PARR FAMILY AGES:

Bob – 47

Helen – 42

Violet – 22

Jack-Jack – 9

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Wow...Dash's mom is really pretty. She was taller than me by almost a foot too...I'm feeling very intimidated right now.

My heart was racing, I could already feel sweat welling up on my forehead. Dash stopped before me, his mother not far from him, and I saw his eyes immediately snap over towards his brother, suspicion clear in them. Jack-Jack still smiled away regardless, unaffected.

"So...Mom, this is Y/N."

He took his attention away from Jack-Jack, and focused on me. The second the woman's total attention was on me, looking down, I felt small. But, I was completely thrown off by the kindness I could see in her brown eyes.

"Hello." She said, in a pleasant tone with a smile. She held a hand out, and on reflex, I reached my hand out to shake hers. Her grip was firm, and I think mine was too, but entirely out of nervousness.

"It's a pleasure, Y/N."

"...S-Same to you, Mrs. Parr."

Mentally, I slapped myself as I released her hand. 'Easy there Y/N, steady your voice.'

"I have to say, it's nice to finally meet you." She went on, not at all minding my unsettled state. It helped me feel a little better.

"Dash has been telling us about you for a while now."

"...?" I looked at Dash questioningly, seeing a frown and blush instantly spread across his face.

"Nothing but good things, I promise." The woman put emphasis on 'good', winking at me playfully.

"...Mooom..." Dash quietly whined, which amused me so much to the point where I actually giggled. That only embarrassed Dash even more, while his mother chuckled.

"Well, I'll leave you two be. I have to get dinner started...oh, Y/N? Do you want to stay for it?"

"...Sure." I don't see why not. I have to send a message to Auntie about it, but I don't think she'll mind.

"Great. We're having [-name of meal you like-], is that ok?"

"Yeah. Sounds good." Feeling more relaxed now, I smiled.

Mrs. Parr went into the kitchen then, while Dash continued to stand before me with his cheeks still as red as apples. He was pouting, but it turned into a look of accusation that he directed towards Jack-Jack, who I forgot was standing next to me still.

"What?" The boy asked, holding his hands behind his back.

"...Don't you have homework or, something to do?" The blonde asked in response, folding his arms.

"Ooh. Yeah, but I need help." Jack-Jack's baby blue eyes almost appeared to sparkle. "Can you help me Dash?"

The teen grumbled, and it just hit me that I had a big smile on my face from watching the two of them interact. Dash seemed like your typical older brother at first glance, but I could sense the familial bond between him and Jack-Jack already.

"Yeah, sure. It's not like Mom would be happy if I didn't." He uttered the latter sentence to himself, before he gestured at his brother with a nod. "Go and get it, the sooner it gets done the better."

As Jack-Jack ran upstairs, Dash faced me.

"Uh, go ahead and chill on the couch Y/N. This shouldn't take too long, sorry..." He rubbed his head, and I shook my head.

"It's ok."

I did as he suggested, sitting on the couch. Dash handed me the remote to the TV while Jack-Jack came back downstairs with his open backpack. The two brothers settled at a small table in the corner of the room, and I soon heard Dash reading out a math question.

I channel surfed for a moment, coming to rest on a news channel. Been a while since I've checked out what's been going on in the city.

The clattering of pots and pans I could hear from the kitchen reminded me to pull my phone out to ask Auntie if I could stay over here for dinner via text, and I got a response within the next minute.

Aunt (A/N): Of course!! Enjoy yourself sweetie

Smiling, I slid my phone back into my pocket.

Time passed as I half-heartedly paid attention to the TV, focusing on the Parr brothers instead. I heard them talking with even tones, occasionally Jack-Jack giggled and Dash chuckled. Sooner than I thought though, I heard the sound of books closing and something zipping up.

Behind the couch, I saw Jack-Jack go upstairs with his backpack, and something sunk into the couch to my left.

"How was the homework?" I asked Dash, who slumped back against the couch. He shot me a lax, half-grin.

"Peachy. But, I'm probably gonna have to start helping him with math more. They're starting to go into stuff I struggled with, back then."

I hummed in response, and fell silent. I kept my eyes on the TV, but they drifted back to Dash once I realized he was staring at me.

"Something wrong?"

