Stars ☆ PARKER

one : introductions

"What?"

"You're my dad."

"I think I'd know if I had a child." He stayed looking at her, his body was frozen while in position to close the door.

She simply shrugged. "Well, I have the papers to prove it."

"Buck? Who's at the door?" A voice calmly exclaimed from further inside the apartment.

Looking at her father, she raised an eyebrow anxious to see how this would play out. It wasn't until he responds that she let her face settle into the neutral she so often expresses.

Only he didn't respond, he opened the door and stepped aside.

With her left foot forward, she blinked once before setting herself forward. She was only now able to see the inside of the address.

The door leads to the inside of a hallway. It was short, with a single closet before leading into an open living room with light oak hardwood floors and a sectional couch and recliner. The furniture surrounded a coffee table and was facing a television, the TV was currently displaying the news.

On the recliner sat the man who had opened the door, looking at her but not surprised, for he had expected she would arrive in their residence sooner or later, but more anxious to what would happen.

The coffee table was cluttered with newspapers, coasters, as well as dirty cups and plates. There were the odd photos on the wall partnered with a few stains on the paint and scuffs on the floor.

She was surprised at the cleanliness of the rooms overall.

A tall and structured man with blonde hair was wearing a tight fit t-shirt and blue jeans stood in front of a hallway to the left which she assumed would lead to a bathroom and bedrooms. The man, he was at ease, and she assumed he was the one with a smooth yet commanding voice who had asked who's at the door seconds earlier.

Everyone who appeared to live in the apartment seemed at ease with their surroundings. She could tell from that and the interior of the rooms it was more than an apartment to the men, it was their home.

However, before she could explore the apartment further, a voice interrupted her analysis of the house. "Uhm, your shoes..." he trailed off.

They were old and worn. There were creases in places and rips and holes in others. She had stolen them quickly in the night after her grand escape in the same act of taking clothes that didn't make her look like an assassin. She glanced at her shoes before swiftly turning back to her father. "What about them?"

He blinked a few times to avoid looking at her before replying, "could you take them off?"

"Excuse me?" She questioned before looking around him in confusion. That was until she noticed the rug and shoe rack in the corner by the door. "Oh."

"Yeah." He looked at her expectantly.

She slowly made her way back to the door, maintaining eye contact while passing the man before stopping before rug. Staring down at the mat she hesitated before bending down and pulling at the old, frayed laces of her sneakers.

Once she had successfully removed her shoes she walked back into the living room with intentions to complete her examination of the apartment. She remained with her knees straight and shoulders squared. She was still prepared to fight anyone who opposed her, though she was more at ease than she had been outside the door.

"So, what's going on here?" The blonde man spoke up, glancing around the room and making eye contact with his friends, all the while avoiding the girl standing in the middle of them all.