Disappeared- {Pietro Maximoff}

Chapter 35

"Wanda, where are you? Please call me back as soon as you get this, or just tell me you're alright." Pietro's voice cracked, "Where are you?"

"Pietro, I have to go," Adelaide called from the kitchen and Pietro nodded, hanging up the phone without even a goodbye. He ran into the next room and hugged Adelaide from behind,

"Please don't leave me alone with them," he begged, "The ginger one keeps glaring at me."

Rich, whose auburn hair was cut jaggedly just above his shoulders, was currently sat on a kitchen counter and glaring out the window. Pietro raised his voice,

"See anything dead out there?"

"Yeah, your mom," returned Rich, sliding off the counter, "Antero and Dani are fencing with Sera's arms and there appears to be a game of croquet using her legs. Might wanna stop that."

"Can you—"

"If you want a fucking servant, Rojas has probably been training his whole life for it." Pietro tried to speak but Rich was already out of the room, so he settled on holding his middle finger at Rich's retreating back until he disappeared from view.

"Why don't you just kick him out?" Adelaide asked quietly, resting a hand on Pietro's arm and forcing him to lower it.

"Alex would kill me," It was said with a shrug of his shoulders, casual and yet there was a needle of anxiety in Pietro's stomach as well, like he had to justify himself to Adelaide, "And I'm sure he's not a bad kid when you get to know him. We can't help what we were taught growing up, and he's from one of the worst parts of North Lawndale."

"He's not safe to have around children."

"He's just a child himself. I also thought I knew the world when I was sixteen and he'll learn soon enough that it's not the case."

Adelaide clicked her tongue, moving away from Pietro, "I just hope Alex has more sense than you when she's back."

"Oh, this is completely Alex's influence. She's going to have a field day therapising and healing these kids."

"Majority of these kids are people of colour, having them around someone like Rich puts them in danger and you're treating it like a joke."

"I promise you, on Wanda's life, that I'm not. If I thought Rich was an actual problem, I would be dealing with it. He's just a little piece of shit who doesn't want to be here and doesn't know how to be anything that's not aggressive."

"What he said about Bobby—"

"Has been said. And I'll let Bobby know and he can decide what he wants me to do, but I can't make Rich apologise. Punishing won't help him learn and change, it will just make his resentment grow."

"Okay," Adelaide began to walk away before snapping her fingers, "Damn, I forgot the hair stuff. Remind me tonight and I'll post it. Or leave it somewhere for you to collect."

"Put it outside, I think I'll have time tomorrow morning to pick it up. Are you sure it's alright for us to have them?"

"Yeah. And it's not just my head wraps and stuff, I asked around for it. My hairdressers said you could stop by anytime for free tips and I think my neighbour, Ishani, left some oil for Dolores' hair."