"...Uh, nah. I'm just...wondering how you're feeling." A blush coated his face.

"I'm fine." I smiled. "What, are you worried?"

"...Kind of. But, I'm glad you're feeling alright." He chuckled, averting his gaze with a degree of bashfulness that made me feel all warm and tingly inside.

"I uh...don't know where Violet is. I'm guessing she's out with her friends, but my dad should get off work sometime soon."

"That's cool. I'm actually...not too nervous anymore." I answered honestly, internally surprised by it.

"Oh? That's good-"

Dash stopped speaking, just as I felt something sit next to me on my right. I turned my head to see Jack-Jack, the same cute smile from earlier on his face.

"Hi Y/N."

"Hey..." I was struck by a sense of awkwardness, and was momentarily saved by Dash.

"Jack-Jack..." He said, squinting his eyes. A pout formed on the little boy's face.

"What? I wanna talk to Y/N."

"...Really?" Now, I was feeling self-conscious. He faced me, pout gone.

"Yeah! You already seem way nicer than that last girl Dash brought home. I wanna be friends."

"L-Last girl?"

Puzzled, I turned the other way to Dash. He wasn't looking at me, having his face in the opposite direction so I couldn't see it. I could see his ears have reddened though, so I'm sure I don't need to see his face. I bet he was feeling a little shame...that "last girl" had to be Iris. She was the last girl Dash dated anyway, to my knowledge.

"...Well," I smiled at Jack-Jack. "Thank you. And we can be friends. I'd like that."

"Yay!"

I giggled at his smile full of white teeth, though I did notice a little gap between some. Must have lost a baby tooth.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked. Behind me, I could feel Dash shift around. Whether it was to get comfortable, or it was just him fidgeting, I couldn't tell.

"I dunno. Anything! Like...what's your favorite color?"

~

The front door opened, the sound cutting though the laughter Jack-Jack and I were sharing in. The sight of a tall woman with long black hair walking in made me tense, self-consciousness once again washing over me. That must be-

"Hi Violet." Jack-Jack greeted his sister.

"Hey." She answered, eyes glued to her phone. She did look up though, and when she did, her eyes froze on me. I was momentarily thrown back by their shade of blue. They were like...periwinkle? Don't think I've ever seen an eye color like that before.

I was also thrown off, by the smile that spread across her lips. I heard Dash groan next to me.

"You're Y/N, right?" She asked me, and I ushered words to come out of my throat.

"Y-Yeah...that's me..."

"Wow Dash. You actually invited her over?" She spoke to her brother this time, and I took a moment to look at him.

"Yes, I did..." His brow was furrowed and eyes narrowed, with what I assumed to be annoyance. His voice supported as much.

Violet snickered, and she took a seat in one of the smaller couches on the sides of the large one I and her siblings were on.

"It's nice to meet you finally, Y/N. Dash has been talking about you for weeks now."

He sunk more into the couch. Amused, I couldn't help but snicker too.

"Mrs. Parr said that too. Or, close to it."

"Oh? Well, it's the truth." The eldest sibling chuckled. Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, and I looked to see their mother walking down.

"Hey Mom." Violet greeted, and Mrs. Parr grinned.

"Hi Vi." She said, then spoke to all of us. "Dinner's almost done...just a few more minutes."

"Cool. Is Dad home?"

"No, he's still out. Which...is a little strange, usually he's home by now." The woman's eyes squinted as she looked at the analog clock on the wall opposite of her.

"Guess he's running late. Or something came up." Dash stated, staring idly up at the ceiling.

"Hm...well-"

Mrs. Parr was cut off by a loud sound, that...almost sounded like an alarm. It came from the TV, and all of us snapped our heads to it.

< BREAKING NEWS >

The words flashed on the screen, just as a reporter appeared on a street corner. There were police cars in the background, all of their lights flashing. I tensed.

"This is just in folks! A disturbance call inside the Gilton Rox bar in downtown Metroville was brought police to it, but after doing some investigation, they discovered something rather chilling."

"Y/N, could you turn the volume up please?" Mrs. Parr asked, coming to stand behind the couch. I picked up the remote from my lap and quickly did as she asked.

