Melancholy Hope {Spiderson&Irondad}

Chapter 13

May doesn't bother me for a couple hours. I can hear her walking around the apartment, doing the dishes, vacuuming, but she doesn't bother me so I count it as a win.

It gives me time to think. I already miss Tony. I don't like this place. It reminds me too much of all the foster homes. It reminds me too much of the bad homes, and I'm worried this'll turn bad before I can stop it from happening.

May isn't that bad, she's not as bad as I made her out to be in the beginning, but I don't enjoy it. I don't enjoy any of it. I want to be home with Tony. I want to watch movies and eat junk food and work in his lab.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I fish it out quickly, hoping desperately it's Tony. And it is.

Tony: Hey kid. I know today was hard but I can win this for you if that's what you want. I can do this. I promise. Just hang in there for today

Me: thanks

Me: I miss home

Tony: just hang in there for today. I'll be picking you up from school tomorrow. I've gotta talk to my lawyers now

Tony: I'm not supposed to talk to you while you're not under my supervision, so delete these texts and don't say anything to May

Tony: hang in there kid

I sigh and delete all the texts without responding to him.

I hate this place already. I want to be home. I want to be with Tony. I don't want to be in this place anymore. I don't want to have to fight for a forever home.

The system's always been fucked in a way that children goes with family no matter how bad they are or how much the kid wants something different. The kid never gets a decision in anything that happens to them.

It's unfair but what am I supposed to do with a fucked up system that I can't even get out of.

There's a knock on the door and then it's pushed open, May standing there with a defensive stance. She's holding some clothes in her hand despite what she said earlier. She lays them down on my desk, picking up the newspaper as she goes.

She comes over and sits at the end of my bed as I sit up.

"What do you want? I don't want to talk to you right now," I say, averting my eyes as my chest tightens. I know I'm supposed to be a good kid or whatever, but I can't help the hostility against her.

"I just wanted to let you know that it wasn't my intention to hurt you," May says, watching me carefully.

"Fuck you," I mutter, rolling my eyes.

She frowns farther, looking uncomfortable. "I know I don't know you. I know it's not under the best circumstances, but Stark wasn't good for you. Stark's not a good person. I'm family, Peter. It's better for you to stay with me."

"Fuck you," I repeat, ignoring the welling of tears in my eyes, blinking away the sting.

"Don't be like that. How am I supposed to get to know you if you won't even talk to me?" She sighs.

"Fuck you."

She sighs again like she expected this behavior from the beginning. "I'm locking your door for the night. You can't run away. The window doesn't open either. Knock if you decide you want dinner. I'll open it up at 6 so you can leave for school."

"You're locking me up?" I say, chest tightening at that. I'm not that great with small spaces. After juvie and some bad foster homes, small spaces have never been easy. The inability to escape...