Wrong number :/~~Spider-Man

May

Peter's aunt needed serious help, that was for sure.

Tony could tell just by the first hour.

To give context, he'd decided to take it upon himself to help sway where she'd inevitably end up after her final trial. No matter what she was getting locked up, that was for sure, but Tony wanted to be certain that the balance between mental facilities and prison chances were dictated by results he could trust.

So there he was, waiting in the corner of an interrogation room like the dramatic bastard he just so happened to be.

"What brings you to visit, mister Stark?" May asked politely, seemingly oblivious that she was handcuffed to a table in a literal, actual prison. Orange suit and all. The whole shebang.

It was unnerving. Tony didn't like her calling him the same thing Peter did either, it felt like blatant mockery without her even knowing.

Or maybe she did? He could think of the rambling Peter did while he was there, maybe he'd said something about that to her. Either way, Tony didn't like it.

Maybe he was being too judgmental though, he was here to find out how to deal with her, be 'understanding', or something, not cause more conflict for Peter.

"Well, I wanted to have a little chat about the whole thing with you nephew" Tony stated simply, casually making his way to the chair and sliding into it. "You know, the reason you're here"

"Oh, my sweet boy" she grinned, taking a sip of the complementary water delivered in a plastic cup. "Peter was a very good kid, very smart too"

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, he is. But I'm actually here to ask what provoked this whole.. ordeal" He clarified, gesturing to the full prison walls.

She leaned back, a look of disgust sweeping across her face. She almost looked like and entirely new person.

It caught him by surprise. He'd never imagined that face being capable on her based on the stories Tony had heard of her from Peter. Although, he should've knocked out that impression he was given of her a while back. His facade remained the same as he scooted closer the table, unsure which personality he should mimic in order to get more information out of her.

"Let's cut to the chase. We know exactly what happened that night, the one you were arrested. I know the time, the day, hell, I know exactly what you did to him in what order and magnitude. I just want to hear your side of the story before I make your life worse than it is" he folded his hands together, deciding to throw out her choices like a multitude choice question. "So, either you give me a good excuse and I get you some help, or lay out some justice bull crap and I send you to the slammer for life".

She looked taken aback, clearly not expecting the direct approach.

Taking a deep breath, she began.

"I don't think I realized it until too late.." she whispered. The hateful look in her eyes were gone. Yet again, her entire character changed. Tony made a mental note to find a way to check her mental history as far as medications and therapist were concerned, if she'd ever even gotten any.

"I see it now, obviously. I.. I don't know what came over me. I really don't. I didn't mean-" she had tears welding now, as if realizing the horrible thing she'd done for the first time.

"I mean, he's my son" she covered her mouth, stifling the tears.

Tony sat patiently for a moment, allowing her to collect herself.

"When did it start?" His voice was softer, unsure if it was a situational tactic for trust or if he actually felt bad.

"Years ago, I think. It wasn't.. it was immediately after he died. Ben, I mean. I just, I guess I let the power go to my head or something. Every time he did something wrong, I had to ask myself, why. Why does he get to act so freely while I'm restrained by his presence?." She took a shuddering breath.

"I really did love him like a son. More than myself, even. But.. I was gonna be someone, you know? I had a plan, a life ahead of me. Sure, I was a nurse living with my husband in a crappy apartment, but we were making it work. And it weren't for him, Ben wouldn't have even left that night. He could've.. he could've still been here with me. So I asked myself why don't I get to be like that." She looked down "I think I forgot he was still a kid"

Tony rubbed his eyes. He hated this, but he wanted what was best for everyone. If that meant sympathizing with the person he hated most, so be it.

Tony was about to ask her to continue, but she started on her own.

"The first time I hit him, I was so scared of even apologizing to him.. It was the day he knocked over Ben's urn when playing with a little plastic plane I got him. I don't know what came over me, I just.. I was so mad. Ben was so important to me, and Peter had just.." it seemed like saying his name affected her quite a bit.

"Why did you keep doing it if you felt so bad?" Tony wrote something down, officially feeling like some cop or something getting information he needed. That was always fun.

"Like I said, I was afraid of apologizing.. I know I should've, but he never talked about it afterwords. I didn't see why it should be so important if he didn't care anyways.. the second time, I don't entirely remember.. I think he'd snuck out to the roof. It had disturbed some neighbors because he was being all noisy with his gadgets or whatever.. I thought I was just being a disciplining mother.." she admitted.

"So when did it escalate past hitting?" He asked, aware that the last round might've been the worst, but certainly wasn't the first. He needed to know.

"I uh.. I don't remember.." she whispered, thinking hard for a moment. "Oh god.. I don't remember" she looked up at Tony, horrified with herself

Tony reached across to calm her purely out of instinct, but she stood up, tugging her hair.

"I don't remember!" She wailed, sobbing audibly now. The hiccuping of her breath was setting off alarms in Tony's head he didn't realize he still had.

"May, May I'm gonna need you to sit down-" he tried.

"I don't remember the first time I beat my own son. I don't remember when I even started movie nights! I don't remember becoming a—a.. a monster!" she cried, slipping to the floor against the wall.

"May, listen to me—" Tony tried again.

"Don't you dare try to convince me otherwise" she pointed a stern finger at Tony, red eyes glaring terrifyingly at him "I should be locked up. I deserve whatever is coming at me" she growled, the stream of tears still going strong.

Tony knew she was right. When he first walked in, if she'd said that, he'd pack up and go in total agreement. No guilt, no second guessing. Nada. Clear skies with a clear mind.

Now even, he didn't think she was right at all, but it was a human weakness to want to imagine something so horrible to just be a misunderstanding. He knew that wasn't the case, but still.

He understood to a degree why Peter didn't tell now. If even he felt a little bit bad, he knew Peter would too. Peter saw the best in people, it just made sense.

Tony walked out of the room, leaving her to sob on the floor.

Part of him wanted to let her just rot in a cage, die of old age living in a box with school food for life. But he knew better. Yes, it was her fault entirely, but afterlife was when her punishment could come. Tony was supposed to be a hero, so he'd do what he could.

He send a few emails, made a couple calls, and was all around very productive the entire ride back to the tower. As terrible as that experience was, he did feel good about himself for trying.

Now, he was going home. He was going to keep trying, and he was going to do the right thing.

Peter deserved at least that much.

—

Bam. Another done.

Anywhoosies, I love you all, and I appreciate you reading my story. 💛💛💛

Sincerely, someone who's blood could probably be considered a new medication at this point ✨