"In the basement of the bar, officers found a very strange looking object wrapped up in a cloth, that appeared to be a gun of some sort. What's more, is that it had the branding of world-class telecommunications company Devtech's branding on it. Upon being inspected by an arms expert that was called to the scene, it was deemed a legitimate weapon."

A picture was shown on the screen then, of a contraption that looked like it came out of a sci-fi movie. It looked like a...ray gun, mixed with a rifle?

It was resting on a dull and dirty brown cloth, though it's metallic sheen was a stark contrast. Just like what the reporting lady said, Devtech's symbol was embedded into the body of it, and the handle.

"As the CEO of Devtech, Winston Deavor, has told the police force of Municiberg claimed that his assets have been mysteriously disappearing over the past few months, there is the possibility that such assets could have been used to craft this bizarre gadget, and possibly others."

Yikes. Someone...or multiple someones for all I know, have been stealing Devtech's things to make weapons? Surely that gun can't be the only one of its kind that exists. Why was it even in that bar in the first place?

"Police were unable to find the man that made the disturbance call, but those in charge of the bar that were present, have been arrested for housing an unregistered and surely illegal weapon in a public building. They are currently at the Metroville police station, though nothing else is currently known."

"That's all for this live news report."

The broadcasted ended, and it was then that I realized the room was silent.

I looked around the living room, gauging everyone's reactions as I turned the TV back down. Jack-Jack had an innocent expression of curiosity, while the others appeared very solemn.

"...So...what'd you make of that, Mom?" Violet broke the silence, assembling her words with care. I caught the quick glance she shot my way, which made my head tilt.

"..." Mrs. Parr was quiet, standing still with her arms crossed. The look on her face expressed she was in deep thought, as she stared at the TV.

"I'm not sure. But, we can talk about it later." She left it alone, rather ambiguously, which I found odd. She went back into the kitchen, and I faced forwards, confused.

Talk about it later? She sounded like they had something important to discuss about this. But why would it be important?

"Sheesh...this isn't good. Not good at all." Violet said, fidgeting with her phone.

"Y/N, can I have the remote?" Jack-Jack quietly asked me. Seems like he wasn't too concerned about this, which made sense. I of course handed it to him, and he started to channel surf.

"I'll say." Dash stated. "A weapon with Devtech's brand on it, being found in some random bar? I bet...the CEO is loving that." He snorted.

Right, Winston Deavor. He's probably going to have a lot of public attention on him now, the not-good kind.

Distantly, I heard a peculiar sound start up for a new seconds, then stop. I paid no mind to it, and instead tried to contribute to this mini conversation.

"Is...there a chance Winston Deavor had that built himself? I know they said his assets have been getting stolen, but..."

"...I doubt it. I feel he wouldn't do something like that." Violet answered, eyes flicking to the side. I heard that noise start and stop again. Now I was curious.

"Yeah. He's a good guy...or- seems like one." Dash seemed a little quick to correct himself. He also looked away from me, tapping his finger. I quirked a brow.

"What? Do you all know him personally?" That's the impression I'm kind of getting here.

I saw the siblings visibly tense. "Uhh-"

A door off in a corner of the house suddenly opened, making me slightly jump in my seat.

"I know, I know. We really need to start searching now."

A blond man, who was way taller than I could've suspected, walked through. Not only was he tall, but he was really muscular too. His mouth was twisted into a grimace, as he stared intently down at the ground as he held a phone to his ear.

This had to be Mr. Parr. That noise before must've been the garage opening and closing.

"If that one exists, there could be more. Maybe different ones too. Call me if you find out anything else."

He said his farewells and hung up, putting his phone down. His attention then went to us, surely because he noticed his children.

Yet, his eyes met mine, and went large. Almost comically large.

"...Hello..." I softly greeted, instinctively hunching down.

"Hello." Mr. Parr regained his composure, smiling politely. I guess he wasn't expecting to see me here.

"Hey Dad. This is Y/N." Dash introduced me, and the man nodded.

"I thought so. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise..." I trailed off, as Mrs. Parr came into the living room.

"Ah- Helen. I need to talk to you about...something. Excuse me, kids."

Mr. Parr gestured at his wife for them to go into the kitchen, and they did so, although her face was puzzled.

