Adopted by the Avengers

21: twennywun

The room was cold, biting metal pressing into his thighs. His hands were involuntarily shaking, and not just from the cold. This is what she did to him? This is what he is now? How pathetic. 

"Peter," May said, "Thought you'd be coming around to get me out of here." Her words struck Peter's heart like an icicle. Is his what he came for? Was he supposed to be getting her out? His brain was lagging. Thankfully Tony swooped in for the save. 

"We aren't here to get you out," he said, simple as that. 

May's head turned slowly, and a sneer spread across her face when she looked at Tony. "Then why are you here. Obviously not to apologize." Her last words were directed at Peter. 

Any of the confidence he had at the beginning, or the unstoppable anger when his aunt attacked his mentor was ripped to shreds. He slunk down in his seat. His gaze fixed on his hands, and he ran his fingers over the back of his knuckles as Tony was saying something. 

"Peter doesn't need to apologize. For anything. If anyone should be apologizing it's you, child abuser." 

Maybe Tony's words should have offered solace to him. Perhaps they did. But Peter kinda wanted to leave. His aunt's eyes burned into his self-esteem like lava rock. He needed escape.

Peter reached out and grabbed Tony's wrist, squeezing it gently to get his mentors attention. Tony tore his glare away from May and blinked down at Peter. 

"Can we go please?" 

His voice was so small and broken and it literally made Tony swallow hard before he was able to speak again, a lump in his throat threating to break into tears. 

"We've come so far, kid," he murmured, "you can do this. It'll be alright." Peter nodded, not really understanding but just too tired to fight. "It'll be okay, kid. We'll be alright." 

May was watching with a venomous smile. Like she was proud of her work. "Look at you, Peter," she spit his name like it was a filthy rat. Like he was filthy. "You can't even--"

"No." Tony said. She shut up. "You will not speak to him like that."

You tell her, dad.. Peter thought, and smiled a bit to himself. 

"Miss Parker I am a very powerful man you do not want to mess with me, I can make your life very miserable in this prison." 

"Is that a threat?" She hissed. 

"No, Miss Parker, it is a fact. And if you ever attack my boy-- Peter here again, you will be facing a possible life sentence. Is that understood." 

A moment of pride washed over Peter, and happy surprise perked in his features. Tony was standing up for him. Someone cared. Someone actually cared. 

That's new, he thought to himself. 

May was still leaning forward on the table, but her glare lessened, and was more of a calculated look. Then, very slowly, she reclined in her chair. 

"Yeah. understood." 

Tony kept a face of hard stone. "Good." 

This was all very fast for Peter Parker, it was even a bit much for Spider-Man. Tony somehow seemed to sense this, and looked back to him, a worried look on his face. "You good Pete? Do you want some water?" 

Peter nodded. 

Tony got up, but not before sending a warning glare to May. There was a vending machine against the wall, where bottled water was waiting to never be picked. But as a billionaire with money who has that extra cash to buy bottled water, it didn't bother Tony as he payed for a water. The one thing that did bother him though, was the fact that despite his very obvious warning not to, May was speaking to Peter. He couldn't hear what was being said but the expressions of them both were enough to have him hurrying.