearby, and when I got home I heard the phone ringing and it was you, I didn't have time to take off my shoes. Sorry."

I heard mom sigh, "It's okay, honey, now come clean this up."

About an hour later when dad came home I gave him the same hug as I did with mom, he laughed and gave mom a kiss on the lips. I pretended to gag at the exchange of affections.

I wondered if one day someone else would treat me the same, someone who would kiss me when they come back from work, would stick with me through thick and thin.

I wondered if someone would ever accept someone like me, not that I'll ever really open up to anyone.

Though now isn't the time, I still have final exams to worry about.

"Did the business go alright?" I asked my dad.

"Everything is alright as long as my wife and daughter is okay," Dad told us, a bit funny because he's practically married to his job. He unpacked his suitcase in the living room, and brought out a medium-sized rectangular box, handing it to me with a warm smile.