EVERMORE ─ marvel

I. Complicated

Chapter One
Liam

I chew on my pop tart silently as I watch everyone get ready for the day ahead. Soroya is pouring herself a cup of coffee, talking to Bucky over her shoulder about the meeting she has with the Wakandan council today. Bucky is helping Livy search for her medical textbook, which she had been reading last night and has since lost. Stevie is fixing himself a bowl of cereal and is telling me about his newest painting in an excited tone. I try to pay attention, but the task is a little hard, my mind is too focused on the decision I made this morning, the step I'm taking today.

Things have been crazy here. Along with trying to adjust to living in the most high tech city in the world, I've had to help the other F.E.P and enhanced adjust. I've been happy to help, but there are some days it feels a little overwhelming, especially since it's taken up every second of my day for the past month. This week is the first week that has been relatively normal. Livy is trying to focus on studying to go back to school in a couple weeks, Bucky has been helping the enhanced and helping coordinate the builders for the base and school, and Soroya has been doing fifteen different things at once. I can't even keep up with all she's doing. Stevie has been helping the enhanced just like I have, and when he isn't doing that, he's painting or spending time with me. He's made it his mission to make me feel comfortable in Wakanda and in his home, his whole family has. It shocks me everyday how generous and loving these people are, I'm still not used to it.

"Soroya," I ask, knowing that if I don't ask her this question now I'll have to wait until she gets home from work late at night. "I was wondering if I could borrow your ship and Steve?"

All four of them look at me with raised eyebrows, especially Stevie.

"What for?" Soroya inquires, taking a sip of coffee, leaning her back against the kitchen counter.

"I want to go to California and see my parents," I explain a little awkwardly. "Jo has been making an effort to connect with her biological father...so I thought maybe it was time I talk to my parents."

Jo has seen her biological father once a week for the past month. After each visit she forces Stevie, Livy, Zy, and me to their treehouse and goes into detail about the meeting. As each week has gone by, I've thought more and more about my parents, especially when Jo talks about how rewarding it's been to get questions answered about her past. There are questions I have for my parents, answers I crave with every fiber of my being. I think I owe it to myself to find them.

I'm still shocked Jo has wanted me to be there when she vents about seeing her father. Everyone has known me just under two months and they're acting like they've known me for years. From what I understand, Stevie, Livy, Zy, and Jo have been best friends their whole lives. They tell each other everything, they always hang out with each other, and they even have a treehouse all to themselves. They're like a club, they even call themselves the four musketeers. I was positive that only Stevie, and maybe Jo, would want to be around me when I moved in this house, but no. All four of them insist on me going to every treehouse meeting and being apart of every private conversation. What is it with this family? I'm a stranger, an outcast. Why are they all so eager to include me in their lives?

"Of course you can borrow the ship. I'm guessing you want Stevie so he can fly it for you?" Soroya responds causally.

Yes and no. I have no idea how to fly anything, so I do need a pilot, but everyone knows how to fly those ships, not just Stevie. I want him to go with me because seeing my parents will be so hard, I'm not sure how it will go. Stevie being there will make it better, he makes everything better...

I nod to Soroya and give her a simple answer: "Yes, I need a pilot."

I glance at Stevie and find him grinning. "I'm happy to fly you there. When do you want to leave?"