Broken Lullaby ▷ Tony Stark | ✓

34 - WON'T LEAVE AGAIN

TONY HAD BEEN TASKED TO TAKE REMY TO HIS NEW THERAPIST, AND HE WAS NOT READY TO ENTER AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. He sighed as he pulled up into the parking lot of the school, maneuvering around the running children and chatting parents and distracted cross-walk attendees. It was a kind of madness that had him ready to run for the hills, if not for the fear of repercussions from Birdie who had practically screamed at him over the phone, five minutes before having to go back into the courtroom and convince the jury that societal double standards did not hold when it came to actual law, morals, and human beings, none of which Tony wanted to ever get into.

Thus, that was why he was climbing out of his car at the end of school and making his way through, his hood pulled up and sunglasses on. From what he had heard, people had started to let up about Remy being affiliated with Tony, and his mother about her behavior with the reporter, and he liked to keep the thorny limelight away from the family as much as possible.

As he made his way towards the blacktop, not wanting to go into the building lest he run into a teacher or adult who looked at him too closely, he tried to find Remy through the sea of running children, only to turn up empty.

He did, however, see Ethan who was glaring at him from where he was leaning against the chainlink fence. Despite the clear hostility, he was the only person there that Tony recognized, not to mention the only person who would possibly know where Remy was.

So he made his way over, despite his better judgement, and found that the boy was just as intimidating as his mother; the mother related to Birdie, not the mother who was sweet enough to knit Tony a sweater for Christmas.

"Where's Remy?" he asked, leaning against the fence, and Ethan's glare seemed to intensify.

"Since when are you back?" the boy practically spat, and Tony had to admit, it made sense.

"About a week and a half ago," he replied, and that seemed to upset Ethan more, maybe because of his tone, maybe because of the context, maybe because he was just too upset.

"Why'd you have to come back?" the boy demanded, "It's bad enough you left, but it's even worse that you came back."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Ethan grit his teeth. "Because now you've got their hopes up again. Then you'll leave and it'll be even worse."

Tony shook his head, turning to look at the scene in front of him. Children running around, parents chatting, middle schoolers sighing and trying to tug their parents away or force them to leave. All around him a kind of noise that he had never been a part of and, in all honesty, could never truly see himself being a part of.

"I won't leave," he said, and Ethan scoffed, shaking his head. "I won't," he pressed, "Look, I left the first time, that was on me, but I won't leave again. I promise."

Ethan pursed his lips and stepped forward, glaring up at Tony. "I don't care how much money you have, man. You hurt either of them and I will take you down."

With that, the boy stalked off and before Tony could even think of calling him back, a small hand was slipped into his own and he was being tugged off, his ears filled with the constant stream of chatter he had been so used to hearing.

"You excited?" he asked as the boy vaulted into the front seat of the car, Tony once again choosing not to comment against it.

"No," the boy replied, "I hope she's better than Nicky, but I doubt it. I hear psychologists are better than therapists."

"Where's all this bias coming from?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow as he pulled out of the parking lot and towards the road.

Remy didn't respond, instead he just looked out the window, the wind pushing back his hair. Tony decided not to pry, since that always left the boy in a sour mood and unwilling to cooperate with anything.