Summer Upstate (Avengers x Male OC)

1: Home Is Where....Wait Where Is It?

"Hey kid, get up.". 

Nico groaned and rubbed his eyes. The man laughed heartily at the reaction. "Come on kiddo. Its time to get you home." He said. 

"Home?!" Nico said, shooting up into a sitting position. The man, Mr. Garza, was standing over the cot with a wide smile on his face, his arms folded over his broad chest. 

"Yeah. Home." He said, the happiness audible in his voice, "You've been here for far too long. We just got a hold of your dad last night so I'm driving you first thing.". Niko nodded and jumped out of bed, his socks slipping on the polished wood floors. 

One month in a high school in Brooklyn. One whole month he had spent waiting in a makeshift refuge camp while students finished up their year around him. The school he was in had one athletics building and one for all academic subjects so the government had taken over the athletics campus to put up people trying to recover from the blip. 

It was hard to believe it had been 5 years. To him it felt like he just blinked. When he blipped back he was in a park in Brooklyn he had gone to clear his head. Nicholas had tried to go home only to find an older woman living there instead. She had taken him right to a police officer who took him to Martha Henry High School. 

He knew his parents weren't the easiest to get in contact with. Both had changed their numbers and he hadn't talked to his mom in 2 years. Or 7 years now he supposed. His dad and him...well their relationship was rocky when he died in the snap.  

Nicholas knew that his dad had a lot of regrets about taking him in as a baby. Most of them had to do with the fact he regretted his relationship with Nico's mom. He basically pretended Nico didn't exist to the outside world but at home he was pretty normal. 

The boy was excited and relieved to finally be going home. He made quick work of changing into some donated clothes and shoes, brushing his teeth and hair and packing away the cot and blanket he had been given so they could be cleaned and given to the next person who showed up. 

Although, the place was already getting pretty empty. More and more people had gone to home to their families. 

Mr. Garza waited for Nico by his beaten up subaru outback in the school's parking lot. "We've got about two hours  before we get there, so settle in." The man said. 

"Two hours? I live in Brooklyn. No matter how bad the traffic is it can't be that far." Nico said, confused. 

"You're dad moved upstate." Mr. Garza explained, pulling out of the parking lot. "He sounded shell shocked over the phone this morning. Parents often react like that. Losing a child...its unspeakable.". Nico nodded. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if you had a kid in a stroller one second and the next they were just dust. 

The former police officer turned the radio up and started bobbing his head and Nico got prepared for the drive. 

---------------------------------------------------------

The scenery was nice. Apparently this tiny town his dad lived in now was called Victoria. It was on a lake, so that was nice, and the greenery was great. It wasn't really his dad's speed though. 

He had a pretty demanding job in finance. Fletcher Daniels would work himself to death and then some. Nico wondered if his 'death' had driven the man to find the simple pleasures in live, finally destress. 

Eventually they pulled up to a large house that looked like a very recent build. Probably only about 5 years old. It would make sense if Fletcher had built it. 

Nico climbed out of the car with no possessions. No bag, no clothes, just the wallet and phone he had on him the day he disappeared. 

Quickly he made his way up the porch steps and to the door. Mr. Garza was smiling at him from the driveway. This was his favorite part of the job. Watching the tear-jerking reunions of people and their families. Nicholas took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.