We all dropped the topic for now, even though I was still very curious about the thing with Winston Deavor, but it wasn't important. Jack-Jack put the TV on some cartoon show, while Dash and Violet had their phones out, assumably texting their friends. I peeked behind me and saw Mr. and Mrs. Parr talking to each other in the kitchen, their voices too low from me to hear. From the looks of things, whatever the topic was must've been serious. I was curious, but knew to mind my own business.

Not too long later, we heard Mrs. Parr call us from in the kitchen and say dinner was ready. Jack-Jack was first to rush, Dash and Violet moved at a more calmer pace. I took my time, the fact that I was about to have dinner with my crush's family dawning on me.

'Please don't mess this up Y/N...I need me to not ruin this.'

Minutes later, hands were washed, and we all were seated at the dinner table with our plates. The aroma of the food wafting up to my nose made my mouth water, and I started digging in with everyone else. I quietly hummed in pleasure at the favors making my taste buds sing. Mrs. Parr sure was a good cook.

...Glancing over to my left where they sat along the same side of the table as me, I saw Dash and Mr. Parr had more food on their plates. A great deal more, compared to Violet's, Jack-Jack's, and mine. Guess Dash got his appetite from his dad.

"So, how was everyone's day?" Mrs. Parr asked.

"Fun! We played soccer during P.E.." Jack-Jack chimed, and his mother chuckled fondly.

"That's good."

"Other than having a test, mine was uneventful." Violet commented, and Dash said the same.

"Me too. Same old same old."

"Ok...how about you, Y/N?"

I looked up, my cheeks puffed out with food. Dash and Violet smiled in amusement, while the others laughed. I burned with embarrassment. I bet I looked like a chipmunk, or something.

"Do you like the meal?" The brunette woman asked humorously, and while I knew the question was rhetorical, I responded anyway.

"Y-Yeah." I swallowed, not wanting to talk with my mouth full. "It's really good, Mrs. Parr."

"Why, thank you." Her voice was warm with appreciation. I cleared my throat, keeping my eyes directed down at my plate.

"But uh, my day was...alright. Nothing special happened..." Except for me dousing Iris with her own soda, but I naturally couldn't tell them about that.

"That so? Well, at least nothing bad happened."

I nodded in agreement, being more calm with eating now.

"Hmm...hope you don't mind me asking this, Y/N." At being addressed by Mr. Parr, I had to face him then. He appeared...concerned?

"But Dash told us about what's been going on with your home life. I hope things haven't been too bad..?"

I caught Dash shooting me a guilty stare, as if he suspected he probably shouldn't have told them anything, but I smiled at him in an attempt to comfort him. It was fine, I figured he would tell them.

He relaxed, and smiled back at me.

"Things are ok. I still have no idea where my parents are, but I've been staying with my aunt in the meantime. Trying not to worry about them."

"I see...the police haven't given any updates?"

"No...well, except for one a while ago." The entire Parr family perked up.

"Apparently my dad's car was spotted in Municiberg, but no one knows why. It's probably not there anymore."

Mr. Parr's eyes narrowed, and did Mrs. Parr's, as they remained silent.

"...Does he not work in Municiberg?" Violet cut in carefully.

"Last time I checked, no. He worked here in the city...but the last time I saw him, he said he was going on a small business trip. That could've been in Municiberg."

"When was he supposed to be back from that trip?" Mr. Parr questioned.

"The following Friday, from the day he told me. But, that was about a month ago at this point, and he's still gone..." I poked at the little remains of the food left on my plate. The topic of my parents was starting to bring down my mood a smidge.

I think Mrs. Parr picked up on that. "Well...that's unfortunate, but there's nothing to be done now. All we can do is hope they'll be found soon."

I nodded, expression falling.

"...Would you like seconds Y/N? There's plenty left."

Mrs. Parr's welcoming tone honestly helped me feel better. That and, the idea of more food. I nodded, smiling.

"Do you two want seconds too?"

She addressed her husband and eldest son, whose plates were completely empty. That surprised me; though Mr. Parr did more than Dash. I was used to seeing him eat fast.

"Yes please." They simultaneously answered, eagerness making their blue eyes sparkle. I giggled.

~~~

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dessert?"

Mrs. Parr asked me, and I nodded. I kind of felt like I mooched off of them enough already, I could find something for dessert when I got home.

"Alright. Thanks for